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Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza was particularly disappointed with his bowlers after his side’s thumping 10-wicket defeat to South Africa in the first ODI, and called for an improved performance from them if Bangladesh are to do well in the rest of the series.South Africa took only 42.5 overs to mow down a 279-run target on a flat pitch at the Diamond Oval, as Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla destroyed Bangladesh’s bowlers. It is the highest successful chase in ODIs by a team without losing a wicket.”We have a chance to make a comeback in the next two games,” Mashrafe said. “It is only natural to have a lot of talk around us but the players have to fight. We will do everything possible. The result is not coming in our favour which makes it hard to keep the positive mentality.”I think they would have chased the total regardless, but we should have taken at least five or six wickets in the process. It may have put them under some pressure, but our bowling was just disappointing. It will be hard for us to do well if we keep bowling this way.”De Kock was particularly severe on debutant Mohammad Saifuddin, taking him for seven fours, while Rubel Hossain was hit for four fours. Amla, meanwhile, took a liking to Taskin Ahmed and collected four fours off him.Even Bangladesh’s best bowler, Shakib Al Hasan, could bowl only 15 dot balls to the South Africa openers, and conceded 48 runs from his eight overs.There were a couple of dropped catches towards the end, but it was more of the same from the Bangladesh bowlers who did so poorly in the preceding Test series.Mashrafe and Shakib weren’t part of the Test attack, but even their relatively fresher mentality didn’t help the cause. Mashrafe pointed out that the bowlers weren’t able to build enough pressure to make a breakthrough.”In ODIs, bowling in partnerships becomes more important. You can’t keep leaking runs from one side because the one who is bowling well then can be taken for ones and twos. What we missed today was pressure from both ends, especially in the middle overs. But we couldn’t do it from start till end.”Mashrafe brushed aside any extra pressure ahead of the game when Mustafizur Rahman became unavailable due to an ankle injury.”We were aware of their injuries from yesterday. Mustafizur is probably out of the series from the time he got hurt yesterday. We waited for Tamim till the last moment, but the physio didn’t want to take a risk. Our body language didn’t reflect anything untoward when we started the day. We batted almost as planned; Shakib and Mushfiqur took responsibility by performing their roles properly.”

Leeds United's mass exodus continues to hamper their summer, as Daniel Farke likely keeps seeing his plans for the future pegged back. However, the latest touted departure could have a speedy solution, should he return to an old transfer target.

Is Max Wober leaving Leeds United?

Earlier this month it was reported that Max Wober had a clause in his contract that stated, upon relegation, any club willing to pay 100% of his wages would automatically see that bid accepted. With Borussia Monchengladbach a willing recipient of his services, this seems a deal destined to occur.

With only seven outgoing loan slots available, and five of those having been taken up already, the Austrian centre-back marks yet another high-profile exit that remain painfully contracted to the club, yet unwilling to play for them.

Whilst Farke would have preferred the steely defender to underpin his new backline, reports from earlier in the summer had suggested that Liverpool's Nat Phillips was highly rated around Elland Road, and available for just £10m; a fine alternative.

If they are looking for a new defensive stalwart, capable of dealing with the physicality of the Championship and thriving beside Ethan Ampadu, then surely they need look no further than the 26-year-old who has shone whenever he has been called upon.

How good is Nat Phillips?

Whilst Wober may have enjoyed a fine six months in Yorkshire, with his 6.84 average Sofascore rating in the league making him the third-best performer of those who had started five or more games, his absence could be easily managed by the immediate action of the hierarchy.

After all, his starring assets during that league campaign came through his 1.6 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and four clearances per game, via Sofascore.

These are attributes that Phillips boasts in excess, having been lauded by Jurgen Klopp for his "monster" ability in aerial situations.

Small stints within the Reds' first team showcased this, but his half-season loan to AFC Bournemouth during the 2021/22 campaign helped outline it with more consistency.

Especially considering his emergence helped solidify their promotion challenge, to which they succeeded, as he maintained a 7.04 average rating buoyed by his 1.5 interceptions and 4.1 tackles per game, via Sofascore. The latter figure would have had him rated as the joint-best for such an attribute in Leeds squad last term, as if to emphasise his defensive credentials.

With pedigree guiding a return from the Championship back to the top flight, plus a handful of Champions League and Premier League appearances too, it could even be argued that the English stalwart represents an upgrade on the exiting Wober, despite his impact last term.

Another occasion which took Klopp by surprise was during their clash with Manchester United in 2021, as they were down to the bare bones in defence. Opting for the youth of Phillips and Rhys Williams, they did not disappoint.

He claimed: "The concentration level [Phillips and Williams] showed [on Thursday] night again is immense, absolutely insane what they did there. Against this front four of United it’s not easy."

For such a cut-price option, which is less than they even paid RB Salzburg for their outbound 25-year-old gem, the hulking ace represents another fine piece of business who would add a towering physical presence to partner Ampadu's elegant ball-playing skillset.

Arsenal have enjoyed a strong start to their transfer business since the window opened, with Mikel Arteta managing to sign Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, while a move for Declan Rice is edging closer to completion.

The Spaniard won't be stopping there however, with the club aiming to sign Brazilian midfielder Bitello during the transfer window to bolster his midfield.

How much will Bitello cost Arsenal?

That’s according to 90min, who claim that Edu Gaspar has opened talks with the player in order to secure his services before the start of the Premier League season.

Representatives from the club were present in Brazil to watch Gremio’s match against Bahia on Wednesday and the Brazilian completed the full game.

The midfielder will only cost the Gunners a fee in the region of £8.5m, which could certainly become a shrewd investment and Edu will be hoping to make use of his contacts in his homeland to successfully bring him over to England.

Who is Bitello?

The 23-year-old has starred for Gremio for the previous few years, and although he tends to operate at the heart of the midfield, his versatility suggests he could offer plenty to Arteta, as he can also play as a right-winger or an attacking midfielder.

Arsenal have had their fair share of success in terms of signing Brazilian talent of late, with Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus enjoying much acclaim in recent years, and it was the move for the latter which significantly bolstered the squad.

Following 95 goals and 46 assists across 238 appearances for Manchester City, he had certainly proved his credentials in England, winning a host of honours under Pep Guardiola and luring him to the Emirates was seen as something of a coup considering his previous success.

A solid debut season in London saw Jesus register 11 goals and eight assists, made even more impressive considering he missed a large chunk of the season due to a knee injury suffered at the World Cup, yet his impact has been outstanding and given Arsenal belief they can still attract world-class players.

Could Bitello perhaps have a similar impact to that of the former City frontman? Despite not being as well known, the 23-year-old has impressed for Gremio in the Brazilian Serie A, scoring three times in 13 matches so far while taking 1.9 shots per game. By averaging two key passes per game, the midfielder has already expressed his creative juices to open up defences, while creating three big chances already and these traits could be useful for Arteta in his midfield.

To put into context, Jesus created six big chances and averaged 1.2 key passes per game for Arsenal across 26 league matches last term, and it suggests that Bitello wouldn’t look out of place in the starting XI.

Football writer Johannes Skiba lauded the player for being “flexible” due to his adaptability just last month and if Arteta wants to continue snapping up the best young talent, a move should be made this summer for the Brazilian wizard.

Having seen Jesus – who began his career with Palmeiras – manage to thrive in English football after leaving his homeland for City in 2017, perhaps Bitello can follow a similar path to that of his compatriot.

اتخذ رئيس نادي مازيمبي، مويس كاتومبي، قرارًا مفاجئًا قبل أيام قليلة من مباراة الأهلي في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2023/2024.

ونجح مازيمبي في الوصول إلى مرحلة نصف النهائي من البطولة بعد سنوات من الغياب بعد الفوز على بترو أتلتيكو بنتيجة 2-1 بمجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب في دور الثمانية.

ويستضيف الفريق الكونغولي على ملعبه ووسط جماهيره الأهلي يوم السبت 20 أبريل في تمام الساعة الثالثة عصرًا على ملعبه في مدينة “لوبومباشي”، كما صرح مازيمبي لـ “btolat.com”.

اقرأ ايضًا.. خاص | أول تعليق من مازيمبي على مواجهة الأهلي في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وكشف كاتومبي عن قراره في تصريحات بعد مباراة بترو أتلتيكو لشبكة “بي بي سي إفريقيا”، وقال: “لا يزال لدي خبرة، لقد شاركت في كرة القدم لمدة 40 عامًا تقريبًا، بما في ذلك 27 عامًا كرئيس لنادي مازيمبي”.

وتابع: “قريبًا سأعتزل كرة القدم، اعتقد أنني أكبر رئيس نادٍ في القارة، لقد حان الوقت لإفساح المجال للشباب”.

واستمر رئيس مازيمبي: “لقد نجحت في إعادة الفريق إلى سابق عهده، عندما كنت في المنفى (بسبب التزوير) ولمدة 4 سنوات كنت أفكر في كيفية عودة المدرب، لامين نداي، لقد قادنا إلى نهائي كأس العالم للأندية في عام 2010”.

وأتم: “الجميع هنا في مازيمبي يثقون فيه وفي قدراته، اعتقد أننا قادرين على تحقيق الكثير معه في المستقبل”.

ScorecardFor the second time in his career, Marcus Harris scored a century in a Sheffield Shield final•Getty Images

Openers Marcus Harris and Travis Dean gave Victoria the perfect start in their push to complete a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles, setting up a strong first day with the bat for the Bushrangers. Harris scored his second century of the Shield season and Dean fell just short of doing the same, but their 224-run opening stand put Victoria on the path to a hefty total against South Australia.At stumps on the first day in Alice Springs, Victoria had moved along to 3 for 322, with Rob Quiney on 44 and Cameron White on 7. It brought an end to a tough day in the field for the Redbacks, who are searching for their first Shield title in more than two decades. However, they had brought some of the misery on themselves through a lacklustre fielding display, with both Harris and Dean given lives.Harris was first dropped on 54 when he edged Joe Mennie to first slip, where Daniel Worrall put down a sitter; Harris had another let-off on 59 when a drive off Chadd Sayers skewed to backward point, where Jake Lehmann dropped a harder opportunity. In between those two misses, Callum Ferguson at gully also grassed a chance to give Dean a reprieve.South Australia also missed a couple of run-out opportunities, and the Victorians made the Redbacks pay for their sloppy work, raising the second-highest opening stand of this Sheffield Shield summer. Harris brought up his hundred and in his first season for Victoria continued to build his reputation as a big-game player: in the 2014-15 final he had made 81 and 158* for Western Australia to be Man of the Match.The partnership ended only when Dean was bowled by a well-flighted delivery from Adam Zampa for 94, and Harris fell in the next over for 120 when he drove at Sayers and was caught by Mennie at gully, but Rob Quiney and Aaron Finch continued to frustrate the Redbacks with a 72-run stand that came to an end when Finch was lbw to Sayers for 38. But at stumps, Victoria remained firmly in control of the contest.