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The England veteran is the oldest man to top the charts since Clarrie Grimmett in 1936

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2023James Anderson has overhauled Australia’s captain Pat Cummins to become the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings, off the back of his role in England’s 267-run win against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last week.At the age of 40 years and 207 days, Anderson is also the oldest player to top the rankings since Clarrie Grimmett, the Australian legspinner, in 1936, having played an integral part in the recent success of England’s Test team, which has now won ten of its past 11 matches.It is the sixth time that Anderson has gone to the top of the rankings in a career that began against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in May 2003, and has now spanned 178 Test appearances and 682 wickets, placing him third on the all-time list behind the spin duo of Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708).Full rankings tables

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In May 2016, Anderson went past his long-time team-mate Stuart Broad, as well as India’s R Ashwin, to top the rankings for the first time, and most recently he held the top spot for five months in 2018 before being displaced by South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.It has the potential to be a short return to the top, however. With a total of 866 ranking points, Anderson is just two points ahead of Ashwin in second place, who also delivered a strong showing in India’s most recent Test win over Australia in Delhi last week. Cummins is now third on 858, but could himself regain top billing with two Tests to come against India in the next fortnight, despite flying home this week to address a health issue in the family.Wanindu Hasaranga overtook Rashid Khan to become the No. 1 T20I bowler•ICC via GettyNevertheless, the achievement is further proof of Anderson’s remarkable longevity. In the course of his seven wickets at Mount Maunganui, he brought his overall Test average down below 26 for the first time since his maiden series in 2003, but the sense that he is improving with age is backed up by his form in the last five years of his career.Since turning 35 in July 2017, Anderson has now taken 202 wickets in 56 subsequent games, at an average of 20.56. At Mount Maunganui, he and Broad also overhauled the Test record for most wickets taken as a bowling partnership, which previously stood at 1001 between Australia’s Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.”They’re the GOATs, aren’t they? I can’t see that record being broken for a very long time,” Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said after the first Test win. “Warne and McGrath were an unbelievable combination, but I think the way in which Test cricket is going now with everything else to players, I can’t see that record being broken any time soon. I can’t ever see it being broken.”Related

'I just can't see him stopping' – Stokes on Anderson becoming No. 1 again

Anderson puts seal on England's crushing 267-run victory over NZ

Stokes 'blessed' by England's bowlers after floodlight strategy pays rich dividends

Cummins on collapse: Australia batters 'went away from their methods'

Cummins returns home due to family health issue

Elsewhere in the rankings, New Zealand’s pairing Tom Blundell (11th) and Devon Conway (17th) have risen to career-high positions, as have England’s trio of Ollie Pope (23rd), Harry Brook (31st) and Ben Duckett (38th).India’s players also received a boost following their emphatic victory over Australia, with Ravindra Jadeja moving up seven places to ninth following his seven-wicket haul in the second innings, and Axar Patel – who is the second leading run-scorer for the series so far with 158 runs – moving up two places to fifth on the latest Test all-rounder rankings.In the T20I bowling rankings, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga has leapfrogged Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to the top, as a consequence of Rashid taking only four wickets in three matches against UAE last week.For UAE, Muhammad Waseem rose six places to seventh in the T20I batting list, after scoring 199 runs at an average of 66.33 in the three games.

England's Lionesses have been dealt a huge blow as Sarina Wiegman's assistant coach, Arjan Veurink, will be the new head coach of the Netherlands.

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Lionesses assistant Veurink to leave England roleHas won two Euros titles with WiegmanWill take Netherlands job after Euro 2025Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Veurink has been part of the England coaching staff since Wiegman took over the team back in 2021, playing a key role in the Lionesses' triumph at the 2022 European Championships and their run to the 2023 Women's World Cup final. However, after the reigning European champions conclude their title defence in Switzerland this summer, Veurink will depart to take over the Netherlands national team.

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The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) knows Veurink well, as he was also Wiegman's assistant when she was in charge of the Netherlands between 2017 and 2021. The two had a lot of success there as well, winning the 2017 Euros and reaching the 2019 Women's World Cup final. Prior to that, Veurink was head coach of Twente's women's team, winning seven trophies in four years despite only being 25 years old when he started in the role.

WHAT VEURINK SAID

Veurink, who has signed a contract until the end of the Euros in 2029, said: "This is not only a great challenge and a wonderful new adventure, it also feels like a logical next step in my career. I never made a secret of the fact that one day I wanted to be the manager of the Dutch national team. With over eight years of experience at the very highest level as Sarina Wiegman's right-hand man, first with the Netherlands and now in England, I am ready to stand on my own two feet. The fact that this opportunity has just arisen in the Netherlands makes it extra special. I will now first do everything possible to finish the coming months in England in style."

Nigel de Jong, the technical director of the KNVB, added: "Arjan has a rich history in women's football and has witnessed up close the developments that international women's football has gone through over the past 15 years. He knows what is demanded in the absolute top, but also knows how important it is to keep the connection with the grassroots. We are therefore delighted that he wants to take up the challenge. I am looking forward to working together and to further build on the success of the Dutch national team. Finally, we would also like to thank the English Football Association (FA) for their cooperation."

DID YOU KNOW?

Veurink will actually be an opponent of the Netherlands before he departs his role with England, as the two nations are set to face off in the group stages of this summer's Euros. Both are among the favourites to emerge victorious from the tournament, as the winners of the two previous editions.

“We had the game in our pockets and we let it slip,” Rahul says after LSG failed to get 31 runs from 36 balls with nine wickets in hand

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-20233:41

Did Super Giants err with their batting order?

A visibly stunned KL Rahul could “not put a finger on” how and why and when Lucknow Super Giants lost what was, for the longest time, their game for the taking against Gujarat Titans.”I don’t know how this happened and it has happened so fast, but yeah, that’s cricket, it keeps reminding us that the game is never won till the last ball,” Rahul said after Mohit Sharma bowled a final over that cost just four runs – and accounted for four wickets – to give Titans a seven-run win. “I still can’t put a finger on it and say where we went wrong, but it is what it is, we’ve lost two points. We had the game in our pockets and we let it slip.”I just have to accept and take it as it is. It is a game and these things keep happening but this is going to sting us for a while. We will try and come back strong.”Related

• Ball-by-ball: Magnificent Mohit bowls dream final over

• Noor, Mohit lead the way as Titans defend 135

Chasing 136, Super Giants were placed comfortably 105 for 1 at the end of the 14th over, requiring 31 to win off 36 balls. Rahul was past his half-century, while Krunal Pandya seemed comfortable and two points seemed a formality.Until it wasn’t. Noor Ahmad struck twice, before Mohit and Mohammed Shami kept their composure and Titans snatched a win out of nowhere.Earlier, Rahul got Super Giants off to a flyer in the chase. He scored his first 46 runs off 30 balls, but it took him 31 balls to score his next 22. Super Giants failed to score a single boundary in the last 45 balls of the chase.Rahul admitted that he should have “taken his chances” earlier.”[I] obviously wasn’t trying to bat really deep, but still trying to play my shots, still trying to take on the bowlers I fancy,” Rahul said. “They bowled quite well in the two-or-three-over period between Noor and Jayant [Yadav]. And probably we should have taken a couple of more chances. We had a few wickets in hand but, look, it wasn’t an easy wicket for the batters to come in and get going straight away. Set batter – you obviously want them to play and finish the game for you.2:11

Manjrekar: Mohit thriving on unexpected opportunity

“That was my mindset, but I should have taken a few more chances or just had to get a few off the middle of the bat.”In the end, they did bowl decently, but I think we missed out on some boundary opportunities. That’s the only thing that really went wrong in the 40 overs that we played. In the last three to four overs, the pressure really got to us. They bowled some good balls, they bowled some good overs, but still we should have gotten it done.”Hardik Pandya, the Titans captain, was as baffled as his counterpart after winning a game his team looked out of.”The amount of cricket Mo [Mohit] has played, I don’t think I needed to interfere. The amount of execution and clarity and calmness he showed, it made my life very easy,” Hardik said. “I threw the ball and I said ‘back yourself’. At the same time, the over [Mohammed] Shami bowled, it showed his experience.2:38

Is Rahul to blame for Super Giants’ loss?

“Mohit and Shami were tremendous. The credit is actually to them, the kind of pullback that they did, and special mention to Jayant [Yadav] as well.”Rahul was effusive in praise of his bowlers, and despite the loss, he wanted his team to take the positives and bounce back strong.”We were quite brilliant [with the ball]; 135 is probably par or just ten under par and we bowled really well,” he said. “We know these conditions and we utilised them really well. The bowlers were very clear with their plans and the execution was spot on.”We are still doing a lot of things right. We are still eight points out of seven games that we have played. We are still good as a team. There is nothing to question about our attitude and how we are playing our cricket. It is really a good team but these things happen. Sometimes you are on the wrong side.”

West Ham United chiefs have reportedly commenced early negotiations over the permanent signing of a “complete” player for 2025, with technical director Tim Steidten and the recruitment team attempting to lay early groundwork.

West Ham face Brighton as Julen Lopetegui attempts to spark winning run

On the field, manager Julen Lopetegui is currently preparing his side to face-off against Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton at the London Stadium this afternoon – as the Spaniard looks to build upon their win over Wolves and draw at Bournemouth.

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The Seagulls travel to London without a win in their last four Premier League games, so there is an opportunity for the home side to take advantage of their shift in form right now, but Lopetegui has urged outsiders not to underestimate Brighton.

“Brighton are a very good team, with very good players, a good coach and good ideas,” said Lopetegui on Brighton.

“They have carried on with similar ideas over a number of years, despite the fact they have had a few different coaches. So, we have to be ready tomorrow to have a good answer to the demands in the match. Every game in the Premier League is hard, and we don’t prepare for any to be tougher than others, and in the same way we see each fixture as an opportunity.

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#18

16/12/2024

Bournemouth (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#17

09/12/2024

Wolves (H)

Premier League

2-1 win

#16

03/12/2024

Leicester City (A)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#15

30/11/2024

Arsenal (H)

Premier League

5-2 loss

#14

26/11/2024

Newcastle United (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#13

09/11/2024

Everton (H)

Premier League

0-0 draw

#12

02/11/2024

Nottingham Forest (A)

Premier League

3-0 loss

#11

27/10/2024

Man United (H)

Premier League

2-1 win

#10

19/10/2024

Tottenham (A)

Premier League

4-1 loss

“I’m always looking to overcome an opponent, and in this case we know they are a very good opponent. But, we have to put the focus on ourselves, and be ready to play a good match tomorrow.

“They have a good record [at London Stadium], but I don’t believe a lot in the statistics. Each match is different, and tomorrow is another opportunity and another challenge. We have to think about tomorrow, rather than looking back at the past.”

Lopetegui has demoted West Ham summer signing Guido Rodriguez in the build up to this clash, but one player who’s emerging as much more of a key man in his starting eleven is fellow new arrival Carlos Soler.

West Ham hold initial talks to sign Carlos Soler permanently

The Spaniard joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal from PSG, including an option to buy for around £17 million.

Soler has started their five league matches and is beginning to find his feet, impressing in that period, and an English source has told Le Parisien that West Ham are “delighted” by the 27-year-old’s rise to the occasion.

The French news outlet also reports that West Ham have started “first discussions” over signing Soler on a permanent basis, and they’ve planned meetings to advance the topic of his long-term future in east London.

PSG would also be happy to accept a figure in and around the initial £14 million (plus £3m in add-ons) for Soler to join West Ham indefinitely, so it appears Luis Enrique’s side are open to altering the buy-option clause so Steidten can strike an outright deal for the “complete midfielder”.

Cole Palmer says he was desperate to stay at Manchester City before he opted to join Premier League rivals Chelsea two years ago.

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• Palmer has flourished since leaving Man City
• Chelsea star didn't want to move away from hometown
• Has no idea what he would do outside of football

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer came through the City youth academy and made over 40 senior appearances over four seasons before he accepted the offer to join Chelsea in the summer of 2023 as he sought regular first-team football in the Premier League.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The attacking midfielder has blossomed into one of the English top-flight's best players since then, scoring 39 times and providing 21 assists in all competitions. However, the 22-year-old has admitted that he initially hoped to stay in his hometown instead of making the move to the English capital.

• WHAT PALMER SAID

  "I was so adamant for ages that I wasn’t going. I’ve never moved out of Manchester," he said on the documentary England’s Lions: A New Generation. "I really didn’t want to go, but you get a bit disheartened at City – why am I not getting a chance to play? You just know when you’re ready to play. I’m thankful. I have no idea what I’d do if I wasn’t a footballer. Actually zero idea. Growing up with around Wythenshawe, everyone does footy or drugs. There are two paths. I just love football so much. You don’t get there with no graft, do you?"

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  Palmer may be involved as Chelsea take on Copenhagen in the Conference League on Thursday, though coach Enzo Maresca cast doubt on his fitness after dealing with illness.

A cheat sheet to help the visitor understand the idiosyncrasies of the New Zealand sports fan in his natural environment

Paul Ford15-Dec-2014

The basics

Sobriquets: If you hear that you’re in Aotearoa, Godzone, Land of the Long White Cloud or God’s Own Country, don’t freak out. You’re not lost: these are all nicknames for New Zealand. You should also know that when you hear the word kiwi, it may be referencing the flightless bird, a person from NZ, a furry fruit, or the New Zealand dollar.Flags: Do understand the differences between the New Zealand flag and the Australian flag. Both are blue and have a Union Jack in the top left corner. The NZ edition has four red stars, representing the or Southern Cross constellation. The Aussie version has six white stars.Teams: Heaps of New Zealand sporting teams have a moniker that includes the word black or silver: All Blacks (rugby), Black Caps (cricket), Silver Ferns (netball), Black Sox (softball), Iron Blacks (gridiron), Black Sticks (hockey), Black Ferns (women’s rugby), Black Fins (surf lifesaving), Wheel Blacks (wheelchair rugby), Tall Blacks (basketball) and Blackjacks (bowls). Things famously went off the rails when New Zealand badminton rolled the dice and tried to become the Black Cocks. It didn’t last long.Geography: There are two main islands: the North Island and the South Island, which are separated by a challenging strip of water (and a bloody expensive one to cross by boat or plane) called the Cook Strait. The latter is often referred to as the Mainland as it is larger in size. It is also perceived as tougher and less posh. You will blow locals’ minds if you can name any other islands in our island nation such as Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, Great Barrier Island, d’Urville Island or Waiheke Island.Don’t say: “You mean those rocks south of Australia are a country?”•UniversalImagesGroupPrime minister: Our PM is a bloke called John Key, recently re-elected for a third three-year term. He once hit Shane Warne for three boundaries in a low-intensity charity cricket match at the Basin Reserve. “Be gentle, son,” he told Warne, and the eccentric Australian tweaker obliged.

Cricket culture

Criticising the Black Caps is a national sport: The team have been whipping boys in the eyes of the sporting public for large periods of their history. Like most NZ sporting teams, they suffer from a sporting milieu dominated by the All Blacks, the national rugby team who have won 75% of their matches over the past 111 years. To get on this bandwagon, say things like: “No consistency…”, “The top order is so brittle…”, “If only we had a guy like Hadlee…”Keep an eye out for the eighties mafia: The decent New Zealand team of the 1980s are still floating around in many cricket circles, making their presence felt and talking about things back in their day (when medallions and moustaches were rife). There are some from the era who are less than keen for the current crop to eclipse their achievements in the heyday of one-day cricket.Chris Cairns: The most controversial man in New Zealand cricket. There is a pro-Cairns camp and an anti-Cairns camp. You probably want to walk the tightrope and stay out of the raging arguments and just describe the match-fixing allegations fiasco as a sad episode and a blight on the game. Especially in Canterbury.The guy in the crowd holding a kiwi: That is Sonny Shaw and he is both an obsessive cricket fan and a peculiar individual. He aims to position himself at each game to get on TV as much as possible, and he’s got a back story with some skeletons. Approach with care.The underarm: Never forgive, never forget. This is the reason so many New Zealand cricket fans still hate Australia. That and the procession of plonkers who followed in the Chappells’ footsteps: Greg Matthews, Dean Jones, Greg Dyer, Brad Haddin…The two types of spectator attire at New Zealand grounds•Getty Images1992 World Cup legacy: It was the perfect tournament in so many ways, and cricket gripped New Zealand on the back of Martin Crowe’s magnificent batting and captaincy, Mark Greatbatch’s red-line tonking, and the strangulation techniques of Gavin Larsen and Dipak Patel with the ball. Swot up what happened in this tournament because New Zealand cricket fans will be discussing this ad nauseum.Eric Tindill: To demonstrate your staggering sporting awareness, ensure you know the story of Snowy Tindill – the only man to have completed a truly extraordinary double double: playing cricket and rugby for New Zealand and also refereeing international rugby and umpiring a cricket Test. Legend.Alternative commentary: There is no doyen commentator in New Zealand. On the TV, portly wicketkeeping legend Ian Smith is the main man, and on radio it is the long-toothed, short-legged and high-pantsed Bryan Waddle. In recent summers, the ACC’s cult cricket commentary has emerged too, appealing to those who like a bit of innuendo and risqué discussion with their ball-by-ball.

Slang: what you’ll hear and what to say

“Bring back Buck” A reference to former All Black captain and notorious hard man Wayne “Buck” Shelford who was dropped from the team despite never losing a match as captain. Signs with this phrase on it pop up at sporting events all over the world.“BYC” That’s backyard cricket, the great Kiwi summer pastime. Halls, lawns, beaches, parks, roads – anywhere really. In high-end BYC the tennis ball is taped on one side for swing.“Cackhanded” Left-handed like Jesse Ryder or James Franklin.“Chilly bin” Compulsory at all cricket matches except stadiums with over-exuberant rules. It’s an esky or insulated plastic box for keeping food and drink chilled.“Choice” This is not about decision-making – it’s an expression that means very good. Example: “Corey Anderson’s $98 haircut is choice.”“Chunder” To vomit. Example: “Jesse doesn’t look well, reckon he might chunder?”“Eh” Pronounced “ay”. It is often used at the end of sentences to turn a statement into a question. Example: “It sucks that the beers here are $11, eh?” It is also used as a substitute for “pardon” or “what”.Be prepared for plenty of ’80s nostalgia•Getty Images“Hard case” A person who is funny. Example: “That Mattress McCullum, he’s a hard case.”“Hissy fit”/”Wobbly”/”Pack a sad” Throw a tantrum. Example: “Look at Mitchell Johnson over there having a hissy fit.”“Jandal” Rubber sandals, default footwear for a day at a cricket ground with an embankment or heading to the beach.“L&P” A unique New Zealand drink that combines lemon flavour with spring water from the North Island town of Paeroa.“Loo” The toilet. The best one in NZ cricket is at the Basin Reserve, where you can keep an eye on the cricket from the urinal at the southern end.“Pakeha” A Maori word referencing a Caucasian/European New Zealander. It’s not offensive.“Piece of piss” Easy. Example: “Beating South Africa in a World Cup knockout match is a piece of piss.”“Scarfie” A university student, probably from Otago Uni in Dunedin.“Sweet as” This simply means something is good. Example: “Daniel Vettori’s running style is sweet as.”“Zed” The way we say the 26th letter of the alphabet.

Services, meanwhile, beat Mumbai by eight wickets in the biggest upset of the tournament so far

Shashank Kishore13-Nov-2022

Samarth Vyas smashed a 131-ball 200 against Manipur•Samarth Vyas

Saurashtra’s Samarth Vyas became only the fifth batter to hit a double-century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy when he smashed a 131-ball 200 against Manipur in Delhi on Sunday.He joined Karn Veer Kaushal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Prithvi Shaw in the double-centurions club. Overall, this was Vyas’s third List-A century.Vyas put on a 282-run opening stand with Harvik Desai, who made 100 off 107 balls, as Saurashtra posted 397 for 4. In reply, Manipur were bowled out for 115. This was Saurashtra’s second straight win in the competition.On Saturday, they opened their campaign with a seven-wicket win over Chandigarh, with Vyas contributing a 64-ball 61 in a chase of 216.Vyas has been in excellent form lately. He topped the run charts for Saurashtra at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s earlier in the month, where they made the semi-finals. Vyas smashed 314 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 177.40 and a best of 97 not out against Nagaland. He made one other 97, against Baroda. Overall, he was the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament, finishing just 49 runs behind Yash Dhull, who topped the charts.Vyas made his List A debut in 2015 but has only recently become a regular member of the team. He started as a middle-order batter but has moved up the order of late, with the team management pushing him up to bat in the top three.Records-wise, Ajinkya Rahane’s 187 for Mumbai against Maharashtra in 2007-08 was the highest individual List A score in the tournament for nearly a decade until Uttarakhand’s Kaushal scaled the 200 barrier in the 2018-19 season against Sikkim.Since then, the tournament has seen four other double-centuries, including the one by Vyas on Sunday. Shaw’s 227 not out for Mumbai against Puducherry in the previous season remains the highest score, though.Meanwhile in Ranchi, in the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Services beat Mumbai by eight wickets by chasing down 265 with 27 balls remaining.Shubham Rohilla and Ravi Chauhan, the Services openers, hit centuries. Their opening stand of 231 broke the back of the chase. That meant Jaiswal’s 104 went in vain and Mumbai, who started their campaign with an eight-wicket win after skittling out Bengal for 121, have one win and one loss in the competition.

“A team could still lose if they have performers. But if we have more impact, chances are, we will win more games.”

Mohammad Isam14-Sep-2022

Sriram: “We need to have critical-moment awareness. If we win small moments, overall we can string those results together”•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s technical consultant Sridharan Sriram believes ‘impact’ in T20 cricket trumps everything else. Even performance.

In his first press conference in Dhaka, Sriram – essentially brought on board for the T20I side – said that he believes a good performance can even be detrimental to a side, unless it has a direct influence on the outcome of a T20 game.”I am looking for impact, not performance,” Sriram said, just moments after Bangladesh announced their T20 World Cup squad. “Bangladesh will win if seven or eight players make an impact. A 30 or 25, off 17-18 balls is impact for me. A small example of this is the way Mosaddek [Hossain] went after [Wanindu] Hasaranga in the over after Mahmudullah got out [at the Asia Cup]. That’s impact. I think performance is overrated in T20 cricket. A team could still lose if they have performers. But if we have more impact, chances are, we will win more games.”Related

Methodical and professional, Sriram is ready to 'challenge the norms' with Bangladesh

Litton back, Mahmudullah left out of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup squad

Sriram said that Bangladesh’s struggles in closing out games from tight situations as an area that needs improvement. In nine T20Is this year, Bangladesh have lost seven matches, following on from doing poorly in the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE. Sriram believes that it could be a lack of skill or mentality, or both, that is holding the team back.”We want to win critical moments in the game. Bangladesh have lost a lot of close T20 games. The overall results would have looked a lot better had we won half of these games. Why we are losing close games is something I am really keen to understand.”We need to have critical-moment awareness. If we win small moments, overall we can string those results together. Chances are, we will win close games. It could be skills, execution or it could be mental as well. What is he thinking in those situations? These conversations are ongoing with the leadership group of the team. We do one-on-one and also small groups too,” Sriram said.Sriram is also keen to work with Bangladesh’s returning batters. Litton Das, Nurul Hasan and Yasir Ali missed the Asia Cup due to injuries, but Sriram believes that they have the right skills to take the team in the right direction come the World Cup.”Litton Das is an established cricketer and Nurul has good knowledge of his own game,” Sriram said. “I am quite eager to see more of Yasir. He has the power that Bangladesh lacks as a T20 team. Somebody who can clear the ropes and find the boundaries. I think Rabbi [Yasir] is a very exciting prospect.Sriram shot back at a suggestion that a good performance by Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup, in Australia next month, will give him a contract extension. Rather, he said, that he wanted to focus on the positives from the Asia Cup, where he felt that the team showed fighting qualities despite losing to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.”I am not here to extend my contract. I am here to do my job to the best of my ability for the time I am contracted,” Sriram said. “Thinking of an extension is not the right way to operate. I will do the best for Bangladesh. I wear heart and soul for this team.”There was a huge positive in the way we played in the Asia Cup. We needed to win both games but it doesn’t mean we didn’t play good cricket. I please request everyone not to be results driven. Results are everything in sport but there needs to be a process and plan in place. As long as we have that direction, that’s all I am accountable for.”

Gary O’Neil is arguably on borrowed time in the Molineux dug-out, as his despondent Wolverhampton Wanderers side fell to yet another harrowing Premier League defeat last match.

The porous Old Gold defence shipped a disastrous five goals on their travels to Thomas Frank’s Brentford, leading to a full-time score of 5-3 in favour of the Bees, with Wolves rooted to the bottom of the division.

That means the West Midlands strugglers have now leaked a league-worst 21 goals from just seven games, and with only one point next to their name from that string of dire displays, something could soon have to change.

The latest on Gary O'Neil's future at Wolves

As per a recent report by Football Insider, a decision could soon be made concerning the former AFC Bournemouth boss’ future at Molineux, with the Old Gold hierarchy deliberating over a call currently.

Yet, Sky Sports have also suggested that the powers that be at the Premier League’s basement club will stick by O’Neil despite looming pressures surrounding his job security, considering the 41-year-old did help his side finish in a respectable 14th spot last campaign after picking up the pieces from Julen Lopetegui.

O’Neil did cut a dejected figure after the Brentford loss, however, labelling the contest as the “worst game” he’s been involved with since stepping up to be a coach after his playing days, and so the Old Gold manager might just want to be put of his misery soon in the dug-out.

Wolves will no doubt already have a tentative list of managers that they’re keeping an eye on if they do decide to pull the plug on the 41-year-old’s up-and-down tenure, with a temptation to explore previous faces they’ve been linked with.

A candidate to replace O'Neil at Wolves

When the Wolves hierarchy were scrambling to appoint a new figure after Lopetegui, Peter Bosz’s was popping up as a potential successor.

Since then, the Dutchman has taken over the reins at PSV Eindhoven, with his time in the Eredivisie to date an overwhelming success.

Bosz @ PSV vs O’Neil @ Wolves
Metric	Bosz	O’Neil
Games	60	54
Wins	44	18
Draws	10	9
Losses	6	27
Goals scored	173	79
Stats via Transfermarkt.

As can be seen looking at the table above, Bosz has turned PSV into a free-flowing, entertaining watch under his managerial regime to date, with a mightily impressive goal tally of 173 strikes managed from 60 games.

To give further context, that’s a record of 2.8 per game, far better than Wolves under O’Neil who have managed just 1.4 goals per match.

Manager Focus

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Often lining up his PSV side in an attacking 4-3-3 set-up, Bosz could be a welcome breath of fresh air if he was to take on the hot seat at Wolves, if he can be tempted to up and leave the Dutch giants for a relegation challenge in England.

As a result of his phenomenal record in the final third with PSV, star man Matheus Cunha would no doubt be licking his lips at the prospect of the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager taking over, with the Brazilian trickster capable of leading the line as a lone centre-forward or playing down the flanks.

Even as Wolves continue to struggle at the foot of the league, Cunha’s goals haven’t completely dried up, with the South American striker helping himself to three goals from seven league games.

Therefore, the 25-year-old could be taken to a new level altogether with a fresh face in charge, to further boost his glowing number of 19 strikes from 64 Wolves games to date. He could take influence from Dutch forward Luuk de Jong in order to do so with the ageing striker rattling home 44 goals in 58 games under Bosz’s tutelage.

Of course, all of this is just speculative talk at the moment, with it looking more likely that the Old Gold will stick by O’Neil for the time being.

But, if this poor form ends up continuing on and on, they could soon have to go against this support and look to the likes of Bosz for answers.

Wolves have struck gold on Lopetegui signing who's now worth 253% more

The Old Gold could make a serious profit on one of Julen Lopetegui’s signings…

By
Ross Kilvington

Oct 4, 2024

Aston Villa took on European heavyweights Bayern Munich on Wednesday night and came out on top, continuing this impressive rise under Unai Emery, a rise that is now seeing one of their key players looked at by teams across Europe, according to a new report.

100% ground duels: 9/10 Aston Villa star was as key as Duran & Martinez

Aston Villa managed to pull off a fantastic Champions League win by toppling Bayern Munich 1-0.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 3, 2024

Aston Villa latest updates

The 1-0 victory over Bayern continues what has been another impressive start to a season for the Midlands side. Emery has got his team competing on multiple fronts, but it appears he still wants more, as they eye potential new recruits for 2025. The Villans have already been linked with moves for Valencia’s Hugo Duro and Atletico Madrid’s Samuel Lino in recent days, as Emery looks to improve his forward line in the New Year.

They are not the only players being watched by the Premier League side, as Villa had scouts in place on Tuesday night to watch Rav van den Berg and Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough. But as Emery eyes potential new arrivals at the start of the New Year or next summer, the latest transfer update will come as a concern, as one of Villa’s important players is being linked with a move away.

Aston Villa's £130k-p/w star tracked by European clubs

According to Aston Villa’s former senior scout Mick Brown, Ollie Watkins is being closely watched by teams from across Europe. Brown was at Villa Park until 2021 and has continued to maintain close connections with the club, and he has now told Football Insider that Watkins’ ability has significantly improved, and he could now be ready for a bigger step into one of Europe’s super elite.

Brown told Football Insider: “I’ve heard there are plenty of top clubs interested in him. He’d definitely be able to make the step up. When I was at Villa, I was always on to the management about getting Ollie Watkins from Brentford.

Ollie Watkins’ Aston Villa stats
Apps	176
Goals	74
Assists	29

“At that time, he was one of the few players, and still is, that wants to run in behind. All the strikers want to come to feet now and lay it off to a midfielder and play from there. Sometimes you’ve got to play off the shoulder and run in behind.

“If you drew up that profile, he’s your man. That’s what he does. It’s something different these days. The lad has improved his whole game since we signed him, and he scores goals.

“Plus, he runs in behind, which is not just about him; it’s about the rest of the team. He gets the team up the park and inspires them. That type of player will always attract interest from top sides wherever they are. He’s a game-changer, and he’s shown that for Villa and for England.”

The 28-year-old, who was dubbed a “nightmare to play against” by Conor Coady, has been at Villa since 2020, when he joined from Brentford, and he has been an important figure for the Midlands side for a number of seasons. In the 2023/24 campaign, Watkins netted 27 goals in all competitions, and that earned him a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad. The forward is said to be on a weekly wage of £130,000, which could well be doubled if he were to get a big transfer.