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All six territorial boards of the West Indies Cricket Board will find representation for the first time in the upcoming Regional Women’s Tournament, which begins on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2016All six territorial boards of the West Indies Cricket Board will find representation for the first time in the upcoming Regional Women’s Tournament, comprising the limited-overs format, starting Thursday. Leewards Islands will field a team for the first time in the tournament, while Windward Islands will play as a single unit, also for the first time.Windwards earlier had each of its four nations – Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada – playing as individual teams when the regional tournament was an eight-team competition. That changed in 2015 when Windwards fielded only two outfits – North and South.”We want to welcome Leewards Women into the fold and are looking forward to them playing a valuable role in the expansion of the women’s game in the region,” Josina Luke, WICB project officer for women’s cricket, said. “We have spent the last year working with the Leewards in the development of this squad, following a decision by our directors to have them involved this year, so this is another step towards strengthening the base of the women’s game in the region and expanding our talent pool.”The banding together of the talents of the Windwards Women helps us to streamline our tournaments and bring greater competitiveness to the overall women’s game, as the ultimate aim is to create a stronger West Indies Women’s team with a view to winning more global titles.”Leewards will be captained by Shawnisha Hector, the Antiguan pacer, while Afy Fletcher, the West Indies Women’s legspinner, will lead Windwards.The tournament, this year, will comprise the Super50 as well as Twenty20 competitions. “We want to broaden the pool of players for the West Indies Women’s team, bearing in mind two important things,” Luke said. “First, we are well-placed for automatic qualification for the ICC Women’s World Cup next year in England and want to remain on that trajectory with important series in the ICC Women’s Championship later this year against England at home and India on the road. Also, we want to fortify our squad in the T20 format, so we can continue to put forward the kind of performances that enhance our position as World champions.”The tournament will begin with the Super50 competition. Barbados, the defending champions, will face Trinidad & Tobago. Leewards will take on five-time champions Jamaica, while hosts Guyana kickstart their campaign against Windwards. Each of the teams will meet the others once in the round-robin stage, which will consist of five matches of 50-overs-a-side. The teams with the maximum points will clash in the final, on July 17.The T20 tournament will take place four days later with three games on each match day, all of them at the Guyana National Stadium, before a final round of play-off matches to determine positions on July 25.SquadsBarbados: Shaquana Quintyne (captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Keila Elliott, Allison Gordon, Reshelle Griffith, Malissa Howard, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Shakera Selman, Charlene Taitt, , Shanna Thompson, Tiffany ThorpeGuyana Tremayne Smartt (captain), Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, Erva Giddings, Melanie Henry, Mandy Mangru, Plaffiana Millington, Subrina Munroe, Kaysia Shultz, Heema Singh, Latoya Smith, Akaze Thompson, Lashuna Toussaint, Kavita YadramJamaica Stafanie Taylor (captain), Alecia Bookal, Shanel Daley, Keneshia Ferron, Chinelle Henry, Corrine, Howell, Natasha McLean, Jodian Morgan, Chedean Nation, Roshana Outar, Tameka Sanford, Jerona Walcott, Vanessa Watts, Rashada WilliamsLeeward Islands Shawnisha Hector (captain), Jasmine Clarke, Melicia Clarke, Davanna Claxton, Kimberly Dookhan, Amanda Edwards, Sherma Jackson, Rozel Liburd, Terez Parker, Grace Persaud, Kerisha Powell, Jenisen Richards, Eldora Sylvester, Saneldo WillettTrinidad & Tobago Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Kirbyina Alexander, Reniece Boyce, Britney Cooper, Rosalie Dolabaille, Stacy Ann King, Lee Ann Kirby, Shenelle Lord, Anisa Mohammed, Selene O’Neil, Kamara Ragoobar, Karishma Ramharack, Amanda Samaroo, Rachael VincentWindward Islands Afy Fletcher (captain), Stacy Ann Adams, Holly Charles, Roylyn Cooper, Nerissa Crafton, Krisani Irish, Qiana Joseph, Juliana Nero, Akeira Peters, Rosilia Registe, Yasmine St. Ange, Glendeen Turtin, Rackel Williams, Swayline Williams

Bangladesh Women coach Janak Gamage has resigned from his job following an extended period during which, he said, he worked with the team without the BCB extending his contract

Mohammad Isam30-May-2016Bangladesh Women coach Janak Gamage has resigned from his job because he found out that the BCB wouldn’t be extending his contract for a third time later this year. His next assignment, he said, will be with Thailand Women.Gamage, a former Sri Lanka fast bowler, was appointed by the BCB in August 2014 on a one-year contract, and he was given a second one-year contract last year after which he took the team to the Women’s World T20 in India earlier this year.”I am leaving Dhaka tomorrow,” Gamage said. “I will work with the Thailand women’s team from now. I did not get any offer for extension from the BCB. There is a tournament coming up in Thailand and they have called me. I have resigned because the BCB has not shown any interest in retaining me.”Despite being a foreign coach, Gamage had the added advantage of knowing the Bangla language; he picked it up having played in the Dhaka leagues in the 1980s. During his stint as coach, however, Gamage’s only success was in the form of a 2-0 series win over Zimbabwe in unofficial T20s in November 2015, after which Bangladesh ensured qualification to World T20 in India by finishing runners-up in the qualifying tournament in Thailand. But, in India, they lost all their group matches.Gamage said that the team has the talent, but it needs to be developed better. “I enjoyed working here,” he said. “Always felt like home.”The team has come a long way and can go further if it can overcome a few things. The other teams practise throughout the year but the Bangladesh team does not get that chance. They need to overcome this issue. I believe this team has a good time ahead.”

Steven Smith has been charged with dissent over the same incident that saw fast bowler Josh Hazlewood fined 15% of his match fee on day four in Christchurch

Brydon Coverdale in Christchurch24-Feb-20161:02

Steven Smith fined after dissent charge

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has been charged with dissent and fined 30% of his match fee over the same incident that saw fast bowler Josh Hazlewood fined 15% of his match fee on day four in Christchurch. The ICC confirmed Hazlewood’s charge and penalty on Tuesday but it was not until Wednesday that the Australians were notified that Smith would also be penalised for breaching the code of conduct.*Smith said he would cop the decision “on the chin”. The incident occurred in the last over before lunch on the fourth day, when Hazlewood had an lbw appeal against Kane Williamson turned down by the on-field umpire Ranmore Martinesz, and Australia’s review was struck down by third umpire Richard Illingworth.Illingworth had noted a small Hot Spot near the bottom of Williamson’s inside edge, which he deemed enough to stick with Martinesz’s not-out decision, but the Australians were angered at the outcome having seen the review play out on Hagley Oval’s big screen. Smith and Hazlewood approached Martinesz and appeared to demand an explanation as to why the decision had been upheld.”Josh Hazlewood got brought under the code of conduct yesterday for what he did and I’ve also just been made aware that I’ve been put under the code of conduct for dissent as well,” Smith said after Australia completed their victory on day five. “I thought I was well within my rights to go up to the umpire and ask him why we didn’t use the Real Time Snicko.”I guess out on the field we couldn’t really see a Hot Spot and I’ve been informed since then, at the break just after the incident, that if there is a Hot Spot they don’t go to Real Time Snicko. So that was basically what I was doing at the time and that’s deemed to be dissent and I’ll cop that on the chin and I need to be better as a leader. I need to set the example, and that wasn’t good enough.”The incident brought into the spotlight the Spirit of Cricket in the final Test of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who has spoken often of wanting his team to play the game “in the right way”. During last year’s ODI series in England McCullum wrote in a newspaper column that Smith might regret not withdrawing an obstructing the field appeal against England’s Ben Stokes, and Smith conceded he could learn from the way McCullum has led.”Brendon has been a great ambassador, and a great captain and leader for the game,” Smith said. “I can learn a bit off the way he has done things. We’ve talked quite a bit and he gave me a bit of criticism in England with the Ben Stokes dismissal. We’ve talked a little bit about that. I guess I’m still young in my career as a leader and you try and learn from different things.”Yesterday was a mistake on my behalf and I’ve been hit with a code of conduct [charge] because of it. To me it’s about trying to learn from my mistakes and trying to get this team moving forward in the right direction and playing the good, aggressive brand of cricket that we play so well. We know that there’s a line there that we can’t cross.”*10.00GMT, February 24: This article was updated after details of Steven Smith’s fine came in

Mikel Arteta has been dealt an injury blow as he confirmed that Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is still ‘a few weeks away’ from returning.

The Lowdown: Niggling issue

Arsenal reporter for GOAL Charles Watts confirmed on his YouTube channel (via FootballFanCast) that Nketiah had ‘limped off’ in their 4-0 win at home to Everton in the Premier League earlier this month, and that she has been struggling with an injury issue for ‘a while’:

“Eddie Nketiah limped off at the end of the game.

“He went down as soon as the full-time whistle went, he fell onto the ground and then he got up and he limped off.“He went down the tunnel straightaway with one of the fitness coaches at Arsenal. He has been suffering with an issue for a while now, Eddie, which is kind of why he was rested at the weekend against Leicester.”The Englishman has since missed Arsenal’s last three games in total over all competitions, ahead of their second leg at home to Sporting in their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie. The Latest: ‘A few weeks away’

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of the clash at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta has confirmed that Nketiah is still ‘a few weeks away’ from returning to first-team action, in what he describes as a ‘nasty injury’:

“He’s getting better. He’s still in the boot so still a few weeks away. We need to be patient – it was a nasty injury. It’s a challenge that Eddie’s got ahead of him, but thank God he could have been worse so he’s not in a bad place.”

The Verdict: Big blow

For Nketiah to be ruled out for another few weeks at least is a big blow for Arteta and his team.

Both Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard have only just come back from injuries themselves, and so the Spaniard will want as many options in the forward line available as possible, especially if they get through in the Europa League and continue to fight on two fronts.

Nketiah has not been the most prolific so far this season, but has chipped in while Jesus has been out injured, scoring nine goals and making a further two assists in 32 appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The 23-year-old offers so much more to the side though, with Arteta previously hailing his ‘incredible work-rate’.

Nonetheless, it is a blow for Arteta to be without Nketiah, as they look to beat Sporting before a potentially tricky London derby against Crystal Palace in the top flight on Sunday afternoon.

It’s not about beating the best sides on your day but about building a team that can compete consistently at the highest level, Bangladesh’s coach tells Cricinfo

Interview by Khondaker Mirazur Rahman15-Sep-2008

What was your motivation for taking up the Bangladesh job?

I took the position as it was an amazing opportunity to coach an international cricket team, and it was a natural progression from my position as assistant coach of Australia, where we had won the World Cup, The Champions Trophy, and regained the Ashes. I wanted to bring my knowledge and experience to Bangladesh and take them forward.In terms of cricket ability, where do Bangladesh stand now?
It is not a question of cricket ability but a question of cricket schooling. Our coaches, competition, and facilities are just not preparing our players for the tough world of international cricket. Our players are as skillful as any, but we are lacking in depth when it comes to consistent performers at the highest level of cricket.You have been trying to change the cricket culture of Bangladesh and also the way the players approach their game. Why is that important?
At present, and before I came on board, we had no players in our side that you could say are truly successful international cricketers. We love them and they are our heroes but they do not have the results or statistics that their oppositions have. Our batsmen average 20 and the opposition batsmen average 45-50. Our bowlers average 45 and the opposition average 25. This suggested to me that things – and team culture is one of them – needed to change. I have taken a long-term approach and may never see the results of my work. The players are learning to train and prepare in a more professional and responsible manner, where we are trying to improve so that we can be consistently competitive, not just when all the stars are aligned and we have a “good day”. We have several players in the team at the moment who I believe have the ability to lead from the front and be world-class players that we can count on each time we play. This is what I am excited about for Bangladesh Cricket and our supporters.Isn’t trying to force a change in the natural style of play fraught with risk?
There is such a misconception about how I want my players to play. I will just say that the batsmen are instructed to think of every ball as an opportunity to hit a four or a six, but if the ball is too good and the risk or percentage for success is not good, then we must do something else. The game is about making runs and I encourage my players to look to score at every opportunity. Our supporters cannot have a team that entertains from ball one by hitting the ball in the air, and expect them to also score a lot of runs at international level. It won’t happen. We will lose wickets and fail nine times out of ten as we have done in the past. There needs to be a balance of responsibility and structure to our batting. We are a team that in the past used to pass 200 in our innings just one time in four at the crease. We now do this every second time we play. I look for success in lots of ways. Winning is a result of a lot of successes in the process.How is coaching Bangladesh different from coaching Australia or any other international team?
In Australia there is an amazing domestic infrastructure, which culminates in the best first-class competition in the world. The international players, when not playing for the country, simply go back to their state cricket system and train with their state team-mates and coaches, fitness trainers, physios, doctors and so on. In Bangladesh our players must stay in Dhaka to train and get any coaching they need. There are just no real facilities for them in the home areas, but the cricket board and I have identified this and are planning to improve in this area.

Our players are just so inexperienced in terms of decision-making and being ready for international standard. With Australia you are talking tactics and teaching new shots and small aspects of the game; with our team you spend every day just teaching them the basics of the game, things that they should know when they are 15 or 16. This is because our infrastructure and pathway is not good enough at present.What are the major obstacles that are holding Bangladesh back in international cricket?
International cricket is as competitive as it has ever been. We have seen India beat Australia in Australia in a one-day series. Then Pakistan won the tri-series in Bangladesh. This was followed by Sri Lanka beating us all to win the Asia Cup in Pakistan. All three of these teams are at the top of their games and are capable of pushing the world No. 1. We are still a young cricket country and are still to get our facilities and infrastructure to where they need to be to produce world-class success stories. We are aware of our deficiencies in this area and know that it will take time to develop them to the high standard required.At the moment the players selected have still got many areas that need to be improved if they are to perform consistently at the highest level. The pathway at present does not allow those flaws to be ironed out before they are selected. Our players learn the hard way, in the public eye, on the international stage. I know we have won games at times in the past, but I ask: have we really produced a world-class cricketer that we can rely on year in year out?Recently Bangladesh have shown signs of improvement in batting, but the bowling has deteriorated significantly. Has having a specialist bowling coach like Champaka Ramanayake in your coaching staff helped?
It is fantastic to have Ramanayeke in our system at the moment. He was a regular at our training before the Australian tour, so we have access to his assistance when we need or want him. His bowling squad regularly attends our training sessions as well.There is a perception among cricket fans and media that you are downplaying the successes achieved by your predecessor Dave Whatmore, to cover up the recent failures of Bangladesh team.
I have the utmost respect for Dav. He is a personal friend and we speak from time to time. Success is measured in many ways, and I would love the team to grab a couple of wins here and there – as Dav and the boys did in his time. However, I am not here just to have the team win a game or two. I am trying to develop this squad and the future of Bangladesh cricket to a point where they can compete regularly against the top-ranked teams. This will take time as the players have so many lessons to learn and skills to develop. There are no easy wins out there at the moment. All the teams we have played recently are very strong and on the move forward.I continually talk about success and improvement. We have a young team, and when you are developing you must base success on achievement, not on the win-loss figures. I hate the word “failure” when used to describe our team. They have had so many achievements in the nine months I have been with them. It is the long term that the people of Bangladesh must look at, not the immediate high of a win. Though I admit it would be nice at the moment to get you guys off our backs and increase the confidence of all. We now have more potential world-class players than ever before and the future is as bright as ever.

There was once a belief that Bangladesh could compete with any team on their day, which no longer appears to be the case. Do you think you are a bit too pessimistic about Bangladesh’s chance of winning against the top eight teams, which is affecting the team morale?
The problem is, people have no idea how I talk to my team on a daily basis. The players are aware that our vision is to always improve. I would love to know what “on their day” means. I am not interested in coaching a team that relies on luck or it being their day. I am concerned with improving skills and confidence, so that we believe in ourselves every time we compete. We do believe that if we play to the best of our ability then we can win.The other thing I need to say is that the team under Dav were given plenty of games against the so-called minnow teams prior to the World Cup. This allowed them to win a lot of games in the lead-up and gain some momentum. They then went on to win two very big games [against India and South Africa], in perfect conditions for our style of cricket. In my time so far, we have been scheduled to play the No. 2 sides in the world in two series, and the No. 1 recently. We also had a series in New Zealand, which is very tough to tour. We have had just one three-match series against a minor team [Ireland], a team that actually beat us at the World Cup. We completely outplayed them and won the series 3-0.Are you happy with the progress Bangladesh have made over the last ten months under your coaching?
As I have said previously there are so many examples of success within our team lately. The elusiveness of victory is not helping the public see this, though. We have scored our highest scores ever against India and Pakistan in the last three months. We have had five players make their first or second ODI centuries. We have a 19-year-old, Raqibul Hasan, who is shaping to be an international player of the future.How do you explain Bangladesh’s recent performance in Australia?
I can say that the results were very disappointing and the lessons learnt were hard ones. The players were simply overwhelmed by the world No. 1 team. They know they are better than they showed us in this series and are determined to gain some credibility back in the near future. We should have won the third match in Darwin. Our bowlers, and in particular our fielders, were superb in keeping Australia to 198 in their 50 overs.We were a little unlucky at the beginning of our tour to lose two opening batsmen before the first practice match, and then to lose Raqibul with a broken thumb in the first ODI. We simply don’t have the depth just yet to replace an opener and our best No. 4 batsman. This left us very unbalanced and even more vulnerable than we were at the beginning. No excuses though – the team have underperformed and are embarrassed by their efforts.During the Australia series you were very critical about Ashraful in public. What were you trying to achieve? Was it a desperate attempt to bring some responsibility to Ashraful’s batting?
I am always talking to Ash about his performances, both good and bad. We are trying to get him to be more consistent and contribute to the score more often. Ash has made maybe just four or five half-centuries in his last 50 innings and I felt it was worth a try to say that we need more from him as captain and a key batsman in our line-up. Ash was sitting beside me and I only stated the obvious. You might consider it as an honest attempt to make him aware of his responsibilities.I believe we have been too focused on Ash and what he is capable of. We have many batsmen who have made centuries for us and who are real match-winners in our team. These are the players that will make us a successful team; one man cannot do it alone. I hope Ash can find the game that he needs to play his role for us. Everyone thinks he is one of our best players. He needs to show this by making consistent big scores.It has also been said that I tried to remove Ash as captain of the team during the Australia tour. I have never, and would never, do that. He has the toughest job in world cricket and his players do not always back him up with consistent performances. I have told him that if he is under too much pressure and he feels his batting is suffering due to captaincy, then he should consider resting from it. A run-making Ash is better for his team than to have him as captain and not making runs.Do you think the team is a bit too youth-oriented and lacks experienced players?
Yes, we lack experienced players, but you cannot have experienced players in your side who are failing all the time – they will not offer guidance when they are not performing themselves. We have no experienced players out of the team at the moment who demand selection because they are performing, or have performed recently in international cricket. If we had an experienced player who was demanding to be picked because of performances then I would be asking the selectors to pick him.

What about someone like Habibul Bashar?

Habibul is one of our centrally contracted players. He is not currently in our team but is a helpful and welcome addition at training. He understands better than most just how hard it is to be successful at international level. I would love to have a performing Habibul in our team. However, he is not at the top of his game and was omitted some time ago after many opportunities. A non-performing senior can’t really influence the game of his team-mates. We would not leave a senior player out of our young team if they had the potential to be a match-winner or be in our team come the next World Cup.What do you expect from the upcoming New Zealand series?
I do not base success on win-loss figures, as this is demoralising to a developing side – they would see every loss as a failure, irrespective of whether they have made a century or taken five wickets. Our young team, whether we like it or not, will lose a few games before they start to win consistently. I want to be realistic here; we have to raise our game to beat teams like New Zealand. The series is on our home soil, the conditions should favor us. If we can play up to our potential, there is no reason why we can’t compete and produce some good results.I expect us to have a lot of players achieving great things against New Zealand, and I also believe we will show that we are improving by winning games in this series. Winning would be amazing for all of us.Where do you want to see Bangladesh at the end of your initial two-year contract?
We will still be ranked ninth in the world when my two years are up. What I have embarked on is not going to bear much fruit inside two years. What I want to see is that we have started to compete and are consistent in the plans and the processes we need to follow in order to push and beat teams regularly. My intentions have always been to produce some world-class performers who can carry the team to new heights on a consistent basis. And the exciting thing is, there are three or four players who may just do that.

On the field, Mashrafe Mortaza performs one of the most thankless jobs in cricket: spearhead the fast bowling attack of a subcontinent team

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong18-May-2007

There’s a mad man loose at the Bangladesh nets. It has been raining incessantly in Chittagong; the third one-dayer between Bangladesh and India looks improbable, and the players have moved to the indoor facility. Mashrafe Mortaza spots a mini football and wants to dribble past his friend Abdur Razzak. Next, he wants to keep heading it forever – cap in one hand, the other gesturing towards the forehead, as though saying “I have magic there, I can make it talk with my head”. He wants Syed Rasel to bowl him bouncers with that ball and he hooks them. He wants to beat up Rasel and chases him all over the nets. He aims with the ball from one end and hits Rasel smack in the head. All the while his face, his hands and legs keep moving, expressing, telling the story. This isn’t body language, more a conference of polyglots.On the field, Mortaza performs one of the most thankless jobs in cricket: spearhead the fast bowling attack of a subcontinent team. He does that remarkably well. Only a few days ago, he had missed a match because of injury. On his comeback, the first ball flew at 86mph.Where does he get all this energy from? “I think I am strong,” he says with a confidence that in anyone else would have sounded arrogant. Mortaza’s strength comes from his first love: the river Chitra, which flows just opposite his house in Narail. “I loved swimming from childhood; I’d swim, with friends or kids tied to my back, from noon to 3 pm or so.” He also had a penchant for climbing coconut trees; on his wedding day last September, one of his guests joked that there were no coconuts. Mortaza made for the nearest tree in a flash; it took a lot of effort to keep him down. Anyway, he swam in the Chitra that night.His team-mates and friends call him , an affectionate term loosely translated as madman. “Maybe I am a bit like that”, he acknowledges. When he was young – he’s 23 now – he was a veritable circus on the road. “I did a lot of tricks with my bike.” When he was younger still, he would jump 20 feet off a bridge and on to moving trucks. “I used to do it everyday. Not now,” he says. “I have stopped the bike antics too. My father doesn’t like it. He thinks as a player I shouldn’t be doing all this.”Mortaza was so in love with Narail that he didn’t like travelling. At the age of 17, a grand-uncle who was a coach at Dhaka’s Mohammedan Sporting club, asked Mortaza to join the team, which was short of players, for a match about an hour’s journey from Narail. He agreed only after his grandmother convinced him, and took six wickets against Kashim City. He returned, but the bug had bitten; soon he was bound for the under-17 zonal camp, where he was picked by Malcolm Pareira for a tour of Sri Lanka; then to the under-19 side, and finally the national side. All this, and stints with Andy Roberts too.The lows are as clear in his mind as the highs. Mortaza remembers the worst day of his career. “Once Zimbabwe [at Harare last August] needed 17 runs off the last over.” He looks down, smiles, and says, “I gave them. That was the worst day for me.” The simplicity conveys the anguish.Dav Whatmore, the coach, was good support then. “He said, ‘When you wake up the next day, it will be hard for you. But don’t worry, just keep working.'” A day later, Mortaza was heard telling a friend, “This will never happen to me again. Even if I try to do it, this will never happen.”He remembers when he dropped Ricky Ponting in the Fatullah Test last year, a catch which, if taken, might well have caused the biggest upset in cricket history. “There was a breeze, and I was three seconds late.” It plays on his mind whenever they are close to winning an important match.He fondly remembers his Man-of-the-Match performance against India at the World Cup, and also Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket at Chittagong in 2004-05. He has seen and felt the change of the other teams’ attitude towards Bangladesh. “They used to ignore us earlier. They would think, ‘Bangladesh is coming; we will win easily.’ Nowadays, they cannot afford to do this,” he says. “It used to hurt a lot.”But it was nice”, he adds wryly, “to see India celebrate so much after beating us.”
At 23, he has seen a lot of cricket, has travelled the world, yet he still misses the good life of Narail. “I miss everything. Friends, family,” he says, sounding like a 17-year-old on his first tour. “But as a professional cricketer, you have to do all this.” All of a sudden the country’s leading paceman takes over. In three seconds, his face has changed from a child’s to that of a grown-up.Mortaza is, if possible, a wise mad man. Part of the maturity stems from a long list of injuries and operations – three operations on his left knee, one on the right, many stress fractures of his back, shoulder problems and two torn ankle ligaments. He has spent agonising days in hospitals – injury after injury, operation after operation. He recently lost Manjural Islam Rana, his close friend and team-mate, in a motor accident.Most significantly, Mortaza has started to realise his responsibility as Bangladesh’s leading pace bowler. He has become more measured. That shows in his bowling. “I love bowling fast but in the past two years I haven’t been bowling really fast,” he says. “I am getting fit and back. I think I can bowl really fast now but I like to bowl in the right areas. [Glenn] McGrath, [Brett] Lee, everyone told me I should bowl in the right areas.” He also believes he has the ability to raise his speed whenever he wants to. He has started to read the batsmen and started to work them out. “This is an aspect I have improved a lot in. I like to read a batsman.”His goal is to become one of the world’s top-10 bowlers in Tests. In one-dayers too, but Tests especially. “Test match is the real cricket.” He has started taking his batting seriously. “The coach tells me I can be a good batsman.” Dinesh Mongia will testify to that.On an average, he goes back home once about two months. “I love the river. I like sitting there and chatting with my friends. Even if I am not swimming, I like to just sit there.”Mortaza has changed. There’s a price he is paying. “I can’t injure myself anymore.”

Liverpool are having more luck with injuries in comparison to last season, but one individual has suffered a setback in his fitness battle.

Who is injured for Liverpool currently?

Injuries are a huge part of football, and the Reds' 2022/23 season was hampered badly by having numerous players out of action for lengthy periods.

The likes of Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita were high-profile absentees too often, while in 2020/21 it was even worse, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all missing many months of action.

Thankfully, those injury woes have eased in general at the moment, with Thiago continuing to be out since the summer, but the majority of the squad fit and firing.

One player has now picked up another issue, however, during what is a tough time for him.

Which Liverpool player has had a fitness setback?

According to the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle, youngster Kaide Gordon is now out for another two weeks, as his nightmare with injuries continues:

"Liverpool teenage winger Kaide Gordon has suffered another injury setback having made his long-awaited return to action earlier this month. But his latest issue is not related to the pelvic problem linked to his physical growth that sidelined the youngster for more than 18 months.

"While the issue is not regarded as serious, it is particularly untimely with Gordon having just finally started to regain match sharpness after his lengthy time out."

This is a cruel setback for Gordon, even if his absence should only be short-term, with the 18-year-old going through a dreadful period through injury in the past 18 months or so.

Having burst onto the scene as a prodigiously gifted 16-year-old, becoming the second-youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's history after scoring in the FA Cup in January 2022, the attacker has seen his progress stunted significantly through some awful luck.

While others such as Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak have been able to kick on, he has had to sit and watch his chances of becoming a genuine part of Jurgen Klopp's squad slowly evaporate, having been hailed as "great" by Van Dijk in the past.

Time is still clearly on Gordon's side given his age, but he needs to hit the ground running when he does make his return, with the squad depth in attack arguably at an all-time high at Anfield, with some world-class faces to choose between.

The hope is that the teenage Englishman is back on the pitch as soon as possible, though, potentially getting some minutes at youth level and then making the step up over time. A loan move in January could even be beneficial, allowing him more regular time on the pitch.

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to bolster their attacking options before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers has been able to add six new players to his squad; including Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Hyun-jun Yang, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Odin Thiago Holm, and Marco Tilio.

According to The Scottish Sun, the Northern Irishman now has his eyes on another striker as he is weighing up a swoop for Brondby star Mathias Kvistgaarden.

The report claims that the Scottish giants could need to pay a fee within the region of £4m to sign the centre-forward, whose contract does not expire until 2027.

It does not, however, state how much the Bhoys are willing to pay for his services or whether they will make a firm offer for him before next month's deadline.

How good is Mathias Kvistgaarden?

Rodgers could unearth an exciting long-term heir to Kyogo Furuhashi by thrashing out a deal for the 21-year-old marksman over the coming days.

The superb youngster has burst onto the scene in recent months and showing himself to be a fantastic prospect with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis from a number nine position.

Since the start of the Superligaen Championship Round earlier this year, Kvistgaarden has plundered seven goals and six assists in 14 league appearances for Brondby. This means that he has been directly involved in a goal every 1.08 games on average.

He has emerged as a reliable option for the Danish outfit after his immense academy form for the club.

The 5 foot 7 finisher racked up a phenomenal 31 goals and 11 assists in 45 U19 outings prior to making the breakthrough at senior level.

Kvistgaarden, who scout Jacek Kulig hailed as being "on fire", averaged a goal contribution every 1.07 games on average for the U19 team and he is now starting to replicate that level of production on the big stage.

Kyogo, meanwhile, has registered 56 goals and 11 assists in 85 competitive games for Celtic since his move to the club in 2021, which is one goal involvement every 1.27 matches on average.

The Japan international scored 27 Scottish Premiership goals last season and 16 more than any of his teammates. He was Ange Postecoglou's outstanding attacking option and the player who was relied upon to score goals at the top end of the pitch.

Rodgers could now find a player to rival the ex-Vissel Kobe star whilst also landing an exciting eventual heir to his place in the team by signing Kvistgaarden.

At the age of 21, the Danish whiz is seven years younger than Kyogo and has plenty of time left on his hands to develop and improve over the years to come.

His sensational form for Brondby's first-team and academy suggests that he has the potential to eventually become an upgrade on the current Celtic star if he is able to translate those performances over to Scottish football.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Kvistgaarden will be able to replicate that outstanding level of production for the Hoops but his statistics indicate that it is an exciting £4m gamble that is worth taking for Rodgers.

Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the rest of the Celtic board have backed Brendan Rodgers throughout the summer transfer window so far.

Who have Celtic signed?

The Hoops have made five new additions to the first-team squad; including Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm, Hyun-jun Yang, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, and Maik Nawrocki.

These moves may have been funded by the sale of Portuguese dynamo Jota. He moved to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad in a reported £25m deal last month.

There could be more signings on the way for the Scottish giants, though, after it was confirmed that Carl Starfelt has left the club to join Spanish outfit Celta Vigo on a permanent basis.

It was recently reported that the Bhoys have made an offer within the region of £2.9m for Elfsborg central defender Gustaf Lagerbielke, who could be a replacement for his compatriot.

How good is Gustaf Lagerbielke?

The 23-year-old titan's form in his home country over the last 18 months suggests that he has the potential to be an excellent defender for Rodgers and could be a dream partner for Nawrocki at the back.

Cameron Carter-Vickers is at least two years older than both of them and has been linked with Premier League interest this year, which could make Lagerbielke and Nawrocki the long-term central defensive pairing for the Hoops moving forward.

The £2.9m-rated centre-back, whose passing was hailed as "impressive" by journalist Ryan McGinlay, is a strong enforcer who is able to dominate opposition forwards and produce consistently brilliant performances at the back.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 across 15 Allsvenskan appearances in 2023 and caught the eye with 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 62%.

In 2022, the 6 foot 3 titan averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.20 over 20 league outings and he made 3.2 tackles and interceptions per match, whilst the talented gem also came out on top in 64% of his individual battles.

Meanwhile, no current Celtic defender managed a score higher than 7.20 or produced more than 2.1 tackles and interceptions per clash in the Scottish Premiership last term.

These statistics suggest that Lagerbielke has the potential to be an outstanding performer at the back for Rodgers if he is able to translate his form from Sweden over to Scotland this season due to his ability to deliver a high standard of performance week-in-week-out.

He could, therefore, be a dream partner for Nawrocki as the Polish battler would have an excellent centre-back to play alongside, after his own impressive debut for the Hoops.

The 22-year-old ace recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.20 in the 4-2 win over Ross County on the opening day of the season last weekend. As per Sofascore, the former Legia Warsaw star won 100% (2/2) of his ground duels and made three tackles and interceptions combined, whilst the towering colossus also completed 93% of his attempted passes – including ten of his 11 long passes.

Nawrocki, who won 61% of his aerial duels in the Polish top-flight last term, was able to hit the ground running with an excellent performance at the back, on and off the ball, and he could form an exceptional partnership with Lagerbielke if they are able to bring the Swedish brute to Parkhead.

Matt Coles admitted he had a “heavy heart” about leaving Kent but felt the opportunity to play Division One cricket was too good an opportunity to miss

George Dobell19-Oct-2017
Matt Coles has swapped Kent for County Champions Essex on a two-year deal.Coles, something of an unfulfilled talent, admitted he had a “heavy heart” about leaving Kent but felt the opportunity to play Division One cricket and “push myself to be as good as I can be” made this too good an opportunity to miss.For Essex, his addition adds competition for places and depth in all formats.A former Lions allrounder, Coles emerged through the Kent youth system and academy. He made his first-team debut in 2009 and has represented the club more than 200 times across formats. He had a year remaining on his Kent contract.He did briefly leave Kent once before. At the end of 2013 he joined Hampshire on loan and subsequently signed with them. But despite a decent 2014 season, he struggled to settle away from home and returned to Kent.”It is with a heavy heart that I leave Kent,” Coles said. “It’s been my home and family for most of my life and career.”But I have a great opportunity to move and play Division One cricket with the County Champions. It feels right, and I want to push myself to be as good as I can be. Essex’s vision for the future is really exciting and I’m looking forward to playing a significant part.”Coles has flirted with notoriety for much of his career – he and Ben Stokes were sent home from a Lions tour in early 2013 after one too many nights out, while he was left out of Kent’s Championship fixture against Derbyshire in June 2016 following a drink-related incident and was suspended by the ECB for two further Championship matches after being found guilty of throwing the ball in a dangerous manner during their victory against Glamorgan in May. However, he is a well-respected player who performed well enough to earn selection for the first series of North-South matches at the start of the year.Aged 27 and with his chances of England recognition having receded sharply over recent years, the move might be considered a defining moment in his career.”It is important that we continue to improve the squad and not rest on our laurels,” Essex Head Coach Chris Silverwood said. “We feel Matt offers excellent attributes with both his batting and bowling across all formats. He will strengthen competition in red-ball cricket but also offer destructive batting and bowling in white-ball cricket so it is an excellent signing for the club.”The news leaves Kent’s seam-bowling resources looking a little thin ahead of the 2018 season. It is understood the club are among several keen to tempt Morne Morkel into a Kolpak deal and are also making enquiries about several other county seamers who either out of contract or out of favour at their current counties.