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Glasgow Rangers are leading the race to sign a young talent who has even been compared to Brazil superstar Neymar, with the player thought to have chosen a move to Ibrox despite a long list of suitors.

Martin expects more departures as Rangers ramp up business

Robin Propper’s time as a Gers player has reached its conclusion, with the centre-back returning to former club FC Twente after struggling to consistently impress at Ibrox.

Speaking over the weekend, manager Russell Martin admitted that there is interest in various other Rangers players, too, with plenty of outgoing business expected this summer.

While much focus is on the players who could leave Rangers in the coming weeks, new signings are also essential, and it looks as though the Scottish Premiership giants are in pole position to snap up a high level youngster.

Rangers set to win race for Mikey Moore

According to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, the Gers have won the race to sign Tottenham sensation Mikey Moore on loan despite competition from the English Championship.

Moore is such a gifted player with a big future in the game, so the idea of him spending the 2025/26 season at Rangers is a mouthwatering prospect.

Rangers: "Fearless" gem wants to move to Ibrox with Gers in negotiations

The Gers have been handed a major boost.

By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 28, 2025

The 17-year-old winger has an incredible 32 goal contributions (19 goals and 13 assists) in just 24 appearances for Spurs’ under-18 side, also netting once for the senior side to date and being lauded as similar to Neymar by teammate James Maddison.

“From minute 45 to 65 I thought we had Neymar on the left wing. He was brilliant. Just demanding the ball and fearless. [He has] that young, fearless mentality and you never want to take that away from him. He’s a young kid, a brilliant lad, a lovely boy. He takes in information, and he’s got bags of ability, so I’ll be there as an older player, hopefully with some wise words to help along the way.”

Martin knows that extra firepower is needed if his Rangers side are to have a chance of winning the Scottish Premiership title next season, and in Moore they would be signing an extremely talented youngster with the potential to excel on loan, no doubt wanting to prove his worth to Spurs.

Zimbabwe have named the uncapped duo – allrounder Tashinga Musekiwa and fast bowler Tinotenda Maposa – for the T20 World Cup regional qualifiers to be played in Kenya this month, to try and earn a spot for the main tournament in 2026. The selectors also recalled fast bowler Trevor Gwandu in the 15-man squad which sees 11 players from the series against India in July.Zimbabwe go into the six-team T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier B under new head coach Justin Sammons with a young squad with an average age of 26, a Zimbabwe Cricket release said. The team will be led by the experienced Sikandar Raza. The qualifier also includes Gambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and the Seychelles. The top two sides from these will progress to the regional final to be joined by Namibia and Uganda.Musekiwa, 24, has just 21 T20s to his name – apart from one first-class game and 29 one-dayers – for Mid West Rhinos. His T20 high score is an unbeaten 38 and his best figures are 3 for 24 out of his total wickets tally of 10. He most recently played for Zimbabwe Emerging against the South Africa Emerging side in two one-dayers, and scored an unbeaten 51 in the second.Maposa, 21, has featured in five first-class games for 14 wickets and is yet to play white-ball games in domestic cricket. His last series was the Logan Cup in which he played four red-ball games for Matabeleland Tuskers in January-February for 12 wickets with one five-for.”We have picked a young squad that is good enough to make us qualify and I am confident they will deliver in Kenya,” convener of selectors David Mutendera said in the release. “If you look at the direction we are taking, with the 2026 T20 World Cup and the future in mind, we have been blooding in youngsters who will definitely do the job like they did in winning single matches against Bangladesh and India in our last two series.”Raza is still there for now, but we had to start the process of building a younger team for the future.”Gwandu makes a return having last played for Zimbabwe in December 2023, against Ireland at home. After playing the domestic T20 competition for Southern Rocks in March this year, he too played for Zimbabwe Emerging, but in the African Games in Accra, Ghana, where Zimbabwe won the tournament.

Zimbabwe squad

Sikandar Raza (capt), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava

We are only in June, but Chelsea are wasting no time at all when it comes to the transfer window.

For example, even though the likes of Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr and Dario Essugo are already through the doors at Stamford Bridge, the Conference League Champions are still looking to make more significant additions.

That said, with the Champions League and more expectations in the Premier League to come next season, it’s not hard to understand why the West Londoners want to make sure Enzo Maresca has everything he needs.

One of the names most heavily touted for a move to Chelsea is Jamie Gittens, but interestingly, another international has now been linked with the club, someone who’d arguably be an even better signing.

Chelsea target Premier League star

Since wrapping up their prior transfer dealings, the most significant saga Chelsea have been in has been about Gittens.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Interestingly, the club were first linked with him back in October and then again during the winter window, but it would be fair to say that the links have seriously heated up in the last few weeks.

In fact, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed yesterday afternoon that the deal was close to being completed, while stories from late last week claimed that a fee of around £55m would be enough for Borussia Dortmund to sell.

However, while the young Englishman is undoubtedly very talented and will be an incredibly exciting addition to the squad, it now looks like the club are moving after someone from the Premier League who’d be an even better signing.

At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which has revealed that Chelsea are very interested in Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.

The report goes a step further, revealing that the Blues have already made contact with the Tricky Trees to find out more information about the player.

Unfortunately, one potential sticking point for a deal for the Brazilian is that Forest reportedly value him at more than €80m, which comes out to around £68m.

While that is an enormous amount of money, this might be a deal worth fighting for as Murillo has proven himself in the Premier League and could end up being a better signing than Gittens for Chelsea.

Why Murillo would be a better signing than Gittens for Chelsea

Now, the first thing to say is that both players would be good additions to Chelsea’s squad.

After all, it’s never a bad thing to sign an exciting and dynamic young winger, who’d not only scored at the Bernabeu but also managed to rack up a tally of 17 goal involvements in 49 games for a top European side at just 20 years old.

However, in the context of what the Blues actually need this summer, there are two significant reasons why Murillo would be a better signing than Gittens, the first of which relates to the club’s abundance of wingers in the squad.

As things stand, Maresca will be able to choose from ten players who are capable of playing on the wing next season – not including Mykhaylo Mudryk – so signing the Dortmund star will make it 11, which for any team is unnecessary.

That also leads us to the second reason: due to the number of attacking options at the Bridge, the Forest ace is likely to have a greater impact if he were to join.

After all, only one centre-back made 40 appearances across all competitions this season, Levi Colwill, while Tosin Adarabioyo made 38.

Moreover, when we compare the relevant underlying metrics between the former Fulham ace and the Tricky Trees star, like tackles, block interceptions and more, it becomes obvious that the “monstrous” Brazilian, as dubbed by journalist Ryan Taylor, would be a noticeable upgrade.

Murillo vs Adarabioyo
Statistics per 90	Murillo	Adarabioyo
Non-Penalty Expected G+As	0.07	0.07
Progressive Passes	3.25	2.68
Progressive Carries	0.62	0.32
Passing Accuracy	78.5%	91.1%
Key Passes	0.37	0.06
Passes into the Penalty Area	0.37	0.06
Shot-Creating Actions	1.24	0.96
Tackles	1.50	1.08
Blocks	1.95	0.57
Interceptions	1.02	0.70
Clearances	7.03	5.10
Ball Recoveries	4.01	2.61
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season

Ultimately, Chelsea would be smart to sign both Gittens and Murillo this summer, but when it comes to who will likely have more of an impact next year and, therefore, be the better signing, we’d have to lean heavily towards the latter.

Chelsea ready to offer £80k-p/w ace in exchange for "amazing" 17 G/A star

The Blues could have a transfer trick up their sleeve.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Jun 24, 2025

Arsenal love signing a defender. Even this summer, with the Gunners’ need for more quality and depth in attack abundantly clear, it’s not stopped them from looking at more defensive options.

Dean Huijsen was regularly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium after a fabulous debut campaign at Bournemouth, one that even saw him score against Mikel Arteta’s side.

Yet, he ended up heading back to his native country where the Spanish centre-back signed for Real Madrid in time for the Club World Cup.

Also on their radar is Ajax’s young superstar defender, Jorrel Hato.

Why Arsenal want to sign Jorrel Hato

Last summer, there was interest from Arsenal in signing the Dutch starlet from Ajax, but he ultimately stayed put in Amsterdam.

The Gunners turned their attention to another hybrid defender instead, signing Italian star Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.

Well, a year on, the interest remains in the 19-year-old sensation. That’s according to Fabrizio Romano who reported last week that Arsenal have been in contact with the Dutch side about potentially signing him.

So, why do they want him? Well, in the words of scout Jacek Kulig, Hato is “one of the most talented centre-backs of his generation in Europe”, rubberstamping the teenager’s simply frightening potential.

Despite being a centre-back by trade, it was actually at left-back where the youngster thrived for Ajax in 2024/25, playing 46 games in that role.

From that position, he put in some seriously impressive performances. Indeed, compared to full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues and the continent’s premier competitions, he ranks among the best 9% of players for pass accuracy per 90 minutes, the top 14% for aerial duels won and the best 14% for interceptions.

As data analyst Ben Mattinson also outlined, he’s a bit of a “Jurrien Timber 2.0”. That’s not just because he can play competently in the middle and on the sides, but he’s also incredibly hard to beat.

Timber was very rarely beaten by a defender in 2024/25, only losing 0.34 challenges per 90 minutes, enough to rank him among the best 5% of full-backs in the Premier League. Hato is even better in this regard, ranking in the finest 1% of players in the top five leagues for his metric, losing just 0.10 challenges per 90.

So, he’s really one of the best in his position, even before he’s reached his 20th birthday. There wouldn’t be many better Huijsen alternatives out there, that’s for sure.

But, what would his arrival mean for those already at the club?

What Hato's arrival would mean for Arsenal

Well, it’s safe to say that Arsenal don’t have a bottomless pit of money this summer and if they are going to spend big, it surely has to be on strengthening the forward ranks.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres continue to be linked with a move to bolster the striking ranks at Arteta’s disposal. Thus, how can they free up room for Hato, both in terms of game time and financially?

Well, with Kieran Tierney already out the exit door, heading for Celtic, there’s one less competitor for a place at left-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly could also be moved into midfield, his more natural position.

But, as far as sales go, we’re looking at Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Kiwior looked certain to leave a few months ago but after Gabriel’s hamstring injury, the Pole came in and deputised to an exceptional level.

He notably kept a clean sheet in the win over Real Madrid at the Emirates and looked the more assured of the two between him and William Saliba at the Bernabeu, where it was the Frenchman’s error that led to a Madrid consolation goal. He even scored in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Game time of Arsenal’s left-sided defenders in 2024/25
Player	Games	Minutes played
Gabriel	42	3,500
Jakub Kiwior	30	2,155
Riccardo Calafiori	29	1,497
Myles Lewis-Skelly	39	2,306
Oleksandr Zinchenko	23	789
Kieran Tierney	20	447
Data via Transfermarkt.

So, with Kiwior now more likely to stay, it will surely be Zinchenko to depart. According to new reports, he could now be ‘closing in’ on an exit.

Back in January, the £30m signing from Manchester City attracted the interest of Borussia Dortmund but a move ultimately didn’t happen.

Six months down the line and a deal could finally materialise with Dortmund once again monitoring the situation, according to Caught Offside. The same report notes that Zinchenko has a fellow suitor in the form of AC Milan who view him as a possible reinforcement.

Arsenal would now be happy to sell the Ukrainian, but only if they receive a fee in the region of £10m-£15m.

A departure this summer would be unsurprising, particularly given his waning minutes over the season that’s just concluded.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has gone from one of the first names on the teamsheet back in his debut year in London to someone who can barely get a game.

He revolutionised the style Arteta’s side played with, inverting from his left-back position but the manager has now found fresher blood capable of doing that, chiefly Lewis-Skelly.

Zinchenko only played 23 games in all competitions in 2024/25 and only started five league games all season long. It’s safe to say it wasn’t the finest year of his career, even if he did score a Champions League goal against PSV Eindhoven.

So, if the former City title-winner does move on, not only will it free up funds for more transfer business but it would also free up a space in the squad for Hato to fill.

For Andrea Berta, this is surely a no-brainer if the stars align.

He's a dream for Rice: Arsenal are about to submit bid for £84m "magician"

The outrageously talented international would be game-changing for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 12, 2025

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers may have to deal with interest from other clubs in his top players yet again during the summer transfer window.

The Northern Irish head coach’s plans were disrupted around this time last year when Denmark international Matt O’Riley left to sign for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.

There are now clubs reportedly interested in snapping up the club’s key players this year, as Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with an interest in Japan international Daizen Maeda.

Turkish giants Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho, are also reportedly interested in a deal to sign the winger from the Scottish giants this summer.

The Japanese forward produced 16 goals and ten assists in the Scottish Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign, and it would be a big blow for the Hoops to lose him to Spurs or Fenerbahce ahead of next season.

Celtic would have to go back into the market to bolster their options on the flanks, and Rodgers could be on the lookout for his next version of Scott Sinclair.

Why Scott Sinclair was a star for Brendan Rodgers

The English attacker played for the Northern Irish head coach at both Swansea and Celtic earlier in his career and caught the eye with his performances at the top end of the pitch.

Sinclair racked up 95 goals and 49 assists in 238 appearances for the manager at those two clubs combined, and no player, Luis Suarez and Jamie Vardy included, has scored more goals for Rodgers to date.

The former Great Britain Olympic star was particularly impressive for Celtic as a right-footed left winger who thrived as both a scorer and a creator of goals, cutting in from the left to provide a huge threat in front of goal.

19/20

2

0

0

18/19

28

9

3

17/18

30

9

10

16/17

35

21

7

As you can see in the table above, Sinclair enjoyed a hugely successful first season at Parkhead with a return of 28 goals and assists in 35 Premiership matches.

The winger signed for the club in the same summer that Rodgers made the move to Glasgow in 2016, as he joined from Premier League side Aston Villa for a reported fee of £3m.

That £3m transfer fee looks like a bargain in hindsight because he went on to deliver plenty of goals and assists for the Scottish giants as an impressive and exciting left-sided attacker for Rodgers.

He was a star for the Northern Irish head coach because he could provide consistent quality in the final third, and the Celtic boss could unearth his next version of Sinclair by signing one of the club’s current transfer targets.

Celtic identify winger as top target

According to Celts Are Here writer Mark Hendry, Celtic have identified Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha as a top target for the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Belgian forward is a target for the club because Rodgers would like to bolster his options in the wide areas, which suggests that he could be signed irrespective of any exit for Maeda.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Hendry’s article adds that the club have monitored the 24-year-old for some time and that he remains ‘active’ on their shortlist, as they eye a deal for the wing wizard.

The journalist states that Royal Antwerp look set to cash in on the Pro League attacker this year to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season, as his current contract with the Belgian side is due to expire in the summer of 2026. His valuation, as per Transfermarkt, currently stands at £4.6m

Celtic could, therefore, take advantage of that situation to swoop in and agree a deal for the left-sided forward, who could be Sinclair 2.0 for Rodgers at Parkhead.

Why Balikwisha could be the next Sinclair

Like the English forward, who played for Bristol Rovers this season, Balikwisha is a right-footed forward who predominantly plays off the left flank, cutting in onto his favoured foot to make things happen in the final third.

This immediately suggests that they are stylistically similar and could, therefore, fulfill a similar tactical role within Rodgers’ system, whilst starting on the left wing in his favoured 4-3-3 set-up.

Balikwisha also has the quality to make a real impact in the final third. He returned from injury during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign to deliver four goals and seven ‘big chances’ created in just 12 Pro League starts.

The Hoops target has shown that he has the potential to be a Sinclair-esque figure on the left wing if put in the right environment, as he caught the eye in limited game time.

Starts

27

12

xG

6.46

2.65

Goals

7

4

Big chances created

6

7

Key passes per game

1.5

1.6

Assists

5

3

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha has consistently outperformed his xG in the Pro League since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, whilst regularly creating three chances every two games on average.

One scout, Emir, on X, claimed that the winger has the quality at the top end of the pitch to “wins games on his own”, which is backed up by the statistics above as he can score and assist goals at a good level in Belgium.

A move to Scotland to play in an incredibly dominant Celtic team could allow him to flourish, as Maeda did this season with his 26 goal involvements in the Premiership, and truly reach Sinclair’s level of goals and assists under Rodgers.

Balikwisha has also shown potential in Europe, with two goals in seven games in the Champions League in the 2023/24 campaign, which suggests that he could hit the ground running in the league phase of the competition next term for the Hoops.

Celtic can unearth Jota replacement in "phenomenal" star who's like Foden

Celtic could unearth a surprise replacement for Jota by bringing this star back to Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Jun 8, 2025

Overall, the Royal Antwerp star could be an excellent signing for Celtic due to his age, his contract situation in Belgium, and the potential he has to be Sinclair 2.0 for Rodgers as an electric winger who can score and assist goals from the left flank.

Liverpool are expected to act fast to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer and could now be closing in on a long-term successor, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool preparing for life without Trent Alexander-Arnold

Losing one of your best players is a difficult endeavour for any manager. Still, Arne Slot will retain optimism that Liverpool can cope without Trent Alexander-Arnold after his departure was announced after his 20 years at Anfield.

Conor Bradley will start against Arsenal and has been endorsed by the Dutchman as a long-term option at right-back, even if he stopped short of citing the Northern Ireland international as a like-for-like replacement.

He stated: “To become a very good player, you have to be available every week, and that is the first step he has to take next season. But we have confidence in Conor as a very good full-back for Liverpool.”

Undoubtedly, Liverpool will need to supplement Alexander-Arnold’s presence by finding a reliable alternative in the market, and Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento is near the top of their list following his shining displays at St James’ Park.

Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is another target for Slot, though he would occupy a central-defensive berth should a move materialise amid his £50 million release clause.

Fabrizio Romano reveals what he's heard about Liverpool signing De Bruyne

Could a shock move to Anfield materialise this summer?

ByHenry Jackson May 9, 2025

First and foremost, celebrating a title victory that has been long-awaited on the red half of Merseyside will be the immediate priority.

However, time is of the essence, and Liverpool will need to replace Alexander-Arnold sooner rather than later, given that any new arrival in his position would need a bedding-in period to acclimatise to Slot’s high-octane style of play.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has delivered a significant update regarding who his successor could be.

Romano: Jeremie Frimpong open to Liverpool move

Taking to social media platform X, Romano confirmed that Liverpool are aware of the finer details regarding Jeremie Frimpong’s release clause at Bayer Leverkusen, and he also signified the Netherlands international is open to moving to Anfield.

The stipulation is deemed to be worth between £29.5 million and £33.8 million, and the former Celtic man remains one of the Reds’ priority targets this summer.

Labelled “magnificent” by Neil Lennon, Frimpong has registered four goals and 12 assists in 47 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen this season.

Famed for his pace from deep, the 24-year-old has created 28 chances and completed 21 successful crosses on league duty, which may go some way to replacing Alexander-Arnold’s output.

Of course, the Liverpool academy graduate is a unique case, and it may take several players to mimic his impact, but Frimpong would be a good place to start if the Reds can push a deal over the line.

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to make a £75m bid for an “unbelievable” striker, but there is set to be fierce competition from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Spurs fall to disappointing defeat at Molineux

It was yet another afternoon to forget for Tottenham at Molineux this weekend, with Wolverhampton Wanderers prevailing 4-2 and exposing the defensive issues Ange Postecoglou’s side have been plagued by for much of the campaign.

With Spurs now languishing in 15th place, it is virtually impossible to take any positives from the match, but Postecoglou will be pleased Richarlison and Mathys Tel were amongst the goals, with the latter scoring his second in three games.

Richarlison and Dominic Solanke appear to have put their injury problems behind them, while Tel is set to make his loan move permanent in the summer, which leaves the Lilywhites well-stocked in the striker department, having been short on options at times this season.

Tottenham want to sign "brilliant" £30m left-back who could replace Udogie

Tottenham have now joined the race to sign “one of the best left-backs in Europe”.

ByDominic Lund Apr 13, 2025

However, Solanke hasn’t exactly been prolific in his debut campaign in north London, netting seven Premier League goals, and there is a feeling a new striker could be brought in this summer.

According to a report from Spain, Tottenham are now vying to sign a forward who was on the scoresheet at Molineux yesterday afternoon, namely Wolves’ Matheus Cunha.

Such is Spurs’ level of interest, they are willing to make a £75m offer for Cunha, and they are now ready to make a move, but there is set to be fierce competition for his signature.

Newcastle United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United are also interested in signing the Brazilian, given how impressive he has been for Wolves this season, most recently bagging the fourth goal in his side’s 4-2 victory on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Eintracht Frankfurt (a)

April 17th

Nottingham Forest (h)

April 21st

Liverpool (a)

April 27th

West Ham United (a)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (h)

May 10th

"Unbelievable" Cunha impressing for club and country

At one stage this season, Wolves’ Premier League status was in serious doubt, but the 25-year-old’s goals have played a major role in propelling them to safety, netting 16 times in all competitions, with 14 of those coming in the league.

Teammate Mario Lemina was seriously impressed by the Brazil international’s performances earlier this season, lauding him as “unbelievable”, and having led Wolves to safety, he has now earned a move to a top club.

Not only that, but the Wolves star has also started to make an impact at international level, having been described as the best Brazil player on the field against Argentina, scoring his country’s only goal in a 4-1 defeat.

Having impressed for club and country, Cunha could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham, but it could be very difficult to win the race for his signature if they don’t have Champions League football on offer next season.

The McCullum effect has been visible in patches for the white-ball squad, but 50-over game still needs attention

Cameron Ponsonby24-Oct-2025Clarity is all the rage in English cricket.Upon Brendon McCullum’s Test appointment in 2022, then ECB strategic director Andrew Strauss said the Kiwi “blew us away with his clarity of thinking”. Stuart Broad was soon to praise McCullum for his relentless positive energy. “Running towards the danger” quickly became England’s catchphrase as players publicly and privately spoke of the most enjoyable environment they’d played in.The missing link for those outside the group is what McCullum’s magic words actually are. Zak Crawley shared a Chinese proverb once, which was nice, but players line up to praise McCullum for the small messages, delivered at the right time.”Go out there and whack the spinners,” was Tom Banton’s example of McCullum’s divine intervention. It’s going to DVD soon, apparently.But when you’re a player with the CV of McCullum, it really is the messenger, as much as the message, that makes it count.And he’s succeeding. The T20 team is doing well, even if the ODI side remains a work in progress, winning just eight of their 23 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup. A conscious effort has been made to make this squad a team, with the pre-series trip to Queenstown a nod to that. So too are McCullum and Brook trying to create a settled group of players who know the shirt is theirs.”That’s the exact reason,” Brook confirmed, when asked why England had chosen the same XI for all three matches, rained off or otherwise. “We’re trying to settle the team as much as possible.”Related

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And again, McCullum, and Brook, are succeeding. From the start of the English summer, when the two began their work together, nine players have played in all six ODIs that England have played. So too have six players played all eight T20Is where McCullum and Brook have been present.”I think the balance of the side is pretty good at the minute,” was Brook’s summation after Auckland.Counterintuitively, the T20 group is the more settled. At least in terms of balance. England have decided on the spin combo of Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid – the “wily old foxes” as Brook describes them – meaning the return of Sam Curran leaves the team with three seamers and two spinners. When it comes to the World Cup and more spin-friendly surfaces, bringing Will Jacks in for Curran will be an option.There is only one area that remains up for grabs. The ODI seam attack.So far, Rashid has held down the sole specialist spinner role as England have picked three seamers. Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are locks when fit, but the third and final spot is unspoken for.Sonny Baker endured a tough ODI baptism as England continue to search for a settled seam attack•Getty ImagesAcross the summer, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts and Sonny Baker all appeared. Extend that to the start of the year and Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson featured. Go back six months further and you have Reece Topley and John Turner. Luke Wood, who has played only two ODIs, is in the current squad and could feature this series. But …”Where I sit in the pecking order, I couldn’t tell you,” Wood said following the washed out T20I at Auckland.For the six ODIs in which Brook and McCullum have been in charge, they’ve plumped for four specialist bowlers with the fifth to be made up from whoever else is on hand to help out, to allow them to pick seven specialist batters. “Imagine having us five-down and Will Jacks comes out to bat?” Brook said of the strategy earlier this year.It is an aggressive option, but its shortcomings were exposed against South Africa at Lord’s when the spin of Jacob Bethell and Jacks conceded 112 runs between them.Jacks, who has played all six ODIs in a new role at seven so far, is injured for this series, opening the door for a return for Curran and a slight shift in team balance. And with Archer absent from the first match with one eye on the Ashes, his spot, plus that of the third seamer, is open.Which brings us back to clarity. Two seamers will lace up for the first ODI in Mount Maunganui, with only one able to survive to Hamilton for the second. Baker played one match in the summer before he was discarded. Potts played two but didn’t make the plane for New Zealand. Overton played two while England continue to try and mould him into the player they want and believe he can be. Mahmood played four but is now injured.It is a fact of sport that plans can never be perfect, even more so with fast bowlers where injuries are that more regular. Nevertheless, under McCullum and Brook they have tried their best to make it so.The ODI World Cup is still almost exactly two years away, giving England time to pick this group. Back it, and see how it develops. They have made their bed with the majority of the side, the New Zealand series is the first step to seeing how the final part of the jigsaw lands.

A civil engineering graduate, Madhwal had bowled only with a tennis ball until 2018. Now he is filling in for Jasprit Bumrah

Shashank Kishore and Daya Sagar25-May-20231:25

Have Mumbai found a specialist death bowler in Madhwal?

On Wednesday night, Akash Madhwal etched himself into IPL folklore. In the Eliminator in Chennai, he picked up 5 for 5, the joint-most economical IPL figures alongside Anil Kumble, to stun Lucknow Super Giants.It was a spell of the kind he had always dreamt of when he used to mimic bowling actions at the project site where he was employed as a civil engineer. Perhaps this is what he meant when, after the game against Gujarat Titans in early May, where he dismissed Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and David Miller, he told the broadcaster: “These are not my best figures, my best is yet to come.”Madhwal’s words reflected his quiet confidence. Last week, in a must-win game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his four wickets and a terrific penultimate over was the difference between Mumbai having to chase 201, as opposed to 220. The highlights were the wickets of a marauding Heinrich Klaasen and Harry Brook.Related

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Coming from a middle-class family in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Madhwal would see his neighbour, Rishabh, dedicate considerable time and effort towards training. While Madhwal, who went on to graduate with an engineering degree, casually played tennis-ball cricket with his friends, he would see Rishabh play with the hard ball.When he saw Rishabh train under coach Avtar Singh around 2013-14, Madhwal too was inspired to give professional cricket a shot. Rishabh would soon leave Uttarakhand and move to Delhi. Madhwal would realise only much later that his neighbour was destined for greatness. The boy he had known as Rishabh all along would announce himself to the world as Rishabh Pant.While Pant would move to Delhi to further his cricketing aspirations, Madhwal stayed back in Roorkee hoping to make something of his late initiation into the game. The turning point came in 2019 when Uttarakhand called for trials for the senior team in the second year of their existence.Akash Madhwal made history with his figures of 5-5 in the Eliminator•Associated PressWasim Jaffer, who was roped in as one of the coaches, was impressed by the raw pace and natural ability when he shortlisted Madhwal to be part of the senior state camp. Two months later, he made his state team debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And incredibly, within two years of playing with the red ball, he also made his Ranji Trophy debut.In 2021, Madhwal was one of the reserve bowlers for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the UAE leg of the season. He had been told an opportunity could open up in the unfortunate event of an injury or a Covid case. That situation didn’t arise, but Madhwal, who only two years prior, was otherwise working as a planning engineer at a construction firm in Dehradun, thought he had lived his dream. After all, he got bowl to AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.”Simply being called by my first name by two superstars who I had seen on TV was special,” a sheepish Madhwal would tell the RCB website.Madhwal was there on talent scout Malolan Rangarajan’s recommendation. Rangarajan had first seen him when he spent a season with Uttarakhand as a professional in their very first year since gaining BCCI affiliation in 2018-19. Two years later, when he went back as a scout, he remembered being impressed with Madhwal’s arm speed and deceptive pace.It turns out RCB weren’t the only team that had an eye on him. CKM Dhananjay, Mumbai Indians’ video analyst who is also known as DJ within the camp, had watched Madhwal bowl at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun and was immediately impressed. He had also received feedback from Anand Rajan, the former Madhya Pradesh seamer, who would later join Uttarakhand as bowling coach.

When I was Uttarakhand Head Coach this boy came for trials. He was 24-25 and had only played tennis ball cricket. We were so impressed with his pace we roped him in right away! The year was 2019, and that boy was Akash Madhwal. Proud of how far he's come! #MIvsLSG #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/BH0RTeRKvz

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 25, 2023