At different stages during the Durban Test, Sri Lanka were on the mat, but they found ways to stand up and fight

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Feb-2019Having come straight from a disastrous tour of Australia, following another very poor one of New Zealand, all Sri Lanka had aimed to do in Durban was compete.Where in Brisbane and Canberra Sri Lanka had virtually been played out of the game by the end of the second day, they were much more tenacious at Kingsmead. At 90 for 5 in the first innings, in response to South Africa’s 235, Sri Lanka were in danger of giving up a lead of around 100, but the lower order battled hard to move to within 50 runs of the opposition.Sri Lanka also fought back with the ball in the second innings. At one stage South Africa were 295 runs ahead, with five wickets still in hand. But left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando and left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya combined to take the remaining wickets for just eight runs, to leave Sri Lanka with an imposing but not impossible target of 304 in the fourth innings.”I said in the beginning of the match that we needed to compete every session and every hour,” Dimuth Karunaratne said, following his first Test as Sri Lanka captain. “We weren’t so concerned about winning or losing, but we wanted to compete with them. In Australia, we never even had a chance to win. We didn’t compete. Here, we had a good first day, then we struggled to bat so well in the first session of the second day.”It’s not easy to win a game in South Africa. We’re a young side, and don’t have much experience. Only a few of us have traveled and played here before. But we kept coming back. We were in the game. On the last day we also had a good partnership between Kusal Perera and Dhananjaya, so we had faith. The bowlers did a really good job to stay there and support Kusal as well.”ALSO READ: Kusal Perera bats with body, heart and soul in innings of a lifetimeAlmost unarguably, the biggest of Sri Lanka’s comebacks came right at the end of the game, when No. 11 Vishwa joined Kusal Perera at the crease with 78 runs still to get – South Africa needing only the one wicket. Through a mix of good fortune, determination, and skill on the part of Perera, the pair saw Sri Lanka home, in the process breaking the record for the highest last-wicket stand in a successful chase.”We had belief that Kusal could do it, but the other thing was we needed someone to support him,” Karunaratne said. “When (No. 10) Kasun Rajitha got out, we knew we needed a few shots from Kusal. We never thought that we had the game in hand. But the dressing room thought that Kusal could do it, and we were excited when Vishwa was batting. I think Vishwa did a really good job. There were a lot of nerves.”The Kingsmead victory comes as a substantial relief for Sri Lanka, who had not won a single match, in any format, since late October. With selectors making wholesale changes to the side, and with coaching staff also being replaced, more than one player had privately suggested the Sri Lanka dressing room had been a tense environment over the past few weeks. A famous win, however, will help everyone loosen up, Karunaratne hoped.”The main thing is we need to relax. The boys need to enjoy themselves. When that happens, when you go out to the middle, you can perform well. For me, when I enjoy life, I have a clear mind when I go to bat. That’s what I told my teammates as well. The next match is on the 21st. We will practice and work hard, but at the same time we will enjoy and celebrate this win.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Em jogo válido pela 36ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, Palmeiras e Fortaleza se enfrentam neste domingo (14), às 18h15 (horário de Brasília), no Allianz Parque, em São Paulo.

Após disputar o Mundial de Clubes, no Qatar, Verdão muda a chave e volta suas atenções para o Brasileirão. Na sétima colocação com 53 pontos conquistados, o time vem de um empate coom o Botafogo por 1 a 1, em São Paulo. Já o Fortaleza ocupa o 15º lugar com 41 pontos, uma posição acima da zona do rebaixamento. Na última rodada, o Tricolor do Pici venceu o Vasco, no Ceará, por 3 a 0.

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>> Confira a classificação atualizada do Brasileirão e faça sua simulação
>>E se os participantes do BBB fossem clubes do Brasileirão? Veja comparações!

ABEL FERREIRA DEVE POUPAR JOGADORES APÓS MUNDIAL

Após viagem ao Qatar para a disputa do Mundial de Clubes da FIFA e desgaste obtido nos últimos jogos, o técnico Abel Ferreira deve realizar algumas mudanças para o Palmeiras encarar o Fortaleza no Allianz Parque.

O Verdão terá uma maratona de cinco jogos em 11 dias para encerrar a sua participação no Brasileirão, que, destes, duas partidas estão em atraso.

ROMARINHO E OSVALDO SÃO AS BAIXAS DO FORTALEZA

O atacante Romarinho, que está em tratamento de estiramento muscular na coxa esquerda, e Osvaldo, que possui lesão na virilha direita, são os desfalques para o Tricolor do Pici na partida deste domingo (14). O clube cearense ainda corre risco de rebaixamento.

Confira as informações de Palmeiras x Fortaleza

Data: 14 de Fevereiro de 2021
Horário: 18h15 (de Brasília)
Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo

Árbitro: Ricardo Marques Ribeiro (MG)
Assistentes: Guilherme Dias Camilo-MG e Celso Luiz da Silva-MG
VAR: Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira-MG, Marco Aurelio Augusto Fazekas Ferreira-MG e Ciro Chaban Junqueira-DF

Transmissão:
– TNT Sports (TV por assinatura);
– PREMIERE (pay-per-view para todo o Brasil, com narração de Luiz Carlos Jr., comentários de Carlos Eduardo Lino (por vídeo) e Paulo Nunes, Sandro Meira Ricci na Central do Apito e Marco Aurélio Souza nas reportagens);
– Tempo real do LANCE!
– Narração do Voz do Esporte no Facebook do L!

O assinante poderá assistir ao jogo online pelo EI PLUS e Premiere Play.

PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Mayke, Emerson Santos, Kuscevic e Renan; Patrick de Paula, Felipe Melo, Veiga e Scarpa; Breno Lopes e Willian. Técnico: Abel Ferreira

Desfalques: Gabriel Veron, Luan Silva e Wesley (machucados);
Pendurados: Breno Lopes, Kuscevic, Patrick de Paula, Felipe Melo, Esteves, Luan, Lucas Lima, Luiz Adriano, Abel Ferreira, Mayke, Rony, Gustavo Scarpa e Wesley;
Suspenso: Alan Empereur (terceiro amarelo);
Voltam de suspensão: Ninguém;

Fortaleza: Felipe Alves; Gabriel Dias, Paulão, Quintero, Bruno Melo; Felipe, Juninho; Luiz Henrique, David, Igor Torres, Wellington Paulista. Técnico: Enderson Moreira

Desfalques: Romarinho e Osvaldo (machucados);
Pendurados: Gabriel Dias, Tinga, João Paulo, Ronald, Bergson, David e Osvaldo;
Suspenso: Juninho (terceiro amarelo);
Voltam de suspensão: Ninguém;

The New Zealand way is to be humble, not talk big. They are now the No. 2 side in the Test rankings, but it’s difficult to get Kane Williamson to say anything more than “It’s great to have a somewhat settled squad”.They have one of the strongest pace attacks in the world, which can swing and seam the ball and can be very intimidating for oppositions, particularly in home conditions. They have a batting line-up of two A-listers and several more-than-competent supporting acts, whose runs have contributed enormously to recent wins. They have found a pack of spinners who are competing for spots. They have a standout wicketkeeper and are a brilliant fielding side.But there’s no chance of getting even one of them to act like a star.On Monday, Todd Astle and Ross Taylor acknowledged that it was the “Kiwi way” to be humble.0:18

ODI batting performance of the year: Ross Taylor, 181 not out v England

Williamson, too, wouldn’t be drawn to anything remotely close to boasting.”It’s great to have a somewhat settled squad,” he said. “Experience mixed with an element of youth. It has always been a strength of New Zealand cricket to have guys coming in. But in the last two or three years, the team has been fairly settled.”Allowing guys to feel like they belong, the core group very much feels like that. There are leaders in the group. It is a helpful thing to have this culture. With the old heads around, you can weather some of the bad days a little bit more and bring out the good ones. It is also important to do the groundwork every day you turn up.”Williamson said the team’s focus has firmly been on cricket rather than the results or the frills that come with it.”It is something that you don’t focus on. You focus on the cricket. This year, there’s a little bit more Test cricket than last year,” he said.”You turn up in every game to play the best cricket. It ends there. In terms of results, rankings and how people view it, aren’t really focusses for us. You can look back fondly at the end of the season, but we have some tough cricket coming up.”For a change, though, it’s a three-Test series – against Bangladesh, starting in Hamilton on Thursday – and that has pleased Williamson.”I think we have had a number of two-match Test series, which ended up as one-all. Both sides are saying that it would have been great to have a decider. It is great to be involved in a three-match series,” he said.

Liam Plunkett says he has been studying the methods of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James, two world-beating athletes who have extended their peak years into their mid-30s, in a bid to stave off the advance of time and ensure that his dream of playing in a home World Cup isn’t kiboshed at the 11th hour.Despite being England’s outstanding white-ball seamer in the four years since his ODI recall in 2015, Plunkett, 34 next week, recognises that his form was not where it needed to be during a difficult winter campaign – one that included him missing the Sri Lanka ODIs in October after a late itinerary change caused a clash with his own pre-planned wedding.He came back into England’s starting XI for the ODI tour of the Caribbean in February, but in a series dominated by some eye-popping batting feats – not least from West Indies’ Chris Gayle – Plunkett finished the series with a solitary wicket at 133.00 in three innings.Admittedly, those figures did mask a vital defensive role in the remarkable third match in Grenada, where West Indies briefly threatened to hunt down a massive 419 for victory, but they nevertheless highlighted a worrying downward trend in Plunkett’s career trajectory.Since the 2015 World Cup, only three quick bowlers in world cricket have taken more ODI wickets than Plunkett’s 77 in 49 matches, and his strike rate of 29.4 has been especially impressive given that the bulk of his work is done in the middle overs, when the new balls have lost their shine and when teams have traditionally looked to consolidate ahead of a final surge.And yet, Plunkett’s recent returns have slipped from those heights – just 20 wickets in his last 15 completed matches, a period in which his pace has visibly dropped off as well, from an average speed of 84mph in 2017 (including slower balls) to 81mph 12 months later.And with Jofra Archer waiting in the wings since completing his England qualification – a fresher, younger paceman whose limited experience in 50-over cricket is offset by his limitless potential – Plunkett admits he is looking to the examples of two of the great athletes of modern times to rediscover his very best game.”You don’t want to go away from what works but you need to improve on that,” Plunkett said. “You’ve got your variations and that but my variations only work when I’m bowling late-80s [mph].”Do you need to get lighter as you get older to get that snap? That’s what I’ve tried to do over the last two months, to train different. I always feel like I’m in good shape but do you get lighter?”Reading articles about the best sportsmen, [the likes of] Ronaldo and LeBron James, they get lighter and they get more powerful. That’s something I’m working on, because I still want to run up and bowl 90mph.”I’m pretty much teetotal for the summer, because this is probably my last chance to play in the World Cup, and I’m looking at my rest and recovery, because sometimes you overtrain and when it comes to the game, you don’t always bowl as quick as you want, because you’ve burnt yourself out a little bit.”Liam Plunkett celebrates with Moeen Ali after dismissing John Campbell•Getty Images

If Plunkett is anxious about his status within the England team, he is masking it well.”I feel like I should be in that 15,” he said. “I feel like I’ve played well and been one of England’s best seamers in the last two or three years.”Since I got married in October, I’ve been in and out. I played a couple of games in the West Indies, then got a foot injury, but I felt like I’d just started to hit my straps in the T20s towards the end.”I’m hoping they’ll back me, because I feel like I’ve done a good job. I feel as fit as I’ve ever been, and I feel like my pace was coming back towards the end of that trip, so that’s why I’ve continued to bowl the last couple of weeks with Surrey.”As you get more rhythm, you strive for pace and that comes with bowling overs for me. I feel that’s something I’ve lacked, that feeling of being sore and stiff – the stiffness that comes as a reward from playing some good cricket. I’ve not had that for a while.”On the subject of Archer, he is phlegmatic. “He’s obviously a massive talent, but he’s not played that much one-day cricket himself. Reading the press, he might get a game against Pakistan [in May], but whatever happens, happens. The other bowlers can’t do anything about it. You just go back and try to perform for your county.”And that could be quite enough of a challenge in the immediate future for Plunkett, whose recent move from Yorkshire to Surrey came about in part due to his frustration at being overlooked in red-ball cricket, a form of the game from which he still says he gets the most satisfaction in victory.”I approached this like I’m an academy player,” Plunkett said. “That’s what I did when I went to Yorkshire. How do I learn? You know that people are trying to get in my place so I have to fight and play in every format. Like the England team, if you’re not performing [for Surrey], you’re not going to get picked. So you’ve got to perform every time.”It’s the biggest county in the league now, they obviously won the Championship last year. In terms of the set-up, it is hard to compare [with Yorkshire] but I just feel like this set-up is a lot more professional and the closest you’re going to get to playing international cricket.”I enjoyed my time at Yorkshire but when you come down here, you realise that the whole set-up is amazing. This club is massive now, and you’ve got to earn your place. You can’t expect to play just because you’ve played for England or done well in different places.”

Sunderland are thought to be showing an interest in an international defender, who could be available to sign for nothing this month.

Sunderland January plans

The Black Cats are starting to find their feet under Michael Beale following an opening 3-0 defeat to Coventry City. Three games unbeaten and back in the Championship playoff places, attention turns to the FA Cup this weekend against rivals Newcastle United.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

However, Sunderland also have the chance to bring in some new players this month, and Beale has hinted that although discussions are ongoing at the Stadium of Light.

"I think everyone is to-ing and fro-ing a little bit. There have been a lot of discussions going on but nothing concrete as yet so I wouldn't want to put a timeline on it and disappoint, or be accused of pulling the wool over people's eyes if it comes in a bit quicker. At the moment, though, there is nothing imminent."

The likes of Fulham forward Jay Stansfield and Bournemouth striker Kiefer Moore have emerged as targets in recent weeks, however, the club are also looking at defensive additions, which has led them abroad.

Sunderland want to sign Bohdan Mykhaylichenko

Sports Witness relayed a transfer update from Ukrainian reporter Ihor Burbas on left-back Bohdan Mykhaylichenko. He stated that Sunderland are “very interested” in the player, who could join on a free transfer, with current club Dinamo Zagreb willing to allow that to happen.

“I was once again bombarded with messages from Sunderland fans, who are really waiting for Bohdan Mykhaylichenko. Yes, indeed, he can become a partner of Rusyn. I have such information.

“The English [club] are very interested in strengthening the position of the left defender with the Ukrainian, to whom his current club Dinamo are ready to give the status of a free agent. I know that in addition to the Black Cats, there is interest from another Championship club.”

Mykhaylichenko began his career coming through the academy at Dynamo Kiev and has since gone on to turn out for a number of clubs.

Bohdan Mykhaylichenko career stats

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Dynamo Kyiv

2

0

0

Dinamo Zagreb

15

0

2

Stal Kamyanske

18

0

2

Shakhtar Donetsk

32

2

5

Zorya Lugansk

63

3

4

RSC Anderlecht

51

1

2

Primarily a left-back who can also play as a right-back or as a left midfielder, the Ukraine international has even played in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League in recent seasons.

The 26-year-old has been in the media for the wrong reasons during his career, though, with head coach Sergei Jakirovic kicking the player out of the squad after a defeat last year.

"After the defeat against Balkani in Pristina, I decided to kick out Mykhailichenko. The public thinks I did it because of his play, but it's not true because then I would have kicked out 10 other players. If you go into the changing room after the match and the first thing you do is to take off your trousers and take your phone in your hands, you speak lightly… I'm angry about the defeat, half the players are misbehaving. Well, so you're only there physically, but your thoughts are elsewhere, and I think we don't need players like that. I think that they underestimate Dynamo."

The France international playmaker was superb at his best, but a real handful at his worst. He will never be forgotten in east London, though…

Dimitri Payet has gone down in history as one of the finest, most skilful players to ever grace the West Ham shirt. A brilliant, mercurial playmaker with the skill to thread the needle, as well as the dip in his shoulder to beat a man in the centre of the pitch, not only was he integral to the success of Slaven Bilic’s Hammers, he earned plaudits from across Europe.

During his time in east London, he was both West Ham’s best player and eventually a Ballon d’Or nominee – capping a rise that began on the island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean.

What perhaps isn't known is that he had a false start to his career, having been snapped up by Le Havre, who had an existing relationship with his club in Reunion, Saint-Pierroise. He spent four years there as a youth player, but he was accused of a lack of motivation and professionalism, and subsequently returned to the island to play for Excelsior.

It would not be the last time that Payet had his attitude and behaviour called into question; as gifted and talented as he is, it is fair to say that he has left under a cloud at more than one club. A tortured genius, perhaps, but at his best, the attacking midfielder was not just worth indulging; he was worth building an entire team around.

• Getty Images
  

  Comeback kid

  Even Payet admits that his return to Reunion came about because he “wasn’t an easy person to handle”, and he felt that his dreams of a professional career were in tatters. Not only had he struggled to adjust to life in France, but he was also small, and his youth coaches felt he was simply too weak to play in the top-flight.

  When he played for Excelsior, Reunion’s best team, he stood out, but one report claims that Nantes only happened upon him by chance. A scout visited the island for a seminar and happened to see Payet playing while he was there. He insisted that the player be brought with him to France, and Nantes struck a deal.

  Having gone through with the move, Payet starred briefly in a documentary about young players on the up, and his time at Nantes came with no end of difficulties, as he had a public row with Manchester United legend Fabien Barthez and could not save his side from relegation.

  Their going down allowed him to demand a transfer, and Saint-Etienne were interested, striking a deal for £4m, but again they were almost relegated to Ligue 2, with Payet’s main contribution being a staggering loss of control in which he headbutted his team-mate Blaise Matuidi.

  But he was playing at the top level, and across 148 appearances for the club, he contributed 57 goals, either scoring or assisting.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  'Next Eden Hazard'

  After a 13-goal season in 2010-11, Lille took a punt on Payet. They had just lost Eden Hazard to Chelsea and Payet, both in terms of his profile and his ego, fitted like a glove as a replacement. Nineteen goals and 31 assists add up to 50 goal contributions in 95 appearances, at a rate of a contribution every 0.52 games; Hazard’s average was one every 0.53 games.

  One superb effort against Reims was illustrative of Payet’s quality; he took the ball 40 yards from goal, ran forward, shimmied, and unleashed a drive into the top corner. Solo talent and a piledriver of a finish.

  He was voted into the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, having finally taken the mantle of main man, and bet on himself when he joined Marseille for a fee of around £10m and from there, he eventually hit unforeseen heights.

  A middling first season led to a second in which he registered 21 assists and scored seven goals. Only two players had as many assists that season in Europe's top-five leagues: Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne.

• Magic tricks in east London

  It was in 2015, upon his move to West Ham, when Payet exploded into the consciousness of a global audience, as he became the main man at a club playing in the biggest league in the world.

  His age – Payet was 28 when he moved to England – meant the Hammers did not face the competition they might have done had he been a couple of years younger, and they were able to snaffle him up from Marseille for just £10m. Payet said upon his arrival that he had “been given a lot of responsibility”, and he paid it back in spades.

  In 2015-16, Payet was one of the Premier League’s best players; he scored nine goals and registered 12 assists in just 30 games, and some of them were truly outrageous.

  His free-kick against Crystal Palace is arguably the greatest set-piece in modern English top-flight history; on the edge of the box, he hit the ball so hard, and with such dip, that it appeared to be heading over the crossbar until the very last moment, when it suddenly nestled in the top corner. It was as much a goal as it was a magic trick.

  That wasn't his only brilliant goal of the game, either, as Payet followed it up by sitting goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey down before chipping the ball into the back of the net having been sent clean through.

  The season ended with West Ham's final game at Upton Park, and Payet played a key role, as the Irons beat Manchester United, with the France international providing the cross for Winston Reid’s winning goal.

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• Euros icon

  During his time with West Ham, Payert earned a call-up to France's Euro 2016 squad, and he was nothing short of brilliant. He scored three goals – the pick of which came in the tournament opener against Romania, as he unleased a sensational drive into the top corner with his weaker left foot – and provided three assists as Les Bleus reached the final on home soil.

  Playing primarily as a left winger, Payet's driving pace and penchant for the spectacular saw him become indispensable throughout the tournament, although it would ultimately end in disappointment, as the hosts were beaten by Portugal in the final.

MatériaMais Notícias

Destaque da Ponte Preta na Série B, o lateral Apodi renovou o seu contrato com o time de Campinas e tornou-se uma das lideranças do time para a temporada 2021.

+ União Flamengo e Corinthians rende memes na internet; veja os melhores

Ciente que o time precisa voar mais alto ao longo do ano, o jogador usa a sua experiência para cobrar os atletas do elenco.

+ Confira o ranking dos clubes brasileiros com mais participações na Libertadores

‘Sabemos que o futebol é dia a dia e jogo a jogo. Se você não se cobrar para estar cada vez melhor, a cobrança vai vir de uma forma diferente. Quando você se prepara bem, a chance de você jogar bem aumenta. A cobrança é para que você tenha muitos mais jogos bons do que ruins’, declarou na coletiva.

O primeiro jogo da Ponte Preta, de Apodi, acontece no próximo sábado, diante do Novorizontino, fora de casa.

Números

Aos 34 anos, Apodi vai para a segunda temporada na Macaca, onde já apresenta 50 jogos no currículo.

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Gary O’Neil will be pleased with the progress his Wolves side has made this season.

The Old Gold have shown a togetherness that allows them to play as a team rather than individuals, and that was on show against Brentford in the 1-1 FA Cup draw last weekend.

Despite being 11th in the Premier League, the Wanderers will look to strengthen their squad in January.

Wolves transfers latest – striker hunt at Molineux

According to The Athletic, Wolves are interested in signing Danny Ings on loan from West Ham.

The Wanderers have been keeping an eye on Ings’ situation, but talks are yet to begin between the clubs. As a result, we may have to wait until later in the winter window to see if things develop into a formal offer for the player.

The deal is allegedly dependent on Michael Antonio’s recovery from injury, with the Irons forward reportedly out for the best part of six weeks.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024 How Danny Ings compares to Raul Jimenez

Sasa Kalajdzic was the latest player signed in an attempt to replace the goals that Raul Jimenez brought in the 2019/20 Premier League season (17). However, the 6 foot 6 striker has just joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan after failing to secure a place in the starting XI. He joins a pretty wretched list of forward players who have simply failed to make the grade in the Midlands.

Raul Jimenez

67

13

Patrick Cutrone

4

0

Fabio Silva

72

5

Willian Jose

18

1

Hwang-hee Chan

84

20

Sasa Kalajdzic

14

3

Matheus Cunha

41

8

Diego Costa

25

1

Therefore, Ings could be drafted in as a short-term fix to a long-term issue, who coincidentally is a similar player to Wolves icon Jimenez according to FBref’s similar players model.

The former Liverpool player has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but he has only missed one game since the start of 2021.

Despite being available, the 31-year-old has failed to nail down a spot in the starting XI at West Ham, with either Antonio or Jarrod Bowen being preferred in the number nine role, which has led to Ings playing just 108 minutes in the Premier League this season. Wolves, therefore, could offer him a valuable short-term exit.

The West Ham striker would bring experience and goals to the Wolves attack, as according to one football writer Ings is a “clinical finisher," and in fairness, the table below does prove that he knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, notably in the Premier League.

2022/23

35

8

2

2021/22

30

7

6

2020/21

29

12

4

2019/20

38

22

2

2018/19

24

7

3

Ings is the definition of a goal-scorer, but his technique and ball-striking ability are what make him so dangerous.

Indeed, if the striker gets half a chance, he will most likely bury it, which is needed when playing for a side like Wolves, who have created the 12th most big chances in the Premier League this season. This makes him like Jimenez, who has overperformed his xG this season for Fulham.

But just how do they compare specifically? Well, when it comes to how involved they are in the play, where they take their shots from, passing and carrying, there's not much to separate the pair.

Expected Goals (xG)

0.06

0.32

Average shot distance

14.1 yards

13.8 yards

Pass Success rate

63%

66%

Passes into penalty box

0.63

0.57

Touches

32

35

Successful take-ons

0.63

0.65

Carries

17.5

19.8

Overall, the potential signing of Ings is by far from one that the Wolves faithful will be extremely excited about, but given the fact that Hwang Hee-chan will be their only available striker for the rest of the season (when he returns from the AFC Asian Cup), the move does seem smart.

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ByLuke Randall Jan 2, 2024

Even if he doesn’t feature heavily. This transfer has absolutely no risk attached, and therefore, there can only be an upside to the loan.

Rangers are understood to be interested in signing a "fantastic" Premier League player on loan in the January transfer window, according to a fresh update.

January transfer rumours

Philippe Clement is sure to be eyeing up potential new signings this month, in order to give his side the best possible chance to beat Celtic to Scottish Premiership title. A host of different players have been linked with moves to Ibrox in recent weeks, with a recent report claiming Rangers are keen on signing Hellas Verona left-back Josh Doig, who initially made a name for himself as a teenager at Hibernian.

Other defensive rumours have also emerged, with Everton centre-back Ben Godfrey mooted as a possible target in the latter part of last year, while in attack, Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland, who is enjoying an impressive season currently, has also been thrown into the mix as an option for Clement.

Now, it looks as though the Gers could be looking to the Premier League for a new addition, with a temporary move in January looking possible.

Rangers eyeing Owen Beck loan deal

According to Liverpool writer Dave O'Conell, Rangers are interested in signing Liverpool youngster Owen Beck on loan this month, should Andy Robertson return in time to allow the Reds to let the youngster go.

"Celtic and Rangers want to sign Owen Beck on loan. The highly rated 21-year-old has played 17 times in the championship, catching the eye of Scottish heavyweights Celtic and Rangers.

"Kostas Tsimikas left the field against Newcastle in considerable pain after a challenge with Bakayo Saka. The Greek international collided with Jurgen Klopp on the touchline in which Kostas Tsimikas broke his collar bone. Owen Beck is set to be given a chance to impress after a positive loan spell in the Scottish Premier League. Should Robertson return before the end of January it is believed that both Celtic and Rangers will battle it out for a loan move for Beck."

Beck could be a big boost for Clement in a position of need, having made his way through Liverpool's youth system and made two appearances for the Reds' first team, which says a lot about his ability. It seems unlikely that Jurgen Klopp will want the 21-year-old to have to feature prominently for his side at a key point in the season, however, so the hope for Rangers is that Robertson is back soon and that the Merseysiders sanction a loan move.

The Englishman is someone who has already been impressing in the Scottish Premiership this season, bagging two goals and assists apiece in 17 appearances for Dundee, and former Reds Under-23s boss Barry Lewtas has hailed him in the past, saying:

"I thought Owen was fantastic. The progress he has made over his time at the Academy, but certainly the last couple of years, is a credit to him with the work he puts in [and] how coachable he is because he listens and takes on board the information we give him."

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A big English club are also keen on striking a deal.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Jan 1, 2024

Beck could come in and give Clement an important extra left-back option as the games come thick and fast, and his experience of training with some world-class players at Anfield, from Virgil van Dijk to Mohamed Salah, could be invaluable.

The allrounder first walloped 25 runs off eight balls and then took three wickets for only 20 runs in his four overs

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Apr-20192:54

Pollard-Hardik stand shifted momentum our way – Behrendorff

Sometimes six overs is all it takes in T20 cricket. For 14 overs, Chennai Super Kings’ bowlers were all over the Mumbai Indians batting order, restraining them in supreme fashion. At 82 for 3, Mumbai were going at less than six an over, and seemed incapable of breaking out of the straitjacket the likes of Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir had put them in.Vitally, though, although Mumbai were being tied down, they did not collapse. Krunal Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav put on 62 off 49 together through the middle overs, laying a platform. With clean hitters like Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to come, perhaps laying a quiet platform was all Mumbai’s top order needed to do.Hardik and Pollard were unstoppable in the last two overs of the innings, propelling the team from 125 for 5 at the end of the 18th over, to 170 for 5 after 20 – their partnership worth an invaluable 45 off 12 deliveries. Hardik was the more brutal of the two, walloping two sixes over midwicket and another over third man, as well as crashing a four through the covers, to reap 25 not out off eight deliveries. Pollard reminded the IPL of his own devastating potential, making 17 not out off seven. It was one of the IPL’s most efficient – Dwayne Bravo – that the pair took to pieces in the final over of the innings, plundering 29, after Bravo had conceded only 20 from his first three overs.Hardik’s match-defining all-round magicHaving been Mumbai’s most impactful batsman, Hardik also returned the best figures in the match, dismissing MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, before later removing Deepak Chahar to claim outstanding figures of 3 for 20.Earlier, he had waltzed in during the 17th over, Mumbai’s innings, made one run off his first two balls, then exploded. The first of his three sixes was off a Shardul Thakur short ball, which he deposited high into the stands beyond midwicket. The best strokes came against Bravo, next over. The helicopter shot to put the near-yorker into the stands beyond long-on was sublime – Dhoni watching on from a few metres away. Hardik then crashed Bravo to the extra-cover boundary, before last ball, scything him over backward point for six. From looking like they were headed for a seriously sub-par score, some dauntless death-overs hitting had hoisted Mumbai to a thoroughly competitive one.Kieron Pollard takes a blinder at deep point to send back Suresh Raina•BCCIMumbai’s bowling support actsJason Behrendorff and Lasith Malinga also played important roles, the former finishing with 2 for 22 from his four overs, having dismissed Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina with the new ball. Malinga, who took 3 for 34, removing Shane Watson, Kedhar Jadhav and Bravo, is expected to be unavailable for Mumbai’s next two matches, as he returns to Sri Lanka to play in the provincial one-day tournament.Thanks to these two, Super Kings’ chase also began poorly – Rayudu nicking Behrendorrf behind in the first over, before Malinga had Watson caught at point soon after. Raina and Jadhav seemed to be getting the innings on track when they struck 27 off the first 21 balls they faced, but Raina was soon caught brilliantly at the deep-point boundary by Pollard, who stuck out a hand high above his head to intercept what would have been a six. Behrendorff was the bowler. This was a blow from which Super Kings would never really recover.The Jadhav-Dhoni go-slowA scoreline of 33 for 3 after five overs is never promising, but perhaps even that is little excuse for the partnership that followed. Jadhav and Dhoni made only 54 off 55 balls together, allowing the required rate to balloon above 14 by the time they were parted. Dhoni struck no boundaries in his 21-ball 12. Jadhav struck five fours through the course of the partnership, but himself only made 36 off the 35 balls he faced in its duration. Then Hardik dismissed them both in the space of four balls in the 15th over, leaving two new batsmen with a near-impossible requirement.