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MLS side LAFC are in advanced talks to sign AC Milan star Olivier Giroud on a free transfer this summer.

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Giroud linked with MLS moveAC Milan man in talks with LAFCOut of contract in summerWHAT HAPPENED?

The 37-year-old forward could link up with ex-international teammate Hugo Lloris in Hollywood, with the 2022 MLS champions looking to bolster their attack, according to The Athletic. Despite his age, Giroud is still scoring at a prolific rate in Europe, with 12 goals and eight assists across 26 matches in Serie A this season.

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LAFC have made the past two MLS Cup championship games, winning in 2022 and falling just short in 2023. With Giroud in their ranks, alongside reigning Golden Boot-winner Denis Bouanga, their attack would be one of the most prolific across the league.

Giroud helped France reach the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup finals, winning the former against Croatia, and falling just short against Lionel Messi and Argentina in Qatar.

However, nothing is set in stone at the moment, with the report claiming that the Rossoneri themselves could still look to extend Giroud's stay in Milan beyond the 2024 campaign. If he doesn't reach an agreement with LAFC, options in the Middle East are available – along with other European teams, too.

DID YOU KNOW?

Giroud has 56 goals in 129 caps for France – making him Les Bleus' all-time record scorer. Across his entire career he's netted 332 times for club and country since 2005.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR GIROUD?

Currently with the France national team during the international window, Giroud is lining up to participate in a pair of friendlies against Germany and Chile. At club level, he will return to the pitch with Milan on March 30 against Fiorentina.

It will precede Australia’s three-T20I series against Pakistan starting October 24

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2018UAE will play their first T20I against Australia, by hosting them in Abu Dhabi on October 22. It precedes Australia’s three-T20I series against Pakistan in the UAE that starts from October 24.The game was handed T20I status after both Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board sanctioned the move. It will start at 2pm local time at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium (Oval 1) ground, with free entry to the ground.”We are delighted to be in a position to announce this fixture and we are extremely grateful to the ICC for their support in accrediting the Abu Dhabi Oval for T20 international cricket at such short notice,” Zayed Abbas, Emirates Cricket Board spokesperson said. “Our thanks also goes out to to Cricket Australia for approaching this opportunity so positively, and especially to the Pakistan Cricket Board for permitting this match during their home tour in the UAE with Australia. It has been an incredible effort from all parties to bring this match to fruition.”Waleed Bukhatir, UAE chief selector, said: “This match will provide an exceptionally good test for our players. We need them to be put under pressure and for them to focus more intently by being challenged by higher ranked, leading teams within our game. To do so it is vitally important for the Full member countries, and the ICC to support and provide the Associates with such opportunities.”UAE have played 26 T20 internationals with nine wins and 17 losses. Their last T20I assignment was against PNG at home in April 2017, when they swept the series 3-0.

Everton could now allow a "really good" player to leave the club during the January transfer window in order to keep the same suitor away from Jarrad Branthwaite, according to a new update from Goodison Park.

Everton's January transfer plans

It isn't long until the Blues will once again be able to enter the transfer market, with the opening of the January window just three weeks away. Sean Dyche and his side have enjoyed a superb week or so in the Premier League, winning three matches in a row without conceding a goal, including against Newcastle United and Chelsea, and jumping out of the relegation zone in the process.

That's not to say that new signings aren't needed, however, and Everton have been linked with a move for Lyon centre-back Jake O'Brien, with the 22-year-old Irishman impressing France. Meanwhile, the Blues have also been backed to complete the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker, seeing him as someone who could add depth in the middle of the park.

It does look as though one Goodison player could be set to head the other way, however, in an effort to keep Branthwaite on the books.

Everton to offer up Godfrey to stave off Branthwaite interest

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Everton are willing to allow Ben Godfrey to leave in January, with Tottenham potentially snapping him up as an alternative to Branthwaite, who they are also interested in but the Toffees will refuse to sell.

"Everton are prepared to sell Ben Godfrey to Tottenham in January if a bid is submitted, sources have told Football Insider. Spurs are in the market for a new centre-back in January after losing both Eric Dier and Micky van de Ven to injury in recent weeks.

"The North London side have shown an interest in Toffees duo Jarrad Branthwaite and Godfrey in recent weeks as they look to bolster their defensive options."

This does feel like the natural time to allow Godfrey to leave, even though the 25-year-old is someone who legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti was a big fan of, describing him as a "really good" talent during his time in charge at Goodison. The Englishman is simply not in the current boss' plans however – he has featured for just one minute of Premier League action in total this season, as well as starting one solitary game in the EFL Cup.

James Tarkowski and Branthwaite have become Everton's undisputed first-choice centre-back pairing, and it is hard to see that changing any time soon, so this feels like the right moment for Godfrey to enjoy a fresh challenge.

European giants eyeing "exciting" Everton star who only joined last summer

This would be a huge blow for Sean Dyche…

ByTom Cunningham Dec 9, 2023

He could even flourish under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, should he be given the chance to prove himself, and he is a powerful player who can enjoy a big influence on his day, whether that be at centre-back or right-back.

Everton could receive good money for him, ahead of his Blues contract expiring in the summer of 2025, and the longer they keep hold of him, the cheaper he will become, further highlighting why January is the best time to move him on.

Chelsea hadn't messed around this summer. With the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, a world-class manager, and a whole host of talent acquired to their squad, it felt like the Blues were heading back to their former best.

Yet, after breaking the bank on the likes of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, to name a few, they currently find themselves in an unsatisfactory mid-table position with three defeats from their opening eight matches.

While Pochettino will be given time to mould the squad how he wants it, patience on their current stars could wear thin if significant ground hasn't been made on the Champions League places come January, which could lead to more mass spending.

Unsurprisingly, a whole host of stars have already been touted with a winter move to Stamford Bridge, and one of Europe's brightest young talents, Jamal Musiala, is the latest name to be linked.

Are Chelsea interested in Jamal Musiala?

A graduate of Chelsea's youth academy, who departed the club for Bayern Munich aged 16, would make a huge U-turn on his career if he was to return to Stamford Bridge.

According to 90min, Premier League clubs are showing an interest in Musiala, including Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.

The report details that Bayern remain confident of tying the 20-year-old down to a long-term contract, however, with several clubs enquiring about his availability, a potential bidding war could ensue.

Currently valued at €92.3m (£80m) according to Football Transfers and with another three years left on his contract, the Blues will need to splash the cash in order to lure him to west London, either in January or next summer.

What would Jamal Musiala bring to Chelsea?

One of Chelsea's most fateful mistakes was allowing Musiala to depart for Bayern in 2019 after failing to convince the youngster to commit his future to the London club.

All will be forgiven, however, if the Blues manage to pull off a sensational move to prise the youngster away from Germany and back to England.

The attacking midfield sensation, who has been nominated for the prestigious Golden Boy Award, is the shining light of a German side crying out for a rebuild and an unwavering cog of Bayern's merciless winning machine.

Combining his electric pace and remarkable dribbling to a devastating effect, the youngster has been compared to the great Lionel Messi for how he carries the ball in perpetual motion, breezing past defenders like the ball is stuck to his feet and supplying a relentless end product to match.

With an astonishing 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 Bundesliga matches last term, Musiala showcased why the footballing world is salivating over his talents, seamlessly slotting into pockets of space and appearing to be the perfect heir to Muller's throne.

Lauded as a "future Ballon d'Or" winner by teammate Alphonso Davies for how he's dominated on the world stage at just 20-years-old, Musiala has shown that his potential is limitless.

The youngster's former coach, Andre Martin, reinforced the above back in 2021, saying: "Technically outstanding, very skillful, and a player who can score all types of goals, inside and outside the box. And he's a great dribbler and likes to take players on, as he did against Schalke. He later became a No.10 and has become as much of a creator as a goalscorer."

The description of his qualities suggests that Chelsea must reverse the mistake they made four years ago and go all out to sign one of the best young talents on the planet.

CSA general manager of cricket Corrie van Zyl says tournament will feature established South Africa stars despite clash with Abu Dhabi T20 League

Liam Brickhill12-Oct-2018Cricket South Africa has unveiled the name of its new T20 league. The inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL) will take place from 16 November to 16 December.”Mzansi” is an isiXhosa word that translates literally to “south”, but in colloquial usage refers to the country of South Africa. The local spin on the league has been central to CSA’s re-strategising after the failed first launch last year.The six MSL teams will be owned locally, by CSA, and the league will be city-based, with CSA having announced the hosting stadiums on Thursday.”I would like to thank everyone involved in putting this milestone project together,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “We look forward to welcoming, and being entertained by, some of the world’s best cricketers. We are also confident that the MSL will serve the dual objective of becoming a launchpad for our next generation of T20 talent.”The event tagline is ‘FUN. FAST. FOR ALL’, which speaks volumes about the competition’s concept.”CSA has also aimed to maximise local viewership on the games on television, and the matches are set to be broadcast exclusively live by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – South Africa’s public broadcaster – on its television and radio platforms.”Our plans are well under way to make the MSL T20 the hottest sport spectacle this summer,” SABC chief operations officer Chris Maroleng said. “South African audiences deserve the best sport content and this partnership with CSA is at the heart of our commitment to deliver this promise. We are putting together a world-class production that will showcase the expertise of the SABC to the rest of the world.”The names of the six participating sides, the marquee South African players and the international signings will all form part of the competition Player Draft Matrix that will be held on October 15.South Africa’s tour of Australia in November concludes with a T20I at the Carrara Oval on 17 November, the day after the MSL is due to begin, and the MSL will clash with the Abu Dhabi T10 League, which runs from 23 November to 2 December, but CSA general manager of cricket and MSL playing affairs director Corrie van Zyl insisted that established names would be part of the event.”We can assure fans that the talent set to participate in the MSL T20 will be top-class, featuring our established Proteas alongside their international counterparts, while also showcasing our up-and-coming local talent,” van Zyl said.

Newcastle have loved a cult forward or two over the years. Callum Wilson, now a seasoned scorer alongside the more exuberant Alexander Isak, is no exception to this trend. Still present at the ever-developing, ever-moneyed Newcastle – 31-year-old Wilson can look back on an impressive goal tally.

Wilson's scored more than you'd think. Perhaps it's a nod to the luxury of the league around him, as his 82 Premier League appearances for the Magpies with a prolific 42 goals somehow slipped under the radar. It's no wonder he's a fan favourite like he was at Bournemouth. However, this article isn't wholly about him.

In terms of cults on Tyneside, there's only really one man who epitomises the title. With a special onus on his 2011/12 season, as well as the fact he's still scoring at 38 – let's look at Papiss Cisse.

How good was Papiss Cissé at Newcastle?

For that one season in 2011/12, (and perhaps with the exception of 2014/15), Cisse was electric.

The Senegalese striker arrived in Newcastle after ripping up Ligue 2 with Metz and then the Bundesliga with Freiburg.

During the 2010/11 term, Cisse was second to Mario Gomez's 28 goals in the scoring charts with 22. An eventual total tally of 37 league goals is still a record for a Freiburg player, with that 22 itself being a season record for an African in the Bundesliga – surpassing Tony Yeboah's 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt back in 1992/93.

Newcastle's ears pricked up after this, as well as after a half-season where he scored nine in 17, and signed Cissé for £10m in January 2012. Here, the fun commenced.

In the second half of the sharp-shooting 11/12 campaign, fans saw one of the Premier League's most ridiculous runs of form as a leggy, frenetic Cisse bagged an insane 13 goals in 14 games with two amazing efforts coming against Chelsea. Stamford Bridge in May 2012. It's almost synonymous with Cisse.

The first goal sees Jonas Gutierrez find Davide Santon making a nice overlap. He jinks down the left channel before slipping the ball into Cisse. Don't look away. He's just on the edge of the box and in one movement, the ball's up and away. He's flicked it up and volleyed into the far right side with Cech no chance. He's made the skullcap-wearing maestro look like a playground kid. Up you get, Petr.

After seeing that first goal, it's easy to think 'it can't get better' – but obviously it always does.

Play is on the left-hand side and just out of the corner, big Shola Ameobi has chested it down. Again, I implore you, don't even blink – because on the bounce it's a pelter from with the outside of the right boot.

It's a dream of a strike and again, Cech may as well not even dive. Top right corner, disbelief. Look, even Drogba is clapping. Chelsea later ended the term sixth; a place behind Papiss-inspired Newcastle. This win not only helped to sway things. It stormed the goal of the month voting…

Where is Papiss Cissé now?

As hinted to briefly earlier, other than 2011/12's goal run, Cisse's next big season was in 2014/15 as he scored 11 goals in 22. Impressive, but he wasn't consistent enough – and feeling he'd had his time in the sun, he moved on in 2016 for around £5m.

Cue a goal-laden journey through China, three Turkish clubs and one near-death experience in a horrendous coach crash, before going back to Ligue 2 – the division where it all started.

In a beautifully Geordie-centric cyclic fashion too, at Amiens, he's up top with Andy Carroll who himself has gone off the beaten path.

Shandong Luneng – 2016/18

16

31

Alanyaspor – 2018/20

38

58

Fenerbahce – 2020/21

5

25

Caykur Rizespor – 2022

2

14

Amiens – 2022-

10

30

Stats via Transfermarkt.

Since leaving in 2016, Cissé has scored a whopping 80 goals and ten assists at club level compared to Wilson's 81 goals. That's not bad for a striker who is seven years Wilson's senior.

New Zealand women amassed 491 for 4 – the highest total in all ODI cricket – to smash records and Ireland women at YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2018
New Zealand women amassed 491 for 4 – the highest total in all ODI cricket – to smash records and Ireland women at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin. They threatened to break the 500-run barrier when they were 471 for 4 in 49 overs. Seventeen-year-old Amelia Kerr – the fourth New Zealand batsman to cross 50 – drove the first two balls of the last over through extra cover for fours. She followed it with another four to the long-on boundary, but could manage only seven off the last three balls.In response, Ireland folded for 144 in 35.3 overs as New Zealand secured the fourth-biggest win in women’s ODIs – by 346 runs. They achieved the biggest win – by 408 runs – when they ran up 455 for 5, the previous highest total in ODIs, in Christchurch in 1997.Ireland will also be concerned about Isobel Joyce, who did not bat in the chase after bumping her head on the ground while fielding. She had bowled just one over in the first innings.It was captain Suzie Bates and No. 3 Maddy Green who set the tone for New Zealand’s mammoth score with quickfire centuries – 151 off 94 balls and 121 off 77 balls respectively. Bates and debutant Jess Watkin started with a blistering 172-run opening partnership off 18.5 overs at a run rate of 9.13. The stand ended when Rachel Delaney, a substitute fielder, pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at deep square leg to dismiss Watkin for 62 off 59 balls.Bates, who was on 89 off 59 balls then, went on to score her 10th ODI hundred, off only 71 balls. Only Australia captain Meg Lanning (11) has more ODI centuries than Bates. She reached the landmark when she tucked legspinner Gaby Lewis to the leg side for a single and got a hug from team-mate Green in the middle.In the next over, Bates was reprieved on 113 when Louise Little dropped a return catch that went high. Bates further added 38 to her tally before 17-year-old legspinner Cara Murray, also making her ODI debut, drew Bates out of her crease and had her stumped in the 30th over, and New Zealand were 288 for 2. Murray also dismissed Amy Satterthwaite, but ended up conceding 119 runs – the worst figures in all ODIs.Three other bowlers – Lewis, Little, and Lara Maritz – gave away 92 runs each while new-ball bowler Amy Kenealy went for 81 in nine overs.The loss of Bates did not slow down New Zealand. Green, whose previous best ODI score was 46, smoked her maiden international century off 62 balls, while Kerr scored an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. Kerr added 76 for the fifth wicket in 38 balls to bring her side to within 10 runs of 500.Notably, this match was played on the same pitch where New Zealand had chased down 137 in 11 overs without losing a wicket on Wednesday.Seamer Hannah Rowe made light work of Ireland’s openers before offspinner Leigh Kasperek ran through the middle and lower order with career-best figures of 4 for 17. She had dismissed captain Laura Delany (37) and Jennifer Gray (35) – the only two Ireland batsmen to pass 20. The entire Ireland side managed only 18 boundaries while Bates alone hit 26.

Sixteen years after he steered India to the historic tri-series final win at Lord’s, the former India batsman called time on his playing career

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2018Mohammad Kaif, 37, retired from all forms of cricket on Friday, 16 years after he steered India to one of their most memorable victories in ODI history – beating England by chasing down 325 at Lord’s in the NatWest Series final.Kaif ended a two-decade long first-class career that began in 1997-98. He played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs in an international career that spanned six years (2000-2006), his last game for India coming more than 12 years ago, during the tour of South Africa in 2006. He also captained India to their first Under-19 World Cup win, in 2000.”I am retiring today as it’s been 16 years since the historic Natwest Trophy win in which I was glad to play my part, and I’d like to remember that as I bow out,” he wrote in a letter to the BCCI. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have worn the India cap, and to have gone on to play 125 ODIs and 13 Tests for India, and for several other moments.”A domestic stalwart who played for three sides, Kaif’s association with his home state Uttar Pradesh was the most prominent, having led them to a maiden Ranji Trophy title by beating Bengal in 2005-06. Renowned for being a gritty batsman and an excellent fielder, Kaif finished with 10,229 runs in 186 first-class matches at an average of 38.60.Kaif quit Uttar Pradesh in 2014-15 and moved to Andhra as a professional for two seasons. In 2016-17, he led new entrants Chhattisgarh in their maiden Ranji Trophy season. He continued to play a key role as a member of their support staff the following season, even though his appearances as a player were sporadic.Post-retirement, Kaif hoped to be involved in a coaching or mentoring role. He was assistant coach of the now erstwhile Gujarat Lions in the IPL and wants to play a similar role in domestic cricket. Apart from short-term coaching assignments, Kaif is also keen to pursue media interests and hindi cricket commentary.

Harry Kane has been told he made the right call in joining Bayern as Manchester United’s chances of winning the Premier League are “next to nothing”.

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Left Tottenham in summer of 2023In danger of missing out on silverwareReturn to Premier League speculated onWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils were long-standing admirers of the former Tottenham striker heading into the summer transfer window of 2023. No official approach was made as Spurs made it clear that they were reluctant to do business with a domestic rival and Bayern were prepared to pay big money.

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Kane has impressed on a personal level in Germany – breaking through the 30-goal barrier – but is attracting ridicule as Bayern run the risk of experiencing a first trophyless campaign since 2012. Questions have been asked of whether Kane made the correct decision, and if a hasty return to England could be beaten, but Dietmar Hamann believes long-term benefits will be found at the Allianz Arena.

WHAT HAMANN SAID ABOUT KANE

The former Bayern midfielder, who also spent time with Newcastle and Liverpool in his playing days, has been speaking to , who offer the latest Premier League odds, and said of Kane favouring Munich over Manchester: “It’s a huge club and I think the other option was to go to Manchester United. He’s probably got another two or three good years but in your mid 30s it becomes very hard for the forwards to score goals because you lose a bit of pace and things become harder. If he had gone to Manchester United, what are the chances of him winning the league there? I think the chances are next to nothing. I can’t see United winning the league in the next three seasons at least. Kane made the decision to come here and going abroad is always a good experience to broaden your horizon and learn a new language. There are reasons for and against, it’s just a shame that he might end up without a trophy in his first season because that was the main reason he came here.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

Kane remains in the hunt for Champions League glory this season, but Bayern must overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit against Lazio in order to reach the quarter-finals of that competition. The Bundesliga title appears destined to fall out of reach as Bayer Leverkusen have opened up a 10-point lead at the summit.

Kings XI Punjab’s leading wicket-taker’s summer really took off only after it was almost over

Firdose Moonda30-Apr-2009As the sun began to set on the South African summer this year, Yusuf Abdulla was preparing to play his last cricket of the season. His schedule would see him compete in three more matches – all of them first-class four-day domestic fixtures for his franchise, the Dolphins. Thereafter, he could look forward to a mild Durban winter of rest and recovery. Little did Abdulla know that his summer would stretch on for a few weeks longer.His fine domestic Pro20 form, which saw him claim 10 wickets at an average of 17.10, earned him a call-up to the South African Twenty20 squad to face Australia. He was given just a single bite at the cherry, and only featured in one of the two matches against the Aussies, but he made sure he bit hard. His figures of 1 for 16 in three overs included the prize scalp of Ricky Ponting. That was enough to get him noticed by the people who matter.”I thought my season was going to end, but Tom Moody saw me in that game and the next day he called me up asked if I would be interested in playing for Punjab in the Indian Premier League”, Abdulla recalls. The speed at which he had gone from being just another domestic player to a part of cricket’spremier 20-over tournament still shocks him. “I still can’t believe how quickly it all happened. By that stage I knew the tournament was going to be held in South Africa, and it couldn’t have worked out any better”.The IPL has given many little-known Indian players their 15 minutes of fame but how did South Africa’s stocky swing bowler get in the frame?Abdulla is from a Muslim family and grew up in Lenasia, a largely Indian suburb in the south of Johannesburg. He spent some of his high-school career in Gauteng, before his family moved to the coal-mining town of Dundee in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). At 18 he was selected for the KZN academy and taken under the coach Yashin Ebrahim’s wing.”I always knew he had potential because of his natural ability to swing the ball,” Ebrahim says. Abdulla spent his time with the Dolphins priming himself for the big time. After a solid 2006-07 season, in which he took nine wickets at an average of 12.00 in the Pro20, Abdulla was picked as one of 20 amateur players to attend the national academy based at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. While the academy’s only competitive cricket was against Zimbabwe A, Abdulla saw it as an opportunity to learn everything he could. “I had already been coached by Graham Ford and Phil Russel, so I had a lot of good mentorship. I still wanted to work on my weaknesses and the academy gave me the room to do that”.His performance in the season that followed was testament to his hard work. In the 2007-08 season he took 10 wickets at an average of 13.40 in the Pro20. Besides being the Dolphins’ main strike bowler in the shorter form of the game, Abdulla also refined his Twenty20 technique. He learnt to disguise his slower ball well, and to fire it in fast from a low and wide angle outside the off stump.Ebrahim says that apart from the minor adjustments to his technique, Abdulla’s success can be largely attributed to his strong will. “When he started to back himself, it came together. He worked hard on his mindset even more than his technique. It was no surprise when he was selected for the national side.”Despite his sterling performances in the shorter version of the game, he has only managed to record one five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. His fitness has also often come under question because of his rotund build. “Ideally we would want him to lose some weight, but he has passed all our tests,” says Ebrahim.While Abdulla is looking to improve his form in the longer version of the game, he has one eye on being selected for the World Twenty20 in June and has emerged as one of the few Twenty20 specialists in South African cricket. “He is immensely competitive and seems to thrive on limited-overs cricket. In that form of the game, he is the go-to man for wickets and is as good an opening bowler as anyone in the country,” says AhmedAmla, the Dolphins captain.Ultimately it was these factors and local knowledge that swung him into favour with Punjab. With the team playing six out of their 14 matches in Durban, and Jerome Taylor ruled out injured, they opted for a South African bowler to assist in leading the attack.Their first two games were rain affected, and Abdulla’s performance could hardly be judged on those lines. He was flogged for 19 runs in the solitary over he bowled to the Delhi Daredevils. That baptism of fire exposed him to batsman he rates most highly. “Even though I only bowled the one over, I can tell you that Virender Sehwag is one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl to in the world”. Punjab lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in their second match, with Abdulla being clobbered for 20 runs in two overs.A change in the Kings XI’s fortunes has been followed up with a change in fortunes for Abdulla as well. He’s notched up figures of 4 for 31 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, among them the wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Jacques Kallis. His return of 3 for 21 against the Rajasthan Royals catapulted him into the top five leading wicket-takers in the tournament. And he went to joint second with a stellar last over in Punjab’s victory against the Mumbai Indians last night.Eager student: Abdulla is keen to learn from his more experienced Punjab team-mates•AFPMany credit his success to the softer wickets of the coast, which tend to favour swing bowlers, and say the real test will come when the IPL moves inland. Abdulla himself says it hasn’t been that easy. “Everybody says the wickets in Durban and Cape Town will suit me, but it has been tough. These wickets are being played on for anything like three matches in a row and by then they are behaving differently to what I am used to. It all depends on what happens on the day and how well I bowl.”Abdulla is still overwhelmed by the leap from provincial cricket into the IPL. He says the immense quality of players in the IPL still mesmerises him. “The main difference between the IPL and domestic cricket is that, for example, when I play against the Lions I am bowling to an opening combination of Alviro Petersen and Jean Symes, but in theIPL it’s to Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. So even though I am not saying domestic cricket isn’t challenging, the IPL is a step higher and there’s one quality player after the next”.That exposure to players of the highest calibre is also affording Abdulla the opportunity to absorb advice from international players. “I believe in learning wherever I go. The best thing about the IPL is that I am learning from more than one guy all the time. I get advice from players like Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and IrfanPathan.”At 26 he is not ashamed of seeking guidance. “I am quite close to Hashim Amla, not just in cricketing matters. I talk to him about all sorts of things, and I’d say we are the best of friends”.Abdullah says he couldn’t be happier about his extended summer. “There has been absolutely no strain on my body at all and I am really happy to be a part of this. I am just really enjoying it.”