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Ben Stokes says England must shift up a gear to beat both Australia and the weather to keep their Ashes hopes alive with significant rain forecast throughout the fourth Test.After Australia won the first two matches, victory in the third Test at Headingley got England back into the series, with the squad arriving into Manchester buoyant they could square the series here to set up a decider at the Kia Oval next week.However, the persistent rain that greeted their arrival on Sunday will continue into the weekend. Showers of varying degrees are expected throughout all five days of the Test, which begins on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford.Related

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• Moeen Ali targets Ashes win 'to finish Test cricket properly'

As captain, Stokes has been reticent to pay too much attention to forecasts, though England do keep an eye on the radar in the changing room in case they need to shift their approach during play. With Australia able to retain the urn with a draw here, the onus is on Stokes to try and squeeze a result out of however much play is possible if England are to prolong their hopes of a first Ashes win since 2015.”You never want to look too much into the weather but in the position we find ourselves in we might have to,” Stokes admitted. “We know we have to win this game to take it to the last game for us to have a chance of getting the urn back.”Going into the last game we were 2-0 down and knew we had to win that, so think that helped us a bit and maybe again with the weather that’s predicted that it might bring more out of us again knowing we might have to push the game on even more than we normally do. But we’ll just have to wait and see. If the weather is what it’s predicted to be then we might have to.”While he stopped short of declaring England will be more attacking than normal, the speed of play throughout this series has been conducive to quick results. The third Test, for example, which the hosts won by three wickets, lasted 230.2 overs – essentially, under eight sessions of play, with the match concluding on day four through a combination of wet weather and slow over rates.Last summer, England were able to beat South Africa twice within three days. The first came in Manchester by an innings and 85 runs, before a nine-wicket win in the decider at the Kia Oval. No play took place on the first two days following the passing of Queen Elizabeth, with the match officially getting underway on day three.This is also not the first time Stokes has considered getting funky to combat unhelpful conditions. During the Pakistan series last December, he posited the idea of forfeiting an innings when it looked like early morning smog in Multan would reduce each day’s play of the second Test. Though it did not come to pass, it is something England could employ here provided they bat first for a sizeable score.Though Australia can play this match and the weather straight, Pat Cummins has stated they will begin this Test focussed on victory as they seek a first overseas Ashes series win since 2001.”The first preference is always to try to win,” Cummins said. “We drew the 2019 series and we’ve all come back pretty clear we want to win this one. I think it’s one of things, as the game progresses you maybe start working out how risky you want to be, but looking at the forecast it looks like it’s okay so sure we’ll get a match in.And while Australia do not need to engage with anything England try and concoct, Cummins is excited to see what Stokes has in store.”It would be fun. Prepared for anything, really. We’ll see how it plays out. We have already seen a lot of different things from both teams this series. I’m sure this one will be another cracker with some random stuff thrown up.”

Hardik Pandya has hailed Rashid Khan’s athletic outfield catch to dismiss Kyle Mayers that broke Lucknow Super Giants’ strong opening stand as a “match-changing” effort, after Gujarat Titans prevailed by 56 runs in Ahmedabad.Chasing 228, Mayers had powered to 48 off 31 balls in a partnership of 88 with Quinton de Kock in just 8.1 overs. Then, he top-edged a pull over square leg off a Mohit Sharma slower ball. Rashid came sprinting in, running diagonally from fine leg, then slid and dived to take the catch to his right after making a last-minute adjustment.Super Giants lost momentum after losing Mayers and scored only 33 runs between overs 9 and 14, leaving them with too much to do in the last six.Related

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Hardik said that Rashid’s catch was the game-changer at a time when his team was under pressure. “The way the game changed after that… at one point of time at the eighth or ninth over we were even-stevens but that catch just changed the momentum and we were able to squeeze in a couple of tight overs,” he said after the match. “And after that I think they were chasing the game more than us.”We started controlling the game. Before that they were taking [us] on and we had to chase the game and make sure that we don’t concede as many runs and let them get into the game. So I think that catch was match-changing.””I think we both were driving at 100 kilometers per hour as a team but I think that bump in their innings cost them the game and got us back in the game.”Hardik also praised his team-mates for producing a match-winning performance after only one day’s rest. Titans’ last game was on Friday night and their match against Super Giants was the afternoon game on Sunday.”I don’t think I can ask anything better from the boys, Hardik said. “Especially, playing after one day’s gap and playing an afternoon game, the boys showed up and how.”Mohit, who gave Titans that vital first wicket, finished with 4 for 29, his best figures in the IPL since 2014. He has 12 wickets in eight matches in IPL 2023 with an economy rate of 6.96 despite bowling many of his overs at the death.”We keep discussing how to go about it, especially once the ball gets a little old how we can mix it up,” Mohit told broadcasters after the game. “And if I get the chance with a new ball, then what can I do with it. Today it was a day game so I knew that the wicket could get a little drier and be on the slower side so how we can mix it up in those conditions, that’s the kind of stuff I discuss with Shami.”I have practiced the knuckle ball, but I have a slight injury on my fingers so it’s not holding, so I am not able to bowl the knuckle ball. But I am using back-of-the-hand deliveries. When it’s the second innings and there’s a bit of dew, I can’t pitch it up too much, I have to bowl it away from the batter. So I am trying to stay as far from the batter’s range as possible.”I keep talking with Ashu Pa [Nehra] off the field. We talk a lot about bowling, what kind of balls I can bowl to different batters. Especially how we can mix up the length ball,” Mohit said. “He keeps saying that it shouldn’t be too short. It should be around top of off.”The win against Super Giants was Titans’ eighth victory in 11 games, giving them a three-point lead over Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table.

It wasn’t quite the comprehensive mismatch Friday’s game was, but that didn’t mean the outcome was ever in any doubt. A sumptuous Babar Azam century, his ninth in T20s – he’s now behind only Chris Gayle – powered Pakistan to 192. Babar was supported by a half-century from Mohammad Rizwan and a useful unbeaten 19-ball 33 from Iftikhar Ahmed as Pakistan posted another total well above par.Babar and Rizwan more than made up for their failures yesterday with an outstanding opening partnership. After taking three overs to get set, they caught up with the rate superbly across the first half of the innings, powering at about ten an over across their 99-run stand. And while a cluster of wickets immediately after threatened to derail Pakistan’s progress, an unbroken 87-run stand between Babar and Iftikhar in 43 balls ensured Pakistan were firmly on top once more.In response New Zealand offered a more representative account of their abilities than they had in the first game, with a classy half-century from Mark Chapman headlining the chase. Showcasing both his technical ability and long-range hitting, he clubbed an unbeaten 40-ball 65 in what was largely lone resistance, keeping his side’s flame flickering until the final three overs.But the damage Haris Rauf was doing at the other end proved too much to counter. He followed up his career-best performance last night with another scintillating display, ripping through the New Zealand middle order and killing off any hopes of a nascent chase with figures of 4 for 27. Shaheen Afridi and Zaman Khan snuffed out the chase at the death, and even as Chapman finished off the game with a magnificent six over cover, Pakistan coasted to a 38-run victory.The stutterAs was the case yesterday, there was a wobble midway through the Pakistan innings, and just like yesterday, it was Matt Henry-inspired. After Pakistan’s crisp start, Henry sent down a priceless 11th over that saw one run scored and two wickets fall. Rizwan was the first to go, miscuing a slog soon after he brought up his half-century. Then, for the second successive game, Henry found himself on a hat-trick, forcing Fakhar Zaman to chop one back onto his stumps. Saim Ayub kept his first ball out to deny the fast bowler consecutive hat-tricks, but New Zealand were suddenly on top.Matt Henry struck twice in two balls to pull Pakistan back•Pakistan Cricket Board

For Ayub lasted just one more ball before Rachin Ravindra struck to send him packing, drawing him into holing out at deep midwicket. Pakistan couldn’t find a way to stanch the bleeding at this point as Imad Wasim feathered Jimmy Neesham through to the keeper in the following over. Pakistan had lost four wickets for six runs over two overs, and New Zealand had stormed back into the game.Final-overs frenzyHaving slowed down somewhat after the powerplay, as Babar is wont to do, not even his most ardent backers entertained notions of a ninth T20 hundred for the Pakistan captain. With three overs to go, Babar was still 35 runs away, but two sixes and a four of Henry’s final over saw him climb into the 80s. A canny penultimate over from Ben Lister though, with Babar deprived of the strike, looked to have dashed those hopes once more. He was still 15 away with the innings’ final four balls to go, and Gaddafi began to dream once more.By the time Neesham was powered back over mid-off for six and Babar crept into the 90s, the crowd had been whipped up into a fervour. Seven runs away with two balls to go, he thumped another over mid-off for four to take it down to the wire. And, almost as if it were scripted, he would save his best shot for last, a glorious drive over cover that sailed to the boundary and brought up the most unlikely of his nine hundreds. He rocked back and let out a roar, and Lahore roared with him.Babar Azam roars after getting to his ton•Pakistan Cricket Board

Rauf razes through middle orderIf Chapman had someone to keep him company at the other end, New Zealand would have found themselves in with a real shot, but Rauf guaranteed that wouldn’t be possible. After a fledgling third wicket stand with Will Young where a 95-metre Chapman six off Shadab Khan was the highlight, Babar turned to Rauf for the wicket he wanted.Pakistan’s fastest bowler answered his captain’s call, and then some. With his fourth ball back, he beat Young for pace, forcing him to hole out to Shadab Khan to set New Zealand back, but he was only getting started. He topped and tailed his third over with two more wickets. First, Daryl Mitchell found the speed too hot to handle, before he sent in a bouncer to new man Neesham who could only fend it to Shaheen Afridi at mid-off. And there was no escape for Rachin Ravindra from Rauf’s wiles either, as the young allrounder lobbed an offcutter straight to deep midwicket to effectively end New Zealand’s resistance.

The 19-year-old was overlooked for the first Test in Galle after the dramatic start to his career against India

AAP29-Jan-2025

Sam Konstas looks on•Getty Images

Sam Konstas showned his character with a classy response to being dropped for the first Test against Sri Lanka, said Australia selector on duty Tony Dodemaide.Dodemaide stopped short of guaranteeing Konstas would reclaim his opening spot for the home Ashes next summer but insisted the star teenager remained part of succession plans for an ageing Australian squad.Australia cited Travis Head’s form as an opener on the last subcontinent tour in 2023 for the “difficult” decision to oust Konstas from the top of the order in Galle.Related

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Khawaja 147*, Smith 104* put Australia in a commanding position in Galle

Konstas turned heads with his aggressive approach in his first two Tests to help seal a rare series victory over India, but has not toured the subcontinent before.The 19-year-old was seen congratulating Josh Inglis’ family as the previously uncapped West Australian took his spot in the XI for the first of two Tests in Galle.After being told he would be dropped, Konstas offered to arrive at the ground early for day one on Wednesday to help with preparations.”There’s a lot to like and be impressed about Sam,” Dodemaide said. “One of the things is his ability to take things in his stride. It’s remarkable really, whether it’s playing in front of 90,000 and Jasprit Bumrah at the MCG or getting told that you’re left out of the Test.  He was like, ‘Oh yeah mate, no stress. I get it’.”Konstas memorably slapped the world’s best paceman Bumrah around the ground in Melbourne as he scored a half-century in his first Test dig on Boxing Day. He then partnered with Usman Khawaja to ignite the series-winning run chase at the SCG.But Dodemaide would not guarantee Konstas would be able to reprise his heroics during the next home series, with two Sri Lanka Tests, the World Test Championship final and a West Indies tour to play out before then.”We won’t pre-empt what’s happening there,” Dodemaide said. “But clearly he’s done a lot right hasn’t he?”We’re looking for those successor players to come in, there will be some turnover naturally in the next couple of years or so and he’s very much staked a claim.”Selectors will also not rule out Konstas returning to the XI in the second and final Sri Lanka Test, pending the result in the first.”He’s a hugely talented player, hasn’t played a lot in this part of the world but he’ll learn quickly obviously,” Dodemaide said.”The opportunity to have him here, not to say that Test two is out of the question obviously depending on what happens here, but the opportunity to give Nathan McSweeney, Cooper Connolly and even now Ollie Peake [on the tour as a development player] is an investment in the future.”The call to drop Konstas sparked criticism from Australia’s most prolific Test runscorer Ricky Ponting, who had previously called for him to retain his spot.”There is a real missed opportunity for the Australians here to get to learn a bit more about Sam Konstas,” the former Test captain said on Channel Seven.”If he is the player we all think he is, I would have loved to have seen him work out a way to play spin in tough conditions in Sri Lanka over the next couple of weeks.”Dodemaide said Australia needed to prioritise a first series win in Sri Lanka since 2011 even if the side had already qualified for the WTC final.”A lot of the narrative has been around this tour doesn’t matter. It really does, it’s Test cricket. That’s our priority,” he said.

A lot is happening in Bangladesh cricket at the moment, but new head coach Phil Simmons wants the focus to be firmly on the upcoming Test series against South Africa.Things are messy. Simmons took over as Bangladesh’s head coach on Tuesday, replacing Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was sacked earlier this week and has since hit back at the BCB. Shakib Al Hasan, who hasn’t returned to Dhaka because of protests against him (for political reasons), has withdrawn from the Test side.When Simmons attended Bangladesh’s training session at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, protests for and against Shakib were on. All this, two days out from the first Test.Related

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“[Keeping distractions away from the players] is a big part of our job over the next few days, to make sure the focus is on the cricket, and not on the outside of cricket,” Simmons said. “We can control how we prepare for Monday, that’s how we are trying to get the team to focus.”The good thing is we have a very important Test match to prepare for. We win the next few Tests, and we are in contention for the [WTC] final. My first port of call is cricket and about getting the squad ready for Monday. The last two days [of training] have been brilliant. We have tried to leave out the confusion that’s around the cricket, and concentrate on preparing for Monday.”Simmons comes in with vast coaching experience, having worked with Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies, Afghanistan and PNG as well as several T20 franchises in the last 20 years. He was one of the candidates interviewed for the Bangladesh job in 2017 – to fill the role left vacant by Hathurusinghe – but was not selected.”All these experiences [with other teams] will help me in the next few days to get me ready for Monday,” Simmons said. “Afghanistan helped me with the language barrier sometimes. Ireland helped me with developing young players. It all comes in [handy] at the end of the day. I have to use all those experiences in this assignment.”Conversation with the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] has been about his thoughts on players and direction he wants to take the team. It was also about what we do before Monday. It is generally about how we go into the first Test match. As we get to know each other, there will be more discussions about ODIs etc. Now it is about Test cricket, and what we are going to do in these two matches.”Shakib Al Hasan’s fans show their support for the cricketer outside the Shere Bangla Stadium•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Simmons said he took more interest in the role after Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan and was particularly impressed by the youngsters in the side.”The interest comes from seeing the quality of the young players. They handled themselves well against Pakistan,” he said. “They didn’t do well in the T20Is against India but they played against the best T20 team in the world, so you have things to take out of there. It all added up to an assignment, which I enjoyed. One, [there are] young players to develop. Two, there’s Tests and ODIs involved. It wasn’t a hard decision [to take the job].”He believes Bangladesh have a good chance to beat South Africa, who haven’t won a Test series in the subcontinent in the last ten years, but was wary of taking them lightly.”It is definitely a good opportunity. Bangladesh are usually very strong at home. So it is a very good opportunity for us to win the Test series,” Simmons said. “South Africa has that [record in the subcontinent] hanging over their head but they are a resilient team. They will work hard to change that.”

Manchester United aren’t acting like a team who languished their way toward a 15th-placed Premier League finish last season, moving purposefully in the transfer market as they are.

Defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League proved the final nail in the coffin, severing the last hopes of salvaging something from a rotten year, closing the door on a campaign on the continent in 2025/26.

But Ruben Amorim has a plan, and INEOS are showcasing the club’s unbreakable transfer pull, having signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth £62.5m.

Amorim has his work cut out, all right, but this new policy of identifying Premier League-proven product might just pay dividends in the long run.

Let’s have a look at how they sealed the Brazilian star’s signature.

Why Matheus Cunha joined Man Utd

It’s remarkable to see that top players are still drawn to the Theatre of Dreams even when Man United are in the deepest throes of their decline, and Cunha is the perfect representation of that fact.

Sure, United activated his release clause, but the 26-year-old was also coveted by Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, all of whom will play in the Champions League next season. Aston Villa had also expressed an interest.

If Amorim can get the Red Devils back to a position of strength, just imagine the kind of success the outfit could have in the transfer market with a strategy far away from the scattergun approach of the past decade.

Signing players who have showcased their quality consistently in the Premier League seems to be a track that United are heading down, for Cunha’s not the only one driving a deal toward Old Trafford from another part of the country this summer.

Man Utd's next transfer expected 'soon'

According to reports in Italy, Manchester United have already agreed personal terms with Bryan Mbeumo, although negotiations continue with Brentford as to the structure of the financial package.

Transfer Focus

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

Saying that, United are willing to pay £63m plus add-ons to sign the goalscoring winger, who has been expected to leave the Gtech Community Stadium for several months now. The final details with Brentford still need to be defined but it’s reported that an agreement is ‘expected soon’.

Tottenham Hotspur’s appointment of Thomas Frank has renewed Spurs’ hope that they could hijack the deal, but the player’s preference is to sign for the Red Devils in spite of their lack of European football.

How Bryan Mbeumo will improve Man Utd

Last season, Mbeumo bagged 20 goals across 38 Premier League matches, with Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland the only players to outscore him.

A tenacious forward with a fixed winning mentality, he’s exactly what Amorim needs to turn the ship around. Indeed, the Cameroon international has been hailed for his “technique and work ethic” by journalist Henry Winter.

This is further represented through his underlying data; not just a goalscorer, the 25-year-old ranked among the top 9% of positional peers in the Premier League last term for crosses, the top 10% for clearances and the top 20% for touches in the defensive third per 90, as per FBref.

That latter metric, in particular, highlights Mbeumo’s willingness to drop deep and help the Bees in transition.

This vibrant range of qualities actually led the data-driven site to draw Cunha up as one of his most comparable players.

Cunha is a maverick, stylish on the ball and happy to step up and make things happen when no one else seems willing to. Man United need some of that.

When looking at the forwards’ respective top-flight campaigns, you begin to see exactly why United have been so desperate to secure these deals, with the players partnered on the flanks sure to add a whole lot to a frontline that has been lacking.

Matches (starts)

33 (29)

38 (38)

Goals

15

20

Assists

6

7

Shots (on target)*

3.3 (1.3)

2.2 (1.1)

Big chances missed

2

9

Pass completion

79%

74%

Big chances created

13

17

Key passes*

1.8

1.8

Dribbles*

1.8

1.4

Ball recoveries*

3.8

4.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.7

1.7

Duels won*

5.5

4.7

As you can see from the table above, they are not all that dissimilar, Cunha and Mbeumo. In fact, with the forwards, favouring the left and right flanks respectively, both proven in the Premier League to be high-level goalscorers with creative flair and defensive application, it looks the perfect way to dynamise Amorim’s frontline.

The centre-forward picked to settle in the middle of the exciting stars will be a lucky man indeed. Though the Red Devils have faced countless disappointments after first finding such excitement in a big-money acquisition, INEOS have focused on two players capable of lifting the club’s attacking quality to a top level.

They will add goals, they will create, and they will improve the overarching fluency of a fallen giant. It’s unlikely to be a surprise that Mbuemo and Cunha are two Premier League forwards with similarly dynamic skill sets, tailor-made for a place in Amorim’s vision, a vision which has not yet been sighted properly on English shores.

While many supporters will understandably reserve judgment until the 2025/26 campaign is well and truly up and running, Mbuemo is a superstar, “unplayable” on his day, as was noted by Frank last season after scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle.

With a like-minded player in Cunha mirroring him on the other side, Amorim’s team are well poised for a much-needed resurgence.

Their best signing since Bruno: £40m target now wants to join Man Utd

Manchester United could be about to make another superb signing in this summer window.

1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 22, 2025

Scottish boss Russell Martin has plenty of things to deal with early on in his tenure as Glasgow Rangers’ new head coach ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The former Southampton manager has to build a squad that can challenge for the Scottish Premiership title, and has already had Lyall Cameron added to his midfield options.

However, Martin will also have to deal with the prospect of some of his best players moving on from Ibrox if teams come in with big-money offers for them during the summer transfer window.

Fiorentina and Marseille are reportedly keen on Nicolas Raskin, who is valued at £20m by the 49ers, and up to six English teams are said to be eyeing up Mohamed Diomande ahead of a possible swoop for his services.

The Light Blues are no stranger to cashing in on their top talents over the years, though, as players have moved on from Glasgow to pursue other options in Europe many times in recent seasons.

One deal that the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with, though, was the sale of Joe Aribo to then-Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2022.

Why Rangers hit the jackpot with Joe Aribo

The Nigeria international was a terrific player for Rangers during his time at Ibrox, having spent three years at the club after joining from Charlton in the summer of 2019.

Aribo racked up 26 goals and 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in those three seasons, and his final goal contribution was a goal in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The left-footed star’s form for Rangers attracted attention from down south and he sealed a move to then-Premier League outfit Southampton in the summer of 2022.

A reported fee of £10m was agreed between the two clubs for the attacking midfielder, who was reportedly being eyed up by other teams in the English top-flight, and that has turned out to be a brilliant deal for the Gers.

Date	Market valuation
July 2022	Reported £10m deal
November 2022	£12.8m
June 2023	£9.4m
October 2023	£6.8m
December 2023	£5.1m
May 2024	£4.2m
December 2024 – present	£5.1m
Valuations via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Aribo’s value has plummeted down to just £5.1m, as per Transfermarkt, in the three years since the midfield star decided to move on from Ibrox.

The 28-year-old, who has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 109 games for Southampton, has not kicked on during his spell in England, which suggests that the Gers hit gold with the deal they got for him in 2022.

Rangers could repeat that masterclass this summer amid speculation that another one of their forwards could leave the club in the coming weeks.

Rangers striker set to move on from Ibrox

According to Soccernet.ng, Cyriel Dessers is poised to complete a permanent exit from Rangers before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Nigeria international is ‘set’ to sign for Greek giants AEK Athens, after he ‘set sights’ on a move away from Ibrox ahead of next season.

Transfer Focus

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

Soccernet.ng adds that the striker has already verbally agreed to sign for the Greek team and has mapped out a £30k-per-week contract to sign if the transfer goes through this summer.

The outlet reveals that the two teams still need to come to an agreement on a transfer fee for the player before a deal can be finalised, and it does not mention how much money it would take to get it done.

However, The Scottish Sun recently reported that the Gers are holding out for a fee of around £5m for the striker, who they paid £4.5m to Cremonese for in 2023.

If the Light Blues can agree a £5m deal to sell Dessers to AEK Athens, who Soccernet.ng claims is set to join them, then it could be an Aribo repeat.

Why Dessers could be an Aribo repeat

The 30-year-old number nine could follow in Aribo’s footsteps as another star performer who could decrease in value after leaving the Scottish giants.

His value has already dropped from £4.2m at the time of his Ibrox arrival to £3.4m at the time of writing (19/06/2025), as per Transfermarkt, which immediately suggests that a fee of £5m would be a great deal for Rangers.

That is in spite of a very respectable goalscoring return of 51 strikes in 109 matches for the Light Blues in all competitions over the past two seasons.

His value at AEK Athens, should a transfer go through this summer, could fall even further on Transfermarkt, despite a potential fee of £5m, because he may not have the chance to score as many goals.

The Greek side finished fourth in the Super League and only scored 48 goals, whilst Rangers finished second in the Premiership and scored 80 goals.

Cyriel Dessers (European comps + Premiership)	23/24	24/25
Appearances	47	46
Goals	21	18
Shots	110	103
Shots on target	52	51
Big chances missed	29	31
Assists	6	4
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Nigerian striker missed a staggering 60 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, Europa League, and Champions League combined in his first two seasons at Ibrox.

Dessers, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed is “awkward” to play against due to his physicality, scored a decent number of goals for Rangers because he was in a team that was constantly creating chances for him, as evidenced by how many huge opportunities he spurned.

Therefore, he may struggle to have the same impact in an AEK Athens team that did not create or score anywhere near as much as Rangers did in the 2024/25 campaign, which could expose his wasteful finishing in a side that does not create loads of ‘big chances’.

This means that Dessers’ output in front of goal could diminish as a result of signing for the Greek side, which is why his value could also plummet as a result of the move, particularly now that the striker is also in his 30s and heading into his latter years.

He's Vaclav Cerny 2.0: Rangers are now set to sign "unplayable" star

Rangers are reportedly set to complete a deal for a star who could be Vaclav Cerny 2.0.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 16, 2025

Selling the experienced forward to Athens for £5m, if a deal can be agreed at that price, could be an Aribo repeat for Rangers as another player whose value could plummet after leaving.

Sparks flew, and ESPNcricinfo experts Ian Bishop and Daniel Vettori were left in awe

Deivarayan Muthu09-May-20223:21

Vettori: Russell’s wicket was the catalyst for Bumrah to just keep going

When Andre Russell came out to bat on Monday night, Kolkata Knight Riders were 123 for 3 in the 14th over. Russell immediately set to work, hitting a second-ball six off legspinner M Ashwin.As if on cue, Mumbai Indians brought Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack for the 15th over. He’d only bowled one over so far in the innings, and had clearly been held back for this particular confrontation.Related

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Bumrah’s first ball to Russell was an inch-perfect inswinging yorker, with his exaggerated inward angle making it even more lethal. Russell somehow got his toes out of the way and jammed it out. The next ball wasn’t a proper bouncer; instead it was a hard-length delivery angling into off stump at around chest height. It was neither cuttable nor pullable. There was no width for Russell to be able to free his arms. He still swung hard, and ended up flapping a catch to Kieron Pollard to long-on.It was the fourth time in nine IPL innings that Bumrah had dismissed Russell, while conceding just 56 off 44 balls. The latest dismissal was the perfect execution of a 1-2 plan, and it left ESPNcricinfo expert Daniel Vettori hugely impressed.”I think that yorker just started everything,” Vettori said on the show T20 Time:Out. “To come back after bowling just one over, sort of ten overs since then, to hit that yorker at that pace, it surprised Russell, so that meant that he actually wasn’t in control of the over.”Russell didn’t know what the next ball was going to be, because he executed that yorker so well, and then he went to length, and he went to hard length – maybe he was sitting on the bouncer, but I think hard length was such a great choice, and Russell was going to go hard after it and he got him out, and that just started it. It was the catalyst for him to keep going and going and going.”Keep going was what Bumrah did: his last three overs brought him five wickets for the cost of a mere five runs. His overall figures of 4-1-10-5 were his best in all T20 cricket. From the point of his reintroduction into the attack, Knight Riders lost six wickets for 29 runs in their last six overs.Fewest runs conceded at death in a T20 innings•ESPNcricinfo LtdReflecting on the Russell dismissal on the same show, Ian Bishop, the former West Indies quick, made particular note of how well Bumrah had directed his short-of-a-length ball.”A lot of it was skill,” Bishop said. “Let’s revisit a conversation we had after the [Knight Riders-Lucknow Super Giants] game […] about the height of the bouncer that is needed, and we were referring to Shreyas Iyer, and why it is harder in this format, just as an example, for Shreyas to play the short ball with confidence.”It’s because you have to go at it, and a lot of them don’t need to be head height; they can be chest height as it was to Russell, and because of the nature of the game, you have to go at it – it’s T20, right? And it’s hard length, and uncomfortable.”Should Russell have played out Bumrah and lined up the other Mumbai bowlers? Bishop suggested he could have, citing the example of Chris Gayle.”For Russell, I can’t criticise him too much because he went at the short ball the other night [against Super Giants] and did it well, but I still will take the Chris Gayle example, where Chris Gayle wasn’t a great player of the short ball, but he’d play out certain bowlers and then tee off after others,” Bishop said. “It’s still something that I’d like to see with Russell, where he can balance who he goes after and when he goes after just a little bit better.”Three balls after removing Russell, Bumrah let rip a head-high bouncer to Nitish Rana, another KKR batter who is vulnerable to the short ball. Rana was caught between playing and ducking for a split-second before doing a bit of both and gloving the ball behind to Ishan Kishan.Bumrah then switched ends and delivered a triple-wicket maiden in which he also bounced out Sheldon Jackson, Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine.”Yeah, he bowled like a man inspired, really,” Bishop said of Bumrah. “He was the difference – 87 for 1 after 10 [overs], and then Jasprit Bumrah happened in his last three overs, bowling over number 15, 18 and 20 at the back end after bowling one in the powerplay. […] He didn’t see the slower ball gripping from the other bowlers, so he decided to go short and use the bigger square boundaries.Jasprit Bumrah broke Knight Riders’ back in the middle overs•BCCI”But that ball to Nitish Rana, that was special, and again we’ve talked about the use of the short ball to certain players – Nitish Rana, certainly one with Shreyas Iyer who’s been struggling with that – and it was interesting, the Russell dismissal, because Russell played the short ball with aplomb in the last game against LSG, putting a couple in the stands, but we also talked about the fact that every West Indian who plays against Russell, fast bowler that is, looks to go short, so tonight it worked, and Bumrah happened, he was brilliant.”Bumrah happened again in the final over. Rinku Singh had farmed the strike to try and give the innings a final flourish. However, Bumrah served up a delightful cocktail of short balls and yorkers to give up just one run and limit KKR to 165 for 9.Pat Cummins and the other Knight Riders bowlers then took a leaf from Bumrah’s playbook and pounded Mumbai’s batters with hard lengths as Bumrah’s extraordinary effort went in vain. However, he was adjudged the Player of the Match and also finished as ESPNcricinfo’s MVP, with a total impact of 135.14, nearly 53 points clear of his nearest rival.There seems to be no bottom to the abyss Mumbai are hurtling into this season, but the future appears thrilling. Imagine this MVP bowling in tandem with a fit-again Jofra Archer, who was IPL 2020’s MVP by a distance. Good luck to the batters facing them next season.

In Pallekele, they fielded five specialist bowlers and opted to bat first – not usual for the team at all

Mohammad Isam26-Apr-2021Mominul Haque, the Bangladesh Test captain, expects his team to improve in Tests if they take positive decisions. Like picking five specialist bowlers, as they did in the first Test against Sri Lanka. They also decided to bat after winning the toss. It was a rare occurrence for Bangladesh on foreign soil, considering the greenness of the Pallekele pitch, and it was another positive call.As such, the look of the pitch meant little, scores of 541 for 7 declared, 648 for 8 declared, and 100 for 2 proving that. But the two sides, especially the visitors, would not have known this when they chose their XIs or took a decision at the toss.”If you want to win a Test match in Sri Lanka, you should always have five bowlers in the team,” Haque said. “We were playing a Test after two months, so if someone bowled poorly or got injured, we would have been in more trouble. To get ahead in Test cricket, you should play with five bowlers and six batsmen.”You will always want five bowlers if you want to take 20 wickets. Also, having six batsmen makes everyone take a bit more responsibility. But, while there was some advantage in this decision, there was some risk too. We usually don’t play with six batsmen, but I think we should always play with five bowlers. That’s what big teams do.”The best teams also take first-day conditions head on. Batting first reflected the mindset of the Mominul Haque-Russell Domingo firm. So far, Bangladesh have chosen to bat on all three occasions they have won a toss in an overseas Test.Related

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Why that is interesting is that Bangladesh hadn’t done such a thing in ten Tests, in more than ten years, prior to the tour of India in November 2019, when they opted to bat in Indore and Kolkata. Between July 2009 and November 2019, Bangladesh only ever fielded first when they had the choice. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan were the captains during this period.It’s true that Bangladesh have usually batted first at home or in the subcontinent, but overall in overseas Tests, they have bowled first in 40% of the times they called the coin correctly. And never have they shown an inclination to have first strike when the pitch has looked pace-friendly.But the new way – in India – was criticised. In his first Test as captain, in Indore, Haque was left frustrated by all the questions, while Domingo was belligerent in his responses when asked the same question during the Kolkata Test.”I think when we played overseas (during those years), most of the conditions were bowler-friendly,” Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain, told ESPNcricinfo. “I think that’s why we used to prefer bowling first. But recently, we have been playing in the subcontinent where it gets difficult to bat in the fourth innings. Maybe this is a reason why we have batted first.”I wouldn’t call it a defensive mindset but we considered the given conditions. In places like West Indies, New Zealand, England and South Africa, there is sideways movement early on in Tests, so often we have tried to take advantage of those conditions.”Over the last couple of years, Bangladesh have mostly been without Shakib, but have still had a very one-dimensional spin-only bowling plan at home. Domingo has stressed on the need to have a more balanced attack at home https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/bangladesh-ditch-all-spin-home-attack-as-domingo-calls-for-balanced-pitches-1217049 so that they can have a proper bowling attack for overseas Tests.It would be interesting to see what type of pitch is dished out for the second Test in Sri Lanka, also in Pallekele, starting on Thursday, But Bangladesh would feel encouraged from the first Test. And that might push them to take more such positive, bold decisions – that is the sort of thing that helps a struggling side get better.

This week has been a strangely newsy one for the Montreal Expos, a Major League Baseball team that has not taken the field since 2004.

The release of a Netflix documentary examining the team's demise—entitled —was long planned. However, the filmmakers probably didn't count on Canada's younger MLB team—the Blue Jays—reaching the World Series and throwing an even bigger spotlight on baseball in the Great White North.

Like many of baseball's more famous relocations—the Dodgers', the Giants', or (more recently) the Athletics'—the Expos' defection to Washington to become the Nationals marked the culmination of a long and arduous process. It was also unique in that it involved a quasi-ownership "trade" that influenced the fate of a franchise thousands of miles away from Quebec.

Here's a look at how Canada's second-largest city lost its team.

How did Jeffrey Loria buy the Expos?

Liquor magnate Charles Bronfman and five partners founded the Expos in 1969—a time when Montreal was still widely known as Canada's cultural capital (Toronto wouldn't jump it in population until Canada's 2001 census). The Expos found sledding tough in their early years, making just one playoff appearance (1981) despite numerous winning seasons. Bronfman sold the team to Claude Brochu in 1991, and after a tumultuous decade, Brochu sold a controlling stake to art dealer Jeffrey Loria in 2001.

How did Jeffrey Loria get out of his deal with the Expos?

For much of Montreal's existence, the team faced one overarching question: how would the team replace Olympic Stadium? The oft-derided building long overstayed its welcome for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and Loria quickly sought public funding for a new park. As attempts to replace Olympic Stadium dragged, MLB attempted to fold the Twins and Expos—a move only stopped by a successful court challenge. Amid this turmoil in Montreal, Loria sold the team to MLB and used the money to buy the Marlins—taking the Expos' resources with him.

How did the Expos get to Washington?

MLB's purchase of the team was effectively the ballgame for Montreal, but the years leading up to the team's relocation produced a slew of interesting what-ifs. First, in 2003 and 2004, the Expos split their home games between Montreal and San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium—routinely drawing better in Puerto Rico than in Canada. Along with San Juan, several non-Washington cities circled the Expos, with Charlotte and Portland discussed as contenders. Ultimately, the American capital won the Expos sweepstakes, and the team took on the name of several early Washington teams—the Nationals.

What is the legacy of the Expos' final years?

For many years, the legacy of the Expos' messy relocation seemed to be MLB's eagerness to avoid a repeat—but the Athletics' widely reviled, slow-motion departure from Oakland appears to have scuttled that. Montreal retains an appetite for baseball, as the Expos live on as a nostalgia item—"The DNA is still here even though they’re gone," documentary director Jean-François Poisson told 's Matthew Roberson Thursday. If expansion one day brings baseball back to Quebec, the Expos—as ever—will likely need to do something about Olympic Stadium, which somehow still stands on the eve of its 50th anniversary.