Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been immensely successful throughout his time with the Scottish giants, in his second spell now with the club.

The Northern Irish boss won seven trophies in just over two-and-a-half years at Parkhead between 2016 and 2019 in his first go at it with the Hoops, before joining Premier League side Leicester City.

Rodgers won two trophies in his first year back at Celtic last term, securing the Scottish Premiership title and the SFA Cup, and is currently on course to land the domestic treble.

The Hoops beat Rangers on penalties to win the League Cup in the first half of the season, they are one game away from winning the league title, and they are in the SFA Cup final against Aberdeen.

This means that the former Leicester and Liverpool head coach could have won 12 trophies in his career with Celtic to date by the end of this season.

The Northern Irish tactician has clearly been hugely successful for the Scottish giants, but that does not mean he has been perfect throughout that time. In fact, there have been some question marks over his centre-back selections of late, with Liam Scales getting the nod at the weekend.

Celtic's centre-back debate

The Hoops started the 2024/25 campaign with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh as the two first-choice options in the right centre-back role and Auston Trusty and Liam Scales as the two first-choice options on the left side of the pairing.

Rodgers recently revealed that he prefers to play a left-footed player on the left side of the defence because it “allows you to get through the pitch quicker”, but he has had problems in that position this season.

Scales and Trusty have both dropped out of the team at times, with neither able to definitively say that they are the number one option, and thay may be because of the mistakes that they have made in the Premiership.

Appearances

22

20

Starts

17

20

Error led to shot

1

4

Error led to goal

0

1

Penalties committed

1

0

Dribbled past

4x

10x

As you can see in the table above, they have both started a similar number of matches and have combined for five errors that led to shots, one error that led to a goal, and one penalty conceded. Trusty has also been dribbled past twice as much as the Irishman, as opposition forwards have found it too easy to get the better of him.

These statistics show that the two naturally left-footed defenders in the squad have not been particularly reliable at the back, because of the errors that they have made in the Premiership.

Scales started the 5-0 win over St. Johnstone in the SFA Cup and the 5-1 win over Kilmarnock in the Premiership, suggesting that he is currently ahead of Trusty in the pecking order.

That is despite Scales (£3m) being worth significantly less than Trusty (£6.4m), as per Transfermarkt, who joined the club from Sheffield United last summer.

The Irish defender’s value may have been higher, however, if he had more game time on the pitch because he has only started 17 times in the Premiership, which means that the centre-back has not had as many starts to showcase his quality as Trusty has had.

But Scales is not the only central defender who falls into that category. Rodgers has also messed up with Polish stopper Maik Nawrocki, whose value has plummeted during his time at Celtic.

Why Maik Nawrocki's value has plummeted at Celtic

The Hoops were in the market for a replacement for Carl Starfelt in the summer of 2023 and decided to splash a reported fee of £4.3m on the Legia Warsaw squad to bolster their options in that position.

That was a significant outlay, given it was the most expensive signing of the summer as per Transfermarkt, for Celtic and that suggests that they expected him to play a key role on the pitch.

That was not what happened, though, as Nawrocki went on to play just ten times, starting seven of those outings, in the Premiership during the 2023/24 campaign.

He won 57% of his duels and did not make a single error that led to a shot, goal, or penalty in those ten matches, but that was not enough to earn him a regular place in the team.

Carter-Vickers has nailed down the right-sided centre-back role and that has left Nawrocki fighting for a place on the left, which leaves him at an immediate disadvantage as a right-footer.

Chalkboard

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

He did not make a single appearance in the league until March of this season, when injuries to Trusty and Scales presented him with a chance to shine against Rangers and Hearts.

Nawrocki took his chance to impress in both of those matches, as you can see in the table below, by dominating opposition attackers in duels and being reliable in possession.

Minutes

90

90

Clearances

7

9

Blocks

0

3

Tackles + interceptions

5

1

Duels won

7/10

8/9

Dribbled past

0x

0x

Pass accuracy

93%

98%

Error led to shot/goal

0

0

These performances from the £12k-per-week star were not enough to keep his place in the side, however, as he has been an unused substitute for the last two Premiership matches and did not make the matchday squad against St. Johnstone in the SFA Cup.

As a result of his lack of minutes on the pitch in the last two seasons, Nawrocki’s Transfermarkt value has plummeted millions down to just £1.7m, making him worth even less than Scales and Trusty.

This shows that Rodgers has messed up with the defender because Nawrocki was brought in for a whopping £4.3m and has rarely been used by the manager, despite his impressive performances, and the club now have a depreciating asset because of it.

Celtic fumbled the next Dembele when "generational" star left on the cheap

Celtic fumbled another Karamoko Dembele when they lost Ben Doak on the cheap.

ByDan Emery Apr 22, 2025

It will now be interesting to see what Celtic do with Nawrocki in the summer because he is not worth anywhere near as much as the fee they paid for him due to Rodgers’ reluctance to use him, and he does not seem likely to be a key player moving forward due to his lack of minutes.

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet vitoria： Depois da vitória do Botafogo sobre o César Vallejo, que é comandado pelo ídolo Loco Abreu, o clube carioca contou com uma novidade em sua equipe sub-20. Diego Abreu, filho do ex-atacante uruguaio fez suaestreia com a camisa do Alvinegro. Ao usar o número sete, o jovem participou do revéspara o Resende por 1 a 0.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Cabe salientar que, aos 20 anos, o atacante chegou ao Botafogo porempréstimo de duas temporadas com uma cláusula fixada de compra. Apesar de ter pedido a camisa 13 em sua chegada, Diego utilizou a sete, pois os titulares utilizam a numeração de 1 a 11 na categoria.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoVictor Sá avalia atuação de destaque contra o César Vallejo e ressalta bom momento do BotafogoBotafogo21/04/2023BotafogoApós goleada do Botafogo, Luís Castro desabafa sobre críticas: ‘Mexeu com a nossa dignidade’Botafogo21/04/2023BotafogoDe homenagens no campo até irritação na entrevista: o reencontro entre Loco Abreu e BotafogoBotafogo21/04/2023

da brdice： No momento, o Glorioso soma nove pontos em cinco partidas e ocupa a terceira colocação no primeiro turno do Estadual, ao lado do rival Flamengo O Vasco está na liderança com 12 pontos e 100% de aproveitamento.

+Após goleada do Botafogo, Luís Castro desabafa sobre críticas: ‘Mexeu com a nossa dignidade’

– Isso é só o começo – publicou Diego Abreu em seu perfil oficial no Instagram.

O time sub-20 volta a campo na próxima quinta-feira para visitar o Corinthians, às 15h, no Parque São Jorge, pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro da categoria.

+De homenagens no campo até irritação na entrevista: o reencontro entre Loco Abreu e Botafogo

A equipe profissional volta a campo na próxima segunda-feira para medir forças com o Bahia, em Salvador, na Arena Fonte Nova. O confronto é válido pela segunda rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, e o time carioca tenta se manter no pelotão de frente.

GOAL runs through the players who have announced themselves at the top level in the first week of the global tournament

"I think the players are loving it, it’s something new. It’s something special," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said when asked to assess the first week of the expanded Club World Cup at the Fanatics Fest in New York at the weekend. "It’s a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players."

That final statement may be a stretch given the absence of Premier League and La Liga champions Liverpool and Barcelona among a host of other elite teams. But Infantino is not wrong about the general mood among the players who are starring in the United States this summer.

There was much debate about potential burnout heading into the tournament, but all the big names have been playing with huge smiles on their faces. Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos have rolled back the years for Inter Miami and Monterrey, respectively, while Jude Bellingham has led by example at Real Madrid, and Phil Foden has rediscovered his best form with Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich duo Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala have stormed to the top of the scoring chart with three goals apiece, and former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho helped Flamengo become the first team to reach the knockout phase. But the more seasoned performers have also had to share the headlines with hungry newcomers determined to leave a lasting impression on the elite stage.

GOAL takes a look at the top 10 breakout stars of the 2025 Club World Cup so far, starting with a Brazilian striker bound for the Premier League…

Igor Jesus (Botafogo)

Described as the "Didier Drogba of modern times" by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Igor Jesus has enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining Botafogo from Shabab Al Ahli in July 2024. The physically imposing frontman, ironically nicknamed 'The Little Frog', helped Botafogo clinch a league and Copa Libertadores double last season while also breaking into the Brazil national team, which prompted Nottingham Forest to swoop for his services.

Forest reportedly agreed a £17 million ($23m) deal for Jesus the week before the Club World Cup kicked off, which looks like a snip based on how he has performed in Botafogo's group games. The 24-year-old scored the winner in the Brazilian club's opener against the Seattle Sounders, busting out a passionate 'Kamehameha' celebration inspired by the iconic anime show Dragon Ball Z, and then repeated the trick against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain after nutmegging Willian Pacho.

But Jesus will bring so much more to Forest than just goals. Botafogo ceded almost 75 percent of the possession to PSG, but always posed a threat on the counter because of Jesus' superb hold-up play. He's a relentless ball winner with an incredible spring that more than makes up for his 5'10 stature, and his presence alone makes Botafogo dark horses for the Club World Cup crown.

AdvertisementJhon Arias (Fluminense)

Colombia international Jhon Arias has emerged as a surprise early contender for Player of the Tournament. The 27-year-old dazzled with his pace and trickery in Fluminense's 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund on matchday one, earning the Player of the Match award in the process, and was very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after a fascinating battle with BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Arias did get his goal in Fluminense's subsequent 4-2 triumph against South Korean outfit Ulsan, though, and it was well worth the wait. He curled an unstoppable, 25-yard free-kick into the top right corner of the net to give his team the lead, which was the cherry on top of another MVP performance as he also assisted Juan Freitas' goal.

Crystal Palace were strongly linked with Arias in the winter transfer window, and they may well reignite their interest if he keeps delivering the goods for Fluminense. The former Santa Fe attacker has spent his entire career so far in Latin America, but is now showing that he deserves a chance to test himself in one of Europe's major leagues.

Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowGettyEstevao Willian (Palmeiras)

Estevao Willian claimed back-to-back Player of the Match awards with Palmeiras at the Club World Cup, further whetting the appetite of Chelsea fans anticipating the 18-year-old's arrival at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2025-26 season. Chelsea's £56m ($71m) investment in Estevao is already looking like a shrewd one, with the youngster having tormented the Porto backline in a 0-0 draw before also shining in Palmeiras' comfortable 2-0 win against Al Ahly.

There is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to Estevao's end product, but his explosive, fearless style of play has been a joy to behold. The supremely gifted Brazil international, nicknamed 'Messinho', possesses the acceleration, footwork, and balance to dance around defenders with ease, while he has a penchant for identifying and exploiting space in the final third.

It also bodes well for Chelsea that Estevao is more than holding his own physically in the United States. The teenager could go straight into Enzo Maresca's line up based on his group-stage displays, and there is potential for him to form a fearsome partnership with the Blues' current leading man, Cole Palmer.

Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)

Juventus have had big hopes for Kenan Yildiz ever since beating Barcelona to the former Bayern Munich academy star's signature in 2022. His development has not always run smoothly, though, with consistency proving elusive after his breakthrough into the senior squad, and a reported clash with ex-Juve coach Thiago Motta only worsened matters.

But Yildiz is reminding the world of his unique talent at the Club World Cup. The 20-year-old was among the scorers in Juve's 5-0 demolition of Al Ain, finding the bottom corner from long range despite being surrounded by defenders, and he was simply sensational in their 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca on matchday two.

Yildiz forced the own goal that broke the deadlock after just six minutes before scoring what may end up being the goal of the tournament. The Turkey international almost burst the net with a thunderous half-volley from the edge of the box that whistled past the Wydad 'keeper in the blink of an eye, and he doubled his account in the second half for good measure.

"Kenan has huge potential, but it's his mentality that will take him far," Juve boss Igor Tudor said after the game. It may also take the Bianconeri to their first Club World Cup crown.

Play domestic cricket, score runs and force the selectors to pick you again. This is India head coach Rahul Dravid’s simple message to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, on whom there has been much spotlight over the past two months for their decision to skip domestic cricket.Both Kishan and Iyer were not considered for the BCCI’s annual retainers in this round of recommendations for 2023-24. A board release at the time of announcement late last month reiterated its recent stance that “all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team”.Kishan hasn’t featured in any form of cricket under the BCCI’s ambit since opting out of the two-Test series in South Africa. He had, instead, been training at a private facility for some time in Baroda with Hardik Pandya, his IPL captain.Related

• Shreyas Iyer makes headlines for the right reasons

• 'We've always found people to step up' – Dravid looks back at a famous series win

• Women's red-ball cricket to return to India's domestic calendar

• Why Kishan and Iyer missed out on BCCI contracts

Iyer, who was left out after the second Test against England, missed the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals citing back spasms, even though he was medically passed fit by the board’s doctors. Iyer has since returned to play for Mumbai in the semi-finals and is due to play in the final starting Sunday.”They’re always in the mix,” Dravid said after India’s 4-1 series win over England in Dharmsala on Saturday. “Everyone who’s playing domestic cricket is in the mix. Firstly, I don’t decide contracts, right? Contracts are decided by the selectors and the board. I don’t even know what the criteria are. I’m involved in – people ask me my opinion on the 15, and me and Rohit select the XI. That’s how it works.”We’ve never discussed whether somebody has a contract or not, whether he’s going to be selected in the 15. There are enough examples of people playing different formats of the game, whether they have contracts or not.”I don’t even know sometimes what the list of the contracted players is, when we take these decisions, discussions on the 15 or the playing 11 for that matter. No one’s out of the picture, no one’s out of the mix, it’s just a question of hopefully them getting back and fit, playing cricket, and forcing the selectors to pick them again.”Minutes after India’s win, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced a Test Cricket Incentive Scheme that will increase match fees of players by 300% should they feature in over 75% of the Tests played in a season.Dravid emphasised on the need to look at this step as a “reward” for hard work and not necessarily just think of it as a financial gain for being available to play Tests.”I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket,” he said. “It’s just nice the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised. So, I wouldn’t see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket, I hope not. I hope it never really comes to that. But I think it is just probably a recognition that this is a tough format, and it is a hard format.”And it takes a special person to do what [R] Ashwin has done, to play 100 Test matches. You go through a lot, and rightly so. You guys [media] celebrated Ashwin today, and Jonny Bairstow, you’ve celebrated Stokes a few games ago. Because I think all of you recognise how challenging the format is and what it takes to be able to have consistency and to be able to survive the test of time in this format.”We don’t celebrate 100 T20s in the same way, do we? But yeah, it is nice that the BCCI is recognizing it… I think it is a reward, not an incentive. Looking at the guys who came in and played in this series, I think everyone wants to play Test cricket. It’s just a recognition of what you need to be able to do to survive and play in Test cricket.”It’s only when you get here that you realise that sometimes it’s quite tough and it is not easy, but it is extremely satisfying. In especially a series like this and Test matches we’ve seen in the last 4-5 months, if they are well supported and well documented by people like you, I am sure that there will be a lot of people still wanting to play Test cricket.”

The surface prepared for the Boxing Day Test has come in for criticism from all sides, with only Adelaide currently succeeding in getting the balance right

Daniel Brettig at the MCG28-Dec-2017When Steven Smith posted no fewer than three covers for Alastair Cook midway through day three at the MCG, he provided a succinct statement as to the lifelessness of the pitch prepared for the showpiece match of Australia’s cricketing summer. Admirable as Cook’s innings was for offering proof that his career is far from over, it was achieved on a pitch that presented very little risk of nicking off to slips the bouncing ball – the manner in which so many of his innings this series had ended.Cook’s innings took him past Brian Lara on the list of Test run-makers. After he made his 375 at the Recreation Ground in Antigua in 1994, Lara commented on how much he would have liked to roll up the pitch and carry it around everywhere with him. Being a drop-in, this MCG surface could actually travel wherever Cook wanted it to, but in terms of entertainment, and balance between bat and ball, it would be better used as a portion of the current project to widen the Tullamarine freeway linking Melbourne to its airport.The MCG has long been a wonder of Test cricket, offering up massive and diverse crowds to watch the long form of the game at the traditional holiday time of year. If Boxing Day’s roll-up of 88,172 narrowly failed to reach a new mark for the highest-ever day’s crowd at a Test, follow-ups of 67,882 and 61,839 provided further reminders of how this multipurpose colosseum can attract some of the best and brightest gatherings not only in cricket but all of sport.But Melbournians have seldom had the benefit of watching cricket played on a surface to match the quality of their attendances. For decades the demands of football in the winter presented problems for both the pitches and the outfield, culminating in a period in the 1980s when the surface was universally considered the worst in the country. Among the many elements of nostalgia inherent in this week’s anniversary celebrations for the 1977 Centenary Test is how the players involved have contrasted the excellent Bill Watt pitch prepared for that game with the poor fare that followed it.Drop-ins were gradually introduced to the square from 1996 onwards, replacing the unreliability of the past with a far more consistent brand of mediocrity. Unless it starts with green grass on the top and moisture underneath to allow seamers and spinners some early traction, the MCG surface simply does not deteriorate fast enough to offer enough of a challenge over the course of four or five days.

I would like fast, bouncy tracks that go through, day in and day out, that’d be lovely. We don’t get it when we’re at homeDarren Lehmann

This strip’s turgid nature, then, has been entirely unsurprising from the moment Australia’s captain Steven Smith remarked on Christmas Day that it “looked ready to go three days ago”. It rather underlined the fact that in an otherwise thriving environment for the game down under, pitches are becoming an increasing sore point. The fact of the matter is that apart from Adelaide Oval’s success in converting from a traditional square to a drop-in collection with a new but still distinct character, all of Australia’s international venues currently have conditional caveats against them.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, set out his idea of the standard for international pitches in Australia when speaking on ABC Radio earlier in the Test: “I think the broad statement is pitches are incredibly important to the future of Test cricket, we need to provide an entertaining contest, we need to provide a balance between bat and ball and I think broadly we’ve seen that in the three Test matches so far this summer.”Of the four pitches prepared so far this season, Adelaide’s stands out alongside Perth in terms of providing the sort of balance Sutherland spoke of. Brisbane, talked up as breathing fire in the lead-up to the series opener, was too sluggish by half until the match was well into its journey, necessitating the sort of grinding innings Smith constructed to wear down England’s bowlers. The WACA Ground’s pace and bounce were a welcome sight after some years of disappointing pitches, but it was also a parting shot, as all major matches move to the new Perth Stadium from later this season – early signs are that its drop-in surface is still some way short of the desired standard.Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann offered the following assessment: “Brisbane was too slow day one and day two, would’ve liked more bounce in that track, but it certainly quickened up and once we get quick and bouncy tracks we see what we can do. Adelaide was a really good track for day/night Test cricket and Perth was quick and bouncy. So you’d like a bit more bounce and pace in a lot of them, it’s a big weapon of ours.”At the end of the day you’ve got to chop and change don’t you. Sydney I presume will be a traditional Sydney track, so you get a well-rounded cricket venture around the country with five Test matches. We would’ve liked a little more bounce in the [MCG] track if we’re perfectly honest, I think both sides would’ve, Jimmy [Anderson] said the same thing. It doesn’t break up here so it’s going to be good for five days, so it’s going to be tough work. We’ve got to bat well in the second innings.”One of the curiosities of Australian pitches is how Adelaide Oval and its curator Damian Hough have succeeded in matching a far higher, more precise standard than all other venues are held to. The reason for this was finding a balance between the need for a fair Test match pitch but also to protect the somewhat less durable pink Kookaburra ball used in day/night matches – a complex process that has involved Hough, Cricket Australia, Channel Nine and the Australian Cricketers Association. This season Hough produced a strip that offered seam by day and swing by night, before there was just enough variable bounce towards the end for Josh Hazlewood to exploit fully and thus seal the match.Yet in other cities, the mere expectation of a pitch offering a modicum of bounce in addition to whatever local characteristics might be evident has been beyond many. Take for example the surface prepared at North Sydney Oval for the women’s day/night Ashes Test earlier this season – a dull as dishwater pitch that was about as suited to the format as a traditional Christmas dinner is to a 38C Australian summer. Likewise the Gabba’s slowness this season, or the road-like pitches commonly seen at the WACA Ground in recent years, or the MCG this week.Steven Smith studies the pitch at the MCG•Getty Images”They play a lot more footy here at the MCG,” Lehmann said of the contrast between the Adelaide and Melbourne drop-ins. “But it’s just the way they compact them and the soil they use. Adelaide they’ve just got it right, they’ve got great form with the day/night Test basically, keep the grass a little bit longer, so the difference here [is it’s] a little bit flatter, hoped it would break up and it may still break up, we’ll wait and see with how it plays day four and five. I accept that [multipurpose venues] but I also would like fast, bouncy tracks that go through, day in and day out, that’d be lovely. We don’t get it when we’re at home, which is just the way it is.”Given how much CA has worked at maximising audiences for the game through adroit broadcasting deals and shrewd investment in the Big Bash League, it remains mystifying as to how venues as august as the MCG and SCG cannot get their conditions right. In Melbourne the competing interests of football and cricket have long been contentious, but no more so than they are now at the recast Adelaide Oval. In Sydney, the Trust and Cricket New South Wales have endured a testy relationship, epitomised by the abandonment of a Sheffield Shield match due to a muddy infield the umpires deemed unsafe in 2015.Priorities for the SCG seem to extend not much further than the January Test and a handful of BBL games, but even then the pitch is not always of great quality. In the corresponding Ashes match four seasons ago, the match was over in little more than two and a half days, moving Lehmann to offer the following salty assessment: “Words will get me in trouble here. It’s disappointing, a three-day Test match. The SCG I remember was always a good wicket and spun obviously days four and five. Hopefully we can get back to that at some stage. I certainly got surprised by the state of the wicket here and to finish in three days is disappointing – for the crowd more so than anyone else.”Another window into how Australian grounds can do with more and better investment was shown by the damp patch that briefly endangered the conclusion of the Perth Test when water leaked under the two layers of covers commonly used in this part of the world. While the Australian climate is far less worrisome for pitch preparation than England’s, many visitors remained surprised at how basic the precautions were.Perhaps there is an element of generational change to all this: Hough is a younger curator than either the SCG’s Tom Parker (who retires this season) or the Gabba’s Kevin Mitchell Jnr (who finished up after the Brisbane Test). The previous MCG curator David Sandurski has moved to Brisbane to replace Mitchell, while the WACA Ground’s Matthew Page is MCG-bound. But in catering successfully to a mass audience in contrast to the increasingly boutique scale of the English game, CA and the state associations would do well to ensure that pitches and playing conditions are not left behind.

Michael Clarke backs Marnus Labuschagne to come good but has spotted a technical issue

Andrew McGlashan31-Jan-20242:35

Should we be worried about Marnus’ form?

Aaron Finch believes that Australia’s bowling attack has helped paper over some cracks in the batting line-up this season after five Tests that brought just two individual centuries.Australia fell to an eight-run loss against West Indies at the Gabba on Sunday, one of the biggest upsets in Test history, after a collapse of 8 for 94 in a chase of 216. In the first innings they had also been 54 for 5 before Usman Khawaja, Alex Carey and Pat Cummins led a recovery.Related

Morris suffers side strain, in doubt for New Zealand Tests

No runs for fun: how bowlers are now holding sway in Australia

Ball-by-ball: Shamar Joseph rips through Australia at the Gabba

Takeaways: Batting under scrutiny, Green's evolution and masterful bowling quartet

While the home side had won the previous four Tests of the season, their batting had been under significant pressure since the opening game against Pakistan in Perth where they made 487. Only two individual centuries were scored – by David Warner and Travis Head – although Mitchell Marsh twice fell in the 90s and Steven Smith carried his bat for 91 in Brisbane.Marnus Labuschagne made 18 runs in three completed innings against West Indies, and has averaged 28.25 for the season, while Head made a king pair at the Gabba. Aside from his matchwinning 119 in Adelaide, Head’s next-highest score for the five Tests was 40.”Think the bowlers have been the ones who have got them out of jail a few times, but also Usman Khawaja…and Mitch Marsh is also pulling his weight in that regard. They’re not great numbers for a middle order that I think have got some much talent.” Finch told ESPN’s show “The hundreds column is a concern for me. Guys are getting starts, and that’s reflected in the numbers, it’s not like they’re averaging six.”If you have a bad series in two Tests like Marnus [Labuschagne] that’s okay, everyone will have that at some point, but there’s not enough hundreds. There’s a few cracks that have been papered over from Usman Khawaja and the bowlers who have done a brilliant job for a long time.”On Labuschagne, specifically, there remains confidence that he will work through his slump ahead of the New Zealand Test series which starts in late February. Michael Clarke said that it was a phase almost every player will endure at some point, but had spotted a small technical challenge Labuschagne was going through.”The only thing I can see technically is that he just looks to be squaring up a little bit with his right shoulder,” Clarke said. “So mainly the balls that are that back-of-a-length, instead of staying really side on like he does and back-foot defends the ball to cover or to point, or even drops it to his feet, he’s just squaring up a little bit. And that’s why he’s playing a little in front of himself, edging it to a second, third [slip], gully area.”Again, he’s such a good player, he’ll go away now, he’ll work on that before New Zealand. You can’t write Marnus off. He’s batting at No. 3 which is one of the toughest positions in Test cricket. Don’t be surprised if he comes out against New Zealand and he’s the leading run-scorer. About every top-class batsman goes through a stage like this.”1:34

Finch: They’re not great numbers for a middle order

Finch added: “Think that’s been highlighted in his strike-rate as well,” he said. “You get into a defensive frame of mind where you think about survival first and I’ll cash in later on. But the wicket’s they’ve been playing on, you don’t get that opportunity to cash in – it’ not like they flatten out and become absolute roads and you can bat for two days, we just don’t see that anymore.”Meanwhile, Callum Ferguson warned that the task for the top order is unlikely to get any easier when they head to New Zealand for two matches which shape as key in the current World Test Championship cycle.”Don’t think Marnus is the only one getting caught out squaring up and that can be a bit of a result of batting on some wickets that are bowler-friendly,” Ferguson said. “You just get a little bit out of shape, so they’re going to have to do some hard work before they get over to New Zealand to just get a bit more side on, a few of them, and start playing a touch later. Because over in New Zealand they’ll be seaming, swinging conditions and New Zealand are very good at extracting the most out of those pitches.”

Mason Greenwood has taken on fellow former Premier League star and current Marseille team-mate Neal Maupay in a finishing challenge.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ex-Man Utd winger enjoyed career-best season
• Loanee from Everton struggled to find a spark
• Both know their way to the back of the net

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ex-Manchester United winger Greenwood completed a permanent transfer to Stade Velodrome in the summer of 2024. His debut campaign in French football delivered a career-best return of 22 goals and Champions League qualification.

Advertisement

• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  He was joined at Marseille by Maupay when the 28-year-old striker completed a loan move from Everton in the same transfer window. The charismatic frontman found the target on just four occasions through 24 appearances for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Maupay is, however, a proven goal-getter and fancied his chances when lining up against Greenwood in a training ground competition. Both men were charged with the task of scoring a “power” shot, a curling effort from the edge of the box and a penalty.

أضاف مروان حمدي، لاعب نادي بيراميدز، الهدف الثاني أمام أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي، في المباراة التي تقام بينهما، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال.

ويلتقي بيراميدز مع أوكلاند سيتي، في التاسعة مساء اليوم الأحد، على استاد الدفاع الجوي، في الدور الأول من بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال.

وجاء هدف بيراميدز الثاني، عن طريق مروان حمدي في الدقيقة 74 من عمر اللقاء، برأسية من داخل منطقة الجزاء. هدف بيراميدز الثاني أمام أوكلاند سيتي.. مروان حمدي

وكان بيراميدز تقدم بالهدف الأول عن طريق المغربي وليد الكرتي في الدقيقة 14 من عمر اللقاء.

ويشارك نادي بيراميدز، في بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، للمرة الأولى في تاريخه، بعد تتويجه ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا في الموسم الماضي 2024-2025.

يذكر أن الفريق المتأهل من مواجهة بيراميدز وأوكلاند سيتي، سيواجه نظيره الأهلي السعودي بطل آسيا، في مدينة جدة يوم 23 سبتمبر الجاري في المرحلة الثانية، على لقب كأس القارات الثلاث.

South Africa seamer replaces Naveen-ul-Haq for second half of group stage

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2024Hampshire have signed Ottniel Baartman, the South Africa seamer, for the second half of their Vitality Blast campaign. Baartman replaces Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq, who has pulled out for personal reasons.Baartman, 31, has yet to be capped by his country but was named in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad and could make his debut in their series in the West Indies starting later this week. He played under Adi Birrell, Hampshire’s head coach, for back-to-back SA20 champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where he was also a team-mate of Liam Dawson.”I’m really looking forward to joining up with Hampshire Hawks for my first experience of county cricket,” Baartman said, “it’s great to link back up with Adi Birrell and Liam Dawson who I know well from the SA20. I’ve heard great things about the atmosphere at Utilita Bowl and I can’t wait to get playing in front of the Hawks fans this summer.”Related

• Visa issues stop Baartman joining Hampshire for Blast

• SA20 breakout star Baartman stakes his claim for a World Cup spot

• Handscomb to captain Leicestershire's T20 side despite recent BBL snubs

• Dwarshuis joins Durham for Vitality Blast campaign

Baartman will take over from Michael Neser, who has signed for the first eight Blast group games, joining Ben McDermott among Hampshire’s overseas options. He will be available for six fixtures in July, starting with the trip to Middlesex, as well as the knockout stages in September if Hampshire progress.Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said: “It’s a great boost to the squad that Ottniel is available and keen to join us after the World Cup. He fits the role perfectly and comes off the back of an outstanding domestic summer in South Africa.”

Adam Lyth’s 97 helps hosts reach 276 for 3 from 59 overs possible on first day

ECB Reporters Network26-Apr-2024

Adam Lyth has been in fine form for Yorkshire•Getty Images

Yorkshire 276 for 3 (Lyth 97, Root 65*, Brook 44*, Masood 40) vs DerbyshireEngland duo Joe Root and Harry Brook shared an entertaining and unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 71 as Yorkshire dominated Derbyshire on day one of the Vitality County Championship clash at Headingley.Root and Brook came together during the afternoon with the score at 205 for 3 after Yorkshire had been inserted at the start of this Division Two fixture, and they built on the early good work of in-form opener Adam Lyth, who made 97, to help their county close the day on 276 for 3 from 59 overs.When bad light intervened just before 4pm – there was no further play as rain followed – Root was 65 not out and Brook 44.Root was accumulative in 99 balls and Brook much more aggressive – savage even – in 37 against a wilting Derbyshire attack, frustrated by four dropped catches either side of lunch, including Lyth on 22 and 80.All of the catches went down behind the wicket, three in the slips, and it could have been a completely different story had Derbyshire been able to expose Yorkshire’s superstar duo to a much newer ball.The two counties came into this fixture level on 28 points after three games towards the foot of the table. Yorkshire had drawn two and lost one, the latter against Middlesex at Lord’s last week. Derbyshire had drawn all three.Batting was not easy in overcast conditions with movement through the air and off the pitchDespite creating chances, Derbyshire weren’t at their best with the ball, offering up too many boundary opportunities.Their former overseas player Shan Masood, Yorkshire’s captain, hit 10 fours in a 25-ball 40, for example.The first wicket to fall had a whiff of controversy about it. Fin Bean was trapped lbw by Anuj Dal for 18 – 46 for 1 at the start of the 15th over – the ball after he had picked up three to long-on at the end of the previous over.Replays have shown that fielder Pat Brown slid into the rope trying to save the boundary, but the call of three runs stood. Had it been given four, Bean would not have been on strike to the ball he fell to.In the grand scheme of the day, it mattered little as Bean’s opening partner, Lyth, led the way on Yorkshire’s dominant day.Lyth was strong on both sides of the wicket in hitting 15 fours in 157 balls, narrowly missing out on a third century in four Championship matches this season when he edged Zak Chappell behind, leaving Yorkshire 205 for 3 in the afternoon.Chappell was one of the Derbyshire bowlers taken to task by Masood during an action-packed morning. At one stage, he hit seven fours in 10 balls across two overs from Dal and Chappell, taking Yorkshire to 89 for 1 after 20 overs. Masood then edged left-arm seamer Luis Reece’s second ball to second slip – 92 for 2 in the 22nd.From there, Lyth and Root shared 113 inside 27 overs for the third wicket.Root’s innings was in complete contrast to Masood’s as he hit just two fours by the time he reached 40.Later, Brook was even more aggressive than Masood. He drove with power and precision and lofted Reece for a straight six.Not that Root was completely becalmed. Having reached an 86-ball fifty during the latter stages of the afternoon, he reverse swept Alex Thomson’s off-spin for four.The weather came less than two overs later, at least giving Derbyshire some respite.