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Napoli could part ways with manager Walter Mazzarri before the club's Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday.

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Napoli could sack Mazzarri before Barcelona clashWon just five times in 16 games under MazzarriSlovakia coach Calzona tipped to be next managerWHAT HAPPENED?

Since taking charge of the club in November from Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri managed to guide Napoli to just five wins in 16 matches across all competitions. On Saturday, the reigning Serie A champions scored a late goal to hold Genoa to a 1-1 draw.

Now journalist reports that the club are "seriously considering" sacking Mazzarri and the Italian coach's exit could even come before they take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday.

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The journalist further claims that The Blues have already contacted Slovakia national team coach Francesco Calzona who is likely to replace the Italian coach at the helm. Calzona, who had formerly worked at Napoli as an assistant to Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti, would then manage the Italian side and The Falcons simultaneously.

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Jose Mourinho was strongly linked with the Napoli job after he parted ways with AS Roma last month, although the move never materialised. Some reports suggested that the Portuguese coach was supposed to meet club president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss a potential move.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NAPOLI?

It remains to be seen if Mazzarri will sit on the bench for the club's upcoming European clash against the Catalan giants. After facing the reigning Spanish champions, the Blues will take on Cagliari in the Serie A on February 25.

Usman Shuja, 36, who had set the record to become USA’s top wicket-taker in the 50-over format, has announced his retirement from international cricket

Peter Della Penna18-May-2015Usman Shuja, who set the USA record for career wickets in 50-over cricket in October, has announced his retirement from international cricket at age 36. The fast bowler was USA’s leading wicket-taker at ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia last year, but was not included in USA’s T20 squad for the ICC Americas Division One tournament earlier this month and cited a desire to formally step aside in order to allow younger players to develop.”The team as a whole with the next generation is ready to take over,” Shuja told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday night. “I think I can still help out, but I feel I’ll be more of a hurdle for them to express themselves than to help them. There have also been some huge personal life changes with having a baby last year, a start-up job and having achieved the record, the whole personal element has dropped my motivation quite a bit.”Though Shuja played a series of unofficial games for USA against Cayman Islands in 2003, he made his official USA debut in 2006 against the same team at the ICC Americas Division One tournament, taking 1 for 21. With his 3 for 12 against Bermuda on the first day of play at 2013 WCL Division Three, Shuja surpassed former USA captain Zamin Amin’s mark of 47 wickets that had stood since 2004. He added five more at 2013 WCL Division Three to set the new USA mark of 53 in 35 games at an average of 15.49, comfortably better than Amin’s 22.09 and a better average than anyone else in USA’s top 10.Shuja also took nine wickets in 15 T20 matches for USA with his 4.56 economy rate standing at number one. He credits his father, a former first-class wicketkeeper-batsman for Lahore and PIA in the 1960s, with instilling in him a competitive drive from an early age.”He was very tough,” Shuja said. “If I got one or two wickets he would just shrug it off. He pushed me and helped with the skills. When I was in college at Texas and I was going back to Pakistan every year, he hooked me up with Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis and got me coaching from Waqar and the entire Pakistan team so they could analyse my skill-set. He’s always been supportive because he had played first-class professional cricket in Pakistan. The point is that he was always engaged. Even till now he always knew how many runs I had scored and wickets I had taken every week.”Shuja was controversially dropped ahead of USA’s tour of Bermuda in 2013 for ICC WCL Division Three and said the main reason he didn’t retire then was that he felt strongly that he had more left to contribute to the national team.”I think I was still at the top of my game at that time,” Shuja said. “I felt the drive to play and I also didn’t want to leave when I was dropped. I felt I was dropped unfairly so there was a little bit of unfinished business. Today, I think a few things have changed for me personally and my motivation has gone down quite a bit. The moment I made that decision it was a relief. I’m not willing to put the hard work in to deserve a spot to be able to step on the field now but the feeling of being on the field and the whole preparation to get there, that I’ll still miss.”I will definitely miss just being able to represent the country and playing at the highest level. I’ve always been driven by the competitiveness of the games and also to be able to say I play for the country. Those two things are softer elements but those were the driving factors and I’ll miss that quite a bit. But most importantly is the friendships. I made some really good friends. To be able to go on tours and talk cricket is the thing I’ll miss the most.”The fast bowler says his proudest moment as a member of the USA team was their victory over Nepal in front of a hostile Kathmandu crowd on the final day of round-robin play at 2010 ICC WCL Division Five, a win which secured USA’s promotion to Division Four in Italy. However, Shuja says he laments the fact that USA wasn’t able to produce more meaningful results during a two-year stretch when the core group of players was perhaps more talented than the USA team that reached the Champions Trophy in 2004.”I think it’s a story of missed opportunities,” Shuja said. “The 12 years associated with US cricket, I think we have touched a lot of interesting opportunities where we were under prepared. We had really good teams, really good coaches. Everything just didn’t fit together but there were pieces of it that were there and I genuinely feel that we could have been something like Canada, if not better. It was always an honour to play but there were just a lot of missed opportunities. If we had prepared better, we could have done better especially in the 2010-11 time frame.”I think 2010 was the time when most of the guys were if not at their peak, they were still in their prime or at the tail end of it. They were still pretty good and the team that went to Italy, Nepal, the first UAE trip and even Hong Kong, I think that was a pretty solid team. We just never prepared. We had some missed planning. There was no strategy and things like that. I think we could have done a lot better if there was a little bit of planning and help from the administration.”

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches that finished on December 7, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2013Group IAn all-round performance from Azam Khan gave Peshawar their first win of the tournament when they beat Karachi Blues by 118 runs at home.Peshawar were reeling at 118 for 9 after being asked to bat but Azam, at No. 10, first top-scored with 69 to take them to 213 and then took four wickets to restrict Karachi to 115. Peshawar’s second innings was led by a 49 from Jibran Khan as they were rattled by a six-wicket haul from medium-pacer Waqar Anwar, which curbed their score to 167 and set Karachi a target of 266.Karachi lost their first three wickets for six runs and never recovered much from there as they were kept to 147 by a collective bowling effort from Azam, Jibran, Afaq Ahmed and Iftikhar Ahmed. Peshawar are now third in Group I, one place behind Karachi.Group IIKarachi Whites registered their third win in four matches to lead the Group II table after they thrashed Hyderabad by an innings and 42 runs at the National Stadium. Karachi chose to bat and put on a strong total of 392 on the back of fifties from their top-order batsmen Fazal Subhan (50), Hamza Ghanchi (74) and captain Asif Zakir (88). Only Wajid Ali (44) scored from the middle order and their score was stretched from 317 for 8 to 392 with an unbeaten knock of 51 from No. 10 Faheem Ahmed.Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza dismissed Hyderabad’s openers and struck again later to not let the visitors’ batsmen settle down. With the help of all the other bowlers, who picked up at least a wicket each, Hyderabad were restricted to 174 and were made to follow-on as Hamza finished with 4 for 65.Hyderabad’s second attempt didn’t differ much as they scored 176 this time and were rocked by Khurram Shahzad’s five-for. Zeeshan Gul (42), Faisal Athar (47) and Mohammad Shehbaz (32) resisted briefly but could not avoid the big loss as Zakir (3 for 2) and Hamza (2 for 54) also chipped in to complete the win within three days.

According to Graeme Smith what really separates top sides from those in the tier below is whether they can know their game and play it

Firdose Moonda at Newlands04-Jan-2013The differences between South Africa and New Zealand were far greater than the ability of one attack to take 20 wickets and the struggle of the other to do half of that or that one batting line-up could score over 300 and the other just over that in both innings combined. According to Graeme Smith what really separates top sides from those in the tier below is whether they can know their game and play it.”The biggest thing is an understanding of what needs to be done and then going and doing it,” Smith said. And for that, it takes experience. South Africa, although not to the same depths as New Zealand, have been through years of what was considered underachievement when they could not reach the top ranking and hovered below.What they learnt in those years was the ability to withstand, what they learnt after that was how to push on. “There is resilience in the squad. We’ve been under big pressure. We’ve fought back from tough positions and we’ve worked our backsides off to get back into games. Then, when we’ve had that opportunity, we’ve driven a bus through the door,” Smith said.At the moment, New Zealand are still on level one but only barely. Sometimes, like in the first innings, they cannot withstand. On other occasions, such as the second, they can for a little while. On every instance over the last 12 months when South Africa have been under that kind of pressure, they have survived.The Oval, where they came back after a sorry day one; Headingley, where Kevin Pietersen’s innings could have blown them away; Lord’s, where Matt Prior may have derailed them; Adelaide, where Faf du Plessis rearguard action was epic; and Perth, where Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn played Australia out of the match, all stand out as examples of that. Those performances have shaped the character of the South African squad that exists now.”There is a good degree of confidence within the squad, which enables you to play that way going forward. If guys have got good performances behind them and come off with some good wins … it’s a lot easier to play that way when you haven’t got that kind of confidence,” Smith said.New Zealand are side that does not have it. Hobart and Colombo aside they have not had a good last year. It’s obvious even to their opposition where their faults lie. “They are struggling to find who fits in where and how can perform in certain role,” Smith said. “It’s more than who bats at No. 4, it’s about behind the scenes and the environment. They are growing there.”South Africa have leaders other than Smith in the dressing-room, a solid top six and a bowling attack that is the envy of the cricketing world. They look a perfectly balanced unit whose only worry is to drive home their No. 1 ranking as hard as they can. “It’s just about winning really, that is what you are defined by in modern-day sport,” Smith said. “If you play games like this and you are dominant and you take the game forward, it’s very nice.”They have been in control before but rarely as much as they were against New Zealand at Newlands, when Smith looked at the scoreboard and saw New Zealand were 26 for 9. “I couldn’t quite believe we were in that situation,” he said. “We bowled superbly in our new spells. We didn’t start sluggish and we asked questions early on.”What was as important as the emphatic nature of the bowling for Smith was the calmness of the batting that followed. “After bowling them out for 45, the attitude we had as a batting unit was so important. It would be easy to go out there and think: ‘What’s happening out here?'” he said. “It was great to see Alviro push through those little sessions where he has found it tough in the past, because his potential is huge.”Petersen’s hundred could end up as the least talked about but most telling act in the match. That would not matter to Smith, even if he doesn’t get his due, because it’s not as much about the individual as it is about the collective. “There’s honesty in the group. I see us as mature team. We’ve grown up now.” New Zealand will hope they can do the same.

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.

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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.

Grant Bradburn, the former New Zealand offspinner, has been appointed head coach of New Zealand A and the national Under-19 side

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013Grant Bradburn, the former New Zealand offspinner, has been appointed head coach of New Zealand A and the national Under-19 side. He will begin his new role this week and has been contracted until the end of the U-19 World Cup in March 2014.”To be able to work with some of New Zealand’s most elite and exciting players is a great opportunity,” Bradburn said. He will head to Darwin for the ongoing U-19 tri-series also involving Australia and India, and coach the A team ahead of the tours of India and Sri Lanka in August.”The Under-19 team is the future of New Zealand cricket and tournaments like the tri-series and Under-19 World Cup are prime opportunities to introduce them to the pressures of international cricket. New Zealand A gives players the chance to make the next step up from domestic level and push for future blackcaps selection. It’s important that we get their preparation right.”Bradburn played seven Tests and 11 ODIs for New Zealand. He made 127 first-class appearances, scoring 4978 runs and taking 250 wickets, most of which were for Northern Districts, a side he later coached for five years.”We’re thrilled to have secured someone like Grant, who as shown by his successful time with the Northern Knights, is a proven first-class coach,” John Buchanan, NZC director of cricket said. “Improving our depth at the top level is a focus for us, and both- the New Zealand A and the New Zealand U-19 side, will play a big part in this. With his experience and knowledge of the domestic scene, we’re confident Grant’s the right man for the job.”

BCB president Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh would not tour Pakistan if the ICC did not agree to send their match officials

Siddarth Ravindran in Dhaka12-Mar-2012The uncertainty over whether Bangladesh will tour Pakistan next month and end a three-year drought of international cricket there continues, after BCB president Mustafa Kamal said they would not tour if the ICC did not agree to send their match officials. Several moves over the past two weeks suggested the tour was going to be given the green light. These included a Bangladesh delegation approving the security infrastructure in Pakistan, and the ICC introducing a special dispensation that would allow “non-neutral match officials” for bilateral series in “exceptional circumstances”, should it find it unsafe to appoint its officials for a series.However, Kamal has now said said there was no question of the tour going ahead if the ICC did not provide officials. “We won’t go if everything doesn’t happen within the standard practice, which is the allocation of match-referees, umpires and all things by the ICC,” he said on Wednesday in Dhaka. “That [allowing officials from the competing teams] means we are not going there because ICC also has responsibility. If they don’t take responsibility, then on what basis can I send my players.”The ICC’s recommendation to allow bilateral series to continue even though the governing body had security concerns about them had already drawn flak from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association.Pakistan have not hosted any international matches since a terrorist attack on Sri Lankan players in Lahore three years ago. They have played most of their home matches in the UAE since then, though the PCB has been pushing hard to stage matches in Pakistan.Kamal said he too wanted international cricket to return to Pakistan.”I am the president of the BCB and also the president of the Asian Cricket Council, in that sense I have a dual responsibility, and yes I do want cricket to happen in Pakistan but it all depends on many issues – security, the ICC’s views and the government’s approval. The discussions are on and in a short time we will announce our decision.”Last week, a nine-member delegation from Bangladesh, headed by Kamal, had been given a two-day demonstration of the security plan for the proposed bilateral series next month. After being briefed about the arrangements, the delegation had been satisfied with arrangements in Lahore, and Kamal had been optimistic about the series going ahead.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

While Derbyshire were gifted a way back into the game by some wasteful Surrey batting, their bowlers remained diligent to battle hard on a pitch that rewarded patience

Vithushan Ehantharajah at The Oval30-Aug-2013
ScorecardMark Footitt’s four wickets ensured Derbyshire remained in contention at The Oval•Getty ImagesThe Surrey scorecard tells the tale of unconverted starts and a lower-order collapse that saw the final four wickets fall in 13 balls, for the addition of just two runs. But while Derbyshire were gifted a way back into the game, their bowlers remained diligent to battle hard on a pitch that rewarded patience, whether with bat or ball.David Wainwright, back in the side as one of two spinners in the Derbyshire XI, enjoyed his best day of a modest season so far with 3 for 46. Mark Footitt bowled with impressive pace and attacking intent for his four scalps, removing Chris Tremlett and Tim Linley in successive balls to leave him on a hat-trick in the second innings.However, Surrey are ahead thanks to a brilliant 93 from Vikram Solanki, who rolled back the years and dug out a few classics hits – the wristy cover drive and dab through point – to entertain what was a good Friday crowd. Three figures were not meant to be for Solanki although all in attendance thought he merited a standing ovation when he trudged off just seven shy of a second hundred this season.His dismissal was as ugly as they come; a bottom edge down onto his pad before disturbing the stumps. An ungainly end to an innings so classy it made you feel like a better person simply for watching it.The wrists were supple yet strong, as the orthodox spin of Peter Burgoyne and Wainwright – right and left arm, respectively – were manipulated to both sides of the ground with such precision that you wondered whether Solanki was in pursuit of a symmetrical wagon wheel.Aesthetic perfection was still on course when he passed fifty with a skipping drive for a straight six off Burgoyne that finished dead straight. A few loose drives squirted behind point, along with a deflection through a vacant third slip that could be put down to nous rather than negligence. Solanki aside – who is the only player to pass fifty in the match so far – none of the Surrey batsmen who played themselves in stayed around long enough to make it count.Hashim Amla prodded Footitt to third slip after hitting Matt Higginbottom for two crunching square drives in his second over of the day. Rory Burns looked to be getting himself out of a rut before he paid for indecisive footwork to fall lbw to Burgoyne. Zander de Bruyn fell in similar fashion having accompanied Solanki well in a partnership of 96. He could argue that the ball failed to get up, but Wainwright should be credited for a well-disguised arm ball that hurried on.Steven Davies continued to frustrate. It is becoming impossible to enjoy his strokes without knowing a self-inflicted demise is but a juicy full toss away. Hitting his third ball for four – a crisp flick through midwicket after meeting a ball from Wainwright on the full – he inexplicably lobbed a full toss to Paul Borrington at cover, who somehow failed to hold on. The same combination would do for Davies 88 balls later, as he offered another tame catch which Borrington, now at midwicket, took simply.Gareth Batty can be excused from any gripes, his 35 taking Surrey’s first innings lead past 60. That his wicket proved to be the Jenga slab that brought about the collapse does his efforts a disservice and exonerates those before him from blame.The tail should also take responsibility for their poor returns this season. In the last week alone, run-heavy late-wicket stands from Derbyshire and Somerset have seen them win games against Middlesex – victories that saw both climb out of the relegation spots.Given how the pitch is holding up, there is every chance they will be needed for an awkward last innings chase.

Former Australia women’s Test player Marie McDonough passed away on Friday aged 95

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2013Former Australia women’s player Marie McDonough died on Friday aged 95. McDonough was the second woman from Western Australia to represent Australia in Tests.The former left-arm allrounder, who was born in 1917, featured in the fourth Ashes Test in 1958 on her home ground, but she did not get a chance to bat or bowl in the drawn match. However, she is remembered for her catch at silly mid-on to dismiss Wilkie Wilkinson off Betty Wilson in the first innings.McDonough’s selection for the national team came after a strong domestic performance in the previous season in which she scored a hundred for Subiaco. She represented Western Australia for six years 1951-52 onwards, leading the state in three of those: 1952-53, 1954-55 and 1957-58.She was retrospectively presented her baggy green in 2005 by current Cricket Australia chairman and former WACA life member Wally Edwards.”I was honoured to present Marie with her baggy green at the WACA in 2005,” Edwards said. “She was a great contributor to women’s cricket in Western Australia.”Marie was a role model for young girls and women aspiring to play cricket at the elite level. She was a dedicated cricketer who balanced her passion for the game with her profession as a school teacher.”

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.