Former England fast bowler is currently club president at Gloucestershire

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2024David “Syd” Lawrence, the former Gloucestershire and England fast bowler, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).A powerfully built fast bowler, Lawrence played five Tests for England as well as making 280 appearances for Gloucestershire, during which he took 625 wickets for the club. In 2022, he became Gloucestershire’s first black president.His diagnosis, announced by the club on Friday, makes him the latest in a line of sportspeople affected by MND, closely following the death of former rugby league player Rob Burrow from the disease earlier this month.Will Brown, Gloucestershire’s outgoing chief executive, said: “Everyone at the club is devastated to hear of the news from David Lawrence and his MND diagnosis.”David is an icon of the game, a club legend and a trailblazer as the first British-born Black player to play for England. More than that he is the best of people, kind, loving, considerate and an inspiration to all of us here at Gloucestershire.”Working with him since he has been club president has been both an awesome and humbling experience – he has opened doors we didn’t even know were there, helped us learn and become a friend to so many of us. That friendship is a very special thing and one I know we all cherish.”I know I speak for everyone associated with the club in sending all our love to David, Gaynor [Lawrence’s wife] and all of their family and friends.”Lawrence played five Tests and one ODI for England between 1988 and 1992, but suffered what was effectively a career-ending injury aged 28 when he fractured his kneecap as he ran in to bowl against New Zealand in Wellington.He attempted a comeback five years later, playing four first-class games for Gloucestershire before retiring, but he continued to stay fit and took up competitive bodybuilding in later life.In 2021, he spoke about his experience of racism at Gloucestershire, for which the club offered an unreserved apology. He has since been involved with delivering the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme in Bristol.Ian Thomas, managing director of member services at the Professional Cricketers’ Association, said: “The PCA is in deep shock at the tragic news David Lawrence has recently received. David has been an inspiration throughout his cricket and post-cricket career and we have no doubt he will continue to fight and show his determination to fight MND.”The PCA and the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, the players’ charity, will be here for David and importantly, his family, offering the best possible support.”

أبدى النجم البرازيلي نيمار دا سيلفا، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي سانتوس، استياءه من ترتيب مواطنه رافينها في سباق الكرة الذهبية 2025.

وأعلنت مجلة فرانس فوتبول هوية الفائز بجائزة الكرة الذهبية “بالون دور” للعام 2025، مساء أمس، الإثنين، في الحفل الذي أقيم بمدينة باريس عاصمة فرنسا.

وتنافس على الجائزة 30 لاعبًا، بينهم النجم المصري محمد صلاح، جناح فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، بعد الموسم المميز الذي قدمه مع ليفربول.

وحصد الفرنسي عثمان ديمبلي المركز الأول في سباق الفوز بالبالون دور، فيما جاء لامين يامال، نجم منتخب إسبانيا وبرشلونة في المركز الثاني، وفيتينا البرتغالي جاء بالمركز الثالث، بعدما توج مع باريس سان جيرمان ببطولات مميزة بجانب فوزه بدوري الأمم الأوروبية مع البرتغال.

اقرأ أيضًا | رئيس تحرير فرانس فوتبول يفجر مفاجأة غير متوقعة بشأن فوز ديمبلي بالكرة الذهبية

وعبر نيمار بالرموز التعبيرية الضاحكة عبر منشور على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي، تناول مقارنة بين عدد أهداف ديمبلي وعدد أهداف نيمار مع برشلونة.

ونقلت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، ما كتبه نيمار حول ترتيب فرانس فوتبول للكرة الذهبية الخاص بمواطنه رافينها نجم برشلونة الذي احتل المركز الخامس: “أن يكون رافينها خامسًا هو مجرد مزحة”.

قدّم رافينها موسمًا رائعًا العام الماضي وقاد فريقه نحو التتويج بالثلاثية المحلية “الدوري والكأس والسوبر الإسباني” بجانب الوصول إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا لأول مرة منذ عام 2019.

وعلى المستوى الفردي قدم رافينها موسمًا مميزًا للغاية إذ سجل 35 هدفًا في جميع المسابقات مع برشلونة وقدم 25 تمريرة حاسمة.

Sunrisers Hyderabad showed how merciless modern T20 batting can look, obliterating the record they had themselves set earlier this season to post 287 for 3, the highest total in the IPL.Travis Head, who has won Australia the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup final over the last year, sent another warning signal for his opponents ahead of the T20 World Cup. He had scored a 24-ball 62 when Sunrisers made 277 for 3 against Mumbai on March 27; now he belted a career-best 102 off 41 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Related

• Maxwell takes a break to refresh after asking to be rested by RCB

• Shock and awe all around at Head's hair-raising hundred

• Du Plessis: 'When the confidence is low, there's nowhere to hide'

• As it happened – SRH, RCB serve up surreal run-fest

• Stats – Sunrisers Hyderabad break their own record for highest-ever IPL total

The big hits were incessant. Head hit eight sixes, and Heinrich Klaasen seven in a 31-ball 67, out of a Sunrisers total of 22 – another IPL record. RCB did their bit too, on a dream day for batters, sending 16 hits soaring over the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s boundaries as they made a superb effort to restrict the damage to their net run rate. They finished on 262 for 7, Dinesh Karthik leading the way with 83 off 35 balls.The match aggregate of 549 runs was the highest in all T20 cricket.Travis Head hit eight sixes out of a Sunrisers total of 22, an IPL record for a team innings•BCCI

Head breaks RCB’s hearts

RCB went into the match without a single frontline spinner. But with two left-handers in Head and Abhishek Sharma opening for Sunrisers, they began with the offspin of batting allrounder Will Jacks. He found turn in the first over, and conceded just seven. His second over was even better, going for just four.And yet, Sunrisers put up 76 in the powerplay, the third time they had gone past 70 during that phase of the innings this season. By then, Head had motored to his half-century off 20 balls. Head hit four sixes across the fifth and sixth overs as RCB debutant Lockie Ferguson went for 18 and then Yash Dayal for 20.Head’s second fifty was even quicker, taking only 19 balls, and the century came up in the 12th over. Ferguson had Head ballooning a catch to mid-off halfway into the 13th, but Klaasen had arrived by then, and SRH already had 165 on the board. That was enough indication of what more was to come on a flat pitch surrounded by small boundaries.

Klaasen continues six fest

Promoted to No. 3 after the openers hammered 108 in 8.1 overs, Klaasen kept Sunrisers’ party going. He managed only three runs from his first five deliveries, but soon got into the six-hitting groove that has made him among the world’s most dangerous T20 hitters. He swung Dayal and Ferguson for sixes over midwicket just before Head was dismissed, and that wicket did nothing to temper Klaasen’s aggression.Dinesh Karthik ensured RCB didn’t suffer too much net-run-rate damage•BCCI

With Head’s dismissal bringing a second right-hander to the crease in Aiden Markram, RCB brought on the left-arm spin of Mahipal Lomror in the 14th over. The match-up didn’t bring any joy, as Klaasen carted him for two sixes.Klaasen hit three more sixes – including a 106m straight hit off Ferguson that sailed over the roof – before being dismissed with three overs remaining, with Sunrisers on 231. The only question then was if they could breach their own record total of 277. Abdul Samad and Markram put all doubts away with stunning cameos, as the last two overs produced 46 runs.

Karthik fights to limit the damage

There was only one way for RCB to bat in their response, and Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis counterattacked their way to 79 in the powerplay, three more than what Sunrisers had managed at that stage. RCB’s opening pair smashed 11 fours and four sixes in that phase alone. Even so, RCB were behind the asking rate, which had now climbed to nearly 15.Sunrisers’ Impact Sub Mayank Markande, who replaced Head at the start of the chase, beat Kohli with a googly just after the powerplay, and that began something of a mini-collapse, as RCB slipped to 122 for 5 by the end of the 10th over, with Pat Cummins striking twice including getting du Plessis for 62.That is when Karthik entered to keep the crowd entertained. He was the dominant partner in a 59-run partnership with Lomror, which briefly stirred hopes of an outlandish finish, as Markande and Jaydev Unadkat leaked 46 across the 13th and 14th overs.A six-run 15th over from Cummins, which also included the wicket of Lomror, effectively ended RCB’s hopes, but Karthik kept going, hitting at least one six ever over until he was dismissed with eight balls remaining. Seven sixes came off his bat including a switch-hit off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but he couldn’t prevent RCB from slumping to a fifth successive loss and remaining rooted to the bottom of the points table.

Nottingham Forest have taken the first step in the pursuit of highly-rated winger Malick Fofana by reaching an agreement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano. The 20-year-old Belgian is one of the most sought-after young forwards in Europe and although the clubs have agreed on terms, Forest still need to secure the player’s approval before finalising the transfer.

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Forest shake hands with Lyon on FofanaYet to agree on terms with the playerBayern, Chelsea, and Napoli are also keenFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea have emerged as serious contenders for Fofana, with Romano noting that the Blues remain “keen” on securing his services. However, they are not alone; European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Napoli are also monitoring the situation closely. With such strong interest from clubs playing in the Champions League, Fofana is reportedly biding his time to see what other options materialise before making a final decision on his next destination.

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Fofana enjoyed an impressive campaign last season, scoring 11 goals and contributing six assists. Primarily a right-winger, the Belgian is known for his adaptability, capable of operating on either wing. For a Chelsea side in need of increased firepower and width, his profile fits seamlessly into their tactical requirements.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lyon’s unexpected relegation due to financial issues has created a window of opportunity for clubs to pounce on their top talent. The French side are expected to offload several players in the coming weeks to ease their financial burden. For Chelsea, this presents a chance to bring in the forward.

The West London club has already made moves in the transfer window, with the acquisition of young striker Liam Delap and expectations that Jamie Gittens will also arrive shortly. Fofana could be the final piece in Chelsea’s attacking overhaul as they aim to rejuvenate their forward line.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

While Forest’s early agreement with Lyon gives them a head start, they face an uphill battle to convince Fofana to choose them over clubs offering European competition. Chelsea, with their Champions League pedigree, are seen as more attractive on paper, and Bayern and Napoli present similar advantages. However, should Forest manage to get the deal over the line, it would mark a significant statement of intent and a major coup for the Midlands club.

A “brilliant” Rangers star loved by interim manager Barry Ferguson is all but certain to leave the club this summer, according to a new report.

Gers edge past Dundee as 49ers plan for new manager

Rangers pulled off an incredible comeback to beat Dundee on Saturday, coming from two goals behind to win, with striker Cyriel Dessers hitting the eventual winner in stoppage time.

Barry Ferguson’s side were 3-1 down in the 75th minute, but two long-range strikes from captain James Tavernier and substitute Tom Lawrence dragged them level, before Dessers eventually hit the winner in the 93rd minute.

Speaking after the win, Ferguson praised his side’s character, but said he “can’t be happy” with the overall performance.

“Really happy with the three points, but I saw so many old habits creeping in,” Ferguson told Sky Sports, per The Daily Record. “They showed character, though, they never gave in. I just felt when we got the goal to go 3-2 that we could get three points.

“We can’t be happy with the performance,” he added. “I need to get to the bottom of it and I will get to the bottom of it.”

Fewer touches than Butland: Ferguson must now drop 5/10 Rangers man

Rangers secured yet another comeback victory in the top flight with a 4-3 win over Dundee

By
Ross Kilvington

Mar 30, 2025

One man Ferguson was happy with, however, was Dessers: “One thing about the big man, he has been a joy to work with, and he is a brilliant worker. Brilliant listener. He wants to improve even at his age,” Ferguson told the club’s official website of the Nigeria international.

“I thought his chances you have got to give the goalkeeper credit, and the keeper made some brilliant saves but at least he is getting in those positions but one thing about the big man is he keeps going right until the end and he got his reward with the winning goal.”

Dessers set to leave Ibrox – Keown

Dessers’ winning goal against Dundee was his 23rd in all competitions for Rangers this season, with his goals being a beacon of hope in what has otherwise been a poor season for the club.

However, according to The Daily Mail’s Gary Keown, the 30-year-old is unlikely to be at Ibrox for too much longer.

Writing after the win over Dundee, Keown stated that Dessers “could have been sold last summer or in winter”, and that he will surely be up for sale again when the summer rolls around.

“There was talk of a £5m offer from MLS side Atlanta United in August and links with Serie A in January,” he wrote. “He’ll surely be on his way when the new broom sweeps in.”

Dessers joined Rangers from Italian side Cremonese in 2023, and has since scored 45 goals – 22 last season and 23 this season – in 100 appearances for the club.

Despite his good goalscoring record, however, the school of thought at Ibrox is that the Gers need to replace the Nigeria international with a more clinical finisher who can help fire them to the Scottish Premiership title for the first time since 2020-21.

MatériaMais Notícias

da winzada777： Se tornou rotina no cotidiano do elenco do São Paulo assistir vídeos para estudar como os adversários atuam e, principalmente, para que o técnico Dorival Júnior passe as suas ideias.

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da dobrowin： Adotado logo após o novo comandante assumir, no fim de abril, o uso do vídeo para orientar o plantel tricolor foi uma maneira do treinador compensar o pouco tempo no cargo e, principalmente, o pouco tempo também para treinamentos.

+ Gabigol supera Luizão! Saiba os maiores artilheiros da Libertadores em todos os tempos

Não é para menos. Com a maratona de partidas e viagens desde que assumiu (fez por exemplo apenas um jogo como mandante entre os quatro que se sentou no banco), Dorival tem no vídeo um aliado pela praticidade. A ferramenta pode ser usada em qualquer ocasião ou local.

E de cara a prática parece que veio para ficar no Tricolor. Nos textos informativos sobre os treinos divulgados pelo clube, quase sempre consta o início das atividades nos campos do CT da Barra Funda após os jogadores assistirem ‘as aulas televisuais’ do professor. Foi assim, por exemplo, na última sexta-feira (5).

Logo após o vídeo os jogadores foram a campo para o aquecimento sob a supervisão da preparação física.

Na sequência, os atletas realizaram um treino técnico, divididos em grupos de defesa e ataque. Enquanto os defensores realizaram um trabalho de posicionamento, os atacantes fizeram um treino de troca de passe e finalização ao gol.

Na sequência, Dorival Júnior dividiu o elenco em dois novos grupos. Enquanto uma parte fez um trabalho tático, coletivo, de 11 contra 11, utilizando metade do gramado, a outra parte fez trabalhos de bola parada. Assim como ontem, o treino de hoje contou com alguns atletas do Sub-20.

+ Confira os jogos e classificação resultados da Brasileirão-23 na tabela do LANCE!

da betano casino： Looking to continue their transfer strategy of welcoming future stars, Chelsea are now reportedly preparing an offer worth £17m to sign a young South American full-back ahead of the summer.

Chelsea aiming to spoil Liverpool's title party

da bet esporte： Level on points with sixth-place Nottingham Forest, Chelsea are playing host to the Premier League champions at the worst possible time. The Reds will enter Stamford Bridge with the pressure eased, celebrations continuing and fresh from the first of four guard of honours. For Chelsea, meanwhile, this is simply a must-win game.

Manager Enzo Maresca is well aware of the importance of victory this Sunday too, having told reporters in his pre-match press conference: “The mood is good and I’ve said for a few weeks now that it’s a matter of how we manage emotions until the end [of the season].

“When we win games, we are happy and when we don’t win, we’re not happy. But it’ll be a race until the end and we need to manage the emotions. In this moment, the main thing is to watch ourselves and be focused on ourselves. This is the main point. For sure, there are more clubs involved [in the top-five race] but for us, it’s important to stay focused on ourselves.”

Related Approach made: Chelsea now ready to splash out £60m to sign "amazing" star

He almost joined Arsenal in January…

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 3, 2025

With games against Newcastle United, Manchester United and most importantly, Nottingham Forest on the final day awaiting Chelsea, it is set to be a frantic few weeks for the Blues. Maresca has arguably been handed the toughest games of his tenure at the most crucial stage of the campaign.

On the pitch, securing Champions League football would signal quite the sigh of relief. Away from the action, meanwhile, it would allow those at Stamford Bridge to get to work in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea preparing £17m Wesley offer

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are now preparing an offer worth €20m (£17m) to sign Wesley from Flamengo, with talks over a deal set to intensify at the Club World Cup – a competition both sides will be competing in this summer.

As things stand, those negotiations will need to reach a breakthrough regarding the defender’s price-tag, given that Flamengo are reportedly holding out for €35m (£35m), rather than the £17m offer that Chelsea are seemingly preparing.

It should come as no surprise to see Chelsea interested in signing Wesley, given how often they’ve set their sights on South American talent throughout BlueCo’s ownership.

The Blues have already sealed the talented Estevao Willian and could now sign Wesley to go alongside the midfielder. Described as “pacy” by South American football expert Nathan Joyes, the right-back is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Chelsea new boy Liam Delap is among six players nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Season award after a standout season for Ipswich.

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• Delap on six-man PFA shortlist
• Arsenal youngsters also named
• Bournemouth and Villa players nominated

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Delap is named after scoring 12 goals in his debut Premier League season and making a £30m move to Chelsea, while Lewis Skelly's nomination crowns a breakthrough campaign in which he also became an England international. There is space for another Arsenal youngster, two Bournemouth nominees and an Aston Villa star.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE NOMINEES

  Ethan Nwaneri joins his Gunners team-mate Lewis-Skelly on the shortlist, alongside Morgan Rogers. Dean Huijsen, who has signed for Real Madrid from Bournemouth, is named, as is his former team-mate Milos Kerkez.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Nwaneri scored nine goals during his breakthrough season at the Emirates, while Rogers was also superb at Villa, scoring 14 goals and assisting 15 in the 2024-25 campaign. Huijsen has broken into the Spain team and will play for Real Madrid next term, and Kerkez looks set to be on the move from Bournemouth, too, with a move to Liverpool lined up.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  The prestigious prize will be awarded during a ceremony at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, August 19. On the same night, the PFA will dish out awards to the best players in the Premier League, WSL, Championship, League One and League Two.

Controversy flares between the two sides yet again as Sri Lanka celebrate series win with players pointing to their watches

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2024Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has asked Sri Lanka to move on from the timed-out incident at the 2023 World Cup. Shanto’s comments came after Sri Lanka’s win in the third T20I in Sylhet, where the visitors had sealed the series 2-1 and, while celebrating with the trophy, made a collective gesture – players pointing to their watches – that originates from that incident. Later, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach Naveed Nawaz played things down, saying players from both sides are “very friendly outside the boundary line”.Angelo Mathews, who became the first player ever timed out in international cricket during the World Cup after an appeal from Shakib Al Hasan, was the first to use the pointing-at-watch gesture in question. Mathews did it later in that same World Cup game, when he dismissed Shakib. After the game, Mathews had roundly criticised Shakib for his decision to appeal.Shoriful Islam brought back the gesture in the first T20I of this series, on March 3, after he took Sri Lanka’s first wicket.Related

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Mathews the first to be dismissed timed out in international cricket

Today, the Sri Lanka fielders took aim at Towhid Hridoy after his dismissal; he was bowled by a peach from Nuwan Thushara to leave Bangladesh 15 for 3 and, as he walked off, someone in the Sri Lanka huddle said something to him leading to an angry exchange. Hridoy had to be dragged away by umpire Tanvir Islam, the type of scene not wholly uncommon at a Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka game in recent times as a feisty rivalry has developed.Asked if he would like to tone down the rivalry from his end, Shanto said: “It is not about aggressive handling or anything like that. They showed the timed-out gesture, right? They haven’t moved on from the timed-out incident.”I think they should get out of it. They should stay in the present. We were within the rules [with the timed out dismissal]. They are in a frenzy about it. I am not too worried about it.”Shoriful Islam had revived the time-out celebration second ball of this series, while celebrating Avishka Fernando’s wicket•AFP/Getty ImagesKusal Mendis, who made a career-high 86 in the match, also had to field questions on the topic. Speaking about his side’s celebrations, Kusal said: “Someone was doing the timed-out celebrations. I don’t know why. We can celebrate our own things. I think we celebrated because we are happy.”When there were more questions on the same lines, Nawaz took over. “I think we have moved on from that [timed-out incident]. I think it was a celebration which was misunderstood at that time. It was during the heat of the game. Both teams should forget about it.”Nawaz said that the two teams get along fine off the field. “I think both teams play really hard. The atmosphere is really nice. They all give their 100%. Sometimes emotions come into the middle. The players are all very friendly outside the boundary line. They fight really hard once they are inside the ground.”I think that’s what the game is all about. As long as you maintain discipline in the middle and play really hard, and then cross the boundary line and be good to each other, that’s what both teams are expected to do.”Asked whether Sri Lanka felt vindicated winning the series following the controversial overturning of Soumya Sarkar’s dismissal in the previous game which Bangladesh won, Mendis said that wasn’t the case. “I think the umpire made a mistake. Everyone can make a mistake. Our team isn’t thinking about it too much. It is part of the game.”

He knows his game, exactly what he can do, Phil Simmons says of his premier white-ball pace weapon

Deivarayan Muthu17-Dec-2019Sheldon Cottrell is one of the smartest short-format bowlers going around at the moment, but when he started out, he was a mean left-arm tearaway, who harried batsmen with pace and bounce. Cottrell had bolted into West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad in 2014 because of those skills. Playing for the now-defunct Antigua Hawksbills against Barbados Tridents in the 2013 CPL, Cottrell had bounced out Dwayne Smith, Jonathan Carter and Shakib Al Hasan, making the Caribbean cricket community sit up and take notice.Injuries then interrupted his career and drained his pace, but Cottrell has now learned to make up for it with his guiles. It was on bright display in the ODI series opener against India at Chepauk on Sunday.ALSO READ: Is the IPL ready for Cottrell’s salute?The pitch had been relaid in Chennai, but it was still very sluggish. When Keemo Paul dug in a bouncer in the 16th over, Rohit Sharma was sitting on the back foot, waiting to switch on his pull playlist. However, the bouncer simply dawdled into Rohit’s body off the pitch and he could only flap it away to the leg side.Rohit – and India’s top order – was caught by surprise, but Cottrell wasn’t. He sussed out the conditions and the pitch so early that he bowled offcutters, legcutters and slower bouncers with the new ball.In the T20I series opener in Hyderabad, Cottrell showed he could still crank up his speeds to the higher 135kph range. But it just wasn’t needed on this Chepauk track.After starting off with two successive maidens, Cottrell shortened his length and got one to cut away from KL Rahul. The in-form opener was cramped for room and beaten by the lack of pace, splicing a leading-edge to midwicket. Boom! Out came the trademark salute.

I think he’s been brilliant for the West Indies in both formats of white-ball cricket. He was brilliant with St Kitts [and Nevis Patriots], whom I was with three years ago. He knows his game, exactly what he can doPhil Simmons on Sheldon Cottrell

Virat Kohli then got cracking with a drilled drive down the ground for four. Kieron Pollard moved his slip to short mid-off, daring Kohli to run the ball down to third man. However, Kohli didn’t have enough room or pace to do that. Cottrell floated a 124.9kph cutter and had the India captain chopping on for 4 in the same over. The salute again.After completing the double-wicket over, Cottrell was whisked away to the long-off boundary. And out came the salute again, this time from the Chennai crowd, along with chants of “Shellll-don Cottrell! Shellll-don Cottrell!” His first spell read: 5-3-12-2.Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer lifted India, but Cottrell came back and pinned the hosts down, again, with his cutters as well as yorkers. With the cutters, Cottrell has also created the illusion of swing and has made incisions with the ball going straight on, something that Zaheer Khan had mastered after injuries had cut down his pace.The straight ball has accounted for three of his five wickets in the limited-overs series in India. And in the 2019 World Cup earlier this year in England and Wales, it had accounted for seven of his 12 wickets, with the other tricks in his bag setting up the breakthroughs.Sheldon Cottrell is a livewire, with ball in hand or prowling the field•BCCI”I think he’s been brilliant for the West Indies in both formats of white-ball cricket,” West Indies coach Phil Simmons said on the eve of the T20I series decider in Mumbai. “He was brilliant with St Kitts [and Nevis Patriots], whom I was with three years ago. He knows his game, exactly what he can do.”Eoin Morgan had said pretty much the same thing when England toured the Caribbean at the start of 2019. “[He poses] a different challenge – swinging the ball both ways, and he comes back with variations with the older ball.” Cottrell even posted on his blog that he “really enjoyed” the praise from Morgan.Mind you, Cottrell wasn’t even supposed to be part of that ODI series against England. Paul was injured, as was Rovman Powell, so the West Indies selectors recalled the left-arm seamer.Cottrell marked his return with 5 for 46 in Bridgetown, helping West Indies defend 289 against a power-packed England line-up. After that, Cottrell made a splash in the World Cup, emerging as West Indies’ highest wicket-taker, with 12 wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 5.85.Cottrell’s international future was uncertain at the start of 2019, but he has turned it around, becoming the leader of the West Indies’ white-ball pace pack. How about securing the ODI series against India and bagging a maiden IPL contract to close out a bumper year now?