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Fim da novela! Depois da ‘guerra de notas oficiais’, Nova Iguaçu consegue liberação para mandar segundo jogo da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca, contra o Vasco, no Maracanã. A Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) oficializou, por fim, na tarde desta quinta-feira (14), o palco da partida de domingo.

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Ao confirmar jogo de volta das semifinais para o Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda, o futebol carioca se viu mais uma vez envolvido em polêmicas envolvendo o estádio. De acordo com a nota divulgada pelo Nova Iguaçu nas redes sociais, o clube solicitou ao Consórcio Fla-Flu na segunda-feira (11) para mandar o jogo no Maracanã. Porém, até a tarde desta quarta-feira não tinha recebido resposta da dupla, e foi orientado a pensar em um ‘plano B’.

➡️Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Com a repercussão, o govenardor do Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, postou um video divulgado nas redes sociais, dizendo que o estádio está sempre aberto para o Nova Iguaçu e Vasco mandarem seus jogos. O que gerou uma reviravolta nos bastidores do Laranjão.

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– Não há, nunca houve e não vai haver nada contra o Vasco vindo do Governo do Estado. Queria garantir para o torcedor vascaíno e do Nova Iguaçu que o Maracanã está à disposição de qualquer jogo. Se a Federação Carioca e o mandante quiserem, podem fazer. O Maracanã está à disposição de qualquer jogo. – afirmou o mandatário.

Diante desse imbróglio, os clubes não iniciaram as vendas de ingressos para o jogo de volta da semifinal. Na ida, as equipes empataram por 1 a 1, e o Carrossel da Baixada tem a vantagem de uma nova igualdade no placar em busca da final.

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Nova Iguaçu e Vasco voltam a se enfrentar no domingo (17), às 16h (Brasília), no Maracanã, em jogo que valerá a classificação para a final do Campeonato Carioca.

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Campeonato CariocaMaracanãNova IguaçuVasco

Where his colleagues tried to force the situation, he batted with seemingly no preconceived ideas and made a landmark hundred away from home

Alagappan Muthu30-Sep-20241:08

Manjrekar: Mominul’s ‘old-school batting’ worked well for Bangladesh

There was one good thing that came out of the wet outfield at Green Park. Mominul Haque got his birthday off. He spent Sunday at the Bangladesh team hotel being spoiled rotten by his team-mates.Respite is the very last thing that comes on a tour of India these days. Especially for a batter. Mominul could attest to that after he began his tour with a first-ball duck before getting worked over by one of the greatest spin bowlers of our time.Related

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• Rohit Sharma and the sixes that woke up a dead game

There is a pattern to his career so far. At home, he averages 48.57, the best of any Bangladeshi batter in history (min five games played). Away from home, he averages 27.39 with 60% of his innings ending before the 30-run mark. This is part of the reason why Mominul struggles to feature in the same conversation as some of the great players from his country. He has the game – particularly the concentration levels required to face high quality bowling – but an asterisk has always accompanied his numbers.Bangladesh are staring at an incomprehensible situation in Kanpur. With a great deal of help from the rain, they’d been able to see off three days of a Test match in India with only three wickets lost. On the fourth, they lost seven wickets for only 126 runs. India rubbed that in their face when they then amassed 285 in just 34.4 overs. A game that was shuffling towards a draw is now bursting with life.Mominul Haque made a statement with his sweeps•Associated PressMominul finds himself at the centre of it. He had hoped not to, with Bangladesh sending out a nightwatch when the openers were unable to negotiate the 40-odd minutes there were until stumps. But R Ashwin took care of Hasan Mahmud and he had to represent, which, if his 107 in the first innings was any indication, he can.His back-foot play, all through the innings, was both impressive and crucial. It helped him survive India’s unerringly accurate spinners. As much as Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja tried to tempt him forward, he knew he didn’t need to succumb. The slowness of the pitch gave him an advantage and he took it gleefully.Against the quicks, Mominul on the backfoot was not just a pain but a threat. He used to have a problem against the short ball, used to be hurried by it. It was an area that needed work and based on recent evidence it seems he’s put that in and then some. On the tour of Pakistan, he messed with Naseem Shah’s attempts to bounce him out. Here, he kept carving India’s quicks over point and third man every time they gave him an opportunity.Mominul’s century was his second away from home; he has 13 Test hundreds in all•Associated PressAccording to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, Mominul only scored 35 of his runs off the back foot but he scored them at a strike rate of 112.90, which suggests that, more often than not, he took that option knowing he’d be able to score runs.”Cricket is a game of runs,” Mehidy Hasan Miraz said at the press conference on Monday. “You have to score and batters make mistakes with wrong shot selection. Sourav [Mominul] was good with his shot selection. He played a good innings after a while. His commitment and temperament were very good and that’s why he scored runs.”Other Bangladesh batters tried to throw the Indian bowlers off their discipline. Litton Das succeeded for a while before India forced him away from the shots that were working for him. Shakib Al Hasan, in possibly his last Test match, ran at the bowlers to see what would happen. Only Mominul seemed to bat without preconceived ideas. He did have his plans of attack – whenever Ashwin or Jadeja tossed it up a little too straight, he was quick to go down and sweep them – but they were more like guidelines. Up until playing the shot that got him runs, it seemed as if he had the blankest mind of all the Bangladesh batters. That’s where good decisions come from. Bangladesh are going to need a lot more of that on Tuesday.”Anything is possible in Test cricket,” Mehidy said. “It’s not like we have lost already. We have won matches like this and lost as well. So it’s an opportunity for us, for those batters remaining. The wicket is good and it will be challenging for us but if we can get a good partnership up top and our batters bat with responsibility for a session it will be a positive sign for us. We still have tomorrow’s day so we are not trying to think about it [losing].”

Eight Young Boys fans have been arrested for their part in crowd trouble during the Swiss side's 2-1 Europa League defeat at Aston Villa on Thrusday. West Midlands Police released a statement on Friday morning, saying that two of the supporters had been arrested "on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer", a further six men were detained at Birmingham airport on suspicion of the same offence.

Ugly scenes at Villa Park

The Dutchman opened the scoring with a headed finish in the 27th minute. As he celebrated in front of the visiting support, he was struck on the head amid a volley of missiles hurled towards the Villa Park pitch. Morgan Rogers was also hit, but not injured during the initial unrest. Police formed a barrier in front of the travelling fans, with more numbers joining the line as the first half continued. 

Malen's second goal in the 42nd minute prompted sustained clashes between the travelling support and the police. The game was halted for five-and-a-half minutes, as Young Boys captain Loris Benito pleaded with his supporters to behave themselves. 

Two men were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer earlier this morning, with a further six Young Boys supporters detained on the same charge as they attempted to leave the country. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWest Midlands Police's statement

WMP Superintendent Paul Minor said: “We won’t tolerate violence of any kind at football matches.

“The majority of the crowd was in good spirit but unfortunately a small minority of away fans caused violence and disrupted the game. An investigation has been launched, and officers are reviewing body worn video and CCTV from the stadium of the disorder.”

Managers reactions to violence

Young Boys manager Gerardo Seaone apologised for the fans behaviour, however, he did also suggest Malen contributed to the ugly scenes by choosing to celebrate in front of the febrile atmosphere in the away end. 

"It's normal when you score a goal that you want to be with your team-mates. Maybe it was a small provocation, I don't know," he said.

"Our fans could have taken this as a provocation. "This is part of football but our fans should not react so angrily.

"The referee asked our captain to go calm our supporters. Some fans came down to talk to the players and the police reacted like they were jumping on the pitch, but that was not their intention.

"It's a pity for everybody throwing the objects. The result is not nice for anybody.

"We apologise, we don't feel good and not the way our supporters are normally, or how we want to act when we are guests somewhere and no one wins at the end, everybody loses in this situation.

"Football is with emotions. There is a rule to not provoke, nobody does it on purpose, it was more the joy of scoring."

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery briefly spoke on the events in the first hal, saying they were "not necessary". 

He added: "We need respect for both sides. It is not necessary to get a moment like we had today. Respect for both sides. I think [Malen is] OK."

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AFPFurther punishment due for Young Boys fans?

The Swiss club have regularly run foul of UEFA for their fans' behaviour. Just last week, the threat of a ban on travelling fans was lifted at the end of a two-year probationary period. 

The spectre of a ban has hung over the team since their last visit to England, a November 2023 Champions League tie against Manchester City. The club was given a one-match suspended punishment for crowd disturbances and fined for the throwing of objects and acts of damage to the stadium. Their fans conduct will almost certainly result in harsher punishment from UEFA this time round.

With news of Newcastle fans facing violence from the French police in their Champions LEague defeat to Marseille, the policing of high-profile European ties looks to be an unwelcome subplot for the remainder of the 2025/26 season. 

When Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio hit the injured list with a right hamstring strain Friday, Brewers fans likely hoped for a quick absence.

That will seemingly not be the case, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy told reporters Friday via Curt Hogg of the .

"It won’t be anytime soon," Murphy said of Chourio's hypothetical return, which he noted could be more than a month from Friday. "It was diagnosed a little more severe than we initially thought but to what extent I’m not exactly sure. Nor are (the medical staff)."

Chourio, 21, has been exceptionally durable in his sophomore season; his 445 at-bats lead the National League. He's slashing .276/.311/.474 with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs for the first-place Brewers.

On Tuesday, he tripled in a 9–3 win over the Chicago Cubs—only to sustain the injury that has sidelined him.

In 2024, Chourio finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .275 with 21 home runs and 79 RBIs.

Spinner completes memorable match after first-innings hundred as visitors continue upturn in form

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025Lancashire 557 (Green1 60, Hartley 130, Hurst 106) and 110 for 1 (Jennings 57*) beat Gloucestershire 381 (Charlesworth 160, Phillips 64, Hartley 6-116) and 285 (Charlesworth 71, Phillips 56, Hartley 5-99) by nine wicketsMan-of-the-match Tom Hartley produced another career-best performance to propel Lancashire to a hard-earned nine-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham and keep alive their hopes of winning promotion back to Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.Having previously staged his highest score of 130 and taken 6 for 116 to put his team in control, the England slow left-armer claimed 5 for 99 on the final day of an entertaining match at the famous old College Ground as the red rose county made it two wins out of three in the red-ball format under the new leadership team of interim head coach Steve Croft and captain James Anderson.Made to follow on, Gloucestershire were dismissed for 285 in 98 overs in their second innings, Hartley finishing with match figures of 11 for 215 after Ben Charlesworth and Joe Phillips had scored 71 and 56 respectively for the home side. Chris Green weighed in with 2 for 62 as spin accounted for seven wickets on a surface offering some assistance.Set 110 to win in 26 overs, Lancashire chased down their target for the loss of Luke Wells with five overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative unbroken second wicket partnership of 103 between Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon. Confronted by four spinners as Gloucestershire dispensed with seam, Jennings top-scored with a brisk 57 not out from 67 balls, while the equally forthright Bohannon faced 50 deliveries in raising an undefeated 45 as the visitors eased to victory in the final hour.Lancashire took 22 points to move into fourth place in Division Two, in the process leapfrogging Gloucestershire, who settled for five points after sustaining their third defeat of the season.Gloucestershire resumed their second innings on 98 without loss, still 78 in arrears and potentially vulnerable to a repeat of the collapse that undermined their first innings. It was incumbent upon openers Cameron Bancroft and Charlesworth to build upon their good start on a pitch that was offering some assistance to spin, but which was not expected to break up.If Gloucestershire’s minimum requirement was to bat two sessions, Lancashire were reading from an altogether different script, Anderson claiming the prized scalp of Bancroft in the opening over, the Australian edging to midwicket without adding to his overnight score of 35.Having seen off Anderson, Charlesworth was no doubt disappointed to then succumb to George Balderson in his first over from the Chapel Lawn End. Attempting a back-foot flick, Gloucestershire’s first-innings centurion found Marcus Harris at short midwicket and departed for 71 with the score 129 for 2. Guilty of poor shot selection, Ollie Price then pursued a wide delivery from Hartley that bounced off a length and edged to Luke Wells at slip, at which point Gloucestershire were 134 for 3, still 42 in arrears, having lost three wickets in the first hour.They came close to losing another in the next over, Miles Hammond standing his ground and being afforded the benefit of the doubt when Jennings claimed a catch at short square leg off the bowling of Hartley. The reprieve proved temporary, Green pinning Hammond lbw for 22 in the final over before lunch, which was taken with the score 168 for 4. Representing Gloucestershire’s best chance of saving the game, Phillips remained unbeaten on 35.He was joined by James Bracey and these two wiped out the remaining arrears early on in the afternoon session, Phillips going to a hard-earned 50 from 91 balls with his eighth four. But Lancashire continued to take wickets, Jack Blatherwick angling a short delivery into the body of Bracey, who was unable to get his bat out of the way and edged behind. His departure was a blow for Gloucestershire, who were in effect 21 for 5 with 57 overs left in the day.An even bigger blow befell the home side when Phillips’ vigil came to an end soon afterwards, the Cornishman held by the safe hands of Jennings at short leg off the bowling of the ubiquitous Hartley. Phillips had faced 110 balls, accrued eight fours and defied the red rose bowlers for three hours. Hartley then extracted additional spin to remove Graeme van Buuren, who stretched forward and was caught behind for 8 to leave the home side between a rock and a hard place at 210 for 7.Todd Murphy led a Gloucestershire counterattack, going for his shots, pushing the field back and sharing in a useful stand of 41 in eight overs with Zaman Akhter, who scored a breezy 20 before offering a return catch to Green as the home side slipped to 251 for 8. Ajeet Singh Dale survived a searching examination at the hands of Anderson and the new ball, he and Murphy digging in to reach tea on 268 for 8. Gloucestershire had a slender lead of 92 with a minimum 35 overs remaining.Lancashire’s go-to man, Hartley returned to bowl Murphy for a 56-ball 33 and complete the first 10-wicket match haul of his career as an enthralling contest entered its final session. He then accounted for last man Marchant de Lange, held at short square leg as Gloucestershire’s resistance with the bat finally came to an end in the early-evening sunshine.

The MLB playoffs are quickly approaching, and there has been a lot of movement in the wild card standings — and the playoff odds — in the last week.

For the rest of the season, the SI Betting team is going to break down the playoff odds for every team to open each week, as there may be a team just outside the wild card mix that has some value in the betting market.

In the American League, a half game is all that separates the Boston Red Sox (the No. 1 wild card) from the New York Yankees (the No. 3 wild card) with the Seattle Mariners tied with Boston record wise. 

New York has rebounded from a rough stretch to win seven of 10 games and create a 3.5-game cushion over the chasing Cleveland Guardians.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the San Diego Padres remain just out of first place in the NL West, but they’re the No. 2 wild card behind the Chicago Cubs. 

The No. 1 record in the NL and in MLB belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 33 games over .500 entering Aug. 18’s action.

There are a few close division races, as San Diego and Seattle are both within two games of the top spot.

Plus, the NL East may have opened a bit for the New York Mets with Zack Wheeler (blood clot) landing on the IL for the Philadelphia Phillies.

With so much at stake over the final weeks, let’s take a look at the playoff odds for each team, and a few teams to consider betting on to make the final field.

American League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

• Toronto Blue Jays: -20000
• Detroit Tigers: -20000
• Houston Astros: -1800

The Blue Jays and Tigers both have sizable leads in their division races, but the Astros are far from a guarantee to win the NL West.

Even with Yordan Alvarez potentially returning for the final stretch of the regular season, the Astros hold just a 1.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the division. 

Houston does have the fifth-easiest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, which should help it finish atop the NL West. Still, it’s worth noting that oddsmakers aren’t nearly as bullish on the Astros making the playoffs as they are Toronto or Detroit. 

Wild Card Race

• New York Yankees: -1100
• Seattle Mariners: -900
• Boston Red Sox: -350
• Cleveland Guardians: +425
• Kansas City Royals: +425
• Texas Rangers: +550
• Tampa Bay Rays: +1300
• Minnesota Twins: +4000
• Los Angeles Angels: +4000

All it took was a 7-3 stretch from the New York Yankees to completely flip this market.

New York is now just a half-game back of the top spot in the AL wild card, and it has gone from -330 to -1100 to make the playoffs this season. The Yanks have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule, so it’s not a surprise that oddsmakers are high on them in the AL.

Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have fallen from -450 to -350 to make the playoffs, despite the fact that they hold the top wild card spot in the AL. Boston is just five games out of the AL East lead as well, but it has dropped six of its last 10 games.

As for the chasing pack, Texas, Kansas City and Cleveland are all in the mix – although the Guardians (3.5 games back) and Royals (four games back) are in the best position. Texas has fallen off by dropping eight of its last 10 games.

Of those chasing teams, only the Guardians (15.4 percent chance) have better than 15 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. 

National League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

• Philadelphia Phillies: -20000
• Los Angeles Dodgers: -20000
• Milwaukee Brewers: N/A

The three division leaders in the NL remain the same, although the Padres have made a push for the NL West crown with the Dodgers. 

After winning 14 games in a row before a loss on Sunday, the Brewers (33 games over .500) are viewed as a lock to make the playoffs and their odds have been taken off the board. 

One thing to watch here is the Phillies’ pitching staff with Wheeler on the injured list. While Philadelphia should be able to at least secure a wild card spot, the team’s five-game lead in the NL East is a little shakier today than it was before Wheeler went down. Still, I’d be surprised if the Phils blew this lead over the final weeks of the regular season. 

Wild Card Race

• Chicago Cubs: -3500
• San Diego Padres: -3500
• New York Mets: -370
• Cincinnati Reds: +280
• San Francisco Giants: +2500
• St. Louis Cardinals: +2500
• Arizona Diamondbacks: +3000
• Miami Marlins: +5000

Unlike the AL wild card race where there are multiple teams pushing for a playoff spot, only the Cincinnati Reds (+280) seem to have a real chance in the NL.

Cincy is just 1.5 games back of a Mets team that has struggled in recent weeks, but FanGraphs has given the Reds just a 14.5 percent chance to make the postseason. A big reason why? Cincy has the third hardest strength of schedule (.522 winning percentage) left this season, including 14 combined games against the Dodgers and Padres.

However, if the Reds are able to come out on top against one of those teams, it could give them another team to pass in the wild card race. For now, it seems like the betting market is higher on Cincy than FanGraphs and ESPN, who are both giving the Reds less than a 15 percent chance to make the final playoff field.

Ross Barkley has revealed his struggles with alcohol and also opened up on Frank Lampard's punishment after a night out before a match during his Chelsea stint. He was once tipped to be English football’s next big superstar as he showed promise in his early days that drew comparisons to the greats. However, he never quite reached his potential, and behind the scenes, he was battling problems with drinking.

A young star lost in the glare of fame

The Everton academy graduate rose to stardom in his teens. Moving to Chelsea was supposed to be the next great chapter. Instead, it became the stage where his discipline and his decisions began to unravel. Barkley has now admitted that alcohol became a damaging escape during his time at Stamford Bridge.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHow Lampard handled an Barkley

In an interview with Barkley revealed: "A few times I went out, and if you drink too much, you do things you regret. I’d go out and have too much to drink, and then it would get back to the club."

The turning point came one Sunday night in Liverpool. Barkley went out drinking before a Wednesday match. It was supposed to be a harmless night out until footage surfaced and images were splashed across the tabloids. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard knew the temptations of youth better than most and responded with a mix of empathy and authority.

"One time, I went out on a Sunday in Liverpool and we had a game on a Wednesday. I got videoed, and then it was in the paper," Barkley revealed.

"We (Chelsea) had an away game in France (against Lille) and Frank Lampard was the manager. He couldn’t really say too much to me, other than learn from it and pick and choose when the right time is to do it, because he knew what it was like as a young lad. But the punishment was that I travelled with the team, but I wasn’t on the bench. I had to watch the game on the coach. It was hard to take. That was one occasion that has probably created a perception."

The incident in Liverpool wasn’t the last time Barkley’s name made unwanted headlines. In 2019, while he was recovering from injury, the footballer was filmed dancing shirtless in a Dubai nightclub during the international break. Although permission for leave had been granted, the optics were bad, and Barkley was once again at the centre of unwanted scrutiny.

"He showed a moment of a lack of professionalism as far as I’m concerned," Lampard said on that occasion. "And it’s not something that I want to be a pure dictator on and come down hard because I also understand that all my players are humans and have lives and I don’t police every moment of their life.

"So I don’t think it’s a terrible thing that he’s done but all Ross needs to do now, he’s had an injury and he’s still kind of carrying the injury – he still gets a bit of pain on shooting – so he just has to work his way back in. In terms of the fitness thing, he trained well and I certainly don’t hold anything against my players. I like Ross, he’s firmly one of my players and I think it was something he needs to show all his reactions on the pitch."

When Barkley sought help

Barkley confessed that his confidence often wavered during his early years in football, and he had to resort to professional help.

"You’ve got to self-reflect," said the midfielder. "You make mistakes. It’s good to speak to people and learn from mistakes and understand that throughout life, there are going to be challenges. Sometimes people struggle with their mental health; it’s good to talk to people. I’ve spoken to people, and it’s helped me. I’ve spoken to a sports psychologist. I’ve had therapy throughout my career and it’s beneficial. In football, you can lose your confidence. I’ve lost my confidence when I was younger. Now I’m 31, I look back and wish my approach back then was the same now."

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Getty Images SportA changed man and a father

Barkley is now back at Aston Villa for a second spell and is busy rebuilding his confidence under Unai Emery. Boozy nights are a thing of the past, and fatherhood has given him perspective. 

"I’m a dad now; I’ve got more responsibilities," he said. "I’ve got maybe four, five, six or seven years left in football, so I want to make the most of that. I haven’t drunk since the summer. I’m planning on going without alcohol throughout (the rest of) my career. It has created situations I don’t really want happening anymore."

Emery has mostly used him as a substitute, but he scored in his latest outing against Bournemouth. As games come thick and fast in the festive season, Barkley will be hoping to carve out a bigger role in the Aston Villa setup.

Naveen-ul-Haq misses out with Abdollah Ahmadzai taking his place for matches starting Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2025

Afghanistan will get plenty of practice, and scope to gather information on their Asia Cup opponents, when they play Pakistan and UAE in a T20I tournament starting in Sharjah on Friday. They’ve named virtually the same squad for both competitions, with only Naveen-ul-Haq missing from the tri-series.Abdollah Ahmadzai takes his place in the 17-member squad. The 22-year-old fast bowler, with 14 wickets from 10 T20s, is still waiting for his first international cap and has been named among the reserves for the Asia Cup. These games will be Afghanistan’s first white-ball matches since the Champions Trophy ended in February 2025.Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar is in line to make his T20I debut in the UAE tri-series, as he joins a strong spin unit comprising captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.Related

Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE gear up for Asia Cup rehearsal

No Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

Afghanistan bring in Ghazanfar to strengthen spin department for Asia Cup

Junaid Siddique comes back as UAE ring in the changes for T20 tri-series

Afghanistan bring back former Ireland allrounder John Mooney as fielding coach

The tri-series will also mark the return of Ibrahim Zadran, with the opener not a part of Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in December 2024. From that squad, left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has also been left out, although he is part of the reserves for the Asia Cup. Zadran returns having last played T20Is during the 2024 World Cup.The tri-series, which Afghanistan and Pakistan will kick off, has the three teams playing each other twice in round-robin format before the top two meet in the final on September 7. Should Afghanistan reach the final, they will only get a day’s rest before their first Asia Cup game, against Hong Kong, on September 9. UAE’s first game of the Asia Cup is on September 10 and Pakistan’s is on September 12.Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-seriesRashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, there's likely to be an influx of deals that come across the ticker over the next several weeks as teams attempt to load up—or unload—their rosters ahead of the postseason.

Occasionally, said deals will include a or PTBNL for short.

What's a PTBNL? I'm glad you asked. Here's a look at the often-used tactic in baseball trades, why they're employed, and a list of notable players who were once only dubbed a"player to be named later":

What Is a Player to Be Named Later?

A "player to be named later" is an unnamed player involved in a trade between two teams, allowing clubs to get deals done before officially finalizing it. PTBNLs are often chosen from a short list of players that the negotiating teams agree on prior to the trade being finalized. They are generally minor leaguers or journeyman MLBers.

Why Do MLB Teams Include Players to Be Named Later in Trades?

MLB teams include PTBNLs in trades for a multitude of reasons. Most commonly due to the team receiving the player either a) not being sure of the position they'd like to fill or b) giving themselves more time to evaluate the talent on the other clubs roster.

Having a PTBNL in your back pocket can help you deal with roster restrictions, as traded players must be placed on the receiving team's 40-man roster upon completion of the transaction. Additionally, players on the injured list cannot be traded, which allows teams to acquire them once they clear the list.

Ironically, on some occasions, a traded player has returned to the original team as the PTBNL of their own trade.

Who Are Some Notable Players That Were Named Later?

Some notable players in MLB history who were once acquired as a PTBNL include:

David OrtizTrea TurnerMoisés AlouMichael BrantleyScott PodsednikDmitri YoungMarco ScutaroJesse Orosco

When Chelsea raced into a three-goal lead away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night during a frantic first half, it looked as if Enzo Maresca’s men had the easiest passage through to the next round of the EFL Cup.

Nobody told Vitor Pereira’s hosts to just roll over in the second half, though, as a spirited fight-back from the bottom-of-the-table Premier League side shocked the complacent Blues, who just about got over the line in the end to reach the quarter finals with a surprisingly slim 4-3 victory.

It was very much a night where the attackers shone at Molineux for both sides, with Jamie Gittens sticking out as one of Chelsea’s brightest performers, as the ex-Borussia Dortmund attacker continues to show Maresca why he is deserving of more consistent first-team minutes.

Gittens' standout night versus Wolves

Indeed, the £48.5m summer recruit has just started just two Premier League games so far this season for the Italian.

Yet, he is definitely banging down the door now to be a common starter under the ex-Leicester City boss, with an assist picked up against Ajax in the Champions League earlier in the month, being followed up now by the exciting number 11 sealing a crucial fourth goal for the under-pressure Blues in the West Midlands.

Gittens wasn’t fazed by the strain of a Wolves comeback, though, as he rifled home this fierce effort to gift the under-the-cosh visitors a 4-2 lead, and himself his first ever Chelsea strike, which was well needed in both respects, considering David Møller Wolfe clinched a brace late on.

The 21-year-old’s creative flair was also on full display again in the EFL Cup, with two assists picked up right at the start of the match by the electric left winger, setting the tone for what would become an enthralling contest under the Molineux floodlights.

He will surely be retained in Maresca’s starting XI when Chelsea return to Premier League action, but one of Gittens’ teammates on the night won’t be so lucky, as his feeble defending – in particular – nearly cost his away side dear in their bid to lift the EFL Cup.

Maresca must now axe 5/10 Chelsea star

Heading into this mid-week clash against the Old Gold, the Chelsea manager will have been looking for a response from his troops after they slipped to a late defeat to Sunderland in the league.

Maresca would have been keeping a close eye on how Tosin Adarabioyo fared at the back, after the Chelsea number four was far too lax with Black Cats striker Brian Brobbey in the late stages of that 2-1 loss, which led to Chemsdine Talbi then hammering home a killer blow.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

89

Accurate passes

66/73 (90%)

Tackles won

0/2

Interceptions

3

Clearances

6

Blocked shots

0

Ball recoveries

3

Total duels won

7/12

Safe to say, when looking at the table above, the 45-year-old would have been, once again, let down by his captain’s weak efforts, with the 6-foot-5 centre-back only managing to win three of his seven aerial duels during the 4-3 win.

Moreover, Adarabioyo would also struggle when going in for tackles, with zero tackles actually won – from two attempted – no doubt boosting the confidence of the hosts to go far more gung-ho in the second half to try and pull off a shock comeback.

Adarabioyo has also looked visibly shaky in the Premier League in recent matches, too, with possession being given away 19 times against Manchester United at the tail-end of September, resulting in the London-born centre-back being given limited minutes off the substitutes bench in the following league matches.

With Trevoh Chalobah also being scrutinised at the back as of late, it will be interesting to see who Maresca plays in the heart of defence as Chelsea clash with near-London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the start of November, with Adarabioyo no doubt targeted by Thomas Frank’s set-piece-heavy side, based on his unassertive showing at Molineux.

The leaky 28-year-old would, subsequently, be handed a low 5/10 rating post-match by Football London’s Bobby Vincent, who stated that the lofty number four looked very shoddy when ‘called into action a lot more’ in the second half.

Thankfully, as much as the match will be remembered for some ropey defending, it will also be remembered, rightly, for some top-drawer attacking prowess, with Gittens – who was gifted a 9/10 rating by Vincent – ready to become a Chelsea first-teamer now, while his ex-Fulham teammate prepares for a spot on the bench against Spurs.

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