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Sri Lanka A won the three-match one-day series against Pakistan A 2-1 but their primary objective to provide a steady flow of players to the senior team remains a concern

Sa'adi Thawfeeq03-May-2015Sri Lanka A won the three-match one-day series against Pakistan A 2-1 but their primary objective to provide a steady flow of players to the senior team remains a concern.”Winning is the key for me in any form of game but at the same time if we can produce a few players to the national side then my role as coach is fulfilled,” Romesh Kaluwitharana, Sri Lanka A’s coach for the past five years, said. “The major factor I see is discipline.””If players want to play a big role they will have to work really hard at their game. We have enough talent and with our little resources we have produced world-class players,” Kaluwitharana, who was part of Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning squad in 1996, said. “We don’t have facilities like other countries but with the little we have, we have won a World Cup, a T20 World Cup and become two-time runner-up. But talent alone is not enough to make you a top-level professional cricketer.”When we played we didn’t have a gym, we didn’t have coaches in every department. Today you have physios, trainers, masseurs, computer analysts, all what the players need. What they don’t have is the drive, the energy to give 100 % to the game that is what is lacking.”Distractions are everywhere. Other countries have more distractions than in Sri Lanka but the players have the discipline not to get attracted to things which will prove a setback to their cricket. It’s the discipline that we don’t have,” Kaluwitharana pointed out. “What we do is we tell the players morning, noon and night. You can take the horse to the water but you can’t make it drink. That is very sad but it’s happening not only now it happened earlier also.”For an A-team player to go straight into the national side is not a good thing,” Kaluwitharana said. “If a new player comes to the Sri Lanka A team and performs well and shows a lot of promise, only performance will not take him straightaway into the national side, he has to be geared in other aspects also.”We need to build a player, adjusting to conditions, how he handles pressure, and how he can continue his consistency. Some players come and go, that should not happen. I believe in players getting more experience at A-level. These days what we are looking at is the fitness. In domestic cricket they are only worried about the batting and bowling part because they want to win tournaments. It’s understandable for a club coach to try and win as many tournaments as possible but at the end of the day if they have not produced any players good enough to play for the country they have not done their part.”We all know that our domestic cricket is not all that competitive and that there is a big gap between domestic and international cricket. So playing A-team cricket is essential for a player to bridge that gap.”Kaluwitharana said the more time a player spends with the A-team the more comfortable he will be if he makes the national side. “Some players mature very fast, for example a cricketer like Angelo Mathews matured very fast for a youngster and he was mature enough to captain when he was really young.”Some players take a long time to mature. They don’t know how to manage their innings, their lives. It’s all about discipline, not excelling only with bat and ball. That’s why it’s important for an A-team player to show consistency and discipline so that he becomes a complete product – high in confidence to play in front of big crowds under the cameras, in different conditions, and be able to bat at any position.Kaluwitharana said at A-level mental coaching was required more than technical guidance. “What we do is to fine tune the talent they have so they can be successful cricketers in the national team. It’s more work on the mind than anything else, giving them confidence and how to cope with pressure etc.Kaluwitharana said the ideal calendar for the A-team would be four tours annually, two outbound and two inbound. “The more they play outside the better for them. The ideal situation is for an A-team series to take place ahead of a senior tour, that’s how other countries are doing it. If that happens, it will provide the perfect platform.”Sri Lanka Cricket has arranged two more series for the A side this year. South Africa A are due to visit in July and Sri Lanka A will tour New Zealand in October.

Leicestershire established themselves as firm favourites to claim their first Championship victory in 38 attempts after being left a modest target of 163 in their Division Two clash with Essex at Chelmsford.

ECB/PA02-Jun-2015
ScorecardCharlie Shreck set up Leicestershire’s chase with his best figures for Leicestershire•PA PhotosLeicestershire established themselves as firm favourites to claim their first Championship victory in 38 attempts after being left a modest target of 163 in their Division Two clash with Essex at Chelmsford.They go into the final day on 55 without loss after Charlie Shreck had claimed his best figures for the county. He picked up 5 for 71 in 26.2 overs as Essex were bowled out in their second innings for 276, three of his wickets coming with the new ball as the home side lost their last five wickets in the space of nine overs for 20 runs.Shreck’s hostility and accuracy proved far too much for all but Tom Westley and Ryan ten Doeschate. The fifth wicket pair displayed a determination and technique that appeared beyond their colleagues after coming together at 92 for 4 and with their side still 22 short of wiping off a first innings deficit of 114.With ten Doeschate providing the main aggression, they gathered 128 in 32 overs and they looked in such little trouble that it seemed the visitors would be left with a more formidable victory challenge. But all that changed when Shreck found the edge to have ten Doeschate caught in the slip cordon for 77, a contribution that included nine fours in an innings spanning 101 balls.His departure came with the total on 220 and 36 runs later, Westley’s valiant effort was brought to an end by Ben Raine. The paceman, who picked up career-best figures of 48 in the first innings trapped him leg before wicket with the batsman just three runs short of his first century of the summer.Westley’s watchful resistance spanned just over five and a quarter hours and brought him a dozen boundaries. His removal led to a rapid decline in the innings as Shreck got to work and of the last five batsmen, only James Foster with 22, managed to reach double figures.Raine finished with 3 for 59 while Clint McKay picked up 2 for 57 as the pair provided Shreck with fine support. The trio were then able to put their feet up and watch Angus Robson and Matt Boyce launch their side’s victory bid on a firm foundation against bowling that lacked the incisive edge to cause the openers problems.Robson, who anchored Leicestershire’s first innings with a superb century, reached the close on 34 whilst Boyce will resume in the morning with 20 and his side requiring just a further 108 runs to celebrate a long-overdue triumph.

Bad light frustrated Kent as they ended the second day of the against Leicestershire closing in on victory. The home side lead by just 59 runs with a single second innings wicket remaining when at 7pm the umpires decided the light was too poor to continue

ECB/PA06-Jul-2015Leicestershire 159 and 110 for 9 (Raine 30, Stevens 3-27) lead Kent 210 (Stevens 63) by 59 runs
ScorecardDarren Stevens, seen here against Surrey, ensured Kent took a healthy first-innings lead•PA PhotosBad light frustrated Kent as they ended the second day of the against Leicestershire closing in on victory. The home side lead by just 59 runs with a single second innings wicket remaining when at 7pm umpires Steve Gale and Neil Mallender decided the light was too poor to continue.As on the first day, the amount of movement obtained by both sides’ seam bowlers on a green pitch, together with increasingly indifferent bounce, made batting something of a lottery. Seventeen wickets fell, but the highlight of the day was a remarkable half-century from Darren Stevens, which together with an eighth wicket partnership of 60 between Adam Ball and Calum Haggett, helped the visitors establish a first innings lead of 51.Stevens was then among the wickets, along with fellow Kent seamers Haggett and Matt Coles, to put the visitors within touching distance of what would only be their second Championship win of the season.When play began the visitors quickly lost overnight batsmen Rob Key and Sam Northeast. Key was the first to be dismissed, lbw to Ben Raine for 8, and in the following over, Northeast also went leg before, to Clint McKay for 17, leaving Kent on 60 for 4. Stevens survived a big shout for a catch behind the wicket on 11 off Raine, and then lost Ben Harmison, a well-pitched up inswinger from Charlie Shreck trapping him in front for 7.But Stevens then took the attack to his former county in spectacular style, hitting ten fours before going to his 50 with a beautifully timed six over midwicket. It came off just 48 balls, but he was dismissed shortly after lunch, throwing his bat at a wide delivery from Ollie Freckingham and edging behind. Ball and Daggett both hit well to extend the lead though, Ball’s 32 coming off 35 balls before he holed out off Freckingham.Coles, who took six wickets in the first innings, struck twice when the Leicestershire second innings began, trapping Matt Boyce on the crease and having Greg Smith caught at second slip attempting to leave the ball – the second duck of the match for Smith after his return from Nottinghamshire on a month’s loan.Haggett picked up the wicket of Robson, and Stevens that of Andrea Agathangelou, in both cases leg before to deliveries that seamed back in to the right-handed batsmen. After tea three wickets fell without addition to the score after Stevens picked up Eckersley leg before with a ball that stayed low, but Raine battled on to ensure the match would go into a third day.

Another dazzling innings from Jonny Bairstow helped to race Yorkshire Vikings to an unlikely victory over Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast at Headingley

ECB/PA10-Jul-2015
ScorecardJonny Bairstow continued a wonderful run of form•Getty ImagesAnother dazzling innings from Jonny Bairstow helped to race Yorkshire Vikings to an unlikely victory over Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast at Headingley.Chasing a formidable 192 target, Bairstow instigated a Yorkshire recovery from 66 for 4 with a magnificent 92 from 42 deliveries with eight fours and four sixes as Yorkshire charged home by five wickets with seven balls to spare.The victory boosted Yorkshire’s chances of climbing up the North table and gaining a place in the quarter-finals but it left Durham with still quite a lot of work to do to make sure they make it through to the last eight.Bairstow’s blast overshadowed a rousing unbeaten 91 from Durham Jets 22-year-old rookie batsman, Graham Clark, which looked to have set his side up for a convincing win after they had batted first on winning the tossIt was only Clark’s third match in the competition – he had managed just five runs in his two games in early June – but now he raced to Durham’s highest individual score of the season off 91 balls with 14 fours and a six.Insights

This was a bad weekend for mid-table Durham who lost this match to eighth placed Yorkshire while their rivals in the middle, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, both recorded victories. Durham are now quite suddenly in a tough struggle to make the quarter-finals, especially as they have only two games remaining. They do, however, play Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, two teams also vying for a top four finish, in their remaining two fixtures . Win both and they will be well placed to qualify.

Although he survived two difficult chances on 21 and 38, he still dominated the crease, firstly helping the Jets recover from 49 for 4 and later combining with John Hastings to smash an unbroken 57 in 19 deliveries, Hastings’ brutal contribution being 43 from a mere 12 balls with five fours and three sixes, the last four overs leaking 69 runs.The onslaught raced Durham to 191 for 6 from their 20 overs and Matthew Fisher soaked up much of the punishment, his four overs costing 53 with Clark and Hastings plundering 21 off his final over.Yorkshire chose not to bowl Tim Bresnan but there was a fine debut appearance in front of a 9,536 crowd from 19-year-old paceman, Josh Shaw, the son of former Yorkshire fast bowler, Chris. Sharing the opening attack with off-spinner, Glenn Maxwell, he began with two sharp overs which gave away only ten runs but he suffered a bit later on when Durham pressed hard on the accelerator.Spinners Maxwell and Adil Rashid, released by England for this game and Sunday’s encounter with Derbyshire at Chesterfield, both bowled tidily before the visitors took control, Maxwell finishing with 2 for 28 after dismissing Phil Mustard and Mark Stoneman in his first two overs and Rashid two for 26.Yorkshire’s bid to move clear of their next-to-bottom place in the table appeared to have suffered a massive setback off the first ball of their reply which Aaron Finch hit straight into the hands of Scott Borthwick on the mid-wicket boundary, the Australian having made only 76 in six innings so far this season.Hastings was the wicket-taker and in a splendid all-round performance he had skipper Andrew Gale caught behind in his next over before Alex Lees was also held by Mustard off Usman Arshad to make it 28 for 3.Jonny Bairstow was off the mark with a first-ball boundary and he showed further defiance by smacking Borthwick for a straight six but Yorkshire lost another crucial wicket at 66 when Maxwell was bowled aiming to cut Borthwick.Now Jack Leaning joined the unstoppable Bairstow, who lashed an unbeaten 102 against Durham at Riverside last season, and the wicketkeeper-batsman charged to his 50 from 24 balls with four fours and three sixes to register his first half-century in the competition this summer.The pair had put on 97 from 54 balls and Bairstow seemed to be cruising to his century until he skied Arshad to Paul Collingwood.Yorkshire were 163 for 5 in the 17th over but Bresnan came in to finish the game in brutal fashion with consecutive sixes off Arshad in the penultimate over, Leaning ending unbeaten on 39 from 31 balls with two fours and a six and Bresnan 24 from eight deliveries with two fours and two sixes.Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale said: “I was a bit stunned by the performance and it was a nice way to bounce back after the Roses match last week. It was an outstanding performance but I was a bit disappointed that we gave them 20 or 30 runs more than we should have done. Jonny Bairstow is in the form of his life. We are lucky to have him and it won;t be long before England come calling again.”

India Women’s captain Mithali Raj chose to focus on the positives, despite the side’s early exit from the World T20

Shashank Kishore in Mohali27-Mar-2016The World Twenty20 was built up beautifully for India Women to create a splash. A record T20I series win in Australia and a creditable showing in the ODIs that followed raised hopes of an improved show at their own party. India hadn’t qualified for the semi-finals since 2010, but were primed to break the deadlock this time around. It looked like the team had finally managed to reduce the burden on Mithali Raj’s shoulders.A whitewash of Sri Lanka Women at home in February ensured the engine was revving up at the right time. Talks of a women’s IPL were gathering steam. Contracts meant they were no longer semi-professionals who turned up at more camps than matches. Evolution of a core group of players around Raj pointed to a giant party waiting to take off. Like at a Formula One race, they overcame numerous challenges and change in strategies to qualify on pole position. But an engine freeze as the three lights went off resulted in their campaign going up in smoke in a manner not many had seen coming.Barring their tournament opener against Bangladesh, where they muscled 163 – their highest-ever T20I score – they registered scores of 96, 90 and 111. Pitches weren’t tailor made for batsmen to simply hit through the line, but the manner in which a young batting line-up, that appeared to have turned a corner in Australia, caved in was a matter of concern.Against Pakistan and England, the spinners kept India alive by using the conditions as an ally. On Sunday, while conditions helped them – although not to the extent it did in Dharamsala – the bowlers were guilty of slipping into a run-containing mode once the early damage was done. While they didn’t easily give away boundaries, Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin rotated the strike tactfully in a 77-run stand off just 71 balls to expose India’s fielding.There were misfields, fumbles, throws that went wide. All that amounted to India conceding at least 15 more than they should have. Even the comeback towards the death – they picked up five wickets for 11 runs off the last 14 balls – couldn’t mask their fielding lapses, despite Anuja Patil’s catch, running in from long-on and then dishing in a full-length dive to dismiss Taylor.Although dejected, Raj chose to focus on the positives. “With this performance, we aren’t on par with them, but the girls have done very well,” she said. “It’s a matter of pulling off one game that will give them a lot of confidence, like we did in Australia. When it comes to World Cup, there will always be pressure. The girls need to accept that and work around it. Even in the 2013 World Cup, in a very important match we somewhere lost the grip of it.”She was forthright in her assessment of where the team stood, but was the first to put her hand up and say she had let the team down when it mattered most. “Though I was among runs, I didn’t quite score when the team really looked up to me,” she reflected on the scores of 16, 20 and 0 in her last three games. “This has not been the best of the tournaments for me, but in the T20 format, you can’t always be very consistent. Ups and downs are a part of the format. In the last three games, the batting unit was not coordinated.Mithali Raj: “We had those players who scored those 20s and 30s but we haven’t got somebody who could take the team along.”•IDI/Getty Images”We had those players who scored those 20s and 30s but we haven’t got somebody who could take the team along. Even those who hit form in a particular day could not carry the team along. That’s something we need to work on. Though we could not make it to the semis, I am proud of the way the girls have fought in the last three games and got the team back into the game. There is always slip-up in the game, but with this experience of having handled pressure, the girls will be able to do better in the coming tournaments.”Over the course of the tournament, Raj has been repeatedly asked about the surfaces dished out for the tournament. On a couple of occasions, she even reasoned that the women’s game needed a 150 v 150 contest, and not 100 v 90 as has been the case this time around. On Sunday, questions about the pitch resurfaced again, but this time around Raj wasn’t in the mood to use that as an excuse to mask their lacklustre batting.Instead, she said the team would be better off training to become fitter, and that the difference against West Indies Women was in the agility of both sides. “In big events, it is very important to be consistent in the departments where you are doing well,” she said. “As a fielding unit, we were inconsistent. When we thought we were squeezing them for runs, we let down ourselves with slip-ups through boundaries. Fitness is something we need to work on, especially in our fielding and running between the wickets.”Jhulan Goswami’s run-out with India needing 12 off nine balls highlighted what Raj was trying to say. Having slogged the ball to wide long-on, Goswami stuttered while turning for a second run, even as the throw was fired towards the wicketkeeper’s end. Two seconds of indecision resulted in a terrible mix-up that left Goswami and India high and dry. While it’s impossible to say what could have been had Goswami hared back for the second, that it was a huge moment in the match was an understatement.”As far as planning strategies go, the girls have to work really hard on their fitness and running between the wickets. At crucial times, it is important to know how to have composed mind. In that run out, had Jhulan stood her end, we probably would have lost Shikha, but Jhulan was in good flow. That is the biggest difference between good sides and very good sides. We haven’t been able to do that.”The end of India’s tournament leaves them with little to look forward to over the next two months. The absence of an FTP has somewhat been covered up by the need to play the other seven Full Members in a series of at least three ODIs to identify four direct qualifiers for the 2017 Women’s World Cup.With six wins in 15 matches, India are currently placed fifth, with games against Pakistan, West Indies to come. “We are looking forward for the one-day World Cup and again the work starts from the beginning,” Raj said. The girls will take a lot of positives from this series and try to implement them in the upcoming games heading into that tournament.”

Sussex have signed Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm pace bowler, as their second overseas signing for 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2016Sussex have signed Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm pace bowler, as their second overseas player for 2016. Mustafizur, who has made a scintillating start to his international career, is set to play T20 and 50-over cricket for Sussex.Mustafizur, 20, will be the first Bangladesh international to play for Sussex and follows team-mates Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in experiencing county cricket.A whippy left-armer who tends to bowl cutters, Mustafizur shot to prominence when taking back-to-back five-wicket hauls in his first two ODIs – only the second bowler in history to do so – and helping Bangladesh secure a first-ever bilateral series win over India.Despite only making his debut in 2015, he became the first Bangladeshi to be named in the ICC’s ODI team of the year. Overall, he has played 10 T20Is, nine ODIs and two Tests and currently averages less than 20 with the ball in all formats.”I am very excited to get an opportunity in county cricket,” Mustafizur said. “It has always been an ambition of mine to play in England and I am thankful to Sussex for this opportunity. I hope I can repay the faith they have shown in me with my performances on the field.”Mustafizur, who is currently recuperating from a side strain sustained at the Asia Cup, was also picked up during the IPL auction in February. He will report to Sussex after his involvement with Sunrisers Hyderbad concludes and be available for the rest of the NatWest Blast.With Sussex’s other overseas signing, Ross Taylor, set to depart in late July to link up with New Zealand, Mustafizur will then take part in the Royal London Cup as well.Sussex’s head coach, Mark Davis, said: “I am really excited to have Mustafizur join us at Sussex. He is a cricketer with incredible ability and is currently one of the bright young talents of world cricket. His unorthodox bowling variations make him a very difficult customer to bat against, and he will be a brilliant addition to our team.”

Adam Voges is out of Middlesex’s match at the Ageas Ball with concussion after suffering a freak injury involving wicketkeeper John Simpson

ECB Reporters Network01-May-2016
ScorecardAdam Voges is out of the match with concussion (file picture)•Getty ImagesMichael Carberry scored a fabulous first Specsavers County Championship century since September 2014 – but was overshadowed by a freak head injury to Middlesex captain Adam Voges.Voges was struck on the back of the head by a ball lobbed back to the wicket by substitute Ollie Rayner and missed by wicketkeeper John Simpson, after Carberry had hit one of his 14 boundaries.The Australian fell straight to the floor before being helped off the pitch by two physios – and was subsequently taken to hospital with suspected concussion and will not make another appearance in this game.Middlesex director of cricket Angus Fraser said: “The feeling from the physio Peter Waxman is that it is a concussion but that will be shown up later. It was a freak injury but you wonder why when a cricket ball which gets thrown around the field as much as it does it doesn’t happen as often. A cricket ball is a hard thing.”It is sad for Adam and disappointing for us as we will have no more use out of him in this match. He wasn’t feeling very well in the dressing room so we decided to get him to the hospital to get him checked over. He wants to remain here even if he can’t play.”Batsman Carberry looked in fine fettle from the start, especially cracking full balls straight down the ground – after starting the season with disappointing innings of 3, 18 and 19.He reached 50 in 114 balls, before continuing in similar style, timing the ball superbly, and celebrated reaching three figure from 184 deliveries with a crisp back-foot shot through extra cover.Carberry had seen three team-mates come and go during his vigil. Firstly Jimmy Adams, on his first outing of the season after an ankle injury suffered while ducking a ball in the nets in pre-season, edged to Nick Compton at second slip in the sixth over.His captain James Vince appeared as graceful as ever, showcasing a glorious cover drive on a number of occasions before he was well caught by Voges at first slip for 25. Will Smith also clipped through to the slip cordon, before Liam Dawson came to the crease to begin a 100-run partnership with Carberry.The former England Test opener reached his ton but departed soon after, as James Harris collected his 350th first-class wicket. But Dawson carried on the reins, waiting for bad balls in a watchful knock – the type which showed a different side to his often exuberant game and alerts selectors to your presence – with Angus Fraser watching on.Dawson, one of Hampshire’s walking wounded at Yorkshire a fortnight ago, is unlikely to bowl due to an abdominal strain but was at ease with a bat in his hand – moving past his 50 in 117 balls.Adam Wheater held up the other end with a patient 25 from 47 balls, before he was victim to Tim Murtagh’s second wicket of the day, not getting far enough forward to a leg before. Ryan McClaren then fell in a similar vein to Toby Roland-Jones and Chris Wood continued the flurry of late wickets with two overs left in the day, another lbw casualty, as Hampshire closed on 315 for 7.

The Portugal superstar fired Real to victory in the Club World Cup final… what other honours has he swept up at the Bernabeu?

GettyCopa del Rey, 2010-11

Ronaldo would have to wait until his second season at Real to taste silverware, and he was utterly fundamental to their Copa del Rey triumph. Scoring in every game, bar each leg of the semi-final against Atletico, Ronaldo sealed the deal in a tight, tetchy final against Barcelona with a 103rd minute goal, opening the trophy floodgates.

AdvertisementGettyLa Liga, 2011-12

In a simply staggering season, Ronaldo scored 46 league goals – 60 overall – as Real swept all before them. They lost just twice – to Levante and Barcelona – with Ronaldo as their frightening spearhead.

GettySupercopa de Espana, 2012

Fresh from their title victory the previous year, Real faced Copa del Rey holders, and bitter rivals, Barcelona in the Supercopa, and won on away goals. A 3-2 loss at Camp Nou – in which Ronaldo scored – was followed by a 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo opened the scoring, as Real held on for a victory via away goals.

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GettyCopa del Rey, 2013-14

Ronaldo's most recent Copa del Rey win came in 2014 when they defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the final. Although it was Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale who was the hero in the final on this occasion, Ronaldo scored three goals in the competition including two against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals.

With the 2017-18 Premier League season coming to an end, Goal takes a look at a standout XI, including PFA Player of the Year Mohamed Salah

GK – David de Gea | Man UtdIf there was a fixture to encapsulate David De Gea's campaign it would be Manchester United's 1-0 defeat at Brighton, in which the 27-year-old made a string of exceptional saves before ultimately being let down by his uninspiring United team-mates. It's difficult to imagine where United may have finished the season without De Gea protecting their goal.AdvertisementGettyRB – Kyle Walker | Man City

Kyle Walker has enjoyed a fine first season with Manchester City, proving his decision to leave Tottenham in the summer was the correct one. "I want to be the best in the world," Walker told . "Everyone wants to be the best in the world and that's what I want to strive to do. With his [Guardiola's] knowledge, experience, hopefully he can get me to that."

CB – James Tarkowski | BurnleyBurnley will be playing Europa League football next season. Sean Dyche's side are promised a finish of at least seventh, qualifying them for next year's competition, while James Tarkowski has been shortlisted in the Premier League Player of the Season contenders. The 25-year-old's imapct at Turf Moor this season has been so great that he was rewarded with his first England cap during the Three Lions' friendly meeting with Italy in March and holds an outside chance of a spot at the 2018 Russia World Cup.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyCB – Jan Vertonghen | TottenhamEver-present in Spurs' defence this season, Belgium international Jan Vertonghen has formed a strong partnership with Davinson Sanchez to help the London side edge towards a top-four finish.

The Blaugrana have had some wonderful players since the European Cup was revamped in 1992 but who makes our all-star selection?

Getty Images1GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Marc-Andre ter Stegen won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and never looked back, usurping Claudio Bravo as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Fantastic with the ball at his feet, the German fits the club’s style perfectly and is likely to hold on to his starting spot for years to come – once he finally resolves his contractual situation at Camp Nou.

AdvertisementGetty Images2RB: Dani Alves

Dani Alves was one of Lionel Messi’s greatest servants at Barcelona, providing the Argentine with countless assists from right-back.

As well as proving an outstanding attacking outlet, the Brazilian always made it back to his own goal too – at least in the first few years of his Camp Nou career – thanks to his fantastic pace.

A dynamic, invigorating presence both on the pitch and off of it, Dani Alves will go down as one of the game’s greatest ever full-backs, having won six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues during an unprecedented era of success for Barca.

Getty3CB: Carles Puyol

Known as the eternal captain, the defender led by example throughout his captaincy at Camp Nou.

From letting Eric Abidal lift the Champions League trophy after the Frenchman's liver transplate, to brave blocks, tackles and interceptions, Puyol always gave everything for the Catalan cause.

He even got the odd goal, including one in the 6-2 win over Real Madrid in 2009 which is regarded as one of Barcelona’s best-ever performances.

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Getty4CB: Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique has his critics in Spain but that is more related to what he says and does off the field than how he performs on it.

Indeed, even those that despise the Catalan would find it difficult to deny that he has been one of the best defenders of the modern era, a pivotal figure ever since he rejoined Barcelona from Manchester United in 2008 thanks to his immaculate timing and astute reading of the game.