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Pakistan avoided the follow-on on the fourth day at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium, then prevented South Africa’s batsmen from building a big lead quickly

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin23-Nov-2010Pakistan scrapped with all they have to prevent South Africa from bursting into a winning position on the fourth day at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium. Though South Africa still hold all the aces, they aren’t quite in the position they would have aimed for at the day’s start. A draw, and a drawn series, make no mistake, will be a result Pakistan are happy with.At the centre, with bat and ball, was Abdur Rehman, an unlikely star. Rehman began with a maiden fifty that marshalled a lower-order recovery. Later in the afternoon, as Hashim Amla propelled the quest for a quick second innings declaration, he picked up three wickets to disrupt South Africa’s progress.Rehman first featured with the bat, having seen the curse of Misbah-ul-Haq strike; the Pakistan captain has found odd ways and inopportune moments to lose his wicket throughout his career. Having batted well yesterday, his dismissal to the morning’s first ball was almost predictable.The tail’s response was by turns plucky and fortunate. Rehman shared stands of 36 with Umar Gul and 59 with Tanvir Ahmed to help them past vital landmarks; first the follow-on was avoided, they then reached 400 for the first time in 2010, and eventually ended on their highest total since December 2009.Gul, who has the free-swinging manner of a tailender who is not quite good enough to be a solid number eight, set the tone. As he showed at Trent Bridge earlier in the year, he is a clean hitter. While his first boundary was a leading edge off Steyn, he crunched boundaries through the covers in successive overs from the world’s best fast bowler.The pattern, of fortune mixed with inappropriately authoritative strokeplay, was set. Rehman ducked under a bouncer but left his bat hanging. The ball duly flew off the edge. Other edges brought him useful runs, but there was also a fine cut off Jacques Kallis just after drinks.Tanvir ducked under a Kallis bouncer later, only to see the ball fly off his bat, which stood straight up like a periscope. He followed that by whipping and punching two more boundaries with such dismissive élan it could well have been Caribbean.Rehman danced down to loft Paul Harris over long-on in the next over and a single from the next ball meant South Africa would have to bat again. By then an air of solidity entirely absent from his bowling had settled on him, and Tanvir prolonged a fine debut until after lunch.Rehman continued being a nuisance, however, and an accomplished one. First he guided Morkel through point, before ramping him over slips to bring up his half-century. By the time he was gone, more useful runs had been added for the last wicket, and Pakistan could realistically consider a draw.South Africa, when Steyn wasn’t around, lacked fizz with the ball. But with the bat they sparkled initially. Amla – opening in place of Graeme Smith who injured his thumb in the field – and Alviro Petersen began with a blaze of boundaries. The plan seemed clear: blitz to a lead of 350-plus and maybe have a crack late in the day at a potentially fragile Pakistan.Eleven boundaries came in the 15.2 overs until tea, as Amla made it 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the first time, in the process becoming the only South African to make 1000 runs in Tests and ODIs in the same year. Pakistan were quickly drifting out of the game, not attacking at all and leaking easy runs.Amla completed an almost mandatory fifty after tea; in nine international innings on this tour he has two hundreds and four fifties. But then Rehman popped up again. He had already sent back Petersen on the stroke of tea, but he dismissed Amla with the left-arm spinner’s delight, drifting in to middle and clipping off-stump.AB de Villiers was tricked soon after and suddenly, South Africa’s runs and drive dried up, as Rehman began getting more turn. Having been 112 for
1 after 20 overs, they only collected 45 runs in the next 20 overs; in these passages can be found the difference between great sides and just very good ones. Thoughts of a declaration today evaporated as Pakistan, to a limited but persistent Adnan Akmal soundtrack, slowed down proceedings and lived to fight another day.The surface was flirting with spin late. Tomorrow still promises to be a tough, long day for Pakistan but it could have been much worse.

Jahanara Alam’s three-for goes in vain as hosts win final T20I with lots to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2019For the third game in a row, Bangladesh women’s batting proved a touch inferior to Pakistan’s, this time ending on 89 for 8 after being set 118 to pull off a consolation win in Lahore.After Bismah Maroof won the toss and opted for first strike – Pakistan had batted first in the earlier games too – Javeria Khan hit a half-century and Umaima Sohail 31 to help them post 117 for 7. Bangladesh were always behind the asking rate, and once it became 12 for 4 at the end of the seventh over, there was no real route back for them.Jahanara Alam and Rumana Ahmed certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side on the day. Second ball of the match, Jahanara bowled Ayesha Zafar for 2, and later came back to pick up two wickets, those of Sidra Nawaz and Kainat Imtiaz, in the penultimate over to return 3 for 12. Rumana accounted for Javeria and Iram Javed in the 17th over on her way to figures of 2 for 19.But the rest of the bowlers returned combined figures of 1 for 86 from 12 overs, and in a low-scoring game, that wasn’t good enough. Javeria, especially, made them pay. Fresh off a 44-ball 52 in the previous game, she hit seven fours in her seventh T20I half-century, making 54 in 48 balls, and added 67 for the third wicket with Umaima, whose 31 came in 29 balls with two fours and a six.Bangladesh’s chase faltered right at the start, the top three of Shamima Sultana, Sharmin Akhter and Sanjida Islam dismissed within two-and-a-half overs with just two runs on the board. Anam Amin picked up two of those wickets. Rumana was then run out with the team total at 12, and though Nigar Sultana (30 in 44 balls) and Fargana Hoque (27 in 26) did battle back, their 53-run stand for the fifth wicket took 8.2 overs, never really threatening Pakistan.Nigar’s run out in the 16th over all but finished off Bangladesh’s resistance, though they managed to bat out their 20 overs.Pakistan and Bangladesh will now play a two-match ODI series, also in Lahore, on November 2 and November 4.

ESPNcricinfo previews Kenya’s chances in the 2011 World Cup

Martin Williamson14-Feb-2011Kenyan cricket has dined out for years on reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2003, but rather than being a launching board to great things – Test status was a real possibility at the time – it was the start of a gradual and often undignified slide down the global pecking order. From being the unquestioned leading Associate, Kenya are now not even among the best four. They were just lucky that qualification for this tournament took place almost two years ago, when they were still just about able to hold off strong challenges from Scotland and Afghanistan.Kenya are paying for years of underinvestment in grass-roots cricket, and while that is now being addressed, and some talented players are emerging, it takes a long time to get things back on an even keel. The rot set in long before 2003, with a dysfunctional and mismanaged board squandering no end of international goodwill and money, and the new regime was too slow to put things right.Recent results have been poor, and the scar of being trounced by allcomers at the ICC World Cricket League Division One competition – the main event for Associates – runs deep. There have been glimmers that things might be getting better, and the defeat of Ireland in a warm-up in Dubai was timely. Against that, they cannot overlook five straight losses to weakened state sides on a tour of India in January.There is hope, and the handful of youngsters, some of who have only emerged in the last few months, does bode well for future tournaments. Or at least it would do had the ICC not decided that money mattered more than anything and banished Associates from what it will still laughably call the World Cup from 2015.Inevitably, much attention will centre on Steve Tikolo, the 39-year-old allrounder who has been a key part of the Kenyan set-up since before many of his team-mates were born. There are those who see his continuing presence as a distraction in that too often he has been looked at to bail the side out when things go wrong. His enthusiasm, like his form, seems to be on the wane and this time last year he had retired and turned his back on the national side. One last tilt at the windmill proved too tempting, but the days of fireworks are behind him.World Cup pedigreeKenya have been an ever present since they first appeared in 1996, a tournament where they underlined their potential with a famous win over the still-decent West Indies. In 1999 they lost all five matches, and in 2003 they got within one match of the final before going down to India. But their progress came because they were awarded a walkover when New Zealand refused to play in Nairobi, and only one win in the so-called Super Sixes stage, against Zimbabwe, was enough to put them into the last four thanks to the ridiculous way points from group matches were carried forward. Nevertheless, victories over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the utterly demoralised Zimbabweans were still quite an achievement. The 2007 tournament is best forgotten.Where they will finishAside from 2003, Kenya have always finished bottom of their World Cup group and it is hard to see why this time should be any different. They are rank outsiders to beat any Full Member – even Zimbabwe, who two years ago would have represented a potential scalp, have improved enough to put them out of reach. Their only real chance is against Canada but they have been beaten by them in their last four 50-over meetings so the odds are against even that.WatchabilityLately as much fun to watch as a mugging and most of their games will last about as long. Associates can entertain. When Canada’s John Davison hammered his remarkable hundred in a losing cause against West Indies in 2003, it kept spectators enthralled in an otherwise one-sided game. Don’t expect similar from the Kenyans. Mind you, when Kenya take on Zimbabwe at the 82,000-capacity Eden Gardens, a game of spot-the-spectator could provide the best chance of entertainment for the die hards.Players in focusWhile what media attention there is will probably centre on Tikolo, Thomas Odoyo, seven years younger and still a potential match-winner with bat and ball, is another who has played in all of Kenya’s World Cups. The first Associate player to complete the 1500-run and 100-wicket double, his powers are on the wane, but despite that the side depends on him – his powerful hitting could trouble decent bowlers.Back in 2003, Collins Obuya won the Man-of-the-Match award – and a county contract with Warwickshire – for his 5 for 24 in the defeat of Sri Lanka. But the legspinner developed the yips and even a stint with Terry Jenner was not able to cure it. But he has re-emerged as a genuine middle-order batsman, his rehabilitation so successful that it is him, and not Tikolo, who will be looked at to be the rock in an often fragile line-up.One for the future is 20-year-old opener Seren Waters, who announced his arrival in international cricket in 2009 with a half-century against South Africa. His cricket may have been developed in England – he is currently on the books at Surrey – but if the selectors maintain their policy of picking players who are not resident in Kenya, he could be around for a long time to come.

Both India and West Indies have new faces, a result of injury and absences, and this series may be the one where they start putting the pieces together for next year’s T20 World Cup

The Preview by Saurabh Somani02-Aug-20195:11

Dasgupta: A toss-up between Rahul and Pandey at No. 4

Big Picture

One of the things Virat Kohli spoke about in his press conference before leaving India was the opportunity the cricket calendar – with three forms of the game – afforded in getting over defeats that sting. India have had almost a month to lick their wounds after the loss against New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 semi-final. Now, with the World Test Championship getting underway and the T20 World Cup in 14 months, there are already fresh challenges to prepare for.Their tour of the Caribbean begins with the three-match T20I series, with the first two matches in Lauderhill. The last time these teams played at Lauderhill, one match was rained out, and the other ended in a thrilling manner, with West Indies winning by just one run. Three years on, the current series forms an interesting clash of cricketing ethos. While India have often brought an ODI approach to 20-overs cricket, West Indies played large tracts of the World Cup as if in T20 mode.These games could be the first ones in which each team begins putting together pieces for the T20 World Cup next year. India have an influx of younger players, with some changes enforced by absence and injury. West Indies are without Chris Gayle, whose international future even in the medium term seems uncertain at best. That could be a blessing, because it will allows West Indies to try out a replacement, keeping the T20 World Cup in mind.

Form guide

India LLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

In the spotlight

You could argue that there is never a moment when Virat Kohli is under the spotlight, but there are a couple of factors that could intensify the focus on him. The rumblings about a rift with vice-captain Rohit Sharma had kept swirling, until Kohli emphatically denied them. Whether there is a rift or not, or a bromance, or a normal disagreement between colleagues that is commonplace and transient – there will be extra meaning attached every time Kohli and Rohit come within each other’s radius. India are without MS Dhoni for this tour. Ever since Kohli became the full-time limited-overs captain in early 2017, he has played just four T20Is and three ODIs without Dhoni in the team. But with Dhoni’s future uncertain, the Indian think-tank might need to get used to life without the senior pro, and that puts greater onus on Kohli, the captain.The last time Sunil Narine played for West Indies was back in September 2017. Since then Narine has been part of various T20 leagues – the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Caribbean Premier League – but hasn’t played an international match. He’s even played List A matches in the Super50 Cup in the Caribbean. He opted out of selection for the World Cup, citing concerns about his fitness to last 50 overs and bowl his full quota of 10, but he’s back in national colours for his favourite format. Narine has also evolved as a potent batting force, though he’s unlikely to get to bat in the Powerplay, where his hitting has been at its most effective.AFP

Team news

India have some new faces in the squad, but there’s still an abundance of options who are most at home batting in the top three. Regular openers Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan are back together with Dhawan having recovered from his broken finger, and there’s Kohli. In addition, they have KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. At least two of those three seem certain to bat out of position, which can be a distinct contrast in a 20-overs game. The wristspinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested, which should give the team management the option to try a number of exciting options.India XI (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Manish Pandey/Shreyas Iyer, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar/Navdeep Saini, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Rahul ChaharAndre Russell was expected to be one of the players igniting West Indies’ World Cup campaign, but the only things that flared up were his knees. He has since had surgery and was named in the T20I squad, subject to a fitness test. On the eve of the first T20I, Cricket West Indies said the allrounder experienced some discomfort during the GLT20 Canada, and has been replaced by Jason Mohammed. Even without Russell, captain Carlos Brathwaite has plenty of power – hitting and bowling – at his disposal.West Indies XI (probable): 1 John Campbell, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Khary Pierre, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Keemo Paul/Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Overnight rain meant the covers had been on all through the morning on the eve of the match, forcing India to cancel their practice session. They did train on Thursday even though they couldn’t on Friday. There is a general threat of rain, but thunderstorms in south Florida usually come nearer the late afternoon or evening, and both T20Is here are scheduled for 10.30 am. The pitch is expected to be one where batsmen prosper, with the ball coming on to the bat nicely.

Stats and trivia

• In three T20Is against India, Evin Lewis has hit two hundreds. One of them came at this very venue, in 2016. Lewis hasn’t hit a T20I hundred against any other opposition.
• Rohit Sharma became India’s leading six-hitter in ODIs during the World Cup. He now has the chance to become the world’s top six-hitting batsman in T20Is. Rohit has hit 102 sixes in T20Is, easily the most for India, and is just three shy of Chris Gayle’s mark of 105, which is the current record.

Quotes

“Dhoni’s experience has always been a crucial factor. But having said that, it’s a great opportunity for Rishabh Pant to really unleash his potential.” –

A day ahead of the India-New Zealand Test, all eyes are on the Hyderabad pitch. Will it be batsmen-friendly or will it have something for the bowlers?

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2010

Match Facts

Friday, November 12

Start time 09.30 (04.00 GMT)
New Zealand will hope that Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder can produce big knocks•AFP

The Big Picture

New Zealand started the first Test in Ahmedabad short of confidence and a touch unsure about a few of their players. They ended it on a high, but a couple of concerns remain: Can the opener Tim McIntosh, if he is picked, prove to the world that he is not a walking wicket? Will BJ Watling get some runs at No.3? How will the batsmen handle a track that supposedly has more bounce? The Ahmedabad pitch was flat and the middle order cashed in. Ross Taylor expects the track at Uppal, hosting its first Test match, will have a bit more for the spinners. Hyderabad has hosted three Tests before this, all against New Zealand, at the multi-purpose Lal Bahadur Stadium.India went to Ahmedabad with a couple of worries – the batting form of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid, and the bowling form of the spin twins Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Dravid scored a hundred in the first innings, but Gambhir and the spinners didn’t have much to smile about on a batsmen-friendly track. All of them practised hard in the nets in Uppal. As ever, Dravid had a long net session. Gary Kirsten fired down short balls from a tennis racquet and Dravid spent his time swaying away or riding the bounce.The conditions are slightly damp as there was some rain earlier in the week and It will be interesting to see whether the strip will provide some seam movement on the first day. Some have said that there might be bit more spin on this new pitch but Uppal has traditionally produced batsmen-friendly surfaces. We will have to wait and see how this particular track turns out.

Form guide

(most recent first)
India: DWWWD
New Zealand: DLLWD

Watch out for…

Ross Taylor‘s attacking instinct could come in handy if the pitch indeed helps the bowlers. He has the skill and the mindset to play with controlled aggression. It’s easy to imagine what he is likely to do: he will sweep a lot, he will shuffle to the off and try to work Harbhajan to the on side, and hang back to cut Ojha at every opportunity.Zaheer Khan looked like a caged tiger in Ahmedabad. He couldn’t get much seam movement with the new ball and couldn’t reverse the old one. He just didn’t lie down and wonder though. He bowled quite a few short deliveries – most of them well-directed – and tried to create something out of nothing but was thwarted by the pitch and the disciplined New Zealand batsmen. On a pitch that is likely to have more bounce, he could be more potent.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch has been prepared with a mixture of red and black soil – a combination which is common in the state of Andhra Pradesh. This has been a batsmen-friendly venue in the past and the last time it hosted an ODI, in November 2009, Sachin Tendulkar hit 175. “We are hoping and are also pretty confident that it would turn out to be a result-oriented one and the wicket is also expected to last five days,” YL Chandrasekhar, the curator said.Meanwhile India captain MS Dhoni says the wicket has been a good for one for Twenty20 games and one-dayers. “It’s not difficult to judge this wicket if you see past performances in games that have been played. The wicket is on the flatter side but has a bit of bounce which allows the batsman to play freely at the same time.”

Teams

Jesse Ryder is unlikely to bowl in the second Test due to a stiffness in his calf. James Franklin has replaced Hamish Bennett in the squad and could step in.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 BJ Watling, 4 Ross Taylor,5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 James Franklin, 11 Chris MartinIndia could have to choose between Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma. Dhoni admitted it would be a tough choice. “That’s a difficult one.Both of them are fit right now. The only thing that differentiates them is the length and the line they bowl. Sreesanth is more of a bowler who bowls a fraction up to the batsman. Ishant is more of a bowler who hits just back of a length,” he said. “It is a difficult pick but at the same time you try to justify your decision by having a clear look at the kind of wicket that will be provided. Accordingly you decide which is the bowler most suited to the conditions.”India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Sreesanth/Ishant Sharma

Stats and trivia

• Paul Wiseman and Zaheer Khan hold the record for most ducks (4 times) in Tests between India and New Zealand.
• Tendulkar and Dravid have been dismissed “bowled” on 45 and 44 times respectively. Tendulkar (45) holds the Indian record for most bowled dismissals. Sunil Gavaskar has been out bowled 33 times.
• Vettori is set to join Richard Hadlee as the most capped New Zealand player (14 times) against India in Tests.

Quotes

“Some of the guys in the Indian side, I have watched since when I was young and I still do. I admire them but I believe the key for me is not to let it register that you are playing with these guys. Like they say, you play the ball not the man”

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the Villans have considered loaning out striker Keinan Davis on more than one occasion.

Davis helped Villa turn things around against Fulham earlier this month after he came off the bench to assist Trezeguet’s second goal of the game which made it 2-1, before Ollie Watkins finally put the nail in the coffin.

Undoubtedly, it was a match where Davis showed his quality and what he has to offer, perhaps giving manager Dean Smith something to think about going forward.

Things, however, could have ended so differently, with Hendrie revealing that the 23-year-old has had opportunities to go out on loan.

On Davis, the ex-Villa player told FFC:

“I know they like him. I know they like him, hence they’ve kept hold of him. He could have gone out on loan a few times and they’ve kept hold of him. I know the striker situation has been a bit of an issue there, but when he’s come on he hasn’t let the team down.”

There is probably a long way to go until Davis can start to really stake a claim for a starting spot in Villa’s XI, with top scorer Watkins currently standing in his way.

However, as he showed against Fulham, the Englishman can certainly have an impact off the bench.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa may have suffered a major transfer howler as news emerges from behind the scenes at Elland Road about Robin Koch.

What’s the story?

The Germany international only arrived in the summer from Bundesliga side Freiburg, but has seen his debut campaign in the Premier League be disrupted heavily by injuries – he’s played just 14 times in the top-flight.

Now, Football Insider claim that Bielsa fears the centre-back doesn’t have what it takes to be a real success in the Premier League, and that while he regards him as a fine player, there is a real hole in his game.

The report suggests that “there is a sense at Thorp Arch he is ‘too soft’ to thrive in the Premier League” and that he “doesn’t like the aerial challenges” – it’s even claimed that “this weakness is considered by the coaching staff to be a major issue”.

Radrizzani won’t be happy

While Koch certainly hasn’t been helped by the fact injuries have plagued his first season in English football, it’s a damning indictment on his ability that Bielsa and Leeds’ coaching staff already feel he might not be cut out for the Premier League.

Given that the Whites spent around £13m to beat Tottenham to his signing in the summer, the news that the club feel like they may have made a mistake, or at least not done their homework properly on him in scouting him, surely won’t have Andrea Radrizzani happy.

The Leeds owner splashed the cash in bringing Koch and fellow centre-back Diego Llorente into the club in order to reinforce the centre of defence ahead of the Whites’ return to the Premier League.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

For the club to now have second thoughts on one of their big-money acquisitions just months into his career at Elland Road must surely go down as a major howler.

Meanwhile, Leeds could make an exciting swoop for this Bundesliga star…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, David Norris, who spent two-and-a-half years at Leeds United, has revealed that he expects Barry Douglas to leave Elland Road when his contract expires in the summer as Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t trust him.

Douglas never got a chance to prove himself in the Premier League with Leeds as he was shipped out on loan to Blackburn Rovers in October, where he has made 31 appearances.

The full-back made 15 appearances under Bielsa last season as Leeds won the Championship title and eventually earned promotion back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence from the top flight.

Speaking on why he expects Douglas to leave Leeds this summer and why he never got a chance this season, Norris told FFC:

“Bielsa never trusted him in the back four so I don’t see how him going out on loan will have changed anything. If I’m being honest, I expect him to move on.

“He looked pretty sharp when he came back from injury and looked like he might start playing regularly, but I think after being out on loan this season I would expect to see Douglas moved on.”

With Alioski reportedly agreeing to a pre-contract with Galatasary and Douglas out of favour under Bielsa, the Lilliywhites have been linked with a move for Ajax left-back, Nicolas Tagliafico.

Douglas endeared himself to the Leeds fans after managing to finish a game against Milwall which they won 3-2 but had no substitutes left and it later turned out the full-back was playing with knee ligament damage.

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Tyler Onyango as David Unsworth confirmed that the Toffees think he has fractured his leg.

The injury was suffered in an FA Youth Cup game over Manchester City, in which the Goodison Park outfit eventually won 1-0 with a late goal.

Nonetheless, Onyango looked to have suffered a bad injury, which has not gone down well with numerous supporters of the Merseyside club.

The central midfielder made his senior debut for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the FA Cup fourth round win over Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season, and at just 18 years of age, he is certainly an exciting prospect that the Toffees have on their hands.

Nonetheless, the club will hope that it is not serious and wish the teenager a speedy recovery.

Everton fans on Onyango injury update

These Everton supporters bemoaned the injury update on Twitter, with one fan describing it as ‘horrible’:

“Absolutely gutted for the lad. Fingers crossed for a speedy and full recovery.”

Credit: @NTylerVI

“Very sad! been good seeing him on the bench recently, get well soon @OnyangoTyler”

Credit: @karlriley_1997

“So cruel. Lad looks a player and was so close to the first team.”

Credit: @PaulEFC86

“Oh my… Get well soon lad”

Credit: @IndoEvertonian

“Serious… we are absolutely cursed! Just got Gbamin back and now Onyango has a career threatening injury. Feel like our long term injury chain goes back to Oviedo. Our physio team must never get a day off.”

Credit: @evertonian6

“That’s horrible”

Credit: @Matt_S_1982

In other news, find out what injury update before Crystal Palace has left these Toffees fuming!

Manchester City man Fergal Harkin is the number one target to become Celtic’s new Director of Football.

And reliable reporter Alan Nixon has spoken out on the Hoops’ interest in the Irishman, admitting it is ‘alive and kicking’.

Celtic sources, as reported by Football Insider, suggested that the club are ‘committed’ to get a deal for Harkin over the line, even if it means defying top managerial target Eddie Howe.

One Celtic fan quizzed Nixon, who writes for The Sun, about Harkin and a move to Parkhead on social media, to which he replied:

“Been saying that for nearly two months … but does seem to be alive and kicking.”

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if a potential swoop for Harkin is really gathering pace, with multiple reporters aware of Celtic’s interest in the ‘massive’ Hoops fan.

The 44-year-old has been at the Etihad for 11 years, with Celtic impressed by his experience and knowledge built up at City.

There could still be scope for Howe to take over from Neil Lennon ahead of the 2021/22 season – the Englishman wanted to bring his former Bournemouth colleague Richard Hughes with him to Glasgow.

Howe wanted the assurance of having Hughes with him at Celtic Park, and with head of football operations Nick Hammond resigning and recruitment chief Gary Penrice also set for an exit, maybe Hughes could fill one of those roles to work alongside Harkin and Howe.

In other news: Celtic open to landing £57k-p/w international in deal for Odsonne Edouard, find out more here.