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As the Spanish top flight enters its winter break, we look back at the players who have shined throughout this first half of the campaign

Getty1GK: Jan Oblak

Usually so formidable at the back, rotten luck with injuries has seen Atletico Madrid look uncharacteristically vulnerable when out of possession.

Luckily for Diego Simeone's men, they can still count on Oblak, who continues to be near-unbeatable between the posts even without the likes of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez screening him.

The Slovenian boasts the meanest defensive record in La Liga, keeping eight clean sheets to date and conceding a mere 12 goals.

AdvertisementGetty Images2RB: Dani Carvajal

Statistics can be misleading, but Dani Carvajal's importance to Real Madrid is underlined by their woeful record without him.

The right-back has struggled with injury in the 2018-19 season, playing nine of the Merengue's opening 16 Liga games and starting just eight. 

Incredibly, Madrid have not lost any of the games Carvajal has started, while suffering defeat in five of the other eight (including the 3-0 reverse at the hands of Eibar, which saw Carvajal enter as a late substitute.)

Even while seeing his playing time restricted, Dani continues to show he is a cut above the rest.

Getty3CB: Gerard Pique

While there have been a few jitters, particularly during the early stages of the season, Gerard Pique has been Barcelona's defensive rock.

The centre-back has seen a host of players line up alongside him as Barca have suffered badly with injuries.

Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen have missed most of the campaign, leaving newcomer Clement Lenglet to receive a baptism of fire at Camp Nou.

Despite those difficulties and instability, Pique has been an ocean of calm. He has also popped up with three goals in La Liga to help the leaders' cause.

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Getty Images4CB: Marc Bartra

Betis have been one of the revelations of the Liga season so far, combining flashes of exhilarating football with a sturdy base at the back. Marc Bartra, who arrived in Andalusia at the start of 2018, is the cornerstone of that defensive effort.

The former Barcelona and Dortmund centre-half has been ever-present so far in the 2018-19 campaign, marshalling a backline that ranks among Spain's tightest.

Bartra has endured a difficult professional career marked with setbacks – not least the injuries sustained in Dortmund's horrific bombing attack – but, at 27, he is performing at the peak of his powers.

Chesney Hughes continued his impressive start to the season with another half-century before Derbyshire’s match against Sussex at Derby ended in an inevitable draw

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2016
ScorecardChesney Hughes continued his impressive start to the season with another half-century before Derbyshire’s match against Sussex at Derby ended in an inevitable draw.After all of the third day was washed out, the chances of a Sussex victory were dealt another blow when rain prevented any play until 2.30pm on the fourth afternoon.That left the visitors with only 51 overs in which to bowl Derbyshire out for a second time after they declared 277 runs ahead but the home side’s batting was more resilient than on day one and although they lost two quick wickets after tea, the rain had the final word with Derbyshire 92 for 2Hughes had already scored 96 and an unbeaten century in two of the previous three matches and made up for his first innings failure by moving to 50 from 73 balls in the final over before tea.Although Billy Godleman was close to edging a big drive at Steve Magoffin in the opening over of Derbyshire’s second innings, there were no signs that Sussex could get the early wickets they needed to spark panic in the home dressing room.At the interval, Derbyshire were 71 without loss from 22 overs and by the time Sussex did breakthrough, it was too late.Godleman swept Luke Wells for four but then skied a drive as he came down the pitch to the next ball and Hamish Rutherford went in the next over when he edged Stu Whittingham to first slip.But two overs later, the rain returned leaving Hughes unbeaten on 58 which takes his aggregate this season to 466 at an average of 116.

Weston McKennie has explained how the USMNT can bring the best out of Folarin Balogun after he was kept quiet in a 3-1 defeat to Germany.

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Striker kept quiet against GermanyTeam-mates still learning his gameExpected to thrive in timeWHAT HAPPENED?

The Monaco striker, who completed a summer transfer back to French football from Premier League giants Arsenal, endured an outing to forget as the United States squandered a first-half lead against German opposition. Balogun had no shots on goal, just 17 touches through 66 minutes on the field and attempted only 13 passes.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

McKennie has told of what went wrong with Balogun and how the USMNT can fix any issues: “I can’t really blame him so much for it. Moving forward, we’re just trying to find him, get him on the ball. Whether that’s him coming down low, whether that’s supporting him so he can play one-touch or have options instead of having to go against one big guy with his back to the goal. I think for the future, we’re just trying to, like I said, give him more touches, give him more balls, and then try and find him in behind. Let him know that we see him, and that we believe in him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Balogun has scored two goals in five appearances for his country, with McKennie confident that the 22-year-old will thrive when those around him play to his strengths. The Juventus midfielder added: “The thing about Flo — and we see it in training all the time — you know, he’s confident on the ball. I think he’s a player that makes a lot of runs in behind the backline. And it’s just a matter of, if we’re going to find him or not, or if we see it or not.”

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Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Balogun has hit three goals for Monaco this season and faces competition for places at international level from the likes of Ricardo Pepi, Jesus Ferreira and Josh Sargent.

South Africa Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead courtesy of three top-order half-centuries, as they beat Sri Lanka Women by 67 runs in the second ODI in Potchefstroom

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Marizanne Kapp made a half-century and picked up a wicket•ICC/Solaris ImagesSouth Africa Women took an unassailable 2-0 lead courtesy of three top-order half-centuries, as they beat Sri Lanka Women by 67 runs in the second ODI in Potchefstroom.Sri Lanka elected to field, but early breakthroughs were a difficult commodity as 21-year old Lizelle Lee and Trisha Chetty strung together an opening partnership of 72 runs. Chetty was the more dominant partner and departed first, caught in front by Shashikala Siriwardene. Lee held firm, reaching her third ODI half-century and when she fell in the 29th over, South Africa had already built a strong foundation at 141 for 2. Captain Mignon du Preez, with an unbeaten 79 and allrounder Marizanne Kapp, with 72, constructed an excellent charge, with the final 10 overs yielding 82 runs.Sri Lanka’s chase was hampered early when seamer Shabnim Ismail had the openers bowled inside the first five overs. Siriwardene offered resistance, with good support from No. 6 Chamani Seneviratna. Their 95-run partnership ensured Sri Lanka remained in the hunt, but when Ismail returned and had Siriwardene out for 68 in the 37th over, the chase began to slip away. An equation that read 120 runs off 78, proved enough cushion for offspinner Sunette Loubser to run through the lower order and limit the visitors well below their target.”The top order did really well to get us to a good position so I’m happy with the first innings,” said du Preez. “There were a few extra runs that we didn’t need to give away but I’m happy with the way the bowlers recovered. It was definitely a team effort today.”Du Preez wanted to take the momentum from this win into the third and final ODI on Monday and whitewash Sri Lanka. “It would be really good to finish with a three-nil series victory, we look forward to going out there and giving it our all.”

Queensland collapsed badly in their second innings at the Gabba but their strong first-innings effort ensured they finished the third day with a 272-run lead over New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2014
ScorecardSean Abbott finished the day with 3 for 23•Getty ImagesQueensland collapsed badly in their second innings at the Gabba but their strong first-innings effort ensured they finished the third day with a 272-run lead over New South Wales. At stumps the Bulls were on 7 for 102 with James Hopes on 21 and Ryan Harris on 9, and the wickets had been shared for New South Wales by Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger and Gurinder Sandhu.First-innings centurion Joe Burns made 22 before being removed by Sandhu and the No.3 Greg Moller scored 12 before being bowled by Abbott, who claimed three wickets, but they were the only batsmen to reach double figures until Hopes. It was a far cry from the first innings when Queensland had declared at 9 for 472, a total which set up a healthy advantage over the Blues.New South Wales began the third day on 6 for 217 but the loss of Nic Maddinson for 118 early in the morning hurt their chances of getting anywhere close to Queensland’s score. He was one of five wickets for Luke Feldman, and Australia’s selectors will have been pleased to see Harris finish off the tail and end up with 3 for 59.

A round-up of the Haier Cup National T20 games played on September 24, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2014Group CPeshawar Panthers won their third game in a row, swatting aside AJK Jaguars by nine wickets in Karachi. It was Jaguars’ third defeat in three matches.Things began well for Jaguars, as their openers Raheel Majeed and Imran Arif put on a brisk 51 for the first wicket. Things then went alarming downhill as they lost all ten wickets for 30 runs, left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan causing much of the mayhem with a triple-wicket over that carved up Jaguars’ middle order. Barring the openers, only one batsman, No. 9 Iqbal Akram, made it past 5, and even he didn’t reach double figures, ending on 8*.Panthers had little trouble during the chase, with their openers Rafatullah Mohmand and Israrullah clobbering 77 in seven overs. Mohmand was caught and bowled for 46, with victory only five runs away, before the win was wrapped up in the ninth over, giving Panthers’ net run-rate a big boost.A 53-ball 72 from opener Ali Waqas steered Faisalabad Wolves to a six-wicket win over Lahore Eagles. Chasing 146, Waqas added key stands with opener Farrukh Shehzad and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, before being dismissed with the side on the brink of a win. His innings enabled Wolves to win their second straight game, while Eagles suffered their second straight loss.The Wolves bowlers had made early inroads after putting Eagles in to bat, and had reduced the opposition to 53 for 3 in the 10th over. Most of their bowlers, including Ehsan Adil, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Talha and Asad Ali contributed to the wickets tally before an unbeaten cameo from Hussain Talat, who scored 46 off 33 balls, lifted Eagles to 145 for 6Group DIn another low-scoring game in Karachi, four-fors from Abbottabad Falcons fast bowler Fazl-e-Rabbi and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam routed Dera Murad Jamali Ibexes for 83 runs. The Falcons then chased down the target in the 13th over with eight wickets to spare.With four strikes at the start, Fazl-e-Rabbi decimated the Ibexes’ top order and, along with Ahmed Jamal, reduced the side to 36 for 6 in the sixth over. A 41-run seventh-wicket stand between Asif Ali and Imran Khan Rind provided the only resistance before Ghulam skittled the rest of the line-up, taking three wickets of his four wickets in the 15th over to bundle the side out. Fazl-e-Rabbi took 4 for 27, while Ghulam, who was awarded the Player-of-the-Match had returns of 4 for 11. Fakhar Zaman’s 34-ball 44 anchored the Falcons’ chase as they took a two-point lead at the top of the Group D table.

Two days into back-to-back series and the cricket has already been more interesting and entertaining than anything David Warner does after midnight

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge11-Jul-2013As a boy, Ashton Agar was inspired by Steve Waugh’s legendary SCG century, achieved with a box office boundary from the final ball of the day. As a teenager, Agar found himself joining Waugh in the pantheon of Ashes history, after conjuring 98 of the most staggeringly nonchalant runs ever made by a Test debutant, let alone a No. 11.If there was any momentary grief in Agar at managing to pick out Graeme Swann on the midwicket boundary with a pull shot, it did not last long. As he turned on his heels in the direction of the dressing room, the applause swelled and so did Agar’s pride. Partnered by Phillip Hughes, he had made history of the rarest kind in an Ashes Test, and in doing so revived Australia’s hopes of forcing a series lead.”It was a bit out of the ordinary,” Agar said. “One of my favourite Ashes moments was Steve Waugh hitting four runs off the last ball of the day to make his hundred, and to make a hundred in an Ashes test would have been awesome. But I’m very happy.”Obviously it’s a dream to make a Test match hundred but I didn’t really dream I was going to make 98 on debut. I’m super happy, and I’m happy me and Hughesy could get the team in some kind of winning position.”I probably hit it a bit too well. All the other ones I’d been hitting up and over the top and I tried to come down a little bit on that one and picked him out perfectly. I could have made a better decision there but, oh well.”Though lacking any Test match experience, Agar had demonstrated his batting ability numerous times at club and first-class levels. Last summer in Perth he rattled off 108 for the University of Western Australia after arriving at the fall of the fifth wicket for 58 and also facing a large first-innings deficit. For the Warriors he had also been instrumental in Sheffield Shield wins over Queensland and South Australia.What they said about Agar’s 98

“I thought I was presenting a first cap to a bowler, not a batting all-rounder” – Glenn McGrath
“Never ever thought I would say I am disappointed a Aussie got out but I really wanted Ashton Agar to get a 100…” – Michael Vaughan
“Whether he got 100 or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m most proud he got out playing his shots. He didn’t hold back. That’s great.” – John Agar, Ashton’s father
“What a stunning, gutsy, agonising 98 from Ashton Agar in the Ashes Test” – prime minister Kevin Rudd

“I like to keep myself fairly relaxed,” he said. “I don’t get too nervous when I bat. I just try to play freely and when I’m hitting the ball well I try and keep doing that throughout my innings and not change too much. Darren Lehmann told me to bat the way I know how to bat and he has told the whole team to bat in their own natural styles. That is what I tried to do.”I’ve done it before. In Queensland I had to bat at No. 10 and was fortunate enough to get 50. I was lucky to have a really good partner at the other end in Phil Hughes, he is a seriously, seriously good player and he helped me through it.”The stand with Hughes pulled Australia back into a game that had been well in England’s keeping at the fall of the ninth wicket. “It could have been a lot worse, so to do that with Hughesy has helped me a lot in terms of mentally getting around batting in a Test match and hopefully help put the team in a winning position,” Agar said. “He just said keep watching the ball hard and keep playing it ball by ball. That’s all we were really thinking of, just keeping it really simple.”England’s frustration at being held up by a world-record tenth-wicket union was evident in the field but afterwards the fast bowler James Anderson was generous in his praise. Anderson admitted to little knowledge about Agar before the innings, but was now well aware of his capabilities. “I didn’t know a great deal about him but he played really well and put us under pressure,” Anderson said. “I’m sure it will be looked back on as one [special Ashes moment], on debut he played brilliantly in a pressure situation and coped well.”In an innings speckled with handsome strokes, Agar picked out his drive of Swann over long-on for six as his personal favourite. Swann pumped his fists after claiming the catch that did for Agar, but was quick to catch up to the younger man as they made their way off. Swann offered the words “well done young fella”. Millions around the world shared exactly that sentiment, no doubt including Steve Waugh himself.

England will attempt to put behind them the shock of losing the Test against India when they begin their one-day series in Scarborough on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2014England will attempt to put behind them the shock of losing the Test against India when they begin the one-day series in Scarborough on Thursday, on a day which marks the start of the road to the 2017 Women’s World Cup with the beginning of the Women’s Championship.The Championship, the first structured bilateral tournament in the women’s game, will have officially started a few hours earlier in Brisbane with Australia facing Pakistan. The other four teams involved are South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.The introduction of the league comes at a time when the major challenge within the women’s game is to provide a sustainable volume of cricket and also ensure that a damaging divide does not start to emerge along funding lines.England and Australia are significantly ahead of the other nations in terms of financial investment and, although India’s victory at Wormsley showed that does not automatically transfer into on-field results, the women’s game needs to look after those countries where money is more of a challenge.One option put on the table in recent months was the Women’s International Cricket League (WICL), a privately funded and run T20 event proposed to be held in Singapore. The ECB and Cricket Australia, however, quickly doused talk of any private enterprise being allowed to take hold.”From an ICC perspective I suppose the real priority has been getting to the Women’s Championship positioned and rolling that out the best we can,” Clare Connor, the ECB head of women’s cricket, said. “Bilateral cricket has to be our priority and to give it context and meaning ahead of the next World Cup. Once we see that bed in and run smoothly, I’m sure there will be scope to look at a global T20 competition.”I think what will happen is that in the next 12-24 months, England, Australia and India will somehow discuss a way forward to make something like that happen. It would be good to have a tournament like that which could inject more money into the game and bolster the profile in a different way.”The Championship sees each team play each other in one home or away series that will include three ODIs counting towards the Championship over a two-and-a-half year period. As such, each side is guaranteed at least 21 ODIs over the tournament period.At the conclusion of the seven rounds, the top four sides will gain automatic qualification for the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England, while the bottom four sides will get a final chance of qualification through the Qualifier event.

The Brazilian might just be the best player in the Saudi Pro League right now, but his career could have turned out far differently

Very few casual football fans would have been aware of Anderson Talisca's existence before Cristiano Ronaldo's shock transfer to Al-Nassr in January. Indeed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival in Saudi Arabia soon sparked an unprecedented European exodus, with other household names such as Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson also accepting mega-money contracts in the Middle East.

The Pro League hasn't just attracted players who are into the final stretches of their careers, either. Neymar, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Riyad Mahrez and even 21-year-old Spain playmaker Gabri Veiga have also been persuaded to turn their backs on Europe.

The world is now watching as the Saudi game grows at an exponential rate – which has presented Talisca with a unique opportunity. The Brazilian could easily have shrunk into anonymity at Al-Nassr as merely a supporting cast member, existing only to help keep the spotlight on Ronaldo, but has instead made it his mission to show people that he is also a superstar.

The question is, how did a player with Talisca's immense talent go under the radar for so long?

GettyWhere it all began

Talisca was born in the city of Feira de Santana in Bahia – the fourth-largest state in Brazil. Like most children in the country, he was raised in poverty, and quickly realised that football could be a path to a better life.

After honing his skills on the street, Talisca stepped into Vasco da Gama's youth ranks as a 13-year-old and spent two years with the club, before joining then-Brasileiro Serie B outfit EC Bahia in 2009.

He graduated from Bahia's academy four years later, at which point they had been promoted to the top-flight, and made his professional bow in a clash with Corinthians. Talisca opened his scoring account for the club in his second appearance against Sao Paulo, and soon became a regular in Cristovao Borges' team.

The raw edges in Talisca's game were clear, but so was his limitless potential. "We have to understand that at this age this inconsistency of performance is natural," Borges told reporters when quizzed on the forward's development. "He is a national-team player. Just be patient."

Talisca went on to net a crucial last-minute goal at Cruzeiro that ensured another season in Serie A for Bahia, who parted ways with Borges in December 2013 before appointing another Brazilian coach in the form of Marquinhos Santos. The manager was impressed with Talisca's dedication right from the off, and his ability from a dead-ball.

"Talisca has been reaping the rewards of his training," said Santos. "He is a player who dedicates himself. He is always one of the last to leave the field. After training, he is insistently training free-kicks. It's still early days, he's a young man who has potential and my biggest concern is with his head. Let him continue to evolve and become a great player."

AdvertisementGettyThe big break

Talisca found the net nine times in the first half of Bahia's 2014 season, and his impressive performances eventually attracted the attention of Portuguese giants Benfica, who forked out €5million for the Brazilian starlet that July. Jorge Jesus gave his newest signing big billing, telling the media at his unveiling: "He’s another one who is going to make millions for Benfica."

The manager's words had the desired impact as Talisca scored eight league goals in his first three months at Benfica, including a stunning hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Vitoria Setubal. Jesus received widespread praise for unearthing a new gem, which prompted a surprise outburst from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

"I think Benfica hired well," Mourinho said to Portuguese broadcaster . "They say Talisca is unknown, but he is only so unknown because he's only not playing in England because he doesn't have a work permit. If he had one, he would be here!"

Jesus then fired back in hilarious fashion: "They knew as much about him as I know about D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers!"

Former Bahia coordinator Newton Mota was the man who really deserved all the credit for discovering Talisca, and he wasn't at all surprised by his fast start to life at Estadio Da Luz. "People call him Yaya Talisca [after Yaya Toure], but I think he is closer to Rivaldo, who was left-footed, with long strides and good shot from distance," Mota told.

Benfica were flying in the Primeira Liga, but had only picked up one point from their opening three Champions League games. They were eight minutes away from being held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Monaco on matchday four, too, only for Talisca to score a last-gasp winner after ghosting in at the back post to meet a corner on the half-volley.

That was the moment he truly announced himself to European audiences and lived up to his tag as the 'new Rivaldo'. Although Benfica still ended up exiting the competition at the group stage, his status as one of the continent's most exciting young players had been secured, and links to Chelsea began to intensify.

Jesus' side finished the 2014-15 season as Portuguese champions and also lifted the Taca da Liga trophy, with Talisca managing 14 goal contributions across all competitions. He also received his first call-up for Brazil, but everything changed when Jesus cut ties with Benfica to join their arch rivals Sporting CP.

GettyThe turning point

Rui Vitoria was the man selected to replace Jesus after an impressive four-year spell in charge at Vitoria Guimaraes, and he instantly set about stamping his authority on the squad, insisting on a 4-4-2 formation with two combative central midfielders, which essentially eliminated the need for the playmaker role Talisca had made his own under Jesus.

The Brazil Under-23 international only started three league games in the first half of the 2015-16 campaign, and he was forced to come out and address reports of tension with the new manager. "Every player has to go through such moments" Talisca said in December of that season. "There is insecurity and lack of confidence, but I am working hard. I played more under Jesus, but there is no personal feud with Rui Vitoria."

Talisca scored nine goals in all competitions despite his limited playing time, including a brilliant free-kick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. Benfica ended up losing that tie 3-2 on aggregate, but earned plenty of plaudits for their surprise run in Europe, and bounced back to clinch their third successive league title.

Vitoria had undoubtedly taken Benfica to another level, and decided that Talisca's services were no longer required ahead of his second season in the dugout. Liverpool and Wolves emerged as suitors for the former Bahia wonderkid, but Besiktas won the race for his signature – agreeing a two-year loan deal with Benfica.

Less than a month later, Talisca came up against his parent club in the Champions League. Benfica were 1-0 up when the Brazilian was introduced to the action as a second-half substitute, and they managed to hold their lead under deep into stoppage-time. However, with seconds remaining, a needless foul gifted Besiktas a 25-yard free-kick, and Talisca stepped up. Inevitably, he was able to whip the ball into the far corner using his instep, and didn't hold back with his celebration before being mobbed by his team-mates.

In his post-match interview with , Talisca accused Benfica of not paying him his final salary after the birth of his daughter, before emphatically denying that his exit from the club was financially motivated: "I want to send a message to Benfica management, because they didn't respect me. There were people who criticised me and said that I left Benfica because of money, but that is a lie."

Talisca ended his maiden season at Besiktas with 17 goals and another league title, earning the nickname 'Kiralik Katil' from supporters, which translates to 'Hired Assasin'. He was the top scorer for the club in all competitions in 2017-18, too, but Besiktas dropped a level as a team and they were not able to make his transfer permanent.

Benfica were still determined to offload Talisca, who had burned all of his bridges at Estadio Da Luz, and it was reported that Mourinho reignited his interest in the attacking midfielder, this time as Manchester United boss.

Guangzhou Evergrande beat United to the punch, though, snapping Talisca up on an initial loan deal in June 2018. Four months later he joined them outright for €19m (£17m/$21m), bringing his time in European football to a premature end.

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GettyHow's it going?

Talisca spent three years at Guangzhou, scoring 39 goals and setting up another 13 in 65 appearances. He added one Chinese Super League title to his crown during that period, and was identified as a top target by Saudi giants Al-Hilal in the early months of 2021.

The allure of even greater riches in the Middle East did indeed prove too much for Talisca to ignore, but it was Al-Nassr who won the race for his signature as they struck a bargain $9m deal with Guangzhou in May that year. Talisca was an instant hero in the eyes of Al-Nassr fans for turning down their main rivals, and their bond grew as he quickly established himself as the most important member of the squad. A prolific haul of 31 goals from his first 37 games saw Talisca singled out as the new Pro League poster boy – but Ronaldo took that title from him at the start of the year.

They quickly forged a strong partnership, though, not least because of their Portuguese language connection, and combined for a number of crucial goals in the second half of Al-Nassr's 2022-23 campaign. However, the league title did not come back to Mrsool Park, which ensured another busy transfer window in the summer.

Al-Nassr bolstered their squad by bringing in the likes of Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte and Seko Fofana, along with Ronaldo's Portugal colleagues Otavio and Alex Telles. Talisca's position at the club was called into question after Mane's arrival, with it suggested that head coach Luis Castro would be unable to fit the Brazilian into his line-up next to the ex-Bayern Munich star and Ronaldo.

A potential return to Besiktas was mooted for Talisca, but he committed to staying put – only to suffer an injury that saw him miss the first few weeks of the new season. Fears over Al-Nassr's tactical set-up were raised again upon his return to full fitness, despite the club's poor start in the Pro League.

As it turns out, Talisca was actually the missing piece in the puzzle. Al-Nassr have been flying since welcoming the former Benfica man back into the fold, winning 17 of their last 18 games in all competitions.

That has included picking up maximum points in the AFC Champions League group stages, with Talisca scoring all three goals in their latest victory over Al-Duhail. He's already up to 17 goals for the season in total, just four fewer than Ronaldo.

Caught up in anxious discussions over their cricketing future, Bangladesh attempt to stay in the present and ready themselves for a Test series against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur25-Jan-2014Two weeks ago, the biggest question in Bangladesh cricket was whether Shamsur Rahman could become only the second batsman from the country to score a first-class triple hundred. When he failed to do so, everyone wondered if his 267 would earn him a Test call-up. All of that is now a distant memory, after a leaked document has reopened age-old questions about Bangladesh cricket’s future.To consider all factors of this ‘position paper’ and to implement them will certainly take some time, but just the thought of being pushed off the precipice is a worry.Bangladesh’s captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, has already voiced his disappointment over the plan to send the team down to the Inter-Continental Cup as early as next year. Whether cricket in the country will remain at the same level is a general question, but what will happen to the players? Someone like Mushfiqur may have a Masters’ degree to fall back on, but what about others?What must have been most difficult for Mushfiqur was for all this talk, about such a complicated matter, to engulf his team less than two days before a Test match. As the captain of the lowest-ranked Test team, he already deals with more difficult questions than the average international captain. On one day it is about selection and on another about how secure his country is for visiting teams. Now it is about the most basic of things: his and his country’s standing in cricket.But the cricket itself must go on, and Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka from Monday, despite the cloud hanging over the host country. The good news for Bangladesh is that they have a settled squad to choose from, containing exciting players apart from Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. Shamsur has indeed earned a place in the squad and is likely to make his debut in Mirpur, and a refreshed Imrul Kayes is another batsman to keep an eye on.Marshall Ayub and Mominul Haque are the youngest and least experienced Nos. 3 and 4 in world cricket, but are not far behind most in potential. Mominul has made the No. 4 position his own very quickly with two centuries against New Zealand in Bangladesh’s last two Test matches while Marshall is a strong-willed batsman trusted to do an important job.Bangladesh has little to worry about the rest of the batting order or bowling attack, as the selectors have picked the best possible players. Sohag Gazi and Robiul Islam will provide adequate support to Shakib Al Hasan, while Rubel Hossain has a point to prove and a bowling average to bring down. The back-ups are also raring to go, for differing reasons. Mahmudullah has lost the vice-captaincy. Al-Amin Hossain has recently taken five wickets in an over in a domestic Twenty20 match.Bangladesh have a new fielding coach as well, following the surprise appointment of Mohammad Salahuddin. He has mentored Shakib, Tamim, Nasir Hossain and Mominul, and it looks like he could be a short-term but effective addition to Shane Jurgensen’s increasingly efficient workforce.Last year was a good one, relatively, for Bangladesh, who won one Test, drew three and lost two. Their progress has been slow over the last 13 years, but it is not the fault of the current lot to suffer the consequences of what happened in the past. And having said that, it is not much of a past.Bangladesh haven’t been given several decades to bed into Test cricket as some other countries were. It can be argued they were admitted to the highest level of cricket a few years too soon, but had the ICC been more proactive than political at the time, they could have told the BCB a lot earlier that they were being considered for Test cricket. First-class cricket might have started much earlier than 1999, a mere year before they played their first Test.While there have been endless debates about Bangladesh’s future, it has never before surfaced as such an institutional question. In the past it had been the odd former cricketer trying to be funny or trying to outrage the media, but generally, the powers that be let their reservations about Bangladesh cricket stay within the confines of their boardroom.But now that it has come out in the open, it has been disappointing and embarrassing for Bangladeshi cricketers. They now have to deal with ideas and thoughts that should have been the BCB’s headache. Instead, the board directors’ hasty stance has brought in more criticism and worried cricketers further.Ahead of their last Test series against Sri Lanka, a string of injuries had thrown Bangladesh’s preparations off kilter. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful had then changed the course of the game, bringing up the team’s first ever drawn Test against Sri Lanka.It remains to be seen if Mushfiqur and the rest of the team can bounce back in a similar manner from all the mental commotion they must be facing now. Bangladesh cricket has often done well when faced with questions, controversy and injury. This one seems right up their alley.