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The summer transfer window officially opens on Friday and Ross Wilson will be hard at work to bring new players in at Rangers to improve Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.

The manager will be looking to stamp his own mark on the squad in his second window in charge of the Ibrox giants and has already sanctioned one change to his roster.

The club recently confirmed the sale of Cedric Itten to Young Boys on a permanent deal – reported to be worth £1.5m – and his exit has left a hole for the Gers to fill in the coming months.

Itten was a liability for the Light Blues as he struggled badly for the majority of his time throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

He scored one goal in six Premiership outings for Rangers and failed to deal with the physicality of the league as he lost a whopping 74% of his individual duels. This shows that the striker was bullied by defenders he was unable to hold his own at the top end of the pitch and that is why van Bronckhorst was right to sanction his exit.

It is now down to Wilson to bring in a replacement for the Switzerland international and he can find one in the form of QPR centre-forward Lyndon Dykes.

The Gers were linked with a swoop for the striker in January and must now reignite their interest this summer for him to take Itten’s place in the squad.

Dykes, who joined QPR for £2m, has impressed for club and country in the last two seasons and can offer van Bronckhorst something different at the top end of the pitch.

Kemar Roofe won 0.5 aerial battles per game in the Premiership and Alfredo Morelos did not fare much better with 1.8 per match. Whereas, the Scotland international won 4.8 per game in his first campaign with the London-based club and 4.0 in the season just gone.

Former Celtic striker Darren Jackson once hailed him as “mobile” and his goalscoring record for QPR and Scotland shows that the bulldozer is about more than just winning headers.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, he has found the back of the net 20 times in the Championship and scored four goals in seven starts for his country in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Dykes can, therefore, offer a goalscoring threat as well as being a focal point with his ability to win his duels in the air and can be an excellent replacement for Itten, challenging Morelos and Roofe for a starting spot.

AND in other news, Wilson plotting Rangers swoop for “consistent” £5m enforcer, GVB would love him…

It has already proven a hugely promising post-season for Aston Villa thus far, with the Midlands outfit having already brought in three marquee arrivals, with that exciting, early business having taken place before the window has even officially opened.

The Steven Gerrard revolution appears to be in full swing as the Englishman seeks to reshape the Villa squad into his image, although the latest indication is that the Liverpool legend is seeking even more investment this summer, with NSWE seemingly set to back their man once again.

One area that appears in need of bolstering is in attack, with pundit Richard Dunne tipping his former side to sign Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis, with the Nigerian having caught the eye in his debut Premier League campaign last term.

In comments recently cited by Birmingham Live, Dunne stated that Gerrard and co should look to take advantage of the Hornets’ top-flight relegation by making a move for their leading marksman: “I’m sure clubs will start looking at [James] Tarkowski from Burnley and Dennis from Watford now they have gone down. They would benefit a few teams in Villa’s area.

“They [Villa] need another attacking player to give them more options up top and another central midfielder. They aren’t crying out for someone in any position but they are looking for that next level of player to push them up the league, they have a decent strong squad.”

The 24-year-old netted ten goals and registered six assists in a standout league campaign on a personal level, albeit with that form unable to prevent his current side avoid a swift return to the second tier.

The former Club Brugge gem – who made the switch to Vicarage Road on a reported £3.6m deal last summer – will likely be on the radar of a number of top-flight clubs, with West Ham United reportedly one of those, with a fee of around £20m having been mooted.

That would likely represent something of a bargain for a player who has compared favourably to those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, ranking in the top 5% for aerial duels won and in the top 11% for dribbles completed, illustrating to both hold the play up as well as drive his side up the pitch.

That dynamism – as well as his obvious speed – could well evoke memories of a former Villan, with Dennis seemingly carrying similar traits to that of one-club man Gabby Agbonlahor, the forward-turned-pundit having at one stage been a real, lightning prospect for the club.

Having burst onto the scene back in 2006 at the age of 19, the three-cap England international went on to score an impressive 74 goals and record 34 assists in 322 top tier games during his lengthy spell at Villa Park, notably reaching double figures for goals in three successive seasons between 2007 and 2010.

The club’s leading scorer in the Premier League era, Agbonlahor would prove a tough act to try and replicate, although in Dennis the club could well find a fitting heir, with the “superb” striker – as he has been dubbed by one journalist – deserving of another shot in the top division.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior

Sunderland have the chance to finally make their way into the Championship and out of League One as the play-offs are set to begin in the coming days.

Having played 46 games in the league so far this season, the Black Cats have won 24, drawn 12 and lost ten, scoring 79 goals and conceding 53 in the process.

One player that has been a particularly prominent figure for the Wearside club this season is defender Callum Doyle.

Since arriving at the Stadium of Light back in the previous summer transfer window on loan from Manchester City’s U23 side, the centre-back has made 41 appearances across all competitions.

After only missing two league games between the start of the season and March, the 18-year-old has only made three appearances since then.

Despite this lack of regular action in recent weeks, the teenager has still shown what a capable player he is at such a young age and why the club should try and sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

With the highest number of interceptions (48) to his name in the squad, Doyle also has the second-highest number of tackles (40) under his belt behind Carl Winchester (63).

This shows just how much of a talented defender the £3.4k-per-week gem is off the ball.

In terms of his work on the ball, the youngster has also shown his effectiveness on the pitch by racking up a higher average of passes per game (47.1) than any other Sunderland player to start more than eight league games.

Back in August, the Englishman was on the end of some high praise from journalist James Copley who said that “if you could build the perfect centre-back in a laboratory, the end result would look a lot like Callum Doyle.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that bringing the City youth prospect has been a solid move from the Black Cats.

Moving forward, with the summer transfer window on the horizon, whether the club end up moving into the Championship or staying in League One, they should definitely make an approach to the Premier League club to try and see if they would be willing to allow Doyle to leave on a permanent basis and continue his journey with the Black Cats.

Should the Wearside club secure his signature on a permanent deal in the summer, it would surely blow fans at the Stadium of Light away when you consider his performances and enormous potential in the game.

In other news: Neil must finally unleash SAFC’s rarely seen 19y/o prodigy who’s got a “bright future”

It may be dressing-room psychology rather than statistics that is leading him to come in late

Dustin Silgardo04-May-2018

Hey MI. There’s this guy in the dugout. First name Rohit, last name Sharma. #KXIPvMI

— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) May 4, 2018

Much needed win for Mumbai Indians, keeps them in the hunt and also hood for the tournament. Rohit Sharma, whenever he is there unbeaten at the end, he invariably takes his side home. Punjab were 15-20 short at this ground #KXIPvsMI

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 4, 2018

Why didn’t Rohit bat at No. 3?At the midway point of Mumbai Indians’ chase, there was disbelief that Rohit Sharma had not come out at No. 3. By the end of the game, he was getting an award for it.Rohit said he knew the ground well – he scored a century against Sri Lanka in December in Indore – and wanted to be there at the end as he knew where to hit boundaries at the death. Was it the right decision?Logic suggests that Rohit can make most use of his skills by batting in the top three. He takes his time to get set and can score centuries – he’s got four of them in T20s, all when batting in the top three. But perhaps the reasons for Rohit batting lower down are based primarily on dressing-room psychology rather than statistics. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan probably feel more secure at the crease knowing Rohit is still to come. The Pandya brothers and even Kieron Pollard, who missed the game against Kings XI, may benefit from having Rohit at the other end in the last stages of a tense chase. All three of them have a partnership average of more than 35 with Rohit.Mumbai are lucky enough to have two in-form openers and proven late hitters in the Pandya brothers and Pollard, but ultimately, it’s where and how Rohit bats that will probably dictate their progress.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin’s gamble doesn’t pay offWith Mumbai needing 57 off five overs, Ashwin made the bold move of bringing on his death-over specialist Andrew Tye when many captains would have tried to get in an over from someone else and save Tye for the 17th and 19th overs. Tye did his part, taking the wicket of Hardik Pandya and going for just seven. But then, Ashwin had to get in two overs from Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Marcus Stoinis, who had not bowled in the death at all this season. Stoinis has bowled mostly length this tournament and has a habit of overpitching and delivering full tosses, just what the batsmen wanted on a slow pitch. His 20-run 18th over turned the game in Mumbai’s favour.Ashwin will need to think about his team’s death-bowling options before the next game and may consider bringing back Mohit Sharma, who bowled a fine last over to win Kings XI their home game against Chennai Super Kings earlier in the tournament.Why Yuvraj was sent in at No. 3Everyone’s talking about your poor form and how it may be “the end”, you get dropped, then you catch a break as your replacements don’t do much better than you did. And just when you think you’ve slipped back in to the team without too many people noticing, your captain shoves you in to the spotlight by promoting you to No.3. That’s just the way it goes when your name is Yuvraj Singh.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo why did R Ashwin promote Yuvraj? Kings XI have problems with their middle order. Before this game, they were striking at just 113.5 when neither Chris Gayle nor KL Rahul was in, so Ashwin must have been intent on shaking things up. Yuvraj has never been someone who gets going quickly and of late has been taking even longer than usual. In IPLs since 2015, he strikes at just 114.00 for the first 20 balls he’s at the crease. From balls 20 to 30, his strike rate is 155.1 and then after 30 balls, it shoots up to 204.3. That means that whenever Yuvraj has faced 30-plus balls in an innings, since IPL 2015, he strikes at 140.61.So the idea was to give Yuvraj 30-plus balls to face. The problem is, he’s only done that five times in 39 IPL innings since 2015. He often ends up playing a momentum-stopping innings, such as the 14 off 14 balls one he did against Mumbai.Why did JP Duminy bowl?Mumbai Indians have six frontline bowlers, yet for the second game in a row, Rohit Sharma used part-time offspinner JP Duminy. He’s been doing it to get the ball turning away from left-handers – Mumbai don’t have a frontline offspinner. With Chris Gayle and Yuvraj at the crease, he brought on Duminy before Krunal Pandya was introduced.Here’s what the numbers say on turning the ball away from the batsman. In IPL matches before this one, left-handers struck at 135.50 against bowlers who spun it in to them compared to 126.67 against those turning it away, a significant difference considering the number of matches played. Right-handers don’t seem to have as much of an issue with the ball turning away, striking at 119.67 against left-arm and legspin compared to 122.17 against offspinners and left-arm wristspinners.Those numbers are also the reason Kings XI promoted left-hander Axar Patel to face the left-arm spin of Krunal Pandya.

As one of their greatest batsmen of all time made arguably his last stand, Pakistan’s much-lampooned tail stood as one alongside him to set up a shot at glory

Jarrod Kimber13-Aug-2016Pakistan had a chance to lose today. It would have meant they not only lost the Test, and the series, but also their latest chance to go to No.1 in the world. It would have been a slap in the face to everything they have achieved, and to their hero, Younis Khan.When Sarfraz Ahmed fell, squandering another good start by nicking off for 44, Pakistan were only 69 runs ahead. Their lead was still short of the 103-run lead they had at Edgbaston, and that wasn’t enough. Now the Pakistan tail was coming in – and the best of them, Yasir Shah, had already done good work as a nightwatchman the day before. So it was left to the chaff. In the crucial last innings at Lord’s, 9, 10 and 11 had made one run between them.Right there, that is when it could have happened. The quick collapse, the shoddy bowling, the end of all hope. Younis Khan, walking off at the close of the day with nothing to show for it. Instead, Pakistan stood beside him.It was Wahab Riaz first – a man who can hit, and is not bereft of batting, but never a sure thing. At Old Trafford he was their second top-scorer with 39. Today he barely had to face a ball. The man at the other end did the work; all Wahab had to do was a face a couple of balls at a time and avoid doing anything stupid. For 11 overs he did his job as well as he could. Wahab made four runs, but the partnership was 37, and it took the lead beyond 100, beyond Edgbaston.Mohammad Amir can bat. He almost stole an ODI against New Zealand once. And although he has spent five years out of the game, it is fair to say he hasn’t spent the time getting throwdowns and working on his game. He hasn’t ever seen a ball he doesn’t want to slash through point. For 23 balls though, he was a monk, and only then, with the lead already at 130 and Younis already past 200, did he dare launch Moeen Ali over the rope. It was his first scoring shot, and England’s collective shoulders slumped at that moment.The tail that is a punchline has been standing up all series. Yasir’s innings at Lord’s gave Pakistan enough runs; 8, 9 and 10 outscored the top three in the second innings at Old Trafford, and Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali put together the second-biggest partnership on the last day at Edgbaston. Here Yasir batted for 17.3 overs, Wahab 11.3 and Amir 24.2 – a combined total of 43.2 overs.Younis Khan celebrates his double-century•AFPThe main difference here was they didn’t stand alone, they stood with a great of the game. Letting him down would be like letting down your father, your President, your King Khan. If Younis Khan tells you to block out a few overs and play smart cricket, tackle a bear family, or walk through a field of razor wire for 73 miles, you do it.Someone on commentary said this was the kind of innings in which you don’t remember a shot. If you can’t remember this innings, there is something wrong with your cricket emotions. Unless what he meant was that you didn’t have to remember it, you simply enjoyed it by osmosis, so all the shots – the cut off Finn, the quicksilver hands that swept Moeen, the sixes, all of them, of authoritarian glory and the sweet drives – were now just part of you having been in their presence.The six to bring up Younis’s 200 will be the shot that gets replayed for years to come. But it was the ball before that was Younis at his best. He should be in a commentary box, misremembering old cricket stories and mispronouncing current player’s names. But instead he keeps going into battle for his nation. Even when earlier in the series the game looked beyond him, he didn’t walk away, he stood and fought.So here was this old man, with all the fielders back, hitting the ball at the exact right angle, with the exact right weight, and then scampering through for two runs like a teenager trying to prove something. He has nothing left to prove, and he still keeps proving it. It was smart, it was skilful, it showed desperation, it had courage, and it was a testament to his fitness. The six, well that was just muscle memory, a spinner is bowling, he was nearing a landmark, why not hit this guy into row F, seat 27.At the press conference Younis dedicated this innings to Hanif Mohammad, a man of greatness like him. He didn’t have to dedicate it with his words; he had spent two days honouring Hanif with his bat. It was, in length, in importance, in style, in every single way, Younis Khan in Excelsis. This man who has played his games in empty stadia, outside his home, with people watching on illegal streams, was suddenly getting 25,000 opposition fans to stand up and celebrate him.The man who captained the World T20 triumph, the man who made a triple century the last time he was allowed to play at home, the man who has witnessed his team-mates being thrown in jail and his opposition being shot at by terrorists, the man who dragged Pakistan cricket up from its darkest times, and the man who just bats and bats for his country. That man deserves to go out knowing that his team did everything they could to fight for the No. 1 spot. That the thing he spent his whole life mastering, finally paid off.They all want to be the first Pakistani team to be the official World No.1. But they want to do it for Younis as well.By the time Pakistan’s bowlers had destroyed England’s top order, West Indies had already collapsed against India so their latest chance of going top had been delayed. But this time it wasn’t due to a Pakistan mistake. They were glorious, from first ball to last, they were as good as they could be. Pakistan had a chance to lose today; they have a chance to win tomorrow.Pakistan didn’t perform another ‘come from in front defeat’. They didn’t give up their chance of being No.1. Today they weren’t carried by Younis; they were as good as him. They stood with Younis. They were Younis.

Brendan Taylor did everything in his last match to give his side a real chance of stunning India, and all he could do was watch it slip away. In so many ways, the theme of his Zimbabwe career

Abhishek Purohit in Auckland14-Mar-20152:03

‘Sad to leave my home country’ – Taylor

The ball looped gently in the air for so long that Hamilton Masakadza had enough time to set himself up under Suresh Raina’s top-edged sweep. Brendan Taylor had enough time to crane his neck to his right and wait for the simplest of catches to be taken. A catch that would have seen India reduced to 157 for 5, and left them needing 131 from the last 15 overs. The catch was spilled. The near-exclusively Indian crowd in New Zealand’s largest metropolis roared. The drinks break, in Taylor’s last international game before his move to county cricket, was taken immediately after.Taylor walked slowly towards Masakadza, and then stopped some way short. He lay down on his back and spent the rest of the interval getting some stretching done on his legs. He had batted for two-and-a-half hours to make 138 off 110 and then kept wicket for nearly the same length of time, in addition to leading Zimbabwe. He had done everything he possibly could to give his side a real chance of stunning the defending champions. And he was now watching it slip away from right behind the stumps. Valiant forever but ultimately helpless. Story of his Zimbabwe career, leading to his eventual move to county cricket.Taylor turned 29 last month. He is at the peak of his quite considerable batting prowess. He has already played 11 years for his country. It is unimaginably cruel to be forced to give up your national colours – “this red shirt” – so that you can provide for your wife and child playing domestic cricket in a faraway land with the remaining years left in you. Years that could have brought more glory to that red shirt. The colour the Flower brothers wore. The colour Heath Streak wore. The colour Brendan Taylor loves so much.As the Zimbabwe national anthem played at Eden Park this afternoon, some of the players sang loudly along. Taylor was not one of them. He was mouthing those words softly. This was it. The final time he would hear the anthem on the playing field in that red shirt. It was like he had taken a deep breath and was holding it to not get overwhelmed by the emotion. As the end came, the others stopped singing, too. Taylor exhaled with visible effort, almost relieved he had not broken down.Brendan Taylor’s innings was a blur of incredibly clean, sustained hitting but the result did not go his way•AFPHis innings was a blur of incredibly clean, sustained hitting against an attack that became the only one to bowl six sides out of six in the group stage of this World Cup. Was this the best he had batted in an ODI? “I think so, yeah,” considering the stage and the quality of the attack. But Zimbabwe did not win, he pointed out. Another hundred in a losing cause, he qualified. “Then it doesn’t feel so sweet.” Story of his career, he might as well have gone ahead and said.Taylor’s final Zimbabwe press conference was in two parts. Part one where he talked about Zimbabwe’s familiar issues – poor fielding, lack of match awareness, inability to build an innings – and about how good India were was professional and matter-of-fact.Part two, when he was asked about his career, was where the emotion came out. What would he miss the most about being an international player? The voice quavered for an instant.”To be wearing this red shirt of mine,” Taylor said. “I guess it’s every international cricketer’s dream is to put on their country’s shirt. That’s why we play the sport. We’re lucky enough, we’re privileged enough to do that. I will certainly miss that. I’ll miss my teammates, the camaraderie that we have amongst each other, the good times, the bad times we go through. That’s all part of it. I’ve had it for 11 years and I wouldn’t change that for anything. It’s been some special times through good and bad.”He will not change those 11 years for anything. All the money in the world cannot give him what those 11 years have. The satisfaction and recognition of being one of the finest cricketers his nation has ever produced.The Indians probably cannot even comprehend what it is to leave your national team so that you can make a little money and secure your and your family’s future while you are still able to. For them, the national team is the gateway to a lifestyle hundreds of millions of fellow Indians can only fantasise about. They are the selected superstars of an emerging economic superpower.That did not stop three of them from running over to Taylor after he was dismissed and congratulating him for a fantastic innings, and an international career that deserves respect.”Shikhar [Dhawan], Virat [Kohli] and Suresh [Raina] came up to me. That really was quite touching for me. They didn’t have to do that. They’re very established players, and yeah, that was a very nice touch that they did.”Taylor’s comments reflected the gulf between him and those three – not in class but in circumstance. Not in ability but in fortunes. Had Taylor been an Indian, he would have been a superstar too. He would not have been allowed to play limited-overs cricket in another country by his board. He would also have had no need to.His counterpart is among the biggest superstars in the cricket world. As MS Dhoni swatted a four to long leg to move to 72, the asking-rate went under run-a-ball for the first time since the fifth over of the chase. The crowd noticed that on the giant screen and went wilder. Taylor, bent over behind the stumps, stared at the ground, and held that pose, as if to let the finality of one last defeat sink in.As Taylor was leaving after applause in the press conference, he ran into the arriving Dhoni outside. The two captains shook hands. “See you sometime in England,” Dhoni said. Both knew the irony in those words. Life can be cruel. But, as Taylor said, “I guess life goes on.” It will. It just will not be in that red shirt again.

Family illness might have swept Brad Haddin away from cricket altogether, but he has returned to Brisbane in search of the Ashes win that has always eluded him

Daniel Brettig20-Nov-2013Brad Haddin looks out across the Gabba with the hunger of a desert traveller happening upon an oasis. The first Ashes Test is also his 50th and his first at home in near enough to two years.There is a streetwise manner to Haddin that conveys his age and his awareness – at 36 he is old enough to have been playing for Australia at a time when defeat was unthinkable. But surveying the home of summer’s first Test, all verdant turf and sunshine, he is happy to lapse into the lyrical.”Matthew Hayden always used to say there’s no better place to be than the first Test of an Australian summer at the Gabba,” Haddin told ESPNcricinfo. “The excitement about it is just massive and that’s how I feel leading into this.”Usually such lines can be ignored as mere hyperbole but in Haddin’s case the journey back to Brisbane has given them plenty of meaning. For six horrible months in 2012 he cared not a bit for cricket, as he sat at the hospital bedside of his seriously ill daughter, Mia. Haddin was in the West Indies when word reached him of her worsening condition; he flew home immediately and would not countenance another day in the game until she began to stabilise.Even after returning to play for New South Wales, he spent as much time with Mia in hospital as he did on the field, sleeping by her side more than once during domestic fixtures with the Blues. Eighteen months on from the episode, Haddin still baulks at speaking about it, but is happy to admit the milestone of 50 Tests has been made richer by the personal battles he fought along the way to get there.”I’ve always said I never doubted I could come back to this level, and if I did have any doubts about it I wouldn’t have come back to play,” Haddin said. “Circumstances allowed me to come back to cricket and I never had any doubt I’d be back here.”I still think my best cricket’s in front of me – if I didn’t think it was I wouldn’t have pushed to come back. Personal milestones are something you think about more as your time’s done, but I’m proud of that. It’s been a big 18 months for myself and my family, so it’s going to be an exciting day.”Haddin’s return to the Australian team was no easy road either. His batting and wicketkeeping form had been ebbing away before the short-lived visit to the Caribbean, and remedial work on both took place as he established himself once more with New South Wales. The incumbent Matthew Wade was doing well against South Africa and Sri Lanka, though his errors behind the stumps left a slight avenue open to the older man. That avenue became wider with the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, and the weight of experience they took with them.Even so, Haddin was not called up for the fateful tour of India earlier this year, biding his time at home until the call came to fly over as injury cover on what had become an increasingly dysfunctional traipse across the subcontinent. Haddin flew into a team riven by the decision to suspend four players in Mohali. When Wade’s ankle injury necessitated another change to the team, Haddin kept wicket neatly in the third Test, while in the evenings younger players gravitated towards him, a figure of honesty and perspective but also humour.The Indian crucible showed the team still needed a senior man like Haddin, irrespective of longer-term plans for Wade to retain the gloves. He was reinstated for the Ashes, not only as wicketkeeper but also vice-captain. In England his role covered the numerous facets required of a strong deputy, from tactical assistance for Michael Clarke on the field and in the team room, to off-field responsibility for keeping team-mates relaxed and grounded.”I think we’re a pretty good mix. I don’t want his job I can tell you that,” Haddin said of Clarke. “I feel now the role I have in the Test team coming back from England and now, I feel you can put your mark more on this group and I’m enjoying that role. I have no intentions about trying to become a captain; I’m comfortable with my role as vice-captain and helping the team in that way.”Haddin’s thoughts on…

An apprenticeship among the best: “I was lucky because I’d been around the one day team touring for a long time before playing a Test and I was able to have that education about what standards were required once you got to Test cricket. I was around guys like Punter, Haydos, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer around the start of my career, and they created a great environment for the baggy green.”

Succeeding Adam Gilchrist: “I never compared myself to anyone. I’ve only ever challenged myself to be the best cricketer I possibly can be and it’s the same message I would give any cricketer coming through. Whether the best you can be is a third grade cricketer at your club or a state cricketer or be lucky enough to get to Test cricket, you’ve just got to keep challenging yourself and have no regrets when you’re done.”

His most treasured series: “One of the best moments we had was taking that young team to South Africa after they beat us here in 2009 and being 2-0 up in the three-Test series. That was special. We were playing with guys I’ve played all my cricket with like Andrew McDonald, Marcus North. That was a fond moment.”

That shot in Cape Town: “It was a unique Test. After a loss like that you can overanalyse things and look too much into it. The pleasing thing was the way we came back and personally the way I came back and performed well in the next Test at Jo’burg to level the series. It showed we had some good character there.”

Having been through what he had with Mia, the tense insularity of the team he re-joined was anathema to Haddin, and he set about rekindling the sorts of constructive relationships and attitudes that define strong teams almost as much as on-field success. On plenty of occasions during the Ashes tour, Haddin could be found guiding younger players, including David Warner, Steven Smith, Nathan Lyon and even Clarke, who learned much from Haddin’s earlier freewheeling stints as captain of New South Wales.Haddin does not suffer fools, though he has found time for rascals. His support of Warner through a year of tribulations, many of them self-inflicted, has demonstrated a rare degree of care and attention for a player who may yet prove critical to Australia’s Ashes chances. Though uneasy about suggestions of keeping watch over Warner by day and by night, Haddin is happy to quantify the value he sees in a man so nearly sent home from England.”I don’t think David needs anymore looking after than anyone else in the team,” Haddin said. “But he’s a fierce competitor out there and we’re a better team for having him around. He brings that passion for winning cricket games. He’s great for our group and rascals win you comps as well. They’re not scared; they enjoy the game and enjoy competing.”Off-field is a massive part of being vice-captain, the stuff out on the field is the easy stuff. Behind the scenes you’re making sure your group’s got a smile on their face, they’re not worrying about things they don’t need to worry about and they’re just enjoying the game of cricket. You’re looking after your mates, and that’s a big role of the vice-captain, to make sure come game day there’s no baggage and we just get out there and play the game for what it is.”The battle for the Ashes will define the careers of many players, not least Haddin himself. Contests with England have drawn out Haddin’s best, from a century at Cardiff in 2009 and Brisbane the following year, to a memorable bid for victory at Trent Bridge five months ago and the record for most dismissals in a series. He winces when reminded that Brisbane means he will have played 50 Tests without once being part of a winning Ashes team, as telling a statistic about Australia’s recent years of decline as any other.”It does make the goal pretty clear,” he said. “Ashes campaigns are great to play in and I’ve been privileged enough to play in three of them now. The hype and theatre is outstanding, and this one’s no different. It’s a good feeling; it’s a lot more settled than it was last time going to England.”We can talk about saying we got close and we played better cricket in that series, more a brand of cricket we wanted to moving forward in the series, but the bottom line is England won 3-0, and we’ve got to come out here on our home soil and find ways to up the ante in our game and compete for longer periods to turn that result around.”As for how Australia can get there, Haddin proposes a simple method and attitude for each member of the Australian team: prepare thoroughly, do your job, and show as much joy in the success of others as your own.”You can overcomplicate it and use fancy words and analyse things too much, but everyone’s got to do their job,” Haddin said. “Guys will have good days, guys will get hundreds or five-fors, but you’ve got to enjoy the moments when your team-mates do well. Your turn will come around and you’ve got to enjoy the success of your mates in your own hard times. Do your job and create that environment that allows you to enjoy the success you have.”Given the trials, trips and snares Haddin has encountered on the way to the Gabba, few could possibly begrudge him and his family a belated Ashes triumph.

Rahul Dravid’s meticulous, wide-ranging and fascinating speech proved very much the equal of a place that can rightfully be described as hallowed ground

Daniel Brettig14-Dec-2011Had the orator been entirely unmemorable, the 2011 Bradman Oration would still have lived long in the mind’s eye of all those present. The War Memorial in Canberra provided a backdrop that was at once breathtaking and sobering, heavy with the kind of meaning seldom found amid 21st century cricket’s ever more commercial treadmill of fixtures. As it turned out, Rahul Dravid ‘s meticulous, wide-ranging and fascinating speech was perhaps the most significant delivered since the Oration began, and proved very much the equal of a place that can rightfully be described as hallowed ground.The pathos of the Memorial was first apparent as guests walked into the halls commemorating Australia’s military history. Passing through wings devoted to the first and second World Wars, the assembly of Australian cricket’s great and good, plus the entire Indian touring party, arrived to dine in Anzac Hall. Pre-dinner conversations were as much about the venue as the cricket, for it was hard for guests to ignore the sights and sounds all around. The room is dominated by an Avro Lancaster bomber aircraft – those with a restricted view of the stage could take plenty of solace in the uniqueness of the obstruction. They might also have noted that India’s players were dressed resplendently in team blazers, a gesture of respect the team had not managed to accomplish for the most recent edition of the ICC awards.Not long after all had settled in their seats, word was relayed that Dravid’s speech would be delivered earlier in the night than planned, the better to accommodate the jet-lagged bodies of an Indian touring team that had arrived in Canberra at 3am that morning. It was a concession to exactly the sort of crammed and muddled schedule that Dravid would go on to examine in one of the more striking passages of his speech, and a cause for some hurried shuffling of dinner plates in the Memorial kitchen.After a few words of introduction from Cricket Australia’s chairman Wally Edwards, and enjoyable recognition of the men who took part in the 1945 “Victory Tests” in England, Dravid walked to the stand, to deliver what he had confessed to CA would be his first significant speech of any kind. There were a few early nerves, and some self-deprecation to win over the audience, plus the observation that before India and Australia had been cricketing foes they were military allies, under the umbrella of empire.Much as Kumar Sangakkara had done in his famed Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s earlier this year, Dravid spoke in a way that reflected his character as much as the occasion. There were jokes, but only a handful, echoing the studious nature of the man. More abundant were thoughtful, considered observations, sculpted with care and precision like so many of Dravid’s strokes for India in Test matches over the past 15 years.

Dravid spoke in a way that reflected his character as much as the occasion. There were jokes, but only a handful, echoing the studious nature of the man. More abundant were thoughtful, considered observations, sculpted with care and precision like so many of Dravid’s strokes for India in Test matches over the past 15 years

He did not criticise India for its wealth and power in cricket, preferring to demonstrate how that wealth and its television offshoots had turned the game of princes and well-to-do businessmen into that of the people, whatever their language, background or financial standing. This was artfully demonstrated by an illustration of the diversity now found within the Indian dressing room. He did not swing heedlessly at the ICC, so often an easy target for angry words. Instead he counseled all administrators to look at why crowds had recently fallen even in India, and to ask themselves how the erosion of support for the game would hurt everyone, even if today they can still negotiate a fat broadcast rights contract for matches attended by no-one.The balance of formats was addressed carefully, for the matter is at the same level of complexity that Muttiah Muralitharan once concocted for the world’s batsmen. Test cricket, Dravid declared, had to be protected in the manner of its scheduling, while ODIs should be contested less frequently, and with more care. Twenty20, the game Dravid has most cause to view with suspicion as a batting classicist, has its best place as a contest between domestic teams or clubs. Given their own similarly held views, the heads of CA chairmen past and present could be seen perking up at this point. Dravid observed that all formats have a place, but not an equal one, for to maintain the present glut of fixtures would be to overburden the public and the players to the point of no return, be it financial or otherwise.Finally, Dravid directed his words towards the cricket pitch, to the place he finds from time to time where the wider issues of money, attendances, formats and corruption are swept away. Every now and then, Dravid said, it was possible to feel the same rush of excitement that accompanied his first boundary, first catch, or first victory. The timelessness of such moments gave him pause to consider his link in the game’s long history, and the role cricket’s players and organisers must play in the preservation of its future. As he concluded, the room rose to applaud, having been kept enthralled for more than 40 minutes.As the audience drifted off into the cold Canberra night, the nature of most conversation had changed. Where beforehand much of the talk centered on the majesty of the venue, now it was all about the content of the speech and the character of the speaker. Plenty of words were used to describe what Dravid had said, but among the most common of all was “insightful”. Dravid had provoked plenty of deep thought, and it can only be hoped that his words will go on to inspire equally thoughtful action.

The IPL wasn’t timed perfectly for those who were in the national Australian team, but despite that handicap, the Australians made their presence felt quite amply in the 2008 tournament

S Rajesh16-Apr-2009The IPL wasn’t timed perfectly for those who were in the national Australian team, but despite that handicap, the Australians made their presence felt quite amply in the 2008 tournament. The leading run-scorer came from that country, as did the second-highest wicket-taker and the best allrounder.Even those who were around very briefly made their presence felt, with Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Simon Katich all scoring plenty of runs in the few games they played. Ricky Ponting didn’t achieve the same kind of success, but overall the Australian success was especially pronounced with the bat: the 20 players who batted managed a combined average of 37.48 runs per dismissal, at a strike-rate of 8.15 runs per over. Both were better than the tournament average, with the runs per wicket being considerably better than the IPL mean of 25.97.

Australians with the bat in IPL 2008- overall

Total runs*AverageRuns per overAus runs*AverageRuns per overIPL season 200816,80825.977.73318637.488.15While the firepower of Marsh, Watson, Pommersbach, Gilchrist, and several others ensured that the batting stats for Australia were well above par, it wasn’t quite the same with their bowlers. There were three outstanding names in that list, with Watson, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath being among the best bowlers in the tournament, but there were others who pulled the overall averages down: Andrew Symonds was the worst of the lot, leaking 101 in 41 deliveries without taking a wicket for the Deccan Chargers, while Brett Geeves (91 runs in 48 balls for one wicket) and James Hopes (276 runs in 168 balls for seven wickets) were among those who felt the heat. Cameron White had an ‘economy’ rate of 24 runs per over, but thankfully, he only bowled one over for Bangalore Royal Challengers, conceding two fours and two sixes in six deliveries.

Australians with the ball in IPL 2008 – overall

Total wickets*AverageEcon rateAus wickets*AverageEcon rateIPL season 200860428.958.106629.668.02(* Includes only bowler wickets)The team that benefited most from the Australian batsmen in the 2008 IPL was Kings XI Punjab. Apart from Marsh, who scored 616 runs in the tournament, they also had Pommersbach (152 runs in five innings), Hopes (221 in 11) and Katich (96 in two). In fact, the top three for the team, in terms of averages, were all Australians.The Australian contribution for Punjab was almost twice the next best team, the Deccan Chargers. The side finished at the bottom of the pile, but in terms of averages Symonds, who scored 161 from 105 balls in his three innings – and Gilchrist finished among the top four, with Gilchrist aggregating 436 from 14 innings. Rajasthan Royals were next in terms of Australian contribution, thanks almost entirely to Watson, who scored 472 runs at an average of 47.20 and a strike rate of 151.76.If Punjab were at the top of the table, their northern neighbours Delhi brought up the rear in terms of Australian contribution with the bat. Their only Australian representatives were McGrath and Geeves, neither of whom is a powerhouse with the bat. Geeves didn’t bat at all in the tournament, while McGrath scored a grand total of four runs in his three innings.

Australians with the bat in IPL 2008 – team-wise

TeamTotal runsAverageRuns per overAus runsAverageRuns per overKings XI Punjab234031.628.33110247.918.58Deccan Chargers211723.527.8059739.808.46Rajasthan Royals242430.308.0756035.008.65Kolkata Knight Riders180121.447.1937023.126.74Chennai Super Kings236431.107.8735789.259.27Bangalore Royal Challengers186519.036.9712320.506.58Mumbai Indians189725.987.547318.255.15Delhi Daredevils200027.777.9844.004.80With Warne and Watson in splendid form with the ball, the Australians contributed plenty to Rajasthan’s bowling success. Though Sohail Tanvir was the leading wicket-taker with 22, Warne (19) and Watson (17) contributed 36 wickets at an average of less than 22. Delhi were next, thanks largely to McGrath, who finished the tournament with an outstanding economy rate of 6.61. Punjab had a reasonable amount of Australian contribution as well, but the teams from the southern parts of the country had minimal Australian bowling presence. Chennai didn’t have any, Ashley Noffke and White did little for Bangalore, while Symonds was a disaster with the ball for Hyderabad.

Australians with the ball in IPL 2008 – team-wise

TeamTotal wicketsAverageEcon rateAus wicketsAverageEcon rateRajasthan Royals9624.577.743621.867.41Delhi Daredevils8226.518.151334.467.22Kings XI Punjab8328.498.351135.278.81Mumbai Indians8324.667.86313.335.71Kolkata Knight Riders6127.167.76265.0010.00Bangalore Royal Challengers5638.238.18164.0012.80Deccan Chargers6037.408.480-14.78Chennai Super Kings8330.108.190–(* Includes only bowler wickets)Most of the Australian frontline batsmen were huge assets, scoring more runs, and at a quicker rate, than the team average. Apart from the obvious stars of the tournament, Marsh and Watson, the others did well too, with Gilchrist top-scoring for his team, and Hayden, Symonds, Katich and Hussey being among the runs as well. The one disappointment was Ponting, who scored only 39 runs in three innings, at a rate well under a run a ball.

Australian batsmen in IPL 2008(Qual: at least 50 balls faced)

BatsmanRunsAverageRuns per overTeam averageTeam RPOShaun Marsh61668.448.3831.628.33Shane Watson47252.449.1030.308.07Adam Gilchrist43633.538.2223.527.80David Hussey31929.007.3821.447.19James Hopes22120.098.9531.628.33Matthew Hayden18963.008.6531.107.87Michael Hussey16884.0010.0831.107.87Andrew Symonds16180.509.2023.527.80Luke Pommersbach152152.009.2131.628.33Cameron White11422.806.7019.036.97Simon Katich9696.008.3431.628.33Shane Warne7014.007.1130.308.07Dominic Thornely3919.504.4125.987.54Ricky Ponting3913.004.4121.447.19Watson and Warne took the bowling honours,but McGrath wasn’t far behind: though his average of 29.75 was higher than the team average, his economy-rate was the second-best in the entire tournament, among bowlers who sent down at least 50 overs.Move down the table, though, and the numbers aren’t as impressive, with Symonds the bowler undoing much of the good work done by Symonds the batsman.

Australian bowlers in IPL 2008 (Qual: at least 40 balls bowled)

BowlerWicketsAverageRuns per overTeam averageTeam RPOShane Warne1921.267.7624.577.74Shane Watson1722.527.0724.577.74Glenn McGrath1229.756.6126.518.15James Hopes739.429.8528.498.35Brett Lee428.007.0028.498.35Dominic Thornely313.335.7124.667.86David Hussey265.0010.0027.167.76Brett Geeves191.0011.3726.518.15Andrew Symonds0-14.7837.408.48

The Manchester United outcast has somehow landed a dream move after two years of mediocrity, but he's not the first player to fall on his feet

"If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at as a professional footballer, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester United, and when you’re there, you appreciate it. You don’t throw it away and say you want to leave. I find the whole episode very soul-destroying," United legend Teddy Sheringham told when asked for his opinion on Rashford's imminent loan move to Barcelona.

"From my perspective, if you go from Manchester United to Barcelona, that’s a step up that he hasn’t deserved," he added, and it's impossible to disagree with that take when looking back at Rashford's last two seasons on the Red Devils' books. He managed just 11 Premier League goals in 48 appearances, broke disciplinary rules, and eventually lost his place in the team after Ruben Amorim was appointed manager, which led to Aston Villa signing the inconsistent attacker on loan in January.

Rashford instantly started playing with a smile again at Villa Park, helping Unai Emery's side reach the Champions League quarter-finals and finish sixth in the Premier League, but he still only scored four goals, and it wasn't much of a surprise that the Villans did not take up their £40 million ($54m) buy option on the 27-year-old. After so much early promise, Rashford had become damaged goods; an overpaid, overrated attacker who did have the right mindset to reach the very top.

Barca do not see it that way, though. The Spanish title holders believe Rashford is the final piece in the puzzle to bring them Champions League glory in 2025-26, and he will now form part of an all-star forward line alongside Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

It feels like Rashford is the luckiest man in football, but is he about to seal the most "undeserved" transfer in football history? GOAL ranks the top 10 contenders for that unwanted title:

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  10Marouane Fellaini (Everton to Manchester United, €32m)

  David Moyes famously tried to sign Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas after being personally selected by Sir Alex Ferguson to inherit the managerial reins at United in 2013, but ended up having to settle for Marouane Fellaini, the 6'4 Belgian midfielder known more for his afro hairstyle than his playing ability. Fellaini had been a reliable performer for Everton under Moyes, but a move to the then-Premier League champions was seen as a bridge too far for such a one-dimensional footballer.

  That proved to be the case. Fellaini was jeered regularly by United fans in a miserable debut season that saw them slip out of the top six, with Moyes relieved of his duties after just eight months at the helm. Somehow, Fellaini clung on for another five seasons at Old Trafford, picking up FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup winners' medals while becoming a favourite of Jose Mourinho's due to his aerial ability, but he was never able to hold down a starting role, and United let him depart for Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan for just £10.5m in January 2019.

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  9Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool, €43m)

  Liverpool fans reacted in disbelief when Andy Carroll was chosen to replace Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker's controversial switch to Chelsea in January 2011. The Reds broke their transfer record to sign Carroll, which was seen as a hasty move given he had only served as Newcastle's first-choice No.9 for half a season.

  All doubts over Carroll were quickly justified as he found the net only six times in 44 Premier League games for Liverpool. The towering English frontman's finishing was wildly erratic and he couldn't stay fit long enough to build any kind of momentum.

  After replacing Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool boss in June 2012, Brendan Rodgers immediately decided Carroll wasn't the right fit for his possession-based system, and he departed for West Ham after a hugely disappointing 18 months at Anfield.

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  8Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal to Juventus, loan)

  Nicklas Bendtner's future looked bleak after an underwhelming loan stint at Sunderland in 2011-12, in which he netted just eight goals. Arsenal had certainly grown sick of the Denmark striker's inconsistency and off-pitch behaviour, but that didn't dissuade newly-crowned Serie A champions Juventus from taking him off their hands in the most shocking deal of the 2012 summer window.

  It would not turn out to be some miraculous masterstroke. Antonio Conte didn't hand Bendtner his first start for Juve until October, and he suffered a serious injury in his next start some two months later, before being arrested for drink-driving in March.

  Bendtner returned to action off the bench in a final-day clash against Sampdoria, but broke his wrist as the Bianconeri's second successive title party was soured by a 3-2 defeat. The Arsenal loanee then went back to Emirates Stadium with no goals to his name from 11 appearances in Juve colours, and it's fair to say that this particular transfer was a waste of time for all parties involved.

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  7Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua to Manchester United, loan)

  United were so desperate for a new striker after Rashford was sidelined with an injury in the winter transfer window of 2020 that they explored several emergency options, including potentially re-signing former academy graduate Josh King from Bournemouth. However, when they were priced out of a deal for King, United instead brought in former Watford star Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season.

  It should be noted that Ighalo had his moments in the Premier League with Watford, and scored five goals for Nigeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but this was the mother of all panic moves from the Red Devils. Ighalo had no elite-level experience to speak of, and it was clear from the start that then-United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn't fully trust him.

  The Nigerian was restricted to just eight appearances between February and May, but he scored four goals, which inexplicably led United to extend his loan for another six months. That decision was made all the more baffling when Edinson Cavani arrived in October, and Ighalo was given just nine minutes of Premier League action in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign before being sent back to China.