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The forward's love for the club is obvious but a parting of the ways would be best for everyone involved at this stage.

The circumstances in which Bori Fati could have ended his son's Barcelona career were quite extraordinary.

Bori, Ansu's father and agent, called into Spanish radio station , to air out a number of grievances about his son's situation at Barcelona. He complained about Ansu's lack of playing time, he railed against bigger roles handed to other players.

And, perhaps most importantly, Bori called on his son to leave the club he joined as a teenager.

Ansu was apparently blindsided by the outburst and may release a statement of his own, reaffirming his love for Barca. But the damage may already be done.

At the very least, it's another negative development in what should have been a momentous career from a footballer who is still growing.

Indeed, at a time when he should be looking forward to starting against Elche on Saturday, with Raphinha suspended and Ousmane Dembele injured, he is instead dealing with a furore over his future.

It's quite the fall from grace. Just two years ago, remember, Fati was hailed as Barcelona's 'new Lionel Messi' and even handed the No.10 shirt. Now, he can't even nail down a starting spot.

🏆 TOP STORY: Gavi loses first-team status at Barca📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Who should replace Conte at Spurs?🚨 MUST READ: The cost of top-four failure for Liverpool

He isn't the first teenager to be boxed into the Argentine's influence at Barcelona. Indeed, a string of young talents have been dubbed the second coming of the club legend.

Still, Fati was supposed to be the one that panned out. He was never going to reach Messi's talent, influence or production – no one can. But he appeared, at the very least, to be trending in the right direction.

And now, Fati might slip into a familiar Barcelona trap, another failure in a handful of promising attacking players to see their careers flatlined by expectation.

It might be time for the immensely talented 20-year-old to get out of Camp Nou before that can happen.

The heir to Messi's throne

Everyone knew Fati was good. The Guinea-born winger was accelerated through La Masia and called into the first team before making a single appearance with the reserve side.

He was a real viral sensation, too, his feints and tricks too easily likened to that of Barca's more permanent right winger at the time.

He got his moment in the midst of a miserable season for the Blaugrana. The Catalan club had been ravaged by injuries in 2020, and the soon-to-leave Ernesto Valverde arguably had no choice but to turn to Fati, who was just 16 at the time.

The prodigy seized his chance with aplomb. He became the second youngest player to appear for Barcelona, the youngest to start in the club's history, and the youngest to score and assist in La Liga.

The teenager grew into the side and, by the end of the season, had bagged eight goals across 15 starts.

The quality of the goals were eye-catching, too. Fati wasn't just scoring tap-ins. The teenager loved to cut on to his wonderful right foot and shoot at goal. But he could also score with his head, and make late runs into the box.

The press swiftly jumped onto the hype train, and interest from across Europe followed. A Spain call-up came shortly, as did praise from then-national team manager Luis Enrique. In August 2020, club president Josep Bartomeu vowed to keep him at Camp Nou for life.

And, inevitably, the claims of a Messi successor stuck.

The 2020 season turned sour very quickly, though, with Barcelona failing to win a single trophy for the first time in 12 years. It was all capped off by an embarrassing 8-2 drubbing by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Amid all that doom and gloom, though, Barcelona had reason for excitement thanks to Fati.

AdvertisementIMAGO / ShutterstockThe original injury

Sadly, it all started to go wrong soon after.

Fati's first major injury was a freak occurrence.

In November 2020, a Real Betis defender tackled Fati, and his knee twisted awkwardly into the Camp Nou grass. A devastating injury diagnosis followed a day later: the teenager had torn his inner meniscus.

The surgery went as planned but, according to , Barcelona messed up Fati's recovery, asking him to do two rehab sessions a day, rather than the required one.

His knee swelled up and, within two months, he was forced to go under the knife again, this time to fix the original procedure.

But that operation didn't quite work out either, and Fati ended up having a chunk of his meniscus removed altogether.

By the end of it all, Fati had had four operations in six months on the same knee. What should have been a three-month recovery turned into nearly 11.

GettyFurther fitness problems

But even when his knee healed, it became clear that Fati wasn't quite right.

Although he returned to something resembling his old form in November 2021 – bagging goals against Celta Vigo and Dynamo Kyiv – more knocks followed.

His hamstring went once, then a second time. Meanwhile, he was feeling soreness in his right knee. Another operation was recommended, but he said no.

He eventually returned to the fold more permanently at the end of last season, making five appearances, all off the bench.

Fati was crying out for minutes, but Xavi insisted that the player who had thrived as a left winger should operate as a central striker.

Under that duress, Fati failed to score in just over 100 minutes of game time. He tallied five shots on target in five games as Barca's season fizzled out.

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Getty ImagesFinally fit but not firing

But now, something uncharacteristic has happened: Fati is fully fit.

He has still endured the odd knock here, a muscle pull there. But he has made 40 appearances this season, scoring six and assisting four in all competitions.

And glimpses of the Fati of old remain. Goals against Cadiz, Villarreal and Real Betis offered hope. A standout performance against Intercity showed promise. His legs are slower, but the movement, runs and intelligence are still there.

But then, there have been the misses. He skied a free header against Man United that could have changed the fortunes of an unsuccessful European campaign. There was also an accidental block of his own team-mate's shot that would have given the Blaugrana a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid.

For all of those mistakes, Fati has been slammed by the press, pushed further out of the first-team picture at Camp Nou.

And now Barcelona are winning, Fati no longer has the time to fail. The misses count more than they did then, because there’s intense competition for places, particularly up front.

Playing for Barcelona is a ruthless thing; playing for a successful Barcelona is even more difficult. Fati is just a victim of the team's improvement under Xavi.

However, his struggles at club level are affecting his international prospects. Fati was also meant to be Spain's next great attacker but he didn't even make the squad for the start of La Roja's Euro 2024 qualification campaign.

Worse still, it's been reported that Luis Enrique was talking about Fati when he recently revealed that he regretted taking one player to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar…

Varun Chopra was not the batsman the selectors had come to watch but, with his first Championship century for almost a year, he may have reminded them of his qualities as a potential opening partner to Alastair Cook

George Dobell at Edgbaston26-Apr-2016
ScorecardVarun Chopra helped lead a strong response•Getty ImagesVarun Chopra was not the batsman the selectors had come to watch but, with his first Championship century for almost a year, he may have reminded them of his qualities as a potential opening partner to Alastair Cook.It will take more than one eye-catching innings for Chopra to regain lost ground. He has not represented England Lions since February 2014 and has seen the likes of Sam Robson, Adam Lyth, Nick Compton, Alex Hales and Daniel Bell-Drummond go past him in the competition for an England place.But to score a century of this class against an attack of this quality will have done him no harm. He is a wonderfully stylish player with a range of sweetly-timed drives, a gorgeous late cut and a strong pull. He has all the ingredients required to succeed at the top level and, aged 28, time enough to show it.His fault has, at times, been a tendency to fall over towards the off side and a habit of fencing at the ball off the back foot. But with greater balance and discipline, he helped his side avoid the potential pitfalls here and will have shown Mick Newell, the on-looking selector, that he is back to something approaching his best.Chopra’s career suffered for taking on the burden of captaincy at Warwickshire for two years. After being the only man at the club to record 1,000 Championship runs in each season between 2011 and 2013, he fell back in 2014 (though he was still the club’s top run-scorer in first-class cricket and led the side to one trophy and two runners-up positions) and managed only 658 at an average of 27.41 in 2015.Ian Bell’s greater availability may have been the catalyst to changing the captaincy of the club, but Chopra could see that his own England aspirations were not advancing as he had hoped and does not appear to have resisted.His previous record against Yorkshire was also poor. In nine first-class games against them, he had scored only 151 runs at an average of 8.88 without ever reaching 50. In 2015, he lasted five balls in all in suffering a pair at the hands of Ryan Sidebottom.He will, therefore, have been relieved to see Sidebottom limp out of the attack midway through his sixth over. Sidebottom, who had been gaining some dangerous swing, experienced discomfort in his left ankle as he landed earlier in the over – he let out a yelp of pain that could be heard around the ground – and it seems he is most unlikely to bowl again in this game. A Yorkshire debut for David Willey at Trent Bridge on Sunday appears probable.But Yorkshire still offered strong opposition. Jack Brooks produced a beauty to account for Ian Westwood – swinging in, it pitched and left the batsman a fraction to take the top of off stump – and hardly wasted a ball. He was well supported by Liam Plunkett, who looked slightly quicker than Chris Woakes, but offered less in terms of lateral movement, Steven Patterson and the especially impressive Adil Rashid.It was Rashid who accounted for Bell. After compiling an elegant half-century, Bell, perhaps beaten in the flight, failed to come sufficiently far forward to smother Rashid’s leg spin and edged his forward prod to first slip. Judging by the manner that Newell left before another ball was bowled, it was Bell he had come to see.What he will have learned is unclear. Bell looked in fine form, saw off a really good spell of bowling after lunch, but failed to go on to register the commanding score that would have made him hard to ignore. It may prove relevant that, for the second innings in succession, he paid for failing to get as far forward as he might have done on what remains a decent pitch.Jonathan Trott withstood the inevitable short-balls that greeted his arrival – Plunkett came round the pitch to him for a while – and continues to look in supreme form, while Chopra, on 99 at tea, scored the run he required to register his 19th first-class century from the first ball after the interval. Given a full four days, this match could have been a classic.Sadly, all has been ruined by poor weather. Play was first interrupted and then abandoned due to snow on day three with most agreeing it was the coldest day of first-class cricket they had experienced. At one stage, as the Yorkshire fielders took to wearing woolly hats, it was suggested that, instead of sending a 12th man out with drinks, a St Bernard should run out with a tot of brandy. A final day of bonus point accumulation looms.

Tim Southee won New Zealand a thriller the last time they met Australia in a T20I six years ago, but now, the stakes are almost as high as the altitude as they face off in a crucial encounter in Dharamsala

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale17-Mar-2016Match factsFriday, March 18, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0930 GMT)Big pictureSix years ago, Australia and New Zealand played a highly entertaining T20 match at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. Brendon McCullum blasted a 56-ball 116 and scooped audaciously off Shaun Tait, New Zealand racked up 214, Australia matched them in the chase, and Tim Southee kept things tight in the Super Over to seal a memorable win for the home team. And they haven’t met in a T20 match since.Strange as it seems, February 28, 2010 was the last time these Trans-Tasman neighbours played each other in T20 cricket. Now they finally reconnect in the shortest format and the stakes are almost as high as the altitude. Dharamsala is the venue for Australia’s opening match of this World T20, but New Zealand already have a win on the board against hosts India. Another one here and they will be in prime position to progress to a World T20 semi-final for the first time since 2007.New Zealand’s spin success against India in Nagpur augurs well for their hopes in this tournament. Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Nathan McCullum between them picked up nine out of ten wickets against India, and given that Australia can struggle against the turning ball in the short form it may just be advantage New Zealand. A few more runs from the top order would be handy, though – New Zealand were wobbling at 13 for 2 in the second over against India before recovering adequately.Quite what to expect from Australia remains a mystery. Punished at home by India in three T20s, they moved on to South Africa and found some form, but then were outdone by West Indies in a warm-up in Kolkata. They too have three spinners available, including the allrounder Glenn Maxwell, but neither Ashton Agar nor Adam Zampa had played a T20 international three weeks ago. This is a big step up. Australia are preaching “flexibility”, which is admirable, but there is something to be said for stability as well.Form guideAustralia: WWLLL (last five completed matches)
New Zealand: WWWLWWatch out forDavid Warner has made his name as an opener but suddenly has become a floater in Australia’s T20 middle order. The switch worked well in South Africa, where he scored 20, 77 and 33, and although it is possible he could open again in this tournament, with other options such as Aaron Finch, Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja, that seems unlikely.Mitchell Santner’s 4 for 11 against India was the best analysis by a New Zealand spinner in T20 internationals, and there is no reason to think he won’t cause problems for Australia’s batsmen as well. Santner has a certain about him – he just seems like a man for any occasion. And the big occasion hasn’t worried him yet.Team newsThere are so many possible combinations Australia could go with that choosing their final XI feels like something of a lottery, which their selection process has more or less been over the past six games. One question is whether to choose all three spinners, another is whether Usman Khawaja can squeeze into the top order, and another is how many fast men are required with a heavy complement of seaming allrounders.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 David Warner, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Nevill (wk), 9 Ashton Agar/John Hastings/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.New Zealand may well be tempted to stick with their winning combination.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Colin Munro, 4 Corey Anderson, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Luke Ronchi (wk), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Adam Milne, 11 Ish SodhiPitch and conditionsA new pitch has been prepared, which may not turn as much as that used by the Associates recently, but spin is still expected to play more of a role than pace and bounce. There is some rain expected on Friday as well, which could lead to an abbreviated game.Stats and trivia Australia and New Zealand have met five times in T20s for four wins to Australia; New Zealand’s only victory was in the Super Over in Christchurch in 2010 Australia have played only six T20s in 2016 but have used a remarkable 25 playersQuotes”Yeah, I think you have to have something in mind [for a shortened game]. I don’t think a lot of the game-plans or the way each individual plays changes too much but I think you do have to have a few different game-plans if the game is a bit shorter.”
.”It was definitely a lot of happy team-mates after the game [against India]. But we don’t want to get too carried away. It’s just one game in what is a short and condensed tournament. Lot of games to be played.”

Joe Leach nipped a potential Middlesex recovery in the bud before Tom Fell and Moeen Ali hit half-centuries to keep Worcestershire on top

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Uxbridge22-Jun-2015
ScorecardTom Fell struck an unbeaten 75 to mount a strong Worcestershire reply•Getty ImagesDespite the loss of 16 overs in the morning, Worcestershire were able to maintain control of a game that, not for the first time this season, they have bossed for the first half. Even when it looked like Middlesex were about to begin a substantial tail-wag to take them beyond the 110-over mark, Joe Leach took three wickets in 11 balls to nip it in the bud.The first saw James Harris trapped in front – the ball keeping a touch low – and the second came with the very next delivery as Toby Roland-Jones wafted at one he should have left well alone. Tim Murtagh survived the hat-trick ball from Leach, pushing a single into the off side, before Ollie Rayner inside-edged for another to take Middlesex to 300. Rayner it was whose eventual departure gave Leach figures of 4 for 81.With the wicket of Roland-Jones, Leach moved to 35 for the season, surpassing his total return in 2014 in his sixth Championship match. It also meant that Worcestershire have now collected full bowling points from an incredible 35 of their last 36 Championship matches.Credit must go to their bowling coach Matt Mason, a Western Australian who has forged a professional seam attack that pride themselves on not wasting deliveries. He talks about bowling fuller lengths and being brave as bowlers; looking to hit the stumps more often and bring in all modes of dismissal. “Prepare to be driven as opposed to cut and pulled,” is the mindset he has instilled. Leach’s spell was indicative of that.Like all good coaches, he is self aware – “I’m happy to admit I don’t know everything” – and has a strong desire to learn. He picks the brains of his contemporaries and those who know better, whether they are the bowling coaches of international touring sides or close company. Jason Gillespie is a long-term mentor of his and conversation between the two is regular and fluid. It is from Gillespie that he picked up an equation that he now uses as a guide for his bowlers: economy rate multiplied by strike rate, added to the bowling average.If the bowler ends up with a number under 200, they are doing a lot right. All three of the seam bowlers in the Worcestershire attack fall in to this bracket so far in 2015 (Charlie Morris 191.42; Jack Shantry 138.95; Joe Leach 126.09).”It brings in all facets of bowling,” Mason says, “the cost of your wicket and also your ability to take them. It’s a really good way of giving the guys something to focus on.”Worcestershire’s first innings was a slow and steady affair. What enthusiasm there was around in the fold-up chairs after the rains had come and gone was slowly broken down in a mammoth evening session of 45 overs.Daryl Mitchell took 33 balls to get off the mark, by which time he had already lost his opening partner Richard Oliver, who was adjudged to have nicked Harris’ fifth ball of the match through to John Simpson. Oliver’s reaction suggested it was anything but bat.Mitchell was then joined by Moeen Ali, who was also watchful, timing defensive shots into the off side with great clarity and leaving lots. Three fours came off Harris, whose extra pace on to the bat allowed Moeen some substance for his stylish flourishes.Faced with an over of Rayner before lunch, he displayed a bit of force to hit down the ground and then to midwicket to overtake Mitchell. Post-lunch, you could not have scripted a more Moeen display.Scripted is probably the wrong word – “curated” would be more appropriate. Each signature piece to his game was on show; the timing, the placement, the execution. Even the singles were worth remembering. At times the crowd sighed with pleasure when an immaculate drive found a fielder. Even the shots for none were shots for them.He moved into the forties with an indulgent aerial drive through a vacant cover, before going to 46 by top-edging a hook over the keeper’s head. Fifty was brought up with a lazy dab behind point for his 10th boundary. An even lazier stroke brought about his demise as he chipped a slower ball to Roland-Jones at mid-off.After the demise of Moeen, Tom Fell took it upon himself to entertain the crowd. His drives were sweet and measured; his judgement sound and unwavering. Middlesex “ooooed” and “aaaahed” in a bid to convince him that his off stump was not where he thought it was. But he knew better.Unlike Ali, there are no flourishes to his batting but, at the same time, there seem to be no rough edges either. He knows his game, he knows his shots and he knows that his hands and feet need not to be too far away from his body to make the most of bowler error.Even when he flicks the ball around the corner, there is little follow-through where some might exaggerate with a whip of the wrists in a bid to make it seem the shot was more Kingston, Jamaica than Kingston-upon-Thames. His innings was a microcosm of Worcestershire’s work ethic and has them in a strong position going into day three.

Despite Trent Alexander-Arnold's hybrid position still being new to Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk has complimented the diversity it brings to the club.

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Van Dijk talks about new TAA roleSays Liverpool still adapting TAA in a transitional role for the clubWHAT HAPPENED?

Since April, Jurgen Klopp has altered the set-up of the Liverpool side around the strengths of the Englishman. The 25-year-old has been stepping into midfield when the Reds are in possession, while he drops into his old role when defending. He equalised the scoring at the Etihad on Saturday night in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City by shooting into the bottom corner from the outside of the area.

AdvertisementWHAT VIRGIL VAN DIJK SAID

“It’s about mixing it up," Van Dijk said [via The Athletic]. "We started doing that since April and I think we had a very good run where we did well. We’re still learning, he's still learning, adapting in certain situations. City are very good in that they have that proper plan and we are getting better and better at that as well. It’s a new dimension but still working on it and we can only benefit from it."

“I don’t know that’s for the coaches that work with him," he added. "For the moment he’s playing just fine where he is right now. He has that freedom to mix it up and he has to do that because you see teams are working it out at times so he has to be able to switch from staying on the outside and going on the inside as well."

"It’s a good learning curve for him as well and (on Saturday) he did that well because obviously, he was playing against one of the most in-form wingers (Jeremy Doku) at the moment. So to be important with the goal and also his interceptions is very important."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Alexander-Arnold has played in a more traditional midfield role for England in recent internationals, but Van Dijk has stated that there are no intentions to replicate that at club level for the time being.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?

The two defenders will next be in action in the Europa League when Liverpool take on LASK on Thursday, November 30.

Tillakaratne Dilshan passed 4000 runs in T20 cricket but could not save Derbyshire from a dramatic five run defeat against Durham

ECB/PA05-Jun-2015
ScorecardJohn Hasting’s turned the match for Durham•Getty ImagesTillakaratne Dilshan passed 4000 runs in T20 cricket but could not save Derbyshire from a dramatic five run defeat against Durham. The Sri Lankan hit 54 off 49 balls but Derbyshire lost four wickets for four runs in eight balls chasing 147 for 7 as Durham celebrated a sixth consecutive T20 victory over Derbyshire.Derbyshire looked to be cruising at 137 for 5 but John Hastings struck twice in two balls and the hosts crumbed under pressure to slump to their third defeat in four games. Ben Stokes made only 19 in Durham’s innings but Paul Collingwood’s 41 provided a total that proved too much for Derbyshire.Nathan Rimmington made his debut after missing three games with a broken finger and yorked the dangerous Phil Mustard for 19 in the firth over after Durham took 24 from the first two overs. Graham Clark came in for his Durham debut but made only 5 before he was bowled swinging across the line at Shiv Thakor and Stokes was almost run out before he drove Wayne White over long-on for the first six.Derbyshire switched Dilshan to the City End and he trapped Mark Stoneman lbw for 28 before there was an even bigger scalp for the Sri Lankan when Stokes pulled him into the hands of long on in the 12th over.With only 17 coming from five overs, Durham were losing altitude as Tom Knight made an amazing leaping save at long on to deny Gordan Muchall a six. Derbyshire had Durham pegged down to the extent that they did not hit a boundary for 39 balls until Collingwood scooped Rimmington to fine leg in the 17th and the pressure told when Muchall drove White to long-on.Insights

Derbyshire were 108 for 2 at one point and ended their innings 141 for 9. Wickets fell not as a result of a spiralling required run-rate–it never once was more than 7.50 until the final over of the match–but as a result of good wicket-taking bowling. Hastings is not the most exciting overseas signing but he is a very good cricketer and characterises a Durham team who have quietly and unassumingly moved to the top of the North Group.

Collingwood reverse swept Rimmington for four but Durham’s hopes of breaking Derbyshire’s stranglehold were dashed when he was caught at short third-man off the next ball.Durham had to match Derbyshire’s impressive display in the field to have a chance of defending what looked an under-par total but Wes Durston cut and pulled Usman Arshad for boundaries and then crunched Chris Rushworth through the covers for another four.Durston was missed at backward square on 10 and he celebrated by pulling and driving Stoke’s first two balls for four but was then run out by a direct hit from point by Collingwood. But Dilshan pulled John Hastings for four and six as Derbyshire scored 50 from the first five overs. A misfield brought him another four.Chesney Hughes plundered four fours before he missed a cut at Scott Borthwick and Derbyshire stumbled when Scott Elstone holed out at long on and Billy Godleman was stumped charging Ryan Pringle.Dilshan reached 50 from 47 balls but was then superbly caught at short third man and when Hastings bowled Tom Poynton and had Knight caught behind first ball, Durham scented victory. Shiv Thakor skied Usman Arshad to cover and when White was caught by Stokes at deep midwicket, Durham had pulled off an unlikely victory.”That’s the thing I love about this team,” Hastings said. “No matter what the position we always give it our all and if you do that it can sometimes turn your way and full credit to the boys for sticking at it.”Derbyshire skipper Wes Durston added: “The first half was really good but somehow we’ve managed to completely throw that game away. Pretty much the game was won and there was no complacency but they’ve literally pulled the rabbit from out the hat.”

Mikel Arteta was in no mood to answer questions about goalkeeper David Raya after his error in Arsenal's 4-3 win against Luton on Tuesday.

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Raya conceded three goals against LutonDisplay will likely revive Ramsdale debateArteta refused to comment on goalkeeperWHAT HAPPENED?

The goalkeeper conceded three times as Luton took a 3-2 lead in the second half, with Ross Barkley's goal a particularly glaring error from the shot stopper. However, Arteta refused to address the Spaniard's performance as he spoke to the media afterwards.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT ARTETA SAID

Asked to comment on Raya's display, Arteta said: "I was so happy for the team. I have spoken to all of them, they are so happy they are jumping around."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Raya's display will likely revive the debate surrounding Raya's place in the team. Many fans have been calling for Aaron Ramsdale to be reinstated as the first choice shot stopper as they feel he is a more reliable option, whereas Raya has faced criticism for his many errors since joining the Gunners on loan from Brentford.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

It seems Arteta will stand by his decision to make Raya his starting goalkeeper when his side meet Aston Villa at the weekend. The north London side will hope to extend their winning run to seven matches in all competitions in Saturday's game.

Who are the top earning American players in Major League Soccer? Goal breaks down the top 10

The MLS players union released its salary data last week, and the numbers showed some interesting trends. 

Three Americans were in the top 10 in the league in terms of total compensation, while a fourth landed in the top 25. 

Even among Americans Toronto FC dominated the list of high earners, but Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City each placed a pair of players on this list. 

Here's the rundown of the top 10 highest paid Americans in Major League Soccer.

USA Today Sports10Michael Bradley, Toronto FCThe U.S. national team captain and Toronto star is the highest-paid American in the league at $6.5 million per year. AdvertisementGraig Abel9Jozy Altidore, Toronto FCThe former AZ standout returned to MLS to a big payday and will make $5 million in total compensation in 2018. USA Today8Tim Howard, Colorado RapidsThe highest paid goalkeeper in the league is also the Colorado Rapids' highest earner at $2.5 million this season. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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USA Today7Clint Dempsey, Seattle SoundersDempsey took a cut in pay for the 2018 season but still ranks among the five best-paid American players at $1.7 million this season.

Mitchell Starc has soared to No.1 in the ICC bowlers’ rankings in ODIs following a stellar World Cup campaign, where he was the leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2015Mitchell Starc has soared to No.1 in the ICC bowlers’ rankings in ODIs following a stellar World Cup campaign, where he was the leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament. Australia, with their fifth World Cup title, also retained the ODI shield having finished as the No.1-ranked side at the time of the April 1 cut-off date.Starc came in to the World Cup seventh on the list, but his 22 wickets at 10.18 and an economy of 3.50 earned him 147 rating points and pushed him to the top spot for the first time in his career. He struck at least twice in every game he played, including a majestic six-for against New Zealand in Auckland which nearly helped Australia defend 152.Part of the reason why Australia had failed to win that game was because of the damage done by another left-arm swing bowler Trent Boult. He finished the tournament with 22 wickets as well and vaulted nine places to a career-high sixth position in the rankings.ICC Player Rankings

Top five batsmen
AB de Villiers, Kumar Sangakkara, Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli, Tillakaratne Dilshan
Top five bowlers
Mitchell Starc, Imran Tahir, Saed Ajmal, Dale Steyn, Sunil Narine
Top five allrounders
Dilshan, Shakib Al Hasan, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Hafeez, James Faulkner

South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir, India fast bowler Umesh Yadav, and Australia’s James Faulkner made big gains as well. Tahir leapfrogged nine places into second position following his 15 wickets from eight matches, while Yadav broke into the top 20 for the first time after ending his campaign with 18 wickets at 17.83. Faulkner, who took 10 wickets – including three in the final to claim the Man-of-the-Match award – climbed 12 positions to 23rd.AB de Villiers reclaimed the top position among ODI batsmen, and also became only the 11th player in history, and second South African after Hashim Amla, to collect more than 900 rating points. It would be scant consolation though after their tournament ended in heartbreak at the semi-final in Auckland.There was no change in the top five batsmen, but Steven Smith and Martin Guptill, who were both named in the ICC Team of the Tournament, made the biggest moves, jumping to the 12th and 22nd places respectively. Kumar Sangakkara, who ended his ODI career after a highly productive World Cup – 541 runs including four consecutive hundreds – is second on the list.The only change in the top 10 positions for ODI allrounders was the entry of South Africa’s JP Duminy, who moved up four places to ninth. Tillakaratne Dilshan retained top spot, closely followed by Shakib Al Hasan. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi signed off from ODIs as the sixth-ranked allrounder.

Tom Harrison, a former Derbyshire allrounder and currently a senior figure at sports marketing company IMG, is the surprising choice as the new chief executive of the ECB to replace David Collier

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2014Tom Harrison, a former Derbyshire allrounder and currently a senior figure at sports marketing company IMG, is the surprising choice as the new chief executive of the ECB to replace David Collier.Harrison, 42, had a brief first-class career in 1995 – playing in a team that included Dominic Cork, Phil DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm and Daryll Cullinan – before moving into the business world where he worked with the ECB for three years including as head of marketing. He then worked for ESPN Star Sports in Singapore until 2011 before his current position with IMG as a senior vice-president where he is heavily involved in TV rights negotiations, which will be a key part of his new job.He has never held a position as high as chief executive but has been preferred ahead of the widely tipped Richard Gould, the Surrey chief executive, who was believed to be the favoured choice of chairman Giles Clarke.”As a lifelong cricket fan, I feel extremely honoured and privileged to have been offered this opportunity to lead the ECB as its new chief executive officer,” Harrison said. “I am a passionate supporter of the game across all formats, at all levels and I am genuinely excited by the substantial opportunities that the game has moving forward in this country.”Clarke said the interview panel had been impressed with Harrison’s “energy, passion for the game and his positive, bold, creative and ambitious vision for the future of cricket in England and Wales”.Harrison’s recent role in the TV rights business will be brought to the fore early in his ECB tenure as the board’s current deal with BSkyB runs until 2017, although there is the option for two more years. There is likely to be greater competition for rights in the next round of bidding with the presence of the aggressive BT Sport, who have made a big play for Premier League rights and are keen to expand into the cricket market.The ECB may reconsider how its rights are packaged. At the moment all live rights are bundled into one deal – only home international highlights are separate and reside with Channel 5 in the UK – but they could look to offer Twenty20 as a separate package while the issue of no live cricket on free-to-air television, which has been the case since 2005, remains a significant debate.Colin Graves, the deputy chairman and chairman of the commercial committee, said: “Tom’s commercial experience of working on some of the biggest sponsorship and broadcast deals completed in sport, means that he is exceptionally well qualified to help to drive more revenue into the whole game whilst his excellent network in Asia and at the ICC will be critically important as we look to continue to play a central role in the growth of the game internationally in the years ahead.”Harrison is due to take up his position in mid-January.