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Ipswich Town’s first season back in the Premier League for 22 years has been a tough one so far.

Despite picking up some impressive draws against Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United and beating Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers away, Kieran McKenna’s side find themselves down in the relegation zone.

However, with more than half of the season still to play, there is every chance the Tractor Boys can drag themselves to safety, especially with the incredible Liam Delap leading the line.

The 21-year-old poacher has been one of the signings of the season, so fans should be excited by reports from last month linking the club to another youngster who could be the next Delap.

Liam Delap's season so far

Delap joined Ipswich for around £20m over the summer, and while that looks like an absolute steal today, there was no guarantee he’d be a hit.

After all, his top-flight experience from his time with Manchester City amounted to 39 minutes in the 20/21 season and eight minutes in 21/22.

Fortunately for McKenna and the Ipswich faithful, the Winchester-born poacher has been brilliant in his first full campaign of Premier League football, and while he didn’t start the season on fire, he’s now racked up an impressive tally of six goals and one assist in 16 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 2.28 games.

Moreover, his brace against Villa and strikes against Spurs and Fulham have helped the Suffolk side pick up points.

That said, it’s not just his goalscoring that makes the “incredible” star, as dubbed by the one and only Pep Guardiola, such an essential member of the team, it’s also his ability to hold up the ball, bring others into play and generally give opposition defenders something to worry about.

So, the prospect of the club potentially getting their hands on someone who could be the next Delap should excite fans.

The young striker who could be the next Delap

So, to get straight to the point, the youngster who could be Ipswich’s next Delap is 18-year-old Celtic prospect Daniel Cummings.

The teenage phenom, whom football writer Kai Watson dubbed “a pure goalscorer,” was linked with a plethora of Premier League and EFL clubs in a report from Football Insider late last month.

According to the story, the up-and-coming forward’s contract is set to expire in the summer, meaning he’d be available for a minuscule compensation fee of around €310k, which converts to just £262k, and based on his form at the youth level, that could be an incredible bargain.

For example, this season alone has seen the 6 foot 1 marksman rack up an incredible tally of 23 goals in 22 games, while his career tally stands at 38 goals and one assist in 56 appearances for the Hoops’ various youth sides, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.43 games.

It is too early to say with any certainty just how good the young Scotsman will be, but based on his sensational record at the youth level, the signs are certainly encouraging.

Appearances

10

24

22

Minutes

231′

1379′

1725′

Goals

3

12

23

Assists

0

1

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.30

0.54

1.04

Minutes per Goal Involvement

77′

106′

75′

If McKenna and Co were able to get ahead of the chasing pack, then, like Delap, they’d have another incredibly promising, prolific and physically imposing striker on their hands and one that could be worth a king’s ransom sometime down the line.

Ultimately, Ipswich are already lucky to have a striker like the former City gem leading the line, but what’s better than one devastating young striker? Two, of course.

Worse than Phillips: Ipswich may have made a mistake signing £15m ace

The talented player has not got to grips with life at Ipswich.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 10, 2024

Joao Felix's start to life at AC Milan has been a mixed bag so far, with the Rossoneri making an early decision regarding a permanent summer swoop.

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Milan make Felix transfer decisionHas failed to score in eight games since making his debutCould buy Portuguese forward for €45m this summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Joao Felix made an instant impact after signing for AC Milan on loan from Chelsea in the January transfer window, scoring a wonderful goal after coming off the bench against Roma in the quarter-finals of Coppa Italia. It was Felix's debut for Milan, which caused excitement among fans as well as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the club's senior advisor.

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However, a new report from Calciomercato has revealed that the Rossoneri are in two minds regarding the permanent transfer of Felix. Since his debut, the Portuguese forward has appeared in eight matches but has yet to score, with his only contribution being a single assist in last week’s 3-2 victory over Lecce.

Milan are skeptical about signing Felix permanently, with the Serie A outfit deciding against entering any negotiations with Chelsea. However, if things change between now and the end of the season, they could buy Felix for €45 million. Another option would be to extend his loan for another year with an obligation to buy him for around €30-35m in 2026.

DID YOU KNOW?

Securing a permanent transfer for Felix would require massive financial investment. Milan may need to sell some key players in order to facilitate a move for the 25-year-old, with Rafael Leao heavily rumoured to leave the club at the end of the season.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR JOAO FELIX?

Felix will be expected to feature in Milan next's game, which is a crucial Serie A encounter against Como on Saturday, March 15. Sergio Conceicao's side are having a subpar domestic season as they currently occupy ninth place in the league and are in real danger of missing out on a Champions League spot for the 2025-26 season.

Keeper suffers second freak injury in a year as Surrey keep pace with Somerset

Matt Roller23-Apr-2022Ben Foakes was helped off the field by medical staff after a sickening collision with Jamie Overton and will undergo concussion tests ahead of the final day of Surrey’s Championship match against Somerset at The Oval.Foakes dived to his right while taking a catch to dismiss Tom Banton off Reece Topley’s bowling, while Overton dived to his left at first slip and made contact with Foakes’ head with his right shoulder.Sam Curran ran over to celebrate but immediately signalled to the dressing room as Foakes lay on his back and covered his face with his left arm. Surrey’s medical staff rushed on with a stretcher during a ten-minute delay, though Foakes managed to walk off the field with help from Alex Tysoe, the lead physio.”He’s under observation with the physios,” Azhar Mahmood, Surrey’s assistant coach, said. “Concussion tests are going on and hopefully he’ll be fine tomorrow. It was shoulder to neck. I think there was a cut. There was some blood coming out of his ear but I’m not sure if it was internal or outside.”Ollie Pope took the gloves for the final hour of the third day. Jamie Smith, who was left out of this game, could come into the side on Sunday as a concussion replacement depending on the outcome of Foakes’ tests.This was the second time in a year that Foakes has suffered a freak injury at The Oval, after he tore a hamstring while slipping in his socks on the dressing-room floor following a Championship game against Middlesex last May.With Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler rested after their involvement in the IPL, Foakes had been in line to make a home Test debut against New Zealand. Instead, he was ruled out for four months, only returning to Surrey’s first XI for their final Championship match of the season, a high-scoring draw against Glamorgan.The timing of his latest injury will be a concern to England, with the first Test of their summer – again against New Zealand – just under six weeks away. Foakes has started the season with 240 runs for twice out across three appearances and is the incumbent wicketkeeper after taking the gloves in the Caribbean.Foakes’ injury appeared to disrupt Surrey’s rhythm as they looked to restrict Somerset in their second innings. Topley had taken three wickets in seven balls – including that of Banton, their last recognised batter – before the stoppage in play but Surrey went 11.5 overs without one under the floodlights.But Jack Leach chopped on off Overton before Jordan Clark struck with the final ball of the day, leaving the game in the balance heading into Sunday. Surrey were two bowlers down with Curran limited to 15 overs in the match by the ECB as he returns to fitness and James Taylor suffering from back spasms, but Overton and Topley sparked a collapse of six wickets for 64 runs late in the day.Somerset’s lead was 225 heading into the final day thanks largely to an 89-run partnership for the third wicket between Banton and Tom Abell, both of whom made fifties. Abell had managed 109 runs in his last 14 first-class innings heading into this game but made 203 for once out in the match, scoring freely and hitting boundaries on both sides of the wicket before edging behind off Ryan Patel’s medium pace.For Banton, this was a significant innings, only his second of the summer after missing the first two rounds of games due to a fractured finger. He started last year opening the batting, then became a specialist No. 7 and finished the season out of the side after averaging 18.84, but vowed in pre-season that he would “come back as a new player this year” following technical tweaks over the winter.He was occasionally troubled by Overton, edging his first ball wide of the slip cordon for four, but dug in for just over two hours and played confidently through the covers and off his pads. It was notable that he came in at No. 4, ahead of James Hildreth, having enjoyed most of his red-ball success in the middle order in his breakthrough season in 2019.Surrey had been bowled out for 308 soon after lunch, with Peter Siddle taking four of the last five wickets to finish with 6 for 51 from his 26 overs in his 200th first-class game.In his first appearance for seven months after a stress fracture of the lower back, Curran had threatened to make the first hundred of his professional career, scoring fluently and lofting Leach for a straight six, but ultimately fell 20 runs short.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement has the opportunity to win his second trophy in charge of the club in the League Cup final at Hampden Park this afternoon.

The Light Blues boss won the competition last season, beating Aberdeen 1-0 in the final, and is now hoping to successfully defend the crown against Celtic.

Rangers held Premier League Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox on Thursday night in the Europa League, in their last match ahead of today’s clash.

Clement could look to make some changes to the starting XI from that game, though, and Nedim Bajrami is one player who could be brutally ditched from the side.

Why Nedim Bajrami could be dropped

The Albania international was selected from the start in the number ten position for the Scottish giants in the clash with Spurs in midweek, but failed to showcase the best of his abilities.

Bajrami, who joined on a permanent deal from Sassuolo in the summer transfer window, played the opening 68 minutes of the game and was not directly involved in the only goal for Rangers – from Hamza Igamane.

The 25-year-old midfielder only completed 76% of his attempted passes and made one key pass, without creating a ‘big chance’, and lost two of his three duels.

These statistics show that he was a lightweight out of possession and that the Albanian forward failed to contribute much at the top end of the pitch, with a lack of quality on the ball.

Chalkboard

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

With this in mind, Clement should brutally remove him from the starting XI for this afternoon’s trip to Hampden Park, and unleash Ianis Hagi in his place.

Why Ianis Hagi should start

The Romania international has been in impressive form since his return to the first-team squad and deserves to start this cup final clash, based on recent performances.

He was ineligible to face Spurs on Thursday, as the midfielder was not included in the Europa League squad at the start of the season, but had been thriving in domestic matches before that.

Hagi has started the last three games in the Scottish Premiership and played all bar three minutes across those outings, which speaks to how much faith Clement has in him at the moment.

Appearances

6

Starts

3

Assists

3

Key passes

10

Duel success rate

53%

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old dynamo, who was dubbed an “absolute dream” to work with by Steven Gerrard, has been very productive in his limited minutes in the division this season.

Hagi has created ten chances and recorded three assists in just three starts, whilst it was also his fantastic cross that forced an own goal in the 1-0 win over St. Johnstone, so you could argue that he has created four goals in six games.

This suggests that he could offer far more to the team today than Bajrami, who has gone six matches for club and country without a goal contribution, as a creative threat in the number ten position.

Rangers may be without "brilliant" 22 y/o hero vs Celtic alongside Souttar

It’s a potentially huge blow for Philippe Clement.

ByHenry Jackson Dec 14, 2024

That is why Clement must instantly restore Hagi to the starting XI after he was unable to feature against Tottenham in the Europa League on Thursday.

Visitors struggle after being inserted before unbroken century stand helps seal chase

ECB Reporters Network31-May-2022Michael Pepper smashed his T20 best as Essex Eagles demolished Hampshire Hawks by eight wickets in their Vitality Blast clash at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford.Pepper dispatched four sixes to go alongside eight fours to crash a 42-ball 75 – bettering his previous best of 55 not out. Matt Critchley pummelled 45 in a 100-run stand with Pepper as the Eagles chased down Hampshire’s below-par 150 with 37 balls to spare to secure their first home T20 victory over Hampshire since 2017.Essex have won two from three in the competition, while the Hawks are winless. The only other time they have lost their first three Blast fixtures they finished second from bottom in the South Group.Will Buttleman was caught and bowled off his glove and Adam Rossington was starved of the strike before Nathan Ellis kissed his leg stump. But Pepper dominated from then on.He showed power with conventional shots but mixed it with some inventive flicks. The shot to bring up his half-century, however, was the combination of the two – a ramp shot with some added wrist to take the ball the distance.Pepper, Eagles’ top run-scorer in the Blast last season, wasn’t finished at a fifty as he dispatched Liam Dawson for back-to-back sixes over midwicket and then into the Hayes Close End gardens. Mason Crane was his victim in the following over with another straight six, while Critchley went somewhat under the radar for his 24-ball 45 – which included two huge maximums.Earlier, Essex won the toss and elected to bowl first – their previous six victories all coming when chasing in this format – and after a 25-minute delay due to rain they stifled Hawks in the powerplay. The visitors only managed to get to 33 with the departure of Aneurin Donald, yorked by Sam Cook.Cook was the main architect of the strong start with a boundary coming off his first delivery and then 11 dot balls – with his second over a wicket maiden.James Vince and Ben McDermott – on his 100th T20 appearance – both fell as Hampshire laboured to 59 for 3 after 10.1 overs, but Joe Weatherley, Ross Whiteley and James Fuller made sure they had a total to defend. Weatherley swept both sides of the wicket in his 37, while Whiteley and Fuller used brute force to clear the shot boundaries; both striking two sixes each.Curiously Essex’s two best bowlers Cook and Simon Harmer only bowled three of their allocation, both with identical figures of 2 for 16. Critchley’s miserly 1 for 20 was also exemplary.

Ex-Arsenal midfielder and Ousmane Dembele's France team-mate Matteo Guendouzi is confident of the PSG forward's chances of lifting the Ballon d'Or.

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Dembele in the form of his lifeHas become a potent goal scorer at PSGGuendouzi backs former Barcelona man to win Ballon d'OrFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ex-Arsenal midfielder and Ousmane Dembele's France team-mate Matteo Guendouzi sung the praises of the Paris Saint-Germain forward's displays this season by saying that he was "starting to be scared of him" and going on to back the former Barcelona winger to win the highly prestigious Ballon d'Or award at the end of this year.

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Dembele has been in sensational form this season. He has already scored 30 goals in 37 games in all competitions — just 10 fewer than the total he managed in six years at Barcelona. A whopping 22 of those 30 goals have come in 2025 alone, and in just 17 appearances. He's also the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 21 goals and five assists.

WHAT MATTEO GUENDOUZI SAID

Speaking to the press earlier this week, Guendouzi backed Dembele to win the Ballon d'Or (h/t Get Football News France): "What he is doing makes him a credible candidate for the Ballon d’Or. He has always had the potential to do that. He is one of the best players in the world, even without the goals, top three at the moment, but he’s adding statistics. He is just confirming what we have thought for a long time. There are plenty of players that are starting to be scared of him.” 

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR OUSMANE DEMBELE?

After starting for France in the first-leg of the Nations League against Croatia, Dembele will be hoping to find his goal scoring boots for Les Bleus in the return leg on Sunday, March 23.

Newcastle United are now leading the race to sign a “special talent” who could cost £30m ahead of the opening of the January transfer window, according to a report.

Newcastle searching for new winger

With speculation mounting over Harvey Barnes’ future at St. James’ Park, Newcastle are keen on signing a new winger, having identified a new right-sided player and centre-back as priority targets ahead of the January transfer window.

The Magpies are believed to be very close to completing a deal for PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko, with positive talks over the terms of a deal recently being held between the two clubs.

However, there are mixed reports regarding whether the deal for Bakayoko is nearing completion, as there has also been a suggestion that players will first need to be moved on before Eddie Howe is allowed to do any business this winter.

Should Newcastle miss out on the PSV star, they do have some other options in mind, with reports that they are racing Premier League rivals Manchester United to the signature of Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.

Newcastle leading the race for Dibling

Now, there has been a new update from Football Insider, which reveals that the Magpies are now leading the race for Dibling’s signature, as a move to United is unlikely to appeal to the youngster. Regular game time is an important factor for the winger, which he seemingly believes will be a more likely scenario at St. James’ Park, meaning Howe is now in the driving seat to land the £20m – £30m rated 18-year-old.

A move is more likely to happen in the summer, as the Saints will not want to lose such an important player halfway through the Premier League season, but should they be relegated it is ‘inevitable’ the starlet will leave the club.

As such, given that Southampton are bottom of the Premier League table by a considerable margin, it seems likely that Dibling will move on at the end of the campaign.

Newcastle now want to sign £5,000-a-week future star in Livramento repeat

It would add to a growing collection of young talent on Tyneside.

ByBen Browning Dec 19, 2024

The Englishman has been a bright spark in a poor Southampton team this season, underlining his importance by appearing in 14 out of 15 Premier League games up to this point, in what is a real breakthrough campaign.

Lauded as a “special talent” for his performance against title-chasing Liverpool earlier in the season, the Southampton academy graduate is showing great potential, but Bakayoko may be a better signing for Howe.

Dibling is unlikely to be available this January, while PSV are open to selling their winger, and given that Howe wants to strengthen at right wing as a priority, he may be better off pursuing a deal for Bakayoko over the course of the next month.

The Belgian is in fine form this season, with five goals in 14 Eredivisie outings, indicating that he could make a real impact for Newcastle as we enter the second half of the Premier League season.

Manchester United fell to their fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions last night, losing 2-0 to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton secured all three points for the Magpies, with the defeat dropping Ruben Amorim’s side down to 14th place in the Premier League table.

It was an all-round evening to forget for the Red Devils, looking way off the pace and now sitting a staggering 13 points off a Champions League spot at the halfway stage of the campaign.

Such a display has made it alarmingly clear how much work needs to be done by the 39-year-old if he is to turn around the recent fortunes after his appointment back in November.

He’s only managed to collect just seven points out of 24 since his appointment, failing to score in any of the last three league outings, with numerous players potentially playing their final game for the club last night.

Zirkzee & Casemiro’s stats against Newcastle

Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee was recalled to the starting lineup against Newcastle, but his performance would last all of 33 minutes before being replaced by Kobbie Mainoo after the visitors’ two early goals.

The 23-year-old, who cost £36.5m in the summer, was booed off, a shame given the circumstances, but it’s safe to say he didn’t help himself with the measly figures he produced.

He only completed three of his passes before his withdrawal, notching just 15 touches in the process and ultimately looking way off the pace of a Premier League footballer.

Casemiro is another player who returned to the side, acting as a replacement for Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, who both missed the clash through suspension.

However, the Brazilian was equally as poor as Zirkzee, often being bypassed by the play and losing the ball 15 times – looking wasteful when the opportunity fell his way.

The 32-year-old squandered various opportunities to put Amorim’s side back in the game, with his effort late on in the first half nothing short of embarrassing.

The aforementioned duo weren’t the only first-team players to lack the desired impact, with one other producing an evening to forget during the latest defeat.

Chalkboard

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

The Man United player who’s got "worse" under Amorim

Centre-back Lisandro Martínez cost the United hierarchy £57m in the summer of 2022 under former boss Erik ten Hag, arriving with real hope of solving their defensive woes.

Whilst his first season in England’s top flight was largely a success, making 45 appearances in all competitions, he’s been unable to match such levels in recent times, including under Amorim.

The Argentine started in a back three alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire during the loss, being dominated once again, playing a part in both of the visitors’ goals.

Martinez was unable to get anywhere near the run of Isak for the opener, before being dominated in the air by Joelinton as he powered his effort past Andre Onana after easily outjumping the defender.

Since Amorim’s appointment, last night was the sixth time he was part of a backline that conceded two or more goals, often being dominated given his lack of height – something which is crucial for a central defender.

Minutes played

65

Touches

79

Passes completed

66/73 (90%)

Possession lost

7

Duels lost

3/3 (100%)

Fouls committed

2

Tackles completed

0

Last night was no different, losing 100% of duels on the ground and in the air, with his battle against Newcastle’s midfielder for the second strike just one of the duels he found himself on the losing side.

He also committed two fouls and received a yellow card for his troubles, before being put out of his misery by Amorim, subsequently being withdrawn in the 65th minute and replaced by Leny Yoro.

After the final whistle, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher claimed the Argentine now looks “worse” under the new boss, something which is hard to dispute given his recent form and inability to prevent the recent defensive woes.

It’s clear that Amorim needs a massive reset of the first-team squad in the near future, but this campaign appears to already be a write-off with 19 league matches still to play.

However, it would come as a surprise to no one if all three of the aforementioned United players were to depart by the end of the season, with Martinez now rapidly declining and looking miles off the levels expected of a £57m addition.

As well as Zirkzee: 2/10 Man Utd dud must never play for the club again

Manchester United’s miserable losing streak continued against Newcastle United.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 31, 2024

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have contradicted a sustainability pledge by green-lighting a short-haul flight for Wrexham that lasted 37 minutes.

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Travelled by air a lot when winning National League titleChartered plane for League One trip to WycombeDirectors made sustainability pledge to United NationsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

During the Red Dragons’ National League title-winning campaign in 2022-23, it emerged that the Welsh outfit regularly travelled by jet – instead of bus or train – to away games. They took in 16 domestic flights that season, averaging just 43 minutes in the air.

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It has now emerged, courtesy of , that they took to the skies again when travelling to Wycombe for a crunch clash with their fellow League One promotion hopefuls. Wrexham chartered a plane that flew out of Jersey and picked up the team at Hawarden Airport. It dropped them off at Oxford Airport.

THE GOSSIP

That journey was just 150 miles, with the jet in question then returning to the Channel Island before picking Phil Parkinson’s squad up again the next day. Five flights covered 1,155 miles during five hours of flying time, when the journey would have taken around three hours each way in a coach.

Getty Images EntertainmentDID YOU KNOW?

Hollywood star Reynolds recently visited the United Nations in New York alongside Wrexham directors Humphrey Ker and Shaun Harvey. They signed up to the 'Football for the Goals' initiative, which includes a commitment to sustainability polices that are intended to help fight climate change.

Clash with T20 Blast means marquee contest will lack several top-drawer home players

Matt Roller16-Jun-2022Pieter Seelaar, the Netherlands’ captain, says he has learned to live with the absence of leading Dutch players from his squad, with at least three first-choice players due to play in the T20 Blast rather than featuring in Friday’s marquee first ODI against England in Amstelveen.Colin Ackermann, Fred Klaassen and Roelof van der Merwe will all play for their respective counties on Friday night, while Paul van Meekeren would likely have done so but for an ankle injury. Timm van der Gugten and Brandon Glover, both members of the Netherlands squad for last year’s T20 World Cup, are not involved in the England series either.In theory, the KNCB (the Dutch board) can force counties to release players under the ICC’s “mandatory release” protocols but, in practice, players are unwilling to jeopardise their county contracts by missing large parts of the English domestic season. Klaassen, who will fly to Amsterdam on Wednesday morning before the third ODI after playing in the Blast for Kent on Tuesday night, described the situation as a “juggling act”.”It’s a question I’ve had to answer now on a number of occasions,” Seelaar said on Thursday. “It is frustrating, but you kind of get to live with it. We’ve played four [full] series in the Super League and you always want to have the best players available at all times which is, unfortunately, not true.”But it also created opportunities for other guys and I think we showed in the West Indies series that we can still be competitive without having – arguably – our best side out. That comes with heart from the guys who want to show how good they are and what they can do at this level. It’s frustrating, but it’s something we deal with.”It’s a tough one. We play cricket on a semi-pro basis, rather than a professional basis, whereas the guys who play in England, it’s their livelihood. Is there something different that can be done about it? Well, if you take away all the politics, then everyone should be playing at the highest level possible.”If you’re playing against England, you can’t get any higher than that. It would have been nice to have them but that’s not how it works nowadays. If something could be changed that would be nice, but I guess it’s very tough.”Seelaar described the prospect of playing against the defending world champions as “incredibly exciting” and said that the Netherlands would take heart from the fact that Scotland, a full associate nation, beat England in 2018 at the Grange – particularly because that game was played on an excellent batting pitch.”It was a game on true merit,” he said. “It wasn’t one of those dodgy wickets. It shows where Associate cricket as a whole has come to. When I started playing in 2005, it was a very different level, As Associates, we used to be happy to be on the park against these teams whereas now we look to compete.Related

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“If I said we were looking to win this series 3-0, I would be stupid, but in saying that, we’re looking to compete in these three games. That game has shown not only us, but every aspiring cricket country that it is possible, but everything needs to go your way.”Seelaar is the only survivor from the Dutch team that beat England in the opening game of the 2009 World T20 at Lord’s and one of three men – along with Tom Cooper and Logan van Beek – involved for them this week who played in the 2014 triumph in Chattogram, the teams’ most recent meeting in any format.Eoin Morgan, his counterpart, and Adil Rashid both made their England T20I debuts in the 2009 game, and Seelaar said that a third win at some point in this series would be a “fantastic” achievement. “It might be a scar for England but for us, it’s just joyful memories,” he said.