LONDON: Newcastle manager Eddie Howe still hopes goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will stay at St. James’ Park beyond the end of the January transfer window.
The in-form 35-year-old Slovakia international has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab as he enters the final six months of his contract with the Magpies.
Dubravka has conceded just two goals in seven games in all competitions — all of them victories — while deputising for the injured Nick Pope during a run where Newcastle are closing in on a place in the English League Cup final and are fifth in the Premier League table.
“Martin’s been in a difficult situation,” Howe said Friday.
“Like any player that is coming out of contract in the summer, with every player that I’ve ever worked with, there’s always that feeling of doubt.
“He will naturally want some conclusion to his future, whether that’s a new contract with us, whatever the outcome. But he’s certainly played very well and I’ve been really pleased with him.
“He’s more than played his part in our recent run of fixtures. Again against Arsenal (a 2-0 win in the first leg of a League Cup semifinal), I thought he was very, very good, so hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement with him.”
Dubravka was seen to be in tears following the conclusion of Tuesday’s game against Arsenal, in what many observers interpreted as a farewell to Newcastle.
He was signed by former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez, initially on loan, in January 2018, but has largely been a back-up to England international Pope for the last two-and-a-half years, a period which included a loan spell at Manchester United.
But he has shown his value in recent weeks with Howe, who must decide whether or not to rest Dubravka for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie against fourth-tier Bromley, saying: “I know how much Newcastle means to him and you can see that emotionally, he’s very invested.
“Of course, all those things will be playing a part in his decision-making and our decision-making and hopefully there’s a successful outcome at the end.”
Newcastle have been linked with a move for Burnley’s England under-21 international James Trafford should Dubravka move on.
And Howe refused to say whether Pope, who is back in training, remained his first-choice goalkeeper.
“It’s always in a state of flux,” he said. “It’s always changing and moving because that’s down to the player’s performances.”
Newcastle boss Howe eager to hang onto goalkeeper Dubravka
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Newcastle boss Howe eager to hang onto goalkeeper Dubravka
- Newcastle manager Eddie Howe still hopes goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will stay at St. James’ Park beyond the end of the January transfer window
New innings as women’s cricket set to take off in Saudi Arabia
- A landmark partnership has been announced between the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation and FairBreak, under which, it is proposed that a new professional women’s cricket tournament, the Women’s World T20 Challenge, will take place in Saudi Arabia
In my column of May 4, 2022, I highlighted a new women’s cricket tournament which took place in Dubai that month. It was entitled the SDG FairBreak Invitational 2022 Tournament and was sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. Six teams consisting of 90 players from 35 countries competed across 19 matches. The tournament, organized by Cricket Hong Kong, was scheduled to be held there, but the location had to be moved because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The players were a mixture of those from ICC full member and associate member countries. There was no auction of the players. Instead, an organizing committee invited players and then allocated them to one of six teams. This ensured that a balance between players from full and associate member countries was achieved. Over 25 countries were represented. Nine of the 11 full member national cricket boards were delighted to allow their players to take part. Only India and Afghanistan, for different reasons, did not allow their players to participate.
A vital ingredient of the tournament was the opportunity it provided for members of Associate countries to play against and alongside some of the world’s best female cricketers. It also enabled players from full member countries to gain an understanding of the challenges faced by associate players, as well as appreciate their skill sets. A second tournament took place in Hong Kong in 2023, and the event looked to be established in the global cricket calendar. A third tournament was planned for the US, but was delayed and then postponed, partly because of a clash with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Internal changes were also underway in FairBreak, which was founded in 2013 by former Australian women’s cricket captain Lisa Sthalekar and her manager, Shaun Martyn. They sought to champion the cause of gender equality in cricket at a time when women’s cricket was still underdeveloped. Indeed, cricket’s leading administrators did not endorse their concept of a Women’s International Cricket League. Their initiative survived through one-off events and tours, until the first invitational tournament in 2022.
In January 2024, Martyn stood down and Ramasamy Venkatesh, who had been involved since 2019, became managing director in September 2025. He is the co-founder and managing director of Gencor Pacific, a multinational healthcare company. Somehow, he finds time to stand as an ICC Development Panel umpire. He also found time to speak to me this week about the landmark partnership which has been announced between the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation and FairBreak. Under this, it is proposed that a new professional women’s cricket tournament, the Women’s World T20 Challenge, will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2026 and for the following four years.
The Gulf had been identified as a potential region by FairBreak. In early April this year, the opportunity arose to open discussions with representatives of the SACF. These advanced well during the ensuing months. The outcome is the promise of the Kingdom stepping onto the global stage of women’s cricket, hand in hand with an organization which has gender equality on a global scale at its core, using cricket as the vehicle.
Various approvals, including ICC sanction, will now be sought, after which an operational phase will begin. Venkatesh told me that this tournament will take place in one stadium, in one city in Saudi Arabia. The identity of the city has yet to be revealed as are the proposed dates. Cricket’s international calendar is already crowded. In 2026, the women’s T20 World Cup will be held in England and Wales in June, after which The Hundred will take place in August. Later in the year the Australian Women’s Big Bash will be played. This leaves September/October as the most promising window of opportunity.
At this stage, the format of the tournament is proposed to follow that of the FairBreak Invitational, with invited players allocated to the six teams, which have a balance of full member and associate country players. Maintaining this balance is dear to Venkatesh’s heart. He told me that in the inaugural tournament, associate nation players were reluctant to talk with those from full member nations. Previously, they had only seen them on television or, perhaps, as spectators at matches. They were in awe, but the ice had to be broken. It was the full member players who achieved that. Friendships have been continued and nurtured on social media to the point where the more experienced players help build the self-confidence of the associates if they at a low ebb with their performances.
It is also proposed to retain four salary bands. Players in Band A will earn $20,000, those in Band B, $15,000, Band C, $10,000 and Band D, $5,000. At this point, FairBreak will continue to own the six teams, with an option to partner with a corporate sponsor. Venkatesh emphasized that sponsorship is a vital way in which player remuneration can be increased, so that FairBreak’s core purpose of achieving equal pay can be pursued.
In the 2022 event in Dubai, one of the sponsors was the “Barmy Army.” What started out as a loose-knit group of supporters of the English cricket team has developed into a major sports brand which organizes tours and is involved in charity work. It is known for its noisy behavior, based on chants, songs, anthems, and its undying support for the English team irrespective of its performances. The Australian media coined the sobriquet in 1994/5 on yet another unsuccessful England tour of Australia. It will be interesting to see if the army’s sponsorship will reach into Saudi Arabia.
It is too early to know if the Board of Control for Cricket in India will allow Indian players to take part. Their participation would be a major boost for the tournament and for the associate players. Women’s cricket in Saudi Arabia has been extremely low-key activity, focusing mainly on tape ball and soft ball. However, the national team will play in the GCC Women’s T20I Championship in Oman between Dec. 12-19, 2025. They will play against the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. Their development is now moving out of the low-key zone, with next year’s Women’s World T20 Challenge on home soil primed to provide further stimulus to their ambitions.
Following the signing of the partnership with FairBreak, the SCAF President Prince Saud Bin Mishal Al-Saud said that “by bringing a global women’s tournament to Saudi Arabia, we are not only elevating the sport, but also opening new pathways for talent development, private sector participation and international development — fully aligned with our vision for the future of cricket and the ambitions of Vision 2030.” There can be little doubt that he is right. The Kingdom’s long-awaited entry into cricket’s global landscape has come about in a way that may have wrong-footed observers. Cleverly, it is tapping into the most changing part of that landscape, while addressing the domestic policy of women’s empowerment.
