استكملت اليوم الجمعة مواجهات الجولة الرابعة من عمر بطولة دوري روشن السعودي لموسم 2025-2026، وذلك بعدة مباريات قوية أبرزها مواجهتي الأهلي والحزم، والاتحاد ضد النصر.

والتقى الأهلي مع الحزم على أرضية ملعب مدينة الملك عبد الله الرياضية، وتمكن الأهلي من الفوز بهدفين دون رد.

وشهدت الجولة أيضاً فوز الهلال على الأخدود، على أرضية ملعب المملكة أرينا، بثلاثية مقابل هدف.

واستطاع فريق النصر الفوز على الاتحاد بنتيجة 2-0، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة من الدوري السعودي.

طالع أيضاً.. “لا أكرهه”.. روني يكشف سبب تفضيله لـ ميسي على كريستيانو رونالدو

وفاز الخليج على التعاون، في افتتاح الجولة بهدف دون رد، بينما  فاز الخلود على الشباب بهدفين مقابل هدف.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الاتحاد مع النصر، في مواجهة من العيار الثقيل، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

ويتصدر النصر جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي برصيد 9 نقاط، ويتساوى معه في عدد النقاط كل من الاتحاد والتعاون، بينما يأتي الهلال بالمركز الثالث، ولديه 8 نقاط. جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي

1- النصر: 12 نقطة

2- الاتحاد: 9 نقاط

3- التعاون: 9 نقاط

4- الهلال: 8 نقاط

5- الأهلي: 8 نقاط

6- القادسية: 7 نقاط

7- الاتفاق: 7 نقاط

8- الخليج: 6 نقاط

9- الصقور: 6 نقاط

10- الخلود: 6 نقاط

11- الفيحاء: 4 نقاط

12- الشباب: 4 نقاط

13- الرياض: 3 نقاط

14- الحزم: نقطتان

15- الفتح: نقطة

16- ضمك: نقطة

17- النجمة: بدون نقاط

18- الأخدود: بدون نقاط

يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري السعودي محدث باستمرار من هنا

Nottingham Forest are now on the verge of signing a £10m defender, having submitted an offer for his services, a report has revealed.

Forest's busy summer transfer window continues

With Forest preparing for a Europa League campaign next season, they have set out to deepen their squad, while Nuno Espirito Santo was also tasked with bringing in a replacement for Anthony Elanga, following the Sweden international’s departure to Newcastle United.

Dan Ndoye has since arrived at the City Ground, joining alongside Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha, and there should be plenty of space for even more arrivals, given that the Tricky Trees have generated considerable funds from sales this summer.

Player

New club

Transfer fee

Anthony Elanga

Newcastle United

£53m

Danilo

Botafogo

£20m

Ramon Sosa

Palmeiras

£11m

Andrew Omobamidele

Strasbourg

£9m

Matt Turner

Lyon

£7m

Lewis O’Brien

Wrexham

£3m

Following Turner’s departure, there is a real need to get a new goalkeeper through the door, and Fabrizio Romano has recently revealed that Angus Gunn is set to make a move to the City Ground.

However, Gunn is not the only player who could be linking up with Nuno’s side in the very near future, with a report from Italy (via Sport Witness) revealing Nottingham Forest are now very close to sealing a deal for Hellas Verona’s Jackson Tchatchoua.

Forest have made an offer of €12m (£10m) plus bonuses, which appears to be acceptable for the Italian club, with the transfer now edging closer to completion, and Tchatchoua is set to receive a four-year contract.

The full-back would be a versatile option for Nuno, given that he is able to play on both sides of the defence, and right-wing back.

Related Nottingham Forest negotiating fee for £139k-a-week star with personal terms agreed

The Tricky Trees could beat competition from elsewhere.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Aug 4, 2025 Tchatchoua could be solid addition to Nuno's squad

Nuno already has a dependable option at right-back in the form of Ola Aina, with the London-born defender making 35 Premier League appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, however, the Verona defender may be a necessary addition.

With the Tricky Trees set to embark on a European campaign, Nuno needs to improve his squad depth, and the 23-year-old’s versatility could make him a solid option, while he is also a threat on the front foot.

The Cameroon international picked up two goals and three assists in the Serie A last season, scoring the opening goal in his side’s 2-0 victory against Genoa last September.

That said, it will be difficult for Tchatchoua to displace Aina in the starting XI, given that the 28-year-old received very high praise for his performances last season, with journalist Zach Lowy describing him as “one of the best” full-backs in Europe.

Seamer agrees two-year deal after promoted White Rose trigger clause in contract

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2024Yorkshire have signed Northamptonshire seamer Jack White on a two-year contract after activating a clause in his contract allowing him to move to a Division One club.White, 32, only made his debut in 2020 but has built a strong record, particularly in red-ball cricket where he has taken 114 wickets 25.18.”I’m incredibly honoured and extremely excited to begin this new chapter with Yorkshire,” White said. “Headingley is a special place to play and having had discussions with the coach and the leaders of the club I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my game and playing my part in achieving success for Yorkshire.”Yorkshire finished second in Division Two last season, securing a return to the top flight for the first time since 2022.Gavin Hamilton, general manager of cricket for Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted Jack has committed his future to Yorkshire. He is a brilliant addition to the team – offering up another dimension to our bowling attack.”He’s someone who puts in the hard work and came into the professional game at a later stage of his development. He is the kind of player and person who will continue to add to our dressing room, and we look forward to working with him at the club.”Northamptonshire said they were “disappointed” to lose White, who was under contract until the end of the 2025 season.”While it is a real shame that Jack has decided to move elsewhere, everyone would like to thank him for his efforts in a Northamptonshire shirt and we wish him the best moving forward,” chief executive, Ray Payne, added.

The home side had made a strong start before Joel Paris hit back for Western Australia

AAP01-Nov-2024

Mitchell Owen boosted Tasmania•Getty Images

Half centuries from Caleb Jewell and Mitchell Owen have kept Tasmania’s first innings on track in their Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia.Tasmania, who lost to WA just a fortnight ago by six wickets in a Shield final rematch in Perth, ended day one 302 for 7 at Bellerive Oval. A run-a-ball 83 from No. 7 Owen helped lift the hosts from a precarious 153 for 4.The Shield champions travelled to Hobart on top of the standings, but missing numerous key personnel.Among the absentees were opener Cameron Bancroft, Cooper Connolly and rising spinner Corey Rocchiccioli on Australia A duty; Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis preparing for upcoming one-day internationals, as well as Mitch Marsh (paternity leave) and Charlie Stobo (omitted).Tasmania lined up without key middle-order batter Beau Webster who led their run-scoring tally last season, while the bowling line-up was boosted by the return of Gabe Bell and Lawrence Neil-Smith.The home side survived the opening session without loss after being sent in to bat by opposition skipper Ashton Turner.Tasmania posted a century stand before rookie medium-pacer Brody Couch had Jake Weatherald caught down the leg side for 49.The ever-reliable Joel Paris then did the damage midway through the second session as Tasmania lost 3 for 18.Jewell was trapped lbw for 61 after surviving an earlier let-off, before Charlie Wakim and captain Jordan Silk were both soon sent back to the pavillion.Owen fell in the final hour having struck 13 boundaries and two sixes in a career-best knock, only for Paris to end the dangerous innings.Brad Hope was then dismissed for 25 off Cameron Gannon having shared a 102-run stand with Owen.

With Aaron Ramsdale set to hand Newcastle United a much-needed upgrade between the sticks, PIF have now reportedly set their sights on another key defensive addition.

Newcastle ramping up business with Ramsdale deal in place

He may not be James Trafford, but Ramsdale is an England international who has played at the highest level at Arsenal and has a wealth of experience all throughout the Premier League. Set to welcome the Southampton star on loan with an option to buy, those at St James’ Park are about to get their first deal over the line since Anthony Elanga in what has been a transfer window full of frustration.

Having worked together during their time at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe will be well aware of the talent that Ramsdale has to offer his Newcastle side. It’s worth noting that it wasn’t so long ago that the England international was Arsenal’s first-choice in the middle of a title race against Manchester City. That’s the level he’s capable of and that’s the level he could offer Newcastle in the coming campaign.

But even Newcastle will admit that their spending simply cannot end there. Putting their potential Alexander Isak problem to one side for the moment, the Magpies still need another central defender this summer.

He's like Isak & Wissa: Newcastle in talks to sign "monster" £65m striker

Newcastle United target a new striker as their replacement for Liverpool-bound Alexander Isak

ByWill Miller Jul 30, 2025

It doesn’t look as though Marc Guehi will be the man to solve that problem, either. Despite eyeing his arrival since last year, Newcastle could once again lose out on a key target to a Liverpool side who are enjoying an almighty spending spree.

If that does prove to be the case, however, then PIF could move to sign an impressive alternative to the Crystal Palace man.

PIF now eyeing Piero Hincapie move

According to reports in Spain, PIF are now eyeing a move to sign Piero Hincapie if they fail to sign Guehi for Newcastle this summer. The Bayer Leverkusen defender is reportedly valued at just €40m (£35m), which is cheaper than the £45m that Crystal Palace are reportedly demanding to sell their own star defender in the next month.

At just 23 years old, there’s a valid argument that Hincapie would provide Newcastle with a better reinforcement than Guehi. The Leverkusen man boasts Champions League experience over the England star and even has an invincible Bundesliga title win to his name.

A “great player” and “aggressive” defender, according to former Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, Hincapie could prove to be quite the coup for Newcastle if they push on and secure his signature this summer.

Manchester United are exploring deals to improve their squad during the summer transfer window, as they look to add to the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

The Red Devils are reportedly confident that they will be able to complete a deal to sign Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

In the 2024/25 season, the Cameroon international delivered 20 goals and seven assists in all competitions, which suggests that he could add a huge threat to Ruben Amorim’s side next term.

Whilst the signings of Cunha and Mbeumo, if the latter goes through, show that United are looking for Premier League proven performers to help them kick on, the Red Devils are also looking further afield.

Man Utd eyeing up LaLiga ace

As well as wanting to improve their options at the top end of the pitch, by signing players who can score and assist goals, the club would like to improve their midfield.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Caught Offside, Manchester United are one of a number of teams in the race to sign Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casado this summer.

The report claims that Amorim’s side are interested in a deal to bring the Spaniard over to England, but they have not made contact with the LaLiga champions yet.

It reveals, however, that their Premier League rivals, Chelsea and Arsenal, have spoken to Barcelona to enquire about a potential swoop for the 21-year-old talent.

Caught Offside adds that it will take a fee of around £43m to tempt the Spanish giants into cashing in on the midfielder, despite him having an £86m release clause.

Man Utd could find their next Carrick

If United can get a deal over the line for the Barcelona star this summer, Amorim could unearth his own version of Michael Carrick in the middle of the park.

The former Red Devils star, who recently managed Middlesbrough, was a metronome in midfield for the club during his playing days with his fantastic ability to dictate play with his quality on the ball.

From the 2009/10 season onwards (from when the data became available), the England international completed 88% of his attempted passes in 272 games before the end of his career.

In Casado, United could find a young midfielder with similar qualities to Carrick. However, at the age of 21, he is still very raw and needs time to develop and hit his stride at senior level.

He made 23 appearances for Barcelona in their LaLiga title-winning season last term, leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to hail his “incredible” form, and showcased the kind of qualities that you would associate with the former United midfielder.

Passes attempted

76.37

Top 5%

Pass accuracy

89%

Top 10%

Progressive passes

5.98

Top 18%

Assists

0.17

Top 22%

Passes into the final third

7.71

Top 6%

Passes offside

0.00

Top 4%

As you can see in the table above, he ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of possession-based metrics, with both his pass accuracy and progressive passing statistics pointing to his efficiency and effectiveness with the ball at his feet.

These statistics suggest that Casado could be moulded into a Carrick-esque figure for Amorim, as a deep-lying midfielder who can move the ball around and dictate games, whilst being progressive in doing so.

However, Casado only won 53% of his duels, including 28% of his aerial battles, and he may need to improve the physical side of his game to truly thrive in England.

This is why he may not be the finished article right away for Manchester United in the Premier League, but he does have the attributes to potentially develop into Amorim’s own Carrick in the future, or straight away if he can hit the ground running.

Amorim's own Haaland: Man Utd make "world-class" £60m CF their top target

Manchester United appear to be making moves for a new forward in the transfer market.

2 ByEthan Lamb Jul 11, 2025

Zimbabwe shattered the record for the highest total in T20 cricket on Wednesday when they ran up 344 for 4 against Gambia in the men’s T20 World Cup Africa sub-regional qualifier tournament. Sikandar Raza spearheaded the effort with a century – Zimbabwe’s first one ever in the format – off just 33 balls. He eventually finished unbeaten on 133, with 15 sixes. His team-mates hit 12 more to set that record as well. Until now, Nepal had been the holders of the highest total (314) and the most sixes hit in an innings (26). Gambia in return were bundled out for 54 as Zimbabwe also posted the biggest-ever win (in terms of runs) in T20s.The Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi witnessed history on Wednesday with Zimbabwe showing great intent right from the first ball they faced. They brought up fifty in 3.2 overs. Tadiwanashe Marumani brought his up quicker, in just 13 balls. The team hundred was up before the powerplay was done and from there on it was an exercise of how far they could send the ball into the stands. There were 57 boundaries in the innings overall – which is also a T20 record – with four Zimbabwe batters contributing fifty-plus scores – another record. Brian Bennett made 50 of 26 and Clive Mandande got to 53 off 17 by hitting the final ball of the innings for six.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Raza, though, was the star of the show. He came into bat at the end of the seventh over, after the fielding restrictions had been relaxed, but it made no difference. He struck the third ball he faced for six and went on a run-scoring spree that made him the owner of the second-fastest century in T20I cricket. His 33-ball effort equalled Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s, for Namibia against Nepal in February 2024.Related

• T20I record holders you have (probably) not heard of

Gambia, which is the smallest country in continental Africa, located to the west, could do very little to stop the run flow. Musa Jorbateh conceded the most runs by a bowler in a T20, his four overs going for 93. He was one of five bowlers to go for over 50 runs or more in their spell. The team is still looking for its first win in the Africa sub-regional qualifier so far, having given walkovers to their opponents Rwanda and Seychelles in the first two games, while Zimbabwe have already picked up four from four.

Liverpool have long been an ambitious club, but it feels like FSG recognised just how big a superpower Arne Slot’s Anfield side are, having unleashed the dogs in the transfer market this summer.

Giorgi Mamardashvili has arrived to provide competition for Alisson Becker between the sticks, while Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will redefine Liverpool’s wide berths over the coming years.

Florian Wirtz, who joined in a British-record £116m deal last month, has been called “the best midfielder in the world” by former Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes.

And Hugo Ekitike will now join from Eintracht Frankfurt in a £79m package, bringing his intelligent, all-action striking style to the team.

But that doesn’t mean the Premier League champions are done and dusted just yet this summer.

Liverpool's next move in the summer transfer market

Liverpool have bolstered heavily this summer, but, as has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, they aren’t done just yet.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

With Darwin Nunez up for sale, Ekitike will need a strike partner, and Liverpool are gearing up to make an incredible signing that might just top all others this summer.

Indeed, according to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are still weighing up a new bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, though it would take a new British-record bid worth £130m to even tempt Eddie Howe into parting ways with his talisman.

Bailey stated: “Liverpool aren’t going away. If there’s a chance of getting him, Liverpool are going to be there. I think the approach was more to say to Isak and Newcastle, ‘don’t forget, we are here and ready to make our move’. That was intrinsically behind it. If Liverpool think it’s doable, a bid could go in, it’s not beyond the realms of fantasy. They’ve already come in and made it clear they’ll pay £120m, so it’s already a bid in everything but name.”

Last week, Liverpool approached Newcastle for Isak before forging ahead with a bid for Ekitike, rebuffed as they were. Even so, the Reds may yet return to sign their dream target.

How Isak compares to Ekitike

If Liverpool have the financial means to sign Isak this summer (and it appears that they just might), Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes might just come together to pull off something special.

Newcastle signed Isak from Real Sociedad for a club-record £63m fee in 2022, and he’s gone from strength to strength since then, now recognised as one of Europe’s leading centre-forwards.

Since his Premier League debut, he’s even managed to hit the back of the net at a more clinical rate than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, which highlights just how incredible a deal this could be for the Reds.

Premier League – Top Scorers Since 22/23
#	Player	Apps	Goals (per 90)
1.	Erling Haaland	97	85 (0.88)
2.	Mohamed Salah	108	66 (0.61)
3.	Alexander Isak	86	54 (0.63)
4.	Ollie Watkins	112	50 (0.45)
5.	Bryan Mbeumo	101	38 (0.38)
Data via Transfermarkt

Moreover, the Sweden international is dynamic and well-rounded as a marksman. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 16% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, and the top 7% for progressive carries per 90.

A far cleaner striker than Ekitike, Isak would unquestionably be the most exciting signing of Liverpool’s remarkable transfer window, hailed for his “limitless potential” by Toon boss Howe.

To think that Isak, 25, still has lofty heights to scale in spite of his meteoric rise in the Premier League over the past few years is quite a thing.

Certainly, Slot’s first-class coaching could unlock some depth of his skill set he doesn’t even know sits latent within.

Intelligent, industrious and ever enterprising, Isak would rock the footballing world, were he to move to Merseyside this summer.

If Liverpool were to complete a deal for Isak this summer, it would immediately relegate Ekitike to the second fiddle up top. If that doesn’t make the decisive comment on who’s more exciting, what does?

A bigger star than Ekitike: Liverpool enter race to sign £100m winger

Liverpool are consolidating their position at the top of the Premier League this summer.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 22, 2025

Just as you thought Arsenal’s start to the summer was quiet, they have roared into life over the last fortnight to welcome in a batch of new acquisitions.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed from Chelsea (yes, another one), Christian Norgaard has arrived from Brentford and the headline addition so far has been £55m Martin Zubimendi.

The trio have already got to work during the club’s warm weather training camp in La Manga and it’s not long now until the Gunners head to Asia, more specifically Singapore, for their pre-season tour on July 19th.

Before then, Mikel Arteta will hope for more new faces. Here’s the latest on that.

Arsenal's summer transfer window: the latest

This could be a busy old week for Andrea Berta and Co as he aims to bring in a few more fresh signings before that trip to Singapore.

The first is set to be Noni Madueke. Whether you like it or not, the Chelsea winger is due to be announced as an Arsenal player this week after undergoing a medical this weekend.

According to Henry Winter, he looks set be followed through the door by Valencia centre-half Cristhian Mosquera. A deal had gone quiet over recent weeks, but the journalist shared that things should be wrapped up soon.

And then there’s the centre-forward, the elusive striker. Will Viktor Gyokeres finally head to the Gunners?

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Well, things are becoming rather toxic between him and Sporting at the moment. The Swede has regularly told his club that he will never play for them again and has made it clear he won’t attend pre-season training.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas, has since hit back at the striker, saying: “If they [Arsenal] don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years. This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”

Sky Sports reports that the Portuguese giants are looking for around £69m, add-ons included. Despite the war of words here, the former Coventry star is still confident of getting his move, so much so that he expects to be in London this week.

That’s according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who said: “Gyokeres considers his Sporting career over, having agreed personal terms with Arsenal. Sources have also told me that he hopes to be in England early next week to complete his move.”

The impact Viktor Gyokeres could have at Arsenal

In recent years, it’s safe to say that Arsenal haven’t exactly got their squad building 100% nailed on.

They’ve signed good players, of course, but since Arteta became Arsenal boss, he has only signed six attackers; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Willian and Marquinhos.

It’s hardly an illustrious list of names and therefore, the signing of Gyokeres could transform this Arsenal side.

Let’s cast our minds back two years a moment. In the same week of the 2023 summer window, Declan Rice was putting pen to paper on a club-record £105m move at the Emirates Stadium and Gyokeres was completing his switch from Coventry to Sporting.

Since then, the duo have become two of the best players on the continent. Rice has totally transformed this Arsenal team and it was his performances that propelled them towards the Champions League semi-finals.

No one will forget that night in north London when Arsenal hit three past Real Madrid. Rice was the hero, scoring two stunning free-kicks. It felt like his transfer fee had been paid back in one night, if it hadn’t already.

Rice went on to dazzle in the Bernabeu too, with Rio Ferdinand noting that the England international “stood up against the holders of this trophy” and “ran the show in both games”. The former defender exclaimed that the midfielder has now “put himself in another bracket.”

Well, if Rice was one piece of the puzzle that was missing, then Gyokeres could be the final piece that completes the jigsaw. He could be the Rice-like signing that catapults this Arsenal team to greater things, and by greater things, we mean finally winning a trophy.

Arteta may have the FA Cup to show for his efforts, but the Premier League and Champions League continue to elude him.

Rice has now taken Arsenal close but Gyokeres could help across the finish line. Why? Well, he’s one of, if not the best centre-forwards in Europe right now.

2020/21

34

5

1

2021/22

47

18

5

2022/23

50

22

12

2023/24

50

43

15

2024/25

52

54

13

Forget Alexander Isak, forget Erling Haaland, what the Swedish powerhouse has done over the last two years is nothing short of remarkable.

In 2023/24, the striker bagged 43 goals in 50 outings and went even better throughout the latest campaign, netting a stunning haul of 54 goals in 52 appearances.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that that tally is pretty damn good, and considering how Arsenal struggled in offensive areas of the pitch last season, he could be game-changing.

Arteta’s side didn’t lack creativity. No player registered more expected assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Bukayo Saka in 2024/25. As a club, they had the sixth-highest number of shots in the division and produced the fifth-most key passes.

However, despite that, they found it difficult to put the ball in the net. For the first time since 1923/24, the Gunners failed to find a player who scored double figures in the league.

As a result, signing a man who has scored 97 goals at club level over the last two campaigns ought to fix the problem.

Gyokeres might not be a club-record move like Rice was but his impact on the field of play is likely to be just as significant. Dare we smell another Arsenal title charge? Time will tell.

Eze's dream CF: Arsenal in talks to sign £69m "monster" & it's not Gyokeres

Arsenal could still change their mind on Viktor Gyokeres.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 10, 2025

The three-match series begins at the MCG, with both teams building towards the Champions Trophy

Andrew McGlashan03-Nov-20241:41

Australia look for one final tune-up before Champions Trophy

Big picture: Pakistan’s year-long gap amid chaosAustralia’s top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 victory in England in September.Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are missing the series against Pakistan on paternity leave, and Cameron Green is injured. But otherwise, the main names will be on show – at least for parts of the series – as the fast bowlers, in particular, continue to be managed ahead of the Tests. The big three, including Pat Cummins, who remains the ODI captain even though he hasn’t played a game since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two out of the three matches.Related

Rizwan announced white-ball captain; Babar, Afridi, Naseem return

Australia's questions: Opening 'fireworks', filling Green's spot, and more

Shan Masood backs Babar Azam to make strong comeback

Despite the dwindling significance of bilateral ODIs, it still feels extraordinary that Pakistan have not played a game since their last outing of the World Cup nearly a year ago (so the form guide below is pretty irrelevant). Don’t for one minute, though, think that that means any lack of drama. Despite not facing a ball in ODIs during this time, Babar Azam resigned as captain, returned, and then resigned again.Having been dropped during the Test series against England, he’s back for this tour, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, while Mohammad Rizwan has been handed the captaincy – at least for this week – as they try to put a side together that can compete in a home Champions Trophy.White-ball coach Gary Kirsten is also gone without having had an ODI during his brief tenure. Jason Gillespie has been handed the job on an interim basis for this tour, creating an unexpected chance to come up against his home nation. It may be something of a trail run, given no coach has been named for the Zimbabwe tour which follows, although it’s understood to be unlikely that Gillespie will be offered the role full-time – and whether he would want it is another question entirely. A few weeks ago, though, it appeared he may be the first coach out of the door, until Sajid Khan and Noman Ali got to work on England.Form guide(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLLJake Fraser-McGurk has played only two ODIs so far•Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran GhulamWant another bat-off? Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk have a chance to stake a claim to be Travis Head’s partner at the Champions Trophy. Fraser-McGurk made his international debut in the two ODIs he played against West Indies earlier this year, where he cracked 41 off 23 balls across two innings. He didn’t feature against England, but will now likely have all three games of this series to show his skills in the longer white-ball format. Fraser-McGurk has only played one game this season, a 50-over outing for South Australia, having been left out of the early Sheffield Shield rounds. But Pakistan have a strong pace attack, and could give his technique a working over.It sent a jolt through Pakistan cricket when Babar was omitted after the opening Test against England, but his replacement Kamran Ghulam started in grand style with a century on debut in Multan. He has a single ODI cap to his name, but that came as a concussion substitute against New Zealand last year when he replaced Haris Sohail after Pakistan’s batting innings was complete, and he wasn’t required to bowl. So, in effect, a game against Australia would be the proper start.Team news: Hardie includedCummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaIrfan Khan will make his ODI debut in the middle order while Pakistan have included four frontline fast bowlers. Mohammad Rizwan was listed at No. 4Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad HasnainBabar Azam is one away from equaling Saeed Anwar for most ODI centuries for Pakistan•Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsThe pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it’s still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it’s due to stay dry.Stats and trivia Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs. Maxwell’s strike rate of 126 is way higher than any of the 20 Australia batters to have scored at least 3500 runs in ODIs, with Warner’s 97 the next best. Babar needs one more century to equal Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan. Pakistan have beaten Australia only twice in the last 13 ODIs between the two sides, with both those wins coming in a home series in 2022. Overall, Australia have a 10-4 win record against Pakistan at the MCGQuotes”It’s a great way to kind of kick into the summer. Some of the young guys, seeing what they’re made of as they’re kind of starting out their international careers. And then in the longer-term context, we’ve got Champions Trophy coming up, which always has a good link into that.”
“We don’t want to prove anything. We’ll just play normal cricket. We will try our best to play against these guys. Yes, Australia is a good side, and they are in home conditions. Only one thing they have is the benefit of a home crowd.”