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Marc Broom has been appointed as Middlesex’s first full-time Women’s Head Coach.Broom takes on the role having most recently worked as Assistant Head Coach for Sunrisers from 2022 to 2024, which ended with Sunrisers lifting the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in the final year of the Elite Women’s regionalised structure.Having represented Middlesex age-groups from Under-11 to Under-19, and as a second XI player for two seasons, Broom began his coaching career at Eastcote Cricket Club over two decades ago, where he remained actively involved over many years, in numerous coaching roles and as Director of Cricket between 2018 and 2022.He has previously coached the Hillingdon borough squad, was Lead Coach of Middlesex’s U12s County Age Group, was Middlesex’s South regional pathway lead, and was the fielding and wicket-keeping lead for the Middlesex Academy – working with the Club’s Elite Player Group.He began working with the Men’s professional squad in 2020 alongside Nic Pothas and then under Richard Johnson and Rory Coutts as the Club’s fielding and wicket-keeping Coach, before joining Sunrisers in 2022 as Assistant Head Coach.He has also worked with London Spirit Women as Assistant Coach and Fielding/Wicket-keeping lead, including during their successful Women’s Hundred campaign in 2024.”I am genuinely honoured, privileged and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the new phase of Middlesex Women’s cricket as Head Coach,” Broom said.”It’s a fantastic time to be involved in Women’s cricket and the game is developing so quickly in all areas, and to have the responsibility of supporting the talented group of players through what is going to be a challenging but ultimately rewarding journey is one I’m going to relish!”The last three years with the Sunrisers have been unbelievable, and I’ve learned so much from both the coaching staff and players, especially Andy Tennant whose knowledge and experience as Head Coach have highlighted the processes needed to achieve the success possible.”I can’t wait to get going and seeing where this team can go and what they can achieve”.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s Director of Cricket, added: “We are absolutely delighted that Mark has accepted our offer to become our new Women’s Head Coach. He stood out from an extremely high-quality list of candidates who applied for the role, and we are delighted to be working with him moving forwards.”This is an incredibly exciting time for the Women’s game, and whilst Middlesex begin the journey as a Tier Two side, we are already taking the first steps to securing Tier One status at the earliest opportunity, and Marc’s appointment is a significant step towards us getting there.”The experience Marc gained with Sunrisers, with whom he has been on the same journey that Middlesex Women are now embarking on, will prove invaluable to us, as we look to professionalise the Women’s set-up here at Middlesex.”He has a proven track record as a Coach at all levels and joins us fresh from having lifted two major trophies in the Women’s game in 2024. We are excited about what Marc will bring to the role and wish him every success with the Women’s playing group.”

Sunderland’s transfer window has been the biggest in the club’s history. After an unexpectedly long stint out of the Premier League, manager Régis Le Bris has been backed to ensure that they stay there.

The club have made roughly £36.8 million from the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tom Watson to Borussia Dortmund and Brighton respectively, which has added a boost to their transfer budget.

Most of the new arrivals at the Stadium of Light have been attacking or midfield players, and the squad is yet to reinforce their defence, which was the fourth-best in the Championship last season. However, the Black Cats are now looking to change that in a big way and go all out on an up-and-coming talent.

Sunderland scouting Italian star Comuzzo

Reports from Italy, via Sports Witness, have revealed that Sunderland are among a number of English teams who have been scouting Italian centre-back Pietro Comuzzo. Comuzzo’s club, Fiorentina, have spent part of their pre-season in the UK, where Black Cats scouts checked on him in person.

Sports Witness shared a recent interview where Comuzzo stated he was happy at his current club and wasn’t currently looking to move. However, during the transfer window, things can change quickly. If Le Bris could convince Comuzzo of the project, then it’s reported that Fiorentina would be willing to part ways with the player for £34.5 million, which would see the Black Cats once again smash their previous transfer record by £7.5 million.

Sunderland’s most expensive signings of all time

Rank

Player

Fee

Signed from

Year

1

Habib Diarra

£27m

Strasbourg

2025

2

Simon Adingra

£21m

Brighton

2025

3

Enzo Le Fee

£19.3m

AS Roma

2025

4

Chemsdine Talbi

£18m

Club Brugge

2025

5

Noah Sadiki

£15m

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

2025

6

Didier Ndong

£13.6m

Lorient

2016

=7

Granit Xhaka

£13m

Bayer Leverkusen

2025

=7

Asamoah Gyan

£13m

Rennes

2010

9

Steven Fletcher

£12m

Wolves

2012

10

Jack Rodwell

£10m

Man City

2014

Comuzzo will be in the UK this weekend as Fiorentina face Manchester United at Old Trafford in a pre-season friendly. Early reports had indicated that United were another one of the teams to have taken an interest in the centre-back, but after several big-money signings and other positions yet to fill, they seem unlikely candidates.

Sports Witness’s Kaustubh Pandey concluded that the stories currently circulating about Comuzzo could be an attempt to increase his value and sell him at a later date. In which case, this could end up being a long-term Sunderland target that they use to solidify their place in the Premier League if they stay up this season.

Why Comuzzo is so highly rated

Comuzzo is a name that fans will hear a lot of in the coming years, and there are a few reasons why he is seen as such a prodigy. When compared to centre-backs of a similar age who featured in the Premier League last season, fans can see his uniqueness.

Defensive Actions Last Season

Comuzzo

Khusanov

Huijsen

Tackles in Defensive 3rd Per 90

1.19

0.79

0.7

Long Pass Completion

69%

56.3%

59.5%

Attempted Tackles on Dribblers Per 90

1.19

0.85

1.07

Success Rate of Tackles on Dribblers

79.3%

64.3%

62.1%

Stats from: FBREF

Abdukodir Khusanov and Dean Huijsen have both recently received big transfers, with the former joining Manchester City in January and the latter joining Real Madrid this summer, but in many regards, Comuzzo is better than both.

An issue that many defenders find when joining the Premier League is that the pace of the wingers is too much for them. However, this is where Comuzzo specialises, as not only does he attempt more tackles on dribbling players than average, he also has a higher success rate with them.

Comuzzo’s ability to accurately play a long ball is also unique. Not only does it get the team out of danger defensively, but it can also help the team up the pitch offensively. Many of the newly promoted teams find themselves camped in their own third as the bigger Premier League sides attack them. Comuzzo would help avoid this with the combination of his ability to win back the ball and then progressively play it out once he has done so.

All of these attributes make Comuzzo an ideal player for the Premier League and particularly one further down the table. If Sunderland don’t push for him this summer, their chance of signing him may disappear, because it’s only a matter of time before someone snaps him up.

Birmingham City will be looking to join an exclusive club next season in attempting to seal the dramatic feat of back-to-back promotions.

Ipswich Town were the last triumphant outfit to manage back-to-back promotions from League One all the way up to the promised land of the Premier League, whilst the likes of Southampton, Norwich City, Manchester City, and Watford have all also achieved the same unthinkable goal, with Birmingham wanting to add their name to this unique list shortly.

The Blues’ whirlwind summer transfer activity to date will have done them no harm in trying to pull off such an inconceivable accomplishment, with the standout capture of Kyogo Furuhashi for £10m one deal that certainly demonstrates the Blues’ hunger to try and become Premier League-bound.

Kyogo's statement arrival to St. Andrew's

It has even been reported now that the ex-Celtic attacker turned down opportunities to go to higher-up sides to hop on board the enthralling St. Andrew’s rollercoaster.

He clearly believes in the project, and he will surely want to be remembered as the goalscoring hero that managed to push the Blues up to the Premier League very soon, having already garnered a reputation for being a deadly goal machine when bagging a mammoth 85 strikes on the books of the Hoops.

The buzz surrounding this Kyogo deal is very reminiscent of Jay Stansfield’s arrival on the scene last summer for an equally hefty fee of £15m with the former Fulham man dropping all the way down to League One – even as he knew full well he was held in high regard at Craven Cottage – to then becoming the decisive star that fired home a promotion-sealing 19 strikes.

Kyogo is on the same pedestal as Stansfield, therefore, in potentially going down as a season-altering purchase, but there is another transfer target on the Blues’ radar that might be seen as an even more daring coup than the much-talked-about attacking duo if a move is pulled off shortly.

The £14m star who'd be a bigger coup than Kyogo & Stansfield

Whilst both Kyogo and Stansfield have stunned supporters across their collective careers with their ice-cold ability to finish off chances under pressure, neither has been a success story at the very pinnacle of English football, with the first of those two names never actually competing in the Premier League.

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Hwang Hee-chan has that on his side, fortunately, as Birmingham now attempt to land the South Korean forward for around the £14m mark, according to reports.

Before he saw his minutes at Molineux deplete under the fresh Wolves reign of Vitor Pereira, Hwang was seen as one of the more reliable attackers in the Old Gold squad, with his tally in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season coming in at a sturdy 12 goals.

Amazingly, that was the exact same amount Matheus Cunha managed that campaign in league action, before his form exploded into life even more to attract Manchester United’s interest.

Hwang’s G/A record by club

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

RB Salzburg

126

45

29

Wolves

119

24

8

FC Liefering

31

13

8

RB Leipzig

28

3

4

Hamburg

21

2

2

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whilst Hwang might well have hoped for a similar earth-shuddering move down the line himself, it’s more a sign of Birmingham’s ambition than it is an indicator of the South Korean settling for an underwhelming switch down a division, with a further 74 goals and assists coming his way in the Austrian top-flight across his well-travelled career to date.

This blistering spell for Salzburg even saw Erling Haaland, who led the line with Hwang in the Austrian Bundesliga, label the 29-year-old as “absolutely crazy” in the way he operates as a captivating forward presence.

Unfortunately for Kyogo, he has also suffered from some barren patches of form in front of goal away from his celebrated Celtic spell, with zero strikes coming his way during a brief Rennes stint.

Moreover, Stansfield only ever tasted the luxuries of the Premier League on occasion with Fulham, with Hwang more than ready to take the Championship by storm as a coup purchase, before then potentially settling back into the challenging division with confidence if the Blues have made their top-flight dreams come true.

Related Birmingham and Wagner keen to sign "great" 26 y/o and soon-to-be free agent

The Blues mean business.

Posts 2 ByTom Cunningham Jul 11, 2025

Arsenal are in talks over a move for Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze, according to widespread reports, but another high-profile attacker may well follow the 27-year-old to north London.

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4 ByCharlie Smith Jun 28, 2025

GiveMeSport and other reliable media outlets reported that Eze’s representatives held “positive” talks with Arsenal last weekend, and the England international is pretty keen on a switch to the potential Premier League title challengers.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£5m

Andrea Berta also possesses the option of paying his £68 million release clause in installments, which they’ll likely take up, as Arsenal look to back Mikel Arteta whilst erring on the side of caution when it comes to PSR.

The notion of spreading out Eze’s transfer fee will also be a huge help when it comes to signing another star winger, which is what Arsenal are expected to try and do (Fabrizio Romano).

It is believed that Arsenal are looking at both a right and left-winger, with Eze potentially poised to fill just one of these spots as Berta looks at signing another wide player to come in with the 27-year-old.

One of their other wide targets, alongside Chelsea forward Noni Madueke, is £206,000-per-week Real Madrid forward Rodrygo.

The Brazil international is said to be a “dream” target for Arteta’s side, and he could push to leave the Bernabeu once their Club World Cup campaign concludes.

“I think Rodrygo is quickly emerging as Arsenal’s dream target,” journalist Graeme Bailey told TBR Football this week.

“From what I’m hearing, from people close to the situation, once Real Madrid get back from the Club World Cup, Rodrygo is going to make it clear that he wants to leave.

“I think everything points towards Rodrygo leaving and my belief is that Arsenal will be towards the top of his desired places to go.”

Arsenal will move to sign Rodrygo with Eberechi Eze on one condition

Now, GiveMeSport provide another update on Arsenal’s interest in the 24-year-old – who’s bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions since the start of 2024/2025.

They report that Arsenal would love to sign Rodrygo this summer, and will move for the ex-Santos sensation with Eze on one condition.

If they get clear signals from the South American that he’s willing to leave Real and make a Premier League move, then Arsenal will make an approach, but until that point, they’re still waiting for his green-light.

Considering the other reports that he’s likely to request a transfer from Real, Arteta might not be waiting too long for Rodrygo’s approval, so this could be one to keep an eye on.

Los Blancos legend, Luka Modrić, has already stated that Rodrygo is a “world class superstar” – partly highlighting why Arsenal are so keen on him.

West Bromwich Albion are now very keen on signing an “incredible” defender who has experience at the very highest level, according to a report.

Mason's arrival marks start of new era at the Hawthorns

West Brom’s 2024-25 campaign ultimately petered out, with Tony Mowbray being dismissed just three months after his arrival, having failed to build on the foundations laid by Carlos Corberan.

However, the appointment of former Tottenham Hotspur coach Ryan Mason marks the start of a new era for the Baggies, with reporter Steve Hermon claiming the board have made a “brave” decision by replacing Mowbray with a manager who has no Championship experience.

At just 33-years-old, Mason is certainly young for a manager, but the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler and Germany boss Julian Naglelsmann have proven that experience isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to being successful.

Contact made: West Brom considering move to sign "ruthless" new striker

Ryan Mason is wasting no time in looking to strengthen his new West Brom team.

ByBrett Worthington Jun 5, 2025

Despite a poor end to the 2024-25 campaign, Albion finished just four points adrift of the Championship play-off places, which suggests Mason may not need to ring the changes this summer, but he will certainly be looking to put his own stamp on the squad.

According to a report from The Athletic, West Brom are now showing strong interest in signing Liverpool defender Nat Phillips, who is attracting the attention of a number of second-tier sides after impressing on loan at Derby County.

Derby boss John Eustace has confirmed he would like to sign Phillips on a permanent basis, with the defender’s time at Anfield surely coming to an end, having not featured for the Reds in the Premier League since the 2022-23 campaign.

"Incredible" Phillips impressed Klopp during Liverpool spell

Perhaps most memorably, the Bolton-born defender featured regularly for Liverpool during the 2020-21 season, at which point Jürgen Klopp was having to deal with an injury crisis.

Ultimately, the Reds managed to seal qualification for the Champions League despite the injury issues, and Klopp was left impressed by some of the £45k-a-week centre-back’s performances, particularly catching the eye during a 2-1 win against West Ham United.

Speaking after the match, Klopp said: “He’s a brilliant guy, smart guy, intelligent, everything. He’s not easy on the eye, he’s not Messi but who cares? In the air, he’s a monster! He was incredible.”

Since then, the 28-year-old has arguably gone on to find his level in the Championship, but he has continued to impress in the air, placing in the top 1% for aerials won per 90 over the past year, when compared to other defenders in similar leagues.

Phillips, who has seven Champions League appearances to his name, could be an excellent signing for West Brom this summer, and the hope will be that he is available on a permanent basis, having not been a part of Liverpool’s plans for a number of years.

Manchester United will want to improve all areas of the pitch during the summer transfer window, needing to right the wrongs of the 2024/25 campaign, which was certainly one to forget.

The Red Devils lost in the Europa League final and also finished 15th in the Premier League, with no European football present at Old Trafford next season.

Such a failure will certainly have an impact on finances at the club, restricting any funds that boss Ruben Amorim may have had at his disposal had they claimed victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

However, it could be a blessing in disguise, handing the manager the opportunity to work closely with his players and mount a serious charge for the Premier League’s top four in 2025/26.

Regardless of the terrible form, the hierarchy look set to give Amorim the benefit of the doubt and hand him funds to change their fortunes, with numerous players already on the manager’s radar.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo and Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap have been on United’s radar in recent days, with the hierarchy holding talks with the Cameroon international over a switch to Old Trafford this summer.

The club have been quoted a fee in the region of £50m for the 25-year-old star, who’s managed to score 20 goals in the Premier League this season, but could face competition from Newcastle United for his signature.

However, the other end of the pitch is also in need of investment, with Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford emerging as a summer target, according to GIVEMESPORT.

The report claims that the club are exploring potential reinforcements to bolster the ranks, with the future of Andre Onana at United uncertain given his recent showings.

It also states that it’s unknown how much Scott Parker’s side will demand for the signature of the 22-year-old, who kept a staggering 29 clean sheets in the Championship last season, but prior reports this year suggest it may be around £30m.

Why Trafford could be the next Sancho

Winger Jadon Sancho joined United in a £73m deal from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021, but it’s safe to say his time at Old Trafford has been a disaster.

The Englishman has made 83 appearances for the club, scoring just 12 goals and being sent on various loan spells – including back to the side which the Red Devils landed him from.

The 25-year-old is currently on loan at fellow Premier League side Chelsea, but could well be back in Amorim’s side ahead of next season if the Blues trigger his £5m cancellation fee after originally joining with an obligation to join permanently.

He’s only scored four times in his 40 appearances across all competitions in West London, with the club undoubtedly set to lose a small fortune on their investment in the near future.

However, the club could land a repeat of Sancho in a summer move for Trafford, with the goalkeeper following a similar path in his career to the winger over recent years.

The pair both came through Manchester City’s academy, before moving elsewhere to make their name and potentially costing the Red Devils a small fortune in the process.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal for the shot-stopper would set the hierarchy back this summer, it’s one they should look to avoid with better options available in the market.

Games played

28

38

Goals conceded

62

58

Save percentage

65%

75%

Saves made

3.7

3.9

Clean sheets

2

9

Clean sheet percentage

7%

23%

Pass accuracy

65%

73%

Trafford, who’s been labelled “world-class” by current boss Parker, was unable to better current ‘keeper Onana in numerous key areas during his last stint in the Premier League, even dropping to number two in the pecking order as a result.

Whilst there’s no denying that a new goalkeeper needs to be on the agenda this summer, Amorim and the board should be exploring other options, with a more experienced head needed between the sticks.

Given the similarities between him and Sancho’s career path, it’s another reason as to why they should steer clear – needing to find value for money elsewhere given the financial constraints.

He's like Viktor Gyokeres: Man Utd expect to sign £30m star after Cunha

Manchester United could follow Matheus Cunha by signing Ruben Amorim’s new Viktor Gyokeres.

1 ByDan Emery May 27, 2025

Manchester City would have been watching the Premier League results coming in on Saturday with glee, especially when Arsenal shockingly collapsed to a 2-1 defeat at home to AFC Bournemouth.

That surprise loss at the Emirates means Pep Guardiola’s men – off the back of downing Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Friday night – are only three points off matching the Gunners in second spot, meaning the rest of May could be a fight now to see who is second best to Arne Slot’s runaway Liverpool.

With an FA Cup trophy also potentially in their hands, this season, once written off as a misfire, might well have some positives after all, with some big buys in the summer boosting City’s chances of becoming Premier League title challengers again.

Man City close in on big-money target

Guardiola and Co have been linked to a whole host of names as the 2024/25 campaign begins to wind down, with the main face dominating conversation being Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz.

According to reports, Bayern Munich are also interested, meaning City would have to pursue alternative targets in the midfield areas, with the likes of Gabriel Sara also reportedly on their radar.

Transfer Focus

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

But, a different path could be explored by the serial winners shortly, with a new report by journalist Graeme Bailey revealing that long-standing City target Morgan Gibbs-White is contemplating his future at Nottingham Forest.

Both Liverpool and Newcastle United are also keen to add the 25-year-old attacking midfielder to their rosters, but it remains to be seen which club would be willing to splash out the mammoth £100m asking price to land the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man.

Whether or not City want to pay that price, according to Fabrizio Romano on Sunday, the Citizens are planning to advance their efforts to sign the Englishman soon.

After all, City have already seen what Gibbs-White is capable of when he assisted this sweet strike versus them back in March, with the potential here for the two-time England international to strike up a fierce relationship with Erling Haaland up top.

How Gibbs-White could get more out of Haaland

The Nordic goal machine does have his deficiencies when it comes to long spells out of the side with injury, but when he’s at the peak of his powers and purring in front of goal, there are few attackers better than the 24-year-old in world football.

Overall this season, Haaland finds himself on a blistering 30 strikes from 40 clashes, with 21 of those coming in the bread and butter of the Premier League, even when City have regularly found themselves off the boil.

Therefore, throwing in Gibbs-White to the mix could only work wonders for Haaland’s potency, with the 25-year-old actually bettering the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan in terms of assists this season in the Premier League.

In the words of by football statistician Statman Dave, he has been a “magician” for the Tricky Trees, amassing nine assists in the league, with his equally impressive goal count of five strikes from 30 league games no doubt enhancing Guardiola’s men in the forward areas even more if a signature was reached.

While De Bruyne makes more key passes per game with two, Gibbs-White isn’t far behind with 1.5 in the Premier League this season. That’s a number that would rank him fourth in the City squad, ahead of other midfielders in the shape of Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Rodri.

1. Savinho

27

8

2. Kevin De Bruyne

25

7

3. Jeremy Doku

26

6

4. Matheus Nunes

24

5

5. Ilkay Gundogan

31

5

Evidently, City do need to freshen in the attacking midfield spots with De Bruyne heading for the exit door and Gundogan failing to find the back of the net in the league this season from 31 contests.

Therefore, Gibbs-White might be the transformative body City desire, with the £100m target also a potentially perfect teammate for Haaland to bounce off of to enable the goals to flow even more from their clinical number nine.

Man City sold arguably the "best forward in the world", now he's like Wirtz

Manchester City might have already sold their own Florian Wirtz when getting rid of this top attacker.

ByKelan Sarson May 3, 2025

England spinner is quietly optimistic as she embarks on her second 50-over World Cup campaign

Andrew Miller19-Sep-2025England’s women begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Guhawati on October 3, but their training camp in the UAE is already well underway. On Thursday, the squad took on New Zealand in a warm-up fixture at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi, and with figures of 3 for 36 in nine overs, Charlie Dean emerged from a handy three-wicket win as the pick of the bowlers on show.It’s been a significant few months for Dean. In August, she took charge of London Spirit in the Women’s Hundred, stepping into the void created by Heather Knight’s hamstring injury to guide her team to the Eliminator, where they were beaten by eventual champions Northern Superchargers. And now, as a 24-year-old offspinner with four years of international experience, she’s about to embark on her second 50-over World Cup campaign, in India no less.”It’s a really exciting place to be a spinner,” Dean told ESPNcricinfo, prior to the squad’s departure for the UAE. “I guess it comes with a bit of pressure, because you know that the conditions might suit you. But equally, there’s a lot of excitement about the opportunity that that brings.”Dean has travelled as part of a four-prong spin attack – and a familiar one at that. Despite the sense, when Charlotte Edwards took over as head coach in March, that a refresh of England’s stocks might be in order, the inherent skill of the team’s frontline options has again been trusted for this latest global tournament.Dean is once again joined in the squad by Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Linsey Smith – all four of whom took the field together in England’s opening match of the T20 World Cup, against Bangladesh at Sharjah, this time last year.The less said about the rest of that winter – from England’s grim World Cup exit against West Indies to their 16-0 points whitewashing in the Ashes. Ecclestone, in particular, became the focus of media criticism and subsequently took a mental-health break in the early part of the season while also managing a quad injury. But Dean is adamant that lessons have been learned, on and off the pitch, as they set about restoring their reputation as a team that can challenge at the major events.”Since the Ashes, we’ve all gone away and really tried to upskill ourselves, on and off the pitch,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there with Linsey, Soph and Sarah, and hopefully we can complement each other well, like we have done previously.”Eccles, she is the No. 1 bowler in the world. When I watch her bowl in the nets, I’m just like, wow, she’s insanely skillful and impressive, and she’s been working really hard.Fielding has been an issue for England, but Dean is among the best catchers in their squad•Getty Images”I know Glenny has changed her action a little bit too,” Dean added of her Spirit team-mate, who featured just twice for England this summer, most recently against West Indies in June. This week she announced a change of scene too, with a new deal to join Yorkshire from The Blaze in 2026.”She’s done a little bit of work on her run-up, and it’s feeling a lot smoother,” Dean said. “It’s brilliant that she’s back in the squad after being left out a little bit this summer. And that just proves that, if you go well in domestic and county cricket, you can get back in.”The net result is an England team that will hope to be the same, but different, three years on from their runners-up finish at the last 50-over World Cup in New Zealand. Back then, they were clearly the best of the rest behind a still-dominant Australia, with Nat Sciver-Brunt – their new captain – putting in a heroic display in the final. Now, however, with India primed for a deep run on home soil, England’s expectations are arguably diminished.”We’re in a bit of a rebirth kind of era with Nat coming in as captain, and Lottie as coach,” Dean said. “Hopefully that brings a new lease of life for some of the girls who have been around for a while. So it feels like a really exciting time for us. We’re trying to do a lot of learning and growth in a short period of time, so it feels like a perfect opportunity to see where we’re at.”Coming in, more as dark horses, is probably a great place for us to be,” she added. “We know that on our best day, we can beat any team. We just need to pull out all the stops on that day.”There is a lot of experience in that team, so hopefully we can bounce back from the Ashes, which was a pretty tough time, but we all know that we are better cricketers than we showed over there. Hopefully we can keep practising and training under pressure, and be able to perform in the games that count.”Related

Sciver-Brunt: 'We are a very different team since the Ashes'

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That, unfortunately, was clearly not the case in England’s infamous exit from the T20 World Cup, when the team collectively lost their heads in a chaotic West Indies powerplay. Edwards’ predecessor, Jon Lewis, was even obliged to come onto the field during the drinks break in an attempt to pull them out of a tailspin.Dean is hopeful that, on Edwards’ watch, many of those traits have now been ironed out – particularly in the course of a hard-fought home summer against India. Though England lost both white-ball series – 2-1 in the ODIs and 3-2 in the T20Is – the fact that they were put under pressure across eight high-octane fixtures was arguably more helpful than a run of stress-free victories.”Lottie brings in this air of calmness,” Dean said. “When she explains the game, she makes cricket seem like common sense, and half the time, it really isn’t. The way she thinks about the game is so clear. And that brings a clarity to the group as well.”No matter the result of the game, we just keep learning from it. All she wants to see from us is growth. And that fits with my way of playing as well. I’m trying to be smarter and play each game situation, rather than just the same script for every game that you play.”Arguably the barometer for England’s performances will be their fielding. It was notably poor at key moments of their last winter campaign, although Dean has consistently stood out as one of the better catchers in the line-up – a trait that she demonstrated in last month’s Hundred with a spectacular one-handed take off Oval Invincibles’ Marizanne Kapp.”We practice day in and day out,” she said. “The narrative of our fielding is it isn’t particularly good, so it comes to me as almost a challenge to prove everyone wrong. Because I know how hard the team is working and how good we can be.”It’s about flipping that narrative and seeing it as a way that we can really show off and prove people wrong. If we see that in little windows, then that’s perfect. Hopefully we can really push towards this World Cup and onwards.”Being a cricketer is all about getting better and learning on your journey. As long as people commit to that, then we don’t care if someone drops a catch, as long as the right attitudes and processes are going on behind the scenes, then we control that narrative. Everyone’s working hard to get better, and I guess that’s all you can ask.”

Kuldeep brings a point of difference to India’s XI, particularly against reverse sweeps if the pitches are not rank turners

Alagappan Muthu07-Feb-20242:53

Manjrekar: Kuldeep is the spinner for pitches that are not rank turners

Kuldeep Yadav has come all the way from square leg to pester Rohit Sharma about taking a review.Rohit is busy trying to get the opinion of someone with a better view of the delivery but Kuldeep isn’t letting him. So he comes to a standstill, raises his left hand, points it in Kuldeep’s general direction and trolls from all around the globe swing into action. They have a new meme to unleash.Introverts when they’re asked to come out Friday night. Rohit gif. The rest of the class when that one suck-up reminds the teacher they forgot to give homework. Rohit gif. Messi fans when they hear Ronaldo is better. Rohit gif. Ronaldo fans when they hear Messi is better. Rohit gif.Related

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The replays on the big screen show that restraint was the right option. Zak Crawley had not nicked that Jasprit Bumrah delivery through to the wicketkeeper and the camera once again finds Rohit, who offers a cheeky smile, claps exactly four times, and signs off with a double thumbs up. And once again social media is in business.Extroverts when they’re asked to come out on Friday night. Rohit gif. Two for one deals at your favourite cupcake shop on cheat day. Rohit gif. India fans to the Indian team for bringing Kuldeep into the XI. Rohit gif.As a gruelling five-Test series against England goes into a nine-day break between matches and the players from both teams have dispersed for rest and relaxation, there is a feeling that this whole thing is just getting started.India have held off all challengers at home, their spinners repeatedly showing up the opposition. Except that’s not been the case this time. Tom Hartley, Joe Root, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir have taken more wickets (33) than R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep (23). While part of that is down to Bumrah claiming a large slice of the pie through his genius, it also says something about the two batting line-ups: England are quite settled, India are in transition.Rohit Sharma dismisses Kuldeep Yadav’s pleas to go for a DRS review•BCCIGiven that, it is possible the remaining three Tests will be played on pitches similar to the one in Visakhapatnam, the kind that starts out good for batting and then, with natural wear and tear, begins to offer more for the bowlers. In such conditions, it is crucial for a spinner to pose a threat in the air and that is what Kuldeep did with his left-arm wristspin in the second Test.He gave India their first wicket of the match, at a time when England had raced to 59 for 0 in 10.1 overs after India were dismissed for 396, leaving a lingering feeling they had underachieved in their first innings. The ball drew the left-handed Ben Duckett out into a rare forward defence and then dipped on him, leaving the batter away from the pitch of the delivery, giving the ball enough time to leap off the surface and hit the shoulder of the bat and pop to silly point.Later on the second day, he accounted for Ben Foakes with another beauty. The right-hand batter played for the legbreak spinning into him – and it was the legbreak – yet he was beaten on the outside edge. Because drift. Foakes was playing for a ball pitching on off stump but it drifted wider and therefore when it turned it didn’t turn into the middle of the bat as he expected. It shimmied right past the outside edge and crashed into the stumps.Then there was the deception of Ollie Pope. This was dip and drift, drawing England’s No. 3 out on the front foot, luring him a fair bit across his crease, creating a gap between bat and pad so he could surge through it. That reverse-swinging, stump-shattering, other-worldly yorker from Bumrah would never have come into existence if KS Bharat had been alive to the stumping opportunity Kuldeep had created against Pope. On the final count in England’s first innings, Kuldeep generated almost as many false responses (21) as Bumrah (24).

According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, England played only 12 reverse sweeps in the second Test as opposed to 50 in the first, and only two against Kuldeep, which were both dot balls

Most teams would be more than happy with this package. For India, however, Kuldeep has been stuck in a queue, behind two all-time greats R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and the third guy Axar Patel who has a habit of scoring crucial runs down the order. Therefore, Kuldeep’s played only nine Tests in seven years for 38 wickets at 22.73 apiece. He was even dropped after being Player of the Match for an eight-wicket haul in his previous Test in Chattogram in December 2022.With Jadeja injured, though, there is space in the XI for Kuldeep. Even if Jadeja should return in time for the next Test, there is a strong argument to keep Kuldeep on as the third spinner.According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, England played only 12 reverse sweeps in the second Test as opposed to 50 in the first, and only two against Kuldeep, which were both dot balls.This is what a wristspinner can do. Especially on a pitch like the one in Visakhapatnam, which had more bounce than the Hyderabad track on days one and two, so the top edge was in play if you opted to play a cross-bat shot. And on days three and four, the ball began to keep low, which made it doubly dangerous to hit across the line.Kuldeep has pressed this advantage further by altering his bowling action to become a wicket-to-wicket bowler – 71% of the deliveries he pitched in line with the stumps in the second Test were also going on to threaten them. He has also worked on his overspin, which helps the ball dip more sharply than the batter expects, and bounce higher than he is ready for. So, the reverse sweep, or even the drive, that they think is on is actually fraught with risk.Kuldeep Yadav’s drift meant Ben Foakes was beaten on the outside edge by a legbreak•BCCINow, none of this means that India have taken the ascendancy. Or that England will be backing off: England still scored at 4.61 an over against spin. Just that both teams are learning and evolving, and 1-1 is an apt scoreline.The third Test starting on February 15 is in Rajkot. That’s Jadeja’s home turf but hamstring injuries usually take longer than a couple of weeks to heal. Even if Jadeja does get back up to full fitness during this series, Kuldeep brings a point of difference to this XI, particularly against the threat India are facing and more so if the pitches are not rank turners.He even enjoyed vindication in the DRS stakes and, coincidentally, it led to the wicket that assured India their victory. Crawley, who was leading England’s charge towards the target of 399 on the fourth morning, went back to a ball from Kuldeep that pitched on the shorter side of the good-length area. It held its line and skidded through to hit low on pad. It looked to be heading past leg stump to the human eye. The on-field umpire clearly thought as much. But the ball-tracking tech stated otherwise, and the three reds triggered a jubilant celebratory run from Kuldeep and his team-mates mobbing him.When your crush agrees to go out on a date with you. Kuldeep gif. When mum and dad are out of town for the weekend. Kuldeep gif. When Test cricket is this much fun. Kuldeep gif.

Everything is in place for the BPL’s big return, but onus is on the stakeholders to make sure restrictions are not breached in any way

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2022This, the eighth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), will be the first to be staged since the pandemic began, and it has already been impacted. The BCB has admitted to there being “a few positive cases” already from the first round of tests before teams entered their hotels, and given that testing will continue until the start of the tournament, today, more bad news cannot be ruled out.This season of the BPL is of great significance for Bangladesh, particularly in light of their poor performance in last year’s T20 World Cup. With another on the horizon in Australia, a high-profile domestic tournament becomes a prime testing ground.Related

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It is also extremely important for the BCB to successfully stage its first BPL in two years, given it has brought in profits of approximately US$ 23 million since 2012, and is easily their most lucrative product. That has never stopped the BCB from experimenting with the tournament’s model or format and that has at times hit the league’s reputation adversely. All of which means that – with the added hazards of a pandemic – there is very little room for error.Foremost among the challenges is the pandemic itself. Bangladesh is currently experiencing an Omicron surge, with the daily case count rising 25-fold between January 1 and January 19. The positivity rate stands at 25%.The BCB has so far struck confident notes on the matter. Instead of biobubbles, it will use a managed event environment system, allowing everyone part of the BPL to move around without restriction in tournament hotels and training facilities at the three stadiums.”We are trying to apply guidelines from the Tokyo Olympics,” Dr Debashis Chowdhury, the BCB’s chief physician, said. “We have managed health protocols quite well during previous international series. It went by mostly without problems.”But here a lot of it depends on the stakeholders, like franchise officials and players. If we are aware of what’s going on around us, we can complete the BPL successfully.”

“With the travel restrictions, the technicians were also unable to fly [into Bangladesh]. The technicians are now working in two different countries and they won’t be able to come to Bangladesh in this situation”BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick explains why there won’t be any DRS

But therein lies a potential problem. Several teams have held unofficial practice sessions, together, at the academy ground adjacent to the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The jersey-launch programmes held in private hotels over the last week have also seen players and staff come in close contact with people who are not part of the BPL.”We must be careful when we are in a crowd if we want to end the tournament successfully,” Chowdhury stressed.Ultimately, how franchises manage their own spaces is going to matter the most. The BCB has put in place a Covid-19 compliance officer in all the hotels to ensure proper measures are followed. And there is also now a template that the BPL can draw from: Australia’s Big Bash League has kept going despite around 40 positive cases during the ongoing season, with continuous tweaks to the schedule and venues.One of the smaller side-effects of the pandemic is that there will be no DRS for the tournament.”We cannot keep DRS in the Covid situation, and with the travel restrictions, the technicians were also unable to fly [into Bangladesh],” BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick explained. “The technicians, divided into two teams, are now working in two different countries and they won’t be able to come to Bangladesh in this situation.”No one wants to come because of Omicron. We will host Afghanistan after BPL. We have to talk about whether we can include DRS in the series or not.”Despite the many disruptions over the years, the BPL continues to attract big stars from around the world•BCBIf there is any disruption, it won’t be new for the BPL. It has dealt with its fair share of problems since its inception, from corruption to player-payment issues, to sudden rule changes to unruly behaviour from team owners.In the last edition in 2019-20, for example, Krishmar Santokie bowled a no-ball so massive in the first game it attracted the attention of the BCB’s anti-corruption unit (he was cleared). The BCB-run teams were found to be disregarding selection rules put in place by the board itself. There was also talk of sponsors meddling in selection matters.This season hasn’t been problem-free either, and we haven’t even started.The BCB had to remove the Dhaka owners after they failed to pay the required bank guarantee within the stipulated time. The BCB took over the franchise, picked a team, and then another company came forward to sponsor the team.The league still manages to attract its share of big stars, though. Though figures have not been made public, according to many, the league is one of the highest-paying ones. Andre Russell, a BPL regular who is reportedly getting US$ 250,000 to play this time, skipped the BBL last season to play in the Bangladesh league. He has also gone on record saying the BPL is “more fun”.It might not be as much fun this season, within managed environments and, crucially, empty stadiums. The BCB is following government orders in not allowing crowds at games. But that’s not to say the BPL will not, once again, be the centre of attention in Bangladesh cricket.