Football works in mysterious ways, and with the majority of players having numerous clubs during their careers, there’s a good chance some will come back to haunt their former sides.

From scoring important goals or regularly being a thorn in their ex-club’s side over the years, we’ve seen it on multiple occasions on the biggest stages.

Anthony Elanga recently came back to bite Manchester United, who will surely be regretting selling the winger in the summer of 2023, particularly with Nottingham Forest now miles ahead of their midweek opponents, who were beaten by the Swede’s special winner at the City Ground.

Here, we’ve taken a look at 11 stars who have haunted their former clubs.

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1

Anthony Elanga

Nottingham Forest v Man Utd

Anthony Elanga has been something of a revelation since his move to Nottingham Forest, with the Reds benefiting from the Swede being unable to find a home during his stay at Manchester United.

The winger has often been in electrifying form, but showcased his talents to his former employers with a superb solo run before scoring an eventual winner in their recent Premier League clash.

With Forest set to finish in the European places, the move has certainly worked out for the 22-year-old.

2

Robin van Persie

Man Utd v Arsenal

Robin van Persie made what was a controversial move at the time from Arsenal to Man Utd in 2012.

The Dutch striker was the Gunners captain and star striker at the time, so to swap the Emirates for Old Trafford was a high-profile deal and all eyes were on the first meeting between the two sides months later.

Just three minutes into his first appearance against Arsenal, Van Persie scored for the Red Devils in a 2-1 win and netted again at the Emirates that season, helping Man Utd to another – and his first – Premier League title.

His and United’s fortunes dwindled after that, but he scored in their next meeting in late 2013, this time celebrating fully.

3

Robert Lewandowski

Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is one of the greatest goalscorers of the modern era, netting 103 times for Borussia Dortmund before leaving the club for rivals Bayern Munich in 2014.

Lewandowski would go on to spend eight years as a Bayern player, netting a remarkable 344 times in 375 games and winning 19 major honours.

He would regularly come up against Dortmund in the Bundesliga and in various cup competitions, and scored 27 times in 26 games against BVB for Bayern – more than any other club in his career.

Lewandowski’s record v Dortmund for Bayern
Wins	19
Goals	27
Assists	3
Hat-tricks	2

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4

Emmanuel Adebayor

Man City v Arsenal

One of the most memorable instances of a player haunting their former club came back in 2009, when Emmanuel Adebayor decided to run the length of the Etihad pitch to celebrate a goal for Manchester City in front of the Arsenal fans.

The striker swapped the red of north London for the sky blue of Manchester that summer and was suspended for two games and fined £25,000 by the FA for his celebration.

At the time, Adebayor’s reasoning for the celebration was: “I was being abused by people who six months ago were singing my name. The abuse was for no reason. It wasn’t my fault I left, it was Arsene [Wenger] who wanted to accept the offer for me.”

5

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid v Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Man Utd to Real Madrid in 2009 remains one of the biggest in history, so it was always going to be huge when the Portuguese superstar came up against the Red Devils for the first time.

It took four years for Madrid and United to cross paths in the Champions League, being drawn against each other in the last 16 in 2012/13.

Ronaldo scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg and then netted what proved to be the winner at Old Trafford.

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6

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool v Chelsea

Many didn’t think much of Chelsea’s decision to sell Mohamed Salah on a permanent deal to Roma in 2016 after the winger scored just twice for the Blues in 19 appearances.

However, following his return to England with Liverpool a year later, Salah has gone on to star in the Premier League for the Reds, scoring more than 200 goals and registering over 100 assists on Merseyside.

Salah has faced off against Chelsea on a regular basis over the last eight years, helping beat the Blues in the final of the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

The Egyptian has also scored five times and registered four assists against Chelsea for Liverpool, including a stunner back in 2019.

7

Kevin De Bruyne

Man City v Chelsea

Another player who Chelsea let go too soon was Kevin De Bruyne, who has starred for Man City years over the last 10 years.

De Bruyne made just nine appearances for the Blues before they and Jose Mourinho decided to sell the Belgian to Wolfsburg in 2014. After starring in Germany, the attacking midfielder returned to England 18 months later and has gone on to win everything at the Etihad.

He scored a crucial winner for City at Stamford Bridge in 2017, helping Pep Guardiola’s side reach 100 points that season, while he netted four times in five appearances against the Blues between 2019 and 2022.

8

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Milan v Inter

Iconic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for multiple European giants during his career, including both Milan and Inter.

The Swedish striker had three successful years with Inter between 2006 and 2009, and after a two-year stint in Spain with Barcelona, he returned to the San Siro, with the Rossoneri.

In his first Milan derby, Ibrahimovic earned and converted a penalty for Milan, an effort which proved to be the winner and helped his side to a Serie A title. He’d go on to score seven more times for Milan against Inter.

9

Ronaldo

Real Madrid v Barcelona

Brazilian striker Ronaldo is well known for his time scoring for fun at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid between 2002 and 2007, but he also played for rivals Barcelona prior to his time as a Galactico.

Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions for Barcelona in 1996/97, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award at the age of 20.

The forward moved to Inter in a world-record transfer but returned to Spain with Madrid, where he would come back to haunt Barcelona on numerous occasions.

In total, Ronaldo scored in four separate El Clasico matches, two of which came at Camp Nou, and every time he scored against Barcelona, Madrid never lost.

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10

Frank Lampard

Man City v Chelsea

It’s easy to forget that Frank Lampard spent his final year in the Premier League as a Manchester City player.

The Chelsea legend left Stamford Bridge in 2014, and after penning a pre-contract with New York City, he joined Manchester City for the 2014/15 season, where he would come up against Chelsea.

It was written in the stars for the attacking midfielder to make an impact against the Blues. Lampard scored his first City goal late on against Chelsea in September 2014 to end his former side’s winning start to the season.

da leao： Chelsea’s chances of securing a place in the Champions League were dealt a blow when they lost to rivals Newcastle United 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.

da betsson： The Blues remain fifth in the division, in the last Champions League spot, but only one point separates them from Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the table, which tees up a tense final two matchdays.

As shown in the highlights above, Enzo Maresca’s side were not helped by Nicolas Jackson’s decision to charge into Sven Botman whilst the ball was in the air.

The Senegal international had a look at the Dutch defender and moved his defender into the upper chest and lower face of the Newcastle star whilst grappling to win an aerial duel, which led to VAR recommending a red card for the striker.

Jackson will, now, sit out the final two matches of the Premier League season, and the first game of the 2025/26 campaign, after being hit with a three-game ban for violent conduct, which is a big blow for the Blues.

Why losing Nicolas Jackson is a big blow for Chelsea

The former Villarreal star scored three goals in his last three games before the trip to St. James’ Park and looked to be on his way back to his best in front of goal after a barren run.

Prior to his strike against Everton in the Premier League last month, Jackson had gone 13 matches without a goal in all competitions for the Blues, stretching back to the middle of December.

However, a goal against the Toffees and two goals against Djurgarden in the Conference League suggested that he was on track to play a pivotal role in the final few games of the season.

There is little doubt that Jackson is a player who has the ability to make a big impact in the final third for Chelsea, despite his tendency to miss ‘big chances’, because he has had plenty of impressive moments since his move to Stamford Bridge.

Nicolas Jackson (Premier League)

23/24

24/25

Appearances

35

30

xG

18.63

12.34

Goals

14

10

Big chances missed

24

19

Big chances created

8

6

Assists

5

5

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the former LaLiga star has been a wasteful finisher, missing 43 ‘big chances’, but he has also been directly involved in 34 goals in 65 Premier League games for the club.

This shows that, despite his flaws, Jackson is a constant threat who can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch as either a scorer or a creator of goals, which is why losing him to suspension for the last two games of the campaign is a blow for Maresca.

The 23-year-old centre-forward, who scored a hat-trick against Spurs last season, is Chelsea’s best number nine option and has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, hence why he would have been useful to have as an option heading into these last two games.

What makes the situation even worse for the Blues is that Christopher Nkunku, their other forward option, is currently out with an injury that could keep him out of the last two matches if he does not recover in time.

That is not the only problem with the France international, though, as he has also failed to deliver quality when called upon this season when fit, which is why the club must ruthlessly cash in on him this summer.

Why Chelsea must cash in on Christopher Nkunku

The Premier League side reportedly paid £52m to bring him to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, as they aimed to bolster the quality of their attacking options, having offloaded Kai Havertz to Arsenal that summer.

Nkunku scored 70 goals and provided 55 assists in 17 matches for Leipzig in all competitions during his time in Germany, which made him an exciting signing, at face value, as he had a history of providing consistent quality in a major European league.

Unfortunately, however, the France international has been unable to translate that form over to English football in his two seasons at Stamford Bridge to date, as he has struggled to make an impact in the final third for the Blues.

After the club’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton earlier this year, former Chelsea player Craig Burley criticised the 27-year-old star, who reportedly earns £195k-per-week, and described him as a “waste of money”.

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Burley said: “There was no cutting edge to the game. [Cole] Palmer has stopped influencing games like he was. Nkunku up front, I mean what a total waste of money he’s been.”

It is hard to argue with his assessment of Nkunku’s situation because he has not provided much quality back on the pitch to make up for the £52m fee and £195k-per-week wages as a forward player.

Christopher Nkunku (Premier League)

23/24

24/25

Appearances

11

27

xG

2.30

4.83

Goals

3

3

Big chances missed

3

6

Key passes per game

0.3

0.5

Assists

0

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the French flop has only been involved in seven goals in 38 appearances in the Premier League since the start of last season, and has underperformed his xG overall, which shows that he has been even worse than Jackson in the last two campaigns.

The experienced forward has not delivered goals or assists on a regular, or even semi-regular, basis in the top-flight, despite the huge outlay to bring him to London almost two years ago, whilst the Senegal international has, at least, delivered 34 goals and assists.

Arsenal have been linked with an interest in Nkunku ahead of the summer transfer window, and Chelsea must finally cash in on the big-money flop in an attempt to recoup some of the £52m fee that they splashed out on his services.

The French dud has not done enough to suggest that he will be a key player for Maresca moving forward, given his lack of quality in the Premier League, which is why the club should ruthlessly ditch him this summer, whether that is to Arsenal or another club.

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Looking to put their champions status to instant use, Liverpool are now reportedly set to submit a concrete proposal to sign a serial winner who is available at a bargain price this summer.

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It was Mohamed Salah’s words which sparked motivation after last season’s third-place finish and those words now have a place in Anfield history after Liverpool went on to achieve exactly what he promised.

The Egyptian took to social media last season to say: “We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season. Our fas deserve it and we will fight like hell.”

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Fast-forward less than 12 months and Liverpool did, in fact, fight like hell and they did, in fact, become champions once again. The Egyptian King more than lived up to his promise, enduring his own historic season to make sure that his side are back where many believe they belong. But he’s not done there.

Salah once again took to social media this week to reiterate that his focus is already on repeated success next season, albeit whilst taking time to celebrate Liverpool’s 20th league title.

FSG could yet share that sentiment too, with recent rumours suggesting that Liverpool could be in for a summer of spending. The likes of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are just two players who have already been linked with a move to Anfield this summer and now the Reds are reportedly preparing a concrete offer for a serial winner.

Liverpool preparing Coman proposal

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are now preparing a concrete proposal to sign Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich this summer. The Premier League champions are reportedly frontrunners for his signature in a deal that would cost them just €40m (£34m) in the coming months.

The Frenchman has won it all throughout his career, from the Champions League, to several Bundesliga titles as well as league titles in both France and Italy. Now, at 28 years old, he could attempt to add another to his set by joining Liverpool and helping them to make it two from two under Arne Slot.

Whilst Coman has struggled for starts in the Bundesliga this season, he may get a starting role at Liverpool if Luis Diaz does leave the club this summer, which is a rumoured possibility. It’s then that his task would be to replicate or improve on the South American’s success within Slot’s front three.

Starts

12

26

Goals

5

12

Assists

4

5

Key Passes per 90

2.38

2.19

Once dubbed “brilliant” by former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, the numbers show that there’s still a talented player in Coman, who has simply been denied key game time at times this season.

The former Australia fast bowler is all set to coach a Test team for the first time

Danyal Rasool29-Apr-2024Jason Gillespie’s resume makes him a strong contender for most coaching jobs, but there’s little doubt that in Pakistan, his nationality also carries weight. Pakistan’s admiration for, and in some cases obsession over, the Australian style of play has made them look to that country for roles as diverse as dressing-room mentors to pitch curators. Just weeks earlier, they made Shane Watson their primary candidate for the white-ball coaching role but he pulled out. Ever since, Gillespie has been first choice for Test coach and an agreement with him and Gary Kirsten – who takes over as white ball coach – is believed to have been agreed weeks ago.But Gillespie hasn’t become a respected coach by telling sides what they want to hear, and in his first remarks since his appointment, he warned that Pakistan shouldn’t simply look to emulate Australia or any other side. “My philosophy is – don’t try to be something that you’re not,” he told the PCB’s in-house media channel on a podcast. “I simply want the Pakistan cricket team to play the style of cricket that’s going to suit them; for me, that’s important.”You’ve got to be authentic in how you go about it. I will go out there and say: just be positive, aggressive, entertaining. Play with a smile on your faces and entertain our fans. There are going to be times when you have to grind it out, and that’s what Test cricket is. It’s a test of your skills, mental capacity, and patience. There are times to attack and times to soak up some periods of cricket from the opposition. If we can be as consistent as we can, then hopefully, the scoreboard will look after itself, and we can pick up some wins.”The former Australian fast bowler has had several coaches roles since he last played international cricket in 2006. Most successfully, Gillespie was Yorkshire’s head coach from 2011-16, overseeing their promotion from the second division in his first season, and won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. He has also taken up T20 coaching roles with Punjab Kings and Adelaide Strikers, as well as Sussex and South Australia.Related

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“The opportunity to be the head coach of Pakistan’s Test side is fantastic,” he said. “It’s an honour. I’ve been coaching for quite a while now in various roles around the world, but one thing I haven’t done is coach an international Test side. When this opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it.”Just how Pakistan plays, and the talented and skillful players Pakistan has, it’s great to be part of the team, and hopefully, I can help the team progress, improve, and play some entertaining cricket.”Gary Kirsten has three ICC events in the next two years as Pakistan’s white-ball coach•Getty ImagesKirsten also spoke to the PCB, calling it a “wonderful privilege” to be offered the job of Pakistan white-ball coach. “I think Pakistan sits as one of the top four to five coaching jobs in the world internationally,” he said. “What is important is that I have the opportunity to work with some of the best cricketers in the world and that excites me.”Kirsten had arguably the highest profile coaching job in the world when he was appointed coach of India in 2008, famously ending his tenure on the shoulders of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who hoisted him up for a lap of honour after India won the 2011 ODI World Cup. If he sees out his current two-year contract, he will oversee Pakistan in three white-ball ICC events: two T20 World Cups and a home Champions Trophy in 2025.”The important thing for me is to understand where the team is at and where we want to go to – whether that is winning World Cup events, which, by the way, is not easy. Often some people think you just pitch in and you’re going to win the championship.”But if you can win one of those three ICC Events, that will be an amazing achievement on its own, whether it’s the upcoming event or it’s two years from now. My job is to make sure that the team operates at its best, it’s as simple as that. And if the team is operating at its best, we will always have a good chance of winning a trophy.”So for me, it is important to understand where is the team now and where its need to go to be able to compete right at the top of the pile, and that’s winning ICC events. You can’t guarantee a trophy, but what you can do is put the steps in place to give yourself the best chance of winning a trophy. And that’s really what I’ll tend to do.”

MatériaMais Notícias

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The former Australia allrounder leaves his role as an assistant coach with Sydney Sixers

AAP14-Jun-2024

From player to coach: Cameron White is back at Melbourne Renegades•Getty Images

Former Australia white-ball captain Cameron White has been identified as the man to coach the Melbourne Renegades back into contention in the BBL.White has signed a three-year deal to replace David Saker, who moved on in May after a disappointing seventh-place finish in his third season at the helm.The 40-year-old White is taking on his first head-coaching job but has worked under Sydney Sixers boss Greg Shipperd for the past two years and was previously an assistant at the Adelaide Strikers.Related

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He inherits a Renegades roster that includes white-ball run-machine Jake Fraser-McGurk, superstar spinners Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon and prized recruit Josh Brown.”I’ve got so many great memories here as a player and achieving success, so to be back in Renegades colours several years later is a thrill,” White said. “The idea of working with this playing group – some really exciting players there, both young and experienced – is really exciting. I’m really looking forward to ripping in and starting my journey as coach.”Renegades came out with pick two in the BBL overseas draft order announced on Thursday.As a player, White represented Australia 142 times across all three formats.  He was best known for his contributions as a middle-order batter in the white-ball sides.While his Test career was limited to four appearances on a 2008 tour of India, White captained the T20I side six times and the ODI side once, in 2011.He was also a member of the Australia side that beat New Zealand in the final to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2009. Domestically, White played during the Renegades’ only BBL championship in 2019.Victoria’s longest-serving Sheffield Shield captain, White amassed more than 7000 first-class runs between his debut as a teenager in the 2000-2001 summer and his final match in 2019.

Rocky Flintoff makes England bow alongside three other debutants in 65-run loss

ECB Reporters Network28-Jun-2024Sri Lanka U19 294 for 6 (Perera 58, Shanmuganathan 57, Abeywickramasingha 52) beat England U19 229 (Thain 58, Benkenstein 51) by 65 runsA fourth-wicket partnership of 90 between Essex pair Noah Thain and Luc Benkenstein on home turf at Chelmsford could not prevent England Under-19s subsiding to a 65-run defeat in the first of three one-day internationals against Sri Lanka.Benkenstein was the more flamboyant, hitting two sixes in his 50-ball 51, but Thain anchored the innings with six fours in his 58 from 69 balls.However, when Thain and his captain departed eight balls apart after a 16-over stand, it left England facing an uphill task in chasing down 295 to win in 50 overs. They fell well short with 27 balls unused.Sri Lanka’s 294 for 6 was powered by three contrasting half-centuries from the middle-order with Dinura Kalupahana smashing his 52 from just 37 balls, while Sharujan Shanmuganathan required 75 balls for his 57 and Mahith Perera taking 60 balls for his 58.Set to score at just shy of six an over, England were up with the rate after six overs when they lost their openers in the space of six balls to Sri Lanka’s off-spinner pair of Vihas Thewmika and Thisara Ekanayake. Freddie McCann was bowled by one that kept low and Keshana Fonseka, who had driven sweetly for five fours in his 25, chipped to short third man.Charlie Allison had been playing second fiddle to his Essex team-mate, Noah Thain, and tried to remedy it by hitting Thisara straight out of the ground and was caught on the boundary for eight from 20 balls.The second all-Essex partnership proved more productive with Benkenstein launched sixes over midwicket and long-off, followed by a classic cover drive for four. Benkenstein went for another big heave two ball after reaching his half-century and was caught on the midwicket boundary off Hivin Kenula.Rocky Flintoff bats on his England Under-19 debut•Getty Images

Praveen Maneesha then ripped the heart out of England’s batting in the space of seven deliveries when he had Thain playing around one and Haydon Mustard late on another. Rocky Flintoff, the 16-year-old son and Freddie, was Hivin’s second wicket when he tried to beat mid-off and Farhan Ahmed lasted two balls before lobbing back to Vihas Thewmika. Harry Moore played defiantly for his 26 before falling to Vihas and Noah Cornwell was bowled to end the match.Middlesex’s Cornwall claimed 3 for 54 on his ODI debut including dismissing the Sri Lankan openers in an over after England had won the toss and put the visitors in in a green-tinged wicket of variable bounce.Pulindu Perera had hooked fellow pace bowler Harry Moore over the wicketkeeper’s head for six in the previous over, but fell edging an inswinger to first slip. Thisara followed, violently pulling Cornwell to short fine leg.Thain claimed the third Sri Lankan scalp when Gayana Weerasinghe hooked into deep square leg’s hands and England were in the ascendency.Dinura led the counter-offensive, however, contributing 34 of the first fifty in a fourth-wicket stand worth 73 with Sharujan including lofting McCann over midwicket for six. But he departed one short of a half-century, playing down the wrong line to be lbw to Benkenstein.Sharujan had been more tortoise to Dinura’s hare, but scampered the single that took him to a 64-ball fifty. However, he fell seven runs later when sweeping the parsimonious off-spinner Farhan Ahmed to short fine leg after helping Mahith add 67 for the fifth wicket.Mahith and Diniru put on in the last 10 over with Mahith nudging Cornwell for the single that took him to his fifty from 55 balls. Diniru slapped Moore over square leg for a second maximum before reaching his own half-century from just 34 balls. He became Cornwell’s third victim when bowled off the penultimate ball of the innings.

Bayer Leverkusen are ready to sell midfielder Granit Xhaka, who wishes to leave the Bundesliga side amid an offer from AC Milan.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Leverkusen ready to offload Xhaka
• Ex-Arsenal man has an offer from Milan
• Coach Erik ten Hag wants to keep him

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Leverkusen have reportedly let their guard down and will now be willing to listen to offers for Xhaka, who is pushing for an exit amid interest from Serie A giants AC Milan.

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Di Marzio reports that Leverkusen will allow the departure of Xhaka if any team would be willing to match their asking price of €8-10 million. Although the midfielder played a crucial role in the German side's sensational Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal triumphs in the 2023-24 season, Leverkusen will have a comparatively much weaker team under coach Erik ten Hag next season. Indeed, Die Werkself have already lost Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich and the Florian Wirtz-Jeremie Frimpong duo to Liverpool, which has forced Xhaka to seek a new project.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Xhaka has already given his go-ahead for the transfer to Milan, despite Ten Hag's insistence on retaining the Swiss international next season. The Rossoneri are determined to build a successful side following the appointment of Igli Tare as new sporting director. Luka Modric, who is currently playing for Real Madrid at the ongoing Club World Cup, is close to sealing a move to the Serie A side.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR GRANIT XHAKA?

  Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has made Xhaka his top priority ahead of the 2025-26 season. Reports earlier this week mentioned that Leverkusen would not make the 32-year-old's departure easy, but it seems like the Bundesliga giants will now allow him to leave, should Milan be ready to pay €10m. Sporting director Tare is also expected to fly to Germany and hold talks with the midfielder's entourage in the coming days.

He learned plenty about batting at Test level during Pakistan’s tour of the UK without quite making the big scores to show for it. Now, in Dubai, he made all that learning count

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai08-Oct-20181:18

‘I have struggled a lot to overcome my knee issues’ – Haris Sohail

Sometimes it’s the 30s and 40s that end up mattering, more than some easy fifties and even hundreds. Ordinarily and just off a scorecard, Haris Sohail’s scores this summer in Pakistan’s three Tests in Ireland and England – 31, 7, 39, 39*, 28 and 8 – read like an impeccable requiem to batting frustration. Getting starts, getting set and ultimately getting nowhere. It’s not true.What Haris was doing, especially for example during that 31 in Malahide and the first innings 39 at Lord’s, was learning how to bat at this level. The Lord’s innings in particular was about as rewarding a 39 a young batsman can score in his career. The ball was darting about, off the surface and in the air throughout, and he was facing, for those conditions, two of this planet’s finest bowlers.The enduring image from it is of him playing, missing, turning back, putting his head down, the ball perhaps out of his head, facing up again and doing it all over again. And again, and again. Occasionally he struck the sweetest shots; in one Jimmy Anderson over on the second morning, he first drove a boundary through the covers in the approved manner of sexy left-handedness, on one knee; and then he bunted one straight down the ground, both as clean as soap. He then got struck on the ribs in anger and ended the over beaten twice by monster Anderson balls.If he was so inclined there was more learning to glean from that one over than some entire innings he would have played. Through the innings he worked out ways to score runs, to pull bowlers into bowling to him; he worked out a way to sustain a partnership and was, ultimately, a significant little part of a big win. At Headingley, he would start poorly before settling and then throwing his wicket away.As it turns out, all of that went into what came out today, in the form of a maiden Test hundred. Now to be honest, this was a bit of a grind, especially if you contrast it with the elegant sprightliness of his very first Test innings last year.This one contained long periods nobody will remember, and not just because there was nobody in the stadium to do the remembering. These periods were occasionally punctuated by reminders of his heightened sense of timing – a skip down the track to the spinner, a shimmering drive through extra. There was one late-afternoon push down the ground which was so deceptively well-timed, it looked for most of its existence as if it would fetch, at most, a risky single.But overall it was the kind of innings that allows people’s minds to drift away from it, because it is unhurried even as it was mostly untroubled. The kind where people get bored and instead get worked up about the pitch being a road or some such instead, and only desultorily acknowledge the innings because of the wholeness a three-figure landmark provides it. If you argued that his 39 was the better innings, no jaws would drop.It was also, as some of his more notable work has always been, an intelligent innings. Assess the conditions, the opponents in front of you, and work around that. When the ball got old and lost its seam, he figured out that run-scoring might become difficult. The outfield was heavy too, so even though he was timing some strokes well, he was getting little reward. So he stopped, because what England taught him was not to panic when things weren’t going to plan. He just waited until the new ball when he knew the runs would come.”I got out in the 30s [in England], sometimes I got a good ball, a couple of times I panicked and threw my wicket away,” he said. “Here I was consciously trying to move out of that situation where you can panic.”That was the one thing in my mind throughout this innings, that I need not panic. The time to score runs will come and I just need to cash in then, so when I got out of those panic situations, the runs started flowing.”It was almost exactly a year ago that he was making his Test debut, down the highway in Abu Dhabi. He had nearly lost his career in getting to that point and his 76 felt cathartic. It also worked as a retort. You’ll remember the circumstances around it, when he was the guy who wasn’t the guy who should’ve been.When Haris turned up at the press conference that day he was a little nervous, plenty relieved, and somewhat defensive, as if still not believing that his traumas were completely behind him, or that there wouldn’t be brickbats in the imminent future because he wasn’t Fawad Alam.Naturally, Haris was a much lighter presence today (apropos nothing, it was Fawad’s birthday today), enough to joke about being a (decent, polite) guy who ignored some mild Aussie chirping, letting it go in one ear and out the other, or that one benefit of the stadium being so empty was that he could at least hear his name being chanted clearly by the very few who did turn up.”Obviously when you get your first 100 in Test cricket, the excitement of that is different,” he said. “When I got the hundred, just everything about it was different, the excitement of that moment. It matters a huge amount to do it for your country.”

Coaches who knew of his immense talent kept quiet about it – he had to stay focused on first-class cricket

Mohammad Isam07-Feb-2020Saif Hassan’s development into a Test cricketer, in a country increasingly obsessed with the shorter formats, has the feel of a top-secret project. The story goes that at age-group levels, Hassan took long-format matches very seriously. As he grew older, batting for long periods became his thing. The captains and coaches he played for encouraged him to continue to bat his way because, in a country where nearly every batsman wants to hit fours and sixes, Hassan’s approach helped stabilise batting line-ups.On his first tour with the Bangladesh Under-17 team, he scored 96 and 72 in three-day games against Madhya Pradesh Under-17 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. He spent six hours and 14 minutes, and four hours and 20 minutes batting, respectively, during those innings. Then when he batted with caution in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, people called him “slow”. Some doubted whether he even had any shots. But Hassan was just following the coach’s orders to be at the anchor at one end, giving big-hitters Pinak Ghosh and Najmul Hossain Shanto the chance to go after bowling attacks.Naturally, Hassan missed out on his first opportunity at big-money cricket in Bangladesh – the 2018-19 BPL – when, despite impressive numbers in domestic cricket, he wasn’t picked by any of the franchises. His worth as a batsman was known to many coaches, but they kept quiet about him, hoping that he kept his interest in the longest format. No one really wanted to change his mindset. Lest he suddenly found the shorter versions more enticing.Hassan used that time away from the BPL well. The long hours he spent in the nets during that tournament helped him become the highest run-scorer in that season’s Dhaka Premier League, the one-day competition so revered in the Bangladesh domestic cricket.Given this background, it is no coincidence that Hassan’s first senior call-up, in November 2019, was to the Bangladesh Test side for the tour of India. Usually the Bangladesh selectors tend to give youngsters a T20I or ODI series for their first tour. Hassan was deemed likely to play the second Test, in Kolkata, but he injured his hand while taking a diving catch at gully, to see off Cheteshwar Pujara, as a substitute fielder in the first Test.Once recovered from the injury, he finally made his BPL debut, for Khulna Tigers. More recently – and more significantly – he played a first-class game in which he batted five and a half hours to make 58. In the same game, Tamim Iqbal, the player he will likely partner at the top of the order on his Bangladesh debut, made a record breaking 334 not out. There must have been a lesson or two for young Hassan from the accomplished opener. Later, Hassan said that it is his childhood dream to open the batting with him.Patience in age-group cricket, four years in top-flight domestic cricket, two double-hundreds in first-class cricket with an average over 45, a history of helping sides out of trouble both against the new and old ball, against pace and spin… it is now pretty clear where 21-year-old Hassan stands as a cricketer.Coach Mizanur Rahman, who has worked with Hassan at age-group and club level, says that he has prepared well over the years to be where he is today.

“Hard work pays off, everyone around me says this. I like to practise on my own, so I usually stay back after the team leaves to bat a bit longer”Saif Hassan

“He is ready for Test cricket,” Rahman says. “I think he is more Test-ready than some of his peers.”Saif is patient as a batsman. He has shown this quality in many competitions. He was apprehensive about playing shots when he first arrived in the Under-19 team but, with time, he gained skills. Now he has improved by playing a lot of first-class cricket.”Hassan points out that, despite the popular opinion on him, he has been working on his batting for all three formats – it was after all in the one-day format Dhaka Premier League where he made 814 runs at 62.61 following his BPL snub. He carried that form into his time with Bangladesh A, impressing during a four-day competition in Bengaluru, as well as on a tour of Sri Lanka last month.”I worked hard during the BPL last year as I wasn’t picked by any of the franchises,” Hassan told ESPNcricinfo a few days after his call-up to the national side. “I worked on areas outside my comfort zone. It gave me a good preparation for the Dhaka Premier League with Babul [Mizanur Rahman] sir. I used to come to the academy and bat for long hours in the nets.”I didn’t set a big target in the DPL last season. I just took it match by match, thinking that every match is important. I did the same when I played for Bangladesh A. I think any match can change my life.”Hassan got into cricket only after returning to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia, where his father was employed. Once he was enrolled in a school in Bangladesh, it was time to play cricket.”I used to play a little in Saudi Arabia, but I started to take training seriously at the Dhanmondi Cricket Academy. I played third-division qualifying matches for the club. I try to go there every time I am free and bat for long hours.”Hassan, who then moved to the Indoor Cricket Academy, credits his parents for letting him play rather than asking him to put all his focus on academics as most parents do in Dhaka. “When I started practising in DCA, there were many better cricketers than me,” he says. “[But] my parents constantly supported me. They were never a barrier to my cricket dreams.”Hassan is known in cricketing circles for how he puts in extra work after training sessions. “Hard work pays off, everyone around me says this. I like to practise on my own, so I usually stay back after the team leaves to bat a bit longer.”Bigger tests await Hassan in the days ahead. But, his unique career path so far suggests that he has resolve and the skills to handle them, whatever they may be.