Chelsea have an "outstanding opportunity" to secure the signature of Dusan Vlahovic in the coming weeks, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.

Chelsea transfer news – What's the latest on Dusan Vlahovic?

It's been all action at Stamford Bridge over the last few weeks, with the Blues seeing a swath of players leaving the club, such as Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, who joined Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively.

However, the burgeoning Saudi Pro League has made the biggest difference for Chelsea this window, with N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly making their way to the Middle East's new super league.

That business has allowed Mauricio Pochettino's new side to bring in some new faces, with Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, and Diego Moreira all coming through the doors at Stamford Bridge.

However, the Pensioners aren't done there as they look to finally address a problem that's been hurting the club for years: the lack of a starting number nine.

The player earmarked for that role in West London is Juventus' struggling target man Vlahovic, who the Italian club are said to be willing to cut their losses on this summer.

According to the Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian giants would be willing to sanction the sale of the player should a club be able to pay a fee somewhere close to the initial €80m (£68m) they paid to get him out of Fiorentina in January 2022.

What has Dean Jones said about Dusan Vlahovic and Chelsea?

Jones explains that Juventus expect interest in Vlahovic to increase significantly in the coming weeks, and that Chelsea have already been in contact with the Turin side regarding their 6 foot 3 striker.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "Juve are preparing for new contact around Vlahovic to land in the coming days. I'm hearing that there are several conversations planned between different Premier League clubs and Juve over a few players, and it is thought that in one of these Chelsea will look to discover more information about the availability of Vlahovic. They touched base about five weeks ago or so over this so already have a general understanding.

Jones gave his opinion on the prospect of the signing, adding: "If Vlahovic is going to leave, then those conversations need to open up now. The value attached to him is still around £70m but, as I have said before, that could be very good value for a striker as good as this. This is an outstanding opportunity to sign one of the most clinical finishers in the game. He's up for grabs if they are willing to pay."

How good is Dusan Vlahovic?

It has been a difficult 18 months at the Bianconeri for Vlahovic. Despite costing a whopping £66.6m from Serie A rivals Fiorentina, the Serbian international has flattered to deceive during his time in Turin.

Over his 42 league games, the Belgrade-born colossus has scored just 17 goals, meaning he finds the back of the net once every two-and-a-half games, which for the star striker at Juventus has been deemed simply not enough by Italian football legend Antonio Cassano, who told boboTV (via the Mirror):

"It's not enough to score 15 goals, 20 goals. At Juve, every match must be decisive. It's a dangerous weight on him. He had to take the next step, but not two steps, at Juve, you have to score at least 30 goals per season, and you have to take home the performances and titles.

"I don't see him as a player for Juve."

Unfortunately for the player once described as a "monster" by Italian journalist Carlo Garganese, his underlying numbers only suggest further that he might just be unsuited to being a striker for Europe's elite.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Serbian star finds himself in the top 24% of strikers for total shots, the top 28% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 33% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, and the top 38% for pass completion, all per 90.

Those are his stand-out statistics as well, which makes the idea of Chelsea spending nearly £70m to secure his signature seem incredibly risky.

However, should he rediscover the form he had during his time with La Viola, the form that saw him score 44 goals in 98 Serie A games, then Jones would be correct in his assessment of this as an "outstanding opportunity."

ScorecardKent’s 10th wicket partners Yasir Shah and Mitch Claydon saw out the final 46 balls of the match to secure a thrilling Specsavers County Championship draw with Durham in Canterbury.Yasir, on his home debut, batted for 81 minutes while last man Claydon – a former Durham player – combined to deny Paul Collingwood’s side their first win and clinch a battling draw.Required to bat all day to maintain their unbeaten status in the division, Kent lost three wickets in each of the opening two sessions leave the door ajar for a Durham win.The hosts first blow came to the 20th delivery of the day when, in aiming an expansive drive against Barry McCarthy, opener Daniel Bell-Drummond only succeeded in dragging the ball onto his middle stump to slope off with only 17 to his name.After helping to add 76 in 17.5 overs for the second wicket Joe Denly departed for 45 to the deserving Gavin Main. Denly had scored his ninth boundary by edging Main through the cordon to the ropes at third man but, without addition, Denly pushed at one with an open bat face only to steer the ball into the hands of Paul Collingwood at slip.Durham bagged their third wicket of the session with 117 on the board when Sean Dickson, four short of his 50, drove a firm return chance to the bowler Keaton Jennings who accepted the catch with glee.After lunch Sam Northeast and Joe Weatherley dug in for 26.3 overs in adding 63 for the fourth wicket before Weatherley, the Hampshire loanee, departed for his fourth successive championship score in the 30s. Defending on the back foot, the 20-year-old was undone by low bounce as one from Gavin Main kept low to pluck out his off stump.Darren Stevens came in to scratch around for 16 minutes without getting off the mark before he pushed at a Ryan Pringle delivery to be caught behind by Stuart Poynter stood up to the stumps.Poynton was celebrating 10 runs later when Chris Rushworth’s reintroduction at the Nackington Road End accounted for Will Gidman for the second time in the match. The Durham bowler, attacking from around the wicket, ran one away from the left-hander who feathered though to the keeper to go for three. Early in the final session and fresh from his unbeaten century in the first innings, Northeast emulated his Durham counterpart Paul Collingwood by notching a second innings half-century from 108-ball and with five fours.Sam Northeast was again instrumental in Kent’s resistance•Getty Images

Collingwood’s bowling changes continued to work wonders and the fourth wicket in succession fell in the first over of a new stint. At 4.30pm Collingwood claimed the second new ball, tossed is to his attack leader Chris Rushworth and was rewarded with the wicket of Adam Rouse with the second delivery.Playing back in defence Rouse (23) was adjudged lbw by umpire Steve Garrett although it appeared that the Durham cordon had initially appealed for a catch at the wicket.Rushworth landed another hammer blow by ending Northeast’s 229-minute vigil for 72. The Kent skipper, who hit an unbeaten 109 in the first innings, missed out when aiming to leg and Garrett again raised the finger, much to Northeast’s obvious displeasure.Matt Coles, not known for his stoical batting, then joined forces with Yasir to take Kent into the last hour on 271 for 8. The ninth-wicket pair won their first battle in seeing off Rushworth who, after giving his all for 25 overs in a spell of three for 62, hobbled off for treatment to a stiff back.Yasir, working on the ‘attack is the best form of defence’ principle, unfurled a series of wristy flicks, cuts and drives to hit the ropes on five occasions before his partner Coles departed with under eight overs remaining.Poking in defence at a shooting delivery the left-hander went for lbw for 30 to give Matthew Potts, the 18-year-old Durham Academy graduate, his maiden championship wicket on his first team debut.It came down to the final over from Potts who bowled the final delivery of the match to Yasir with six slips, two gullies and a short leg. The Pakistan all-rounder denied his fellow debutant, however, and the cheers were Kentish as the hosts maintained their push for promotion.

Kusal Perera has become the second Sri Lankan after Chamara Kapugedera to be ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to injury. Allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva has been approved as a replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2017Left-hand batsman Kusal Perera has become the second Sri Lankan after Chamara Kapugedera, and the fourth player overall, to be ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to injury. The ICC’s Event Technical Committee has approved allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva as a replacement.Kusal had picked up a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka’s seven-wicket win against India at The Oval on Thursday, retiring hurt on 47 after putting on 75-run stand with captain Angelo Mathews.”We got bad news last night that his hamstring injury worse than everyone thought so Kusal is out of the tournament,” Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka’s team manager, said. “The doctor’s comment was that it’s a pretty serious hamstring injury. He will most likely fly home in the next few days. With Upul Tharanga suspended that’s why we got Dhananjaya down pretty quickly because we needed a batsman.”Dhananjaya, a batsman and offspinner, last played an ODI for Sri Lanka in February this year, during Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa. He has made three fifties and averages 25.69 in 16 ODIs. He is best known, though, for his performances in his debut Test series against Australia last year, particularly for his century in the Colombo Test that sealed a historic whitewash for Sri Lanka.Unlike Danushka Gunathilaka, who had been Kapugedara’s replacement, de Silva has not been training with the squad in England, and had only arrived in London on Saturday. He could, however, come straight into the XI against Pakistan. Sri Lanka only have seven specialist batsmen in the squad, thanks to the over-rates suspension Tharanga picked up when standing in for Mathews as captain against South Africa.Dhananjaya has not played competitive cricket since March, and has been batted in various positions in the ODI XI in brief stints in the team. With Sri Lanka unlikely to want to tamper with their top three, Dhananjaya may assume a middle-order spot, if he plays.

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم عن طاقم حكام مباراة الأهلي وزد إف سي، ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل”.

المباراة تقام في السابعة من مساء غدٍ الخميس، على ملعب استاد السلام، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثامنة من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع | تشكيل الأهلي أمام زد في الدوري المصري.. عمر كمال ظهير أيمن حكم مباراة الأهلي وزد في الدوري المصري

وتقرر أن يدير المباراة الحكم الدولي أمين عمر، ويعاونه سمير جمال وأسامة السيد كحكمي راية.

ويتواجد إبراهيم محمد حكمًا رابعًا ووائل فرحان على تقنية VAR ومحمود دسوقي معاونًا له.

ويقبع الأهلي في المركز العاشر بسلم ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 18 نقطة حصدها من 9 مباريات وتتبقى له 8 مؤجلات.

أما فريق زد فيحتل المركز الخامس برصيد 24 نقطة حصدها من 16 مباراة، إذ فاز في خمس مواجهات وتعادل في تسعة وخسر لقائين.

قلّب باريس سان جيرمان الطاولة على خصمه برشلونة، في مباراتهما الجارية حاليًا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “مونتجويك” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات إياب ربع نهائي البطولة، موسم 2023/24.

وتمكن باريس سان جيرمان من تسجيل الهدف الثاني، في شباك أصحاب الأرض، في الدقيقة 54.

جاء هدف باريس سان جيرمان الثاني عن طريق فيتينها، مستغلًا تمريرة من أشرف تحكيمي، لتصبح النتيجة 2-1. هدف فيتينها أمام برشلونة

وفي الدقيقة 59، حصل باريس سان جيرمان على ضربة جزاء بعد عرقلة عثمان ديمبلي من قِبل جواو كانسيلو.

ونفذ كيليان مبابي ضربة جزاء باريس سان جيرمان بنجاح، لتصبح النتيجة 3-1. هدف كيليان مبابي أمام برشلونة

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى تقدم باريس سان جيرمان بنتيجة 5-4، مع العلم أن برشلونة فاز في الذهاب بنتيجة 3-2.

It's "very unlikely" that Sunderland target Amad Diallo will still be at Manchester United come the end of the transfer window as there are "a lot of clubs on standby" who want to sign him, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Is Amad Diallo joining Sunderland this summer?

It was a brilliant first season back in the Championship for Sunderland last year. Granted, they couldn't make it past Luton Town in the play-off semi-final, but considering most fans and pundits didn't even think they'd finish in the top six, it was a miraculous achievement even to get there.

Since getting agonisingly close to making it back to the Premier League, the club have been recruiting to help get them over the line if they get the chance again next year.

So far, they have welcomed four new faces to the club, with one of their signings getting a lot of media attention, Jobe Bellingham. The 17-year-old is the younger brother of new Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, but the Black Cats only had to pay an estimated £3m to secure his signature from Birmingham City.

However, the one player many fans would likely love to see back at the Stadium of Light is United youngster Diallo, who spent last season on loan with the club, playing a massive part in their charge up the table.

Unfortunately for the Roker Men, the Northern Echo reported last week that their chances of signing the 21-year-old are hanging in the balance as Leicester City have emerged as a potential rival for his signature following their sale of Harvey Barnes.

Worse still is that, alongside the Foxes, West Ham United, Sheffield United, and Everton are all interested in signing the Ivorian, and with their status as Premier League sides, they certainly have an advantage over Sunderland.

What has Dean Jones said about Sunderland and Amad Diallo?

Jones explained that the chance of Diallo remaining at United come the end of the summer is low, but Sunderland will have a lot of other clubs to compete against should they wish to take him back on loan in the Championship.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Diallo would be amazing. I think we've all seen what he's capable of.

"Now, as it stands, it's very unlikely he'll be playing for Man United regularly. So, I wouldn't expect him to be there by the end of the transfer window.

"We'll have to see if this particular move is possible. There are a lot of clubs on standby waiting to put an offer in front of him."

How good was Amad Diallo last season?

With the Black Cats' desire to re-sign the Ivorian winger on loan again this year, it should be no surprise that he was excellent during his last campaign in the Northeast.

According to WhoScored, in his 29 games for Tony Mowbray's side, he scored 14 goals, provided three assists, won four Man-of-the-Match awards and maintained a season rating of 7.06 – the third-best in the squad.

In what shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, his underlying numbers are just as brilliant as his output, suggesting that his outstanding form wasn't fortunate at all, but just a true reflection of his ability.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across what they define as the next eight competitions, Diallo sits in the top 2% for pass completion, the top 6% for interceptions, the top 15% for non-penalty goals, the top 18% for attempted passes, the top 21% for touched in the oppositions penalty area, and the top 25% for progressive passes and successful take-ons, all per 90.

His efforts were certainly appreciated by manager Mowbray who, at the back end of 2022, said:

"He's an amazing footballer. Somebody said he cost £37m from Atalanta when he joined Manchester United, so I find it difficult to think how he is at Sunderland, but probably the pressure of playing in front of a big crowd, and he relishes it.

"He can run all day and he has the ball stuck to his foot, he runs past people and he can score goals like that. We're delighted he's here with us."

While it may be a step too far for the Black Cats this summer, if they can convince Diallo to join them for one more season, they could be a Premier League team once again come the start of the 2024/25 season.

Jake Ball and Stuart Broad are doubtful for the Royal London Cup final on Saturday and that is also bad news for England with the first Test around a week away

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge27-Jun-2017
ScorecardWith doubts lingering over Stuart Broad’s fitness for Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final at Lord’s, Nottinghamshire face another anxious couple of days assessing the fitness of a second key bowling asset after injury forced Jake Ball to leave the field during the final session here.Despite playing the injury down overnight, Ball was sent for a scan by the ECB on Wednesday morning, and the selectors will be monitoring the results closely as they prepare to meet to select the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week.The England fast bowler, who had already struck an important blow for his team in this match at the start of Kent’s second innings, pulled up in his follow-through after bowling one delivery of his third over, feeling some pain in his right knee.After receiving attention on the field it looked at first as if he would continue but after a couple of attempts to replicate his run-up to the crease under the supervision of his county physio he asked the umpire for his cap and sweater and left the field, leaving Luke Fletcher to complete his over.Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores described his withdrawal as “a precaution” and said his prospects of resuming in this match would be assessed in the morning. However, he is being monitored by Notts and England medical teams, and he will not bowl again in the match.Broad, who was forced to miss this match after suffering a heel injury against Leicestershire last week, was still rated as doubtful on Monday but there was better news today. Put through his paces before play, he appeared to be moving well enough, although Nottinghamshire will be wary of risking any further damage with the opening Test against South Africa just over a week away.After playing his part with a flurry of boundaries with the bat in helping Nottinghamshire to a lead of 191 on first innings, Ball had dealt Kent the early blow they least wanted as they began their second innings against the pink ball in the awkward day-to-night phase.After bowling brilliantly with scant reward in the first innings, with only one tailender’s wicket to show for his efforts, Ball found success in his second over this time, producing a full and fast delivery to which Daniel Bell-Drummond, who had so valiantly held Kent together on Monday, had no answer.Yet Ball’s absence hardly made things easier for Kent, who were four wickets down and still 86 behind at the close. To make matters worse, Sam Billings, unbeaten on 39, now leaves this match to play for the Lions at Worcester. The 20-year-old batsman Joe Weatherley takes his place.Despite a career-best 168 from Steven Mullaney, who was 63 not out overnight, and a partnership of 222 between the opener and Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire had not fulfilled their objective of batting Kent out of the game, losing their last wickets for 41.They fell short even of maximum batting points, which felt almost like a formality earlier in the day when Hales and Mullaney, having come through a tough pink ball baptism on the first evening, plundered runs under the pale sky of the second afternoon.Mullaney, one half of the key partnership in the historic win over Essex that booked Nottinghamshire’s place at Lord’s, completed the 12th first-class century of his career, punching the air as he might after a bout of nausea almost forced him to leave the field in the early part of his innings on Monday.Jake Ball limped off – and that will worry England•Getty ImagesOnce something of a bit-part player among stars at Trent Bridge, Mullaney has become a key figure in all formats. Always an all-round asset in the one-day sides, he has found his niche at the top of the order in the four-day side, and a useful partnership-breaking bowler to boot. Well respected in the dressing room, he led the side in Chris Read’s absence last season and looks a natural choice to take on the captaincy in his own right when Read retires at the end of the season.As a batsman, he may lack the flair and natural timing of Samit Patel, with whom he shared that epic stand at Chelmsford, and he does not dominate in the way Hales sometimes does. Yet he has the temperament to concentrate for long periods and packs a punch when the moment arrives to up the tempo.He and Hales were together for 47.5 overs for the fourth wicket before Hales was caught on the rope attempting a second six straight off Joe Denly’s leg spin, missing out by 15 on what appeared to be a certain hundred.The innings lost some of its impetus after Hales. Riki Wessels was unusually subdued and Mullaney went an hour without scoring a boundary before a couple in quick succession off Adam Milne eased the pressure.He passed his previous best, 166 against Somerset here last year, with a six off Will Gidman and the applause that accompanied his return to the pavilion, caught behind off Matt Coles, was a measure of his popularity. He acknowledged it properly, too, raising his bat to all corners of the ground.Kent’s bowlers have to be commended for the way they maintained their discipline and in denying Nottinghamshire their full complement of points they might consider they scored a minor triumph.Yet, the possibly unwelcome consequence of this was that it was their batsman who were exposed to the day-into-night phase. After Bell-Drummond, Denly edged a fine, swinging ball from Fletcher to be caught behind before Harry Gurney struck twice, Sam Northeast following a ball outside off-stump to be caught behind, Sean Dickson edging to Brendan Taylor at third slip.July 28, 11.36am – This story was updated with news of Ball’s knee scan

Sean Dyche has made just one signing for Everton during the summer transfer window, with Ashley Young arriving on a free transfer following his release from Aston Villa.

Although a solid signing, he is hardly the most attractive name in the world and with the Toffees desperate to avoid battling against relegation from the Premier League for the third successive season, there will need to be much more quality added between now and the end of August.

With seven players departing Merseyside, Dyche has managed to free up some on the wage bill, yet this will prove to be wasteful if he doesn’t try and actively improve his first-team squad, with areas all over the pitch requiring some strength in depth, including the left-back slot.

Niels Nkounkou was one of the players to leave the club and this leaves Vitaliy Mykolenko as the sole left sided defensive option heading into the new campaign, something which Dyche will be hoping to sort sooner rather than later.

The Toffees have been linked with a move for Sassuolo left-back, Rogerio and with the player entering the final 12 months of his contract at the club, he could be available for a fee of around €10m (£8.5m) as he has communicated with the Serie A side that he doesn’t want to renew his deal – opening up the idea that he could move on this summer.

Dyche will face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund for his signature, with all three teams being able to offer Champions League football to the Brazilian sensation.

Could Everton sign Rogerio this summer?

With a more than affordable price tag, Dyche should be making an offer for the left-back as not only could he add some much-needed depth to that position in the squad, but he may also offer more than Mykolenko, especially in an attacking sense.

Indeed, last season, the 25-year-old registered more assists (three to none), progressive carries (110 to 31), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.22 to 1.56), touches in the attacking third (523 to 370) and crosses (113 to 57) than the Ukrainian, clearly suggesting he could pose a bigger attacking threat for Everton should he arrive this summer.

The Brazilian also ranks in the top 12% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries per 90 (3.3) and the top 13% for progressive passes per 90 (5.56), while Mykolenko only managed to register 1.05 progressive carries and 3.39 progressive passes per 90, ranking him in the bottom 89% and 63% across these metrics, again suggesting that Rogerio would be an ideal attacking upgrade.

The current Everton left-back is more solid defensively, winning more total duels per game (3.4 to 3.3), making more tackles per game (1.7 to one) and more interceptions per game (1.4 to one), however there isn’t much between them and this indicates that Rogerio could certainly improve upon moving to the Premier League.

It would be a solid investment should Dyche sign Rogerio this summer, adding some quality to his back line who could not only prove to be a major threat in the final third, but also contribute well defensively and for just £8.5m, it could be a serious bargain.

Liverpool could still potentially be in the mix to sign Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard this summer, according to an update from journalist Christian Falk.

Have Liverpool been linked with Benjamin Pavard?

The £116,000-a-week-earning Frenchman has enjoyed an impressive career to date, enjoying a huge amount of success at both club and international level. He won the 2018 World Cup with France, scoring a memorable goal against Argentina in the knockout stages, and he has also tasted Bundesliga title glory on four occasions, not to mention winning the Champions League once for good measure.

Despite this, it does look as though Pavard could have reached the end of his time at Bayern, considering his current deal expires next summer and he is yet to agree an extension. There seems to be no sign of him changing his mind on that, meaning the German giants could look to cash in on him now, rather than lose him on a free transfer in 2024.

Liverpool are one of the clubs who have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old in the recent past, as the Reds possibly looking to bring in defensive reinforcements this summer. They have now received a boost in their pursuits of him, following an important update from a reliable journalist.

Could Liverpool still sign Benjamin Pavard?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Falk admitted that Pavard wants to leave Bayern this summer and that all of the Premier League's top six clubs will be alerted to the situation, which includes Liverpool:

"Bayern Munich has no offer at the moment on the table, but he's told the club he won't sign a new contract. So, Munich now want to sell him.

"So, I'm sure that there will be an offer in the next weeks from a Premier League club."

Pavard could actually be a very astute signing by Liverpool if their interest is serious in him, considering the experience and winning mentality he has built up over the years for both club and country. At 27, he is very much in his peak years of his career, and the fact that he is adept at playing at both right-back and centre-back makes him a dream when it comes to versatility.

The 49-time capped France international could be viewed as strong backup option to Trent Alexander-Arnold, or even a key starter if the Englishman ends up playing in midfield at times moving forward – Thomas Tuchel has called him "underrated" and a "top team player" – although he may want to be starting matches every week, which could be a stumbling block.

Liverpool could get Pavard in a cut-price deal, however, considering his contract situation, and while far from the most spectacular full-back around, he could be a really strong squad option. A left-footed defender who can play centrally and on the left could take precedence, though, further putting doubt over the move happening.

England will not travel to Australia to play the Ashes unless a deal has been agreed between Cricket Australia and its players’ association.Although the Ashes are not scheduled to start until November 23, England are due to fly to Australia at the end of October and an ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo they would not travel unless they could be assured of the necessary warm-up games required before the Test series begins.While the ECB remains confident the Ashes will go ahead and is preparing for them with that in mind, they recognise the significant divide that currently exists between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) and have noted the decision of players to withdraw from the Australia A tour to South Africa.The ECB’s confidence is currently mirrored by the CA, who commented: “We are 100% confident that the Ashes will go ahead.”CA and the ACA are in talks over a proposed change in the way in which professional players are paid. With the current MoU between the parties having expired, most players in Australia – including all centrally-contracted players such as the captain Steven Smith, his deputy David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – are technically unemployed and have stated they will not play international cricket until a satisfactory resolution is agreed. The Australian tour of Bangladesh, scheduled to begin in mid-August, looks particularly precarious, with a limited overs tour of India to follow it.Warner’s pronouncement in May that CA “might not have have a team for the Ashes” if it continued to push to break up the fixed revenue percentage model of previous MoUs gave an indication of how strongly the players were willing to press their case. CA’s major international broadcast partner Channel Nine is currently in the process of trying to sell advertising for the series and plan for its promotion, and is eager for signs of progress in the pay dispute to aid their efforts.Several of Australia’s most prominent players are currently out of contract•Getty Images

The real deadline for an ECB decision over the viability of the Ashes might come around mid-October. That is when England Women are scheduled to fly to Australia for a tour that includes an Ashes Test and begins with an ODI in Brisbane on October 22. Unless matters in Australia are resolved by then, it is entirely possible the ECB will take the decision to cancel both tours and recoup what costs they can. The consequences – legal and financial – would be enormous.October 15 is also significant as the day on which adjustment ledger payments from the previous MoU, worth A$58 million to all male players, past and present, who played international or domestic cricket, are due to be sent out by CA. The board’s offer to the players had indicated a desire to rollover half of this amount into the next MoU, a suggestion strongly rejected by the ACA.Greg Hunt, the federal minister for sport, has indicated that the Australian government would be prepared to step in to mediate the dispute if it dragged on long enough to threaten the Ashes. Hunt said this was because of the series’ enormous connection to Australia’s history and culture, in addition to its sporting and commercial elements.”If it got to a last-minute situation, I suspect that we would offer to provide good officers brokering between the parties, but there’s six months between now and the Ashes,” Hunt told in May. “It would be unthinkable that in the end we wouldn’t have a full team. I do not see either the players or the administration returning to the late ’70s where we had a second-rate team. The players love playing for Australia, Cricket Australia knows this is not just fundamental to sport, it is part of our national identity.”The ECB insist they are making no contingency plans for a men’s series with anyone else should the Ashes be cancelled, though it is possible the women’s team could look to play elsewhere if required.”The ECB are continuing to prepare for the Ashes as planned,” an ECB spokesman said. “We do not anticipate any change and fully intend to fulfil our Tour obligations.”