As they continue to chase a deal to sign Benjamin Nygren, Celtic could also reportedly pursue a move to sign a Premier League forward who is “one to keep an eye on”.

Celtic expected to sign Nygren

Following the arrival of Kieran Tierney for his second spell in Scotland, Celtic are now reportedly expected to sign Nygren from Nordsjaelland this summer. The talented winger looks likely to arrive fresh off the back of an impressive season in Denmark, in which he scored 16 goals in all competitions. Another arrival that will boost Celtic’s title defence next season, the Bhoys certainly mean business.

In the space of a few weeks, the Bhoys will have signed both Tierney and the impressive Nygren. Whilst those at Celtic Park already know just how talented the former is, they are set for an exciting suprise when Nygren wears the colours of the Scottish champions for the first time.

That said, Tierney is still one to watch under Brendan Rodgers. The returning left-back told the club’s media channels when asked about his Celtic return: “Honestly, I cannot wait and I can’t describe it. It will be emotional, for sure.

“I’ve already thought about it and it will be emotional for me and my family. It’s been a long time, we’ve had ups and downs in the last few years, so coming back here and walking out at Celtic Park will be just incredible.”

Celtic can land bigger signing than Schlupp in move for "incredible" star

Celtic have progressed in their attempts to sign a left-back who would be even better than Jeffrey Schlupp.

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Dan Emery

Jun 14, 2025

Seemingly in the mood to welcome fresh faces this summer, Celtic still may not be done after Nygren and Tierney with one reporter now claiming that a Premier League striker is “one to keep an eye on”.

Celtic considering Evan Ferguson swoop

According to transfer reporter Graeme Bailey, Evan Ferguson is now “one to keep an eye on” with Celtic considering a move to sign the Brighton & Hove Albion forward. The Irishman spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United but was still unable to rediscover his best form. Now, he could on the move away from The Amex once again.

Bailey told 67HailHail: “What better place for him to get his form back, his confidence back than at Celtic? I’m told that it could happen and I think it makes sense for Brighton, makes sense for the player and makes sense for Celtic.”

At just 20 years old, Ferguson is still a player full of potential even if that hasn’t been on show in the last 12 months. If Celtic can land a cut-price deal then he is someone that will be worth taking a gamble on.

Once dubbed “unique” by former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and valued at £60m just last year, Ferguson desperately needs his next move to get his career back on track.

وصف ريان شرقي صانع ألعاب مانشستر سيتي مدربه بيب جوارديولا بالمجنون، مؤكدا أنه ليس صعبا وصف مدى سعادته بعد انضمامه لصفوف الفريق الإنجليزي خلال الصيف الماضي.

وشارك ريان شرقي أساسياً للمرة الثانية فقط هذا الموسم في فوز فريقه مانشستر سيتي ضد سوانزي سيتي بثلاث أهداف لهدف واحد في كأس كاراباو.

وكان ريان شرقي قد غاب لستة أسابيع بسبب إصابة في الفخد، وقد كان الأمر محبطاً للنجم الفرنسي الذي سجل هدفا في أول مباراة له ضد وولفرهامبتون.

وتغزل ريان شرقي في مدربه بيب جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها “مانشستر إيفنينج نيوز” :”إنه رائع جداً ومجنون مثلي، رجلان مجنونان، نتحدث عن كل شيء، إنه أمر لا يصدق”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. مانشستر سيتي يدرس استعادة لاعبه في يناير

وأضاف: “كرة القدم هي كل حياتي، أستمتع بها وأنام عليها وأستحم بها، لدينا فريق كبير ونريد الفوز بجميع المباريات، لا نريد تكرار ما حدث في مباراتنا الأخيرة ضد فيلا”.

وواصل: “أشعر براحة كبيرة لأن الأمر بسيط مع هؤلاء اللاعبين، نتحدث بنفس الأسلوب لذا نستمتع عندما نكون على أرض الملعب”.

وأكمل: “من المهم جداً بالنسبة لي أن يستمتع الجمهور عندما يأتي للملعب، حياتي جيدة لكني لا أعرف إن كان لدى الجمهور الكثير من الأشياء السعيدة في حياتهم لذا أريدهم أن يستمتعوا عندما يأتون لملعبهم حتى يعودوا لمنازلهم بابتسامة”.

وأتم: “أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة جداً، كنت مصاباً لفترة طويلة وسعيد جداً بالعودة، بذلت جهدا كبيرا مع أخصائي العلاج الطبيعي لأعود سريعاً، وسعيد جداً بها واللعب مع زملائي، الأهم هو الفريق وليس أنا، أريد الاستمتاع بجميع المباريات والفوز بها، عندما نخسر المباراة الأخيرة نسعى للفوز بالمباراة القادمة ولذلك نحن سعداء”.

As they look to continue their spending after Fer Lopez, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly confident that they’ll win the race to sign a Premier League winner this summer.

Wolves pushing on after Lopez

Wolves have money to burn after selling both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri and have already left a small dent in their budget by splashing out £19m to sign Lopez from Celta Vigo. Given that Cunha alone cost Manchester United £63m, however, it’s fair to say that Molineux chiefs could still have a fairly large budget to work with this summer.

With that budget in mind, it’s no surprise that several names have seemingly found themselves on Wolves’ radar this summer. And that includes Bologna defender Jhon Lucumi.

Vitor Pereira and co. have reportedly joined the race to sign the Colombian defender, whose £24m release clause is set to expire on July 10. With Wolves, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur – among others – chasing his signature, the race to sign Lucumi is certainly hectic and is only set to heat up as the clock ticks down on his release clause.

Whether those in the Midlands can beat their Premier League rivals is the big question at Molineux. It would certainly show plenty of ambition if they managed to do so and ambition is exactly what they must show after losing key men this summer.

If Pereira is to pick up where he left off in his first full season in charge then replacing Cunha’s creativity will be particularly important. It won’t be an easy task to find the heir to the Brazilian’s throne but on Premier League gem would certainly be a strong candidate.

Wolves now confident they'll sign Harvey Elliott

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Wolves are now confident that they’ll win the bidding war to sign Harvey Elliott this summer, who Liverpool value at £40m.

The young midfielder is one of the names likely to be shown the Anfield door at the right price in the coming months. Jarell Quansah has already suffered that fate and is on his way to Bayer Leverkusen. Now, Elliott could follow suit to join Wolves and receive a much-needed starting role.

Whilst there may be some concerns over Wolves’ ability to match his price tag, the departures of Cunha and Ait-Nouri should be able to help fund a move that would certainly be worthwhile.

Although he’s come off the back of a difficult first season under Arne Slot, it wasn’t so long ago that Elliott was on his way to becoming a key man under Jurgen Klopp, who was a huge admirer of the now Premier League winner.

Wolves join huge race to sign "excellent" defender as £24m deadline looms

He’s a wanted man…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 25, 2025

The former Reds boss told reporters when the young midfielder scored against Cardiff City on his return to injury in 2022: “Harvey was unlucky with the injury but lucky with the whole process afterwards.

“Everything went really well. He did an incredible job, the medical department did an incredible job. He is a fearless boy and a great footballer so all these things.”

Star seamer leaves Southampton after four fruitful seasons, and heads for club he originally signed for in 2020

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2025Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan seamer, has swapped Hampshire for Nottinghamshire, where he will be available for six fixtures in the forthcoming Rothesay County Championship.Abbas, who has claimed 758 first-class wickets at an average of 20.66, will begin his stint in May, following the conclusion of Fergus O’Neill’s month-long spell with the side. He will then return to the club in September for the closing stages of the County Championship season.Abbas joins fellow seamer O’Neill and South Africa international Kyle Verreynne in agreeing terms as an overseas player for the upcoming red-ball campaign, with Conor McKerr (three-year contract) and Daniel Sams (Blast) having also joined the club ahead of the new season.He had originally agreed to join Nottinghamshire for the 2020 season, before his stint was curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He subsequently starred for Hampshire, claiming 180 wickets at 19.07 across four summers, with successive 50-wicket seasons in 2022 and 2023.In a statement, Hampshire explained that they had released Abbas due to a need to “rebalance their squad”, with James Vince’s retirement from first-class cricket meaning they are exploring options for an overseas batter.”Mohammad has consistently been one of the top performers in the County Championship and has unfailingly produced his very best for Hampshire time and time again,” Giles White, the men’s director of cricket said. “His character will be sorely missed in the dressing room and on the pitch, and everyone at the Club wishes him the very best in his career.Abbas’s first-class form earned him a recall to the Pakistan Test side against South Africa this winter. In total, Abbas has 101 international wickets in 30 matches across formats, while his domestic record also includes 79 wickets for Leicestershire between 2018 and 2019.”Trent Bridge is a special place to play cricket, so it will be great to call the ground home this summer – especially after not being able to come over and play for Notts five years ago,” Abbas said.”I’ve really enjoyed my time in the English game, and the squad at Notts is in an exciting place. There’s a good blend of young talent and senior players who’ve been around for a while and know their game really well, and I’m looking forward to contributing in any way that I can to their success.”Nottinghamshire’s head coach Peter Moores said: “Players of Mo’s experience and track record don’t come around all that often, so we’re really excited about what he can bring to us this summer.”His control and his ability to find a way of getting wickets on any sort of surface make him extremely valuable; he’s certainly been a tough opponent for us to face over the years.”We’ve already got an exciting group of bowlers at our disposal for the summer, and the addition of Mo’s craft and subtlety will add a different style of bowling to the rest of our attack.”

Philippe joins Patterson in reaching three figures before bowlers dismantle Lions’ first innings

ECB Reporters Network31-Jan-2025

Australia A assumed control of the first-class match against England Lions with the tourists asked to follow-on in Sydney.Josh Philippe joined Kurtis Patterson in reaching a century as Australia A declared at 373 for 9 before the Lions were bundled out for 116. Allrounder Will Sutherland claimed 3 for 7 while Brendan Doggett took 3 for 17.Durham opener Ben McKinney reached the close unbeaten 67 as the Lions made a better fist of it second time around to be 116 for 2.Phillipe powered his way to an unbeaten 120 from 121 balls after Sam Cook (3 for 58) trapped Patterson leg before for 137. Sonny Baker returned 3 for 60 as the Lions made light work of the Australian lower order to force their declaration.The Lions were immediately in trouble with the bat, falling to 30 for 3 thanks to two early strikes from Xavier Bartlett, and never recovered with Lancashire duo Matt Hurst (34) and Rocky Flintoff (29) the top-scorers.McKinney and skipper Alex Davies began the repair job with a 106-run first-wicket partnership, but Jordan Buckingham claimed two late wickets to reinforce the home advantage.

England, meanwhile, will be looking to maintain their winning start to the tournament when they take on Scotland

Sruthi Ravindranath12-Oct-2024England vs ScotlandSharjah, 2pm local timeEngland squad: Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni WyattScotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce (wk), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Katherine Fraser, Saskia Horley, Lorna Jack, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey, Rachel SlaterTournament form guide: England have won both matches they’ve played so far – against Bangladesh and South Africa – while Scotland are coming into the match having lost all three of their games.News brief: These teams will be facing each other for the first time in T20Is. England are coming into this match after a gap of five days, having last played against South Africa on Monday.Scotland are out of the semi-final race. The Group B table has three teams – England, West Indies and South Africa – still in contention for the semi-final, with England having the lowest net run rate among them. England will be looking to improve their NRR with a big win.”There was a little bit of illness at one point but I think hopefully everyone will be available,” England captain Heather Knight said of player availability ahead of the match.This will also be Scotland wicketkeeper-batter Lorna Jack-Brown’s last international match.Player to watch: Danni Wyatt-Hodge has been solid at top of the order for England. Chasing a tricky target of 125 on a slow Sharjah pitch, with left-arm spinners bowling from both ends, she dropped anchor after the early loss of Maia Bouchier and stitched a 64-run stand with Nat Sciver-Brunt. She finished with 43 in as many balls, which followed her Player-of-the-Match performance of 41 against Bangladesh.Harmanpreet Kaur’s 52 took India to a win against Sri Lanka•ICC via Getty ImagesAustralia vs IndiaSharjah, 6pm local timeAustralia squad: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia WarehamIndia squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, S SajanaTournament form guide: Australia have three wins in three matches and are coming into this contest having comprehensively beaten Pakistan. With that win, they also all but sealed a semi-final spot thanks to their net run rate of 2.786. India have two wins in three games. In their previous match, they posted the highest total of the tournament so far – 172 for 3 – and in return bundled Sri Lanka out for 90 to post their biggest win by runs at the T20 World Cup.Related

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News brief: Australia have major injury concerns heading into the crucial clash. Just four balls into the match against Pakistan, Tayla Vlaeminck was out with a right shoulder dislocation. To make things worse, captain Alyssa Healy suffered “an acute right foot injury” while batting on 37 as she hobbled off the field with Australia needing 14 runs to win. Both players went for scans on Saturday.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had hurt her neck in the match against Pakistan, turned up with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck during the Sri Lanka match. She also didn’t take the field during the chase. Fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar bowled full-tilt before the Sri Lanka game but didn’t play.India will want a big win against Australia. If they win by more than 61 runs, they will move ahead of Australia, thereby automatically qualifying for the semi-final. In a case where India win by fewer than 60 runs, they will hope New Zealand win by a very small margin against Pakistan on Monday. For instance, if India make 150 against Australia and win by exactly 10 runs, New Zealand need to beat Pakistan by 28 runs defending 150 to go ahead of India’s NRR. If India lose to Australia by more than 17 runs while chasing a target of 151, then New Zealand’s NRR will be ahead of India, even if Pakistan beat New Zealand by just 1 run while defending 150.Overall, India have won just eight out of 34 T20Is they’ve played against Australia. Two of those wins came in the group-stage games of previous T20 World Cups, in 2018 and 2020.Players to watch: Two of their best batters finding their form bodes well for India heading into the big game. Harmanpreet and Mandhana’s collaborative effort against Pakistan boosted India’s NRR with the semi-final race heating up. Mandhana, after a cautious start to her innings, changed gears and took on Sri Lanka’s spinners to make 50 off 38 balls. Harmanpreet, continuing from where she’d left against Pakistan, played a classic, hitting eight fours and a six on her way to a 27-ball 52. It was just what India needed to reinvigorate their T20 World Cup campaign.

From Test match double centuries to a one-day game ahead of its time, Dean Jones was one of the dominant players of his era

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-202010:23

Tom Moody recalls the multiple roles of Dean Jones

In both his cricket and his life, Dean Jones’ departures left a sense of shock and loss for their arrival before so many could say goodbye.At the end of his international career as a wonderfully livewire batsman and limited-overs pioneer, this was because Jones found himself out of Test calculations and on the edge of the one-day team in South Africa in 1994, compelling him to call a summary retirement press conference on what had to that point been the nominal farewell tour of Allan Border.Twenty-six years later, Jones left this world almost in mid-stride, suffering a cardiac arrest while working as an analyst on the latest edition of the IPL for Star in Mumbai. In both cases his departure left a deep, tangible sense of conversations and moments lost, of thank yous unable to be given. Similarly, his induction to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame had been done via video link when Jones was occupied by a T20 coaching assignment, and now his death left so many around the world feeling bereft, or perhaps even less articulate than that.ALSO READ: ‘One of a kind you were, Deano’What we are left with is a rich trove of moments and memories, many more than those typically provided by cricketers of longer subsequent careers, and to ponder the jumble of contradictions, frustrations and triumphs of the man known universally as Deano.Two qualities in particular stand out. The first was his sheer energy, a characteristic that helped push him to some of the most extraordinary cricketing heights. If Jones was flagging towards the end of his unforgettable 210 against India in Chennai in 1986, his captain Border knew how to bring on a second wind, suggesting that it was time to get a Queenslander, Greg Ritchie, in to do what a Victorian could not. His civic pride suitably threatened, Jones went on, past 200 and into legend.Jones’ many other brilliant performances, and a few not quite so brilliant, were infused with a similar mix of bravado and courage. Whether it was smiting the West Indies all around Adelaide Oval for his second double century in Tests in early 1989, cuffing a young Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis for twin hundreds at the same venue a year later, or obliterating Sir Richard Hadlee in an Auckland ODI later the same season, Jones could be utterly irresistible. On the 1989 Ashes tour, Mark Taylor led the aggregates and Steve Waugh the headlines, but none batted better or more predatorially than Jones.In one-day matches, Jones’ knack for finding gaps and running with what seemed Olympian speed between the wickets made him the most feared batsman in the world in the realm of limited overs. A technicolour innings of 145 against England at the Gabba in 1990-91, wearing the gold cap then the white floppy hat and cheered on by a packed house, alerted a generation of aspiring schoolchildren that batting need not be all about getting through to stumps: the T20 age was probably born in the imaginative aftermath of a Jones innings.ESPNcricinfo LtdHis precise knowledge of things like how much quicker he could run two if he turned blind than not, was also well ahead of its time. A pair of flicks to the fine leg boundary of Hansie Cronje at the SCG in his final international summer, the second followed by a pointed punch of the fist as the crowd went wild, underlined how infuriating Jones could be to bowl to, or captain against.Of course, the manic enthusiasm for the game and the national team that Jones wore so proudly also led to plenty of occasions where brio outstripped sense.Who but Jones would find himself run out after being bowled by a Courtney Walsh no-ball in the West Indies in 1991? Who but Jones would find the ball trapped between his glove and pads after advancing to Venkatapathy Raju at the MCG later that year, flicking it away and forever denying he could have been out handled the ball? Who but Jones would ever conceive of, let alone act upon, a plot to ask Curtly Ambrose to remove his wrist band under the pretence of losing sight of the white ball in the 1993 World Series finals? And who but Jones would actually write, innocently and truthfully in a column ghosted by Mark Ray, that the absence of the famously litigious coach Bob Simpson from the dressing room during a Gabba one-day game in early 1994 had helped the team to relax? Simpson threatened to sue his own player.None of these moments helped Jones or his career, but they all added richly to cricket’s lore.The second quality, for which Jones was equally famous, is the sense of something incomplete or unjust about his career and its aftermath. There is no more highly ranked Victorian than the state’s Premier, and in Dan Andrews’ social media tribute there came the words “should have been picked for many more than his 52 Tests”. It is a view that has been able to enhance the Melbourne pub trade for most of the past 28 years by generating extra conversation and by extension extra rounds, and it was never discouraged by Jones.ALSO READ: ‘I can’t remember a thing after 120 in that innings’ In his 1997 book, Matters of Choice, the former selector John Benaud gave a very good, reasoned and frank depiction of all the cross currents running through the selection panel’s call to make Jones 12th man for the Gabba Test against the West Indies in 1992. These ranged from Jones’ increasing levels of inconsistency, the need for a fresh approach to tackling the Caribbean side, and his poor record against the West Indies outside the aforementioned Adelaide 200, to the fact that the Sheffield Shield draw for that season had given him precious few hits relative to those afforded to Damien Martyn, who was ultimately to debut instead.

RIP you magnificent cricketer

Finally got the elusive 100 at his home ground, just happened to be against Australia pic.twitter.com/Sjv8CFp0cJ

— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) September 24, 2020

Martyn’s own tale is one of rejection and recrimination before his own summary decision to retire, and it was a burden that Jones carried through the next two years and, arguably, for the rest of his time around the game. Steve Waugh’s diary reflection on Jones’ international retirement, in South Africa in 1994, bears repeating: “I know how he desperately wanted to wear the baggy green cap again and when he thought that was an impossibility, he didn’t want to keep torturing himself.” Waugh was not alone in being far more calculating in later years when it came to the rules of engagement with selectors in particular, and the Jones precedent doubtless helped.The selectors came close to recalling Jones one final time, for the 1996 World Cup, but stopped short at the very last moment. Jones’ riposte was to make a hundred for a World XI against the Australians in an MCG match to mark the centenary of the Victorian Cricket Association on their return from the cup. Though a vaudevillian Dean Jones tribute match had been played at the ground the season before, this was as close as he got to a true farewell: for parochial Victorians, Jones versus Australia was almost better than Australia with Jones.It should not be forgotten, either, that both Jones and Border were the primary losers in the graduation of Australian cricketers from solid contracts to eye-popping ones. When they retired, neither commanded ACB deals of more than five figures, yet within a couple of years the likes of Waugh, Shane Warne and Mark Taylor were raking in earnings before endorsements much closer to half a million apiece. If there was ever a perception of selfishness or opportunism about Jones, his unfortunate place in cricket’s money trail is worth remembering.As it was, Jones spent the rest of his days jumping between coaching, commentary and other assignments, including a brief and hotly debated stint on the Australia senior PGA golf tour in 2012-13. He was rightly castigated for a couple of heedless commentary moments, one a reference to not caring about the state of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe while there to cover a series, and the other a reference to Hashim Amla as “the terrorist” picking up a wicket. He was never likely to fit the cloth of a Cricket Australia coaching job, although he did consult briefly in 2012.

I normally wouldn’t share screenshots of any convos but I think ppl should know the kind of man #DeanJones was off the field. One of the most compassionate ppl. This he sent to me when Asif was going through a tough time, he believed in Asif & Asif delivered that season. pic.twitter.com/xbhjsNVosc

— Rehan Ulhaq (@Rehan_ulhaq) September 24, 2020

A third attribute, undersold by many, must be Jones’ generosity. Not always defined in the ways that cricketers or administrators might have wanted it to be, it was largely in the sharing and developing of ideas about the game of cricket and sport more broadly. Apart from One Day Magic in 1991 and My Call in 1994, which both carried strong instructional or counselling elements, Jones’ final book was a collection of cricket tips gleaned from his many and varied travels as a commentator and coach.Its launch at the MCG in 2016 saw Jones in his very best form, holding court and discussing concepts he had picked up to share from the likes of VVS Laxman, Waqar Younis and Ricky Ponting, offering up photo opportunities and autographs as though he was still Australia’s No. 4 batsman instead of Steven Smith.More recently, and in a more personal tale, Jones thought nothing of responding to a brief request of his memory with a long, jovial phone call and a bevy of advice about how best my partner and I might move out of a Covid-19 Melbourne into country Victoria should we so choose to. There was a warmth in this Jones that contrasted with the coolness others had experienced, just as his batting days could so swiftly veer between the sublime and the ridiculous. Either way, they were always memorable. So goodbye Deano, and thank you. You are gone much too soon.

New era began with a loss, and focus on bowlers than batting depth – Buttler will have to learn quickly ahead of T20 World Cup

Matt Roller08-Jul-2022It was an incongruous handover. “Today, I start my new life as an England fan,” Eoin Morgan wrote in his programme notes for his old side’s T20I series against India. “I think for now it makes sense to detach myself from the England set-up a little bit, to give Jos [Buttler] and Motty [Matthew Mott, the white-ball coach] some room.”But it was hard to escape Morgan’s presence at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday night. Rather than relaxing at home with a glass of red wine in England’s first game since his international retirement, Morgan was on site in a crisp white shirt, watching on from the Sky Sports “pod” on the boundary edge.At the start of the 12th over, when Chris Jordan returned to bowl his second over, former England batter Nick Knight was thrown on commentary. “Morgan has gone to his most experienced bowler because he knows the importance of this partnership,” he said, before correcting himself: “Buttler, even…” The change of captaincy has loomed for some time, but it will take some getting used to.Related

Buttler soaks up the Baz-buzz as new white-ball reign gets underway

Hardik Pandya shines with bat and ball as India go 1-0 up

Buttler has led England before in white-ball cricket – five times in T20Is and nine times in ODIs – but this was his first game in full-time charge, and represented a reality check as to the scale of the role. He has a significant burden on his workload in this format in particular – opening the batting and keeping wicket as well as now captaining – and this was the first of a dozen games in a 25-day window which will be a significant test.The first obvious difference of the Buttler era was in selection. Morgan prioritised batting depth at all costs throughout his tenure, but under Buttler in the first T20I against India in Southampton, England fielded an extra bowling option compared to the sides they played throughout last year’s World Cup, with Tymal Mills unusually high at No. 9.”That will develop over time,” Morgan said of their balance. “There’s flexibility depending on how we see fit.”But the biggest change was simply his position behind the stumps, rather than in the field. Morgan would typically field at extra cover, giving him easy access to his bowlers throughout an over to discuss plans. “I always felt I wanted to give the bowler clear direction at the top of his mark,” he explained on air.Buttler attacked by using Moeen Ali in the powerplay, and got mixed results•PA Images via Getty ImagesButtler, by contrast, generally opted to leave his bowlers to the task at hand, delegating responsibility to two senior players in Moeen Ali and Jordan when he felt a message needed to be relayed. At times, bowlers appeared isolated: during Matt Parkinson’s second over when deep extra cover, long-off and long-on were in place, there were no red shirts within 20 yards of the bowler.”If you need to talk, it’s easy to just to do the legwork as a wicketkeeper and touch base at the start of overs,” Buttler said. “A lot of the time either Chris Jordan or Moeen Ali is at mid-off or mid-on relaying messages as well. But I like the bowlers to take some ownership; I like them to try and lead that as much as they can.”And of course, doing that legwork, we can have good conversations as to what we’re trying to achieve.”Buttler made several attacking moves, not least opting to dangle the carrot to India in the powerplay by giving the third and fifth overs to Moeen. It was a qualified success: Moeen removed Rohit Sharma with an arm ball which took his outside edge, and had Ishan Kishan caught top-edging a sweep to short fine leg. However, he returned 2 for 26 in the powerplay, being swept for consecutive fours by Rohit and launched over long-on by Deepak Hooda for back-to-back sixes.Buttler had spoken in the build-up about looking to solve England’s death-bowling problems by taking early wickets, and was successful up to a point: the final six overs cost 48 runs as Jordan, in particular, thrived by bowling hard lengths, but India still managed 198 after putting England’s new-ball bowlers under pressure with their early intent.Buttler was bowled first ball as full-time England captain•Getty ImagesWith the bat, England fell a long way short, and Buttler conceded that India’s “fantastic new-ball spell” had changed the game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh both found prodigious swing with the new ball in stark contrast to England’s seamers; in typical Morgan style, Buttler suggested that might have been different if they had “hit one to the stands to reduce the swing”.Buttler himself is among the world’s most in-form white-ball batter after following up his MVP-winning IPL season with two stunning innings against Netherlands last month. But he could use a score in one of this weekend’s T20Is against India to remove any suggestion that his batting will suffer under the burden of his new role.There was not much he could have done about his first-ball duck on Thursday night at the hands of Bhuvneshwar, whose hooping inswinger tailed in sharply to crash into leg stump. It was his fourth duck in his last seven innings as captain, but there has been no kind of pattern to those dismissals, spread out across a four-year period.Morgan’s one-word description of Buttler’s captaincy at the innings break was “exceptional”, but it will take time for both of them to become used to their respective new roles. They are close friends, and live nearby too, but Buttler’s challenge is to find his own voice and continue England’s evolution; with just over three months until the World Cup, he will have to learn quickly.

Legspinner bags 3 for 6 to lead Team Abu Dhabi to victory, two days after his 24th birthday

Aadam Patel29-Nov-2022Peter Hatzoglou had no intentions of spending his 24th birthday in Abu Dhabi. But he is now living the life of a T20 freelancer and with the way he is going, he will have plenty more franchise gigs to keep him busy and perhaps, many more birthdays abroad.Hatzoglou finished his birthday celebrations on Sunday by watching Musical in Abu Dhabi and by all accounts, enjoyed his Monday off. On Tuesday afternoon, he decided that the celebrations were carrying on. Hatzoglou turned up and bowled two overs against Moeen Ali’s Morrisville Samp Army, dismissing Johnson Charles, Moeen and David Miller as he inspired Team Abu Dhabi to their second successive win.Related

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In a side with the likes of Alex Hales, Chris Lynn, James Vince and Adil Rashid, Hatzoglou is very much becoming the main attraction. In his first over, he tossed the ball up to Charles and found his top edge before Moeen hit one straight to Fabian Allen at cover, who held on superbly with one hand. And when Hatzoglou bowled the destructive Miller in his second over, Morrisville Samp Army were left reeling at 21 for 5 and their chase of 101 was as good as done.That they ultimately reached 82 for 9 was thanks to Basil Hameed, who smashed 47 not out off 18 balls to ensure the scoreboard looked remotely respectable. No other Samp Army batter reached double figures.But this was Hatzoglou’s day out and in many ways, this is becoming his tournament. In a format where teams tend to score at at least ten an over, his figures of 3 for 6 was quite something. His economy rate across four games is just seven and he is taking a wicket every seven balls.On November 17, Hatzoglou sat his CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exams and flew out to UAE for the Abu Dhabi T10 later that day. He is still awaiting the results from those exams but it’s safe to say he is passing pretty much every test that’s come his way with a ball in hand.In addition to Tuesday’s three wickets, his scalps in the tournament include the likes of Suresh Raina and Tim David. Right now, he has seven wickets for just 56 runs in the eight overs he has bowled in the tournament.”Every batter’s really trying to take you down,” Hatzoglou said after the match. “My plan has not really changed to be honest. I’ve never played T10 before, but I’m just trying to hit the top of the stumps with a few more variations than what I would probably use in a T20.”He wasn’t even meant to be here if it wasn’t for a last minute pick by Paul Farbrace and co at Team Abu Dhabi. And in true Hatzoglou style, he didn’t even know till he received a message from Tymal Mills, who he knows from their time together at Perth Scorchers.”I was actually in Spain on a golf trip after The Hundred with some mates when the draft happened,” said Hatzoglou, “so I put the YouTube stream on and I didn’t get picked up. So we turned the draft stream off and got on with our night but what I didn’t realise was that there was an additional pick for each team. I got picked then and didn’t know but I got a message from Tymal Mills and that’s when I realised I’d actually been picked up.”Evidently there is something about the man who described himself as an “accidental cricketer” that is proving to be a struggle for batters in the tournament. Whether it is his eye-catching action that is very much like the India wristspinner Ravi Bishnoi or the pace and energy that he bowls with, it is the overall element of surprise that Hatzoglou believes is one of his great strengths.”When I was at Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, we looked at my bowling with the analyst Freddie Wilde,” he said. “That pace is something that’s very unique and the drift and bounce I get. I get virtually but no spin but generally speaking, that surprise factor has been huge for me.”Over time, that element of surprise will no doubt diminish but for now it is working wonders and as the saying goes “if it ain’t broken, then why fix it?”Hatzoglou will head to the Big Bash League after the Abu Dhabi T10 but unlike last year, he won’t be returning to the KPMG office in the new year. The plan is to fully embrace the T20 globetrotter lifestyle. Who knows what comes next but the thought alone is exciting enough.

Bairstow injury opens door for new coming man, as predecessor embraces senior status

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Sep-2022On Thursday, there will be a new kid in town. Following a soft launch in T20Is, Harry Brook will become Test cap number 707 on Thursday, as he takes the place vacated by Jonny Bairstow after a golfing accident.Ben Stokes confirmed Brooks’ debut on the eve of the third Test, but the Yorkshireman is more than just the next cab off the rank. He is, according to some very good judges, the Uber XL. Since the start of the 2021 summer, the 23-year-old has scored 1,782 first-class runs, including five of his seven career centuries. This summer, he’s averaging 107.44 from 12 innings, including 140 for England Lions against the touring attack, albeit with Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi sitting out. There was also a 48-ball century for Lahore Qalandars against Islamabad United in February – the second fastest in the Pakistan Super League – which underlined his white-ball qualities.He will return to Pakistan for the seven-match T20I series next week, before moving on to Australia for the T20 World Cup. And he’ll almost certainly be back for England’s historic three-match Test series in Pakistan. As great as the recent past has been, the immediate future carries even more promise. We are very much entering Brook SZN.So, what do you need to know? There are shots for days, pluck for weeks, deft and dangerous wrists, and talent to burn. Even as a non-playing member of the squad until now, he has impressed plenty with his batting in the nets and has not been out of place in a dressing-room full of big personalities and seasoned internationals.No doubt this all sounds familiar. Brook is clearly a unique talent, but English cricket has a habit of anointing a new wunderkind before the last one has found his feet. And Tuesday was a reminder of that, when the man who was last predicted to be king ran the rule over his soon-to-be teammate.”Harry is a seriously good player,” Ollie Pope said, when asked of the man 13 months his junior. Given the proximity in ages, the pair have been on England U19 tours together, and 2018 was the most notable split of their careers so far when Brook captained the U19s at the World Cup at the start of the year, before Pope made his full England debut that summer.Ollie Pope is at the centre of England’s batting plans as he goes into his 30th Test•Getty ImagesIt’s weird to think of Pope as that much more senior, but that’s only right given he’s been here four years already. Thursday will be notable for him, too: a second Test at his home ground, a 30th cap and seventh as England’s No.3 – ascending levels of importance for a player in his fourth home summer as an active cricketer at the top level (a shoulder injury ruled him out of 2019).His season’s Test average of 34.36 is currently on course to be his highest so far, bolstered by a second Test century against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. For now, that figure is far more relevant than Pope’s current career average of 30.00. But within the latter are contained experiences, successes and mistakes, which are expected to guide Pope to be the player many still believe he will become. As such, Brook’s introduction should highlight the fact that Pope, even in a middle order of 30-somethings who have been there and seen it all in Bairstow, Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes, should regard himself as a senior man. It’s something he does not have a problem with.”I think it’s a good way to be,” Pope said of regarding himself in that manner. “If you’re worried about keeping your voice down and just going about your own business, you can get quite internal like that. Thirty Tests is a good amount and it’s a privilege to have played this many games and I also feel like I’ve got a great bank of experience now to work from. I’ve toured some good places and some tough places as well, which can expose your game and how you go about them. But I see them as massive learning blocks.”For someone like Brooky, I know the challenges international cricket can bring. He’s definitely someone I’ll chat to. It’s not me saying how to bat, it’s just saying what I found has worked for me over my time so far as an England cricketer and the times when it hasn’t necessarily worked for me, because it hasn’t always been smooth sailing and I’m sure it won’t be going forward. It’s just almost learning how to deal with the good and the bad of Test cricket. Not that it’s bad, just the lower phases when you’re struggling for your own form and as a team. It’s only things you can feed off and give advice to, for someone like Brooky coming through.”Ollie Pope brought up his second Test century at Trent Bridge earlier this summer•Getty ImagesAge and maturity rarely run parallel in life and that is certainly true for sport. There is an argument to be made that Brook making his debut now makes far more sense than a 20-year-old Pope making his when he did. The Surrey batter had just 15 first-class matches under his belt before he came in at No.4 at Lord’s against India in August 2018, which also happened to be the first time he had come to the crease in the first 10 overs of an innings in his red-ball career to date.Brook, by contrast, has 56 appearances, along with stints at the PSL and Big Bash League in the winter just gone. He is, in terms of personality and ability, further along the line than Pope was, and he will also benefit from batting in a middle-order position far more familiar to him than the one Pope finds himself in right now.Given Bairstow’s “lower limb” injury is expected to keep him out for the rest of the year, Brook will likely have four Tests at No.5 before the year is out. By that point, Pope may still be trying to establish how No.3 works for him.Related

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There is, however, a sense from those around Pope that he is growing into the role of first-drop. Not only its responsibility but the very nature of being someone who occupies that space. Some of the best No.3s the game has seen have been, well, “grown-ups”. Pope knows a couple of them well. He played with Kumar Sangakkara at Surrey, whom he spoke to at Lord’s last week about the role. And he regularly consults with the current incumbent at the county, South Africa’s own Hashim Amla.”He’s a great role model, not just as a player but as a person,” Pope said. “The way he stays so level, he’s scored that many hundreds for South Africa – what a player – but you wouldn’t know it. It’s a great attribute to have – a humble guy. And we’ve chatted about technical stuff, and when I do get runs for England, he’s one of the first to drop me a message.”That Pope is looking to position himself above his years is reflective of an environment under Brendon McCullum in which the squad feels “the closest we’ve been” and thus more receptive to new voices. He doesn’t necessarily pipe up in meetings – which are few and far between with this management group – but there is a note to bring some energy on the pitch, particularly when he’s at short leg, which is a position he won’t be relinquishing to newbie Brooks.Harry Brook made 140 against South Africa in their warm-up match•Getty ImagesPerhaps most important is that Stokes and McCullum see Pope as much more than a precocious youngster, but a serious operator who wants to put himself out there. While Stokes had known as much from seeing him operate at close quarters, McCullum got his first hint of that when Pope made perhaps the ballsiest call of his career to date.Upon hearing Stokes mention in his unveiling as captain that Root would be moving back to four, Pope picked up the phone and, ultimately, demanded he get first dibs on three. Speaking four months on, Pope is glad he went through it.”I don’t know how he took at first,” he said of Stokes’ initial reaction. “If we wanted me to stick at four or he genuinely thought that. I just remember thinking there was one spot available and it was the first time I felt I could be successful in that role, the way I was playing county cricket and the hard work I had put in.”I was happy I made that call and when Baz called me to tell me I was in the squad, I was very much buzzing. But also I’m batting at No.3, this is a chance I don’t want to miss. It’s nice to have had some success there and hopefully that can keep coming.”It is a chance that will be afforded to him as long as he wants it. With one score of note so far against South Africa – 73 in his first knock of the series at Lord’s – the final match of the men’s summer presents an opportunity to make No.3, and therefore a place in the XI, his own for the foreseeable future. As the next star of the future comes in, another could be on his way to being one of the present.