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This forms part of our Loan Watch series, where The Transfer Tavern analyse how one club’s player is doing on loan based on a recent performance.

The Lowdown: January loan

Ellis Simms was sent out on loan to Hearts by Everton in the January transfer window and has since scored six goals in 16 games across all competitions for the Scottish Premiership outfit (Transfermarkt).

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It has been reported that Farhad Moshiri is now plotting a ‘major’ overhaul of the squad in the summer, including potentially selling both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, so the majority owner at Goodison Park will now have to decide what to do with Simms once he comes back from his loan spell in Edinburgh.

The Latest: Simms scores

After coming off of the bench in the 72nd minute, Simms ended up scoring the winner for Hearts just 11 minutes later as they beat Dundee United 3-2 on Sunday afternoon in their first game after the late-season Premiership split.

The striker, who also achieved a 100% pass success rate in his short cameo, made an instant impact, and looks to be blossoming into a fine player at just 21 years of age.

The Verdict: Keep him!

If Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are sold, and Everton find themselves relegated from the Premier League, Frank Lampard’s team must be looking to keep Simms in the senior squad for next season.

The youngster made his plenty of goals already at youth level, so he has already shown his credentials to play more regularly for the club.

Nonetheless, his performances and goals for Hearts are surely giving Moshiri a headache as he weighs up whether to sell Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, which in turn would then potentially open up a pathway for Simms.

In other news, find out which Toffees duo were deemed ’embarrassing’ against Liverpool

Former England batsman Owais Shah has signed a two-year deal with Essex as he looks to rebuild his career

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Former England batsman Owais Shah has signed a two-year deal with Essex as he looks to rebuild his career. Shah, 32, was released by Middlesex at the end of last season in controversial fashion, finding out about his departure in the press – something the club later apologised for.Having been with Middlesex all his career it was an unceremonious ending but he signed off by making 117 against Worcestershire at Lord’s in his final game for the club. Since making his debut in 1996, Shah has made over 14,000 first-class runs and played six Tests for England.His move to Chelmsford was widely expected and, despite being out of international cricket for over a year, Essex coach Paul Grayson still believes Shah has an England future.”Owais is the sort of high quality batsman that we have lacked since Ronnie Irani and Andy Flower retired,” Grayson said. “He’s probably one of the top three batsmen not currently playing international cricket alongside Mark Ramprakash and Marcus Trescothick.”It’s a fresh challenge having been with one club for so long. Hopefully we can help him get his England place back which is what he tells us he wants.”

Round-up of the fourth day of the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2010Group BAndhra sealed a semi-finals berth with an innings victory over Kerala atthe Rural Development Trust Stadium in Anantapur. K Rakesh’s 72 not out pushed the game into the last session on the fourth day, but Andhra seamer P Vijaykumar mopped up the tail and finished with figures of 5 for 51 in the second innings. Andhra needed seven wickets to complete a win after a dominant performance on the second and third day. They got the first two within the first two overs on Saturday, with Sairaj Bahutule and D Kalyankrishna getting a wicket each. Rakesh’s effort then blunted them for a while, but could not deny them the win as Kerala were bowled out for 235.
Maharashtra reached the semi-finals by finishing a point ahead of Services despite conceding the first-innings lead to them at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi. Services began the day 40 behind, and went on rack up a 175-run lead, thanks to their captain Yashpal Sharma’s unbeaten 203. He was supported by another Services stalwart, 36-year-old Sarabjit Singh, who made 75 as the pair added 175 for the sixth wicket. With Andhra winning, Services only chance of qualifying was an outright victory, but on a flat track, there was little hope of that and they delayed their declaration till Yashpal reached his double-century. Maharasthra had half the day to bat out, which they did comfortably, racing to 166 for 1 in 37 overs on the back of opener Nikhil Paradkar’s unbeaten 76.In the clash between the two laggards of the group, Vidarbha claimed their first victory of the season, but were made to work hard for it by the Jammu & Kashmir tail in Jammu. Vidarbha needed four wickets at the start of the day and J&K had to make 42 more to avoid an innings defeat, an ignominy they easily avoided due to Hardeep Singh’s maiden first-class century. The tail added 140 runs, setting Vidarbha a target of 99, which they knocked off in 26.3 overs with Ravi Jangid helping himself to a brisk 51.Group ARajasthan fell short of their third win of the campaign but weren’t too concerned as they still finished top of the group. They had a target of 27 after bowling out Jharkhand for 211 in Udaipur but there was no time left for Rajasthan to bat again. The match seemed headed for a dull draw after Jharkhand opener Aakash Verma’s 61 pushed them to 100 for 1 in 36 overs, before slumping to 150 for 7. Legspinner Vivek Yadav started the collapse by removing Verma, and Deepak Chahar, who shot to fame with his eight-for on debut when Hyderbad sunk to 21 all out earlier this season, then took three wickets in nine deliveries to leave Jharkhand reeling. Shiv Gautam battled to a patient 48 to consume enough overs to prevent defeat.Madhya Pradesh also reached the semi-finals after their match against Hyderabad predictably ended in a draw at the Gymkhana ground in Hyderabad. With the first innings still nowhere near completion at the start of the fourth day, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Hyderabad resumed from 168 for 4 in their reply to MP’s 422 for 4 declared, and went on to reach 286 for 6 before the match was called off. The result left Hyderabad fourth in the group and consigned them to another season in the Plate Division.Tripura had the satisfaction of finishing off a forgettable season with a victory, cruising to a seven-wicket win over Goa in Porvorim. Four defeats in the first four matches meant they were destined for the bottom spot, but they didn’t have too much trouble finishing off Goa on the final day. Tripura snatched a wicket off the first over, and took the last one soon after to be left chasing 99 for victory. Thirties from Rajib Saha and Nishit Shetty confirmed the victory in 23.3 overs. Goa began the match with hopes of qualifying for the next round, but had to be content with third place after the defeat.

Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Rajasthan 5 2 0 0 30 18 1.820 2058/48 1837/78 Madhya Pradesh 5 2 0 03 0 16 2.016 2346/42 2023/73Goa 5 1 10 3 0 11 1.211 2843/722282/70 Hyderabad (India) 5 11 0 3 0 11 0.7601631/56 2298/60 Jharkhand 51 2 0 2 0 80.645 2163/84 2277/57 Tripura 5 1 4 0 0 05 0.500 1434/93 1758/57

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Andhra 5 2 0 0 30 18 1.528 2211/51 2100/74 Maharashtra 5 2 0 03 0 17 1.352 2251/49 2141/63Services 5 2 00 3 0 16 1.275 2269/572342/75 Kerala 5 01 0 4 0 10 1.0401813/57 1866/61 Vidarbha 51 2 0 2 0 90.846 2162/76 2118/63 Jammu & Kashmir 5 0 4 0 1 01 0.497 2377/97 2516/51

Kenya, playing without Steve Tikolo, proved too strong for UAE in the fourth and final one-dayer in Mombasa, beating them by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010
Scorecard
Tanmay Mishra hit one of three half-centuries for Kenya as they beat UAE by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0•AFPKenya, playing without Steve Tikolo, proved too strong for UAE in the fourth and final one-dayer in Mombasa, beating them by 24 runs to sweep the series 4-0. Half-centuries from Tanmay Mishra, Alex Obanda and captain Jimmy Kamande ensured Kenya had enough runs. This, despite a late collapse in which five wickets fell for 18 runs, all of them to medium-pacer Amjad Javed, who took a career-best 6 for 50.UAE began promisingly, but sedately, and later slumped to 134 for 6, before the other Amjad, Ali, led a fightback with an aggressive fifty. But Kenya kept up the pressure, and UAE folded up for 214.The game had begun well for UAE when fast bowler Shoaib Sarwar had struck twice to leave Kenya in trouble at 25 for 2. But Mishra and Obanda steadied the innings with an 84-run partnership before Obanda was bowled by offspinner Mohammad Tauqir for 64 off 70 deliveries. Mishra then found an able ally in Kamande and the duo took the score past 150 until Mishra was stumped for 68 off 71. At 220 for 5, Kenya were eyeing a substantial score but Javed struck repeatedly as the lower order collapsed. Kamande made 56 off 62 but also fell to Javed as Kenya were dismissed for 238 with 14 balls left.UAE began solidly until Arfan Haider fell to Nelson Odhiambo for 20 off 43. Kenya were miserly and as the asking rate mounted, the pressure told on the UAE batsmen. Wicketkeeper Swapnil Patil was run out for 20 off 48 and offspinner James Ngoche trapped opener Arshad Ali leg before for 40. Amjad Ali resisted with a quick half-century but when he fell to Aga, it was all but over for UAE. Elijah Otieno snuffed out the last two wickets as UAE were bowled out with two overs to spare.

Gio van Bronckhorst had the opportunity to bring in his own players to Rangers for the first time in January and made a number of signings.

Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo, Mateusz Zukowski and James Sands all came in, whilst John Souttar has been snapped up on a pre-contract ahead of the summer.

It will now be interesting to see what the Dutch coach does with a full pre-season to prepare his squad as he works with Ross Wilson to shape the team to his desire.

One player who has been touted with a switch to Ibrox this summer is Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale, with Spanish outlet Sport naming them as a potential destination for him at the end of his contract with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

The new Gazza

By signing the Wales international ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, van Bronckhorst can find his own Paul Gascoigne for Rangers.

After playing in the Premier League for Tottenham and Newcastle, Gascoigne made his way to Ibrox in 1995 and caught the eye for the Scottish giants as he scored 30 goals in 64 league starts for the club during his time in Glasgow.

Bale could be the next ex-Spurs and English top-flight star to shine for the Light Blues as he has enjoyed a sensational career as a forward for multiple clubs and at international level.

He has racked up 221 senior goals for club and country throughout his career for Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Wales. The winger has found the back of the net 106 times for Real in 258 outings to date, winning the Champions League on four occasions and the La Liga title twice.

Dean Saunders dubbed him a “freak of nature” and his incredible statistics for Spurs last season back up that praise. Whilst on loan with the English side in 2020/21, he scored 11 goals and provided two assists in ten league starts as he proved that he still – at the age of 32 – has the quality to deliver at the top end of the pitch on a consistent basis.

Therefore, signing him would be a big deal for Rangers as they would be bringing in a player with a recent track record of exceptional performances in a top European league and a history of winning major trophies. He has proven himself at the very top level over the years as van Bronckhorst must now make him the new Gascoigne at Ibrox by bringing him to Scotland this summer.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

Andy Flower has challenged Craig Kieswetter to raise his game after a disappointing run of scores during the recent one-day campaign against Australia and Bangladesh

Andrew Miller13-Jul-2010England’s coach, Andy Flower, has challenged Craig Kieswetter to raise his game after a disappointing run of scores during the recent one-day campaign against Australia and Bangladesh, or face the prospect of being dropped for the five ODIs against Pakistan in September that take place after the Test series.Back in February, the South Africa-born Kieswetter was a controversial inclusion in England’s one-day plans, as he was drafted into the squad for the tour of Bangladesh, only days after completing his residency qualification, on the strength of a matchwinning half-century for the England Lions in a warm-up match in Abu Dhabi.He justified that leap of faith by scoring a maiden ODI hundred in his third match, against Bangladesh in Chittagong, and then went on to play a pivotal role in England’s triumphant World Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean, scoring brisk runs at the top of the order in partnership with Michael Lumb, and sealing the title with a Man-of-the-Match-winning 63 from 49 balls in the final against Australia.Since then, however, his returns have dropped off. Aside from a quickfire 69 against Scotland, he managed 121 runs at 15.12 in eight ODIs against Australia and Bangladesh, and at a tepid strike-rate of 77.07. His highest score in that period was the 38 from 44 balls he scored in the first ODI against the Aussies at the Rose Bowl, while a susceptibility to the moving ball was underlined at Edgbaston on Monday, when he was bowled by Mashrafe Mortaza for a duck, the fourth time his stumps had been rattled in that period.”Craig has had an interesting time of it recently,” said Flower. “He’s gone from scoring a hundred in his third ODI, to getting the Man of the Match award in the Twenty20 World Cup final, and being a World Cup winner, when a lot of English players haven’t [achieved that]. So he’s up there doing that and achieving that, and then he’s had a bit of a hard one-day series. But international cricket can do that to you. It can teach you some lessons and perhaps expose a few doubts.”Given that he is still only 22, Kieswetter’s talent and promise for the future is undisputed, but with a World Cup fast approaching in February next year, Flower is aware of a certain urgency to settle England’s gameplan if they are to emerge as genuine contenders for the title. First and foremost, the onus is on Kieswetter to decide how he wants to craft his innings, and with a two-month hiatus before the one-day squad reassembles in September, Flower has told him that the hard work starts now.”I think in the long run for Craig it might be a very healthy thing to have happened, in that by the time he plays for England again, he’ll need to have made his package stronger,” Flower said. “There are a number of things he can learn from the last nine one-day internationals, and it is his job and responsibility to go away, work hard with Somerset and come back a stronger package.”He’s got to work it out for himself, obviously with some help on the way,” Flower added. “He’s got a good coach at Somerset in Andy Hurry, and some good people to work with like [Marcus] Trescothick, and it’s the same in our set-up, where Graham Gooch has been working with him recently. All those guys might help, but it’s up to Craig to find his method.”His method was pretty uncomplicated at first. Kieswetter was chosen as England’s one-day wicketkeeper ahead of the previous incumbent, Matt Prior, because of his proven ability to pierce the field in the Powerplay overs, particularly with his booming drives up and over the covers. But he’s had less opportunity to display that trait in recent matches, during which time his opening partner Andrew Strauss has shown him that crease occupation is the best means of racking up a score in English conditions.”I don’t really use the word pinch-hitter myself, but he’s an aggressive opening batsman for us, pretty much in the mould of Jayasuriya or Gilchrist,” said Flower. “He’s got the capacity to play that type of game, there’s no doubt about that, because he’s very, very talented, and hits the ball beautifully, as well as I’ve ever seen anyone hit the ball. But he’s got to work out how to score runs. Jayasuriya did it, as an attacking opening bat [and so must he].”Since being dropped from the one-day side, Prior has been scoring runs for fun in county cricket for Sussex, and Flower hinted that a recall to the limited-overs squad would not be out of the question. “There is a difference in English conditions,” he said. “You learn and adjust to the different conditions, that’s one option. The other is that we change our tactics in England, and we’ll make those decisions closer to the Pakistan series.”

Celtic have enjoyed a wonderful January transfer window with Ange Postecoglou aiming to replicate the immense success of Kyogo Furuhashi’s transfer to Parkhead last summer.

The Japan international has quickly become a cult hero for the Hoops and in the trio of Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, he is beginning to build quite the team at Paradise.

Daizen has hit the ground running, scoring on his debut, while Hatate enjoyed a rather impressive first outing for the club last week too.

They have been joined in Glasgow by Matt O’Riley who caught the eye of the Bhoys and arrived MK Dons for a fee of £1.5m.

Like Hatate, he had a debut to remember, playing as many as eight key passes in their 2-1 victory over Hearts in midweek.

However, it hasn’t been plain sailing for the Scottish giants who have been dealt a succession of injury blows.

Callum McGregor is now a long-term absentee, joining Kyogo in the treatment room. Maeda will be unavailable due to an international call-up and with Giorgos Giakoumakis’ fitness still a concern, Celtic could be left short in some key areas.

As a result, journalist Mark Guidi tipped Postecoglou to move for another forward player in the remaining days of the window, saying: “I think it would have to be in the thinking of Ange Postecoglou to try and get a striker and probably a loan deal between now and an end of the season.”

Indeed, if the Celtic boss decides that’s an area he does need more bodies in then he should look no further than Siriki Dembele.

The recruitment team at Paradise have already exploited the English Football League for talent this winter and they could replicate that trick by luring the long-term target north of the border in the coming days.

Dembele, who is the brother of academy darling Karamoko, has been on Celtic’s radar for a while now and it’s thought Peterborough could be willing to let him go before the deadline passes.

If they want to do business with the Hoops, then he’d top off an excellent transfer window and ensure they have enough in their offensive armoury to continue their title challenge.

He is currently plying his trade in the second tier of English football where he has found the net on five occasions this term, taking his tally for Posh to 30 strikes.

The best campaign of his career undoubtedly came last term when he showed off his impressive skill set to score 11 goals and register 12 assists in League One from a multitude of positions, either on the flank or from central areas.

That kind of form saw him hailed on a regular basis by Barry Fry. Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast in April 2021, he said: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can refuse! So watch this space.”

It’s hard not to get excited about the potential opportunity to bring him in this winter and although it feels unlikely, long-term interest is there so it’s certainly not impossible.

AND in other news, Forget Reo: £405k-rated Celtic gem with 8 key passes proved Ange is a genius vs Hearts…

Muttiah Muralitharan has said that retiring after taking his 800th wicket and helping Sri Lanka win his farewell Test, against India in Galle, was one of the greatest moments in his life

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle22-Jul-2010Muttiah Muralitharan has said that retiring after taking his 800th wicket and helping Sri Lanka win his farewell Test, against India in Galle, was one of the greatest moments in his life. Murali’s 800th was the last Indian wicket in the follow-on, after which Sri Lanka chased the target of 95 without losing a wicket.”I am very happy that God has given me everything – eight wickets, a victory, basically everything. This is one of the greatest moments in my life, retiring this way,” Murali said. “I am not emotional in a way, frankly, I am happy that I have done it. I trained really hard. Even last week, I trained hard to play in this Test match and take it very seriously.”Murali had to wait and toil for his 800th wicket, that of Pragyan Ojha, but he said the landmark was just a number and achieving it was not a high priority. “Eight hundred is only a number. We wanted to get the wickets quickly. You never know in Galle, with the weather, winning the match was the important thing,” he said. “At that time I didn’t think about it, but it came in the end. I wouldn’t have minded if it didn’t come. My only scare was when Lasith Malinga had to go off the field.”I told my captain [Kumar Sangakkara] to somehow get the wickets. We knew the situation in Galle and had the match ended in a draw it would have been very sad. I badly wanted to win in my final Test. We all play for a win. At that moment we would have taken even a run out. It was hard work for the spinners. The wicket had something on it yesterday, and Malinga’s magnificent yorkers made the difference.”Murali also said that he had quit Test cricket at the right time, with Sri Lanka having younger spinners rising through the ranks. “I have played for 18 years and I thought that there are three other good spinners in the side,” he said. “They are 24-25 years old and I am 38. I thought it’s better to give them a chance. I have nothing more to achieve and I thought this is the right time.”I chose to finish my career at the end of the first Test because I know my knees are not going to last to bowl 50-60 overs. If I am there it will be four spinners and only two can play. I will be blocking the place of another young spinner.”Murali also had praise for the curator at Galle, Jayananda Warnaweera, and thanked him for helping make his farewell memorable. “Galle is one of my favourite grounds because there is always a result. Warnaweera prepares good wickets and we won the match in four days. He gave me a good farewell and the way he decorated the stadium was unbelievable.”

Eoin Morgan and Ajmal Shahzad have retained their places in England’s Test squad for the first match of the four-Test series at Trent Bridge next week

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2010Eoin Morgan and Ajmal Shahzad have retained their places in England’s Test squad for the first match of the four-Test series at Trent Bridge next week, but there is no place for Ravi Bopara, who has scored back-to-back hundreds for Essex in the County Championship, or Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan.Middlesex seamer Steven Finn returns to the England squad following a successful Test series against Bangladesh, while Shahzad has been given a chance to build on his Test debut from the same series, having overcome an ankle problem that limited him to four overs in his most recent England outing, the third ODI against Bangladesh at Edgbaston two weeks ago.National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: “We have picked a very strong squad for the first Test against a Pakistan side that will be high on confidence following their recent win against Australia.”We’ve been encouraged by the form shown by a number of England players involved in County Championship matches this week and those that are coming back from injury or rest, such as Kevin Pietersen, have been working very hard ahead of the first Test next week.”Shahzad’s selection ahead of Bresnan is an acknowledgment of the role that swing bowling is likely to play in the coming series, especially at Trent Bridge where the ball habitually moves through the air, and against a Pakistan attack that includes the precocious 18-year-old Mohammad Aamer who, along with Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul, devastated Australia’s batting line-up in the recent second Test at Headingley.While Bresnan’s stamina and discipline earned him admirers in tough conditions in Bangladesh earlier in the year, and augur well for a role on unforgiving surfaces such as Adelaide on the fast-approaching Ashes tour, Shahzad’s ability to reverse-swing the ball, which he showcased to excellent effect at Old Trafford on debut, has earned him a chance to press for a permanent role as England’s first-change quick bowler.The attack will be led by the mercurial James Anderson – another man who can swing the ball to devastating effect, when the conditions are right – and Stuart Broad, whose confidence is high after a career-best haul of 8 for 52 against Warwickshire in the County Championship this week.Morgan, meanwhile, has been given another opportunity to state his Test credentials, after indifferent scores of 44 and 37 in his first two outings against Bangladesh. With Paul Collingwood slotting back into the squad after being rested for the last two Tests, Morgan had looked likely to make way, until Ian Bell suffered the broken foot at Bristol that has ruled him out of the full four-Test series.”Bell’s untimely foot injury during the NatWest Series was obviously a disappointing blow but he is now focused on his rehabilitation and should make a full recovery in due course. Ian’s absence provides other batsmen with the chance to impress against a world class Pakistan bowling attack.”England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott

Anamul Haque got over his lean patch in the BPL with a sparkling 83, helping Dhaka Gladiators to an 88-run win over Rangpur Riders

The Report by Mohammad Isam05-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnamul Haque ended a run of lean scores with an 83•AFPAnamul Haque got over his lean patch in the BPL with a sparkling 83, helping Dhaka Gladiators to an 88-run win over Rangpur Riders. After a half-century in the opening game, Anamul hadn’t made a major contribution until today; he went after the Riders’ bowlers to help his side to a BPL record team score.With this win the Gladiators lead the points table through a better run-rate, ahead of second-placed Sylhet Royals, who have also won six games. It was the Riders’ fifth loss in as many games.Anamul struck five sixes and six boundaries in his 46-ball effort, and when he fell in the 19th over, Gladiators had closed in on 200. With Shakib Al Hasan, Anamul added 82 for the third wicket before the whirlwind 77-run fourth-wicket stand with Darren Stevens.In both these partnerships, Shakib and Stevens attacked more than Anamul, though the quieter role suited the youngster. Gladiators were boosted by Tillakaratne Dilshan’s arrival, but the Sri Lankan was left stranded in the middle of the pitch after he was deceived by debutant Murad Khan.Mohammad Ashraful gave a catch to the only man behind him on the leg side, but Anamul, Shakib and Stevens made up for those losses. Shakib made 42 off 24 balls with two sixes and four boundaries, while Stevens hammered three fours and two sixes in his 22-ball 42.The Riders promoted Kevin O’Brien to open the innings but the Ireland allrounder was run out after he had started off promisingly with two sixes, one of which reached the second tier of the grandstand after he had pulled Mashrafe Mortaza in the first over.Junaid Siddique and Nasir Hossain tried to force the pace in the Powerplay overs but both fell cheaply, giving no further leverage to the Riders’ chase. Shakib took three wickets while Mashrafe and Ashraful took two.