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There are many reasons being cited among those that led to Tottenham Hotspur losing 7-2 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Some blame has been put on the players, with Rafael van der Vaart claiming they “think they’re better than they are”, as reported by Last Word on Spurs.

However, questions have also been asked of Mauricio Pochettino’s diamond formation, with Ricky Sacks leading the charge:

Against Bayern, Pochettino used Harry Winks as the holding player, Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele in the middle, with Dele Alli as the most progressive midfielder.

This simply didn’t work, as the German champions held 58.7% of possession and completed more of their passes than Spurs, as per WhoScored.

Many of the supporters in the replies feel as though Pochettino should deploy a 4-2-3-1 instead, or he should be sacked so someone else can do it.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the statement, including posts from disgruntled Spurs fans, can be seen below:

Spurs fans, do you think Pochettino needs to change his formation? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Arsenal have crowned their Player of the Month for September and this month’s winner is the French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.

After arriving at the Emirates from Lorient for just £8m, the 20-year-old has been a surprise package and his performances during September have helped him pick up the club award.

His performance against Manchester United, in which the Gunners earned a 1-1 draw, was the one game during the month that the Frenchman attracted huge praise, with former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas saying that he has a “big future” at Arsenal, per Metro. Per Mertesacker has also said that the youngster is expected to be a “future leader”.

Guendouzi has picked up two assists in his first eight Premier League games and played just the once in this season’s Europa League. He has also accumulated a passing accuracy of 87.4% which has been key to why the Gunners currently sit third in the Premier League table.

Arsenal supporters were delighted that Guendouzi had picked up the award, with some echoing the words of Mertesacker by describing him as a “future captain”.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Arsenal fans:

In the absence of Stoinis and Inglis, PBKS might turn to new recruits Mitch Owen and Kyle Jamieson

Shashank Kishore17-May-20255:39

Moody expects PBKS to pick Owen vs RR

Big Picture

Ricky Ponting knows the challenge of navigating a disrupted season. In 2021, when he was with Delhi Capitals (DC), he coached them to a top-of-the-table finish before a Covid-induced mid-season pause. When the IPL resumed at the time, DC maintained the momentum to finish in the top two only to stumble in the playoffs.Now with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, Ponting has a familiar task: keeping a playoffs-bound team on track. PBKS, who are aiming for a top-two finish for the first time since 2014, currently sit on 15 points with three games left in the league stage. Two wins will guarantee qualification; they may sneak through with one, with help from other results. The abandoned game in Dharamsala against DC being replayed gives them a vital extra shot.However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for PBKS. Two key overseas players, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis haven’t returned, forcing changes in team balance. Mitchell Owen, a BBL standout known for his exploits as an opener, could debut in the middle order, given how well Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have clicked at the top.While PBKS will chase a top-two finish, Rajasthan Royals (RR) are fighting to avoid the wooden spoon. With just three wins from 12 games, their playoff hopes are long gone, and the focus has now shifted to salvaging pride and shaping the future.Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old who lit up the league with a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans last month, offers hope for the future. Riyan Parag, who had earlier stood in as captain for Sanju Samson, also showed signs of resurgence, smashing 95 in his previous innings, at Eden Gardens, as RR almost chased down 207.The batting has found some rhythm, but the bowling continues to flounder for RR. Injuries to Sandeep Sharma and the absence of Jofra Archer have left their pace attack short on quality and confidence. For context, Royals have the worst average (52.1) for a pace attack this season.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Punjab Kings: WWLWW

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh

Sanju Samson has cleared hit fitness test after a three-week absence due to a side strain. In his absence, young Suryavanshi impressed at the top with 155 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 209.45. With Yashasvi Jaiswal also back in form after a middling start to the season – he has hit four half-centuries in his last seven innings – Samson will probably have to slot in at No. 3.Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have been key to PBKS’ success, consistently setting the tone in the powerplay. Their 534-run aggregate is the second highest this season, behind only Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan (634). When either scores 45 or more, PBKS have won five games (plus two no results); when neither does, they’ve lost all three.4:33

What went wrong for Rajasthan Royals this season?

Team news and probable XIIs

RR are without Archer and the injured Sandeep, with left-arm seamer Nandre Burger brought in as Sandeep’s replacement. Samson will take over the captaincy from Parag.Rajasthan Royals: 1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Shubham Dubey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Kwena Maphaka, 12 Akash MadhwalPBKS will have to replace two overseas players. Owen, BBL 2024-25’s breakout star, could be playing his first game in India. Kyle Jamieson, who has replaced Lockie Ferguson, could also get a game.Punjab Kings: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Mitch Owen, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Kyle Jamieson

The big question

Pitch and conditions

Day-time temperatures in Jaipur are expected to reach a high of 42 degrees Celsius. The dry heat will test the players’ fitness. RR believe the surface could be on the slower side. Since it’s a 3.30pm start, dew is unlikely to be a factor.

Stats and Trivia

• Yashasvi Jaiswal (19) and Priyansh Arya (16) have hit the most sixes in the powerplay this season. Meanwhile, Parag’s 12 sixes are the most by a batter in his first 10 balls.
• Arya’s strike rate of 189 is the highest in the powerplay among batters who’ve faced at least 100 balls.
• Despite playing two seasoned overseas spinners in Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, RR have one of the highest economy rates among teams at 9.3 and an average of 37.40.
• RR have won only one out of eight matches chasing so far this season.
• PBKS have the second-highest powerplay run rate (10.4) this season.

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

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Magpies legend Rob Lee has given his verdict on all things Newcastle ahead of their trip to Anfield this weekend.

Steve Bruce’s side have taken four points from their first four games of the new campaign and Lee, who racked up 370 appearances in all competitions on Tyneside, says while they have made a decent start to the season, there is one player who has to improve.

Speaking on behalf of GentingBet, Lee said: “(Miguel) Almiron I’ve been really, really disappointed in. I know people rave about the way he runs around, but for me for someone who’s cost us £20m, hasn’t scored a goal, hasn’t had an assist, I think you’ve got to do more than that.

“We need him to do more than that. Joelinton needs some help.”

Lee of course played with some incredible forwards during his time on Tyneside, including Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, and though he said the jury is still out, he hopes to see more support for the club’s record signing Joelinton.

“He’s shown glimpses of what he can do, but needs some help.

“Is he a target man? He’s big enough and strong enough to do that, but is that his natural game I’m not so sure. Would he play better with somebody else, maybe Andy Carroll? But he’s shown glimpses, against Spurs it was a great finish.

“We’ve lost Rondon and Perez, the majority of our goals last year, so other people have got to help, and we’ve also got to help him get chances.”

Indeed, the Magpies have only registered four assists in total as a squad this season.

The legendary midfielder has also tweeted his support for Bruce in the past, and when it comes to the manager, it’s quite clear where he stands.

“Let’s not have a go at Steve Bruce. He’s a guy that has supported Newcastle a long, long time. I don’t care if he’s managed Sunderland, many players have done it over the years, so what? His team is Newcastle, it always has been.

“All the Newcastle managers over the years that I’ve loved, Keegan and Robson, they’ve always understood the club, the fans, and even Rafael Benitez wasn’t a Geordie but he understood it, and I think Bruce does.

“If fans give him a chance, and he gets the backing of the owner, which is the big problem, I think he’s good for us.”

GentingBet are running a special new customer offer ahead of Liverpool vs Newcastle this Saturday. To find out more visit here. 18+ begambleaware.org.

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Loads of West Ham United fans on Twitter are unhappy after manager Manuel Pellegrini suggested in his Manchester United pre-match press conference, via Football London (12:41pm) on Friday that Aaron Cresswell is going to start at left-back against the Red Devils on Sunday.

The Liverpool-born defender has failed to make the matchday squad in the Premier League since he started the opening day 5-0 defeat against Manchester City, with Arthur Masuaku preferred ahead of him.

However, the Frenchman is suspended following his red card against Aston Villa on Monday, which left Pellegrini with a decision to make.

Cresswell, Pablo Zabaleta – who came on and featured there at Villa Park – and youngster Ben Johnson looked to be the frontrunners, but Pellegrini, via Football London (12:41pm), named the former when speaking about who would replace Masuaku.

It’s fair to say those comments haven’t gone down very well with many Irons supporters on the popular social media platform, with one saying “God help us”, and another individual being even more defeatist by saying “3 points to United then”.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

South Africa have picked two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and allrounder Senuran Muthusamy

Firdose Moonda13-May-2025South Africa have named a familiar-looking Test squad to take on Australia at the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next month, led by Temba Bavuma and headlined by pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, who has completed a one-month ban for failing a drug test.Rabada served his sanction between April 1 and May 1 and has since been cleared to play. He was available for Gujarat Titans’ match against Mumbai Indians at the IPL on May 6 but was not selected. Rabada will lead a six-man pace pack at the WTC final which includes Lungi Ngidi, who has not featured in Tests since August last year.Gerald Coetzee, who was ruled out of the home summer when he injured his groin in the Durban Test against Sri Lanka and 19 year-old left-arm seamer Kwena Maphaka, who debuted against Pakistan at Newlands, have not been selected. Neither have Anrich Nortje, who does not have a central contract but was in consideration for Tests this summer before he broke his toe, or Nandre Burger, who has recovered from a lower back stress fracture and is at the IPL. Dane Paterson, a key member of South Africa’s success at home and who is currently playing at Middlesex, and Corbin Bosch, who debuted over the home summer, have been included.Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s coach, explained that he made his selections with fitness and form in mind. “With regards to Anrich (Nortje), it didn’t really pan out the way we had hoped. He was due to play in the Centurion Test match against Pakistan and then sustained the broken toe and I don’t think he’s in any position, really, to be playing the Test match,” Conrad said. “With regards to Gerald, he’s making his way back as well from injury and I just felt that with what Corbin had done for us in the series against Pakistan, that he provides really good cover. When I say cover, he might still make the starting XI. Corbin’s not lacking in pace, so I don’t we compromised too much pace in that respect. I’m really happy what Corbin offers us and brings really good balance to our side as well. And that’s ultimately what we were after – balance.”Getty Images

South Africa have picked two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and allrounder Senuran Muthusamy, who has been a regular member of squads but has not played since the tour of Bangladesh last October.In the batting department, Conrad confirmed Ryan Rickelton will open the batting with Aiden Markram and he’s yet to decide where Tony de Zorzi will bat, if he plays. “Whether Tony slots in at No.3, whether he slots in the middle order, conditions will determine all of that,” he said.It also remains to be seen Tristan Stubbs will continue to hold on to the No.3 spot or be moved lower down, while Bavuma, who has recovered from an elbow niggle that kept him out of the domestic four-day final, will bat at No.4. Further, there will be questions over whether David Bedingham will keep his place in the starting XI after a home summer in which he top-scored with 44* in eight innings, and a period of time on the sidelines.Bedingham is recovering from a broken toe and has not played a competitive match since April 11 but is expected to return to action for Durham this week. “Bedders is pretty much ready to go. And if there is such a thing as a good break, it was a good, clean break,” Conrad said. “Durham were keen to play him in the next county match. Again, our medical staff have been in conversation with them as to whether we feel that’s the right thing, but Bedders has been hitting balls, and Bedders is best when fresh. His form has been a little bit up and down, but I still think he’s a key guy in our line-up, especially with the type of cricket he plays, and especially against a side like Australia. When Bedders plays well, he’s the perfect guy to take on a side like Australia.”Kyle Verreynne will remain the first-choice wicket-keeper and also has experience in the UK. He is playing for Nottinghamshire and scored a century in his first appearance for them this season.Cricket South Africa (CSA) has not officially confirmed whether their players will return to the IPL and how long they will be available there for but their statement announcing the squad indicated they will all assemble in England on May 31. Initially, the IPL contingent of Rabada, Ngidi, Markram, Marco Jansen, Rickelton, Bosch, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs were given NOCs to run until May 25 and expected back in South Africa the following day. ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that those at the IPL will come back to South Africa and not travel directly to the UK and it is expected they will adhere to the May 26 deadline even though he IPL has since been extended until June 3. That is the same day that South Africa are due to begin a four-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe in Arundel. South Africa’s squad is to leave the country on May 30.SA squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Kyle Verreynne

Gohar’s three-for keeps Middlesex fighting but big deficit is on the cards

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Apr-2025Lancashire 353 for 9 (Harris 134*, Jennings 55, Jones 40) lead Middlesex 260 (Robson 70, Holden 69, Aspinwall 4-32) by 93 runsMarcus Harris’s century on Red Rose debut helped Lancashire take charge on day two at Lord’s.The Australian Test opener, batting at No. 4, survived an early scare to share a stand of 120 for the fifth wicket with Luke Wells (38). It was Harris’ 30th first-class ton and he became the sixth overseas player to make a hundred on his debut for the county, a trend started by his fellow Australian, the late Andrew Symonds in 2005.Keaton Jennings earlier weighed in 55 enabling the visitors to reach the close on 353 for 9.The Middlesex bowlers toiled hard, with little luck, Zafar Gohar returning 3 for 77 on debut and Blake Cullen 2 for 70, the latter’s first County Championship wickets since he dismissed Mohammed Rizwan at Hove in May 2022, such have been the young seamer’s injury woes.The alliance between Harris and Wells turned the tide of a day where Middlesex had initially held sway.Their frugal bowling in the morning session especially led to a pedestrian scoring rate of two an over by the visitors on a slow, unresponsive pitch.Lancashire’s inability to break the shackles brought reward for the home side, Jennings departing to a sharp catch at slip by Robson off Ryan Higgins, shortly after raising his 50 with the aid of eight fours.The wicket came in a spell of six overs for one run from the Zimbabwean allrounder and the pressure he exerted affected other batters too.Josh Bohannon was in skittish mood from the off, edging one just short of Robson at slip before he’d scored. He’d got to 11 when he slashed at a slightly wider one from Higgins only for Leus du Plooy to grass the chance away to his right hand in the gully.Even so, there was further reward for the Seaxes shortly before lunch when Toby Roland-Jones found the edge of Michael Jones’ bat and wicketkeeper Jack Davies took a low catch away to his right.On the resumption, Bohannon briefly suggested he’d left his pre-lunch struggles behind him, driving Henry Brookes straight for four, but the introduction of Gohar proved his undoing.Bohannon played back to one from the slow left-armer which went on with the arm and crashed into off stump.And when Matty Hurst injudiciously hooked a short one from Cullen down the throat of Nathan Fernandes at long leg the visitors were 169 for 4, still almost 100 in arrears.Even Harris wasn’t exempt from such rushes of blood to the head, having charged Gohar on 11, inside edging the ball beyond both leg stump and wicketkeeper Davies. Had he not made the thinnest of contacts the stumping would have been a formality had he not been bowled in any event.Harris though resolved to make the most of his slice of fortune, knuckling down to take charge, driving with increasing authority before raising his 50 with his eighth boundary, a savage cut to the cover fence.As the home bowlers tired in the glorious evening sunshine he forged on to three figures reached via an edge out of the clutches of slip to third man.At the other end, Wells, though playing second fiddle, hit two huge sixes, one over mid-on to get off the mark and the stand reached 120 before he waved lazily at one to be caught behind with the lead at 27.Harris was reprieved on 123 when dropped at slip by Robson, but late wickets for the persevering home attack offered Middlesex some hope ahead of day three.

It’s understood that ICC’s willingness to engage with them comes as cricket prepares to make its Olympic comeback in 2028

Firdose Moonda14-Apr-2025The 25 Afghan women cricketers initially contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2020 could be the first beneficiaries of the ICC’s new support initiative, announced after their board meetings at the weekend. Nineteen of those 25 players are residing in Australia, and have support from the organisation Pitch Our Future, which hopes to work with the ICC in developing the rollout of a funding and high-performance programme for these players.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Pitch Our Future will provide the ICC with a full list of the names of the formerly-contracted players, including those in Canada and the UK, as well as guidelines on a player-development programme which includes an education and a life-skills programme. Pitch Our Future was launched after an Afghan women’s XI played Cricket without Borders in Melbourne on January 30. It already has a fund-raising campaign, a budget for the next three years, and plans for more matches and tours, including a possible trip to the Women’s World Cup as spectators.ESPNcricinfo has established that the Afghan cricketers were not aware that there were any plans by the ICC to assist them, and had not had any communication from the ICC in the lead-up to their announcement of their initiative. The cricketers have been writing to the ICC for at least two years, most recently with a request to be recognised as a refugee team, which went unanswered.Related

• ICC to formally support Afghan women cricketers

• Cricket at LA28: both men's and women's events to be six-team contests

The ICC previously had an Afghanistan task force which aimed to address the issue of the ACB’s non-compliance with Full Member requirements to have a women’s team, but they were hamstrung by the rules of their own organisation. As a member-run body, the only way the ICC could recognise the Afghan women was if the ACB first did the same.The issue was in a state of inertia until last weekend when the ICC’s women’s cricket committee put forth a proposal for a task force and dedicated funding. The board voted in favour of the proposal in the majority, while the ACB neither endorsed nor opposed the initiative. The task force will be formed in the coming weeks, and will consider issues like where training camps will be held, and how matches will be organised. However, this does not yet create a pathway for the Afghanistan women’s team to compete at an international level as they are not being officially recognised by the ICC or the ACB.It is also understood that the ICC’s willingness to engage with Afghanistan’s women cricketers comes as cricket prepares to make its Olympic comeback after 128 years at LA 2028. It was recently announced that the cricket competition would be a six-team affair, and while it is not clear how qualification will be decided, the International Olympic Committee has a strict gender-equality principle in place.That means that all federations and their members must adhere to gender-equality guidelines, irrespective of whether particular members have qualified or not. FIFA, the world’s governing body for football, has pledged similar financial support to Afghanistan’s former women’s football team, who are all resident in Australia.ESPNcricinfo, meanwhile, has asked the ICC for further details, including the source of the funds for their initiative. Pitch Our Future currently runs a crowd-funding campaign, but any more money could come from an amount ring-fenced for women from the ACB’s disbursements or elsewhere.It is also not known what the extent of the BCCI, the ECB and CA’s involvement in this initiative will be after they were named as partner boards. Currently, neither the ECB nor CA is willing to play against Afghanistan in bilateral men’s cricket in protest over the lack of women’s rights in the country, but one source believes this collaboration could open the door for that to change.

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Liverpool face Chelsea in the Super Cup in Istanbul on Wednesday, as they look to pick up their first trophy of the season having been beaten on penalties by Manchester City in the Community Shield earlier this month.

The Reds got their bid to win their first ever Premier League title following last season’s near miss off to the perfect start with a 4-1 win against Norwich City at Anfield on Friday night, and now they are in Turkey to face Frank Lampard’s men, who were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Manchester United on Sunday.

Aside from Dejan Lovren who has been ruled out through illness – although Liverpool fans aren’t buying that reason – and Alisson who is injured, manager Jurgen Klopp has a full squad to choose from.

That said, Naby Keita could now potentially be a doubt too having limped out of training on Tuesday evening.

So what XI will the German go with? This is our prediction…

Klopp only really has Adrian and Andy Lonergan to pick from as senior goalkeeper options, and it is the former who gets the nod having come on to make his debut against the Canaries on Friday.

Ahead of him, there is one change as Joel Matip – who would have considered himself unlucky not to make the XI against Norwich following his goalscoring cameo in the Community Shield – replaces Joe Gomez alongside Virgil van Dijk, with Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold at full-back.

In midfield, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain provides more of an attacking threat than Gini Wijnaldum alongside captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, against a Chelsea team that are clearly there to be got at having seen their defensive display against the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men on Sunday.

Sadio Mane also returns to the starting XI up top alongside Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah having been deemed not quite ready to start against Daniel Farke’s men on Friday.

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Allrounder relinquishes role after tough campaign at New Road

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2021Joe Leach has chosen to return to the ranks at Worcestershire, after five years as the captain.Leach will lead his side for the final time this week, when Worcestershire take on Leicestershire in their final LV=Insurance County Championship match of the season, starting at New Road on Tuesday.Although he is likely to finish as his county’s leading Championship wicket-taker for 2021, with a current tally of 32 at 33.68, it has been a tough campaign for the club, who are lying fourth in the third division, having missed out on the knock-outs in both the 50- and 20-over competitions.The news follows the confirmation that Ross Whiteley will be moving to Hampshire for the 2022 season, after turning down a contract extension at New Road.”I have decided to stand down as club captain,” Leach said. “It’s obviously been a very tough one, one that has been on my mind for some time, if I’m honest.”I made the decision just before the home game with Sussex three weeks ago that this was going to be my final season as captain.”It was a difficult decision to make, but one that I feel is right, not only for myself but also for the group as well.”I’ve done it for five years, and I’m immensely proud of what I’ve managed to achieve in some difficult times for the club over that five years.”I’ve had a lot of things to deal with on and off the field, and now I guess the time is right to focus on my cricket and getting back to really enjoying it and doing the best I can with the bat and the ball.”Leach took over as captain from Daryl Mitchell at the end of the 2016 season and led the side to promotion in the County Championship 12 months later, thanks in no small part to his own haul of 69 wickets, as well as the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup.”That last day against Durham when we went up as champions [in 2017] was definitely the highlight from a personal point of view and holding the Division Two trophy aloft at New Road.”I’ve given everything to this club as a player pre-captaincy and, as captain, I’ve done exactly the same. I’ve led the club with immense pride and done my best every single day. That is how I will continue to operate as a cricketer.”Worcestershire’s head coach, Alex Gidman, paid tribute to Leach, who has taken 326 first-class wickets and scored 3,284 runs to date in his career.Related

• Ross Whiteley heads for Hampshire after triumphant Southern Brave stint

“Joe has decided to stand down as captain of the club,” Gidman said. “His efforts as a captain have been of the highest order, and he has led the team through some very challenging times and has done an exceptional job.”He should be very proud of his efforts, and I’m sure he will look forward to some more successful years as a bowling all-rounder for us.”I know he will put a lot of effort into, firstly, his cricket, which is really important and, secondly, he will get right behind whoever the next captain is and still do a very job as a senior player.”There is no doubt he has still got a huge amount to offer us. He is still a very big part of the plans and a great man for us to have around still.”Worcestershire Cricket Steering Group Chairman, Paul Pridgeon, said: “Joe has been a fantastic servant of the club and has done a terrific job as captain over the last five years.”He has grown into the job, is an excellent ambassador for the club and the players under his control.”