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The summer transfer window officially opens next week and Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst will likely be in the market to improve his squad.

He won one trophy in his debut campaign in charge of the Light Blues, lifting the Scottish Cup, and he will now be hoping to go all the way in the Premiership and in Europe in 2022/23.

In order to do so, he may feel that he needs to add to his team by working with Ross Wilson to bring fresh faces to Ibrox in the coming months.

One player for whom they have been linked with a swoop is Wales international winger Rabbi Matondo, as Guardian journalist Will Unwin revealed last month that the Gers are one of the clubs who are keen on snapping him up from FC Schalke.

He tweeted: “Rabbi Matondo has turned down a number of offers in Belgium and is most likely to return to England, I am told. Vincent Kompany was interested in him at Anderlecht prior to his departure.”

Unwin added: “He came very close to agreeing terms with Anderlecht before Kompany’s exit. Rangers and Celtic are both very interested in Matondo.”

Ryan Kent 2.0

The Welsh gem, who has been on loan at Cercle Brugge, can be Van Bronckhorst’s Ryan Kent 2.0, as he is a quick, direct winger who can score and create goals.

His former national team manager Ryan Giggs once heaped praise on the 21-year-old’s speed, saying: “Just like Dan James he has electrifying pace. And that always keeps you interested.”

Born in Liverpool – 37 miles from Kent’s birthplace Oldham – Matondo came up through the youth ranks at Manchester City before moving to Schalke 04 in Germany.

He struggled to break through in Gelsenkirchen before being loaned out to Cercle Brugge for the 2021/22 campaign, and this allowed him to make great strides in his development.

The Belgian club reportedly have an option to sign him permanently for €3.5m (£3m), although it remains to be seen whether or not they will take it up after an impressive year in the Pro League, where his 6.84 Sofascore rating made him the squad’s sixth-best performer.

The statistics in the above image show that the Welsh magician enjoyed a strong season out on loan as he made a big impact in the final third in the Pro League.

He also registered an assist against Poland in the UEFA Nations League this week as he showed that he can produce on the international stage, as well as at club level.

Meanwhile, Kent registered two goals and eight assists in the Premiership for Rangers this term, following on from 10 goals and nine assists in the campaign prior. He has proven himself in the Scottish top flight and shown that he can regularly contribute at the top end of the pitch, just like Matondo has for Cercle Brugge.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst can find his new English-born wing wizard by striking a deal with Schalke to bring the Wales international to Glasgow this summer.

AND in other news, Big blow: Behind-the-scenes Rangers development emerges that’ll frustrate GvB…

Bruno Lage’s first season in charge of Wolves looked rosy for such a long time but once the campaign was said and done in May, supporters will have been disappointed.

What’s the word?

That’s because they ultimately finished tenth in the Premier League table, missing the chance to qualify for European football.

A lack of goals can be attributed to that so it’s crucial the Old Gold act in the summer transfer window.

TEAMtalk have reported that Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz is a target for Lage and co but they face plenty of competition.

It’s thought the likes of Leeds and newly-promoted Nottingham Forest are keen on the player who was valued at around £30m in January.

Best signing since Neto

Last summer Lage made some valuable acquisitions to the squad with players like Jose Sa impressively greatly as Wolves conceded the fifth-fewest goals in the Premier League.

Sadly, the goals didn’t particularly flow in at either end if you attended Molineux this season.

That’s due to the fact that Raul Jimenez finished the campaign as the club’s top scorer with just six goals.

Granted he had just returned from a horrendous skull injury but it’s clear to see the Mexican isn’t the same potent threat he once was.

Neither was young forward Pedro Neto who struggled with his own injuries in 2021/22, registering just the two goal involvements in 13 matches and 463 minutes of top-flight action.

However, this is a player who in the previous campaign ended the term as Wolves’ player of the season after bagging five and claiming six assists.

A new player of his dynamic qualities being added to the squad would only benefit their struggles in goal and thus, Diaz could be their best signing since the aforementioned Neto.

Described as “extraordinary” by former Blackburn boss, Tony Mowbray, the Chile international was in devastating form for the Championship outfit in 2021/22.

He scored a whopping 22 times, proving that he’s got the talent and hustle to become a Premier League regular.

With a goal tally like that it’s hardly a surprise that he’s caught the imagination of the top-flight.

It also explains why he’d be the club’s best acquisition since Neto as Diaz would be arriving at a crucial time with goals dry and options limited.

Adama Traore will return to Wolves this season while Hwang’s temporary stay has been made permanent too but the pair only contributed to seven goals themselves.

As a result, both of them fail to offer the consistency that Lage needs right now so a more deadly threat simply has to be added to the squad. It’s time for Jeff Shi and co to act on their interest in Diaz.

AND in other news, Wolves can seal dream summer swoop in “special” £36m-rated gem, he’s better than Neto…

There is ‘lots of interest’ in Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson, according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Anderson sealed a loan move from Newcastle to Bristol Rovers in the January transfer window.

He went on to play 21 League Two matches, scoring eight goals and providing five assists.

And the 19-year-old played a vital role as they dramatically secured promotion on the final day of the season by putting seven past Scunthorpe United.

Andersen scored one and set up two more to help Joey Barton’s side pip Northampton to third on goals scored.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-6/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

Ryder tweeted on Monday afternoon that Rovers are ‘eager to re-sign’ Anderson on a further loan.

He’s highly coveted with ‘lots of interest’ from elsewhere, but Barton has been ‘brilliant’ for his development so far, and that could be key.

In the attached story, he explains that Barton and Anderson have a great ‘rapport’ and that the player would be ‘assured’ of game time at Rovers.

They’re hoping that will be enough to see off competition from the Championship, but there’s also a chance that Eddie Howe will consider integrating him on Tyneside.

The verdict

Anderson’s loan move has been a resounding success, and Newcastle’s academy boss Steve Harper should be very satisfied.

The teenager has scored or assisted every 135 minutes from a midfield berth and been labelled the ‘stand-out player on the pitch’ by Barton, who regards him as a ‘huge talent’, while Gary Lineker was even stunned by his ‘amazing’ goal at the weekend.

But his strong performances do present the club with a dilemma.

Do they favour enquiries from the Championship in the belief that playing at a higher level will better prepare Anderson for the first team? Or do they keep him a lower-level environment where he’s already comfortable, and may be better-placed to thrive?

Howe may even decide that he’s most valuable as a squad player, though he might still be a year or two away from that kind of status.

In other news, read this insider’s key Jamaal Lascelles claim.  

He bowls controlled left-arm spin, hits the ball hard and is a livewire on the field, and just like his hero did a decade ago, Anukul Roy is making a big impression at the Under-19 World Cup

Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui21-Jan-2018Three games into the tournament and India are sitting pretty.Papua New Guinea were vanquished in three hours, Zimbabwe in little over four. Once Australia were clinically dismantled in the opening game, India emerging group toppers was all but a formality, assuming, of course, that no game was rained out.India have had it so easy so far that they have had the luxury of experimenting with their XIs. This has made little difference to the outcome. That is now a week in Tauranga wrapped up. Being based in the same city for the course of the group stages – largely owning to broadcast considerations – has allowed India to add some fun to their training routines without going through the regular protocols of hotel check-outs, flights, security clearances and acclimatising to new cities, unlike some of the other sides.On Saturday, those who haven’t had enough batting time underwent a net session in the morning. Post lunch, the team enjoyed a day out at Rotarua, famous for its geothermal hot springs and lakes. When they finally fly out of Tauranga on Sunday, they will do so with the knowledge that they have a week’s break and plenty of time in Queenstown ahead of their quarterfinal. The one person for whom the journey could be particularly sweet is Anukul Roy, the left-arm spinner.Roy’s Under-19 World Cup dream nearly crashed even before it took off. A stress-related ankle injury forced him to miss the Under-19 Challenger Trophy in November, the tournament that helped the selectors pick the final 15 from a 35-member longlist. Roy also missed the Under-19 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur. He came into the World Cup straight out of rehabilitation and hours of bowling at India’s pre-tournament camp in Bengaluru.The team management obviously saw something in him. Rahul Dravid gave Roy the confidence that he was in consideration and asked him to focus only on his recovery. Whether this was a way to lift an impressionable 19-year old from a setback or an absolute show of confidence in his abilities, Roy has earned his stripes so far in the three games India have played. Against PNG, he picked up his maiden five-for in Youth ODIs. Against Zimbabwe, he picked up four wickets with his loop and flight. In the tournament-opener against Australia, his control against batsmen looking to go after him in the face of an escalating required rate stood out. In a side bursting with spinners – there are four others capable of completing their 10-over quotas – Roy has quietly left his imprint.Roy admits to being unsure of his place before the tournament. “I was disappointed to miss out on the Asia Cup”, he says. ” (I’ve often been injured, especially ahead of big matches). I was scared. The Challenger Trophy was the selection matches, but Rahul sir said you need rest, and the World Cup is the big tournament. Still, somewhere there was a fear that I won’t be selected because others were performing well in the Challenger Trophy. But Rahul sir showed confidence in me.”The show of confidence stemmed from Roy’s deeds on the tour of England in June-July, when he the highest wicket-taker in the Youth ODIs (10 wickets in four matches). He made a mark with the bat too, scoring 43 not out in the first match of that series. Here, against Australia, he was promoted to No.5 in India’s quest for quick runs. In short, his role is not dissimilar to Ravindra Jadeja’s in one-day cricket: bowl tight and score quick runs when needed. Roy, like Jadeja, is also a livewire on the field, with an excellent throwing arm. “I look up to him,” Roy says. “His energy on the field is brilliant, I like his intensity on the field.”Roy’s journey has not been easy. He comes from Samastipur, a town in northern Bihar. He grew up playing tennis-ball tournaments in the small town, and moved to Jamshedpur in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand in pursuit of serious cricket once his school coach and older siblings were convinced he was mature enough to live by himself.”In Samastipur there wasn’t much scope to improve my cricket, so I went to Jamshedpur and joined an academy there. Then I started understanding cricket,” he says. “Living away from home was difficult, but since Bihar did not play in the Ranji Trophy, I had to make the move early. I used to stay in a paying-guest accommodation first, which I hated. Then I moved in with a few friends. It was tough because I didn’t have much money in my pocket, but I at least did the basics well and kept playing matches.”Roy’s family wakes up early on every India matchday to tune in and watch their boy play for India. This was a distant prospect in 2010, when all Roy would do was shadow-practise while cricket was on TV. Some even mocked him. Now he has taken some significant steps in his cricketing journey. He hopes to play first-class cricket soon and take it from there. Before that, he has potentially three more matches at this Under-19 World Cup.”I didn’t expect to play so it’s a bonus,” he says. “I go out to enjoy every game. Keep learning, keep trying and good things will happen. If we win, it will be the best thing that will happen to all of us at this age. It could be the start of something big.”

New Zealand have done many things right while facing R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, but they are yet to find an answer to the two spinners’ biggest weapon: the one that looks like it will turn, but does not turn

Sidharth Monga27-Sep-20163:52

O’Brien: New Zealand couldn’t keep the pressure on for long enough

Kanpur is a city infamous for power theft. It is the subject of an excellent documentary, . Power is stolen through from official supply cables. A is a home-made wire used to make a connection between the supply cable and homes. A is an expert at handling , which is a daredevil act because the power-supply department is not going to stop the power supply while you install them. It is playing with livewires.Electricians who dabble in all have bent, burnt and disfigured fingers, relics of shocks suffered while doing their dangerous work. In the documentary, a says he holds his breath while touching livewires. “If there is no breath, how will the current travel? [I just play possum. You can’t kill what is already dead.]” Househlds that steal power have to be extremely vigilant of raids. Usually, the only come out at night.For New Zealand, playing on Kanpur’s pitch against India’s spinners was like being dared to steal power on your first trip to the city. A small mistake, and the livewire got them. One wrong movement of the feet, one slow reaction, and all of a sudden all the hard work of watching every ball and reacting perfectly – all the way to 159 for 1 in the first innings – was undone. Kane Williamson admitted his batsmen either – speaking in the language of the – released their breath too soon or were not vigilant for long enough.Sometimes, though, a batsman can do everything right and still succumb to the livewire. Just look at the enormity of New Zealand’s task. R Ashwin is at the top of his game. He gets drift and dip, with the new ball bowls a swerving delivery that almost swings away from the right-hand batsman, bowls a carrom ball, a legbreak, and keeps varying his angles, trajectories, release points, and revs imparted on the ball. Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t have the same amount of guile, but is an intelligent bowler. He looks to make you play every ball, while also changing his angles and pace, and when the ball is turning he bowls so fast he doesn’t give you time to recover from the smallest misjudgment.Imagine you watch out for all that, pick the length early and go right forward or right back, punish the loose balls, and then a left-hand batsman plays for an offbreak that doesn’t turn and gets trapped lbw. Zing. Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham in the same fashion twice in the first Test. The seam doesn’t say the ball is not going to turn. The drift suggests it is going to turn. Latham covers for the turn, and is beaten on the inside edge. It is these deliveries that are next to impossible to pick out of the hand. It is these deliveries that have made the difference between the two sides.R Ashwin had Tom Latham lbw with non-turning offbreaks from around the wicket in both innings in Kanpur•BCCIIn an instructional video, Ashwin had told that when he bowls an offbreak, his index finger is on top of the seam. For a topspinner, he has the inside of his knuckle on the ball. For the offbreak, the index finger cuts across the seam. For the topspinner, the index finger runs along the seam. Latham failed to pick the difference between the two releases. The seam in the air, though, suggested an offbreak on both occasions.If there is still a chance Ashwin intended to have the two balls go straight on, try deciphering Jadeja. He is always at the stumps, he turns some, doesn’t turn the others. New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan felt Jadeja’s pace comes in the way of picking the straighter one. “It’s hard to pick it out of the hand when he bowls so quick, and he bowls such a consistent line and length, which offers a lot of challenges,” McMillan said. “Our guys have used the depth of the crease really well, going forward and back, and picked up length really early, which is important.”BJ Watling wonders if Jadeja himself knows which one is going to go straight on. Take the back-to-back dismissals of Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi in the first innings for example. The index finger across the top of the ball, as Ashwin instructs, the thumb behind the ball, and no difference in the distance between the index finger and middle finger. The seam position in the air is identical. Craig, a left-hand batsman, is beaten on the inside edge by one that turns in. Sodhi, a right-hand batsman, is beaten on the inside edge by the one that goes straight on. Both are headed for the stumps. What do you do?

By all indications, these straighter ones are natural variations from the pitch, the frequency of which increases with the dryness of the surface. Perhaps even more than turn and bounce, natural variations are the most dangerous gift such pitches offer the spinners.

Not many domestic batsmen who have played against Jadeja can claim to have picked him on tracks that turn. Once, Ishan Kishan, a young Jharkhand batsman who captained India in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, scored 87 off 69 balls on a raging turner in Rajkot. Kishan said he picked Jadeja from his grip and his line. If the index finger and middle finger were split wider, he expected a turning delivery. It helped that Kishan is a left-hand batsman so Jadeja bowled wider when he intended to turn the ball.Watch some of the replays from the Kanpur Test, and you might think you are on to something. For example, when Jadeja turned one from over the wicket to dismiss Luke Ronchi, the fingers were split wide. The fingers were split just as wide when Jadeja got Ross Taylor out with a straighter one.By all indications, these straighter ones are natural variations from the pitch, the frequency of which increases with the dryness of the surface. Perhaps even more than turn and bounce, natural variations are the most dangerous gift such pitches offer the spinners. It’s like facing the magic ball on a greentop: the ball is seaming around, you face up for what seems an outswinger, from position of seam and initial trajectory, but then the ball pitches and seams back in, giving you no chance to adjust. Except the natural variations happen for longer and more frequently.You can watch out for all the obvious skills of Ashwin and Jadeja, which is hard enough, but how do you cope when you don’t know what the ball will do? When asked the same question that McMillan and Watling answered, Williamson chose to keep his cards close to his chest. Perhaps he has a way. Jadeja’s trajectory may provide some sort of hint. When he flights it, you can perhaps safely rule out a straighter one, but it is not necessary that his flatter ones won’t turn.What you can do, while remaining philosophical about uncontrollables, is two things. One: get either right forward or right back, so you either smother the turn or are deep enough in your crease to adjust. Two: try not to get beaten on the inside edge by the ball meant to turn away from you. Taylor did neither in the first innings and was trapped in front. The latter is to avoid lbws, India’s main weapon, and also Sri Lanka’s against Australia recently. If you are a right-hand batsman playing Jadeja, play the angle. If you are a left-hand batsman facing Ashwin from around the wicket, play the angle. If the ball turns past the edge, don’t bother. It is difficult for the ball to take the edge if you don’t follow it with your hands, because of the extent of turn, but if it does, hard luck.Some of New Zealand’s batsmen tried this; when interviewed by the broadcasters, Ashwin remarked that when the left-hand batsmen came on the front foot, they had come forward but not across, and played him inside-out.This is easy to say, but to do it in addition to what all they did right is incredibly tough: a batsman’s instinct is to score. And they have three days between Tests – one goes in travel and recovery – to figure this out. Nor will they get bowlers or bowling machines that do what Jadeja and Ashwin do. There will be a lot of video watched between these Tests, but if they don’t spot more than what McMillan and Watling said they had, New Zealand will need a lot more luck and errors from India to survive. Winning the toss might not be a bad start.

Stats highlights from the second ODI between England and New Zealand at the Kia Oval

S Rajesh12-Jun-2015763 The aggregate in this game, the highest ever in an ODI in England. The previous record was 651, in the NatWest Series final between England and India at Lord’s in 2002, when England scored 325 and India chased it down with three balls to spare. In the history of one-day internationals, there have only been two games where more runs have been scored: in game in Johannesburg between South Africa and Australia, which produced an aggregate of 872, and India versus Sri Lanka in Rajkot in 2009, when 825 were scored.398 New Zealand’s total, their second-highest in ODIs, and their best against England. Their highest total was against Ireland in Aberdeen in 2008, when they made 402. The score of 398 is also the highest ODI total at The Oval, 51 runs more than the previous best, also by New Zealand, against USA in the 2004 Champions Trophy. No team has ever scored more in an ODI against England.365 England’s total, their highest when batting second, and their third-highest overall in ODIs.27 Number of sixes hit in this game, the most for any ODI in England. In fact, this is twelve more than the previous-most in an ODI in England – 15, which came in the previous ODI between these two teams at Birmingham on 9 June 2015.1 Number of times a team has scored more than 365 without a century. The only such instance was by South Africa, who scored 392 against Pakistan in Centurion in 2007 – the highest in that game, as in this one at The Oval, was 88. England also scored 363 without a hundred against Pakistan in 1992.191 England’s score after 25 overs, their highest at that stage in a 50-over ODI innings since 2001. There have been two instances of higher scores after 25 overs during this period, but neither was in a completed innings: they were 192 without loss off 24.5 in a successful run-chase against Bangladesh at the same venue a decade ago; against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2002, they were 195 after 25, but that was in a 32-overs-per-side game.187 Eoin Morgan’s strike rate (88 off 47), which is the second-best ever for an England batsman scoring 50 or more in an ODI. The best is also by Morgan – against South Africa in Centurion in 2009, he scored 67 off 34 (SR 197).76 The partnership between Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid, England’s joint second-highest for the eighth-wicket in ODIs.13 Number of ODI hundreds for Ross Taylor. Among New Zealand batsmen, only Nathan Astle, with 16, has more. This is his first century in 13 ODI innings in England.123.9 Taylor’s strike rate, his second-best among the 13 innings when he has gone past 100. It’s the quickest among the 13 ODI centuries scored by New Zealand batsmen against England.97 Runs conceded by Chris Jordan, which equals the highest given away by an England bowler in ODIs – Steve Harmison had conceded 97 against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006. Harmison, though, had bowled ten overs compared to nine by Jordan. Jordan’s economy rate of 10.77 is the worst for an England bowler who has bowled more than seven overs in an ODI.3 Number of 90s for Kane Williamson in ODIs; among New Zealand batsmen, only Astle, Martin Crowe and Stephen Fleming have more. Of the last four 90s by New Zealand batsmen in ODIs, three have been by Williamson.40 Fours in the New Zealand innings, which equals their highest in ODIs; they had also hit 40 fours against Pakistan in Napier earlier this year.4 Number of 350-plus scores for England in all ODI cricket, with two of those coming in the last two games. In the 645 ODIs before that, England only managed to do this two times.300 ODI wins for New Zealand. They are the eighth team to achieve this milestone. They’ve taken 684 games to get there, which is the most among these eight teams. South Africa got to 300 ODI wins the fastest – in only 483 matches, while Australia (519) and West Indies (540) are next.

England look jaded, joyless and over-reliant on tired players who have too many miles on the clock; it is hard to avoid the sense that their time has passed

George Dobell at Adelaide Oval06-Dec-20130:00

‘Bowlers stuck to task’ – Stokes

As surely as day ebbs into night, so England’s grasp on the Ashes urn is loosening by the session.Yes, England are only one down with three-and-a-half Tests to play and, yes, they have earned through their achievements the respect not to be written off just yet.But it is increasingly hard to escape the feeling that an era is ending in English cricket. The issues that have been masked by individual excellence for some time can be hidden no more: England look jaded, joyless and over-reliant on tired players who have too many miles on the clock. It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.It is hard to pinpoint the moment the music died for this team. Was it during the batting debacle of Brisbane? Was it when Jonathan Trott became the most obvious manifestation of burnout and left the tour? Was it here, when Michael Carberry summed up a wretched fielding effort by putting down a simple chance off Brad Haddin, or when Australia’s No. 10 swung the finest spinner England have produced for decades for successive sixes?It says much about England’s performance in the field that the finest catch of the second day – an excellent, jumping one-handed effort plucked out of the sky – came from a member of the media beyond the midwicket boundary and not from any of the team. No bowling attack had ever conceded so many sixes in an Ashes innings and it is very hard to recall an innings where England squandered seven chances in the field.So it was all those moments and more. Certainly the wonderful batting of Michael Clarke on the second morning here and the vast improvement in the performance of an Australia team that looked hapless only months ago is relevant. The manner in which they snatched this game from England’s grasp was deeply impressive; the positive cricket they played backed up much of the bold talk they have made in recent months. They deserve all the praise they will receive.

While in 2010-11, the tone was set by the run-out of Simon Katich in Adelaide, this time England made basic mistakes. If fielding is the window to the soul of a team, England are in trouble

But it was also the scheduling that saw England obliged to go straight from a Champions Trophy final into an Ashes series; it was the seeping weariness of asking them to play back-to-back Ashes series with all the attendant hype and hyperbole; and it was the relentless demands of a treadmill that sees them regularly play more Tests than any other side in the world, alongside an increased priority in limited-overs cricket. The ECB, desperate to feed a business model that may well not be sustainable, has asked too much of its most precious assets.England have been running on empty for some time. They looked jaded going into the 2011 World Cup, as they did when touring New Zealand at the start of 2013 and throughout the Ashes in England. Perhaps partly as a result of the somewhat intense environment in which the England team operate, there appears to be a lack of levity to relieve the tension. All those night in hotels – anything up to 260 a year – all those big games, all those media conferences and public appearances, have taken their toll. The ECB has been to the well too often.There are other factors that have weakened English cricket. The decision to rid the domestic scene of non-England-qualified players and offer young player incentives saw a generation of experienced professionals replaced by kids who should have been forced to work harder for a career in the game. The turgid pitches that proliferate in England bear little relation to those found in the international game and the introduction of Lions games during the English season have further diluted the standard of domestic cricket. The gap between the county and international games has grown dangerously large.Alastair Cook is one of a number of experienced England players whose performances have dipped•Getty ImagesThe bowlers will attract criticism after conceding such a vast total. It is true, certainly, that there is a worrying theme among them to lose pace the longer they are exposed to the England set-up. Certainly the inability to exploit the vast potential of fast bowlers like Steven Finn reflects poorly on the coaching staff. He has regressed since his elevation to the Test team.But the England bowlers also suffered from a pathetic level of support from their fielders. While some of the missed opportunities were tough, there was a general sloppiness to England’s fielding – including Ben Stokes taking a wicket with a no-ball – that was unrecognisable from the side that won here in 2010-11.While in 2010-11, the tone was set by Trott’s run-out of Simon Katich in the first over of the Adelaide Test, this time England made basic mistakes. So Carberry fumbled a simple run-out and Monty Panesar, ridiculously, found himself at long leg as England attempted a hook trap. If fielding is the window to the soul of a team – and it very often is – England are in trouble.Whatever happens in the future, it should not detract from the achievements of the past. This team have, by England’s standards, enjoyed levels of success not matched for decades. Several of them, and their coach, Andy Flower, will surely be remembered as among the best to have represented England.But all things must pass. And the increasing sense of recent months is of a team, well past its best, desperately trying to cling to the past. The performances of experienced players – the likes of Matt Prior, Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Graeme Swann – have all dipped by a small degree and there is little evidence that all the millions invested in academies and youth teams and coaching structures have created the requisite competition for places.And that is England’s real problem. For these are, give or take a player or two, the best England have and they are capable of much better. But they are weary and spent with ingrained exhaustion and institutional weariness. Against a resurgent Australia team, they are struggling to summon the strength for another fight. It may be a battle too far.

Kerry Packer died on the first day of the Boxing Day Test in 2005. A look back at the man who changed the fortunes of the world’s best cricketers forever

Ashley Mallett25-Dec-2011During the Boxing Day Test match our millionaire players should reflect about the man whose vision gave world cricket (and them) veritable truckloads of gold. On the first day of the 2005 Melbourne Test match between Australian and South Africa came the news that Kerry Packer was dead.Through his extraordinary life (1937-2005), Packer was a paradoxical mix of hard-headedness and compassion. On the one hand he could be ruthless, on the other he often displayed a bedside manner that seemed incongruous in the extreme.In Las Vegas one day a croupier kept Packer in a good mood during a game of Texas Hold ‘Em. As Packer raked in a mountain of chips, the pretty young card dealer unloaded her tale of woe. A single mother of three, she had a huge mortgage. It was enough to make the tears well in the multi-billionaire’s eyes.”How much have we got here?” he asked the girl.”Oh about $80,000,” she replied.”How much is your mortgage?””It is almost exactly $80,000.””Right,” Packer said almost inaudibly, in a tone of preoccupation. He signalled for the manager and whispered in the man’s ear.”But Mr Packer, an employee of the casino cannot accept tips of any sort.””Okay,” Packer said, pointing to the croupier. “Sack that woman.”Not daring to argue the point with such a high roller, the manager sacked the croupier.Immediately Packer told the girl to cash in her chips, and as she walked off, he said to the manager, “Now re-employ that young woman.”In 1977 I was working for News Ltd and had retired from cricket. News of Packer’s World Series Cricket had no sooner hit than I rang Ian Chappell, who would captain the Australians. Actually getting paid to play the game resonated with me. Chappelli sounded a little lukewarm about the prospect of me playing. He said, “I’ll have to talk to Kerry.” At that point I had no idea that Packer didn’t think much of my bowling, and it was probably a blessing that I didn’t hear him say to my old Test captain: “I’m not hiring that f****** straight breaker!”About a day later I almost fell off my chair in the newsroom when I received a phone call from the greatest batsman who ever lived.”Don Bradman here, Ashley. We want you to come back to play for Australia.”

For two days I sweated it out, then Chappelli got back to me: “Kerry’s willing to give you a contract, but only if you agree to fly to Sydney and bowl against him for one over. If you get him out twice in the six balls, he will make an offer for your services.” I did not hesitate: “Chappelli, tell Mr Packer to get f*****!”

It was a miracle that the call got past my “chief of staff”, Doug “Stainless” Steele, who might well have told the caller, “Oh yeah, if you’re Don Bradman, I’m Lord Mountbatten!””Thank you, Sir Donald, for the offer,” I said. “Does that mean I will be picked for every Test match?””Oh, no,” he replied. “You’d have to make yourself available and take your chances like everyone else.”I knew the newly appointed Bob Simpson would play all the matches, so I queried the Don on this point.”Bob’s different. He’s the captain.”Mind you, Simpson was one of Australia’s cricket greats. I was a good Test bowler, but not a great one.I informed Sir Donald that I was a chance to play WSC and that I would need to seriously consider an offer that would guarantee me a lumpsum for the entire summer. For two days I sweated it out, then Chappelli got back to me with an offer… of sorts.”Kerry’s willing to give you a contract, but only if you agree to fly to Sydney and bowl against him for one over. If you get him out twice in the six balls, he will make an offer for your services.”I did not hesitate: “Chappelli, tell Mr Packer to get f*****!”I got a contract.Some 30 years later I asked Chappelli if he had relayed our conversation verbatim to KP. He said, “No, Rowd. I didn’t think it would be in your best interests.”Playing WSC was a financial boon for me, for I had come from a background of struggling to make ends meet to play big cricket.During my first summer for South Australia I recall bowling late on the third day against Queensland. A tailender hit the ball high in the air and John Causby got under it. Neil Hawke yelled from short leg, “Drop it, drop it, Caus.” Hawkey was jokingly referring to the way we were paid in those days. We got A$30 all up for the four days (with $7.50 deducted for taxation), and if you won in three days, you were docked a day’s pay.I went on a number of Test tours where we were treated badly by the Australian cricket board in terms of pay and accommodation. During a seven-month tour of Sri Lanka, India and South Africa, we were paid peanuts (and although we batted and bowled out of our skins to beat a very good Indian outfit 3-1 in India, we played like monkeys and lost 0-4 to the Springboks). In India there were some good hotels, but we stayed in many that could only be described as hovels. That tour was the catalyst for World Series Cricket getting off the ground.WSC happened some eight years down the track, but being paid good money to play top cricket was a revelation. I just wanted to be part of it. It was Kerry Packer who provided that opportunity, and his televising Test and one-day cricket was the start of big money for top cricketers the world over. These days television is the financial life blood of the game, and the players get huge money for their efforts. In my time the boards ran the game and were veritable landlords, lauding it over the players, the serfs. There has been a big turnaround, for today it is the players who call the tune. They dictate what form of the game they play: some decide to opt out of Test cricket and play just one form of cricket – T20 or the 50-overs format.Melbourne 2005: the teams line up in a moment’s silence for Packer•Getty ImagesBe that as it may, it is thanks to Kerry Packer that the money is there for the players. Speaking of which, another incident from the time of WSC comes to mind.In the second year of the league, Australia were about to leave for a tour of the Caribbean. All the players were on $16,000 for an eight-week stint against Clive Lloyd’s terrific side. Chappell, Australia’s captain, was called in to Packer’s Park Street headquarters in Sydney, where Packer asked if he was happy with his team, and it emerged that the sum of $16,000 was less than the daily rate stipulated under the WSC contract.Packer turned to Lynton Taylor, his executive, and said, “Aren’t we paying according to the contract?”Taylor replied: “No, Kerry, but Ian’s sorted it out with the players. It’s all fixed.”Packer asked again: “Aren’t we paying according to the contract?””No.”Packer bellowed: “Then f****** pay ’em according to the contract!”Chappelli interjected: “This is ridiculous, Kerry. You’re not going to make any money out of this tour to the Caribbean. Our blokes are going to make more money on this tour than they’d earn at home.”But Packer was determined. He turned to Taylor. “How much more would it cost if we pay according to the contract?”Taylor did his sums quickly and replied: “About $340,000.”Packer hardly drew a breath before he said, “Well, pay ’em according to the contract.””Son, I’ll tell you something,” he said to Chappelli. “$340,000 is about the price of a B grade movie for my TV station. That’s not going to break me. What will f****** well break me is not sticking to to the word of my contracts. Lynton, pay ’em.”If he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Packer may well have been a leading union boss, for he had a feel for the mood of the people. He knew what stories the people wanted, as evidenced by the amazing success of his flagship magazine, the , and he knew what sort of television programmes won the heart of the common man.Kerry Bullmore Packer was born on December 17, 1937 and died on December 26, 2005. The day after his death, the Australian and South African teams wore black armbands as they lined up in respect for the astute businessman and cricket lover. I shall never forget the image of Shane Warne and Co. standing in the MCG sunshine for a minute’s silence, remembering a good mate and perhaps contemplating what might have been had Packer not taken the Establishment to task. As Michael Clarke’s young Australians take the field, they might also look skyward and thank their lucky stars that Kerry Packer made such a colossal impact on cricket.

Brad Haddin is a batsman, not a wicketkeeping thrasher, even though he can comfortably find the stands with his driving

Peter English at Cardiff11-Jul-2009There is such a light touch about Brad Haddin, whose bat glides in its follow through while his feet skip along the wicket. He is a batsman, not a wicketkeeping thrasher, even though he can find the stands with his driving. A man of average height at 1.8m, he is more about timing than muscle, sitting closer to Michael Clarke in style than his predecessor Adam Gilchrist.While Marcus North provided the stability, Haddin displayed the pizzazz during a 200-run stand that sucked the spirit from England on a day when the fielders kept looking at the sky, willing it to rain. Instead the boundaries poured from two centurions playing their first Ashes Tests. Gilchrist has been gone for 18 months and moves further into history with innings like Haddin’s 121. Andrew Symonds, the previous long-term No. 6, has now been forgotten.Haddin’s second fifty came in 48 balls but at no time did his bat look like breaking. The handle is cuddled, not suffocated, by fingers bent from catching balls behind the stumps. In front of them he dances delicately during his shots before jumping sideways to stop himself from running down the centre of the pitch.Sometimes Haddin didn’t have to bother with scampering towards the bowler’s end. The offspinner Graeme Swann was lifted for six to midwicket with all the effort of pushing a single. A straight drive off Monty Panesar, which brought up 150 runs in conjunction with North, sailed over the rope surrounded by gasps from the crowd. Nobody hits in that direction as comfortably as Haddin.England were already demoralised when Haddin arrived late on the third day, but he and North refused to let them rest on Saturday. They avoided the early danger and were not bothered by the arrival of the third new ball.North’s century came two overs out from lunch and Haddin’s fifty was brought up with a single four deliveries before they ate. After the break the plunder continued and by the end of the splurge the only signs of life from England were the puffing cheeks of those chasing the ball.No batsman, Ricky Ponting included, struck boundaries as smoothly as Haddin. When he strode out to the spinners and Paul Collingwood the spectators between long-on and long-off started to tense. He almost struck a steward with a clearance in front of a Cockspur Rum sign that should have warned “Run”.By then he had reached three figures and the milestone had come in a most un-Haddin-like manner. There was one two and eight singles from him in the 90s, a glance bringing up his hundred and a lengthy double-arm raise in celebration.”He went out to bat, did nothing silly, got himself in, took his time and the situation allowed him to be free-spirited and play that attacking role,” North said. “It’s great for him to express himself in that situation.”Haddin’s previous Test century had come in a burst of explosions against New Zealand, but despite the flat-line of the England attack, this was the more cherished experience. Australia’s Ashes newcomers have settled quickly while the fresh faces in the hosts’ line-up remain shaken.North also raised his second Test hundred, in only his third game, and can now relax in his life as the side’s No. 6. Australia had wanted an aggressor in that position, but with Haddin able to move so freely when in form, North’s pace doesn’t matter. His 125 took 242 deliveries compared to the 151 Haddin used over 121.There were times when North followed through, including a handful of slog sweeps, but he is at his best when waiting to drive. Calculating and sensible, he shifted towards three figures with three twos in a row from James Anderson, finishing with a push behind point which ended in a spectacular slide towards the crease. It was unnecessary, but added to the moment.”Leading into that I was so nervous I couldn’t breathe,” North said. “The emotions had taken over a bit … Looking back on it now I don’t know why I did it, because I wasn’t looking at the ball. It was probably more panic and relief at getting over the line and realising I’d brought up a hundred.”North was unbeaten when Haddin found Ravi Bopara at deep midwicket and Ricky Ponting called him in to England’s brief delight. Cardiff has been a friendly ground for North, who posted 219 here for Durham in 2004, and while he insisted it was hard work, he said his county experience had ensured there were no surprises.”It certainly hasn’t felt easy, Test cricket is an intensity like no other,” he said. “Playing for nine or 10 years before my Test debut certainly helped my game, but I’m still very young at this level.”

Rafael Leao paid a touching tribute to compatriot and Liverpool star Diogo Jota, who, along with his brother Andre Silva tragically past away on July 3 in a car crash in Spain. Leao scored an outrageous goal in the pre-season friendly between AC Milan and the Reds in Hong Kong and then gestured 20 with his hand to indicate Jota's jersey number at Anfield.

Leao broke the deadlock against LiverpoolPaid a touching tribute to compatriot JotaAC Milan beat Liverpool 4-2Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Leao followed a through ball from Christian Pulisic in a quick counter-attack and rushed towards the Liverpool goal. Van Dijk tracked back and closed in on the Portuguese winger and even tried to block the shot, but Leao found the back of the net with a powerful strike. After scoring the early goal, the Milan star gestured 20 to pay a heartfelt tribute to Jota in front of the Liverpool fans.

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Arne Slot had earlier left out Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez from the matchday squad amid speculations over their Anfield exit. While Nunez could head to Napoli or the Saudi Pro League, Diaz has attracted strong interest from Bayern Munich.

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Arne Slot's side went down 4-2 against the Serie A giants in their first pre-season friendly of their Asia tour. They will next face Yokohama F Marinos in the J League World Challenge final on July 30.