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Glasgow Rangers must sign another striker this summer regardless of whether or not Alfredo Morelos leaves the club, Sky Sports pundit Alex McLeish has said.

The Lowdown: Morelos latest

As reported by the Daily Record, the Light Blues will not look to sign another forward this summer unless the Colombia international leaves Ibrox.

The 26-year-old has entered the final year of his Gers contract and is still yet to play a part in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pre-season due to an injury sustained at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Earlier this month, Rangers announced the signing of Antonio Colak from PAOK in a deal worth £1.8m plus add-ons, currently making him Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s starting option up front.

The Latest: McLeish’s claim

Former Rangers boss McLeish believes that the Light Blues need more players who are capable of scoring goals regularly if they are to win the Premiership title.

Speaking to Football Insider, he claimed: “The niggle last year was the reliance on Morelos for goals.

“They moved the pack around and Arfield played up there sometimes when everyone was injured. With Colak, the word was that he is not a prolific goalscorer.

“But there were moments in the West Ham game where he looked promising. They need reinforcement for the striker position.

“They still have Kemar Roofe, he was probably one of the main catalysts for winning the league a few years ago because he scored the most goals apart from Morelos.

“Celtic has three or four players who were exciting and scoring goals last season. That’s the kind of firepower Rangers need this season.”

The Verdict: Additions needed

Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada all reached double figures for goals for Celtic last season, sharing the responsibility amongst the team.

However, it was right-back James Tavernier who topped Rangers’ scoring charts with 16 goals in all competitions, with Morelos and Roofe the only other two players at Ibrox to hit the 10-goal mark.

Therefore, with the Colombian’s future still in the air, it is imperative that the Light Blues bring in another striker this summer to help bolster Van Bronckhorst’s attacking options, especially with a hectic schedule involving continental competition.

Leeds United’s move for Red Bull Salzburg midfielder is reportedly ‘imminent’ after a breakthrough in talks over the weekend.

The Lowdown: Adams and Sinisterra

Victor Orta doesn’t appear to be hanging around this week, looking to bring in more players ahead of Leeds’ pre-season trip to Australia on Sunday.

Reports have suggested that RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams and Feyenoord winger Luis Sinisterra are close to making the move to Elland Road.

They look set to replace Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha respectively, and it looks as if another midfielder could soon be on his way to Leeds in Camara.

The Latest: Austrian outlet shares big update

Austrian outlet Kronen Zeitung provided a major update on Camara and Leeds on Sunday evening. They claimed that there was a breakthrough in talks over the weekend, with the 22-year-old agreeing a move to Elland Road.

The Whites may need to pay Salzburg a total of €35m (£30.1m) including bonuses in a deal which would be a record sale for the Austrian champions.

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The Verdict: Quiet elsewhere…

The news from Austria makes it sound like a deal is all but wrapped up, although it has been extremely quiet elsewhere from the likes of Phil Hay and Fabrizio Romano, reporters who have been on the ball across the summer when it comes to movement in Yorkshire.

The pair have both covered the interest in Adams and Sinisterra, so it will be interesting to see over the coming days if anything materialises with Camara.

There appears to have been a breakthrough in talks for the Mali international, so it could be one to watch, and who knows, perhaps both Adams and Camara will arrive to bolster Jesse Marsch’s midfield options.

West Brom have been linked with a loan move for Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer recently and the Englishman could be a superb addition to Steve Bruce’s side ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to Birmingham Live, Archer is on the Baggies’ list of striker targets this summer as they look to improve on last season’s disappointing Championship campaign, although there is no guarantee that Steven Gerrard will allow the forward to leave Villa Park.

There will be no shortage of suitors for the 20-year-old however, with Preston North End naturally interested in taking him back on loan again after his impressive form last season, while Rangers have also been credited with an interest by Birmingham Live.

Bruce would love him

The report from Birmingham Live suggests that Bruce is keen to add attacking reinforcements this summer to support Daryl Dike and Karlan Grant, with Andy Carroll having departed and Kenneth Zohore having struggled for consistency during his time at the Hawthorns.

Last season saw Archer hit seven goals in 20 appearances for Preston North End, while he has also prospered during the off-season, hitting four goals in his first four appearances for England U21s.

His performances last season earned him the praise of Preston boss Ryan Lowe, who said:

“Cameron has got an abundance of talent. His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too.”

Other than Grant, West Brom struggled for any real consistent goalscorers last season and if they have aspirations of getting back into the Premier League next season, then a clinical finisher such as Archer could be exactly what Bruce needs.

A move for the £5.4m-rated forward would certainly make geographical sense and if he can continue his recent form into next season, then there seems little to suggest that he wouldn’t be a big success at the Hawthorns.

And, in other news… West Brom can land their next Livermore with swoop for PL gem…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s interest in Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies sent scouts to watch the forward in action against Huddersfield in the Championship play-off final last weekend.

He tweeted: “Diaby has been on Newcastle radar since January & is again on shortlist of wide targets (Brennan Johnson also watched, including at Wembley on Sunday). Schick staying & Hlozek arriving at Leverkusen might see movement on Diaby.”

It has been reported that the 21-year-old is valued at £20m but it remains to be seen whether or not that is still the case following Forest’s promotion to the Premier League.

Ryan Fraser upgrade

Dan Ashworth must now work hard to get a deal done for Johnson, as he would be a big upgrade on Scottish winger Ryan Fraser.

The Welshman’s former boss Michael Appleton once dubbed him “exciting”, and that is what he can be as a replacement for Fraser on the wing at Newcastle.

The former Lincoln manager went on to say about Johnson: “When you’re the opposition manager in League One or the Championship, hopefully soon the Premier League, he’s someone you’d take note of because he’ll always be one of the two or three teams that you’ll be aware of and be wary of.

“His development and the way it’s happened for him over the last couple of years suggests to me that he’s only going to end up going in one direction and that’s the Premier League.”

In the 2021/22 Championship, Johnson produced an astonishing 16 goals and 10 assists as he created a whopping 15 ‘big chances’ and averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.10. The 21-year-old phenomenon has shown that he can regularly deliver at the top end of the pitch in the second tier, and at his young age, he may have the potential to make the step up to the top flight.

Meanwhile, Fraser managed just two goals and three assists in 27 Premier League outings for the Magpies this term. He failed to contribute in the final third on a consistent basis and this is why Johnson – if he can adapt to the top-flight – could be an exciting upgrade on him in the wide areas if Newcastle sign the Welsh youngster.

Whilst the Scotland international could still be a useful option for Eddie Howe to call upon off the bench, the Nottingham Forest dynamo’s statistics suggest that he has the scope to make a much larger impact on results with his ability to score and create goals.

AND in other news, “I’m told…”: Journalist drops “exciting” NUFC transfer claim that supporters will love…

Leeds United’s fate has come down to the final day of the Premier League season.

The Yorkshire giants have to better Burnley’s result today to remain a top-flight outfit and that’s no easy task as they head to west London to face Brentford, whilst the Clarets face Newcastle United at Turf Moor.

Jesse Marsch’s side have stuttered in recent outings, picking up only two points from a possible 15, though the American has been boosted by the potential return of last season’s leading talisman, Patrick Bamford.

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As relayed by The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the England striker is expected to be involved in some form this afternoon. And whilst his presence will certainly bolster their fortunes in the final third, where they have struggled all season, he will not fix their defensive issues.

Indeed, the Whites have one of the worst backlines in the division, having leaked a whopping 78 goals from 37 outings. Only rock-bottom Norwich City (79) have conceded more.

Their opposition today have been in fine form, losing only one of their last five matches, and with the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Eriksen available, they could do Leeds plenty of damage.

As such, Marsch will need to make a bold call with his defence. It could be wise to bring Pascal Struijk back into the fold as the versatile colossus can play in the middle, on the left or in defensive midfield.

Once described as a “monster” by journalist Daniel Fraiz-Martinez, the Belgian-born defender has proven to be one of Leeds’ more busy and solid options, having averaged 2.2 tackles per game, a feat that neither Liam Cooper nor Diego Llorente can match.

Whilst a further average of 1.2 interceptions and a squad-best passing accuracy of 85.1%, via WhoScored, only further builds his claims to start in Norfolk today.

If anything, the 6 foot 3 titan should be rewarded for his injury-time equaliser last weekend, another fine reason why he should be in the starting lineup as he also provides threat from set-pieces – at both ends of the pitch.

“He’s going to become a supreme centre-back,” once suggested LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross.

“It’s all about Raphinha, it’s all about Joe Gelhardt. But Pascal is the future. And the longer he stays under the radar, the better, because he’s got the lot, to be honest.”

The £13.5m-rated man-mountain could be the one to guide Leeds towards safety and whilst Bamford’s return is encouraging, there’s no way of knowing just how much game time he can manage after playing only 100 competitive minutes since early December.

Struijk’s presence in the backline should, at least, help Leeds defensively and if they are keeping the Bees out, then they’ll only need to score to boost their bid to stay in the big time.

He simply must start in Marsch’s backline today.

AND in other news, Marsch must axe Leeds’ £55k-p/w “schoolboy” today, he’s a big “liability” to the team…

The first ever day-night Ashes Test between England and Australia is a spectacle of its own, but the game could also decide if Australia retain the Women’s Ashes

Adam Collins08-Nov-2017In Australian rules football, the greatest cliche of them all is when a coach says his side are “just happy to get the four points” when recording a win. The four points in this Women’s Ashes Test match – a standalone fixture in a multi-format bilateral series, and the first ever between the nations with a pink ball and under lights – really are vital. If Australia claim them, the Ashes will be safe in their custody, resolved before a single ball of the three T20s.Two days out from the Test, Ellyse Perry said that Australia would be playing an “aggressive brand of cricket” in the fixture in order to wipe England out. Another great Australian expression, carrying with it little ambiguity. “That’s the way Australians team generally play,” noted England captain Heather Knight. “For us, it is about nullifying that and quieting them down and playing our way and standing up to them face to face.”Putting the points tally of the broader series aside, this is a spectacle all on its own. “We don’t get to play Test cricket very often and to be involved in the first-ever Ashes day-night Test for male or female cricket is something the girls are relishing,” Knight said, adding that the boutique North Sydney Oval is a “brilliant ground that is perfect for women’s cricket”.Rachael Haynes is a fraction less animated, agreeing with the proposition that pink-ball cricket is “overhyped” in an effort to normalise what is about to come over the next four days. “From our point of view we don’t want to think about it too much either way,” she said. “We want to just go out there and focus on the contest that is happening at the time.”The tourists didn’t enjoy a perfect preparation for the ODIs due to rain, and their coach Mark Robinson is far from thrilled about the pitch they played a three-day warm-up game on in Blacktown ahead of this Test. “It probably resembles nothing like [the surface] we are going to play on,” he said. “It took chunks out of the ball so playing under the lights was irrelevant, really, because you had big chunks out of the ball so it was never going to swing.”In both that game and Australia’s own hit out in Canberra, wickets fell in bulk after dark but barely at all when the sun was out. “We learned a lot about how we want to manage those situations and we’re going to change things up during the sessions,” Haynes said.Both coaches said on the eve of the Test that the track at North Sydney is drier than they anticipated when they first saw it. In turn, Matthew Mott said he said he is glad he waited to name a final XI to see how the pitch looks on game day. But they are confident that it will still be hard enough to behave in a way that their sides can drive the game as a spectacle.That is in contrast to the track they played on the last time they met in a Test two years ago in Canterbury. On that occasion, Australia came on top, but the talking point was the glacial pace the game was played at. “I felt really sorry for them,” Robinson said reflecting on what he called a “horrendous” surface. “The girls got a lot of criticism in both teams because it wasn’t a great spectacle. But the wicket was diabolical. The most important thing for women’s cricket is the surface all the time, you need that extra pace.”Ashleigh Gardner is set for her Test debut•ICC/Getty ImagesFor Knight, it was a week she would rather forget, and given the significant change in the side since that series she happily can. North Sydney does prompt happy memories for three members of her squad, for it was the ground where England won the ODI World Cup in 2009, Katherine Brunt, Sarah Taylor and Laura Marsh veterans of that campaign.Knight is also upbeat about the “backs against the wall” victory her side recorded in the final ODI after conceding the first two, believing that “everything is open” coming into the Test. The transition from limited overs to long-form cricket isn’t something that daunts her either, believing gains they have made with the white ball – not least winning the World Cup in July – should “bleed into” their Test performance here as well.”I love putting on the whites,” she said, pointing out she has only had the chance to do so on five occasions in seven years since debuting. “The new Ashes format is brilliant. It has really got people interested and knowing what is going on. It has got Test cricket back on the map. I would love to see that played in a number of series and to play more Test cricket.”As for the team sheet that she will hand over at the toss, she is slightly coyer. “There is a potential to play three spinners but it will be how we complement the seam and if we play an extra batter,” she said. With 16 to choose from, many combinations are possible. That includes Kate Cross, who has been added to the initial group if looking for a third frontline seamer to complement Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole.Australia cut back their own group to 13 ahead of coming to Sydney, but also have a variety of alternatives on the table. A lot will hinge on whether they debut teenage left-arm quick Lauren Cheatle. If they do, room may need to be found by leaving out one of the spinners that have formed the backbone of Australia’s attack in 2017.What appears certain is that explosive all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner will earn a baggy green. “She’s probably more suited to trying to hit the ball out of the park and not a traditional Test player,” Mott said. “But if the top order does their job she could be a real sting in the tail.”

Joining the county that had finished bottom of Division Two for three successive seasons was always going to be a gamble but Neil Dexter’s confidence in the future has been rewarded

Jon Culley30-Jun-2016Neil Dexter’s decision to leave a county that finished runners-up in Division One last season to join the one that had finished bottom of Division Two for three seasons in a row might have seemed somewhat perverse looking from the outside.At 31, he could not afford to make the wrong choice, but he says he felt confident from the outset and after half a season in his new surroundings nothing has happened to make him question his wisdom. His contribution already includes two centuries, the second against Gloucestershire this week.Leicestershire’s tight grip on the wooden spoon did not loosen despite the euphoria last June of ending their extraordinary 37-match winless streak in four-day cricket, but they have metamorphosed this season into potential promotion contenders – 15 points off the top with a game in hand and a bedraggled season still to take shape.”It was a hard decision to leave Middlesex,” Dexter admitted. “Things were always good at Middlesex. I enjoyed my time there working with good people.”But I wanted to bat higher up the order than I had been doing with Middlesex and when I sat down with Wasim Khan and Andrew McDonald to discuss coming here they were very clear in their plans and about what they wanted to achieve.”It is a club with clear direction and I was confident that it was going to be a good move. And so far I’ve enjoyed every minute of it here.”Khan and McDonald sold their vision, too, to Essex’s Mark Pettini and Lancashire’s Paul Horton as they moved to add quality, experience and a vital winning mentality to the squad. All three have had a positive impact on the dressing room environment.”We are quite a tight knit bunch already,” Dexter said. “In terms of where we are heading and what we are trying to achieve over the next few years we are already on the right lines.”If anything we have got to where we are as a team and a club a bit quicker than I thought.”There are times when things are tough. The T20 has tested us a team but it shows how strong we are the way the team is bouncing back in the four-day stuff on the back of disappointment.”In cricketing terms, then, it has been a good move. Where Middlesex felt they could make no guarantees of a regular first-team place – even though managing director of cricket Angus Fraser was willing to talk about a new contract – Leicestershire see him as just the right fit.For Dexter, moreover, there has been an unexpected bonus in moving out of the hustle and bustle of live in London. It has reminded how much he appreciates a less frenetic way of life.”I won’t lie, I struggled at times with living in London,” he said. “I think it is a hard place, so busy from the moment you walk out of your front door and until you get out of it again you don’t realise how tough a place it is to live.”Maybe it is the way I’ve been brought up. And I started in Kent, too, where the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed.”I’ve got a young family now and having a bit more of a relaxed life and a bit more family time, time when you can get away and it actually feels like you are away from cricket – it’s really good.”What’s more, he says, Grace Road feels like a proper home ground, something that Lord’s, for all its history and its status as the ‘home of cricket’, can never really be for a Middlesex player.At Grace Road, unlike Lord’s, Dexter feels he has a permanent home•PA Photos”Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at Middlesex and to play at Lord’s every other week is a privilege I will never forget,” he said. “But Lord’s never really felt like home. When you don’t own your own ground, you can’t ever really call it home.”Here, when you leave the ground you can leave stuff in the dressing room but at Lord’s, although the Middlesex players have lockers, you had to appreciate that the dressing rooms had to be cleaned, maybe for a charity match or something involving other teams and you couldn’t just leave your gear behind.”Inevitably, too, because the area around Lord’s isn’t the cheapest, the players live some distance away, so if you needed something at short notice you couldn’t just nip back to the ground to get it.”And you didn’t know from one day to the next where you were going to be training. Lord’s and MCC have worked really hard over the last few years to try to get the players more time in the Lord’s nets so we didn’t have to go elsewhere but it was always going to happen that you sometimes had to.”You have to accept that, though, and there are many advantages. The people at Lord’s and the Middlesex members were great to me. I left on very good terms, I still follow them closely and I wish them well.”They remember him with affection, too, as the captain of the side that won promotion as Division Two champions in 2011, which is something on his CV, along with more than 6000 runs and over 100 wickets in his first-class career, that commands respect at Grace Road, where he is only too willing to share the benefits of his experience.”People ask me about coaching and I’m not sure,” he said. “I feel I have more to contribute as a player first. But I like working one-to-one with the younger guys, just chatting to them. I love being able to pass on some experience and knowledge and it would be great if I can help them move on to the next level because they are the future of the club.”Leicestershire remain third, with the top two, Essex and Kent, about to meet at Chelmsford. Does he think their recovery can be so pronounced that in a season in which only the winners of Division Two go up they have a serious chance of promotion?”When I was at captain at Middlesex I was never one to make predictions,” he said. “You can look too far ahead sometimes. You can talk but you’ve got to back it up with actions.”All we can do is play good cricket and there are a lot of games to come. I wouldn’t like to say we can’t get promotion but I’m not going to say we will.”What is good is that as well as the matches we have won, we have been competitive most of the time and in the rain-affected games we have won a lot of sessions.”It is what happens now that counts, at the business end of the season. If you can go on a winning streak at the right time you can be away.”

Having run the drinks and provided sideline advice for most of the season, Michael Hussey needed only three innings to make a telling impact on Chennai Super Kings’ campaign

Arun Venugopal in Kolkata 24-May-2015If the IPL were to introduce an award for the best team player of 2015, Michael Hussey would be one of the top contenders to win it. He has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines, but he hasn’t been warming the Chennai Super Kings bench a lot.The most enduring image of Hussey this Indian summer is of him swathed in towels, running around the ground to offer drinks and words of encouragement to his team-mates. The sheer enthusiasm with which he goes about his duties is like that of a doting soccer dad being there for his kids.Not being part of Chennai Super Kings’ first XI would have been difficult for a competitior like Hussey. He watched Brendon McCullum make all those runs from beyond the boundary, knowing he would have to take McCullum’s place when the New Zealand batsman went to England. But there was no ego or rancor; only admiration, and plenty of it.Super Kings would have liked to make the top two in the league earlier than they did to ensure Hussey had some time to bed in. But things didn’t go to plan and it wasn’t until their last league game, against Kings XI Punjab, that Hussey got an opportunity. He scored 1 off 4 balls and then 16 against Mumbai Indians in the first Qualifier.The Super Kings batsmen had underachieved through the tournament and Hussey had to not only score the runs McCullum did but also provide his team with the assurance and nous he is reputed for. It didn’t take him long to deliver.In the second Qualifier, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Hussey struck a 46-ball 56 to shepherd Super Kings through a tricky chase. He was typically cheerful, a smile plastered on his face while talking to the media after the game. The innings, according to him, was particularly satisfying because, “you got to sit and watch and wait for your opportunity to come along.”He said it had not been easy coming off the bench and scoring right away. “It’s difficult, but I have been practicing a lot every day in the nets, so I felt reasonably well prepared, but in a couple of matches I haven’t made many runs.”Today I was finding it difficult out there, so I thought to myself and certainly when I was batting with MS, ‘If we were finding it difficult, then it was going to be twice as hard for a new batsman coming in. So we were just trying to be there right till the end if we could, and hopefully we get pretty close.”The hard part for Hussey and the others, however, will be to replicate such match awareness against an uncompromising Mumbai Indians side on an Eden Gardens wicket that is said to have a greenish tinge to it.”We just haven’t had a batsman consistently go on and make the really big score,” Hussey said. “Brendon has certainly made a couple of big scores. Dwayne Smith made a couple of big scores, but consistently speaking we haven’t done as much as what we have done in the past. It’s not for the lack of trying, that’s for sure.”Hussey said the hardest part was striking a balance between attacking batting and a sense of responsibility. “The coaching staff has been challenging us to take the responsibility and turn the 20s and 30s into 60s and 70s and 80s, and win T20 games. In the same breath, you want guys to be able to play with freedom, and to be attacking and aggressive which obviously increases the risks.”So, it’s a real balancing act of taking the responsibility and making sure you are the one that goes through and makes the big score, but also playing with that freedom and a little bit of risk as well. Sometime it comes off and goes your way and other times it doesn’t.”It’s a template Hussey has perfected over many summers and he employed it successfully again in Ranchi. Now for him to give it more polish in Kolkata.

Hailing from Bangladesh’ premier sports school, the BKSP, Mominul’s maiden century proves why he was earmarked for the future

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong11-Oct-2013On a few occasions every decade, since the inception of BKSP – the country’s largest sports institute – in 1986, Bangladesh cricket gets in the grip of “who’s coming out of BKSP” fever. It started with Al Shahriar and Naimur Rahman in the mid-1990s and continued with Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan in the early 2000s. Towards the middle and end of the last decade, Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque were the most talked about.In between, there have been several misses too. Players, such as Al Shahriar, pace bowler Sajal Chowdhury, and more recently Sohrawardi Shuvo, were highly-rated, but they either had technical flaws or they bowed out at a young age due to the weight of expectations.With his maiden century against New Zealand, Mominul has begun to fulfill his early billing. It was a two-paced innings; he started off rapidly on the second day, continuing in the same vein as he went past the century-mark, but as the bowling side caught up with him, he allowed Shakib and Mushfiqur – fellow BKSP alumni – to take over the scoring.”They probably didn’t know much about my batting because on the second day, I got a lot of bad balls,” Mominul said. “There was a bit of pressure on me today, particularly to score the hundred. I got a little careful as a result, but then I crossed that landmark, and the one after that.”It was a little tough to bat today, because they bowled in the right areas. I am a disappointed at not getting a double-hundred. I don’t know if I would get a second chance.”Mominul’s innings would please his BKSP coaches and the age-group scouts, who have spent their lifetimes finding such talents, parading them in tournaments and then spreading the word until one of the Dhaka clubs offer them a contract.Mohammad Salahuddin, Bangladesh’s former fielding coach, used to be the coach at BKSP when Mominul was admitted to the school in the seventh grade in 2004. The mentor kept a keen eye on his progress, and made sure that his guidance wasn’t lost when he left BKSP the following year.Though now he is the coach of a Malaysian university, Salahuddin felt elated after a year of near misses. The two had a talk on the second night when Salahuddin asked Mominul to open up his stance slightly so that he can have full-view of the left-arm seamers or anyone coming around the wicket.

Normally he tapers off or tries to bat too quickly. It was quite good today, I thought he understood where he needed to stop or go after the bowlingFormer BKSP coach Mohammad Salahuddin

“I was a little concerned that he wasn’t getting a big score in international cricket,” Salahuddin said. “Today I saw parts of his innings. I was really pleased with how he kept the rhythm of his innings until his hundred. Normally he tapers off or tries to bat too quickly. It was quite good today, I thought he understood where he needed to stop or go after the bowling.”He is a good guy, very disciplined and a hardworking student. You didn’t have to force him to do things. The old guys at the BKSP indoor would tell you that he was there at the nets almost every day. He prepares well, like he did in this off-season when he worked on his leg-side shots.”When Mominul first came into attention with a 150 against West Indies A, then BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal, a rather excitable administrator, wanted him in the Test squad right away during the home series against Pakistan, two years ago.It didn’t materialise, but Mominul was in selectors’ eyes from then on. In his formative years after he had moved from hometown Cox’s Bazar to BKSP, he quickly became one of those cricketers that the Dhaka leagues awaited after getting very positive reports from coaches and scouts of the age-groups.Mominul followed the same route that got him to every representative side. But he hardly played more than five matches in the first-class arena. He was always going to make it to the senior side at the back of a bulk of runs, and that came last season. In eight matches, Mominul scored 443 with a top score of 120 out of the two centuries.It was enough for the selectors to keep him in the fringes. The opening came when Shakib Al Hasan was injured ahead of the West Indies ODIs at home. A steady 25 in his fifth ODI, also the series decider, gave a glimpse of how he could hold his own.Mominul made further strides with two fifties during the Tests in Sri Lanka, but in Zimbabwe, after not being able to convert his starts in the second Test, and looking uncomfortable at No. 3 in the ODIs, he was left out from the final ODI and told to work on his leg-side shots.However, the off-season work, the pre-season tour of England with Bangladesh A and some runs in the Dhaka Premier League have helped him. New Zealand were taken aback by his strokes early on, but even after they restricted him on the third morning and afternoon, Mominul didn’t look out of place.

The path for Alastair Cook to become England’s Test captain has been laid out from early in his career, but that does not make the challenge any less demanding

George Dobell30-Aug-2012It was probably fitting that Alastair Cook did not take the spot light even in the moment that he was unveiled as England’s new Test captain. No, instead of being allowed to bask in the success of another step in a remarkable career, Cook was happy to allow Andrew Strauss to say goodbye in typically decent and self-effacing style and leave questions about Kevin Pietersen as he might balls outside his off stump.Cook is, in many ways, an unremarkable cricketer. He can talk without you recalling a word, score centuries without you remembering a stroke and has achieved great feats of run-scoring without ever being accepted as a great. In an age of sporting prima-donnas he is refreshingly short on style and reassuringly full of substance.He has been destined to assume the Test captaincy for years. A former England Under-19 captain, he was appointed Test vice-captain ahead of the West Indies tour of 2009 and, a year later, led in a Test for the first time when he stood in for the rested Strauss on England’s tour of Bangladesh. He was been England’s ODI captain for 18 months. He was not only the obvious choice, he was the only choice.But a long apprenticeship does not necessarily assure a successful transition. Just ask Gordon Brown.Cook is not an overwhelmingly natural captain. Like his predecessor, Cook is no orator and no tactical genius. But such skills are often over-rated. They are for captains in comics and clichés. When your side is following-on, you do not want a speech in the dressing room: you want a man who will see off the new ball and bat all day. Cook will be that sort of captain. Like Strauss, he is reliable, calm and strong. He is respected by his team as a player and liked by them as a man. He will lead through example and by instilling a unity of purpose. He is a continuity captain. This is not a new era, it is the continuation of an old one.That is no bad thing. Despite recent setbacks, England have enjoyed unprecedented success over the last few years and, right now, they do not need more uncertainty. And while Cook may want to improve his somewhat edgy relationship with the media – as Duncan Fletcher’s experiences showed, it will hurt eventually – he knows the demands of the job he has accepted and, unlike the appointments of Strauss, Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, has no natural contender for the role. The dressing room is right behind him.Besides, it would be easy to exaggerate the importance of the captain in this England set-up. It is the coach, Andy Flower, who runs the England team. Tellingly, while Flower is part of the selection process, Strauss was not. Not until the morning of the game, anyway.

Cook inherits a team at a crossroads. While England have recently lost their No. 1 ranking in all formats of the game and, with one top-order player having retired and another having alienated himself from the team, could be at the start of a partial rebuilding process

Cook inherits a team at a crossroads. While England have recently lost their No.1 ranking in all formats of the game and, with one top-order player having retired and another having alienated himself from the team, could be at the start of a partial rebuilding process. There are doubts, too, about Graeme Swann’s fitness – when a 33-year-old with a history of elbow problems requires resting just half-a-dozen games after his last break the alarm bells ring – and Stuart Broad’s form. Cook will also have to help put together a new slip cordon. England’s catching – or rather their lack of it – has been a major weakness of late.The most urgent requirement is to find a new opener. In the long-term Joe Root may be the best option though, aged 21 and with just four first-class centuries to his name, it is asking a great deal of him to continue his development at the highest level. In the shorter-term, 31-year-old Michael Carberry and 29-year-old Nick Compton might be considered. The former has not always looked at his best against spin and the latter has been batting at No.3 in recent times, but anyone with Compton’s record – he averages 97.84 for Somerset in first-class cricket this season – surely has the technique and temperament required. Varun Chopra might also be an option.But England will also be tempted to promote from within. Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and James Taylor could all make a case for opening alongside Cook in India though in the cases of Trott and Bell, such a ploy might only move a problem rather than solve it.While Jonny Bairstow may have done enough to warrant a prolonged run in the No. 6 position, the absence of Pietersen leaves England exposed in the middle-order. While nurturing one or, at a push, two new batsmen into the top order might be acceptable, there is now a possibility that Bairstow will be one of three new faces in the top six. The Pietersen issue continues to hurt the individual and the team, but it is not really Cook’s issue to resolve. Pietersen’s biggest impediment to a return is Flower. And it is a mighty impediment.But if history has taught us anything, it is never to write off Cook. From the moment he scored a century on Test debut as a 21-year-old he has defied his doubters. A testing period in 2010, when it appeared that fatal flaws in his technique had been exposed, gave way to a prolific Ashes success where he scored three centuries. He responded to the ODI captaincy by leading his side to the top of the rankings and reinventing himself as a highly effective limited-overs opener. Behind the somewhat bland façade, Cook has substance and steel.Over to you, captain: Alastair Cook has confronted every challenge thrown at him during his career•Getty ImagesHe will need those qualities over the next couple of years. He will be, barring injury or unforeseen circumstance, the man leading England against India home and away, against Australia home and away and in the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. It is, at once, a daunting and exciting schedule and how Cook navigates those challenges will surely define his legacy. It may be worth noting that, aged 27 and experienced in many of the ups and downs that make a career, he has never suffered long-term failure.Of all the forthcoming challenges, though, Cook could be forgiven for looking at the Future Tours Programme and circling December 2015 with particular trepidation. That is, after all, when England next play a Test series against South Africa. Before the recent series between the two teams, Graeme Smith was described as a “slayer” of England captains, having been partially responsible by dint of his batting and his team’s success in pushing Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan into quitting the job. Now, with Strauss following a similar route, he must be considered a serial killer.There is no perfect time to inherit the captaincy. It is only natural that captains assume command in the aftermath of humbling defeats or horrid fall-outs – after all, why would something end if it was working well? – and, while Cook may need to wipe some blood off the tracks, he does at least have the opportunity to build a new team without any immediate worries about his own form or the stability of the England set-up. That is a luxury many of his predecessors would have loved.