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Dougie Brown reflects on poor finish to their batting as one of the turning points
Peter Della Penna13-Apr-2019UAE may have been denied an opportunity to pull off an upset courtesy bad light, but their head coach Dougie Brown feels it was the correct decision to walk off. When the match was decided by DLS method, Zimbabwe needed 25 off three overs with six wickets in hand.Brown felt the light had been deteriorating badly for some time as play continued for several minutes beyond the sunset time of 5.49pm. This extension was largely a result of a two-hour delay for rain in the first innings that resulted in the chase being truncated to 35 overs, off which Zimbabwe were set a revised 210.”It’s not an ideal way to finish a one-day international, because of bad light,” Brown told ESPNcricinfo. “If I’m honest, it was very, very dark. We probably could have come off a couple of overs earlier but we didn’t. The umpires tried to keep us on the field, which I think was the right decision, while spin was being bowled. But the game was still very much in the balance at 25 required off 18 balls.”I think going off because of the light was the correct decision, but it’s really bitterly disappointing for either team that none of us really got a chance to win the game.”Brown gave credit to Shaiman Anwar and Ghulam Shabber giving UAE a chance to win in the first place. The pair offset Kyle Jarvis’ three-for inside seven overs by putting together 131 on either side of the rain break at the 29-over mark.”We lost the toss again and it was very favourable conditions to bowl,” Brown said. “They bowled really well for the first three wickets but thereafter Shaiman and Shabber played exceptionally well and they deserve a hell of a lot of credit for the way that they went about constructing their innings. Disappointing to not finish as well as we could have done, but was wery happy to be defending 209 in 35 overs.”The pitch was still offering a little bit for us although the outfield was wet so we had to try and make sure we dipped in with the new ball. We bowled pretty well. We didn’t quite manage to get too many wickets with the new ball but we chipped away and got ourselves into a winning position at one stage. It was disappointing not to get across the line but you would expect a Full Member like Zimbabwe with experience in their ranks to fight, and fight is exactly what they did.”Even though UAE was in a decent position in the field at 92 for 4 in the 20th over in the field defending an adjusted total of 209, Brown says the Zimbabwean pair of Regis Chakabva and Peter Moor batted exceptionally well to get back in front in DLS before play was called off. Moor in particular boosted Zimbabwe in the waning overs to finish with an unbeaten 45 off 33 balls.”We need to give a bit of credit to Zimbabwe for the way that they scrapped,” Brown said. “They got themselves into a bit of a hole themselves. We dug ourselves out of one and they managed to dig themselves out of one. At 92 for 4, if they lose a fifth wicket, particularly Moor – we know he’s a dangerous player and as captain he feels that he’s got to carry the team’s outcome on his shoulders. We knew we had to get him out but he didn’t give a chance and he played really well.”Brown also underlined UAE’s poor finish to their innings as one of the factors in the loss. In the six overs left to bat after play was reduced to 35 overs, UAE lost six wickets, including 4 for 4 runs in the last 11 balls.”We messed up the last five overs,” Brown said. “We only scored 31 runs and lost six wickets. We probably pride ourselves in being able to finish an innings pretty well but I think they played well. They bowled well, made good plans and we didn’t quite manage to react to the plans that they had. It’s disappointing to come away having only scored the 31 runs off the last five overs but they deserve a bit of credit for the plans they put in place.”
Jason Roy also absent for birth of child, meaning recalls for Sam Billings and Dawid Malan
George Dobell21-Feb-2019
Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler celebrate the victory•BCCI
Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes have been rested from England’s T20 squad for the three-match series against West Indies.Buttler and Stokes, key members of the side in all three formats, will be allowed to return home immediately after the fifth ODI of the current series against the same opposition. Both men face a hectic 2019 schedules which include the World Cup, the Ashes and spells at the IPL, which starts on March 23.But Ed Smith, the national selector, insisted there was no way the decision to rest them from the T20 series should be interpreted as a case of prioritising franchise cricket over England duty.”I have not favoured franchise cricket over international cricket,” Smith said. “The contracts that Jos and Ben had with their franchises pre-date my involvement. There were a set of obligations in place and, with a busy year coming up, I’ve accepted the strong recommendations of the head coach to rest these guys now.”Jason Roy will also miss the West Indies T20s to ensure he is on hand for the birth of his first child. As a result, Sam Billings and Dawid Malan have been recalled to the squad for the first time since last year’s tour of Australia and New Zealand.”Sam is a very talented cricketer who hits the ball as hard as anyone,” Smith said. “But he’s been in a position where he’s been picked up by franchises but then not always been playing. And he’s been in England squads but not always been playing.”So last summer we took a view that we didn’t want him to be in a squad and not playing. So we left him out so he could play for Kent and he captained them to a Lord’s final and promotion. He then played both legs of full Lions tours before and after Christmas and I think that will have been a good thing for him. He has considerable ability.”Dawid would love an England career across all three formats. It’s just a question of where the opportunities come and, when he has played T20, he has grabbed his chances.”There were also discussions over whether to rest Joe Root. Ultimately, however, Root, who has not always commanded a place in England’s T20 team, was keen to play.”Joe is an absolutely critical asset for English cricket in the very big 2019 summer,” Smith said. “His form and preparation is essential for England, so we did discuss resting him. But he is very keen to play in these games. He feels playing in the white-ball sides offers a different experience to captaining the Test side and he likes that blend.”While Smith is usually reluctant to talk about players outside the squad, he did confirm that James Vince’s good form in various franchise tournaments “had been noted” and said he remained in discussions.He also had praise for Harry Gurney, who ended up with a winner’s medal from a successful period in the BBL. “Harry has terrific skills,” Smith said. “And we’re very aware of what he’s doing. But he misses out in this instance.”England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, David Willey, Mark Wood
Andre Onana admits to finding it “strange” that fans chose to support him, rather than abuse, during an error-strewn start at Manchester United.
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Emmanuel Petit has advised Arsenal to break the bank on two attackers who could emulate Erling Haaland, but told the Gunners to avoid Alexander Isak.
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Christian Pulisic has opened up on the differences between AC Milan and his former team Chelsea as he explained why he is faring much better in Italy.
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Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching after a spate of poor results in ODIs, and identified that they need to become better across a variety of conditions and not just prosper on turning tracks
Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Aug-2018Sri Lanka have done some soul-searching. It was perhaps overdue, given the number of ODIs they have lost over the past 19 months. But even if there are only 10 months to go until the World Cup, it has finally happened, and problems have been identified. Essentially, Sri Lanka have been left behind in a format they were once pioneers in, and must now “change the way [they] play”, as Angelo Mathews puts it, to have any hope of closing the vast gap with the best teams.”We have to take a look at where we have gone wrong in the past,” Mathews said ahead of the third ODI against South Africa, in which Sri Lanka will attempt to avoid a series loss. “In the last 36 ODIs, we have won only nine games and we keep giving excuses. We can give excuses like we have had too many captains, or we’ve rotated too many players. The fact remains that in the last ten series or so we have won only one. We need to change the way we think and our strategies. We sat as a group and we are going to change the way we play.”One of the changes Mathews hopes to make is to become more proficient across a variety of conditions, rather than simply being specialists on spinning tracks at home. The first two matches in Dambulla were played on more batting-friendly tracks than were seen in the Test series – perhaps a purposeful shift, to allow Sri Lanka to accustom themselves to the style of pitches expected in England next year.”Ten months away from World Cup we need to find out whether we are going to gain anything by playing on dusty slow wickets against a team like South Africa,” Mathews said. “Usually what we do when we play teams like England, South Africa and Australia is to give them turning wickets. We rely on our spinners too much, I think. In Tests that is fine, but you cannot do that in ODIs, as you need to look at the bigger picture, which is the World Cup.”We have got to start playing on good wickets. Yes, it might take a bit of time but I can assure you that the team will improve going forward and once the guys get used to it, we can win overseas. The last nine series if you take we have chassed more than 300 three times. That shows that we are a good team and we can play on good wickets. That is the change that we need to make.”Aside from an over-reliance on spin, poor fielding has also plagued Sri Lanka since the start of 2017. On Wednesday, in the second ODI, Sri Lanka dropped two straightforward catches inside the first 10 overs of South Africa’s chase, and had also been woeful in the field. Mathews had said Sri Lanka had fielded like “school kids” right after the loss, and he had more harsh words on his team ahead of the third ODI.
“It was a terrible day for us when it comes to fielding. The first 40 minutes was like a joke – I have never seen my team fielding as bad as we did in the last game. Hopefully it was just a one-off.”
Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be targeting the loan signing of a forward from Barcelona, with under-pressure Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou still on the hunt for his first outfield transfer as we approach the business end of January.
The Lilywhites were involved in a high-profile race with Juventus for Randal Kolo Muani’s signature recently, but they eventually lost out to the Old Lady.
Tottenham now in pole position to sign "super" £30m Premier League forward
Spurs are the “biggest competitor”.
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Emilio Galantini
Jan 22, 2025
Tottenham held discussions with PSG over Kolo Muani, after the France international was deemed surplus to requirements by Luis Enrique and allowed to depart the Parc des Princes before February 3rd.
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Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
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Leicester City (home) |
January 26 |
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Brentford (away) |
February 2 |
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Man United (home) |
February 16 |
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Ipswich Town (home) |
February 22 |
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Man City (home) |
February 26 |
The 26-year-old, who bagged a sensational 15 goals and 14 assists in all competitions during his best season at Eintracht Frankfurt, was deemed one of the best versatile forwards available on the market (David Ornstein), so Spurs officials will have been very disappointed to miss out on his services.
Now, Postecoglou’s side have re-entered the market for another wide player, as they look to back their manager who’s been forced to cope with a serious injury crisis at N17 throughout the campaign.
Tottenham are believed to be the main contenders to sign Tyler Dibling from Southampton, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, but his English colleague Lyall Thomas has since reported that the 18-year-old will command a hefty £55 million transfer fee.
The price quoted for Dibling could be too much for Tottenham mid-season, but there is another potential loan option in the form of Barcelona forward Ansu Fati.
The Spain international spent 2023/2024 on loan at Brighton, where he scored four goals and bagged one assist in 30 total appearances, since returning to the Camp Nou and enduring a very mixed season.
Fati has suffered from a few injury problems this term, which have largely kept him out of Hansi Flick’s first-team, and he’s failed to make any real impact when available.
As per one Spanish media source, Tottenham could offer the £227,000-per-week attacker a route back to the Premier League.
Indeed, it is believed that Spurs have made a proposal to sign Fati on loan from Barcelona, which would include an option to buy. The Catalans could be tempted by this offer, as they actively seek to find the 22-year-old a new club.
However, Tottenham would need to take on a hefty portion of his wages, and Fati is apparently more in favour of remaining at his current club despite his squad status.
Nevertheless, Postecoglou’s men have apparently “set their sights” on signing Fati before the deadline.
Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 84 was the only positive for Mumbai as RCB romped home with 22 balls to spare
Hemant Brar02-Apr-20232:05
Dasgupta: Kohli’s break has helped him re-ignite the fire
Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis hit scintillating half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore marked their homecoming with a dominating eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.The win was set up by Royal Challengers’ bowlers. After inserting Mumbai in, du Plessis used seven of them; except Glenn Maxwell who bowled just one over, everyone else picked up at least one wicket.That Mumbai could post 171 for 7 in itself was an achievement. After 15 overs, they were 102 for 5 but Tilak Varma’s magnificent 84 not out off 46 balls gave them something to fight with.Du Plessis and Kohli, though, showed how much under par Mumbai were. The pair added 148 in 14.5 overs for the opening stand, du Plessis hitting a 43-ball 73 and Kohli an unbeaten 82 off 49. Between them, they hit 11 fours and as many sixes. When Kohli hit the winning six, 22 balls were still left in the game.Impact Player – Behrendorff in for SuryakumarMumbai, who had started the game with three overseas players, brought in Jason Behrendorff in the second innings. He replaced Suryakumar Yadav, but it made little difference as Behrendorff went for 37 in three wicketless overs. Royal Challengers were in such a comfortable position throughout that they didn’t even use an Impact Player.A powerless powerplayM Chinnaswamy Stadium is infamous for being the bowlers’ graveyard. However, that wasn’t the case in the first innings, with the ball coming slightly slower off the surface. Mohammed Siraj bowled three overs in the powerplay for just five runs and Ishan Kishan’s wicket. Kishan had hit two fours off Reece Topley in the second over but Siraj created the pressure with dot balls. When Kishan tried to break away, he ended up miscuing one to deep third.Batting at No. 3, Cameron Green lasted only four balls and was castled by a Topley yorker. Siraj could have had Rohit Sharma too in the next over. After bowling three dots in a row to Rohit, Siraj went for a bouncer. Rohit countered it with a pull, only to top-edge it straight up. But Siraj couldn’t hear Dinesh Karthik’s call – blame it on the deafening noise by the spectators – and ended up colliding with the wicketkeeper, and the chance went down. It didn’t prove costly, though, as Akash Deep had Rohit caught behind three balls later. Rohit made 1 off ten balls; Mumbai ended the powerplay on 29 for 3.Tilak Varma raises his bat after reaching a well-deserved half-century•BCCIVarma plays a lone handComing in at 19 for 3, Varma opened his account with a second-ball six. Suryakumar’s wicket in the ninth over left Mumbai at 48 for 4 but Varma kept playing his shots. He hit Maxwell for a six and four off successive balls before scooping Deep four a boundary in the next over.He found some support from debutant Nehal Wadhera who hit Karn Sharma for back-to-back sixes, the second one going landing on the roof over long-on. When he tried it for the third time, he holed out. In his next over, Karn dealt a much bigger blow by bowling Tim David.Varma appeared immune to all that and brought up his fifty in 32 balls. His knock had steered Mumbai to 133 for 7 after 18 overs. Then, Siraj lost his radar and sent down five off-side wides – four of them in a row. To make it worse, Varma picked up two fours as well in the over.Harshal Patel had conceded only 21 from his first three overs but he too bore the brunt now, going for 22 in the last over of the innings. Arshad Khan, the other debutant on the night, smashed the second ball of the over for a six. Varma followed it with a pulled four before wrapping up the innings with a helicoptered six.Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli started strongly for Royal Challengers Bangalore•BCCIThe du Plessis-Kohli showMumbai’s left-arm seamers Behrendorff and Arshad found swing with the new ball, but du Plessis defused that threat by using his feet. He went down the track three times in Behrendorff’s second over, hitting one four and two successive sixes.Jofra Archer failed to latch on to a tough return catch from Kohli off his first ball for Mumbai. On the next, Kohli steered him for four, and then went down the track to launch a slower one over long-off.Du Plessis too enjoyed his luck when Kishan dropped him off Piyush Chawla in the fifth over, and took the side to 53 for no loss at the end of the powerplay. A couple of overs later, he welcomed Green into the attack with two fours and a six.Du Plessis brought up his fifty – off 29 balls – with a six off Hrithik Shokeen and celebrated it with another six on the spinner’s next ball. Kohli, despite hitting some eye-catching shots, was playing second fiddle to du Plessis. He took 38 balls for his half-century but by the time du Plessis got out, he had almost caught up with him.Karthik was promoted to No. 3. He fetched a three-ball duck but Maxwell smashed two sixes in three balls to take Royal Challengers to the brink of victory.
Three books on the master commentator and Australia captain offer you the wisdom of Benaud
Paul Edwards20-Dec-2015Sometimes it is wise to succumb to temptation. Asked to review three books that celebrate the life of Richie Benaud, this cricket writer is itching to respond in the pithy style of the great man himself:And now he has. Not a word wasted there, and potential readers can get on with the business of ordering.Yet even sitting at a desk, one intuits the late Benaud’s distaste for hyperbole. If you must, Benaud might say, but can we please dispose of this idea? Before long, Benaud’s list of truly great men and women is produced and one recalls his dismissal of the idea that Shane Warne getting out for 99 might be labelled “a tragedy”. Words are not candyfloss.All of which illustrate one of the beguiling paradoxes of Benaud’s career – that while no one in cricket was more easily or frequently impersonated, there was still nobody like him.All three of these books are anthologies and each has plenty to commend it. The ideal stocking-filler is probably , edited by Rob Smyth, which does not suffer in the least from being confined to extracts from the but might have benefited from the inclusion of a contents page. A particular strength of Smyth’s book is that the last third of it includes a season-by-season chronicle of Benaud’s career, but we also have a host of tributes to his skill as a commentator and his shrewd assessments of his countrymen. For example, there is this from the 1973 on Dennis Lillee:
“Though he looks flamboyant in action on the field, Lillee is essentially a man of simple character, preferring a king-size steak to the more spicy continental dishes, and the occasional glass of beer to the magnum of champagne… On the field, a man who shows an obvious dislike to batsmen, he is of equable temperament once the day’s play is over, and the only thing he is prepared to dislike in cricket at the moment is the type of field set for him in one-day fixtures on the England tour.”
, seems on first glance to be a slighter book, one that can easily be placed in the coffee-table category. But it is not so. For one thing, the photographs have been well-chosen and are superbly reproduced. For those of us currently thinking about how the camera supplies a different history of the game, they provide a wonderful chronicle of Benaud’s career from the multifaceted springtime of Worcester in 1953 to the not-too-grand elder statesman speaking alongside a statue of himself at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2008.Some of the writing is very fine, too. Consider this from AG (Johnny) Moyes:
“No slow bowler can reach the top of the hill – it is a difficult upward climb – without much planning, perseverance and hard work. There is no proper pathway to success except through blood, sweat and tears, for the spinner must learn to take a hiding without giving ground. Purposefulness, endurance and brains are prime necessities. Benaud has these qualities, and that is why he finally emerged from the clouds into the sunshine of rich and continued success. He is without doubt one the most gifted slow bowlers in cricket’s long history.”
For some of us, Richie Benaud was always there, a soundtrack to our cricketing lives. Shrewd, articulate, wise, he was the perfect antithesis of RC Robertson-Glasgow’s one-way critic. He was commentating when we fell for the game and he policed our love with astute observations.As the cricketing world spins ever more rapidly we will wonder what he might have said about it all. Richie himself might observe that there are other commentators and we should listen to them. He might also add that it might not be such a bad idea if we made up our own minds a little more. Quite true, but when we need to be reminded of Benaud’s unique voice we will have these three fine anthologies and his own books on our shelves. Marvellous, indeed.Benaud in Wisden
Edited by Rob Smyth
Wisden
198 pages, £10.99Remembering Richie
Richie Benaud and friends
Hodder and Stoughton
334 pages, £20Those Summers of Cricket – Richie Benaud 1930-2015
Hardie Grant
185 pages, £20