Leeds United's abhorrent campaign came to a crashing close yesterday, as they could not even fulfil their end of the impossible escape, losing 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.
Their defeat, and wins for Leicester City and Everton elsewhere, meant that even a comprehensive victory would have not been enough for Sam Allardyce to keep them in the division, ending the Whites' three-year stay in the Premier League.
For someone who was enlisted to desperately secure safety with four games to go, the experienced manager could not live up to his impressive relegation-avoiding reputation, with his pragmatism backfiring on numerous occasions.
At the start of yesterday's final day, the Whites knew that nothing less than a three-goal win would be enough to potentially avoid the drop. However, the 68-year-old still opted to start conservatively.
His team for the clash consisted of two right-backs and four central defenders, opting to leave more offensive talents like Wilfried Gnonto and Georginio Rutter on the bench. Whilst fans will forever question this move, few would argue that Brenden Aaronson, another such option, had merited a place in the squad, let alone the starting XI.
His cameo against Spurs only served to support this and emphasise the need for him to be ditched in the summer.
How did Brenden Aaronson play vs Tottenham Hotspur?
Signed by Jesse Marsch, handing his old club a mouth-watering £24.7m fee to pry him from Austria, the American was expected to be a key cog in their new-look attacking force.
However, after a first full season at Elland Road, the 22-year-old has scored just once, having also been branded a "lightweight" by pundit Jon Newsome when speaking to BBC Radio Leeds back in February.
sam-allardyce-leeds-united
Although only handed the final 31 minutes to make an impact yesterday, just 18 touches once again outlined the anonymity that fans had become accustomed to with the diminutive midfielder.
Such a lack of influence was bred through an equal lack of quality, as he would muster just nine completed passes at a 69% success rate. Furthermore, he would not manage a single shot, and his sole cross missed the mark, via Sofascore.
Having been a true pupil of Marsch's, who favoured an all-action high-pressing brand of football, it was unsurprisingly expected that Aaronson might at least boast some hardworking steel that would endear him to fans. However, having also been dribbled past twice and lost 100% of the five duels he competed in, these suspicions were denied in depressing fashion.
He has truly been a woeful signing, and arguably a microcosm of the manager who initially propelled them into the mess that neither Javi Gracia nor Allardyce could pull them out of.
Whether it be through shocking transfers or questionable tactics, Marsch should forever be tainted with the mantle of having relegated this historic club. Aaronson's performances certainly did not aid in avoiding such an eventuality, with yesterday surely marking his final game in a Leeds shirt.
Manchester United's primary focus this summer is likely to be on acquiring a new centre-forward asset, with the Red Devils having been forced to rely on an underwhelming duo of Wout Weghorst and Anthony Martial in recent months.
The latter man seemingly appears set for a departure at the end of the season having routinely been dogged by injury so far this term, while January arrival, Weghorst, may not have done enough to warrant a permanent deal, with the on-loan Burnley man having scored just twice in all competitions to date.
The obvious candidate to ease those striking woes is Tottenham Hotspur talisman, Harry Kane, with Sky Sports only recently revealing that United would "absolutely explore a deal" for the England captain if possible, albeit with the north Londoners still seemingly adamant that the 29-year-old is not for sale.
That fact will no doubt ensure that the Red Devils are also contemplating alternative targets to potentially lead the attack next season, with Football Insider recently naming Inter Milan marksman, Lautaro Martinez as one such candidate for the role, with the Serie A side said to be willing to cash in on the Argentine this summer.
The report suggests that the 25-year-old is seen as the "perfect forward" by manager Erik ten Hag, with the Old Trafford outfit also not set to be forced to pay over the odds for the 48-cap menace, with Inter said to value him at around £70m.
How would Lautaro Martinez fit in at Man United?
It is evident to most that United are in need of a more reliable number nine to help lead the attack, with the aim no doubt to help ease the goalscoring burden on Marcus Rashford, with the 25-year-old having bagged 29 goals in all competitions so far this season.
While the Englishman has scored just two goals in his last seven Premier League outings, prior to that the £200k-per-week machine had been rather "unstoppable" following the World Cup break, as per his manager, after scoring ten goals in as many league games amid his return from Qatar.
That clinical form – as well as the woes of Martial and Weghorst – have seen the academy graduate moved into a central role on occasion this season, although it would appear that the in-form ace is at his brilliant best when operating from the left flank, having revealed his preference for that position earlier in the campaign.
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez
The signing of Martinez, then, would allow Rashford to remain in that wide berth, with the World Cup-winning striker able to provide a ruthless and prolific presence in a centre-forward role.
The former Racing Club sensation would undoubtedly be able to ease the reliance on the current United talisman having been a reliable goalscoring presence in Italy in recent years, notably bagging 95 goals in 228 games in all competitions to date.
That includes a haul of 21 goals in 47 games across all fronts this term, with the "shot monster" – as hailed by presenter Joe Thomlinson – having been particularly lethal in the Italian top-flight with 17 league goals so far.
Having largely been deployed as part of a strike partnership during his time at San Siro – memorably scoring 41 league goals combined with Romelu Lukaku en route to the title in 2020/21 – Martinez could perhaps be able to dovetail nicely with Rashford as part of a fluid forward line.
That relatively youthful combination could go on to thrive together at the Theatre of Dreams for years to come, with it easy to see why the Inter man is looking like a possible option for Ten Hag and co.
Surrey can ease their relegation fears with victory against the bottom club Hampshire and Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley ensured that first-day runs were not in short supply
ECB Reporters Network17-Jul-2016 ScorecardRory Burns made his first century of the season•PA Photos
Rory Burns, the Surrey opening batsman, struck his first century of the season as the visitors made light work on a flat track at the Ageas Bowl.Burns, who became the 2,000th Surrey player to reach three figures in first-class cricket, looked at ease during his 144 ball stay before knocking his 17th boundary to take him to three figures.Hampshire, who toiled for nearly two thirds of the day, finally had something to cheer about in the evening as they pegged the away side back somewhat with a handful of wickets.The early stages of this match was always going to rely heavily on who won the toss, with the track looking impeccably hard and flat.
Gareth Batty, just as predictably, refused the offer of bowling first before winning the coin flip – the skipper has yet to lose a toss this season.Burns, with the equally unimpeachable Dominic Sibley, saw off the first session with ease – the pair already up to 72 in the opening hour, Hampshire already being forced to use all four seamers.Burns quickly moved past 4,500 runs for his first-class career, before reaching his 25th format fifty at an almost run a ball 54 deliveries.
He continued to cash in after lunch to climb to three figure, playing the aggressor to Sibley’s watchful style, in 144 balls.Sibley, who passed his half century in almost same amount of time it took Burns to reach a ton, 141 balls, was waiting patiently for the poor ball to come along.The partnership appeared impenetrable with seemingly every option exhausted – before Mason Crane produced a corker to see off Burns 10 balls before tea.The young leg spinner pitching one outside off stump and back of a length to the left hander to turn back to cramp Burns up for space – edging low to Sean Ervine at first slip.Crane continued his troubling turners to get Zafar Ansari before he had got going – tempting the al-rounder down the track before Lewis McManus smartly swivelled and stumped.Soon after the new ball was taken, which was the first thing to cause Sibley a sweat in his heavy cable knit jumper.Reaching 99, the only other time he has a Championship century was on his debut when he bagged a record 242, he was bowled by a Gareth Berg delivery which moved back off the seam to crunch into the off stump.Berg, who finished the day the pick of the bowlers with two for 47, then had a short and tempered battle with Jason Roy – the bowler, after missing the outside edge twice and having an lbw shout turned down, finally got his man leg before.Quietly, as the wickets tumbled around him, Australian international Aaron Finch teed off in entertaining fashion – pilfering a quick 50 before the close to stand overnight on 56, his team on top at 332 for 4.
O’Brien: Sunrisers bowlers used massive square boundaries well
David Warner’s third half-century of the season paved the way for Sunrisers Hyderabad’s ten-wicket win over Gujarat Lions in Rajkot. Warner, who slammed 74 off 48, combined with Shikhar Dhawan, who struck a fifty of his own, for an unbroken 137-run opening partnership after his bowlers, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 4 for 29, kept Lions to 135 for 8.Warner began the chase with two fours off Dale Steyn, who was playing his first match of this IPL, and kicked into high gear with three fours off Praveen Kumar in the fourth over. Spin didn’t stem the run-flow either as Warner cut and pulled Suresh Raina to the boundary. The Sunrisers captain brought up his half-century in 29 balls, by which time his team needed less than a run a ball for victory.Dhawan took the opportunity to bide his time and recover some of his form. He wasn’t always fluent, but a paddle sweep off Dwayne Bravo in the 12th over changed that. At one point 25 off 24, Dhawan completed his half-century in 40 balls and though he didn’t indulge in much celebration, he did so a couple of balls later. Warner sealed the victory with six overs to spare and time was ripe for a twirl of the ‘tache.That Lions were tied down, despite Raina’s 75 off 51, was Bhuvneshwar’s doing. He swung the new ball handsomely, as Aaron Finch found out in the first over when his stumps were splayed by an indipper, and when he couldn’t get movement through the air, his mixture of slower balls were hard to put away on a large outfield. Bhuvneshwar took three wickets in the final over of the Lions innings, including Raina’s, to cap Sunrisers’ strong comeback.Mustafizur Rahman played a hand in Lions’ slowdown as well. He was saved for the final six overs again and still gave away only one boundary – when Warner misfielded at long-on. The Bangladesh seamer finished with 1 for 19, the mystery of his cutters no closer to being solved. Sunrisers also benefited from part-time offspinner Deepak Hooda and left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma rushing through five overs and picking up two wickets.Lions, who had raced to 50 for 1 in the Powerplay, only managed 85 runs in the remaining 14 overs.Raina eased his way back to form, scoring his first T20 fifty in 31 innings. On display were his typical shots: lofted drives on the bent knee, firm pushes through cover and wristy flicks off the pads. But the other Lions batsmen struggled for timing. McCullum mis-hit a slog sweep to deep midwicket and fell for 18 off 17 balls, Dinesh Karthik was dismissed for 8 off a full toss and Dwayne Bravo, also on 8, picked out deep square leg after being deceived by a slower ball. Bhuvneshwar’s triple-strike in the final over meant Lions lost seven wickets for 79 runs, and slipped to their first defeat.
India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni has all but ruled himself out of batting up the order in the upcoming Asia Cup and as well as the subsequent World T20, starting March 8
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-20162:22
MS Dhoni: “l will try to give everybody a game because it is something as important as playing with a settled team.”
India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni has all but ruled himself out of batting up the order in the upcoming Asia Cup T20 and World Twenty20, starting March 8. Ahead of the team’s departure to Bangladesh, Dhoni backed a stable, in-form, top order, and said that he would consider promoting a big-hitter instead of himself if there was a big partnership at the top.”It is very difficult. In a normal scenario, I don’t see myself batting up the order because of the batting line we have got,” Dhoni said.This is a departure from Dhoni’s recent preference of batting at No.4, though in a different format. Dhoni had batted at No.4 in the second ODI against Bangladesh last year in Mirpur, for the first time since July 2012. Dhoni showed glimpses of his best form during the course of his 47, and later said: “I would like to bat slightly up in the order so I can play a bit more freely.”Ashish Nehra on…
Staging a comeback: “It is very difficult to make a comeback. I’ve always said comebacks are much more difficult than a debut. Even when I was out, injury or no injury, I always trained to play pressure cricket, not just domestic cricket. If you look to play only domestic cricket, you’ll realise that you are even out from that in six months to a year. If you have to bowl 10 balls in the ground, you have to bowl 30-40 balls at the nets. In the end, I got my result”. Adjusting to the requirements of T20 bowling: “IPL has been a great help for us to play in the T20 format. I know my job and I’ve got experience to do all these things [bowling one-over spells]. The more you play, the better you get. I’ve learnt more than double in the last 3-4 years than the 13-14 years before that.” Spearheading the bowling:”I don’t believe in that. In the end, it’s not that I can’t have a bad day. Everybody shares the same job. Being the senior bowler, I’ve got so much experience so on the field and off the field, I always try to talk to Hardik [Pandya] or [Jasprit] Bumrah. The team management has asked me to do that as well but I’m happy to take that job.”
Since that match, Dhoni has batted four times at No.4 in ODIs, scoring 134 runs.Dhoni, however, explained that the T20 batting line-up was settled, with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma opening; Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh form the middle order. Dhawan got bright starts against Australia in the T20s in Melbourne and Sydney and then set up India’s win against Sri Lanka in the second T20 in Ranchi with a rapid fifty, his first in T20 internationals. Rohit, on his part, hit back-to-back fifties in Melbourne and Sydney, before making 43 in Ranchi. Kohli stroked three successive fifties in Australia, tallying 199 runs in the three-match T20 series, before being rested for the Sri Lanka T20s. From the middle order, Raina and Yuvraj helped India seal a clean sweep against Australia in Sydney with an unbroken 53-run partnership in a tight finish.”Virat, he is at 3, Raina at 4, Yuvraj Singh at 5, I am 6, Jadeja, Hardik. We may try [a promotion] if there is good partnership; we may try one of the hitters to go up and express maybe from the very first ball,” Dhoni said. “But whether I see myself getting that promotion, I think it will be slightly difficult.”Dhoni also dismissed concerns about the No.6 and No.7 batting positions, feeling that they would not have much to do, especially if the top order clicked.”As of now it [No.6 and No.7] doesn’t seem like [a problem]. Usually six and seven won’t or should not get an opportunity. If the team is doing well, I don’t think No.6 and No.7 will or should get more than 10 balls or 12 balls and you will have to make the most,” he said.Dhoni said he was keen to “give everybody a game”‘ ahead of the World T20. India named the same team for all three matches in the recent home series against Sri Lanka. It meant Pawan Negi, a left-field selection for the Asia Cup and the World T20, has not played an international game yet.”I will try to give everybody a game because it is something as important as playing with a settled team,” Dhoni said. “It is important for everybody to have games under their belt. Against few of the sides we will really be able to give games to few of the other players who are part of the team but have not got a chance to play so far but still we will look to win games and that’s our top priority but the conditions will allow us to give a few games to others who have not played.”
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford will hopefully be back from injury in time for next week’s action, according to reliable journalist Adam Pope.
The Lowdown: Bamford misses Chelsea defeat
The Englishman has endured an injury-prone time of things in recent seasons, stunting his progress hugely after such an impressive 2020/21 campaign.
Bamford has been limited to only nine starts in the Premier League overall, and he ended up being ruled out of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away to Chelsea.
The hope is that the 29-year-old’s absence is not a long one and a positive update has emerged regarding the situation.
The Latest: Only a short-term absence
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Adam confirmed that Bamford could be available again by next week:
“Leg injury for Bamford according to Gracia. Hopes to be back next week.”
The Verdict: Injuries a big problem now
This is clearly good news, with a long-term injury something that would have been a big blow for Leeds, but Bamford’s injuries are still a problem now.
[freshpress-quiz id=“418869″]
The £70,000-a-week-earning striker seems to be unavailable as much as he is available these days, and he is struggling to find any rhythm on the pitch, having scored only once in the league all season.
On his day, Bamford remains a top-class player – he was once hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – but these constant fitness issues highlight the need for attacking signings this summer.
It is reaching the stage where he should be used as a luxury player, managing his minutes carefully, with a younger, less injury-prone figure coming in.
On head-to-head form, Sri Lanka clearly have the upper hand, India however, are playing at home; an advantage they haven’t made the best use of in recent times
Sanath Jayasuriya 11 393 39.300/2 Virender Sehwag 25 874 31.301/4 Marvan Atapattu 11 474 52.671/4 Sachin Tendulkar 9 227 25.221/0 Kumar Sangakkara 20 626 36.820/6 Rahul Dravid 23 807 38.431/8 Mahela Jayawardene 15 442 44.200/4 Yuvraj Singh 19 678 39.882/3 Russel Arnold 8 182 36.400/2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni 19 525 37.51/2One of India’s major worries will be the form of Harbhajan Singh who has taken just 11 wickets in his last 17 games at an expensive 65.55 apiece. While a few Indian bowlers are inexperienced in the one-day format (even Irfan Pathan has played just two ODIs in India), the Sri Lankan slow-bowlers are experts at keeping the batsmen on a leash. On head-to-head form, Sri Lanka clearly have the upper hand, India, however, are playing at home, an advantage they haven’t made the best use of in recent times.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland received some great praise from actors Bryan Cranston and Bryce Dallas Howard for their impressive hairstyles.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Hollywood stars rate footballers' stylesRonaldo given top billing ahead of GrealishHaaland's hair labelled "iconic"WHAT HAPPENED?
The Hollywood stars were told to pick their favourite hairstyles of five past and present Premier League heroes. While the pair were impressed by Haaland's flowing locks, Ronaldo was given top billing for his style, while ex-Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale was put at the bottom.
AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Dallas Howard was stunned by Haaland's hair, labelling it "iconic" and adding that she is "envious of that hair", while former Breaking Bad star Cranston said the Norwegian looked like Thor. Ronaldo went straight to number one as Dallas Howard hailed his hair as "beautiful", but she admitted she "couldn't stop smiling at the luscious locks of Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Ronaldo will hope his highly-rated hair will help inspire his Al-Nassr team to Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League success this season. Haaland, meanwhile, is looking to make it another successful campaign with City after winning the European and English treble in 2023-24.
Liverpool will host Aston Villa at the start of September in the two teams' last Premier League fixture before the international break. It's always an interesting fixture and there's perhaps more at stake than ever this season.
After all, Liverpool will hope to rebound after last season and build some early momentum. A repeat of last season can't happen if they're to recapture a top-four place.
But Villa will have eyes on those spots themselves. They're back in European football after a stunning second half of the season under Unai Emery. A win over Liverpool would be a huge statement to start the season and get the team looking up the table going into the international break.
To beat Liverpool, they'll need goals, though. Ollie Watkins could be their best chance of finding them – so we at Football FanCast thought we'd look into his record against the Reds. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Ollie Watkins' goals record against Liverpool?
Watkins has come up against Liverpool six times in his career and his record against them looks pretty great. He's scored five times in that span – the most he's managed against anyone in his career.
Though, it's worth mentioning that three of those goals came in his first appearance against Liverpool. That was a crazy game, finishing 7-2 to Villa as they took advantage of some bizarre defending from the Reds. Watkins took advantage as much as anyone.
His record since is two goals in five games, which isn't quite as impressive. Still, he did manage one against them at home last season – Watkins hasn't forgotten how to find the Liverpool net.
What is Ollie Watkins' assists record against Liverpool?
Watkins only has the one assist against Liverpool, again coming in that 7-2 win. And virtually everyone got an assist in that one.
But then, it's not his game. There aren't too many teams against which he's managed more than a solitary assist, and only two – Luton and Colchester – where Watkins has three.
Don't expect him to supply the goals at Anfield, then – Villa will hope he's on the end of chances, rather than creating them.
What is Ollie Watkins' head-to-head record against Liverpool?
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
It's not a pretty one. In six games, Watkins has only won once against Liverpool – the 7-2 in his first appearance vs them. There's only one draw in his history, too, and that was in the most recent outing in May of this year.
But we're not sure how much you can really read into this. For one, Villa look like a much better side right now than they have in any of Watkins' previous seasons with the club. We fully expect them to give the Reds a proper match this time around, as they did back in May.
All of Watkins' games against the Reds have come in the Premier League, too. He didn't feature in the 4-1 FA Cup defeat against the Reds back in 2021.
What is Ollie Watkins' record at Anfield?
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.
Watkins does only have three games in his career at Anfield, so there's not too much to go on here. All have come in the Premier League and usually end in defeat – two losses, one draw is his record.
As for goals, Watkins does have one. He scored at Anfield in a 2-1 defeat back in 2021 but has been unable to find the net there since that first appearance.
Two teams have conceded five to Watkins – the most he's managed against a single club. Liverpool are one, of course, with the other being Swansea City. His record against the Reds is slightly better, though, as he managed that total in one fewer game.
There are then three different clubs against whom Watkins has four total goals. Arsenal, Bristol City and Derby County are the unlucky trio – you can usually count on the striker to find the net against them.
How many goals does Ollie Watkins have in September?
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins
Watkins has found the net 11 times in the month of September since the start of his career. However, it doesn't make good reading for those expecting him to net at Anfield.
None of those goals have come in the Premier League, while nine of them weren't even with Aston Villa. Watkins has nine Championship strikes in September and then two for his current club both in the EFL Cup.
He'll be hoping to break his duck against Liverpool.
What is Ollie Watkins' Aston Villa goal record?
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
Watkins has played 118 times across all competitions for Villa since arriving in 2020. His record in that span is pretty good, too, with 43 goals and 14 assists so far.
It means Watkins is closing in on his record haul for a club. That stands at 49 for Brentford, where he also managed his most assists – 17. There's every chance that he will overtake both figures by the end of this season.
What is Ollie Watkins' Premier League goal record?
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins
Watkins is now 111 games into his Premier League career, with all of them coming at Aston Villa. In that time, the striker has managed 40 goals – a solid haul for three seasons of work.
Last season was his best yet, too. Watkins scored 15 times in 37 games, beating his first Premier League campaign by one goal in the same number of appearances. His middle season saw him get 11 goals,
There have been 14 assists so far, we should add. In total, Watkins has provided 53 goal contributions in 109 games – so just under one every other game.
What is Aston Villa's record against Liverpool?
Villa vs Liverpool is a fixture that dates all the way back to 1895, so there's a lot of history here. In total, the two teams have met on 201 occasions.
As you might expect, given their dominance over the last few decades, Liverpool's record is far superior in this one. They've won 101 of the 201 meetings, with Villa managing just 59. That leaves 41 draws for those keeping track.
But what about just in the Premier League era? There have been 56 meetings since the rebrand with Liverpool again winning over half. In fact, their record is even better when just counting the last 32 years – 32 wins to Villa's 13.
What is Aston Villa's record at Anfield?
As you may have guessed from the last section, it's not particularly good. This will actually be the 100th time Villa play at Anfield but they'll be hoping for what would be just their 18th win.
So in 99 Anfield fixtures, it's 17 wins, 20 draws and 62 defeats to the Reds. Not exactly a game that's brought a lot of luck their way, then, and a win this time around would be something of a surprise.
What are Aston Villa's recent results against Liverpool?
Unai Emery
Not good. In fact, Villa have lost five of their last six against Liverpool, dating back to their last win in the fixture – the 7-2. The only time they avoided defeat came in the most recent game, too, back in May.
That was a 1-1 draw at Anfield and to be fair to Villa, it's by far the most relevant result here. Not only was it away, but it was also their only meeting with Unai Emery as boss. They shot up the league once the Spaniard took over, becoming so much better that comparing results before him seems unfair to this side.
And the previous results were particularly bad, too.
Since Jurgen Klopp took over at Liverpool, Villa have played 12 games against his team. They've won two of them – the 7-2 and the 5-0 win in the EFL Cup against the Reds' Under 21 side. In other words, this is a fixture they almost always struggle in.
But hey, at least the wins tend to be emphatic.
When is Liverpool vs Aston Villa?
Unai Emery instructs his Aston Villa side as they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Liverpool host Aston Villa on Sunday, September 3rd at 14:00 UK time. It'll be a huge match for both teams as we get an early idea of what they're about this season.
Liverpool want to bounce back after an incredibly disappointing campaign last time out. Their struggles saw them out of the title race incredibly early on, while they barely managed a top-four challenge in the end. A new midfield could be exactly what they needed, though – it's certainly their gameplan this season.
Villa were only one place behind Liverpool in the Premier League table, of course. A sensational run under Unai Emery saw them climb all the way up from the bottom into the Europa League spot – and they'll have plans to do even better this time around. The right transfers – and some momentum carried on from last season – could see Villa threaten to go one better.
A win in this fixture, then, would be a sign for either that they mean business from the off this time around.
Having played 12 Tests and 39 ODIs for Australia, the 36-year old fast bowler decided to quit a few days before the resumption of Sheffield Shield, as New South Wales look to younger quicks
Daniel Brettig05-Feb-2018
Doug Bollinger took three Victoria wickets•Getty Images
Doug Bollinger, the rumbustious New South Wales fast bowler, has chosen to retire at the age of 36 as the Blues look towards more youthful pace options for the resumption of the Sheffield Shield later this week.Having first turned out for his state as far back as 2002-03, Bollinger played 12 Tests and 39 ODIs for Australia, with handsome records in each format. With 290 wickets for NSW, he is the one of the state’s most prolific fast bowling wicket-takers. Tall, fast and capable of swinging the ball both ways, Bollinger was also a popular cult figure, remembered for antics such as mistakenly kissing the sponsor’s badge on his shirt rather than the Australian coat of arms after taking a Test wicket in New Zealand in early 2010.That tour was part of a summer in which he took 37 wickets in seven Tests against West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand, and formed a vital part of the Australian attack, notably enjoying repeated success against Chris Gayle. However, his time in the team ended abruptly: he injured his side while performing well in the Chandigarh Test against India later that year, and then bowled poorly in the Adelaide Ashes Test of the 2010-11 summer after entering the match short of full fitness.Bollinger did return to the fold as a back-up for Mitchell Johnson during the 2013-14 summer, and made his last Australian appearance in a Twenty20 against South Africa in November 2014. He has since been a consistent part of the NSW and Sydney Sixers sides, but has now decided to finish up at the same time the state looks to a younger generation.”I was pretty raw and they gave me a really good chance at cricket,” Bollinger said of his first state coaches Steve Rixon and Trevor Bayliss. “My first captain for NSW was Steve Waugh, which was unbelievable. I played under some great captains and players for NSW and Australia including Steve, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting.”To play for 15 or 16 seasons with the SCG as my home ground has been amazing. It’s been a great ride. I met so many wonderful people and achieved the ultimate ambition of playing Test cricket for Australia. Now it’s time for the next stage of my life with my wife Tegan and my children Skye and Liam. I couldn’t have achieved everything I have without them.”Andrew Jones, the NSW chief executive, said Bollinger had enjoyed a remarkable career considering his late entry into the game as a teenager. “Doug was a larger than life presence on and off the field,” Jones said. “Whether it was charging in full throttle for another delivery, celebrating a wicket with unrestrained joy or being the personality of the dressing rooms, he was always imposing himself on the game.”Finishing his career as ninth on the list of NSW first-class wicket takers and playing all three forms of the game for Australia is a remarkable achievement given he did not play cricket until he was 15, joining local club Seven Hills-Toongabbie RSL in Sydney’s west. For someone who simply wanted to play with his mates in the park, Doug’s 290 wickets for NSW make him the state’s third most successful fast bowler of all time behind Geoff Lawson and fellow left armer Mike Whitney. Doug will always be an important part of the NSW Cricket family.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said he hoped that Bollinger would stay involved in the game following his retirement as a player. “Doug has had a fantastic career, and we congratulate him on his achievements at international and domestic level,” Sutherland said. “He was a fierce competitor on the field who gave his all every time he represented his country.”He was a skilful bowler who claimed more than 100 international wickets and enjoyed success against the best in the world. Doug has made a tremendous contribution to cricket in Australia across more than 15 years – we thank him for his service, and hope he remains involved in the game following his playing career.”Mickey Edwards, 23, Charlie Stobo, 22, Harry Conway, 25, and Gurinder Sandhu, 24, are the young pacemen in the NSW Shield squad to face Western Australia from Thursday, alongside the experienced Trent Copeland.