Sam Billings is back in charge of a Kent side that has handled his absence as well as he would have ever dared imagine

Matt Roller29-Jun-2018Sam Billings’ appointment as Kent captain in January seemed symptomatic of a turbulence that the county would not escape easily.After an underwhelming 2017, which saw group-stage exits in both white-ball competitions and a mid-table finish in the Championship, Kent’s relationship with captain Sam Northeast had broken down. One of county cricket’s most exciting batting line-ups had lost its talisman, and the man to fill the void was to miss the first six weeks of the season after signing an IPL deal.The news was met with distaste by the members; how could the county’s decline be arrested by Billings when he was carrying drinks in Chennai, rather than scoring runs at Canterbury?Four months later, Billings is lying on the St Lawrence Ground outfield, basking in the late afternoon sun after his first Championship game as captain. A record 342-run win against Middlesex has taken Kent top of Division Two, with a first Lord’s final in a decade to look forward to; not bad, for a club supposedly in turmoil.Billings looks on it all with understandable pleasure. Absentee captains are quickly forgiven when things are going swimmingly. And to lead the side out at Lord’s against Hampshire on Saturday will be a cause for special pride.”I’ve been here since the age of seven or eight, so it means a huge amount,” he said. “With all the different teams I’ve played for, you get a different buzz playing for each. But nothing beats coming home and playing for your home side: it means a hell of a lot.”It’s now about channelling that emotion and putting it into a good performance. It’d be great to take Kent back to where we should really be as a side – and that means winning silverware.”It would be wrong to cast Billings as the hero of the hour at Kent, although who is to say he will not be come Saturday evening. For all his brilliance with the bat, and for all that matchwinning ability, he has only played six games for the county this season, with a top score of 29.But Kent’s success has not been down to individual brilliance. Of course, it would be wrong to understate the impact of Heino Kuhn’s four white-ball hundreds, or Matt Henry’s 49 Championship wickets, but Billings’ task of slotting back into the side – purportedly his side – has been helped by the environment created by Matt Walker and the coaching staff, which includes Paul Downton as director of cricket and Allan Donald as assistant coach.”When you get people in the right places, there’s no doubt that’s going to help,” Billings said. “A structure has been put in place…the place as a whole is really coming together.”And the captain thinks that the ease with which the match-winners against Middlesex, Grant Stewart and Harry Podmore, stepped up in the absence of Henry and Darren Stevens was testament to the squad’s self-belief.”I said to the lads before the game how glad I was to come back into the side. I was really excited. There’s no doubt confidence is high in the group at the moment, and the team spirit is as good as I’ve ever seen here.Pitted against Kent are two players with obvious connections to Billings himself. James Vince remains a rival for Billings’ role of perpetual cover batsman in England’s one-day side and Sam Northeast was captain before him, only to leave the county when he was told he must commit to a new contract a year in advance or lose the job”Hampshire have got some very good players: Vince is in fantastic form, and we know how good a player Sam Northeast is,” Billings observed. “But we’ve got some seriously good players here as well. And if we play to the best of our abilities, we’ll win the game of cricket.”

Sri Lanka’s quicks scythed through the West Indies lower order, and finished only 13 runs behind for the loss of one wicket by stumps

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jun-2018
Sri Lanka’s quicks scythed through the West Indies lower order, and finished only 13 runs behind for the loss of one wicket by stumps. But it was what they did at the start of the day that loomed over this game. For two hours, they refused to take the field, and when they did, it was only “under protest”. The reason? Match officials had charged them with ball tampering, slapping on a five-run penalty, and changing the ball that had been used on day one. Sri Lanka’s coach and team management were seen in animated discussions with match officials, after being told of the tampering allegations shortly before the teams were set to take the field. They were eventually convinced to resume play, but deny any “wrongdoing” according to a board release. An inquiry on these charges will be held after stumps on Saturday.Though there is a major controversy brewing, this is now a finely-balanced Test, the visitors fighting back hard, after having allowed West Indies to take control of the match over the first two days. The definitive period of play was the 20.3 overs they delivered with the second new ball, either side of tea. In that period they took the six final West Indies wickets for 59 runs – Lahiru Kumara taking three of those wickets, to finish with an impressive 4 for 84 on a day in which he had bowled deliveries as fast as 149kph. Kasun Rajitha also collected encouraging figures in his first Test innings, removing Devendra Bishoo and Jason Holder in a single intense spell, to end with 3 for 49.The pitch, though, remained helpful for the quicks, especially when they bowled with the new ball, and Sri Lanka will know they are in for another fight tomorrow. Sri Lanka had just under an hour to bat at the end of the day, and were frequently in trouble through this period. Kusal Perera played a stroke-filled 23-ball innings, collecting three boundaries, and miscuing other aerial shots. He was out for 20, leaden-footedly edging Shannon Gabriel to the wicketkeeper. The only batsmen who can be said to have prospered for a meaningful length of time on day three were Shane Dowrich, who hit 55, and Roston Chase, who joined Dowrich for a 78-run fifth-wicket stand.AFPWhere in Trinidad Sri Lanka had allowed West Indies’ lower order to compile a formidable first-innings total almost on their own, it was Kumara’s intensity and Rajitha’s perseverance that enabled the visitors to shut this West Indies innings down in relatively quick time. Dowrich and Chase had built an ominous stand and had taken West Indies to within 14 runs of Sri Lanka’s first-innings total with six wickets still in hand, when the second new ball became available. Kumara struck the first blow, having Chase caught at short midwicket for 44. He would later return to knock out the last two wickets, nailing Kemar Roach in front of leg stump with a yorker, and having Shannon Gabriel top edge a heave off the short ball.In between, Rajitha and Suranga Lakmal moved the ball consistently off the seam, and all three bowlers drew plenty of false strokes – the lower order seeming to play and miss more often than they made connection.Earlier in the day, only 12.3 overs had been possible because of Sri Lanka’s refusal to take the field. When they did begin to play, Kumara was seemingly channelling the ire felt in the Sri Lanka dressing room, sending down a barrage of hostile short deliveries at the overnight pair. Smith was unruffled by the strategy, and batted with caution, much as he had on the previous day. Shai Hope was not as confident, and was eventually out edging Lakmal to the cordon for 19. Subtlety – rather than menace – would later be the end of Smith. Expecting an offbreak from Akila Dananjaya, who was operating around the wicket to the left-hander, Smith was struck on the pad by a slider that would have gone on to hit the stumps. He had made a vital 61, however. Not only was Smith’s the highest individual score in West Indies’ total of 300, it was an important innings for a batsman who is attempting to win a consistent place in this team, at the age of 36.

ScorecardNorthants captain Alex Wakely finally found release from a tough start to the season as Northants overcame the defending champions, Nottinghamshire in the Royal London Cup.Half centuries from Wakely, Josh Cobb and Adam Rossington, backed up by some slow left-arm guile from Graeme White, helped Northamptonshire Steelbacks to a 49-run victory over Notts Outlaws at Market Warsop in the Royal London One-Day Cup.Northants posted 339 for 9 against the defending champions, with Cobb top-scoring with 78 from 90 balls, whilst Wakely made 72 and Rossington added 50.Harry Gurney, with 2 for 57, returned the pick of the bowling figures for Notts, with Jake Ball and Luke Fletcher also capturing two victims apiece.In reply, Notts failed to string any significant partnerships together and were bowled out for 290 with 3.4 overs remaining.Steven Mullaney followed up Thursday’s 70 against Lancashire with an innings of 71 but no-one else made a half century. White claimed three for 63 against his former county.At the start of the day, having been put in by Mullaney, Northants were able to build useful stands, almost at will, on a good track, with a lightning fast outfield.After Ball, playing on his home club ground, had removed Ben Duckett for 19, the home side came under pressure as Richard Levi, Cobb and Wakeley took the score beyond 200 with 17 overs still to be bowled in the innings.Cobb, who scored 56 against Leicestershire Foxes on Thursday, hit seven fours and three majestic sixes before hitting Billy Root’s off-spin out to Ross Taylor at deep square leg.Wakely, passing 50 for the first time this season, also hit two maximums before being yorked by Fletcher, after a fourth wicket stand of 65 with Rossington.In the quest for quick runs, over the closing overs, Steven Crook twice cleared the ropes as he sped to an unbeaten 45 from just 28 deliveries to put the target out of reach.The Outlaws lost four wickets inside the first 20.1 overs of their reply, including that of Riki Wessels, who made from 47 from 54 balls.White’s left-arm spin tore the heart out of the Notts middle order, removing Taylor and Samit Patel – before adding the prized scalp of the Outlaws captain to his list.Mullaney had reached his 50 from 47 balls, with six fours and a six and was keeping his side in contention until adjudged to be lbw when sweeping across the line.Billy Root made 36 and Fletcher plundered 29 from only 20 balls but his side’s race had been run long before then.The victory not only secured two points but also brought an end to a dreadful sequence of results for Northants, who hadn’t won in Nottinghamshire in any competition since 2003.

Seamer managing “chronic” problem and won’t return before India series but Ben Stokes is progressing well after a hamstring injury

George Dobell18-Jun-2018

England have confirmed that Chris Woakes will take no part in the limited-overs series against Australia as he deals with a “chronic” knee injury. Ben Stokes is also not expected to play in the three remaining ODIs but could return in next month’s T20 series with India.Woakes sustained a tear in his right quad during the second Test against Pakistan in Leeds, but a statement released by the England management now suggests it was caused in part by “a flare-up of a chronic right knee problem”. He was given an injection in the knee a week ago and has begun a rehabilitation and conditioning programme.England are putting no date on his return to action, but he will not feature in any of the games against Australia or the T20s against India. He will be reassessed ahead of the ODI series against India that starts on July 12.”I’m aiming for the India ODIs and fingers crossed I can play some cricket before then so I’m ready,” Woakes said. “Whether it’s for Warwickshire or England I’m not sure. The word chronic makes it look like it’s drastic but the knee is not something I’m worried about.”Woakes’ absence has been felt keenly by England in recent days. As their top-ranked ODI bowler, and easily most impressive white-ball seamer in Australia and New Zealand, he has the responsibility for bowling at the start and end of the innings; areas that have been exposed a little in the defeat against Scotland and, at times, during the victory over Australia in Cardiff.Woakes missed almost the entire Champions Trophy in 2017 after sustaining a side strain during the opening moments of the game against Bangladesh. He has managed the knee problem for several years, having had surgery in 2015.”I’ve had the same problem for about eight or nine years and it’s been niggling away at me but I’ve got on with it and put up with the odd niggle because it’s not the sort of thing that will get better overnight,” he said.”With the quad injury it was a good time to get a jab in there and settle it down. I don’t know what the definition of chronic is but it doesn’t really stop me from playing cricket. It just flares up and during Headingley it felt sore but compared to a couple of weeks ago it feels like a million dollars.”There may also be some concern at Warwickshire. The county felt that Woakes required more bowling before returning to Test cricket following his spell in the IPL. To go from bowling a maximum of four overs to bowling in a Test, they felt, required more time and conditioning work. It will have been noted that both England seamers who went from the IPL to the Test team – Woakes and Stokes – without a warm-up match sustained injuries.With the World Cup looming as England’s priority for next year, Woakes suggested he would consider whether managing his fitness might mean missing out on the IPL.”IPL is a great thing for players to have the opportunities to improve themselves, at the same time as earning a hell of a lot of money, but I think next year will be tricky,” he said. “If I don’t get retained that’s when I will have to ask myself whether it’s worth going in the auction again, with such a big summer ahead. It’s something I’ll know nearer the time, especially going into what could be the biggest summer of my career. You want to make sure you’re in tip-top condition for a home World Cup.”There is better news of both Stokes and Eoin Morgan. Morgan, who missed Saturday’s game in Cardiff due to a back spasm, took part in training at Trent Bridge on Monday morning and hopes to play in the third ODI against Australia on Tuesday, while Stokes is said to be “progressing well” after sustaining a torn left hamstring a couple of weeks ago. His batting is unrestricted and he is able to run at 90% capacity so will begin a “return-to-bowling programme” this week.Stokes will be with the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs in the hope that he is fit to play in the T20s against India in July.

La Liga are investigating Vinicius Junior allegedly being called a "monkey" during Real Madrid's 2-2 draw with Valencia.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Madrid draw 2-2 at Valencia
• Vinicius Jr allegedly called a monkey
• La Liga investigating incident

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to The Athletic, a video on social media, posted by ESPN Brazil, allegedly showed a young person using racist language towards the Madrid star – who scored both his side's goals at the Mestalla on Saturday. The report adds police were called during the game and now this matter will be looked into by the Spanish league.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This comes less than a year after Vinicius was the victim of racist abuse at the same ground. After being discriminated against and later sent off on his last visit to the stadium in May 2023, for the 23-year-old to be allegedly racially abused again is wholly unacceptable and shows Spanish football still has a long way to go in this regard.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  After Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia's fans last year, he said "La Liga belongs to racists". He wrote on Instagram: "The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists. It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it's normal, the federation does too and the opponents encourage it."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT?

  While La Liga investigates this incident, the Madrid star is likely to be in action when they host RB Leipzig in the second leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie on Wednesday, followed by their La Liga clash on Sunday against Celta Vigo.

England are on the hunt for a whitewash, Australia are looking to save face after their record hammering at Trent Bridge

Preview by Andrew McGlashan20-Jun-20181:53

By The Numbers – England shatter ODI records

Big Picture

The perfect day and the worst day. Rarely have emotions been so polarised than with England and Australia at Trent Bridge. The teams have less than 48 hours to reset themselves before starting again at Chester-le-Street with two distinct aims: a push for a whitewash for England and a face-saving exercise for Australia.There was talk of a whitewash the last time these teams met, in Australia earlier this year, but England’s ambitions on that occasion we scuppered by one of their eye-watering collapses when they slumped to 8 for 5 in Adelaide. That, perhaps, remains Australia’s best chance of taking something this time – that England have a day when they nick a lot rather than middle shots into the stands – although the bowlers took such a hammering at Trent Bridge that it will be tough to recover.It is a mark of the expectations around this England team that holes were picked in the first two performances of this series and it is rare for Eoin Morgan to sound as satisfied with an outing as he did in Nottingham – although if he wasn’t happy then, he may never be. Still, the perfect day in a bilateral one-day series against a poor team is one thing. England will want to save a few for this time next year.After a perfect display, perhaps the one thing England would like is a few more wickets with the new ball. Mark Wood has taken two scalps in three matches with Australia, by and large, not having too many alarms against his new-ball spells only to repeatedly stumble when spin is introduced. That’s working fine for England now, but if they can make impact with the new ball – which highlights the significance of Chris Woakes’ absence – they become even more formidable. And there’s a daunting thought.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLW
Australia LLLLW

In the spotlight

Joe Root isn’t a slogger. He almost managed a wry smile when he walked out at No. 7 at Trent Bridge. It will have been one of the least-pressurised situations he will ever have batted – and he barely middled one shot. His fifty in the opening match, when England had lost three early wickets, showed how important his role in the side remains. He purred to a half-century at The Oval and eased into the 20s at Cardiff, but after the pyrotechnics in Nottingham he has had the quietest series of the top order.Tim Paine admitted he hadn’t had a worse day on the cricket field in his life than Trent Bridge. He’s a good man in a difficult position. His captaincy of the one-day team is even more of a sticking plaster than with the Test side, where he at least justifies his position. It’s hard to say the same in this side. You could even suggest he isn’t the best option in this squad: Alex Carey is a talented, dynamic keeper-batsman. If Australia are serious about reviving their one-day team, Paine does not look the answer. He may have just two more matches to make a case.

Teams news

England have bolstered their pace attack by calling up Craig Overton and Sam Curran. Morgan hinted at the potential for changes due to the lengthy journey from Nottingham to Durham and the short turnaround between games. Tom Curran and Jake Ball were already part of the squad, so may get first dibs.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett/Jake Ball, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Tom CurranWhat can Australia do? Shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic springs to mind. Justin Langer has suggested Nathan Lyon could get a call-up, although that may create issues with the tail. Andrew Tye may need to be benched after a tough couple of games. Aaron Finch’s move to No. 5 hasn’t worked, either.Australia (probable) 1 D’Arcy Short, 2 Travis Head, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Aaron Finch, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Billy Stanlake.

Pitch and conditions

Chester-le-Street can offer more help to the pacemen than some grounds around the country, although the Royal London Cup did feature scores over 300. The forecast is set fair for the day-night game and the match is a sellout, an important boost for a county that has had well-documented struggles of late.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first ODI at Chester-le-Street since 2015 – when England beat New Zealand in the decider to take the series 3-2
• Jonny Bairstow’s four centuries in 2018 already equals the most by an England batsman in a calendar year (David Gower in 1983)
• Andrew Tye’s series economy rate of 7.96 is the highest for an Australia bowler to have delivered at least 20 overs in a series

Quotes

“Their top three are brutal. The way they are playing is reminiscent of how we used to play in our day with Gilly, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting at the top.”
“We’ve always looked at series like this, and games with one day in between, as quite rigorous for the bowlers. Their risk of injury goes through the roof. So we’ll have to see how they pull up, and what they can do.”

Suranga Lakmal moved the ball skillfully in the morning, and Lahiru Kumara bowled aggressively all day, but a 90-run sixth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich ensured the hosts emerged from day one with some credit

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jun-2018Stumps AFPSuranga Lakmal moved the ball skillfully in the morning, and Lahiru Kumara bowled aggressively all day, but a 90-run sixth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich ensured the hosts emerged from day one with some credit. They are 246 for 6, at stumps, having progressed cautiously through the afternoon and evening sessions. That the most reticent batsmen finished as the day’s top scorer is fitting – Dowrich’s 46 not out has come off 133 deliveries. With him at the crease at the end of day was Devendra Bishoo, who was scoreless off 32 balls.Sri Lanka’s bowlers were largely disciplined even through the wicketless spells, and despite the Trinidad heat, but the team may have another problem. Having finished six overs short of their quota for the day, captain Dinesh Chandimal is now at risk of ICC censure. This, despite having two specialist spinners in the XI. Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath delivered 32 overs between them.On what was at times a slow-moving Test match day, Kumara produced the most excitement. He was erratic right through, often firing balls way outside off, or down the leg side. But as he regularly breached the 140 kph mark, he could also be dangerous on the occasions he was on target. His first wicket, near the end of the morning session, was that of Kieran Powell, who had his leg-stump uprooted by a swinging delivery that took a ricochet into the stumps. Later, in the afternoon, Shai Hope was caught gloving a ball down the leg side. His final victim was Holder, who attempting to flay a full, wide delivery through the offside, managed only to get an edge to the keeper – a fact that was only revealed after Sri Lanka had asked for a review. Easily the least disciplined of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Kumara ended the day with 3 for 57 off 18 overs.Although the pitch appeared to be good for batting after lunch, only Hope truly seemed at ease at the crease. Having arrived with the score at 40 for 2 in the 12th over, Hope batted positively. The pull shot was a favoured stroke of his during the innings, as he routinely rocked back to nail short balls through midwicket. A few gorgeous drives, and many assured defensive strokes thrown in, he appeared set for a big score, but lost some momentum during the lunch break. Though he and Roston Chase made 54 runs together and survived for over an hour after the lunch break, they did not manage to put Sri Lanka’s bowlers under significant pressure. Eventually they were out in quick succession – Chase the batsman to concede a wicket to spin in the day, when he played back to a Herath delivery that he should have come forward to, and wound up edging the ball, for Angelo Mathews to take a sharp catch at slip.The stand between Holder and Dowrich had begun slowly, but eventually achieved some kind of rhythm. By now, conventional swing had long since disappeared, and Sri Lanka’s quicks did not seem able to generate noticeable reverse swing. The spinners turned the occasional delivery, but did not beat the bat often enough to suggest they were a threat. And so, Holder and Dowrich set about picking the gaps with risk-free strokes, as they reserved their big shots for the truly bad deliveries. Neither batsman favoured either side of the pitch; both appeared capable of scoring anywhere in the ground.Just as they threatened to turn their fighting stand into an innings-defining one, Kumara made the breakthrough, to the relief of his captain. Sri Lanka had been trying hard for that wicket – twice dropping catches in the slips through the course of the partnership. They took the second new ball at earliest opportunity, and thanks to their slow over-rate, will have a ball that’s only four overs old when they arrive on day two.

Xabi Alonso has been advised to wait for Real Madrid vacancy and reject Liverpool's offer to replace Jurgen Klopp.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Klopp to leave Liverpool in the summer
• Alonso approached to replace German
• Ex-chief says he should choose Madrid

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Alonso finds himself at the centre of a managerial tug-of-war as he navigates his next career move. With Klopp set to depart Liverpool at the end of the season, Alonso has emerged as a frontrunner to take over the reins at Anfield.

  His successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen has catapulted him into the spotlight of top European clubs. Leading Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga has not only garnered attention from Liverpool but also from Bayern Munich, who are in search of a new manager as well as Thomas Tuchel's tenure will also end in June.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT REINER CALMUND SAID

  Former Leverkusen chief Reiner Calmund believes Alonso should resist the urge to rush back to Anfield, keep his focus on continuing his learning curve at BayArena and instead wait for Carlo Ancelotti's departure from Real Madrid.

  When asked should Alonso leave for Liverpool, he told : "I don't think Alonso would do that. Of course this is a good option. Alonso won the Champions League with Liverpool and he won the championship three times with Bayern. There is no doubt that these are extremely interesting employers. We also have to wait and see what happens at Real Madrid, whether Ancelotti might quit sooner. As his agent, I wouldn't necessarily advise him to go to Liverpool as Klopp's successor. I would recommend that he stay in Leverkusen for another year or two and then maybe replace Ancelotti."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Calmund further insisted that Alonso would stay at Leverkusen next season, adding: "There is a lot of writing going on. You shouldn't believe everything. I don't want to be the dream dancer here, but I firmly assume that Alonso will be the coach at Leverkusen next season. He won everything as a player, including the Champions League with Real Madrid. Ancelotti has extended his contract with Los Blancos. There is no danger at the moment."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  While the allure of returning to a former club like Liverpool is strong, seasoned voices are advocating for a more measured approach, urging Alonso to consider his long-term career trajectory rather than succumbing to immediate temptations. As the managerial merry-go-round continues to spin, Alonso finds himself at a crossroads. However, in the short term, he remains committed to Leverkusen who are on a dream run of 35 unbeaten games and are leading the Bundesliga title charge. His next assignment is against Wolfsburg on Sunday evening.

Glasgow Rangers went through a summer of transition under Michael Beale as there were plenty of incomings and outgoings throughout the off-season.

In truth, this overhaul was needed a season or two ago, yet the board failed to back Steven Gerrard adequately enough, and it led to Celtic reasserting their dominance of the Scottish game, ensuring Beale now faces a massive challenge this term in order to claim some domestic silverware.

The 43-year-old signed nine players during the transfer window, with the likes of Jack Butland, Jose Cifuentes and Danilo among the high-profile arrivals.

Butland – who has been described as an upgrade on Allan McGregor by pundit Kris Boyd – is really the only one who has settled well into life at Ibrox, and it may take some of the others some time to gel and forge connections with their new teammates.

As well as reinvigorating the team with some fresh faces, Beale also shipped quite a few first-team stars out of Ibrox. Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos left for nothing as they chose to run their contracts down, while Glen Kamara and Fashion Sakala were moved on for £5m and £4m, respectively.

One of the best pieces of business the former QPR boss did was to sell Antonio Colak, however, despite the striker playing only one season at the Gers.

How much did Rangers sign Antonio Colak for?

After leading the club to their first Scottish Cup since 2009 and coming so close to Europa League glory, Giovanni van Bronckhorst spent the summer of 2022 strengthening his squad ahead of the next season.

Colak was signed from Greek side PAOK and Rangers knew all about his qualities as he had scored a double for Malmo when they knocked the Light Blues out of the Champions League at the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign.

A fee of £1.8m was enough to secure his signature and Van Bronckhorst heaped praise on him, saying: "He is a very experienced player who has played at high levels and scored a lot of goals for the teams he has played for.

"We wanted to add some more players to our attacking options, and Colak is a player we welcome a lot and will give us a lot of strength up front."

Sporting director Ross Wilson was another who lauded Colak. He said: "Welcome to Antonio, we are delighted to have him join our squad. I know how much Gio and the staff are looking forward to working with him on the pitch.”

Everything looked positive that the Croatian would be a success at the club, and it didn’t take him long to hit the ground running.

What happened to Antonio Colak?

Colak came to life for the club during the qualifiers for the Champions League, scoring three goals in four matches, including the winner against PSV Eindhoven that secured group-stage football.

The striker continued his excellent form up until the hiatus for the 2022 World Cup as he ended up scoring 14 goals under Van Bronckhorst, and it was beginning to look like £1.8m was going to be a bargain.

His form tailed off when Beale was appointed manager in November last year, however, with injury issues resulting in him starting just five times under the current boss, and it looked as though he didn’t quite fit his tactical system.

Colak was praised by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie however, who said: “Colak's had a really good game to this point.

“It's his shot that creates the first and his pass the second but more his link-up that's caught the eye. Has dropped in consistently to create overloads and looked sharp.”

He finished the 2022/23 season as the club's joint top scorer with 18 goals, alongside James Tavernier, but it looked as though he was set to leave the club during the summer.

Where is Antonio Colak now?

Italian side Parma came in with a £2.5m bid during the transfer window and having already signed a few new forwards, the Light Blues accepted the bid, and it was a decent profit on the fee they spent on him just a year previously.

Beale only had good words to say about the 6 foot 2 hitman, saying: "Antonio can be really proud of his time here at Rangers. He scored goals and made a good contribution on the pitch but also as a man and professional, he was someone that I enjoyed working with and who built strong relationships with his team mates and staff off the pitch.

“We initially had a conversation at the end of last season, where we discussed football, his family and also what the future would look like in terms of the team. Antonio was very honest on his side and we have been working with him and his agent in the following weeks to find a solution that suits all parties. I am pleased for him to have this excellent opportunity in Italy.”

Although Colak has scored twice in his opening four matches for the Serie B side, it is evident that the Gers have struck gold by selling him on for £2.5m.

According to Football Transfers, Colak is now valued at €2.4m (£2m) and this represents a decline from the fee they spent on him just a couple of months ago.

Although he will continue to score goals in the second tier for Parma, the striker is on the wrong side of 30 and unless something dramatic happens, his value will only continue to drop in the coming months.

He only spent one season at Rangers, but with 18 goals in that timeframe, it represented a solid return for a player who was perhaps slightly one-dimensional and struggled to really get into games.

Beale has spent money on Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, and Sam Lammers this summer in a bid to improve his attacking options, but they have a long way to go in order to catch reach the 18 goals that Colak netted last term.

It is still early days, but none of the three have really caught the eye, and it will be up to Beale to try and get a tune out of them.

Big Picture

The battle between the eighth and ninth-ranked Test sides will not necessarily attract a lot of viewers, particularly with the football World Cup getting into its business end at the same time. The Antigua Test, therefore, might go under the radar, but it will still be mightily important for West Indies and Bangladesh.If Bangladesh win, they will be back to winning ways after a difficult 12 months. West Indies winning would mean more progress for them, which will do wonders for their young Test players. The home side is fresh off a tough Test series against Sri Lanka in which they started very well but ultimately gave away a 1-0 lead.Against Bangladesh, they can hope to see more runs from the likes of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite, their leading Test batsmen in the last 12 months. Shane Dowrich was their top run-getter in the three Tests against Sri Lanka, but Roston Chase, Kieran Powell and Devon Smith were not in form.The bowling attack was mostly outstanding, particularly Shannon Gabriel, who recently crossed 100 Test wickets. His 20 wickets at 14.95 against Sri Lanka must have rung alarm bells in the Bangladesh dressing room, while Miguel Cummins and Kemar Roach aren’t any less menacing.Captain Jason Holder balances the line-up with his runs, wickets and catching, while Devendra Bishoo will also pose a threat against a batting line-up that struggles regularly against legspin.Bangladesh are marking a new beginning under Shakib Al Hasan, who missed his return to captaincy in February due to a hand injury. Shakib will require help from Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque to once again carry Bangladesh’s batting and, given the shape of their bowling attack, he will also have to shoulder the burden of the bowling.Among the batsmen, Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes and Liton Das have much to prove, with Nazmul Hossain Shanto knocking at the door for a Test return. If conditions are in favour of spinners, Bangladesh also have Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam – but whether they can perform consistently is a question that remains to be answered.

Form guide

West Indies: LDWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LDLLL

In the spotlight

All eyes will be on fast bowler Shannon Gabriel after he became the first West Indian to take 20 wickets in a Test series in 16 years. He averaged a spectacular 14.95 against Sri Lanka, picking up the Player-of-the-Series award. Gabriel is also the first West Indian in 37 years to take 20 or more wickets in a three-match Test series since Michael Holding in 1981.Liton Das has shown improvement over the last nine months, and will be one of those tasked with tackling Gabriel in Antigua. Liton has so far made 248 runs in eight innings, which includes two fifties. He is known to have the ability to negotiate fast, short deliveries, a trait that will be key to his, and potentially his side’s, fate.

Team news

Shimron Hetmyer has returned from illness with a century against the touring Bangladeshis last week. He could be called up if West Indies want to strengthen their batting. Keemo Paul is a fast-bowling option, but it is likely that the Roach-Gabriel-Holder-Cummins foursome will not be tinkered with.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Kieran Powell, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Shannon GabrielBangladesh have three automatic changes as Sabbir Rahman, Abdur Razzak and Mustafizur Rahman didn’t make it to the West Indies-bound Test squad. They will also be employing a vastly different bowling attack than the one that played in their last Test, back home in February.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Abu Jayed

Pitch and conditions

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua has hosted only one first-class match since its last Test match against India in 2016. In the five Tests played at this venue, teams have averaged just under 450 runs batting first.The weather should be mainly fine over the first four days, with rain forecast only on the fifth day.

Stats and trivia

• Tamim Iqbal is 15 runs away from becoming the first Bangladesh player to reach 4,000 Test runs
• Mushfiqur Rahim will equal Mohammad Ashraful’s 61 Tests to become the most capped Test cricketer for Bangladesh
• Jason Holder will become the sixth West Indies captain to lead the side in at least 25 Tests