All posts by h716a5.icu

Ross Taylor has revealed he had not been able to pick up the swinging ball for “two or three years” before he had eye surgery 16 months ago

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin06-Mar-2018Ross Taylor is seeing the ball well again. In every sense. Since returning from eye surgery just over a year ago he has played as well as at any stage of his career.Late in 2016, Taylor underwent an operation to remove a pterygium – a small benign growth – from his left eye. He was back in action at the end of January last year and has been racking up the runs: 408 at 81.60 in a small hand of five Tests and 1260 at 57.27 from 27 ODIs.It was not that his form prior to the surgery had fallen off a cliff – far from it; he hit his 16th Test century in his last innings before having the eye sorted – but he had noticed problems in the field, particularly during day-night ODIs, and admitted he had not been able to see the ball swinging when he batted.”It was a gradual thing so you didn’t notice it as much,” Taylor said. “It’s nice to see the ball swing and during day-night games, not to fear it. A lot of times in day-night games you didn’t want to the ball to come near you in the field and that’s not a great place to be when you are playing cricket.”In hindsight it would have been nice to have the operation two or three years earlier. At the same time, has it made a big difference? It’s hard to tell, you are older and wiser as well which makes a difference.”Seeing the ball swing from the hand, I hadn’t been able to see that for two or three years. But you are still human, get good balls and play poor shots so hopefully I can eliminate that as well.”Taylor remains a vital cog in New Zealand’s middle order. He scored a masterful century in the opening match against England at Seddon Park to help secure victory and New Zealand would probably have won in Wellington had they had his experience alongside Kane Williamson.He was forced to sit out with a quad injury sustained, Taylor says, after multiple blows to the leg in the preceding days, starting with the match in Hamilton, then training at Mount Maunganui before a third one from David Willey during the second match. He was run out in that game and said the injury played a part in him “turning like the titanic.”Since then he has done everything he can to recover, including undergoing acupuncture, and he is now ready to rejoin forces with Williamson. “It’s been an interesting week after the win in Hamilton,” he said.New Zealand actually made their best start of the series in Wellington, reaching 80 for 1 before collapsing against Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. In the first two matches they had laboured to 28 for 3 and 34 for 2 off their opening 10 overs.”There’s no use going out there helter-skelter and being four for spit then playing catch-up all the time,” Taylor said. “Hopefully I contribute to that. We need to get off to a good start, set the platform and we know we are a good side when we have wickets in hand.”England’s death bowling from Chris Woakes and Tom Curran, which closed out the Wellington match, was impressive after luck went their way with the run-out of Mitchell Santner backing up. Woakes is England’s senior man in that role, but Eoin Morgan showed faith in Curran, who claimed 5 for 35 against Australia in Perth to secure another win, and he kept his nerve with his slower deliveries after Williamson had lofted him down the ground to reach his hundred.”I’ve done it a lot of times in training and I’ve had time to implement it in games at Surrey and a few games for England so it’s just about going out there and backing myself,” Curran said. “It’s very satisfying to see it come off.”Taylor was watching from the sidelines as Williamson couldn’t quite get New Zealand home and said it can often become a battle of wits at the end of an innings.”You don’t try to look too far ahead, try and have two or three boundary options. You can get a bit of a read on a bowler, that’s why you scout before the game but you can also get a feel during the match. At the end of the day the bowler still has to execute and you make them try and step away from their game plan.”New Zealand need to knock England off their stride in Dunedin. With Taylor’s return it is possible to see it happening.

Tottenham Hotspur have cruised through almost all of their Premier League matches thus far to open the season, but face a very difficult task this weekend as they travel to bitter rivals Arsenal.

Perhaps Ange Postecoglou, in an effort to add some more steel to his front line, could be best served unleashing Richarlison from the start once again.

How did Richarlison play vs Sheffield United?

Having started their clash last weekend with Sheffield United on the bench again, he was forced to watch his side endure a profligate game play out as he sat on the sidelines.

Patiently waiting until he was called upon, the Brazilian entered the field with just ten minutes left, seemingly with a determination to prove everyone who had rushed to criticise him wrong. After all, in the run-up to the clash, the 26-year-old had captured great media attention for admitting his mental struggles and the psychological help he sought to employ.

So, it was likely a welcome sight for most to see him head home a late equaliser to snatch what they thought would be just a point. However, he was far from finished.

Collecting a neat inside ball of Ivan Perisic, his outside-the-foot pass found Dejan Kulusevski, who would cut inside and fire home the winner. A quick turnaround completely instigated by Richarlison.

Having suffered greatly since moving to north London for a whopping £60m, perhaps handing him a solid run of starts off the back of such a performance could help hand him the show of faith needed to earn some consistency in front of goal.

Who should Richarlison replace?

Given he would score just one league goal in the whole Premier League season last year, it bodes well that he has scored again just five games into this campaign.

As a man who simply could not find the net no matter what, journalist Danny Hall even sought to mock one effort he had in an EFL Cup clash with the blades, suggesting rather than worrying the goalkeeper it instead "threatens the corner flag".

The £90k-per-week finisher clearly thrives off the backing of his manager though, outlining one experience with Marco Silva which helped him feel at ease and ready to develop: "He is always helping me out and I’ll continue to improve. Everyone can see my development here at Everton. Marco Silva has been really important in this aspect, he will show me videos of my performances, what I’ve done well and what mistakes I’ve made and how I can correct them."

However, if Richarlison is to earn a recall, one of the dangerous front four must drop out.

Although Heung-min Son struggled to shine on the weekend, his place is likely never really in threat due to his captaincy. Then, with Kulusevski scoring the winner, it would be harsh to then drop him too.

5

2

2

8.10

2

0

2

7.37

5

2

0

7.40

5

3

0

7.72

3

1

1

6.88

Therefore, perhaps the South Korean could return to his more natural left wing, where he has terrorised the Gunners in the past on numerous occasions, allowing the former Everton marksman to replace Manor Solomon and start up front.

After all, they are unlikely to boast the control they have enjoyed in other matches with a visit to the Emirates. They need battlers, and people willing to rise to the occasion and give their all to claim something from the match.

So, who better than the hard-working ace with a point to prove and a chip on his shoulder? For his own confidence to build on his recent display, Richarlison must start.

The Australia women captain has said her team will respond better to pressure against a resurgent Indian side ahead of the first ODI in Baroda

Annesha Ghosh in Baroda11-Mar-2018While they have never lost an ODI series against them, it’s unlikely Australia will have forgotten recent reversals at the hands of India. In January 2016, an emergent Indian side picked up their maiden T20I series win over Australia. Eighteen months later, Harmanpreet Kaur ran amok in Derby to turn Australia’s World Cup campaign “to custard”.As she prepares to resume captaincy duties, a fit-again Meg Lanning insisted that Australia have long buried ghosts of the past, and are a more “evolved” unit that is raring to outdo a “tough opposition” on their home turf.”India are definitely up against a team that will respond better to the pressure they put on us in the semi,” Lanning said on the eve of the three-match ODI series-opener in Baroda, where she’ll be making her first international appearance since Australia’s exit from the World Cup.”There’s no doubt that that loss [in the World Cup semifinal] hurt us, and we learned a lot from that and we do feel like we are in a better space now as a team. We’ve improved on some things, we have to come out here and play really well. We’re looking forward to testing our skills in tough environment.”Acknowledging team changes during the multi-format Ashes as a rectification of fielding a batting-heavy XI at the cost of a frontline bowler at the World Cup, Lanning exuded confidence in how the side has shaped up since landing in India on March 3. Besides their emphatic warm-up victories over India A, Lanning pinned her optimism on the uncapped talents – allrounder Nicola Carey and left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux – roped in via the WBBL.”We’re blessed with a number of all-round options now,” Lanning said. “We knew going into that World Cup, it was one way or the other, team balance wasn’t right. Best teams evolve and learn from their mistakes. That’s something we have done really well. Opportunities for some of us to step up in this series. We’ve picked a number of players in good form from our WBBL competition.”Lanning also sounded confident about the team’s ability to cope with two new balls on their first assignment in the subcontinent, given the swing the Australian bowlers enjoyed during the practice matches. Echoing Lanning’s thoughts, head coach Matthew Mott said: “Agree, we’re blessed with having a bit more of a crack at it domestically. I think our players have got their head around it, how to respond in the field.”Mott acknowledged the progress made by the Indian side, and said the series would boil down to winning clutch moments. “I think they have been a strong side for a long time. It’s been great to see the profile of some of the Indian players expand. Unfortunately, we were on the back end of the victory. I think for the world game, it’s been very exciting to see some household names there, and India’s woken up to what women’s cricket can bring to the sport. There’s going to be no quarter given in those couple of games. Whoever takes those critical moments will end up on top.”As confident as India would be following their successful South African tour, Harmanpreet Kaur, the vice-captain, was wary of the impact Lanning’s return would have on the visitors. “She’s got this knack of scoring big, so the team is greatly dependent on her,” she said. “That’s her plus point. So, it’s a big advantage for them. Lanning and [Ellyse] Perry have done really well against us in the past. Our main focus would be on these two. And there’s [Elyse] Villani, too. Theirs is a strong side, so we need to keep an eye on pretty much everyone.”Even more, India would be wary of their fielding, which has been up and down. The South Africa tour featured a spectacular Jemimah Rodrigues catch and an airborne Smriti Mandhana stop in the deep, but also missed stumpings and seven dropped catches. Besides, their lower order has tended to cave in under pressure, when the top four have been dismissed early.”I know we have not been consistent in the [South Africa] series with our fielding,” Tushar Arothe, the India head coach, said. “But Biju [George] sir is working really hard at it, and we’ve made plans – assigning different positions to different fielders to give them confidence – and I’m expecting positive results from them.”Our lower-order batting is pretty weak. Given our top order has been getting the job done, our lower order hasn’t quite got enough opportunity. But it’s an important aspect we’re focused on. Since I’ve taken over, every member in the squad has been getting time to bat [in the nets]. In South Africa, too, we created match situations, where all the team members batted. This is a concern we are well aware of, and hopefully, in the coming years, things will get a lot better.”Arothe expected the batting-friendly pitch at the Reliance Cricket Stadium, with scant grass cover, to assist the quicks only in the first 30-45 minutes, but the absence of the injured Jhulan Goswami may give Australia a chance to test the hosts’ pace contingent.”All these years, Jhulan has been doing extremely well, but at the same time, Shikha and [Pooja Vastrakar] need to carry the weight, especially Shikha Pandey. We have always played with 2-3 fast bowlers, like you must have seen in South Africa, we went in with three fast bowlers. That’s a bit unusual for the Indian side. But this is what we did and we were successful. So we’ll take a look at the wicket tomorrow and take a call as to whether or not we should go in with two or three fast bowlers.”

The 42-year old worked with his former national team-mate Daniel Vettori at Brisbane Heat and has also held roles with reigning IPL champions Mumbai Indians and the England Ashes side

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2018Former New Zealand quick Shane Bond has quit Brisbane Heat to take up the role of head coach with Sydney Thunder on a three-year contract. He has taken over the role from Paddy Upton, who ended his association with the team last month after four seasons.Bond, who worked with his former national team-mate Daniel Vettori at Heat, has held roles with reigning IPL champions Mumbai Indians since 2015. He was also England’s bowling consultant during the most recent Ashes series.”The chance to lead a programme at a club which is full of great people on and off the field was very appealing,” Bond said. “I want to win trophies and have a squad of players and coaches that other teams are envious of. There’s some exciting young players in the Thunder squad as well as some experienced old bulls, if we can blend that together we’ll have a successful team. I’m looking forward to getting to Western Sydney and meeting the players and everyone in the organisation.”The 42-year old represented New Zealand in 18 Tests, 82 ODIs and 20 T20Is before retiring in 2010.”It’ll be sad to say goodbye to the Brisbane Heat, they’re a great franchise who have been very good to me,” he said.”I’ve been a bowling and assistant coach for eight years, but you’re always thinking about how you’d do things yourself if you were leading a side. I love to coach, not just manage people and I enjoy making players better cricketers. The supporters are very passionate in Sydney and hopefully we can play some good cricket for them to get behind.”Thunder general manager Lee Germon said Bond was equipped to coach at the highest level.”Shane is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading bowling coaches and I have no doubt he is ready and equipped to be a head coach,” Germon said. “He has extensive T20 club and international experience and he has shown all the requirements for contemporary, world-leading, T20 coaching.”Thunder finished sixth in the recently-concluded season with four wins from ten games.

Newcastle United did not win at the San Siro this week, but the goalless draw against AC Milan marked a return to the forefront of the European game following so many years mired in mediocrity.

Indeed, the Magpies had spent two decades away from the Champions League before the PIF club takeover rewrote the narrative on Tyneside, with the subsequent appointment of manager Eddie Howe proving to be a masterstroke of equal distinction.

While a fleeting trip to continental competition did occur in 2012, built on the unforgettable 2011/22 campaign under Alan Pardew, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse wreaking havoc on hapless Premier League defences, this proved to be a one-time date and the subsequent campaign proved unsuccessful, finishing 16th.

The Magpies would suffer relegation before seeing the upper echelon of the English top flight again, but now, the club are poised for a lasting position among Europe's elite, boasting affluence and diligence to ensure the increments continue to be made.

It all could have been so different, however, with one Luka Modric nearly signing for the Toon way back when, before joining Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur instead.

Had the Croatian midfielder made the move, it all could have been so different, with years of malaise replaced by a sustained spot in and around European contention.

Did Newcastle nearly sign Luka Modric?

According to former Magpies manager Sam Allardyce, he was pushing to sign Modric from his homeland outfit of Dinamo Zagreb before despised owner Mike Ashley pulled the plug in 2008, citing concerns over the somewhat exorbitant price tag.

He said: “I was then on the way to getting Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb, but by then, Mike saw the scale of the full debut and put the clamps on, so I had to make do with Geremi from Chelsea.”

Geremi, aged 28 at the time, joined the Magpies in his stead and proved to be a colossal failure, notoriously receiving harsh rebuke from an angry St. James' Park faithful against West Ham United in 2009 before joining Besiktas for just £1.5m after failing to impress.

Modric would likely have been a transformative signing, stopping the club from suffering relegation in 2008 and instead instilling confidence and quality throughout the squad.

Ultimately, it was Tottenham that won the race for the highly-rated prospect, beating competition from Newcastle – as well as Arsenal and Chelsea – for his signature and completing a £15m transfer in the summer of 2008.

How good was Luka Modric at Tottenham?

Today, Modric is a prominent name and one of Europe's foremost midfielders, but when Spurs took a punt on his precocious skill set, he was an unknown, if talented, commodity.

Across four campaigns, the ace would make 160 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 17 goals and supplying 25 assists, integral for his side and praised by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009, who said that "he could play in any team."

The 168-cap international (staggering numbers, right?) never saw his Premier League match rating drop below an impressive 7.30 across his final three campaigns in English football, as per WhoScored, with his pass success rate always above 86%.

Chelsea attempted to sign him in 2011, with Modric even handing in a transfer request to force through a move, but Daniel Levy proved characteristically obstinate, refusing to allow him to join such a heated rival.

However, this ended his Premier League career, with the calling of pre-eminent European juggernauts Real Madrid resulting in his £30m sale, beginning an illustrious journey that has yet to drape the curtain.

Is Luka Modric one of the greatest midfielders?

Undoubtedly, Modric is not just one of the finest midfielders of his generation, but one of the greatest players across any position, captivating in his seamless, effortless ball-playing skills.

A player of superlative technicality and undeniable class, he has been heralded as a “legend of the game” by the likes of writer Usher Komugisha.

Despite now perching in his twilight years, aged 38, the phenom still ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 2% for shot-creating actions and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

A maestro and bona fide prodigy, in 2018 Modric proved to be the first man not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or since Brazil icon Kaka gleaned the prestigious honour in 2007.

Champions League (x5)

Ballon d'Or (x1)

LaLiga (x3)

FIFA Best Men's Player (x1)

Copa del Rey (x2)

UEFA Best Player in Europe (x1)

FIFA Club World Cup (x5)

Croatian Player of the Year (x5)

Spanish Super Cup (x4)

UEFA Super Cup (x4)

A born leader and a "world-class" sensation – as he was dubbed by journalist Liam Canning – Modric was the centrepiece, winning the Player of the Tournament, as Croatia came second at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and was once again integral last year as the European nation came third in Qatar.

Had Newcastle succeeded in securing Modric's signature, they might have nurtured a star with a bigger legacy than Paul Gascoigne, who is revered as one of the finest players to ever don the Toon shirt.

'Gazza', as he was affectionately known, was one of the most exciting, mercurial players to have ever graced the English game, with Barcelona legend and current manager Xavi once saying he's "one of the best midfield players" he has ever witnessed.

Born of ridiculous talent but plagued by off-field troubles, Gascoigne completed 104 matches for Newcastle, his boyhood club, before departing for Tottenham in 1988, where his career really took off.

Winning only one FA Cup with Spurs and several honours in Scotland with Rangers, the one-time England international might be held in the highest regard by those on Tyneside but given Modric's tremendous career, awash with honours of all shapes and sizes, he might just have eclipsed Gascoigne had he joined the club, especially as he might have kept the club up and contributed instrumentally on the European stage.

It's a career soaked in success, having won countless club honours with Los Blancos, catalysed Croatia's exploits in the most prosperous era of the nation's history and even been the man to halt the unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi from adding to their abundant Ballon d'Or accolades, Modric is truly a legend.

It's a shame Ashley didn't see the value in securing his services all those years ago. Just imagine what might've been…

Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement is hanging on to his job by the thinnest of threads.

The 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park a couple of weeks ago should have been the final straw, yet he was still in charge for the clash against Hearts in the Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the Light Blues winning 3-1 at Tynecastle, courtesy of two own goals by Jamie McCart, the performance was hardly anything to be proud of.

Not only did Hearts create more big chances (five vs one) and take more shots (21 vs 15) during the game, but they also took more corners (ten vs seven) and made more passes (422 vs 385) during the match than the Ibrox side.

They were certainly extremely lucky to come away from the capital with all three points, that’s for sure.

Several players failed to perform to the levels we have seen over the previous few weeks, notably Hamza Igamane. The striker failed to get a shot on target throughout the game, while completing only 15 passes and taking 49 touches of the ball.

Since his goal against Aberdeen last month, the youngster has been a shadow of his former self in front of goal, failing to score since.

The manager will be hoping Danilo can recover from his injury swiftly to give the Moroccan star a rest, perhaps taking some pressure off of him.

Danilo hasn’t exactly endured the best of times since joining Rangers in the summer of 2023, but when fit, there is plenty to admire about his game.

Danilo’s Rangers statistics

Michael Beale spent a lavish sum of money on signing the Brazilian centre-forward from Feyenoord, around £6m to be exact.

For this outlay, the Ibrox faithful were expecting someone who could slot straight into the starting XI and make a huge difference in the final third.

Under Beale, he started just three times for the Gers, scoring just three goals, and it looked as though it was yet another waste of money, especially when he spent weeks on the sidelines after suffering a broken cheekbone in September 2023.

Under Clement, Danilo began to show the form expected of him, netting three goals and grabbing five assists, although disaster struck in December as a knee injury sustained against Hearts kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Despite taking longer than usual to return to full fitness, the 25-year-old scored six goals along with recording three assists between August and the start of January.

Against Aberdeen last month, Danilo suffered a shoulder injury and this has kept him out ever since. These setbacks are hampering any progress the striker is making on the pitch, which in turn, prevents him from building up consistency.

When healthy, there is no doubt Danilo is the finest centre-forward at Ibrox, but he is of no use when on the treatment table.

The Light Blues have sold their fair share of strikers since Steven Gerrard took over way back in 2018. Some have struggled since leaving Glasgow, while others have sparkled, fulfilling their potential outside the pressures faced at Ibrox.

Ryan Hardie certainly belongs in the latter category, enjoying a wonderful career south of the border.

Ryan Hardie's time at Rangers

Hardie came through the youth ranks at Rangers, going on to make his senior debut for the club during their spell in the Championship, scoring twice in just five games in 2014/15.

Spells on loan at Raith Rovers (14 goals), St Mirren (three goals) and Livingston (15 goals) between 2016 and 2019 did allow him to gain plenty of game time at senior level, but it became clear that he wasn’t going to make the grade at Ibrox, despite his talents.

As such, Gerrard sold the Scottish forward to Blackpool for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2019.

Hardie hasn’t looked back since…

Ryan Hardie's record since leaving Rangers

His initial spell with Blackpool was hardly a success, netting just once in 12 appearances for the club, but a move to Plymouth in January 2020 turned out to be a match made in heaven.

Since that move, Hardie has scored an impressive tally of 69 goals in 237 games for the club, helping them secure promotion back to the Championship during the 2022/23 season.

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2024/25 (so far)

29

7

2

2023/24

45

13

4

2022/23

54

17

4

2021/22

45

19

5

2020/21

51

6

7

2019/20

25

8

0

His first in the second tier produced 13 goals in 44 matches as the Pilgrims retained their status in the Championship. While he struggled to get going under Wayne Rooney earlier this term, new coach Miron Muslic has brought out the best in the 27-year-old.

Indeed, across his previous four matches, Hardie has netted five goals, including a stunning winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup a few weeks ago.

Scottish content creator Kai Watson hailed the former Gers striker after the clash against the Premier League title challengers, stating that he is now “thriving” following the change in the dugout.

Overall this season, he has scored seven goals for Plymouth in 29 games, chipping in with two assists.

If he maintains this current form, there is no reason why he cannot break through into double figures, while helping his club move up the table in the process.

These seven goals are also a bigger tally than what Danilo has recorded so far this season. That’s not to say Hardie is better than the Brazilian, which would be rather disingenuous given the circumstances, but it proves that perhaps Gerrard should have given him a chance.

If so, he might have proven the former Liverpool captain wrong and remained as a squad player.

His move down south has worked out better than anyone expected, especially after a rough start at Blackpool.

Where Are They Now

Under Muslic, Hardie has the opportunity to push on and become even better.

Rangers loanee who left in 2022 is now worth 2421% more than Lyall Cameron

One of the best players in the Premier League this season was on loan at Rangers not that long ago, so how has this youngster risen to stardom?

ByBen Gray Feb 14, 2025

Azhar Mahmood, bowling coach, warns that fast bowler’s workload must be managed across all three formats of the game

Melinda Farrell at Malahide13-May-20180:52

Mahmood calls on Pakistan to manage Amir’s workload

Mohammad Amir was forced from the field with a “chronic” right* knee injury late on the third day at Malahide, a development that will be the cause of some anxiety within the Pakistan camp not only as they look forward to the end of this Test but two more against England.Amir first went off the field after a three-over opening burst, with what appeared to be a slight limp. He came back out soon after, however, and though he was walking gingerly, he eventually came on to bowl again. Two balls in, however, he got into a discussion with captain Sarfraz Ahmed and though it looked as if Amir was suggesting that he finish his over, he eventually walked off. Medical staff will assess the injury after treatment overnight before deciding if he is fit to take part in the rest of the match, though initial assessments suggest it isn’t serious and that he could bowl tomorrow.”He has got a chronic knee problem which has slightly flared up,” said Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s bowling coach. “Hopefully, he will be okay tomorrow to bowl for us. He’s having treatment and hopefully tonight we will do a bit more treatment, tomorrow morning, ice as well, so he will be fine.”According to Mahmood, it has been a recurring problem for the fast bowler and it will do little to alleviate concerns about Amir’s long-term future in five-day cricket. Amir has spoken of wanting to manage his workload in the future with the help of a rotation policy that allows him to sit out occasional Tests.That concern comes from having bowled more international overs than any other Pakistan fast bowler since Amir’s return to international cricket in January 2016, a return after five years out. And though it has been over six months since Pakistan’s last Test and Amir has played plenty of cricket in between, this is now twice in two Tests he has gone off with an injury – against Sri Lanka in Dubai it was a problem in his right shin that forced him off.”Yes, you can say that because unfortunately he came back after five years and since he came back he played every format for us,” Azhar said. “We have to manage his workload as well so maybe that’s a sign for us to in the future to see where he stands and we’ve got a bunch of young guys coming up and we want to have Test bowlers separately to the one-day and T20s, so we are working on that and hopefully we can come up with something.”Mahmood emphasised that keeping Amir in Test cricket is Pakistan’s greatest priority.”We want him to play Test cricket because he is our No.1 bowler and we want him to run in and bowl for us. Workload – I have seen a lot of fast bowlers and their body can’t take it, so they just manage to play one format or two formats, but for him it’s a concern for us but hopefully we will manage his workload in the future.”Frustratingly for Amir and Pakistan, the injury occurred just as he was bowling probably his best spell of the tour so far. He got more swing as Ireland followed on than he did in the first innings, though his luck had not returned – two more catches were spilled off his bowling in that burst, bringing to 16 the number of missed chances off Amir’s bowling in his last 17 Tests.*3.15pm, May 14: this story was amended when the PCB clarified that the problem was with Amir’s right knee having originally said left

Aston Villa made their return to European football this season as Unai Emery's side qualified for the group stages of the Europa Conference League.

The Villans are competing in Europe after solidifying their status in the Premier League following their promotion back to the top-flight in 2019.

Former Villa boss Dean Smith deserves a lot of credit for the part he played in the club's route back to the big time as the ex-Brentford boss led the team to promotion during the 2018/19 campaign and then achieved survival in the 2019/20 season.

Emi Buendia

£33m

Ollie Watkins

£29m

Leon Bailey

£27.5m

Danny Ings

£25m

Wesley

£21.5m

The English head coach, as shown in the table above, was backed in the transfer market by NSWE throughout his time at Villa Park, as he was able to splash the cash on a number of attackers to bolster his squad at the top level.

There is one player, however, that Smith may look back on and be thankful that he did not spend big money on to bring to the club as they have since gone on to flop in England – Milot Rashica.

Were Aston Villa interested in Rashica?

Deich Stube reported, via Sport Witness, that Aston Villa were prepared to meet Werder Bremen's €25m (£21m) asking price for the Kosovo international in the summer of 2020.

The outlet, however, claimed that the player was not convinced that a move to Villa Park was the right one for his career as he wanted to play Champions League football, rather than compete in a relegation battle for Smith's side.

Rashica ended up staying with Bremen and did not complete a transfer to the Premier League that summer, with Deich Stube's report suggesting that the reason may have been down to the player's reticence to fight relegation.

Villa's interest in the exciting winger came after his impressive performances for the German side in the Bundesliga throughout the 2019/20 campaign.

He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 across 28 top-flight outings and contributed with eight goals and five assists from a wide position. That came after his return of nine goals and five assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances during the 2018/19 season for Bremen.

Rashica had proven himself to be a reliable provider of goals and assists in a major European league, without playing for one of the biggest German clubs, and that left Villa and Smith willing to pay around £21m for his services.

Who signed Rashica from Bremen?

The Kosovo star stayed with the Bundesliga outfit for another season before he finally completed a move to the Premier League to join newly-promoted Norwich City in 2021.

Daniel Farke's side reportedly spent £9.4m to sign the winger after Bremen were relegated from the top-flight of German football at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

This, immediately, showed that Villa had a lucky escape as his value plummeted by £11.6m within the space of a year, thanks to his team's relegation and his poor performances on the pitch.

Rashica scored three goals and provided one assist in 24 Bundesliga matches throughout the 2020/21 season after Villa's initial interest in him.

This led to a move to Carrow Road to join Norwich, who had just been promoted from the Championship, and his performances for the Yellows left a lot to be desired.

How many goals did Rashica score for Norwich?

Rashica went on to score two goals in 40 appearances for the Canaries in all competitions before his eventual exit from England earlier this year.

The 27-year-old whiz's crack at Premier League football did not go to plan as he faced back-to-back relegations, with Bremen and then Norwich, after seemingly turning down a move to Villa in fear of a possible relegation battle before those two seasons.

Ironically, he did end up working with Smith as the ex-Villans boss replaced Daniel Farke in November 2021, which meant that the ex-Bundesliga star endured a fight against the drop in England with the former Bees boss as his manager, one year after he turned the prospect of that exact scenario down.

Rashica played in 31 of Norwich's 38 Premier League matches as they were demoted to the Championship and failed to prove himself to be a consistent performer at the top end of the pitch at that level with one goal and two assists in total.

How much is Rashica worth now?

Besiktas swooped to sign the Kosovo international from the Canaries for a fee of €5.25m (£4.5m) during the recent summer transfer window.

This means that he is currently worth around £16.5m less than the initial £21m that Villa were prepared to spend on his signature three years ago under Smith.

His value dropped after a dismal season of Premier League football with Norwich and then a year on loan with Turkish giants Galatasaray.

Rashica scored four goals and assisted six in 26 league matches throughout the 2022/23 campaign with the Super Lig side but that was not enough to convince in any teams from a major European division to snap him up.

Norwich lost £4.9m on the £9.4m they spent to sign him from Bremen in 2021 and had a big howler with the former Vitesse star as his performances on the pitch were not good enough to keep them in the Premier League and they lost out on millions overall.

Therefore, Smith, who could not avoid Rashica with the Yellows, managed to dodge what would have been a big blunder for the Villans by failing to convince the forward to join his team in 2020.

The 27-year-old dud flopped in England and his displays for Norwich suggest that he would have struggled on the pitch for Villa if they had managed to sign him for £21m, which would have made him a terrible signing for the club.

Smith also went on to sign Bertrand Traore from Lyon to bolster his wide options for the 2020/21 campaign and the Burkina Faso international produced seven goals and seven assists in 36 league outings for the Villans.

This suggests that the club ended up with a superior option on the flanks as the ex-Chelsea man contributed to far more goals than Rashica did in his season in the top-flight with Norwich.

Jason Roy was a contented man after his fifth ODI hundred, but Shaun Marsh had only bittersweet memories to take away from Cardiff

Melinda Farrell at Cardiff16-Jun-20181:18

Social story: England take 2-0 series lead

Jason Roy described his century in Cardiff as “probably my favourite” after he paved the way for England’s victory in the second ODI against Australia. Roy’s 120 off 108 balls was his third highest score in the 50-over format and was a welcome return to the scoresheet for the opener after his second-ball duck at the Oval.It was a mature display from Roy, who said he was particularly happy with the way he had paced his innings and changed through the gears.”I had a long discussion with Thorpey [Graham Thorpe] after I got out and just said it was probably my favourite innings as far as how my tempo was throughout the innings,” said Roy. “Just the way I knuckled down early, it was quite difficult and I went through some difficult patches but then came out the other side.”Obviously I wanted to start expanding my game but unfortunately I got out. But I was still happy nonetheless.”It was a big aim for me to come after a long winter and to start well on home soil. Obviously we had the hiccup against Scotland and then the first game I was a bit panicky, a bit wary, of where my game’s at, but I put in a lot of hard work over the past few days and got a few rewards today.”Shaun Marsh’s swashbuckling century had given Australia an outside chance of successfully completing their highest-ever run-chase but, once he was bowled by Liam Plunkett, England were able to clean up the tail.”I guess it’s bittersweet,” said Marsh. “It’s nice to get a few runs but, yeah, I was obviously disappointed with the result. We couldn’t quite finish it off at the end there.”It’s obviously a disappointment for us. We felt like we were in the game right until the end but unfortunately we just weren’t good enough today. We’ll have to be better in a few days’ time.”Marsh said he believed Australia will go into the third ODI with the same batting line-up used in Cardiff. D’Arcy Short was brought in to open with Travis Head, while Aaron Finch was dropped down the order to bat at No. 5. Without David Warner and Steve Smith in the side, this tour has very much been an exercise in experimentation as Australia try to settle on their best combination.”I think it was about the balance today,” said Marsh. “Putting Finchy in the middle order was trying to strengthen the middle order a bit more with the experience that he’s got. I’m not sure what they’ll do for the next game. I think they’ll stay the same.”

Fans aimed more taunts at Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from suspension during Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League clash with Al-Ain.

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Ronaldo frustrated by fan chantsTargeted by more Messi jibesOnly just back from suspensionWHAT HAPPENED?

Chants of 'Messi, Messi, Messi' were audible as players left the pitch at half-time of the 1-0 Al-Nassr defeat. Ronaldo himself appeared visibly frustrated and was seen shaking his head, either from how the game was going or the noise from the crowd.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo was banned for one Saudi Pro League game after appearing to react with an offensive gesture to fans to similar 'Messi' chanting when his team played Al-Shabab – he missed last week's costly 4-4 draw against Al-Hazm as a result. The 39-year-old was also fined 30,000 Saudi riyals (£6,300/$7,995).

DID YOU KNOW?

Al-Nassr have never won Asia's Champions League, finishing as runners-up in 1995. Al-Hilal, who are set to beat Al-Nassr to this season's Saudi Pro League title, have won two of the last four editions.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO & AL-NASSR?

A nine-point deficit on Al-Hilal is likely too much to make up over the remaining 12 games. But if Ronaldo wants to break Al-Nassr's Champions League duck and join a select group of players to win continental titles on two different continents, it will require overturning the 1-0 aggregate score-line when Al-Ain visit Saudi Arabia in the quarter-final return leg on March 11.