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The floodlights can be used on a permanent basis from next year, and on 18 evenings rather than 10

Matt Roller07-Nov-2019Lord’s has been handed a boost ahead of the 2020 season, after Westminster City Council approved an application to make the floodlights at the ground permanent and increase the number of evenings that they are permitted to be used on from 10 to 18.If the application had been rejected, the MCC would have faced a tricky situation with regards to hosting games next year. Lord’s is scheduled to host at least four matchdays in the Hundred, including a double-header, on top of several Middlesex games, a day-night ODI against Australia, and Tests featuring West Indies and Pakistan. Under previous regulations, there had been an additional allowance for years in which the ground hosted ICC events, like it did in 2019.The ground has regularly fallen foul of complaints from local residents over the use of floodlights since 2007, when temporary ones were first installed. The St. John’s Wood Society complained about the use of retractable floodlights during the World T20 in 2009, and residents have regularly submitted objections whenever new applications have been up for discussion.Six residents put forward objections to the application submitted by the MCC in May, citing “antisocial behaviour” from “extremely rowdy crowds many of whom have consumed large quantities of alcohol”, “disruption to sleep” and “loss of privacy” among their concerns. But the council accepted the application, on the provision that the ground put in place six extra stewards to move fans away from the ground as quickly as possible.Robert Ebdon, the MCC’s assistant secretary for estates and ground development, said the council’s ruling was an “excellent outcome for MCC, and the spectators and cricketers who will visit Lord’s in the future”.”We are thankful for the co-operative and constructive relationship we have with our neighbours, and Westminster City Council who have supported this result,” he said. “It is a positive outcome for the future generations that will come to Lord’s to watch and play cricket.”The decision comes as part of the continued redevelopment of the ground, with the Compton and Edrich stands currently under renovation in the hope of completion before the start of the 2020 season.

Newcastle United's poor season could see mass changes in the summer, and there are already plenty of plans on the incomings front.

Newcastle's disappointing summer window

After an impressive run to the top four last season, it has been a campaign to forget for Eddie Howe's side in the Premier League this time around, due in no small part to their business in the transfer market last year.

Finishing bottom of their Champions League group despite some impressive performances, they lost Sandro Tonali to a gambling ban early in the campaign, while Harvey Barnes has missed a huge chunk of time with injury and Lewis Hall has been unable to cement a regular place in the team.

With ten games left to play, they sit 10th and could drop another place should Chelsea win their game in hand on the Magpies. A strong end to the season could see them retain some form of European football for next season, but they certainly won't be making a Champions League return.

Newcastle's league run-in

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They do still harbour hopes of a first trophy under Howe, but face a tough FA Cup quarter final clash with Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, with a place at Wembley at stake. Despite the disappointing campaign, Howe's position remains safe and attention has already turned to the summer transfer window despite concerns over financial fair play.

Transfer planning leads PIF to Serie A midfielder

There could be plenty of change on Tyneside this summer, with Joelinton set to be out of contract and yet to pen fresh terms, while speculation continues to swirl around centre-piece Bruno Guimaraes after it emerged he had a £100m release clause in his contract, with Manchester City rumoured to be interested.

To that end, it is looking likely that further reinforcement in the middle of the pitch will be required, and Sport Witness report that the Magpies have identified Atalanta midfielder Ederson as the man to add to their ranks.

Not just Mourinho: Another serial winner open to usurping Howe at Newcastle

Would he be an upgrade on the current Magpies manager?

ByHenry Jackson Mar 15, 2024

The Brazilian has been a shining light alongside Teun Koopmeiners in the heart of Atalanta's midfield, starting 25 times in Serie A this season and grabbing five goals in the process. Juventus are thought to be tracking him, but reports suggest that it is Newcastle and Premier League rivals Tottenham that are in the lead thanks to their financial muscle.

The two clubs "are now seen as being ‘in the front row in the race’ to acquire Ederson this summer". That is because Atalanta will not sell him for less than 35m euros this summer (£30m), something that they believe Juve will struggle to stump up given the Old Lady are also keen to sign teammate Koopmeiners, valued at 60m euros.

The 24-year-old fits into the high energy mould that Newcastle fans have become accustomed to in recent seasons. Taking to X, U23 scout Antonio Mango told his followers that the then 23-year-old "gets better every time I watch him" and that he is "just everywhere when he plays", similar to Joelinton on Tyneside.

Should Newcastle be forced to part ways with either Joelinton or Guimaraes, they could well sign another Brazilian to fill that role, if they can fight off Tottenham's interest.

Tottenham Hotspur sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich last summer and new manager Ange Postecoglou made the bold decision not to directly replace one of the greatest strikers the Premier League has ever seen.

It's a choice that might just work out, in fairness, with Heung-min Son and Richarlison sharing the workload in front of goal, scoring 24 top-flight goals between them, and summer signings such as Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson working a treat.

Still, centre-forward is an area of priority for Spurs heading into the summer transfer window and this has been evidenced through the names on the rumour mill, with Brentford's Ivan Toney high on the shopping list.

According to a recent report from The Sun, Spurs are interested in signing the prolific striker this summer, but with the Bees hoping for bids approaching £100m, Tottenham might be better to look inwards – the London club isn't exactly short on teenage talent.

Dane Scarlett's season in numbers

There are a number of young centre-forwards hoping for a shot at the big time under Postecoglou, and Dane Scarlett hasn't hurt his chances after bagging an emphatic hat-trick for England U20s on Friday.

The 20-year-old was described as "the best prospect from the academy" by former manager Antonio Conte, but after an unsuccessful loan spell in the Championship with Ipswich Town this season, featuring 12 times but failing to start or score, Scarlett was recalled by Spurs in January, having come off the bench three times since in the capital.

Of course, Scarlett's time with Kieran McKenna's outfit was not a waste. He has gained some valuable experience after spending the previous campaign on loan with Portsmouth in League One, where he netted six strikes.

Valuable experience this may be but Scarlett has not yet proven himself to be a potent goalscorer capable of thriving at the highest level.

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Neither, to be fair, has Mikey Moore, but that doesn't stop the 16-year-old prodigy from being Tottenham's finest attacking talent around.

Why Mikey Moore is Spurs' most talented young forward

Having compiled a list of London's brightest talents, The Evening Standard said this of Moore: 'Widely considered one of the best young talents in the capital. A strong, skilful player with a powerful build who has caught the eye with his dribbling and finishing.'

Despite his young age, the dynamic forward is proving himself to be one of the most exciting youngsters on English shores, with Fabrizio Romano even hailing him as a "superstar."

This season, in staggering age-belying fashion, Moore has clinched 14 goals and eight assists from 12 appearances across the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup, also scoring a hat-trick for England U17 against Croatia back in November.

The young star thrives across a range of different positions while always maintaining a deadliness in front of goal, and if he continues on his current trajectory then there's no telling how high his ceiling is.

Spurs must continue to nurture this sublime talent, he's the best prospect on the London club's books.

While it's unlikely that he will lead the line for Tottenham's senior squad yet, still firmly within his formative phase, Moore is truly a precocious teenager and any transfer movement conducted over the coming years must bear in mind that he will emerge onto the scene sooner rather than later.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Tottenham certainly don't need to play to Brentford's £100m tune for Toney, clinical and effective the England international may be…

Erik ten Hag has confirmed Manchester United's interest in Matthijs de Ligt but says he hasn't pushed for a transfer for his former player.

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Man Utd linked with Bayern's De LigtTen Hag an admirer of defenderAdmits he didn't push for the transferWHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern centre-back De Ligt had reportedly set his sights on a reunion with his former Ajax boss Ten Hag at United but the Premier League side have allegedly held up the deal. After signing Lille defender Leny Yoro, manager Ten Hag has spoken about whether or not the Netherlands international will head to Old Trafford.

AdvertisementGetty WHAT ERIK TEN HAG SAID

He told : “It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come. I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich (from Juventus) but believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process (of targeting signings).”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While Yoro has joined United, the Red Devils may yet try to recruit more centre-backs this summer. After seeing Raphael Varane leave on a free transfer, the Premier League team have been eyeing Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and De Ligt. Who knows, they may yet land one of them as they look to become a force in English and European football again.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

While transfer negotiations will continue on behind the scenes with De Ligt, Ten Hag's United team face Rangers in a friendly on Saturday. They then take on Arsenal a week later, before locking horns with Real Betis on July 31 as part of their pre-season campaign.

“If I have to bowl a lot of overs, I’ll do whatever it takes for the team”

Andrew McGlashan in Perth16-Dec-2019Mitchell Starc is in career-best Test form and Pat Cummins is the No. 1 bowler in the world, and their efforts as part of effectively a three-man attack was outstanding in Perth. But Australia’s victory was another triumph for Nathan Lyon.Claiming the final wicket, when Tim Southee edged to slip, gave him six in the match, took his tally at Perth Stadium to 14 wickets in two outings, and followed the 5 for 69 in the second innings against Pakistan in Adelaide. It was in harsh contrast to the returns of New Zealand’s main spinner, Mitchell Santner, who had match figures of 0 for 146 from 41 overs.Lyon hopes for ‘great wicket’ at MCG

Former groundsman Lyon has confidence that the MCG pitch will be up to standard despite the problems in the recent Sheffield Shield match. The surface for the Victoria-Western Australia match was left too damp in an attempt to bring more life, which resulted in divots creating dangerously uneven bounce which led to the match being called off inside 40 overs.
“I’m always going to be on the curators’ side,” he said. “I’m confident there’s going to be a good wicket there. Confident that there will be a contest between bat and ball. No doubt he’s probably had a few sleepless nights from the last week, but he’s well prepared for a great wicket there hopefully.”
Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said, “I know what happened a week or so ago, but I’m sure Cricket Australia are doing everything they can to rectify that so no concerns from us.”

Lyon was always likely to play a key role on a surface that offered him turn, and – crucially – bounce, but he became a lifeline for Australia’s depleted bowling unit as they hunted the 19 further wickets they needed after Josh Hazlewood’s injury. “Gaz, you lock in from one end and we’ll rotate from the other end,” Lyon said of the fairly simple chat the bowlers had.In the end, Australia only needed 121 overs to dismantle New Zealand twice, but Lyon’s effectiveness meant Tim Paine knew he could trust him with one end to ensure he could get the best out of Starc and Cummins.Lyon removed three of New Zealand’s batting pillars: Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Tom Latham. All were outstanding pieces of offspin bowling. The contest with Taylor, which began on the second evening, was absorbing, with Lyon eventually teasing an outside edge. Williamson gloved to short leg when Lyon’s first ball of the second innings reared off a length, and Latham was trapped lbw by one that slid on from around the wicket.”Ross has been a world-class player from a long period of time now. He wanted to take me on to probably reduce how many balls he had to defend off me with the variable bounce and the amount of bounce I was able to get out there. It was a great battle,” Lyon said. “I love being able to have those little battles when one of the best batters in the world wants to take you down and hit you out of the attack, it can be challenging, but I’m never going to shy away from one, so it’s pretty special.”I’m very happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand at the moment, very confident with my stock ball and the more stock balls I’m able to put in that good area and challenge the defence, I’m going to be pretty happy with that. My best ball will hopefully challenge a lot of guys around the world.”Lyon is two bowlers in one for Australia and that’s vital at a time when the debate around allrounders has started again, as it often does at this time of the year when Test series move to the traditionally flatter surfaces of Melbourne and Sydney. When Hazlewood went down, Paine said he did look around the field wishing for an allrounder, but knew in Lyon he still had a trump card.

I can talk to Marnus [Labuschagne] as a second spinner but there’s great cricket conversations where I’m learning off him, he’s talking to me about the batters’ mindset and I’m talking about it more like a bowlers’ mindset

Various combinations for the final two Tests of the series have already mooted – Justin Langer has hinted at the possibility of a five-man attack with four quicks for Melbourne – and Hazlewood’s replacement will be confirmed on Tuesday.Potential allrounder candidates Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green are not available, although Marcus Stoinis could be an outside chance and Paine also name-checked Moises Henriques, who has had a terrific season with the bat for New South Wales but doesn’t bowl as much as he used to. With no obvious candidate available, Australia have to “find other ways to win”, as Langer termed it. What Lyon gives them is therefore key, providing both an attacking and defensive role as part of a four-man attack.”The workload doesn’t worry me at all,” Lyon said. “I love bowling and want the ball in my hand every opportunity I get. I’m just lucky I’m part of the best bowling squad in the world. It’s pretty special. If I have to bowl a lot of overs, I’ll do whatever it takes for the team.”In terms of adding balance to the side, the role of Marnus Labuschagne’s legspin is becoming increasingly important. He spun a sharp legbreak through Santner in the first innings in Perth, and he and Lyon are starting to work as a pair.”I’ve played enough cricket now to hopefully pass on a bit of advice here and there but I think Marnus’ whole game has come a long way,” Lyon said. “I can talk to Marnus as a second spinner but there’s great cricket conversations where I’m learning off him, he’s talking to me about the batters’ mindset and I’m talking about it more like a bowlers’ mindset.”

Despite a late wobble in defence, a solid all-round show broke a sequence of nine consecutive defeats

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2020Believe it or not, the Melbourne Renegades are still a mathematical chance of making the Big Bash League finals after breaking their nightmare sequence of nine consecutive losses with a rain-interrupted victory over the Sydney Thunder at Manuka Oval in Canberra.Their captain Dan Christian was instrumental in the result, clumping some desperately needed late innings runs then claiming three wickets in a typically thoughtful spell. The last two were most vital as the Renegades momentarily wobbled in their defence, after Alex Ross had slammed 26 from a Mohammad Nabi over to leave the Thunder with a gettable 31 to win from the final two overs.Dan Christian is a specialist in rapid T20 cameos•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaRenegades bide their time at the start…Over nine losses in a row, the Melbourne Renegades have found more than a few ways to start games badly, and on this occasion, Shaun Marsh and Marcus Harris seemed determined not to throw things away too early. So on a fine evening in Canberra they elected to play themselves in carefully, eschewing big shots against the new ball and trying to rotate the strike while denying the Thunder an early wicket or two.This approach at least had the effect of not blowing up the Renegades innings early, as has happened on numerous occasions. However it was obvious that neither Harris, who would depart after seven overs, or Marsh who followed in the 13th, had quite the confidence or fluency to go on from their platforms in the fashion of a Glenn Maxwell or, more mortally, Jon Wells for the Adelaide Strikers. This meant that the Renegades still found themselves in a somewhat iffy position when Beau Webster became Liam Bowe’s second victim with 31 balls remaining….And find some much-needed punch at the finishFortunately for the Renegades, Sam Harper did not lose his head as these wickets fell, and built an innings at his own pace with steady acceleration. It was a different knock to many of his others, going far deeper into the innings than Harper commonly has managed, and allowed Christian the certainty at the other end to take a few more risks in the closing overs. This combination meant that the Renegades could capitalise on the Thunder’s parallel propensity to leak runs in their closing overs.In fact the final three of the innings grew in productivity for the Renegades in the kind of trend line loved by investment property owners, reaping 13, 16 and then finally 18 runs. No fewer than 11 of those flowed from the bat of Mohammad Nabi, who pummelled his first ball for four down the ground and then hoisted the last of the innings over the midwicket boundary, with timing and power redolent of a far more set batsman. The choice of Chris Morris to bowl the final over meant that Daniel Sams, the BBL’s leading wicket-taker, was left an over short of his allocation.Thunder stumble before the rainAs rain clouds hovered over Manuka, the Thunder swiftly lost Usman Khawaja to a superb catch behind the wicket by Harper, who dived across in front of slip for a dismissal that was unclear to the umpires as the former Australian top order batsman had hit the ground around the same time as he edged his drive at Andrew Fekete. Worse was to follow when Callum Ferguson was most unluckily run out by a deflection when Fekete parried a caught and bowled chance from Alex Hales onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.The loss of a promoted Sams, lbw on the sweep shot, left the Thunder in a rickety position, but the arrival of showers created a new dimension. The required rate asked of the Thunder would go up, but the number of balls in which they could lose wickets was bound to go down.Ross fireworks can’t keep Renegades winlessNeeding 104 runs off 49 balls when the rain cleared, the Thunder needed at least a couple of big overs. Hales was unable to provide any, and Morris also fell cheaply as the equation stretched to 57 required from the final 18 balls. Enter Ross, who sized up Nabi’s usually parsimonious off-breaks and found some deliveries lobbed down onto an obliging length for him to get under. Four, six, six, six, four followed, Narrowing things to 31 off 13, fewer runs than the Renegades themselves managed from the final two overs of their innings.Captain Christian, though, was in no mood to give this one up, and he was to follow up with a superb penultimate over in which he mixed up his pace while hitting the blockhole with commendable regularity. This was too much for Jay Lenton, yorked first ball of the over, and Ross was far less successful in targeting the boundary, as his skier was well held by Jack Wildermuth and left him with more than enough runs to defend in the final over.

It looks set to be PIF's most important summer yet at Newcastle United, with the Magpies in need of several reinforcements in an attempt to break back into the Premier League's European places next season.

Newcastle transfer news

After ACL injuries to both Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman to sum their season up, Newcastle's main focus needs to be on signing at least one central defender this summer. The aforementioned due will miss part of next season, meaning that the Magpies simply cannot afford not to welcome another centre-back, with just Fabian Schar and Dan Burn currently available.

Newcastle looking to complete signing of “magic” Pope successor this summer

They could even snap him up for under £5m.

ByHenry Jackson Apr 5, 2024

That said, the transfer rumours have already started on that front. One name mentioned so far has been Dean Huijsen, who has impressed on loan at AS Roma from Juventus. Attracting the interest of Newcastle as a result, the 18-year-old has shown the potential needed to step up for Eddie Howe's side and become an integral part for years to come. Now one to watch, it will be interesting to see if the Magpies make their move this summer.

He's not the only central defender linked with a move, either. According to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Newcastle are now plotting a move to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this summer in a deal that could be worth over £50m. The England international has enjoyed another solid season at Selhurst Park and there's no doubt that he would more than help solve Newcastle's defensive problems.

The fact that Guehi shares an agent with Anthony Gordon too should hand Newcastle a small advantage and make any negotiations simpler on the defender's side. In an ideal world, when Botman returns, Newcastle will have a long-term partner in place in the form of a defender who knows all about performing in the Premier League.

"Amazing" Guehi can fix Newcastle's dilemma

At just 23-years-old, Guehi would instantly become a long-term fix for Newcastle's current defensive dilemma, stepping up in place of Botman before then partnering the centre-back when he returns to action. The captain at Selhurst Park, Palace won't wave goodbye to Guehi without any reluctance this summer, however, in what could prove to be a tough deal to negotiate with the London club.

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What's more, Guehi will be hoping to earn a place in Gareth Southgate's England side for the Euros this summer, especially after receiving such high praise from international teammate Harry Maguire.

The Manchester United defender said via BBC Sport: "Marc has done amazing. I think he left Chelsea at an amazing time when he had to play football. When you watch him play he doesn't look like a young boy playing football.

"He's a captain of Crystal Palace. He’s going to have a long career in the game. He has all the attributes you need to be a centre-back. The friendly in the first half at Scotland unfortunately he had to come off. He's such a young boy playing with so much maturity."

Vivianne Miedema has joked about facing up against her partner Beth Mead on the opening day of the season, following her summer transfer to Man City.

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Miedema left Arsenal as free agentSigned for Man City this summerWill face her old club on opening dayWHAT HAPPENED?

Miedema joined City from Arsenal on a three-year deal and, as fate has it, her first professional match in a sky blue shirt will be against her former club. Talking to reporters, she joked about getting the fixture out of the way and facing up against her partner of two years, Beth Mead.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Miedema left Arsenal after a hugely successful seven-year spell with the Gunners in which she racked up a whopping 125 goals in 172 appearances, becoming the WSL's all-time leading scorer. It was confirmed in May that the Dutch international would leave the club, and it wasn't long before City snapped her up ahead of the new campaign.

WHAT MIEDEMA SAID

In a recent press conference, Miedema said: "I already made a bet with Beth about it, that it was going to happen! It's obviously gonna be a special game for me… it's exciting, and I'm happy to get it out of the way, I think. I hope we can start the season really well then."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MIEDEMA & CITY?

While men's domestic football returns to England in a matter of days, Miedema and her City team-mates have to wait until September before they can face up to their WSL opponents. Manchester City's first match of the new campaign takes place on September 22, against Arsenal at the Emirates. With Emma Hayes finally out of the picture, City boss Gareth Taylor will be desperate for a first WSL title win.

De Grandhomme and Neesham return to strengthen their middle order

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu04-Feb-20206:58

Agarwal, Shaw opening would be great – Bangar

Big PictureNovember 25, 2019. The last time New Zealand actually won a game. They’ve been winless in nine matches across formats since, and injuries have weakened them further. Their captain and premier batsman Kane Williamson has now joined Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Matt Henry on the injury list. Add to that, they will be without head coach Gary Stead, who has taken a break and has handed over the reins to bowling coach Shane Jurgensen for the three-match ODI series against India.Wednesday’s match will be New Zealand first ODI since Super Over against England last year. New Zealand have lost three more Super Overs since. Having hit rock bottom in the T20Is against India, the only way for them is up.They will welcome back Tom Latham, who has recovered from a finger fracture, and has proven his form and fitness in the 50-over Ford Trophy. In the injury-enforced absence of Williamson, Latham will also stand in as captain and will take back the gloves from Tim Seifert, who isn’t part of the ODI side.Jimmy Neesham, fresh off winning the Super Smash with Wellington Firebirds and a List A best of 5 for 29, returns to the side, as does fellow allrounder Colin de Grandhomme. The comebacks of Latham, Neesham, and de Grandhomme spruces up the middle order that struggled to finish games in the shortest format.India, too, are missing some of their first-choice players, including white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who will miss the following Test series as well. However, unlike New Zealand, India have ready replacements who have had a taste of 50-over cricket in New Zealand, having been part of the shadow A tour. They will be buoyed by how they shook off the jet lag and bossed New Zealand in the T20Is, just days after their 2-1 come-from-behind ODI series win against Australia at home.With both Dhawan and Sharma suffering injuries, Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw are set to slot in at the top and make their ODI debuts together. On the eve of the ODI series opener, captain Virat Kohli confirmed that KL Rahul will continue to bat in the middle order. This ODI series could be another chance for Manish Pandey to showcase his middle-order gears.Form guideNew Zealand TWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWALSO READ: Who is Kyle Jamieson? 0:48

Star Sports Game Plan: New Zealand’s morale will be low – Laxman

In the spotlightHenry Nicholls is no dasher like Colin Munro at the top, and instead is more adept at building an innings. His solidity could be the ideal foil for the more attacking Martin Guptill at the other end in New Zealand’s post-World Cup period. The left-hander is coming off Ford Trophy scores of 120, 62, and 55.Around this time in 2018 in New Zealand, Prithvi Shaw led India Under-19s to World Cup glory. Two years later, he is ready for his ODI debut, with Kohli stating that India aren’t looking at ODIs as preparation for the T20 World Cup across the Tasman Sea. Having been banned for a doping violation last year and overcome fitness issues, Shaw will be eager to make his second coming count.Team newsMark Chapman is likely to take up Williamson’s No.3 position, and New Zealand could consider resting Tim Southee, who had a horror T20I series. Instead, Auckland’s beanpole quick Kyle Jamieson could make his international debut. New Zealand might also have to choose been Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner on the spin front.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner/Ish Sodhi, 9 Kyle Jamieson/Tim Southee 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Scott KuggeleijnIndia, too, might have to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mohammed Shami is likely to return after being rested for the last two T20Is. Neither Kedar Kadhav or Shivam Dube inspire enough confidence and might miss the cut.India: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Manish Pandey, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami/Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsThe Seddon Park pitch that was used the third T20I wasn’t too flat and the ball did hold up in the second innings then. The weather is expected to be pleasant for the during of the game.Stats and trivia Shaw and Agarwal will be the fourth Indian opening pair to make their ODI debuts together. Incidentally, Dilip Vengsarkar and P Sharma opened together on debut in New Zealand in 1976. Latham has an excellent ODI record against India, having made 593 runs in 13 innings at an average of nearly 54 and a strike rate of 90.53 At six feet and eight inches (2.03 metre), Jamieson is the tallest cricketer in New Zealand.Quotes”You want to play every game you can for New Zealand and [I was] pretty disappointed to miss out on the T20 squad for the series just gone.”
“We’re not looking at preparing for the T20 World Cup through this series, IPL will be the right platform.”

There is often much debate about who the greatest Premier League striker of all time is. Of course, the frontrunner in many debates is Alan Shearer. The former England striker is the all-time top goalscorer in the top-flight, with 260 goals in 441 games.

Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney are second and third respectively on the all-time list. Former Tottenham man Kane scored 213 Premier League goals before his move to Bayern Munich last summer, and Wayne Rooney 208 goals in his illustrious career.

Players with shorter times in the Premier League are often thrown into the mix, too. Currently, the main name in that bracket is Erling Haaland, who has been in England for almost two seasons and currently sits on 56 Premier League goals.

Another name mentioned when it comes to shorter Premier League careers is former Liverpool man Luis Suarez. Whilst the Uruguayan legend only played 110 times in the competition, scoring 69 times, he left an astronomical impact.

Despite having left in 2014, Liverpool haven’t had a classic striker to fill the boots of Suarez since. They have replaced his goals with Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino was signed as the centre-forward but was more of a false 9.

However, the Reds have recently been linked with someone who is a very similar player to Suarez and could prove to be the striker they have been looking for since their former number nine left.

Liverpool’s summer transfer plans

It will be all change in the summer for Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp set to leave the club. Rumoured incoming manager Ruben Amorim, who denied agreeing personal terms with the Anfield club recently, could look to bring in his striker from current club Sporting, Viktor Gyokeres.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are now showing interest in Amorim’s star man at Sporting, which could well “scupper” a move from arch-rivals Manchester United for the 25-year-old Sweden international.

Previous reports from CaughtOffisde suggest a fee in the region of £68.5m would be enough to prise the forward away from Sporting, with Arsenal another side that are thought to be considering a bid for the 25-year-old.

How Suarez and Gyokeres compare

Football analyst Ben Mattinson on X once described Gyokeres as “a very physical striker”, before simply going on to say he is a “powerhouse”. Certainly, it is easy to see why he has said this.

Gyokeres’ strength is a big feature of his game, assisting in his wonderful hold-up play. This shows in his 1.82 key passes per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 5% of strikers across Europe, according to Fbref.

Gyokeres’ 1.07 goal involvements per 90 minutes place him in the elite bracket amongst Europe’s centre-forwards too. The 25-year-old, who also has six goals in 25 appearances for Sweden, places in the top 1% for goals plus assists per 90 minutes. He is an elite all-round centre forward.

With Liverpool’s pursuit of Gyokeres signalling a potential out-and-out replacement for Suarez a decade since he left the club, it is worth seeing how their goal and assist tallies stack up against each other, when Suarez was 25 years old, as Gyokeres is now.

It has been a superb term for for the former Coventry man, who has scored 36 goals and has registered 16 assists in 44 games for Sporting in all competitions. In the league, that breaks down to 22 league goals scored. Remarkably, at the age of 25, Suarez scored 22 Premier League goals, which, like Gyokeres, is a superb return.

The similarities between the two don’t end at their goalscoring numbers. Like Gyokeres, Suarez was a superb all-round player, and managed to register nine assists in the Premier League at age 25, just one less than Gyokeres, who has ten.

With Suarez noted as one of the fourth most similar player to the Swede in the last year, as per FBref, the likeness in stats and style of play between the two players is incredible.

Capable of dazzling defences, setting up teammates and burying chance after chance, should Liverpool decide to sign Gyokeres for the £68.5m quoted earlier, he could finally be the direct replacement to Suarez that the Reds have been looking for in the decade since the Uruguayan legend left the club.

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