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The legspinner could have a career choice to make before too long between cricket and AFL

Andrew McGlashan16-Feb-2020Wil Parker, the 17-year-old Victoria legspinner, had never been to the SCG before being handed a Sheffield Shield debut this week.It has been a wide-eyed experience: presented his cap by Peter Siddle – who is his room-mate for the Sydney trip and made his first-class debut when Parker was three – to be the state’s fourth-youngest debutant (behind Gerry Hazlitt, Cameron White and Jake Fraser-McGurk), followed by a day watching Nathan Lyon go about his work and then a maiden first-class wicket of a batsman who scored a Test century a little over a year ago.Kurtis Patterson, batting confidently on 54, advanced down the pitch and got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Seb Gotch although he would have been out stumped anyway.”I didn’t think I got the wicket because Gotchy’s reaction was as if he’d missed but he ended up taking the catch which was pretty special,” Parker said. “Kurtis Patterson, not a bad wicket to get first up. Over the moon.”Did him with the wrong ‘un? “Nah, it just slid on,” he admitted. “I like to say I have a wrong ‘un and a toppy, still working on the flipper.”

Here's Parker's maiden first class wicket and didn't the boys love it! #NSWvVIC #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/a9OKEeLsxf

— Victorian Cricket Team (@VicStateCricket) February 15, 2020

Naturally for an Australian legspinner, especially one from Victoria, the next part is fairly obvious. The mention of Shane Warne. “Oh, yeah, my idol,” he said. “Let’s be honest, every young legspinner, let alone a Victorian, should have Shane Warne as their idol.”He has yet to meet Warne. “That would be a dream to have a chat with about legspinning, specifically, and just life as well.”For a moment consider that Warne played his last match for Australia in 2007. A lot of highlights have been watched on YouTube. On Parker’s bedroom wall, the memories are of more recent Australian vintages: the 2013-14 Ashes-winning side and the 2015 World Cup team.While a debut at the MCG may have ticked every box, striding out at the SCG is a heck of a way to see a ground for the first time. “I’m actually a Sydney Swans fan so it’s actually not bad debuting here, pretty special. I’ve never been here, so first time to play here is pretty special.”A (non-alcoholic) drink with Lyon after this match would cap things off. “Yesterday [Friday] was pretty special to sit back and watching from the changing rooms…that would be something special, just to sit down with him.”The AFL mention moves neatly onto another major part of the Parker story. He is a hugely talented dual sportsman – tipped to have a chance of a professional football career – with the choice that will bring before too long, but not quite yet.”There will have to be a time where I make a decision but at the moment I’m just trying to take each season as it goes. At the moment it’s cricket season, I’m loving cricket, and when it’s footy I love footy. There will be a time to make a decision but that’s not just yet. Just trying to enjoy cricket at the moment, representing my state at the SCG is pretty special.”At the moment he balances cricket training with Monash Tigers and football with NAB League side Eastern Ranges. “Currently I’m trying to get to some pre-season sessions at the moment, juggle it all. Still keeping fit, kicking the footy around,” he said.Victoria team-mate Will Sutherland had the same decision to make and went with cricket. “He reckoned he was always going to play cricket, whereas I don’t really know yet,” Parker said.There is strong sporting linage in the family. His uncle, Geoff, played 37 first-class matches for South Australia and Victoria between 1985 and 1999. In 1988, he captained Australia Young Cricketers at the Youth World Cup and also played football in the late 1980s. He now works in AFL recruiting with Port Adelaide.

He will be involved with decisions around the future of players he has shared a dressing room up to this season

Alex Malcolm28-Nov-2019

Australia’s newest selector George Bailey won’t shy away from difficult selection conversations with players he shares close relationships with, including Tasmania team-mates Tim Paine and Matthew Wade.Bailey won’t begin his role alongside Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns until early February and will instead be an unofficial national teams advisor in the interim while he finishes his playing career with Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL.Bailey’s appointment has been met with universal approval, but as a current player who has played with and against almost every player involved in the national teams he will have some unique issues to manage. He captained a number of the players involved in the current teams at T20I and ODI level and has also played his entire domestic career alongside Test captain Paine, whose international career will almost certainly end during Bailey’s time on the panel, although there is no suggestion that would be imminent. He has also played alongside Wade for many years with both Tasmania and Australia.ALSO READ: ‘I haven’t heard anyone even doubt the decision’ – Finch on Bailey being named selector”I’m certainly going in with eyes wide open to the fact that there are difficult conversations that will be had,” Bailey said. “Those two, in particular, I think it’s all just about being honest. It certainly won’t be my decision and my decision alone and like any player, you work through those things, hopefully together, but at the appropriate times.”I feel like I’m a servant to the players and every player, or certainly the majority of the players playing first-class cricket, their dream is to play cricket for Australia. My job is to select the lucky few that get the opportunity to do that.”But you’re also trying to help those that are not quite in the mix, giving them some help and advice as to how you think they can get there and also the guys that have had the opportunity and then find themselves back out of the team, you’re trying to help them out to get them back into that team.”Bailey also said he had thick skin as far as any criticism that might be levelled at him in the role.”Have you seen the way I stand to face up to face a cricket ball?” Bailey said. “I’m happy to cop a little bit of criticism. That won’t be any concern. Who should and shouldn’t be in the Australian cricket team is always a hot topic of conversation, which is great. There will be a lot of people whose advice I think is important, and there’ll be a lot that won’t.”Bailey has been named in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield squad to face Queensland in Hobart starting on Friday, and he will also be available for Tasmania’s last match before the BBL break against South Australia, but he is adamant he does not want a farewell game if he is not in Tasmania’s best XI. He will play in the BBL for the Hurricanes but will retire from all forms at the end of the tournament.He plans to use his last two months as a player to do some reconnaissance on the role.”I’ll use that time to talk to coaches and players and high performance staff about what that might look like and what players’ expectations are, what coaches’ expectations are,” Bailey said. “My perspective has been one of player for many, many years and I’ve got some clear thoughts on what that’s been like and what players feel like but learning what it looks like from the other side of the fence will be important.”It seems to be that communication pops up a lot, which I think is one that can be easily fixed or understood. How much players want, how much stakeholders want, coaches, whether there’s an expectation that players who aren’t necessarily in and around the team still want a little bit more feedback.”He said performances will count for a lot but he shares the same values as Langer as far as character is concerned.”Runs and wickets are always going to be important, it’s a pretty good currency isn’t it, if you’re scoring them and taking them you’re always going to be in the mix but there’s so many other things that are important to being part of a team and part of a successful team. Some of those things I think Justin and Tim have been really strong on and Aaron [Finch] in the white-ball teams for Australia have been really strong on. Being a good person, being able to help your mates when you’re not doing so well, being able to celebrate others success are also important as well as obviously being able to perform.”

Health could be one of the reasons for his decision; new chairman to be elected in May

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Dec-2019ICC chairman Shashank Manohar has indicated that he will not seek to continue in the seat when his current term ends in May 2020. Despite having the option of serving for another two years, Manohar was quoted as saying by , “I am not interested in continuing for another two-year term.”ICC’s rules allow a chairman to serve a maximum of three terms if he or she is re-elected every two years. Manohar became the global body’s first independent chairman in 2016, and then was re-elected in 2018. On both occasions he was, as the sole nominee, elected unanimously by the ICC directors.He remains popular with a majority of the ICC board’s 15 directors, which includes an independent woman director, the former Pepsico chairperson, Indra Nooyi. Imran Khawaja, the ICC deputy chairman, is believed to have met Manohar recently, asking him to continue for another term.”Majority of directors have requested me to continue but I have told them that I do not wish to,” Manohar said. “I have been the chairman for nearly five years. I am very clear, I do not want to continue from June 2020. My successor will be known next May. He has to be elected in May to take charge after me at the annual conference.”Manohar’s tenure has been, in some ways, transformative. When he was BCCI president between 2015-16, Manohar became the first heavyweight administrator to call out the constitutional revamp of the ICC, devised by the Big Three, for “bullying”.Once he took charge as the independent chairman, Manohar rolled back the Big Three’s revamp, brought in a new financial distribution model, changed the governance structure of the ICC Board and brought in an independent woman director for the first time. In the last two years, he has overseen the ICC management’s plan to introduce the the World Test Championship and the ODI League, to be launched from May 2020.His decision to not seek another term is thought to have caught the ICC management by surprise, and it is not immediately clear why he is choosing not to continue. One reason could be that Manohar is simply not inclined to chair the ICC anymore, that he is less motivated now because the ICC faces lesser challenges compared to when he took charge in 2016.Another potential reason could be health. The October round of ICC meetings were moved from Sydney to Dubai because Manohar couldn’t get on a long-haul flight to Australia: he had been advised not to do so by doctors.An ICC director who met Manohar recently told him that they needed his strong leadership now that an elected BCCI administration was back in power. The director feared that the BCCI, using its clout, could possibly once again endanger the various reforms the ICC had adopted, or is in the process of adopting.Although enjoys a strong support at the ICC, Manohar has polarised opinion within the BCCI where several members – among the state associations – have been critical of him for hurting India’s interests when he rolled back the Big Three revamp.As per the election rules, only a current or former ICC director can contest for the chairman’s position. Each director can nominate one candidate. Nominees with the support of at least two directors are eligible to contest the election.

da 888： Rangers have enquired over the loan signing of a "special" attacking player in the January transfer window, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

Rangers transfer news

da dobrowin： Philippe Clement has another couple of weeks to conduct some important business in various areas of the pitch, assuming he wants to bring in new faces to aid his side's Scottish Premiership title push.

While left-back looks like a main area of focus, due to Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic's Rangers futures being in doubt, it looks as though attackers are also being targeted.

Leeds United youngster Joe Gelhardt is one player who has previously emerged as a possible option for the Gers, with the Englishman struggling for regular minutes this season, while Hearts star Lawrence Shankland has also been linked with a move to Ibrox.

Nottingham Forest attacker Emmanuel Dennis is another who has been backed to complete a move to Ibrox in the January window, but supporters seem to be more behind the idea of signing Shankland instead, perhaps due to his good form this season, as he leads the way in the scoring charts in the league.

Rangers making Joe Gelhardt enquiries

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Rangers have enquired over the loan signing of Joe Gelhardt this month, but Celtic are also in the mix to snap him up.

"I guess it'd be a loan move. Gelhardt would be a nice profile player because he seems ready to perform on the right platform. He's got excellent traits that probably need a bit of development now. I'm not surprised that enquiries are being made on both fronts from Rangers or Celtic at this moment in time.

"For a player like Gelhardt, it's probably confidence-boosting to have those conversations happening around you right now. Whether they can come to fruition and turn into a transfer is different, but I don't think it's harming anybody to look at that situation."

Gelhardt appears to be an exciting talent that he could be a star at Rangers, potentially thriving with a new challenge and taking to the Scottish game like a duck to water. The 21-year-old has incredible natural talent, whether it be weaving past tackles or finishing in classy fashion, and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher once heaped praise on him after scoring a huge goal for Leeds against Norwich City, saying:

"He’s a special, special talent. He’ll be remembered now for this big goal, but I can assure you, he is a lad we will be talking about a lot in a few years’ time, he really is."

Leeds seemingly don't see Gelhardt as a key starter in the Championship promotion push this season, so a loan move to Rangers could make sense for all parties, although it looks as though Celtic will be providing strong competition.

Related Rangers now keen to sign in-demand forward for Philippe Clement

The Gers are still searching for attacking reinforcements…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Jan 18, 2024

This is someone who once scored 18 goals in just 27 appearances in Premier League 2 at youth team level, an overall tally of 20 in 31 for the Whites' Under-21s, outlining the quality he could bring to Rangers in the second half of the season.

Peter Handscomb’s unbeaten 65 not enough for Durham as hosts defend 145

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2019

Rob Keogh was the unlikely hero with the ball for Northamptonshire as they pulled off a tremendous defence of only 145 to beat Durham by 21 runs at Wantage Road and claim their second win in the Vitality Blast.Sent in, the home side laboured to a modest total but Alex Wakely’s unbeaten 47 in 35 balls gave them a score to defend. Keogh then took advantage of a pitch that gripped to take 3 for 30 – comfortably his best T20 figures – as Durham could only make 124 for 8 in reply.Northants realised there was help for the spinners and used 12 overs of slow bowling to strangle Durham in a way the visitors managed to do themselves until Wakely helped strike 19 from the final over.Cobb opened the bowling and sent down four overs for only 12, Graeme White’s left-arm spin took 1 for 27 but it was Keogh who sealed victory with a fine spell.He lured Alex Lees into swinging to long-on where Faheem Ashraf sprinted to his right, dived, and claimed a tremendous catch. Liam Trevaskis did likewise – this time the catch more comfortable – before Stuart Poynter reverse-swept to backward point.Only Peter Handscomb kept Durham together with a 41-ball fifty. The required rate had leapt to 12 an over before he lifted Keogh over extra-cover for the first boundary for eight overs and swept another wide of midwicket. He then powered White over his head to raise a half-century but despite his unbeaten 65 in 54 balls it was too great an ask.Durham’s other Australian – D’Arcy Short – fell in the powerplay as the visitors made only 33 for 3. Scott Steel scooped Ashraf to short fine leg before the same bowler found Graham Clark’s inside edge. Short then miscued a pull off Sanderson to mid-on and Northants had the early wickets they needed.”I thought 160 might be a good score,” said Wakely. “It wasn’t the usual wicket we expect here: it was a bit sticky and a bit slow and it spun.”But we defended brilliantly. We haven’t always scrapped very well in the past few years but we fielded superbly and took our catches well.”The effort in the field proved Wakely’s innings to be match-winning knock as he clawed Northants to 145 for 6.The visitors’ spinners were also very effective. Left-armer Liam Trevaskis opened the bowling and his four overs went for only 16 and D’Arcy Short’s four claimed 1 for 27.Northants again lost wickets in the Powerplay as Adam Rossington slapped Brydon Carse to cover-point before Josh Cobb pulled Matty Potts to deep-square. Keogh, promoted to number four to provide some stability, could only make 16 before he dragged Short into his stumps trying to pull.Richard Levi finally made his seasonal T20 bow having recovered from a neck injury. He punched Carse for his first boundary over cover, flicked Potts backward of square and viciously pulled Nathan Rimmington. But having made a run-a-ball 29, slog-swept Steel to deep midwicket where Short claimed the catch, threw the ball in the air as he tumbled over the boundary, before stepping back into play and completing the dismissal. It left Northants 67 for 4 after 11 overs.Dwaine Pretorius provided some impetus. He was twice dropped at deep midwicket – the second miss went for the night’s first six – and he took advantage to drive Rimmington inside long-off and guide another boundary past short-third man in the 17th over. But the third catch he offered to deep midwicket was finally held and he fell for 37 from 24 balls. Potts then took another wicket in the 18th over as Matt Coles lifted his second ball to long-on.Wakely worked the bowling around to help cobble something together for Northants and his final over burst took the momentum into the second innings. He lifted Potts for a huge six over midwicket before driving to long-off where the fielder missed the ball and flicked the final delivery wide of long-on.Wakely’s unbeaten 47 in 35 balls nudged the asking rate over seven, and it proved a crucial innings.

All the eight teams look like they have plugged most of the major holes in their line-ups

Hemant Brar18-Feb-20213:25

Mumbai spot on, yet again?

Chennai Super KingsAuction buys: K Gowtham (INR 9.25 crore), Moeen Ali (INR 7 crore), Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 50 lakh), K Bhagath Varma (INR 20 lakh), C Hari Nishaanth (INR 20 lakh), M Harisankar Reddy (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Ambati Rayudu, C Hari Nishanth, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Harisankar Reddy, Imran Tahir, Josh Hazlewood, K Bhagath Varma, K Gowtham, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Narayan Jagadeesan, R Sai Kishore, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Suresh RainaGaps filled: Moeen Ali and K Gowtham could be the batting allrounders they needed. If IPL 2021 happens in India, Cheteshwar Pujara could come in handy on slow Chennai pitches.Gaps left: They could have done with a back-up for Faf du Plessis.Purse left: INR 2.55 croreDelhi CapitalsAuction buys: Tom Curran (INR 5.25 crore), Steven Smith (INR 2.2 crore), Sam Billings (INR 2 crore), Umesh Yadav (INR 1 crore), Ripal Patel (INR 20 lakh), Vishnu Vinod (INR 20 lakh), Lukman Meriwala (INR 20 lakh), M Siddharth (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Chris Woakes, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Lalit Yadav, Lukman Meriwala, Manimaran Siddharth, Marcus Stoinis, Praveen Dubey, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Ripal Patel, Rishabh Pant, Sam Billings, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Steven Smith, Tom Curran, Umesh Yadav, Vishnu VinodGaps filled: An Indian back-up wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant in the form of Vishnu Vinod, plus Sam Billings as an overseas wicketkeeper-batsman.Gaps left: An overseas batting-allrounder as back-up for Marcus Stoinis.Purse left: INR 3.65 croreESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kolkata Knight RidersAuction buys: Shakib Al Hasan (INR 3.2 crore), Harbhajan Singh (INR 2 crore), Ben Cutting (INR 75 lakh), Karun Nair (INR 50 lakh), Pawan Negi (INR 50 lakh), Sheldon Jackson (INR 20 lakh), Venkatesh Iyer (INR 20 lakh), Vaibhav Arora (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Andre Russell, Ben Cutting, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Karun Nair, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Pat Cummins, Pawan Negi, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Tim Seifert, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravathi, Venkatesh IyerGaps filled: Ben Cutting, or even Shakib Al Hasan, as a back-up overseas allrounder for Andre Russell. Shakib and Harbhajan Singh can also be handy in case Sunil Narine needs to be subbed.Gaps left: An experienced Indian seamer.Purse left: INR 3.20 croreMumbai IndiansAuction buys: Nathan Coulter Nile (INR 5 crore), Adam Milne (INR 3.2 crore), Piyush Chawla (INR 2.4 crore), James Neesham (INR 50 lakh), Yudhvir Charak (INR 20 lakh), Marco Jansen (INR 20 lakh), Arjun Tendulkar (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Adam Milne, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Neesham, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Marco Jansen, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Yudhvir Singh CharakGaps filled: They needed a couple of overseas quicks, which they got in the form of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Milne. Piyush Chawala strengthens the wristspin department.Gaps left None, really.Purse left: INR 3.65 croreESPNcricinfo Ltd

Punjab KingsAuction buys: Jhye Richardson (INR 14 crore), Riley Meredith (INR 8 crore), Shahrukh Khan (INR 5.25 crore), Moises Henriques (INR 4.2 crore), Dawid Malan (INR 1.5 crore), Fabian Allen (INR 75 lakh), Jalaj Saxena (INR 30 lakh), Saurabh Kumar (INR 20 lakh), Utkarsh Singh (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: KL Rahul (capt), Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Chris Jordan, Darshan Nalkande, Dawid Malan, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Jalaj Saxena, Jhye Richardson, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Moises Henriques, Murugan Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Riley Meredith, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Utkarsh SinghGaps filled: Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena and Fabian Allen are all in, giving them a bunch of allrounders to choose from.Gaps left: An experienced Indian seamer as a back-up for Mohammed Shami.Purse left INR 18.80 crore.Rajasthan RoyalsAuction buys: Chris Morris (INR 16.25 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 4.4 crore), Chetan Sakariya (INR 1.2 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (INR 1 crore), Liam Livingstone (INR 75 lakh), Akash Singh (INR 20 lakh), KC Cariappa (INR 20 lakh), Kuldip Yadav (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: Sanju Samson (capt), Akash Singh, Andrew Tye, Anuj Rawat, Ben Stokes, Chetan Sakariya, Chris Morris, David Miller, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Kartik Tyagi, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav, Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Mustafizur Rahman, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Yashasvi JaiswalGaps filled: With Jofra Archer being the No. 1 man with the new ball, the Royals needed someone to take care of the death bowling. Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Morris are perfect for that role.Gaps left: None too major, but a big-name top-order batsman, someone like Alex Hales, to replace Steven Smith was an option.Purse left: INR 13.65 croreESPNcricinfo Ltd

Royal Challengers BangaloreAuction buys: Kyle Jamieson (INR 15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (INR 14.25 crore), Daniel Christian (INR 4.8 crore), Sachin Baby (INR 20 lakh), Rajat Patidar (INR 20 lakh), Mohammed Azharuddeen (INR 20 lakh), Suyash Prabhudesai (INR 20 lakh), KS Bharat (INR 20 lakh)Full squad: Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers, Adam Zampa, Daniel Christian, Daniel Sams, Devdutt Padikkal, Glenn Maxwell, Harshal Patel, Joshua Philippe, Kane Richardson, KS Bharat, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suyash Prabhudessai, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra ChahalGaps filled: Picking Glenn Maxwell means their middle order no longer depends only on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, while Kyle Jamieson plugs a big gap when it comes to a fast-bowling allrounder.Gaps left An Indian middle-order batsman.Purse left: INR 0.35 crore.Sunrisers HyderabadAuction buys: Kedar Jadhav (INR 2 crore), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (INR 1.5 crore), J Suchith (INR 30 lakh)Full squad: David Warner (capt), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Jason Holder, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Kedar Jadhav, Khaleel Ahmed, Manish Pandey, Mitchell Marsh, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Priyam Garg, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Virat Singh, Wriddhiman SahaGaps filled: Kedar Jadhav can provide stability to the middle order. The prospect of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan bowling together is a mouth-watering one.Gaps left: An overseas fast bowler.Purse left: INR 6.95 crore.

Celtic have been fairly busy in the summer transfer window as they look to improve their squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign getting underway next month.

However, there have not been many big splashes in the market for Brendan Rodgers and his side, as the £2m deal to sign Benjamin Nygren is the most they have spent on one player so far.

The Hoops have brought in Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, and Callum Osmand on free transfers, and brought in Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura in from Japan alongside the move for Nygren.

Celtic may have more work to do yet in the transfer market, potentially with bigger deals made to improve the team, after they were hammered 5-1 by Ajax in their most recent pre-season friendly.

After the match, Rodgers claimed that Celtic need to improve the squad if they really want to be ambitious and progress as a club, which shows what he thinks about what needs to happen in the coming weeks.

You do not just need to bring in big-money players from abroad to significantly improve the squad, though, as the Hoops have had success in the domestic market in the past, perhaps most notably with Scott Brown.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Scott Brown

The Scottish Premiership giants hit the jackpot with the central midfielder because they snapped him up from one of their league rivals and he went on to be a legend for the club.

Celtic reportedly paid a fee of around £4.4m to sign the midfield star from Hibernian in the summer of 2007, and that remains the biggest deal between two Scottish teams in history.

It was a deal that turned out to be well worth the money for the Bhoys, though, as Brown went on to play a staggering 618 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring 46 goals and providing 63 assists from the middle of the park.

The former Celtic captain won ten Scottish Premiership titles and 12 domestic cups in his time at Parkhead, whilst he also won the Player of the Year in the league in both 2009 and 2018, which shows that the midfielder enjoyed an incredibly successful time on the pitch.

Celtic struck gold by splashing the cash on the Scotland international because they were signing a young player who had already proven his quality in the division with Hibernian, which meant that he was able to hit the ground running as a proven star.

He did not need any time to adapt to the league or the country, and that made Brown a fantastic short-term signing, which then laid the foundation for him to go on to be a phenomenal long-term signing for the Scottish giants.

The Scottish star was not a player who was then sold on for millions in profit but they more than made back the money they spent on him through the trophies that he helped the team to win over the years.

Celtic have long-term interest in Premiership star

The Premiership champions could repeat their Scott Brown masterclass by splashing the cash on another midfielder from a fellow Scottish team this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are long-term admirers of Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller, who looks set to be on the move in the coming weeks.

The report claims that Serie A side Udinese are leading the race to land the Scotland international’s signature, as they are preparing a fresh bid to sign him.

It adds that Bologna and unnamed clubs from Germany are also interested in signing the 18-year-old starlet, and it is said that a move abroad currently appeals to the player.

The Scottish Sun claims that he has a price tag of £5m, which means that the Hoops will need to break the Scottish record that was set by the £4.4m move for Brown if they are to beat the likes of Udinese and Bologna to his services this summer.

Why Celtic should sign Lennon Miller

Celtic must push to convince Miller to turn down interest from clubs abroad to complete a Scottish record transfer for £5m this summer because he could be a fantastic addition to their squad.

The Scotland international turns 19 in August and this means that the Hoops would be signing a central midfielder who has plenty of time left ahead of him to replicate the kind of success Brown had at Parkhead.

Whilst he may not go on to play over 600 matches for Celtic, as the club’s model is to develop and then sell players, Miller could still enjoy a lengthy career in Glasgow before potentially moving on in the future.

As Brown did when he arrived from Hibernian, the teenage central midfield star could hit the ground running at Parkhead as a player who has already proven his quality in the Premiership, after an impressive 2024/25 campaign that led to him earning a senior Scotland call up.

Tackle success rate

68%

Top 28%

Duels won

5.84

Top 36%

Duel success rate

53%

Top 31%

Interceptions

1.38

Top 14%

Ball recoveries

6.52

Top 10%

Blocks

0.48

Top 28%

As you can see in the table above, Miller was among the best in his position in the Premiership when it came to making defensive interventions last season, ranking highly in a host of key defensive metrics.

To go along with his excellent work out of possession, the £5m-rated star also scored two goals and provided eight assists from the middle of the park, which shows that the youngster can offer a threat at the top end of the pitch as well as being combative and effective off the ball.

These statistics show that Miller, who has been hailed as “ridiculous” by pundit James McFadden, is a fantastic box-to-box player who has the potential to impact games by contributing in and out of possession in the Premiership, much like Brown did during his time as a player in Glasgow.

At the age of 18, the Scottish maestro also has plenty of time to grow and develop as a player, which means that Celtic would be signing him for the future as well as for the here and now.

Better than Balikwisha: Celtic pursuing deal for "underrated" £5m star

Celtic could have identified a perfect alternative to Michel Ange Balikwisha…

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Therefore, the Hoops could repeat the masterclass they played with Brown by paying £5m to sign a proven Premiership star and fantastic young talent this summer.

Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner also made half-centuries after captain Meg Lanning withdrew pre-game due to back spasms

The Report by Alex Malcolm09-Sep-2019A gritty century from Ellyse Perry in the stifling Antigua heat helped Australia secure the three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-0 with a crushing 151-run win.The simplicity of the scoreline concealed a day of drama. Australia captain Meg Lanning was withdrawn from the match moments before the toss following back spasms, forcing a hasty cap presentation to debutant Erin Burns, while Beth Mooney was forced to retire hurt late in Australia’s innings due to heat exhaustion.But despite Rachael Haynes, the designated vice-captain, taking over the reins, normal service resumed after Australia won the toss. Alyssa Healy continued her sparkling form, clubbing a 33-ball half-century as she put on a 56-run opening stand with Haynes inside the first ten overs before the stand-in captain fell for 13 off the penultimate ball of the Powerplay.Perry, elevated to No. 3, was slow to get going and got a reprieve early before her supreme fitness carried her to an unbeaten 112 from 118 balls, her second ODI century and her fourth for Australia in all formats, to anchor the innings as Australia made their second successive score of 308 [they made 4 for 308 in the first game].”At the start, I was probably a little bit mentally AWOL,” Perry said after the match. “I was probably lucky, to be fair, after getting dropped early, but that seemed to sort of pick me up a little bit.”After Healy holed out off Chinelle Henry for 58, Perry got great support from Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner. Mooney ground out 56 from 81 balls in a 129-run stand with Perry before the heat got the better of her, and she was forced to retire at the end of the 42nd over.It gave Gardner just 48 balls to make an impact and she did more than that, hitting six fours and three sixes in a 23-ball half-century to equal Meg Lanning’s record for the fastest fifty by an Australian woman in ODI cricket. She finished on 57 not out off 25 balls and watched Perry smack the last ball of the innings to the cover-point fence. The pair made 86 runs in the last eight overs of the innings.”Obviously it was a real shame with Meg going down just before the game but I guess that sort of gave other people an opportunity and everyone slid up,” Perry said. “I really enjoyed my time out in the middle today but I think there was some great contributions, Midge (Healy) at the start and for Ash to do what she did, that’s what she’s capable of and what we know she’s capable of, so that really got us up over 300 to get a great total on the board.”Perry took the new ball and made the early breakthrough trapping Stacy-Ann King plumb in the fourth over. West Indies’ under-strength line-up then made virtually no attempt to chase down the total. After being bowled out for 130 inside 38 overs in the first ODI in Coolidge, the home side managed to bat out their 50 overs in the chase on Sunday, but crawled to 8 for 157. Kyshona Knight top-scored with 32 but took an excruciating 81 deliveries to compile them. Sheneta Grimmond was the only batter to strike at better than 54, making a 31 not out from 37 late in the game, at No. 8. Australia used eight bowlers with six of them claiming wickets. Georgia Wareham had the best figures of 2 for 29 although her two wickets came from what were among the worst deliveries of the day.”It’s an interesting situation at the moment,” Perry said. “Obviously they [West Indies] have got a number of their key players missing. I think from a confidence point of view, and match awareness and knowing how to take the game – I think it’s a real challenge. From that point of view, it’s up to us to make them play but also be really meticulous on our standards.”In the first game we bowled way too many extras and probably today we bowled a few too many but all in all I think it’s been great to challenge ourselves to try things to try and execute things.”

Australia’s fielding coach said he will be disappointed if the England fans weren’t involved in the game

Melinda Farrell in Southampton25-May-2019″This won’t be as fun as when I was playing,” quipped Brad Haddin as he dropped into the chair that was set up in front of cameras and journalists in the Ageas Bowl indoor school ahead of Australia’s warm-up match against England.Whether it was fun or not, it was hardly surprising that Haddin’s first press conference for Australia ahead of the Men’s World Cup was punctuated by questions surrounding Australia’s much-vaunted change in team culture and the team’s likely reception by English fans. The former vice-captain was renowned as one of Australia’s most combative players, particularly towards the end of his career, a period which has come under scrutiny in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.Barmy Army songs? Heckling from the crowd? All welcome, insisted the current fielding coach.”I’d be disappointed if the England crowd weren’t involved in the game,” Haddin said. “One of the pleasures I had in my career was the theatre of touring to England and when the Barmy Army come out to Australia and what it brings to the game.”The one thing I have noticed is that they still respect good cricket. They’ll still have their songs and their fun, but I have never known an English crowd not respect a good hundred or a five-for or a good performance in the field. It’s something for me, personally, it was great part of coming to England. It was fun. We don’t get a lot of that sort of crowd in Australia so the guys are very excited.”Haddin brushed aside questions about his own conduct around the 2015 final against New Zealand, during which he was memorably involved in ‘send-offs’ to Grant Elliott and Martin Guptill, and his joking comments that “they deserved it”, pointing out that no charges were made by the ICC.When one journalist suggested Haddin was well-known for his sledging abilities, he laughed in response.”Beg your pardon?” he replied, with a hint of self-deprecating incredulity.”You want a contest out there, that doesn’t have to be verbalised. That’s the way you present yourself with your body, the way you create that environment, you can create that environment with the presence you set. All anyone wants is a fair contest and I think every time Australia play England, we all know we’re going to get one hell of a great contest.”I know the guys are excited about the World Cup and we will play the cricket we always play. There’ll be a contest out in the field. But as we know probably better than anyone else, there are places you can go and places that you can’t. I hope they are smiling. It’s a huge event the World Cup and if they are not smiling it will be disappointing. We’ll be encouraging them to smile and compete.”Along with Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer’s choice of Haddin as assistant and fielding coach gives the players in the side a wealth of World Cup experience upon which to draw, and they have taken advantage of that fact.”Yeah it’s been good, just informally,” Haddin said. “We’ve had a pretty big lead into this whether it’s just over a coffee – you’ve got a lot of time on the team bus in the UK to get around with the players. You’ve got obviously Ricky’s experience, I think he’s been to five and I myself have been to three, but there’s also that we all played different roles.”I remember my first World Cup I had the time of my life in 2007, didn’t play a game but that still felt just as good as it did when I played in 2015. So it’s just sharing those experiences and the boys are as clear as they possibly can be. If they have got any questions, no question is too silly. Leading into that first game [it’s important] they’ve got a really clear mind of the expectations of a World Cup.”

Trego top scores, Somerset to contest title decider after comprehensive win in the North

David Hopps12-May-2019There will be no Lord’s final for Alex Hales, not that even the most ardent county cricket follower would claim that was adequate compensation for missing out on a place in England’s World Cup campaign. Instead, Hales was part of a Nottinghamshire side shouldered aside by Somerset in an emphatic manner that will bring delight in the south-west.Somerset have reached Lord’s the hard way. Since finishing third in South Group courtesy of a must-win floodlit tie against Surrey at Taunton on Tuesday night, they have seen off Worcestershire in the play-offs by 147 runs and now Nottinghamshire, this time by a margin of 115.Hales’ dismissal for 54, as he fell to his favoured square cut, was the fourth Nottinghamshire wicket to fall, on 135, in a sequence of four wickets for 25 in 45 balls which changed the complexion of the match. Craig Overton ran jubilantly into the off side, pursued by the rest of the Somerset team, the importance of the wicket apparent. Sometimes you don’t have to just take a wicket, you have to kill a suspicion that fate is not on your side.Somerset now contest the final of the last 50-over competition that will actually mean something and it is good that a county which still treasures the county game will be represented. In 2020, it will be denuded by running in direct competition with The Hundred. The most powerful counties will contest it while most of their squad are on loan elsewhere. Results will be devalued and statistics misleading. One giant-sized work experience scheme to give professionals who remain unsold in the auction for The Hundred something to do.In Restaurant Six, Trent Bridge’s acclaimed new fine-dining restaurant and bar, the view of the cricket below became ever-more discouraging. One of the imaginative offerings of Dan Warren, Britain’s bartender of the year in 2018, is the Grass Cutter cocktail which evokes the smell of freshly-mown grass. Long before the end, it was the sort of day to put some extra gin in it.Trent Bridge hosts so many big scores that no first-innings score ever feels safe. But Somerset’s 336 was a challenging total, disguised by several bad dismissals. The pitch was central (even if one of ropes was brought in more than necessary) and the ball did not purr onto the bat quite as conveniently as normal. Steven Mullaney termed the total “chaseable,” but conceded that Nottinghamshire had been outplayed in every department.For Somerset to reach 182 for 1 by the 29th over was a considerable achievement. If Tom Banton’s edge against Jake Ball, on 1, had not fallen just short of Matthew Carter at second slip, the outcome might have been different. But Banton, Azhar Ali and Peter Trego all made fifties, the admirable Lewis Gregory held the later stages together with 37, and the Overton twins made merry with 46 off 30 late on, their stand once again having the appealing atmosphere of a bit of a singalong at the end of something more serious.Peter Trego pulls on his way to top-scoring for Somerset•Getty ImagesBanton, after his century against Worcestershire, had to deal for the first time with national acclaim – most obviously in the form of Michael Vaughan’s Twitter feed. Vaughan told his 1.08m followers that Banton’s style reminded him of Kevin Pietersen. As Vaughan remarked, no pressure there then.It is an apt comparison. Banton might have been influenced by Jos Buttler, who studied at the same school, but there are definite reminders in his long-limbed sweeps and reverse sweeps. Tall and elegant, he can rarely have played more methodically until he burst ahead with 24 off Matthew Carter’s second over, striking the offspinner over the ropes three times.He fell for 59, flicking at a ball from Harry Gurney to be caught at the wicket, the only success for Gurney who had only just returned from a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, stood in for Darren Pattinson, who has a sore side, and Stuart Broad, not released by England, and went for 86 in 10 overs.Alongside him, Azhar progressed furtively. His 71 from 70 balls was shorn of excess, a shrewd assessment of the nature of the pitch, until he swung and missed at Jake Ball. There was a similar run-a-ball contribution from Trego, who played with great responsibility for 73 until he was run out, sold down by the river by Gregory’s push into the leg side and change of heart over a single. George Bartlett’s second-ball duck, making room against Mullaney, suffered for the vaulting ambition of youth. Ball’s well-disguised slower balls helped him to 4 for 62 and Luke Fletcher, although wicketless, was also on the money.Nottinghamshire perished with Hales, although the unsung Ben Slater played well for 58 until he worked Jamie Overton to short midwicket. When Ben Duckett reverse-swept to deep square, the bowler, Roelof van der Merwe, jumped to attention with the ball in the air as if the Duke of Edinburgh had suddenly walked onto the square and requested an audience.There were still 11.4 overs remaining when the end came, Fletcher’s demise at long-on after a hard-hitting but futile 43 allowing Somerset to celebrate their second complete performance in 48 hours. For Tom Abell, already a much-loved Somerset captain at 25, a Lord’s final now lies ahead.