All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic are back in action once again in the Scottish Premiership this evening as they prepare to welcome their closest rivals Aberdeen to Parkhead.

The Dons, who have played one match more, are four points behind the Hoops in the table, which means that Brendan Rodgers’ side can move seven points clear with a win tonight.

Goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Adam Idah, Callum McGregor, and Paulo Bernardo secured a 5-0 win for Celtic against Ross County on Saturday.

However, the Premiership champions and leaders must be wary of the threat that Aberdeen can pose to them this evening, particularly centre-forward Kevin Nisbet.

Kevin Nisbet's form for Aberdeen

The 27-year-old marksman, who is on loan from Millwall, scored 39 goals in 101 appearances for Hibernian in all competitions during his last spell in Scottish football.

That included a return of 12 goals in 16 outings in the Premiership for Hibs during the 2022/23 campaign, which meant that Aberdeen were bringing in a proven performer in the league.

The Spartans

League Cup

1

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

0

Hearts

Premiership

0

0

Celtic

Premiership

0

0

Dundee

Premiership

1

1

St Mirren

Premiership

0

1

Hibernian

Premiership

0

0

As you can see in the table above, Nisbet has scored three goals and provided two assists in his last seven appearances for the Dons, despite only starting four of those matches and playing just 45 minutes against Celtic.

Based on his recent form for Aberdeen, and his previously impressive goal return with Hibernian, Rodgers will need to find a way to silence the Scottish marksman.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

One way to completely silence the Dons centre-forward could be to bring USA international Auston Trusty back into the starting XI, after he was left on the bench for the win over Ross County.

Why Auston Trusty should be unleashed

The £6m summer signing from Sheffield United was selected ahead of Liam Scales for Club Brugge and Hearts games, before the manager made a host of changes to the team for the win over Ross County, including the Irish defender coming back in alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Rodgers must, now, bring Trusty back into the fold alongside his compatriot, as the American colossus could play a big role in keeping Nisbet quiet.

Appearances

7

12

Pass accuracy

95%

92%

Tackles per game

1.6

1.3

Interceptions per game

1.1

1.0

Penalties committed

0

1

Ground duels won

2.6

2.1

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed star has made fewer defensive errors than Scales whilst winning more tackles, ground duels, and interceptions per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Arsenal prospect could be better suited to dealing with Aberdeen’s attacking threats, as he makes more defensive interventions to cut out attacks each match.

Trusty, who was described as “phenomenal” in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig in Europe by Chris Sutton, also started in the 6-0 win over Aberdeen in the League Cup, although Nisbet did not feature in that match.

Celtic already have a "superb" Kyogo replacement and it's not Adam Idah

Brendan Rodgers may already have Celtic’s long-term replacement for Kyogo at the club.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could silence the Dons frontman, and their attack in general, by unleashing the summer signing over Scales at Parkhead tonight.

Emile Heskey is backing Harry Kane to win the Ballon d'Or if Bayern Munich are crowned European champions in May.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Kane has 43 G/A this season for BayernWill face Inter in the UCL last-eightOn course to win a double crown in the summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane has been in sensational form since arriving in Bavaria. The 31-year-old has already amassed an incredible 32 goals and 11 assists in just 37 appearances across all competitions, making him one of the most prolific forwards in Europe. His contributions have propelled Bayern to the top of the Bundesliga while also securing their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The prestigious Ballon d’Or award has not been won by an English player since Michael Owen in 2001. However, Heskey believes Kane has the credentials to end that long wait, provided he tastes European success in the summer.

WHAT HESKEY SAID

Speaking to Heskey said: "I can see Harry Kane winning the Ballon d’Or this year, 100%. With Kane, you always know you're going to get goals. It's great to see that he’s likely to win a trophy this year too, at least the Bundesliga, which will only help his Ballon d’Or case and put him in the running.

"We’ll have to wait and see whether that tips things in his favour enough for him to actually win the award, but he’ll always be in the running when he’s scoring goals at the rate that he does. A Bundesliga and Champions League double would definitely put in him contention for the Ballon d’Or.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

One of the biggest criticisms of Kane throughout his career has been his lack of major silverware. Despite being one of the most consistent goal-scorers in world football, he has yet to win a major club trophy, having narrowly missed out on titles during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

That narrative is set to change this season, with Bayern on course to win the Bundesliga as they currently hold a six-point lead at the top. However, the Champions League title would be the ultimate achievement – one that could make a huge difference in Ballon d’Or voting. Should Bayern claim their seventh European Cup, Kane’s individual brilliance combined with historic team success could be the exact formula needed to land him football’s most prestigious individual accolade.

Sends email saying as much to Supreme Court, BCCI top brass and members of the media

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Aug-2022Sanjeev Gupta, the former Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association life member, who has filed conflict-of-interest petitions against several high-profile people in Indian cricket, has requested BCCI ethics officer Vineet Saran to withdraw all his complaints with immediate effect.Gupta sent an email to Saran on August 21, and copied the same to the Supreme Court of India, several former Chief Justices of India, the BCCI top brass including its president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, and members of the media.In the email, seen by ESPNcricinfo, Gupta said he was “compelled” to withdraw all his conflict allegations to “safeguard my health and life” after experiencing an “ugly incidence” on August 20, which “deteriorated my health issues drastically.”After the Supreme Court mandated the RM Lodha Committee recommendations in 2016, eventually resulting in BCCI amending its constitution, Gupta has accused several prominent cricket personalities – players, administrators, IPL franchise owners – of flouting conflict of interest requirements. Among the list of these people, which is over 20, are former India captains Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, as well as former India batter VVS Laxman, and BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla. Gupta’s most recent complaint was against Nita Ambani, the owner of Mumbai Indians.In response to Gupta’s allegations, Saran had asked Ambani to submit a response by September 2. It is not yet known whether Saran will still hear the case, as well those relating to Gupta’s other pending complaints, or drop them all.

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2015Latham, meanwhile, carried on and completed his third Test century•Getty ImagesSome quick runs were added thereafter and New Zealand declared to set the visitors a target of 405, before rain interrupted play•Getty ImagesDimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis started the chase solidly with a partnership of 54 runs•Getty ImagesThe hosts bounced back though. BJ Watling equalled the New Zealand record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper and Udara Jayasundera bagged single digits in both innings of his debut Test•Getty ImagesMendis held one end up and made a patient 46 before he was dismissed not five minutes before…•Getty Images… a hail storm brought a premature end to the fourth day with Sri Lanka needing 296 and New Zealand needing seven wickets on the final day•Getty Images

Tests where England got closer to victory than they did in Abu Dhabi, but failed to win

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2015v West Indies, Lord’s,1963
Target: 234 in 91 overs Fell short by 6 runs
Last over, England needed six runs, West Indies one wicket, in one of the all-time great Lord’s Tests. Wes Hall didn’t concede any runs as Colin Cowdrey – with a broken arm – and tailender David Allen hung on to avoid defeat•PA Photosv Pakistan, Edgbaston, 1987
Target: 124 in 18 overs Fell short by 15 runs
All signs pointed to a snoozefest at lunch on the fifth day as Pakistan reached 74 for 1 after England took an 82-run lead. Neil Foster and Ian Botham sparked a collapse, though, and Pakistan needed Imran Khan’s two-hour 37 to eat up valuable time, just enough to deny England•PA Photosv Australia, The Oval, 2013
Target: 227 in 44 overs Fell short by 21 runs
With the Ashes already lost, and the fourth day’s play lost to rain, Michael Clarke took a trademark gamble on the final day of he series. His intriguing declaration set up an enthralling climax. Kevin Pietersen hit England’s fastest Ashes fifty but it wasn’t enough•PA Photos

Phoenix post second-highest total in women’s competition before Welsh Fire fall short in chase

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2022Birmingham Phoenix notched the second-highest total of the women’s Hundred as they beat Welsh Fire by 19 runs at a blisteringly hot Sophia Gardens.After a slowish start, in which they were scoring at a run a ball in the first 20 and lost the wickets of Eve and Amy Jones, Phoenix picked up the pace to take 22 runs off the next set of five balls from Annabel Sutherland.In the end, knocks of 48 from skipper Sophie Devine, 58 from Ellyse Perry and a run-a-ball 29 from Sophie Molineux helped them reach 161 for 5 to set the home side a massive task.Welsh Fire skipper Tammy Beaumont led the charge with a 47-run opening partnership with Hayley Matthews. Matthews hammered 20 off 15 balls, while Beaumont notched 39 off 34 before she was stumped by Amy Jones off opposing skipper Devine.Despite going down by 19 runs, Fire went on to bag their highest score in the competition with 142 for 5.Having reached the eliminator last season, Phoenix recruited well in the off-season and made a good fist of being put in by Fire. Aussie import Perry enjoyed a brilliant debut in the tournament and her excellent innings of 58 off 31 balls included 10 fours to earn her the Hero of the Match award.Having seen two wickets fall very cheaply at the top of the innings, Perry dug in with Devine to put on 46 for the third wicket. Between them they turned that conservative start into an innings with real momentum, Devine hitting seven fours and two sixes in her 48.Those two maximum strikes came off Matthews, as 18 runs came in her first set of five. That took Phoenix to 60 off 30, and although Devine departed soon after to Katie George’s first ball, Perry and Molineux provided a final flourish that took them to their best-ever total – five runs short of the 166 notched by Northern Superchargers against Fire last summer.Lauren Filer, whose 20 balls cost just 20 runs, was the pick of the Fire bowlers, with Claire Nicholas taking 2 for 26.The chase from Fire was energetic and innovative, with a ramp shot from Beaumont for six being the highlight. The skipper steered her team to 32 runs in the powerplay and looked set with Matthews until the latter was caught off the second ball from Abtaha Maqsood. Rachael Hynes hit some nice shot in her quickfire 14 and Sutherland notched 34 before she departed.There was a spirited 20 in 12 balls from Fran Wilson before she was run out and, in the end, Fire fell well short.

Bruno Fernandes was trolled by a Manchester United team-mate on the back of his hat-trick heroics, with a "how much you paid the ref" question asked.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Red Devils into Europa League quarter-finalsCaptain bagged hat-trick & match ball vs SociedadTeam-mates poked fun at his exploits afterwardsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils looked to their captain for inspiration once again when facing Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 encounter. Said contest was locked at 1-1 on aggregate heading into a crucial clash at Old Trafford.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Fernandes was the man to guide United into the quarter-finals, as he netted three decisive goals. Two of those came from the penalty spot, with a notable treble being completed three minutes from time. Fellow Portuguese Diogo Dalot put the seal on a 4-1 win in stoppage-time.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fernandes walked away with the match ball, which he made a point of getting club colleagues to sign in the dressing room. While many offered messages of congratulation, one scribbled "how much you paid the ref" on their skipper’s continental memento.

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD & BRUNO FERNANDES?

United will now face French side Lyon in the quarter-finals, as the Europa League offers them a route to major silverware in what has been an otherwise disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Fernandes, meanwhile, has reached 94 goals for the Red Devils and could soon become the 23rd centurion in their illustrious history.

Glasgow Rangers haven’t really produced a standout academy talent in the Ibrox ranks since Alan Hutton, who was sold 16 years ago.

Hutton broke through into the first team during the 2003/04 campaign, going on to play over 100 times for Rangers before Walter Smith accepted a bid of around £9m from south of the border in January 2008, which saw the defender leave.

There is a case for Nathan Patterson to be included in the list of finest academy graduates since Hutton’s departure, but he failed to dislodge James Tavernier from the coveted right-back position in the Gers side.

His potential saw Everton come in with a total bid of £16m, which was obviously far too good for the club to turn down.

Philippe Clement signed just two Scotsmen during the summer – Connor Barron and Liam Kelly – with the bulk of his transfer dealings coming from abroad.

It is no secret that a strong Scottish core not only helps with the European squad quotas but also helps with the club’s identity. Smith’s excellent nine-in-a-row side from the 90s had the likes of Andy Goram, Richard Gough, Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson and Ally McCoist leaving a lasting impression.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, could Clement perhaps lure one of Scotland’s finest young talents to Ibrox?

Rangers eyeing one of Scotland's best talents

Links to both sides of the Old Firm were natural given Liam Miller’s rise, as he has emerged as arguably the brightest talent Scotland have produced in recent years, certainly in the midfield.

Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, both Rangers and Celtic are showing plenty of interest in Miller, who could cost around £4m as Motherwell hold out for the best possible fee for their prized asset.

It is inevitable that the Steelmen will have to sell sooner rather than later, but who can begrudge them wanting the highest fee possible?

This means Clement will need to open up the coffers to lure the midfielder to Ibrox. Given Celtic’s domestic dominance, allowing them the chance to play in the Champions League, they have the upper hand, that’s for sure.

If the opportunity is there, however, the Gers must go all in for the 18-year-old.

Lennon Miller’s statistics for Motherwell this season

Since making his debut in 2022/23, Miller has already made 55 appearances for the Premiership side, scoring five goals and grabbing six assists.

It has been a remarkable rise for the youngster, who has yet to make his international debut, despite captaining his club and featuring in every single one of their games this term, registering seven goal contributions in the process.

11 games

2 goals

3 assists

5 big chances created

2.1 key passes*

73% pass accuracy*

1.5 tackles*

1.5 interceptions*

6.5 balls recovered*

50% total duels won*

16x possession lost*

Miller has also created five big chances, averages 2.1 key passes, 0.9 successful dribbles and wins 5.1 total duels per game in the top flight for Motherwell.

He is certainly showing maturity well beyond his tender age and there is no doubt he is going to be a future star for club and country.

If Rangers allow Celtic to snatch someone of Miller’s quality away from their grasp, then it would represent a massive, missed opportunity for Clement, especially as he could generate a profit for the club after a few years, such is his incredible potential.

Players such as Cole McKinnon, Alex Lowry and Leon King have shown glimpses of their vast talents in recent years, but they now need more chances to grow and demonstrate that they can deliver on the senior stage.

Is there a youngster at the club who has a bigger ceiling than the three aforementioned players? Indeed, might he even be an even bigger talent than Miller?

Rangers' very own Liam Miller

The player in question here is Bailey Rice, who ironically joined the Glasgow side from Motherwell in the summer of 2022, rejecting an offer of a professional contract at the club to move to Ibrox.

Journalist Mark Hendry hailed the young midfielder as a “prospect” even before he linked up with the Light Blues, as Manchester City were also displaying a keen interest in bringing Rice south of the border.

Player

Age at time of debut

Derek Ferguson

16 years, 24 days

Bailey Rice

16 years, four months and 14 days

Tom Walsh

16 years, four months and 27 days

Paul Nsio

16 years, five months and 15 days

Zak Lovelace

16 years, seven months and seven days

Rangers was the next step for the Scot, as he would be given the chance to train alongside better players, while also having a chance to make inroads into securing minutes in the senior squad over the next couple of seasons. It didn’t take long for him to make an impression.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

The 2022/23 campaign saw Rice make 21 appearances for the B side in the Lowland League and UEFA Youth League, where he scored twice and grabbed an assist too.

Later that season, Michael Beale gave Rice his senior debut against Livingston, coming off the bench in the dying minutes. What makes this even more remarkable is the young midfielder had captained the Scotland U17 side to a 7-0 victory over Switzerland in Spain just 24 hours prior.

He jetted back to Scotland in order to join the first-team squad, thus becoming the youngest player in the post-war era to make his league debut for the club.

Two more league appearances followed last season, as Rice continued his development, slowly easing into more senior training.

The defensive midfielder has a ridiculously high ceiling, although he hasn’t managed to play any minutes in the first team this season, despite being included in the matchday squad five times.

The rise of Miller is due to him being trusted in the Motherwell starting XI, and they are now being rewarded with a player who is capable of special things.

The same could be said for Rice if he could secure some consistent minutes under Clement. There is a fine player ready to be unearthed in the 18-year-old, but unless there is a significant injury crisis, he may have to wait for his next opportunity.

If Tavernier is sold: Rangers already have 3 perfect future Ibrox captains

The Glasgow Rangers captain has been linked with an exit from Ibrox.

ByDan Emery Nov 17, 2024

ICC Ex-Co head Wally Edwards on his preferred structure for the first stage of the showpiece tournament, his idea to rebrand ODIs as World Cup Cricket, and more

Daniel Brettig27-Jul-2015Wally Edwards is tired. It is early afternoon on what should have been day five of the Lord’s Test, and his usually jovial visage is clouded over with the effect of a week’s meetings, lunches and dinners. He has just been out in Kensington with his wife Kerry, and is soon to leave London for Taunton and the start of the women’s Ashes.As we meet, Edwards is trying to figure out why the final round of the Open and its bevy of Australian challengers is not yet available on his television set. Weather has delayed the tournament’s conclusion, but it seems strangely absent from broadcast. Cueing up my voice recorder, I tell him that the BBC’s coverage isn’t commencing until around 2pm.Resigned to the fact he will not be seeing any of Jason Day, Marc Leishman or Adam Scott anytime soon, Edwards settles in to speak about the other reason he’s tired: four years as Cricket Australia chairman, and near enough to two as chairman of the ICC’s all-powerful Executive Committee, or ExCo. He has been widely praised for his work in the first role; almost as widely pilloried for his choices in the second.He was mentioned in, but not interviewed for, a documentary, , that unpacks cricket’s turbulent past few years through the prism of the men in suits who preside over it. While Giles Clarke comes across badly and N Srinivasan inscrutably, Edwards isn’t there at all. It is a pity, for his plain speech and happiness to debate points could have served the story well, just as it has the effective operation of CA and the ICC.But Edwards’ adamant view about the way the game is developing stands at odds with that of the documentary’s creators. For a start he thinks that Srinivasan, cleared of any direct link to corruption at the now suspended Chennai Super Kings, is doing a fine job. “He’s divested all his shares in CSK, so there’s no issue hanging over him to my knowledge,” Edwards says. “The Supreme Court [of India] came out with a positive affirmation many moons ago that he could become chairman of ICC, and that’s what he is. He’s doing a fantastic job.”

“What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format”

Edwards’ relationship with Srinivasan began within days of his official beginning as CA chairman at the 2011 AGM. The board received correspondence from the BCCI indicating that India’s 2011-12 tour of Australia would only cover two Tests instead of the scheduled four. Rather than thundering down the phone at Srinivasan, Edwards flew to Chennai in what proved a successful effort to have the tour played as originally scheduled, and thus began a relationship that culminated in the “Big Three” reforms.The major criticism of Edwards’ role in this change to cricket’s governance was that he too readily went along with India rather than challenging their view of where and how ICC revenues should be distributed. He has spoken previously of the climate in which those discussions took place, and of what was at stake, but he also feels that without the changes made in 2014, any thought of evolving into the kind of structure outlined in Lord Woolf’s review would have been impossible.”We’ve done really poorly in the last 40-50 years in terms of developing cricketing nations,” Edwards says. “You could say only really Sri Lanka has come in and been competitive. Bangladesh are showing good signs now, and that’s what I’ve been preaching to them for the last three years: get back and get your cricket better, don’t be trying to worry about opening the door to other nations coming in simply to protect your position; go and get your cricket better.This dovetails into discussions about the World Cup, a matter Edwards has been heavily involved in.”What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format. You go to 14 and it doesn’t quite work. To have a 14-team World Cup, you need 16 or 18 competitive nations, and I think we’ve got 12 at the moment. That’s why a ten-team World Cup still makes sense.Cricket at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Edwards hopes the game can feature beyond the opening-day formalities in the near future•Getty Images”I can understand all these nations [being unhappy], but don’t forget the ten teams are the ten best teams. It’s not barred to anybody, and in fact in the new rights cycle, in the third year there’s no ICC event other than a World Cup qualifier, and we’re hoping that will become a significant event in the broadcaster’s calendar.”This qualifying event, scheduled to take place in 2018, is yet to be completely settled in terms of format. Debate has intensified over how many Full Member countries should be required to qualify.”I hope I get my way – but I wouldn’t guarantee it – which would be four Full Members having to qualify in that tournament after the first six qualify on the rankings,” Edwards says. “I think that would be a fantastic tournament, a lot of interest. But I’d say the view is eight, because no one wants to put themselves on the line. That’s part of the club mentality that has been there for 100 years that I’ve been working hard to try to break down.”The beauty of having ICC events without having to have India, Australia, England or South Africa playing is good, because they’re the teams who are overloaded in terms of their annual calendars. So to be able to bring those other nations to the top of the pile [in a qualifying event] is good.”On the subject of formats, I counter that the number of guaranteed games for India is clearly the central consideration, otherwise why would cricket be the only global sport to deliberately shrink the size of its World Cup?

“Poor old India sits there. Everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour”

“The debate is a quality debate,” Edwards says. “The World Cup in Australia was great, the smaller nations did okay, but really Scotland and UAE didn’t do much. It was nice to have them there, but if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal, I don’t think. Really in a World Cup you want hard, well-fought cricket. It’d be great to have 16 in there, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to lift the quality.”The reality is the world of cricket relies on India, and the discussions that are happening are: How can we grow the market outside of India? What will generate more interest outside of India. Poor old India sits there, everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour.”A stumbling block for any rise in global quality is the way the ICC’s global development pie has been re-cut by the Big Three. While funding for Associate and Affiliate nations has risen relative to the previous set of commercial rights deals, it has shrunk enormously as a percentage of total funding, as India, England and Australia take the lion’s share of the proceeds.Cricket’s inclusion at the Olympics and its subsequent attraction by way of major government grants for major nations such as the USA and China would be a significant counterbalance to this, and Edwards believes headway might finally be made.”Australia’s position is very simple – we believe cricket should be an Olympic sport in T20,” he says. “But we haven’t got a majority around the board table, so that debate will go on. I think it’s got to be resolved by 2017 for the 2024 games. It was good to see England make some positive comments after the MCC meeting, because they were certainly against it, because they just see it interrupting their cricket summer.”The World Cup in Australia, if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal”•International Cricket Council”It should happen in the future, but these things take time. Debates happen, they’re voted on, and if you don’t win, you don’t win. There’s many things I’ve lost over the last four years, many debates, even though I think they’re bloody good ideas. But we’re in a conservative industry too, things don’t change quickly.”Of all Edwards’ ideas, the one he would most like to bequeath to world cricket is that of a calendar where every match has a reason for existing that is competitive rather than financial. His proposal for limited-overs cricket to be played to a harder ranking system for World Cups – he would like to see the 50-over game labelled World Cup CricketTM – is progressing with a view to presenting it to broadcasters for the next rights cycle.”Realistically it would start after the next World Cup if we get somewhere, which I think we will,” Edwards says. “It’s rolling now, it could never have rolled without the reforms at ICC, we’d have gone nowhere. I tried debating it in the good old days and you couldn’t even get it on the agenda. But now ICC are working on it, it’s coming through ExCo, my committee, and I’m driving it. We had good discussion in Barbados about it.”Such a proposal would work better with a greater number of nations performing strongly and thus becoming more attractive as touring teams. The current patchwork of bilateral agreements is predicated almost purely on money, and has effectively left Test cricket, in particular, to be played among the favoured few. Not for the first time, Edwards stresses that better standards of play can drive the commercial side of the game, rather than things always being the other way round.”It’s not that simple because some nations play a lot more games than others. The FTP’s there until 2023, so there needs to be changes made to that, depending on what format you settle on,” he says. “The idea would be, every game you play would be going towards a table or ranking system so that every one-day game or World Cup Cricket game, which is what I want to call it, counts.”How we’re going to do it? There’s a lot to be done, and nothing can really happen until after the next World Cup, but that will come around quickly.”What has come around quickly is the looming end of Edwards’ term as CA chairman. Unlike Clarke, who has invented the post of ECB president to continue on at the ICC, Edwards has no desire to extend his time in the chair. Instead he is determined to give his best for whatever time he has left, and then leave the reins to others, including his CA successor David Peever. It is a lot to fit into four years – no wonder he’s tired.

One of Sunderland’s Championship promotion rivals are believed to be interested in signing one of their key players in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

Sunderland stuttering after flying start

After a blistering start to the season by Regis Le Bris’ side, there is no question that their campaign has started to lose a little bit of momentum in recent weeks.

On Saturday afternoon, Sunderland blew a 2-0 lead at home to a Coventry City side who sacked manager Mark Robins last week, eventually drawing 2-2. It was their third draw in a row in the league, and having led the way at the top of the Championship table by five points, they are now only ahead of Sheffield United on goal difference, following their 1-0 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

There is certainly no reason to panic for the Black Cats, who still looked primed for a promotion push this season, but an improvement in form is needed after the international break, with the absence of the suspended Jobe Bellingham acting as a blow.

It is imperative that Sunderland keep hold of their most influential figures between now and the end of the season, however, and possibly even make new signings in January, but a concerning update has now emerged regarding one current Stadium of Light hero.

"Fantastic" Sunderland ace wanted by rivals

According to a fresh claim from The Sunday Mirror [via Football League World], Leeds United are eyeing a move for Sunderland ace Dennis Cirkin in January, in what would be a shock exit from the Stadium of Light. The Whites are keeping tabs on the Black Cats hero, who has been an ever-present for his side in the Championship this season, starting all 15 of their matches in the competition.

The idea of Sunderland allowing Cirkin to join Leeds midway through the season is nonsensical, considering they would be both weakening themselves and strengthening one of their biggest Championship rivals this season.

The 22-year-old has excelled for the Black Cats in 2024/25 to date, scoring twice and assisting once from left-back, as well as averaging 3.4 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game.

Praise from his former manager, Lee Johnson, speaks volumes about what Sunderland would lose out on: “Fantastic player, he’ll have a top career. No question of a doubt but we need to accelerate that leadership and obviously we’re looking to do that. Communicating in his best way and if that’s having a lot of individual chats with players around him, to canvas, to make sure that connection is there, then so be it.”

The £10,000-a-week Cirkin is a player Sunderland simply must keep hold of, at least for the remainder of the season, or risk seeing their promotion hopes damaged.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

At 22, there is still so much more to come from him too, so he should be viewed as an important long-term figure at the club by Le Bris.