MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos enfrentará a LDU-EQU pelas oitavas de final da Libertadores. Os equatorianos se classificaram em segundo lugar no grupo D, o mesmo de São Paulo e River Plate, com doze pontos conquistados. Ao longo da primeira fase, a equipe teve quatro vitórias e duas derrotas nesta edição da Libertadores.

As oitavas de final tem previsão para ocorrer nos dias 24 e 26 de novembro (jogos de ida) e 1 e 3 de dezembro (jogos de volta).Vale lembrar que quem se classificar, pega o vencedor de Guaraní-PAR e Grêmio nas quartas de final.

RelacionadasFora de CampoVÍDEO: Anitta, Galvão Bueno e outras celebridades parabenizam o Rei PeléFora de Campo23/10/2020VAFifa publica conteúdo especial em homenagem ao aniversariante PeléVA23/10/2020LibertadoresSorteio da Liberta: Inter e Athletico com pedreiras, Palmeiras sortudo e Flamengo contra argentinosLibertadores23/10/2020

Em se tratando de jogos entre Santos e LDU, o retrospecto é marcado pelo equilíbrio. Ao longo da história, foram nove jogos disputados, com quatro vitórias para cada lado e um empate. Se tratando de Libertadores, são quatro jogos, com duas vitórias para cada um.

O último duelo entre os dois aconteceu em abril de 2005, quando o Peixe venceu os equatorianos por 3 a 1, pela Libertadores.
Veja o retrospecto entre Santos x LDU
14/01/1962 – Santos 6 x 3 LDU – Quito – Amistoso
05/08/1998 – Santos 2 x 2 LDU – Quito – Copa Conmebol
11/08/1998 – Santos 3 x 0 LDU – Vila Belmiro – Copa Conmebol
05/05/2004 – Santos 2 x 4 LDU – Quito – Taça Libertadores
11/05/2004 – Santos 2 x 0 LDU – Vila Belmiro – Taça Libertadores
03/11/2004 – Santos 2 x 3 LDU – Quito – Equador – Sul-Americana
10/11/2004 – Santos 1 x 2 LDU – Vila Belmiro – Sul-Americana
17/03/2005 – Santos 1 x 2 LDU – Quito – Taça Libertadores
06/04/2005 – Santos 3 x 1 LDU – Vila Belmiro – Taça Libertadores

After a sensational campaign last time out, which ended with Europa League qualification, Brighton & Hove Albion have picked up where they left off this season, already defeating both Manchester United and Newcastle United during the current Premier League campaign.

Their strong start to the season comes despite the departures of both Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, who swapped Brighton for Chelsea and Liverpool respectively during the summer transfer window. As ever, Roberto De Zerbi's side have been unphased by the exits, simply filling the gaps and continuing their unexpected rise.

Things could get even better in January, too, with reports suggesting that the Seagulls have made an approach to sign another South American gem when the winter transfer window swings open.

What's the latest Brighton transfer news?

During the summer transfer window, Brighton spent a reported €101m (£88m) on reinforcements, welcoming the likes of Joao Pedro and Bart Verbruggen, who have both played their part already this season.

It could be argued that they never really replaced Caicedo, though, perhaps giving themselves something to think about in January, especially with games coming thick and fast now that they have European commitments to balance alongside Premier League action.

With that said, according to reports in Spain, via Caught Offside, Brighton have presented an offer to Boca Juniors for Ezequiel Fernandez. The Argentine club have reportedly placed a £16m price-tag on the defensive midfielder, potentially giving De Zerbi and co plenty to think about.

If Fernandez did make the move, he would be following in the footsteps of fellow South Americans Mac Allister, Caicedo, and Julio Enciso, just to name a few who have enjoyed great success at The Amex. So, when January comes around, it will be interesting to see whether Brighton push ahead and continue their transfer trend, replacing Caicedo in the process.

Who is Ezequiel Fernandez?

At just 21 years of age, Fernandez, who can play as a holding or central midfielder, is already playing an impressive role for Boca Juniors, making 32 appearances in all competitions last season, reportedly attracting the interest of Brighton as a result.

Earning high praise, journalist Tim Vickery wrote for ESPN about Fernandez back in May:

"There are similarities between Enzo and Ezequiel Fernandez (even if no direct relation). Enzo's career gained momentum with a loan spell, so did Ezequiel's, who spent last year at Tigre.

"Both are central midfielders. Ezequiel, who turns 21 next month, is left-footed and bristling with quality. In an interview with TyC Sports in Argentina, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister recently suggested that Brighton snap him up.

"Ezequiel might need careful handling. The youngster is still raw and erratic, and after the arrival of new coach Jorge Almiron he has spent much of his time as a second-half substitute. But the potential is undeniable, and this year's Libertadores is an excellent opportunity to cast an eye on the development of a fascinating talent."

With that said, it will be interesting to see whether Brighton have discovered another key player, should they push on and secure the signature of Fernandez in the January transfer window. The Seagulls are certainly in need of a defensive midfielder.

Manchester United will be hoping it’s a case of Deja Vue when they face Crystal Palace in the Premier League this afternoon as they delivered arguably their most comfortable performance of the campaign by prevailing 3-0 during their EFL Cup clash in midweek.

Erik ten Hag will be looking for just United’s fourth league win of the 2023/24 season, and they will need to make up ground sooner rather than later as Manchester City are already topping the table, nine points ahead of the Red Devils.

The Dutchman may make a few changes ahead of the tie in order to freshen up his starting XI.

What’s the Manchester United team news vs Crystal Palace?

Lisandro Martinez and Sergio Reguilon will be missing for the Old Trafford side this afternoon due to injury problems, yet Ten Hag has delivered some good news with regard to some players returning to the squad.

He said: "We have seen some players back on Tuesday, and tomorrow, back are the players who were out of the squad for Tuesday: Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen. They are back.”

This may allow him to shuffle his midfield around a bit, yet there should be a change further up the field, with Rasmus Hojlund coming on for Anthony Martial to lead the line against the Eagles.

Will Rasmus Hojlund start for Manchester United vs Crystal Palace?

The £85k-per-week striker has made just five appearances since joining the club during the summer transfer window from Atalanta due to an injury problem, and he has scored once, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The match today represents an opportunity for Ten Hag to unleash him from the first whistle in order to give him more game time and a chance to grab a goal or two in the process ahead of tougher tasks.

He has started twice in the Premier League so far, and while he hasn’t scored, the youngster has taken 1.3 shots per game while averaging 0.7 key passes per game, and he could certainly improve these statistics upon featuring more.

His display against Bayern was excellent, and it offered Ten Hag a glimpse into just what the Danish striker is capable of if he remains consistent.

Making his first start in the competition for the Red Devils, Hojlund received a Sofascore rating of 7.2 for his performance which included his first goal for the club while he also won 100% of his aerial duels, took two shots and lost possession just five times in what was a productive evening on a personal level, despite the 4-3 defeat.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously hailed the youngster as being a “monster in the making” after he scored five goals across his first two games for Denmark and if given the opportunity to lead the United frontline, he will go on to prove he is worth the hype.

The tie against Palace is an ideal chance for United to claim another three points and unleashing Hojlund would be a wise move by the Dutchman, that’s for sure.

After a sensational campaign last time out, which ended with Europa League qualification, Brighton & Hove Albion have picked up where they left off this season, already defeating both Manchester United and Newcastle United during the current Premier League campaign.

Their strong start to the season comes despite the departures of both Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, who swapped Brighton for Chelsea and Liverpool respectively during the summer transfer window. As ever, Roberto De Zerbi's side have been unphased by the exits, simply filling the gaps and continuing their unexpected rise.

Things could get even better in January, too, with reports suggesting that the Seagulls have made an approach to sign another South American gem when the winter transfer window swings open.

What's the latest Brighton transfer news?

During the summer transfer window, Brighton spent a reported €101m (£88m) on reinforcements, welcoming the likes of Joao Pedro and Bart Verbruggen, who have both played their part already this season.

It could be argued that they never really replaced Caicedo, though, perhaps giving themselves something to think about in January, especially with games coming thick and fast now that they have European commitments to balance alongside Premier League action.

With that said, according to reports in Spain, via Caught Offside, Brighton have presented an offer to Boca Juniors for Ezequiel Fernandez. The Argentine club have reportedly placed a £16m price-tag on the defensive midfielder, potentially giving De Zerbi and co plenty to think about.

If Fernandez did make the move, he would be following in the footsteps of fellow South Americans Mac Allister, Caicedo, and Julio Enciso, just to name a few who have enjoyed great success at The Amex. So, when January comes around, it will be interesting to see whether Brighton push ahead and continue their transfer trend, replacing Caicedo in the process.

Who is Ezequiel Fernandez?

At just 21 years of age, Fernandez, who can play as a holding or central midfielder, is already playing an impressive role for Boca Juniors, making 32 appearances in all competitions last season, reportedly attracting the interest of Brighton as a result.

Earning high praise, journalist Tim Vickery wrote for ESPN about Fernandez back in May:

"There are similarities between Enzo and Ezequiel Fernandez (even if no direct relation). Enzo's career gained momentum with a loan spell, so did Ezequiel's, who spent last year at Tigre.

"Both are central midfielders. Ezequiel, who turns 21 next month, is left-footed and bristling with quality. In an interview with TyC Sports in Argentina, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister recently suggested that Brighton snap him up.

"Ezequiel might need careful handling. The youngster is still raw and erratic, and after the arrival of new coach Jorge Almiron he has spent much of his time as a second-half substitute. But the potential is undeniable, and this year's Libertadores is an excellent opportunity to cast an eye on the development of a fascinating talent."

With that said, it will be interesting to see whether Brighton have discovered another key player, should they push on and secure the signature of Fernandez in the January transfer window. The Seagulls are certainly in need of a defensive midfielder.

With the tournament scheduled to run from August 18 to September 10, SLC is also attempting to lure second-string India players to participate

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Apr-2018

Russel Arnold, the former Sri Lanka batsman, and commentator, has been appointed tournament director for the Lankan Premier League, to be played in August and September. Having officially signed on several days ago, Arnold’s work begins in earnest in May.”We consider bringing in a person in the caliber of Russel as the Tournament Director of the LPL will help the process of making it a successful tournament, especially considering his experience as a player and also his knowledge in promoting the game,” said Thilanga Sumathipala, the SLC president.Although planning remains in the early stages, Sri Lanka Cricket is also attempting to lure second-string India players to the tournament, with Sumathipala having repeatedly stated that he plans to appeal to the BCCI about the issue. The presence of Indian players – even those of lesser renown – would be a substantial boon, particularly as LPL match times will be ideally suited for Indian viewers. The BCCI has never allowed its players to participate in foreign leagues, although SLC hopes to change that given the recent co-operation between both boards.SLC CEO Ashley de Silva also said that the board would insist that all its players take part in the LPL instead of the Caribbean Premier League, which is set to take place at the same time.SLC has not had a high profile T20 tournament since the SLPL, which had a lukewarm reception on the island in 2012, and was never played again. The LPL is scheduled to run from August 18 to September 10.

And so the cracks widen and worsen for Manchester United.

Following a turbulent start to the campaign both on and off the field for the Red Devils – encapsulated over the past week with the banishment of both Antony and Jadon Sancho – it is safe to say that the club are now in what can only be described as a "full-blown crisis", as per journalist Samuel Luckhurst, following Saturday's grim 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.

With two defeats from the opening four Premier League games, the hope had been that a much-needed international break would allow United to regroup and refresh ahead of a hectic run of fixtures, with that having born true in what was a positive opening period against Roberto De Zerbi's men.

Any semblance of excitement swiftly disappeared, however, as former United man Danny Welbeck struck an early blow to set the tone for another disappointing day at Old Trafford, with even a late stunner from young Hannibal Mejbri proving nothing more than a mere consolation following prior goals from Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro.

In truth, Erik ten Hag's main men yet again failed to come to the party, with Casemiro, in particular, looking off the pace after failing to track the aforementioned Welbeck for the game's opening goal, with GOAL's Richard Martin writing that the Brazilian had been 'pretty poor', prior to his 64th-minute withdrawal.

The former Real Madrid hero had won just three of his six duels in that dismal showing and achieved a pass accuracy rate of just 79%, having regularly given away possession from his deep-lying role.

That being said, however, the 31-year-old wasn't alone in having let his manager down on the day, with fellow 2022 signing Lisandro Martinez arguably putting in an even worse performance at centre-back.

How did Lisandro Martinez perform against Brighton?

Having looked like an "absolute monster" last term – according to teammate Luke Shaw – prior to his season-ending injury, the Argentine is yet to rediscover that fine form this time around, with Luckhurst writing that the 25-year-old is 'still nowhere near his level of last season'.

Despite being deemed fit to play after previously being forced off against Arsenal, the former Ajax man may have wished he had remained on the treatment table, as he was arguably given the run around by Welbeck and co.

The diminutive defender was far too easily caught out by Gross' clever shimmy for the Seagulls' second goal of the game, with the aforementioned Martin going on to suggest that it was 'one of his worst performances in a United shirt'.

That is evidenced by the fact that the £120k-per-week gem won just a solitary duel prior to his late withdrawal and was dribbled past once, with it looking as if he is longing for the return of usual partner, Raphael Varane alongside him.

It is not as if it is the first time that Martinez has come undone this season, however, with the no-nonsense asset also memorably turning into his own net in the defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur, with his overall average match rating this season of 6.64 ranking him just 17th among his teammates, as per Sofascore.

As for today's encounter, the 5 foot 9 brute was awarded just a 6.5 match rating, with that ranking him as the joint-worst performer for those in a United shirt, while placing him behind that man Casemiro (6.8).

With the Red Devils' woes deepening of late – having already slipped nine points behind rivals Manchester City – Ten Hag will desperately need Martinez et al to shake off this latest defeat quickly ahead of Wednesday's trip to Bayern Munich, with another sluggish showing likely to be punished yet again by the prowling Harry Kane.

أعلن النادي الأهلي، التشخيص المبدئي لإصابة لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم عمر كمال عبد الواحد، أمام الاتحاد السكندري، في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين، اليوم الثلاثاء.

وتعرض عمر كمال للإصابة، في الدقيقة 86، ولم يستطع استكمال المباراة وتم استبداله ودخل بدلًا منه طاهر محمد طاهر.

ووفقًا للموقع الرسمي للنادي الأهلي، قال أحمد جاب الله طبيب الفريق بالنادي الأهلي، إن عمر كمال عبد الواحد شعر بآلام بسيطة في العضلة الأمامية خلال مباراة الاتحاد السكندري.

وأوضح: “اللاعب سوف يخضع لفحص طبي قبل مران الفريق غدًا بملعب التتش، لتحديد حجم الإصابة”.

طالع | رجل مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري

واستطاع الأهلي أن يحقق الفوز على الاتحاد السكندري، بهدف دون رد، سجله محمود كهربا.

وبعد الفوز على الاتحاد السكندري، ارتقى الأهلي إلى المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 39 نقطة من 17 مباراة وله 9 مؤجلات.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um primeiro volante era a prioridade na lista de reforços do Botafogo. A diretoria buscou e encaminhou acerto com José Welison, que chega por empréstimo junto ao Atlético-MG até o fim do Campeonato Carioca de 2021.

O meio-campista garante trazer mudanças à espinha dorsal da equipe de Bruno Lazaroni. Diferente de Rafael Forster, que tem atuado como primeiro volante, José Welison é um atleta de forte combate à frente da linha de zagueiros. Por outro lado, o jogador de 25 anos possui dificuldade nos passes. Quem explica isto é Léo Gomide, jornalista da “Band Minas”.

– É um volante muito mais de marcação do que de chegada. É um cara mais marcador, cabeça de área, proteção da linha defensiva. Não tem no passe uma das principais virtudes, inclusive ele acabando gerando situação de gols aos adversários por erros de passe no início de construção. Se destaca pela questão de poder ser um marcador e contribuir no momento defensivo da equipe – analisou.

RelacionadasBotafogoBotafogo apresenta recuperação judicial como alternativa à S/A para candidatos à presidênciaBotafogo22/10/2020BotafogoLúcio Flávio comemora reencontro com Túlio no Botafogo: ‘Importante agregar conhecimento’Botafogo22/10/2020BotafogoBotafogo dá ‘ultimato’ ao Botafogo-SP sobre a contratação de RonaldBotafogo21/10/2020

José Welison passou mais de dois anos no Atlético-MG. O meio-campista, revelado pelo Vitória, perdeu espaço com Jorge Sampaoli e fez apenas dez jogos na atual temporada – nenhum deles no Campeonato Brasileiro.

– Welison chegou no Atlético na parada para a Copa do Mundo na Rússia, em 2018. O Galo tinha Adilson e Gustavo Blanco como titulares até o Mundial, mas o Blanco lesionou o joelho e o Adilson teve uma lesão muscular, ele praticamente chegou e jogou. O segundo semestre de 2018 talvez tenha sido o que ele mais aproveitou a oportunidade, com atuações mais regulares, com o Thiago Larghi – afirmou Léo.

No último Campeonato Brasileiro, José Welison, em 18 partidas disputadas, teve médias de 1.4 cortes e 1.2 roubadas de bola por jogo, com 62% de sucesso nas disputas de bola – seja no chão ou pelo alto. Além disto, o volante contribuiu com 26.7 passes certos por partida, com 80% de aproveitamento e 44% de acerto nas tentativas de bolas longas. Os dados são do “SofaScore”.

– Vieram Levir Culpi, Rodrigo Santana, Vágner Mancini e Dudamel no início desse ano, que promoveu o José Welison a titular. O início da temporada não foi das melhores. A passagem foi muito irregular, mas não dá para tirar do contexto as tamanhas trocas de treinadores – finalizou.

July 2007. Liverpool find themselves a club reflecting on a recent agonising Champions League final defeat to Milan, but also a club on the cusp of a miniature transition.

Out go the jumbled likes of Mohamed Sissoko, Boudewijn Zenden, and Craig Bellamy. So to, do some more cult-appreciated figures like Luis Garcia, Jerzy Dudek and a now-seasoned Robbie Fowler. There's fringe players heading for the door too, but they're obscure enough in some places to warrant their own Where Are They Now? piece in their own right.

Rafa Benitez has continued to really implement his style on the club and has undoubtedly sparked excited chatter on the concourse of the Kop with the arrival of Fernando Torres. The exciting Atleti striker bounds in for £26.5m, with youthful, long-locked Lucas Leiva following from Gremio.

Before a solid-enough era of Liverpool moves is capped by Martin Skrtel's intimidating arrival from Zenit St. Petersburg in January of '08 (those three amassed a combined 591 PL appearances), in strides a slick-looking winger from Ajax – unveiled alongside Israeli workhorse Yossi Benayoun.

The Dutchman's hype and potential has fizzed through the Merseyside air before he's even off the plane. The Dutch just won't shut up about him. They hail him the future of their game. Marco van Basten's even called him the next Thierry Henry, look. This can only end well.

Let's talk about Ryan Babel.

Why did Liverpool sign Ryan Babel?

A 20-year-old Ryan Babel joined Rafa's Reds after a mixed 2006-07 term with his boyhood club Ajax. Although the Amsterdam club didn't get their hands on the Eredivisie title, he directly helped the team secure a Johan Cruyff shield (community shield equivalent) as well as the KNVB Beker (league cup).

Babel had shown skill beyond his years and was especially elevated on the international scene. Performances at the U21 European Championships effectively forced Liverpool to sign him up. Babel starred as a forward in a man-of-the-match 4-1 final outing against Serbia and as said, led Marco van Basten to declare: "He has the potential to be the next Thierry Henry."

As Liverpool captured his signature, Steven Gerrard provided further comment – excitedly believing that the youngster's move was part of a wider Torres-driven title charge.

"Some of the other players we're being linked with excite me too. It's great to see us looking at young, hungry players with their best years ahead of them. Since I've been in the first team I can't remember us making such a major statement of intent in the transfer market as this." (Steven Gerrard, 2007)

How much did Liverpool pay for Ryan Babel?

A season prior to this Merseyside move, rumoured transfers to Arsenal and Newcastle respectively failed to materialise and Liverpool eventually scored their man to the tune of £11.5m. Arriving at Anfield with eyes firmly fixed on the future, Babel penned a five-year-deal.

However, he would stay for just three of those years. A contrast to the fine potential, he cut a figure more akin to that of a misused, misguided young player. His spell was marred by alleged attitude problems and inconsistency.

Looking back, both sides (club and player) have rightfully been questioned. Did Liverpool miss a trick in Babel's fruitful three-year stay?

What went wrong for Babel at Liverpool?

Babel arrived, of course, after fine showings at U21 and Eredivisie level. Yet, the jump to Premier League football from the Netherlands seemed stranded in midair. Looking back to the Guardian's 2010 analysis, it's clear Babel found slim pickings from a stubborn Benitez. He had his favourites and it showed.

In one aspect, Babel had that archetypal inflated ego of a mid-2000s winger, it's true. But he was good enough to do that. Alas, in Benitez's eyes – he wasn't good enough to warrant starting over Harry Kewell or Albert Riera: two players the Dutchman came on for on so many occasions.

In the 2010 time of writing, 54 of 84 club appearances had been lacklustre bench arrivals either in games Liverpool were chasing or dominating. Of the 30 games he started, he was taken off in 20 of them. There was admittedly no real room to show his impact, notably when he was brought into the wing position on his weak side. As the article suggests, even when he played on his stronger right and even assisted Torres against West Ham in September 2009, he was still widely ignored.

In the same vein though, while Babel wasn't perhaps taken seriously enough as a starter – it could've been his off-field personality that caused issues to his traditional management. Babel failed to shine under three Liverpool managers as King Kenny Dalglish and Roy Hodgson both struggled to get anything out of him.

What was wrong with Babel's attitude?

Well, while his adept left and right foot found themselves wanting at times, Babel's thumbs more than made up for it as he gained a ferocious reputation as one of the Premier League's first players to use Twitter to interact with fans. In 2010, Babel Tweeted that he'd been dropped for a game against Stoke City "without explanation". A fuming Benitez subsequently fined him two weeks' wages.

After an August 2010 move south to an alleged London club fell through following rumoured helicopter trips to and fro, the winger playfully promoted the deadline day hashtag #BabelCopter. Great fun it may have been, his Twitter dalliances then came to a head again as he seemingly poked the wrong bear in 2011, this time under Dalglish.

Following some suspect decisions against Manchester United in the Dutchman's eyes, Howard Webb found himself in a crude Photoshop where the Dutchman had mocked the ref up in his very own kit. Babel was fined £10,000 by the FA for improper conduct, yet had raised his cult status with fans regardless.

This potentially made him even more difficult to manage for his, as said prior, traditional superiors. Factor in a flourishing rap career too, and it's easy to see why the likes of Benitez, Dalglish and Hodgson potentially couldn't see eye to eye with the seemingly disinterested winger.

Where is Ryan Babel now?

With what's written prior, it must be admired how true Babel was to himself as well as his interests. However, as that may have been the case, it hindered his football career. After eventually leaving Liverpool (Hodgson even tried swapping him for West Ham's Carlton Cole at one point), Babel pretty much stagnated at a level that his wasted potential screamed he was better than.

Aside from a brief reprise in 2019 with Fulham, Babel became a veritable journeyman. With the same sentiment as before, judging by his character, he no doubt had a good time – but turning out briefly for clubs like Hoffenheim (2011-12), Ajax (2012-13), Al-Ain (2015-16) and Deportiva La Coruna (2016) – it should've been beneath him.

Notice how there are years missing there? Well, similarly to Fulham's rebound of '19 – Babel seemed to flourish in Turkey where he resides now, aged 36. He has played for esteemed clubs and produced solid returns.

At Besiktas, he scored 29 in 89 (2017-19) and even won 2016/17's league. At deadly rivals Galatasaray (yeah I don't know what he was thinking either) he bagged 17 in 100 (2019-22) and won the 2019 Turkish Super Cup.

His pace regressed with age, but he still showed that he could make an impact if he was bothered. A late flurry from 2017-21 saw Babel reinstated in the Netherlands national team after six years of exile. His last game came against Gibraltar in 2021, capping the end of an intriguing late-career renaissance.

Taking his foot off the gas ever further with yet another mini-Ajax return, Babel looks to have settled with his career ending in Turkey. Plying his trade in the second tier with Eyupspor since 2021, of course there will have been reflective moments. The ifs and buts. Yet, what no one can take away from the attacker, is that he did it his way and no one else's. And hey, at 36 years old with five goals in 29 – the veteran winger could move on again. You know what he's like. Fire up the #BabelCopter for one final ride…

Australia will tone down their sledging under new Test captain Tim Paine as the team try to repair their damaged reputation following the ball-tampering controversy in South Africa which led to three players being handed significant bans.Paine was named the new Test captain when Steven Smith was suspended for the final Test in Johannesburg and Smith was subsequently handed a 12-month ban along with David Warner while Cameron Bancroft was given a nine-month penalty.Paine’s first proper chance to build a new-look side, both in terms of personnel and style, will come against Pakistan later this year but he is already thinking about the direction he wants to take the team. Cricket Australia have instigated a culture review following the recent events, but discussions about toning down on-field behaviour which had brought significant criticism before the Cape Town controversy had started when Smith was in charge.”I think there’s always a time and a place to talk to your opposition, but I think what’s said and how it’s said will be very different going forward,” Paine said. “A lot of this stuff we were actually starting to speak about under Steve already. A lot of the players had their head around the fact we needed to change the way we play. Some of those conversations were already being had.”I’m really looking forward to playing that role and winning back the trust and respect of our fans and the Australian public first and foremost. That’s a really exciting thing for our playing group.”Dean Elgar, who was part of the South Africa side throughout the series, admitted it was an odd atmosphere during the final Test of the series as a flat Australia were crushed by 492 runs and he hoped that Paine would be able to put his stamp on the captaincy.”Joburg was very strange, my first encounter against Australia that I wasn’t told my future,” Elgar said. “But saying that it’s part of the game, they’d been through so much leading up to the game, and it was sad to see what they were going through. No side needs to go through what they experienced, and knowing the characters in that changing room, I’m sure they can bounce back”I’d like to believe that’s the way they want to play their cricket, and if that’s their challenge that they have to deal with then we’ve got to respect what their new captain wants. I know Tim, I’ve played a lot of cricket against him, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to try to implement those kind of phases that they need to start off a new slate.”Another part of the fallout to the affair was Darren Lehmann stepping down as coach. Justin Langer has been tipped as favourite to take over but Cricket Australia have said the process will be started following a forthcoming board meeting. There will also be the need for new one-day and T20 captains in time for the tours of England and Zimbabwe which start in June with Paine only taking on the Test role.”We’ll have a new coach going forward, we’re going to have some time off where guys can take stock and think about the way they want to play,” Paine said. “Certainly, playing international cricket you’ve got to be as competitive as you can be. But we’ve got to look at different ways of doing that and more respectful ways of putting opposition teams under the pump.”Part of what we spoke about a lot is playing on skill, not emotion. I think in the last couple of years at times we’ve been a touch too emotional and got carried away on that side of the game. That’s a small thing we can improve on.”Paine also said he has kept in contact with Smith since he was banned and will continue to do so during his time out of the side.”I have a role to play of winning the back the trust and faith of our fans and the Australian public. I have spoken to him on the phone and via text. He’s someone who I certainly will be speaking quite closely to on how we go about it and keeping him in the loop. All three of them are going through a tough time and our thoughts are with those guys and we would love them back in the team.”However, in the longer term Paine believed the Australian game could recover from the controversy without lasting damage as he looked ahead to a home season that would include visits by India and Sri Lanka.”I don’t think it’s as disastrous as it’s been made out,” he said. “We’ve had this incident which has brought everything to a head. During the Ashes there wasn’t a lot said about our culture and looking back it’s just a few little things we can tweak and do a little bit better as a team.”If we do that then I think the Australian public will jump back on board pretty quickly. That’s one of our main aims for this coming summer.”