Manchester City are in Cardiff this weekend for the Community Shield clash with Arsenal

Manchester City head to Cardiff this weekend for the Community Shield with Arsenal in Enzo Maresca’s first match in charge of the Blues on British soil.

City played three friendlies across Hong Kong and South Korea and returned to Manchester on Monday ahead of the domestic campaign.

The Premier League begins next weekend when Bournemouth visit the Etihad and while many feel the Community Shield is nothing more than a glorified friendly, Maresca has spoken of his desire to take home the trophy on Sunday afternoon.

He may have to do so without a host of key players with those City players who returned from their post-World Cup break this week unlikely to start.

Gianluigi Donnarumma is a certain starter in goal and the makeup of the back four will be interesting. Ruben Dias is set to captain the Blues from centre back and Abdukodir Khusanov could play alongside him, allowing for Josko Gvardiol to play at left back with Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi only just back in full training. Matheus Nunes seems nailed on at right back.

There will be a Rodri-sized hole in the midfield with the Spain international expected to join Barcelona this month. In any event, he only returned to Manchester on Friday having undergone minor back surgery and won’t be featuring this weekend. The game could come too soon for Elliot Anderson, and Tijjani Reijnders is moving to the Saudi Pro League so City are light on central midfielders. It’s perhaps two from Nico Gonzalez, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic and it might be the latter two who get the nod.

Antoine Semenyo is a certain starter on the flank having shone on the pre-season tour of Asia and if it’s too soon for those who missed the trip to Hong Kong and Korea then Maresca will be showing his hand with his pick on the opposite side.

Savinho played plenty in pre-season but missed training on Thursday through illness and is the subject of transfer interest from Tottenham. Jack Grealish is back in full training but still seems set to move on this summer and is only just back in team training having recovered from a foot issue that he picked up on loan at Everton last season.

That could open the door for Rayan Ait-Nouri to play high and wide, having scored twice in pre-season, particularly if Omar Marmoush is needed to lead the line with Erling Haaland not expected to play from the start. Phil Foden can complete the XI with the likes of Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki options from the bench as they ease back into club life.

City predicted XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic, Foden; Semenyo, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush

Soon after pushing Sri Lanka debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha to mid-off for a single, Devdutt Padikkal leapt in joy. He had just scored his maiden Test century — in his third Test and fourth innings — and earned a warm hug from India captain Shubman Gill, along with applause from chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

The fluent 134-ball hundred capped a fine comeback for Padikkal, who returned to the Test side after 22 months because of an injury to Sai Sudharsan. His unbeaten 131 (178b, 12×4, 1×6) helped India reach a commanding 288-2 on a rain-hit opening day of the first Test in Galle.

‘DDP’ also became the first Indian batter to score a Test century on Independence Day. Padikkal’s ton ended India’s 19-Test, 35-innings wait for a century from No. 3 — the last coming from Gill against Bangladesh in 2024 — and strengthened his case for a longer run at the pivotal position, even after Sudharsan returns.

More significantly, the 26-year-old showed that he could be the batter India need to counter their recent struggles against spin. He used his feet, rocked back quickly in the crease and employed his wrists effectively to neutralise Sri Lanka’s spinners. Padikkal had offered a glimpse of his form when he smashed an unbeaten 142 off 164 balls in India’s only warm-up game in Colombo. The left-hander, appointed Karnataka captain in Jan this year, has also been in prolific form in domestic cricket.

India, however, lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (32) to a needless run-out and Gill (16) to a poor shot against Prabath Jayasuriya. They were rescued by Padikkal and KL Rahul, who added 150 off 255 balls for the second wicket before Rahul retired hurt with cramps at tea.

Replacing Rahul, Gill struck a couple of elegant cover drives before throwing his wicket away, while Rishabh Pant kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 27. Pant and Padikkal added 52 for the third wicket in 67 balls.

Gill had opted to bat after winning the toss in India’s landmark 600th Test, which is also Galle’s 50th. India picked wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel ahead of Sarfaraz Khan. Padikkal and Rahul, who have batted together regularly for Karnataka, complemented each other beautifully.

Padikkal reached his third Test fifty off 81 balls, while Rahul brought up his 21st Test half-century from 127 balls. The Galle surface offered little assistance to the spinners, and the pair neutralised Sri Lanka’s main weapon, Jayasuriya, after he was introduced in the 10th over.

Amanda Anisimova of the United States celebrates match point during a match against Zeynep Sonmez of Turkiye in day five of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines — World number 10 Amanda Anisimova is unfazed by Alex Eala’s massive crowd support ahead of their third-round duel at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio.

Despite playing on home turf, the ninth-seed American expects to see a stadium filled with more fans rallying behind the WTA Tour’s hottest draw in Eala.

Anisimova also sees herself thriving in the high-energy atmosphere, which was once described by four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka as “more like a basketball game” than a tennis match.

READ: Alex Eala faces Amanda Anisimova in Cincinnati Open third round

“She has a great fan base. And it looks like an incredible atmosphere every time she steps out to play a match. I’m really, really looking forward to it,” Anisimova said in the post-game show.

“I love a packed stadium and I love a good atmosphere. I’m sure it will be a great match, even though they will probably gonna be rooting more for her end. But I don’t mind it and I’ll try to thrive off of the energy.”

Anisimova and Eala clash late Monday night, with the winner projected to take on Wimbledon champion and sixth seed Linda Noskova in the round of 16.

After booting out Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez, 6-2, 6-3, Anisimova heaped praise on the Filipino star, who beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round.

READ: Alex Eala through to Cincinnati Open third round as Ruse retires

“I haven’t played her (Eala) before. She’s been having such an incredible season, an incredible year. [A] very great player with a lot of fans, so I’m really looking forward to that,” said Anisimova during the post-match interview.

The 24-year-old Anisimova is a four-time WTA Tour titlist, highlighted by a pair of Masters victories in Qatar and China last season. She also finished runner-up in the US Open and Wimbledon last year.

The former World No. 3 reached the quarterfinal of the Australian Open this season and in 2019, became the youngest French Open semifinalist at 17 years old.

Eala is playing her second straight WTA 1000 tournament in her North American swing, following a round-of-16 exit at the Canadian Open and a breakthrough title run in the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.

The 2026 Community Shield is being played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for the first time in 20 years due to the match clashing with The Weeknd’s tour dates at Wembley.

The match between the Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, which this year pits Arsenal against Manchester City, is traditionally played at Wembley, but the iconic stadium was unavailable on Sunday 16 August “due to pre-planned concerts”, as revealed by the FA back in March.

The Weeknd is playing five dates at Wembley between 14 and 19 August, with “The Home of Football” being chosen to stage his London performances.

The forced change has brought the Community Shield back to the venue that hosted six editions between 2001 and 2006 while the new-look Wembley was under construction.

“We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the FA Community Shield back to Principality Stadium,” said Welsh Rugby Union chief financial and operating officer Gavin Marshall. “This fixture has a special place in the stadium’s history and to be hosting it again for the first time in 20 years is a tremendously proud moment for everyone here.

“Principality Stadium has built its reputation on delivering world-class events and creating truly special occasions for fans, and this is no different.

“We know from experience the atmosphere this stadium generates when it is at capacity, and we are fully committed to ensuring supporters of both clubs have an unforgettable experience on 16 August. This is exactly the kind of occasion this stadium was made for, and we cannot wait to welcome everyone to Cardiff.”

Liverpool and Arsenal both lifted two titles during the match’s six-year stint in the Welsh capital, while Manchester United and Chelsea also triumphed in 2003 and 2005 respectively.

The 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium will also stage the opening match of Euro 2028, which is being co-hosted by England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Since returning to Wembley in 2007, the Community Shield has moved twice – to Villa Park in 2012 due to the Olympics and the King Power Stadium in 2022 as the national stadium hosted the Women’s European Championship final, which was won by the Lionesses.

The season’s “curtain-raiser” between Arsenal and City will take place five days before the Premier League campaign begins on Friday 21 August, which will see Mikel Arteta’s defending champions host newly-promoted Coventry.

White praised Garry as talented and classy, but said the latter has no place during a fight

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The Indian athletics team will undergo a short acclimatisation camp at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan in September-October.

In June this year, the Sports Authority of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Tsukuba to facilitate participation of Indian athletes, coaches, and sports scientists in specialised training and exchange programmes in Japan.

Tsukuba is around 80kms from Tokyo and 420km from Nagoya where the track and field events will be held from September 23 to 29.

The national team will leave for Japan after competing in the invitational Indian Athletics Final Series in New Delhi on September 10.

“The team will leave for Japan either on September 12 or 13 and will train at the University of Tsukuba to acclimatise to the conditions,” a top Athletics Federation of India (AFI) official told PTI.

Meanwhile, the Asian Games-bound Indian athletes, who were training at Jablonec in Czech Republic, are returning home in a day or two to have another short training stint at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar where the Indian Open World Athletics Silver Level Continental Tour event will be held on August 22.

A host of top Indian athletes are set to take part in the one-day event in Bhubaneswar, including the likes of Commonwealth Games medallist long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, women’s national record holder long jumper Ancy Sojan, ace 100m hurdles runner Jyothi Yarraji, top sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur as well as javelin thrower Kishore Jena.

Two-time Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is not expected to feature in Bhubaneswar as he is competing at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21.

‘AFI has sent Asian Games team list to IOA’ 
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An AFI official said that the federation has sent the Asian Games team to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as soon as the National Inter-State Championships ended in Bhubaneswar on June 28. The team picked by the AFI is more than 68 who represented the country in the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023.

“We have sent the Asian Games team to the IOA on the night of June 28 itself, just after the end of events at the National Inter-State Championships,” the official said.

“We have picked more than 72 athletes. We have done our part of job.

Bangladesh players pose for a team photo as they celebrate after defeating Australia on day four of the first cricket test in Darwin, Australia, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

NEW DELHI: It was fitting that Mominul Haque hit the winning runs for Bangladesh’s nine-wicket win over Australia in Darwin. The diminutive southpaw had also struck the winning run at Mount Maunganui against New Zealand in 2022, which was another historic Test win for Bangladesh. It was during Mominul’s captaincy that the fast-bowling revolution started in Bangladesh, and now it is bearing fruit.Interestingly, it was the words of wisdom from former India captain Virat Kohli in 2019, after the pink-ball Test in Kolkata, which fuelled the changes in Bangladesh cricket.During the post-match press conference, Kohli had talked about India and the BCCI’s measures to push Test cricket forward. He had talked about “total commitment” from the players but also reiterated the importance of matching that demand with improved contracts for Test players in the country.

“If you look at our contracts system as well, a lot of importance has been given to Test cricketers. I think all things have to coincide and I think every cricket nation that has done that are invariably the ones that are playing strong Test cricket. Their hearts and minds are totally in sync with keeping Test cricket on top. You can’t tell the players you have to be committed to playing Test cricket but contractually we won’t do anything for you. Because we’re professional players, we earn a living as well. As long as Test cricket is displayed or said to be the most important format, everything around that has to happen in the same manner,” Kohli had said.“You have so many people coming up and playing white-ball cricket but Test specialists are very difficult to find. Only someone who has gone through the grind for five-six years in first-class cricket, and are still continuing to do so, are the ones that eventually make it. So yeah, the players need to be taken care of but at the same time the players need to respond in a manner that they’re giving 120 percent every Test match. I think as long as teams are willing to do that, and cricket boards are willing to do that, Test cricket will always be on top.”

Darwin, Aug 16 (IANS) Bangladesh has completed one of the most stunning upsets in men’s Test cricket history on Sunday by thrashing top-ranked Australia by nine wickets in the series opener at Marrara Oval on Sunday.

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The bruises from that pink-ball Test did not sit well with Mominul, but he learnt the lesson from the then captain of the World No. 1 Test team. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) introduced contracts for Test cricketers, while Mominul, along with Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and current chief selector, who was then a member of the selection panel, charted out plans to change the National Cricket League (NCL), the country’s biggest four-day competition.The BCB told curators across the country to leave six millimetres (mm) of grass on the pitches, but it used to die down after Day 1, and then the spinners would call the shots. Mominul did not lose hope. He pushed the board to leave a slightly longer grass cover of eight to 10 mm, and they started playing with Duke balls.

I think a lot of credit should go to then captain Mominul Haque. I still remember in first-class games he used to make sure that the fast bowlers bowled the maximum overs.

Tamim Iqbal | BCB president

The major change was also inspired by Virat Kohli’s fast-bowling cartel. In Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India had a good crop of fast bowlers, and even the third pacer was as relentless as their strike bowlers.Taking a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Mominul had the BCB instruct all eight first-class teams that they must play with three pacers in every match.Mominul’s persistence with this strategy surprised many, including former Bangladesh captain and current Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal.

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Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh takes a selfie with fans after defeating Australia on day four of the first cricket test in Darwin, Australia, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

“I think a lot of credit should go to then captain Mominul Haque,” Tamim had told TimesofIndia.com earlier this year.“I still remember in first-class games he used to make sure that the fast bowlers bowled the maximum overs. I remember one first-class game because he and I used to play for the same team, and I went to him and said we could easily bowl spinners. He said, ‘No, if I do not make these fast bowlers bowl now, how are they going to learn? Regardless of whether they are doing well or not, we need fast bowlers in the national team and they need to bowl as much as possible.‘“I think he was the main guy who changed the fast bowling unit. He gave maximum importance to the fast bowlers and made sure that they bowled maximum overs in domestic and international cricket. When the fast bowlers started getting success, domestic players and young kids started believing that even in Bangladesh you can become a fast bowler, get success and become a superstar. A lot of credit must go to Mominul Haque and, along the way, coaches like Allan Donald and Ottis Gibson also played a big part.“

When the fast bowlers started getting success, domestic players and young kids started believing that even in Bangladesh you can become a fast bowler, get success and become a superstar.

Tamim Iqbal | BCB president

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Mominul’s decision to give young pacers extended spells included Hasan Mahmud, who would go on to produce a stunning performance against Australia in Darwin on Thursday, etching his name into one of the most memorable days in Bangladesh’s Test history.

Bangladesh in control of first Test against Australia after pacer Hasan Mahmud’s six wicket haul

Hasan delivered a masterclass in red-ball bowling, displaying remarkable discipline with his lines and lengths throughout the day. His persistence was rewarded with career-best figures of 6-55. He followed it up with 3-56 and was rightly adjudged player of the match.The three-pacers gambit worked. And with the likes of Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and the 150kph speedster Nahid Rana in their ranks, Bangladesh’s fast-bowling cartel is scary and on the rise. And it all started during Virat Kohli’s press conference at Eden Gardens, which propelled the revolution in Bangladesh cricket.