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Crystal Palace have been known to dip into the loan market every now and again to bring certain players to the club on a temporary basis, the most recent of which seeing Conor Gallagher arrive until the end of the current season from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.

One previous player that the Eagles brought in on loan from Chelsea was another midfielder in the shape of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Signed during the 2017 summer transfer window, the 26-year-old made 25 appearances in total for the south London club across the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

In those appearances, the Englishman, who has been likened in his style of play to Yaya Toure by Rio Ferdinand, managed to score two goals and provide five assists along the way, showing just how useful he could be in an attacking sense from midfield.

As well as his prowess in terms of scoring and creating goals, his overall performances earned him a solid season rating of 7.08 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest rated player in their squad for the 2017/18 league campaign, showing that he certainly made the most of his time with the Eagles.

In terms of what he offered Palace on the pitch, the Chelsea loanee racked up a pass success percentage of 82.4%, the third-highest of any player that started at least one league game, as well as an average of 1.3 shots per game, three dribbles per game and 1.1 key passes per game, putting him in the top five for each of those statistics in the squad.

Since leaving Selhurst Park, the midfielder had another London loan spell with Fulham during the 2020/21 season before making 27 appearances across all competitions back with Chelsea in this current campaign.

Shortly before he joined Palace on loan, Transfermarkt rated Loftus-Cheek’s market value at £4.5m in June 2017, whereas it now stands at £18m, showing a massive increase of 300% based on what he’s done in his career since then.

Labelled as a “special” player by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, there will undoubtedly be some regrets from the hierarchy at Selhurst Park that they were not able to secure the midfield talent on a permanent deal after his decent loan spell with them, despite their reported interest in doing so.

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Moving forward, having started just 11 of the 27 games he’s played in for the west London club this season, Palace should definitely explore the possibility of signing him again if Chelsea have the ability to sell him from a business point of view. In doing so, they may just find the next Yaya.

In other news: Parish must avoid Crystal Palace disaster on “popular” £25k-p/w gem as report emerges

Four tight overs and a quickfire 23 from Kieron Pollard helped Cobras get over the line for a four-wicket win against Knights at Paarl. The result left Knights rooted to the bottom of the table, without a win in six, and kept Cobras on course for a top-three finish.Richard Levi helped get the chase off to a solid start with 36 off 23 balls before becoming one of two wickets in an over for Dillon du Preez. Justin Ontong was less fluent in scoring 40 from 42, with two boundaries, and when he fell, Cobras lost 3 for 19 in three overs to briefly give Knights hope. Pollard, however, was unfazed and hit his compatriot Andre Russell for six and four in the 19th to ensure Cobras would get home.Knights’ total of 140 for 7 was based around several useful contributions but lacked a significant flourish. Theunis de Bruyn top-scored with 45 from 44 balls, adding 51 for the fourth wicket with Russell, but both fell in the same over just as Knights were looking to kick on. Dane Paterson and Rory Kleinveldt picked up two wickets apiece as Cobras kept the target within range.Lions prevailed over Dolphins in a relatively low scoring game at the Wanderers in Johannesburg to register their third win of the tournament.Playing a stellar role with the ball that helped them defend 145 for 6 was Dwaine Pretorius, the pacer, who took 4 for 22 as Dolphins were restricted to 139 for 7. If Pretorius was the hero with the ball, that Lions posted what would be a match-winning total was courtesy Alviro Petersen, who hit four fours and a six in his unbeaten 41-ball 60. The next best came from Devon Conway, who stroked 38.Dolphins started their chase well, with Morne van Wyk (20) and Vaughan van Jaarsveld (42) putting together a 45-run opening stand in just 5.3 overs. Despite two quick strikes after that, David Miller (37) ensured they were well on their way to pocket two points. But Pretorius put the brakes on the scoring by dismissing Cody Chetty, Miller and Dwayne Bravo in the space of two overs to turn the game around. Phangiso, the left-arm spinner, also chipped in with two wickets.Dolpins have now failed to win in four games. Although they remain in second place, they lead the Cobras by just two points, having played a game more.

Sharad Pawar, the Indian board (BCCI) president, insisted that the BCCI is against “money-making” ventures and will only support series that promote Test cricket. Refusing to back down from his stance against the Indian Cricket League (ICL), Pawar again scoffed at the recently floated Twenty20 series proposed for October.”Test cricket is the real thing. It is the top level of the game and brings out the best in the players. We would be only happy if anyone does something for the sake of Test cricket. We will encourage it,” Pawar told PTI. “But Twenty-20 is for glamour. It can only bring in money.”On August 6, Digvijay Singh, general secretary of the Congress, the biggest party in the ruling federal coalition in which Pawar is a cabinet minister, wrote a letter to the latter requesting the BCCI to give up its “confrontationist” attitude against the ICL. “Instead of taking a confrontationist stand, you should act as a facilitator for the ICL to succeed,” Singh wrote. “I am sure the objective of the BCCI is not to make the millions but to popularise the game of cricket. I am sure you will prevail upon the hardliners in the Board and make them understand the sentiments of millions of cricket lovers in India.” Pawar chose not to comment on this.The BCCI secretary, Niranjan Shah, recenty said that players who take part in the ICL will never be eligible to play for India and would also be banned from domestic cricket in the country. Pawar maintained, however, that the BCCI would not interfere if retired players chose to associate themselves with the game: “I had said in Bangalore a few days ago that those who have retired from the cricket and pursue the game in whichever form and we won’t come in the way.”

Balwinder Singh Sandhu, the former Indian fast bowler, has been appointed coach of Madhya Pradesh. He succeeds Devashish Nilosey.Jyotiraditya Scindia – the newly-elected president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), who is also a Member of Parliament – announced that Sandhu had been appointed for a one-year period, and would begin his duties from Monday.”The Association will now focus on club cricket and divisional units will be strengthened,” Scindia told reporters.Sandhu coached Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and West Zone in the Duleep Trophy till the last Indian domestic season. His most productive period was with Mumbai – whom he coached from 1996 to 1998-99 – helping them become the Ranji Trophy Champions in 1996-97. He later served as bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore last year and was one of the candidates for the coach of Mumbai this season, ultimately losing out to Pravin Amre.Madhya Pradesh begin their Ranji Trophy season against Railways at New Delhi on November 23.

Eagles 312 and 156 for 6 (Henderson 54) lead Dolphins 300 (Klusener 108*, Benkenstein 70, Mpitsang 4-39, Kruis 3-71) by 168 runs
ScorecardAt Kingsmead, an undefeated 108 from Lance Klusener and 70 from Dale Benkenstein allowed Dolphins to come within 12 runs of Eagles’ first-innings total of 312. After scoring 300, Dolphins fought back in the field as well, reducing the eagles to 156 for 6 at close of play on the second day, a lead of only 168. James Henderson (54) worked hard at keeping the innings together while Loots Bosman scored a determined 39. Nicky Boje was still at the crease and a lot would depend on him for Free State to post a reasonable target.Titans 204 and 336 for 5 (Petersen 139, de Villiers 56, Cullinan 51, Coetsee 3-102) lead Lions 190 by 350 runs
ScorecardAt Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom, Titans extended their slender overnight lead over Lions to 350, thanks to Alviro Petersen’s five-and-a-half hour 139. Peterson and AB de Villiers put on 130 before de Villiers was caught for 51. Maurice Aronstam ran himself out for 45 after he had put on 101 with Peterson. Daryl Cullinan scored his second fifty of the match as Titans continued piling on the runs. Petersen was finally dismissed just short of his career-best first-class score of 150. Geoffrey Toyana gave Werner Coetsee his third wicket of the innings, with Justin Kemp not out on 26 when bad light once again intervened.Western Province-Boland 206 and 355 for 7 dec (Puttick 80, Strydom 78, Gibbs 52, Johnson 57*, Henderson 3-84) lead Warriors 189 and 54 for 1 by 318 runs
ScorecardAt Newlands, the Warriors had an uphill battle as they worked towards the target of 373 after Western Province-Boland declared at 355 for 7. Andrew Puttick, who scored 80, formed the anchor around which the others piled on the runs for Western Province. Gerhard Strydom made 78, while Herschelle Gibbs showed why he would be missed in India, making an entertaining 52. Neil Johnson, gaining confidence from the others, batted with authority as he regained some form and scored 57 not out. At stumps the Warriors had moved to 54 for 1, requiring 318 more to win.

Jagmohan Dalmiya: ‘No extreme punishment could be given to Kale without proof’© AFP

Abhijit Kale, the Maharashtra batsman who was accused last year of offering bribes to two national selectors, has been banned by the Indian board (BCCI) until December 31 this year. Kiran More and Pranab Roy, both members of the national selection committee, had complained that Kale had offered them a bribe last year to ensure himself a place in the Indian squad to tour Australia. Kale had denied the comments.However, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) is planning to ask the Indian board to reconsider the decision. Speaking to Wisden Cricinfo shortly after the announcement, Dynaeshwar Agashe, the chairman of the MCA, said: “If he has not given any bribe this is a very harsh decision. He has already lost one season of cricket and suffered last year. So we are going to request the BCCI to reconsider the decision. If the evidence is inconclusive, this punishment is too much.”Agashe also said that the Maharashtra selectors would not hold this against Kale, and would continue to pick him if he is fit and can find a place in the side on the merit of his consistent performances.A BCCI enquiry was then instituted, which completed its investigation recently and submitted its report to the board. According to the television channel, NDTV, Kale has given a letter of apology to the BCCI, in which he admits that he tried to “influence the selectors”, while insisting that he had never tried to bribe them.Kale’s letter said: “The entire episode has unnecessarily tarnished the image of the board. I accept that it was wrong on my part to influence the selectors by approaching them directly or through my parents. With regard to the issue of offering money to the selectors, I wish to state that I was misunderstood and I assure you that I had no such intention. I tender [an] unqualified apology for my said act.”The BCCI, not having enough evidence to hand Kale a harsh sentence, has, thus, decided to ban him for a year, with the sentence beginning retrospectively, and thus running till December 31 this year. Jagmohan Dalmiya, the board president, justified the punishment, saying: “The disciplinary committee unanimously felt that although a strong case of offering money was made out against Abhijit Kale, no extreme or severe punishment should be given to him in the absence of direct proof.”However,” he continued, “there [has] been cogent proof of Kale trying to influence the selectors directly, or through his parents, which he has admitted in his unconditional apology letter. The disciplinary committee held Kale guilty of gross misconduct and indiscipline. Taking into account Kale’s personal future career and his unconditional apologies as well as the suspension that he had undergone since November 21, 2003, the disciplinary committee decided that he should remain suspended till December 31, 2004.”Dalmiya also had a word about the complainants. “In addition to this,” he said, “the disciplinary committee also felt that the two national selectors, More and Roy, should have intimated Kale’s attempt to influence them forthwith to the board, instead of delaying it. The committee recommended to the board [the idea of] framing a code of conduct for the selectors in the future.”More, one of the selectors who accused Kale, said that he welcomed the decision and respected the board’s judgment.

Post-match press conferences are usually about as interesting as watching a Madagascar giant tortoise chewing a blade of grass. “We should have bowled better.” “They were the better team on the day.” Yawn. Bring on the giant tortoises.The pre-match jousting, though, seems to have taken a few leaves out of the handbook of hype-maestro Don King. With the action on the field blowing hot and cold in this World Cup, the India-England clash at Kingsmead, Durban, was set up quite nicely. Both teams needed the win desperately, yet both teams could go through to the Super Six even if they lost. So it was little wonder that Andrew Caddick decided it was the best time to take a dig at the Indians.Speaking to journalists at practice sessions before the big match, Caddick suggested that India hadn’t really come to terms with themselves in the World Cup. “India hasn’t been up to the mark…both their batting and bowling have been unimpressive,” said the 34-year old medium-pacer.Perhaps he was right. India had lost disastrously to Australia, managed to sweep Zimbabwe aside, beat Netherlands only apologetically, and then got into something approaching form against Namibia. But there were sure signs that the Indians were turning things around. “India should not take pride in scoring 300-plus against Namibia. They were aided more by the nimble-fingered Namibians than their batting strength,” said Caddick, perhaps a touch more outspoken thanusual.The Indian camp would have taken quiet note of this, make no mistake about that. India and England have played each other often enough in the last year, and there has always been plenty of needle in the contest. The Indians, however, would have ordinarily been no more worried by Caddick’s remarks than by his bowling in the subsequent match.But then came the pippin.”Even Sachin did not play well despite his century. Sachin’s just like another batsman in the Indian team, and there are a lot of others in the Indian side.”Quoting statistics – Tendulkar has scored 34 one-day centuries, over 10,000 runs at an average of just under 45 – could prove that Tendulkar is not just like “any other batsman,” but the statistics are hardly needed. Even a little child on the streets of India could tell you that.Indeed, few people have dared to take verbal liberties with Tendulkar. Glenn McGrath has, and he has succeeded – but then again, he’s Glenn McGrath, backed up by years of performing phenomenally at the highest level. Caddick has not, and he is no McGrath either.Word has it, then, that Tendulkar walked out to bat with a quiet determinationto settle a score of sorts with Caddick.That Tendulkar did so, in the most emphatic fashion imaginable, was proved beyond doubt on the day. There was one cover drive that even left the normally garrulous television commentators gasping. There was an on-drive that could have easily been written into batting textbooks. For good measure, Tendulkar then unfurled the straight drive, placed impeccably between the bowler and mid-off.Fans in the stands were on their feet. Caddick huffed, Caddick puffed, and Tendulkar blew his house down. Seeing a short ball early, Tendulkar rocked back, shifted weight from one foot to the other perfectly, and essayed a pull shot that sent the ball soaring over midwicket, over the stands and straight out of the ground.There was something about the shot that appeared larger than life. There are enough and more good, clean hits in one-dayers, but the brutality of this particular stroke far surpassed willow hitting the cover off a leather ball. It was more like a guillotine coming down unerringly on its mark.Caddick, in a nutshell, was summarily dismissed from Tendulkar’s presence.That was only the beginning. A man famous for bowling brilliantly in the second innings of Test matches and yet being flat in the first was brutally taken apart and ended with 10-0-69-3, the three in the final column all coming in the last over when the Indians were caught out in the deep slogging. At Durban, Caddick registered his most expensive figures ever in one-day cricket.Then again, it was all hardly a surprise. As not a few bowlers have found out over the years, this is the price to pay by testing the anger of a patient man. Tendulkar was angry, got India off to a flyer, enabled them to reach 250 and then beat England comprehensively, cantering to a win.Any more comments, then, Andy?

Damien Martyn continued his golden run of form as Australia left Somersetwith an unlikely 417 for victory in the Vodafone Challenge match at Taunton.Martyn, dropped on nought by Jason Kerr at gully, progressed without furthertrouble to an unbeaten 176 in a total of 335-4 declared.It was his fifth century of the tour, one of which came in the limited-overs friendly with Northants, ­and his 231-ball innings included 25 fours.Guest player Shoaib Akhtar was comfortably the most potent of the homeside’s attack, but he only bowled seven overs before departing the fieldwith cramp in both legs.Akhtar’s new ball burst of 6-2-9-2 had removed Simon Katich, caught behindby Rob Turner for three, and Justin Langer, lbw for ten.But Martyn and Wade Seccombe instigated a recovery from 15-2 with a third-wicket stand of 156 and then Ashley Noffke and Mark Waugh shared partnerships of 42 and 142 with Martyn.Left-arm spinner Ian Blackwell claimed the other two wickets to fall when hehad Seccombe caught by Piran Holloway at mid-wicket for 76 and took a returncatch to dismiss Noffke for 22.Somerset were soon in trouble when they batted again as Piran Hollowaydeparted for seven to a fine catch by acting captain Ricky Ponting at thirdslip, from paceman Noffke.But Aamir Sohail and Mike Burns then put on 45 as Somerset closed the day on52-1, requiring a further 365 to win.Off the field, Australia have injury worries about openers Michael Slaterand Matthew Hayden and pace ace Brett Lee ahead of Thursday’s Second AshesTest at Lord’s.Neither Slater, who has a bruised left wrist after being struck by an Akhtardelivery, nor Hayden, whose right knee locked while fielding on Saturday,played any part in today’s proceedings.Australia expect both to be ready for the Test, but there is a bit moreconcern about Lee’s injured ribs which forced his late withdrawal from thismatch.

West Bromwich Albion striker Andy Carroll is a doubt for the Baggies’ trip to Bristol City this afternoon as Steve Bruce’s side look to build on Tuesday’s excellent win over Fulham

What’s the story?

According to Birmingham Live, the 33-year-old is a doubt, with Bruce saying prior to the match: “Andy has got a bit of a knock.”

The Englishman joined the West Midlands outfit from Reading in January and recently scored his first goal for the Baggies in the 2-2 draw against Huddersfield Town.

Steve Bruce will be fuming

The start to Bruce’s tenure as West Brom manager has certainly been mixed, with the Baggies winning just two of their eight matches under the 61-year-old. However, one of those came in their most recent match as Albion recorded an impressive 1-0 victory over table-topping Fulham at The Hawthorns on Tuesday night.

Currently in 12th ahead of today’s meeting with Bristol City, finishing in a play-off spot seems to be a big ask for West Brom, but they are six points behind sixth-placed QPR with nine games to go. Moreover, those remaining fixtures should be relatively straightforward on paper, with the Baggies playing just one of the current top six in Bournemouth before the end of the campaign.

Although he has only netted once so far for his new club, the addition of Carroll was a major coup for Bruce’s side given the striker’s experience. The 33-year-old has made 363 appearances during his career, with 248 of those coming in the Premier League, scoring 83 goals in the process.

He has also been impressive in recent matches, with Sofascore ratings of 7.9 against Huddersfield and 7.1 against Swansea. Also, the Baggies could miss his strong aerial presence in attack, with his match average of 6.7 headers won second only to centre-back Kyle Bartley among Bruce’s squad.

Recently, the duo of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson have been starting up front, with the pair netting a combined 20 goals this term. In fact, the latter ended an 11-match goal drought when scoring the winner against Fulham in midweek.

However, having an alternative with the quality and experience of Carroll would certainly boost the Baggies’ faint play-off hopes, and they will want him to be available for every remaining match if Bruce’s side are to revive their campaign and finish in the top six.

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If the 33-year-old isn’t fit enough to feature today, the manager will be fuming over the absence of the ex-Newcastle striker, especially if Albion fail to secure all three points just as their season appears to be gaining belated momentum.

In other news: Bruce must now unleash “confident” WBA gem who “plays with his heart on his sleeve”

Group II

Multan‘s lower-order collapse on the final day, triggered by pacer Mohammad Saeed’s four-wicket haul, resulted in an eight-wicket rout at the hands of Lahore Shalimar, who brushed aside a 76-run target and moved to second place in Group II.Lahore Shalimar won the toss and chose to bowl, and were handed an immediate advantage when Mohammad Bilawal took seven wickets to dismiss Multan for 69.In spite of a shaky start, Lahore Shalimar grabbed a substantial first-innings lead, posting 282, built around Mohammad Saeed’s maiden first-class hundred. The No. 9 batsman scored 113 off 114 balls with 16 fours and four sixes. Offspinner Haziq Habibullah was the pick of the Multan bowlers, returning first-innings figures of 4 for 81.Faced with a 213-run deficit, and with a risk of an innings defeat at 117 for 4, Multan staged a recovery led by Ahmed Rasheed. Rasheed’s 170-ball 89 had 11 fours and contributions from Abdul Rehman Muzammil (47) and openers Usman Liaqat and Ahad Raza helped Multan clear the deficit. However, Mohammad Saeed struck with a four-wicket haul to skittle Multan out for 288 as the batting side lost its last six wickets for 38.The Lahore openers put on a 55-run stand in pursuit of the 76-run target and the side needed just 18 overs to complete an eight-wicket win. Mohammad Bilawal finished with match figures of 10 for 111, his maiden first-class ten-wicket haul, while Saeed added to his first-innings tally to finish with a seven-wicket match haul.A high-scoring match between Islamabad and Hyderabad petered out in a draw in Islamabad.Put in to bat first, Islamabad scored 303, helped by contributions from all batsmen, including a fifty from Moed Ahmed. Fast bowler Farhan Ayub picked up six wickets for 106, but regular partnerships between the Islamabad batsmen ensured they reached a solid score.In reply, Hyderabad, powered by fifties from openers Zeeshan Gul and Darya Khan eked out a slender 17-run lead. The openers added 113 for the opening stand to notch up important innings where other Hyderabad batsmen failed to convert their starts. Gul fell for 50, while Darya Khan missed his maiden first-class hundred by five runs. Hyderabad’s bowlers then gave their side a solid shot at victory, reducing Islamabad to 56 for 5 in the second innings, before a lower-order rally saw Islamabad climb to 200.Set a target of 184 runs, and running out of time, Hyderabad stuttered to 41 for 5 in 21 overs by close of play. Shehzad Azam, the Islamabad fast bowler, picked up 4 for 29 in 11 overs.

Group I

Abbottabad and Sialkot held each other to a high-scoring draw, which featured three centuries at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.Mohammad Ali (133) enjoyed a memorable debut as he rescued the home side from 38 for 2. Ali, whose innings included 19 fours and lasted just a shade under six hours, and 18-year-old Kamran Ghulam (157) carried Abbottabad to a daunting 513 for 7, before the declaration . Ghulam, though was the more aggressive of the two centurions, as his 23 fours helped him maintain a strike rate over 80. Another debutant, Baber Khan, came in at No. 9 and struck 54 off 55 balls. Hasan Ali, 19, was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 133.In reply, opener Majid Jahangir (107) and Naved Sarwar (80) stabilised Sialkot after quick wickets. A brief collapse in the middle order hurt Sialkot’s momentum but No. 8 Nabeel Malik arrested the slide – three wickets for 36 runs – with his second first-class fifty. The rest of the tail, however, could not muster similar resolve and Sialkot lost their last four wickets for 13 runs to finish at 360.Abbottabad’s second innings lasted for nine overs in which the openers hit 64 runs before the match was drawn.It was a case of first-innings blues as Rawalpindi met Peshawar in the Quaid-e-Azam tournament at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Both teams put in strong performances in their second innings, with Isarullah scoring the only century of the match, as it ended in a draw.Seamer Azam Khan snared four of the top-five Rawalpindi batsmen, including opener Shoaib Nasir, whose 38 remained the highest score of the innings. Azam’s new-ball partner Afaq Ahmed chipped in with three wickets as Rawalpindi benefited from lower-order contributions – the last four wickets added 117 runs – to reach 180.Peshawar’s steady start was interrupted when Ashfaq Ahmed was forced to retire with the score on 42. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 92 was the saving grace after the top-order could not consolidate on their starts. Striking 15 fours in his 107-ball innings, his counterattack helped Peshawar claim a 63-run lead, which proved vital in their claiming three points off this match.Rawalpindi’s solid start was dented when their first two wickets fell within four runs. The score was 99 for 2 and by the time they had added five more runs, another wicket had fallen. Regular wickets became the order of the day until Zahid Mansoor (91) and wicketkeeper Talha Qureshi (45*) steadied the innings, taking Rawalpindi from 186 for 6 to 278 before the partnership was broken. Qureshi remained unbeaten until the end of the innings, taking his side to 384.Azizullah, the 21-year-old fast bowler, toiled away for 42.4 overs and reaped good rewards as he claimed his maiden five-for in first-class cricket.Chasing a target of 322 runs, Isarullah’s ton helped Peshawar set a good pace as they made 181 for 2 in 51 overs, but in the end the honours were shared.