The Sri Lanka pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Nuwan Thushara will not be available to play for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in CPL 2024. Both players had suffered injuries during the recent white-ball series at home against India.Patriots have signed Tabraiz Shamsi and Anrich Nortje as replacements for Hasaranga and Thushara.While slinger Thushara was ruled out of the entire series with a finger injury, Hasaranga played all three T20Is and the first ODI before being sidelined with a hamstring injury.Related
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Nortje is yet to make his CPL debut but Shamsi is a familiar name at the league, having played 32 games, including 27 for Patriots. Shamsi has taken 33 wickets in those matches for Patriots at an economy rate of 7.06.Nortje and Shamsi will reunite with their South Africa team-mate Tristan Stubbs at Patriots. The side had finished last in CPL 2023, with just a solitary win in ten games.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots squad for CPL 2024
Kyle Mayers, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rilee Rossouw, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Sikandar Raza, Anrich Nortje, Andre Fletcher, Tristan Stubbs, Dominic Drakes, Mikyle Louis, Odean Smith, Joshua da Silva, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan John, Ashmead Nedd, Johann Layne
Worcestershire make early running but are hunted down in thriller at Old Trafford
ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2024
Keaton Jennings gave Lancashire’s chase a brisk start•Getty Images
Lancashire 182 for 8 (Bruce 50*, Waite 3-19) beat Worcestershire 181 for 4 (Cobb 74, Hose 45) by two wickets Luke Wood hit the fifth ball of the last over for six to ensure that Lancashire Lightning defeated Worcestershire Rapids by two wickets in their tense Vitality Blast T20 match at Emirates Old Trafford.Wood’s blow over square-leg off Tom Taylor ensured the home side strengthened their hopes of a home quarter-final and enabled Lancashire to chase down the 182 runs they needed to prevent Rapids achieving their first T20 double over Lancashire.However, defeat was hard on Josh Cobb, who made 74 in Worcestershire’s 181 for four, and also on Matthew Waite, who took three for 19 in Lancashire’s innings. But Tom Bruce’s first T20 half-century for Lancashire – the New Zealander finished on 50 not out – kept his side in the hunt even as wickets were falling.Worcestershire scored 40 runs in their Powerplay overs but lost two wickets in doing so, both to Saqib Mahmood. In the second over, Brett D’Oliveira was hustled for pace by Mahmood and could only shovel the ball behind him to wicketkeeper Matty Hurst.And having lost their skipper for seven, the Rapids then suffered another blow in Mahmood’s next over when Kashif Ali, having casually chipped the fast bowler over the square-leg boundary for six, tried to hit him down the ground next ball but only skied the shot to Steven Croft at mid-off and was caught for 16.The next few overs were dominated by Cobb and Gareth Roderick, who cleared the rope three times in taking their side to 81 for two after ten overs and had put on 57 in 43 balls when Roderick was leg before to Chris Green for 26.The savage hitting continued in the following seven overs as Cobb and Adam Hose put 78 for the fourth wicket, Cobb reaching his fifty off 40 balls before finally holing out at long-off when Croft clung on to a steepling catch off Green to dismiss the former Northamptonshire batter for 74, an innings that included eight fours and three sixes.Hose had whacked two enormous straight sixes in the over in which Cobb was dismissed and he went to make an inventive 45 not out off 26 balls before Worcestershire’s innings closed on 181 for four. Luke Wood was the meanest member of Lancashire’s attack, conceding 24 runs off his four overs, but Mahmood and Hartley were the most obviously successful, each bowler taking a couple of wickets.Lancashire lost three wickets in their Powerplay but scored an impressive 63 runs, with Keaton Jennings taking heavy toll of the Worcestershire debutant Harry Darley, who conceded 39 runs in his two overs.Jennings was 40 not out when the first six overs ended and his runs offset the loss of Luke Wells, who was caught behind off Taylor for a single, Matty Hurst, who was caught by Ed Pollock off Matthew Waite, also for one, and George Lavelle, who was run out for 20 by a direct hit from the ex-Lancashire favourite, Rob Jones.Three balls later, Hayden Walsh struck what seemed a vital blow for the Rapids when he bowled Jennings for 41 but Bruce and Steven Croft then put on 37 in five overs before Croft was well caught by D’Oliveira off Ethan Brookes for 16 when he blasted the ball to cover.Shrewd accumulation by Bruce and Chris Green left Lancashire needing 53 off the final four overs and 39 off three only for Green to be caught at long-on off Brookes for 19. But Tom Hartley hit his first two balls from Brookes for six to leave 18 required off 12 balls. Waite then removed Hartley and Tom Aspinwall with successive deliveries, only for Wood to decide matters.
Liverpool have now submitted a “concrete offer” to sign a teenage centre-back from Ligue 1, say reports in the player’s homeland of Morocco.
Liverpool expected to complete Wirtz and Kerkez deals
Liverpool appear to be close to capturing not one but two new players in the coming days. Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth are expected to follow Jeremie Frimpong through the Anfield door to become Arne Slot’s second and third signings of the summer.
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The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Tuesday that Liverpool’s latest Wirtz bid, which was worth £109 million, was turned down by Leverkusen, as they hold out for a British-record fee of £126 million, but a deal is still expected to go through.
And Wirtz appears to have implied things are progressing on his own social media accounts too, posting on Instagram to deny reports he has demanded Alexis Mac Allister’s number ten shirt in order to join.
As Liverpool work on finding an agreement with Leverkusen, club chiefs are also closing in on a deal for a new left-back. According to Sky Sports, the Reds are growing increasingly confident that they will sign Kerkez from Bournemouth.
The Hungary star is keen on the move to Anfield and personal terms are not said to be an issue.
Liverpool submit official bid for teenage centre-back
The Reds don’t plan on stopping there, as according to Morocco’s LE360 Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, Liverpool have now made a concrete offer to sign defender Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal from Stade Rennais.
Liverpool manager ArneSlot
The 19-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Amiens in Ligue 2, has yet to make his senior debut for Stade Rennais, but that hasn’t stopped Liverpool and Newcastle United from showing significant interest. The Magpies have met with the player already, but the Reds have gone one step further and have already made an offer, though it is unclear what the offer is worth.
OGC Nice and two teams from La Liga are also in the ‘picture’ when it comes to signing Aït Boudlal. The Moroccan is under contract until 2028, but given the significant interest from Europe, it appears his time in Rennes is coming to an end.
Apps
9
Starts
8
Assists
1
Big chances created
1
Interceptions per game
0.7
Tackles per game
1.6
Balls recovered per game
3.6
Clearances per game
7.9
Liverpool’s interest in Aït Boudlal isn’t new, as club scout Kyle Wallbanks was in attendance for the AFCON U20 tournament, where Aït Boudlal helped Morocco reach the final. The Reds have obviously been keeping a close eye on the defender and are now ready to bring him to Anfield.
The race to finish inside those coveted Champions League spots in the Premier League is heating up with Chelsea having to make sure the wins keep flowing to stay put.
Chelsea do have a potential Conference League final on the horizon, but the main focus for the Blues this May will centre on ensuring they finish inside those top five spots, even as tense games against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest present themselves as upcoming hurdles.
The Blues will also be aware that a place amongst Europe’s elite again will help them out in the transfer window, with Enzo Maresca’s men looking to splash the cash once more if the rumour mill filtering out of Stamford Bridge is anything to go by.
Chelsea's growing list of targets
This summer won’t just see a whole host of incomings arrive through the door you imagine, with some players in Maresca’s camp also needing to be offloaded, as seen in the growing likelihood that Blues flop Christopher Nkunku will reportedly depart shortly.
New attacking recruits are already being lined up, with Viktor Gyokeres one centre-forward routinely linked with a switch to West London, on top of fresh winger additions in the form of Jamie Gittens.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
But, it’s not all just attackers on Chelsea’s varied shopping list, with Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato another face that has also been linked incessantly with a move to England away from the Eredivisie giants.
However, with Liverpool and Arsenal also sniffing around for the Dutch powerhouse, this could see the Blues opt to try and snap up long-term target Ousmane Diomande instead.
New reports from Spain indicate that Chelsea are in the running to finally snap up the Sporting titan for a fee around the £68m ballpark with Maresca personally keen on adding him to the Stamford Bridge ranks.
When comparing the 21-year-old’s strengths next to Hato’s, he could well be a dream alternative and even an upgrade on the Rotterdam-born youngster.
Why Diomande is be a dream alternative to Hato
Whilst there is so much hype around Hato’s name as a starlet tipped for big things, Diomande could be just what Chelsea need right now, particularly when it comes to his experience on stages such as the Champions League.
Indeed, this season saw Diomande line up for nine Champions League contests, whilst his Dutch counterpart had to make do with appearances for Ajax in the lesser Europa League.
Moreover, the 6 foot 3 enforcer has proven across 99 games in the Portuguese capital that he has an eye for goal, with six goals – usually powered home via a header – tallied up by the 21-year-old.
Hato does possess a similar reputation of being a young and hungry defender capable of joining in with attacks, but his goal number for Ajax currently sits at a lower four, even from nine more senior outings.
Attempted passes
58.63
76.51
Pass completion %
89.4%
93.8%
Progressive passes
4.15
3.04
Touches in attacking penalty area
1.40
1.71
Total shots
0.57
1.15
Tackles
2.15
1.29
Interceptions
0.82
1.05
Clearances
2.11
2.69
Aerials won
1.68
2.97
The table above further validates why Chelsea splashing out £68m for Diomande could prove to be a golden buy over snapping up the 19-year-old.
Indeed, the Ivorian betters Hato in multiple different areas of their respective defensive games, including when playing as both a composed passer of the ball, but also when it comes to regularly winning duels and being a full-blooded presence at the back.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has even lauded the Blues target as an “elite talent” previously, with Diomande himself perhaps edging for a chance to impress away from Sporting in a more challenging environment to further back up his glowing praise.
Sporting CP's Ousmane Diomande in action with Lille'sJonathanDavid
Chelsea have had their fair share of fighters defensively over recent years that can also put in classy displays – with the likes of Thiago Silva and John Terry springing to mind – with a hope that Diomande can also cement himself as a first-team regular if he’s given a shot at Stamford Bridge.
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Rangers and the 49ers Enterprises could sell an Ibrox star for a huge profit after receiving enquiries, according to a new update.
Rangers preparing for Athletic Club second leg after Aberdeen draw
The Gers and Barry Ferguson are preparing to head to Spain to take on Athletic Club in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final this week. The first leg at Ibrox was a stalemate as 10-man Rangers held the La Liga side, with Liam Kelly saving a penalty late on.
It is all to play for on Thursday, and Ferguson’s side go into the game off the back of a 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw with Aberdeen, where they once again played large parts with 10 men.
Ross McCausland received two yellow cards in the first half at Pittodrie, however, second half goals from Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi ensured the points were shared.
Talking after the draw with Aberdeen, Ferguson said: “After going down to 10 men and 2-0 down, you’ve got to be pretty happy with coming back into the game and getting a point. [Character] is one thing I’ve tried to drill into them. They’ll dig deep for me. They never give in. They kept going until the end. But we don’t help ourselves.”
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Igamane starred over the weekend and looks set to play a big role for Rangers against Athletic Club, however, a worrying transfer update has emerged on the 22-year-old.
Rangers could sell Igamane for £20m as Marseille make serious move
According to a new transfer report from TEAMtalk, a number of clubs have been making enquires to sign Rangers star Igamane.
Ligue 1 side Marseille, under Roberto De Zerbi, have made ‘serious moves’ to sign Igamane, whereas Everton, Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen, Nice and Rennes, are also credited with an interest.
It is added that Rangers want £20m to sell the forward, a fee which would represent a 700% profit on the £2.5m they paid for Igamane last summer.
Games
41
Goals
15
Assists
3
Minutes played
2,373
The Morocco international has enjoyed a brilliant first season in Scotland, with five of his 18 goal contributions coming in the Europa League.
Back in December, Derek Ferguson, brother of Barry, hailed the attacker, saying: “Igamane is a real breath of fresh air, the young man. The manager said he was trying to get him up to speed, but in the last few games he has been nothing short of brilliant. He is off the cuff and he had three or four nutmegs this afternoon – and took his goal brilliantly. I don’t know if you remember Ted McMinn, but Igamane’s got that unpredictability.”
Rangers and new prospective owners the 49ers Enterprises have their eyes on a versatile young target from Germany, according to a new report.
Rangers and 49ers planning for summer incomings
The Gers have been impressing since the departure of Philippe Clement and the arrival of interim boss Barry Ferguson.
The lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership may well be too big of a gap to close down, but Rangers are still in the Europa League and recently got the better of Celtic at Parkhead for the first time in five years while also producing a come from behind win at Dundee last time out.
As a result, Ferguson is being linked with keeping the Rangers job on a permanent basis, and according to older brother Derek, is keen on remaining at Ibrox.
“This is a different kettle of fish now. I took him to Rangers as a boy. The club is ingrained in him. There’s only one conclusion: He wants the job but will need to win games”, said Ferguson on his younger brother.
Prospective new owners the 49ers are likely to have a big say in who gets the role, and they also have exciting plans in the transfer market.
The 49ers may back Rangers with a £20-25million budget this summer, once a takeover is completed, and some of that cash could be used on making Vaclav Cerny’s loan a permanent transfer.
Rangers have the option to buy Cerny for just £5.5m until the end of May, and the 49ers are aware of the conditions of a full-time deal.
Elsewhere, there have been plenty of Ibrox exit rumours doing the rounds, including Nicolas Raskin attracting the interest of Aston Villa and Leeds United, whereas Everton are still keen on landing forward and Glasgow derby hero Hamza Igamane.
It promises to be a busy few months off the pitch at Rangers, and now, a new target has come onto the radar.
Rangers eye move for new versatile German player Niehoff
According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Rangers are eyeing up Holstein Kiel’s Niklas Niehoff. It is claimed that the Gers have been monitoring Niehoff during his loan spell at Osnabruck alongside interest from Serie A side Udinese and Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin.
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Holstein Kiel could end up selling Niehoff amid interest all across Europe, with offers potentially arriving in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old, should he move to Scotland with Rangers, would provide an extremely versatile option to whoever is in charge at Ibrox.
Right-winger
55
Centre-forward
17
Right midfield
12
Left-winger
11
Right-back
4
Left midfield
3
Attacking midfield
2
As can be seen, Niehoff, a Germany youth international, has already played in a variety of positions ranging from right-back to centre-forward.
Transfermarkt state that his main position is a right midfielder, and with his market value increasing to a career-high €400,000 last month, Rangers could be on to a future star with a move for Niehoff.
Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000
Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Oct-2024Update: This poll has ended. Jasprit Bumrah’s performance goes into the quarter-finals. Check the other polls here.ESPNcricinfo LtdJasprit Bumrah’s slower ball to Shaun Marsh remains one of his iconic deliveries•Getty ImagesJasprit Bumrah – 6-33 and 3-53 in Melbourne, 2018India won by 137 runs, lead series 2-1India had won in Adelaide, lost in Perth, and knew Melbourne would be a hard slog on a slow surface where only 24 wickets had fallen in a drawn Ashes Test the previous year. Time was precious, particularly with rain forecast on days four and five, so they declared seven down with less than 450, recognising they had batted nearly 170 overs.Turns out you don’t need much time if you have a game-breaker who can take the pitch out of the equation. India bowled Australia out twice in 156.2 overs, with nine of their 20 wickets coming from Jasprit Bumrah’s irresistible blend of brain and biomechanical brawn. They wrapped up victory shortly after lunch on day five, with even a washed-out first session powerless to stop them.Bumrah’s first three wickets, all on day three, all from round the wicket to left-hand batters, showcased how dangerous he could be even with minimal swing, seam or pace off the deck. A pinpoint bouncer managed to both rush Marcus Harris and cramp him for room. An unstoppable yorker, with a hint of reverse, burst through Travis Head.In between came the last ball before lunch, a devious, 113kph change-up that would go on to define not just this spell but all of Bumrah’s remarkable career. Shaun Marsh’s movements, tuned to Bumrah’s regular 140 kph rhythm, were entirely out of step with this ball out of a slow-motion nightmare. Fixated on a front leg that moved too far across and far too early, it dipped late to miss the cue end of the bat and pinged the pad on the full, plumb in front.Watch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from October 22 onwards.Cheteshwar Pujara put his body on the line for India in Sydney•Getty ImagesCheteshwar Pujara – 50 and 77 in Sydney, 2021Match drawn, series level 1-1Cheteshwar Pujara contributed three hundreds to India’s 2-1 win in Australia in 2018-19. He scored no hundreds when they pulled off an even more dramatic 2-1 win in 2020-21, and ended this tour with an average of 33.87, but he was still almost as much of a thorn in Australia’s flesh. The key number: 1366 minutes, the most spent at the crease by any batter playing four or fewer Tests in a series without scoring a hundred.Batting time. If an Indian team that lost all its premier bowlers to injury during the tour somehow triumphed over an Australian team that had its first-choice attack in every Test, a fair share of the credit must go to Pujara’s crease occupation. He kept asking Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to go back and bowl another ball over and over again, until they weren’t quite themselves in the back half of the series.Pujara made two fifties in Sydney, and one in Brisbane, at strike rates of 28.40, 37.56, and 26.59, batting with a finger injury sustained earlier in the series. He showed it’s possible to mount a serious challenge in a chase of 407 – there’s a chance India could have won rather than drawn at the SCG if Hanuma Vihari, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja weren’t all battling injury – and haul down a target of 328 if one batter shuts one end down completely and tires the opposition while other, quicker-scoring colleagues bat around him. For hour after hour, Pujara just stood there, taking blow after blow to his gloves and body, and let Australia expend all their energy in the futile pursuit of his wicket.
The heat of the UAE has mirrored the intensity of the teams, who all have one eye on Australia in October-November
Shashank Kishore26-Aug-2022″If anyone asks how you are, the coach suggested we say, ‘well done’, because the weather here is like that.”Speaking ahead of the start of the Asia Cup, Bhanuka Rajapaksa made an entire room laugh by likening the experience of Dubai’s oppressive heat to that of meat on a grill. Daytime temperatures have touched 46 degrees Celsius, leaving teams needing to find a balance between going full-tilt and conserving energy.India have trained in the late evening, Sri Lanka have preferred the afternoon heat to acclimatise better, and Bangladesh have gone on into the middle of the night, while Pakistan and Afghanistan have mixed and matched. Hong Kong have already played a week’s cricket in the qualifiers in similar conditions across the border in Oman.Related
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In the end, nothing can really prepare you for the gust of hot air hitting your face while running in against the wind, as bowlers have found out frequently at training in the open setting of the ICC Academy grounds.India have given their fast bowlers shorter and sharper stints, a luxury Sri Lanka haven’t had since none of their frontline fast bowlers have played T20Is; they have had little choice but to go all-out. Pakistan have held back, seemingly mindful of the injuries that have hit their camp, choosing to instead use local net bowlers to test their batters.The local liaison team have been at their busiest, arranging for kilograms of ice to be made available, sometimes at short notice, to help players recover post-training. The change rooms offer the cushiest seats and the best air conditioning, but it’s the ice bath that the players have tended to make a beeline for.The teams have also been able to mingle among themselves, exchanging banter and laughs – a constant feature over the past three days. Babar Azam and Virat Kohli have exchanged pleasantries, KL Rahul and Shaheen Afridi have enquired about each other’s injuries, and Rajapaksa has caught up with his Punjab Kings team-mate Arshdeep Singh.Bangladesh and Afghanistan are slotted alongside Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup’s Group of Death•AFP/Getty ImagesBut the fun and games have all been restricted to the sidelines. In the middle, the intensity has been cranked up several notches. This is the last chance for some of these teams to test their big-match temperament under pressure before the World Cup in Australia in October-November.India are missing their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is recovering from injury. This gives Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan an opportunity to vie for spots in the World Cup party. Pakistan will have to make do without Afridi, while Sri Lanka will want each of their uncapped fast bowlers to gain some exposure.Bangladesh’s challenge under a new coach and a returning Shakib Al Hasan, who takes over the captaincy, will be to return to winning ways in their least favourite format – they’ve lost 23 of their 35 T20Is since the start of 2021, and they’re coming off a series loss in Zimbabwe.While India and Pakistan may seemingly have it easy in Group A, with Hong Kong as the third team, they will be wary of taking them lightly. At the previous edition in 2018, Hong Kong came genuinely close to beating India. In Group B, one slip-up could be the difference between having potentially four more games to play and an early flight home for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.In many ways, the Asia Cup is a microcosm of the elite cricket world. The tournament changes its identity frequently, to suit the needs of the participating teams. It does much for the “smaller” nations of the Asian bloc – in terms of finances – without actually giving them adequate exposure.For example: between the previous edition in 2018 and this one, in 2022, Hong Kong have played a grand sum of zero matches against the Asian Full Members. Hong Kong, mind you, are among the ‘elite’ Associates. Oman, Kuwait, Singapore and even Nepal, who’ve had to grapple with multiple issues including an an ICC suspension, have it much worse. But this, perhaps, is a debate for another day.Will he quieten the debate around his form, or will he raise its volume?•Getty ImagesThe first four days on tour for all the teams have set the scene nicely. Sri Lanka open against Afghanistan on Saturday, and the hubbub will increase noticeably when India and Pakistan square off on Sunday. It could be the prelude to potentially two more meetings. At least the broadcasters and fans will hope so.The A-listers in Kohli and Babar have set tongues wagging without even facing a ball. They’re at opposite ends of the form spectrum, but anything they do – and don’t do – is amplified.For all the criticism over the lack of opportunities it provides the smaller teams, the Asia Cup has established itself as a tournament that gives viewers plenty. Games come thick and fast – perhaps not so ideal in searing August heat in the UAE – and high-octane content is guaranteed.Kohli could put an end to talk of bad form, or raise the volume of the debates. Shakib could make a statement on the field without worrying about who he shouldn’t be endorsing. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman could boot Sri Lanka out of their own party – technically they’re still hosts, remember.The fringe players are all potentially one big performance away from putting themselves on the radar for World Cup selection. Imagine if Mohammad Hasnain, Afridi’s replacement, dismisses Rohit Sharma. Or if Arshdeep nails five yorkers in the final over to defend 10 runs. Or Rahmanullah Gurbaz brings his T10 magic to the 20-overs format.The cricket promises to be high-quality. Heat or no heat, the interest surrounding the competition has picked up significantly. Without bio-bubbles restricting their movements, the teams have mingled freely with teeming fans who’ve gathered outside their training venues. All of it feels so familiar, yet so different. The next two weeks could just be a teaser for the blockbuster that is to come two months down the line.
Vasoo Paranjape was a one-man operation of scouting, captaincy and coaching, whose influence spans cricket generations
Sidharth Monga01-Oct-2020That one word is enough to drive up the wall any cricket person not from Mumbai. It is a Hindi/Marathi term for the city’s cussed approach to cricket, especially with a bat in hand. For decades in independent India, Mumbai managed to dominate Indian cricket, both in terms of domestic competition and national representation. As a result, every little thing about Mumbai was glorified, with every second headline on the cricket pages hailing the virtues of cricket.As other states began to enjoy greater access to resources and knowledge, they started to compete in domestic cricket and their players began to represent India. Now everyone from former cricketers to coaches to journalists bemoans the death of this mythical creature, the cricketer.The authors of are due congratulations that they use the word “” only once in a book about someone whose playing career was built on club cricket in Mumbai and 29 first-class games for Mumbai and Baroda. And that use is to say that Rohit Sharma is not your typical Mumbai cricketer.Nor was Vasoo Paranjape, the subject of the book, a typical Mumbai cricket person. He was so far ahead of his time, he was run out backing up on his Harris Shield debut despite warnings from his captain and senior players. He took it on the chin – the price you risk paying when you try to steal an advantage. He was not cussed but aggressive, and by all accounts an attractive cricketer. His outlook was not hyperlocal but global, his views not archaic but modern.Which is why cricketers not only from Mumbai, and not only of a certain vintage or a certain style, have come together to write essays in tribute to a coach, colleague, captain, mentor, father figure and consultant. From Sunil Gavaskar in central Mumbai to Rohit Sharma in the northern suburbs, Rahul Dravid in Karnataka, Yuvraj Singh in Punjab and Ed Smith in Kent, Paranjape touched and enriched a large variety of cricketing lives.In an era of professionalism and the IPL, where scouts and consequent opportunities make sure talent is identified and exposed to high-level coaching, this is an important book. It recognises the time when this one-man operation of scouting, captaincy, coaching and playing helped shape many a career. All the contributors speak highly of Paranjape’s contribution to their careers, of his great cricketing acumen, of his eye for talent, of his sense of humour (part of which gets lost in translation). In response, Paranjape himself writes a brief piece on his memories of each of the players the first time he saw them.Penguin IndiaIt is a format that works for this book – letting great cricketers talk about Paranjape and then Paranjape talking about them – but it can also leave you frustrated at times because cricketers can find it difficult to explain things they understand easily. They can articulate his generosity, but it is difficult to figure out what exactly made Paranjape the cricket figure he was. Why, for instance, in the words of Darshak Mehta, a former Kanga league player and now chairman of the LBW Fund in New South Wales, for 25 years, if there was a rain delay in a Kanga league game, you just sat there playing cards or gossiping or “talking Vasoo”.It is not easy for every cricketer to tell you why. Until you get to the essays from Sharma and Singh. That’s when you realise Paranjape worked subtly. He made technical adjustments without players even realising it. Sharma knows Paranjape is always watching him. Whenever he meets Jatin Paranjape, Vasoo’s son and now a national selector, Sharma asks him, “Anything?” He is looking for any little piece of advice Vasoo might have asked Jatin to relay.There is no substitute for these faceless scouts who nurture cricketers from a beginners level, offering not only cricketing education but also life skills when required, or an invisible helping hand when life is tough. They do it not for recognition or money, but out of love for the game.Paranjape was always there wherever the cricket was, in his floppy hat, smoking a cigarette, watching from the background, rarely imposing himself but fine-tuning the talent he had spotted. The authors of the book – Jatin Paranjape and cricket writer Anand Vasu – have done a similar job. They haven’t imposed themselves on this book but have nurtured and directed it through the voices of the individuals Paranjape most enriched.
Celtic are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as their next permanent manager to replace Brendan Rodgers.
The French tactician is in ‘advanced talks’ to join the Scottish giants, but it remains to be seen exactly when he will be in post to start the job, with Martin O’Neill currently in interim charge.
Once Nancy is in the job and looking at what his priorities need to be, the new Celtic boss must find a way to get more out of central midfielder Arne Engels in the coming weeks and months.
Why Wilfried Nancy must revive Arne Engels for Celtic
The Scottish Premiership champions smashed their club record transfer fee to sign the Belgium international from Augsburg for a fee of £11m in the summer of 2024, and he showed plenty of promising signs in his first year at the club.
Engels delivered a return of ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he offered a decent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old star has been frustrating to watch this season because he has only produced one goal and four assists in 20 outings in the 2025/26 campaign.
This is why Nancy must make getting the best out of Engels one of his top priorities, because he is evidently capable of contributing far more than he currently is.
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Along with the Belgian starlet, the French boss must also unleash summer signing Benjamin Nygren, who has become Celtic’s most frustrating player since Engels.
Why Benjamin Nygren is a frustrating player for Celtic
Like the £11m club-record signing, the Sweden international is an incredibly frustrating player for the Hoops because you can see that the talent is there, but it does not always work out for him.
The left-footed central midfielder has scored six goals and provided three assists in 18 appearances for the club this season, per Sofascore, yet he has found himself on the bench for the last two league games under O’Neill.
Nygren is such a frustrating player because he can do the hard bits, scoring and creating goals, but he lets himself down at times with some of the simpler parts of the game in the middle of the park.
xG
4.76
Top 1%
Goals
5
Top 1%
xA
2.77
Top 5%
Assists
2
Top 14%
Dribble success rate
29.4%
Bottom 17%
Duel success rate
49.5%
Bottom 44%
Dribbled past
6x
Bottom 35%
As you can see in the table above, he is exceptional at making an impact in the final third, yet is among the worst of his positional peers when it comes to competing in physical duels on and off the ball.
This explains why O’Neill has dropped him from the starting line-up in recent matches, because the midfield star has not proven that he can be reliable enough out of possession to go along with his attacking qualities.
The 24-year-old gem’s attacking output, though, suggests that he is a player who has a lot to offer to Nancy once he is in the building, as is also the case for Engels, which is why he must unleash the Swedish whiz from the start.
It will then be down to Nygren and Nancy to work together on the training pitch to either minimise the effects of his physical struggles, or to improve his work off the ball, to make him as effective as possible.
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