All posts by n8rngtd.top

Teams in the Hundred are looking very different with players off to the CPL and international duty

Jake Lintott29-Aug-2022It’s been a bittersweet week. We had two really good wins, against Welsh Fire and in a difficult game against Trent Rockets, and it’s still special to win, even if you’re not really in the running for the knockout stages. You want to play for personal pride through to the end, and to trip other teams up if you can.It’d be great to finish with a win against Northern Superchargers on Wednesday, but we’re still disappointed with the position that we got ourselves into at the start of the season. It’d be great for us to finish on a real high by winning at Headingley. It’s crazy how tight the table is and if we win, we wouldn’t end up missing out on the knockout stages by many points at all.The atmosphere at our home games has been great and the fans have really got behind Southern Brave. That’s not been the case at every venue we’ve been to so we’re pretty lucky in that regard. It still feels like there’s a real hype around the Hundred and it feels like the standard has gone to the next level this year.Related

• Alex Davies, Ross Whiteley script turnaround to keep Rockets waiting on play-off spot

• Strauss review proposes smaller Championship top tier, 'revamped' 50-over competition

• The Hundred play-off scenarios: Five men's teams in contention, Brave and Invincibles eye women's final

When you look through the squads, they’re much stronger than last season because of the number of top overseas players that have been involved. It’s been awesome to go up against some of the world’s best but some of the teams are looking very different in terms of personnel heading into the final stages with players leaving for international duty or other leagues like the CPL.There’s so much cricket being played at the moment, all around the world, and the schedules are carnage. I’d love competitions to try and work together a little bit more: when they go up against each other, you end up with worse availability in both, which obviously affects the standard.There’s been lots of chat about the schedule all summer and it has been interesting to hear about the high-performance review. I haven’t played much first-class cricket but I look at the guys who are playing four-day cricket week in, week out and it makes me tired just looking at them. There’s going to have to be some kind of compromise somewhere.Personally, I think you could have three groups of six in the Blast and play 10 group games each, rather than 14, and you could have a three-division County Championship too. That would make Division One really strong and we’d still have 10 first-class games in the season – the same number they play in Australia, for example.I don’t envy Andrew Strauss having to make decisions on it because it is so hard to please everyone involved in the game, but ultimately, I think they will have to cut things back a little bit. There’s just so much going on at the moment: if you play in the Hundred final this weekend, you might start a Championship game 36 hours later.You have to try and find a way of looking after players. People don’t always take travel into account and most of our training is geared towards preparation for the next game: finding time to do much technical work when you’re playing so often is really hard. Volume is a big concern from the players’ perspective.I made my List A debut while playing for England Lions earlier this year and I’m desperate to play more 50-over cricket. It should be a big part of the schedule, for me: if you have 50-over World Cups to prepare for, you have to be playing one-day cricket consistently. At the moment, because I don’t play much red-ball cricket for Warwickshire, I find myself training with them for most of the year, but I only play for them for about five weeks, in the Blast.There are some very good players who have missed out on Hundred contracts this year and in future, you could have more than one wildcard pick per team. I got wildcarded last year because Southern Brave needed a wristspinner and I had done well in the Blast. It would be great for other players to have the same opportunity after breakthrough seasons for their counties.We travel to Leeds on Monday and we have a team meal with our women’s team there. We’ve got a great relationship with them and do lots of stuff together. They’re a great team to watch and we always try to get there before we play to watch their games: it’s really impressive how Charlotte Edwards has got them playing.They’ve got all bases covered. Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt are a pretty formidable opening partnership and Amanda-Jade Wellington’s legspin has been huge for them. For me, they’re far and away the best team in that competition, so hopefully they’ll go all the way.

Two nights after defending 118, Sunrisers Hyderabad defended 132 to snap Kings XI Punjab’s four-match winning streak

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu26-Apr-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:43

‘Kings XI too dependent on Gayle and Rahul’

No Billy Stanlake and Bhuvneshwar Kumar? No problem, again. Two nights after pulling off the second-lowest successful defence in the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad defended 132 to snap Kings XI Punjab’s four-match winning streak. That they could pull off another coup seemed improbable when Ankit Rajpoot’s 5 for 14 – the best figures in IPL 2018 and the sixth best overall – pinned Sunrisers down to 132 for 6. It seemed as improbable when KL Rahul and Chris Gayle, the most prolific opening pair this season, raised their fourth fifty-plus stand in as many innings opening together.Enter Rashid Khan, the No.1 T20 bowler right now, and the experienced Shakib Al Hasan. They ran rings around Kings XI’s line-up and threatened both edges. Sandeep Sharma did his bit with knuckle balls. And, just like that, there was a slip breathing down the batsman’s neck. Just like that, Kings XI’s chase unravelled: from 55 for 0 they imploded to 101 for 9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman then hacked and reverse-swept his way to 10 off five balls – his first runs in T20 cricket – and reduced the equation to 15 off the last over. The first ball of that from Basil Thampi was a sharp inswinging yorker, which thudded into the pads of Mujeeb, who sneaked in a leg bye. Thampi then nailed the base of Rajpoot’s middle stump to cap Sunrisers’ comeback and move them to second on the points table.Bouncing ’em out
The ball was bursting off a length and zipping through to the keeper in Hyderabad. The conditions here might have reminded Rajpoot of his stint in South Africa earlier this year as a net bowler. He bounced out Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan in the Powerplay before returning in the last over of the innings to floor Manish Pandey’s middle stump with an inch-perfect yorker from wide of the crease.Rajpoot had shown signs of his hit-the-deck bustle against Delhi Daredevils on Monday, when he claimed 4-0-23-2 in an uninterrupted four-over spell with the new ball. But this pitch had more grass and offered more bounce. Rajpoot exploited it in his first over and had Williamson splicing a catch to mid-off for a duck. This was the reason why he was picked ahead of the more experienced Mohit Sharma.Barinder Sran, at the other end, also found extra bounce but lacked enough discipline. He had Shakib top-edging a cut to third man, but replays indicated that Sran’s front foot had strayed. At that point, Shakib was on 0. Sran came close to a wicket on another occasion, when he had Pandey skewing one over mid-off. R Ashwin ran back but he could not cling on.Squeezing ’em out
Pandey had two more lives, but he could not break out of the funk. Ashwin and Mujeeb did not make his life easier with their bag of tricks. They kept batsmen guessing with offbreaks, legbreaks, googlies, carom balls, and front-of-the-hand sliders. Andrew Tye’s knuckle balls ensured there was no escape against him either. The three bowlers had combined figures of 12-0-79-1. The 52-run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Pandey, which came at just 5.88 runs an over, was the slowest stand of 50 or more this season. Pandey’s fifty, off 48 balls, was the slowest this season, but it hauled Sunrisers past 130 and gave their bowlers a sniff.Sunrisers’ attack bosses it, again
A sniff was all that they needed. Rahul and Gayle had just seen off Sandeep’s opening spell and shaved 53 runs off the target in seven overs. Rashid, though, provided the breakthrough in his first over, with a perfectly pitched legbreak, which turned just enough to beat the outside edge and clatter into off stump. Rahul did not read it: he was playing inside the line, searching for a googly. In the next over, Thampi rushed Gayle for pace and pouched a return catch. Two set batsmen gone in four balls.Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal nervously knocked the ball into the gaps to leave Kings XI needing 56 off 48 balls. Then, instead of continuing to find the gaps, Agarwal hared down the track to Shakib, but did not meet the pitch of the ball and holed out to wide long-on. That set in motion a terminal collapse.Mujeeb gave Sunrisers a late scare but the spinners and Sandeep had done enough to help them survive it. Rashid and Shakib combined for figures of 7-0-37-5. Then there was the reserve quick Thampi providing the finishing touches and highlighting the depth in the attack. He had been named the emerging player of the year last season, but could not break into the team in 2018 until Stanlake and Bhuvneshwar sustained injuries. That’s how good this attack is.

James McClean admitted he was "p*ssed" off with himself after picking up a suspension as Wrexham were held to a goalless draw with Harrogate Town.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wrexham held to 0-0 draw with Harrogate
• Winger McClean to miss next two matches
• Frustrated over his actions

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons missed the chance to go joint top with League Two leaders Mansfield after failing to break down a resolute Harrogate at the Racecourse on Tuesday night. To make matters worse, former Republic of Ireland international McClean will miss the Welsh side's next two games due to picking up his 10th booking of the season – something he was "frustrated" about.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT JAMES MCCLEAN SAID

  The 34-year-old wrote in an Instagram story: "A night of frustration, a point gained tho[ugh], p*ssed with myself picking up a suspension now but we drive her on."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While many Wrexham fans may feel like this result was two points dropped rather than one point gained, they are now up to second in the table with nine games remaining. However, third-placed Stockport have two games in hand and are just a point behind, and Crewe are just three points back in fourth. Although it is very close, Wrexham are in the automatic promotion spots ahead of the final stretch of the season.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• WHAT NEXT?

  Phil Parkinson's Wrexham, who have the best home record in the division, have a chance to strengthen their hold on the automatic promotion spots when they host Tranmere at the weekend at the Racecourse.

Calum MacLeod boosted Derbyshire in the battle of the winless teams but for Northants a miserable season refused to relent

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2018
ScorecardCalum MacLeod’s 58-ball century led Derbyshire to their first win in this season’s Vitality Blast with a 31-run win at Wantage Road that kept Northamptonshire winless from five matches.MacLeod’s second T20 hundred, with 12 fours and four sixes, saw Derbyshire rack up 211 for 2 – their joint-second highest T20 total – that was defended very easily after Lockie Ferguson removed Ben Duckett and Richard Levi in the Powerplay.MacLeod, the Glaswegian right-hander who was the scourge of England as they lost to Scotland in Edinburgh earlier this season, became the first Scotland player to hit an ODI hundred against England. This time he became just the third century-maker for Derbyshire in T20s after Greg Smith and Wes Durston. He finally fell for a career-best equalling 104, miscuing a drive to extra-cover.Northants skipper Alex Wakely said: “It’s a similar story for us, we’ve gone for 200 four times and you’re not going to win too many games doing that. We’re just not doing it out on the field, I’m not sure why, we’ve got bowlers who are good enough they’re just not executing and you can see how guys have got big runs against us.

Talking T20 Podcast

Dan Norcross and David Hopps desperately try to recall the latest news from 18 counties
Listen on ESPN radio
Follow on iTunes

“But the nature of T20, sometimes you just have to say well played and Calum played brilliantly. They then had three guys bowling 85 mph plus, every ball was hip height and above and they made it very difficult for us.”MacLeod began by driving Rory Kleinveldt past cover point and then over backward point, before cutting and sweeping Josh Cobb for further boundaries.A viscous lofted cover-drive was parried for six by a diving Ben Sanderson before a steer past short-third man brought him four more en route to fifty in 33 balls.His hitting set a good platform at 136 for 1 after 14 overs and MacLeod then heaved Brett Hutton over extra-cover for six, turned a high full-toss over long leg for another maximum and slammed his 10th four past mid-off as 22 came from the over. Luke Procter was slapped wide of mid-on before a drive past point brought up MacLeod’s century.MacLeod shared a stand of 126 with Wayen Madsen – a record second-wicket stand for anyone against Northants. Madsen, as ever, played a clever innings with excellent running between the wickets.He reverse-swept Seekkuge Prasanna for his first boundary and twice steered fours past point before heaving Procter onto the pavilion balcony. A slower ball from Kleinveldt was driven past extra-cover and he reached a half-century in 32 balls in the final over that yielded 16.Derbyshire, having been sent in, scored 75 runs in the final six overs. But in the first six, they were given a bright start from Billy Godleman, playing his first T20 this season. He skipped down to the first ball of the innings to lift Sanderson for four before hoisting Hutton for six over long-on. He pulled Kleinveldt for two fours but having got to 29, drove Procter to deep cover.The Northants chase never got into gear. Ferguson, introduced in the third over, produced a spell to put the game beyond doubt. He removed Duckett first ball with one that nipped away, took the edge and was wonderfully held down low at first slip by MacLeod, before a spearing yorker cannoned Levi’s off stump.Kyle Coetzer, playing his first match for Northants since 2015, went to uppercut Hardus Viljoen and was caught at short-third man for a fourth-ball duck as the Powerplay ended at 48 for 3. Cobb was then caught at extra-cover trying to drive Alex Hughes’ first delivery and the same bowler got a slower ball through Alex Wakely to bowl him for 10. Hughes finished with 4 for 42 – his final over being struck for 22.It was part of a brief flurry from Kleinveldt, who blasted four sixes in his 36 from 14 balls. He and Prasanna, with 29 in 14 balls, kept the home support entertained but the lower order were left with far too much to do.

At least six debutants are expected to feature in South Africa’s first Test in over seven years

Firdose Moonda17-Jun-2022Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee and Sinalo Jafta have all been included in South Africa women’s squad to play their first Test in more than seven years, against England later this month. The trio missed out on the white-ball tour to Ireland – Kapp after contracting Covid-19 for the fourth time – but have been named in both the Test and ODI squad for the England series. The T20 squad, along with the group for the Commonwealth Games, will be named next month.South Africa last played a Test against India in Mysore in 2014 and four of the members of that XI – Kapp, Trisha Chetty, Lizelle Lee and Chloe Tryon – are in the current squad. Only one other current South African player has featured in a Test – Shabnim Ismail in 2007 against Netherlands – which means South Africa will field at least six debutants against England in Taunton. Chetty is the only player to have two Test caps.Related

• Tryon wants South Africa's concentration higher than usual against England

• Shabnim Ismail's three-for, fifties from Andrie Steyn, Lara Goodall help South Africa take unassailable lead

• Kapp, Lee and du Preez ruled out of Ireland white-ball tour

Dane van Niekerk, the other current South African women’s player who has played a Test, remains unavailable for selection as she continues to recover from the ankle injury that has sidelined her since January. She has returned to training with the aim of being available for the T20Is and Commonwealth Games. Masabata Klaas, who injured her shoulder at the World Cup, is also unavailable. Tazmin Brits, Raisibe Ntozakhe, and Delmi Tucker, who are involved in the ongoing series against Ireland, will return home.South Africa will play a red-ball warm-up match next week, in preparation for the Test.”With the red ball, the main thing is to find our feet as a team again in the format and we take it one day at a time, then we can only progress into it and players can have an opportunity to go into a three-day prep,” coach Hilton Moreeng said. “Those that haven’t had the opportunity when we were back home can also start getting their aim of the red ball. Post that we know we are heading into ODI cricket and T20Is to build up into the Commonwealth Games.”South Africa beat Ireland 2-1 in the T20I series and lead the one-day series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship, 2-nil. Their matches against England do not form part of the Women’s Championship (South Africa are due to host England for Women’s Championship matches) but are an opportunity to solidify their strategy as a squad.”We are happy that we could come to Ireland and be able to play in these conditions which are similar to where we are going to. It has been very good and the exciting thing is that the crop of youngsters have started to put in the right performances. Now that we are going to England, we know that we are going to start with a format that most of them haven’t played in a while other than the preparation that we had, so it is exciting times, especially as a young cricketer in the squad,” Moreeng said.”We are up against a very competitive team, a team that plays well in their conditions. It’s going to be tough as we go along but at the end of the day, we are excited with the group that we have and we now have an opportunity against the hosts to be able to win a series in England.”South Africa squad for England tour (Test and ODIs): Anneke Bosch, Trisha Chetty (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Lizelle Lee, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloé Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt

The anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) in the IPL explained

Nagraj Gollapudi21-May-2013What is the anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU)?
The ACSU is the ICC watchdog, hired by the BCCI to provide cover to the players and monitor the activities both on the ground and the team hotel.How does the ACSU operate?
The ACSU duty usually begins between one and two months before the tournament. In addition to carrying out reconnaissance at every venue, one of the initial exercises the ACSU officers carry out, as part of the awareness programme, is to impart education to players on the history of corruption in cricket. They are then told how the modus operandi of the bookies, how they usually groom players, how the bookies operate, how the players can be lured, the different ways a bookie can make the initial approach, what needs to be done in case of an approach, if there is a threat to the player’s life or if someone is trying to blackmail him what steps need to be taken, the dos and don’ts in every situation. That template is listed out to the players and officials from every team before every IPL.What is the strength of the ACSU in the IPL?
Although the exact number of the ACSU workforce is not known, at every IPL venue there are at least two ACSU officers providing cover at the team hotel as well as the grounds on both match as well as non-match days. In addition, every year a certain number of active Indian police officials are recruited on a temporary basis to lend a helping hand. From the 2013 season, in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal, the BCCI decided to appoint an extra vigilance officer who will travel with every team.What does BCCI’s anti-corruption unit do?
In 2012, the BCCI appointed its own domestic anti-corruption unit under the stewardship of former ICC ACSU head Ravi Sawani. Along with him there are four other officers – all former cops – who have been exclusively hired to put an anti-corruption structure in place and install programmes designed to educate all the teams in domestic cricket in India.Do both ACSU and BCCI’s anti-corruption unit work together during the IPL?
No. ACSU works independently. The BCCI’s anti-corruption unit is not involved in the IPL.What happens if the ACSU spots anything dodgy or a player informs the unit that an approach was made?
The ACSU officer does not have the power to arrest anyone. Based on the evidence he can prepare a report by referring to the tournament code of conduct before passing the information to the BCCI’s ACU, which then will forward the report to the board’s disciplinary committee, which has the powers to determine the punishment.From when was the ACSU involved in the IPL?

In 2008, the ACSU served the IPL merely in the role of observers. In 2009 the BCCI initially hired a private security agency when the tournament was shifted to South Africa but were eventually persuaded to bring the ACSU on board. That contract, which stipulates that the BCCI pays a one-time fee to the ACSU for the year, has been renewed every year till date.Has the ACSU has caught anyone red-handed?
Considering the ACSU acts like an undercover agent, they remain invisible and so do their activities. Reportedly, the ACSU frequently receives information from players, coaches, team or franchise officials about approaches and suspicious behaviour, but they are never made public. The ACSU acts with discretion and in case the matter is serious, the BCCI is made aware.How do the players report anything suspicious?
The hotline number for the ACSU is displayed prominently in press boxes and dressing rooms.

Leandro Trossard's feelings have been made clear after Arsenal received an 11th hour bid for one of their stars as Saudi Arabia look to snap up the Gunner before their transfer window closes.

Arsenal's transfer window over

With the Premier League transfer window having closed on August 30th, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta were active right until the end, submitting a "deal sheet" to get a loan move for Chelsea's Raheem Sterling over the line.

The 29-year-old, who had been publicly made into an outcast by Blues boss Enzo Maresca, will spend the season in north London, though there is no option or obligation to buy the England international, and it is believed that the deal has been struck on very favourable terms for the Gunners.

"Outstanding" player rejected chance to make Arsenal move on deadline day

He chose to stay put…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 2, 2024

Sterling's arrival follows those of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino from Bologna and Real Sociedad respectively, while the club also signed David Raya permanently after he won the golden glove at the Emirates Stadium last season.

Al-Ittihad make bid for Arsenal's Trossard

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Saudi side Al-Ittihad have tabled a bid for Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard, who started the 1-1 draw with Brighton. It is claimed that the offer sits at around 35m euros (£29.5m), and comes in the final hours of the Saudi transfer window, which slams shut on September 2nd.

Al-Ittihad remain on the hunt for a left-winger to complete their high-profile frontline, which includes Karim Benzema and saw them sign Moussa Diaby from Aston Villa this summer.

Trossard, who scored the opening goal against Aston Villa as Arsenal picked up a 2-0 win at Villa Park, is down to the final two years of his £90,000 a week deal at the Emirates Stadium, but has offered no indication that he is keen to leave the club in the immediate future and has featured in all three games so far this season.

In fact, the bid has already been rejected, with CBS journalist James Benge revealing that the Gunners "swiftly dismissed interest", adding that the Belgian international is "not for sale at any price".

Interestingly, it is also claimed that "a source close to the player indicates that he has no desire to leave the Premier League for Saudi Arabia", which could also scupper any potential future move with Trossard down to the final two years of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

The 29-year-old joined the Gunners from the Seagulls 18 months ago, and has been a success in north London.

Though often used from the substitutes bench, he is seen as a key squad player, making 46 appearances across all competitions last season and finding the net 17 times.

Indeed, Mikel Arteta hailed him as a "little magician" towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Speaking after a win against Wolves in April, Arteta explained: “He is a little magician. He is a big threat. So composed, so cool.”

Given that Arsenal already considered themselves light in attack before the end of the transfer window, and only succeeded in bringing Sterling to the club and letting Reiss Nelson leave, the bid always seemed extremely unlikely to be accepted by the Gunners since they cannot sign a replacement until their transfer window opens on January 1st.

The North American top flight has released its new match ahead of the 2025 campaign

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• MLS drops a new ball ahead of its 30th anniversary season
• Pays homage to the original MLS ball
• Has league's original colors as well

• Major League Soccer
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Major League Soccer has revealed its new match ball for the 2025 season and who says history doesn't repeat itself?

  The league is going retro for its 30th season and the ball pays homage to the first one used by the league in 1996. The colors are also a tribute to the league design used in its inaugural campaign.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The retro-inspired ball is just another ode to history in this 30th campaign for MLS. The league is also planning two 30th anniversary games – San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United, a 1996 MLS Cup rematch, as well as a match between the Galaxy and D.C.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  MLS's first match was also between San Jose (then named the Clash) and D.C. on April 6, 1996 – a match in which 31,000 attended at Spartan Stadium to see the home side beat D.C.

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MLS?

  MLS continues to build to its upcoming season, which kicks off when Lionel Messi's Inter Miami host NYCFC on Feb. 22.

As a football club, Arsenal have been utterly transformed over the last few years.

Gone are the days of struggling to break into the top four, as the only objective Mikel Arteta and his side have in the Premier League these days is to win it.

However, it's not just on the pitch where the Gunners have dramatically improved, as their work in the transfer market is practically unrecognisable from four or five years ago, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

For example, a player the club let go for a pittance in 2018 has been outscoring Gabriel Martinelli over the last season or so.

Martinelli's recent form

So, while there were a lot of issues with Arsenal's transfer policy during the mid-to-late 2010s, a signing who's been an unequivocal success from that period is Martinelli.

The Brazilian dynamo joined the North Londoners from Ituano for just £6m in 2019, and since then, he has made 177 appearances for the club, in which he has scored 41 goals and provided 24 assists, equating to a reasonably impressive average of a goal involvement once every 2.72 games.

That said, it was in the 22/23 campaign that the Guarulhos-born gem really stepped up a level and showed the rest of the league that he has the raw ability to become something special, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists in 46 matches, meaning he maintained an incredible average of a goal involvement every 2.19 games.

However, while the talented winger looked unreal two years ago, he struggled to have the same impact last season and ended the campaign with just eight goals and five assists in 44 appearances, equating to an underwhelming average of a goal involvement once every 3.38 games.

In fact, Martinelli was actually outscored and outperformed by a former Arsenal flop last season.

Joel Campbell's recent form

Yes, the former Arsenal flop in question is Costa Rican icon Joel Campbell.

He joined Arsenal from Saprissa in 2011 for a fee believed to be around £1m, although issues with his work permit prevented him from making his debut until the 2014 Community Shield.

The talented attacker made only 40 appearances for the Gunners before leaving in 2018 to join Italian outfit Frosinone for around £1m. However, the last six years saw him move all over the world and play for teams in Mexico, Brazil, and his home country.

However, while he has been a bit of a footballing nomad since leaving North London, he has been impressive in spells, particularly last season with Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense.

In fact, as mentioned above, the former Arsenal ace outscored Martinelli last season. In his 56 appearances for the club, he scored 16 goals and provided seven assists, meaning he managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement once every 2.30 games.

Moreover, he then joined Brazilian outfit Atlético-GO towards the end of the campaign, where he scored two goals in five matches and has remained on loan for this upcoming season, where he'll no doubt maintain his electric form.

Ultimately, while Campbell failed to make an impact at Arsenal, he has since gone on to have a brilliant career back in Central and South America, and even though he's outscored Martinelli of late, we doubt that there will be too many fans looking to bring him back.

Arteta must regret selling £37m Arsenal man who's now a Ballon d'Or nominee

The brilliant international has thrived away from North London.

3

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 6, 2024

That he was out drinking with senior players and was targeted by David Warner’s misfiring aim proves Joe Root is firmly a part of Team England

George Dobell12-Jun-2013It was always likely that the first blows of an Ashes year would be thrown in Birmingham over the weekend, but few could have predicted England would have prevailed so overwhelmingly.It was not just a comfortable victory in the Champions Trophy. It was not just the faintly ridiculous image of David Warner, the Australian opener, reacting so humourlessly to a novelty wig that he threw an unprovoked punch at an England player so fresh-faced and innocent looking that it was hard to avoid the vision of Warner as a buffoon who can’t handle his drink or the pressures of international cricket. And it was not just that Warner had done it so hopelessly. Warner, it seems, doesn’t just float like a butterfly, he stings and bats like one, too.It was not even that “Wig-gate” is a PR disaster for Australia. While the England camp have handled the incident with the ease of a Mitchell Johnson half-volley on leg stump – the perfectly worded statement from the ECB made their stance clear: they were innocent, the matter was closed and Australia have a mess to resolve.No, perhaps the most pleasing aspect from an England perspective is that is underlines Joe Root’s position at the heart of the England team.The Malvolios among us may disagree, but it bodes well for England that Root was out with his team-mates celebrating a victory. There were times on the tour to India when Root looked somewhat ill at ease in the England set-up; a man apart, spending his time at the party in the kitchen.But all that changed after his smooth debut in Nagpur. It wasn’t that the England squad were any more welcoming – that had never been an issue – more that Root finally knew he belonged in that company. He has grown in stature with every performance since. News that he is comfortable and popular enough to socialise with older colleagues should be welcomed. It is, in part, in such moments that bonding takes place and it is, in part, such moments that help young men mature and develop.England’s players were not disregarding any curfew, they had not over-indulged and they did not provoke or retaliate. Neither side, or third-party witnesses, refute any of that. Indeed, Root’s decision not to involve the police might be considered rather magnanimous. There is surely a time to allow sportsmen the opportunity to enjoy the sort of evening out that young men their age take for granted. Those who suggest that the midst of a major tournament may not be that time should take a look at England’s schedule: they are pretty much always on the brink of or in the midst of another major series.Alastair Cook made it clear he had no issues with the players enjoying a night out “within certain parameters we set as a team”.

Steven Finn is understood to have been understandably disappointed to be dropped against Australia but sometimes a little setback is just the stimulus required to encourage improvement.

“We didn’t have training for a couple of days,” Cook said. “If there’s a back-to-back game it’s a very different issue. We had a couple of days off and then a couple of days’ training. You don’t often get those positions in a tournament and it’s very important that sometimes you do let your hair down because to celebrate wins also builds team spirit.”We’ve investigated the matter and we believe we haven’t done anything wrong. Clearly our conduct, as international players, is vitally important. We are aware of the position we hold and how lucky and responsible we are to be wearing the England shirt. It’s a matter which we’ve taken seriously.”But Root’s central role within the England team extends far beyond the social. Not only has he nailed down a place in the Test side, but he has done a pretty decent job of securing a place in the ODI team too. His ability to adapt as a middle-order batsman has been the most noticeable aspect of his cricket, but his developing spin bowling has added a depth to the side that could prove crucial before the end of the Champions Trophy.With the pitches in this event providing far more help to spin bowlers than most had anticipated, the balance of England’s side has had to alter. The plan to field five specialist bowlers – four seamers and a spinner – has been shelved and instead England have selected allrounder Ravi Bopara with a view to strengthening and emboldening the batting. Bopara’s latest comeback has been quietly impressive.There must now be a temptation to play both Graeme Swann, now recovered from his back injury, and James Tredwell alongside just two specialist seamers. The two offspinners would surely enjoy the conditions. But that might also lengthen England’s tail and reduce their ability to damage opposition with their seamers’ ability to reverse swing the white ball.Root may well be the solution. He has taken important wickets in the last couple of ODIs and is quickly emerging as a spinner who can be entrusted with a meaningful number of overs in such conditions. He is not anywhere near the class of Tredwell as yet, but he is a decent compromise to the balance problem and, alongside Bopara, might now be considered something of an allrounder.With the sides using a new pitch against Sri Lanka at The Oval, it seems unlikely there will be the extravagant assistance available for spinners we have seen elsewhere, so England may well resist the temptation to play Tredwell, Root and Swann if all 15 of their squad are available.But that may not be the case. With Tim Bresnan’s wife now well overdue with their child, his availability could become an issue at any moment. Both Tredwell and Steven Finn are potential replacements for Bresnan, with Finn the more likely in the conditions expected at The Oval.Finn is understood to have been understandably disappointed to be dropped against Australia but that is not such a bad thing. Sometimes a little setback is just the stimulus required to encourage improvement. Besides, such competition for places is valuable. After a year of coasting, Stuart Broad is performing with pleasing intensity.It is pleasing, too, that England have demonstrated something of a Plan B. Their original plans for the tournament – to damage their opposition with the new ball – may have had to change after it became apparent the white balls will offer little conventional swing, but the ability to reverse swing the ball has proved valuable. The debate will rage about England’s strategy with the bat but, if England beat Sri Lanka, they are in the semi-finals.