Celtic were on the hunt for a striker to bolster their forward line on deadline day but were rejected in their efforts to sign a former wonderkid.
Celtic sell Adam Idah to Swansea City
Adam Idah was called back to Glasgow despite agreeing a deal to join Swansea City initially, but he wasn’t involved in the 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox and has now completed his move to the Championship.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph confirmed he was set to leave the club on X, highlighting that he underwent the second part of his medical and headed to Wales for a fee of £6 million plus £1 million in add-ons.
He stated on deadline day: “Celtic striker Adam Idah has completed the second part of his medical ahead of a £7m move to Swansea City. Idah has also finalised the paperwork on a long-term contract. It’s understood Celtic & Swansea have agreed an initial fee of £6m, plus more than £1m in add-ons.”
Leaving with 29 goals in 76 appearances, Idah will be remembered as someone who produced big moments on occasion, though he never looked convincing enough to claim the Bhoys’ number one striking jersey.
Responding with plans to improve their attack, Celtic made a late loan move for Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who was also wanted by Rangers, Leicester City and Lyon before the deadline.
If it didn’t need upgrading already, the Hoops’ blunt attack in a 0-0 draw with their rivals at Ibrox on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership failed to fire, leaving Brendan Rodgers desperate to secure reinforcements at the top area of the field.
Celtic made £10 million bid for Kasper Dolberg
According to Sportsboom, Celtic made a £10 million bid for Denmark international Kasper Dolberg, who emerged as their leading target before the deadline.
Rodgers was deemed to be a big fan of the player, but Ajax swooped in at the last minute to agree a deal, leaving the Scottish champions scrambling during the final hours of the window before landing Sebastian Tounekti, who is not an out and out forward.
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Dolberg scored 24 times in 45 appearances for Anderlecht last term and has started 2025/26 with five strikes in his first nine outings, which made him a leading target to lead the Bhoys’ line.
While at Ajax the first time, the Dutch champions rejected a bid worth over £43 million from AS Monaco for the forward, who burst onto the scene at the Johan Cruyff Arena and has previously been likened to Marco van Basten by Flemming Rasmussen.
Nevertheless, he has opted for a new challenge elsewhere, in a scenario that left Celtic picking up the pieces in the final hours of the window.
Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain, has described himself as “the Bionic Man” after undergoing scheduled surgery on his torn left hamstring.Stokes, 33, suffered a recurrence of the injury while bowling during England’s third Test against New Zealand in December, having first torn his hamstring while batting for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals in the men’s Hundred in August.That initial injury kept him out of action for two months, meaning that he missed England’s home Test series against Sri Lanka. He later admitted that his race to get fit in time for the team’s winter assignments in Pakistan and New Zealand had led him to “physically drain and ruin himself”.However, with England not set to play a Test until the visit of Zimbabwe in May, Stokes has committed to three months on the sidelines, including his omission from next month’s ICC Champions Trophy.At the time of his diagnosis, he vowed that he still has “blood, sweat and tears” left to give to the team, ahead of a defining 12 months that will feature five-Test series against India at home and Australia away.Now, he has posted a picture on Instagram, showing him lying on the back seat of a car in the aftermath of his surgery, wearing a large leg brace and supported by pillows.”Bionic Man for a while”, he added in the caption, alongside a laughing emoji, plus the sign-off: “In a bit…”.
Stokes had bowled 36.2 overs prior to his injury in Hamilton, the most he has bowled in a Test since 40 at Trent Bridge in 2022 (also against New Zealand). On the first day of the Test, his 23 overs were the most he had managed in a single day, split between spells of eight, eight and seven.Having arrived into England’s home summer following successful knee surgery in October 2023, he bowled 49 overs across three Tests against West Indies, with five wickets that took him past 200 career dismissals.”I have to work so much harder on the physical side of the job to allow me to go out and do my job,” he had said ahead of the Hamilton Test, “but I got a good amount of overs in during the last two games and I am more confident about getting through a lot of spells in a day.”That is where I got to before I pulled my hamstring. I bowled nice in the summer, had a setback but now feel out of that and not worrying about anything else happening again. As you get older you think about your body a bit more but I work harder because I have to.”In addition to the Champions Trophy, Stokes has been forced to forego a lucrative £800,000 deal with MI Cape Town in the SA20, which begins on Thursday.
Leeds United know that they need to add more quality to their ranks at the top end of the pitch before the summer transfer window officially slams shut.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw with AC Milan at Elland Road in the final friendly of pre-season, Daniel Farke confirmed that attacking signings have to be made for the upcoming season.
In the summer transfer window so far, a move for Lukas Nmecha on a free transfer from Wolfsburg is the only signing Leeds have made in an attempt to bolster their attack.
The rest of their signings have either been goalkeepers, defenders, or defensive midfielders, as the emphasis early on in the window was clearly on improving the backline.
Leeds have already sent Mateo Joseph out on loan to Mallorca, and Farke has revealed that he has told Bamford that the former England international is not in his plans for the upcoming campaign.
The latter is still in the building, as it stands, but he will not be a part of the squad, which is why the Whites need to source a replacement for him.
Why Leeds need to replace Patrick Bamford
The left-footed marksman is the only number nine option at the club who has made a single start in the Premier League in their career heading into next season.
Nmecha played just 14 minutes in the division for Manchester City as a youngster and Joel Piroe has never played in the Premier League, or any top five European league, before.
This means that Farke does not have any Premier League experience in his striker ranks, assuming that Bamford moves on before the end of the window after being told that he will not be a part of the plans at Elland Road.
The English frontman has played 102 matches in the Premier League in his career and could have provided valuable experience to the group if he were good enough to be involved.
Patrick Bamford’s underwhelming form
Season
Appearances
Starts
xG
Goals
24/25 (Championship)
17
0
2.11
0
23/24 (Championship)
33
15
9.52
8
22/23 (Premier League)
28
18
8.61
4
21/22 (Premier League)
9
7
N/A
2
20/21 (Premier League)
38
37
N/A
17
Stats via Sofascore
Unfortunately, as you can see in the table above, Bamford has not done enough on the pitch in the last four seasons to justify being a key part of a top-flight squad.
Leeds, though, are now being linked with a Premier League proven number nine who could arrive at Elland Road as a big upgrade on the former Chelsea man.
Leeds have held talks with former England international
According to talkSPORT, Leeds United are one of a number of teams in the running to secure a deal for former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The report claims that the former England international has held talks with the Championship champions, Newcastle United, and Manchester United, as he looks for his next club.
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Calvert-Lewin is currently a free agent after his contract with Everton expired earlier this summer, and Leeds are one of the sides hoping to snap him up for nothing.
TalkSPORT adds that the 28-year-old marksman has sacked his agent and represented himself in talks with the Whites and the other two teams in order to seal a move to a new club.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin in action for Everton.
However, the outlet reveals that the English forward is ‘unlikely’ to sign for a new team before next weekend, when the Premier League starts, so a decision on his future is not imminent.
Why Leeds should sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin
If Leeds want to sign a ‘replacement’ for Bamford, Calvert-Lewin could be the perfect signing to bolster Farke’s options in the number nine position.
He is available on a free transfer, has plenty of Premier League experience, played regularly in the division last season, and has showcased his quality in the past.
Everton's DominicCalvert-Lewincelebrates their third goal, an own goal scored by Tottenham Hotspur's Archie Gray
It is fair to say that the 2024/25 campaign was not his best, with just three goals in 26 games in the Premier League, yet he still managed more goals than Bamford did in the second tier (zero).
The former Everton star, who was once dubbed a “monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has had successful goalscoring seasons in the top-flight in the past, though.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Premier League career
Season
Appearances
Goals
24/25
26
3
23/24
32
7
22/23
17
2
21/22
17
5
20/21
33
16
19/20
36
13
18/19
35
6
17/18
32
4
16/17
11
1
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin scored an eye-catching 29 goals in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons combined, whilst he also managed a respectable tally of seven in the 2023/24 campaign.
These statistics show that he has plenty of experience in the Premier League and can chip in with goals, even if he is not as prolific now as he once was.
Even without goals, Calvert-Lewin also offers a physical presence up front, having averaged 3.3 aerial duels won per game at a success rate of 51% in the top-flight last term, which shows that he can more than hold his own against towering centre-backs.
Bamford won 1.3 aerial duels per game at a success rate of 46% in his last Premier League season, and only won 0.5 per match in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.
Everton's DominicCalvert-Lewincelebrates scoring their first goal
This suggests that the free agent marksman could offer more to the team in and out of possession, as he can help to alleviate pressure by winning flick-ons and knock-downs, making it difficult for opposition defenders.
He is a handful of a centre-forward, even without his goals, and that is a big reason why he would come in as an upgrade on Bamford, who offers very little when not at his best in front of goal.
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Therefore, Calvert-Lewin would be an ideal signing to replace the Premier League experience that they have lost with Farke’s Bamford decision, whilst also improving their team in the process.
كشفت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية تفاصيل مثيرة تخص جائزة الكرة الذهبية لعام 2025، والتي توج بها نجم باريس سان جيرمان عثمان ديمبلي، واكتفى المصري محمد صلاح بالمركز الرابع.
وأقامت مجلة “فرانس فوتبول”، بالتعاون مع الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، الحفل السنوي مساء الإثنين الماضي لإعلان الفائزين بجوائز الأفضل في العالم لعام 2025.
وحصل عثمان ديمبلي على الجائزة المرموقة لأول مرة في مسيرته، بعدما حصد المركز الأول، وجاء لامين يامال ثانيًا ثم فيتينها لاعب باريس سان جيرمان، في حين احتل محمد صلاح المركز الرابع في تلك الجائزة.
اقرأ أيضًا | ديمبلي “ضعفه”.. عدد نقاط محمد صلاح في الكرة الذهبية 2025
وتتكون لجنة التحكيم في الكرة الذهبية للرجال من صحفيين متخصصين، يبلغ عددهم 100 صحفي، حيث يقوم كل منهم باختيار 10 لاعبين، ويحصد صاحب المركز الأول في اختيارهم على 15 نقطة، ثم 12 للثاني و10 للثالث و8 للرابع و7 للخامس و5 للسادس و4 للسابع و3 للثامن ونقطتين للتاسع ونقطة للعاشر.
وحسبما كشفت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية، فإن محمد صلاح تم اختياره في المركز الأول 4 مرات فقط، في حين أن عثمان ديمبلي احتل المركز نفسه 73 مرة في التصويت، مقابل 11 مرة لـ لامين يامال وفيتينها 6 مرات، أشرف حكيمي 3 وكيليان مبابي مرة واحدة.
وأوضحت أن عثمان ديمبلي تم اختياره 100 مرة من أصل 100 في قائمة أفضل 10 لاعبين لكل صحفي في لجنة التحكيم.
وأشارت إلى أن تم اختيار لامين يامال في المركز التاسع في قائمة أفضل 10 لاعبين مرة واحدة فقط (الأقل لنجم برشلونة) وكان ذلك من اختيار ممثل مصر الإعلامي، بينما لم يتواجد ديمبلي في مركز أقل من الخمسة الأوائل لدى أي صحفي.
Have West Ham United reinvested the money that they gained from selling Declan Rice to Arsenal in 2023 well? They made over £100m from that sale, and whilst they have signed plenty of big-name players since then, including the now-departed Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta, they have yet to have a better season than when Rice was in their midfield.
Of course, losing your captain to a London rival is never going to be an easy pill to swallow. However, they have spent money on two midfielders since his departure, namely Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, and signed Guido Rodriguez for free and Kalvin Phillips on a brief loan.
Wolves midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
Yet, there still feels like a Rice-shaped hole in the midfield for the Hammers. Perhaps that will change this summer.
West Ham’s latest midfield target
It has certainly been a frustrating time for the Hammers when it comes to replacing their captain, and an England starter. Rice’s influence in the middle of the park has certainly been missed as they slowly slide down the table.
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However, a report from Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, suggests that the Hammers may have found the man to finally replace Rice, in the form of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz. The report states that the Hammers have actually made a loan bid with an option to buy the Brazilian.
Indeed, the option to buy the 27-year-old could become obligatory if certain conditions are met. Luiz, who earns £138k-per-week according to Capology, would cost the Hammers £8.6m ahead of the loan.
Douglas Luiz in action for Juventus.
They’d then need to pay a further £26m if he ends up moving to the London Stadium permanently.
Why Luiz would be a good signing
Despite a tough campaign for Juve in the 2024/25 season, with the midfielder constantly out of favour under a couple of managers, his quality is undeniable. He has already had success in the Premier League with Aston Villa.
Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz
His single season playing for the Old Lady so far certainly did not go to plan. He only made 27 appearances last term in all competitions, without scoring or assisting. The former Villa star notched up just 877 minutes, the equivalent of only 9.7 full 90-minute games.
Despite the outrageously low number of minutes played for Juve to date, Luiz certainly has the mettle to play in the Premier League. He racked up 204 Villa appearances, scoring 22 goals and registering 24 assists in that time. Statman Dave described him as a midfield “engine”, which is certainly what the Hammers are looking for.
Stepping into the shoes of Rice at the London Stadium will not be an easy task for Luiz. Let’s not forget just how much of an iconic figure the former Hammers captain is at the club.
He lifted the Conference League as captain in 2022/23, just weeks before he left.
In total, the London-born midfielder played 245 times for the East Londoners, scoring 15 goals, including this solo effort in their run to the Conference League final. Chelsea and England legend John Terry described him as “the best in his position in world football” back in 2021.
So, for former winger turned pundit Jermaine Pennant to claim that Luiz “can do everything that Rice can do and better” shows just how good of a midfielder he is. Indeed, there are stats which back up this bold claim from the former Liverpool winger.
Looking at numbers on FBref from 2023/24, Luiz’s last season in the Premier League, there are some standout stats. For example, that season he averaged 5.53 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, compared to 4.97 each game from Rice, while providing more of an impact in terms of goal contributions.
Goals and assists
0.42
0.35
Pass accuracy
85.7%
83.4%
Passes into penalty area
1.17
1.11
Blocks
0.96
0.86
Ball recoveries
5.53
4.97
Signing Luiz on a loan deal with an option to buy him could be the dream move for West Ham. He is proven in the Premier League, and perhaps better, whisper it quietly, than Rice, a player they have struggled to replace over the last two years.
Douglas Luiz at the Club World Cup with Juventus.
This relatively risk-free move could be ideal for the Hammers to help strengthen in midfield and climb back up the table.
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It’s already been a busy summer at Celtic, so how many more signings will they make?
On Friday, Benjamin Nygren was presented at Parkhead, arriving from Nordsjælland for a reported fee of £1.3m.
He is the club’s third summer edition, after Ross Doohan and Kieran Tierney, but are the Hoops in the market for another full-back, one that Nygren would enjoy playing alongside?
Celtic's left-back latest
Greg Taylor’s contract at Celtic officially expires on Tuesday, and his six-year stay in Glasgow will come to an end, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he has ‘agreed’ to join Greek Super League side PAOK Thessaloniki on a Bosman.
During his time at the club, Taylor made 216 appearances, 199 of which were starts, and was the undisputed first-choice left-back the vast majority of the time.
Celtic defender Greg Taylor
Taylor arrived from Kilmarnock to replace Tierney in 2019, the inverse is the case this time round but, with the returning hero infamously injury-prone, Brendan Rodgers will need a more than competent deputy.
Thus, as reported by Mark Pirie of the Daily Record, Keita Kosugi – who is valued at £2m by Football Transfers – is their first-choice target, with Celtic touted to sign him.
Sportbladet have previously documented Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in the full-back, while Djurgården’s sporting director Bosse Andersson told the same Swedish outlet that Kosugi will only be allowed to leave for “quite a lot of money”.
Nevertheless, this looks like a deal Celtic could get done.
How Keita Kosugi would improve Celtic
Just 19 years old, Kosugi joined Djurgården in March 2024, following a successful trial with the Stockholm-based side, and these are his statistics for the club so far.
Appearances
45
Starts
42
Minutes
3,708
Goals
5
Assists
2
Conference League starts
16
Conference League goals
2
As the table outlines, from the moment he arrived, the Japanese teenager has been a first-choice starter for Djurgården, a key figure in the team that reached last season’s Conference League semi-finals, scoring against Víkingur Reykjavík and Rapid Wien en route.
Scout Elijah Michiels describes his performances as “excellent”, praising his “crossing abilities….great overlapping runs and fast acceleration”.
So, let’s take a look at his statistics from last year’s Conference League.
Minutes
987
14th
Completed passes
403
46th
Progressive carries
23
28th
Touches
653
25th
Tackles
23
18th
% of dribblers tackled
85.7%
8th
Blocks
22
3rd
Interceptions
12
24th
Clearances
46
15th
As the table outlines, Kosugi ranked highly for a wide variety of metrics in last season’s Conference League.
This includes defensive statistics, tackles and blocks, but also progressive carries, emphasising his attacking capabilities.
Han June of Football Asian labels him “one of Asia’s hottest young prospects”, outlining his “fearless defending”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout notes that ‘pace…work rate and technique’ are his primary attributes, all of which make Kosugi ”a modern defender’.
Meantime, writer Kai Watson notes that he is a “promising attacking threat”, which could see him link up well with new arrival Nygren down the left-hand side. The latter man scored 16 goals in 2024/25, with four of those coming from just eight outings on the left wing.
Most expensive SPFL signings (timeless) Rangers Celtic
The Swede, who is capable of operating on either flank, would surely thrive with a dynamic, overlapping full-back in support, meaning, should Kosugi arrive, he could form an unstoppable partnership with his fellow new recruit.
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Looking to get their summer business underway, Everton are now reportedly battling to sign a Premier League winner who would instantly become their highest earner.
Everton set to miss out on Liam Delap to Chelsea
Although the summer transfer window is yet to officially get underway, Everton have already reportedly been handed their first rejection courtesy of Liam Delap. The Toffees presented their project to the Ipswich Town star in an attempt to convince him that a step towards David Moyes’ side would suit this stage of his career rather than an instant jump into the Premier League’s top six. As right as that argument could prove to be, however, it was not enough to convince the talented striker.
Set to turn Everton and Manchester United down as well as others in favour of a move to Chelsea this summer, Delap’s decision will disappoint those in Merseyside who would have seen their frontline transformed.
Moyes even confirmed Everton’s interest in Delap earlier this month, telling reporters when asked about Delap: “He spoke to three or four clubs. He’s given us our opportunity to pitch our case. We’re probably a little bit behind the black ball but hopefully, you never know what happens.”
Now, however, the Toffees must turn to alternative options in pursuit of improving Moyes’ frontline this summer. And whilst names such as Gustavo Hamers have already been mentioned, Everton could first push to sign a Premier League-winning attacking addition when the transfer window swings open.
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It would be some statement from the Friedkin Group and one that could instantly ease Everton’s Delap woes.
Everton now looking to sign Jack Grealish from Man City
According to The Boot Room, Everton are now battling AC Milan and a host of other clubs to sign Jack Grealish this summer, with Manchester City willing to allow the attacking midfielder to leave on loan in the coming months. Alongside the Toffees and Milan, Aston Villa, Napoli, Newcastle and West Ham are also keen, as are clubs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The former Aston Villa star has won all there is to win at the Etihad, including three Premier League titles, but may look back on his spell at Manchester City with slight frustration, having never truly hit the heights that his £100m price tag suggested he could. Now, after being left out of Pep Guardiola’s squad on the final day of the Premier League season, an exit seems increasingly likely.
That said, even on loan, a deal to sign Grealish may not come cheap. If he completed a summer switch to Everton, for example, then he would instantly become their highest earner by some distance at £300,000-a-week.
Jack Grealish
£300,000
Jordan Pickford
£125,000
Idrissa Gueye
£120,000
James Tarkowski
£100,000
Michael Keane
£80,000
Earning over double what Pickford earns at Everton, the pressure would certainly be on Grealish to perform. In regards to how difficult a deal could be to complete, meanwhile, things are likely to be made that much easier by the fact that the Manchester City man is represented by the same CAA Stellar agency as Jordan Pickford.
With rumours continuing to come thick and fast, Leeds United are now reportedly eyeing a sensational double swoop to sign a £12m midfielder and a striker who’s closing in on the Premier League’s 100 club.
Leeds set for busy summer as 49ers hunt proven top level stars
If there were any concerns that the 49ers are not aware of just how much backing a promoted side needs to avoid relegation at the first time of asking, then recent rumours should have put those worries to bed. The American owners have already reportedly set their sights on several improvements, with club chairman Paraag Marathe setting his ambitions higher than simply escaping the clutches of the dropzone.
He told reporters after the Whites secured promotion back to the Premier League recently: “Two years of getting to this point, but all that hard work and all that difficulty makes this much more rewarding and makes this so special.
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“This is a journey and this is not the end. We have to keep going. This is what Leeds does. We are going to have some difficulties, but we are going to get where we want to go and we are going to be one of the best clubs in all of Europe.”
Whilst talk can sometimes be cheap, recent reports suggest that the 49ers are set to put their money where their mouth is this summer amid links with the likes of Beto, Jamie Vardy and Caoimhin Kelleher, planning to spend over £100m to strengthen the spine of the site with Premier League level talent.
Kelleher would be a particularly impressive arrival. The Irishman has been an incredibly successful deputy to Alisson Becker at Liverpool and has rarely faltered when called upon in the Brazilian’s absence. Now, however, he’s ready to become an undisputed No.1.
Liverpool's CaoimhinKelleher
The same can be said for two more top flight talents, who have found themselves on Leeds’ radar after struggling to gain the consistent game time that they’ll be desperate for.
Leeds eyeing Wilson and Longstaff deals
According to The Sun, as relayed by TeamTalk, the 49ers are now plotting a double swoop to sign Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United this summer. The former is set to become a free agent following the expiration of his current deal in Tyneside next month, whilst Longstaff will reportedly be available for as little as £12m in the coming months.
Both players would be excellent additions at Elland Road, given their experience at the very top level. And if Marathe wants to ensure that Leeds become more than just survival hopeful, then signing such experience will be crucial.
Wilson would be a particularly interesting option. Whilst his career has often been surrounded by injuries, the veteran striker is only 12 goals away from reaching the Premier League’s 100 club and almost guarantees goals when fit.
Callum Wilson in the Premier League
Record (via Transfermarkt)
Appearances
237
Goals
88
Assists
25
At 33 years old, Wilson could have one last Premier League move left in the tank and Leeds could certainly do a lot worse than signing the former Bournemouth star on a free this summer.
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After two difficult years battling back injuries, form slumps, and seeing T20I captaincy come and go, Afridi seems to have rediscovered the menace that once made him Pakistan’s most feared quick: the late in-swing, the skiddy pace, the ability to rip out top orders, like he famously did when Pakistan beat India at the 2021 T20 World Cup on these shores.The two, no strangers to stare downs or sharp words stretching back to their Under-19 World Cup days, will cross paths again on Sunday, for the first time in T20Is.The battle of the wristspinnersIn any other team, Kuldeep Yadav would be an all-format player. In India, though, he has had to make peace with being a white-ball specialist. His four-wicket haul against UAE, after spending the entire summer on the sidelines in England, may have been a neat little prelude.Kuldeep knows this stage well. No one can forget that ball to Babar Azam at the 2019 World Cup, bowling him through the gate and leaving even the late Shane Warne guffawing in admiration.Abrar Ahmed gives Shubman Gill a send-off at the Champions Trophy•Associated PressAlongside him is Varun Chakravarthy, whose career arc could fill a Tamil blockbuster. The ex-architect and film hopeful was dropped soon after India’s early exit at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He wondered if he would ever wear India colours again. But since the last T20 World Cup, which he didn’t even make, no bowler has taken more T20I wickets than Varun’s 32.Pakistan have their own mystery spinners. Sufiyan Muqeem, the left-arm wristspinner, came through the ‘A’ system, has been one of their brightest prospects and is the first Pakistani, at No. 10, in the above list. He is quicker through the air than Kuldeep, more in the mould of Noor Ahmad.Muqeem was instrumental in Pakistan’s win over India at the 2023 Emerging Asia Cup and now has a chance to do it on the big stage. He isn’t a regular yet, but one dazzling ball or spell, like Abrar Ahmed’s ripper that breached Gill’s defence at the Champions Trophy earlier this year, could change that.Varun-and-Kuldeep versus Muqeem-and-Abrar is a fascinating subplot.It will not be easy for Mohammad Haris to take on Jasprit Bumrah•Getty ImagesBumrah against Haris – facts or feelings?Mohammad Haris, like Sam Konstas, is not better at his craft than Jasprit Bumrah is at his. But the Australian rode his luck in an astonishing Test innings on debut against Bumrah, reverse-scooping him twice for a six and smashing 18 in the most expensive over of the fast bowler’s Test career and Haris could do something similar here in the T20 format.Like Konstas, Haris too will be facing Bumrah for the first time and, like Konstas, he too has a penchant for high-risk shot-making. In just his second T20I, Haris reinvigorated Pakistan’s flagging T20I World Cup campaign in 2022. He took on South Africa’s elite pace bowlers, smashing Kagiso Rabada for 17 in an 11-ball knock that produced 28.Scoring only 54 runs in 11 innings before Friday’s Asia Cup game against Oman demonstrates how that approach fails more often than not. However, Haris’ conventional technique is nowhere near good enough to take on a bowler of Bumrah’s quality. So expect him to try to lash, thrash, paddle and scoop his way to a cameo, because that is all Pakistan need from him, just like they did at the SCG three years ago. But if facts and logic have their way, it might not come off.Can Hasan Nawaz tackle elite spinners?•Associated PressHasan Nawaz vs India’s spin eliteHasan Nawaz has emerged as Pakistan’s bludgeon outside of the powerplay. Having tinkered around with his batting position, Pakistan have begun using him when the field spreads out, where his 2025 T20 strike of 174.09 is below only Dewald Brevis and Tim David’s.Notably though, Hasan’s strike rate drops down to 150 against spin, as opposed to 173.48 against pace. He takes on each kind of bowling – he has his 17 T20I sixes against each – so the quality of spin appears to be making a difference.Against Afghanistan in the recent tri-series, he scored 33 in as many balls across three innings, with Noor and Rashid Khan taking turns to dismiss him. India’s spin trio of Axar Patel, Varun and Kuldeep is very much in the same elite mould, and adept at asphyxiating an innings through those middle overs.We’re likely to see spin come on as soon as Hasan comes to the crease, and whether he can prove himself against that colossal challenge may be a hinge point for this contest.
The Mumbai spinner talks about how he improved dramatically starting in 2022, and why he’s not anxious about breaking into the India side
Himanshu Agrawal22-Feb-2024Since the start of 2022, Mumbai slow left-armer Shams Mulani has 140 wickets across all domestic first-class matches in India. That is the most among bowlers to have bowled at least 500 overs during this period, and it has come at the third-best strike rate.A third of those wickets came from only six games in the truncated Ranji Trophy season of 2021-22, which started in February 2022 and had a second phase in June. Mulani received the Madhavrao Scindia Award for being the leading wicket-taker that season.Before that bumper tournament, where he averaged 16.75, Mulani’s ten first-class games since his debut in 2018-19 had brought him 28 wickets at 34.46. But since then, he has averaged a little over half that in all first-class cricket.Related
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What brought about that turnaround?Fitness has been key, Mulani says ahead of Mumbai’s final group-stage Ranji fixture this year, against Assam. “For three years, I have been working very closely with Vishal Chitrakar, the strength and conditioning [S&C] coach for Mumbai. And I got a lot of help from the S&C coaches during IPL too.”He realised he needed to work to get his body accustomed to the demands of big seasons with plenty of matches. “Especially since I try my best not to miss even a single game,” he says. “And because it’s a long season, it’s pretty difficult to maintain your performance for the entire season.”But Vishal knows my body well – like how long I take to recover, and the programmes that work for me. We had decided that if I wanted to climb up the ladder, then I had to change something. Vishal has been really helpful in bringing those changes.”Other coaches, like Deepak Parteki [who also works at the National Cricket Academy], have been helpful too. They have been with me for a couple of years now.”Mulani received the Madhavrao Scindia Award for leading Ranji wicket-taker for 2021-22 from R Ashwin, one of his role models, earlier this year•Saikat Das/BCCIBefore his breakout 2022, Mulani had bowled 30 or more overs only twice in 15 innings. But during that Ranji season of 2021-22, he delivered more than 30 overs three times in 11 innings. That included a marathon 63.2 overs in the first innings of the Ranji final that season. Twenty-six of those overs were bowled in a spell that ran over the second evening and the third day.”I used to feel fatigued by the second innings until the season after my debut,” Mulani says. “I realised I had to stress on the recovery of my body because that is very crucial in a four-day game. If you have bowled a lot in the first innings and want to repeat that effort in the second, by which time the body has become sore, then you need to give yourself adequate time for training and strength sessions in between games.”That is something I have worked a lot on with the help of our physio, trainer and masseur. I do some rehab whenever I get some time. That helps me bowl long spells and recover to bowl more. Earlier I didn’t have a lot of idea about these things.”Mulani takes pride in how he has ground his way through first-class cricket, and likes bowling long spells. He says he wants to be prepared for any opportunity that comes his way, and to rise in his career with exposure.”Playing and experiencing domestic cricket is really important for me. I believe that the competition that exists in the Indian domestic circuit cannot be found anywhere else,” he says. “There is also the assumption people have that pitches here always have turn for the spinners, and so they bag a lot of wickets. But there are some pitches which aren’t helpful, and where you have to just keep bowling to extract something from them. So bowling those long spells – sometimes even 30 or 40 overs in an innings – is really crucial for me.”
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Former Mumbai batter Amol Muzumdar took over as the team’s coach in June 2021. The two years for which he served in that role were key for Mulani – mainly for how he instilled a sense of confidence that Mulani had lacked till then.In the nets for his IPL team, Mumbai Indians. Mulani hasn’t played an IPL game yet, but has taken 52 wickets in his 43 T20s so far•Mumbai Indians”My first season with Amol sir, when he noticed a few things about my bowling, was very helpful,” he says. “There were some technical suggestions too [from Muzumdar], but it was the changes he made to my mindset that made the most difference. For instance, he told me that if I was to become a better bowler, I simply had to try to be on top of the batters by being more attacking.”I used to get a lot of confidence just by talking to him. He always wanted me to get the batters out through my skill – like bowling well even on flat tracks, rather than just through help from the pitch. Amol sir was the only one who said I just do better. He said I had to be dominant in first-class cricket.”Muzumdar’s advice and exhortation resulted in Mulani delivering what he says is his most memorable performance in the last two years, against Goa in Ahmedabad in a group-stage game in February 2022. Mumbai were bowled out for 163 after batting first, and Goa doubled that score. Mulani took 6 for 107 in the second innings, but he rates his fourth-innings performance higher, when Mumbai were defending 231 and had to bowl Goa out in “hardly about 60 overs on the final day” to win. He took 5 for 60, to complete a career-best match haul.”It stands out,” Mulani says of that five-for. “It will always remain special. Looking at the situation, we did really well as a bowling unit to hit back, and I was able to contribute.”Another significant influence on his career has been that of former India and Mumbai batter Pravin Amre, who was a mentor to him. Mulani says Amre worked on his batting during his early days, and those inputs have paid off: in 37 first-class innings since 2021-22, he has hit eight half-centuries and been part of some crucial partnerships to rescue his sides.Before bowling in the last innings in that game against Goa, Mulani added 116 for the eighth wicket with Tanush Kotian. Mumbai were only 44 ahead when they came together, but when Mulani was out for 50, they led by 160. That apart, Mulani has been part of five century stands. In fact, he is one of only two players to have scored at least 800 runs and taken at least 80 wickets in all domestic first-class games in India since 2021-22.”I had a pretty long association with Amre sir,” Mulani says. “I had been practising under him at Shivaji Park Gymkhana ever since I was nine. He has informed me a lot of things about the game, including how to be mentally ready.”With the cricket season getting longer, I don’t get as much time [to spend with Amre].”
As an allrounder who bowls left-arm spin and bats around No. 7, Mulani almost predictably idolises Ravindra Jadeja, whose achievements with ball and bat – and in the field – he says he is in awe of. “Looking at the way he does everything – I hope to be even 10% of what he is,” Mulani says. “It will be very good if I end up achieving even that much. I would love to replicate his stature and his contributions to Indian cricket.”But if you specifically ask me about bowling only, then I really enjoy watching [R] Ashwin and Nathan Lyon. What stands out about them, respectively, is their variations and control. Whenever there is a Test on TV featuring them, I watch it and learn – like what they are doing, how they are varying pace, the lengths they are bowling, and the fields they have.”
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Success with his domestic team got Mulani selected for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy ahead of the 2022-23 season. He produced the goods there too, despite the step up, smashing 97 in quick time in a drawn game against North East Zone, taking West to victory with an all-round show against Central Zone in the semi-final, and four wickets in the second innings of the final against South Zone to give West the title.A year later he represented Rest of India against Saurashtra in the Irani Cup, taking five wickets and scoring valuable runs as Rest won by 175 runs. Earlier this month came his India A debut, in the third unofficial Test against England Lions in Ahmedabad, where too he left an impression, with 5 for 60 in the second innings in a comfortable win for the home side.”When I got my jersey for India A, I couldn’t understand what was going on in my mind,” Mulani says, pointing out that the uniform is quite similar to that of the national side. “It sank in after a while – it was India A, and not just a state team. It was the second-best line-up in the whole of India.”Talk about taking the next step, representing India, and Mulani is in no rush, though he will turn 27 next month. He is happy to take it one step at a time.Ashwin and Jadeja, India’s lead spinners in Tests, have some gas in their tanks still, and over the last few years, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have squeezed in when allowed and performed well. That leaves little room for Mulani to make a case for himself – not least because he is a like-for-like player to Axar.He isn’t looking too far ahead just yet. “My job is to only perform. I will not have a role in selection,” he says. “I don’t keep wondering whether I will ever get a call or not; that is needless stress for me. I know that I will be in the limelight if I keep performing well, and that opportunities [to play for India] will come knocking soon.”