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Glasgow Rangers made their first signing of the Russell Martin era last month when they confirmed the arrival of right-back Max Aarons on loan.

The former England U21 international will spend the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Ibrox, but Rangers do not have an option to make it permanent next summer, should they wish to.

Aarons will not be the last player to walk through the doors at Ibrox before the end of the summer transfer window, though, as Rangers are also in talks to sign Conor Coady to bolster their centre-back options.

The Scottish Premiership giants are also in the market to sign a new central midfielder, amid interest in Brazilian enforcer Metinho from Troyes.

Midfielder rejects clubs to sign for Rangers

There has not been any advance on their interest in Metinho as of yet, but the Gers are reportedly set to sign a new central midfielder from England.

Transfer Focus

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

According to Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam, 30-year-old Bournemouth midfielder Joe Rothwell has turned down offers from teams in LaLiga to sign for Rangers.

The reporter adds that the Scottish giants have agreed a deal with the Premier League side to sign the right-footed maestro on a permanent deal, for an undisclosed fee.

McAdams states that Rothwell’s contract with the Cherries is due to expire at the end of next season, and the Gers have taken advantage of that to swoop in to snap him up this summer.

Rangers have beat stiff competition from European sides, in Spain’s top-flight, to plan the midfielder, who could arrive as Martin’s own version of Glen Kamara, who played 193 times for the Ibrox giants.

Why Joe Rothwell could be Glen Kamara 2.0 for Rangers

The Gers sold Kamara to Leeds in the summer of 2023, and now they could finally find a new metronomic, classy, midfield operator by signing this Bournemouth ace.

Funnily enough, Rothwell was signed by the English side to replace the Finland international when he left Elland Road to join Rennes last year.

As you can see by their respective performances for Leeds at Championship level, Leeds landed a like-for-like replacement, as both players excel at progressing play and creating chances for their teammates with their immense passing quality.

The £15k-per-week star was described as a “pure baller” by manager Daniel Farke, and his statistics in the English second tier in the 2024/25 campaign back up that comment.

24/25 Championship	Joe Rothwell per 90	Percentile rank vs midfielders
Passes completed	63.74	Top 6%
Long passes completed	6.44	Top 2%
xA	0.22	Top 4%
Key passes	2.44	Top 1%
Progressive passes	6.64	Top 8%
Passes into the final third	7.40	Top 2%
Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, Rothwell ranked very highly among his positional peers as a passer and as a creator in the Championship, which further backs up how similar he is to Kamara.

The English midfielder ended the season with 5.42 xA and four assists to his name in 24 league starts, which shows that he can create high-quality chances for his teammates at an impressive rate.

Kamara provided a calming presence in midfield with his ability to pass the ball, but the Finnish sensation also offered quality in the final third with a return of 11 assists in all competitions for the Gers.

Therefore, Rangers may have landed Martin his own version of the former Light Blues midfield maestro by winning the race ahead of European sides to sign Rothwell this summer.

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By
Dan Emery

Jul 1, 2025

For a while tonight it looked as if Bangalore Royal Challengers were going to live down to the tag which last year turned into an albatross: that of the Test team trying to play Twenty20

Victor Brown03-May-2009For a while tonight it looked as if Bangalore Royal Challengers were going to live down to the tag which last year turned into an albatross: that of the Test team trying to play Twenty20. Wasim Jaffer, one of the chief culprits in 2008, was struggling to make headway against Zaheer Khan, and – after Jaffer clipped him straight to square leg – Robin Uthappa was busy (or not very busy) playing out a maiden against Lasith Malinga. Bangalore fans could have been forgiven for shivering for reasons other than the cool Johannesburg evening.But Jacques Kallis was having none of it. Kallis, too, came in for criticism last year when an average of 18 and a strike-rate of 108 did not quite match up to his $900,000 valuation (and that’s before we even get onto his bowling figures of four wickets at 77 each and nine runs an over). But he has never stopped tinkering with his technique, spending time with those he trusts and ironing out the kind of flaws which, for example, persuaded him to shoulder arms fatally to the first ball of the match against Delhi at Port Elizabeth last week.The results were on show here, never more so than during the fourth over of Bangalore’s pursuit of Mumbai’s 149 for 4. Malinga, previously the tournament’s most miserly bowler, was flicked nonchalantly behind square leg for six, then square cut for six more two balls later. A less brutal flick off the hip for four in the same over showed Kallis’ timing was intact too.If anything, the early demise of Jaffer had been a blessing in disguise. It meant memories of last year were not able to linger for long and allowed Uthappa – whose previous six innings had brought a top score of only 20 – enough time to get to grips with conditions before cutting loose towards the end with three boundaries in an over off Sachin Tendulkar and a violent pull for six off Dwayne Bravo that skimmed off the roof of one of the stands and flew into a neighbouring block of flats.Kallis can still infuriate with his running between the wickets, but almost everything else about this innings was perfectly timed, including the passing of the baton to Uthappa for the final onslaught. Seventy-six off 10 became 28 off five became a stroll in the park.Bangalore have now won three in a row dating back to the game at Durban in which Kevin Pietersen daringly opened the bowling against Kolkata Knight Riders with two spinners – including himself. And, in a table which – with the exception of poor old Kolkata – currently resembles Johannesburg at rush-hour Bangalore are now joint-top on points with Delhi and Deccan.For Mumbai, this was a missed opportunity. They came into the game having won every match in which they had batted first and lost the ones where they had batted second. Victory here would have made them outright IPL leaders, and Bravo’s late blast with the bat seemed to have given them a decent chance. But Kallis lined up Zaheer in the first over of the Bangalore reply and – one half-chance at point aside – never looked back on his way to an IPL best of 69 not out off 59 balls. Test team? Perhaps no longer.

Victor Brown30-Apr-2009Suresh Raina hammered a low full-toss from Munaf Patel through extra cover last night and punched the air in delight. He had just become the first Indian to score a hundred in the IPL (the previous seven had been made by four Australians, a New Zealander, a Sri Lankan and, last week in Durban, a South African). And he had done it in 55 balls, one fewer than Viv Richards needed to reach three figures in a Test match against England in Antigua 23 years ago. No wonder he looked thrilled.At the time it didn’t seem to matter when Raina skied the next ball, the ante-penultimate of the Chennai innings, to deep backward point, where Graeme Smith judged the catch nicely. Then it all went horribly wrong. A mistake by the scorers had gifted Raina two extra runs somewhere along the line. Suspicion centred on the 19th over, which, according to the scoreboard, Raina finished on 95 rather than 93. Somehow, he had pinched two of his partner MS Dhoni’s runs. The conclusion was grim: Raina had made 98 and the happy-go-lucky swipe that cost him his wicket had also, it now transpired, cost him a hundred.Wisdom after the event is only supposed to happen in sports like formula one or horse racing, where obscure contraventions and animals get in the way, or when a football club goes into administration. But this was a cock-up plain and simple. And it was one that highlighted cricket’s obsession with milestones and the problems that can come with it. The England opener Martyn Moxon never made a hundred in his 10 Tests, but once fell at Auckland for 99. He later complained that a sweep for three had been wrongly signalled as leg-byes. These fine lines can haunt a man.Would Raina have played a different shot from the one he got out to had he known he was on 98? Quite possibly. Should he have played a different shot? Not according to the letter of cricket’s oft-repeated law that there is no ‘I’ in team. And yet the realities of the game – particularly in a competition where a hundred is treated with the same reverence afforded to the bloke who split the atom – may have dictated otherwise. “Cricket, a team game?” scoffed the novelist VS Naipaul. “Teams play, and one team is to be willed to victory. But it is the individual who remains in the memory, he who has purged the emotions by delight and fear.”Raina, who later had a stumping missed off his bowling by his new pseudo-nemesis Dhoni, probably felt a few other emotions besides. Crucially, though, the error had no effect on the team score – and a total of 164 for five had only been surpassed by two teams batting second and winning in this year’s IPL. Rajasthan Royals never looked becoming the third.Their 2009 IPL has inevitably struggled to live up to 2008. Five previous matches had brought two wins – one of them courtesy of the Super Over, another thanks to fireworks from Yusuf Pathan – two defeats and a washout, and the feeling is that Shane Warne is struggling to get quite the same out of his young squad this time round. The absence of Shane Watson has not helped; neither have Swapnil Asnodkar’s struggles on the quicker pitches of South Africa. But the way three of his players dived over the ball to concede boundaries in the first 10 overs of the Chennai innings would not have happened last year.No doubt the old master will surprise us all, sneak into the semi-finals on run-rate, then pinch a couple of late wins to retain the trophy. But for the time being Rajasthan look all too susceptible to the kind of knock Raina played today – hundred or otherwise.

West Bromwich Albion have had a solid season so far under head coach Carlos Corberan but a run of three winless games has put the Baggies at risk of falling out of the top six with another poor result.

A number of players have picked up significant injuries, including star winger Matt Phillips who has been ruled out until mid-April, having recently undergone surgery on his hamstring.

As such, West Brom aren’t fully clicking up top at the moment, but there could be a perfect solution in January to get the Baggies firing once more.

West Brom transfer news – Kwame Poku

West Brom are one of several clubs who have been left impressed by Peterborough United playmaker Kwame Poku and could look to make a move for the Ghana international once the January transfer window opens in less than two weeks. TEAMtalk are claiming that promotion rivals Sunderland and Ipswich Town are also interested in signing the 22-year-old.

In West Brom’s recent 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Corberan admitted that he wanted more from his wingers, having failed to create many chances from the wide areas with Jeremy Sarmiento and Grady Diangana in the lineup from the beginning.

The managed admitted: “It was enough times we received the ball to our wingers and we could’ve created something else and it’s true that it was [substitute] Tom Fellows and [Jed] Wallace the two players making more crosses than Grady and Sarmiento, who were playing on the sides. So for me, we should have created more from every single winger that was playing on the pitch.”

No player has recorded more assists for the Baggies this season than Phillips and it’s clear that Corberan is missing the 32-year-old's quality on the flanks. However, Poku would potentially fill the Englishman’s void at the Hawthorns.

Kwame Poku’s stats this season

Poku has had an excellent season on the wing for the Posh in League One as Darren Ferguson’s side make a push for a return to the Championship and currently sit second in the third tier, with Poku being a key player for the side, having started in 18 of Peterborough’s 21 league games this season.

His superb form hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. During his stint with Colchester United, former manager John McGreal admitted that the then-teenager was a “huge talent”.

Now, Poku is one of the most productive players in League One. Only Jordan Rhodes, Alfie May, Devante Cole and Sam Hoskins have recorded more goal contributions in the league this term. Meanwhile, the Ghanaian has the joint-highest number of assists in the third division with six.

Alfie May

19

15

0

Jordan Rhodes

18

14

3

Devante Cole

20

12

2

Sam Hoskins

21

12

2

Kwame Poku

20

7

6

Jamie Reid

21

13

0

Corey Blackett-Taylor

20

7

6

Colby Bishop

19

11

2

Stats via BBC

In all competitions, Poku’s numbers sit at eight goals and eight assists in 27 matches so he is currently contributing to 0.59 goals per game which is an impressive return for a winger.

Additionally, Poku can play anywhere across the front three, including both flanks and as a number ten. This would allow Corberan to be flexible with his team selections, but Poku will most likely be deployed out wide given his knack of creating chances for teammates.

West Brom need a player like the Posh forward this winter to get the best out of first-choice striker Brandon Thomas-Asante. The 24-year-old is the Baggies’ top scorer this season with seven goals in 21 matches.

Regardless, the ex-Salford City striker has underperformed his xG of 6.5 by scoring six league goals in the 2023/24 campaign, according to FotMob. One of the reasons for this is the lack of service up top. West Brom have created 17.9 expected assists, which is the eighth-lowest in the league and the lowest in the top six by quite some margin.

Given his ability to score and create chances, compounded by the fact that Football Transfers have valued him at just over £1m, signing Poku could be an astute bargain by the Baggies to improve their form at the top end of the pitch.

Sunderland desperately need more firepower in attack, Tony Mowbray's Black Cats overly reliant on the star quality provided by Jack Clarke down the wing to bail them out this season when the strikers routinely fluff their lines.

Nazariy Rusyn and Eliezer Mayenda were given a half each at Plymouth Argyle up top, but neither could get their first goal in Sunderland colours – the Black Cats losing 2-0 at Home Park, Rusyn failing to register a single shot of target as per Sofascore from his dire 45-minute spell.

Rusyn, Mayenda and the rest of the Sunderland crop of strikers are all still goalless in the Championship, Sunderland never replacing Ross Stewart with a new and confident attacker ready to come in and set the world alight.

On the contrary, former Black Cats man Charlie Wyke has been prolific with Wigan Athletic in the division below to add insult to injury.

Let go by then manager Lee Johnson in 2021, it's a sale out of the building Sunderland could well now be regretting.

How much Sunderland signed Charlie Wyke for

Sunderland signed Wyke for £400k on the eve of the 2018-19 season in League One, the Black Cats splashing the cash to bring in a proven goalscorer at third tier level – Wyke netting 15 goals from 40 appearances at Bradford City, before relocating to the Stadium of Light to lead the line as Sunderland's new star striker.

Season

Games

Goals

2018/19

27

5

2019/20

30

6

2020/21

51

31

Sourced by Transfermarkt.

It took time for the experienced League One figure to gel in the Black Cats camp, but his final full season with Sunderland saw the 6 foot 2 striker truly come alive as a frightening prospect for defenders to handle.

The lofty attacker scored 31 goals in total for his team in all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign, Wyke's goals unfortunately couldn't help his side win promotion as Johnson's men crashed out of the playoffs to Lincoln City in the semi-finals.

3 strikers Sunderland could sign to finally replace Ross Stewart

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ByKelan Sarson Nov 22, 2023

Wyke would fail to agree terms on a new Black Cats deal after the season was up, opting to join Wigan instead where he's continued to be a lethal striker at third-tier level for the Latics.

Charlie Wyke's statistics this season

Now 30 years of age, Wyke is showing no signs of slowing down with Wigan this season despite his career winding down.

The experienced attacker started this campaign at breakneck speed, scoring five of his six goals this season within the first four games which included a double away at Bolton Wanderers as the Latics surprisingly won 4-0.

Wyke does only have one goal since, but the former Bradford man would be a useful figure to have around the Sunderland camp at this moment in time – adding experience to the attacking set-up. After all, his tally this term is better than any of Mowbray's crop of strikers.

With the Black Cats putting their faith in up-and-coming youth talent, the Sunderland boss will pray that the likes of Rusyn do come good whilst Wyke will hope he can get back to his goalscoring best soon for Wigan when he's back in the side.

Liverpool could be on the prowl for additional reinforcements in their attack, with a host of talent linked with a move to Anfield ahead of the January transfer window.

The Reds have made a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign, however, with plenty of games left to play and further challenges ahead, Jurgen Klopp may look towards the market to bolster his side.

In the summer, the German welcomed four new faces to Merseyside, all taking up a similar position in the engine room, with Dominik Szobszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch arriving as part of a rebuild.

A midfield set of options that consisted of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner became a thing of the past at the end of last term, with changes left for Klopp to make as a new era began.

Players come and go in football, with innovation paving the way for continual progression within squads, as new targets to add to the front line emerge as potential arrivals at Liverpool in January.

Liverpool transfer targets

With pioneer forwards Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino now far from Merseyside, only Mohamed Salah remains from the trio that led Liverpool to the highs of the Champions League trophy and the Premier League title.

At the age of 31, the Egyptian isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, however, with lucrative links to Saudi Arabia emerging in the summer, the Reds could look towards finding an eventual heir to their star man.

One name that has been rumoured to be on Klopp’s wishlist is Athletic Club forward Nico Williams, who 90min claim is a player admired by four clubs in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old has a release clause of €50m (£44m) in place at his boyhood club, a figure that is affordable for Aston Villa, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool as the sides interested in his services.

A player more known to the Premier League is also rumoured to be of interest to the Reds, in what could mark a phenomenal return to the English top-flight for Leroy Sane.

As told by BILD journalist Christian Falk via CaughtOffside, Klopp’s side are 'interested' in the Germany international as a potential replacement for Salah, and as a backup option to their primary target, Jamal Musiala.

The former Manchester City whiz is said to be valued by Bayern in the region of €100m (£87m), a price worth paying for a player that has shown searing form of late.

The stats that show Leroy Sane would be a good signing for Liverpool

The two-time Premier League winner has already contributed to 10 goals in the Bundesliga this season, scoring eight and assisting two in only nine appearances for Bayern.

The 27-year-old ace has equalled his scoring tally from his 32 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, highlighting how his performances have improved under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel.

As well as being a certified performer within the German top tier, the Essen-born gem is traceable as being one of the best-performing wingers in Europe’s top five leagues and European competitions over the past year, as per FBref.

With his stellar average of 3.76 successful take-ons per 90, Sane places in the top 2% of wingers in this decimal, reinforcing how much of a threat he can be when in possession on the flanks.

For Liverpool, the £334k-per-week star epitomises what Klopp demands from his wingers, to be tirelessly direct and source attacking sequences with width.

Lauded as “dangerous” by teammate Thomas Muller for his form so far this term, the German offers a host of attributes that could be fundamental to Liverpool’s progression, with the added bonus of being proven in the Premier League.

During his three-year stay with City, the 27-year-old contributed to 57 league goals in 90 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side, scoring 25 and assisting 32 in the top-flight as a reliable source of threat.

At the Etihad, Sane was deployed on the left flank, telling of his versatility and how good of a match he could be for Liverpool, who could not only sign the Bundesliga wing as competition for Salah, but as a first-choice option on the opposite side.

German journalist Christian Falk even likened the former City ace to Salah, claiming him to be “quick like Salah and just as flexible on offence”, which could pose an interesting perspective for the Reds.

How Leroy Sane compares to Mohamed Salah

Prior to his move to Manchester City, talent scout Jacek Kulig described the talents of Sane as an 18-year-old as being a ‘flamboyant’ wide player with ‘explosive speed’, attributes desired in a traditional winger.

Sane is similar to Salah for his silky movements in the box, with his ability in driving the ball forward paired with an innate skill in finishing and deceiving defenders at high speed.

Per 90 Statistic

Leroy Sane

Mohamed Salah

Non-penalty goals

0.93

0.52

Progressive carries

5.34

3.55

Successful take-ons

4.52

0.83

Successful take-on %

54.9%

25.8%

Key passes

2.90

2.29

Shot creating actions

7.07

4.38

Per 90 figures via FBref

As highlighted in the table above, the German has been a better performer than the Egyptian in most areas relatable to the typical game play of a wide player this term, portraying the skill set he could equip Klopp with.

While Salah looks set to stay at Liverpool after signing a renewed contract last summer, the rumours remain of the 31-year-old’s admiration from Saudi Arabia, with a magnitude of money on the table for the Reds should they ever opt to offload their star.

Speculation of a bid worth an eye-watering £200m in the summer presented an interesting scope for Liverpool, however, their goal was to always keep the forward with them for the campaign ahead.

In signing Sane, the Premier League outfit could both add to their options in the final third, and summon a potential heir to Salah, who at 31 years old, could one day in the near future see his career playing out elsewhere.

There is no denying the quality of the Germany international, as well as his ability to mimic Liverpool’s hero with his talent and playing style on the wing, however, only time will tell just how far the lengths are that Klopp is willing to go to sign his countryman.

Weston McKennie is now one of Juventus' most important players but, back in the summer, he wasn't even valued enough to have a parking spot!

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Berhalter praises McKennie's resilienceJuve star lost parking spotMidfielder in CONCACAF Nations League squadGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

McKennie headed into the Serie A season on the outside looking in, having failed to impress during his loan spell at Leeds United last season. He returned in the summer and looked set to move on, having been left out of parts of preseason as he awaited a transfer.

It never came to be, with McKennie desperate to prove himself at Juve, and his resiliency has paid off. He's done all of that and more, having emerged as one of the top midfielders not just at Juve, but in Serie A altogether.

However, there was never truly a plan in Italy for him, so much so that the club had not even handed him simple player privileges.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT BERHALTER SAID

"We can't say enough about Weston and his growth over these last years," Berhalter said. "If you think about this, Western was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn't have a locker and he didn't have a parking spot. Most players would say, 'Okay, I'm done, I'm leaving this club, it's not for me', but Weston said, 'I'm going to dig in and I'm going to prove that I belong'.

"He's done not only that, not only does he belong, but he's proven to be one of the best players at Juventus this year and one of the top midfielders in Serie A. It shows his mentality and his growth as a person and it shows that he's able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. I think that's a marker of a really good player."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Gregg Berhalter revealed that, upon his return to the Bianconeri, McKennie's parking spot and player-issued locker had been removed. The Italitan side were pushing for his removal so much so that they acted as if he didn't even exist to a point! However, his performances are showing just how far he has come over the last few months as he's built himself into a player that is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Old Lady.

Now, ahead of a massive international break, he's being touted for a big, big role.

McKennie will be a key player for the U.S. in the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League, which begins with a semifinal match against Jamaica on March 21. With Tyler Adams still not fully fit, the USMNT midfield will be in focus, with McKennie a locked-in starter with that group.

Whoever is played alongside him, McKennie will be expected to bring his good form with him stateside as he looks to use his confidence from Juventus to lead the U.S. to a third consecutive Nations League final.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MCKENNIE?

Before joining up with the USMNT for that CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, McKennie first has some business to take care of with Juventus. The Old Lady are set to play host to Genoa this weekend in their final match before the international break.

ScorecardNorthants are well placed to win their second consecutive championship game and move off the bottom of the table after outplaying Glamorgan on the third day at Sophia Gardens.After the visitors had declared on 403 for 9, the home team were set the mammoth total of 434 to win. They closed on 121 for 4, and with Usman Khawaja already out, their chances of avoiding defeat are slim on a pitch where the odd ball is misbehaving for the seamers, and there was sufficient turn for Seekuge Prasanna to take two late wickets.When play resumed on another glorious morning, Ben Duckett and Luke Procter extended their opening partnership to 208, and surpass the previous record for that wicket against Glamorgan, established by Brian Reynolds and Mickey Norman at Northampton in 1962.Procter, who made an assured 70, was the first to go, when his inside edge off van Der Gugten was well caught by Cooke, and three overs later Duckett’s season best of 133 from154 balls which included 22 fours, ended when he mishit a short ball from Rory Smith to midwicket.The third wicket then fell for the addition then fell for only seven runs, when Alex Wakely sliced a drive to second slip, and the Glamorgan bowlers’ efforts were rewarded further when Richard Levi and Adam Rossington perished in quick succession.Any hopes Glamorgan might have had of a further collapse were dashed by Ricardo Vasconelos and Steven Crook who extended Northants’ lead to over 300, and shared a partnership of147 for the sixth wicket.Vascolenos, a 19yr old South African left hander, who qualifies by owning a Portuguese passport, again made an impression in his first year with the club, after scoring 56 in the first innings. Most of his runs came through the offside, but when Hogan dropped short he pulled him over square leg for six.After scoring 76, Crook was bowled, heaving at Smith, who then had Vasconelos caught at slip for 79. The tail surrendered in their quest for quick runs, before Wakely declared two overs before tea. Glamorgan had 33 overs to face in the evening session, and after a promising start, were soon 54 for2 .Nick Selman gave cover point a simple catch from Procter’s second ball, then Jack Murphy, shortly after being struck on the helmet, guided one from Buck to third slip.Usman Kahwaja after his century in the first innings, began by striking four boundaries, and followed by taking two more fours from Buck’s third over. Owen Morgan was more circumspect, but played every ball on merit, and the third wicket pair soon shared a fifty- run stand.After scoring 38, Kahawaja was caught by Vasconelos at short leg, when the Australian struck the ball firmly off Prasanna, only to see the fielder the fielder juggle with it three times before eventually holding on. Prasanna then took his second wicket when Morgan’s push was deflected by first slip to second with Glamorgan almost dead and buried.

Seamer managing “chronic” problem and won’t return before India series but Ben Stokes is progressing well after a hamstring injury

George Dobell18-Jun-2018England have confirmed that Chris Woakes will take no part in the limited-overs series against Australia as he deals with a “chronic” knee injury. Ben Stokes is also not expected to play in the three remaining ODIs but could return in next month’s T20 series with India.Woakes sustained a tear in his right quad during the second Test against Pakistan in Leeds, but a statement released by the England management now suggests it was caused in part by “a flare-up of a chronic right knee problem”. He was given an injection in the knee a week ago and has begun a rehabilitation and conditioning programme.England are putting no date on his return to action, but he will not feature in any of the games against Australia or the T20s against India. He will be reassessed ahead of the ODI series against India that starts on July 12.”I’m aiming for the India ODIs and fingers crossed I can play some cricket before then so I’m ready,” Woakes said. “Whether it’s for Warwickshire or England I’m not sure. The word chronic makes it look like it’s drastic but the knee is not something I’m worried about.”Woakes’ absence has been felt keenly by England in recent days. As their top-ranked ODI bowler, and easily most impressive white-ball seamer in Australia and New Zealand, he has the responsibility for bowling at the start and end of the innings; areas that have been exposed a little in the defeat against Scotland and, at times, during the victory over Australia in Cardiff.Woakes missed almost the entire Champions Trophy in 2017 after sustaining a side strain during the opening moments of the game against Bangladesh. He has managed the knee problem for several years, having had surgery in 2015.”I’ve had the same problem for about eight or nine years and it’s been niggling away at me but I’ve got on with it and put up with the odd niggle because it’s not the sort of thing that will get better overnight,” he said.”With the quad injury it was a good time to get a jab in there and settle it down. I don’t know what the definition of chronic is but it doesn’t really stop me from playing cricket. It just flares up and during Headingley it felt sore but compared to a couple of weeks ago it feels like a million dollars.”There may also be some concern at Warwickshire. The county felt that Woakes required more bowling before returning to Test cricket following his spell in the IPL. To go from bowling a maximum of four overs to bowling in a Test, they felt, required more time and conditioning work. It will have been noted that both England seamers who went from the IPL to the Test team – Woakes and Stokes – without a warm-up match sustained injuries.With the World Cup looming as England’s priority for next year, Woakes suggested he would consider whether managing his fitness might mean missing out on the IPL.”IPL is a great thing for players to have the opportunities to improve themselves, at the same time as earning a hell of a lot of money, but I think next year will be tricky,” he said. “If I don’t get retained that’s when I will have to ask myself whether it’s worth going in the auction again, with such a big summer ahead. It’s something I’ll know nearer the time, especially going into what could be the biggest summer of my career. You want to make sure you’re in tip-top condition for a home World Cup.”There is better news of both Stokes and Eoin Morgan. Morgan, who missed Saturday’s game in Cardiff due to a back spasm, took part in training at Trent Bridge on Monday morning and hopes to play in the third ODI against Australia on Tuesday, while Stokes is said to be “progressing well” after sustaining a torn left hamstring a couple of weeks ago. His batting is unrestricted and he is able to run at 90% capacity so will begin a “return-to-bowling programme” this week.Stokes will be with the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs in the hope that he is fit to play in the T20s against India in July.

Alastair Cook’s autobiography offers little that’s new or interesting

Freddie Auld12-Oct-2008
It would be far too easy to compare Alastair Cook’s new autobiography with his batting: determined and dependable, with the odd thrill. But sadly, it isn’t even that. For determined, read drab; for dependable, “dreary”; and as for the odd thrill, er, Cook had a game of darts with Freddie and Harmy on the eve of his Test debut. And that’s about as good as it gets.Most Cooky fans, of whom I am one myself, will be disappointed with his first, shamefully premature effort. The blurb promises a “fascinating insight” into one of the most “exciting and brightest players to burst on to the cricketing scene in recent years”. So I was hoping for juicy anecdotes about the Essex dressing room, the latter years of Duncan Fletcher’s reign, the disastrous Ashes campaign, the jelly bean files, and Michael Vaughan’s retirement. But no.Once you get past Cook’s early years – where he attended St Paul’s Cathedral School as a promising chorister – the book is mostly a combination of condensed match reports of Tests and ODIs mixed with Cook’s run-of-the-mill views on walking, sledging, captaincy, and the advent of Twenty20.Cook points to the influence of Graham Gooch and Andy Flower in his early years at Essex, and how a season of club cricket in Perth helped him develop. After deciding not to go to university, against the advice of the Essex authorities, he looks back with pride on his 214 against the touring Australians at Chelmsford, which, as he says, “made my name”. Then comes his unexpected call up to the full squad in India from the A tour in the Caribbean, a journey he shared with Jimmy Anderson, who he is now best mates with. Before Cook knew it, he was walking out to open the batting in Nagpur, and in his own words, “Strauss said ‘good luck’ in his posh accent, and away we went.”His champagne moment, following his 60 in the first innings with a remarkable debut hundred, was an ecstasy he says he has not experienced before or since. When he was sweating on 99, Kevin Pietersen had a sweepstake on how many balls Cook would take the reach his landmark, but disappointingly Cook can’t remember how many it actually took, or who won the cash.In the endless match reports that follow, he speaks of his surprising friendship with the northerners in the England team: Anderson, Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison. He also reveals his superstition about odd numbers: hence why he has an even number on his shirt, and why he only has the volume of his radio on 8 or 10. The chapter on the Ashes is disappointingly bland, with the usual stuff of how the Aussies rip you to bits on the pitch but are great value off it. And the jelly-bean mystery remains unresolved, as Cook strongly denies any part in the bizarre saga that left Zaheer Khan hot under the helmet.Cook does reveal that the ECB asked him to have a chinwag with Mike Brearley, which suggests that he may have inherited the FEC (future England captain) tag from Pietersen, but again he doesn’t elaborate on what was said. After Vaughan stood down, Cook admitted the England captaincy was too early for him. It is certainly too early to start writing books about yourself.Perhaps I expected too much, but there wasn’t much in this I didn’t already know, and what I did discover wasn’t particularly interesting. However, even though Cook’s isn’t exactly riveting, here’s hoping that Cook waits until his story is complete before his next effort.Starting Out: My Story So Far
by Alastair Cook
Hodder and Stoughton £19.99