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Time to move past “all this crap that’s been happening behind the scenes” says captain

Firdose Moonda08-Dec-2019Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s captain, has called on South Africa’s administrators to shift their focus away from the current crises and onto the national team as they prepare for a home series against England.Speaking after his team, Paarl Rocks, secured a home final at the Mzansi Super League (MSL), two days after CSA CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended and less than 24 hours after it was all but confirmed that former captain Graeme Smith will take over as director of cricket, du Plessis asked for plans to be put in place speedily to ensure the team is ready for their next on-field challenge.ALSO READ: Crisis in South African cricket – full coverage“Obviously a lot has happened but now it’s a new start,” du Plessis said. “There’s not much time before the English series so now it’s about putting our focus back on to the team, making sure that the Test team gets all the things that are required for us to be successful.”It’s been a little bit on pause the last two or three weeks which is already too late, so we need to make sure in the next week things will start unfolding to make sure the Test team gets the most attention. The last two weeks there hasn’t been much attention on that so that is what we will try and drive over the next week.”The most immediate concerns are appointment of a selection panel to pick the squad that will face England, who named their touring party on Saturday, and the naming of support staff to assist interim team director Enoch Nkwe, who looks set to stay in his role. South Africa will also name two invitation teams to play against England in warm-up games, which may inform their final selection, as well as keep an eye on a round of first-class matches that begins on December 19 and assess injuries. Opening batsmen Aiden Markram, who broke his wrist in India, is the biggest doubt but has begun training with the Rocks in a bid to be ready for the Boxing Day Test.Very little attention has been paid to his, or anyone else’s readiness, as CSA attempted to put out fires on multiple fronts over the last two weeks, ranging from disputes with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), the suspension of seven members of staff, the resignations of three independent board members and the loss of a major sponsor. After a special meeting of the board on Saturday, CSA resolved to repair its relationship with SACA and hold independent disciplinary proceedings for those staff who have been sanctioned.However, CSA did not disband the board or remove president Chris Nenzani, something which remains a concern for several stakeholders including SACA, whose outgoing CEO Tony Irish was “appalled” at developments. Irish tweeted that the board and president had taken “no responsibility for cricket’s biggest crisis” and are “now clinging to power”.Rather than get drawn into the matter, du Plessis said he just wants to see cricket take centre stage again. “Now it’s about moving forward. I am a firm believer that it’s time for us to look ahead from all this crap that’s been happening behind the scenes. It’s about making sure that the players are focused on the cricket side of things,” he said.Du Plessis also offered to be a buffer between the players and administrators as long as it allowed plans for England to proceed swiftly. “The players have got absolutely nothing to do with what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s important to separate that from a player point of view and if it needs me to be dealing with some of these things, then that’s OK. It’s about getting focus on what’s really important now which is a Test series against England. As I said before, it’s already a little bit 99 [last-minute] and things haven’t happened as they should have but now we can start getting things on the right track.”As part of that effort, CSA also announced Dr Jacques Faul as interim CEO on Saturday. Du Plessis, who has worked under Faul during his first stint as acting CEO in 2012 and at the Titans franchise, believes he is the right man for the job. “Jacques is obviously a very experienced CEO, a doctor, so I am sure he is pretty clever,” du Plessis said. “It’s about experience; getting people in that can take this great game of ours on the right track again.”And so, despite the many issues South African cricket faces, du Plessis is hopeful South African cricket can get back on track. “There’s too much negative stuff that’s happened over the last four or five weeks and our cricket is too strong to have so many issues all the time. We are too proud a cricketing nation to be talking about this stuff all the time. The attention needs to be on the cricket and making sure we will build ourselves as a team and ourselves as an organisation to be great again.”

Fifties from Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez had helped Pakistan put up 166 before the spinners derailed New Zealand’s chase

The Report by Danyal Rasool04-Nov-2018
Pakistan celebrate Glenn Phillips’ wicket•AFP

For all of ten glorious overs – and it was glorious, no matter who one supported – it seemed like Kane Williamson would single-handedly snap Pakistan’s T20I winning streak. With Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme dismissed early in a chase of 167, and the Powerplay almost over, this looked like a stroll for Pakistan. It ended up being every bit the stroll it appeared at that point, with Pakistan winning by 47 runs, but Williamson gave them an almighty scare in the middle. He smashed – caressed, really – 60 runs off 38 balls in a manner so classical you’d feel blessed to see it in a Test match. It wrested the advantage back in New Zealand’s favour, but once he holed out to long-on off Shadab Khan, the tourists went back to being the side they had looked before their captain had sprinkled his class over the contest. They lost their last eight wickets for 23 runs, and Pakistan had yet another well-deserved clean sweep to their name.This was not to be the close contest the first two games had been, even though New Zealand made an excellent start. Seth Rance found the sort of prodigious swing no bowler had managed all season, and Fakhar Zaman was particularly discomfited. Pakistan manged just 33 runs in the first six, with Zaman dismissed following an ugly hoick to the offside, ensuring the left-hander’s poor run in Asia continued.It was Babar Azam, inevitably, who got his side back on course. Needing 48 runs to overtake Virat Kohli to become the fastest to 1000 T20I runs, he began to take control of the overs immediately following the Powerplay, picking up the run rate alongside the in-form Mohammad Hafeez. Just as this pair had done for much of the T20I series against Australia, the pair was responsible for the bulk of the runs scored in the Pakistan innings, the partnership adding 96 off 64 deliveries. For the first time in six games, Pakistan knocked themselves out of the magnetic field that seems to hold them within the 145-160 range, a late flourish ensuring they set the tourists 167 to chase.Hafeez was the man they had to thank for that flourish, with the 38-year old seamlessly taking over once Babar was dismissed for 79. That is usually the point at which Pakistan innings have stuttered of late, but four boundaries in the following seven balls that New Zealand bowled to Hafeez and Shoaib Malik went for four. The momentum thus remained unequivocally with Pakistan, who carried it right throughout the innings.They held onto it at the change of innings, and struck New Zealand a hammer blow with the wicket of Colin Munro in the second over. Faheem Ashraf, who had borne the brunt of his belligerence in the previous match, knocked back his middle stump as Munro cleared his front leg, and the flying start he had provided to New Zealand in the first two games would have to be made up for elsewhere.With Glenn Phillips still struggling, and Colin de Grandhomme carelessly run out Williamson took up the responsibility. Never a big hitter, he was relentlessly inventive in the way he found his boundaries, from lapping the fast bowler over fine leg to delicate touches that beat third man. Even when he danced – and it really did look that graceful – down the wicket to loft the ball out of the ground, they looked more like drives than slogs. The only thing about him that looked like a modern T20 player was his strike rate.But with no support coming from the other end, it would require a one-man effort if New Zealand were to deny Pakistan a clean sweep. Once he was dismissed, Pakistan immediately reverted to being the side that beats the opposition into the ground, and they did that with devastating efficiency. Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and debutant Waqas Maqsood each took two wickets in an over as they scorched their way through the middle and lower order, and within 25 balls of Williamson’s departure, the innings was over.That is what Pakistan have reduced oppositions to at the moment. Passages of ascendancy. The prospect of a team extending that passage to the point it becomes a match-winning one continues to remain elusive, as the home side cap another hugely successful year in the format; they have lost just two T20Is in 2018.What seems most predictable at the moment is arguably cricket’s most unpredictable side winning in the sport’s most unpredictable format. Who would have predicted that?

James Hildreth swept Somerset to an against-the-odds four-wicket win over Surrey in a thrilling NatWest T20 Blast contest at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2017
James Hildreth guided his side to victory•Getty Images

James Hildreth swept Somerset to an against-the-odds four-wicket win over Surrey in a thrilling NatWest T20 Blast contest at Taunton. Replying to Surrey’s 157 for 6, the home side appeared down and out at 47 for 5 in the ninth over. But the experienced Hildreth top-scored with 45 not out and shared in a restorative stand of 69 with Roelof van der Merwe as Somerset attained their target with 10 balls to spare.A fourth consecutive home win moved the cider county up to second place in the South Group and, with three games remaining, they trail table-topping Glamorgan by two points.Just as they did in defeat against Gloucestershire at Bristol two days earlier, Somerset’s top-order batting imploded, Steve Davies, Johann Myburgh, Jim Allenby and Lewis Gregory each making a mess of the Powerplay. It was left to Hildreth and the hard-hitting van der Merwe to repair the damage, the sixth wicket pair raising a 50 stand inside three overs to put the Londoners on the back foot.Former England paceman Jade Dernbach removed van der Merwe for 36, but Hildreth and Craig Overton staged an unbroken stand of 42 to see Somerset home and materially improve their prospects of qualifying for the knockout stages.Hildreth’s unbeaten 45 came via 33 balls and included a quartet of fours, while Overton raised a quickfire 36 not out from 19 balls with a brace of fours and two maximums. Had Hildreth not been dropped by Jason Roy at backward point when he had scored 9, the outcome might have been different. But then Surrey only had themselves to blame for a shaky performance in the field.Somerset were staring down the proverbial barrel when Surrey openers Roy and Aaron Finch, approaching the Powerplay with destructive intent, blazed their way to 39 inside four overs.Australian Finch was in particularly good touch, finding the boundary rope on five occasions in harvesting 26 from 16 deliveries. No wonder Somerset supporters breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Victorian mistimed an expansive drive and was held by Overton at long-on off the bowling of Tim Groenewald.Roy fell to a horrible shot in the very next over, playing across the line and losing off and middle stumps to a straight one from Overton. He departed for 11, slamming his bat into the ground in a public show of frustration.When Mark Stoneman suffered a momentary loss of judgment and was bowled through the gate by Max Waller’s legspin, Surrey had lost three wickets for the addition of 14 runs from 18 balls. It fell to Moises Henriques and Ollie Pope to rebuild the innings, a task they accepted with alacrity, Surrey’s fourth-wicket pair adding 66 in nine overs in businesslike fashion to redress the balance.Van der Merwe disrupted their smooth progress, luring Pope into front-foot indiscretion and affording Steve Davies an opportunity to perform a smart stumping. Pope’s restorative innings of 46 occupied 31 balls and included five fours. Henriques followed him back to the pavilion in the next over, the Australian pulling Gregory to midwicket for a 32-ball 26 as Somerset reasserted a semblance of control.Charged with the task of accelerating, Sam Curran risked all against Groenewald, and holed out to the ubiquitous Waller at long-off, leaving his brother, Tom, and Rikki Clarke to hit out at the death, the seventh-wicket pair raising an unbroken partnership of 22. Yet their aggression could not quite dispel the sense that Surrey had fallen short.

Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas has been appointed Sri Lanka’s fielding coach, and will begin the role on August 8, a board release said

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Jul-2016Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas has been appointed Sri Lanka’s fielding coach, and will begin the role on August 8, a board release said. Pothas had most recently been the academy director at Leicestershire County, and was the cricket director at Guernsey in the past.”Our last few outings are showing a marked improvement in the batting and bowling, however our fielding has been letting us down,” SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said. “Pothas joining the support team already in place will give the necessary boost to this important area.”We always believe in engaging the best professional advice and technical support for our national team, and this appointment is one such positive step.”Pothas is the Sumathipala administration’s third high-profile appointment to the coaching system, to follow head coach Graham Ford and high-performance manager Simon Willis. Both Pothas and SLC thanked Leicesershire county for releasing him from his county contract.”I will forever be grateful to Leicestershire County Cricket Club for the opportunity to join at an exciting time,” Pothas said. “But the opportunity to be involved in the game at the highest level is not one that I could pass up.”A long-time Hampshire player, Pothas scored over 11,000 runs and effected 659 dismissals in 218 first-class games. He also played three ODIs for South Africa in 2000.

Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been ruled out for two weeks after suffering a knuckle fracture to his bowling hand on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka

Umar Farooq26-Jun-2015Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series in Sri Lanka, after he suffered a hairline fracture on the knuckle of his bowling hand on the first day of the second Test in Colombo. With both Wahab and the injured Haris Sohail being withdrawn from the squad, the PCB has drafted in batsman Babar Azam and left-arm seamer Rahat Ali as replacements*.Azam, 20, made his international debut during the historic series against Zimbabwe last month, scoring 54 in the third ODI. Rahat last played for Pakistan in April before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.Wahab is expected to be out of the game for at least two weeks and according to a PCB release, will return home after the conclusion of the ongoing Colombo Test. The release added that Azam and Rahat “will leave on Sunday early morning to Sri Lanka” and join the team.”We had sent him (Wahab) for an X-ray last night and the result shows a hairline fracture,” Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema told ESPNcricinfo. “We are not sure if he recovers ahead of the ODI series but he is at least out for two weeks. That means he can’t be the part of the Test series.”Wahab was struck on the gloves by a delivery from Sri Lanka fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera while batting on the first day. Wahab bowled nine overs during Sri Lanka’s innings in the last session on Thursday but he was seen struggling with his follow through and clutching his left hand between deliveries besides getting assistance from the physiotherapist at the boundary.He stayed in the field for two hours and bowled three spells before going off. “Despite the blow on his bowling hand, he was still willing to come out and bowl many overs,” Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said. “Hats off to him as he tried to give his best shot.”His injury is a significant setback to Pakistan, who were dismissed for 138 on the opening day at P Sara Oval. Pakistan, who are leading in the series after a win in the Galle Test, had opted to bat but imploded in the second session, losing eight wickets for 64 runs. With Mohammad Hafeez reported for a suspect action after the first Test, Wahab’s injury puts considerable pressure on pacer Junaid Khan and the spin pair of Zulfiqar Babar and legspinner Yasir Shah.The final Test of the series will be played in Pallekele between July 3 and 7.*17:10 GMT: This story was updated after Babar Azam and Rahat Ali were drafted into the squad as replacements

The Pakistani legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who was recently granted asylum in Australia, has joined the Melbourne Renegades for the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2012The Pakistani legspinner Fawad Ahmed, who was recently granted asylum in Australia, has joined the Melbourne Renegades for the Big Bash League.Ahmed, whose application to remain in Australia was initially rejected, played ten first-class games in Pakistan from 2005 to 2009 and has been bowling to Australia’s Test players in the nets over the past couple of weeks to help them prepare for their series against South Africa.”Fawad has faced and overcome so many hurdles to arrive at this point of his life,” Stuart Coventry, the Renegades chief executive, said. “He’s now ready to explore the depths of his talent without the stress of hanging on for a decision to be made regarding his refugee status. We’re pleased to provide him an avenue to play high-level cricket in Australia and believe he is a genuine talent.”Ahmed will be joined at the Renegades by the Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan, who has also signed with the side. The eight BBL sides have until November 30 to finalise their full squads.

Stuart Broad has revealed there is “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up in against India, at Lord’s, on Sunday although exact details were still to be confirmed

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2011Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s home season, as well as the five-match ODI series in India next month, after sustaining a muscle tear to his right shoulder. He suffered the injury while bowling during the tied fourth ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, and will now miss both the final match in Cardiff next Friday, and the two Twenty20s against West Indies, which he was due to captain.ECB chief medical officer, Dr Nick Peirce, said: “Stuart has a muscle tear within his shoulder and will require an initial period of rest and rehabilitation. Exact timescales will be determined in due course but he is likely to be ruled out of cricket for a number of weeks.”If his recovery goes to plan, there is a chance Broad could be fit to join the England squad and resume his captaincy duties for the one-off Twenty20 against India in Kolkata on October 29.Broad had earlier revealed there was “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up two balls into his final over of the Lord’s ODI. “Bad news on the shoulder, torn a muscle, I know which one, just can’t spell it. Gutted,” he posted on Twitter. He was subsequently dosed up on painkillers and ready to bat at No.11 if needed during England’s chase, which was ended seven balls early by rain.With Morgan, England’s Twenty20 vice-captain, sidelined due to a shoulder injury there is no obvious replacement for Broad as captain. One option would be to give the job to the 50-over captain, Alastair Cook, but he refused to think too far ahead, saying, “We’ll cross all those bridges when they arrive.”The fact that the one-day series is now safe for England takes pressure off the final match at Cardiff on Friday. Jade Dernbach was left out at Lord’s – England played Steven Finn instead – so he would be the logical replacement for Broad in Cardiff. However, the pitch can favour spin so it may be an opportunity to give Samit Patel another outing before the Twenty20s against West Indies and the tour to India.England have had been hit by far fewer injuries than India during the Test and one-day series, but had to contend with some problems nonetheless. Chris Tremlett (back) missed three Tests and Jonathan Trott (shoulder) two, while Morgan was ruled out of action following the first one-day international at Chester-le-Street.For Broad, meanwhile, it adds to an injury-hit 10 months which included the stomach strain that ruled him out of the final three Ashes Tests in Australia, and the rib injury which ended his World Cup campaign. He had been dropped from the one-day side after a lacklustre first half of the English summer against Sri Lanka, but enjoyed a superb second half to the season which included a Man of the Series performance in the 4-0 Test whitewash against India.

Chennai Super Kings need to win to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals, while Warriors can make it even if they lose by a small margin

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran21-Sep-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, September 22
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Davey Jacobs has been in top form for Warriors•AFP

Big Picture

First up the basics: Chennai Super Kings need to win to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals, while Warriors can make it even if they lose by a small margin. For example, if they are chasing 160, they can afford to lose by no more than 27 runs, while if Warriors score 160 batting first, they’ll have to ensure Chennai take at least 16.4 overs to reach their target.
The presence of two weak teams – Wayamba and Central Districts – in Group A means there’s a chance that a side can get knocked out from the Champions League for losing only one game in the tournament. Warriors have won all their matches so far, but a big defeat against Chennai Super Kings will mean there will be no home teams in the semi-finals. Similarly, Victoria have swept all before them after flopping in their opening game, but still have to nervously watch the Warriors-Chennai match to know their fate.The superb form of Warriors’ captain and opener, Davey Jacobs, is one reason why they are best-placed to progress but the top-order’s effectiveness has hidden a potential weakness – a shallow middle order. Johan Botha looks to be playing a position too high at No. 6 but Jacobs wasn’t too concerned by it. “We have Nicky Boje, who comes after Botha, and has scored couple of ODI hundreds,” Jacobs said. “So I am very confident about my team’s batting. We have done everything we could to get here. We shall continue to do those basics.”For Chennai, the department to worry about is probably the bowling. While they have two world-class performers in Doug Bollinger and Muttiah Muralitharan, their local bowlers, medium-pacer L Balaji and offspinner R Ashwin, need to bounce back from the pasting they received in the previous match.

Team news

One decision Chennai will have to make is regarding which Australian batsman to pick: Matthew Hayden was out of touch in his two outings in the tournament, while Michael Hussey scored at less than run-a-ball against Victoria. Albie Morkel’s fitness is also a source of worry.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Matthew Hayden / Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel / Justin Kemp, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji.Justin Kreusch has had little to do with bat or ball in the previous two matches but his ability to bat should win him a place in a team with a longish tail. Warriors may also toy with the idea of playing Garnett Kruger in place of one of the three frontline quicks.Warriors (probable): 1 Davey Jacobs (capt), 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 Craig Thyssen, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Johan Botha, 7 Justin Kreusch, 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Rusty Theron, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Watch out for …

Colin Ingram will be celebrating his maiden call-up to the South African team, a reward for topping the run-charts in the Pro20 to lead the Warriors to the title. He has been off-colour in the Champions League, and Wednesday’s crunch match could be the one where he shows off his talent to a wider audience.As the leading run-getter after three seasons of the IPL, Suresh Raina’s importance to Chennai as a batsman is well-known. Against Victoria on Saturday, he showcased his talents as a spinner, taking four wickets and was even entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the tense final over of a tight game.

Key contests

Jacobs v Bollinger: Jacobs’ big-hitting has been pivotal to Warriors’ three consecutive wins, and he has also boldly spoken of how important he can be to South Africa in the Twenty20 format. He has been overlooked for South Africa’s Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. A confident performance against Bollinger, an in-form quick bowler in a high-pressure match, will give the selectors another reminder of his ability.
Makhaya Ntini v Chennai: From being one of the world’s leading bowlers, Ntini has regressed so much that not only does he not get a much of a look-in for South Africa these days, even his IPL team hasn’t given him an opportunity in two seasons. Wednesday’s match will be a chance for him to show Chennai what they are missing.

Stats and trivia

• The match features the two most economical bowlers (minimum five overs) of the tournament: Johan Botha (4.83) and Muttiah Muralitharan (5.38)
• Albie Morkel is mostly known in Twenty20s for his big-hitting lower down the order. With 104 wickets, he is also the second-highest wicket-taker in the format, behind Dirk Nannes

يؤمن مدرب فريق ليستر سيتي بريندان رودجرز أن مسألة التأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل، ما زالت في أيديهم رغم خسارة اليوم أمام نيوكاسل يونايتد.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الخامسة والثلاثين من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، حيث خسر ليستر سيتي بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين. أهداف مباراة ليستر سيتي ونيوكاسل

وتجمد رصيد ليستر سيتي عند 63 نقطة في المركز الثالث، قبل ثلاث جولات من نهاية البطولة.

وقال رودجرز في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “من السهل جدًا تحليل ما حدث، لقد كانت مباراة ارتكبنا فيها الكثير من الأخطاء ولا يمكنك تحمل القيام بذلك”.

وأضاف: “لقد كان أمرًا غير معهود، إنها فترة من الموسم نحتاج فيها إلى التركيز بشكل كبير، فأنت قريب جدًا من تحقيق ما تريد تحقيقه، لقد فقدنا التركيز وإذا فعلت ذلك ضد فرق جيدة ولاعبين جيدين، فإنهم يعاقبونك”.

وواصل: “لقد استمر الخصم في التقدم، وعلى مدار 90 دقيقة كان بإمكاننا أن نسجل أربعة أو خمسة أهداف ولكن كان هناك الكثير من الأخطاء لدينا”.

وعن إمكانية إنهاء الموسم ضمن المراكز الأربعة الأولى، أجاب رودجرز: “ما زلنا في وضع جيد حقًا ولا يزال كل شيء في أيدينا”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Roberto Martinez has never seen a playmaker like Kevin De Bruyne and praised the Manchester City man for his unique ability in midfield.

What did he say?

De Bruyne was incredible in Germany with Wolfsburg, winning the Player of the Year in the Bundesliga in 2015. This form earned him a move to City, where the 28-year-old has blossomed into one of the finest talents in world football.

Martinez, who coaches De Bruyne with the Belgium national team, has seen first hand what outrageous ability he has. The former Everton manager told Sky Sports (as quoted by Manchester Evening News): “It’s difficult to give a proper description of his talent.

“I’ve never worked with a playmaker that can work at a faster pace than the game. Any playmaker we’re used to seeing a player that slows the tempo down and gets two seconds to think, two seconds to find that pass.

“Kevin De Bruyne sees the pass even before any spectators see it. That is a dynamic playmaking that he has. There’s not another player in world football in front of him that has that precision and execution – every ball in the box is exactly the same level of precision. City’s moves are never into feet, they are always into space, they know where the ball is going to go. I feel Kevin with his intensity is a unique playmaker.

“He doesn’t work in systems, he works in space and he’s got that ability to turn in any space and execute a pass. technically he’s so gifted. Normally you get gifted players technically but it doesn’t go along with that physicality and intensity. I’ve never seen a player that can execute passes in transitions on any counter-attack like, his precision is immaculate. The uniqueness is to have that physicality and the technical ability.”

The best around

De Bruyne has been an essential ingredient to Manchester City’s dominance of English football over the past three years. Since signing for £55m in 2015, the Belgian has won six major trophies with the club and earned his way into the PFA Team of the Year in 2017-18.

Just recently, De Bruyne set the record to become the fastest man in Premier League history to register 50 assists. In doing this, he surpassed creative genius Mesut Ozil and as a result, established himself as a true great of the English game.

He may have only played 19 league games last year because of injury, but his presence was definitely felt as Liverpool ran with City right until the final whistle last season.

Should Pep Guardiola have had De Bruyne – who is valued at £117m by Transfermarkt – fully fit and available for the entirety of the previous season, perhaps they would have gone head-to-head with the Reds in the Champions League final.

However, this season, the playmaker is back and showing the world he is one of the best around.