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England captain Harry Kane has paid his respects on Remembrance Sunday with a heartfelt tribute as ceremonies take place across the United Kingdom. The Bayern Munich striker took to social media to post a classy message in honour of those who have died in wars around the world, with a minute's silence to be observed across Premier League and Women's Super League fixtures.

People gather across the UK to pay respects on Remembrance Sunday

Each year people across the UK come together to remember those who have fallen in conflicts across the world. Ceremonies take place on the second Sunday of November, which is known as Remembrance Sunday.

On their website, The Royal British Legion says: "Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. We remember the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, the vital role played by the emergency services and those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism."

King Charles III and other senior royals and political leaders are gathering for the national memorial service at the Cenotaph in central London on Sunday. Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion's march past Whitehall, alongside around 20 World War Two veterans.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEngland captain Kane posts classy message to those who have died

And ahead of the Cenotaph Parade, England skipper Kane has issued a heartfelt message on social media. 

In a post on Instagram, the Three Lions forward wrote: "Today we honour and respect those who sacrificed themselves for our country and future. I’m proud today and always to be an ambassador for the Tommy Club, supporting our veterans in so many amazing ways. Lest we forget. We will remember them."

On their website, The Tommy Club describes itself as: "The Tommy Club is an annual charity subscription to support some of the nation’s most vulnerable veterans. There has never been a more important time for us to commit our support to ex-military personnel. Ex-service men and women will receive support from funds raised by members. The Tommy Club raises funds for the various divisions of Royal British Legion Industries whilst offering its Champions exclusive opportunities, content and more."

AFPMinute's silence will be held across Premier League and WSL fixtures

To honour those who have died, a minute’s silence will also be held across Premier League and Women’s Super League fixtures on Sunday.

Ahead of their game against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City have confirmed their plans to honour Remembrance Sunday, saying: "Prior to the match, a service will take place in the Club’s Memorial Garden, where Mike Summerbee will lay a wreath alongside members of the Former Players Association and the Club’s Chaplain.

"Then, ahead of kick-off, Manager Pep Guardiola will lay a wreath pitch side followed by a performance of the Last Post and a minute’s silence, observed by all in attendance.

"All our Men’s First Team will wear a poppy on their shirts, and those worn by City players during the game will be donated and auctioned via Match Worn Shirt, with proceeds going to the Royal British Legion to raise money for the charity; as will the shirts worn by City players during last weekend’s home fixture against Bournemouth."

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Kane to return home after being named in England squad for November games

Bayern forward Kane will return home next week after being included in England’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania on Thursday, 13 November and Sunday, 16 November respectively.

They are the Three Lions’ final two competitive games before the 2026 World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel’s men having already secured their place at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

England are currently top of Group K after winning all six of their qualifiers so far, booking their place at the World Cup after defeating Latvia 5-0 on 14 October. Kane netted a brace while Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze scored either side of an own goal from Latvia’s Maksims Tonisevs at the Daugava Stadium in Riga.

The details of the proposal Chelsea are willing to offer for FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen have now been revealed.

Robert Sanchez has received his fair share of criticism this season, with the goalkeeper being brandished an early red card in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United, but he has since returned to form, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

Speaking after the match, Sanchez said: “I feel confident, I am fit and at my best. I have always felt settled because the club always told me I am No. 1.

“But on a personal level and my performance I have to say yes (this is the most settled he has been at Chelsea).”

However, the Blues continue to be linked with new goalkeepers, with it being revealed they were offered the opportunity to sign Barcelona’s Ter Stegen at the end of October, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of the German.

Chelsea willing to submit proposal for Ter Stegen

According to a report from Spain, Chelsea are now willing to offer to pay 75% of the Barca shot-stopper’s salary to secure his signature in the coming days, although the loan move would have to wait until the January transfer window opens.

The La Liga club are willing to sanction a departure this winter, with the 33-year-old potentially set to join the Blues on an initial loan deal, before making a permanent move to Stamford Bridge for a fee of €10m (£9m) in the summer.

The veteran goalkeeper would welcome a move to a new club, given that he is keen to receive more game time ahead of the World Cup next summer, with the lack of opportunities at Barcelona jeopardising his chances of being Germany’s starting goalkeeper.

The 44-time Germany international has fallen down the pecking order at the Camp Nou and is yet to make an appearance this season, so it would be understandable if he decides to move on in January, ahead of what could be his final World Cup.

Having established himself at the top level, the £281k-a-week Barcelona man could also be an upgrade on Sanchez, with journalist Graeme Bailey saying: “Ter Stegen is world-class, and if there is a chance to bolster your ranks with a player of this calibre for the second half of the season, I think he is a fascinating option for a number of sides in January.”

The former Borussia Monchengladbach star is vastly experienced in Europe, having made 85 Champions League appearances, while he also knows what it takes to win major trophies, lifting 19 major honours with Barcelona.

As such, Ter Stegen could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea, who arguably need to bring in older players with experience of winning trophies if they are going to become title contenders.

Chelsea ready to bid for Vinicius Jr alongside Ter Stegen

Bid ready: What BlueCo think about bringing Vinícius Júnior to Chelsea

The Blues have identified the man they want to become the face of their Stamford Bridge project.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Nov 1, 2025

أعلن المستشار أحمد عبد الحميد بودي، رئيس اللجنة القضائية المشرفة على الجمعية العمومية العادية لنادي الزمالك ونائب رئيس هيئة النيابة الإدارية، عن عدم اكتمال النصاب القانوني لصحة انعقاد الجمعية العمومية العادية المقامة اليوم بمقر القلعة البيضاء، بعد تسجيل 1128 عضوا.

وبناء عليه يكلف مجلس الزمالك بجميع الاختصاصات فيما عدا بند الميزانية، حيث يتم إرساله إلى الجهة الإدارية المختصة، لإرسالها للجهاز المركزي للمحاسبات.

وضمت اللجنة القضائية المشرفة على عملية التسجيل في الجمعية العمومية العادية لنادي الزمالك كلًا من: “المستشار محمد سامح – المستشار محمد يسري – المستشار حسن الغزاوي – المستشار هشام قطب”.

طالع | تشكيل الزمالك أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة المصرية

وحرص الكابتن حسين لبيب رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي، على التواجد في الجمعية العمومية العادية للقلعة البيضاء، ومتابعة سير إجراءات التسجيل بالجمعية قبل غلقها في السابعة من مساء اليوم.

كما حرص على التواجد كل من المهندس هشام نصر نائب رئيس النادي، وحسين السيد وهاني شكري وهاني برزي وعمرو أدهم ومحمد طارق ورامي نصوحي وأحمد خالد حسانين أعضاء مجلس الإدارة.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vitória já tem um treinador definido para a próxima temporada. Em entrevista coletiva concedida à imprensa, no Barradão, o presidente Fábio Mota confirmou a permanência de Jair Ventura por mais um ano.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVitóriaVitória tem temporada agonizante, se reinventa e fica na elite por um fioVitória09/12/2025VitóriaVeja artilheiro, garçom e números do Vitória na temporada 2025Vitória10/12/2025

✅ Clique aqui e siga o canal do Leão no WhatsApp para ficar por dentro das últimas notícias

— Peço desculpas pelos erros cometidos pela gestão, sempre foi tentando acertar. Mas vamos melhorar em 2026, já temos uma base montada. Por isso eu queria comunicar a todos que nós renovamos com o treinador Jair Ventura, que será nosso técnico por mais um ano. Esse era o principal objetivo dessa coletiva — declarou Mota antes mesmo do início das perguntas.

Contratado no final do mês de setembro para tentar salvar o time da zona de rebaixamento, Jair Ventura confirmou seu status de “bombeiro”, organizou a equipe e comandou a arrancada na reta final que manteve o Rubro-Negro na elite do futebol brasileiro. Depois da vitória contra o São Paulo no último domingo, a equipe fechou a Série A na 15ª posição, com 45 pontos.

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Jair Ventura fez 14 jogos à frente do Rubro-Negro, com sete vitórias, dois empates e cinco derrotas (54,7% de aproveitamento) e conseguiu, pela quarta vez na carreira, livrar uma equipe do rebaixamento. Ele já tinha passado por experiências similares no Sport, Juventude e Goiás.

➡️Veja artilheiro, garçom e números do Vitória na temporada 2025

Projeção para o Vitória em 2026

Agora Jair Ventura vai ter a oportunidade de não só apagar o “fogo”, como também conduzir um projeto a longo prazo no Vitória. A equipe estreia contra o Atlético de Alagoinhas no dia 10 ou 11 de janeiro, pela primeira rodada do Campeonato Baiano, no Barradão. A equipe ainda vai disputar a Copa do Nordeste, Copa do Brasil e Campeonato Brasileiro.

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— A ideia é que Rodrigo Chagas seja o treinador do Vitória no Baianão, usando alguns jogadores que vão voltar de empréstimo, como Pablo, que está no Guarani, José Breno e até mesmo Kauan, que não teve muita oportunidade no Vitória. Além de outros jogadores que também não tiveram chances no elenco. A nossa grande meta é o Campeonato Brasileiro — esclareceu Fábio Mota.

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BrasileirãoFutebol NacionalVitória

Despite making only 160 for 7, Pakistan cruise to a 93-run win in their Asia Cup opener

Danyal Rasool12-Sep-20251:59

Jaffer: Looks like Haris has worked on his game

Mohammad Haris’ fifty and a bowling performance far too good for an outmatched Oman side helped Pakistan cruise to a 93-run win in their Asia Cup opener. Haris smashed 66 off 43 deliveries in an innings where none of his team-mates were quite able to match his power or timing with the bat as he helped Pakistan get up to 160.Oman received early encouragement when a ball that kept low trapped the dangerous Saim Ayub in front. Sahibzada Farhan’s off-colour form persisted in a scratchy innings as Pakistan stumbled along to 31 in the first five overs, and it was up to Haris to inject impetus into the innings.Related

'Confidence, backing is needed for any player' – Haris repays Hesson's faith

Sixteen came off the final powerplay over, and that was the start of the onslaught. Until then, Haris had 16 off 18. His next 25 balls produced 50 as Pakistan raced up close to eight runs per over, but once again, Oman pegged them back. Aamir Kaleem, the left-arm spinner, was the pick of the Oman bowlers as he had Haris drag on, before Salman Agha lapped a full toss off his first delivery to deep midwicket.It produced another barren spell for Pakistan and the boundaries dried up again. Fakhar Zaman struggled for timing and Hasan Nawaz, so often a hammer at the death, couldn’t get himself in and holed out off his 15th ball for nine runs. But a cameo from Mohammad Nawaz, who arrived in the 17th over, ensured Pakistan got past the 150-mark.Mohammad Nawaz contributed with both bat and ball•AFP/Getty Images

But Kaleem’s three wickets, and the overall assistance the Oman spinners got, suggested this might well end up being comfortably above par, especially in the face of Pakistan’s more accomplished spin options.And so it proved. A bright beginning for Oman’s batters was waylaid by a double strike from Saim Ayub in the powerplay. Nawaz and Pakistan’s two wristspinners Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed dried up the batters’ scoring options, and Oman began to bleed wickets. With the field spreading out and the asking rate rising, panic set in, and the innings began to capitulate. Oman slipped from 41 for 2 to 51 for 9 before being bowled out for 67; flashes of ability drowned under the gulf in quality Pakistan were able to bring to bear upon the contest.Haris takes chargeIt is knocks like these that keep Pakistan persisting with Haris through extended poor runs. He had scored just 54 runs in 11 innings before this game, but he was promoted up the order into the powerplay today. That is his strength, and having cut loose in the sixth over, he continued pumping the Oman bowlers, almost single-handedly maintaining Pakistan’s imposing run rate.2:11

Will Pakistan back this XI against India?

Farhan’s struggles at the other end threw Haris’ exploits into sharper relief. Even with the field spread out, Haris, having found his timing, continued to take on the boundary riders. His third six brought up just his second 50-plus score in the format, before a boundary the following ball saw him match his runs tally from the previous 11 innings. The 43 balls he faced for his 66 makes just this three deliveries short of his longest T20I innings in his 29-match career, and one that singlehandedly resurrected an innings that had begun to wobble.Pakistan spin lays waste to OmanSpecialist fast bowlers have dropped down the pecking order in T20I cricket under Mike Hesson, but playing just the one in Shaheen Shah Afridi still came as a bit of a surprise at the toss. Oman began the chase in a solid manner and were 32 for 2 by the end of the fifth over. But Saim Ayub had taken both those wickets, and Pakistan began to unleash the rest of their spinners on this line-up that may never had played against bowling of this quality.Abrar, Nawaz and Muqeem first asphyxiated them, and then the wickets began to fall. Muqeem took out Mohammad Nadeem to make it 41 for 3, and from thereon it was a procession. Nawaz got into the act before Muqeem doubled up the following over. Afridi and Faheem Ashraf helped themselves as Oman lost seven wickets for ten runs, imparting upon the scoreline a tinge of embarrassment Oman’s bowlers certainly did not deserve.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo conheceu seus adversários na Libertadores 2024, após sorteio realizado na segunda-feira (18), na sede da Conmebol, no Paraguai.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

➡️Com R$100, você pode faturar R$2000 na Lance! Betting com o futuro campeão da Libertadores 2024!

A maior probabilidade era de que o Glorioso cruzasse o caminho de outro time brasileiro na competição. Em apenas dois grupos a equipe treinada pelo interino Fábio Matias não enfrentaria alguma equipe do Brasil, e foi exatamente isso que o sorteio proporcionou.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Presente no pote quatro por ter avançado na fase preliminar da Libertadores, o Botafogo caiu na chave com LDU (EQU), Junior Barranquilla (COL) e Universitario (PER).

A equipe equatoriana é a atual campeã da Sul-Americana, o Junior conquistou a vaga pelo título do Torneio Finalização da Colômbia e o Universitario levantou a taça do Campeonato Peruano em 2023.

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LOGÍSTICA

Com viagens a países distantes do Rio de Janeiro (Equador, Colômbia e Peru), o Botafogo é o brasileiro que enfrentará a maior quilometragem na Libertadores. Serão quase 27 mil km para percorrer, entre ida e volta.

DATAS

Os dias e horários exatos das partidas da Libertadores não foram divulgados, mas o Botafogo sabe que o primeiro adversário é o Junior Barranquilla, da Colômbia, em casa.

continua após a publicidade1ª rodada (2 a 4 de abril): Botafogo x Junior Barranquilla (Colômbia)2ª rodada (9 a 11 de abril): LDU (Equador) x Botafogo 3ª rodada (23 a 25 de abril): Botafogo x Universitario (PER)4ª rodada (7 a 9 de maio): Botafogo x LDU (Equador)5ª rodada (14 a 16 de maio): Universitario (PER) x Botafogo 6ª rodada (28 a 30 de maio): Junior Barranquilla (Colômbia) x Botafogo

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BotafogoLibertadoresLibertadores 2024

Manchester United’s run of three wins in a row came to an end away to Nottingham Forest.

The Red Devils were held 2-2 by Sean Dyche’s side. A late goal ensured that Ruben Amorim’s side will travel back up to Manchester with a point.

It was the Red Devils who took the lead in the first half. United midfielder Casemiro got himself on the scoresheet for a second consecutive game, this time scoring a header from a corner, delivered by Bruno Fernandes.

Despite going into the break 1-0 up, United were soon trailing. Within five minutes of the restart, Forest took the lead. Morgan Gibbs-White headed home a cross from Rob Yates before Nicolo Savona got on the end of a scrap in the penalty box and tapped in from yards out.

It needed something special for United to find an equaliser, and luckily, that was provided to them by Amad. The Ivorian winger sweetly struck a volley from the edge of the area on his left foot, with his first-time effort nestling into the back of the net.

Despite the result, Casemiro’s performance will certainly please Amorim.

Casemiro's performance vs. Forest

Brazil international Casemiro has enjoyed a spectacular rejuvenation under Amorim. Once told to “leave the football before the football leaves you” by Jamie Carragher, United’s number 18 showed at the City Ground why he is such a key player.

After his goal and assist against Brighton last weekend, the experienced midfielder was back in the goals. His header came relatively unchallenged from Fernandes’ corner, although there is a debate as to whether or not a corner was the right decision. It is not clear that the ball went out.

His numbers across the game show how well he played. Casemiro completed 82% of his passes and created an impressive three chances. The former Real Madrid star also won 10 duels and three out of three tackles.

Steven Railston, Red Devils journalist for the Manchester Evening News, gave United’s midfield general a 6/0 for his efforts. He noted the “brilliant” goal and explained that it was his first 90 minutes of the season in the top flight.

Casemiro’s performance was certainly an impressive one. He has been able to turn his career under Amroim around and is now a key player.

However, he is not the only player in that mould who stood out at the City Ground.

Another Man Utd star has revived his career

There were certainly some strong performers in a United shirt despite the fact that they could only manage a draw in Nottingham. Casemiro was, of course, one of those players, and he ended up scoring a crucial goal.

At the other end of the pitch, it was another experienced player who stood out for the Red Devils. Luke Shaw has enjoyed a huge rejuvenation under Amorim this season, too, and his performance against Forest was commanding.

Operating in that left centre-back role once again, the England international was excellent off the ball, winning seven duels from nine attempted. As you would expect from a player with his technical quality, Shaw completed 61 out of 67 passes.

Touches

79

Pass accuracy

91%

Passes completed

61/67

Opposition half passes completed

26/31

Ground duels won

4/5

Aerial duels won

3/4

Tackles won

3/3

One person who saw how well Shaw played against the men in Garibaldi Red was United fan channel host Mark Goldbridge. He said the Red Devils’ number 23 was the “best player on the pitch” in the first half.

That certainly sums up how well the England defender performed at the City Ground. He was excellent off the ball and offered great progression when he had it. After a tough season with injury last year, the United defender has shone in 2025/26.

Shaw has certainly turned his career under Amorim around, becoming a key part of his back three. The game against Forest was a prime example of his class.

Amorim has homegrown Wharton in Man Utd star who had a "meteoric rise"

Manchester United may already have their own version of Adam Wharton at the club.

ByDan Emery Oct 31, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo derrotou o Cruzeiro por 2 a 0 neste domingo (2), no Morumbis, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Os gols da partida foram marcados por Lucas, na primeira etapa, e Calleri, no segundo tempo.

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As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

Com a vitória, o Tricolor chega aos 13 pontos e salta para a quarta posição na tabela de classificação. A Raposa, por sua vez, permanece com 10 pontos e estaciona na nona colocação.

O São Paulo abriu o placar aos cinco minutos de partida com Lucas. O meia arrancou pelo meio de campo, driblou dois defensores e chutou com a perna direita, a bola ainda desviou em um jogador do Cruzeiro antes de estufar as redes.

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Aos três minutos do segundo tempo, Calleri aproveitou bela jogada coletiva da equipe comandada pro Zubeldía, se antecipou ao zagueiro e cabeceou com força para vencer o goleiro Anderson.

➡️ QUAL É O PRÓXIMO JOGO?

O São Paulo volta a campo apenas no dia 13 de junho, contra o Internacional, fora de casa. No mesmo dia, o Cruzeiro recebe o lanterna Cuiabá, no Mineirão.

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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
São Paulo 2 x 0 Cruzeiro
Brasileirão – 7ª rodada

🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 2 de junho de 2024, às 18h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Estádio do Morumbis, em São Paulo (SP)
📺 Onde assistir: Premiere
🟨 Árbitro: Lucas Paulo Torezin
🚩 Assistentes: Fabricio Vilarinho da Silva e Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos
🖥️ VAR: Wagner Reway

⚽ESCALAÇÕES

SÃO PAULO (Técnico: LUIS ZUBELDÍA)
Rafael; João Moreira, Arboleda, Alan Franco e Welington; Bobadilla, Alisson, Rodrigo Nestor, Lucas Moura, Luciano e Juan.

CRUZEIRO (Técnico: FERNANDO SEABRA)
Anderson; William, Zé Ivaldo, João Marcelo e Marlon; Lucas Silva e Lucas Romero; Gabriel Veron, Matheus Pereira e Álvaro Barreal; Rafa Silva.

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BrasileirãoCruzeiroFutebol NacionalSão Paulo

Play was halted for 15 minutes while the field was fumigated but the effect seemed to be temporary

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Oct-2025

Bugs stopped play after 34 overs•ICC/Getty Images

The India v Pakistan fixture in Colombo was stopped for 15 minutes while the playing area at Khettarama was fumigated, to clear it of a swarm of insects. Play had been paused once before this, as less intensive insect-clearing methods were tried.The fumigation appeared to work only briefly. The insects – likely a variety of winged termite attracted to the stadium floodlights – seemed to return less than 10 minutes after play resumed. They continued to cause delays in play. Pakistan offspinner Rameen Shamim appeared to need to have an insect picked out of her eye in the 38th over.The bugs had begun to appear roughly 20 overs into India’s innings, just as the sun was setting. The insects were seen causing problems for the India batters and the Pakistan bowlers, with Nashra Sandhu particularly irked by the swarm. Five balls into the 28th over of the innings, Sandhu and captain Fatima Sana called for what appeared to be bug spray, and they applied it around the bowling crease, and on parts of their clothing.The drinks break was taken early during that first insect-related stop, but the insects continued to swarm near the centre of the playing area.After 34 overs, play was stopped, the cricketers left the field, and a man wearing a gas mask entered the playing area with a fumigation machine (fogging machine). Within minutes virtually the entire playing area was covered with anti-insect smoke. Play resumed after the smoke had cleared.”To be honest, you had to concentrate a lot more,” Jemimah Rodrigues said after India scored 247. “Couldn’t see much when the bugs were coming through.”Insect-related stoppages are uncommon in Sri Lanka, but are not unknown. Some species of termite swarm after rains, and during the wetter months of the year. This ground had seen rain on Saturday, when the Sri Lanka v Australia fixture had been washed out without a ball being bowled.

He scaled a peak in Newlands with technique, temperament, and heart in the right place

Firdose Moonda04-Jan-2025Kyle Verreynne has done what no other South African batter has managed this decade: score a fourth Test hundred.That isn’t the most impressive stat on a day where Ryan Rickelton became the first South African to score a double hundred at home in nine years and the second-highest individual score at Newlands but it speaks to two things just as important: consistency and confidence. Verreynne, who has scored three centuries this season, now has both. And it’s thanks to a change in attitude.”Towards the end of that first stint of Test career, I sort of got caught up in technique and what you guys are saying on Twitter,” Verreynne said afterwards. “Since then, I’ve deleted Twitter and now every time I go out there, the only thing I care about is getting runs. I don’t think I’m really scared to get out anymore. I think probably before I got left out, I really put a lot of emphasis on how I look and how I get out and stuff like that. Now I’m not too bothered.”Related

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Rickelton's marathon 259, Verreynne century thump hapless Pakistan

Stats – Verreynne emulates de Villiers; Rickelton follows Amla

The first stint he referred was 14 Tests long between June 2021 and January 2023, where Verreynne averaged 28.60 and was best remembered for a second innings 136* in New Zealand. Those runs were not enough to convince Test coach Shukri Conrad to keep Verreynne in the squad when he took over in February 2023. He put Verreynne on what the pair now refer to as a “sabbatical,” amid sweeping selection changes that also included dropping Lungi Ngidi and picking Temba Bavuma as captain over Dean Elgar.Conrad explained his reasoning to ESPNcricinfo before this Test: “I wanted to shake things up a bit, I wanted to see how people came back and I wanted to get a reaction. But I was also very clear in terms of how I wanted to play our cricket and I was always going to go with the devils I know. I didn’t really know Kyle Verreynne.”Conrad knew Heinrich Klaasen and preferred the instinctive way he went about his game and let Verreynne know that. “He was probably the first coach that I’ve had that explained his thinking to me thoroughly,” Verreynne said. “He explained exactly why I wasn’t playing. I went on an A tour to Sri Lanka (with Conrad) after that ever since then, I’ve just really felt backed by him. It was also an opportunity to sort of clear the mind and sort of get back to the way that I normally play.”While Verreynne did not score many runs on that A tour, he had the opportunity to get to know Conrad. After Klaasen only scored 56 runs in four innings against West Indies, it was a no-brainer to recall Verreynne. In the end, “it panned out okay,” Conrad joked. “Kyle has come back really nicely.”Kyle Verreynne played aggressor to Ryan Rickelton’s anchor•AFP/Getty ImagesSo nicely that Verreynne now feels he can play with freedom, as he did on a flat deck at Newlands on Saturday. There were nervy moments upfront, and he survived two Pakistan reviews for lbw when he was on 5 and then on 31; but against an exhausted attack and with almost no pressure on him, he cashed in. Notably, he struck a good balance between being watchful on the off side, especially when Pakistan put two short covers in place and offered width, attacking on the leg-side, where he hit all of his five sixes.Verreynne also played the aggressor role to Rickelton’s anchor to perfection and scored 100 of the 148 runs in his partnership with Rickelton. As an indicator of how quickly Verreynne moved through the gears, he was on 15 when Rickelton got to 200 and reached his century before Rickelton crossed 228.Though Verreynne said there was “no real plan to be aggressive,” he ended up playing that way because the conditions and the opposition allowed it. “When I came in, they had just taken the new ball, so it was quite challenging for that first period and then I got a short ball that I hit for six and that got me ticking a little bit,” he said. “For some reason, it just felt to me like they were going to go short. I premeditated a little bit and just tried to hit it because there’s also a short side of the field.”By lunch, he was on 74 and had started to think of three figures. “I was getting a bit emotional probably when I was on 70-odd. I had a feeling things were going well so I might get there,” he said. “And it’s the first time my mum’s been here to watch me get a Test hundred. Having my mom here and my brother was really, really special for me.”More so because of who was not here. Verreynne’s long-time domestic and current international batting coach Ashwell Prince’s seat in the changeroom was empty after his wife Melissa passed away last Sunday. Much of this week has been spent remembering Melissa and mourning with Ashwell and their three young sons, all of whom are close to Verreynne.”I lost my dad a few years ago (as an adult), so I probably can’t relate to exactly what the three kids are going through. Ashy P was someone who became a father figure to me and helped me through my life for the last couple of years. So, to see what he and the kids are going through is really, really difficult,” Verreynne said. “Every time you step into the changing room and you see that Ashwell’s not there, it’s really hard. We’re just trying to embrace it and do him proud and do that family proud. Hopefully we can get a Test win and sort of dedicate it to that family.”