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Lindsay Tuckett lost his best years to the war, and when he got the chance to play Tests, he bowled with virtually no support

Luke Alfred08-Sep-2016tLindsay Tuckett (back row, fourth from left) with the South African squad that played the tour opener in Worcester, 1947•Getty ImagesStrange as it sounds in the age of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, there was a time when South Africa didn’t produce fast bowlers. There were spinners – and “bosie” bowlers, who graduated from matting wickets – and what Rod Marsh might have called “pie chuckers”, but quick men were as rare as winter flowers in the veld.So when Lindsay Tuckett, who died on Monday in Bloemfontein aged 97, came on the scene, great hope followed in his wake. He caught the eye before the Second World War while still a schoolboy at St Andrews College in Bloem, with his strong physique, efficient run-up and easy action, but it wasn’t until the 1947 South Africa tour of England that he became someone little boys would seek out for an autograph.He only took 2 for 51 in the traditional tour opener in Worcester but took nine wickets (5 for 27, and 4 for 32) against Leicestershire before being rested against Cambridge University. Big hauls followed against Surrey and Glamorgan as the English press corps, ever eager for a story, began to peck out approving notices on their typewriters.His finest moments came early. He was one of seven South African debuts in the Test opener at Trent Bridge, taking 5 for 68 in 37 overs of toil as England responded to the visitors’ 533. He only managed a single peg in England’s follow-on innings, but as Drew Forrest recounts in his painstakingly researched book on South African fast bowlers, , it might have been rather different.

Tuckett was a taciturn man, not given to self-promotion or sentimentality, and he didn’t discuss his war years with anyone, describing them as “five years of my life best forgotten”

Fielding in the slips, Bruce Mitchell dropped Norman Yardley off Tuckett’s bowling at a crucial juncture in the England second innings – doing so “unaccountably”, according to . Tuckett always maintained that Mitchell was distracted by his wife entering the ground and wasn’t concentrating. The match was drawn.As he had done in the first innings in Nottingham, Tuckett accounted for Denis Compton at Lord’s in taking 5 for 115 as England won by ten wickets. By now a pattern had emerged. Tuckett bowled 84 overs at Trent Bridge and 50 at Lord’s. All in all he bowled 252 overs in the five Tests, becoming progressively more and more blunted the deeper the season eased into an exceptionally hot summer.He ended up using a knee brace around his niggly groin, recounts Forrest, and although Tuckett took four England wickets in the third Test, in Manchester, he went wicketless at Leeds and The Oval. In all, he bowled 724 overs on tour, his captain, Alan Melville, literally bowling him into the ground.In a sense, Tuckett was doubly unlucky. Not only did he have to spearhead the South Africans’ bowling vanguard with little support, he also lost the best years of his cricketing life to the war, turning 28 on the mail ship journey to Southampton ahead of the ’47 tour. He was a taciturn man, not given to self-promotion or sentimentality, and he didn’t discuss his war years with anyone, describing them as “five years of my life best forgotten”.The war darkened many a life among those in the ’47 team. Tufty Mann, the spinner, survived only because he lived in a pigsty with a false wall. He was befriended by a family of Italian peasants in the land north of Venice and lived for years in a state of feral high alert. He had lost so much weight hiding from German patrols that his sweetheart didn’t recognise him when he was finally shipped home. For years afterwards she would find apples secreted underneath pillows and half-eaten sandwiches under the bed.The 1947 tourists were issued with ration cards when they arrived in England. With slightly neurotic attention to detail, the South African newspaperman Louis Duffus, recorded that red meat and butter were so scarce that he ate no fewer than 131 kippers while on tour. Athol Rowan, the offspinner with big hands, frequently used to eat second dinners after dining at the team hotel. Ossie Dawson, another team-mate, mentioned the post-war scarcity of soap.Tuckett played in four Tests in the 1948-49 home series against England, but there is an argument to be made for the fact that he was crippled by the 1947 tour. Despite also being overshadowed by the rise of Cuan McCarthy, Tuckett ended up bowling the final – infamous – over of the fifth Test, in Port Elizabeth, with John Arlott in the commentary box reporting: “…and heaven knows who dare bowl it [the last over]. Lindsay Tuckett looks to me like a man who doesn’t want to.”In the event, he conceded six runs in the over, as England won via a leg-bye off the last ball. Tuckett believed his captain, Dudley Nourse, never forgave him. And so died his Test career.

How New Zealand crafted a 32-run win to square the T20I series

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2015South Africa’s first breakthrough came in the sixth over when Kagiso Rabada dismissed Williamson for a 17-ball 25•Getty ImagesThe home side struck again three overs later when legspinner Eddie Leie removed Tom Latham to reduce New Zealand to 70 for 2•AFPGuptill, however, kept going and brought up his sixth T20I half-century in 30 balls•Getty ImagesBut after Guptill was dismissed for a 35-ball 60 in the 12th over, the visitors seemed to lose their way. James Neesham and Colin Munro chipped in with handy cameos, but Rabada came back in the 19th over to dismiss them both and finish with 3 for 30. South Africa gave away only 12 runs in the last two overs as New Zealand finished with 177 for 7•AFPSouth Africa’s chase was dealt early blows when Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne dismissed openers Morne van Vyk and Hashim Amla in the third and fourth overs respectively•AFPAs usual AB de Villiers began aggressively, launching a few big hits•AFPHe was, however, sent back by Nathan McCullum in the seventh over, James Neesham taking a well-judged catch•Associated PressFirst Rilee Rossouw and then Farhaan Behardien, who made 36 off 27 balls, played useful hands, but New Zealand’s sharpness with the ball and in the field resulted in the home side falling 32 runs short of the target. Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum and Ish Sodhi took two wickets apiece•AFP

The blame game seems all the rage at the moment. Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen are both attracting flak and English cricket is all the worse for it

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2014The blame game seems all the rage at the moment.It’s obvious, isn’t it, that Kevin Pietersen was entirely at fault for the 5-0 Ashes score? He constantly falls out with coaches and management; plays irresponsible shots; doesn’t pull his weight; fields on the boundary; gives warm-up matches short shrift; is a bad influence on younger players and, of course, he wants to play in the IPL.Or is it? How about it is Andy Flower who can’t work with Pietersen; those irresponsible shots were an attempt to wrestle some initiative back (this is, after all, was an England team called too timid and defensive); he was his team’s top scorer and if someone had helped him could have laid a foundation for a win in Melbourne; he has never been much of a catcher so why not field on the boundary; he trains as hard as anyone and if those young players have his work ethic they will go far; and all England contracts now allow for an extended IPL window.The ECB dropped the ball on Twenty20, it’s not the players’ fault for wanting their slice. Those that want to play should not be castigated, just as those who decline should not be made out to be saints.The point is not to suggest that either side of the Flower-Pietersen argument is wrong or right – some of those examples are too simplistic – but just to encourage some rational thinking in the whole affair.It is a good job Flower is no longer in day-to-day charge of the one-day side and to a lesser extent that Pietersen is rested because everyone just needs to take a step back and a deep breath. In defence of Flower, that is what he has publicly said he wants to do.Clearly differences have emerged on the tour – these things tend to happen during a whitewash – but no one believed that Flower and Pietersen would become bosom buddies after what happened in 2012. Even before then it was fairly obvious it was nothing more than a professional relationship. Flower, remember, was part of Peter Moores’ backroom staff when the debacle between Pietersen and Moores occurred at the end of 2008. Then when Pietersen left the 2011 World Cup injured, Flower made it clear that he thought the batsman could have battled through the pain.Neither does it sound like Pietersen, if he has transgressed, was the only one. Matt Prior, in his column, talked in general terms about the team losing their respect, becoming lazy with little details such as dress code and team meetings. They sound trivial, but also sound strikingly similar to what happened to Australia in India.During that episode four players were suspended for not doing ‘homework’. One of them was Mitchell Johnson, now an Ashes legend, along with Shane Watson, a key part of Australia’s side, and James Pattinson who can still develop into a world-class quick. Only Usman Khawaja has drifted off the scene.The man to pay the biggest price, ultimately, was Mickey Arthur. His reputation has taken a hammering due to how his Australian career ended, but he remains a highly credentialed coach. In the end, Cricket Australia decided it was him, rather than some potential bad influences among the players, who needed removing.Life behind the dark glasses for Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen is hard to comprehend•Getty ImagesThat is not to say the same should happen to Flower – it clearly won’t, given the support he has within the walls of the ECB boardroom. The only way he will leave is if he is not backed over his Pietersen stance, once it becomes apparent how extreme that stance will be.Flower had his chance once to remove Pietersen from English cricket and was talked around, in no small part to Alastair Cook and it remains to seen how much influence Cook (who is in Australia for another three weeks) will have this time. The call has been for Cook to be allowed to build the team in his mould, but Flower will be in a tough position if that mould still includes Pietersen.Pietersen is far from faultless in all this. For starters he needs to step away from Twitter for a while and just lie low. There are some raw feelings at the moment and retweeting columns where Michael Vaughan calls for you to be made vice-captain are unlikely to help. Neither, for that matter, is engaging with respected cricket journalists who make cogent arguments regardless of which side of the fence you sit on.Pietersen’s track-record of alienating people is long, involving most, if not all, his former teams. But since committing his future to English cricket (what happened in South Africa was perhaps a warning of what could occur later on, but also stemmed from wider issues) would any of them really be telling the truth if they said they were a better side without him?What must Paul Downton be thinking? Those 5.30am alarm calls to go and tackle high-level investors and stock-market fluctuations will seem easy compared to the mess he is stepping into. In fact, he doesn’t actually start officially until February 1 but you suspect that his inbox is already overflowing.The transition of control from Hugh Morris to Downton (along with James Whitaker taking over from Geoff Miller as national selector) has encouraged a feeling that Flower has unimpeachable authority within English cricket. He is a fine man and outstanding coach but that is not a healthy position to be in.And, while it is not the be-all and end-all, English cricket could do with regaining a human element. It is easy to make too much of the ‘fun’ introduced by Darren Lehmann, but neither should it be overlooked. What can’t be doubted is that Lehmann has helped Australian cricket re-engaged with the public.If it is Flower who wins out in this latest power struggle, he could do worse than heed that lesson. It would not look good to have ousted the most dynamic player in the team and not respond by becoming a touch more accessible.This may be the end for Pietersen, who knows, but it should not be made out that he provided all the ills of an Ashes campaign where few came out smelling of roses. The problems in English cricket, which have festered for longer than this blighted tour, will not be solved by just removing one of the greatest batsmen of this generation.

Plays of the Day for the Champions League final between Lions and Sydney Sixers in Johannesburg

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers28-Oct-2012Bowling decision of the day With an attack that includes three of Australia’s most promising quicks, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, it was somewhat surprising to see Sydney open the bowling with spin. Nathan McCullum was given the new ball, perhaps not such an unprecedented act because Sydney used Steve O’Keefe in the same role against Yorkshire in the group stage. But it was definitely surprising when they gave O’Keefe the ball for the second over to begin with spin from both ends. It was move that paid off handsomely.Panic and more panic moments of the day When the Lions lurched to 8 for 3 after three overs, they had to do some damage control. Sohail Tanvir was sent in up the order at No.5 but things got even worse three balls later when Alviro Petersen went forward to an O’Keefe delivery and edged tamely to slip. All talk of the World T20 final dissipated as the dreaded “choke” word crept out of its hole again.Near run-out of the day Jean Symes and Thami Tsolekile put the Lions back on vaguely respectable ground and then had to up to the run-rate. Symes made it his responsibility to call for quick singles and when he edged an O’Keefe ball to the offside, scurried through. Brad Haddin, despite his injured thumb, managed a quick pick up and his throw to the non-strikers’ end was good. The bowler could not pick up cleanly but if he had, Symes could have been well out.Wicket of the day The Lions batted so badly that by the final over the tournament’s top wicket-taker, Mitchell Starc had not even claimed a scalp. But they did save one for him. When Aaron Phangiso tried to pull Starc but ended up doing nothing more than awkwardly hitting him to fine leg, Josh Hazelwood was there to ensure Starc a wicket.Drop of the daySydney were cautiously building their total and the Lions seemed to be able to do nothing to make them take a risk. After the Powerplay, Phangiso was called on and he gave them their first chance. Lumb charged him and hit to long-off where Gulam Bodi was positioned. He put both hands up in front of his face, but the ball slipped through and ricocheted off his shoulder to the boundary. Lumb was on 17.Punch of the dayBrad Haddin also got another chance. When he flicked Dirk Nannes down to deep square, he had not got hold of it properly and Dwaine Pretorius was in the perfect position to catch it. With hands above his head, all he managed to do was help the ball over the boundary, in front of the Sydney dugout. He had to make his way through them to collect the ball afterwards.Coup of the dayWhen the match started, Lumb was 58 runs behind the leading run scorer and fifth on the overall list. Four South African batsmen were ahead of him: Bodi, Neil McKenzie, Jacques Rudolph and Henry Davids. To leapfrog all of them he needed the two playing in the match, Bodi and McKenzie to score very little, and for him to post a half-century and more. It was possible though it seemed unlikely. Bodi managed 6 and McKeznie 0 respectively and Lumb’s flick to deep midwicket at the end of the 11th over saw him overtake them all.

The younger Morkel brother is now more confident of his role in the team and can’t wait to team up with Dale Steyn against India

Firdose Moonda03-Feb-2010If Morne Morkel had a bit more cheek, he could be mistaken for Bugs Bunny. He already has the trademark front teeth, the geeky smile and last year he could well have been heard asking the question, “Er … what’s up Doc?”, as he searched for an answer to his bowling conundrum. Now that Morkel has solved his dilemmas, he walks with the same sassy swagger and wide-eyed excitement as the popular rabbit.All he needs is a carrot, or three, to chew on. If vegetables don’t take his fancy, Morkel has a few other things to mull over, especially since re-establishing himself as a key cog in South Africa’s bowling wheel. He was the second highest wicket-taker in the recent series against England, with 19 wickets at an average of 21.47. He and Dale Steyn accounted for more than half the wickets the South African bowlers claimed in the series.He looks an entirely different man to the one dropped from the national team less than a year ago. What changed? “Opening the bowling has made a huge difference,” Morkel said. “I prefer bowling with the hard ball and, now that I am doing that, I also have greater clarity about my role in the team.”Morkel, 25, cites the lack of lucidity in team tactics as the main reason for his slump in form towards the end of last season. “I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, I was trying everything everyone told me and I ended up trying too hard and getting everything wrong.”Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, agreed Morkel was swamped with a barrage of opinions and questions during the series against Australia and none of them helped him. “He was hearing so many things from the outside about how he was bowling and he wasn’t sure what to believe. Because Morne is such a nice guy, he gave everybody who wanted to tell him something the chance to do so, and that only confused him more,” Arthur said.At the time, the South African team had lost three consecutive Tests, including two at home to a rampant Australian side. The administrators were more concerned with avoiding a series whitewash than mending a few broken players and Morkel became one of the casualties. He paid the price for taking only six wickets in two matches of the home series at the 49.83. “I was very disappointed to be dropped, especially since I knew there was nothing wrong with my action. It hurt a lot to see what was being said about me in the papers and it was a really bitter pill for me to swallow. The only consolation was that I was giving my spot up to Albie [his brother], so that softened the blow a little.”Morkel went back to his franchise, the Titans, where it was left to Richard Pybus, then the team’s coach, to do the mending. “Just like anyone in the early 20s, he was still trying to figure out his place in the world and work out who he was,” Pybus said. “He knew what worked for him in terms of preparation and he needed to build the confidence to do the things that worked for him, instead of what they were doing in the national set-up.”Morne Morkel’s career timeline

2003-04: First-class debut for Easterns.
2005: Spent much of the season injured, but caught the eye of Allan Donald at a fast-bowling camp.
2006: Earned a franchise contract with the Titans.
December 7, 2006: Took 4 for 74 for Rest of South Africa v India in Benoni, including the wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.
September 2007: Takes nine wickets at 13.33 at the World Twenty20 in South Africa, to end the tournament as South Africa’s most successful bowler.
2008: Joint highest wicket-taker (with James Anderson), taking 15 wickets at 33.46 as South Africa win the Basil d’Oliveria trophy in England for the first time in 56 years.
December-January 2008-09: Takes nine wickets in three Tests against Australia at 42.66.
March 2009: Dropped from the third Test in Cape Town against Australia after indifferent performances in the first two Tests.
August 2009: Not included in Champions Trophy squad after taking just seven wickets in five ODIs from January.
November 2009: Recalled to the one-day squad after showing promising domestic form.
January 2010: Jumps 24 places in the world Test rankings, moving to seventh after taking 19 wickets against England.

Pybus studied video footage with Morkel and confirmed there was little wrong with his action, except that his timing was “a bit out”. The pair soon established that the root cause of Morkel being dropped was a self-belief issue. “I need to clear my mind and refocus,” said Morkel. “I had to learn to concentrate on the moment and only control the controllables.”Pybus said he believed Morkel learnt to be less concerned with what people were saying about him. Arthur advised him to “stop being too nice and become nastier.” It’s hard to say if Morkel has developed a mean streak, but his wickets tally is increasing. He took 18 wickets in five SuperSport Series matches at an average of 21.55, which earned him a recall to the national side. He also formed distinct objectives about his career: “My goal is overtake Makhaya Ntini’s record.” He currently has 74 Test wickets.Morkel also wants to cement his new-ball partnership with Steyn, believing the two can form one of the most formidable pairings in the game. “Dale and I complement each other because he has pace and swing and I am quick with bounce.” Before his resignation, Arthur said that with Morkel, Steyn and left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell, South Africa’s bowling future looked very healthy indeed.Morkel recognises the India tour will be a challenge for the relatively unhardened South African attack and says they know many questions will be asked of them, especially as the bowlers only managed to take 20 wickets once in the four-match series against England. “There were very small margins for us in that series, we could have taken 20 wickets three times, but we didn’t. It’s going to be a lot tougher in India because the wickets are not as bouncy , they won’t have as much grass and we are going to have to get the ball to reverse.”For that, Morkel may hope he has Bugs’ legendary talent for disguise. That, and a bit of cheek, could turn this sweet younger sibling into a real, aggressive force in fast bowling.

Zimbabwe cricket is facing another poential crisis and it is all of its own making

Steven Price06-Sep-2005

Zimbabwe Cricket’s announcement that it was introducing performance-related contracts seemed, on the face of it, to be a sensible move in an attempt to bring an end to the team’s repeatedly below-par displays in both Tests and ODIs.But, as with so many things concerning cricket inside Zimbabwe, the move has backfired, causing serious unrest among the players and raising suspicions that there is more to it than meets the eye. Rather than acting as a rallying call, it has dumped Zimbabwe, already in seemingly rapid decline, with another unnecessary potential crisis.For almost any other country, getting tough with players would probably work. But Zimbabwe has so few decent cricketers, let alone international-class ones, that it cannot afford to be choosy. There are five first-class sides inside the country and that means only around 70 players. These are funded, either directly or indirectly, centrally, and the side that keeps getting heavily beaten represents the best of them.The board might have got away with its initial move had it not immediately scored a string of own goals. The decision to announce arbitrarily the ending of the careers of four players – Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart, Barney Rogers and Neil Ferreira – over the issue of contracts needs to be weighed up against the board’s earlier action against Brendan Taylor. Reportedly slapped with a long ban for disciplinary reasons, that was rapidly overturned or overlooked, depending who you believe, as Zimbabwe’s need for decent players came to the fore. Four other senior players, Trevor Gripper, Doug Marillier, Mark Vermuelen and Mluleki Nkala, did not even make the initial list of 27 players. On purely playing grounds – and the board said that was what had been behind the selections – some of the names left out are perplexing.A side-effect of this latest move is that it will do little to encourage players currently overseas to return. Ray Price, Sean Ervine and Travis Friend are clinging onto their Kolpak deals with English counties because they are not guaranteed a future in Zimbabwe. With more uncertainty, they are even less likely to move back home.The players are also angry at the way the board made assurances about the funding of a players’ representative – Clive Field – which it appears to have reneged on, and some have suggested that some ZC officials have deliberately leaked false information regarding player remuneration and benefits to the media. One explained that he believed this had been done to undermine their position in a country where so many have nothing. “We are the lowest paid players in the world,” he said. “Some of us do not have our own houses and some players still stay with their parents, I do not think that would be the scenario if we were well paid.”And the criteria used by ZC was also queried. One of the players implied that the people making the decisions know nothing about the game. He questioned how Douglas Hondo, with 56 ODIs and nine Tests under his belt, could be rated alongside Chamunorwa Chibhabha, who has only played one ODI.The rebel strike last year divided loyalties among the players. The word on the ground is that almost all the players are united this time round.Behind the scenes, it seems a power struggle is emerging inside ZC. Recent articles in the domestic media have hinted at this, and battle lines appear to have been drawn. Ozias Bvute’s power has been increasing since he was elected as managing director last August – he has been seen for some time by many as being the real power behind the board – and those on the inside believe that sooner or later a move by him to replace Peter Chingoka as chairman is on the cards.Were that to happen then the ramifications could be serious. Whereas Chingoka is well respected overseas and within the ICC, Bvute is an unknown force whose track record will not initially open many doors. Internally, he is not well regarded by many players, and his latest manoeuvre has hardly helped improve his standing.Last month he dismissed Zimbabwe’s two-day Test debacle as a one-off. Yesterday he said that the contract dispute was not a crisis. Sooner or later, if he is to be the new force in Zimbabwe cricket, he needs to accept reality and start addressing the facts and not the picture he prefers to paint.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has explained why Georgia Stanway is back in her England squad, despite being absent for Bayern Munich since December.

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• Stanway included in England squad on Tuesday
• Lionesses star hasn't played since December
• Wiegman explains decision and offers James update

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Stanway's last match was at the end of last year, when she played in Bayern's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal in the Champions League group stage on December 18. That's because, at the end of January, the club announced that she had to undergo knee surgery which would rule her out for 'several months'.

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  However, despite still not returning to action for the German champions, Stanway was included in Wiegman's England squad on Tuesday, for the Nations League games against Portugal and Spain. It offers a big boost to the Lionesses, who have also been able to welcome Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood back from injuries this month, especially with the European Championships less than two months away. But there are questions about how much Stanway can be involved and how fit she really is.

• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  Asked about the midfielder on Tuesday, Wiegman said: "I'm very happy some players are back. We still need to build. Georgia is in training. She starts full training and what we hope is that she comes into camp and continues building with us and, hopefully, towards the Euros. It's important that she's healthy, that she can handle loads, training loads, and recover from it, and then perform at that level. We have the time to see that.

  "Of course, we don't play that many games and there's no [club] competition anymore, except for the players in the U.S, but there's enough training and we need to figure out if she gets her performances right. Then, of course, you need to be healthy, you need to be able to train and recover from training sessions and then hopefully we can build and see where she's at. She needs to be performing at the highest level, at her highest level, to compete for a position, as with anyone else."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  It's not only Stanway who is facing a race against time to get fit for this summer's Euros. Hemp and Greenwood might have returned but they do not have any club games to play now, leaving England's three matches before the tournament as the only serious competitive action they can take part in, in order to be match fit. Asked if that is a concern, Wiegman conceded that "it is", but added: "We still have almost two months. We have to keep building on that and manage it well, to keep fit."

  Then there is Lauren James, who has missed out on the squad after withdrawing from England duty with a hamstring injury in April. That issue has kept her sidelined ever since and leaves her availability for the Euros in question. Wiegman, however, is hopeful that she can return soon.

  "Where she should be at, she is at," she explained. "She can't join us in the next camp but, again, also with her, we're trying to build together with club. She really wants to go to the Euros and hopefully we can get her fit and ready to go into it. Of course, we know finding balance in your squad, you can't bring in three or four players who are in that stage, but probably one player that has been doing really well, that could be an opportunity."

Legendary English forward Jamie Vardy’s next chapter may unfold in Italy as Cremonese pursue the 39-year-old after his Leicester City departure.

Cremonese in talks with Vardy after his Leicester exitClub optimistic following initial negotiationsStriker open to challenge abroad after 12 years at LeicesterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Leicester legend is in negotiations over a surprise move to newly-promoted Serie A club Cremonese. According to a report from , initial talks between the parties have been fruitful and there is cautious optimism that a deal can be completed for the 39-year-old free agent.

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Vardy is searching for a final career challenge after his 12-year spell with Leicester, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup, came to an end. Cremonese, who marked their return to the Italian top flight with a shock 2-1 victory over AC Milan on the opening day, are looking to add an experienced goalscorer to their attack. The Lombardy club are already set to sign Faris Moumbagna from Marseille and can call upon Federico Bonazzoli and Antonio Sanabria, meaning Vardy would complete a potent forward line.

Despite his age, Vardy remained productive in his final season in the Premier League, contributing 10 goals and six assists in 36 appearances for Leicester. The striker was also the division's top scorer at the end of the 2019-20 season.

DID YOU KNOW?

He leaves the Foxes with a legacy that includes 230 goals, 90 assists, a Premier League title in 2016, and a Golden Boot in 2019-20. Moreover, Vardy has never played outside England in his professional career. A move to Serie A would represent his first venture abroad at senior level.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR VARDY?

If talks continue positively, Vardy could become Cremonese’s marquee signing before the transfer window closes. The club will next face Sassuolo in Serie A, while Vardy weighs up whether to extend his career with a final challenge in Italy.

تحدى المهدي بن عطية، نجم منتخب المغرب السابق والمدير الرياضي الحالي لـ أوليمبيك مارسيليا، نادي ريال مدريد، بعد وقوع الفريقين معًا في دور المجموعات بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وأسفرت قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا اليوم الخميس والمعروفة باسم مرحلة الدوري، عن وقوع مارسيليا في صدام قوي مع ريال مدريد، حيث ستلعب المباراة على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.

أقرأ أيضًا .. ”نحب مجموعة الموت” .. تعليق مثير من صحيفة آس على قرعة ريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وقال بن عطية في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة ”Rmc Sport” : “نحن هنا، نريد البقاء هنا، هذا هو الأهم، عندما نلعب مباريات كهذه، ضد نيوكاسل وليفربول وريال مدريد وكلوب بروج، من الواضح أنني لا أحتفظ بذكريات طيبة من مواجهة ريال مدريد”.

وأتم بن عطية في حديثه: ”ستكون هناك مباريات صعبة، لكن علينا أن نرغب في الفوز وتقديم أداء جيد، نعلم أننا لن نفوز بسهولة، ولن نفتقر إلى التواضع، لكن لدينا فريقًا قادرًا على المنافسة، إنه لشرف عظيم، ونعلم أن الأمر سيكون صعبًا”.

بن عطية سبق له وأن واجه ريال مدريد عندما كان لاعبًا في صفوف نادي يوفنتوس عام 2018.

ولعب ريال مدريد ضد يوفنتوس في ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا عام 2018، حيث وصل الفريق الملكي إلى الدور قبل النهائي بعد الفوز بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، ثم الخسارة إيابًا على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو 3-1 والصعود بمجمل الأهداف 4-3.

Steven Smith has thrown his hat in the ring to be David Warner’s replacement as Australia’s next Test opener after confirming he is interested in doing the job if the selectors need him after Warner bows out of Test cricket at the end of the Sydney Test against Pakistan.Smith’s name had not been among the contenders to replace Warner as the debate had bubbled away across the summer, with Cameron Green emerging as a left-field option alongside Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw.But it emerged this week that Smith was interested in doing the job and it is understood that he has raised the prospect of filling the position with the selectors.Related

• Smith to open, Green to bat No.4, Renshaw added to squad

• Hazlewood's triple-wicket over leaves Pakistan blue on pink day

• Australia's big decision: a deep dive into who replaces David Warner

• Warner picks Warner's replacement: 'Harris has always been next in line'

• 'Absolutely has the skill': Watson backs Green as Test opener

Speaking to after the third day’s play, Smith confirmed he was keen to do it long-term.”I’m actually happy to go up the top,” Smith said. “I’m pretty keen if that’s what they want to do. I’m sure the selectors and Ron [Andrew McDonald] and Patty [Cummins] will have a chat after this game but yeah, I’m certainly interested for sure.”The selectors were hoping to get Green into the side after Warner’s retirement with McDonald previously stating that there were various options, including Marnus Labuschagne up to open from No. 3.No one, however, had considered that Smith would be keen in the opener’s role given he averages 61.46 with 19 Test centuries at No. 4. He actually has a better Test average of 67.07 at No. 3 in Test cricket with eight centuries but he hasn’t had the chance to bat there since the two tours of India and Bangladesh in 2017 where he made three centuries in nine innings in vicious spinning conditions as captain.Thereafter Usman Khawaja was drafted in to bat at No. 3 ahead of him and then Labuschagne took the role during the 2019 Ashes.Smith is understood to be keen for a fresh challenge to reinvigorate him after a relatively quiet year by his staggering standards in 2023. Although he still averaged 42.22 with three centuries and made nearly a thousand runs, it was his lowest calendar year average since 2014 with the exception of 2018 and 2020 when he played very few Tests due to his ban for the Sandpaper incident and Covid-19.The selectors are set to make a decision on who will replace Warner at the end of the Sydney Test, as the squad will disband for a week before reconvening in Adelaide ahead of the first of two Tests against West Indies starting on January 17.