Category Uncategorized

Even a kid knows you want a turning pitch against England, Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq observed, Instead, the pitch only turned on the final day and it was Pakistan who were reduced to panic

Umar Farooq17-Oct-2015In a dramatic turnaround on day five, England almost gave a scare to Pakistan, transforming four dull days into a decisive climax. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan captain said his side was caught up in “panic” as they lost their last five wickets in five overs but that salvaging a dramatic draw protected their confidence and left them with “no sense of defeat”.”If a situation changes quickly you have to cope with it,” said Misbah. “Credit should be given to the England side in the way they scored almost 600 runs and kept us under pressure. They kept control and later pushed us in a panic situation but it’s quite obvious that when such matches are saved it keeps the confidence alive. Had we lost this, trailing the series by 1-0, then it could have quashed the confidence.”At least we are not down. In Dubai it’s a different pitch, different game and it’s our hunting ground as well. We did make a couple of mistakes that we ought not to repeat. The shot I and Younis played wasn’t needed at that time – we could have easily survived and played through.”For four days the pitch was cursed for its slowness and unresponsiveness. But on day five the twist started when James Anderson removed Shan Masood and Shoaib Malik in the same over, leaving Adil Rashid to take charge later, picking up a five-wicket haul to leave Pakistan with a lead of 98.”It all happens with pressure,” said Misbah. “It was the fifth day with rough patches and obviously we made mistakes with two ugly run outs and bad shots to push us into the situation.”Such mistakes take you nowhere and push you in such situation where you crumble under pressure. We obviously had a plan to play sweeps against the offspinner and I should have struck with the option but I picked the wrong shot. It was a big blunder on the wrong time.As England take the moral victory, it was like deja vu for Pakistan. “This is what Test cricket is all about. We have been in such a situation so many times. I can recall two occasions in Galle – one we won and the other we lost. So we knew how to cope with this situation.”We were looking to take wickets early on with the spinners and later on with the light fading we were looking to go with seamers and the plan worked. We knew the ball wasn’t coming on the bat and with the light staying even until 5.40pm we had to be on toes.”The pitch was expected to turn at least from the day three but it didn’t respond at all until the final day. Misbah once again hit out the surface. “It was a clear message what we wanted. Even a kid knows that when we play against England we always want a turning pitch. I don’t know why the pitch wasn’t made the way it should have been. I am equally surprised as you are about it.”

With Chris Jordan blowing more cold than hot, England could turn to Steven Finn or Harry Gurney at Trent Bridge but both present their own issues

David Hopps29-Aug-20142:41

Hope Cook and I feed off each other – Hales

The ability to play tunes on your teeth, which occasionally found its way onto the bottom of the bill in the old Music Halls, is now most commonly seen from bored teenagers on YouTube. England’s bowling coach, David Saker, has so far only been seen scratching his, but he might well be playing a tune or two by the end of the Royal London one-day series if England’s pace bowlers give him any more cause for angst.If Saker does rap out a tune on his molars then Elvis Presley’s might be a good place to start. “If you are looking for trouble, you came to the right place” is a suitable warning as England consider the attributes of the three pace bowlers thought to be contesting the final place in the third Royal London ODI against India at Trent Bridge.Steven Finn is an option for England at Trent Bridge•PA PhotosSaker’s teeth scratching on the England balcony was caught by the TV cameras during India’s trouncing of England at Cardiff as Chris Jordan purveyed an over including five leg-side wides. He bowled 12 in all, treating his loss of line firstly with smiles and then with baffled shakes of the head.That Jordan blows hot and cold is something England might have to get used to. The question is how hot and how cold. His technical oddity in which he often places an additional finger behind the ball has always been with him and has been blamed for occasional forays down the leg side. One or two can be forgiven as long as his hot spells continue, but 12 wides is more than England would want their entire attack to bowl in a series.The defence for Jordan is that to some extent MS Dhoni was old-manning him by moving across to the off side as he prepared to release, but if that sometimes made his line look more exaggerated, it did not make the calls of wide any less justifiable. Jordan lost his line at a critical time and was wayward enough, in normal circumstances, for his place to be jeopardised as a result.The issue for England is that the potential replacements, Harry Gurney and Steven Finn, have had issues of their own. Finn’s have been well chronicled – the collapse of his action in Australia last winter which meant that he did not play a single Test and left the tour early for remedial work on his action back at Middlesex.Finn’s progress throughout the county summer has been solid, if unspectacular. By mid-July, he was able to discuss it for the first time, telling ESPNcricinfo that he began to over-analyse every aspect of his action and that Saker, who is generally regarded as a tactical rather than a technical coach, was unable to find a solution.At some point in this series, England surely must play Finn. There has been so much emphasis upon stable planning, particularly when the subject turns to the one-day captaincy of Alastair Cook, that it has been overlooked that the build-up to the World Cup offers England not just the chance to plan, but the chance to discover.If there is a limited appetite for discovery when it comes to England’s batsmen, such a policy is essential for Finn. England’s next one-day series is against Sri Lanka in November and December and that is hardly the easiest place for an out-and-out fast bowler to make an impression. To take Finn to Australia – the scene of his technical torment – in January for the tri-series against Australia and India still not road-tested would be a failure of planning and, if his problems recurred, would throw England’s plans into disarray a few weeks before the World Cup. Only by thrusting Finn into the pressure of international cricket can England measure the extent of his recovery.That leaves Harry Gurney, who would add variety to England’s attack by virtue of being a left-armer and who would also be a natural call-up on his home ground at Trent Bridge. Gurney played in England’s Spring ODIs, making his debut against Scotland in Aberdeen, playing five ODIs against Sri Lanka and returning nine wickets at 22.55. He hit his yorkers more reliably, but there is a lot that could go wrong in such an idiosyncratic action.But Gurney’s form has not been short of concerns. He was unimpressive during Nottinghamshire’s Royal London domestic campaign and in his last outing disappeared at eight an over against Warwickshire, a match Nottinghamshire won thanks to one of four recent one-day hundreds for Alex Hales. His net sessions have not made an irresistible case for his recall.It is a tough choice for England. That Jordan has displayed star quality is incontestable. Finn must be given a chance to prove himself. Gurney has logical hopes of a recall in front of his home crowd. Outside the squad, Northants’ allrounder David Willey has not entirely given up hope of making a late push. Which one to recommend? Even now. Saker’s teeth must be beginning to grind.

Somerset inch clear of Warwickshire in bid to avoid relegation

ECB Reporters Network08-Sep-2022Gloucestershire 343 and 278 for 7 dec (Charlesworth 64, O. Price 53, Hammond 53) drew Somerset 248 (Imam-ul-Haq 90, Rew 44*, T. Price 5-75) and 11 for 0Gloucestershire’s bid for a first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the season was thwarted by the weather on the final day of the match with Somerset at Taunton.The visitors began the day by extending their second innings total from an overnight 246 for five to 278 for seven before declaring with a lead of 373.But soon the rain that had been forecast for much of the first three days set in and the match was condemned to draw at 3.10pm, with Somerset 11 without loss in their second innings.While Gloucestershire dominated the match from the opening morning, they took only 12 points, having two deducted for a slow over-rate, while their neighbours also picked up 12.That lifted Somerset seven points clear of second-from-bottom Warwickshire, while their arch-rivals are doomed to relegation, 30 points adrift at the bottom of the table with only two games to play.With the weather forecast suggesting showers, Gloucestershire’s decision to bat on at the start of the day was surprising.Skipper Graeme van Buuren skied a catch to fine leg off the first ball of the day, sent down by Josh Davey, and Jack Taylor followed suit in the second over, lofting Jack Brooks to mid-off.David Payne hit a couple of big sixes before the declaration came after 15 minutes, with rain starting to fall.The initial shower delayed the start of Somerset’s innings by 15 minutes. When it got underway the hearts of home supporters in a small crowd were soon in their mouths.Iman-ul-Haq, so solid in the first innings, aimed an expansive back-foot shot off only the third ball, bowled by Payne, and survived a massive appeal for a catch by wicketkeeper James Bracey.More frustration for Gloucestershire followed when, with only 3.5 overs bowled, the rain returned, with Somerset openers Tom Lammonby and Imam on six and five respectively..Umpires Tom Lungley and Nigel Llong decided that an early lunch would be taken at 12.20pm with a view to restarting the game at 1pm.But the rain became heavier and the next announcement was of a 2.15pm pitch inspection, which also proved optimistic.Tea was taken at 2.40pm, by which time the main item of interest appeared to be whether Gloucestershire would have time to correct a minus two over-rate.Half an hour later it was clear that wouldn’t happen and Somerset had by far the greater cause for satisfaction at the outcome.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betsson： Cabeça fria, coração quente. A famosa frase do técnico do Palmeiras, Abel Ferreira, parece ter surtido efeito no elenco palmeirense, que vem mostrando um incrível poder mental de reação nos jogos em que sai atrás no placar. Foi o que aconteceu nos últimos dois confrontos do Verdão no Campeonato Brasileiro, contra Atlético-GO e São Paulo.

GALERIA
> ATUAÇÕES: Gómez e Murilo representam a esperança do Palmeiras no clássico

TABELA
> Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasScarpa soma 11 assistências no ano pelo Palmeiras: ‘Trabalhando para aumentar o meu repertório’Palmeiras21/06/2022PalmeirasGustavo Gómez no pódio! A lista atualizada de zagueiros-artilheiros do PalmeirasPalmeiras21/06/2022Fora de CampoNa web, torcedores rasgam elogios ao Palmeiras após mais uma vitóriaFora de Campo21/06/2022

da poker：
Na última segunda-feira (20), no Choque-Rei disputado no Estádio do Morumbi, os donos da casa largaram na frente, mas o Verdão reagiu e, nos acréscimos, conseguiu marcar dois gols num espaço de quatro minutos, com Gustavo Gómez e Murilo.

Antes deste duelo, no entanto, o mesmo já havia acontecido no Allianz Parque. Contra o time goiano, o não à toa líder do campeonato esteve atrás do marcador até os 41 minutos do primeiro tempo e, aos 48, o Verdão já havia feito quatro gols. Foi uma virada rápida e quatro bolas na rede em apenas sete minutos.

Após a virada histórica sobre o São Paulo nesta 13ª rodada do Nacional, o auxiliar técnico do Alviverde, João Martins, que substituiu o técnico Abel Ferreira, com Covid-19, elogiou a postura dos jogadores no clássico fora de casa.

– Mesmo que não tivéssemos vencido sairíamos satisfeitos com o desempenho e a atitude. Pedimos que deem tudo que podem. Sabemos que não vamos ganhar sempre, mas felizmente conseguimos dar a volta – afirmou.

– Dar os parabéns aos jogadores pela capacidade mental em um estádio muito difícil. Todas equipes têm grandes dificuldades, só uma equipe ganhou aqui (em 2022), e fomos nós. Eles deram tudo e acreditaram até o fim na vitória – completou João Martins.

São Paulo e Palmeiras se enfrentam novamente nesta quinta-feira (23), às 20h, novamente no Estádio do Morumbi. Desta vez, o confronto será válido pelo jogo de ida das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil.

ESPNcricinfo understands CSA was not intending to stop Lee from participating in the Hundred, but was concerned with a perceived lack of discipline

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2022

Lizelle Lee announced her international retirement on July 8•Getty Images

Lizelle Lee has accused Cricket South Africa of threatening to deny her an NOC to participate in the Hundred and said national coach Hilton Moreeng was aware of the organisation’s actions, which contributed to her retirement. Both Moreeng and CSA have rejected Lee’s assertions.The opening batter stepped away from international cricket on July 8, saying she was “ready for the next phase of my career”, and would continue playing franchise T20 cricket but provided no other reasons for quitting until today. After Moreeng was asked at a press conference whether CSA’s alleged refusal to let Lee play in the Hundred led to her premature retirement, he said, “No comment, I was not aware of that.” Lee, however, tweeted that Moreeng “was definitely aware”. She also said, “I told him in person and it was said in a meeting with CSA”, but clarified that Moreeng “was not in that meeting.”Lee later reiterated to ESPNcricinfo that Moreeng was aware of the development.ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA was not intending to prevent Lee from participating in the Hundred, but was concerned with a perceived lack of discipline, including not being on time for the team schedule and having a disrupting influence on others. Efforts to bring Lee in line with her team-mates were attempted but failed, leading to her retirement. Sources confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that CSA is willing to provide NOCs to all its players contracted to teams in the Hundred, as usual. The tournament does not clash with any of South Africa’s other engagements.Related

Marizanne Kapp: Lizelle Lee's retirement has been 'mentally tough' for South Africa

Lizelle Lee, leading woman cricketer in the world in 2021

Lizelle Lee retires from international cricket

Lee, who missed South Africa’s recently completed series in Ireland as she recovered from Covid-19, travelled to England and played in the one-off Test. She also played in the warm-up match against England A on July 4. Four days later, she announced her retirement, which blindsided everyone from Marizanne Kapp to Moreeng. “The retirement came as a shock for everyone. It’s not anything anyone expected to happen, especially on a tour that we were looking forward to,” Moreeng said. “It caught everyone by surprise.”Moreeng went on to praise Lee’s contribution over the last nine years, which included two Tests, 100 ODIs and 82 T20Is and, at one stage saw her ranked No.1 in the world among batters in ODI cricket.”Like she highlighted in her statement, she has given her all for the country, she’s enjoyed it and we also enjoyed having her as a player, the players have enjoyed having her as a team-mate and she had an incredible career,” Moreeng said. “At the end of the day, we need to respect the player’s decision although it is tough on everyone, because we didn’t foresee it was going to happen so quickly. We knew that one of these days it’s going to happen and now it’s for us to respect it and just give her some space. She’s made her decision. We thank her for the time she has given to the Proteas and she will always be remembered as one of those that played incredible cricket for the country.”Lee’s absence has affected South Africa’s batting and headspace, as Kapp confirmed after their loss on Friday night. South Africa have been bowled out for under 225 in both matches and their line-up has appeared listless. Moreeng recognised their shortcomings but stressed that it would be difficult to find someone in Lee’s mould immediately.”To try and replace Lizelle is not something that can happen overnight. There are players that are capable and they can still take the game forward but they need to be scoring consistently,” he said. “Lizelle is not a player you can replace overnight because of how explosive and dynamic she was. In the future hopefully we will find a similar player who can go out and be as explosive as her.”

Leaving aside the odd season of injury comebacks, it’s been 15 extraordinary years since James Anderson last went into a home summer as anything other than England’s attack leader. You have to go way back to the India series in 2007, when his second Test five-for at Lord’s hinted at the bowler he was about to come, for the last time Anderson was genuinely out to prove his worth, rather than cement the credentials he had already established.And so it was an oddly cagey Anderson who faced the media in Leicester on Monday, at the behest of the Test sponsors LV= Insurance, but before he’d had any cast-iron assurances that his name will be back in the frame for another Lord’s appearance, when the squad for the first Test against New Zealand is announced on Wednesday.”Until that squad’s picked I’m not counting on anything,” he said. “My job’s to try and prove that I’m in good form, take wickets for Lancashire and help them win games. That’s all I’m bothered about, and then we’ll see what happens whenever the team is announced.”Chicken-counting aside, however, Anderson’s return for his 170th Test appearance, and 96th on home soil, is a given. Not only has he proven his form and fitness on the county circuit – including with the eye-catching dismissal of his former England captain, Joe Root, in last week’s Roses clash – he and his long-term sidekick Stuart Broad are just about the only capped England seamers available to Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as they prepare to begin their captain-coach alliance in a fortnight’s time.Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher, both of whom debuted in Anderson’s and Broad’s absence in the Caribbean, have succumbed to stress fractures, the same complaint that Sam Curran is currently returning from, while Craig Overton and Chris Woakes – who shared the new ball in Antigua in March – are labouring with knee injuries. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are coming back from elbow operations, and Ollie Robinson – the man who ought to be in possession – has been a fitness concern since struggling through the Hobart Test in January.Anderson and Broad, on the other hand, just keep rumbling on. “I don’t know, it’s just luck I guess,” he said of their longevity. “We still love playing, we’re really hungry to take wickets, and still love that feeling you get from it. I’ve spoken to Stuart a lot over the last few months, we still feel like we’ve got a lot to give the game, whether it’s for Notts or Lancashire, or for England.”Nevertheless, Anderson admitted that, with his 40th birthday approaching in July, his omission for the West Indies tour had caused him to reassess his priorities as he enters his 20th season as an international cricketer.”I definitely questioned it, yeah,” he said. “I talked it through with my family as well, and they saw it as I did, that I feel like I’ve got more to give to the game. The longer time went on, the more I was with the Lancs lads doing pre-season training. I was still doing the gym work, and I wasn’t bored of it. I wanted to be there doing it, irrelevant of what was going to happen in the summer.”If I play the whole season for Lancashire, then great. If I get a Test call-up then brilliant, but at the minute I’m really enjoying playing cricket. It did come into question, I guess – do I want to do I want to carry on? But in my head, I quickly decided I did want to see what happened this year.”James Anderson attended a #Funds4Runs community initiative in Leicester•LV= Insurance/#Funds4Runs

And if there were any residual doubts, then they were emphatically quashed by the 11th and most recent of his first-class wickets this season – the uprooting of Root’s off and middle stumps at Headingley on Sunday, as Anderson’s typically frugal figures of 15-7-17-2 briefly set Lancashire up for a final-day victory push against Yorkshire.”I did enjoy that one, it was nice to get a player of Joe’s quality out,” Anderson said. And it was doubtless all the sweeter given that Root had still been England captain for the Caribbean tour, and therefore was at least complicit in Anderson’s controversial omission.Did he say anything to Root when he got him out? “Absolutely not, no. Didn’t need to. Just pick the two stumps off the ground,” Anderson said. “We do talk. We’ve not fallen out or anything. Yeah, we chatted. I spoke to him before he announced that he was stepping down. There’s still a huge amount of respect between the two of us so there’s no animosity.”The biggest thing for me [on Sunday] was that we were pushing for a win,” Anderson added. “Obviously he got 140 in the first innings; we know how good a player he is. A few of our guys were seeing him up close for the first time and realising how good a player he is; they all commented on it. It was fruitless in the end, but we were pushing hard for that win, and he was the best player so it was nice to get the best player.”Three months after the event, Anderson says he hasn’t had a full explanation for his omission from the Test squad, and still doesn’t know whether there was a perceived issue with his attitude in Australia, where his eight wickets at 23.37 couldn’t prevent a 4-0 series loss. However, with his focus now back on adding to his England-record tally of 640 wickets, his thoughts are firmly fixed on the coming summer, as he hopes to help the new team hierarchy pick the performances up after a torrid 12 months.Related

• England's bowlers need to ditch containment for attack

• Joe Root scores century going toe-to-toe with James Anderson

• James Anderson makes his point, but Harry Brook thwarts Lancashire victory push

• Saqib Mahmood ruled out of season with back stress fracture

• Fitness, form present familiar dilemmas as England prepare to name first Test squad of new era

“It’s gone now. It’s history. I’m not bothered about what’s gone in the past,” he said. “All I can control is what I do in the future. I’ve got to try to prove that I’m still good enough to play international cricket and keep my fingers crossed that the selectors and the captain think so as well.”I don’t think from a performance point of view my confidence would have taken a knock. I felt like I bowled well in Australia and since I’ve been bowling back in England I’ve felt like I’m in good shape and bowling well. So from that point of view I feel like I know what I’m doing and I don’t think that will change, really.”I guess you do start questioning other things when that sort of thing happens – is it something I’ve done around the group or whatever else? I guess that’s the one thing that you start thinking about. But when it comes to cricket I’m pretty confident that I’m doing okay.”Anderson will be reassured too by the vote of confidence he received from Stokes after his accession to the Test captaincy, and is ready to return the compliment after seeing glimpses of his leadership style during the Ashes campaign.”He’s a natural leader and the lads all look up to him in the dressing-room,” Anderson said. “When he’s had the opportunity to be captain… I think there was maybe an hour in Australia, and you could see he’s got a real good tactical brain on him. He’s the hardest trainer in the group and sets the example of how to be an international cricketer.”We’re at quite a low point at the minute as a Test side. Where we are in the Test championship, we’re going to have to do something serious to be able to turn it around and get back up towards where we want to be, towards the top. I don’t think that necessarily happens overnight. But with Brendon and Ben, we’re never going to take a backward step. It could be a really exciting time for English cricket.”James Anderson and other England cricketers surprised Leicester Electricity Sports Cricket Club during an inter-squad friendly game organised by Test partners LV= Insurance. The club will receive support to train a new coach and relaunch their women’s team as part of LV= and the ECB’s commitment to support 4000 coaches through their #Funds4Runs community initiative. Visit Funds4Runs for more information

The Aussies are finally batting, umpires are making howlers, and Trott’s temper is given a work out. Ah to be at Old Trafford…

Andy Bloxham02-Aug-2013Choice of game
With the Aussies returning to the shores from whence they came, and no Test scheduled for my local venue, Edgbaston (scandalous, I might add), I opted for the curtain-raiser of the pivotal third Ashes Test at an extensively redeveloped Old Trafford.
It’s the first occasion on which I’ve attended the opening day of an Ashes Test match, and nothing quite compares to that spine-tingling first airing of “Jerusalem” as the players take the field. Against the Old Enemy, it’s especially poignant.Key performer
Michael Clarke. Chris Rogers can consider himself rather unfortunate to have missed out here – it was his uncharacteristically fluent and aggressive innings at the top of the order that set the tone for a fine Australian batting performance – but the tourists, as is so often the case, owe much of their early success in this Test match to their brilliant captain.Clarke’s unbeaten century was not his most authoritative, nor was it bursting with the effortless elegance that we’ve become accustomed to, but it steered his team in to what could prove to be a match defining position of strength come the end of a scorching hot day in Manchester. After a tentative start in which he groped at a probing James Anderson like a promiscuous teen, Clarke found his dancing shoes and combined fleet-footed, crisp footwork with nothing short of Rolex timing. He knows a thing or two about making it a big one, too, so expect plenty more to be added on day two.One thing I’d have changed about the day
Well, England winning the toss would have been nice, wouldn’t it? On a magnificent English summer’s day which, when combined with a largely unresponsive surface, provided about as much assistance to England’s seam bowlers as a 16-year-old work experience employee would to MI6, it was just about the perfect day for batting.Oh, and the minor issue of howling third-umpire decisions as part of the DRS process could do with some remedying, couldn’t it?The interplay I enjoyed
Anderson to Clarke. James Anderson possesses a fine record against Australia’s captain, and for 30 minutes or so at the beginning of the latter’s innings it had looked a trend comfortably set to continue. Clarke offered the look of a man batting knee-deep in treacle, but somehow managed to survive the inquisition to see England’s conjuror off and set himself for what was to become his 26th Test century. Only Shane Watson, who served up the batting equivalent of Quasimodo, had looked more out of kilter before reaching double figures.Wow moment
Usman Khawaja’s dismissal being upheld. Then Steve Smith surviving after England were utterly convinced that he had edged a James Anderson delivery through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Without seeing replays any clearer than those displayed on the big screen inside the ground, they appear on the face of things to have been a) clearly incorrect and b) another nail in the coffin of a review system that has already had a 300ft deep grave dug by India’s cricketing hierarchy.Filling the gaps
Thwaite’s finest. A roast pork and stuffing bap. Spiced potato wedges. The varied cuisine that filled the gaps between the cricket (and the one in my stomach) had the simultaneous effect of emptying my wallet at a pace swifter than Mike Gatting going up for thirds at an all-you-can-eat buffet.Crowd meter
Pretty quiet, actually. Whether I’m just accustomed to the gladiatorial atmosphere of an England Test at Edgbaston, or whether the English contingent had been shocked in to silence by the sight of an Australian batting unit showing some application and looking like actual cricketers, it was a largely subdued affair.
A word for the large gathering of Aussie “Fanatics” sat behind me, though. They were naturally stunned and delighted in equal measure by the close of play scoreboard, but provided great value throughout the day and took banter as liberally as they dished it out. It is one of the great joys of being a cricket spectator that you can share a beer with someone from the other side of the world and have a good chat, regardless of what is taking place on the field.Close encounter
Jonathan Trott spent a short period of the afternoon session out on the boundary in front of where we were sat, and soon copped some abuse from a well-oiled Aussie. Trott is a batsman renowned for his ability to exist untroubled within his own bubble when out in the middle, but Trott the fielder is clearly a different proposition. Whatever had been said angered the England No. 3, and his Australian assailant was quick to ignore an offer to come down and say it to his face. The Australian bowlers should ask the spectator in question for a few tips.Overall
DRS gaffes aside, that was what Test cricket is all about. Blazing sunshine, unrelenting cricket from both sides and a full house. Australia are in a commanding position, but the beauty of Test cricket is that, come lunch tomorrow, that outlook could have dramatically changed.Marks out of 10
8. Painfully prolonged third-umpire referrals took plenty of the spontaneity out of the game, and the fact that they were then incorrect added a farcical edge that didn’t sit well. Thankfully, the weather and the majority of the cricket made for a tremendous day out.

Manchester United could be set for a transfer U-turn as INEOS eye the signing of a player the club have just recently sold, according to a new report. Given the Red Devils’ poor start to the campaign, United may be set for a busy January as they continue to be linked with new recruits who they hope will improve the team.

Man Utd believe they'll sign £10m-a-year target even if they sack Ten Hag

Man Utd have their eye on a player they would like to sign whether Ten Hag stays or leaves.

ByBrett Worthington Oct 9, 2024 Man Utd transfer news

United brought in five new players during the summer, but given that there were a lot of departures, there could be room to add one or two more when January arrives. One area they may address is goalkeeper, as while Andre Onana has done very well this season, there is little serious competition behind him.

United have their eye on Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle, as scouts have taken in performances of the shot stopper and left impressed with what they have seen. At 22 years old, United see him as someone who can provide cover and competition for Onana.

Another area that may need addressing at Old Trafford is at left-back, as Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia continue to recover from injuries, which means Diogo Dalot has been heavily relied upon to fill the void. So, United are considering their options, and they have an interested in signing Ben Chilwell from Chelsea. The Red Devils have made him their top target, and they believe they can sign him when January arrives.

However, Chilwell is not the only left-back that United are looking at, as they are also considering re-signing a former player.

INEOS may now buy back £5m Alvaro Carreras

According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester United are closely monitoring Benfica defender Alvaro Carreras, while Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are also keen.

The 21-year-old is well known at Old Trafford, as he spent four years with the Premier League side between 2020 and 2024. Carreras joined United from Real Madrid’s youth team but failed to make a first team appearance, spending time on loan at Preston, Granada and Benfica.

The left-back joined the Portuguese side on loan in January this year, and then that deal was made into a permanent switch, as Benfica paid 6 million euros, which is around £5 million. The 21-year-old has cemented himself in the Benfica team, appearing nine times in all competitions this season.

Apps

25

Goals

1

Assists

1

That hasn’t gone unnoticed, as his performances have caught the eye of the three named teams, with all three sending scouts to watch him in action. United have a buyback clause in his deal that saw him join Benfica, and they will be able to activate that to try and beat Barça and Madrid should they wish to do so, though there seems to be an element of chaos in buying back a player you just sold to fix a position with two injury-prone players.

Liverpool supporters have fallen head over heels for Arne Slot already, with the new era at Anfield spearheaded by the ex-Feyenoord boss starting on a fantastic footing.

Three wins from three in Premier League action means the confident Reds are tied at the top of the league with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who are – unsurprisingly – the only other unbeaten team in the division, but Slot's men do boast the fact they are yet to even leak a goal.

Despite these staunch defensive displays, the transfer rumour mill seems to indicate that the Premier League title chasers are eyeing up this new centre-back, who could soon be available on a free transfer.

Premier League Table: Latest EPL standings for 2024/25 season

Stay up to date with the English Premier League standings after matchday 33.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025 Liverpool pondering free transfer

As has been reported by Caught Offside, Liverpool are keen on a potential deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Jonathan Tah, after the central defender nearly joined German giants Bayern Munich this summer.

With Virgil van Dijk's current deal at Anfield expiring next year, it makes sense that Slot and Co are keeping their options open as to who could join if the Dutch colossus does end up walking away from Liverpool.

Likewise, back at Leverkusen, the reigning Bundesliga champions are unsure about Tah's future at the club with his contract up next year too, with the Reds tempted down the line to try and secure the 28-year-old on a free transfer.

It is noted that a dream move for the Leverkusen number four would be to join the Premier League, having been linked with a move to Newcastle United in the past, with the allure of the Reds far stronger than the Magpies.

How Tah can be the next Matip

Tah could end up being Liverpool's next Joel Matip, away from any talk about the Germany international being Van Dijk's successor, with Matip never looking back after exiting the Bundesliga himself for new pastures back in 2016 when Liverpool came calling.

There are further similarities too, if Tah does end up making the leap to the Premier League, with Matip also joining on a free transfer after his Schalke deal had expired.

The 33-year-old defender would go on to lift a Champions League and a top-flight title during his decorated spell with the Reds, with 11 goals and six assists managed from 201 games, as Matip garnered the reputation for being a consistently steady and reliable option to have around the building.

Games played

31

Goals scored

4

Assists

1

Touches*

79.1

Accurate passes*

66.7 (95%)

Ball recoveries*

5.2

Clearances*

3.1

Total duels won*

2.9

Clean sheets

12

Tah has also proven his worth for Xabi Alonso's men as a source of goals, with four managed last season on the way to Alonso's side lifting the Bundesliga proudly aloft, on top of managing 12 important clean sheets too.

Calm on the ball with a 95% pass accuracy averaged per game, Tah does play in a similar way to Matip, who managed 49.8 accurate passes per game last season when he was thrown into action by the now-departed Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League.

Slot would have loved Tah being around on the opening day when he had to hook Jarell Quansah off at half-time versus Ipswich Town, with the 21-year-old nervous against the Tractor Boys.

On the contrary, the Leverkusen star – who stands at a towering 6 foot 5 frame – would have knocked Ipswich's confidence by imposing himself on to the contest, with one of his former teammates Christoph Kramer once referring to the 28-year-old defender as a "defensive battleship".

Liverpool didn't go overboard in the recently closed transfer window with Federico Chiesa joining as the only real notable addition, but they could win themselves an excellent deal soon if they end up landing Tah for nothing, especially if he becomes as dependable as Matip used to be for the Reds.

Liverpool let teen leave for £0, now he's worth more than Diaz & Salah

He’d be perfect for Arne Slot…

2 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 8, 2024

The 235-page report concluded that Graeme Smith, Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers had all engaged in prejudicial conduct

Firdose Moonda15-Dec-2021Cricket South Africa unfairly discriminated against players on the basis of race, according to the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) commission’s final report. In the 235-page document, submitted to CSA, ombudsman Dumisa Ntsebeza concluded that the administration, as well as former captain and current director Graeme Smith, current head coach Mark Boucher and former captain AB de Villiers had all engaged in prejudicial conduct.The report recommends that a permanent ombudsman is appointed, funded and handed resources to deal with race and gender-based complaints and that CSA puts in place an anonymous grievance policy. It does not have any consideration for reparations for those found to have been unfairly discriminated against but recommends that a permanent office considers if any reparations should be paid.CSA confirmed that the SJN process, which was initially supposed to last four months but ended up lasting over six months, cost the organisation R7.5 million (US$500,000). However, they felt the process was both necessary and productive. CSA said the issues facing cricket “are a complex interaction of multiple factors stemming from the history of this country and consequent socio-economic factors that prevail today.” They will engage with the report further in 2022.No punitive action is being taken against anyone immediately, however.”The board is still considering the report. It is a hefty document and needs a holistic response,” Lawson Naidoo, the CSA board chairperson, told ESPNcricinfo.”No decisions have been taken on any issues raised in the report and it would be premature to speculate on any action that may be taken. The board has got to look at the report in its entirety and engage with it seriously. This will be a continuation of what we are already doing. Overall, the SJN was an important process and that’s why the board backed it all the way. It is now the responsibility of the board to engage with the report.”Three of the more eye-opening findings, however, revolve around the main pillars of South Africa’s golden years – Smith, Boucher and de Villiers – and in two of the cases, specifically around the non-selection of black players.Related

Elgar: 'Not nice to see our coaches get lambasted for things'

CSA to launch formal inquiry into conduct of Smith and Boucher

Graeme Smith's lawyer claims 'fundamental flaws' in SJN process

Flawed but necessary: SJN hearings reveal no heroes, no villains

Holding: Quota 'a burden for players of colour in SA to carry'

Mark Boucher and Paul Adams Adams testified that he was nicknamed “b**** s***” by his national team-mates, including Boucher. In a responding affidavit, Boucher admitted that he was among those who sang a song which included the slur. Boucher apologised and explained that white players were unprepared for the realities of post-Apartheid team dynamics. The ombudsman found that Boucher’s response revealed a “lack of sensitivity and understanding of the racist undertones,” of his comments, that Boucher attempted to excuse racism because it was done in a team setting and that he does “not comprehend the South African apartheid/discriminatory and racist history.”The reports cite case law in which those who have uttered racial slurs have been found guilty of hate speech and suggests that Boucher has not “undergone diversity and transformation training,” and where he has, that he is “apathetic towards diversity and transformation.”Graeme Smith and Thami Tsolekile This concerns Tsolekile’s non-selection for the national side following the retirement of Boucher in 2012. At the time, Tsolekile was contracted to CSA, with a view to taking over from Boucher at the end of the series against England. However, Boucher’s career was cut short by an eye injury at the start of the England tour, and de Villiers took over wicketkeeping duties until 2014, when Quinton de Kock made his debut.”The decision of the panel was totally irrational and showed clear signs of systemic racism,” the report reads. “CSA, Mr Graeme Smith and some selectors at the time really failed Mr Tsolekile and many black players of this time in many ways,”AB de Villiers and Khaya ZondoKhaya Zondo was part of South Africa’s ODI squad that toured India in 2015 but was not selected in the team when JP Duminy was injured for the final match of the series. Instead, Dean Elgar, who was part of the Test squad was flown in early and played in that match. In testimony given to the SJN, Hussein Manack, the tour selector at the time, said he was pressured into selecting Elgar over Zondo by then-ODI captain AB de Villiers. Selection convenor Linda Zondi was not involved in the decision as he was not on the tour, and was also not consulted, after de Villiers discussed the matter with then-CEO Haroon Lorgat instead.The ombudsman found that de Villiers flouted the National Selection policy by talking to Lorgat ahead of Zondi and that he did so “just to ensure that a black player was not placed in a position which he deemed as requiring greater experience,” the report reads. “The only reasonable conclusion is that Mr de Villiers unfairly discriminated against Mr Zondo on racial grounds.”In response to the report, de Villiers told ESPNcricinfo that he had “wholly supported the aims of Cricket South Africa’s Social Justice and Nation Building process, to ensure equal opportunities in our game. However, throughout my career, I expressed honest cricketing opinions only ever based on what I believed was best for the team, never based on anyone’s race. That’s the fact.”The ombudsman found that AB de Villiers flouted the National Selection policy during the ODI series against India in 2015•Associated Press No evidence of racial discrimination Roger Telemachus had alleged that he was overlooked for the position of Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland coach in favour of Michael Smith on the basis of race. This was disputed by CEO of the Dolphins, Heinrich Strydom, who detailed the appointment process. Smith’s appointment was made in line with employment policy guidelines and on “a balance of probability, Mr Telemachus failed to demonstrate that there was a differentiation on the listed ground of race.”Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s contention that he was made to carry bags of senior players while newly selected white members of the squad were not required to do the same, was contested by then-team manager Mohammed Moosajee. Tsotsobe’s evidence and the subsequent rebuttal meant that the ombudsman concluded there was “insufficient evidence to make out a prima facie case of unfair racial discrimination.”Several testimonies were made by players who accepted sanctions for conspiring to fix matches in the 2015-16 domestic T20 competitions and claimed that they were investigated by anti-corruption officials on the basis of race. While the SJN was not mandated to look into the match-fixing investigation, the ombudsman “could not find any evidence supporting the contention that black players were targeted during the investigation.”