Allrounder says Chinnaswamy noise rivals a packed MCG and gives insight into the standards the Australian Women’s team set themselves

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2025Annabel Sutherland reflects on her experience of WPL 2025, a long summer of cricket and the high standards the formidable Australian Women’s team hold themselves to.

Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami have been stellar at world events, as the numbers show

Deep Gadhia07-Mar-2025India and New Zealand have been two of the most consistent teams in ICC events in the recent past. In ICC white-ball events since 2011, India have won 70 out of the 86 matches they have played, far ahead of the second and joint-third-best teams: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in that order. Australia have 49 wins, and the others have 45 each; these three have played 77 matches each.

Ian Bishop talks about the West Indies attack – which is without Roach – which will take on Australia

Andrew McGlashan24-Jun-2025Australia are clear favourites in their series against West Indies, which begins in Barbados on Wednesday, but they start with some question marks over the batting. Steven Smith is absent injured and Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped, leading to recalls for Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis. Meanwhile, Cameron Green made an uncertain return to Test cricket at No. 3 against South Africa – albeit in challenging conditions – and there are eyes on the output of Usman Khawaja.That all leaves West Indies with a window of opportunity if they can put pressure on the top order. The experienced Kemar Roach is a notable absentee from this squad as coach Daren Sammy and new captain Roston Chase look to reshape the side. However, the three frontline quicks likely to form the attack, alongside the left-arm spin of Jomel Warrican, have the credentials to be a handful for the Australians.With the help of Ian Bishop, here’s a rundown of West Indies’ bowling options.

Shamar Joseph

Tests: 8 | Wickets: 29 | Average: 26.75There needs little reminding of what Shamar Joseph did when he last faced Australia, setting the Gabba alight with his second innings 7 for 68 to secure an eight-run victory. After recovering from the toe injury he bowled through that day, life was tougher in his next series against England, but in the last three Tests – against South Africa and Bangladesh – he has claimed 12 wickets. On Sunday night, he was named West Indies’ Test Player of the Year.”He went to England [in 2024] on the back of playing a lot of white-ball cricket and his fitness and his load management wasn’t up to scratch,” Bishop told ESPNcricinfo. “So he struggled there. He came back well last year against South Africa. But he hasn’t really reached those heights of the Gabba Test match as often as I would have hoped. But now that he’s had some time, I think, to get back into red-ball cricket, I’m hoping that we will see once again the best of him.”One of the challenges for Shamar has been refining his red-ball game while also juggling his white-ball commitments, both internationally and at the franchise level. He has still played more Tests (eight) than other first-class matches (seven) and just two of the latter this year.”That is the challenge, I think, not only for Shamar but several other players. Not just West Indian players but players around the globe,” Bishop said. “The draw of the leagues, particularly for those from the less wealthy nations, the nations under the big three who can’t afford to pay their players the same remuneration as England, India and Australia can. The compromise to allow them to play league cricket for their financial security.”In the case of Shamar being in the IPL, where he hasn’t played much, finding that right balance as an administration and as an individual player is still an ongoing work in progress. I’m hoping that as Shamar now gets into the back half of his twenties that he recognises and identifies which format of the game is greater for him and his legacy. And balancing with his financial security.”

Jayden Seales

Tests: 18 | Wickets: 75 | Average 22.26Ian Bishop on Seales: “I think he’s becoming a better bowler with the English experience”•AFP/Getty ImagesAt 23, Jayden Seales, who starred against Pakistan early in his career, is developing into the new leader of West Indies’ attack. Since returning to the side after injury in 2024 he has taken 38 wickets in his last eight outings. In Multan in January, he took advantage of a period where the ball swung to claim 3 for 27 – the only wickets to fall to pace in the match. Last year he returned the remarkable figures of 15.5-10-5-4 against Bangladesh in Jamaica. His one previous outing against Australia came at Perth in 2022 where he struck early to remove David Warner but that was his one success of the match.”Jayden has committed to playing much more red-ball cricket,” Bishop said. “Without sort of stereotyping him because he is playing a bit of white-ball cricket as well…but he goes to play his county cricket. He comes back and has the time to play a few domestic games, so I think Jayden knows more about his style of bowling. The team understands what his strength is: pitching the ball up, swinging it. Given his success in the last two seasons, I think that he is one of maybe two bowlers that you build your bowling attack around.”Where Jayden has come along nicely is that instead of always going searching for wickets, now he’s getting better at knowing when to go in attack mode and pitch the ball up when it’s swinging, and when to pull the throttle back and hold for a little while longer. It’s still a work in progress because he’s still a very young man at age 23. But I think he’s becoming a better bowler with the English experience.”

Alzarri Joseph

Tests: 37 | Wickets: 111 | Average 35.00″I still think his best is ahead of him”•Getty ImagesThe senior figure in this West Indies attack with Kemar Roach overlooked, Alzarri Joseph also played an important role in the historic Gabba victory with six wickets in the match. His overall Test numbers would suggest someone who has not quite fulfilled his potential but at 28 there is still time. Since 2022 his figures have been coming the right way with 71 wickets at 32.21 compared to 40 at 39.95 before that point. As the fastest of the West Indies quicks, he will be the one called upon for a sustained short-pitched attack if required.”One of his great challenges is that he is a multi-format player,” Bishop said. “So the transition between T20 to 50-over to Test cricket is something I still think he’s working on. I believe, and this is my honest opinion, I don’t think we’ve seen the absolute best of him yet. I think he has much more that his talent can give us in terms of when to control, when to attack. He has all the prerequisites. He can swing the ball, he can bowl upwards of 145kph and hit the deck hard. I still think his best is ahead of him.”

Jomel Warrican

Tests: 19 | Wickets: 73 | Average 27.56Jomel Warrican picked up match figures of 9 for 70 earlier this year in Pakistan•PCBLeft-arm spinner Jomel Warrican has risen to become West Indies’ No. 1 Test spinner since returning to the side in 2024 against South Africa. He had a remarkable tour of Pakistan this year where he claimed 19 wickets in two Tests, alongside some vital lower-order runs, including 5 for 27 in the second innings of the second Test to give West Indies victory. He has now been named Roston Chase’s vice-captain.”[He] found the Pakistan pitch to be suitable and amenable for his style of bowling where he found grip,” Bishop said. “He bowled very slowly through the air compared to [Gudakesh] Motie and one or two others. Whether he can now back that up in the Caribbean in a big way. I think he will always be consistent, he’s shown that in his Test career, but whether he can have the same impact, time will tell. What you get from Warrican is a level of consistency of performance.”

Anderson Phillip

Tests: 2 | Wickets: 3 | Average: 70.66Anderson Phillip has played just two Tests so far•Getty ImagesAnderson Phillip, who last played a Test against Australia in Adelaide on the 2022-23 tour, is another option in the squad. He has produced some steady numbers for Lancashire, and overall since the start of 2024 has 69 first-class wickets at 24.86 including a five-wicket haul recently against South Africa A. “Although I would put the two Josephs and Jayden out front, Anderson Phillip, depending on how he goes in the training sessions, could sort of nudge if his form is that good,” Bishop said.

Johann Layne

The 21-year-old is uncapped at international level but he is putting together some impressive domestic numbers including 27 wickets at 15.88 in the recent four-day Championship. “Johan is tall, he’s wiry, he’s not out-and-out fast,” Bishop said. “But I do believe that if put in the right hands, he is one of two or three young seam bowlers – I wouldn’t say fast bowlers because they’re not yet, at 21 years of age, fast – [who] have potential. He’s rangy, he’s tall and he’s intelligent. So I have high hopes for his development.”

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will be banking on their allrounders to make a difference in the two-match series

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Sep-2025Who is going to bat in Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order?Sri Lanka are on the hunt for batters who can finish with big hits, and right now, that role is being filled by Dasun Shanaka. But are there better options in those positions? Seam-bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne is in the squad, as is spin-bowling allrounder Dunith Wellalage, both of whom have been working on their batting. Batting allrounder Vishen Halambage is also around. This has long been a problem area for Sri Lanka, and they will be keen to figure out their best lower-order hitters before the Asia Cup begins, in a little over a week.Related

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How effective will the allrounders be?Sri Lanka’s squad is packed with multi-dimensional cricketers, but Zimbabwe favours allrounders even more. With Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, Ryan Burl, Sean Williams, Tony Munyonga and Brian Bennett all in the side, they will almost certainly have variety in their XI. In the ODIs, Sri Lanka’s batters largely prospered against Zimbabwe’s middle-overs bowling options, but on a large Harare Sports Club ground, in a more explosive format, Zimbabwe have various avenues through which to target Sri Lanka batters’ weaknesses. Both captains will have an array of bowling resources at their disposal, which means both are likely to be flexible with their bowling plans.Sikandar Raza will back himself to come good against Sri Lanka•Zimbabwe CricketWill Raza’s form hold?If it’s a series against Sri Lanka, Raza will be making runs. He’s been outstanding against this opposition in ODIs especially, but has only faced them in three T20Is so far. No one in the Zimbabwe side picks Sri Lanka’s spinners better than Raza, as evidenced by scores of 92 and 59 not out in the ODIs. With Wanindu Hasaranga out of this series through injury, Raza’s chances of succeeding in he middle overs again are higher. And while Sri Lanka will not be daunted by his bowling, he has tended to bowl plenty of cheap overs against them in the past.Can Nissanka’s good form unlock a new level to his career?Since June, Pathum Nissanka has been outstanding. He hit hundreds in each of Sri Lanka’s Tests against Bangladesh in June, and although he hadn’t been quite as good in the T20s against Bangladesh, he did clobber a 16-ball 42 in the one match Sri Lanka won in that series. He was an obvious choice for Player of the Series in the ODIs, having top-scored in both matches. If he is effective in T20s in the next six months though – in which there is an Asia Cup, and a T20 World Cup which Sri Lanka are due to co-host, he could take his career into the stratosphere.Will Matheesha Pathirana start for Sri Lanka in the T20Is?•Associated PressHow will Sri Lanka use Pathirana?</b?Although a regular for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, and one of their most-valued players over the last three seasons, Matheesha Pathirana has trouble making it into any Sri Lanka XIs. He didn't play the ODIs, and is not guaranteed to play in the T20Is either. Mostly, Sri Lanka have wanted him to prove that he is a viable wicket-taking option at the start of the innings, as well as at the death. His not having been in prime wicket-taking form this year may count against him, with Sri Lanka having plenty of other seam-bowling options – Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, and Dushmantha Chameera are all in the mix.

After England’s dramatic two-day capitulation to start the 2025-26 Ashes, Alan Gardner hears from Vish Ehantharajah and Alex Malcolm about what went down in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2025After all the talk, time for a speed walk. The 2025-26 Ashes got underway in rip-roaring style, as Australia overturned a first-innings deficit to win by eight wickets in Perth, thanks to Travis Head’s century for the ages. Can England fight back from 1-0 down? On Switch, Alan Gardner was joined by Vithushan Ehantharajah and Alex Malcolm to consider that question and more. Will Head continue to open? How did England squander their advantage? And should we start worrying about Joe Root? Also under consideration was Mitchell Starc’s greatness and what’s in store for Brisbane.

Australia and New Zealand are in town as the city ends a 28-year wait

Vishal Dikshit30-Sep-2025A lanky girl in her late teens wraps her batting gloves around her bat handle on the concrete pavement beyond the worn-down fence of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium under overcast skies in Indore. She whacks the under-arm half-volley straight to me and sticks her tongue out instantly, with a cheeky grin, implying that it wasn’t intentional at all.The once-iconic stadium, which started exclusively as a cricket venue under the Indore Municipal Corporation in 1964, now wears a dilapidated look. It hosted nine men’s ODIs and two women’s ODIs but hasn’t hosted competitive cricket matches since 2001. It has since been turned into a multi-sports complex, with patches of overgrown grass covering a majority of the ground, and its corners occupied by aspiring athletes honing their skills in football, cricket, basketball and volleyball.When former India opener Sandhya Agarwal was in her late teens, she used to dabble in kite flying, games of marbles and later on cricket with boys of her age in the gullies outside the same Nehru Stadium, where she grew up watching the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, GR Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, S Venkataraghavan, and others in Ranji Trophy and international matches. Growing up in the vicinity of the ground sparked a fire in her to become an India international herself, and despite retiring in 1995, she is still the leading scorer for India in women’s Tests and holds a storied place as one of only a handful of batters to score hundreds, including a 190 against England in 1986, which was then the highest individual score.The Nehru Stadium is best remembered for witnessing Sachin Tendulkar become the first player to cross 10,000 ODI runs, on his way to 139 against Australia in 2001, and infamously for the three-over farce between India and Sri Lanka in 1997, when the match was called off as the dry and crumbling pitch was judged unsafe for the players to continue. That was the beginning of the end for the ground.Sachin Tendulkar scored his 10,000th ODI run in Indore•ALLSPORTThere was a match here that went largely unnoticed in 1997. It was a World Cup match. Between India women, who weren’t under the wings of the BCCI, and New Zealand women. The ICC wasn’t involved in the tournament either.Agarwal had retired by then and was on commentary for Doordarshan, India’s state-owned and only television broadcaster at the time. She recalls the ground had fairly “nominal” facilities, where New Zealand posted a modest 176 for 9 and India were just six runs away when they lost their ninth wicket, with 15 balls to go.”Until then it felt like India were going to win easily,” Agarwal reminisces while talking to ESPNcricinfo. “It was me and Sushil – Sushil Doshi (journalist and sports commentator from Indore) – and we said to each other, ‘ tak aane lagi hai (we can smell the victory till the commentator’s box now),’ I still remember.”Related

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She estimates there must have been just under a thousand people in the crowd, but they were very vocal in their support for the players who were still miles from becoming household names.Opener Emily Drumm, New Zealand’s top-scorer with 69, was on her first tour of the subcontinent, adjusting to “pretty average” hotels and facilities, and a crowd that was obviously supporting the home team.”It was a tense one,” Drumm says, jogging back her memory, “It ebbed and flowed. It was quite noisy with the crowd, good atmosphere. We didn’t get enough runs, so I knew that was probably going to be really tight.”Wickets fell at good intervals, and then India would get a little bit of parity and then we would break a partnership. It was one of those matches. It was a really funny game. There was a bit of bite between the teams, a little bit of chat. No love lost at all. So I think we got out of there alive just.”Nehru stadium, once an exclusive cricket ground, now a multi-sports complex•ESPNcricinfo LtdNeetu David getting bowled in the last over with the scores level meant New Zealand finished above India in the league stage and ultimately reached the final where they lost to Australia in Kolkata. Three years later the trans-Tasman rivals met each other once again, in Lincoln, and this time Drumm, the captain, lifted New Zealand’s maiden World Cup trophy, edging out Australia by just four runs.Now, another 25 years later, New Zealand return to Indore to kickstart their 2025 World Cup campaign against Australia. Both teams have gone through several transitions since then, the game has gone professional, and Indore also has a new ground – the Holkar Stadium – which started hosting international matches in 2006 but is yet to host a women’s international. This World Cup, it’s the venue for five games, including the India vs England clash – a rematch of the 2017 final – on October 19, which is likely to be the biggest crowd-puller of the lot.Of the four Indian cities that will play host this World Cup, the rapid rise of Indore best mirrors the growth of the women’s game. The city has developed expeditiously – proudly called “Mini-Mumbai” by the locals – just like the dizzying rise of the women’s game, most recently proven by the record prize money this time of US$ 13.88 million, more than what the Australian men received ($10 million) for lifting the 2023 ODI trophy.A number of players who have played pivotal roles in the transformation of the women’s game will take the field in the coming weeks in Indore. If young girls – whether they train at Nehru Stadum or Holkar – want to get inspired, this is their best chance to see them in the flesh and light the fire in themselves.

The question was whether India would pick Kuldeep Yadav or a spin-bowling allrounder. They found a way to accommodate both

Sidharth Monga14-Nov-20255:09

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A day before the first Test against South Africa, Shubman Gill gave followers of Indian cricket a scare when he said the last spot was between a specialist spinner and an allrounder. It was a here-we-go-again moment. Surely they were not debating Kuldeep Yadav’s place in the side?A moment of empathy later, one thought that the statement was perhaps necessitated by the need for a third seamer. That it wasn’t actually India craving Axar Patel’s batting at No. 9.When the pitch was revealed on the morning of the Test, it was apparent they didn’t need a third quick. So it was indeed the worst fears. Kuldeep’s place was under threat even though India had batting till No. 8.Related

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A massive sigh of relief must have been breathed when Gill reported at the toss that they had gone from Kuldeep or a spin-bowling allrounder to Kuldeep a spin-bowling allrounder. India were entering the bold new era of trying Washington Sundar as a top-order batter to accommodate a fourth spinner, Axar, in the XI, with Ravindra Jadeja in there as always.The player who missed out is a bit of an experiment himself. B Sai Sudharsan is the first specialist batter since WV Raman in the late 1980s to play Tests for India with a first-class average of under 40. He debuted in England, was left out after one Test, but had played five of the seven Tests since his debut. His average of 30.33 is the lowest among the specialist batters played by India in this period.We can reasonably eliminate an injury because India didn’t replace Sai Sudharsan with another specialist batter, in this case Devdutt Padikkal. That they replaced him with an allrounder is a sign that India are up to an experiment that is not quite outlandish. Experts have suggested in the past that Washington is good enough to bat higher in the order.India have decided it is time to pull the trigger on that experiment because these are the conditions when India have players who can cover up if it fails. Axar, who averages 35.88 with the bat, is a formidable No. 8. If it works out, though, the upside is huge. If Washington can develop into a batter good enough to bat in the top order, the flexibility it will give India is huge.Sai Sudharsan, who scored 87 in his last innings, might feel a bit hard done by after having been blooded at No. 3 in England, but this is the reality of playing cricket for India. Especially in India. There is just too much talent to keep out of the XI.

All the stats from an extraordinary batting onslaught in the second T20I at Old Trafford

Sampath Bandarupalli12-Sep-2025304 for 2 England’s total in the second T20I against South Africa at Manchester. It is their highest total in men’s T20Is and the third highest by any team in the format.Zimbabwe’s 344 for 4 against Gambia in 2024 and Nepal’s 314 for 3 against Mongolia in 2023 are the higher totals.England’s total is also the fourth-highest in all men’s T20s and the highest in England, surpassing Somerset’s 265 for 5 against Derbyshire in 2022.141* Phil Salt’s score against South Africa is the highest for England in men’s T20Is, surpassing his own score of 119 against West Indies in 2023. It is also the seventh-highest individual score in men’s T20Is and the highest against South Africa.228 Runs scored off boundaries by England batters on Friday, the third-most by a team in a men’s T20I. Zimbabwe scored 282 runs off boundaries against Gambia during their record total, while India scored 232 boundary runs against Bangladesh in last year’s Hyderabad T20I.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland batters hit 30 fours against South Africa, the joint-most by any team in a men’s T20I. The 48 boundaries they hit, including 18 sixes, are the second-most, behind the 57 by Zimbabwe (30 fours and 27 sixes) against Gambia.146 England’s margin of win by runs against South Africa is their biggest in men’s T20Is. It is also the heaviest defeat by runs for South Africa in this format.The margin of 146 runs is the third-biggest in a men’s T20I between two Full Member teams, behind India’s 168-run win against New Zealand in 2023 and their 150-run win against England earlier this year.462 Runs aggregated by England and South Africa at Manchester on Friday, the most for a men’s T20I match in England. It is also the eighth-most aggregated match in men’s T20I cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd39 Balls that Salt needed to complete his hundred, the fastest for England in men’s T20Is. The previous quickest was off 42 balls by Liam Livingstone against Pakistan at Nottingham in 2021.3 South Africa bowlers conceded 60-plus runs in England’s innings – Kagiso Rabada (70), Marco Jansen (60) and Lizaad Williams (62). It is the first instance of three bowlers conceding 60-plus runs in an innings in all men’s T20s.4 Number of hundreds for Salt in his 45-match T20I career. Only Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell, five each, are ahead of Salt, while Suryakumar Yadav also has four tons.16.2 Overs needed for England to bring up 250, the joint-fastest team 250 in men’s T20Is, where ball-by-ball data is available. Zimbabwe also reached the 250-run mark in 16.2 overs against Gambia last year.12.1 Overs that England needed to reach the 200-run mark. Only one team got there quicker in men’s T20Is – in 11.5 overs by Turkey against Bulgaria earlier this year (where ball-by-ball data is available). The fastest team 200 in all men’s T20s is off 10.5 overs by Baroda against Sikkim in 2024.England reached the 150-mark in 9 overs, which is also the second-fastest in men’s T20Is, behind Turkey’s effort in 8.3 overs against Bulgaria in that game.ESPNcricinfo Ltd166 for 1 England’s total at the halfway point of their innings, the second-highest by any team in men’s T20Is, a run behind Turkey’s 167 for 1 against Bulgaria (where ball-by-ball data is available).100 for 0 England’s total in the powerplay at Manchester is their highest in that phase in men’s T20Is. England’s effort is only the seventh instance of a three-figure total in the powerplay in men’s T20Is (where ball-by-ball data is available).Only one of the previous six has been against a full-member team – 102 for 0 by South Africa against West Indies in 2023.2 Salt and Jos Buttler are only the second opening pair to score fifties in 20 or fewer balls in men’s T20Is (where ball-by-ball data is available). Romania’s Taranjeet Singh and Ramesh Satheesan were the first to do so, against Serbia in 2021.70 Runs conceded by Rabada in his four overs, the most by a bowler for South Africa in a men’s T20I. Kyle Abbott’s 68 against West Indies in 2015 were the previous most. Rabada’s 70 runs are also the joint-fifth most conceded by a bowler in a men’s T20I.Rabada conceded only seven runs in his first over, but the next three overs went for 20, 23, and 20 runs, respectively, making him the first bowler to concede 20-plus runs in three different overs in a men’s T20I.2.1 Overs in which Williams conceded 50 runs. Only two bowlers conceded 50 runs in a quicker time in a men’s T20I than Williams (where ball-by-ball data is available).Romania’s Vasu Saini gave away 50 runs in only 1.4 overs against Belgium earlier this year, while Mongolia’s Mungun Altankhuyag conceded 50 in 2 overs against Nepal in 2023.

Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill talked up Hearts’ title chances hours before agreeing to return to Parkhead, also insisting that Rangers are “no threat whatsoever”.

The 73-year-old will be back in the Celtic Park dugout along with Shaun Maloney for Wednesday’s visit of Falkirk, 20 years after exiting the club, following Brendan Rodgers’ dramatic and acrimonious departure.

O’Neill’s previous arrival kick-started a period of dominance which has seen Celtic win 18 of the past 25 championships, as well as 23 cup competitions.

But the former Republic of Ireland manager returns with Hearts threatening to disrupt the dynamics of Scottish football after going eight points clear with a 3-1 win against Celtic on Sunday.

The result sparked an end to a fractious last few months of Rodgers’ second reign, which saw tension over transfer policy made public before principal shareholder Dermot Desmond accused the former Liverpool manager of being “divisive” and “self-serving”.

Rangers "no threat whatsoever" in title race

When asked by talkSPORT on Monday if this was the season that there could be a “disruptor” in Scottish football, O’Neill said: “Without a doubt, this is it. Celtic are not as physically strong, can actually lose games, whereas before they looked invincible in matches.

“Rangers are no threat whatsoever, although the new manager (Danny Rohl), I think he can maybe do something in time. But they are so far adrift, it’s untrue.”

Rohl had recently commented on his aspirations at Ibrox, revealing he chose Rangers because he “looked for a club to win titles”.

“We are not happy, and it’s the reason why I’m here,” the German said on being appointed in Govan. “I’ve said in the past I was looking for an ambitious club, that’s looking for more.

“I looked for a club to win titles. This club has everything for all these goals and it’s amazing to be coach at this fantastic club. I know what it means and I think I will feel this in the next couple of days and weeks.

“My job is clear and I know what I want to do with this group of players.”

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The Glasgow stranglehold on the Scottish league has been in place since Aberdeen won a third title in six seasons in 1985, but O’Neill admitted “the time is now” at Tynecastle.

“This is the moment, this is the time now for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear, and that is a decent enough lead, really. And their confidence is growing, and it will grow from that victory as well.

“All things are happening for Hearts, it’s great, whereas just at this minute Celtic are in a wee bit of trouble.

“This is the best time for any side outside the Old Firm to go and win. There is a long way to go but there is momentum gathering at Tynecastle.”