Arne Slot has assured Federico Chiesa that he has a future at Anfield after a nightmare debut campaign in England.
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Juventus are reportedly plotting a surprise swoop for Manchester United winger Antony after his impressive loan spell at Real Betis.
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Bayer Leverkusen endured the nightmare start to Erik ten Hag's reign as his first game in charge ended in a shocking 5-1 defeat.
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Tazmin Brits anchored South Africa’s innings but it never looked like being enough
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2024Australia eased to victory in their series-opening T20I clash with South Africa, thanks to some batting class from captain Alyssa Healy.The wicketkeeper-batter was in doubt for the clash at Manuka Oval after suffering from an illness, but proved her fitness and then carved a match-winning 46 as the hosts sealed victory with five balls and eight wickets to spare.A tidy half-century from South African opener Tazmin Brits helped her side post 147 for 6, but it proved well short of a competitive total against the dominant Australians.Beth Mooney cashed in late and finished with an unbeaten 72 to continue strong recent form.Healy looked in brilliant touch from the moment she took to the crease and quickly broke the back of the chase, smacking two sixes and six fours in her 46 off 28 balls.An audacious flick over midwicket to cart South African bowler Marizanne Kapp for four was probably the shot of the innings, although a massive six hit straight back over Nonkululeko Mlaba’s head also caught the eye.By the time Healy fell chipping Nadine de Klerk to long-on, Australia were virtually home, with Mooney and Tahlia McGrath, who found scoring hard work, steering them to victory in the final over, while never being in any danger of losing.The partnership between the ICC’s world No.1 and No.2 batters added 65 runs, Mooney playing some masterful strokes in finding 11 fours and a huge six that completed the result.It wasn’t the start South Africa were looking for in their multi-format series with Australia, with the sides slated for three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test match across the next month.Brits got bogged down early and could hardly find a run, but came to life in the innings’ middle stages after Grace Harris’s foot touched the boundary rope while trying to complete what would have been a stunning catch.She took that second chance and ran with it, hitting two sixes and six fours while carrying her bat through the innings as the backbone of South Africa’s batting.Sune Luus worked well with Brits and hoicked Georgia Wareham for consecutive fours through cow-corner. However, she fell on the very next ball, Healy taking a crafty leg-side catch behind the stumps.Australian pace bowler Darcie Brown picked up two crucial early scalps in taking 2 fpr 20, while Ellyse Perry also helped limit the South African scoring with 2 for 13 off her three overs – the first time since February 2020 she had bowled more than two in a T20I innings.Canberra will host the second T20I on Sunday morning, before the series shifts to Hobart on Tuesday.
Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman has rejected other offers as he waits for Inter, whose bid still falls short of the Bergamo team's asking price.
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With the bold axing of Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan cricket finds itself in uncharted territory. Charlie Austin investigates
Charlie Austin11-Nov-2005
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The announcement of Sri Lanka’s one-day squad to tour India passed with barely a whisper last month. The squad was settled and there were no surprises. But the unveiling of the Test squad for the first tour of India since 1997 is sure to create a storm of debate – and may have serious long-term implications for the future.The four-man selection panel, answerable to the Sports Minister and headed by Lalith Kaluperuma, have dared go where no panel has gone for a decade – they’ve axed Sanath Jayasuriya, one of the first choices on a Sri Lanka team sheet ever since a blistering hundred against Australia at Adelaide back in 1995/96.The decision, justified by the selection panel on the basis of poor form coupled with his slow recovery from a dislocated shoulder, is an extremely bold move that poses the obvious question: is this the beginning of the end for one of Sri Lanka’s most influential and exciting batsman in history?Ironically, Jayasuriya is undoubtedly the batsman that India fears most. He has won countless matches against them over the years and his scalp, even despite his wretched form in this series (85 runs in 6 matches), is the one they celebrate most keenly, knowing full well his dangerous potential and his talismanic influence upon the Sri Lanka batting.With hindsight, Jayasuriya should not have played at the start of the one-day series, after a banana-boat accident on a team jolly just before the tour aggravated the shoulder he dislocated during the Indian Oil Cup in August. His tentative fielding – including one embarrassing self-preserving pullout from one particular catch – showed he had not recovered sufficiently to play international cricket.But to drop him now, just when he has started to regain his fitness and even begun bowling again, with three weeks to go before the first Test in Chennai, is a major call. At 36 years old he is no spring chicken, but during the last two years his performances in Test cricket have surpassed his career average (during his last 10 ODIs he has averaged 44.94 compared to a career average of 42.17) and during Sri Lanka’s subcontinent tour, to Pakistan in 2004, he was their most prolific batsman.If the selectors have dropped him on the basis of fitness, in consultation with the team’s medical team, fair enough. But if he’s been sacked because of a run of low scores in one-day cricket then it makes little sense. Touring India is one of cricket’s hardest challenges and a team that travels without one of its best and most destructive players is taking a huge gamble. Put it this way – India must be over the moon.Jayasuriya must now ponder his future. He clearly wants to bow out at the 2007 World Cup and this, despite his relatively old age, is an achievable objective. But in one-day cricket he must reconsider his indifference to dropping down the order. His vast experience and allround ability could make him an invaluable cog in the middle order in the West Indies where the pitches can be expected to suit Sri Lanka’s style of play. However, an insistence on opening may hasten the end of his career.
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Moving on, the selectors’ decision to fast-track Chamara Kapugedera, a teenage middle-order batsman with immense potential, is praiseworthy. The dearth of upcoming batting talent in Sri Lanka is so worrying that the selectors were right to hand an opportunity to someone who has had development coaches drooling with excitement for several months now. The inexperience, even if he doesn’t play, should prove invaluable.The decision too to promote Malinga Bandara ahead of Upul Chanadana is also justifiable. Bandara, ironically Chandana’s overseas replacement at Gloucestershire, has excelled during the past year with the A team and in County Cricket and he deserves a chance to restart a Test career that began and ended way back with a solitary Test against New Zealand in 1998.Sajeewa Weerakoon’s leapfrogging Rangana Herath as the No. 1 left-arm spinner in the island is recognition of his prolific wicket-taking in first-class cricket and with the A team. Whether he has the variation and the nous to trouble India’s fleet-footed batsmen – especially on flat pitches – is, however, a concern.But the selectors had one more surprise in store for the Test series: the axing of Mahela Jayawardene as the vice-captain. Of all the decisions made, this is the one that may ultimately prove the most significant. Unfortunately, it smells so strongly of politicisation that several very senior players are severely concerned.In Jayawardene’s last eight matches against India, he has played match-winning innings in three of them – not bad by anyone’s standards. Moreover, in Atapattu’s occasional absence, he has led the team astutely, displaying a clear ability to communicate well with the players and shrewdly read the game. So why has he been cast aside?Chaminda Vaas has been a loyal servant for Sri Lanka cricket for many years. His supreme skill is now acknowledged throughout the world. But there are question marks over his captaincy pedigree on the field. Vice-captains can no longer just drum up morale within the dressing room. With the international calendar so heavily congested, they inevitably have to captain the side on occasion and Vaas’s tactical acumen as a leader, based on his recent experience as Western Province skipper, appears limited.
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It is no secret that Vaas has long pursued the vice-captaincy with behind-the-scenes lobbying, both personally and from his supporters, who argue that his fine contributions as a bowler merit the recognition of leadership status. For some time the considerable political pressure exerted has been resisted by the selectors. But suddenly, this has changed and it is unclear why. There are, though, two theories.The first is that Vaas’s politicking has finally struck a chord with Jayantha Dharmadasa, the interim chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, a man that people hoped would bring meritocracy and professionalism to the cricket administration, but who has instead showed an increasingly worrisome penchant for employing his own supporters in key positions.The second theory is that the selectors, frustrated by the team management’s unwillingness to tow the line with regard to the selection of the final playing XI on tour – specifically in this tour the refusal to drop Jayasuriya – wanted a man in the team management (which includes the captain, vice-captain, coach and manager) they could control.It is unclear which theory holds the most weight at this stage – or whether either theory holds a semblance of truth for that matter – but it is clear that the decision could impact upon the internal dynamics of the team. The selectors’ job is not to make the players happy, it is true, but all their decisions must at least have a sound, rationale basis. In this case such reasoning is hard to fathom. Is Vaas being groomed as the next captain, or is he being rewarded for yeoman’s service? If it is the latter than Murali, a player that has never pursued official title and concentrated instead on taking wickets, should be the vice-captain.Sri Lanka have been thoroughly outplayed in this series. This cannot be denied. They also have issues to solve with the make-up of the team, especially the batting order, but it should also be acknowledged that playing India at home – especially an India team enlivened and rejuvenated by the end of Sourav Ganguly’s tenure and the return of Sachin Tendulkar – is incredibly difficult.Sri Lanka are a small cricketing nation with serious structural issues. School cricket appears to be in terminal decline and first-class cricket, bloated to 20 teams this year in a post-tsunami compromise, is a joke. For such a small island national the density of talent is amazing. But the resources are not so rich that mismanagement can be afforded.The squad chosen for the Test series is a massive gamble. Only time will tell whether they have chosen wisely. But the omens are not good. A squad that was settled and united before this tour, so crucial for all teams but especially those in Asia where politics plays such a depressing part, is now internally fragile. The No. 2 one-day side in the world just two weeks ago is now staring into unknown territory.
Rahul Dravid has the opportunity to become the first Indian captain to win a Test at Lahore when the series gets underway on Friday the 13th
George Binoy12-Jan-2006
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Bangladesh scored 116 runs in boundaries to India’s 114, but they played out 38 more dot balls
S Rajesh12-May-2007Bangladesh finally fell short by 46 runs, but there was one aspect in which they trumped India: they scored 116 runs in fours and sixes – admittedly thanks to Mashrafe Mortaza’s blitz at the end – compared to India’s 114. That stat also means, though, that they fell behind in something more basic – and less glamorous – than dismissing deliveries over and beyond the ropes.The stats analysis after the World Cup had revealed that among all the teams that reached the Super Eights, Bangladesh played out the highest percentage of dot balls, and they repeated it today: of the 297 deliveries they faced, 190 produced no runs off the bat; that translates to nearly 32 overs, or 64% of total deliveries faced.
| Team | Dot balls | 1s/ 2s/ 3s | 4s/ 6s | Dot ball % |
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| India | 152 | 110/ 16/ 2 | 24/ 3 | 50.84 |
| Bangladesh | 190 | 77/ 11/ 2 | 14/ 10 | 63.97 |
The Indians themselves aren’t known to be the best runners between the wickets, but Bangladesh’s batsmen could start by taking inspiration from some of them: in the first game, Dinesh Karthik scored a 60-ball 58 with only 16 runs in boundaries, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brisk 91 had 28 runs in fours. Today, Rahul Dravid’s 42 had just one four, and yet he scored his runs in 47 balls.In contrast, Bangladesh’s batsmen relied almost entirely on the boundaries to score quickly. Aftab Ahmed made 40 off 41, but with 26 runs in boundaries; Habibul Bashar wasn’t quite as successful with the big hits – and he admittedly batted after Bangladesh had lost lots of wickets which allowed India to attack more – and he struggled, getting to 43 from 88 deliveries, with 62 dot balls.Gambhir stands outFor India, the performer of the day was Gautam Gambhir. He has often frittered away starts in the past – in eight out of 21 innings he has fallen between 15 and 40 – but today he didn’t make that mistake, getting to his second ODI century. The feature of his innings was the manner in which he paced it – the first 25 runs came off 39 balls, the next 25 took 26, the third 25 came in just 18, while the last 26 took slightly longer – 30 balls – primarily because of the stifling heat. The knock also took his average against Bangladesh beyond 50 – he now averages 51 against them in four innings. The challenge will be to keep up this level consistently, and be among the runs against all kinds of bowling attacks. (Click here for Gambhir’s career summary.)More stats
A statistical look-back at Sachin Tendulkar’s career in ODIs
Mathew Varghese10-Oct-2007Sachin Tendulkar will become the first to play 400 ODIs for his national team, when he takes the field in Vadodara on October 10. Tendulkar, though, is a close second to Sanath Jayasuriya in reaching the mark in ODIs. Jayasuriya played his 400th against England in Dambulla, but four of his 402 appearances have not been for Sri Lanka. (For Tendulkar’s career summary, click here.)Since his debut in 1989, Tendulkar has risen to become the face of the one-day game. His 15,000 runs – and counting – will take some overtaking, considering that the only player younger than him in the 10,000-plus club is Ricky Ponting.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike-rate | 100s | 50s |
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| Sachin Tendulkar | 399 | 15563 | 44.21 | 85.35 | 41 | 84 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 402 | 12181 | 32.65 | 90.33 | 25 | 64 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 378 | 11739 | 39.52 | 74.24 | 10 | 83 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 304 | 11188 | 41.43 | 73.67 | 22 | 71 |
| Rahul Dravid | 331 | 10578 | 39.76 | 71.24 | 12 | 81 |
| Ricky Ponting | 282 | 10449 | 43.17 | 80.21 | 23 | 62 |
Besides the 15,000 runs, even his mark of 41 centuries looks a tough ask for any batsman.In the last 15 matches, Tendulkar has scored 716 runs at an average of 47.73. Fitness problems have plagued him in the current decade, and the 25 ODIs he’s played this year are the most he’s played in a calendar year since 2000, when he played 34 matches.Tendulkar’s average of 46.63 and strike-rate of 83.41 this year are marginally better than corresponding figures in the last three years, a clear indication that his powers are not on the wane.
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike-rate | 100s | 50s |
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| 2005 | 16 | 412 | 27.46 | 77.29 | 1 | 2 |
| 2006 | 16 | 628 | 44.85 | 77.05 | 2 | 3 |
| 2007 | 25 | 1026 | 46.63 | 83.41 | 1 | 10 |
The only conundrum Tendulkar has faced of late is reaching the three-figure mark. However, he will be playing in Vadodara, where he scored his last, against West Indies earlier this year. Since then, in 21 matches, he has come agonisingly close on four occasions, getting out in the nineties. Two of those came in successive matches, while he was out on 99 twice, the only other batsman to do so besides Jayasuriya.Had Tendulkar been Bradmanesque in converting his scores in the nineties to hundreds, he would be one short of a remarkable 100 hundreds in international cricket.Tendulkar was edgy in the previous match in Chandigarh, scratching around for a rather dull 119-ball 79. More importantly, though, he and Sourav Ganguly gave India a solid start with their stand of 91. The duo have been prolific opening the batting this season, commencing with the ODIs in Ireland.
| Innings | Runs | Average | Runs per over | 100s | 50s |
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| 12 | 741 | 61.75 | 5.21 | 4 | 1 |
Ganguly and Tendulkar have opened in seven of the eight matches India have won since June this year, and have averaged 89.14 in those games.Tendulkar is the highest run-getter against Australia in ODIs, and his tally of 2321 in 51 matches is second to his best of 2436 from 65 matches against Sri Lanka.Although the centuries aren’t coming as easily, his appetite for runs hasn’t reduced and he’s been able to consolidate on the starts he’s got, scoring marginally higher this year once he’s got a look-in.
| Minimum runs scored | Career runs | Average | Runs in 2007 | Average |
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| 10 | 15199 | 61.78 | 998 | 71.28 |
| 20 | 14451 | 73.35 | 965 | 80.41 |
Tendulkar’s batting largely overshadow his bowling abilities. He’s more than a handy bowler, with 152 wickets in ODIs so far. He also has two five-fors to his credit – both coming at Kochi – and his mix of spin and seam-up make him both an enigmatic and erratic bowler.With 118 catches as well, it’s no wonder he’s usually in the thick of the action.
Cricinfo assess the performance of the England players after their 2-0 series victory against New Zealand
Andrew Miller09-Jun-2008England were expected to win this series, and win it well, and in the end they did. But it was by no means as easy as the 2-0 scoreline suggests. A series of outstanding personal performances at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge masked long periods of mediocrity. Cricinfo runs the rule over the 11 men who took part:
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Andrew Strauss – 8
It’s hard to believe the Strauss we’ve just witnessed is the same Strauss who was battling for his Test career only three months ago in New Zealand. The fretfulness that characterised his game on that trip has been buried beneath the Napier outfield, and instead he is back to his compact, thoughtful and fluster-free best. During his Old Trafford masterclass, he forced New Zealand to feed him runs on the leg-side by declining any temptation outside off – an approach that echoed his remarkable debut season in 2004 and demonstrated a renewed self-assurance. He suffered a slight relapse at Trent Bridge, where he chased a wide half-volley after lunch to trigger England’s first-innings collapse, but his Player of the Series accolade was richly justified.James Anderson – 8
England fast bowlers with a “-son” suffix are an infuriating phenomenon, but they don’t half impress when they get in the mood. England lost patience with Steve Harmison after his Hamilton no-show in March, and since then James Anderson has taken over that enigmatic role with incredible success. When he pitches up to the blockhole, the natural whip in his action causes the ball to perform tricks that the bowler himself struggles to understand. None of the New Zealanders had any answer, that’s for sure. The pair of pearling outswingers that detonated the stumps of both Aaron Redmond and Brendon McCullum were collector’s items, and set Anderson on his way to the best match and innings figures of a mercurial career.Ryan Sidebottom – 8
What a year Sidebottom is having. Twenty-four wickets at 17.08 in New Zealand; and now 17 more at 20.47 in the first series of the home summer. Last year he was arguably the unluckiest bowler in the world game, with dropped catches ruining his figures against India and Sri Lanka, but now he’s picking up wickets on reputation as well as skill. By his own admission he was off the pace at times in this series, not least on the opening day at Lord’s, but New Zealand’s batsmen were in such a funk whenever his unruly barnet bounced up to the wicket, he still harvested a bagful. His 6 for 67 in the final innings of the series was his fifth five-wicket haul since his recall last summer. He is firmly ensconced as the leader of England’s attack.Michael Vaughan – 7
Two series wins in a row, and Vaughan is the daddy once again. His authority was being questioned after a lean winter in Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but the captain silenced the doubters with a determined hundred at Lord’s, then followed that up with a vital and imposing 48 as England turned the tables at Old Trafford and chased 294 for victory. His strokeplay was as sublime as ever, even if his shot selection went awry at times, but as a leader you can sense he’s finding his level with his new charges. His marshalling of his troops at Trent Bridge was spot on – he backed his bowlers with attacking fields, and showed the same nous for a timely bowling change that was his hallmark in 2004-05. South Africa will be his biggest test since his return to the side last summer, but there’s no doubt he’s ready for it.Stuart Broad – 7
A series that began amid talk of Andrew Flintoff’s comeback ended with the arrival of another serious allround cricketer. Broad’s rich promise had been plain to anyone who witnessed the Napier Test in March, when he took vital wickets and scored vital runs in all four innings of the match, but this was a first chance for the English public to watch a man who has already attracted rave reviews from the former coach, Duncan Fletcher. In truth, Broad’s bowling was a touch disappointing. He wasn’t left much to do given the success of his new-ball colleagues, but he’d have hoped for better than seven wickets at 43.57. His batting, on the other hand, was composed, technically impeccable, and above all ballsy. He reignited England’s flatlining performance at Old Trafford with a crucial first-innings 30, then put the boot in at Trent Bridge with a maiden half-century that broke New Zealand’s resolve. He’s only 22, and he’ll only get better.
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Monty Panesar – 7
This was a one-spell series for Monty, but what a spell. On Sunday morning at Old Trafford, England were staring at humiliation. They’d limped past the follow-on having succumbed for 202 to Daniel Vettori, but when New Zealand reached 85 for 2 in their second innings, their lead was 261 and there was surely no way back. Enter Monty, with a performance that irrevocably transformed the dynamics of the series. His career-best figures of 6 for 37 included 5 for 10 in nine overs, as New Zealand’s last seven wickets tumbled for 29. The haul included his 100th in Tests, from only 28 matches, and the fact that he was unable to add to that tally at Trent Bridge was a testament to his team-mates rather than any shortcoming on his part.Kevin Pietersen – 7
Started slowly when Daniel Vettori pinned him for 3 at Lord’s, but finished with aplomb, with his second vital century in four Tests against New Zealand – it was Napier revisited when Pietersen faced up to England’s post-lunch scoreline of 86 for 5, but then as now he responded with a calculating counterattack and a superbly paced century. His celebrations on reaching three figures were a neat insight into his mindset – at Napier he produced little more than a sheepish bat-wave, but at Trent Bridge he was back to full-frontal bombast. The message is clear – KP is back in the mood, and with his favourite opponents, South Africa, awaiting, the timing could not be better for England.Tim Ambrose – 6
Blameless with the gloves, but took a while to get going with the bat after three runs in the first two Tests at Lord’s and Old Trafford. Made impressive amends in partnership with Pietersen at Trent Bridge, however, where he revived memories of his series-changing century at Wellington in March. New Zealand seemed to have got his measure after that game, as they pitched up by an extra half a yard to compensate for his diminutive frame and restricted him to 50 runs in his next five innings, but they lost their discipline during a crucial 161-run stand for the sixth wicket. In the long term, Ambrose still faces a fierce challenge from his former Sussex team-mate, Matt Prior, but at least he enters his one-day debut flushed with renewed confidence.Alastair Cook – 5
It’s been a quiet year so far for Cook. His highest score in home and away campaigns against New Zealand was a mere 61 at Lord’s, which is the first time in his young career he’s gone consecutive series without a century. New Zealand’s seamers are, in Michael Vaughan’s memorable estimation, no more than “workmanlike”, but their diligence in the channel outside off stump was sufficient to reawaken some familiar troubles for Cook – that gap between bat and pad led to his dismissal in each of his last two innings. He and Strauss did at least prove they can work together as a partnership with their maiden century stand, at Lord’s, but the younger partner is the one with the form worries at present.Ian Bell – 3
It’s getting a bit monotonous to criticise a player who, over the past four years, has averaged a healthy 41.79 from 39 Tests, with seven centuries and more than 2500 runs, but Bell’s anonymity when the heat is truly on is becoming more than just a coincidence. England’s top six has been under scrutiny from the first ball of the Lord’s Test, and while three of the top four have responded with centuries, the man at No. 5 has mustered 45 runs in four innings. He and his fellow struggler, Paul Collingwood, steered England over the finish line in tense circumstances at Old Trafford, but his three-ball abomination at Trent Bridge was a truer reflection of his foggy gameplan – England were in the throes of a post-lunch wobble at 85 for 3, when Bell exacerbated them by playing around a straight ball from Iain O’Brien and falling lbw for a duck. His talent is unquestioned, and England’s current winning streak means he’s sure to be retained. But England need him to be more than just a pretty bit-part player.Paul Collingwood – 3
Collingwood’s returns were even worse than Bell’s – 30 runs in four innings, including that single unbeaten innings at Old Trafford. His problem, however, has never been one of temperament – he’s dug England out of far too many holes for that to be called into question. He’s simply suffering from a shocking run of poor form. He entered the series with concerns about his long-term fitness after a second cortisone injection in his shoulder, and who knows how that has been weighing on his mind? There’s little time to dwell on his woes, however, because as England’s one-day captain, he’ll need to pick himself up ahead of the Twenty20 international at Old Trafford next week.