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Bangladesh registered their largest victory in ODIs in terms of margin of runs

The Report by Liam Brickhill01-Mar-2020Bangladesh stormed to a 169-run win in Sylhet, their largest in ODIs. They rode on a ton from Liton Das and swift cameos from Mohammad Mithun and Mohammad Saifuddin to reach 321 for 6 before Zimbabwe’s chase imploded. Saifuddin did the early damage with an opening spell of 2 for 6 in five overs and the visitors never really recovered, bowled out for 152 with Bangladesh’s bowlers sharing the wickets around.On a hot, humid afternoon, Das appeared more troubled by the conditions than he was by Zimbabwe’s attack. Opening the batting alongside Tamim Iqbal, he crunched the sixth ball of the innings to the cover point boundary and added three more fours inside the Powerplay to set the tone of the innings. Iqbal raised Bangladesh’s fifty in the 11th over with a rasping cut, but otherwise played within himself and was fortunate to survive a strong lbw shout soon afterwards when Carl Mumba pinged his front pad with a full, angled delivery.Zimbabwe declined the review even though replays showed Iqbal would have been out. There was some iffy judgment with regards to the DRS from both sides as Iqbal then burnt Bangladesh’s review when Wesley Madhevere, the 19 year old debutant, trapped him in front with an offbreak that rushed on with the arm.But there was no doubt about Das’s acumen with the bat in hand and he progressed steadily, in almost complete control, putting the fielders under pressure with some swift running and cashing in on anything loose.At the other end, Najmul Hossain Shanto was similarly sharp in calling for quick singles, and he peppered the boundary with a couple of crisp strokes of his own as the pair added 80 for the second wicket in quick time. Bangladesh cruised past 100 in the 20th over, but Iqbal’s injudicious use of the review earlier came back to haunt Shanto when he was given out lbw to a ball from Tino Mutombodzi that would have missed the off stump.The dismissal slowed Bangladesh’s progress somewhat, and they went seven overs between the 26th and 34th without a boundary before Das ended the drought with a whip through midwicket to raise his hundred. He shifted through the gears thereafter, swiping Tiripano for three boundaries in the space of an over and then heaving Madhevere over midwicket for his second six. But, having struggled with cramp for some time in the sweltering heat, Das was then forced from the field.There was little respite for Zimbabwe, however, as Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah plundered 68 runs in the space of nine overs before Mahmudullah was removed, on review, by a Chris Mpofu yorker. Mithun raised a 40-ball fifty with his fifth four before he, likewise, was undone by an indipping yorker from Mpofu, but Saifuddin ensured Bangladesh would not be slowed by the quick strikes. He cleared the ropes with three massive hits in the final over of the innings to breach 300 and lift the hosts to an imposing total.Mohammad Saifuddin appeals•BCB

Saifuddin transferred his batting momentum into his bowling effort, and Zimbabwe’s chase was almost immediately derailed. With his fourth ball, he caught Tinashe Kamunhukamwe flat footed in the crease, the ball ricocheting into the stumps via the inside edge. Six overs later, Saifuddin nipped one in off the seam to strike a shuffling Regis Chakabva in front of his stumps – a review confirming his downfall – and captain Chamu Chibhabha then aimed a desperate heave at Mashrafe Mortaza only to slice a simple catch to mid-off.Zimbabwe were three down inside the Powerplay, with the required rate already ballooning above seven an over and their innings looking increasingly rudderless. It was left to Madhevere to give it some impetus and a veneer of respectability.He shrugged off the loss of Brendan Taylor, fluffing a slog sweep to be bowled by Taijul Islam, with a couple of crisp strokes which showed his potential to succeed at this level and briefly rallied alongside Sikandar Raza. They added 35 for the fifth wicket – the highest stand of the innings – before Raza top-edged a pull at Mustafizur Rahman and Zimbabwe’s slide began in earnest.Madhevere followed him to the pavilion soon afterwards, swatting a catch into the covers, and with the match out of their grasp Zimbabwe’s lower order decided they would go down swinging. Wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami flogged two big sixes before he was run out, and Tiripano was aiming for a boundary of his own when he slammed a stinging return catch back to Mehidy Hasan.After two big hits, Mumba’s merrymaking was ended by a full, straight delivery from Saifuddin that clattered into the stumps, but it was left to Mortaza to bring the innings to an end. In the 40th over, Tino Mutombodzi swiped underneath a short one to present a steepling chance to Saifuddin at deep square leg and give Mortaza his 100th ODI wicket as captain in his final series in charge of the one-day side.His milestone was one of several bright points for Bangladesh took a 1-0 series lead, but Zimbabwe failed to turn up in any department today.

The tourists must succeed in every match to avoid losing the contest, while Australia have the luxury of having some off nights after earning a 3-1 lead.

Peter English in Brisbane28-Jan-2011

Match Facts

January 30, Brisbane

Start time 13.20 (03.20 GMT)Local hero: Shane Watson•Getty Images

The Big Picture

England won quite convincingly in Adelaide on Wednesday but their quest over the final three games remains the same. The tourists must succeed in every match to avoid losing the contest, while Australia have the luxury of having some off nights after earning a 3-1 lead. The hosts were below their best in Adelaide with bat and ball, but always enjoy returning to their Gabba fortress.


Brisbane is currently a city under-going a big clean-up after devastating floods a fortnight ago. The fifth ODI will be a major fund-raiser for victims and will support the Queensland premier’s appeal. The Gabba was not affected by the destruction and the curator was ready to host a game just three days after the Brisbane River peaked.England have only a week to go before they head home for a very short break ahead of the World Cup. Australia’s itinerary is a lot more relaxed and the players are looking and operating like the favourites to claim the trophy.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWWW

England WLLLW

Watch out for…

This part of Australia is Shane Watson territory and he has visited a couple of times over the past two weeks to inspect the flood damage and raise spirits. He grew up in Ipswich and played for Queensland, but has not had any real international success at the ground that was his home before he switched to New South Wales. While he has been Australia’s form player of the summer and scored 161 in the first ODI, the locals would love him to do something special on Sunday.


Chris Tremlett has been one of England’s stars on this trip and can’t believe what is happening to him. First there was a place on the Ashes tour, then a key role, opening the bowling in the one-day side, and being elevated to an ECB contract. “All these surprises keep happening and sometimes I still pinch myself,” he said. He has taken six wickets in the past four games and should be a big threat on the Gabba pitch, which offers pace and seam.

Team news

Shaun Tait (thigh) and Mitchell Johnson (throat infection) are improving and give Australia some pace options on what will be a lively wicket. Johnson should come in on his old home ground as he looks to re-find form ahead of next month’s World Cup.


Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Cameron White, 6 David Hussey, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Doug Bollinger.England’s main problem is whether to pick another specialist fast bowler. They went with only three in Adelaide, but Brisbane is a different prospect and the extra speed is vital. That leaves Paul Collingwood and Michael Yardy in vulnerable positions, while the chances of Chris Woakes or Luke Wright being recalled have increased.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Paul Collingwood, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Ajmal Shahzad, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James Anderson.

Stats and trivia

• The only international team with a better winning percentage at the Gabba than Australia’s 56.66% is West Indies’ 76.19%. England sit fourth on 53.84% after seven wins in 13 appearances.
• Australia’s only loss in five games against England here came in 1998-99, when Alan Mullally’s 4 for 18 helped dismiss the hosts for 145.
• David Gower holds the highest score at the ground with 158 off 118 balls, with 18 fours and four sixes, against New Zealand in 1982-83.

Quotes

“It’s going to be a very emotional day and hopefully that can help pull us over the line and win the series.”
“We played pretty well the other night in Adelaide and we’ve got some momentum back from that performance. Hopefully we can take it from there, try to do what Australia did and win three games in a row.”

‘It’s not about egos or anything like that, it’s about sending your best team to the World Cup,’ South Africa coach says

Firdose Moonda16-Feb-2020The one person South African coach Mark Boucher is sure of ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup did not even play in the series against England, which ended on Sunday. South Africa lost 1-2 and head straight into another rubber against Australia on Friday, where they could sport a very different squad that could even include AB de Villiers, who Boucher indicated is a shoe-in for the tournament later this year.”He’s a discussion in the media and in the public but he is no discussion for me. I have had chats with him and we will probably know pretty soon what’s going to happen with him,” Boucher said. “Like I said from day one when I took over, if we are going to a World Cup, I would like to have our best players there.”If AB is in good form and he is raring to go and he makes himself available for the time we have asked him to be available; if he is the best man for the job, then he must go. It’s not about egos or anything like that, it’s about sending your best team to the World Cup to try and win that competition.”ALSO READ: Ice-cool Morgan hands England 2-1 series winDe Villiers retired from all international cricket in May 2018 but attempted to make a comeback for the 2019 50-over World Cup, which was blocked by national selectors. At the time, it was explained that the refusal to let de Villiers back was because he had snubbed a request to play in two ODIs leading up to the tournament. This time, de Villiers will be part of South Africa’s build-up, although it is not clear how many matches he will be required to play.South Africa have a two-month break after the Australia series, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs and will be followed by a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and a visit to West Indies that includes five T20s. Early indications were that de Villiers would return to the national side after the IPL but with Australia bringing a full-strength squad, de Villiers may be convinced to come back earlier so South Africa can settle on combinations.South Africa are expected to announce their squad on Tuesday, with Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada, who were rested for the England series, likely to be back.That will give South Africa further options to consider as they look to refine their playing group for the T20 World Cup, after Boucher conceded that he still has vacant spots in this team. “A couple of questions have been answered – maybe in a positive way, maybe one or two in a negative way but least the questions have been answered and we are getting an idea of which positions are filled,” he said.Although Boucher did not reveal exactly which places had been claimed, a quick glance at the series suggests the openers have sealed their spots. Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, who has just five T20 caps to his name, got South Africa off to three strong starts with stands of 92, 48 and 84 and finished as the first and second top-scorers for their team.Though South Africa had some middle-order challenges, Boucher was “very happy with the batting,” as a whole. That suggests Rassie van der Dussen, Jon-Jon Smuts, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, who only played the final match, have all done enough to remain in contention for the T20 World Cup.The performance of the attack was less satisfying for Boucher, with South Africa failing to defend 222 at SuperSport Park. “The bowling has, at times, been very good. We’ve got wicket-taking ability but as a unit we are not hitting our straps enough and there are a couple too many soft options. If we can clean that act up then I think we are going in the right direction,” Boucher said.In particular, he wants to work on bowlers’ skills, especially the yorker but stressed that it is difficult to focus on that in between matches because of the tight travel schedule. “We did speak about trying to nail more yorkers but it’s difficult to train those sort of things because we play, we travel, we play, we travel,” he said. “I don’t think the skill is where it should be and that’s something we need to work on. We are looking at a camp that we can put together so that we can work on particular things with our bowlers and our batters.”While Lungi Ngidi, who defended seven runs off the last over in East London, is unlikely to have been the focus of Boucher’s comments, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Beuran Hendricks and even Dale Steyn will want to take notes so they know what’s expected of them as South Africa head into their next assignment. Rabada and Sisanda Magala, who has spent the series working on his fitness, are the other options South Africa will consider.Overall, Boucher has assessed his first full series as national head coach as “tough,” but no different to what he thought it would be when he took the job in mid-December.”I knew it was going to be tough,” Boucher said. “I don’t want to get emotional about the whole thing. You’ve got to try and be practical and look at where we are as a team and understand that there is a lot of hard work to do.”With regards to our Test cricket, we are a long way off the mark so we need to work nice and hard there, especially on our batting. In one-day cricket, we are a very young side and I was pretty happy with the way that went. We are in a stage now, I don’t like to call it rebuilding, but we are looking at opportunities for guys to stand up and take responsibility for a position that they could own for a long period of time. If there is a chance to give guys opportunity, then I think we must.”Despite a number of debuts – South Africa handed out five in the Tests and three in ODIs – the team has not won a series since March last year, which speaks to the dire straits they find themselves in. But for Boucher, this time seems to present possibilities for new heroes, and maybe for a veteran like de Villiers, to come back.

MS Dhoni has suggested India’s bowling line-up may change from match to match over the World Cup, depending on conditions and the opposition

Liam Brickhill in Bangalore05-Mar-2011The last three days have given MS Dhoni plenty to think about. Kevin O’Brien’s inspirational innings against England means a wary India will be taking no chances against the plucky Ireland side in Bangalore, while the reaction of irate Bangladesh fans after their team’s humiliating loss to West Indies will surely have stirred memories for India’s captain.West Indies’ team bus was struck by stones as they travelled back from their match against Bangladesh in Mirpur, while the also reported that a few fans on motorbikes threw stones at Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan’s Magura home, leaving a window-pane broken. Dhoni’s own home in Ranchi had been targeted in a similar manner, amid a wave of effigy-burning, by angry Indian fans after India’s loss to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup.”I think yesterday they missed the Bangladesh bus, because that’s what they were waiting for,” he joked, before taking on a far more serious tone. “It’s unfortunate, but in the subcontinent that’s how the fans react. They should remember it’s not the players living in that [Shakib’s] home right now, it’s the family members and they don’t have anything to do with cricket. You have to control your emotions.”[As fans] you have to back the players. You need backing when you’re not doing well because when you’re winning games and everybody’s with you, the emotions, the expectation level, the appreciation, everything is there. But the real fans of cricket will be with you when you’re not doing well, when you are a bit low, when the team is not doing well, those are the real fans of cricket. Others, they just follow the wins of the team; whenever they are winning they are big fans of cricket.”MS Dhoni says he was never going to take Ireland lightly as he has already experienced losing to an underdog•AFP

A successful Indian team has had no such worries in this tournament so far, giving their legions of supporters plenty to celebrate even though their match against England ended in a tie. But if there had been any chance, at the beginning of the World Cup, that their encounter with Ireland might have been seen as an opportunity to experiment and rest key players, such thoughts were vanquished by the events of Wednesday night.”I’ve never said there’s any weaker side in the World Cup, because if you have very fond memories of getting beaten by Bangladesh in 2007 then you won’t commit that mistake,” Dhoni said on the eve of the Ireland clash.”For every team it depends on that particular day. There are individuals in every side who can play big innings, score at an amazing strike rate of 150 or 200, and that can really change the course of the game. So the preparation level remains the same and the intensity should be the same as when we play any other side.”Dhoni admitted to being impressed by Kevin O’Brien’s “unbelievable” knock, and glad that he had been a spectator to it rather than being on the receiving end. “We really enjoyed O’Brien’s innings. It was not against us, so as a spectator you can enjoy each and every hit. We enjoyed every bit of his batting and the Ireland innings.”Right from the very start he went after the bowlers but it was really impressive to see him change gears at the end because that’s what was needed at that point. As far as strategies [against him] are concerned, every day is different so accordingly you have to plan for how a batsman is playing. But he got run out, so we’ll try to get him run out in this game also.”A full-strength XI is a virtual certainty against a buoyant Ireland side who will be backing themselves to secure another major scalp, and Dhoni suggested that India would stick to the batting-heaving line-up as that is where their main strength lies.”You should always back your strength, that’s the most important part. Tomorrow we don’t want to feel ‘Okay now we would have been better off with seven batsmen’, and maybe you score 30-odd runs less and you find yourself in a place where there’s not enough runs on the board. We’ll be more inclined to play with seven batters, of course Yusuf [Pathan] and Yuvraj [Singh] can also bowl and be the fifth bowler for the side.”With four slots remaining for the bowlers, the question for India will be which combination of spin and seam to play: three seamers and one specialist spinner, or two of each? If two spinners are included, will it be R Ashwin or Piyush Chawla who partners Harbhajan Singh?Dhoni did not let on what India’s plans were, but did defend his bowlers for leaking 338 runs in the game against England, saying the Bangalore wicket was flat. “We played against England with a two-two combination. Some people may say it didn’t really affect the opposition but what we are saying is the wicket is behaving in a better way under the lights. What we have seen is that it’s not a seamer-friendly wicket and as the game progresses by evening it comes on very nicely to the bat – there’s no extra pace for the fast bowlers.”Dhoni suggested India’s bowling combination might change from game to game depending on the opposition. “If there’s plenty of left-handers in the opposition side then you may be inclined to play one more offspinner. Both Yusuf and Harbhajan are offspinners and both of them have bowled well. If the opposition are not very good at picking the wrong one from the legspinner then you are inclined to play Piyush Chawla.”Piyush just gives you that variation of the bowler who can take it away and also has the wrong one. And you already have Harbhajan and Yusuf to bowl offspin. Ashwin has done exceptionally well for us whenever he has played and he has bowled in the first 10 overs also, but you just pick the one that may be most suitable for that particular game.”

Australia’s one-day team is still being assembled four days from the naming of the World Cup squad

Brydon Coverdale15-Jan-2011A crane sits atop Cricket Australia’s head office in Melbourne, and scaffolding surrounds the building. It’s somehow fitting that after the Ashes debacle, even the physical structure of the organisation is being reviewed, along with the internal workings. More pressing are the modifications to Australia’s one-day team, which is still being assembled four days from the naming of the World Cup squad.On Sunday at the MCG, several men will have 100 overs to prove they should be part of the World Cup defence. It’s hard to fathom that after four years of preparation, the selectors could be so undecided that one match could influence their decisions. But Andrew Hilditch said as much when he named the 14-man squad for this game against England, the first in a seven-match series.What have the selectors been doing for the past year if not finetuning their one-day side for the World Cup? David Hussey hasn’t played ODI cricket in 15 months, but has suddenly been thrust in for one game and told that he could earn a World Cup place. If the selectors didn’t want him for the 50-over tour of India in October, why is he considered now, when his domestic one-day form is poor? And what of Callum Ferguson and Shaun Marsh, who appeared to be groomed for this world event?There are even more questions over the make-up of the attack Australia will take to the subcontinent. Brett Lee is back from injury and fighting for a place, Shaun Tait is in with a shot, and together with Mitchell Johnson they could form a fearsome, but potentially expensive, pace trio at the World Cup. That leaves Australia’s defensive bowling options thin, but the stand-in captain Michael Clarke believes the mix can work.”I definitely think you could get the overs out of your spinners, Watto [Shane Watson] and your part-timers,” Clarke said in Melbourne ahead of the first ODI against England. “Dave Hussey adds to our bowling as well, bowling his part-time off-spin. I certainly see those three guys [Tait, Johnson and Lee] as quite attacking wicket-taking bowlers.”As you saw last night, Mitchell, Brett and Shaun, when they’re bowling well they can also dry the runs up, especially once the ball gets a little bit older. If you get any sort of reverse-swing with a bit of protection for the guys, they can also do that role of bowling pretty fast and straight and dry the runs up. Any time the ball is coming over 140kph or 150kph at you, it’s hard to start against.”The job of tying up an end has often been filled over the past year by the medium-pacer James Hopes, the seamer Clint McKay or the offspinner Nathan Hauritz. But for some reason, Hopes appears to be out of favour and will battle to win a World Cup spot, despite having played 17 ODIs over the past year. McKay is injured and Hauritz is competing with Xavier Doherty, although there is a slim chance both spinners could make the 15-man squad.It was also odd that the selectors bothered choosing 14 men for Sunday’s game against England, especially when all along they were intending to leave Hauritz out. Hussey, Lee, Tait and Doherty need to play to press their claims, meaning that Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will have to rest. Rarely have individual performances mattered more in a single game.”I don’t think it will compromise my captaincy or the team’s performance as such,” Clarke said. “We’ve got a squad here, we’ve got one game tomorrow. It’s the last opportunity for players to be looked at before the World Cup selection. That will play a part in selection for this game. But our goal is to win every game we play and to definitely win this series.”The squad for the remaining six games will be chosen after the opening match, and it will almost certainly be the World Cup group minus Ricky Ponting, who is recovering from surgery on his finger. Along with Ponting, Tim Paine is likely to make the World Cup squad, meaning at least one man in the 14-strong group for the first ODI will be axed.By Wednesday, construction of the World Cup side will be finished. But the work at Cricket Australia headquarters is only just beginning.

Virender Sehwag might miss India’s final group game against the West Indies on Sunday because of a problem with his knee

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2011Virender Sehwag might miss India’s final group game against West Indies on Sunday because of a knee problem. Sehwag’s knee has been bothering him since the start of the World Cup, but his current worry is the result of swelling caused by an allergic reaction to a pain-killing injection he took after the match against South Africa.”Viru [Sehwag] has got an allergic reaction in his right knee, so we will take that call [about whether to play him] either in the evening or on the morning of the game,” MS Dhoni said at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.If Sehwag is unable to take the field, Gautam Gambhir will most likely open the innings with Sachin Tendulkar.The game doesn’t have a lot riding on it as Bangladesh’s defeat to South Africa today means India and England are already through to the quarter-finals and barring a catastrophic defeat, West Indies can afford to lose tomorrow’s game and still join them on the basis of a better net run-rate than Bangladesh.

England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March. Galle and Colombo will be the host cities for the two-Test series, with points going towards the World Test Championship.Although there had been some concerns about the security situation in the country, following a series of bombings over Easter earlier this year, New Zealand toured Sri Lanka in August and former Test captain Kumar Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo that the situation had “improved dramatically”.”It’s safe, it’s secure, Sri Lanka is completely back to normal and we’re looking forward to welcoming more and more visitors from around the world,” he said. “England is touring next March and from a UK perspective that is very significant, because we get a huge amount of followers that come and enjoy the country while watching great cricket.”The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Katunayake, followed by a four-day fixture at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, before the teams move on to Galle for the first Test, starting on March 19. The second Test will be held a week later at Khettarama, which most recently hosted a Test against Zimbabwe in 2017.On their last visit, in 2018, England secured an unexpected 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka, the first time they had managed such a feat in Asia. Sri Lanka currently sit higher in the WTC table, however, with 60 points to England’s 56.England itinerary
March 7-9 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Katunayake, CMCG
March 12-15 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Colombo, P Sara Oval
March 19-23 – 1st Test v Sri Lanka – Galle, Galle International Stadium
March 27-31 – 2nd Test v Sri Lanka – Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium

John Kennedy has recently addressed the future of Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham and has appeared to offer him a Parkhead olive branch ahead of the 2021/22 season.

The Frenchman joined Marseille on loan during the winter window, with the Ligue 1 club having the option to make the move permanent in the summer.

However, his loan spell back in his native country hasn’t gone to plan and it seems as if Marseille will reject their £4.5m option to buy.

Ntcham will have just 12 months left on his Celtic contract should he return at the end of the season, which could leave the Hoops in a tricky situation.

Talking to the media, as reported by The Herald on Saturday, Kennedy insisted that no doors have been shut on the 25-year-old’s Hoops career and labelled the central midfielder as ‘talented’.

“We’re not closing any doors on Olivier. I spoke to him a few weeks ago and I have a good relationship with him.

“He was keen to get out for a new challenge and the club agreed on that. It was good for both of us at that time.

“But if there’s going to be changes in the summer, Olivier might be motivated to give Celtic another shot.

“He’s a very good player as we know so that’s a conversation that will have to take place at the end of the season if Olivier wants to come back and fight to be at Celtic.

“He could be a big part of the club moving forward because he’s a talented player.

“Marseille hasn’t worked out for him and sometimes the grass isn’t greener.

“He’s a good lad, he’s professional and in the coming weeks the club will need to speak to him about how his future looks.”

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Transfer Tavern take

Kennedy hasn’t ruled out a Hoops future for Ntcham, but reports elsewhere have suggested that the midfielder will leave for good over the coming months. A Celtic source revealed to Football Insider last month that the Frenchman doesn’t want to play for the club again regardless of what happens at Marseille, so Kennedy’s hopes of a Parkhead future for the midfielder could be short-lived.

Hoops managerial target Eddie Howe wanted Ntcham at Bournemouth back in 2016, so he too may be frustrated by the player’s recent thoughts regarding his Parkhead future.

Should his feelings remain the same, you’d expect that Celtic will look to cash in over the coming months, aiming to recoup most of the £4.5m they spent on him back in 2017.

In other news: Celtic source claims ‘absolute mess’ behind the scenes may scupper early summer signing, find out more here. 

Newcastle United almost fell to their first defeat in four Premier League games at Anfield on Saturday, but Joe Willock came off the bench to be the hero after Mohamed Salah’s third-minute strike seemed certain to seal a 1-0 win for Liverpool.

Here are our Magpies player ratings from Merseyside…

Starting XI:

Martin Dubravka: 8/10

Kept Newcastle in the game after Salah’s magnificent early opener, doing well to thwart the Egyptian a second and to prevent Sadio Mane from firing home. The onslaught continued after the break and was not helped by Jonjo Shelvey’s strange back pass on the hour mark.

Jacob Murphy: 6/10

A moment of indecision almost let Liverpool in for a second when Salah snatched possession late in the first period. Had delivered a teasing box into Allison’s area that no one tried to meet, and saw an effort blocked early in the second half.

Federico Fernandez: 7/10

Had to be careful after receiving a yellow card after the first quarter of an hour for a tackle on Diogo Jota and was beaten in the air by Mane moments before the break, as another Reds chance went begging. His calm presence helped to prevent things from getting out of hand.

Ciaran Clark: 5/10 (off 64’ min)

Will have been frustrated to have not gotten a more substantial contact on Mane’s cross for Salah’s opener and gifted possession to the Reds inside Dubravka’s box only for Jota to scuff his shot wide. Recovered well and had the ball in the back of the net but was offside.

Paul Dummett: 6/10

Liverpool’s attacking pace occasionally proved problematic for the Welshman but made a great interception to nip the ball away from Salah as he bore down on Dubravka’s net, and frequently cleared the ball to keep pressure away as often as he could.

Matt Ritchie: 5/10

Wasted an early free-kick to try and get United back into the game with the ball sailing straight out of play, having been the player spun by Salah for the host’s first. Kept trying but not always able to find a black-and-white shirt in the box.

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Miguel Almiron: 5/10 (off 85’ min)

Not the Paraguayan playmaker’s best day for Newcastle, as his lack of focus saw a chance midway through the first half go to waste when a communication breakdown saw Almiron, Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin get in each other’s way.

Jonjo Shelvey: 6/10

Played a beautiful pass down the inside-left for Sean Longstaff to run through on goal and one down the right for Joelinton either side of the break but created his best chance for the wrong side with his strange back pass almost gifting Mane a goal.

Sean Longstaff: 5/10

Failed to sort his feet when freed by Shelvey resulting in Allison easily palming away the midfielder’s scurried shot, and later saw Mane intercept a dismal pass out from the back that led to Salah rippling the side netting.

Joelinton: 5/10 (off 60’ min)

Unable to be the same player that proved a nuisance against Tottenham and build on his goal against West Ham, eventually replaced by Callum Wilson on the hour mark moments after stinging Allison’s gloves with a low blast.

Allan Saint-Maximin: 7/10

Took a battering from the Liverpool players after overcoming a knock to his ankle to feature, but still caused the Reds plenty of problems and almost struck an instant reply. Dropped a shoulder to breeze past Salah and deliver a dangerous cross, was almost unplayable when given the chance to run.

Substitutes:

Callum Wilson: 6/10 (on 60’ min)

Spread play nicely following his second-half introduction and thought he had stolen a point at the start of stoppage time, only for a VAR review to spot the ball bouncing off his arm after being pushed from behind by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Joe Willock: 7/10 (on 64’ min)

The Arsenal loanee came up clutch for the Magpies for the second week in a row, coming off the bench to score the final goal of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage-time, sealing the draw following his game-winning goal against West Ham last time out.

Dwight Gayle: N/A (on 85’ min)

Unused subs: Mark Gillespie (GK), Jamal Lewis, Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo, Jeff Hendrick, Andy Carroll

AND in other news, Newcastle United hold keen interest in £35m titan who “flung his teammates under the bus”…

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West Ham will reject a loan bid from FC Schalke for striker Lucas Perez before the transfer deadline, Football FanCast can confirm.

The Irons have thus far adopted a stance that they will not loan out any first-team players in this transfer window.

A BBC report claimed on Wednesday that the German club had lodged a loan offer for Perez, who has struggled for minutes thus far this season in east London.

However, the Irons would prefer to receive a transfer fee for Perez and value him at around £4million.

Perez has played 10 times in the Premier League, per Transfermarkt, but has yet to complete 90 minutes under Manuel Pellegrini in the top flight.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Nevertheless, Football FanCast understands the club intends to retain Perez as cover for Marko Arnautovic, who recently signed a new contract at the London Stadium, and Javier Hernandez.

Andy Carroll is injury-prone and as we exclusively revealed earlier this month, would likely be allowed to leave if a deadline day bid is tabled. However that appears unlikely, given his patchy fitness record and poor form when he has played.

Football FanCast also understand that Reece Oxford has been told that he can leave on loan, having failed to play a single minute for the first-team thus far this season.

It remains to be seen if an offer will be forthcoming that suits his needs, however.