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Ben Stokes says he cannot envisage a future as England men’s Test captain without Brendon McCullum at the helm, strengthening the head coach’s position after a botched Ashes campaign.Victory in Melbourne – a first Test victory in Australia since January 2011 – has given the England team and management some grace after spurning the urn in the opening three Tests. But there will be necessary fallout, on and off the field, given the optimism before the Ashes were lost in just 11 days.Since the terminal defeat in Adelaide, McCullum and managing director Rob Key have held a similar line in the face of heavy scrutiny; both unsure of their futures but willing to continue until told otherwise. The decision on their respective positions will ultimately be in the hands of ECB chief executive Richard Gould and chair Richard Thompson, who will look to ascertain how England’s best shot at an overseas Ashes win since 2010-11 came so spectacularly awry.McCullum has a degree of insulation given the size of his contract, which has included the white-ball head coach role since the start of 2025, and would require a low seven-figure sum to break. England also have a T20 World Cup next month.Related

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Stokes’ backing, however, particularly the nature of it, is arguably most important of all. Having said unequivocally that he would like to continue in the aftermath of England losing the Ashes, the allrounder clearly believes the right people are in the right roles to build further. And he reiterated his appetite to do so, citing the gap between this series and England’s next Test assignment, at home to New Zealand on June 4, as the right amount of time and space to brainstorm with McCullum over improvements.An overall record of 26 wins and 17 defeats, Stokes believes, is an indication of their collective good work so far, despite not winning four of their five-match series, two each against Australia and India, in that period. He cedes the last 12 months – four wins and five defeats from 10 Tests in 2025 – have not been good enough.It is worth noting Stokes and McCullum have ECB contracts which take them through to the end of the 2027 home Ashes. That is particularly prescient for Stokes, who extended his central contract at the end of last summer, and may well call time on his international career when that deal expires.Options beyond him for captaincy are, at this juncture, thin, with vice-captain Harry Brook – groomed to take over, and also England’s limited overs captain – not quite ready. Rarer still, apparently, is a head coach Stokes feels can assist in his vision for the next stage of this England team.”Look, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time that I’ve worked with Brendon,” said Stokes. “I can’t see there being someone else who I could take this team [with], from where we are now, to even bigger heights.”We’ve put so much time and effort into getting this team to where it was from when we first started, and now we’re in a situation or position where we know we want to get even more out of the group, get even more out of individuals, and we feel we’ve done a very good job at getting everyone to the position we’re in right now.”So, for us as captain and coach, when we do have the time off, like we’ve done every single time between series, we put our heads together and go ‘what is it that we think we need to go to the next level?'”Because, being perfectly honest, you look back at how things have gone over the last, let’s say, year – the results and the consistency hasn’t quite been there from the first two-and-a-half to three years that we were in charge. So, when you start seeing a trend and something that is not what you want, when you have that time off between series like we do after this – from January and I think June – it’s a long time for us to get things going again in the right direction.”That’s all we’ve ever wanted to do, is constantly push the guys and not wanting to stand still. We’ve obviously got some things to go away and speak about and try and get the boys pushing even further forward than we managed to achieve since me and Brendon first took over the job.”Ben Stokes may call time on his international career when his central contract expires in 2027•Robbie Stephenson/PA Photos/Getty Images

The “heights” Stokes speaks of do seem to have levelled out, though England could yet take further consolation in Sydney for a 3-2 scoreline. That, though, would flatter them, and not change the fact that this will be Stokes’ third overseas Ashes defeat.Each of his previous ones have resulted in hierarchical change. Andy Flower left his post as head coach after the 5-0 defeat in 2013-14, and there were a raft of changes in 2021-22, with director of cricket Ashley Giles and head coach Chris Silverwood sacked. Joe Root held on for the tour of West Indies, which England lost 1-0, before stepping down as captain in April, paving the way for Stokes.The incumbent skipper cautioned against repeating the clearing of the decks that led him to the job four years ago: “Ashes tours in the past haven’t gone well. But if you do what we did four years ago, we’ll just end up back in the same situation.”Of course, much of Stokes’ support for McCullum and, by proxy, Key is based on how this all began. Key has been unlike previous managing directors or directors of cricket, often acting as an umbrella for administrative distractions, allowing McCullum and Stokes to focus exclusively on cricketing matters.With more freedom, Stokes and McCullum have sought to build a team environment based on their own playing experiences. One that liberates cricketers to do things their own way. It is clear, over the last two months, that this group could do with more structure.Their professional relationship remains strong, with McCullum a useful crutch for Stokes, particularly on a tour as long as this one, even though at times their messages have diverged. Indeed, the lessons from this series may be for themselves rather than exclusively on personnel and preparation.Stokes admitted he has struggled because of the relentless nature of this Ashes compared to his previous two tours. Having warned the squad ahead of the trip that it would be unlike anything they have experienced before, even Stokes has found that to be the case. Social media has exacerbated that pressure.”I can’t sit and lie and say it’s been a walk in the park like some of the series feel, like they have been back in England, because you’re used to the conditions, you’re in your home and can nip back whenever you want between games. Out here you don’t get the chance to do that.”Especially at the start of the tour, everything was just on top of us as a team, as a group. Although at the start we expected it, we’d planned for it, and I’ve done a few tours here, but it’s been even higher than any other tour I’ve been on.”Obviously the last one was because of Covid, but my first one, I was young and naïve and didn’t really realise what was going on outside of training or the cricket field. This one’s just, yeah… And the world’s changed as well.”Social media, media in general – it’s changed a lot and [it is] impossible not to see anything these days. So when you put on the pressure of trying to perform for your country in a huge series plus all of the other stuff that comes with a tour of Australia, it’s been a tough one, but you don’t expect everything to be easy… I’ve got pretty thick skin towards it all and it’s just impossible not to see it. The only way to do it is just throw your phone in the river.”A lot of people talk about it and say they don’t read it, don’t see it, don’t look for it. But honestly, it’s just impossible not to. Everywhere you go, with the algorithms of everything these days, your phone listens to you talk about one thing and you flick through Instagram and all of a sudden you see an advert for that. It’s just ridiculous. It’s just impossible.”

Michael Edwards has now sent Liverpool officials to join the race to sign a Championship starlet ahead of interest from a number of Premier League sides.

Slot admits Liverpool should "not look" at Man City, Arsenal

Liverpool may be on a seven-game unbeaten run, but last night’s 0-0 draw at Anfield against Leeds United exposed just how fragile that run truly is. The Reds have gone from drawing in dramatic fashion against Daniel Farke’s side earlier in the campaign to an uncharacteristic bore-draw.

The Premier League champions have gone from heavy-metal to a disorganised, out-of-tune choir growing more desperate to hit all the right notes every week. Arne Slot has rediscovered Liverpool’s defensive resolve, that much is true, but even he is well aware that it has come at a cost going the other way. Still, the Dutchman, is failing to find the right balance.

The Liverpool boss admitted after dropping points against Leeds that his side should “not look” at Arsenal or Manchester City as title rivals, all but conceding the Premier League title.

Those at Anfield are unlikely to panic-buy this month, either. Edwards and Richard Hughes are likely to remain composed and could look towards the future instead of quick solutions for Slot.

Edwards sends Liverpool scouts to watch Maamma

As reported by TeamTalk, Edwards sent Liverpool scouts to watch Othmane Maamma in action for Watford on Thursday night as the Hornets secured a 3-0 victory over Birmingham.

It’s not the first time that the Reds have checked on the 20-year-old and they’re reportedly racing the likes of Sunderland, Manchester United and Newcastle United to secure his signature.

Related FSG targeting £87m "nightmare" who can end Gakpo's Liverpool career

Liverpool are reportedly keeping tabs on a star who could be the end of Cody Gakpo at Anfield.

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One for the future, it’s easy to see why so many top clubs have set their sights on the Moroccan, who’s been involved in four goals in 811 minutes of Championship action this season – the same as nine games.

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His performances have welcomed deserved praise from the likes of Jacek Kulig, who described Maamma’s performace at the U20 World Cup last year as “fantastic”.

All signs are pointing to a player destined to make his mark at a higher level. The big question that remains is just where he’ll be playing his football in the near future.

	John Dyson: “I think everyone here understands the dilemma our players will find themselves in if the pressure comes down from their IPL franchises. Gayle couldn’t make anywhere near that kind of money here [with West Indies]” © AFP

John Dyson, the West Indies coach, has called upon the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to ensure three of his key players – captain Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – play in the upcoming Test series against Australia, which clashes with the IPL.”It was my understanding that the IPL chiefs have said that international cricket remains the priority, and now it is up to them to keep their promise,” Dyson told the . With contracts worth US$800,000, $US250,000 and $200,000 for the 44-day tournament, Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul stand to gain much more than from their annual earnings from their West Indies contracts, and Donald Peters, the West Indies board chief executive, had said he wouldn’t refuse the no objection certificates required by the players to feature in the league.”What [Peters] was saying was that, with the amounts of money currently involved, if an IPL franchise was to pressure our players into completing the tournament, they would be in a very difficult situation.”I assume the IPL bosses have sat down and thought about the long-term future of their tournament and have considered the question of where their next generation of players will come from,” Dyson said. “It’s important, then, that they don’t cannibalise international or domestic competitions as they stand, because they will presumably need players to come through in the future.”I expect the IPL to keep their promise, and I expect our players to be back here a week before the Australian series,” he said. “If they don’t, then it’s up to the [West Indies] board to decide what the appropriate action is.”The trio are among West Indies’ most experienced players, with a combined 244 Tests between them. “I think everyone here understands the dilemma our players will find themselves in if the pressure comes down from their IPL franchises,” Dyson said. “Gayle couldn’t make anywhere near that kind of money here.””Tino Best [ who has joined the Indian Cricket League] gave an interview here recently, and I think he said it best. He said when he goes down to his grocery store, it doesn’t matter that he plays for Barbados and bowls 90mph. The grocery, like everyone, want money, and not reputation. That is the reality of the situation for teams like ourselves, and I suppose New Zealand.”Peters, who accompanied Julian Hunte, the WICB president, to the latest ICC executive board meeting in Dubai, had claimed they would propose that a 30-day window be put in place for all the private cricket franchises to play their competitions. However, at the meeting it was decided that ICC’s Future Tours Programme will not be altered to accommodate the IPL.

Angele Gray and Avril Fahey are about to embark on a gruelling journey © Sue Flett

Four years ago Avril Fahey, the WA and Australia player, thought her career was over when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She missed three state games for WA, her first for nine years. “That was pretty devastating,” she recalls. “What made it worse was the team won those games, having been on a very long losing streak at the time.”At this point she feared she would never play again – yet five weeks later she was back on the pitch, although this time with a glucometer and sugar at the ready. Luckily, she didn’t have to change too much of what was already a healthy diet, but any sweet snacks have gone. Now the occasional luxury is permissible only after exercising or after a medication adjustment has been made.A change to the way she trains was needed to, mainly because she can’t push herself too hard with fitness as it upsets her blood glucose control. However, she has had better fitness results since her diagnosis. “I now train smarter, not necessarily harder.”But despite the trials of living with the disease, her biggest challenge is yet to come. She and her team-mate Angele Gray are undertaking a 4000km bike ride over 41 days to raise funds for diabetes research. During the event the pair will ride five or six consecutive days of 100km or more before a rest day.The gruelling ride, from Perth to Melbourne, starts at the end of June. Gray, her WA team-mate, was more than willing to undergo the challenge, too. “Until Avril was diagnosed my knowledge and understanding of diabetes was fairly limited. As teammates and friends I have observed Avril manage her diabetes on a regular basis.”This has also meant seeing some of her highs and lows and in doing so, assisting her with her management during training and matches. I, along with a number of her teammates, have had to run out her glucometer and sugar during matches.We have all gained a greater insight into the condition.”They were not cyclists before they embarked upon training. “Overcoming the discomfort of sitting in the saddle for six-to-eight hour periods has been a big challenge,” says Gray. “Mentally, the comprehension of what we are about to do has been quite challenging -I would never previously have imagined that I could ride 180km [a day].”Yet the hardest part for Fahey has not been the training itself. Rather it has been finding the time to fit her work as an occupational therapist, study, the end of the cricket season, ride-planning and cycling training into a daily routine. “My time management skills have never been tested so much!”After the ride, it will be back to the pitch. “I have enjoyed the challenge,” says Fahey, “but will definitely be looking forward to getting back to cricket training when we have finished.”

Sajid Mahmood is one of two uncapped players in the squad to face Sri Lanka on Thursday © Getty Images

Sajid Mahmood and Jon Lewis have been called up for the first Test against Sri Lanka which gets underway at Lord’s on Thursday. As expected, Andrew Flintoff will captain England in the absence of Michael Vaughan.Mahmood and Lewis, both of whom are uncapped, are in fine early-season form; Mahmood took four wickets for Lancashire in their recent victory over Kent, and Lewis decimated Sri Lanka with nine wickets in England A’s crushing win at Worcester.”Andrew Flintoff did an outstanding job as captain in difficult circumstances in India with a young team and he will lead the side again while Michael Vaughan continues with his rehabilitation from injury,” explained David Graveney, the chairman of selectors.”We are delighted with Marcus Trescothick’s early season form and he will return to the team in his normal position opening the innings with Andrew Strauss. Alastair Cook enjoyed an excellent start to his Test career in the sub-continent and he will occupy the number three position in the order.”England have been dogged by injuries all winter, and their luck hasn’t improved with the start of the season: Vaughan, Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, Chris Tremlett and James Anderson are all missing with injuries.”We have a number of bowlers out so it is a great opportunity for the likes of Jon and Mahmood and Plunkett,” Graveney added. “The final decision between which seamers play will be down to Duncan [Fletcher] and Andrew when they see the wicket next week.”The weather at this time of this year will also be a factor.”England squad: Andrew Flintoff (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Geraint Jones (wk), Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett, Matthew Hoggard, Sajid Mahmood, Ian Bell, Jon Lewis.

Division One

Matt Prior struck his first century of the season as Sussex made up for lost time against Nottinghamshire. Prior overcame the loss of Richard Montgomerie without a run on the board to hit 18 fours in his 134-ball innings. He was the only Sussex batsmen to kick on with their innings as Michael Yardy and Murray Goodwin both fell in the thirties. A spell of three for 12 left Sussex 195 for 5, but Chris Adams steadied the innings with an unbeaten 35.Scott Newman made a 109-ball century but Graham Thorpe fell for 10 during an intriguing day between Surrey and Hampshire at The Rose Bowl. Newman played a typically aggressive innings, but the much-anticipated contest between Thorpe and Shane Warne was a brief affair. Thorpe fell for 10 to Chris Tremlett who was the pick of the Hampshire attack with 3 for 81. After an opening stand of 100 Surrey lost wickets steadily and it required a half-century from Dominic Thornely to take them past 300.Glamorgan made an impressive start against Middlesex as they searched for their first Championship win of the season. David Hemp was at his expansive best, taking only 73 balls to reach 89 by the close. Daniel Cherry played the anchor role with his second Championship half-century – and added 99 for the first wicket with Matthew Elliott (59) before he was run out.Warwickshire struggled to 178 for 8 on the opening day against an impressive Kent attack at Edgbaston. For a full report see Match of the Day.

Division Two

Darren Maddy fell for 49 so honours ended even on a shortened first day between Leicestershire and Worcestershire. Maddy was out just before the close, bowled by Ray Price, having batted for nearly three hours. Darren Robinson was run out after making a positive 31 while Nadeem Malik dismissed John Maunders.Lancashire’s bowlers took charge against Derbyshire after an opening stand of 56 had proved a false dawn. Glen Chapple was the pick of the attack, his three wickets including Michael di Venuto, whose dismissal began the Derbyshire slump. James Anderson was not at his best but the rest of the Lancashire bowlers chipped in. Luke Sutton provided the only substantial resistance from the middle-order, and remains unbeaten on 29.Durham, once again, showed their battling qualities, recovering from 9 for 2 and 73 for 4. Nathan Astle responded to the early wickets with an attacking 32, while Dale Benkenstein gritted his way to 41. Damien Wright removed three of the Durham batsmen, as he bowled 13 impressive overs. Gareth Breese has so far added 40 with Benkenstein but there is still plenty of work to be done.

Glenn McGrath: eager to tour … but is it a gamble the selectors will make?

Glenn McGrath has made a last-gasp plea to Australia’s selectors to try and convince them that he his fit for the Sri Lanka series. The squad is due to be announced on Friday.McGrath has been out of action with an ankle injury since July, during which time he has undergone two operations. He was due to make a comeback for New South Wales at the weekend but pulled out.”I have had a number of excellent net sessions over the past week and the ankle feels fantastic,” he said. “I have been training hard over the past month with my personal trainer and I am the fittest I have been for a long time.”I’ll speak to the selectors this week and find out just what they are thinking. It would be nice to have a chat with them and see what is expected of me.”McGrath’s inclusion would have been a gamble even if he had played for his state, but without any meaningful work-out, the selectors are unlikely to take the risk. And although he reportedly came through a 40-minute net without any side effects, his withdrawal from the weekend’s game is likely to count against him.But Ricky Ponting refused to rule out the possibility. “You’d want him in the team but you’d like to know he was 100 per cent fit as well,” Ponting said. “I doubt he’d able to say that without a game under his belt and I don’t know if the selectors are thinking about that … but sometimes you have to take the player’s word for it. Being the champion bowler he is you’d have to consider it.”Warren Craig, McGrath’s manager, was as keen to promote his client’s cause. “He’s ready to play and then it’s up to the selectors as to whether he’s got enough cricket behind him to select him,” he said. “He’ll be playing for his club and seeing where it takes him.”

Khoda guides Rajasthan to shores of respectabilityA Gagan Khoda hundred saw Rajasthan end the opening day of their five-day Ranji Trophy KnockOut against Bengal at a respectable 242 for five.Playing at the KL Saini Ground, Jaipur, Rajasthan decided to bat after captain PK Krishnakumar won the toss. Khoda and the other opener, Vineet Saxena, had only put on 33 before Saxena was out lbw. The next two batsmen also departed early before Khoda found an able ally in his captain. The two put on a patient 143 runs for the fourth wicket before Krishnakumar was dismissed for a well-made 64 off 166 balls.Khoda went on to raise his hundred in the company of Kuldeep Singh. He was looking good for many more when he run-out for 114 off 261 balls. The Rajasthan opener’s hundred meant the home team had put themselves in line for a respectable total against the Rohan Gavaskar-led visiting team.For Bengal, new-ball bowler Laxmi Rattan Shukla claimed two wickets. Kuldeep Singh, batting on 23, and wicket-keeper Rohit Jhalani, yet to open his account, were set to resume battle for Rajasthan on Thursday.Debutant Malhotra scythes through Assam line-upHosts Punjab established early domination over Punjab at the end of the first day their match against Assam at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium at Mohali. First, they dismissed the visitors for a meagre 170 after inserting the latter in; this they followed up by racking up an impressive 130 for three in reply before stumps were drawn.The star of the day, most obviously, was 17-year-old Ishan Malhotra, a right-arm fast bowler born in Jammu and Kashmir. He scythed through the Assam batting-order in an impressive bowling display that saw him return 7 for 59 in the 17 overs that he bowled. His new-ball partner H Puri, another debutant, also bowled commedably, chipping in with two wickets. Assam’s plight would have been pathetic but for a 44 from wicket-keeper Syed Zuffri and a 33 from J Gokulakrishnan.The Punjab reply got off to a great start with openers Ravneet Ricky and Manish Sharma putting on 64 runs before Sharma was out after a rapid-fire 50 off 64 balls. India discard Yuvraj, who followed, did not last for long. The home team captain Pankaj Dharmani also had to return after a brief stint when Gokulakrishanan trapped him in front of the wicket. Punjab, though, continue to remain in the driver’s seat; Ricky is looking good on 46 and there is a fair bit of batting to follow with the Assam score on the horizon.Pagnis ton boosts RailwaysA century from opener Amit Pagnis saw Railways run up a healthy 291 for five at the end of the first day of their match against Delhi at the Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi on Wednesday.Raliways lost opener JP Yadav early after their skipper had opted to bat in the morning. But Pagnis and TP Singh then got together, putting on 143 runs for the second wicket. The departure of Singh, who made an aggressive 84, proved a temporary setback. Yere Goud though proved an able replacement. Pagnis duly completed his hundred making 132 off 213 balls with 21 fours and a six before falling to part-timer Mithun Manhas. Goud followed soon after being dismissed after a patient 34. When stumps were drawn, skipperAbhay Sharma and Murali Kartik were holding fort.Bowlers dominate opening day of Tamil Nadu-Mumbai tieThe opening day of the Tamil Nadu-Mumbai encounter was not a happy one for the batsmen – as many as 14 of them fell with just 198 runs being scored.In the morning, Tamil Nadu’s joy at winning the toss quickly evaporated as batsmen after batsmen began the long trek back to the pavilion. Paras Mhambrey claimed two wickets while left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar claimed four as the home team were skittled out for a paltry 182. Sridharan Sharath, who made 31, and skipper, who made 26 before being run-out, were the only two batsmen to offer any resistance.Tamil Nadu’s opening bowler Laxmipathy Balaji though brought his team back into the contest with three wickets for five runs in his 4.5 overs. Mumbai, then, were 16 of three at the end of the day.Gujarat bat themselves into a strong positionGujarat batted themselves into a strong position at the end of the opening day of their match against Andhra at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad.After winning the toss, H Joshipura and ND Modi got the home team off to the best possible start. The duo piled on 224 runs for the first wicket before Modi was dismissed just eight short of what would have been a deserved century. Joshipura, who followed almost immediately, though had the satisfaction of notching 113 well-made and patient runs against his name. When stumps were drawn, NK Patel and skipper Mukund Parmar were batting on 11 and 7 respectively.Hyderabad in commanding position against HimachalHyderabad had a satisfying opening day against Himachal Pradesh at the Gymkhana Ground, Secunderabad. The hosts dismissed the visitors for 192 runs before reaching an impressive 69 for no loss in reply.In the morning, Himachal opted to bat. Opener Nischal Gaur, who made 99, played a lone hand as the home team bowlers led by Narendra Pal Singh ran through the remaining batsmen like knife through butter. Singh, who claimed five for 27, and Venkatapathy Raju, who claimed two wickets, were the pick of the home team bowlers.The Hyderabad openers, Daniel Manohar and A Nand Kishore, then, consolidated the home team’s position, batting soundly on their way to 28 and 39 respectively from 61 balls each.

Against a side that contains close to half of the nation’s modern-day Test team, Tasmania’s two finest modern-day batsmen constructed a remarkable partnership to lead their side out of trouble on the opening day of the Pura Cup clash with New South Wales in Hobart. On a glorious spring day at the Bellerive Oval, Ricky Ponting (144*) and Jamie Cox (106) added a dazzling 242 run stand for the third wicket to pilot the Tigers to a mark of 5/279 by stumps.There has been enough talk of betting in cricket circles of late, certainly. But, on Melbourne Cup Day, it was probably fair to observe that, at a score of 2/0 early in the piece, the Tasmanians were at long odds of finishing in such a position. Set within that context, then, the stand between the two stylish right handers was significant in itself. The fact that the quality of the strokeplayembedded within it was of the highest class therefore only added to its appeal.Although Ponting was held scoreless for a relatively lengthy period on his arrival at the crease and again in mid-afternoon, his chanceless innings provided a more than ample demonstration of his talents. There was barely a false stroke in a hand in which shots were timed with almost complete perfection and despatched to virtually all parts of the ground.”It was hard work early,” said Ponting of the circumstances that confronted him when he walked to the crease a little over ten minutes into the day’s play.”The ball swung most of the day; even with the old ball, there was quite a lot of swing there.”Cox, still surely not out of the reckoning in the clamour for Test opening spots at present, also played a typically attractive innings. His driving through the off side was a particular highlight and his judgement of when to play and when to leave deliveries on and outside the line of off stump was impeccable.After weathering the pair’s onslaught, the Blues, and more particularly left arm speedster Nathan Bracken (3/85), did eventually strike back sharply in the last hour. Bracken beat a driving Cox with a yorker forty-five minutes before stumps. Five balls later, he wrought similar damage upon the castle of Daniel Marsh (0). And then, from the first delivery of his next over, he attracted a thickedge from the bat of the sadly out of form Shaun Young (5) as the all-rounder forced at one seaming away.Notwithstanding the complete absence of cloud cover, conditions were especially difficult for batting early, with the ball seaming and swinging noticeably. This was underlined when Dene Hills (0) and Michael DiVenuto (0) lost their wickets inside the opening three overs of the match. Both players were caught behind off the bowling of Brett Lee (2/68) – wicketkeeper Brad Haddin snaring a brilliant catch low and to his left to remove a defending Hills and then effecting a regulation dismissal as DiVenuto launched a loose slash at a shorter, wider delivery. At that stage, it looked as though the visitors had backed a winner bydeciding to insert the Tasmanians on the chocolate-coloured pitch.For the Blues, Bracken and Don Nash (0/30) were clearly the pick of the bowlers on a day when their more illustrious teammates in Lee and leg spinner Stuart MacGill (0/53) both struggled to impress. The luckless Nash’s line, in particular, was tight and unerring all day. He was unlucky not to finish with a wicket – indeed, a dropped catch by Steve Waugh at slip off hisbowling (when Cox had only 41 alongside his name) proved very expensive.

A huge Rangers transfer claim has emerged over Gio van Bronckhorst’s outcast centre-back Jack Simpson’s future in Glasgow… 

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the central defender has instructed his agent to find him a new club at the end of the season.

The report claims that he made the decision after a meeting with the club, after failing to secure an exit from Ibrox on deadline day.

Buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this news as it suggests that the former Bournemouth man will be on his way out in the summer.

They will be pleased with this as he has been a failure of a signing who is not contributing anything on the pitch at the moment. He has not played a single match outside of the Scottish Cup since Gio van Bronckhorst arrived in November, suggesting that the Dutch head coach does not deem him good enough for his side.

The ex-Feyenoord boss has selected John Lundstram at centre-back ahead of him – against Motherwell recently – and this shows how far down the pecking order he is. Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun, Calvin Bassey, James Sands, Filip Helander and Lundstram are all ahead of him and his game time – or lack thereof – has reflected this.

Former Scotland international Frank McAvennie previously blasted the defender, saying:

“Hibs are on fire and they really know what they are doing. They will fancy their chances. They know Simpson is the weak link. You expect he will start with the Goldson issue.

“He’s not had a great time of it so far, he barely played last season. We’ll see what happens but I expect Boyle will run rings around him.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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These comments suggest that he struggled when he was given an opportunity under Steven Gerrard, which could be why van Bronckhorst has been reluctant to select him. The Dutchman has been able to see him in training over the last few months and has seemingly not seen enough from the Englishman to believe that he can make an impact on the team.

Therefore, fans will be buzzing to see him leave the club in the summer as he is not good enough for Rangers and is currently wasting a space in the squad that could be filled by a player with the potential to make the starting XI in the Premiership. It is now down to Ross Wilson to get the best deal possible for Simpson and to get him out of the door as quickly as possible.

AND in other news, Rangers played a blinder with move for “outstanding” gem whose value has increased 75%…