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Paras Khadka has urged CAN to utilise its geographical proximity to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and endeavour to introduce the national team into the domestic circuits of the neighbouring Test-playing nations

Bishen Jeswant15-Aug-2014’More people are following the sport’

Cricket the No.1 sport in Nepal?
Football is as popular as cricket, but cricket has produced the right results. Most tournaments that we have participated in, we have done well. More people are therefore following the sport and it is definitely gaining popularity.
Are you Nepal’s biggest celebrity?
I don’t know. You would have to do a survey about that. However, since the team has been doing well, it is true that people know who the captain is, who the players are. You would really have to ask others about this though.
How did you pick up the sport?
I used to enjoying watching cricket on TV, especially India-Pakistan matches in Sharjah. Also, I used to play all sports. I was part of the school team in basketball, table tennis, football, athletics etc. You name it, and I would have played the sport. We would play cricket at every opportunity, during the lunch breaks and after school hours. We played hard ball cricket only in the holidays.
Since you are the first generation of Nepal’s cricket stars, who were your idols growing up?
I didn’t have an idol as such but used to just follow a batsman or bowler who I thought was good. I really enjoyed watching the Australian cricket team play. Senior Nepal players like Binod Das, Shakti Gauchan, Paresh Lohani and Dipendra Chaudhary were an inspiration to me, and other players of my generation, while growing up.

Paras Khadka, the Nepal captain, has urged the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to utilise its geographical proximity to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and endeavour to introduce the national team into the domestic circuits of the neighbouring Test-playing nations. According to Khadka, playing stronger sides in other domestic competitions will go a long way in helping the country’s cricketers improve, especially given Nepal’s domestic cricket structure that is restricted only to limited-overs tournaments.Khadka cited the example of teams like Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands, who had benefited from playing cricket in England. In India, too, the Duleep Trophy has seen the participation of guest teams like the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI, Zimbabwe Cricket Union President’s XI, Sri Lanka A and the England Lions in previous years.”Nepal is located so close to countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and we must make sure that we get as much help as possible from these countries,” Khadka said. “The only way to improve is by playing competitive cricket against good cricketers.”Interestingly, Tarini Bikram Shah, the acting president of CAN had earlier pointed out that: “During the recently concluded meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Kuala Lumpur, N Srinivasan, the outgoing president of the ACC, urged member boards to commit to domestic cricket and develop strong relations with neighbouring boards and coordinate with them for the development of the game within their own countries.”Calling India the “Mecca of cricket”, Khadka suggested CAN could capitalise on the recent T20 status to build relations with neighbouring countries and put in place systems to secure the cricketing future of the country. One of the key areas of concern is improving domestic cricket. The current structure in Nepal follows club, district and regional progression and nearly 12 teams participate at the national level. The competitions, however, feature only one-dayers and T20s. While the semi-finals and finals of major competitions were played over two days in the past, that trend has also stopped.Khadka acknowledged that breaking into the national team was therefore easier for players like him, who had risen through the junior ranks with age-group cricket. In addition to the lack of exposure to longer formats, youngsters outside the age-group system also had to cope with infrastructure challenges, such as the shortage of turf wickets, especially in regions outside the capital city of Kathmandu. All these factors, Khadka said, have constricted the growth of a player pool for the national squad.”Selection is based on a single tournament, broken up into a 50-over and 20-over leg. Players have only about three to four games in a year to prove themselves and make a case for their national selection,” he said. “In all these years, there has been no development in the pitches, ground or training facilities. For all these reasons, Nepal has essentially been forced to select the national team from a pool of 25-30 players. There should have been a much larger pool to choose from considering the number of enthusiastic followers and players that there are in this country.”An outspoken individual, Khadka has also been at the center of player efforts to better cricketing infrastructure in Nepal. He was part of the player boycott that took place in April this year soon after the World T20. The boycott, which had occurred over issues with CAN, was called off after the formation of an advisory committee of which Khadka was also a member.Khadka had recently threatened to quit international cricket if the uncertainty surrounding Pubudu Dassanayake’s contract as coach continued. Khadka said he was not concerned about the consequences of such candour and said his focus was to work and train hard. “Due to the indifferent administration, we, as cricketers, feel that it is our responsibility to play on the field as well as off it so that we can get the right people into the system. There is enormous potential in this country and it is important to ensure that the game is run by people with a vision.”Khadka does, however, believe that the situation is not all grim and points out that he can see the interest in his country. He points out that he can see more children taking to gully cricket, games being followed live online in offices and among students. During the World T20 giant screens had been erected to watch the national team playing live, which has given him optimism. “There is a solution to everything in life,” he says, and wants Nepal cricket to find their answers.

Mitchell Starc has said Australia’s attack would like another chance to bowl at James Taylor in the Old Trafford Test

Brydon Coverdale in Hove28-Jul-2013Mitchell Starc has said Australia’s attack would like another chance to bowl at James Taylor in the Old Trafford Test, despite Taylor’s unbeaten century against them during the tour match in Hove.Taylor finished on 121 not out when the Sussex innings ended on the final day of the game but he was dropped twice along the way, once at slip on 23 and again when he miscued a lofted drive on 90, and he conceded that it wasn’t his most fluent innings. Still, Taylor will head to Old Trafford with some confidence after the innings against an attack made up of Starc, Jackson Bird, James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.”Probably, yes,” Starc said when asked if he would like to bowl at Taylor in Manchester. “He’s a good player. He’s scored a few runs and has played Test cricket before. He’s another player who, if he does get the chance to play, we’ll assess again, but it’s nice to have a look at him and how he’s going at the moment in this game.”I’ve played against him before. He’s someone who likes to cut and pull. He’s only a very small guy so we want to make sure we’ve got him driving. He played well. It’s a good batting wicket, but he did play well.”Starc took 2 for 43 in Sussex’s only innings and although his economy was good, he was occasionally wayward and appeared at times to struggle to control the swing of the ball. Jackson Bird also collected two wickets and was the pick of the bowlers, while Faulkner battled to find the right line to challenge the batsmen. One of the three fast men might be called up for Old Trafford to replace the injured James Pattinson, although a dual spin attack is also a possibility if the pitch is dry.”We certainly weren’t taking it as a bowl-off; it was just to go out there and perform, and take thought of pushing for selection out of the picture and just try to take wickets,” Starc said. “We were actually surprised with how much it did swing here for Birdy and myself, and even for James Faulkner.”It definitely swung more here than the last few times we’ve had the Dukes. It was a little bit tougher to control but once you get a few overs of that under your belts and adjust your lines, you should be hitting that target. It was nice to have that ball swinging for the hundred overs and keeping the ball in nice condition. That’s a positive for us.”Starc said he was pleased with his efforts against Sussex and felt he had bowled well on the whole tour so far, despite being dropped for the Lord’s Test to make room for Ryan Harris. It was the second time in seven months Starc had been left out of a marquee Test, having been rested for the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka last summer.”You never want to miss a game at all,” he said. “It’s always a little bit disappointing to miss out on any game of cricket but it was my turn to miss out I guess. I just have to do everything I can to get myself ready.”

Days after revealing their romantic reunion, Alisha Lehmann and Douglas Luiz gave gaming enthusiasts an amusing glimpse of their life at home.

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Douglas Luiz plays marathon Call of Duty sessionGirlfriend Lehmann tells him to finish playingPair reunited after year-long splitGetty & Twitch.tv/DGoficial6WHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazilian took advantage of a free midweek to engage with fans on Twitch over a game of . But as any gamer knows, times can slip away quickly when you are engrossed in the game and after two-and-a-half hours of action, Lehmann appeared to tell boyfriend and fellow Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz it was time to wrap it up.

AdvertisementTwitch.tv/DGoficial6WHAT DOUGLAS LUIZ SAID

Douglas Luiz was lamenting a defeat when Lehmann reminded him how late it was. Suddenly switching from Portuguese to English the Brazilian insisted: "I'm going now. I'm finished now." He then asked Lehmann to say goodnight to his viewers.

The pair shared a brief kiss before Lehmann won the day and Douglas Luiz finally logged off.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The clip serves as further confirmation that Douglas Luiz and Lehmann are back together. The Swiss international's glamourous New Years Day social media posts hinted heavily that pair were back together after their split in November 2022.

Lehmann had also popped up earlier in the evening while Douglas Luiz was gaming away, saying a quick hello to those following his adventures.

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WHAT NEXT FOR DOUGLAS LUIZ AND ALISHA LEHMANN?

Both of Villa's glamour couple are gearing up to face Everton this weekend. Douglas Luiz will be looking to keep Villa's surprise Premier League title charge going at Goodison Park on Sunday. Lehmann, meanwhile will face the Toffees in the FA Women's Cup fourth round on Saturday.

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata17-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:01

Chappell: Afghanistan made SL fight all the way

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s.With the bat, Afghanistan recovered brilliantly from a poor start, scoring 106 runs in their last ten overs to set a challenging target of 154. They bowled with skill and intelligence to claw back into the match after Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal had given Sri Lanka a bright start: 41 for 0 in five overs.In the end, it was only Afghanistan’s fielding that proved to be of less-than-elite standard, with three basic errors in the deep giving a jittery Sri Lankan batting unit valuable breathing room.First, in the 14th over, Karim Sadiq failed to get his body behind a regulation stop at deep midwicket. Then, in the 16th, Dawlat Zadran made the same mistake at deep backward square leg. The third misfield came from the substitute fielder Gulbadin Naib, who dived to his left at third man, got a meaty hand to the ball, and only ended up pushing it past the rope. Sri Lanka should have only got three runs from those three balls; they ended up getting 12.Sri Lanka would have appreciated the help, for barring Dilshan, their top order showed itself to be decidedly wobbly.Mohammad Nabi’s introduction in the sixth over exposed the wobbliness. Sri Lanka were going along comfortably when Chandimal stepped out and aimed a heave over the leg side. The ball turned a little further than expected and popped off the inside half of his bat straight to midwicket. Lahiru Thirimanne, back in Sri Lanka’s T20 side for the first time since May 2014, showed why he may have been out of the side for so long, playing only three scoring shots in 12 balls before inside-edging an attempted cover drive off the legspinner Rashid Khan onto his stumps.At the other end, like Mahela Jayawardene did during the two sides’ 50-over World Cup meeting last year, Dilshan provided the experienced head that guided Sri Lanka through this troubled period. He had started in his usual manner, hitting consecutive sixes off Dawlat Zadran – the second with a trademark scoop over his own head – and swatting Hamid Hassan for successive fours over midwicket, but did not take too many chances against the spinners. But he still scored freely against them, taking the singles on offer, putting away the bad ball, and running faster than every other 39-year-old on the planet to pick up a couple of twos to the leg-side gaps.There were a couple more nervy moments, courtesy the run-outs of Thisara Perera and Chamara Kapugedera, but the cool heads of Dilshan and Angelo Mathews, helped along by Afghanistan’s sloppy fielding, took Sri Lanka home with seven balls remaining.Having only faced Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe so far, it took Afghanistan a while to come to terms with the quality of Sri Lanka’s attack. Mohammad Shahzad, unusually subdued early on, tried to break free of the shackles in the third over and clouted Angelo Mathews to the straight boundary before top-edging a pull to mid-on the next ball. Apart from a couple of sweetly-timed leg-side flicks, Noor Ali Zadran struggled for tempo, and was bowled around his legs by Rangana Herath after adding 32 off 32 balls with Asghar Stanikzai.Herath settled into a beautiful rhythm, mixing his pace and trajectory cleverly, and the run rate plummeted as Sadiq and Nabi soon followed Noor to the pavilion.Stanikzai had moved to 18 off 23 balls when he made an abrupt change of gear against Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, launching him for successive sixes in the 13th over, before slog-sweeping Herath for another six in the 15th over, with a helping hand from a butter-fingered Thirimanne in the deep. At the other end, Samiullah Shenwari hit two fours and a six – including a reverse-swat off Perera that left the batsman on his backside – in successive overs before holing out to long-off.Stanikzai and Shenwari, the heroes of Afghanistan’s ODI win over Bangladesh in 2014, had put on 61 in 33 balls. It clearly rattled Sri Lanka, and Mathews dropped Stanikzai at cover immediately after Shenwari’s dismissal. It was a sitter, and Stanikzai, at 44 at that point, struck two more fours and a six to move to his highest T20I score before falling at the end of the 19th over.Afghanistan were by no means done. Najibullah Zadran, a specialist batsman, had only batted once in the tournament so far, and was slotted to come in at No, 8, but found his namesake Dawlat promoted above him instead. When Najibullah finally did come out, there were only three balls left in Afghanistan’s innings. No problem. Swinging freely through the line like a young Yuvraj Singh, Najibullah lofted Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over extra cover first ball, and then flat-batted him in the same direction for a four next ball.

After two days of excitement on the best surface produced for this season’s Ranji quarter-finals, UP are still not out, but they are not in it by much either

The Report by Abhishek Purohit in Indore07-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Piyush Chawla was reduced to bowling flat and quick as Services batsmen took the attack to him•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe underdog continued to bite chunks out of the big opponent’s reputation on day two in Indore. In the morning, young Rajat Paliwal played probably the innings of his short career to give Services a lead of 129 on a difficult pitch. As Uttar Pradesh resisted in their second innings the way a top side should, fast bowler Suraj Yadav squeezed out four wickets through sheer relentlessness. After two days of excitement on the best surface produced for this season’s Ranji quarter-finals, the best side of the league stage are still not out, but they are not in it by much either.Services had earned a narrow lead by stumps on day one with positive, unhindered batting. They raised the bar on the second morning. Knowing that a batsman was never in on the green, bouncy Holkar Stadium pitch, they attacked at the slightest opportunity. The efforts of Paliwal and Sarabjit Singh, whose partnership doubled the score from 97 for 5, brought 109 runs in just over two hours.The duo was beaten repeatedly outside off stump, especially Sarabjit and their gloves were battered by short balls – Paliwal had a large, bulging blister on his right forefinger – but the boundaries still came. A flail over slips by Sarabjit; a slash over gully and an upper-cut over the third-man boundary by Paliwal.Even as Services raced towards 200, Ankit Rajpoot, in his first over of the day, had Sarabjit edging one low to Mohammad Kaif at first slip on 40. Yadav edged a lifter to the wicketkeeper next ball, and with an injured captain, Soumik Chatterjee, doubtful to bat, there wasn’t much batting left. Which is when Paliwal opened up further.He also began to farm the strike, taking singles towards the end of overs. When Piyush Chawla was introduced, Paliwal drilled his first ball to the deep extra-cover boundary, pulled the legspinner over midwicket for four and in the same over, lofted him for a flat six over extra cover.By now, Paliwal was unstoppable. He played the hook liberally as UP overdid the short stuff, and lofted Rajpoot to the straight boundary to reach his fourth hundred of the season. Chawla, for the umpteenth time in his career reduced to bowling flat and quick, was taken for successive fours even by No 10 Shadab Nazar.What this match meant to Services was evident when Chatterjee limped out after Nazar was bowled by a Rajpoot yorker. The Services captain was caught in front first ball to give Rajpoot his fifth, but there was no doubting Services’ desperation in a rare knockout game for them.UP had to face about three overs before lunch, which was taken during the third when Mukul Dagar was given caught behind pushing forward to Yadav. Kaif, the stand-in UP captain, and Srivastava now battled, just like Sarabjit and Paliwal had. They were beaten repeatedly as well but hung on.As a rather harsh winter sun shone on the ground, Services’ attack, comprising just three fast bowlers and a part-time medium-pacer, started flagging. But Yadav somehow summoned the energy to produce successive wicket-taking deliveries.Kaif, who had survived three lbw appeals in a Nishan Singh over, was caught in front on 33 by one that drew him forward and straightened past the bat. Yadav did it again next ball, a similar delivery zipping past Parvinder Singh’s push to flatten the off stump.UP would have sunk further had Yadav not overstepped while having Srivastava caught behind on 32. Srivastava had been calmly leaving them outside off all this while, and along with the solid Arish Alam, steadied UP again. Yadav had more reserves left still. He dug one in at Srivastava late in the day, the opener was snapped up by the keeper again, and this time, it was a legal delivery.UP had played a spinning allrounder in Chawla and a spinner in Ali Murtaza on a grassy wicket, which meant it was the last batting pair of Alam and Eklavya Dwivedi at the crease now. The pair took UP into the lead, which at effectively 9 for 4 isn’t much of a lead.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2014
ScorecardAnya Shrubsole rocked Sri Lanka with figures of 3 for 9•ICCEngland Women breezed to a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka Women, to seal their place in the final four of the Women’s World Twenty20. England were dominant with both bat and ball, but a big chunk of the credit would go to their new-ball bowler, Anya Shrubsole, who struck second ball of the match to set the pace and went on to claim 3 for 9 in her four overs.Shrubsole was well supported by fellow medium-pacers Rebecca Grundy and Jenny Gunn, who picked up two wickets apiece and also went at less than a run a ball.That Sri Lanka even crossed 50 was down to one player: captain Shashikala Siriwardene, who with 38 was the sole batsman to get into double-digits. They finished with a paltry 85 for 9, and that never going to remotely test England after their openers put on 51. Charlotte Edwards fell for 17 and Sarah Taylor, for 36 – both to Siriwardene – but they had done their job. England eased home and into the semi-finals with four overs to spare.

Gary Ballance’s century for Yorkshire set Middlesex an improbable target at Lord’s, but an excellent opening stand between Chris Rogers and Sam Robson has sustained their hopes

George Dobell at Lord's29-Apr-2014
ScorecardThe last 56 runs of Gary Ballance’s innings came from only 21 deliveries•Getty ImagesAs each round of Championship games progresses, so another piece slots in to the jigsaw for Peter Moores and co. An England Test line-up that looked as uncertain as at any time in history a few weeks ago is gradually staring to come together. Arguably only injury will change the first-choice XI at this stage.Whereas in earlier rounds the likes of Chris Jordan made their claim, over recent days it has become ever more likely that Sam Robson and Gary Ballance will fill the batting vacancies.While Ballance’s likely inclusion at No. 5 is not ideal – it may well force Ian Bell or, more realistically, Joe Root to bat at No. 3 – it is becoming almost impossible to suppress his inevitable rise. If Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Matt Prior are fit and Moeen Ali, perhaps batting as low as No. 8, is picked as the spinner (he has taken 88 first-class wickets at 31.10 apiece since the start of 2012), England have their side.It is a shame to dwell on such matters when this game between Middlesex and Yorkshire, a fine encounter that has fluctuated in fortune each day, deserves attention in its own right. It has been an excellent advert for the quality and entertainment offered by county cricket. But if the county game exists to serve the England team – and that is certainly a key function – then it is probably wise to keep an eye on the bigger picture.There may also not be quite as many opportunities to compete for a Test place as had been thought, either. It is likely that several of the participants in this match could be withdrawn from the next round of Championship matches to prepare for international duty.The England squad for the ODI against Scotland is currently scheduled to be announced on Thursday and will meet for white-ball training sessions at Loughborough next Tuesday and Wednesday. While that would allow squad members to play the first two days of the next round of games – they could be substituted under the Championship competition regulations at the halfway stage – it does mean that their opportunities to impress the selectors in the red-ball game will be limited. The international season is, these days, almost endless.It seems all but certain that Ballance’s days as a county player are numbered. While no young player comes with guarantees, Ballance has the record, the hunger, the technique and the temperament to suggest that he will play at the highest level with distinction.While a first-class average of 54.42 might be mitigated, partially anyway, by some success at a modest standard in Zimbabwe, it is harder to explain away the fact that he is the only man playing Division One cricket to have scored more than 1,500 Championship runs since the start of 2013 or that he has 406 runs already this season. He has scored four centuries in his last seven Championship matches.Equally, there is the evidence of his strokeplay. While the final part of this innings came against modest bowling – Neil Dexter and Ollie Rayner were thrashed for the majority of the tenth-wicket stand of 66 in five-and-a-half overs – the power and range of stroke exhibited by Ballance was reminiscent of Kevin Pietersen at a similar stage of his career.Ballance thumped 56 off 21 balls during that partnership, including five sixes and four fours, with one Rayner delivery slog-swept over the grandstand and out of Lord’s and one fairly respectable Dexter delivery picked up and deposited over square leg in a manner that would have pleased Viv Richards.Besides, Ballance had earned the right to such luxuries. By demonstrating the restraint and technique required to survive Middlesex’s fine trio of mainline seamers earlier in his innings, he had worn down the attack and played himself in. By the time he late cut to third man – becoming Tim Murtagh’s 500th first-class wicket in the process – he had helped his team set an improbable 472 for victory.Only once have Yorkshire conceded more to lose a first-class match, when a Peter Trego-inspired Somerset made 479 for 6 at Taunton in 2009. While Cambridge University once chased 507 to win here against MCC in 1896, the highest successful chase by Middlesex at Lord’s is 366 for 5 against Sussex in 1926.But an opening stand of 181 in 38.4 overs has given them a chance. Chris Rogers, positive from the start, rushed to a century at almost a run a ball, driving crisply and proving merciless off his legs, while Robson survived a nervous start to lend increasingly assured support. The Yorkshire attack, so impressive the previous day, allowed their desire to get the better of them just a little and erred in both line and length on a pitch that has slowed in pace and eased in character, but still offers bowlers encouragement.Robson might have gone without scoring. Drawn into prodding outside off stump, he edged low to slip off Jack Brooks where the ball appeared to not quite reach Adam Lyth, before settling in to play an innings full of the cuts and back-foot drives that may well become familiar to spectators of Test cricket over the coming years. He is not, at this stage, the complete player, and was eventually drawn into pushing at one he could have left to end the partnership but, as England look to the future, it is proving hard to ignore him.There is, at some stage, a legitimate debate to be had about the reason players developed in Australia and southern Africa, in particular, appear to mature more quickly than those brought up only in England – the lack of cricket in state schools is surely a huge issue – but in Ballance and Robson, England have two 24-year-olds from southern climes who could serve them for much of the next decade.

The Brazilian starboy mostly drives cars gifted to him by Real Madrid.

Vini Jr.'s rise to the top of world football has been a meteoric one. The Real Madrid superstar overcame his struggles in the Spanish capital during his first three years to become the most important part of Los Blancos' offensive machine over the last two seasons.

In the past two seasons, Vini has had 86 goal contributions (45 goals and 41 assists), helping Real Madrid win all six possible trophies, scoring the only goal in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool.

As a result of his consistent performances, the 23-year-old is set to be awarded a bumper contract with a pay rise that will see him become one of the highest-earning players in the Real Madrid squad.

Although he is currently one of the five lowest-paid players on the roster, it hasn't stopped the blistering Brazilian from having an awesome car collection.

GOAL takes a look at which vehicles Real Madrid's new #7 owns.

BMW i4 M50 | €80,000 / $87,782 / £69,010

The BMW i4 M50 is the first fully-electric top-of-the-range car that the company presents. Real Madrid have partnered with BMW to provide cars of their choice to all the first-team players, the staff, and the coach, with Vini opting for the M50. With a maximum horsepower of 536, the BMW i4 M50 can reach from 0-60 mph (100 kmph) in just 3.7 seconds and offers a top speed of 210 kmph (130 mph).

AdvertisementAudi A7 Sportback 50 TDI quattro | €81,000 / $88,910 / £69,907

Thanks to Real Madrid's former association with Audi, who were the team's car sponsors for 18 years before they switched to BMW, Vini owns a couple of high-end Audis, one of them being the Audi A7 Sportback 50 TDI quattro. Valued at €81,000 ($88,910 / £69,907), this particular sedan type blends a sporty Audi's outstanding performance with a distinctive look. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph (62 mph) in less than six seconds and features a 335 horsepower V6 engine. Additionally, the inside is quite dazzling and includes some of Audi's renowned opulent features.

Audi Q8 50 TDI quattro | €88,000 / $97,100 / £75,966

The Audi Q8 50 TDI Quattro, yet again, is a car that Vni Jr. owns due to Real Madrid's former association with Audi. More of an SUV, Vini's Q8 is more of an SUV. It takes just 7.1 seconds for the car to reach speeds of 100 kmph (62 mph), a testament to its stunning 3.0 TDI engine which has 286 hp. Its top speed is 233 kmph (145 mph).

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Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro | €99,000 / $109,103 / £85,462

The final car in Vini Jr's collection is the Audi e-tron Sportback 55 Quattro, which is the fastest car in Vini's garage. Many would argue that because it has a 402 horsepower engine, an SUV-like appearance, a conventional grille, and LED headlights, it is superior to the Audi A7. One of the newest electric vehicles actually makes the concept seem desirable because it is strong, quick, and can charge to 80% in 30 minutes. With a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph), the car accelerates from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in approximately 4 seconds. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that this ride is perhaps Vini Jr.'s favourite due to its ability to clock 100 kmph in just 4 seconds, resembling the player's sheer pace and acceleration.

Durham are in talks with South Africa batsman Jacques Rudolph with a view to him joining the club for the 2013 season.

George Dobell14-Mar-2013Durham are in talks with South Africa batsman Jacques Rudolph with a view to him joining the club for the 2013 season.Rudolph has lost his national contract with Cricket South Africa and an improvement in Durham’s financial situation has raised the possibility of Rudolph coming to the Riverside for the new season.Geoff Cook, Durham’s head coach, had said earlier this month that Durham’s “financial situation prohibits any signings” but news of a new funding arrangement with the local council appears to have precipitated a rethink.Rudolph would prove an experienced signing having played 48 Tests and enjoyed several seasons in county cricket, chiefly with Yorkshire for whom he has scored 5,429 first-class runs at 52.20. He also played five matches for Surrey at the beginning of last season.Durham have just agreed a funding deal with Durham County Council which will see them lent £2.8 million – an investment the council have been forced to defend after announcing budget cuts of £200m and 1,600 job losses.The council have cited an independent report which revealed internationals at Durham could add £40m to the local economy over three years. The investment will be used to develop the ground with a view to securing regular international cricket.Blackwell retires

Ian Blackwell, the former England allrounder, has announced his retirement after a third operation on his left shoulder failed to correct his injury. ESPNcricinfo revealed that Blackwell’s career looked over after he was released by Durham a year early.

“For a number of years, the club has been investing and investing, building and building,” Clive Leach, the club’s chairman, said. “This has been essential and has allowed us to secure international cricket at Durham, culminating in last year’s announcement that we will be holding an Ashes Test Match here this summer. This really was a massive achievement.”Our work has also played a significant part in us winning two championships and attracting the stadium’s Emirates sponsorship, which was a huge deal for us.”However, we need to demonstrate local stakeholder support to ensure we have the wherewithal to build upon the work we have undertaken already, make international cricket a permanent fixture here in Durham and leverage that status to bring investment into the club.”We believe that, with the financial support we have been afforded, we can do just that and, as a result, develop the club into a profitable, community focused business and realise the benefits of the ‘long game’ we have been playing.”Cook had previously welcomed the club’s decision not to bring in new players. “I don’t think that is a bad thing,” he said. “The last thing we want is for short-term signings to prevent development. There is nothing more de-motivating for young players than new people to be brought in ahead of them in the queue. I’m confident the young payers we have given responsibility will really prosper.”

Reintegrating the striker back into the squad might have made sense from a sporting point of view, but would have been hard for many fans to forgive

It was the hardest decision Manchester United have had to make for a long time and they sure took their time making it. After much deliberation, they have finally made their call: Mason Greenwood is leaving the club.

It has been the elephant in the room ever since the striker was arrested in January 2022 in relation to images and audio released in a social media post. The post sent shivers down the spine of anyone who saw it.

"To everyone who wants to know what Mason Greenwood actually does to me," read the post, accompanied by highly-distressing audio. There were also images of a woman, showing blood running from her lips down her neck and further images of bruising on her body.

Greenwood was arrested that evening and immediately suspended by United, albeit on full pay, barred from playing for the club or training until more information became available. It was the biggest story of that day and many people saw the images and listened to the audio.

In the eyes of many, both Manchester United fans, supporters of other teams and people with no interest in football, that should have been the end of Greenwood's career with the club, there and then. Regardless of the legal ramifications, there was no way back for a player who had allegedly shown such disregard for the consent of the woman and allegedly assaulted her.

GettyUnenviable decision to make

When all charges against Greenwood were dropped in February by the Crown Prosecution Service due to the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence, United had an unenviable decision to make. There was no legal reason why they could not bring Greenwood back.

Before he was suspended, the striker looked to be on his way to becoming one of the best footballers in England. His talent and his proven record made him a potential asset to United on the pitch. They are ultimately a football team in a highly-competitive environment and these things matter to the people who run the club.

But to their millions of fans around the world, from Manchester to Malaysia, they represent far more. And Greenwood was already a stain on their image. For many United fans, some of whom GOAL have spoken to outside Old Trafford, this issue was a red line. If Greenwood returned, they would simply stop supporting the club.

A powerful statement from a group called Female Fans Against Greenwood's Return summed up the feelings of many supporters, female and male alike. "The situation is clear – taking Greenwood back legitimises and normalises sexual assault and domestic abuse," the statement read. "It tells other players, and the men and boys that look up to them, that abusing women is acceptable, without consequence, and won't affect you or derail your career.

"It also tells us, as women, that we don't matter. It tells female Manchester United employees that their employer is happy to make them work alongside an abuser, and tells hundreds of thousands of female fans that supporting the team we love involves supporting men who abuse women like us."

AdvertisementGETTYSign of disrespect to victims

Even though Greenwood no longer had any legal proceedings against him, in the eyes of many people, allowing him back would be a sign of disrespect to any victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence.

One in four women worldwide will have experienced domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to a 2022 study by the Lancet Medical Journal. There are many male victims of sexual abuse too. According to Rape Crisis, one in 18 men in England and Wales have been raped or sexually assaulted as an adult.

Any victim of sexual assault would likely be triggered if Greenwood resumed playing for United. Many people would struggle to celebrate if he scored a goal. United would also, rightly or wrongly, be seen as a club that protects and forgives abusers.

Greenwood claims that he did not do the things he was accused of and United concluded in their statement "the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that Mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged".

However, Greenwood has never denied that he was the man in the audio and has not been able to offer an adequate explanation for it. He also admitted, "I fully accept I made mistakes in my relationship, and I take my share of responsibility for the situations which led to the social media post."

Getty ImagesAudio easy to access and hard to ignore

That social media post will remain online forever, accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Anyone who sees the images or listens to the audio will not be able to forget them in a hurry and will make their own conclusions.

If Greenwood had been reintegrated, how would parents have explained to their United-supporting children why he had been absent for so long? How would they have reacted if, in a year or two, Greenwood had rebuilt his career and they wanted to get his name on their back of their shirt?

Footballers did not ask to be role models to children and the sport's history, indeed United's history, is full of characters who have not always acted as role models should, to put it lightly.

But most footballers are happy to accept the upsides of their status in the form of astronomic salaries. They must, therefore, accept the fact that they are held to a higher standard than workers in most industries. So must their clubs.

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Getty ImagesOpen to questions of hypocrisy

On a cynical level, many footballers have been accused of crimes against women and been able to rebuild their careers. Down the line, United may have another uncomfortable decision to make about another player in their squad.

Antony, the £85-million ($108m) signing from Ajax, has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. She has previously filed a report in Brazil alleging that Antony had subjected her to "domestic violence, threat and bodily injury", and according to media reports is set to file a report against him in England. Antony has always maintained his innocence and in June he released a statement on Instagram denying any wrongdoing.

Club legend Ryan Giggs was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, occasioning actual bodily harm, and of assaulting her sister in 2020. Giggs, who denied the charges against him, was summoned to court to face a trial in August 2022, when jurors failed to reach a verdict. He was due a retrial, but it was abandoned when the charges against him were withdrawn in July of this year.

Giggs remains an idol to fans and his name is still chanted at matches. So too is that of the late George Best, who admitted to beating his former wife, Alex. Best has a statue outside Old Trafford.

The stance United have taken with Greenwood could now lead to them confronting these issues. They will inevitably be accused of hypocrisy.