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Juan Soto was one of the last New York Yankees players to leave the dugout after the team lost the World Series in a 7-6 Game 5 defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.

In the biggest of moments, the Yankees couldn’t deliver, and now Soto could be looking for his next team amid rampant speculation over his future.

Soto’s teammates and coaches have made their opinion clear: “Stay with us,” Giancarlo Stanton said in a postgame media session. But Soto, who joined the Yankees this past December, is primed to test free agency this offseason.

The star slugger was asked if he expected the New York Mets to pursue him in free agency, and he gave a telling response.

“I don't know what’s the teams that are going to come after me,” Soto said. “But definitely, I’ll be open to this and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

Not a good indication of his chances of staying in the Bronx.

Soto, 26, helped the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers and a league-leading 128 runs during the regular season. He's reportedly expected to earn a contract in excess of $500 million.

In the wake of the Yankees’ crushing World Series loss, Soto elaborated on his time with the team and discussed whether the Yankees had an advantage in his upcoming free agency.

“Leaving any place that is a winning team is always hard. This place was really special. It’s been a blast for me. I've been really happy,” Soto said. 

“I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency. I don’t want to say anyone has an advantage because at the end of the day we’re gonna look at what they have and how much they want me,” continued Soto.

No other captain has won as many international matches as Ricky Ponting

S Rajesh29-Mar-2011With 219 wins in the 322 matches in which he led Australia, Ricky Ponting is easily the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. The two World Cups triumphs – in 2003 and 2007 – two Champions Trophies, and a 5-0 drubbing of England in the Ashes home series in 2006-07 were the most prominent results he achieved as captain, but there were several other notable ones too, during a period when Australia won much more than they lost.And through all the rigours of captaincy, Ponting ensured that his batting remained largely unaffected – his Test average fell only marginally during the period when he was captain, while his ODI stats improved. In the 77 Tests in which he led, Ponting averaged 51.51, which isn’t far away from his average of 55.97 when he wasn’t captain. In ODIs, he averaged 43.30 as captain, and 41.37 otherwise. It also helped that through most of Ponting’s tenure as leader, he was the best batsman of the side, with the ability to either convert on a strong start from his No.3 slot, or consolidate and rebuild after the loss of an early wicket.Among captains who’ve led in at least 50 Tests, Ponting’s win-loss ratio of 3.00 is next only to those of his predecessor Steve Waugh (who won 41 and lost only nine), and Viv Richards (win-loss ratio of 3.37). Clive Lloyd is the other captain with a ratio of 3, winning 36 and losing 12. Five of Ponting’s 16 losses came in his last seven Tests, during which period Australia won only once. That means Ponting’s win-loss record after the victory against Pakistan at Lord’s last year was 47-11, a ratio of 4.27.In ODIs, though, Ponting’s record stays the best despite defeats in his last two games as captain. In fact, the gulf between the top two and the rest is huge: Ponting’s win-loss was 3.28, Hansie Cronje’s was 2.82, but none of the others touched 2. Of the 29 games he captained in the World Cup, Australia won 26, tied one, and lost only two. In fact, of the 34-match unbeaten run that Australia enjoyed in World Cups, 27 came during Ponting’s captaincy.

As mentioned earlier, Ponting’s batting stats as captain are pretty impressive. The only aspect that’s slightly disappointing is his conversion rate as captain: out of the 54 times he topped 50, his century count was only 19.

A question of personnel
Ponting’s captaincy record is exceptional, but those who question his tactical nous claim the wins were largely because of an exceptional team who needed little leadership. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden were the three top-class players who were around through the first third of Ponting’s captaincy career, but none of them were there through the last third. The contrast in the numbers is stark: in the 24 Tests when the trio was around, Ponting averaged almost 79, scored ten centuries, and Australia had a 19-0 win-loss record. When the trio departed, Ponting’s average dropped to almost half, his rate of converting fifties into centuries diminished visibly, and Australia lost far more often.The team results were obviously likely to worsen, but what would have been far more disappointing for Ponting are his own batting stats – his form dropped away just when the team needed him more.

In ODIs, McGrath and Hayden were the two who played through the first third of Ponting’s captaincy career. Australia’s win-loss ratio went down significantly after they left, but Ponting’s batting stats didn’t suffer as much as they did in Tests. His conversion rate, though, dropped in ODIs too.

Leading by example
Overall, though, Ponting’s batting stats as captain are still exceptional: he is one of only seven batsmen to score more than 4000 Test runs as captain. Among those seven, only Brian Lara and Greg Chappell have a higher average. Ponting is also the only captain to score a century in each innings of a Test on three occasions; it’s a feat that’s only happened 13 times in Test history, and no other captain has done it more than once.

In ODIs, no captain comes close to Ponting’s tally of 8488 runs: the next-best is Stephen Fleming with 6295. Ponting’s 22 centuries is twice the tally of the second-best, Sourav Ganguly. Twenty of those hundreds came in winning causes; the two which didn’t were his 164 in ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg, and his 104 against India in the World Cup defeat in Ahmedabad. He has scored 6977 ODI runs in wins, which is more than 3000 ahead of the next-best.

Glasgow Rangers head into the summer transfer window facing yet another rebuild, as Philippe Clement will be looking to bring in his own signings, all while shipping out several underperformers.

Six players are out of contract once the season finishes, which will see the Light Blues free up some of the wage bill for some potential signings, but the Belgian has a massive job in front of him.

The 50-year-old may have to move on a player or two in order to raise significant funds, as Michael Beale’s lavish spending spree last summer has set the club back financially.

Cyriel Dessers cost around £4.5m and while he has netted 17 goals since arriving, his performances have often been dismal, going long stretches without looking like finding the back of the net.

Danilo was another extravagant purchase. The Brazilian cost £6m, although the jury is still out on him as he has missed 31 matches due to injury.

It was the signing of Sam Lammers which has proven to be the biggest waste of money, however, as the Dutchman failed to justify his transfer fee during the first half of the season.

How much Rangers paid for Sam Lammers

Having lost players such as Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, and Scott Arfield – who contributed 42 goal involvements between them – it was clear Beale had to bolster his attacking options.

This saw him splash money on Dessers and Danilo, but before the pair joined, it was Lammers who was first to make the move to Ibrox.

Rangers agreed a fee of £3m to lure him from Serie A side Atalanta in June. Having scored only six goals across the previous three seasons, the warning signs were there that Beale wasn’t going to be signing a prolific goalscorer.

During his first six months at Ibrox, Lammers was often played as a number ten, being shoehorned into a position that clearly didn’t attune to his talents.

Sam Lammers’ statistics at Rangers

The former Feyenoord forward scored against Newcastle in pre-season in what was his first game for the Light Blues, looking sharp in the process.

His display meant Beale was going to utilise him in a slightly deeper role rather than as a centre-forward, but it failed to pay off.

Across 31 games for the Gers, Lammers found the back of the net only twice, while registering a further two assists, hardly the numbers which justified a £3m transfer fee.

Among his teammates, the 26-year-old ranked just ninth for goals and assists (three) in the top flight, while also ranking fourth for big chances missed (six), 18th for big chances created (one), 25th for key passes per game (0.3) and fourth for successful dribbles per game (1.1), hardly stats worthy of a starting spot in the team.

Despite Beale being sacked following a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen, Clement persisted with Lammers, largely due to the fact he was still assessing his entire squad, meaning every player was given a clean slate.

The Dutchman enjoyed his finest performance during a clash against Dundee at the start of November, registering 50% of his total goal contributions for the club in the game.

Operating behind Danilo, Lammers also created one big chance and made one key pass during the game, while succeeding with two of his three dribble attempts, and it certainly looked like it could be a major turning point for him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, going goalless in his final nine matches for the Ibrox side prior to the winter break.

Sam Lammers record at FC Utrecht

With his chances limited, the forward opted to move back to his homeland in order to join Utrecht on a loan deal until the end of the campaign.

It has proven to be a wonderful choice, with Lammers being used as a centre-forward rather than a number ten.

He has played just 14 games for the club yet has scored eight goals and grabbed three assists. Not only that, but Lammers netted in six consecutive Eredivisie matches, equalling a 40 year old club record in the process.

This is certainly not the player Clement saw at Ibrox, perhaps suggesting that the pressure was too much, while he was played out of position in an attacking midfield role far too often.

If the club receive an offer from the Dutch side to take him on a permanent deal, Clement should take it, as he could use the funds to bring in one or two of his own signings this summer.

His six months at Ibrox have cost the Gers a pretty penny, however.

How much Sam Lammers earned at Rangers

Upon moving to Scotland, the player was given a four-year contract, earning £18k-per-week, which saw him earn more than Abdallah Sima, Ridvan Yilmaz and John Souttar to name but a few.

After a few months, it was evident that this was far too high a wage to be paying for someone who was regularly delivering woeful performances and once he was shipped out on loan, Utrecht began to pay his weekly salary.

Over the course of his first six months though, Lammers cost the Light Blues £3.5m. Combining his £3m transfer fee plus the £500k he earned in wages, which culminated in him scoring just twice for the club.

It was yet another case of acting too quickly in the transfer market and splurging money on a player who was unlikely to generate a profit upon leaving the Light Blues.

Thankfully, his displays for Utrecht could convince them, or perhaps another Eredivisie side to take a punt on him this summer, allowing Rangers to potentially recoup their outlay from last summer.

Wasting £3.5m is terrible from a financial perspective and this could severely limit Clement’s spending in the forthcoming transfer window, especially considering he badly needs to sign a few players.

Under the shrewd leadership of the Belgian coach, signings like Lammers will hopefully be a thing of the past, with the transfer ethos going forward focusing on younger talents who could generate a significant profit in the future.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

“When we go abroad and get a seaming track, we don’t talk about excessive grass on the pitch”

Sidharth Monga15-Feb-20212:37

Is Axar Patel now ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the pecking order?

Debutant left-arm spinner Axar Patel has asked the critics of the Chennai pitch to change their mindset towards spinning pitches, pointing out that India never complain about seaming tracks when they travel.Related

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The Chennai pitch has received criticism from former players such as Michael Vaughan, Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Sanjay Manjrekar.”It’s not as though someone has been hit in the helmet or the toes,” Patel said. “It is a normal wicket. We are playing on the same wicket and scoring runs. I feel no one should have an objection about this pitch. When we go out and get a seaming track, we don’t talk about excessive grass on the pitch. You have to change your mindset rather than think about the pitch.”The argument has been that a pitch with puffs of dust and mini-explosions on day one will only get worse for batting, turning it into lottery. But as Patel said, India have scored runs in both innings whereas the whole England side managed fewer runs in the first innings than Rohit Sharma’s 161. He was even asked if there was extra determination from R Ashwin and Virat Kohli to bat on and score as many as possible even though they had more than enough runs on the board.”We don’t think of outside and if we have to send a message,” Patel said. “We just batted normally. If it had been day four we would have thought of declaring.”Patel also said this wasn’t a pitch where you just turn up and release the ball and the surface will do the rest for you.”The way the wicket is behaving, you know there is spin, but the spin is there only if you put some strength behind the ball,” he said. “If you leave it like that or flight it too much, then there is not much turn from the pitch. The speed has to be high. Otherwise the batsman is going back and has time to adjust. Speed is very important for a spinner on this pitch.”Patel had all the strength to give after missing his debut a week ago with a niggle in the knee. He said that while it was frustrating to miss that match, had he risked it, he could have ended up losing out on giving his best in both the matches.”I was selected to play the first Test but I pulled out because of the injury,” he said. “I didn’t want to play with a niggle and take the risk of letting the team down halfway into the match. The physio told me if I gave it time I will be fine for the second Test. So the physio and I took that call. It was frustrating but the positive is that I could give my 100% here.”

ESPNcricinfo brings you the plays of the third day of the third Test between South Africa and India at Newlands

Sidharth Monga at Newlands04-Jan-2011The immoveable object
Dale Steyn and Graeme Smith couldn’t believe the umpire didn’t think there was an edge. It was a perfect delivery to Harbhajan Singh, pitching around leg, moving away appreciably, but it missed the first bit of wood that came its way by a fair distance. However, after beating the bat, it hit the off stump, which moved back a little but refused to let go of the bail. The woody sound convinced South Africa of the edge, but Umpire Ian Gould saw it like a hawk and didn’t go just by the sound. The fielders and the bowlers protested unsubtly, but the replays revealed a perfect call from the umpire.The one-end job
The first hour of the morning was a severe examination for Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir. More so for Tendulkar, who had to face a testing spell of outswing. It would have been frustrating for Steyn, though, that he didn’t get to bowl even one ball at Gambhir in that spell. Tendulkar blocked his end up, and Gambhir blocked Morkel’s. It took India 73 balls in the morning to turn the strike over, when Tendulkar worked Lonwabo Tsotsobe through midwicket. The 36 runs before that all came in fours and twos.The turn
The crowd often ribs Paul Harris for the lack of turn when he bowls spin, but today his fingers were on fire. One delivery turned and kicked from outside off to follow Gambhir’s attempt at leaving it and hit the handle of the bat. It was too tough a chance for Mark Boucher, but that delivery was enough to create doubt in the mind of the man batting on 93. Gambhir played the next ball for turn, and ended up with an outside edge. How one delivery can change perceptions formed over years of hard work.The finger
Further proof that the Harris fingers were on fire came when he deflected a scorching hit from Tendulkar onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end, catching a backing-up VVS Laxman short. And Laxman reacted typically, a touch of disbelief at the injustice on his face, and the hands almost on his hips. If there was any consolation, Harris had to receive treatment on the bleeding finger.The miss
Perfect deliveries were not in short supply from Steyn, but perfect appeals were. The second ball of the day should have got him Tendulkar’s wicket, but the edge was so faint that he didn’t even seemed to have heard it, and hence was late in the appeal. Who could blame the umpire when the bowler himself wasn’t that convinced?The January 4 Tendulkar-Harbhajan show
Exactly three years ago, to the day, in another city in the Southern Hemisphere, India found themselves in trouble. Then, in Sydney, Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh added 129 for the eighth wicket to take India past Australia’s 463. Today, with four wickets gone for 43 runs, South Africa were into the tail and looking at a sizeable lead. Tendulkar and Harbhajan, however, repeated the rescue work from three years ago, to add 76 for the seventh wicket, and give India some control of the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix led Al-Nassr to a 2-1 victory over Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals despite a red card to Sadio Mane.

• Al-Nassr into Saudi Super Cup final
• New signing Joao Felix bags winner
• Sadio Mane sent off in first half

• Getty Images Sport
  

  TELL ME MORE

  An end-to-end first half brought plenty of drama, starting in the opening minutes when Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento presented Karim Benzema with a glorious opportunity. The stopper inexplicably passed the ball straight to the Frenchman on the edge of the penalty area and will have been relieved to see him drag a low shot wide of the post.

  The action then switched to the other end and saw Al-Nassr take the lead through Mane. A cross from Marcelo Brozovic found the Senegal star with time and space in the box, and his turn and shot somehow managed to beat goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shanqiti, who will feel he should have done better after getting a hand to the ball.

  Yet Al-Nassr's lead lasted just six minutes as Al-Ittihad swiftly hit back through Steven Bergwijn. A nicely worked move down the left flank culminated with the ball being cut back to Bergwijn to fire a low shot past Bento to make it 1-1.

  Jorge Jesus's side then suffered more misery as Mane was sent off to leave Al-Nassr down to 10 men. The Senegal star was handed his marching orders on 25 minutes after challenging for the ball in the penalty area and stupidly stamping on Al-Shanqiti.

  Despite being a man down, Al-Nassr went ahead on the hour when Ronaldo and Joao Felix combined. Al-Nassr's captain beat the offside trap after being sent through on goal and showed his unselfish side by rolling the ball across goal for Felix to tap into an empty net.

  Felix then thought he'd sealed the game for Nassr after drilling home his second minutes later, but the goal was ruled out after Ronaldo was penalised for a trip on Fabinho.

  Yet Al-Nassr still managed to comfortably hold on for an important win, putting Ronaldo one step closer to winning his first title with the Saudi Pro League side.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  Al-Nassr looked doomed after going down to 10 men with only 25 minutes on the clock but had summer signing Felix to thank for the win. The Portugal international had the simple task of tapping home the winner and was a little unfortunate to see another goal ruled out shortly afterwards. Felix has had a tough few seasons but was a handful here and is enjoying a bright start to life with the Saudi Pro League side.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIG LOSER

  Mane went from hero to villain for Al-Nassr in an action-packed first half. The Senegal star opened the scoring in the match but was handed his marching orders just 15 minutes later. The Al-Nassr star contested the decision but clearly left his foot in on goalkeeper Al-Shanqiti and can have few complaints about the decision, which left his team a man down with plenty of football still to play.

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• WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Al-Nassr now go on to face either Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Ahli in the Saudi Super Cup final. The second semi takes place on Wednesday in Hong Kong.

Arsenal finished their pre-season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Atheltic Club, as Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for the club with the opener.

• Gyokeres nods home Martin Zubimendi cross
• Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz also on the scoresheet
• Mikel Arteta fields strong team ahead of United opener

• TELL ME MORE

  Arsenal beat Athletic Club 3-0 in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday. 

  The game started at a mid-season pitch, with Rob Jones booking  Athletic Club's Yuri Berchiche within the opening two minutes. Both teams attacked at pace, with international teammates David Raya and Unai Simon forced into action in a frenetic opening ten minutes. Another tame effort by Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta on the quarter-hour mark appeared to jolt Arsenal, who began to exert control over the game.

  Bukayo Saka was constantly threatening, turning Inigo Lekue inside and out. His square ball across the face of goal was begging to be put away by Gyokeres, but his tame effort from six yards out was comfortably dealt with by Unai Simon.

  The Gunners' pressure finally told in the 34th minute, when Martin Zubimendi's fizzing near post cross was met with a glancing header by Gyokeres. The Swede's movement and deft touch was exactly the type of intervention the Gunners missed last season. It was a true marksman's goal.

  Just a few minutes later, the Gunners doubled their lead. A long ball forward by Raya was cushioned into the path of Martin Odegaard. The captain in turn, lifted a through ball over the top of the Athletic Club defence. Martinelli raced onto the pass, nicked the ball past an onrushing Unai Simon and into the path of Saka who turned it into an empty net from about 20 yards out. The Gunners saw out the remainder of the half with consummate ease, as they looked physically and technically superior to their opponents.

  Arteta picked something close to his strongest team for this assignment, and he will be pleased to see his team create and control the game. While the second half was played at a slower pace, the Gunners still showed flashes of creativity. Noni Madueke showed his skill on the ball, jinking past his opposite number on numerous occasions. Gyokeres will be disappointed he did not add to his earlier effort, as his diving header from a Madueke cross rattled the post. The Swede was given rapturous applause as he exited the arena to be subbed by Kai Havertz in the 71st minute. 

  Perhaps to remind the Emirates that he still has a part to play, the German sealed the afternoon's proceedings when he broke onto a speculative long ball forward, brushed off his defender, and calmly slotted past Unai Simon in the 82nd minute. 

  A great day for the Gunners was sealed with a 6-5 win in the now customary post-game penalty shootout.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  As Athletic Club were starting to threaten around the 15-minute mark, Saka took the game by the scruff of the neck. He ran poor Lukue ragged for the remainder of the first half. While his goal was laid out for him on a silver platter, he will be glad to find the net ahead of upcoming Premier League season. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  NEW FACES

  All eyes were on Gyokeres, as he looked to find the scoresheet ahead of the Gunners' Premier League curtain raiser next week. The Swede worked the channels, offered a physical threat, and made the hallmark runs of a 'proper' no.9. His headed goal exhibited archetypal traits of a top level Premier League striker. He still sometimes looks a bit ungainly with the ball at his feet during general build-up play, however. All-in-all, a successful run out.

  Martin Zubimendi continued his outstanding pre-season with a typically metronomic display in the centre of the park. He appears to be the perfect foil to Declan Rice in a double pivot: technical, composed and reliable. If he routinely adds a final ball to the standard he delivered for Gyokeres' goal, he will be a resounding success in north London. 

  Noni Madueke showed his grace on the ball, taking on opposing defenders at speed. Christhian Mosquera had little to do after he came on at the 60 minute mark.

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• ONES TO WATCH

  Arteta used this last pre-season run out to put more miles in his first teamer's legs, with no current academy players on the bench bar keeper Alexei Rojas. He was an unused substitute, with David Raya taking the full 90 minutes. 

Praises the ‘disciplined’ England bowlers and underlines his admiration for Adil Rashid and India’s Yuzvendra Chahal

Daniel Brettig14-Sep-2020Amid the pain, there was also admiration from Adam Zampa as he assessed how England had stolen a victory from under Australian noses for the third time in little more than a year across all three formats.At Headingley last year in Tests, in Southampton during the T20I leg of this tour and in Manchester on Sunday night, Australia were in positions of total dominance, only to have games snatched from them by outstanding English resilience and greater composure in the prevailing conditions.It is a pattern that has contributed to some highly entertaining and undulating cricket, but one that will rankle no end with Australia’s decision-makers, not least the coach Justin Langer. But Zampa’s counsel was that once the emotions subsided, the Australians could learn from how England were aggressive in all they did once the tourists had boxed them into a couple of corners.In the second ODI on Sunday, Tom Curran and Adil Rashid first went on the attack with the bat, after the fashion their captain Eoin Morgan had briefly hinted at earlier in the innings. Next, Morgan bravely went for it with his new ball pair of Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes when Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne were well set, and trusted that the rest of the attack could do the job if they broke through. In both cases the Australian response was a little hazy and defensive. The result: a dramatic England victory.”It says that England are a really good cricket team,” Zampa said. “They’re really adaptable. Their one-day cricket over the last four or five years has been unbelievable: they’re really attacking with the bat and they do the job with the ball as well. But they read the conditions really well and they adapt, their bowlers literally hit the top of off stump the whole time, and they’re really disciplined. I think England are a really good cricket team and we can learn a lot from them.ALSO READ: ‘No excuse’ for Australia as they fulfill their own pessimistic prophecy“Cricket’s never easy to watch because everyone really wants to win and we were so close to winning a series with a game to spare. When you’re watching that happen, it’s never easy, but it’s hard to say… when Marnus and Finchy were batting really well, you feel like you’re a little bit comfortable almost, but you also know that the wicket was getting tired and up and down and they had some really good bowling options as well. It was a tough one.”Nevertheless, the ongoing Australian tour of the UK has been arguably the most competitive white-ball effort put in by the national team outside of an Ashes or World Cup campaign since the shorter tours started to take place in 2010. Certainly, a pair of drubbings in 2012 and 2018 do not hold up well by comparison with this series, where the final match will be a series decider. Zampa reckoned that while the late season pitches had contributed to the difficulty of chasing on Sunday night, it had also made for an arm-wrestling style of cricket that kept the teams close together.”I think last night we saw a bit of 1990s one-day cricket almost, just due to the fact we were playing at Old Trafford and the wickets are pretty tired at the moment. They’ve had a long summer here, and I think one-day cricket’s still going to evolve even further from what you saw during the last World Cup,” Zampa said. “I think it’s definitely still a batsmen’s game, but you’re seeing a different type of one-day cricket at the moment due to some tired wickets, some tired players and lots of cricketers who haven’t played a lot recently too. It’s been a really good battle.’I’m a legspinner’. ‘I’m a legspinner too’ – Adam Zampa and Adil Rashid avoid a mid-pitch collision•Getty Images

“We went about the chase really well, Marnus and Finchy played it beautifully. I just think once you lose a wicket after a big partnership like that, it’s really hard to start. Balls were hitting the toe of the bat and some were hitting the handle of the bat too. It was a difficult chase to try and manipulate, but I think we went about it the right way. Once you lose wickets in clumps it makes it pretty hard.”Particularly yesterday’s game definitely played a role in that, a used wicket and things like that. I think the first game was still a pretty good wicket, but we don’t really get wickets like that at home, playing one day cricket at places like the Gabba, MCG and SCG. Generally they’re pretty good wickets, and I like one-day cricket that way as well. It is nice to play on those wickets, but I don’t think playing on wickets like that is good all the time.”Zampa has taken the chance on this tour to put himself in some pivotal situations, not least volunteering to bowl at the death during the T20I series, but he has also enjoyed plenty of success with his variations and accuracy challenging the stumps. He has also taken plenty from watching Rashid go about his own brand of wristspin, closing out the game on Sunday even though he had been taken for plenty of runs earlier on.”I really enjoy bowling the death overs, I love those pressure overs especially when the game’s on the line,” Zampa said. “Finchy, I think they needed 17 to win off the last two overs and I told Finchy that I should bowl it and it obviously didn’t go to plan, but I’m not going to change my attitude after one game. I really enjoy bowling those overs and I’ve got a really good opportunity coming up at the IPL where I can bowl with [Yuzvendra] Chahal at RCB [Royal Challengers Bangalore] and I might get the opportunity to bowl those later overs because of the way the team is structured.”I’m 100% about enjoying another person’s craft. We’ve spoken about Rashid quite a bit because he’s really dangerous for England and I love watching him bowl. I think his control, his flight, he’s a really gutsy bowler, he’s really attacking, always trying to get wickets. It’s exciting to watch. It didn’t go quite his way last night, but that happens with legspin and I think when you have an attacking mindset like Rash does, it’s really exciting to watch.”Ahead of the final game of the tour, Zampa said the visitors were hopeful of being bolstered by Steven Smith, who has now missed two games following a head knock in training. “It’s been disappointing to have him miss the last couple of games,” Zampa said. “He’s a world class player and his experience as well, so I’m not sure where it’s at at the moment; we didn’t really get to see him yesterday around game time. I think it’s pretty obvious he’s picked in most cricket teams, so hopefully we can have him back for that third game.”

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this afternoon as they travel away from Yorkshire to take on Coventry City at the CBS Arena.

The Whites remained in the top two with a 3-1 win over Hull City on Easter Monday, as goals from Sam Byram, Crysencio Summerville, and Dan James secured all three points at Elland Road.

They are one point ahead of Leicester City, who have one game in hand, and are one point behind Ipswich Town, who take on rivals Norwich City in the early kick-off today.

Daniel Farke's side are hunting for automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and a win against Coventry – who are seventh in the division – would be another step in the right direction.

Despite the 3-1 win on Monday, Leeds were not entirely convincing in their performance against the Tigers and the German head coach could make changes to his starting XI as a result of that.

One player who should be unleashed from the start, if he passes a late fitness test, is Bulgaria international Ilia Gruev, who the boss revealed has a chance of returning from an ankle injury this weekend.

The player Ilia Gruev could replace

Farke could brutally drop teenage sensation Archie Gray down to the bench to make room for the former Werder Bremen star to start in midfield.

The 18-year-old whiz, who has been shortlisted for the Championship Young Player of the Year award alongside Jonathan Rowe and Jordan James, started in his favoured midfield position against Hull but failed to showcase the best of his abilities.

Gray, who has spent the majority of the season impressing at right-back, played next to Glen Kamara and did not impose himself on the match, in or out of possession.

As you can see in the table above, the England U21 international was not at his best on the ball against the Tigers, with some wasteful passing in midfield.

Gray ranks within the top 32% of Championship full-backs for progressive passes per 90 this season with 4.06. However, he only made three against Hull in 90 minutes, which shows that he was not very forward-thinking with his passing as well as being inefficient.

That contributed to the away side being able to dominate for spells in the game, as Liam Rosenior's side ended the match with 56% possession at Elland Road.

Leeds may have had more control of the game if they had Gruev available to play next to Kamara, as he has the quality on the ball to be a metronomic presence in the middle of the park for Farke.

Why Ilia Gruev should start

The 23-year-old maestro has been a terrific performer for the club in 2024, having broken into the starting XI on a regular basis thanks to Ethan Ampadu dropping back into centre-back to cover for Pascal Struijk's continued absence.

Gruev, who has started 14 of his 23 appearances in the second tier, is a central midfielder who provides fantastic reliability and progression with his passing, whilst also being an above average defensive presence for his position.

The £5m signing currently ranks within the top 13% of Championship midfielders for tackles won (2.71) per 90, and the top 23% for interceptions (1.32) per 90 this season.

This shows that he is among the best in the division when it comes to winning the ball back for his side through tackles and interceptions per game.

Gruev also brings quality in possession with a phenomenal pass accuracy of 91.2% in the league, which places him within the top 2% of his positional peers, and this shows that the talented gem rarely gives the ball away in midfield.

The metronomic star, who was described as a "revelation" by analyst Ben Mattinson, ranks within the top 39% for progressive passes per 90 with 4.80 – 0.74 per 90 than Gray and 1.80 more than the English gem managed against Hull.

Therefore, not only would the former Bundesliga ace provide more reliability in possession but he would also provide more incision with progressive, forward, passing to move the team up the pitch to create opportunities for his teammates.

This is why Farke should brutally drop Gray to the bench, or to right-back if Sam Byram needs to be rested, to make space for Gruev to return, if he is fit enough to start.

Who Ilia Gruev should start next to

Glen Kamara should occupy the other position in midfield as the Finland international has been a super reliable performer for Farke since his move from Rangers last summer.

Like Gruev, the former Arsenal academy graduate is fantastic on the ball and is a player who the opposition struggle to dispossess in the Championship.

The 28-year-old star ranks within the top 2% of midfielders in the division with a pass success rate of 92.6% for Leeds this season, which is not far away from Flynn Downes' league-leading 93.8% in that position.

Kamara also ranks within the top 7% of his positional peers for progressive passes (7.00) per 90. This shows that he is incredibly forward-thinking and progressive in possession, which helps the Whites to build attacks and break down stubborn defences.

The Finnish ace holds his own defensively, off the ball, with a duel success rate of 59%, including a 61% success rate in ground battles, which shows that opposition players find it hard to get the better of him in physical contests.

He is, therefore, a reliable performer at both ends of the pitch for Leeds as the former Rangers star is efficient with both his defensive and offensive contributions, as shown by his duel success rate and fantastic passing efficiency.

This is why Kamara and Gruev work so well as a pairing for the Whites as they both have the quality to retain possession at an exceptional rate, whilst also being progressive passers who do their defensive duties, and that is why Farke must unleash them both against Coventry.

Glamorgan seal only their third victory of campaign against Central Group leaders

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2020Glamorgan 188 for 4 (Balbirnie 99*) beat Gloucestershire 171 for 6 (Dent 55, Wagg 3-34) by 17 runsIreland captain Andy Balbirnie fell agonisingly short of becoming Glamorgan’s sixth centurion in T20 cricket as he led his side to a well-earned victory over Central Group leaders Gloucestershire by 17 runs in the Vitality Blast in Cardiff.Balbirnie struck an explosive unbeaten 99, the highest individual T20 score by a Glamorgan batsman at Cardiff, to lay the foundations of a competitive 188 for 4, adding 61 for the second wicket with David Lloyd and 79 for the fourth with Chris Cooke.Defeat for the visitors means that they must now wait until their final match against Somerset on Sunday to discover whether they will have a home tie in the quarter-finals.Glamorgan made three changes to the side that lost heavily to Somerset at Cardiff two nights ago – top-scorer Owen Morgan, Callum Taylor and Marchant de Lange replaced by Kiran Carlson, Dan Douthwaite and Graham Wagg.Openers Lloyd and Nick Selman lofted the ball for a boundary apiece before the latter holed out to deep midwicket. However, Balbirnie continued the onslaught as Glamorgan reached 51 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.Gloucestershire turned to the medium-pace of Benny Howell and Ryan Higgins, and then to the left-arm spin of Tom Smith – and it yielded success when Lloyd was bowled by Howell as he stepped away to the leg side, before Carlson drove Smith to Howell at cover.Balbirnie swept Taylor to the fine-leg boundary for his second six, bringing up his half-century, and continued to blast the Gloucestershire attack with Higgins conceding 17 in his second over. Balbirnie waited nervously for his century, as Cooke was run out attempting a quick single, before Douthwaite despatched consecutive boundaries, but the Irishman ultimately fell one run short.Chasing 189 to win, Gloucestershire made a slow start to their Powerplay, despite two fours and a six by Chris Dent in the fourth over, before Mile Hammond was caught at short third man in the fifth as the visitors reached 49 for 1.By the halfway stage, Dent, who was dropped by Salter before reaching his half-century from 32 deliveries, and Ian Cockbain, also dropped by Timm van der Gugten in the deep, had guided Gloucestershire to 86 for 1, still requiring 103 runs to win.Graham Wagg gave Glamorgan important breakthroughs in successive overs, when he struck the top of Cockbain’s leg stump before catching Dent at long-off off Prem Sisodiya. He struck again when the equation was 65 from the final five overs as John Bracey, dropped at long-on on 29, skied to point from a leading edge on 37 in the 18th over.Van der Gugten yorked Higgins from the final delivery of the penultimate over, and Wagg claimed a third wicket in the final over when Jack Taylor was caught at long-off as Balbirnie rounded off a memorable evening for the Dubliner.