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He is yet to be a 100%, but he continues to stay with the team in hope that he is fit for the Sydney Test where spin might play a bigger role

Sidharth Monga in Melbourne25-Dec-2018

In a year of near misses, in their own words, India enter their last big Test without their No. 1 spinner, R Ashwin. He injured himself on the fourth evening of the Adelaide Test, aggravated it on the fifth, and was not fit for the Perth Test. He is yet to be a 100%, but he continues to stay with the team in hope that he is fit for the Sydney Test where spin might play a bigger role.This is the fourth Test Ashwin is missing out of the 11 India have played away from home this year. It points both to India’s horses-for-courses policy, and Ashwin’s issues with injuries. He was left out of the Johannesburg Test because India wanted to go with four quicks, then played in Southampton when not fully fit and was subsequently left out of The Oval Test, a dead rubber, with a groin strain. Here in Australia, he wouldn’t have played in Perth even if he had been fit because captain Virat Kohli said he wanted to play four quicks anyway.In away Tests this year, Ashwin has averaged over 30 and has gone at 2.38 runs an over. He is one of the three bowlers to have bowled over 300 overs in away matches this year. Overall, Ashwin has been the biggest match-winner in this XI; in conditions outside Asia and the West Indies, he slots just behind Kohli and the fast bowlers. He is especially effective against Australia considering the number of left-hand batsmen in their batting line-up. It is not just the overs he has put in, but runs down the order too that India will miss. His partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara was crucial to the win in Adelaide.India began the year with anticipation built around a pace attack that promised much and was bolstered further by the introduction of Jasprit Bumrah into the mix. Ashwin was also expected to play a big part in keeping them fresh and chipping in whenever the pitch gave him an opening. It is a job he has done more or less, except in Southampton when India risked him despite lack of full fitness.India have lost the two other big series this year. If they lose the next Test, they will not be able to win this one either. They go into this match with two new openers – one of them makeshift – and without their main spinner. In the absence of KL Rahul, they will also have to rejig their slip cordon, with Kohli possibly moving to the gun position, second slip, and Rohit Sharma slotting into the third. Pujara should continue at first slip.

Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal, a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, has received his maiden call-up in international cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-20182:24

Dasgupta: Agarwal and Siraj earned their call-ups

Shikhar Dhawan and Karun Nair have been dropped from the Indian team that will play West Indies in a two-match Test series starting October 4. This means India will try their fifth opening combination of the year with one of Mayank Agarwal or Prithvi Shaw making their Test debut when they walk out alongside KL Rahul in Rajkot next week.Virat Kohli will return to captain India after a three-week break. He’ll have to make do with many of the team’s first choice bowlers unavailable. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been rested. Ishant Sharma, who picked up an ankle injury during the Oval Test earlier this month, and Hardik Pandya, who suffered back spasms in the Asia Cup, were not considered for selection. In their absence, Mohammed Siraj was called up to the Test side for the first time. The 24-year old seamer from Hyderabad is in red-hot form having picked up 40 wickets in nine first-class innings, including an 11-for against Australia A.India’s Test squad for the series against West Indies•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dhawan’s axe came on the back of a poor series in England, where he managed a top score of only 44 in eight innings. Nair, meanwhile, did not get to play in any of the five Tests, and as it happened in the final one at the Oval, he seems to have lost out in a race with reserve batsman Hanuma Vihari.
With India needing an opener, Agarwal finally got his reward for a prolific 2017-18 season in which he scored 2253 runs in 36 innings across formats. The 27-year old from Karnataka was a consistent performer for the A team as well, both on tour in England and at home, when he played against Australia A and South Africa A. He also scored 90 off 111 deliveries against the West Indians in the warm-up game earlier on Saturday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

R Ashwin, who recently struggled with a hip injury, will lead India’s spin attack again, alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur round off the fast-bowling resources. Ajinkya Rahane, who has only two half-centuries in his last ten innings, remains vice-captain, while Rishabh Pant, who became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a hundred in England, retained the gloves.

Компания Running With Scissors выпустила в Steam новую игру в серии Postal. Это не полноценная часть, а лишь небольшой спин-офф под названием POOSTALL Royale, зато он совершенно бесплатный и доступен в России. А ещё в нём впервые в серии можно играть за женскую версию Чувака.

Судя по информации из Steam, POOSTALL Royale представляет собой простенький шутер с видом сверху, созданный в качестве первоапрельской шутки. Цель игры — пробить себе путь через несколько волн NPC, которые буквально запрограммированы только на то, чтобы бежать к вам, выкрикивая случайные фразы, записанные в туалетной кабинке с дешевым USB-микрофоном.

Ранее, напомним, в Steam вышла бесплатная визуальная новелла про Соника.

❌ РКН заблокировал SnapChat в России из-за угроз распространения терроризма

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KL Rahul stood out for India on the first day of the Bengaluru Test, and he showed how he could change gears against spinners, especially with wickets falling around him

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Bengaluru04-Mar-2017In the nets in the lead-up to the Bengaluru Test, KL Rahul was sweeping and reverse-sweeping pretty much every second ball of spin he faced. It was only to be expected, therefore, that he would try to sweep Nathan Lyon in his first over on the first morning of the Test, and reverse-sweep him in his next over. He ended up missing the sweep and sending the reverse ballooning off the back of his bat towards the vacant – and soon-to-be filled – leg-slip area.KL Rahul on…

Bengaluru pitch
“I think this is pretty much the same wicket we get for Ranji Trophy. Maybe the cracks start to open up at the end of the second day or the third day. But here the wicket was pretty dry and the cracks were prominent. Their bowlers, especially when Starc bowls from over the wicket, creates that rough for Lyon which helps them get that spin and bounce.”
Why it became difficult for India to score
“Once the spinners came on I felt that the wicket was a little damp in the first session. That’s why they were getting some spin and the ball was holding to the wicket. To drive or to go over the top wasn’t really easy. Once the ball got older and there was more rough outside the off stump, Lyon exploits the rough. He kept bowling there consistently and got some purchase out of the wicket.”
Nathan Lyon
“It gets a little difficult to play him if he starts getting some spin and bounce. He was very consistent, kept putting the ball there and kept asking questions. He got the rewards this innings.”
Ashwin potentially emulating Lyon
“That’s the only way we are looking at this match. The cracks are opening up and it’s only getting harder to bat on this wicket. We know Ash is a top-class bowler and once he gets a couple of wickets and gets into that rhythm then he is going to run through the Australian batting line-up, which we are very confident of.”

Lunch was approaching and Rahul, having just entered the forties, was looking a little edgy. On 30, he had been dropped by a diving Peter Handscomb at short mid-off, when he looked to drive Steve O’Keefe and ended up – not for the first time – playing well out in front of his body.India, at that point, were in a relatively solid position, their score 61 for 1 when Rahul played that miscued reverse-sweep. Either side of lunch, however, Lyon sent back Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli and India were far less secure at 88 for 3.Around this point, Rahul changed his approach against the spinners. He shelved the drive, and, barring one lap-sweep that he middled to present a half-chance to leg slip, the sweep as well, and began trusting his defence far more. With both spinners protecting the boundaries towards the direction of their turn, he was content to pick up singles to the deep fielders.It was about the most comfortable that India looked all day. Rahul added 30 with Ajinkya Rahane and 38 with Karun Nair, stumpings terminating both partnerships just as they were promising to grow into serious proportions.”That’s been my responsibility and the gameplan in the last six to eight months. As soon as the spinner comes on, it’s important for an opening batsman to not let him settle. So that’s what I tried to do,” Rahul said at the end of the day’s play, when asked about the thinking behind his change of approach. “The wicket was a little damp so [Lyon] was getting a lot of bounce.”I felt like if I swept I could get the top edge. They had the fielders back right from the first ball. We couldn’t really get the big hits or boundaries. So I looked to play time and tire out the bowlers. We were getting singles pretty easily when I was with Ajinkya and then when Karun came in. Strike was being rotated and we were getting three to four runs [an over] without any risk. That’s when I decided that I’ll be happy with the singles and maybe then they will pull the fielders in and I can take a chance. But that didn’t happen because we kept losing wickets at regular intervals.”KL Rahul fell short of yet another milestone falling on 90 trying to take the spinners on•AFPRahul may have had cause to feel miffed at how Rahane and Nair – who looked more fluent than pretty much every other Indian batsman while scoring 26 off 39 balls – were dismissed, but he was philosophical about it.”Karun and Ajinkya looked set, they were batting on 20 each, and looked set,” Rahul said. “We were getting runs quite easily. Our game plan was to attack the spinners whenever we could but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. We have to take it in our stride and come back stronger.”Kohli’s dismissal was another point of debate – for the second time in successive innings, he was out not offering a shot to a spinner, this time lbw to Lyon, struck in front of middle stump.”Virat’s ball didn’t spin as much,” Rahul said. “The whole over it was spinning and bouncing and that ball went straight, which can happen.”In the end, Rahul fell ten short of a hundred when, running out of partners, he decided to go after the spinners and spooned Lyon to mid-off. By then, however, he had shown he was capable of batting at more than one gear. He hit eight fours in scoring 48 off 93 balls before lunch, and only one more while scoring a further 42 runs off 112 balls.The two phases of Rahul’s innings seemed like a reverse-chronological microcosm of his career so far: the all-format dasher turning back the clock and transforming into the technically correct, patient accumulator of his early years. At this point in his career, Rahul is still finding the balance between the two approaches, but innings such as this one – or his 158 in Jamaica or his 199 in Chennai – hint at the fully formed batsman he promises to grow into.

كشفت تقارير صحفية تفاصيل الجولة الآسيوية وجدول العمل الخاص بفريق برشلونة لكرة القدم، تحت قيادة المدرب هانز فليك، استعدادًا للموسم الجديد 2025/26.

ولم يخض برشلونة أي مباراة ودية هذا الصيف حتى الآن، حيث سيبدأ العمل الجاد الأسبوع القادم.

وذكرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية أن برشلونة سيتدرب في مدينة خوان جامبر الرياضية حتى يوم الأربعاء، قبل أن يتجه إلى اليابان في اليوم التالي.

وسيواجه برشلونة فيسيل كوبي ظهر يوم الأحد، ثم سيول إف سي يوم الخميس، ودايو إف سي يوم الإثنين 4 أغسطس.

وأوضحت أن النادي كشف للاعبين عن خطة سفر البعثة وجدول التدريبات قبل إنطلاق مشوارهم التحضيري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أول ظهور لـ راشفورد من تدريبات برشلونة

وأشارت إلى أن برشلونة سيغادر الساعة 11 صباحًا على متن رحلة مستأجرة إلى كانساي، يوم الخميس، ومن المتوقع أن يصل في الساعات الأولى من الصباح، قبل أن يتجه إلى كوبي في رحلة تستغرق ساعة ونصف.

سيقيم برشلونة في فندق كوبي بورتوبيا، وسيبدوأون تدريباتهم في ملعب نويفير، حيث ستقام مباراتهم الودية ضد فيسيل كوبي.

وسيقود هانز فليك 4 جلسات تدريبية على ذلك الملعب، بواقع جلستين يوم الجمعة، وأخرى يوم السبت، ثم أخيرة يوم الأحد قبل مباراتهم الودية الأولى.

ولن يسافر برشلونة إلى كوريا الجنوبية حتى يوم الثلاثاء، 29 يوليو، حيث ستغادر رحلة مباشرة إلى سيول في الساعة الثالثة فجرًا، ومن المقرر وصولهم في غضون ساعة ونصف.

ولم يُحدد بعد موعد تدريبات برشلونة في سيول، ولكن أمامهم ما يزيد قليلًا عن يومين للتحضير من أجل مباراتهم الودية الثانية.

وستكون رحلة برشلونة الأخيرة إلى دايجو، حيث سيخضوض هناك مباراته الودية الثالثة، قبل عودته مباشرة إلى المدينة الإسبانية، حيث من المتوقع أن يصل إلى إسبانيا يوم الثلاثاء 5 أغسطس، في تمام الساعة 8:30 صباحًا.  

Mitchell Marsh and Matt Renshaw are the two players to miss out from the Ashes group

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2023

Josh Hazlewood remains in contention to play the World Test Championship final against India after being included in Australia’s 15-man squad.Australia have pushed Mitchell Marsh and Matt Renshaw into their reserves from the 17 players that have been selected for the Ashes.Hazlewood returned early from the IPL with some side soreness but scans revealed no damage and he has since returned to bowling. However, speaking last week coach Andrew McDonald said everything would need to go perfectly for him to make the WTC final.He is one of four specialist quicks in the squad alongside captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. Michael Neser and Sean Abbott will train with the team in the lead-up, with Neser a strong contender to replace Hazlewood in the main squad if required. Any changes from now on will require approval of the ICC’s technical committee.Josh Inglis, who is yet to play a Test, has found a place in the squad, as has Todd Murphy, who made his Test debut in India earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As for India, there were no late changes apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal, as reported earlier in the day, replacing Ruturaj Gaikwad in the list of stand-by players.Both the uncapped Ishan Kishan and Jaydev Unadkat, who had injured his left shoulder during the IPL and was ruled out of the tournament, figure in the squad of 15. Kishan, who came in after the injury to KL Rahul during the IPL, is likely to be back-up for KS Bharat, India’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper in Rishabh Pant’s absence.Related

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Also a part of the India squad is Shardul Thakur, who had missed three games in the IPL because of a niggle, and was not fit to bowl in a few games.India’s reserves are Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav and Jaiswal.The match will be played at The Oval from June 7 to 11, with June 12 pencilled in as the reserve day. The winners will earn US$ 1.6 million, while the runners-up will earn $800,000.Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steven Smith (vice-capt), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

As the battle for the first junior women’s T20 title heats up, here’s a run-through of what each contender has going for them

S Sudarshanan26-Jan-2023
IndiaIndia topped Group D by beating South Africa, UAE and Scotland. In the Super Six round, they were bowled out for 87 by Australia but bounced back from that loss with a thumping win over Sri Lanka, thereby assuring themselves of a semi-final spot.Key players
Vice-captain Shweta Sehrawat and left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap.Sehrawat has been quite the star for India with the bat. She has the second-most runs in the competition and has been unbeaten in three of her five innings – one of which came while batting down at No. 6 as opposed to the opening spot.Kashyap missed out on India’s opening clash but has picked up wickets in three of her four matches since. Kashyap and legspinner Parshavi Chopra are the only Indians with four-fors in the competition.Georgia Plimmer’s senior team experience could prove crucial for New Zealand•Getty ImagesNew ZealandNew Zealand won each of their Group C matches against Indonesia, Ireland and West Indies comprehensively to finish at the top. In the Super Sixes, they survived a scare against Rwanda before crushing Pakistan. They finished at second spot in the Super Six Group 2 by virtue of a lower net run rate than England.Related

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Grace Scrivens, England's natural-born leader, takes on the world

Key players
Georgia Plimmer and Anna Browning.Plimmer has put to use her 13-match international experience. She’s scored 120 runs – the second-most for New Zealand – at a strike rate of 157.89. She scored an unbeaten 22-ball 41 opening the batting against West Indies, and a half-century at one-drop against Pakistan.Browning leads the batting charts for them. She also has chipped in with her right-arm seam bowling, picking up four wickets at an economy of 2.64. She was part of the New Zealand Development side that toured India in December and picked up a three-for in the last game in Mumbai.Rhys McKenna, captain of Australia, talks to Grace Scrivens, captain of England•ICC via Getty ImagesAustraliaThe inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup kicked off with an upset, as Australia went down to Bangladesh. Thereafter, Australia have been clinical enough to ensure there were no more hiccups heading into the semi-final. They showed off their wares in the match against India in particular, but finished second in Super Six Group 1 with India’s net run rate (2.844) being superior to theirs (2.210).Key players
Maggie Clark and Kate Pelle.Clark has made excellent use of her tall frame and has picked up nine wickets, the second-most in the tournament so far. She’s hit the deck hard and also managed to extract enough movement to have the batters on their toes. She dismissed Sonia Mendhiya and Richa Ghosh in the match against India and followed it with a three-wicket haul against UAE.Pelle has been a solid presence with the bat at the top. She has 130 runs in five outings including a half-century and has a strike rate of 130. She kept wicket in the first three games before handing the gloves over to Paris Hall. Tough to stop her if she gets going, as evidenced in Australia’s Under-19 Championships, where she scored the second-most runs for New South Wales.Will Sophia Smale’s experience at the Hundred come in handy in the semi-final?•Getty ImagesEnglandEngland have been clinical in this tournament. They opened their campaign by bowling out Zimbabwe for 25, bowled out Rwanda for 45, and beat Pakistan in the interim. They bossed their two Super Six outings by routing Ireland and West Indies. As a result, they march into the semi-final with a net run rate of 5.088, easily the best among all teams.Key players
Grace Scrivens and Sophia Smale.Scrivens has taken the tournament by storm, scoring a chart-topping 269 runs at a strike rate of 137.94 including three half-centuries. In Liberty Heap, she has a dangerous opening partner – the pair has added two hundred-run stands. Scrivens also holds the record for the highest individual score (93) in the tournament.In Smale, England have a wily left-arm spinner that outfoxes the opponents game after game. Having gained experience by being part of the title-winning Oval Invincibles at the Hundred, Smale has returned eight wickets, the most for England. Seamer Ellie Anderson is to Smale what Heap is to Scrivens. Anderson has seven wickets and is one of only two bowlers to register a five-wicket haul in the competition.

Former Australia player says he looking forward “to helping ensure that the Spirit are challenging for the trophy”

Matt Roller12-Dec-2022Ashley Noffke, the former Australia allrounder, has won the race to become women’s head coach at London Spirit in the Hundred for the 2023 season.Noffke, who played three limited-overs internationals in 2007-08, has a burgeoning reputation after recent success coaching Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire to the 2019-20 Women’s BBL and 2020-21 Women’s National Cricket League titles respectively.He was among the contenders to replace Lisa Keightley as England women’s coach and is understood to have been interviewed for that position, but was beaten to it by Jon Lewis, the former Gloucestershire fast bowler.”I am delighted to be appointed as head coach of the London Spirit Women’s team,” Noffke said. “I have been attracted by the explosive nature of the competition and look forward to helping ensure that the Spirit are challenging for the trophy at the end of August.”Lord’s is a very special place for me, having played for Middlesex for two seasons in 2002 and 2003, and I can’t wait to get back to the Home of Cricket next summer.”Noffke replaces Trevor Griffin in the role, who was invited to re-apply for his job by Spirit after a disappointing 2022 season which saw them win only two of their six games. Heather Knight, their captain, missed the whole competition through injury.Fraser Stewart, the team’s general manager, said: “We are delighted to have obtained Ashley as our new women’s head coach. He was the outstanding candidate from a list of very impressive applicants, showing the strength and allure of the Hundred and the women’s game.”We look forward to seeing the impact he can have on our talented squad, both developing players and delivering results on the field.”The entire London Spirit organisation would also like to place on record our thanks to Trevor Griffin for all his work over the last two years.”Trevor led the team to a fourth-placed finish in the first edition of the Hundred, only missing out on a place in the Eliminator on Net Run Rate and has worked tirelessly for the betterment of the team. We are extremely grateful for all his hard work.”Meanwhile, Spirit have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Trevor Bayliss is due to return in 2023 as men’s coach. Bayliss replaced the late Shane Warne in the job ahead of last season and helped Spirit reach the eliminator.

GOAL selected the 50 best footballing talents from around the world born on or after January 1, 2000 – but how are they getting on now?

Since NXGN's launch in 2016, GOAL has profiled the 50 best footballing wonderkids on the planet on an annual basis. Some of those recognised for their talent as teenagers are now household names, but others have not yet realised their potential.

So, after the NXGN 2025 list was revealed, check out where the stars of 2019 are now:

• 50Christian Fruchtl (Bayern Munich)

  2019: A modern goalkeeper with great feet, Fruchtl had yet to make his senior debut, but was considered a top prospect, having impressed Manuel Neuer & Co. after being invited to train with Bayern's first team during their winter break in Qatar in 2016.

  2020: Fruchtl established himself as Bayern's reserve-team goalkeeper in 2019-20, playing 27 games in the third tier of German football.

  2021: The shot-stopper joined FC Nurnberg in the second division for the 2020-21 season, but did not make a first-team appearance.

  2022: Fruchtl finally made his first-team debut for Bayern on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, but that also proved to be his only appearance for the club as he was sold to Austria Vienna ahead of the following campaign.

  2023: The goalkeeper was installed as first-choice in the Austrian capital, and there were rumours that Bayern could utilise their buy-back clause at some stage as they prepared for life after Neuer.

  2024: Fruchtl continued to impress in Vienna, as he kept 13 clean sheets in 29 Austrian Bundesliga games, which in turn led to him securing a move to Serie A with Lecce.

  2025: The switch to Italy hasn't worked out for Fruchtl as yet, as he is still waiting to make his first league appearance for his new club.

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• 49Takefusa Kubo (FC Tokyo)

  2019: Having been signed by Barcelona as a 10-year-old, the outrageously gifted attacker was forced to return to his native Japan in 2016 because of irregularities related to the Catalan club's recruitment of overseas players aged under 18. However, he was excelling in his homeland with FC Tokyo, and widely expected to return to La Masia sooner rather than later, only for Real Madrid to swoop in and sign him in the summer of 2019.

  2020: Kubo was one of the young stars of the Spanish season after being loaned to Mallorca, directly contributing to nine goals as they fought against relegation. His form persuaded Villarreal to take him on loan for the following season.

  2021: The forward failed to force his way into Unai Emery's team, and had his loan spell cut short in January 2021, with Madrid instead sending him on loan to Getafe for the remainder of the season, though he struggled to make much of an impact.

  2022: Mallorca's promotion back to La Liga allowed them to make their move and bring Kubo back to the club on loan in 2021-22, and the Japan international's form having improved a little as a result.

  2023: Kubo left Real Madrid to join Real Sociedad for an initial €6.5m in the summer of 2022, and he was back to his best in San Sebastian, as he made 18 direct goal contributions for a team that qualified for the Champions League.

  2024: The Japan international continued to impress for La Real in 2023-24, and he was linked with elite clubs around Europe.

  2025: Kubo hasn't quite hit the same heights so far this season in San Sebastian, leading to him being left out of the line up on a number of occasions.

• 48Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht)

  2019: Regarded as the latest top talent to roll off the production line at Anderlecht, Verschaeren had already appeared in the Europa League for the Belgian outfit.

  2020: After making his Belgium debut in September 2019, Verschaeren made 21 league appearances over the course of the 2019-20 campaign.

  2021: A three-month absence with an ankle injury, coupled with an early finish to the season due to Covid-19, meant that Verscharen made just 16 league appearances in 2020-21, though he still managed to score five times.

  2022: An established starter, Verschaeren set personal bests for goals and assists in a single season under Vincent Kompany.

  2023: Verschaeren's attacking output regressed in 2022-23, but that was in part due to him playing slightly deeper, and he was earning Luka Modric comparisons before he tore his ACL in April 2023.

  2024: The midfielder returned to action in January, but a further hamstring injury meant his impact on the campaign was limited.

  2025: Now a veteran of over 200 Anderlecht appearances, Verschaeren has worn the captain's armband at times through the 2024-25 campaign.

• 47Juan Miranda (Barcelona)

  2019: The versatile left-back had humbly played down his impressive Champions League debut against Tottenham in November by saying that "everything's easier when you've got Lionel Messi by your side", but Barca were growing increasingly confident that they had unearthed Jordi Alba's eventual successor.

  2020: Miranda was sent to Schalke on a two-year loan deal, but made just 11 Bundesliga appearances during his first season in Germany, leading to Barca cutting his stay short after 12 months. He was then sent to Real Betis on loan for 2020-21.

  2021: The defender did enough in Seville to persuade Betis to make the deal permanent in the summer of 2021.

  2022: Miranda was in and out of the Betis team in 2021-22 as he struggled to hold down a place in Manuel Pellegrini's line-up, though he did score the winning goal in the penalty shootout in the final of the Copa del Rey

  2023: The full-back managed to force his way back into the team in 2023, making over 30 appearances over the course of the campaign.

  2024: After being in and out of the team to begin the season, Miranda managed to eventually lock down a starting spot in the second half of the campaign. He then went on to play an important role in Spain's gold-medal run at the Olympics.

  2025: Miranda joined Bologna ahead of the 2024-25 season, and he has predominantly been a starter for the Italian side.

The ECB have found a scapegoat for the World Cup debacle but whether sacking individuals will fix the broken system within English cricket remains doubtful

George Dobell08-Apr-20151:12

‘Vaughan has already held talks with ECB over new role’

Maybe he had spent too long away from international cricket, maybe he was never cut out for leadership but not for a moment did Paul Downton suggest he was the man to drag England cricket into a bright future.Barely a year after his appointment as managing director, Downton shuffles off the stage, replacing his blazer for an anorak and swapping the prospect of several weeks in the Caribbean for a retirement scratching his head and wondering about that odd chapter in his life when, briefly, he managed England cricket.Forget his bravery as a batsman against the West Indies fast bowlers of the 1980s. Forget his reliability as a wicketkeeper. Forget his decision to reappoint Peter Moores, retain Andy Flower and sack Ashley Giles. Downton will be remembered, almost exclusively, for his decision to sack Kevin Pietersen and his clumsy handling of the affair.It was a decision that reeked of agendas and vengeance. While Downton justified it by saying he had never seen such a “disengaged” and “disconnected” performance of that of Pietersen in Sydney, those who watched the Ashes tour rather more closely saw a senior player attempting to help younger players and fit into an environment where he felt increasingly uncomfortable. The sense remains that Downton had decided, or been ordered, to dispense with Pietersen before he even started.The irony is that, just as he made Pietersen the scapegoat for the Ashes debacle, so he has been made the scapegoat for the World Cup failure. Now he is the one “disconnected” and “disengaged”. But whether sacking individuals will fix the broken system within English cricket remains doubtful.To see Downton mingle with the England squad at the airport before this tour was to see the uncle nobody really remembers on the fringes of a family wedding. He has been irrelevant for some time. A decent, well-meaning man, no doubt, but utterly out of his depth in the world of modern, international cricket.The decision to make his position redundant is no surprise; the decision to create a slightly altered one more so. The ECB are keen to cut their administrative costs and could well have done without this role altogether. Instead it seems they could be persuaded to create another extra position below the new Director of England Cricket role with a responsibility to manage the other aspects of Downton’s role – women’s cricket, disability and age-group cricket – that could otherwise be overlooked.Michael Vaughan is the favourite for the new role. ESPNcricinfo understands that he has already met incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves and new chief executive Tom Harrison and, while he is far from popular with several current players and has a role with ISM – the sports management agency – that would have to end, he understands the demands of modern international cricket and has the courage to make a difference. Andrew Strauss and Ashley Giles might be considered other possible contenders – Nasser Hussain has ruled himself out – but Vaughan is in pole-position.The cynical might suggest that is because the role will be public facing and designed to divert attention from the real ECB management. They might suggest, too, that this is another attempt to move on from the Giles Clarke era at the ECB. And while Strauss is seen as being too close to some of those still within the side – not least Alastair Cook, who has lost a pillar of support with Downton’s departure – Vaughan appears to revel in the spotlight.But this new role will tread on the toes of the head coach and blur the lines of responsibility for the new CEO, Tom Harrison. English cricket requires many things: a new middle-manager is not one of the most obvious.Downton may be the first of several redundancies. The position of the chief selector, James Whitaker, appears especially precarious while a reorganisation of the management at Loughborough is imminent. It could be that Andy Flower, in something of a nebulous role at present and apparently heading for the exit only days ago, is given more responsibility under the rebranded Director of England Cricket.Vaughan’s appointment would also leave Moores in an uncomfortable position. Vaughan has been heavily critical of the coach in the media and made no secret of his struggles working with him during the period in which he was England coach. It is hard to see that relationship proving sustainable.The bookies immediately reduced the odd of Pietersen making a return to an England side from 25-1 to 2-1. And it is true that this decision clears one significant hurdle for Pietersen. Peter Moores has, ESPNcricinfo understands, already made it clear to Harrison that he could, if necessary, work with Pietersen again and while Alastair Cook remains resistant, he is no longer involved in the limited-overs sides. Pietersen will have to score some runs in domestic cricket first, but his involvement in the World T20 this time next year is far from impossible. It seems little is in English cricket at present.