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Sunil Narine has been banned from bowling his offbreaks in any match organised by the BCCI, including in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-20154:03

O’Brien: Need all your skills in T20 cricket

Sunil Narine has been banned from bowling his offbreaks in any match organised by the BCCI, including in the IPL. He may, however, continue to bowl his other deliveries – the knuckle ball and the quicker straight ball. If he uses the offbreak again in the ongoing IPL, he will be suspended from bowling in BCCI-organised matches.Narine had been reported again for a suspect action following Kolkata Knight Riders’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 22 in Visakhapatnam. He then went to the ICC-accredited Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre in Chennai for a biomechanical analysis of his bowling action. The BCCI suspect bowling action committee‎ reviewed the evidence of the match footage and the analysis, and concluded that Narine’s action for his offbreak was illegal.Since being reported, Narine missed Knight Riders’ match against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday as the franchise had decided to not risk playing the offspinner.Narine had been reported twice during the Champions League T20 last year and was subsequently banned from bowling in the final of the tournament. He skipped West Indies’ tour of India and later withdrew from their World Cup squad, choosing to focus on remodelling his action.He underwent testing at the University of Loughborough and was cleared but the BCCI asked him to undergo another round of tests at the Sri Ramachandra University. He was then cleared by the BCCI suspect action committee and played five games for Knight Riders this season before being reported again.He will now have to undergo corrective work on his action again after which he can request for another assessment by the BCCI committee.

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 will be staged across eight venues in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2015

Group A
Ireland, Nepal, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, USA, Jersey
Group B
Afghanistan, UAE, Netherlands, Scotland, Canada, Kenya, Oman

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015 will be staged across eight venues in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26. The top six sides from the 14-team and 51-game tournament will join the 10 Full Members for the ICC World Twenty20 2016, to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.The sides that top the two groups will automatically qualify for the World Twenty20 2016. The sides that finish second and third in each of the groups will play cross-over matches with the two winners joining the table-toppers for the India tournament.The losing sides of the two play-off matches will then play the fourth-placed sides from each of the two groups in cross-over matches with the winners completing the 16-team line-up for the World Twenty20 2016.There will be two rounds of warm-up games on July 6 and 7 before Scotland meet UAE in the opening game of the tournament on July 9, followed by Netherlands taking on Afghanistan later in the afternoon. Malahide in Dublin and The Grange in Edinburgh will be the two broadcast venues.The six sides that joined the 10 Full Members for the World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh were Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the UAE.

The IPL governing council is set to discuss an alternative to the Champions League Twenty20 in a meeting, likely to be held in Delhi, on July 8

Amol Karhadkar02-Jul-20152:15

What went wrong with the CLT20?

The IPL governing council is set to discuss an alternative to the Champions League Twenty20 in a meeting, likely to be held in Delhi, on July 8.Though the CLT20 has still not officially been scrapped, it is believed that the three boards governing the multinational T20 tournament have signed an exit clause with the broadcaster of the tournament. As a result, according to a BCCI insider, “It is a given that CLT20 is history and it’s time to look ahead”.The BCCI is understood to have plenty of options to fill in the three-week void created in the fixtures by the CLT20 cancellation. At the moment, there are three major options being discussed in the BCCI corridors. To play a mini-IPL comprising the top four teams in IPL 2015. Likely to be a seven-match tournament with a league stage of six matches, followed by a final. To play a baby-IPL with all eight teams participating. The tournament will have a total of 15 matches, with eight teams divided into two groups of four, followed by two semi-finals and a final. Instead of playing a mini/baby-IPL, respond to the WICB’s informal proposal of playing a short series in India to make up for the losses arising out of West Indies’ pullout from last year’s tour of India.The IPL governing council is likely to discuss the first two options threadbare. If either of those two options is considered financially and logistically viable, then the governing council is set to forward it to the BCCI working committee, likely to be held in the latter half of July, for ratification.The most critical aspect of playing a mini-IPL is to consider the ramifications of it on the broadcaster for the IPL. If any other broadcaster is awarded rights for a miniature version of the IPL, Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd, owners of Max and Six who broadcast the IPL, may appeal to the Competition Commission of India.However, the BCCI at the moment is not looking that far. The issue of broadcasting, according an IPL insider, will arise only if a mini-IPL is formalised. The BCCI hierarchy is also confident that the issue can be dealt with by following a transparent method to award broadcast rights.While the BCCI’s coffers are richer due to the settlement with the CLT20 broadcaster, a mini-IPL will help the IPL cricketers and franchises oblige their contractual commitments. Ten per cent of every player’s IPL contract is set aside as his match-fees for the CLT20, provided his team qualifies for the tournament. Similarly, a portion of every franchise’s sponsorship deal is understood to have been provisionally based on its qualification for the CLT20.Only if the governing council decides against filling in the CLT20 slot with a franchise-based league will it let the working committee discuss the possibility of playing a series at home against West Indies.

Any England supporter with the vaguest sense of Ashes history would have felt mild trepidation as they defended a first-innings score of 430 on a sunny Cardiff day

The Report by David Hopps09-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAny England supporter with the vaguest sense of Ashes history would have felt mild trepidation as they defended a first-innings score of 430 on a sunny Cardiff day. The last time an Ashes Test ventured into Wales, England made pretty much the same score, only to concede 674 for 6 and need some heroic resistance from James Anderson and Monty Panesar to escape with a draw.That being so, England, even while believing the total was a par score, will have been relieved to prise out five Australian batsmen by the close of the second day with a largely disciplined bowling performance. They lead by 166 and will hope to cut deep into the tail with the second new ball, which is 10 overs away.Six years on, the Land of Song has produced another placid Ashes surface – when the ball goes soft, it is less Tom Jones’ Green, Green Grass of Home than the Manic Street Preachers’ Some Kind of Nothingness, slow enough on occasions to crush any happiness you know. That this first Investec Test has generally been so fascinating is testimony to the attacking resolve of both sides.The businesslike figure of Chris Rogers fashioned Australia’s response. A prolonged career in English county cricket before Australia finally came calling has made such slow, low pitches his natural habitat.His wicket carries slightly less kudos than some, outside a dressing room at any rate, but his 95 was the innings of a solid citizen, replete with watchful off-side drives: he pushed the ball into the covers as if emerging warily from a T-junction on the lookout for oncoming traffic. It sounds unfair to term him careful when he feels, with justification, that he is careering along, but his squat deflections and placements are shots of calculation.He fell five runs short of what would have been his fourth Ashes hundred, cutting a ball quite tight to him from Mark Wood and edging to Jos Buttler. From 180 for 3, gambolling along at more than four in over, in keeping with England’s progress, Australia dried, with James Anderson to the fore, and the rate slipped to three an over against a softening ball, for the loss of Michael Clarke and Adam Voges, before the close.Rogers did have a world record to ponder. His feat of seven successive Test fifties had been achieved only by Everton Weekes, Andy Flower, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kumar Sangakkara. Perhaps not surprisingly for a record that reveals consistency rather than grandeur, all of them, with the exception of Weekes, the domineering West Indian, have often been described in the same workmanlike terms befitting Rogers.That sequence was interrupted by the concussion that forced him out of a recent Test series in the West Indies and Stuart Broad might have exposed one or two leftover signs with the short ball. Rogers, though, did achieve his first Test six – a sort of coming of age in his 21st Test – when he hooked a bouncer to long leg, brushing the fingertips of the leaping Moeen Ali who crossed the line in a vain attempt to fashion a catch.Rogers also survived a review. There was swing initially for England’s new-ball attack and Broad came close to removing Rogers, on 2, only for England’s review – encouraged as ever by Broad, his ravenous desire for wickets colouring his conclusion – to be rejected as Rogers was saved by a thin inside edge.David Warner was the first Australian batsman to fall, driving Anderson on the up and well taken by Alastair Cook at first slip. It was Warner at his least aggressive (in Walkabout bar terms, 8pm at the latest) and he also needed to overturn an lbw decision on 13 when Anderson struck his back pad but replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump.As Australia hurtled ahead, England were grateful for the resilience of Moeen, who cut down Steven Smith and Clarke with their innings established. That Australia would target him was inevitable, just as they had targeted Graeme Swann so successfully on their own pitches two years earlier. Smith seemed to have his measure, one assertive over bringing three boundaries in four balls: stylish straight drive, dragged straight drive and a resounding dance down the pitch to loft him gloriously over mid-off.But Cook persisted with Moeen and he was rewarded with a prize wicket – a reward, too, for a carefully-plotted field position. Smith, on 33, advanced down the pitch, but Moeen floated the ball down leg, a little turn taking the ball further away from the batsman, who became entirely squared up and toppled over to the off side as he chipped the ball to short mid-on.Clarke also came down the wicket with intent and, if his shot was more balanced than Smith’s, the outcome was equally ill-fated as he drove back a firm return catch. Voges’ dismissal owed much to England’s ability to create pressure with the old ball, Ben Stokes being rewarded for one of his most disciplined England spells by having Voges caught at short extra as the ball took a puff of dust from the pitch.Moeen’s graceful batting, sprinkled with occasional fortune, had also been to the fore in the morning before England succumbed for 430, adding another 97 in only 14.1 overs. Moeen played with delightful freedom in extending his innings to 77 from 88 balls before he edged Mitchell Starc to Shane Watson at slip. He also edged Starc to the keeper on 34, but Australia, strangely introverted, did not appeal as they were fooled by the bat scraping the ground.Starc then bowled Anderson to return 5 for 114 but he has ankle trouble and, although he will hope to get through the Test unscathed, he must be doubtful for the second Test at Lord’s which follows so soon afterwards.As for Mitchell Johnson’s Reign of Terror, the first signs were that it may not be fit for export as he returned his worst Test figures. Johnson remained wicketless, he doffed his cap to the crowd as his bowler’s century was cheered ironically and he had the misfortune to have to pedal back at long-off in a futile attempt to try to catch a lofted drive from Moeen as he toe-ended Nathan Lyon’s offspin down the ground.Take Broad, add an Ashes series, and the result is invariably some hoo-ha or other. On this occasion he was the potential victim as Voges claimed a dubious catch at short leg. For the only time, Broad tried to stand tall to a bouncer from Johnson, squirmed the ball into the leg side and Voges was entangled between the batsman’s feet by the time he claimed the catch.The review showed that the ball dragged along the ground and boos predictably resounded, but Broad and Voges, former team-mates at Nottinghamshire, just had a quick chat and got on with it, Broad soon falling trying to slog sweep Lyon’s first ball.

India are without many seniors in the side which will bring the teams together a little closer in what could be a competitive series

The Preview by Liam Brickhill in Harare09-Jul-2015Match factsFriday, July 10
Start time 9.00 am local time (0700 GMT)Big pictureIn comparison to the Ashes hype that greeted Australia’s arrival in England, the build-up to India’s short tour of Zimbabwe has seemed distinctly provincial. It has not helped that a number of the Indian players are virtually unknown to Zimbabwe’s cricket-watching public.The absence of several seniors from this side will also bring these two teams, from opposite ends of cricket’s spectrum, a little closer together. Friday’s ODI is the first in what could be a competitive series.Which is not to say that India aren’t still favourites, and there’s plenty to motivate this group. The seven members of the squad who were also present during the one-day defeats to Bangladesh will sense an opportunity to move on. There is a middle-order position up for grabs in the side, a handful of keen young bowlers, and clear value to be gained from a good tour for players such as Stuart Binny and M Vijay.Zimbabwe, on the other hand, were eminently watchable against Pakistan in May and even without Brendan Taylor, the batsmen have shown themselves to be a dynamic unit who could profit from an inexperienced Indian bowling attack, with the exception of Harbhajan Singh. Zimbabwe’s own bowling attack is missing the key figure of Tendai Chatara, who is still recuperating from a broken leg, though the conditions will probably favour slower bowlers anyway.With so much cricket planned for the remainder of the year, this series marks an important starting point for Zimbabwe. A competitive showing here could set them up nicely to meet the challenges to come in the next few months. This will also be the first match under the new ODI playing conditions, which do away with compulsory close catchers in the first 10 overs, remove the batting Powerplay, allow five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last 10 overs of an ODI innings and Free Hits for all no-balls.Form guideZimbabwe: LLLLL
India: WLLLWIn the spotlightStuart Binny’s IPL performances suggest a player capable of fulfilling India’s search for an ODI allrounder, but at 31, he has only played 10 ODIs. Time is running out for Binny to cement his place in India’s side in the long term, and these matches could provide a necessary platform for him to showcase his talent with bat and ball.Sikandar Raza’s role in Zimbabwe’s one-day side has undergone something of a metamorphosis. He started off as an opener but he has been moved down the order into a finishing role, and made a century batting at No. 5 in Pakistan. His offspin bowling, once modestly part-time, has also progressed and he’ll have an all-round role to play in any Zimbabwean success.Team newsCraig Ervine’s hamstring niggle has kept him out of contention for a slot in Zimbabwe’s middle order, but there are still a number of batsmen vying for a position there. Malcolm Waller looked in good form during Zimbabwe’s practice matches last week, while Regis Chakabva and Richmond Mutumbami are jostling for the solitary wicketkeeping slot, and staked an equal claim by sharing a century partnership during the practice matches, with Mutumbami being the incumbent.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Elton Chigumbura, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Tinashe Panyangara, 11 Brian Vitori.With so many empty slots to fill, India have plenty of freedom in the assembly of their playing XI. Manoj Tiwary’s experience in the position means he’ll probably open with M Vijay, while the presence of Stuart Binny provides balance to the bowling attack.India (probable): 1 Murali Vijay, 2 Manoj Tiwary, 3 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Robin Uthappa (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Dhawal KulkarniPitch and conditionsWinter pitches in Zimbabwe tend to be very dry, and often play slow and low. Local knowledge suggests there may not be a huge amount of turn, but that spinners will still play a leading role in restricting scoring. That’s not to say that the quicks will have nothing to do – the very early starts to these games mean that during the first hour the ball will still nip and seam around.Stats and trivia> Zimbabwe’s squad has played a combined 986 one-day internationals. India’s ODI experience tallies up at 479. India and Zimbabwe have met 57 times in ODIs, with India winning 45 and Zimbabwe 10. There have been two tied matches between the teams.Quotes”I’ve brought a few ideas with me, and I’ve got my own style of captaincy, but I’ve learned a lot from Dhoni under his captaincy.””The hardware is there, you’ve seen it, it’s the software that they’ve got to work on.”

Eighteen months ago in Delhi, Australia’s World T20 victory triggered a chain of events for England women that culminate in tomorrow’s rematch

Adam Collins08-Jul-2017England, according to their slogan, are striving to ‘go boldly’ in this World Cup campaign. It isn’t hard to see that disposition reflected in their words as well as their play: expansive and forthright. Liberated of major host-nation expectations, a process that was actually helped along their opening-round loss to India, Heather Knight’s side are as healthy as they are happy.In turn, there couldn’t be a better time for them to cop Australia in the group stage of this tournament, and they know it. The world champions, of course, have done little wrong to date, reflected in a faultless win-loss ledger after four starts. But, as a result of captain Meg Lanning’s shoulder injury – it was still unclear on match eve whether she will take her place at No.3 in Bristol – they strike the more discombobulated figure of the two. Unavoidably so: all the depth in the world cannot replace the best player on the planet.”It’s still attached last time I looked,” Joe Dawes, Australia’s bowling coach, said. “That’s for the medical people to work out, I’m not sure. We’re preparing for her to play tomorrow, as far as I know, and see how she wakes up in the morning, I guess.”England are too, Knight confident that, no matter what, the utterly dominant batsman will be ready to roll when the team sheets are being inked. “We’re fully preparing for Meg,” she said.England have long been gearing up for this blockbuster. No moment was more significant to coach Mark Robinson’s wholesale reform of the side than their loss on the previous occasion the two teams met, in last year’s World T20 semi-final. It’s a constant point of reference any time he’s drawn on the post-Charlotte Edwards era.”We were different on the day when we played that semi-final,” he recalled. “We couldn’t do some of the basics – the non-skill things – in that semi-final. So, that’s just non-negotiable – an England coach should never have to talk about fitness.”In Robinson’s New England, his side also cannot allow themselves to be intimidated by the Australian machine. “We respect Australia but we have to respect ourselves and what have done as a coaching staff, and Heather as captain, is try and give the girls belief in themselves,” he said. “So for me, it is not about winning or losing, it’s about making sure we all turn up.”For Knight’s part, she sees the squad as being “in a really good place” – radically different to when they capitulated in that 2016 clash. “We function as a team a lot better,” she said. “We don’t rely on a few players; we have got a lot more leaders.”Meg Lanning’s shoulder injury has come at an inopportune moment for the world champions•Getty Images/ICCHelping with the psychology of preparing for an Australian clash is familiarity, with so many of the frontliners facing off regularly on the semi-professional T20 circuit. So now is as good a time as any, she thinks, to break England’s 24-year World Cup hoodoo against them.”It is the big games that we have been preparing for, and a lot of the work we have done is towards these big games and standing up,” she said. “There is always going to be that added pressure with the old enemy but hopefully we can, as a group, rise to that.”The precondition for an upset is England’s record-breaking batting continuing apace. They now boast four World Cup century-makers: Knight and Nat Sciver clocking their maiden ODI tons against Pakistan, then Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor combining for an outrageous 275-run tryst against a full-strength South Africa on Wednesday.”It is as good as it gets,” Robinson said of the stand – the highest for England in ODIs. “Both of them got into that lovely place where they were just playing with absolute freedom, on auto-pilot, in the zone, that magical place. And the joy they had with each other. They hopefully express that as a team; they play best when they are playing with a smile.”It capped Taylor’s return to the game in emphatic style, her 147 from 104 balls a galaxy away from when she walked away from it all following the aforementioned World T20 nadir due to crippling anxiety. “She never really expected to be in this position,” Robinson said. “The thing we talk about with Sarah is the bonus of her being here. Everything she achieves is extra.”Her year-long omission, according to the coach, did have unexpected benefits as the side quickly found its way under Knight’s leadership. “We played a lot without her which was probably quite good for us as a team (with) other players coming to the fore,” he said. “The team now know that they don’t have to rely on anybody.”Australia are less interested in words. They just want to do what they’re good at. “Win,” Dawes said of their plan against England. “We don’t worry too much about the opposition.” Simple as that. “We’re pretty happy coming into the business end and peaking nicely.”The surface, a fresh pitch, is expected to be hard and fast – just the way Robinson likes it. “Gloucestershire have been outstanding with the wickets they have produced so far,” he said. “With the way (women) play nowadays, hitting and manipulating the ball the way they can, they need the surfaces to do their skills justice.”For how that effects selection, Knight said it is “unlikely” a trio of tweakers will be used. But that has been the status quo for Australia’s side so far in this tournament, three of Australia’s four spinners rotated through the XI in each fixture. Dawes hinted that it will be the same again, regardless of the pitch, due to the tap seamers have been taking across the board.Robinson’s relaxed final thoughts are that they have earned this chance to knock off the champions. “Australia are an outstanding team,” he said. “We have got a great opportunity to see how far we have come, win or lose. We’ll have a yard stick to see exactly where we are at the moment.” Not at all a bad place to be.

Just when it seemed reliable pitches were now the norm, Edgbaston turned nasty, 18 wickets fell in the day and batsmen took some painful blows

Jon Culley at Edgbaston09-May-2016
ScorecardIan Bell’s hamstring injury seems to make him a non-starter in the first Test•Getty ImagesSo much for flat pitches. Just when it seemed batsmen might be able to look forward to some good old-fashioned shirt fronts, thanks to the decision to allow visiting teams to bowl first if they fancy it, the one cut for this match has been a proper package of unpredictability, and painfully so at times.There were 18 wickets on the second day and at least six instances of players being hit on various parts of the body. Tom Abell, Peter Trego and, earlier, Keith Barker, were all left with throbbing fingers, Chris Rogers took blows to the ribs and midriff and Lewis Gregory had to have treatment as a ball from an apologetic Boyd Rankin reared up and struck him on the helmet.It was a wonder Ian Bell’s hamstring, which has almost certainly ruled out any possible Test recall against Sri Lanka next week, was not superseded as the injury story of the day.If Somerset were left a little battered and bruised, Warwickshire look like being on the wrong end of the result. Bowled out for 152 in reply to 295, their tall pace quartet in turn shot Somerset out for 178 but a target of 322 to achieve a first win of the season looks a tall order, unless the pitch flattens out appreciably.Trego’s 51, which supplemented his 94 on day one, was by some margin the best Somerset score and its merits were applauded with gusto on the visitors’ balcony. It was a characteristically aggressive innings from the combative all-rounder, and though he described the pitch as “scary” he confessed to enjoying the challenge hugely.”There are some quite decent sized cracks so there is a little bit of uneven bounce and sideways movement and when someone is bowling a very hard projectile at you at 85mph and you don’t really know how it is going to behave off the pitch, that’s a pretty scary proposition,” he said.”When a few of the guys get hit on the gloves and hit in the body, that sets the batsmen on the back foot and creates a little bit of doubt and mistakes creep in.”But to be honest I quite like playing on wickets like that. It gets the juices flowing and you know there is going to be a potential result. Wearing a couple is part of the gig. A couple of guys who ducked into some relatively full deliveries that were not played particularly well but some balls bounced alarmingly and that’s fantastic for me.”Abes (Tom Abell) played magnificently well on day one with support from myself but we played and missed at a lot of balls and it was one of those wickets where you could easily be rolled for 150 and that played out in Warwickshire’s innings.”In fairness, it could be argued that the behaviour of the pitch was a factor in no more than a handful of dismissals. Rogers, never comfortable, fended a short ball to short leg and the one that had Jim Allenby caught at second slip climbed on him but the full, straight ball was as effective a weapon as any. It was too good for James Hildreth, for example, who had his middle stump uprooted first ball by Chris Woakes.There were a few batsmen, too, who were architects of their own demise.Bell, who had missed the whole of the last session and a little more after feeling his left hamstring in the field on day one, came in unaccompanied at five down but never looked comfortable and the immediate thought was that it would not be long before he asked for a runner. In the event, he did not need one. After despatching a glorious cover drive for four off Trego, he attempted to dab the next delivery to third man but was never in control of the shot and instead gave Allenby a low catch at first slip.The diagnosis on the ground was that Bell had a grade one tear. He was due to have a scan after close of play but even if the damage is revealed as no worse, he can expect to miss next week’s match against Nottinghamshire at the very least. A recall to Test match duty seems therefore to be ruled out, at least in the short term.Bell was the fourth man out in the morning session as Warwickshire stumbled from 27-2 overnight to 107-6 at lunch. Jonathan Trott had pulled Gregory loosely to midwicket, Sam Hain was undone attempting to play across one from the same bowler and Tim Ambrose thin-edged a cut, Ryan Davies, the England Under-19 wicketkeeper recruited from Kent, taking a good diving catch.Varun Chopra played soundly for his 56 but only Chris Woakes was able to stick with him for more than a few overs.Somerset’s batsmen looked hardly more secure. Abell, after his first-day hundred, was gone for just two this time and after the departures of Marcus Trescothick and then Hildreth left them 23-3, there seemed to be a nervousness about the batting that suggested the pitch was playing on a few minds.Trego countered this with aggression and for him it paid off. After Allenby was dismissed at 53-4, Somerset’s progress to 151-8 would not have happened without it. Trego struck sxi fours before top-edging a pull as Jeetan Patel claimed the 28th wicket of the match, and the 16th of the day, and the first to fall to spin.Useful runs from the Overton twins swelled Somerset’s lead and Warwickshire were left to negotiate two overs before the close. But for the forecast of rain, a three-day finish would be guaranteed.

After Lokomotiv Moscow revealed they could have signed Neymar in 2008 for €10 million, Goal looks at other failed bids to sign budding superstars

Getty ImagesFranco Baresi (Inter)

All Franco Baresi wanted to do was follow in his brother's footsteps. However, when he had a trial with Giuseppe's club, Inter, he was rejected for being too small.

"They said, 'Well, come back next year.' But my coach took me to Milan, and there I was accepted, although it took a couple of trials. 

"They were worried about my size, that I wouldn't grow much, or toughen up. I was only 14 at the time."

Milan nonetheless decided to sign Baresi and they were rewarded for doing so. 

He both grew up and toughened up as he developed into arguably the most ruthless and intelligent defender the game has ever seen, the cornerstone of the great Milan side of Arrigo Sacchi.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGianluigi Buffon (AC Milan)

Just months after deciding to try his luck in goal, the 13-year-old Gianluigi Buffon was being courted by three Serie A sides: Bologna, AC Milan and Parma. 

All three invited the Carrara native for a trial. Bologna were unconvinced despite taking two separate looks at him. Milan, meanwhile, had no doubts and even sent Buffon's parents a contract to sign.

However, after visiting the Rossoneri's academy accommodation, they decided against sending their son so far away from home.

As a result, when Parma goalkeeping coach Ermes Fulgoni immediately pushed the club to sign Buffon, his parents were only too happy to allow him to move to the Tardini, where he would break into the first team at just 17.

His first opponents as a professional? Milan, of course. Buffon kept a clean sheet, denying Roberto Baggio & Co. with one spectacular save after another. A star had been born.

Getty ImagesDidier Drogba (Arsenal)

No list of missed opportunities in the transfer market would be complete without Arsene Wenger, who has claimed to have pursued nearly every top player over the past two decades.

From Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappe — the Arsenal boss had a look at them all. Wenger's biggest regret, though, is probably Didier Drogba, for three reasons. 

Firstly, the Frenchman had a clear run at the powerful Ivorian attacker. Secondly, he could have signed him for a pittance.

"We watched Drogba very carefully when he was at Le Mans and his value was just £100,000," the Gunners manager explained.

"But we felt at the time he might not be completely ready. Looking back now, of course it was a mistake."

A colossal one at that, because the third reason why Drogba ranks as Wenger's biggest regret is that the striker went on to spend a significant chunk of his time at Chelsea tormenting one Arsenal centre-half after another.

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Getty ImagesPaul Gascoigne (Manchester United)

While every other entry in our list left the club wondering about what might have been, in the case of Paul Gascoigne, it was the player who was left racked by regret.

The gifted English midfielder had agreed to leave his beloved Newcastle for Manchester United in the summer of 1988 and Alex Ferguson went off on holiday to Malta a happy manager, only for Tottenham to change everything by offering to buy his parents a house.

"What are you waiting for?!" his dad exclaimed. Then, his sister requested a sunbed before his father asked for a car to go in his new home's garage.

Spurs ceded to all of the family's demands and 'Gazza' ended up at White Hart Lane rather than Old Trafford. 

"I think it was a bad mistake," Alex Ferguson later mused, "and Paul admits it. We had a structure of players who could have helped him and it could have given him some discipline."

Instead, Gascoigne achieved a level of fame at Italia 90 which he never managed to deal with, leading to a career and life blighted by behavioural and alcohol problems.

The English top flight is packed with international superstars but which lesser-known players could make a big impact this season?

Getty Images1Rafael Camacho

Rafael Camacho is just one of several youngsters to have impressed Jurgen Klopp this summer but the Liverpool boss has been particularly taken with the Portuguese starlet on account of his remarkable versatility.

"Rafa Camacho is having a pre-season that is just fantastic," the German enthused, "and mostly as a full-back, where he'd never played before."

Indeed, while the converted winger excelled as a wing-back for Steven Gerrard's Under-18s last season, he is now proving that he has the defensive discipline and requisite intelligence to play as an orthodox right-back.

Camacho should spend the upcoming campaign with the Under-23s but Klopp would not have any doubts about utilising a character he says is full of "football joy".

AdvertisementGetty2Phil Foden

This time last year, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was raving about Phil Foden after a performance of remarkable maturity in an International Champions Cup clash with Manchester United. 

The Catalan's hopes for the classy and versatile midfielder have only risen after a 2017-18 campaign in which the teenager became the youngest Englishman to ever start a Champions League match before then becoming the youngest ever recipient of a Premier League winners' medal.

When one considers that he was also named player of the tournament after helping his country win last October's Under-17 World Cup in India, it's clear that the prodigiously gifted Foden has both the talent and the temperament to make an even bigger impact on the English top flight this term.

Getty Images3Matteo Guendouzi

Having been plying his trade in Ligue 2 with Lorient, Matteo Guendouzi was the least known of Arsenal's summer signings. 

However, the 19-year-old defensive midfielder, who represents France at Under-20 level, has been the surprise star of the Gunners' pre-season campaign and is already beginning to look like a bargain buy at just £7 million.

Indeed, with his impressive composure and pin-point passing, the Paris Saint-Germain product is showing just why Gunners boss Unai Emery believes that Guendouzi will be "an important part" of Arsenal's first-team squad this season.

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Getty Images4Callum Hudson-Odoi

New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has been at pains to point out that Callum Hudson-Odoi is not guaranteed first-team football this season but even the Italian couldn't help but get excited by the forward's potential on the back of his pre-season performances, admitting that the 17-year-old is going to become "very famous". 

Hudson-Odoi certainly has the pace and trickery to excel at the highest level, as underlined by the fact that the Englishman is being tracked by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.

Luckily for Chelsea, the Under-17 World Cup winner has already admitted that he is savouring Sarri's brand of high-energy, high-pressing football and appears to be edging closer to signing a lucrative five-year contract with the Londoners.

The Argentine wizard – as predicted by GOAL – won his seventh Golden Ball on November 29, beating the Bayern Munich star into second place

After being cancelled in 2020, the Ballon d'Or returned with a bang in 2021 as the great and good of the football world again eyed the biggest individual honour the game has to offer.

In the end, it was Lionel Messi who walked away with his seventh Golden Ball, beating Robert Lewandowski into second place when the results were announced by in Paris on November 29.

GOAL has been ranking the contenders for the prize since March, and now the official standings have been confirmed, check out how many we got right (and wrong!)…

Learn all about the best free bets offers in the UK with our extensive guideGetty20Lautaro Martinez (Inter)

In terms of silverware, Lautaro Martinez could not have hoped for a better 2021, as he first scored crucial goals to help Inter win their first Serie A title for 11 years before playing a similarly key role for Argentina as they claimed the Copa America trophy.

Despite not being the face of either campaign, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old was deserving of his place on the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

AdvertisementGetty Images19Nicolo Barella (Inter)

Another who combined winning the Scudetto with lifting an international trophy was Nicolo Barella, who with a more well-known name around the world might have found himself higher up these and the official rankings.

The Italy star was one of the Azzurri's most consistent performers through Euro 2020, and if he is able to add more goals to his game going forward then he could become the complete midfield package.

Getty18Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)

Neymar's dream of winning the Ballon d'Or looks to be slipping away from the Brazil star after another year where he combined some brilliant performances with more injuries and disappointment in the biggest games of all.

Winning two domestic cups in a calendar year is not befitting of the world's most expensive player, and he found himself way down the pecking order when the final rankings were revealed.

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Getty Images17Harry Kane (Tottenham)

It has been a funny year for Harry Kane, who finished as the player with both the most goals and most assists in the 2020-21 Premier League season, captained England to the Euro 2020 final and was one of the most coveted players during the summer transfer market.

And yet, after his slow start to the current campaign and still being without a major trophy to his name, it feels like his career is, for the first time, beginning to stall.

An intriguing 2022 awaits.