The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the IPL

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

You’ve come to the right place if you’re a clueless extraterrestrial wondering, ‘Eyepeeyell, whut?’

Alagappan Muthu22-Mar-2019 – and the occupant steps out. Seven feet tall. Oval head. Long, spindly arms. Typical Hollywood alien – except for the bit where they freak out when the IPL ad plays on TV.Icome Inpeace: What the florg was that?!Al: Uhhh…Icome: That noise. It’s so…Al: Awesome?Al: You don’t like the IPL horn?!Icome: What’s Eyepeeyell?Icome: So who’s gonna win this year?Al: Um, not sure. The IPL is the most competitive T20 league in the world. So predicting a winner is like figuring out if there’s life in outer sp… oh.. uh.. wrong analogy. But I can tell you what to look forward to.Icome: Sure. Why not.Al: Well, you obviously know the World Cup is like 18 days after the IPL.Icome: Obviously.Al: That means everyone will have kid gloves on. Australia and England have already set a date for their players to return – May 1. Imagine what that will do to a franchise like Rajasthan Royals. One day they’ll have Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer in their XI. The next, they all go . And these are all first-choice picks. Heavyweight picks. Without them the team actually looks… well, let’s put it this way, they might not even have four overseas players to put on the park. There’s only Oshane Thomas, Liam Livingstone and Ashton Turner, and that’s assuming Australia don’t pick him for the World Cup.Icome: Whoa…Al’s mind voice: I just made an alien go whoa.(Norm)Al: So, unlike most IPL seasons, where teams can afford slow starts – Mumbai Indians are famous for it – this time they may pay extra attention to winning the early matches so their path to the playoffs is a little easier. ‘Cause everyone will announce their World Cup XVs in April and they’ll probably want to recall their players from the IPL to begin their own preparations.Icome: Will anyone leave their players behind?Al: New Zealand. They said so last November but you wouldn’t blame them if they changed their minds. The IPL is a two-month-long tournament with teams playing one night, travelling the next, and playing again almost immediately. Even India are wary about what might happen to their best ODI assets, with the captain Virat Kohli repeatedly saying they’ll have to be careful about keeping themselves fresh and also not picking up bad habits.Icome: Bad habits?Al: Kinda like playing a big shot too early. Or experimenting too much while bowling. All that stuff.Icome: Ah.Andre Russell loses his grip while pulling one away•BCCIAl: All that might mean players on the fringes of various national teams, and those who’ve retired from international cricket altogether, could hold the key later in the season.Chennai Super Kings’ XI, for example, might look something like: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Sam Billings, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Harbhajan Singh/Karn Sharma 11 Mohit SharmaAnd that’s pretty baller. Delhi Capitals too. Check it out: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Axar Patel/Amit Mishra, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Sandeep Lamichhane, 11 Keemo Paul/Ishant Sharma/ Harshal PatelKings XI Punjab, meanwhile, stand to lose Chris Gayle, David Miller and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – three potential match-winners, leaving them with: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Moises Henriques, 7 R Ashwin (capt), 8 M Ashwin, 9 Ankit Rajpoot, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Hardus Viljoen.ESPNcricinfo LtdFormer champions Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders have no such worries. Their strongest XI barely changes and even when Quinton de Kock leaves, Rohit Sharma has back-up options as good as Ishan Kishan. So yeah, that might be where this IPL is won. And it’s gonna be pretty close again. Like last time (which we predicted).Icome: What makes you say that?Al: There isn’t one team that is, like, way overpowered. Mumbai look like they have the strongest squad but they had that last season too and didn’t make it to the playoffs. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the two top-scorers in 2018 but their teams – Kings XI and Delhi – didn’t make the last four.Bowling-heavy outfits – like KKR – are always a good bet, though. And they’re likely to have Sunil Narine and Andre Russell – possibly the two greatest T20 players of all time – through the season.Icome: Anything else?Al: Ohh! Oh, there’s a big push for young, unknown players! Like Prayas Ray Barman. He’s 16. Bowls legspin. Wrote his class 12 exams last week. Now, just like that, he’s gonna go to work for Royal Challengers Bangalore… and get paid INR 1.5 crore!Ditto for Simran Singh. Eighteen. Faced less than 50 balls in T20s. Kings XI bought him for INR 4.8 crore. Rasikh Salam. Fast bowler from J&K that nobody knew about but Mumbai got on him board for INR 20 lakh. All indications of the amount of scouting that goes on in the off-season ’cause every team wants a surprise weapon. Someone to shock the opposition with. Kinda like Jasprit Bumrah all those years ago.These guys’ll be working with the best of the best too. Zaheer Khan and Mahela Jayawardene will be in Mumbai. Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly in Delhi. Mike Hesson – the coach who helped New Zealand make the World Cup final for the first time – at Kings XI.Icome: Cool, cool, cool.Al: And one last thing. Well two last things. Steven Smith and David Warner. They kinda florged up a while back, got banned from playing and everything, but now they’re back in the spotlight. Like the biggest spotlight. Australia themselves will be keen to see how those two shape up against top-quality bowling and the off-field scrutiny.Icome: So who do you like?Al: Umm, the holders. CSK, who returned from a two-year suspension last year to win the whole tournament. It was bizarre. They’d always be like 30 for 5 and then someone’d come and rescue them. They weren’t so much playing cricket as trolling haters.And there’s RCB, who’ve had the two best batsmen of this era for years but no trophy to show for it. They’re always a popular team, though. There have been so many games where they’d be in Kolkata or Mumbai or Delhi and the crowd would be screaming Kohli’s name or AB de Villiers’.Icome: Are you drooling?Al: Wha– No!Al: Hey, come on, it wasn’t that funny. You really think I was interested in the florgin’ IPL?! I was stalling for time! Now, take me to your leader!

'BCCI should retire No. 12 jersey' – tributes pour in for Yuvraj Singh

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

‘The best ever white-ball cricketer India ever had,’ tweets long-time teammate Gautam Gambhir

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2019

View this post on Instagram

Enjoy retirement Legend @yuvisofficial

A post shared by Stuart Broad (@stuartbroad8) on Jun 10, 2019 at 3:17am PDT

Do Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik fit into Pakistan's World Cup squad?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Inzamam-ul-Haq & Co will have to answer some tricky questions when they sit down to finalise the 15 for the showpiece tournament

Danyal Rasool17-Apr-2019When it comes to World Cup squads, the fans’ perspectives are often more interesting in Pakistan than they are elsewhere. Even today, you will invariably find lists with Imran Nazir or Shahid Afridi’s names in them. For the selectors – now led by Inzamam-ul-Haq – the job of finalising the squad is often a thankless one, impossible as it is to fulfil the wishes of 200 million people. And it’s not just the fans – sure as night follows day, a former player will be on air the day the squad is announced ranting about nepotism or negligence, often both.There are, however, legitimate questions for Inzamam and Co. to consider before they decide on the 15 and get to that press conference. So no list of our own, but here are some of those factors.The pace line-upUnquestionably, the best problem Pakistan have. There are so many candidates to choose from that the only concern is who to leave out. Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali are presumably guaranteed their spots, but Pakistan must still choose two from among Usman Shinwari, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain and Mohammad Amir. That’s quite an embarrassment of riches.The last name there – Amir – wouldn’t even be in contention if any other bowler had his figures for the past two years. Since the Champions Trophy final in June 2017, Amir has taken five ODI wickets in 101 overs of bowling at an average of 92.60 per wicket. Unsurprisingly, this is the worst for all bowlers to have sent down over 600 balls in this period. For an idea of just how bad that is, the second poorest specialist fast bowler in that list is Mark Wood, with 20 wickets at 47.75, nearly twice as good as Amir.Mohammad Hasnain claims the wicket of Aaron Finch•AFPWhat Amir does have going for him is an economy rate of 4.58 for the same period; his career economy rate stands at 4.78. It is worth noting that among fast bowlers from World Cup-playing teams, only Jasprit Bumrah (4.30) has been more economical these past two years.Admittedly, Amir’s switch from the tearaway quick who could shoot out oppositions to a bowler who keeps the runflow in check has been a sharp one. But, irrespective, can Pakistan afford to overlook the 27-year-old left-arm paceman, given what he did when he last played an ODI in England?The opening slotsFakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq will be the first-choice openers. Now, and this is by no means an Achilles heel for the team, but Fakhar’s recent loss of form has been most untimely, and inopportune. Since the Zimbabwe series in August last year, runs haven’t flowed as freely off the left-hander’s blade, 377 at an average of 29. That is against a career average of 53.4. Fair enough, you might say; he bats aggressively, so a lean run is always around the corner. That’s true, but in this period, he has struck at a strike rate of 83 in ODIs; before this spell, it was 102.Which brings us to the reserve opener. Abid Ali has come from nowhere to emerge as a serious contender, especially with Shan Masood not helping himself in the series against Australia. But while Abid’s domestic record leaves little room for debate, Inzamam & Co. will have to consider whether taking him along on the basis of one international innings is a punt too left field.Asif Ali tries to go big•AFPThe Asif Ali dilemmaTake him. There is little doubt Pakistan will. He’s the only legitimate power-hitting option Pakistan have lower down the order, so it’s really as simple as that. But it’s more a question of how Asif Ali will be used.He batted at No. 6 in the Asia Cup; even Mickey Arthur admitted Pakistan fluffed that one up by sending him in too high. The coaches believe Asif is too one-dimensional to bat higher, which suggests No. 7. But that makes fitting Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim in to the side that bit harder. If one of them bats above Asif, the problem of a reliable No. 6 still isn’t resolved (Shadab could do it in the long-term, but the World Cup is too immediate for that sort of trial). That means Asif’s game time might come at the cost of one of the allrounders.In any case, Asif still hasn’t truly established himself in the format. A stellar series against Zimbabwe was followed by low scores in the Asia Cup and after that, but the sample size just isn’t big enough to call it either way.Shoaib Malik – not a shoo-in any morePerhaps the prickliest question facing Pakistan is whether to take their most experienced player to the World Cup for a swansong or not.Shoaib Malik is bowled•Getty ImagesJust months ago, when Sarfraz Ahmed was struggling, there was talk that Shoaib Malik might lead the team at the tournament. A T20I series loss against South Africa, a clean sweep by Australia, and a poor campaign with Multan Sultans at the PSL has put that thought firmly to bed.Should he even go to the tournament, particularly with Mohammad Hafeez looking like he will recover in time? Malik isn’t a realistic bowling option anymore and has an abysmal ODI record in England, averaging 13.6 with the bat in 23 innings. For the past two years, he has struggled to serve as the launchpad Pakistan want at No. 5, Malik’s most frequent batting position in that period. His strike rate of 82.11 in that timeframe is almost identical to his career number. Also, he has also fallen into the habit of getting starts and then getting out: ten of his last 11 ODI innings have seen the 37-year-old dismissed between 10 and 31.Even so, excluding him would be a brave call. No other player from any side at the tournament will boast a career that commenced in the previous century, and his laid-back demeanour is unlikely to be a heavy, unwanted presence in the Pakistan dressing room. And, in any case, Pakistan have a habit of ending players’ careers just after the World Cup, rather than just before, so Malik has history on his side.

Rejuvenated Karun Nair marches on in style

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

On a sluggish surface, the Karnataka batsman looks good to add another century to his scores of 99 and 166 not out in the first Duleep Trophy outing

Hemant Brar in Alur30-Aug-2019″Take some rest in between, you have to bowl 75 overs on this pitch,” India Green’s Ishan Porel, sitting on a thick pile of covers outside the fine-leg boundary, shouted to Rahul Chahar.Chahar had bowled only one over up until then, but Porel knew the pitch didn’t have much in it for fast bowlers. Earlier, after bowling the first over of India Red’s innings, Ankit Rajpoot could be heard telling himself, rather sarcastically, that it was going to be fun bowling on that surface.While the second-day pitch during the Duleep Trophy game had hardly anything in it for fast bowlers, batsmen too seemed to be struggling to force the pace. The ball wasn’t coming on, and the overnight rain had meant that even the good shots didn’t fetch their full value because of a sluggish outfield.On a slow day when nothing seemed to be moving, Karun Nair carried on with his good form and took another step forward on the road back to India’s Test side. By the end of the day, his unbeaten 73 had taken India Red to 140 for 2.In response to India Green’s first-innings total of 440, India Red were 12 for no loss in the ninth over when a glute strain forced Abhimanyu Easwaran to retire hurt. In came Nair and it seemed everything had changed magically. The ball started coming on much better, the outfield appeared to have become quicker but only for Nair, who batted as if he was just resuming from his unbeaten 166 in the last game.ALSO READ: ‘Can’t keep throwing away starts’ – Karun Nair digs deep to make it countNair consistently found the boundary with his drives, punches and flicks against the seamers. Against spinners, he used his feet to either go to the pitch of the ball and loft down the ground, or go back and cut square of the wicket. Every shot appeared to come from the middle the bat; the timing was crisp. As a result, he raced to his fifty off just 58 balls with the help of nine fours.For India Red, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was the only bowler to make an impact. With little help from the pitch, the left-arm spinner varied his pace and length to reap rewards.Priyank Panchal, who had laboured to 31 off 76 balls, went for a booming drive against Jadeja but the ball dipped on him to take the outside edge. Dhruv Shorey at first slip made no mistake.Ankit Kalsi, who had scores of 106 and 64 in the last game, too found it difficult to get going. While trying to cut Jadeja, he ended up edging the ball on to the wicketkeeper’s pads with Shorey keeping his calm to complete a juggling catch off the deflection.But Jadeja too appeared helpless against Nair. The batsman collected 18 runs off the 25 balls he faced from Jadeja, including a lofted shot over mid-off for four. By the time bad light forced stumps, Nair had galloped to 77 off 106, with a second successive century in sight.”He [Nair] likes to use his feet against spinners, so my focus was to vary my length and pace,” Jadeja said after the day’s play. “I prefer when batsmen go for the attack because it gives more opportunities to get them out.”But on Friday, whatever challenges Jadeja threw at Nair, he was up to it. Moreover, with chairman of selectors MSK Prasad in attendance, Nair had added motivation to do well.In the morning, Jadeja’s 37 with the bat and had his 51-run sixth-wicket stand with Akshay Wadkar had helped India Green cross 400. But once Jadeja was out, the incoming batsmen didn’t last long and India Green lost their last five wickets for just 35 runs. Akshay Wakhare was the most successful bowler for India Red, finishing with figures of 5 for 103.”The target was to score at least 550,” Jadeja said. “When Wadker and I were batting, the thinking was to stretch as much as possible. But after I got out, two more wickets fell quickly and that pulled us back.”Jadeja will have a chance to make amends on Saturday, this time with the ball. With India Red still trailing by 300, if he can dismiss Nair and a couple of others early on, India Green might have a foot in the final by the end of the third day.

'Model my game around the instinctive Quinton de Kock' – Bryce Parsons

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The South Africa U-19 captain talks about his role models, transformation targets, the pressure of leading the home team at the ongoing World Cup

Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom30-Jan-2020With 245 runs in three innings, at an average of over 81, you’re the highest run-scorer after the group stage. Has captaincy helped you up your game?I’ve always enjoyed the responsibility of being a captain. It lets me knuckle down a bit more in the middle. Being a normal player, I don’t tend to focus as much. Being a captain puts extra pressure on me, and I enjoy the pressure.But you need to also thank the rest of the batting order. The success of the top order has been really good in the first few games. The few good starts have let me come in against the spinners, and be nice and attacking and take them on. That’s my natural game, and going into the knockout games, I hope to continue.What qualities make you the captain you are, and whom do you look up to?I’m a natural leader; I can make people bond. That’s probably my main attribute. [I] Need to work on a few other things, I’m not a finished product yet, but I like how I’m getting there. I’ve just got the ability to have people gravitate towards me. People have always had…I don’t know how to explain it, but starting from primary school, I’ve always been given roles as a leader. It’s natural.I learnt a lot from Graeme Smith, who also went to King Edward VII, my school. Neil McKenzie – the former Lions captain – too, the way they dealt with interviews and post-match presentation. I got the roots from King Edward VII, and looked up to them whenever I can.

As for transformation and targets, they have to be there. With the wrongdoings of the past, we know where we have to go as the side. But we can’t get caught up in it, though…We are just focused and determined as a unit.Bryce Parsons

So, cricket…where did the love story start?Must be from my parents. They would chuck cricket balls to me from a young age. [In] Primary school, [I] played a bit of tennis-ball cricket, and then moved to Gauteng and then to King Edward.Growing up, I always loved how Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Brian Lara played – just a natural flair, always enjoyed that. I’ve taken to quite attacking batsmen, and these days, I model my game around Quinny [Quinton] de Kock. He doesn’t overthink, he’s more instinctive, and that’s how I want to play.(Laughs) Obviously, you must think when you have to think, but I don’t want to overthink. Overthinking is a reason for the downfall of many cricketers these days. I just want to play my game since it’s gotten me this far. I always had a love for batting. Although I’ve become a sort of frontline offspinner now, it’s always been batting ever since I was young.Before the World Cup squad was announced, South Africa had lost 7-0 to Pakistan in a series under your captaincy. Were you still expecting to be captain when the squad was announced?Bit of a weird day [it was], to be honest. I captained the Pakistan series, so there was a chat that we may have a captaincy change. It was a natural choice at that point to go for a different captain. Going down 7-0 wasn’t great.I always knew I’d be in the squad, but wasn’t sure if I was captain. Hearing I was captain was a huge privilege. Lots of emotions that day…leading the country at the World Cup. But I always knew I wanted that responsibility.The South Africa U-19 team is a bit of a mix: some from elite sporting schools, the others not so much. And then, there are transformation targets within the squad.I don’t think school plays that much of a defining role. We’ve all come through the CSA system, so our mindsets and processes are now well aligned. Schools played a role in us entering the provincial set-up, but now we all have a common goal to play for South Africa, so schools cricket is long forgotten.As for transformation and targets, they have to be there. With the wrongdoings of the past, we know where we have to go as the side. But we can’t get caught up in it, though. We have all bonded as a team, [share a] common goal, and have become really close. We can’t let the noise from the outside bother us, though. We are just focused and determined as a unit.How has the experience of leading the home side at a World Cup been so far? Does it add more pressure, considering South Africa often trip up in crucial stages of multi-team cricket tournaments? It’s just a massive privilege. We saw in Kimberley the number of people who came out for us. For us youngsters, it was always a dream to play at the U-19 World Cup. We know everyone can’t make it; a lot of players don’t make it, so we need to take responsibility of this privilege and let the South Africa flag flying high.Getty ImagesWe’ve spoken a bit about it, what you’re saying – that as a team we have struggled in the past to get past the big moments in big games. But the last two games – against Canada and UAE – were must-win games, so going into the quarter-finals, we know what we have to do. Nothing has changed. The pressure is obviously there, but we have the quality to get through.So, what happened in the first game, where South Africa were undone by Afghanistan’s spin?Credit has to go to Afghanistan in the tournament opener; they were really good. We may have had some nerves, but we can’t give excuses getting bowled out for 150. The good thing is we bounced back well, scoring 300-plus scores in the next two days. It was a tough day; we were all disappointed the way we played, and we figured a plan to how to play spin moving forward.The way we play spin after that first loss has definitely changed from the first game. That’s a positive, because we’ve been able to adapt really quickly. We know we will face more spin moving forward, but are prepared for it.You have made the quarter-finals after winning two do-or-die games. Do you think you can be the second South Africa captain – after Aiden Markram – to lift the trophy, come February 9?We must be seen as real contenders now. We’ve shown that in the last two games. With a strong bowling attack and now that our batting that’s clicking, we’ve shown we can win this tournament. We’re a force to be reckoned with but don’t want to get carried away either. We can’t wait to show how we deal with pressure come the quarter-final.What makes an U-19 World Cup special?It’s the exposure. Before the World Cup, not many people have seen us play. People don’t really watch U-19 cricket, so TV games help people see the skills and talent that young guys possess around the world. In the India-Australia game, we saw there was so much talent on the show.Through the tournament, people have realised that every team has some special players and players that will make a career out of the game. That’s really what the U-19 World Cup brings.It’s the knockouts now. Regardless of the result, what sort of legacy do you want to leave as the captain of South Africa?We just want to show that this badge carries a massive honour. We want to show we give everything out there. No matter the result, we want to fight every day, every game. That’s what we want to show to future South Africa U-19 players, the 15- and 17-year olds who will be in this team in the years to come. Personally, I have no idea where my life will take me. We’ve got massive games coming up for the country, so why look so far ahead?Lastly, what’s your message to the people of South Africa?Just come down and support us. We’ll give everything on the field, I assure you that. Hopefully, results go our way, but [I] promise, we’ll make you all very proud of us.

Amorim already has his own Matheus Cunha in Man Utd's "sensational" talent

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

The biggest game of the season so far is on the horizon, ahead of Thursday’s clash with Lyon in the Europa League, yet for those of a Manchester United persuasion, attention is already beginning to turn toward the summer transfer window.

As manager Ruben Amorim has already stated, even winning Europe’s second-tier competition would not be enough to “save” their season, with major surgery needed to the squad once again over the coming months.

Club legend Gary Neville stated after the dour Manchester derby that he feels United need at least “five new players straight away” to help give Amorim a fighting chance, while even the former Sporting CP boss has stated that he is keen to bring in “one or two big players”, ahead of next season.

Work is likely to already be underway in that regard, with rumours currently rife over just who will be on their way to Old Trafford. Might Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman, Matheus Cunha, be among them?

Latest on Man Utd's pursuit of Matheus Cunha

If Cunha had been auditioning for Amorim and co earlier this season, he certainly couldn’t have done much more to impress, with the Brazilian inspiring the hosts to a 2-0 win at Molineux on Boxing Day.

The 25-year-old memorably scored directly from a corner – while teeing up his side’s second goal – in what was an all-action display on the night, with scout Mick Brown stating that he “fits the system perfectly”, in relation to Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up.

With 13 goals to his name for the Old Gold this season, Cunha has unsurprisingly caught the attention, with reports earlier this week suggesting that United have now joined Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in the race for his signature.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' MatheusCunhaduring the warm up

As per the report, there has already been ‘initial contact’ between the Red Devils and the player’s agent, ahead of a possible summer move, with the option there for United to trigger the forward’s £62.5m release clause.

The player himself has already confirmed that he wants to “take the next step” in his career, with it yet to be seen whether that ‘step’ will lead him toward the Theatre of Dreams.

Regardless of whether or not the one-time RB Leipzig star does move to Manchester, it could be argued that Amorim already has his own version among the current Red Devils ranks.

Man Utd already have their own Matheus Cunha

As the aforementioned Brown has stated, what sets Cunha apart is that he is “not a one-trick pony”, with the respected insider listing a variety of traits which make him such a worthwhile investment:

Those are all attributes which the Old Gold hero seemingly shares with a certain Amad Diallo, with the pair noted as similar players among those in their position in the Premier League this season, as per FBref.

Indeed, not only are both men remarkably versatile – amid their ability to feature centrally, or on the flanks – but they both have that knack for making things happen for their respective sides, with Amad ranking in the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90, while Cunha ranks in the top 19% in that regard.

The pair are also adept at beating their man when in possession, with the 22-year-old United starlet ranking in the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90, while his Wolves counterpart ranks in the top 19% for that same metric.

Games (starts)

17 (12)

32 (29)

26 (24)

Goals

2

12

13

Scoring frequency

492 mins

204 mins

165 mins

Big chances missed

1

6

2

Assists

0

7

4

Big chances created

1

7

12

Key passes*

0.4

0.9

1.7

Pass accuracy*

76%

82%

78%

Successful dribbles*

1.5

2.0

1.9

Possession lost*

7.0

11.8

16.7

Defensively too, there is also a likeness in their ability to lead the press from the front, with Amad ranking in the top 23% for interceptions made, while Cunha ranks in the top 19%. In essence, neither man gives their opponent a moment’s peace.

While currently sidelined with injury, the Ivorian had dazzled prior to that at Old Trafford, notably chalking up six goals and six assists in 22 league outings, while averaging 1.8 key passes per game. That creative spark is mirrored by the Brazil international who averages 1.7 key passes per game, having registered 17 goals and assists thus far.

There is the prospect of having the two men operating in tandem in United’s forward line next term, although even a deal for Cunha can’t be secured, Amorim can rest safe in the knowledge that he has is own “sensational” talent – as described by journalist Liam Canning – to call upon.

Biggest deal since Bruno: Man Utd make contact to sign "world-class" star

Man Utd are believed to have joined the race for another standout signing

ByRobbie Walls Apr 8, 2025

Aston Villa in pole position to sign star in total deal that may cost £130m

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Aston Villa are thought to be best placed to sign a star in a transfer that could cost a total of £130m over five years, according to a former scout.

Rashford impressing at Aston Villa as Romano shares update

Marcus Rashford has been catching the eye at Villa Park after joining Villa on loan with a £40m option to buy in the summer from Manchester United.

Under Unai Emery, Rashford has impressed enough to break back into the England side, now under Thomas Tuchel, and he recently scored his first goals for Villa against Preston North End in the FA Cup and followed that up with another against Brighton on Wednesday.

There have been rumours of a permanent move to the Midlands for the forward, and Fabrizio Romano recently shared what he knows about the situation.

“Aston Villa are very happy with Marcus Rashford in general,” said Romano.

“So I don’t think, in any case, if they decided to trigger the £40m option clause, I don’t think they would do that just to sell the player again. So in that case, I see Marcus Rashford staying at Aston Villa and having the opportunity to make something long-term with the club. What I can say about Marcus Rashford is that it’s going to be really important to understand financially what happens for Aston Villa.”

Now, another promising claim has been made on the 27-year-old sticking around at Villa Park.

Aston Villa in pole position to sign Rashford in potential £130m package

Ex-scout Mick Brown now believes that Aston Villa are in the best position to sign Rashford on a permanent transfer. There have been claims by Football Insider that a transfer could cost £130m due to Rashford’s £350,000-per-week wage over a five-year period alongside the £40m fee.

Games

11

Goals

3

Assists

4

Talking to FI, Brown said: “Marcus going out on loan has been a win-win. There was no way his situation at Man United was going to improve, so from that point of view he’s gone away and improved his position. There’s never been any doubt about Marcus’ talent, and now he’s found a platform to display that.

“Aston Villa have gained from it because they were brave enough to take him on loan. Now, I think they’ll be in the best position to keep him on a permanent deal even though there’s going to be interest from elsewhere.

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“He’s established there and it’s been a good deal for everybody involved. I think there’s more to come for him there now that he’s got his first couple of goals – that link up with Asensio has been excellent. If they can keep that going and Villa can keep him at the club they’ll be much better for it.

“Manchester United will no doubt benefit as well because they can maximise his price tag when if he had stayed he was a depreciating asset.”

Rashford is also of interest to Bayern Munich, with reports at the end of February saying that the German giants are going all in to sign the winger. However, Brown believes Villa are best placed to seal a transfer, although it could be very expensive for NSWE between now and 2030.

West Brom, Middlesbrough and Burnley in huge race to sign 23-cap attacker

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

With the end of the campaign in sight, the race for the Championship automatic promotion places and playoff slots is heating up, and excitement is starting to build over who will earn a shot at Premier League stardom.

Promotion hopefuls planning for top flight return

Sheffield United retain a two-point lead at this stage, but know that Leeds United and Burnley lurk directly below and will be on hand to deal a blow to their title aspirations at the first sign of complacency.

Evaluating wider competition, Sunderland, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough and Bristol City are directly contesting each other for a place in the playoffs, creating a tense atmosphere across the division ahead of this weekend’s matches.

How the race looks with eight matches left

1. Sheffield United

83

2. Leeds United

81

3. Burnley

81

4. Sunderland

72

5. Coventry City

59

6. West Bromwich Albion

57

7. Middlesbrough

57

8. Bristol City

57

Undoubtedly, the pick of the round has to be West Brom’s home clash with Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime. The former are desperately clinging to sixth place after a run of only one win in five league games.

Tony Mowbray may even find his side knocked off their perch by Middlesbrough amid the latter’s kick-off against Blackburn Rovers on Friday evening. Either way, there is a lot of tension brewing between divisional rivals desperate for a shot at top-flight football.

On one end of the scale, Burnley would be devastated to miss out on an automatic return at the first time of asking. Meanwhile, clubs such as the Baggies and Boro have strong Premier League pedigree, even if they have spent a few years away from the dizzying heights of England’s most prestigious domestic environment.

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Intriguingly, the trio mentioned aren’t only battling on the pitch, they are also now fighting for the signature of an international player who could be available for free this summer.

West Brom, Middlesbrough and Burnley want to sign Tom Lawrence

According to The Daily Mail, West Brom are joined by Middlesbrough and Burnley in the hunt to sign Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence, who is out of contract in Glasgow at the end of the campaign.

Competition is fierce for his signature, with Coventry City, Wrexham, PAOK, Olympiacos and Besiktas also in the mix to tempt the 23-cap Wales international elsewhere on a free transfer.

Having previously played in the Championship with Derby County, Wayne Rooney paid tribute to his “excellent” leadership skills while captain of the Rams under his stewardship.

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old’s injury struggles have limited him to just 25 appearances at Ibrox this term, during which time he registered six goals and two assists across all competitions.

No confirmation has emerged regarding Lawrence’s next steps, creating an opportunity for interested parties to present a vision that could tempt the Wrexham-born man to seek regular football in an alternative environment.

Who will win the race for his signature? It is too soon to say, but achieving promotion to the Premier League would certainly help West Brom, Middlesbrough and Burnley make a compelling case.

20 goals in 55 games: Rangers have already sold incredible Dessers upgrade

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

Glasgow Rangers continued their dismal campaign when they were beaten 2-0 by Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership last weekend, failing to shorten the gap to their rivals at the top of the table.

The Scottish giants, excluding penalties, have lost in normal time in five of their last ten matches in all competitions, and have now lost seven times in the league.

Barry Ferguson replaced Philippe Clement earlier this year to become the interim head coach until the end of the season, and results like this are not doing his chances of landing the job permanently any favours.

The Scottish boss has lost two of his five Premiership matches in charge and the team have conceded a staggering 11 goals in those five matches.

Cyriel Dessers

Defending has not been the only issue for the Light Blues in recent weeks, or over the course of the campaign, though, as they missing chances has also been a problem, with centre-forward Cyriel Dessers being a serial offender in front of goal.

Why Cyriel Dessers has cost Rangers this season

The Nigeria international joined the club from Cremonese in the summer of 2023, signed by Michael Beale, and has failed to offer consistency in his finishing in front of goal over the past two seasons.

Dessers missed a whopping 29 ‘big chances’ on his way to 18 goals in the Premiership and the Europa League last term, and he has missed 26 ‘big chances’ in those two competitions so far this season.

Minutes

90

90

88

Shots

1

12

4

Shots on target

0

9

1

Big chances missed

0

5

2

Goals

0

1

0

Duels won

1/11

4/8

3/8

As you can see in the table above, the experienced forward has been particularly wasteful with the chances that have come his way in the last few matches, scoring one goal and missing seven ‘big chances’ from 17 shots on goal.

Dessers missed two huge opportunities to find the back of the net in the 2-0 defeat to Hibernian, which could have changed the game to either put Rangers ahead to pull it back to 2-2 to set the team up to find a winner late on.

Cyriel Dessers

His missed chances mean that the Gers often fail to capitalise on the pressure they put on opposition defences, which then provides them with more opportunities to go up the other end and score – as Hibs did last weekend.

That is why Dessers’ wasteful finishing, which has been a theme throughout his Ibrox career, has cost the Light Blues this season, and why the club must address that position in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The Scottish giants, however, once let go of a young prospect who has since developed into being an upgrade on the Nigerian forward in the present-day – Ryan Hardie.

Why Rangers sold Ryan Hardie

The centre-forward came up through the academy system in Glasgow and first broke into the senior side when Rangers were in the Championship in the 2014/15 campaign, scoring two goals in five league matches.

Hardie went on loan to Raith Rovers in the following season and scored an eye-catching six goals in ten Championship games, before spending time at St Mirren and Raith Rovers on loan in the second tier in the 2016/17 season – scoring nine goals in 34 matches.

His impressive form as a young striker out on loan led to him being a part of Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, playing seven Premiership matches but only being on the pitch for 55 minutes.

His lack of minutes on the pitch led to him spending the following 18 months on loan at Livingston, a season of which was in the Premiership. He scored seven goals in 21 Premiership matches for the relegation-threatened side in the 2018/19 campaign.

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However, Hardie’s form on loan at Livingston was not enough to convince Gerrard that he had a long-term future at Ibrox under him, which led to a permanent move to Blackpool in England for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2019.

Ryan Hardie

This meant that the Scottish attacker moved on from Glasgow after a return of two goals in 17 first-team matches for the club, spread across multiple seasons and leagues, but the Gers may, now, look back on him as one that got away from them.

Why Ryan Hardie is an upgrade on Cyriel Dessers

Hardie, who scored a winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup earlier this season, currently plays for Plymouth Argyle, who he signed for six months after joining Blackpool.

In his time with the English side, the former Rangers academy graduate has scored 72 goals and provided 23 assists in 243 matches in all competitions, helping the club to go from League Two to the Championship.

His Transfermarkt value has soared from £214k at the time of his Gers exit in 2019 to £1.5m at the time of writing, an increase of 601% – showing that the Scottish giants did not get maximum value out of him.

Since Plymouth were promoted to the second tier in England, Hardie has provided a reliable presence in front of goal to give his team a fighting chance of staying up, most recently scoring a brace in a 2-1 win over Norwich City last weekend.

The 28-year-old marksman, who was dubbed “incredible” by former boss Ian Foster, has been delivering quality for a team challenging at the bottom of their respective league, whilst Dessers has been less-than-impressive in front of goal for a team that should be challenging for titles.

Starts

55

46

Goals

20

28

Big chances missed

22

44

Shots per game

1.9

2.5

Shots

142

167

Big chances created

7

10

Assists

7

6

As you can see in the table above, Dessers has missed twice as many ‘big chances’ as Hardie, despite starting fewer matches, but only scored eight more goals.

These statistics suggest that the Scottish striker would currently have more goals than the Nigerian forward if he had been presented with the consistent stream of huge openings that Dessers has had in the Premiership over the past two seasons.

Hardie has proven his worth with Plymouth in the Championship, becoming a regular scorer in the English second tier, and has done so in a team that has not created many ‘big chances’ for him – compared to the amount Rangers create for their forward.

Therefore, the former Gers gem could have been an upgrade on Dessers if he had stayed at the club because of his ability to find the back of the net at an impressive rate without missing as many ‘big chances’ as the Beale signing, who is consistently letting his side down.

Souness dubbed him "top-class": 49ers must boldly sell £25k-p/w Rangers man

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ByRobbie Walls Apr 8, 2025

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