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The SPFL fixtures are out, meaning Celtic supporters can start looking forward to the new season as Brendan Rodgers’ side go about defending their crown.

The Hoops will begin their Premiership title defence at Parkhead on Sunday 3 August, before a Scottish Cup Final rematch a week later for Rodgers’ Bhoys, seeking revenge following that penalty shootout defeat at Hampden.

With an Old Firm derby at Ibrox on 31 August, as well as a season-defining Champions League play-off, their opponents in that tie will be confirmed on 4 August, there’s plenty for Celtic supporters to look forward to on the park.

Off the pitch, they’re making a splash in the transfer window.

Celtic seeking midfield reinforcements

Before pre-season begins against Glasgow neighbours Queen’s Park at Lesser Hampden on Friday week, focus remains on transfers, with Rodgers looking to bolster every area of his squad.

So far, Kieran Tierney has re-joined Celtic, while Ross Doohan has arrived to be the new third-choice goalkeeper, replacing Scott Bain, with Callum Osmand and Benjamin Nygren expected to be through the door soon.

Now, according to a report by Africa Foot, Celtic are interested in signing Moussa Baradji, facing competition from Sunderland, who have been promoted back to the Premier League.

The 24-year-old defensive midfielder currently plays for Yverdon-Sport, who finished bottom of this season’s Swiss Super League, thereby relegated, hence why Baradji is expected to be on the move again this summer, just one year after arriving from Legnago Salus in Serie C.

Baradji is valued at €3m (around £2.5m), described as a versatile midfielder by Drissa Traoré of Africa Foot, who adds that Galatasaray are amongst a number of European heavyweights vying for his signature.

Now though, could he be on his way to Glasgow?

How Baradji could replicate Victor Wanyama's Celtic career

Similar to Baradji, Victor Wanyama was not a known quantity when he joined Celtic from Beerschot in 2011, costing a reported fee of £900k, having made only 54 senior appearances for De Mannekes.

Nevertheless, just two years later, he was sold to Southampton for £12.5m, a Scottish record fee at the time, having impressed during his 91 appearances in hoops, most notably starring during the famous 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, heading home the night’s opening goal.

That night, according to Ewan Murray of the Guardian, up against Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and others, the Kenyan was the best player on the pitch, with then-manager Neil Lennon labelling him “world class”.

After three seasons by the South Coast, Wanyama would join Tottenham, a key figure in Mauricio Pochettino’s successful Spurs side.

He was then not quite so impactful at Club de Foot Montréal, spending a large period of his four-year stay in Quebec injured or not contributing much, before returning to Scottish football in March, linking up with Lennon again at Dunfermline Athletic.

So, could Baradji be the new Wanyama? Let’s assess his statistics from this season.

Appearances

27

111th

Minutes

2,104

77th

Goals

4

51st

Shots

45

29th

Fouls

41

13th

Interceptions

24

71st

Tackles

72

12th

Average SofaScore rating

7.14

37th

As the table outlines, Baradji is something of an all-rounder, as Wanyama was, ranking pretty highly when it comes to shots, fouls and tackles, made all the more impressive considering his team finished rock-bottom of the Swiss top-flight.

Wanyama was particularly strong in the tackle, notably ranking as the tenth-best midfielder in the 2014/15 Premier League season for tackles per game (2.9). Thus, there are certainly similarities here.

Patrick Juillar of Sport 365 further describes him as a “box-to-box midfielder” who has just enjoyed an “outstanding” campaign, so if Celtic can secure his services, he could offer a big return on investment.

Celtic have made an approach to beat Premier League club to sign £2.5m ace

He is wanted by a host of teams.

ByHenry Jackson Jun 25, 2025

Sunderland’s summer transfer window has been choppy so far, with both Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson deserting the Black Cats after the ecstasy of promotion.

It hasn’t been all doom and gloom for Regis Le Bris and Co, however, as Enzo Le Fee has at least put pen to paper on a permanent Wearside stay to bolster the midfield areas.

Still, the Frenchman will want more and more new signings to enter the Stadium of Light in their unlikely bid to survive in the Premier League.

The former Lorient boss will surely be prioritising some defensive additions to help his team navigate the frightening step-up in quality, with a new, imposing target now reportedly on their agenda.

Sunderland interested in former Leeds colossus

As per a report from French outlet Jeunes Footeux, Sunderland are interested in landing former Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell this summer, off the back of his impressive stint out in Ligue 1 with Toulouse.

It’s stated that Le Bris wants young, solid players who are already seasoned at the highest level, with Cresswell ticking those boxes for sure, considering he was also in and around the senior picture at Elland Road during the Whites’ brief stays in the Premier League.

Japhet Tanganga s also very much on the Black Cats’ radar as they look to add in some new defensive bodies here and there, with the Millwall brute perhaps gaining somewhat of an advantage when you glance at his modest £1.2m valuation.

But, if Sunderland are willing to pay a few million on top of Tanganga’s price-tag, they could win themselves an upgrade on the ex-Tottenham Hotspur youth product in Cresswell, with the 22-year-old no doubt champing at the bit to return to England to prove himself further.

Why Cresswell would be an upgrade on Tanganga

Cresswell has settled into life in the top division in France swimmingly, meaning he could be ready to take the plunge back into the English game with the newly promoted Black Cats.

This season for Toulouse, Cresswell would chip in with four strikes when putting his lofty 6-foot-3 frame to effective use, alongside also coming away from his 31 appearances in Ligue 1 with a respectable tally of nine clean sheets.

Tanganga did end up with 14 clean sheets of his own in the Championship, but he was present for nine more games at the heart of defence for the Lions than Cresswell was for Carles Martínez Novell’s men, away from falling short of the 22-year-old’s goal total by one.

Regardless, Cresswell has actually shown off his strengths as a no-nonsense centre-back option at the Den himself away from Tanganga’s standout campaign, with the table below further backing up why he might be worth the extra cash at around the £8m ballpark, as per Transfermarkt.

Games played

28

31

Goals scored

4

3

Assists

2

1

Touches*

53.5

63.3

Accurate passes*

28.1 (71%)

41.2 (83%)

Total duels won*

7.6

4.9

Clean sheets

5

9

Indeed, the table proves that Cresswell can battle it out in England, away from just his spells in the Leeds senior mix, with a ridiculous 7.6 duels won on average during his breakout 22/23 campaign in South East London. To add context, Tanganga only won 5.8 last season, on the contrary.

Moreover, with a full Ligue 1 season now under his belt which saw him collect nine clean sheets – which is two more than his former Spurs counterpart ever managed in North London in the elite division – Sunderland could now direct all their focus on attempting to land the Preston-born youngster, over winning a cut-price deal for Tanganga.

Currently out with England at the U21s Euros, where he’s rubbing shoulders with the likes of Premier League regulars Harvey Elliott and Elliot Anderson, the “outstanding” star – as he’s been glowing labelled in the past by Leeds content creator Joe Wainman – will believe the time is right for him to make this next move.

Sunderland will be hopeful he can be one key part of the puzzle that secures survival.

Sunderland plot move for "amazing" £15m+ star who scored 19 goals in 24/25

The Black Cats are eyeing reinforcements through the middle…

1 BySean Markus Clifford Jun 15, 2025

Sunderland might well have closed out their regular campaign in the Championship with a worrying five league defeats on the spin, but heading into the second leg of their playoff affair with Coventry City later on, Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats are firmly in the driver’s seat.

Indeed, the promotion hopefuls lead Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues 2-1 on aggregate after a confident display on their travels last time out, with a potentially bouncing Stadium of Light atmosphere tonight seeing them over the line.

Le Bris will further hope he’s the boss that can consolidate Sunderland as a Premier League regular again if promotion is reached, with the Wearside outfit enjoying many a top-flight season previously when Jermain Defoe was heroically leading the line.

Jermain Defoe's heroics at Sunderland

It’s been a long time coming for Sunderland to be on the cusp of a Premier League return, with the Black Cats competing outside the luxuries of the top-flight since 2016.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star would attempt to keep his forlorn side up during the 2015/16 season against all the odds, but not even his regular heroics would be enough to keep the Wearside giants from sinking down despondently to the EFL.

The campaign prior, however, Defoe’s 15-goal haul in the tricky division would be enough for Sunderland to just about avoid relegation in 17th spot, but that same goal tally the season after would unfortunately go to waste.

In total, the firm Stadium of Light fan’s favourite would notch up a century of Sunderland appearances across three seasons, with 37 goals tallied up, definitely making him a standout purchase.

Well, it’s safe to say that as the Mackems potentially approach another campaign in the top-flight, they’ve found their best signing since the iconic Defoe.

Sunderland's best purchase since Defoe

Le Bris has managed to tempt some top-quality personnel to Sunderland since taking charge of the EFL giants, with Wilson Isidor up to 15 goals now from 50 games this season after netting in the first leg away at Coventry.

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While Isidor has certainly shone bright, it’s the remarkable coup of Enzo Le Fee who stands proud as Sunderland’s best signing in recent years.

As it happens, he had a huge role to play in his French compatriot finishing past Ben Wilson with confidence last Friday, with his defence-splitting pass giving Isidor plenty of time to compose himself before firing home.

This sublime moment of quality on such a pressurised stage backs up how much of an outrageous coup it was that Sunderland managed to obtain Le Fee’s services on loan in January, with Defoe also seen as a statement purchase back in 2014, considering his devastating prowess in front of goal in the Premier League was clear for all to see before relocating to the Black Cats.

Le Fee has also displayed his midfield elegance in some grand settings before Sunderland came calling, with the stylish Frenchman once on the desired shopping list of Liverpool off the back of picking up 15 assists on the books of Le Bris’ ex-employers Lorient.

Le Fee’s performance in numbers vs Coventry

Stat

Le Fee

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

43

Accurate passes

17/19 (89%)

Key passes

4

Big chances created

1

Stats by Sofascore

The classy 25-year-old would never manage to pull on the famed red strip of Arne Slot’s men, but he certainly looks comfortable donning the red and white of Sunderland at the moment, with the midfielder registering four key passes in total during the first leg win.

Therefore, much like Defoe managed in the Premier League when securing safety for Sunderland, the “really talented” midfielder – as he’s been labelled by his manager – could be as key to Le Bris’ men now as they attempt to leap back up to the big time.

After all, his sensational ability to produce a moment of spellbinding quality in an instant is a hugely effective weapon, particularly if a playoff final to come at Wembley is tense and in need of a game-changing spark.

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Posts ByHenry Jackson May 9, 2025

English football clubs have a rich history in the Champions League. Since 1992/93, there have been seven English winners following Manchester United’s triumph in 1999.

Next year will see England will take their continental supremacy to another level, with five teams qualifying for the league phase via the Premier League – while they could be joined by this year’s Europa League winners.

And amid the fight for a top-five finish, some unlikely candidates have placed themselves in the race to qualify, with Nottingham Forest looking to compete for the first time in 45 years.

With the Reds hoping to join a growing list of clubs to make the final competition in its modern guise, here’s a look at every English team to play some form of Champions League football since its 1992/93 revamp.

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Forest are on the verge of qualifying for the first time in 45 years.

By
Stephan Georgiou

Apr 8, 2025

Every English club to play in the Champions League
Club	CL debut	CL seasons	Last played	Best performance
Arsenal	1998/99	21	2024/25	Final (2006)
Aston Villa	2024/25	1	2024/25	Quarter-finals (2025)
Blackburn	1995/96	1	1995/96	Group stage (1995)
Chelsea	1999/00	19	2022/23	Winners (2012, 2021)
Everton	2005/06	1	2005/06	Third qualifying round (2005)
Leeds	1992/93	2	2000/01	Semi-finals (2001)
Leicester	2016/17	1	2016/17	Quarter-finals (2017)
Liverpool	2001/02	16	2024/25	Winners (2005, 2019)
Man City	2011/12	14	2024/25	Winners (2023)
Man Utd	1993/94	26	2023/24	Winners (1999, 2008)
Newcastle	1997/98	4	2023/24	Second group phase (2003)
Tottenham	2010/11	6	2022/23	Final (2019)

1

Arsenal

CL seasons: 21

Arsenal are on cloud nine after battering European champions Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium recently.

It was one of their finest European nights, and are on the verge of making the semi-finals for just the third time.

Making their debut in 1998/99, the closest they have come to lifting the trophy is losing the 2006 final to Barcelona, and made a knack of exiting at the last-16 stage before back-to-back quarter-final appearances upon their long-awaited return to the competition in 2023/24.

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By
Stephan Georgiou

Apr 9, 2025

2

Aston Villa

CL seasons: 1

Unai Emery delivered a superb Champions League finish in his first full season at Aston Villa, and has the Midlands side potentially 90 minutes away from the semi-finals at the time of writing.

Winners of the European Cup in 1982, Villa spent over a decade without European football before reaching the Conference League semi-finals in 2024.

While their European campaign is in danger of ending soon, the Villans have seemingly returned to the top table for good – and may yet qualify again next season.

Which English clubs will play in Europe next season?

There is a fierce fight to claim a European football spot this season – which teams will make it?

By
Stephan Georgiou

Mar 29, 2025

3

Blackburn Rovers

CL seasons: 1

Upon winning the Premier League in 1994/95, Blackburn Rovers were England’s sole representative in the 1995/96 edition of the Champions League.

Unfortunately, it did not pan out too well for Rovers, with the Lancashire side finishing bottom of their group.

Their fixture against Spartak Moscow is perhaps best known for an incident where teammates David Batty and Graeme Le Saux came to blows as their European dream ended.

4

Chelsea

CL seasons: 19

Only Manchester United and Arsenal have featured more often in the Champions League than Chelsea, with the Blues firmly in the race to return to the competition after two seasons away.

The Blues’ finest hours on the continental stage have come in the form of their two trophy wins – firstly in 2012, when a dramatic comeback and penalty shootout saw off favourites Bayern Munich.

They bagged a second Champions League crown against league rivals Manchester City in Porto as England boss Thomas Tuchel showcased his tournament credentials.

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From Champions League final glory to beating rivals in their own backyard, Chelsea have enjoyed many unforgettable nights on the continental stage.

By
Ross Kilvington

Mar 7, 2025

5

Everton

CL seasons: 1

Everton’s Champions League history is decidedly brief, though not for some questionable officiating, it could have been a little longer.

The Toffees’ fourth-place finish in the 2004/05 Premier League saw them enter the third qualifying round – the last round before the group stages.

Coming up against Villarreal, Everton had it all do in their second leg in Spain as they sought to overturn a 2-1 deficit.

But having battled to level the second leg at 1-1, a Duncan Ferguson header to force extra-time was inexplicably ruled out for a foul by Pierluigi Collina, before a sucker-punch strike from Diego Forlan broke Everton hearts.

6

Leeds United

CL seasons: 2

As English league champions, Leeds United took part in the ‘first’ tournament of the post-European Cup era.

They came unstuck pretty quickly in the second round – which preceded the group stages – against Rangers, but put up a far better fight in their most recent appearance in 2000/01.

Leeds made the semi-finals, defeating the likes of Milan, Lazio and Deportivo along the way, before being beaten by Valencia in the last four.

7

Leicester City

CL seasons: 1

Part of Leicester City’s reward for their fairytale Premier League triumph was a place in the following season’s Champions League.

While their domestic season fell totally flat (Claudio Ranieri was dismissed before their European exit), they ended up as the last English club standing in 2016/17.

After winning their group, they came from behind to defeat Sevilla on aggregate, though Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid proved a bridge too far in the quarter-finals.

8

Liverpool

CL seasons: 19

Liverpool’s place in European Cup and Champions League history is assured, winning the famous trophy six times.

However, their first appearance in the Champions League didn’t come until 2001/02 under Gerard Houllier, whose successor, Rafael Benitez, led the Reds to their classic final victory over Milan in 2005.

They have since won it once more in 2019, with Jurgen Klopp’s side defeating Tottenham in Madrid.

Liverpool's 9 best European nights – ranked

Liverpool have had plenty of wonderful European nights over the years.

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 27, 2024

9

Manchester City

CL seasons: 14

Manchester City have appeared in every edition of the Champions League since their debut in 2011/12.

After a number of false starts, they finally made the final in 2021, and although they were beaten by Chelsea on that occasion, they made up for it by sealing a historic treble in 2023 with a victory over Inter.

Having suffered on the pitch in 2024/25, their place in next season’s competition is not yet certain.

English football clubs with the most major trophies

Which club can claim to have the proudest history when it comes to winning trophies?

By
Ross Kilvington

May 21, 2025

10

Manchester United

CL seasons: 26

Manchester United have been kings of Europe three times – including twice in the Champions League era.

United won Europe’s biggest prize in 1968, 1999 and 2008, but have only reached the last eight once in the last 11 seasons.

At their peak, United reached three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011, only to run into Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona on two occasions.

They have been England’s most frequent representatives since 1992, appearing 26 times.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also want to “work on batting” after below-par performances at the T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda15-Oct-2024Pakistan will seek new batting talent in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup, where they once again failed to make it out of the group stage. Their exit was confirmed after they were dismissed for 56 by New Zealand to add to a string of poor performances at the event.”Our problem area is batting, our line-up, and I think it’s about time we move forward,” Mohammad Wasim, their coach, said after the last group-stage match. “We need to change the mindset of this team, especially in batting.”We have seen glimpses of that but we haven’t seen it consistently. If we talk about the next World Cup, we will have to go for fresh blood, and we will have to do some new inductions in the team. The seniors in the team have to step up. Unfortunately, the seniors have not stepped up in the crunch batting moments. So that’s why I said that we need to move on and bring some new faces.”Related

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The places of former captain Nida Dar, who was replaced by Fatima Sana six weeks before the tournament, and others such as Sidra Amin and Iram Javed may be at risk. Dar batted at No. 5 in the first two matches, No. 4 in the third and No. 7 in the last game, and did not cross 30 in any of her innings. She last managed a 30-plus score 24 innings ago, against South Africa in September 2023, and has not scored a half-century since November 2022. Amin had a high score of 12 at the tournament and has one score over 30 in her last 12 T20Is, while Javed has recorded five ducks in her last ten T20I innings.While Wasim values the experience these players bring to a team, he also wants them to contribute more. “Consistency is the key for everything, to be honest,” he said. “But when you talk about consistency, then there’s a limit also. There’s a limit for the players also. We have changed many coaches. We have changed most of the staff. But it’s about time we need to look at the player side also.”He suggested Pakistan would look at their age-group structures as a starting point for new talent, especially as they have recently had an Under-19 tournament and another is ongoing.”If you look at this year’s domestic cricket schedule, you will see that women’s cricket is getting more importance than before,” he said. “There are U-19 matches starting, then there will be matches for seniors and different formats. So I hope we will get talent in the future. This is not an excuse that you have no talent, so carry on with the same thing.”When results are not coming, then you see what other options you have. It’s not that we don’t have talent. We are doing domestic; we will closely watch what replacements we have. Because we have time before the next event.”That next event is the ODI World Cup in India, which is exactly a year away. Pakistan have not automatically qualified, and currently sit seventh on the Women’s Championship table. India, as hosts, and the top five teams, are guaranteed a spot. Since Pakistan have played all of their matches, they have no chance to advance without finishing in the top two of a six-team qualifying tournament to ensure they make a fifth successive 50-over World Cup appearance.Bangladesh’s batting was their undoing at the T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka also look for batting lift

That tournament will also be on the minds of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who too depart the T20 World Cup but remain in the running for one of the six automatic ODI spots. Bangladesh are in ninth place, with six matches left to play – three each against West Indies and Ireland – and must win at least five of those matches. The importance of that was not lost on their captain Nigar Sultana, who turned her attention to it as soon as their T20 World Cup campaign was over.”We want to play the ODI World Cup without qualifying, that’s why we need some points. So our eyes are on that right now,” she said after their defeat to South Africa on Saturday.Like Pakistan, Bangladesh’s batting was their undoing at this tournament, where they won their opener against Scotland, but could not get more than 106 against any of England, West Indies or South Africa. While Sultana celebrated the lone victory, she was critical of their lack of intent in run-scoring.”We’ve been waiting for a win for the last ten years, and we got that. But as a batting unit, we learnt a lot of things,” she said. “We should be more positive, and what happened is that we were behind sometimes in the middle overs. Our thought process was not working. Sometimes we went away from our thought processes, so this is what we need to work on.”Sri Lanka seemed over-reliant on their captain Chamari Athapaththu•Getty ImagesSimilarly, Sri Lanka also identified their batting as a weak spot after they were held to under 100 in their first three matches, and then made only 115 against New Zealand in their last match. Sri Lanka lost all four games, which made it the first time they have not got a win in a T20 World Cup, and their defeats stung all the more because of the expectation with which they entered the tournament: over the last 18 months, Sri Lanka have beaten England and South Africa in series away from home, won the Asia Cup, and cruised through the World Cup qualifiers.”Everybody expected us to be not the top dog but [rather] the top underdog, so to speak, as the team which would beat the best teams. I think the expectations got to the team,” Rumesh Ratnayake, their coach said after their loss to New Zealand.He blamed “poor cricket in all three departments” for their underperformance, but was also repeatedly asked about their batting over-reliance on captain Chamari Athapaththu. Ratnayake acknowledged that she is key to Sri Lanka but also pointed to other important performances, such as Harshita Samarawickrama’s 69* in the Asia Cup final, and believes there will be more players to come.”The pathways are sort of sorted out back home and those things are happening,” he said.Sri Lanka’s increased focus on development through their school and age-groups structures is welcome news after they were graded “amateur” by the global player association FICA’s (now known as WCA) 2022 Women’s Global Employment Report, released ahead of last year’s T20 World Cup. Their domestic programmes were described as “underfunded”, and that “developing a depth of talent and progression up the rankings remains a significant challenge”. But in a short space of time, that has changed.Pakistan and Bangladesh were categorised as “fledgling professional”, with the hope that a women’s PSL and more investment into the game in Bangladesh, respectively, would aid growth in these nations. The former has not yet happened, and Bangladesh has since been through civil unrest which resulted in the ongoing T20 World Cup being moved out of their country while the economy took a hit. Ultimately, the lack of structural and financial support may only explain why these countries have performed poorly at the tournament.The three teams, and subcontinental giants India, have all not progressed to the semi-finals, despite suggestions that conditions would suit them. Their bowlers, especially their slow bowlers, made batting particularly difficult for opposition line-ups but their batters were unable to respond. All four will need to go back to the drawing board and rethink their approach to tournament cricket while the ongoing World Cup concludes without them.

Young allrounder in a hurry to succeed, and ready to take the expectation in his stride

David Hopps13-Sep-2022The man who must replace Darren Stevens was relaxing on the boundary edge at Canterbury. Joey Evison has the ability to make his own headlines as the seasons go by. But for the moment he is consigned to a supporting role in a Royal London Cup final that will be billed as Stevo’s Kent farewell.”No questions about Stevo,” joked a passing Kent team-mate as Evison took time off from 12th-man duties during a Championship match against Essex to tell his own story. It is an impressive one, too, the joint fastest half-century ever scored at U-19 level, a record he shares with Rishabh Pant, and now a one-day cup final back at Trent Bridge after Nottinghamshire loaned him to Kent ahead of a full-time transfer at the end of the season.This weekend, though, Stevo’s shadow spreads large. How could it not be when, at 46, he has propelled Kent into the 50-over final with successive scores of 49 against Lancashire in a must-win group game; 41 against Leicestershire in the play-offs, on the ground where his career began, and then, most astonishingly of all, an unbeaten 84 from 65 balls against Hampshire in a semi-final that Kent edged by three wickets with an over to spare? After 26 years, he still refuses to accept that the final might be the end of his journey. A cricketer who is adamant he deserves a player/coach role, if not at Kent then elsewhere, and who appears to live by Arthur Schopenhauer’s age-defying dictum that once you are over the hill you begin to pick up speed.So maybe just one Stevo question? Evison is happy to oblige, as best he can – he has only been at Kent six weeks. If he is feeling the pressure of being identified as Stevens’ successor, he is managing it nonchalantly enough.”Obviously, he is an all-rounder like me, but I’m just starting out whereas he’s a Kent hero, isn’t he? I don’t know him too well, but he’s been so supportive and nice to me for the last couple of weeks I’ve been playing with him.”He’s a Kent legend, just a great guy to have around the dressing-room. To keep playing as he is at the same level for a number of years now. It’s just really inspiring. I don’t know what I’ll be doing when I’m that age. That’s 26 years away.”Stevens knows every undulation of the Canterbury ground and has advised Evison how to cope with its particular challenges.”There’s a big slope and people struggle bowling at that end.”Evison’s opportunities at Nottinghamshire were limited but he made them count when he could•PA Images/GettyStill finding his way around, he conceded he didn’t know what the end was called. The Nackington Road End is not the sort of uber-cool name that sticks in the mind. He has been spending time getting to know Canterbury (he was raised in Stamford, a similar sort of place, and loves it) and advancing his career step by step while bellows of “Stevooooo” sound across the grounds.Joeeeeey’s move to Kent (okay, it’s a bit early for the chant) will have surprised many. He is a genuine allrounder (Kent have used him as an opener in the Royal London Cup) and Nottinghamshire valued him highly, but not enough to play him often. Peter Moores, their coach, called him “a player of immense promise” and described his departure as “bitterly disappointing” and “hard to take”.Nottinghamshire were well stocked with allrounders, not least their highly-respected captain Steven Mullaney, 35 now but still a major influence on a winning side. When Evison did get a game at the start of the season it was because the overseas fast bowlers had not yet turned up and he found himself plugging holes (my words, not his) as a fourth seamer, batting at No.9. He responded with a maiden Championship century, but was briefly loaned out to Leicestershire in search of greater opportunities before Kent came calling.Related

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• Darren Stevens vows to play on next season after 'gutting' Kent release aged 46

• Evergreen and inevitable: Darren Stevens plays his greatest hits one more time

“It’s just about opportunity for me at this stage of my career,” Evison said. “There really wasn’t a fit. I’ve been waiting for a couple of years now. When I’ve got my opportunity, I’ve taken it. That’s all you can do really. And that’s why I’ve come to Kent. Notts said they’re disappointed, but I wasn’t getting played. And that’s the past now. I just want to move on with the new club. And I’m very excited.”He joined Notts via the Lincolnshire development pathway and, at 15, he became one of the youngest players ever to strike a hundred in the Nottinghamshire Premier League. He soon followed his father, Gareth, a wicketkeeper-batter for Lincolnshire, in winning an England U-19 call. His father has been a big influence as was Dean Headley, the former Kent and England quick, the director of cricket at Stamford School. Although not blessed with great pace, he has proved himself adept at moving the ball both ways and has a presence with the bat.He is still technically a Notts player, so found himself in the awkward position of wanting them to do well, but not so well that they faced Kent in the 50-over final. “If they had got to the final, I wouldn’t be able to play against them. Obviously, I like to see them do well, but…”It’s going to be weird playing for a different team at Trent Bridge, but as a player you play to win trophies. If I can do that in the first month or so of me being here, that would be amazing. We didn’t have a great start to the competition, but we’ve just got so much momentum now. We won the last five games in the competition and they were all must-win games. And they were all close ones.”Darren Stevens takes the plaudits after guiding Kent into the Royal London Cup final•Getty ImagesStevens’ story began in 1997, an optimistic age of Britpop and first-term Tony Blair. Evison’s professional career began amid the loneliness and anxiety of Covid lockdowns. “We were all in the same boat,” he said, philosophically.He had just come back from the 2020 U-19 World Cup in South Africa and was involved in grass-wicket practice under a giant marquee when instructions were given to isolate at home. His lockdown routine was a lot of running and long dog walks back at the family home, for a couple of King Charles Spaniels no less – the dog breed that is expected to become suddenly popular after the death of the Queen. When he returned for the Bob Willis Trophy, against Derbyshire, it all went wrong.”I went through the whole of lockdown gagging to get back out there and then the first game I got injured. That was lockdown running. When you are not playing cricket, you have to keep your fitness up and you don’t know how much to do to keep on track. I did an awful lot of running which was the only thing you could do.”He didn’t play again for the rest of that truncated summer, and by the time he was loaned out to Leicestershire midway through 2022, Evison had been limited to nine first-class matches in four seasons – albeit his figures of 395 runs at 30.38 and 21 wickets at 25.28 backed up the sense of a player in a polite hurry to succeed.One unexpected benefit of his loan deal, however, was a friendly against the India tourists at Grace Road in which several India players, Pant among them, took the field for Leicestershire in one of these meaningless practice matches that have regrettably become so prevalent.Pant kept wicket with Evison in the field. And they had a connection because, in the warm-up matches for the 2022 U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, he had equalled Pant’s record 18-ball half-century at U-19 level. It came against Sri Lanka at the Coolidge ground in Antigua, the ground famously bought by the American businessman Allen Stanford, whose brief attempts to become a big player in short-form cricket ended in criminal charges for him and embarrassment for England.Modesty prevailed. It might be seen as a bit crass to tap a worldwide star on the shoulder and, as an ice-breaker, tell him you share his world record at junior level.”I was thinking about mentioning it, but in the end I didn’t. I didn’t really get the opportunity. He’s got a bit of an aura about him but he’s such a nice guy, funny man as well.”Evison might get another chance for that conversation one day. Sport has dominated his life. He was at Leicester Tigers academy, as a 16-year-old fly half, before he had to choose between cricket and rugby. Impatience to progress led him into cricket just as it has now brought him to Kent.”When you’re 16 you can play ahead of your years in cricket, but not in rugby. Rugby is such a physical game; you can’t play with 24-year-olds because you just get physically damaged. I was just further on cricket. That was the route and I’m happy that I took it.”

Sunil Gavaskar recounts hugs, tax exemptions and is pretty sure he cost Chauhan two centuries

Sunil Gavaskar16-Aug-20201:18

Chetan Chauhan: Gavaskar’s longtime opening partner

” [come here and give me a hug], after all we are in the mandatory overs of life,” was the usual greeting of my opening partner Chetan Chauhan whenever we met over the last two or three years. The meetings were invariably at his beloved Feroze Shah Kotla ground, where he was in charge of the pitch preparation. As we hugged, I would say to him, “No, no. We must have another century partnership,” and he would laugh and say, “Arre baba, you are the century maker, not me.” Never in my wildest nightmares could I believe that his words about being in the mandatory overs of life would come true so soon. It’s so hard to believe that his laughter and cheerful banter won’t be there the next time I go to Delhi.Talking of centuries, I firmly believe that I was responsible for him missing out on two occasions, both in Australia in the 1980-81 series down under. In the second Test in Adelaide he was on 97 when my teammates pulled me out of my chair in front of the TV and dragged me to the players balcony, saying I must get there to cheer my partner. I was a bit superstitious about watching from the players enclosure as then the batsman would get out. So I would always watch on the dressing room TV. Once the landmark was reached, then I would rush to the players balcony and join in the cheers.A magazine page about the tenth century stand for the first wicket between Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan, achieved against New Zealand in Christchurch during the 1980-81 series•Clayton Murzello Magazine CollectionHowever, here I was in the Adelaide balcony when Dennis Lille came in to bowl and – would you believe – Chetan was caught behind first ball. I was livid and told the players off for having got me to the balcony but that wasn’t going to change what had happened. A few years later, I didn’t make the same mistake when Mohammad Azharuddin was approaching his third consecutive hundred in Kanpur, and as soon as he got to the coveted mark, I was out of the change room and applauding him from next to the sightscreen. Some of my friends in the media, who had the knives out for me then, made a big story of my so-called absence. Amazingly, they had had nothing to say about the absence of some when a year earlier I got my 29th century to be level with Sir Don Bradman in Delhi.The second occasion that I believe I was responsible for Chetan missing a hundred, was when I lost my head after being abused by the Australians as I was leaving the pitch after a terrible decision. Trying to drag Chetan off the field with me must have disrupted his concentration and he was again out short of a century a little later.There’s one thing that few players of my generation and the one immediately after don’t know – his contribution in getting tax exemptions for them. Both of us first met up with the late Shri R Venkataraman, who was the Finance minister of the country then, and requested him to consider a tax exemption for fees received for playing for India. I must add that it wasn’t just for cricket but for all sportspersons who played for India. We explained how, when we were junior cricketers, we had to spend a lot of money on equipment, travel, coaches, etc. when we had no income at all.

“Chetan always said that if we are asked what was our best contribution to Indian cricket, we should say that it was getting [tax] exemptions for the cricketing fraternity”

Shri Venkatramanji was most considerate and in a notification, he passed a ruling that gave us 75% standard deduction for a Test match fee, then an exemption on 50% of the tour fees which we received before leaving for a tour. The cherry on the cake though was the total exemption on the one-day match fees of INR 750 which we received those days. Mind you, we barely played a game or two of one-day internationals then. That notification was in place till about 1998, by which time the number of one-day internationals had increased dramatically as also as the fees which were around INR 1 lakh or so. So around the mid-90s, players were getting about INR 25 lakhs or more free of tax. Even after my retirement, I would give a copy of the notification to the newcomers in the Indian team for them to give to their accountants.Chetan always said that if we are asked what was our best contribution to Indian cricket, we should say that it was getting the exemptions for the cricketing fraternity. His desire to help others manifested in him joining politics, and right till the end he was a giver, not a taker.He had a wicked sense of humour too. His favourite song as we walked out to face some of the most hostile bowlers in the game was [smile little boy, smile]. That was his way of easing the nerves while confronting challenges.Now that my partner is no more how can I ? May your soul have everlasting peace, partner.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após acerto com o atacante Clayton Silva, do Casa Pia, o Vasco ainda não considera encerrada as movimentações nesta janela de transferência. O clube Cruz-Maltino fez uma proposta pelo volante Marlon Freitas, do Botafogo, por empréstimo até o fim do ano. A informação foi publicada primeiramente pelos jornalistas Lucas Pedrosa e Venê Casagrande.

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Apesar da negociação, Marlon Freitas está confirmado no confronto contra o Bragantino nesta quarta-feira (6) pela Libertadores.

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O Cruz-Maltino entende que o jogador possa encaixar na posição de primeiro volante e reforçar a equipe nesta temporada, mas o clube alvinegro não deve facilitar nas negociações.

A janela de transferência para o mercado internacional se encerra nesta quinta-feira (7), mas isso não deve impactar na negociação entre clubes nacionais. A data limite para o mercado interno será até 19 de abril.

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Marlon Freitas tem sido um dos jogador mais criticados pela torcida do Botafogo após a perda do título em 2023. No primeiro jogo do Campeonato Carioca, o volante recebeu vaias na entrada em campo no Nilton Santos.

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Wednesday night's game between the Mariners and Blue Jays was a slugfest from start to finish. Ultimately, it was Toronto's offense that had the upper hand, leading the charge for a 13–4 road victory.

In total, there were eight home runs hit between the two teams, which ties the MLB postseason record. Previously, only two playoff games in league history had as many home runs; Game 2 of the 2017 World Series between the Astros and Dodgers, and Game 3 of the 2017 NLDS between the Cardinals and Cubs.

Despite the loss, it was Seattle that struck first on Wednesday night. Julio Rodriguez opened up the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning. Toronto answered in the third inning when they racked up five runs, including a two-run shot from Andres Giménez. George Springer added a solo shot in the fourth inning and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did the same in the fifth.

Also homering in the game for the Blue Jays were Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger, while the Mariners got late home runs from Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh, though it wasn't enough to mount a comeback.

Toronto ended the night with a franchise-record 18 hits, the most in a postseason game by any team since 2021, and 37 total bases.

The two teams will meet again Thursday night for Game 4, with the Blue Jays hoping to even up the series at 2–2. First pitch is slated for 8:33 p.m. ET.

James Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has received his knighthood from Princess Anne during a ceremony at Windsor Castle.Anderson, 43, was named in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list in April for services to cricket, having brought the curtain down on his 21-year, 188-Test career at Lord’s in July 2024.He finished with 704 Test wickets, the most ever taken by a pace bowler, and behind only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708). He claimed a further 269 in ODIs – still an England record, despite playing his last white-ball match in 2015.After his international retirement, Anderson continued to play for his county Lancashire during the 2025 season, and excelled on his return to T20 cricket after a decade-long absence, as he helped take his club to Finals Day at Edgbaston.He also earned a wildcard contract with Manchester Originals in the Hundred, and is in talks to continue his county career into the 2026 season.