Category Uncategorized

West Ham United are tail-spinning out of control.

A point was picked up against Everton on Saturday, but the lifeless and uninspiring fabric of Julen Lopetegui’s squad is leaving everything to be desired.

The Hammers fanbase, understandably, wants for more. And as The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas says: “I don’t think Lopetegui is capable of turning this around. He was the wrong appointment.”

So, should he be given the boot?

West Ham considering Lopetegui dismissal

West Ham’s Spanish head coach, who replaced David Moyes in the summer, continues to bang the drum that judgment should be reserved until the end of the campaign. But Hammers fans will not wait that long, not if an upswing does not occur post-haste.

The east London outfit’s majority shareholder David Sullivan and the technical director Tim Steidten are set to meet during the domestic pause this week to discuss Lopetegui’s shortcomings, but it’s unlikely that he will be dismissed. Yet.

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that the 58-year-old will pick himself up from the wayside. And though he’s not going to be sacked just yet, the rumours are abound.

Indeed, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho is in the running, and wouldn’t that be quite the appointment? As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, the legendary Portuguese boss is interested in returning to the Premier League and is on West Ham’s radar, among others in the division.

Mourinho only alighted in Turkey this summer but launched a tirade on the standard of the Turkish Super Lig last month, and this could be a deal to keep an eye on.

However, Mourinho’s pragmatic tactics may not give the Hammers the turnaround they so desire. Instead, jobless Graham Potter may prove to be the far better pick.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast's Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Graham Potter would be the perfect appointment

Potter has been out of work since being dismissed by Chelsea in April 2023, just six months into his tenure with the Blues.

Even so, he’s built an impressive managerial career and after such remarkable feats with Brighton & Hove Albion, could now revivify his career at the London Stadium.

According to a report from Caught Offside last week, Potter has been lined up by West Ham bosses to replace Lopetegui, and his name is likely to be mentioned in some capacity during the proposed meeting this week.

Potter has been described as “a genius” by journalist Sam Morton and indeed is one of the sharpest tactical minds in English football. His failed stint at Stamford Bridge must not taint the remarkable work that was done at Brighton and, to a lesser extent, Swansea City.

1.

Man City

1st

67.9

2.

Liverpool

2nd

62.7

3.

Chelsea

3rd

61.8

4.

Brighton

9th

54.4

5.

Arsenal

5th

52.8

In his final campaign with Brighton, 2021/22, he took the Seagulls to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League, which was the highest in their history at the time.

This West Ham squad, with the likes of Lucas Paqueta at its heart, cries out for more control and fluency, something that perhaps was anticipated when Lopetegui took over. But it hasn’t been the case, with United 15th this term (45.5% average).

Potter has previously been particularly possession-focused, with his Brighton side averaging 54.3% of the ball in the Premier League during 2021/22, the fourth-best tally in the division and greater than the Hammers’ 47.4% average throughout the same year.

Change might be afoot in east London once again soon, and the Englishman would be the perfect choice to replace the current boss, who simply hasn’t fused with this iron-strong squad.

West Ham wanted to sign "unplayable" star who's outscoring Bowen by a mile

West Ham wanted to sign an incredible striker under Moyes who is now scoring goals aplenty.

ByConnor Holden Nov 11, 2024

Manchester City have set their sights on a summer move to replace Kevin De Bruyne with Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Man City want Florian Wirtz
• German would replace Kevin De Bruyne
• City keen to keep rebuilding ageing squad

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pep Guardiola is desperate to continue rebuilding his squad after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, reports, and sees Germany star Wirtz as a major player in the club's future. Leverkusen value their talisman at more than £85 million ($107m). De Bruyne is out of contract in the summer of 2025 and no renewal has been agreed, potentially leaving a vacancy for a younger replacement.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  De Bruyne turns 34 in June and is seeing his minutes managed more and more by Guardiola, who has also been fielding Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, all of whom are 30 or older, in midfield. City signed Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov in January as they attempt to bring down the average age of their squad and the signing of Wirtz would be an enormous statement.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wirtz has been a major part of the Bayer Leverkusen side that has been one of the best in Europe over the last 18 months. The German scored 18 goals and registered 20 assists as Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal and reached the Europa League final last term, and has notched another 26 goal involvements this season as they battle for the Bundesliga and Champions League.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WIRTZ?

  Wirtz also starred for hosts Germany at Euro 2024 last summer, and a move to one of the richest clubs in the world is an inevitability at some stage. Bayern Munich are also said to be interested, with the Bavarians hoping to team him up with international team-mate Jamal Musiala. City are bound to face competition from elsewhere for his signature, too.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was dealt a blow during the recent summer transfer window when attacking midfielder Matt O’Riley was sold.

The Denmark international completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, and recently scored the winning goal for his new club against Manchester City.

It reportedly took a fee of more than £25m to tempt the Scottish giants into cashing in on the former MK Dons star, who was the star of the show for Rodgers in the 2023/24 campaign.

Sofascore rating

7.91

1st

Goals

18

1st

Assists

13

1st

Big chances created

14

1st

Key passes per game

2.5

1st

As you can see in the table above, O’Riley led the way for Celtic in pretty much every meaningful attacking statistic in the Scottish Premiership, as he proved himself to be a scorer and a creator of goals for his side.

This shows that the Hoops lost a huge player when they sanctioned his departure to the Premier League, whilst they managed to keep hold of Kyogo Furuhashi amid reported interest from elsewhere.

Kyogo Furuhashi's form this season

The Daily Mail claimed that Premier League champions Manchester City held an interest in the Japan international, in their pursuit of a replacement for Julian Alvarez.

It was reported that the Scottish giants were demanding a fee of more than £20m in order to let the centre-forward move on from Parkhead, and the Cityzens seemingly decided against a move for him in the end.

Celtic may not have many more chances to rake in a massive sum of money for the striker, however, as he turns 30 in January and his form on the pitch has left a lot to be desired this season.

The 29-year-old marksman has struggled to make the most of the chances that have been created for him by his teammates and the Hoops may rue not being able to cash in on him for more than £20m in the summer, despite the quality he can still provide at times.

Appearances

11

4

Goals

4

1

Big chances missed

12

2

Conversion rate

10%

14%

Assists

3

0

As you can see in the table above, Kyogo has been wasteful at the top end of the pitch with just five goals and 14 ‘big chances’ missed in the Premiership and Champions League combined.

Unfortunately, Adam Idah – who was signed on a permanent deal from Norwich in the summer – has only scored two goals and missed four ‘big chances’ in eight Premiership outings so far, which means that he is yet to prove that he can be an upgrade on the Japanese forward.

Celtic may, therefore, have to look further afield to find an upgrade on the stuttering Kyogo, who has been unreliable in front of goal, and Brondby star Mathias Kvistgaarden could be an ideal target.

Celtic's interest in Mathias Kvistgaaden

Danish outlet Tipsbladet recently claimed that the Hoops were one of a number of clubs in attendance to watch Brondby in action against FC Nordsjælland on Sunday.

Fenerbahce, Hellas Verona, Brighton & Hove Albion, Feyenoord, and Bologna were also said to have sent scouts to watch the match, along with Celtic’s talent spotters.

The report also revealed that the Scottish giants have sent scouts to several Brondby matches in recent weeks to keep an eye on their talent ahead of the January transfer window.

Although it is not certain that Kvistgaarden is the one they have been specifically scouting, Tipsbladet does mention that Celtic have been linked with an interest in the Danish forward, whilst it was claimed that they had a long-standing interest in him during the summer window.

There is also no mention of how much it would cost to sign the 22-year-old dynamo, who is valued at €5m (£4.1m) by Transfermarkt, and that means that it is hard to gauge whether or not it is a viable move for the club to make when the January transfer window officially opens for business.

Transfer Focus

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

Kvistgaarden, who has been hailed as “impressive” and a “jewel” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been in terrific form for Brondby, however, and could come in as an upgrade on Kyogo for Rodgers.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

The Premiership champions should improve their team by signing the in-form centre-forward, who has caught the eye with his performances this season, and that is why they should explore the possibility of a transfer in January.

Kyogo’s struggles in front of goal throughout the 2024/25 campaign show that there is room for another striker to come in and take his spot if Celtic get their recruitment right, which is what they could do by bringing Kvistgaarden to Paradise.

Last season, the then-21-year-old produced ten goals and seven assists in 28 appearances in all competitions for the Danish side, which was a solid but unremarkable return.

This time around, Kvistgaarden has already fired in 13 goals and provided five assists in 20 outings across all competitions for Brondby, which shows that he has provided regular quality in the final third for his side.

Appearances

15

11

Sofascore rating

7.51

6.90

Goals

10

4

Big chances missed

6

12

Conversion rate

26%

10%

As you can see in the table above, the Denmark U21 international has significantly outperformed Kyogo at league level in the 2024/25 campaign so far, with six more goals and six fewer ‘big chances’ missed.

The 5 foot 7 marksman, who scored 31 goals in 45 games for Brondby’s U19s, has finished 16% more of his chances in front of goal and this suggests that he is far more ruthless in the final third.

At the age of 22, Kvistgaarden is also seven years younger than the current Celtic marksman and this means that the club could sign an upgrade on the striker, whilst also bringing in a player who has the potential to improve and develop over the years to come.

Imagine him & Engels: Celtic have interest in "exceptional" big-money star

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League midfielder.

ByDan Emery Nov 12, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could improve his team and sign an asset with the scope to soar in value by securing a deal to bring in the Danish youngster.

Ange Postecoglou was involved in a tense exchange with an angry Tottenham fan that screamed “you’re taking us down” at him after Leicester loss.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Spurs on seven-match winless run in the league
• Looking over their shoulder at the drop zone
• Australian coach under mounting pressure

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Spurs suffered another dismal defeat against the Foxes, with a first-half lead given to them by Brazilian forward Richarlison surrendered in the space of five minutes after the interval. Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss turned the tie on its head.

Advertisement

• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tottenham have now suffered four successive defeats in the Premier League, and six during a seven-match winless run in the English top-flight. That sorry run of form has contributed to them sitting 15th in the table, just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Disgruntled supporters made their feelings clear at the end of a 2-1 defeat to Leicester, with one shouting at under-fire coach Postecoglou as he made his way down the tunnel. The Australian heard the abuse, leading to him stepping back and glaring at the fan in question, but he was quickly ushered towards the dressing room.

Pakistan opening batter Abid Ali has been cleared to resume his international career four months after undergoing angioplasty. He was diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) in December last year after he complained of chest pain while batting in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match and had to undergo angioplasty a day later.Abid had been on conservative cardiac rehabilitation since December last year and was allowed to play a local T20 tournament in Faisalabad recently. He started with walking on treadmills and was gradually allowed to run at a certain pace in the field. He started hitting the nets last month at the High Performance Centre in Lahore and he was cleared to play competitive cricket by the PCB after undergoing several tests.”I am really excited to be back with the prospect of playing for Pakistan again,” Abid told ESPNcricinfo. “Doctors cleared me to go back in the field and I can finally return to live a normal life. I will be on medicines for some time because of the stents implanted but overall, physically, I am feeling great. I am diving, running, jogging, batting and it’s really great to be normal again. There were doubts if I could play again with a heart condition but I didn’t lose hope. I stopped thinking about cricket for some time and focused on regaining a healthy life first. It was tough but the recovery has been great with all the extensive rehabilitation.”Related

• Abid Ali undergoes angioplasty day after being hospitalised

• Abid Ali diagnosed with heart condition

In Abid’s absence, Pakistan had to rejig the opening combination in Tests by promoting Imam-ul-Haq to partner Abdullah Shafiq, with Shan Masood as third opening option. Pakistan’s next Test series is in Sri Lanka in July-August and it’s too early to say if the selectors will consider Abid for that. Pakistan currently have an off-season going on with the domestic season set to start in September, and there is hardly any competitive cricket coming up for Abid to prove his form. But the batter is upbeat about using this time to get fitter.”I am not sure what is the status of my national selection right now but I am fully set for my comeback,” Abid said. “PCB has been of great help throughout, taking very good care of me. I am thankful for their support and guidance. For now, I started with the shorter format by playing three-four games in the Ramzan tournament in Faisalabad and it went well.”These two games have given me confidence to revive my cricketing career. This is just the start and I am working hard on my fitness to stay in contention for selection. I had a good last series scoring good runs (against Bangladesh) and was in good nick when I fell in Karachi (with chest pain). I need to work very hard to catch up on the lost time and I am quite hopeful that I will be able to achieve that. I still have a lot of cricket left in me and I don’t want to sit back. Cricket has been my life.”Abid last played completive cricket in December when he returned to his domestic side, Central Punjab, following the Bangladesh tour, where he was Player of the Series for the Tests after scoring 263 runs at 87.66. He was playing his sixth first-class game of the season and had scored 766 runs at an average of 51.89 with three hundreds. On the last day of the game against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi, he had crossed a half-century when he complained of discomfort around his shoulder and chest area before he was rushed to the hospital. Since his angioplasty, he was under the care of a consultant cardiologist who is liaising with the PCB medical team for his treatment.Abid, 34, was the highest run-scorer in Tests for Pakistan until December since his debut in 2019, and in 2021 he was sixth in the world with 695 runs in nine Tests at 49.64, including a double-hundred against Zimbabwe in Harare.He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in 2019 after spending 12 years in domestic cricket for 7116 runs in 106 first-class games. He began his Test career at the age of 31 with a century, and also became the only player in history to reach three figures on both Test and ODI debuts.

Yorkshire slump to 101 for 5 in second innings to open door for Division One rivals

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2022Yorkshire 428 and 101 for 5 (Duke 17*, Barker 3-22) leadHampshire 225 for 4 (Dawson 61*, Gubbins 58, Brown 52*) by 119 runs Keith Barker gave Hampshire hope of beating Yorkshire at home in the LV= Insurance County Championship for the first time since 2008 with a wicked evening spell of fast bowling.Lancashire-born Barker picked up three for 22 – with Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal also picking up a wicket a piece – to ignite a match seemingly heading for a draw. Yorkshire slumped to 101 for five, a lead of 119 at the close.Earlier, Hampshire’s last four wickets put on 142 runs, which included a useful 38 from Barker, to frustrate the visitors before they were bowled out for 410. That meant Yorkshire took a slender 18-run first-innings lead, with the teams who started the round in second and third in Division One both picking up six bonus points each.In a juxtaposition of county team-mate Jonny Bairstow’s heroics in the Test match, things appeared to be meandering as Adam Lyth and first-innings centurion George Hill scored 36 in 18 overs. But wickets began to tumble, and trouble followed.Barker picked up Hill pushing to James Vince at a wide first slip and Lyth nicking a classic delivery on a fourth stump line behind. The left-armer then bowled Harry Brook, via a deflection, for 10. It was the first time Brook had been dismissed for a score lower than 41 this season.Will Fraine continued the collapse when Abbott found a patch of exaggerated bounce just back of a length to clip the shoulder of the bat through to keeper Brown.Wheal joined in the carnage when Matthew Waite clipped uppishly to James Fuller at square leg to leave Yorkshire 81 for five before a short rearguard before stumps.At the start of the day, Yorkshire needed to pick up the final six wickets before Hampshire passed the follow-on target, giving hope of repeating 2019’s innings victory here. A new ball 11 overs into the day gave hope of that possibility.Ben Brown and Liam Dawson, who both recorded half-centuries the previous evening, had their 118-run stand ended before the new ball appeared. Dawson was caught at first slip when attempting to drive spinner Dom Bess.Yorkshire’s fielding let them down at various points during the Hampshire first innings. Nick Gubbins had survived a drop and Brown a missed stumping on day two, and that trend continued into day three.Harry Duke fumbled another stumping chance when Brown was on 53 before failing to break the stumps when Brown looked short of his ground. Aneurin Donald was also given two lives by Dominic Drakes and Lyth, which Yorkshire would later rue as they fell a wicket short of a seventh bonus point.Brown departed seven overs into the second new ball when he pushed to first slip. Donald and Barker put on 57 before both fell within three overs; the former lbw to Matthew Revis and the latter bowled while missing a reverse sweep.Fuller and Abbott put on the afterburners to race past 350, the South African flicking the most nonchalant of sixes over mid-wicket before his partner thrice stuck Bess over the ropes. Their 50 partnership came up in just 45 deliveries and eventually reached 74.Jordan Thompson picked up the final two wickets in consecutive overs – Fuller and Abbott both holing out to the short legside boundary – to end up with four for 68.

Durham quick says he has been told to “be aggressive, use my pace, use my bouncer”

Matt Roller20-Jun-2022The French footballer Claude Makélélé was a player so influential that a position was named after him: the deepest member of a midfield three plays in “the Makélélé role”. English cricket has its own equivalent: a fast bowler hitting the pitch hard in the middle overs of an ODI operates in “the Plunkett role”.The hole left by Liam Plunkett’s unceremonious exit from the England set-up has been vast since the 2019 World Cup, when he was the unsung hero of England’s triumph with an all-star list of vital scalps in the middle overs – not least the wicket of Kane Williamson as he took 3 for 42 in the final. He was no longer a genuine quick bowler by that tournament but had developed a method to succeed, generally bowling cross-seam and looking to hit the top of the stumps or the splice of the bat.England’s decision to move on from Plunkett immediately after the final was brutal, but has ultimately proved justified: injuries limited him to 13 all-format appearances across the next two years and he is now in the United States, preparing to play his part in the launch of Major League Cricket.But with ODI series few and far between – England have played only 20 games in the format since that World Cup, and many of those with a weakened squad – they have struggled to find a replacement for Plunkett: no England fast bowler has taken more than five middle-overs wickets in the last three years. Various seamers including Saqib Mahmood and Mark Wood have been tried in his mould but with moderate success at best.Step forward, Brydon Carse, the South African-born fast bowler who is the latest man off the Durham production line. First capped during last year’s ODI series against Pakistan when a second-string squad came together at short notice after a Covid outbreak, Carse has been used exclusively as a second-change bowler and has impressed, regularly hitting 90mph/145kph and bowling aggressive, “hard” lengths to keep batters on the back foot.Related

• Salt, Roy fifties lead England to victory and 2-0 series lead over Netherlands

• Roy marks 100-cap England milestone with fitting show of form

• Morgan suffers famine amid the feast to heighten World Cup scrutiny

Against the Netherlands on Sunday, he replaced Sam Curran in the England side and bowled with hostility. He pinned Tom Cooper lbw with his second ball and cranked up the pace in his first spell, taking 1 for 14 from his first four overs without conceding a boundary and finding extra bounce to lift one short ball past Scott Edwards’ grille.He was less successful at the death, finishing with 1 for 36 from his seven overs, but is clearly learning on the job: Sunday was his fourth ODI appearance but only the 11th List A game of his career. England have picked him on potential. “It’s great to see him hit the series with plenty of energy, plenty of pace and offer something different,” Eoin Morgan said.”[Morgan] has been very clear with me,” Carse said. “He said I am going to come on first or second change and look to bowl through the middle, be aggressive, use my pace, use my bouncer and just make it difficult. I want to come on and be aggressive.”I want to make an impact in the game. That might not necessarily be taking wickets, but creating opportunities from the other end.” Plunkett, Carse added, is someone he is “striving to be like… he had a very good England career and if I can fulfil that role going forward, it’s a big positive.”Carse hit a top speed of 91mph/146kph on Sunday, and said that he hoped his pace could “add a different dimension”. “Obviously when things are clicking, it’s good to bowl quick,” he said. “If I can be bowling in and around that 90mph mark then I’m sure it will create opportunities for me in any side in which I am playing.”Sunday’s ODI was Carse’s first England game under Morgan, having made his debut when Ben Stokes stood in as captain last summer. Stokes has been a prominent advocate of Carse’s ability and with several fast bowlers injured, it seems like a matter of time before Carse is named in a Test squad.But for his own knee injury, which he suffered on the Lions tour to Australia last winter, Carse might well have pushed his case in time for the ongoing New Zealand series, but Jamie Overton moved ahead of him in the pecking order after impressing at the start of the County Championship season while Carse was sidelined.He has a close relationship with Matthew Potts, his county team-mate, who has impressed in his first Tests for England, and said that it had been inspiring to see him succeed at Test level. “Matthew really has come a long way in the last 18 months as a bowler,” Carse said. “He works hard on and off the field and he thoroughly deserves where he’s at the moment.”[A Test cap] is something definitely in the back of my mind,” he added. “I want to play red and white-ball cricket, and I want to play Test cricket for England.” But in the short term, Carse’s focus is on filling the Plunkett role: if he can do so on a regular basis, it would be invaluable for England.

The American was brought on late and had an immediate impact, but Holstein holds on in 4-2 surprise win

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Reyna scores an absolute stunnerHelped bring Dortmund within 3-2Holstein scores dagger in the final secondsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. international Gio Reyna was brought on in the 59th minute and had an immediate impact, finding a way to launch a rocket from just outside the box past two defenders to score and cut Holstein Kiel's advantage to 3-1. Unfortunately for the American and under-pressure manager Nuri Sahin, it wasn't enough as Dortmund's rally attempt would end in a 4-2 loss at Holstein-Stadion.

, who are battling relegation this season, came out firing from the onset. Shuto Machino, Phil Harres and Alexander Bernhardsson all scored in the opening 45 minutes. Reyna's entry in the 59th minute changed everything for Dortmund as the American proved incisive, scoring his goal just 12 minutes after being brought on. His strike would then inspire Jamie Gittens, who scored a wondergoal of his own to bring the score within one at 3-2.

Yet, Dortmund's chase for the equalizer would ultimately prove costly. Jann-Fiete Arp would take advantage of sending men forward to easily score for the home side nine minutes into extra time.

AdvertisementWATCH REYNA'S GOALGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Reyna has shined when given extended minutes and will add more pressure on Sahin to give the American more opportunities in the starting XI. His last start for Dortmund came on Dec. 15 against Hoffenheim, where he also scored. He has two starts on the season, playing 10 matches in total for BVB.

WHAT NEXT FOR REYNA

Dortmund will hope to quickly rebound from this upset, with their next match coming this Friday against Frankfurt.

Series of two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is will be played from June 8 to July 12

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2022Australia will visit Sri Lanka for an all-format series in June-July this year. The tour, Australia’s first to Sri Lanka since mid-2016, will feature two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is, to be played from June 8 to July 12, with the match slotted in Colombo, Kandy and Galle. The series will start with the T20Is and end with the Tests.

Australia tour of Sri Lanka

June 7: 1st T20I, Colombo
June 8: 2nd T20I, Colombo
June 11: 3rd T20I, Colombo
June 14: 1st ODI, Kandy
June 16: 2nd ODI, Kandy
June 19: 3rd ODI, Colombo
June 21: 4th ODI, Colombo
June 24: 5th ODI, Colombo
June 29 to July 3: 1st Test, Galle
July 8 to 12: 2nd Test, Galle

“We played some very competitive T20 internationals against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year and we are excited to tour there for the first time since 2016 in what is sure to be another terrific Test and white ball series,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said in a statement. “There is no more challenging place to play cricket than on the subcontinent and this tour offers our players invaluable experience and another great opportunity to excel on the world stage.”Back in July-August 2016, Australia were blanked 3-0 in the Test series, but won the ODIs 4-1 and the T20Is 2-0. It will be a moderately quick turnaround for the players from the two countries who will be engaged in the IPL, which is expected to end on May 29.”We are in for some exciting cricket, especially considering that an Australian tour to Sri Lanka is taking place after five [six] years,” SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said. “The T20 Series will help our preparations for the T20 World Cup, whilst the Test and ODI segments are also competitions of immense value for us, as we aim to move through the ICC World Test Championship rankings and also gearing up for the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2023.”

India’s premier first-class competition returns – in two phases, split by the IPL – after a year’s gap, and features Pujara and Rahane on the first day itself

Himanshu Agrawal15-Feb-2022

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara will be in action against each other on the first day itself•AFP

When does the tournament begin? And why is it in two phases?
The 2021-22 Ranji Trophy will be held in two phases, with the IPL in between. The first phase, which consists of league matches and one pre-quarter-final, starts on February 17 and ends on March 15. The IPL is expected to start on March 27. Before the Ranji pre-quarter-final, there will be three rounds of matches held: the first from February 17 to 20, then February 24 to 27, and finally, from March 3 to 6. The second phase, of the knockouts, is likely to begin on May 30 – after the IPL has concluded – and run up to June 26.Related

Ranji Trophy: Bihar's Sakibul Gani enters record books after hitting triple ton on debut

Yash Dhull hits 113 on first-class debut to lead Delhi charge against Tamil Nadu

Rahane, Pujara picked in Ranji Trophy squads

BCCI disburses longstanding Covid compensation

'If I get picked for India, can I make a difference?'

Who are the big-ticket players in the mix? And who are missing?
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will turn out for Saurashtra and Mumbai, respectively. In fact, they will be up against each other on the very first day of the tournament, in Ahmedabad.Also available for their respective sides will be Hanuma Vihari (Hyderabad), Navdeep Saini and Nitish Rana (Delhi), Mayank Agarwal and Prasidh Krishna (Karnataka), Sreesanth (Kerala), Prithvi Shaw (Mumbai), Jaydev Unadkat (Saurashtra), Krunal Pandya (Baroda), Umesh Yadav (Vidarbha) and Vijay Shankar (Tamil Nadu).Among players who are expected to be free and available in that window, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have all opted out. Hardik will be continuing his rehabilitation for a long-standing back injury and focus on his comeback in white-ball cricket, Saha and Ishant have made themselves unavailable.Kerala’s Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson will also be absent. Uthappa is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Samson is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Are any of India’s Under-19 World Cup winners in the Ranji squads?
Yes. Batter Yash Dhull, who led India to their fifth Under-19 world title, is a part of Delhi’s squad. Quick bowler Ravi Kumar has been named in the Bengal side. Batter Harnoor Singh and allrounder Raj Angad Bawa are in the Chandigarh squad. Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Bana and allrounder Nishant Sindhu have been picked by Haryana. And offspinners Vicky Ostwal and Kaushal Tambe will play for Maharashtra.What happened in the last Ranji Trophy?
The last time the tournament was conducted was during the 2019-20 season, when Saurashtra won the final against Bengal. But the Ranji Trophy had to be shelved during the following season because of pandemic. It was the first time the tournament, India’s premier first-class competition, had not featured in the calendar since its inception in the 1934-35 season.Saurashtra are the defending Ranji Trophy champions•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

How many teams are participating? And what’s the format for the league phase?
A total of 38 teams will be participating this season, and they have been divided into nine groups: eight Elite and one Plate. While the Elite groups have four teams each, the Plate Group has six sides in it.A total of 57 matches will be played in the league phase, as each team plays three matches. While the Elite teams face all other sides in their group once, the Plate teams will play only against three sides in their group. That will be followed by the pre-quarter-final and the knockouts: the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final. That’s a total of 65 matches.What is the points structure?
The ranking order of the teams will be decided by points. Should teams be level on points, then the number of outright wins becomes the deciding factor. If it’s still not conclusive, the quotient rule comes into play. This will be determined by dividing the team’s batting average by their bowling average.How will the pre-quarter-final and quarter-finals play out?
Of the eight Elite-Group toppers, the seven with the best numbers qualify directly for the quarter-finals. For the final quarter-finalist, the Elite-group topper with the fewest points gets into a pre-quarter-final with the Plate-group topper. The pre-quarter-final will be played just after the league phase, and will end before the start of the IPL.Where will the Ranji matches be played?
The Elite matches will all be held across eight states, all neutral to the teams in action. Rajkot, Cuttack, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thumba, Delhi, Rohtak, Gurugram, Sultanpur and Guwahati will be the cities where matches will be played. All the Plate matches will be conducted in Kolkata. The venue for the pre-quarter-final and the knockouts will be decided later.What happens if a player tests positive for Covid-19?
In case a player tests positive for Covid-19 or shows symptoms which prevents his participation in a match as per public health guidance norms, the match referee can allow his team to field a Covid-19 replacement after getting the necessary confirmations. However, the player coming in should only be a like-for-like replacement so as to prevent the side from getting any undue advantage.