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Newcastle United have been dealt an injury blow to one of their first-team stars, who is facing a race to be fit in time for the Premier League game vs Crystal Palace next weekend.

Which Newcastle players are currently injured?

At St. James’ Park, Eddie Howe has Joelinton, Sven Botman, Joe Willock and Emil Krafth all out on the sidelines, alongside Harvey Barnes who is facing an ever bigger period of time away from the action having sustained a serious foot injury, which will keep him out until at least next year.

Last Sunday, the northeast outfit played out a 2-2 top-flight draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium, getting another point on the board which means they find themselves eighth in the table heading into the international break, but despite the positive result, there was a negative to occur that day.

After 86 minutes, Alexander Isak, who scored both of the goals in the capital, signalled to the boss that he needed to be substituted after being on the receiving end of a knock which saw him replaced by Callum Wilson, who is now back to full fitness.

The Sweden international was named in his nation’s squad for their upcoming fixtures against Moldova and Belgium, but despite having reported for training, examinations have shown that the 24-year-old striker won’t be available to represent his country (The Athletic).

Alexander Isak injury update

Taking to X, Jacob Whitehead confirmed an Alexander Isak injury update – Newcastle's centre-forward has had to leave Sweden's camp and return to Tyneside to begin his road to recovery, where he is hoping to be available for next weekend's fixture at St. James' Park.

"Alexander Isak withdraws from Sweden squad with injury. Statement says 'it is clear' that he would not be fit for Sweden's matches next week. Race to recover for #NUFC vs Crystal Palace."

How many goals does Alexander Isak have for Newcastle?

Since joining Newcastle last summer from Real Sociedad, Isak has racked up 20 contributions, 17 goals and three assists, in 37 appearances (Transfermarkt – Isak statistics), so should he for whatever reason not make it back in time for the next domestic game, it would be a real setback for Howe to not have him at his disposal.

Sponsored by Adidas, the attacker has also recorded 17 shots so far this term which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Newcastle statistics), highlighting his desire to find the back of the net, and he even provides a strong physical presence with his height.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Howe’s “big unit”, as described by journalist Josh Bunting, is a real target man in the final third, making himself a handful for an opposition’s defence to deal with, and it’s not just leading the line that he’s comfortable with.

Isak, who pockets £120k-per-week (Newcastle salaries), has the versatility to operate out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside through the middle, so the manager will be hoping that his prized asset is able to return to the pitch as soon as possible.

Liverpool have had some ups and downs over the past few years, which is expected after the Reds achieved the highs of winning the Premier League and the Champions League between 2019 and 2020.

Jurgen Klopp has had the pleasure of coaching some of the world’s best over his tenure at Anfield, with some stars being far more memorable than others.

Last year, the German became the victim of orchestrating arguably one of Liverpool’s worst exchanges of the Premier League era, as Arthur Melo arrived on loan.

When did Liverpool sign Arthur?

Following the close of the 2022 summer transfer window, Liverpool announced the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo on a season-long loan from Juventus.

The deal included the option to make his move permanent for £32m, a prospect that the Reds didn’t even need to consider by the time the midfielder departed at the expiration of his loan.

At the point of his arrival, the Brazilian had eased the Merseyside outfit’s injury woes in the midfield, as Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were absentees at the time.

The former Barcelona ace told the club’s site, as relayed by Sky Sports, that his “ideas and visions were a good fit” for Liverpool, a statement that was far from relayed on the pitch.

How much did Arthur cost Liverpool?

While Klopp decided against triggering the £32m option to buy Arthur, the Brazil international still cost the Reds a considerable amount due to his wage demands and the £4m loan fee paid to Juventus.

Earning £110k-per-week at Anfield, Arthur was picking up a higher salary than the likes of squad essentials Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate, despite making little impact during his season at the club.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the Brazilian cost Liverpool a staggering £5.7m in wages alone, which amounted to him costing £9.7m per appearance, fusing his salary, loan fee and single appearance.

It was a dreadful outcome for both player and club, as after playing 13 minutes in the Champions League in September, Arthur’s time at Liverpool was essentially over as it began.

In early October, the Fiorentina midfielder suffered a muscle tear in training, which required surgery to fix, leaving him out of action for 145 days.

Time stopped for Arthur, but continued at Liverpool, and as players returned, arrived and performed, the Brazilian’s situation at Anfield remained stagnant and the possibility of him securing regular game time became impossible.

Three appearances for the U21 and seven outings on the bench as an unused substitute in the Premier League concluded the Juventus loanee’s time on Merseyside, leaving having played just 13 minutes over the campaign.

Journalist Henry Jackson branded the deal as “pointless”, which was a valid description, and as much as it was an agonisingly unfortunate situation for the midfielder, the Reds were contracted to pay his fees for the duration of the season.

13 minutes of football over the 2022/23 footballing calendar cost the Reds almost £10m, and marked what was possibly the worst loan situation in Premier League history, as the player now resides back in Italy with Fiorentina.

Jude Bellingham screamed obscenities at referee Gil Manzano after the final whistle was blown seconds before he scored for Real Madrid at Valencia.

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Bellingham netted a headerFinal whistle had already blownEngland midfielder sent off for reactionWHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham netted a header with the score at 2-2 but the final whistle had already been blown by Manzano, seemingly before the cross was played in. Bellingham, though, confronted the official after the game in chaotic scenes, and was subsequently shown a red card.

AdvertisementWHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

Per Fabrizio Romano, Bellingham said: "It's a f*cking goal, the ball is in the air, what the f*ck is that?!"

Bellingham also retweeted a fan's tweet, claiming that it was a "scandal" that the goal was chalked off.

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Real had come from 2-0 down to level proceedings, thanks to a brace from Vinicius Junior. They remain top of La Liga after the draw and are now seven points clear of second-placed Girona and nine clear of Barcelona in third. Both chasing sides have a game in hand, however, so the lead may well shrink on Sunday.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Real will reportedly appeal Bellingham's red card and it remains to be seen whether he will be available for next weekend's clash with Celta Vigo. First, they play RB Leipzig in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Wednesday; they hold a 1-0 lead.

Chelsea could offer one of their men an opportunity to stake his claim long-term at Stamford Bridge following recent developments regarding his contract situation, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Chelsea?

According to The Guardian, Chelsea will look to prioritise bringing in an experienced striker to help with their goal flow in the final third of the pitch and to alleviate pressure bestowed upon the shoulders of Nicolas Jackson. Brentford's Ivan Toney and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen are both being targeted by the Blues as they look to try and return to a position where they are capable of challenging for the top honours in English football.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano meanwhile has shared quotes from Mauricio Pochettino on X detailing his satisfaction with the improvement Mykhailo Mudryk has been showing in recent weeks, which read: Pochettino: "Trust me, Mudryk is really making a massive effort to try to integrate himself. He's trying to understand better what it means to play like a team but he is young and for sure he is going to improve. We are so happy in how he is improving."

Journalist Ben Jacobs has informed GIVEMESPORT that Mudryk has also formed close relationships with England international Ben Chilwell and Senegalese striker Jackson as he continues to try and live up to his £88.5 million price tag.

Chelsea travel to face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday as the Blues aim to secure just their second victory of the Premier League campaign and begin to move up the divisional standings. Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka has returned to full training and may be available for the west London derby after being absent since his side's 3-1 defeat to West Ham United back in August.

Who could sign a new contract at Chelsea?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen has opened talks over a new deal at Stamford Bridge after Pochettino changed his mind on the 21-year-old in a fresh twist, given that the Argentinian coach was open to letting him leave in the summer transfer window for the right fee.

Pochettino apparently changed tact and prevented Maatsen from leaving Chelsea late in the window despite the club initially accepting an offer for his services from Burnley, and it's believed his strong showing in pre-season in several different roles may have earned him a second chance in west London.

Maatsen has managed to make just seven appearances in his time at Stamford Bridge and will undoubtedly be keen to unseat both Levi Colwill and Chilwell as he aims to feature more often on the left-hand side of defence, as per Transfermarkt.

The Netherlands international, who was labelled "exceptional" by former teammate Simon Moore, also leads the way in comparison to his positional peers across the next 14 competitions around Europe in the field of attempted passes, averaging around 74.65 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 98th percentile for this metric, as per FBRef.

Looking ahead, Chelsea will be keen to continue the momentum from their victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup last week and will also hope to tie Maatsen down to a new deal before his contract expires next summer.

Sunderland could be set to lose another of their academy players alongside Tom Watson, who has been linked with an exit recently, as a fresh report has revealed a possible approach from outside the Championship.

How are Sunderland doing this season?

The Black Cats and Tony Mowbray have had a mixed start to the campaign having secured three wins, one draw and suffered two defeats from their opening six games, and after taking ten points from a possible 18, they find themselves seventh in the table just outside the play-off places, via Sky Sports.

The Academy of Light have already seen Watson recently linked with an exit, with the forward once again attracting significant interest from Nottingham Forest in the Premier League having failed to land him over the summer, but he’s not the only up-and-coming prospect that could be heading for the exit door in the northeast.

Black Cats centre-back Zak Johnson has only ever made two senior appearances at the club throughout his career, but he recently put pen to paper on a new three-year deal which will see him remain at the club until at least 2026.

Speaking about his achievement, the 19-year-old said: “I am delighted to extend my stay here at Sunderland. This is my home, and it has been for over 10 years now. I would like to thank all my team-mates and all the coaches that have helped me develop into the player I am today. There is still a long way to go, but I know this is the right place for me to continue my development.”

Is Zak Johnson leaving Sunderland?

According to The Hartlepool Mail, Hartlepool are “considering an approach” for Johnson in the near future. John Askey’s side are contemplating a loan swoop for the defender as a result of several injuries meaning that they have a lack of options.

Sunderland’s teenage talent was included in Tony Mowbray’s pre-season tour squad of the USA but they “may look to consider” a temporary exit to further his development.

Clubs in the National League North are also interested in the youngster, but it’s believed that the former would be the favourites to secure his services should they make a move.

How good is Zak Johnson?

As per journalist Josh Bunting, Johnson is an “exciting” player and one that will no doubt go on to become an integral member of Sunderland’s senior squad in the future, but sending him out on loan would be completely the right decision to make considering the potential he has to offer.

The England youth international, who pockets £400-per-week, managed three aerial wins and the same number of clearances during his only first-team appearance in the Carabao Cup this season, highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of the backline.

Johnson, who has also scored one goal since the start of his career, also has the versatility to operate out wide at right-back alongside his usual role in the centre, so his flexibility and ability to adapt is another attribute that makes him a great option for a club to have at their disposal.

Tottenham Hotspur may be pushing for an alternative deal, but there is one other star that they could seek to rekindle their interest in to truly transform their side…

Who could Tottenham Hotspur sign this summer?

Ange Postecoglou's business this summer has been sharp and largely stunning, strengthening his backline with the acquisition of Micky Van de Ven, filling the creative void left by Harry Kane with James Maddison, and adding depth with further signings such as Manor Solomon and Alejo Veliz.

However, it is now seemingly Brennan Johnson who they have turned their attention to, as they push for one last big addition before the window slams shut on Friday.

Despite this, perhaps it is another Midlands club that they should seek to swoop from as well, with their interest in Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz well-documented and longstanding.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

With the potential to add key goals from midfield, as well as another steely stalwart to keep things ticking over, his €36.8m (£32m) FootballTransfers valuation should definitely be tempting the Lilywhites to reignite their interest.

How good is Douglas Luiz?

Should Postecoglou swoop for the Brazilian enforcer, he would immediately draw comparison with the host of midfield signings made by many of the top clubs this summer.

Moises Caicedo (Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea)

£115m

Declan Rice (West Ham United to Arsenal)

£105m

Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig to Manchester City)

£77m

Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta to Manchester United)

£72m

Kai Havertz (Chelsea to Arsenal)

£65m

All fees via talkSPORT.

Declan Rice's £105m switch to Arsenal promised to be the biggest of the bunch, following big-money deals for Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mason Mount.

However, these were all blown out of the water when Chelsea unloaded a British transfer record to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion, following a stunning season from the youngster.

Whilst he does mark a fine acquisition, for the price paid and the output they are set to receive, Spurs could actually end up with their own answer to the Ecuadorian, should they sign Luiz before Friday night's deadline.

After all, the 25-year-old boasts far more experience at their level and adds a keen offensive impetus that the Ecuador international is severely lacking.

Such form was best showcased last term, as the former Manchester City star notched 12 goal contributions in the league from the engine room, as a key figure in Unai Emery's remarkable turnaround at Villa Park. He led them from a relegation battle to a European finish, with Luiz's fine form an imperative factor in that run.

This culminated in his 7.10 average rating, which made him Villa's highest-rated player.

However, it was not just his attacking work that helped to uphold this figure, as he also maintained 1.2 key passes, 1.1 interceptions and two tackles per game, via Sofascore.

It is therefore no surprise to see he has been lauded as a "warrior" by writer Jack Grimse in the past.

Although Caicedo might boast slightly improved defensive numbers, such difference is negligible and completely outranked by the difference in their efforts going forward.

Whilst the 21-year-old would uphold a 7.08 average rating of his own, with 1.2 key passes and 2.7 tackles per game, having recorded just one goal and one assist, his influence on games is not nearly as big as his counterpart, via Sofascore.

Not to mention that, given his youth, he only has 47 appearances in the Premier League under his belt compared to Luiz's 143.

The latter would offer an instant improvement for Spurs' side, bringing a more well-rounded skillset to affect the entire team.

Whilst Caicedo will likely shine in the future under Mauricio Pochettino, as of this current transfer window, and especially given the vast difference in price tag, it is the Villa man who would mark the best coup.

New Zealand’s stranglehold on the Hamilton Test grew tighter as they piled on the runs to set West Indies 444 to chase, and claimed two wickets before stumps to begin the victory push

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Dec-20171:32

‘Hasn’t sunk in yet’ – Taylor

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details New Zealand’s stranglehold on the Hamilton Test grew tighter on day three, as they piled on the runs to set West Indies 444 to chase, and claimed two wickets before stumps to begin the victory push.Ross Taylor’s 107 not out was instrumental to strengthening New Zealand’s position – the hundred taking him equal with Kane Williamson and Martin Crowe, who hold the New Zealand record, with 17 Test centuries. Williamson himself struck a lively fifty to steady the innings after West Indies had struck early blows, and Trent Boult was impressive again with the ball, taking wickets off successive deliveries in the morning, before making the first incision of the fourth innings as the day waned.Getty ImagesIt was not as if West Indies were substantially outperformed on the day – just that they had ceded so much ground already that they required a near-miraculous effort to reimpose themselves on the match. Their quicks were good in patches – Miguel Cummins and Shannon Gabriel running hot at various points through the day. In one especially hostile spell, Cummins bowled Williamson with a searing yorker from outside the off stump, had Henry Nicholls nicking off to a well-directed short ball, and would also have had the wicket of Mitchell Santner had wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich managed to hold a difficult overhead chance off Santner’s top edge.Gabriel, meanwhile, prospered with fast length balls aimed at the stumps. He claimed two wickets, one of which was an lbw of Colin de Grandhomme – a decision that was overturned in New Zealand’s favour only after a confused third-umpire’s review.Taylor’s, meanwhile, was an innings of moderation. Sixty balls he took to hit his first boundary, having kept out some excellent deliveries from Cummins and Gabriel in that time. At no stage during his knock was he hurried; he was content usually to push the ball into gaps, keeping that brutal cut and those bludgeoned drives in check. Of his first fifty runs, 38 came from singles and twos. The only bowler who troubled him consistently was Gabriel, who beat him for pace repeatedly, and had even drawn and outside edge when Taylor was on 35, only for the gully fielder to grass the low chance.After tea, Taylor’s pace quickened – the singles coming more frequently than before, and Cummins even suffering two disdainful pulls for four in front of square. Having got out on 93 at the Basin Reserve, Taylor didn’t dally long in the nineties, taking only nine deliveries to move to triple figures. In addition to having equaled the New Zealand record, this is a special ton for Taylor: his longtime friend and mentor Martin Crowe had said Taylor would reach and surpass his own tally of 17 centuries.Earlier, West Indies had had a brief opportunity to spark a New Zealand collapse, when they dismissed the openers with 42 on the board, but Williamson’s energetic innings sucked the worst of the venom out of their bowling. Having arrived at 11 for 1, Williamson began to leave the ball judiciously, and defend with assurance. He batted out 26 balls before the expansive strokes began to appear. His two first boundaries were made possible by fielding errors at point and deep square leg, but then the 33 balls he faced before lunch yielded 42 runs. His fifty was brought up via a leg glance to the fine leg boundary immediately after he had socked Shannon Gabriel past mid-off. It was an important score for Williamson, for he had gone five international innings without a fifty – a significant stretch for such a consistent batsman.Elsewhere in the New Zealand innings, batsmen got starts and were undone when more substantial scores beckoned. Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner and Colin de Grandhomme all made it past 20 before being dismissed, generally by very good West Indies bowling. None of the dismissals seemed to dent New Zealand much, so secure were they already in the game. When Williamson declared, New Zealand had made 291 for 8 in the second dig.As had been the case at the Basin Reserve, West Indies’ first-innings indiscretions meant that they began the second innings with only a miniscule chance of avoiding defeat. That chance would become worse before stumps. Kieran Powell was out for his second duck of the match – squared up by a short delivery from Boult that took his edge and flew low to third slip. Shimron Hetmyer sparkled briefly again, playing a dismissive pull and a searing on-drive for four, but he was out cheaply again, just lofting a full Tim Southee delivery into the hands of mid-off.West Indies must take heart from their successful pursuit of 322 at Headingley earlier this year. The target in front of them now, however, will take even more grit and resilience – the likes of which they are yet to show for an extended period, on this tour.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense tem nesta quarta-feira a possibilidade de estender ainda mais sua boa fase no Campeonato Brasileiro. A equipe, que está na quarta colocação, recebe o Atlético-GO, no Maracanã, às 19h15, pela sétima rodada da competição.

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A equipe comandada por Odair Hellmann vai a campo motivada pelas duas vitórias consecutivas que obteve: sobre o Athletico-PR por 1 a 0, na Arena da Baixada, e por 2 a 1 no clássico diante do Vasco, em partidas nas quais a equipe mostrou atuações consistentes.

No entanto, o Tricolor das Laranjeiras tem pela frente um Atlético-GO ávido para reagir após quatro derrotas consecutivas. O técnico Vagner Mancini terá a baixa de seu destaque no meio de campo, Jorginho mas, em compensação, terá um retorno importante: Renato Kayzer, que se recuperou de lesão, estará no banco de reservas.

FICHA TÉCNICA

FLUMINENSE x ATLÉTICO-GO

Data-Hora: 02–09-20 (19h15)
Estádio: Maracanã, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
​Árbitro: Marielson Alves Silva (BA)
Assistentes: Alessandro Alvaro Rocha de Matos (Fifa/BA) e Elicarlos Franco de Oliveira (BA)
VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (BA)
Onde assistir: Premiere (todo o Brasil) e tempo real do LANCE!.

FLUMINENSE: Marcos Felipe; Calegari, Nino, Digão e Egídio; Hudson, Dodi, Nenê e Michel Araújo; Evanilson e Marcos Paulo. Técnico: Odair Hellmann

Lesionados: Muriel e Frazan
Suspensos: Igor julião, Yuri e Wellington Silva
Pendurados: Fred e Evanilson.

ATLÉTICO-GO: Jean; Moacir (Dudu), Gilvan, Éder e Nicolas; Edson, Willian Maranhão (Matheuzinho), Matheus Frizzo e Chico; Janderson e Gustavo Ferrareis. Técnico: Vagner Mancini

Lesionados: Jorginho
Suspenso: Marlon Freitas
Pendurados: Ninguém

Palpites: 80% da redação do LANCE! apostou na vitória do Fluminense e 20% acredita no empate.

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، بشكل رسمي موعد إقامة قرعة بطولة كأس مصر لدور الـ 32 للموسم الحالي 2023-2024.

وانتهت مباريات الأدوار التمهيدية من بطولة كأس مصر، وتأهل 14 فريقًا إلى دور الـ 32 من بطولة كأس مصر وهم (بروكسي – الألومنيوم – أبو قير للأسمدة – لافيينا – بورفؤاد – بترول أسيوط – جمهورية شبين – مكادي – النصر – الواسطى – بتروجت – القناة – التراسانة – النجوم).

وبعد تأهل الـ 14 ناديا سينضم إليهم 18 فريقا المتواجدين في الدوري الممتاز حالياً، ليقام دور الـ 32 من البطولة الأقدم في مصر. موعد قرعة كأس مصر

تقام قرعة كأس مصر دور الـ 32، يوم الخميس الموافق 2 من شهر مايو في تمام الساعة 2 ظهرًا بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

وكان عامر حسين عضو اتحاد الكرة المصري والمشرف على لجنة المسابقات أشار إلى أن مباريات دور الـ 32 لـ كأس مصر ستكون أغلبها في شهر مايو، وسوف يحدد ذلك بناءً على موقف الفرق في الدوري.

طالع | نتائج قرعة دور الـ32 من كأس مصر 2023-2024.. تعرف على منافسي الأهلي والزمالك

وكان الأهلي حصد لقب كأس مصر، للموسم الماضي، على حساب الزمالك بالفوز عليه بنتيجة 2-0 في المباراة التي أقيمت في السعودية.

يذكر أن الأهلي هو صاحب الرقم القياسي في التتويج ببطولة كأس مصر بـ 39 مرة ويأتي في المركز الثاني الزمالك بـ 28 لقبًا.

Lasith Malinga has his thoughts on why Sri Lanka continues to struggle in their efforts to bridge the gap to the next wave of stars following a string of key retirements after the 2015 World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Aug-2017Sri Lanka have “lost a generation” of cricketers from the national fold, and cannot afford to do so again. Fresh from having presided over Sri Lanka’s largest ever runs defeat in ODIs, stand-in captain Lasith Malinga delivered the aforementioned grim diagnosis.Malinga’s argument is this: where for most of his career he has played in teams comprising mostly of experienced players, he now finds himself in a side where very few have more than 50 ODIs on their record. Eight of Thursday’s XI, for example, have played 37 ODIs or fewer. Of those, a stunning five have played fewer than 10 ODIs.Partly, this is the result of a rash of injuries, but also Malinga says, the failure of a generation of Sri Lankan cricketers.”What I personally think is that our problems are because we lost a generation of players,” Malinga said after the 168-run defeat to India on Thursday. “If that generation was here, we wouldn’t have an inexperienced team like this at international level. We had players like Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Jehan Mubarak, Malinga Bandara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Tharanga Paranavitana and Malinda Warnapura.”Those players played about 10 years of domestic cricket by the time they were 29 or 30, and played internationals for two or three years, and then they were out of the international scene. We lost that 10-12 years of experience from them. It’s really hard to get that experience from a fresh-out-of-school cricketer or a club cricketer.”Malinga, in fact, was one of only four cricketers over the age of 30 in Thursday’s XI. Of the other three, Malinda Pushpakumara was making his ODI debut and another, Milinda Siriwardana, was playing his 20th ODI. Only three years ago, Malinga was playing in a side featuring the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Rangana Herath.”In previous teams, you had players who had played a 100 ODIs, or at least 50 ODIs,” Malinga said. “When I started playing in 2004, there were seven or eight experienced players in the team. A few years ago we lost that. Now our cricket has declined. We need that – every other team in the world has that experience in their XI.”Like several coaches and management staff, Malinga believed Sri Lanka’s present squad has the ability to become a good team. He prescribed a stable selection policy as perhaps Sri Lanka’s best route back to competitiveness.”A lot of our players are inexperienced at international level, but they get their places because they perform at domestic level,” he said. “I think if we gave some chances to the young players here, we will get players who can play for a long time. If we can give them experience to the team that goes to the 2019 World Cup, then you will have players who have played 30-50 ODIs.”If we keep criticising everyone one by one, we will keep getting these new teams. We have to protect the players we have. The current thinking is always: ‘The player who is in the team is bad, but the one outside deserves a place.’ As a player who has played 14 years international cricket, I think the people who are in the team are there because they are better than those outside.”On his own future, Malinga has given mixed signals. While before this match he suggested he would play for some time yet, even jesting that he would be around until 2023, he raised the possibility of retiring even this year, after this match had been lost. He claimed his 300th ODI wicket in this game, when he had Virat Kohli caught at deep point.”In the Zimbabwe and India series I couldn’t play well. I’ll see where I’m at after this series, and evaluate how long I can play given the way my body is. No matter how experienced I am – if I can’t win a match for the team and do what the team needs, there’s no point in me being here. If I can’t deliver that, then I’ll happily retire.”