All posts by h716a5.icu

Liverpool are set for some major changes to their playing staff in the summer as they gear up for a period of transition next term that will see them take to the Anfield turf without many of the old guard who have been mainstays in Jurgen Klopp's side for several years.

Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are already on their way out in the off-season and more could be set to follow as the Merseyside giants plan ahead for 2023/24.

Transfer incomings and outgoings are likely to be at the forefront of Klopp's thinking with the summer window now almost upon us.

As per Sky Sports, one potential arrival at Anfield in the forthcoming transfer window may be RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, who is attracting interest from Liverpool alongside Chelsea and Manchester City.

What's the latest news involving Josko Gvardiol and who could he displace at Anfield?

BILD report that RB Leipzig have reportedly set Gvardiol's price tag at €100 million (£87 million) amid significant attraction towards his services heading into the summer.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Red TV pundit Paul Machin thinks that any prospective arrival of Gvardiol at Anfield could pose a problem to Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, who has featured at times as part of a back three in recent matches to accommodate for Trent Alexander-Arnold's new advanced role.

Machin told FFC when asked about Gvardiol: "That's either as a long-term replacement for Virgil Van Dijk, who plays the left side of a centre-back pairing or more interestingly, is he going to challenge with Andy Robertson, who in this new system effectively plays more like a left of a back three."

Intriguingly, £100k-a-week earner Robertson has actually been linked with a shock move to Real Madrid, who are said to have the Scotland captain on a 'list of potential summer reinforcements' to replace Ferland Mendy, according to The Daily Mail.

Gvardiol, who has been labelled as "fearless" by former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand arriving at Liverpool would likely add further competition for his place in the side, especially in a back three, given his potential to develop into a star.

In 2022/23, the Croatia international has made 41 appearances in all competitions for RB Leipzig and netted three goals in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Despite it not being the most obvious player comparison to make due to evident positional differences, WhoScored notes that Gvardiol this season trumps Robertson on completed clearances, pass success rate and aerial duels won per game. In order, Gvardiol has managed 2.3 clearances, 89.3% pass efficiency and 1.4 aerial bouts won. On the other hand, Robertson comes in at 1.3 clearances, 84.2% pass success and 0.6 successful aerial duels per fixture.

If Alexander-Arnold is going to feature in a central role more often next term, it may be an idea to bring in an elite-level central defender to combat counter attacks and also to provide quality distribution to break the lines, something Gvardiol evidently has the capacity to do.

As per BT Sport quoted by The Daily Express, pundit Owen Hargreaves tipped Gvardiol to go on to become the best central defender in the world, stating: "I think the boys said it, three centre backs in the studio before, all top players. He [Gvardiol], I think, is an absolute top one. I think he’ll be the best centre-back in the world one day."

In a summer of upheaval at Anfield, Gvardiol joining Liverpool would be a coup and he could go on to be a Premier League star for years to come.

The Supreme Court has put off passing the order concerning the BCCI’s implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations until its next working day, which is October 17

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-20162:49

Supreme Court wants BCCI president to clarify approach to ICC

The Supreme Court has put off passing a final order concerning the BCCI’s implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations until its next working day, which is October 17 because the court breaks for holidays for a week.The court had initially given the board one day to provide an undertaking that it would accept the recommendations “unconditionally” by October 7, but the delay was because the entire three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices AM Khanvilkar and DY Chandrachud, which had heard the matter on Thursday, was not available after lunch on Friday.The matter had been listed for the “end of board,” which meant the order would be announced after all other cases for the day were heard, but Justice Chandrachud, who was presiding on a different bench on Friday, had left for the day before the other matters in the Chief Justice’s courtroom were concluded.As a result, the court passed an interim order in which it noted that the BCCI had been “non-cooperative in its attitude” based on the status report submitted by the Lodha Committee and also the arguments raised by amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium on Thursday.”The sequence of events that have taken place since 18th July, 2016 and referred to in the status report prima facie give an impression that BCCI has far from lending its fullest cooperation to the Committee adopted an obstructionist and at times a defiant attitude which the Committee has taken note of and described as an impediment undermining not only the Committee but even the dignity of this Court with several statements and actions which according to the Committee are grossly out of order and may even constitute contempt,” the order stated.The court said it would leave a final decision for a future date, but reminded the BCCI about its attitude. “All that we need mention is that in the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee, the BCCI appears to be non-cooperative in its attitude.”Chief Justice Thakur also said in court that BCCI president Anurag Thakur must file a personal affidavit to respond to whether he had approached the ICC asking for a letter that may have aided the board in not implementing the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.The Chief Justice was referencing a story in on September 12 that quoted ICC chief executive David Richardson as saying that Anurag Thakur had asked the ICC to address a letter to the BCCI, asking it to clarify whether the recommendations of the Lodha Committee did not amount to government interference in the board. As per ICC regulations, member boards cannot have government interference in their functioning. ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, Richardson said, had been reluctant to get involved in the matter unless “formally” requested to.The Supreme Court has asked BCCI president Anurag Thakur for a personal affidavit•Hindustan Times via Getty Images”Mr. Anurag Thakur, President of the BCCI shall file a personal affidavit whether he had asked the CEO of the ICC to state that the appointment of Justice Lodha Committee was tantamount to Government interference in the working of the BCCI,” the court said in the order.A BCCI official ESPNcricinfo spoke to, however, said the board would continue to stick to its stance that it will not give the undertaking asked by the court to “unconditionally” implement the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. When asked whether the postponement of the hearing to October 17 would give the BCCI time to reach out to the state associations and form a response, the official said the absence of the top brass of the board would be a hurdle.The official said both BCCI president Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke would be in Cape Town to attend ICC board meetings between October 10 and 14. They would return by October 16.On Thursday, the court had given the BCCI one day to return with such an undertaking, but a board official had indicated later that evening that it was not in a position to do so in such a short time frame. The court had set the deadline while hearing the BCCI’s response to the Lodha Committee’s status report, which had been filed in the Supreme Court on September 28 and recommended that the court “supersede” the board’s office bearers with “immediate effect” because they were hindering the implementation of the recommendations.

Tottenham Hotspur manager contender Luciano Spalletti is 'fully in the race' to replace Antonio Conte in north London, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

What's the latest news involving Luciano Spalletti?

Area Napoli transcribed by Sport Witness have relayed that journalist Ciro Venerato has indicated that Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain would be 'concretely interested' in making Spalletti their new manager.

Il Mattino via OneFootball report that the 64-year-old is keen to take a sabbatical at the end of this season following a Serie A title-winning campaign with the Italian giants.

The outlet claim that there will be no compensation regarding his prospective exit at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium and Napoli will instead insert a clause to allow him to return before his contract in Naples runs out in 2024.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is believed to be eyeing up former Spurs boss Conte as a replacement for Spalletti. However, the former Italy manager would need to take a pay cut to step into Spalletti's shoes, as per Gazzetta dello Sport.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Galetti has revealed that Spalletti is definitely on Spurs' radar alongside Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as they search for a new manager.

Galetti said: “Ruben Amorim, together with Luciano Spalletti, as we have seen, is fully in the race for the Spurs job. The current Sporting manager in terms of the idea of play and tactical model would be seen as a choice of continuity compared to today.”

Who else is in the running for the Tottenham Hotspur vacancy?

Interestingly, Spalletti averages 2.39 points per game with Napoli this season and was described as a "genius" by Victor Osimhen.

As per The Independent, Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is being 'strongly considered' for the Tottenham vacancy amid reports that previous frontrunner, Arne Slot of Feyenoord, is now set to commit his future to the reigning Eredivisie champions.

The outlet reports that Spurs hope a deal will be easier to initiate than their failed attempts to land Slot as their new boss due to all parties enjoying a friendly relationship.

FootballTransfers claim that former Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has been 'formally offered' the chance to become the new Tottenham manager. Daniel Levy is not said to favour the 50-year-old, though support from other boardroom members regarding his prospective appointment is vast.

Luis Enrique and Graham Potter are on standby in case Rodgers elects to decline the opportunity to step into the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It looks like Tottenham fans are in for an exciting few weeks as they look forward to finding out who will take the club forward into next season.

Moeen Ali became the first England player to unequivocally commit to touring Bangladesh, a day after one-day captain Eoin Morgan said he had yet to make up his mind

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2016Moeen Ali became the first England player to unequivocally commit to touring Bangladesh, a day after one-day captain Eoin Morgan said he had yet to make up his mind.Since the tour was given the go-ahead last week, following a visit by an ECB delegation led by head of security Reg Dickason, most players have been unwilling to give their stance on whether they will undertake the trip having been told they can all take an individual call over the tour which was in doubt after the Dhaka terrorist attack in July.But ahead of the final ODI against Pakistan at Cardiff, Moeen said he had no qualms about undertaking the tour but understood if others felt differently. There is a chance that Moeen, who plays all three formats, could be rested for the one-day leg but will be an integral part of England’s Test plans”If selected, I’ll definitely go,” said Moeen. “I’m pretty happy with everything and really looking forward to it.”Everyone’s different and has their own views on things – and as a team, you back other’s decisions. It’s up to the individual. There’s no pressure on anyone – it’s up to that person and how he feels.”My view is you’re not safe anywhere these days. I think you can be anywhere and still not safe. I totally understand, and I back every decision people make.”On Friday, Jonny Bairstow had also come close to guaranteeing his participation in the trip after saying he has “a lot of faith” in the security advice given by Dickason. It came on the same day that Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, committed to the visit.”I’ve not made a 100% decision but I know within my mind that I have a lot of faith in Reggie,” Bairstow said during a sponsor’s event for Hardy’s wine. “I’ve been on a heck of a lot of tours with him, he’s known me since I was a young boy. So I’ve got a lot of faith in him. I’ve been asking questions regularly about different bits, that’s only natural, that’s human instinct to ask questions.”The world at the moment is not necessarily the safest place, that’s in England, that’s in Australia, South Africa, in Bangladesh,” he added. “You’ve got to ask questions because, if you don’t, you don’t have peace of mind. We have a lot of faith in Reg and he’s known a lot of us for a long time. There is still a decision to be made but at the same time I’m pretty confident in the decision that I will make and that it will be a positive one. If selected, because the squads haven’t been announced.”Alastair Cook has reportedly given his private assurance to the ECB that he will lead the Test leg of the tour, but Morgan has yet to give the same commitment for the one-day internationals.”If we’d had time off or no cricket between the meeting and now, I can’t say I would be any closer to the decision, but I would have had more time to digest everything and let everything settle,” Morgan said.The squads for the tour were due to be named on September 9, two days after the T20 against Pakistan, but the one-day party will now be announced the following week to allow further talks between those players uncertain about the tour and the ECB. The Test squad is likely to be named later in the month to allow fringe players another couple of rounds of Championship matches.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing a striker from the Championship this summer.

Julen Lopetegui is set to “overhaul” his strike force, as per Sky Sports, in the bid to improve on this season’s woeful lack of goals.

Wolves are the Premier League’s lowest scorers this campaign, having found the net just 30 times in 36 games, 62 fewer than league leaders Manchester City.

With the future of Raul Jimenez in doubt, Lopetegui will have the chance to rebuild his front line with the hope to get his side firing again.

The club have been linked with a number of forwards ahead of the window, including Coventry City marksman Viktor Gyokeres and Barcelona’s Ansu Fati. However, there should be another option in the frame if Wolves are smart about things; Chuba Akpom.

What’s the latest on Chuba Akpom's future?

As per Sky Sports, Middlesbrough striker Akpom is a player “on the radar” of Premier League clubs this summer.

The former Arsenal forward’s contract expires next summer, as Boro extended his stay to an additional 12 months at the start of this season.

Wolves are currently 'leading the race' to sign fellow Championship forward Gyokeres, via the same report.

However, if a deal can't be concluded there then Akpom simply has to become an option for Lopetegui as he bids to steal him away from other top-flight sides.

What could Chuba Akpom bring to Wolves?

The 27-year-old Boro forward scored 28 goals in 40 appearances in the Championship this season, making him the top scorer just ahead of Gyokeres who registered 21 in eight more games.

Hailed as “incredible” by journalist Chris Wheatley after netting his 19th goal, the London-born striker was integral to getting Michael Carrick’s side to the play-off semi-finals.

Despite falling at the final hurdle to Coventry City, the campaign has been an unforgettable one personally for the Englishman, being named in WhoScored’s Championship team of the season – as per Sky Sports.

Boro’s near miss in the play-off semis has sparked rumours as to whether the forward will remain in the second-tier next term.

Wolves have been crying out for a goalscorer this campaign, and Akpom could be the missing piece to getting Lopetegui’s side firing in the Premier League.

By sealing aa deal, the former Real Madrid coach could sign his answer to the top-flight's most feared strikers, with Spurs star Harry Kane perhaps being the pick of the bunch considering he also learnt his trade for a while in the Football League.

The 27-year-old is actually averaging more goals per 90 than the impeccable Spurs talisman, with 0.7 per 90 minutes – as per FBref.

Although not boasting the assist count (2) of someone like Kane, Akpom's ability to drop deeper and play as an attacking midfielder shows there are further similarities. The former does that with great regularity in north London, having since become a “complete player”, as lauded by Zinedine Zidane.

Solving the lack of goals is the primary requirement for Lopetegui to tackle however natural goal-scorers are hard to find, and in the Boro star the Midlands club could retrieve a talent at the peak of his career and hungry for a breakthrough.

Only time will tell if Wolves will make a move for the 27-year-old, however with 28 goals this term, there’s no denying the club could land a much-needed talisman.

George Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardGeorge Bailey lifted Middlesex with a rapid half-century•Getty ImagesGeorge Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs.Overseas star Bailey was brilliantly partnered by John Simpson in a perfectly paced fourth wicket stand of 114. Ryan Higgins then took 5 for 13 – having only taken his maiden T20 wicket on Thursday evening – to make sure Hampshire’s chase never got going and give Middlesex back-to-back wins in the competition.Middlesex, after winning the toss and batting, were guided to 182 thanks in the main to a well-paced partnership between Bailey and Simpson.Dawid Malan, on the back of a record, unbeaten 185 for England Lions, was caught and bowled by Ryan McLaren. England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan fell soon after with Liam Dawson taking the catch at mid-on, before Paul Stirling was bowled by Brad Wheal to end the Powerplay 40 for 3.But that kick-started the mammoth stand between Bailey and Simpson, who never looked in trouble, never appeared to need to play the big shots.Former Australia T20 captain Bailey, following a match-winning 55 in the London derby on Thursday night, was the first to reach fifty, from 38 balls. Wicketkeeper Simpson quickly followed to the milestone in a slightly quicker 32 deliveries, helped by a trio of maximums.The partnership stretched from the seventh over to the 19th, when Simpson picked out Joe Weatherley on the midwicket rope. James Franklin and former Hampshire man Bailey, who passed his previous best Twenty20 score of 71, both departed before the close – Middlesex scoring 181 for 6.In a reply which never got going, Adam Wheater struggled to time the ball and his tortured spell was ended when he skied one to Malan, Tom Alsop copied his fellow opener’s style four balls later.Hampshire captain Sean Ervine and England international Dawson ticked along with a promising 40 stand in five overs. But the hosts were stunted again when Dawson chipped to Lions teammate Malan at short extra cover before Shahid Afridi teed up to James Fuller at deep square leg.Ervine was progressing nicely with a rapid 36 before Higgins’ slower ball pegged his middle stump back. Morgan managed to keep himself inside the boundary to hold on to Weatherley’s slog and the steady flow of wickets continued next ball when McLaren reverse swept to Bailey, off Higgins.Lewis McManus nicked off, Brad Taylor mistimed to short third man and Wheal was castled, with Hampshire losing their final five wickets in just 25 balls.

Sussex returned to winning ways in the NatWest T20 Blast after an impressive comeback by their bowlers set up a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Hove

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2016
ScorecardPaul Stirling’s 52 wasn’t enough for Middlesex•Getty ImagesSussex returned to winning ways in the NatWest T20 Blast after an impressive comeback by their bowlers set up a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Hove.Middlesex looked on course for a commanding score when they reached 71 for 1 in the sixth over with Paul Stirling in full flow.Stirling thrashed 52 off just 24 balls but after he departed in the seventh over Middlesex completely lost momentum.Seven of their batsmen scored between 2 and 6 as they were bowled out for 146 after losing nine wickets for 75 in 12 overs.There were still 14 balls of their innings unused and on a slow but true pitch Sussex had to take few risks as they sauntered to their target with ten balls to spare. Sussex’s fourth victory, which came after they hadn’t won in four, lifted them above Middlesex into third place in the South Group.The control Sussex had at the end was in sharp contrast to the opening overs as Stirling flayed their bowlers, hitting Tymal Mills for two sixes as well as eight fours. He reached his half-century in the fourth over, having put on 33 for the first wicket with skipper Dawid Malan.But Sussex began to drag it back in the sixth over when Nuwan Kulasekara yorked John Simpson (6) and then left-arm spinner Danny Briggs had Stirling caught behind trying to force off the back foot.It was a good night for Sussex’s slow bowlers, who sent down ten overs between them.Briggs and leg-spinner Will Beer had combined figures of 5 for 47 with Briggs also picking up Nick Gubbins (32), when he mis-timed a pull, and Ryan Higgins (4), to a sharp return catch, off successive deliveries.Beer claimed the important wicket of George Bailey, who was making his Middlesex debut, when he bowled the Australian through the gate before removing the dangerous James Franklin (5).Mills was expensive during Stirling’s onslaught ahead of what he hopes will be an England debut in next week’s T20 international against Sri Lanka, but he finished with 2 for 34.Middlesex’s hopes were briefly revived when Harry Podmore had Sussex skipper Luke Wright (23) caught behind off his first ball in the ninth over, Wright having earlier put on 46 with Phil Salt (27) for the second wicket.But Ross Taylor (33 not out) and Matt Machan (41 not out) didn’t need to take any risks and simply ticked over and put away the bad deliveries as they added an undefeated 74 in 62 balls.

New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly requested that the Blues sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer.

On Sunday, Sky Sports reported that Chelsea have agreed a deal with Pochettino to become the club's new manager.

Frank Lampard became the club's interim boss after Graham Potter was fired but the board will now hope that the managerial turbulence that has rocked the club in the last year is finally over.

Pochettino will get straight to work building his Chelsea side and it appears he might raid his former side to get things started.

What are Chelsea's transfer plans for this summer?

According to one Spanish news outlet, Todd Boehly "is willing to invest" further into this Chelsea side and will work with Pochettino to take the Blues back to the top of English football.

The report from Spain claims the former Spurs boss has requested that Hojbjerg joins the club this summer as plans are put in place to improve the Chelsea midfield. The 27-year-old has been hailed a "warrior" by some in the media and it's no surprise that Pochettino would want to work with him again.

It's suggested that part of why he is of interest to the Stamford Bridge outfit is that he is physically imposing, has Premier League experience and is technically astute. It will be interesting to see how kindly Spurs chairman Daniel Levy takes to the news that Pochettino wants to poach Hojbjerg.

Would Hojbjerg be a good signing for Chelsea?

There is no doubt that Hojbjerg is a good player but he isn't a necessity for Chelsea. After signing Enzo Fernandez for £106.8m, it seems unlikely that the Blues will prioritise signing another deep-lying midfielder before addressing other concerns in the squad.

If a new midfielder is what Pochettino wants, it would be wiser to target a box-to-box midfielder especially if both Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount leave the club as speculated.

Given Pochettino's preferred style of play, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he wants Mount to stay at the club although his head may have already been turned by the recent reports linking him with a potential move to Liverpool.

After spending so much money on transfers since buying the club, Boehly must be careful that the signings made this summer are the right ones.

If Chelsea struggle again last season, the pressure will increase on all involved at Stamford Bridge.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2016Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has said scoring over 200 was the key in the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Warner had opted to bat in Bangalore and helped his team put up 208 for 7 with his ninth half-century of the tournament, which they won for the first time in their fourth season.”We knew we had to get 200 against these guys, they have a phenomenal batting line-up,” Warner said. “We knew we had to win three games to win this tournament. To come here and beat Bangalore in front of this crowd, we were true underdogs. But we executed our skills, we batted well, bowled well, and fielded well. For us, the key was team effort all the way. [Time to put my feet up] for 24 hours and then I’m off to the Caribbean. But the guys will well and truly celebrate this and it’s time to have a beer.”[It’s a] fantastic team achievement and for me personally it’s overwhelming. To lead this side and the support these players gave me to lead by example and me pulling my weight with the runs…Obviously all the other guys doing their job. But look, it’s been fantastic, it’s been a hard journey for the last two years. From my experience as captain, the credit goes to all the guys.”You need to get a lot of individual players to step up, players need to gel together and get the combinations right. For us the key was to try and emulate with our fielding, that part towards the end here.”Warner did not hesitate to praise the efforts and form of his counterpart, Virat Kohli, who scored 54 off 35 and was part of a rapid opening stand of 114 in 10.3 overs with Chris Gayle, before quick wickets dented Royal Challengers’ chase and they never recovered.”What a leader, Virat Kohli,” Warner said. “I can’t take it away from him. He set the benchmark for all batsmen this tournament and they are a fantastic team.”Kohli, on the other hand, was aggrieved after the eight-run loss and even though he ended as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, a half-century in the final was not enough.”We are really proud of the way we played as a team,” Kohli said. “I mentioned before the finals this was for the people of Bangalore. We wanted to do it for them because of the continuous support we have had. Even when we had the worst of seasons, they have come out to support us. I feel gutted that we were not able to cross the line for them. All the guys have been wanting to cross the line, we reached the finals twice and once in Champions League as well.”We were walking around thanking the crowd and Dan [Daniel Vettori] mentioned to me, ‘we got 200 and we lost.’ So that felt a bit weird that we were short by eight runs. We knew one big partnership would set the tone for us but me and AB [de Villiers] getting out quickly was a big blow. I knew I had things under control and we could achieved the target had I stayed with AB a little longer. They got a bit of luck and then they capitalized, that’s why they are the champion side.”Why Sunrisers won was because they have a strong bowling attack. I knew I was hitting the ball well and I just wanted to keep contributing. If you try to do things for your team, you end up doing special things along the way. That’s a lesson for me as a batsman and everyone around the world. I surprised myself there [with four hundreds in the tournament] little bit, to be honest. I opened the innings as well, we have to consider that someone batting at No. 3 or 4 will not be able to get as many runs so I don’t take these things for granted.”It (orange cap) is a nice incentive with the way we have gone about this season but it doesn’t feel really nice to be at the other side of the result. As a personal achievement this is very special knowing that we have eight teams with world-class batsmen. It feels nice to have scored more than anyone else more importantly so that we reached the finals and it gives me more pleasure than it would have otherwise.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a crucial role once again in the end overs and bowled accurate yorkers, which he said are the key in T20s to stem the flow of runs. “I just had to keep myself composed in the end,” he said. “I knew if I would get it right, they wouldn’t be able to score runs. That’s the demand of this game…If you get the yorkers right it’s the best way to stop the runs in the death overs. Warner just said to keep my yorkers right, he asked me to keep myself composed.”Shikhar Dhawan, Warner’s opening partner admitted that even though their batting order didn’t fire at the beginning of the tournament, the side gained more balance once they started posting better totals. “It has been a great season for me and the team,” he said. “Davey led from the front from the first game and hats off to him. It has been a great journey. I feel our team is balanced. Initially we didn’t click as a batting unit then as the tournament went ahead, we started putting more runs on the board. The way [Ben] Cutting has got into the side and he played just two or three matches, but has performed really well.”

Glasgow Rangers could face a mass exodus of first team players this summer, with seven in total all seeing their contracts expire at the end of the current campaign.

Players such as Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Filip Helander will all be expected to depart; however, Michael Beale may try and convince Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack to remain at Ibrox, with the latter being one of the key members of the squad.

The Scot has been one of the better players this term, with his passing ability in the middle of the pitch a key strength, across 22 Premiership matches, he has averaged a 91% pass success rate while taking 58.6 touches per game.

Another key facet of his game is his defensive solidity and the 31-year-old loses possession only 6.6 times per game while making 1.3 tackles and 0.6 interceptions each match, suggesting he is an important cog in the midfield.

Losing him would be a major blow and although that will happen sooner rather than later, Beale can still get another season or two out of him.

The Englishman will be looking towards the future however and the Light Blues have recently been linked with Liverpool youngster Leighton Clarkson according to Football Insider.

Could Rangers sign Leighton Clarkson this summer?

The 21-year-old has spent the current season in the Premiership, turning out for Aberdeen and Beale will know all about his qualities having coached him at youth level when he worked at the Anfield side.

He has shone for the Dons this term, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.14/10 and he was one of the standout performers in their recent 2-0 win over Rangers last month, Aberdeen’s first at home against the Glasgow side in seven years.

During that performance, Clarkson made three key passes, grabbed an assist, created one big chance, and made a staggering six tackles throughout the tie, nullifying Rangers across the midfield area.

His defensive metrics have actually been better than Jack’s this term, as the youngster has made two tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game and in terms of going forward, the Liverpool starlet offers a much more creative output than Jack.

Clarkson has registered seven assists, made 1.5 key passes per game and created seven big chances, with the Scot grabbing only two assists, 1.2 key passes per match and has created just two big chances, proving that not only would Clarkson be the ideal heir for Jack if he were to replace him, his statistics from this season show he could be an improvement.

Liverpool assistant Pep Ljinders waxed lyrical about Clarkson when he was just 17, claiming the player could “dictate play” and “speed up the tempo of the positional play” and there is no doubt he has a bright future in the game.

With the transfer window just around the corner, Beale should be making his move sooner rather than later.