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South Africa were being turned inside out by India’s spinners but they found a way through to level the series

Ashish Pant10-Nov-2024Tristan Stubbs admitted that he was “proper nervous” and just tried to control his breathing as he struck an unbeaten 47 off 41 balls to shepherd a tricky chase and take South Africa over the line by three wickets in the second T20I against India.”I was just trying to breathe,” he said with a smile after the game. “It’s my favourite place to play cricket and I was nervous, proper nervous, so I was just trying to control my breathing.”Stubbs grew up in Knysna, a small town about 260 kilometres up the road from Gqeberha and has played all his domestic and franchise cricket at St George’s Park. This knock was even more special for Stubbs as it was his mum’s birthday and he had plenty of his family and friends in the crowd who had driven down to the ground to celebrate.”Normally there’s a whole bunch of them [his friends and family], probably I reckon 30 to 35 of them,” Stubbs said. “They come through normally once a year for the SA20 and they’ve made a trip now. It’s my mom’s birthday too, so it’s sort of a celebration.”Before I met the team I went and said hello to everyone at the house that they’re staying at. So yeah, it’s been a really good day.”Coming into bat at 33 for 2 in the sixth over with South Africa chasing 125, Stubbs saw his side slip to 66 for 6 in the 13th. That soon became 86 for 7 in the 16th, but he got vital support from Gerald Coetzee with whom he shared an unbroken 42-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 20 balls.”Fortunately, the run rate never got away from us,” Stubbs said about the chase. “Once we lost the wickets, I had 30 in mind off the last three and then G [Coetzee] really came and played an innings to help that out and then, fortunately, we got over the line.”He walked in and he said straight away we can win this. I believed it all the time. We were always two hits away from being back to run-a-ball and then we had the crowd behind, which was just amazing.”Stubbs was caught right in the midst of an intense Varun Chakravarthy spell, who ran through South Africa’s middle order with a career-best 5 for 17. Ravi Bishnoi also kept things tight at the other end, but Stubbs bided his time before taking on the fast bowlers at the death. He later admitted the South Africa batters were out-skilled by the two spinners on a surface that was “typically staying low” but was pleased to stay till the end to take his side home.’They got the better of us in the middle there by just outskilling us,’ Stubbs said of India’s spinners•AFP/Getty Images”They both [Chakravarthy and Bishnoi] were doing just enough to beat you on either side,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to come in and just rotate even, let alone take them on. They are two of the best spinners in the world so when they are on, it’s really tough and they got the better of us in the middle there by just outskilling us.”So yeah, it was really nice to get the team over the line and be there not out at the end. I think as someone who bats in the middle, that’s your whole goal when chasing, get the team over the line but do it by being not out at the end.”It’s been quite the breakthrough year for Stubbs. In February, he became just the 11th batter to score a first-class triple-century in South Africa while in the last month and a bit, he’s racked up his Test and ODI centuries. Stubbs also played a key role in Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s second-successive SA20 title while he finished the IPL 2024 as Delhi Capitals’ second-highest run-getter with a terrific strike rate of 190.90.What’s brought about this maturity in Stubbs’ game?”I don’t actually know how to answer that. It’s just been nice,” he said. “I really enjoy the longer format because you can spend more time in the middle without feeling like you need to play a big ball and I really enjoy the graft of batting long.”I think the longer form cricket just naturally helps your T20 game and the batsmanship and spending time in the middle and not having to make a play really helps the rest of the formats. So I think that’s been the biggest thing.”

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot proved everyone wrong when he successfully replaced Jurgen Klopp at Anfield one year ago and guided the Reds to the Premier League title.

The 2025/26 campaign will present new challenges, with all at Liverpool, both as a club and a city, mourning the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, but Anfield have proved time and time again their ability to come together and embrace the support of their fanbase, and vice versa.

Sporting director Richard Hughes is currently faced with an imminent approach from Barcelona for versatile forward Luis Diaz, 28, having rejected the La Liga champions’ advances last month.

But La Blaugrana have not been deterred, and having missed out on top target Nico Williams after the winger signed a new contract with Athletic Bilbao, efforts have been redoubled, Diaz moving ahead of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on the list.

With Diaz having spent so much of the recent campaign filling in as Liverpool’s central striker, his sale would call for a new centre-forward, as has been a Reds priority for several months.

Especially with Darwin Nunez in the process of signing for Napoli.

The latest on Darwin Nunez to Napoli

Nunez joined Liverpool in 2022, arriving from SL Benfica in a deal billed as a club record at £85m. However, the Uruguayan’s struggles in England have seen a series of clauses left hanging, with the actual fee coming in at £71m.

He has obvious qualities: Nunez is tenacious, a maverick and, on occasion, jaw-droppingly ambitious in the final third. However, the 25-year-old has only scored 25 Premier League goals across his three terms, with just seven goals across all competitions coming last season under Slot’s wing.

Moreover, Slot remarked earlier in 2025 that he “can’t accept” the Uruguayan’s work rate, typically a staple, after a string of disappointing appearances.

Napoli, thus, projected confidence when sauntering over to make their move, but negotiations have since left a gap between the respective clubs’ valuation of the striker.

A fee is still to be agreed, but if and when this does happen – Nunez also has admirers in the Saudi Pro League – a replacement will be needed.

Liverpool in the race for new centre-forward

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Liverpool and Manchester United have registered their interest in Almeria striker Luis Suarez this summer.

This is not the famed Suarez of old, but his namesake, a 27-year-old Colombian, who has been priced at €25m (£21m) after his prolific campaign in Spain’s second division.

The one-time Watford prospect is also on Sporting Lisbon’s transfer list as they prepare to sell Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, and it’s for this reason that the Liga Portugal’s two-in-a-row champions are felt to have the advantage in the race as things stand.

Why Liverpool want Luis Suarez

Suarez isn’t the youngest number nine on the block, but he’s certainly shown that he knows where the back of the net is, having scored 41 goals and provided 13 assists across 79 fixtures for Almeria.

And a good haul of that came last term, in the Segunda Division. Indeed, Suarez scored 31 goals across 43 matches in all competitions, albeit with 27 goals arriving in Spain’s second tier.

Although saying that, Suarez’s hat-trick over Sevilla in the Copa del Rey emphasised his natural prolificness, something which could serve Liverpool well over the season to come.

His completeness and physicality could even see him prove to be Liverpool’s own version of Gyokeres, who indeed looks set to sign for Arsenal in a deal worth less than Sporting’s original £68m asking price.

Gyokeres is one of the most dangerous goalscorers in Europe, having scored 97 goals across 102 matches in two years with Sporting. His physicality and powerful performances are rare attributes, applied as well as they are, but Liverpool could sign someone similar in Almeria’s frontman, who has been praised for his “crazy” quality by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Sporting have identified the Colombian as the perfect replacement, after all, with Gyokeres also 27 years old.

Suarez has his similarities; he’s prolific, but he’s also a veritable machine when it comes to ball-striking. As you can see below, Suarez is one of the most relentless shooters in the trade, hitting the target more times than Mohamed Salah, behind only Gyokeres and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.

Suarez played the 2024/25 campaign in Spain’s Segunda division, but he’s an experienced and well-oiled player whose goalscoring ability was well received by an Almeria side who finished the term with the highest goal tally in the division (72).

Though Suarez is, of course, not on Gyokeres’ level, Liverpool could bolster their ranks with a shrewd attacking option this summer, one whose clinical nature has been underscored over the past year.

As you can see from the collated statistics above, Suarez’s sucess in duel, partnered with his dribbling ability and natural creativity, provide him with the dynamism and roundedness that aligns with Sweden striker Gyokeres’ own skill set.

The hunt for a player of Hugo Ekitike or Victor Osimhen’s standing continues, but if Liverpool and enrich their ranks with this shrewd signing, Slot will likely find that the price tag is repaid on the pitch.

Slot's own Zubimendi: Liverpool submit bid to sign "incredible" £35m star

Liverpool could sign a new centre-midfielder this summer.

2

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 4, 2025

Stumps Bangladesh won what could be an important toss and made excellent use of the new ball in favourable conditions to take out three early wickets, but half-centuries from Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel ensured Pakistan ended a truncated first day on an even keel.The fourth-wicket pair put on an enterprising 98 to rescue Pakistan from 16 for 3, and when bad light brought play to a close, the home side were breathing a lot better at 158 for 4. Ayub, playing just his second Test, rode out a difficult early period against the new ball before blossoming to score his maiden half-century. Shakeel, promoted to vice-captaincy, continued his impressive rise in the Pakistan cap by becoming their joint-quickest batter to 1000 Test runs, getting there in his 20th innings to match Saeed Ahmed, who got there in 1959.Both Ayub and, in particular, Shakeel, brought a proactive approach to handling Bangladesh’s seamers, often shuffling out of their crease to disturb their lengths and narrow the extent of movement they were able to generate.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

By stumps, Bangladesh had broken the partnership between the two left-handers, with Hasan Mahmud coaxing Ayub to drive at a ball angled across him that wasn’t quite full enough for the shot. It was his second wicket and similar in conception to his first: relentless good lengths forcing the batter into a risk against a rare, seemingly driveable ball.This was Bangladesh’s only success of a 20-over post-tea session, as Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan steered Pakistan to stumps with an unbroken partnership of 44 for the fifth wicket.With their partnerships, Ayub, Shakeel and Rizwan may have exposed one structural shortcoming in Bangladesh’s attack. Unlike Pakistan, who went into this Test match with four frontline seamers, Bangladesh picked three seamers and two spin-bowling allrounders.The offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, introduced at the start of the 14th over with two left-handers at the crease, bore the brunt of a calculated counterattack, conceding 24 in four overs. He didn’t bowl badly, but with no real help for the spinners this early in the contest, Ayub and Shakeel went after him, using their full reach to sweep him clinically off a good length.It took until the 39th over for Bangladesh to call on their second spinner, and Pakistan were just as ruthless against Shakib Al Hasan, with Rizwan sweeping him for back-to-back fours in his first over. Together, the two spinners conceded 36 in six overs.The express quick Nahid Rana, picked ahead of the more experienced Khaled Ahmed, was expensive too; on a pitch that rewarded old-fashioned line and length, Bangladesh used him as an enforcer, and it didn’t quite come off on the day, as he went for 48 in 10 overs.Shoriful Islam celebrates with Hasan Mahmud after getting rid of Babar Azam•PCB

The other two quicks, however, enjoyed a productive day, particularly with the new ball. Shoriful Islam and Mahmud hammered away on a good length in conditions where the ball swung, seamed and occasionally lifted off damp areas on the pitch. Both beat the bat regularly in the early overs, and Bangladesh didn’t have to wait long before the breakthrough came.It came via a wide outswinger from Mahmud, not quite a half-volley, that Abdullah Shafique chased after being kept to just two runs off his first 13 balls. His drive turned into an aerial slice, and Zakir Hasan grabbed it spectacularly, throwing himself full-length to his right at gully.The left-armer Shoriful tested both Ayub and Pakistan captain Shan Masood with his line in the fifth-stump channel, mostly swinging the ball away from the left-handers but getting the odd one to nip in off the pitch. One of these nip-backers sent back Masood, though in contentious circumstances. Masood pushed forward to defend – bat and pad fairly close together – and the ball kissed one or both on its way to keeper Litton Das, who appealed vociferously for caught-behind. Though he wasn’t given out on the field, Bangladesh had their man ruled out on review, with TV umpire Michael Gough ruling that a spike on Ultra-Edge was evidence of ball on bat, though there seemed to be a chance that it had missed the inside edge and brushed the flap of the pad instead.Having had that bit of fortune going their way, Bangladesh had another soon after, when Babar Azam fell for a duck to an innocuous delivery, tickling an off-target inswinger from Shoriful down the leg side, into the left glove of an acrobatically diving Litton.

It is SPFL fixture release day and as Premiership champions, Celtic will have a home game on the opening weekend, 2/3 August.

But, how many new signings will Brendan Rodgers have on board in time for his team’s first pre-season match on 4 July?

Well, Celtic have already added Kieran Tierney to their ranks, re-signing the left-back after he became a free agent, while they’ve also reportedly agreed a fee of £1.7m to land winger Benjamin Nygren in the coming days.

The Hoops are not content with just one attacking signing, however.

Celtic chasing a new winger

According to a report by RMC Sport, talks between Celtic and Royal Antwerp are “underway” as the Hoops seek to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who he claims is ‘keen on the move’ to Scotland.

Transfer Focus

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

Meantime, Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has previously reported that Celtic are ‘well-placed’ to make this deal come to fruition, describing the winger as a ‘long-term target’.

Balikwisha, who is 24 years old, began his senior career at Standard Liège, before joining Royal Antwerp in July 2021, making 141 appearances for the Reds to date, scoring 29 goals and registering 17 assists.

He was a key figure in the Antwerp team that won the domestic treble in 2023, the club’s first Jupiler Pro League title for 66 years, then scoring the goal against AEK Athens that saw them qualify for the Champions League for the very first time, also on target against Shakhtar Donetsk at Bosuilstadion in the tournament’s group stages.

This season though, Antwerp missed out on European qualification altogether, disastrously beaten 2-1 by Royal Charleroi in a European play-off last month, fuelling speculation that he could be on the move, and hence why the club are looking to cash in.

How Michel-Ange Balikwisha would improve Celtic

Celtic are in the market for a new winger this summer, partially due to the fact that Jota will be sidelined for between “six to nine months” after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at Tannadice in April.

So, would Balikwisha be a good replacement? Let’s assess his statistics.

Minutes

1,784

99th

Goals

7

17th

Assists

6

9th

Progressive carries

85

10th

Carries into penalty area

34

9th

Shot-creating actions

69

30th

Goal-creating actions

10

13th

Big chances created

6

40th

Key passes per match

1.5

24th

Average SofaScore rating

7.32

14th

Worth noting that the 2023/24 season was chosen because, similar to Jota, Balikwisha is coming off a long-term injury, requiring knee surgery just over a year ago, before a meniscus injury saw him make just three appearances this season before 9 March.

After that, he did enjoy a run of games, starting each of Antwerp’s final 11 matches to conclude the campaign.

Despite his injury issues, analyst Ben Mattinson labels him an “amazing” talent, describing him as “two-footed” and “capable of beating a defender either way”. That certainly suggests he’d be a great replacement for the injury-stricken Jota.

Meantime, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout believes he operates best as an “inside forward”, praising his “pace, dribbling and finishing”, which he believes to be his strongest attributes.

Said to be one of the most ‘talented attacking players’ in the Belgian top-flight by Lee Scott of Total Football Analysis, that’s high praise considering Global Football Rankings believes the Jupiler Pro League to be the eighth-strongest division in the world; for context, the Scottish Premiership is all the way down in 43rd.

Given that Balikwisha has just one year remaining on his contract at Antwerp, it would appear as though Celtic will be able to sign him at a cut-price, and he seemingly has all the qualities to thrive in Glasgow’s East End.

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ByDan Emery Jun 18, 2025

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on Aston Villa’s summer transfer plans as the reportedly look to pen a “fantastic” player to a long-term deal.

Aston Villa pushing for summer signings regardless of league finish

It remains to be seen if Unai Emery’s side will clinch a top-five finish in the Premier League this season, getting back into the Champions League in the process, but a busy summer transfer window is expected either way. Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan is a rumoured target for Villa, with the highly-rated 18-year-old being watched by club scouts and their recruitment team even holding talks with him.

Another exciting young player, Lyon winger Malick Fofana, has also been backed to move to Villa Park ahead of the 2025/26 season, as Emery looks to bring in more attacking depth. The 20-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season, scoring 11 goals in Ligue 1 and the Europa League combined.

Their moves in the market will of course still be influenced somewhat by their European status, with Ollie Watkins’ winner against Bournremouth this weekend moving the Villans level on points with Chelsea, who were defeated away at Newcastle.

A new striker arguably wouldn’t go amiss for Villa in the summer, with Watkins turning 30 later this year, and Paris Saint-Germain marksman Goncalo Ramos has emerged as a rumoured option. He has found minutes hard to come by for the Champions League finalists, with competition for places incredibly strong, but would surely only join another club in Europe’s elite competition.

Aston Villa keen to sign Rashford to long-term deal

According to Romano for Give Me Sport, Aston Villa like the idea of signing Marcus Rahsford permanently at the end of the season. They are reportedly “very happy” with the Manchester United attacker, adding that Emery considers him an “excellent player and the feeling between coach and player is understood to be very good”.

There is a potential issue surrounding Financial Fair Play, however, which will “now dictate the next steps” of a potential deal, with the England international’s salary “another important point not to be underestimated” in the update.

Rashford’s loan move to Villa felt like a gamble at the time, following a run of poor form for United, but he has been a big success overall, registering 10 goal contributions in 17 appearances, even if four goals isn’t exactly an earth-shattering return.

The Englishman looks to have a spark back in his game, with Emery praising the impact he has made last month, saying of him: “He is feeling better and he played a fantastic match. We are very happy. If he is happy, we are happy.”

The fact that Emery likes the £300,000-a-week Rashford so much suggests that he should be trusted in wanting to sign him on a permanent deal, even though there is an element of risk there, especially if they cannot negotiate those wages down.

There is always the possibility that the 27-year-old has simply upped his game for a short period, in order to earn a move elsewhere, but he will surely be desperate to prove himself in the long-term at another club, considering his time at United looks over.

Given Celtic’s place in the global football pecking order, they are well-versed when it comes to selling a star player and being able to replace him.

Of course, a lot of the time, the Hoops’ excellent record in the transfer market means they’re able to replace their high-quality departures with signings.

However, Brendan Rodgers is also looking for his current players to step up and perform, with one player in particular having done exactly that this season.

Matt O'Riley impact at Celtic

Matt O’Riley arrived at Celtic from Milton Keynes for a reported fee of £1.5m in January 2022, and the fact he was then sold to Brighton two-and-a-half years later for a club-record £25m gives you a bit of an indication as to how well he performed in Glasgow.

The midfielder made 124 appearances in hoops, scoring 27 goals and registering 35 assists, winning seven major trophies as well as being named the club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year before departing.

Ankan Bhowmick of Sports Illustrated labels the Danish international one of Celtic’s ‘best-performing’ players of their successful modern history, while Clive Lindsay of BBC Sport believes he has the quality to go to the very top, saying that his ‘languid running style’ can be ‘deceiving’ given that he’s a ‘quality…all-rounder’.

Given all of this, O’Riley was always going to leave a rather large void at Parkhead, but Celtic haven’t really missed him, thanks to a key player stepping up, but it’s not the player you might be thinking of.

Celtic's current creative focal point

Arne Engels was signed for a club-record fee of £11m from Augsburg on deadline day, to be O’Riley direct replacement.

However, as outlined by Andrew Newport of the Daily Record, the midfielder has, at times, not quite lived up to expectations so far, with the Belgian himself stating “I don’t care about the price tag… I think I have good numbers and good performances”.

Engels has accumulated ten goals and 12 assists in a Celtic jersey so far, but it is actually Alistair Johnston who has shouldered the creative burden following O’Riley’s exit.

The Canadian international was rewarded with a new contract back in November, with manager Rodgers describing the right-back as “phenomenal”, praising his “desire to improve in everything he does”, adding that “these are the qualities which make a great player”.

Joe Callaghan of the Guardian notes that Johnston has become a “cornerstone” for both club and country, with his performances seeing him included on the long-list for Best FIFA Men’s XI of 2024.

So, let’s analyse how he and O’Riley are similar, despite operating in different positions.

Appearances

29

37

Minutes

2,421

3249

Goals

4

18

Assists

8

13

Chances created

38

91

Big chances created

14

14

Passed attempted

2,023

1986

Through-balls

7

16

Take-on success %

50%

52.11%

Ball recoveries

100

208

Touches per 90

98

78

Of course, due to the obvious aforementioned positional differences, Johnston and O’Riley’s statistics are often somewhat different, although the fact that both created 14 big chances certainly jumps off the page, with the Canadian registering more of those than any other Celtic player this season.

During the most recent international window in March, Canada’s manager Jesse Marsch stated “there are some weeks I watch Alistair and I think… the games are too easy for him… players do need to be challenged.”

So, while Johnston is playing like O’Riley on the park, could he follow the Dane’s path off the pitch by becoming the latest Celtic fan favourite to be sold for an enormous profit?

Now worth 3x less than Johnston: Celtic struck gold selling "immense" star

Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston has been exceptional this season, ensuring one man remains rather forgotten in the past

Apr 18, 2025

Chelsea stand on the brink of yet more European glory having reached the final of the Conference League in midweek.

If the Blues do go on to defeat Real Betis in the final at the end of the month, they will become the first club to win the Champions League, Europa League, Cup Winners’ Cup and the Conference League.

It would ensure Enzo Maresca ends his debut season with a trophy, the club’s first since 2021.

The Italian will be hoping his side can finish the Premier League campaign well, securing a top five finish which would see them qualify for the Champions League next term.

With games to come against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, Chelsea have an extremely tough final three fixtures.

If the promised land is to be reached, Maresca will be hoping his key players are firing over the next couple of weeks.

Cole Palmer may not have lived up to his extraordinary debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, but he has still registered 25 goal contributions – 15 goals and ten assists – across 42 games for the Blues so far this season.

Why Chelsea must keep hold of Cole Palmer

The attacking midfielder progressed through the academy at Manchester City before going on to make a total of 41 appearances for the club.

Despite winning the treble during the 2022/23 season and scoring twice for City at the start of the following campaign, Palmer ended up joining Chelsea for just £40m that summer.

This has turned out to be one of the finest signings the club have made in their recent history. Indeed, across Palmer’s 87 games for the Stamford Bridge side, he has scored 40 goals while recording 25 assists in all competitions.

This works out as a goal involvement every 1.3 games and if it weren’t for his ability in the final third, Chelsea certainly wouldn’t find themselves chasing a Champions League spot, that’s for sure.

Just in the top flight this season, the Englishman has created a staggering 21 big chances, averaged 2.5 key passes and succeeds with 1.5 dribbles per game for the Blues.

While Maresca has brought in plenty of new players via the transfer market, he has also given chances to several Cobham graduates, most notably Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong and Shumaira Mheuka in recent months.

All three could have a bright future in London, but could the manager turn to the transfer market in order to find his next Palmer? As the club are showing interest in someone who could be set for an exit from his current club…

Chelsea plotting move for Premier League sensation

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are in the market for a new left-winger this summer and have narrowed the search down to three players.

Transfer Focus

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

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Nico Williams and Alejandro Garnacho are the three standout candidates for the role as Maresca aims to strengthen this area of his team.

Interest in Garnacho dates back to the January transfer window, where Chelsea first began to show their interest, although no move materialised.

Now, according to Bailey, the Blues have tracked the Argentinian winger since then and are still in contact with his agents.

With the Red Devils closing in on a move for Matheus Cunha, this could see Garnacho departing Old Trafford in the summer.

Their asking price remains around the £60m mark and with Maresca keen on moving a few players on during the window, funds should be available for a few new additions.

Garnacho was trained in a Manchester academy and is a highly-rated young talent ready to fulfil his potential.

Just like Palmer was when he left City two years ago.

Why Chelsea must sign Alejandro Garnacho

Maresca has a few options to use on the left wing, although it is clear that this position needs to be bolstered ahead of next season.

Jadon Sancho arrived on loan from United, but has managed to record just 14 goal contributions across 39 games for the Blues.

Elsewhere, Mykhailo Mudryk is currently suspended from playing after testing positive for Meldonium, which is a banned substance, last year. He hasn’t played for Chelsea since November.

Goals

6

1

Assists

2

4

Big chances created

4

3

Successful dribbles per game

0.8

1.4

Key passes per game

1

1.5

These factors heighten the need for a new left-sided forward and Garnacho could be an ideal signing.

The 20-year-old made his debut for the Red Devils during the 2021/22 campaign and has since made over 100 competitive appearances for the club.

A tally of 26 goals and 22 assists is solid enough, but this season, he has struggled under Ruben Amorim. He has scored just three Premier League goals since the former Sporting CP manager took charge of the club in November 2024.

Indeed, he has created just four big chances while averaging one key pass per game in the top flight this term. Compared to last season – six big chances created and 1.3 key passes per game – there is a drop-off in output.

Might a fresh start be required for the youngster this summer? It appears so.

Hailed as “generational” talent by Statman Dave during the 2023/24 campaign, Garnacho has talent in abundance. That’s for sure. He now needs a consistent platform to demonstrate it.

When compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, the Argentinian currently ranks in the top 4% for progressive carries (5.87), in the top 2% for total shots (3.7) and in the top 6% for touches in the opposition penalty area (7.58) per 90 over the previous 365 days.

Chelsea could be signing their next Palmer should a move for the United wonderkid go through this summer.

If so, they will have a wonderful option on the left wing who is equally able to create and score at the highest level, while he is superb at moving the ball into key areas in the final third.

A fee of £60m could turn out to be a bargain. Especially if he can replicate Palmer’s impact at the Blues.

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ByEmilio Galantini May 10, 2025

One Queens Park Rangers player has received an offer from a big club to leave Loftus Road this summer.

Queens Park Rangers on course to stay up

The Hoops, under Marti Cifuentes, look set to remain a Championship club for the 2025/26 season. Sitting five points clear of safety after the weekend’s fixtures, QPR are looking towards the end of the season after going seven games without a win.

There are just six games remaining with Cifuentes preparing to take his side to fellow relegation contenders Oxford United on Wednesday evening.

Talking after the 0-0 draw with Cardiff City last time out, Cifuentes said: “I think in the first half we were perhaps slightly better than Cardiff. The feeling at half-time was that we needed – especially in a game like this with two teams not in the best moment of the season – to score the first goal of the game, but to not lose the game.

“In the second half Cardiff got a bit more energy off the bench… in the end it is a fair result. We are struggling with the options that we have in attacking positions, we need to give credit, because we have an honest group of players trying to do their best.”

In regards to struggling in an attacking sense, QPR have used Rayan Kolli on 15 occasions in the Championship this season, with the youngster scoring four goals.

However, he hasn’t been available in the last nine games due to a hamstring injury, and by the looks of things, Kolli could be on the way out this summer.

Big club make bid to sign Queens Park Rangers ace Rayan Kolli

According to reports in France, QPR forward Kolli is attracting serious interest from two Ligue 1 clubs in AS Monaco and Lille.

In fact, Lille, who made the last 16 of the Champions League this season, have submitted a contract offer to the Algeria U20 international.

Kolli is a product of the QPR academy and he has made 27 senior appearances for the R’s. He came in for praise from Cifuentes back in January following his winner against Plymouth Argyle.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

By
Stephan Georgiou

Apr 22, 2025

“What a week for him. It’s important he keeps humble and keeps working, but it’s definitely well deserved. He had an amazing impact on the game and that’s a luxury problem for me to have – to be able to pick from Rayan, Michi [Frey] and Alfie [Lloyd].

“These are problems that you want to have. The important thing is that everyone is contributing.”

Now, after receiving an offer from Lille, Kolli’s QPR future will be one to keep an eye on heading into the summer.

As the domestic season winds down, a run through of efforts to keep first-class structures steady despite winds of change

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2024Lions were crowned South Africa’s first-class champions in a tense five-day final against Western Province at the Wanderers, bringing an end to the country’s red-ball season. The curtain came down with a classic contest, which saw Lions come back from being 35 for 5 on the first morning and conceding an 87-run first innings lead, to setting Western Province a target of 308 and claiming a 99-run win.Delano Potgieter was the batting hero for the home side with a first-innings 81 and a career-best 155 not out in the second innings that made up for top-order struggles. Tshepo Moreki, who made his Test debut in New Zealand last month, took his first career five-for in Western Province’s first innings and Bjorn Fortuin’s final day 5 for 69 sealed the title for Lions and his own spot as the competition’s leading wicket-taker.The varied contributions point to a season where Lions relied on the collective rather than stand-out individuals. They had only one batter among the tournament’s top ten run-scorers – Wiaan Mulder, who finished third – and two bowlers in the top ten wicket-takers. Their strength lies in their depth and their determination, moulded by former national head coach Russell Domingo, former national bowling coach Allan Donald and former national captain Hashim Amla, who are all part of Lions’ coaching staff.Between them, they have instilled international cricket values to a domestic side that believes that “every four-day game is a Test match”, as Lions captain Dominic Hendricks said on the eve of the final. “We have that mentality of training and playing like we are playing a Test match. All the chats have been about what Test cricket is like and how difficult it is to win.”But how many of Lions’ players, or indeed anyone else in the first-class system, is ready to make the step up to Test cricket?Delano Potgieter scored an unbeaten 155 in the second innings in the final•CSA/Gallo ImagesSome part of the answer may lie in South Africa’s recent Tests against New Zealand where they lost 2-0 (and became the first South African side to be defeated by New Zealand in a Test series) with a makeshift squad drawn from the first-class structures. Though they showed some fight in the second Test, they were outplayed throughout the trip. Moreki and Dane Paterson, who led the attacks for Lions and Western Province respectively in the final, were unthreatening in the Tests. Eddie Moore – one of the Western Province batters in the top 10 – looked out of his depth against New Zealand’s bowlers and Tony de Zorzi, Kyle Verreynne, and Fortuin – who all played important roles in the final – were unavailable for the New Zealand series because of their commitments in the SA20.In a way, juxtaposing the SA20 with the first-class competition is one of the clearest ways to measure the direction of travel of development of the game in South Africa. The SA20’s scheduling has not only affected the availability of players for the national team but has pushed the domestic first-class competition out of the prime summer window into the margins of the season. Matches this year started in November with five rounds played until the end of December. The tournament then took a six-week break until mid-February and resumed for the last two rounds and the final. Although November through March is the southern hemisphere summer, surfaces in the country, especially for batters, are at their best all around the country in January and early February. That may explain why no batters scored more than Marques Ackerman’s 571 in the season.In the season immediately before the SA20, when first-class matches were played in the January window, two batters scored more runs than that and in the season before that six batters totalled more. Pre-Covid and before South Africa did away with the franchise system in favour of a two-tier provincial structure, the top batters were regularly scoring 900 or more runs a season but also playing more games. The reduction of fixtures from ten a season to seven is more a consequence of cost-cutting than a calendar crunch but is also impacting the experience players are getting in the red-ball game.A similar issue is in the development of bowlers. For the third successive season, spinners have dominated the bowling charts
and Beyers Swanepoel is the only uncapped seamer among the leading wicket-takers. Could that be because the first-class competition is taking place too late for surfaces to be sporting and at a time in the season when they have already been used for several other matches?”It would be interesting to see four-day cricket starting earlier in the summer because wickets are slightly different in that part of the summer and then it just evolves as the summer goes on,” Hendricks said. “It might be a bit more sporting in the beginning and then in the middle it’s a bit better to bat on and towards the end its a bit drier so spinners play a role.”It doesn’t help that South Africa’s frontline international quicks hardly ever play domestic red-ball cricket – both Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have only played two domestic first-class games since 2017 – and any promising new talent is fast-tracked through the white-ball set-up. Left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka, who was the Player of the Tournament at the Under-19 World Cup, will play for Lions in the upcoming T20 competition, for example.Kyle Verreynne scored his maiden T20 century when red-ball cricket was on a break•SA20But these are realities of cricket’s changing priorities and South Africa’s players have learned to get on with it. “I know in county cricket they also play multiple formats at a time,” Verreynne, Western Province’s captain, said. “It does pose challenges having to play half of a campaign and then you come back for the second half and your squad is completely different with injuries and different guys are in form and you have a whole different mojo. There are quite a few challenges with that but there are also some positives.”Verreynne used himself as an example. He opened the first-class season with 150 against Titans and then had two tough Tests against India. When the formats changed, he was Pretoria Capitals’ leading run-scorer at the SA20 – including scoring his first hundred in the format – and returned to the red-ball circuit to score a second century. He finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer and oversaw Western Province’s run to the final – an achievement in itself considering the poor state of the province’s administration. Western Province is currently battling debt from the costs of construction of a new building on the stadium’s premises while also searching for a new CEO, but Verreynne hopes their on-field performances will start the turnaround.”When Salieg [Nackerdien, the Western Province coach] appointed me, one of my biggest messages was that as players and management we’ve got to find a way to keep our circle small and control what we can,” Verreynne said. “We said we are going to focus on the cricket and make sure the cricket stays the main thing. If we can find a way to keep winning games of cricket, maybe other things can change.”That’s one story of the attempt to keep the red-ball game alive; around the country, there are others. In Durban, Dolphins missed out on the final after a strong campaign to keep their uptick in performance over the last few years going and are home to the leading run-scorer, Ackermann. In Pietermaritzburg, Tristan Stubbs scored a triple-century for Warriors and made a strong Test claim. And in Johannesburg, Mulder has demonstrated a maturity that may revive this long-format credentials. The value of all of that may be seen at South Africa’s next World Test Championship matches in August, when they play West Indies. Until then, it’s over to the white ball.

Ashes-winning captain, autocratic “supremo”, Farsley CC groundsman – “Illy” was one of the game’s true greats

David Hopps25-Dec-2021Raymond Illingworth had a fair claim to be considered the most competent English cricketer since the war. He was not, as Yorkshire’s pointed out, a great batsman, nor a great bowler, nor a great fieldsman. But he was a professional’s professional, “sufficiently expert, in his employment of experience, knowledge, tactical insight and psychology as a captain to be remembered without qualification as a great cricketer”.In fact, there was little Illingworth (known throughout his career as “Illy”) did not know about cricket and virtually nothing he could not do in the game. As a small boy he would help prepare his local club ground for a match and when his race was run, and he had a distinguished record as a former England manager and captain, he still enjoyed rolling the grass and marking the pitch at his local Bradford League club, Farsley. He had opinions on groundsmanship as he had opinions on everything else that was cricket related. He was truly a cricket man for all seasons and for all moments, critical or contemplative.The son of a cabinet-maker and joiner, he inherited strong hands, long fingers, powerful arms and an attention to detail. He left school in Farsley at 14 with a batting average of 100 and a bowling average of two. He furthered his cricketing education on the damp pitches and in the stinging winds of the Bradford League which encouraged in him a pragmatism that never wavered. When he was only 15, he scored 148 not out in a Priestley Cup Final spread over several evenings.Related

Illy the groundsman

A sandwich with the supremo

Unlikely supremo Silverwood follows in Illingworth's footsteps

Former England captain Ray Illingworth dies aged 89

Illingworth was playing for Yorkshire’s 2nd XI before he gained wider prominence during national service when playing for the RAF and Combined Services. He was 19 when he scored 56 on his debut for Yorkshire in 1951 but was unable to compete for a regular place until after his release in 1953 when a series of mishaps to Yorkshire’s bowlers left a vacancy.Illy had bowled right-arm medium until he discovered, in a league match, a talent for offspin and it was as an offbreak bowler, with a well-disguised “arm” ball that he would be mostly remembered. His smooth, contemplative approach and curl of his bowling arm before delivery imposed an impression of order and he resented every run he conceded. His versatility was such that for a quarter century he was numbered among the world’s most reliable allrounders, as reflected in his career figures: 24,134 runs at an average of 28.06, 2,072 wickets at 20.28.He hit 22 first-class centuries and took 446 catches, usually at gully from where he kept an eagle eye on the play, as analytical as any player in Yorkshire’s history. As a young player, he had to withstand a bullying Yorkshire dressing room where senior players held sway. He was no more than an average fielder when he entered the Yorkshire team and suffered some sarcastic outbursts from the acerbic Johnny Wardle until, after a confrontation, he became Wardle’s favourite fielder in the deep.Many of Illingworth’s runs were made at a critical juncture in the innings when either defiance or dash was needed and his ability to provide either made him a major figure in Yorkshire’s seven trophies, including five Championships, in the 1960s. Cricket was a job and the job was to win, from the outset. Throughout he was captain Brian Close’s right-hand man and the story goes that when one of the ebullient skipper’s cunning wheezes went awry the team naturally turned to Illingworth to restore order. They were a potent blend, Close possessed of a gambler’s instinct, Illingworth shrewd and intense. They were solid friends, each convinced they knew more than the other.Judged a batting offspinner by the England selectors, he had to compete for a Test place with several expert practitioners, including his fellow Yorkshiremen Bob Appleyard and Jim Laker, who played for Surrey, and did not play for the first of his 61 Tests till 1958. He toured Australia in 1962-63 where public comments about the captaincy and the tour management made him a suspicious character to cricket’s establishment.

“Playing under Illy was a marvellous experience, going to school under a stern and humorous headmaster whose own foibles made him that much more of a human being”David Gower

His future at Headingley seemed considerably more stable when he followed Close as Yorkshire’s captain, but he was not a man given to gamble in cricket or in life and, in 1968, at 37, he sought some insurance from Yorkshire through a written contract. By a piece of mismanagement spectacular by even Yorkshire’s history he was sacked, became Leicestershire’s captain and transformed them into one of England’s leading teams, taking them to the Championship for the first time in their history.David Gower, a young aspirant when Illingworth arrived at Leicestershire and who was to one day follow him as captain of England, later remembered: “Playing under Illy was a marvellous experience, going to school under a stern and humorous headmaster whose own foibles made him that much more of a human being.”Above all this headmaster had standards. And only if you observed those standards were you admitted to the inner circle of his confidence. You had to look after yourself in what he considered to be a proper manner on and off the field. If you did all that he loved you; if you didn’t, he would be down on you. His attitude to any and every game of cricket was 100 percent effort.”Even the establishment was impressed and, strikingly late in his career, the England captaincy followed, a run of 31 successive Tests, plus five against the Rest of the World, which culminated in the regaining of the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71. It ended with his team triumphantly chairing him from the field in an obvious show of respect, but it was a controversial series and Illingworth’s demeanour and attitude brought criticism from the more traditional pundits. He argued on the field about short-pitched bowling with the Australian umpire Lou Rowan in the Sydney Test, and when bottles and cans were thrown on to the outfield in protest, Illingworth led his players off the field in protest. England played in his manner: tough, pugnacious, shrewd.The Yorkshire committee, beset by argument and furore over the future of Geoffrey Boycott, invited him back as manager in 1979 but such was the acrimony that by the end of the summer, he admitted he wished he had never returned from Leicester. Whatever the regrets he persevered in trying to restore the county’s fortunes and in 1982, 15 days after his 50th birthday, he found himself appointed Yorkshire’s captain, a post that should have been his more than a decade before. Yorkshire finished that summer bottom of the Championship for the first time, but Illingworth bowling many a crafty over, took them to the Sunday League title, their first trophy for 14 years.Devon Malcolm bowls as Ray Illingworth looks on•Getty ImagesThat triumph failed to save him from a sacking at the next annual general meeting when the Committee was overturned by Boycott supporters so Illingworth once more departed to the media where his printed and on-screen comments were trenchant and wise. Even then his career was far from over for such was his prestige that he was invited to become England team manager in 1986; he looked at the terms, felt that the authority granted was insufficient and demurred.Ten years later with England desperate for a saviour and with previous disagreements forgotten, Illingworth became chairman of selectors. While his brusque Yorkshire independence was enough for him to be the anti-establishment candidate, it was hardly a revolution – he became the oldest chairman of selectors for 40 years and had little patience with progressive ideas. Where he wanted assistants, he preferred old trusties.When he added the position of team manager, he became one of the most autocratic figures in English cricket history, Jack Bannister wrote in , a joint undertaking with Illingworth: “No one man has had so much power in English cricket at selection and managerial level.”The players, alas, were not of the kind he knew and he found it hard to adapt to changing social attitudes. Some of his selections might also have benefited from a stronger challenge from others. His most controversial run-in came with the fast but wild Devon Malcolm, who was dismayed by his hostility, but who later expressed regret at speculation that their fall-out had been racially motivated. Michael Atherton, a young captain with equally firm views, was not impressed. “My view was that the captain was there to make the important cricketing decisions and the manager was there to reduce the hassle,” he wrote in his autobiography. “Raymond obviously thought it was the other way round!”Illingworth became a CBE, and after his retirement he was a regular visitor to Headingley’s press box where he enjoyed a good moan, his uncompromising opinions laced with humour, and shared his knowledge on every nuance of play. Yorkshire made some reparation for previous injustices by electing him club president in 2010-11, a position he took up diligently until he had a heart attack in his second year. He loved cricket to the end. Afflicted late in life by esophageal cancer, in one of his last interviews he suggested that he would like nothing better than to finish his life by watching a game of local cricket before walking home on a sunny day.