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Napoli will choose between Federico Chiesa, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish as they eye a replacement for Atletico Madrid target Giacomo Raspadori.

Atletico in talks with Napoli over RaspadoriItalians demand €30m for 25-year-old forwardAzzurri plan to use funds to add a wingerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Atletico have not stopped pursuing Raspadori and remain in constant contact with Napoli, hoping to reach an agreement despite reports of negotiations hitting a roadblock. The Spanish side reportedly offered €25 million ($27m/£21m) plus €5m in bonuses, while Napoli are insisting on €30m plus add-ons. Gli Azzurri, meanwhile, already have plans on how to reinvest the money should Raspadori leave. The Italian club will reportedly shift focus toward boosting their wide options, with Chiesa, Sterling, and Grealish as top targets.

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Chiesa, who joined Liverpool from Juventus last summer, struggled to break into Arne Slot’s plans. The 27-year-old winger was left out of the Reds' 29-man squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, hinting at a potential departure. Sterling, meanwhile, is expected to leave Chelsea this summer after a disastrous loan spell at Arsenal last season.

Manchester City’s £100 million man, Grealish, has also been placed on the transfer market after a torrid last few seasons. City have reportedly set an asking price of around £40m ($55m) for the English winger.

DID YOU KNOW?

Raspadori recorded six goals and two assists in 29 appearances across all competitions for Napoli last season. The Italian forward had requested a move in December 2024, but the club convinced him to stay, and he went on to play a crucial role in their Scudetto push.

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With Atletico refusing to back down and Napoli standing firm on their €30m demand, the next few days could prove decisive. If the deal goes through, Napoli will quickly ramp up talks with one of their wing targets.

Captain all praise for KKR’s “flawless” showing at IPL 2024, a sentiment echoed by this team-mates Mitchell Starc and Sunil Narine

Ashish Pant26-May-20241:21

What changed for Starc towards the end of the season?

Shreyas Iyer called the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final “comprehensive”, lauding his team for playing “like invincibles throughout the season”.”This is what we demanded from the team and every individual, they stood up on the right occasion,” Iyer said after KKR secured a third IPL title, their first since 2014. “It is hard to express how we are feeling right now. The wait was so long. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There is so much to cherish right now.”KKR enjoyed one of the most dominant IPL campaigns ever, equalling Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals from 2008 for the fewest losses across a season (three). Having topped the league table, they beat SRH in Qualifier 1 by eight wickets with 38 balls to spare and amped it up a notch in the final with another eight-wicket rout, this time with 57 balls remaining.Related

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Big game, white ball, first over: Starc's romance for the ages

“It is pleasing and the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now,” Iyer said of KKR’s season. “We have been tremendous right from game one, and when we stepped [out], all we demanded from ourselves was to back each other no matter the situation.”The game could have gone either way – they have been playing phenomenal cricket, SRH, throughout the season. Today, we were lucky enough to bowl first and, at the same time, every situation went in our favour. Thanks to SRH [for] the way they have played throughout the season. They have been simply phenomenal.”It was one-way traffic from the time Mitchell Starc snared Abhishek Sharma with arguably the ball of the tournament. It pitched on middle and leg and zipped sharply past Abhishek’s outside edge to smash into off stump. That wicket started a slide; Vaibhav Arora took out Travis Head for a first-ball duck with a peach of an awayswinger before Starc struck for a second time, dismissing Rahul Tripathi for 9, and SRH were 21 for 3 inside five overs.”That [big games] is when all the big players stand up,” Iyer said of Starc. “It was a high-pressure game. He has been so good off the field. He has never shown any sort of complacency in his work ethic. Every time we used to go for the plunge pool, he used to be there… something for everyone to learn.”Iyer was also effusive in praise of Andre Russell, who picked up 3 for 19 in 2.3 overs to finish with 19 wickets for the season, his best tally with the ball at any IPL. “He has got that magic wand, which he is hiding somewhere on the field,” Iyer said. “He is hoping to come and bowl and deliver for the team. He is waiting for me to call him all the time.”Russell has been lucky for us. Almost in a majority of the games, whenever he has bowled, he has picked up the wickets and he has given us the breakthrough.”Mitchell Starc was bending the ball sideways in his opening spell•AFP/Getty ImagesStarc: ‘There have been plenty of jokes about the money’Mitchell Starc reckons being “more experienced and older” since the previous time he played in the IPL (2015) helped him deal with the pressure of his huge price tag. Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the IPL, going for INR 24.75 crore (US$2,982,000 approx.) at this season’s auction. He then had a tough start to the campaign, going for 100 runs across his first two games without getting a wicket, but was Player of the Match in both KKR’s playoffs – the first time a player has done this at the IPL.”There have been plenty of jokes and whatnot made about the money,” he said with a laugh after the final. “It’s been a long time since I have played in the IPL. I am certainly an older and more experienced player now. It’s probably helped with managing all the expectations or leading the attack or whatever it maybe. I am certainly glad I am a bit more experienced and older to deal with all of that.”Personally, it has been a lot of fun, been great to learn and see how these guys go about it. Full credit to the whole squad of players and staff, it has made my life pretty easy.”It is a great night for KKR. What a game, what a series, what a season. It was an upward journey through from the start of the IPL to now, but we have a fantastic squad of bowlers and batters and our staff have been fantastic to get everyone peaking at the back end of the tournament. We have been such a consistent side. We haven’t had one or two people standing out, it’s been contributions from everyone. So, great to contribute personally but I think the fact that we’ve had everyone contribute throughout the year has been a big part of our success.”Narine: ‘Couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift’Sunil Narine said the freedom he got, especially form team mentor Gautam Gambhir, to express himself with the bat made a huge difference to his season. His final tally read 488 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 180.74. He also got 17 wickets, and took home the MVP award for a record third time.”Getting the role to just go there and express myself, trying to get the team off to a flier, that’s key,” Narine said. “The backing of the support staff, especially GG [Gambhir] just saying, ‘go there and enjoy it, just try to win a few games for the team; I am not asking you to do the entire season, but just a few games.’ That was very good advice.”This is Narine’s third IPL title with KKR after 2012 and 2014, and it came on his 36th birthday.”Coming into the ground today it felt like 2012 [when the final was also played in Chennai]. I think the feeling is overwhelming and I genuinely couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift,” he said. “I am enjoying my cricket at the moment, batting, bowling and fielding. What helps is when your team is winning. We have a great bunch of guys who put out a lot of work throughout the season and the fight we gave throughout the season is very good. It shows how good a team we are.”

Barcelona will be allowed to register Joan Garcia after receiving La Liga’s approval on the Marc-Andre ter Stegen medical report.

Barcelona receive approval from La Liga to register GarciaApproval after legitimacy of Ter Stegen medical report verifiedRashford may not be registered on timeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona announced that league officials have confirmed Ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term criteria, allowing the club to register new signing Garcia in his place. According to , doctors from La Liga’s medical commission visited the club’s training ground to assess the goalkeeper's injury five days after the report was submitted, despite the usual protocol of conducting such checks within 48 hours.

"Barcelona hereby announces that LaLiga’s Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations," a statement from the club read. "The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately formalise the registration of player Joan García."

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Barcelona’s failure to meet La Liga’s financial regulations initially blocked Garcia’s registration. When Ter Stegen suffered a pre-season injury that would sideline him for four months, the club sought to register Garcia as his replacement. However, Ter Stegen’s insistence he would only be out for three months and his refusal to authorise his medical report sparked a public feud, resulting in him being stripped of the captaincy temporarily. This left Barcelona in a goalkeeping crisis, with Inaki Pena as the only registered keeper and Hansi Flick blocking his sale to Como. After reaching a compromise with Ter Stegen, Barcelona have now been cleared to register Garcia in time for this week's La Liga opener

DID YOU KNOW?

Barcelona are also struggling to register Marcus Rashford, who joined on loan from Manchester United. Club president Joan Laporta admitted the forward might not be cleared in time for the league opener.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR GARCIA AND BARCELONA ?La Liga’s clearance to register Garcia offers Barcelona temporary relief, ensuring they have two fit goalkeepers to start the season. For Garcia, it ends a long wait and allows him to finally feature in a competitive match for the club.

Oliver Glasner has confirmed Crystal Palace duo Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi will both play in the Conference League qualifier against Fredrikstad.

Eze and Guehi to play on ThursdayLinked with Tottenham and Liverpool respectivelyPalace playing first ever European matchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Glasner has confirmed Eze and Guehi will both be available for Palace's Conference League play-off with Fredrikstad on Thursday night. Tottenham are said to be advancing in talks in their bid to sign Eze, while Guehi is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League champions Liverpool, though that deal isn't as far along.

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Both players were in action on Sunday as the Eagles picked up their first point of the season in a goalless draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Eze had a stunning free-kick disallowed while Guehi completed the match at centre-back before appearing to ignore manager Glasner as he headed towards the tunnel. Now, in his pre-match press conference, the 50-year-old has confirmed his two star players will both feature.

WHAT GLASNER SAID

Glasner told reporters: "Many of you were surprised they started against Chelsea. You may be surprised they will start tomorrow because of all the rumours. 

"But they are committed to the team, they have a contract here and want to play a crucial part in our success. They will play a crucial part for as long as they are here. If they leave, they want to leave as the guys who gave 100 per cent to Crystal Palace. 

"This is what they have done since they signed many years ago and this is what we expect from them until the end."

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A suitable parting gift from Eze and Guehi – if both were to leave in the final weeks of the transfer window – would be to ensure Palace reach the league phase of the Conference League. Opponents Fredrikstad are a Norwegian side who currently sit eighth in the Eliteserien.

Arsenal celebrated a dominant 5-0 victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium, but all eyes were on 15-year-old Max Dowman as he made history with his Premier League debut. The teenager became the second-youngest player in Arsenal’s history in the league. Jurrien Timber, who scored twice in the match, hailed the youngster’s potential after the final whistle.

Dowman makes debut as Arsenal’s second-youngest playerTimber scores twice in dominant 5-0 win over LeedsArsenal blend youth and experience in strong PL pushFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Dowman entered the pitch in the 64th minute, joining Myles Lewis-Skelly and Cristhian Mosquera in a youthful Arsenal lineup. At just 15 years and 235 days old, he showcased composure well beyond his age, almost finding the net twice and winning a penalty in stoppage time. Viktor Gyokeres converted from the spot to round off a one-sided contest.

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Speaking to the media, Timber said, "I think everyone can see the potential Max has. Playing against grown men like this is incredible. It's a joy to watch, for me it's a joy to watch. I hope he's going to have some amazing years with us.

"You have to look at the good things. He did well. You have to think about the things he didn't do so well. We have to make sure we're ready at Anfield."

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Dowman’s debut puts him behind only Ethan Nwaneri in Arsenal’s history books as the youngest player to feature for the Gunners. With senior stars also stepping up, Arsenal appear to be blending experience and youth to devastating effect.

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Arsenal continue their Premier League campaign with a trip to face Liverpool next weekend. Dowman will likely return to academy duty but could feature again later in the season. Timber, meanwhile, will look to build on his brace as the Gunners chase momentum at the top of the table.

Atletico Madrid are set to sign Argentine winger Nico Gonzalez from Juventus.

Gonzalez set to sign for AtleticoJuventus had acquired him this summer itselfIt could be a loan deal for the ArgentineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After spending a season on loan at Juventus, the Bianconeri signed Gonzalez from Fiorentina this summer. However, the Argentine winger is now set to sign for Atletico with Marca claiming the 27-year-old is already in Madrid to complete his medical before completing a one-year loan deal that will become a permanent move should the midfielder play a certain number of games. Should he meet that criteria, he will join on a contract that runs until 2030. The Rojiblancos will pay Juventus €1 million as the loan fee for this season with another €35m (£30m/$41m) to be paid if their obligation is triggered.

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Gonzalez was a vital cog in Thiago Motta and then Igor Tudor's lineup last season, playing 38 games in all competitions last season at Juventus. The Bianconeri triggered his permanent move this summer, but are prepares to let him go after playing just 17 minutes across the first two Serie A games of the current campaign. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Gonzalez will be Atletico's latest signing in what has been a busy summer window, with Alex Baena, David Hancko and Johnny Cardoso among the many new faces in Diego Simeone's team. Gonzalez is the third to join from Serie A this summer, following Giacomo Raspadori and Juan Musso.

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After the completion of the formalities, the winger will head to the Argentina national camp for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador.

Dele Alli has officially left Como after terminating his contract just nine months into his spell in Italy. The former Tottenham and England international endured another major setback as he managed just one appearance, where he was sent off against Milan. Now a free agent, the 29-year-old will once again search for a new club to revive his career.

Dele ends Como stint after just one appearanceFormer Spurs star now available on a free transferMidfielder continues search to revive fading careerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Dele has officially left Como after terminating his contract just nine months into his spell in Italy. The former Tottenham and England international endured another major setback as he managed just one appearance, where he was sent off against AC Milan. Now a free agent, the 29-year-old will once again search for a new club to revive his career.

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Dele’s exit continues a difficult chapter in his career after struggling at Everton and on loan at Besiktas. His move to Como was meant to offer a fresh start, but the midfielder could not establish himself. Once tipped as one of England’s brightest talents, he is again without a club at just 29.

DID YOU KNOW?

Dele rose to prominence at Tottenham, where he scored 67 goals across seven years before joining Everton in 2022. His time at Goodison Park yielded just 13 league appearances, with a loan spell at Besiktas also failing to reignite his career. The former MK Dons man has 37 England caps but last represented his country in 2019.

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The England star is now free to join another club outside of the transfer window. Interest in the midfielder may depend on whether clubs see him as a worthwhile gamble after years of inconsistency. At 29, he faces a crucial decision on his future but he has clarified that retirement is not an option.

Yuvendra Chahal, meanwhile, claimed the second-best figures by an India bowler against South Africa ever

Bharath Seervi04-Feb-2018118 – South Africa’s total in the second ODI in Centurion – their lowest ever at home. The previous lowest was 119 against England in Port Elizabeth in 2009. South Africa are the only team not to have got all out for less than 100 at home among the top-10 teams. Their total is also the lowest for any team at SuperSport Park in Centurion, falling below the 119 by Zimbabwe against the home team in 2009.1 – Number of smaller totals for South Africa against India than the 118 in this match. They were all out for 117 in Nairobi in 1999. Overall this is their eighth smallest all-out score.5/22 – Yuzvendra Chahal’s figures, the second-best for any spinner in South Africa. Only Nicky Boje’s 5 for 21 against Australia in Cape Town in 2002 is better than Chahal’s. Overall, Chahal’s figures are second-best for India against South Africa, behind only Sunil Joshi’s 5 for 6 in Nairobi in 1999. This was Chahal’s maiden five-for.6.62 – Average of India’s spinners in this match, which is a total of eight wickets for 53 runs – the best for spinners in an ODI innings in South Africa, bowling 10 or more overs. For India, only once have their spinners averaged better bowling 10 or more overs in the first innings, which was against New Zealand in Chennai in 2010-11 when they averaged 5.71.1 – Instance of India’s spinners accumulating more wickets in an ODI outside Asia than the eight wickets in this match. They had picked up nine wickets against the same opposition in Nairobi in 1999.11.61 – Bowling average of India’s spinners in this series – so far the best for them in any series or tournament bowling 25-plus overs. The slow bowlers have combined for 13 wickets at average of 11.61, while the quicks have only four wickets at average of 58.25.

Bowlers type Overs Runs Wkts Ave Eco SRPacers 42 233 4 58.25 5.54 63.0Spinners 40.2 151 13 11.61 3.74 18.62009 – The last time South Africa played an ODI without AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in their playing XI, which was against Australia at the MCG. Du Plessis had scored a century in the first ODI, while de Villiers was their highest run-getter in the Test series.

UEFA have reportedly ruled that host nations, including England, will have to qualify for the 2028 European Championship.

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Euro 2028 will be hosted by England, Scotland, Wales & IrelandHowever, all four nations will go through the qualifying stage 32 nations will qualify for the main event Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In a significant departure from long-standing tradition, UEFA has confirmed that host nations for the 2028 European Championship will not receive automatic entry into the tournament. England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland, who are set to jointly host the event, will all be required to compete in the qualification process in order to secure their places at the finals.

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UEFA has introduced a revised qualification process for the 2028 edition to accommodate the unique host arrangement. A total of 24 teams will participate in the final tournament. The pathway to qualification begins with traditional group stages, where 12 group winners and eight of the highest-ranking second-placed teams will qualify directly. That accounts for 20 of the 24 available spots. The remaining four slots will be filled through a combination of host nation backup allocations and a play-off round that includes Nations League group winners and non-qualified runners-up.

In recognition of the challenge posed to host nations without the benefit of automatic qualification, UEFA has reserved up to two places for the best-performing hosts who do not qualify through their groups. These nations will be ranked based on their performance in the qualifiers, and the top two among them, if necessary, will be awarded spots in the final tournament. However, if fewer than two of the host nations fail to qualify outright, the leftover spots will be reallocated via an elaborate play-off format that considers results from the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League.

DID YOU KNOW?

The structure of the play-offs is fluid, depending on how many host nation slots are required. If two host nations need spots, eight teams will battle it out in two single-elimination paths—each path featuring one semi-final and one final, all played over a single leg.

If only one host requires a place, then 12 teams will enter three separate brackets to fight for the remaining three tournament slots. Should none of the host nations need the reserved places, all four remaining positions will be determined through home-and-away play-offs involving eight teams.

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

The full qualification draw and schedule for Euro 2028 is expected to be revealed in the autumn of 2025. Until then, all four co-hosting nations will be placed into different qualifying groups to ensure fairness and avoid direct competition between the hosts during the qualifying campaign.

Calls time at age of 38 to take up coaching role in Women’s Hundred

Peter Della Penna22-Mar-2023Kyle Coetzer, the former Scotland captain who led his side to famous victories over No. 1-ranked England in 2018 and into the Super 12 stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 38.Coetzer, who was born and raised in Aberdeen, had stepped down from the captaincy in May 2022 at the end of Scotland’s ODI tour of the USA and also retired from T20Is, but he has now called time in all formats to take up a role as assistant coach with Northern Diamonds for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup.”I don’t ever think there’s a perfect time for a decision like this, but I’ve been considering my options for some time, and an opportunity came up which was too good to turn down,” Coetzer said in a retirement announcement through Cricket Scotland. “The balance that the Scotland team need at this time was outweighed by the opportunity for me to move into coaching, and I’m extremely excited about the chance to work with such a high-profile team.”Having come up through Scotland’s Under-15 and Under-19 pathway, Coetzer made his initial appearance for Scotland as a 19-year-old in an unofficial UK tour warm-up match for Pakistan at Glasgow in 2003. A year later, he made a full-fledged international debut against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC’s first-class competition for Associates, in which he made an unbeaten 133 in the second innings to help claim enough points in a draw that put Scotland into the final, where they beat Canada a week later to claim the title.Though the Intercontinental Cup is no more, his performance in that match was a harbinger of things to come in a far more illustrious ODI and T20I career. Coetzer leaves the game as Scotland’s all-time leading scorer in ODIs with 3192 runs in 89 matches at an average of 38.92 as well as ending up second overall in T20I runs for Scotland with 1495 runs in 70 matches.Coetzer’s individual ODI zenith came during the 2015 World Cup in Australia when he made 156 against Bangladesh, one of five ODI centuries during his career. However, it was another century he made in 2017 in a win against Zimbabwe during his second stint as captain that left a far bigger imprint on his Scottish cricketing legacy and paved the way for the team to reach even greater heights.It was their first-ever win over a Full Member and came a year after Scotland had finally broken their World Cup curse by defeating Hong Kong at the 2016 T20 World Cup to register their first win at a major ICC global event.Scotland memorably beat England at the Grange in 2018•Peter Della PennaWith Coetzer as captain during the coaching tenure of Grant Bradburn, the belief was instilled that those would not be Scotland’s last major achievements either. That same summer of 2017, he produced a century in an unofficial one-day win over Sri Lanka ahead of the Champions Trophy. A year later, his 58 off 49 balls as part of a century partnership with Matthew Cross laid the platform for Scotland to defeat England by six runs in an epic match at the Grange in Edinburgh.”I’ve been so lucky throughout my Scotland career that it’s tricky to pick out a highlight,” Coetzer said. “Getting our first win in the ICC T20 World Cup against Hong Kong in 2016 was special… but then so was the whole of 2018. The victory against England at The Grange was just amazing. That whole year – Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, England – just felt like a change of momentum and belief amongst the players about competing against the best teams in the world.”Another feather in Coetzer’s cap came in 2021 when he captained Scotland to three wins from three in the opening round of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. That included a win over group favourites Bangladesh and helped propel them into the Super 12 stage for the first time.”Reaching the ICC T20 Super 12s in 2021, having never achieved it before, and being the captain of that squad, will always stay with me,” Coetzer added.His last ODI century came in his penultimate match as captain against the UAE on Scotland’s tour of Texas in 2022. His form waned in the final year and a half of his career after relinquishing the captaincy, crossing 50 just once in his last 16 ODI innings while making 315 runs at an average of 22.50, well below his career mark.Related

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Yet his contributions were still significant enough over the last three years to help Scotland finish as the champions of the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two ODI tournament for top-ranked Associates, and in the process helped Scotland clinch a spot in the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier later this year in Zimbabwe.Aside from his lengthy career with Scotland which spanned two decades, Coetzer was also a regular on the county circuit, having started at Durham Academy in the early 2000s before making his senior debut in the County Championship against Glamorgan in 2004. His last match for Durham came in 2011 before a move to Northamptonshire, where he stayed through to the end of the 2015 season, before a brief cameo for three matches in the 2018 T20 Blast.Between the Intercontinental Cup and his county career, Coetzer made 4404 runs across 94 first-class matches at 30.37 with eight centuries and a best of 219. His decision to take up a role in women’s cricket coaching with Northern Diamonds in England follows up his role as a consultant coach with the Scotland Women’s team in September 2022 during their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier tour of the UAE.His retirement continues the changing of the guard within the Scotland set-up. Fellow batting stalwart Calum MacLeod – player of the match in that England victory – announced his retirement in November following the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.