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With 33-year-old Michael Carrick looking increasingly likely to end his long-term stay at Old Trafford in the not too distant future, Louis van Gaal is arguably in desperate need for a new centre-midfielder going into the 2015/16 campaign.

When the former England international was missing from the star-studded Manchester United line-up last season, the overall balance in the team was thrown completely off kilter, leaving many Red Devils fans scratching their heads over just what was so badly missing.

Towards the end of the campaign, it became clear that the likes of Ander Herrera and Daley Blind – whilst offering their own unique qualities to the side – just couldn’t adequately replicate Michael Carrick’s calming influence on the team.

So then, with talk of the new season already present within the wider footballing community, Louis van Gaal has reportedly set his sights on 26-year-old Belgian international and Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder, Axel Witsel.

However, as the bustling no. 28 is also reportedly keen on making the switch to Juventus this summer, are Manchester United ultimately going to miss out on the services of Axel Witsel whether they like it or not?

The Old Trafford faithful will likely be keeping their fingers crossed. Whilst the Belgian may not be able to match Michael Carrick’s skills precisely for the Red Devils next season, he would nonetheless offer a rather impressive individual skill-set for Louis van Gaal to consider ahead of the new campaign.

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Carrick himself wasn’t much of a ball-winner or incredibly combative in the middle of the park. His unmatched vision and flawless composure on the ball often made up for his weaknesses in the modern game, and helped saw his side triumph far more often than not.

Axel Witsel however – despite also paying witness to some pretty swift passing skills and admirable ease with the ball at his feet – may even represent a much more rounded option for Louis van Gaal next season. When it comes to breaking up play and winning possession from the opposition, displaying nice touches with his teammates across the whole pitch, and ultimately possessing the skills of a pure box-to-box man – the 26-year-old really doesn’t disappoint.

He helped win the Russian league this season with his current employers Zenit, and although the Belgian international certainly comes across as a somewhat bulky player when he goes about his business, Witsel nonetheless displays some surprisingly quick-feet and smart ideas for someone of his stature. When given adequate creative licence to do so, the current Petrovsky Stadium favourite certainly shows himself to be no one trick pony.

As is usually the case with Europe’s most coveted talent though, Manchester United are not the only team to have registered an interest in signing the Zenit man ahead of the 2015/16 campaign. Champions League finalists – Juventus – will also reportedly be after the combative midfielder as the new season approaches, and as the player himself has already spoken admirably of the club ahead of a potential move this summer, the signs ultimately don’t look too promising for Louis van Gaal’s current outfit.

Perhaps such a notion should hardly come as much surprise in today’s game. Although Manchester United undoubtedly have some real spending power behind them this summer, their previous signings for the 2014/15 campaign really didn’t shine the club in the best light in all honesty. Yes, the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao certainly offered a great deal on paper, but as they failed to have much influence out on the pitch for the Red Devils last season, it remains questionable as to which direction the club are actually heading in these days.

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Juventus on the other hand have proven to be very shrewd with their spending capabilities, yet equally ambitious when it comes to delivering the results. The combined transfer fees of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba came to less than £8 million in total. Especially with their recent run in the Champions League in mind, there is therefore very little doubt over Juventus’ ability to reassert their dominance in Europe in the next couple of seasons.

However, considering that Massimiliano Allegri’s side have recently acquired the services of German World Cup winner, Sami Khedira – Manchester United may end up with a chance of signing Axel Witsel after all.

It might not have been his preferred destination with all things considered, but Old Trafford would nevertheless offer the in-demand Belgian the chance to make his mark in the Premier League, and that is an opportunity very few foreign stars ultimately see fit to turn down.

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Most of Europe would have been stunned by the event taking place at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night. Barcelona was being overrun, outplayed and humiliated by a stronger and much more lethal force. In Manchester, Alex Ferguson would have had a sinking feeling; despite knowing the Premier League title was wrapped up and his side were the kings of England, United are currently far from matching the excellence set by Bayern in the Champions League.

It would be premature to write about this Bayern team as if they were the champions of Europe already. Let’s not take too much away from a fantastic Dortmund side, currently the joint best in Europe and yet one who saw the Bundesliga champions clinch the title with a 20 point gap. United put together a similar feat in England, but the road to glory was nothing like that of Jupp Heyncke’s Bayern.

And that’s what they are. We speak so glowingly of Pep Guardiola and what his Bayern side might achieve in the future, but many are quick to forget that this is Jupp Heyncke’s team. This is a team who have been piecing together something as dominant as this for a number of years. It’s a side in Europe who are unrivalled in terms of depth. It’s a side who look infinitely stronger and more dangerous than the last two Bayern teams who reached the Champions League final. In England, we’re a little way off seeing a team who can match the side who shocked the world by putting Barcelona to the sword, in the Champions League semifinal no less.

For much of this season we’ve looked on at the products in Europe, both as a collective in terms of leagues and of individual clubs. We’ve questioned the merits of English football and whether it is still the undoubted best in the world. Yet at every stage of the Champions League, and notably with every emphatic statement in domestic competition, we’ve been provided with more and more indicators that the Premier League is falling well behind.

It’s already been said that this Manchester United team won the title because they were the best in a distinctly poor season for English football. Manchester City did very little to put together a strong defence of their title and Chelsea haven’t been a regular in the title picture for two seasons. When United stretched their campaign into Europe, they were far from convincing. They were left to rely on Robin van Persie at various points, while the defensive or attacking frailties of their opponents offered United safe passage out of the group stage.

Bayern’s biggest shock of the season in Europe came with a loss away to Bate Borisov. On the night, Heyncke’s men were also guilty of failing to take their chances. The game at home to Arsenal also should have raised some eyebrows; a marker that will stand as Bayern’s only loss so far in 2013.

The importance for United will be to ensure they retain their league title next season, and you can already sense where they’re likely to strengthen this summer. But then what? Bayern Munich have a side who blew away one of the best attacking sides in Europe in Borussia Dortmund, taking back the Bundesliga title in the process and marching thunderously on to the European Cup final. Next season, Guardiola will arrive, as will Mario Goetze and at least two or three others. How much further can you strengthen a side who humiliated Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate?

Sky love to make the point about the balance of power shifting from one place to another, it’s their party line alongside “best league in the world.” But how much disappointment is there that the Premier League isn’t at the head of that topic? We need to stop talking as if the rest of Europe has caught up with English clubs and their consistency in the Champions League. The clear case now is that English clubs have fallen way below while those on the continent have continued to soar.

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Manchester United may be proud of their 20th league title, and rightly so. But come the end of May, it’s possible we could be looking at the makings of another dynasty similar to what we saw in Catalonia. At the moment, the very best in England holds very little in the way of challenging or toppling the next superpower in the modern game.

Speculation about surprise comeback had been rife, but ultimately Australia opted for discretion

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2025Pat Cummins became a genuine option for a recall in Brisbane over the past week as he surprised everyone with the speed of his recovery. However, Australia’s selectors ultimately decided there was too much risk attached in playing a bowler whose overs would still need to be managed, but are very confident in him being ready for Adelaide.Chair of selectors George Bailey said his panel had not been “playing silly buggers” in leaving Cummins out of the squad but refusing to officially rule him out of contention in the lead-up to the second Test. However, he did admit a hug between Cummins and Andrew McDonald during a pitch inspection on Wednesday had been “for laughs”.Bailey said that there had been no expectation of Cummins being available when the group was selected but it became a realistic prospect as he ramped up his training in Brisbane, which included two spells on Monday and his first bowls on back-to-back days.”We weren’t playing silly buggers with him not being in the squad and in the mix. But I think once we got up here, saw his training, got as much of the background medical information as well, it became a live possibility,” he said. “Then it was just working through the permutations of what would that look like in terms of the amount of overs, what would it look like going forward from that as well.Related

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“I don’t think we thought he was going to be as close, it really changed through the week. Then risk tolerance became the conversation around what could he take on. Yes, he could have played. There would have been some restrictions around the overs and then obviously just the permutations [around that].”There was also consideration into what bringing Cummins back for this Test could mean going forward, and the added pressure it could leave on the rest of the attack. “Being in a really controlled environment [in] the nets where you can be really structured around the breaks and how you want it, then it’s just that risk of maybe going into a game,” Bailey said. “There’s some things you can control and probably some things that do get taken out of your control.”Meanwhile, Bailey said that the selectors had not got to the stage of debating whether Usman Khawaja would retain his place for the Gabba because he had never been passed fit to play. Khawaja batted on Tuesday before being ruled out of the Test the following day, having not recovered from the back spasms he suffered in Perth. He returned to the nets on Thursday. Travis Head, who made 123 in Australia’s chase in the opening match, will continue in the opening role during the second Test.”He hadn’t got his back back to baseline,” Bailey said. “And if you’re not back to the starting point then it’s obviously a heightened risk. There’s obviously your own performance, but when you’re injured and you feel like you’ve let the team down, I think that was something he was just conscious of; if it happened again, it would be an awful feeling. So sitting this one out buys time.”For now, Head is not being locked in at the top beyond this Test, and there has even been discussion of having in-match flexibility to batting orders.”We’ve gone into this series so far very much with a Test-by-Test focus,” Bailey said. “I imagine we’ll get another look at it here and see what that looks like and see that combination. We can cross that bridge [and] make that decision as and when we need to make that decision, but it’s an interesting one. What’s the threshold now for it to be a specialist opener, what’s that look like?”

Australia will qualify for the semis with five points if they beat Afghanistan on Friday

S Rajesh25-Feb-2025South Africa
If South Africa beat England, they will qualify for the semi-finals, and could take top spot even if Australia beat Afghanistan, as long as their net run-rate tops Australia’s. However, a defeat to England could knock them out if England and Australia both beat Afghanistan.For South Africa to stay in contention with three points, Afghanistan will have to win at least one match. If they beat England and lose to Australia, then Australia and South Africa will qualify; if Afghanistan beat Australia and lose to England, then South Africa and Australia will be fighting for second place; if Afghanistan win both matches, then Afghanistan will top the group, and second place will again come down to the NRR between Australia and South Africa.Related

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Australia
Australia will be through with five points if they beat Afghanistan on Friday. If they lose, their qualification chances will depend on the two remaining England games. If England win both games and Australia lose theirs, then either Australia or South Africa will finish second in the group, depending on NRR.Thanks to their 107-run win against Afghanistan, South Africa are currently sitting pretty on the NRR front. Even if Australia lose to Afghanistan by just one run chasing 301, South Africa will have to lose to England by at least 87 runs chasing the same target for Australia to sneak ahead on NRR.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England
England need to win both their remaining games to qualify; a defeat against either Afghanistan or South Africa will knock them out. Given that the weather forecast looks fine for both their matches – though Lahore is expected to be overcast for their Afghanistan contest – sharing points in either of them looks highly unlikely.Afghanistan
Like England, Afghanistan need two wins to be sure of qualification. If they beat England and their match against Australia is washed out – there is forecast for some rain in Lahore on Friday – then they will finish on three points. In that case, they can qualify only if England beat South Africa, and if Afghanistan trump South Africa on NRR.

Both teams opt to retire out batters in eight-over thrash at wet Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2022Birmingham Bears returned to winning ways with a thrilling one-run Vitality Blast win over Notts Outlaws at Edgbaston. Needing three to win and two to tie from the last ball, Outlaws batter Tom Moores could only scuff Craig Miles for a single.It rounded off a stunning Bears fightback by after Outlaws, chasing 98 for 5 in an eight-overs-per-side contest, charged to 55 for 1 after 20 balls as Alex Hales thrashed 30 from just nine balls. Spin bowler Jake Lintott turned the tide with a superb over which saw him dismiss Hales and Ben Duckett while conceding just two runs.Outlaws needed 15 from the last over but could find only 13 as Miles held his nerve.The game also featured two batters opting to retire out. With one ball to go and six runs needed, Samit Patel walked off from the non-striker’s end to get Calvin Harrison, a faster runner, to the crease. Earlier on, in the Bears’ innings, Carlos Brathwaite had retired out, in the belief that Sam Hain would be better-equipped to score quickly off the spinners.Put in on a relentlessly damp, grey afternoon, the Bears made 98 thanks largely to Chris Benjamin, who hit 36 off 17 balls. Patel bowled with his customary nous and control for 2-0-12-2.England paceman Olly Stone then marked his return to the first team after long-term injury with a wicket first ball but Notts were on course for victory until Lintott’s brilliant analysis of 2-0-6-2.Bears lost Paul Stirling to the first ball of their innings, but the wicket came at a cost for Notts as Joe Clarke fell awkwardly, taking the catch at long leg, and limped from the field. Benjamin then improvised effectively, hitting four fours and two sixes. He was supported by lively cameos from Jake Bethell, with 17 off nine, at the start and Alex Davies, 14 from four, in the final over.Outlaws also lost a wicket first ball when Clarke slashed Stone to short third man. Duckett and Hales hit immediate overdrive to heave the match their side’s way but they fell in the space of three ball from Lintott, the former slickly caught at deep extra by Hain and the latter driving a sharp return catch to the bowler.The potential match-winners keep on coming in Outlaws’ batting line-up but Dan Christian holed out to Brathwaite and Moores and Patel failed to find the requisite 15 from the final over.

Faulkner took three wickets for the Qalandars in the powerplay while their captain Sohail top scored with 40

Danyal Rasool09-Jun-2021Few games are worth waiting three months for, but on the resumption, the PSL served up a UAE-style thriller. In a game that the Lahore Qalandars dominated but somehow found a way to lose control of in the final few overs, Rashid Khan smashed three fours off the final over, when they needed 16, to rescue a game that had slipped away for his side, condemning Islamabad United to a stunning last-ball defeat. With one needed off the final delivery, Tim David’s top edge cleared the keeper, and United’s fate was sealed.The Qalandars had got off to a brilliant start thanks to three wickets up top from James Faulkner in the first innings. United struggled for fluency throughout the innings as wickets fell regularly, with only a cameo from Faheem Ashraf, who top-scored with a 24-ball 27, taking them past 120. That late surge dragged Shadab Khan’s team back into the game, with the 143 they posted looking like the sort of total that was just about defensible in the UAE; the very notion would have been unthinkable in Karachi.Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar got the Qalandars off to a fluent start, but accurate, disciplined bowling from United derailed the chase fairly soon. Zaman lost fluency and was cleaned up by Ashraf , and as the asking rate began to climb, captain Akhtar became increasingly key for his side. When he smashed Shadab for 15 in the 12th over, the Qalandars were back in the game, but the true consequences of that over were yet to emerge.With wickets falling regularly and Ben Dunk nowhere near his best, the game looked dead and buried for the Qalandars when Hasan Ali removed the Australian in a superb penultimate over. Singaporean international David’s six off the final ball meant United needed to defend 15, and Shadab threw Hussain Talat the ball instead of taking it himself. Rashid smashed him for three successive boundaries, and a rollercoaster of a contest was suddenly done and dusted.The decision
Shadab’s confidence with the ball isn’t what it might have been, but even so, backing Talat, who didn’t otherwise bowl all day, to line up for that final over seemed an unnecessary risk. Shadab would later say he didn’t fancy bowling at the left-handers, and with Dunk there till the 19th over, he kept himself away from the bowling crease. But Dunk was gone, and with Rashid and David batting, there were two right-handers out in the middle for the Qalandars. Shadab, nevertheless, didn’t quite trust himself at the moment. Talat’s over was fairly ordinary, in truth, but given it was his first, laying the blame at his feet would be excessively harsh.Faulkner’s military medium
Faulkner was a surprising pick in the replacement draft for the Qalandars anyway, but when he was thrown the ball to open alongside Shaheen Afridi, the faith the Qalandars had placed in him seemed excessive. Even more so when he shuffled to deliver what could most generously be termed medium-fast deliveries and Colin Munro took him apart with a four and a six off successive deliveries.But it was that lack of pace that would prove especially destructive on a slow pitch, particularly when the Australian mixed it up by deliberately taking the pace off some. Munro was undone when he played down the wrong line, but Faulkner was only getting started. While Afridi was unfortunate not to pick up wickets, his less celebrated new-ball partner was more than making up for it. Rohail Nazir was undone by an offcutter that slowed off the surface, while Shadab found no timing on another slower delivery as United reeled. Akhtar was so impressed that Faulkner went on to bowl his full allotment of four on the trot, and by the time he was done taking three wickets, his side was in charge.The Rashid Khan masterclass
It’s difficult to overstate the enormity of the impact Rashid’s availability had on the Qalandars’ chances. While it seemed initially he would be lost to Sussex for the T20 Blast at this time of year, he chose to stick with the PSL, and with the opportunity to bowl in these conditions, why wouldn’t he? Rashid in the PSL is just about as close to a cheat code as T20 cricket has these days, and with United already under pressure when he was introduced, the Afghan asphyxiated them through the middle overs.His four overs conceded just nine runs, along with the wicket of Talat, as the wheels came off entirely for the batting side. The combination of the quicker, flatter delivery, the conventional legbreak, and a devilish googly ran United ragged, and by the time he was done, United had only managed to hobble on to 101 for 7 in 16 overs. And all that without mentioning his later exploits with the bat.Where they stand
United slip to fourth, with three wins in five, whilethe Qalandars go top with eight points and four wins in five matches.

Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Rory Burns return for Chennai Tests

Matt Roller21-Jan-2021Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood have been rested by England for the first two Tests of their series in India next month, with Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Rory Burns all added to the squad currently touring Sri Lanka.Ollie Pope, who is currently in Sri Lanka continuing his rehab after a shoulder injury, will also travel to India and will be added to the squad when passed fit. Excluding Pope, the squad comprises 16 players, while six of the seven reserves will travel to India from Sri Lanka on standby in case of illness or injury. Craig Overton will return home, subject to the fitness of the rest of the touring party.Jos Buttler, England first-choice wicketkeeper, will also fly home after the first Test, with Ben Foakes set to take over. Ed Smith, England’s national selector, had previously suggested that Foakes would be handed a chance at some stage on the tour.England had signalled their intentions to rest all of their multi-format players at some stage after Christmas when naming their squad for the ongoing Sri Lanka series, with Archer and Stokes rested for those two Tests. Burns returns following paternity leave.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The decision to rest Bairstow for the start of the series leaves England with fewer selection headaches than they might have anticipated. Zak Crawley has been moved up to open alongside Dom Sibley in Galle, but looks set to move back down to No. 3 – where Bairstow has batted – with Burns back at the top of the order.After missing the series in Sri Lanka following a positive Covid test, Moeen Ali will be in contention for the first two Tests in Chennai, which start on February 5. England will have various options as to how they balance their side, with Stokes’ return to the middle order likely to provide them with greater flexibility. Moeen is also set to be rested at some stage during the India tour, either in the second half of the Test series or during the white-ball series that follows, as is Chris Woakes.Wood’s omission could create an opportunity for Olly Stone to win his second Test cap, after he was overlooked for Friday’s second Test in Galle. Adil Rashid remains absent from the red-ball set-up as he manages his long-standing shoulder injury.Related

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The uncertainty around Pope’s fitness comes as a surprise. At the time of his diagnosis, it was anticipated that he would be available to return in time for the start of the Sri Lanka series, and he made an unbeaten 58 in an intra-squad warm-up match two weeks ago.But he clarified to the this week that he remains wary about fielding, having told ESPNcricinfo in November that it would be “the last piece of the puzzle” in his return. “I don’t want to feel like my rehab is rushed and put myself under too much stress,” he said. “I need to make sure I get it right in the long term.”Smith said: “We’d love Ollie to be available when he’s fit. So when he’s fit, he’s fit. And as soon as he’s fit, he will be added to the squad. I wouldn’t want to speculate too much on that or create any pressure on him. I think life should be nice and simple for Ollie: he’s a brilliant young batsman. [We’ll tell him to] just keep working with the physios, and when they tell us you’re ready, [and] when you’re happy, we’ll put you in the squad and you can resume your sparkling international career – hopefully sooner rather than later but I wouldn’t want to put a timescale on it.”Archer, Burns and Stokes have returned to the squad•PA Images via Getty Images

Speaking before the squad’s announcement, England captain Joe Root said that he was heartened by the competition for places within the squad. “I certainly feel like it’s growing all the time, and that’s really exciting,” he said. “In terms of our fast bowling, we’ve seen more and more depth, and that’s continued over the summer and winter and is really nice to see. For that to now be happening in the batting, not just middle order but top order as well, I think that’s a really good place for us.”Competition for places is always something that stands out in improving teams. It’s something that, [with] these big squads in bubble life and modern-day touring, is a real benefit. It’s great to have so many guys wanting to get better, [and] making the most of learning from these experiences. It will grow us as a team, will definitely make our squad depth better and improve us as a team.”Root said that Archer and Stokes’ returns would provide “a huge boost”, and suggested that they would be refreshed after time off in recent weeks. “You speak to any side in the world, those two guys coming back into it would give the squad a huge boost and it’s certainly the case for us,” he said. “They’re two wonderfully talented players [and] with the climate and environment we’re in, resting players is going to be vital.”It’s a huge year of Test cricket and also a [T20] World Cup, and a lot of one-day cricket alongside. We’re going to have to look after players. It’s crucial we look after them and others as well, that we look after each other and make sure we’ve got guys who are fit and raring to go, physically and mentally, for everything that’s going to be thrown at us in the next 12 months.”India named a strong squad for the series earlier this week, with Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah all available again.England squad for India (first two Tests): Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler*, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
Reserves: James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi

Head coach heaps praise on captain Rahane’s influence

Sidharth Monga29-Dec-2020Bowled out for 36. Missing three, arguably four, first-choice players. Losing another mid-Test. Spending months on the road and in mentally challenging bubbles. Losing the toss. Becoming only the third team to come back from a 0-1 deficit in the last 50 years in Australia. You might have accused India coach Ravi Shastri of hyperbole in the past, but you probably wouldn’t argue against his assessment that India’s win in Melbourne after all that is one of the great comebacks in Test history, not just Indian cricket.”I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket – no, world cricket – as one of the great comebacks in the history of the game,” Shastri said. “You know to be rolled over for 36 and then three days later to get up and be ready to punch was outstanding. The boys deserve all the credit for the character they have shown. Real character.”The key to this comeback, Shastri said, was to accept the result in Adelaide and move on. He was asked what the chat was in the dressing room in Adelaide and then in Melbourne when they rocked up.”No chat,” he said of Adelaide. “And when we arrived in Melbourne, it was the things we have got to do to get up and fight.4:10

Ravi Shastri: Great to see maturity, flair and discipline from Shubman Gill and Siraj

“We had a lot of positives in Adelaide but at the end of the day it is the result that counts. We were blown away in the second innings in one hour. So when you are blown away, you are blown away. There is nothing you can do about it than to get up and fight, which we did in this Test match. To beat a team like Australia, especially in Australia, there is no point having one good day or two good days, you have got to have five good days if you have to beat them. As simple as that.”India began the final day of the Test still needing four wickets with scores level, and were held up by a stubborn tail helped by a missing seamer and by now a lifeless track. “We were focusing on accuracy and discipline,” Shastri said. “And be patient. Be prepared to be patient even if they batted a session or a session and a half. Be prepared to chase even 100 or 150 if needed. Think in that fashion. Think as if you have to take 10 wickets not just four wickets.”Shastri was glowing in the praise of the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, especially his batting. “The discipline,” said Shastri of Rahane’s century. “On such a big stage, in a massive arena, to come as captain of the team, bat at No. 4. When he went out to bat, we were two down for 60 and then to bat six hours on probably the toughest day to bat. It was overcast; all day the sun never came out. He batted for six hours. Unbelievable concentration. I thought his innings was the turning point.”Shastri acknowledged the calmness of Rahane played a part on the field. “He is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding for the game. A good reader of the game. And I thought his calm composure out there in the middle helped the debutants as well, helped the bowlers as well. There was a calming influence out there. In spite of losing Umesh [Yadav], he did a great job out there.”India fans show their support•Getty Images

One of the big positives for India will be that the debutants Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill looked ready for the occasion, for Test cricket, playing in a big match. “That’s the brand of cricket we have been playing for the last three or four years,” Shastri said. “When you saw these two debutants show that kind of maturity and discipline there, it was great to see. Today Siraj’s effort was outstanding actually. He might not have the numbers to show for it but the discipline and the ability to bowl long spells, the maturity he showed for someone playing his first Test, doing the job he had to do once we lost Umesh, was outstanding.”Then Shubman going and playing with that kind of flair later on was great to see. Great character. More than anything else, great character. He looked very very mature for someone playing his first Test match. He looked very calm and composed. Wasn’t afraid to play his shots, which was great to see. Even in the second innings, it was very easy to get into a shell but he went out there and played his natural game, which was great from the team point of view.”Related

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Shastri credited the IPL for giving India international-cricket-ready debutants. “A lot has to do with the IPL,” he said. “The fact that they share the dressing room with international players, they rub shoulders with the best, it is that complex factor disappears very quickly. And you see what you see now.”While Shastri gave all the credit to the players, the team management made a bold move of playing a fifth bowler, Ravindra Jadeja, who proved his worth in all three disciplines. “He is a genuine allrounder,” Shastri said of Jadeja. “That is why he bats where he is. He can bat at 6, he can bat at 5 if need be on a given occasion. But he is a genuine genuine allrounder. That’s why he lends a lot of balance to the side. Also when you play overseas there is a chance of one of the bowlers getting injured, like you saw with Umesh. With Jadeja there, it gives better balance and it also gives fast bowlers some respite with Jaddu and Ashwin doing the bowling.”They also replaced Wriddhiman Saha, the more accomplished pure wicketkeeper, with Rishabh Pant, the keeper-batsman. “I thought he was very very good,” Shastri said of Pant. “Anyone can make a mistake. Any batsman can make a mistake. I thought the discipline he showed, the runs he made, his ability to counterattack, and play some shots and move the game forward. It is a huge plus for the team. He showed it in this game. He might have got only 29 but there was a lot more than 29 there.”Shastri confirmed they will continue with five bowlers for the next Test, but will wait to see how fit Rohit Sharma is before deciding on any change in the batting for the third Test. “We will stick to five bowlers,” Shastri said. “Rohit joins the team tomorrow. We will have a chat with him tomorrow to see where he is placed physically because he has been in quarantine for the last couple of weeks. Also got to see how he feels before we take the call.”

Kings XI Punjab ride on KL Rahul’s blistering half-century and Nicholas Pooran’s finishing job to sign off with six-wicket win

The Report by Peter Della Penna05-May-201912:32

What went wrong for Kings XI in IPL 2019 after a promising start?

A blistering half-century from KL Rahul to begin their chase ensured Kings XI Punjab avoided the wooden spoon, scoring a consolation six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings to finish their IPL 2019 campaign on a high. Rahul’s 71 off 36 balls as part of a 108-run opening stand with a sedate Chris Gayle powered Kings XI towards the target of 171, eventually knocked off with 12 balls to spare.The main objective for Super Kings, though, was to ensure the second innings lasted at least 14.3 overs, which would ensure their spot in the top two of the standings and an automatic berth in Tuesday’s Qualifier 1. Nicholas Pooran had threatened to overhaul the target in that span after taking over the reins from Rahul with some sensational big-hitting, but the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja continued slowed down the Kings XI charge long enough to get the job done.KL Rahul got to his half-century in just 19 balls•BCCI

Rahul’s innings turned Faf du Plessis’ superb 96 off 54 balls into a footnote. But the fall of du Plessis, Sam Curran’s third wicket on the day, ground the Super Kings innings to a halt at the death. They managed just seven runs off the last nine balls thanks to the brilliance of Curran and Mohammed Shami. It set up a cinch of a chase for Kings XI to give the home fans a bit of cheer at the end of another season in which they fell short of the playoffs.

Du Plessis turns it on

The South African’s innings was classically paced, easing his way to a half-century off 37 balls before bringing out the fireworks. Du Plessis added 120 for the second wicket with Suresh Raina, who made a 34-ball half-century of his own, to steer Super Kings through a majority of the innings after Shane Watson had lost his off stump to Curran in the Powerplay.ALSO READ: Raina’s return to form has made up for Watson’s strugglesBut Du Plessis ramped up the intensity from the 15th over. He charged M Ashwin twice in that frame, driving him for four and six before unleashing more carnage on Andrew Tye in the next over, cracking the first three balls for two fours and a six. Another pair of sixes off Curran took him into the 90s, the latter of which was flat-batted over the leg side to take him one shot away from a century – he had added 46 off the next 17 balls after reaching 50. But that’s when the wheels came off, both for du Plessis and Super Kings.Faf du Plessis was dismissed by Sam Curran when in sight of a century•BCCI

The Curran and Shami death choke

The England allrounder made his presence felt at various stages of the Super Kings innings. It was Curran who made the initial breakthrough. Raina then became his second victim when he got too cute trying to flick a slower ball past short fine-leg that instead became a simple catch for Shami on the ring.But his finest ball was the follow-up to du Plessis after a half-tracker had been belted over the leg side. Curran speared a yorker into the pads of du Plessis, who couldn’t get his bat down in time as the ball ricocheted off his toes on to the stumps, leaving the batsman bundled over on the ground.Shami then built off Curran’s trio of wickets in the final over with a pair of his own. Ambati Rayudu clipped a full ball in the air to deep midwicket before Kedar Jadhav flailed over a yorker that cannoned into off stump for a golden duck. Despite having plenty of wickets in hand thanks to the platform set by Raina and du Plessis, Super Kings stumbled in the last two overs leaving a well below-par total for Kings XI to get.

Harbhajan’s Jekyll & Hyde spell

During the Powerplay, it looked like Harbhajan Singh might be the reason for Super Kings to keep their fingers crossed for a Mumbai Indians loss to Kolkata Knight Riders later in the day to ensure a top-two finish. Harbhajan was pummelled by Rahul in his first two overs after opening with the new ball.After two sixes by Rahul to round off the second over, the batsman showed nifty footwork to carve Harbhajan over the off and leg side for three straight boundaries to start the fourth. He then charged Harbhajan off the fourth ball to hit him inside out over extra cover for six, and then ended the over with another straight drive for six to bring up a 19-ball half-century as the score stood at 60 for no loss.At that stage, Kings XI needed a very achievable 111 off 57 balls to make Super Kings sweat on the Mumbai result for a place in the top two.That equation was 65 off 27 balls by the time Harbhajan was reintroduced in the 11th. Within four balls, he was on a hat-trick having claimed both Rahul and the far more sedate Chris Gayle. Rahul miscued a drive after charging down the pitch before Gayle flat-batted a pull to long-on. Harbhajan fetched a third in his next over as Mayank Agarwal pulled him to Jadeja on the leg-side rope. Having conceded 41 off his first two overs, he took 3 for 16 off his final two to at least stem the bleeding.Pooran’s fiery cameo followed, in which he blasted three sixes in his 36 off 22 balls before Jadeja claimed him with seven needed for victory. Having taken three key wickets in the first innings, Curran appropriately finished off the chase with a boundary.

Steyn, who has not played competitive cricket since the New Year’s Test against India, will look to county circuit to get game time ahead of South Africa’s next assignment in Sri Lanka in July

Firdose Moonda01-Apr-2018Dale Steyn will look to county circuit to get game time ahead of South Africa’s next international assignment in Sri Lanka in July. Steyn, who has not played competitive cricket since the New Year’s Test against India where he injured his heel, still requires a month’s rehabilitation before returning to action.Steyn confirmed there was a “possibility,” of him joining Hampshire in June, although he is also looking at other options. Hampshire have already signed Hashim Amla for the first three months of the season, and have two South African Kolpak signees on their books – Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw.Steyn was awarded a new national contract in April and has committed himself to returning for South Africa, though he has only played one Test since November 2016, when he broke a bone in his shoulder at the WACA, and his one-day future is uncertain. Steyn needs three wickets to overtake Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in Tests.