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India gave a lesson in how to take a grip on a Test match that was in the balance as their lower order built a lead of 134 before R Ashwin bagged three wickets in the final session

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-2016
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:23

Ganguly: Morning session may have cost England the match and the series

India gave a lesson in how to take a grip on a Test match that was in the balance. Firstly their lower order built a commanding lead of 134, anchored around Ravindra Jadeja’s career-best 90 and Jayant Yadav’s maiden Test fifty, then R Ashwin’s three wickets left England floundering on 78 for 4, still 56 behind.The runs from the bottom half of India’s order has been a feature of their recent Test success and here they enjoyed one of their more stellar days. In total, the last four wickets added 213 to turn a precarious 204 for 6 into a three-figure advantage and it was the first time India’s Nos 7, 8 and 9 had scored half-centuries in the same innings.From a position at the start of the day where England would have hoped for something near parity – a manageable deficit of around 50 at worst – by the close it felt as though India had made the definitive moves of the series. Joe Root, who had been promoted to open in place of the injured Haseeb Hameed, remained unbeaten on 36 but Ashwin’s dismissal of Ben Stokes in the final over capped a perfect day for India.Alastair Cook’s stay was tortuous. In the space of four deliveries he survived two close DRS calls. The first was an India review for an appeal given not out against Jadeja which was, eventually after some problems forming the Hawk-Eye graphics, shown to be missing leg. The second was after he had been given lbw to Ashwin only for the review to show the ball pitched outside leg. However, the reprieve was brief as Ashwin worked him over by sliding a straighter delivery between bat and pad.Moeen Ali batted at No. 3, the only spot in the top nine he had yet to occupy in Tests, and added to the list of England’s inglorious dismissals in the match when he chipped Ashwin to mid-on. It was a lovely piece of deception from the bowler, who defeated Moeen in the flight, but regardless it was a limp shot.Just as Root and Jonny Bairstow were eyeing the close, the latter fell to a catch that, as a fellow wicketkeeper, he would acknowledge for its skill as Parthiv Patel stayed low to take a ball that skidding through low to graze the outside edge. Virat Kohli then pulled one of his Midas touches when he recalled Ashwin in the dying moments of the session and, with his first delivery, he spun one past Stokes’ edge to take the back pad. It was initially given not out by Chris Gaffaney but, with the seconds ticking down, Kohli reviewed and was justified.India were 12 behind when play resumed but England made an insipid start to the day. Chris Woakes’ opening delivery was a leg-stump half volley which Ashwin clipped to the boundary and Moeen was oddly given two exploratory overs ahead of either James Anderson or Stokes.Until Jadeja picked out long-on when he tried to up the tempo after tea it had been an innings largely out of character to how he is perceived as a batsman. In terms of balls faced it was the seventh-longest innings of his first-class career and one of his most significant in Tests. Even when he departed the end did not come swiftly for England as Jayant, who played with barely an alarm, ticked over to a 134-ball fifty.Jadeja only had two previous fifties in Test cricket: his swashbuckling effort at Lord’s in 2014, which helped build a match-winning lead, and a brisk innings against New Zealand earlier this season, which hastened a declaration. This was certainly not a tail-end jolly. On the second evening, after India had suffered a wobble of 4 for 56, Jadeja allowed Ashwin to take the lead and moved to 8 off 34 balls. He then sensed a moment to attack shortly before the new ball, but, on the third day, except for a skip down the pitch against Moeen, he did not attempt anything expansive until taking four boundaries off a Woakes over shortly before his dismissal.Jadeja’s half-century came off 104 balls and was accompanied by the familiar swordsman celebration but it was the only bat throwing on display. The disappointment of him missing a century meant we did not see what the follow-up would be. Stokes tried to prey on his patience by sending the ball wide outside off, as he had done to Kohli, but Jadeja ignored those balls. He benefited from a bonus four runs when he took a sharp single to mid-on and Jake Ball’s throw was not backed up.Ashwin had continued to time the ball elegantly until he was lured into a wider delivery by Stokes, in his first over of the day, and spooned a catch to Jos Buttler at backward point to end a stand of 97 with Jadeja. However, Jayant, in so many ways a younger model of Ashwin, from his role in the team to punching deliveries through the off side, collected two sweetly-timed boundaries off Anderson to set him on his way, but there was no hurry from India.England’s frustrations – and specifically Stokes’ – almost reached boiling point as they worked to break the ninth-wicket stand. Umesh Yadav was dropped on 9 by Cook, to his right at a lone slip, then in the same over Jayant nicked past Bairstow’s right glove, leading to an angered roar from Stokes. But before the over was done, Jayant heaved low to midwicket.Stokes and Adil Rashid shared the nine wickets taken by the bowlers with Stokes winning the race to a five-wicket haul, his third in Tests, when he removed Umesh. The catch for Bairstow meant he set a new record for wicketkeeping dismissals in a year. It was as good as the day got for England.

Gareth Batty’s first Championship hundred for Surrey plus another by Ben Foakes, a wicketkeeper who England have half an eye on, ensured another tough day for bottom-of-the-table Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Jul-2016
ScorecardGareth Batty made his first century for Surrey•Getty Images”Is that all from one innings?” asked a member of the catering staff. You didn’t need to know the game to empathise with Hampshire’s toil. Surrey declared but it may as well have been a mercy ruling that ended their first innings on 637 for 7. Six hundred and thirty seven.All pros know the pain of relentless grind in the dirt. It will take more than a shower and a night’s sleep to shake off these 163 overs.A record eighth wicket partnership for Surrey, against any opposition, saw Ben Foakes and Gareth Batty put on 222 and take a gargantuan lead in this basement battle at the Ageas Bowl.It was the timing of this partnership that was crucial – just when the early wickets of Steven Davies and Sam Curran looked like threatening Surrey’s good work from day one. So good was the recovery that Foakes and Batty notched centuries in the process.It was something of a tactical union: Foakes, able to play his natural game, accompanied Batty steadily before the Surrey skipper was comfortable enough to swipe boundaries of his own. There was talk of a dash to 400 to take full batting points only for the pair to settle for the four they had, knowing that risky play would not only lead to a wicket and a second Hampshire bowling point, but also rob them of the chance to put on an insurmountable first innings score. The logic was simple: the pitch is very good for batting so even if Hampshire make their way to 350 or 400, the follow-on option would still be available to Surrey.Further scheming came just after tea, when Batty and Foakes came out for 10 minutes, “to piss their batters off”. Taking an extra three overs, in which time Sean Ervine dropped Batty at first slip off Brad Wheal, Surrey declared, giving Hampshire’s openers 10-minutes rather than the 20 at tea to compose themselves. Within 3.2 overs of the hosts’ first innings, they were five for two: Will Smith playing on his first ball and Jimmy Adams flicking to square leg, as Mark Footitt put the new ball to work with the quickest spell of the match.At a time when questions are being asked of Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps and the national side’s general approach to keeping, Foakes’ first hundred of the season could not have been better timed. He had only passed fifty on one previous occasion before finishing up on a career best 141 not out. Naturally, he hopes he kicks on, but this was also the first innings of note he has played at No. 7 – the position he is most likely to occupy if opportunities further up the ladder present themselves.With that position comes the responsibility of batting with the tail – something which he is not used to, having spent most of his time at No. 4 or 5. It is a role Foakes knows he needs to work on.”When you bat at four or five, that sort of area, you’re batting with ‘batters’ for longer, so you just carry on and take what comes your way,” he said at stumps. “But when you have, say, 10 or 11 come in and you have to up the scoring with the field set back, it’s about being smart.””This is the first time I’ve done it. When we have struggled a bit I have found it quite tough. When you are seven, eight down – and it can happen quickly – I have got out trying to change my game when I’ve been on 20. It’s been a bit frustrating but I’ve got to learn to do that better. I’ve got to bat well with the tail and go up a gear.”He outlined improvement in this role as a goal for the rest of the season. To be fair to him, while his first 53 runs took 102 balls, the next 88 came off 79. The freedom that Batty afforded him, too, meant they rattled on together at over five runs an over.”He enjoys batting, even though he won’t tell you,” said Foakes with a wry smile, surprised that this was Batty’s first hundred for Surrey. It was his first in a decade in fact, since a 112 for Worcestershire against Essex in June 2006. To say it was something he had been anticipating for some time would be overselling it a touch.When he reached the milestone, off 132 balls, he simply raised his bat to the away dressing room and went on with his innings. That understated celebration probably came as no surprise to those congregated on the balcony.That Hampshire were able to keep their spirits up in the late afternoon may be as much down to team spirit as a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome. Cheers went up around the field as Mason Crane completed his 50th over. Sean Ervine walked over to him and held his arm aloft, before he indulged and raised his caps to all parts of the ground. That noise was only matched by the applause for him when he left the field for a well earned break.He turned his arm over for 308 times across the five and a bit sessions, conceding just under four an over for the most part, only for some tired deliveries at the end to leave him with an economy rate of 4.11. The wicket of Curran, turning through the left-handers gate, past leg stump and into the gloves of Lewis McManus for a stumping, pretty much summed up his impressive control.A couple of things did fall Hampshire’s way by the close. Ryan Mclaren, promoted to number four, was dropped twice by Aaron Finch (first slip) and Rory Burns (third) before he had made it to 10. McLaren used the life to accompany Tom Alsop through to stumps. Even after today, there is still a lot of graft left in this match.

Hashim Amla’s presence will help Kings XI Punjab by giving them some stability as they take on Delhi Daredevils in Mohali

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan06-May-2016Match factsSaturday, May 7, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)4:10

O’Brien: Amla brings stability to KXIP

Big PictureDelhi Daredevils narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, which went to Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2015. Both franchises reacted differently to their horrendous campaigns – Kings XI retained the core of their team, while Daredevils released 11 players, filled the void with largely untested talent and revamped their backroom staff too.Inventive leadership from Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid, attacking legspin from Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir and handy contributions from the younger players such as Karun Nair have given Daredevils the turnaround they wanted. Kings XI, on the other hand, are still struggling. On a positive note, Glenn Maxwell hit his second half-century in three matches and Sandeep Sharma’s yorkers are getting better by the game.Kings XI were happy with only three overseas players in their last game but Hashim Amla, their replacement for the injured Shaun Marsh, is likely to make his IPL debut tomorrow. Inconsistency has been the team’s biggest deterrent, and that might change with three of their next four matches taking place in the comfort of their home ground in Mohali.In their last match, Daredevils made four changes to their XI and lost to a team that has struggled this season, Rising Pune Supergiants. JP Duminy took over as captain, with Zaheer Khan resting, and he appeared a little fixed with his tactics. Daredevils won’t be too perturbed by the loss – it was only their third defeat in eight matches – but competition for the top four spots is high and they can ill afford to lose momentum.Form guideKings XI Punjab LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils LWWLWIn the spotlightSandeep Sharma’s inch-perfect yorkers have underpinned his good season so far. He has seven wickets in eight matches, with an economy rate of only 6.55, after bowling 27 overs. Importantly, Sandeep has shown he is unaffected by the reputation of the batsman he faces. In the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he restricted the big-hitting Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan to only four runs in the final over.Sam Billings has scored 78 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 159.18 and has been a valuable addition to the middle-order. His scoops and switch hits are capable of threatening the bowler’s composure, and he answered the questions about his ability against spin by smacking R Ashwin for successive sixes on Thursday.Team newsHashim Amla did not play against Knight Riders because he had arrived on the day of the match. His IPL debut is almost a certainty, partnering M Vijay at the top of the order. So Manan Vohra may become surplus and Marcus Stoinis could be pushed down to No. 3. With David Miller continuing to struggle, Farhaan Behardien might be given a go.Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 M Vijay (capt), 2 Manan Vohra/Hashim Amla, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 David Miller/Farhaan Behardien, 7 Gurkeerat Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Swapnil Singh, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Sandeep SharmaZaheer Khan’s fitness is unclear, but it is expected that Quinton de Kock, who was rested on Thursday, is likely to return. Chris Morris has been one of their best players; only one out of him, Duminy and Carlos Brathwaite may play considering Tahir’s value on a slow pitch in Mohali and Billings’ enterprise with the bat and in the field.Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rishabh Pant, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Sam Billings, 6 JP Duminy/Carlos Brathwaite/Chris Morris, 7 Pawan Negi/Shahbaz Nadeem, 8 Jayant Yadav/Zaheer Khan (capt), 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Imran TahirPitch and conditionsMohali has been a high-scoring ground. Like most venues this season, teams have enjoyed chasing, with Mumbai Indians the only team to successfully defend a total.Stats and trivia Sandeep has sent down 74 dot balls in IPL 2016 – second only to Mumbai Indians’ Mitchell McClenaghan (85). Tahir’s wicket of MS Dhoni in Daredevils’ previous match was his 150th in T20s. Tahir became the first South African spinner to reach the landmark.

ScorecardBen Duckett dominated the Sussex bowlers to lay a perfect base for Northamptonshire•Getty Images

Ben Duckett made a sparkling fifth County Championship century as Northamptonshire dominated the opening day against Sussex at Wantage Road, making 296 for 2 having been asked to bat first.Duckett signed off 2015 with a century at The Oval and picked up where he left off with a 139-ball hundred. His unbeaten 178 was a first-class best. It allowed Northamptonshire to enjoy a fine opening to the new season against the favourites for the Division Two title.Duckett was his dominant best in the morning session, using any inch of width to slash behind square on the off side. He took two boundaries over extra cover too. There were moments of fortune – two wild drives flew over the slips before he raised a half-century off 60 balls, and an under-edged cut brought him within touching distance of century, which he reached with an ease through extra cover.He also swept the spinners with precision. Two of them operated in tandem for periods which was a most unexpected sight for an April Championship match, but such was the unresponsive nature of the pitch that stand-in Sussex captain Ben Brown had little choice but to use Danny Briggs and Luke Wells for 31 of the 82 overs. Duckett responded by lifting Briggs over long-on for his only six. Wells sent down too many loose deliveries to be a threat.The only period where Sussex sustained any pressure was shortly after lunch where 15 runs came in 10 overs and Steve Magoffin slid a delivery into Jake Libby to win an lbw. Libby joined on-loan from Nottinghamshire on Friday as injury cover and showed a competent technique for his 42 – but he should have been taken by Ross Taylor at first slip when just 12.Duckett and Libby shared an opening stand of 130 then Northants captain Alex Wakely arrived to build another big stand. He and Duckett weathered the brief period of Sussex pressure to add 123 for the second wicket.Wakely opened his campaign with a smart half-century and some pleasant straight driving, but would have cursed his dismissal – playing round a Briggs delivery to be lbw for 51.Duckett said: “I’m pretty chuffed. The job isn’t done, I’ve still got to try and go past 200 tomorrow. There were games last year when I was frustrated, getting out when set to go and make a huge score so it’s a great chance to do it on day two.”There was a bit of nip early on and Steve Magoffin bowled really well. But the plan was to play as straight as possible and stay patient and we managed to do that.”

Neal Maupay considers his darts celebration taunt of James Maddison to be “goated”, as the Brentford striker got 11 Tottenham players "on toast”.

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• Brentford loanee on target against Spurs
• Riled opponents with reaction to scoring
• Striker considers wind-up games to be "fun"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The French forward, who is on loan with the Bees from Everton, has earned a reputation for being a Premier League “sh*thouse”. He delights in winding up opposing players, and did just that during a London derby date with Tottenham on January 31.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Maupay opened the scoring in that contest and celebrated by copying the dart-throwing celebration of Spurs rival Maddison. That ruffled a few feathers – with words exchanged on the field, in post-match interviews and across social media – but the enigmatic 27-year-old has no regrets.

• WHAT MAUPAY SAID

  Maupay, while assessing some of the Premier League’s biggest wind-up moments with , has said of having Tottenham on strings: “Believe it or not, that wasn't planned. I scored and as I was running, I thought I'm going to throw a dart. He celebrates his goals like that, but apparently you're not allowed to throw a dart, it's only him that can do it. The way he got offended, it was quite funny. Big man [Ivan Toney] got away with it because he did it as well but everyone went for me. That's class, I can't lie. It would have been better if we had won. But at their place in front of their fans, got all their players raging, that's goated. Just by throwing a dart I got 11 players on toast. It was so easy. It's mad how easy it is, but I'm just having fun, for me it is fun. Football is a game and I'm trying to enjoy myself.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Alongside his own inflammatory antics, Maupay put Emmanuel Adebayor’s celebration for Manchester City against Arsenal from 2009 into the “goated” category. That joined Jamie Vardy howling after scoring for Leicester at Wolves and Luis Suarez diving in front of the Everton dugout back in 2012 after finding the target for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.

Ange Postecoglou has been fairly ruthless when it comes to farewells at Tottenham Hotspur since taking charge, with his rebuild resulting in a number of departures around the squad, or players simply being frozen out.

It must be said, though, that as ruthless as Postecoglou has been, it has worked wonders so far in North London, with an unbeaten start representing the turnaround that the former Celtic boss has overseen so quickly.

Now, even with the transfer window shut, the Australian is making moves to improve his side, which could reportedly see yet another player depart, in what would be perhaps the most surprising exit since Harry Kane's transfer to Bayern Munich earlier this summer.

What's the latest Spurs transfer news?

According to Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are on the verge of signing 16-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split, beating a reported five other clubs to the highly-rated teenager's signature in the process.

The deal represents Spurs' improvement in the transfer market, as they continue to plan for the future. The deal for Vuskovic is not without its cost, according to reports, however, with a first-team player heading in the other direction.

According to Croatian outlet tportal, the deal for Vuskovic has opened the option for Ivan Perisic to go in the opposite direction, and join Hajduk Split in his home country of Croatia.

The move would come as quite the surprise, given that Vuskovic is reportedly set to stay at Split until he turns 18-years-old, before then officially making the move to Spurs.

Should Spurs sell Ivan Perisic?

Whilst Perisic is getting no younger at 34-years-old, he has remained an important member of the Spurs squad, even under Postecoglou. So far this season, he has made an appearance in all five games in all competitions, including one start in the Carabao Cup.

In such a young Spurs squad, too, with the likes of Micky van de Ven and Yves Bissouma still relatively new to the team, Perisic's experience can prove to be priceless for those in North London – swapping that experience out for a 16-year-old centre-back may prove to be a costly decision. If Spurs can get their deal done for Vuskovic without bidding farewell to Perisic, then it would be an ideal transfer.

The former Inter Milan man's versatility is an asset in its own right on top of his experience, meanwhile, having played in midfield, wingback, and in an offensive role throughout his career. That is, once again, priceless.

Perisic has earned plenty of praise during his short time at Spurs, too, including from Alasdair Gold, who said, via Football London, after the defender impressed against Sporting: "Crafted a couple of first half chances for Richarlison and Emerson and further opportunities in the second half that should have been put away.

“An excellent creative outlet down the left for Spurs and used all of his experience for much of the match. One of Spurs’ better players other than one moment of iffy defending when Edwards left him in his wake.”

With that said, the Vuskovic deal is certainly one to keep an eye on, especially if Hajduk Split pursue a deal of their own for current Spurs man Perisic in the coming days.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans to make a late foray into the summer transfer window before tonight's deadline passes.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

According to The Times, the Magpies are eyeing up a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as Eddie Howe tries to bring the former World Cup winner to Tyneside.

The report claims that the club are keen on a swoop to snap him up on a season-long loan, as he has been replaced as Spurs' number one by Ange Postecoglou this season.

It does, however, state that the veteran shot-stopper has turned down Newcastle's advances so far, although it remains to be seen if they will continue to convince him to make the move.

How did Hugo Lloris perform last season?

Howe is heading for a last-gasp blunder on deadline day as Lloris' dreadful form for Tottenham last season suggests that he would be an expensive flop for the Magpies.

He is reportedly on £100k-per-week in north London and that could make it an expensive loan deal for the club if they have to cover a decent percentage of his wages as only four current Newcastle players are on more than £100k-per-week, which could make him one of the top-earners.

Lloris would not be an upgrade on Nick Pope, based on their respective displays last term, and it does not seem prudent to have a second-choice goalkeeper on significant money, particularly one that could be detrimental to them if he does end up on the pitch.

His poor performances led to former Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness stating that he is "past his sell-by date", which is a fair comment you consider the dip in his shot-stopping capability over the last few years.

Lloris saved 3.6 more goals than expected, based on the post-shot xG against him, during the 2020/21 Premier League campaign for Tottenham, which meant that he was an above-average goalkeeper that year.

However, the 36-year-old then conceded 1.4 more than expected throughout the following season across 38 appearances. This meant that he went from being a net-positive to a net-negative for the club in terms of his shot-stopping.

The regression continued into the 2022/23 campaign as Lloris ended the term with 4.1 more goals conceded than expected, whilst the veteran also made four errors directly leading to goals for the opposition.

Pope, on the other hand, saved 0.9 more goals than expected for Newcastle in the top flight and only made one mistake that led to a goal for the opposition over the course of the season.

This suggests that the England international is a superior goalkeeper to Lloris both in terms of his general performances when it comes to stopping shots and his ability to avoid major errors, which is why the French giant would not come in as an upgrade on Howe's current number one.

Therefore, bringing in an underperforming goalkeeper who could be on huge wages in comparison to the rest of the squad would be a deadline day howler and a move that the club should look to avoid before the deadline.

Ben Stokes has been named in England’s ODI squad for New Zealand but first of all he has a a court appearance to negotiate

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2018Ben Stokes is poised again to make an England return – this time in the one-day series against New Zealand – after being included in a 15-man squad “subject to any court obligations”.Stokes has spent more than four months out of England’s side since he was arrested following a dead-of-night incident outside a Bristol nightclub. He is due to appear at magistrates’ court in the city on February 13 to answer a charge of affray.

England ODI squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

England remain hopeful that he will be clear to play the five-match ODI series which starts on February 25, but cannot make a firm decision until the outcome of Stokes’ courth appearance.England’s decision to name Stokes provisionally follows a familiar pattern dating back to the Ashes, when he was selected but ultimately deemed unavailable for both the Test and ODI series.Instead, he managed some cricket across the Tasman Sea for Canterbury and may now find himself returning to New Zealand in more fulfilling circumstances.England have made two changes to the squad that beat Australia 4-1. Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball, who played the final match of the series, has been omitted, as has Dawid Malan who was added as Stokes’ replacement.With Stokes’ inclusion not yet certain, Malan, who has just been appointed as Middlesex club captain, might decide not to unpack his bags just yet.

Celtic are "interested" in signing Newcastle United's forgotten man this summer as the Hoops' search for a winger continues, Italian journalist Rudy Galetti has told GIVEMESPORT.

Is Ryan Fraser joining Celtic?

It's been an interesting transfer window for Brendan Rodgers' side so far this summer.

There have been plenty of positives for the Glasgow giants as they've secured the signature of players like Maik Nawrocki, Odin Thiago Holm and several other impressive players whilst convincing star players like Kyogo Furuhasi and Daizen Maeda to sign new deals.

That said, the departure of the dynamic winger and fan favourite Jota to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad came as a serious blow to the team, and while the £25m fee that the Hoops received certainly softened that blow, it was still far from the ideal way for Rodgers to start his second tenure as manager.

With a glaring hole on the leftwing, signing a replacement for the 24-year-old became imperative, and with less than three weeks before the window slams shut, The Bhoys are running out of time to find a replacement.

One player that could be the solution to Rodgers' woes is former Bournemouth star and current Scotland international Fraser.

The 5 foot 4 dynamo, who has the same agent as Federico Valverde, has reportedly been frozen out of the Newcastle team and stripped of his squad number after a bitter falling out with manager Eddie Howe in March of this year, per Football Scotland.

While the £63,000-a-week man might have burnt his bridges with the Magpies, he certainly has the ability required to make an impact north of the border and could make for a brilliant addition to the left wing of Celtic's attack.

And according to journalist Rudy Galetti, a move back to Scotland could be on the cards.

What did Journalist Rudy Galetti say about Ryan Fraser to Celtic?

Galetti confirmed that the Hoops are indeed interested in the Scottish international, and his lack of game time in the Premier League could influence his decision.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Celtic are interested in Ryan Fraser from Newcastle. That has been confirmed.

"They are looking for a winger. The Scottish player, who doesn't play a central role for the Magpies, is one of the preferred names and profiles."

How old is Ryan Fraser?

Born February 24th, 1994, in Aberdeen, Scotland, the 29-year-old has undoubtedly struggled for game time on Tyneside over the last 12 months, starting just three league games last season.

That's not to say that he wouldn't be an excellent signing for Celtic; however, as when his managers have given him the minutes, he's been a consistently decent top-flight-level footballer.

In his 128 Premier League starts across his whole career, he has scored 18 goals and provided 31 assists. On top of that, he has averaged a match rating of 6.67 across his entire professional playing career, which shows remarkable consistency from the Scotsman, per WhoScored.

Described as "excellent" for his national team performances by Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, if Rodgers can get this deal over the line and coax the best out of Fraser once more, this could be an outstanding piece of business from the Scottish champions.

The T20 encounter against the Knights on Wednesday will be Steyn’s first competitive match since breaking a bone in his shoulder during the tour of Australia in November 2016

Firdose Moonda14-Nov-2017Dale Steyn is expected to make a comeback to competitive cricket, after a year on the sidelines, in the Ram Slam on Wednesday. Steyn has been named in the Titans’ 13-man squad set to play the Knights in Kimberley, for their second match of the competition.The Titans beat the Lions in their opening game on Sunday, where Steyn carried drinks and reunited with his team-mates after seven years at the Cape Town-based Cobras. Steyn, whose career began up-country with the Titans, opted to return to the franchise while still recovering from the broken bone in his shoulder that has seen him spend the last 12 months out of action.In that time, Steyn has had a pin inserted into his right shoulder and overcome torn bicep and pectoral muscles. When speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, Steyn explained how he was slowly building up his bowling loads so that he could be at 100% by the time he returns. That time, it seems, is now.To make space for Steyn in their XI, the Titans will likely have to leave out David Wiese from the side that beat the Lions. That means the Titans could boast at least six current internationals with Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi all in the mix and Dean Elgar waiting in the wings. Morne Morkel and Chris Morris, who are recovering from a side strain and a back injury respectively, are not part of the Titans’ squad for now but are both expected to make comebacks at some stage of the Ram Slam.If all goes well with Steyn’s participation in the Ram Slam, he is expected to make a return to the national side in whites, where he needs just five wickets to overtake Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s highest Test wicket-taker. South Africa play Zimbabwe in the inaugural day-night Test over Boxing Day and then host India for three Tests. New coach Ottis Gibson has already indicated Steyn will walk back into the XI provided the man himself is confident he can get through a full Test.