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The third day’s play was hardly a battle between bat and ball. It wasmore of an exhibition on how the willow should be wielded. From ShivSunder Das to Rahul Dravid to Sachin Tendulkar there was no joy forZimbabwe. The only saving grace was the fact that Das is playing justhis second Test match, and therefore was a bit more reserved than wasreally necessary. On the other hand, neither Rahul Dravid nor SachinTendulkar exhibited any shyness. If anything, Rahul Dravid was moreforceful than ever. It was a big day for the young man. He not onlynotched up his seventh Test hundred, but also crossed the milestone of3000 runs in the longer version of the game. In doing so, he propelledIndia to a strong position of 275/2 at stumps on the third day of thefirst Test at the Kotla on Monday. John Wright said earlier that hecould not work any magic. If he can inspire Dravid to approach thegame as he did, no miracles will be needed.Resuming on nine for no loss, openers Sadagoppan Ramesh and Das madeyet another beginning. Having safely played out the few overs on offerthe previous day, the openers once again set their sights on posting agood response. This however, wasn’t to be. Ramesh played all over aquick straight ball from Heath Streak and was trapped plumb in front.This brought Dravid and Das together. Assuming a role not usuallyassociated with him, Dravid was the aggressor even as Das playedquietly and solidly at one end.A flurry of boundaries from the blade of the Karnataka stylist’s batsaw the pair push the scoring rate. Henry Olonga did the Zimbabweancause no good by bowling all over the place. Striving for pace, Olongawas in turns either too full or too short. Either way, the result wasthe same, the ball being dispatched to the fence with disdain.After making a good half century, Das too found himself trapped legbefore. Perhaps this was the only time in the day when Olonga landedthe ball in the right place. Das had impressed in his knock of 58.Striking the ball hard for a man his size, the Orissa opener sent theball to the fence six times.The large crowd roared as Sachin Tendulkar walked out to the middle.To an Indian crowd there will never be anyone closer to the heart thanTendulkar. When he made his way to the middle, Dravid already had awell made 58 to his credit. And yet, the roars that greeted Tendulkarwas deafening. Dravid certainly cornered his fair share of theapplause in the overs that ensued. Tendulkar started off a bittentatively, by his high standards anyway. Not timing the ballperfectly, and a bit anxious running between the wickets, Tendulkarmoved cautiously on.Dravid was never troubled. The Zimbabwe captain rotated his bowlersaround as much as was effective, but none could trouble Dravid. Takinga leaf out of the Zimbabweans’ book, he used the sweep at will againstthe spinners. Even going down the wicket when the ball was given a bitof air brought success for Dravid. However, he was truly magnificentagainst the mediumpacers. When the bowling was a tad short, or wideenough to allow him to open his shoulders, Dravid rocked onto his backfoot and crashed the ball away. Peppering the ropes in all parts ofthe ground, Dravid cut and pulled in domineering fashion.While Dravid marched on, Tendulkar too found his golden touch andZimbabwe’s misery was complete. Playing copybook shots, the maestropresented the full face of his very heavy bat to anything that wasbowled at him. Taking three consecutive boundaries off Olonga,Tendulkar raised the level of batsmanship to a very high standard.The second new ball was taken just as the day was coming to a close.It hardly made any difference to the Indians. When the umpires tookthe players off the field, Tendulkar had made a solid unbeaten 70 (164balls, 10 fours), even as Dravid had 118 of the finest runs to hiscredit. Although he didn’t hit a single ball over the ropes, his 17boundaries went a long way in demoralising the Zimbabweans. At 275/2with VVS Laxman and skipper Ganguly yet to come, India are sittingpretty in this Test match. The Zimbabwean bowlers will have to pull uptheir socks in a hurry if they are going to trouble India’s batsmen.The bowling section of the scoreboard was a pathetic sight… if youare a Zimbabwean. Olonga went for 51 runs in 14 overs, Paul Strangconceded 40 from 13 overs and Murphy in turn was ineffective enough togive away over 50 runs from his 20-odd overs.

Wolverhampton Wanderers made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at strugglers Everton on Sunday afternoon.

Former Liverpool academy player and fan Conor Coady scored the decisive goal at Goodison Park early in the second half before Toffees full-back Jonjoe Kenny was sent off to further heap misery on Frank Lampard’s side.

The win saw Wolves climb up to seventh with their hopes of securing European football very much alive still, however, despite another solid team performance, the contribution of right-wing-back Jonny Otto was underwhelming, with the Spaniard playing opposite to his preferred side.

According to SofaScore, the 28-year-old wing-back contributed little in both halves of the pitch. From an offensive point of view, Jonny failed to complete a single cross or long ball as well as completing a dribble whilst also seeing his sole shot go off-target.

Defensively, despite his side’s 11th league clean sheet of the season, the Spaniard was lacklustre. Throughout the entire 90 minutes, the wing-back failed to make a single tackle, clearance or block and made just one interception whilst also winning just 20% of his duels and losing possession 16 times.

In fairness to Jonny, he did enjoy an impressive 91% passing accuracy with 43/47 passes completed whilst also making 75 touches.

However, Wolves boss Bruno Lage certainly won’t be encouraged by the wing-back’s performance, with the Portuguese having to fill round holes with square pegs following the injuries to right-wing-backs Nelson Semedo and Ki-Jana Hoever.

Semedo could be out until late April with a hamstring injury whilst the status of Hoever is still unknown after the 20-year-old suffered a similar-looking issue to that of his Portuguese teammate in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.

Therefore, Lage has had to deploy Jonny, usually a left-sided full-back, on the right with the 28-year-old only recently returning from a lengthy injury spell.

Two knee injuries have meant that since the start of the 2020/21 season, the Spaniard has played just 12 times and is clearly readjusting to playing regular, top-flight football.

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However, it’s an opportunity that will have to be taken with both hands given the impressive performances of both Rayan Ait Nouri and Fernando Marcal at left-wing-back this season.

The vacancy on the right-hand side is currently Jonny’s only way into playing regularly at Wolves and therefore the 28-year-old will have to adapt in order to keep his place whilst Semedo is sidelined.

In other news: Fosun must surely regret huge Wolves howler over £67.5m-rated title-winning “rock”

Zimbabwe won’t be taking part in South Africa’s domestic four-day competition, Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), told the , a South African newspaper.The decision came at a meeting of CSA’s general council on Friday, which was called after players expressed their reservations over travelling to Zimbabwe. The Highveld Lions were to play a four-day match in Harare starting on October 28.Majola indicated that there would be further talks with Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and that decisions regarding Zimbabwe’s participation had been put on hold.”Instead of them playing in the SuperSport Series, we are looking at the possibility of Zimbabwe playing some four-day matches in South Africa against composite teams,” Majola said. Zimbabwe might still feature in the domestic one-day competitions in South Africa.Majola re-affirmed that CSA would oblige the request from the ICC to assist Zimbabwe cricket.”The decision has been taken. It is now a matter of sorting out logistics,” he said.He also suggested that the objections from the SACA were cricket-based, over the extra fixtures and possible impact of Zimbabwe playing the competition, especially if the fixtures clashed with their international obligations.With the other competitions – the MTN 45-overs competition and the Standard Bank Pro20 in March – starting only next year, there is still a chance that Zimbabwe could play. Majola dismissed suggestions there were moral objections to playing in Zimbabwe. “We leave politics to the politicians and the ICC.”

Mlukeli Nkala will mark his return to international cricket when he travels with the Zimbabwean cricket team for the one-day series in Bangladesh, the team he last played against. The Zimbabwean side is set to leave on Wednesday (November 22) despite the violent unrest that has hit Bangladesh in the past few days.Zimbabwe will also play a Twenty20 match on November 28 at Khulna, followed by the first ODI two days later at the same venue. After a long lay off due to injury, Nkala returns to a relatively young and inexperienced team, hoping to lay a foundation for a return to Test cricket next year when Zimbabwe are set to resume their ‘Test’ Status.He last played an ODI against Bangladesh on January 31, 2005 at Dhaka, having made his debut against India seven years earlier. He picked up 22 wickets in 47 ODIs and has the distinction of taking the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar with his second ball in international cricket, A medium-pace swing bowler who can bat – he hit a century against England Under-9s in 1998 batting at No. 6 and was the leading wicket taker in the 1998 U-19 World Cup in South Africa, ending the tournament with 15 wickets. He subsequently spent a few weeks at the Australian Cricket Academy, working with Dennis Lillee.The 15-man squad has been dogged by injuries, with opening bowler Ed Rainsford and former captain Terrence Duffin, who has undergone surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb and will not be able to resume training until next month, ruled out.In addition to that Tawanda Mupariwa has been carrying a knee injury since the tour of the Caribbean in May while Tafadzwa Mufambisi was hit by a ball on his left forearm during a practice match at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and is in plaster.The emphasis will be on slow bowling. In addition to Prosper Utseya, who retains the captaincy, three other slow bowlers – UK-based Sean Williams, Ryan Higgins and Keith Dabengwa – have been picked to take advantage of the normally spinner-friendly subcontinent conditions. Tino Mawoyo is the only uncapped player in the squad. The former Under-19 captain has been in good form in domestic cricket for Harare Sports Club. Other players who are making a return to international cricket include the lanky medium pacer Christopher Mpofu, and allrounder Blessing Mahwire who both missed out on the Champions Trophy in India.Meanwhile, Bangladesh have named a 13-man squad on Sunday for the first three ODIs and their squad included Tushar Imran, who had been overlooked for the Champions Trophy.Zimbabwe squad Prosper Utseya (capt), Gary Brent, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Keith Dabengwa, Ryan Higgins, Anthony Ireland, Blessing Mahwire, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Christopher Mpofu, Mluleki Nkala, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.

On top of the world: Lara overtakes Allan Border © Getty Images

Brian Lara has spent his cricketing life exciting fans with spectacular deeds and he marked his step into Test run-scoring’s unknown with an extraordinary single. A swept boundary moved Allan Border past Sunil Gavaskar’s record in 1993 and Lara used a similar method when he bravely shuffled across his stumps to paddle Glenn McGrath to fine-leg for a single, his 214th run of the innings and his 11,175th over 15 years.The beautiful ground rose again and Australia’s players formed a casual line to offer their congratulations as Lara’s team-mates stood with hands high in the dressing room. Lara was pleased but calm – and probably tired after making 202 on day one – and hugged Daren Powell before accepting the opposition’s compliments.”It’s a great feeling,” Lara said at lunch. “With stuff like this you’d like to do it in front of your home crowd but it’s special with Allan Border being an Australian. The reception this morning was excellent and it’s really touching to be appreciated by a country I’ve had great battles with throughout my career.”Before play Lara said the record was “testimony to the longevity I’ve had in the game”. “I’ve had my ups and downs but I’ve stuck it out,” he told . “And at 36 I’m looking forward to passing AB.”Lara had watched Border add to his tally as a youngster at Queens Park Oval in his native Trinidad and was impressed with his style of play. “I’ve seen him defy the West Indies fast bowlers and I enjoyed watching him,” he said. The world has enjoyed watching Lara.Border, who missed the innings to watch his son in an under-10s match, was quick to pay tribute to his successor and said Lara was a “very worthy” record holder. “I played against Brian when he made his century in Sydney in the season of 1992-93 and I would rank him as one of the best three batsmen in the world,” Border said. “I have had the pleasure of seeing him play a lot of cricket and there is no doubt he is a genuine genius. I am sure I am not the only Australian who is pleased to see him hold this record.”Border’s moment of history was sealed on February 25, 1993 in Christchurch when he hit Dipak Patel for a boundary as his team-mates huddled in the dressing-room under blankets. Border fell 12 runs short of a century and Lara was also disappointed when he stepped away to McGrath and lost his off stump. It was a minor blemish and November 26, 2005 will always be Lara’s day to treasure.

The fans trickled into the stadium at first …© Getty Images

If you’re in Bangladesh for just one day, make sure it’s a Friday. That’s the day when the masses throng the roads, the kids drag their parents out in search of the parks, and the parents spend a day away from what must be a fairly onerous working week. Chittagong, though, is a bit different from Dhaka, in that there are a mere 7000 cycle-rickshaws per half-kilometre, a mere pound and a half of suspended particles per cubic metre of air.An English journalist once described Chittagong as a breath of fresh air, and in a limited sense that’s accurate. Sections of the city have gently sloping hills, and the poverty and despair that seem to assault the visitor in Dhaka are not as apparent, perhaps gently alleviated by the sea breeze that cools things down as the sun begins its downward journey.On Friday, just one day after another holiday – Victory Day – you would have been forgiven for thinking that the census board was lying when it recorded that Chittagong had about a quarter of the population of Dhaka. The stands were well-packed, though the support waned as Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid silenced the yelling and chanting with booming drives. There’s nothing like the crack of opposition willow on leather to shut the crowds up.But for most of the day, the real action was outside the ground. The Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka is skirted by electronics stores, so the chatter is naturally businesslike and rather dull. The edges of the MA Aziz Stadium, on the other hand, are teeming with life. East of the ground is what would have been a large open space, before it was taken over by a mammoth circus tent. All manner of garish amusements trot in and out of the tent with regularity, and almost to provide relief to the eyes, the immediate surroundings of the tent is a dhobi ghat. Large swathes of clothes dry on lines and, to the untrained eye, the whole exercise seems a waste of time, as the thick exhaust fumes of vehicles and the heavy dust particles drift towards the freshly washed clothes.If you wander towards the media box, which is at the Circuit House End, overlooking an amusement park, you have to go past the curiously named Royal Hut kebab house. The aroma of an assortment of meats being grilled over hot coals tempts you towards the shop, but you know that the cricket beckons, and refrain. The location of the kebab house could not be more apt, as it is owned by Nurul Abedin, the brother of Minhazul Abedin, and Shahidur Rahman, both former Bangladesh cricketers.But on Saturday, the second day of the Test, with India beginning well and truly on top, the surrounds of the stadium were largely deserted. It was back to work for everyone as the inevitable records tumbled. The fans trickled into the stands but, as the first ball was about to be bowled, it was only the two press buildings – the commentary boxes at the Chittagong Club End, and the three-storey tower that houses the written media – that were full. If the average fan was worried that his day would be wasted watching his favourite cricketers ground into the dust by Sachin Tendulkar, he needn’t have bothered. Mashrafe Mortaza, the hero at Dhaka, hit the perfect line and length first up, and Tendulkar was so palpably in front of the stumps that even Aleem Dar had to take that left hand out of the pocket and point to the sky.As word of Tendulkar’s dismissal and – soon after – VVS Laxman’s spread, hope returned and the stands began to fill up. But just outside the stadium, rickshaw-wallahs argued with customers, kebab houses solicited customers, and life went on. After all, it wasn’t a Friday, there was work to do, and there was no time to stop and stare.

All Today’s Yesterdays – October 29 down the yearsOctober 28 | October 301877
Birth of the man Neville Cardus described as “Yorkshire cricket personified”. Wilfred Rhodes was arguably England’s best-ever allrounder, a fine strokemaker who started his Test career at No. 11 and ended up opening the batting, and a slow left-armer so precise and cunning in flight that the great Victor Trumper once implored,”For God’s sake Wilfred, give me a minute’s rest”. Rhodes was the oldest man to play Test cricket (at 52 years 165 days in West Indies in 1929-30) and the only man to have a Test career spanning over 30 years (1899-1930). He took a record 4187 first-class wickets, at a cost of only 16.71 apiece. His finest Test moments came at Melbourne: in 1903-04 he took 15 for 124, the 11th-best match figures of all time, and eight years later he matched Jack Hobbs run for run in an opening partnership of 323, England’s highest in Ashes Tests. He lost his eyesight in later life, and died in Dorset in 1973.2000
The mother of all one-day thrashings. In the Champions Trophy final at Sharjah Sri Lanka spanked India by a staggering 245 runs, the biggest win in ODI history until Australia beat Namibia by 256 runs in the 2003 World Cup. Sanath Jayasuriya went berserk, slamming 189 off 161 balls with 21 fours and four sixes. It equalled the second-highest individual score in a one-dayer, made by Viv Richards against England in 1984. Venkatesh Prasad took the most flak, with his seven overs disappearing for 73. As if that wasn’t bad enough, India then collapsed for 54, their lowest one-day total and the third-lowest of them all. Only Robin Singh reached double figures, with Chaminda Vaas taking 5 for 14 and Muttiah Muralitharan 3 for 6.1974
From the moment he faced his first ball in Test cricket with England on an unprecedented 2 for 4 at Johannesburg in 1999-2000, Michael Vaughan, who was born today, has looked the part. After his career started badly – blighted by injuries – Vaughan quickly established himself as an integral part of the England batting line-up. In 23 Tests before the start of the Ashes series in 2002, he averaged a healthy 47.50. With a very successful home series against India the same summer as an opening bat, during which he also plundered his career best 197, Vaughan confirmed he is a natural successor to Mike Atherton, whose unflappable nature he shares. In Australia, Vaughan averaged 63.3 and hit up three stylish hundreds, by far the most successful English batsman on tour. But greater challenges were ahead; after Nasser Hussain quit midway through the home series against South Africa, Vaughan had to rev up a demoralised team, which he did admirably to draw the series from 2-1 down in the final Test.1971
For some time Matthew Hayden, who was born on this day, was seen the Australian Graeme Hick – a destroyer on good wickets but short of that certain something at the top level. All that changed in 2001, when he cracked 549 runs – an Australian record for a three-match series – in India, followed by runs galore against England and South Africa. He finished with 1391 Test runs, an Australian record for any calendar year, and carried on where he left off the following season, with an heroic seven-hour 119 in stifling heat against Pakistan in Sharjah. More was to come. Against Zimbabwe at Perth, Hayden smashed 380 in quick time, breaking Brian Lara’s record of 375 in five sessions.1935
Birth of the underestimated David Allen, who played 39 Tests for England in the 1960s. He was a very useful offspinner and a handy lower-order batsman with five Test fifties and a top score of 88, at Christchurch in 1965-66. He also famously played out a rampant Wes Hall’s last over to secure a draw at Lord’s in 1963, with Colin Cowdrey, fractured arm in plaster, looking on at the non-striker’s end. With the ball Allen was consistent and steady, but he did win a couple of Test matches for his country, at Durban in 1964-65 and at Sydney a year later. He took 1209 first-class wickets, most in a 19-year career with Gloucestershire.1971
It’s a sign of the fearsome strength-in-depth of Australian cricket that Greg Blewett, who was born today, is nowhere near their Test side, because he would breeze into any other team in the world. He made three sumptuous hundreds in his first three Ashes Tests, but his finest hour came against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1996-97, when he and Steve Waugh batted throughout the third day for a fifth-wicket partnership of 385. So why isn’t he in the side? Well, he struggles against spin, for a start: Mushtaq Ahmed embarrassed him in 1995-96, and even Robert Croft snared him three times in 1997. And for all the luxuriance of his better performances, Blewett does only average an under-par 34 from his 46 Tests.1984
The first 199 in Test history. Mudassar Nazar fell at the final hurdle when he was caught behind off Shivlal Yadav in the second Test between Pakistan and India at Faisalabad. It was a fad that soon caught on: Mohammad Azharuddin, Matthew Elliott, Sanath Jayasuriya, Steve Waugh and Andy Flower have all since made 199 in a Test – but of the six, only Elliott (at Headingley in 1997) has been on the winning side. This one ended in a draw: Mudassar added 250 for the second wicket with Qasim Omar, who went on to grind out 210 in 685 minutes.Other birthdays
1870 Charles Eady (Australia)
1915 Dennis Brookes (England)
1941 Bryan Yuile (New Zealand)
1946 Anura Tennekoon (Sri Lanka)
1969 Dougie Brown (England)
1973 Adam Bacher (South Africa)

Local league resumed in Bulawayo and to start the new year a few shocks were evident. Queens, who has provided the bulk of the Logan Cup squad, lost to underdogs Bulawayo Sports Club by 10 runs. Although both sides were missing key players, Queens Mbangwa and Nkala and BSC Mahachi and Dabengwa, there should be sufficient depth to cover. The standard of cricket and the result were somewhat disappointing.Macdonald Club, who did so well last season, are struggling this season and lost to Crescents by 82 runs, while at BAC the home side beat the young Bulawayo Development side by three wickets in a match that was marred by some unsporting tactics by the Development captain Chris Phiri, which is a sad side of the game when a young side develops these habits. It will no doubt lead to disciplinary action by the MCA.Meanwhile the Logan Cup squad for the forthcoming Logan Cup has been announced and the squad contains no real surprises. Queens players dominate the 16-man squad which is as follows:Pommie Mbangwa, Mluleki Nkala, Ryan King, Greg Strydom, Neil van Rensburg, Gavin Ewing, Matthew Townshend, Warren Gilmour (all Queens), Keith Dabengwa, Clement Mahachi, Dash Vaghmaria, Mecury Kenny (all BSC), Jason Hitz, N. Mkondiwa, C. Williams (all BAC) and Wisdom Siziba (Macdonald Club).Ian Engelbrecht, who was the leading wicket-taker last year, was not considered as he is leaving shortly for the UK where he intends furthering his cricket career.

Dorset were in dreamland at Bournemouth Sports after lifting their firstMinor Counties championship title – after 99 years of trying.They finally found the winning formula after losing out in both the previoustwo championship play-offs to gain some sweet revenge on Cumberland, theirconquerors at Netherfield last season, with a famous five wicket win.A sparkling 63 off 55 balls from Man-of-the-Match Darren Cowley was the keyto Dorset successfully chasing 193 to win. His third-wicket partnership of 80in 16.4 overs with Neil Thurgood (62) turned the challenge into a cakewalk,with Dorset clinching victory before tea on the final day in front of anotherhealthy Church Gate crowd.Cowley, the 23-year-old son of ex-Hampshire star Nigel and a South AfricanUnder 19 one-day international, hit seven fours and three sixes, and raced tohis half-century as anchor man Thurgood scored just nine at the other end.Dorset polished off the final Cumberland wicket in 21 balls at the start ofthe day, and though they lost Matt Swarbrick for just four, Glyn Treagus andThurgood added a watchful 67 in 40 overs to lay a solid platform.The departure of Treagus for 27 brought Cowley to the wicket, and the beefyleft-hander quickly launched a powerful assault on the Cumberland bowlers.His 57-minute stay at the crease dramatically raised the tempo. When he losthis leg stump to David Pennett, having made 63 off only 55 balls, Dorset were151 for three and victory was in sight.The Cumberland attack gained little assistance from the pitch and Tim Lambprovided a fitting conclusion to a memorable Dorset season by wrapping up thewin by hoisting leg spinner Simon Kippax for a straight six.Dorset skipper Stuart Rintoul said: “We have played some great cricket thisseason and it’s a wonderful feeling to lift the title.”It seems it’s been a long time coming after getting to the final threeyears on the trot but I think we deserved to win it the way we haveperformed.”We lost last year’s final at Netherfield in one bad session and we probablywon this year’s by having a good afternoon on the second day. We took wicketsand pegged Cumberland back. Darren Cowley then turned things in our favourwith a great innings.”A lot of this team has come through our colts side and they are still veryyoung. The future for Dorset cricket looks very rosy.”

Ange Postecoglou has dropped a promising injury update on Celtic centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis.

What’s the latest?

In comments made after the Bhoys’ 2-0 win over St Mirren on Wednesday night, the 56-year-old revealed that, after missing the Hoops’ last two fixtures due to illness, the Greece international will be available for selection for the trip to Livingston this weekend.

Speaking about the current condition of the 27-year-old, Postecoglou said: “We’ve got Giakoumakis back for the weekend as well, which I think will give us some more quality in depth.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

With both Kyogo Furuhashi and Albian Ajeti remaining sidelined due to injury, and with goalscoring having been something of an issue for Celtic in recent weeks, the news that Giakoumakis is set to return to action this weekend is sure to have left Postecoglou buzzing.

Indeed, over the Bhoys’ last three outings in all competitions, they have hit the back of the net just twice, with Celtic’s only available centre-forward Daizen Maeda having drawn a blank in all three fixtures.

Meanwhile, Giakoumakis had been in fantastic goalscoring form prior to his layoff, bagging four goals in his last four appearances, including a match-winning hat-trick in an uninspiring 3-2 win over Dundee.

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As such, the return of the £1.8m-rated hitman ahead of what is sure to be a challenging fixture against fourth-placed Livingston on Sunday will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to Celtic’s chances of leaving the Tony Macaroni Arena with all three points. Victory is all but essential should the Hoops wish to keep their Premiership title push on track.

In other news: £3.8k-p/w dynamo drops teasing transfer hint which will surely frustrate Celtic fans