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James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been called up for the second Test against South Africa after Ravi Bopara was ruled out for what the ECB said were ‘personal issues’.

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2012James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been called up for the second Test against South Africa at Headingley after Ravi Bopara was ruled out because of what the ECB said were ‘personal issues’.The first match at The Oval marked Bopara’s return to the Test line-up after nearly a year out of the team but he struggled, making 0 and 22. He was due to play in Essex’s CB40 match against Worcestershire on Sunday but also withdrew from that that and this latest development brings a halt to another attempt to establish himself in the Test line up.Taylor, who played one ODI against Ireland last year, will enter the match in good form after making a century against Sussex in the current round of Championship matches, although before that innings he had a lean season in four-day cricket with one half-century in nine matches. However, he had scored a century for England Lions against the West Indians earlier this season.Taylor was preferred ahead of Jonny Bairstow, who played the three Tests against West Indies in place of an injured Bopara, and Somerset’s Nick Compton, the lead run-scorer in the Championship.Speaking after the second day against Sussex, before news of his call up, he said: “My ultimate ambition has always been to play Test cricket and my plan at the start of the season was to try to establish myself here and win games for Nottinghamshire, to keep knocking at the door and hope that when an opportunity did arise with England I would have enough runs behind me that they couldn’t not pick me.”I always expected to score runs because I know I can but it has been good to play against first division bowling attacks and on difficult wickets. I feel good about the way things are going at the moment.”Taylor is the only change to the 13-man squad after the innings-and-12-run defeat in the opening Test at The Oval, although question marks remain over the make up of the bowling attack after England took just two wickets in 189 overs. Steven Finn and Graham Onions, who both played Championship cricket this week, are the other options should the selectors decide on a change.The most vulnerable of the pace bowlers appears to be Tim Bresnan, although he would bring local knowledge on his home ground and can bowl long spells. Stuart Broad was below his best at The Oval but it is unlikely that England will considering leaving him out, after showing faith in him during previous slips in form.Finn took six wickets against Durham at Chester-le-Street while, by the start of the third day, Onions had four. Both played against West Indies at Edgbaston when England rotated their pace attack and Finn showed excellent form against Australia in the one-day series.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “We were outplayed during the first Test last week but it is important that this squad regroups and focuses on preparing for the second Test. This is a talented squad with plenty of international experience and they will be determined to improve on the performance during the first Test.”We have made one change to the squad with James Taylor replacing Ravi Bopara, who is unavailable for selection due to personal reasons. James has been part of the England Performance Programme for a number of years and has performed consistently for England Lions and now has an opportunity to step up and experience the Test environment.”Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions

Doug Bollinger insists he and Michael Hussey will be prepared for the first Test against India starting on Friday, despite having only just joined the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Doug Bollinger insists he and Michael Hussey will be prepared for the first Test against India starting on Friday, despite having only just joined the squad. The pair flew in to Chandigarh on Tuesday, having helped Chennai Super Kings to a Champions League triumph on Sunday in Johannesburg.Their Australian team-mates have adjusted to the conditions with a warm-up game but Bollinger and Hussey have only two days of net sessions to get themselves up to speed. However, India are in a similar situation, with MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and M Vijay also having made the last-minute dash to Chandigarh from South Africa.”We’ll be right to go, we’ve got a good couple of days of training coming up and we’ll look after ourselves and we’ll be fine,” Bollinger told AAP. “We’re a little bit tired, it’s been a long flight, but we’re good and we’ll just chill out for a couple of days and make sure we’re right to go.”Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke spoke of players putting their country before other competitions, but said it was a positive that the two men had been playing tough cricket in South Africa. Hussey is a well-travelled cricketer and he believes it is possible for him and Bollinger to be in good shape for the Test.”It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we can do, we’ll just make sure we’re really smart the next couple of days and get ourselves prepared as best we can,” Hussey said. “I’m sure we’ve got good background staff and they’ll get us in the best possible shape to get going for Friday.”We’ve been playing cricket and training every other day, so it’s not like we’re coming in underdone or anything like that, we’ve got plenty of cricket behind us, obviously it’s a totally different format but it’s a mental adjustment as much as anything. The next couple of days we’ve got to get the head right and get thinking more Test match cricket.”Bollinger is likely to form part of a three-man pace attack with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus for the first Test. Hussey will slot back into the No. 5 position he occupied during the Test series against Pakistan in July, when Clarke was promoted to No. 4.

England captain named Player of the Match after putting himself through 24 overs in India’s second innings at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-20252:32

Stokes: I was going to decide when I stop bowling

Ben Stokes, England’s captain, admitted he had taken himself to some “dark places” with his bowling workloads but said “nothing was stopping” him as he embarked on two lengthy spells to help drag his side to a 22-run victory over India on the final day at Lord’s.Stokes was named Player of the Match after taking five wickets across 44 overs – the third-most he has bowled in a Test, and the most since 2019 – to go with innings of 44 and 33 with the bat, as well as the crucial run-out of Rishabh Pant in India’s first innings.On the third evening, he received an instruction from England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, to call it quits after a seven-over spell, with the team management still wary about protecting Stokes’ fitness after hamstring surgery over the winter.Related

• Jofra Archer: 'I will do everything in my power to be on plane to Australia'

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• Six years on from World Cup glory, Stokes and Archer light up Lord's again

• Bashir ruled out of last two England vs India Tests

• Stokes' magic is spread thin by responsibility, and yet it endures

But he again pushed his body to the limit on Monday, resuming his over from the previous evening and bowling a further 9.2 overs during the morning, which included the wicket of India opener KL Rahul. He followed up with a ten-over spell after lunch, eventually dislodging Jasprit Bumrah after a dogged 35-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja for the ninth wicket, as England sought to confirm victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.The Lord’s Test was also the second of back-to-back matches, with just a three-day turnaround from India’s win at Edgbaston, where Stokes bowled 26 overs. In the first Test, at Headingley, he sent down 35 overs and spoke afterwards about how hard it was to recover.”I have taken myself to some pretty dark places before. Today was… but look, bowling to win a Test match, if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what does,” he said, speaking to Sky Sports at the post-match presentation.”With what today was, what was on the line. Yesterday [Saturday] was a bit different. You know, there was still more cricket to be played. And, you know, pulled myself off there. I mean, to be honest, I was absolutely cooked [on day three] as well. But again, today, you know, game was on the line. Nothing was stopping me [carrying on].”Ben Stokes appeals for KL Rahul’s wicket•Getty Images

Although Stokes hinted at a return to form with the bat, Lord’s extended his run without a Test fifty to ten innings. He is now averaging 29.18 in 20 Tests since his last hundred, at Lord’s during the 2023 Ashes, but said that his ability to impact games with the ball meant he had little time to dwell on his batting returns.”I’m an allrounder. I get four opportunities in a Test match to be able to influence the game. And one of the great things about being an allrounder is that if one thing doesn’t quite click, you’ve got an opportunity with the other. And that’s how I look at it.”Obviously, I would like to be scoring more runs at the moment, but as soon as I’ve got my whites on out there on the field, all my thoughts flip over to bowling. And that’s the great thing about being an allrounder, that you don’t really have a chance to sort of worry about anything. And everyone knows, I’ll always put in as much as I possibly can.”Jofra Archer took two crucial wickets in his opening spell•Getty Images

Stokes offered particular praise for Jofra Archer, playing in his first Test since 2021. Archer claimed match figures of 5 for 105 in a display of sustained hostility that regularly pushed the speed gun above 90mph/145kph. On day five, six years on from his heroics in the ODI World Cup final, he made the first breakthrough with the key wicket of Pant, and Stokes said he had backed Archer to do something special.”Yeah, part of the reason I went with Jof this morning, six years ago now to the day. He played a major role and I had a feeling he’d do something special and crack the game open. A bit of discussion, Brydon [Carse] had an amazing spell [last night], but I had a gut feeling that Jof’s going to do something in his first game back.”Speaking afterwards to Sky, Archer said that the long periods he experienced in rehab due to back and elbow problems between 2021 and 2024 were made all the more worthwhile by the taste of victory at Lord’s.As well as his involvement in the World Cup final, when he bowled the Super Over as England’s men lifted the trophy for the first time, Archer made his Test debut on the ground during the 2019 Ashes. However, he had not played a Test since February 2021 before his comeback against India, enduring a four-year absence from red-ball cricket while road-testing his body in the limited-overs formats.0:55

Manjrekar: Stokes always makes things happen

“I only played one other Test at Lord’s, but you know, the last one was just as special as this one,” Archer said. “A lot of rehab, a lot of training, but it’s moments like this that make everything worth it.”I feel the hardest part is playing cricket for the last year-and-a-half and then still having training, talking about workloads, and ‘bowl today, don’t bowl tomorrow’, stuff like that. That would probably be the hardest part, because some days you think that you’re ready, but you never know if you’re ready or not until you do it. But the safer way is the best way. So I’m not too fussed. This surely, surely is worth it.”On day two, Archer struck with his third ball on returning to the Test side, having India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal caught at second slip, and celebrated by sprinting away to square leg, where he was enveloped by his team-mates.”Guess I was a little bit emotional,” he said. “It was a long journey. I can’t tell you the amount of keyboard warriors that I had to put up with for the last three to four years as well. I told myself that I was going to try my best not to be [emotional] and when [Jaiswal] nicked it, and it went to Brooky [Harry Brook], I think all of that just went through the window. The joy, the whole crowd, the Long Room yesterday, I’ve never seen it like that ever in my life. So it’s just moments like this that made the rehab all so much worth it.”Archer also revealed what was behind his send-off for Pant on the final day, having removed the batter’s off stump from the ground. “It wasn’t a proud moment,” he said. “I just told him to charge that. Honestly, this morning, I was struggling a little bit, the ball just kept coming out full. One of the full ones, he just charged, and it p****d me off a bit. When the [wicket] ball nipped down the slope, honestly I was so grateful for that.”

Shardul Thakur throws spotlight on crammed Ranji Trophy schedule after hitting game-changing ton against Tamil Nadu in semi-final

Shashank Kishore03-Mar-2024India allrounder Shardul Thakur has called for longer breaks between Ranji Trophy games to facilitate better recovery and preparation for players, keeping in mind the lengthy nature of the competition. Mumbai, for example, would’ve played 10 first-class games in under 10 weeks should they reach the final.Shardul termed the current schedule – where teams have had just three days between games – as “difficult” with schedules getting “tighter and tighter.””If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country,” he said after hitting a maiden first-class century to rescue Mumbai from 106 for 6, as they went on to open up a 207-run lead with one wicket remaining.”Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it, and give more [of a] break. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, good seven to eight years back, [the] first three games used to have [a] three-day break, and then it was [a] four-day break, and knockouts were played [with] five-day breaks.”With the IPL window only getting bigger, the BCCI has had to force-fit all senior men’s competitions over a smaller window than usual. This has led to several prominent first-class cricketers lamenting privately about the relevance of tournaments such as the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, the zonal first-class and one-day competitions, which open the domestic season.Injuries aside, teams have also had to grapple with travel fatigue because of this short window. Gujarat, for example, had their flight to New Delhi cancelled the following day after their home fixture against Karnataka in Ahmedabad.Then on the second day, their onward flight to Delhi was delayed, and when they finally arrived in the capital, they were stranded in the airport overnight. It meant driving amid heavy fog to Chandigarh on the third morning which left them with no net sessions prior to the game, which was eventually fogged out.”Now this year, we have seen that all the games have been played [with a] three-day gap. It is extremely tough on domestic players to expect them to play ten games in a row with just three-day gap if [a] team makes it to the finals.”Also, when nine teams were in the group [in the old format], one team would get a break in [the] round-robin system. Now with only eight teams being in one group, everyone plays each other, so that [extra] break has gone now.”Thakur cited Mumbai’s example, while explaining how it was particularly gruelling on fast bowlers. “Yeah, 100% because Mohit [Avasthi] also had an injury in the sixth game.” Avasthi was rested by Mumbai from the league stage contest against Chhattisgarh, believed to have developed a hamstring-related issue.”He played five games in a row. He had a huge workload because Tushar [Deshpande] was also selected for India A,” Thakur said. “He was not available. Dhawal [Kulkarni] was playing alternate games looking at his age and workload. Royston [Dias] is fairly new.”He [Mohit] operated a lot in those first five games, and then he had an injury so he had to miss a game. I think that is because there is not enough spacing between the games.”Tamil Nadu captain and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who has led his side into Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time in seven years while also crossing the 50-wicket mark this season, agreed with Thakur.”A few players feel the same thing,” Sai Kishore said. “Fast bowlers are extra tired because you travel on one day. For me, I don’t train much because of the three-day thing. I bowl directly match-to-match, so the load on my body is fine. I don’t strain myself in training pre-match. I am managing myself that way, but it should be harder for the fast bowlers.”

Rahul Dravid has been included in the MCC side to play County Champions Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2011

Rahul Dravid has been included in the MCC side to play County Champions Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi as the English domestic season again begins in the warmer climate of Abu Dhabi. Dravid will be joined by England wicketkeeper Steven Davies and the side will be led by former Australia opener Chris Rogers who has joined Middlesex.Other notable inclusions for the four-day game at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium which, as in 2010, will be played under floodlights using a pink ball, are the Afghanistan pair of Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi who are former MCC Young Cricketers. The former England fast bowler Simon Jones was originally selected, but had to withdraw through injury.Sourav Ganguly will replace Dravid, who is also part of MCC’s world cricket committee, for a Twenty20 event which follows the four-day match and also features Nottinghamshire, Durham and a Fly Emirates XI.Nottinghamshire meanwhile have named a 15-man squad for the trip. New signing Ben Phillips and academy graduates Jake Ball and Scott Elstone are amongst the group although Andre Adams, Darren Pattinson and Adam Voges won’t travel as they complete their domestic duties in the southern hemisphere.Andy Carter is the other notable absentee following his call to join the England Lions tour but Chris Read, Samit Patel, Paul Franks and Mark Wagh will all travel.”It’s an honour to be involved and the facilities and opportunities that will be provided for us in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are exceptional,” said Nottinghamshire’s acting director of cricket, Wayne Noon. “There are places up for grabs although we have a firm idea of the core of our side and one or two players will probably find themselves in the team at the start of the season based on the form they show in the meantime.”The floodlit match will continue MCC’s role in developing a ball that can be used for day/night first-class cricket and ultimately Test matches and includes modifications from the 2010 version. Last year there was criticism about the green seam but that has now been replaced by white stitching which the developers, Kookaburra, believe will make the ball more successful.While Nottinghamshire and the county-based MCC players will get valuable pre-season practice during the game it is prospect of floodlit Test cricket that remains a priority. “The fixture also provides a perfect platform for us to conduct valuable research to aid the development of the world game,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “In 2010 while the Melbourne Ashes Test attracted near record crowds, the contest between the top two ranked sides – South Africa and India in Durban – recorded ticket sales of less than 15 percent of the total sold at the MCG.”We felt that we got some very positive results from the first day-night Champion County match last year, and hope that this evidence will soon translate into day-night Test cricket, which should help to re-invigorate the five-day game.”MCC squad Chris Rogers (capt), Stephen Moore, Rahul Dravid (four-day only), Stephen Peters, Dawid Malan, Mohammad Nabi, Steven Davies, Hamid Hassan, Gary Keedy, Paul Muchall, Steve Kirby, Toby Roland-Jones, Sourav Ganguly (T20 only), Omar Ali (12th man)Nottinghamshire squad Ali Brown, Jake Ball, Neil Edwards, Scott Elstone, Luke Fletcher, Paul Franks, Alex Hales, Steven Mullaney, Akhil Patel, Samit Patel, Ben Phillips, Chris Read (capt & wk), Charlie Shreck, Mark Wagh, Graeme White

The PCB has expressed its support for the process followed by the ICC tribunal that ended with Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir receiving bans of 10, 7 and 5 years respectively for spot-fixing, calling the sanctions “regrettable and a sad reality which must be faced”.”The time from August last when spot-fixing came to light, has been an extremely painful one for Pakistan cricket,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said. “I now hope that this unfortunate saga is put to rest and we can concentrate on cricket. We will continue to work with ICC on this sensitive matter in future also. We will also see how we can help the three players with their education and rehabilitation program.”The PCB also reiterated its commitment to dealing with the threat of corruption. “Like all my colleagues in the ICC I am determined to maintain the integrity of our sport,” Ijaz Butt said. “This is fundamental.”Under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code, the players can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) within 21 days of the verdict, something Amir has already said he plans to do.Butt, who was captain during the series in England, received the maximum sentence but one charge against him – of batting out a maiden over during the Oval Test – was dismissed. However, he was found to have not disclosed an approach by Mazhar Majeed that he should bat the maiden over. The other charges that were upheld relate to the subsequent Lord’s Test, where Amir and Asif were found to have bowled deliberate no-balls and Butt was penalized for being party to that.The PCB initially provided the three players with legal support and refused to suspend them, eventually compelling the ICC to do so. That sparked another war of words between Butt and the ICC, the former claiming the latter had acted with undue haste as the police investigation was ongoing. Matters took a bizzare twist when Butt claimed there was “loud and clear talk” of England’s players taking money to lose an ODI this summer. He was forced to apologise for that statement after the ECB threatened legal action and the whole affair prompted some within the ICC to consider the possibility of suspending Butt from his ICC directorship.The ICC subsequently told the PCB that “it must act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero-tolerance attitude to corruption in sport”, and the board was given 30 days to conduct a thorough and far-reaching review of their “player integrity issues”, which it did to the satisfaction of the ICC.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has urged Tottenham Hotspur to battle it out for the signature of Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry, despite a winger not being a ‘priority’ in the summer.

The Lowdown: Impressive form

The 26-year-old, who first arrived at the Allianz Arena from Werder Bremen in 2017, has just one year remaining on his current contract and has been scintillating for the Bundesliga outfit this season, scoring 16 goals and registering ten assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Such form has seen him catch the eye of Antonio Conte, who – according to the Daily Star just last month – is pushing for the Lilywhites to pursue a cut-price deal for the German, but they are set to face serious competition from Real Madrid.

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The Latest: Kulusevski alternative

When asked for his thoughts on the possibility of Spurs pulling off a move for the 31-cap Germany international, Robinson told Football Insider:

“Gnabry is a world-class player. If he is to leave Bayern Munich you would like to think that Spurs are in the hunt for him.

“It is going to be a big summer for Spurs. A lot will depend on whether Harry Kane stays at the club, which I hope he does.

“I’d question whether Gnabry would get into the Tottenham team ahead of Son, Kane and Kulusevski right now. He’d be competition for Kulusevski but I don’t think that position is a priority at the moment.

“That level of player is what you want Spurs to be signing though.”

The Verdict: Would Gnabry have a place at Spurs?

The £63m-rated talisman has proven to be a brilliant attacking threat for Bayern this term, where he is currently averaging two shots, 1.9 dribbles, and 1.4 key passes per league game (via WhoScored), showing just how prolific he can be in the final third.

Once dubbed an “unbelievable” player by ex-Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Gnabry will already be used to life in the Premier League, having previously had a spell with Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal, so he could be tempted to make the transition back into English football should the right offer arise.

As Robinson stated, though, it might be tough for Gnabry to get into the Spurs team ahead of the likes of Kulusevski, who has become a pivotal player in recent weeks. There seems little doubt that the German will want to be in the starting XI consistently rather than occupying a place on the bench, so the best option for him could be to stay at Bayern if he desires plenty of game-time.

In other news… one journalist has reacted to recent behind-the-scenes ‘doubts’ at Tottenham

يواصل الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم سعيه لتوفير كل سبل الراحة من أجل مساعدة الجهاز الفني لمنتخب مصر الأولمبي بقيادة روجيرو ميكالي.

ويستعد منتخب مصر الأولمبي لمواجهة نظيره الزامبي في المرحلة الأخيرة من التصفيات المؤهلة إلى نهائيات كأس أمم إفريقيا تحت 23 عامًا.

فينجادا: بعد الفوز على بلجيكا.. منتخب مصر أثبت أنه قوي مع فيتوريا

وعلم “بطولات” أن اتحاد الكرة أنهى إجراءات استقدام أسر مساعدي ميكالي إلى القاهرة من أجل الإقامة في مصر.

وجاء ذلك بناءً على رغبة المساعدين والتي نقلوها لميكالي وبدوره تحدث عنها مع اتحاد الكرة الذي استجاب للأمر.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه منتخب مصرالأولمبي نظيره الزامبي في مباراتي الذهاب والإياب، بشهر مارس المقبل.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek wants to fight for his place at Chelsea amid interest from Everton and a number of other clubs, The Daily Mail’s Adrian Kajumba reports.

The lowdown

Loftus-Cheek scored his first Chelsea goal in three years on Sunday as the Blues beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Wembley to secure a place in the FA Cup final.

The central midfielder came off the bench to replace an injured Mateo Kovacic, making his 32nd appearance of the season. He’s started 13 games across all competitions, playing just over 1,700 minutes in total.

Transfermarkt value the 25-year-old, who has two years left on his £150,000-per-week contract, at £18million.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand has described Loftus-Cheek as a ‘fantastic specimen’ and likened him to ‘Yaya Toure’ when he ‘gets in full pelt’.

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The latest

Kajumba writes that Loftus-Cheek hopes to remain at Stamford Bridge and ‘kick on’ after regaining confidence.

Clubs such as Everton, along with West Ham and Jose Mourinho’s Roma, have been keeping tabs on the Englishman.

Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell have weighed up making a move in the summer transfer window and offering him the chance to play more regular football.

The verdict

All hope is not lost yet for Everton. This is Loftus-Cheek’s plan for the moment, but that could change before the start of next season. He could yet be pushed further down the pecking order, with Conor Gallagher due to return from a successful loan spell at Palace.

Gallagher has notched an impressive eight goals and five assists and also earned a call-up to the England squad last month. If Loftus-Cheek faces even more competition, then perhaps his stance on moving away will change.

Plus, Lampard will surely be well-placed to capitalise if Chelsea do look to arrange a transfer. The 43-year-old is the club’s record goalscorer and tapped into that relationship to sign Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan when he was manager at Derby County.

In other news, Paul Brown has dropped a worrying EFC exit claim. 

West Brom have conceded their fourth defeat in five league games, with new manager Steve Bruce only picking up one point out of a possible nine, as his side took a 2-0 defeat yesterday away to Luton Town.

The Baggies were able to hold off their hosts in the first half, but despite dominating possession throughout the game, the side conceded two goals in the second half after Cameron Jerome and Allan Campbell found the back of the net to deny West Brom any chance of taking anything from the game.

The story of the season for Albion has been their inability to pose a clinical attacking threat in the final third, by wasting hundreds of chances over the last few months that has cost the side the opportunity to challenge for automatic promotion and now they are battling for a place in the play-off positions in the final months of the season.

One player who let down the team today was Adam Reach, who was relied upon to create chances, cause problems for the Luton defence and find the back of the net, all of which he completely failed to achieve throughout the game.

According to SofaScore, the West Brom winger failed to record a single shot on or off target, lost possession of the ball in every three of his 47 touches, made no attempts to dribble the ball, lost 60% of his duels and only completed 24 passes throughout his 90 minute performance.

In fact, it’s a surprise that Reach was picked for the starting eleven by the manager in the first place, considering the forward has played 26 games and registered not a single goal in the Championship this season, with 0.2 shots on target per game, it leaves a huge question mark over the manager’s judgement of the player.

The ex-Newcastle manager was clearly brought in to solve the issues that Valerien Ismael failed to resolve in his tenure, but it doesn’t seem that there are any improvements of note in the three league games that Bruce has taken charge of, which will surely be a huge frustration for the Baggies fans who were hoping a new manager could inspire change for the club.

West Brom have now fallen to 11th in the Championship table, with the side facing a huge challenge against 7th place Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening, and Bruce must identify the right players to assemble his attacking line quickly, with the current selection failing to respond effectively.

In other news: West Brom had transfer howler with Grady Diangana