All posts by n8rngtd.top

In the end, whether Howard does or doesn’t get the job–the fact is that there are many, many people better suited to the job

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013

The nomination of John Howard is an act of severe short-sightedness
© Getty Images
Gideon Haigh has made himself a name for writing spanking pieces taking apart moral and economic flaws in the cricket fraternity. Unfortunately, his case for John Howard wasn’t one of them. It’s a fine piece in its own right, filled with Haigh’s typical bafflement at the hypocrisies and short-sightedness of some of the world’s most vocal bodies–yet it fails, I’m afraid, to make a case for the much-maligned Howard.First of all, let’s get the prerequisites out. What Howard was as prime minister of Australia really doesn’t matter; the way and pattern he went about his work does, as that is what will be transferred to the ICC should he become vice-president or president. What he said or didn’t say about Murali doesn’t matter, either; it’s his personal view, and though it may be mind-numbingly frustrating for some fans (myself included) to have to continually beat a dead horse every time Murali grabs a seven-for, Howard is entitled to his opinion.Nor is the fact that he can’t bowl to save his life of any consequence–mere knowledge and awareness of his responsibilities as an ICC official should suffice, and he is at least academically aware of cricket norms.Indeed, it can be argued that his outsider rank is a strength and not a weakness, seeing as it removes a significant chip from his shoulder. But the fact remains that he is in no way qualified whatsoever for the job either. Those who attacked him as a racist or politician were indulging in ad hominem, trying to break their opponent’s case by attacking his character instead of the issues at hand.The temptation to expose their hypocrisy must have taken over, but instead of presenting a case for Howard’s candidature Mr Haigh only attacked the double standards of the opponents; the subtitle to his piece, saying that Howard’s opponents “are not exactly shining examples of rectitude themselves”, signifies as much.The fact is that there is a broadly divided view on Howard, and most of it is, unfortunately, not positive. To overcome that Howard would have to be a shining example of level-headed diplomacy, firmness and cool–yet his chuntering, in-your-face manner while leading his country suggests otherwise. His regular forays into the world of cricket went beyond endearing–that was a John Major, or a Robert Menzies–to simply tasteless. He is, unfortunately, seen in some parts of the cricket world as a divisive influence.The fact is that from all the wonderfully capable administrators who surely must exist in the Anzac realm–that capable former NZC administrator, Sir John Anderson, springs immediately to mind–choosing Howard, whatever the hypocrisy of the nay-sayers, was almost mind-blowingly short-sighted. You may as well have appointed George W Bush head of FIFA–he may be a hell of a nice guy personally and his politics may have nothing to do with his views on the sport, but the fact is that people don’t like him.To overcome that he would have to be a genius at management–and that, unfortunately, is not evident either. Howard would have to change his public image dramatically–and serenading India, unfortunately, won’t be enough. Indeed it is a sign that instead of standing up for the Anzac divide, Howard may just end up pandering to the hulking Indian board. In the end, whether Howard does or doesn’t get the job–the fact is that there are many, many people better suited to the job, and the nomination is an act of severe short-sightedness.

Gautam Gambhir talks about how the IPL has changed over the years, how KKR’s key players have performed this season, and what keeps him motivated

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi10-May-2017Another good IPL for you personally as well as for the team?
Yes, you can say that. But personal things do not matter. We still have to qualify for the playoffs. Yes, it is always good to contribute, but the most important thing is where we finish on the points table. That is more important to me than how many runs I score.It was not an easy beginning. It is tough when you lose a player like Andre Russell. It is very difficult to replace someone with his abilities, especially with the kind of the firepower he used to provide at No. 7 – bowling at 140-plus was always an advantage – and he is an unbelievable fielder. Still, we should be pretty happy with where we are at the moment. Having said that, in two recent matches we got outplayed by two individual performances. It was not teams, but David Warner and then Rahul Tripathi who outplayed us in successive matches.Your strike rate so far this season is your highest in any season since 2012. Has there been a conscious effort to push it up?
Strike rates depend on the surfaces you play on. The surface we used to play on at home was different to now. In the previous seasons, we played seven matches on a surface that was slow and low. Playing on a low surface is always difficult for anyone to play their strokes. You need to be more of a grafter. But now since the surface has changed and the ball comes on much quicker, you can play through line.It also depends on your mindset: what you are looking to do, how you are looking to approach each season. I have always thought that it is important for me to be positive because, as I said, since we do not have someone like Russell to finish off matches, I have to be really proactive up front in the first six overs. So, yes, there was a conscious effort on my part.What kind of role did you assign yourself: play the anchor or the aggressor?
You ought to start by feeling positive, especially in those first six overs, when you can cash in a lot. And after that, depending on how your partner is batting and what kind of form he is in and what total you are chasing or planning to set as a target, you decide who bats through and who plays the aggressor. At one stage Robin [Uthappa] fortunately had been hitting the ball really well and taking a lot of pressure off me. So I could be the aggressor in the first six and then maybe try and bat till the 15th over to try and set a platform for the lower middle order to take over. So your partner helps you decide what kind of role you want to perform.

“In previous seasons, we played seven matches on a surface that was slow and low. But now since our home surface has changed and the ball comes on much quicker, you can play through line”

Do you know you are also the second-most* successful IPL captain in terms of win percentage, only behind Rohit Sharma (among those who have captained in at least 60 matches)?
Doesn’t matter. It is all about how many titles we win. [But] it is good, because I have always believed that it’s the team that helps me be successful. Yes, you can try and give them the best environment, you can try and give them a lot of security as well, by not chopping and changing too much. But it does make me happy, because I am not too much of a stats man.So no one told you about that stat?
Honestly, no. I don’t even know what my strike rate is this IPL. You are the first one to point that out.When you sit at the auction table, don’t the stats matter?
For me they don’t. I genuinely do not even see the stats. It is just about the ability of the individual, what he brings to the table is all that matters. Three years back, Russell’s stats were absolutely shocking. But we always thought he could be one of the most dangerous T20 players or could be the best allrounder in the world. At that stage, had I seen his stats, he could have gone unsold. I can’t expect Russell, who is batting at No. 8, to have an average of 30-35 in T20s. I would rather have him get a ten-ball 30-odd, and give me four overs with the ball.Perhaps that might explain your open-mindedness as captain, and willingness to experiment with strategy. For example, opening with Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn.
When we decided to play Chris Lynn this year, we thought we needed to get the best out of him, and the best way was to make him open. Yes, there was this thought that why do we fix something which is not broken. Me and Robin have done really well as an opening pair, but I always thought it is not about the individual. It is about where you can get the best out of an individual.Lynn had to bat in the top order so Robin had to go down. What Lynny did in the first two games was unbelievable. We don’t have that much firepower with Russell not being there, so we wanted to go really hard up front.It was unfortunate that Lynny got injured. We wanted to continue the same momentum. Obviously it was difficult to go as hard as Lynny was going. Sunil batting at No. 8 or 9 wasn’t giving us anything, especially as he was not able to face many deliveries. So if we could promote him and he could give us whatever little bit of momentum in the first six overs, that could help Robin as well – coming at No. 3, he could take his time. It helps me take my time as well, rather than both of us going hard straightaway. I could settle down in the first two or three overs while Sunil plays the aggressor.”People keep asking me about Narine’s mystery, but I have always felt that mystery is something which will only stay for a couple of seasons. You’ve got to have that quality to be consistent”•BCCIDid you tell Robin?
Obviously. There is nothing wrong. I’ve batted at No. 3 or 4 for the team. It is not about where individuals want to bat. It is about where the team wants you to bat. Individuals should not be having any choices. You are playing a team sport, so the team comes first. We thought that we could get the best out of Sunil by opening the batting with him. There are times when it backfired, when he did not get that many runs, but overall I am pretty happy with what he has delivered.With such a strategy, isn’t there a danger of becoming predictable, as oppositions know what Narine is there to do?
That’s fine as well. Bowlers will always be under pressure, because Sunil has nothing to lose. When the bowler is under pressure, he will end up bowling defensively rather than looking to take wickets. It can be an advantage for us. And the thing is, if you lose Sunil early, you don’t lose too much. If you lose someone like me or Robin, then it is a big loss. If Sunil can give us 20 or 30 quick runs and we end up losing him, we haven’t lost too much.You bought three fast bowlers at the auction, possibly because of the re-laid Eden Gardens pitch, which supports bounce and seam movement. Your top three wicket-takers this season so far are fast bowlers. So has your strategy proved to be correct?
We realised last year that our fast-bowling attack was becoming too one-dimensional. There was Morne [Morkel and Jason Holder. Umesh [Yadav] got injured. So there was not enough pace in our attack. Sometimes having pace is an advantage because someone bowling 145-150kph can be a wicket-taking option. We thought we needed variety as well. So Nathan Coulter-Nile and Trent Boult could provide that variety. The surface was a factor. Spin used to be more dominant in the previous seasons; now it has more carry. Yes, you prepare your team according to the home conditions, so it was a strategic decision.How much of a difference has Coulter-Nile made?
He is a pretty quiet guy. Take his very first match, which he was playing after a year, coming out of a stress fracture. It was at four o’clock and Delhi was absolutely boiling. To win the Man-of-the-Match award shows his character and mental toughness. The way he bowled at Eden when we got RCB out for 49 – it was the game-changing spell for me. He got Virat [Kohli] and AB [de Villiers]. Bowling at 148-149kph was unbelievable. When you see someone bowling at pace, it gives the confidence that we can rattle opposition. Really happy that we have someone like him. He is one of the best white-ball bowlers I have seen. He is someone who can swing it up front and bowls yorkers consistently at the death.

“I genuinely do not even see the stats when picking a squad. Three years back, Russell’s stats were absolutely shocking. But we always thought he could be one of the most dangerous T20 players”

Chris Woakes has been Knight Riders’ leading wicket-taker so far this season. How do you assess his performance in his first IPL season?
Colin de Grandhomme is our batting allrounder. Chris Woakes is more of a bowling allrounder. If you want to replace someone like Russell, you need two people to actually replace him. Woakesy, it is a little unfair on him because he has batted at No. 8, where he has not got too many balls to face. He is a good batsman who needs to take his time. He comes in when there are hardly two or three overs left.But he has bowled really well. It is always tough to bowl first-change, especially in the Powerplay, when you are bowling the fourth or fifth over, when batsmen are willing to take you on. Opening the bowling is still a little easier than bowling first-change in the Powerplay. And it is his first IPL as well. The way he has handled the pressure, bowling those tough overs initially and then at death, he has been very good.In the past, Narine was the go-to bowler. But this season he has endured possibly his worst IPL, in terms of average and strike rate. Yet you have persisted with him.
You need to keep in mind the conditions at all venues. Earlier there were two places where it used to spin: Chennai and Kolkata. This year, apart from Imran Tahir, who is a wristspinner, not a lot of spinners have got too many wickets.Stephen Fleming, coach of Tahir’s team (Rising Pune Supergiant), said that teams had failed to read the conditions well in the initial phase of this IPL. Do you agree?
Look at the surfaces as well. The conditions at Chennai and Eden, especially in the second innings, it used to turn. But this year, on most surfaces the ball has not spun at all. But even if Narine has not got too many wickets, some of the spells he has bowled have been game-changers for us. Bowling four overs for 16 or 20. The oppositions, I feel, have decided not to give him a wicket. They want to just play out his overs and then attack from the other end. So you have to give it to him, the kind of consistency he has shown over the years, which has been unbelievable.He has planted doubt in batsmen’s minds over the years.
Exactly. That is what he has done. People keep asking me about his mystery and stuff, but I have always felt that mystery is something which will only stay for a couple of seasons. You’ve got to have that quality to be consistent and to be able to carry on for so many seasons. That is what he has shown – he is a quality bowler.”I don’t know how to play a switch hit. I have never attempted it even in the nets. I have never reverse-swept either. My game is too conventional”•AFPDespite the consistency the Knight Riders have displayed, there have been instances, as you pointed out, when individuals like Warner or Tripathi have trumped your plans. How do you guard against that in the rest of the tournament?
This is the only format in which an individual can take the game away from you. That is expected. But you’ve got to be careful. Things can get out of your hand and at the same time you can wrest control back very quickly in T20. You can get the momentum back with two or three good overs.I still remember against RCB we were 70-odd for 1 after six overs. And we were all out for 131. When I got out after six overs I was expecting us to get 180-190 easily. We were bowled out in the 20th over. So things can change very quickly. What happens is, batsmen are always looking to score runs, they are always looking to be aggressive, so there is always an opportunity for a bowler to strike.People say that T20 is a batsman’s format, but I am a very strong believer that it is a bowler’s format as well. A bowler knows he has 24 deliveries and that there is an opportunity every ball to strike. Twenty-four deliveries, 24 opportunities. Because if you ask me as a batsman, my mindset is: I’m always looking to score runs, I’m always looking to strike hard, I’m always giving an opportunity to the bowler to get me out. It is not like I am looking to be subdued and rotate strike. Very few times does that happen.Is there a big change you have seen in ten years of IPL?
One big change, in fact, has been in the field placements. People have become far more innovative. In 2008 it was very conventional. We never had fields like three points and a deep cover and a long-off. There always used to be a short third man, a backward point and a cover – a more conventional field. There was a time when teams placed four fielders on the off side and the rest on the leg side.There is a range of different strokes as well. I don’t remember in the first two or three years batsmen playing so many switch hits. Okay, people used to whack the ball out of the ground, but that was done the conventional way, not the unorthodox way. Look now: people lapping, reverse-lapping, scooping, switch-hitting. With different strokes, there have been different innovations and different field placements, which has made it very exciting. But it has also made it tough for the batsmen.I feel getting runs in the first three years of the IPL was far easier than it is now. The reason is, bowlers have become smarter, have different game plans and have different field placements. They come round the wicket, bowl wide yorkers, have different variations, bowl different slower balls, the knuckleball.

“People say that T20 is a batsman’s format, but I am a very strong believer that it is a bowler’s format as well. As a batsman, I’m always looking to score runs, I’m always giving an opportunity to the bowler to get me out”

Batsmen have also started treating the first four or five overs as if they are playing at the death.
Exactly. When I joined KKR the first year [2011], our game plan was to get 40-45 in the first six overs, try and get to 100 by 15 overs with wickets in hand and then go hard in the final five. I still remember when Jacques [Kallis] was there as opener. We used to say, in our conditions, let us score at seven an over till the 15th over and then try and get 50 in the final five overs and get to 160, which we always thought, with our bowling attack in home conditions, would be a good score. Now, sometimes 200 is not a good score. People have become far more fearless, far more innovative. This is what IPL has done.All this means more headaches for a captain. What do you when Warner switch-hits Narine repeatedly?
Yes, he kept switch-hitting. Bowlers do not expect batsmen to switch-hit consistently. The only thing you can do is try and set a different field. If I want to bowl a good delivery I would looking at the conventional shot, not the unorthodox shot. And when someone like Warner is playing an unorthodox shot, you try and work with your field placements. Sometimes you just have to stand and applaud a batsman.You don’t play the switch hit. Why not?
I don’t know how to play a switch hit. I have never attempted it even in the nets. I have never reverse-swept either. My game is too conventional. That is how I was brought up. I don’t even sweep that much.Growing up, I was told by my coaches that the sweep is the last option you have against spin. If you can try and use your feet, if you can use the depth of your crease, you don’t need to sweep. But now I have realised it is always good to have another shot in your armoury. If I have to, I might do it in T20 when you have to slog-sweep and lap, but these strokes do not come to me naturally. I would never try and do it in 50-over cricket, unless it is a compulsion. I would hate doing it in first-class cricket.At 35, your drive is as strong as it was when you played for India for the first time. What keeps that passion strong?
I love winning. Winning for me is everything. Winning makes me happy, makes me satisfied, makes me be at peace. I just want to win, irrespective of what platform I play. Nothing else keeps me hungry. Nothing else makes me work hard.*After the loss to Kings XI on May 9, Gambhir is now the third-most successful IPL captain, below Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. This interview was conducted before that game.

Dale Steyn at the top of a run up is like staring into the eyes of a man with a knife in his pocket and a snarl in his voice in a dark alley late at night; it’s just not pleasant and Steyn knows it, and he knows when to use that attitude

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers02-Feb-2013Dale Steyn woke up far earlier than usual this morning. His girlfriend is pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles and he needed to Skype call her before she went to sleep.After they chatted, he prepared for a day’s Test cricket. When he got to the Wanderers, he “dominated” the warm-up football match, which left him feeling pretty good about the day ahead. Not 6 for 8 good, not 49 all out good, just good. But, that’s how good it turned out to be.With a high-quality, sustained assault of swing bowling, Steyn led the South Africa attack in one of their most skillful displays yet. His performance was that of an alpha-male, commanding a pack of hounds that came at the opposition like it had not eaten for months.Dale Steyn’s intent has been described in many ways in recent months. Most commonly it is said to be reflected in his “angry eyes” but in reality it is on show in everything from the spring in his stride to the vein-popping in his arms. Steyn at the top of a run up is like staring into the eyes of a man with a knife in his pocket and a snarl in his voice in a dark alley late at night. It’s just not pleasant and Steyn knows it and he knows when to use that attitude.Apart from having the ability to crank it up when the team needs him to, like he did at The Oval against England and in Perth against Australia, it seems Steyn can also sense weakness and it spurs him on. An example of that was seen as recently as last month. With New Zealand standing on one leg at 47 for 6 in Port Elizabeth, Steyn returned on the third morning to take three wickets in three overs and completely cripple them.With Pakistan it was different. “It’s not like they were jumping and darting around like lower-order New Zealand players,” Steyn said. And it was not only their tail that Steyn trimmed. “It was the first time in a long time that I got wickets upfront. Getting the tail out is what is expected of the strike bowlers but I was pretty chuffed with being able to get wickets at the top as well.”Because conditions suited him from the get-go, Steyn could charge in at Pakistan right away. With humidity in the air, swing was going to be a factor and he found it easily. Swing at pace is difficult for the best batsmen and when dealing with it in foreign conditions, it is only more challenging.Dav Whatmore acknowledged that his team was simply undone by bowlers with greater ability than their batsmen could match up to. “I have never seen two hours of relentless pace bowling like I did today,” Whatmore said. “They just never took the pressure off. It was a combination of a difficult pitch and incredible bowling.Faf du Plessis at the end of play one day one said the South Africa batsmen could not identify which of the Pakistan bowlers to target. The same can be said of opposition line-ups every time they come up against South Africa; Steyn does not go about his work alone. While he was impossible to take a run off today and bowled 46 dot balls out of 49, Philander was equally difficult to get away. Morne Morkel has been the same; his economy rate has shrunk from 3.66 runs per over in 2006 to 3.18 in 2012. That may sound marginal but it means that if he bowls 20 overs in an innings he would concede 64 runs instead of 73.Then, when Jacques Kallis comes on, it’s not to offer relief. He still bowls quickly, often touching 140, and finds swing. The same caution needs to be applied when facing him as compared to anyone else in the attack. Today, that was evident. That leaves the spinner as the one to score runs off and in this innings, Robin Peterson didn’t even bowl.The level of competition within is so high that it can sometimes seem as though they are not taking on the batsmen but each other and Steyn alluded to it. “King Kallis bowled very well; Morne, even though he did not take any wickets was hitting the gloves all the time,” he said. “Everybody wants to do well.”One minute you’re out there and then you’re back in the changeroom watching the batters bat again. The moment goes by pretty quickly and that’s why we really want to enjoy our cricket now, enjoy the moments.”Maybe that sense has been developed because they know tough moments will also spring up, as they did yesterday. Apparently subsequently, this morning was the first time in the past few months that Graeme Smith addressed his team them before play.”There is maturity in the group and we don’t need to be told when someone has done the wrong thing, but today Graeme asked to talk to us for two minutes,” Steyn said. “He told us that he wants a 100% day from all of us and that if we do that, we could dominate the day.”We saw that if we give 100%, we can take the game away from the opposition. When this team puts its forces together, we are tough to beat.” And today, Pakistan learnt that.

Australia’s impatience to find the rare, effective allrounder in recent years hasn’t resulted in much gain

Jacob Astill, Sydney08-Apr-2013The allrounder is cricket’s rarest of commodities, for he is a player good enough to hold his place in the side as a batsman or bowler alone. His skills are made valuable because he does , meaning the side he’s playing for can bolster its weakest suit with an extra player if needed. It’s little wonder, then, that international sides all around the world will bend over backwards to try and accommodate a world-class allrounder in their XI. In recent times, however, a disturbing trend has emerged in Australian cricket. Players are being picked not on their skills as allrounders, but simply because they allrounders. Now when this leaks through to the Test team, it becomes more detrimental to the side than helpful, because players are being picked without any experience and temperament, or runs and wickets behind them.The Australian allrounder obsession is a quite recent development. The country’s Test history has been accentuated by performances from some of the greatest all-round cricketers the world has seen. Names like Keith Miller, Jack Gregory, Monty Noble, Richie Benaud, and Alan Davidson spring to mind. These players were picked because of their all-round skills of course, but first and foremost because they could hold their place in the side as a batsman or bowler alone. Benaud and Davidson, two of the iconic cricketers of the 1960s, were in the side because they were among the best bowlers in the world, with the fact that they could score valuable middle-order runs a bonus rather than a necessity to their selection. Perhaps only Keith Miller of the aforementioned list can be classed as a proper allrounder, and is quite rightly mentioned in the same breath as Garry Sobers, Imran Khan, and Ian Botham.But for the modern Australian side, there is a direct link with the performances of one Andrew Flintoff during the 2005 Ashes series. Flintoff was one of the deciding factors in the series. Not only did he deliver with important wickets and runs, he won England decisive moments over those five Tests, allowing them to knock off one of the most indestructible teams ever to have taken the field. Since then, Australian selectors have been searching high and low for the next Flintoff, investing in the careers of players who are not necessarily within the best eleven cricketers in the country. Let’s call this the ‘Flintoff Effect’.Australia have been searching for a magical allrounder since Andrew Flintoff’s exploits in the 2005 Ashes•Getty ImagesThe two most recent examples of this are the debuts handed out to Moises Henriques and Glenn Maxwell on Australia’s disastrous tour of India. The point isn’t that these players played, but that from the start of their careers they were earmarked as game-changing allrounders. Maxwell, to date, has only played a handful of first-class matches (none on spinning wickets like in India), while Henriques has been in the New South Wales’ state team for seven years, and has only scored a single first-class century, that too in the recently concluded Sheffield Shield season. Quite simply, Henriques and Maxwell were taken to India on the basis of reputation or talent, rather than for being proven allrounders in the prime of their career who had spent a couple of seasons dominating the Australian domestic scene. And this was at the expense of a specialist batsman, which meant Matthew Wade or Brad Haddin had to bat at No. 6, thereby causing the batting line-up to be fragile. If not for useful contributions from lower-order batsmen like Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc throughout the series, the outcome could have been even more embarrassing.Henriques and Maxwell are the most recent in a long line of so-called allrounders that have played Tests for Australia since the Flintoff Effect took hold. Victoria’s captain Cameron White toured India last time as a leg-spinning allrounder, despite rarely having enough faith in himself to bowl in state cricket, while Andrew McDonald and John Hastings got debuts because their skills with the bat supplemented their honest (at best) medium-pacers. And Mitchell Johnson? Surely the only reason he is still hovering around the Australian side is because he scored a Test century once, since he’s definitely not counted among the best dozen quicks in Australia, let alone the best four.But the biggest beneficiary from the Flintoff Effect has to be Shane Watson. Watson was earmarked from a young age as being a world-class allrounder to take the Aussie side to the next level. He debuted against Pakistan in 2005, with modest results, and proceeded to spend the next few years injured. But it was his comeback against, incidentally, the English in the 2009 Ashes series that saw the Flintoff Effect at work: during this series, Watson was picked for the third Test at Edgbaston as an opening batsman, despite having very little experience as anything other than a middle-order bat in first-class cricket. Watson was added because he was deemed too valuable to leave out of the side, but the selectors couldn’t justify shuffling a settled middle-order to accommodate him. So Phillip Hughes’ fragile confidence was sacrificed.Watson performed honestly throughout this series, and has since become a mainstay of the Australian side. However, four years down the track, Watson, who now plays as a specialist batsman, has only scored two Test hundreds, and averages in the early 30s since his last ton back in 2010.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line

Jos Buttler’s 89 off 56 in vain but Royals will have a second shot at the title in Qualifier 2

Shashank Kishore24-May-20222:41

Manjrekar: ‘Chahal bowled the tough overs, but Ashwin was slightly disappointing’

A man who wasn’t snapped up until the fag end of an exhaustive two-day auction was front and centre of Gujarat Titans’ dream run into the IPL final, which will be played at their home ground in front of possibly 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad.David Miller, enjoying his best IPL returns since 2013, channeled the spirit of Carlos Brathwaite by going 6, 6, 6 in a sensational final-over take down of Prasidh Krishna as Titans made no fuss in polishing off the 16 runs they needed off the final over. Miller remained unbeaten on 68 off 38, and his partnership of 106 with Hardik Pandya, who made a subdued unbeaten 40, ensured Titans were always ahead of a chase of 189. They eventually got home with three balls to spare and with seven wickets in hand.Buttler starts, Samson sustainsJos Buttler laced three boundaries off Mohammed Shami early on to give Royals the push they needed to overcome the early loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Samson then came out and batted like a man possessed, standing upright and striking the ball on the up. Clearing his front leg and swinging through cleanly, he hit three fours and two sixes off his first 10 deliveries. His first non-boundary run came in the seventh over. It told you of his intent to give his team the extra runs they may have needed to deal with the dew that was expected later in the evening. Samson raced to 30 off 13 as Royals made 55 for 1 in the first six overs.The slowdownButtler slowed down, initially because Samson took on the aggressor’s role. Then Rashid Khan, who had a favourable match-up against Englishman – four dismissals, strike rate of 60 – had him all at sea with his bag of ripping googlies and legbreaks. Having bowled three overs on the trot for 12, Rashid paved the way for R Sai Kishore to remove Samson to further dent the Royals. Rashid finished with an economy rate of 3.75, mostly because of his genius, but also because the opposition only had six specialist batters and they couldn’t afford to take too many risks.2:41

Manjrekar sees shade of Dhoni in Buttler’s innings progression

The finishFrom the end of the third over to the start of the 15th, Buttler failed to hit a single boundary. And then they came in torrents. He hit left-arm seamer Yash Dayal for four fours in the 17th. The second of those, with Buttler on 43, would’ve been straight down Hardik’s throat at long-off had he not slipped. Two balls later, he raised a fifty off 42 balls. It wasn’t until the 19th over that he hit his first six, and it was quite a hit as he cleared his front leg and walloped Shami way over long-off. The last five overs went for 64, Buttler alone hitting 52.Titans rocked earlyThe Titans lost powerplay maverick Wriddhiman Saha for a duck when he nicked Trent Boult in the first over, but quickly recovered with Shubman Gill and Matthew Wade’s calculated assault. Gill triggered a surge when he took on R Ashwin in the last over of the powerplay. He began with a six over extra cover, before flicking him for two more boundaries as Titans ended the first six on 64 for 1, their highest powerplay score of the season. Gill looked peerless until his innings ended courtesy a mix-up with Wade as he tried to keep strike. Wade, who initially turned for a second, froze to leave Gill stranded. To make matters worse, Wade also fell two overs later as Titans were 85 for 3 in the 10th over.Miller, Hardik see Titans homeMiller and Hardik took calculated risks and peeled off risk-free runs including a 14-run final over from Ashwin that consigned him to 4-0-40-0, his worst figures this season. Titans needed 50 off the last five, but weren’t allowed to break free as Chahal and Obed McCoy kept things tight. McCoy was especially effective with his bag of slower deliveries, and Chahal varied his pace and lengths to bowl a tight 18th that left Titans needing 23 off 12. Miller’s ability to pick boundaries covered up for Hardik’s struggles on what Samson described as a “sticky wicket”. McCoy’s tight 19th that went for just one four meant Royals had the cushion of 16 in the final over. But Miller had other ideas. He went 6,6,6 to give Titans a ticket to their dream finale.

Angelo Mathews’ career is in transition, and he is steadily coming to terms with his new role with both Sri Lanka and Pune Warriors

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Apr-2013He smiled at the question. After a moment’s consideration, he spoke about Sri Lankan players not being allowed to play in Chennai during the IPL. “There is a bit of a situation in Chennai and we have to refrain from going there. Politics and sport don’t mix. We need to concentrate on our cricket and not worry too much about things happening around. If this was an issue between the two countries we wouldn’t have been playing in the IPL,” the Pune Warriors captain Angelo Mathews said.Mathews’ response wasn’t as thoughtful as what his Sri Lanka team-mate Kumar Sangakkara expressed. But neither was it a casual response to what was a serious question. Had he been just a player, he may have shrugged off the question. But since he is captain, Mathews spoke responsibly.For Mathews, 2013 has been a year of transition as a cricketer. After Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara decided to pass the baton to a younger cricketer, Mathews was picked as the man to replace them as leader. He was a long-term choice, who could provide stability. These were the key factors the selectors had in mind while appointing him ahead of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had led Sri Lanka briefly a couple of years ago.Mathews led Sri Lanka in the Test and ODI formats during the home series against Bangladesh. He did not disappoint, despite Sri Lanka losing their first-ever game to Bangladesh on home soil in the drawn ODI series.Mathews blamed his bowlers for the defeat, but signs of his inexperience were evident when he showed impatience with bowling changes during the preceding Test series. But Mathews is willing to accept his and his team’s shortcomings, and that’s a good sign. On Friday, after the dispiriting defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mathews admitted his batsmen had played “too cautiously” and “choked” chasing a small target. So how does he rectify the error? How does he tell the senior trio of Yuvraj Singh, Marlon Samuels, and Ross Taylor that they need to play more responsibly?”You’ve got to stay calm as far as possible. You need to gel with the boys because they are the ones who will make you a good leader. You have to listen to the boys because it is important to get all things on board. And then you take the positive stuff out of what they have said,” Mathews said.Desperate to rise from the bottom of the IPL table, where they finished over the previous two seasons since they became part of the tournament, the management appointed a new coach in Allan Donald, the former South African fast bowler. For Donald, aggression is the . At the same time, he believes in the player understanding his role clearly. In that regard Mathews could be the ideal man to communicate the coach’s message to get the job done.Reading situations correctly, identifying the right go-to men, and keeping back-up plans ready, are what Mathews believes make a good leader. For him, Sangakkara ticks all those parameters, as witnessed on Friday evening, when Sunrisers won by 22 runs despite scoring just 126. His rival captain’s strategy on the field, Mathews agreed, was good homework for him. “He has been a successful captain in the past for Sri Lanka and Deccan and Sunrisers now. He stays calm all the time and the way he handles the guys is amazing. There is a lot to learn from him. The way he carried out the bowling changes, the way he thought through the game, the way he read the situations was really learning stuff for me,” Mathews said.In January this year, Mathews led Sri Lanka successfully to a 2-0 victory in a two-match T20 series in Australia. Sangakkara had returned home due to injury, but Mathews displayed the right temperament to make sure he did not look out of place as a captain.An impact player himself, Mathews recognised the primary priority for a player in Twenty20 was to retain focus at all times. “We need to have the focus right through the 20 overs. We can’t just give in to the situations because we need to play some really good cricket to win against quality teams.”Mathews shows an aggressive spirit, especially evident at times in his batting, and is steadily coming to terms with captaincy. There is a long way to go, but just like Sri Lanka, the Warriors, too, might have chosen the right man to lead the team.

Solid fifties from both openers, and Siddle’s four-for, paved the way for Hurricanes’ exit as they fell well short of a 189 chase

Tristan Lavalette21-Jan-2022Alex Carey starred with a half-century in his BBL return as in-form Adelaide Strikers ended Hobart Hurricanes’ season to start the finals with a 22-run victory at a barren MCG.In the Eliminator, a must-win match between the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams, Carey smashed 67 off 45 balls in his comeback from Ashes duties and combined brilliantly with opening partner Matthew Short, who made 89 of Strikers’ 6 for 188.Their strong attack then nullified Hurricanes, whose inconsistent season finished on a sour note.Strikers have stormed into unlikely title contention after their fifth straight win to book a clash with third-placed Sydney Thunder in the Knockout on Sunday.Carey and Short destroy HurricanesAshes heroes Carey and Travis Head returned for their first BBL matches of the season to significantly bolster Strikers’ batting order. Carey stole the show early with a calculated assault on the smaller boundaries down the ground.He showed his intent with a powerful straight blow off Test team-mate Scott Boland and stormed to 20 runs off his first 10 balls in an impressive switching of gears after playing in the long format.Carey’s fast start eased the pressure on Short, who, for most of a breakout season, had provided the fireworks during the four-over powerplay. He had a back seat to Carey before notching his half-century with a huge six off speedster Riley Meredith in the 12th over during the Power Surge.He then put his foot down just as a bogged-down Carey holed out in the 15th over to end the 145-run partnership. Short smashed spinner Wil Parker for consecutive sixes in the next over but his dismissal snuffed Strikers’ momentum at the death.Boland returns but Hurricanes struggleBoland was back in the BBL after playing his sole game this season in mid-December just before he became an Ashes cult hero. But this MCG deck was nothing like the green top he decimated England on during the Boxing-Day Test, with Boland suffering against a red-hot Carey.Hurricanes mostly struggled and badly missed frontline spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has left the BBL due to national commitments with Nepal. Parker, his replacement, was on a hiding to nothing and promptly smashed for 42 runs off four overs although picked up Short with his final ball.Hurricanes weren’t helped by ragged fielding marked by several dropped catches, with Tom Rogers’ sitter to reprieve Short on 15 particularly costly. Their sloppiness seemed to suggest the wheels were falling off but Hurricanes fought back late to give them some hope.Peter Siddle celebrates after sending back Tim David•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Strikers impress with ball and in the fieldShort’s terrific game continued with the key wicket of Ben McDermott as he bowled four overs of his handy offspin on the trot. Peter Siddle, who took the most wickets in the BBL’s regular season, then claimed opposite number Matthew Wade to tighten Strikers’ stranglehold and he finished with four wickets to lead from the front.Strikers have not missed a beat since losing talisman Rashid Khan late in the season with veteran spinner Fawad Ahmed proving a more than useful replacement.They’ve also been rejuvenated by the inclusion of quicks Harry Conway and Henry Thornton, whose fast and straight bowling has been a revelation after playing just one BBL game before this season for Sydney Sixers five years ago.The duo claimed four wickets between them with Thornton holding his nerve against a rampaging D’Arcy Short, who briefly rattled Strikers.In a major contrast to Hurricanes, Strikers were sharp in the field to underline their remarkable resurrection, having spent most of the season in the bottom two.Short fires in vainHurricanes’ batting oozes with firepower on paper but hasn’t quite clicked all season. They’ve been reliant on McDermott, whose terrific tournament ended when he fell in the first over. A failure from Wade made their chase particularly grim and they needed Short to recapture his belligerent best from his heyday.He responded with his best knock of a sluggish season to give Hurricanes a flicker of hope. He smashed 22 runs in the Power Surge but his wicket in the 15th over triggered a collapse.Big-hitter Tim David, who has been their designated finisher all season, showed off his prowess but it was too late. Perhaps Hurricanes’ brains trust will rue once again not allowing the Singapore national player more time at the crease.There was much hype over Hurricanes heading into the season but their early finals demise should be considered a disappointment.

In the world of football, the threshold for what constitutes as ‘young’ seems to be constantly evolving. As the sport progresses, the age at which players are making their senior debuts is getting significantly younger.

Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha is the latest teenage star to burst onto the scene, and his dramatic late winner for the Reds on debut will go down in history.

But where does he rank for youngest ever scorers? Fortunately, when it comes to ranking the top 10 youngest Premier League goalscorers, there’s no ambiguity – the facts and figures are all at our disposal. So, without further ado, here are the 10 youngest scorers in Premier League history.

Premier League’s youngest goalscorers
Rank	Player	Age	Date & Opponent
1	James Vaughan (Everton)	16 yrs, 270 days	Apr 2005 v Crystal Palace
2	James Milner (Leeds)	16 yrs, 356 days	Dec 2002 v Sunderland
3	Wayne Rooney (Everton)	16 yrs, 360 days	Oct 2002 v Arsenal
4	Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)	16 yrs, 361 days	Aug 2025 v Newcastle
5	Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)	17 yrs, 113 days	Aug 2004 v Blackburn
6	Michael Owen (Liverpool)	17 yrs, 143 days	May 1997 v Wimbledon
7	Andy Turner (Tottenham)	17 yrs, 166 days	Sep 1992 v Everton
8	Federico Macheda (Man Utd)	17 yrs, 226 days	Apr 2009 v Aston Villa
9	Lewis Miley (Newcastle)	17 yrs, 229 days	Dec 2023 v Fulham
10	Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)	17 yrs, 247 days	Nov 2024 v Nottingham Forest
Data correct as of 26th August 2025

10 best Premier League free-kicks of all time (Ranked)

David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored two of the best free-kicks in recent history, but who has scored the greatest in the PL era?

By
Lewis Thompson

Jun 15, 2024

10

Ethan Nwaneri

17 years, 247 days v Nottingham Forest (2024)

Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri announced himself on the Premier League stage when grabbing his first goal in the competition four months shy of his 18th birthday.

Incredibly, Nwaneri had made his debut over two years prior to this, coming on as a late substitute during a Gunners win at Brentford in September 2022.

Now a part of the first team at the Emirates Stadium, Nwaneri has already shown a knack for goalscoring, with cutting inside onto his left turning into something of a trademark already.

Nwaneri’s first-time finish against Nottingham Forest was his fourth of the 2024/25 season for Arsenal, with three coming in the EFL Cup before breaking his Premier League duck.

9

Lewis Miley

17 years, 229 days v Fulham (2023)

Lewis Miley quickly emerged as a fan favourite on Tyneside after signing his first professional contract for Newcastle United in February 2023.

The technical midfielder became Newcastle’s youngest Premier League debutant when he appeared as a substitute in his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on the 2022/23 season’s final day.

Over the course of the following campaign, Miley would go on to play 26 times for the Magpies, including two away games in the Champions League against PSG and Borussia Dortmund, plus a home tie versus AC Milan.

His first professional goal came in December 2023 in a 3-0 win over Fulham at St James’ Park. That knee slide in front of the Gallowgate End must have felt pretty sweet!

8

Federico Macheda

17 years, 226 days v Aston Villa (2009)

Once hailed as being Manchester United’s future star at Old Trafford, Federico Macheda burst onto the scene with a goal on his debut against Aston Villa in April 2009.

He was just three days younger than Miley when his two-touch strike made it 3-2 for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side after Cristiano Ronaldo had already bagged a brace.

Macheda’s goal essentially sealed the Premier League title for Man United on that day and he would go on to score the winner against Sunderland a week later. However, the Italian striker would only score five more goals for United.

Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City were among a host of clubs who would welcome Macheda on loan from United, until his permanent transfer to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Cardiff City in 2014.

Since then, Macheda has played most of his football in Greece for Panathinaikos, scoring 36 goals in 106 appearances.

7

Andy Turner

17 years, 166 days v Everton (1992)

From one slightly unknown to an even lesser-known one:

Andy Turner became the youngest player to score a goal in the Premier League during its inaugural season in September 1992. The overall record, which has only been surpassed four times, stood for five years until a more recognisable 17-year-old named Michael Owen broke it.

The London-born Irishman’s goal came late in a 2-1 home win for Tottenham Hotspur against Everton. Throughout his 16-year career, Turner played for over 15 clubs. The attacking midfielder had loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Huddersfield Town and Southend United, along with stints at Crystal Palace and Wolves.

In a 2018 interview with Spurs, Turner mentioned that he runs a non-league academy in the Midlands. He also leads an educational academy under the Pro Direct Academy banner in Birmingham and was once the Under-13 academy coach at Port Vale.

6

Michael Owen

17 years, 143 days v Wimbledon (1997)

Like Turner, Michael Owen was once the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer for a period of five years.

Owen rose through Liverpool’s academy and the FA’s School of Excellence, where he broke numerous England youth goalscoring records. He played a key role in Liverpool winning their first FA Youth Cup in 1996 before joining the first team under Roy Evans and then Gerard Houllier.

In the penultimate game of the 1996/97 season, Owen scored on his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Wimbledon, cementing his name in top-flight history.

The following season, the English forward was named PFA Young Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. Owen also became the first Liverpool player and only the fourth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or in 2001. He scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool before moving to Real Madrid in 2004.

Injuries plagued Owen’s career, limiting him to one season at Real Madrid, where he scored 13 goals in 36 appearances. He later played for Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City before retiring in 2013.

5

Cesc Fabregas

17 years, 113 days v Blackburn (2004)

One of the greatest, most technical midfielders to ever grace the Premier League is also one of its youngest-ever goalscorers.

Cesc Fabregas moved from Barcelona to Arsenal in September 2003 for just shy of £3 million. He made over 200 appearances for the north London club before returning to his beloved Barcelona.

Shortly after becoming Arsenal’s youngest-ever first-team player at the age of 16, Fabregas scored his first Premier League goal in a 3-0 win over Blackburn in August 2004, poking home from a Gilberto Silva header in a game that saw Arsenal go a record 43rd top-flight match unbeaten.

The Spaniard had further success at Chelsea and Monaco before retiring at Como, the side he now manages in Italy’s Serie A.

4

Rio Ngumoha

16 yrs, 361 days v Newcastle (2025)

After signing for Liverpool from Chelsea’s academy in the summer of 2024, Rio Ngumoha quickly impressed those on Merseyside, beocming the second-youngest appearance-maker in the Reds’ history at the beginning of 2025.

He had to wait for his Premier League debut, though, but when it came against Newcastle United, Ngumoha made an instant impact. Sent on in injury time by Arne Slot after Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead with a player advantage, the teenager calmy slotted home the winner ahead of his 17th birthday.

3

Wayne Rooney

16 years, 360 days v Arsenal (2002)

A name that needs no real explanation to emphasise his prolific goalscoring rate as a youngster.

Wayne Rooney captured headlines worldwide when his 25-yard stunner for Everton in October 2002 ended Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. At just 16 years old, Rooney’s iconic goal marked the beginning of arguably the greatest-ever Premier League legacy.

Rooney moved to Manchester United after just two seasons with the Toffees. He scored over 200 Premier League goals during his illustrious career before transitioning to management. He is the current manager of Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.

2

James Milner

16 years, 356 days v Sunderland (2002)

James Milner was just four days younger than Rooney when he scored his first Premier League goal against Sunderland in December 2002.

As a childhood fan of Leeds United, Milner began his career as a teenager there, making 48 appearances over two seasons.

Known as one of the most versatile footballers in Premier League history, Milner has excelled for multiple clubs, including Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton.

Ahead of the 2024/25 season, Milner only needs 20 more top-flight appearances to equal Gareth Barry’s record of 653. He has played in 22 seasons, 46 different stadiums and had 280 teammates during his Premier League career.

He has also won every English domestic trophy, as well as the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Liverpool.

1

James Vaughan

16 years, 270 days v Crystal Palace (2005)

James Vaughan is the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer, but couldn’t quite follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before him.

Vaughan made history on his debut when he scored Everton’s fourth goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in April 2005. The result moved Everton four points clear of Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.

Everton reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League the following season but lost out to Villarreal. Ironically, Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph meant they made it to the group stages for the following season’s competition via the qualifiers, where they reached the round of 16 before losing out to Benfica.

As for Vaughan, his record-breaking goal at the age of 16 was a highlight in a career that promised much but was hampered by injuries. He made just six appearances for Norwich City before joining Huddersfield in 2013. Vaughan also represented Sunderland, Wigan, Bradford and Tranmere before transitioning into a role off the pitch.

In March 2024, Vaughan was made the head of academy recruitment and player pathways at Everton. It seems likely that his record won’t stand forever in this day and age, but for now, it remains a remarkable achievement.

There is just a week left of this summer transfer window and Everton could be about to battle Premier League rivals West Ham for a new signing.

The Toffees have been rather busy over these past few months, as the club looks to address their recent poor campaigns and start to climb back up the Premier League table. Everton are already on the backfoot as they started the season off very poorly, as they were demolished by Brighton at Goodison Park. So, with just a week of the window left, Sean Dyche may be keen on adding to the players they have already brought in.

Bargain: Everton in the race for £8.5m starlet who can be Richarlison 2.0

The Toffees could still land more attacking reinforcements.

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 23, 2024

Everton transfer news

Everton will be desperately keen to avoid a repeat of last season, so the club’s board have backed Dyche in the transfer market and have so far brought in six new players. Those additions include Jake O’Brien from Lyon, Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille, Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa, Jesper Linstrom from Napoli, and, most recently, Asmir Begovic.

Everton's summer signings	Signed from
Jack Harrison	Leeds United
Tim Iroegbunam	Aston Villa
Iliman Ndiaye	Marseille
Jesper Lindstrom	Napoli
Jake O'Brien	Lyon
Asmir Begovic	QPR

Begovic has previously been at Goodison Park, as he joined the Toffees a few years ago on a free transfer after leaving AFC Bournemouth. The experienced shot-stopper spent last season at QPR but found himself without a club until this week.

But their business might not be stopping there, as it was reported earlier this week that Everton have enquired about a possible deal to sign midfielder Junior Dina Ebimbe. The 23-year-old joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent deal last summer from PSG, but he did spend the campaign before that on loan at the Bundesliga side.

Frankfurt are said to be willing to let Dina Ebimbe leave in what remains of this transfer window and while talks have taken place between the two clubs, the Toffees are yet to hold talks with the player himself or his representatives. He may not be the only midfielder the club are looking to buy, as Everton potentially join West Ham in a transfer race.

Everton join West Ham in the race to sign Carlos Soler

According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Everton are now exploring a deal to sign midfielder Carlos Soler from Paris Saint-Germain. It is claimed that the Spaniard has been on the Merseyside club’s radar for a while now and their interest in the player is said to be “concrete”.

Everton are believed to have made contact with the French side over a possible deal, with PSG looking to sell Soler and not loan him out for the season, as they are said to value the midfielder at around the £20 million mark. However, Everton face strong competition, as West Ham are said to have opened talks to sign the player earlier this week.

Soler has been at PSG since September 2022, as he joined the club from Spanish side Valencia. The 27-year-old was very impressive for the La Liga side but has struggled to replicate that form in Paris. The midfielder played 24 times for the club last season in Ligue 1, scoring two goals.

Overall, Soler has played 63 times for PSG in all competitions, where he has scored eight goals and recorded eight assists. Soler may have struggled during his time in Paris, but the midfielder has earned special praise from his previous teammates in Valencia, with Curro Torres labelling the player as the "complete midfielder".

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is trying to trademark his iconic celebration – but he might not be able to stop other players copying it.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Palmer trying to trademark iconic celebration
• Might not be able to stop others from mimicking him
• Chelsea take on Everton on Sunday

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international might not be able to stop other players from copying the celebration on a football pitch, but he can protect it from being used in the commercial sphere outside of the ground through his attempts to trademark the shivering move.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Palmer performed the celebration for the first time in December 2023 in Chelsea's 3-2 win at Luton Town in the Premier League. He reportedly got the idea from former Manchester City academy team-mate Morgan Rogers, who performed it after scoring for Middlesbrough. Indeed, Rogers performed the celebration after scoring for Aston Villa in their 2-1 win against Manchester City on Saturday.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking on talkSPORT, intellectual property, data and contract lawyer Ben Milloy said: "We're probably used to sports stars protecting their names and their logos and that kind of thing. But it is possible to protect what's called a non-traditional trademark. And that's what Cole Palmer has done. He's sought to protect a gesture or a technical emotion mark.

  "But instead of filing a name or a logo, he's uploaded a short video of him performing the shiver celebration. And he has sought to protect it for a range of goods and services. And they are the typical merchandise that you'd expect. But as you say, it is quite wide-ranging. You've actually got baking powder in there as one of them. And underwater vehicles. So it's an indication of what Cole Palmer might have in store."

  He added: "I mean, I don't really see it as a complication. I had to think about this. I suppose it's possible because we're just talking about intellectual property rights and there are various intellectual property rights and they all have quite a sort of confined scope.

  "So I suppose it's possible for Morgan Rogers to say that he has some kind of copyright. If he treats his goal celebration as a form of performance art as a sort of dramatic work then it may qualify for copyright protection. And that might give him some theoretical claim. But it seems there would be lots and lots of hurdles and it seems basically it would not be successful."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  When asked if Palmer can stop other players from mimicking the celebration on the pitch, Milloy added: "What we're focused on really is Cole Palmer being able to stop people from using it off the football pitch in the commercial sphere, as it were.

  "So he wouldn't be able to stop another player on the football pitch from mimicking the celebration or paying homage to it, whatever because that's not in the commercial sphere. So trademarks are designed to protect their kind of outside interests, their merchandising, their licensing deals and that kind of thing."