History, geography, princes and politics meet in Prashant Kidambi’s book on the first Indian team’s tour to Britain

Sharda Ugra06-Sep-2019On page 168 of of Palwankar Baloo, slow left-arm bowler and the 1911 squad’s stellar performer. The same Talyarkhan whose acerbic columns were later sent to the newspaper , my first employer. For nine months, before he died, I dealt with the legendary commentator’s pieces, and he had seen Baloo, arguably the most exceptional cricketer produced by India, one who stood stereotype and convention on their head.Baloo, a central figure in Ramachandra Guha’s , an exploration of Indian cricket history, was a Dalit whose excellence at cricket shook every establishment he ran into and had them bend previously iron-clad caste rules to get him to play in their XI. He belonged to a family of outstanding athletes (the four Palwankar brothers were competitive cricket and hockey players across Bombay tournaments). After retirement he became a political activist for Dalit rights. In 1911 he was a titan, without whom victories could not have been crafted in England.The first All-India team, which toured England that summer, was drawn from the three sectarian units that constituted Indian cricket back then: Parsis (six players), Hindus (five – one each from Madras, Mysore, Bombay, and two Dalits from Poona) and Muslims (three from Aligarh). They were led by a Sikh royal, the ruler of the princely state of Patiala.The Parsis had been the first cricketers to travel out of India, with two tours of Britain in the 1880s. After a tour failed to get going in 1903, with social unrest growing around British rule in India, the Indian elite sought to re-establish a bond between ruler and ruled. Renewed plans for a tour to England began as a mission to encourage fraternity with the Empire establishment in London (and no doubt to maintain business interests and influence).The book places the 1911 tour in the context of its times and environment, when the British empire was at its peak, London was the centre of the world, and the Edwardian era of excess and opulence played itself out during the coronation of George V. is a formidable piece of scholarship that recreates the time in staggering detail.We learn about shenanigans in the Patiala court and the indifference of the regal captain to his team’s requirements on tour. There are Indian complaints about the scheduling of fixtures (having to play the strongest counties at the start, which led to ten consecutive defeats), problems with food, and the disappointment of spectators when the players turned out in regular flannels and not some exotically oriental gear.There appear in cricketer-journalist and India enthusiast Edward Sewell’s weekly dispatches to the is a hike through a landscape of diverse riches. In the end there is a chance to reflect on what has come to pass.In the last chapter, which recounts the post-tour lives of the 1911 team members, we learn that batsman Mukund Pai died aged 66 in his neighbourhood of Chikalwadi in Bombay in August 1948. Less than a year later Chikalwadi welcomed the birth of a boy who would go on to become a formidable, world-beating batsman and give Indian cricket a badge of pride. Sixty years after 1911, the career of Sunil Gavaskar was to add more heft to a prediction made in an 1892 Bombay newspaper that cricket in India, which, it said, should have been “merely a pastime”, was going to be “regarded” as the “business of life”.Cricket Country – the Untold History of the First All India Team
By Prashant Kidambi
Penguin Random House
453 pages, Rs 699

Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips are both primed and ready for the incumbent openers to fail

Deivarayan Muthu30-Oct-2019Here we go again: New Zealand v England. But this time, the two teams are preparing for the T20 World Cup in Australia next year, with a five-match series in New Zealand.One of the major worries for New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup was the form – or the lack of it – of their openers. Between them, the openers scrounged 402 runs in 20 innings at an average of 22.33 – the lowest among all sides in the tournament.Colin Munro has three T20I hundreds and Martin Guptill is among the top scorers in T20Is, but there’s still some trouble at the top for New Zealand. Both batsmen are vulnerable against the moving ball in conditions that offer substantial assistance – something that came to the fore in England.Since the 2016 T20 World Cup, Munro and Guptill have added 602 runs together in 15 innings in the shortest format. Out of the four fifty-plus stands they’ve forged, three have come on easy-paced bash-through-the-line tracks at home in New Zealand; the other coming on a more challenging pitch in Rajkot. However, in that Rajkot game, Munro was handed at least four chances and he latched onto them to crack a 54-ball century.Munro and Guptill might be in the last-chance saloon this home season, and there’s no Kane Williamson to bail New Zealand out if the openers fail again. The captain has been sidelined from the five-match T20Is series against England with hip injury, and Ross Taylor is still feeling his way back into T20I cricket, having been dropped from the shortest format in 2017.New Zealand have at least 20 T20Is to identify their opening combination for the T20 World Cup. Munro, coming off a hot-and-cold CPL stint, and Guptill, coming back from injury, will have to contend with the exciting wicketkeeper-opening batsmen Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips breathing down their necks.Seifert can not only surge down the track to quicks but also pull off trick shots like his hero Brendon McCullum. He could have given New Zealand an extra opening option in the 50-over World Cup had he been fit. Upon his return, he managed only 38 in three T20I innings in Sri Lanka, but he’s eager to not miss out on another World Cup.Glenn Phillips raises his bat after getting to a half-century•CPL T20Phillips was recently part of New Zealand’s winter camp and intra-squad games after enjoying back-to-back bumper CPL seasons for Jamaica Tallawahs. Then, there’s the South Africa-born Wellington top-order batsman Devon Conway, who made a triple-century in the four-day Plunket Shield on Wednesday. Conway was also at it in last season’s Super Smash, piling up 363 runs in nine innings at an average of 45.37 and strike rate of nearly 145.He’ll be eligible to play for New Zealand in September next year, just before the T20 World Cup, but coach Stead is already so impressed by him that he called him into New Zealand’s winter camp.Stead acknowledged New Zealand’s top-order concerns during that pre-season camp. “There’s 26 [T20] games between now and the World Cup to get clear on how we want to play, and who are the people that fit into those roles,” Stead told “That [top order] is a little problem that we have, that four [including Williamson] doesn’t fit into three and that’s what we have to work out.”However, with Williamson now out of the picture against England, New Zealand’s top three could well be: Guptill, Munro and Seifert. Who’ll make an early statement against a new-look England team?Munro seems to have already made a statement of sorts, with an unbeaten 107 in a successful chase of 189 in the second warm-up fixture in Lincoln. Of particular interest in this series might be the match-up between Munro and legspinner Matt Parkinson. The opener took on Parkinson on Tuesday, hitting 23 off 13 balls against him, and Parkinson’s career numbers suggest he is significantly better against right-handers than lefties.ALSO READ: England fall to warm-up defeat as Munro blazes unbeaten tonIn CPL 2019, Munro found a method to counter his weakness against wristspin: he often shuffled outside the line of the stumps and switched his fortunes. While both the plan and its execution proved successful against Jamaica Tallawahs’ Zahir Khan, it didn’t quite come off against Barbados Tridents in the second qualifier. Munro jumped across the stumps and ventured a switch-hit, but Hayden Walsh Jr. got some extra bounce and drew a top edge to short third man.There’re no secrets in cricket these days, and England would have taken note of this approach from Munro. The pressure is on him – and Guptill – to get their act together as New Zealand seek to find their building blocks for the T20 World Cup across the Tasman Sea next year.

Also, what’s the longest spell by a fast bowler in a Test?

Steven Lynch20-Aug-2019Has anyone made a higher score than Steve Smith’s 142 at Edgbaston that wasn’t his own highest score of the match? asked Tim Clements from England
That superb double by Steve Smith at Edgbaston earlier this month was only the fourth time a batsman had exceeded 140 twice in the same Test. Andy Flower followed 142 in Zimbabwe’s first innings against South Africa in Harare in 1999-2000 with 199 not out in the second innings, while Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 162 and 143 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2008-09. But the leader on this particular list is Australia’s Allan Border, the only man to reach 150 twice in the same Test: against Pakistan in Lahore in 1979-80 he made 150 not out in the first innings and 153 in the second.The commentators were getting very worried that Jofra Archer was being overbowled at Lord’s. What’s the longest spell by a fast bowler in a Test? asked Michael Roberts from England
Jofra Archer’s promising spell, during his debut Test, at Lord’s, lasted all of nine overs, seven of them on the third morning. That’s some way from the longest-known spells by seamers: John Lever bowled 31 successive overs for England against Australia in Melbourne in 1979-80 (he finished with 4 for 111 from 53), as did Australia’s Mick Malone, in his one and only Test, at The Oval in 1977, while Kapil Dev’s career-best 9 for 83, for India v West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983-84, came in one unbroken run of 30.3 overs. Charles Davis, the eminent Australian statistician, also unearthed a spell by the early Aussie “demon bowler” Fred Spofforth, against England in Sydney in 1884-85, that lasted 48 four-ball overs, the equivalent of 32 six-ballers.The longest spell I can find by a genuinely quick bowler is one of 24 overs by Wes Hall of West Indies on the pulsating final day of the 1963 Lord’s Test, which ended with England needing six to win and their last pair at the crease. “Hall, in particular, and [Charlie] Griffith, showed remarkable stamina,” reported Wisden. “Hall bowled throughout the three hours and 20 minutes that play was in progress on the last day, never losing his speed and always being menacing. He took four for 93 off 40 overs in the innings. Griffith bowled all but five overs on the last day.”What is the symbol, like a big golden flower, on the Australian players’ shirt collars in this Ashes series? asked Chris Ricketson from Australia
The collar embellishment is actually a representation of a piece of Australian native art called “Walkabout Wickets”, by Aunty Fiona Clarke, the great-great-grand-daughter of “Mosquito”, a member of the pioneering Aboriginal team that toured England in 1868. According to Cricket Australia, the shirt symbol is a commitment as a team to reconciliation and finding common ground with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.The artwork represents past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers. The large circle represents Lord’s, one of the many famous grounds the 1868 team visited, while the smaller circles signify the team’s various meeting places. The wickets appear with no bails, to illustrate that the game continually moves on. And the flying stumps represent Aboriginal cricketers beating the English at their own game.The Walkabout Wickets artwork, seen here on Travis Head’s right collar, symbolises past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers•Getty ImagesDid Dale Steyn have the best bowling strike rate in Test cricket? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines
The answer here depends on the qualification you impose. Dale Steyn leads the way for those who took more than 200 Test wickets, as his 439 victims came at a rate of one every 42.3 balls; next are Waqar Younis (43.4), Malcolm Marshall (46.7) and Allan Donald (47.0). But watch out for Steyn’s South African team-mate Kagiso Rabada: so far he has taken 176 wickets at a strike rate of 38.8.If you drop the qualification to 100 Test wickets, then Rabada is second and Steyn fourth. The 19th-century Surrey seamer George Lohmann tops the list: he took his 112 wickets at a rate of one every 34.1 balls. Another legendary England bowler, Sydney Barnes, collected 189 wickets at a strike rate of 41.6.Who was the man who, in his first Test as an umpire, gave Sunil Gavaskar out first ball? asked Hang Zhang from Australia
The umpire who was called into action immediately in his first Test was the jovial England-based Aussie Bill Alley. He confirmed that Gavaskar had been caught behind – by Alan Knott off Geoff Arnold – from the very first ball of the match between England and India at Edgbaston in 1974.Said Wisden: “Alley was the first Australian-born umpire to stand in a Test in England since Jim Phillips in 1905. Moreover, off the first ball of the match Alley gave out Gavaskar caught at the wicket, and off the last ball Engineer leg-before.”This was the first of Alley’s ten Tests in the white coat. He joined Somerset in the 1950s after missing out on Test cricket at home, and in 1961 – aged 42 – became the last man to date to amass 3000 first-class runs in an English season, a feat that will never be repeated unless there is a substantial change to the current fixture list.And there’s an addition to the recent question about England openers from the same county, from Rajiv Radhakrishnan
“The Surrey pair of Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart [who was his brother-in-law at the time] opened the batting for England in Sydney in 1998-99, and in the first two Tests against New Zealand at home the following summer. So they are the most recent pair from the same county, before Rory Burns and Jason Roy, also of Surrey, this year.”Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Robin Smith is best remembered for his strokeplay against the fearsome West Indian fast bowlers. In his new book he writes among other things about how he learnt to face short bowling

Robin Smith26-Jul-2019I wasn’t one of the all-time greats, but if people remember me as a good player of raw pace bowling then I’m chuffed with that because it’s something I worked so hard on. I’m very happy if I’m remembered as somebody who stood up against the best and nastiest bowlers around, and who was never intimidated. I still think I got off quite lightly, because West Indies were not at their peak when I played against them, but it was still pretty hot in the kitchen.Despite that heat, I never wore a grille on my helmet. When I started my career there were no grilles, just basic helmets, and I became used to wearing those, though I added side pieces to protect my temple and earlobe. When I tried wearing a grille I felt claustrophobic and maybe a bit complacent as well because of the extra facial protection. Having no grille meant there was an added sense of danger, which added to the appeal – but not necessarily because I was trying to be macho. I loved the challenge, the enormous adrenaline rush, the test of my technique, reflexes and courage. Seriously, the quicker the better. I genuinely believed that if you watched the ball, you wouldn’t get hit, and I never wore a grille because I fancied my reflexes against any pace. I was very conscious I was playing with fire, not to mention my jaw, cheekbone and eye socket, but honestly, it was the most spectacular experience.That tour of the Caribbean in 1989-90 gave me a reputation as somebody who relished facing the quick stuff. Dad even has a cutting from magazine which listed me as the No. 1 player of fast bowling in England’s history. Mind you, I’m aware there’s probably another magazine article that has me very high on the list of England’s worst players of spin!I batted long periods on that West Indies tour and had an amazing time on and off the field. The Caribbean was always my favourite place to tour. I worked hard in the middle and took my punishment. At the close of play I’d run from the ground to the hotel, grab a rum and dry ginger and sit under a palm tree on the beach with Lamby or whoever as the alcohol gently relaxed my body and took the edge off the bruises.Before the West Indies tour I did a bit of technical work with Geoff Boycott, who called and asked if I wanted to travel to Headingley for a few net sessions. It was a great opportunity to work with him and pick his brain, even if it meant a ten-hour round trip each time I went to see him. It wasn’t practical to drive because of the rush-hour traffic, so I’d park my car at Southampton train station and head into London Waterloo. Then I took the underground to King’s Cross and a train up north. Not the easiest journey with an oversized cricket coffin! He got some young Yorkshire bowlers – including Paul Jarvis, who was rapid and had already played a few Tests for England – to bowl at my head from 18 yards. Paul actually apologised at one point. He was worried about hitting me but he said Boycs had given him firm instructions to bowl everything as fast as he could at my head.Curtly Ambrose bowls Robin Smith for 18 in an ODI in St Vincent, 1994-95•PA Photos/Getty ImagesI suggested to Boycs that it wasn’t an entirely fair contest, being peppered indoors under artificial light and on a shortened pitch. ‘Well, you can pack your things and go home,’ he said. ‘Because this is the sort of treatment you’ll be getting for the next three months.’I spoke to Boycs a lot during my career. It’s such a shame he wasn’t asked to be an official batting consultant with England, because when he stops talking about his own achievements he’s an absolute wizard at analysing the game. And he was totally honest. I didn’t always agree with the things he said on air or to my face, but I always respected his opinion.I’d tried to pick his brain a bit earlier in my career. We played Yorkshire in 1985 on a dodgy wicket at Middlesbrough, and Malcolm Marshall was charging in. Boycs, who was 44 years old, got 110 [115]. They had a great big bath tub where both teams piled in at the end of the day’s play. Boycs was in there on his own at one point so I thought it was a great chance to learn from a legend. I asked if I could jump in and he grunted something, which I assumed to be yes. He sat on one side of the bath, I sat on the other and we didn’t say a word to each other. Great chat, Boycs!I’m ashamed to say he got me out once – , by Robin Smith, is published by Yellow Jersey

A lethargic bowling effort could derail a joyous home summer yet for the hosts

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town05-Jan-2020The mood is changing as the last Sunday of South Africa’s festive season comes to an end.The morning lie-ins, the afternoons of endless ice-cream and late evenings are over and the days of scheduled power cuts are set to be back. The coastal cities are emptying out as the (slang for residents of the Highveld) return up country to turn their attention back to kickstarting the economy.On Monday, major corporate offices reopen and later this week, kids will return to schools. It’s the Sunday afternoon South Africans wish could last forever and at Newlands, it felt like it did.The afternoon featured a long and lethargic bowling performance, which lacked intent against an England line-up that demonstrated their fragility just two days ago. The result is that South Africa are all but out of contention to win this Test.While some of the blame can be pinned on their batting efforts in the first innings, the rest is due to their unimaginative showing in the field. The trouble is, unlike the rest of the country, South Africa’s cricketers were not supposed to treat Sunday as a holiday.Having conceded a 46-run lead, South Africa should have got to straight to work. Instead, Kagiso Rabada overpitched twice in his first over, but quickly pulled his lengths back. He and Vernon Philander conceded 27 in the first 10 overs without threatening the batsmen.”Vernon didn’t bowl with the same venom as usual,” South Africa’s coach Mark Boucher assessed after play. “He was feeling a little sick this morning.”They managed to create just about enough pressure to draw Zak Crawley forward and have him caught behind. That over may have been the end of Rabada’s opening spell, but the wicket earned him another where he missed his line and conceded two boundaries.Philander returned post-lunch for a five-over spell which included 20 dot balls to Joe Denly, who has struggled to score off him all series. But at the other end, Keshav Maharaj struggled to sustain any pressure like Dom Bess did for England in the first innings.AFPThen, Philander didn’t return until the final session – his sickness may have played a hand – as the other three quicks rotated from one end. That strategy could have worked – and it did in the first innings – but it needed the seamers to go full tilt to crack England open, and they didn’t.Rabada mixed up his lengths and sent down a few balls above 140, but the aggression from earlier had dissipated. Anrich Nortje bowled with a little more venom, particularly when he switched to bowling over the wicket to Denly. He was rewarded when he had Denly pulling to fine leg, the wicket belonging as much to Dwaine Pretorius who caught it well diving forward.Pretorius did not bowl at all in the afternoon session, another questionable decision based on the idea that Pretorius offers only 10-15 overs an innings, in Faf du Plessis’ words, and it was left to Nortje to greet Joe Root.He did so by rushing the England captain into playing to square leg. Despite that, Nortje did not continue after tea. He had to wait for Rabada and Pretorius to have spells and for Philander to replace Maharaj at the other end. When he was reintroduced, there was no short leg for the short ball.Even as the second new ball loomed, South Africa appeared to be going through the motions. Boucher explained that it was a combination of fatigue and flatter conditions that flummoxed his attack.”The chat is that the ball got really soft,” he said. “There were times when we wanted to attack Joe Root when he first came to the crease but our bowlers put in a bit of work in the first innings and didn’t get much rest with our batting so I think that takes its toll.”Everyone is talking about the crack and it didn’t seem to misbehave as much as we expected it to. It looked like it had flattened out quite a bit and there wasn’t as much lateral movement.”Sunday was a cooler, cloudier day than Friday and Saturday had been and the absence of hot and direct sunlight on the pitch showed. The famed crack, which Philander tried to find in his first spell, was tame and others did not open.Similar weather is forecast for Monday when South Africa will be on the hunt for early wickets. The trouble is that the skies are set to clear on Tuesday and the mercury will rise which could make run-scoring more challenge.As the rest of the country will be back to their grindstones by then, so South Africa’s cricketers will have plenty of inspiration from their countrymen. The holidays, and perhaps the new administration’s brief honeymoon period, are over and work must begin again.

India finish a relatively smaller home season of five Tests with most things in place

Varun Shetty in Kolkata24-Nov-20196:49

India extend dominant run at home

India’s home season in Tests this year has been short – five matches, all done in under two months or so. They have delivered on the dominance that was expected of them, but some new methods and some new faces were introduced. At the end of it, they are also sitting comfortably on top of the World Test Championship table with a perfect record and 360 points after three series. Here is a review of the season, and where things stand before their next Test series, in New Zealand in February 2020.The fast bowlers did it at homeEven more so than the spinners. This is the first time since England did it in 1978 that a Test team has had three fast bowlers who have taken more than 20 wickets each in a year while averaging under 20. It’s phenomenal that those three bowlers – Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav – have managed to do that playing five of those eight Tests at home.ALSO READ: A record-breaking year for India’s fast bowlersThis home season, India’s three spinners took 37 wickets between them. The three fast bowlers took 59, that too in the absence of strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah. They also managed to win a Test without a wicket from their spinners, which is also a first at home. There is little debate about the health of India’s pace bowling at the end of this season.Associated PressWhat about the spinners?R Ashwin took 20 wickets in five matches at home after being benched in the West Indies. With no cricket at home until 2021 as of now, it remains to be seen what chances he has to make in the India XI outside Asia.Ravindra Jadeja has become a rounded player and has been superb at No. 6. But his bowling has been below-par this season. Jadeja took 13 wickets at 36.07 in these five home Tests, his worst ever returns in a home season.Will Jadeja’s rise as a batsman at No. 6 mean Ashwin gets a look in during the upcoming overseas Tests, or will India continue using Jadeja as the sole spinner? In the middle of all that, Kuldeep Yadav has slipped out of the conversation somewhat. The wristspinner could well be a surprise choice overseas.The openersBCCIIndia have had trouble with their opening combinations over the last two years because a majority of their matches were abroad, combined with form and fitness issues of some batsmen. At home, that problem seems to have gone away.Mayank Agarwal had made his case quickly in the opportunities that he got overseas, but he cashed in big time in his first home season. He was a makeshift option on the Australia tour, but made his case, and two double-centuries later, is now arguably India’s No. 1 choice as opener.The other spot, for now, is in the hands of Rohit Sharma, who has repaid the faith shown in him with big runs in an unfamiliar role in long-form cricket. He is likely to hold on to that spot in the next series, in New Zealand, but will India persist with uncapped Shubman Gill as back-up opener in what could be difficult conditions to start in? A full Ranji Trophy season waits in the middle for the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Priyank Panchal, and KL Rahul to challenge him. In addition to that, Prithvi Shaw, who scored a century on Test debut, has also returned after his suspension with runs in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.The wicketkeepersThe mystery around the first-choice wicketkeeper ended when India deemed Wriddhiman Saha was fully ready to be brought back into the team. He has slotted right back in and in a very small time frame, displayed everything that made him an automatic pick in the first place.Incidentally, this comeback has happened at a time when Rishabh Pant has faced a decline in form and severe public scrutiny, across formats. In the last few days of the Bangladesh series, KS Bharat found his way into the squad when Pant was released to play domestic cricket. Bharat has been India A’s regular wicketkeeper for nearly two years and was among the contenders last year before Pant leapfrogged him in comprehensive fashion. Is this his way back in?CatchingIndia’s catching in the slips lapsed somewhat. According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, India failed to take 14 chances this home season. Seven of those were classified as regulation catching chances, with the rest classified as tougher ones.Against Bangladesh, India had a particularly poor catching match in Indore, where at least five catching chances weren’t converted. Ajinkya Rahane was involved in three of those, and Virat Kohli and Rohit in the other two. Rahane also put one down in Kolkata.With the seamers in red-hot form, the slip cordon will be regularly in play in overseas Tests and India will be looking to tighten up on their catching.

Celtic found themselves on the receiving end of a loss in the Scottish Premiership for the second time in their last three matches on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoops were beaten 1-0 by bottom-of-the-league St. Johnstone in a shock result at McDiarmid Park, as they conceded to Daniels Balodis after just four minutes.

It was an incredibly frustrating afternoon for Brendan Rodgers and his side because they had 26 efforts on goal and created two ‘big chances’, but failed to find the back of the net a single time.

The Premiership leaders did not convert the quality opportunities that they fashioned throughout the match, as their star attackers did not step up to showcase the best of their abilities.

Daizen Maeda, who has scored 30 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions so far this season, only had 19 touches of the ball and two of Celtic’s 26 shots, whilst he did not create a single chance for his teammates during his time on the pitch.

Rodgers has some difficult decisions to make ahead of the clash with Kilmarnock at Parkhead next weekend, and one star who must be ruthlessly ditched from the team is winger Nicolas Kuhn.

Why Nicolas Kuhn should be dropped

The German forward was withdrawn from the action as part of a double substitution at half-time after a frustrating first half of action on the right wing.

Kuhn has left himself in a position where supporters and the management team expect big things from him because of his form earlier in the campaign, having racked up 18 goals and 14 assists in all competitions.

He established himself as a star performer for the Scottish giants and that is why it is so noticeable when he is not at his best, because the team suffers as a result of his lack of impact.

Goals + assists

0

0.67

Shots

2

1.8

Shots on target

0

0.8

Key passes

1

1.7

Big chances created

0

0.4

Pass success rate

72%

76%

As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has averaged a goal or an assist more often than not, and a shot on target more often than not, in the Premiership this season, but he managed neither against St. Johnstone.

Put simply, more is expected of the former Rapid Vienna star than he showed in the 1-0 defeat on Sunday, which is why it was a disappointing display and why the manager must, now, drop him for the clash with Kilmarnock.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Rodgers does have plenty of options at his disposal to make alterations to the starting line-up, and one possible replacement for Kuhn would be Hyun-jun Yang.

Hyun-jun Yang's improvement at Celtic

The South Korean whiz joined on a permanent deal from Gangwon in the summer of 2023 and endured a difficult first season with the Scottish giants.

Yang ended the 2023/24 campaign with a tally of just one goal and three assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, as he failed to offer much of a threat at the top end of the pitch.

Given that paltry return in front of goal, it would not have been a surprise to have seen the forward moved on from Parkhead in the summer transfer window last year. Instead of leaving, though, the 22-year-old ace stayed to fight for a place in the squad, and has earned one.

Appearances

24

20

Starts

10

8

Goals

1

4

Conversion rate

5%

27%

Pass accuracy

81%

86%

Assists

3

3

As you can see in the table above, Yang has been as creative as he was in the Premiership last season, but has offered far more of a threat as a goalscorer for the Hoops.

The South Korea international has racked up five goals and six assists in 30 matches in all competitions, which means that the winger has provided five more goals and three more assists than he did last term.

Despite that obvious improvement from Yang in the final third, it is Adam Idah who should be brought in to replace Kuhn in the starting line-up next weekend.

Why Adam Idah must be unleashed

The Ireland international should come in to start ahead of the German winger, with Maeda moving out wide on the left and Jota moving over to the right, to play as the number nine.

Idah’s pace and power was on full display in the defeat to St. Johnstone after he came off the bench to throw his hat in the ring to start next time out with a strong showing.

The Irish marksman should have had an assist for an equalising goal when he brilliantly burst down the right channel and produced an inch-perfect cross for James Forrest, who fired his shot down the middle of the goal to be blocked by the goalkeeper.

Idah, who won five of his six duels, ended his 29 minutes on the pitch with one dribble completed, two chances created, one ‘big chance’ created, five shots, and one shot on target.

These statistics show that the former Norwich City centre-forward, whose talent was once dubbed “incredible” by Rodgers, made an impact off the bench on Sunday, which is why he should now be brought in to show what he can do from the start against Kilmarnock.

The 24-year-old attacker, who has scored 14 goals in all competitions, has scored eight goals and created six ‘big chances’ in 15 starts in the Premiership so far this term.

Idah’s finishing has not always been good enough, with 13 ‘big chances’ missed, but he causes opposition defenders problems with his pace and power, as he did off the bench against St. Johnstone, which is why Rodgers must bring him into the XI next weekend.

Not Engels: Rodgers has already found Celtic's new McGregor in teen star

Celtic may already have their next Callum McGregor and it is not Arne Engels.

ByDan Emery Apr 5, 2025

It is now down to the former Liverpool and Leicester boss to ruthlessly ditch Kuhn from the team to unleash Idah, whilst moving Maeda back out to the wing.

Celtic are into the final stretch of the 2024/25 campaign after coming out on the other side of the last international break of the season with a 3-0 win over Hearts.

The Scottish Premiership leaders secured all three points against the Jam Tarts thanks to two goals from Daizen Maeda and one strike from Jota last weekend.

Celtic are 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership table and are looking to wrap up the league in the next few weeks, as they close in on their fourth successive title.

The Hoops also have the semi-finals of the SFA Cup, where they will face St. Johnstone later this month, to look forward to as they attempt to win a domestic treble this season.

Brendan Rodgers may, however, have one eye on the upcoming summer transfer window and how he can improve his Celtic squad to perform even better in the 2025/26 campaign.

The likes of Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel, Adam Idah, and Auston Trusty all came through the door last year, and they have helped the Hoops to continue their domestic dominance.

Brendan Rodgers' demand for the summer transfer window

According to Football Insider, the Northern Irish manager wants ‘huge’ backing from the board in the summer to ensure that the team can progress in Europe next season.

The report claims that the manager’s future is uncertain at Parkhead, with his contract due to expire in the summer of 2026, and that the club’s performance in Europe is the key to keeping him in Glasgow.

It states that Rodgers wants the board to improve the team to make them more competitive in the Champions League, after they were knocked out in the play-off stage by Bayern Munich this term.

Football Insider, however, does not mention any active transfer targets for the Scottish giants, beyond pointing out that Scotland international Kieran Tierney will arrive at Parkhead on a free transfer from Premier League side Arsenal when his contract at The Emirates expires this summer.

There is a fresh report, though, that reveals one of Celtic’s targets for the upcoming summer transfer window, and it is a player the Bhoys have been linked to in the past.

The latest on Celtic's interest in £5m forward

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are still interested in a deal to sign Belgian winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Pro League outfit Royal Antwerp.

The report claims that the Premiership leaders sent scouts to watch the forward in action against Union Saint-Gilloise, as Antwerp were hammered 5-1 last weekend.

It states that the 23-year-old whiz has been a long-time target for Rodgers, who is now plotting a fresh swoop for his services, as the manager wanted him in the recent January transfer window and last summer.

The Scottish Sun adds that the right-footed speedster is valued at £5m by Royal Antwerp, but it remains to be seen how much Celtic are prepared to spend on the winger.

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This latest report also reveals that the Belgian side are prepared to cash in on him in the upcoming summer window because the forward will only have 12 months left on his contract, and it could be their last chance to sell the gem before they lose him for nothing in 2026.

Celtic must now push to get a deal over the line for the Pro League attacker ahead of next season, as the winger could be the club’s next version of Mohamed Elyounoussi.

Why Celtic should sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha

The Scottish giants have had many impressive left-sided wingers over the years, including the Norway international they had on loan from Southampton in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.

Elyounoussi scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists in 67 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, predominantly playing as a left winger but also being deployed as a second striker and as a right winger at times.

The Norwegian dynamo provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the left flank, and Balikwisha could follow in his footsteps.

In fact, the Belgian star was the second-most similar player, as per FBref, to Elyounoussi in the 2023/24 edition of the Champions League, with the chart below highlighting their statistical similarities – mainly out of possession and as ball carriers.

This suggests that Balikwisha could arrive at Celtic and remind supporters of their former loanee with his similar style of play, whilst his form for Royal Antwerp last season suggests that he can also deliver in the final third.

The Pro League ace, who was once described as one of a number of “incredible” young talents by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has missed a large part of this season through injury, starting two games and creating three ‘big chances’, but he featured in 33 of the club’s 38 league matches in the 2023/24 campaign.

Starts

27

xG

6.46

Goals

7

Big chances created

6

Key passes per game

1.5

Assists

5

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.1

Duel success rate

54%

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha offered quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Antwerp last term, averaging three chances created every two games and outperforming his xG.

These statistics also show that he can hold his own in physical battles, winning the majority of his duels, and this suggests that the forward would be able to deal with the physicality and intensity of the Scottish top-flight.

Like Elyounoussi, Balikwisha likes to come infield onto his right foot from a left wing position to cause problems for opposition defenders at the top end of the pitch, as shown in the clip below.

Rodgers could, therefore, land Celtic’s new version of the Norway international by pushing the board to seal a £5m deal for the attacker when the summer transfer window opens for business, whilst adding another excellent wide option to his arsenal – alongside the likes of Hyun-jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn, and Jota.

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At the age of 23, Balikwisha also has plenty of time left on his hands to develop and improve, which means that he could be an excellent long-term addition for the Scottish giants.

Overall, the Antwerp star could be a fine addition to the Celtic squad because of the quality he could provide in the final third, as well as the potential he has to progress and grow in value in the future.

Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold looks almost certain to depart Liverpool this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

The 26-year-old has largely been touted with a free transfer to join Real Madrid, with numerous publications already claiming that a deal is complete for him to join the LaLiga giants.

Such news has angered supporters, with his potential move leaving Arne Slot’s side shortchanged and unable to receive a fee for a talent who’s been a leading player in their success.

He’s made over 300 appearances for his boyhood side, playing a vital role in various levels of success, claiming one Premier League title, with another set to follow in the coming weeks.

The defender isn’t the only player to depart Anfield on a free in recent years, albeit in different circumstances to another player who captured the hearts of the fanbase during his spell on Merseyside.

Daniel Sturridge’s time as a player at Liverpool

Striker Daniel Sturridge formed a deadly partnership with Luis Suárez during his stint at Liverpool, with the pair firing the Reds to title contention under Brendan Rodgers over a decade ago.

The Englishman scored 67 times in his 160 appearances during his six-and-a-half years on Merseyside, producing countless moments of magic including his effort against former side Chelsea.

However, despite his goalscoring exploits, he was unable to prove his talent on a regular basis, with injuries massively plaguing his time and subsequently spending long periods on the sidelines.

During his stint on Merseyside, the now-retired striker suffered 15 separate injuries, missing a total of 121 matches – missing an average of 18.5 matches per season he was on the club’s books.

Such a record left the hierarchy with no choice but to offload him in the summer of 2019, but six years on, Slot has found a new version of the Englishman, desperately needing to offload him to avoid losing another talent for nothing.

Why Slot needs to sell Liverpool’s new Sturridge this summer

Despite Slot’s impressive first season in England, which has seen him take the top-flight by storm, he may have a job on his hands to sustain such a success next season.

Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah could all depart the club on a free transfer this summer, giving the Dutchman a huge task in replacing the trio given their importance to the side.

However, he may want to offload numerous other first-team members this summer, including Diogo Jota, who’s fallen well beyond the high standards he set for himself during his early days on Merseyside.

The Portuguese international joined the Reds in a £45m deal from Wolves in the summer of 2020, notching 34 goals during his first two years after his big-money transfer.

However, he’s struggled to achieve such levels in 2024/25, scoring just nine times across all competitions, with injuries starting to prevent his progress at Anfield.

Diogo Jota’s injuries since joining Liverpool in 2020

Season

Injury

Days missed

Games missed

2020/21

Knee

85

19

2020/21

Foot

12

4

2021/22

Ankle

15

4

2022/23

Hamstring

32

5

2022/23

Calf

117

24

2023/24

Calf

29

8

2023/24

Knee

52

13

2023/24

Hip

23

4

2024/25

Hamstring

54

14

2024/25

Fatigue

17

4

Total:

10

436

99

Stats via Transfermarkt

Jota has only been able to start 12 league outings so far during Slot’s reign, leading to reports that the club were willing to cash in on him this summer to fund a move for a new talisman.

The 28-year-old has two years left on his contract, but with the former Atlético Madrid ace now entering the latter stages of his professional career, the upcoming window could present the last opportunity to recoup the majority of the fee paid for his signature.

Given his injury issues and lack of form when fit, Slot must look to offload him this window, joining Trent in not featuring in his plans as he looks to continue his impressive start as the club’s manager next season.

It may seem a brutal call, but the football industry is an unforgiving one, with decisions needing to be made for the better of the club, subsequently leading to fresh blood arriving to fill the void.

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