Chasing 159, Scorchers were bowled out for 97 on a tricky Showground surface

Tristan Lavalette13-Jan-2025Sam Konstas smashed a half-century on a tricky Showground surface before Sydney Thunder capitalised on reckless batting from Perth Scorchers to secure their place in the BBL finals.After being sent in, Konstas produced a fast start for Thunder before they were reeled in by Scorchers’ spinners until Tom Andrews blasted an unbeaten 37 off 13 balls at the death.Chasing 159, Scorchers had a horror show with the bat marked by the disastrous run-outs of Cooper Connolly and Sam Fanning as they were bowled out for 97 in the 18th over.BBL powerhouse Scorchers require a miracle to reach the finals after slumping to a fourth straight defeat.Sam Konstas was off the blocks in a hurry•Getty Images

Konstas fires, Andrews provides late lift

On a surface known for being sluggish and favouring spin, Konstas and fellow opener David Warner decided to go for broke against the new ball.They smashed 36 runs in the first three overs with Warner setting the tone with an early blow over the infield before being overtaken by Konstas.Konstas mixed elegant strokes with trademark inventiveness to race to 28 off 12 balls, but Warner’s dismissal in the last over of the powerplay triggered a collapse.Konstas could not find the strike as Thunder’s batters struggled mightily on a surface that started to become difficult to bat on. They didn’t score a boundary for almost 10 overs until Konstas cleverly reverse-swept Connolly’s left-arm spin for a boundary.He brought up his half-century off 40 balls with a dismissive boundary off speedster Lance Morris before holing out shortly afterwards. At 114 for 7 after 17 overs, Thunder appeared likely to fall well short of a decent total until Andrews unfurled several mighty strokes at the death.He finished the innings with a six down the ground in a final over that cost 25 runs – the most expensive of veteran Jason Behrendorff’s T20 career.Cooper Connolly bowled tidily on a surface with plenty of help for the spinners•Getty Images

Beardman debuts, spin takes over

Scorchers’ finals hopes received a blow after Jhye Richardson’s latest injury setback ended his BBL season.But it meant an opportunity for 19-year-old quick Mahli Beardman, who has been mentored by Dennis Lillee. A year ago he starred at the Under 19 World Cup and recently played in the Prime Minister’s XI two-day match against India in Canberra.He had a tough BBL initiation, entering the attack in the third over against Konstas and Warner. Beardman hopes to one day emulate Morris and bowl 150 kph, but he can already produce significant pace around 140 kph.Beardman was under siege against a rampaging Konstas, his Australia Under-19 teammate, who used his feet superbly to whack a slower delivery down the ground for six.But with the wicket slowing up notably after the powerplay, skipper Ashton Turner turned to his spinners and Connolly, Ashton Agar and Matthew Spoors delivered with three wickets between them.Connolly, whose bowling is slowly progressing, was extremely accurate and clean-bowled Sam Billings to finish with 1 for 16 off 4 overs. It was a tonic after Connolly was not not named in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad.Having taken 2 for 6 off 4 overs at this ground last season, Agar was again miserly with 1-14 off 4 overs while Spoors claimed his first BBL wicket after dismissing George Garton.Morris recovered from a tardy start to claim three wickets with fiery bowling touching near 150 kph. But Turner was left to rue not bowling out Spoors, who still had two overs left, with Morris and Behrendorff smashed at the death.Aaron Hardie was bowled by Tanveer Sangha•Getty Images

Sangha returns in favourable conditions

Playing just his third BBL game of the season, legspinner Tanveer Sangha had the ideal surface to make his return. He started nervously after a loose delivery was swept by Aaron Hardie to the boundary.But Sangha had his revenge with a flatter, straighter delivery that clean-bowled Hardie. He bowled tidily through the middle overs to suffocate Scorchers in tandem with offspinner Chris Green to finish with 1 for 18 off 4 overs.Green claimed a couple of late wickets to finish with 3-13 off 4 overs, while Andrews capped a fine all-round match with the wicket of Nick Hobson.

Hardie’s struggles continue

Allrounder Hardie started the day with good news after he was selected for Australia’s Champions Trophy squad despite a modest BBL season playing as a specialist batter.He came to the crease in the second over following the wicket of Finn Allen. Disaster struck when Fanning was run out at the non-striker’s end after Hardie had initially called for a single before changing his mind.The run-out seemed to rattle Hardie, who was edgy at the crease before smashing consecutive sixes on the leg side off quick Nathan McAndrew. But he was soon bowled for 22 – which was Scorchers’ top score – to trigger a collapse.Scorchers’ disastrous performance was summed up by Connolly, their leading batter this season, being run out attempting a second run after a direct throw from Hugh Weibgen at midwicket.Turner, who has rescued his team many times before, holed out tamely as Scorchers appear almost certain to miss finals for just the third time in BBL history.

The pair also put on the second-highest partnership in all men’s T20 cricket: 241

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025This morning, Litton Das was left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the Champion’s Trophy 2025. By the evening, he was taking his frustrations – if any – out on Durbar Rajshahi at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He slammed his maiden T20 hundred and batted through the innings for Dhaka Capitals, finishing on 125 not out off 55 balls with ten fours and nine sixes and a strike rate of 227.27. At his side for most of this was Tanzid Hasan, who will be going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The pair added 241 off 118 – the second-highest stand in all men’s T20 cricket – and Dhaka finished with 254 for 1, which is the highest total in the BPL.Related

• Litton Das: 'I was dropped because I wasn't performing'

• Litton and Shakib left out of Bangladesh's Champions Trophy squad

Litton got to his hundred off 44 balls, which makes it the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi player in men’s T20s, behind Parvez Hossain’s 42-ball hundred for Fortune Barishal in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in December 2020. He finished fourth on the list of highest scores at the BPL, behind two efforts from Chris Gayle and one from Tamim Iqbal.Rajshahi had elected to bowl in the game and it seemed like a sound decision when Dhaka got to 22 for 0 after four overs. But then Tanzid took 21 off a Sunzamul Islam over, and Dhaka never looked back. By the end of this over, the fifth, Litton was 10 off 9, but he got going in the next, the last of the Powerplay, hitting SM Meherob for 4, 6, 4 off consecutive deliveries.Litton Das got to his hundred off 44 balls, the second-fastest by a Bangladeshi in men’s T20s•Dhaka Capitals

Litton brought up his fifty in the ninth over, with a six off a no-ball. By the end of ten overs Dhaka were 115 for 0 and they just kept going. Tanzid also brought up his fifty with a six, off Ryan Burl to end the 11th. Litton continued the pair’s pattern of bringing up their landmarks with a boundary, getting to his hundred in the 16th with a four off Shafiul Islam.Tanzid completed the set in the final over, taking four first ball to bring up his hundred, before hitting Shafiul for six more and then holing out for 108 off 64 balls (six fours, eight sixes, strike rate 168.75).By then Dhaka already had the record for highest total in the BPL, and the wicket hardly slowed them down with Sabbir Rahman and Litton hitting one more six apiece to close out the innings on a dazzling 254 for 1.In response, Rajshahi quickly wilted, falling to 34 for 5 before an unbeaten 47 from Ryan Burl held off the inevitable. Eventually, they were bowled out for 105 in the 16th over, falling short of their target by 150 runs.

Former British Gymnastics performance director named as successor to Gavin Larsen

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2025Warwickshire have raided English football’s Premier League to fill their vacant performance director position. James Thomas, who is currently director of performance services at Manchester City, will make the move into cricket in June, succeeding Gavin Larsen in the role at Edgbaston.Thomas, who played rugby union professionally, was previously performance director at British Gymnastics for five years, and oversaw the sport’s push for medals at the Tokyo Olympics.His appointment comes in the wake of Warwickshire carrying out a high-performance review during the offseason, which led to the departure of men’s head coach Mark Robinson. In a new integrated structure, Thomas will have overarching responsibility for Warwickshire men, Bears women and the Birmingham Phoenix teams.Related

• Birmingham Phoenix appoint Shane Bond as men's head coach

• Robinson departs role as Warwickshire coach

• Larsen to step down as Warwickshire performance director

Warwickshire’s chief executive, Stuart Cain, said that Thomas’ expertise would be utilised to “create something special” at the club.”James is recognised in high performance sport as a real talent and has demonstrated ability to cross sports and quickly grasp what’s important in order to deliver success,” Cain said.”We wanted someone with real strategic experience of creating world-class, successful performance environments. He’s done that in football, arguably one of the toughest performance environments in world sport, and been equally successful with individual athletes in high-pressure Olympic sports.”He’s proved that he can move in to a new sport and quickly create a successful performance environment that leads to medals and trophies by developing the facilities and structures needed to create world-class players and teams.”The cricket leadership team has more than 200 years of technical cricket experience and 75 years’ experience of being a Bear. Combining this with James’ expertise will create something special.”He knows how to build teams as well as individuals that can handle high-pressure situations and deliver success. This was one of the areas of improvement identified in the recent high performance review.”Having worked globally, he also understands the impact of other leagues on domestic structures, something we really need to get our head around as franchise cricket develops.”The review also demonstrated our need to modernise the way we recruit and prepare for games with greater use of data and analysis. James has some really interesting ideas and plenty of experience in this space which will help us build more accountability and structure in to how we bring in and develop players, as well as create winning teams.”He’s also used to working with multiple coaches working across different disciplines in men’s and women’s sport. Another important consideration as he will be accountable for success across three different teams playing four different formats of the game.”I think James’ desire to become a Bear illustrates how the world of cricket is changing and professionalising as a global sport to rival football.”Although Thomas does not make the switch to Edgbaston until the summer, Warwickshire said he would spend time with the men’s and women’s squads in pre-season “as well as other leading names from the world of cricket” to prepare him for the role.Thomas said: “I am delighted to take on the role of performance director at Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Throughout the recruitment process I was impressed by the club’s desire to retain and celebrate its proud Bears culture, whilst embracing the opportunity to evolve and build a high-performance environment that’s capable of achieving sustained, long term success.”I am excited to meet the players, coaches and wider staff, as we look to work together to achieve extraordinary cricket performances in the future.”

Smith faced fast bowlers without issue in the nets two days out from the Grenada Test, and looks set to replace Josh Inglis, but he will have to field in outfield due to his finger

Andrew McGlashan01-Jul-20251:21

Smith ‘looking forward’ to second Test after injury

Steven Smith remains on track to make a return in the second Test against West Indies in Grenada, after his first full training session since suffering a compound dislocation of a finger against South Africa at Lord’s. But Australia will have to rejig things in the field to accommodate him not being able to stand in the slips.Smith spent a week at his apartment in New York while the Barbados Test was on and only had his stitches removed when he rejoined the squad. He will have to wear a splint for around six more weeks but the earlier confidence from both he and coach Andrew McDonald that he would be able to withstand the rigours of a Test appears to be bearing out.In perfect weather on Tuesday at the National Stadium, the first time any of this Australia squad have set foot in the stadium, Smith initially faced throwdowns from assistant coach Matthew Wade in the nets at the back of the ground before moving to the centre-wicket pitches. He faced further throwdowns and the spin of Nathan Lyon before switching to the pace-bowling net where he took on team-mates Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, although they were not operating at top pace given the short turnaround between games.Related

• Lyon passes on song duties but no end in sight of playing days

• Smith ready for the real stuff after passing baseball-cage test

• McDonald asks for patience as spotlight remains on Konstas

It’s understood that Smith came through the batting stint without problems. After leaving the nets, he had lengthy conversations with backroom staff including McDonald, selector George Bailey, and physio Nick Jones with some close attention paid to the injured right little finger and the splint Smith needs to wear.”He seems pretty confident,” Alex Carey had said before training began. “He’s excited to get back in. It’s been tough at the top of the order, so to add a little bit more experience is good for the group.”Assuming Smith does play, he will need to be managed in the field. He took some gentle slip catches after finishing batting but won’t be able to take his usual place in the cordon. He occasionally felt his finger during the remainder of the fielding drills.Australia are preparing their cordon on the assumption that Smith will play. Beau Webster remained at second during practice after fielding there in the first Test, and Sam Konstas, who was at short leg and in the outfield during the first Test, came into third. Starc also caught some balls in the gully where he may slot in should Cameron Green move to the slips at any stage. In the first Test, Usman Khawaja stood at first slip to Lyon. Significantly, Josh Inglis, who filled Smith’s spot at No. 4 in Barbados, did not practice in the slips.Smith averages an eye-watering 124.57 in Tests against West Indies, which includes an unbeaten 200 in Perth in 2022 and 199 at Sabina Park on the 2015 tour. The last Test he played against them he was opening the batting at Gabba where he was unbeaten on 91 when West Indies secured their famous victory.”He’s a quality guy, a quality player,” West Indies coach Daren Sammy said. “Australia is still strong [without him] because of the system they have. They keep on producing guys. But we’ve seen when we add pressure as a bowling group, we did get 20 wickets in the Test and that’s the first step towards winning. Steve Smith, if he comes in, poses a different challenge to us.”Steven Smith fell for 199 in last Test in the Caribbean in 2015•AFP

Sammy suggested West Indies may look to rejig their own slip cordon after spilling seven catches in the last Test, with Brandon King potentially moving to first, where he sometimes fields in white-ball cricket, and Roston Chase shifting to the gully although that is perhaps not an ideal position for a captain.”I think the biggest thing is we shot ourselves in the foot [in Barbados],” he said. “You cannot drop seven catches against the world’s No. 1 team and expect to compete. We have a lot of blame to take for the defeat, but there were also some positives… for the first two days, we were head and shoulders against the No. 1 team.”Signs two days out suggest that the pitch in Grenada would not be nearly as lively as one served up at Kensington Oval. It had an even covering of dry grass and was given another heavy rolling between the two training session.”We’ve played more white-ball cricket here,” Sammy said. “It’s normally a really good cricket wicket. [There’s a] much more even cover of dead grass. I trust in the groundsmen, with what they’re going to prepare. At the end of the day, you could have a grassy top or a flat deck, you have still got to be able to execute. That’s what our challenge is about.”

South Group leaders find a way as Kent are out-muscled at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jul-2025Somerset guaranteed themselves a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast with a five-wicket win over the Kent Spitfires at Canterbury.Riley Meredith took three for 19 as the hosts were held to a paltry 137 for 8 from 20 overs, Joe Denly their top scorer with 40.The visitors survived a mid-innings wobble, when they stuttered to 73 for 4 and were effectively five-down with Tom Banton unable to bat, but won with nine balls to spare. Tom Abell was unbeaten on 34 while Lewis Gregory top-scored with 37.Somerset chose the bowl and got the fastest possible vindication when Craig Overton bent Tawanda Muyeye’s middle stump backwards with the first ball of the night. In the next over Meredith sent Harry Finch’s off stump flying for one, but the visitors were dealt a blow when Banton suffered a hand injury and Tom Kohler-Cadmore had to take the gloves.When Meredith had Sam Billings lbw for 11 the Kent captain punched his bat in frustration and just as it looked like Chris Benjamin might be rebuilding with Denly, Gregory bowled him for 20.Denly pulled Ben Green to the sub Tom Lammonby at cow corner, and Lammonby took his second catch when Joey Evison swished Meredith to mid-wicket for five. It was 109 for 6, at which point there was a 23-minute delay due to dazzling sunlight.When play resumed Jack Leaning was run out by Jake Ball from a direct hit for 37 and Kent had to play the final over without a recognised batter. Wes Agar hit Green’s first ball for six but was then caught behind without adding to his score and although Nathan Gilchrist hooked the final delivery for six, the total looked meagre.The chase was more fraught than anticipated: Kohler-Cadmore went for just two, hoicking Agar to Finch on the square-leg boundary and Parkinson had Goldsworthy caught by Muyeye at deep mid-wicket for 14. Will Smeed was run out for 36 by Denly from cover, chasing a wildly optimistic single and at the halfway point in the innings the visitors were 62 for three and behind on DLS.Yet although Sean Dickson was lbw in the next over to Evison for 4, Abell and Gregory played sensibly before taking 13 off Denly in the 15th over.
By the time Gilchrist bowled Gregory for 37 in the 18th, Somerset needed just eight to win. Green levelled the scores with four off an Agar full toss and then scrambled a single to seal the win.Somerset remain clear at the top of the South Group table while Kent now have to win their remaining two games and hope other results go their way to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals.

It was Zampa’s first breach of the ICC’s code of conduct in a 24-month period

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025Australia legspinner Adam Zampa has been reprimanded for the “use of an audible obscenity” during the first ODI against South Africa in Cairns on August 19. It was his first offence in a 24-month period and he was given one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.The incident occurred in the 37th over of South Africa’s innings, when after a misfield and overthrow while he was bowling, Zampa was heard using “inappropriate language” over the stump microphone on the television broadcast.He was charged under article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an International Match.” There was no need for a hearing with the match referee Andy Pycroft as Zampa admitted his mistake and accepted the sanction. Level 1 offences have a minimum penalty of a reprimand and a maximum of a 50% fine of a player’s match fee, along with one or two demerit points.Australia lost the first ODI to South Africa by 98 runs. Zampa took 1 for 58 in ten overs in the game. The second and third ODIs are in Mackay on Friday and Sunday. Australia won the preceding T20I series 2-1.

Since the third season in 2025, the MLC has opted for a window in June-July that ensures no clash with other competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2025The fourth season of Major League Cricket (MLC) will be held from June 18 to July 18, 2026. Like the previous edition, the six-team competition will feature 34 games in all.But even with the Season 4 dates now out, there is no public confirmation from USA Cricket (USAC) on whether it has revoked the termination of its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the owners of the league.The confusion has left USA players concerned, as recently stated by Corey Anderson, who is the operational director of USA Cricketers’ Association, which is not recognised by USAC.Since the third season in 2025, MLC has opted for a window in June-July that ensures no clash with other global franchise competitions, allowing for a bigger pool of talent to tap into. Originally a 19-match tournament in 2023 that expanded to 25 matches in 2024, the competition has been a 34-match event since 2025. MLC is set to avoid a clash with the Hundred for the second successive year. The Hundred’s dates have not been publicly confirmed but ESPNcricinfo understands it will run from July 21 until August 16.”Season 3 showed that demand for top-tier cricket in the USA is real and accelerating,” Johnny Grave, MLC chief executive, said in a statement. “MLC is winning new fans, followers and viewers throughout the USA and around the world. We’re delivering on our promise to grow the game across the USA and build relations with new and existing commercial partners.”According to MLC, ACE is now targeting ten international standard venues by 2030 with investments upwards of US$ 150 million committed.The six teams participating in the event are Los Angeles Knight Riders (owned by Knight Riders Group), MI New York (Indiawin Sports), San Francisco Unicorns (Anand Rajaraman, Venky Harinarayan), Seattle Orcas (GMR Group, Satya Nadella, S Somasegar), Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings, Anurag Jain, Ross Perot Jr) and Washington Freedom (Sanjay Govil). The MLC is also planning to add two more teams by the 2027 season, with a move to Canada also being explored.The 2025 edition was won by MI New York, their second title in three seasons, defeating Washington Freedom by five runs in the final.

Wood has been contracted for one year and Ferdinands for two

Madushka Balasuriya04-Oct-2025Sri Lanka have hired Julian Wood and Rene Ferdinands as batting coach and spin-bowling coach, respectively, of their men’s national team. They will replace Thilina Kandamby and Piyal Wijetunge in the roles.Kandamby had been Sri Lanka’s batting coach since December 2023, while Wijetunge has been a fixture at SLC having been in the role of spin-bowling coach since February 2006. It is understood that the decision to shake up the coaching staff was taken after Sri Lanka’s T20I series defeat to Bangladesh at home in July.Wood has been given a one-year contract. Earlier this year, he had conducted a week-long “power-hitting programme” with Sri Lanka’s national players and impressed SLC during his brief stint. In August, he was named Bangladesh’s batting coach on a short-term contract, but they had opted not to extend it upon its conclusion in September.He has previously worked with the ECB, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Middlesex, and Punjab Kings.Ferdinands will be in the role for two years, where he is expected to “lead spin bowling training, match preparation, performance analysis, and player development”.”Holding a PhD in biomechanics from the University of Waikato, Ferdinands brings extensive expertise in applying science to enhance cricket performance,” an SLC statement said. He has previously worked at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy, “delivering biomechanics-based coaching programmes for elite players and coaches”. “A specialist in both wrist and finger spin, Rene has also served as a biomechanics consultant for New Zealand Cricket, carrying out performance evaluations and injury-risk assessments for leading bowlers.”Whether it’s scoring rates or six-hitting frequency, Sri Lanka have been closer to the bottom than the top of the table over the past decade, while their spinners have frequently struggled to produce results on flatter tracks. SLC will be hoping that the appointments of Wood and Ferdinands address these concerns.

According to Starsport, via The Star, West Ham striker Javier Hernández expects to be gone come the end of the week. 

The Mexican has been rumoured to be returning to La Liga, with Valencia looking like the leading contenders to get his signature.

The 30-year-old has made just seven Premier League starts this season, managing four goals in the process, but has not been a favourite of Manuel Pellegrini’s at the London Stadium. Indeed, he has not bee a favourite during his entire spell in east London since joining from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen.

This would have been a deal that would have filled many West Ham fans with trepidation over two weeks ago, as the club were in a precarious position. With star man Marko Arnautović’s future in doubt throughout January, The Hammers could have been in a situation whereby they lost both of their leading strikers.

However, with the news that the Austrian has signed a contract extension, putting to bed fears of him leaving this January, there will be slightly less pressure on The Irons to keep hold of the Mexican.

With Andy Carroll and Lucas Pérez still at the club, Pellegrini can let Hernández leave the club this week, knowing that Arnautović will still be his main man. This allows the former Man United and Real Madrid striker to ply his trade elsewhere and try and get more game time this season.

What was once unimaginable at the beginning of the month has now become a departure that West Ham can live with.

Yesterday we looked at the Fantasy Premier League bandwagons and whether you should buy or sell that player. Now, we are keen to find someone who isn’t currently a popular choice, or as the FPL world calls them, the differentials.

There are few reasons why bringing in a ‘hipster’ choice will reap you rewards. One is, of course, if they are successful they will accumulate you points that nobody else will have. And secondly, you could find your team value increasing because you brought in a player before their price rose due to flurry of managers trying to jump on the bandwagon.

With the big news that Bournemouth star Callum Wilson has picked up a long-term injury, many managers are looking for a differential replacement to the 5.8 priced attacker, while the sudden drop of Joseph Gomez to the Liverpool bench has also caused concern in many back-lines.

Will you go for a mainstream option? Or possibly make a calculated bet and bring in one of the three differential options we are presenting to you.

Here are THREE fantasy football differentials ahead of game week eight…

Eric Lamela

Wow we must be crazy to urge you to sign Erik Lamela (6.8) after his last few seasons, but if you’re going on recent form the Argentina international is almost at the top of his game right now.

Lamela scored one and assisted another in their massive 4-1 victory over Manchester City, but it’s not just a flash in the pan, because he was impressive in their win over Sunderland and also scored in the Europa League on Thursday.

Owned by just 1.1% of managers, can this season finally be the break-out campaign for Spurs’ record-breaking signing?

Daniel Sturridge

If Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants to save his job, he will need Daniel Sturridge to perform in the next few games… which could benefit those brave enough to bring in the 10.5 priced striker into their Fantasy Teams.

Sturridge already put two goals against Aston Villa last weekend, but although the fixture list is not that kind for the Reds with Everton (Away), Spurs (Away), Southampton (Home), and Chelsea (Away) in the next four, the England international is undoubtedly their best goalscorer and could be fixture-proof.

If he gets a few goals in this run, he won’t be owned by just 3.8% and he’s definitely going to be much costlier by gameweek 14.

Mame Biram Diouf

Stoke finally got their first win of the season last weekend against Bournemouth, and it was a slightly injured Mame Biram Diouf (6.5) that won the game coming off the bench.

The Potters striker already has three goals in six games this season, and with fixtures on his side [Aston Villa (Away), Swansea (Away), Watford (Home), and Newcastle (Away)], Diouf has plenty more opportunities to continue his run before the games become tougher for the Potters.

With the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan Krkic playing around him, the 2.6% owned Senegal international will definitely get chances and we are backing him to score against Villa (who conceded 9 goals the last 4 games) this weekend.