India offspinner R Ashwin has replaced England’s James Anderson as the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings.Ashwin’s rise was the result of him taking six wickets in the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Delhi, and he has the opportunity to extend his lead at the top in the remaining two Tests of the series.Anderson had displaced Australia’s Pat Cummins as the No. 1 bowler on February 22, after taking seven wickets in the first Test against New Zealand. At the age of 40, he was the oldest top-ranked bowler since Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett in 1936. However, Anderson took only three wickets in the second Test against New Zealand, which wasn’t enough to hold off Ashwin’s surge up the charts.Related

• Anderson reclaims No. 1 spot in Test bowling rankings

• Does Brook have more runs than Bradman in his first nine innings?

• Live Report – India vs Australia, 3rd Test, Indore

India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi have moved up one spot each to fourth and fifth in the latest rankings update, despite neither bowler having played a Test since July last year. This is because England’s Ollie Robinson has dropped down two spots to No. 6.India’s left-arm spinning allrounder Ravindra Jadeja moved to eighth in the Test bowling rankings following his Player-of-the-Match performance – 10 wickets and 26 runs – in the Delhi Test against Australia. He also leads the Test rankings for allrounders, with Ashwin in second place.England’s Joe Root moved up to eighth in the allrounder’s rankings and also to third in the rankings for batters, after scoring 153* and 95 in the Wellington Test last week. Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith are first and second among Test batters.Harry Brook, after playing just six Tests, has already jumped to 16th place among batters, level with Virat Kohli. Brook has scored 809 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 98.77.

Manchester City’s mass overhaul of their squad has well and truly begun.

The Citizens spent £180m in the January transfer window on five new recruits which, as noted by Philip Buckingham of the Athletic, is a bigger outlay than all other 19 Premier League clubs combined.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush were thrown in the deep end for their debuts against Chelsea last month, Nico González appeared for the first time at Leyton Orient on Saturday, while we’re yet to see either Vitor Reis or Juma Bah, the latter having been sent out on loan to Lens.

Thus, the Sky Blues are set to continue this strategy come the summer, but for one problem position in particular, did they already have the perfect future first-team starter on their books that they have just agreed to sell?

Manchester City's right-back issue

Back in early January, following the 8-0 hammering of Salford in the FA Cup, Pep Guardiola dropped a major bombshell, revealing that club captain Kyle Walker had asked to leave the club and “explore options abroad”.

Well, a few days later, having made 319 appearances for the Citizens, Walker departed for AC Milan on loan, starting all four of I Rossoneri’s matches since, including Wednesday night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Feyenoord at De Kuip.

Former Everton and Man City defender Joleon Lescott believes Walker is the “Premier League’s greatest right-back”, but the England international had indisputably not been at his best this season, with Oliver Kay of the Athletic noting that his “speed and athleticism”, attributes that had defined him for so long, were on the decline.

Nevertheless, with no direct replacement signed, Guardiola has been trialling Matheus Nunes at right-back, starting seven successive fixtures in that position, prior to the weekend’s FA Cup tie, with his manager believing the Portuguese international is making a lot of progress as a full-back.

On the contrary, Michael Cox of the Athletic describes Nunes as an “uncomfortable… makeshift right-back”, while Graham Ruthven of Forbes adds that he “doesn’t have the defensive instincts of a natural full-back”.

With 20-year-old Rico Lewis also seemingly out of favour, not starting any of the last seven Premier League or Champions League matches, the Citizens are still searching for the long-term heir to Walker’s throne, but did they just sell the perfect player for this role?

Manchester City's latest transfer blunder

Man City supporters, you have probably never heard of Yan Couto, which is fair enough considering he’s never made a first-team appearance for the club, coming closest in the 2021 FA Community Shield against Leicester, when he was an unused substitute.

Instead, he has spent his five years on Man City’s books out on loan, partially at Braga but mainly with fellow-CFG owned club Girona, spending three seasons in Catalonia, most notably helping Blanquivermells qualify for the Champions League for the very first time during the most recent campaign.

As a result, the 22-year-old was called up to the Brazilian national team for the very first time, debuting in World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay, before remaining on the bench throughout last summer’s Copa América, although this only after a dispute with the CBF, who demanded he change his “signature pink hair”, Couto later stating “they said the pink was a bit stupid”.

His performances in La Liga last season earned widespread praise, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labeling him a “superb talent”, while Spencer Mossman of Breaking the Lines claims he is “up there with the best full-backs in the world”.

This attracted the attention of Borussia Dortmund, who signed him initially on loan last summer.

Well, a few months later, die Schwarzgelben agreed to make the move permanent for a fee of €30m (£25m), which represents a massive profit for Man City, who initially paid just £5m for his services from Coritiba.

So, was this a piece of masterful business from the Citizens, or will they regret selling Couto before ever giving him a chance?

Let’s see how the Brazilian compares to Walker, the man he would’ve been replacing.

As the table outlines, Walker is more defensively solid, albeit Couto has played the majority of his football since the start of last season as a wing-back, with the Brazilian more of a threat going forward as a result, underlined by his 11 assists.

As noted by OptaFranz on Twitter, Couto carried the ball 286 metres in La Liga last season, the second-highest of any player in the division on a per-90 basis, behind only Frenkie de Jong; third on that list, none other than Savinho.

Still only 22-years-old, the Brazilian clearly has great potential, no defender in La Liga last season provided more assists, so Couto could prove to be the latest in a long line of players Man City may regret selling.

He's outscoring Diaz: Man City may rue selling Pep's "incredible" winger

One of Manchester City’s best-ever wingers continue to perform, even after being sold, so do the Sky Blues regret selling the attacker 2 years ago?

By
Ben Gray

Feb 12, 2025

Shifting their focus towards the summer transfer window, Chelsea are now reportedly in pole position to sign a Bundesliga talent worth £37m as they look to reinforce Enzo Maresca’s frontline once again.

Chelsea transfer news

The wheels are threatening to fall off of Chelsea’s season, which initially saw them get off to an excellent start under new manager Maresca. Defeat over Southampton was not enough to get their place back in the top four and as Manchester City look to avoid a nightmare of their own in a campaign to forget, the Blues could face an uphill battle.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League doesn’t look set to change Todd Boehly’s spending habits, however, with the transfer rumours already coming thick and fast at Stamford Bridge.

The likes of Dean Huijsen have been among those linked with a move to the London giants in recent days and it must be said that the defender would be making a deserved move. Following an excellent debut season at Bournemouth, the centre-back looks destined for great things with or without Chelsea this summer.

He’s not the only one on the Blues’ radar though. According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are now leading the race to sign Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

Not satisfied with the arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto last summer, the Blues are seemingly in the market for another winger to add to a list of attacking options already filled to the brim with recent arrivals.

Agents drive Chelsea transfer for attacker as BlueCo ready imminent talks

The west Londoners are poised for “face-to-face” discussions.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 27, 2025

Like Neto and others, Adeyemi wouldn’t come cheap. The Dortmund star has reportedly been valued at as much as €45m (£37m) by the German club as he sets his sights on the Premier League. Alas, money is rarely an obstacle for Chelsea, which could see them add yet another winger to Maresca’s side this summer.

Adeyemi would face same struggles as Neto and Sancho

If Chelsea are to sign another winger, then they simply cannot pursue mediocrity yet again. Whoever arrives must have a Cole Palmer-like impact and represent an instant upgrade on the likes of Neto and Sancho. Adeyemi, as harsh as it is, simply does not tick that box. In fact, the stats suggest that the 23-year-old would only face similar struggles to those before him in West London.

Adeyemi’s struggles in front of goal come as quite the shock given how he looked likely to kick on at the beginning of the campaign, earning praise from Jacek Kulig for a “superb” week on U21 international duty in November.

Since then though, the German has only edged closer to the exit door at Dortmund and has failed to become the threat that they’ve so desperately needed at times. With just nine Bundesliga starts to his name too, it’s becoming clear that he should move on this summer.

Narine hits form too, meaning a question mark still hangs over CSK’s playoff spot

Karthik Krishnaswamy14-May-20231:59

Dasgupta: ‘You can see how well Rana has taken to leadership from his batting’

Kolkata Knight Riders tripped Chennai Super Kings in their last home game of the league season, out-spinning them and out-batting them on a tricky Chepauk pitch to stay in contention for the playoffs. CSK would have become the first team to seal a playoffs spot if they had won; they’re still in a good position to go through, but this defeat may have hurt their chances of a top-two finish.KKR’s mystery spinners played a massive role in restricting CSK to 144 for 6, with Varun Chakravarthy continuing his excellent season and Sunil Narine returning to wicket-taking ways after taking just one in his last eight games. KKR were always favourites from there, particularly with dew setting in, but they kept the contest interesting by losing three wickets within the powerplay before Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana put them back on top with a 99-run stand for the fourth wicket.KKR fined for slow over-rate

Nitish Rana and his team-mates have been penalised for KKR’s slow over-rate in the Sunday night game against CSK. Since it was KKR’s second such offence this season, Rana was fined Rs 24 lakh and the others in the playing group Rs 6 lakh or 25% of their match fee, whichever is lesser.

KKR eventually won with nine balls to spare. They may have hoped for a more comprehensive win, but Rinku and Rana had little choice but to put NRR considerations on the back burner after KKR lost three early wickets.Varun, Narine dominate after Dhoni chooses to batInterviewed at the end of the game, MS Dhoni said CSK would have needed 180 to have any chance of defending a total once dew set in, but there was no way they could have scored 180 in the conditions that prevailed through the first innings.It was, of course, Dhoni’s decision to bat first. Their innings began promisingly enough, with the first two wickets putting on 31 and 30 respectively. Varun ended both partnerships, with his carrom ball turning significantly both times to have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane caught off miscues.Rahane’s wicket sparked a collapse, as CSK slumped from 61 for 1 to 72 for 5, with Shardul Thakur dismissing a scratchy Devon Conway for 30 off 28 balls before Narine struck twice in the 11th over to send back Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali.Dube repairs CSK innings from one endWith the odd ball stopping on the batter or turning sharply, or both, and with not a lot of batting to come, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja cut out risk-taking and looked to take the innings deep. But while Dube still found the boundary every now and then, Jadeja stagnated; he hit just the one six and no fours while scoring 20 off 24 balls.Dube, though, ensured CSK passed 140, hitting Suyash Sharma for two sixes, and clearing his front leg to clatter Varun for another in the 18th over. He found a way to score even when Varun bowled his typically strangulating lengths, working the ball between long-on and deep midwicket for a pair of doubles in that 18th over.Deepak Chahar picked up three wickets in the powerplay•BCCI

Chahar picks up an unusual three-forAt the innings break, it felt as if the result would hinge on how KKR dealt with CSK’s spinners. As things happened, though, the powerplay was all-pace, with Deepak Chahar from one end and Tushar Deshpande from the other. Chahar struck in each of his overs, but this was no vintage display of swing bowling: the wickets, instead, came off catches to deep point, short third and short third.Rinku and Rana bat CSK out of the gameBy the time the powerplay was done, Rana and Rinku had already showed signs of rhythm. Rana had whipped Chahar off his hip for six in the fifth over, and Rinku had hit Deshpande for a straight six to end the sixth over.Spin came on immediately, with Dhoni bringing on his two offspinners against the two left-handers. They began well, conceding just seven runs across the seventh and eighth overs, before Rinku relieved the pressure with a pair of fours off Moeen Ali in the ninth.Moeen continued to go for runs thereafter, with Rana hitting him for three fours across his third and fourth overs – a reverse-sweep and two inside-out drives. In all, he took 34 off 22 balls against the offspin pair of Moeen and Maheesh Theekshana. It was a demonstration of a well-known fact, that Rana is among the best left-hand batters against offspin in the IPL.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rinku usually prefers pace onto the bat, but on this day he was excellent against the spinners too, and made sure that he dominated his favourable match-up, hitting Jadeja for two sixes.It didn’t help Super Kings that they put down the one chance they got to break this partnership when it could have still mattered, with Matheesha Pathirana putting Rana down at deep backward square leg when he miscued a sweep off Moeen in the 11th over. Rana was on 18 at that point.Both batters went on to bring up their fifties before Rinku was run out in the 18th over, attempting to take a tight single that would have brought up the century stand. By then, the contest was all but over, with KKR needing just 13 from 17 balls.

Chelsea won’t bow to sentiment in their mission to get back among the honours in English football, and Enzo Maresca has now made a ruthless decision on one of his first-team star’s futures, per a report.

Chelsea kickstart clearout to make way for new additions

With BlueCo controlling the Blues’ purse strings, Todd Boehly has no shortage of money to spend on bringing new additions to Stamford Bridge at any given point in time.

That has already been shown in the lead-up to the summer window, with Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda agreeing to join Chelsea well in advance of the market officially opening for business.

Having said that, the need to offload depreciating assets to fund incomings won’t lose importance when factoring in the necessity of this development to satisfy PSR.

Tapping into that mindset, Chelsea could offload Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix to raise funds to buy a new striker. They won’t be the only pair for the chop given the likes of Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja and Kepa Arrizabalaga are on loan elsewhere with little indication they are likely to come back into the first-team fold upon their returns.

Tottenham Hotspur (H)

Premier League

Brentford (A)

Premier League

Legia Warsaw (A)

Conference League

Ipswich Town (H)

Premier League

Legia Warsaw (H)

Conference League

Sparking uncertainty, Enzo Fernandez is high on Real Madrid’s radar and is a player the Blues won’t want to lose any time soon. If anything, rumours escalating over summer departures are a sign that Maresca needs to remain on his guard when shaping his talented squad.

Heeding that warning, the Italian now appears to have made a decision that could spark debate among supporters in months to come.

Chelsea set to offload Christopher Nkunku this summer

According to GIVEMESPORT, Chelsea are set to offload Cristopher Nkunku this summer and his future is now deemed ‘increasingly likely’ to be away from Stamford Bridge.

Despite opportunities opening up in the second half of the campaign due to Nicolas Jackson’s spell on the sidelines, Maresca was left unimpressed by the France international’s output and has now decided to put the former RB Leipzig man on the market.

Chelsea are brewing their own Osimhen & Aguero hybrid in “Cobham’s Finest”

Chelsea are already brewing their homegrown their next centre-forward sensation

ByConnor Holden Mar 21, 2025

Scoring 14 times in 38 appearances, only three of his strikes have come in the Premier League, and it is said that a move to an environment that synchronises more acutely with his style of play is now on the agenda.

Labelled “amazing” by Joao Felix, the 27-year-old has taken on 24 shots in the English top flight this term, firing 12 on target. Chelsea have failed in their attempts to play to his strengths, making an exit this summer almost inevitable should bidders come forward.

Finding someone willing to take on his £195,000-per-week wages will be a challenge for the Blues, but it is also an opportunity for BlueCo’s strong negotiation skills to come to the fore.

Bruno Fernandes has Manchester United fans worried with a cryptic message on social media amid talk of a £100 million ($135m) Al-Hilal move.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Fernandes could make Man Utd exitHas been linked with Al-HilalSocial media message fuels speculationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Reports suggest that Al-Hilal are pushing hard to complete a move for Fernandes ahead of their upcoming FIFA Club World Cup campaign. His agent, Miguel Pinho, recently met with Al-Hilal executives at the Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh, with insiders describing the meeting as “positive.”

AdvertisementGetty Image/ Goal ARTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Al-Hilal have reportedly proposed a three-year contract package estimated to be worth £200m ($270m), inclusive of substantial performance-related bonuses. The terms include a tax-free weekly wage of £700,000 — a staggering increase from Fernandes’ current £280,000 weekly earnings at United.

WHAT FERNANDES SAID

Fernandes has stirred anxiety among United supporters after sharing a thought-provoking message on Instagram, just as speculation intensifies over a possible transfer. The post, shared in Portuguese, read: "If you tried and failed, congratulations! There are people who don't even try."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT ARE THE FANS SAYING?

The timing of the message, coupled with transfer developments, has left fans guessing about what lies ahead for the United skipper.

@NadalistheGOAT_ wrote: "Sounds like he's off to me!"

@iyapo_eniola believes: "He's gone".

While @UtdCris_ wrote: "Yeah he failed thanks for the £100m tho."

However, @SeanGal1979 wasn't too bothered and wrote: "It’s has nothing to do with him leaving ! I think he saying others team mates don’t even try!"

@mudeet4u seconded him and wrote: "A post-season reflection maybe? We probably don't need to think deep over this."

Arsenal are set for change on and off the field this summer as Andrea Berta settles into his new Sporting Director role at the Emirates Stadium, and the 53-year-old may already have identified one of his key targets.

Arsenal's summer transfer priorities begin to emerge

The Gunners know that their Premier League title challenge is now a thing of the past. Still, Mikel Arteta can carry plenty of optimism towards the future judging by the level of talent coming through the ranks at London Colney.

However, the Spaniard will be under no illusions that signings are necessary this summer to ensure his side remain among the chasing pack next term and he will be backed financially to carry out his mission.

Arsenal ask Bayern Munich about signing £40m striker who Mikel Arteta likes

The Spaniard is a real admirer.

ByEmilio Galantini Jan 30, 2025

Following Berta’s arrival, Arteta is set to be given a war chest of £300 million to spend. Left-back, central midfield, and the wide areas are all set to receive investment alongside the goalkeeping department.

Heightening excitement ahead of the Gunners’ recruitment shake-up, Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi have been earmarked as two high-profile Arsenal targets this summer. Nevertheless, whether FFP regulations will allow the Londoners to pull off two potential game-changing moves in the engine room remains to be seen.

While statement signings appear to be on the agenda, identifying bargain deals is also an area that Berta will be expected to excel in. His pursuit of Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich offered a clue regarding the value for money he is looking to find amid the renowned star’s availability earlier this year on a free transfer, even if the Germany international has since penned an extension at the Allianz Arena.

Continuing down that road, Arsenal’s new chief could explore an alternative market to bring the Gunners some bang for their buck this summer.

Arsenal could take advantage of Omar El Hilali release clause

According to The Sun, Arsenal are keeping tabs on Espanyol star Omar El Hilali and Berta could look to activate his £12.5 million release clause this summer.

Now a ‘genuine’ target, the Morocco international’s availability for such a cheap fee is something of an anomaly when evaluating his potential. Undoubtedly, Arteta has an abundance of defenders at his disposal, but some cover at right-back wouldn’t go amiss amid Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury problems.

Omar El Hilali statistics in 2024/25 – La Liga

Appearances

26

Goals

0

Assists

2

Tackles won

63 (69%)

Duels won

150

Recoveries

97

Arsenal are believed to be running the rule over the defender as their summer planning begins to take shape. Labelled an “excellent dueller & 1v1 defender” by Ben Mattinson, there has been no shortage of interest in his services over the last few windows.

El Hilali has previously been targeted by Manchester City, Aston Villa and Brighton, so Arsenal may need to act swiftly to secure his signature before rival suitors emerge.

Crucially, Berta has extensive links with the Spanish top-flight due to his time at Atletico Madrid, which could give Arteta’s side the edge if any approach materlialises from their initial admiration of the Barcelona-born star.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em queda livre, a Chapecoense tropeça nas próprias limitações técnicas e levanta o sinal de alerta na Série B.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

Com 23 pontos, o Verdão do Oeste se encontra na 14ª posição e começa a torcer contra os rivais.

Para entender a situação delicada, o CSA, primeiro time do Z-4, aparece com 20 pontos, três a menos que o time catarinense.

Uma vitória

Outro ponto preocupante na campanha é o desempenho dos últimos cinco jogos, onde o time de Marcelo Cabo venceu apenas uma vez.

Além do triunfo contra o Náutico, o time catarinense foi superado pela Tombense e Ituano e ficou no empate com Guarani e Grêmio.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalCSA regulariza reforços para a sequência da Série BFutebol Nacional28/07/2022CorinthiansVítor Pereira aponta que time com Guedes e Yuri trará problemas defensivos ao CorinthiansCorinthians28/07/2022FlamengoANÁLISE: Flamengo não transforma domínio em resultado, e jogo da volta da Copa do Brasil fica em abertoFlamengo28/07/2022

Opener walks and paddles all comers but admits reservations about doing so against Pat Cummins and co

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Apr-2023There is never a bad time to score your first century at Lord’s. But with a couple of big-ticket events here over the next couple of months, Ben Duckett chose wisely.The opener peeled off a crisp 119 not out on the opening day of Nottinghamshire’s Division One clash with Middlesex. Crisp for its execution rather than cleanliness, what with the two let-offs contained within the 176 deliveries and counting. It was productive, too, given that it allowed Duckett to acquaint himself with these surroundings better, while establishing a firm footing for his county, who closed Thursday on 252 for five after being asked to bat first.Duckett’s June will be bookended by Tests here, first against Ireland, then Australia in the second Test of the Ashes. The one-off fixture with Ireland will be the first time he sets his bag down in the home dressing room.The 28-year-old’s three previous Championship matches at Lord’s – two for Northamptonshire – have resulted in just 86 runs from five innings, averaging 17.20. That he was eyeing up about that much in the evening session alone – “I kind of grafted for two sessions, and my idea was to potentially get 80 or 90 runs to finish the day on 200 or something” – speaks of the belief and form he is operating with at the moment. A shame, then, for Nottinghamshire and the neutrals, that the final 27 overs were lost to bad light and then rain.Nottinghamshire say they, too, would have chosen to bowl. You wonder how much of both decisions pertained to wanting to protect/expose a Middlesex top-order that registered 4 for 4, 15 for 3, 11 for 4 and 44 for 3 in their first four innings of the campaign.That is no such problem the visitors have, and there was an element of rubbing it in when Duckett and Haseeb Hameed made 117 between them, following up last week’s 125 opening stand against Somerset. It should, however, have ended on three, and Duckett’s knock on nought.Just 15 deliveries into the day, Ethan Bamber found an edge from around the wicket, which wicketkeeper John Simpson and first slip Stevie Eskinazi watched pass them by. Off it went for the first of Duckett’s 12 boundaries.That the first four wickets fell for just 35 runs created a sense of “what might have been” while enhancing the value of Duckett and Hameed’s start. Middlesex’s attack had recalibrated in the middle session, with Bamber setting that cascade off by snaring Hameed via a catch to Eskinazi, before removing Matthew Montgomery with one through to the Simpson. Lyndon James’ 41 was the only other score of note, outscoring Duckett before the fifth-wicket stand was broken on 73 by Martin Andersson.That in itself spoke of Duckett’s motivation. He scampered to a half-century off 69 deliveries with a six into the shorter Grandstand boundary, lunching on 60 from 80. He advanced down the track and was particularly keen on lapping Ryan Higgins around the corner – doing so twice for four. “I said to Hass I was going to do it,” he said of the shot. “He laughed as if I was joking.”Then came caution. As much as the collapse lent itself to that, conversion was high on the agenda. Duckett started the season with scores of 51 against Hampshire and 75 against Somerset. Moreover, as well as the resumption of his Test career went this winter with 508 in five matches across tours of Pakistan and New Zealand, it grates the left-hander that only one of his five fifty-plus scores was a century (107 in Rawalpindi). Such was his desire to make this count, he stopped himself from reverse-sweeping leg spinner Luke Hollman to the short side, which is a bit like a dog passing on a bone.”Over the past six months, I’ve probably scored five or six fifties and only converted once,” Duckett said. “So to get over the line early on in the season is nice.”As per those numbers, and being the opener not called “Zak Crawley”, he is guaranteed a full run at the summer, barring anything dramatic. Nevertheless, he wanted to set a marker down.Having spent 20 balls in the nineties – 15 between 95 and 99 – Duckett dropped one knee to paddle a Hollman full toss around the corner to move to a crisp 100 from 152 deliveries. By his own admission, he got bored.Upon getting to the other end, a subdued punch of the air, like a man who had completed today’s Wordle at the first attempt, then looked to the heavens relieved like a man who had completed today’s Wordle at the sixth attempt.Duckett did not hide the fact that as much as he has helped fill Nottinghamshire’s plate, loading up on runs will help him come June. Even opening this season after scoring his 1,012 Division Two runs last year at No.3 was down to preparing for England duties.Over the winter, Test head coach Brendon McCullum told him he’d rather he opened. Having thought about it, Duckett decided to put in that request with Nottinghamshire’s head coach Peter Moores on the eve of the season opener against Hampshire. It meant Ben Slater dropped to three, and there was a cruel irony in him being run out today at the non-striker’s end via a straight drive from Duckett deflected onto the stumps by Roland-Jones. As it happens, it was just as bitter a pill for Roland-Jones, who missed a catching opportunity off Duckett on 70 in the process.Two drops takes a bit of gloss off this first hundred of the summer. But in moving on from the first error, the end result makes them inconsequential in Duckett’s mind.”Scoring a hundred for the team is the priority, but the fact that it’s here at Lord’s is even more special,” Duckett said. “Thankfully, I’ve had an opportunity to play here and have another knock, and I’m obviously going to get another one batting with the slope and different things.”Obviously it’s 20mph slower than what it will be at the end of the summer, but it’s always nice gaining that experience. If I get the nod, I can think back to this and having a hundred here is nice confidence.”On the subject of pace, he does note that doing as he has done today – advancing down the pitch or getting down on one knee – against Australia’s pace attack probably won’t fly.”I don’t think I’ll be walking at bowlers as much or paddling Pat Cummins. But it was probably more prep for the Ireland Test!”That pace is going to come on a bit nicer; if it’s flat, it’s going to come on and sometimes pace is nice here in England. Actually, it can be more tricky facing someone more like Bamber, who’s around the knee-roll at 75mph – it could be 80mph, or whatever it is. Sometimes I find that harder – to sit in and back your defence and play in a different way. I know they’re (Australia) one of the best attacks potentially ever, so it’s going to be tough but an enjoyable challenge.”Josh Little might have something to say about that Ireland comment. But evidently, Duckett is so sure of himself right now that it doesn’t matter how much motivation bowlers have. His drive and self-confidence are as high as they have ever been. Just as well at the start of the biggest summer of his career.

Wolverhampton Wanderers crashed out of the FA Cup on penalties at the weekend to Bournemouth in what was yet another poor result for the Old Gold.

It was capped off by star man Matheus Cunha receiving his marching orders in the final minute of extra time, which means he will miss several matches over the next few weeks.

How the club could use a player like Raul Jimenez to lead the line in his absence, with the Brazilian having initially thought to have been the ideal heir for the Mexican striker upon his departure.

Molineux's cult hero: The numbers behind Raul Jimenez's Wolves career

The striker joined Wolves in 2018 ahead of their first season back in the Premier League, going on to score 17 goals in all competitions.

The following campaign was even better. Not only did the Old Gold finish seventh for the second season in a row, but Jimenez found the back of the net 27 times while chipping in with nine assists. Wolves even reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

2022/23

20

3

1

2021/22

36

6

5

2020/21

11

4

0

2019/20

55

27

10

2018/19

44

17

7

Jimenez’s talents in the final third were exceptional, but injuries soon began to plague him. A horrendous skull fracture in November 2020 ruled him out for the rest of the season and he was arguably never the same in the Midlands.

He would go on to score just nine further goals for the club, struggling to recapture his early form at Molineux and was sold to Fulham in the summer of 2023 for just £5.5m.

Jimenez has since scored 18 goals for the London side, with Wolves failing to find a proper heir to his cult hero status.

Wolves have found their next Raul Jimenez

If not the aforementioned Cunha, might Jorgen Strand Larsen be the ideal candidate?

The Norwegian striker joined the club on an initial loan deal last summer, which will be made permanent at the end of the season.

Seven goals and three assists is hardly the most prolific of returns, but three of these goals have come against Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham Hotspur, suggesting he loves playing against a higher-quality opposition.

Hailed by journalist Josh Bunting last August, he outlined qualities, specifically his ability to be in the right place at the right time, that evokes memories of Jimenez: “His movement off the ball really stands out to me,” Bunting noted. “He’s sharp on the ball and gets into the space really well.”

When compared to his positional peers in the Premier League, Larsen ranks in the top 1% for shots on target percentage (63.9%) per 90 and in the top 24% for aerials won (2.27) per 90. For context, Jimenez ranks in the top 21% for aerials won with 2.64, outlining their similar prowess when the ball is off the deck.

The 25-year-old will surely get better the more he plays in the top flight. With Cunha suspended due to his sending-off in the FA Cup clash against the Cherries, Larsen will need to step up over the next few weeks.

If he can score the goals which keep Wolves in the top flight, the supporters might rank him in the same breath as Jimenez.

Wolves think "incredible" £49.5m star may now leave amid Man Utd interest

Ruben Amorim is on a mission to provide Man Utd with strength in depth.

1 BySean Markus Clifford Mar 1, 2025