Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has had to contend with multiple injuries this season and he finally has a positive injury update.
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The Australians, like boxers bored of one-round knockouts, always claim to like a fight and now they have one
Charlie Austin10-Feb-2006
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Australians, like boxers bored of one-round knockouts, always claim to like a fight and now they have one. Fears that Sri Lanka were just making up the numbers in the VB Series finals, providing fodder for a greedy top order and target practice for Brett Lee’s thunderbolts, were cast aside by an electric allround display built upon intelligent batting, disciplined bowling and scintillating fielding. Sri Lanka’s dressing room has experienced a whole gamut of emotions during recent months, but they now leave for Sydney, their favourite ground in Australia, with their confidence sky-high and a chance for their first-ever tri-series triumph on Australian soil.Sri Lanka knew they had an opportunity at Adelaide on dry pitch that was likely to offer assistance to the spinners, but they also had accepted that victory over the world champions necessitated the ‘perfect game’. As one senior player remarked on the eve of the game: “You might beat South Africa at 90% but winning against this Australia team requires everyone to be firing at their very best”. Sri Lanka managed just that: the top order intelligently laid the foundations, quickly assessing the 250-mark as a target; the lower middle order, a weakpoint thus far in the tournament, provided some late-innings fireworks; the new ball bowlers keep a lid on during the Powerplays; the fielders, especially Tillakaratne Dilshan, were brilliant; and the spin twins, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara, finished it all off with 4 for 91 in 20 skillful overs. This was the finest Sri Lankan performance in a long time.The Man of the Match was Kumar Sangakkara, his 83 testimony not only to his obvious and now well-acknowledged talent, but to his street-smart cricketing brain. As an entertainer and competitor his natural inclination is to dominate, to assert primordial control and make the opposition know it. But today he nudged and nurdled and ticked the innings along, soaking up pressure and shouldering responsibility. He quickly realised and accepted that trying to break free by peppering the boundary hoardings would be too high-risk a strategy against an Australian bowling outfit that actually did little wrong. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves for some honest blue-collar hardwork.The batting revelation, though, was Chamara Kapugedera, an 18-year-old with only a handful of first-class games under his belt. He might have been starring in the Under-19 World Cup back in Colombo but to the credit of Sri Lanka’s selectors, and the team management that picked him today, they threw him in at the deep end. Once again, he appeared unfazed and utterly at home. Any teenager who can saunter down the pitch and loft Andrew Symonds, the grizzly dreadlocked epitome of Aussie bravado, straight for six has got spunk. As Richie Benaud observed dryly with his usual perfect timing: “Hmmm…there is no fear there”. And nothing could be more precious than fearlessness for an aspiring international cricketer; it’s what sets cricketers apart. Fortunately, he has skill too, as his crucial 38 from 21 balls showed.Kapugedera’s fireworks in the final five overs of the innings, helped by Dilshan’s hustling, lifted Sri Lanka from a moderate, possibly par, total to a commanding one. Suddenly, Australia, who would have felt in control up until the 45th over, realised it was game on.The next crucial match-turning phase of the game was the Dilshan Show, a remarkable quadruple of run outs that ripped out the rump of Australia’s top order. Australia’s running between the wickets, normally so exemplary, deteriorated into a shambles of miscommunication and mistrust. Dilshan pounced on each mistake, keeping his head to run-out Ricky Ponting by pitch-length, throwing down the stumps in one lithe swing to send back Damien Martyn, diving and throwing with pinpoint accuracy to remove Simon Katich and then underarming Mike Hussey out after a dazed call for a quick single by Michael Clarke.Sri Lanka’s fielding was lousy in India but clearly the hardwork of the team under the guidance of Trevor Penney, the assistant coach, is starting to bear fruit. His appointment was not greeted with universal glee in Sri Lanka because some pundits felt local contenders were considered more worthy. But if Sri Lanka’s fielding can continue to improve such critics, although rightly concerned about the development of local coaches, will be silenced. For that matter, the Tom Moody-bashers back home who resent his high salary and cannot see the much-improved preparation and planning behind the scenes, may now be pausing for thought.Sri Lanka, of course, are still far from the finishing line. Australia, despite their blunder-ridden run chase, finished only 21 runs adrift. They will surely come back stronger and raise their game in Sydney. But they will also be wary. Sri Lanka are a confidence-driven side. They lost their Mojo in India and New Zealand but they have reclaimed it emphatically. They now have the self-belief again to take on the best. They will not be scared of Sydney’s spin-friendly conditions and they also have a wonderful incentive to win 2-0 because, courtesy of the board’s planners, who clearly didn’t rate Sri Lanka’s chances very highly, this will give them a luxurious three-day break. A three-match final on the other hand leaves the team with only a handful of hours in Colombo next week to re-pack their bags before leaving for Bangladesh.
In a high-pressure, series-deciding, tour-shaping, third and final T20I, Pakistan overpowered New Zealand by 18 runs, setting them a daunting 182 to win and then constricting them in the field
The Report by Danyal Rasool28-Jan-2018
They may remember this as a difficult tour, but Pakistan have had the last laugh on it. In a high-pressure, series-deciding, tour-shaping, third and final T20I, Pakistan overpowered New Zealand, setting them a daunting 182 to win and then constricting them in the field. This might have shaped up to be the cracker this series hasn’t yet had, but true to form, a close finish was never really on the cards. However, it was Sarfraz Ahmed’s men who were responsible for that this time, showing the sort of form that, had it arrived a few games early, could have rendered this series a classic.Pakistan won the toss and batted first again, looking to maintain the template of the previous T20I game. They did get off to a similarly positive start, with Ahmed Shehzad timing the ball beautifully. A crisp on-drive followed by a glorious cover drive in the third over off Tim Southee set Pakistan on their way.But this was an improved New Zealand bowling performance, with Pakistan not able to cut loose in the way they did in Auckland. Colin de Grandhomme struck in the fourth over to remove Shehzad, and the run rate slowed. Fakhar Zaman kept Pakistan ticking, but at the halfway mark Pakistan were 72 for 2, largely due to a disciplined New Zealand that keeping them on a leash.Mitchell Santner was New Zealand’s best bowling option, chipping in with two wickets and driving the run rate down. He took the all-important wicket of Zaman, who was controversially given out caught on the boundary, with several replays unable to deliver a conclusive verdict. A lovely flighted delivery took care of Sarfraz after he was beginning to look dangerous, and Pakistan were in danger of falling away.The turning point in the match, though, was Ish Sodhi’s final over. Umar Amin took him to task, plundering the legspinner for three sixes in an over that brought 21. Even though he holed out to long-on off the last ball, the tempo for the death overs had been set.New Zealand became sloppy in the field and Pakistan’s middle order took full advantage. Even as Kane Williamson brought Southee and Trent Boult back on to close out the innings, they couldn’t keep Pakistan from surging above 180, with 58 runs conceded off the last four overs.The momentum carried through to the second innings, where New Zealand made a solid start without being allowed to take proper advantage of the Powerplay. Martin Guptill was in good touch, but Williamson, opening in the absence of the injured Colin Munro, couldn’t help him get the start New Zealand required.Faheem Ashraf removed the captain with his first ball in the attack. Williamson looked to slash him over point, the shot carrying straight to the fielder to end a 14-ball struggle in which he had managed just 9.It was a quick three-over spell, just after the Powerplay, that, in hindsight, took the game out of New Zealand’s hands once and for all. Seven runs came off the three overs as Guptill’s momentum was stalled, and suddenly even rotating the strike became a challenge, even with the fielders pushed back. As perhaps anyone sitting through this series might have expected, Shadab Khan bowled two of them, showing immense control with his flight and pace, the batsmen unable to get a read of his length, or which way the ball would turn. The asking rate was suddenly pushing 12, and New Zealand’s reliance on Guptill’s explosiveness increased exponentially.New Zealand suddenly looked like they were lacking the power hitting that is such a hallmark of their game, and scoreboard pressure took its toll. Anaru Kitchen was dismissed after charging Shadab and hopelessly missing, leaving Sarfraz to execute a simple stumping. Guptill and de Grandhomme then fell within four balls of each other, each attempting big heaves that were neither on nor well timed.The final overs provided a pang of nostalgia as Ross Taylor unsheathed his slog sweep after years of disuse. The most optimistic home fans may even have momentarily dreamed of a miracle win as Taylor smashed three sixes in a 11-ball 25, but there was an ephemeral nature to the innings, and when he edged behind to Sarfraz off Mohammad Amir, New Zealand needed a steep 54 from 21 balls.From thereon, the game just went through the motions as Pakistan ended the series with a swagger. It may have been a difficult, at times an embarrassing tour for Pakistan. But an 18-run win to close it, a T20I series win and the world No. 1 ranking in the format is decent reward for a tour that may generally be regarded as a disappointment.
Players who hit the spotlight thanks to the media must be prepared for the harsh glare
Aakash Chopra11-Feb-2007
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In another game, where it generally pays to whack the ball as hard and as far as you possibly can, another often misunderstood sportsman once distinctively remarked, “Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hittin.” Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is now 80-plus, but many of his pithy ‘Yogiisms’ would be happily taken up by many of my cricketing colleagues. With the same spirit.Case in point: Ever since India’s tour to South Africa ended, Virender Sehwag has been the talk of the town. First for his omission in the series against West Indies, then for his inclusion in the side for this series (which, doubters believe, apparently bettered his chances for the World Cup), and now for an alleged manager’s report that is said to reveal a lot of damning secrets about his behaviour in South Africa.Intriguingly, this “report” was leaked just before Viru was set to play his first match after his comeback and that itself gives rise to many questions (which, of course, is not my job to raise).However, the situation took me back to the day before I made my debut for India in October 2003. I got a call from an inquisitive (and well known) journalist, ostensibly to ask about my plans for the Kiwis but matters quickly went another way. He soon reminded me of a couple of balls I had nicked in the side game prior to the Test and how lucky I was to find no third or fourth slip in place. He went on to tell me about an inside edge that missed the stumps narrowly and how I was seen to be uncomfortable against the Kiwi attack.He must have watched the tour game very closely indeed as he detected a flaw in my forward defence too (and told me in detail). Finally, when I put the phone down, I was in a daze and left wondering if there was anything right at all about my batting and technique. I had scored runs against the same opposition in the two warm-up games while playing for the Board President’s XI and India A but that conversation scared me more than actually facing Daniel Vettori and the others.And it was not an isolated incident. On the eve of our first Test in Australia, later that year, a senior, renowned cricket journalist took the time out to explain to me why I had neither the technique nor the temperament to face the Aussies at the Gabba!I’m certain every cricketer who’s played for the country has encountered similar situations. I haven’t spoken to Viru about this but I’m sure he’s been bombarded by calls and text messages in the past few days. I’m also sure a lot of people trying to get in touch with him were not ill-intentioned and were merely trying to put forward his case but does he need all that attention before a hugely important game?His focus should be on the game but is it really possible to not only switch off your cell phone but also switch off mentally and turn a deaf ear to whatever is happening around? If he manages to get runs in the next game, it will be dubbed a timely return to form ahead of the World Cup but, if he fails, no one will spare a moment of thought in sympathy for the man.Players are humans (though many believe they aren’t) and are as affected by the environment around them, especially if they’re in a fragile state of mind, as most other people. There’s more than enough on your plate during these times (regarding your form and self-belief) and any add-ons are disruptive. But who’s listening?
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On the eve of our first Test in Australia, later that year, a senior, renowned cricket journalist took the time out to explain to me why I had neither the technique nor the temperament to face the Aussies at the Gabba |
Before I’m attacked for being anti-media, let me quickly say I’m not. I think the media of today does a great job in highlighting domestic performances and bringing deserving players into the national reckoning. Look at how Robin Uthappa was rewarded for his outstanding first-class season and is now a new sensation. Or the way Ranadeb Bose has figured on every news channel after taking his team to the Ranji finals.This wasn’t the first time a player had scored in excess of 1000 runs or taken 57 wickets in a season. A few years ago, Tamil Nadu’s Sridharan Sriram scored more than 1200 runs in 12 games, Dinesh Mongia totalled more than 1000 in 11 while I managed to cross the 900-run mark (in 9 and 11 matches respectively) in two consecutive seasons.Similarly, Narendra Hirwani, the former India legspinner, took 79 wickets in 2002-03; the same season Sairaj Bahutule, another former India leggie, took 62 wickets. But did anyone really know anything about it then? The answer is no, simply because the kind of interest you see in domestic cricket now was absent a couple of years ago.This has happened because purely because of the media, thanks to whom people across the country now know in advance who’s next in line for an India cap, instead of knowing people only when they wear one.The added pressure is the flip side of the publicity. So not only do you have to develop a skin thick enough to face verbal assaults (read: sledging) from the opposition but also to prevent whatever is written or said about you in the media to get to you. Or, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, the nickel you have won’t be worth a dime. Tell us what you think of this article
Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi gave a blunt response when asked about Kylian Mbappe's future, amid his impending move to Real Madrid.
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Former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark has admitted watching son Bobby lift the Carabao Cup with Liverpool was an emotional experience.
Sheffield United players Jack Robinson and Vinicius Souza showed the wrong kind of fight against Wolves, as they scrapped among themselves.
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England’s bowlers and Mohammad Kaif reaped the rewards of keeping it tight
On the Ball by S Rajesh03-Mar-2006When play began on the third day, with Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid well-entrenched at the crease and many stars to follow, few would have thought that India might at one stage be in danger of following on. That they were in such a position was largely due to outstanding efforts by Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar.As the graphic below shows, both had impeccable control over the lengths they bowled. On a slow track, it was imperative to pitch the ball up to the bat, and cut the short deliveries to a minimum. Both Hoggard and Panesar managed that superbly. When they did err – and it wasn’t often – it was on the fuller side.Not only was Hoggard’s length spot on, his line was exceptional too – out of 180 deliveries, 170 pitched around middle-and-off or further off side. To make it even worse for the batsmen, he moved the ball both ways – 58 deliveries came back into the batsmen, while 40 moved away. It was the perfect combination of accuracy and seam and swing, and the Indians had no answer.They still managed to end the day in a comfortable position, thanks to Mohammad Kaif and Anil Kumble. Struggling to cement his place in the side, Kaif was understandably watchful for much of his innings – after 104 balls he had scored just 20, before he found a higher gear. His strokes chart indicates he played the percentages well – he eschewed the horizontal-bat shots and was well on his way to a century before Panesar produced a peach to sour the day.
Scott McTominay has revealed why he believes Jose Mourinho is a "real-life legend" and what he said on the day of his Manchester United sacking.
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Luis Enrique insisted that "PSG is above any individual" and claimed all is "normal" with the manager being bombed with Kylian Mbappe exit queries.
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