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If there was any doubt that New Zealand would keep attacking, their captain’s first ball made the answer clear and the spirit of adventure was addictive

David Hopps at Headingley29-May-20151:01

‘I can’t complain, I got 88’ – Ronchi

There are critics back in New Zealand who suspect that Brendon McCullum’s commitment to enterprising cricket is as much driven by his desire to perpetuate his reputation as a “media darling” as a meaningful plan to lead New Zealand to a better Test future. It is the most mean-spirited of conclusions, but even the unadulterated happiness of the Lord’s Test, it seems, has not brought universal delight.As Headingley relished the Lord’s aftershocks – witnessing another enthralling and unstable day of Test cricket – such carping seemed entirely out of kilter with the prevailing mood. This ground might be Test cricket’s version of the now largely-departed northern Working Men’s Clubs where the pitches and the audience can be notoriously demanding and happy-go-lucky is not to be tolerated, but times are changing: they know value for money when they see it, even if some will have been left so disorientated by the experience of 297 for 8 at more than 4.5 an over that they might have caught the wrong bus home.As for McCullum, he had an immediate riposte to those who view his attacking approach as a sign of weakness. His first ball, from Stuart Broad, was full and inviting and so he planted it into the crowd at cover. One ball faced, six runs scored. In one hearty thwack, he had pronounced there would be no let-up in the attitude which in a single Lord’s Test has arguably made these New Zealand tourists the most popular ever to set foot in England. New Zealand cricketers with attitude: why ever not?Unfortunately for McCullum, there was not just one retort but two. The second did not go awfully well. His first ball after tea, from Ben Stokes, was also full and inviting and this time he deposited it into the grateful hands of Mark Wood at mid-off. Cue more talk no doubt of the baleful influence of Twenty20 on New Zealand’s captain, or of how a side that reached the World Cup final no longer has patience for the longer form of the game.”The next guy in can get a bit twitchy when they see Baz hit the first ball for six,” was the assessment of Luke Ronchi, a one-day slugger on Test debut at 34, and whose 88 from 70 balls could not have come under a captain whose philosophy suited him more than McCullum. It was the sort of debut that might have left him stricken by nerves. Instead he struck the fastest Test fifty Headingley has ever seen.”It is the way he is doing it and you can’t stop him. He plays some amazing shots and sometimes he plays some other sort of shots. He is telling people to play freely and enjoy what they are doing. He is certainly doing that. I can’t see it changing anytime soon.”When McCullum departed, with 41 from 28 balls to his name, and wearing a black armband to mark the death of his grandfather, his exasperation will have been solely over a legitimate shot, badly executed. First ball of a session? Traditionally, a time to reassess, reacquaint, settle in. But you could have said the same thing about the first ball of an innings. Both deliveries were there to be hit. It was just that he made a mess of the second one.’Happy little court jesters’ was one scathing assessment of New Zealand’s Lord’s display, their status as the No. 3 ranked side in Test cricket conveniently turned against them. But these are two sides naturally designed for attacking cricket: both Wood and Stokes, two members of England’s pace attack, bowl attacking lengths. As James Anderson, an old fox who must have looked on with wonder as he passed 400 Test wickets, said: “It all depends on the players you have in the team: there are guys on both sides who naturally play attacking cricket. You can’t help but admire the way they play.”Considering that they had lost a dangerous toss, New Zealand’s progress seemed unreal. They certainly came out rather well compared to their last appearance on this ground two years ago when they were dismissed for 174 and 220 and attracted only limited interest along the way. Then, it is fair to say, the Test did not dominate conversation in Leeds bars. But if things continue like this it might get a mention or two. Everybody likes a good scrap.McCullum spoke after that Test about the self-doubt that has characterised much of New Zealand’s thinking as a Test nation. They made 669 runs in four innings in England, routed for 68 at Lord’s, and were eighth in the Test rankings. In their last eight Tests in England, they had rescued a draw amid seven defeats. For most of their Test history, they have been in the doldrums.Since then, they are unbeaten in their last six series, during which time they have found unity and conviction. Enterprise has paid off. Interest has been stirred, wins have been logged. An underlying sense of their own inadequacy has been banished.Under McCullum, they dare to look the opposition in the eye as equals. At 264 for 5, with Ronchi and Tom Latham assembling a chaotic stand of 120 in 24 overs, and opportunities going begging by the minute, their ambition had come close to running England ragged. At 1-0 down in a two-Test series, with rain about, circumstances also justified their approach. Even now, England will be grateful for a good Saturday forecast and expectations of the best batting conditions of the match.Ambition can quicken the development of young New Zealand players, batsmen with the promise of Latham, who warmed up his cut shot against some early dross from Wood, England’s sprinter-bowler, and played pretty responsibly after that until his innings deteriorated quite spectacularly with five let-offs in the 70s, four of them against Moeen Ali, two lbw appeals refused on review and dropped catches in successive balls by Wood at square leg and Gary Ballance at leg slip. As he left, there was the sense that you wanted to watch him again.That has not always been the case with New Zealand openers. Peter Fulton once made two hundreds in the same Auckland Test against England, so he deserves respect, but other than a work through mid-on, no other shot lived in the memory. Trevor Franklin occasionally produced a straight drive, or so people claimed. Mark Richardson could spirit a ball through point in a manner to irritate the most equable temperament. But not one of them did much to change the impression of a New Zealand cricket side surviving on meagre resources.McCullum’s commitment to attack also recognises the hand he has been delivered and makes the best of it. Ronchi likes to hit the ball, and Test debut or not, he did just that. He tore into Moeen with gusto, taking 37 in all from 19 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes. Down in Bashley, in the Southern Premier League, memories stirred of a batsman who from the moment he flew in from Perth as a skinny teenager about 15 years ago made a habit of losing cricket balls and denting passing cars.”It was people just doing natural things,” Ronchi said. “My first ball I was pretty lucky to get it over the slips, but after that it was a matter of trying not to worry about what I was doing. Some of them I played OK, some of them I didn’t play well, but it is also the nature of the beast. If I see it and think I can hit it then I prefer to try and do that. I am 34 in my first Test and may never play another. I was just trying to enjoy the ride really.”There was nothing two-faced, nor patronising, in England’s praise for New Zealand’s display at Lord’s. They played a full part in one of the most engaging Tests in England for years and, by doing so, helped to shake English cricket out of a slough of despond. In Leeds, too, they have reminded everybody of the fun to be had. They have briefly put cricket at the centre of English life again. Such things matter.These were the New Zealand tourists who had arrived in dribs and drabs, with nobody outside those with tickets for Lord’s much caring whether they had or not. They have come out even from a remarkable first day at Headingley. A crowd is turning up with optimism about the entertainment ahead. They have suddenly become everybody’s darling buds of May.

It took a little longer than appear likely at one stage, but South Africa’s comfortably victory extends a formidable overseas sequence which vindicates their No. 1 status

Firdose Moonda in Dubai26-Oct-2013Before Graeme Smith went in for ankle surgery in May, the doctor gave him a worrying warning. “If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what I am going to do,” he said to the South African captain.Smith had suffered an ankle impingement in April last year, which ruled him out of the IPL, and had chronic ankle pain for a period of time before that. He had an operation last year before South Africa’s tour of England but this year needed another – one he refers to as “major,” – because the problem had not been entirely solved. The recent one, which meant he had cut short his first season with Surrey, involved putting two pins into his heel to correct a stress fracture and would keep him out of the game for six months, much longer than the ten weeks he had on the sidelines 2012.”I had a lot of time to reflect on my career and I wondered if there would be more,” he said. Smith didn’t have to explain his fear that he thought there was a chance he may not take the field again because it was obvious from the pride he took in his own performance.”I worked really hard to get to where I am now. To have come back and scored a double hundred in these conditions – almost sub-continental and with the heat – is something I will never forget. I am proud of it. I will cherish this innings for the rest of my life.”His 234 was the biggest individual difference between South Africa and Pakistan in Dubai and it was as much a personal achievement as it was a team feat. Without Smith’s innings, a canvas painted by hard grind rather than attractive strokeplay, South Africa would not have had the platform from which it did not matter that their lower-order collapsed. Without his knock, they could have lost the match and their record run on the road could have ended.Cricketers often claim numbers don’t matter to them until they’ve called it a day but there are two that mean a great to deal to South Africa right now. The No.1 ranking is the first of them. They would not have lost it had they been defeated 2-0 in this series but their lead would have been substantially cut. Their unbeaten away streak since 2006 is the other because it explains, without needing to use too many words, why they are the top-ranked Test team.South Africa have not won a series in the subcontinent, apart from victories in Bangladesh, since beating Pakistan in 2007 but they have drawn in India and now, in the UAE. That speaks about their ability to “find a way,” as Smith likes to put it to win in conditions they are unaccustomed to and which are intended to work against them.

I don’t think many teams in the current set-up can travel as well as we do and be able to perform in the different environments and under the different pressures. I don’t think the team gets enough credit for that. It’s an immense recordGraeme Smith on South Africa away from home

It illustrates what Smith and AB de Villiers’ innings showed: how to construct scores on pitches which take turn, outfields which are slow and bowlers who know how to exploit the conditions with movement and spin. But on the fourth day of this match, it was their bowlers’ ability which was highlighted.Despite being kept in the field for much longer than they expected, the attack barely strayed from their plans. They were disciplined in length, using the short ball as a threat rather than a regulation delivery, and understanding the need to pitch it up. Even when Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq looked as though they would bat out the day, the bowlers did not panic and held their control.Part-time left-arm spinner Dean Elgar took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Misbah and then South Africa knew it was just a matter of time. They finished Pakistan off before the end of the day to extend their record of adaptability to include the UAE.”Once they got in and the ball got soft, it became difficult,” Smith admitted. “We controlled the run-rate and they were never scoring at more than 2.5 to the over and we knew if we kept doing that, there was going to be one opportunity and Dean got that one opportunity.”They have now gone 12 series without being beaten away from home and Smith thinks that has the makings of the start of a legacy similar to the Australia and West India sides of old. “I don’t want to be throwing that label around to the public just yet, I think we still have a long way to go but I don’t think many teams in the current set-up can travel as well as we do and be able to perform in the different environments and under the different pressures,” he said.”I don’t think the team gets enough credit for that. It’s an immense record and we are very proud of it. We want to go on and win more series, dominate, we want to play good cricket set a standard and we are on the right path.”How South Africa have managed to win away from home is, according to Smith, down mostly to experience. “Part of playing away from home is finding a way to morph in those conditions,” he said. “We have a great understanding of that and how to work our way into conditions.”That was why, unlike his surgeon, Smith never got to the point where he did not know what would work. At 1-0 down in the series, South Africa were confident of coming back. And despite Pakistan batting fluently with six wickets in hand, Smith had no doubt his bowlers would complete the job.

Fastidious in his ways, yet instinctive on the pitch; 37 years old but still hard working, Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s biggest asset is his ability to instill calm, and that is what has brought his team consecutive Ranji titles

Nagraj Gollapudi at Chepauk 23-Jan-2012The neatness of the hotel guest is apparent. Six pairs of footwear are arranged in two neat lines on a small mat in front of the bed. The items on the writing table lie in a straight line. The bed is pristine. The kit bag lies in one corner, zipped. On the field and off it, Hrishikesh Kanitkar is an orderly person. His whites are always carefully creased; even the way he walks is measured. This is the man who, today, lifted the Ranji Trophy for the second straight year as Rajasthan captain.Barring Mumbai, who have won the title 39 times, only three other teams – Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka – have managed to win consecutive titles. Only DB Deodhar (for Maharashtra in 1940 and 1941) and Bishan Singh Bedi (for Delhi in 1979 and 1980), along with a select few Mumbai captains, have had the honour of leading a victorious side for two straight years.Yet, as he reclines on his bed, Kanitkar shows no emotion. Asked why the room is so distinctly tidy, Kanitkar explains it simply helps him find things easily. It does, though, suggest he is meticulous in his ways, perhaps rigid; but Kanitkar insists he is not someone who leads his team by following a set template. “I am very spontaneous. I am instinctive,” he says.In Rajasthan’s group match against Mumbai, Kanitkar showed some of that instinct when he moved slip to short fine leg for Suryakumar Yadav, who was sweeping frequently, and had him caught in the position almost instantly.Kanitkar says his father Hemant, a former captain of Maharashtra, had always told him to listen to his inner voice and trust it. “My father always told me that when you are leading, suddenly you feel like moving a fielder to a particular spot. He said you have to do it and follow that instinct.” In the Ranji final, Kanitkar moved the square leg fielder to midwicket twice, based entirely on his instinct. M Vijay and K Vasudevadas both hit into the hands of those very fielders.Cajoling and nursing his bowling attack is another big part of Kanitkar’s job. On the third day of the Ranji final, Dinesh Karthik was comfortably driving the second new ball, which frustrated medium-pacer Pankaj Singh. Kanitkar swiftly moved himself from first slip to mid-off, and asked his strike bowler to pitch in good areas and bowl as if he were trying to dismiss the top order at the start of an innings. “We were getting defensive with the field so I told him to bowl in good areas and I would set normal fields and let Karthik try and pierce the field,” Kanitkar says.Pankaj acknowledges his captain’s role in helping him stay focussed. “He just told me that we were trying too hard to get the wicket,” Pankaj says about his spell to Karthik. “He is a very senior guy. He is your captain and wants the best for you and the team. If what I am doing is not working he makes suggestions and I should accept them. Sometimes I suggest something, and he accepts it most often and refuses at times.”So what was the biggest challenge of defending the crown? Last year, Rajasthan had no idea what path they were traversing. They had nothing to lose and they won the tournament. This year Kanitkar’s challenge was to make sure the players believed they deserved to be champions but also had their feet on the ground. According to Kanitkar, the essential ingredient was several players stepping up to perform vital roles, however unglamorous they may have seemed.”You need heroes for different situations in different games, and a hero could be somebody who bowls a decent spell and keeps the opposition run-rate in check. Like in the semi-final (against Haryana), Puneet Yadav took a couple of very good catches. Even though he did not score too many runs, his catches made the difference because it was a low-scoring game. Hence I say to get here you need the whole team to perform”

“I have to be someone who affects the team positively even when I am not performing”Hrishikesh Kanitkar recognises his batting is only a small part of his role with Rajasthan

Rajasthan’s hero in the final was Vineet Saxena , who batted for fifteen hours to score 257 and drain Tamil Nadu of all motivation. Saxena admits the presence of his captain at the other end on the second day was influential. Kanitkar’s 67 was part of an important 126-run stand for the second wicket, which not only kept Saxena relaxed, but further frustrated Tamil Nadu, who had gone wicketless on the first day.Kanitkar scored only one century this season, but as a professional his role is extended to mentoring the other players. “I have to be someone who affects the team positively even when I am not performing,” he says. The best way to get his message across, Kanitkar believes, is to deliver it in a “casual” way, rather than in a dictatorial manner.Kanitkar is not the first professional to lead Rajasthan. For two seasons – 2004-05 and 2005-06 – Ajay Jadeja was the captain. When he left, Rajasthan were relegated to the Plate division. In May 2011, the current national selector Narendra Hirwani, who was with the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, recommended Kanitkar to the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) officials Rajeev Rathore and Sanjay Dixit (then RCA secretary). Kanitkar had moved from his native Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh, where he played as a professional for two seasons. Both Maharashtra and MP let Kanitkar go for the same reason: they wanted to blood young players.Aakash Chopra, another of the three professionals signed by the RCA two years ago (Rashmi Parida is the third), believes Kanitkar was the right man to lead. “He has never been too demanding,” Chopra says of his captain. “He has always said give your 100 % and I am happy. For these kids it worked. Cricket is an expression of the self and now they could do that.”This was in complete contrast to a few years ago, when players like Saxena were, on occasion, publicly ridiculed by their captains. That only stunted their growth. They never had a voice. Kanitkar’s arrival changed that.”He does not lose his cool at all,” Chopra says. “That has played a significant role, more than bringing people together. Generally he is a shy guy who is not really expressive. For an introvert to be a successful captain is not easy, especially if he is going to a new state.”Despite his age Hrishikesh Kanitkar is always ready for an extra session in the gym•K SivaramanSaxena says Kanitkar is the “the Mr Cricket” of Rajasthan. “As a cricketer he is close to perfection,” Saxena says. What inspires and amazes Saxena is Kanitkar’s commitment and the hard work he puts in despite his age – Kanitkar is 37 years old. “If he has got out early he will never miss going to the gym later in the evening. He will do that extra job come what may. He will make sure he does not let the day go to waste,” Saxena says.The confidence an experienced hand like Kanitkar can help instill in a player is perhaps best reflected in the growth of Rajasthan’s youngest team-member, medium-pacer Rituraj Singh. Rituraj debuted this season and made a mark immediately, bagging three five-wicket hauls, including one in the semis against Haryana. Ritu, as he is known, admits he would ask Kanitkar to stand at mid-on or mid-off as he needed his calming influence.In the semi-final, Rituraj was hit for consecutive boundaries; it was not anything to worry about but Kanitkar understood the young bowler may have been rattled. He ran to Rituraj and told him the two balls were good and he just needed to stay patient. Even in the final, Kanitkar gave Rituraj a plan to bowl to. “He kept asking me to focus on my length. He kept reminding me about the basics,” Rituraj says.Kanitkar was brought up by sport-loving parents. His father Hemant has always been a quiet inspiration (“He will only call to congratulate when the match is over,” Kanitkar says). His mother hid behind trees during his school days to watch her son bat. “They never put pressure on me regardless of whether I performed or not. They always gave me positive feedback,” Kanitkar says of his parents.At 37, Kanitkar is a father figure to the youngsters in the Rajasthan squad, but remains a bachelor. The woman in his life, he says, has always been his mother, Anuradha, who has been heartily clapping and cheering Rajasthan at Chepauk.This support has allowed Kanitkar to transform himself from someone who once, as shocking as it might sound to his team-mates now, would let incidents on the field get to him and react badly. Over the years, as he matured and understood himself, Kanitkar re-shaped his thoughts.”It is okay to make mistakes. It is okay to get out. It is okay to drop a catch; it is like dropping a cup and it breaks,” Kanitkar says. He has grown from “being very unaccepting of such things” to accepting errors now. It has only put the rest of the players at ease.If there was a message for his triumphant team going forward, he said it was only to stay consistent. “Keep getting to the knockouts,” he says.

The two bowlers who impressed most during the Duleep Trophy were virtual unknowns from India’s cricketing backwaters: Andhra legspinner M Suresh and Vidarbha fast bowler Umesh Yadav

Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium25-Jan-2009
Dismissing Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in quick succession is the right way to make an impression on the selectors, as Umesh Yadav did in the Duleep Trophy game in Bangalore © AFP
Much of the build-up to the Duleep Trophy game surrounded the bowlers vying to reclaim their India caps – Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla and L Balaji – but the two who perhaps had the biggest impact were relative unknowns: Andhra legspinner M Suresh and Vidarbha fast bowler Umesh Yadav.With the tournament back to its traditional knockout format, they faced the prospect of playing just one match in the limelight before returning to the anonymity of the Ranji Trophy Plate League. Both made the most of their chances: Suresh scored a solid half-century on the first day and took six wickets on the last, while Umesh bowled a sizzling, hostile spell on the first morning in which he removed both Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.Their climb to the top of domestic cricket could not have been more different. To paraphrase Vinod Kambli, Suresh took the stairs while Umesh took the elevator.Suresh, 25, has made his mark as a legspinner who can bat a bit but he started out as a top-order batsman. He camped at all the stops on the way to a place in the Andhra Ranji Trophy side, playing at the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-22 levels before finally making his first-class debut towards the end of 2002. He managed one half-century in his first six games, but worse was to follow: a high score of 21 in ten innings led to his axing from the Andhra side midway through the 2005-06 season.He focused on his batting during his time out of the team – which lasted nearly two years – before former India allrounder Syed Abid Ali, Andhra’s coach in 2007-08, urged him to concentrate on his bowling. The turning point came this season when he took eight wickets in an innings in one Buchi Babu tournament (the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s curtain-raiser to the season) match.The transition from batsman to bowling allrounder transformed Suresh’s fortunes – he finished as Andhra’s leading wicket-taker and led the batting averages as well for 2008-09. From struggling to get a game a little more than a year ago, Suresh is now talking of his responsibilities as a senior player and looking forward to interacting with national selector and former India legspinner Narendra Hirwani during the semi-final in Rajkot.While it took Suresh many years to find his groove, Umesh’s rise has been like his bowling – extremely quick. Less than two years ago he was contemplating becoming a policeman, and had yet to play with a leather ball. Seeing his raw pace with the tennis ball, his friends encouraged him to play divisional cricket in Vidarbha, after which he went for Under-22 trials. He took 2 for 105 in two games but that didn’t stop him from being catapulted into the Vidarbha Ranji Trophy team.Four matches at the first-class level brought him 20 wickets, including a six-wicket haul against Bengal, a spell he still counts as his best. In a little more than three months after his Under-22 debut, he was playing the Duleep Trophy. The fairytale continued on the first day of the Duleep Trophy tie, when he clocked up to 141kph, harried Dravid with his inswing and ended with figures of 5 for 96.Umesh, though, got a taste of the game’s ups and downs on the third day. Batting at No. 11, his side was three runs away from South’s total when he was bowled attempting a wild loft to long-on. South progressed on the basis of the first-innings lead and Umesh lost his chance to play another match in the spotlight.However, both he and Suresh have done enough to ensure their progress will be closely tracked, even though they will spend the next season in the Plate League.

After opting to bat on a grassy, red-soil pitch at the Bandra Kurla Complex, Tamil Nadu folded for 146 in their semi-final against Mumbai. Fast bowler Tushar Deshpande carved up the top half of the TN line-up with seam movement and extra bounce before spinners Tanush Kotian and Musheer Khan wrapped up the tail in the post-tea session. In response, Mumbai lost both Prithvi Shaw (5) and Bhupen Lalwani (15), but Musheer and nightwatcher Mohit Avasthi guided their team to stumps without any further hiccups.Avasthi had combined with Shardul Thakur to set the tone for Mumbai’s opening-day dominance. After going wide of the crease and beating N Jagadeesan’s inside edge, Avasthi hit the inside edge and had the opening batter popping a catch to short leg for 4. Thakur had struck in the very first over when he pinned B Sai Sudharsan lbw with an inswinger for a duck. Sudharsan, who was returning to action after recovering from a back niggle, also burnt a review during the process.Deshpande then ripped out Pradosh Ranjan Paul (8), R Sai Kishore (1) and B Indrajith (11) to leave TN at 42 for 5. Captain Sai Kishore had bumped himself up to No.4 as a pinch-blocker to protect the middle order, but the move backfired this time, with Deshpande bursting through his defences and knocking him over for 1. In their home quarter-final against Saurashtra, Sai Kishore had promoted himself to No.3 and scored a crucial half-century to drag TN into the lead.Related

• Shardul Thakur's blazing ton flattens Tamil Nadu

• Avesh takes four as Vidarbha collapse for 170

Washington Sundar, who was released from India’s Test squad, and Vijay Shankar forged a 48-run partnership off 191 balls for the sixth wicket to briefly resist Mumbai’s red-hot attack. Vijay got going with a flicked four off Avasthi and a punchy straight drive off Deshpande. But Thakur stopped him on 44 after lunch. He had angled one in from over the wicket and got it to seam away just enough to kiss the outside edge.Washington’s innings could have been cut short on 11 had Shreyas Iyer latched onto a tough chance in the slips off Thakur. Washington had another nervy moment on 19 when he was given out lbw off left-arm fingerspinner Shams Mulani. But a review saved him, with the tracker indicating that the ball would have bounced over the stumps on the red-soil surface.After the moisture dried up, Washington took more risks along with the lower order, but they could not take TN to 150. M Mohammed, who hit a career-best 85 off 99 balls in the first round, laced Thakur for four successive fours in the 51st over. Musheer, though, ended Mohammed’s cameo in the next over, his first of the innings, when he had him nicking behind to slip. Musheer also trapped Sandeep Warrier with his left-arm fingerspin to finish with 2 for 18. Kotian, the offspinner, dismissed both left-handers Washington and S Ajith Ram to also come away with two wickets.Kuldeep Sen, TN’s guest pacer who had sat out of the last three games, then marked his return with the dismissal of Shaw in his first over. Sai Kishore had Lalwani, Mumbai’s highest run-getter this season, lbw, but the hosts trimmed the deficit to 101 by stumps. With both Iyer and captain Ajinkya Rahane in the shed, Mumbai will look to bat TN out of the semi-final on Sunday.

Leny Yoro has rallied his Manchester United team-mates to "stick together" after a disastrous start to the season.

• Yoro opens up on dressing room atmosphere
• Urges everyone to avoid making mistakes
• Issues rallying cry to his Man Utd team-mates

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Yoro believes United will get things back on track if the team can avoid "little mistakes" but insists they "need to stay together no matter what" in order to break the shackles. The start to the season has been less than ideal for Ruben Amorim's side as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup in the second round after a penalty shootout defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town.

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  Yoro has been one of the few promising signings by United in recent memory, with the 19-year-old cementing his place in defence after arriving from Lille last summer. However, the fact that he is yet to start in a victory over a current top-flight club in the Premier League is a damning indictment of the dire straits the Red Devils find themselves in. United are winless after their opening two league fixtures and the defeat against fourth-tier side Grimsby Town will have been a hard pill to swallow. The Premier League's sleeping giants are under immense scrutiny, as reports claim Amorim could resign from the role of head coach if he fails to turn the tide and steady the ship.

• WHAT YORO SAID

  Speaking to , Yoro said: "I think it's been difficult for everyone. This game is in the past now and we need to move forward and think about Burnley. The team is ready to hold their heads up and we're looking forward to the game.

  "It's difficult because I think without the Grimsby game – against Fulham and Arsenal I think we were a bit unlucky in these games because we did well, honestly. We had the opportunity to score and we conceded goals we can avoid – I think these are the small things we need to improve. If we don't concede these little mistakes, we will win games – it's just little mistakes we need to change.

  "Once we enter Carrington, we focus on ourselves and the spirit of the team. The team spirit is really important for our team and we saw in pre-season when we were always together – we built a spirit. This type of game [Grimsby] helps also to have a good spirit because we need to stay together no matter what the result is. We need to reflect this on the pitch and try to do everything to do it."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Pressure is mounting on Amorim to fix things at Old Trafford after a summer during which stars such as Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo joined the ranks. United play their next game on Saturday against Burnley.

Cody Gakpo has set his sights on European silverware as Liverpool gear up for the 2025–26 season, aiming to follow up their Premier League triumph with Champions League success. The Dutch forward, who played a crucial role in the Reds’ resurgence under new manager Arne Slot, is eager to build on last season’s achievements and go even further on the continental stage.

• Gakpo eyes Champions League redemption
• Was key figure in Premier League conquest
• Could win another trophy on Sunday at Wembley

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gakpo recorded an impressive 18 goals and six assists in all competitions, firmly establishing himself as a key figure in Slot’s dynamic new system. With 24 direct goal contributions, Gakpo ranked second only to Mohamed Salah, who was directly involved in a staggering 57 goals. His performances not only showcased his attacking versatility and composure in front of goal but also highlighted his growing influence within a revitalised Liverpool squad.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite their domestic success, Liverpool’s journey in the Champions League came to an abrupt and frustrating end in the round of 16. The Merseyside club topped the new league-style group stage after winning seven of their eight matches, entering the knockout phase full of momentum. However, their run was halted by Paris Saint-Germain in dramatic fashion. After securing a 1-0 victory in the first leg away in Paris, Liverpool were unable to hold on at Anfield, eventually bowing out on penalties following a 1-1 draw on aggregate.

• WHAT GAKPO SAID

  Gakpo admitted the result left a bitter taste despite the team’s impressive campaign.

  "I think we were all very proud at the time, still are [with] what we did last season, but it also gave us a lot of hunger that we wanted to do it again and again," Gakpo said. "We felt a little bit of frustration that we were knocked out of the Champions League, because then maybe we had something more special."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Liverpool’s preparations for the 2025–26 season will take another step forward this weekend as they face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, a traditional curtain-raiser to the English football calendar. Gakpo will be one of the central figures to watch, especially given his recent form, as he scored twice in Liverpool’s second fixture of their pre-season double-header against Athletic Club earlier this week. 

Snoop Dogg, fresh from his surprise acquisition of a stake at Swansea, has been warned that he cannot expect to be "picking the players".

Rap superstar acquired stake in SwansJoins Ballon d'Or winner in South WalesHelping to raise club's profile off the pitchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The rap superstar has become the latest A-list celebrity to invest in British football. He joins the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Tom Brady, JJ Watt, Will Ferrell and Michael B Jordan.

AdvertisementGettyDID YOU KNOW?

Snoop has also joined Ballon d’Or-winning Real Madrid legend Luka Modric at Swansea. Ambitious plans are being pieced together off the field in South Wales, with the hope being that success will be mirrored on it.

THE GOSSIP

Swansea will be competing with the likes of Wrexham and Birmingham in the 2025-26 Championship campaign, as they all take aim at the Premier League, but big names in the boardroom have been urged to stay in their lane.

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WHAT PULIS SAID

Welsh tactician Tony Pulis – who has managed at the likes of Stoke, Crystal Palace and West Brom – told sports betting site when discussing notable arrivals at Swansea: "Would I be pleased if someone like that came into a football club? Yeah, as long as they didn't poke their nose in and start picking the team and picking the players and picking the tactics, it'd be no issues to me.

"I've met Luka Modric. What a wonderful, wonderful man. An absolutely fantastic player. Top, top player. And I mean a top, top player, but he's a fantastic lad as well. Having Luka around would be unbelievable. Snoop Dogg, I don't even know what he sings!"

“I don’t think it would be fair when some teams have played a lot of Tests in the last four years and other teams have not played Test cricket in the last 15 years”

S Sudarshanan12-Dec-2023

Women’s cricket is growing rapidly in white-ball formats but the equivalent of the World Test Championship is far from reality. Ahead of the one-off Test between India and England, the idea of a WTC for women excited India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, but England opener Tammy Beaumont said the time for it was not quite right yet.The men’s WTC is in its third iteration with nine teams part of it. But the ICC has primarily used T20s as the driving force for the women’s game. Last year, ICC chair Greg Barclay, in an interview with the BBC, said “there is no doubt that white-ball cricket is way of the future” and brushed aside women’s Test cricket “evolving at any particular speed”.Related

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Since 2017, there have been only six women’s Test played – three of which were outside of the Women’s Ashes. India have played two Tests since 2021 while South Africa played one last year.Mandhana, who is India’s most experienced current player with four Tests, expressed delight at the idea of a WTC for women.”I would love to be part of a World Test Championship,” she said ahead of India’s training at DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday. “But that is for the boards and the ICC to decide. Having watched a lot of men’s Test cricket and men’s Test Championships, that would be an exciting thing to be a part of.”But Beaumont, who has played eight Tests, felt different and said there need to be more teams playing women’s red-ball cricket for that to happen.”At the moment it is only three or four nations playing Test match cricket regularly, and potentially only three or four governing bodies who can afford to host women’s Test cricket,” Beaumont, who scored the first double-century in women’s Tests for England earlier this year, said.”It would have to be a very big investment from the ICC that I don’t think they are probably willing to put in to. They’re still trying to develop the T20 game across the globe, the way you’ve seen Thailand and other teams coming into T20 cricket, that should be focus.”Currently, only the women’s Ashes takes place in the form of multi-format series, where a win in Tests is worth four points, and a win in each of the white-ball game is worth two points. A drawn Test gives both the teams two points and an overall series winner is decided after all the matches are completed. This format reduces the possibility of dead-rubbers since each match has points at stake. Beaumont called for more such multi-format bilateral series for teams to adapt to Test cricket.Beaumont wants to see more multi-format series like the women’s Ashes•Getty Images

“I would love to see more nations do the multi-format series like the Ashes – say India come over and we do Test match, ODIs and T20s and an overall winner from that and do the same with South Africa, New Zealand all those and build it from there,” she said.”One day I would like to see a WTC but at the moment, I don’t think it would be fair when, say India, Australia and England have played a lot of Tests in the last four years and other teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand have not played Test cricket in the last 15 years. The imbalance is still there and we need to build it from the ground up a little bit longer and definitely have many Tests.”Beaumont; We haven’t mastered Tests because of lack of opportunitiesGiven the rarity of Tests – and the pressure on players to put on a good show in order to get more matches – Beaumont admitted that there are nerves whenever a Test arrives.”As a group of players, you do feel a bit more anxious around a Test match week just because it is a bit novel. The likes of myself, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt we have been playing international cricket for 12-13 years but haven’t played that many Tests. If you think of that in terms of white-ball cricket, that’s your first year. So there’s more nerves because we haven’t mastered it because we haven’t had the opportunity to master it.”You look at someone like Danni Wyatt – she made her debut at Trent Bridge at 32. You are constantly a young player at Test cricket, no matter how old your body feels. In the men’s game, 10 Tests is not even a career; that’s just a start.”The home crowd going quiet makes you feel alive, says BeaumontThe tickets for the India-England matches are free of cost, and that saw the Wankhede Stadium filled for the last two T20Is over the weekend. While women’s matches in England have a minimum price attached, the BCCI has kept women’s cricket largely free of cost for spectators – be it the WPL or the ongoing series against England. The entry for home T20Is against Australia last year was free for women while men had to purchase an INR 100 ticket. All the matches saw huge turnouts.Beaumont was unfussed on having a price on the ticket and welcomed the idea of more people watching the women in action.”Having the Wankhede pretty much full was an incredible atmosphere,” Beaumont, who was in Mumbai with the white-ball squad even though she was only in the Test squad, said. “If it had to be free tickets for people to come in, I think it was worth it.”From the grapevine you hear, what’s driving the kind of women’s cricket is broadcast deals. The big one for the series is it is on TV in India and England and the broadcast deals are being sold. Tickets sales are only a percentage of that even in England.”For me as a player, having lots of people watching and creating that atmosphere – I say here it’s going to be against us the entire time. But if we have a good session and the crowd goes quiet, I think for me as a player, that’s what makes you feel alive. If that means they are getting free tickets to watch a Test match, I don’t mind that at all. I’d rather that than a pretty empty stadium of 40,000 to be honest.”

Did Babar not say he wanted to lead Pakistan’s rebuild? Does the PCB’s interim committee have the power to take big decisions? And what does all this mean for the coaching staff?

Danyal Rasool16-Nov-20233:16

Hayden: Pakistan’s issues are never to do with leadership group

First things first, why did Babar Azam resign?Well, some degree of change invariably tends to follow poor ODI World Cup campaigns. When Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals in 2019, head coach Mickey Arthur and batting coach Grant Flower were sent packing. Within a year, Sarfaraz Ahmed was gone as ODI captain.Related

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Babar Azam resigns as Pakistan captain in all formats

Pressure had begun to mount on Babar’s captaincy, and lingering concerns about his decision-making, particularly when it came to in-game situations, never really went away. When Babar was appointed Pakistan captain, it wasn’t for technical astuteness; that was widely believed to be a weak spot in his game. Rather, he was the best batter in the side, and the only guaranteed all-format starter at the time.He oversaw a poor run of late with the Test side, including home defeats against Australia and England, the latter Pakistan’s first ever home whitewash. A home series draw against New Zealand was followed by an impressive 2-0 away win in Sri Lanka, but those were Pakistan’s first Test wins in a year. Aside from his first series as captain in January 2021, Babar never oversaw a Test match win at home.The 2023 Asia Cup was viewed as a disappointment, with Pakistan finishing fourth and, at the 2023 World Cup, they lost five of nine games, including one against Afghanistan, which sent them tumbling out in the first round.Reluctant resignation, you say? There is limited evidence Babar truly wanted to step aside. Following Pakistan’s final match at the World Cup, he told Michael Atherton at the post-match presentation that he wished to lead the rebuild, and he reiterated that at the press conference. The PCB said it told him yesterday it had decided to remove him as white-ball captain, and offered him the chance to keep the Test captaincy. Babar appears to have seen the writing on the wall after that, and decided to resign across formats.While still key to Pakistan’s fortunes with the bat, Babar Azam has not had a good time of it as captain of late•ICC/Getty Images

Wait, this is an interim management committee. Can it really sack a captain? Almost certainly not. The PCB chairman has the authority to appoint and remove captains, and while Zaka Ashraf is currently performing that duty, he is the head of the PCB management committee on a temporary basis, a role he had extended for three months by the Pakistan caretaker prime minister. A court in Pakistan ruled the committee did not have the power to make significant changes during its tenure, and was to operate only on a caretaker basis.So to get rid of Babar as captain, it needed Babar to offer his resignation himself. Theoretically, had he refused, he would have remained Pakistan captain in all formats, and the PCB would have no mechanism for removing him.Well, it would still have one avenue: simply not selecting him. But for obvious cricketing reasons, that always seemed untenable.So who replaces him? Is it one person across formats? We know the answer to that is no. The PCB seemed extremely prepared for his resignation, some would say suspiciously so. Within an hour, it appointed Shan Masood, summoned to PCB headquarters in Lahore – even though the committee had ostensibly offered Babar the option to continue as Test captain – as the new Test captain. Shaheen Afridi is the T20I captain. In a moment that perfectly encapsulates the workings of this PCB administration, it also announced Shaheen as ODI captain on social media, before that graphic was swiftly deleted. It later said the ODI captain would be announced “in due course”.You mentioned Mickey Arthur was sacked after the 2019 World Cup. What’s his deal now? Is he still with Pakistan cricket? Well, yes and no. The PCB announced team director Mickey Arthur, as well as head coach Grant Bradburn, have had their roles “reassigned”. There is no information on what they have been reassigned to do, but ESPNcricinfo understands this means neither will travel to Australia next month for Pakistan’s next assignment, a three-match Test series.Mickey Arthur: to stay or not to stay?•Getty Images

So if coaches won’t travel with the team, why not remove them? Because at this point the board probably can’t. It also likely falls outside the scope of what this PCB management committee can do. In the absence of Arthur or Bradburn offering their resignations, as Babar did, the PCB has to keep them on. It is understood that resignations from either are not expected anytime soon.So who’s going to coach in their steads in Australia, then? Zaka Ashraf met, among others, Mohammad Hafeez on Tuesday, and it seems that meeting went rather well, because he offered him Arthur’s job. Hafeez will take over as team director, and it is understood he will go to Australia and New Zealand with the side. Hafeez will also take over as head coach, effectively ending the practice of appointing two separate people as team director and head coach. The practice only started with Mickey Arthur’s ascension to team director while grant Bradburn was already in situ.Well, all this seems quite chaotic. When will we get a PCB administration that is allowed to make actual decisions? We thought we’d have one by now when Ashraf came into the role, but with Pakistan’s caretaker government having stretched its role beyond the constitutionally allotted three months, the caretaker prime minister also handed Ashraf and the management committee a further three months.That should take us through to February, when Pakistan is due to hold general elections. Any prime minister that emerges out of those will have the authority to nominate a PCB chairman, and once PCB elections are held, a full PCB administration will have all the powers they have traditionally possessed.Shan Masood takes charge of Pakistan in red-ball cricket – for now at least•Getty Images

What does this mean for Babar, Arthur, Bradburn, Masood and Shaheen? Simply that any developments that have occurred in the past 24 hours are liable to be reversed. If Najam Sethi returns as chairman in February, a definite possibility, it could mean good news for Arthur and Bradburn. He had made clear his desire that Pakistan hire foreign coaches, and publicly pursued Arthur for months before landing a deal for him to return. He would also have the authority to appoint or remove any captain or coach.So these changes are only going to be in effect for the tour of Australia? That, and the following five T20Is in New Zealand, yes. After that, as ever in Pakistan cricket, all bets are off.