Giorgi Mamardashvili has revealed he intends to play for Liverpool next season rather than go out on another loan.
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Kyle Walker is thrilled to have seen Harry Kane end his tiresome trophy debate at Bayern Munich, having come up short with England and Tottenham.
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AC Milan loanee has played alongside KaneHas seen him become a Bundesliga title winnerGot a taste of the celebrations in GermanyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Kane graced Champions League and League Cup finals during his time at Spurs, while becoming their all-time leading scorer, and has narrowly missed out on international honours after captaining the Three Lions to back-to-back European Championship finals.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
He bid farewell to north London in 2023 with the intention of breaking his silverware curse at Bayern Munich. His first season at the Allianz Arena did not play out as planned, but his second has delivered Bundesliga title glory.
DID YOU KNOW?
The prolific 31-year-old has enjoyed wild celebrations, with Walker getting a taste of those when receiving a surprising FaceTime call while Bayern were toasting their coronation as the kings of German football.
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GettyWHAT KYLE WALKER SAID
Speaking on , a man that has played alongside Kane for club and country said of receiving a call from ex-Manchester City team-mate Vincent Kompany – who is now Bayern’s boss: “Harry was there with a pint of beer in his hand, which I was very, very impressed with.
“It's probably a weight off his shoulders. To go there last season and not win it, and get beaten by a Leverkusen team that was very, very good, was probably a kick in the teeth for him.
“He's been to two European Championship finals and had to walk past the trophy. He's played in cup finals, played one against me. We've played in a couple together at Tottenham and in semi-finals.
“For him to then finally get a trophy, I think it's definitely more than deserved. At least no-one can start saying that anymore, that Harry Kane's not got a trophy. He's got a trophy now and that's it. It's put to bed.”
Wednesday was a disappointing night for Celtic, but this remains a season of progress for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Hoops have reached the Champions League knockout phase for the first time since 2012/13, accumulating 12 points from eight league phase fixtures, most notably holding Atalanta to a goalless draw in Bergamo and beating RB Leipzig at home.
So, their reward was a clash with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, with the Rekordmeister visiting a typically rocking Parkhead on Wednesday, but this would prove to be a bridge too far for the Celts.
Bayern departed Glasgow 2-1 winners, Daizen Maeda’s second-half header sparking a late onslaught, but no equaliser was forthcoming, leaving the Bhoys with a mountain to climb in Bavaria on Tuesday.
Despite defeat, it was a performance all Celtic supporters can be proud of, with one defensive regular in particular standing out once again.
Celtic's previous right-back stars
For seven and a half seasons, Mikael Lustig was Celtic’s undisputed first-choice right-back.
The Swede arrived from Rosenborg on a free transfer in January 2012, making 276 appearances in hoops, winning eight consecutive Premiership titles, as well as four Scottish Cups and four League Cups.
By the time he departed for Gent in 2019, he did so as an unequivocal fans’ favourite, with Rodgers describing him as “very important”.
His successor at right-back would be Jeremie Frimpong who, at the age of 19, arrived from Man City with no first-team experience for a reported fee of ÂŁ350,000.
Well, this would prove to be an excellent piece of business because, just 18 months and 51 appearances later, he was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for ÂŁ11.5m.
The next right-back incumbent would be one of Ange Postecoglou’s many bargain signings.
Similar to Frimpong, Josip Juranović spent only 18 months at Celtic, also making just over 50 appearances, arriving from Legia Warszawa for £2.5m in June 2021, before joining Union Berlin for £7.5m, plus £2.5m in potential add-ons, shortly after the World Cup in Qatar.
To summarise, this trio all underline the fact that Celtic have always had a top-class right-sided full-back, and the current occupant of that position certainly belongs in the same class, possibly outperforming them all.
Celtic's unsung hero in defence
To preemptively replace the outgoing Juranović, the Hoops signed Alistair Johnston from MLS side Club de Foot Montréal for £3.5m in January 2023 and this has proved to be a great value deal, with the Canada international now worth around three times that amount, £7.5m to be precise according to Transfermarkt.
When Johnstone signed a new contract in November, Rodgers described this as “fantastic news”, adding the full-back had immediately “established himself as a fantastic player”.
Wednesday night against Bayern saw Johnston make his 97th appearance for the club, sitting out just 19 matches since his debut, which is pretty remarkable considering he required ankle surgery in the summer of 2023.
This season, the full-back has scored four goals and provided eight assists, meaning only 13 current Scottish Premiership players, across all competitions, have accumulated more goal involvements this season, which isn’t bad for a defender.
So, let’s see how Johnston compares to both Frimpong and Juranović.
Appearances
97
51
53
Minutes
8,162
3,865
4,379
Goals
6
3
6
Assists
7
8
3
Chances created
106
64
54
Pass completion %
84.56%
80.49%
85.21%
Take-on success %
62.63%
72.78%
58.92%
Tackles
161
42
70
Interceptions
56
35
37
Ball recoveries
346
226
290
As the table shows, Johnston is certainly comparable to his two predecessors, outperforming them both for defensive metrics, namely tackles, interceptions and ball recoveries, with the caveat that, should he complete 90 minutes against Dundee United on Saturday, he’ll have played more minutes for the club than Juranović and Frimpong combined.
Nevertheless, the Canadian has certainly proved to be a great value-for-money acquisition, and an excellent piece of scouting, discovering a player who was the 11th pick in the MLS SuperDraft just five years ago.
As noted by Tom Nightingale of Canada Soccer Daily, Johnston won ten duels against Bayern this week, more than any other player on the pitch, previously describing him as “outstanding”, emphasising that the full-back continues to impress.
Worth 2x more than Kyogo: Celtic star proved that he could play for Bayern
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ByRobbie Walls Feb 13, 2025
Chelsea now want to sign a “world-class” player who is expected to leave a rival Premier League club this summer, according to a report.
Blues' form faltering
The Blues were knocked out of the FA Cup after a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, killing off any hopes of winning a domestic cup competition this season, and their form in the Premier League is also beginning to falter.
Earlier in the campaign, Enzo Maresca insisted his side were not in the title race, saying: “No matter how many games we win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title.
“One of the reasons why is that the team that knows how to compete to win titles, they won’t concede goals we concede. A team that knows how to win titles, that is not a goal they know how to concede.”
Maresca dealt "major blow" as Chelsea player faces "months" out injured
The Italian could be without him for an extended period.
ByEmilio Galantini Feb 8, 2025
Maresca’s prediction seems to have been proven correct, with his side slipping down the standings over the past few weeks, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven Premier League outings.
Robert Sanchez has been under intense scrutiny as a consequence, and it looks as though Chelsea are now plotting to bring in a replacement between the sticks this summer.
According to a report from The Boot Room, the Blues want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher at the end of the campaign, with Sanchez making five errors leading to goals in the Premier League already this season.
Kelleher’s performances for Liverpool have reportedly attracted the attention of five Premier League clubs, so there may be stiff competition for his signature, and previous reports have detailed the Reds could sanction his departure for ÂŁ30m.
Arne Slot’s side are ready to cash in on the Irishman, having already brought in Giorgi Mamardashvili as an Alisson heir, which could open the door for a move to Stamford Bridge.
Kelleher has been "world-class" for Liverpool
It is no wonder Chelsea are keen to sign their rivals’ goalkeeper, as he has been extremely impressive filling in for the injured Alisson this season, being labelled as “world-class” by teammate Andy Robertson.
The Ireland international may feel a little hard done by to have lost his place in the team, but if the Reds do go on to win the Premier League title, they will be indebted to their back-up ‘keeper.
The 26-year-old did a fantastic job deputising for Alisson, most notably receiving an 8.6 Sofascore match rating after preventing 1.53 goals by making seven saves against Bournemouth in a 3-0 victory back in September.
Kelleher has proven he is ready to be the first-choice goalkeeper for a top Premier League club with his displays this season, so it is promising news Chelsea could pursue a deal.
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“You can be selfish in a Test match, nobody will say anything if you score a 300-ball century. But you can’t do that in this format.”
Mohammad Isam31-Aug-20221:44
Khaled Mahmud: ‘If we win the powerplay battle, we can win the match’
A day ahead of their must-win Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud has criticised his batters for their approach during the seven-wicket loss to Afghanistan. Having chosen to bat first, Bangladesh had struggled to 127 for 7, with their innings featuring just the one six.”Mosaddek [Hossain] hit the only six of the [innings] although it was a lucky one as the fielder caught it and touched the rope. But I would never blame him for that shot,” Mahmud said. “He had the intent to hit a straight six. I want to see the others at least trying. That’s all I want to see.”I don’t want to see them getting out after defending 15-20 balls. It is very hurtful. You can have 50 for 3 or 50 for 4, or 40 for no loss in the powerplay, but you can’t take pressure from both sides.”Mahmud went as far as to question whether the batters’ lack of attacking intent stemmed from their playing to cement their spots in the side. He had made a similar claim after Bangladesh’s 2-1 defeat to Zimbabwe in the T20I series earlier this month.”As long as you are playing for the team, everything will be in order,” he said. “If you fear for losing your place, you won’t be performing at the international level. You can be selfish in a Test match, nobody will say anything if you score a 300-ball century.”But you can’t do that in this format. You have to play fearless cricket. It means you can’t be afraid of losing your spot in the team. You have to show the intent. If you don’t, you have no right to stay in the team.”Mahmud said that the BCB was doing everything within its power to ensure the best training facilities for the batters, including flying in three legspinners – including Rishad Hossain, who has played for Bangladesh A, and one from Chennai – to help them simulate the experience of facing Rashid Khan. Despite this, he felt the batters hadn’t been able to lift their game.”It is difficult to find out if there was actually fear within our batters about [Afghanistan’s] spinners,” Mahmud said. “We brought on couple of legspinners, one of whom played in the IPL. We also had Rishad [Hossain] in the nets. We tried to help the team as much as possible on behalf of the BCB. But there’s a difference between training and matches.”It looks like we are unable to handle the pressure that comes in a match. The players have to find out ways to get out of this situation. To play well in T20s, we can’t really bat this way. Even against an ordinary bowling side, forget about Rashid and [Mohammad] Nabi. They have good technique but we have to improve the tactical part of our batting.”Bangladesh’s innings against Afghanistan included just one six•Getty ImagesApart from his own batters, Mahmud also found another target to swipe at in Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka. After Sri Lanka had lost the opening game of the tournament to Afghanistan, Shanaka had compared Bangladesh’s bowlers unfavourably with those of Afghanistan.”Afghanistan has a world-class bowling attack,” Shanaka had said. “We know Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] is a good bowler. Shakib [al Hasan] is a world-class bowler. But apart from them, there is no world-class bowler in the side. So if we compare with Afghanistan, Bangladesh is an easier opponent.”In the days following Shanaka’s comment, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz disagreed with him, while Bangladesh offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz refused to get drawn into the war of words. Mahmud, however, is known to be a feisty character, and he didn’t shy away from expressing his opinion.”I don’t know why Dasun made that comment,” he said. “Definitely Afghanistan has a better squad. He said we have only two bowlers in our line-up, but I don’t see any bowlers in Sri Lanka. At least Bangladesh has world-class bowlers like Mustafiz and Shakib. They don’t even have that.”It is not about the words. It is about how you play the game.”Mahmud suggested that both sides would have to handle pressure well to come out on top. Afghanistan have comfortably beaten both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, leaving the two more established Group B sides to fight for the one remaining Super 4s spot.”Sri Lanka are also under pressure, not just us,” Mahmud said. “I am hoping we will have a better time in Dubai’s conditions. It will be a tense match tomorrow. The team that handles the pressure better will have more chance of winning. Whoever wins the mental battle, will win the game. Skill, tactics and technique will take a backseat tomorrow.”
Time is running out for Leeds United to dip into the transfer market to bolster their squad before the January transfer window slams shut at the start of February.
The Whites have yet to make a splash this month but are not in any desperate need of reinforcements as they sit at the top of the Championship table as it stands.
A relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Sunday ensured that they moved back to the summit, after Sheffield United had overtaken them on Saturday.
Goals from Manor Solomon, Largie Ramazani, and Ao Tanaka secured all three points for the West Yorkshire outfit, whilst Illan Meslier kept a clean sheet between the sticks.
Instead of splashing the cash on a big name from the Premier League, or on an exciting player from abroad, Leeds could do a smaller piece of business and take a gamble on a domestic option.
The Whites have had success when dipping into the Football League to pick up promising young talent in the past, with Kemar Roofe one excellent example of them doing that.
Leeds United's Kemar Roofe masterclass
In the summer of 2016, Leeds swooped to sign Kemar Roofe from Oxford United in a deal that was reported to be worth around ÂŁ3m after the centre-forward had caught the eye in League Two.
The English-born attacker had produced 17 goals and ten assists in 40 appearances in League Two during the 2015/16 campaign, which convinced the Whites to spend ÂŁ3m on the young dynamo.
Roofe was not an instant hit at Elland Road, though, as the former Oxford man only found the back of the net four times in 49 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club.
The Leeds striker needed that year to settle into life in West Yorkshire and in the Championship, having played in League Two prior to that, and stepped his game up in the following two campaigns.
Appearances
36
32
Goals
11
14
Big chances missed
4
16
Big chances created
5
1
Assists
3
2
As you can see in the table above, Roofe made himself a reliable goal threat for the Whites in his second and third years at the club in the Championship, scoring 25 goals.
The Jamaica international only started 52 of those matches, almost averaging a goal every other start, and helped Leeds to make the semi-finals of the play-offs in the 2018/19 campaign under Bielsa.
Roofe’s form for Leeds attracted interest from elsewhere and Belgian giants Anderlecht swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of up to ÂŁ7m in the summer of 2019.
The West Yorkshire outfit, therefore, played a masterclass by snapping the striker up for ÂŁ3m, as they got two terrific seasons out of him before cashing in for a profit of ÂŁ4m.
Leeds could look to repeat the blinder they played with Roofe in the current January transfer window by raiding Oxford United for another one of their young talents.
Leeds interested in Oxford gem
Football Insider recently reported that Leeds are one of a number of teams interested in signing Tyler Goodrham from Gary Rowett’s side this month.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The outlet claimed that the Whites, Swansea City, Sunderland, and Coventry City are all vying to secure a deal for the 21-year-old starlet to bolster their respective squads.
It states that all four teams are keeping tabs on the Oxford United star and are plotting late-window moves to snap up the attacking midfielder ahead of the second half of the season.
This means that Leeds may have to act fast if they want to secure his services this month because there is plenty of interest from other sides in the division.
Football Insider’s report did not, though, reveal how much money it would take to convince Oxford to part ways with their young starlet midway through the season.
Leeds must, now, make a move to win the race for Goodrham because the talented youngster could come in as a terrific long-term addition to Daniel Farke’s squad.
Why Leeds should sign Tyler Goodrham
Instead of signing a big name, like Buendia – for example, who can come in and be expected to make an immediate impact in the second half of the season, the Whites could sign the Oxford gem with a view to him being a key player for the German boss in the future.
At the age of 21, the Irish dynamo would come in as a young talent with plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve over the years to come.
He could spend the second half of this season as a squad player for Leeds and learn from the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Largie Ramazani, among others, to improve and hone his skills, as a winger or as an attacking midfielder.
The versatile forward, who can play centrally or out wide, has produced three goals and three assists in 25 appearances in the Championship so far this term, which means that he has shown promise in the final third without being a consistent threat.
Goodrham, who was hailed as a “wonderful” player by ex-boss Des Buckingham, made his breakthrough as a regular starter in League One last season and helped his side earn promotion up to the second tier.
Starts
23
Goals
8
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
3
Assists
4
As you can see in the table above, the young attacker contributed with 12 direct goal contributions in just 23 starts, which speaks to his potential to make a big impact in the final third when he is at his best.
Like they did with Roofe, Leeds may have to be patient with Goodrham and accept that he is unlikely to be a key star right away, given his decent, but unspectacular, return this season, but with the hope that he will follow in Roofe’s footsteps and grow into a valuable asset for the club in the future.
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“We have been successful in getting 20 wickets and winning Tests. That for me is positive cricket too”
Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jun-20222:07
Dravid: ‘We have to focus on our cricket’
India remain undaunted by the prospect of facing a revitalised England side, one much changed in attitude to the side they played in the first four Tests of the Pataudi Trophy last year. That series finds its culmination in the Edgbaston Test which starts on Friday. England are fresh off a 3-0 sweep of the WTC champions New Zealand, and playing a brand new, ultra-attacking style of cricket.India lead the series 2-1, mostly because – as coach Rahul Dravid pointed out – they have been playing their own style of “aggressive” and “positive” cricket. That brand got them to the WTC final last summer and keeps them in the hunt for another trip to the final in this cycle.Related
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Both Dravid and interim captain Jasprit Bumrah were posed similar queries about England’s new batting approach”Any which way they play gives us opportunities,” Dravid said on Wednesday. “We are leading the series 2-1. Any which way they play the game, we believe it’s up to us, I think we have got to focus on our cricket and not so much worry about what England is doing and what it is they’re playing.”We’ve been a pretty positive side as well. We were second in the World Test Championship cycle last year. This year we find ourselves third in the table, just underneath the top two. So we have been pretty successful, we have been pretty successful in getting 20 wickets and winning Test matches. That for me is positive cricket as well. Of course, they might have a strategy, or they might have some tactics that they might come in and play with on the particular day – that can change as well depending on conditions. It’s our job to respond to whatever they put out and we will be focused on trying to do that.”Jasprit Bumrah – “What has happened in the past, that’s all gone. We try to be in the moment”•Getty Images
Behind India’s dominance in Test cricket in the past few years – both home and overseas – has been their bowling attack, led by the quicks, which has prised out 20 wickets consistently. Last summer the England batters were put under constant pressure by an attack led by Bumrah, but also including Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Barring Joe Root, no other England batter showed consistency. Since the start of 2021, Indian bowlers have the second-best average and are also second in terms of strike rate, well ahead of England who are mid-table.Freshly appointed as captain, Bumrah insisted that India still held the edge. Asked about his opinion on England’s attacking approach against New Zealand, Bumrah said: “I am not focusing on how the England team is playing. We know our strengths and if we do our job well, we believe that our team can win and do well anywhere, in any condition. So, we want to give more attention to our team because we don’t want to give a mental advantage to anyone thinking about what the other team is doing. If we do our job well, things will fall in place.”Bumrah nearly rolled his eyes when asked whether it was frightening to see England batters chase down targets as they did against New Zealand. “I play my cricket very differently in comparison to any other players. I do not want to give any mental advantage to any of the players. I look at myself and I feel that what I have to do to prepare best and to be in the right frame of mind because if I am in a very good head space then we are very difficult to beat. That is the mindset that we want to get into. And then if we are there then everything else would be taken care of.”Bumrah said he did not want to look back at what had already happened in the first four Tests, including wins at Lord’s and Oval, matches in which he was the catalyst with bat and ball.”We don’t look in the past. Every cricket game you want to win. Isn’t it? We never play any game to lose or just to compete or play for a draw. We want to play for a win. What has happened in the past, that’s all gone. We try to be in the moment. We want to try to be immersed in the moment and try to focus on the job at hand and try to job at hand and try to give our best shot.”
Sikandar Raza’s 31-ball 45, Ryan Burl’s three-wicket haul in vain for Zimbabwe
Firdose Moonda11-Jun-2022
Zimbabwe began their final preparations for next month’s T20 World Cup Qualifier with a six-wicket loss to Afghanistan, in the opening encounter of a three-match series. With only one partnership worth more than 30 runs, Zimbabwe posted a middling score of 159 for 8, but almost turned into something more competitive than it looked. Ryan Burl’s 3 for 14 gave them a chance of defending the total, but an 83-run opening stand and Najibullah Zadran’s unbeaten 44 secured victory for Afghanistan, with four balls to spare.In the absence of Sean Williams, Zimbabwe’s batting continued to look thin, with only two of their batters scoring more than 30. Wessley Madhevere, who was one of those, survived the loss of Innocent Kaia, his opening partner, to share a second-wicket stand of 30 with captain Craig Ervine. The pair was in a good position to lay a solid foundation for Zimbabwe but Ervine became debutant Nijat Masood’s first victim when he offered the medium-pacer a return catch off a leading edge.Madhevere and Regis Chakabva took Zimbabwe into the ninth over before Madhevere was bowled by Rashid Khan, to spark a collapse. Zimbabwe lost 3 for 33, which left it to Sikandar Raza and the lower order to finish strongly.Raza top-scored with 45 but gave Masood his third wicket when he cut him behind square where Hazratullah Zazai took a good catch at short third-man. Masood finished with 3 for 39, successful but expensive and it was Rashid Khan who was more economical with figures of 1 for 21 in his four overs.Related
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Afghanistan took control of the chase through their openers. Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz put on 83 in the first ten overs, which included 44 runs in boundaries. They were stopped in successive balls when they tried to take on Burl. Gurbaz was caught off a leading edge and Zazai at long-on before Usman Ghani edged to the keeper, as he tried to sweep, to leave Afghanistan on 86 for 3 in 11 overs.Four boundary-less overs followed and as a result Afghanistan’s required run-rate crept above 12 an over. They needed 61 runs off the last five overs and 54 off the last four before Blessing Muzarabani’s penultimate over cost 26 runs as Zadran plundered 16 runs off the first three deliveries, which included a no-ball. Luke Jongwe pulled things back when he bowled Darwish Rasooli in the 18th over, which went for 10. Tendai Chatara delivered the 19th, which also cost 10 and set up a tense finish.Muzarabani returned to bowl the last over, and had seven runs to defend, but Zadran took two off his first ball and swung the second over square leg to seal the win with a six.
Sunrisers registered their fourth successive victory to be placed fourth on the table with eight points
Deivarayan Muthu17-Apr-20223:08
Do Punjab Kings have the right personnel for their all-out-big-hitting philosophy?
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s sensational seam attack handcuffed Punjab Kings’ big-hitting line-up, despite Liam Livingstone’s 33-ball 60, to give them their fourth successive victory in IPL 2022. Sunrisers are now fourth on the table with eight points.Livingstone continued to roll out the boundaries, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan impressed with their variations once again, but it was Umran Malik who produced the most thrilling passage of play when he bowled a four-wicket last over, packed with breakneck pace, to dismiss Kings for 151. Kings lost their last five wickets for nothing as Bhuvneshwar and Malik, in particular, proved unhittable at the death.A target of 152 was right up the alley of Sunrisers, despite the loss of Kane Williamson in the powerplay. Rahul Tripathi zoomed to 34 off 22 balls and although Rahul Chahar snagged him and Abhishek Sharma in successive overs, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram iced the game with an unbroken 75-run partnership off 50 balls. Man down…and out
Kings had suffered a major blow even before the toss, with their regular captain Mayank Agarwal sidelined from this game with a toe injury sustained during training on Saturday. Kings were dealt further blows when Bhuvneshwar and Natarajan both struck in the powerplay.Bhuvneshwar bothered Shikhar Dhawan with hard lengths and even hit him on the box, leaving him lying flat on the floor. Dhawan, however, recovered sufficiently to resume his innings, but Bhuvneshwar had him flapping a weak pull to mid-on for 8 off 11 balls.Soon after, Natarajan found inswing and the inside edge of Prabhsimran Singh. Neither Natarajan nor Pooran, who had caught it behind the stumps, was confident about the edge, but Williamson ultimately reviewed it in the nick of time to have the on-field not-out decision reversed. Kings managed 48 for 2 in six overs – their second-lowest powerplay score this season. They slumped further to 61 for 4 in eight overs.Livingstone tees off
The early strikes, however, didn’t stop Livingstone from showcasing his range once again. He unveiled a scooped four off the second ball he faced and three balls later, he scooped Marco Jansen for six more. Livingstone also used the extra pace of Malik to his advantage, shanking him for two sixes and a four, with the pick of them being a 106-metre six over midwicket.When left-arm fingerspinner J Suchith dangled one too full, Livingstone pumped him down the ground for a more launguid six. Soon after, Livingstone raised a half-century, off 26 balls, his third in his last four innings.Shahrukh gets stuck against Suchith
In stark contrast to Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan started slowly – he got off the mark on his eighth ball – and Suchith tightened the screws further by bowling into the pitch. Shahrukh scored only 14 off 13 balls off Suchith. So he tried to find runs elsewhere and swung at his Tamil Nadu team-mate Natarajan, and copped a blow on the helmet.It was Bhuvneshwar who made the incision in the 17th over when he had Shahrukh skewing a catch to short-cover for 26 off 28 balls. The struggles of Shahrukh and then Odean Smith (13 off 15 balls) meant that Livingstone faced only seven balls in overs 16 to 19.Umran Malik ended with figures of 4-1-28-4•BCCIMalik’s four-wicket last over
After having bounced out Jitesh Sharma after the powerplay, Malik dominated Kings’ lower order by hitting speeds close to 150kph. He similarly bounced out Smith and then castled both Chahar and Vaibhav Arora off successive balls. Arshdeep Singh was run-out off the hat-trick ball in one of the most dramatic final-over sequences in the IPL. It was only the third time the last four wickets (7 to 10) fell in a T20 game without adding a run.Abhishek, Tripathi steady Sunrisers
Kagiso Rabada got the new ball to stick in the DY Patil pitch and had Williamson chipping a drive to mid-off for 3 off nine balls. Tripathi dashed out of the blocks, like he usually does, hitting four fours and a six. He allowed Abhishek, the other opener, to get his eye in on a track where some balls stopped, and others came onto the bat nicely.Tripathi kept nailing the lofted drive against Varun Chakravarthy in Sunrisers’ last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but this time when he tried to repeat it against Chahar, he picked out long-off. Unlike Varun’s, Chahar’s length was fractionally shorter and he got dip to mess with Tripathi’s timing. In his next over, Chahar had an advancing Abhishek holing out to long-on for 31 off 25 balls.Pooran and Markram seal victory
When Pooran and Markram came together, Sunrisers needed 75 off 57 balls. The pair needed only 50 balls to complete another chase and put Sunrisers in the top half of the table.Pooran could have been dismissed on 16 in the 14th over had Rabada capitalised on a mix-up by effecting a direct hit. Pooran and Markram then found a higher gear, something that Kings couldn’t do during their middle and end overs.
New Zealand batter will take over from Haris Rauf after first five group games
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2022Finn Allen, the explosive New Zealand batter, has signed to play for Yorkshire in this year’s Vitality Blast.Allen, who appeared for Lancashire in the competition last year and is currently at the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore, will come in to the Yorkshire set-up after the departure of Pakistan seamer Haris Rauf, who is available for the first five games of the Blast.”I’m really looking forward to returning to county cricket for the upcoming Blast,” Allen said. “I really enjoyed my first foray into the competition last season and am hungry to contribute to a successful campaign for Yorkshire.Related
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“As luck would have it, I am currently spending a fair bit of time at RCB with David Willey, so it’s great to be able to establish that relationship prior to arriving.”Allen, 22, made 399 runs at a strike rate of 159.60 in last season’s Blast, helping Lancashire to reach the quarter-finals of the competition, before going on to feature for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.He joins Rauf and Pakistan allrounder Shadab Khan as Yorkshire’s T20 overseas signings for 2022.Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim managing director of cricket, said: “We have brought in Finn Allen who is an explosive batsman and very good young player. Finn will come here to replace Haris Rauf who we have for the Championship games early season and the first five Blast matches.”Our signings to date will give us some excellent options in the Blast and I am thrilled to be able to add these talented players an already exciting squad.”