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After a difficult period, 193 for Ben Duckett shows that one of English cricket’s most dynamic talents looks back to his best.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Wantage Road05-Sep-20171:37

County Championship Round-up: Duckett dominates Sussex

Northamptonshire 329 for 5 (Duckett 193) v Sussex
The sentiment across Wantage Road was “that’s more like it”, as Ben Duckett walked off sombrely, head down, before raising his bat to those belting out applause from around the ground. The only sign of success was the scoreboard: Northamptonshire were 317 for 4 and that departing man, Duckett, had 193 of them from 200 balls. No one, especially not Sussex, saw this storm coming.Despite the entire first session lost to rain, Duckett’s remarkable innings left Northants on 329 for 5, with batsmen still to come, after just 74.4 overs of play. Sussex must be sick of the sight of him – he came into this match with an average of 111 against them, across five Championship knocks, which include an unbeaten 282 last season – and they will rue a decision to insert Northants after seeing the pitch late because of the morning deluge.Northants, 40 points adrift of the second promotion spot, needed a win against a better-placed Sussex to keep what little thread of hope they have of Division One cricket next year. That may yet still be beyond them. But with Duckett in this form, who really knows.”The main focus was that, when I did get to a hundred, my thought was to kick on. Don’t throw it away,” he said. He did anything but: a return to 2016 type, when he amassed 2,706 runs in all formats, with the lowest of four red-ball hundreds clocking in at 185. This, his third hundred of the season and 13th of his first-class career, was the most Ben Duckett he’s been all year. It was one that keeps him on track for a thousand runs in the season.He admits that picking himself up after a difficult winter has been tough. Lesser men would have taken that period too dearly to heart and opted for a more subdued approach to their batting. No one would have blamed him.There was a coldness to his time with England. Some may chalk it up to “the demands of international cricket”. But the reality is that two ODI half-centuries against Bangladesh, followed by a fine maiden Test fifty in Dhaka – one that should have been match-winning had those around him not folded in a heap – represented a solid start.So to India, where he was moved to No.4 and dropped after the second Test, leaving him to twiddle his thumbs for the best part of a month. In that time, he toiled in the nets, trying to concoct a game suitable for the subcontinent. It proved a deeply frustrating endeavour. He then failed to make the squads for the limited-overs series in India, instead joining the Lions in Sri Lanka, where five one-day knocks reaped just 141 runs.Between the fourth and fifth Test, with India already 2-0 up in the series, Duckett was one of a party of England players to travel to the UAE to break-up a gruelling tour. While there, he met up with his good friend Joe Clarke, the Worcestershire batsman there on duty with the England Lions. “Nothing prepares you for it,” Duckett told Clarke of the scrutiny of international cricket. “The media and everyone start digging into your technique.”Ben Duckett raises his bat on reaching fifty•Getty ImagesSo to see him regain his swagger – aggressively throwing his hands at everything in his half, never shirking a short ball and committing wholeheartedly to reverse sweeps – was something to cherish.Early on, he was calm yet able to punish some wayward bowling from an experienced Sussex attack who should know better. Chris Jordan found himself on the wrong end of some treatment down the ground, as Duckett drove him twice through mid-on to take 10 off his fifth over. A stand of 91 with Rob Newton got the ball rolling before Richard Levi joined him to put on 96 for the third wicket.There was good fortune, no doubt. There always is when you take the swashbuckling route.On 55, he had his head in the clouds at the non-striker’s end when his captain Alex Wakely dropped one into the off side and set off to get himself off the mark. Angus Robson, running around from point, gathered and threw wildly at the striker’s end. By this point, Duckett was a few yards off making his ground and wicketkeeper Ben Brown had made it to the stumps. A deep breath and an under-arm throw, and Duckett finished with 55. He moved to 59 when he edged the ball just in front of Chris Nash at second slip.On 78, he attempted a pull off Robinson that nearly bumped his off stump. The very next ball, he guided audaciously between a wide first slip and a narrow gully. An attempted pull shot followed.A top edge off Jordan took him to 96 before a more deliberate boundary an over later crashed into the advertising boards at midwicket to take him to his century, from 128 balls. At this point, Northamptonshire were 180 for 2, Sussex aware that this was a line-up prone to collapsing when ahead of the game.So when Levi’s accomplished innings ended at the start of the 53rd over on 44, pulling Jofra Archer to Robson on the square-leg fence, the locals began to fear for the worst. Not Duckett, who took 14 runs off the final four balls of Archer’s over, including three fours finding gaps through a fortified leg side.Archer didn’t take too kindly to the treatment and gave Duckett a spray. The next over, Duckett flayed one short ball through midwicket and then, somehow, pulled the next ball back over Archer’s head. A single later and the pair were squaring up, face-to-face. Umpires Ian Blackwell and Richard Kettleborough, to their credit, let it dissipate naturally. It was one of those “not nice to see” moments that everyone loves to see.”I thought that would be mentioned,” he joked, when the tussle was put to him for comment. “I love that. It gets me going, and that was a period when I was getting tired. I was looking to bat till the end of the day and it actually turned it around for me. It was a really good battle.”The extra spice told. A handful of sweeps took Duckett to 150 from 164 balls – the third fifty taking 36 balls and 35 off 17 coming since the fall of Levi. Luke Procter, on Northants debut, was happy to take it in from the other end, rotating the strike as necessary. Nothing sums up their dynamic quite like the breakdown of their 100 stand, brought up when Duckett sidled down the pitch and hit Danny Briggs over the top of extra cover for four: it took exactly 16 overs, with Procter contributing 22 from 49 deliveries.Later that over, he thumped a short delivery back to Briggs, who took a sharp caught-and-bowled. He did not walk off like a man who had flayed 193: “I think the way I walked off there, you would have thought I got nought.”Who knows what this might mean beyond this match and for Duckett’s immediate international prospects. What we can say is that, after a difficult period, one of English cricket’s most dynamic talents looks back to his best.

1:43

Agarkar: The gulf between both sides stood exposed

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each as India wrapped up a 304-run win – their biggest runs margin away – halfway through the final session of day four. With finger injuries leaving Rangana Herath and Asela Gunaratne unavailable to bat, India only needed to take eight second-innings wickets. They completed the task in 76.5 overs, with Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella proving their only real roadblocks.Karunaratne enhanced his reputation as a specialist in the second innings – where he now averages 42.14 as against 27.32 in the first – with 97, while Dickwella contributed a skittish 67 to a fifth-wicket stand of 101.Otherwise, India didn’t have to work too hard for wickets on a firmer-than-usual Galle pitch that offered consistent bounce and only occasionally sharp turn, after setting Sri Lanka the task of surviving the best part of two full days or chasing an improbable 550.The fifth-wicket partnership looked unlikely to last too long when it began, with Dickwella playing a series of risky shots – sweeps off the stumps, inside-out drives, dabs with an open face – while new to the crease. But he survived and eventually settled, and Sri Lanka could breathe a little easier, particularly with Karunaratne looking calm and secure at the other end, taking the singles afforded him by Virat Kohli’s puzzlingly defensive fields and picking up the odd boundary with the square-cut or flick.But danger was never too far away. As tea approached, Hardik Pandya found both batsmen’s outside edges in a seven-over spell of reverse-swing. Karunaratne’s uncertain jab flew through a mostly vacant cordon – one wide slip and no gully – and Dickwella’s was shelled by Ajinkya Rahane, who flew to his left from gully for a difficult one-hander.Eventually, both batsmen were out sweeping Ashwin. Dickwella fell in the fifth over after tea, undone by bounce and sending a thin edge to the keeper, and Karunaratne followed him 11.3 overs later, dragging a bottom-edge onto his stumps when he was in sight of a sixth Test hundred. Nuwan Pradeep then fell for a two-ball duck, stretching out and failing to get to the pitch of an Ashwin offbreak that grabbed inside-edge on its way to a diving catch at leg slip. Lahiru Kumara was last to go, top-edging a slog-sweep off Jadeja and holing out to mid-off.The new-ball bowlers took an early wicket each after India declared early in the morning. Mohammed Shami struck the first blow, going around the wicket, hitting the seam, and getting the ball to bounce disconcertingly at Upul Tharanga. First, the ball seamed away just a touch after angling in, and Tharanga, poking away from his body, edged to second slip, where Kohli shelled a sitter. No worries for Shami. One ball later, he produced another peach, this one coming back in, lifting, and cramping the left-hander for room. All he could do was chop the ball on to his stumps.Then, in the sixth over of Sri Lanka’s innings, Danushka Gunathilaka fell to a loose shot for the second time on Test debut. Umesh Yadav had Cheteshwar Pujara stationed at square leg, just in front of square. It was either a routine field placement or India had sussed out a tendency to flick in the air. In either case, he failed to keep that shot down against a full ball that swung into his pads, and Pujara took a simple, low catch.Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis took Sri Lanka to lunch with a half-century stand for the third wicket. They weren’t especially tight with their defence, every now and then playing and missing when they could have left alone. One loose drive from Mendis, off Umesh, resulted in an edge that didn’t quite carry to second slip. That apart, though, both batsmen looked comfortable, Karunaratne strong off his pads and Mendis fluent while driving and cutting.The spinners, who hadn’t yet settled in their 10 overs before lunch, began finding more turn and bounce after the break. In the seventh over after the break, a tendency to play away from his body at Jadeja consumed Mendis. Having just punched Jadeja to cover off the back foot, he tried the same shot off the next ball. This one, though, was fired in quicker, and bounced higher to take the edge.Three-and-a-half-overs later, Angelo Mathews fell to an ill-advised shot, jumping out and looking to hit over mid-on. To give the bowler credit, though, Jadeja beat the batsman in the air, and found sharp turn. Nowhere near the pitch, Mathews sent a leading edge ballooning to backward point.India declared 6.3 overs into the morning, having clattered 51 in that time, with Virat Kohli, who resumed on 76, bringing up his 17th Test hundred and 10th as captain. Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane hit only two fours and a six in that time, but scored off all but seven balls they faced, against Sri Lanka’s deep-set fields.

تحدث مدرب كريستال بالاس أوليفر جلاسنر، عن فوز فريقه أمام ليفربول، في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ونجح كريستال بالاس في الفوز على ليفربول بهدف دون مقابل اليوم الأحد، في إطار مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وقال جلاسنر لقناة “بي بي سي”: “إنه فوز رائع على ملعب آنفيلد، ومن الصعب جدًا الفوز هنا”.

وأضاف: “من الجيد جدًا رؤية الطريقة التي لعبوا بها، خاصة في الشوط الأول، وفي الشوط الثاني، كان هناك ضغط كبير من ليفربول، تهانينا للفريق على هذا الأداء اليوم”.

وعن اللعب بهويتهم الخاصة، أفاد: “هذا ما نتحدث عنه دائمًا، غدًا يمكننا القول أننا فعلنا ذلك بطريقتنا، يمكنك دائمًا الخسارة هنا، لكن الأمر يتعلق بالقدرة على التعبير عن نفسك واللعب بثقة”.

وواصل: “لقد تغلبنا على العديد من المواقف تحت الضغط، بلمسة واحدة أو اثنتين سجلنا هدفًا رائعًا، الأمر يتعلق بالثقة وروح الفريق والعاطفة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | روبرتسون بعد هزيمة ليفربول أمام كريستال بالاس: كانت لدينا فرص كافية للفوز لم نستغلها

وحول القيام بـ 21 تمريرة في الفترة التي سبقت الهدف، أردف: “اعتقدت أنه كان الحد الأقصى 15 تمريرة، لذا مرة أخرى، أصفق للفريق، لقد كان هدفًا جميلاً”.

وأشار: “كان الشوط الأول ممتازًا، وفي الشوط الثاني يمكننا أن نفعل ما هو أفضل، لكن الشغف والروح كانا موجودين اليوم، شغفنا كان مثاليًا”.

واستطرد: “في الأسبوع المقبل سنواجه وست هام ونحتاج إلى نفس الروح ونفس القوة، أعتقد أن اليوم سيمنحنا الثقة، لكننا بحاجة إلى البقاء متواضعين، سنحظى بأسبوع تدريب مكثف مرة أخرى، وسنفعل ذلك”.

وأتم: “سنقوم بالتحليل جيدًا ولكن عليك دائمًا أن تقوم بعملك بأفضل مستوى لديك لأننا نلعب ضد أفضل الفرق، فوز رائع لكريستال بالاس والفريق”.

Bertie Wijesinghe, the former Ceylon-representative cricketer and coach, died on Saturday aged 96. Wijesinghe, an allrounder who bowled offspin and medium pace, represented S Thomas’ College Mt Lavinia from 1936 to 1939. He then moved to SSC, and played for Ceylon in the pre-Test era.Wijesinghe’s greatest contribution, though, was as a coach. The Wettimuny brothers – Sunil, Mithra and Sidath – who all played for the Sri Lanka were coached by Wijesinghe.”Whatever skills we learnt from cricket we owe it to him,” Sidath Wettimuny said. “He was a fabulous coach, the best in the business. His knowledge and the way he transferred that knowledge to us was fantastic. Bertie lived a full life and was one of the greatest cricketers produced by SSC and one of the best coaches the country has produced.”Former Sri Lanka and SSC captain Anura Tennekoon also paid tribute to Wijesinghe: “He helped me to brush up my technique from school to club level. He was very good at putting the basics right of a cricketer whether it be batting or bowling, that was his main strength.”Wijesinghe had also worked as the sports editor of the from 1953 to 1972 and, alongside another SSC stalwart Lucien de Zoysa, provided ball-by-ball commentary on radio.

Manchester United's ownership situation could impact their transfer plans, journalist David Ornstein has revealed.

What's the latest on Man United's ownership battle?

There is yet to be clarification on the outcome of the ownership bidding war between Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe for Man United, as the Glazer family are yet to decide the next steps in their running of the club.

Despite agreeing a deal for Mason Mount, Man United's budget could be limited this summer, and without clarity on their owners, they may not be able to pursue all of their targets.

Erik ten Hag would like a striker and a goalkeeper in addition to Mount, but he may have his hands tied.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Ornstein revealed that at the moment, United have a list of targets which they will pursue, but it is unclear what budget they will have until the ownership situation is sorted out:

"It's quite complicated because of the ownership situation at Man United about exactly what they're able to do. It was always quite clear that there would be budget for a Mason Mount level deal, but beyond that, not so certain," he stated.

"Of course, many people want to see the ownership situation clarified as quickly as possible and if there is to be a takeover, maybe more funds will be released. In terms of the operations on a day-to-day basis. John Murtough leading the recruitment set up, being regarded as business as usual, and so they are pursuing options in their priority positions, which are striker, and also goalkeeper, midfield was one of those.

"You don't know exactly how the chronology will go and it seems that Mason Mount has fallen first but they'll continue those pursuits."

Who could Man United target?

Given the financial fair play limitations they are currently facing, United may not be able to pursue both a big-money goalkeeper and forward.

There have been links with Andre Onana, with the future of David De Gea thrusted into uncertainty as a new contract has still not been agreed, whilst striking a deal for Harry Kane looks increasingly unlikely this summer.

Hojlund has been linked, but with a reported £86m asking price, the Atalanta forward may be out of reach for United.

If the ownership situation is not resolved soon, then United could fall further behind if they are unable to fully operate in the transfer market, and could miss out on their main targets to rival clubs.

Joe Root is “ready to captain England” according to Alastair Cook but the current skipper will take time to assess his future after the India series is finished

George Dobell12-Dec-20160:38

‘Root is a clued-on guy’ – Cook

Joe Root is “ready to captain England” according to Alastair Cook. While Cook maintained that his views on continuing as captain “have not changed” – he has long said that he will continue on a series by series basis and make a firm decision only after consulting the managing director of the England team, Andrew Strauss – he did hint he was asking himself “some questions” over his future.”I think Joe Root is ready to captain England,” Cook said following England’s innings-and-36-run defeat in Mumbai which handed India the series. “He is ready because he is a clued-up guy and he has the respect of everyone in the changing room.”You never know until you actually experience it and everything that comes with the England captaincy. You are thrown in at the deep end and you kind of sink or swim. Nothing can prepare you for it. He has not got much captaincy experience but that does not mean everything.”While it is true that Root, the current vice-captain, has little captaincy experience – he has been captain for just four first-class games – that could equally be used as a reason to elevate him sooner rather than later.England play two Test series in the English summer of 2017 – one against South Africa and one against West Indies – and, if there is any doubt over whether Cook will continue as captain until the Ashes at the end of the year, there is bound to be a temptation to provide Root with the maximum amount of experience possible and make the change before the South Africa series.There is already much required of him, though. He is, arguably, England’s key batsman in all three formats and, in the next few weeks, he will become a father for the first time. With the demands of England schedule, it may be that Cook and Strauss are reluctant to overload him.Either way, Cook has some time to reflect on his position. As he is no longer a member of the England limited-overs teams, he has no international commitments until July after the Chennai Test finishes next week and while he has sounded increasingly jaded with some aspects of life on the road in recent weeks, he retains great pride in the leadership role.”The comments I made at start of series have not changed,” Cook said. “It sticks true to end of this series. I will sit down with Straussy at the end of the year like we have made the pact to do to talk honestly and openly about stuff. My position has not changed and wouldn’t have done had we won this game or lost this game.”Of course you have questions. Naturally you look at stuff. Clearly it is a hard place to tour, certainly with the balance of our squad in terms of where our strengths lie, the sub-continent is going to be a harder place to tour than somewhere like South Africa.”But being captain of England is a huge honour, a huge privilege. You are at the forefront of the team and it comes onto your shoulders when you win or lose. In the heat of the battle you make those decisions. You go to bed at night and you have to live with making good or bad decisions. As a bloke to be asked to lead your country is a huge honour personally.”

Sunderland enjoyed an impressive return to life in the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign as they battled early disruption to reach the play-offs.

Alex Neil quit the Stadium of Light to join Stoke City in the first month of the season and Tony Mowbray came in to lead the Black Cats to sixth before losing to Luton Town, who went on earn promotion to the Premier League.

The head coach and Kristjaan Speakman now have the summer transfer window to bolster the squad again with the aim of going all the way and moving up to the top-flight at the end of 2023/24.

One player the club have been linked with a swoop for ahead of next term is Universidad Católica prospect Alexander Aravena, who could be the dream heir to a current Sunderland ace.

How would Alexander Aravena fit in at Sunderland?

The 20-year-old right winger could come in and eventually replace Patrick Roberts on that side of Mowbray's attacking line-up next season or in the years to come.

In the Primera Division in 2023, the exciting youngster has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 and chipped in with seven goals and two assists from out wide in 13 outings. The number 18 has created one chance per game for his teammates and showcased his ability to open up the opposition for his fellow attackers.

His form this year comes after an impressive 2022 in the top-flight of football in Chile.

Aravena averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the league last term and contributed at the top end of the pitch with 11 goals and three assists in 30 matches as a winger.

These statistics show that the young ace, whose intelligence was once praised as "magnificent" by press officer and scout Salvatore Gandhi, has the quality to be a big goal threat, whilst also being able to provide creativity, as a right winger.

Roberts, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.83 and racked up five goals and seven assists in 42 appearances in the Championship in the season just gone.

This suggests that the Chile international could provide more than him in front of goal if the 20-year-old is able to adjust to English football, based on his return of 18 goals and five assists in his last 43 league games is more impressive than the Englishman's statistics in the second tier.

Aravena's age, however, means that Mowbray would not have to rush him into the starting XI or expect him to hit the ground running on Wearside. Sunderland could take their time with the prolific magician and bed him in slowly as the long-term heir to Roberts' position on the right flank.

Tottenham Hotspur have contacted Everton over a potential summer transfer for Jordan Pickford, according to a recent report from FootballTransfers.

Who will Jordan Pickford sign for?

Despite signing a long-term contract with Everton back in February, Pickford has continued to be linked with a move to a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, who are set to make him a priority if their talks stall with David De Gea.

Chelsea have also been named as potential suitors for the Englishman, as detailed by CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, however he also claims that Tottenham have "pushed a bit harder", indicating they are more interested in the goalkeeper.

The Blues' interest in the 29-year-old appeared to hinge upon Everton being relegated from the Premier League, as reported by Football Insider, however with the Toffees staying up on the final day, Mauricio Pochettino could move on to other targets.

On the other hand, Spurs still maintain an interest in the England international, having contacted Everton over a potential summer transfer, according to a report from Football Transfers.

It is detailed that the Lilywhites have been following the Everton star for several months, and they have contacted the player's entourage to discuss a summer move, but there is one potential obstacle.

The Toffees are set to demand £40m to part ways with their goalkeeper, and the high asking price could dissuade Tottenham from making a move.

Could Pickford sign for Tottenham?

The report also claims that the former Sunderland man wants assurances about who the new manager will be, as well as whether Harry Kane will stay at the club, before he commits to a move to north London.

Ange Postecoglou is now in the driving seat for the job, with Fabrizio Romano reporting a verbal agreement has been reached, while there have been positive recent noises surrounding Kane's future at Tottenham.

As such, Spurs should be able to attract Pickford, and there is some evidence he would be a real upgrade on Lloris, recording a better save percentage than the Frenchman over the course of the past year.

Hailed as a "monster" by members of the media, the £100k-per-week goalkeeper also averaged a superior Sofascore rating in the Premier League last season, when compared to the Spurs goalkeeper, despite playing in a struggling Everton side.

Pickford could be an excellent signing for Everton, and given his vast experience at international level, Tottenham should not be put off by his £40m price tag.

Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunnette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2016Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics.Viljoen, 33, finished second behind Croatia’s Sara Kolak, with her best throw of 64.92 metres compared to Kolak’s 66.18 metres. Viljoen’s medal was the ninth for South Africa who are currently placed 34th overall with one gold, six silvers and two bronze medals.She had come agonisingly close to winning a medal at the London 2012 Olympics but finished fourth with a best throw of 64.53 metres, behind Germany’s Linda Stahl, who finished third with 64.91.Viljoen played her only Test against India in March 2002 in Paarl, scoring 17 and 71. She had made her ODI debut in 2000 and finished her ODI career two years later with 198 runs and five wickets.

Javelin: Sunette Viljoen takes SILVER, brilliant effort, another medal, congratulations Sunette #teamSArise

— TeamSouthAfrica (@teamsa16) August 19, 2016

It’s no secret that Glasgow Rangers are keen on a move to sign goalkeeper Jack Butland this summer, with Michael Beale looking at bolstering his options between the posts ahead of next season.

However, according to The Scottish Sun, Manchester United are looking to double his salary in a bid to keep the Englishman with the club for 2023/24, which could scupper any potential move to Rangers.

Butland hasn’t played a minute for the Red Devils since joining from Crystal Palace on a six-month loan deal, yet Erik ten Hag looks like he wants to retain his services, meaning Beale may have to move onto other targets.

According to the Daily Mail, the 42-year-old has shown an interest in Fortuna Sittard goalkeeper Ivor Pandur, with the report claiming that the Light Blues have sent scouts to watch the Croatian gem in action against PSV Eindhoven last weekend.

He is on loan at the Eredivisie club from Hellas Verona, though he will make the switch permanent this summer after they tied him down until 2027.

Who is Ivor Pandur?

With Allan McGregor looking increasingly likely to hang up his gloves at the end of the season and Jon McLaughlin’s future uncertain, it could leave Robby McCrorie as the only senior ‘keeper in the squad come the summer, and Beale will be looking to provide plenty of competition for the Scot.

Pandur has displayed some impressive form in the Dutch top flight this term, earning a 7.01/10 Sofascore rating for his performances, making the team of the week twice.

The 23-year-old has saved 67% of the shots he has faced this term, which works out as 3.7 saves per game while also achieving a 100% runout success – proving to not only be an excellent shot-stopper, but also effective at coming off his line to prevent goalscoring opportunities.

He also ranks seventh out of all the ‘keepers in the Eredivisie for saves made this season, showing how often he is called into action, and if he makes the move to Rangers, it could be argued that the improved quality of defence compared to his current side will mean he shouldn’t have to make this number of saves.

His ability to save shots from close range has also been on show, with Pandur ranking fifth in the league with 72 saves inside the box – another impressive number. Therefore, if Beale manages to secure a deal, they could land a top ‘keeper.

Fortuna technical manager Sjoerd Ars has lavished praise on him, labelling the player as a “top professional”, and although playing for Rangers would be a major step up, there is surely no doubt that he could handle himself well in Scotland.