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O último dos times da Série A a estrear em 2021, o Corinthians caminha para o encerramento da sua preparação para enfrentar o Fluminense, nesta quarta-feira (13), às 21h30, na Neo Química Arena, pela 29ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Nesta segunda-feira (11), o técnico Vágner Mancini comandou uma nova atividade tática visando o confronto.

O Timão não atuou na semana passada, pela 28ª rodada do Brasileirão, pois enfrentaria o Palmeiras, que disputava a partida de ida da semifinal da Libertadores, contra o River Plate (ARG). O Derby foi remarcado para o dia 18 de janeiro, às 19h, no Allianz Parque. Já o compromisso corintiano pela rodada seguinte, iniciada no fim de semana, foi alterado para esta quarta-feira (13), atendendo pedidos da emissora de televisão que detém dos direitos do Campeonato Brasileiro na TV aberta.

> Veja a classificação do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

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A comissão técnica corintiana utilizou dois campos do Centro de Treinamentos Joaquim Grava, o primeiro para aquecimento e o terceiro onde Mancini comandou o trabalho tático.

Contra o Flu, o único desfalque certo do Timão é Ramiro, suspenso pelo terceiro cartão amarelo. Em contrapartida, o zagueiro Bruno Méndez volta de suspensão e vai disputar uma vaga com Jemerson, que é o favorito e foi titular no treino da última quinta-feira (7).

وجه حازم إمام، نجم الزمالك الأسبق، انتقادات لجوزيه جوميز، المدير الفني للفريق الأبيض بعد الخسارة أمام طلائع الجيش اليوم.

وتلقى الزمالك الهزيمة أمام طلائع الجيش بثلاثية مقابل هدف، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة والثلاثين من مسابقة الدوري المصري.

طالع..جوميز: الزمالك لعب بلا روح أمام طلائع الجيش.. واتحاد الكرة لم يحترم اللاعبين

وقال حازم إمام في تصريحات عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس 2” عقب اللقاء: “طلائع الجيش كان يلعب بمعظم الأساسيين وهذا أعطى شعورًا للاعبين باهتمام عبد الحميد بسيوني باللقاء وتركيزه، (مش بيهزر نازل يلعب مباراة بجد)”.

ووصل: “الجيش كان يريد تحقيق المكسب وحصد الثلاث نقاط، بالنسبة له فاز على الزمالك، لا يوجد أحد سيأتي بعد 3 أو 4 سنوات يقول إن الزمالك كان يلعب بالناشئين”.

وأكمل: “فكرة أن المدرب يقوم بإشراك كل اللاعبين صغار، هذا خطأ، يجب أن تشرك الناشئين مع 5 أو 6 كبار”.

وأتم: “الفريق كله كان صغارًا حتى الكبار ليسوا أساسيين، الفكرة جيدة ولكن أقوم بها مع لاعبين كبار يساندون الصغار (متغرقهمش والناس تاخذ عنهم فكرة غير جيدة)”.

Even if Sri Lanka muster Wellington-like resistance in chase of 660, the Christchurch weather is unlikely to turn in their favour

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch28-Dec-2018New Zealand took giant strides toward wrapping up the Christchurch Test, and by extension the series, on day three, after racking up a gargantuan lead of 659. Then they removed Sri Lanka’s openers in the 14 overs before stumps. Before Trent Boult and Tim Southee claimed a wicket apiece, though, it was a day of personal accolades for New Zealand’s batsmen.Tom Latham made his second mammoth score of the series, scoring 176 a week after his 264 not out in Wellington, to bring his series tally to 450. Only once has a New Zealand batsman scored more in a two-Test series (Brendon McCullum had made 535 against India in 2014, but had had the benefit of batting four innings, where Latham only had three), and only twice before have any batsmen anywhere faced more balls than Latham’s 889 in a two-Test series.Watch LIVE on ESPN+

Readers from the US can also watch the match LIVE here, on ESPN+

Henry Nicholls capped off a breakout year with the bat with a personal best of 162 not out, bettering his previous highest score of 145. Nicholls has now scored 658 runs in 2018, but more impressively, finishes with the highest average (73.11) from among batsmen to have scored at least 350 runs this year.Colin de Grandhomme batted himself into the record books after tea as well, bludgeoning various Sri Lanka bowlers down the ground on his way to a 28-ball fifty – a New Zealand record in Tests. As New Zealand piled on 585 for 4 before declaring late in the day, Ross Taylor ended as the only batsman to have failed to make a fifty, and even he’d got 40 off 44 balls.With victory unthinkable – no team has ever successfully chased more than 419 – Sri Lanka are now faced with the incredibly difficult ask of batting out two entire days in order to save the Test. Even if they muster Wellington-like resistance, the Christchurch weather seems unlikely to turn in their favour.More importantly, perhaps, this Hagley Oval deck does not look quite as dead as the one Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews had batted out an entire day on, at the Basin Reserve. At stumps, Mendis was 6 not out off 33 balls and captain Dinesh Chandimal was 14 off 42, having left and defended judiciously.This pair will probably need to stay together for much of day four to even give the visitors a chance of pulling off a second phenomenal escape. They will be especially disappointed that Dimuth Karunaratne – the other batsman capable of batting long periods on difficult tracks – was caught behind for a duck down the legside in Trent Boult’s first over.Like the double-ton in Wellington, this Latham innings was also a grind for much of its 370-ball duration. Having begun the day on 74 not out, his first 30 balls yielded no more than eight runs. He moved to an eighth career century before lunch, but only struck two boundaries off the bat in the session.He and Nicholls, who had also been cautious in the morning, when Sri Lanka were bowling with the second new ball, did substantially pick up the pace after lunch, however, regularly picking up singles square of the wicket, while also making sure to punish Sri Lanka’s errors in line. While Latham prospered down the ground and square of the wicket on the off side, Nicholls made his runs all around the ground. A particularly memorable stroke from Nicholls was the hook in front of square off Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, Lahiru Kumara.Sri Lanka had to take to relying on their part-time bowlers Dimuth Karunaratne and Danushka Gunathilaka, after their frontliners had visibly tired, and the bowling effort was especially flat after tea, with the innings now having dragged on for over 139 overs. De Grandhomme took full advantage, launching two sixes – one each over wide long on and wide long off – as the visitors spread the field and awaited a declaration.So powerful was de Grandhomme’s striking, though, that the boundaries continued to come, as he beat men in the deep. Nicholls scored quickly in his company as well, cruising past 150. Together the pair made 124 runs off 87 balls before captain Kane Williamson finally declared the innings.Boult struck with the last ball of his first over, before Tim Southee claimed a wicket in his first over as well, getting Gunathilaka to nick off attempting an expansive off drive. Out for four in this innings, Gunathilaka has not made it out of single figures in the series.Mendis and Chandimal then soberly gritted out the remaining 12.1 overs. Mendis did not get off the mark until his 16th ball, and Chandimal – who is yet to make a significant batting contribution in the series – made it a point only to hit the balls that were heading toward the stumps.

Erik ten Hag will be pleased that his Manchester United side managed to secure just their second win of the season by a three-goal margin against Everton in the Premier League.

Despite a turbulent start to the season, the win has them currently sitting in sixth place in the table and just six points off the summit.

With a Champions League clash against Galatasaray on Wednesday, United know they need to win to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.

This will be at the forefront of Ten Hag’s mind, but with the January transfer window fast approaching, he could be distracted by the numerous transfer links and interest that United have shown in a few players.

Another name has recently emerged as a potential new signing for the Dutchman, although this potential move may not occur until the end of the current campaign.

Man Utd transfer news

According to journalist Christian Falk from German news outlet BILD (via TEAMtalk), the Old Trafford side made an attempt to bring Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller to Manchester during the previous January transfer window, and could do so again in the next few weeks.

The 34-year-old is currently in the final year of his contract at Bayern, and it remains to be seen whether they extend this into the 2024/25 campaign.

The German has won everything there has to be won for his club, while also winning the World Cup for his country back in 2014 and there is no doubt he would bring a wealth of experience into the club, along with a serial winner mentality which is urgently required.

Is it really the sort of deal Sir Jim Ratcliffe wishes to be making, however? Indeed, according to the Guardian last month, Ratcliffe questioned United’s transfer policy during his visit to the club in March, and he was especially critical of the decision to bring Casemiro to the club for such a big fee, despite the player being in his 30s.

Muller is much older than the Brazilian and while he wouldn’t cost a transfer fee as such, he currently earns £340k-per-week at the Bundesliga side, and he would surely be expecting a similar weekly wage if he moved to the Premier League.

Muller is a wonderful player and was even dubbed “remarkable” by his then-coach for the German national side, Jurgen Klinsmann, during the 2014 World Cup, yet this move could have shades of Bastian Schweinsteiger about it from 2015…

Bastian Schweinsteiger’s statistics at Man United

Following a career laden with trophies at Bayern, the winger-turned-midfielder decided to try something new and joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2015 for a fee in the region of around £14.5m, which looked like a bargain at the time.

The German had made 500 appearances for the European superpower, winning the Champions League and eight Bundesliga titles since making his debut during the 2002/2003 season.

Over the next 13 years, he emerged as one of the best players in the league as he slowly moved from a naturally attacking position on the wing to a more central role and this worked well to his advantage, becoming a key player for club and country in this slot.

His move to England didn’t go well at all, however, as he struggled to make an impression in the starting XI. Indeed, he made only 35 appearances for the club with just 22 of them starts as he suffered numerous injury problems.

The midfielder missed 29 matches due to these issues and, less than two years since arriving in England, it was announced that the midfielder was moving to the MLS to join Chicago Fire.

It didn’t work out at all for the former midfielder and a move for Muller may just be a repeat of this disastrous move.

Thomas Müller’s statistics at Bayern Munich

It is difficult to really put a finger on just what position Muller is best at. The 34-year-old was dubbed the Raumdeuter a few years ago and this translates into the interpreter of space, meaning the German utilises his attacking skills and movement abilities to create plenty of space in and around the penalty area, making him so effective in an attacking sense.

Well, you don’t win the Golden Boot on your World Cup debut (five goals in 2010) without having some savvy in front of goal and Muller has been clinical throughout his whole career.

7

1

8

4

15

6

1.4

1.4

0.9

0.4

The 6 foot 1 dynamo has featured in nearly 700 matches for the German giants since making his debut way back in 2008, scoring 237 goals and registering 261 assists in the process, stunning figures.

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, however, his goalscoring antics have calmed down slightly, as he scored just eight times last term, while netting only twice in 14 matches during the current season.

In the German top flight this season, Muller ranks in a lowly 13th spot across the squad for shots on target per game (0.4) while also ranking seventh for key passes per game (1.7) and fifth for goals and assists (five), proving that he isn’t quite having the same impact as he has done in previous seasons.

Although Ten Hag is reportedly interested, what could Muller offer aside from that winner's mentality discussed previously?

He has been a wonderful player over the previous 15 years for both club and country, yet if he did sign for the Red Devils next summer, he would be turning 35 in September while also earning a staggering wage every week.

The Dutchman would be better off scouring the transfer market for young players who are yet to hit their peak and develop them into world-class talents, rather than sign an ageing gem who won't make as big an impact as desired.

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Schweinsteiger failed to really impress after moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, and he was two years younger than Muller.

Ratcliffe does look set to prioritise signing younger players over ones who are in their 30s, and it could well be one of the best things the club do with regard to improving their team.

Jurrien Timber scored on his first appearance on a football pitch since August on Monday night as his ACL recovery nears its conclusion.

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Timber makes Arsenal comebackDefender plays in Premier League 2 gameInjured on opening day of 2023-24WHAT HAPPENED?

Timber made the starting XI in Arsenal's Premier League 2 clash with Blackburn Rovers, the "last big step" after a lengthy rehab for one of football's worst injuries. And his first game back went swimmingly, as he scored just nine minutes into the game.

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Timber was substituted just 50 minutes into his Premier League debut on the opening day of the season in August, suffering the dreaded injury during Arsenal's 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. He had earlier started the Gunners' Community Shield victory over Manchester City at Wembley, playing left-back both times. The Dutchman was back in training by February.

WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID

"He's going to play a game with the [Under] 23s and after that we will see better how he feels," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had said of Timber last week. "He looks really good in training, but it's that last big step. We need to see if he's ready and how it's going to go."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TIMBER?

Timber's involvement against Blackburn will help indicate his fitness levels and will be the first step towards potentially returning to first-team action before the end of the season – Arsenal have just five games left as they focus all their attention on claiming a first Premier League title in 20 years. Ultimately, Timber should be in a good place by the time pre-season training for 2024-25 begins in July and will effectively be like a new signing all over again.

Arsenal are quietly conducting their business in the Premier League this season and are firmly on track to challenge for the title yet again, but Mikel Arteta will recognise the importance of strengthening his side in January.

Despite a few hiccups, the Gunners are third in the table heading into the November international break, just one point off league leaders Manchester City, and despite not quite offering the same captivating flair as last year, are arguably more mature and cohesive as a unit.

Of course, Arsenal have not blitzed into action in the same manner but do look sustainable in their craft, and injecting a fresh element of creativity could pay dividends, and this seems to be why Juventus' Federico Chiesa is of a vested interest.

Arsenal transfer targets – Federico Chiesa

According to Italian outlet Tutto Juve, Arsenal are among the Premier League outfits lining up an offer to add Chiesa to the ranks, though will face fierce competition from Newcastle United and Chelsea.

The Magpies in particular are willing to spend in excess of £52m to sign the dynamic Italy international, having been hit with a deluge of injuries to key personnel over the first months of the campaign.

But Arteta will care not, and indeed press to steal the target away from Eddie Howe, securing an exciting new offensive weapon to open up a fresh dimension and increase the chances of gleaning silverware this season.

Federico Chiesa's style of play

A stylish and artful attacking outlet, Chiesa has been a leading forward on the Serie A scene since joining Juventus from Fiorentina on a two-year loan in 2020, making the move permanent for €40m (£35m) transfer in 2022.

However, the 42-cap international suffered an ACL injury last year and missed 62 matches, detrimentally hampering his development, but did return to form with four direct contributions across the final five league outings last term.

Capable of thriving across both wings and in a central attacking role, the 26-year-old, who was hailed as a "wizard" by writer Roger Bennett, is the ideal addition to Arteta's blooming project, offering dynamism and versatility in abundance.

Having once been dubbed "world-class" by ex-footballer Alessandro Pierini, Chiesa's signature would be well worth the money – fitness permitting – offering the alacrity needed to return the Gunners to last season's incredible attacking wow factor while not negating the overall fluency.

His contract with the Old Lady expires in 2025 and is likely contributing to the recent swarm of transfer attention, and should Arsenal secure his signature, not only would they get their hands on a brilliant new gem but they would also secure their new version of esteemed former star Alexis Sanchez.

How Federico Chiesa compares to Alexis Sanchez

While the Gunners are performing at a greater level than the days when Sanchez plied his trade in north London, it's hard to dispute that the Chilean forward was not one of the most exciting and destructive forces on English shores after joining the club from Barcelona in a £35m transfer in 2014.

Over 166 appearances, Sanchez scored 80 goals and supplied 45 assists, instrumental in winning two FA Cups and the Community Shield and praised as a "winner" and a "class, class player" by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Of course, the 34-year-old departed the Emirates in slightly acrimonious circumstances, joining Manchester United in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January 2018 following a failed move to Guardiola's City in the summer, leading Arsenal icon Ian Wright to state that he "clocked off."

But this does not take away the brilliance of most of his time in London, having been one of the Premier League's most clinical and fear-invoking forces.

Alexis Sanchez: PL Seasons at Arsenal
Season	Apps	Goals	Assists	G/A Rate
17/18	19	7	3	0.53
16/17	38	24	11	0.92
15/16	30	13	5	0.60
14/15	35	16	8	0.69
*Sourced via Transfermarkt

Chiesa, while not channelling the same sharpness over his career, has proved to be a deadly attacking outlet and could improve Arsenal immensely through his protean ability and aptitude across numerous roles.

As per FBref, the Italian ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for progressive passes, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons and the top 3% for tackles per 90.

Chiesa boasts the creativity to serve as a weapon not constrained to mere direct threat, instead weaving the Gunners frontline together and bringing the best out of peers such as Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard.

And given that he plundered four goals from Juventus' opening five matches of the Serie A term, he evidently boasts the cutting edge to pose a direct threat too.

Sanchez might be approaching the twilight of his illustrious career and not at the same imperious standard as before, but he still offers some of his core impressive attributes, ranking among the top 6% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive passes, the top 15% for successful take-ons and the top 18% for tackles per 90.

These are elements of his game that paved the foundation for his prolific success with Arsenal, qualities that are tailor-made for the energetic, possession-heavy style of Arteta at present.

With Arteta's side firmly in contention for the Premier League title and battling hard to advance into the latter phase of the Champions League after several years away, Chiesa is the dream addition to bolster the fold, and now it largely falls down to whether the club would sanction a bid that matches the £52m that Newcastle are believed to be willing to pay.

Should he stay fit, Chiesa would slot right in, and could open the door to a new level of offensive impetus that could sway the odds in Arsenal's favour as they look to do one better this year and leapfrog Manchester City into the title-winning ascendancy after the new year.

West Ham United could look to replace one of their most experienced stars before too long as David Moyes looks to shuffle his squad around at the London Stadium, according to a report.

West Ham United's season so far…

West Ham United have largely performed to expectation so far in the Premier League this campaign and sit ninth in the divisional standings with 21 points taken from their opening 14 matches.

On Sunday, a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace at the London Stadium extended the Hammers' unbeaten run to five fixtures across all competitions; however, Odsonne Edouard's smart finish was enough to cancel out an opening goal from Mohammed Kudus to guarantee a share of the spoils for both sides.

In the Europa League, the Irons also guaranteed their place in the knockout rounds of the competition with a 1-0 victory over Backa Topola last Thursday and move into their final match in Group A against SC Freiburg knowing that a draw will seal top spot for Moyes' side, which, in turn, would catapult the east Londoners through to the Round of 16 and ensure that they avoid a play-off tie.

Nevertheless, West Ham have recovered from an inconsistent start to proceedings in 2023/24 and finally look to have started to build some consistency on several fronts, which will bode well as they head into a congested run of fixtures over the next few weeks.

Next up for the Hammers is a double-bill of London Derby clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, with both taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Craven Cottage, respectively.

West Ham United's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur (A)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Premier League

Fulham (A)

Craven Cottage

Europa League

SC Freiburg (H)

London Stadium

Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)

London Stadium

EFL Cup

Liverpool (A)

Anfield

Casting an eye toward the January transfer window, West Ham could now secure a long-term replacement for veteran left-back Aaron Cresswell if a recent claim from an Irons insider is to be believed.

West Ham interested in Leif Davis

According to EXWHUEmployee via The West Ham Way, West Ham retain a strong interest in Ipswich Town defender Leif Davis and view him as a potential long-term replacement for former England international Cresswell.

The report states that several clubs are tracking the 23-year-old as his stock continues to rise; however, a summer move may be more likely for Davis than a switch in the January transfer window.

Capable of featuring as a left-back and filling in as a central defender, Davis has been on a wonderful streak of form this campaign, registering 11 assists in 18 appearances for Ipswich Town across all competitions (Davis statistics – Transfermarkt).

Despite his exploits going forward, the former Leeds United man, who has previously been labelled an "animal" by Scott Parker, has also shown defensive grit this campaign, averaging around 1.8 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per fixture in the Championship (Davis statistics – WhoScored).

Davis is enjoying an excellent time of things at Portman Road and it is unsurprising that West Ham are now said to have made their interest known in the Newcastle-born ace.

Related Moyes must bench West Ham's 4/10 man who lost possession 19x vs TSC

West Ham will be aiming for their fifth win on the bounce against Crystal Palace today

Posts ByRoss Kilvington Dec 3, 2023

Manchester United Under-18 side were crowed Premier League North champions as they beat Manchester City to the title.

• Man Utd U18 lift Premier League North trophy
• Beat Wolves U18 on Tuesday
• Club pay tribute to the United Colts

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United Colts beat Wolves 2-1 on Wednesday courtesy of a brace from Gabriele Biancheri to win the Premier League North title. They are now 16 points above rivals and second-placed Manchester City with just two games to go in the season.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Cityzens dominated the U18 league in the past few seasons, having won the title four times in a row before the Red Devils clinched the trophy this year. After the title win, the club's director of academy Nick Cox paid a special tribute to the youngsters and their manager Adam Lawrence and his coaching staff.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking on the club's momentous achievement, Cox said, "I am extremely proud of what Adam Lawrence, the staff and the players have been able to achieve this season. The players have been stretched, with exposure to numerous competitions and age-group games, whilst also supporting the first-team squad. They have consistently risen to each challenge that we have intentionally designed for them and accomplished something really special together.

  "Individual player development is always our primary aim but competing to win under pressure is vital. Both of those objectives have been achieved with players enjoying the challenging yet supportive environment and harnessing a winning mentality to experience team success."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Lawrence's side will now aim to win the U18 Premier League Cup title as they take on the Cityzens in the final on April 23.

Amjad Javed, the former UAE captain, has retired from international cricket. The 38-year-old seam-bowling allrounder hasn’t found a place in the UAE line-up since December 2017, when he played against Nepal in the ICC WCL Championship.”It is never easy when you have to call it a day,” Amjad told . “You have to decide at what time you need to retire. At the moment, the team is doing better than two years back. I can’t find a place in the team. Nothing motivates me to push myself and fight for that position.”Amjad played 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for UAE, featuring in the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. His all-round efforts against Ireland – 42 and 3 for 60 – nearly gained UAE their only victory of the latter tournament, but he chose a performance in the World Cup qualifier the previous year as his personal favourite. In that match, in Christchurch, he smashed 63 off 31 balls and followed it up with 2 for 29 from his 10 overs to consign Kenya to a 13-run defeat.”The main highlight of my career was the 2014 World Cup qualifier [Super Six match] we played against Kenya in New Zealand where I was the man of the match,” Amjad said. “We qualified for the World Cup and achieved ODI status. Everything started rolling after that.”

Warriors’ all-West Indian top five propelled their side to 140 for 3, and the Shahid Afridi-led Pakhtoons fell decisively short despite Andre Fletcher’s fireworks

The Report by Barny Read in Sharjah02-Dec-2018

Rovman Powell launches one into the leg side•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Northern Warriors sealed T10 League glory in Sharjah on Sunday night, thanks to a 22-run win over Pakhtoons.The Warriors had Rovman Powell (61*) and Andre Russell (38) to thank with the bat while Chris Green (2-11) and Hardus Viljoen (2-24) starred with the ball to deny Shahid Afridi, his thousands of fans, and the Pakhtoons a first T10 title.A public holiday celebrating the UAE’s 47th National Day and free entry to the north stand of the ground made for a packed Sharjah stadium in full party mode.Some Afridi stardust guaranteed a stream of yellow-clad Pakthoons supporters too, the man who has been Sharjah’s main draw for over two decades once again showing his pulling power.The result was a stadium swarming with fans both inside and out as hundreds sprawled across the roads surrounding the ground. And while a roaring crowd welcomed the two protagonists for the showpiece, many more chose the road’s partitions as a vantage point with their eyes fixed on the big screen that broadcasts back out to the stadium’s surrounds.Inside the ground, both teams were more than worthy finalists having topped their respective groups in the opening stage of the tournament and then finished at the top two in the final league table.They had avoided each other until Saturday’s first eliminator, which saw Pakhtoons advance to the final with a 13-run victory that meant the Warriors had to see off Bengal Tigers in the final qualifying match.Darren Sammy’s men duly obliged to set up Sunday’s showdown between the league’s most dominant teams.And having been put into bat by Afridi, the Warriors knew they were up against it considering just seven out of the previous 28 games had been won by the team batting first.But the side’s entirely West Indian top five made a more than competitive 140 for 3 from their ten overs with Powell’s unbeaten 61 from just 25 balls providing the bulk of the ammunition.Powell’s innings included eight fours and four sixes and the right-hander was ably supported by Russell (38 off 12) and Sammy (14* from 9).This year’s tournament has frequently seen individual moments turn games on their head and at the interval, Russell’s destruction of England all-rounder Liam Dawson looked like it could have been the defining over of the game as the Warriors man took Dawson for 27 in the sixth over.It left Pakhtoons with the task of making the highest successful chase ever across T10’s two seasons if they were to lift the trophy.Andre Fletcher – who has been superb throughout the T10 League – got his side off to the perfect start in reply and by the halfway stage, on 62 for 1, Pakhtoons were well on course. Fletcher departed just two balls later with 37 which, despite bringing hero of the hour Afridi to the crease, was a major setback.South African offspinner Green was the man to remove Fletcher and his two-over spell looked just as pivotal as Russell’s demolition of Dawson earlier on. It proved to be the case, despite Afridi (17) briefly threatening to send Sharjah into delirium with a rescue act that was abruptly ended by the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Viljoen.Those same fans that earlier flooded the entrances in their droves in the hope of seeing Afridi lift the trophy, headed for the exits in similar volume with the writing on the wall.Pakhtoons would go on to fall significantly short as Northern Warriors became the second T10 League champions following on from the rebranded Kerala Knights’ inaugural triumph.