Recent reports have seen Nottingham Forest linked with a move for Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara, with the Finland international attracting interest from clubs across Europe this summer.
The likes of Turkish giants Galatasaray and Serie A outfit Salernitana have been named as other potential suitors – as well as fellow Premier League sides Bournemouth and Brighton – with the Midlands side set to have to battle it out for his signature.
The report suggests that it could take around £10m to land the 26-year-old before the September deadline, with the Gers man having originally cost the Ibrox outfit a measly £50k back in January 2019.
That figure – described as the “steal of the century” by teammate Scott Arfield – has undoubtedly proven an absolute bargain such has been the one-time Arsenal man’s form in Glasgow of late.
A key part of the side that won the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in the 2020/21 campaign, the most recent season saw the former Dundee man once again impress, notably netting three goals and three assists in 31 league games, while also recording a remarkable 91% pass accuracy rate.
Previously dubbed “superb” by Gerrard, the £21k-per-week star was also a vital part of the side that surged to the Europa League final during the 2021/22 campaign, notably scoring in the second-leg, semi-final victory over RB Leipzig.
Also described as a “monster” by the current Aston Villa boss, the £6.75m-rated brute is a hugely imposing presence in the centre of the park, while also offering the versatility to feature all across the midfield.
At his best in a defensive midfield role, the 5 foot 11 menace has drawn eye-catching comparisons to Premier League icon and Gunners legend, Patrick Vieira, from former Dundee boss, Neil McCann.
The Frenchman was one of the most feared and respected midfielders in the division during his stint in north London in the late 90s/early 2000s, notably captaining the famed ‘Invincibles’ sides under compatriot Arsene Wenger.
An imperious and commanding powerhouse, the current Crystal Palace manager is a hugely impressive figure to be compared to, with those at the City Ground likely to be relishing the prospect of having a Vieira-like asset in their ranks if they are to snap up Kamara this summer.
Manager Steve Cooper has already brought in 12 new faces in what’s been an extensive summer of recruitment thus far – including recent arrival Orel Mangala – although the Welshman appears intent on adding new faces in the coming weeks to further strengthen his side.
For a measly fee of around £10m, it should be a simply risk-free deal if they are to move for Kamara in the near future – he could well prove to be Forest’s – and Cooper’s – very own Vieira.
Everton are one of four clubs scrapping for the signature of Tottenham Hotspur’s Japhet Tanganga, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Goodison News).
The lowdown
The Toffees have already strengthened their defensive ranks this summer with the signing of James Tarkowski, but the Spurs gem’s versatility could still appeal to Frank Lampard. The 23-year-old is predominantly a centre-back too but has also played 19 games at right-back in his fledgling career.
In 2021/22, he was restricted to 19 appearances, suffering a season-ending knee injury in January. Up to that point, he had started 10 Premier League games and been left on the bench seven times.
The arrival of Clement Lenglet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a season-long loan from Barcelona may push the Spurs academy graduate further down the pecking order.
The latest
The report in Gazzetta dello Sport’s Sunday print edition (17 July, page three) stated that Tanganga could seek to leave Tottenham because he would like to be playing more football.
Everton are interested but face domestic competition from Brentford, while Serie A champions AC Milan and La Liga outfit Valencia are also keen on the 23-year-old.
Tanganga started against Manchester City, the eventual Premier League champions, on the first day of last season and helped his side to claim a 1-0 victory with a man-of-the-match display.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville felt that the youngster handled two ‘exceptional’ dribblers in Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish ‘brilliantly’ down City’s left-hand side, declaring it a ‘really special’ exhibition of the art of ‘one-on-one defending’.
There’s no shame in not necessarily being a first-choice option for a team as good as Tottenham, who will be playing Champions League football this season.
However, that performance against Pep Guardiola’s team suggests that the £23k-per-week defender can still be an excellent Premier League player in his own right, and he might truly blossom at Everton if the Toffees can entice him to Goodison Park.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on the situation surrounding Newcastle United and the pursuit of Chelsea striker Armando Broja.
The lowdown: Stepping stone
A player from the academy production line at Chelsea, Broja enjoyed a breakout season on loan at Southampton in 2021/22 having previously spent time on loan at Vitesse.
Already a fully-fledged Albania international, the Slough-born frontman’s future in London is still uncertain, and the 20-year-old has been attracting major interest from West Ham and Everton in recent weeks.
St James’ Park has also been cited as a potential landing ground for Broja this summer, however, one well-informed onlooker has suggested that Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe could be looking at alternative options…
The latest: ‘Somebody they like’
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones has claimed that although there is a genuine admiration from the North East, the long list of suitors may put Newcastle off from making a move.
He said: “He’s not at the top of the list, but he is definitely somebody they like. They know there’s going to be competition to get him, so I think they’re a bit wary of how much effort they’re going to have to put into signing him.”
The verdict: Take your pick
Albeit Broja may not be the priority as things stand, that situation could easily manifest itself should the drawn-out pursuit of Reims’ starlet Hugo Ekitike finally be brought to a conclusion.
Elsewhere, the Magpies have been indexed to Flamengo frontman Gabriel Barbosa and Everton star Dominic Calvert-Lewin, albeit neither potential transfer has materialised beyond the point of conjecture currently.
Still young enough to develop further and with the backdrop of 10 direct goal involvements last season, Broja – who was praised for a ‘brutal’ impact at Southampton last term by journalist Pablo Montaño – would be an investment for the here and now as well as the future and would therefore represent the perfect candidate to join the Newcastle project.
Standing at 6 foot 1 and sharing similar style traits with the likes of Richarlison, Ollie Watkins and Teemu Pukki (Fbref), the 14-cap international frontman won a superb five duels per game in 2021/22, and possesses many of the important facets to succeed long-term in the Premier League.
Valued at an ever-increasing £19.8m (Transfermarkt), Broja would be a smart capture for PIF were it to become a reality.
Leeds United are working on a new deal for winger Crysencio Summerville, who is wanted by Nottingham Forest, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Lowdown: Summerville at Leeds
Summerville made the move to Elland Road from Dutch side Feyenoord back in 2020 following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The 20-year-old has featured mainly for the U23s, contributing to 21 goals in 27 games. He has made nine senior Whites appearances and featured on the bench regularly in the Premier League last season.
Described as ‘superb’ by Noel Whelan, the winger is now entering the final 12 months of his deal in Yorkshire, but it looks as if Leeds want to keep him at the club.
The Latest: Romano’s update
Romano took to Twitter on Thursday to provide an update on Summerville.
He revealed that the Dutchman is attracting interest from both Forest and AZ Alkmaar, however, he added that ‘Leeds are busy’ trying to extend his contract with ‘negotiations ongoing’.
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The Verdict: Fingers crossed?
Summerville has proven at Thorp Arch with the U23s that he has bundles of attacking quality, so agreeing on a new contract would be a wise move.
Jesse Marsch may lose a star winger in Raphinha this summer, and although Summerville may not be viewed as a direct replacement at this moment in time, he could become a first-team regular over the coming years.
Securing a new contract and sending him out on loan for regular senior football could be the ideal scenario for Leeds chiefs, and it looks as if a decision will be made on the player’s future very soon.
Everton have recently been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic, with the Serbian reportedly set to leave the Eagles this summer.
What’s the word?
According to Spor Time journalist Gerasimos Manolidis, the 31-year-old won’t be returning to Olympiacos, where he featured before his move to south London in January 2017, and is likely to depart Selhurst Park before next season.
Manolidis suggests that both Everton and Fulham are taking an interest in the Palace captain, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests that the Eagles may look to cash in on him this summer.
Worse than Klaassen?
Milivojevic was once a key player in the Crystal Palace side and won plaudits for his ability from set pieces, while he managed an impressive 12 goals and two assists for the Eagles in their 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
However, his performances have dropped in recent years, as suggested by his declining WhoScored ratings, and the 2021/22 campaign saw him make just 15 top-flight appearances under Patrick Vieira, in which he failed to score or set up a goal and averaged a disappointing 6.44 rating from WhoScored.
With the Frenchman having overseen a youthful transformation at Selhurst Park this season, it seems unlikely that he will re-integrate Milivojevic into his starting 11 next term, and Everton could take advantage by bringing the midfielder to Goodison Park.
However, the Serbian’s displays last season and in 2020/21, when he averaged a 6.55 rating from WhoScored for his performances, suggest that he wouldn’t be an astute addition to Frank Lampard’s squad.
In fact, it could be argued that he would prove to be an even worse signing than Davy Klaassen, who struggled throughout his spell on Merseyside, having joined from Ajax in 2017 in a £23.6m deal.
[freshpress-quiz id=“638086″]
The Dutchman would go on to make just 16 first-team appearances for Everton, in which he contributed no goals and just one assist. However, he has since returned to Ajax and been a success, hitting nine goals for the Dutch giants on their way to the Eredivisie title this season.
The Toffees were able to recuperate around half of the fee that they paid for Klaassen, but given Milivojevic’s age, it seems as if he would have very little resale value if he does make the move to Merseyside.
Lampard already boasts more mobile midfield options such as Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the Serbian’s lack of speed a real concern, as was pointed out by journalist Jack Collins in 2020.
He said: “He’s good at dead balls, but I think that Palace fans have started to turn on Luka Milivojevic a little bit, because he’s actually really slow, slows the game down a lot, commits quite a lot of fouls and basically, is only in for his dead-ball ability at times.”
Although Milivojevic boasts Premier League experience, his declining WhoScored ratings suggest that he looks to be well past his best; and if he does join Everton this summer, then it would not be a surprise if his signing proved to be even more of a disaster than the 2017 misadventure with Klaassen.
In other news… Everton in prime position to sign £19.8m-rated titan, he won’t cost a penny
Celtic will be looking to replicate this season’s Premiership success once the 2022/23 campaign gets underway at the end of July.
In addition, Ange Postecoglou will undoubtedly want to see his team win the domestic cups and go as far in Europe as they can.
Before the new season kicks off, the Bhoys will have the chance to improve their squad during the upcoming summer transfer window to put themselves in the best shape for domestic and European success.
As things stand, it seems as though the Parkhead club have one transfer in their sights which would surely have the Celtic fans jumping for joy.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from A Bola (via Sport Witness) Celtic’s on-loan winger Jota is likely to sign a permanent deal with the Hoops in the coming weeks.
During his season on loan in Scotland from Portuguese club Benfica, the winger made 40 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and delivering 14 assists in the process.
With 10 of those goals and 11 of those assists coming in his 29 league appearances, it’s safe to say that he played a big part in Celtic’s title-winning campaign.
To further highlight his attacking talent, only Liel Abada (81) at Parkhead ended the season with more shots than the 23-year-old (76).
His overall performances earned him a season rating of 7.53/10, making him the second-highest rated player currently in Celtic’s squad behind David Turnbull according to WhoScored.
Labelled a “striker’s dream” by BBC Scotland pundit Marvin Bartley, Jota has shown how much of a dangerous attacking threat he can be for the Hoops and why it would be such a great deal for them to sign him on a permanent basis.
Having also had his performances for the Hoops described as “unbelievable” by Postecoglou, it’s safe to say that the 56-year-old would be over the moon to have the winger in his squad for the foreseeable future.
If Celtic can announce a permanent transfer for the £18.5k-per-week star as their first completed deal for the summer, this will surely get Hoops supporters buzzing and put the club in a good place to move on to other deals that they may want to get done.
In other news – Signed for £4.5m, now worth 70% less: Celtic had a huge howler on £9k-p/w “disaster”
Manchester United signed high-flying midfielder Christian Eriksen from Brentford during the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have been in a slump for the past two seasons and Erik ten Hag was brought in as manager this summer to re-invent them. Hailed as one of the key players for the rebuild of ManUnited, Eriksen is yet to live up to his full potential. But what is holding Eriksen back and how can Ten Hag unleash him?
The questions Ten Hag needs to answer…
What is Christian Eriksen’s best position?
In the first game of the season, Ten Hag deployed Eriksen as a centre forward, having him drop deep and play balls over the top. This didn’t work well for a few reasons. With the Dane dropping deep, the other Man United midfielders had to push forward. However, lots of Eriksen’s passes were cut out and Brighton used the space left by the United midfielders to attack. The Dane’s passes were too ambitious for the nervy Man United squad to use to their advantage.
Later in the Brighton game, Ten Hag could see the centre-forward position wasn’t working. He moved Eriksen to central midfield and replaced him with Ronaldo, after which they were a lot more threatening and managed to score. Eriksen looked much more comfortable in the deep-lying playmaker role, although his natural position is attacking midfielder.
How do you accommodate two star quality midfielders?
Ten Hag has two splendid choices for creative midfielders. Bruno Fernandes is an amazing passer as well as a clinical finisher. Eriksen is a superb passer with great on-the-ball skills. However, Ten Hag is yet to work out his formation and tactics to get the best out of both of these players.
Ten Hag’s options for playing Eriksen and Fernandes Eriksen as a No.8 (central midfielder)
So far, ten Hag has played Eriksen as a left-sided, central midfielder. The Dane’s role has been as a deep-lying playmaker – dictating the play and spraying passes. In this role, Eriksen can be the heartbeat of a now exceptional Man United midfield. The arrival of Casemiro will complete the picture by giving Eriksen the defensive cover he needs, allowing him the freedom to roam around the middle of the park, creating chances. In this arrangement, Fernandes would play as a No.10.
Play both Fernandes and Eriksen as No.10’s
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Both players are natural attacking midfielders, but I don’t think this option would work. Mainly because I think that Man United would not cope defensively with both of them in an advanced role. This arrangement would look similar to the way Man City played David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne a couple of years ago.
Bruno Fernandes as a No.8
Bruno Fernandes used to play as a central midfielder for Sporting Lisbon. He is also a better defender than Eriksen, which could help Casemiro. In this arrangement, Eriksen would play as a No.10.
Which option is best? I think it would be best if Bruno Fernandes played in the deeper role because he could be integral in helping a shaky Man United defence. I think Eriksen could be really effective in playing the ball over the top or in behind for Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to chase. Eriksen has also looked good as a central midfielder, so Ten Hag could interchange their positions, increasing their versatility.
How should the other players interact with Eriksen? Striker
I think there needs to be a real target man to aim for in the box who can make good use of Eriksen’s passes. As a Brentford fan, it pains me to say this but Ivan Toney is the perfect player for Man United due to his dominance in the box. We saw how well the play between Ivan Toney and Eriksen worked at Brentford last season. Toney’s hold-up play would also benefit Rashford, Sancho, Anthony Elanga and new signing Antony, bringing them into effect by giving them more involvement with the ball.
We know that Ten Hag likes to line-up with a big, physical striker. Toney’s physicality makes him a real handful for defenders and he often draws fouls, which is ideally complemented by Eriksen’s specialism at set pieces. Toney also has a great work rate and contributes a lot defensively. While at Brentford we saw Eriksen favour the left corner of the box.
Defensive Midfielder
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The signing of Casemiro will allow Eriksen to enjoy the creative freedom he had at Brentford. While in West London the Dane had Christian Norgaard to hold down the midfield. Casemiro is a better player than Norgaard, with a winner’s mentality; he’s both a better passer and he’s faster. Casemiro will make the Man United defence look a lot more solid and provide a welcome morale boost for the whole squad.
Putting it together to win
Man United showed real class winning against an unbeaten Arsenal side recently. Eriksen’s performance drew these words from Ten Hag: “I think he can make a game for you, he can also switch the play when needed. I think he played a magnificent game.”
In this particular match, Eriksen picked up his first assist of the season, unselfishly squaring it to Marcus Rashford for a simple goal. This assist involved the Dane making a lung-busting run when he spotted a gap in the Arsenal defence and capitalised, running from inside his own half into the opposition’s box. The 30-year-old had the most touches, passes and chances created of any player in his team and also covered the second most distance during the game. Eriksen really pulled the strings in this amazing show at the so-called Theatre of Dreams.
More work to do
With Man United’s form on the up, there are signs that Eriksen is settling in and that Ten Hag is understanding how to use him. With some decisions taken about how to use Eriksen in midfield, we should see him dictating play and becoming the one to make the Red Devils tick. He is a player that can help develop other players and set the tempo of a match. Fernandes will also benefit from Eriksen, as now he won’t have to drop deep for the ball.
However, there is more work to do to unleash Eriksen’s full potential. Ten Hag needs to surround him with the right players. A big, physical striker is needed for Man United. Rashford is naturally a winger and not the best choice to play as a striker, as he does not have the aerial dominance to win headers and he doesn’t reliably put
penalties away.
Signing Casemiro was a good, albeit expensive, decision but now Ten Hag needs to play him. So far Casemiro has only played 51 Premier League minutes this season. Scott McTominay and Fred, who currently play in defensive midfield roles for Man United, do not provide the quality of defensive cover that Eriksen needs. McTominay also gets a lot of fouls.
Building the Man United team around Eriksen is what’s needed to unleash his full potential – watch this space and the January transfer window to see what happens.
He was expected to step up to the next level after his epic fourth-innings hundred in Brisbane three years ago, but things haven’t gone to plan
Danyal Rasool20-Nov-2019Perhaps he could have ducked out of the way. Maybe, with a fresher mind and quicker footwork, he could have got on top of it and fended it into the leg side; there was no short leg after all. Or possibly, that delivery from Mitchell Starc to Asad Shafiq was so ruddy unplayable that every possible universe had him edging it into the air, with a gleeful David Warner positioned directly underneath it.That was Brisbane 2016. Australia like to call the ground the Gabbatoir, as they well might; the home side has not lost a Test match here in 31 years, a streak that stretches to 30 games. But for a while at the end of the fourth day and that fateful fifth morning, Shafiq had Australian necks on the line. Coming in at number six and batting with the lower order, each tail-ender improbably giving him better company than the previous, Shafiq inched towards his hundred, and then surged well beyond it. Pakistan sneaked up on 400 – just 90 short of their target, and what would have been the biggest-ever fourth-innings Test chase – and then surged well beyond it.They were 41 runs away when Starc produced that magical ball to end the most extraordinary resistance. Four balls later, the game was won. The Gabbatoir was intact.It is tempting to wander down an alternate history where Shafiq took Pakistan over the line, just to see what would have happened to his personal career. This intensely private man would have likely seen his face staring back at him from billboards and cheesy television ads across the country, opportunistic politicians garlanding him with awards and cash prizes. It is possible he would have been appointed Pakistan captain at some point. It is possible he would have been called back into the limited-overs side for no reason whatsoever. But what would it have done for, and to, Shafiq the cricketer? In all probability, absolutely nothing.It feels odd to even be discussing Shafiq. He is one of the first names on the team sheet – and yet arguably the least talked about among all of them. Naseem Shah has probably received more attention this past fortnight than Shafiq has in his entire career, the buzz around Brisbane 2016 excepted.He has played 64 consecutive Tests and counting – well over any sustained run any Pakistani player has ever made, and yet decent money can be wagered over the idea that more people in Pakistan recognise Shaheen Afridi by face than do Shafiq. In a single-sport country where the media obsessively scrutinises what every player does on the field or off it, the mention of Shafiq’s name provokes only half-hearted chatter before everyone moves on. For most of his career, he was shunted down to No. 6 like an afterthought. He only earned a promotion from No. 6 after that innings in Brisbane, by which time he had broken Sir Garry Sobers’ record of scoring the most hundreds from that position.There’s every possibility the lack of attention has been beneficial to Shafiq’s career. When players are built up excitedly in Pakistan, they get torn down with even more frenzy, and in a country where what the press says has always had a not insignificant effect on selection decisions, it is better to fly under the radar, a technique Shafiq has perfected in the eight unbroken years he has been with the Test side.Tim Paine looks on as Asad Shafiq lunges forward to defend•AFPBut while the unassuming, private nature of the man could be spoken of as virtues, there’s also the fairly irrefutable point that he isn’t talked about because he hasn’t done much worth speaking of. Shafiq’s technique is stronger than most Pakistan batsmen’s, though his footwork while facing the moving ball still never feels quite certain. He has the tendency to take a half step either back or forward, without ever really committing to either footwork or shot. But there’s more to it than that, a sense of something elemental missing, something the best batsmen have. He should be in that category, but he has never taken that step up.If anything, his career since Brisbane has gone in the other direction. After that innings, his Test average stood a shade under 42. In 18 Tests since, he averages 32.09.Brisbane was been the perfect time for Shafiq to push his average closer to 50, with the promotion up the order imminent, and the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq only a few months away. It was when we were supposed to see him realise the potential that had been in gestation for six years. It hasn’t happened, and it makes you wonder if winning that Test, or being made captain, would have made any difference after all.There are mitigating circumstances still. Shafiq is a Test specialist in a side that plays that format far too infrequently for any player to be able to build up any sort of momentum or rhythm. The gulf in quality between Pakistan’s first-class competition and Test cricket is vast, and he has to make that step up before every series he plays. It is perhaps what has driven Yasir Shah’s recent inconsistency too. Pakistan last played a Test in January this year, away in South Africa. Shafiq scored 186 runs in that series at 31.00, with no centuries and two fifties. In a series dominated by seam bowling, they were decent numbers, good enough to ensure there was no pressure on his place, and yet nothing really remarkable. Just standard, Asad Shafiq numbers.And as Brisbane beckons to him once more, he strides into another series against Australia doing what he does best: looking good, and showing promise. It feels depressing to talk of a 33-year old in language reserved for someone of Naseem Shah’s age, but that is what you get with Shafiq. He comes in on the back of two exquisite centuries in warm-up games against Australia A and a CA XI in Perth, and, alongside Babar Azam, he is arguably Pakistan’s best hope of ensuring this isn’t going to be yet another Australian tour of misery, recriminations and inevitable, hopeless defeat.The introvert who shone on the most extrovert stage in world cricket, Asad Shafiq’s story threatens to take flight once more. The appetiser in Perth, as ever, has been salivating; you just have to hope that, at the Gabbatoir, there’s enough meat in the main course too.
Tom Westley? Ben Foakes? Liam Plunkett…? There are several question marks over the make up of touring party as England prepare to name their Ashes squad
George Dobell26-Sep-2017
Top three
It says much for the fortunes of Alastair Cook’s partners in recent times that Mark Stoneman, with one half-century and an average of 30.00 from three Tests, is seen as a certainty for selection. But with his rivals for the position struggling for form (such as Keaton Jennings, who has a top score of 17 since he was dropped from the Test side) or fitness (such as Nick Gubbins, who currently has a hamstring injury) or, in the case of Haseeb Hameed, both, there is not the competition for places the selectors would have desired. As a result, there may be a temptation to forego the option of a third specialist opener. But with options for No. 3 – notably Tom Westley and Gary Ballance – having struggled, too, it remains unclear which way the selectors will go. Trevor Bayliss has previously suggested England will rely on someone with recent international experience, which might seem encouraging to the likes of Sam Robson, who has averaged 40.89 in Division One this season, but Joe Denly, who plays the short ball well and has scored more than 1,100 first-class runs at an average in excess of 60 in Division Two this summer, might also be worth a look.On the plane: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman Waiting by the phone: Keaton Jennings, Tom Westley Outsiders: Haseeb Hameed, Sam Robson, Joe Denly, Nick Gubbins, Rory BurnsDawid Malan flicks through the leg side•Getty Images
Middle order
Rarely can an England side have left for Australia with so many unanswered questions over its top five. With Joe Root apparently keen to remain at No. 4 and Ben Stokes cemented in at No. 6 (pending the investigation into his arrest in Bristol), the battle for the No. 5 position is hugely competitive. Dawid Malan, with two half-centuries in his eight Test innings to date, is likely to make the trip, with Ballance – prolific in the early weeks of the Championship season – also pushing hard. Both could also bat at No. 3. Alex Hales has a decent average, but it has been boosted by a double-century against Derbyshire and some doubts remain about his ability to play the pace anticipated in Australia, while James Vince has been tipped in some quarters. Of the outside bets, few have a ‘ceiling’ as high as Liam Livingstone. But he did himself few favours in his brief elevation to international cricket during the T20 with South Africa when he seemed a little rattled by the big occasion and it may well make the selectors reluctant to risk him in Australia. Had Ian Bell shown even a semblance of his best form, England would surely have recalled him. A Championship average in the 20s is not especially persuasive, though.On the plane: Joe Root, Ben Stokes Waiting by the phone: Gary Ballance, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Alex Hales Outsiders: Ian Bell, Liam Livingstone, Sam Northeast, Dan Lawrence
Wicketkeepers
It seems all but certain that Ben Foakes will be promoted to tour as Jonny Bairstow’s deputy. It is an ascent that has long been expected and might be considered due reward for another season of polished keeping and decent run-scoring. He is averaging 45.33 in the Championship this season and could well have made it as a specialist batsman. It might have been worth considering the man who is (more often than not) winning the gloves at Lancashire ahead of Jos Buttler, though. Alex Davies is not only an accomplished keeper, but he can also open the batting. He has scored 842 runs in the Championship season at an average of 40.09 and, as another option at the top of the order, might be considered more versatile than Foakes. Buttler, averaging 17.16 for Lancashire in first-class cricket this season, has hardly given himself a chance to impress and increasingly looks like a white-ball specialist.On the plane: Jonny Bairstow Waiting by the phone: Ben Foakes Outsiders: Jos Buttler, Alex DaviesMark Wood endured a frustrating day•Getty Images
Seamers
With Toby Roland-Jones injured, England’s first choice attack for Brisbane almost picks itself: Stokes will join James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, with Moeen Ali to bowl spin. But England need back-up in case of injury. While they would love to take a fully fit and firing Mark Wood, they may be reluctant to risk him after another summer that has done nothing to refute the suggestion that his body cannot stand the strain of regular first-class cricket. Jake Ball and Craig Overton may lack his top pace, but they are skilful and reliable and, in the case of Overton, can bat a bit, too. Liam Plunkett has had an impressive year in white-ball cricket for England, while Steven Finn took a season’s-best eight-wicket haul at Lord’s last week. Several young, quick bowlers – the likes of Jamie Overton (who has almost recovered from his stress fracture), Olly Stone and perhaps Josh Tongue – might also make it to Australia as part of the Lions squad and could be drafted into the Ashes party as required.On the plane: James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes Waiting by the phone: Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Craig Overton, Steven Finn Outsiders: Liam Plunkett, Jamie Porter
Spinners
With England unlikely to play two spinners in many of the Tests, it could be they take Mason Crane to gain experience. But if Moeen should suffer an injury, they may still be reluctant to go into a Test with a 20-year-old legspinner as their only slow-bowling option. So it might make sense to take a spinner they can rely upon to bowl 20 overs a day if necessary and one who could exploit any assistance should it occur. For that reason, Jack Leach must warrant consideration. Liam Dawson and Samit Patel might also be considered as defensive spinners who could add with the bat.On the plane: Moeen Ali Waiting by the phone: Mason Crane, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, Liam Dawson Outsiders: Samit Patel
An encounter with 87-year-old Deepak Shodhan, who played three Tests for India in 1952-53, but had the talent and the record to have played many more
Siddharth Raja02-Apr-2016The tall and elegant 87-year-old met me with a broad smile as he gingerly, yet without assistance, descended the small flight of stairs into the drawing room of his family home in Ahmedabad.Thanks to my acquaintance with his niece, Manisha Shodhan Basu, I was visiting her beloved “kaka”, Roshan Harshadlal Shodhan, better known as Deepak Shodhan.”DK is younger to me by 15 days,” he said when I told him I was privileged to be meeting India’s oldest living Test cricketer. DK is Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad, father of the former Test opener and later coach Anshuman. Gaekwad, who played 11 Tests for India, captaining the side in a disastrous series in England in 1959, was born on October 27, 1928, nine days after Shodhan.”You know, apart from DK and me, I’ve counted at least six other old Indian Test cricketers – [CD] Gopinath, [Madhav] Apte, Bapu Nadkarni, Nari Contractor, [Chandu] Borde and Salim [Durani]. There are apparently 11 of us Indian Test players over 80, although I can’t recall the names of the others,” Shodhan said.There are 12 Indian Test cricketers over 80 who are alive today, the others being Chandrakant Patankar, Sadashiv Patil, VV Kumar and Prakash Bhandari.I told Shodhan that India’s oldest living first-class cricketer had passed away in February at the age of 99 – BK Garudachar played for, and later captained, Mysore – and asked him if he had ever known Garudachar or any of the other well-known Mysore cricketers of that era.”Most of my domestic cricket with the South Indian teams was against Madras and their players, so I know them quite well,” Shodhan said. “[Gopalaswamy] Kasturirangan is the one Mysore cricketer I remember and know well. He was selected with me for the first Indian tour of the West Indies in 1953, but he declined the invitation. N Kannayiram from Madras came instead.”Shodhan had already made his Test debut before the tour to West Indies. “I was in the reserves for the series against Pakistan in 1952-53, the historic first Test series between our two newly independent nations. In the final Test match, at Calcutta, I was drafted into the playing XI after our captain Vijay Hazare pulled out unwell. It was Lala Amarnath, who was captaining India in Vijay Hazare’s absence, who asked for me to be brought in – ‘that tall Gujarati boy who had done so well in the trials and other matches’.”
“I was unusual, you know – a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-pacer”
Walking in at 179 for 6, Shodhan made 110 to give India a lead of 140, becoming the first Indian batsman to score a century in the first innings of his first Test.”Two of the earlier batsmen threw their wickets away going for big shots. Denying me a hundred was the reason. But [Dattu] Phadkar was a great guy, unlike many of his Bombay team-mates, and we had a good partnership. For the last wicket, the mild gentleman cricketer from Hyderabad, Ghulam Ahmed, supported me right through to my century. We were lucky to have had Lala as the captain. He was an attacking captain and he always maintained contact with the players, spoke to them. Unlike Vijay Hazare, a great batsman, but not fit for the captaincy – he was too mild, defensive and would not talk to the players.”As his ESPNcricinfo profile notes, after this debut, Shodhan was “immediately hailed as a bright new star on the Indian batting horizon”. So it was baffling that he played only two more Tests.”I loved playing cricket. My first-class career stretched on to 1962, ten years after I played my last Test match.”Winning the Ranji Trophy in 1957-58 was the highlight of my later career. I had moved in 1956 from playing for Gujarat to Baroda. We beat the Services in the final that year. DK was captain, but the man who called all the shots was the Maharaja, Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad, in terms of team selection and batting order. Neither of them, DK or Fatehji, were great players – look at their records – but they ensured they and several other players who would not have otherwise made it to the team on the basis of their performance, were picked – I mean, look at ‘Mama’ [Jayasinghrao] Ghorpade!”Shodhan’s scintillating performance in the Calcutta Test got him picked for the tour of the West Indies. “The sea journey was horrible; it was a small boat, without much ballast, so it kept rolling and tossing, and almost all of us were sick.”I asked Shodhan about his first-class debut, against Kathiawar in 1946-47. “I took four wickets in the first innings, three in the second. The rest were all taken, I think, by [Vinoo] Mankad.Shodhan did not get along with Indian allrounder Vinoo Mankad and did not play any Tests under his captaincy•PA Photos”I was unusual, you know – a left-handed batsmen and a left-arm medium-pacer,” Shodhan said, lifting his left arm over his shoulder and spinning an imaginary ball out with his middle and index fingers.”My brother, Jyotindra, who is a few years senior to me and still alive, was a much better cricketer than me.”At this juncture, Shodhan’s wife of 62 years, Gauri, interjected to say that Jyotindra should have been selected to play for India and that Deepak’s selection was by chance. In fact, Jyotindra scored his maiden first-class century, the first of only two centuries he made in 35 matches, in that game against Kathiawar.The junior Shodhan’s brief Test career coincided with his promotion to captain of Gujarat. “I became the captain in the 1952-53 season, when Nari Contractor made his debut for Gujarat. What a debut that was! Against a strong Baroda team, Nari scored a century in both innings. I was with him playing when he got the second. I scored a century too.”Another match in which Contractor and Shodhan batted together and scored hundreds was against a Commonwealth XI for Indian Universities in 1953-54 in Bangalore. Shodhan remembered the match for CK Nayudu’s administrative skills.”He was no good as an administrator or selector, nor did he have any real good performances on the Test field. Look at his record,” Shodhan said. “Nayudu was the team manager or selector, I can’t remember, and he was there deciding the batting order [in Bangalore]. He would make these on-the-spur decisions, and he asked Nari to open. Nari refused, saying he was a specialist No. 3. So there I was, a lower-order batsman and bowler, asked to open the batting by Nayudu! Nari and I scored centuries in the second innings and we shared a wonderful partnership. I remember Raman Subba Row from that series.”Shodhan was a fine cricketer who had an impeccable, although brief, record in Test matches, and a consistent set of performances against touring teams and in the Ranji Trophy. Why was he discarded so soon and so unceremoniously without being given a fair shot? “Politics,” said Shodhan. And, in his case, it was also due to his run-in with India’s first celebrity cricketer, Mankad.”When I got into the Indian team, he asked me whether I chose to support him or Vijay Hazare. I told him I support India and the team. That ticked him off. After the West Indies tour, our manager, C Ramaswamy, is supposed to have written against me in his report. I have never held anything against him, Mankad or anyone else for not having played more for India.”