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Liverpool go top after 2-1 comeback win over Brighton – ARN News Centre

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Striker Mohamed Salah scored the winner as Liverpool came back from a goal down to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 and go top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s showdown with Arsenal later on Sunday.

Salah’s sublime second-half strike leaves Liverpool on 67 points, three ahead of second-placed Arsenal and four ahead of City on a pivotal day in the title race.

The Egyptian striker tormented Brighton, taking 12 shots to notch up his highest total in a Premier League game and, even though only one of them found the back of the net, it was to prove vital.

Danny Welbeck gave Brighton the lead after 84 seconds when his side broke up a Liverpool attack and burst forward to find him just inside the box and he drilled an unstoppable shot past Caoimhin Kelleher to break the deadlock.

The early goal jolted Liverpool into life and Luis Diaz put them level in the 27th minute after Joel Veltman’s attempted clearance went awry, allowing the Colombian winger to steal in behind the defence and hook the ball home.

Liverpool’s suffocating pressure and incisive attacking paid dividends again when Alexis Mac Allister teed up Salah to fire them into the lead.

Diaz thought he had put the Reds 3-1 up six minutes later but his goal was ruled out for a razor-thin offside that was confirmed by the VAR and Salah went close on the break in the 74th minute, but fired his effort straight at the keeper.

Brighton substitute and former Liverpool player Adam Lallana dragged a shot wide in the 86th minute, and Salah forced a brilliant diving one-handed save from Bart Verbruggen in the final minute of normal time as Liverpool held on to win, much to the delight of Mac Allister, another former Seagull.

“We didn’t start as we wanted but it was an amazing game. We played against an unbelievable team. I know them very well, I know what they can do and it was a tough match, but in the end we won it and we are very happy,” he told Sky Sports.

“I would rather not concede so early but the mentality of the boys is amazing and that is what you need when you are 1-0 down, and today we showed it again. But next time we have to start the game winning, not losing,” he added.

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We’re on par with ICC elite panel standards: Simon Taufel on DP World ILT20 officiating excellence

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The DP World ILT20 continues to grow as the region’s premier tournament, not just for players but also for match officials. With the competition bringing together top-tier talent from around the world, ensuring high-quality officiating is just as crucial as the performances on the field. Australian umpire Simon Taufel, a five-time ICC Umpire of the Year, led the DP World ILT20 Season 3 match officials panel. Taufel has been instrumental in mentoring and guiding the officiating team with an aim of raising the standard of umpiring within the tournament.

Highlighting the significance of the DP World ILT20 and his role within, Taufel said, “This tournament is about growing cricket in the United Arab Emirates, and officiating is part of that objective. My role is to support the umpires, referees, and the officiating landscape here by helping create a pathway for their development and giving them access to international standards, just like the players.”

Officiating Standards at DP World ILT20

Ensuring high-quality officiating requires constant evaluation and benchmarking against global standards. Taufel provided insight into how the umpires have performed in the tournament, revealing impressive accuracy rates. “On average in this tournament, umpires have gotten 92% of their decisions right. Players only get their reviews right 22% of the time, while umpires make the correct initial decision 92% of the time. If you asked coaches and players whether they’d be happy with 9 out of 10 correct decisions, most would say yes. The ICC elite panel average is around 92-93%, which shows we are on par with that standard”, he concluded.

The Passion of UAE Officials

Match officials from the UAE, including the likes of Shiju Mannil, Akbar Khan, and Asif Iqbal played a crucial role in the tournament. Taufel was particularly impressed by their eagerness to develop their skills and adapt to the high standards of international officiating.

He said, “The passion of the officials here is like that across the subcontinent—they are incredibly enthusiastic and eager to learn. They aspire to officiate on television at the international level, and they are extremely coachable. One of our key efforts this year is to provide them with more resources to support their development. It requires significant investment and effort, particularly in performance management.”

Building on this, he explained the structured approach taken to ensure the progress and assessment of umpires, “We provide all our match officials with match-day reports for every game. I did 17 matches, and Roshan Mahanama also did 17. After each match, we compiled reports on the two on-field umpires and the third umpire—that’s a substantial amount of feedback and information.”

He further added, “We also created a development structure around the pre-tournament phase. We have a preparation day with the officials, covering playing regulations, interpretations, culture development, teamwork, and support on and off the field. It’s a lot of work, and most people don’t see that. But it’s what you do when no one is watching that makes you successful.”

The Role of Specialist TV Umpires and DRS

The DP World ILT20 has embraced the Decision Review System (DRS) to assist in ensuring accurate decision-making. For the second consecutive season, specialist TV umpires, including Paul Wilson and Leslie Reifer, were assigned to process reviews efficiently. Speaking on the significance of this role and the pressures that it brings on on-field umpires as well, Taufel remarked, “I think we all enjoy the theatre and drama of seeing a decision reviewed on the big screen. One of the key aspects we’ve introduced in this competition is specialist TV umpires who can process DRS reviews quickly and efficiently. For an umpire, having a decision dissected in front of thousands at the venue and millions watching at home can be an embarrassing experience. They have to process that instant feedback and refocus immediately, which requires immense mental strength. In fact, most of our game is mental, 99% of it.”

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Abu Dhabi T10 confirms 2025 dates for ninth edition

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The Abu Dhabi T10 will return to the majestic Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi for its seventh season in the emirate on Tuesday 18 November – Sunday 30 November 2025.

The announcement comes just two months after the thrilling conclusion of the 2024 tournament, where Jos Buttler and the Deccan Gladiators triumphed in a dramatic eight-wicket victory over Morrisville Samp Army to claim their third title, cementing their position as the most successful team in T10 history.

“We are thrilled to confirm the dates for the 2025 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10,” said Matt Boucher, CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub. “Together with our strategic partners at Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, we made a strategic commitment in 2019 to develop this international cricket event and showcase the emirate of Abu Dhabi to the wider world. The 2024 edition delivered our strongest player field to date and another impressive season of domestic and international spectator and viewership interest.”

He continued, “As we move forward, we are focused on bringing even more innovation and creativity to the tournament, while further establishing Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a world-class destination for international sport.”

“Last year’s Abu Dhabi T10 was a wonderful blend of cricket and entertainment,” said T10 Global Chairman Shaji Ul Mulk.

“That came on the back of yet more expansion for the tournament to ten teams. The Abu Dhabi T10 has established itself as an important fixture on the UAE Cricket calendar, one that provides the UAE players with a fantastic opportunity to continue growing their skill set. With the announcement of the upcoming dates for 2025, we look forward to another world-class, highly engaging 12-day tournament.”

Since its inception in Abu Dhabi, the T10 has become a flagship event, firmly establishing itself as a standout fixture on both the UAE’s sporting calendar and the global cricket schedule. The 2025 edition will once again showcase the dynamic nature of cricket’s fastest format and provide UAE players with an invaluable platform to further develop their skills.

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“More than 10,000 runs scored this season shows the step-up in quality of cricket,” says DP World ILT20 CEO David White

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Following the success of DP World ILT20 Season 3 which concluded on 9th February with Dubai Capitals crowned the new champions, league CEO David White expressed delight over the quality of matches, edge-of-the-seat thrillers to the showdown. The grand finale, with a packed stadium, was a testimony to world-class competition as Dubai Capitals chased down the target of 190 runs set by Desert Vipers with just four balls to spare, leaving fans enthralled till the very end.

“I think what summarizes the success of season 3 is the excitement, world class players, and some of the matches going down to the wire. No doubt, this season has been a big step up in the quality of cricket, the scores have reflected that.”

For the first time in DP World ILT20, over 400 (430) sixes were scored and a total of 10,352 runs amassed by the batters in season 3 underscoring the high-octane matches in the star-studded league.

“More than 10,000 runs were scored this season, and we saw some standout individual performances too. The quality of cricket is also largely due to the quality of the pitches we had at our three tournament venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.”

In addition, he emphasised on the teams developing their own innate personality and team ethos. “The teams, after three seasons, are developing their own culture, personality and it is really coming through. What I am extremely pleased about is the competitiveness on the field, players are passionate and are really into it,” he expressed.

The season witnessed individual brilliance with in-form Shai Hope of Dubai Capitals winning the Green Belt for best batter, MI Emirates Fazalhaq Farooqi claiming the White Belt for best bowler and Sam Curran taking home the Red Belt as MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the season.

Among some of the standout moments this season was home-grown prodigy Aayan Afzal Khan of Gulf Giants picking up four for 16 runs against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – making it the best figures for a UAE player in the DP World ILT20. The previous record was held by Zuhaib Zuhair with 4 for 22 for Gulf Giants against Sharjah Warriors in the previous season.

UAE’s Farhan Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Aryan Lakra and the experienced Muhammad Waseem too hogged the limelight this season with impressive performances that promises to aide their career with the national squad.    

Elaborating on the impact DP World ILT20 has on developing cricket in UAE, White said, “DP World ILT20 plays a number of roles, from a community standpoint. It’s a great way to connect with the community, we do that with the children playing before the game, the children’s performance to the anthem, and we have a vibrant fan zone for families to come and enjoy together. Using the ILT20 brand to connect with the communities has been very good this season.

From a high-performance point of view, White said, “DP World ILT20 is a critical contributor in the performance programme for the UAE players. I think after season 2, the UAE national team definitely improved, they qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in eight years. In the third season, the young bowlers have particularly been impressive and for them to be able to out-perform on the international stage and learn from great coaches and players is only good for the UAE national side.”

Future looks bright for DP World ILT20:

The CEO of DP World ILT20, which is the second most-watched cricket league in the world, exuded optimism for upcoming editions and went on to add that increasing the number of UAE players and Associate Member Nations players is realistic. He said, “We are past the start-up stage and I’m very positive of the future. We are starting to see young children back their favourite teams and there is a stable following. We are very conscious of connecting with the community and this year our social media numbers are phenomenal, and in association with Zee, the broadcast numbers are looking very good too.”   

“In my personal opinion, over time, the natural progression of this league is to expand into the Greater Gulf region. We have got so many Gulf nations with cricket fans, and at some stage the expansion could happen. And there is a very strong chance, in the near future, for more than two UAE players and Associate Member nations players to be in the squad.”

On having Indian representation in the league for the following editions, White said, “Everyone knows the rules with the BCCI and everyone respects it. If a retired Indian player is granted release from BCCI and if they are still competitive internationally then of course we would like for them to play in the league,” he concluded.

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