All posts by h716a5.icu

Fantasy Premier League is becoming more and more popular, with managers looking to build the best squad in England’s top flight on a weekly basis.

Whether it be topping a mini-league with friends or trying to become the manager of the week, points mean prizes in FPL, but how does the system work and what does the new Assistant Manager chip mean?

FPL Assistant Manager chip: 5 perfect picks for managers to select

There’s still time to turn your FPL season around…

ByTom Cunningham Jan 17, 2025

We’ve put together a guide to the FPL points scoring system, from goals scored by a goalkeeper to points being deducted for penalty misses, we’ve got you covered.

Playing up to 60 mins

1

Playing 60 mins or more

2

Goalkeeper or defender clean sheet

4

Midfielder clean sheet

1

3 shots saved by a goalkeeper

1

Penalty save

5

Assists

3

Goal scored by a forward

4

Goal scored by a midfielder

5

Goal scored by a defender

6

Goal scored by a goalkeeper

10

Bonus points per game

1-3

2 goals conceded by goalkeeper or defender

-1

Own goal

-2

Red card

-3

Yellow card

-1

Penalty miss

-2

Basic points

Starting simple on how many points a squad member would earn your team for getting on the pitch.

Well, under 60 minutes is 1 point, whereas over an hour brings in 2 points. Easy, right?

Defensive points

As they say, a winning team is built on a solid foundation at the back, and goalkeepers and defenders can bring in plenty of points across the campaign.

Should a shot-stopper or defender keep a clean sheet, that would result in 4 points, whereas midfielders also get 1 point for a clean sheet. Also, for every three shots saved by a goalkeeper, that would bring in 1 more point, and if they save a penalty, that’s 5 points.

Attacking points

Essentially, goals and assists should play a big part in your thinking when picking your squad and making transfers.

For every goal your striker scores, you’ll collect 4 points. If your midfielder bags, 5 points, and if a defender scores a rare goal, 6 points. If somehow your goalkeeper scores, that would bring in a whopping 10 points.

Assists are a simple 3 points, no matter which member of your squad gets one. Players will also be rewarded with an assist should they win a free kick or penalty that is subsequently scored.

Every Premier League club's penalty-taker

Here’s who you can expect to be lining up from 12 yards.

ByBarney Lane Nov 15, 2024 Losing points in FPL

You can also lose points in FPL on the pitch – and for plenty of things, too. The costliest deduction is for a red card, which will see 3 points taken off your score, whereas a yellow card will result in a 1-point deduction.

If any of your players score an own goal or miss a penalty, that will see a -2 on your record, and for every two goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender, be prepared for a -1.

Bonus points

If all those points weren’t enough, FPL also has a bonus points system in place, which rewards the three standout performers from each Premier League fixture.

The highest-scoring player will be awarded 3 points, 2 to the second-best and 1 to the third.

Players with the most FPL bonus points this season

Bonus points are a key feature in FPL, but which players are the best at picking them up?

ByBarney Lane Nov 1, 2024 Bench points

Unfortunately, if you benched a player who scored a hat-trick and all 11 of your starting lineup featured in some capacity, there is no way to get those points on the pitch – unless you’ve used the Bench Boost chip, of course.

However, if a player(s) from your starting XI is injured and didn’t play, the substitute(s) you selected will come on and score you points.

Assistant Manager chip

The new Assistant Manager chip allows FPL bosses to use the Premier League’s managers to get them more points. The chip can be activated once from 1st February and will come on board as your ‘assistant’ manager, scoring points for three successive games. However, they will come at a cost, with assistant managers ranged between £0.5 and £1.5m.

But how do the likes of Arteta, Guardiola and Slot score points? Well, they will earn 6 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 2 points for a clean sheet and 1 point for every goal scored by that team.

There is also a tempting bonus on offer. If your chosen manager beats a team ranked five places higher in the Premier League table, you will get a bonus 10 points, rewarding those who are backing the managers outside the European places.

Manager

Team

Price

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

£1.5m

Enzo Maresca

Chelsea

£1.5m

Arne Slot

Liverpool

£1.5m

Pep Guardiola

Man City

£1.5m

Eddie Howe

Newcastle

£1.5m

Andoni Iraola

Bournemouth

£1.1m

Fabian Hurzeler

Brighton

£1.1m

Marco Silva

Fulham

£1.1m

Nuno Espirito Santo

Nottingham Forest

£1.1m

Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham

£1.1m

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

£0.8m

Thomas Frank

Brentford

£0.8m

Oliver Glasner

Crystal Palace

£0.8m

Ruben Amorim

Man Utd

£0.8m

Vitor Pereira

Wolves

£0.8m

David Moyes

Everton

£0.5m

Kieran McKenna

Ipswich

£0.5m

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Leicester

£0.5m

Ivan Juric

Southampton

£0.5m

Graham Potter

West Ham

£0.5m

A guide to every chip on Fantasy Premier League

Football FanCast takes a look at all the Fantasy Premier League chips available and what they mean.

ByCharlie Smith Dec 18, 2024

Real Madrid are willing to wait for top target William Saliba's contract to run out in 2027 as they aim to sign the Frenchman for free.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Los Blancos have tracked the Arsenal player for yearsReal Madrid have conceded 64 goals this seasonJonathan Tah, Dean Huijsen also heavily linkedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Los Blancos are believed to be huge fans of Saliba, with reports suggesting the club have tracked the 24-year-old since his days at Saint-Etienne. The player joined Arsenal in 2019, but Madrid have cultivated an ongoing relationship with Saliba's inner circle.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

A summer move is highly unlikely. Saliba is under contract until 2027, and Arsenal will probably pursue a renewal before the 25/26 season. It is believed Madrid will make a bid in 2026, or will pursue a free transfer if the centre back doesn't put pen to paper in North London.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Real Madrid have already shipped 64 goals this term, 14 more than they conceded in the entirety of the 23/24 season. Los Blancos have been linked with other options at centre half, including Jonathan Tah, who will leave Leverkusen on a free this summer, and promising youngster Dean Huijsen. The Bournemouth star is a diehard Real Madrid fan.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAM SALIBA?

Saliba will likely feature for the Gunners home game against Brentford on Saturday, before turning his attention to his potential suitors. Arsenal take a 3-0 lead to the Bernabeu in the second leg of the Champions League quarter finals on Wednesday.

Dinesh Chandimal edged behind when he was 30 but Pat Cummins couldn’t go upstairs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-202244.1 Cummins to Karunaratne
An appeal for a catch down leg side! Given not out and Australia review! From around the wicket, this was short into the ribs, Karunaratne fended awkwardly taking his hand off the bat but he missed it as it went through to Carey. Not out remains. Australia burn a review77.5 Lyon to Mathews
An lbw appeal given not out. Australia review. This looked outside the line live but it’s close. He tried to reverse sweep but missed it. No, there is a little spike on the RTS and the third umpire says it’s bat. So it’s given not out. Australia lose the review79.1 Lyon to Chandimal
An appeal for bat pad given not out. Head threw it up in the air thinking it was out and Chandimal runs for a single. Australia review. It’s their last one. He skipped down with bat behind pad and never hit it as it came off pad to Head at silly mid off. The ball hit him outside the line too. Australia lose all three reviews and give up a leg bye89.5 Lyon to Angelo Mathews
Another appeal for lbw. Again used his feet. Just hit pad first, was quite some way down the pitch. Replay shows it was three reds92.5 Starc to Chandimal
Massive appeal for caught behind! The Australians are pleading. Starc forgets there’s no reviews left. Was short outside off, Chandimal had a waft at it. Will need to see Ultra Edge. And there’s a spike

Celtic are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window as they look to reunite Brendan Rodgers with one of his former stars.

It has been claimed that Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney is set to re-join the club on an initial loan move until the end of the season, before signing permanently on a free transfer.

The Scotland international is out of contract in the summer and is reportedly preparing to complete a short-term move to Parkhead, that will then become a permanent transfer upon the expiry of his deal with the Premier League side.

Tierney could come in as a fantastic addition to the squad ahead of the second half of the campaign, as he has already played under Rodgers at Celtic.

Why Kieran Tierney would be a fantastic signing

The Scottish gem started his career with the Hoops, after coming through the academy system, and already knows what it takes to perform under the pressure of the Parkhead crowd.

His 127 competitive appearances for Celtic under Rodgers also suggest that he would not need much time to adapt to the manager’s style of play and system, given his experience with the Northern Irishman.

Tierney assisted 37 goals in 170 matches for the club in all competitions during his time in Glasgow, which suggests that he could come in to offer more than Greg Taylor in the final third, as the current Hoops man has assisted 30 strikes in 198 appearances for the Bhoys.

To get the best of the Arsenal outcast’s creative quality, Rodgers could sign another one of the club’s reported targets to partner him down the left flank – Carney Chukwuemeka.

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to bring the England U21 international to Parkhead on loan from Chelsea for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Why Carney Chukwuemeka would be a dream for Kieran Tierney

The Premier League gem has played the majority of his career as an attacking or central midfielder but has also played on the left flank a couple of times, which is where he could thrive for Celtic.

Chukwuemeka is a right-footed attack-minded midfielder and he could play off the left as an inside forward, due to to his fantastic ball-carrying skills and ability to cut inside to create space on the overlap for Tierney to bomb on.

Villa insider Charlie Jennings once described the young starlet’s style of play, telling Sempre Milan: “Carney is an outstanding ball carrier from deep areas of the midfield. He is known for marauding, mind-boggling dribbles through tight areas and compliments this with a delightful array of passes.”

These comments suggest that Chukwuemeka has the attributes to thrive on the wing, because he can pick the ball up from deep and drive past opposition players to get Celtic up the pitch, whilst drawing attention from defenders to create gaps on the flank for Tierney to exploit.

Villa U18s

26

10

8

Villa U21s

29

3

5

England U19s

13

6

0

Villa first-team

16

0

1

Chelsea first-team

32

2

1

As you can see in the table above, the Hoops target is yet to burst onto the scene at first-team level but has shown plenty of quality for England and Villa at youth level in the past.

This suggests that the potential is there for him to provide goals and assists in an attacking midfield or wide position, to go along with his ability as a ball carrier.

Rodgers could take a gamble on Chukwuemeka and unleash him in a new role on the left to be a dream signing for Tierney, who could thrive alongside the Englishman in the second half of the season if Celtic can get deals over the line for both of them this month.

Celtic could sign dream Kyogo upgrade in swoop for "dangerous" £8m star

Celtic were reportedly interested in a deal to sign the attacker in the summer.

ByDan Emery Jan 6, 2025

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reveals Ben Chilwell is recovering from a fresh knock suffering during the international break.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Chilwell doubtful for Burnley clashPicked up knock on England dutyOnly recently returned from injuryGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Pochettino revealed that Chilwell will be a doubt for the Blues' clash against Burnley on Saturday. The left-back has had numerous issues over the course of the campaign and it now looks likely that his season has taken another hit, at least in the short term. Chilwell was a part of Gareth Southgate's England squad and played a total of 157 minutes of football against Brazil and Belgium.

AdvertisementWHAT POCHETTINO SAID

Speaking to the media, Pochettino said on Thursday: "We still need to assess a few players like Chilwell after playing two games. I think he got a knock in his knee. Today, he wasn't ready to train. We will see what will happen tomorrow if he can be in the squad.

"Chilwell's injury a surprise? Surprised, not surprised, I don't know. If he cannot play with us or be available, because he didn't play after Brentford with us. He played a few minutes against Leicester. He started two games. Yeah, maybe, it's a surprise for us. But it's bad luck because he got a dead leg in the last moment of the game against Belgium."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 27-year-old sustained a knee injury during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Brentford earlier this month which prevented him from participating in training sessions since then, adding to his hamstring woes from the beginning of the season. However, he managed to recover in time to return for Chelsea's 4-2 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-final later in March. Those performances – and a distinct lack of other options at left-back – saw him picked by Southgate, as he played in both games despite Chelsea's worries over his fitness.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR CHILWELL?

It is now likely that the 27-year-old will be replaced by Marc Cucurella in Pochettino's starting line-up against Burnley on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. It is as yet unclear whether Chilwell will make the bench in that one, as looks to continually work on his fitness before the upcoming European Championships.

Everton are one of three clubs in England who have deployed chiefs to watch an exciting teenage sensation live in action, if a fresh report is to be believed.

Everton form this season

In the Premier League, Sean Dyche’s side have made a disappointing start to the new campaign having secured just two wins, one draw and six defeats from their opening nine fixtures, and here is how those matches have played out so far:

Brentford (3-1)

Sheffield United (2-2)

Fulham (1-0)

Bournemouth (3-0)

Aston Villa (4-0)

Wolves (1-0)

Arsenal (1-0)

Luton Town (2-1)

Liverpool (2-0)

Despite signing Beto, Youssef Chermiti, Ashley Young, Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison over the summer, it looks as if the boss still needs to strengthen his ranks further in January should he want to avoid being in danger of relegation again, and he’s set his sights on someone not that far from home.

At Inver Park, Larne FC’s attacking midfielder Dylan Sloan has worked his way up through his club’s academy ranks to get promoted to their first team where he’s so far made a total of 25 appearances across all age levels (Transfermarkt – Sloan statistics).

Northern Ireland's youth international, who is just 19 years of age, has previously twice been sent out on development loans to Knockbreda and Newry City, and the progress that he’s making in his career has caught the eye of the manager at Goodison Park.

Dylan Sloan transfer update

According to Football Insider who have shared a transfer update on Dylan Sloan, Everton, Leicester City and Stoke City are set to battle it out to secure the services of the talented prospect in January, with scouts blown away by the teenager.

“Everton, Leicester City and Stoke City are among the sides plotting to sign Irish sensation Dylan Sloan, sources have told Football Insider.

"The likes of Everton, Leicester and Stoke have sent scouts to make regular checks on Sloan as they weigh up potential moves for the Northern Ireland Under-19 international.

"They are all compiling detailed dossiers on him as, one source says, “he has blown their scouts away”."

Due to Sloan still being a teenager, it’s unknown whether Everton would throw him in at the deep end in terms of handing him a place in the senior squad, but with five contributions (three goals and two assists) to his name since the start of his career, he is a “composed” player, as per journalist Josh Bunting.

The Newtownards native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in defensive, central and attacking midfield since first bursting onto the professional scene, so he may well be able to easily adapt to Dyche’s demands should he ever want to alter his formation or team selection on Merseyside, although initially, he could be brought in as a player for the future.

Furthermore, Sloan has already had a taste of what it’s like to compete and be successful at a high level having been crowned the 2022/23 Northern Irish Champion, so he could be able to pass his winning mentality onto the rest of the current squad in years to come, should he in the near future put pen to paper for the Toffees.

After bagging 5 for 56 in the first innings, the fast bowler cracked open South Africa A’s top order yet again on day three

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru06-Aug-2018Mohammed Siraj is mobbed by his team-mates•PTI Mayank Agarwal was dismissed for an overnight 220, but fifties from Hanuma Vihari and Srikar Bharat armed India A with a first-innings lead of 338, before they declared on 584 for 8. The misery, however, did not end for South Africa A: fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who had bagged 5 for 56 in the first innings, cracked open their top order again. South Africa A were 99 for 4, still 239 behind, at stumps on day three at Chinnaswamy Stadium.”I could not do much [today] and got out the first ball. I am a little disappointed but on the whole we did well to get a 350-plus lead,” Agarwal said after play. “I’m very happy with the way I’ve begun the season..Just because you got 2000-odd runs last season you can’t take things for granted. I’m not thinking about the India selection. We have this A series against South Africa and the quadrangular A series coming up.”Either side of an hour-long rain delay, Siraj swung the new ball both ways and benefitted from the variable bounce on offer. The first ball he bowled snaked past the feeble waft of opener Sarel Erwee. The next ball snuck under the bat and shot through at shin height. Having worked the Dolphins batsman over, Siraj had him nicking off for 3 in his next over. Siraj and Navdeep Saini continued to explore the channel outside off and teased both the edges of Pieter Malan and Zubayr Hamza. While Malan also nicked off to wicketkeeper Bharat for 0 off 20 balls, Hamza needed eight balls to get off a pair.Siraj then struck with his second ball after the rain break to pin captain Khaya Zondo lbw for a duck too. His first spell read 8-4-12-3. Siraj wasn’t done yet; he returned in the fading light to have Senuran Muthusamy sparring one to a tumbling Vihari at gully for 41. At that point, South Africa A were 92 for 4 in 37 overs. Hamza, who top-scored in the second innings for the visitors with an unbeaten 46, and Rudi Second, the top-scorer in the first, saw out the remaining three overs before close.In the morning, South Africa’s attack was more penetrative than it had been at any point on Sunday. Left-arm quick Beuran Hendricks, who has played seven T20Is, trapped Agarwal in front with a nippy inswinger and then went on to remove Shreyas Iyer with extra bounce and seam movement for 24 by having him caught behind.Vihari and his Andhra team-mate Bharat, however, built on the lead with a breezy 95 run-stand for the fifth wicket at a run rate of 4.38. Bharat took on the short balls from Hendricks and Duanne Olivier and began his innings with a triptych of pulled sixes over long leg. He hit one more six in his 77-ball 64.Bharat was the second-highest scorer in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017-18 with 390 runs in eight innings at an average of 55.71, but his form in the red-ball format in the past season was less encouraging. He had managed only 292 runs in 10 innings in the Ranji Trophy at 29.20. Bharat had made 2 and 33 not out against West Indies A in a first-class match in Beckenham last month, but he did not find a place in the team against England Lions. Rishabh Pant struck twin fifties in that game and subsequently broke into the India Test squad.Vihari also made a fifty of his own on Monday, reaching the landmark when he launched a straight six into the sightscreen off left-arm spinner Muthusamy. Axar Patel, who has gone wicketless so far, had some fun with the bat, slog-sweeping offspinner Dane Piedt over midwicket and late-cutting Muthusamy to the third-man boundary. There would be no such fun for the South African batsmen.

Olivier Giroud is reportedly ready to join Lionel Messi in MLS, with the France international narrowing down his choices to New York or Los Angeles.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

French forward running down contractReady to take on a new challengeChoosing between coasts of AmericaWHAT HAPPENED?

There are four teams for him to choose from across those two cities, with the Red Bulls and NYCFC gracing the Big Apple while LAFC and the Galaxy turn out in the City of Angels. Both hold obvious appeal to Giroud as he prepares to go chasing the American dream.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Argentine icon Messi made a similar decision in 2023, and another World Cup winner could soon be heading to the United States as a free agent. That is because Giroud, who claimed a global crown in 2018 and is now his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, is running down his contract at AC Milan.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to , talks regarding a summer move to America have “intensified”. A new one-year deal at San Siro or another challenge in Europe remain possibilities for now, but Giroud is edging towards a fresh start in MLS.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR GIROUD?

He is said to favour moves to either New York or California, with the 37-year-old seeing those landing spots as the best options for him on a professional level and with his young family taken into account. Discussions will continue until a definitive decision is made.

Just like the Serie A titleholders, the Georgian has endured a difficult season, but he's rediscovered his goalscoring touch in recent weeks

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is not exactly a combustible character. Similar in style to Diego Maradona? Somewhat. He's not nicknamed 'Kvaradona' for nothing. But the same kind of demonstrative personality as the Argentine? Not at all. The Georgian usually shuns the spotlight because he's actually quite shy.

So, while it was certainly a surprise to see him withdrawn midway through Napoli's Champions League last-16 first leg against Barcelona, it was his reaction that was truly shocking, with a visibly annoyed Kvaratskhelia snubbing not only his coach, but also his team-mates as he came off.

He didn't even take a seat on the bench, making his displeasure clear by opting to sit on some steps to the left of the dugout. It may not have seemed like much – truth be told, it probably wasn't as bad as Kevin De Bruyne's bratty behaviour at Anfield on Sunday – but, for Kvaratskhelia, this amounted to a touchline tantrum.

And it wasn't as if his demeanour improved much after the game. On the contrary, Kvaratskhelia was the first Napoli player to leave Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. With his hoodie pulled up over his head, he walked straight through the mixed zone, refusing to even acknowledge colleagues, let alone answer questions from journalists.

This wasn't the humble and happy Kvaratskhelia Napoli knew and loved. But then again, we hadn't seen the real Kvaratskhelia on the field either.

Getty Images'I don't look at their names'

Taking off one of the heroes of last season's Scudetto success may have been a ballsy move by Napoli's new coach Francesco Calzona – but it was also the correct call. Kvaratskhelia had contributed absolutely nothing to the game against Barcelona. In 67 minutes of (in)action, he managed zero shots, no key passes and just 36 touches – fewer than Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.

He wasn't the only star to be hooked either. Victor Osimhen was replaced just two minutes after scoring the goal that earned Napoli a 1-1 draw. "I keep the players on the field who are doing well, I don’t look at their names," Calzona told afterwards. "Those who do not do well can be removed."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesNapoli's fallen star

In the case of Osimhen, there were mitigating circumstances. He's had injury issues this season and fatigue has undoubtedly been a factor in the forward's patchy performances, with Nigeria's run to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations having taken a heavy toll on him.

Kvaratskhelia has had no such excuse to fall back on during his unproductive periods – and there have been quite a few. Indeed, while desperately trying to explain Napoli's dramatic dip in form over the past year, outspoken president Aurelio De Laurentiis even publicly pointed out that Kvaratskhelia, the team's "star" last season, didn't score a single goal between March and November of 2023.

However, Kvaratskhelia certainly can't be held responsible for the mess De Laurentiis has made of a glorious opportunity to build a dynasty at the Maradona; if anything, he's paid the price for the president's poor decision-making.

H&KGeneral malaise

Clearly, there is a direct correlation between Kvaratskhelia's form and that of Napoli. When he plays well, the team usually does too. And there's no denying that he's gone missing on several occasions, particularly in the Champions League, where he's managed just one direct goal involvement. One could even argue that he's not actually been at his best in Europe since the 6-1 rout of Ajax in Amsterdam in October 2022 that made the whole football world sit up and take notice of Luciano Spalletti's side.

However, Kvaratskhelia wasn't the only player to run out of steam towards the tail end of the last season – or struggle since the devastating departure of former coach Spalletti, who fell out with De Laurentiis. Several key men have underwhelmed, including midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, just two other victims of a general malaise at the Maradona that has already claimed two coaches this season, in Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesThe return of Kvaradona?

It also has to be acknowledged that Kvaratskhelia has actually been one of Napoli's better players this term. On average, he's completing more dribbles per game, making more chances and delivering more crosses than 2022-23.

His efficacy has undoubtedly fallen, though. Kvaratskhelia ended last season with 14 assists in all competitions; he has just five this time around, and we're already approaching the middle of March.

However, Kvaratskhelia has looked like his old unstoppable self in recent weeks, showcasing the same kind of devastating dribbling skills that provoked inevitable comparisons with Maradona (given the colour of the shirt he was wearing), but that were actually more evocative of the wing wizardry of George Best.

England Lions wrapped up a comprehensive 253-run victory on the final day of their four-day unofficial Test at New Road

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2018England Lions 423 and 194 for 5 (Malan 56, Pope 50*) beat India A 197 (Shaw 62, Pant 58, Curran 5-43) and 167 (Pant 61, Rahane 48) by 253 runs
ScorecardEngland Lions wrapped up a comprehensive 253-run victory on the final day of their four-day unofficial Test at New Road, as India A were rolled aside for 167 midway through the afternoon session, having started the day at an uncompromising 11 for 3.The wickets were shared around an attack including several players who are hopeful of a recall for the first Test against India at Edgbaston on August 1 – including Chris Woakes, whose five-over second innings spell included the scalp of India A’s captain, Karun Nair, and the Somerset spin twins, Jack Leach and Dom Bess, who picked up three wickets between them.India A’s saving grace were a pair of decent innings from two men who can expect to be in the mix come the Test series – Ajinkya Rahane, who made 48 from 70 balls, and the young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who enhanced his claims to a potential Test debut by top-scoring with 61 from 71, including seven fours and two sixes.Though Pant is nominally the reserve wicketkeeper in India’s 18-man Test squad, behind Dinesh Karthik, this was his second fifty of the match, following his first-innings 58, and was produced against a strong and multi-faceted attack.India’s second innings reached its nadir at 15 for 4 shortly after the resumption when Shabhaz Nadeem was bowled by Sam Curran’s first ball of the morning. Nair then became Woakes’ first wicket of the innings, and his third of the match, when he was caught by Nick Gubbins for 13.Bess, who is England’s incumbent Test spinner, having replaced his Somerset team-mate Leach following the latter’s thumb injury in May, enhanced his claims to retaining that berth by dislodging both of the India A top-scorers in an eight-over spell. Leach was limited to just a couple of second-innings overs, but chipped in with the scalp of Jayant Yadav for 21.”It was a very pleasing performance,” said England Lions captain, Rory Burns. “They were a good side, and we had a pretty comprehensive victory. It was set up day one by Alastair Cook, backed up by Gubbo and Dawid, and the rest of the four days all the bowlers stuck in. Sammy took the plaudits on the first innings but they all worked as group.”It was a bit bizarre captaining a team with all this experience. On the training day when it got announced to the group, Cooky was the first one to pipe up about me making my debut as captain.”It’s the first time I’ve shared a dressing room with him. I’ve watched his bat hurt us a few times. But it’s been really interesting with Cooky and a few of the other guys, to see the other side of people having played against them quite a lot. This has been my first Lions experience and it’s been really enjoyable – 100% I want more. That’s up to me I suppose, go back to Surrey and keep trying to churn them out.”