Liverpool would have taken a step further in their progression had they won the Champions League on Saturday night.
However, it was not to be as Real Madrid earned a 3-1 triumph, and they were helped along by some goalkeeping howlers from Loris Karius.
The German’s performance highlighted Liverpool’s need for a goalkeeper this summer.
After the final whistle, Karius was visibly distraught and in floods of tears, much like his teammate Mohamed Salah, who was forced off the pitch 31 minutes in with a dislocated shoulder.
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Liverpool have received plenty of plaudits this season for their scintillating attacking form.
In the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp’s side finished fourth, but in three of their four fixtures against title winners Manchester City in all competitions, they showed that they are more than capable of matching Pep Guardiola’s side.
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Some may have felt that the Reds would be title challengers next season, but after their disappointment in the Champions League final, have things changed?
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Arsenal could lose out to the Premier League’s bottom side Swansea City in the race to sign AC Milan striker Andre Silva, who could be an alternative option if a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang falls through this month.
What’s the word, then?
Soccer Football – Europa League – AC Milan vs Rijeka – San Siro, Milan, Italy – September 28, 2017 AC Milan’s Andre Silva celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Well, French media outlet Le10Sport reported back in December that the Gunners were interested in bringing the Portugal international to the Emirates during the January transfer window, having been impressed with his performances for the Serie A giants.
However, there has been no further progress in the north London outfit’s interest this month and now the Daily Mail says that Swansea are targeting the 22-year-old having been rebuffed in an attempt to sign Kevin Gameiro from Atletico Madrid.
Silva only joined Milan in a £32m deal from FC Porto last June, but a move away from the San Siro appears to be on the cards before January 31 with Le10Sport reporting that he hasn’t lived up to expectations.
How has Silva done this season?
He has done very well in Europe, but not so well in Serie A.
The 22-year-old centre-forward has scored all eight of his goals this term in 10 appearances in the Europa League, but he is yet to find the net in 12 Italian top flight outings having largely played second fiddle to Nikola Kalinic at the San Siro.
According to WhoScored.com, his main strengths are his ability to play key passes, his passing, finishing and headed attempts, and the Portugal international has made 17 key passes in 18 appearances in Serie A and the Europa League group stages this season, winning 25 of the 55 aerial duels he has faced.
Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?
He certainly could be, yes.
While Silva has failed to find the net in Serie A he has largely been restricted to cameo appearances form the bench, and his record in the Europa League, as well as the fact he scored 24 goals in 58 games for Porto and has 11 in 18 caps for his country, show the quality and potential that he has.
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He is certainly a different player to Lacazette, but the north London outfit’s reported interest in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would sideline any potential move for the AC Milan man.
Things are going slightly better at Old Trafford. Since the humiliating and alarming loss at home to West Bromwich, Manchester United have gone on an eight game unbeaten run, and are now just three points off the second spot in the league. After last night’s goalless draw against Real Sociedad, they are also in a strong position to win their group in the Champions League. A season that began with concerns about Moyes’s ability to manage the champions, and escalated in to a media perception of catastrophic proportions, is about to pick itself up.
Yet, the composed but toothless performance against Sociedad suggests that there are still concerns in the United team.
But firstly, let’s establish one thing: Manchester United were never threatened last night. A point away to the fourth best team in Spain is hardly a disaster, and the Reds bossed the home team, creating enough clear cut chances to kill the game. The frailness that weighed them down in the opening league games look resolved, but I have one major problem with David Moyes’s United. They seem so reluctant to attack.
There’s a caution about Man United now that we never saw during Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year reign. I spotted it the first time in the home draw to Chelsea in the second round of the Premier League. Although they displayed good balance and composure in that game, there was no edge nor desire to really test Mourinho’s defense. The new manager can be excused for not risking conceding a silly goal, but as reigning champions, United are expected to threaten any back four, especially at home.
That game faded out in a boring scoreless draw. I am convinced that the Red Devils of old would have had a go. Even opportunities to counter attack were measured and considered to the degree that they lost the advantage of running at an unorganized defense. The same thing happened against Sociedad. The ball was moved around the pitch at a snugly, complacent pace, and I got the feeling they were more concerned with not loosing than winning.
Even in-form Wayne Rooney looked unwilling to properly run at the Spanish back four. Had the emphasis before the game been on winnning convincingly and secure progression from the group stages, we would have seen Rooney move the ball quicker through the middle, demand that his teammates made quick transitions, and force them to hassle Sociedad when dispossessed. Instead he looked happy to take the draw.
The midfield constellation of Ryan Giggs and Marouane Fellaini suffered from the same attacking apathy. Even if they are defensive midfielders, at the level United should aspire to achieve, they should initiate attacks and put the ball in the danger areas. Furthermore, Fellaini had one of his better performances so far, looking comfortable on the ball, and making few mistakes. But the few he made got him sent off, and this will not make his attempt to settle down in Manchester any easier. You can call the refs decision harsh, but the second yellow, received for his 639th clumsy challenge of the night, was in my opinion fair enough.
What kept Moyes’s men from claiming all three points in the end was wasteful finishing. You would put your kidneys on Chicharito to score a tap in, but this time the Mexican skied his shot. Van Persie should have converted from the spot, though the post seemed to embody karma itself when it kept Claudio Bravo’s sheet clean. Ashley Young’s pathetic dive further disgraced the reputation of a player that have yet to contribute to single positive event this season. No doubt, Moyes’s patience with the winger must be running on fumes, and I can’t see him appearing in the starting XI any time soon.
However, in the long run, I expect David Moyes to succeed at United, and I will not start posting #MoyeOut tweets on my Twitter account. Though I’m not sure his cautious approach is doing him any favors at the moment. This weekend’s clash with Arsenal gives the Red Devils an opportunity against the in-form team in England to prove that they intend to retain the title in May.
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Question is – will Moyes try to score more or concede less than his opponent?
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has once again reiterated his desire to lead the club to European glory again this season and he looks set to name another strong looking line-up in the team’s upcoming clash against Greek outfit Panathinaikos, but is he taking something of a gamble to taking the competition so seriously?
The club were handed a group stage entry position this term as a knock-on effect of Chelsea winning the Champions League last season and they’ve only had one game in the competition to date so far, at home to Lazio, so in that regard it is somewhat difficult to truly tell how the Portuguese boss is approaching it. However, it seems as if he’s in it to win it so to speak this season and repeat the feat he achieved in guiding Porto to the trophy back in 2010 before moving to Stamford Bridge later that summer for his ill-fated reign at Stamford Bridge.
Against the Italian side, while Hugo Lloris may have been handed his first start at the club in place of Brad Fridel and Kyle Naughton coming in at left-back for the injured Benoit Assou-Ekotto, it was pretty much as close as you could get to their first choice starting eleven, with only Younes Kaboul and Emmanuel Adebayor perhaps coming into contention when they both return from their spell out on the treatment table.
All the talk since he took over at White Hart Lane in the summer has been focused on winning silverware, not finishing fourth in the league, so often deemed as tantamount to success by large swathes of Arsenal supporters these days and I for one welcome the ambitious approach it displays and Tottenham are perfectly capable of going deep into the competition should they treat it seriously, I just wish more teams would follow suit.
The sheer amount of managers that treat the Europa League with disdain is shocking; they treat it as a distraction to their domestic campaign, a needless disruption to the real business of finishing in the top eight in the Premier League. The money that the Champions League brings with it by qualifying for it year on year is obviously a huge advantage and not to be missed out on if you have the chance of finishing in the top four, but somewhere along the way how we judge success has become distorted, it’s no longer measured by something tangible such as silverware, but what your club might be able to do next year and next season should they reinvest well enough.
We’ve seen in the past Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa side bust a gut and spend huge sums of money to finish 6th in the league three years running, which in itself was a great achievement, only to then go and name weakened sides in the Europa League, which makes you think, what was the whole point of last season for then?
Why qualify for a competition only to then disregard it as soon as you have a chance to play in it? Portuguese and Spanish clubs do well precisely because they take the opposite viewpoint; they realise that they don’t stand much chance of domestic success with Barcelona and Real Madrid around, so this is there one chance of winning a trophy every season and that’s the approach some English clubs would be better served looking to adopt.
While Brendan Rodgers has been naming weakened sides in it this season at Liverpool, with a first-team squad of just 19 players to choose from, he doesn’t really have much else choice, while Alan Pardew with his recent defensive injury crisis at Newcastle is in a similar boat, but there’s no reason that if they qualify out of the tricky groups stages that they couldn’t do well in the latter stages and make a real impact.
Last term Tony Pulis’ Stoke side were superb in the earlier rounds but the affect it was having on their league from was hugely noticeable and he then decided to field a weakened side away at Valencia in the first knock-out phase with the deficit at just 1-0. During that game, the Spanish side were there for the taking, but Pulis couldn’t even fill a subs bench, naming ten changes and just four subs, with only Robert Huth deemed a guaranteed first-team regular in the starting side.
It was embarrassing and Pulis left nine players at home to kick their heels in frustration, seemingly looking forward to the prospect of facing Swansea at home three days later instead. Perhaps I’m romanticising European competition too much, but it just seemed like a wasted opportunity to do something special for a club that doesn’t often get the opportunity to give its fans much to shout about.
They limped out of the competition with a 1-0 defeat at the Mestalla, but honestly, how much better does it get for Stoke? Aren’t occasions like the one in question what the club and its fan-base have been hoping and dreaming for after all those years spent in the doldrums of the lower leagues?
In such financially testing times as these, the common football fan doesn’t have all that much disposable income to spend on going to games, let alone trips abroad, so imagine their frustration at seeing a largely second-string side turn out in what represented the biggest game in their recent history? A pretty flawed and defensively suspect Valencia side went all the way to the semi-final stage before being knocked out by the side that would go on to win the tournament, Atletico Madrid.
Of course, playing a strong line-up now in Europe may hinder your side further down the home straight and key players may grow tired or jaded at the business end of a long campaign, but I honestly don’t see the problem this early on in the season playing your strongest side most weeks no matter what the competition. They’re professional athletes after all, playing 40-odd games a season shouldn’t be that tough.
Last season Harry Redknapp, and to a lesser extent Roberto Mancini’s handling of a clearly knackered David Silva after the festive period, were called into question, with many slamming how much football they had played and that their respective squads simply hadn’t been rotated enough to keep the side fresh. This is why rotating your side if you get the chance in the ‘easier’ home games around January and afterwards is crucial the later the campaign goes on, but not quite at this stage of the season.
The Europe League is often seen as the annoying younger sibling to the all-consuming money monster that is the Champions League, but for my money, it’s more unpredictable, exciting, entertaining and enjoyable than anything the largely predictable so-called premier competition has to offer, where the same teams reach the semi-final stages every year.
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Villas-Boas has become an easy target for the media simply by virtue of not being Harry Redknapp, a man who they all have an irrational love for it seems, so a stick is often used to beat him with and double-standards and hypocrisy are common place, but to chastise a manager for treating a winnable competition with the respect it deserves is ridiculous. Playing to win it is the right approach that Tottenham should be looking to take this season and the 34-year-old manager should be applauded rather than criticised.
Former New Zealand captain signs contract extension which will run until end of 2027
Andrew Miller03-Sep-2024Brendon McCullum has been announced as England’s new men’s white-ball head coach, and will combine that role with his existing Test duties. McCullum has agreed a remarkable new three-year deal as part of what the ECB has termed a “strategic restructure” within the men’s set-up.The contract extension, announced on Tuesday, means that McCullum is set to oversee England’s white-ball fortunes, up to and including the next 50-over World Cup in South Africa in October-November 2027, while also guiding the Test squad all the way through to England’s next home Ashes campaign, earlier that same year.Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim head coach for the upcoming series against Australia, will continue in that role for the white-ball tour of the Caribbean in November, with McCullum officially beginning his twin tenure in January 2025, in time for their white-ball tour of India, and the ICC Champions Trophy which is set to take place in Pakistan in February and March.The deal comes in the wake of Matthew Mott’s sacking as white-ball head coach in July, following England’s disappointing defences of both their 50- and 20-over World Cup titles. It is a significant coup for the ECB, and their director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, given the apparent reluctance of a host of major names to put their names forward for the role.Related
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Ricky Ponting and Eoin Morgan, England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain, were among the prime candidates to officially rule themselves out of contention, while Andy Flower’s status as one of the most sought-after franchise coaches in the world game meant there was little prospect of him returning to the ECB, a decade after his last stint as England head coach ended in 2014.McCullum himself had shown little interest in the white-ball role when he took over as England’s Test coach in May 2022. However, amid the subsequent success of his Test tenure, in particular the so-called ‘Bazball’ mentality that helped to liberate the team’s attitude to success and failure, he has now agreed to carry that ethos across to a white-ball set-up, captained by Jos Buttler, that is set to undergo a generational shift over the course of the coming international cycle.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Test team, and I’m excited to extend my role to include the white-ball sides,” McCullum said. “This new challenge is something I’m ready to embrace, and I’m eager to work closely with Jos and the team to build on the strong foundations that are already in place.”In so doing, McCullum will become the first England men’s coach since his Test predecessor, Chris Silverwood, to oversee both the red- and white-ball squads. And while the sheer volume of matches in England’s recent schedule has meant that a united role has been nigh on impossible – their T20I series against Australia, for instance, begins one day after the end of the forthcoming third Test against Sri Lanka – Key pointed to a relative “easing” in the fixture list from 2025 onwards that has made McCullum’s appointment more feasible.”I’m delighted that Brendon has chosen to do both roles now with England,” Key said. “I believe we are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket. Being able to align all teams now is particularly exciting and we look forward to taking on all challenges that come our way.”For the last two years, constant clashes between formats have made it challenging for the white-ball environment; fortunately, these are easing starting from January. The timing of the schedule [from January] will allow him to dedicate the necessary focus to both roles, and we’re confident this restructure will bring out the best in our players and coaching staff.”McCullum added: “Rob Key’s vision for the future of English cricket is something that really resonated with me. The idea of a unified coaching structure, especially with the schedule easing next year, made perfect sense. I’m energised by the prospect of guiding both teams and am grateful for the support from the ECB and my family as I take on these added responsibilities.”Rob Key believes an eased schedule from 2025 will help McCullum•Getty Images
The prospect of a unified vision for England’s squads may be particularly beneficial to Test incumbents such as Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson, young players who have significant futures across both set-ups, but whose opportunities to transfer their talents across formats will be restricted this winter by the cramped nature of the schedule, with England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean falling directly between their three-Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.Similarly, younger players – such as Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley and Josh Hull, who are likely to make their international debuts in the coming white-ball series against Australia and will be prime candidates for the West Indies tour – ought to be better placed to make their cases for Test honours with McCullum now overseeing their full international development.”The talent within English cricket is immense, and I’m looking forward to helping these players reach their full potential,” McCullum added. “My goal is to create an environment where everyone can thrive and where we can continue to compete at the highest level across all formats.”McCullum is due to leave England immediately after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka series at The Kia Oval this week, and will return to New Zealand for a short break before rejoining the Test squad ahead of the Pakistan tour in October.
“If you look at the last few seasons, their performance hasn’t been as good,” says the former allrounder
ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2023Yusuf Pathan, the former India and Kolkata Knight Riders allrounder, feels that with Sunil Narine and Andre Russell not at their best consistently, perhaps it’s time the KKR management starts looking beyond them.”We should see how Narine and Russell have performed in the last three years, or how many match-winning performances they have put in with bat or ball,” Pathan said on ESPNcricinfo’s show .”As a team, what do you think? If you want to look ahead to the future and go to the next level, then you should surely think about it, because if you look at the last few seasons, their performance hasn’t been as good. As a senior player, there are expectations from you that you would get wickets or runs. If you are not able to do it, then you will have to face the questions.”Related
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So far in IPL 2023, Narine has managed only seven wickets in 12 games, his economy of 8.50 being the worst for him in an IPL season. His returns with bat have also diminished. Once an attacking opener, he no longer bats at the top of the innings, and has 153 runs at an average of 6.95 in the last three IPL seasons.Russell, meanwhile, has a strike of over 150 in each of the last three IPLs. However, in terms of the volume of runs, he has perhaps failed to live up to the expectations at times. He scored 183 runs in nine innings in 2021; 335 in 12 in 2022; and 218 in 12 so far this year.However, with ball, just like Narine, his economy of 11.29 this season is the worst for him in the tournament’s history. Moreover, there are always concerns about his bowling fitness.When asked if their age was catching up – Russell turned 35 last month, and Narine will reach there in a couple of weeks’ time – Pathan held it wasn’t the case.”I don’t think age should be a factor, because there are others of similar age who are still playing, and are performing well too,” he said. “Plus, both of them play around the year. I feel if you are playing the entire year, then your body is in good shape.”I am not able to figure out what is going wrong. These two are your match-winners, and when your match-winners don’t perform, your team struggles. Perhaps fatigue could be a reason as they play the entire year. Having said that, everyone wants and expects them to do well.”
England batter wary of power-packed West Indies, whom they face after opening defeat to Australia
Andrew Miller08-Mar-2022Danni Wyatt believes the only way is up for England’s women after coming through a stiff opening test with pride against the World Cup favourites Australia. However, she accepts they can take nothing for granted against a West Indies team who opened their own campaign with a thrilling first-day win over hosts New Zealand.”We’re all really confident,” Wyatt said. “We played some fantastic cricket the other night against the Aussies. Obviously we’re gutted not to get the win, but there’s so many positives that we can take away from that game. Especially with our batting. If we can put two and two together with the bowling and the batting, it will stand us in great stead for the rest of the tournament.”Tuesday’s contest in Dunedin could prove to be pivotal for both teams in a tight group stage, from which only four of the eight teams can progress to the semi-finals.Related
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Another West Indies win would put Stafanie Taylor’s team firmly on course for the last four, while leaving England playing catch-up with back-to-back losses. However, Wyatt has faith in her team-mates, not least Nat Sciver, their centurion against Australia, whom she believes is the best allrounder in the world.In reaching 298 for 8 in reply to Australia’s stiff target of 311, England laid some of the ghosts of their Ashes campaign, in which they had failed to pass 200 in any of the three ODIs. And Sciver was front and centre of their efforts all night long, claiming two of Australia’s three wickets to fall before leading the chase with 109* from 85 balls.”She’s still as cool as a cucumber,” Wyatt said. “Very calm is our Natty, nothing seems to faze her. She’s ready to go again for training this afternoon and then for the game tomorrow. I’ve always said she’s the best allrounder in the world. Her and Katherine [Brunt] together, we’re so lucky to have them both on our team.””In training and matches, Nat’s always so calm and cool, which spreads around the team. The other night she bowled ten overs, was very busy at midwicket and extra cover, and then went out and hit 100 off 80 balls, so hopefully she can keep up her good run of form. She’s just amazing.”More of the same may be necessary to keep West Indies at bay, given the power-packed nature of their line-up. In their three-run win over New Zealand, Hayley Matthews was the star turn with 119 from 128 balls, featuring 16 fours and a six. Bbut it was Deandra Dottin’s stunning final over that sealed the contest, as she delivered the final three wickets for two runs in her first bowl since September.”They’ve got some great hitters in their team, a great bowling attack as well,” Wyatt said. “Dottin’s been around since I’ve been around. I’m getting old now, but she’s a game changer. Matthews can take the game away from you as well. But we’ll just go out there like we did the other day – nice and calm. Everyone knows their role, hopefully we’ll have fun and get those two points.”With the Hundred and the Big Bash, a lot of us have played with and against the likes of Dottin, Hayley Matthews, Stafanie Taylor,” she added. “So we know what we’re going to come up against. We’re definitely ready for the challenge, hopefully the cricket Gods are on our side tomorrow.”Despite the defeat to Australia, England’s mood in their opening fixture was notably upbeat compared to the gloom that accompanied their Ashes setbacks. Much of that has been attributed to a week of post-quarantine R and R in Queenstown, and Wyatt believes that vibe has followed them back down to the South Island, and their new base in Dunedin.”There’s a good feel around the group at the minute,” she said. “It’s a World Cup. We played some great cricket against Australia. And we’re all really happy with the way we played. So there’s not many sad faces around. The sun’s finally come out here in Dunedin, so we’ll go for breakfast, enjoy the sights, then get really focused for tomorrow’s match.”This is my fourth time in New Zealand, which is incredible,” she added. “For a few of us, this could be our last World Cup so we’ve got to go out there and enjoy every minute, and embrace the challenges. In many ways, it was nice to play the Aussies first up. Now we can focus on all of the other teams and hopefully get on a roll, because there’s so many positives from that match the other night against the Aussies.”Everyone looked so comfortable, and it was small margins. You look back and think, if only I stopped that four then – or whatever – it would have been a different game. But it’s a World Cup. You’re going to be playing different teams every match. And it’s about being ready for that team, preparing well, and taking it game by game.”
Chief executive has year to run on contract but may put family first after pressures in role
George Dobell and Umar Farooq30-Oct-2020Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, has admitted he is undecided about his future in the position beyond his initial term.While there is more than a year to run on Wasim’s original three-year contract – it is due to expire in February 2022 – and talks have begun on a new deal, he has asked for time before committing.PCB chairman Ehsan Mani is understood to have suggested another three-year deal, but Wasim has said he is considering all term options. He will provide an answer in February 2021.Taking on the role at a turbulent time, Wasim has enjoyed some success in improving Pakistan’s status as a venue that is safe and welcoming for touring teams.On his watch, this year’s PSL has been played at home in its entirety for the first time, while Test cricket has also returned to the country. His personal relationship with key figures at other boards is understood to have been instrumental in this progress, with South Africa due to tour in January 2021 and Australia and England due to follow in 2022.Hopes also remain high of a short T20 tour by England to Karachi in January 2021, with a couple of first-class counties – Warwickshire and Leicestershire – exploring the possibility of pre-season tours to the country in the coming years. Zimbabwe are currently in Pakistan playing six limited-overs games.ALSO READ: Azhar Ali set to lose Pakistan Test captaincyBut there has also been controversy. There have, for example, been radical changes to the domestic structure – changes foisted upon the administration by the Prime Minister and board patron, Imran Khan – which has reduced the number of teams and resulted in the unemployment of a considerable number of players and coaches.The cull has proven unpopular with players who have, in many cases, seen reductions in their earnings. Recently, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali met with the Prime Minister to ask for a change, a request that was summarily dismissed.That, as well as a few other board decisions – coupled with a transitionary period in terms of results off the field – has led to some very vocal criticism, focused on Wasim. Plenty of it has revolved around him being an “outsider” with no knowledge of Pakistan culture, as well as his salary.Wasim was born in the UK – he became the first UK-born Muslim of Pakistan origin to play county cricket – to a father who had been born in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.While Wasim describes himself as “relaxed” about such criticism from a personal perspective, he is sensitive to the impact it has had on his family. In particular, he was concerned by the derogatory comments about him that his children have had to hear, partly as a result of which his family have moved back to the their home in Birmingham.”It’s been an eye-opening experience,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. “The encouraging thing is that the overwhelming majority of people have been very supportive and understand what we are trying to achieve and that there had to be change.”But there has been a vocal minority that have made life more difficult than it needed to be. Clearly, I have to make a decision that is right for Pakistan cricket but also my family. But it does feel as if we’ve made great progress and I would like to see the job through.”With a year remaining on my contract, the chairman has spoken with me and begun a discussion offering me an extension up to three years. I haven’t decided yet about anything. This is a big decision, I don’t have a straight answer to this. I have to think through and have to speak to my family about it.”I am thoroughly enjoying my job and have achieved a lot,” he added. “There is a five-year strategic plan and Mani saab wants me to execute it. There is a lot of work we have started that needs to be executed. We are about to start working on our 2023 FTP cycle and that will be a major task going forward. We are also going to bid for ICC events so there is an exciting time ahead and I want to consider an extension, but I am not sure about how many years.”The situation is complicated by uncertainty over the future of Mani. The PCB chairman’s tenure is due to end in September 2021 and though he could be appointed for another term, it isn’t certain that he wants to, although he has not confirmed this.There’s been talk of Wasim Akram, who remains close to Imran Khan, as one potential option – Akram is a member of the board’s cricket committee but is also generally busy with a number of broadcast and commercial commitments. With chief executive and chairman required to work together closely, the identify of Mani’s replacement – if one is required – may colour Wasim Khan’s decision.
Thrilling 13-run victory breaks Worcestershire’s hearts as County Championship showcases its true glories
Paul Edwards24-Jul-2019 They will be waltzing in Montpellier Gardens tonight. Even the public reading of will have to be postponed. There may even be a knees-up at the Bowls Club and raucous chanting in the Pittville Pump Room. Until the 2019 Cheltenham Festival this classiest of English towns was, with the exception of its racecourse, not comfortable with mayhem Then Gareth Roderick’s six took care of Leicestershire last week and this evening David Payne’s bouncer to Adam Finch, Worcestershire’s last man, was deflected via edge or glove to second slip where the substitute fielder, George Hankins, scooped up the catch.Gloucestershire had won by 13 runs. At once Payne set off a manic lap of honour in which he was pursued by team-mates including James Bracey, the substitute wicketkeeper, who had taken four fine catches during the day. Also sprinting like a madman escaping the asylum was Ryan Higgins whose four wickets had brought his total in the match to seven in addition to his 112 runs. And there was Ethan Bamber, who was loaned to Gloucestershire for the festival and, given his thespian connections, knows a fine stage when he sees it. Two weeks repertory in Cheltenham probably suited him fine. Bamber’s dismissal of Ben Cox, caught by Higgins at mid-on for 42, began a collapse which saw Worcestershire lose their last six wickets for 61 runs and finish three good hits short of their target, which was 246.But Payne and his mates were not alone. On the balcony of this great old pavilion, the coaches hugged and down below in the stands and bars supporters who really should have known better did little dances of delight. No doubt their health insurance will cover any mishaps. One player, though, remained motionless on his haunches for some time. Joe Leach, the Worcestershire captain, knows this result all but ends his team’s chances of promotion. So there was stillness and movement. There was silence and noise. And to think that nine hours earlier the biggest event taking place on the College Ground was the watering of the hanging baskets.Ah yes, the early morning. Let us rewind to the time before Gloucestershire had collected the 23 points which takes them up to joint-second in Division Two with Glamorgan. In the first 45 minutes of the day’s play Gloucestershire’s last two wickets had added a further 35 runs in 12 overs, five of which were sent down by the legspinner, Brett D’Oliveira in preference to Leach, his team’s best bowler. Who, one asked, would Bamber have preferred to face? The decision seemed barely explicable at the time, and those runs, which seemed important then, were to look absolutely priceless seven or so hours later.Anyway, Worcestershire needed 246 and one of the most vital innings in their season had the worst possible start when Daryl Mitchell nicked David Payne’s first ball to Bracey. But Chris Dent, whose captaincy was masterly on this final day, had to rotate his attack carefully because Matt Taylor’s side strain prevented him bowling. Perhaps realising this, Riki Wessels carried the attack to Gloucestershire, driving both new-ball bowlers for fours and clouting Payne over long on for six with a shot borrowed from short-form cricket. When Higgins came on, Wessels moved into overdrive, taking 17 runs off his first two overs and forcing Dent to bowl Tom Smith from the Chapel End just before lunch. A calming over, we thought – perhaps Dent did, too – but Wessels’ attempt to cut the left-arm spinner’s third delivery only nicked the ball to Bracey. Having made 42 off 44 balls Wessels ambled off to have lunch, perhaps reflecting, unduly harshly, that he had brought his downfall on himself.The afternoon’s cricket contrived to be both tense and, in its way, rather tranquil. Higgins returned to his usual tight-fisted ways, conceding eight runs in seven overs and claiming the wickets of Ed Barnard and Ross Whiteley. That left Worcestershire on 100 for 4 but further decline was resisted by the gentle class of Ferguson and the obduracy of Cox during the twenty overs until tea. Ferguson cut both spinners and seamers alike when possible and reached his fifty after three hours’ concentration a few balls before the break.Ferguson, you see, does not do flash. Even in T20 cricket his shots have a trace of orthodox classicism about them. So imagine, if you will, the gentle grace with which he batted this afternoon at Cheltenham and the concern it aroused among home supporters sitting under the giant red and white gazebos which Gloucestershire had considerately erected for supporters seeking to avoid the heat. A silence settled on the ground and remained there for many overs. This was one of those days when the detailed plans of the coaches are bound tightly to the simple hopes of supporters.Worcestershire took tea on 146 for 4 and one imagines that a few in the crowd enjoyed patum peperium. Cox and Ferguson added a further 36 runs after the resumption only for Bamber to make the breakthrough. Three overs later, Benny Howell took the vital wicket of Ferguson when a rather tired cut-cum-force off the back foot edged a catch to Bracey. Ten minutes later, D’Oliveira had gone too, caught by Hankins at slip off the underappreciated Howell. Worcestershire were 198 for 7. Can it be, asked the spectators, and tried to keep a tight grip on their wits.Leach and Wayne Parnell added 31 runs and the balance of the game shifted. Worcestershire supporters, whose presence so enriched this game, began to nurture their own hopes. Then Higgins trimmed Parnell’s off bail and knocked back Dillon Pennington’s middle stump, all in the space of three balls. Finch came in and three overs later Payne rain in to bowl to him. Half an hour later there was a curious spike in sales of sal volatile in the Cheltenham chemists’ shops.Glamorgan and Gloucestershire now lead a group of six counties covered by 20 points. They will effectively be fighting over two promotion places when the Championship returns next month. Any readers with a clear idea of which of these fine teams will win promotion in September are encouraged to write in.But none of that bothered Dent’s players as they went over to the marquee and drank a well-earned beer or two. They returned over the outfield they have adorned so nobly this fortnight and must now prepare for T20 games. But they will remember the matches against Leicestershire and Worcestershire for as long as they play cricket. Indeed, days like this are why they play the game.And there was even a reminder that Cheltenham College is, after all, a school when a page torn from an exercise book drifted onto the pavilion balcony. It read as follows: “Senior School Punishment Ledger: Note to Graves (C) Upper Sixth: Write out 200 times: The County Championship is the greatest glory in English domestic cricket. We do not need The Hundred.”The paper blew away before anybody could grab it. But maybe everyone had seen enough.
Ireland were made to follow on in Malahide, Mohammad Abbas and Shadab Khan sharing seven wickets, before reaching 64 without loss second time around
The Report by Alan Gardner13-May-20185:07
#PoliteEnquiries: Is Abbas the new Asif?
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere had been pleasantries aplenty, as well as much good will for Ireland as they joined Test cricket’s exclusive club. Now came the hard reality. Responding to Pakistan’s declaration shortly before lunch on the third day, Ireland stuttered and stumbled to 7 for 4, the dream of their Test debut threatening to become a nightmare.From there, they arguably recovered pretty well, but a first-innings score of 130 was still penurious enough for Pakistan to enforce the follow on for the first time in 16 years and seven opportunities. Having waited until the age of 39 to make his Test debut, Ed Joyce might not have minded the chance to bat again. He received a marginal lbw call to be first man out in Ireland’s initial effort but played with greater freedom second time around in an unbroken opening stand.
‘Drugged up’ Wilson plays through pain
Gary Wilson batted with the aid of a painkilling injection after suffering a possible broken arm in the nets before play on the third day of Ireland’s maiden Test. Wilson did not field during the morning and instead went to hospital for an X-ray. Then, with Ireland in trouble in their first innings, he came out at at 61 for 7 and helped add another 69 runs for the last three wickets. “I went for an X-ray and there might be a little crack in it. It’s unconfirmed at the minute,” he said afterwards. “It was pretty sore. The adrenalin kicked in and I didn’t want to miss the chance to bat in a Test match. They just drugged me up and I got out there.” Despite being bowled out 180 runs behind, Wilson said the second-innings response was encouraging for Ireland. “We can take a huge amount of confidence. Whenever you’re asked to follow on and you go 60 for none at the close, that shows big balls.”
Joyce and his partner William Porterfield benefited from dropped catches, Mohammad Amir the bowler on both occasions. Joyce was reprieved on 0, from Amir’s third ball, when Sarfraz Ahmed could only get half a glove on a low edge, while Porterfield had 2 to his name when a much simpler chance popped out of Azhar Ali’s grasp at third slip.Amir promptly left the field at the end of that over, seemingly in some discomfort rather than out of pique. He then pulled up after bowling two balls of a fourth over – having sent down 10 in the first innings – shortly before the close, leaving Pakistan with a couple of unforeseen issues to contemplate overnight.Pakistan’s total of 310 for 9 declared covered up more than it revealed. Faheem Ashraf took his maiden Test innings to within sight of a century but was dropped three times along the way, hinting at Irish frustration. Following the loss of the first day to rain, and the subsequent lowering of the follow-on target to 150, Sarfraz Ahmed then spied an opportunity to see how the Pakistan bowlers could exploit a seaming, albeit slow-ish, surface.The answer was emphatic, as the Mohammads Abbas and Amir removed Ireland’s top three in the space of 37 balls before lunch. It took a sturdy knock of 40 from Kevin O’Brien and an even gutsier display from Gary Wilson, batting at No. 9 after suffering a blow to his right elbow before the start of play, to lift Ireland from ignominy and, eventually, to three figures in their first Test innings.While Ireland had unquestionably done a decent job with the new ball on Saturday, Pakistan’s opening pair tore in with added subcontinental sizzle. Abbas was fortunate that Richard Illingworth raised his finger after pitching the ball just outside leg before hitting Joyce on the pads, but there was no issue about the decisions to send back Andy Balbirnie and Niall O’Brien. With Porterfield losing his off stump to Amir, Irish eyes were wincing.Paul Stirling was the first to take up his cudgel in response, although his attempt to smear Ashraf back down the ground in the bowler’s first over in Tests was ill-conceived. He added 29 with Kevin O’Brien, who took the score on to 61 – still 100 from avoiding the follow on – in the company of Stuart Thompson, before Shadab Khan’s legspin accounted for two in an over.Ed Joyce helped Ireland make a solid start to their second innings•AFP
It was 73 for 8 when Kevin O’Brien slapped the returning Amir to cover but Wilson, grimacing throughout but refusing to give his wicket away, was then joined by the willing Boyd Rankin as the ninth-wicket pair compiled the highest stand of the innings. Abbas returned to claim his fourth and Shadab finished things off but Wilson’s unbeaten 33 was symbolic of Irish resolve – a foundation which Joyce and Porterfield built on doughtily during the evening sunshine.Pakistan had resumed their innings in a more comfortable position than looked likely after being reduced to 159 for 6, but Ireland did not take long to break through with the second new ball – though Shadab was perhaps unlucky to be given out lbw to a delivery from Tim Murtagh that looked to be missing leg stump.Ireland then saw a third chance to dismiss Ashraf go begging: Andy McBrine, on as a substitute for Wilson and fielding in the slips, could not hold a thick edge when the allrounder had 72. He helped push Pakistan past 300 but there was to be no debut hundred as an excellent ball from Thompson, kicking and curving across the left-hander, took Ashraf on the glove and gave Niall O’Brien a chance he could not put down.Sarfraz called his men in soon after, denying Murtagh the chance of his five-for. The Malahide Test has not wanted for milestones but Ireland’s batsmen must produce something significant if they are to deprive Pakistan of the thing that matters most: victory.