Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:19

Voges: Cummins finds a way to pick crucial wickets

Aiden Markram owns his style of batting: languid, fluent and dominant. Against a bowling line-up that, save Pat Cummins, lacked penetration or oomph on a pitch offering sufficient seam movement, Markram stroked his way to his 152, his highest Test score, strengthening South Africa’s position in their bid for their first home series win against Australia since 1970.AB de Villiers owns not just his batting, but also the Wanderers. After walking out to raucous cheers, de Villiers was forced to put away his aggressive template by Australia’s probing accuracy either side of tea. Often de Villiers makes batting look considerably easier than it actually is. On Friday, he went the other way, struggling for timing. He diligently accumulated 20 in his first 70 balls before releasing his frustration against Nathan Lyon.Soon, his fluency made Australia gasp. Hard sweeps, elegant drives, delicately late cuts: the usual de Villiers range. His innings was another masterclass in scoring tough runs and his fifth 50-plus score of the series.Considering the events that unfolded over the past week, it was an unusually quiet day for Australia, literally and otherwise. The fallout of the ball-tampering chaos was at its worst on the fourth day of the Cape Town Test, and ensuing incidents seemed to have only worsened Australia’s morale in Johannesburg. In characteristic fashion, though, they fought back late in the evening to prevent South Africa from running away with the Test.Although they conceded 136 runs, Australia took four wickets in the final session. Just like in Durban, Markram was dismissed attempting a late cut after scoring a big hundred, a sign of fatigue in an otherwise glorious hundred. A thick edge off Cummins was snaffled by gully. Off the next ball, Faf du Plessis made an error of judgement, leaving a delivery that darted back in prodigiously, to be trapped in front.Late in the day, Chadd Sayers, on debut, provided Australia with their second double-wicket over of the evening. An inducker, shaping back in off the seam, caught de Villiers’ inside edge. Although he reviewed immediately, a discernible spike on Ultra Edge meant de Villiers was restricted to his third successive score in the 60s. Two balls later, nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada chipped to mid-off.However, the majority of the day was dominated by Markram. He was patient right through his innings, waiting for mistakes in length or line, particularly for width outside his off stump. A jaded Australian bowling line-up erred often: he scored 27 of his 53 runs before lunch, more than 50%, through point.Hitting that area was fraught with risk when Lyon bowled and extracted plenty of turn. Markram then showed off his straight-bat range, including a delectable drive through cover and an extended lofted drive over mid-on, for six.Australia’s plan at lunch may have been to bowl straighter, but that didn’t work either. Square on the leg side was a productive region, as Markram powerfully flicked the fast bowlers and deftly nudged Lyon. Together, Markram scored 125 of 152 runs, or more than 80%, square on both sides of the pitch.Dean Elgar made a scratchy 19 off 47 balls, during which he made two errors against Lyon. In his first over, he attempted to heave Lyon over midwicket, but didn’t account for atypically sharp turn on a first-day Wanderers pitch. The resulting skew off the outside half of his bat lobbed over cover. In Lyon’s next over, Elgar made the same mistake, looking to work the ball against the turn. This time, a leading edge carried to mid-off, Australia’s first wicket of the day.Australia’s only other wicket of the second session was of Hashim Amla. Batting on 27 off 80 balls, Amla wafted at a leaden-footed drive off Cummins, in the middle of Australia’s best spell of the day. An outswinger, moving in the air and after pitching, found the outside edge. Peter Handscomb, slotting into Steven Smith’s No. 4 and second slip positions, took a fine, two-handed catch to his right.

The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the 2017-18 list

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018In what could be seen as a sign of continuity looking ahead to the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship and the Women’s World T20 to be played in West Indies later this year, Cricket South Africa have offered contracts to 13 of the 14 players from the 2017-18 season.The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, the 33-year-old fast bowler who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the list. The new contracts will come into effect on May 1 and run up to April 30, 2019.South Africa, who hosted India for a limited-overs series in February, have a busy 14 months coming up. They next host Bangladesh in May before touring England and West Indies for the second and third round of championship matches. The World T20 and a home series against Sri Lanka will follow that.”The esteem in which our women’s team is held following their successful campaign when they reached the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup last year is reflected in their invitation to have a major tour of England including a T20 triangular series against England and New Zealand,” said Corrie van Zyl, CSA’s general manager. “It is important that we build on our recent successes as we prepare for this year’s Women’s World T20.CSA contracts list for 2018-19: Dane van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Masabata Klaas, Andrie Steyn, Mosaline Daniels, Raisibe Ntozakhe

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quinta-feira, o Athletico recebeu o Ceará na Arena da Baixada e não conseguiu vencer. Em jogo que faltou criatividade, principalmente do Furacão, o placar terminou sem gols.

RelacionadasCearáSobis e Vina deixam o campo chateados com alteraçõesCeará08/10/2020BrasileirãoEm jogo morno, Athletico-PR e Ceará empatam pelo BrasileirãoBrasileirão08/10/2020Futebol LatinoEm jogo movimentado no segundo tempo, Paraguai e Peru terminam empatadosFutebol Latino08/10/2020

Na coletiva de imprensa, o técnico Eduardo Barros viu pontos positivos na equipe e acredita que a sua equipe merecia vencer.

‘Acredito que, pelo primeiro tempo, sim o resultado foi justo, mas, pelo nosso volume de jogo no segundo tempo, merecíamos um melhor resultado. Nosso primeiro tempo não foi como os últimos primeiros tempos aqui na Arena. Tivemos uma marcação menos agressiva e oferecemos muito mais jogo ao Ceará do que gostaríamos. Então, o jogo se igualou em vários momentos’, afirmou., antes de completar:

‘No segundo tempo, a equipe volta bem, com controle quase absoluto do jogo e quase sem oferecer contra-ataque. Basta ver a diferença que tivemos na posse de bola do primeiro para o segundo tempo. Com 15 minutos, a gente começa a mexer na equipe para deixá-la mais ofensiva. Claro que essas mudanças afetam o entrosamento, mas mantivemos o volume e frequentemos a área do Ceará’.

Na 12ª posição, com 14 pontos, o Athletico volta a campo no domingo, quando encara o Internacional, no Beira-Rio.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou could move to unleash an unseen Spurs talent this season, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Who have Tottenham signed 2023?

The north Londoners, in a bid to strengthen Postecoglou's ranks and being the post-Antonio Conte era, brought in seven major signings over the 2023 summer transfer window. Indeed, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, midfielder James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, talented striker Alejo Veliz and forward Brennan Johnson all joined Spurs before deadline day.

Going the other way, Tottenham had to cope with losing star striker Harry Kane, who signed for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Following the 30-year-old, Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott, Dane Scarlett, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele all moved elsewhere either on temporary deals or permanent ones.

The Lilywhites are enjoying a truly sensational early-season spell under Postecoglou; winning four out of their opening five Premier League matches whilst remaining unbeaten. Spurs are now gearing up for a crunch north London derby clash away to Arsenal this Sunday, and their rivals are in equally good form heading into this very interesting encounter.

Alejo Veliz transfer

One highly-rated young signing who Spurs supporters are eager to watch is Veliz, who sealed a move to N17 from Argentine side Rosario Central. The 20-year-old is yet to make his senior debut at Tottenham, and may have to wait a fair while for it to happen.

However, according to GiveMeSport reporter Jones, this could well happen before the season is over and Veliz could well be "unleashed" by Postecoglou.

"There is hope for a bright future for him in North London," wrote Jones for GMS. "The 19-year-old moved from Argentina, where he had been making moves with Rosario Central and impressing in the youth levels for the national team.

"He has been scouted by clubs including Brighton and Rangers and while they stuttered over committing to him, Spurs took him on as they see him as a player that can make his mark on the Premier League. This first season is important for bedding him and helping him to understand exactly how he is going to do that. We will see him sparingly before Christmas but by the end of this campaign he could be fully unleashed."

How good is Alejo Veliz?

The young South American was garnering quite the reputation before his switch to Tottenham. Across the Atlantic, Veliz scored 19 goals and registered two assists over 63 appearances for Rosario Central.

Called a "talent" by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, the same figure praised Veliz as a "complete forward" when profiling the player on X. 1978 Argentine World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni also had this to say on the player in an interview with TUTTOmercatoWEB: “Congratulations to Tottenham, who took Alejo Veliz from Rosario Central. For me, [Veliz is] a phenomenon.”

Tottenham Hotspur, under the frugal chairmanship of Daniel Levy, have often been an outfit ridiculed for failing to secure transfer targets due to their adversity towards spending big.

So often this has held them back, but even when success seemed right around the corner, they proved that huge investments do not guarantee silverware and sustainable progress.

In fact, arguably the darkest years in the club's recent history have come within the last few campaigns, as the end of Mauricio Pochettino's reign saw some questionable signings, before Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte were then handed huge fees to throw around too.

Naturally, to compete at the pinnacle of the modern game such astronomical figures seemingly must be spent. However, there was a time when the £63m they spent to buy Tanguy Ndombele, or the £60m unloaded on Richarlison, would have funded an entire squad overhaul.

For example, as Gareth Bale continued to outgrow north London, with his performances meriting a greater stage with which to showcase his quality, Real Madrid were the willing recipients of his services.

Breaking the world-record fee at the time, offering a mouth-watering £85m, it is ludicrous to view the current market and see that such a figure would be the equivalent of signing someone of Manchester United's Antony, for example.

However, at the time this was a huge sum, which manager Andre Villas-Boas was tasked with reinvesting.

How did Spurs spend the Gareth Bale money?

With those funds, the Portuguese boss clearly felt like bolstering the entire playing squad was a far wiser move than seeking to spend it all as a direct replacement for the unimitable Welshman.

Had he spent with some intelligence, perhaps it might have been a strategy that earned success.

However, as it turned out, this was a disastrous use of precious funds, with arguably only one of the seven employed to offset such a huge absence earning any long-term success.

Immediately, Paulinho, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches were all found out to be far from the required level, although admittedly they were all the cheapest of the bunch aside from the Brazilian.

The peaks of their respective careers were hardly lofty, but they were definitely reached outside of north London.

Players Signed with the Gareth Bale Money

Fee Paid

Paulinho (Corinthians)

£17m

Christian Eriksen (Ajax)

£11m

Roberto Soldado (Valencia)

£26m

Nacer Chadli (FC Twente)

£7m

Etienne Capoue (Toulouse)

£9.3m

Vlad Chiriches (Steaua Bucharest)

£8.5m

Erik Lamela (AS Roma)

£25.8m

Information via GIVEMESPORT

Then came the big acquisitions, with Erik Lamela proving to be the largest investment, seen as a key successor to the Southampton academy graduate. Just 37 goals in a whopping 256 games showcased his failure to live up to such billing, and his exit was sealed when the Lilywhites had to pay Sevilla to take him, receiving the equally disappointing Byran Gil in his place.

Christian Eriksen, many would agree, marked a sole incredible investment given how important he became despite costing just £11.5m – scoring 69 goals and registering 90 assists in 405 games in all competitions.

And then there was Roberto Soldado.

Joining from Valencia, the Spanish striker had scored 17 goals in La Liga the season before moving and offered great promise as the man to reignite their strike force for the foreseeable future. In fact, across all competitions, the clinical marksman had recorded an impressive 33 goal contributions that year.

However, what occurred was nothing short of diabolical, as his profligacy led to him scoring just 13 goals before departing after only two years.

Journalist Keith Andrew would claim after just one year in England: "Soldado has to be one of the worst buys of the season."

If anything, it could actually be argued that the 5 foot 10 flop is still one of the worst pound-for-pound signings in the club's history.

How much did Spurs pay for Roberto Soldado?

Admittedly, at the time of signing the experienced marksman, the fee paid marked a fair price for someone who had proven so prolific in his homeland. It was only once he tried translating his form elsewhere that it became a waste.

After all, he had only cost £26m, and for what his form for Los Ches suggested, that arguably marked a bargain.

However, with his aforementioned goal record simply terrible, and the former Real Madrid dud offering even less in terms of general hold-up play, his departure in 2015 was a welcome one to compound their failure to reinvest the Bale money wisely.

What was Roberto Soldado's salary at Spurs?

Given the faith Villas-Boas had in Soldado to uphold his strike force for the foreseeable future, an equally mouth-watering salary was handed to the failure to go alongside the huge initial outlay used to even tempt his club to sell.

The £106k-per-week he was awarded marked a huge figure at the time, and allowed him to amass a further £5.53m per year.

Therefore, across the two short years he spent in north London, the 12-cap former international would pluck £11.06m in added fees, taking the total sum of his cost to the club up to £37.06m. This meant that for every goal the club paid £2.85m.

Did Roberto Soldado deserve to earn £106k-per-week?

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Soldado was not worth the salary he was graced with, given the high expectations placed upon him that were never imagined.

After all, those beliefs were only intensified when he scored on his league debut to hand them a win over Crystal Palace, leading to more hype from his manager: "Roberto's a real out and out striker. He's not been here a lot because of the Confederations Cup but he'll get fitter and sharper and will be even better."

Everyone is well aware of how the story went after that clash, with it being only downhill from there as these words rang empty.

How much has Roberto Soldado earned in his career?

Despite his torrid tenure in England, Soldado actually remained largely a consistent and threatening striker for the bulk of his career. Perhaps that tough period with Spurs could even be chalked down to homesickness, as seven of the other eight clubs he played for were all based in Spain.

The 38-year-old would score an admirable 82 in 141 Valencia appearances, and later on notched 33 in 66 for Getafe, and 12 in 55 for Villarreal, via Transfermarkt.

Therefore, it is hard to argue that he was not good value for his total career earnings, which reached a mouth-watering £25.1m after his most recent contract with Levante ended.

The August just gone marked the month where the enigmatic Soldado called time on a career buoyed by goals scored wherever he went. However, for fans of English football, he will likely go down as one of the worst signings ever, despite how desperate he was to succeed, and how he still holds an affiliation with the club years after his exit.

From analysing what works for Kagiso Rabada the bowler, to suggesting what needs to change for Kagiso Rabada the angry young cricketer, here’s Australia’s players and staff

Daniel Brettig in Cape Town14-Mar-20184:02

Holding: Rabada needs to control himself little bit

Seldom within a series do opponents line up to praise a fast bowler in public. But even more seldom do they do so in the knowledge that the same bowler will not be available for the remainder of the series through suspension, meaning all their worries about giving away a “mental edge” to the opposition stand cancelled.That, however, is exactly the case for Australia and Kagiso Rabada, the South African spearhead now sidelined due to an ICC code of conduct ban for repeated issues with celebrating a little too exuberantly in the faces of dismissed batsmen and, in the case of the touring captain Steven Smith, making physical contact. The qualities Rabada demonstrated in Durban and in particular Port Elizabeth led numerous Australian players and coaches to hold forth on his skills, and also on the wicket-celebration troubles that have nixed him from the remainder of the series.The fielding coach, Brad HaddinAs a wicketkeeper batsman, Haddin hammered plenty of the world’s best and fastest pacemen, and knows a special talent when he sees one. But he also thinks how Rabada comes back after missing two important Tests – which will leave him “hurting” – will be key.”He’s very impressive. For someone so young, the smarts he has the with ball in his hand, knowing when to go up and down gears… Looking from the sidelines, it looks like he really understands how to set up a batsman. For someone so young that’s quite impressive. I thought the spell in the second innings [in Port Elizabeth] to go after [David] Warner and the openers – that was a pretty placid wicket, and from where I was sitting that was some pretty hostile bowling. He took it on himself there to get the big wicket of Davey. He is impressive. It’s disappointing for the game that he’s not playing, but from our point of view it’s a bonus because he is a class act. It was a conscious effort [by Rabada] to go hard at him and it was a good ball that got him [Warner] in the end.”Everyone needs to take a step back. Let’s start playing cricket more on skill and less on emotion. Both sides have been guilty of things they’re probably not proud of over the last two Test matches. But we’re 1-1, it’s time to play some cricket on skill and leave that other stuff to the side. It’s disappointing for Rabada. I know the South Africans, playing us, I’ve heard them say a couple of times this is their big series, and now he’s got to sit back and watch what’s going on out there. It will be interesting to see how he comes back after that, because he’ll be hurting, no doubt, over the next couple of Test matches.”AFP

The bowling coach, David SakerWith Victoria, England and now Australia, Saker has worked closely with a host of high-class pacemen. His views of Rabada are more technical, and also in line with the view that when a great talent crosses your path, one of the best things a coach can do is to get out of the way – except, of course, when it comes to send-offs.”I wouldn’t change a thing, it’s a great product. Even two or three years ago when I first saw the guy… He’s still a kid now, he’s just pretty exciting, he’s got raw pace, his arm speed is quite amazing, he keeps running in and, like a lot of good bowlers, he gets wickets in clumps and puts a lot of pressure on the new batters. He’s obviously hard to start against because of his pace. You wouldn’t be changing a thing, he’s a really exciting cricketer and South Africa are very blessed to have him in their team.”I wouldn’t be changing his action or his product. His discipline in the game you would have to change and I’m sure they would look at that, they’ll put people and things in place you would think. Fortunately for us that’s not our problem and I’ll let South Africa deal with that one.”The rival, Mitchell StarcFor most of the past three years, Starc has been arguably the world’s most feared fast man when he gets it right, and certainly the quickest at his peak. To watch Rabada at work, including having to face him, has been an experience both good and bad for Starc. He also had some useful advice to offer, from the perspective of a fast man who, as a younger player, gave his share of send-offs and ran into trouble for doing so.”He’s a pretty good bowler, isn’t he? What’s he got now, four 10-fors? Dale has got five in [many] more Test matches. His record is pretty good, it speaks for itself. He’s their spearhead, the one they go to, and he’s done the job time after time. They’ve got two guys who are in the mix who have taken 300 and 400 Test wickets. They’ve got plenty of bowlers in their stocks. But if he’s not playing in the rest of this series, he’s going to be a big loss for them.”I think that’s the biggest one, how close you get to the batsmen these days. It’s very much a no-no. He’s only young and made a couple of mistakes, but I’m sure he’ll learn going forward that you just can’t get that close to the batter and the [umpires] are going to be on you at all times. He’s a fantastic bowler to watch when he’s in full flight, and he’s going to keep taking wickets and keep celebrating. Maybe [he needs to be] just moving away from the batter a little bit, which I think I’ve learnt in the past as well when I was a bit younger.”The batsman, Shaun MarshAt St George’s Park, Marsh was undone by the full range of Rabada’s skills with a reversing ball, pinned lbw in the first innings with a ball swerving back sharply at him, and then coaxed into following and edging a second-innings delivery of similar length that curled away towards the slips.”He’s obviously a world-class bowler, isn’t he? His stats say that. He’s been a good challenge for us the first two Test matches. Obviously not playing the next two. He bowls good pace and can swing it both ways.”I guess it’s obviously two nations going pretty hard out on the ground. It’s Test cricket and sometimes tensions do boil over. It is what it is sometimes. We’ve just got to keep playing good cricket and keep playing on skill.”

Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke was slammed by one reporter for his performance against Rangers this afternoon, and the journalist also disagreed with the VAR decision to disallow Kemar Roofe's goal.

What was the Rangers vs Celtic score?

Celtic picked up a 1-0 victory away against their bitter rivals this afternoon, with Kyogo Furuhashi's goal on the stroke of half-time proving to be the difference between the two sides, but Rangers may feel a little hard done by to not have picked up at least a point.

In the 30th minute, Roofe thought he had opened the scoring for the hosts at Ibrox, but after a VAR check the goal was ruled out, with Cyriel Dessers being adjudged to have fouled Lagerbielke in the build-up, which will have been a huge relief for the defender.

Taking to X, Josh Bunting expressed his shock with the decision to overturn the goal, while also taking aim at the centre-back for his actions in the build-up to the goal. The journalist said:

"The technique on the Kyogo goal is so good, to hit that first time and place it like that is outstanding. Rangers disallowed goal is a horrendous decision it’s just dreadful defending from Gustaf Lagerbielke, how has the referee looked at that and decided it was a foul?

Bunting was not the only member of the media to disagree with the contentious decision, with Scottish SunSport columnist Jim Delahunt saying:

"For the record, dozy Lagerbielke dodged a bullet. Also, welcome to VAR for everyone who couldn't have given a toss about Aberdeen's two-footed penalty at St Mirren and countless others."

Regardless of the decision, however, Rangers still had plenty of time to get back into the game, but failed to do so, with the Hoops' opener in the first half proving to be decisive.

Should Kemar Roofe's goal have counted?

It was a very dubious decision to rule out the goal, but Brendan Rodgers' side will not care one bit, having now returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table, after sealing a victory in one of the biggest games of the season.

However, the manager may be a little concerned by Lagerbielke's performance, considering he got caught out in possession far too easily for the goal, which could have stood on a different day, meaning the complexion of the game would have changed completely.

Aside from his role in the disallowed goal, the 23-year-old's performance was not too bad, winning all three of his ground duels, and achieving a SofaScore match rating of 7.2, although he did lose possession on 14 occasions.

Having gotten away with his error today, Lagerbielke may need to put in a much-improved performance in Celtic's next match, with the Hoops set to face Dundee FC at home after the upcoming international break.

Late runs from Ben Cox and Ed Barnard produced spirited resistance but Hampshire’s lead still looks daunting

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2018
ScorecardBen Cox top scored for Worcestershire•Getty Images

Worcestershire’s Ben Cox claimed a 22nd career first-class fifty as promoted Worcestershire refused to yield, but Hampshire boast a sizeable 242-run lead with two wickets intact following an enthralling second day at the Ageas Bowl in the Specsavers County ChampionshipCox collected 65 in a quality-filled knock, as the visitors posted 211 in reply to Hampshire 290, a first innings deficit of 79.Hampshire then ended play on 163 for 8, with a lead of 242, after a spritely evening of bowling from Worcestershire under clear blue skies.The hosts began their second innings with gusto as they reach 47 without loss – with Jimmy Adams dropped first ball at third slip the only bump.But three wickets in four balls turned the momentum around.We’re in a good place – Vince

Hampshire captain James Vince: “There is still plenty in the wicket when you get it in the right areas. It is tough. We could have bowled them out for less but then we finished them off quickly when we got that breakthrough. If you look at the 242 in the context of the game then we are in a good place.
“I was keen to get back and playing, if I wasn’t I’d be at home checking the scores every five minutes anyway. Being at home I still see the family in the evening. I like the excitement of the result wickets, it can be tough at times but it is good fun to be playing in games like this.”

Lewis McManus was caught behind off Josh Tongue, while attempting to take his bat inside the line, before Adams was leg before to the first ball of Joe Leach’s over.Debutant Sam Northeast temporarily slowed the wicket taking with a supreme straight drive but was clean bowled by a Leach jaffa next delivery.James Vince, impressive in the first innings with 75, fell to Steve Magoffin for a second time in the match when he nicked to Daryl Mitchell at second slip.South African pair Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw combined to recover with a brisk 40 run partnership – before the overly aggressive Rossouw was bowled by Magoffin.Liam Dawson and Gareth Berg both fell soon after each other, both leg before, to Leach and Tongue respectively and then Hashim Amla was run out for a promising 36.Earlier with conditions starting under grey skies, Nightwatchman Tongue departed to the seventh ball of the day, as he prodded Kyle Abbott to Rossouw at second slip.Mitchell was handed two lives as he was dropped twice, on 18 and 21, by McManus off Abbott, both tricky chances off either side of the bat.But Mitchell’s luck ran out shortly after when he swiped a wide Fidel Edwards delivery to a juggling Northeast at gully.Gareth Berg had been the pick of a strong attack in the morning, and found himself in the wickets when Travis Head loosely drove to Northeast, now position at fourth slip, before he bowled Joe Clarke.With Worcestershire 68 for six, Hampshire would have been expecting a more hefty lead but Cox, firstly with George Rhodes and then Ed Barnard had other ideas.Like Vince on the opening day, Cox appeared to be batting somewhere else and found run scoring easier than the rest of his teammates.The wicket-keeper batsman brought up his half century off 58 balls.Cox added 44 with Rhodes, before the latter was lbw to Abbott, and then 80 in a vital eighth wicket stand with Barnard.He was eventually dismissed as Brad Wheal went short, pulling straight to Adams at square leg, as Leach fell for a similar trap on the mid-wicket boundary.Barnard, after a well-made 40, was the last to depart when he slog swept Dawson to Wheal at deep mid-wicket. Worcestershire were still in the match – but only just.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was backed throughout the summer transfer window as the board allowed him to bring in nine new signings to bolster the squad.

Nat Phillips, Luis Palma, Odin Thiago Holm, Paulo Bernardo, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Marco Tilio, Hyeok-kyu Kwon, and Hyun-jun Yang all came through the door at Parkhead.

However, snapping up talent from other clubs is not the only way to improve the side as the Northern Irish tactician could also look to the academy to find a future first-team star.

One player whose performances for the club's youth sides suggest that the potential is there for them to emerge as an option at senior level is 20-year-old striker Joey Dawson, who could be unearthed as the eventual heir to Kyogo Furuhashi at Paradise.

How many goals has Kyogo scored for Celtic?

The 28-year-old marksman has plundered an impressive 58 goals in 91 matches in all competitions for the Hoops since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

He has been a prolific scorer for the Bhoys since his move from Vissel Kobe in 2021 and contributed with a stunning 27 goals in 36 Scottish Premiership clashes last season.

The Japan international, who has scored four goals in six league games this term, produced a goal every 1.33 matches on average throughout the 2022/23 Premiership campaign, which shows that he is a reliable goalscorer for the Scottish giants.

Kyogo has proven himself to be able to find the back of the net on a regular basis and Celtic have a player who has the potential to replicate that success with Dawson.

How many goals has Joey Dawson scored for Celtic?

The English youngster has scored a phenomenal 20 goals in 24 matches for Celtic B since joining the club from Scunthorpe ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Dawson made his Scottish Premiership debut for the senior side that term but has not appeared in any more matches since then, despite an incredible 2022/23 season for the academy.

The 20-year-old marksman, who was described as "big" by his uncle and former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, racked up an outstanding 20 goals and three assists in 21 Lowland League games last term.

He averaged one strike every 1.05 league outings for the B team and averaged more than one goal contribution every clash for the side throughout the campaign.

This shows that the talented finisher has the potential to be a lethal and prolific scorer for the Hoops if he can translate that form over to the Premiership and other senior competitions.

His record for the B team is outstanding even in comparison to Kyogo's phenomenal form for the Bhoys and he, therefore, could end up being the dream heir to the Japan international if he can handle the step up.

However, the young star suffered a horrible knee injury back in March and is not expected to be back until the start of 2024. This means that there is no immediate need for him to emerge as a first-team player but Rodgers could slowly bed him into the set-up throughout next year.

The Northern Irish head coach could see how Dawson deals with his recovery and then offer him a chance to impress in a competitive setting later this season, or at the start of the following campaign, to see if he can eventually take over from Kyogo in the number nine position.

It's fair to say that Rangers have had a frustrating start to the season in the Scottish Premiership, already sitting four points behind Celtic, having lost two of their opening four games, including the most recent Old Firm derby.

On top of the league results, Michael Beale's side were also smashed 7-3 on aggregate by PSV Eindhoven in Champions League qualifying to end their hopes of competing among Europe's elite this season.

The Gers' start has put pressure on Beale to turn things around and prevent Celtic from winning a third consecutive Scottish Premiership. Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has delivered a damning new claim on the manager, however.

What did Frank McAvennie say?

Speaking to Football Insider, when asked how many games Beale has left to turn things around at Rangers, McAvennie said: "Just a few games, if anything. People are saying they have got to get him out now because they can’t have another season winning nothing.

“They have got the League Cup to go for, that could be his saving grace, whether that is going to pacify the fans because it was not Rangers that put Celtic out. The break has come at a good time for them.

“After getting battered by PSV I thought the best game to come back in would be a big game against your rivals with 50,000 fans behind you and they put in a performance like that, that is why fans are annoyed.“

Of course, it is worth noting that, when it comes to Rangers, the opinion of a former Celtic striker is likely to be taken with a pinch of salt, rather than a serious verdict on Beale's future. But, the manager's start to the season has been poor, and there's no doubt that the pressure will begin to mount and their former rival's words hold some truth.

Should Rangers sack Michael Beale?

Just four games into the season, sacking Beale would be a harsh decision from Rangers, who may not even find themselves an adequate replacement in the current managerial market – the current trendy link is Birmingham City's John Eustace.

The former Queens Park Rangers boss has lost twice in four Scottish Premiership games, but given that one of those came against a tough Celtic side, he deserves time to turn things around.

What will disappoint those at Ibrox is the manner in which Rangers were dumped out of the Champions League, smashed 7-3. It must be said once again, though, that PSV were no easy test, and the Gers were always the underdogs in that fixture.

It is worth remembering that Beale only became the Rangers manager in November of last year, which means that he has had less than a year in charge. So, if Rangers did sack him now, they would be doing themselves no favours – they would only be restarting the process that Beale has been attempting to get going since last season.

That's not to say that he hasn't overseen some disappointing results as of late, but defeat against the champions and one of the best Dutch teams should not warrant the sack.