All posts by h716a5.icu

Kevin Pietersen is unlikely to play cricket in England again, according to Alec Stewart

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-20163:12

‘I don’t think we’ll see KP play in England again’

Kevin Pietersen is unlikely to play cricket in England again, according to Alec Stewart. Pietersen was released by Surrey at the end of last season and Stewart, the club’s director of cricket, said there was little chance of him appearing in England’s T20 competition, the NatWest Blast, in the foreseeable future as he pursues franchise deals around the world.Pietersen featured for Surrey at the start of their 2015 Championship campaign – scoring a majestic, unbeaten 355 against Leicestershire – as he attempted to revive his chances of playing for England once again, but appears to have now settled on life as a T20 freelancer. Over the last 12 months, he has played in the Caribbean Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash League, the Ram Slam in South Africa and the inaugural Pakistan Super League.He has previously expressed his dissatisfaction at the Blast schedule, which sees teams by and large playing once a week, and Stewart believes Pietersen will no longer grace the English summer, describing him as a “southern hemisphere player”.”From the conversations I’ve had with him, we won’t see him play in England again, which is sad,” Stewart told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s now, as I call him, a southern hemisphere player. Our off season is very much his cricket season.”So he’s now going to have downtime with the family, he’s going to be in the IPL, he’s not going to go to the Caribbean Premier League, he’s going to have a three-four month break and then he’ll go off to the Bangladesh Premier League, I think. So he’s got enough cricket around but sadly, no, we won’t see him.”Surrey must step up a level in Championship cricket this year, having been promoted as Division Two champions, and they have faced some criticism for their winter recruitment, which involved bringing in two South African bowlers and former West Indies international Ravi Rampaul as a Kolpak signing.Stewart defended the decision to recruit Rampaul, Mathew Pillans and Conor McKerr, saying it was important to strengthen their squad. Surrey saw three fast bowlers – Chris Tremlett, Tim Linley and David Balcombe – retire during the close season, while Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker are currently unavailable due to injury.”We lost three experienced bowlers at the back end of last year and we looked to see who was available,” Stewart said. “We looked around England, because obviously that’s where we should look, but there was no one – unless you can tell me otherwise – who was available and who would have fitted the bill.”Our academy, which has produced good players, currently hasn’t got the number of bowlers coming through ready to play and that’s why we did what we did.”We still want to produce players through our system, that’s what we have been doing, and not just be successful here but go on and play for England. That’s what we’ll continue to do – at times you do have to go outside what your processes are. This year, because of the three retirements – two came as a little bit of a surprise – we had to act pretty quickly. We’ve taken a bit of a punt, hopefully it will prove the right decision, in the fact we’ve now got numbers in our squad.”

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney caught up with Taylor Swift's boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce to chat about football.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

McElhenney talks Wrexham with Travis KelceNFL star learns about cup competitionsCelebrities have been regularly spotted at WrexhamWHAT HAPPENED?

Celebrity sightings have become commonplace at Wrexham since Hollywood duo McElhenney and Reynolds took over the club in 2021. Hugh Jackman, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd are just some of the stars who have been spotted watching the Welsh side and they could soon be joined by more A-listers as McElhenney has been chatting about his team to NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce on their New Heights podcast.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT MCELHENNEY SAID

Travis was particularly interested to learn about cup competitions, which allowed McElhenney to open up on his experiences with Wrexham since taking over.

"That's a fascinating part of the sport. Some people really care a lot, other people don't care at all. You have fanbases that are sort of torn," he explained. "I do find it's a win-win because if you advance and continue to win through the tournament people get excited and if you lose, nobody cares.

"And in fact, the NFC championship last year which we came to, we watched the Wrexham game in the parking lot with the tailgate before the game and we drew that game against a team that was three leagues higher than us.

"I've become so annoying with that – I've been correcting people on the word 'soccer' versus football. People just want to smack me."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

McElhenney's other love is the Philadelphia Eagles and he joined Kelce's girfriend Taylor Swift to see the NFL star take on the the New York Jets with The Chiefs last month. Could Swift now be tempted head to Wrexham? Kelce certainly seemed impressed by McElhenney's commitment to Wrexham. "I love it though, you're all in. That's how you know you're doing the right thing. You're all in, baby," he said.

Reynolds and McElhenney have previously said they would love to see Swift perform at Wrexham's stadium after hosting two gigs by the Kings of Leon last summer.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham are back in action at the weekend and will be hoping to secure a place in the third round of the FA Cup when they take on National League South side Yeovil Town at the SToK Racecourse. The Welsh side made it to the fourth round last season before being knocked out in a replay against Sheffield United.

England went 1-0 down to North Macedonia after VAR awarded the hosts a penalty for a Rico Lewis foul on Bojan Miovski.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

North Macedonia take 1-0 leadMacedonia given penalty for Lewis's foulLineker ridicules VAR decisionWHAT HAPPENED?

Rico Lewis' England debut was marred on Tuesday night by a contentious penalty awarded by referee Filip Glova against the Manchester City defender. The full-back grabbed a North Macedonia player with a flailing hand while leaping to head away from a long ball, causing VAR to step in and request that the incident be examined at the pitch-side monitor.

Gary Lineker reacted to the contentious call on Twitter:

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

During the international break, Lewis was a last-minute addition to Gareth Southgate's squad after a number of players were forced to withdraw due to injury, giving the starting lineup many opportunities. Then, when the Three Lions faced North Macedonia at the Tose Proeski Arena, Southgate gave the 18-year-old his time to shine on the international scene by starting him at left-back.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

The Three Lions are currently trailing North Macedonia by a goal as they look to end their European Championship qualifiers.

Jason Holder’s mental strength was on display on the third day against Australia in Kingston, where he scored an unbeaten 82 despite what he called “a lot of chirping” from the Australians

Daniel Brettig in Kingston14-Jun-2015Jason Holder’s toughness was on display twice on day three. First of all he demonstrated it in the morning with an innings of real chutzpah, taking West Indies past the follow-on by clattering Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon with fearless intent as well as the natural leverage provided by his considerable height.An equally striking impression was to be provided at day’s end when Holder spoke about the series and his encounters with an Australian side seldom shy of being aggressive in word and deed. Holder was harried by both these avenues throughout his 82, but spoke boldly of how much he enjoyed the verbal sparring.He even went as far as saying there should be more of it at international level, and that he had fed on it for motivation across both these Test matches. Holder is clearly made of stern stuff, and has earned the respect of his Australian opponents for the way he has carried himself in a pair of lopsided contests.”You get a lot of chirping – they’re that type of team,” Holder said of Australia. “They’re always at you, whether they’re bowling or just at you verbally. You expect that from the Australians, and that’s what they thrive on, so for me personally I just try to stay in the game and try to feed off it as much as possible.”I think they get tired at some stage. But there’s always someone in your ear at some stage of the game. But I love it, that’s cricket. I don’t think it would be international cricket without it, it’s something that should be done more often – obviously in a very discreet way – and I think that’s part of the game and I look forward to it. There’s always a chance for us to give it, and that’s cricket, you give it and you get it.”Holder’s attitude is also typified by the way he has taken on whatever role the captain Denesh Ramdin has set out for him. Based on technique and temperament there is plenty of evidence to suggest Holder should be batting higher up the order than No. 7, but he did not complain about a posting that left him stranded 18 runs short of a hundred when Hazlewood winkled out the last two wickets.”It’s whatever the team requires,” he said. “I’m pretty much able to do whatever the team wants me to do and I’m one of those players who tries not to give up and try to give a big effort whatever. If the captain decides that he needs me up the order I’ll do it.”I back my technique. It’s more mental than anything. I just need to apply myself more mentally to get through any situation. The Australians as a team come at you really hard and I think once you get over the chirp from the boys, it’s a lot easier as it goes on.”My mental game is improving each game. It’s been very tough physically, I’ve been going since November last year, we’ve been playing cricket straight through. So it’s been pretty taxing on the body and a challenge to motivate myself day in, day out. But I can say one thing that’s improving is my mental game and I’m very pleased that I can stand here today after each day’s play still standing.”Towards the end of a season that also featured Holder leading the ODI team to the World Cup down under amid a hail of criticism about team selections, he said he took great encouragement from the words of the latest ICC Hall of Fame inductee Wes Hall in his speech at the WIPA awards before this match. Hall’s resilience and energy have stayed with Holder, who showed similar qualities at Sabina Park on day three.”It was very inspirational for me,” he said. “He’s one of the few people who could talk for a very long time and still draw your attention. It’s not the first time I’ve sat and heard him speak. He’s very inspirational for me, and to see the things he’s achieved and the path he’s taken in life is just inspirational for me. You can take a lot from it.”Spoken like a future Test captain.

For the second time in three days, the exciting nature of one-day cricket was brought to the fore, as East Zone ended their decade-long drought of winning the Deodhar Trophy with a nail-biting victory against defending champions West Zone at the Wankhede

The Report by Amol Karhadkar03-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Ashok Dinda wrecked West Zone’s top order with a three-wicket burst at the start•BCCIIt is often said these days that the advent of Twenty20 has made one-dayers boring. However, for the second time in three days, the exciting nature of one-day cricket was brought to the fore, as East Zone ended their decade-long drought of winning the Deodhar Trophy with a 24-run victory against defending champions West Zone at the Wankhede Stadium.Ashok Dinda, who made his first-class debut well after East Zone won their last Deodhar title in 2003-04, starred with the ball to help his team defend a total of 269 for 8. Thanks to Dinda’s four-wicket haul, East bowled out West Zone for 245 in 47.2 overs.At the start of the batting Powerplay, West Zone were well on course to pocketing their fourth successive Deodhar title. With Kedar Jadhav closing in on a deserving century and Suryakumar Yadav playing a perfect fiddle, West Zone were left needing just 97 runs off the last 15 overs, with plenty of wickets still in hand.Once Jadhav cut loose after being dropped at long-on by Kumar Deobrat off offspinner Saurasish Lahiri in the 33rd over, West Zone looked in complete control of the game. Jadhav continued the onslaught into the Powerplay, creaming the first ball off Veer Pratap Singh through covers off and glancing the next one to the fine-leg fence.But from then on, the East Zone bowlers, led by Dinda, pulled things back as they stifled the set batsmen. The efforts paid rich dividends as Jadhav missed a tired swat off the last ball of the Poweplay off Biplab Samantray to see it crashing into the off-stump. With the Powerplay going for just 22 runs, East Zone had an upper hand going into the last 10 overs.When Yusuf Pathan was run out due to a terrible misunderstanding with Suryakumar in the 43rd over, West Zone required 65 off 47 balls. The wicket brought Suryakumar and Akshar Patel together, and the duo was required to replicate their heroics from Monday if West Zone were to retain the title. Akshar started from where he had left off in the semi-finals, stroking three successive fours off Samantray immediately after arriving at the wicket.Just as West Zone were starting to regain control of the game, though, Akshar’s attempted sweep off Shahbaz Nadeem rested in Manoj Tiwary’s hands at square leg in the last ball of the 45th over. Forty needed off the last five overs then.Shardul Thakur, who sealed the semi-finals with his clean hitting, came to the crease and pulled Veer Pratap over the square-leg fence off the first ball he faced. He followed it up with a lofted straight drive for a boundary that brought the equation down to 29 runs off 27 balls. However, the next ball was a full toss slightly outside off stump and Thakur cut it straight to Virat Singh at point.It meant that Suryakumar, who till then had not hit a single boundary, had to shift gears and see his team through. But his overcautious stint ended as Dinda enticed him into a drive and Suryakumar offered Saurabh Tiwary a regulation catch at covers, ending any hopes West Zone had of retaining the title.Dinda, on his part, had already made a telling contribution before by rattling West Zone’s top order. He first forced the openers Smit Patel and Sheldon Jackson to nick behind, prompting the captain Manoj to give him an extra over even after the conclusion of the mandatory Powerplay. The move worked, as Dinda, after being hit for successive boundaries, forced Rayudu to chase a wide one and edge it to Shreevats Goswami behind the stumps. It left West Zone reeling at 37 for 3.Besides that inspired tactic, Manoj had earlier staged yet another rescue act in the first innings. For the third time in succession, East Zone lost their openers cheaply. And for the third time in succession, Manoj staged a recovery with his fifth successive fifty-plus score. He found much-needed support in the teenager Virat, as the duo stitched together a 135-run partnership for the third wicket to stabilise the innings. Once the platform was set, Samantray counterattacked in the death overs. The last 10 overs fetched 81 runs, helping East put on a respectable, and as it turned out, match-winning total.

Fans will decide the order of this year’s GOAL50 lists, but our correspondents are also sharing their preferences during the voting period

With voting underway in this year’s GOAL50, fans around the world are having their say on which men’s and women’s players had the best 2021.

Our team of correspondents are also having their say, revealing their GOAL50 preferences this week.

Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella has compiled his list, which you can see below.

Voting is open on Goal from November 2 until November 16. 

Getty10Bruno Fernandes

It is impossible to doubt the creativity and impact that Bruno Fernandes has had on Manchester United over the last 12 months.

Not only has the Portugal international returned 18 goals and 15 assists in the last calendar year to date, but he has transformed his club as a leader on and off the pitch.

AdvertisementGetty9Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe ended last season as the top scorer in Ligue 1 for the third year running, while he also won the French top-flight's Player of the Year Award.

However, even after failing to win the league, it was the Champions League where the 22-year-old really made a name for himself.

A series of clutch performances in the knockout rounds ultimately ended in disappointment, as Manchester City knocked out PSG, but Mbappe still made a statement.

Getty8Joshua Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich is the heartbeat of Bayern Munich's midfield, but equally performs as one of the best right-backs in the world when moving out to play in defence.

The versatile leader of the German champions has marked himself out as arguably the most consistent performer in the Bundesliga in recent history.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty7Karim Benzema

Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has stepped up to become the club's talisman.

The France international's goals were crucial to Los Blancos' push to win the Champions League and La Liga.

Although they fell short in both, it was through no fault of the 33-year-old, who has continued his good form this season with 11 goals and eight assists in his first 13 games.

Goal takes a look at the best teams who failed to qualify for the tournament in Russia this summer

Getty ImagesNetherlands

Amazingly, the Dutch, finalists in 2010 and bronze medallists in 2014, finished behind France and Sweden in qualifying and did not even make the play-offs.

Beset by ill-fortune, managerial upheaval and a reliance on older, fading stars, the highs of just eight years ago now seem so very far away.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesItaly

Unlike Netherlands, Italy at least finished second in their group, behind one of the favourites to win the World Cup, Spain.

However, a two-legged play-off against Sweden ended in disaster, Jakob Johansson’s deflected first-leg goal sending the Scandinavian nation to Russia, thus ending Gianluigi Buffon’s hopes of making a record-breaking sixth appearance at the finals.

Getty ImagesChile

It seemed harder for Chile to fail to qualify. Blessed with star power in the form of Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, the current holders of the Copa America finished sixth in the CONMEBOL qualifying league, behind Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and Peru.

Their failure to take a single point from their two games against Paraguay and Bolivia sealed their fate.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesBosnia & Herzegovina

The likes of Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko could not inspire Bosnia to the World Cup, as they finished behind Belgium and Greece in qualifying.

An embarrassing 3-2 defeat to Cyprus, in which Bosnia had taken a 2-0 lead, summed up their qualification; a promising prospect, but with potential ultimately unfulfilled.

Sarina Wiegman's side no longer have their destiny in their own hands after a shock defeat in Leuven

England were dealt a fright on Halloween night as Belgium's shock 3-2 win took the Lionesses' chances of progressing to the UEFA Women's Nations League finals, and thus securing Great Britain's place at next year's Olympic football tournament, out of their own hands. The reigning champions will not only need to beat the Netherlands at Wembley in December now, they'll also need other results to go their way.

Belgium took a surprise early lead in Leuven when Laura De Neve's free-kick deceived Mary Earps and England's start to the game was made worse when Alex Greenwood had to be stretchered off after a rather concerning clash of heads with Jassina Bolm.

A smart header from Lucy Bronze and a wonderful finish from the returning Fran Kirby put the Lionesses back on track for all three points only for Tessa Wullaert to level things up again before half time.

Try as they might, Sarina Wiegman's side couldn't put their noses back in front in the second half, with Alessia Russo guilty of missing a couple of big chances in particular, and that lack of cutting edge came back to haunt them when Wullaert gave the Red Flames a famous win from the penalty spot late on.

GOAL rates England's players from the King Power at Den Dreef…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Mary Earps (5/10):

Appeared to think De Neve's free-kick was going wide, which was a costly misjudgement.

Lucy Bronze (6/10):

Levelled things up with a very clever header. Attacking intent sometimes left England suspect to the counter, however.

Millie Bright (5/10):

Belgium's counter-attacking presence exposed a lack of pace in the centre of defence.

Alex Greenwood (N/A):

Stretchered off with a worrying looking head injury that she sustained with less than 20 minutes on the clock.

Niamh Charles (6/10):

Did some excellent defensive work. Not much luck in an attacking sense, though.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Keira Walsh (6/10):

Sprayed the ball around brilliantly but was caught out of position for the second goal.

Georgia Stanway (5/10):

Gave the ball straight to Vanhaevermaet in an error that led to Belgium's equaliser. Handball offence that gave the Red Flames their match-winning penalty capped off a difficult night.

Fran Kirby (6/10):

Bagged her first goal since returning from the knee injury that ruled her out of the summer's World Cup and what a well-taken strike it was.

GettyAttack

Chloe Kelly (6/10):

Set piece deliveries were fantastic, particularly the one for Bronze's equaliser.

Alessia Russo (5/10):

Some nice passes but failed to put away either of the two really good chances she got.

Lauren Hemp (6/10):

Provided Kirby with a superb assist just before half time.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Jess Carter (5/10):

Brought on early after Greenwood's injury and settled well despite that, but did struggle with Belgium's pace on the counter.

Rachel Daly (5/10):

Replaced Russo with just over 20 minutes to go. Had a decent headed chance saved but otherwise didn't get much of a look at goal.

Ella Toone (5/10):

Came on for Kirby at the same time as Daly but couldn't impact the game.

Sarina Wiegman (5/10):

Decision to bring Kirby in for Ella Toone, her only change to the line-up for Friday's 1-0 win over the same opponent, made a real positive impact. However, substitutes again failed to change things and the decision to keep faith in Russo over Daly will be under the microscope once more after her inability to put away some golden chances.

Centurion is a long way from Chittagong but it is the last place South Africa and Australia will meet before they go in search of a piece of ICC silverware neither has won before

The Preview by Firdose Moonda13-Mar-2014Match facts AB de Villiers may return after sitting out the Durban match•AFPMarch 14, 2014
Start time 1800 (1600GMT)Big pictureCenturion is a long way from Chittagong but it is the last place South Africa and Australia will meet before they go in search of a piece of ICC silverware neither has won before. It was also the first place they met on this tour, little more than four weeks ago.Since then, Australia have announced their threat as a Test team by beating the top-ranked side in their own backyard; a man who served his country for 12 years and led them for 11 – Graeme Smith – retired; the two boards are in talks to lengthen future Test series to four matches and a T20 series that seemed destined to be washed out managed to squeeze in 14 overs in Durban. Both teams will want nothing less than another 20 overs as they finalise their preparations for the World T20.As much as that tournament will be at the back of both camps’ minds, so will the competitive streak between both sides. It doesn’t matter what the occasion, these teams manage to bring out the best and worst in each other. It took only an hour of intensity at Kingsmead to prove that.South Africa posted the highest seven-over total, which required Australia to score at almost two runs a ball to win. They managed, despite losing two wickets in an over that went for just five runs. Despite the rain and the gimmicky nature of a shortened match, it was a contest worth watching and this one is expected to be no different.Centurion is where it all started for Australia and is where it will end for both teams, until next time.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LLWWW
Australia WWWWLWatch out for South Africa’s finishers did not have the opportunity to get into the game at Kingsmead with the top three doing all the batting. Albie Morkel, in particular, will be anxious for crease time having not played international cricket for 18 months before doing only fielding duty in Durban. AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and David Miller will also want the opportunity to see how they can end innings off for South Africa.Having only played the third Test, bowled one over in the second T20 and batted for 11 minutes Shane Watson will be keen to make his presence felt. With the news that he will captain Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and his own tough talk about his country’s chances at the World T20, Watson will want to show he can also walk the walk before the tournament begins.Team newsDale Steyn and Morne Morkel are still in the final stages of recovery following injuries and are unlikely to feature for South Africa again. That will mean Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell and Beuran Hendricks will share the bulk of the seam bowling duties with Kyle Abbott, who is not included in the World T20 squad, unlikely to feature. De Villiers could be back after being rested from the Durban match which will mean no place for Farhaan Behardien and South Africa may want to field a specialist spinner to give Imran Tahir game time before the big event.South Africa: (likely) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Imran TahirAustralia will not want to tinker too much with a batting line-up that has been rejigged to include David Warner and Watson. With Brad Hogg fit, there may not be room for another spinner in James Muirhead and Moises Henriques could also find himself on the sidelines again.Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Brad Hodge, 7 Brad Haddin (wk) 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Dan Christian, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Coulter-NilePitch and conditionsWith wet weather dominating the build-up, the pitch would have had to have been prepared under a tent and ever-present moisture could mean a tricky batting track. South Africa’s Highveld has been hard hit by rain over the last two weeks, but Friday is forecast to stay dry, despite being cool and cloudy. There’s a strong chance a full game will be played which will ensure the South African international summer ends on a high note.Stats and trivia South Africa and Australia have played three two-match T20 series (which is effectively what this one has become) against each other in the past. They’ve each won one series with the most recent one, in 2011, being shared with one victory apiece SuperSport Park is the venue where the record for the highest first-wicket partnership in any T20 was achieved. Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman smashed 170 against England in November 2009 and managed that off just 13.1 overs Quotes “There’s always a lesson no matter how many overs you play. Australia won the game and deserved to do so, but I wasn’t too disappointed about the way we played.”
“Anytime when you get to put yourself under pressure, it’s good. I’m just here to complement those guys up the top and use my experience.”

Rilee Rossouw has been called up to the South African Test squad, as a replacement batsman after Quinton de Kock was ruled out of the series with an ankle ligament tear.

Firdose Moonda21-Dec-2014Rilee Rossouw has been called up to the South Africa Test squad as a replacement batsman after Quinton de Kock was ruled out of the series with an ankle ligament tear.Rossouw, 25, has not played any cricket since December 12 and is nursing a finger injury, which indicates Temba Bavuma, the Lions No. 3, could make his debut in Port Elizabeth.Rossouw, who has played nine ODIs and three T20s for South Africa, did not play in the recently completed first-class fixture for the Knights against the Titans and was ruled out of their next match, starting on December 27 as well. On Monday, Knights’ coach Sarel Cilliers said: “Rilee is still struggling with that finger of his, so under the medical committee’s advice we’re not going to play him in the two Sunfoil Series games so that he can try and get ready for the West Indies T20 series.”Despite that, Rossouw has been called up to the national squad, following for both remaining Tests against West Indies following seasons of bubbling under the surface. Rossouw boasts a first-class average of 44.83 and was eighth on last season’s first-class competition run-scorers’ list. He has only played one first-class game this summer but enjoyed a successful late winter tour of Australia, where he scored a double-century for South Africa A in an unofficial Test against Australia A.He shared in a stand of 343 with Bavuma, who scored 162 in the game and will likely play ahead of Rossouw if South Africa opt for a batsman to play in de Kock’s place. Their other option would be to go into the game with only six specialist batsmen and play their full complement of bowlers which includes four frontline seamers and a spinner. Robin Peterson, the only slower-bowler in the squad, missed out in the first Test at Centurion as South Africa opted to go all-pace but on what is expected to be a slower track at St George’s Park, they may turn to him.What is more certain is that AB de Villiers will be asked to keep wicket for the rest of the Test series, even though he carries a chronic back problem. With no other gloveman in the squad, South Africa have no choice but to task de Villiers’ with the job, although they may relieve him of the duties for the limited-overs’ matches, especially as the World Cup draws nearer.With de Villiers’ fitness in mind, South Africa may make use of Morne van Wyk in the T20s and ODIs against West Indies, especially because the vastly experienced gloveman can also open the batting as de Kock did. Van Wyk is currently the one-day cup’s second-highest run-scorer with 353 runs from five innings, including two centuries. He was part of the 2011 World Cup squad and led the Dolphins at the Champions League T20, so he also has big tournament experience, should he be needed at the World Cup, if de Kock does not recover in time.If de Villiers can cope with the keeping duties in the shorter formats, then South Africa will only need a replacement opener for de Kock. Richard Levi would be the frontrunner for the spot after a strong showing in the domestic 20-over competition where he was the leading run-scorer. Henry Davids, who was second, could also be considered, along with third-placed Reeza Hendricks. Alternatively, South Africa may look at the one-day cup statistics where Andrew Puttick tops the charts.