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Harbhajan left out of Australia tour

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India have left out offspinner Harbhajan Singh from the Test squad for the tour of Australia, picking Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin as the spinners in the 17-man team

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2011India have left out Harbhajan Singh from the squad for the Test series in Australia, picking Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin as the spinners in the 17-man group. Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar, who was part of the team in England, returns to the squad in place of legspinner Rahul Sharma, who was part of the squad for the ongoing Test series against West Indies but did not play a match.The squad comprised eight specialist batsmen, two wicketkeeper batsmen, five fast bowlers and two spinners. Wriddhiman Saha was named as reserve wicketkeeper, while Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from hamstring and ankle injuries, will join the team subject to match fitness.”Zaheer will play in a couple of Ranji Trophy matches. And once he is fully match-fit and everything is fine, he will join the side,” Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of India’s selectors, said. “He may also go with the team as by the time [the team leaves] he would have played a couple of matches.”MS Dhoni, the India captain, said that Zaheer testing his fitness in a Ranji game for Mumbai against Orissa would be beneficial for both the player and the team. “He [Zaheer] gives his 100%. But if you have to undergo rehab it has to be done really well,” Dhoni said. “We are hoping that he is 100% fit for the Australia series. Once he plays a first-class game that will help judge to some extent the way he feels.”Zaheer bowled to the Indian batsmen in the lead up to the third Test against West Indies at the Wankhede and Dhoni said he “looked quite fit.”Harbhajan’s omission was a result of left-arm spinner Ojha and offspinner Ashwin produced compelling performances in the Test series against West Indies. Ashwin was the series’ highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at 22.90 apiece, while Ojha took 20 at 22.50. Ashwin also scored his maiden international century in the third Test at the Wankhede.”Unfortunately, we cannot help it [not picking Harbhajan] as the team selects itself,” Srikkanth said. “In Australia, you cannot have more than two spinners. Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin are doing an excellent job. Sometimes it becomes bad luck and sometimes people miss out. I’m sure everyone has their own time and space to come back.”Harbhajan had been dropped from the squad for the West Indies series after a poor performance in England, where he took only two wickets in two Tests before an abdominal-muscle injury forced him to return home. He failed to perform in the Ranji Trophy as well, managing only two wickets at an average of 102 in three matches as captain of Punjab. On India’s previous tour to Australia, in 2007-08, Harbhajan had a tally of eight wickets in three Tests at 61.25. He conceded over 100 runs in an innings three times in that series.Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the upcoming ODI series against West Indies because of a lung problem, and Suresh Raina, were also not in not in the team.”We have chosen a very balanced side. We have taken everything into account, including fitness and Australian conditions,” Srikkanth said. “If you ask me today whether this team can beat Australia in Australia, I would say I’m very confident. We should beat Australia in Australia in a Test series.”Our batsman are in form, our bowlers are in form. And now we have all kinds of bowlers. We have fast bowlers, medium-fast bowlers, we have swing bowlers, spinners – left-arm and offspin,” Srikkanth said. “So depending on the conditions there the team management will select the team on a match-to-match basis.”Squad: MS Dhoni (capt &wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Zaheer Khan (subject to fitness).

Ireland plan first-class structure

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Plans are being put in place for a first-class structure in Ireland that could pave the way for the country to become a Test nation

Andrew McGlashan24-Aug-2011Plans are being put in place for a first-class structure in Ireland that could pave the way for the country to become a Test nation. Although still a long way from coming to fruition, possibly a decade, Cricket Ireland believes it is a realistic aim following the team’s rise in one-day international and Twenty20 cricket.Warren Deutrom, the chief executive, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that talk of a first-class game in Ireland wasn’t just a pipe-dream and that it is a major part of the road map for cricket’s future in the country. Though he was not willing to commit to a date or expand on details of any discussions that have taken place, there is a belief that the game in Ireland is becoming strong enough to support a first-class system.”Do I think it can be achieved? If I didn’t I may as well not be in the job,” Deutrom said. “There is no time frame to it, but it is certainly something we want to achieve.”While Bangladesh gained Test status without a first-class competition in place – that was all to do with the Asian bloc vote and is a major reason why they have struggled to adapt to the long format – Ireland would need to prove their game could sustain a decent standard. The development of 12,000-seater ground at Malahide, a suburb of Dublin, is a sign of Ireland’s serious aims.”I think don’t anything should be ruled out,” William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, said when asked about Test cricket for Ireland. “It might not be in my playing career, but it could be if you see the steps we’ve taken in the last four years. We have everything in place to push on.”Seven of the current squad for the match against England at Clontarf make their living in county cricket and one of the driving forces behind trying to expand the game in Ireland is the continued loss of players to the English game. It is being highlighted this week with Eoin Morgan leading England for the first time, while Boyd Rankin, who will open the bowling for Ireland, is on their radar and George Dockrell has been noted as one to watch.Cricket Ireland now offer contracts to their leading players but young cricketers who want to reach Test level still have no choice but to follow the England route. Although Ireland can continue to play them until they are selected by the full side – not the Lions as in Rankin’s case – the moment they play an international they can’t switch back if their career stalls unless they spend four more years qualifying, as Ed Joyce did before the 2011 World Cup.”In the last few years we’ve produced a lot of good cricketers and in an ideal world we’d be playing at the highest level ourselves,” Porterfield said. “We want to become a Full Member, even if that’s just to be a part of the FTP for one-dayers, we have to keep progressing. We have shown we deserve to be there. In an ideal world everyone would be based at home and we’d have a first-class structure in Ireland and wouldn’t have to rely on England. I think that’s the direction it’s moving in and hopefully plans will be put in place over the next few years.”In the shorter term, though, the challenge for Ireland is to increase their exposure to top-level ODI cricket. Matches such as Thursday’s against England are a key part but the team needs regular contests against the Full Members and Cricket Ireland are hopeful of having a visit from Australia next year.However, the international schedule is crammed. In recent times plans have fallen through for series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh due to their other international commitments which now include Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket. The Irish board are likely to accept an invite to join the Hong Kong Sixes for the first time this year, but while a welcome addition to their profile, it isn’t proper cricket and there is hope that a trip to West Indies might materialise.Early next year Ireland will take part in the World Twenty20 qualifiers to try and secure their place at the full tournament in Sri Lanka next September. There are places for two Associates at that event after the ICC’s decision to revert to a 14-team 50-over World Cup for 2015 instead of a 16-team Twenty20 although Associate nations are still considering how to challenge that. While Test cricket is the dream goal for Ireland, the pressure is on them to keep qualifying for the major limited-overs events and build on the successes of the last five years.

Warriors need improvement despite winning start

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ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between South Australia and Warriors in Hyderabad

The Preview by Firdose Moonda24-Sep-2011Match facts Warriors v South Australia, September 25
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Big Picture After their winning start to the tournament, Warriors will not want to lose momentum in a fairly short group stage. Their victory, although thrilling, was not comprehensive and there is plenty for them to work on. With just a day to travel from the hard track in Bangalore to the slower pitch in Hyderabad, they don’t have much time to strategise either.Rusty Theron took wickets in the end overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore but Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell were disappointing with the ball; and while Ashwell Prince shined with his 74, the rest of the top-order batsmen failed. Warriors are coming off a long off-season but have to step up quickly. After showing their big-match temperament in the first match, they will want to demonstrate they have the skills to match.Warriors are up against tough opposition in South Australia, who won all their group games before losing in the semi-finals of last year’s Champions League. South Australia’s opening pair of captain Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris consistently provide them solid starts, they have the pace of Shaun Tait and the skill of Callum Ferguson. Having been knocked out by Warriors last year, South Australia may have some revenge to exact.Watch out for… There was a time, in the aftermath of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal, when Nicky Boje chose not to travel to India, but now that he has, there’s no doubt he has a small point to prove. Once South Africa’s go-to man as a pinch hitter and containing bowler, he has faded off the scene as he nears retirement but Boje has shown he still has the desire to play and win. He is the senior-most member of the Warriors squad and will have important contributions to make on a sluggish surface in Hyderabad.He has been labelled the fastest man in cricket but Shaun Tait has also developed a reputation for inconsistency. Still, the thought of facing him will have most batsmen a little nervous. The pitches in India do not provide the best stage for him to show off his pace and Tait will have to prove he is not a one-trick pony and introduce other elements into his game.Team news Warriors could well stick to the same team that beat Royal Challengers in the tournament opener. Kelly Smuts and Lyall Meyer may be competing with Justin Kreusch and Craig Thyssen for a spot in the starting XI.South Australia have a handful of Australia stars in the line-up with Tait, Ferguson and Nathan Lyon the headliners. They also have Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid in the squad, and may play three spinners if allrounder Aaron O’Brien is included.Stats and Trivia Daniel Harris was the leading run-getter in the 2010-11 KFC Big Bash. Daniel Christian was bought by Deccan Chargers for $900,000 but averaged 17.27 with the bat and 31.81 with the ball in the 2011 IPL. His highest score was 30. Quotes “I think it is something a captain needs to bring. If he starts to get too emotional then the rest of the team will follow. So I try to be as calm as possible on the outside but it does not always mean I am calm on the inside.”
“It’s a tough decision to move from Warriors, a franchise in which I have spent 17-18 years. It’s disappointing to move out, but I will try my best to move away after helping Warriors win the title,”
South Africa stalwart Mark Boucher, who will be at Cape Cobras next season, wants to end his time with Warriors on a high note.

Selectors defend Emerging Players squad

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India selectors deny that there was any pressure to pick Anirudha Srikkanth for the Emerging Players tournament

Sharda Ugra09-Jul-2011A section of the BCCI selection committee was unaware, while picking the squad, of the major changes in the format of the Emerging Players tournament in Australia in August. That may have led to a few contentious choices in the 15-man squad, the most controversial being Anirudha Srikkanth, the son of selection committee chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanth.For the first time in its six years, the Emerging Players Tournament has moved from being an event featuring Twenty20 and 50-over games to exclusively three-day matches. This information was not available to some selectors during their meeting when they believed they were choosing the second rung of India’s limited-overs talent, and in so doing added in a couple of misfits.Eyebrows were raised over Anirudha’s selection but those selectors ESPNcricinfo spoke to stressed there was no pressure to include him, and one of them denied that Srikkanth senior had proposed the son’s name. The selector said that during a previous meeting, when Anirudha’s name had come up for discussion, Srikkanth had volunteered to leave the room. The current selection meeting however was conducted over the telephone as two of the selectors were in the West Indies when the team had to be picked.”Anirudha’s name has been up for discussion for a while now, not so much as a three-day specialist but as someone who is good in limited-overs, T20 and 50-overs. The records of both Saurabh Tiwary [another surprise choice] and Anirudha are similar – we need to see if they have the X-factor in T20. They can both hit a long ball and we believed they needed an opportunity to see how they do at the Emerging Players level.”The selector said of Anirudha: “We know that he is not consistent enough in four-day cricket, but he is an impact player in T20 cricket. The format in itself is inconsistent and we believe that he has the capacity to get you a win every five or six matches. He’s done well at the Champions League, which is one level higher from the IPL; he won a match for Chennai.”When asked whether he was aware that the tournament format had changed from limited-overs to three-day cricket, the selector said, “that’s news” yet believed that the squad was “covered”.The Emerging Players tournament began in 2005 as a T20 event, but for the last four years has consisted of Twenty20 and 50-over matches. The change of format was approved by all participating nations and formally announced on May 28, 2011. Cricket Australia general manager Michael Brown is quoted as saying, on the ICC’s official website, that the format change would give players, “a good competitive taste of all formats with this longer series complementing the T20 tournament that will be hosted by the Malaysian Cricket Association just beforehand.”The Malaysian T20 tournament was to be held in early July but was cancelled on June 12. The Emerging Players tournament will be played in Townsville for the first time with Brown saying: “We feel it’s important to provide a variety of conditions for the development of the players and the new facilities at Endeavour Park with multiple grounds will provide teams with first-class services.”

Durham face tough chase after more wickets tumble

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Lancashire have a 100 per cent record this season at their temporary headquarters in south Liverpool and it is hard to imagine that too many of the sizeable contingent of Durham supporters here would bet confidently against their maintaining it after two

Jon Culley at Aigburth28-Jun-2011
ScorecardLancashire have a 100 per cent record this season at their temporary headquarters in south Liverpool and it is hard to imagine that too many of the sizeable contingent of Durham supporters here would bet confidently against their maintaining it after two intriguing days here left the contest in the balance.Trailing by 102 on first innings after a freakish opening day in which both sides were bowled out, Lancashire looked to be heading towards an inevitable defeat when the departure of Gareth Cross just after tea had them just 104 in front at 206 for 6.But while the last session brought Durham the last five Lancashire wickets, they were not obtained without cost, notably in the shape of an industrious half-century from Luke Procter, who mixed a few edgy boundaries with some more authentic strokes to stretch Lancashire’s advantage just enough to cast doubt on the outcome.A target of 181 to win should not really be a worry to a side with Durham’s batting depth but it is amazing what an early setback or two can do to set nerves jangling. In the event, Durham surrendered three wickets for 24, the loss of Michael di Venuto and Gordon Muchall, both leg before to the in-form Kyle Hogg, compounded by the departure of nightwatchman Graham Onions, well caught at gully by Steven Croft off Saj Mahmood’s first ball.They are still favourites, just. But a couple more wickets early on day three will swing the balance back to the home side.There is plenty at stake. A win will put Lancashire nine points ahead and defeat would certainly be more damaging for Durham, who have played a game more. On the other hand, a win for Durham would stretch the gap between themselves and their opponents at the top of the First Division to 23 points – not enough to attach any guarantees to their quest for a third title in four years but one that would make them feel like favourites, particularly given that Warwickshire, in third place, would be 54 points behind.The first day, reminiscent of a club game as one batsman after another was easily undone by accurate swing bowling, prompted some to question the quality of this year’s championship, given that so far these have been the best two sides.It is a charge to which Geoff Cook, Durham’s director of cricket, would raise an eyebrow, prior to launching a considered counter-argument. But it was knocked back anyway by Peter Moores, Lancashire’s former England coach.”To say that would be grossly unfair,” he said. “It was strange to see 20 wickets fall in one day because some of the cricket played this season has been of very high quality. Look at the way Durham batted against Yorkshire, for example, scoring 400-odd in 70-odd overs. They have been solid all season, as we have.”Indeed, Durham have the statistics to back it up, their squad containing eight players with 15 first-class hundreds between them. Cook can chose from 12 batsmen with an average of 36 or higher, which is why you suspect that there will be someone who can master the conditions and subdue Lancashire’s zeal enough to get the job done here.They probably have the strongest hand of bowlers, too, and there was something impressive in the way they stuck to their task yesterday after Lancashire, in complete contrast to day one, had lost only one wicket, somewhat given away with a loose chip to cover by Stephen Moore, in the opening session.The rest of the day was altogether more productive. Paul Horton, again frustrated to miss out on a good score after starting well, was leg before to Callum Thorp just after lunch and three more wickets followed in the afternoon session. Stephen Harmison, still struggling with his radar in his first two spells, came good in his third as Mark Chilton played across one and Croft was well taken by Thorp at gully.Onions found a couple of inside edges to get rid of Gareth Cross and Mahmood and bowled Junaid Khan after the debutant had smashed leg-spinner Scott Borthwick over the top for six.Hogg hit three boundaries before he was caught at short leg off Scott Borthwick but the real thorn in Durham’s side was Procter, who followed the trend for chopping on but only after hitting eight fours in his second Championship half-century, which will be a valuable effort indeed if Durham do make a hash of it.

Strauss defends Pietersen pull-out

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Andrew Strauss has defended Kevin Pietersen’s decision to pull out of the World Cup to get his hernia operation done in relative earnest

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong10-Mar-2011Andrew Strauss has defended Kevin Pietersen’s decision to pull out of the World Cup to get his hernia operation done in relative earnest. The medical staff had initially diagnosed that it was “a pain-management issue”, and the injury wouldn’t get significantly worse if he continued to play in the World Cup. The pain seems to have got unbearable during the game last Sunday against South Africa, after which England had a maximum of five matches left over 27 days.”Kevin has been managing this injury for quite a long time,” Strauss said. “Yes, the medical staff said that it was a pain-management issue, and the injury wasn’t going to get worse, but, you know, Kevin desperately wanted to play in this World Cup, isn’t it? It’s a great stage for him, it’s the sort of thing that floats his boat. If the pain was so bad that he didn’t feel he was able to do that, then it’s a very simple conclusion to draw, which is that you have got to make a change. That’s the situation we found ourselves in. Obviously it’s hard to lose a player of that quality.”Coach Andy Flower, though, differed in his assessment of the state of affairs. On Monday, he told BBC: “The medical advice was that he could get through the tournament. The hernia was not going to get significantly worse, he was not going to tear anything, and so we hoped that he would get through the tournament okay, and that he would be able to take painkillers when necessary and bite the bullet.”Strauss was more compassionate. “I don’t think it was a case of ‘he could have been stronger’ or anything like that,” he said. “The pain just got too much; it was affecting him too much on the field. He didn’t feel he was close enough to a 100% to play international cricket.”Kevin Pietersen bowled eight overs in England’s victory over South Africa in Chennai•Getty ImagesInterestingly, Pietersen bowled eight overs the day he decided he could take the pain no more. “It might have put him under more strain,” Strauss said. “He has been struggling in the field for a while, and I think with these sorts of injuries, it’s both physical and mental. If you are constantly conscious of it, and the pain is always there, then it’s very hard to concentrate on what your main job is.” That does suggest Pietersen might have found himself between a rock and a hard place. If he had stayed on and not done well, criticism for staying on despite the injury couldn’t have been too far away either.While Strauss has to decide who his new opening partner will be, he said the team wasn’t going to miss Pietersen’s part-timers badly. “Kevin hasn’t bowled a lot for us in one-dayers, if I am honest,” Strauss said. “It was great to have him on a big turning wicket the other day. We have other guys who can fill that role, who are not genuine offspin bowlers. Look, we are going to miss KP no doubt. He was playing well at the top of the order, and he is useful both in the field and with the ball. So those are quite large boots to be filled.”England take on Bangladesh in a Group B match on Friday, in Chittagong.

West Indies U-19s level series with convincing win

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An impressive all-round performance by West Indies Under-19s saw them beat Australia Under-19s convincingly in Dubai and level the three-match Youth ODI series 1-1

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011
ScorecardAn impressive all-round performance by West Indies Under-19s resulted in them beating Australia Under-19s convincingly at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai, to level the three-match Youth ODI series 1-1. Australia won the toss, but surprisingly chose to field despite having won batting first in the opening match.West Indies took advantage, putting up a score of 267, which proved 102 runs too much for Australia to chase. It was a team effort from West Indies with the bat. Each of their top seven batsmen went past 20, and though only Kavem Hodge went on to get a half-century, the string of contributions ensured a big total. Australia’s bowlers found the going tough; seamer Jeremy Allison was the most successful in terms of wicket with 4 for 52, while legspinner Ashton Agar was the most economical going for just 27 runs in his 10 overs.Australia’s reply got off to a dreadful start as they slipped to 13 for 3. Opener James Peirson and captain Sebastian Gotch then built a 77-run partnership, but once Peirson fell for 45, the rest of the batting did not put up much resistance and Australia were bowled out for 165 in 39.1 overs. Seamer Jerome Jones finished with three wickets, and there were four run-outs in Australia’s innings.The teams play the third ODI on April 21.

Blizzard causes logistical problems for USACA Junior Nationals

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A major snowstorm, affecting the northeastern part of the United States, is threatening to disrupt the USACA Junior Nationals, scheduled to start on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Peter Della Penna27-Dec-2010A major snowstorm, affecting the northeastern part of the United States, is threatening to disrupt the USACA Junior Nationals, scheduled to start on Tuesday in Los Angeles. The Under-19 national championship was supposed to feature teams from the South West, North West, South East and New York regions. Over 2000 flights across the US have been cancelled because of the winter storm, including the New York team’s flight that was scheduled for Monday morning out of JFK airport, as 12 to 18 inches of snow mixed with 35-50mph (56-80kmh) winds hammered the New York metropolitan area on Sunday with the storm forecast to continue into Monday.ESPNcricinfo contacted New York U-19 coach Ricky Kissoon by phone on Sunday night and he said his team is fearful of missing the entire tournament, which is supposed to run from December 28 to December 30. The cricket association’s vice-president of operations Manaf Mohamed confirmed that it appeared the earliest New York could get a flight rebooked from New York to Los Angeles would be on Thursday, the day that the tournament is scheduled to end.The South East U-19 team may also be affected. According to team manager Owen Grey, six members of the squad who are flying out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida have connecting flights on Monday through Philadelphia to get to Los Angeles. Philadelphia has also been heavily affected by the blizzard. A National Football League game between the Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings that was scheduled for Sunday night was postponed until Tuesday night due to the snowstorm.Los Angeles has also seen its share of weather problems in the lead-up to the event, with record rainfall in the last two weeks causing floods and mudslides in southern California. The average annual rainfall in Los Angeles is 15 inches, but so far in the month of December the city has experienced 10 inches of precipitation. The grounds at Woodley Park, the venue where the tournament will be played, still had damp outfields on Sunday afternoon after more showers on Saturday night, but the square was mostly dry and it is hoped that enough sun on Monday will make the whole ground suitable to start the tournament on time.The tournament was originally scheduled for November 12-14 in Fort Lauderdale, but was postponed due to financial problems USACA was experiencing at the time. The tournament is being used as an opportunity for players to showcase their skills in front of selectors for a chance to be picked in USA’s U-19 squad for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament from February 7-12 in Fort Lauderdale. The top two teams will advance to the U-19 World Cup global qualifier scheduled for June or July in Ireland.

Rangers handed Aaron Ramsey boost

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Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronkhorst has been issued a big boost over Ibrox loanee Aaron Ramsey and his current injury situation.

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Sun, the Rangers midfielder’s hamstring knock is not as bad as it was first feared by the medical staff at Ibrox and he is set to return before the end of the campaign.

The report claims that he is keen to be fit for the second-leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night, with the Welshman ‘desperately’ fighting to be available for selection. Although, it remains to be seen – for now – whether or not he will be able to make the Gers’ matchday squad.

Supporters will be buzzing

The Gers supporters will surely be buzzing with this news as it means that they are likely to see Ramsey back in action for the Light Blues in the coming weeks.

They may have been fearing the worst when he hobbled off holding his hamstring against Celtic in the Scottish Cup but this update has allayed those concerns as they now face the prospect of seeing him make his return against RB Leipzig this week.

Having Ramsey back and available for selection will be a big boost for Gio van Bronckhorst as he has shown glimpses of the quality he can provide on the pitch.

The ex-Arsenal man has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.98 across five appearances in the Premiership as he has popped up with two goals – including one against the Hoops in an Old Firm clash.

Rangers have huge matches coming up as they battle Leipzig for the right to compete in a major European final before facing Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup later this month. The Gers have the chance to win two trophies, assuming they do not overturn Celtic’s six-point Premiership lead in the last three league outings, and Ramsey’s return will improve their chances of getting them over the line.

He has shown that he can show up in big moments – as he did against Celtic – and that is why having him back will be a big boost if he can make the squad against Leipzig.

The mercurial midfielder can be a difference-maker with his quality in the final third and, hopefully, he will be able to show that once again at Ibrox against the Bundesliga outfit, which is why this news is a key relief for the head coach.

AND in other news, Rangers played an Ibrox blinder with £22k-pw “cornerstone” who’s like “Graeme Souness”…

Bruno gave everything for Newcastle vs City

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Newcastle United sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, beating Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road in a fantastic performance – with the result seeing the Magpies break into the top half of the table.

Eddie Howe’s team have performed miracles since he joined the club – guiding a side who were rock bottom in the Premier League to being 15 points above the relegation zone, sitting ninth after their latest victory.

Newcastle dominated throughout the game away from home, enjoying 55% possession, hitting the target with seven shots and making more accurate passes than their opponents, which led to the side taking their chances to sail to a comfortable victory.

The scoring was opened in the 35th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin swapped positions with Joelinton only minutes before he assisted the Brazilian to make it 1-0, and the tactical tweak continued to pay off when Joelinton found the back of the net to double the lead just before half-time.

In the second half, Newcastle remained confident and dominant with Bruno Guimaraes killing the game by bagging the third in the 49th minute, and from that moment onwards, Norwich were unable to get back into the match.

And, while goalscorer Joelinton did highly impress in Norfolk, it was undoubtedly Guimaraes who stole the show at Carrow Road – with the Brazilian turning in a complete performance that will be giving the Norwich players and supporters nightmares.

Newcastle’s £120k-per-week midfield maestro – who was recently hailed as “magnificent” by Howe – enjoyed a whopping 72 touches of the ball, completed two key passes and, as previously mentioned, got himself on the scoresheet.

The January signing also made four interceptions and two tackles, in addition to boasting an impressive pass accuracy of 95% in the heart of the Newcastle midfield.

Since joining the club, the 24-year-old has featured in 13 Premier League fixtures, winning nine of those games and drawing one – something which clearly indicates that his arrival has had a massive impact on a side who were looking extremely likely to be relegated just a matter of months ago.

There is no doubt that the Newcastle manager, players, supporters and owners will be absolutely thrilled with the progress the team has made in the second half of the season, and there is definitely credit due to the club for identifying such an impactful player like Guimaraes back in January.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Newcastle handed fresh injury lift that will have Eddie Howe buzzing