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Glasgow Rangers continued their preparations for the 2025/26 campaign with a behind-closed-doors friendly clash at St. George’s Park on Saturday.

The Light Blues were held to a 1-1 draw, as Danilo scored the only goal for the Ibrox side.

There is still plenty of work left to be done before Rangers face their Champions League qualifiers later this month, not least on the transfer front.

Sheffield Wednesday winger Djeidi Gassama looks set to be the next player through the door. When asked about the forward’s arrival, Russell Martin said: “We’re waiting on their end to be sorted but we fully expect Gass to be our player hopefully fairly, very, very soon. We need to try and strengthen as many areas as possible.”

The 21-year-old attacker, who predominantly plays on the left flank, appears to be on the verge of joining the likes of Thelo Aasgaard, Nasser Djiga, Joe Rothwell, Emmanuel Fernandez, Max Aarons, and Lyall Cameron at Ibrox.

What Djeidi Gassama could bring to Rangers

Gassama is far from the finished article and supporters should not expect him to immediately be an incredible talent who is going to produce 20 goals and assists in his first season.

At the age of 21, he has plenty left to learn and plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve, which means that the winger will be a long-term signing for the Gers on a permanent deal from the Owls.

However, that does not mean that Gassama will not be a useful player for Martin to call upon at Ibrox next season, because he produced a decent amount of quality in the final third in the Championship last season.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the French dynamo scored seven goals and provided one assist in 43 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, who were not competing for promotion from the division.

24/25 Championship	Gassama	Percentile rank vs wingers
xG	5.92	Top 16%
Goals	7	Top 14%
Shots on target	23	Top 14%
Chances created	38	Top 23%
xA	2.54	Top 32%
Assists	1	Bottom 27%
Touches in the opposition box	153	Top 6%
Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, he ranked well among his positional peers as a goalscorer and was unfortunate to only have one assist, as his teammates let him down with wasteful finishing.

These statistics suggest that he could be an exciting player for supporters to watch as a winger who constantly gets himself into high-quality goalscoring positions by taking plenty of touches in the opposition’s box.

Gassama will not be the only winger to arrive at Ibrox this summer, though, and the Light Blues are reportedly eyeing a forward who is even better than the Owls sensation.

Rangers battling to sign Premier League forward

According to The Scottish Sun, Rangers are one of the teams eyeing up a deal to sign Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers have joined the race to land the left-footed forward, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Sheffield United.

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It states that Wolves are looking to reinvest some of the cash that they brought in from the sale of Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, and they have identified the Eagles youngster as a target.

The Scottish Sun reveals that Rangers, who are now battling the Old Gold for the winger, would like to bring the 22-year-old star to Ibrox on a season-long loan, as they are not prepared to pay the £10m asking price for a permanent move.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not Wolves will stump up the £10m required to sign Rak-Sakyi, which means that the Gers are still in the race at this moment in time.

Why Rak-Sakyi is even better than Gassama

The English forward would be an even better signing for Rangers next season than Gassama with the immediate future in mind, as he could hit the ground running as a star for the Light Blues in the coming months.

Rak-Sakyi, who was hailed as “wonderful” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, only started 22 games in the Championship for Sheffield United last term, but racked up seven goals, 3.48 xA, and two assists for the promotion-chasing Blades.

Despite his limited game time, the right-sided winger showed that he can make a big impact in front of goal, which suggests that he could thrive at Ibrox as a regular starter under Martin if he arrives in Glasgow this summer.

The £10m-rated star, who delivered 15 goals and nine assists for Charlton in the 2022/23 campaign, could offer more in the final third than Gassama at the start of next season, as he heavily outperformed the Sheffield Wednesday man in the Championship when on the pitch.

24/25 Championship per 90	Djeidi Gassama	Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
xG	0.18	0.32
Goals	0.21	0.36
xA	0.08	0.18
Assists	0.03	0.10
Chances created	1.14	1.51
Dribbles completed	1.99	2.44
Touches in the opposition box	4.60	7.69
Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi outperformed the French whiz as a scorer, a creator, and as a dribbler in the second tier of English football, in terms of what he offered per 90.

These statistics suggest that the left-footed star is more likely to offer consistent quality in front of goal as a scorer and a creator of goals for Rangers if given regular game time than Gassama is next season, given their respective performances at the same level last term.

Therefore, Rak-Sakyi could be a terrific signing for Rangers to immediately add goals and assists to the team on the right flank ahead of the Champions League qualifiers later this month.

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It is now down to the Gers, though, to convince Palace to send the winger to Ibrox on loan for the season, despite interest from Wolves in a permanent deal for the young attacker.

Tottenham Hotspur salvaged their 2024/25 campaign when a goal from Brennan Johnson was enough to secure the Europa League against Manchester United.

Ange Postecoglou ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy by winning that game, securing Champions League football in the process, and was subsequently relieved of his duties.

Daniel Levy has, since, replaced the Australian head coach with former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, who will now be looking to kick the team on to win even more silverware in the years to come.

The Danish manager could look to the transfer market to bolster his squad, although deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have already been agreed and will be made official at the start of July.

Spurs bringing in new recruits to improve the team could help them to kick on in the Premier League, after finishing closer to relegation than the top four, but it could also mean that some members of the current squad could have to make way.

One player whose future remains up in the air is Dejan Kulusevski, who is a reported target for Italian giants AC Milan and Napoli in the summer transfer window.

Why Spurs should cash in on Dejan Kulusevski

The 25-year-old star joined the club on loan from Juventus at the start of 2022 before eventually signing on a permanent deal, and has been a solid performer over the years for Spurs.

To date, Kulusevski has racked up 25 goals and 30 assists in 146 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, which is a very respectable return and shows that he can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

However, the Sweden international is one of the top earners in the squad and has not delivered enough consistent quality in the final third to justify that.

Tottenham’s top earners (excluding loanees)
Player	24/25 weekly wage
Heung-min Son	£190k
Cristian Romero	£170k
James Maddison	£165k
Dejan Kulusevski	£110k
Dominic Solanke	£90k
Richarlison	£90k
Pedro Porro	£85k
Radu Dragusin	£85k
Ben Davies	£80k
Rodrigo Bentancur	£75k
Wages via Capology

As you can see in the table above, Kulusevski is one of only four players in the squad who earn more than £90k-per-week, on a weekly wage of £110k, which suggests that he should someone the team can rely on week-in-week-out.

The left-footed forward, though, has never produced more than eight goals or eight assists in a single Premier League season for Tottenham, failing to hit double digits in either type of goal contribution.

Therefore, Spurs should look to cash in on this reported interest from Napoli and Milan in order to make room for a new attacker to come in this summer, with a view to them delivering more quality, through goals and assists, in the Premier League next season.

In fact, Tottenham are already reportedly eyeing up a Bundesliga star who could come through the door as an upgrade on Kulusevski in the coming months.

Spurs eyeing deal for Bundesliga star

According to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham Hotspur have identified RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons as one of a number of targets in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Netherlands international, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, is on the club’s radar as they consider their options in the number ten role.

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It adds that Tottenham are also among a number of teams keeping tabs on Harvey Elliott’s situation at Liverpool, and are interested in Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze.

Simons represents a slightly more left-field option, as he is unproven in the Premier League, and the Dutch playmaker is said to be open to a move to the English top-flight this summer.

Leipzig failed to qualify for any European competition ahead of the 2025/26 campaign and are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £60m to part ways with the 22-year-old talent.

Why Spurs should sign Xavi Simons

Described by one data analyst as “one of the best 10s in the world”, the Lilywhites should press ahead with a deal to sign the young attacking midfielder because he is a player who has the potential to deliver goals and assists more frequently than Kulusevski has for Spurs to date.

Simons could come in as a big upgrade on the Swedish forward in the attacking midfield and wide areas, if he can translate his form for Leipzig in the Bundesliga over to the Premier League in North London.

The Dutch starlet, who was once described as a “pocket rocket” by analyst Raj Chohan, has hit double figures for goals in each of the last three seasons for Leipzig and PSV combined, and racked up double figures for assists in two of the last three seasons.

Simons produced ten goals and 13 assists in all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign, creating 14 ‘big chances’ and averaging 2.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga, which speaks to the kind of quality he can provide in front of goal on a regular basis.

24/25 season	Simons (Bundesliga)	Kulusevski (Premier League)
Appearances	25	32
xG	5.11	4.23
Goals	10	7
Big chances created	12	9
Key passes per game	2.0	2.1
xA	5.98	3.94
Assists	7	4
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman’s form in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season also suggests that he has more to offer to Tottenham than Kulusevski moving forward, with more xA, more assists, more ‘big chances’ created, and more goals, despite playing seven fewer matches.

The Leipzig star is also on a reported wage of roughly £98k-per-week, per Capology, which suggests that he could arrive on similar wages to the Sweden international, unless he demands a significant pay hike to make the move.

If Spurs can bring Simons to the club on a similar wage to Kulusevski, the Dutch star’s performances for Leipzig in recent seasons suggest that he would arrive as a big upgrade on what Frank currently has to work with.

The 22-year-old maestro has the potential to provide more goals and more assists as an attacking midfielder, as a player who can finish his chances with more efficiency, whilst also creating more high-quality opportunities for his teammates.

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Therefore, Spurs should sign the £60m-rated star to bolster Frank’s squad before the summer transfer window slams shut, to improve their options at the top end of the pitch.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is personally leading the charge to sign a “powerful” player, with an offer now ready to be submitted, according to a report.

Berta taking hands-on role at the Emirates

Having laid the foundations, the Arsenal hierarchy believes now is the time for the team to start winning silverware, and Berta has a big role to play, with the Italian regarded as a master negotiator, capable of being involved in multiple deals at once.

The 53-year-old is taking a hands-on role at the Emirates Stadium, attending training sessions and press conferences, while also putting in work behind-the-scenes to secure agreements for the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi.

There have been some disagreements with Mikel Arteta, however, especially when it comes to which striker they should bring in, with Berta keen to sign Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, while the manager would prefer to sign RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Berta is simultaneously working on moves for both strikers, indicating a decision is yet to be made as to which striker is the preferred option, and the north Londoners are also keen to strengthen at the opposite end of the pitch.

That is according to a report from Super Deporte (via Sport Witness), which states Berta is now leading the charge for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, who has recently been identified as a key target by Arteta.

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Such is Arsenal’s level of interest, they are now ready to submit an offer in the region of €20m – €25m (£17m – £21m) for Mosquera, with around €3m – €5m (£2.6m – £4.3m) of the higher amount based on bonuses relating to performance.

Berta is said to be key to the deal, with the sporting director retaining a long-term interest in the 21-year-old, having also targeted him during his time with Atlético Madrid.

"Powerful" Mosquera could be ideal centre-back signing

With any new centre-back signing unlikely to immediately take Gabriel or William Saliba’s spot in the starting XI, it would make sense to bring in a younger centre-back, capable of replacing one of the first-choice options on a long-term basis.

The Valencia star is showing very promising signs in La Liga, having now established himself as a key player, missing just one La Liga game last season, while the defender has also received high praise from former youth coach Miguel-Ángel Angulo.

Angulo said: “He’s characterised by a physical condition and good technical qualities, powerful in the air, and mature for his age.”

Having also received plaudits from Statman Dave, Mosquera is clearly an exciting young player, who could provide Arsenal with the depth to compete on all fronts next season, before going on to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.

Chelsea remain active in the transfer market after a busy window for the Blues so far, with Enzo Maresca’s side fully expected to add more star quality to their squad before the next summer deadline day on September 1.

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BlueCo added both Mamadou Sarr and Liam Delap to their contingent of stars for the Club World Cup, taking advantage of the pre-CWC window which closed on June 10, only to reopen again on Monday.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

This mini-window allowed clubs like Chelsea to bolster their sides in preparation for the tournament, with FIFA appearing determined to ensure that some of world football’s finest are on display over the next few weeks.

Chelsea kicked off their CWC campaign on Monday with a 2-0 win over MLS side Los Angeles FC, but showcased their skills in front of a largely empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with just 22,137 fans in attendance for the clash.

Delap made his debut and grabbed an assist, with goals from Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson making sure Chelsea got off to the perfect tournament start in Atlanta.

The CWC is rather controversial considering the complete absence of rest for these players. Pre-season for 2025/2026 is set to begin immediately after the competition ends, and given the 2026 World Cup is next year, Chelsea players won’t be resting much next summer either.

However, with £97 million worth of prize money on offer if Maresca’s side win the competition, it is no shock at all that Stamford Bridge chiefs are keen for them to take the CWC as seriously as possible.

To lighten the load, Chelsea could add new signings to their squad midway through, with a unique player registration window open from June 27 to July 3.

That being said, if you already play for a rival team in the CWC, you’re unable to swap clubs – so Chelsea wouldn’t be able to register top transfer target and Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea talks "to follow" for Jamie Gittens after player agreement

Chelsea had three bids rejected for Gittens before the CWC in a desperate attempt to get him over the line in time before 7pm on June 10 (Florian Plettenberg), ultimately failing to reach an agreement with Dortmund.

Since then, it’s been reported that Chelsea are still expected to go back in for the 20-year-old, even if he can’t play a part for them during the CWC, with Fabrizio Romano sharing another update on the saga.

Romano writes via X that Chelsea are set for new talks to sign Gittens, who’s already agreed to join Maresca’s side.

While some reports have suggested that Dortmund value him at around £60 million, the reliable Ben Jacobs has now shared that he could leave for £47 million, in what is a boost for Chelsea.

“Eventually, this deal is expected to get done because Gittens wants to move, and they [Chelsea and BVB] are not actually far apart as some had suggested,” he told The Football Terrace.

“We heard €70m or more, but the number I’m told is €55m, up by €5m from what Chelsea originally thought would get the deal done. And it’s not just the number but the structure of that deal as well.”

Manchester United just about managed to salvage a share of the points away at AFC Bournemouth on Sunday as Rasmus Hojlund broke free of his wretched luck in front of goal in the Premier League to rescue a 1-1 draw.

The Cherries were hanging onto their 1-0 slim lead after Evanilson saw red on the 70th minute mark and must have thought United’s wastefulness in attack was going to be their saving grace, only for the usually misfiring Dane to level the game right at the death.

Whilst the 22-year-old was the unlikely hero come the full-time whistle, a draw might still be deemed as an unsatisfactory result based on the away side’s lack of composure up top ,robbing them of a much-needed victory.

Man United's wasteful attackers vs Bournemouth

In total, Ruben Amorim’s men would notch up a hefty 25 shots on the Cherries’ goal, with Hojlund’s effort amazingly the only one that ended up beating the consistently switched-on Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Away from accumulating a stunning seven key passes to try and set up his teammates for opportunities, Bruno Fernandes will feel irked that he didn’t manage to beat Kepa like his Danish teammate, with three efforts unfortunately passing him by on the South Coast.

Likewise, Hojlund will feel somewhat annoyed that he couldn’t pick up a whole host of strikes, with the goal-shy number 9 failing to get involved in the contest for large portions of the 90 minutes, leading to his only effort on the day being the golden one that trickled in.

But, there was a far worse culprit than both of these attackers when it came to squandering chances against Andoni Iraola’s open hosts, with Amorim now clamouring for Wolverhampton Wanderers superstar Matheus Cunha’s signature even more so off the back of this underperformer lacking a clinical edge.

5/10 Man Utd could soon be replaced by Cunha

Whilst United’s wastefulness reared its ugly head once more during the 1-1 draw, Cunha showed off his spellbinding ability in attack again for Wolves at the weekend, with the ex-Atletico Madrid ace picking up a goal and two assists in his side’s convincing 3-0 takedown of Leicester City.

With it reported that the Brazilian could be on his way to Old Trafford, Fernandes would likely not be sacrificed for Cunha to take up a first-team spot.

As a result, his comrade in the attacking positions in Alejandro Garnacho could be the casualty, with his showing against Bournemouth leaving a lot to be desired.

As is outlined above, Garnacho is now up to a dire 14 big chances missed this season, with his game in the forward areas against Iraola’s men screaming of an attacker low on confidence when the heat is ramped up.

The South American forward ended the game having been handed a low 5/10 rating post-match by Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst and it was unsurprising to see why.

He fired a mammoth eight shots at the Cherries net without ever beating Kepa, meaning his goal count for the season in the Premier League is stuck at a paltry five. Furthermore, he won just four of his seven duels and gave away the ball 13 times, once every 3.7 touches.

Games played

33

29

Goals scored

5

15

Assists

1

6

Expected goals (xG)

7.02 xG

7.86 xG

Goalscoring frequency

411 mins

156 mins

Big chances missed

14

2

Big chances created

3

12

Whereas, moving back to Molineux, Cunha finds himself on a mightily impressive 21 goal contributions for the campaign from 29 clashes, with Amorim well aware that the Brazilian’s arrival onto the scene would see Garnacho instantly drop out of the XI.

It remains to be seen whether United can win their desired man away from rampant speculation, but if they are successful in their pursuit, he could be one piece of the jigsaw that enables Amorim’s Red Devils to recapture their former glories.

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Today is the day that Celtic could be crowned champions of the Scottish Premiership if they manage to avoid a defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice Park.

The Hoops only need a point to claim the title for the fourth year running, beating their city rivals to the crown once again, in the early kick-off this afternoon.

Brendan Rodgers is looking to seal his second title in as many seasons since his return to Parkhead, and could be ruthless with his team selection by dropping Adam Idah to the bench.

Why Adam Idah could be dropped

The Ireland international was given the nod from the start to play as the number nine against St. Johnstone at Hampden Park, with Daizen Maeda and James Forrest on the wings.

Idah got on the end of a perfect cross from Reo Hatate to bundle the ball in from close range in the 5-0 win over the Saints in the SFA Cup semi-final.

However, the former Norwich City attacker has failed to provide a goal or an assist in his last seven appearances in the Premiership, which shows that he has not been good enough at league level in recent weeks.

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With this in mind, Rodgers could ruthlessly ditch the striker from the team, despite his goal against St. Johnstone, and that would open up space for Jota to come back into the side on the wing.

Why Celtic should unleash Jota

The Northern Irish head coach could move Maeda back into the number nine role and that would free up the Portuguese attacker to play on the left side of the front three.

Jota, who came off the bench to score the fifth goal against the Saints, re-joined the Scottish giants in the January transfer window when he signed from Rennes on a permanent deal.

Since his return to Parkhead, the 26-year-old wing wizard, who Michael Stewart claims “raises the bar” and is a “game-changer” for the club, has hit the ground running with a return of four goals, three ‘big chances’ created, and two assists in six starts in the league.

This shows that, unlike Idah, Jota has been in fine form in the Premiership of late, with his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from a wide position.

24/25 Premiership

Jota (per 90)

Percentile rank vs wingers

Goals

0.67

Top 3.9%

Expected Goals

0.51

Top 3.9%

xG on target

0.72

Top 1%

Shots on target

1.51

Top 1%

Assists

0.34

Top 17.6%

Expected Assists

0.39

Top 7.8%

Chances created

2.01

Top 21.6%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, the former Al-Ittihad forward stacks up incredibly well against his positional peers in the Scottish top-flight, due to his impressive return of goals and assists.

These statistics show that Jota is an attacker who can make a big impact on a regular basis at the top end of the pitch, which is why Rodgers should bring him into the starting XI for this clash with Dundee United today.

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He has the game-changing quality that Celtic could need to get the point that will seal the Premiership title, which would be the Portuguese star’s third in his Hoops career.

Both teams found themselves in similar situations in the opening ODI in Sharjah but only one found their way out

Mohammad Isam07-Nov-2024Afghanistan, one could say, had no business winning the first ODI against Bangladesh in Sharjah, especially given they were 71 for 5 at one point, and then saw Bangladesh cruise to 120 for 2 in a chase of 236. However, led by the astute captaincy of Hashmatullah Shahidi, who first rescued them with 52 and then rotated his spinners smartly, Afghanistan showed their opposition how one can recover after faltering, and even register a big win of 92 runs.When Mohammad Nabi joined Shahidi at the fall of the fifth wicket in the 20th over, they took stock of the situation before rebuilding with singles and twos, quietly blunting the Bangladesh spinners. The seven fours during their brisk partnership of 104 off 122 balls spoke volumes of not just their approach to conserve wickets, but believing in the old-fashioned route of holding back the big hits for the end. The experienced duo took Afghanistan to 175 in the 41st over, setting the base for the lower order to score 66 runs in the last ten and post a respectable total.That was in sharp contrast to how the Bangladesh chase unfolded. They had the advantage of two 50-plus stands from the top four – captain Najmul Hossain Shanto added 53 with Soumya Sarkar and then 55 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz. When Shanto and Mehidy were milking runs in their third-wicket stand, Bangladesh looked set for a smooth chase.Related

Bangladesh lose 8 for 23 as Ghazanfar spins Afghanistan to victory

But Shahidi’s knowledge of the his spinners and the Sharjah conditions engineered a spectacular Bangladesh batting collapse. His rotation of the spinners kept everyone guessing. There was even a moment during the chase when one of the TV commentators questioned why offspinner AM Ghazanfar, who opened the bowling with Fazalhaq Farooqi, was being held back after his first spell of 4-1-21-1 ended in the ninth over. Shahidi, though, knew what he was doing.His plan was to use their ace spinner Rashid Khan as his most attacking option, while bowling Nabi sparingly due to his cramps, and left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote as his defensive bowler until the 30th over. And then he would being Ghazanfar back. Shahidi wanted Rashid, Nabi and Kharote to dry up the runs to set the stage for Ghazanfar to beguile the Bangladesh middle and lower order.While Ghazanfar was away, Shahidi made a few field changes – he kept a slip for Nabi while pushing mid-off back and jogged to short fine leg. To entice a big shot from Shanto, Nabi tossed up a slow offbreak that spun away from him. Shanto swiped at it and top-edged it towards short fine leg, where Shahidi juggled four times before completing the catch.Five overs later, in the 31st, Shahidi brought back Ghazanfar who removed the other set batter, Mehidy, who top-edged a sweep and Azmatullah Omarzai took a superb diving catch in the deep. And Bangladesh’s batting unravelled.It was surprising to see Mushfiqur Rahim bat at No. 7 – for the first time in nine years. Perhaps he was tired after keeping wickets for 50 overs. He and Mahmudullah, the other experienced batter in the middle order, lasted all of eight balls combined. It’s possible Mushfiqur came lower down because Bangladesh wanted to counter the Rashid threat with Mehidy at No. 4, as he is the only batter in ODIs who has faced at least 100 balls from Rashid without getting dismissed. On the contrary, Rashid had dismissed Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah for a combined six times in ODIs until Wednesday.Hashmatullah Shahidi bailed his team out of trouble in the first ODI•ACBBut the tactic didn’t work because once Mehidy fell to Ghazanfar, Shahidi brought on Rashid from the other end and the legspinner outfoxed Mahmudullah with a googly. Mushfiqur did not even last until Rashid’s next over and was stumped off a Ghazanfar carrom ball.Ghazanfar took five wickets for just 15 runs in 15 balls in his second spell, leaving the Bangladesh batters in a quivering mess. The 18-year-old enjoyed every bit of his stunning performance, at times bringing out the Cristiano Ronaldo celebration, before doing the to commemorate his five-for. Ghazanfar’s joyous face was a far cry from Afghanistan’s furrowed brows in the 20th over of their innings, and Bangladesh were bundled for just 143 in under 35 overs.The two spin attacks also yielded contrasting returns. Afghanistan’s four-man spin attack took a combined 9 for 93 in 24.5 overs while Bangladesh’s spinners went wicketless in their 20 overs. It was Bangladesh’s fast bowlers who picked up all nine wickets, but they were expensive towards the end of their spells.Bangladesh are of course without Shakib Al Hasan who opted out of the ODI series after missing out on his farewell Test last month. Shakib’s wicket-taking ability was sorely missed but Bangladesh’s bowlers must be prepared for life without him. The likes of Mehidy, Rishad Hossain and Nasum Ahmed need to figure ways to be more attacking and take more wickets.Afghanistan’s familiarity of playing in Sharjah was another factor in the result, whereas Bangladesh were playing an ODI at this venue after nearly 30 years and couldn’t find a way out once squeezed. When Afghanistan were in trouble twice in the game, Shahidi’s doggedness bailed them out on both occasions.

Murphy shelved the overspin typical of bowling in Australia and consistently bowled around 95kph with high side spin, and had five wickets to show for it

Alex Malcolm10-Feb-20233:09

Chappell: Murphy bowled tidily but Australia need wickets

Eleven months ago, Todd Murphy had played just one first-class match. He was a contracted player with Victoria, having played in an Under-19 World Cup for Australia, but was biding his time in grade cricket for St Kilda.On March 12 last year, he was playing at Russell Lucas Oval in Ringwood, in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs. His two victims that day were Melbourne Stars opener Tom Rogers and USA and Hampshire batter Ian Holland.Eleven months on, in Nagpur, Murphy knocked over KL Rahul, R Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujura, Virat Kohli and KS Bharat, in that order, to become the first Australian spinner since Nathan Lyon to take five wickets on Test debut.Related

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“It’s been a pretty special couple of days and to top it off with a five-wicket haul on debut is more than I ever hoped for,” Murphy said after play on the second day of the Test.He did it while outbowling his mentor Lyon, 13 years, 115 Tests and 460 wickets his senior before the game. He did it having nearly not been selected at all for this Test match.It was a remarkable performance from Australia’s newest cricket hero, unassuming, bespectacled, and affectionately nicknamed “Goggles” at St Kilda.He didn’t do it in the same manner as Jason Krejza had in Nagpur 15 years ago. It wasn’t a host of brilliant big ripping offbreaks while conceding 4.90 an over. He did with outstanding control of length and line. He did get a touch fortuitous with his dismissals of Pujara and Kohli with arguably his worst two balls. But they were reward for the pressure he built with his consistency.It was the reason he was finally selected ahead of Ashton Agar. Australia’s selectors had a preference to play a left-arm orthodox in Nagpur as they had chosen in Sydney against South Africa, both to complement Lyon and match up well against India’s right-hand dominant top order. There was a worry that a second right-arm offspinner would be surplus to requirements.Yet, those in Victoria were shouting to anyone who would listen that Murphy had a far superior record to right-handers in first-class cricket. And so it proved. Murphy’s five victims were all right-handers with a combined total of 58 Test centuries.

“Observing everything and competing in the nets and bowling to the Sri Lankans, I took a lot of confidence out of that and reflected and went back, trusted myself a bit more, and thought ‘what I’ve got can be good enough’ and believe in that”Todd Murphy on the Australia A tour of Sri Lanka last year

The disparity in the consistency between the two showed up in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data. Agar, a ten-year veteran of first-class cricket, landed just 50% of his 132 deliveries on a good length in his nervous Test return in Sydney against South Africa and went wicketless as a result. He also bowled two full-tosses and two half-trackers.Murphy, meanwhile, in just his eighth first-class game, landed 63% of his deliveries on a good length and bowled just the one full-toss and one drag down. His 37 full-length deliveries cost only 23 runs and resulted in a wicket.Lyon only landed 59% on a good length and erred full 43 times, which cost 38 runs. He only picked up the one wicket for the day with Suryakumar Yadav playing a very loose drive to a ball that could have easily been defended. But Lyon did have Ravindra Jadeja dropped at slip by Steven Smith in the final over of the day.It was remarkable how well Murphy adapted to the conditions when compared with Lyon. Murphy’s long-time bowling coach Craig Howard had noted his ability to adapt his bowling to the conditions that were presented.”Howie for me he’s been someone that I’ve always been able to go to and I’ve been able to trust and he knows me as good as anyone and knows what works for me,” Murphy said. “We’ve had a lot of really good conversations over the years about what works in what conditions and we had a good chat the other day about over here and just trusting the skill set that I’ve got.”Batters’ errors contributed to some of Todd Murphy’s wickets, but his lengths contributed to the mistakes•Getty ImagesNagpur’s pitch required faster speeds and a lot of side spin, as Jadeja had shown on day one. It was exactly what Murphy delivered on day two. There are shades of Graeme Swann in his action and there were shades of Swann 2012 in his bowling as he shelved the overspin that is required in Australia – the overspin that has made Lyon so successful in the toughest of offspinning climes at home – and consistently bowled up towards 95kph with high side spin.It is a skill he had honed under Howard at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on the purpose-made India-style red-clay pitches over many winters. It was one of the laments of the Australian squad that they were not able to train on those pitches prior to this tour for reasons that are not entirely clear and were instead forced to practice on scarified pitches at North Sydney Oval that were not quite the same.His ability to implement it his first Test was quite remarkable. But he credited his Australia A tour to Sri Lanka last year with helping him believe he could produce it at the highest level. “Having a little bit of success over there probably gave me the confidence I needed going back to Australia that I could mix it with first-class cricketers.””Being around some of the guys who had played Test cricket, observing everything and competing in the nets and bowling to the Sri Lankans, I took a lot of confidence out of that and reflected and went back, trusted myself a bit more, and thought ‘what I’ve got can be good enough’ and believe in that.”Murphy operated almost exclusively around the wicket to India’s right-hand batters, rarely pitching outside the line of the stumps and threatening both edges. His length was so good that even Rohit Sharma in the midst of a sublime match-defining century struggled to get down the track to him and never played back to him. Murphy simply asked the batters to defend a good length. It yielded two of his five wickets with Ashwin and Bharat both pinned lbw trying to defend on the front foot.1:11

O’Keefe: Todd Murphy will be a superstar

His other three were helped by batter errors. Rahul chipped a drive back to him on the opening night, while Pujara played a rare sweep to a ball way outside leg and picked out short fine. Kohli was caught down the leg side playing well wide of his body with Alex Carey taking an outstanding juggling catch unsighted as part of an excellent day behind the stumps.But while the batters’ errors contributed, Murphy’s lengths contributed to the mistakes as all three were stuck playing from the crease.Murphy also benefitted from the tireless work of Scott Boland. The inexperienced Victorians were undeniably Australia’s best two bowlers on a tough day in the field. Yet, inexplicably, they only bowled in partnership for one spell of eight overs in the first session. From overs 38 to 45 they bowled eight overs, three maidens, and combined for 2 for 18 with Murphy removing Ashwin and Pujara, after Rohit and Ashwin had taken 40 runs off the first 13 overs of the morning against Lyon and Pat Cummins.Boland had figures of 9-4-7-0 after his brilliant six-over burst. But he would only bowl eight more overs through the day, which included having Jadeja dropped at slip, a really tough chance low to Smith’s right, and Axar Patel nicking him just short of second.Murphy, too, could have had Jadeja twice. With India on 224 for 5, he hit Jadeja on the front pad as the left-hander stretched out to defend. The lbw appeal was turned down and the review came up umpire’s call on impact. It was going on to hit the middle of middle. Then, with Jadeja on 60, late in the day, he conjured a thick edge as Jadeja tried to cut the wrong length, but it was too thick for Carey to grasp and it rebounded off his gloves over Smith at slip.Australia have found a diamond in the rough in Nagpur in Murphy, and possibly the spin-bowling heir to Lyon. But on his first two days in Test cricket, he looked more like the master than the apprentice.

The allrounder is now very clear on what his role is for Australia after plenty of time chatting with captain Aaron Finch

Daniel Brettig17-Sep-2020Melbourne’s lockdown, in the cause of stemming the Covid-19 pandemic, has taken much away from a previously vibrant city. One thing it has gifted Australian cricket, however, is clarity about the role Glenn Maxwell is playing for the ODI team, a little more than a year after the absence of same contributed to a deeply disappointing World Cup campaign.It has been demonstrated in devastatingly effective fashion for Australia on the road against the world champions, inflicting England’s first ODI series loss at home since 2015. In games one and three in Manchester, Maxwell produced a pair of counter-attacking innings from No. 7 that left Eoin Morgan’s side without a riposte, and at the same time confirmed that yes, Maxwell does have a highly significant and consistent part to play for Australia over the next four years to the 2023 World Cup in India.In partnership with Alex Carey, who also shored up his flagging international fortunes since a productive World Cup, Maxwell unleashed a century of power but also presence of mind, demonstrating a level of peace and self-knowledge that had appeared absent from his game for much of the preceding few years. It was the product of careful consideration with limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.ALSO READ: Bursting of England’s bubble shows how long the road to 2023 will beShorn of scheduled series against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and West Indies, plus the postponement of the T20 World Cup, Australia’s Melbourne-based cricketers have had little else to do other than talk a lot between small-scale net sessions in Cricket Victoria’s Junction Oval base. For Maxwell and Finch, that meant hours to discuss exactly how the leader saw the role of his longtime friend and international team-mate.Shuffled up and down the batting order ad nauseum, dropped and recalled, and also having taken a break for mental health reasons early last season, Maxwell was clearly in need of some simple instruction. As the many conversations rolled on, the desired description emerged – not unlike that traditionally assigned to a wicketkeeper. From No. 7, Maxwell would be able to counterattack when Australia were in a hole, while Finch reserved the right to promote him in the order if those above him were able to set the right launchpad for the final 20 or so overs.”The really good thing is even in the lockdown period I was training with Finchy and we were able to talk about my role and certain things,” Maxwell said. “I just had so much clarity of what he expected of me in that role.”I think I was able to take the game on, with the clarity he gave me before the tournament, and was able to ride on that momentum as well. Just knowing I had the backing of him is awesome. He’s been great for this group over here, he’s kept us all together, all 21 of us in the hub here, and he’s done a great job. Whether in the field or with his batters, he’s been outstanding.”Finch had likewise articulated a specific, consistent role for Maxwell in his comments at the post-series presentation: “Maxi is in the team to do a specific role and that’s be able to take the game away from oppositions when you are having a good day but also be that guy who can counterattack and try and swing momentum. England had all the momentum at 5 for 70-odd and he dragged it back.”That partnership with Alex was fantastic, I’m really proud of both of them, they deserve a lot of success and a lot of credit. Not just for this win but how hard they’ve been working on their game.”What makes him [Maxwell] so damaging is he can play all around the ground, I don’t think there are many bowlers who can trouble him when he’s having one of those days but the way he navigated that innings, took it deeper and deeper, of course you have to take your chances chasing seven an over from a long way out and he did that perfectly. They fed off each other having the left-right hand combination, it was pretty special.”