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ECB confirms Joe Root will miss warm-up game and first Test in order to attend birth of child

Matt Roller30-Jun-2020Ben Stokes will captain England for the first time in the first Test against West Indies starting next week. Joe Root, England’s permanent red-ball captain, will miss the first Test and warm-up match to attend the birth of his second child. Root’s wife, Carrie, is due to give birth later this week.The ECB confirmed that Root will have to self-isolate for seven days at home once he leaves hospital with his family. He is expected to be available for the second Test of the series, which starts at Emirates Old Trafford on July 16, and will join up with the squad at the ground on July 13.ALSO READ: Stokes promises to take ‘positive route’ as captainStokes said in a virtual press conference on Monday that he will look to take the “positive route” as captain, and Root has previously backed him for the role, saying that he would be “fantastic” at leading the Test team.Stokes is likely to become England’s least-experienced captain in their history, never having captained a first-class, List A or T20 game in his career. According to the , the only other man to captain England in Test cricket in the last 50 years without having captained in a first-class game was Kevin Pietersen, who had previously led in an ODI.Stokes admitted on Monday that he was “not one of those people you would necessarily think of as the next England captain”. He was initially awarded the vice-captaincy in 2016 before losing the role a year later following his involvement in the Bristol incident that overshadowed the 2017-18 Ashes series. He won the role back ahead of last year’s Ashes after making a personal plea to Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, following the World Cup final.Jos Buttler will be Stokes’ vice-captain, in a move that hints he will take the wicketkeeping gloves in the first Test. The pair will each lead one side in the three-day warm-up game at the Ageas Bowl.Confirmation that Root will miss the first Test leaves England with an interesting selection dilemma. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns are expected to open the batting, with Zak Crawley and Joe Denly seemingly competing for one spot at No. 3. Root’s absence could mean both play, or that there is an opportunity for Dan Lawrence to bat at No. 4. Alternatively, either Ollie Pope or Stokes himself could move up to No. 4, opening up a spot in the middle order for Jonny Bairstow.

The allrounder was also named ODI player of the year, while Alyssa Healy took home the T20I award for 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2019Ellyse Perry, the premier allrounder in women’s cricket, has won two of the three top annual ICC awards for 2019: the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for women’s cricketer of the year and the ODI Cricketer of the Year award. Alyssa Healy, meanwhile, has taken home the Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award for the second year in a row. In a sweep by Australian cricketers, Meg Lanning was named captain of the ODI and T20I teams of the year, which included five and four players from the country respectively.It has been an outstanding year for 29-year-old Perry across formats. She has hit three centuries – one in the Ashes Test and two in ODIs – and averaged 73.50 in 12 50-over games and 150.00 in nine T20Is. With the ball, there have been 21 wickets in ODIs, including a national record 7 for 22 (the fourth-best overall), and six in T20Is. During the course of the year, she also became the first player – man or woman – to complete the milestone of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in T20I cricket.ALSO READ: Perry the ‘greatest female player we’re ever going to see’ – Charlotte EdwardsFor Perry, it was the second Heyhoe-Flint award in three years, after she won in in 2017, the inaugural year. She is ranked No. 4 and No. 3 among batters and bowlers in ODIs respectively, and is just outside the top ten in the corresponding charts for T20Is.”It’s an amazing honour and I’m a little bit shocked, given how many amazing performances there have been across the year,” Perry said in an ICC statement. “It’s amazing to be acknowledged and I do truly appreciate it. It’s a really nice way to finish the year on a personal note.”It’s been nice to have a chance to tour so consistently with the Australian team. It’s been an amazing year, I’ve really enjoyed all of it and it’s just been nice to be a part of it. It’s so exciting that the T20 World Cup is here at home early next year and with the target of the final at the MCG it could be a really special moment in the game’s history.”Healy, meanwhile, made the record books when she scored a world record 148 not-out in just 61 balls in October against Sri Lanka, the highest individual score in women’s T20Is. Her century came off 46 balls, the quickest by an Australian man or woman.Alyssa Healy has been named T20I Cricketer of the Year for the second year running•Getty Images

“I’m really pumped to be awarded the T20I Cricketer of the Year,” Healy said. “The Australian women’s team had a fantastic 12-month period and we played some really consistent T20 cricket. Whilst the individual award is really nice for me personally, I think it was great to see our team play so well throughout that 12-month period, especially leading into a home World Cup in 2020.”Perry and Healy featured in both the ODI and T20I teams of the year, too. In the ODI team, the trio – Lanning, the third – was joined by compatriots Jess Jonassen and Megan Schutt, who also figured in the T20I line-up.Australia are the top-ranked side in ODIs and T20Is, and have a chance to retain the women’s T20 World Cup at home next year. “A home T20 World Cup is an opportunity that doesn’t come along often, but we are looking forward to and embracing the challenge of performing well in front of our home crowd,” Lanning said.Thailand will be making their debut at a global event, men’s or women’s, at that World Cup, and in a boost for them, Chanida Sutthiruang, their star medium pacer, was named the Women’s Emerging Player of the Year.India was the next best represented country in the teams of the year, with four players – Smriti Mandhana, Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav – figuring in the ODI XI and three – Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav – named in the T20I team.ODI team of the year: Meg Lanning (capt), Alyssa Healy (wk), Smriti Mandhana, Tammy Beaumont, Stafanie Taylor, Ellyse Perry, Jess Jonassen, Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami, Megan Schutt, Poonam YadavT20I team of the year: Meg Lanning (capt), Alyssa Healy (wk), Danielle Wyatt, Smriti Mandhana, Lizelle Lee, Ellyse Perry, Deepti Sharma, Nida Dar, Megan Schutt, Shabnim Ismail, Radha Yadav

Adam Gilchrist will be captain of the Kings XI Punjab for the fourth season of the IPL, Punjab coach Michael Bevan has said

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jan-2011Adam Gilchrist, the former Australia wicketkeeper, will be the captain of Kings XI Punjab for the fourth season of the IPL, the Punjab coach Michael Bevan has said. Bevan said Punjab bought Gilchrist, who led Hyderabad to the trophy in the IPL’s second season, specifically for his leadership skills. Gilchrist was bought on the first day of the auction for $900,000.”The main reason we picked him was because he is the captain,” Bevan, who was appointed Punjab coach four days before the auction, said. He also brushed aside any fears of form or fitness issues Gilchrist might have considering he is the second oldest player in the IPL at 39 years. “Even if he is not at the peak of his career, I still feel as a leader he has a lot to offer. In Twenty20 cricket you are not asking the guy to strike at 120 in the opening position. You are asking for guys to strike at 140 or 150 and Gilly is the type of player who can turn in three or four match-winning performances over the season.”It was Gilchrist who contacted Bevan, with whom he played alongside in the 1999 and 2003 World Cup winning sides, as soon as he heard the news. “He pretty much rang back straightaway and has been involved in the team-building process in the auction after that. That is a great sign; him lending his experience with some of the players he has played with. As a coach, you want your captain immersed in what we are trying to achieve.”Gilchrist was the first player bought by Punjab, on January 8. They proceeded to buy 10 more players, with only four Indian players, the backbone of any IPL team, adding wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, batting allrounder Abhishek Nayar, legspinner Piyush Chawla and seamer Praveen Kumar.Bevan reckoned spending big money on some of the Indian players might have been a gamble, but he did admit he was new at the IPL poker table. “I was not sure paying two million for a really good player would pay off, but we will wait and see.” Punjab had at their disposal a purse of $9 million, but came out of the auction with $2.17 million left unspent. Though he did not say it plainly, Bevan confessed Punjab might have erred in not risking more money on players. “Perhaps we misread the market a little and misread the pricing. There was some fever-pitch bidding, with Indian players going for sky-high prices which we never expected.”Even though he knew Indian players would go for pretty high prices because there were only 48 of them, Bevan was surprised by how much some of the younger players got. “There was always going to be a premium on the Indian players. We were happy to go with some good solid younger players, but even they went for lots of money.”Punjab lost out on several players whom they started to bid for, only to be outbid by other franchises. Mahela Jayawardene, who played for them in the first three seasons of the IPL, was bought by Kochi for $1.5 million after Punjab had made a $1.4 million bid. They bid the same amount for Yuvraj Singh, Punjab’s captain in the first two seasons and their icon player, only to lose him to the new Pune franchise for $1.8 million. They also lost bidding wars for Australia allrounder Cameron White, India batsman Rohit Sharma, and allrounder Irfan Pathan, who was part of their team for the first three seasons.Bevan pointed out that the team owners had decided to stick to a certain budget. “As a coach you also got to go with your budget constraints and hence we had to work out the pricing. It is all part of the big picture. It is just not having the ability to get anyone you want.”Punjab will now have to fill up the rest of their squad with the uncapped Indian players and India Under-19 players.Bevan admitted that taking over as the Punjab coach is the most high-profile job he has ever done, and said the fact he entered late into the piece meant he was a little bit nervous before the auction. But he remains confident of Punjab’s prospects because of the presence of Gilchrist.

A round-up of the action from the third day of matches in the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2011

North Zone

Centuries from Ravi Inder Singh and Mayank Sidhana proved enough for Punjab to beat Delhi by 19 runs at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, but the hosts were given a scare by Sumit Narwal, whose blazing 62 off 36 balls threatened to get Delhi to Punjab’s total of 284. Delhi were never in the chase until Narwal, who is fast enhancing his reputation as a lower-order batsman in addition to being a seam bowler, came in. They had lost wickets regularly and were 152 for 6, needing 133 to win in 89 balls. But Narwal smashed five fours and two sixes and got Delhi to 264 for 8, with 21 required off 15 balls. However, left-arm seamer Amit Uniyal finally stopped the party, and got Narwal out in the 48th over. Ishant Sharma, who had given Narwal able support, scoring 31 off 24 balls with four boundaries, could not finish the job and was run out two balls later, giving Punjab the victory. The hosts had not anticipated the match going down to the wire when Ravi Singh’s unbeaten 126 and Sidhana’s 100 off 95 balls had got them to a strong total.Services eased to victory in their chase of Jammu & Kashmir’s 214 at the Dhruve Pandove Stadium in Patiala, winning by six wickets with 10 overs remaining. J & K’s innings never got going and they were bowled out in 48.2 overs, with seamer Yashpal Singh taking 3 for 39. Services chase was led by a quick 84 by Sumit Singh, an innings that included 11 fours and three sixes, and a steady 52 by Jasvir Singh.Amit Mishra took four wickets as Haryana skittled Himachal Pradesh out for 138 to complete a 111-run victory at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh. Haryana had been in trouble in their own innings, slumping to 162 for 8, but a half-century from Dhruv Singh down the order helped them reach 249. Himachal’s chase never got going, and only lasted 35.5 overs with captain Paras Dogra the top scorer with 31.

South Zone

M Vijay’s 92 led Tamil Nadu’s successful chase of Karnataka’s 239 at the Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium in Malappuram. Karnataka’s innings had got off to a rollicking start with Robin Uthappa smacking 86 off 54 balls with nine fours and five sixes. Offspinner Murthy Prabhu, though, kept chipping away at the wickets, and even though Karnataka’s run-rate was always over 5.00 an over, they were bowled out in 43.2 overs for 239. None of the middle and lower order contributed as Prabhu returned figures of 5 for 59. Tamil Nadu could afford to be more measured in their chase, and Vijay anchored the innings, taking 113 balls for his 92. Abhinav Mukund scored 40 off 49 as Tamil Nadu looked at ease in their chase. They ended up finishing the match with 13 balls remaining and six wickets in hand.Hyderabad comfortably chased Kerala’s 222 at the Fort Maidan in Palakkad, with Ravi Teja and 20-year-old Akshath Reddy notching up half-centuries. Kerala got off to a slow start to their innings. By the 31st over, they had only lost one wicket, but had scored just 100 runs. VA Jagadeesh top scored for Kerala with 82, but his strike-rate of 68.33 did his team no favours. Robert Fernandez tried to up the scoring rate with his 50 off 43 balls, but Kerala never got enough runs on the board. The spinners did the job for Hyderabad with offspinner Amol Shinde taking 4 for 41 and left-armer Pragyan Ojha picking up 3 for 34. Teja played the anchor role in the chase, taking 100 balls for his 57; Reddy kept the scoreboard ticking over with his 86 off 104; and then Bavanaka Sandeep got some quick runs at the end to make sure Hyderabad won with 19 balls to spare.

East Zone

Biplab Samantray scored an unbeaten 97, and Paresh Patel scored 82 and took four wickets as Orissa completed an easy victory over Assam at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala. Paresh steadided Orissa’s innings after they were 12 for 2, and the 111-run partnership between him and Samantray put them on top. Samantray accelerated towards the end of the innings, but was left stranded on 97 not out off 96 balls, unable to reach his century. Orissa had managed to reach 256 for 6. Assam’s reply got off to a solid start with PP Das’ 58 helping them reach 87 for 1. Wickets fell in a heap after that, with only Tarjinder Singh providing some resistance in the middle order. Paresh ran through the lower-middle order and tail to finish with figures of 4 for 31, as Assam were bowled out for 201.An all-round performance by Subroto Ghosh led Jharkhand to a 93-run win over Tripura at the Polytechnic Institute Ground in Agartala, A 121-run partnership for the second wicket between Ghosh, who scored 76, and Ishank Jaggi (43) gave Jharkhand a solid base after they had lost a wicket in the first over, and then captain Saurabh Tiwary, who scored 44 off 41 balls, and Kumar Deobrat (47 not out off 43) accelerated, getting Jharkhand to 243. In reply, Tripura could only manage 150, with Ghosh taking 3 for 21.

Rajshahi rode on Naeem Islam’s century and took a 34-run first innings lead before taking three wickets in Dhaka’s second innings at the end of the third day

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011
Scorecard
Naeem Islam reached 112 off 281 balls•BCB

Rajshahi rode on Naeem Islam’s century and took a 34-run first innings lead before taking three wickets in Dhaka’s second innings at the end of the third day. Anamul Haque retired hurt, leaving Dhaka effectively four down and just 63 runs ahead. Shafiul Islam gave Rajshahi an early breakthrough, and then left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib got two more wickets to give Rajshahi the edge.Earlier, Naeem’s century had taken his team to a total of 314. Dhaka got rid of Dhiman Ghosh early and struck at regular intervals, but Naeem stayed till the end and was the last man dismissed. Shahadat Hossain, who took three wickets on the second day, completed his five-for on the third.Mehrab Hossain jnr, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, managed to stay till the end of the day and was on 32 not out.

Yorkshire blown away for 103 before Tom Abell and James Hildreth fifties pile up big Somerset lead

Paul Edwards at Taunton11-Sep-2019
Steve Patterson, Yorkshire’s captain, played forward to the first ball of this morning’s cricket at Taunton but missed it completely. “Bowling, Dom B!” roared “Tractor” from his perch below the scoreboard at the Pavilion End. It is a voice of the ages, a voice of deeply pledged faith; a similarly rich timbre probably greeted the achievements of Sammy Woods and Horace Hazell in the eras of the cattle market and the tweed suits. Every cricket ground is a palimpsest of former glories, former sadness.But one impression not remotely apparent at this richest of grounds is that of Somerset’s supporters saluting their team as county champions. In little more than a fortnight, that may change. These are momentous days in the West Country.In the next over of our cricket that same Dom Bess chased down a ball in front of the Marcus Trescothick Stand and again received rich applause for his effort. Such incidents, tiny in themselves, of course, foreshadowed a wonderful day for Somerset, one that may go far towards determining the destination of the County Championship. For while Warwickshire were spending the first two sessions piling up the runs against Essex at Edgbaston, Somerset’s bowlers dismissed Yorkshire for 103 before lunch and then watched gleefully as their batsmen built up a lead which stood at 365 by the close. It was difficult to see how things could have gone much better for Tom Abell’s side, although “Tractor” might make one or two suggestions.Yorkshire’s first innings crumbled away quicker than fresh Worthy Cheddar on this second morning. Some attributed the decline to the cloudy conditions but the more persuasive argument is that Abell’s seamers stuck to tight lines that demanded strokes and his slow left-armer, Roelof van der Merwe, seized his rare opportunity against a succession of right handers.And so, in little more than half an hour’s cricket Yorkshire collapsed from 86 for 3 to 103 all out. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the first to go when he failed to cover Lewis Gregory’s movement off the pitch and edged a catch to Jamie Overton at slip. Almost immediately Patterson played on to van der Merwe, who also deceived Jonny Tattersall into nicking a catch to James Hildreth.The tone of the session was set. Ben Coad was absent due to illness and Yorkshire supporters were left to ponder the loss of six wickets in 44 balls. Josh Davey and van der Merwe finished the innings with three apiece. A lead of 96 appeared significant and perhaps it still is but by close of play it had been dwarfed by the enterprise of Somerset’s batsmen, most of whom were barely recognisable from the hesitant bunch bamboozled by Keshav Maharaj on the first afternoon.True, Maharaj had M Vijay leg before wicket for a duck just before lunch but nothing encapsulated Somerset’s sudden domination of the game more clearly than their batsmen’s mastery of the slow left-armer who 24 hours previously had only to mark out his run-up to cause general panic. Patterson tried Maharaj at both ends of the County Ground but he was greeted by sweeps on length from Abell or straight driven for six by Hildreth, a shot which caused billows in the huge white sheet which doubles as a sightscreen at the River End.The wicket of Hildreth, caught at short leg off Lyth for 58, punctuated the afternoon’s cricket; it did not disturb the flow of its prose. The stylish right-hander’s 117-run stand with Abell had charted a course which other batsmen could follow. Tom Banton arrived and began to bat with unnerving confidence, first by driving Duanne Olivier to the cover boundary and then by on-driving Tim Bresnan to the rope which once lay in front of the Stragglers’ Bar and below the old and long-demolished press box. That was where Alan Gibson and David Foot once celebrated the glory days and did as much as they could with the disappointments. Suddenly one wished they could be at their posts over the next two weeks.Abell might have enjoyed chatting with Alan and Footy. Somerset’s captain made his second half-century of the match on this cloudy Wednesday afternoon and in truth it was little different from his first. There was a little more aggression, perhaps – he reached fifty in 23 fewer balls – but the technique remained tight and one realised that here was a senior batsman, one upon whom Somerset cricket can be founded for the next decade. Certainly no one of his age could be more aware of what the title might mean in these parts.Banton, meanwhile, reverse-swept Maharaj for six and was almost immediately caught at slip by Lyth for 43. Abell fell leg before wicket for 62 when playing around a fine ball from Bresnan but by now Yorkshire’s attack was missing the stability invariably provided by the absent Coad. Gregory and George Bartlett helped themselves to some easier runs in the evening session and Somerset ended the day with the prospect of batting again on the third morning before setting Yorkshire a fearsome target.And while all this was happening, Warwickshire batted on and on. They scarcely credited their luck as this news filtered though at Taunton and one understands their reluctance to take even a point for granted. But the neutrals can see that the balance of the battle between Essex and Somerset has changed and it will be odd if it is not Ryan ten Doeschate’s side that needs to make up ground come Friday evening.

Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder, has been given a chance to press for a World Cup place, after being named as the only uncapped player in England’s 17-man limited-overs squad for Australia

Andrew Miller10-Dec-2010Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder, has been given a chance to press for a World Cup place, after being named as the only uncapped player in England’s 17-man squad for next month’s one-day and Twenty20 matches against Australia. Chris Tremlett also returns into the limited-overs set-up for the first time in two years, but there’s no place for Ravi Bopara, who has been dropped from the squad that played against Pakistan in September, in favour of Ian Bell.Geoff Miller, the national selector, announced the squad during the tea interval of England’s three-day warm-up fixture against Victoria, and admitted that, while the team’s current focus remains solely on retaining the Ashes, the proximity of the World Cup – which gets underway on February 19 – has forced them to name their strongest possible line-up, with the only first-choice omission being the injured Stuart Broad, who is expected to have recovered from a torn stomach muscle in time for the business end of the tournament.”With Broad ruled out of the series we’ve needed to bolster our pace bowling stocks and Chris Woakes comes into the squad after knocking on the door for some time,” said Miller. “Chris will be hungry for his international debut and vying for a place with a number of other quality pace bowlers. He’s put in some good performances for Warwickshire, he’s gone through the channels of the Lions and the Performance Programme, and has performed well this winter. He merits his selection, and the options are there to go in whichever direction we want to go.”When asked if there had been any temptation to rest key personnel ahead of the World Cup, Miller admitted that it was not an option, given that England have now won five consecutive series since the tour of South Africa last winter, and will want to go to the subcontinent in February with that winning streak extended. “You couldn’t do that,” he said. “You’ve still got to keep the momentum, the lads playing together and finding out their roles within the side.”It’s really difficult when you’ve got series after series, following each other so quickly,” he added. “But that’s always been the case, and it will maybe continue to be so. There are one or two players in the squad who are not involved in the Ashes, so they can actually focus on the World Cup now, but those who are involved here and then have to adapt later, it’s really tough. That’s been taken into consideration by the management, but at the moment, the priority is the Test series, then we’ll move on to the one-dayers.”In keeping with the recent precedent, Andrew Strauss has been named as captain of the 50-overs squad, but will hand over the Twenty20 reins to Paul Collingwood, England’s victorious captain at the World Twenty20 in May this year. Craig Kieswetter, who was England’s Man of the Match in the final against Australia, has been retained for that format alone, with Steve Davies once again named ahead of the Test specialist Matt Prior as England’s only wicketkeeper for the ODI series.”Matt is not being overlooked,” said Miller. “He’s made it clear he still wants to play one-day cricket, and we will continue to monitor him, but he has been given the opportunity before, both up the order and in the middle order. He was left out and we brought someone else in, and we will continue in that vein of consistency. We’ll find out how these two go over a period of time.”Bopara is also running out of chances to force his way into the World Cup reckoning, having made a favourable impression during an otherwise disastrous England campaign in the 2007 tournament. But with Kevin Pietersen back in form after being dropped from the Pakistan series, and Ian Bell fully recovered after the foot injury that interrupted his home summer, there was no room for him on this occasion, despite his undoubted potential as a match-winner.”We had a long discussion about Ravi,” said Miller. “He’s still very much in our thoughts and we know what he’s capable of doing, but at this moment in time he’s out playing in South Africa and will continue to do that. We’re quite confident that this squad can do a job for us here, and it may be able to do it in the World Cup as well, but it doesn’t close the door to anyone else.”England ODI and T20 squads Andrew Strauss* (ODI capt), Paul Collingwood (T20 capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Steve Davies (wk), Eoin Morgan, Craig Kieswetter** (wk), Kevin Pietersen, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy* ODIs only, ** Twenty20s only

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Middlesbrough play host to fellow Championship promotion contenders Leeds United at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, and Tony Pulis must be ready to take advantage after Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa said he could be without three key players on Teesside, as per the Yorkshire Evening Post.

On the chalkboard

Well, Bielsa confirmed in his pre-match press conference that there are doubts over the fitness of Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw and Pablo Hernandez through injury at the weekend, and it gives the Boro boss a big opportunity to exploit their opponents.

The trio are all capable of playing through the middle in Leeds’ preferred 4-1-4-1 system, and without those players they will surely be weaker than usual through the middle of the park.

Pulis has largely favoured either a 5-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 system so far this season, and he appears unlikely to repeat deploying a 3-5-2 formation he used during the week, given they were beaten 2-0 by Newport County in their fourth-round FA Cup replay.

What does he need to do?

Assuming Leeds are going to be less effective from an attacking point of view in central areas – which should certainly be the case if they are without Forshaw, Klich and Hernandez – then Boro need to take advantage through the middle.

Pulis has often decided to play with four central-midfield players even when using a 5-4-1 system, but he has now been given the perfect opportunity to be slightly more adventurous to get his side a vital three points against a Whites side that look to be lagging a little.

Going with a 4-2-3-1 gives him the defensive balance he wants and needs but also gives him a player in behind the striker who can really hurt Bielsa’s men, and now he must decide who the best individual for the job is – Lewis Wing must surely be in with a shout.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Jacob Murphy has seemingly emerged as a target for Rangers once again ahead of the summer transfer window as it’s been claimed that Steven Gerrard’s side remain keen on bringing the 26-year-old to Ibrox next season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report from Football Insider.

The Gers were keen on Murphy during the January transfer window but will not be available on a free transfer any longer, as it has emerged that he’s actually under contract at St James’ Park until 2022.

It’s thought the Magpies have a £3m asking price, whilst the SPFL giants will have to battle the likes of Southampton and Watford for his signature.

Kickstart title defence

The current campaign may not be done and dusted just yet, especially as the Light Blues still have that unbeaten record to keep intact, but it is a very shrewd decision to start planning ahead for next season.

Bringing in new faces will be crucial towards defending their title and if the Glasgow outfit are to remain dominant at the top, then they cannot rest on their laurels.

It’ll be all change down the road, with a mass exodus due after nine straight years of control, so there isn’t a better time for Rangers to bolster Gerrard’s squad.

And signing a new winger is a pretty good place to start.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/rangers-news-ibrox-steven-gerrard-ross-wilson-gers-rfc” title=”Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Aside from Ryan Kent, the 40-year-old’s only other out-and-out wide man is January arrival Scott Wright. We’ve seen Joe Aribo fill in there on occasion, and Ianis Hagi, too but both are more suited centrally.

Currently, Jordan Jones is one of two wingers playing his football away from Ibrox and it is he who is in most doubt amid interest in Murphy. If he’s not fancied aged 26, then there’s very little hope of him returning to start games next season.

The forgotten Ibrox ace is also keen to return to the Stadium of Light, according to Football Insider, so it certainly seems like his Gers career is over.

Playing on the right for League One promotion hopefuls Sunderland, he has only managed to deliver one goal and one assist, whereas Murphy has thrived in England’s top-flight.

The £3.15m-rated dynamo has been one of Steve Bruce’s most consistent performers, even despite being asked to play wing-back at times, a decision that culminated in him scoring against Burnley last weekend in a performance where he arguably stole the show.

“He’s played a big part in the season. He’s had, for him, a really good season where he knows now that he belongs in the Premier League,” explained Bruce. ” I’d love to see him at the club. It’s what we want: young, hungry, determined to do well – he ticks all of those boxes.”

Interestingly, his versatility to play in defence is intriguing and with the Gers in Europe again next term, he could provide crucial cover for James Tavernier.

The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter waxed lyrical about his ability to deliver at right wing-back earlier this month. He said: “Jacob Murphy outstanding for NUFC at right wing-back, ran himself into the ground, defending/attacking, got cramp, eventually subbed. His resilience echoed all over.”

Wilson must sanction a £3m swoop for Murphy this summer, he’d be the perfect signing to kickstart their ambitions to mount a solid title defence.

AND in other news, Wilson must seal bargain swoop for 12-goal gem who had £36m star on toast…

Reports by Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, earlier this week claimed Everton are monitoring Bologna’s sought-after defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who could emerge as Carlo Ancelotti’s own Virgil Van Dijk if Marcel Brands can seal a deal.

The Toffees are claimed to be keeping track of Tomiyasu’s situation ahead of the summer transfer market, as his services are likely to become available.

Bologna would prefer to retain the 22-year-old but have begun to search for potential replacements, knowing that it will be a challenge to retain the Japan international after his impressive performances under Sinisa Mihajlovic this season.

Bayer Leverkusen have shown a frequent interest in Tomiyasu’s potential as the Bundesliga outfit continue their efforts to bring down the average age of their squad, but they could face competition from AC Milan.

The Rossoneri are believed to have previously lodged a €15m (£13m) offer for the 23-cap centre-half and may return to the negotiating table at the end of the season, with Bologna holding firm at a €20m (£17.5m) asking price.

West Ham and Newcastle United have also previously shown an interest in Tomiyasu due to his ability to play at right-back or in a holding midfield role, and Gazzetta dello Sport noted that it is not out of contention that he moves to the Premier League or the Bundesliga this summer.

Brands meeting Bologna’s valuation and acquiring Tomiyasu ahead of his European suitors could see Everton’s director of football land Ancelotti the Goodison Park natives’ own Van Dijk and reaping similar rewards to their Merseyside neighbours Liverpool.

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Tomiyasu was touted by Football-Italia as a suitable replacement for Van Dijk when it was confirmed that the Dutchman required surgery after damaging anterior cruciate ligaments in October.

The 6 ft 2 Bologna enforcer is regarded as one of the Serie A’s best young players as he is technically gifted and can wisely progress play out from the back, but has the awareness to close down attacking channels without rushing into a challenge.

Tomiyasu also prefers to sit back and assess the opposition’s moves before stepping in as the last man and was backed to become a star when signed from Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truidense for €9m (£8m) in 2019.

“He is a complete player and Bologna got a real bargain with Tomiyasu,” former Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni told TuttoMercatoWEB, via quotes shared by Football-Italia, adding: “He’s a good player and was compared to Maya Yoshida, who has been playing in Europe for a decade. He’s got the quality to be a real star.”

Pressure is no issue for Tomiyasu either, but rather a source of excitement for the Fukuoka native, who has aspirations of being a leader.

“Yuto Nagatomo told me that there’s a lot of pressure playing in Italy, but that excites me, as it means the fans are passionate,” he said. “There are organised defences in Serie A and great strikers. I can play as a full-back or in the centre, but my objective either way is to become a leader at the back.”

Tomiyasu would have years ahead of him to become the leader of Ancelotti’s backline if Brands can seal a deal for the Bologna defender, in a move which would seemingly have plenty of upside for a smaller fee to what Everton paid Norwich City for Ben Godfrey (£20m) last year.

AND in other news, Everton have landed a huge boost in the race to sign an 11-goal striker subject to a potential £21.5m bid…