All posts by h716a5.icu

Heart of Midlothian supporters will be hoping that the international break has allowed the players to regroup following a mixed start to the season so far.

Steven Naismith has led the club to just three wins from nine matches, although one of those was against Rosenborg in the Europa Conference League qualifier at Tynecastle.

They failed to qualify for the group stages of the competition after a defeat to Greek side PAOK, which was followed up by a poor loss to Motherwell in the Premiership and the Jambos will need to improve when they take on Aberdeen this afternoon.

Although they have scored 11 goals in their first nine matches, Hearts failed to find the back of the net in the four games before the break, while they are still relying far too heavily on Lawrence Shankland.

Last season, the Scot scored 28 goals, which was 15 more than anyone else, and he has carried this form into the current season, already notching five goals and Naismith will surely be looking for him to try and better last season’s tally if possible.

He can't carry Hearts by himself, however, and the loss of Josh Ginnelly, who scored 13 times during the 2022/23 season, has been a blow to the club.

When did Hearts sign Josh Ginnelly?

The winger initially joined the club in the summer of 2020 on a season-long loan deal from Preston North End and made enough of an impression to eventually join on a permanent deal in 2021, with Robbie Neilson praising the player.

He said: “I’m delighted to get Josh in permanently. He’s an explosive player, capable of providing a spark that can swing games in your favour.

“We saw glimpses of how good he was last season and now, with a full pre-season under his belt, he will hopefully go on to be a very important player for us.”

He cost the Jambos nothing having been released by the Deepdale outfit, and he showed glimpses of his talent as Hearts gained promotion from the Championship, despite featuring only nine times.

He even scored in the eventual penalty shootout defeat to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, and he would go onto to enjoy a productive spell North of the border.

What happened to Josh Ginnelly?

Across his first full season after joining permanently, the Englishman featured 38 times while scoring twice in what was a solid maiden campaign.

The 5 foot 8 gem ranked third across the squad for shots per game (1.6) while also ranking fourth for successful dribbles per game (0.9) as he underlined his attacking capabilities, but it would be last term in which he finally exploded into life at the Tynecastle club.

Not only did he register 20 goal contributions – 13 goals and seven assists – which was an increase on the nine he achieved the season before, but Ginnelly raised his game across a wide range of metrics.

The 26-year-old ranked fifth in terms of overall Sofascore rating due to his league displays along with finishing second for goals and assists (16), shots on target per game (0.7) and successful dribbles per game (1.1) as well as first for big chances created (seven), showcasing a vast improvement from 2021/22.

He formed a key attacking duo with Shankland and although it didn’t lead the club to glory of any kind, they did manage to secure two wins in the Europa Conference League group stage and finished fourth in the league table.

He was even lauded for scoring “a quite magnificent equaliser” against Aberdeen towards the end of last term by BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod and these performances were clearly a joy to behold.

Where is Josh Ginnelly now?

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2022/23 season, Hearts worked to keep him at the club, even offering him an improved deal, yet he rejected this proposal and departed for nothing, having no shortage of admirers.

The winger posted an emotional farewell message, saying: "This has been one of the toughest decisions I've had to make but after taking time to reflect I've decided it's time for a different challenge. I'm so proud to have played for this amazing club and I feel so proud to look back and see how far we've come over the last three years.

"I've made friends for life in the teammates that I've met along the way and it's been an absolute pleasure to have played alongside you all. Thank you to all of the staff who coached me through injuries and helped me through one of the toughest times of my career.”

He didn’t remain a free agent for long, as Swansea City snapped him up for free, and he has since gone on to make five appearances for the Welsh side, scoring once and what a goal it was.

It arrived on his debut against Northampton Town in the EFL Cup as the winger managed to get past two players before advancing into the final third and unleashing a thunderbolt which sailed into the top corner as he announced himself in the best possible manner.

His short stint thus far in Wales has already seen his value rise and according to Football Transfers, the 26-year-old is now worth €1.1m (£1m) and if he carries on the form he displayed at Hearts last season, this value will only continue to rise.

It was a blow losing the player, especially for nothing as if he remained at Tynecastle, he could have taken his game to the next level, and it would have generated a major profit for the Gorgie side in the process.

With crucial ties coming up in the next few weeks, Naismith will need to give some of his new signings a confidence boost as there is only so much Shankland can do.

The likes of Alex Lowry, Barrie McKay, Kyosuke Tagawa and Kenneth Vargas are all excellent players and if they are given the freedom their talents deserve, Hearts could soon move on from the departure of Ginnelly.

At present, however, the loss of the £1m-rated man looks to have been something of a shocker.

Australia captain Meg Lanning becomes the first Australian – male or female – to pass 2000 T20I runs during the course of a modest chase

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai28-Mar-2018 ScorecardDelissa Kimmince’s career-best 3 for 20 helped Australia restrict England to their joint second-lowest T20I score, before their batsmen razed the 97-run target in just 11.3 overs. Both sides will face each other in the tri-series final on March 31.England’s rut started right at the top as they lost Danielle Wyatt, their centurion from the previous game, off the fourth ball after Australia opted to field. Kimmince sniped out Tammy Beaumont in the fourth over. Two overs later, Amy Jones and Nat Sciver were gone. Sciver’s dismissal was particularly breathtaking as Meg Lanning snaffled a one-handed airborne, back-arching blinder at mid-off before falling on her right shoulder, which is still under recovery from a surgery.England’s 40 for 4 became 40 for 5 six balls later as Heather Knight, the captain, was trapped plumb in front while attempting a premeditated sweep. This capped off a full-blown collapse they couldn’t recover from. A 27-run seventh-wicket stand, the highest of the innings, between Jenny Gunn and Davidson-Richards helped deny Australia for a while, but they didn’t threaten to take the game away from England. Kimmince’s return for her second spell triggered another collapse as England lost their last four wickets for just eight runs. Davidson-Richards top scored with 24 in the team’s 96 all out in 17.4 overs.Australia came out all guns blazing. Opening in Beth Mooney’s absence because of a mild abdominal strain, Perry peppered nine fours en route to an unbeaten 32-ball 47 to go with her 1 for 25. Keeping her company for the greater part of the chase was Lanning, who became the first Australian – male or female – to notch up 2000 runs in T20Is.That Lanning was out to bat in the fourth over was down to Natalie Sciver and Sophie Ecclestone removing Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani for single-digit scores. The first five overs fetched Australia 21 runs, but the sixth alone earned them those many as Lanning carted five back-to-back fours off offspinner Danielle Hazell.Lanning began with an inside-out drive over point, followed by two firm hits through the covers. A change of angle from Hazell made no difference to Lanning’s approach as she then backed away to sweep the delivery fine. The fifth, another inside-out lofted drive, fell inches short of the cover boundary, with the sixth ball intercepted for a single at extra cover.Lanning’s 28-ball 41, her highest score on this tour, featured eight fours, including one off Ecclestone in the seventh over that earned her the milestone 2000th T20I run. Perry, on her part, smashed four fours off the tenth over, bringing the equation down to 20 off the last ten overs. It took Australia another nine balls to seal the chase, with Perry sweeping Hazell for a four past backward square leg.

Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan picked collective figures of 3 for 46 restrict Rajasthan Royals t0 125 before Shikhar Dhawan slammed a 33-ball half-century to make mockery of a small chase

The Report by Shashank Kishore09-Apr-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:54

Dasgupta: RR need to look at loss as aberration and move on

In a nutshell
The highest successful chase in Hyderabad over the last three seasons has been 147. Without David Warner, their highest run-getter in each of the previous three seasons, it was a brave call from new Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson to field first and his bowlers justified that call in style.Rajasthan Royals huffed and puffed to 125 for 9 and then saw Sunrisers canter home by nine wickets on the same Uppal surface where the ball appeared to be doing all sorts of tricks when they batted. Shikhar Dhawan slammed a half-century, Williamson warmed up with an attractive knock and the home fans returned home a happy lot.In his first game for the new franchise who acquired him for a steal at INR 50 lakhs (US$ 78,000 approx), Australia fast bowler Billy Stanlake used his 6”7 height to generate zip and awkward bounce to bowl four impressive overs that also fetched him the big scalp of Ben Stokes for 5. Then spin twins Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan applied the brakes in the middle overs, finishing with combined figures of 3 for 46 off eight overs to derail Royals. Barring Sanju Samson’s 42-ball 49, there was little of note from the top order.In reply, Sunrisers completely took the surface out of the equation as Dhawan and Williamson’s 121-run second-wicket stand snuffed out any inkling of hope Royals may have had of salvaging the match.Royals’ top-heavy batting strategy backfires
In pushing Rahul Tripathi, who enjoyed phenomenal success as an opener in 2017, to No. 5, they may have erred right at the outset. Tripathi’s attacking instincts and the ability to find boundaries at will in the Powerplay – reflected in his Smart Strike Rate of 201.82 – made him vital to Rising Pune Supergiant’s plans last season. When he walked in to bat on Monday night, Royals were struggling at 63 for 3 in the ninth over.D’Arcy Short, BBL 2017-18’s highest run-scorer, ran himself out in the first over. Samson walked in at No. 3 and began with two pleasing back-to-back boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar – first a punch on the up through cover and then a wristy flick to bisect midwicket and mid-on – but couldn’t quite maintain the tempo after the Powerplay that fetched 48. This, even as Ajinkya Rahane struggled at the other end.The Rashid-Shakib unison
Where sides often decide to open with spin, Williamson held Rashid back for after the first six. His Smart Economy Rate of 4.89 between overs six and 15 was second-best to Sunrisers’ MVP of 2016, Mustafizur Rahman, whose economy rate was pegged at 4.66. Rashid made the ball talk immediately, beating Stokes twice and conceding just one off his first over. This pressure to hit out resulted in Stokes holing out to long-on in the next over.Shakib then did what he usually does – play the holding job to perfection by varying his lengths and pace cleverly. Since 2015, he averages 38 in the middle overs and rarely strikes in this period. On Tuesday, he picked up the wickets of Tripathi and Samson in the space of four deliveries in the 14th over to leave Royals tottering at 95 for 5.This left Jos Buttler needing to repair some late damage to haul them close to 150. It proved to be a task too steep as Buttler would chop on to Rashid’s slider. That Royals eventually got to 125 was down to Shreyas Gopal’s run-a-ball 18 full of dinks and dabs.Their overseas bowling aside, Siddarth Kaul exhibited Sunrisers’ local fast-bowling depth. Preferred over his state team-mate Sandeep Sharma, Kaul impressed to pick 2 for 17 off his four overs to ensure they didn’t leak runs towards the death.Dhawan makes Rahane pay
Dhawan doesn’t figure on top of the Smart Strike Rate list, he goes at 114.57, but he has still managed to remain effective for Sunrisers, because they have had the belligerence of Warner to bank on. On Monday, Wriddhiman Saha was sent up to open, but fell in an attempt to loft over the infield. Dhawan then took over and played Warner’s role to perfection in slamming a 33-ball half-century. This came with some luck, however, as he was put down at first slip on 0 in the very first over. Looking to flay a Dhawal Kulkarni lifter outside off, Dhawan found a thick edge that was put down by Rahane on the second attempt.Dhawan’s first scoring shot five deliveries later also flew over slip. Edgy, he may have been initially but he soon found his rhythm by slamming Kulkarni for a four and an upper cut for six off his next over to set Sunrisers on track. This meant Williamson didn’t need to flex his muscles, and relied on pure timing and hand-eye coordination to pick runs. Their half-century stand was raised off just 27 balls. It really was all too easy from there.

Sunderland made it three wins on the bounce in the Championship as they came away from Ewood Park with all three points against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night.

Tony Mowbray's team have now moved up to fourth in the league table and are now preparing to host Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

How well did Jack Clarke perform against Blackburn?

Black Cats forward Jack Clarke stole the headlines as the former Tottenham Hotspur winger caught the eye with two of the side's three goals to seal the win.

The English attacker opened the scoring from 12 yards after winning a penalty to put Sunderland in front and then went on to score the third and final goal in the second half with a cool finish after Alex Pritchard set him away down the channel.

As per Sofascore, Clarke recorded three key passes and won a whopping 15 duels throughout the match, which included six successful dribbles out of seven attempted.

The 22-year-old ace also put the hard yards in defensively to win possession back for the team. He made two tackles and two interceptions to help out his defence, which shows that he was willing to track back to break up opposition attacks.

Alongside the ex-Leeds United prospect, central midfielder Dan Neil dominated Blackburn in the middle of the park for Mowbray throughout the game.

How many tackles did Dan Neil win against Blackburn?

The Black Cats academy product was a defensive force of nature for Sunderland as he won five tackles and made three interceptions across the 90 minutes.

As per Sofascore, Neil won eight of his 11 duels (73%) in total and also made one clearance to go along with his other defensive interventions. None of his teammates made as many tackles as the 21-year-old gem and only Jobe Bellingham (four) made more interceptions.

This shows that the talented youngster dominated Blackburn on the night as he won the vast majority of his battles and was the outstanding destroyer out of possession for Mowbray with his ability to break up the play frequently.

The technical dynamo, of course, also got himself on the scoresheet with a terrific finish from the edge of the box. He controlled brilliantly before finding the bottom corner after the ball fell his way from distance.

Along with that, Neil completed three of his five attempted dribbles and enjoyed a pass success rate of 82%, as per Sofascore. He provided moments of quality in possession, by beating a defender with the ball at his feet, and rounded it off with his goal, which made it 2-1 at the time.

The 5 foot 10 battler was sublime for Sunderland and deservedly received the second-highest Sofascore rating of the match (7.9) behind Clarke (9.5), which illustrates how well he performed in relation to the rest of the players on the pitch for Mowbray.

Hopefully, Neil will now be able to carry on this level of performance into the coming matches and then throughout the remainder of the season as he has the potential to impact games at both ends of the pitch with his ball-striking ability and knack for breaking up the play.

The board, however, is yet to enter into talks with the South African Cricketers’ Association, despite the current MoU expiring at the end of April

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2018Cricket South Africa has committed to maintaining a revenue-share model with its players as it enters negotiations over a new memorandum of understanding with the South African Cricketers’ Association.The current MoU, which has been in place since 2014, expires at the end of April and is redrafted every four years and has always included a revenue-share model But, in December last year, acting CEO Thabang Moroe and president Chris Nenzani told journalists they might consider rethinking the structure of their player contracts.At the time, Moroe made several suggestions of how CSA could shake up contracts including awarding them across different formats and mentioned that the revenue-sharing model would be re-examined. However, at a board meeting on Saturday, CSA backtracked from that and resolved to keep the financial model, which will go some way to easing player concerns over their financial futures.”We remain committed to the revenue share model,” CSA president Nenzani said. “We are a big employer with many constituencies and have sought over the past few months to engage with them with a view to preparing for the negotiations with SACA. The collective agreement ends in April this year. We will be ready to commence negotiations in advance of that date.”However, that does not mean the situation between CSA and the players has been completely resolved. ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA have yet to hold an official meeting with SACA over the status of the MoU and have delayed talks by at least a month. Usually, meetings between CSA and SACA take place in the first week of February but, to date, there has been no sit-down between parties.A concern for SACA is that the window for contracting franchise players opened on March 1 and will close at the end of April and a delay in talks could hamper the process of completing these contracts. Franchise players were believed to be so unhappy with the lack of clarity over the MoU that they were considering boycotting some parts of the first-class competition, which is in its final three rounds, unless some progress was made.CSA has appointed a four-man task team to deal with the negotiations for the MoU. Franchise CEOs Jacques Faul (Titans), Nabeal Dean (Cobras), Greg Fredericks (Lions) and provincial CEO Thando Booi (Border) will look into how a collective agreement with SACA can be reached.

West Ham United have arguably been the surprise of the season so far. The Hammers are still unbeaten after four Premier League games, having beaten both Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion.

When you consider the fact that they lost Declan Rice in a move worth a reported £105m to Arsenal, too, David Moyes' side have been all the more impressive.

Given how good they've been, West Ham may not have wanted the international break to come so soon, especially with the added risk of injury. Without it, the London club had the chance to continue their form, perhaps extending it to one of their best runs under Moyes. Now, however, they are set to come out of the break with key injuries and their momentum stalled.

What's the latest West Ham United injury news?

Moyes may already be without summer signing James Ward-Prowse against the Premier League champions, after the former Southampton man reportedly picked up an injury last week, and has been sitting out of training ever since. The England international hit the ground running at the London Stadium, scoring once and assisting three times in three games for the Hammers, but could now miss their next game, with fans anxiously awaiting the results of a scan this week.

On top of that, according to reports in the Czech Republic, Vladimir Coufal has now picked up a small injury whilst on international duty, and is potentially a doubt for West Ham's top of the table clash against Manchester City.

The full-back has featured in all four Premier League games so far this season, meaning that, without him, Moyes' side may struggle to maintain their impressive unbeaten run. With that said, it's certainly been an international break to forget for the Hammers, although the full extent of Coufal's issue is not yet clear.

How has Vladimir Coufal performed this season?

Now 31-years-old, you'd be forgiven for assuming that Coufal's place in the West Ham side would be at risk this season. That has been anything but the case, however, as the Czech Republic international has started every league game for his side.

The stats show that he is more than earning his place in Moyes' plans this season, too. According to FBref, in four games, Coufal has made 11 progressive passes, five progressive carries, won six tackles, and made five blocks and interceptions. It has been an all-round performance from the right-back so far this season, warranting his reported salary of £52k-per-week.

At his best, Coufal has earned plenty of deserved praise, too, including from Jamie Carragher, who once named him in his Premier League Team of the Season.

Carragher said, via Football London: "At right-back I've gone for Vladimir Coufal, I love him. He plays week in, week out, has been brilliant and typifies West Ham's season."

Everything points towards a player that West Ham could do with having at their disposal against Manchester City, making his injury whilst on international duty all the more frustrating for Moyes and co, who may now need to find an adequate replacement.

Manchester United were rocked by news of Luke Shaw's cruel injury blow just a few days ago.

As a result of that, the Red Devils could turn their attention to the transfer market in order to solve such a problem.

When will Luke Shaw return from injury?

The club fear that the left-back's injury blow is now worse than they originally thought.

Indeed, Shaw has suffered a muscular injury and according to Manchester Evening News, he could now be out for up to two months, meaning we may well not see him in action again until late October.

United initially suggested that the England international would miss just weeks of action, rather than months.

Who could replace Luke Shaw at Man United?

Erik ten Hag is currently without a senior left-back with Shaw's understudy, Tyrell Malacia also currently nursing an injury.

One idea could be to move Lisandro Martinez to a left-back berth but another option is to attack the transfer market before it closes on Friday evening.

According to Fabrizio Romano, one target is Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.

The journalist took to social media on Saturday evening to say: "Manchester United made contact with Chelsea to ask about conditions of Marc Cucurella deal on potential loan — no bid or concrete talks yet."

How good is Marc Cucurella?

Sadly the answer is not very. The Spaniard burst onto the Premier League scene with Brighton where his electric displays down the left flank were captivating.

Indeed, during the 2021/22 campaign, Cucurella ranked inside the best 14% of left-backs in the Premier League for progressive carries and the top 12% of positionally similar players for progressive passes, as per FBref.

Only 10% of left-backs completed more passes and more passes into the final third than the now 25-year-old who was playing for Brighton at the time.

Fast forward to the current day and the 5 foot 8 full-back is now a "liability" at Chelsea, as reporter Josh Bunting put it.

The 2022/23 term saw Cucurella rank among the best 55% of full-backs for progressive carries and the top 39% for progressive carries. That is some regression and indicative of the woeful spell he has endured at Stamford Bridge.

Defensively he has been rather inept, ranking inside the best 74% for interceptions and best 77% for percentage of dribblers tackled.

Seemingly now error-stricken at the back and lacking in attacking capabilities, this would mark another poor deal for Ten Hag and co.

Only in January did they opt for the short-term option in Wout Weghorst and we all know how that went.

As Cristiano Ronaldo took his leave and Man United failed to find an adequate replacement, the Dutchman was brought in on a temporary basis.

However, after failing to score in all 17 of his Premier League appearances for the club, it's safe to say the move was a disaster.

United do need a left-back, that much is true, but a short-term option for a player as out of form and out of favour as Cucurella would do them no favours. Indeed, it could be another repeat of their Weghorst disaster.

The club's recruitment team are better off searching for alternatives here.

The umpires took the players off 19 minutes before scheduled stumps on day three because of concerns over their safety, but after a meeting between the match referee and the two captains, it has been decided to resume play as scheduled on day four

Sidharth Monga and Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg26-Jan-2018The Wanderers Test will continue as scheduled on day four. There was uncertainty over the future of the match when umpires took the players off 19 minutes before scheduled stumps on day three because of concerns over their safety on a spicy pitch. The pitch has had exaggerated bounce and seam right from the start of the match, but on day three various batsmen copped blows to their bodies against balls kicking up off a good length.The ball that finally prompted the umpires to halt play was one from Jasprit Bumrah that hit Dean Elgar in the grille of the helmet. The two captains then met the match referee. India made it clear they wanted to continue playing, and South Africa didn’t express a preference either way but said they would continue playing if the match referee deemed the pitch safe to play on.The match officials first had a conversation regarding the pitch with the teams during the tea break on day three, when it was expressed to the two managers that the new ball could behave dangerously. The decision to take players off was the umpires’. The match referee was then briefed, and he consulted both the captains.The protocol is to continue only if both the captains agree to play on. If the decision is not to play, then it is seen if the pitch can be repaired without – in the view of the match referee – disadvantaging any side. There will be no repairs on this pitch except for the customary light roller at the start of the day’s play. A light roller was used on the pitch on day three too.The ICC later sent out a statement via Twitter, confirming an on-time start on day four:”The on-field umpires, in consultation with the match referee, and after speaking with both the captains and groundsmen, have decided that the Johannesburg Test will resume on time on Saturday. The on-field umpires will continue to monitor the pitch, and consult the match referee should the pitch deteriorate further. The welfare of the players is paramount and two of the most experienced match officials are in charge of the game and will take appropriate decisions.”Play on Friday was suspended shortly before scheduled close because the on-field umpires wanted to consult the match referee regarding the condition of the pitch.”

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to sign a new star centre-forward before the summer transfer window slams shut in one week, having sold pre-eminent talisman Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for £100m this month.

New manager Ange Postecoglou has kicked things off impressively in the Premier League however, drawing away to Brentford before beating Manchester United 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Moves have been made this summer, with James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario joining the club while Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro's loan moves have been made permanent, but a new talisman is still required.

What's the latest on Santiago Gimenez to Tottenham?

Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez has been on Tottenham's radar this summer – according to the player's agent, Morris Pagniello – with claims that the Lilywhites have met with the player's entourage and were ready to lodge a €40m (£34m) offer.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Pagniello stated that there is still time left on the market, and while the 22-year-old forward is contented with the Dutch champions, this could be one to keep an eye on as the window approaches the business end.

How good is Santiago Gimenez?

The Argentina-born Mexico international has been in fine fettle over in the Netherlands, having netted 28 goals across all competitions last term as Feyenoord gleaned the Dutch league title.

The 18-cap ace was described as "on fire" by talent scout Jacek Kulig earlier in 2023 as he fired in goals like a fusillade of missiles, and with such impressive goalscoring feats, he has arrested the attention of the Tottenham hierarchy.

Indeed, Gimenez ranks among the top 3% of forwards in the Men's 'Next Eight' divisions over the past year for goals, the top 5% for total shots and the top 1% for touches in the attacking area per 90, as per FBref.

Dirk Kuyt has certainly been coloured impressed by his performances, even going as far as to say that he is the "best" striker in the Netherlands.

He said:

“He’s back here in the middle of the defenders and he’s really fast,"

"Watching the keeper before he shoots, the rest. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the Eredivisie."

Gimenez is not completely similar to Kane in terms of style, giving that he serves as the quintessential focal frontman at the tip of the attack.

Kane, while one of the most frightening goalscorers in Europe – he scored 32 goals for the Lilywhites last term – is also one of the most creative attackers around, ranking among the top 10% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions and the top 4% for progressive passes per 90.

The latter metric indicates a tendency to drop deep and influence the play by placing passes through the thirds, splitting the line and allowing his box-crashing teammates to latch onto his ball.

Gimenez wouldn't offer that kind of threat, after all, he created only 0.6 key passes per game in the Eredivisie last year, but he would be able to provide the kind of cutting edge that would be shades of Kane.

And anyway, Maddison's arrival has signalled a newfound layer of supplementation from the centre, with the playmaker having already provided two assists this year, creating four key passes per game, so deploying a striker such as Gimenez could prove to be a resounding success.

Postecoglou must make sure Kane is replaced over the next week, and while that is certainly a tall order, Gimenez's prolificness could at least ease that burden in N17.

Though the ECB had picked the allrounder in the squad, the board had said the selection was dependent on the conclusion of the police investigation into the incident outside a club in Bristol

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2017Allrounder Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from England’s ODI squad for the series in Australia, and batsman Dawid Malan was named his replacement.Stokes is still waiting to hear if he will be charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for his role in an incident outside a club in Bristol, and although England had picked him in their ODI squad in the first week of December, the ECB said his selection was dependent on the outcome of the police investigation.”Ben Stokes will not travel with the group of players leaving the UK on 2 January, pending CPS advice on the incident in Bristol in September,” the ECB said. “Should ECB receive formal confirmation that he has either, a) been charged or, b) will face no charges, the ECB Board would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability to represent England at that stage.”The incident – which also involved England batsman Alex Hales, who was not charged by police and therefore cleared for ODI selection – cost Stokes his place in the side for the last two ODIs against West Indies at the end of the English summer, and the ongoing Ashes in Australia. There has been no update on whether Stokes will be charged or not since.Stokes was arrested in September on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm then released on bail. Avon and Somerset police completed their investigation into the incident in November and passed a file on to the CPS for advice on whether he should be charged. The police also confirmed that a 27-year-old man suffered a fractured eye socket in the incident, which occurred outside the Mbargo nightclub in the Clifton area of Bristol in the early hours of the morning after England’s one-day international against West Indies on September 25.Stokes returned to competitive action by playing for Canterbury in the domestic one-day and T20 competitions in New Zealand in December, for which he was granted a no-objection certificate by the ECB.His involvement, or otherwise, with England has overshadowed much of the winter. Having been initially named in the Ashes squad a few days after his arrest, footage was released by a newspaper appearing to show Stokes throwing a series of punches at a man in the street. England subsequently said he would not be considered for selection until investigations were complete.Both Stokes and Hales will have to face an ECB disciplinary hearing, whether or not the police press charges. The ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison, recently suggested it could take six months to a year to resolve the situation if Stokes is charged, although he added that the board would not prevent him from playing in competitions such as the IPL in the meantime, while he is out of the England set-up.Without Stokes, England have faced difficulty balancing their Test side and relinquished the Ashes after falling 3-0 behind in Perth – although they did end their run of defeats in Australia by having the better of a drawn Boxing Day Test.Malan has been one of England’s better-performing players during the Ashes, making his maiden Test hundred at the WACA. He has yet to be capped in 50-over cricket but impressed on T20 debut during the summer, when he was Man of the Match against South Africa. His call-up in place of Stokes is expected to be confirmed in the next 24 hours.The ODI series begins in Melbourne on January 14, after which England and Australia will play a T20I tri-series involving New Zealand. England will then embark on their tour of New Zealand, taking in another five ODIs and two Tests.