Phil Parkinson has been warned that he could soon be sacked, with Wrexham tipped to target a “big name” that will “enhance” their documentary.

Promotion specialist appointed in 2021Overseen three successive promotionsChange being mooted in ChampionshipFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney worked hard to bring EFL promotion specialist Parkinson to North Wales shortly after their stunning takeover was completed in 2021.

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They have seen him deliver a historic rise through the Football League, with 136 victories being picked up through 221 games at the helm. Parkinson’s place in Red Dragons folklore is safely secured.

DID YOU KNOW?

Questions have, however, been asked of his tactical approach at times. More of those are doing the rounds as Wrexham step up into the Championship. It is being suggested that the 57-year-old will not see out the 2025-26 campaign at SToK Racecourse.

Getty/GOALWHAT EFL PUNDIT SAID

EFL pundit Ryan Dilks has told the when discussing managers that face axe threats: “Let’s go with someone who can probably get packing their bags now, Phil Parkinson at Wrexham. Probably one that’s not going to go down well with some Wrexham fans. But the reason I say that is because I just look at the job he’s done so far and great, he’s a Wrexham legend without a doubt, of course back-to-back-to-back promotions, it’s a pretty impressive thing to do. But I think he is above his level now, I think he’s out of his depth in the Championship based off all the evidence that we’ve seen from him before at Championship level and to be honest.

“I’m quite surprised he’s managed to last this long at Wrexham because he’s not a big name, he’s not someone who I think is going to enhance a documentary put it that way.

“So with that being said, I think this could be Phil Parkinson’s last season at Wrexham. I think the most likely scenario is they don’t do as well as expected, and then they sack him and get in a manager who’s a much bigger name and is more entertaining for a documentary. So yeah Phil Parkinson, I’m pretty sure about losing his job at some point this season.”

Batter’s record takes a hit on turning deck in Multan but still averages over 100 in country

Matt Roller23-Oct-2024Pakistan’s national bureau of statistics hosted its inaugural ‘Data-Fest’ conference this week, 10 minutes away from England’s hotel in Islamabad. Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, this England set-up has shown minimal interest in numbers but there is one figure that stands out ahead of their series decider in nearby Rawalpindi: 101.25, Harry Brook’s batting average in Pakistan.Two years have passed since Brook announced himself as a Test cricketer with an outrageous maiden hundred in Rawalpindi. He was England’s fourth centurion as they racked up 506 for 4 on the opening day of their series against Pakistan, eventually falling for 153 off 116 balls on the second morning after looting 27 off an over from Zahid Mahmood.He followed that innings with subsequent hundreds in England’s victories in Multan and Karachi, an extension of a stunning run of form in Pakistan that had started with a century in the 2022 PSL and continued with a breakthrough T20I series. Not since Kevin Pietersen had an England batter made such a compelling start to their Test career.Brook started the series with 317 in Multan on his return this month, a mammoth innings that was England’s highest in 34 years. But more than 500km away in Peshawar, Sajid Khan was watching closely on TV, and noticed Brook hanging back against spin. When he was called up for the second Test, Sajid hatched a plan to turn the ball sharply out of the rough.”There was a small patch outside off stump,” Sajid explained. “When he faced his first ball, I told Rizi [Mohammad Rizwan] that if he plays like this again, I will get him out.” Brook stayed back as Sajid predicted, looking to punch through cover, but was beaten on his inside edge by a ball that kept low and had his leg stump knocked back.Brook was out playing off the back foot again in England’s second innings, too, this time to the left-armer Noman Ali. He sat deep in his crease to a fullish ball, looking to swing it over midwicket, but was deceived by the low bounce and trapped lbw. With scores of 9 and 16, this was Brook’s least successful Test in Pakistan: his first without a hundred, and his first defeat.Related

• Rehan Ahmed recalled as England brace for 'raked' pitch in Pakistan decider

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• Leach comes back stronger for England after feeling the love

Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, smirked after the second Test when he heard Sajid had been revealing his plans to Brook. “Did he? Well bowled,” McCullum said. “He is such an exciting cricketer, and such a big player for us as well, and he’s trying to put pressure on the opposition… Sometimes, when you’re doing that, you make mistakes and you get out.”One quiet Test immediately after a triple-hundred is not enough to prompt any long-term concerns, but Brook said on Tuesday that he has been discussing gameplans against Sajid and Noman ahead of this week’s decider. “They’re obviously both going to play a massive part in their team,” he said. “Hopefully, it pays off and I play a big part in the game.”Brook agreed with Sajid’s assessment about his preference to play spin off the back foot. “I do like to,” he said. “It gives you a lot more time to play the spinning ball. It gives you different areas to play in. I’m not saying I’m not going to do that: I’m going to look to play off the back foot, and I’m going to look to put him under pressure.”It is hardly an issue that has plagued him across his Test career: to date, Brook averages more against spin (67.81) than seam (57.70). But the reason that his twin failures were notable was that, having missed England’s tour to India on compassionate leave, this was the first time he had played on a pitch weighted firmly in the spinners’ favour.England staged a six-hitting competition ahead of their final training session in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning, with Brook finishing a close second to Rehan Ahmed. Stokes said the aim was to “get the good vibes going” after three weeks largely confined to two hotels and two stadiums, but it also served as a reminder of Brook’s devastating power.It is easily forgotten that Brook has still only played 20 Tests, such was the speed with which he became an all-format regular for England. He has a stellar record, averaging a shade below 60, but remains a work in progress. “He’s a baby in the greater scheme of things,” Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s coach, said. “He’ll work things out in all conditions: the good players tend to do that.”This has been a long season for Brook: since the start of April, he has played more or less non-stop, with 35 matches across formats including eight Tests, five ODIs as a stand-in captain, and a T20 World Cup. Thursday’s Rawalpindi Test will finally bring it to a close, even if he will only have a short break before England travel to New Zealand.As a three-format player, Brook is growing accustomed to the relentlessness of the international schedule and will soon become used to opponents targeting what they perceive to be potential weaknesses. If he can overcome both pitfalls and maintain his remarkable three-figure average in Pakistan, it will go a long way towards England clinching this series.

The Inter Miami coach addressed speculation surrounding potential reinforcements but made it clear no deals are in place

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• Inter Miami host Nashville SC this Saturday
• Transfer window opens July 24
• The Herons sit fifth in the Eastern Conference

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo De Paul and Brian Rodríguez have been the two hottest names linked with Inter Miami ahead of the summer transfer window, which officially opens on July 24. But Javier Mascherano has poured cold water on the rumors – for now.

  When asked about the possible arrival of Atlético de Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, the Argentine manager was direct.

  “There’s nothing official. I’ve seen the reports, but I always try to be cautious. He’s a player from another club, and I prefer not to talk about players who don’t belong to us,” Mascherano said.

  As for Brian Rodríguez, the winger currently playing for Club América, Mascherano dismissed the rumors altogether.

  “I have no idea. I won’t speak about it," he said.

  The coach added that discussing specific names would be irresponsible, particularly given the league’s salary cap restrictions.

  “We’ve talked more about the types of players we want, rather than individual names. A lot depends on what’s financially viable,” he explained.

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  WHAT JAVIER MASCHERANO SAID

  Mascherano once again addressed concerns for the current matchload for 38-year-old star Lionel Messi.

  "We’ll take it step by step and decide what’s best, always discussing it with him," he explained. "It’s not just about rotating Leo – it’s also about managing the workload of our veteran players and monitoring how they’re feeling with so many matches."

  At 38, Messi has scored twice in each of his last four MLS appearances, setting a new league record.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  While his future remains uncertain, Brian Rodríguez featured for Club América in their Apertura 2025 opener on Friday, providing the assist on Alejandro Zendejas’ goal in a 1-1 draw against FC Juárez.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  Mascherano's team is focused on the task at hand, a crucial Eastern Conference showdown this Saturday against second-place Nashville SC, who currently sit on 41 points.

As Real Madrid president Florentino Perez looks to make room for even more stars this summer, Manchester City could reportedly take full advantage by welcoming an attacking talent of their own.

Man City "a thousand million points behind Liverpool" – Guardiola

It was around this time last year that Manchester City were on their way to securing a fourth consecutive Premier League title before squaring off against Manchester United in the FA Cup final. On a Wembley outing which ultimately ended in defeat, Pep Guardiola’s side could have been forgiven for their title hangover which allowed United to take full advantage.

A year on, however, they will not be handed that same forgiveness if they fall to defeat against Crystal Palace this weekend. The Citizens are no longer champions. It’s Liverpool’s crown to lose these days. Instead, Guardiola has endured his most difficult season in the Manchester City dugout and is yet to secure Champions League qualification with just two games remaining.

Guardiola even went as far as to admit that victory in the FA Cup final would not suddenly turn City’s season into a success, telling reporters: “The damage would be minimum. It’s not going to confuse [that] the season has been good. The club has to take the decision, the right ones, so next season will be better.

“We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. I said many times the season hasn’t been good because we define if the season is good or not with the Premier League. This season it could not happen, at the same time we tried to avoid the damage. We have to be calm now and recover.”

Perfect Reijnders alternative: Man City preparing bid for "magic" £60m star

Man City could well be ready to step up their interest in an alternative to Tijjani Reijnders

By
Joe Nuttall

May 14, 2025

However, what such a difficult campaign has seemingly done is spark Manchester City into life in the transfer market. Already, names such as Florian Wirtz are threatening to steal the headlines and he could yet be joined by a Real Madrid star at The Etihad.

Man City in direct contact with Rodrygo

According to Sport in Spain, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City are now in direct contact with Rodrygo over a summer move. The Real Madrid winger is someone that Perez is reportedly willing to sell for the right price, whilst the Brazilian himself has grown discontent with his role towards the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure.

It’s not often that Madrid lose a Galactico, but as Rodrygo looks to become the main man, the Spaniards could do just that if Manchester City make their move in the coming months.

With 13 goals and 10 assists to his name this season, the Brazilian winger has impressed once again under Ancelotti, who has been a fan of his for some time despite the winger’s reported discontent.

The Real Madrid boss told reporters in 2022: “Both Valverde and Rodrygo are special players. And that’s what modern-day footballers have to be. They can play in different positions and they possess both technical and physical attributes.”

It’s been a truly bizarre campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

The fans will only remember this season for the club’s historic triumph in the Europa League – and rightly so – but the powers that be cannot ignore just how disastrous the team’s Premier League performances were, injury crisis or not.

While there are likely plenty of things the club can and should address behind the scenes, one of the best ways Daniel Levy and Co can ensure next year is more successful is by signing the right players this summer.

The good news is that recent reports seem to indicate that they’re targetting at least one bonafide star who’d be an incredible addition to the squad, but it could be bad news for James Maddison as the target in question would likely be an upgrade on him.

Tottenham transfer news

Given how poorly the team fared on the domestic front this season, it’s not been a surprise to see Spurs linked with a host of talented stars in recent weeks, like Xavi Simons and Angel Gomes.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former could cost the club around £65m, but with a tally of 11 goals and eight assists in just 33 appearances for a lacklustre RB Leipzig side this season, that’s a fee that feels pretty reasonable.

Gomes, on the other hand, wouldn’t cost a penny in transfer fees, as his contract with LOSC Lille expires this month, although for all the experience and quality he’d bring with him, he couldn’t be described as an upgrade for Maddison, unlike Eberechi Eze.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Spurs have maintained their intense interest in the Crystal Palace star.

In fact, the report goes a step further, proclaiming the Englishman as the North Londoners ‘top target’ for the window.

The story does not reveal how much the 26-year-old dynamo might cost the Lilywhites, but it has been pretty widely reported in recent weeks and months that he has a release clause in his current contract worth around £68m.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Eze’s incredible ability, it would be more than worth it, even if his arrival would be bad news for Maddison.

How Eze compares to Maddison

Now, while Eze is a positionally versatile player and has spent plenty of his career playing out wide on the left, his most played position, and where he’s spent most of this season, is attacking midfield.

Therefore, his main rival for game time at Spurs would be Maddison, but how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, when it comes to their pure output, it’s the Eagles ace who comes out on top, as in 43 appearances for the South London side, he scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.72 games.

In comparison, the former Leicester City star scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists in 45 appearances for the Lilywhites this year, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.95 games.

What about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out victorious when we take a look under the hood?

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.52

0.50

Progressive Passes

3.37

8.16

Progressive Passes Received

5.31

4.73

Progressive Carries

2.36

2.24

Shots

3.48

1.94

Shots on Target

0.94

0.85

Key Passes

2.01

2.04

Shot-Creating Actions

4.69

4.73

Tackles

1.35

1.54

Blocks

0.94

0.74

Successful Take-Ons

2.33

1.64

Ball Recoveries

5.07

3.78

Well, things are once again somewhat close here, but overall, it’s the FA Cup-winning “superstar,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, who comes out on top.

For example, he comes out ahead in more relevant metrics than his compatriot, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Maddison is a brilliant player, Eze is two years his junior and performing at a higher level in a side that most would have predicted to finish lower than the North Londoners this time last year.

Therefore, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to sign the versatile star this summer before someone else beats them to him.

Shades of Dembele: Spurs make "generational" £60m star a priority signing

The sensational gem could develop into something truly special at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 4, 2025

Leicestershire’s quarter-final hopes dented as Hose sets up Rapids win

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2024Worcestershire Rapids ended a run of seven successive defeats in the Vitality Blast and dealt a blow to Leicestershire’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages with a 16-run victory at New Road.Worcestershire achieved their highest score of the season thanks chiefly to Adam Hose’s 63 off just 39 balls, beating last weekend’s previous best of 181for four versus Lancashire Lightning at Emirates Old Trafford.The Leicestershire spinners, Lewis Goldworthy and Rehan Ahmed, both bowled excellent spells which gave them combined figures of 8-0-45-3 before Hose’s late onslaught.But their powerful batting top order line-up was blown away by Tom Taylor and youngster Harry Darley as they were reduced to 28 for 5.Louis Kimber revived Leicestershire’s hopes with their fastest-ever T20 fifty off 21 balls including five sixes in a two-over spell and he and Ben Cox added 85 in eight overs.But his dismissal for 53 ended their hopes of a remarkable win against the odds despite Ben going onto complete a fine 50 off 35 balls. Matthew Waite cleaned up the innings with a stream of late wickets including Cox in the final over for 55 to give him a career-best Blast return of 5 for 21.The injury-hit Rapids have lost several games by tight margins but this was a convincing performance whereas Leicestershire have now gone four games without a win courtesy of two defeats, a tie and a wash-out.Adam Hose top-scored for the Rapids•Getty ImagesLeicestershire received a treble boost with captain Peter Handscomb (shoulder), Rehan (concussion) and leading wicket-taker Scott Currie (Injury niggle) all returning to the side.Hanscomb won the toss and put the Rapids into bat and Jimmy Neesham made the first breakthrough when Brett D’Oliveira sliced his shot into the hands of third man. Kashif Ali got into his stride with four and a massive six over backward square leg off successive balls from Josh Hull.Josh Cobb inside edged Mike for four but was then caught down the leg side by former Worcestershire keeper Cox off the same bowler. The Rapids reached 61 for 2 in the powerplay but then Gareth Roderick made room to hit Rehan through the off side and was bowled.Kashif, having hit Goldsworthy for a straight six, was given out lbw next ball aiming a blow to the legside. His 41 came off 25 balls with two sixes and three fours. Ethan Brookes also perished aiming to hit Goldsworthy to leg and was bowled but Hose looked in good form and kept the scoreboard moving at a decent rate for the Rapids.Ed Pollock fell to a good catch over his shoulder at long off by Kimber off Currie who next ball trapped Waite lbw as Worcestershire lost momentum. But Hose ensured a sizeable total with a series of big hits as he completed a 33-ball half-century before on 63 he was caught by Cox attempting to scoop Neesham.When Leicestershire replied Rishi Patel, the competition’s leading scorer with 400 runs, was bowled for a duck driving at Taylor. There was joy then for Darley with his first Blast wicket as Rehan sliced the ball to Brookes at wide third. Darley then bowled a wide but his second legitimate ball accounted for Handscomb who clipped straight to Pollock atmid wicket to leave the Foxes 9 for 3.There was no let-up for the visitors and Taylor struck again as Sol Budinger went for a big hit and was caught behind and Waite then disposed of Neesham in the same manner. Then came the remarkable hitting from Kimber to revive the Foxes; chances before he holed out to Cobb in the covers off Brookes.Two wickets in two balls from Waite ensured there would be no late heroics from Leicestershire as he got rid of Mike and Goldsworthy. He struck twice more in the final over in sending back Cox and Currie to complete his five-for.

رد أحمد سيد زيزو لاعب فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي، على تصريحات عبد الواحد السيد مدير الكرة الأسبق لـ الزمالك بشأن المستحقات المتبقية لـ اللاعب لدى القلعة البيضاء قبل رحيله في الصيف الماضي.

وقال مهيب عبد الهادي في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “بالأمس تحدث عبد الواحد السيد عن ملف مهم جدًا، وهو عقد أحمد سيد زيزو، وقال إن عقد زيزو يبلغ 20 مليون جنيه، قد يصل إلى 23 مليون جنيه بالضرائب، ليصبح المبلغ الصافي 20 مليون جنيه على مدار ثلاث سنوات، وقد استلم زيزو أمواله ولا توجد له أي مستحقات متأخرة، وينقصه 4 ملايين جنيه، إما أن يأخذها كغرامات أو لا يأخذها”.

طالع | عبد الواحد السيد يكشف كواليس لأول مرة بشأن تبرع حسين لبيب لـ الزمالك بـ2500 دولار

وأكمل: “وتبين أن العقد كذلك وقد اطلع عليه عبد الواحد حتى الآن، الكلام جميل، ولكن أمس اتصل بي الكابتن أحمد سيد زيزو ردًا على تصريحات عبد الواحد السيد، وقال لنا (الكلام الذي قيل صحيح، أن العقد والرقم والضرائب كلها صحيحة بنسبة 100%، ولكن هناك بنود مكملة للعقد، وليست مفسرة للعقد، وهذا الكلام مهم جدًا)”.

وأردف: “زيزو أكد أن هذه البنود تُعتبر كالعقد تمامًا، هذه البنود تُعد حوافز، أمور موضوعة في العقد كمكافآت، وهي ليست مفسرة، بل مكملة، مثل العقد بالضبط، وتنص على أن زيزو يحصل في السنة الأولى على 20 مليون جنيه، هذا خارج العقد الأساسي، العقد موجود وأنت محق، والزمالك محق والجميع محق”.

وواصل: “زيزو يحصل على 20 مليون جنيه في السنة الأولى، وفي السنة الثانية 15 مليون جنيه، وفي السنة الثالثة 15 مليون جنيه، أي أننا وصلنا إلى 50 مليون جنيه، وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، هناك نسبة مشاركة، إذا شاركت يا زيزو، في أكثر من 15 مباراة، تحصل على 3 ملايين و300 ألف جنيه في السنة، واضرب هذا في ثلاث سنوات، تصل إلى 10 ملايين جنيه، فيصبح المجموع 60 مليون جنيه”.

وأوضح: “هذا الكلام بالحرف الواحد، ننفرد به من خلال برنامج اللعيب، وهو مكالمة زيزو أمس ردًا على تصريحات الكابتن عبد الواحد السيد، وقال زيزو إنه يستحق 82 مليون جنيه عبارة عن بنود مكملة في العقد، وليست مفسرة للعقد”.

وأردف: “هذه هي النقطة التي في اتحاد الكرة حاليًا، وهي نقطة الخلاف بين زيزو ونادي الزمالك، كل واحد يسعى لأخذ حقه، أنت تسعى لحقك، وأنا أسعى لحقي، وقال إن هناك نسبة الإعلانات، وإن الزمالك كان يطالب بـ20 مليون جنيه للإعلانات، أنا قمت بعمل إعلان واحد بقيمة 5000 دولار، وهذا هو المنصوص عليه والمكتوب في العقد، ودعك من ذلك، المنصوص والمكتوب في عقد الإعلانات هو إعلان واحد بقيمة 5000 دولار، يعني، نسبة الـ20% تقريبًا 1000 دولار هذا هو المكتوب”.

وأتم: “إذا كان هناك شيء قام به زيزو، نحن نتحدث عن عام 2023 بعد تعديل عقده، ووصلت المستحقات إلى 20 و15 و15، أي 50 مليون جنيه، و10 ملايين جنيه كنسبة مشاركة، أي 60 مليون جنيه، حسنًا، والمتبقي عبارة عن مكافآت، أمور جميلة، بدل سكن، أمور تُوضع كما هو الحال مع لاعبي الكرة”.

Maddy Darke’s unbeaten 106 along with Katie Mack’s 68 set up Australia A’s eight-wicket victory over India A in the second one-dayer in Mackay. The openers added 131 as Australia A chased down India A’s 219 with ease to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Having been put into bat, Raghvi Bist and Tejal Hasabnis hit fifties helping India A fight back with a 124-run stand for the fourth wicket. But Charli Knott and Grace Parsons triggered a collapse as the visitors slumped from 176 for 3 to 218 all out.The game started with Tayla Vlaeminck’s superb opening spell of 4-3-3-1 where she had Priya Punia caught behind. Nicola Hancock replaced Vlaeminck and dismissed Shweta Sehrawat in her first over before Knott sent back Shubha Satheesh for a 38-ball 24.Bist and Hasabnis started slowly before picking boundaries in overs from Parsons and Kate Peterson. They focused on rotating the strike in the middle overs and eased past fifties. But India’s acceleration was cut short by Parsons having Hasabnis caught and bowled and Knott having Minnu Mani caught behind in successive overs.Shipra Giri got going with a couple of fours but with Bist getting run out in the 45th over, India slipped to 203 for 6. Maitlan Brown cleaned up the tail in a triple-wicket maiden over, which included a run out, as India were bowled out in 48 overs.Mack and Darke were aided by wides and a couple of threes from Soppadhandi Yashasri and Sayali Satghare’s opening spells as Australia A coasted past fifty in the 11th over. Between overs eight and 16, every single one went for at least five as Mack reached fifty in the 16th over. Darke reached hers in the 21st over with Australia A on 121 for 0.Satghare trapped Mack lbw in the 23rd over but Darke carried on. Her 38-run stand with Knott included just one boundary but brought the asking rate well under three. Tahlia McGrath hitting four boundaries in her first 15 balls quashed the little chances for a visitors’ comeback and allowed Darke to complete a century in the 37th over. The duo stayed unbeaten to take Australia A home with 58 balls to spare.Australia A had swept the T20I series 3-0 and have the chance to repeat the feat in the ODIs at the Gold Coast on Monday.

A fan relives a perfect day out at The Oval, where India beat Australia

Sudhindra Prasad10-Jun-2019Choice of game
911. That’s just a concatenation of my current plan and eventual hope for this tournament – I’ll be at all nine India group games and hope for India to play the maximum of 11 games, obviously with me attending them all. My brother, Raghavendra, travelled from Bangalore to accompany me to eight India league games.Team supported
India. As some cricketers say, if one has a long career, the milestones come along. Similar from a fans’ perspective, if one attends events constantly over years, then milestones happen. Having been at Ahmedabad 2011 and Sydney 2015, this was my hat-trick of India-Australia World Cup encounters. While my brother accompanied me to the 2011 quarter-final, he did not travel to Sydney in 2015. It was a successful comeback for the siblings.Key performers
Shikhar Dhawan was the standout performer. His aggression at the top and relentless strokeplay through the middle overs made life difficult for the Australian attack. That solid platform provided the license for the middle order of Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni and KL Rahul to throw caution to the wind.Wow moment
The wow moment for me was a very Aussie effort by one of the Indian fielders. Aaron Finch had made his intentions clear with 19 runs off the 10th over and worryingly, the Indian attack did not appear to have a retort to Finch in prime form. As Warner hit the ball towards extra cover, the call for two seemed a risky affair from the outset. I watched closely from the stands, as Kedar Jadhav rushed in, picked the ball up and quickly relayed it back to Pandya to break the stumps. It was apparent with the naked eye that Finch was a goner and the crowd roared in approval of that superlative Jadhav effort.One thing I would have changed
With David Warner being out of sorts, I would have sent in Glenn Maxwell or Alex Carey in place of Usman Khawaja at No.3 to stop Australia from getting too far behind in the chase.Gripe factor
Warner got away off the first ball from Jasprit Bumrah, wherein the ball hit the stumps, but the bails didn’t dislodge. It is extremely frustrating that the ICC has let the situation drift to this point. My greatest fear is that this could occur at a crucial juncture of the tournament and could mean the end of the road for some team. That would be a travesty.Getty ImagesJerseys and A-B-C tales
The Australian World Cup attire brought back my first memories of cricket – the World Series Cricket with its floodlights, white ball and more significantly, mind-blowing jersey designs. It centred around something fundamental as A-B-C.On a Sunday morning, as we cousins gathered eagerly to watch the delayed telecast of the Australia-India game, my uncle stormed out of his bedroom and later the house for a walk around our locality Malleshwaram in Bangalore to calm himself, stating 161 was never enough and that we kids shouldn’t waste our time watching the game. He was up from the early hours listening to ball-by-ball commentary from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.A-B-C: The mid-80s were all about the grit and resolve of Allan Border, who rebuilt a flailing Australian team along with Bob Simpson. The acronym ABC back then stood for Allan Border and Century, Allan Border and Catch, Allan Border and Cup, Allan Border and Championship etc.Crowd meter
India supporters occupied more than 90% of the stadium, with isolated pockets of Australia fans. The stadium was absolutely packed and unlike Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, the cramped seating at The Oval packed more people together and certainly added to the decibel levels.Fancy dress index
While Australian supporters predominantly stuck to match jerseys, their Indian counterparts came up with innovative versions of their traditional wear. The 1999 World cup jersey replicas are on sale through the ICC fan shops and many fans sported their respective country replicas. While it wasn’t quite fancy dress, a group of about four-five England supporters were spotted outside the Lock/Laker stand, sporting India’s 1999 jerseys and hats, loudly chanting “”. Obviously they had taken to support the opponents of their traditional enemy.Close encounter
Seemingly not recognised by the fans milling around, the unassuming Monty Panesar sported a relaxed look as he headed out of the Pavilion stand. He stopped to acknowledge and pose for selfies with the few fans who did recognise him.Shot of the day
In this age of T20-fuelled batting, Maxwell’s second boundary in the 37th over was the sort one wouldn’t associate with him in such a chase. The delicate glide between the keeper and gully got a boundary and also got opposition fans to worry.An Oval swansong?
Dhoni’s presence sent the crowd into delirium as “Dhoni, Dhoni” chants erupted spontaneously. As Dhoni departed after a good little cameo, it just occurred to me that this might well be the last occasion for us to have seen him play in an Indian jersey in that wonderful ground in Lambeth.Marks out of 10
An absolute 10 and a perfect day out. Fantastic all-round display by India, the best atmosphere I have ever experienced over the decades at The Oval, with plenty of singing through the day and a post-match party at the Fentiman Arms with friends.Want to do a Fan Following report? Read our FAQ here.