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As Lord’s basked in a heatwave and spectators sought shade, the ground became a foreign country

Rob Smyth at Lord's19-Jul-2013This was the kind of day Lord’s rarely experiences: the sort of day when spectators, never mind players, needed to be weighed before and after play; when clothes transmogrified into wetsuits by midday. By the close of play, hotspots were visible on flame-grilled spectators all around the ground. There are even unconfirmed reports that for the first time in his life Alastair Cook produced a bead of sweat.”I’ve been coming here since god knows when and it’s the hottest I can remember,” one member exclusively told ESPNcricinfo. “Bloody insufferable,” barked another. The MCC Library does not keep a record of the hottest Lord’s Tests – and it’s one of the few things you cannot search on Statsguru – but 2013 must be right up there. On Friday, temperatures again pushed 30 degrees. The ground needed a Nivea Tent.The demand for sunscreen was such that Lord’s could probably have operated a reverse honesty box, choosing the particular price each customer paid. They settled for a blanket fee of £9, the same price as a large glass of Pimm’s. Alcohol, even more than usual, was the Gatorade of the fans. It is often lamented that beer at sporting events tastes a little watery; here that would have been a virtue, such was the threat of dehydration. A lonely pasty salesperson – or, rather, a lonely person who was selling pasties – reinforced the shift in spectator priorities.It was certainly not the day to get stuck in a tiny lift for over half an hour, as happened to a group that included Michael Vaughan just after tea. For those working at the ground – if not, surprisingly, for the bowlers on both sides – this was a day of seriously hard yakka.Catering staff had reason to lament that their uniform shirt is black rather than white. Police officers were permitted to remove their body armour “because of the nature of the sport” but stewards had to sweat under heavy bibs all day. Some were not so unhappy. “I was born in Kenya, so I’m used to the heat,” said one. “I’m loving it. I’m getting paid and I’m getting the sun as well.”The heat was such that, even more than usual, Lord’s felt as much a social gathering as a cricket match: not so much the Lord’s Test as the Lord’s Festival. Even with 16 wickets falling, the on-field action sometimes felt an ambient backdrop to a huge picnic. Even Australia’s pitiful collapse could not shift many spectators who preferred shade to schadenfreude. Lord’s was a foreign country for the day, and the attitude of many mirrored the attitude sometimes expressed after a holiday in unfamiliar country: I loved it, but I never want to do it again.Cricket’s peculiar demographic meant that back-to-front baseball caps sat alongside panamas and flip-flops alongside blindingly shiny brogues. Not that they always coexisted contentedly: when one member caught sight of a topless man whose Levi’s pants were showing above pink-and-white pinstriped shorts, he attempted to discern once and for all whether looks could kill.The Pavilion was the usual extreme-fashion contest, with egg-and-bacon blazers and lurid trousers taking pride of place on this septuagenarian catwalk. The usual Pavilion dress code was relaxed slightly: whenever temperatures reach 85 degrees, a series of notices inform members that they are allowed to remove their jackets. Many members kept their jackets on even when they left the pavilion, as if to do otherwise would invite eternal damnation. There is less flexibility on top buttons and ties – at least officially – so many members went back to their schooldays by using their tie to hide an undone top button.”If I hadn’t got so fat I’d be able to loosen my top button,” said a steward with a similar dilemma. “But it’s fine; we have lots of water and we get regular breaks. It’s just another day really. I’m a sunaholic, so I like it. Mind you, the supervisors get a bit funny about wearing sunglasses – we have to look prim and proper. It’s like the Henley Regatta. It’s Lord’s, isn’t it?”

As anticipation builds for the season’s first Clasico, Barcelona’s young defensive prodigy Pau Cubarsi has claimed that Kylian Mbappe is “harder to stop” than Jude Bellingham, praising the Frenchman’s blistering pace and lethal finishing. With Real Madrid sitting top of the table with 21 points and Barca just two behind, the Santiago Bernabeu clash promises to be a defining early chapter in La Liga's title race.

• Cubarsi sets the stage for upcoming Clasico

  Madrid currently lead La Liga with 21 points from eight matches with the October 26 Clasico clash approaching, while reigning champions Barca sit in second with 19 points after their heavy 4-1 loss to Sevilla. In this charged atmosphere, young centre-back Cubarsi has spoken up, warning that the threat up front is different this season, claiming Mbappe is harder to handle than Bellingham and suggesting that stopping the French forward will require more than usual.

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  Cubarsi explains why Mbappe's unpredictability sets him apart

  Cubarsi believes Mbappe’s dynamic playstyle gives him an edge. He highlights how the French forward can appear in unexpected spots- either out wide, drifting inside from the wings, or directly at your feet.

  In an interview with , the Barca defender explains why Mbappe is more dangerous than Bellingham: "Both are difficult, because Mbappe is very mobile, attacks spaces well, and is very fast. You don't expect Bellingham because he comes from deep, from the second line. But I think Mbappe, because he's fast, finishes with his first touch and can score."

• Barcelona need to fix defensive issues

  Barca have been criticised for defensive lapses and lack of intensity, seen most recently in Sevilla, where they conceded four goals. Cubarsi has flagged these issues, said the team needs better pressing from the front, and emphasised that every player, forward as well as back, has to contribute. Los Blancos, by contrast, seem more settled under Xabi Alonso, with a coherence in style and fewer vulnerabilities.

  Mbappe will hope to capitalise on the issues plaguing Hansi Flick's team, especially as he has an impressive record against the Catalan club, having scored 11 goals in eight matches. He is flying this season, too, with 14 goals in 10 games so far, while Bellingham is on the hunt for his first of the campaign.

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• AFP
  

  Injury concerns ahead of the Clasico

  Barca enter the clash weakened with Lamine Yamal sidelined due to a groin injury and in a race against time to be fit for the trip to the Spanish capital. Raphinha, Joan Garcia and Fermin Lopez are also missing out.

  For Madrid, meanwhile, Dani Carvajal is out for around a month with a calf injury and Trent Alexander-Arnold is also sidelined with a biceps femoris injury. To mitigate these losses, Madrid may rely on younger backs or deploy versatile midfielders like Federico Valverde into defensive roles. With both sides battered by injuries, the Clasico showdown will test both side's resilience and define their title campaign.

A first-team Glasgow Rangers player could now seal a return to his former club during the summer transfer window, according to their technical director.

Rangers players who could leave this summer

The Russell Martin era is now in full swing at Ibrox, with the Englishman looking to make his presence felt from the off, bringing in players who suit his style of play and selling some unwanted stars.

Ross McCausland is one player who falls into the latter category, with Aris Limassol and two teams in the MLS among the clubs who are believed to be interested in snapping up the Northern Irishman before the end of the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin could leave Rangers for pastures new if big offers arrive in the coming weeks, with Besiktas expected to submit a new bid for the former imminently, though Martin would presumably like to keep them both.

Gers centre-back Robin Propper has been a divisive figure since arriving from FC Twente, not always fully convincing the masses with his performances, and a new update has now emerged regarding his future.

Propper could swap Rangers for Twente

Speaking to De Volkskrant [via Sport Witness], Twente technical director Jan Streuer has claimed that Rangers defender Proppper could seal a return to the club this summer, should Martin not see a future for him at Ibrox.

“We had too many changes at the back last season; something had to be done. It isn’t [very simple], because of all sorts of factors beyond your control. Just before last season, our captain, Robin Propper, left at the last minute. We really missed him. Rangers bought him.

“A Scottish top club, you can’t compete with that. Now there’s a new manager at Rangers, he might play less. Then he could return. But he’ll want to wait and see first whether he’ll actually play less. Do we have to decide: do we wait for that, or do we look further?”

Opinion may be split over Propper leaving Rangers before the new Scottish Premiership season gets underway, with his one-year stint at Ibrox not exactly earth-shattering to date. Ultimately, though, the 31-year-old’s future lies with Martin, who has paid him praise in the recent past, saying he has been “really impressed” with him since coming in as manager.

Given Propper’s age, though, and the fact that he isn’t likely to be seen as a key starter moving forward – he was limited to 21 starts in the Scottish Premiership last season – now does feel like a sensible time to move him on, receiving money for him before his contract begins to tick down.

Streuer does seem to have some doubts about Twente re-signing Propper, however, and if he does end up staying at Rangers, it certainly wouldn’t be a disaster.

From the national coaches’ unending job insecurity to a bloated domestic competition, there’s a lot that’s not right with Sri Lankan cricket. When will this change?

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Aug-2019Sri Lanka have won another Test, their third in a row chasing a tough score. Their captain dug in for a tenacious fourth-innings hundred. The victory has yielded 60 Test Championship points – an excellent start to their campaign in that competition. Away from Tests, they have comfortably won their most-recent ODI series, against Bangladesh, and performed better than expected at the World Cup, finishing sixth. With young players suddenly coming through, and a capable captain at the helm, it is tempting to believe Sri Lanka have begun to recover following a several-year lull.But are these improvements sustainable? Here is what’s happening in administration.Right now, Sri Lanka Cricket is still trying to sack its coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, roughly two weeks after it sent him a letter detailing what the board claims are his many flaws. So far they have not succeeded in sacking him, because, anticipating turmoil at SLC, at the time of joining Hathurusingha had insisted on what appears to be an iron-clad contract. Lawyers are yet to properly shake each other down, but there is a strong possibility that if SLC does terminate his contract, they will be forced to pay him for the remainder of his contract period, which amounts to around 16 further months. In 2012, a previous SLC board had sacked Geoff Marsh and then had had to pay him a substantial settlement.The board itself has not publicly stated its grouses with Hathurusingha. On a purely performance front, Sri Lanka have won a higher percentage of matches under Hathurusingha than they had in the year prior to his arrival, across formats. What SLC president Shammi Silva did say, however, was that he “was also in the board that recruited Chandika Hathurusingha, and we’ve made some mistakes”. Adding: “If we are to do right by cricket in future, we have to correct those mistakes.” Okay, but had not the same board that Silva had been a part of also hire Graham Ford at the start of 2016, then essentially forced him to resign in the middle of 2017? Was that also a “mistake”? If board members keep hiring coaches and then getting rid of them 18 months in, is the problem really with the coaches? If mistakes are made this frequently, are these board members fit to continue making decisions?Hathurusingha, by the way, is the 10th head coach appointment (including interim coaches) SLC has made since the end of the 2011 World Cup, which means Sri Lanka have had a new head coach every nine months, on average. Every time the team fails, the board blames the coach and has him fired. It’s worked so many times. Why would SLC stop now?

If board members keep hiring coaches and then getting rid of them 18 months in, is the problem really with the coaches?

Among those leading the charge to have Hathurusingha sacked, also, is sports minister Harin Fernando. He has only been in the job since December, but like most sports ministers before him, desires to be seen as the saviour of Sri Lanka’s cricket, by far the island’s favourite sport. Although it has never been a secret that Hathurusingha is the highest-paid Sri Lanka coach ever, Fernando has taken the unusual step of publicly announcing Hathurusingha’s salary in order to effectively shame the coach for failing to deliver consistently outstanding results.It’s true that Hathurusingha’s early insistence on being selector as well as coach proved unsuccessful, but you wonder if Fernando knows that Sri Lanka had lost nearly three-fourths of their international matches in the year before Hathurusingha arrived (there were 40 losses, 14 wins and two draws in completed games across formats in 2017). As the size of Hathurusingha’s salary is the product of SLC’s desperation to lure him away from Bangladesh, back in late 2017, you wonder whether Fernando understands how contracts work. You also wonder whether he feels Hathurusingha is a soft target, on account of Hathurusingha being a Sri Lankan – no foreign coach has ever had remuneration so publicly picked apart.And if Hathurusigha is successfully discarded, how many top international coaches would seek out the Sri Lanka job, given its many insecurities?Fernando’s one saving grace may be his stated desire to see SLC’s utterly pathetic domestic tournament structure transformed. And yet, on that front, he is yet to deliver any tangible results. This year, the only first-class tournament played in Sri Lanka was the club competition, which features 14 teams and has long been derided as bloated and of little use. In 2017, Karunaratne himself had voiced his frustrations with it. Despite several former greats, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in particular, repeatedly stressing that Sri Lanka needs a stronger, more condensed domestic structure, the board has continued to prioritise the club competition, season after season, while a series of sports ministers have shown no political will to actually instigate changes that benefit cricket in the long term.The Sri Lanka team may suddenly be performing, but don’t let the administrators and politicians hijack credit. Don’t let them preach, as they did after the Test series win in South Africa this year, that their archaic domestic tournaments are responsible for such triumphs. If Sri Lanka succeeds, it is in spite of the system. They are winning now, but how much better could they have been with administration that is not incompetent?

Will Graham Potter secure any more new signings before the start of West Ham United’s Premier League campaign?

So far this summer, the cash-strapped Hammers have brought in both Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters on free transfers, while El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of £19m.

However, given that Mohammed Kudus has been sold to Tottenham for around £55m, the Irons are still in the market for midfield reinforcements, so have they pinpointed their prime target?

West Ham's search for a new midfielder

Earlier this week, it was reported that West Ham had identified Jacob Ramsey as their ‘top target’, willing to spend around £30m to secure the signature of the midfielder.

However, it was claimed that Aston Villa value the 24-year-old at close to £43m, with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham also purportedly interested, meaning this certainly will not be an easy deal to finalise.

Thus, potentially in need of an alternative, Football Insider reports that the Hammers are ‘plotting a late-window move’ for Mateus Fernandes of Southampton, adding that the Saints are ‘reluctant’ to sell, but the Portuguese under-21 international is ‘keen’ to return to the Premier League, following his side’s relegation.

It’ll therefore be interesting to see if he is involved in their EFL Championship opener against Wrexham at St Mary’s on Saturday.

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Fernandes joined Southampton from Sporting CP for £15m as recently as last August, but there claims he could fetch as much as £50m, which would make him West Ham’s record signing, surpassing the record of £45m held by Sébastien Haller.

Of course, the later into the window we get, if Fernandes pushes for a move, potentially the stronger West Ham’s negotiating position gets, so could the 21 year old soon swap the South Coast for the East End of London?

What Mateus Fernandes would bring to West Ham

Fernandes joined Sporting Clube de Portugal at the age of 12, and is the latest product of their academy forecast to go to the top.

He actually made just ten appearances for Sporting, his only goal in green and white hoops coming against Farense​​​​​​​ in the Taça da Liga group stages, spending the 2023/24 season on loan at fellow-Primeira Liga outfit Estoril Praia, before Southampton were convinced to sign him.

Analyst Ben Mattinson is certainly a fan, labelling him a “massive talent’, outlining that “passing​​​​​​​” and “vision” are his key attributes, adding that he is a “solid ball-winner” and a “press-resistant midfielder”.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout agrees, asserting that he is a “big talent” who is definitely capable of remaining at Premier League level, while Kevin Araújo Fernandes of Breaking the Lines adds that he is ‘capable of covering ground with real intensity’, making him an ‘extremely talented’ all-round midfielder.

Ahead of Southampton’s visit to Old Trafford in January, Rúben Amorim, who was his manager at Sporting, described Fernandes as a “really good player​​​​​​​” who is able to “overload the midfield” from wide areas, a skillset that should translate well to Potter’s West Ham team.

Nevertheless, the question remains: how does Fernandes compare to the Hammers’ other top midfield target Ramsey? Let’s find out.

Appearances

42

45

Minutes

3,365

2,074

Goals

3

4

Assists

6

7

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Shots

0.7

0.7

Shots on target %

63.64%

33.33%

Chances created

1.1

1.1

Big chances created

0.18

0.28

Passes attempted

38.2

31.5

Duels contested

12

9

Tackles

2.8

1.7

Clearances

1

0.5

Interceptions

0.9

0.5

Ball recoveries

5.6

4.6

Touches

59

46

Average SofaScore rating

6.95

6.87

Caveats required for both: Ramsey’s minutes were limited last season due to injury and lack of selection, while Fernandes was playing for one of the worst teams in Premier League history, with Southampton collecting an ignominious 12 points.

With that out the way, the Portuguese midfielder’s underlying statistics are almost universally more impressive across the board, ranging from passing and touches, to out-of-possession metrics, namely duels, tackles, ball recoveries and interceptions.

The fact Southampton struggled so much may directly correlate as to why Fernandes’ defensive metrics were so high but, with many forecasting a tough campaign for West Ham too, this could certainly be useful.

Thus, if the Hammers are able to secure the highly-rated Portuguese youngster for a reasonable fee, he would surely prove to be a shrewd addition.

Kudus replacement: Bellingham-esque £40m star is now West Ham's top target

West Ham need attacking difference makers, having sold Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham, hence why they’re chasing a £40m star “similar” to Bellingham.

Aug 8, 2025

Neither has played a significant innings since the World Cup, and India will hope they can find runs before boarding the flight to Australia

Sidharth Monga07-Dec-2011India’s defeat in Ahmedabad was their first in 12 home ODIs, three short of the record created by Sri Lanka in 1996 and 1997. It’s ODI cricket, you can lose to anybody, and streaks are understandably difficult to sustain. Still it was neither desirable nor expected that after three matches India could easily have been 2-1 down, or even 3-0, if only because of how easily they tamed their tormentors from the summer, England, in the return tour. The incredible belief that India carry into every home ODI – never mind the conditions – was tested thoroughly, and finally snapped in the third match.West Indies might not seem as good on paper, but they have a larger number of dynamic players in their ODI squad than England do. After coming close in the first two ODIs, they eventually managed to put together a good enough team effort to topple India in Ahmedabad. India’s problems have centred on the middle phase of the games, spread across both innings. Bowling first in all the games, they have failed to clean up the tail, and leaked runs generously in the end overs – 106 in the last 10 in Vizag, and 52 in the last three in Ahmedabad. In the first 10 overs of all matches put together, India have lost nine wickets, leaving Rohit Sharma a lot to do in company of the middle and lower-middle order.The first part of the problem is not new to Indian ODI cricket, and is all the more expected given the inexperienced attack and captain. Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar are all raw, and have bowed length balls once too often. “The last five overs did not make much of a difference as they have good hitters and we were expecting them to fire in the series,” Virender Sehwag said. “They batted well, we tried everything – slow, back-of-a-length, good length, yorkers – but they connected [with] everything.”India will be more concerned with what has been happening immediately after the West Indies innings. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are yet to produce a single big innings since the World Cup, and have scored only 62 runs in six innings between them in this series. Of the two, Sehwag has always been an inconsistent ODI player, but Gambhir has been the big miss this series. Additionally, since his comeback to the national side, Parthiv Patel has failed to covert starts. It is a phase Dinesh Karthik went through when he was the back-up for MS Dhoni. Today, he is not even one of the top three keepers in the selectors’ minds.Sehwag conceded that the three needed to show up. “We have to look at our top order,” he said. “We have to click and fire. We have to give a good start as a team so that we can achieve any target or set any target for the West Indies in the coming games.”It is not only Raina who is not scoring runs. It is myself, Parthiv and Gautam too. Only Rohit and Kohli are scoring. We are top-order batsmen and it is our job to play well and give a good start. We need to look back at our batting performances. We are playing good cricket since sometime, but today [in Ahmedabad] we were not able to play well. We hope to do well and not let down our fans.”It is difficult to not look at Australia when considering the form of Sehwag and Gambhir, even though the latter has not been opening in ODIs, seemingly in order to accommodate Parthiv in the batting line-up. Both are one ordinary match away from going through 2011 without a Test century. India won’t mind a couple of big partnerships from them and two easy wins before they go to Australia.

Mumbai have begun IPL 2025 with totals of 155 and 160 leaving their captain wanting more from the batters

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-20251:48

Rapid fire review: Serious concerns for Mumbai?

Mumbai Indians (MI) are 0/2 in IPL 2025 and their captain Hardik Pandya has a few leaks to plug. After a 36-run defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, he said he was concerned that his team has been committing “basic errors” and that his batters have yet to come to the party.On an Ahmedabad pitch that slowed down as the game progressed, MI let the opposition get away to a rapid start. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan were able to put on 66 runs in the powerplay and Hardik felt MI had already fallen behind.”They batted brilliantly,” Hardik said at the post-match presentation. “The way they both batted was quite exceptional. You know, they didn’t take chances. They hit good boundaries. They did the right stuff. I think in the powerplay, without high-risk shots, they were able to get those runs. I think that made us go a little [on the] back foot and I think from that time onwards, we were doing catch up.”Related

Hardik the bowler gets the better of Gill the batter, again

Gujarat Titans show how home advantage is done

Blog: Gujarat Titans off the mark with a thumping win over Mumbai Indians

Gill second-fastest behind Gayle to reach 1000 IPL runs at a single venue

Gill, the GT captain, said that they picked a black-soil surface for the game because it “fits our batting and bowling more than the red-soil wicket”. Essentially, the home team opted for conditions that made it hard to hit through the line of the ball.MI felt that when they batted. Hardik, coming in at the end of the 13th over, faced 17 deliveries for just 11 runs. “Definitely, I was just thinking that,” he said in response to a question about whether GT learned from his own bowling effort where he took pace off and found success (2 for 29).”Maybe I bowled way too many balls – they were able to see that it’s gripping. On this wicket, I think those were the toughest balls because some were shooting down, some were bouncing and some were gripping. So when you have this much variable bounce or difference, I think as a batter it becomes difficult.”MI faced tricky conditions in their first game in Chennai as well, where they were able to score only 155 in conditions where the ball gripped a bit.”There should not be a concern [about the batting] but at the moment I think it is time,” Hardik said. “I mean, we all need to take responsibilities and it’s [at an] early stage. But at the same point of time, I think batters have to come to the party. And yeah, hopefully they come soon.”MI will play their next match at home, where conditions are likely to be much better for batting. They take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday.

da apostaganha： Leeds United are set for a big summer transfer window after they failed to secure an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

da gbg bet： The Whites are now preparing for a second season in the Championship following on from their 1-0 loss to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last weekend.

This could have big implications for the next few months as Wilfried Gnonto is reportedly looking to move on and Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing up Crysencio Summerville.

The club may have to deal with star players moving on as well as having to find a replacement for one loanee who may not make his stay permanent this summer.

Joe Rodon's future at Leeds

Daniel Farke may now have to find alternative options at the heart of his defence next season as Tottenham Hotspur loanee Joe Rodon may not return to Elland Road.

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the club had an option to make the deal permanent if they had won promotion, and that a deal could be too expensive should they remain in the second tier.

This suggests that the failure to return to the Premier League could put their hopes of bringing the Welsh star back to Yorkshire to an end, leaving the Whites in need of a replacement.

Instead of going out into the market and splashing the cash on a big-money centre-back to come in and replace the Spurs loanee, Farke could unleash a player already at his disposal.

Leeds may already have dream Joe Rodon replacement

Charlie Cresswell could emerge as a dream replacement for Rodon at the heart of the Leeds defence after a season riding the bench this term.

The 21-year-old centre-back, who was hailed as "impressive" for England U21s by journalist Josh Bunting, only made five league appearances this season and was an unused substitute in both of the semi-final clashes with Norwich recently.

However, his performances on loan with Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign suggest that the potential is there for the youngster to breakthrough as the first-choice for Farke in the right-sided centre-back role.

Championship

Charlie Cresswell (2022/23)

Joe Rodon (2023/24)

Appearances

28

43

Sofascore rating

7.13

7.19

Tackles per game

1.5

1.1

Interceptions per game

1.3

1.2

Ground duel success rate

58%

69%

Aerial duel success rate

61%

67%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Cresswell's form for the Lions was not too dissimilar to what Rodon produced in a Leeds shirt this season, from a defensive perspective.

He also ranked within the top 38% of Championship centre-backs for progressive passes per 90 (3.23), which suggests that the England U21 international is also a forward-thinking passer who could thrive in Farke's possession-based side.

At the age of 21, the 6 foot 3 titan is five years younger than Rodon and has time on his side to improve and reach the Welsh star's levels of dominance in duels, but he needs time on the pitch to do so.

Related The next Gray: Leeds could soften Gnonto exit by unleashing academy star

Leeds United could look towards their youth if Wilfried Gnonto ends up exiting Elland Road.

Posts ByKelan Sarson May 29, 2024

Therefore, Farke may find a dream replacement, given they would not need to pay any money to bring him in, for the Spurs loanee by finally unleashing Cresswell as a starter from next season onwards.

The Capitals showed why they’re among the title favourites this year as they tied down the Royals by 46 runs in Sharjah

Saurabh Somani09-Oct-20201:54

Did Rajasthan Royals misread the pitch?

It turns out, you defend a score of less than 200 in Sharjah in IPL 2020. Not just defend, but win comprehensively by 46 runs, as the Delhi Capitals did against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday after putting up 184 for 8. You need to have the bowling for it, and the batsmen should treat a T20 match for what it is: a chance to hit out even when you lose wickets because you have ten of them across 20 overs.This was not the typical Sharjah pitch however, with the wear and tear of playing several matches perhaps beginning to tell. The ball gripped a bit from a length which made hitting through the line not as straightforward a proposition. The boundaries were still as small as ever, and though both sides suffered from their top orders not firing, the Capitals had the depth and intent to over come that. The Royals didn’t.The Royals did a lot of things right at the start of the match, from winning the toss and opting to chase, to giving a distinct pace tilt to their attack, to not letting any of the Capitals’ top four get more than 25. Jofra Archer was supreme, taking 3 for 24 and giving up a mere three runs in the innings’ last over. But the collective might of the Capitals bowling attack against a batting line-up that depends heavily on their top order to do the heavy lifting meant all that early good work was undone.The Capitals kept pushing hard when batting, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer marshalled a series of punchy lower-order partnerships to carry the Capitals to a healthy total. The bowlers then showed why the Capitals are among the title favourites this year by tying down the Royals, who eventually limped to 138.R Ashwin led the way, brought on in the third over and striking third ball to remove Jos Buttler. It wasn’t at the non-striker’s end this time though. This was a dismissal that would have pleased the traditionalists too, the ball dipping classically on the batsman and forcing a mis-hit to square leg, where Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a diving catch. The Royals never seemed to recover from that blow, as the innings meandered without momentum, while every Capitals bowler got at least one wicket.Archer, Aaron, pace and run-outsOn a ground where batsmen have made merry, the Royals had come in with a clear bowling plan: to bowl fast and into the pitch, not putting anything near the batsmen. Archer bowled only two slower balls in his entire four overs, while the Royals also brought in Varun Aaron for his first game. According to ESPNcricinfo’s length data, there were only five full balls in the entire powerplay.While Archer accounted for openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, some poor judgement of singles meant Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant were both run out. Iyer was too early out of the blocks when Pant pushed to short cover, and couldn’t get back in time when Yashasvi Jaiswal collected and hit the non-striker’s stumps direct. Pant himself had a strange run-out, having almost jogged three quarters of the way down when Stoinis had just tapped the ball to short midwicket, an easy run-out at the non-striker’s end. With the Capitals at 79 for 4 in 9.2 overs, the Royals had a distinct chance.Stoinis, Hetmyer lead revivalStoinis’ intent was best summed up the ball immediately after Pant was out. Rahul Tewatia, who had an excellent bowling day otherwise, floated one too full and Stoinis biffed it straight over long-on. He hit four sixes in his 30-ball 39, trusting his form and power to smash anything that was pitched up. Hetmyer got his eye in and then smashed the pacers around, particularly in the arc between wide long-on and wide long-off. He was out for 45 off 24 with three overs still remaining, but Axar Patel ensured the finish wouldn’t be tame with a cameo of 17 off 8 as the Capitals got 97 in the last 10 overs despite having lost their top four inside the first half.R Ashwin celebrates a wicket with Anrich Nortje•BCCI

Ashwin gets Buttler – againThe Capitals had seen how the Royals had executed their bowling plans, and they had the pace in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje to replicate those plans. But they had also seen that the pitch was stopping, and they had the experience and even more impressive skills of Ashwin to call on. He was brought in the third over – Buttler stayed firmly inside his crease the one ball that he was at the non-striker’s end for – and his wicket of Buttler deflated the chase.The Royals opted to have Steven Smith at No. 3 to lend greater balance in the batting order perhaps, and while he did hit a couple of stunning boundaries, Jaiswal at the other end couldn’t find either power or placement in his shots. Jaiswal looked like he was setting himself up to bat through the innings, but his innings never got to beyond a run a ball. That lack of momentum at the top meant the Royals were always chasing a steep asking rate, and with Smith caught by a diving Hetmyer at deep midwicket, that ask became tougher. Hetmyer had a good day in the field, with two excellent diving catches in the deep and three overall.The Capitals’ bowlers close inAfter the top three, not a single batsman got into double figures save Tewatia, who was the lone batsman in the Royals line-up to successfully bat with sustained aggression. The Royals batsmen looked to target Stoinis but having not got runs off the others at anything near the required rate, that gamble didn’t come off. Stoinis was one among several Capitals players who had a good day, capping his batting effort with the wickets of Sanju Samson and Jaiswal. Axar was used for a mere two overs, and he still ended up with a wicket in those, while Rabada did his customary cleaning up at the death, ending a day of comprehensive domination for the Capitals.ALSO SEE: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals live scores, October 9 2020

A "sublime" Premier League player has reportedly emerged as a top target to potentially replace Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle United this summer.

Newcastle could lose key players

The Magpies could have a busy summer in the transfer market, with numerous players continuing to be linked with moves to St James' Park.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone has been backed to head to Newcastle, for example, being seen as an impressive young option who could boost Eddie Howe's options in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, RB Leipzig right-back Mohamed Simikan has also emerged as a target, and he could be seen as a successor to Kieran Trippier in the role.

It could be that there is also much focus on potential outgoings at St James' Park, however, with a host of key men possibly departing once the 2023/24 campaign reaches its conclusion.

Trippier is one of those, with a January move mooted earlier in the year and his high wage making him expendable, in terms of Newcastle having to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Bruno Guimaraes is another whose time at the club could be coming to an end, with Paris Saint-Germain eyeing a move for him.

There are doubts over the future of Callum Wilson, too, considering the Englishman is now 31 years of age and out of contract in the summer of 2025. That means now could be the best time to move him on, seeing as it's their last chance of receiving a fee for the striker.

Newcastle want "sublime" Premier League star

According to The Sunday Mirror [via Sports View], Newcastle are interested in signing Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, with the Nottingham Forest ace considered a top target to come in for Bruno. He was linked with a switch back in January, being seen as an alternative to Miguel Almiron, but the transfer failed to come to fruition.

The Englishman is seen as someone who could help fill the void left by Bruno if he moves on at the end of the season, possessing similar box-to-box quality in the middle of the park.

Gibbs-White could be a fantastic signing for Newcastle ahead of next season, standing out as arguably Forest's best and most important player this term, providing great quality and work ethic.

The 24-year-old has scored five goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League in 2023/24, while Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith hailed him last year, saying:

"It comes courtesy of an exquisite Morgan Gibbs-White touch in there to set up Danilo. Have a look at that for subtlety. It’s a beautiful bit of awareness. Some of his touches have been sublime. He’s been at the heart of most things for Forest. This is one of the touches of the season I think. Great awareness."

Gibbs-White also has real pedigree, winning the Under-17s World Cup with England back in 2017, in a side also featuring the likes of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, and the fact that he has proven himself in the Premier League means he could make an instant impact at Newcastle.

Newcastle could now replace Dubravka with in-demand goalkeeper for Howe

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Represented by the same agency as Nick Pope, is also still a relatively young player, meaning that his peak years could be spent with the Magpies, and there is no reason why he can't develop into one of the best midfielders in the country.