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Tottenham Hotspur are in the midst of a wave of injury issues and could now look to sign a talented player in the January transfer window, according to a report.

Tottenham Hotspur's injury issues and January plans…

Undoubtedly, Ange Postecoglou's Lilywhites have been on the receiving end of some unfortunate luck regarding injuries as the Australian manager looks to keep his side in contention for continental qualification over the festive period.

As cited by Football London, Spurs will be without Uruguay international Rodrigo Bentancur until 2024 after the midfielder tore a ligament in his ankle. When asked about the severity of his issue, Postecoglou stated cited via Birmingham Live:

"Not exact timeframes but a significant time. I guess similar type of injury, we're still getting some information, but it'll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least."

Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison are also on the treatment table and will be absent for the foreseeable future.

In light of Bentancur's situation, Tottenham are believed to have shelved potential January departures for Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as they look to retain as many bodies as possible in then engine room until replacements are found for the pair.

The report states that Juventus are keen on Denmark international Hojbjerg; however, both he and Skipp will be kept around due to the volume of injuries that have plagued the north Londoners. Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips has been mentioned as a potential solution to the problem by the outlet; nevertheless, there will be vast competition to secure his services come the New Year.

Now, another potential option has emerged for Spurs as they look to add depth in midfield once the transfer window opens for business in January.

Tottenham Hotspur eye Kenneth Taylor

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham are keen on a swoop for Ajax midfielder Kenneth Taylor, who has been likened to Toni Kroos in the copy due to his style of play and defensive qualities.

Kenneth Taylor 2023/24 statistics – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

19

Goals

2

Assists

2

Premier League sides Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United are also keeping tabs on the Netherlands international, though it is said that he would be reluctant to leave Ajax in January amid their struggles in the Eredivisie.

Labelled a "revelation" by former Ajax manager Aad de Mos, Taylor has shown composure in the middle of the part this term despite a poor start to proceedings by Ajax, averaging around 1.7 long balls and 1.3 key passes per match in the Dutch top-flight (Taylor statistics – WhoScored).

Rising through the youth ranks to become a key player for Ajax, it is unsurprising to see Taylor's talents haven't gone unnoticed and he could now be set to become the next player to earn de Godenzonen a hefty windfall in the transfer market should he move on in one of the upcoming windows.

Tottenham are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements and Taylor could offer some much-needed depth to a squad that has been decimated by injuries in 2023/24.

Tottenham eyeing another "game changer" young winger alongside Iling-Junior

Levy and Postecoglou have set their sights on another attacker ahead of January.

ByChloe Chadwick Dec 3, 2023

Rarely do you get a battle that checks every box – the best teams in the competition, top stars available, and evenly matched

Saurabh Somani in Nagpur02-Feb-2019Big PictureIf you had to pick two teams who you thought might be contesting the Ranji Trophy finals even five years ago, Vidarbha and Saurashtra wouldn’t have topped most people’s lists, and not just because they appear near the bottom when the teams are stacked alphabetically.Yet here they are. Both were in Group A, both topped the combined Groups A & B table with 29 points each. They had identical records, three wins and five draws. They arrived at the knockout stages like identical twins, but their paths to the final have diverged there. Vidarbha have sailed through, beating Uttarakhand and Kerala by an innings. Saurashtra fell behind in their quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh and then mounted a record chase. Then they fell behind against Karnataka and mounted another fourth-innings chase. There was no numerical record there, though it could have been the first time Cheteshwar Pujara was booed at and heckled in a stadium in India while hitting a match-winning century.Due to the nature of their paths though, both teams have arrived at the final full of confidence, and both have the knowledge that their batting and bowling are in good working order.The other similarities between the two are their structures. Both have a top order that’s in form and pedigreed. Both have left-arm spin-bowling allrounders as their fulcrum. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja has 52 wickets and a batting average of 21.54, Aditya Sarwate has 44 wickets and a batting average of 30.50. Vidarbha might claim slightly superior bowling firepower because they have Umesh Yadav, but Saurashtra will point to Pujara as evidence of greater batting might.They even played each other in the last league match before the knockouts, in which Saurashtra took the first-innings lead in a draw that had only 21 wickets falling in four days.Rarely do you get a final that checks every box – the best teams in the competition, top stars available, and evenly matched.Form guideVidarbha WWDWD (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Saurashtra WWDDWIn the spotlightWhile the spotlight for Saurashtra will be firmly trained on Pujara, their leading run-getter this season has been Sheldon Jackson. He has 838 from 10 games at an average of 52.37 and just like Pujara, he too scored an unbeaten half-century and a century in their two fourth-innings chases. Jackson has been a quiet performer for Saurashtra over several years, but another good outing in the final may just be the fuel he needs to get more opportunities at higher levels.Saurashtra will face defending champions Vidarbha in the final•Ekana Cricket Media/ Randhir DevA similar situation exists in the Vidarbha camp. The presence of Umesh Yadav will mean all eyes are on him, especially considering his devastating form. Wasim Jaffer’s second 1000-plus season means he’ll grab some attention as well but Vidarbha have also had captain Faiz Fazal to thank for their batting firepower. It was Fazal’s 75 on a spicy pitch in the semi-final that prevented Vidarbha from collapsing like Kerala had, and he’s almost unnoticeably gone to second-place on his team’s highest run-scorers’ list.Team newsSaurashtra would want to keep a winning combination intact and the only change they could contemplate is dropping Arpit Vasavada, who showed a weakness against the short ball in the semi-final against Karnataka given Vidarbha have Umesh.Saurashtra (possible): 1 Harvik Desai, 2 Snell Patel (wk), 3 Vishwaraj Jadeja, 4 Cheteshwar Pujara, 5 Sheldon Jackson, 6 Arpit Vasavada, 7 Prerak Mankad, 8 Kamlesh Makvana, 9 Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, 10 Jaydev Unadkat (capt), 11 Chetan Sakariya.Vidarbha will definitely be making at least one change, having picked a side that was tailor-made for a seam-friendly wicket against Kerala. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare is set to return to the XI, most likely at the expense of the young Yash Thakur. The 19-year-old showed promise in the semi-final with 4 for 28 in the second innings, but Vidarbha will need their best spin options for this game, and they have the pace front covered with Umesh and Rajneesh Gurbani.Vidarbha (possible): 1 Faiz Fazal (capt), 2 Sanjay Raghunath, 3 Wasim Jaffer, 4 Atharwa Taide, 5 Ganesh Satish, 6 Akshay Wadkar (wk), 7 Aditya Sarwate, 8 Mohit Kale, 9 Akshay Wakhare, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Rajneesh GurbaniPitch and conditionsThe pitch is expected to be a slow and low turner, which will last the full duration of the match, as has been the norm at the VCA Stadium in recent times.Stats and trivia 5 – the number of teams who have won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in all its history. They are Bombay/Mumbai, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Rajasthan. Vidarbha will attempt to become the sixth team in that list. 52 – the number of wickets taken by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja this season, the highest of any bowler not from the Plate Group. Only Ashutosh Aman (68) and Gurinder Singh (53) are ahead of him.

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne says Phil Foden has "gone up a level" but admits it takes time to get used to Pep Guardiola's system.

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Manchester City thump Brighton 4-0De Bruyne heaps praise on FodenExplains his growth under GuardiolaWHAT HAPPENED?

Foden bagged a brace in City's rout of the Seagulls at the Amex on Thursday night, taking them to within one point of Premier League leaders Arsenal. After the match, De Bruyne was full of praise for his team-mate and spoke about where he thinks the 23-year-old will play positionally in the future and how he has developed under manager Guardiola.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT KEVIN DE BRUYNE SAID

He told : "I think he will end up centrally. I saw Phil from the beginning and I think it takes a while to get used to a Pep team. I think now he is trusted to play centrally and Phil does what he does for six or seven years already. He has been doing this for years, has helped us win titles and he has gone up another level."

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With De Bruyne injured for much of the campaign, Foden's goalscoring feats have been hugely important in City's bid to retain their Premier League title. His double at Brighton brought up his 23rd and 24th goals of the season in all competitions and both he and De Bruyne will be key in the final stretch of the campaign as they bid to lift more silverware.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Foden and De Bruyne will likely be in action in City's next match away to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool weren't at their best – they were far from it in fact – but Jurgen Klopp's side emerged from Bramall Lane with three points against Sheffield United.

So often over the past year or so, the Reds have produced under-par performances against the ostensible lower sides in the Premier League – more than a few times failing to produce a winning display.

But last night, the Reds showcased their rekindled title credentials and maintained pursuit of first-placed Arsenal, who enjoy a two-point cushion after 15 matches. While it was not the most cohesive and high-octane of outings for the visitors, there were several standout showings, with Virgil van Dijk leading by example.

Virgil van Dijk's performance in numbers

Appointed captain in the summer following the exits of Jordan Henderson and James Milner, Van Dijk has been exceptional this season after struggling as Liverpool languished last year.

Minutes played

90'

Goals

1

Touches

99

Pass completion

92%

Tackles

2

Clearances

4

Interceptions

1

Duel success

6/8 (75%)

As the statistics show, the 32-year-old was as crisp as ever against the Blades and rebuffed danger whenever it drew near; the fact that Ibrahima Konate contested 24 duels, winning 20, as opposed to Van Dijk's eight illuminates the opposition's strategy of probing for openings away from his realm.

With Manchester City falling to defeat against Aston Villa, Liverpool are starting to unearth an almost tangible pathway to the Premier League title, and with their captain producing such mighty performances in the rearguard, this really could be realised.

In his post-match ratings, the Liverpool Echo's Paul Joyce was in awe and handed the 6 foot 4 titan and wrote: 'Superb defending stopped one Archer raid and emphatic first-time finish for the first goal. Marshalled the backline with a real captain’s showing.'

He wasn't the only player to shine, with Trent Alexander-Arnold seemingly gliding into the next phase of his career and doing so with string-pulling brilliance.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was "sublime" at Bramall Lane

Alexander-Arnold has been utterly mesmerising of late, really growing into the role of Liverpool's centrepiece, transcending the right-back typecast and emerging as something greater. Something ineffable.

Across his past four matches across all competitions, the 25-year-old has posted two goals and assists apiece, and he contributed to that tally last night after setting up the sole goal of the affair.

Playing the full 90, Alexander-Arnold's pinpoint delivery from the corner spot allowed Van Dijk to coolly breach Wes Foderingham's goal, also making two interceptions, a clearance and a tackle.

While the dynamic £180k-per-week star was dribbled past four times – perhaps the crux of his weakness – he remarkably took 115 touches and created seven key passes – for reference, Kevin De Bruyne averaged 3.1 key passes per game in the Premier League last season.

Joyce gave him an 8/10 match score, writing: 'Began to find his passing range and whipped in fine corner for the opener. By some distance Liverpool’s most creative force.'

Alexander-Arnold's willingness to serve as the fulcrum of his side's flow – and indeed his teammates' desire for him to take centre stage – is a testament to his unparalleled ability to manufacture openings from nothing.

In clashes such as the 1-0 win at Bramall Lane, when Liverpool are not quite clicking, Alexander-Arnold can conjure up moments of magic in an instant, and as Liverpool chase down the title, he will be right there, making the difference.

USMNT duo Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman celebrated their 8-0 rout of Heerenveen with boss Peter Bosz as they near the Eredivisie title.

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PSV pummel Heerenveen 8-0Tillman nets braceDutch club nearing Eredivisie titleWHAT HAPPENED?

The routing of Heerenveen brought them one step closer to the Eredivisie title. Two goals and an assist from Malik Tillman opened up the game, with five more to maintain their impressive lead over nearest rivals Feyenoord. Had the Rotterdam team failed to beat Go Ahead Eagles later in the evening, PSV would have been confirmed champions on Thursday, but Arne Slot's team won to delay the Eindhoven team's title party.

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With a win in their match, the Dutch club moved one step closer to glory this campaign. Across their past three matches, they've outscored their opponents 19-1 in an absolute thrashing of a stretch. Tillman and Pepi, meanwhile, will look to raise silverware in just over a weeks time.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PSV

After recording their biggest ever away victory, PSV clash with Sparta Rotterdamn on Sunday, May 1 as the club look to clinch the Eredivisie title.

To say that Wayne Rooney's Birmingham City tenure hasn't gone to plan so far would be an understatement. The former Derby County boss arrived with the Blues inside the Championship play-off places, before enduring a run of one win in eight games in what has been a disastrous start. Now, Birmingham sit 15th and seven points adrift of the top six, making the January transfer window all the more important.

As the season goes on, sacking John Eustace could look more and more like a poor decision by Tom Brady and the rest of the Birmingham ownership, but January reinforcements could yet change Rooney's fortunes.

Birmingham City transfer news

With the riches of an NFL legend behind him, Rooney could make his mark on the Birmingham squad in January, as they look to climb back into play-off contention. After the transfer window, the new manager could face pressure to turn things around, especially if he is heavily backed. So far, results haven't been good enough and Rooney risks undoing the good work that he has already done throughout his managerial career.

The Manchester United legend could yet get one particular reinforcement to turn the tide, however, as per reports. According to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Brady and Birmingham are readying an offer to sign Arsenal academy graduate Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill. The Puskas Akademia man is also the subject of interest from MLS sides Philadelphia Union and Toronto, who are also reportedly readying offers with Ormonde-Ottewill in the final six months of his current contract.

The left-back previously captained Arsenal U21s before being released in 2015 where he landed at Swindon Town and eventually made the move into Europe. Now, however, Birmingham could offer him the chance to make his return to English football, as they look to bounce back after a poor run of form.

"Confident" Ormonde-Ottewill could get EFL return

After spending time away from English football, Ormonde-Ottewill could finally get things back on track courtesy of Birmingham, who may complete their move for the left-back. If the former Arsenal man does arrive, he might have to compete with 22-year-old Lee Buchanan in a battle between the young and upcoming star and the now experienced fullback looking to finally realise his potential. It is the type of competition that Rooney arguably needs in his squad for it to thrive, before potentially reaching the important top six.

During his time at Swindon Town, Ormonde-Ottewill earned the praise of then-manager Luke Williams. Williams said after Ormonde-Ottewill scored his first senior goal back in 2016:

“I think it will help his confidence no end because it has been coming. He has started to experiment more with running at people and getting inside the box and started to get a few shots on goal. I felt like it was coming and I think now he will believe in himself more and more. He is so positive and confident and he has got the ability to manipulate the ball very quickly in a very tight area. It’s a good combination.”

‘We’ve got used to winning, so it sucks when you don’t,’ says Ellyse Perry after Sydney Sixers relinquish their hold on the WBBL trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2019″Oh my god! What actually just happened!” Well, what happened was that Kirby Short had just led Brisbane Heat to the Women’s Big Bash League 2018-19 title. An outstanding achievement in itself, equally significant because it was the first instance of a team without “Sydney” in its name holding the trophy aloft.Sydney Sixers pushed hard, almost till the end, but the Heat rode on a heroic half-century from an indisposed Beth Mooney to pull off a three-wicket win with four balls in hand. For them, it was a matter of having a plan and sticking to it. On the day, it worked well enough.”Quality batters can choose which parts of the ground to hit it to, so our job as a bowling group was to take those areas away. Giving width to a lot of those girls hurts you. We were able to bowl more tight lines, more in to the wicket rather than full,” Short explained – that prevented the likes of Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry from getting under the ball and hitting it high and long.ALSO READ: How Beth Mooney beat the heat to win it for Brisbane HeatThat kept the Sixers to 7 for 131, Grace Harris doing the most damage with 3 for 23. Then it was over to Mooney. Two wickets fell early, but Mooney and Short added 84 for the third wicket. And when Mooney was dismissed for 65, after having done her duty with the help of ice, water, an inhaler and anti-nausea meds – “It could have got a bit messy,” Short joked later – the Heat were within striking distance, and got to the mark despite a clutch of wickets.”I plonked myself in the ice bath and was a bit nervous towards the end, I couldn’t really watch,” Mooney said afterwards. “They were pretty oppressive conditions out there and I haven’t been well the last couple of weeks, but I had a job to do.The Drummoyne Oval was packed for the final•Getty Images”I was pretty hot and pretty cooked and the outfield wasn’t conducive to hitting boundaries, which wasn’t ideal, but even when the run rate got to 7.9 I thought really good cricket shots were going to win this game.”Mooney and Short kept the chase going, and even with Mooney down on her haunches a lot of time, they kept their focus on the job at hand.”The calm (Short) brings to the group and to help with my batting, we complement each other nicely,” Mooney said. “We talked about getting the run rate down as quick as we could, so that took my mind off how I was feeling… we managed to sneak a few twos towards the end there without my legs giving way.”For Short – “a person of words” by her own admission – the result left her at a bit of a loss, a little overwhelmed.”I needed a couple of minutes to compose myself, because it’s a feeling of so much happening around you but not feeling sure of what actually just happened,” she said.As for the bigger picture, Short said, “It’s really healthy for a competition when there are multiple franchises winning because it means there’s a lot of quality in a lot of places.”On the subject of the WBBL, and women’s cricket on the whole, being in better health now than before, Ellyse Perry, the losing captain, said, “Looking at that hill all day, the number of people that came, the interest in it, the way that it was covered throughout the week in the lead up, the fact that I am standing here in front of a pretty big group of people talking about it, shows how far we have come.”Ellyse Perry felt she didn’t take enough responsibility in the final•Getty ImagesBut on the field, Perry was left “bitterly disappointed”.”We just came up short with the bat, unfortunately, by about 15-20 runs. But the way we stayed in it till the end was superb and I’m glad we were able to give the crowd something to cheer about. I can’t take anything away from the way Brisbane played. They bowled really well, and then Beth’s innings, coupled with the partnerships she had, were just too good for us.”They had really clear plans and they executed them. We didn’t get a lot of bad balls to put away and we hit a lot to the field as well. There were a lot of overs where we got the ones but missed out on the boundaries. That cost us momentum. When we tried to put the hammer down – me particularly, I didn’t take a whole lot of responsibility today – I couldn’t pick it up when I needed to.”Perry had a fantastic tournament with the bat, hitting a tournament record 777 runs in 16 innings at an average of 86.33 and a strike rate of 121.21. In the final, though, she could only score 33 from 37, which meant she couldn’t “have one of those champion hats and the trophy again this year”. “We’ve got used to winning, so it sucks when you don’t,” she said.They are national team colleagues, and Perry was quick to laud Mooney for her innings on the big stage, calling it a blueprint for what her own batting unit required.”Her innings was a blueprint of what we needed to do, someone to strike it around 120 and being there for a long period of time. When we got her out, I felt we gave ourselves a bit of a chance. But at that point we were probably too far gone,” Perry said.”She’s incredibly good at finding pockets in the field, better than anyone else in the world at that, and she did that really well on a ground that had some shorter angles and boundaries.”

Erik ten Hag’s team is seventh in the Premier League after 17 matches, but their seven losses show that this season has been far from smooth sailing.

The only positive from this season for Manchester United is that they have only conceded 1.24 goals per game on average, and Andre Onana has the joint most clean sheets.

However, the fact that United have been forced to field 35-year-old Jonny Evans six times this season in the Premier League highlights the need for centre-back reinforcements.

Man Utd transfers latest – Jean-Clair Todibo

Fabrizio Romano took to X this week to state that Jean-Clair Todibo has been on Man United’s list of transfer targets since June.

According to Transfermarkt, the Nice defender has a value of £30m, but the French side are reportedly asking for at least £35m.

However, the 23-year-old has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, and the London club has recently opened talks with Todibo, but the deal is expected to be complex.

Jean-Claire Todibo’s style of play

United legend Nemanja Vidic joined the club halfway through the 2005/06 Premier League season for £7m and the Red Devils could repeat that trick by signing Todibo in January, who has the potential to transform the United backline just like the Serbian did during his eight-year spell at Old Trafford.

The ex-Barcelona defender has the perfect blend of on-the-ball ability, defensive security, and athleticism, which makes the centre-back a complete player who can fit in any system. Furthermore, according to Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Todibo is “one of the most underrated CBs in Europe,” and based on the table below that shows his stats compared to centre-backs in the top European leagues, it is difficult to disagree.

Passes completed

70.16

Top 7%

Progressive passes

4.79

Top 17%

Touches

89.05

Top 6%

Successful take-ons

0.65

Top 5%

Dribblers tackled

1.34

Top 5%

Todibo would slot into the right centre-back position at United and instantly elevate the team's ability to progress the play through the defence. The signing of Onana in the summer indicated that Ten Hag wishes to use his keeper in buildup and when playing out from the back, however, some of the current crop isn't equipped for the philosophy.

As you can see by the stats, the France star is among the most elite defenders for his ball-playing skills. Luke Shaw is currently the only defender that can consistently and effectively progress the play in the backline, and Todibo could take on a similar role to what Jurien Timber did under Ten Hag at Ajax.

Lisandro Martinez is also set to return soon, and he would walk straight into the left centre-back role. Due to the Argentine’s lack of speed and ability to cover ground, Todibo would be the perfect partner for United’s number six, as he has the capacity to use his acceleration to recover quickly and stop dribblers in transition.

Overall, Todibo is the definition of a Ten Hag signing, and he would form a formidable partnership with Martinez. The duo would tick every box and allow the boss to play much closer to the style he impressed with at Ajax. At just £35m, the 23-year-old would be an absolute bargain and transform United.

Hollywood star Will Ferrell has reportedly purchased a "large stake" in Leeds after falling in love with English football.

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Ferrell has fallen in love with English footballAlready co-owner of Los Angeles FCLeeds gearing up for play-offsGetty WHAT HAPPENED?

Following in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham, the 56-year-old has pumped a significant amount of money into Leeds' owners 49ers Enterprises, according to The Sun. Ferrell is now said to be an avid fan of the Championship side and is looking forward to cheering them on at Elland Road in the near future.

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The San Francisco-based 49ers purchased Leeds last June and Ferrell is expected to be revealed as a new major investor in the coming days. “It’s true – Will Ferrell owns a share of Leeds," a source told The Sun. "The 49ers will be announcing his involvement in the coming days and he’s looking forward to sprinkling a little stardust on the club. He loves soccer and has been particularly impressed by the passion of the English game. And his aim now is to see Leeds back where they belong — in the Premier League. As far as Will and the 49ers are concerned, this is a serious investment opportunity.”

LAFCDID YOU KNOW?

Ferrell is already a co-owner of Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC. The California-based outfit were founded in 2014 and won the MLS Cup in 2022, beating Philadelphia Union on penalties in the final after a 3-3 draw.

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WHAT NEXT FOR LEEDS?

After missing out on automatic promotion to the Premier League, Leeds will take part in the play-offs. Daniel Farke's side finished third and six points behind Ipswich, which means they will lock horns with Norwich for a place at the Wembley final on May 26 – where they would play either Southampton or West Brom.

This will be the most high-profile tournament for Butt since returning from his spot-fixing ban in January 2016

Umar Farooq19-Feb-2019Lahore Qalandars have roped in Salman Butt to replace the injured Mohammad Hafeez for the remainder of the PSL 2019 season.This is the most high-profile event Butt will be part of after his return in 2016 from his five-year suspension for his involvement in the the spot-fixing scandal of 2010. He will play under the leadership of AB de Villiers, who was handed the captaincy by Qalandars after Hafeez fractured his thumb.Hafeez’s absence will be a major setback for the Qalandars, who had picked up the allrounder in the Platinum category and had named him captain in a bid to rectify their poor PSL record: the team has finished bottom of the table in every season so far.Hafeez injured his thumb while attempting a return catch against Karachi Kings on Saturday. He will undergo surgery later this week and is expected to be out of the game for at least one month.With Hafeez out, the Qalandars were looking for someone to provide stability and experience as an anchor at No.3, a role that Butt appears suited for.”It was unfortunate to lose Hafeez. We believe that only an experienced Pakistani player like Salman Butt can replace him,” Aaqib Javed, the Qalandars director, cricket operations, said.Before he was banned, Butt’s T20 strike rate was 107.98, considered adequate in the 2007-2010 period. His overall domestic T20 strike rate is 113.55, and he has scored 2278 runs at an average of 36.15. Butt’s consistency is also highlighted by his runs-per-innings figure of 30.4, second only to Babar Azam among Pakistani batsmen who have at least 2000 T20 runs.Butt’s T20 numbers have looked better since his return from the ban. He averages 55.35 since 2016 – the highest for any Pakistan player with a minimum of 500 runs. Azam is the next best, at 39.89, in that same period. Butt has made 941 runs in 24 T20 innings with nine half-centuries since his return to senior competitive cricket.Butt believed he was well-prepared for the challenges of playing in the PSL. “I’m pretty excited naturally. It’s the kind of tournament that has arrived after about nine years for me, but I’m confident that I’ve played all the first-class cricket, the domestic tournaments, the National T20 and the One-Day cups,” Butt said in Lahore. “My whole focus is on the PSL and I’m very grateful that Lahore Qalandars and their management have given me this long-awaited chance to perform. And I really hope that if I can come good and help the team win then definitely the other things will work out.”Butt, 34, marked his comeback in January 2016 with a century in the National One-Day Cup, and went on to finish the tournament as its second-highest run-getter, with 536 runs at an average of 107.20. He then led his first-class team, Water and Power Development Authority, to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, scoring twin hundreds in the final to finish the season with 741 runs at 49.40. He was also the second-highest run-getter in the National T20 Cup in 2018, with 350 runs at 70.00.He was 26 when he was banned, having played 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is by then. Since then, he has attended anti-corruption rehabilitation programmes conducted by the PCB, taken part in social work, and publicly apologised, though he hadn’t pleaded his innocence until 2013. The two other players punished at the time, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, have also returned to cricket after completing their bans. Amir has been successfully re-integrated into the national set-up, and played all three formats for Pakistan since, while also featuring for Karachi Kings for a fourth consecutive season in the PSL.Over the last two years, Butt’s national selection had been mooted on occasion, but the PCB has treaded cautiously on the matter. Butt’s consistent domestic performances had impressed Pakistan’s previous head coach Waqar Younis and former captain Misbah-ul-Haq, while the lack of stability in the opening combination ensured the topic of his return stayed relevant. The current coaching staff, led by Mickey Arthur, have also been impressed by Butt, but have left it to the selectors and the PCB to decide on his possible return.Butt could have been back in the Pakistan squad as early as their tour of the West Indies in the first half of 2017, with Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman then, publicly clearing his selection. However, with the revelations of spot-fixing in the PSL that season, the climate for Butt’s prospective return turned adverse, though he had no connection with any of the players in the scandal. That forced the selectors to wait longer, and a year later, they decided to look beyond Butt and try out younger prospects.