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Newcastle United always knew this summer would involve a lot of higher-up teams battling it out for Alexander Isak’s services.

Isak’s 23-goal heroics in Premier League action just weren’t going to go unnoticed, with Liverpool targeting the lethal Swede intensely this off-season, subsequently, only to fail in their advances.

The Magpies aren’t out of the woods just yet, however, when it comes to rich teams sniffing around for their star-man, with a move now allegedly on the table for Isak to move out to the Saudi Pro League for an eye-watering £200m.

Newcastle have asserted back that the ex-Real Sociedad goal machine isn’t for sale under any circumstances, but they will surely have some strikers up their sleeves anyway this summer to try and improve their forward line even more, just in case the unthinkable occurs.

Newcastle line up swoop for £78m attacker

Already, the Magpies have forked out an extortionate £55m to land Anthony Elanga to enhance their personnel down the wings.

This spending could continue with a striker now being obtained, with reports suggesting that Newcastle are looking at Victor Osimhen as one viable option, alongside another lethal finisher from the Bundesliga – away from earlier interest in Hugo Ekitike – who would cost Eddie Howe’s Toon a mighty £78m.

This is, of course, RB Leipzig hero Benjamin Sesko.

That’s according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook who recently stated that Newcastle might well rekindle their interest in the Slovenian machine very soon, having been dealt blow after blow with other centre-forward targets.

It’s stated that Howe has admired Sesko for some time now, with a move finally getting over the line for the 22-year-old striker to move to Tyneside, representing a better deal than landing James Trafford in between the sticks, who looks to now be Manchester City-bound.

Why signing Sesko would be a better signing than Trafford

Trafford is yet another unfortunate transfer saga that has gone wrong for the Toon, with it being well-known since last summer that the Magpies were keen on the England U21 international as their future number one goalkeeper.

However, he looks set to return to boyhood employers Man City over making that expected next step to St James’ Park, but Newcastle won’t want to be up in arms about this for too long, considering they do have a dependable top-flight keeper already at the club in Nick Pope.

Whilst Trafford is the talk of the town back at Burnley for his unbelievable 29 clean sheets in Championship action last season, he has struggled in the top division previously, with a worrying 62 goals leaked across the 23/24 season with the Clarets.

On the contrary, Pope has always looked at ease with the same pressures on his back, as seen in his bumper 73 clean sheets at the elite level from 221 outings, with more pressing captures like Sesko’s now surely prioritised over seeking out improvements in net.

Newcastle’s strikers last season – G/A numbers
Player	Games played	Goals scored	Assists	Minutes played
Alexander Isak	42	27	6	3319
Callum Wilson	22	1	0	474
William Osula	19	2	2	456
Sourced by Transfermarkt

The table above really does hammer home why Newcastle are going all out to try and win some potent strikers this summer, with Isak leading the line on his own for most of the campaign, as Callum Wilson and William Osula only chipped in with a meagre three strikes in reserve.

With Wilson now off the Toon books, there is only the ex-Sheffield United youngster at Howe’s disposal away from the in-demand Swede, which is where Sesko might well come to the rescue.

Amazingly, Sesko – who has also been on Arsenal’s radar – would only find himself five short of Isak’s tally for Leipzig last campaign when registering a blistering 21 strikes, taking his overall count in Germany to a ridiculous 39 goals from 87 clashes.

One branded a “monster” by football journalist Eduardo Hagn for his ice-cold ability to fire home chance after chance, it does feel as if this is a splurge Newcastle can justify, especially if it goes down to the wire surrounding Isak’s future on Tyneside.

On the contrary, losing out on Trafford is unlikely to keep the Toon up at night for very long.

Ekitike 2.0: Newcastle plotting move for "chaotic" £65m Wissa alternative

Newcastle need to complement Alexander Isak with a new striker this summer.

2

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 19, 2025

Lancashire live to fight another day after challengers fall at penultimate hurdle

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2024Surrey’s third successive Vitality County Championship title was confirmed when Lancashire took just 32 minutes and 7.1 overs on the fourth morning to complete their 168-run victory over Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford.Resuming on 204 for 6, Somerset were dismissed for 224 with Luke Wells taking two of the wickets to finish with 4 for 36 and Anderson Phillip the other two to finish with 3 for 81.The result ends Somerset’s hopes of a breakthrough County Championship title, and is their second disappointment in the space of a week. On Saturday, their defence of their Vitality Blast title ended in defeat in the final against Gloucestershire, although they still have one last shot at silverware with the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final against Glamorgan looming at the weekend.”If you don’t believe you can win a game, there’s no point turning up,” Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach, said. “We thought there was a chance today but obviously it hasn’t turned out that way.””I take a huge amount from this season,” Kerr added. “Every county wants to be in a position in which you are competing to win trophies and there’s also been young players emerging. There’ll be a huge number of positives but it’s probably slightly early to be in a position where we can reflect on it all.”I think we’ve progressed massively since last year. We finished seventh last year and this year we’ve been more disjointed with our overseas signings and the continuity of the side’s been different as well but I think we’ve grown massively.”Somerset lost a wicket to the first ball of the day when Lewis Gregory was deceived by Wells’ googly and bowled for a golden duck.Next over, Lancashire enjoyed more success when Craig Overton was leg before wicket to Anderson Phillip for 4 and after pulling Wells for two fours, Brett Randell was bowled for 9 when trying to repeat the feat. The game ended and Surrey’s title was confirmed when James Rew was bowled off an inside edge by Phillip for 31Collectors of statistical oddities might wish to note that this is the first match in the history of the County Championship in which 21 wickets have fallen on the first day and the game has lasted until the fourth morning without weather interruption.Despite their win, Lancashire are still favourites to be relegated. Keaton Jennings’ side will be playing Division Two cricket next season regardless of the result of their game against Worcestershire if Nottinghamshire take ten points from their final match at home to Warwickshire, who would also need five points from that game.”It’s been a really good game of cricket,” Jennings said. “A good surface, two teams competing over the course of four days. It’s been good fun.”I’m really chuffed the lads have put in what I think is our best team performance over the course of this campaign. It’s really pleasing. It’s down to guys putting their hands up. Luke Wells getting 130 and putting in a performance that the team required to try and get us into a winning position and then taking poles this morning.”Guys chipped in with the new ball; Anderson, Bails, Will, Baldy. The bowlers had to take 20 wickets to win the game and they’ve done that. It’s been an entertaining three and a bit days, so it just shows you cricket at Old Trafford has been really good.”It’s awesome what the guys have produced over the last three days. I thought both sides were under par first innings, it wasn’t a 140 surface. I also didn’t think it was a 400 surface either which we got.”All in all, both sides competed and made errors to let each other back into the game. We could have disintegrated, but didn’t. We continued to fight like we have over the whole campaign. The guys have tried really hard, they just haven’t quite got it right like we did this game.”

Liverpool defied expectations when winning the Premier League last season, but now that they have been crowned champions and are strengthening in the summer transfer market, the wider lens on Arne Slot’s project will be heightened.

To put it another way, Liverpool have returned to the top of English football but must now prove they can defend their title while challenging for the bigger prizes across other fronts.

Mohamed Salah will no doubt have his eyes on the Champions League, while defeat to Newcastle United in March’s Carabao Cup final will fuel the desire to conquer one of England’s domestic tournaments, for sure.

With Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz already bagged and more yet to come, there are so many reasons to be excited for Liverpool fans right now, even if a number of first-teamers potentially face exits before the 2025/26 season arrives.

Most notably, Ibrahima Konate has rejected Liverpool’s latest contract offer, while Luis Diaz, 28, continues to be at the centre of exit rumours. If the Colombian winger is sold, sporting director Richard Hughes has worked with Slot to determine that Anthony Gordon is the perfect replacement.

Why Liverpool could sign Anthony Gordon

It almost feels like Gordon is fated to play in a Liverpool shirt at some stage of his career. Last summer, the Reds were interested in completing a deal, but for Newcastle’s success in avoiding financial breaches through less damaging means.

Liverpool are well stocked on the left flank, but if Diaz is sold – Bayern Munich are the latest club to express an interest in the 28-year-old – a move could be revisited for the man who left the Anfield academy when he was just 11 years old.

Recent reports suggest Liverpool would need to cough up around £75m for the Three Lions star, but, aged 24, this could be a worthwhile investment for a tenacious and electric forward.

Such a move, as stated, hinges on Diaz leaving, and the same could be said at number nine, for Darwin Nunez has failed to bring it together under Slot’s wing and is heading for the door.

Alas, Nunez is set to leave. Napoli are set for crunch talks with Liverpool over the Uruguayan striker, paving the way for a superstar to head down the opposite direction.

Liverpool launch bid for striker

According to French journalist Sebastien Vidal, Liverpool have launched an official bid Napoli’s way for Victor Osimhen, who is back from a season-long loan with Galatasaray and expected to leave the club this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Despite Osimhen being one of the best strikers in the world, he fell out with the Serie A side, and there is no route back. The Italian champions, despite their stance, are unwilling to budge on their £64m valuation.

Well, in that case, Liverpool have offered Nunez and Federico Chiesa, both of whom are coveted by the Neapolitans, as makeweights, additionally putting £17m into the package.

Manchester United, Gala and Saudi Arabian clubs also linger in the race.

Why Liverpool should sign Victor Osimhen

We all know that FSG’s dream target is Alexander Isak, who was actually declared “the best striker in the world” last season by analyst Raj Chohan, but the Sweden star is understood to have been valued at £200m, an extortionate fee.

Osimhen, 26, would be a fantastic alternative, having proven himself across a number of years as being one of the most prolific marksmen on the continent and a trophy winner besides.

For sure, he probably didn’t envisage a season in the Turkish Super Lig this time 12 months ago, but the Nigeria international made the most of his season, scoring 37 goals across 41 outings, winning the league title and maintaining comparative prolificness across the span of his career.

Praised for his “world-class” finishing ability by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley, Osimhen would certainly prove an upgrade on Nunez, and indeed could be the perfect Isak alternative, for he is athletic and mobile too.

Victor Osimhen – Career Stats by Club
Club	Apps	Goals	Assists
Napoli	133	76	18
Galatasaray	41	37	8
Lille	38	18	6
Charleroi	36	20	4
Wolfsburg	16	0	0
Stats via Transfermarkt

Of course, Osimhen no doubt misses that almost telepathic connection with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at Napoli, the Georgian winger leaving Italy to sign for Paris Saint-Germain for £59m in January, but he could find a dance partner of a similar style in Gordon.

The pacy winger called himself a “nightmare for anyone” he comes up against last summer on England duty, having also averaged 1.1 dribbles and 4.4 successful duels per Premier League match last term, as per Sofascore.

With six goals and five assists to his name across the recent league term, there’s no question Gordon regressed after his incredible 2023/24 campaign, notching 26 top-flight goal contributions and earning Newcastle’s Player of the Year award.

One year ago, Dieter Hamann even went as far as to claim that Gordon would be the better pick for the Reds than Kvaratskhelia, directing praise toward the Englishman’s tried-and-tested record in England’s top flight; many talented players have struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the British game before.

He said, “It’s very hard to pick between Gordon and Kvaratskhelia. I don’t think there’s an awful lot between the players.”

Osimhen built quite the reputation with the silky winger, and we might be having a different conversation had Liverpool furthered their interest in the Georgian back in January, before he moved to Paris.

Alas, that door has closed. But no matter. If a dynamic and powerful centre-forward in Osimhen can be paired with a rising star in Gordon, Slot may well have the dream strikeforce to lead Liverpool to glory for many years to come.

Slot's answer to Mane: Liverpool chasing "monster" £70m Premier League star

Liverpool have set their sights on another attacking star this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 24, 2025

After losing both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to both Manchester clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers have now reportedly turned their attention towards potential incomings and one Premier League rival.

Wolves lose Ait-Nouri and Cunha

Whilst losing Cunha always seemed inevitable due to his £63m release clause, Wolves may not have had the same feeling of inevitability about Ait-Nouri’s future. One swift move from Manchester City soon changed things, however, and now the Midlands club are set to enter next season without arguably their most important players.

Despite being picked apart, however, those in the Midlands still have reason to be positive. Having sold Cunha for his £63m release clause and Ait-Nouri for a reported £36m, Wolves now have money to spend on incomings of their own ahead of Vitor Pereira’s first full season in charge at the club.

As a result, the rumours have already been coming thick and fast. Top of Wolves’ wishlist should be finding replacements for both Ait-Nouri and Cunha before perhaps addressing other areas in need of upgrading.

To that end, names such as Barcelona’s Gerard Martin and Nice forward Evann Guessand have threatened to steal the headlines in recent weeks in two moves that would solve Wolves’ problem.

The latter enjoyed a particularly impressive season in France, scoring 13 goals and creating another 10 in all competitions for Nice. Doing enough to earn the interest of Wolves, the Ivory Coast forward could yet be on his way to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, those at Molineux have also reportedly turned their attention towards signing a reinforcement slightly closer to home and one who already knows all about the Premier League.

Wolves plotting Yegor Yarmolyuk move

As reported by Caught Offside, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now plotting a move to sign Yegor Yarmolyuk from Brentford this summer. Like the Midlands club, the Bees could lose two crucial figures this summer in manager Thomas Frank, who looks destined for Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United-linked Bryan Mbeumo. They are, therefore, keen to keep hold of Yarmolyuk.

Every player has their price, however, and the West London club reportedly value their young midfielder at just €30m (£25m) in what should be an affordable price for a Wolves side fresh from big-money sales.

The Midlands club aren’t alone in pursuit of the 21-year-old, though, with Frank reportedly eyeing the chance to bring him to Tottenham and Leeds United also interested.

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It should, of course, come as little surprise that Spurs have already set their sights on the Brentford midfielder and Fank’s influence could yet deal Wolves a frustrating blow.

The Spurs-bound manager was full of praise for Yarmolyuk last season, telling reporters: “He possesses a fantastic mindset and trains well every day. If you train well consistently and are one of the best in practice, you will eventually make your way to the starting lineup, and I hope he establishes himself there.”

Following Saturday’s gut-wrenching penalty shootout defeat in the Scottish Cup Final, all Celtic supporters have turned their attention to the club’s plans for the summer.

Before they are next in action, Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to have a few new signings he can showcase, with some key areas clearly to address at Parkhead.

Kieran Tierney is set to arrive at left-back, while a replacement may also be needed for the injury-stricken Jota on the flanks. Kyogo Furuhashi arguably hasn’t been properly replaced since he left in January either.

But, where does their latest target feature?

Celtic's latest transfer target

According to a report by Japanese outlet Sponichi Annex, Celtic are ‘interested’ in Djurgardens’ defender Keita Kosugi, claiming that Paris Saint-Germain have also made a move to secure his services.

The 19-year-old spent his youth career with Shonan Bellmare, before travelling to Sweden for a trial with Djurgarden in March 2024, impressing to such an extent that the Blue Stripes rewarded him with a four-year contract less than a week after his 18th birthday.

How Kosugi could be Celtic's latest Asian success story

Something of an attacking threat from left-back in a similar mould to Tierney, the defender has made 43 appearances for the Stockholm-based giants, scoring five goals.

He was notably on target against both Víkingur Reykjavík and Rapid Wien during their historic run to the Conference League semi-finals, bagging a stunning equaliser during the quarter-final comeback in Vienna.

It’s that star quality that could see him be an enormous success story in Scotland, just as his fellow countrymen have been since the Ange Postecoglou era.

Indeed, to date, eight Japanese players have made a senior appearance for Celtic, many of whom have made a massive impression.

Shunsuke Nakamura was the first, with Ryan Benson of Opta’s the Analyst noting that he is ‘one of the best free-kick takers of all-time’, and many of his compatriots have followed since.

Shunsuke Nakamura

2005-09

155

31

Kōki Mizuno

2008-10

12

1

Kyogo Furuhashi

2021-25

165

85

Yosuke Ideguchi

2022

6

Zero

Reo Hatate

2022-present

142

27

Daizen Maeda

2022-present

158

62

Yūki Kobayashi

2023

7

Zero

Tomoki Iwata

2023-24

42

1

Four of the eight Japanese players have had a huge impact at Celtic, two of whom remain key figures in Rodgers’ team right now.

Daizen Maeda picked up all of this season’s individual accolades, Celtic’s player of the year, PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year and SFWA Footballer of the Year and rightly so, considering he scored 33 goals in all competitions.

The forward arrived in 2022 from Yokohama F. Marinos for just £1.5m, which has proved to be an absolute bargain, so could Kosugi represent similarly excellent value for money?

Well, Han June of Football Asian believes the left-back to be “one of Asia’s hottest young prospects”, praising his “fearless defending”.

Meanwhile, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout is impressed by his ‘pace…work rate…versatility and technique’, among other attributes, labelling him ‘a modern defender’.

Minutes

987

14th

Goals

2

51st

Progressive carries

23

30th

Carries into final third

23

10th

Attempted passes

506

36th

Tackles

23

18th

% of dribblers tackled

85.7%

8th

Blocks

22

3rd

Interceptions

12

24th

Clearances

46

15th

Ball recoveries

42

40th

Touches

653

26th

As the table outlines, Kosugi is a very well-rounded player, impressing both in and out of possession, supporting Kulig’s assertion that he is an “exciting talent”.

Writer Kai Watson believes he is an “excellent prospect”, noting that Kosugi is a “promising attacking threat” as well as being “defensively… superb”, regularly “winning the ball back to drive forward”.

Thus, with Greg Taylor and Jeffrey Schlupp set to depart, even with Tierney poised to return, Kosugi has all the attributes to be Celtic’s latest Japanese sensation.

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ByDan Emery May 28, 2025

Everton have improved since David Moyes replaced Sean Dyche at the helm, but recent results have underscored the need for new attacking quality.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is expected to leave as a free agent at the end of the season, while Jack Harrison, Jesper Lindstrom and Armando Broja’s loan deals all conclude in two months.

However, while The Friedkin Group are going to sign forwards of various shapes and sizes, Moyes is also keen to strengthen his midfield, already focusing on a specific profile.

The target in question has plied under the Scotsman’s leadership for several years, and could prove an astute piece of business.

Everton transfer news

Despite the transfer window not yet open for business, the Toffees have already started putting plans into motion with the likes of Monaco’s striking sensation, Mika Biereth, linked with a move to Goodison Park.

Also on their radar is Liverpool’s Ben Doak, yet on this occasion, it looks as though Moyes is targeting experience.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Indeed, as per Football Insider, Moyes is targeting a reunion with West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek, having fielded the 30-year-old 207 times during his time at the Irons helm, more than any other player.

Though newly-promoted Leeds United are also chasing a deal for Soucek, who is valued at £10m, it’s understood that Everton have the lead in the race given the Czech international’s relationship with Moyes.

Why Tomas Soucek would be perfect for Everton

Soucek has been at West Ham for half a decade, signing on an initial loan from Slavia Prague in January 2020 before completing a £19m deal that summer.

The 6 foot 3 ace would bring physicality to the Everton midfield and might prove to be the perfect replacement for Amadou Onana, who was sold to Aston Villa for £50m last summer.

Described as a “midfield powerhouse” by journalist Antonio Mango, Onana’s presence has been missed on Merseyside, but Soucek could bring his own take on the role next year, working hard in the duel while making darting runs into the danger area to complement the frontline.

Matches (starts)

31 (26)

22 (17)

Goals

8

3

Assists

1

0

Touches*

37.6

40.2

Pass completion

75%

89%

Key passes*

0.5

0.3

Dribble success

55%

79%

Ball recoveries*

1.7

2.9

Tackles + interceptions*

1.9

3.2

Duels (won)*

5.2 (54%)

4.8 (60%)

As you can see, Onana might be more rounded than Soucek, but the latter man has a killer instinct in the final third, which scant few Toffees players have showcased with regularity this year.

West Ham have only created 50 big chances in the Premier League this season, with just the relegated trio making fewer. This actually shines a positive light on Soucek, whose skill at finding space and striking true has seen him score eight times.

It’s no surprise he’s been called a “machine” by former West Ham correspondent Tom Clark, adding intensity and initiative to his fold.

In fact, the £90k-per-week talent ranks among the top 2% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored and the top 1% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref, further illustrating his combativeness and indeed goalscoring strength.

Everton fans have tasted first-hand the midfielder’s goalscoring ability and must now forge ahead to make a shrewd signing which might just pay dividends, adding an Onana-esque presence at Bramley Moore.

Soucek may not be the fluid ball player that Graham Potter wants at the heart of his West Ham system, but Moyes enforces a different type of brand, one which the veteran midfielder would dovetail right into if Everton make their move in the coming months.

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Allrounder produced composed half-century in rare opportunity, but couldn’t set up victory

Valkerie Baynes18-Jul-2025Doing her own thing served Alice Davidson-Richards well in her comeback to the England Women’s ODI squad, even if it didn’t serve those back at HQ quite so well at the precise moment of her recall.Davidson-Richards scored a half-century in a 106-run stand with Surrey team-mate Sophia Dunkley in the first of three ODIs against India on Wednesday night.Their fifth-wicket partnership rescued England from 97 for 4, but it wasn’t enough to win the game, India prevailing off the back of Deepti Sharma’s unbeaten 62 to make Saturday’s match at Lord’s a must-win prospect for the hosts.Related

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It was Davidson-Richards’ second innings for England since 2023, having played twice against West Indies earlier this season, although she was only required to bat once and scored 7 not out in a series dominated by the home side’s top-order.She said she had been so focused on playing for Surrey that, when England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards came calling, Davidson-Richards was in another world.”I had six missed calls,” Davidson-Richards said. “Lott was like, ‘where you’ve been?’ I said, ‘I was in a theatre with no signal, pal.'”They were waiting for the email for the squad to go out and I hadn’t got a signal, so I hadn’t found out yet. It was a bit of a surprise to come out and have all the missed calls and then speak on the phone with Lott, it was a pretty epic evening.”Davidson-Richards also said she hadn’t let Edwards’ edict that domestic performances would have greater influence on international selection into her mind too much, as she amassed 289 runs in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at an average of 48.16 and strike rate of 102.84, with a highest score of 100.She was also instrumental in cementing Surrey’s position at the top of the T20 Blast table with an unbeaten 28 and 3 for 11 against Warwickshire earlier this month.She credits working with Surrey sports psychologist Louise Byrne and head coach Johann Myburgh with helping her through nearly two years on the fringes of England selection. Now, her recall has come at an opportune time for Davidson-Richards, with the World Cup in India just over two months away.

“For me it’s always been a goal. It’s never gone away, but the focus on just myself and trying to win games for – then it was South East Stars and now it’s Surrey – became the main focus”Davidson-Richards on playing for England

“The main thing for me has being trusting my game and trusting myself and the skills that I do really well,” Davidson-Richards said. “I’m quite an up-and-down human at times, so trying to stay as level as possible and keep trusting myself as the games go on.””For me it’s always been a goal,” she added of her desire to play for England. “It’s never gone away, but the focus on just myself and trying to win games for, then it was South East Stars and now it’s Surrey, became the main focus.”When I started focusing on those sorts of things first, and the little things, then the stuff further along the line tends to come along.”Dunkley, who has batted up and down the order at international level in recent years, showed her own comfort at No. 5 with a top score of 83 in the opening ODI against India, where she enjoyed being reunited with Davidson-Richards.”I’ve batted with her loads at Surrey,” Dunkley said. “We’ve batted together in a lot of different partnerships, she’s great to bat with, really calm and really good at ODI cricket so it’s nice to bat with her.”I really like batting in the middle. I’ve batted all different places and I think I’ve settled in that role, batting four for Surrey and now batting five. It suits my game quite well and hopefully I can impact the game more going forward there.”The immediate task will be keeping the series alive at Lord’s, the scene of Deepti’s run-out of Charlie Dean while backing up, which sealed a 3-0 sweep of the corresponding series in 2022.Deepti and Dean have since played as team-mates at London Spirit in the Hundred, with Deepti telling ESPNcricinfo she had parked the dismissal as an “in-the-past” thing.If, at the time, the incident had represented India asserting themselves at the home of cricket, then they have gone a step further on this tour. India’s 3-2 victory in the T20I series was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests, comprising three emphatic wins against two last-ball thrillers that went England’s way, including the dead-rubber fifth match. They have since gone on to win a scrappier affair at Southampton that left both sides with clear areas for improvement.For India, their fielding came under the microscope amid a rash of dropped catches, as did a top-order which failed to capitalise on starts and relied on a fifth-wicket stand worth 90 between Deepti and Jemimah Rodrigues to keep a modest target in sight.England found themselves at least 20 runs short upon batting first and will be looking for more from the top order which crushed West Indies at the start of summer.

She claimed the first five-wicket haul in the WPL, after being bought by Delhi Capitals at the base price of INR 10 lakh

Peter Della Penna05-Mar-2023The city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania has a couple of pretty old ties to cricket. John Bart King, a great exponent of swing bowling, topped the English County averages in the summer of 1908 with 87 wickets at 11.01 while touring with the Gentleman of Philadelphia. The CC Morris Library at Haverford College in the city’s suburbs houses the largest collection of cricket books and artifacts in the western hemisphere, including one of Don Bradman’s bats.Now, the city has a brand new link to the game. A century after King’s exploits, a left-arm swing bowler originally from Philadelphia has etched her name in history, taking pride of place in the annals of American cricket.Related

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• The Shafali-Lanning show flattens RCB before Tara Norris' five-for

• WPL and IPL: Players can review wides and no-balls using DRS

Tara Norris, a 24-year-old who made her debut for USA in October 2021, was the only Associate player bought in the Women’s Premier League auction at the lowest base price of INR 10 lakh (USD 12,200 approx). And in her first game of the tournament, Norris has more than repaid Delhi Capitals’ investment, by ripping through the RCB batting line-up with the first five-wicket haul of the WPL. With no other team having an Associate player in their squad, only Delhi can make use of the rule that allows five overseas players in an XI, provided one of them is from an Associate country.”I never thought I’d have an opportunity like this in my career, so just to be here has been absolutely amazing,” Norris said after being named Player of the Match for her figures of 5 for 29 in four overs. “The fact that I got a chance to play and have a bowl has been awesome.”ESPNcricinfo LtdNorris’ journey to the WPL in India is atypical for a number of reasons. Her father is from Middlesborough and her mother is of Italian heritage. Both were working in the pharmaceutical industry and were based in Pennsylvania at the time that Norris, the youngest of three girls, was born. However, the Norris family moved to Barcelona in Spain when Tara was still an infant and she grew up playing tennis, soccer and swimming.The Norris family moved to Sussex, England in 2006 and it was there that she first encountered cricket. Her natural athleticism meant she was fast-tracked into the Sussex Women’s age-group teams, making her debut with the Sussex U-13s just a week before her 10th birthday. After getting a maiden Sussex senior team cap as a 15-year-old in 2014, Norris was chosen for an England Academy side later that summer, playing alongside future international players Sophie Ecclestone and Emma Lamb.Norris was given a full-time contract by Southern Vipers in 2020-21 and was part of the original squad for Southern Brave in the first season of The Hundred, playing five matches including the tournament final at Lord’s. However, her progress on the England pathway had stalled. It was over the summer that then USA Women’s head coach and former Australia international Julia Price reached out to see if Norris was interested in representing the country of her birth.After talking with Price, Norris had conversations with Vipers and Brave head coach Charlotte Edwards, who had toured Philadelphia with the MCC in 2016 and a year later came back to Texas for some development coaching. Edwards encouraged Norris to take advantage of the opportunity, and a few days later Norris was in the US Embassy in London getting her American passport renewed.She made an immediate impact on her debut, taking four wickets in five matches with an economy of 1.72, as she helped USA win the 2021 ICC Americas Women’s T20 Qualifier in Mexico City and advance to the T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.Tara Norris has played five T20 internationals for USA•FairBreak GlobalNorris was also included in the Barmy Army squad for the Fairbreak Women’s Invitational in Dubai in early 2022. However, her opportunities began to dwindle in Sussex, both with the Vipers and Southern Brave. She was benched all season during The Hundred in 2022 and was not retained ahead of the draft scheduled for March 23. Norris has also switched domestic teams in the County circuit, moving to Thunder.It all means that Sunday’s five-wicket haul couldn’t have come at a better time for Norris, whose stocks may be significantly higher upon re-entering the Hundred draft later this month. By the end of Delhi’s game against RCB, the scintillating 162-run opening stand between Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning had been overshadowed by Norris’ headline spell.She started by dismissing Ellyse Perry, then took the wickets of Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja, and rounded off her five-for with the scalp of England captain Heather Knight, who was also Norris’ captain with Barmy Army Women. The day was made even more special for Norris because Price, the USA head coach when she had made her T20I debut, was doing commentary on television for most of Norris’ spell.”Back home, she struggles to get into the Southern Brave team so it’s really nice to see her play,” Knight said after the game. “I played with her a little bit in the Fairbreak competition last year and played against her a bit. In the last year, I saw the potential that she has and she is a real competitor on the pitch. She really wants to compete and win. Left-arm is super effective in T20 also. As a mate of hers, I am very pleased to see what she has done today but bummed to be on the other side.”

Who should open alongside de Kock? Who is the third prong of the pace attack? One spinner or two?

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-2020Who will open the batting with Quinton de Kock? There are three clear options in the squad: Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks and Janneman Malan, and at least one outside contender in Rassie van der Dussen, although he is likelier to compete for a place lower down the order for this series.Bavuma opened the T20I batting against England earlier this year and was in handsome form with scores of 43, 31 and 49, but a hamstring injury prevented him from doing the same against Australia. There, a combination of Hendricks and van der Dussen were used but neither hit the heights. Malan, who was the Mzansi Super League’s leading local run-scorer, was not in the squad to face Australia but his domestic record presents a strong case for him to be considered. Malan averaged 44.75 in the 2019 tournament, and 33.88 in the 2018 edition, where Hendricks and van der Dussen excelled. Two years ago, van der Dussen topped the run charts with the most scored in the competition so far (469) and Hendricks was in third place.In numbers terms, then, there may be little between the trio. Ultimately, the decision may come down to who is considered the better foil for de Kock, who will operate as aggressor-in-chief. And what about the rest of the top six? De Kock is also the only certainty in the top six with South Africa’s squad laden with options. Van der Dussen is an obvious No.3, but so is Faf du Plessis. The decision may rest on whether du Plessis is serious about playing until the T20 World Cup. To judge by his recent IPL form, du Plessis is likely to be the man in possession – he was the leading run-scorer for the Chennai Super Kings.The other three spots will be distributed among David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Pite van Biljon, Jon-Jon Smuts and Kyle Verreynne. Expect to see all of them at some point in the series. Of those, Miller is the most experienced while Verreynne and Smuts are the most versatile. Verreynne will be able to relieve de Kock of the gloves if needs be, while Smuts’ left-arm spin will provide a few cheap overs.Andile Phehlukwayo celebrates a wicket with Aiden Markram•AFP via Getty Images One seam-bowling allrounder or two? There may even be space for more than three of the above, depending on how many allrounders South Africa feel they can accommodate. With Chris Morris unavailable for selection, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius are in contention for a berth and, although both are seam-bowling quicks, they offer a different skill set. Pretorius has been working on adding pace to his bowling while Phehlukwayo has the ability to disguise the slower ball and operate at the death. He also has a proven track-record as a finisher, although he will be the first to admit that consistency in run-scoring is his next challenge. Pretorius is in a similar position with the bat, though he has been known to appear up the order on occasion too.South Africa have, against Australia last summer for example, played both Phehlukwayo and Pretorius but that comes at the expense of a specialist batsman, so they would need to be assured of runs from these two to go down that route.The third seamer Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje tore up the IPL and will be bringing the heat to the home summer. Now South Africa just need to find their third prong. Reputation would suggest it has to be Lungi Ngidi, but his IPL showing wasn’t entirely convincing. Ngidi played four matches and took nine wickets at 18.33 while costing his team 10.43 runs an over. His history of injury may also mean he needs careful management, which could give opportunity to some of the others.Their choices are between young Lutho Sipamla, who has five T20s to his name and offers good control; left-armer Beuran Hendricks, who has had a good start to the domestic summer with a career-best 7 for 29 in first-class cricket; Junior Dala, the skiddy bowler who would have played last summer if not for a knee injury and Glenton Stuurman, who has been touted as a ready replacement for Vernon Philander in Tests. Having that level of variety means South Africa can choose their third seamer to match the conditions and they have someone for just about every surface.Bjorn Fortuin appeals for a wicket•BCCI And how many spinners? In South Africa, the answer to this is usually one, but there are three specialists in this squad. Tabraiz Shamsi is the only wrist-spinner of the group and the incumbent, but Keshav Maharaj, Bjorn Fortuin and George Linde have also been included, doubtless with subcontinental T20 World Cup conditions in mind. The trio are all orthodox left-arm spinners, differing in experience and added-value ability.Maharaj had a strong limited-overs campaign for the Dolphins in last season’s one-day cup, in which he also captained the team to the trophy, and has been pushing for international limited-overs selection. Linde, who has two Test caps to his name, is a genuine allrounder and may offer added value with the bat, while Fortuin is relatively new on the international scene but has already played in India, where he had decent returns. What these three will have to bear in mind is that South Africa are looking for a spinner who will operate in a containing role, with Shamsi given more licence to attack. If they can fit that bill, we may see more than one spinner in operation at home and abroad.

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