Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke was hit with an injury blow ahead of the trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was revealed that summer signing Noah Okafor would be out of action for up to ten days with an adductor injury, which means that he is also a doubt for the club’s clash with West Ham United on Friday night.

The Switzerland international, who joined from AC Milan in the summer, was missed against Burnley in the 2-0 loss to the Clarets, as Leeds spurned all four of the ‘big chances’ that they created.

Okafor is the club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League this season, with two goals, and boasts the best conversion rate in the squad, at 33%, per Sofascore.

The 25-year-old star has shown a clinical edge in front of goal that could have helped the Whites to get more out of their trip to Turf Moor on Saturday.

Instead, Jack Harrison came into the team to replace him on the left flank, with Wilfried Gnonto also unavailable, and he was never likely to offer much of a threat as a goalscorer.

Why Leeds cannot rely on Jack Harrison

Farke cannot rely on the former Everton loanee to provide quality at the top end of the pitch because his form in the Premier League in recent seasons has simply not been good enough.

The left-footed dud, who returned to Elland Road in the summer, has failed to register a single goal or assist in eight appearances in all competitions for the club this season, per Sofascore, taking two shots and failing to hit the target once against Burnley.

Harrison had one presentable opportunity to test Martin Dubravka in the second half on the volley, unmarked inside the box, and steered his effort well off target, to cheers from the home support.

That was not a surprise, unfortunately, because his form during a two-year spell on loan with Everton showed that Leeds could not rely on him to offer a threat in front of goal on a consistent basis.

Appearances

29

34

Starts

25

24

xG

3.57

3.52

Goals

3

1

Minutes per goal

742

2,088

Conversion rate

9%

3%

As you can see in the table above, Harrison scored four goals from 7.09 xG for the Toffees, and only managed one goal in 34 matches in the 2024/25 campaign.

This means that the former Manchester City youngster has scored four goals in his last 70 games at Premier League level, and just one in his last 41 outings in the division, including seven games for the Whites this term.

Injuries to Gnonto and Okafor have left Leeds incredibly exposed out wide, because of their lack of quality and depth, and Farke may have to get creative to solve the problem.

Whilst the easy, if that is how you want to describe it, option would be to keep Harrison in the team and hope that something changes before the other two players are back, the German head coach could take a risk on a young player.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

You could argue, though, that it is not a risk to throw an academy player into the side if the first-team player, Harrison in this case, is consistently failing to deliver when he plays.

Therefore, Farke could finally bin the underperforming English winger from his starting line-up by boldly unleashing U21s winger Connor Douglas.

Why Leeds should unleash Connor Douglas

The 20-year-old talent is a versatile forward who can play on the right or the left wing, per Transfemarkt, which means that the manager could unleash him directly over Harrison on the left, or he could unleash him on the right and move Brenden Aaronson over to the left.

Douglas, who has also played in central midfield and at right-back, has scored one goal and provided two assists in five appearances in the Premier League 2 so far this season, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that he is making an impact and impressing at the top end of the pitch at U21 level, which suggests that he would be full of confidence when heading up to the first-team to make an impression.

Douglas was once hailed as a “joy to watch” by PureFootball writer Trent Gaffney. The same could not be said of Harrison right now, unfortunately, due to his dismal form in front of goal.

Leeds supporters may be more encouraged by the team’s efforts if they see a young and promising winger from the academy who wants to take players on and make things happen, as Douglas is, than seeing Harrison struggle once again.

There is no guarantee that Douglas will be able to translate his form for the U21s over to the first-team, so it is a risk in that sense, but the Whites do not have much to lose with the injury issues that they have been hit with.

Noah Okafor

2

0

Lukas Nmecha

1

0

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

0

Brenden Aaronson

0

0

Dan James

0

0

Wilfried Gnonto

0

0

Jack Harrison

0

0

Joel Piroe

0

0

As you can see in the table above, Okafor is the only winger in the squad who has delivered a goal or an assist in the Premier League for the Whites this season, after eight matchdays.

That should be a huge concern for Farke and is why it may be worth unleashing Douglas from the start against West Ham, if Okafor remains unavailable through injury.

The 20-year-old starlet has scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 65 matches at U21 and U18 level combined, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has the potential to offer a threat in front of goal.

Not just Harrison & Aaronson: Leeds star is now on borrowed time under Farke

This Leeds United flop is on borrowed time at Elland Road alongside Jack Harrison.

ByDan Emery Oct 20, 2025

With the situation that Leeds are in with their wide options, Douglas may offer an interesting solution for Farke in the next Premier League game against the Hammers.

MatériaMais Notícias

Técnico do Grêmio, Renato Gaúcho ficou ilhado no hotel em que mora em Porto Alegre, no Rio Grande do Sul, por conta das chuvas que afetam a região. No entanto, o comandante foi resgatado em um vídeo publicado por Carol Portaluppi, filha do ex-jogador.

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➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

– Estou postando aqui meu pais, porque eu estava tão angustiada que não queria compartilhar com vocês o que eu estava sentindo! Deus, obrigada, não estou em contato com ele porque ele está sem telefone – disse Carol em uma de suas redes sociais.

No último domingo (5), o treinador do Imortal estava sem energia e com pouca bateria no celular, o que dificultou sua comunicação com outras pessoas. No entanto, o profissional está bem apesar do susto vivido.

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Devido as fortes chuvas que atingem o Rio Grande do Sul, Grêmio, Internacional e Juventude não disputaram a última rodada do Brasileirão. Além disso, as equipes tiveram seus confrontos da Copa do Brasil adiados.

Tudo sobre

Porto AlegreRenato Gaúcho

كشف الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم عن هوية الحكم الذي سيتولى إدارة مباراة برشلونة وأوساسونا، المرتقبة مساء السبت، وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لذلك الموسم.

ويستضيف ملعب “كامب نو” مباراة برشلونة وأوساسونا، في الجولة السادسة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بين الأهلي وبرشلونة | سبورت تحلل تصريحات حمزة عبد الكريم.. تحكم ذهني ورسالة خفية

ويحتل برشلونة صدارة الدوري الإسباني في الوقت الحالي، برصيد 40 نقطة، في حين أن أوساسونا لديه 15 نقطة في المركز الخامس عشر. حكم مباراة برشلونة وأوساسونا في الدوري الإسباني

وحسبما نشر الاتحاد الإسباني عبر موقعه الرسمي، فإن الحكم أدريان كورديرو فيجا، سيكون مسؤولًا عن إدارة مباراة برشلونة وأوساسونا في الدوري الإسباني، مساء الغد.

وفيما يتعلق بتقنية الفيديو في المباراة نفسها بين برشلونة وأوساسونا، سيكون مسؤولًا عنها كارلوس دي سيرو، حسبما أعلن الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم كذلك.ًِ

After posting MLB's best record during the regular season and getting off to a 2–0 lead against the Cubs in the National League Division Series, the Brewers are hopeful they can bring home their first World Series title to Milwaukee this year.

The Brewers have made the playoffs for the third consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight years, but the franchise historically doesn't have a ton of success come October.

As Milwaukee looks to change their playoff fortunes, here's a look at their postseason history.

Have the Brewers Ever Won a World Series?

The Brewers have never won a World Series title. They are one of five teams still seeking their first championship, along with the Padres, Rays, Rockies and Mariners. Seattle is the only other of those teams alive in the 2025 MLB playoff race.

What Is the Furthest the Brewers Have Gone in MLB Playoffs?

The furthest Milwaukee has advanced in the playoffs is the World Series, which they reached in 1982. They lost to the Cardinals in seven games in that series, and have not returned to the World Series since. The Brewers won three of the first five games of the series, but St. Louis rallied to win Games 6 and 7 to claim the title.

Milwaukee Brewers Full Playoff History

Here's a look at the Brewers' postseason history since the franchise first began play in 1969. The '25 season marks their 11th playoff berth.

Playoff Result	Times Occurred	Last Year Occurred
Missed Postseason	46	2020
Lost in Wildcard Series	4	2024
Lost in Division Series	3	2022
Lost in Championship Series	2	2018
Lost in World Series	1	1982

Can the Brewers Win a World Series This Year?

Milwaukee is certainly a contender to win the World Series this year. The Brewers currently hold a 2–0 lead over the Cubs in the NLDS, and if they can win at least one more game, they will already be within one round of the franchise's second World Series berth.

Milwaukee finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, and proved throughout the year they could beat some of the top teams in the sport. They went 6–0 against the Dodgers, and 2– vs. both the Mariners and Blue Jays during the regular season. The Brewers will of course need to replicate that late in the postseason, but they definitely have the potential to win it all.

Let’s head into the weekend with a couple of attractive plus-money player props from DraftKings Sportsbook. 

Best MLB Prop Bets TodayAndrew Heaney under 4.5 K (+120) Kyle Schwarber over 1.5 total bases (+105)Andrew Heaney under 4.5 K (+120) 

This will be the third time Andrew Heaney has seen the Astros this season. He struck out two in his first meeting and just one in his second and in those games, the Astros were still playing Jose Abreu. 

Yes, Heaney has had two good starts in a row, but Houston is especially dominant vs. left-handed pitching.  As a team, the Astros have the league’s lowest K-rate vs. southpaws at just 17%. Specifically, both Altuve and Alvarez have great career numbers vs. Heaney.  In 41 career at-bats, Altuve is hitting .317 with only five strikeouts vs. Heaney.  In 18 career at-bats, Alvarez is hitting .444 with a home run,  two extra-base hits, and four strikeouts.   Alvarez is expected to be back tonight. 

Heaney’s 44.7% fly ball rate and bottom 32nd percentile hard-hit rate allowed could get him into trouble quickly vs. a Houston team hitting well right now.   Even though Heaney is striking batters out at a rate of more than nine per nine this season, I’ll take the chance he doesn’t make it far enough into this game to get to five. 

Kyle Schwarber over 1.5 total bases (+105)

Schwarber has been punishing lefties this season with a .338 batting average and eight home runs. I’ll take plus money for him to tally a couple vs. Hogan Harris whose xERA is 5.57 according to statcast and whose hard-hit rate is on the bottom 33% of the league.  Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm also are in a good spot tonight at home. 

ONE MORE MONTH UNTIL PLAYOFF BASEBALL!

There is a ton at stake over the final four weeks of the regular season in MLB, and we’re here at SI Betting to analyze the latest playoff odds in both the American and National Leagues.

There are three division races — the AL East, AL West and NL West — where the first and second place teams are separated by three or fewer games, leaving a lot up in the air in the wild card picture to close the regular season.

In the American League, a seven-game winning streak helped propel the New York Yankees into first in the wild card and just three games back of Toronto in the AL East entering September.

Meanwhile, the National League wild card appears to be pretty settled, as the Cincinnati Reds (the first team out) have fallen four games back of the final wild card spot.

Is there any value in betting on a team to make the playoffs that isn’t currently in the postseason picture? 

Let’s take a look at the latest odds and a few teams that could have some value — whether it’s to make the playoffs or steal the division — as the final month of regular season baseball gets underway. 

American League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

• Toronto Blue Jays: N/A
• Detroit Tigers: N/A
• Houston Astros: -700

It’s interesting to see a division leader with worse odds to make the playoffs than multiple wild card teams, but that’s the case with Houston.

The Astros are just two games up on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and they have worse records than the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox this season. If Houston slips in the coming weeks, it could be fighting for its playoff life down the stretch. 

Oddsmakers don’t feel the same about the Blue Jays, even though they’ve seen their lead dwindle in the AL East.  

Wild Card Race

• New York Yankees: -10000
• Boston Red Sox: -1400
• Seattle Mariners: -575
• Texas Rangers: +290
• Kansas City Royals: +500:
• Cleveland Guardians: +1100
• Tampa Bay Rays: +2000

Texas has moved past the Kansas City Royals for the fourth spot in the wild card race, as it has won five games in a row and eight of its last 10. Not only are the Rangers just 2.5 games out of the third wild card, but they are just 4.5 games back in the AL West.

So, there are multiple paths for Texas to take to get into the postseason. At +290, the Rangers could be worth a sprinkle if you’re not sold on Houston or Seattle running away with the division in the final few weeks. 

The one thing working against the Rangers is that they have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule – per Tankathon – in MLB. 

National League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

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

While the NL West is still up for grabs, oddsmakers believe the the Phillies, Dodgers, Brewers, Cubs and Padres will all make the postseason, as they’ve all seen their playoff odds come off the board.

The Reds – the closest chasing team in the wild card race – are seven games back of San Diego and nine games back of Chicago entering September. 

Wild Card Race

• San Diego Padres: N/A
• Chicago Cubs: N/A
• New York Mets: -600
• Cincinnati Reds: +700
• San Francisco Giants: +1200
• Arizona Diamondbacks: +2500
• St. Louis Cardinals: +3000

While the NL wild card may already be set, there has been a ton of odds movement for the Mets (the No. 3 wild card) and the chasing pack:

• Mets: -350 to -600
• Reds: +310 to +700
• Giants: +2000 to +1200
• Diamondbacks: +3000 to +2500

New York has a four-game cushion on the Reds and at least a five-game cushion on every other team in the chase. Barring an epic collapse from a team, the six NL playoff teams appear to be pretty secure entering the final month of the regular season.

The Philadelphia Phillies may have lost their new closer. Jhoan Durán was hit in the foot with a line drive on Friday night in a non-save situation against the Washington Nationals.

Durán entered the game with Philadelphia up 6-2 in the 9th inning. The first and only batter he faced, Paul DeJung hit a ball right back to the mound. It bounced off the pitcher's foot and went into foul territory. Durán gave chase, but came up limping and eventually stopped.

He appeared unable to put weight on his right leg and had to leave the field in the bullpen cart.

Philadelphia acquired Durán from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. Durán went 6–4 with a 2.01 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings in Minnesota this season. Coming into Friday he had appeared in four games for Philadelphia and earned saves in all four appearances while giving up just one hit.

UPDATE: Durán and the Phillies got good news as initial x-rays were negative.

In Oct. 1992, Deion Sanders had an iron grip on the sports world. That month, the Braves outfielder played eight games in the National League Championship Series and World Series while also playing two games at cornerback for the Falcons.

This is to say: the Colorado football coach knows Major League Baseball playoff uniqueness when he sees it—and he sees it in Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who delivered one of the great sports feats of this century in Game 4 of the NLCS Friday.

“I’ve seen some wonderful things that have transpired in sports. It’s hard for me to say (it's the greatest performance ever in any sport), but that is unbelievable," Sanders said via Pat Graham of the AP. “He’s doing something that’s unfathomable.”

In Los Angeles's 5–1 win over the Brewers on Friday, Ohtani smashed three home runs while striking out 10 batters as a pitcher.

Sanders, for his part, slashed .400/.455/.500 with one run batted in in the '92 playoffs, while adding a reception and five decent kick returns on the gridiron that month (no matter: he'd finish the year as an All-Pro anyway).

“Can they just hand (Ohtani) the MVP during the game?" Sanders asked, echoing many viewers Friday. The fourth for the future Hall of Famer doesn't seem far away.

After trading away a good chunk of their roster at the 2025 trade deadline, the Twins reportedly won’t continue tearing down their roster this offseason.

In light of trade rumors, Dan Hayes reported Friday that Minnesota does “not anticipate” trading outfielder Byron Buxton or starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo López this offseason. The plan, according to Hayes, is for the Twins to build around those stars and compete next season.

Buxton, coming off a career year and his second All-Star appearance, will make $15.1 million per season over the final three years remaining on his contract. In 126 games last season, Buxton batted .264/.327/.551 with a career-high 35 homers and 83 RBIs.

Ryan has two seasons of team control left on his deal and is a candidate for an extension over the next year. Also an All-Star in 2025, Ryan logged a 13–10 record and 3.42 ERA in a career-high 171 innings last season. The 29-year-old would arguably be the Twins’ biggest trade chip if they did decide to continue rebuilding the roster.

López will make $21.8 million over the next two seasons as the Twins’ highest-paid player. He’s coming off an injury-ravaged season in 2025 where he was limited to 14 starts. It was the first time Lopez failed to throw over 100 innings in a full season since his rookie year with Miami in 2018.

The Twins were one of the biggest disappointments in baseball last season. Expected to contend for an AL Central title, Minnesota fell behind the Guardians and Tigers early in the season and never recovered.

At the trade deadline, Minnesota dealt away eight players, including shortstop Carlos Correa and right-handed pitcher Louis Varland, who went on to break MLB’s all-time record for most postseason appearances in the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series.

Afghanistan’s coach, Lance Klusener, talks about the approach he takes with the side

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu25-Mar-2020After working with Zimbabwe, South Africa, and then in stints in the IPL (Mumbai Indians), BPL (Rajshahi Kings) and with Brampton Wolves (Global T20 Canada), Lance Klusener took charge of Afghanistan as head coach last September. Speaking from his home in Durban, the former South Africa allrounder tells us about the road forward, looks ahead to the T20 World Cup, and talks about his approach to coaching.Afghanistan haven’t lost a T20I series since 2017, and a few months ago they toppled a full-strength West Indies side. How do you rate their progress in the year of the T20 World Cup?
It’s [T20 cricket] the focus for us. We are trying to play as much T20 as possible – there’s an Asia Cup, a World Cup, and another T20 World Cup after that. We have a very good attack that includes guys who are playing [domestic T20 leagues] around the world. Our challenge is to score enough runs. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad – is this the best T20I spin attack going around?
Yeah, clearly – just with the variations. It is still a young team but they’re getting a lot of experience playing around the world. So that’s good for us. With Afghanistan not playing too much domestic cricket, it’s a good sign.

“At the end of the day, only the player can do it. I can’t pull him out of bed and make him do all the work. That’s my challenge to the Afghanistan players”

Mohammad Shahzad is still suspended, but teenager Rahmanullah Gurbaz has fit into the set-up nicely and seems to have a variety of shots in his repertoire.
Gurbaz has had a lot on his shoulders and he has been brilliant. Stepping into the shoes of somebody like Shahzad, he has kept wicket and has responded brilliantly. There are not many players out there that work harder than him. So he’s got a bright future and the talent is there, and going forward he’s somebody with the potential to light up the white-ball scene.ALSO READ: Rahmanullah Gurbaz is dreaming of bigger thingsWe just need to be careful that we don’t get too ahead of ourselves. [He needs to] keep the feet on the ground and continue sticking to the basics and win games for Afghanistan. I still think he needs to do that more consistently. He needs to bat deeper and be not out at the end, not just light up the Powerplays. We need to grow his game a lot, but there are ingredients out there for something special for sure.The batting line-up is packed with talent, but recently HD Ackerman, the batting coach, said that they need to pace the innings better and work on the running between the wickets. Do you agree?
We want to be a bit more energetic [between the wickets]. We are among the best in terms of boundary-hitting percentage, but if you look at the stats, our dot-ball percentage is high. So that’s something we have chatted about and we’re making an effort to get better at that. At that level it’s about small changes that can make a big difference.We need to play more cricket and against the top-ranked sides, but the fixtures are set so very far apart. Afghanistan have only themselves to blame because they’ve developed into a good team way too quickly for the fixtures to accommodate them. We will get there, so exciting times ahead.”Gurbaz needs to do win games more consistently. He needs to bat deeper and be not out at the end, not just light up the Powerplays”•Getty ImagesAfghanistan don’t have a designated white-ball finisher yet. Have you identified somebody for the role that you owned during your playing career for South Africa?
We will play differently with a different game plan. Yes, we don’t have an out and out finisher, but we have power upfront. Given the opportunity and platform, there’s no reason why a guy like Najib [Zadran], [Mohammad] Nabi, Rashid [Khan] can’t step up and do that. We need to give them the platform, and that’s the challenge. It’s about learning to chase targets down.How has Naveen-ul-Haq’s recent rise and Shapoor Zadran’s return helped balance an attack that is usually packed with spin?
Yeah, the competition between the seamers is there. Shapoor put up his hand and he has a lot going for him. I always look at an all-round package that can contribute in all departments with fielding and bowling too. He bowls from a nice height and he has got about 80 white-ball appearances for Afghanistan. It’s nice to have that experience, but the youngsters are pushing hard – and he knows that too – and hopefully he can get the job done when it counts.ALSO READ: Naveen-ul-Haq hopes to start a pace-bowling revolution in AfghanistanHow vital was the 2-1 series victory over the T20 World Cup defending champions West Indies recently?
It just shows you how much talent is there. If we can just be a little more consistent and be a bit better at small things… A guy like Naveen [ul-Haq] has wonderful talent. We just need to keep our feet on the ground. He has played just six [five] T20Is and his numbers are flattering so far. He has some good variations and decent pace, but same as Gurbaz, time will tell. It’s about playing against strong oppositions. With respect to Ireland and Zimbabwe, for Afghanistan’s growth we need to play against bowlers that are consistently bowling at 140. Manning up to pace like that is going to be the real challenge for the batsmen; we don’t get much opportunity to play against such oppositions.

My job is to get the best out of national players. I won’t be remembered for scouting in the leagues. I will be remembered for the games that I help Afghanistan win

Were you able to address their concerns in the camp you had in Dubai earlier this year?
Yeah, we tried to create match simulations and tried to face what we might get in T20 cricket. But then again, you can’t beat game time. We need to try to get as many games as we can before those big comps [Asia Cup and T20 World Cup].You’ve worked with international sides and have also worked in different capacities in T20 leagues. How do you think you have evolved as a coach?
The most important thing is reading what you’ve got in front of you and understanding every team is different – different strengths and weaknesses. You get four or five years when you can develop a team, so you have to work with what you have got and develop that as best as you can.It has been nice working with the best talent in the world and that’s what excites me as a coach. You have to be realistic with what you can achieve and how you go about it.Franchise T20 coaching can be difficult – you get players who come in and go, and you might sometimes have to change [your coaching style] to accommodate the players that come and go. It can be challenging, but if the communication is decent and if you have mature players – sometimes the coach needs to move that around, with players leaving a comp or even being injured.You were big on game time as a player and used to hit several hundred balls at practice sessions. Have you managed to incorporate that kind of training into the Afghanistan set-up too?
Yes, we do. You can only get so much done and always remember that a lot of that quality work is done on our own. You can’t just wait for coaches and associations to organise camps and spoon-feed you. Many players go away and bowl at targets when they’re necessarily in international set-ups. It’s part of the learning and we challenge the boys to also go away and do the hard work on their own.”The most important thing is reading what you’ve got in front of you and understanding every team is different, with different strengths and weaknesses”•Getty ImagesDolphins’ Khaya Zondo singled you out as a key figure in his resurgence after he was dropped. How important is man-management and communication with players?
At the end of the day, only the player can do it. Maybe he can benefit from my knowledge and my experience, but at the end of the day I can’t pull him out of the bed and make him do all the work. A guy like Khaya, he took it on board and he did what he needed to do. That has to come from within. The passion is always there and it’s available and if you want to achieve something better, you need to be open to change. That’s my challenge to the Afghanistan players. You can average 25 or 30, but maybe you can average 40-plus if you learn a new shot or have a different approach.Have you had time to watch domestic cricket and the Shpageeza League and scout new talent?
That talent is there. There are scouts and selectors who are hands-on, and they’ll feed the best players to the national team. We have quite a few camps and stuff, and that gives us the opportunity to look at those players. However, my job is to get the best out of national players. I won’t be remembered for scouting these leagues. I will be remembered for the games that I help Afghanistan win.ALSO READ: ‘I wanted to be there at the end. That was my drug’Gulbadin Naib captained Afghanistan in the 50-over World Cup, Rashid Khan took over from him before passing the reins to Asghar Afghan again. Have the switches in captaincy affected the team’s plans?
Now, it’s [Afghan as captain] set in stone for the T20 World Cup. It’s never healthy for any environment for too much change in leadership positions because it takes time for everyone to figure out how a captain functions. And what one captain requires from you with respect to another can be different. So it’s important that there’s consistency there. It wasn’t great to see changes in leadership positions prior to the [2019] World Cup. They didn’t win a game there.Afghanistan A recently travelled to Bangladesh. Has there been talk about getting more A games into the schedule?
It’s important, but ultimately the real benefits are going to come when Afghanistan has a solid domestic league – a league where the boys learn their cricket. You look around at the best teams in the world right now – Australia, India, England – and look at their domestic structures. How good it is there that reflects directly in their national team. What Afghanistan has achieved and the talent that’s there from a limited domestic scene is phenomenal. The challenge to grow the game on the domestic scene is always going to be there.It’s not just about learning to defend or attack, those guys can all do that. It’s about reading the game and knowing when to defend or attack. That’s the difference.