Category Uncategorized

After a strong showing at the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier last year and now with a professional academy system in place, they are eyeing the big lights

Firdose Moonda16-Jul-2024Of all the places where the progress of women in society, and by extension in sport, is seen to be worthy of celebrating, the Middle East does not necessarily rank very highly. Except, perhaps, when it comes to cricket in the UAE.Their women’s team was neither the best-performing Associate over the last year nor did they qualify for the T20 World Cup, but they were given the Associate Women’s Performance of the Year award in the ICC’s Development Awards for 2023 for their stellar run through the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier. They also show immense potential for the future.Theirs is a system that is now made up of largely local-born players who are being introduced to the game through a highly professionalised academy system and encouraged to play sport by a generation of parents who understand the importance of physical activity for both genders.”It’s become the norm growing up. Parents usually take their kids to all different kinds of sports and then they allow themto pick one over the other,” Ahmed Raza, the former UAE men’s captain and now women’s coach, told the ESPNcricinfo Powerplay podcast.One of those children was Esha Oza, the current UAE women’s team captain. She was eight months old when her family moved to the Emirates from Mumbai in 1998 and she calls the UAE home. She played football at school and discovered cricket during her summer holidays in India, where her cousins played the popular gully version of the sport. “I used to go play with them and I realised I actually enjoy doing this,” she said. “When I returned to Dubai [after the holidays] in 2013, that was when I thought maybe I should start learning the sport as well, go to an academy and play the sport.”Oza was 15 years old at the time, but she already had a good understanding of team sport and the requisite fitness to play competitive games. She joined the Desert Cubs Academy, where she played mostly with boys but stood out as a strong opening batter and handy offspinner.A year later she found herself in the national side for a Gulf Cricket Cup (GCC) tournament in “a team made up of schoolgirls”, and had football to thank for some of her successful rise.Earlier this year, Oza scored an unbeaten 66 in a ten-wicket win over Netherlands at the T20 World Cup Qualifiers, in which UAE made the semi-finals•Getty Images”Football is also a team sport, so just being around a team, being around that environment, that’s really important,” she said. “You learn a lot through sports. It teaches you how to deal with a lot of things, be it wins, losses, sharing stuff, talking to different people. That’s something that’s common across all sports. And you’re already active if you’re playing another sport, so it’s easy to transition from one sport to another.”When UAE played their first official T20I in 2018, Oza was part of the XI and by that stage was also part of an ICC Development Squad that played in England. Within six months she had scored her first half-century – against China – and her career was on the rise.By then she was 20 and close to the end of her tertiary studies, which is the age at which Raza says most young women are lost to sport. “The challenge comes when they cross the school and university age, where they have to step into the real world and get a job or get married. The challenge for me, or the board, is to keep them in the system,” he said.Fortunately for Oza, she had both a plan and the right combination of circumstances to help her. In the summer of 2019, she decided to spend an extended period in Mumbai to try to make the domestic Under-23 side there.The experience itself was more challenging than anything she’d known before. “For the trials, there were more than 5000 girls. Then, it was about getting to the later stages, the top 100 and the last 30 for the camp. That was the first part of the challenge, getting there and making it through these stages,” she said.She succeeded in earning a place at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s indoor summer camp, which ran for a month, and then the Mumbai senior squad for T20s. “It was a great challenge,” she said. “We had Jemimah Rodrigues playing for Mumbai and she led us in a game. I played against many of the current Indian players as well, and just watching their game, how different it is compared to ours, you can learn a lot from that.”Ahmed Raza (extreme left), the UAE head coach, believes that the groundwork is now being laid for the next generation of cricketers to really take the women’s game forward in the country•ICC/Getty ImagesAll the while she was studying towards a bachelor of commerce and management degree from the University of Wollongong. It could all have become too much, but then came Covid-19 and things moved online. “So even though I was in India, I was able to catch up with my classes,” Oza said. “I didn’t miss out on much. I was just trying to balance both things.”Though the UAE did not play any matches between February 2019 and November 2021, she was able to keep her skills sharp, and within four months of returning to international cricket, she notched up the third-highest individual score in the format by any female cricketer. Her 158 not out against Bahrain was also her first century and the magnitude of the achievement took her by surprise. “That was the first time I scored a hundred, and I crossed the 150 mark as well, so I was a bit confused. How do you celebrate when you get 150?”So how did she? “I just put my bat up. I didn’t know what else to do!”She has since added two more centuries to her record, is the second fastest woman to 1000 T20I runs, has played in all but four of the UAE’s matches, and now also captains the national side.As captain, her T20I average has gone up to 40.84 (compared with 30.95 overall) and she spearheaded the team’s unbeaten campaign at the Asia Qualifiers, which saw them advance to the T20 World Cup Qualifier, where they were in the running to make the line-up for the tournament, until they lost to Sri Lanka. The defeat only made Oza want to get to the event even more.”I really badly wanted to make it to this year’s World Cup,” she said. “But every team wants it. Every team playing the qualifiers has the same goal. The World Cup is the biggest event in the globe for cricketers and I just want to take the team to one, hopefully the 2026 World Cup.”Vaishnave Mahesh was UAE’s top wicket-taker last year with 36 wickets in 23 games, 15 of which came in the six matches of the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier•Getty ImagesThe 2026 tournament is a slightly expanded version of the competition, with 12 teams instead of ten, and UAE believe they can get there. But along the way, they have other goals. “Becoming one of the best Associate countries in the world is a goal that we are working towards,” Raza said. “And getting ODI status. Those are the things that are on our radar.”Currently, all the Full Member women’s teams have ODI status and five Associates – Netherlands, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and USA – were awarded ODI recognition in 2022. There does not appear to be any set criteria for awarding ODI status to women’s teams, apart from an upward trajectory in results, and on that front UAE tick the box. This year, they have won eight out of 11 matches, the best in any year where they have played more than five games, and they can improve on that record at the Asia Cup. They are grouped with giants India and Pakistan but also with Nepal, who are ranked five places below them. “When you play the Asian giants like India, you know there are a lot of eyeballs on you,” Raza said.Oza knows that first-hand from the valiant 66 she scored in the T20 World Cup Qualifier against Sri Lanka, which saw her finish as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer behind Chamari Athapaththu. “It was talked about around the globe,” Raza said, and though Oza is obviously the team’s superstar, he believes there can be others. “Any of our players can have a knock like that or a bowler can have a good spell. And it’s T20 cricket. You never know. You roll one of those big teams over and the whole world will be talking about you.”Another example is the UAE’s Chennai-born legspinner, Vaishnave Mahesh. She took 15 wickets at the Asia Qualifier and, at 16 years and 262 days at the time, became the youngest player to get 50 T20I wickets, taking the mantle from Rashid Khan, who was 19 when he reached the milestone. Mahesh was only 12 when she debuted for UAE, and though players of that age can no longer play international cricket after the ICC imposed a minimum age of 15 in 2020, it’s in that mid-teens age group that the UAE will find their next generation. “Our development programme has hundreds of girls who are under the age of 15 who will be coming through our system,” Raza said.His next task is figuring out ways to keep them in the system and there’s no better person to serve as a role model than Oza. “We’re seeing a lot more girls taking part in cricket in the UAE as well,” she said. “We see ten-year-olds coming and saying that they’ve watched us play. They’re watching the UAE women’s team play. That means even they’re keeping their eyes on what’s happening.”Girls growing up now can have a goal: I want to play for the UAE team in the future. That’s how they can start their journey. They can go to academies and say, ‘In a few years’ time, I want to be a player for the UAE women’s team.'”

The emergence of Umran Malik has put the spotlight on the state’s quick bowlers. Are there more like him? The answer seems to be a resounding yes

Interviews by Mohsin Kamal27-Jun-2022When Umran Malik made his IPL debut last year, people began asking, “How many more undiscovered Umrans in Jammu and Kashmir?” The conversation grew more animated this season as 22-year-old Malik lit up the IPL. He sent down three of the five fastest deliveries of the competition (the fastest of them at 156.9kmph) and took 22 wickets – the second highest by a fast bowler in the season, just one behind Kagiso Rabada.Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have been among the weaker sides on India’s domestic circuit. They have made it to the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals just twice in their 62-year history. But fast bowlers have always made a mark. A quick survey of the current J&K squads reflects this. In their 21-member squad for Ranji Trophy 2021-22, there were as many as eight fast bowlers. The numbers were similar in the various age-group teams.Related

Umran Malik, bringing the IPL alive with raw pace

Meet India's fastest bowler, Umran Malik

Jammu & Kashmir's pace future in good hands with Mujtaba Yousuf and Aquib Nabi

At the IPL, apart from Umran and Rasikh Salam, who was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad before he was ruled out with an injury, four other J&K fast bowlers served as net bowlers for franchises – Sharukh Dar and Umar Nazir at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Basit Bashir at Punjab Kings, and Auqib Nabi at Gujarat Titans.We spoke to a few former J&K players and coaches about the past, present and future of fast bowling in the region.Why is fast bowling so common in Jammu and Kashmir?Samiullah Beigh, former J&K captain: The major reason is that the infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir is not comparable with other places. For batting and spin bowling, you need a lot of equipment, skilled coaches and other facilities, but fast bowling is all about natural raw talent. We are physically better built because of our eating habits.Irfan Pathan and Baroda-based coach Milap Mewada (right) have been instrumental in finding and highlighting fast-bowling talent in Jammu and Kashmir•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe other thing I believe is the passion for cricket here. A few years back I was playing in Mumbai and a lot of players there told me, “In Azad Maidan, you can see a factory of players playing.” Then I showed them a scene of our Eidgah ground [Srinagar], where on a single pitch, about two to four teams play together – two on the vertical side and two on the horizontal side.Abdul Qayoom, former J&K captain and coach: In 1984 I was playing as a wicketkeeper-batsman in junior cricket and I went to Jammu for the CK Nayudu Trophy trials. I kept wickets for a couple of days in trials but on the evening of third day, I was bowling to tailenders for fun. There was a coach named Gautam sir. He came to me and said, “Abdul, from tomorrow you won’t keep wickets but bowl fast!” I was surprised, but as he was our coach, I agreed. That day onwards I became a fast bowler and went on to play for J&K for years. I don’t know whether it was my physique or height or whatever that made him convert me into a bowler. This is the case with almost every one of us – we are kind of naturally built for fast bowling. I also believe it is because we belong to a high-altitude region, so our stamina and physique is better than, say, someone from Delhi or Mumbai.Is fast bowling new to J&K or has it always been there?Beigh: J&K has been blessed with fast bowling from the very beginning. Our cricket history suggests that in 90% of the matches that we have won so far in Ranji Trophy and other domestic competitions, pace bowlers have contributed the most. Our batting and spin bowling has always been weaker than our opponents’ but it’s the fast-bowling department where we are on top.I will share an interesting incident: back when Bedi sir [Bishan Singh Bedi] was here, he was of the opinion that no matter what the pitch offered, a team should always bat first. So one day he asked us what we would do if we won the toss. I was supposed to be the captain that year and I was the only one who said we should bowl first. He got a bit angry and gave his reasons but I explained to him that J&K has always banked on its fast bowlers. And the best condition for pacers to bowl is the first session of the first day.Four J&K bowlers were drafted as net bowlers in IPL 2022, among them Basit Bashir, of whom people expect great things•Basit Bashir/InstagramQayoom: When I used to bowl, everyone outside J&K would say, “” [He’s a horse, he never gets tired]. Before me, Abdul Rauf, Abdul Qayoom Khan, Mehboob Iqbal, also used to bowl fast and they would hear similar things. So we took it from them, and then the upcoming generation learned it from us and it is continuing even now. I mean, in J&K, fast bowlers have been the role models. They are the ones who have achieved big things.Abid Nabi, former J&K fast bowler and India U-19 player: When I was playing, there was no sign of a speedometer. You could only check your speed if you played at international level. But I think J&K always had bowlers who bowled extremely quick. There was a J&K bowler named Surendra Singh Bagal. He made it hard for even international players to bat against him. There were also Abdul Qayoom, Asif Peerzada and many others in the past.How is J&K’s fast-bowling talent different from the rest of India’s?Milap Mewada, J&K senior team coach from 2018 to 2020: The entire pedigree of fast bowlers in J&K is very different. Everyone you come across wants to bowl quick. There are so many seam bowlers that even someone like Umran didn’t make it to the team sometimes, as there were already a lot of senior bowlers performing well.The major difference is in stamina. I am currently working with the Hyderabad Ranji team. I came across a couple of guys who are also bowling fast. If I make them bowl for too long, they will break. They can bowl fast but can’t sustain, but if I compare them with someone like [senior J&K fast bowler] Mohammed Mudhasir, they are nowhere. He never says no to fast bowling. Whenever you ask him, “Mudhi, three overs”, he always raises his hand. He’s a very senior player, so imagine what he was like as a young bowler!Former J&K captain Samiullah Beigh: “I was part of the zonal team six times in my career but I used to carry drinks despite having the highest wickets among the bowlers.”•Samiullah BeighWhy haven’t many bowlers from J&K made it big?Beigh: The simple reason is that till around 2013, the system of selection was wrong. It used to only favour big cricketing teams like Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka. No selector used to watch Plate group matches of Ranji Trophy. The maximum reward for doing well was a place in the zonal team but the captain of these teams would always be someone from a place like Delhi. They would refer players from their own states. I was part of the zonal team six times in my career but I got to play just once in Duleep Trophy, that too after my bus had passed. I used to carry drinks despite having the highest wickets among the bowlers. It happened to me and it must have happened with Abid Nabi, Abdul Qayoom. I think the same would have happened to Umran but thanks to the IPL net-bowling stint, he was spotted at the right time.Nabi: There was no one to talk about us earlier. No one would put an arm around our shoulders or guide us. I remember in 2004, I was in England playing county cricket and the Indian team was also on tour there. Many of their fast bowlers got injured and I had clocked 151.3kmph while playing U-19 around then. But no one recommended my name, so I never got to play.Will Malik’s emergence change things?Qayoom: After watching Umran, I truly believe that a lot of youngsters will take up the game more seriously. We are currently holding a talent hunt in J&K and I can already see many kids trying to bowl fast. They now think that if they bowl quick, they will be noticed. I visited Anantnag in south Kashmir and Baramulla in the north and a lot of pace bowlers are showing up. Despite having zero infrastructure here, a talent like Umran emerged. So if we improve facilities, a lot of Umrans will come to the forefront.Nabi: If Umran Malik plays at international level and does well even in one match, it will help J&K’s upcoming fast bowlers. In the past there used to be talk that J&K has good fast bowlers but nobody believed it. But now after watching Umran, India and the rest of the world will finally accept it and see for themselves. During my time, nobody would look at us. I finished as the highest wicket-taker in U-19s quite a few times but I wasn’t even considered for zonal teams initially. I think all of this will change after Umran’s success.Mewada picks fast bowler Mujtaba Yousuf (extreme left) and bowling allrounder Auqib Nabi (extreme right, back) among his players to watch•Sahil MagotraWhat do the BCCI and the J&K cricket association need to do to ensure the state’s fast-bowling talent doesn’t go in vain?Mewada: I believe the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has to go to the ground level and bring out the talent. This is what they are there for; the association itself is a part of the BCCI. They have enough funding, so they can hire professionals and try to utilise them to the best.I, as a coach, will keep Umran in the top category and prepare two more guys for his back-up. When I think I need two more Umrans or Mohammed Mudhasirs, I won’t get them suddenly, so to identify and train them I need to form a system. It should be a continuous process.Beigh: I believe J&K is a gold mine of fast bowlers and a lot of bowlers from here can serve India, but the BCCI has to do one thing to ensure that: they need to appoint a permanent fast-bowling coach and a fast-bowing trainer, not part-time or for a single season. They should then work with fast bowlers here every single day; do conditioning in the morning and coach them in the evening. This is the only way the crop of raw pace bowling will be reserved and we will see many more Umrans.Which upcoming J&K fast-bowlers should we keep an eye out for?Mewada: Mujtaba Yousuf and Basit Bashir, two very young and talented bowlers, Akash Choudhary from Jammu, and a very talented fast-bowling allrounder Auqib Nabi. They are really good.Beigh: Mujtaba Yousuf – I like his bowling action and run-up. Sharukh Dar – he’s already a net bowler with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He swings the ball both ways at pace. I am quite hopeful that he will play at the higher levels. Third one is a young guy from Kupwara: Basit Bashir. I have predicted that if he improves a few things, he may play for India within a few years. He is a terrific bowler with pace, swing and height.

On a slow, grippy pitch where every other batsman struggled for fluency, he smashed 73 not out off 33 balls

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Oct-20203:09

Ian Bishop: Players like AB de Villiers cannot be judged by normal people’s standards

Genius is hard to describe. AB de Villiers scored an unbeaten 73 off 33 balls on Monday night against the Kolkata Knight Riders, on a pitch where everyone else made 218 off 207, and while that’s obviously extraordinary, it didn’t extraordinary.Or let’s put it this way. It didn’t look extraordinary.It looked like any other extraordinary T20 innings de Villiers has played. He didn’t stand differently at the crease, or grip his bat differently, or play any shots you haven’t seen before. There were no new tactics devised on the spur of the moment to combat a slow and grippy pitch where every other batsman struggled for fluency. It was just AB de Villiers batting like AB de Villiers.It was the kind of innings that makes you reach for supernatural explanations. Virat Kohli faced 28 balls in the same innings and hit just one boundary, off his outside edge. He watched all of de Villiers’ innings from the other end, and at the presentation ceremony called him “superhuman”. He spoke of the “zing” in de Villiers’ eyes. de Villiers himself said he’d felt an “energy” when he’d got on the bus to the stadium, and felt “a bit of light out of my eye”.ALSO READ: Kohli praises bowlers after de Villiers’ masterclassThere were certainly moments during de Villiers’ innings when a ghostly light seemed to shine from his eyes. Something not quite of this world seemed to take place, for instance, when he drove the third ball of his innings straight back down the pitch. The ball hit the stumps at the other end, deflected by some 45 degrees, beat mid-off’s dive to his left, and kept running away from that fielder even as he sprang up and gave chase, seeming to accelerate as it approached the boundary as if the laws of physics had been briefly suspended.As remarkable as the innings was, though, we know it was bat and ball and flesh and blood, and it was all explicable in some way. Kohli got to the essence of it.”I just have to say that a lot of people can do what you’ve seen in the other games, but on a pitch like that, to bat like that, I think it’s only AB who can do that, just because of the way he sets up and he’s so still when he’s seeing the ball clearly and he’s so dangerous, because he can wait for the slower balls and deposit them out of the stadium, so it was a special knock,” Kohli said.Still.That word gets to the heart of what makes de Villiers so good. This was a pitch so slow that de Villiers didn’t once dip into his considerable repertoire behind the wicket, and he consequently did not move around the crease as extravagantly as he often does. But even when he moves all over the place, he’s perfectly still at the moment when the ball leaves the bowler’s hand.The quickest feet in the business, and the stillest head.Sometimes, the moments that best illustrate what makes someone like de Villiers tick are those rare moments when something goes wrong, when the finely tuned inner machinery of his game misses a beat.Take the second ball of the 16th over, a slower offcutter from Kamlesh Nagarkoti, clocking 112.1kph. It was the kind of delivery that had frequently wrenched batsmen out of shape throughout the Royal Challengers Bangalore innings, up to that point, and it wrenched de Villiers – batting on 10 off 10 – out of shape too. He swung too early at it, missed, and ended up getting hit on the thigh pad.AB de Villiers smacks one through the leg side•BCCIIt was an illustration of everything that usually never happens when de Villiers bats – a loose, imprecise swing with bat reaching out too far in front of his body, causing a loss of balance that tips his head to the off side at a most un-de-Villiers-like angle.When everything is working well, de Villiers’ bat-swing is like a golf swing. He mentions this in this video, where he explains what he calls his “box theory”.”I always talk about a little box that’s around me,” he says. “I don’t want any part of my bat, feet, head, nothing, to leave this box. Everything must happen in this box, because that’s where I have all my power, right here, in this box, everything to be played right here.”In golf, they talk about a compact golf swing. You’ve got to feel like you’re almost swinging in a box, and it’s the same with my batting.”ALSO READ: Talking Points: How did spinners do so well in Sharjah?de Villiers had reached out of that box against that Nagarkoti slower ball. But that’s what good slower balls can force batsmen to do on sluggish pitches, offering them no pace and asking them to manufacture all the power themselves.Where other batsmen might look for other ways to compensate for that lack of pace – by batting out of their crease, perhaps, to meet the ball earlier – de Villiers simply went back into his box, stretching, by a fraction of a second, that moment of stillness that defines him.It sounds simple when you read it, but it surely isn’t. You’re working against your muscle memory, which has been honed over tens of thousands of balls on mostly quicker pitches, and while every innings involves a recalibration of muscle memory – it’s what “getting your eye in” essentially means – it takes a freakish level of ability to do it in the space of 11 balls on a pitch like this one in Sharjah.Watch the next two balls that follow the ball that beats de Villiers. They’re slower offcutters too, delivered at similar speeds (116.6kph and 114.8kph), but de Villiers holds his shape for longer against them. It’s often said that the best batsmen have more time to play their shots; against these two deliveries, de Villiers is poised and waiting for what seems an eternity.His back foot has stepped across to off stump in his trigger movement, and his wrists are cocked, holding his bat up just above the flap of his right pad. His head, having dipped slightly at release, is still, eyes perfectly level. Everything, in that moment that stretches and stretches, is still, as he waits for the ball to enter his box.In his box, out of the park. The first one’s just a touch short, and he opens up and swats it over midwicket. It goes over the stadium roof and into the speeding traffic. The next one’s full, angling into leg stump, and he clears his front leg and unleashes that golf swing, his bat finishing over his left shoulder as the ball clears another roof, beyond long-on this time. One more dent in one more car.It looks absurdly simple. You tell yourself, hey, those slower balls are getting predictable now. Perhaps the lengths are wrong. But de Villiers keeps doing it, over and over, while at the other end, and at other times in this game, other batsmen, fine batsmen, struggle. Look closer, then. Maybe there is a light shining out of his eye.

Another year of MLB free agency is underway and that means that, in addition to the hot stove firing up, the Japanese Posting System will once again become a topic of discussion as some of Japan's top professional baseball players take their talents stateside. One such star player, infielder Munetaka Murakami, was officially posted on Friday. But what does the term 'posted' mean? And how does the Japanese Posting System work in MLB?

What does the term posted mean?

Posting is a process that occurs when an eligible player in the Nippon Professional Baseball league would like to play in MLB. The player notifies his team's management of his desire to play in MLB, and requests that he be made available for posting during the next posting period.

When is the posting period?

While it has changed in past iterations of the posting system, the current posting period is from November 1 to December 5, meaning players can be posted anytime between those dates.

Which players are eligible to be posted?

NPB players with no more than nine years of experience are eligible to be posted. Both the player and his team must agree to the posting before the process plays out.

What is the exact process of posting?

All 30 MLB clubs have 45 days to negotiate terms of a contract with a player after he has been posted. Once a contract is agreed upon between the player and an MLB team, the MLB team must pay a release fee to the player‘s NPB team. If no contract is agreed upon between player and MLB team in the 45 days, the player will return to the NPB team for the ensuing season and cannot be posted again until the following offseason.

How do the release fees work?

The release fee amounts to a certain percentage of the agreed upon contract between player and MLB team.

Value of MLB Contract	Release Fee
$25 million or less	20% of the total guaranteed contract value
Between $25,000,001 and $50 million	20% of the first $25 million, plus 17.5% of the total guaranteed value exceeding $25 million
$50,000,001 or more	20% of the first $25 million, plus 17.5% of the next $25 million, plus 15% of the total guaranteed value exceeding $50 million

For all minor league contracts, the release fee will be 25% of the signing bonus. For minor league contracts that contain MLB terms, a supplemental fee will be owed to the NPB team if the player is added to the 25-man roster. If a posted player signs a contract that includes bonuses, salary escalators or options, a supplemental fee equal to 15% of any bonus or salary escalators earned by the player will be owed to the Japanese team and/or a 15% of any option that is exercised.

Are there any caveats to the posting system?

Yes. Unless foreign-born players are at least 25 years old and have played professionally for at least six seasons in a foreign league recognized by MLB, they will be subject to international bonus pool money restrictions. One such example occurred this past offseason, when 23-year-old Rōki Sasaki, who ultimately signed with the Dodgers, was considered an international amateur free agent.

Why was the posting system implemented?

Several players playing in Japan—most notably Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Alfonso Soriano—exploited loopholes in a prior agreement between the NPB league and MLB to play in MLB, leaving their Japanese teams with nothing following their departures. The posting system was created to allow Japanese teams to receive compensation when certain members of the club desire to play in MLB.

Who are some of the biggest names to ever be posted in MLB?

Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, five-time All-Star Yu Darvish and two-time All-Star Masahiro Tanaka are just a few former and current stars who were posted before playing in MLB.

Manchester United are now in direct negotiations to sell a player Ruben Amorim wants to keep, with a departure on the cards in the January transfer window.

Man Utd could sell first-team star in January

Ahead of the January transfer window, it has now emerged that Benjamin Sesko is making good progress in his recovery from an injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur, with his agent, Elvis Basanovic saying: “Benjamin is feeling very good, his rehab is going as planned,”

“He’s really eager to return to the pitch; he misses playing. He’s missing games, and he’s a bit impatient, so hopefully he’ll be back soon and be where he feels most comfortable. It’s hard to say exactly [when he will return], that will be more up to the medical team and the coach.”

With Sesko spending time on the treatment table, Joshua Zirkzee started three games on the spin in the Premier League, prior to the 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, and scored in the 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace at the end of November.

However, the Dutchman hasn’t exactly been prolific in front of goal, scoring just once in all competitions this season, and AS Roma have now entered direct negotiations with Man United over a January deal for the centre-forward.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states United are open to offers of around £35m for Zirkzee next month, despite Amorim wanting to retain his services, as he values the former Bologna man’s versatility.

Roma are in pole position in the race for the Netherlands international, but they are not the only club in the race, with Premier League rivals West Ham United, Brighton, Everton and Aston Villa also being named as potential suitors.

Man Utd should cash-in on Zirkzee next month

Given that the Red Devils signed the striker for £36.5m, it would be fantastic if they were able to command a fee of £35m and recoup nearly all their money, considering the 24-year-old has never really managed to find his feet in the Premier League.

Amorim personally keen: Man Utd preparing £87m bid for top midfield target

United are readying a bid for a “sensational” central midfielder, who is now their priority target.

ByDominic Lund 5 days ago

The £105k-a-week forward has just eight goals to his name in 58 appearances for Man United, with Ronald Koeman also criticising him earlier this year, after choosing not to call him up for the Netherlands, saying: “He wasn’t in the preliminary selection because I don’t think he’s good enough at the moment.

“Especially scanning when turning or passing often goes wrong.”

With Sesko due to return from injury soon, and Matheus Cunha also able to play striker, doing so in the rout of Wolves, Man United should offload Zirkee in the January transfer window, despite it emerging that he wants to stay…

While we’re still in the early stages of the season, so much has changed already. Two teams have already fired their managers. The Baltimore Orioles have the worst run differential in the American League. The Seattle Mariners suddenly have one of baseball’s best offenses. And the Colorado Rockies are on pace for (yes, you read that right).

Entering play Friday, all 30 clubs have played at least 42 games, meaning we’ve officially reached the end of the first quarter of the 2025 campaign. While we’ve still got a ways to go, it felt like the right time to check in on the major awards races and hand out some quarter pole accolades.

Some of the picks were pretty clear cut (you should check out this Aaron Judge guy, he’s pretty good). Others had a long list of deserving candidates that made picking just one at this point of the season a difficult task. And while the pecking order will undoubtedly change as spring turns to summer, it’s worthwhile to see where things stand from an individual perspective now.

So, without further ado, the envelopes, please:

American LeagueMVP: Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees

At this point, Judge’s mastery of hitting is well documented. Through the Yankees’ first 43 games, he’s on pace to: clear 50 homers for the third time in four years; reach the 150-mark in runs scored and driven in; and record 256 hits. He’s hitting over .400, has the lowest strikeout rate (21.5%) of his career and is putting up the highest single-season slugging percentage (.782) of the 21st century for anyone not named Barry Bonds. His 252 wRC+ would be the best for a full season in MLB history.

Can Judge keep up this historic pace? History and math tell us it’s unlikely, but the run Judge has been on these past four years give us little reason to doubt that, by season’s end, there will be no debating who baseball’s best hitter is.

Honorable mention: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals; Cal Raleigh, Mariners; Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox

Cy Young Award: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

Now we get to the competitive races. The American League has seen several established aces get off to hot starts, but Brown has the slightest of edges so far. The 26-year-old has continued his stellar form over the second half of last season into 2025, and looks to be in the midst of a full-blown breakout.

Brown, a former top prospect, had an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2023 that portended brighter days in ‘24. That didn’t happen right away: through his first 10 games in ‘24 (nine starts), Brown was 1–5 with a 7.06 ERA and 24 walks in 44 ⅓ innings, briefly losing his spot in the rotation. From that point on, he was dominant, leading the AL with 2.27 ERA in 21 starts from May 28 through the end of the season.

The righthander has been a workhorse to begin 2025, ranking third in the AL in ERA (1.48) and first in FIP (1.85). He’s putting up a career-best 32% strikeout rate and his lowest walk rate (7.7%), allowing him to pitch deep into games: he’s gone at least six innings in seven of eight starts. The competition here is stiff, but Brown’s ability to log bulk innings, miss bats and prevent hard contact gives him the edge.

Honorable mention: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers; Max Fried, Yankees; Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers; Garrett Crochet, Red Sox; Kris Bubic, Royals 

Rookie of the Year: Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics

The A’s took Wilson with the sixth pick in the 2023 draft, then saw him hit .401 in 79 minor league games before making him the team’s starting shortstop. He kept his head above water in a 28-game cup of coffee in ‘24, but has been terrorizing opposing pitchers to begin ‘25.

Wilson doesn’t hit the ball hard and he doesn’t walk much, but he possesses Luis Arraez-like bat-to-ball skills that give him the league’s second-lowest strikeout rate at 5.4% (fittingly, trailing only Arraez). His ability to square the ball up despite lacking high exit velocities suppresses his power potential, but also allows him to have the league’s 10th-highest expected batting average (.319). The shortstop version of prime Luis Arraez at age 23 is a great foundational piece for an A’s team that’s managed to hover above .500 to this point.

Honorable mention: Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox; Kristian Campbell, Red Sox; Trey Sweeney, Tigers; Jasson Dominguez, Yankees; Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles

Comeback Player of the Year: Javier Báez, CF, Detroit Tigers

After years wandering the proverbial baseball wilderness, who could have believed that Báez had a stretch like this still in him? Through his first three years with the Tigers (2022 to ‘24), Báez had the second-lowest on-base percentage (.262) and fourth-worst wRC+ (70) of any hitter with at least 1,000 plate appearances. His six-year, $140 million contract was looking like a complete sunk cost, but the 32-year-old has found a renewed rhythm while rediscovering his role for a first-place Detroit squad that’s equipped to be a contender.

Báez has adapted remarkably quickly to playing center field, tying for fifth at the position in defensive runs saved. His .309/.346/.496 slash line isn’t exactly propped up by robust under-the-hood numbers, but anyone focusing on that aspect of his performance to date is missing the point. This is a player who, in his prime, was among the most fun and exciting to watch on a nightly basis. Having Báez back among MLB’s relevant characters on a winning team is good for everybody.

Honorable mention: Liam Hendriks, Red Sox; Tyler Mahle, Rangers

National LeagueMVP: Corbin Carroll, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks

As you can tell by the numerous honorable mentions, this is perhaps the most crowded field of the major awards. Carroll gets the pick now because we have to pick , but that’s not to say he hasn’t earned it.

The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year struggled during the first half of last season, posting a .619 OPS through the end of June. He was still hitting the ball hard, but not lifting it in the air enough to take advantage of his natural power. From Opening Day through June 30, Carroll had a 45.5% ground ball rate, translating to just two homers in 82 games.

Now, Carroll has fully embraced the pulled fly ball approach. He’s hitting the ball in the air 42.5% of the time this season, and pulling fly balls at a 28.1% clip—both career highs. As a result, he has the NL’s third-highest slugging percentage (.612) while ranking second among right fielders in Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Carroll will need to fend off a swarm of players who are more than qualified to contend for the hardware, but he has a leg up on the rest of the crowd for now.

Honorable mention: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres; Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies; Pete Alonso, New York Mets; Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks, Freddie Freeman, Dodgers

Cy Young Award: Zack Wheeler, Phillies

I think it’s a bridge slightly too far to call Wheeler underrated, but it’s hard to believe the veteran ace only has two All-Star appearances to his name. Since joining the Phillies in 2020, he leads all pitchers in fWAR (26.2), has the third-lowest ERA (2.96) among pitchers with at least 100 starts and has logged the second-most innings (887 1/3). He has two Cy Young runner-up finishes in that span, and 2025 is looking like it could be the year he finally secures the honor.

Wheeler leads the NL in innings (58), is third in strikeout rate (33.2%), second in K-BB% (28.3%), fifth in batting average against (.200) and second in WHIP (0.91). There are plenty of other pitchers who have similarly impressive stat lines, but this is a pick that’s partly betting on Wheeler’s consistency and durability giving him a better chance at maintaining this form over the next four months.

Honorable mention: Jesús Luzardo, Phillies; Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants; Michael King, Padres; Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers; Kodai Senga, Mets; Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Rookie of the Year: AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Atlanta Braves

Smith-Shawver got a brief taste of life in the big leagues in 2023 and ‘24 before cracking Atlanta’s Opening Day roster this season. His start to the year was uneven: he struck out 17 hitters over his first three outings but walked eight and twice failed to make it through the fifth inning. Opposing hitters put up a .333/.415/.526 slash line against him, leading to his demotion back to Triple A.

In four starts since getting recalled, Smith-Shawver has looked like a new pitcher. He’s 3–0 and allowed just three earned runs during that stretch, with 23 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 frames. He’s pitched into the sixth inning in all four games, and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his May 5 outing against the Reds. Smith-Shawver’s emergence into a reliable starter, along with the presence of Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach and impending return of Spencer Strider, could once again give Atlanta a strong front-end of the rotation—and net the 22-year-old some serious hardware, too.

Honorable mention: Drake Baldwin, Braves; Luisangel Acuña, Mets; Agustîn Ramírez, Miami Marlins; Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers; Ben Casparius, Dodgers; Tim Tawa, Diamondbacks

Comeback Player of the Year: Jesús Luzardo, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Health has always been a concern for Luzardo. He had Tommy John surgery in high school before the Washington Nationals took him in the third round of the 2016 draft, and has spent much of his career on and off the injured list. When he’s been able to stay on the mound, though, there’s been little doubting his ability, and he put everything together for a breakout 2023 campaign for the Marlins in which he posted a 3.58 ERA with 208 strikeouts in 32 starts.

Last season, though, was another in which Luzardo couldn’t stay healthy. A lumbar stress reaction ended his season in mid-June after 12 underwhelming starts in which he put up a 5.00 ERA. Miami dealt him in December to Philadelphia, where he's enjoyed a resurgence and is now pitching better than ever. Luzardo is 4–0 with a 2.00 ERA and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his starts, pitching into the sixth inning in eight of them. Durability will always be a concern, but if he can stay on the mound, he’ll be in contention for a lot more than just Comeback Player of the Year by season’s end.

Honorable mention: Jung Hoo Lee, Giants; Kodai Senga, Mets; Robbie Ray, Giants

For a long time, one of Arsenal’s most significant problems was finding a proper backup for Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End icon is undoubtedly Mikel Arteta’s best player, and his time on the sidelines last season showed just how much the team were in desperate need of someone who could cover and compete with him on the right.

Fortunately, the North Londoners signed Noni Madueke in the summer, and while his arrival wasn’t met with universal excitement, his performances over the first five Premier League games suggested he may well be the player the club have needed for so long.

Therefore, supporters should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal to an international ace who has been compared to both Saka and Madueke.

Arsenal target Saka & Madueke hybrid

It’s not even December, but Arsenal are already being linked with a host of exciting players across Europe and beyond.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Expand Collapse

For example, Levante’s Etta Eyong, who has already racked up nine goal involvements, has been touted for a move to the Emirates, as has Nottingham Forest’s incredible Elliot Anderson.

However, as talented as they are, neither of them could be described as being a hybrid of Saka and Madueke, unlike Karim Adeyemi.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal are one of a few top sides interested in signing the Borussia Dortmund star.

More than that, the report has revealed that while the German international’s representatives have spoken to Manchester United, he would favour a move to the Gunners.

A potential price is not mentioned in the story, but other reports from Germany claim that Dortmund value their attacker at around £70m.

It could be a complicated and costly deal to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s ability and potential, one worth pursuing, especially as he’s been compared to both Saka and Madueke.

How Adeyemi compares to Saka & Madueke

Even though it feels like it has been around for some time now, Adeyemi is still just 23 years old.

The Munich-born “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has been a key player for Dortmund for a few years, ending last season with an excellent tally of 12 goals and 11 assists in just 41 appearances.

He appears on track to match that tally this year as well, as in 14 appearances, totalling just 817 minutes, he has already racked up six goal involvements.

However, while his output is seriously impressive, the comparisons to Saka and Madueke primarily come from elsewhere, from FBref.

They have compared him to every attacking midfielder and winger across Europe’s top five leagues and have determined that the Hale Enders is the second most similar, and the former Chelsea star is the fourth.

You can gain a better understanding of how these comparisons were made by examining the underlying numbers in which the German dynamo has ranked closely to the two internationals.

In the case of the Gunners’ talisman, these metrics include expected goals plus assists, progressive passes, shot-creating actions, shots on target, and more, all per 90.

Adeyemi & Saka

Statistics per 90

Adeyemi

Saka

Expected Goals + Assists

0.57

0.58

Progressive Passes

2.14

2.24

Shots on Target

0.89

0.93

Passing Accuracy

71.4%

72.4%

Shot-Creating Actions

4.47

4.23

Fouls Drawn

2.68

2.50

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League season

Then, for the former Blues star, the underlying numbers include metrics such as goal-creating actions, expected assists, and most interestingly, carries, also all per 90.

In other words, the former RB Salzburg gem seems to possess some of the creativity and goal threat of the North Londoners’ number seven, as well as the carrying ability of their summer signing, which helps explain why Mattinson called him a “serious transitional threat.”

Adeyemi & Madueke

Statistics per 90

Adeyemi

Madueke

Expected Assists

0.29

0.24

Goal-Creating Actions

0.54

0.59

Carries

28.2

25.9

Successful Take-On %

43.3%

41.2%

Ball Recoveries

2.86

2.94

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 League season

Ultimately, it would be a costly and challenging transfer to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s skillset, positional versatility and output, it is one Arsenal should pursue.

Related Trossard upgrade: Arsenal plot £65m move for "best winger in the country"

Arsenal could sign a big-money winger in bad news for Leandro Trossard.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Former Schalke coach Jens Keller, who managed Leroy Sane and handed him his professional debut, has criticised Germany national team boss Julian Nagelsmann for his comments about the winger. On Monday, Nagelsmann issued another warning to Sane regarding his World Cup prospects following his move to Galatasaray, with Keller of the belief that such comments should be reserved for private conversations.

Nagelsmann's public warning to Sane

One of the surprises in the Germany squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia was the return of Sane. Having signed for reigning Super Lig champions Galatasaray after leaving Bayern Munich as a free agent over the summer, the call-up marked his first inclusion in the national team squad since the Nations League Finals in June. However, Nagelsmann publicly warned the 29-year-old that he won't get many opportunities if he fails to grab them.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Nagelsmann said: "If we had six or seven players to choose from in that position, then it would be significantly more difficult for him. He knows that there aren't an unlimited number of opportunities to prove himself at the national team level. I told him that openly."

However, the 38-year-old manager recognised and acknowledged an improvement in Sane's performances over the past few months. "Profile-wise, he has everything we need in that position. That's why he has this opportunity now," he said.

"His scoring rate and performances have improved significantly compared to the beginning, both in the Super Lig and in the Champions League. But he still has steps to take to improve even further – both here and at the club."

AdvertisementGetty/GOALFormer Bundesliga coach defends Sane after Nagelsmann's comments

Jens Keller, former Stuttgart, Schalke and Union Berlin head coach, was not too pleased with Nagelsmann's comments at the press conference this week. The former defender also believes Sane "brings something special" to the German national team.

"I suspect Julian Nagelsmann wanted to provoke him, but I would have handled it differently," Keller told . "It's not my style to communicate publicly and increase the pressure like that. Leroy may be a laid-back guy, but he's also very sensitive."

Keller, who guided Sane to his professional debut in 2014, says he’s unsure whether public criticism benefits the player’s performance. He explains that Sane “used to need a talking-to now and then," but not in public. "You can tell him your opinion in private, and he accepts it.”

The 54-year-old also defended Sane from the criticism by adding that "if he doesn't perform well, it's almost always viewed quite critically. But he also played some great games for Bayern last season." For Keller, there is "hardly anyone in Germany who has such a good left foot, such speed, who goes deep and demands the ball."

He also referred to Nagelsmann's comments about Sane back in August, where he pointed out that the ex-Manchester City and Schalke star is now plying a trade in a league that has lower standards. "Ultimately, he plays for a top Turkish club and in the Champions League. I don't know what's so bad about that," Keller pointed out. "That's also my conviction because he still brings something special. As a person, he's an incredibly good guy, I like him very much. Leroy would always be there for me."

Former Bayern director Matthias Sammer agrees that Nagelsmann's method may not be ideal, saying: "My experience is that individualists need love, need so much love that it causes a clash. That's just the way it is." 

Ex-Bayern star becoming impactful for Galatasaray

After a slow start with the Turkish heavyweights, Sane is showing signs of nearing his best. The German international has often been scrutinised for his unimpressive displays and lack of impact with Gala, with former player Alparslan Erdem even warning Sane to "get his head straight first" if he doesn't want to be unsuccessful like ex-Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech.

However, he seems to have found his rhythm, scoring three goals and delivering as many assists in 15 games across Super Lig and the Champions League. "I had to settle in first. I had an adjustment period, so things didn't quite go as planned on the pitch at the beginning," Sane admitted to recently. "I had to get to know my teammates, and they had to get to know me, how to interact on the pitch, how to play together. That took a little while. But now, in the last few games, I'm very happy with my performances and how I've played. I want to carry this momentum forward and keep going."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images SportSane determined to play at the 2026 World Cup

Sane previously discussed his relationship with Nagelsmann, assuring that there was no bad blood between them. "Julian Nagelsmann and I have a very good relationship; we get along really well and had good exchanges and discussions during the last training courses," he said. "I’m grateful to him for that. Of course, I hope that when things are going well for me again, I’ll be invited back. I want to repay that trust with my performance – he’s always supported me, and I’m grateful for that."

Sane also expressed his determination to fight for his spot at next year's World Cup, saying: "The World Cup is a big goal for me – the biggest event in football. I’ll do everything I can to perform at my best and show that Julian Nagelsmann has to take me. I certainly hope we have a great tournament together."

Tensions were high during Game 4 of the ALDS between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees. It got to the point where both teams' benches cleared and met on the field.

In the sixth inning, the Yankees were up 3–0 on the Royals, and New York shortstop Anthony Volpe poured some salt in the wound while tagging Kansas City third baseman Maikel Garcia at second.

Volpe tagged Garcia out when he slid, and then again when Garcia stood up. Garcia didn't appreciate this emphasis on the out and gave him a stare down. Volpe continued with egging Garcia on by patting his back as he walked away. This made Garcia talk back while Jazz Chisholm interjected. It's unclear what was said, but it started a heated exchange between players on both teams.

This is when both benches cleared onto the field. The bullpens even joined in. No physical altercations happened, and the chaos was quickly calmed down.

With so much on the line in this game, emotions were high. This debacle gave the Royals a bit of a spark they needed as Bobby Witt Jr. went up to bat next and hit a single. Vinny Pasquantino hit a double next to bring Witt home and give the Royals their first score of the night.

After a mixed start to life as Rangers manager this week, Danny Röhl and his team may now be going into a crucial fortnight with a sense of positivity.

Last Thursday, the Gers were demolished 3-0 by Brann in the Europa League, leaving them bottom of the gigantic league table, but then did manage to beat Kilmarnock 3-1 at Ibrox on Sunday, thanks to second-half goals from Danilo and Youssef Chermiti.

This lifts the Light Blues up to fifth in the Premiership table, with some crucial fixtures ahead.

On Wednesday night, they’ll travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibs, before a League Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden next Sunday, followed by a visit from Roma in the Europa League four days later.

So, ahead of three massive tests, which Rangers star made themselves undroppable with their performance against Killie?

Nicolas Raskin's importance to Rangers

Russell Martin made many mistakes as Rangers manager, but his public falling out with last season’s player of the year Nicolas Raskin proved to be one of the most costly.

The Belgian was unceremoniously left on the bench for Champions League qualifiers against Viktoria Plzeň and Club Brugge, before not being included in the matchday squad at all for home matches against Celtic and Hearts.

The latter, a miserable 2-0 defeat, was when the support really started to turn against Martin, with Darrell Currie perplexed as to why any coach would choose to leave their “best player in the stand”.

However, recognising the error of his ways, Raskin was back in the team a week later as Rangers beat Hibs 2-0 in the League Cup quarter-finals, the Belgian heading home the opening goal, albeit this did little to help Martin remain in a job.

Raskin has started both matches since Röhl’s appointment, a trend you can guarantee will continue at Easter Road on Wednesday, but who else has put themselves forward as one of the first names on the team sheet?

Rangers summer signing who starred vs Kilmarnock

Fair to say, plenty of Rangers’ 13 summer signings have not impressed so far; Joe Rothwell, Nasser Djiga, Thelo Aasgaard, Jayden Meghoma and Youssef Chermiti, to name but a few.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

However, the last of those signings, namely Derek Cornelius, who arrived on deadline day, could prove to be the best.

The 27-year-old Canadian international is something of a globetrotter, having played in Germany, Serbia, his native Canada, Greece, Sweden and France before moving to Scotland, arriving on a season-long loan from Olympique de Marseille, opening his Rangers account with this header on Sunday.

Overall, the late addition was ultra-impressive, as the numbers outline.

Cornelius’ stats vs Kilmarnock

Stats

Cornelius

Match rank

Goals

1

1st

Shots on target

2

1st

Dribble success %

100%

1st

Defensive actions

10

2nd

Clearances

9

2nd

Duels contested

15

1st

Duels won

8

1st

Accurate passes

75

2nd

Passing accuracy %

91%

5th*

Touches

107

2nd

Average rating

8.1

1st

*minimum 15 passes completed.

Stats via SofaScore

As the table documents, Cornelius was immense against Kilmarnock.

The defender had the most shots on target of any player on the pitch, while registering the most duels contested and duels won, ranked second only to centre-back partner John Souttar when it came to defensive actions, clearances, accurate passes and touches.

Upon his arrival in Govan, then-manager Martin highlighted Cornelius’ “experience”, while Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell heralded his “defensive and leadership abilities”.

Meantime, after games against the Netherlands and France, the latter a memorable goalless draw in Bordeaux​​​​​​​, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch praised his “incredibly strong performances”, adding that the defender is “smart, he understands a lot of the tactical responsibilities, and he’s played with a lot of confidence and belief in himself”.

Well, very early into his Rangers career, the centre-back is starting to show some of that potential, crucially forming an encouraging partnership alongside Souttar.

Thus, with games against Hibs, Celtic and then Roma next on the agenda, Cornelius has catapulted himself into the undroppable tier of Rangers players, alongside Raskin and Djeidi Gassama, but few others.

​​​​​​​

Related Holding back Raskin: Röhl must drop the "cooked" Rangers flop vs Kilmarnock

Following a 3-0 defeat to Brann in Danny Röhl’s first match as Rangers manager, he must move on from his flop holding back Nicolas Raskin.

Posts ByBen Gray Oct 26, 2025