Long-serving batter regarded as among the best of his generation not to win an England cap

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2022James Hildreth, the long-serving Somerset batter, has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the season, almost 20 years after making his debut for the club.Regarded by some as the best batter of his generation not to have represented England, Hildreth amassed more than 17,000 first-class runs for Somerset, putting him third on the county’s all-time list behind Harold Gimblett and Marcus Trescothick. He currently averages 40.98, with 47 first-class hundreds, but the closest he came to being capped was a handful of Lions appearances more than a decade ago.He is Somerset’s leading run-scorer in T20 cricket, with 3906, and also tallied more than 6000 runs in List A games. Hildreth hit the winning runs when Somerset won the 2005 Twenty20 Cup, aged 20, and then did the same at Lord’s 14 years on to secure the Royal London Cup.Related

Hose joins Worcestershire in bid to revive his red-ball career

Yorkshire sign Milnes from Kent

McManus makes permanent switch from Hampshire to Northants

Abbott extends Hampshire stay with new contract

Hildreth will turn 38 next month, and has only managed 256 runs at 25.60 in this year’s County Championship. He was not involved at all in Somerset’s Blast campaign.”It feels like the right time to start a new chapter in my life and I’m excited about what the future holds,” Hildreth said. “I left school at 18 and have spent the last 20 years with the club. It’s been my life and I’ve loved every minute of it.”The club and cricket as a whole has given myself and my family so much over the last 20 years, and I’ve got nothing but fondness and love for the club and that will continue for the rest of my life. I’m looking forward to being a Somerset supporter and to coming down to watch the guys with my family and my children.”The thing I’ll miss most is the pride that you feel when you pull on that shirt to represent the club and the whole of the south west. The Somerset members and supporters have been incredible to me. They’ve always been so supportive, and I’ve always felt that, whether that’s walking through town or being out on the pitch. I’d like to thank them for their support over the years, and hopefully I’ve managed to bring a little bit of enjoyment into their lives with what I’ve done on the pitch.”Hildreth, who was awarded his county cap in 2007 and a testimonial year in 2017, has made 715 appearances for Somerset – more than any other player – and was a central figure as the club regularly pushed for their first Championship pennant during the 2010s, five times finishing as runners-up.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “James Hildreth will go down in history as one of the best players ever to represent this club. His stats speak for themselves, but his contribution to Somerset cricket has been so much more than that.”During his time at the club he has proved himself to be the model professional and he is the perfect role model for any aspiring player. The way that he has conducted himself both on and off the field has been exemplary, and as such he has become one of the most respected players within the domestic game over the last 20 years.”His name will forever be synonymous with Somerset County Cricket Club, and everyone associated with SCCC wishes James and his family well in their future endeavours. On behalf of everyone at the cub both now and in the past, thank you for so many incredible memories.”Somerset’s head coach, Jason Kerr, recalled two of Hildreth’s “outstanding” innings for the club – a 53-ball T20 hundred against Glamorgan in 2012, and his century on one leg during the final game of the 2016 Championship – while Gordon Hollins, the chief executive, described him as one of the finest batters of his era and a “mainstay of the success that this club has achieved over the last 20 years”.Kerr added: “I guess all good things have to come to an end, but James has had an outstanding career and I’m sure that we’ll see a deserving outpouring of best wishes and superlatives for him over the next few weeks. There’s no doubt he’ll be missed, first and foremost as a person, but obviously also as a cricketer. Players of Hildy’s calibre are few and far between.”

The fast bowling son of a labourer whose “spark” has been noticed by the likes of Rahul Dravid, Nathu Singh will get his chance on a bigger stage against the touring South Africans in a week’s time

Sidharth Monga in Jaipur23-Oct-2015The day the court appointed an ad hoc committee to run Rajasthan cricket, its convenor, Amrit Mathur, received a call from Rahul Dravid. The gist of the conversation was: “this boy” is good, please keep an eye out for him.After the end of the first match, against Delhi, their coach Vijay Dahiya, who joined only from the second match onwards, called Mathur. He had been told about “this boy” by Gautam Gambhir. The gist of this conversation: “we were talking, Gautam mentioned this boy and said that after a long time he has seen new India material, please make sure he is not ruined by over-bowling.”Chairman of national selectors Sandeep Patil happened to watch this boy. Rajinder Hans, another national selector appointed by the court to make sure the Rajasthan Ranji team was selected fairly, obviously saw this boy. And now, this boy, Nathu Singh, son of a labourer in a wire factory, is going to play for the Board President’s XI against the touring South Africans based on “the spark” Patil and team have seen. He has played only three first-class matches.Sometimes a name can evoke the person. Nathu is almost like you know him. Short, endearing. Not quite the immortal “” from the Hindi movie . His pronunciation is different. It’s Naa-thu. The thu is softer too. Until three years ago he used to bowl with a soft ball in the [neighbourhood]. Then a told him he should try a cricket ball because he was too fast for everybody.The first thing you notice about Nathu is the tattoo on his arm. “Mom dad,” it says. His mother and father gambled it all for him. When he took the advice to actually start playing with the cricket ball, he needed to play at an academy. He went to Surana Academy, where the fees was Rs 10,000 for the year. The father had no savings to spare, but he told Nathu: “Whatever I have I will put in. Let’s see for two months how you go.”

A sign of how sick cricket at grassroots levels is in India is that Nathu couldn’t find a place in the Jaipur district side, and had to play for Sikkar, hardly known for its cricket

Two months later the coaches at the academy and Nathu’s [mother’s brother] suggested he be given time because they saw that “spark”. The academy subsidised the fee looking at his family background, and by the end of that year he was in the Rajasthan Under-19 side. The MRF Pace Academy happened too, where he impressed Glenn McGrath. Boots and spikes? “I used to arrange from the seniors,” Nathu says. “Deepak [Chahar] and Aniket [Choudhury] helped me a lot.” Two years ago, when Nathu drew his first match fee, he gave it all to his parents. He still does.A sign of how sick cricket at grassroots levels is in India is that he couldn’t find a place in the Jaipur district side, and had to go and play for Sikkar, hardly known for its cricket. The rest of the machinery, though, has been remarkable in fast-tracking him into playing against a quality opposition.The word around is that he has pace, but more than pace his speciality is that he bowls quick when he bowls at a length. Every coach has told him that. The explanation is this: when you strive to bowl fast, when the pace is not natural but through extra effort, you tend to drag the ball down. Nathu doesn’t need to. “The coaches have also told me I am god-gifted,” Nathu says. “There is no need to work on me.”Time to watch him then. There is a Munaf Patel-like lumber to his walk and his batting. He is lbw first ball against Maharashtra. He looks a mug. His turn to bowl against Maharashtra comes after the new-ball bowlers, Chahar and Choudhury, have had a go. They are 21 for 1 when Nathu begins to meticulously mark his run-up to begin the ninth over of the innings. Four steps from the crease, toe next to the heel, and he marks a line there. Then a long leap to scratch another mark, audibly enough for those outside the fence. Then he goes to the top of his mark.Nathu walks four steps, then skips – not as extravagantly as Junaid Khan or Mohit Sharma – and then takes 10 brisk but comfortable steps into his delivery stride. The leap is high, the action is easy and smooth, and then he puts a big effort into the ball. There is pace. It repeatedly thuds into the gloves of wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik. He looks front-on – he calls himself an inswing bowler – and it will need closer analysis to see if he looks over his front arm just before letting the ball go. This puts stress on the back, but also puts action on the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar does that.In a week’s time, Nathu Singh will have the chance to meet his hero, Dale Steyn, who always has time for young fast bowlers•Associated PressAs of now, though, despite being green, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has not provided any lateral movement to the quicks on either side. Nathu gets late-cut for three consecutive boundaries by Maharashtra captain Rohit Motwani. He is not bowling his speciality: quick length balls. Probably because this is not quite a seaming surface and you have to hit the deck hard. He creates an opportunity with the other batsman Harshad Khadiwale, but sees a catch dropped. That has for long been the fate of the other India player from Rajasthan, Pankaj Singh. Ordinary slip catching has been the bane of Rajasthan quicks.Nathu bowls four wicketless overs before lunch and goes for four fours. He comes back after lunch and bowls a six-over spell that lasts until the afternoon drinks. Easy there, captain. Remember what Dahiya said. But then again, Chahar is off the field with an injury, and Nathu has had his man, Motwani. Motwani tries to back-cut again, but this time Nathu has bowled the quick length ball, which bounces to take the edge.It will be harsh to draw verdicts on his general accuracy or ability to work batsmen out based on just one day’s play, but the spark that everybody has seen is there. There is pace, natural pace, pace even at the end of the day when bowling his 18th over with a 70-over-old ball. Yet another cricketer from India has come up despite, and not because of, the system. The way people have rallied around him is heart-warming. In a week’s time in Mumbai he will meet another good Samaritan, his hero, Dale Steyn, who is never stingy with time or advice for young fast bowlers.The spark has somehow been given the fuel. It is up to him now to burn bright.

MatériaMais Notícias

da stake casino： O Santos encerrou o primeiro turno do Campeonato Brasileiro de 2022 com 26 pontos ganhos, com 6 vitórias, 8 empates e 5 derrotas nos 19 jogos disputados, 22 gols marcados e 16 sofridos. Em relação à 2021, o Peixe terminou o primeiro turno com mais pontos e mais distante da zona de rebaixamento.

RelacionadasSantosLisca elogia sinceridade de John e deixa futuro do goleiro em abertoSantos24/07/2022SantosLisca critica e diz que logística do Santos até Fortaleza ‘foi gincana’Santos24/07/2022SantosLisca valoriza segundo tempo em empate do Santos no CastelãoSantos24/07/2022

da dobrowin：
O Peixe terminou o primeiro turno na nona colocação, com sete pontos de vantagem para o primeiro time na zona de rebaixamento, o Coritiba, que joga nesta segunda contra o Cuiabá. Em caso de vitória do time paranaense ou empate, a diferença será de seis pontos.

No Brasileiro do ano passado, o Peixe somou 22 pontos, com 5 vitórias, 7 empates e 7 derrotas nos 19 jogos disputados, com 20 gols marcados e 25 sofridos. A equipe terminou o primeiro turno na 15ª colocação, apenas três pontos na frente do primeiro time na zona de rebaixamento, o América-MG.

Naquela ocasião, o time era comandado pelo técnico Fernando Diniz, que venceu Ceará, São Paulo, Atlético-MG, Athletico-PR, Chapecoense, empatou com Juventude, Grêmio, Sport, Red Bull Bragantino, Corinthians, Fortaleza e Internacional e perdeu para Bahia, Fluminense, América-MG, Palmeiras, Atlético-GO, Flamengo e Cuiabá.

Nesta temporada, a equipe foi comandada em quatorze jogos pelo trabalho do argentino Fabián Bustos, teve quatro partidas com o interino Marcelo Fernandes e encerrou o turno com a estreia de Lisca. Venceu Coritiba, América-MG, Cuiabá, Juventude, Atlético-GO e Botafogo, empatou com Fluminense, Ceará, Athletico-PR, Internacional, Atlético-MG, Red Bull Bragantino, Corinthians e Fortaleza e perdeu para São Paulo, Goiás, Palmeiras, Flamengo e Avaí.

علق دودو الجباس لاعب فريق بيراميدز، على خسارة لقب الدوري المصري عن الموسم المنقضي، بعد صراع كبير مع الأهلي، موضحًا رأيه في مباراة نهائي كأس مصر المقبلة أمام الزمالك.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع بيراميدز، يوم الخميس المقبل 5 يونيو، في المباراة النهائية لمسابقة كأس مصر، للموسم الحالي 2024-2025.

وقال دودو الجباس في تصريحات إذاعية عبر “ميجا اف ام”: “احتفلنا في الملعب عقب مباراة سيراميكا كليوباترا تقديرًا لما قدمناه خلال الموسم، واحتفلنا بسبب منافستنا وتقديم أداء جيد، أما بشأن الأمور الإدارية، فلا تخصني تمامًا”.

وأكمل: “بيراميدز هو بطل الدوري ولا يصح لأحد أن يقول إننا خسرنا مباراتين أو غير ذلك، بل نحن نافسنا حتى آخر مباراة”.

وتابع: “لم نخسر الدوري كرويًا، ولكن هناك أمور أثرت على استمرار المنافسة، وهناك شيء خارجي بشهادة الجميع، لا يوجد اتفاق بشأن الاحتفال عقب مباراة سيراميكا كليوباترا، وكان لا بد من تلقي مساعدة رابطة الأندية لبيراميدز بسبب نهائي إفريقيا”.

طالع | دودو الجباس: لاعب بيراميدز أفضل من زيزو وإمام عاشور.. ولم نأخذ مكان الأهلي والزمالك

واستطرد: “نحن مسرورون بما وصلنا إليه، ومن حقنا أن نفرح؛ لأننا وصلنا بعد تعب وجهد وهناك أمور أخرى خارجة عن بيراميدز، طوينا صفحة إفريقيا من أجل التتويج ببطولة كأس مصر، وقد اعتدنا على الضغط”.

وواصل: “سنحاول السيطرة على مشاعرنا من أجل التتويج بكأس مصر، سنحتفل قليلًا ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مسرور بوضع بيراميدز وسط الكبار، وأجمل كلمة أسمعها من الناس هي (تستاهلوا الحصول على إفريقيا)، والناس تقدر جيدًا ما وصلنا إليه”.

واختتم: “لم أحسم قراري سواء بالاستمرار أو الاعتزال، ولكني قادر على العطاء لمواسم تالية في الملاعب”.

Fast bowler currently in UK, and unlikely to be risked with series beginning on December 1

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Nov-2022England fast bowler Mark Wood is a doubt for the first Test against Pakistan.Wood has been in the UK recovering from a hip injury sustained during England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign and will join up with the Test squad in Rawalpindi this weekend. Though the injury ruled the 32-year-old out of the semi-final against India, he was considered fit to play in the final against Pakistan before it was decided not to take a risk with selection for such a high-profile match.His rehabilitation is said to be tracking well. However, with just three training days ahead of the start of the series on December 1, it seems unlikely he will be able to accrue the necessary number of overs at a high enough intensity to prepare himself for the rigours of a Test match.Wood returned to international duty in Pakistan during the T20Is after missing the 2022 summer and showed how crucial his pace was as a point of difference, with six wickets at 7.33 in his two appearances in the seven-match series. He carried that form into the World Cup, with nine wickets at 12.00 in four matches, bowling the fastest spells and even walking away with the fastest delivery of the tournament – a full delivery at 154.74kph to New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips.Wood’s absence from the Abu Dhabi leg of this winter, where the squad has been warming up alongside England Lions ahead of their first Test series in Pakistan for 17 years, is unrelated to his injury. Both he and Yorkshire batter Harry Brook were given two weeks at home after the World Cup to rest as they were the only two players in all three first-team squads (Pakistan T20Is, World Cup, Pakistan Tests) before the end of the year.Speaking on Friday after the final day of England’s warm-up match, which was swapped for a two-hour training session, England captain Ben Stokes was optimistic on Wood’s fitness and said there will be no cover drafted into the squad.”No, we’re sticking with it,” said Stokes. “We’re not going to call up another seamer to this group.”We took the decision to let Brooky and Woody spend that time at home, obviously being at Pakistan and the World Cup,” Stokes said. “We felt a week at home for them would be more beneficial, just to get their batteries recharged, and obviously with Woody’s injury, getting home and being around his wife and child would be better than being out here and getting all his rehab, which he could do at home.Ben Stokes looks on during England’s practice session in Abu Dhabi•ECB Images

“We’ve let them go home. I haven’t had much contact with them, just to let them chill out and relax. From all reports, Woody’s coming on nicely and we’ll see how he is when he gets out here.”One addition to the original party of 15 has been Rehan Ahmed. The leg-spinning allrounder was part of the Lions, and officially called up to the main squad on Wednesday. Director of cricket Rob Key revealed on Thursday that this had been the intention all along.It was a huge show of faith in an 18-year-old with just three first-class matches to his name, but those at the ECB, particularly performance director Mo Bobat, are convinced he is ready for this elevation.Stokes evidently feels the same. When asked if he would have any qualms selecting Ahmed in an XI this winter, he was unequivocal in response: “No, absolutely not. That was one of the things where we said ‘yes, we are bringing him into the squad to give him that experience and get him involved’. If anything came down to it and we felt like we wanted to select him, then we definitely would.”He’s obviously not the finished article yet, but we feel with someone like that – the way that he bowls, the way that he bats – getting him into this environment will do him the world of good. Being around all the senior players and getting to work with the best coaches in the world, in my opinion, is only going to do him the world of good.Related

• Ollie Pope to captain England in warm-up as Ben Stokes sits out

• Rehan Ahmed could become youngest man to play a Test for England after call-up for Pakistan tour

• Jofra Archer makes encouraging return to England colours after long injury lay-off

• Rob Key: Rehan Ahmed's Test fast-tracking was the plan all along

“I don’t think this should be looked at as a huge amount of pressure put on his shoulders. I think it should be looked as a great opportunity for a young lad to come in, to be in this environment, and be able to work on his skills. And then hopefully, who knows where the next two or three years will take him. We just wanted to get him in and make him feel comfortable around the ground.Stokes himself has been stepping up his work since the World Cup. He took no part in the first two days of the match between the Test squad and England Lions, instead opting to net and bowl in the middle during the intervals.”I looked at this fixture here in particular, and honestly thought I’d get more out of these three days training,” Stokes said. “Getting my bowling workloads back up again after having a break after the World Cup in particular. I like working on my skills in the nets rather than being out there in the middle. I’ve really benefited from these three days, definitely, and just because I’ve missed this game, I don’t feel like I’ve missed a trick or feel underprepared. We’ve still got three days out in Pakistan to prepare for the first Test.Liam Livingstone has been dealing with a sore ankle this week. But after getting through eight overs of bowling on the field on Thursday, as well as a few more out in the middle during the breaks, Stokes was happy to report a clean bill of health.”There’s no injury within the group which is great – the first time in a while, so that’s good. We’ve had a few lads on the Test tour be out here with the Lions a couple of weeks before we met up. It’s all about peaking at the right time and the message at the start of the camp was to build up towards two days before that Test, and still have something left in the tank to get going, because you don’t want to burn yourself out now and almost be ready a week too early.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca backed star player Cole Palmer amid his sudden slump in form.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Maresca opened up on Palmer's poor form
• Has not scored in last seven league games
• Chelsea next face Copenhagen on March 6

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cole Palmer, who started the 2024-25 campaign on a high, saw a sudden dip in form at a time when the Blues saw their ambitions for a top-four Premier League finish falter. The England star has now gone seven straight matches without a goal, which has raised a few eyebrows at Stamford Bridge.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Maresca, however, is not worried about his star player's performance as he jumped to the attacker's defence. The Italian coach also informed that Palmer is not under any pressure and believes he will regain his form soon. Before the goal drought started, the 22-year-old had recorded 14 league goals and six assists.

• WHAT ENZO MARESCA SAID

  Speaking to , the Blues manager said: "We are all former players. All of us went through some bad moments. You cannot expect Palmer to be like he was last season or how he was in the first part of the season. It's normal. He is human. I was telling him it was normal. He is happy. He is OK. He has shared the changing room with some top players and he knows that every top player goes through bad moments. It's about how you react. Keep working, keep laughing, keep calm, be happy and enjoy the football. It's the only thing you have to do."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  The West London side will be back in action next Thursday as they take on Copenhagen in the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 fixture.

MS Dhoni’s tactical moves could make you pull your hair out but off the field, he brought trust to the Indian dressing room. He could let Test matches drift, but his control of his team was absolute

Sidharth Monga01-Jan-20153:28

The longest reign of a wicketkeeper-captain

There is a little story from the World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 that tells you as much as any about MS Dhoni the captain. He was leading a side of young unknowns into the unknown – a format India hadn’t accepted yet – when news came from India that Rahul Dravid had given up the captaincy and that Dhoni had been made the ODI captain. Captains usually publicly accept the job. Steven Smith did four press conferences in the first week of his Australia captaincy. The first two were on successive days: first he was unveiled as captain, and on the next day he showed up for the pre-Gabba Test discussion.Smith is 25. Dhoni was 26 back then. And ODI cricket is big deal in India. You just couldn’t get him to do a press conference or talk about captaincy. He was reluctant to the point of being shy. The team manager tried, some senior journalists tried, phone calls from home arrived, and eventually he gave in, agreeing to read out a statement while coming out of the nets in Durban. He didn’t take any questions.The template was being set. Dhoni was taking up a job that would ask him questions every step of the way, but he wanted to answer few of them. He hadn’t gone out seeking the job. He saw it as any other job that he wanted to end at stumps. He wanted to enjoy the captaincy, not the paraphernalia that comes along with it.Dhoni’s Test captaincy began similarly, without much scrutiny or intrusion, but not by design. Anil Kumble was on his last legs, missing as many Tests as he was playing. Dhoni didn’t even do a press conference on the eve of his captaincy debut, for Kumble pulled out only later. India won easily in Kanpur. To the toss Dhoni wore a blazer two sizes too big. He’d soon get one made for himself, but he was never a blazer man.Later that year Dhoni and Kumble shared the reins in a series once again. The matches that Dhoni captained, India won. Kumble managed draws. It is instructive again that in his first Test as full-time captain, against Australia in Nagpur, Dhoni was hailed as a tactical genius for a move bedded essentially in defence. Australia were trailing in the series, they had to do all the running, and Dhoni gave them an 8-1 off-side field and asked Ishant Sharma to bowl well out of their reach. Frustrated, Australia threw away their wickets, and 1-0 became 2-0.It was a clever move. There are many ways to skin a cat. This one was skinned through denial. Then again this was a finite environment. Dhoni knew if he could deny Australia runs for long enough, he would ensure a series win, and then take the rest as a bonus. Dhoni is spectacular when cricket is finite. Limited to 20 overs. To 50 overs. When there is a result in sight. It was when the possibilities were thrown wide open that he showed he was limited.Dhoni’s ambition was limited too. He showed a great fear of losing. In Wellington, in the last Test of his first away series as captain, Dhoni sat on the series lead again, and set New Zealand 617 to win with forecast of rain on the final evening. Until then New Zealand had scored 600 only three times in their history. And only one team had ever scored 600 in the fourth innings: England in the timeless Test in 1939. In the first innings of this Test, New Zealand hadn’t even reached 200. India had taken eight wickets when rain arrived, giving them just the draw.Dhoni expressed no regret at setting New Zealand such a ridiculous target. Some New Zealanders still rib India about their declaration. This was pragmatism taken to frustrating extremes. This was the story of a majority of Dhoni’s career as Test captain. Too easily he would let games drift, control his only means of taking wickets. Sometimes the batting bailed him out, like at P Sara Oval, when he had let Thilan Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis run away with the game. Sometimes he let golden opportunities go, like at Newlands when he sat back on defence too early in the injured Jacques Kallis’ second dig. Sometimes it worked, but mostly at home, when his spinners and Zaheer Khan provided him the control he was after.Dhoni’s fast bowlers have rarely given him what is required of Test bowlers•Getty ImagesThere would be passages of play when Dhoni would make you want to pull your hair out. In Nagpur, December 2012, India were behind in the series against England. This was the last Test of the series. India had to do everything to force a result. It was a slow pitch that made run-scoring extremely difficult. In response to England’s 330 in 145.5 overs, India were 297 for 8 in 130.1 overs at the end of the third day. We were getting into the moving day, the fourth day. India spent the first hour, 62 golden minutes, scoring just 29 runs. The lack of match awareness was mindboggling. In the previous Test England had brought the fields up for R Ashwin for the last two balls of the over. Here Ashwin said he was surprised they didn’t. The dressing room remained cool.This cool became infuriating. Dhoni had taken India to soaring heights in limited-overs cricket by remaining cool. In Tests, sometimes, you have to make things happen. Under him, India didn’t make things happen. They accepted fate too easily. They accepted too easily that some of the seniors had the right to decide when they wanted to go. They accepted too easily that some players had the right to choose IPL even if it jeopardised their chances of winning or drawing Tests. They accepted too easily that a 1-0 series lead was enough in the West Indies, and they called off a chase with 86 required in 15 overs and seven wickets in hand. You felt like holding Dhoni by the shoulders and shaking him up.There is more, though, to India’s captaincy than just tactics, bowling changes and field sets. The previous long-term captain quit because he couldn’t handle all that. Sachin Tendulkar’s recent book has proved how difficult even such a consummate professional could be to handle at most times. Dhoni managed all that brilliantly. He rid most of his players of any insecurity. Players found it hard to break into the side, but once they did they were assured decent runs before playing themselves out of it. Outsiders ceased to be a factor in the dressing room. Trust was a big factor. A regular occurrence in the past, players now hardly sulked to journalists. A youngster was left out of the side because he leaked what happened in a team meeting to a journalist.Dhoni could demand all this because his control was absolute. He had a board president in whose company he was a vice-president, for whose company’s team he played IPL, and who vetoed a move to sack him as captain after 8-0. Dhoni was untouchable now. He stopped squatting in his wicketkeeping stance. He stopped going for catches between him and first slip. This is not about integrity and commitment, but sometimes you need a nudge from the rest of the team and the selectors. You wondered if he was being reminded of this. Trevor Penney, the fielding coach at one time, said in a press conference that the slips have to realise that Dhoni won’t go for those catches.As a batsman he applied himself much more even though he didn’t seem to always trust himself outside Asia. He showed his more talented batsmen what could be achieved through application. In England, in 2014, he took the responsibility of batting at No. 6 in order to force results, and faced the second-highest number of balls among India batsmen. At home, he could set up declarations, he could counterattack as he did in his superb double-century to take the series decidedly away from Australia in 2012-13. He became a regular No. 6 at home, allowing the luxury of another spinner. That will surely be missed now.**Dhoni was India’s captain. He let others bask in glory when matches were won. He gamely took all responsibility for losses, although he still didn’t answer questions. A lot of it he deserved, but no appraisal of his Test career will be complete without looking at the other side of the story. Since he took over the captaincy full time, against England at home in 2008-09, India have spent 120 overs or more in the field on 36 occasions. That’s six more than the next-worst, Sri Lanka. Over the same period, only Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been more profligate than India.Dhoni’s fast bowlers have rarely given him what is required of Test bowlers. The quick ones don’t remain fit, the fit ones don’t bowl quick, and the in-between ones keep bowling loose balls to release the pressure. His spinners were outplayed by England’s at home. Did they fail to respond because the captaincy was defensive, or was the captaincy defensive because the bowling was ordinary? The circle of Dhoni’s Test life.In a period of seven years, Dhoni has gone up and down in his keeping stance 1,13,120 times with captaincy also on his mind•Getty ImagesNo other wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket has captained in 20 Tests. Dhoni did so in 60. All the while he also captained in as many ODIs, T20Is and IPL matches as he could. In a period of seven years, Dhoni has gone up and down in his keeping stance 1,13,120 times with captaincy also on his mind. Slow fielders at times. Inconsistent bowlers almost always. Fading seniors. Erring juniors. Over-rates. Overenthusiastic sledgers. Around fifty squats per day, without counting IPL matches.No other player has put himself through this strain over the period. The price of this effort is paid by the body. For a long time towards the end of his Test career, Dhoni has been shaking hands softly and carefully so as to not hurt his fingers. His lower back has begun to give him trouble, which he has kept to himself and to the team. He has continued, though. He has maintained he doesn’t want a long career in the sport. He wants to make the most of it while his body supports the strain, play as many games as possible before it gives up.By all means it is a super-human effort. But was it necessary, was he so indispensable in Tests?**On the last tour of Australia, Dhoni was asked pointblank why he was still captaining, what excited him about the job. He had lost seven away Tests in a row. His captaincy was being panned. There were issues in the dressing room. Dhoni didn’t get flustered. He didn’t shoot back. He waited and then said, “It’s an interesting responsibility given to me. The challenge excites me. The challenge to be with the senior guys, the challenge to groom the youngsters, to keep the dressing-room atmosphere good. Leading a side is all about when the team is not doing well.”Dhoni had been inconspicuous as the team rode the success of the seniors and of Zaheer to rise to No. 1 in Test cricket. The foreign tours broke the team’s back. Dhoni had now decided to become more in charge. He wanted to build his own team. To win home Tests and then given a better account of himself and of his side in the next cycle of away tours.Dhoni asked for turning wickets at home. The ordinariness of his spinners cost him the series against England, but they whitewashed Australia. On the away leg he came a desperate man. He pushed himself up to play another bowler, who always turned out to be ordinary. His bowlers weren’t giving him much control, but Dhoni had become too funky. Leg slips, silly mid-offs, fly slips, all kinds of positions would be tried too early in an innings. The bouncer became his new friend. It won him a Test at Lord’s, but cost him two in Australia, including his last. It seemed a bit of an admission that he doesn’t have the bowlers who can win him away Tests in conventional manner.Apart from that he has left a mostly settled team behind him. The last four debutants were signs of desperation, but 10 of the 12 previous ones were and will continue for some time to be part of India’s Test squads. There is continuity to the side. Dhoni deserves credit for facilitating this transition. The near-misses over the last year will rankle him. Maybe they took a heavy toll on his mind. Maybe his body just couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe he wanted to end it after this series, but his body gave him signals he could risk his World Cup prospects if he kept straining his lower back or bad hands for another Test. We don’t know. We have never known with Dhoni.**It was about time, too, many think. India needed newer ideas on the field. They had come as far as Dhoni could bring them. It was now time for someone else to see what he can do with these bowling resources. Resolve the egg-and-chicken situation. Every time India have let a Test slip, every time India have lost an away series, every time there have been tactical errors, we have said to Dhoni what rebellious adolescents say to their parents: you are old school, we can look after ourselves better, we are better off without you. And he has smiled back like all-knowing parents, infuriating us further. He is no longer there now. We’ll soon find out how much better off we are without him, but that smile will be missed.

Enzo Maresca has enjoyed a solid start to life as Chelsea boss, only losing twice in their first 11 matches of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

The Blues have only tasted defeat against Manchester City and Liverpool, sitting third in the table on 19 points – but remain nine points off Arne Slot’s side, who occupy the top spot after the third international break.

After another summer of transfer arrivals, the new talents have wasted no time in making an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, undoubtedly boosting their chances of finishing within the top four come the end of May.

Pedro Neto arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a deal in the region of £54m, but has already showcased his talents, scoring his first league strike against Arsenal last time out, securing a point for the Blues against their London rivals.

Big-money additions have become a regular occurrence after the takeover of Todd Boehly in 2022, but the club have often had to balance the books as a result.

The club are no stranger to a big-money departure, recouping a lorryload of money over the years from player departures.

Chelsea’s record departures from Stamford Bridge

Winger Eden Hazard was undoubtedly a fan-favourite during his time in West London, scoring 110 times within his seven years as a player at the Bridge.

The Belgian captured the hearts of the fanbase with his mazy dribbling ability, helping the side get out of numerous close encounters and cagey affairs.

However, despite their Europa League triumph at the end of the 2018/19 season, Hazard departed the Blues for a deal in the region of £130m – joining Spanish giants Real Madrid in a club-record departure for Chelsea.

Kai Havertz joined the Blues in a £75m deal back in the summer of 2020, making himself an instant hero at the club during his debut campaign in England.

The German international scored nine times during his opening year in the capital, only finding the net once in Europe, but that would be his biggest goal during his time at Chelsea, scoring the only goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City back at the end of 2020/21.

However, a handful of years on, he now plays his trade for London rivals Arsenal, after joining the Gunners in a £65m deal last summer – aiming to bolster Mikel Arteta’s ranks.

The transfer makes him the second most expensive departure in Chelsea history, but the club may currently have their own version of a £100m star who was of interest to Maresca this summer.

1) Eden Hazard

2019/20

£130m

2) Kai Havertz

2023/24

£65m

3) Mason Mount

2023/24

£60m

4) Diego Costa

2017/18

£57m

5) Oscar

2016/17

£52m

Chelsea’s £100m star in the making

Over the summer, Chelsea were on the lookout for a new striker, which led to Newcastle United talisman Alexander Isak being linked with a transfer to the Bridge.

However, despite the interest, the £100m valuation from Eddie Howe’s side put the Blues off a potential move for the Swede, with the Italian sticking with Nicolas Jackson as his primary option in the final third.

It’s a decision that appears to have been a blessing in disguise, with the Senegalese international enjoying his spell as a regular starter this campaign – being ranked as a similar player to Isak by FBref after his displays in the Premier League.

The “extraordinary” Jackson, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has outscored the Magpies’ talent, whilst achieving a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate than his fellow striker.

Games played

11

9

Goals & assists

9

6

Shot-on-target accuracy

56%

39%

Shots on target per game

1.5

1.2

Pass accuracy

74%

74%

Take-ons completed

45%

25%

Jackson has also completed more take-ons whilst also matching Isak for his pass accuracy, showcasing how much his all-round game has developed this season – undoubtedly benefiting from the faith shown in him by Maresca this season.

At the age of just 23, the former Villarreal ace has the opportunity to develop even further and become a real crucial player in the Maresca era at the Bridge, possibly preventing any big-money additions in the centre-forward position.

Many fans craved that big-money signing over the summer, but Jackson has proven that he has the skill set to be a success in England’s top flight and be the main man for the club as a focal point.

Like for Isak, a £100m price tag will surely soon be coming his way…

Sanchez & Jackson axed for £124m signings: Chelsea's dream XI after January

Chelsea could replace Sanchez with a £58m signing in their dream starting XI after January.

ByConnor Holden Nov 21, 2024

As if their recent frustrations couldn’t increase any further, Newcastle United could now lose one of Eddie Howe’s best players with a European giant reportedly plotting a move to seal a dream deal.

Newcastle transfer news

Injuries quickly catching up to a Newcastle side who were not given nearly enough reinforcements during the summer transfer window always felt like the narrative that the Magpies’ season would follow. And after four games without victory in the Premier League, that is very much the case.

Howe: "Incredible" Newcastle ace may feature vs Chelsea after training well

Eddie Howe has provided a positive verdict.

By
Henry Jackson

Oct 22, 2024

Without the likes of Sven Botman, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier, Howe’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion and extended their run without a goal from open play to 360 minutes in all competitions. With Chelsea in the Premier League and then the Carabao Cup up next too, things aren’t set to get any easier for a squad already struggling to keep up with such a hectic schedule.

Now, recent reports suggest that those at St James’ Park may yet suffer another blow away from the action. According to reports in Spain, AC Milan now want to hand Sandro Tonali a dream return in 2025 after sanctioning a move worth a reported £55m to Newcastle in 2023.

Newcastle have of course only just welcomed the return of Tonali after he missed the majority of last season through suspension. It would, therefore, be a major blow if he departed back to Milan as early as next year, given how the Magpies remained patient amid a start to life at St James’ Park that was full of turbulence.

The concern from a Newcastle perspective should be that rejecting his boyhood club may well prove to be an impossible task for £120,000-a-week Tonali, who admitted himself leaving San Siro was the “toughest decision” of his life.

Newcastle must keep hold of "great" Tonali

Whilst Newcastle haven’t exactly made the greatest transfer decisions in the last year, allowing Tonali to return to Milan not even two years after he arrived in Tyneside would be their worst decision of all. Should the Italian depart back to his boyhood club next summer, then he’d have spent the majority of his Newcastle career on the sidelines through suspension before bidding farewell in what should be seen as the worst-case scenario for the Magpies.

Howe, like many at St James’ Park, should be desperate to keep Tonali. The Newcastle boss was full of praise for the Italian when he made his return against Nottingham Forest earlier this season, saying via Yahoo Sport: “I thought he did well fitness wise considering the lack of match action he’s had. I think he can be really pleased with the reception he got from the Newcastle supporters at the end.

“You could see the amount of Italian flags in the crowd, that embrace with the supporters. A lot of emotion coming out from Sandro’s side and, of course, from the supporters’ side back. That connection is so important for any player, and he will be hugely boosted by that. But a great day for him, a great return and a positive result.”

Tabraiz Shamsi will miss the men’s Hundred final to play for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, in the latest blow to a competition that will be short on international quality in the knockout stages.Shamsi, the South African left-arm wristspinner, has taken five wickets in his six appearances in the Hundred this season, playing for Trent Rockets as a replacement for Rashid Khan.He was one of the few remaining overseas players in the men’s Hundred who is part of his country’s first-choice T20 side, but has left ahead of Guyana’s opening CPL game on Saturday and will miss the final at Lord’s as a result.Rockets will not be permitted to sign another replacement, as teams can only use players who were registered in the group stages during knockout games in the Hundred. Regulations were changed for this season after Tim David, a last-minute signing, made a game-changing intervention in the inaugural final.Marchant de Lange, the South African fast bowler, is available to fill Rockets’ third overseas slot alongside Colin Munro and Daniel Sams, but is yet to feature this season and Andy Flower may see Matthew Carter, the offspinner, as a more direct replacement for Shamsi.Related

• Alex Hales fifty sets Rockets soaring, Tabraiz Shamsi guides them to victory

• Tabraiz Shamsi dedicates starring role for Rockets to wife and hospitalised son

• The £250,000 gamble that defined Welsh Fire's winless season

• Dawid Malan fifty ensures Trent Rockets comfortably qualify for Hundred play-offs

Shamsi’s departure continues a worrying trend for the competition as a whole, which has been shorn of its star names as the group stages have worn on. London Spirit, who will play in Friday night’s eliminator at the Ageas Bowl, will use only two of their permitted three overseas players in the knockout stages in Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis.Kieron Pollard made six appearances for them before leaving for the CPL, Glenn Maxwell played four games before returning to Australia for an ODI series against Zimbabwe, and his replacement Josh Inglis made a single appearance before he was called up to Australia’s squad as injury cover.Spirit will play the winner of Manchester Originals’ game against Oval Invincibles in the eliminator, both of whom are without several of their first-choice overseas players.Originals have lost Wanindu Hasaranga (denied an NOC), Andre Russell (CPL) and Sean Abbott (Australia duty) at various stages and fielded Tristan Stubbs, Ashton Turner and Josh Little as their overseas trio in their last game against Birmingham Phoenix on Sunday.Invincibles, meanwhile, are without Sunil Narine (CPL) and Mohammad Hasnain (Pakistan duty) and picked Rilee Rossouw, Hilton Cartwright and Peter Haztoglou in their win against Spirit at Lord’s on Saturday.