Graeme West, the current Cricket West Indies (CWI) high-performance manager, is set to take over as director of high performance at Cricket Ireland (CI).In his stint with CWI that started in 2012, West worked closely with young talent from across the West Indies, and in 2016 was coach of the West Indies team that lifted the Under-19 World Cup. After working with the U-19 and ‘A’ teams, his current role as high-performance manager included the setting up of academy programmes and building a pool of coaches. He is expected to have a similar profile in Ireland, starting next month.Before joining CWI, West spent five years at the Middlesex academy. There, he worked with Ireland internationals Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Andrew Poynter and Stuart Poynter. West has not played any top-flight cricket, but holds a Level 4 ECB coaching qualification.”I am delighted to be joining Cricket Ireland as the organisation continues to grow and strengthen,” West said in a statement. “The Strategic Plan for 2024-27 is incredibly exciting and I look forward to applying my experience and philosophy to the wealth of talent and expertise that has been assembled as we further establish Ireland as a major cricketing nation.”Warren Deutrom, the chief executive at CI, said the appointment was a step towards Ireland becoming a “fit-for-purpose Full Member”.”When we set out to create and recruit for the role, the profile, initiative and experience that Graeme possesses is exactly what we were looking for,” Deutrom said. “We knew that in order to be successful in this new role, the candidate required leadership experience, exceptional people skills and the ability to be a mentor as much as a manager. In Graeme, we believe we have found that candidate.”As an organisation, we are going through a process of reviewing and evolving our operations to ensure we are fit-for-purpose as a Full Member in a rapidly changing environment. One of the strategic decisions we made was to acknowledge the scale and scope of our work has outgrown our pre-Full Member structures.”The senior men’s team have a busy few weeks ahead, with a white-ball tour of the UAE to play South Africa later this month. The senior women’s team is set to host England for three ODIs and two ODIs starting Saturday.
Southern Vipers strengthened their position at the top of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table after defeating in-form Blaze by four wickets at Chesterfield.In a repeat of last season’s final, Blaze were hunting their 14th win in 15 games in all competitions, but again found Vipers too strong, as they did in both finals last year.In the glorious, sylvan setting of Queen’s Park, Blaze were bowled out for 278 in 47.2 overs. Heather Graham, who took 6 for 39 against South East Stars last Sunday, this time starred with the bat with 78, supported by Kathryn Bryce 65 and Sarah Bryce 48. Mary Taylor took 3 for 32 and, having finished the innings with wickets with successive balls.Vipers’ reply reached 281 for 6 with four balls to spare thanks mainly to a stand of 136 between Georgia Elwiss (101 not out, 110) and 18-year-old Abi Norgrove (a career-best 64 off 75). They came together with the innings at a crossroads at 124 for 4 in the 22nd over and paced the pursuit perfectly.After choosing to bat, The Blaze lost Teresa Graves in the sixth over, run out by slick fielding in the covers from Charli Knott but Sarah and Kathryn Bryce added 71 in 12 overs. Sarah Bryce was superbly caught by a diving Taylor at the point off of Ava Lee, but her sister was joined in another productive partnership by Marie Kelly. The fourth-wicket pair added 66 in 12 overs before falling in the space of nine balls, Kathryn Bryce chipping Lee to mid-wicket and Marie Kelly (33) perishing bowled off-stump through the gate by Taylor.Knott struck with successive balls when Ella Claridge was caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Rhianna Southby and Kirstie Gordon fell lbw but Graham rebooted the innings. She took successive fours off Freya Davies and found the gaps cleverly, particularly on the off side, on the way to a 40-ball half-century.In reply, Vipers soon lost Knott, trapped lbw by a big inswinger from Grace Ballinger, but skipper Adams laid a solid base for the chase with a two half-century stands – 55 in 11 overs with Ella McCaughan and 52 in eight with Elwiss.Blaze hit back with two wickets in four balls when Adams (47) was run out by a direct hit from the boundary by Lucy Higham and Emily Windsor cut Cassidy McCarthy hard to point.At 124 for 4, Vipers were vulnerable but Elwiss and Norgrove worked the ball around skilfully on the way to a century partnership in 124 balls. Elwiss reached her 50 from 60 balls and Norgrove followed to hers in 53.Kathryn Bryce bowled Blaze back into the game with two wickets in four balls when Norgrove chipped to mid-wicket and Alice Monaghan missed a heave and was bowled. Seventeen were needed from the last two overs but 12 came from the first of them to ease the pressure and Elwiss sealed the victory with six over mid-wicket that took her to three figures.
Aston Villa are now willing to meet the price tag to sign an “explosive” new attacking talent this summer, according to a new report.
Several ins and outs expected at Villa with PSR deadline looming
The Villans have until the end of this month to balance their books with PSR’s hammer looming, so before any incomings can happen, there needs to be some movement in the exit department. That may not be far away now, as it appears there are already two players on their way out of Villa Park, as Emiliano Martínez and Lucas Digne look to seal permanent moves away.
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Unai Emery has his sights set on bringing a Barcelona defender to the Premier League
1 ByRoss Kilvington Jun 21, 2025
Martinez has attracted strong interest from Manchester United in the last week or so, as the Argentine is said to favour a move to Old Trafford over joining FC Barcelona, who are also interested in a transfer.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Digne is in talks with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid over a move to Spain, as they look to bolster their options in that area of the team. The Frenchman is in the final 12 months of his contract at Villa, and it now seems he is free to leave the Premier League side, after being in and out of the team last season.
Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne
These potential exits could allow Villa to enter the market and bring in players who they believe can improve Unai Emery’s options. According to ex-Villa chief scout Mick Brown, Aston Villa could look to make a move for Manchester United’s Mason Mount, with Emery a fan of the midfielder.
Aston Villa willing to pay £27m+ transfer demand for Paixao
The Villans don’t just have their eyes on Mount as a new attacking option; according to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are now keen on signing Igor Paixão from Feyenoord.
Feyenoord have already received record sales from the departures of Santiago Giménez and Mats Wieffer in recent times, but the Dutch side are now open to selling Paixao, as long as they receive a larger transfer fee. The report states that Feyenoord are looking to get more than €32 million for the winger, which is roughly £27 million.
This fee has done nothing to put Villa off, as the report adds that the Premier League side are willing to pay this transfer fee, although as things stand a transfer is still a “long way off at the moment”.
The 24-year-old, who can operate on both flanks, has emerged on Villa’s radar after scoring 16 goals in 34 Eredivisie games last season, and a further two in the Champions League.
Apps
129
Goals
39
Assists
29
Paixao, who has been dubbed “explosive” by scout Jacek Kulig, recently spoke in an interview with Globo Esporte and revealed he “dreams of playing for a big club”.
Paixao said, as quoted by Sport Witness: “Showing my football, being recognised by the big clubs, is gratifying. I dream of getting to a big team; it is the fruit of my work. If it is meant to happen, it will happen.”
Looking ahead to their first attempt to get back into the Premier League next season, Southampton are now reportedly in advanced talks to hire an impressive 32-year-old manager.
Southampton's search for a new manager
The Southampton job isn’t exactly one that every manager will be jumping towards this summer after the Saints suffered relegation from the Premier League. Having opened their season with Russell Martin in the dugout, the Saints were ready to take on the Premier League their way and opt out of simply sitting in a deep defensive block.
As attractive as that approach looked, however, it did not result in much-needed points and those at St Mary’s soon switched their mindsets towards survival, sacking Martin in the process.
Their next decision was always going to be crucial, even if some were already convinced that relegation was looming. Following Martin’s tenure, it wouldn’t have been absurd to suggest that a pragmatic, experienced Premier League manager should have been the way forward, but Southampton took an alternative approach once again – this time hiring Ivan Juric in December.
Southampton manager IvanJuricreacts
Having enjoyed experience at AS Roma, Torino, Genoa and others in Italy, Juric stepped into the Premier League for the first time before enduring a nightmare spell. With one game remaining, the manager has already been sacked and Southampton have their place in history as the second-worst Premier League side in history, with one more point than the historic 2008 Derby County team.
Back at square one ahead of their return to the Championship, names such as Danny Rohl and even Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard have reportedly been among the candidates in the running for the job, but Southampton’s search has continued.
Whilst it could be neither of those young managers, the Saints have since reportedly turned towards an impressive 32-year-old who now looks the likeliest to commence a new era at St Mary’s.
Southampton in advanced talks to hire Will Still
According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, Southampton have now approached Will Still and are in advanced talks to hire the 32-year-old manager, who just left Ligue 1 side RC Lens to be closer to his family.
Will Still at RC Lens.
The manager told reporters after his side defeated AS Monaco on the final day of the Ligue 1 season: “I will not be the coach of Lens next season. Today was my last match of the season at Bollaert. For multiple reasons, the main reason behind my decision is that I need to go back home. It is a logical choice for me to be closer to my wife, for her well-being.”
Back in England, Southampton are now reportedly confident that they will secure Still ahead of next season. The interest of the Saints should come as little surprise, either, given just how successful Still, who plays an attacking 4-3-3 system, has been in France at both Reims and Lens.
For Southampton, should they be successful in their pursuit of Still, they’ll be hiring another young coach to follow on from Martin’s previous spell in charge.
After another trophyless season for Mikel Arteta, there are several factors for those at Arsenal to blame.
The endless red cards and injuries halted their progress significantly but they have still been good enough for a second-placed finish in the Premier League and a Champions League semi-final.
Why didn’t they get over the line? Well, their recruitment in the last year or so hasn’t been great.
Arsenal's JakubKiwiorwith teammates look dejected after AFC Bournemouth's Evanilson scores their second goal
Last summer, Arsenal brought in David Raya permanently and also welcomed in Mikel Merino, somebody who’s become quite the cult hero of late for his performances as an emergency centre forward. No one will forget his goal against Real Madrid in a hurry.
There was also the addition of injury-prone Riccardo Calafiori and a loan move to bring in Raheem Sterling. The less said about him, the better.
Then, when it came to January, Arsenal clearly needed a new forward and did not sign one. Just days after the window slammed shut, Kai Havertz was ruled out for four months with a hamstring injury, only just returning in the recent 1-0 win over Newcastle at The Emirates.
Arsenal's KaiHavertzwith manager MikelArtetaafter being substituted
For the most part, Arteta’s recruitment since being given the job has been strong, stronger than some of the business done in the later years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure, that’s for sure.
Arsenal's biggest mistakes in the transfer market
It’s safe to say that Arsenal have made a number of howlers in recent years; the biggest of which is the decision not to sign a central forward.
In that time, they’ve let America international Folarin Balogun leave while Mika Biereth, now teammates with Balogun at Monaco, has quickly become one of the most prolific forwards in Europe.
Mika Biereth scores for Monaco
Following a successful loan spell at Sturm Graz last summer, the Austrian side signed him permanently for £4m, and after a goal-laden time of it in the Bundesliga, he headed off to Monaco.
Over the course of this campaign, the Dane has found the net on 27 occasions in 44 games. In 2025, he’s scored 13 times, making him the fourth highest scorer in Europe’s best leagues this calendar year.
Scoring chart in Europe’s top 5 leagues – 2025
Player
Goals scored (games played)
1. Kylian Mbappe
19 (17)
2. Serhou Guirassy
15 (18)
3. Ousmane Dembele
13 (14)
4. Mika Biereth
13 (16)
5. Mateo Retegui
13 (18)
6. Patrik Schick
12 (19)
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Cast your minds back further, and the disappointing exit of Serge Gnabry will most definitely sing
The German scored in the Champions League against the Gunners last season and while he’s not always been a regular starter this term, his numbers at Bayern Munich speak for themselves, registering 152 goal involvements across 280 outings.
Gnabry, who wasn’t good enough for Tony Pulis during a loan spell at West Brom, has only gone from strength to strength since then.
Now 29 years of age, the Arsenal academy graduate is a six-time league winner with Bayern, having also won a solitary Champions League and taking home a Club World Cup amid a plethora of domestic cup successes.
But, despite the sincere number of goals being outlined here, they arguably aren’t Arsenal’s biggest mistake; that remains Harry Kane.
Why Harry Kane left Arsenal
“Harry Kane, he’s one of our own.” That’s the song adoring Tottenham Hotspur fans used to sing in the direction of their beloved striker.
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Yet, was this statement ever really true? Perhaps not.
While Kane grew up playing in the Spurs academy, Arsenal was his very first club. There’s a remarkable image of the attacker dressed in a red and white jersey as a child, but it never quite happened for him at the Gunners.
It was at the age of 12 that he left the red side of London behind, and the club’s former academy manager, Roy Massey, has since revealed why.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Massey noted: “To release Harry Kane [from Arsenal], we don’t have a crystal ball. If we did then we would be successful in every youngster that we take on.
“Harry was a lovely young player. He was quiet, shy, didn’t have what we thought it would take to become a professional footballer and so we were totally mistaken.
“Although I’ve got to say that when Harry was released when he was 11 or 12 years of age, he did go to play for his Sunday league club for the next three years so no other club picked him up in that age group.”
Well, he’s certainly proven Massey wrong during what has been a remarkable career at club and international level.
How Harry Kane compares to Thierry Henry
The biggest club legend of them all, as far as Arsenal are concerned, is the great Thierry Henry. Titi, as he was affectionately known, signed for the Gunners in a deal worth just £11m. Of course, that was over 20 years ago now but it remains one of the biggest bargains we’ve seen.
Signed as a left winger, Wenger crafted his fellow Frenchman into an elite centre forward, quickly breaking records and becoming one of, if not the best foreign import we’ve seen in the Premier League era.
Henry won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup three times, was a league Golden Boot winner on two occasions and eventually left Highbury and the Emirates behind having scored a phenomenal 228 goals in 377 games, making him the club’s record goalscorer.
Henry’s record by club
Club
Games
Goals
Assists
Arsenal
377
228
101
AS Monaco
141
28
4
New York Red Bulls
135
52
40
Barcelona
121
49
27
Juventus
20
3
2
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Over the course of his career, the World Cup winner bagged 411 goals for club and country, but Kane, as astonishing as Henry was, has now surpassed that figure.
We’re not for one minute suggesting the England captain is a better player but it speaks volumes of his remarkable progression in the senior game.
From that rejection at Arsenal as a 12-year-old, since making his senior bow, he has now found the net on a whopping 449 occasions for club and country. He is England’s top goal scorer in history and he’s now finally a trophy winner too.
Kane ended his hoodoo this term, lifting the Bundesliga title above his head a few weeks ago. He’s been nothing short of a sensation for Bayern Munich, scoring 82 goals in 91 appearances.
He is a true modern phenomenon, perhaps the best finisher in world football. Arsenal let that depart at the age of 12.
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It may have come all too late with regard to Manchester United’s Premier League fortunes, although Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad is beginning to look far stronger, ahead of a pivotal last few weeks of the campaign.
Against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night, the dominant visitors showcased the growing depth to their ranks, with the former Sporting CP boss able to call upon the likes of Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Matthijs de Ligt and, of course, Amad Diallo from the bench.
At one stage looking set to miss the remainder of the season, after being struck down with an ankle injury back in mid-February, the diminutive Ivorian has beaten the odds to seal a swift return to action.
Amad Diallo
Previously the shining light of 2024/25, prior to being overtaken by Bruno Fernandes in his absence, the 22-year-old has chalked up 12 goals and assists in just 21 games under Amorim’s watch, having even looked lively during his brief cameo in midweek.
The former Atalanta starlet notably evaded his man down the right flank with a breathtaking piece of skill and trickery late on, with that moment alone signifying just what United have been missing in recent months.
Capable of operating at wing-back or in a number ten berth, the £120k-per-week wizard – who recently signed a new long-term deal – looks set to be a mainstay at Old Trafford for years to come. Now it’s time to start building a team around him…
Latest on Man Utd's transfer search
If Amad’s future is to lie as a number ten, then the role on the opposite side – should Fernandes slot into a deep-lying berth – could be taken up by Matheus Cunha, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers star seemingly edging closer to a £62.5m move to Old Trafford.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' MatheusCunhacelebrates scoring their first goal
That new-look frontline could then be strengthened even further with the presence of a new centre-forward, with recent reports indicating that the Red Devils remain “in the race” for Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres.
As per Sky Sports Germany reporter, Florian Plettenberg, while it is Arsenal who are “pushing” to sign the prolific Swede, United are among the clubs also battling for his signature, alongside Chelsea and Real Madrid.
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According to Plettenberg, the 26-year-old is able to leave Portugal this summer for a fee between €60-€70m (£51m – £63m), having struck a “verbal agreement” with the Lisbon-based side already.
Previously signed by Amorim from Coventry City on a £17m deal back in 2023, Gyokeres could represent the key to truly kickstarting the new regime in Manchester.
Why Man Utd need to sign the "hottest striker in Europe"
It remains remarkable that the Sweden international was once on the books at Brighton and Hove Albion, yet never actually managed to make a league appearance for the Seagulls, having been sent out on a handful of loan moves during his time at the Amex.
Viktor Gyokeres
As noted by ESPN’s Mark Ogden, it was actually one-time United director, Dan Ashworth, who oversaw the measly £1m sale of Gyokeres to Coventry in 2021, with the player having since gone on to become the “hottest striker in Europe”.
The in-demand marksman had actually only scored four goals during his initial loan move with the Sky Blues, although as his former teammate Jake Bidwell revealed, he seemingly returned a “different animal” following the completion of his permanent switch.
38 Championship strikes followed over the next two seasons, while Gyokeres has since chalked up a breathtaking total of 95 goals in just 98 games in his current home, including seven across his last two Liga Portugal outings.
A monster. A machine. Whatever you want to call him, the rampaging number nine – who also boasts 15 goals in 26 senior games for his country – is simply devastating right now in front of goal, with it no surprise that Amorim might well be keen on a reunion.
Amad’s Man Utd record by coach
Manager
Games
Goals
Assists
Erik ten Hag
24
3
3
Ruben Amorim
21
6
6
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
8
1
1
Ruud van Nistelrooy
4
2
1
Ralf Rangnick
1
0
0
Michael Carrick
0
0
0
Total
58
12
9
Stats via Transfermarkt
What Gyokeres will need is quality service if he is potentially flourish at the Theatre of Dreams, with Amad – as well as Fernandes – potentially set to prove key in that regard, considering he has averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the league this season, while chalking up six assists, as per Sofascore.
Equally, the one-time Sunderland loanee also has that knack of driving at a defence in order to create space for his teammates, something which could certainly benefit Gyokeres, as he ranks in the top 9% among his European peers for progressive carries per 90.
That desire to make things happen in the final third also ensures that Amad ranks in the top 18% for touches in the opposition penalty box, again ensuring opportunities should arise for those alongside him.
A player who can press from the front with lightning speed, as indicated with his goal against Spurs after charging down Fraser Forster, Amad is simply a player who causes havoc. Someone who sucks defenders toward him.
In truth, having scored just 39 league goals in 2024/25, the Red Devils are crying out for similar talents who can win games on their own. Judging by Gyokeres’ heroics in Lisbon, he certainly fits the bill…
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Also: What is the record for the most ducks in a Test?
Steven Lynch27-Aug-2024There were 11 ducks in the second Test between West Indies and South Africa. Was this a record? asked Jamie Greaves from England You’re right that there were 11 ducks in the recent match in Providence, four for West Indies and seven for South Africa (two by Keshav Maharaj, who bagged a pair). That actually equalled the Test record: there have now been 14 cases of 11 in a match, the first in an Ashes Test at Old Trafford in August 1888, and the most recent instance by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Mirpur in May 2022.South Africa’s seven ducks in the match was two short of the Test record. There have been three cases of nine by a team in the same Test: by Sri Lanka against India in Chandigarh in 1990-91, West Indies vs Australia in Brisbane in 2000-01, and Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in Mirpur in 2022.Keshav Maharaj was dismissed three times in the recent Test series in the West Indies without scoring a single run. What’s the most a batter has been dismissed in a series without scoring a run? asked Gavin Truter from England Keshav Maharaj was the 11th man to bat three times in a Test series and be out for a duck each time. Probably the most surprising name among the others is England’s Ben Stokes, in the home series against India in 2014.Only two men have batted four times in a Test series and been out for a duck each time: Pat Pocock for England vs West Indies in 1984, and Nuwan Pradeep for Sri Lanka vs Pakistan in the UAE in 2017-18. Four others have been dismissed for four ducks in a series: Iqbal Qasim for Pakistan in England in 1978, Danny Morrison for New Zealand in Australia in 1993-94, Phil Tufnell for England in Australia in 1994-95, and Dinanath Ramnarine for West Indies in Sri Lanka in 2001-02. Ramnarine actually batted six times, and had two 0 not outs to go with his four ducks. For the list, click here (note that this includes not-outs).The most ducks by anyone in a single Test series is six, by the Australian fast bowler Alan Hurst in the six-match Ashes series of 1978-79. He did score 44 runs in his other innings in the series though.Did I hear correctly that Milan Rathnayake’s 74 in Manchester was the highest on Test debut from No. 9? asked Anura de Silva from Sri Lanka I was surprised to discover that it was true: Milan Rathnayake made 74 on his debut for Sri Lanka last week at Old Trafford, beating the previous record of 71 on debut from No. 9, by India’s Balwinder Singh Sandhu against Pakistan in Hyderabad in 1982-83.My slight surprise was because I knew there had been some debut centuries from low in the order, but it turns out that these came from even further down – No. 10! Australia’s Reggie Duff made 104 from there against England in Melbourne in 1901-02, and many years later Bangladesh’s Abul Hasan smacked 113 not out on debut against West Indies in Khulna in 2012-13. New Zealand’s Tim Southee clouted 77 not out – with nine sixes – on his debut, against England in Napier in 2007-08. He’s played 99 more Tests since and has still not beaten that score. Duff was a recognised batter going in down the order – he opened in most of his later Tests – but the others were genuine bowlers.The highest score by a No. 11 on Test debut remains 98, by Ashton Agar for Australia against England at Trent Bridge in 2013. No one else has reached 50 on debut after going in last.Milan Rathnayake’s (left) 74 is the highest on Test debut from No. 9 although there have been two hundreds from debutant No. 10s•PA Images via Getty ImagesI noticed that in the T20 WC final in 2014, all 22 players either batted or bowled, but no one did both. Was this unique? asked Edwin Kimberly Arockiam from India That’s a good spot! In the T20 World Cup final in Mirpur in April 2014, India made 130 for 4, with only five batters making it to the crease since Virat Kohli was run out from the last ball of the innings. The other six Indian players then bowled as Sri Lanka won by scoring 134 for 4 – but the five players who didn’t bat all bowled.This was unique at the time, but it has happened in three T20 internationals since: the matches between India and West Indies in Chennai in 2018-19, Ireland vs Afghanistan in Belfast in 2022, and New Zealand vs Pakistan in the semi-final of the T20 World Cupin Sydney in November 2022. It has never happened in men’s ODIs, or women’s white-ball internationals.I spotted that Joe Root opened the bowling in three ODIs in 2014, and it set me wondering if he’d opened the batting and bowling in all three international formats. Alas, T20 batting is missing for him, but has anybody else done this? asked Sam Hurst from England Only six men have opened the batting and bowling in Tests, one-day and T20Is. Three of them – Irfan Pathan of India, Mohammad Hafeez of Pakistan and Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka – did it at least once in the same match in all three formats. The other three, who completed the set in different games, are Glenn Maxwell of Australia, Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, and Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
His quickfire fifty played a part in what has suddenly turned into a very exciting Test match
Danyal Rasool04-Dec-2022For the first three days, it was England who shouted their intentions from Rawalpindi’s rooftops; they were here to win this Test match. That was made obvious by the record-smashing onslaught of the first day. Will Jacks said 24 hours later Pakistan looked like they were content with a draw, whereas his side was going all in on victory. Joe Root on day three echoed those sentiments. Pakistan, meanwhile, were rather more taciturn; the match situation had ensured a more optimistic assessment would have bordered on the delusional.But at stumps on Sunday evening, setting up a final day climax this pitch scarcely deserves, Pakistan’s tenor began to change, and the first hints of confidence seeped back into their outlook. A surprise declaration at tea from England had set them a target of 343 on a surface that looks like it could withstand another four days before the first signs of deterioration. It looked foolhardy at the time, though two quick wickets – including that of Babar Azam – had sceptics swiftly putting their faith in England’s intrepid tactics once more. Add to that an injury to Azhar Ali that threatens further involvement in this match, and a tail that begins at No. 8 for Pakistan, and the ingredients for a historic English win had begun to blend together nicely.But an unbeaten half-century stand under the setting sun between Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel, with neither batter looking troubled in the least, meant Pakistan’s hopes of running England’s score down were reinvigorated. Pakistan now need a further 263 runs for victory, and with a full day’s play left, the draw has been taken out of the equation altogether. This time, though, it is Pakistan who were bullish with their match evaluation.”We’re talking in the camp that we need to go and win this match,” Agha Salman at the end of play. “We don’t know how the pitch will react on the fifth day, but we have it in our minds that we’ll go for it and try to win it.”England managed to pack so much into another truncated day of Test cricket it’s easy to forget that when play commenced, Salman was the only roadblock to the visitors taking complete control over this Test. Pakistan were still 160 runs behind in their first innings when the seventh wicket fell overnight. A collapse from that point would have left the hosts facing an insurmountable target and the best part of two days to survive. The sledgehammer is England’s scoring rate had virtually guaranteed that.But Salman, playing just his third Test, and the first at home, counter-attacked in a 67 run-stand where his partner, Zahid Mehmood, scored just 5. By the time he fell, Pakistan had whittled England’s lead down to just over 100, and taken most of the first session out of the game. It was a breezy knock (though given England’s truculence, that is relative), his 67-ball 53 decorated with seven fours and a six.”The management tells us to play as we naturally play,” he said. “My game is such I try and score runs and attack. I applied myself today and looked to keep them on the back foot. When you’re playing with the tail, you know you have to score runs, so that decision gets made for you.”The day wasn’t all rosy for him, though. With England making a mockery of a Pakistan bowling attack further depleted by the loss of Haris Rauf, he had the misfortune to be called upon to turn his arm over for five manic overs. England plundered 47 off those 30 balls, but Salman said that was simply a matter of accepting how England play and the advantageous position they found themselves in at the time.”When we started bowling, we tried to restrict the runs and not give them boundary opportunities. But you have to give them credit, they’re playing positive cricket. That shows in their declaration too, which was quite positive. The way they’ve been playing in the last few months, this was expected from them, and we believed they’d put us in to bat around this sort of target. But now we have a chance to win, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”There’s little reason to doubt England’s commitment, but the tone post-match had shifted ever so subtly. The visitors had spoken only of the pursuit of victory over the first three days, but for the first time this Test, assistant coach Paul Collingwood framed the same point in slightly different terms.”It’s been pretty clear we’re willing to lose games for the sake of putting ourselves in a position to won. Some will say it was an early declaration, we’ll see tomorrow if it was. We’re not scared of losing, it takes the consequences away from the players – tomorrow we can hopefully get on the right side of it.”It’s exciting isn’t it – on a pitch that’s been docile, to be in a position to watch an exciting game on the final day is great for everyone. The bigger picture for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum is for Test cricket is to be entertaining.”That now looks set to happen in spite of the conditions both sides have had to play in, rather than because of them. In a Test where every string has been pulled by England. But tomorrow, they might find out that in Test cricket, control and victory are two very different things.
Pujara’s philosophy is to spend more time in the middle to create more chances of scoring runs
Sidharth Monga09-Jan-20212:11
Chopra: Pujara’s back leg movement a ‘flaw’ causing dismissals against Cummins
“I don’t think it was the right approach, I think he needed to be a bit more proactive with his scoring rate because I felt it was putting too much pressure on his batting partners.”That was Ricky Ponting’s assessment, posted on Twitter in response to a question posed to him about Cheteshwar Pujara’s approach in India’s first innings of the Sydney Test. Pujara had scored his slowest half-century, facing 176 balls, but despite facing only five overs fewer than Australia, India ended 94 runs behind. There was a run-out and a played-on dismissal while Pujara was at the wicket, which were indirectly linked to his rate of scoring.This is not opportunistic criticism in hindsight. The questioning of Pujara’s approach began well before his, or Ajinkya Rahane’s or Hanuma Vihari’s, dismissal. The import of it is that if you bat with that approach, you put others around you under pressure and, thus, don’t leave yourself and your team an option but to score a big one yourself. And on difficult pitches against good attacks, you are bound to get a good ball before you score a hundred going at that pace.There is merit to this criticism, but “approach” can soon start to give way to “intent” and it can begin to sound like the batsman is not even thinking of runs. In reality, the approach is not decided by a batsman based on which side of the bed he wakes up. It is a reaction to the quality of the bowling, the nature of the pitch, the match situation, the strength of his own batting line-up, and, perhaps most importantly, his own ability.It isn’t as though Pujara doesn’t know the pitfalls of not scoring at a certain rate. This is a method – let’s not call it approach because it leads to the awful word intent, which suggests the player doesn’t intend to do what is best for the team – that has worked the best for Pujara and India. This was the method that worked on the last tour of Australia when he won India the series by facing more balls than any visiting batsman in a series in Australia in which he played four Tests or fewer. This was the method that worked in Johannesburg where he took 50 balls to get off the mark. This is a method that works for him at home.This method relies on the philosophy that the more time you spend at the wicket, the better your reactions get and the less accurate and intense the bowling gets. Pujara has shown more than enough times that he can make up for these starts once he has bowlers where he wants them. And it is not always accurate that if he gets out for 20 off 80, he has done his side no favours. The last Test was a good example of Shubman Gill and Pujara tiring Pat Cummins out, forcing him to bowl an eight-over spell in the morning session. The centurion Rahane was well into his 20s, having faced 70-plus balls when he first faced a proper spell from Cummins. It is not always apparent, and it is not always extremely significant, but it has some benefit for those who follow him.Of course, Pujara can show more “intent” and try to play quicker, but his judgement tells him that involves an undue amount of risk. He was up against stronger, quicker, taller and more accurate fast bowlers than Australia’s batsmen were on a pitch that called for accurate banging of the ball into the pitch. The bounce available meant Nathan Lyon was in the game too.There was no release available for Pujara unlike for Australia’s batsmen who had Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja – his four wickets perhaps flatter his effort – and even R Ashwin, who was now getting hit off the back foot into the off side. All told, Pujara faced 20 full balls and duly scored 14 runs off them. It was the good balls that he didn’t go after.Look at how Rahane got out: that late-cut over the cordon would perhaps work on another pitch, but the uneven bounce meant he played on. Look at how Rishabh Pant got hurt: trying to pull. Pujara knew this wasn’t a pitch for the horizontal-bat shots.Cheteshwar Pujara drops his hands and sways out of the way of a snorter•Getty ImagesThe combination of the pitch and the quality of the Australian bowling meant that the slight closing of the face or opening of it for even those singles was deemed to be too risky by the batsmen in the middle. Pujara has faced more than 31,000 balls in first-class cricket in varied conditions and match situations, close to 13,000 of them in Tests. Perhaps it is wise to trust his judgement of what is risky.Of course, you can try to play the shots regardless, and they can come off on your day, but elite batsmen don’t like to take that much risk. Not leaving things to chance is what makes them elite. Especially when they are playing just five pure batsmen.The risk involved here is of another nature. Pujara concentrated hard for 176 balls, helped take India to 195 for 4, but then an injured Rishabh Pant and he fell on the same score and the tail stood no chance of getting India close to Australia’s score. The ball Pujara got was, according to him, the ball of the series, a ball that he said would have got him had he been batting even on 100 or 200. While Pujara can take solace in that he made Australia throw the best punch they possibly could, Cummins, the bowler of the monster ball that kicked off just short of a length, rubbed it in that Pujara’s scoring rate helped him and the other bowlers.”At one stage he had been out there for 200 balls or 150 balls and I looked up there thinking they are still 200 away from our first-innings total,” Cummins said after the day’s play. “So if things go that way and we can keep bowling well, you’re not overly bothered. He is someone you know you are going have to bowl a lot at. I think we got our head around that this series, for him to score runs we are going to make it as hard as possible. Whether he bats 200 or 300 balls, just try and bowl good ball after good ball, and challenge both sides of his bat.”Related
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In what can be a bit of a mind game lies an admission too. That Pujara makes you bowl at your best for longer periods of time than other batsmen. Against the same attack, it worked on the last tour. It came close to working on this tour too. At least it gave Pujara a chance.On this pitch, against this bowling, to force the pace and drive on the up, while not taking an undue amount of risk, you have to be as good as Virat Kohli at that kind of batting. Pujara probably knows he isn’t. That is not his skill. His skill is to absorb the blows before taking down tired bowlers. Since about late 2018, even Kohli has started buying into the Pujara philosophy. The best innings of this series in terms of method, Kohli’s 74 in Adelaide, took 180 balls. For the first 80 balls of that innings, he went at a strike rate under 30. It was exactly like a Pujara innings, except that Kohli’s higher skill at shot-making meant he opened up sooner than Pujara could have.There is another, more nuanced criticism of Pujara’s batting, something he probably needs to work harder on. You don’t see too many driveable balls when he is at the wicket because he gets stuck on the crease. So what might be a half-volley for other batsmen is a length ball that Pujara is forced to show respect to. It gives the bowlers a wider margin of error, which means they feel no pressure and thus make less errors.There is merit to that but Pujara will turn around and tell you that this is what allows him to keep out balls that take other batsmen’s edges. Instead of pushing at the ball, he either lets them seam past his edge or play them late and under his eye if they are straight. That by facing more balls the way he does, he actually makes some unplayable balls look negotiable. That by facing more balls, he gives himself a better chance at scoring runs.With bowlers getting fitter and stronger, with bowling attacks now carrying fewer weak links, it is true that Pujara’s method will become less and less prevalent with the future batsmen. This is why probably India made a reasonable call when they dropped him for lack of intent in the past, but Pujara came back and showed with his immense powers of concentration that his method can work. That the criticism of method is not necessarily on the mark. That he shouldn’t be praised for the same method in 2018-19 and be criticised for it in 2020-21.The biggest problem with the criticism perhaps is that Pujara’s method was not a significant difference between the two sides. Or any batsman’s method for that matter. Australia’s bowling in the absence of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami is far superior to India’s. It is high credit to the visitors that they pulled off the Melbourne miracle but the longer a series goes in Australia, an attack with stronger, quicker, more accurate fast bowlers will prevail over one whose seam attack has a combined experience of 17 Tests, one of them a debutant who has shown the tendency to not be accurate. That is exactly what has happened in Sydney so far.
Cricket Australia XI 341 (Blackford 86, Wyllie 71, Harvey 52, Potts 3-49) and 235 for 2 (Inglis 125*, Harvey 58) beat England Lions 299 (Gay 78, Maladay 3-47, Sinfield 3-87) and 273 (Kellaway 59, Anderson 3-42) by eight wicketsAmid intrigue over what Australia may do with their batting order for the rest of the Ashes, Josh Inglis hammered a rapid century for a Cricket Australia XI against England Lions to signal that he would be option should the selectors opt for significant change.Travis Head’s remarkable century in Perth after being elevated to open due to Usman Khawaja’s back spasms has prompted talk about whether that should be a permanent move which would likely spell the end of Khawaja’s career and create a vacancy in the middle order.Related
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That would appear an unlikely prospect, at least for the Gabba, with the indications being that Khawaja will be selected if he recovers.However, should a spot become vacant anywhere in the order Inglis’ versatility would make him a candidate. He was part of the squad for the first Test but was released to play for the CA XI at Lilac Hill after having a disjointed lead-up to the Ashes.A calf injury prevented him from playing the ODIs against India and he struggled in the T20Is before making 4 and 28 in his one Sheffield Shield outing for Western Australia.On Monday, he flayed an unbeaten 125 from 107 balls with 15 fours and two sixes as the CA XI charged down a target of 232 in 45 overs, not dissimilar to the Head-inspired performance a couple of days ago.Inglis made a century on Test debut, against Sri Lanka in Galle, when his prowess against spin saw him play as a specialist batter in the middle order. He then filled in at No. 4 when Steven Smith missed the first Test against West Indies with a finger injury.Should Khawaja not be fit for Brisbane, or the selectors do make the call to drop him, Beau Webster would also be in the frame having missed out on the first Test when Cameron Green returned to No. 6. Mitchell Marsh is another who may be considered. He is expected make his Sheffield Shield return for Western Australia in a game against Victoria at the MCG which also starts on December 4.The CA XI was largely a development side due to the ongoing round of Sheffield Shield matches but did also feature Jhye Richardson who sent down 20 wicketless overs in the game as he returns from shoulder surgery. Australia’s selectors are hoping he could be an option later in the Test series and he is expected to feature for Australia A when they face the Lions concurrently to the Gabba Test.The Lions side featured Matthew Potts, Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell from the England Test squad.