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Newcastle United are believed to be “serious” about completing the signing of a young Serie A defender in the summer transfer window, amid rumours of an approach already being made.

Newcastle's window dominated by Isak doubts

The future of Alexander Isak is still the big talking point at St James’ Park currently, with the Magpies doing all they can to ensure he stays at the club. While that appears more likely than not currently, it is vital that other attackers are looked at even if he stays put, which has been the case in recent days.

Brentford ace Yoane Wissa has emerged as a leading option, agreeing personal terms with Newcastle, with Eddie Howe’s men are also thought to be preparing a move for Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez.

Wissa and Alvarez aren’t the only attackers being looked, however, with Randal Kolo Muani also a reported option for the Magpies ahead of the new season.

The Paris Saint-German striker famously came to within inches of scoring the winning goal for France in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, only to be denied by Emiliano Martinez in extra-time.

While much focus at St James’ is understandably on the attack, defensive reinforcements are also vital, and a fresh claim has dropped regarding an exciting target in that area of the pitch.

Newcastle "serious" about signing defender

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are now “serious” about signing Juventus defender Nicolo Savona this summer, with the Turin giants holding out for more than £17m for his signature.

It’s been reported that Newcastle already made an approach last week, and now the Old Lady are even lining up Atalanta’s Marco Palestra as a replacement.

Newcastle have arguably reached a stage where they need an upgrade on 34-year-old Kieran Trippier, bringing in a younger option to provide stronger competition for Tino Livramento. In Savona, the Magpies could have the ideal option, with the 22-year-old showing a bright future in the game, being described as an “interesting” talent by scout Jacek Kulig for his ability to also play in the heart of defence.

Indeed, at 6 foot 4 and dominant in the air, fans may even draw similarities to Dan Burn on the other flank, given both are physically imposing but surprisingly at home at full-back.

Savona already has 40 appearances for Juventus to his name, which is no mean feat for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and he has also been capped by Italy at both Under-21 and Under-20 level.

More exciting than Wissa: Newcastle preparing move to sign £86m "monster"

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ByKelan Sarson Jul 21, 2025

The Italian is the same age as Livramento, so the pair could have healthy competition for minutes for years to come, getting as much as possible out of each other and giving Howe two excellent options at right-back – one in the flying full-back mould and the other a hybrid who can move centrally.

تمكن فريق ريال مدريد من مضاعفة النتيجة في مباراته الجارية حاليًا ضد نظيره فريق ريال سوسيداد، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

ويستضيف ملعب “ريالي أرينا” مباراة فريقي ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد، في الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26.

ونجح ريال مدريد في تسجيل الهدف الثاني في شباك ريال سوسيداد، في الدقيقة 43 من عمر الشوط الأول.

جاء الهدف عن طريق أردا جولر بعد تمريرة من النجم كيليان مبابي، حيث وصلت الكرة إلى التركي الذي سددها في شباك أصحاب الأرض، معلنًا عن هدف ثاني. هدف أردا جولر في مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد

كان كيليان مبابي قد سجل هدف ريال مدريد الأول في الدقيقة 12، وطُرد المدافع دين هويسن في الدقيقة 32 من عمر الشوط نفسه، ليضطر الملكي إلى اللعب منقوصًا.

Arsenal want to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s squad across the board, not just up front, with sporting director Andrea Berta now setting his sights on a Chelsea high-earner.

Arsenal transfer plans beyond talks for Benjamin Sesko

As things stand, when it comes to their striker search, the Gunners appear to be prioritising a deal for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

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Arsenal are advancing in talks with the Slovenian over personal terms, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, even if his price tag is proving complex due to a variable release clause, and there is even a possibility that Berta could end up having to pay around £84 million for him.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

That being said, while the 22-year-old appears to be one of Berta’s main items on the to-do list this summer, Arsenal will have to tread carefully with regard to how much they end up splashing out on Sesko.

Alongside the Leipzig sensation, Arsenal are attempting to finally wrap up a £51 million deal for Martin Zubimendi, which is proving far more complicated than initially thought this time last week.

Despite reliable reports of a medical (BBC), and even Fabrizio Romano’s famous ‘here we go’ to the deal, Zubimendi himself has attempted to pour cold water over the transfer’s advancement with confusing quotes.

“My future? It will be a long summer. I don’t know how it will end,” said Zubimendi to Radio Nacional.

“If Xabi Alonso calls me to join Real Madrid? I’ve always said Xabi is my idol, and it was a privilege to have him as my coach at La Real B. If he called me now? I don’t want to talk about that hypothesis, I’d rather talk about the present. It would be disrespectful to talk about that while I’m on national team duty. I posted pics on a Spanish beach while rumors said I’m in London doing medical exams for Arsenal? Yes, I did that to make it clear those rumors were not true.”

As well as a new midfielder, which supporters are hopeful will be Zubimendi, Arsenal are in the market for a second-choice keeper.

Arsenal hold explorative talks over deal for Kepa Arrizabalaga

After missing out on Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia to Barcelona, £150,000-per-week Chelsea outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga has emerged as an alternative.

Berta could actually snap up a proven understudy to David Raya for just £5 million, due to a release clause in his contract, which must have been written in when Kepa signed a one-year extension last year.

Sky Sports reporter Luca Bendoni now claims that Arsenal have held explorative talks over a deal for Kepa as they pursue another keeper, and due to his meagre exit clause, you can argue that this would be a snip.

The Spaniard, called “amazing” for some of his performances on loan at Bournemouth last season, would arguably need to take a pay-cut, but this is a move certainly worth considering from Berta’s perspective.

With Ipswich Town suffering relegation back down to the Championship, there must be a fear in the air that they could suffer the same fate as Luton Town.

Like the Hatters, the Tractor Boys sealed an unexpected place in the top-flight but since then, Luton have found themselves on the end of back-to-back relegations.

Of course, Kieran McKenna will look to the examples of both Burnley and Leeds United instead as clubs who have been able to lick their wounds quickly after sinking back down to the EFL, but it’s not set in stone that the Tractor Boys will rise back up to the Premier League in a flash.

Any effort made towards achieving instant promotion will be made a lot harder by Liam Delap’s impending exit from Portman Road, with the young Englishman now closing in on a move to Chelsea.

Latest update on Delap's Ipswich future

If it wasn’t for Delap leading the line, Ipswich’s 2024/25 campaign would have been a lot more grim towards the foot of the top-flight table.

Indeed, a large 12 of the Tractor Boys’ overall 33 league strikes came courtesy of the ex-Manchester City man’s magic firepower in front of goal, but not even Delap’s best efforts have been able to keep his lowly side from succumbing to the drop.

But, off the back of being such a livewire in an otherwise despondent group, Delap attracted interest from a plethora of top-flight sides including Manchester United, Everton, Newcastle United and, of course, the Blues.

The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that he had held talks with four potential sides over leaving Suffolk behind, with his low £30m release clause tickling the fancy of many a Premier League outfit.

As it is, Enzo Maresca’s side have emerged victorious from that hotly-contested battle, with Fabrizio Romano outlining that the striker is set to undergo a medical on Monday, ahead of moving to Stamford Bridge.

Whilst losing Delap would be devastating, not every departure this summer needs to be equally as soul-destroying.

The Ipswich star who must now be axed

McKenna will believe that he can steer Ipswich straight back up to the big time, having already achieved two memorable promotions from the Portman Road dug-out.

But, he could well have to be cut-throat in who he allows to leave the building if he wants instant success, with long-standing Ipswich servant Sam Morsy one face he might have to contemplate letting leave.

After all, whilst the Egyptian veteran did captain both of those promotion-winning sides, he showed worrying signs of rust when thrown into the side last season.

It resulted in Morsy only picking up a weak one goal and one assist from 31 starts, which is way off his three goals and six assists tally during the 2023/24 campaign.

Additionally, despite falling down the pecking order in Suffolk somewhat, Morsy still pockets a higher wage per week than Tractor Boys stalwart Leif Davis, with the left-back also eyeing up a major move away from Ipswich now, with Nottingham Forest rumoured to be keen.

Standout Ipswich players earning less than Morsy (24/25)

Player

Weekly wage

League games

Goals

Assists

George Hirst

£27.5k-per-week

26

3

1

Jack Clarke

£25k-per-week

32

0

4

Jaden Philogene

£25k-per-week

21

2

0

Liam Delap

£20k-per-week

37

12

2

Leif Davis

£25k-per-week

33

1

2

Sourced by Sofascore/Capology

Amazingly, Morsy’s £30k-per-week salary means he earns more than all of the Ipswich first team figures above, with the Tractor Boys number five even raking in £10k-per-week more than 12-goal hero Delap.

McKenna might well want to keep Morsy around for one final season before his Ipswich contract runs down, knowing full well that he knows what it takes to play his part in a successful EFL campaign.

But, before he declines even more, it could well be the most appropriate course of action to move on Morsy now.

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Liverpool carry a wide sense of appeal to potential targets this summer, but they may now have a new obstacle to overcome in their pursuit of one of Europe’s hottest properties.

Liverpool look to bolster their ranks this summer

The Reds are nearly there in their quest to lift the Premier League title and there is now tangible evidence that Arne Slot could add some premium talent to his side over the next few months.

According to reports, Liverpool are leading the race to sign Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen, who has emerged as one of the world’s most in-demand young defenders following his excellent displays on the South Coast.

Following news that Virgil Van Dijk has signed a new contract at Anfield, any moves to strengthen a backline already rich on quality would likely go down well among their expectant fanbase.

Winning the top-flight is one thing, but staying at the top next term in the face of a renewed challenge from the elite of English football will be what sets Slot apart, so it is no surprise to see that the Reds also have Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike at the top of their wishlist.

Hugo Ekitike’s goalscoring record in 2024/25 – all competitions

Appearances

43

Goals

21

Assists

9

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League exit at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur may dampen his desire to stay in Germany, though they remain in contention to seal Champions League qualification via the Bundesliga.

Either way, recent developments surrounding Liverpool’s interest have taken a sharp turn that may throw up an obstacle to any prospective deal.

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ByAngus Sinclair Apr 18, 2025 Sky Sports: Eintracht Frankfurt raise Hugo Ekitike asking price

Per Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Eintracht Frankfurt have raised their asking price for Liverpool target Hugo Ekitike to £85.7 million, though he is still deemed ‘likely’ to leave the Bundesliga outfit this summer.

Chief executive Markus Krösche is thought to be behind the move, raising the price by about £17m to try and maximise his profitability following an excellent campaign for the ex-Paris Saint-Germain striker.

Demonstrating his lethal edge in front of goal, Ekitike has managed to place 40 of his 101 shots on target while featuring in the German top-flight and has also earned a non-penalty XG total of 17.20.

Liverpool are clearly big admirers of his talent and want to bring him to Anfield, but they won’t want to be caught in the trap of being held to ransom in negotiations.

FSG will likely have a cut-off point, though the fact Ekitike is still expected to leave may play into the Reds’ hands on this one.

Glasgow Rangers will have all eyes on Europe over the next few days as Barry Ferguson will be aiming to lead the Gers into the semi-finals of the Europa League.

The 0-0 draw against Athletic Bilbao set the Ibrox side up nicely for the second leg in Spain on Thursday evening, although it will arguably be the toughest game of the season for the club.

Even if Ferguson masterminds a run to the last four or even the final, he won’t be in charge of the Glasgow side next season. A new era will begin this summer, with a permanent manager announced in the next couple of months.

It appears as though Nils Koppen is looking ahead to the future regarding potential summer signings, however, especially with Champions League qualification required to bolster the club’s finances.

The transfer business will have to be smart. Spending lavish sums of money on players isn’t a strategy that can afford to go wrong for the fourth summer in a row. That’s a certainty.

This means the Gers will have to target those who can be brought in for free or sign young talent for minimal fees, similar to the Lyall Cameron and Hamza Igamane deals.

Could this entice the Light Blues into signing Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku?

Latest on Rangers' pursuit of Kwame Poku

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Rangers are showing plenty of interest in Poku and with his contract expiring this summer, they could secure a bargain deal.

Discussing the youngster, Bailey said: “His people are in talks with a number of clubs – and yes, one of them is Birmingham. There are others, though – Crystal Palace, Millwall, Luton and Norwich among them.”

“However, the big danger is Rangers – they want him and have watched him numerous times. Talks have continued but complicated by their takeover and then new manager.”

Given the fact he would be challenging for trophies and playing European football in Scotland, a move to Rangers is certainly the most appealing on this list of clubs.

Considering the club would only have to pay a small compensation fee, plus the fact he is still only 23 years old, Poku could be a smart signing indeed ahead of next season.

Why Rangers want to sign Kwame Poku

Vaclav Cerny will return to his parent club at the end of the season after a positive loan spell, and this leaves a major gap to fill on the right wing.

Poku certainly has the required abilities to shine in Scotland. For the Posh this season, the winger has registered 22 goal contributions – 12 goals and ten assists – across just 26 matches in all competitions.

Furthermore, the youngster has also created nine big chances, averages 1.3 key passes per game and succeeds with 1.9 dribbles per game in League One this season for his club. An impressive set of statistics for the winger.

Comparing Poku to Cerny domestically this season

Metric

Poku

Cerny

Goals

12

11

Assists

8

2

Big chances created

9

6

Successful dribbles per game

1.9

1.5

Shots per game

2.5

2.9

Goal conversion percentage

20%

14%

Stats via Sofascore

Poku has made one appearance for his country, all the way back in 2021, but if he keeps this form up and earns a move to a bigger side, might he return to the national team fold?

According to Transfermarkt, Poku is currently valued at €1.5m (£1.3m), although this could rise further should he perform in the Scottish Premiership or the Premier League.

While he has plenty of talent and could turn out to be an excellent signing for the Light Blues should he be tempted by a move to Scotland, Rangers have a talented starlet of their own who is worth double what Poku is valued at.

Hamza Igamane might not be at his best right now, but if developed correctly, he could be sold for millions.

Rangers have struck gold on their own sensation

Despite arriving as a relatively unknown quantity last summer, Igamane has since gone on to become one of the club’s prized assets through a string of excellent performances, most notably in Europe.

Indeed, in the Europa League group stage, he scored four goals and grabbed an assist in eight matches, including a double against Nice and a goal scored against Tottenham Hotspur.

Indeed, he scores once every 110 minutes in the competition, along with registering 1.4 shots per game and having a goal conversion rate of 31%.

Add to the fact he has netted ten Premiership goals, which included a stunning late winner against Celtic, and it is clear that the Moroccan international has endeared himself to the supporters.

The 22-year-old has attracted interest from afar due to these performances, however, leading to the suggestion that the Ibrox side will cash in on him as soon as they receive a satisfactory offer.

Following the Spurs match, it was revealed that scouts from Everton were in attendance to monitor his display.

Last month, Football Insider reported that the Toffees were plotting a move for the striker this summer, although no transfer fee was mentioned.

Analyst Ben Mattinson hailed Igamane late last year, saying: “Completely unpredictable, tonnes of flair and trickery. The type of player to try outrageous moves/shots just because.”

Having cost the club a mere £1.7m from AS FAR last summer, the striker has seen his value soar in just under a year since joining. According to Transfermarkt, Igamane is now worth €4m (£3.5m) after a stunning start to life for the Glasgow giants.

Indeed, this means he is worth over double the value of Poku and, with such a large scope for improvement, don’t expect this number to stay this low.

Whoever arrives at the club as the new manager this summer faces a major issue. Do they keep Igamane for another season in a bid to make him even better, thus potentially increasing his value? Or do they cash in when the first big offer comes this summer?

There are merits to both points, but the Ibrox faithful just want to see him shine over the last few games of the season.

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Posts ByRoss Kilvington Apr 12, 2025

After two ducks in two games, Rohit made his highest T20I score. But that was only half the story

Ashish Pant18-Jan-20243:53

Takeaways: Relief for Rohit, spin-allrounder conundrum for India

Sometimes all it takes is one shot to get a struggling batter’s innings back on track. It could be a cover drive, a cut, or even an outside edge for four. In Rohit Sharma’s case on Wednesday in Bengaluru, it was his favourite pull that came to his rescue. A 74-metre hit over deep-backward square leg off Mohammad Saleem, one that would serve as a kick-starter to the carnage.Looking at the final score, and the Super Overs mayhem that followed, it is perhaps easy to forget that India were at 22 for 4 in 4.3 overs at one point. Virat Kohli and Sanju Samson got golden ducks. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube could manage only five runs between them. The historically run-laden M Chinnaswamy Stadium surface was proving a tough nut to crack for the India batters.Rohit saw the collapse from the other end while fighting his own battles. Playing his first T20I series since November 2022, he came into this match on the back of two ducks in as many innings. He did not hide his desperation to get off the mark, as evidenced by a hilarious exchange where he almost reprimanded umpire Virender Sharma for signalling four leg byes when he had hit the ball. It eventually took him seven balls to open his account.Related

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The last two months have posed various challenges to Rohit. He has admitted to having struggled to move on after India’s loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, he has lost his IPL captaincy, and questions have been raised over his T20 World Cup selection. In what is the last T20I series for India before the World Cup in June, it was imperative that Rohit, who has made his ambitions to make it to the marquee event clear, got runs. That didn’t happen in the first two games, making Wednesday’s outing even more crucial.On the eve of the game, Rohit was the first one to pad up at the nets. He had a long session but struggled with his timing big time. And that seemed to be the case early on in his innings on Wednesday, too. He was pre-meditating, trying to be innovative too early, and just seemed a bit rushed. The first ball he faced from legspinner Qais Ahmad had turned big, so he went reverse twice in two balls later in the over. It is not a shot that comes naturally to Rohit, and neither attempt brought him a run.There was no celebration, only acknowledgement, after Rohit brought up his hundred•BCCIDespite the positive intent, Rohit was on 17 off 24 balls after seven overs. That would soon change, though. While Rohit had hit three fours, it was that six off Saleem that seemed to calm the nerves. He got more assured with his footwork. The ball started meeting the middle of his bat a little more regularly and while it still took him ten more balls to breach the 100 strike rate, Rohit was set and about to take Afghanistan to the cleaners.He made his intentions clear by walloping left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf over long-on before switch-hitting the next ball over the deep-point fence. He followed it up with a conventional sweep and another switch hit against Qais to reach his fifty off 41 balls.Rohit went into overdrive after he reached the landmark. The length balls were swatted into oblivion, the short balls were dispatched with disdain. The subtle flicks of the wrist were back in play, and the Afghan fielders could only watch helplessly. His second fifty took just 23.There were muted celebrations as Rohit reached his fifth T20I century – the most for any batter in the format. Rinku Singh, with whom he added an unbeaten 190 off 95 balls for the fifth wicket, celebrated it more animatedly than Rohit.”Creating the partnership was important but we kept talking to each other about not losing that intent because you might find yourself in big games where you are 20-odd or 30-odd for 4,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “It was a good game for us to be in where there is pressure. For us, it was important to bat deep but to not compromise on the intent.”Head coach Rahul Dravid was also effusive in Rohit’s praise, particularly about the range of his hitting.”He was brilliant today,” Dravid said of Rohit while speaking to the host broadcaster. “He has just shown what a class player he can be. The kind of range that he has, it’s hard to bowl at him when he’s set at the back end. You can’t bowl short because he’s really good with the pull, [can’t] bowl up and he’s got a great range as well. It’s really good to have him back, just his presence in the dressing room has been very helpful.”Once he reached the three-figure mark, Rohit hacked two more sixes to finish with his highest T20I score – an unbeaten 121 off 69 balls. He would then come out to bat twice in the Super Overs, scoring 13 off 4 and 11 off 3. At the end of it all, there was probably more relief than elation on Rohit’s face. The relief of scoring runs in a format he has not played of late. The relief of knowing (rather hoping) that maybe now the questions surrounding his inclusion in the T20 World Cup side will finally be put to bed.

The fast bowler talks about growing up in the mountains, her “royal” name, and wanting to take her team to at least the semi-finals of the World Cup

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2022Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan is home to a number of mountain peaks taller than 7000m, several large glaciers, thousands of ancient rock artefacts, and just one international cricketer: Diana Baig. It’s hardly a surprise that she is a force of nature.Baig is named after royalty (the princess, y’know?) and she has defied both conservative culture and absent facilities to move mountains. She is a double-international, capped in both cricket and football for Pakistan, has a degree in health and physical education, eyes a long-term future in coaching, and has immediate goals to take Pakistan further than they have ever gone at a women’s cricket World Cup. And she’s doing it all because she was inspired by a story in a magazine more than a decade ago.”In 2010, I was looking at a magazine and saw that the Pakistan team had won the Asian Games – a women’s team. There were pictures of the team in the magazine, and when I saw that, I got very inspired,” Baig says from New Zealand, where she has completed her quarantine ahead of the World Cup.Related

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At the time, the sports-obsessed Baig was throwing javelin and shot-put for her region but not so much into cricket.”Where I come from is a beautiful place, but there are a lot of conservative people there. They don’t support sports,” she said. “As a child, you are not allowed to play outside your home on the road. If you are a girl, you should play inside your home, and even if you are playing inside, they will ask: ‘Why are you playing?'”When I was a child, I didn’t have a role model and I never thought about playing international cricket. I watched men’s cricket at that time. My family loved cricket and we all loved to watch cricket. Once, I saw a Pakistan-India women’s match on TV. In my mind, I started imagining that someday I will play. I was just imagining, but I didn’t have hope.”The idea that she could become a cricketer took shape when her athletics coach turned her towards the game.”My coach told me there was a team going to play cricket and he asked, since I throw shot put, do I know how to bowl. He asked me to try and I did. After a while, he told me I was doing great and I went to Islamabad with the team. We played against Islamabad and I got selected for the Islamabad region.”I played my first national championships [in 2009-10, at the age of 14] and saw the women I had seen in the magazine – Javeria Khan and Sana Mir and Nida Dar. It was a dream come true.”

“Whenever I think about my journey, I always think about my father, how he encouraged me. He was always excited for my success and wanted me to push hard always”

What Baig didn’t know then was that the Asian Games win had prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board to professionalise the women’s game. It eventually paved the way for her to make a career in cricket, but via football.”In 2014 there was a team going to Lahore for the [football] national championships and there was a shortage of players. They asked me to play. I went to Lahore to join the team. I played my first national championships in football there.”After that, I got selected for a national football camp. There were about 50 girls in the two-month camp. Eighteen of us were selected and I was a defender. I played some international tours, but in 2015, the Pakistan Football Federation [PFF] was banned, so I stopped playing.”She didn’t stop watching, though, and continues to support any team Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play for, but often has to cheer alone. European football is not well followed in her home town and the local scene has died down as the PFF has fallen in and out of FIFA’s favour. At the time of writing, it remains banned over government interference and there are fears of development stalling and players being lost to the sport. In Baig’s case, football’s loss was cricket’s gain as she turned her full attention to bowling after the 2015 football sanctions.With nowhere to practise in Gilgit, which has “no ground and not a single net”, Baig moved to Lahore, where she could study and train at elite facilities. “I went to Lahore in 2016 and I started my studies at Lahore College for Women University. I selected that university for cricket. They have their own cricket ground and nets.Baig on the Pakistan team: “We are quite religious. We also really enjoy each other’s company. We respect each other and know each other’s moods. It’s fun together”•Ryan Pierse/Getty Images”We studied in the morning and after that we’d go for practice. I managed to get regular practice, which I didn’t have before. Then I played at the 2017 World Cup and it changed my whole life and career. I became a permanent part of the team after that.”Before that World Cup, Baig had played two ODIs and a T20I for Pakistan in two years. In the World Cup, she played five matches and took wickets in all of them but was benched for the final two games. She was their joint second-highest wicket-taker despite playing fewer matches than anyone else in the front-line attack, showed an ability to swing the ball both ways, and established herself as an energetic fielder and charismatic cricketer who could nail down her place in the team.Baig has played in 28 of Pakistan’s 34 ODIs since and was their joint-highest wicket-taker at the 2020 T20 World Cup.”I just try to bowl consistently in one area but I am working on my variations too. Sometimes I don’t execute them very well, so I try to do a lot of repetitions to get them right.” She sees her ability to bowl variations as crucial to her role as one of Pakistan’s emerging core of senior players.

“In 2010, I was looking at a magazine and saw that the Pakistan team had won the Asian Games. I got very inspired”

“In our team, we have people of the same age group. We have some seniors, but we don’t have that much experience, and I feel like I need to take responsibility. I will try in every game to do my job well and help the team to win, especially because at the last World Cup, we didn’t win a single match.”This time, we are here for something. We will not repeat that [result] again. This is not the same Pakistan team from four or five years back. We are here to prove that we are a different team now and we will fight in all our matches.”Baig’s goal is to make it to the semi-finals and she thinks it’s realistic, given how the squad has grown into a group of players who know each other well and like being together, on and off the field.”The one thing about our team environment is that we are quite religious,” she said. “In our team, the priority is namaz. Everybody, when going for practice, will be sure we’ve done our namaz first and then we start. And when we come back, we do namaz as well. We also really enjoy each other’s company. We respect each other and know each other’s moods. It’s fun together.”A quick glance at the PCB’s YouTube channel confirms the women’s team is having a good time and that Baig is the life of the party. She interviews her team-mates, leads the volleyball warm-ups, and provides diary-style snippets of what the team is up to. She even had a bowl-out challenge with fellow fast bowler Fatima Sana, the ICC’s Emerging Women’s Player of the Year.