Celtic were on the hunt for a striker to bolster their forward line on deadline day but were rejected in their efforts to sign a former wonderkid.

Celtic sell Adam Idah to Swansea City

Adam Idah was called back to Glasgow despite agreeing a deal to join Swansea City initially, but he wasn’t involved in the 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox and has now completed his move to the Championship.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph confirmed he was set to leave the club on X, highlighting that he underwent the second part of his medical and headed to Wales for a fee of £6 million plus £1 million in add-ons.

He stated on deadline day: “Celtic striker Adam Idah has completed the second part of his medical ahead of a £7m move to Swansea City. Idah has also finalised the paperwork on a long-term contract. It’s understood Celtic & Swansea have agreed an initial fee of £6m, plus more than £1m in add-ons.”

Leaving with 29 goals in 76 appearances, Idah will be remembered as someone who produced big moments on occasion, though he never looked convincing enough to claim the Bhoys’ number one striking jersey.

Responding with plans to improve their attack, Celtic made a late loan move for Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who was also wanted by Rangers, Leicester City and Lyon before the deadline.

If it didn’t need upgrading already, the Hoops’ blunt attack in a 0-0 draw with their rivals at Ibrox on Sunday in the Scottish Premiership failed to fire, leaving Brendan Rodgers desperate to secure reinforcements at the top area of the field.

Celtic made £10 million bid for Kasper Dolberg

According to Sportsboom, Celtic made a £10 million bid for Denmark international Kasper Dolberg, who emerged as their leading target before the deadline.

Rodgers was deemed to be a big fan of the player, but Ajax swooped in at the last minute to agree a deal, leaving the Scottish champions scrambling during the final hours of the window before landing Sebastian Tounekti, who is not an out and out forward.

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Dolberg scored 24 times in 45 appearances for Anderlecht last term and has started 2025/26 with five strikes in his first nine outings, which made him a leading target to lead the Bhoys’ line.

While at Ajax the first time, the Dutch champions rejected a bid worth over £43 million from AS Monaco for the forward, who burst onto the scene at the Johan Cruyff Arena and has previously been likened to Marco van Basten by Flemming Rasmussen.

Nevertheless, he has opted for a new challenge elsewhere, in a scenario that left Celtic picking up the pieces in the final hours of the window.

Nottingham Forest fell to an embarrassing late collapse against Swansea City last night, losing by a 3-2 scoreline and exiting the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle.

Igor Jesus put Ange Postecoglou’s side two goals ahead at the break, looking almost certain to secure a place in round four after an impressive first-half showing.

However, Cameroon Burgess’ 68th minute goal gave the hosts a glimmer of hope – something which they grabbed with both hands in stoppage time.

Zan Vipotnik scored off the bench, before the centre-back netted his second goal of the encounter in the 97th minute – completing what seemed like an unexpected but remarkable turnaround.

The Aussie made 10 changes for the clash in South Wales, but still had a strong enough side to claim victory against a side plying their trade in the division below.

However, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the new boss, giving him the opportunity to see what players aren’t up to the level he requires for future success.

John Victor’s debut to forget against Swansea

After signing from Botafogo during the summer transfer window, goalkeeper John Victor was handed his Forest debut in the League Cup clash last night.

Whilst he demonstrated the ability to play out from the back in the opening stages, it would rapidly go downhill in the second 45 for the 29-year-old shot-stopper.

He only made one save during his 90-minute performance, but it was what he didn’t save that will have disappointed Postecoglou and the Reds faithful.

The Brazilian was unable to keep out Burgess’ header, before being caught in no man’s land for the Swans’ second effort – resulting in an xG prevented of -2.30.

Victor also misplaced nine of his passes in the meeting, undoubtedly coming in the latter stages of the contest after the hosts tried to push on and complete the comeback.

Despite the showing from the debutant, one other first-team member failed to impress, with the manager desperately needing to drop him from his squad in the coming weeks.

The Forest player who needs to be axed by Postecoglou

Since promotion back to the Premier League back in the summer of 2022, Forest have been renowned for huge amounts of business in the transfer market.

From big-money sales like Anthony Elanga to big wage additions like Jesse Lingard, the Reds truly have seen a stupendous turnover in first team talent.

Huge money has also been spent in the process, undoubtedly aiding the club’s ability to qualify for the Europa League and handing a generation of supporters memories to last a lifetime.

However, despite all the activity, academy graduate Ryan Yates has managed to maintain his place within the first-team squad, with the 27-year-old now nearing 250 appearances for the club.

He was handed a start with the captain’s armband by Postecoglou last night, but it now remains to be seen how much of an impact he’ll have under the new boss after his showing in Wales.

The Englishman featured for the entirety of the defeat, completing 81% of the passes he attempted – subsequently losing possession a staggering 16 times.

He also committed four fouls and only managed to win four of the 11 duels he entered – looking way out of his depth against Alan Sheehan’s men despite the hosts being a division below.

Minutes played

90

Touches

82

Pass accuracy

81%

Possession lost

16x

Fouls committed

4

Duels won

4/11

Tackles won

1

Times dribbled past

2

Yates’ dismal showing was further highlighted in his tally of just one tackle won, whilst also being dribbled past twice, numbers which simply aren’t up to the standard of a ball-winning option in Ange’s intense system.

To compound the midfielder’s misery, he was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by Nottingham Post journalist Sarah Clapson – the joint-lowest of any player who started the defeat.

There’s no taking away Yatesy’s guts and passion to succeed with Forest, but it’s evident that he’s no longer at the level needed, especially given the arrivals of players such as Douglas Luiz.

Postecoglou will no doubt need to address such a performance, subsequently needing to drop Victor and Yates for the Reds’ crucial clash with Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

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Rory McIlroy has named an “under-appreciated” England legend as his favourite footballer growing up.

McIlroy became the sixth man to complete a Career Grand Slam earlier this year, with the Northern Irishman finally getting his hands on The Masters back in April, and he is now gearing up for the Ryder Cup, which is due to take place from September 26th – 28th in New York.

The 36-year-old has revealed he has knocked back the opportunity to captain Europe in the past, given the difficulties of combining that role with being a player, saying: “I’ve been asked to do that and I’ve turned it down. The idea of me being a playing captain sometime soon has come up and I’ve shot it down straight away.

That said, given that the current World No. 2 is the only European player in the top five of the rankings, he will still have a huge role to play later this month.

While McIlroy ended up going to be one of the greatest ever golfers, one of his first loves growing up was football, supporting Manchester United, and he has previously described an England legend as his favourite-ever player.

Speaking on The Overlap, McIlroy said: “I loved (Wayne) Rooney, he just worked so hard and he’d run everywhere, and you just felt exhausted after watching him for 90 minutes. To be that good, but also to have that work ethic and track back when someone loses the ball or if you lose it. To me, he just looked like he loved football and I loved watching him play.”

The Grand Slam winner also suggested the Manchester United legend is still underrated, saying: “It’s amazing to think that, all the great stuff that he’s done, you would say like under-appreciated in some way.”

Rooney was a "once in a generation" player

It is perhaps surprising that McIlroy didn’t opt for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi as his favourite player, given that the Manchester United and Barcelona legends have a whopping 13 Ballon d’Ors between them.

Wayne Rooney named the best midfielder out of Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard

The England legend has had his say…

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 11, 2025

However, Messi himself has previously made it clear just how highly he rates Rooney, saying: “Wayne Rooney is for me a once in a generation player. One of those special players, who is not comparable to any other. There are many special players, but Rooney has exceptional quality and technical ability as well as being one of the strongest players I have faced with an exceptional work rate – there is nobody like him.”

The United legend won 17 trophies during his time at Old Trafford, while also amassing 120 caps for the Three Lions, second only to Peter Shilton on the all-time list, showcasing that he is undoubtedly one of the best players England has ever produced.

It’s understood that ICC’s willingness to engage with them comes as cricket prepares to make its Olympic comeback in 2028

Firdose Moonda14-Apr-2025The 25 Afghan women cricketers initially contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2020 could be the first beneficiaries of the ICC’s new support initiative, announced after their board meetings at the weekend. Nineteen of those 25 players are residing in Australia, and have support from the organisation Pitch Our Future, which hopes to work with the ICC in developing the rollout of a funding and high-performance programme for these players.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Pitch Our Future will provide the ICC with a full list of the names of the formerly-contracted players, including those in Canada and the UK, as well as guidelines on a player-development programme which includes an education and a life-skills programme. Pitch Our Future was launched after an Afghan women’s XI played Cricket without Borders in Melbourne on January 30. It already has a fund-raising campaign, a budget for the next three years, and plans for more matches and tours, including a possible trip to the Women’s World Cup as spectators.ESPNcricinfo has established that the Afghan cricketers were not aware that there were any plans by the ICC to assist them, and had not had any communication from the ICC in the lead-up to their announcement of their initiative. The cricketers have been writing to the ICC for at least two years, most recently with a request to be recognised as a refugee team, which went unanswered.Related

ICC to formally support Afghan women cricketers

Cricket at LA28: both men's and women's events to be six-team contests

The ICC previously had an Afghanistan task force which aimed to address the issue of the ACB’s non-compliance with Full Member requirements to have a women’s team, but they were hamstrung by the rules of their own organisation. As a member-run body, the only way the ICC could recognise the Afghan women was if the ACB first did the same.The issue was in a state of inertia until last weekend when the ICC’s women’s cricket committee put forth a proposal for a task force and dedicated funding. The board voted in favour of the proposal in the majority, while the ACB neither endorsed nor opposed the initiative. The task force will be formed in the coming weeks, and will consider issues like where training camps will be held, and how matches will be organised. However, this does not yet create a pathway for the Afghanistan women’s team to compete at an international level as they are not being officially recognised by the ICC or the ACB.It is also understood that the ICC’s willingness to engage with Afghanistan’s women cricketers comes as cricket prepares to make its Olympic comeback after 128 years at LA 2028. It was recently announced that the cricket competition would be a six-team affair, and while it is not clear how qualification will be decided, the International Olympic Committee has a strict gender-equality principle in place.That means that all federations and their members must adhere to gender-equality guidelines, irrespective of whether particular members have qualified or not. FIFA, the world’s governing body for football, has pledged similar financial support to Afghanistan’s former women’s football team, who are all resident in Australia.ESPNcricinfo, meanwhile, has asked the ICC for further details, including the source of the funds for their initiative. Pitch Our Future currently runs a crowd-funding campaign, but any more money could come from an amount ring-fenced for women from the ACB’s disbursements or elsewhere.It is also not known what the extent of the BCCI, the ECB and CA’s involvement in this initiative will be after they were named as partner boards. Currently, neither the ECB nor CA is willing to play against Afghanistan in bilateral men’s cricket in protest over the lack of women’s rights in the country, but one source believes this collaboration could open the door for that to change.

Lyon winger Malick Fofana "belongs" at a cub like Liverpool or Manchester City, according to his agent, with the Belgium international earning comparisons to Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. The youngster's representative revealed he had offers from Everton and Fulham but opted to reject the Premier League duo in order to continue his development in Ligue 1.

• Fofana to join BIG clubs in future

  Currently a vital cog in Ligue 1 club Lyon, Fofana has been the talk of the town in France. Frederico Pena, the general manager of Roc Nation, the agency that manages Fofana, recently opened up in an interview, where he predicted that Liverpool, City and Bayern are the clubs where the 21-year-old belongs. Deals from two other Premier League outfits, namely Everton and Fulham, were thwarted because the player believes he is valued at Lyon and did not want to risk it.

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  In an interview with , Pena said: "We discovered Fofana through our own scouting team. He's an exceptional talent who is gradually becoming ready for a transfer. Next year, the World Cup will be held in the United States. We want to develop players who can shine there. Fofana fits that profile perfectly."

  While Fofana is growing, he is yet to become a star. Pena highlighted what he wants for the Lyon winger and even compared him to top players like Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and former City great Kevin De Bruyne. He stated: "We want to get Fofana out of his shell. He has the potential to be a world star like Mbappe, Yamal, or De Bruyne, but then you also have to become a personality off the pitch. That's what we want to work on together."

• This season is vital for Fofana

  Pena opined that this season is crucial for Fofana. On one hand, he will get continental exposure through the Europa League for Lyon. On the other, he would be representing Belgium in the World Cup next year. Fofana wants to prove his worth at the quadrennial event, and success at the same time can help him secure a deal among the best and big clubs in the world. 

  Pena said: "This is the season Fofana wants to show himself to the world, especially at the World Cup. If he succeeds, he can go from Lyon to a top ten club. We strongly believe in him at Roc Nation. Liverpool, Bayern, Man City – those are the clubs he belongs at."

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  When will Fofana play next?

  Fofana is currently at the Belgium camp and recorded an appearance from the bench against North Macedonia. He is expected to feature against Wales on Monday.

Lancashire 264 and 12 for 3 (Holland 2-6, van Beek 1-10) trail Leicestershire 491 for 8 dec (Handscomb 142*, Rehan 100, Turner 2-44) by 212 runsRehan Ahmed and Peter Handscomb both made centuries as Leicestershire tightened their grip on the third day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.Replying to the Lancashire’s 263, the visitors made 491 for 8 declared, giving them a lead of 228, with Handscomb unbeaten on 142. Left with eight overs to survive, Lancashire ended the day on 16 for 3, Keaton Jennings having been bowled between bat and pad for a second-ball duck by Ian Holland, who also had nightwatchman Anderson Phillip lbw for two.The home side’s utter misery was completed when Michael Jones was bowled for four by a ball from Logan van Beek that kept lowSo, for the second time in two games on this ground, Lancashire must bat out the final day for a draw having been outplayed by their opponents. Their supporters might be hoping Monday’s weather forecast is correct.In the first 16 overs of the morning, Ahmed and Holland, Leicestershire’s overnight pair, scored 68 runs and displayed almost complete command of the Lancashire attack. The climax of this period of play came when Ahmed reached his hundred, the second of his first-class career, off 147 balls with 14 fours.However, two balls later, the centurion was caught at silly mid-off by Josh Bohannon off Tom Hartley for exactly 100 and this ushered in the second half of the session in which the visitors managed only 54 runs in 18 overs for the loss of Holland, who was caught at mid-on by Saqib Mahmood for 35 when he miscued a pull off John Turner.That wicket fell just three overs after that of Ahmed. and the new batter Lewis Hill and Handscomb rebuilt the innings with some cautious strokes. Nevertheless, the fourth-wicket pair displayed greater aggression towards the end of the session, most notably when Hill took ten runs off three balls from George Balderson, and that trend was maintained deep into the afternoon.The hundred partnership came up and Hill reached his fifty in 91 balls and 115 minutes. Lancashire took the new ball and Handscomb got to his half-century in three balls more having taken nine minutes longer.The pair had extended their partnership to 130 before two wickets fell in three overs. Hill skied a pull to Michael Jones at midwicket off Balderson and departed for 64 and then Louis Kimber was bowled for eight when trying to hit all round a ball from Turner. That left Leicestershire on 331 for 5 but Handscomb and Ben Cox increased the run rate after tea and took their side to the verge of a fourth bonus point with a sixth-wicket stand of 66.Handscomb reached the 27th century of his career off 170 balls, having hit ten fours, before Cox holed out on the deep square leg boundary for 31, Luke Wells taking the catch to give Mahmood his second wicket of the innings.That success brought Lancashire their third bonus point of the match but Leicestershire collected their seventh with 11 balls to spare, van Beek nudging the single that took his side past 400. The visitors’ acceleration continued deep into the evening session as wickets were traded for runs.Van Beek made 29 before he was bowled by Wells and Ben Green five before he was castled by Hartley, who finished with 2 for 151 off 44 overs, the most he has bowled in any game. Turner took 2 for 44 and Mahmood 2 for 99.Leicestershire’s total is their highest at Old Trafford and only two short of the most they have ever scored against Lancashire

Tottenham Hotspur fans may not have endured the success they may have wanted over recent years, but they have truly been blessed with an array of attacking talent.

Harry Kane emerged through the club’s academy system before making the jump into the first-team and having a huge impact on their goal tally in the Premier League.

He scored 280 times for the Lilywhites – making him their record goalscorer, with 213 of his efforts coming in England’s top-flight, which sees him sit behind just Alan Shearer in the list.

Gareth Bale was another player who caught the eye in North London, often nailing the right-hand side as his own with his stupendous long-range efforts.

Both players departed the club for huge money, with both fees being over £80m, but it’s undoubtedly left the side short in key moments over the last couple of seasons.

However, Thomas Frank will be hoping that one player in his ranks will be able to replicate the success of the aforementioned duo during his tenure at the helm.

How Kudus has fared since moving to Spurs

In an attempt to bolster the options available to him in wide areas, Frank completed the deal of winger Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United during the summer window, subsequently forking out £55m for his signature.

The Ghanaian plied his trade across the capital over a two-year spell, having the experience needed to make an immediate impact for Spurs in North London.

He may only be a handful of games into his Premier League career for the Lilywhites, but he’s already adhered himself to the fanbase – playing a part in nearly 50% of their goals to date.

The 25-year-old has notched four assists in his first five league outings, with the latter half of his goal contributions both coming in the 2-2 draw at Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

His pace, combined with his evident end product, is a combination that could provide the needed quality in the first-team squad if they are to build on the Europa League triumph.

However, despite his early success after his big-money move, the club may regret the sale of one player who has since thrived after leaving a couple of years ago.

The former Spurs star who is outperforming Kudus

The Ange Postecoglou reign at Spurs was certainly one that was topsy-turvy, with numerous moments of magic glossing over the dismal spell in the Premier League.

He was responsible for ending their 17-year trophy drought, but also registering their worst ever top-flight finish in terms of losses, falling to a defeat on 22 occasions out of a possible 38 outings.

However, his departure was confirmed during the off-season, bringing his two-year spell in North London to a close, leading to Frank’s appointment for the 2025/26 campaign.

His decision-making was called into question at time, even making bold decisions with transfers – subsequently releasing attacker Ivan Perišić in the summer of 2024.

The Croatian originally joined the Lilywhites on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, joining from Inter Milan and having a huge impact during his debut campaign in England.

He scored once and registered 12 assists in the 2022/23 campaign – the most of any player in the squad – but his progress would be hugely disrupted in his second campaign at the club.

Perisic suffered an ACL injury just weeks into the season, resulting in just six appearances in 2023/24, which saw him brutally released by Postecoglou that summer.

Luuk de Jong

22

Ismael Saibari

22

Guus Til

21

Noa Lang

21

Ivan Perišić

17

Malik Tillman

14

Ricardo Pepi

13

Johan Bakayako

10

However, the 36-year-old has recaptured his best form at PSV, with the winger, who’s been labelled “world-class” by one analyst, registering 26 combined goals and assists across all competitions last campaign.

Even in 2025/26, he’s continued to produce the magic he did for the Lilywhites, scoring once and registering four assists in his first eight league games for PSV.

Such a tally is higher than that of Kudus, subsequently highlighting how impressive Perisic has been lately – especially after suffering such a serious injury in North London.

Questions will be asked about the quality of opposition he’s coming up against compared to the Ghanaian, but there’s no denying the hierarchy made a mistake in allowing him to depart the club.

At 36, Perisic is still proving all the doubters wrong, arguably in the form of his career, and managing to produce some simply spectacular figures within the final third.

As for Kudus, he will be hoping that he can continue his impressive start to life under Frank, with the winger having the opportunity to catapult the club to further glory.

Had Perisic remained at the club, he may have struck an excellent partnership with the former, massively increasing the chances of success given the figures produced away from North London.

Better than Kudus: 8/10 Spurs talent is heading for a Spence-esque revival

Tottenham are certainly taking shape under the wing of Thomas Frank.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 21, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O novo reforço do Botafogo está de malas prontas para chegar ao Rio de Janeiro. Após as partes terem selado acordo, o centroavante Valentín Adamo é aguardado pela diretoria alvinegra neste domingo (6) para definir questões protocolares. O Lance! apurou que exames e a assinatura de contrato foram feitos no Uruguai.

O clube desembolsou R$ 1,5 milhão por 80% dos direitos econômicos do atacante, que pertenciam ao River Plate (URU), mas se destacou na Segundona do Uruguai pelo Progreso. Valentín Adamo terá vínculo com o Alvinegro até o final de 2026.

+ Botafogo traz reforços pontuais e deposita fichas na sequência forte de seu elenco para a reta final da temporada

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Líder!

Após concretizar a negociação, o Botafogo cumpre os últimos ajustes para que o atacante seja inscrito e se torne uma alternativa para o técnico Bruno Lage. Valentín Adamo foi um dos destaques do Progreso na temporada, marcando nove gols em 19 jogos.

O Botafogo volta a campo domingo (6), às 18h30, quando mede forças com o Cruzeiro, no Mineirão.

Manchester United have been sent a message over their interest in Adam Wharton's transfer as Crystal Palace chief admitted that the midfielder would want to play in the Champions League in the future. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the English midfielder as they look to replace an ageing Casemiro, while Kobbie Mainoo could also exit Old Trafford due to lack of game time.

Wharton has established himself as a star at Selhurst Park

It has been less than two years since Crystal Palace signed Wharton in a bargain deal worth £22 million ($29m). The midfielder struggled with injuries in his first full season at the club, but he still managed to appear in 27 games across all competitions and played a key role in Palace winning the FA Cup last season by beating Manchester City in the final. They topped it by bagging the Community Shield at the start of the 2025-26 season, as they got the better of reigning English champions Liverpool.

At just 21, Wharton has already established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and a future star for the England national team. He earned his maiden and only international cap in June last year, as he featured in a pre-Euro friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportParish sends out message to Man Utd

Wharton's impressive stint at Selhurst Park has already attracted interest from clubs across Europe, including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Premier League's Manchester United. Addressing Wharton's transfer links, Palace co-owner Steve Parish told : "I think Adam at some point will want to play either in the Champions League with us, if we can make that happen, or probably with another club. He's an extraordinary talent. I think right now, and I can't speak for Adam, but I think he's focused on his time at Crystal Palace. He had a broken season last season with the groin issues that he had that a lot of young players get.

"I think this season he's completely focused on putting the games in, getting in the England squad, being a regular for us, and making sure that he can show that Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. It's a difficult programme for us right now. I think he's very committed to the club. I don't know where all this stuff comes from."

When asked particularly about United's link, Parish said there was no "real pressure" from Wharton to move to Old Trafford: "If Manchester United want Adam Wharton, that's nothing surprising really about that. The fact of the matter is he's got a long contract to run. There's no pressure on us to do it, and I don't think there's any real pressure from the player either.”

Man Utd want Wharton to bolster midfield

United did spent heavily to strengthen their attack in the last summer transfer window, as they brought in big names like Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. Their midfield, however, still remains an area of concern. The Red Devils see Wharton as a long-term replacement for an ageing Casemiro, while youth product Kobbie Mainoo could exit Old Trafford due to lack of game time under Ruben Amorim. 

United had also pushed to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton towards the end of the summer transfer window but a move for the Seagulls star failed to come to fruition due to his massive price tag of £115million ($156m). Some reports have suggested that United could make another move for the youngster at the turn of the year.

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AFPWharton left out of latest England squad

Wharton failed to make England boss Thomas Tuchel's latest squad for the World Cup qualifiers in October, despite having a bright start to the season with the Eagles. The midfielder later revealed that he got an explanation from the Three Lions boss on his omission, as he said: "He just gave me a message saying I'm playing well, I'm close and I deserve to be there, but he's going to stick with the same team. That's football, I'm not too fussed about that. I can take the time off, go see my grandparents, and it's not the end of the world, as there's another camp next month. I'm just focusing on Crystal Palace and playing well, and hopefully, if I play well, I'll get the call. It's nice to hear, but I think my focus is on Palace and if that goes well, then England is just a bonus."

Ninth-wicket pair bat out more than 10 overs to keep Lancashire winless

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay19-May-2025

England bowlers past and present, James Anderson and Tom Hartley, took two wickets apiece but Lancashire’s Rothesay County Championship against Derbyshire ended in a tense draw with the visitors closing on 220 for 8, still 109 runs short of what had become a notional victory target.In the morning session, Lancashire had declared 184 for 7, thereby challenging their opponents to score 328 in 88 overs for victory. Harry Came made 63 as the visitors chased this target but, after reaching tea on 165 for 5, Derbyshire’s batters settled for securing the draw.The heroes were Anuj Dal, who faced 114 balls for 13 not out, and Jack Morley, who was unbeaten on nought after 36 balls when the game ended. Anderson finished with 2 for 25 from 16 overs and Hartley 2 for 38 from 20.5.Despite remaining winless after six games, Lancashire take 13 points from the match, meaning that they move off the bottom of the Division Two table, whereas Derbyshire’s 11 points keeps them in second place.In the morning session, Lancashire scored 43 runs off six overs before declaring. The only home batter dismissed was George Balderson, who was caught at third man by Martin Andersson off Blair Tickner for 9, while Matthew Hurst was 56 not out when Marcus Harris called his men in.Derbyshire’s pursuit of 329 began poorly when Caleb Jewell played too early at a slower ball from Anderson and chipped a catch to Tom Bailey at mid-on.Anderson returned figures of 6-1-17-1 in his first spell and, following Jewell’s dismissal for 12, David Lloyd and Came guided their side to 78 for 1 after 20 overs at lunch. By that interval, both batters were batting fluently and the visitors were up with the required run rate.But any optimism among the visiting supporters was dampened four balls after the resumption when Anderson trapped Lloyd lbw for 30. Undaunted, Came and the new batter, Wayne Madsen, saw off Anderson’s spell (4-2-4-1) and had added 50 in 16 overs before Madsen tickled Bailey down the leg side and was caught by Hurst for 17.By that stage, Came has reached his third fifty of the season off 72 balls, most of them pedigree strokes, but Brooke Guest could not match his partner’s fluency and was bowled round his legs for 2 when trying to sweep Hartley, who was bowling over the wicket, partly with the aim of achieving such a dismissal.Four overs later, Hartley struck again when he took the vital wicket of Came, the Derbyshire batsman pushing uncertainly forward and giving a catch to George Bell at short leg when he had made 63. That left Derbyshire on 151 for 5 with 44 overs still to be bowled.By tea the visitors had reached 165 for 5 and it soon became clear that Derbyshire had abandoned all thoughts of victory. Anderson bowled three uneventful overs, Hartley wheeled away from over the wicket from the Brian Statham end.Over an hour into the evening session, Lancashire took their sixth wicket when Josh Bohannon induced Andersson to drive a full toss straight to Keaton Jennings at short extra cover. Andersson’s dismissal for 43 was followed two overs later by a second success for Bohannon when Zak Chappell gave him a return catch.That left Derbyshire on 212 for 7 with 18 overs to be bowled and Tom Bailey struck the next blow when he had Ben Aitchison lbw for nought with 65 balls left in the game. After 80 overs Lancashire took the new ball and Anderson bowled three more overs trying to take the wickets that would seal victory. But Dal and Morley resisted him successfully.