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Since being taken over in 2008, many things have changed about Manchester City. They are completely unrecognisable on and off the pitch, are now considered one of, if not the best team in world football, and have a superb footballing structure off the pitch.

Not only have their owners invested in the first team, but they have also put money into the community to help develop a better area around the Etihad Stadium, and they have put £200m into the City Football Academy, which is opposite the Etihad, as of May 2021.

City’s investment into their academy has begun to pay dividends in recent years. Whilst they often bring talent in from elsewhere, such as Romeo Lavia, who they signed in 2020 from Anderlecht before selling him to Southampton in 2022, for £10.5m, they have seen homegrown success, players who cost them nothing and could result in profit or a first-team place.

Cole Palmer came through the City academy, and broke into the first-team before being sold to Chelsea last summer for £40m, where he now has 25 Premier League goal involvements in 26 games. Rico Lewis made his debut in 2022, where he scored, and is now an important squad member under Pep Guardiola.

However, there is one academy graduate whose first-team career so far for City has been wonderful, and he is now recognised as one of the most valuable players in world football.

Phil Foden's Man City career in numbers

The player in question is Phil Foden, who was signed by City at the age of eight and has risen through their academy ranks, eventually becoming one of the most important players for Pep Guardiola’s side

Foden’s time at City has been exceptional so far. He has already won 16 major trophies at just 23 years of age, which includes five Premier League titles and a Champions League which was one-third of a historic treble in 2022/23.

He has already made 262 appearances for the Citizens and has 82 goals and 51 assists to his name so far. The attacker had a rapid rise into City’s first team and has thrived under the tutelage of Guardiola since he was given his debut in November 2017. He has never looked back.

Phil Foden's transfer value in 2024

According to CIES Football Observatory, there are only two players currently more valuable than Phil Foden in world football, namely Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. The England star is valued at £171m, the same as international teammate Bukayo Saka, and Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior. He's also valued far higher than the likes of Rodri (£86m) and Bernardo Silva (£51m).

Most valuable players in World football
Player	Transfer value
#1 Erling Haaland	£214m
#2 Jude Bellingham	£214m
#3 Rodrygo	£171m
#4 Vinicius Jr	£171m
#5 Phil Foden	£171m
#6 Bukayo Saka	£171m
Data taken from Football Observatory.

This is certainly reflected in Foden’s exemplary 2023/24 season so far. The 23-year-old has arguably been the best player in the Premier League this season.

He currently has 14 goals and seven assists in the top flight, with 22 goals and ten assists in all competitions. The latest of which was a simply scorching strike in the Bernabeu as City drew 3-3 with Real Madrid.

For context, only Erling Haaland has more goal involvements for City this season than Foden’s 32, with the Norway striker currently sitting on 36 in total.

Described by his England teammate Declan Rice as “very very special” back in 2021, it is clear why Foden is so highly rated and valued. Credit must be given to his manager Guardiola, who has given him a new role in central areas of the pitch this season, which is clearly working for his side and for the player.

It is somewhere that Foden himself has admitted to preferring to play. In an interview with Sky Sports following his hat-trick away to Brentford in February, the 23-year-old said “I'm enjoying playing in the middle and that's where I see myself. Hopefully I can get more game time playing there."

Playing centrally allows Foden to get on the ball much more between the lines, and he can have more of an impact in the final third. This season, he averages 2.23 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 16% of positionally similar players in Europe, as per Fbref, which shows how much more control he can have on the game in central areas.

It is perhaps unsurprising to Guardiola that Foden is playing as well as he is this season. The former Barcelona manager has previously described him as “the most, most, most talented player I have ever seen in my career as a manager”. That is high praise given that Guardiola managed Lionel Messi in his prime.

If Foden continues this upward trajectory, he could become one of the greatest English players of all time. He does not seem to be slowing down any time soon, and there is likely a decade or more left of his career. It certainly feels like we are witnessing the career of one of the all-time great Premier League footballers.

Newcastle United have been given a potential boost following a piece of off-field news that has emerged regarding a "superb" player.

Newcastle transfer news

This summer promises to be a busy one at St James' Park, with new signings hopefully coming in to boost the squad while certain key players move on to pastures new.

In terms of possible additions, Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has emerged as an option to come in, having stood out as one of his side's best players this season. Tottenham are also believed to be providing stiff competition, and the north Londoners could have the edge if they qualify for the Champions League.

Newcastle are also reportedly leading the race to sign highly rated Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande in the summer transfer window as Eddie Howe aims to strengthen his defence following long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.

Meanwhile, Juventus youngster Matias Soule is another possible target for the Magpies. Currently playing on loan at Frosinone this season, scoring 10 goals in 30 Serie A appearances, he has been compared to Lionel Messi in the past.

In terms of those who could leave Newcastle at the end of the season, the likes of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have all been linked with moves away in recent months, with the club no doubt desperate to keep hold of certain stars.

Newcastle boosted over "superb" player's future

According to a fresh update from The Telegraph, Bruno Guimaraes has bought a new £4m home in Northumberland, hinting that he could be staying put at Newcastle this summer.

The report states that the Brazilian "has given the strongest indication yet that he intends to remain" at St James' moving forward, in what would act as a significant boost for the Magpies.

Bruno has to be seen as one of the most important figures for Newcastle to keep hold of, considering he is entering his peak years, unlike Trippier and Wilson, for example.

Granted, the 26-year-old hasn't necessarily had his best season in 2023/24, with Howe's side finding things tough in general, but he has still chipped in with four goals and six assists in the Premier League. Alan Shearer has lauded him, too, with the Magpies legend saying of him on Match of the Day last season:

“He was superb. The way he handles that ball under pressure and is able to ping that ball into the forward players, he’s so comfortable on the ball, particularly if you give him this amount of space. His weight of pass was superb and the way he controlled that midfield. They got into so many good areas because of his ability, he never looks flustered and [always] looks in control of the ball – he never panics."Retaining Bruno's services could feel as important as any new signing this summer, and the hope is that he sees his future at Newcastle for as many years as possible. Related "Genius" manager considering Newcastle move after offer presented by agent

He recently left his last position.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Apr 20, 2024

Talks have taken place with the former team-mates now in charge but de Villiers said ‘there’s a lot that needs to happen’

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2020

Andrew Symonds presented AB de Villiers with his Brisbane Heat cap•Getty Images

AB de Villiers has confirmed he is considering “throwing his name in the hat” for an international comeback at the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year following constructive talks with the new leadership in South Africa.Late last year captain Faf du Plessis revealed conversations had already begun about whether de Villiers could return following his retirement in May 2018. Now de Villiers has said “hopefully I’ll be involved as well pretty soon” having been encouraged by the appointment of former team-mates Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith as coach and director of cricket following major upheaval in Cricket South Africa.”There’s a lot that needs to happen before that becomes reality, I would love to,” de Villers told reporters after making his BBL debut for the Brisbane Heat on Tuesday. “I’ve been talking to Bouch, Graeme Smith and Faf back home. We are all keen to make it happen, it’s a long way away still and plenty can happen – there’s the IPL coming, I’ve still got to be in form at that time. I’m thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping everything will work out.”It’s not a guarantee, I don’t want to disappoint myself or other people, so for now I’m just going to try and keep a low profile, play the best possible cricket I can and we’ll see what happens towards the end of the year.”ALSO READ: de Villiers feeling ‘some of the best form of my career’South Africa’s assistant coach Enoch Nkwe was open to the possibility of de Villiers joining the dressing room. “I am not 100% sure but AB’s commitment to South African cricket especially in MSL, we keep seeing him fully committed to these type of leagues which still shows that if we are to need some sort of experience like that, we could actually call him up and I am sure that he would be someone who would love to do it for South Africa.”Nkwe, however, added that de Villiers wouldn’t just walk back into the team and that he may need to play some matches leading up to the T20 World Cup. “I’m sure that if he shows interest he will be involved in some of the series that we will be playing. We will wait and see if he interested or not. It’s always good to have some sort of experience and I am sure from personal life experience in the last year or two that he has gained outside of playing international cricket, that will be immense for the environment. And also for South African cricket but let’s wait and see once those decisions have been made.”De Villiers had attempted to engineer a return for last year’s World Cup but the selectors decided he had made his pitch too late and it risked disruption to the side. South Africa ended up having a torrid World Cup where they never threatened to make the semi-finals.The fact that three former team-mates are now at the helm of the men’s team appears to have paved the way for far more positive discussions.”It doesn’t mean everything is going to be sunshine and roses but it’s definitely a lot easier and feels comfortable, the language that’s being used and the feel everyone has at the moment in South Africa about the cricket,” de Villiers said. “They are my friends, I played 10-plus years with them, so we’ve been through a lot and great to have them involved again. Hopefully I’ll be involved as well pretty soon.”Last month, du Plessis said: “People want AB to play and I am no different. Those conversations have been happening for two or three months already: what does it look like, how does it look over the next year, and that’s where it starts.”

Sunderland would have felt slightly relieved at the prospect of an international break, taking some time out from their current dire standing in the Championship to assess what's truly made the wheels come off at the Stadium of Light.

A long list of injuries certainly hasn't helped Mike Dodds back in the interim hot-seat on Wearside, with the likes of 15-goal star Jack Clarke being absent really putting a spanner in the works.

At least the Black Cats can take some mild comfort in the fact that they do look safe from the second tier drop-zone, although it's still a dramatic drop-off for a side once chasing promotion as a wild dream.

It's not been quite as hard to watch as Sunderland's 2016-17 season however, where a number of expected top talents – including one forgotten flop – consistently waved the white flag under the doomed tenure of David Moyes that saw relegation down to the Championship confirmed.

Jeremain Lens' record at Sunderland

One-time Sunderland dud Jeremain Lens would only make two appearances that season, shipped out on loan to the likes of Fenerbahce and Besiktas over the following years to try and get him off the roster after a disastrous first campaign.

The Dutch winger would end up making just 24 appearances for the Black Cats before leaving for Turkey permanently in 2018, with the Wearside outfit left to rue the decision to fork out a substantial £8m on his services.

Starring with Dynamo Kyiv before relocating to England, it was a move that just never worked for Lens under Dick Advocaat – the now 36-year-old only managing to pick up four goals and three assists before being swiftly moved on.

Now, the move looks even more like a colossal waste of money when you consider how much Lens' transfer value has dropped since his ill-fated stint at the Stadium of Light.

Plying his trade in the French third division now, the veteran attacker comes in at being worth less than Black Cats reserve man Bradley Dack even whilst the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder remains a permanent fixture in the Sunderland treatment room.

Jeremain Lens' transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, whilst playing for FC Versailles 78 as of December last year, Lens' transfer value had decreased all the way down to a meagre €200k (£171k) as the Dutchman begins to see out his extensive career in France.

That's some way off the £8m that the Black Cats once paid to land the ex-PSV Eindhoven man in his prime, only for his time with Sunderland to not go to plan.

Remarkably, Dack – who hasn't played in the league for Sunderland at all in 2024 so far – comes in at being worth €0.4M (£343k), which sees him boast the tag of being a more valuable asset than Lens.

That's the case even with Lens blowing off the cobwebs playing for Versailles, firing in nine goals from 35 appearances for his current employers even whilst his career winds down.

Staggeringly, Dack isn't the only Sunderland flop that boasts a higher transfer value than Lens currently with Luis Semedo – who is yet to score a single first-team Sunderland goal since joining as a highly regarded youngster – coming in as being worth €0.4m (£343k) as well.

1. Corry Evans

€0.2m (£171k)

2. Nathan Bishop

€0.2m (£171k)

3. Ellis Taylor

€0.2m (£171k)

4. Bradley Dack

€0.4m (£343k)

5. Luis Semedo

€0.4m (£343k)

Scanning over this table above, the ex-Sunderland dud would even be the least valued member of the current Black Cats camp if he did make a return to Wearside soil.

Lens will just want to continue playing for as long as he can before calling time on his playing days however, with his torrid spell at the Stadium of Light not one he'll ever look back on with fond memories.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is "likely" to go and sign a Champions League-winning forward on a permanent deal in the summer, according to a report this week.

Lange making Spurs transfer plans as he targets attackers

A lot of the rumours concerning Spurs' transfer activity have revolved around possible new attacking additions.

Tottenham player out injured until mid-April after sustaining foot fracture

He won’t be available for the foreseeable.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 14, 2024

Reliable media sources claim that Tottenham want to make a winger their "major" signing of the summer window, leading to interest in both Wolves star Pedro Neto and Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze.

There are some suggestions that Spurs are keen on a new striker to replace Harry Kane, despite the fine form of Richarlison when the Brazilian is fit and available.

He's bagged an incredible nine goals in his last ten league appearances for the north Londoners, so Richarlison could perhaps feel hard done by there. However, with months remaining until the summer window opens, technical director Johan Lange's transfer plans could still change.

Son Heung-min

14

Richarlison

10

Dejan Kulusevski

6

Brennan Johnson

4

Cristian Romero

4

Whichever position Spurs end up reinforcing later in the year, reports suggest that supporters could expect at least one addition further forward – whether that be an outright number nine or wide player.

Interesting names are consistently emerging on Lange's radar, like Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Chelsea amid claims his contract includes a £43 million release clause.

There is also the small matter of in-form January loan signing, Timo Werner, who has really impressed since arriving from RB Leipzig. Werner's bagged two goals and two assists in his last seven league appearances under Postecoglou, and appears almost tailor-made for the Australian's system.

The German's endured a few years to forget, ultimately failing to become the prolific goalscorer Chelsea wanted when he signed for them in 2020. After making a move back to Leipzig, Werner wasn't able to rediscover his very best goalscoring form, but we're now seeing real glimpses of his attacking potential in north London.

Spurs boss Ange "likely" to sign Werner permanently this summer

The 28-year-old's temporary Spurs contract includes a £15 million buy option, and a report by GiveMeSport indicates that Postecoglou is personally "likely" to trigger the £15m clause and sign Werner permanently.

Lange, speaking on Tottenham's official social media, suggested that the club are already that impressed with the Champions League-winning forward.

“I think Timo [Werner] is an offensive player who has a massive experience from top level football," said Lange. "The Bundesliga, the Premier League, the Champions League and of course with the German national team.

“He’s also a player who, for most of his career, has played in a style not too dissimilar to ours which means his level of adaptation period could be relatively short and it has been good to see him already effecting games quite early on.”

أوضح ميكيل أرتيتا، المدير الفني لفريق آرسنال، موقفه من فكرة التقدم باستئناف ضد البطاقة الحمراء التي تحصل عليها اللاعب ويليام ساليبا في مباراة السبت الماضي ضد بورنموث.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثامنة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، حيث خسر آرسنال بهدفين دون رد.

وشهدت المباراة حصول لاعب آرسنال ويليام ساليبا على بطاقة حمراء، بعد عرقلة لاعب الخصم إيفانيلسون، في الشوط الأول.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد فوز ليفربول على تشيلسي

في البداية، أشهر الحكم روب جونز بطاقة صفراء، قبل أن تتدخل تقنية الفيديو ومن ثم تُشهر البطاقة الحمراء.

هذا الأمر يعني غياب ويليام ساليبا عن المباريات الثلاثة المقبلة لـ آرسنال في الدوري الإنجليزي، وعلى رأسها لقاء ليفربول يوم الأحد المقبل.

ورفض أرتيتا منح رأيه فيما يخص التقدم باستئناف ضد طرد ساليبا.

وقال أرتيتا، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “أترك الأمر للنادي لفهم الظروف، سيتعين عليهم اتخاذ القرار، الأمر يتعلق بالسياق”.

وأضاف: “نريد الفوز في أي سياق ولكن الواقع هو أننا جعلنا الأمر صعبًا للغاية على أنفسنا”.

وواصل: “من جهة أخرى، لقد خسرنا مباراة واحدة في غضون 6 أشهر، اللعب بعشرة لاعبين يمثل مشكلة واضحة، لا يمكننا الاستمرار في اللعب بعشرة لاعبين”.

وأردف: “تصبح المهمة شبه مستحيلة، نحتاج إلى القضاء على ذلك، نريد أن نكون تنافسيين، إنه أمر رائع”.

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– Estamos buscando manter um ritmo forte para que possamos conquistar nossos objetivos nos próximos jogos. O grupo tem trabalhado muito para evoluir e para vencer as partidas que tivermos nas próximas semanas – disse.

O atleta falou ainda sobre o desejo de terminar bem o primeiro semestre.

– Estou trabalhando muito para terminar esse primeiro semestre jogando em alto nível e podendo ajudar o grupo nos próximos confrontos – concluiu.

Bowling coach lauds ‘fantastic team man’ Boult after he became the third New Zealand bowler to 250 Test wickets

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo23-Aug-2019How does Trent Boult maintain a near-blinding standard over so many years, and across so many formats? Before rain washed out two further sessions of play in Colombo on Friday, Boult became the third New Zealand bowler to 250 Test wickets during a double-wicket maiden that perhaps swung the match in New Zealand’s favour. This milestone comes in a year in which he averages less than 22 in Tests, following two full calendar years in which he averaged 23.90 (2018) and 24.77 (2017).On English tracks, in a completely different format, Boult had also had a good World Cup, having taken 17 wickets to sit eighth on the tournament table. Bowling coach Shane Jurgensen thinks the key to Boult’s consistency has been his fitness and his “simple” action.”Today’s a special day for Trent – becoming the third New Zealand bowler to 250 wickets,” Jurgensen said. “I think he has a very efficient bowling action. Overall, it’s quite simple. I think that allows him to do what he does. Being accurate is really important in all parts of the world. He’s got an advantage being left-handed, and that creates variation for our bowling group.”He’s one of the best bowlers in the world and he’s proved that for a long time. He’s got that skill to expose any type of conditions that are available to him. I also think he can bowl across all different periods of the game. That’s really important. He’s one of the leaders of being able to do that – the ability to adjust to all periods.Trent Boult throws the ball to Tim Southee•Associated Press”He’s also got great passion and energy which he brings to our team. He’s our energiser bunny in the warm-ups. He loves his soccer. I think the skill and execution and the way he’s contributed to the team has been amazing. He’s a fantastic team man as well. And he does a lot of hard work off the field. He doesn’t stop working on his fitness or his resilience. Those factors have contributed to the success he’s had.”Also delivering a double-wicket maiden on Friday was Boult’s longtime partner-in-crime Tim Southee, who removed Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella in quick succession. Southee is also only three wickets away from hitting the 250 mark. He is slightly slower to the milestone, however – Boult achieving it in his 63rd Test, while Southee is playing his 67th. On Friday, the pair combined to produce four wickets for just 32 runs.”Tim and Trent have been doing it for a while,” Jurgensen said. “Today there might have been a little bit of swing with the overhead conditions, and it just seemed to be doing a little bit. They both work really hard on their fitness, and that’s a big factor in their resilience.”They’re always giving each other a bit of a hard time [because they are so close to each other in terms of career wickets]. That’s what’s great for the team – they keep things lighthearted. They support each other a lot too – they back each other up on the field and off the field.”

The first half of the 2023/24 season has been mixed for Mikel Arteta's exciting young Arsenal side. They sailed through their Champions League group and spent Christmas day atop the Premier League tree but have since fallen back down to fourth following consecutive defeats before New Year's Day.

A team that had looked so good only a few weeks ago suddenly seem bereft of ideas, tired and in need of replenishment. However, injuries to the likes of Jurrien Timber, Fabio Viera and Thomas Partey have left Arteta with fewer options than he'd ideally want.

Arsenal can upgrade Havertz by signing one of "Europe's best young players"

The 21-year-old could unlock Arsenal’s midfield.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jan 5, 2024

Partey's injury record, in particular, has become a genuine concern over the last couple of years, and for as good as he can be, the latest player touted for a move to N5 could be the perfect replacement: Everton's Amadou Onana.

Arsenal transfer news – Amadou Onana

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements this month and have now made an approach to sign Everton's impressive Belgian.

The report has revealed that while the Gunners are interested in several midfielders – including Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz – they have turned their attention to the Toffees star and could make an offer for him in 'the near future.'

Other Premier League sides have shown interest in the former LOSC Lille midfielder, including Chelsea and Manchester United, but the Gunners are keen to get ahead of them with a move this month.

While the other interested parties are sure to pose a challenge for the north Londoners, the most significant barrier to completing this deal could be the price that Everton are after, with TEAMtalk reporting that the Grand Old Team will not sell for anything less than £70m and are looking for offers closer to £90m.

Therefore, any move would require a massive investment from the Gunners, but for a player that talent scout Jacek Kulig described as the "complete package" and a "Swiss army knife in midfield", he might prove to be worth it.

Amadou Onana could replace Thomas Partey

Now, replacing a player as good as Partey is going to be a mammoth task for whoever is asked to do it, and at 22 years old, it could be argued that Onana is too young to do so. However, as the saying goes, availability is the best ability, and while it isn't his fault, Partey just never seems to be available anymore.

Since he arrived in North London in 2020, the former Atlético Madrid star has missed 63 games for club and country through injury, yet he missed just seven games in his entire career before joining the club. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how good you are if you can't be relied upon throughout the season.

In comparison, Onana has missed just nine games since making his professional debut for Hamburg three years ago, and more importantly, he has not suffered the same injury twice.

So availability is clearly something that the Dakar-born dynamo has over his potential competition, but how do the duo's underlying numbers from last season stack up?

Well, it doesn't look good for the Arsenal man, as despite his clear superiority when it comes to progressive passes, it's Everton's "midfield powerhouse", as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out on top in the majority of essential metrics.

He won more tackles, made more interceptions, made no errors that led to a goal and won significantly more aerial duels.

Amadou Onana vs Thomas Partey
Stats per 90	Onana	Partey
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists	0.20	0.14
Progressive Passes	2.86	8.37
Progressive Carries	0.98	1.23
Tackles Won	1.56	1.45
Interceptions	1.34	1.01
Errors Leading to Goals	0.00	0.04
Aerial Duels Won	2.17	1.34
All Stats via FBref for the 2022/23 Domestic Season

Ultimately, Partey is a player who will have to be moved on given his poor track record with injuries, and while it'll cost the club an awful lot of money, signing the "one-man army", as described by Jacek Kulig, that is Onana would be a fantastic idea.

The England allrounder says the two are “probably really good people” deep down

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2019Moeen Ali has called on fans who will attend the 2019 World Cup to refrain from heckling the duo of Steven Smith and David Warner with personal barbs. Both men will be turning out for Australia for the first time since they were banned for a year each in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, but Moeen said he didn’t want fans to go after them too much because of that.”I really hope they don’t get too much stick. I want them to enjoy the series,” Moeen told the . “If you have to, keep it funny, not personal. We all make mistakes. We are human beings and we have feelings. I know deep down they are probably really good people. I just hope they get treated decently. I just want the cricket to be spoken about.”Moeen’s comments come two days after Australia coach Justin Langer had said both Smith and Warner would require sensitive monitoring and handling over the coming months.”There’s not too many I’ve met in my life who like being booed or heckled or disliked so… they’re human beings,” Langer had said. “We’re going to have to care for them, we’re going to have to put an arm around them and make sure they’re going okay. But what people say, whether it’s in the crowd or social media or wherever, there’s nothing they can do about that, they can’t control it, but what we can do is keep an eye on them and make sure they’re going okay as people as much as cricketers.”Smith and Warner were part of Australia’s pre-World Cup camp, which included three practice matches against a New Zealand XI. Smith made 22, 89* and 91* in those games, while Warner scored 39, 0 and 2. Both men played key parts in the recently concluded IPL 2019 for their respective franchises, though they had to leave the tournament early to join the Australia camp.Warner was the leading run-scorer in the competition, amassing 692 runs in 12 innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 69.20 and a strike rate of 143.86. Smith started slowly for Rajasthan Royals but upped his run-scoring significantly once he was made captain, ending with 319 runs in ten innings at an average of 39.87 and a strike rate of 116.00.