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One Rangers player who only touched the ball 18 times against Benfica will "never" be good enough to be a regular, according to journalist Jonny McFarlane.

Rangers crash out of Europa League

Philippe Clement's side suffered a hugely dispiriting loss on Thursday night, as Benfica came to Ibrox and sealed a 1-0 victory, sending them into the quarter-finals in the process.

Having drawn 2-2 in the first leg in Portugal last week, there was genuine optimism that Rangers would progress, but they failed to hit top gear on the night and were ultimately beaten by a superior side.

It means that the Gers' attention can now return to the priority of the Scottish Premiership the title race, ahead of Sunday's crucial trip to Dundee. They could be one point behind Celtic in the table at that point, assuming their rivals win at home to St Johnstone on Saturday, and another negative result would raise some alarm bells.

The Benfica game saw too many players fall below their usual level, picking a bad match in which to do it, and one individual has come under scrutiny.

Rangers star slammed for anonymous display

Taking to X, McFarlane didn't hold back in his criticism of Cyriel Dessers, saying he can't ever see him being the answer leading the line at Ibrox:

"Rangers go out. Not sharp enough at the top end of the pitch. I will say it again – Dessers not, and never will be a Rangers no.9. That said, very little between the two teams over the ties. Parochialism alert: might not be the worst result for Ibrox club’s domestic ambitions."

According to Sofascore, the 29-year-old only had 18 touches of the ball at Ibrox, highlighting his lack of involvement, and he also didn't register a single shot in the game. For a player leading the line and arguably his team's main goal threat, that isn't good enough.

Minutes played

77

Shots on target

0

Shots off target

0

Touches

18

Aerial duels won

1/5

Ground duels won

3/6

In fairness to Dessers, a tally of 12 goals in 26 Scottish Premiership appearances this season is still perfectly reasonable, but when the level goes up in a big European game, his limitations are exposed, as was the case against Benfica.

Thursday night showed the need to bring in a new striker during the summer transfer window, with recent reports suggesting that Rangers are keen on making Abdallah Sima and Fabio Silva's loan moves permanent. Both represent good options, so it would be a shame not to see at least one stay on beyond the end of the season.

Wow: Rangers now planning exciting summer transfer alongside Silva

The club’s owners could be eyeing a bold transfer window.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 15, 2024

A separate update has also suggested that the Gers will be willing to go big on a striker even if Silva's switch is made permanent, further showing the desire to add attacking firepower to the squad this summer.

Cyclone Maha could cause “heavy or very heavy rains” in the region on November 7, the day of the match

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2019After hazardous air-pollution levels threatened to disrupt the first T20I between India and Bangladesh in Delhi, there is the very real possibility of a cyclone affecting the next match of the series, in Rajkot on Thursday. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Maha is expected to make a landfall in Gujarat on November 6, and could cause “heavy or very heavy rains” in the state on November 7, the day of the match.The good news, though, is that the cyclone “is very likely to intensify further till 5th November morning and weaken gradually thereafter”, according to the IMD.Positioned around central Arabian Sea on Monday morning, just over 600 kilometres from the coast of Gujarat, the cyclone has been moving north-west from close to the Kerala coast for the last five days. It is, however, expected to take a turn towards Gujarat on Tuesday.Jaydev Shah, the former Saurashtra captain who is now the head of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), told ESPNcricinfo that all precautions have been to taken to make sure the match takes place. “We have covered the ground to make sure the match can start on time in case the rain does disrupt.”Shah was optimistic of the match taking place and said the weather so far has been good, four days from game day.The met authorities said that the cyclone had intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and is likely to cross the Gujarat coast around midnight on Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday. Rajkot, in central Gujarat, is just over 100 kilometres from the coast.

ESCS MAHA centered near 18.3°N/64.6°E. about 670km WSW of Veraval(Gujarat) at 0830IST of 4th november. pic.twitter.com/q9HjLTU1Vz

— India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) November 4, 2019

“Severe cyclonic storm Maha lay centered at 580 kilometres southwest of Diu and 550 kms southwest of Veraval,” IMD director Jayanta Sarkar told PTI. “It is most likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and make landfall between Dwarka and Diu on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning with wind speeds of 120 kilometres per hour.”The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra [the region of which Rajkot is a part] and south Gujarat on November 6-7. It is moving towards Oman but will recurve towards Gujarat coast on Monday.”Bangladesh lead the series 1-0 after pulling off a seven-wicket win in the opening fixture.

As Aston Villa look to maintain their battle for a place in the Premier League's top four, Unai Emery will have to do so without a number of injured players in what is likely to be a tough end to the season.

Aston Villa injury news

The Midlands club have started to struggle in the last couple of weeks, with a 4-0 defeat at home against Tottenham Hotspur before a 1-1 draw against West Ham United leaving them three points clear of the North London club, who have a game in hand.

Sandwiched in between two frustrating results was at least a 4-0 thumping of Ajax in the Europa Conference League, as Villa progressed into the last eight.

Aston Villa "monitoring" £25m "top striker" for potential summer transfer

He has interest from other Premier League teams.

ByTom Coates Mar 19, 2024

With fixtures piling up, the last thing Villa need is any more bad injury news. As things stand, they are without as many as four players with just one of those on course to return before the end of the current campaign.

Boubacar Kamara

26/10/2024

Emiliano Buendia

24/06/2024

Tyrone Mings

24.06/2024

Jacob Ramsey

30/03/2024

The most important player on that list is arguably Tyrone Mings, who recently posted an update on his recovery to social media in which you can see the muscular atrophy – a large decrease in muscle due to a loss of nerve supply – in his injured leg.

Reacting to the images, Dr Rajpal Brar told Villa News: “This is unfortunate for Mings but among the potential realities following ACL injuries. As one can see, there is significant muscle atrophy as he continues his rehab en route to returning to full fitness.

“I think he’s likely out for the season, especially when you look at the side-to-side differences. We also don’t know the full extent of Mings’ injury if it was just an ACL or were other things involved.”

"Fantastic" Mings will be eyeing pre-season return

Although Dr Brar aired concerns that we don't know the full extent of Mings' injury, there's no doubt that the England defender will be eyeing a return in this summer's pre-season at Aston Villa. After missing the entirety of what's been an incredible campaign at Villa Park, Mings will be desperate to make his return to a side who are on course to be competing in the Champions League next season.

With the pressure mounting after defeat against Spurs and a draw at West Ham, it's times like this when Mings would really earn his reported £100k per-week salary. Instead, however, he must play his role away from the pitch in the hope of making some kind of impact in the dressing room, as he awaits his eventual return.

Former manager Steven Gerrard certainly knows all about the quality that Villa are currently missing without Mings, having previously praised the defender. The Liverpool legend told the Independent: “We think Tyrone Mings is a fantastic footballer with big attributes and he’s going to be a big help to me and the team moving forward."

The Argentinian FA have reportedly submitted a complaint to FIFA after seeing their last-minute equaliser against Morocco ruled out by VAR.

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Argentina equalised in the 106th minutePitch invasion forced the match to be suspendedVAR cancelled the goal after the restart WHAT HAPPENED?

Trouble was brewing even before kick-off as Argentine players and the national anthem were booed by the spectators at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in St-Etienne in a seeming response to Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez's alleged racist chants against France during their Copa America victory celebrations. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Albiceleste found their equaliser in the dying minutes of stoppage time.

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Following the leveller, Morocco fans stormed the pitch and the match, which appeared to be heading for a 2-2 draw, was abruptly halted. The players from both teams were taken off the field, and were gone for more than an hour. However, their dramatic comeback, from being 2-0 down, was short-lived as VAR intervened and the semi-automated offside technology determined that Cristian Medina was offside in the build-up to the goal, leading to it being disallowed over 60 minutes after it was scored.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to TyC Sports journalist, , the AFA has submitted a formal complaint to the FIFA disciplinary commission. The complaint focuses on the handling of the match and the pitch invasion, which led to an extensive delay and widespread confusion.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The Argentina-Morocco match at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be remembered for its chaotic scenes and the contentious VAR decision that changed its fate. Nonetheless, following this shock defeat, Argentina must bounce back in their upcoming fixtures to keep their Olympic hopes alive. They are set to face Iraq on July 27, followed by their final group-stage match against Ukraine on July 30.

The Ganguly-led administration is keen to make changes to the constitution but they have to wait till the New Year now

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Dec-2019The BCCI will have to wait for the New Year to see if the Supreme Court will approve the amendments to the board’s constitution which would roll back some of the key reforms recommended by the RM Lodha Committee.On Wednesday, the court “tentatively” listed January 14 as the next date of hearing the BCCI case, which means the board has to put on hold some of the decisions taken at its annual general meeting on December 1. At the AGM, a majority of the 38 members of the BCCI verbally gave the nod to the amendments proposed by the newly elected administration led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.There were six amendments proposed by the BCCI: not needing the court’s permission if the board wants to tweak its constitution, modifying the cooling-off period for office bearers, revising the disqualification criteria, and allotting extensive powers to the board’s secretary. These amendments, however, were never officially passed because the BCCI members knew it would result in their being in contempt of court.Still, the board did reverse a key decision made by the Committee of Administrators, an independent panel appointed by the court in 2017 to help implement the Lodha reforms. In its very first meeting, the CoA had designated the BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri to attend the ICC chief executives’ committee meetings. However, this past week, the BCCI reverted to its old policy where the board’s secretary would sit on the CEC, and, consequently Jay Shah is likely to attend next round of meetings scheduled in March 2020.The BCCI was also supposed to finalise who would sit on the Cricket Advistory Committee but that too is on hold with Ganguly saying the rules around conflict of interest were too stringent. It is the CAC that recommends candidates for the head coach position of both the men’s and women’s senior teams and also picks the members of the men’s selection panel.CAG appoints representative on BCCI Apex CouncilIn another significant development, the office of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) recently appointed Alka Rehani Bharadwaj as its representative on the BCCI’s Apex Council. This was part of the Lodha Committee recommendations which were approved by the court in its seminal order on July 18, 2016. The CAG representative, the Lodha Committee said, would help provide transparency and accountability in the world’s richest cricket board.At the time the BCCI strongly opposed the move with then president Anurag Thakur going to extreme lengths. ICC chairman Shashank Manohar told the court that Thakur had sought a letter from him which said allowing a CAG representative to sit on the Apex Council would amount to government interference, which was against ICC rules.A couple of weeks later Thakur and then BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke were sacked as office bearers by the court in a landmark order primarily for failing to make the BCCI implement the reforms.

West Ham United's late defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon has left a nasty bruise, not least because David Moyes' side had impressively engineered a 3-1 lead heading into the final quarter.

Still seventh in the Premier League, though slenderly so and having played an additional game than their rivals, West Ham face quite the task in securing a European qualifying spot if a vein of consistency is not found soon.

Up next, Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur make the cross-London trip to avenge their home loss to the Irons in the reverse fixture. The Hammers will be up for the occasion, eager to put the loss on Tyneside behind them.

West Ham team news

Crucially, Edson Alvarez will miss out once again as he serves the second match of a two-game suspension after amassing ten yellow cards this season.

Nayef Aguerd may return to central defence but goalkeeper Alphonse Areola will miss out after picking up a groin injury in Newcastle, with the Frenchman boasting the finest shot-stopping record in the division this season.

1.

Alphonse Areola

West Ham

75.8%

2.

Alisson

Liverpool

75.3%

3.

Andre Onana

Manchester United

74.7%

4.

Nick Pope

Newcastle United

73.6%

5.

Bart Verbruggen

Brighton & Hove Albion

72.9%

Tottenham have a wealth of attacking firepower that could damage the hosts, and considering this, Moyes might be inclined to push Lucas Paqueta into a deeper-lying role, pushing James Ward-Prowse to the bench.

West Ham could ditch James Ward-Prowse vs Spurs

It goes without saying that Kalvin Phillips will not find his way onto the starting teamsheet, with the England international having an utterly torrid time in east London as he completes a six-month loan spell, seeking (unsuccessfully) to resurrect his flagging career.

Another player who might find themselves away from the starting line-up this evening is Vladimir Coufal, who has been largely dependable this season but committed the early penalty at St. James' Park, won just one duel and lost possession 12 times during a wholly forgettable display.

Ward-Prowse, signed from Southampton for £30m last summer, started excellently and indeed has five goals and 11 assists as a Hammer, praised for his "magic" ability on the ball by journalist Benjy Nurick. He scored against Tottenham back in December.

But he's not quite been at the races recently and was particularly shocking last month against Burnley, taking just 24 touches and failing to win a ground duel as the relegation strugglers went 2-0 up at the break. Ward-Prowse, along with Phillips, was hooked.

Playing Paqueta in a deeper, central role would certainly be a possibility against Tottenham, with the Brazilian ranking among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 6% for progressive passes, the top 1% for tackles, the top 18% for interceptions and the top 4% for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref.

Paqueta also won nine duels against Newcastle, made two tackles and two key passes, highlighting his elite and complete skill set that more than facilitates his return to a deeper role.

Of course, this does open up the question regarding who would play alongside or behind Michail Antonio in the talismanic role, and Ward-Prowse could certainly do a job higher up, with Danny Ings also capable in a more creative deployment, creating four key passes when he last sat in an attacking midfield role in the Premier League, against Sheffield United in January.

West Ham now in pole position to land "amazing" star in big-money deal

This could take the Hammers up a level entirely.

ByTom Cunningham Mar 31, 2024

While Moyes is not one for widespread changes, West Ham's fragility was concerning against the Magpies and he might be convinced to tweak the set-up against Tottenham, who will come out firing as they fight for their own European qualifying spot.

Ex-England star Danny Mills' son George cut a furious figure after blaming a French rival for a collision in his 5,000m heat at the Paris Olympics.

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Danny Mills had successful football careerSon George competing at Olympics in 5000mFalls in heat and angrily confronts French athleteWHAT HAPPENED?

George Mills was on course to qualify for the final of the men's 5,000 metres at the Paris Olympics, as he was in the top 10 for his heat, only to fall with several other competitors on the final straight. After the race, he angrily confronted Hugo Hay – with the Team GB athlete believing the Frenchman was responsible for the tumble. On camera, Mills was seen shoving his opponent.

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In the clip, Mills is captured falling over, before angrily pointing his finger at the French athlete – who tries to diffuse the situation after qualifying for the next round.

WHAT GEORGE MILLS SAID

After the race, the Harrogate-born runner told BBC Sport: "I mean, I think it's pretty clear. I got stepped out on as I was about to kick on the home straight… then boom, the French lad took me down."

When asked if he had some words afterwards, he said, "Yes. Probably words I am not allowed to say."

He added that was a "perfect" qualifier for him, up until the collision, and he expected an appeal to be lodged.

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According to BBC journalist Emma Smith, Mills was reinstated by event organisers and will progress to the men's 5,000m final after all. The 25-year-old, whose father Danny played for Leeds United, Manchester City and England in his career, will hope to win a medal later in the Games.

England may have unearthed the opener they’ve been seeking for so long

George Dobell in Cape Town06-Jan-2020The Foreshore Freeway Bridge was designed to cut through the centre of Cape Town, linking the eastern and western suburbs of the city.But in 1977 construction work stopped. The bridge was never completed and instead of joining the roads, it ends in a couple of precipices; a real road to nowhere, complete with tarmac and traffic markings, hanging eerily over the city. It’s used regularly in film sets. There are various explanations for the unfinished bridge. The most likely is that the city simply ran out of money. But another, perhaps apocryphal, suggests that a ferociously stubborn business owner simply refused to sell-out to the developers and halted building work for so long the project eventually became unsustainable.It is this explanation that might appeal to Dom Sibley. For he is that business owner, refusing to budge, refusing to acknowledge the demands of time or fashion, insisting – despite the world telling him that all young batsmen are T20 specialists – he has the patience and desire to grind out the sort of contribution that might have Chris Tavare nodding his head in appreciation. Sibley’s hundred was achieved in the 93rd over of England’s innings and, by the time he was done – both chanceless and unbeaten – he had faced 247 dot balls. In all, the marathon affair lasted nearly 500 minutes and occupied 311 deliveries.ALSO READ: ‘I wouldn’t waste a referral like this’ – ElgarThis is probably exactly what England need. For as their second innings progressed, the benefits of Sibley’s foundation work were plain to see. First Joe Root (who came to the crease in the 44th over) and then Ben Stokes (who came to the crease in the 80th) were able to settle against a tiring attack and safe in the knowledge that much of the hard work had been done. We must just have been given an outline template of the new England; an opening partnership of Sibley and Rory Burns just might see England into the next Ashes and beyond. They could, at last, be the replacement for Cook and Strauss for which England have searched for so long.Certainly that’s the view of Sibley’s sometime batting coach, Gary Palmer. And while you might expect him to speak warmly of his client, it does have to be acknowledged that Palmer also played a role in the late-career rehabilitation of Cook. He’s seen successful opening batsmen before; he knows what it takes.”I thought he gave a masterclass on opening the batting in a Test,” Palmer told ESPNcricinfo. “He is very patient and disciplined in his shot selection and has all the qualities to become a top international opening batter. There’s no reason he can’t have a long successful Test career.”Sibley admits he did not quite do himself justice in New Zealand. Caught in the media spotlight, he concedes that talk of his technique – and the army of former players who rubbished it – may have unsettled him a little. So instead of simply leaving ball after ball, over after over, and forcing the bowlers to adjust and come to him, he found himself chasing deliveries he would normally have left. ‘Poor technique’ was the cry from the commentary boxes, but it may have been a case of nerves more than anything. Even on Sunday night, he admits he was too nervous to sleep. At 2am he stopped trying and turned on the TV.”You’re never quite prepared for the spotlight you’re going to be under,” Sibley says now. “When you start playing for England, there are people writing about you and picking apart your technique and it’s tough to avoid.”In New Zealand I probably put myself under a lot of pressure to get that big score. You want to prove to yourself you’re good enough for this level.”But on this trip it was a case of taking the pressure off myself and playing the way I did last summer for Warwickshire. I just tried not to worry too much about what anyone else was saying. And while I didn’t get runs in the first Test, I felt I spent some time at the crease and got myself in. I haven’t changed anything; I’ve just worked hard on doing what worked well last summer.”The reason Sibley can work in this England side is that the middle-order – Root, Stokes, Jos Buttler, Ollie Pope et al – is currently stuffed with stroke-making batsmen. So however much time he occupies – while Tests remain five days, anyway – his teammates can make up later. But there will also be times, as there were here, when they are reliant upon him (and Burns, for whom many of the same things could be said) for seeing the shine off the ball and putting miles in the bowlers’ legs. It’s a template that can work and did here.The other benefit of Stokes’ aggression – and for a while it seemed he may match his deeds of 2016 – was that it took all pressure off Sibley. For while Stokes was thrashing the bowling to all parts – he added 72 of the 92 the pair put on – Sibley was able to play his way.”Stokes took the pressure off me,” Sibley says. “It made it easy for me to go at my tempo. He kept saying ‘play at your own tempo; don’t change what you’ve been doing.’ That meant I could just go about it in my own way.”But as Sibley’s innings progressed – and, notably, before he completed his century – he demonstrated a wider range of strokes than has been apparent in his international career to date. Out came the sweeps – reverse, conventional and slog – suggesting that he is not so much a limited player, but one who plays within himself with a view to taking the minimum amount of risk possible. At one stage, one of his slog-sweeps carried well over mid-wicket for six. “Ahh, no,” the watching Jonathan Trott said with a wry smile. “Now even he’s hit more sixes than me.”Trott, incidentally, has also spent many hours coaching Sibley and was so delighted to see his former teammate make a hundred that he recorded the moment for posterity on his phone. “I’d have given my double-century against Sri Lanka for him to do this,” he said.It was another sweep, this one out of the foot holes outside his leg stump, that brought up the boundary that registered Sibley’s first Test century.Dom Sibley sweeps to bring up his maiden Test hundred•AFP”I didn’t want to play the sweep when they had the field back,” he explained, “because if I top-edged I thought I could be caught. But they brought the field up when I was on 99 and I figured that even if I did top-edge it, it would fall safe. I thought ‘fortune favours the bold’ and luckily it did.”And the feeling?”Even better than I dreamed,” he says with the broad smile of a man who has achieved a lifetime ambition. “That moment when I saw the ball go for four, that’s what I’ve been working towards since I was 13 or 14. Stokesy told me to stop and take it in; enjoy it for a second. It already seems like a bit of a blur now, but it was a great moment. Hopefully there will be more to come over the next few years.” There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be.So, that technique. After all the criticism of recent weeks, it’s probably worth delving a little deeper into what Sibley – and Cook before him – do when they work with Palmer. The key would seem to be opening the stance a little to ensure the front foot does not impede the flow of the bat and enabling, Palmer says, batsmen to play straighter. He then grooves that technique with notoriously long sessions – hundreds or even thousands of balls at a time – against bowling machines placed at four different angles (basically from both over and round the wicket) to ensure that ‘muscle memory’ is ingrained. When it’s combined with the patience and judgement to leave outside off stump as well as Sibley and Cook have shown, it clearly works. Indeed, it works so well, you wonder why Palmer isn’t used in a more formal capacity by the ECB.”I’m not worried about that,” Palmer says. “I’m just pleased for Dom, who has put in a lot of work and deserves this success. I honestly believe he can be the rock England have required for some time.”Whether that story about the bridge is true or not, you can imagine Sibley admiring the determination of the businessman.

Despite the long gap, Virat Kohli doesn’t expect Mitchell Starc to be any easier to face

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai13-Jan-20201:20

Looks like Starc is back to swinging the ball like he used to – Kohli

When Ashton Turner turned up at the pre-match press conference on Monday, the first question was about his last India tour, highlighted by the Mohali ODI in which he clobbered an unbeaten 84 of 43 balls to help Australia chase down 359. Each time he recalled that innings on Monday, he let out a beaming smile.What would Mitchell Starc say if he was asked the same question? He’d have to jog back his memory a long way, because his last ODI in India was nearly 10 years ago. Starc made his ODI debut in India, back in October 2010, and hasn’t played an ODI in the country ever since. There are non-Asian players who are eager to tour India, who jump on the opportunities provided by the IPL, to not only play T20 cricket, but also familiarise themselves with the conditions so that it helps them for international tours later on. Not Starc.His last IPL game in India was in 2015 and his last international game in the country was during the Test series nearly three years ago. It’s still likely that because of his skills, Starc’s name will be among the first few on the team sheet on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if he strikes with the new ball and then nails his yorkers in the death overs.Starc’s adroitness is such that he knows what to do in what kind of conditions. He has played 11 ODIs in Asia – the last one in Sri Lanka in 2016 – and taken 26 wickets at a phenomenal average of 18.65, which is bettered only by Rashid Khan and Mustafizur Rahman (minimum 100 overs bowled).In those five ODIs in Sri Lanka in 2016, Starc tormented the top order with his swing and pace – almost always striking with the new ball – and then occasionally deceived batsmen with his cutters and pace variations. One thing he did through the series was to target the stumps on the flat and slow pitches, taking nine of his 12 wickets either bowled or lbw. And he was the top wicket-taker that series. Which means that despite the long gap, Virat Kohli doesn’t expect Starc to be any easier to face.ESPNcricinfo”I don’t think that not having played in India [recently] will be much of a factor for him, because he’s played a lot over here,” Kohli said on Monday. “And anyone who has pace, once they find their length they can adjust anywhere, so pace is always going to be an advantage. But having said that we have played against these guys a lot.”What India haven’t faced from Starc recently is his tweaked action, the result of working last year with New South Wales coach Andre Adams. Starc made the change after being picked for only one Ashes Test last year, and upon return to domestic cricket, returned career-best Sheffield Shield figures of 10 for 60 against Tasmania.Starc now bends his left elbow a little more in his delivery load up, so as to hold the ball closer to his left ear, and he looks more linear just before the release when his right arm is outstretched. Kohli has been keeping track of all this.”He is a very skillful bowler and he’s changed his action now, which we saw him getting more swing. Looks like he’s back to swinging the ball like he used to, and that makes him a lethal bowler all over again,” Kohli said. “When he gets to swing the ball like that – the new ball – and then he can tear it away with the old ball because he has got his action in a linear fashion. It is pretty interesting to come up against a guy like that.”Against India, he will have two duels: first against the robust top order and then against the lesser experienced middle and lower order. It could very well be that the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Kohli see Starc’s first spell off to target the other bowlers. Kohli has been dogged enough to not lose his wicket to Starc even once in ODIs, while scoring 56 off 57 balls, while Dhawan has been the poorest of the lot – Starc has dismissed him thrice in 41 balls, conceding 23 runsThe tougher test will be for India’s middle and lower order. If the more experienced batsmen are gone, and the pressure is to score quickly against Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, players like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja will need to come up with answers to a variety of questions.”It is going to be a great challenge for them (middle order) to face someone like Mitchell,” Kohli said. “I’ve played with him, played against him a lot. We’ll definitely have to be up for it and especially the younger guys in the middle order. They should look for a challenge. Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, if he plays, (Kane) Richardson is an experienced bowler. Adam Zampa. All these guys will challenge us throughout the game.”No matter who comes out on top in these contests, it’s likely Starc will look like he has been a regular on India tours.

Leeds United ensured that all of the top three teams in the Championship were victorious on Easter Monday, helped by Crysencio Summerville and Daniel James coming to the rescue late on in a 3-1 win.

At one point, the game looked like it could be heading for a draw but the reliable Whites pair had other ideas in mind to steer Daniel Farke's men to their 26th win in the division to date.

Summerville and James coming up trumps spared the blushes of one underperformer for the West Yorkshire titans, who might well find his spot is taken up by a fresher body when the promotion chasers travel to Coventry City next.

On the contrary, both star wingers will find that their positions in Farke's starting eleven are even more set in stone after the enthralling win over the Tigers last night.

Crysencio Summerville and Dan James stepping up again

The dynamic duo took their combined season goal tally to an impressive 31 in all competitions with their respective strikes against Liam Rosenior's determined away side, a remarkable output from both the Dutchman and the Welshman.

Summerville would initially give the Whites the lead from the penalty spot, whilst James would make the win secure late on with an audacious strike which caught out Ryan Allsop who had ventured forward for a corner with the Tigers in last chance saloon.

Away from their crucial goals, the pair also shone as livewires throughout the entertaining contest.

Summerville, in particular, was a handful having won the spot-kick he converted as the clock ran down alongside registering six out of seven successful ground duels to constantly try and kickstart something for his promotion-seeking outfit.

James was also lively in patches against Hull, notching up two key passes and two efforts on goal with one of those securing all three points for Farke's men in dramatic fashion.

In stark contrast, Patrick Bamford struggled to find the back of the net from point-blank range for his West Yorkshire employers over a disappointing 72-minute run-out for the 30-year-old striker.

Patrick Bamford's performance vs Hull in numbers

Bamford would miss an absolute sitter for Leeds in the eventual 3-1 victory, put on a plate by James to fire home but the experienced attacker fluffed his lines and skied the opportunity well over Allsop's net.

It was a night to forget for the 6 foot 1 attacker in truth, who was handed out a 4/10 rating by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth post-match, who stated Bamford 'couldn't make the ball stick' at Elland Road.

The misfiring Whites number nine would only have that chance to show for his attacking play unfortunately, mustering up a meagre 19 touches of the ball as an anonymous lone centre-forward.

When Mateo Joseph was introduced into the game up top, Farke's men looked so much more lively going forward with the Spain U21 international hitting the post a matter of minutes after being substituted on in place of Bamford.

Minutes played

72

Touches

19

Accurate passes

7/11 (64%)

Big chances missed

1

Possession lost

6x

Farke will have to think long and hard about whether he should stick by an underperforming Bamford or utilise Joseph from the start instead as the business end of the season really comes into view.

Based on his dire showing against Hull, the smart call could be to drop the below-par Whites number nine for the trip to the Sky Blues and start a new striker alongside Summerville and James.