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Ismat remained unbeaten on 64 with rain forcing early stumps

Abhimanyu Bose04-Jan-2025Afghanistan dragged themselves to a position of advantage on an attritional third day, with Rahmat Shah’s gritty century, his third in Test cricket, headlining their much improved batting display from their first innings.On the second day where 13 wickets fell, Afghanistan conceded an 86-run first-innings lead to Zimbabwe and lost three wickets before wiping out even half the deficit.But on Saturday, Rahmat, with help from Shahidullah and debutant Ismat Aslam, stretched Afghanistan’s lead beyond 200 with three wickets still remaining, before rain forced early stumps.For Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani added two wickets to his overnight tally of two, while Richard Ngarava struck twice, including the prized scalp of Rahmat, but they know with Ismat still at the crease along with Rashid Khan, who is capable of scoring some quick runs, they are going to be staring at a steep chase on a pitch where batting fourth is a daunting proposition.Afghanistan’s innings revolved around two partnerships. The first was a 67-run stand between Rahmat and Shahidullah that saw the visitors take a 50-run lead by the time it was broken.The pair got together after Afghanistan lost two wickets in the first hour of play while still 17 runs behind.From the way Rahmat started the day, it was evident he wanted to bat long for Afghanistan to get into a winning position. He played out 19 balls before scoring the first run off his bat on the day.Ngarava removed the nightwatcher Zia-ur-Rehman the very next ball, and dismissed Afsar Zazai soon after.This prompted Rahmat to take the initiative as he punished two consecutive bad balls from Muzarabani – a full toss and a half-volley – with drives down the ground for boundaries.There was a short rain delay that followed, after which the two dealt in singles till Afghanistan were in the lead in the 30th over.Rahmat and Shahidullah took on Sikandar Raza and Newman Nyamhuri for two boundaries off the next two overs before Rahmat brought up a half-century off 99 balls. The boundaries kept coming as the two trudged along to lunch with a 39-run lead.In the fourth over after tea, a smart piece of captaincy brought about Shahidullah’s downfall.Blessing Muzarabani accounted for two more wickets on Saturday•Zimbabwe Cricket

With Muzarabani testing him outside off from around the wicket, Craig Ervine brought on a silly point fielder and the next delivery, Shahidullah fended at a length ball in the corridor to offer the simplest of chances to Takudzwanashe Kaitano at silly point.Zimbabwe knew they had to capitalise on the opportunity, and put the screws on Afghanistan.Ismat, who was out without scoring in the first innings, copped a blow on the helmet trying to duck under a Muzarabani bouncer that stayed low and needed multiple check-ups from the physio over the next few overs.Rahmat survived an lbw chance when Raza, who toiled away for 23 wicketless overs in the day, got one to spin in sharply to strike his pad only for the umpire to turn it down. Rahmat responded by dancing down the track and lofting him down the ground for a boundary before he took a hit on the shoulder from an Ngarava short ball.But the two were unfazed and went about steadily increasing Afghanistan’s lead. Rahmat brought up his century with a single of Nyamhuri off 209 balls, following up on his double in the first Test.Ismat, who was on 16 off 46 at the point, then started to shift gears with two boundaries off Nyamhuri before tea.After tea, there were 11 consecutive overs of spin, but Raza and Bennett couldn’t break through or keep the scoring rate down to apply pressure.As soon as the new ball became available, Zimbabwe found some immediate chances. Ngarava drew the edge from Ismat but he was dropped by Ervine at first slip, when he was three runs short of his fifty. One over later, Ismat brought up a half-century.The set batters used the extra pace of the new ball to cash in on a few more boundaries before Muzarabani finally broke the stand on 132 – the highest for the seventh wicket for Afghanistan.Muzarabani got a length ball to seam in past Rahmat’s inside edge and hit his back pad. Rahmat wasn’t best pleased when the umpire ruled him out leg before, but with no DRS available in this series, he had to walk back after a marathon innings.Rashid then quickly moved to 12 off as many deliveries, hitting Nyamhuri through midwicket for a boundary off what proved to be the last ball of the day before the players were called off for rain.

Chittagong have moved up to second spot after a good run of results in Sylhet, but there is a muddle in the middle of the points table

Mohammad Isam14-Jan-2025Rangpur Riders have been in top form for a second week in a row in BPL 2024-25, stretching their winning run to seven out of seven to get to within striking distance of the playoffs. And they have made it fun – both their wins in the Sylhet leg over the past week have been last-over affairs, one of them a last-baller.Against Fortune Barishal, their captain Nurul Hasan smashed 30 runs in the last over off Kyle Mayers for a three-wicket win. Then it was the turn of their fielders and bowlers to make a late turnaround against Khulna Tigers, as they picked up three wickets in the last over, bowled by Mohammad Saifuddin, to win by eight runs.Like Rangpur, Chittagong Kings also won both their outings in Sylhet, beating Dhaka Capitals and Sylhet Strikers quite comfortably. Dhaka and Sylhet also opened their accounts in the competition, while Durbar Rajshahi also won one game in the Sylhet leg.

Best batter – Usman Khan

Nurul’s heist against Barishal was one of many batting highlights of the past week.Zakir Hasan and Usman Khan struck two half-centuries each. Litton Das scored a 73 and his maiden T20 century, a 125 not out, with Tanzid Hasan scoring 108 alongside Litton in that game against Rajshahi as the two put on 241 for the first wicket.Unfortunately for Litton, the sudden burst in form came a tad late as he was dropped from Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy squad – he scored the century in the evening after the squad had been announced in the afternoon.Usman Khan has been key to Chittagong Kings’ recent success•Chittagong Kings

Usman dominated the powerplay in both of Chittagong’s wins, putting together good partnerships as well in the process. Coming into the week after slamming 123 in 62 balls in Chittagong’s 105-run win over Rajshahi, Usman hit 55 in 33 balls against Dhaka and then 53 in 35 balls against Sylhet, when they won by 30 runs. Indeed, his form, and that of the other batters like Graham Clark and Haider Ali and Shamim Hossain has been central to Chittagong’s recent surge.

Best bowler – Mohammad Saifuddin

There were no big hauls by any of the bowlers this week, but plenty of them made telling contributions.Khaled Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim did well in Chittagong’s two wins. Akif Javed also bowled a match-winning spell, taking three wickets in Rangpur’s win over Khulna. Rahkeem Cornwall, meanwhile, was the only spinner to take a three-for this week, setting up Sylhet’s win over Dhaka.The performance that stood out, though, was Saifuddin’s superb last over against Khulna. Khulna needed 12 runs off the six balls, and though they were six down at the start of the over, were favourites to pull it off.Saifuddin stuck to yorkers, started the over with two dot balls, then bowled a wide, but then Rangpur got three wickets in three balls as panic set in the Khulna camp. Mohammad Nawaz and Nasum Ahmed were run out off consecutive balls, and Saifuddin then got rid of Abu Hider, before giving away one run off the final ball.Litton Das has found form, but not soon enough to get in the Champions Trophy squad•Dhaka Capitals

Unusual plays

Nurul became only the second batter to hit 30 runs in the last over of a T20 match, and the 30 runs Rangpur got ranked third in the list of most runs scored off the last over of a men’s T20 game.Sabbir Rahman, meanwhile, scored his first BPL half-century in five years, hitting 82 not out off 33 balls with nine sixes and three fours. But it wasn’t enough as Chittagong won that game against Dhaka.Litton scored his first T20 century in his 227th match in the format.

Tale of the table

Rangpur are the clear leaders. Chittagong have been the surprise package, now in second position with six points from four games. Barishal, who came into the tournament as one of the favourites, are in third place, also with six points but they have played one game more than Chittagong. Khulna, Sylhet and Rajshahi will have to battle hard for the fourth playoffs spot, but Dhaka, with one win in seven matches, will have to make a big, late charge to be in with a chance.

Ireland went toe-to-toe for most of the chase but lost the last four wickets in their last ten deliveries

Sreshth Shah14-Feb-2025Brian Bennett delivered a Valentine Day’s gift to all the cricket lovers at Harare Sports Club with a sublime 169 to set up Zimbabwe’s 49-run win in the first ODI against Ireland on Friday.Promoted to opener for the first time in ODI cricket, Bennett struck 56.52% of Zimbabwe’s total to give Ireland a target of 300 to chase. Along the way, he also became the fourth-youngest to score 150-plus in a men’s ODI and posted the fifth-highest ODI score by a Zimbabwe men’s batter.The target, though, on a docile surface, was quite gettable, and Ireland went toe-to-toe for most of the chase. But they ran out of wickets – including four dismissals in their last ten deliveries of their innings – to fold for 250. Blessing Muzarabani (4 for 51) and Richard Ngarava (3 for 56) shared seven wickets, and Zimbabwe arrested their four-match losing streak to take the hosts 1-0 up.A 9.30am start with rain in the air, and Harare historically favouring chasing sides, Ireland captain Paul Stirling made the logical call of bowling first. But Josh Little, the left-arm swing bowler, had a rough return to the ODI line-up as he conceded 35 runs in his first three overs. Bennett was the chief aggressor, pumping him for six fours in his first three overs, while Ben Curran carved another couple. He would eventually finish on 1 for 75 in nine overs with an economy of 8.33, conceding 11 fours and five wides in all.The prolific start, and the lack of incision from the Ireland new-ball bowlers, allowed the Zimbabwe opening partnership to grow. They put on 95 for the first wicket before offspinner Andy McBrine (1 for 53) broke the stand.There was no respite, though, as Bennett and the No. 3 Craig Ervine then added 136 in 134 balls in a second-wicket stand that was constructed masterfully. They were watchful through the middle overs with some turn in the pitch and the pair of Matthew Humphreys and McBrine appeared to strangle the pair.Craig Ervine and Brian Bennett added 136 off 134 balls•Zimbabwe Cricket

While Bennett took an affinity towards point, extra cover, deep midwicket and deep square leg with his 20 fours and three sixes, Ervine was more adventurous by moving across and trying to find empty pockets over fine leg. As the stand grew and Zimbabwe’s run-rate got a boost, Bennett too played with the Ireland bowlers by using the width of his crease to create boundary-scoring opportunities.The pair capitalised on three dropped catches and one missed stumping to bring up Zimbabwe’s 200 in the 38th over, and a big target was very much on before Ervine fell against the run of play to medium-pacer Graham Hume in the 41st over. Sikandar Raza and Wessly Madhevere, though, failed to keep the momentum up, and the big shots came from only Bennett’s end in the final ten. After batting for 216 minutes, Bennett perished in the final over trying to find a big shot, and his effort ensured Zimbabwe finished on 299 for 5.”I was pushing them for a while to get up [to open], and happy to get that opportunity,” Bennett said after the game. “I just wanted to watch the ball and hit the ball. It’s a very good sign, and I hope to do that again on Sunday. I wanted to take it deep as one of the set batters among the top four.”The chase began inauspiciously for Ireland as Andrew Balbirnie was caught behind off Ngarava in the first ball but the rest of Ireland’s batting unit showed enough promise that the chase could be pulled off, only to lose their wicket when the tide appeared to turn. Stirling was deceived by a Muzarabani short ball to fall for 32, Curtis Campher edged a wide ball from Raza to the keeper on 44, Harry Tector scooped Madhevere to fine leg on 39 and Lorcan Tucker inside-edged Muzarabani onto his stumps on 31.At 169 for 6 in 35.2 overs, Ireland’s chase appeared to lose its fizz, but an eighth-wicket stand of 73 in 9.1 overs between George Dockrell (34) and McBrine (36) brought life into the game and started to make the home crowd nervous.However, Ervine turned to Muzarabani for the 45th over, and he picked off both set batters in the space of four balls, and Ngarava wrapped up the tail in the 46th for a tame finish to a high-octane game.”We gave Bennett a chance or two and he made us pay,” Stirling said after the defeat. “We were rusty [in the field] when we shouldn’t have been. I felt 50 runs was the difference between the two sides and the result reflects that. [A target of] 300 was chaseable, and at 30 overs we were in the hunt. But we lost our way. We bat pretty deep and hopefully we do well with the bat next game.”

Perry strikes first-ball on debut for Hampshire but is unable to prevent 37-run defeat

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-Jul-2025The Blaze reasserted their Women’s Vitality Blast qualification charge with a rock-solid 37-run victory over Hampshire at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield.Kirstie Gordon’s side bounced back from their defeat to Warwickshire by recovering from a scrappy start to reach 188 for six thanks to Heather Graham (73, 47 balls) and Ella Claridge (51 not out, 36) who added 76 from 51 balls for the fifth wicket. Ellyse Perry, on her debut, took a wicket with her first ball for Hampshire on the way to two for 23.Hampshire replied with 151 all out, only Rhianna Southby’s classy T20-best 64 (42) defying for long against a Blaze attack led by Kathryn Bryce (four for 13). The Hawks’ defeat means they, or any other side, have a great deal to do in the remaining games to reel in top three Blaze, Surrey and Warwickshire.Put in, Blaze were given a brisk start by Marie Kelly (16 from seven balls) but then lost three wickets in nine balls. Kelly’s off-stump was uprooted by Freya Davies who two balls later took a simple catch at mid on, offered by Georgia Elwiss off Rebecca Tyson. Kathryn Bryce then edged Perry’s first ball to wicketkeeper Southby.Graham was immediately fluent and, though Davies returned to trap Sarah Bryce lbw with a yorker, Claridge supplied vital support. Claridge contributed only eight of the first 50 added by the fifth-wicket pair but was the perfect foil for the Australian who exploited a reprieve on six, when she was dropped at short third man by Tyson off Daisy Gibb, to reach 50 from 34 balls.Graham was threatening to take the game right away from Hampshire when she drove a low full toss from Perry back to the bowler. Michaela Kirk walked across one from Georgia Adams and was bowled but Claridge closed the innings with a flurry of fours to reach a 36-ball half-century and, with Sarah Glenn, plunder 37 from the last 14 balls of the innings.Perry launched Hampshire’s reply with three fours from her first nine balls but perished in pursuit of a fourth when she lifted Kathryn Bryce to mid on. Gordon accepted that catch and inflicted further damage with her first ball which she flighted past Freya Kemp’s charge to hit leg-stump.Adams clipped Kathryn Bryce to mid-wicket and, as the required rate climbed, Southby carried the fight to Blaze, passing a boundary-laden half-century from 36 balls. Southby and Abi Norgrove added 54 from 32 balls but fell in successive overs as the pressure grew.Both were bowled, Southby slogging at Graham and Norgrove beaten in the flight by Kathryn Bryce. Hampshire’s chase disintegrated with Megan Sturge suffering the rotten luck of being run out without facing a ball on her Hawks debut.

England assistant coach Trescothick feels KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will be the two batters who could determine the third Test’s fate

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jul-20251:20

Manjrekar: Lord’s Test 70-30 in England’s favour

Can England get early wickets and push their way past India in their quest to take a 2-1 lead in the series? Can India stay positive and get the 135 runs required to win consecutive Tests after losing the series opener?According to Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, both teams are “desperate” to win, which will only add to the excitement to this gripping Lord’s Test, which has been drama-filled over the weekend.”Well, if I knew that, I could probably relax a little bit easier coming into tomorrow,” Trescothick said at the post-match media briefing when asked which team had the edge going into day five. “But of course, both teams are desperate to win.Related

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“It’s going to be amazing, isn’t it? Already we’ve seen four good days of cricket and two games, which have been well supported, but that last sort of hour or half-an-hour, the support and the energy around the ground made it amazing really, didn’t it? Everybody was invested into it.”From an England point of view, obviously brilliant – we love those sorts of situations when the crowd is really up behind the team. Hopefully we can get a bit more of that tomorrow and we can sort of push forward to winning the game. So it will revolve around the first hour of the day tomorrow, how positive India can be, how dominant we can be with the ball, and how many earlier wickets we can get.”Lord’s has been a sellout over the weekend and the crowd had been on the edge of their seats for most of Sunday. which was bookended by a lot of drama. If the morning session started with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj delivering probing spells to strangle England, Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes took back control from India by picking three late wickets to leave them at 58 for 4.Still England will be wary of the remaining India batters. KL Rahul, who is unbeaten on 33, still has Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar left to come in. Trescothick agreed that Rahul and Pant were the two “dangerous” batters who could hurt England on Monday if they found their footing.Rahul, who scored his second century of this series on Saturday, has found success with his old-school approach to Test batting, which relies on defence, and Trescothick said dismissing him early would be key to prising open the India batting.”KL’s been classical old-school style of Test cricket and he’s left the ball really well. His judgment of the length is good, looked to bat for a long period of time and he’s done it well,” he said. “Obviously [Rahul got] a hundred in the first innings. Hopefully we can get him out early and we can start getting into the rest of the tail as they come along. But he’s been pretty dominant in a few of the games that he’s played and he’s pretty much got a score in most innings that he’s played.”2:02

Manjrekar: ‘Lion-hearted’ effort from Siraj

India remain confident of claiming another Lord’s win after their thrilling victory in 2021, which ended on the final hour of the fifth day. Washington, who enjoyed one of his “best” days in Test cricket after picking 4 for 22, said India were positive and it would be “amazing” to win a Test at Lord’s. The allrounder said there was no particular “approach” India would take in scaling the target, barring playing to the situation. “We know it’s going to go really well for us,” he said.All through, fans of both teams were completely immersed in the run of play, especially the India supporters who – based on the noise levels – seemed to have outnumbered those backing Stokes’ side. That the fans could be a catalyst was evident when Joe Root, standing in slips, started to bring his hands together asking the home fans to get behind England.Trescothick agreed the electric atmosphere was an important element and would once again play a role on Monday.”It might take a wicket [early on day five] to sort of get it going,” he said. “We might need Joe to wind them [the fans] up again. But the support has been brilliant throughout because obviously we know both teams are really well supported and it’s great that we have that. And of course, tomorrow will be no different, because everyone loves their cricket and we’ll get another full house where both sets of supporters will get to see a finale of amazing Test.”

Having last played for Zimbabwe in 2018, he recently returned to domestic cricket and could be in contention for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers

Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2025Former Zimbabwe captain and legspinner Graeme Cremer has returned to the country’s domestic cricket structure and is available for international selection. Cremer, who is 38 and led Zimbabwe between 2016 and 2018, gave up cricket for golf and then moved with his family to the UAE, where his wife Merna works as an airline pilot. He has now made his return in Zimbabwe’s National Premier League, the 45-over club competition.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed he is eligible for selection for the national side and could be in contention for September’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers, which will be played in Zimbabwe.Cremer last played international cricket in March 2018 and has been involved in coaching roles in Dubai, including with the Rajasthan Royals Academy. He is now playing for the defending champions, Takashinga Patriots 1 Cricket Club, and is the leading wicket-taker after two matches.Related

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“It’s amazing being back,” Cremer told about his return after the match against Queens Sports Club in Kwekwe. “Kwekwe was my home ground for many years, so it was great walking out and being part of Takashinga, which is such a prestigious club. They welcomed me into the team and it was an amazing team environment. I’m really happy with the start.”Cremer took 4 for 43 as Takashinga defended 263 for 6 and won by 134 runs. That match, played on August 3, also featured Brendan Taylor, who has subsequently made his return to the Test side after serving a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. Taylor scored 61 in that match as he tuned up ahead of his international comeback.”We are close friends, myself and Brendan, so it was an amazing feeling being on the field with him again and nice to see him score some runs,” Cremer said. “It’s great watching him bat, and then walking out onto the field with him, just how we communicate because we have played so much cricket together. It really helps someone like that out with me.”Taylor and Cremer are two of Zimbabwe’s most experienced players, and their return to the set-up with two ICC tournaments (T20 World Cup 2026 and ODI World Cup 2027, which Zimbabwe will co-host) speaks to Zimbabwe Cricket’s seriousness to ensure they qualify. Zimbabwe missed out on the last T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean after losing to Uganda in qualifiers and have not played a 50-over World Cup since 2015 after missing out on both the 2019 and 2023 editions.Zimbabwe will host the Africa Regional Qualifier for the upcoming T20 World Cup from September 26 to October 4. The tournament consists of eight teams, and the top two will progress to the main event.

Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland will join the four-day squad for the second of the two matches in Lucknow

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2025Allrounder Aaron Hardie has been ruled out of the Australia A tour of India due to a shoulder injury to add to the list of pace-bowling options to be sidelined.Hardie will be replaced by Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland, who was already part of the one-day squad for the tour and will fly out to India in time for the second four-day game in Lucknow. A replacement for Hardie in the one-day squad will be named at a later date.It is hoped that Hardie will be able to recover in time for the early rounds of Sheffield Shield matches – Western Australia’s opening game is against New South Wales at the WACA on October 4.Related

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Hardie featured in the recent T20I and ODI series against West Indies and South Africa but he struggled against the latter and had not been selected for the short New Zealand trip for three T20Is, instead being included in the A squad. Depending on how his recovery tracks, he may come into consideration for the white-ball series against India.Though an allrounder rather than a specialist bowler, Hardie’s injury adds to a growing list of players sidelined heading into the season. Pat Cummins is the most significant with question marks over whether he will recover from his back injury in time for the Ashes.Lance Morris, a team-mate of Hardie’s at WA, has been ruled out for 12 months having undergone back surgery, while promising quick Callum Vidler has been diagnosed with a stress fracture. Morris had been due to feature in the four-day leg of the A tour and Vidler the one-dayers. Brody Couch had initially been Morris’ replacement but he suffered a side injury during the Top End T20 final with South Australia’s Henry Thornton subsequently called up.The first four-day game against India A starts on September 16 followed by the second on September 23. The three one-dayers, which will all be in Kanpur, are on September 30, October 3 and 5.

Updated Australia A four-day squad

Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Liam Scott, Will Sutherland (second game only), Henry Thornton

Updated Australia A one-day squad

Cooper Connolly, Harry Dixon, Jack Edwards, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Todd Murphy, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachie Shaw, Tom Straker, Will Sutherland, Henry Thornton (one to be added)

Derby County manager Frank Lampard will surely want to sign a new defender before Thursday’s 11pm deadline.

The Rams have been active in the January transfer window so far, completing the signing of former Chelsea defender, Ashley Cole, on a free transfer. Lampard must be desperate to bolster his defence further with just two senior centre-backs at his disposal. One injury could be damaging to their hopes of finishing in the play-off places.

A congested fixture list will only add to Lampard’s fears with Richard Keogh and Fikayo Tomori featuring together in 32 of Derby’s 35 matches this season. Adding cover for the starting defenders is imperative on deadline day.

One man Lampard could target is West Ham outcast – Reece Oxford. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the 20-year-old is a graduate of the club’s famed youth academy and was expected to develop into a crucial first-team player. However, after various failed loan spells in Germany, Oxford has found himself out of favour under Manuel Pellegrini. The defender desperately needs first-team football and moving to Pride Park could be just what he needs to relaunch his career.

The Englishman remains one of the top prospects in the country and could thrive in the Championship. Oxford is an excellent defender who would prove to be a useful rotation option for Lampard. As well as being comfortable on either side of the defence, Oxford is also capable of featuring in defensive midfield.

Under Lampard’s tutelage, Oxford could finally realise his massive potential – a loan move with the option to buy could prove to be a masterstroke.

Derby fans, thoughts?

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After a week at Celtic it looks like Jeremy Toljan has been playing his whole career with the Hoops.

The entire month of January seemed to be taken up with the elusive search for a right-back going on until two hours away from the transfer window closing.

In the final couple of days attention turned to the 24-year-old who hadn’t made a single Bundesliga appearance this term.

Two days after touching down in Scotland, Toljan found himself listed as a substitute away to St. Johnstone and when Mikael Lustig picked up a first half knock the German was thrown into a dramatic debut.

Toljan linked up instantly with James Forrest, pushing forward impressively but in a measured way as Celtic hunted down the breakthrough.

In midweek against Hibs, he provided the assist for Ryan Christie to open the scoring and the worries over the problem position started to clear.

During 2018, Jack Hendry, Lustig, Kris Ajer, Cristian Gamboa and Tony Ralston all played at right-back but it now looks like the loan signing from Dortmund has nailed it. His biggest test comes on Thursday when Valencia visit on Europa League duty.

And it’s safe to say, Celtic fans on Twitter are delighted with Toljan’s contributions so far…

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West Bromwich Albion drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening in controversial circumstances as Dwight Gayle’s dive provided Jay Rodriguez with the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

The supporters were feeling rather fortunate to come away with a positive result after a relatively underwhelming display, but there was one bright spark worth noting: the performance of Rekeem Harper.

The 18-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the league for the fourth time in the last five games, showcasing a level of maturity and confidence in his own ability which supporters are naturally drawn towards.

Players of his age seldom slip under the radar of expectant supporters, and Harper has been no exception in the Championship in recent times.

The Baggies faithful are monitoring his development with a keen eye and they were delighted with what they saw from the teenager on Tuesday.

Harper’s stunning long-range effort which crashed off the post in the build up to Jacob Murphy’s equaliser represented a moment of technical genius worth salivating over, but it was the overall quality of his performance which particularly delighted supporters.

Indeed, the academy graduate put in a fantastic all-round display in central midfield and earned gushing praise on Twitter for his efforts.

Here’s what the West Brom fans had to say about Harper’s performance against Nottingham Forest: