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It is easier said than done, but avoiding the temptation to judge players too quickly is a worthwhile pursuit – not least at a historic club like Celtic.

How often have players been almost written off from the outset, only to go on to shine after being afforded the time to properly settle in at Parkhead?

Take Nicolas Kuhn, for example, with the German winger enduring a sticky first six months in Glasgow following his arrival from Rapid Vienna, the £3m signing ending the 2023/24 campaign with just three goals and three assists to his name in 18 games in all competitions.

Fast forward to the present day, and the 25-year-old is now a central figure in Brendan Rodgers’ side, with the wing wizard having contributed 31 goals and assists in 40 games so far this term.

It may need to be said tentatively, but perhaps the same scenario could occur with man of the moment, Yang Hyun-jun, with the 22-year-old beginning to finally make his mark for the Scottish Champions.

Yang's recent rise at Celtic

Signed during Rodgers’ first summer back in charge, the £2m addition has certainly taken a fair while to get going for the Hoops, after scoring just once and contributing only three assists in total last season.

Firmly behind the likes of Kuhn and Daizen Maeda on the flanks, the former Gangwon starlet also endured a slow start to the current campaign, with it taking until mid-January to score his first goal in all competitions.

Since netting away at Dundee, however, the South Korean winger has begun to find his groove, notably supplying the assist for Maeda against Bayern Munich at Celtic Park, while also registering three goal involvements in the Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers.

Equally, across his last three Premiership outings, the in-form menace has three goals and two assists to his name, with Rodgers having quipped that the forward has been aided by the presence of his girlfriend in Glasgow.

Whatever has been the inspiration for this upturn in form, long may it continue, with Rodgers certainly blessed with a wealth of options on the flanks following Jota’s January homecoming and James Forrest’s impending return from injury.

25 minutes played

2 goals

1 assists

1 big chance created

24 touches

89% pass accuracy

2 key passes

0/1 successful dribbles

0/3 total duels won

5x possession lost

That said, for all the praise that Yang has deservedly raked in of late, the Hoops did let go of a star who has actually still outscored the Korean this season.

The ex-Celtic man who's now shining elsewhere

Life after Celtic isn’t always plain sailing – just ask Jota.

Where Are They Now

Matt O’Riley, for instance, has only started five Premier League games since making the move to Brighton and Hove Albion last summer. Kyogo Furuhashi, meanwhile, has been an unused substitute in three of Rennes’ six Ligue 1 games since his switch to France in January.

That said, not all of those who move on are cursed to struggle, with a certain Tomoki Iwata currently shining for League One highflyers, Birmingham City, following his exit from the Old Firm side over the summer.

The Japanese midfielder – who moved on to England for an undisclosed fee, reported to be just £820k – never truly managed to shake off his status as a bit-part player at Celtic, making just 42 appearances in total in his role as Callum McGregor’s understudy.

A safe and steady pair of hands in his time at Parkhead, Iwata has shown he is so much more than that for the Blues, having already chalked up seven goals in all competitions this term – ahead of Yang’s return of five.

That creditable haul includes the 27-year-old’s belting effort in the narrow FA Cup defeat to Premier League opponents, Newcastle United, last month, with the midfield maestro rifling in from range in superb fashion.

Such an impact in an attacking sense has seen the one-time Yokohama Marinos man lauded by his new boss, Chris Davies, with the promotion-chasing coach stating:

That attacking quality was certainly rarely on show for Celtic, as his tally of one goal can attest to, with it to Iwata’s credit that he has managed to make an impact so swiftly in his new surroundings.

Perhaps then the sale was merely the best solution for all parties, yet there might be a tinge of regret at having sold Ange Postecoglou’s signing on the cheap, not least with there still a gap in the squad for a rival or successor to McGregor.

As it is, Iwata will continue to play a prominent role in Birmingham’s bid to secure an instant return to the second tier, while for Rodgers and Co, the domestic treble still lies in wait.

He's better than Tierney: Celtic star sold by Lennon is now worth 259% more

The former Celtic star has thrived since his move away from Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Mar 5, 2025

Allrounder’s injury creates a selection dilemma for the final Test where two spinners may be considered

Alex Malcolm and Andrew McGlashan27-Dec-2022

Cameron Green was the second Australian to retire hurt on day two•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Australia allrounder Cameron Green defied a fractured finger that will rule him out of the Sydney Test next week with an unbeaten half-century on the third day at the MCG.It was confirmed on Wednesday morning that scans on Green’s right index finger had revealed the small fracture after he was struck on the finger by Anrich Nortje while batting late on day two and was forced to retire hurt.The injury means he won’t be able to bowl again in Melbourne and will also miss his BBL stint with Perth Scorchers in a bid to be fit for the Test tour of India in early February.Related

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Green injury scare threatens Australia bowling resources for victory push

However, he was able to resume his innings and walked in at the fall of the seventh wicket then forged a 117-run stand with Alex Carey, facing 177 deliveries before Pat Cummins declared. Though he occasionally removed his hand from the bat he did not seem in significant discomfort.”I actually didn’t think he was going to walk out the race today,” Carey said. “But to see him put on a brave face, bat beautifully and allow me at the other end to bat as well…allowed us to put on a really good partnership.”However, his injury was a blow to Australia’s bowling stocks in the MCG Test, particularly after Green took a career-best 5 for 27 to bowl South Africa out for just 189 on the first day.Green’s injury also creates a headache for Australia’s selectors ahead of the Sydney Test. Mitchell Marsh had been the back-up allrounder in the Test squad for the last 12 months, including the Ashes and tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but he is currently unavailable as he recovers from ankle surgery.Aaron Hardie has been on Australia’s radar since last year’s Sheffield Shield final•Getty Images

It does open the door for Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie, who has been on Australia’s radar since his breakout performance in last season’s Sheffield Shield final. He also performed superbly for Australia A during the winter tour of Sri Lanka and played in the Prime Minister’s XI, which was effectively an Australia A side, against West Indies in November.However, Hardie’s Shield form did tail off following an excellent allround match against Queensland at the WACA in October, although he has started the BBL well for Perth Scorchers, including making 55 against Sydney Sixers. Another option the selectors could consider is recalling Michael Neser and bat him at No. 7, which he does in Sheffield Shield cricket, as part of a five-man attack with Carey moving up to No. 6.Mitchell Starc is also carrying an injury to the middle finger on his left hand after injuring it while fielding on day one. There are reports he has suffered ligament damage, but it has not been confirmed by CA.Starc was clocked about 140kph in his opening spell in South Africa’s second innings before the rain came although the injury was causing him discomfort and he was regularly wiping away blood.Australia already have a bowling cover for Starc if, as expected, he is ruled out of the Sydney Test with Josh Hazlewood and Lance Morris currently with the squad. Head coach Andrew McDonald hinted on SEN radio that Starc’s injury may present an opportunity for Morris. There is a possibility they could add a second spinner to the squad ahead of Sydney given the SCG pitch has been very spin-friendly this summer. Mitchell Swepson was the incumbent second spinner, having played four Tests in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but there has been talk of Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Todd Murphy threatening the pecking order ahead of the India tour.If Australia don’t pick another allrounder to replace Green, they will have to consider whether to play six batters and five bowlers, or seven batters and just four bowlers. Marcus Harris, a specialist opener, is the only spare batter currently with the squad. A middle-order player such as Peter Handscomb could also come into the mix.Marnus Labuschagne had a decent bowl in the nets on the morning of day three before rain interrupted the warm-ups. He was working on his seam-up bowling with Australia’s stand-in bowling coach Andre Adams. Steven Smith was also bowling some off and legspin.

Crystal Palace are now scouting a striker who was last season’s “top-scoring teenager” in Europe, but they may face competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Leicester City, according to a report.

Palace planning for the summer

After a difficult start to the campaign, Palace have found their feet as the season has gone on, and they look set to secure yet another mid-table finish in the Premier League, despite there still being a third of the season left to play.

Oliver Glasner will no doubt be looking to take a step forward and push for Europe next season, but it could be a difficult task, with doubt lingering over the futures of Marc Guehi and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who have both been attracting attention.

In truth, it looks likely Guehi will move on in the summer, given that the defender will have just one year remaining on his contract by that point, but Steve Parish is determined to keep hold of Mateta, with a big pay rise potentially on the cards.

Related Crystal Palace scouts keeping a close eye on £20m gem ahead of the summer

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Posts ByBrett Worthington Feb 17, 2025

That said, it is by no means a guarantee the striker will remain at Selhurst Park, and the Eagles are now looking at new options ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to a report from Bold (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace have been keeping a close eye on FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju, having sent scouts to watch the Danish Superliga star in recent weeks.

Leicester are also named as potential suitors for Dju, and there is a feeling the Foxes are particularly keen on getting a deal done, given that they have watched him in action on several occasions.

Bayer Leverkusen and Besiktas have also been named as potential suitors in the past, so there is unlikely to be a shortage of interest this summer, particularly considering how impressive the now 20-year-old has been in Denmark this season.

Dju among Europe's most prolific young strikers

Amid links to Leverkusen and Torino in the winter, reporter Farzam Abolhosseini said the Midtjylland star was the “top-scoring teenager” in Europe last season, having enjoyed an impressive breakout campaign in Denmark.

After leaving behind Benfica in search of first-team minutes, the centre-forward bagged 17 goals in all competitions for Midtjylland last term, while also picking up six assists.

The Guinea-Bissau international seems to have been vindicated for his decision to move to Denmark, given that he is now a key player for the Danish side, and he is gaining experience at a high level, making five Europa League appearances this season.

However, the move to Midtjylland seems like it could be a stepping stone for the former Benfica man, who has now proven he is ready to take the next step in his career, and his goal record indicates he could be a success for Palace in the Premier League.

ألقى روبن أموريم، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر يونايتد، خطابًا لجمهور الشياطين الحمر، بعد الموسم السيء الذي ظهر به الفريق وخسارة النهائي الأوروبي.

وفاز مانشستر يونايتد أمام نظيره أستون فيلا في المباراة التي جمعتهما مساء اليوم الأحد، في إطار منافسات الجولة الـ 38 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وأنهى مانشستر يونايتد، الموسم في المركز الـ15 في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، كما أنه لم يفز بأي بطولة.

اقرأ أيضًا | فرمان فوري.. أموريم يطالب لاعب مانشستر يونايتد بالبحث عن نادِ آخر

وخسر مانشستر يونايتد نهائي الدوري الأوروبي أمام توتنهام هوتسبير، بهدف نظيف، في المباراة التي جمعتهما على ملعب “سان ماميس” معقل نادي أتلتيك بلباو.

وقال أموريم في خطابه لجمهور مانشستر يونايتد: “أنا سعيد جدًا بهذا الموسم، أشعر بخيبة أمل كبيرة من الفريق، أود أن أشكركم جزيل الشكر، نحن ممتنون جدًا لدعمكم طوال الموسم”.

وأضاف: “الآن علينا أن نتخذ قرارًا.. إما أن نظل عالقين في الماضي، لأن هذا الموسم أصبح من الماضي وانتهى”.

وأكد: “إما أن نقاتل بعضنا البعض أو نتحد معًا من أجل مستقبل مانشستر يونايتد”.

وأردف: “قبل 6 أشهر، قلت إن العاصفة قادمة، واليوم، بعد هذا الموسم الكارثي أقول إن الأيام الجميلة آتية”.

وأتم: “إذا كان هناك ناد واحد في العالم أثبت في الماضي قدرته على تجاوز أي موقف أو كارثة، فهو نادينا، إنه نادي مانشستر يونايتد”.

The NFL coach traded the football sidelines for soccer stands to watch Union beat Atlanta 3-0 at Subaru Park

• McDermott attended as special guest at Subaru Park
• Brothers share strong Philadelphia roots
• Union face D.C. United next at home in the MLS

• Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  The McDermott brothers' have a history in Philadelphia. They were born in the city and Sean started his NFL coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tim also worked as the Eagles' chief marketing officer before joining the Union's front office as chief business officer. In 2019, Tim McDermott became Union President.

  Thus it was no surprise to see Sean McDermott, the now Buffalo Bills head coach, in the stands during Philadelphia Union’s clash against Atlanta United Saturday.

  “We try and get here once a year, we watch Wednesday nights maybe Saturday nights, Saturday afternoon and maybe even Sunday night. I mean the league is really growing and it’s a great place to be, great venue here and excited to be here tonight,” Sean McDermott said in a video posted by MLS.

  The Bills coach also praise the athleticism of soccer players and how both his side and the Union attempt to do similar things in completely different sports.

  “I’ll tell you what, these guys are super athletic and super fast, and it’s an entertaining game to watch in person and on television," he said. "And I mean there’s a lot that they do that’s a lot like us (NFL players) and we try and put a lot of pressure on the opponent and I see the same with the Union squad."

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• WATCH THE VIDEO

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Philadelphia Union secured a well-deserved 3-0 win over Atlanta United at Subaru Park. Quinn Sullivan opened the scoring for the Union in the 27th minute although the away side had a few chances before the half-time whistle.

  The tide turned for the hosts as Danley Jean Jacques scored five minutes into the second half before Jovan Lukic got sent off six minutes after that. The Union added a third goal through Tai Baribo in the 84th minute.

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• Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The 3-0 win sends Philadelphia Union into fifth place on the Eastern Conference table with 16 points and they sit three points behind conference leaders Charlotte FC (19). The Union host D.C. United next in the MLS on April 26 before an away fixture against CF Montreal on May 3.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo tem sido assolado por diversos problemas físicos nos últimos meses, e o sistema defensivo é o mais afetado. Mas, neste domingo, para o clássico contra o Botafogo, válido pela quinta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, Paulo Sousa terá Pablo, David Luiz e Rodrigo Caio aptos a atuar em um mesmo jogo pela primeira vez. E o time tentará não repetir a pior sequência de partidas sendo vazado sob o comando do treinador, que é de cinco seguidas.

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O Flamengo sofreu gols nos últimos quatro jogos: na derrota para o Athletico (1×0), nas vitórias sobre a Universidad Católica (3×2) e o Altos (2×1) e no empate com o Talleres (2×2). Com a exceção do duelo ante os paranaenses, válido pelo Brasileirão, os outros jogos foram por Copas (do Brasil e Libertadores).

Já a pior série em relação gols sofridos de forma consecutiva ocorreu entre jogos do Carioca, diante deMadureira (vitória por 2×1), Botafogo (vitória por 3×1), Resende (empate em 2×2) e Vasco (vitória por 2×1),e um da Supercopa do Brasil, o empate com o Atlético-MG (2×2) – e revés nos pênaltis.

AGORA VAI?

No jogo passado, Pablo atuou por apenas 13 minutos e deixou o campo por conta de dores musculares nacoxa esquerda. Ou seja, a aguardada composição ao lado de David Luiz nem teve tempo para engrenar. O teste agora será em um clássico, sendo que Rodrigo Caio iniciará no banco à espera de uma oportunidade para enfim estrear em 2022 e recuperar o seu espaço na equipe titular.

Opróximo embate direto da zaga será contra um ataque que tem números melhores do que o do Rubro-Negro no Brasileirão, por exemplo – o Alvinegro já anotou seis gols, dois a mais. O alerta precisa estar ligado desde o início, principalmente para a pressão que já paira sobre a equipe não elevar.

Vale lembrar que Paulo Sousa ainda tem dois desfalques na zaga: Gustavo Henrique e Fabrício Bruno. Ao menos a missão de parar Erison, Victor Sá e companhia estará nas mãos dos mais experientes zagueiros do Fla. Ótima oportunidade para se mostrar serviço.

A provável escalação do Mister é a seguinte: Hugo, Pablo, David Luiz e Filipe Luís; Isla, João Gomes, Willian Arão e Bruno Henrique; Arrascaeta e Everton Ribeiro; Gabigol.

> Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

Em tempo: o clássico será realizado às 11h deste domingo, no Estádio Mané Garrincha.

Anti-government activists were also removed from the fort during the first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jul-2022Spectators have been barred completely from the ramparts of the Galle Fort, which overlooks the cricket stadium where the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia is being played. This, after anti-government protesters had been forcibly removed from the area during the first Test between these teams.Police officers guarding access to the ramparts told ESPNcricinfo that even the ICC has asked for spectators be kept away. However, not only has the ICC never previously spoken against viewing matches from the fort, public spaces in Sri Lanka are also well beyond their jurisdiction.Last week, an army spokesman told that protesters had been removed in order to ensure batters were not distracted. Australia, who were batting that day, have since said that they had no qualms with public presence at the fort.Related

In a parallel universe, Sri Lanka offer a glimpse of happier times

Cricket cannot solve Sri Lanka's problems but it can be a distraction

Although several protesters had been removed from the fort on day two of the first Test of the series, a sign demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister had been seen for several hours on end in the evening session. The following day – day three of the Test – no spectators were seen on the ramparts, as police and army patrolled the area.As the ramparts are public property, crowds – sometimes swelling to hundreds, and very occasionally to even thousands – frequently watch cricket from there. This free vantage point is among the ground’s distinguishing features, with fans of touring teams also often setting up there to see the game.There have been widespread anti-government protests in Sri Lanka in recent months, some of which have come amid a deepening economic crisis in the country, which has left it desperately short of fuel, cooking gas and essential medicines, while the cost of living has also skyrocketed.SLC has essentially banned protests inside its grounds this series, preventing spectators from bringing anti-government placards and banners into its venues, although posters thanking Australia for touring were allowed.

LSG have been over-reliant on their top three, but have found a way out of most holes because of their exceptional bowling line-up

Alagappan Muthu24-May-20222:26

Will Virat Kohli’s form be key for RCB to progress?

Big picture”We needed another team. Now it’s all on us,” Glenn Maxwell said as Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrated making it to the playoffs. It is a sentiment that would have really resonated with his team-mates. Everybody appreciates a second chance but players of the quality of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Josh Hazlewood tend to know exactly what to do to make the most of it. Kohli, in particular, will be thrilled that he has something tangible to play for especially now that he’s finally hit form.Live in the USA

If you’re in the USA, you can watch the match live on ESPN+

By building a team of allrounders, Lucknow Super Giants have been able to find a way out of a lot of tough spots, but the one thing they haven’t been able to shake is an extreme reliance on their top order. KL Rahul (537 runs at 48.8), Quinton de Kock (502 runs at 38.6), and Deepak Hooda (406 runs at 31.2) have carried a line-up where the others have collectively contributed only 789 runs at 17.2.A weakness that glaring would have pulled a lot of teams out of playoff contention, but Super Giants are here because their bowling has been exceptional. They took 96 wickets in the league stage at an average of 23.8 and strike rate of 17.1. They’re No. 1 in each of those metrics.In the newsKrunal Pandya missed Super Giants’ last league game with a niggle. He’s had almost a week’s worth of recovery time. If it isn’t a serious injury, he should be back in the playing XI.Harshal Patel split the webbing on his bowling hand and his stitches came off on Tuesday. He should be fit for the game, he said on the team’s YouTube channel. In case he doesn’t make it, Akash Deep could take his place.Likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mahipal Lomror, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel/Akash Deep, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mohammed SirajLucknow Super Giants: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Avesh Khan, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Mohsin Khan, 11 Ravi BishnoiIn Royal Challengers Bangalore’s last game, Virat Kohli looked as fluent as he ever has this season•PTI

Strategy puntMaxwell has had a fairly fun time bowling to Rahul in T20 cricket: 23 balls, 23 runs and two wickets. Royal Challengers will be hoping the trend continues on Wednesday.Fingerspin can be used as a weapon against Maxwell too, with Krunal getting rid of him four times in 13 meetings. Krunal has very good numbers against Dinesh Karthik as well: 28 balls, 24 runs and two wickets.Stats that matter Eden Gardens has hosted 16 IPL matches over the last four years and in each and every one of them the captain winning the toss has opted to bowl. Nine of those games have resulted in victories. The average first innings score here, since IPL 2018, is 183. Super Giants are yet to win a single match against the teams that have qualified for the playoffs in this year. So perhaps they’ll take heart that they are facing the bowling attack that has conceded the most sixes in IPL 2022 – RCB with 123 – on a ground that has the highest sixes per match ratio (17) since IPL 2018. Following up on a breakthrough 2021 season, Avesh Khan has yet again picked up at least five wickets in every phase of a T20 game. He’s the only player in IPL history to do it twice. This has been the year of Dinesh Karthik. He has the best death-overs strike rate (226.37) in the IPL (min 50 balls faced). It’s helped him find his way back into the Indian team. And now he has the trophy in his sights. Given all that you wouldn’t put it past him to correct his playoffs record which currently reads: 246 runs in 15 innings at an average of 16.4 and strike rate of 107. There has been a distinct difference in Rahul this season when he has batted first (425 runs at an average of 85 and strike rate of 149) and when he has batted second (112 runs at an average of 18.7 and strike rate of 101). His whole team has been having the same hang-up. Super Giants have lost four of the six games they’ve had to chase in this campaign.

IPL

After a disrupted campaign which had not quite sparked into life, Mitchell Marsh hit top gear against Rajasthan Royals with a fantastic all-round display. His 89 off 62 balls, including seven sixes, powered Delhi Capitals to their target in good time in what is becoming a tight race for the play-offs where net run-rate could be vital. It was the first half-century of Marsh’s IPL career. As in the T20 World Cup final last year, Marsh partnered with David Warner in the dominant stand as Warner eased his way to 52 off 41 balls to continue his fine tournament. Marsh had earlier picked up an important 2 for 26 including the scalp of Royals’ top-scorer R Ashwin.Daniel Sams‘ resurgence continued as he claimed 3 for 16 against Chennai Super Kings in the basement battle. He blew Super Kings’ top order away by removing Devon Conway (albeit a controversial lbw decision when the DRS was unavailable) and Moeen Ali for ducks in the first over then adding Ruturaj Gaikwad. After having combined figures of 1 for 139 from 11 overs across his first three matches of the season, Sams has now taken 10 for 162 from 23 overs in his next six outings.Related

• Mitchell Marsh, the comeback king

• Pat Cummins leaves IPL 2022 early with hip injury

• James Pattinson shines and snarls as Nottinghamshire dominate Middlesex

There was a rare bad day with the ball for Josh Hazlewood in what has been a stellar run in T20 cricket as he was taken for 64 off his four overs against Punjab Kings. They are the most expensive figures of his career, surpassing the 54 he conceded against Royals last season. He felt the full force of two England batters: Jonny Bairstow took his first over for 22 and Liam Livingstone hammered 24 off the last. His second over was pretty good and went for just seven.Pat Cummins‘ tournament came to an early end when he flew home to manage a hip niggle ahead of Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka next month. There are no concerns over his fitness – he had already been rested from the T20Is so has some extra time up his sleeve – but with Knight Riders only having an outside chance of progressing it felt a pragmatic move. Before leaving Cummins had produced his best bowling performance of the season with 3 for 22 against Mumbai Indians and all the wickets came in a single over as he all but ended Mumbai’s chase.Gujarat Titans are flying high in their first season and are assured of a top-two finish. Matthew Wade was back in the side this week but a lean tournament continued with scores of 10 and 20.Marnus Labuschagne was excited to be in the wickets again•Getty Images

County

Matt Renshaw comfortably took the honours in a battle between two Australian left-handers as his 94 helped set up Somerset for a crushing innings-and-246-run victory over Gloucestershire for who Marcus Harris made 32 and 15. Both batters will be part of the Australia A squad in Sri Lanka but while Renshaw is opening at Somerset he may well find himself back in the middle order for that side.Michael Neser and Marnus Labuschagne shared seven second-innings wickets for Glamorgan but it wasn’t enough for victory as they fell short in a chase of 196 against Durham with Matthew Potts, who is expected to earn an England call-up for the New Zealand series, bagging 7 for 40. Neser also made 62 in the first innings but was ninth out in the chase. Labuschagne’s 3 for 35 were a career-best and followed his three-wicket bag last week against Leicestershire. It is a promising sign for Australia and it will be interesting to see whether he bowls more in Sri Lanka than he did in Pakistan. With the bat he was again left frustrated, however, removed for 17 and 31 – the latter of those to the final ball of the third day in what was a pivotal moment.

FairBreak

Grace Harris bagged herself a hat-trick as part of a haul of 5 for 22 but even though she followed that with 31 off 20 balls it wasn’t enough for Sapphires against Barmy Army. Team-mate Elyse Villani capped off her FairBreak tournament with 71 off 54 balls as they did get over the line against Falcons but it was the latter who edged into the top four. Nicola Carey made her second half-century of the tournament for Spirit – 53 off 26 balls against Tornadoes – and her team then won the third-place play-off thanks for Sophia Dunkley’s brilliant 123 off 73 balls against Barmy Army.

Did you see?

James Pattinson took 4 for 46 in the first innings against Middlesex and claimed some bragging rights to take back to Australia with him. Twice in the game he removed his Victoria captain Peter Handscomb – lbw in the first innings then caught at slip in the second. However, rain on the final day thwarted Nottinghamshire’s push for victory and may have left them regretting not enforcing the follow-on.

Performance of the week

Hard to look past Mitchell Marsh‘s all-round display. There have been some challenges for him over the last couple of months with a lot of drinks carrying in Pakistan before injury ruled him out of the limited-overs matches and then he caught Covid-19 early in the IPL. He’ll now be looking to finish the IPL strongly before heading to Sri Lanka.

“If it starts clicking well, it will definitely add a new dimension to my game”

PTI14-Apr-2022

Varun Chakravarthy – “I need to be a little more confident (bowling the new variation) and start bowling it more”•BCCI

Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is banking on a new bowling variation to turn around what has been a subdued start to his IPL season.Varun was the leading wicket-taker for Knight Rider last season with 18 wickets from 17 matches, but has only four scalps from five games this season.”It is bound to happen, people will have plans against me. Last year in the Indian leg, I had six to seven wickets in seven matches. Later on, I picked up more wickets, so you cannot predict how many wickets you are going to get,” Chakravarthy said.”I am working on a new variation which I am looking forward to bowl more. If it starts clicking well it will definitely add a new dimension to my game.”Asked further about the new variation, he said, “I am working on a legspin (variation). I have been working for it in the last two years. I have bowled in few matches and I have got a wicket out of that also.”I need to be a little more confident (bowling the new variation) and start bowling it more.”Chakravarthy returned to competitive cricket in the IPL after featuring in the T20 World Cup last year, where he failed to pick a wicket before being sidelined due to a calf injury.”I was at the NCA for the treatment of my injury. Now it is resolved very well. I could take the field without any pain killer. So, I am feeling fitter and that has helped me to bowl a lot better.”Asked what kind of adjustments he used to make on wickets which favour batsmen, he said, “Stick to your basic plan, stick to your strength rather then focussing on the batters. So, to change the mental set-up.”Varun said he considers Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan as the best spinner currently in world cricket.”In cricket, you are bound to be hit. The best spinner right now is Rashid (Khan) and even he has gone for runs (in some matches) but he is still the best. It happens in a few matches, you will have a bad day and you just need to bounce back.”Varun also said that he shares a special relationship with fellow Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine.”Sunil is like a big brother to me. If I go through a lean patch he will come to me and talk to me. He has also shared to me personal things of which he is vulnerable.”It is great of such a legend to talk to me about such things, to let me know he is vulnerable and he also goes though lean patches and tough times. So, talking to him gives you confidence and reinforces self belief.”Varun said that the current competition among Indian legspinners does not put any pressure on him as far as securing a national spot is concerned.”I see it as healthy competition. I messaged Yuzi (Chahal) also, the way he bowled, he is in amazing form right now, Ravi Bishnoi is bowling brilliantly, Kuldeep is doing very well for his team, Rahul Chahar is brilliant. I just feel nice when a legspinner does well.”