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Aston Villa could be able to secure a deal for Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider insisted that a deal for the Frenchman – who has been tipped to move Villa Park this summer – could be ‘more achievable’ than that of Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez.

Amid speculation regarding a potential move to the Midlands for the Reds defender, O’Rourke suggested that it could be Lacroix who proves easier to sign, saying: “Lacroix could be a more achievable target for Aston Villa right now. They could maybe put in a decent offer for him. I’m sure Wolfsburg reluctantly might consider selling him to get the money.”

Reports in Germany have suggested that the 22-year-old has a €40m (£34m) release clause in his existing contract, ensuring that a deal could well be struck if Villa are willing to cough up the required fee.

The next McGrath?

The 6 foot 3 colossus has earned comparisons to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand for his quality both in and out of possession, although for the Villans his style of play could well evoke memories of another hero of the past in former Republic of Ireland international Paul McGrath.

Plucked from the Red Devils in 1989, the immensely talented defender emerged as a cult figure at Villa Park over the next seven years, notably winning two League Cups and securing a second-place finish in the inaugural Premier League season. Indeed, he was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for his form in that 1992/93 campaign.

Nicknamed ‘God’ by the Villa faithful, McGrath remains a hugely popular at his former club, with many supporters likely wishing that they had a player of his quality in the first-team ranks to help bolster what has at times been a leaky backline in recent months.

In Lacroix, however, Gerrard could well have found an heir to the Irishman’s throne, the youngster having that ‘healthy aggression’ (as per the official Bundesliga website) which is required to succeed at the top level.

It evokes echoes of McGrath, who was noted for his ‘pace, power and composure’ during his stellar playing career.

The most recent campaign saw the former Sochaux man impress once again, averaging a remarkable 2.1 interceptions, two tackles and 4.8 clearances per game in 29 Bundesliga outings, while also winning 64% of his total duels. With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise to see him dubbed a “top tier CB talent” by BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan.

In comparison to those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, the £18m-rated gem also stands out from the rest, ranking in the top 1% for dribbles completed and also for interceptions, showcasing his ability to play out from the back but to also read the game commendably.

Although it may be a burden to compare him a player who Jack Charlton once described as “one of the all-time greats” of the sport, Lacroix seemingly has the speed, athleticism and quality to be a success in English football, with Gerrard potentially having the next McGrath on his hands should he secure a deal for the 22-year-old.

IN other news, Gerrard can now axe £20m “mistake” by signing £15m ace who’s “capable of leading” AVFC

They have the best average, the best strike rate and the best economy rate, in addition to the enormous depth in the squad with Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi on the bench

Sidharth Monga20-Jun-20193:29

Vettori: Would like to see Nicholls in the line-up

Winks cannot be quoted. Matt Henry knows that. You can’t quote a wink. Just can’t. It is the ICC mixed media zone where you have two players talk slightly less formally to the press than in the official press conference. There is no video camera on either.Henry is asked if he feels New Zealand have the best attack – not a popular opinion, admittedly – in the tournament. They have the best average (22 per wicket), the best strike rate (28.9 balls for a wicket) and the best economy rate (4.56 per over) in this World Cup after all. “Well,” says Henry. Imagine that said in all caps.And then he leaves it alone like one of those exaggerated Courtney Walsh leaves. “I think obviously every ground we will be faced with different challenges,” he says. “It is about making sure we adapt to every surface we play on. I think every game has been a little bit different, and we have had to attack a little bit differently.””Hey Matt, but you didn’t answer the question,” Henry is told.And then he winks, and looks away to another journalist. Make what you will.Winks cannot be quoted.ALSO READ: Why doesn’t Trent Boult get his due when talking about the world’s best?These numbers have to be put in context first of all. New Zealand are aware of that. Their match against India was washed out without even the toss, and they are yet to play England and Australia. Or West Indies for that matter. They bullied Sri Lanka on a fresh surface, and they have had two surfaces – against Bangladesh and South Africa – where they could bowl into the wicket and use cutters.Matt Henry took four wickets•Getty ImagesNew Zealand will obviously not want to make tall claims before they have actually been tested properly. Yet, if there were to be a debate around the best attack in this tournamen, you can’t totally write them off.In Trent Boult, they have a left-arm quick who will extract every last bit of swing or seam movement available. Henry himself can do that but also bowl into the pitch if required. Lockie Ferguson is among the four or five fastest bowlers in the tournament with the ability to bowl accurate bouncers and yorkers. Mitchell Santner is not the wirstspinner-style wicket-taker you ideally want, but Ferguson has teamed up well with his miserliness by taking more wickets in the middle overs than anyone else. Equally importantly they have two fifth-bowler options in Colin de Grandhomme and Jimmy Neesham. At a pinch Kane Williamson can bowl.Pose the question now to Gary Stead, the coach, and he makes the point of helpful conditions first. “I think there are some great bowling attacks in a lot of different teams,” he says. “South Africa themselves have a very good bowling attack as well. Whether we are the best, I don’t know. We have played on wickets that have probably haven’t been really high-scoring all the time. The ones that we have been on to date, they have probably been even slower than what we have expected. The most pleasing thing from my perspective is we have adapted to it. And I mean that augurs well. There is a lot of good conversations going on.”ALSO READ: Mitchell Santner, the X-factor is in his instinctsAsk Stead to rate the attack in isolation, though, and he is happy to talk them up. “I rate our attack very highly,” he says. “I guess I selected them to come here. They are a good balanced team as well. I mean Ish [Sodhi] was considered strongly as well [for the game against South Africa]. What went against him this game was that we still felt it was just a touch soft on the top. Maybe the seam movement was going to be effective. So and Tim’s [Southee] back to full fitness and bowling well in the nets but it’s been hard as the guys have stood up do far. That’s what we can ask of them.”Lockie Ferguson bowls as Hashim Amla looks on•Getty ImagesAnd by no means is Stead satisfied yet. “It was not perfect by any means but I thought we were in the right areas for long periods of time,” Stead said of his side’s bowling against South Africa. “And I thought most of the time we used the slower balls and balls into the wicket really really well.”One way to judge attacks is also which players they are keeping out. While the form of Sodhi and Southee has not been in that league, they have not been bad bowlers in ODI cricket. It does create headaches for the management, but New Zealand is a squad that understands what is best for the team. Southee and Stead have conversations around it. His experience helps the side a lot on the sidelines.ALSO READ: Boult and Southee interview – Understanding each other off the field helps us on itIt is also about flexibility and adjusting quickly to the surface you are playing on, and New Zealand have shown for a while they are good at it. They do their homework – talk to curators, talk to players who know the conditions (Jeetan Patel for Edgbaston, for example) – and they quickly communicate among themselves what areas they need to bowl on certain pitches. They don’t always follow a set formula.New Zealand have the depth of an England. Their first two fast bowlers might not be as good as Australia’s but they have the balance and the strength to play a trio that beats others. Man to man, India might just put them to shade, though. In the best-case scenario, they go with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as opening bowlers and death bowlers, and the two wristspinners as the middle-overs strikers. New Zealand have shown they have been better with the new ball, India at the death. In the middle overs, the wristspinners are ahead of the Santner-Ferguson combine, but de Grandhomme and Neesham are a better fifth-bowler combination than Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav.It is a shame the two couldn’t go head to head when the chance came. Going by how well the two bowling units are going, a future meeting in this World Cup can’t be ruled out. Sterner tests are almost here, though. Next up are West Indies who took them to the shredders in the warm-up game. The game will be played at the 350-friendly Old Trafford. Now is the time to justify those numbers at the top.

Bowling coach Azhar Mahmood talks about the transformation of Pakistan’s pace attack, a key factor in their road to the Champions Trophy final

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jun-20171:04

Pakistan’s new go-to man: Hasan Ali

why he feels Pakistan’s young fast-bowling unit is one of the best.You said the current fast bowling unit is the best you have worked with. Why?
Because they have got skill, they have got the ability to take wickets, they want to learn, and they are very disciplined. Each of our fast bowlers has a different skill, but to go on the field and execute the plans, guys like Hasan Ali and Mohammad Amir have done that. I find that remarkable.You said this transformation has not happened overnight, it has taken six months. What has been the focus for you in this period?
The thing I have tried to change is the mindset during the match situations. Do they have the courage to go and do the same thing in tough situations during a match? I am trying to teach them this kind of mindset.I have been working with the Pakistan team since Pakistan’s last tour of England [in 2016] and I have been impressed with their consistency. My job is to teach them to take the responsibility, making the decision at the right time. I have not got enough time to work properly on their techniques. It has been more about the tactics and making minor adjustments in their bowling action like checking their wrist position, the head position, the front arm, the front shoulder.”What I have been working hard on with the bowlers is their thought process. Everyone has the skill […] If they are brave enough to bowl that delivery in a crunch situation, that is what matters”•Getty Images/ICCYou and the bowlers have come a long way from the blow inflicted on Pakistan by Alex Hales last year.
I must give credit to all the bowlers. I gave them the plan even that day. It was just a bad day. At times you have to give credit to the batsman to come out and play a phenomenal innings like the one played by Hales. He played out of his skin.What I have been working hard with the bowlers is on their thought process. Everyone has the skill. Everyone practices day-in, day-out. It is very important to understand when to use a delivery. If they have the courage, if they are brave enough to bowl that delivery in a crunch situation, that is what matters.On Pakistan’s last tour of Australia, a very dear friend who follows our cricket closely said: “Before I die, please make your bowlers pitch two yorkers in one over.” Check the matches we played against Sri Lanka and South Africa in the Champions Trophy, and check the number of yorkers we bowled in the death overs.Check the slow bouncers our boys pitched in the semi-final against England. The boys are executing the plan. Ben Stokes, one of the best strikers in the world, he faced the last 11 overs and during that phase we went for just one boundary. He just couldn’t get a boundary in [64] deliveries? That solitary four also came off an edge of Liam Plunkett’s bat. I am really proud of my bowling unit. I am very pleased with the work we are doing, to see the improvement and growth in the bowlers.You have played in England a lot. What is the key to succeed on such pitches that you have noticed in this tournament?
The ball has not been swinging. Not from Amir. Not from [Trent] Boult. Tim Southee swung a little against Bangladesh. I feel that has to do with the weather. When it is cold, the white ball does not swing. The fingers also become stiff when it is cold conditions. That is what I feel speaking about the absence of swing.But we have not let that impact our plans. We have bowlers like Amir, who has both swing and seam, and we were looking to get wickets in the first ten overs. If we can’t get wickets, then we have to drag the length back. If you allow a batsman width, they will murder you. If you tuck them in, if you don’t give the any room or any margin of error you have a chance to take the wicket. That has been my suggestion: don’t let them open their arms.

“Amir has got everything: skill, pace, mind […] I think he is bowling at 70% potential. That is my feeling. He needs to put his foot on the throttle and just go”

But Pakistan have been the only team to get some reverse-swing.
Conditions – we used them properly. Against South Africa, at Edgbaston, we played on a old pitch which was being used for a third match. We were originally meant to play on a new pitch, but since it had rained heavily, they played on the used pitch. So those conditions suited us as the square was rough. In Cardiff, too, the practice pitches had no grass, so the ball got scuffed up easily.It was similar conditions to the subcontinent. We did not get massive reverse-swing, but it was enough for the bowlers to utilise to their benefit. I heard England speak about the pitch conditions after the defeat, but we made better plans and executed them. We outplayed England, simple as that.What is the right length and line to bowl, then, on these pitches?
It depends on the pitch, the bounce. Usually you need to pitch on a good-length spot, about six to eight metres from the wicket. But sometimes the good-length spot can also be five to six metres, but that totally depends on the bounce again. At The Oval, normally you get extra bounce so the good-length spot should be about six metres. But the pitch in the India-Sri Lanka match was true, where you could easily hit even a length delivery on the up. But if the pitch holds up then you go for stuff like cross-seamers.We learned our lessons from our experience from last year’s tour. We figured the side boundaries here are usually longer compared to the shorter straight ones. The key thing for the bowler is to ask the batsman to hit to the longer boundary. If someone can clear a 75-80 yards boundary, then you just say “good shot”.Pakistan have been successful in the middle overs [11-40]. What have you and coach Mickey Arthur done specifically that has helped the fast bowlers be so successful considering before this tournament you would struggle during this phase?
Our economy rate has been brilliant, considering we have bowled our last three opponents out below 250. One important factor has been we have got the right combinations. Hasan Ali, a wicket-taker, a match-changer, has been successful in this middle segment.”Hasan comes after around 15 overs and then he bowls his quota before the 45th over. He is key for us”•Getty ImagesIn our first match, against India, we played Wahab Riaz. He struggled with the new ball. He is a better bowler with the old ball than the new ball. Hasan, too, is a better bowler when the ball is slightly older. That is why we used Imad Wasim to open the bowling. That was our game-plan so we could bowl well in the middle period. But when one of your strike bowlers does not perform in the middle overs, the pressure comes on the inexperienced ones and that is what happened against India.If you see we were fine against India till the 40 over. The plan was working till then. It was only in the last eight overs that we lost the plot and India made 106 runs. It was in those eight overs we did not execute the plans. When you are under pressure your mind gets clouded and that is what happened.But we have been good since then. Hasan comes after around 15 overs and then he bowls his quota before the 45th over. He is key for us. We also have Shadab [Khan] as an attacking option who could get us a couple of wickets. The only way you can control soaring run rate is by taking wickets. India and Pakistan have taken more wickets than the rest in this tournament and hence they are in the final. My theory is: batsmen win you games, bowlers win you tournaments.It is incredible still to see Pakistan turn games around during modern times when a team like England have a reputation for scoring big.
In modern-day cricket, teams’ approach is to treat the first 40 overs of an ODI as a Powerplay. If you have a David Warner batting on 80 and Glenn Maxwell going strong on 90, and you have only four fielders in the outfield, it is hard to stop them. That is why if you keep taking wickets, you put pressure on the opposition as the new batsman has to build his innings.Amir has not taken big hauls of wickets since his return to international cricket, but what exactly does he bring to the group that is vital?
Amir has got everything: skill, pace, mind. I just feel sometimes that Amir holds himself back. He does not go all the way. The way he has been bowling so far, I feel he has more potential to do much better than what he is doing. I think he is bowling at 70% potential. That is my feeling. He needs to put his foot on the throttle and just go.

“We have to believe we can beat India, because the overall record between the countries stands 72-52 in Pakistan’s favour”

Have you told him so?
I have not yet shared that thought with him. But what I am saying is in a positive manner. Maybe I am wrong, but that is my feeling. I will give you another example: Yasir Shah. Recently, after the West Indies tour where he got 25 wickets, I checked with Yasir: “Are you satisfied with your bowling?” Because he trusts me, he said no. He confessed his length was [on the] shorter side although he got wickets. I told him that was my point: if you did not bowl well and still got 25 wickets, imagine what you could have ended with if you had bowled well. It is very important that I have the trust of my bowlers. They need to trust me and understand where I am coming from.What about Junaid Khan?
Junaid is always under pressure as he keeps making comebacks. It is not easy when you are coming back and you are expected to perform. But he bowled really well with the new ball against South Africa. Him sharing the new ball with Amir allows our main bowlers, Hasan, Shadab or Faheem [Ashraf], to operate in the middle overs. We did not have that luxury against India, someone who could control the game up front.He has become a key factor. It shows his character, not playing the first game, then putting in good performances. I have been working with him on his bowling action. His head position and the bowling shoulder were going in opposite directions. He was losing direction. I have been trying to get his head and bowling arm as close as possible, just like Amir.There is one area where you have brought about a significant change – arresting the no-balls. We hear you have this special device which you use to check no-balls in nets now. Tell us a bit more about it.
We were having issues with the no-ball during last year’s Australia tour. I thought we had to do something about it. This device basically tells the bowler to stay behind the line. It is basically two line sensors on both sides of the bowling crease. Three is a monitor that beeps based on where the foot lands. It will beep if it is a no-ball. That way even if am not around I know who has crossed the line.Sunday would be the biggest game of their lives for all your fast bowlers. What gives you the belief they can handle the pressure in the final?
Where we started and where we are now, that gives us the biggest belief. Before the tournament started, we said we will go to London – not to take a flight, but to play in the final. We said the same after losing to India. We have got nothing to lose. We need to play our best cricket on June 18 to beat India. Our record might not be good in ICC tournaments, but we have to change that. We have to believe we can beat India, because the overall record between the countries stands 72-52 in Pakistan’s favour. It is all about being mentally tough.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2015Shahid Afridi was the main thorn in England’s side as he took 3 for 15, which made him the leading wicket-taker in T20I history•AFPJos Buttler gave the total a kick with a lively 33 in his first match as captain•Getty ImagesLiam Plunkett’s pace again proved crucial during the defence as he claimed three wickets•Getty ImagesStephen Parry varied his pace intelligently as he and Adil Rashid played a key role•AFPAfridi almost turned the match around as he clubbed 24 off eight balls•Getty ImagesBut Chris Woakes held his nerve having been taken for 20 runs in an over by Afridi•Getty ImagesSarfraz Ahmed swept into his stumps at the beginning of the final over and Pakistan fell three runs short•Getty Images

The signs are that Stuart Binny has a very strong chance of making a Test debut at Trent Bridge which would signal a significant change in mindset by India overseas

Sidharth Monga at Trent Bridge08-Jul-2014People have by now stopped asking MS Dhoni the question. This team has always been dismissive of the idea when outside Asia. Five bowlers without having the luxury of a genuine allrounder means Dhoni has to bat at No. 6. Outside Asia it is a risk India have not been willing to take. Dhoni has never batted at No. 6 outside Asia, which sums up their reluctance to adventure even though they have consistently struggled to take 20 wickets when the ball is not turning or reverse-swinging.To be fair to India and Dhoni, though, it is not something they have not thought of. Dhoni is known to have agonised over the lack of even a half-decent allrounder before he left for the South Africa tour. He is known to have conveyed to Irfan Pathan that he is desperate to have him fit for England, but Irfan could not get any first-class cricket under his belt. They have not advertised it, but there have been signs that Dhoni has been preparing for this tour in advance, a change in his leadership style.Over in South Africa and New Zealand, India got themselves into winning situations twice, but ran out of gas. The quicks were bowling spells longer than they would have liked to, overs after the 40th and before the second new ball would become soft, and the fast bowlers would not be at their most intense when the new ball would be claimed. The team management made a special request for Karnataka allrounder Stuart Binny for the England tour, and Binny furthered his credentials with a six-for in an ODI in Bangladesh.And now that people have stopped asking India about the possibility of a fifth bowler or a half-allrounder to shore up the bowling, India seem to have shed the conservatism. Binny is highly likely to make his Test debut on Wednesday. Even if he does not and India change their minds at the last moment, it is credit to India’s pleasantly surprising boldness that they have systematically tried to explore the option.Binny had spells of decent lengths in the warm-up game in Derby and batted ahead of Rohit Sharma, scoring 81 not out. Over in Nottingham he has been getting more attention from the team management than Rohit and R Ashwin while getting a few overs in before going in to bat at No. 8.The feedback from the batsmen in the nets has been that Binny has been bowling well. The pitch here has grass, but it is straw-coloured. The new drainage system means there is not much moisture retained underneath the surface. The team feels confident enough to go in with just five specialist batsmen and Dhoni at No. 6. Dhoni would not say it in as many words, but there were enough indications in his press conference that Binny was good for a debut.Asked if he was confident of batting at No. 6 outside Asia, Dhoni said: “Well I have to be. That’s a crucial phase of the game where you can turn matches.”If India go ahead and play Binny, this will be a welcome move. Sometimes you have to change your methods when the results are refusing to change. Johannesburg and Wellington would have hurt India in the gut. Such glorious opportunities of overseas wins, but they did not have enough left to barge through the door once they had unlocked it. The message to India would have been that they need to get out of their comfort zone if they are to win away Tests.A lot of India’s solidness in Test cricket has been based on their batting, but most of their famous wins outside Asia since 2000 have been sealed by bowlers in low-scoring matches. They have not had that quality – at least not over two innings – since 2011.It is not that Binny would have got you the wickets of Faf du Plessis and Brendon McCullum when Zaheer Khan could not. Binny is not that good a bowler. He is a steady medium-pacer who becomes effective when conditions are favourable, a bit like his father Roger. When India won at Headingley in 1986, Roger took five wickets in the first innings, and Chandrakant Pandit, playing as a specialist batsman, batted at No. 6. That side, though, had the luxury of Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. This one doesn’t.Binny is not a big threat as a bowler, but it is his presence with 10 steady overs in the middle that is bound to help the other bowlers. Just telling the bowlers there is someone to bowl those dirty overs when they are recovering in time to take the new ball can make a huge difference. He is of course not the ideal choice. He would not make a Test side as a batsman or a bowler alone. He is neither a top-six batsman nor a frontline bowler. Sometimes you just have to go for the next-best.”Rather than coming to press conferences and talking about not having a pace bowling all-rounder, it’s better to try and utilise what we have,” Dhoni said. “Stuart is someone who can bowl a bit and at the same time bat as well. If we can give him enough chances and groom him, then he can be someone who can do that job for us over the next six-eight months. He won’t be as good as someone like Jacques Kallis but he can be someone who can bowl that 10 overs and bat a bit, so he has got the talent.”Binny is in the right place and at the right time. India are in the mood to take the risk, and he is fit, willing, eager, and has the potential to surprise. Didn’t we ridicule them when Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher set about to turn Ravindra Jadeja into a Test player?This move could of course bomb. As can any really. What is important here, though, is that India are willing to sacrifice the safety net of a No. 6 batsman in pursuance of a Test win, that Dhoni is ready to step up and take the extra responsibility of batting at No. 6, and that for once they have been planning for a tour well in advance. Under Dhoni India have never started a tour outside Asia with such intent. They might develop cold feet overnight, they might fail at this, and if it works it is not likely to make a huge tangible impact. However, it is better than losing the same old way over and over again.

The Jo’burg Test was crazy twisted, but how to fill up those empty Test stadiums?

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013As the Johannesburg Test slalomed in a spectacular way towards its baggy-green denouement, the TV cameras pick out a placard in the crowd which posed the question: Is Test cricket dead? Perhaps on the reverse side, there was a range of multiple-choice answers, ranging from: (a) yes, it died the moment Australia won at The Oval in 1882; through (d) no, but it has been taken hostage by some angry-looking goons wearing IPL replica shirts and they do not seem especially keen on negotiating a civilised resolution to the stand-off; to (g) who cares, Mozart is dead too and his tunes are still damned catchy.The cameras then resumed their more important regular task of zooming in annoyingly close as the ball is bowled to ensure that the viewer cannot fully see what happened until replays are shown, several of which have also been zoomed in to the point of perspective-obliterating meaninglessness, all the while prompting the watching cricket fan to ponder from the comfort of his or her sofa: Why is that, as televisions become bigger and bigger and better and better, TV cricket seems intent on showing a smaller and smaller part of the action?I digress. Anyway, the evidence of the contest being played out in front of the placard suggests that the correct response was: “Is Test cricket dead? Is the Pope an aubergine?”This was close to the perfect Test match, a game of constantly shifting momentum which contained more twists and turns than an ice-skating snake’s high-risk Olympic final routine.
Innings of 30 or 40 were valuable, partnerships of 50 felt match-changing, every session saw the balance of the game wobbling from one side to the other like a drunken tightrope walker on a windy day.On the evidence of the game, if not the crowd at the ground, Test cricket clearly is not dead. It might be in a nursing home, but, frequently, its faculties seem as sharp as ever. Admittedly, it does wish more people would come to visit it. And it is not entirely sure that it can trust all of its family members, some of whom seem to be scrabbling over its inheritance before it has even made its will.Nevertheless, it was a little sad to see the final day this all-time classic match played to a stadium so sparsely populated that you wanted to give it a cuddle and tell it to keep its chin up. What can cricket do to attract fans to Test matches, without using military threats, or paying people twice their daily wage to attend?I have met almost no cricket fans who do not claim Test cricket is their favourite form of the game (although I don’t get out of my house very much, so that is not the most scientific of opinion polls). There is clearly a healthy passive following for Test cricket, but in a world swamped by infinite competing distractions, coercing people to physically place themselves in a stadium for some or all of a five-day contest is a Herculean task. Given that cricket has still not worked out how to adequately police bad light and somnolent over-rates, I think even Hercules himself, the celebrity former 12-time Greek Labourer Of The Year, might balk at taking on the task of refilling its empty stadiums.Australia showed remarkable skill and resolve, amidst outbreaks of their now trademark carelessness, to recover from their Newlands Nightmare, aided by Patrick Cummins making one of the most striking Test debuts of recent years (more of which in the next Multistat blog, later in the week). I cannot remember exactly what I was doing when I was his age, but I am fairly confident that it was not taking 6 for 79 on my Test debut and calmly slapping the winning runs in one of the most tense finishes in cricket history.However, just as Australia tossed away a winning position in Cape Town, so at the Wanderers South Africa flung their superiority out of the window like an unwanted motorway banana skin.The Proteas’ World Cup bid was fatally undermined by a middle-order megabloop that exposed a tail longer that the one Kate Middleton was so desperately trying to hide under the train of her wedding dress. They lost in Johannesburg for the same reason, flunking in the first innings from 241 for 4 to 266 all out, and then in the second from 237 for 3 to 339 all out. This followed their first-innings Cape Town calamity when they alchemised 49 for 1 into 96 all out, before being decisively out-calamatised by Australia’s brilliant counter-calamity.In this series, the South Africans’ sixth to 10th wickets totalled a startlingly useless 138 runs in 15 partnerships ‒ 9.2 runs per wicket, the Proteas’ rubbishest lower-order series performance since 1907, and their fourth cruddiest of all time.Since readmission, the lower middle-order had been one of South Africa’s great advantages over their rivals. Not anymore. Since 2006, South Africa’s Nos. 8 to 11 have collectively averaged 15.8, placing them sixth of the 10 Test nations, with no hundreds (all other teams have at least one, except Zimbabwe, who have only played three Tests), and just seven fifties in 55 Tests ‒ and three of those were by Boucher after a nightwatchman had bumped him down to No. 7.From 2000 to 2005, South Africa’s lower order averaged a world-leading 20.3, with three hundreds and 16 fifties in 67 Tests. From 1992 to 1999, their 8 to 11 were way ahead of the field, averaging 19.8, with four centuries (as many as the rest of the world put together) and 19 half-centuries in 66 matches.This new-fangled lower-order brittleness is one of the reasons that Smith’s team have let slip a one-Test lead in three series out of their last five, and, having seemingly scaled the peak of world cricket by winning in Australia late in 2008, have won just one rubber (in West Indies) since the start of 2009. Their team is still speckled with world-class players, but it has an Achilles heel visible from space (with a powerful telescope and access to Statsguru).All in all, Cape Town and Johannesburg have provided the cricket-watching world with two unforgettable Tests, albeit that the memories most people will be not forgetting will be of a TV screen rather than a cricket ground. It has been a compelling start to the series, which is now perfectly set up for the remaining zero Tests.EXTRAS● This was the 13th successive Test between Australia and South Africa to end in a positive result. There has been one draw between them in 20 Tests over seven series this millennium, and the lowest overall scoring rate in any of those series has been 3.40. Cricket is showbiz nowadays. And there is a saying in showbiz: “Always leave them wanting more.” Cricket has done that. A third Test would be greedy. A fourth ‒ the height of indulgence. A fifth, and you might as well wake up Lenin and tell him he won the Cold War.● Perhaps the 21st-century cricket lover should simply be thankful that at least these series happen twice every three or four years nowadays. In 91 years from their first meeting in 1902 to the resumption of southern-hemisphere hostilities after Apartheid, the Australians set their baggy-green feet on the veldt in just seven Test tours, with the South Africans heading over to Baggy Greenland just four times (they also made up a wet and one-sided corner of the 1912 triangular series in England). If there are legitimate complaints these days about cricketing overkill, it could equally be said that our cricketing forefathers were guilty of underkill.

Saturday at Lord’s was marked in diaries months in advance by die-hard Indian fans. It was a big day for them, some of whom had traversed continents to witness a possible historic moment – Tendulkar’s 100th century

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's23-Jul-2011The little mobile shop of , the betting agency, was a beehive of activity on Saturday morning. Fans streamed in even two hours before the scheduled 11 am start and many stopped to read the white board listing the odds. The most obvious one was at the top: Sachin Tendulkar’s century fetched odds of 4/1 while Rahul Dravid, who like Tendulkar was without a hundred at Lord’s, was at 6/1.As both men came together to bat the margins reduced with Tendulkar going at 6/4 and Dravid at 6/5. Still the shop kept attracting many fans. According to a official about 200 Indian fans placed bets on the duo’s maiden centuries at the home of cricket. “I can say there was a substantial amount of money that was bet,” the official said, without revealing figures.Saturday at Lord’s was marked in diaries months in advance by committed fans. It was a big day; both in the context of the match as well as for thousands of Indian fans, some of whom had traversed continents to witness a possible historic moment – Tendulkar’s hundredth century. Some did not mind paying large sums of money – enough for a return air ticket to India – just to witness a day’s play. Some were first-timers, excited to be part of the occasion.Despite the first four days being sold out in advance, the MCC’s ticketing office got a lot of queries but could sell only about 200 tickets that had been returned. Three quarters of those went to Indian fans who shelled out anywhere between £30 and £85 per ticket.Just as the large pints that overflowed across this historic venue, the Indian fans’ emotions, too, ebbed and flowed as they anticipated something special from the trinity of Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman, playing together in a Lord’s Test for probably the final time.Last year Suresh Shankar, a 47-year-old entrepreneur, sold his business to IBM. One of the first decisions he made then was to follow important India cricket tours. He watched most of India’s big matches in the World Cup earlier this year, including the tied match in Bangalore against England and the final in Mumbai.This time he was in England only for the Lord’s Test. “It is the most significant moment in India’s cricket history,” he said, talking about the batting trio’s last outing at the ground. “It is the passing of values, sportsmanship and their ability,” he said when asked what prompted him to make the trip.At 12:28 hrs when Tendulkar walked out to a standing ovation, Shankar couldn’t stop himself from sending his wife a message. “When 25,000 people stood up to cheer one man, it was a goosebump moment. I had to tell her that,” he said. For Shankar and millions of others, Tendulkar is the greatest sportsman across all sports; big money then becomes a small matter.Vikas Manoor, a 29-year-old software engineer, travelled to watch the Tendulkar-Dravid combine and bought a ticket only for Saturday. He arrive from Edinburgh on Friday night and paid a whopping £250 for a ticket in the Mound Stand, where the original price was £80. “I didn’t mind that. I also paid £120 for my travel, but I wanted to always see Dravid and Sachin bat together,” Manoor said. “I have always been attracted to Sachin. For 22 years he has done things consistently. I could not stop myself from being here.”Sumira Chaudhri, a Canadian-Indian lawyer, was travelling through Europe in celebration of being called to the bar in Toronto, . She got hooked on Indian cricket after following the Indian team’s triumph at the World Cup. “When I heard that India were playing in England I decided to come over from my trip to Europe,” she said.She felt sad, like many, that Tendulkar failed to reach that elusive hundred. “I was hoping Sachin would get it. But then I am happy Dravid got it. He is the best Test player,” she said with excitement.Gnanamurthy Kugan, a heart surgeon, was animatedly listening to his 12-year-old son Kavin, who was recalling his observations from the training session he witnessed when Sri Lanka were at Lord’s earlier this summer. Kugan has been in England for 25 years and is a regular visitor to Lord’s. “I am disappointed about Sachin not getting it. But it is good that Dravid has,” he said while Kavin listened intently.Rajesh Marwah has been coming to Lord’s since 1986. Originally from the north Indian town of Ludhiana in Punjab, Marwah now lives in the Hounslow suburb of London and is in the business of household removals. “Brown man with a van,” Marwah, head covered in a plain, sky-blue Lord’s bandana and wearing an India ODI T-shirt, said when I asked him what he did for a living.By the time I met Marwah again, after tea, Tendulkar had already departed. But Marwah was not disappointed. “If Tendulkar starts slow, he would never get to his landmark and I knew that. I could sense his pressure, which was more about India responding well to England’s big total,” he said with an assured tone. “I am not worried. I know he will make the century in Edgbaston.”An hour after the day’s play, about 50 Indian fans gathered at the Nursery End of the ground. As Dravid made his way to the media conference with a smiling face, they rushed to get an autograph. One person caught the eye: a middle-aged woman wearing a saree. She was at the back of the charging fans’ brigade and halfway through her stride, she gave up. But she had a smile on her face, happy at having caught a glimpse of Dravid in person.For the fan, it is an emotional journey full of anticipation, patience, pitfalls and hardships, passion and dreams. And on days like these, for fan and player alike, some dreams get fulfilled and some don’t.

We’ve seen plenty of pendulum swings over the last three days but that’s only because when you expect a team to take the bull by the horns, they wave the red rag instead.

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Delhi24-Nov-2007

After Anil Kumble’s spell gave India the edge Pakistan clawed their way back © AFP
Several years from now, when memories fade and mainly highlights packages remain, this match will probably be recounted as a classic. In terms of gripping the spectator it could, by the end, sit alongside the 1999 Chennai classic. Just when there was talk about India v Pakistan lacking the usual spice, we have a potential humdinger.What is different, though, is the nature of the contest. Several factors go into making a Test match exciting and the one big reason why this game has been allowed to veer into thrilling territory is this: both sides have given up the advantage far too often, far too easily.The pitch hasn’t thrown up a single demon – its lethargic nature continues to confound. The bowling attacks have been hardworking but not menacing enough to merit scores of 231, 276 and 212 for 5. The pendulum has swung wildly over the last three days but that’s only because a team positioned to take the bull by the horns waves the red rag instead.India’s batting approach this morning summed it up. They began the day three runs behind Pakistan and soon saw their position firm up. VVS Laxman swished his wrists, batting with no sign of discomfort, and Anil Kumble provided support. They overcame the early threat, saw the overcast conditions clear, and got themselves into a solid position. Shoaib Akhtar’s grunts were getting louder, Sohail Tanvir was trying slower balls, Danish Kaneria was regularly looking up to the heavens, and Shoaib Malik spent time between overs chewing his finger-nails. Only one team was ahead and it had the chance to drive home that advantage. … one must wonder if Laxman is a misfit at No. 6. Unlike Misbah-ul-Haq, he isn’t an improviser, unlike Andrew Symonds, he isn’t a big hitter, and unlike Chamara Silva, isn’t a hare between wickets That was precisely when India dropped the baton. It’s difficult to fault anyone at this point – Kumble got a fine legbreak that kicked from a length – but what happened after was recklessness. The last year has shown India’s tailenders can be relied on – Laxman and ZaheerKhan added 70 at the Wanderers, Laxman and Sreesanth added 52 at Durban, and the tail played a big part in drawing the Lord’s Test in June.Today’s effort, though, was tragic-comic in comparison. Harbhajan Singh moved across and left his leg stump exposed and Zaheer slashed wildly at a ball after depositing Kaneria for a six. Laxman faced just six balls after Kumble fell and Munaf didn’t last longer than one.Somewhere along the line one must wonder if Laxman is a misfit at No. 6. Unlike Misbah-ul-Haq, he isn’t an improviser, unlike Andrew Symonds he isn’t a big hitter, and, unlike Chamara Silva, isn’t a hare between wickets. Neither does he farm the strike. He seems to belong to Steve Waugh’s trust-your-partner school of tail-end batting and doesn’t seem tochange his game according to who is at the other end. It would be harsh to blame him here, especially after playing a potentially match-winning knock, but India need to ponder this question. Is he being kept for too late? Can Sourav Ganguly, a more aggressive batsman who’s left-handedness can work well with the right-handed tail, work better there?Pakistan played their part later in the day, letting slip the advantage provided by a solid opening stand, but India were to have the last word. It’s 161 for 5, Pakistan effectively 116 ahead, and India have their chance to pick up their sixth wicket. Misbah hasbeen foxed by a Kumble faster one, poking tentatively to short leg, offering India a chance to wrap it all up.But sorry. India can’t be bad hosts. Wasim Jaffer muffs up the catch, sees the ball rebound off his chest and muffs it up again. It’s not the first time India’s close-in fielding has let them down recently and is unlikely to be the last. It set up an exciting Test for the neutral but squandered a golden position for India.

Hosts take command of first Test with South Africa still trailing by 431 runs

Ashish Pant05-Feb-2024Coming into the Mount Maunganui Test, Rachin Ravindra had never batted in the top six in Test cricket and had all of 73 runs in six innings at 14.60. In just one innings here, the left-hander has more than tripled his numbers on both counts. Given the all-important No. 4 slot, Ravindra cashed in scoring a sparkling 240 to help New Zealand extend their dominance over South Africa on day two of the first Test.South Africa captain and debutant Neil Brand finished with figures of 6 for 119, but Ravindra’s double on the back of Kane Williamson’s 118 helped New Zealand amass 511 in their first innings. Kyle Jamieson struck twice as South Africa ended the second day 80 for 4 still trailing the hosts by a massive 431 runs.Resuming their day on 258 for 2, New Zealand lost Williamson early, but Ravindra continued from where he left on day one. With the second new ball just six overs old, South Africa surprisingly did not go with Tshepo Moreki first up on the second day, instead starting with allrounder Ruan de Swardt and Dane Paterson.Paterson got the wobble seam going his way and induced an edge off Ravindra’s blade with just his second ball but there was no third slip in place to take the catch. Williamson got his first boundary of the day with a thick edge past gully but failed to carry on. Looking to unsettle de Swardt’s consistent wicket-to-wicket lines, he eyed an uncharacteristic cross-batted hoick, but all he could manage was a top edge that ballooned straight up with Moreki taking the catch at mid-on. That ended a 232-run association between Williamson and Ravindra off 472 balls.Having been padded up for ages, Mitchell immediately got going with a full-blooded lofted drive past mid-on. Moreki didn’t have the same kind of nip that he found on day one and was pulled stylishly by Ravindra through midwicket. Duanne Olivier was handed similar treatment before two delicious straight drives helped Ravindra breach the 150 mark in Tests for the first time.Having played circumspect cricket for about four sessions, New Zealand notched up a gear after lunch. Ravindra got his second session underway with a delightful drive past mid-off off de Swardt while Mitchell pulled Dane Paterson with disdain through square leg.Mitchell lofted de Swardt for a straight six but fell soon after courtesy of a stunning caught and bowled by Neil Brand. Mitchell pummeled a tossed-up length ball back but Brand stuck out both hands to his left and plucked out a quite spectacular take much to the shock of Mitchell.Tom Blundell came in and struck a four but soon mistimed a heave to short midwicket who took a low catch. Meanwhile, it was a nervous wait for Ravindra on 199. With Blundell falling and Glenn Phillips not able to hand him back the strike, the youngster had to endure close to 20 minutes on the score and go through a drinks break as well.Kyle Jamieson took two wickets in his first spell•AFP/Getty Images

Ravindra finally reached the milestone by cutting a short-of-a-length ball towards cover as he removed his helmet to soak up the applause. With the double-hundred checked, Ravindra and Phillips decided to go into overdrive adding a 82-run stand off just 71 balls for the sixth wicket.Ravindra notched up the highest score by a New Zealand batter for his maiden Test century when he went past Matthew Sinclair’s 214 but fell minutes before tea cleaned up by Brand for 240. South Africa struck four times in the session, but New Zealand had added 145 runs in 27 overs going at over five an over.New Zealand came looking for some quick runs in the final session and Matt Henry provided that by smashing one four and three sixes in his nine-ball 27. Brand, however, picked the last three wickets first going through Mitchell Santner’s defences and then taking out Henry and Tim Southee in one over to become the first South African spinner to bag a six-for on Test debut.In reply, the South African openers, Brand and Edward Moore, both on debut, held their own for nine overs and a bit. Moore got going with a fierce cut off Southee through point before repeating the shot for a similar result. Brand was more solid in defense getting right behind the line of the ball.Jamieson, however, came on and changed the face of the match. He first sent back Brand with a fuller delivery that threatened to come back in but held its line. Brand, unsure whether to play or leave the delivery fathered a tiny edge to the wicketkeeper. Two balls later debutant Raynard van Tonder was trapped right in front of the stumps by a Jamieson inswinger. Henry then got rid of Moore with a snorter that he could only glove to Conway who rushed in from cover-point to dive and complete a stunning catch as South Africa slipped to 30 for 3 after 15 overs.David Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza, however, took the attack to the opposition. Hamza first struck Henry for two successive fours before Bedingham cracked Southee for three fours in the next over. Bedingham was dropped by Henry at deep backward square leg but barring that looked largely untroubled. The duo added 44 off 53 balls for the fourth wicket before Hamza was castled by Santner.At the end of play on the second day, Bedingham had reached 29 off 39 balls with five fours to his name and had Keegan Peterson for company on 2.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com ânimo renovado após a classificação para a terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, o Botafogo inicia neste sábado (18), às 18h, sua luta para se impor na Taça Rio. No jogo de ida das semifinais, contra a Portuguesa, no Estádio Luso-Brasileiro, o Alvinegro deposita as fichas em uma das suas maiores forças ofensivas.

Com o retorno de Marçal (que, assim como Tiquinho Soares, obteve efeito suspensivo da decisão proferida pelo TJD-RJ), os comandados de Luís Castro contarão com a bola aérea para superar a aguerrida Portuguesa. Na derrota por 1 a 0, que custou a eliminação no Carioca, a equipe da Ilha do Governador mostrou-se bem organizada e muito difícil de fechar em uma noite fraquíssima do Alvinegro.

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Para sinalizar que virou a página do desempenho decepcionante no Estadual, o Botafogo aposta ainda mais na via aérea. Depois da noite inspirada pelo alto no 7 a 1 sobre o Brasiliense, no Kleber Andrade, o objetivo é manter em alto nível o aproveitamento quando a bola vai para a área rival, em escanteios ou em cobranças de falta.

Para isto, o técnico Luís Castro conta também com a força de Adryelson e Cuesta, além dos retornos de Eduardo e Tiquinho pelos altos. Caso o Glorioso garanta o título da Taça Rio, terá a vaga direta na Copa do Brasil de 2024.