All posts by h716a5.icu

Northamptonshire ended a run of 20 Championship matches without a win by beating Leicestershire by 92 runs at Grace Road

Press Association29-Apr-2015
ScorecardAzharullah did the early damage as Northamptonshire won their first Championship match since 2013•Getty ImagesNorthamptonshire ended a run of 20 Championship matches without a win by beating Leicestershire by 92 runs at Grace Road. Resuming on 44-1 in pursuit of 376 to win, Leicestershire lost three wickets in the first hour of play and, on a pitch that continued to offer occasional assistance to the seamers, never genuinely threatened to get close to their target.Angus Robson, 25 overnight, had added only seven to his score when his off stump was knocked out of the ground by an Azharullah delivery that straightened off the seam. Captain Mark Cosgrove was then given out leg before wicket for 2 to Olly Stone, a decision that surprised the left-handed batsman, who may have thought the ball was going over the stumps.There were no such doubts about the decision to send Neil Pinner on his way, however, Azharullah switching ends to trap the batsman plumb in front for 12, leaving Leicestershire on 93 for 4.Ned Eckersley and Niall O’Brien put together a partnership of 59 for the fifth wicket, but Northants struck again before lunch, Rory Kleinveldt ending Eckersley’s 111 ball innings of 37 with an in-swinger that won another leg before decision.Tom Wells became the fourth lbw victim of the day when he was beaten by Kleinveldt’s inswinger, but Niall O’Brien played with characteristic fluency in going to his half-century, hitting eight fours before inside-edging a Kleinveldt delivery into his stumps.Ben Raine went quickly, caught behind driving at Azharullah, but Leicestershire’s newly arrived overseas player Clint McKay hit out to good effect, as he had in the first innings, before top edging a hook into the hands of deep backward square leg. Ollie Freckingham and Charlie Shreck ensured Leicestershire’s defeat would be by less than 100 before Shreck went caught behind off Kleinveldt.Despite their victory, Northamptonshire were deducted two points for a slow over rate.Leicestershire coach, Andrew McDonald, said: “There were a lot of positives, but there were some crucial periods when we didn’t quite execute well. You look at a hundred-run deficit and you can probably find more than that where we could have been better.”Each day you learn about the players, and if we improve from here we’ll hold ourselves in good stead. We took 20 wickets, and created more than 20 opportunities, and that’s a real positive when last year we averaged 13 wickets a game.”

Fidel Edwards’ ferocious bowling spell made good a rapid century from Adam Wheater and left Hampshire anticipating a first Championship win of the season

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove08-Jun-2015
ScorecardAdam Wheater’s century gave Hampshire control before Fidel Edwards rounded off a satisfying day•Getty ImagesA pumped-up Fidel Edwards made ferocious use of the Hove slope to take four cheap post-tea wickets and give Hampshire every opportunity to achieve their first victory of the season and escape their position at the foot of the table as a consequence.Hampshire established a first innings lead of 141 thanks to their first century of the season, brought up by Adam Wheater in 82 balls, an innings including back-to-back reverse sweeps, top edges over the slips and some punchy drives. Of those 82 balls, 16 brought boundaries.Edwards was just as eye catching as the second day drew to a close. Before a ball had been bowled, the West Indian marked his run-up and ran through all the way to Luke Wells, who was busy, head down, marking his guard.Edwards mimicked the tall left-hander before rubbing his hands in the debris in an almost auspicious fanfare. Still on zero after 10 balls, having been pushed back by some superb short-balls from Edwards, Wells was hesitant in coming forward to his 11th and nicked to Will Smith at third slip.Machan then miscalculated the pace and length to pull Edwards onto his off-stump before Michael Yardy fell to an lbw decision that he was not in agreement with.Just as the first audible grumbles were coming from the home faithful, three of their own came and steadied. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash stemmed the flow with 71 for the fourth wicket, before Joyce uncharacteristically flirted with one from Berg through to Vince.But Nash was then joined by Wright, and both looked like seeing the day off before Edwards was reintroduced in the 37th over and produced a blistering spell of hostile bowling that would have made even the most adept of batsmen question their life choices.Wright had a short leg, deep backward square, fine-leg and, after top-edging a hook, then also a back-stop for company, as Edwards began pushing off from that nourishing Cromwell Road End. Nash, at the non-striker’s end for the first assault, was on back foot when he faced Edwards and was subsequently trapped in front by a full ball that fizzed through the air.In came Steve Magoffin, unlucky enough to have only taken one wicket, and rueing his luck once more as he had to see off what remained of Edwards’ fire. After five balls that must have felt like an eternity, he met Wright halfway down the pitch and punched gloves in relief.Edwards walked back with him and offered a pat on the back.They’ll meet again first thing in the morning.Wheater’s rapid hundred was seemingly an innings that had been earmarked for James Vince, who reconvened in the morning on 52, added 24 runs and then flayed Matt Hobden to Ed Joyce in the cordon.He was more than ably assisted by Gareth Berg, who is having one of his best games of his career. He fell one short of his first hundred in four years, urging No 11 Jackson Bird to hurry back for a second, only to find himself a good foot short of his ground with a direct hit from Hobden throwing from square leg.Together, Wheater and Berg put on a record eighth-wicket stand for Hampshire against Sussex, beating a previous best of 135 set by Nic Pothas and Shane Warne. The new record, 165, came off 153 deliveries, was superb in the context of this game and, barring a herculean effort from Sussex’s lower order, may have already determined the outcome of this match.It was a pretty wayward effort with the ball from Sussex, who have had to shuffle their pack more than they would like because of injury and availability.As Wheater and Berg played their respective hands, Ed Joyce seemed unsure who to turn to. Fynn Hudson-Prentice on debut was expensive and, as such, ended up bowling as many overs as Luke Wells – a part-time off-spinner who was bowled ahead of the 19-year-old for four overs when Gareth Berg was fresh to the crease. It was only when Wells went for 35 in those four that Hudson-Prentice was reintroduced. That first over back in the attack disappeared for 12, as a now settled Berg picked him off.The predicament for Mark Robinson is an unfortunate one. For years, he has cultivated something of a fast bowlers haven at Hove. Like India to gap year students, befuddled or disenchanted quicks have “found themselves” on the coast. The most notable in recent years has been Chris Jordan, whose newly found inner peace has seen him scale to international cricket, hence his unavailability until the end of the ODI series with New Zealand.Unleashed down the hill from the Cromwell Road End after time on the sidelines at Surrey, with a reworked gym programme and some technical refinement, he is a poster boy for Hove’s healing properties, so much so that his friend and former Surrey teammate George Edwards sought his opinion on pastures new, and life at Sussex, before eventually moving on from the Oval to Lancashire. “You look at what he’s done there and it’s pretty incredible,” commented Edwards at the beginning of the season.Ajmal Shahzad is the latest to experience a renaissance by the sea, on a roll with 22 wickets at 17.86 before an injured pectoral muscle during an impressive spell on day one of Sussex’s match with Middlesex. That was back on May 10 and, while it was thought he would be back in two weeks, the recovery has taken a little longer. It is thought that he will make his return in the seconds tomorrow.Then there’s the less fortunate Tymal Mills, diagnosed with a narrow spinal chord just a month into the season which requires constant assessment and a lightening of his workload. Rotten luck all round.

Matthew Carter’s ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback

Andrew Miller at Taunton17-Jun-2015
ScorecardPeter Trego’s bristling innings helped take Somerset most of the way to victory•Getty ImagesAfter summoning the spirit of the Wurzels in clouting Somerset to a monumental and, potentially, season-altering run-chase at Taunton, a croaky Peter Trego admitted afterwards that he had “blown his larynx” in a lusty dressing-room rendition of the team’s victory song.”I like to add a little bit of Wurzel to the Wurzels team song,” he said. “This is why we play the game and love pulling on the shirt. Win, lose or draw, we put heart and soul into each game, and days like this are worth all the bad days.”There have been a fair few bad days flying around the west country in recent weeks, but the euphoria that greeted Somerset’s achievement on the final day at Taunton was so heartfelt it was as if that eponymous blackbird himself had been been hunted down.The triumph was sealed with five minutes of the morning session remaining as Abdur Rehman launched a volley of three fours in four balls off the 19-year-old Nottinghamshire offspinner Matthew Carter, whose ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback.”To chase down 400 on a wicket that was assisting, that’s a massive feather in the cap of our batting line-up who have been having their rough times in the season,” Trego said. “But we are coming good and hopefully this will be the catalyst for a few more good results.”It wasn’t simply the size of the chase that astonished – Somerset had themselves been on the wrong end of a 400-plus chase when Middlesex beat them by five wickets at Taunton in April, so they knew that such a feat could be achieved at the County Ground.More remarkable still was their comeback from a first-innings deficit of 210, especially having shipped 300 runs in 71 overs on the first day, with Brendan Taylor’s 152 steering Nottinghamshire towards what ought to have been an unassailable position.”We showed great character to fight back from that deficit,” Trego said. “Our ageing attack bowling the team out for 190, and two ageing middle-order players putting on a hundred partnership. That’s one thing in this game you can’t replace: experience.”Needing a further 127 for victory, but having squandered a very solid start by losing four wickets for 46 in a nervy evening session on day three, Trego launched his day’s work as if he’d come out whistling his favourite refrain. “With a girt big stick I’ll knock ‘im down. Blackbird, I’ll ‘ave ee!”The blackbird in his sights from the outset was Carter, whose 7 for 56 in the first innings had done so much to put the skids under Somerset’s hopes in this contest. But Trego swung his big stick for two whistling cover drives from his first two balls of the day to set an emphatic and aggressive tone for his team.Alongside him in a critical sixth-wicket stand of 116 was Jim Allenby, who bided his time as his team-mate set the tempo by reaching his fifty from 63 balls. Allenby took half an hour to add four runs to his overnight 32, before stepping up his tempo with a whistling pull for four off Jake Ball.The pair had whittled the victory target down to a meagre 42 before the wobble that all of Somerset had expected and feared. Allenby was trapped lbw for 62 by Samit Patel, whose natural feistiness had been exacerbated by the rap on the knuckles he had received for a run-in with umpire Benson on the third afternoon.Tim Groenewald then survived an early chance as Ben Hilfenhaus spilled a skier, running in from third man, but Carter, the unlucky bowler, then claimed an even more vital scalp three runs later, as Trego pushed too firmly outside off once too often, and Steve Mullaney at slip set up an agonising finale, with 36 still needed and three wickets standing.Groenewald ground out a vital 13 before, with the requirement now whittled down to 20, he became Patel’s second lbw victim of the morning. At the other end was the Somerset debutant Michael Bates – one of the finest wicketkeepers in the country, no doubt, but a man who had been released by Hampshire for his failure to score enough runs.But Bates showed immense composure in what could hardly have been a more taxing audition, picking off the gaps in an oddly deep-set field to make 14 not out from 31 balls, then Rehman saw his opportunity for a sprint to the finish, with two back cuts for four through third man off Carter, before a hoick to leg and a punch of the air sealed the glory.Afterwards, Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain, praised the composure of Trego and the tail in sealing a result that has earned them 20 precious points and enabled them to vault from rock bottom in the first division to the mid-table sanctuary of sixth. Suddenly it is Nottinghamshire, with one win from seven and home-and-away losses against Somerset to contemplate, who can’t help but have one anxious eye on that trapdoor.”It wasn’t just how many they got but the fashion they got them in,” he said. “It’s always good to be positive in this situation, when you are trying to bring down low totals. You need to score the runs quickly otherwise the pressure builds up and it plays a different part in the game.””Ow’s yer father?” the Wurzels might have added. “Alright!”

Steven Smith’s men persisted through New Zealand’s resistance and ended day four of the Christchurch Test a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory and the No. 1 Test ranking

The Report by Daniel Brettig22-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJackson Bird claimed a maiden Test five-for in New Zealand’s second innings•Getty ImagesNew Zealand delayed, annoyed and even frustrated Australia into some of the ugliest scenes of the summer. Yet Steven Smith’s men persisted through it all, and by day’s end were a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory in Christchurch and the No. 1 Test ranking.For all the hosts’ fighting qualities, whether it was Kane Williamson’s dogged 97, Corey Anderson’s self-denial or the common sense rearguard of BJ Watling and Matt Henry, Australia always stayed ahead of the game. For this they can thank Jackson Bird, who summoned his first five-wicket haul in Tests, and also the support of James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh.While David Warner nibbled down the leg side to complete the most underwhelming Test series of his career, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja fought through to the close against another round of short balls from Neil Wagner.At one point, slip was the only man on the off side, making Wagner’s attack obvious. But the second-wicket stand came closest to being broken when Khawaja nearly edged an attempted drive onto the stumps in Anderson’s final over of the day.Australia’s efforts in the field had been obvious, and often near the edge of exasperation. Tempers had simmered during a long stand between Williamson and Anderson, before Bird struck once with the old ball then twice with the new to take the visitors closer to a fourth-innings chase. But Watling and Henry played with good sense to add 118 and ensure New Zealand have something to defend.Pattinson and Hazlewood again bowled with pace, direction and reverse swing in the first hour and went exceptionally close to dismissing both batsmen more than once. Hazlewood’s last appeal – and Australia’s last referral – moments before lunch drew another denial and considerable frustration from Smith’s men.There was self-recrimination, too, when Marsh dropped Anderson at the gully, and the tourists went to the interval clearly angry at not being able to dislodge the overnight pair. They were more patient when faced by Watling and Henry, eventually rewarded when Pattinson had Watling caught on the leg side and Henry was bowled by Bird.Old-ball swing had been key to Australia claiming four wickets on the third evening, and it was again evident as Pattinson and Hazlewood resumed their barrage. Williamson and then Anderson were both subjects of concerted lbw appeals, but on each occasion DRS replays showed contact with the bat first.Anderson’s escape was queried by the Australians, but was quickly followed by a ball angled across and a sliced drive that burst through Marsh’s hands. By the standard set in this match, including Marsh’s own unrewarded catch off a no-ball on day one, it was a bad miss.Further close calls followed: Williamson edged Hazlewood the merest fraction short of Peter Nevill’s gloves, and right on lunch the bowler appeared to strike New Zealand’s No. 3 in front with a swinging yorker from around the wicket.The Australians appealed vehemently and reviewed instantly, but HotSpot replays picked up the faintest inside edge from Williamson before the ball struck his pad, leaving Smith’s men to angrily confront the on-field umpire and express their surprise.Through all this Williamson and Anderson remained, giving New Zealand something of a foothold in the match against increasingly feverish opponents. They remained unhappy until Bird coaxed Anderson into dragging on in the 79th over of the innings, a wicket that opened up an end for the second new ball.Williamson was on 97 when a hint of seam movement with the fresh ball resulted in an edge onto the stumps and, in the same over, Tim Southee snicked to Smith in the slips. Australia sensed they were close to sealing the match, but Watling and Henry had other ideas.Unfussy but positive, they worked the ball around with calculated moments of aggression to build the lead, not offering a chance in the process. By the interval their union was New Zealand’s best for the eighth wicket in a decade, once more leaving Smith to ponder his options.Pattinson tightened up Watling after the break and was rewarded when he flicked the lowest of catches to Joe Burns in front of square leg. Bird found a way through Henry and Trent Boult offered up a skier to give the adopted Tasmanian a Test five-for – vindication of the selectors’ decision to recall him for the first time in three years.A target of 201 was tricky, but Warner and Burns began briskly, quickly whittling down the equation and easing any nerves. Though Warner fell to Wagner, Khawaja was rapidly into his stride, while Burns batted as if to continue his first innings. New Zealand now have only the faintest hope, Australia both eyes on the Test Championship Mace.

Liam Dawson, the Hampshire slow left-armer, could make his international debut against Afghanistan on Wednesday

Andrew Miller22-Mar-2016Liam Dawson, the Hampshire slow left-armer, could make his international debut against Afghanistan on Wednesday after Eoin Morgan admitted England were considering the option of three spinners in a vital Group 1 clash in DelhiEngland would take a significant stride towards the World T20 semi-finals if they avoid an upset on Wednesday. Their frontline spin pairing, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, have demonstrated their value in the tournament so far, and Morgan said that any decision over the make-up of the team would be deferred until the management had had a good final look at the wicket.”I expected a dryer pitch,” Morgan admitted. “There’s still a lot of grass on it but I don’t know what it’s going to do. We’ll have to leave it as late as possible to select the side, and see what conditions are going to be like. If it’s another hot day like today, [the groundsman] might leave grass on it rather than take it off.”Since we’ve arrive here we’ve had one net session in the nets and they have turned a considerable amount, but I don’t think it will turn as much. We can be as open minded as we can, we can talk about it and we can use other players and our backroom staff as a sounding board.”A pump-action shotgun

Eoin Morgan likened Afghanistan’s threat to that of a “pump-action shotgun” as he braced his side for a severe test of their mettle against an Associate team, like Ireland in Morgan’s own early days of international cricket, that would not be afraid to lose.
“[Victory] will be their ultimate objective,” he said. “It’s a bit like a pump-action shotgun. You can keep loading as long as you like. If you keep missing, it’s fine. But the opportunity along the way will come. And if you have your day, you might win a game. That’s certainly the attitude when I was a part of Ireland
England lost their last World T20 outing against an Associate team, against Netherlands at Chittagong in 2014. But Morgan insisted that the circumstances could not be different two years on.
“We were already out of the tournament,” he said. “We probably came into the game with a completely wrong mindset. We were flying directly after the game, had already packed our bags to leave. In my mind I was already at home sitting on the couch.”

If Dawson did play, it would be quite a turnaround for a player who spent part of last season loaned by Hampshire to Essex to rediscover his form. He achieved that so markedly that he won a call up to the England Lions in the UAE where he impressed the coach, Andy Flower, not just for his spin bowling but his ability to hit a long ball.Dawson was nevertheless a surprise selection for England’s 15-man squad, after beating Stephen Parry to the third spinner’s role on account of his greater allround versatility. Morgan expressed absolute faith in his ability to front up on an important occasion, and stressed that Joe Root, who bowled briefly in the victory over South Africa, was not being considered as a front-line option.”Rooty can be a viable option for a third spinner, but Liam Dawson adds a lot more with the ball than Joe would, and he would come into consideration if the grass comes off the pitch,” Morgan said.”Is he ready? Yeah, absolutely. He’s trained really hard since he’s come into the side and has been great around the group. He’s really upbeat and, like everybody, he’s really keen to get involved.”England’s recent record against Associate nations at the World T20 leaves plenty to be desired, with defeats to the Netherlands in 2009 and 2014 staining their overall record. But Morgan said that England would be going into the Afghanistan game with their eyes wide open, and with their thoughts trained solely on victory.”They’re a dangerous side,” he said. “They have played a really exciting brand of cricket. Ten years ago we might not have known much about them, but now that is the nature of modern sport. We know a lot about them and that is quite comforting – the fact that there’s no stone that’s left unturned.”We watched the early stages of the tournament and they played some really good cricket. We watched both games, against Sri Lanka and South Africa in different circumstances, and it’s been nice for us to see what they’re about as a side.”Afghanistan’s reputation for maverick tendencies is best expressed in the wild batting of Mohammad Shahzad, whose 44 from 19 balls was the highlight of their run-chase against South Africa. But Morgan said that they would be wary of all of their opponents, and not merely the man at the top of the order who has captured the recent headlines.”I think he is a good batsman but I think it would be rude of me to single out any one of their players,” he said. “I think as a side they can be quite strong and destructive.”If we target one player in particular, it can give an opportunity to another player to come out and have their own day, so it is important we treat each player as we do Shahzad.”I wouldn’t say it is nervy to have a bit of unpredictability there, but I would say in any T20 game up against any team then unpredictability can be a strong point. We have lacked consistency as a T20 side in recent times and there is an element of that to our game.”With Sri Lanka looming as England’s final contest of a potentially tight group, the prospect of net run rate could yet come into play as a deciding factor in which team goes through to the knock-outs. But Morgan dismissed any such thoughts from his mind, insisting that victory was England’s sole focus, no matter how fast or slow their route.”Our priority is on winning. Tomorrow is a big game and we are certainly not taking Afghanistan for granted, so first and foremost we need to go into that game with the right mindset,” he said.”I think focusing on anything else at the moment, given that there is two group games left, would be a little bit naïve, actually stupid, so tomorrow is very important and getting a win under our belt is key.”

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said that Ravi Shastri’s contract as India’s team director has ended, but can be renewed if the Cricket Advisory Committee deem fit

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2016BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said that Ravi Shastri’s contract as India’s team director has ended, but can be renewed if the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, deem fit. Shastri, whose contract expired after India’s exit from the World T20, can only be reinstated as full-time coach as Thakur has stated there will be no position of team director.The CAC, which was formed in June 2015 for all major cricket-related decisions, has been tasked with picking a coach and the committee is likely to meet after the World T20.”Ravi Shastri’s contract has ended. We are looking at a full-time coach and the decision will be taken by the Cricket Advisory Committee. There won’t be a Team Director and a full-time coach. It will be only one post and even Ravi’s contract can come up for renewal,” Thakur told . “It will be the post of a full-time coach. CAC has been asked to shortlist the names of the possible candidates for the post. The meeting of the CAC is expected to happen post April 3. It can happen before the start of the IPL also. We will have to decide on the date.”Under Shastri, who had taken over as director in 2014, India made it to successive semi-finals of global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016. In this period, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, after beating the hosts 3-0 in a three-match T20 series.

South Africa batsman Hashim Amla is set to replace the injured Shaun Marsh at Kings XI Punjab, ESPNcricinfo has learnt

Arun Venugopal03-May-20162:03

Hashim Amla joins KXIP squad

South Africa batsman Hashim Amla is set to replace the injured Shaun Marsh at Kings XI Punjab, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. Marsh was ruled out of IPL 2016 on Monday due to a back injury.It is understood that clearances for Amla’s stint with the team have been obtained and ESPNcricinfo has learnt that he is expected to join the side soon.Amla, who stepped down as South Africa’s Test captain in January this year, is yet to make his IPL debut. The batsman was part of the player list for the 2016 auction in February, with a base price of INR 1 crore, but remained unsold.Overall, Amla has played 88 T20s scoring 2446 runs at an average of 31.35 and a strike rate of 125.95. He scored two fifties as an opening batsman for South Africa in the recent World T20, tallying 120 runs in four matches in the tournament at a strike rate of 134.83.Marsh reportedly picked up the injury in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, and has been carrying a niggle since. He batted and fielded in Sunday’s game, when Kings XI beat Gujarat Lions, with some discomfort.

The Red Devils have broken the transfer record a number of times in the last three decades, but which players have been their best signings?

Getty Images1Eric Cantona – 1992 – £1.2 million from Leeds UnitedManchester United started the Premier League era with a couple of marquee signings, bringing in Dion Dublin from Cambridge United and Eric Cantona from Leeds United. Dublin was Alex Ferguson's second-choice in the transfer market, bringing him to Old Trafford after Alan Shearer moved from Southampton to Blackburn Rovers. He scored just two league goals for the Red Devils before leaving for Coventry City in 1994. On the other hand, Cantona was a revelation for the club, reaching double figures in the Premier League in four of his five seasons, picking up four league titles and two FA Cups along the way.AdvertisementGetty2Roy Keane – 1993 – £3.75m from Nottingham ForestRoy Keane became the most expensive player in English football when he joined United as a 21-year-old and was the face and heart of the team for the next 13 seasons. He played 480 times for the Red Devils winning seven league titles as well as the Champions League in 1999. The Republic of Ireland midfielder was the team's captain for their European success, but missed the final due to suspension after picking up a yellow card during a career-best performance against Juventus in the semi-final.Getty Images3Andy Cole – 1995 – £7m from NewcastleAndy Cole was an immediate success at Manchester United after signing in January 1995. The England attacker ended the season in double figures in the Premier League despite playing just 18 times in half-a-campaign. He went on to score 121 times in all competitions for the club, finishing with five league titles and a Champions League medal.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images4Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 1996 – £1.5m from MoldeOle Gunnar Solskjaer would go down in Manchester United history for one single moment, but scored almost 100 Premier League goals as he became the world's best 'super sub' under Alex Ferguson. He was signed by United after local rivals Manchester City were not willing to take a chance on him, and ended up coming off the bench to score the winner in the club's miraculous comeback in the 1999 Champions League final.

The Eredivisie side will rake in big profits if they sell the rising stars, who look destined to go on to bigger and better things in the near future

GettyFrenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong is not happy with his reputation as the new Johan Cruyff, but the 21-year-old midfielder will just have to get used to it as he continues to excel for Ajax and Netherlands.

It seems inevitable that he will become Ajax’s biggest ever sale as Manchester City are prepared to pay €70 million (£62m/$80m) plus €20m (£18m/$23m) in bonuses in order to beat Barcelona to his services.

De Jong had been touted as a Franz Beckenbauer-esque revolutionary defender when he broke into the starting XI last year but he has now become a key component of the Ajax midfield.

He is also quickly blossoming into one of the leading figures in Netherlands’ revitalisation under Ronald Koeman, since his debut in September.

De Jong even showed up N’Golo Kante when he hunted him down to dispossess the Chelsea midfielder in Oranje’s 2-0 win over France, only offering further encouragement to those who expect the Dutchman to become one of the best players in the world.

AdvertisementGettyMatthijs de Ligt

Just a year after Virgil van Dijk became football's most expensive defender, there is already talk of him being usurped by a young compatriot.

Matthijs de Ligt may be just 19 years old but he does not look nor play like it. He is a beast, a boss and will only get better.

A mainstay in the Ajax back line and the team's captain, their only defeat this season – 3-0 to PSV – came in the one game that De Ligt has missed.

He was thrown into the deep end with the national team and endured a disastrous debut against Bulgaria in March 2017, but he emerged seemingly unscathed and has cemented his place in Ronald Koeman's starting XI.

Indeed, he now looks so solid alongside Van Dijk that Koeman and Wesley Sneijder have tipped him to break the latter's record as Oranje's most-capped player.

Barcelona and Manchester City look set to battle it out to sign him in the near future, but a few more of Europe's top sides will be sniffing around too.

Aware that they will not be able to hold on to him for too long, Ajax will listen to offers at the end of the season and will be demanding a massive fee for the potentially world-class defender.

Even if he does not smash Van Dijk's £75 million ($96m) record right away, he won't be far off it.

GettyHakim Ziyech

That the 25-year-old Hakim Ziyech is still playing in the Eredivisie is as much of a mystery as it is a blessing for the Dutch top flight.

It has been six years since he made his first appearance in the league and he soon grew into a star for Heerenveen before joining Twente and becoming a talismanic figure.

As Europe’s bigger sides hesitated, Ajax capitalised in August 2016 just before the transfer window closed and Ziyech immediately injected a creative spark they had been missing since Christian Eriksen’s 2013 departure.

Although the attacking midfielder takes too many long-range shots, he can pull off imaginative passes from almost anywhere on the pitch and has formed a super partnership with Dusan Tadic this season – both have scored seven and set up four in the league. 

Ziyech has 10 goals from 22 appearances for Morocco, too, and is guaranteed a key role at the Africa Cup of Nations.

If he maintains this form for Ajax and Morocco for the rest of the season, then big clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and Bundesliga will surely be interested.

He is tied to Ajax until 2021, however, so the club are in a good position to demand upwards of €40 million for a player they will struggle to replace.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

GettyNicolas Tagliafico

With three goals and seven assists in all competitions so far, Nicolas Tagliafico has been a sensation at Ajax since his €4.5 million (£4m/$5m) arrival from Independiente in January.

He had already made 103 appearances for the Argentine side after impressing at Banfield, and in the second tier in Spain with Real Murcia.

Now, he has been trusted with the captain's armband by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni three times over the last three months. 

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal have been linked already, but more clubs are scouting him and at 26 he may see Ajax as a quick stop on his journey to bigger and better things.

Given his talent, Ajax would be in a good position to demand upwards of €25m.

Clubs are spending huge amounts of money as they aim for success at home and on the continent – but which squads are the most expensive?

Some of the world's most costly squads have been assembled in Europe as clubs pursue silverware.

UEFA's annual Club Licensing Benchmarking Report has revealed that the top 20 most expensively assembled squads on the continent rose in value by 26 per cent at the end of the 2018 financial year when compared with 12 months previously.

Some of the confederation's biggest clubs are included in the list, while there are also some surprises.

Getty Images20Southampton | €252m (£216m/$281m)AdvertisementGetty Images19Leicester City | €268m (£230m/$298m)Getty Images18Atletico | €286m (£245m/$318m)ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty17Napoli | €306m (£262m/$341m)