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Visitors have the better of the exchanges on the final day of their only tour game in the lead up to the Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-20191:12

Bavuma a massive Test batsman for us – Markram

Stumps Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander provided early warning signs for the Indian Test batsmen after Temba Bavuma and Philander added good runs on the third and final morning of the South Africans’ tour game against an Indian Board President’s XI in Vizianagaram, which petered out into a draw on Saturday.A major point of interest from the Indian perspective was to see how Rohit Sharma fared as an opening batsman. Unfortunately for Rohit, his stay in the middle lasted just two balls as Philander had him out caught for a duck.ALSO READ: Brickhill – Meet South Africa’s next gen Test cricketersIt was 23 for 2 rather quickly as Kagiso Rabada sent back Abhimanyu Easwaran, the No. 3 batsman, for 13, But Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal steadied the ship with a 62-run stand for the third wicket. Agarwal, expected to open in the Tests, scored 39 before becoming Maharaj’s first victim, and after Panchal had fallen to Philander for 60, Maharaj got his second, the in-form Karun Nair gone for 19.At that stage, with the scoreboard reading 136 for 5, the Indians looked in danger of folding for a below-par total, but Siddhesh Lad and KS Bharat repaired the damage with a 100-run stand in just 20 overs.Even as Lad bedded in, though not while missing out on scoring opportunities, Bharat took the aggressive route to hit seven fours and five sixes in a 57-ball 71 before Maharaj sent him back.Jalaj Saxena and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja were also dismissed towards the fag end of the day, falling to the spin of Senuran Muthusamy and Dane Piedt respectively. The Indians were still 14 runs behind with two wickets left – Lad was still there on 52 not out – when the two teams decided to call off the contest.The third day began with the visitors on 199 for 5 in their first innings – the first day was entirely lost to the weather and only 50 overs of play was possible on the second, within which Aiden Markram scored a century – with Bavuma on 55.Bavuma, expected to be the pivot around which the South African stroke-players revolve in the Tests, picked up his scoring rate somewhat, getting to 87 in 127 balls as he and Philander added 80 runs in 14 overs. Philander was even more enterprising, hitting six fours and a six in his 49-ball 48 before becoming left-arm spinner Jadeja’s third scalp.The first Test begins in Visakhapatnam on October 2.

Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the record for goals scored in World Cup qualifiers with his penalty in Portugal's 3-2 win over Hungary.

• Portugal beat Hungary 3-2
• Ronaldo scores penalty
• Equals World Cup qualifiers goals record

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portugal came from a goal down to secure all three points at Puskas Arena on Tuesday night. Ronaldo scored from the spot in the victory, taking his goal tally in World Cup qualifiers to 39. That draws him level with Carlos Ruiz of Guatemala and three ahead of Argentina icon Lionel Messi.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite turning 41 in a matter of months, former Real Madrid star Ronaldo is still showing he can contribute towards Portugal's attack. That is now three goals in two World Cup qualifying games as Roberto Martinez's side try to secure their place in next year's World Cup.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ronaldo has now scored 141 goals for Portugal in 223 appearances. Over the course of his illustrious career, the Al-Nassr ace has bagged a remarkable 943 goals. The veteran has set his sights on reaching the 1,000 mark.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Ex-Manchester United hero Ronaldo will hope to add to his goals tally for his country when Portugal resume their World Cup qualifying campaign next month with home matches against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary.

Glasgow Rangers have finally confirmed their second signing of the January transfer window, as midfielder Mohammed Diomande arrives from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland on an initial loan deal until the end of the season with an obligation to buy.

Following the signing of Fabio Silva on a loan move towards the end of 2023, the Ibrox faithful have been made to wait for the next signing, yet this deal has eclipsed expectations.

Philippe Clement is certainly asserting his authority and, alongside director of football recruitment Nils Koppen, the duo are tapping into areas that previous managers largely neglected.

With just six days left until deadline day, the Belgian manager may be keen to add another player or two to his squad in order to bolster his options, especially as the schedule could get hectic in the coming weeks.

With this in mind, could he potentially secure a deal for another midfielder this month? As a talented young Croatian is reportedly being monitored.

Rangers search for new signings

The deal to bring Diomande to Ibrox shows just how much Clement is thinking of the future, as he is just 22 years old and could potentially turn into a wonderful player.

His arrival also signifies the need for establishing a proper player-trading model, as the Ivorian could net the Gers a major profit should he develop and then move on from the club in the next few years.

According to Football Scotland earlier this month, the Light Blues are showing interest in Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Marko Bulat as they could face a few midfielders potentially departing this summer.

John Lundstram and Ryan Jack are both out of contract at the end of the season and there has been no news with regard to possible extensions for the pair as yet.

While a move for Bulat may not occur during the current transfer window, especially with the Croatian club valuing him at around the £5m mark, he could potentially be a player Clement is eyeing up for a summer transfer.

Koppen has sent scouts to keep an eye on the player amid the interest and shopping in this type of market showcases their willingness to find young talent from abroad who could develop into excellent players in Scotland.

The 22-year-old could be an ideal signing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, but much will depend on whether Rangers can win the Premiership title and give themselves a chance at securing a return to the Champions League.

If Bulat is a realistic signing, the youngster could form an ideal midfield partnership alongside Diomande.

The stats that show why Marko Bulat and Mohammed Diomande could work well together

Diomande will come into the Gers side with high expectations, especially following Clement’s recent praise.

The manager said of his new signing: “He is one of the biggest prospects in Scandinavia… so there were a lot of teams interested in him”

The move shows how much faith the board have in the 49-year-old and Diomande could emerge as one of the finest players in Scotland.

Diomande is capable of playing both deep and slightly further forward depending on the system being used, but if he was paired with Bulat, he could potentially be utilised in a slightly more advanced role due to his eye for goal, having scored 13 times for his club prior to joining Rangers.

Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson claimed that the Ivorian is “A very strong ball carrier and forward-thinking passer, he’s exactly the type of player Rangers could be doing with in the midfield.”

Add to the fact he has averaged 1.1 key passes per game, has created three big chances, and has taken 1.1 shots per game, clearly showcasing his attacking talents from the heart of the midfield.

Bulat, on the other hand, provides a more defensive stability to the midfield, evidenced by the fact he has won 57% of his total duels per game this term for Zagreb, along with being dribbled past just 0.3 times per game and recovering two balls per game, clearly demonstrating how effective he is defensively in the middle of the pitch.

This partnership could be the future for Rangers over the coming years if Clement was able to pull off a major coup and sign the youngster.

Marko Bulat would be an excellent signing for Rangers

The midfielder has certainly upped the ante this term with regard to goal contributions, already scoring five times and chipping in with two assists, which is an improvement on last season’s tally of just two assists, and it suggests he has improved his attacking abilities.

Along with his aforementioned defensive skillset, Bulat is swiftly emerging as a complete all-round midfielder and this could benefit Clement, who will be looking for more dynamic players to come into his squad.

Watson also spent time analysing the Croatian gem for the Rangers Journal and even likened him to a former Barcelona superstar, saying:

“From watching Bulat and looking at the numbers, he reminds me of a young Ivan Rakitić. He’s a box-to-box midfielder who is a very capable defender and a goal scoring threat.

“Technically gifted and intelligent in and out of possession, hence the Rakitić comparison.”

Now imagine a duo of Bulat dropping deeper and protecting the back four, while also being able to spring forward and provide an attacking threat if required, alongside the dynamism and creativity of Diomande.

It has all the makings of a perfect midfield partnership which the club have been missing over the years, and it could allow Clement to form a solid backbone in his side.

Of course, money does not grow in trees and money will have to be recouped via player sales in the summer, but the Belgian boss must go all out and land Bulat in the coming months, otherwise it could be another case of what if.

The Gers have missed out on so many players who have gone on to bigger and better things over the previous few years and this needs to change if they are to return to the top of Scottish football.

Assistant coach says England are building a batting unit to succeed on 2021-22 Ashes trip

George Dobell in Hamilton28-Nov-2019Paul Collingwood has backed Zak Crawley to succeed if he wins his chance in the second Test in Hamilton. Kent batsman Crawley was taken on tour largely to gain experience and so the England management could take a closer look at him, but an injury to Jos Buttler the day before the second Test might well have created an early opportunity for an unexpected debut against New Zealand.”Technically he looks very strong,” Collingwood, who is one of England’s assistant coaches, said of Crawley. “He’s willing to learn all the time. He’s been brilliant in the conversations that we’ve had in the nets. He’s always questioning things and that’s what you want.”He’s good fun, he’s a good athlete in the field as well, so he ticks a lot of the right boxes. He looks very good. But you never know until you get in the pressure of a Test match situation. The signs are really good, though.”ALSO READ: NZ depth ‘definitely the best’ it’s been in my career – TaylorCrawley has impressed the England management on this tour. As well as scoring a century in his one opportunity to bat in a match situation, he has also looked comfortable in the nets and impressed with his agility and fitness in fielding sessions.Notably, the two centuries Crawley scored during the 2019 County Championship season were against attacks containing fast bowlers. He made 111 against a Nottinghamshire side which included James Pattinson – nobody else in Kent’s top six made it to double-figures – and 108 against a Warwickshire side containing Ryan Sidebottom and Henry Brookes. And it is ability to play the short ball which is one of the areas that has impressed Collingwood.”Certainly, anything from waist height upwards he looks to be able to handle,” Collingwood said. “And playing short pitched bowling is crucial in these conditions. He times the ball really well, too; he hits the ball hard for a big lad.”By a “big lad” Collingwood certainly does not mean that Crawley is carrying an excess weight. Far from it. Instead he stands at 6ft 5in and looks as fit as anyone in the squad, with the possible exception of Ben Stokes. At training on Wednesday, it appeared as if he deliberately slowed down not to embarrass his captain, Joe Root, who had joined him on multiple circuits of the boundary.Zak Crawley could be in line to make his England debut•Getty Images

Crawley is still very much at the developmental stage of his career, though. He is just 21 and, as his first-class batting average of 31.27 illustrates, he is still learning his game. Having played a great deal on the seamer-friendly surfaces at Canterbury, however, those figures are not, perhaps, quite as modest as they seem.Collingwood is equally optimistic about the prospects for the rest of this side’s batsmen. As a member of the team that won the Ashes in Australia in 2010-11, he thinks he knows what it would take to repeat that result, saying that scoreboard pressure is a vital ingredient.”I’m very confident that this batting unit, over time, is going to score a lot of runs,” Collingwood said. “I think the mentality of it, the way the guys are working, it feels as though we’ve got the right kind of personnel to score big runs.”We know what Australia are going to do to us. They’re going to batter us with 90mph bowlers and make us feel uncomfortable with a spinner at the other end who will dry us up. But when we won there in 2010-11, we scored a lot of runs and then you’ve got scoreboard pressure.”The other challenge is to get those 20 wickets. And that seems to be increasingly difficult. Sides now generally have longer batting orders and the Kookaburra ball can prove difficult to take wickets with. The old school top-of-off with a Dukes ball back in the England doesn’t necessarily work over here. We’ve found ways at times but if you look at history we haven’t really consistently found a formula or a solution.”But we have to find a way. You can see that New Zealand have a strategy that has worked over time: you’re going to get swing bowlers up front, then Colin de Grandhomme and then Wagner to bounce the living daylights out of you. It’s a system that works for them and it’s our challenge to produce the skills out of our bowlers that work on in these conditions with this ball.”You look back and see what we were doing well [in 2010-11], and everyone refers back to pace, but we didn’t have much pace actually. It was more down to accuracy – ‘bowling dry’ as we called it – and it was almost playing on their ego, because they wanted to score runs, because it was the Australian way.”But teams, even Australia, don’t really play with ego any more. They’re very patient. Steve Smith shows that. So you might need a different type of bowler with some extra pace.”

Liverpool approached the recent victory over Luton Town in the Premier League with the knowledge that ceding ground in the title race could be detrimental, Arsenal and Manchester City snapping at the first-placed side's heels.

Firing on all cylinders, normally Anfield would have welcomed the relegation-threatened Hatters with unwavering confidence, but Jurgen Klopp's side were threadbare, a spate of injuries ravaging the squad.

Key talisman Mohamed Salah had aggravated an injury after an emphatic return at the weekend against Brentford, with Darwin Nunez also tweaking his hamstring.

Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, more seriously, suffered injuries that will keep them out of action for a longer period, compounding an already-bloated list of absentees.

And despite a dour opening, Liverpool prevailed to keep their title challenge churning, thanks in no small part to the talented youth fold that is stretching their influence into the senior set-up.

The likes of Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott started, while 18-year-old forward Jayden Danns made a big contribution on his professional debut off the bench.

Liverpool's "special" £4m star is now worth 1175% more

Jurgen Klopp has shaped this rising talent into one of the Premier League’s most exciting prospects.

By
Angus Sinclair

Feb 23, 2024

All talented players, immensely so, but possibly the brightest star from the Reds' academy ranks wasn't in on the action. Indeed, Stefan Bajcetic, scarcely involved this season, might just be the cream of the crop.

The fee Liverpool paid for Stefan Bajcetic

Spain U21 international Bajcetic has actually been on Liverpool's books since December 2020, when he was snapped up from his homeland club Celta Vigo for just £224k as a 16-year-old, beating fiery rivals Manchester United to his signature.

Alex Otero, youth coordinator at Celta Vigo, detailed the midfielder's skill set to The Athletic back in 2021, revealing that Liverpool indeed held one of Europe's most talented teenagers in their grasp.

He said: “He has amazing physical characteristics. He is extremely quick, makes good recoveries, has a great spring, is really impressive in the air and carries the ball cleanly out of defence.”

Most Liverpool supporters were unaware at this stage, but after 33 appearances for the club's respective development sides, he was unleashed last season as Klopp sought to manage a shocking collapse, Liverpool's midfield sapped and defence bereft of confidence.

He exceeded expectations.

Stefan Bajcetic's 2022/23 season in numbers

Bajcetic was handed his Premier League debut before his 18th birthday back in August 2022, coming off the bench as Anfield swallowed Bournemouth up and spat the Cherries out on the back of a chastening 9-0 defeat.

His maiden outing at such a young age spoke of the exciting innate ability and evident glowing praise that had been fed to Klopp as he went from strength to strength at youth level, but it wasn't until the festive period that he was handed a second chance to impress – and boy did he take it.

Liverpool were struggling and desperately needed to defeat Aston Villa at Villa Park in the first league match following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a refreshing 3-1 victory cherry-topped by Bajcetic's surge and finish in the late stage.

Thus paved the way for a brilliant run in the first-team, shining as his senior peers surrounding him toiled, completing the season with 11 appearances in the Premier League, notably completing 79% of his passes and succeeding with 64% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.

Unfortunately, Bajcetic, now aged 19, picked up an adductor injury in his thigh last March and missed the remainder of the campaign, though his contribution in stabilising the midfield was vital to the late-season revival that salvaged something from a wretched year.

He returned fleetingly in the early stage of the current campaign to make two displays, starting Liverpool's Europa League opener and coming off the bench against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, but he has missed the majority of the season due to fitness issues, believed to be on an individual program as his body continues to grow.

Stefan Bajcetic's current market value

Described as a "special" talent by journalist Zubin Daver, the young Spaniard continues to recuperate but will be back soon, endowed with the talent and physical development to become a key figure in Klopp's system.

As such, despite injury, his current market value now stands at €10m (£9m), according to CIES Football Observatory, which marks a staggering 3917% increase from that initial bargain fee.

While he's not the main attraction at Anfield right now as far as the youth is concerned – that tag lies with Bradley, who posted a goal and five assists from right-back in January and was crowned the PFA Fan's Premier League Player of the Month – his brilliant efforts last season highlighted his calibre.

He is also still younger than his 20-year-old teammate, who is also valued at just €5m (£4m), as per CIES.

It is disappointing that Bajcetic has not been able to strut his stuff this season, but taking this prudent approach to his nurturement and development is the perfect way to go about it.

This time last year, Liverpool were struggling. At present, Klopp has revived Anfield in all its glory, and while he is draping the curtain on his illustrious tenure, the bodywork for a golden new chapter is intact, firmly so.

The stones are in place, and Bajcetic will soon be performing at the beating heart of Liverpool's team, surpassing the myriad prospects peppering Merseyside in red.

There's no doubting the fact that Gary O'Neil has enjoyed an excellent first season at Wolverhampton Wanderers, taking the Midlands club from relegation battlers to potential top-half finishers in the Premier League. It's the type of success which may see the former Bournemouth boss rewarded with a busy summer transfer window.

Wolves transfer news

Wolves' biggest concern right now away from the excitement of potential incomings should be the future of Pedro Neto. After the winger's incredible campaign, in which he has scored three times and assisted a further 11 goals, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are already beginning to circle over a deal that could be worth as much as £60m this summer.

Wolves are, of course, already familiar with the feeling of bidding farewell to star players, having waved goodbye to Ruben Neves last season and players of Diogo Jota's calibre to Liverpool in the past. Now, it looks as though Neto will follow suit.

Those in the Midlands will at least get a preview of life without the Portugal international, with O'Neil confirming that he is likely to miss the remainder of the season through injury.

If Neto does leave, however, then Wolves will have an increased budget to turn their attention towards incomings, which could include an upgrade on Jose Sa. According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, O'Neil and Wolves now want to sign Brazil international "Bento" Matheus Krepski, who starred as his country defeated England at Wembley 1-0, courtesy of wonderkid Endrick's first ever goal for Brazil.

Wolves may have a "dominant" Toti partner just waiting to be unleashed

Wolves may have an ideal partner for Toti who is shining out on loan at the minute

By
Ross Kilvington

Mar 28, 2024

Worth £15m at Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense, Wolves face a fight if they pursue a deal to sign Bento this summer, with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest also interested in a deal. For such a low price, there's no doubt that it's one Wolves should be going after in the coming months.

"Fantastic" Bento can succeed Jose Sa

Jose Sa, now 31-years-old, has struggled at times this season with his three errors leading to goal highlighting that struggle for all to see in the Midlands. And those errors show that the Portuguese shot-stopper is slowly edging past his prime, leaving Wolves with a decision to make this summer, which is where Bento should come in. Football writer Zach Lowy will certainly be keeping an eye on the shot-stopper this summer, having sung his praises on X this season.

The Brazil international impressed at Wembley, keeping a clean sheet against an England side with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden gunning for goal. Given that his price tag sits at just £15m too, Wolves would be wise to make their move ahead of both Chelsea and Midlands rivals Forest.

So close has the series been that India could well have been 2-0 up. But they’ll want that closeness to show up in the scoreline

Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Dec-20224:18

What’s Axar Patel’s role for India? What’s ailing Bangladesh’s top order?

Big picture

What more can you ask for from a three-match series, eh? A one-wicket win in the first match, a last-ball result with only one wicket remaining in the second, and every possible twist and turn on the way to those two finishes. It’s a pity that the same team won both games, and that the series finale will be a dead rubber, but do not rule out more excitement.For Bangladesh, this series has been more proof of how good an ODI side they are at home, and how good they have been for a number of years now. Since the start of 2015, they have a win-loss ratio of 3.30 against Full Members at home, which is bettered only by Pakistan who, of course, haven’t played all that much at home in this period, and New Zealand.Related

• McDermott: 'Beating India 3-0 a massive goal for us'

• Bowler to all-round match-winner – Mehidy Hasan Miraz comes of age

• Rohit, Chahar and Sen ruled out of third ODI with injuries

You might argue that Zimbabwe, West Indies, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have been Bangladesh’s most frequent opponents in this period, but you can only beat who is in front of you. That Bangladesh have beaten India four times in five games in the same period – they’ve also pulled off series wins over Pakistan and South Africa – suggests they might do just as well against other high-profile teams that haven’t visited that often in recent years.If they win again on Saturday, Bangladesh will reinforce this idea emphatically.So close has this series been, of course, that India could well have been 2-0 up themselves. But they’ll want that closeness to show up somewhere in the scoreline. To make that happen, they might have to play their best game of the series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, where they will be without their regular captain Rohit Sharma among numerous other injured absentees.It will be a test of their resource depth – they came into this series without first-choice reserves such as Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson – and this test will come against a hungry home side who are high on morale. The result won’t impact where the series trophy goes, but it could have other, potentially far-reaching ramifications.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWWLW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LLLWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli has a highest score of 18 in his last seven ODI innings. It’s hard to call it a run of form, because he has played these seven ODIs over a span of ten months, and he’s looked in excellent rhythm in other formats during this time. Even so, in Rohit Sharma’s absence, India will hope their best batter can get back among the runs as they push for a consolation win.Virat Kohli has an average of 18.90 in ten ODIs this year•AFP/Getty Images

Mustafizur Rahman has taken only one wicket in this series, but India have struggled to get him away. He conceded 14 runs in the final over of the second ODI, but despite that, he has only gone at 3.64 across his 17 overs so far. Can India break his stranglehold in potentially flatter conditions in Chattogram?

Team news

Bangladesh are unlikely to make a major change unless there is an injury concern.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das (capt), 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Nasum Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Ebadot HossainIndia are in a genuine injury crisis; their squad page for this series now has as many as seven withdrawn players. In place of the absent Rohit, India will need to choose between Ishan Kishan and the uncapped pair of Rahul Tripathi and Rajat Patidar. Only three fast bowlers remain in the squad, so expect India to play a spin-heavy attack, with either Kuldeep Yadav – who was added to the squad on the eve of the match – or Shahbaz Ahmed joining Washington Sundar and Axar Patel.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Shahbaz Ahmed/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Umran Malik

Pitch and conditions

Where Mirpur always has something in it for the bowlers, Chattogram has tended to be a batting-friendly venue in ODIs. In the last five years, ODIs here have produced the best batting average of the three ODI venues in Bangladesh – 37.49, a significant jump from Mirpur’s 25.91. Expect a flat pitch, therefore. The weather on Saturday is expected to be clear and sunny, with a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have won 13 of their last 14 bilateral ODI series at home. England were the last visiting side to win a series here, beating the hosts 2-1 in October 2016.
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz averages 81.75 with the bat and 26.13 with the ball in ODIs in 2022. That average difference of 55.61 is the best of any allrounder who has scored least 100 runs and taken ten wickets this year, ahead of Cameron Green’s 40.43 and Gerhard Erasmus’ 28.56.
• Mohammed Siraj – 15 wickets at an average of 16.26 – is the highest wicket-taker in the first ten overs of ODIs in 2022. Among bowlers from Full-Member teams, Trent Boult and Matt Henry (ten each) are a distant joint second.

Quotes

“We have a much better chance with him not playing. He is such a high-calibre player. I was a bit surprised that he didn’t come to bat earlier [in the second game]. He may have fallen a ball short.”
“To be honest, Bangladesh is a high-quality side, especially at home. Their record says so, because I think they’ve only lost one series [in recent years], against England. They’ve been very, very successful at home. We knew what to expect from them before we came here. Definitely, especially in the subcontinent, Bangladesh is a very, very good side. Even in the T20 World Cup they had a good run this year. They’ve been doing really well in the last few years, and I’m sure even they will fancy a good tournament going into the World Cup.”

Italy legend Andrea Pirlo praised Weston McKennie after the American established himself as a regular for the Serie A side

Article continues below

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• Andrea Pirlo insisted that Weston McKennie has become an important player at Juve
• American has made 33 appearances this season
• Serie A exploring possibility of hosting games in the United States

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Juventus and Italy legend Andrea Pirlo admitted that McKennie has established himself as an important piece of Juve's side this season, after struggling to fit in across his first few seasons in Turin. McKennie was named vice-captain by new manager Thiago Motta, and has tallied eight goal contributions while playing in six different positions over the course of the campaign.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT ANDREA PIRLO SAID

  Pirlo highlighted McKennie's importance at a Serie A event in New York: "He is growing a lot. I've seen him not only grow on the pitch but also inside the locker room, which is an important step for him."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The event also included remarks from Commerical and Marketing Director Michele Ciccarese, who insisted that Serie A is looking into hosting a regular season game in the United States:

  "There are a lot of things happening that make it a possibility…everybody would like to [see] a live game. If I could take you all tomorrow to a San Siro experience or to an Olympic experience, you would love it," He said. "So the only way is to bring the club closer to the fans. We are working on potentially doing it. But there are barriers that we need to overcome with the right strategy in place and with the support of the clubs, without forgetting that players are players, and they have a lot of competitions."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Serie A also announced record viewership over the course of the 2024-25 season, with a cumulative live audience up over 50 percent compared to last year's numbers.

With the January transfer window now fast approaching, Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with a number of possible targets. Among those rumoured to be interesting the Lilywhites are Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Larsson, Rayo Vallecano defender Andrei Ratiu, and Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

Real Madrid youngster Arda Guler has also been recently linked with a move to North London. The 19-year-old playmaker enjoyed a fine breakthrough season at the Santiago Bernabeu last year, scoring six goals in just 12 games, before going on to star for Turkey at the summer’s European Championships, helping them to an unlikely quarter-final run.

Guler has found minutes for Madrid hard to come by, however, since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe in the summer, and it is now believed Tottenham are prepared to offer the player a way out in January by way of a loan move. TNT Sports Commentator Ian Darke thinks Guler would be a “fantastic” signing for Ange Postecoglou.

“He’s a very good young player. He just can’t get in the Real Madrid side because they’ve got Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe.”

Reijnders next up on Spurs shopping list

Of all the players reportedly on the Spurs’ radar, perhaps the most exciting is AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutchman has been one of Milan’s most outstanding players since moving to the San Siro from AZ Alkmaar last summer. Most recently, he put in a Man of the Match display as Milan thumped Real Madrid 3-1 in the Champions League, scoring his side’s third and final goal.

As a result of his good form, Reijnders has caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real and Spurs.

Bid made: Liverpool considering "crazy" deal to sign "complete" midfielder

A Reds player could head in the opposite direction.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 5, 2024

Understandably, however, Milan are keen to hold on to the 26-year-old, and, according to Calcio Mercato, are already working on preventative measures to keep him at the club. The publication reported this week that Milan are working on offering Reijnders a contract renewal that would double his annual wages from €1.7 million to €3.5 million until 2030, amid interest from Spurs and others.

Calcio Mercato claim that Milan have already started talking with Tijjani’s father, who is also his agent, and are confident that the deal will soon be finalised.

Rijkaard praise shows why the world is chasing Reijnders

After Reijnders’ goalscoring display against Madrid, Milan and Netherlands legend Frank Rijkaard was full of praise for the midfielder.

“I hope Reijnders becomes one of the best midfielders in the world, I truly believe he’s on the right path. I really like his way of playing. He’s becoming more and more important for Milan as time goes by.

“He can cover all the roles in the middle of the pitch and he’s really generous too. He never stops running for the team and always gives everything his all. With the quality he has, he is really good at creating dangerous chances for his teammates and always starts the move well.”

The visitors say Ish Sodhi is tracking well after ankle injury but haven’t taken a call on his inclusion yet

Alagappan Muthu20-Jan-20233:38

Jaffer: Coming in around 30th over will suit Suryakumar Yadav

Big picture: India vs NZ is a battle of titans

It finally feels like a World Cup year, doesn’t it? In an age of content saturation – organisers trying to horn in as many big events as possible and writers doing much the same to make you care about their own work – something pure happened on Wednesday night in Hyderabad. A game that needed no bigging up. A game that stood on its own. A game that will not soon be forgotten…And already, it’s time to top it, which is exactly why it feels amazing. Because this series – for all the spin put into it – was going to be just another notch in the bilateral cricket calendar. Instead, it’s become something that actually matters. it’s become something fun. There’s a buzz. There’s an expectation. There’s a thrill. As if we haven’t seen anything yet because imagine even half of what happened two days ago happening at the World Cup.Shubman Gill was so good. Like eerie good. Like, there’s over the top and then there’s this. A 23-year-old scoring a double-century in the 49th over of an ODI while single-handedly propping up the rest of his team – and we haven’t even mentioned the opposition. Somewhere in Nakatomi Plaza, John McClane is rolled up in a ball crying because he’s not the gold standard in doing the impossible anymore. Kids half his age are pulling his shtick.

LIVE in the UK and USA

You can watch the second ODI between India and New Zealand LIVE on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

But John, listen. It’s okay. It happens. This sport that you’ve probably never even heard of does this kinda thing all the time. Like, just about an hour later, with New Zealand at 131 for 6 in a chase of 350, this guy called Michael Bracewell was about to shatter everything we thought was sacred. The coming of age of a golden boy of Indian cricket almost always includes the humbling of the opposition. Sunil Gavaskar took down Garry Sobers. Sachin Tendulkar took down Adbul Qadir. Virat Kohli took down Lasith Malinga. Gill took down Lockie Ferguson. After that, he was supposed to ride all the way off into the sunset but he was made to wait. He was made to sweat.So here we are, still feeling the tremors of that game, and an excitement for what’s to come. Because India vs New Zealand is a battle of titans and equals.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLW

In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya and Glenn Phillips

Once upon a time, Hardik Pandya would walk into a cricket field and start hitting boundaries. He’d come to press conferences, stop just short of Marlon Samuelsing it, and say with a perfectly straight face that “I could hit a six anytime I wanted to.” Now, five years later, a father and a future leader, some of that fire has been tempered. Two of his four slowest ODI innings (min 30 balls faced) have come in the last week. Both on tough pitches and in winning causes. India will hope their point of difference allrounder is adding to his game, and not necessarily compromising it because the Hardik of old used to put fear in the opposition – which is awesome enough – but he’d also one-up it by feeding off that fear until nothing seemed beyond his reach.Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell are two big hitters in the New Zealand side•Associated Press

We’ve all noticed there’s a bit of Steven Smith about Glenn Phillips, right? In his stance. In his backlift. In the way he refuses a run. There’s a chance that he’s copied one of the most un-outable batters of our times just to maximise the one thing he has that Smith doesn’t. Pure, beautiful power. The guy claims to do 800 press-ups a day in order to sustain the thing sets him apart. Six-hitting. West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have all seen just how destructive he can be – even from dire situations. At some point in this series, India could to see it too.

Team news: Will India try Malik? Is Sodhi back to fitness?

The middle overs didn’t go India’s way with the ball in Hyderabad. Would that tempt them to bring in Umran Malik? The upside is his pace. The downside is their batting depth takes a big hit if he comes in for Shardul Thakur.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajIsh Sodhi, currently out with an ankle injury, is tracking well according to New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi. A call on his inclusion will be made later.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Henry Nicholls, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi/Henry Shipley, 10 Doug Bracewell, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions: Raipur’s first ever ODI

A sellout crowd of over 50,000 is expected in Raipur to mark the occasion of its first ever ODI. The city is also in the running to host Women’s IPL matches in March. Seems good things happen to not just to people who wait but stadiums as well. No one’s really sure how the pitch will behave, although Mitchell Santner suspects it has more bounce than Hyderabad. Dew will once again play a role on a day where the temperature will go up to 31C in the afternoon and then down to 21C in the evening. No rain is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Bracewell has an ODI strike rate of 122.22. With a minimum of 10 innings played, only three others, from Full Member countries, can say they score their runs quicker. Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell and Liam Livingstone.
• It’s basic. But it bears saying. India have a batting line-up that now includes not one, not two, but three ODI double-centurions. What the actual…