Salah future in doubt as he slams Liverpool for 'throwing him under the bus'

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah said he had been "thrown under the bus" as he tore into the club over his treatment and signalled a potential exit after watching from the bench as they were held to a 3-3 Premier League draw with Leeds United on Saturday, Reuters reported. 

In his incendiary post-match comments, the 33-year-old Egyptian lashed out at the club and coach Arne Slot, telling journalists he felt he had been scapegoated for their poor start to the season and suggesting that he may not have long left at Anfield.

"I'm very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club, everybody can see that during the years and especially last season," Salah told reporters in the post-match mixed zone before taking aim at the club's leadership, according to Reuters. 

Messi's double assist inspires Inter Miami to maiden MLS Cup title

Inter Miami secured their first MLS Cup crown on Saturday, beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3–1 at Chase Stadium as Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende struck late from a pair of Lionel Messi assists, Reuters reported. 

Despite Thomas Mueller driving a Vancouver side that controlled long stretches and created the better chances, the final ultimately swung on the Argentine's influence, as he secured his first MLS league title and capped his finest season on American soil.

"This was one of our main goals," Messi, who was named MVP, said, according to Reuters. 

Nepal Premier League: Kathmandu Gorkhas make it to the playoffs

Kathmandu Gorkhas have become the second team to reach the playoffs in the second edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) underway in the capital. The Sudurpaschim Royals had reached the playoffs before this.

In today's match, Kathmandu defeated Pokhara Avengers by 13 runs to secure a place in the playoffs.

Pokhara, chasing the target of 166 runs set by Kathmandu, were all out for 152 runs in 20 overs. 

Rishi Dhawan of Pokhara hit a maximum of 54 runs but it was not enough to secure victory.

In bowling, Shahab Alam took six wickets including a hat-trick for Kathmandu.

Earlier, in the match held at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Stadium in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, having lost the toss, batted first and scored 165 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs. 

Ben Charlesworth and Bhim Sarki played a half-century innings for Kathmandu. Ben was out for 64 and Bhim for 55.

Dhananjay Lakshan took four wickets while captain Kushal Bhurtel took two wickets for Pokhara.

With this win, Kathmandu have reached the playoffs with 10 points while Pokhara have four points from six games. 

Pokhara now have one game remaining.

 

 

Preliminary Nepali team for Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier announced

Nepal's preliminary team to play the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier has been announced.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced the preliminary team of 26-member today.

The team includes Indu Barma, Rajmati Airee, Sita Rana Magar, Samjhana Khadka, Kabita Joshi, Riya Sharma, Somu Bista, Rachana Chaudhary, Rubi Podar, Poooja Mahato, Kabita Kunwar, Rubina Kshetry, Sana Prabin, Alisha Yadav, Iswori Bista, Roma Thapa, Soni Pakhrin, Bindu Rawal, Laxmi Saud, Manisha Upadhyay, Simana KC, Anu Kadayat, Kajol Shrestha, Kiran Kunwar, Asmina Karmacharya, and Mamata Chaudhary, CAN informed. 

The team will begin the closed door training session at Mulpani Cricket Ground from Friday onward. 

After the closed door training, the final team of Nepal will be announced.

A total of 10 countries will participate in the global qualifier to be held in Nepal from January 12 to February 1. 

Four top countries among them will be selected for the Women T20 World Cup to be held in England in June 2026. 

The Group 'A' of global Qualifier includes Ireland, Scotland, Thailand, the United States and Zimbabwe while Group 'B' has Nepal along with Bangladesh, Namibia, the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea.