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And for a team that often talks down its own fielding, how good was Super Kings’ catching today?

Alagappan Muthu14-Apr-2019No Russell, big problemKolkata Knight Riders are the most dangerous batting unit in the death overs (last four) this season. Before today, they had struck 29 sixes in this period of the game – easily the most of all the teams in the competition – and had accumulated their runs at a jaw-dropping, table-topping strike-rate of 212.71.On Sunday, they managed only 19 runs off their last 24 balls…. It was their worst death-overs performance while batting first in IPL history.One massive reason for that was Imran Tahir getting rid of Andre Russell in the 15th over with a clever piece of bowling, when he lowered the trajectory of his legbreak to ensure that the big hit, if it came – and it did come – would go off the bottom of the bat. Russell had hit 21 of those 29 death-overs sixes.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut there was still work to do – and it had to be done by one of CSK’s weaker bowlers.Shardul Thakur came into this game with a Smart Economy Rate of 11.41, which places him 44th out of 49 players who have bowled at least 10 overs this IPL.But here – on a pitch that top-scorer Chris Lynn called slightly two-paced – he showed smarts by hitting the deck while also ensuring he didn’t give the batsman too much room, slipping in a few knuckle balls and even nailing a couple of picture-perfect yorkers. The 18th and 20th overs, which he bowled, went for four runs each.Catching Super KingsPrior to this game, Chennai Super Kings had created 45 catching chances and dropped only six of them. For a team that has repeatedly admitted its limitations as a fielding unit – seriously, they sound almost apologetic when they talk about it in press conferences – that’s damn good.And there’s a reason for it. MS Dhoni’s captaincy is all about the lengths he wants his bowlers to hit because he’s very good at extrapolating where the batsmen would then hit the ball. And with that knowledge, he can put his better fielders in those hot spots. Such as Faf du Plessis at long-off; he picked up two catches. Young substitute fielder Dhruv Shorey was at long-on – Russell gets A LOT of his runs there – and he pulled off a splendid diving catch to get rid of the West Indian. Ravindra Jadeja is usually at point in the Powerplay and at deep midwicket in the slog. Sometimes that means weaker fielders end up inside the circle and that’s how misfields happen, but hey, CSK have clearly showed it’s worth the gamble.BCCIThe Shubam Gill questionHe has all the shots. He just rarely gets any time to play them for KKR. Today, he came in at No. 7 with 5.1 overs left and finished with 15 off 20 balls.Gill is really a top-order batsman. That’s where he plays for his domestic team Punjab and when KKR allow him to open, he strikes at 163. And that strike-rate drops steadily the lower he goes: 137 at No. 4, 135 at No. 6 and only 117 at No. 7.Classical batsmen like Gill need to bat at the top in T20 cricket, when the ball is new and the field is up. Otherwise, they’re wasted. But with KKR already having an outrageously successful opening combination, that is unlikely to happen.Jadeja the finisherHis most famous moment was being caught on the boundary and still winning the game for CSK. That’s when all the Sir Jadeja jokes eupted. The ridiculousness of that moment aside – it was the last ball of a tight chase and RP Singh overstepped – there was reason to doubt the allrounder’s suitability to the role of finisher. Before Sunday, he had a strike-rate of 140 between overs 16 and 20. Most of the CSK players below that mark are bowlers.All that didn’t matter as he defied convention, once again, this time through pure skill.Dhoni had fallen and that took his team’s chances of victory from 55% at the start of the 15th over to 47% a mere four balls into it. KKR were sensing an upset. But in walked Jadeja and drove the fifth ball he faced for a four. It was full, mid-off was up, it was all very elementary – and that’s what Jadeja does better now. He doesn’t panic in these situations. He plays them out.In the 19th over, with 24 still needed, he struck a hat-trick of fours, starting with an audacious, down-the-track swat to the long-off boundary, and killed the contest.For more context, a man who had previously only hit 20 fours (he has 17 sixes though) between overs 16 and 20 in his entire IPL career hammered five of them in this one innings alone.

Australian bowler overcomes obsession with perfection to fall in love with cricket again

Valkerie Baynes24-Jul-2019Just talking about it takes Delissa Kimmince to a “dark space”. But finding a way – via an English pub and another elite sporting career – to deal with the overwhelming expectation she once put on herself has ultimately brought her full circle to a place where she enjoys playing cricket again.And why wouldn’t she? The five-wicket star of Australia’s victory in the second Ashes ODI against England earlier this month is on top of her game and looking to continue in the T20I series starting at Chelmsford on Friday.But it wasn’t always that simple. Now 30, Kimmince can look back on the wisdom of age and life experience outside cricket which has helped her fall back in love with the sport after divorcing it twice – the first time before she turned 20, having played 10 ODIs and one T20I up to early 2009 – and a brief flirtation with Australian Rules Football.She joined the women’s AFL for its inaugural season in 2017 shortly after stepping down as captain of of Women’s Big Bash side Brisbane Heat. And while she played just one elite Aussie Rules game for Brisbane Lions Women in her home state of Queensland, she recognises how enviable her position was to be able to choose another sport entirely as a way of re-establishing her love of cricket for the second time.”After the first year of the WBBL, I sort of felt myself sliding back into the wrong end of not liking cricket again,” Kimmince told ESPNcricinfo. “Then I knew when that happened that I had to get away and try and refresh myself in the winter.”I approached my coach and I said, ‘I think the only way I can do that is if I go and play another sport and just mentally freshen up and get away from the game.’ That’s how I fell into the AFL scene. It was a great opportunity and I loved every minute of it and I think it’s the reason why I’m back here enjoying it so much, because of what AFL did for me at that point in time.Delissa Kimmince walks out to train with some of her Brisbane Lions AFL Women’s team-mates•Getty Images”I was really lucky with Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions … they had a lot of communication and just understood where I was at and what I was trying to get out of being a part of both. It’s funny when you look back on the things you do but if I hadn’t had the experience previous to that to know that I was sort of going downhill again I could so easily not be in this position that I’m in today.”The first time Kimmince found herself hating cricket, she took a completely different road to getting away. She took a break entirely from the sport, moving to London to live and work in a pub in 2011. It was there that she found the inspiration to make her initial comeback.”A few of the boys were playing local club cricket and they talked me back into playing,” Kimmince said. “I ended up playing county cricket for Warwickshire and I was really lucky – the group of girls was really inviting and I didn’t have any expectations.”When you don’t have that expectation and the pressure on yourself, you perform well and you have fun. When I went back to Australia I took that same approach. If I didn’t take that break there’s potential that I probably would have walked away from the game for good.”So how has her rich and varied experience changed her as a cricketer?”I’m just more relaxed,” Kimmince said. “When I was younger I played a little bit more on emotion and I put so much pressure on myself and I got so down. If I picked up one wicket I’d always focus on whatever the negative was. If I’d bowled a couple of wides then that’s what I would focus on.”It’s really not even healthy. I think about it now and I don’t even enjoy really talking about it just because it’s such a dark space because you’re never enjoying what you’re actually doing.”Whereas I look back now and it’s completely different. I’m a lot more relaxed and I understand that cricket’s one of those games where things don’t always go your way.”When Kimmince resurrected her international career the first time, it was predominantly in T20s with just one ODI, against Pakistan in Brisbane, in 2014. She returned once more to the 50-overs format in February this year, against New Zealand in Adelaide, before playing all three one-dayers in England.

“We’ve got a group of girls that are enjoying their cricket as much as I’ve ever seen a group enjoying the game – it puts a smile on my face, whereas 10 years ago, it didn’t”Delissa Kimmince

And, when things do go her way, like taking a career-best 5 for 26 as Australia defeated England by four wickets en route to a 3-0 sweep of their ODI series, medium pacer Kimmince is also careful not to make too much of the situation, describing it as “one of those days” where “everything works” and “lucky”.In truth, there was more than luck to it. Kimmince’s ability to read the game and produce variations had England’s batsmen struggling against her in that match. With Australia having retained the Ashes after the drawn Test, they will be looking to further assert their dominance of this tour in the three T20s, while England will be out to salvage something from a disappointing contest.Either way, Kimmince is determined to enjoy herself.”I’m really lucky, we’ve got a great group of girls at the moment too that are enjoying their cricket as much as I’ve ever seen a group enjoying the game,” she said. “I think that’s why we’ve had so much success lately and what makes it so enjoyable every single time you go to training or you walk out on the field for a game. It puts a massive smile on my face, whereas 10 years ago, it didn’t.”

At least 5000 Bangladeshi fans have travelled across the border to witness the historic match

Varun Shetty in Kolkata20-Nov-2019The BCCI’s idea to host the first day-night Test on Indian soil came to life only about three weeks ago, but it is now very much here. It has whirred at Virat Kohli’s three-second agreement, sputtered in wait of the BCB’s confirmation, grabbed the attention of the two most powerful politicians in the Bengali-speaking world, and done it all so quickly that paratroopers might be enlisted to deliver a soft landing.Kolkata’s palette is firmly blue and white, but there is a ball-shaped pink blimp hovering over Eden Gardens that signals the big event. It draws you to a ticket counter that now only serves as a second step after you’ve booked online.The communication is clear: No offline ticket sale. No cash sale.There is a line nonetheless, and every few minutes, a new person begins negotiations through the gate. A portly man with a handlebar mustache hangs around, claiming he can arrange tickets to Block B. They’ll cost INR 500 – that’s a 350-rupee premium that no one is paying him, not even in these circumstances.Tickets for India’s first pink-ball Test sold out fast•Varun ShettyFour days have been sold out, says Sourav Ganguly; the ticketing partner’s website shows that season passes across all price categories are gone. At least 5000 of those are in the hands of travelling Bangladesh fans.One of them is Zeeshan Hasib, 48, who runs a financial consultancy firm, and who played for Sylhet Division in the 80s, before Bangladesh gained Test or first-class status. He’s never watched Bangladesh away from home before, but this won’t be his first slice of history involving an India fixture.”I have watched Bangladesh play their inaugural Test match back in November 2000,” Hasib says. “In Kolkata, Bangladesh will be playing their first day-night Test match – and I think it is a historic event and I just wanted to be a part of the history. I will watch only the first two days of the Test match and will be back in Dhaka for work.”I am not wary about the fact that the first Test ended in three days. India is a tough team to fight with, especially in India where you will find most of the visiting teams struggling. They are the No. 1 Test team in the world. I am, however, expecting Bangladesh to fight back in Kolkata.”These are also the sentiments of the gentlemen we bump into on Wednesday, wearing Bangladesh limited-overs jerseys as they walk through Sudder Street. Anyone who knows Kolkata knows this isn’t a particularly rare sight. It is a popular tourist destination, and the fact that it hosts branches of famous Dhaka restaurants means the tourists are usually Bangladeshi.The final scene in a series of murals that depict a boy’s journey from the to the Indian team•Varun ShettyA part of this particular group on Wednesday is Bullu Das, who has been a helper in many capacities around cricket in Mirpur, mostly as a photographer’s attendant. He’s also something of a cricket magnet. He’s everywhere – serving tea in Dhaka, in Khulna, to MS Dhoni, to Sachin Tendulkar. Bullu once claimed he was Tendulkar’s lucky charm. It was only natural he showed up.”I will witness history,” Bullu says. “I came here by bus, and it took nine hours through the Benapole border. I am staying around New Market [close to Sudder Street]. I will be having my meals there too.”He plans to meet (Ganguly) and then the Bangladesh players in their hotel across the ground. It’s unlikely, but this is a man who once convinced Lionel Messi to take a photo with him in Dhaka.Still, it’s not an easy task. Just before sunset, Ganguly’s car departs and for five minutes before, no one is allowed within 50 yards of the CAB office gate at the stadium. If they were, one of the things they would have been forced to think about was which of the two mascots was manning the entrance – Pinku or Tinku.Whichever one it was, they only arrived much later in the day, and were among those artistic flourishes made for this Test that began to pop out more in the fading light. Like the various versions of scoreboard plates of Liton Das and Virat Kohli. White with pink text, white with black text, black with pink text – the ball isn’t the only thing being scrutinised for its visibility.Many members of the press turned up wearing pink•Varun ShettyOne of the benefits of playing cricket in the evening is that the ad rates are a lot more lucrative. It’s not surprising, then, that amid the various work-in-progress parts of the stadium, a primary sponsor’s banner is already up, adjusted to pink, visible from everywhere. It is, perhaps the only other area of concentrated pink than the pavilion stand, where many members of the press have unwittingly become part of the show by turning up to the ground wearing pink.Someone jokes about how over-the-top things get when Australia hosts a pink Test in Sydney, in January. You can’t help but wonder that if the two recent, radical ideas in Indian cricket – this Test, and Kohli’s suggestion of five constant Test venues – come together, then Kolkata could bring a new facet to what over the top, or even what a pink Test, means.For now, this event – let’s face it, it’s an event now – is humming along subtly, and the buzz two days before the game is largely from Bangladesh’s fans. Three weeks is not enough time to turn a city around, or build a culture around something. But if manic turnarounds can happen inside 36 hours at any Test venue, this one is it.

Manchester United are preparing a big-money offer for a former Manchester City player that Ruben Amorim is desperate to bring to Old Trafford, according to a new report.

Man Utd draw at Lyon as Amorim praises Zirkzee

After a difficult start to the season, United were finally showing signs of improvement under Amorim, having enjoyed much-improved results over the past two months.

In mid-week against Lyon in the Europa League, however, their progress suffered a slight setback as they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

Man Utd now open to selling flop at £20m discount as Juventus linked

He could be heading for the exit door…

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 13, 2025

Two mistakes from goalkeeper Andre Onana cost the Red Devils, with the Cameroon international first letting a cross go directly under him in the first-half, and then fumbling a tame shot in the final minutes of the game to allow Rayan Cherki to score a last-gasp equalizer, which resulted in him being dropped against Newcastle United on Sunday. The Magpies ran riot at St James’ Park, winning 4-1 without Eddie Howe on the sidelines.

Despite the setback against Lyon, however, there were still positives to take from the display, most notably that of forward Joshua Zirkzee, who was on the scoresheet for the second time in three Europa League games, heading home Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 88th minute.

Talking about the Dutchman, who earlier in the season was substituted after just 33 minutes in a game against Newcastle United, after the draw with Lyon, Amorim hailed his striker’s recent displays.

“Yes, he’s doing a great job. Also a very important thing was the way the fans react after that incident,” he said.

Asked about his role in Zirkzee’s turnaround, Amorim added: “I just want to help the team and then work with him. With all the work that all the staff is doing with him he’s improving, and then I put him to play. This is the only way to show confidence to the player.”

Man Utd launch £70m move for Morgan Rogers

Despite Zirkzee’s recent improvement, seven goals and three assists in all competitions still isn’t enough to help United back to competing for titles, so Amorim will no doubt be looking to bolster his forward line in the summer.

And according to a report from Spain, the Portuguese boss already knows just the man he wants: Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

Rogers, formerly of Manchester City, has been one of the Premier League and Europe’s star players this season, helping Villa not only enjoy another solid Premier League campaign, but also reach the quarterfinals, and possibly even further, in the Champions League.

It is claimed that United and Amorim have identified the England international as one of their top targets for the summer, and are “willing to do everything possible to bring him to Old Trafford.”

The Red Devils are said to have already launched a massive £70 million bid for Rogers, however it’s thought that luring him away from Villa will be tough, with the club keen to keep hold of a player they consider one of their most important, and talented, stars.

After netting a hat-trick against Celtic in the Champions League back in January, former Villa star Stiliyan Petrov described him as a “joy to watch.”

“He was just outstanding, we saw everything from the young man. He looked like a mature player,” Petrov said. “He looked like he is going to be a star.”

Glasgow Rangers will be in the market for a new head coach this summer as they prepare to bounce back from a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

Barry Ferguson is currently in interim charge but has presided over a dismal run in the Scottish Premiership and has been knocked out of the Europa League – failing to score a single goal in three of his four matches in Europe.

The Scottish boss has won three, lost two, and drawn one of his six league games at Ibrox, which does not suggest that he is the right man to lead the team forward into next season to challenge Celtic for the title.

Rangers, who needed a last-gasp stunner from Ianis Hagi to salvage a draw against Aberdeen last time out in the league, may look for an experienced coach who has a track record of winning trophies.

One man who would fit that profile is experienced Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho, who has been linked with a move to Ibrox this summer.

The latest on Jose Mourinho to Rangers

TEAMtalk reported on Sunday that the Fenerbahce manager is a possible candidate for the job ahead of next season, as the Rangers board are looking for a big-name appointment to lead the new era in Glasgow.

The outlet claimed that the 49ers, who are said to be close to sealing a takeover of the club, want to make a strong managerial move, with Steven Gerrard and Mourinho named as two contenders for the role.

It revealed that the Fenerbahce boss would be open to completing a move to Ibrox this summer, but only if the new ownership group are willing to back him in the transfer market.

TEAMtalk claimed that the club are yet to approach Mourinho to discuss the job, though, and this suggests that they are still in the early stage of their recruitment process.

As you can see in the clip above, the 62-year-old tactician refused to rule out the possibility of managing in Scottish football in the future when asked about it back in March.

The TEAMtalk report mentioned that Mourinho would want to be backed by the owners, though, and that would include them having to possibly move on from players who would not be up to the standard that the manager wants.

Mourinho, who has won eight league titles in his career, may want to move on from Jack Butland at Ibrox, as the English goalkeeper has endured a frustrating season in Glasgow.

Why Jack Butland could be sold by Jose Mourinho

The Portuguese boss has managed some iconic goalkeepers during his career, including the likes of Petr Cech, Iker Casillas, Hugo Lloris, and Thibaut Courtois, and the former England international may not join that illustrious list.

Butland is currently sat on the bench watching on as Liam Kelly plays in his place after Ferguson decided to take him out of the team, due to his poor performances on the pitch.

The experienced shot-stopper has not performed well enough in the Premiership this season, making too many errors with the ball at his feet and with his lack of shot-stopping, and the club should look to move him on this summer.

As you can see in the table above, Butland has conceded more than the average goalkeeper would be expected to based on the xG of the shots on his goal, which shows that he has been poor from a shot-stopping perspective.

The former England international has also made a whopping five errors that have led to shots, goals, or penalties for the opposition. To put it simply, he became a liability to the team between the sticks, and it was the right call by Ferguson to remove him from the starting line-up.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Butland, however, is not the only player who should be moved on from Ibrox if Mourinho is appointed this summer, as Ridvan Yilmaz could also be on the chopping block.

Why Ridvan Yilmaz may not have a future under Jose Mourinho

The Portuguese manager builds his teams around a defensive structure and ensures that there is a solid platform for the rest of the side to build from, with his belief that the team that makes the fewest mistakes tends to win.

Yilmaz’s performances for Rangers this season suggest that he is not the kind of defender that Mourinho would want to build his team around, because the full-back is not a solid defensive operator who can be relied upon week-in-week-out.

Standing at 5 foot 9, the 23-year-old dud is not the tallest of defenders and that is reflected in his lack of success in the air. In 17 appearances in the Premiership this season, he has lost 100% of his aerial duels. Mourinho may not have much faith in a full-back who has not won a single aerial duel in 17 league games to defend the back post for him in matches next season.

Yilmaz, who Tam McManus claimed had an “absolute shocker” in the league back in March, has also made two errors that have led to shots for the opposition in the Premiership, which further suggests that he would not suit the Portuguese manager because of his desire to build a team that does not make many mistakes defensively.

As you can see in the table above, the Turkish full-back also struggled in the Europa League, staggeringly being dribbled past more times than he completed tackles, whilst only winning one aerial duel.

These statistics from his performances in the Premiership and the Europa League combine to suggest that he would not suit Mourinho’s footballing philosophy, which is why he should be out of the door if the manager is appointed this summer.

Jose Mourinho open to being Rangers manager on one key condition with 49ers

Would he be the most exciting choice by the Gers?

By
Henry Jackson

Apr 21, 2025

Yilmaz reportedly had interest from his former club Besiktas during the January transfer window, which suggests that there could be interest in his services ahead of next season that would allow Rangers and Mourinho to cash in on him.