Webster posted his fifth century in his last 22 Shield innings to put his name up in lights

Alex Malcolm10-Oct-2024The Sheffield Shield’s leading allrounder Beau Webster has produced a timely century while Brad Hope posted his second Shield ton as Tasmania batted the entire third day against Victoria at the Junction Oval.Tasmania piled up 527 for 9 on a turgid surface to take a 99-run lead into the final day with Jordan Silk making 84 and No. 9 Kieran Elliott also making his highest first-class score of 63. But the surface is offering very little for the bowlers and it will be difficult for either side to produce a result.On a day when news emerged that Australia’s Test allrounder Cameron Green is facing a grim diagnosis on his injured back, Webster put his name up in lights scoring 113 to start the new Shield season as he finished the last. It was his 12th first-class century and his fifth in his last 22 Shield innings. He has averaged 69.94 in that time and made six other half-centuries including an unbeaten 97. Last summer he became only the second player behind Garry Sobers to score more than 900 runs and take more than 30 wickets in a single Shield season.But these runs came in a game where both sides have piled up more than 428 in their first innings and only 18 wickets have fallen in three days. Webster wasn’t getting too carried away given how placid the pitch is.”It’s a nice one to cash in on,” Webster said post play. “I’m batting well. I feel like I’ve been batting really well for 18 months now, and I’ve got a routine down pat. Whatever the conditions offer, I feel like I’ve got a game plan that can have some success.”He did note, however, that the media speculation surrounding Green was hard to shut out.”It’s hard to ignore,” Webster said. “It sits everywhere, all through the media, whether he’s going to bowl or not, or bat or not, or surgery and things like that. But there’s a lot of other good allrounders around the country, and lot of allrounders that have had good performances in the last 12 months. Hopefully I can just keep doing what I’m doing and if they see something they like, and I get an opportunity, I’ll jump at it and grab it with both hands hopefully. But not reading too much into it though.”Silk played with typical class and composure in a 149-run stand with Webster before Hope then cashed in.Hope made an unbeaten century as Victoria tried everything to find a wicket. Having removed Silk and Webster with two excellent deliveries from Sam Elliott and Fergus O’Neill respectively there was precious little support from the surface otherwise. At one stage late in the day, O’Neill bowled with the keeper up and eight catchers in front of square on either side of the pitch with a sole fine leg.Hope and Tasmania No. 9 Kieran Elliott shared a 127-run stand in the afternoon to take the score beyond 500 as Victoria took a third new ball. The partnership was finally broken by the new ball as Hope edged behind for 111. Elliott fell shortly after for 63.

Alick Athanaze is fit and available for selection after having recovered from injury

Deivarayan Muthu11-Sep-20241:08

Powell: Very important to win home games

Rovman Powell’s Barbados Royals, one of two as yet unbeaten teams in CPL 2024 along with defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors, will be at full strength for their home leg, which kicks off against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Bridgetown on September 11.The South African pair of David Miller and Keshav Maharaj has linked up with the side while batter Alick Athanaze has recovered from the finger injury that had put him out of Royals’ game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre last week. With Maharaj back and available until the end of the season along with Miller – both players were rested for the upcoming UAE tour where South Africa will face Afghanistan and Ireland in white-ball games – Dunith Wellalage, the Sri Lanka allrounder who was picked by Royals as a replacement player, has returned home.Related

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Shamarh Brooks, who was originally selected as a temporary replacement for Miller, however, will continue to stay with the squad as cover.”We’ve got David Miller and Kesh Maharaj, and we’ve got our full complement of five overseas players,” Royals head coach Trevor Penney said on the eve of their first home game of the season, against Falcons. “Looks like Alick Athanaze is fit for selection as well. So it will definitely be a different team and will be a good headache to have with some of the youngsters that have come in and played really well as well. So we will have a selection meeting later and will come up with the team for tomorrow.”Alick has been playing for West Indies. He’s an up-and-coming batsman that really needs to play in our side. It’s going to be up for debate in our selection meeting.”David Miller has represented Royals in both the CPL and SA20•SA20

Royals have secured contrasting wins in contrasting conditions so far in CPL 2024. In their first game, on a North Sound pitch that got better for batting, Royals overhauled 146 with plenty to spare while in their second, they scrapped to victory with just one ball to spare on a used Basseterre surface. Bridgetown has had some rain in the lead-up to Royals’ home leg but their captain Powell suggested that has not affected their preparation.”I think, to be honest, it [Barbados] has one of the better conditions I’ve seen,” Powell said. “The practice wickets were good and the guys told me that the wickets in the middle are good. They had a camp here before we started the CPL, so cricket is being played on the wicket.”Royals finally have all their five overseas players available for selection and Powell hoped that their franchise T20 experience will serve them well. Miller and Maharaj are familiar faces already at the Royals set-up. While Miller had played his part in Royals’ run to the final in CPL 2022 and had even captained Paarl Royals in the SA20, Maharaj has represented Royals in the IPL.”This is just a top-up,” Powell said. “A lot of the guys have been playing franchise cricket around the world. So, these training sessions are just top-ups – just to get some blood flowing, hit a few balls in the middle and as a bowling group see if we can correct a few errors that we have made in the past few games.”Maharaj will slot into Wellalage’s role and will work with mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana, whose economy rate of 4.62 is currently the best among all bowlers who have bowled at least 24 balls this CPL. With the pitches in the region expected to slow down even further as the tournament progresses, Powell spoke about the impact the spinners could have on the CPL. With slower-ball specialist Naveen-ul-Haq and offspin-bowling allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall also pitching in with the ball, Royals haven’t even needed Nyeem Young’s medium-pace at all across two matches.”Bowlers win tournaments and batters win games,” Powell had said after the win against the Patriots. “I think we have a pretty good overseas spin department and that is very, very important. In the Caribbean, quality spinners sometimes become difficult to bat [against]. But having said that, we have fast bowlers that are there to back them up.”Aaron Jones has prioritised the CPL over USA commitments•ICC/Getty Images

Jones to stay at the CPL; Gous to leave for international dutyAaron Jones, the USA vice-captain who made a splash during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, will stay with St Lucia Kings for the rest of the CPL while his national team-mate Andries Gous is set to leave the Trinbago Knight Riders squad for the upcoming ICC CWC League ODI series in Namibia.Jones is in action in the CPL as a local player through his Barbados passport while the South Africa-born Gous slotted in as a temporary replacement for Tim David at TKR. As such, Gous was signed up for just four games and is now in line for his ODI debut. David, meanwhile, is set to link up with TKR and reunite with his Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard, who is the TKR captain in the CPL, after participating in three T20Is in England.Hassan Khan in action for San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC•MLC

Hassan Khan replaces Fakhar Zaman at FalconsFalcons have brought in allrounder Hassan Khan as a replacement for Fakhar Zaman for the rest of CPL 2024. Fakhar has returned home for the the Champions One-day Cup, Pakistan’s newer version of the domestic 50-over competition, which will run from September 12 to 29, clashing with the CPL.Hassan, 25, was born in Karachi and had captained Pakistan in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand before he moved to the USA. A left-arm spinner and a right-hand batter, Hassan was the highest wicket-taker for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC 2024 with ten strikes in nine matches at an economy rate of 7.09.

Rangers’ busy summer spending spree continues at Ibrox. Indeed, since Russell Martin’s appointment at Ibrox, the Gers have made six new signings to date, most recently bringing in Nasser Djiga on a season-long loan.

He follows Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Emmanuel Fernandez and Thelo Aasgaard through the arrivals’ door at Rangers, but are the Glasgow giants now going to get their hands on a vastly experienced new centre-back?

Rangers aiming to bolster their back line

The start of Rangers’ season is now fast approaching.

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Last Sunday, the Gers faced Club Brugge in a pre-season friendly, fighting back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Club Brugge at home, thanks to second-half goals from Mohamed Diomandé and then youngster Findlay Curtis.

No such defensive sloppiness can be afforded in just ten nights’ time when the Light Blues commence Champions League qualifying, welcoming Panathinaikos to Govan, hence why Martin is targeting even more new signings this week.

Thus, according to a report by Sky Sports News, Rangers remain interested in signing Conor Coady from Leicester City.

Earlier in the window, Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider claimed that the Gers were ‘in advanced talks’ with the Foxes, as they attempted to sign the centre-back, but this is yet to come to fruition.

As outlined by Rob Tanner of the Athletic, Leicester are actively looking to get some of their highest earners off the books, following their relegation back to the EFL Championship, so will surely be quite accommodating, as they too want this deal to get over the line.

Thus, it remains very possible that Coady will make the move to Rangers but, with Panathinaikos on the horizon, Martin will be eager for this deal to get done sooner rather than later.

How Conor Coady would improve Rangers defence

Right now, Rangers have seven senior centre-backs on their books, although this could be down to six, after a bid was accepted for Robin Pröpper, who is seemingly on his way back to FC Twente, as confirmed by Martin.

So, here are the options Martin currently has in his squad.

Rangers’ current centre-back options
Players	Age	Year joined	Rangers appearances
John Souttar	28	2022	94
Ben Davies	29	2022	58
Clinton Nsiala	21	2024	13
Leon King	21	2020*	42
Nasser Djiga	22	2025	Zero
Emmanuel Fernandez	23	2025	Zero
*King made his senior debut in 2020.
All information courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, there is not a huge amount of experience among Rangers’ current central-defenders but, given that he played in both the Champions League for Crvena zvezda and the Premier League for Wolves last season, Djiga has surely arrived to be first-choice.

Alongside, John Souttar is probably in pole position to partner the new arrival, having made 40 appearances for the club last season, accumulating 3,411 minutes, the most he has ever enjoyed in a single campaign of his injury-blighted senior career.

Thus, Coady’s potential arrival would probably be particularly bad news for the Scotland international, banishing him to the bench.

James Tarkowski, who played alongside Coady at Everton, labelled him a “great leader”, while his manager at Goodison, Sean Dyche, heralded his “immaculate” professionalism.

Meantime, Adam McNulty of Breaking the Lines praised his ability ‘to pick out a runner’, documenting his outstanding distribution, supported by the fact that, in the 2019/20 Premier League season, Coady completed more accurate long passes than anybody else.

Given that new manager Martin’s style of play prioritises control through possession, this could be an invaluable asset to have at the back.

But how do his statistics compare to those of Souttar? Let’s find out.

Conor Coady 23/24 & 24/25 vs John Souttar 24/25 comparison
Statistics (per 90)	Coady	Souttar
Appearances	43	40
Minutes	3,103	3,411
Passes Attempted	73.45	56.95
Passing Accuracy %	92.48%	86.4%
Forward Passes	25.6	20.9
Tackles Made	0.8	0.8
Aerial duel success %	51.91%	68.06%
Ground duel success %	57.22%	69.43%
Clearances	3.6	6.9
Interceptions	0.9	0.7
Ball recoveries	3.5	2.7
Touches	81.9	70.45
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Squawka

First and foremost, it is worth noting that the last two seasons were included for Coady due to his lack of action at Leicester, thereby providing a larger sample size.

With that in mind, the Englishman comes out on top for the vast majority of metrics included when compared to Souttar, notably attempting, on average, 17 more passes per 90, as well as five more forward passes.

Defensively too, Coady accumulated more interceptions and ball recoveries, while taking 11 more touches per game, underlining that he is a good fit for a Rangers team who, domestically, dominate possession but, in Europe, are forced to do a lot more defending.

Thus, this signing appears to be an absolute no-brainer for the Light Blues, one that they should do everything in their power to finalise as soon as possible.

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By
Ross Kilvington

Jul 11, 2025

Chelsea’s busy summer, both on and off the field, continues.

It’s now a fortnight since the Blues were crowned champions of the world, surprisingly demolishing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup Final, thanks to Cole Palmer’s double at MetLife Stadium.

Meantime, in the transfer market, the Blues have already made eight signings, costing in excess of £225m, notably adding João Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Estêvão Willian and others to Enzo Maresca’s squad, which is already jam-packed full of talent.

Nevertheless, they are far from done just yet, closing in on one ultra-talented attacker, but have they also had a bid rejected for someone who is, potentially, even better?

Chelsea seeking to sign all the forwards

As has been widely reported, including by James Olley of ESPN, Chelsea are close to signing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for around £44m, with the Dutchman pushing to leave the Bundesliga side, after they failed to qualify for any European competition.

Simons is certainly a highly-rated player, with Sultan Babajide of Breaking the Lines documenting his ‘stellar performances’ for both club and country, but are Chelsea now eyeing up a move for an even bigger talent?

Well, according to reports in Spain, Chelsea have seen a €70m (around £61m) bid rejected by Juventus for winger Kenan Yıldız.

They add that la Vecchia Signora have reiterated that the Türkiye international is ‘not for sale’ as he is an ‘essential part’ of their plans for the forthcoming campaign, but the player could push for a move.

So, could he soon become the first ever Turkish player to make a senior appearance for Chelsea? Leicester legend Muzzy İzzet was in the Blues’ academy, but never featured at senior level.

What Kenan Yıldız would bring to Chelsea

Despite the fact Juventus only reached the round of 16, comprehensively beaten by both Manchester City and Real Madrid, Yıldız was one of the stars of the Club World Cup.

He was on target against Al Ain at Audi Field, before bagging a brace when I Bianconeri smashed Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia, cruelly denied a hat-trick by FIFA’s equivalent of the dubious goals panel.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled him both “special” as well as a “magnificent” talent, while former teammate Wojciech Szczęsny asserted back in 2024 that he “will be nominated for the Ballon d’Or within 5 years.”

Meantime, featuring in the Guardian’s Next Generation of 2022, Michael Yokhin praised his ‘magnificent technique and close control’ adding that he also possesses a ‘keen eye for goal’, forecasting that the then teenager ‘has a bright future ahead’.

Well, he was certainly proved right because, last season, Yıldız scored 12 goals and registered nine assists across all competitions, racking up impressive statistics in Serie A.

Minutes

2,402

96th

Goals

7

29th

Assists

4

26th

Goals – xG

+2.7

16th

Shots

60th

20th

Progressive carries

115

7th

Progressive passes received

223

8th

Shot-creating actions

130

3rd

Touches in attacking 3rd

752

4th

Average SofaScore rating

7.25

9th

As the table documents, Yıldız ranked highly for pretty much every attacking metric in Serie A last season, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he was a teenager and was plying his trade for a generally dismal Juventus team who were the division’s eighth-highest scorers.

But the key question still remains: is he a bigger talent than Simons? Let’s compare the duo.

Appearances

52

33

Minutes

3,521

2,763

Goals

12

11

Assists

9

8

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Shots

1.5

1.4

Chances created

2.2

2.1

Take-ons completed

2.3

1.4

Dribble success %

54.6%

37.1%

% of touches in the box

7%

5%

Average Sofascore rating

7.30

7.35

As the table documents, Yıldız comes out on top for all the attacking metrics included, most notably pure goals and assists, but also shots, chances created and dribbling.

This very much underlines the Turkish international’s talent and potential, so could he be the next youngster to call Stamford Bridge home?

Maresca and Co will certainly hope so.

Chelsea in talks with "real deal" Man United player alongside Xavi Simons

The west Londoners are keen to

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 26, 2025

West Ham United have made just three signings so far this summer, with one of those being Jean-Clair Todibo, who joins permanently after his loan spell last term.

With just a few weeks until the start of the Premier League season, Graham Potter still needs to bolster a few key areas, notably his attack department.

The supporters will be hoping a new striker or two arrives in the coming weeks, no doubt about that.

Could Potter, however, make a statement signing from a fellow Premier League side instead?

West Ham holding talks for top-flight sensation

Striker Callum Wilson is reportedly in discussions with the Irons regarding a move to the London Stadium, and this would help boost Potter’s attacking options.

While this deal may be seen as a priority for the club, it appears as though Potter is keen on signing another midfielder.

According to the Metro, West Ham have been in talks with Liverpool this month regarding a potential move for Harvey Elliott. Any move might cost them around £40m.

Transfer Focus

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

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The midfielder shone for England at the U21 European Championship this summer, but has made it clear he needs regular game time during the 2025/26 campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Arne Slot has him factored into his plans for the Anfield side. Perhaps a move to West Ham can bolster his World Cup hopes.

If so, Potter might just have his very own version of Cole Palmer – a player whom David Moyes came close to signing back in the summer of 2023, prior to his move to Stamford Bridge.

Why West Ham must sign Harvey Elliott

It would be an understatement to say that last season didn’t go quite as planned for the 22-year-old.

He made just 28 appearances for Liverpool, with only six coming from the starting XI. Despite this, Elliott still managed to score five goals and grab three assists.

His performances for England at the U21 European Championships, however, saw him crowned as player of the tournament. He scored five times as England retained their title.

According to FBref, Palmer is the eighth-most comparable player to Elliott across Europe’s top five leagues, suggesting that the young Liverpool starlet could offer a similar set of skills should he join West Ham. Like his compatriot and fellow left-footer, the playmaker thrives off the right flank or in a number ten berth.

Indeed, the pair registered similar statistics across a range of metrics domestically last term, including shots per 90 (4.12 vs 3.41), shot-creating actions (5.11 vs 5.7) per 90 and goal-creating actions (0.73 vs 0.42) per 90.

Elliott may have played fewer games than Palmer, but when given a chance, the Anfield gem certainly took full advantage. If he can go on to reach the heights of a player who boasts 72 goals and assists in just 97 games for Chelsea, then the Hammers would be on to a winner.

Harvey Elliott’s stats for England at the U21 European Championship

Goals

5

Assists

0

Key passes per game

1.7

Goal conversion percentage

25%

Shots per game

3.3

Successful dribbles per game

0.7

Via Sofascore

Previously hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig as an “outrageous talent” in 2021, Elliott has matured into a versatile player who can operate across a multitude of positions.

Wherever Potter decides to play Elliott, there is no doubt he can offer plenty to a side that struggled for goals last season.

For £40m, it could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business by the Irons as they seek a return to the top half of the Premier League table.

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Posts ByTom Cunningham Jul 25, 2025

New Zealand 340 and 207 for 8 (Ravindra 91*, Jayasuriya 3-66, Ramesh Mendis 3-83) need another 68 runs to beat Sri Lanka 305 and 309 (Karunaratne 83, Chandimal 61, Ajaz 6-90)Rachin Ravindra led New Zealand’s charge as they scored 194 runs in the final two sessions of day four in pursuit of their target of 275, but a fast-deteriorating Galle surface and relentless pressure from Sri Lanka’s spinners meant they have only two wickets in hand to notch the remaining 68 runs.At stumps, Ravindra was unbeaten on 91, but he was fast running out of company; Ajaz Patel just about managed to survive through to stumps. New Zealand will, no doubt, fancy their chances of completing this chase, but it will not be easy when the nature of the surface is taken into account.This was a day, therefore, that belonged to the spinners, starting with Ajaz’s five wickets in the morning session – he finished with 6 for 90 – and ending with Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis grabbing three apiece. In all, 14 wickets fell in the day, 13 of them to spin.Related

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But on a day when the pendulum got a solid workout, it was Sri Lanka who found themselves in the ascendancy at the close. That was largely down to a final session in which they grabbed four wickets.However, it had not exactly started that way, as New Zealand came out following the tea interval with renewed intent. Sri Lanka started the session with the pace of Lahiru Kumara from one end, but that was a short-lived ploy after Ravindra and Tom Blundell plundered his shortish lengths for 14 in an over. That ushered in a period of quick runs with Ramesh targeted for a pair of boundaries two overs later.Ramesh Mendis dismissed Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee in quick succession•AFP/Getty Images

Before long, Ravindra and Blundell had added 56. At that point, New Zealand needed only 123 more with six wickets in hand. But on this surface, one was never truly in and so it proved when Blundell opted for a reverse sweep only to be bowled around his legs.Glenn Phillips was the new man in. Given his blistering 49 not out amid a lower-order collapse in the first innings, his wicket was always bound to be crucial. As it turned out, Phillips didn’t bother the scorers all that much, edging to second slip for 4 while attempting a forward defence.Mitchell Santner batted time in order to support Ravindra’s solo offensive at the other end, but he ran out of patience and drove a tossed-up delivery straight into the hands of short cover.Into the tail proper, Sri Lanka needed little time to dismiss Tim Southee, who struggled to come to terms with the spin being extracted outside his off stump by Ramesh. After several close calls, one hit him on the back leg in front of middle and leg. The appeal was huge, but the umpire did not move. But Ramesh was able to convince his skipper to go upstairs, and New Zealand lost their eighth.The game had undergone a similar up-and-down trajectory earlier in the day as well. Play had begun with Sri Lanka losing six wickets for 72 runs as their second innings was wrapped up inside the morning session. Ajaz took five of those in a little over an hour and Will O’Rourke, who bowled a slightly off-colour spell with the second new ball, ended with 3 for 49.Sri Lanka, though, would finish the session with the wicket of Devon Conway, who chopped a sharp in-seamer from Asitha Fernando. But the post-lunch session once again began with the visitors fighting back.Ajaz Patel holds up the ball after his six-for•AFP/Getty Images

While Jayasuriya and Ramesh were consistent with their line and length, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson were keen to sweep and use their feet to ensure the spinners didn’t have it all their own way.Williamson, in particular, was busy throughout, at times sliding deep into the crease and other times stepping out to get to the pitch of the ball. A lofted six over extra cover, with the spin, against Jayasuriya was a session highlight. Just before that, he had hit a sumptuous cover drive.But Jayasuriya had the last laugh, dragging one shorter having seen Williamson step out one time too many, and turning it past a panicked forward defence as Kusal Mendis whipped off the bails. Such was the turn, it left Williamson briefly confused and gesticulating in frustration at the pitch as he walked off.That ended a threatening 45-run stand between two players who had caused considerable damage in the first innings.Before the session was over, Sri Lanka also had the wickets of Latham and the dangerous Daryl Mitchell in the bag, the former done in by Dhananjaya de Silva’s an arm ball and the latter by one that spun back prodigiously from Mendis.But then New Zealand, led by Ravindra and Blundell, fought back once more before the spinners hurt them once again.