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After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play

Arun Venugopal24-Aug-2016
ScorecardAbhinav Mukund followed up a fifty on the opening day with an unbeaten 162 in India Red’s second innings•PTI

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play. Thanks to Nathu Singh’s six-for, India Red needed only a little more than 10 overs to bowl out India Green in the afternoon, before going to stumps on 344 for 3. The centerpiece of their second innings was the 240-run alliance between Abhinav and Chatterjee.

Abhinav Mukund on…

His innings: It’s been a long time since I scored such a big hundred, so I put my mind to it. I haven’t batted under lights so I was a bit more focused and I wanted to concentrate – I had worked a lot on my fitness – and I wanted to prove that. I have been on the field through both the days so definitely towards the end I was tiring a bit, but I wanted to push [myself] mentally and carry on.
Batting with Sudip Chatterjee: I have played with him for Vijay CC, so we have batted together before. We knew things would get easier if we gritted it out initially. I just told him to hang on because it takes a bit of time to get set with the new ball.
Behaviour of the pink ball: I think the ball came on to the bat much better in the evening session. There was a little bit of seam movement initially with the new ball, and it’s starting to turn a little bit. It is also skidding on a little bit so it is slightly harder to play the spinners. Shreyas Gopal was giving it a good rip. I think it (the pitch) is dry underneath, that is why it’s turning.

With Abhinav still at the crease, unbeaten on 162, and with recognised batsmen to follow, India Green’s bowlers and fielders might have to work overtime. In any event, the side’s misery was to a certain extent self-inflicted with some slipshod fielding – they dropped four catches – and profligate bowling.The narrative on day two was nothing like the first day: 379 runs were scored for the loss of six wickets, as opposed to 277 for 17 on Tuesday; bowlers 1- batsmen 1. Two factors, though, remained constant. First, the pink ball itself has not had a disproportionately heavy bearing on either outcome. The second factor was Abhinav.His effort was remarkable as much for its longevity – he batted for more than five hours – as its unhurried rhythm. There was no dulling of tempo, however, as his strike-rate constantly remained upwards of 75. While Abhinav might want to offer a quiet ‘thank you’ to India Green captain Suresh Raina, who dropped him on 66 and 92, the reprieves seemed little more than an incentive for his positive, risk-free approach.If Abhinav’s 22nd first-class hundred was the well-rehearsed jig of an accomplished dancer, Chatterjee’s was a laboured effort enhanced by improvisations. After having made only 5 in the first innings, Chatterjee took 18 balls to score his first run, but the longer he stayed the more irritated India Green’s bowlers became. By the time he scored his sixth first-class hundred, Chatterjee’s strike-rate had crossed 60. Chatterjee’s first false stroke in a long period – an ill-timed sweep – eventually saw him trapped lbw to Shreyas Gopal, but Abhinav, and later Gurkeerat Singh, ensured the show went on.India Red entered the afternoon needing three wickets to bowl out their opponents, and despite Saurabh Tiwary’s fifty and a rain interruption, Nathu made light work of the tail. When the second session began, it was, at least in parts, a re-run of the first afternoon’s play: Abhinav alternated between leaving and driving the ball with equal assurance, Ashok Dinda leap-charged his way to banging the ball on the shorter side of full length, and Sandeep Sharma did the un-Dinda thing by pitching the ball up to bring swing into play. The most conspicuous change from the first innings was the approach of the India Red batsmen. Sample this: Dinda went for Srikar Bharat’s throat, like on Tuesday, and Bharat responded with a pull – this time he was on top of the ball rather than the other way around – in front of square for six.Pink ball or not, Abhinav was not going to deviate from a formula fare. He left anything on a length around the off stump, especially with the new ball, while driving, punching and upper-cutting – his release shot in the first innings – errant deliveries. He made matters worse by pinching sharp singles to further throw India Green off gear. The most abiding visual of Chatterjee’s innings was his well stretched-out forward defence, but sneakily he worked his way towards a bigger score. As he grew in confidence, the cuts and the drives became a more regular occurrence.India Green’s fielding, particularly that of Ankit Rajpoot, was a throwback to the Indian fast bowler of the 1990s. While he offered a cheeky boot to halt cover drives, he was let balls slip through, or reacted late to a catch – one such somnolent attempt let Chatterjee off the hook when he was on 74.Raina himself appeared lost, and was intermittently off the field, leaving Parthiv Patel in charge. The wickets of Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh late in the day offered India Green a sudden shot of enthusiasm, which they will need to build on over the next two days.

The tale of an utterly one-sided contest was summed up neatly by the reactions of the two dressing rooms when Middlesex finally finished Hampshire off

Will Macpherson at Merchant Taylors' School01-Jun-2016
ScorecardJames Fuller impressed on his Championship debut for Middlesex (file photo)•PA PhotosThe tale of an utterly one-sided contest was summed up neatly by the reactions of the two dressing rooms when Middlesex finally finished Hampshire off.Middlesex, who took maximum points having waited six painstaking, flat-decked, rain-wrecked draws for a win, sang their long-awaited team song raucously and enjoyed a couple of cleansing, hard-earned beers. Hampshire, seven days after a brilliant win over Nottinghamshire, sat down for a 20-minute, sombre-sounding debrief. They had been trounced – out-batted, out-bowled and out-fought, and only the rain had prevented an innings defeat from arriving sooner. They claimed just one bonus point but subsequently lost it, and another point too, for a shoddy over-rate. They left with one point fewer than they arrived and joined Surrey at the foot of Division One.It was the pace and carry of James Fuller, who took a five-wicket haul on his Championship debut for Middlesex, that finally did for Hampshire. Fuller was signed from Gloucestershire primarily to help Middlesex remedy their white-ball woes but, having impressed all and sundry with a simple, friendly attitude and the ability to bowl 90mph, he was handed a debut here with Steven Finn – who popped by for that post-match beer – on England duty and James Harris rested.Having had a bye in week one, this was Middlesex’s seventh consecutive game. Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones bowled brilliantly, picking up six and five wickets respectively, but Fuller’s fresher legs, and the extra bounce they helped generate, were invaluable.It was Roland-Jones, as so often, who picked up the first of the six wickets his team required, as Joe Weatherley – who looked a cricketer at ease on Championship debut – lost his off-bail. More like his director of cricket, Angus Fraser, by the day – in gait and bowling style – Roland-Jones is simply the kind of cricketer who makes his team-mates look better.In the field, it is hard to recall an error. With the bat, coming in at No. 10 when many sage judges believe he could be as high as seven, he so often adds useful runs. With the ball, he bowls long spells off an even longer run-up and can play the pacy enforcer – as he did for much of the match here – or nag on line and length.Roland-Jones was left frustrated for the rest of the day, just missing the outside edge or, when he found it, the nick not quite finding a hand. After Weatherley fell, Jimmy Adams dug in, as he had late on Monday and during the 17 overs on Tuesday, to make 78, pulling when Roland-Jones dropped short and clipping neatly off his legs, too.Adam Wheater drove nicely and the pair shared 53 before falling in consecutive overs. James Franklin made the vital breakthrough, having Adams lbw, then Wheater failed to move his feet and was caught at the wicket to become the first of Fuller’s three on the day. A brief shower brought an early lunch shortly after.Fuller’s first four balls upon resumption were as short and sharp as any in the match. With the trap set, Tino Best tried – and failed – to hook all three. The fourth was fuller and Best simply found mid-on, just as he had in the first innings. It is hard to recall notably animated celebrators Middlesex, irked at the beamer Best bowled Adam Voges on day two and angry at the way he had been speaking to their close fielders in the short period before lunch, toasting a dismissal more raucously. After his second pair in consecutive matches, Best was told exactly where to go, and it would have been noted that he did not return for a handshake at day’s end.Before then, Mason Crane had some fun, edging for the rafters, but soon slapped Fuller to point and, after Ryan McLaren – who lacked luck throughout the game – played some fine strokes to delay the inevitable, James Tomlinson edged Ollie Rayner to slip.There was much to discuss at Hampshire’s debrief. Best, in many ways, appears to be becoming an apt embodiment of the team as a whole; brilliant on the good days – such as the spectacular win over Nottinghamshire last week when he was so electric – but miserable on the worst ones (these were very much four of the worst ones), and with an injury never far away. For all those injuries, as their captain Will Smith pointed out afterwards, of this XI only Weatherley and Crane have played fewer than 100 first-class matches, yet performances remain brittle and bipolar.”It seems to be a pattern for us in this format,” Smith said. “When we have our backs to the wall, we do something, like we did last week, but it’s about having that mentality from ball one and not getting yourselves into these situations.”A couple more weeks like this, you sense, and last year’s great escape will be required all over again.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has sadly never lived up to his immense potential at Chelsea and Graham Potter should look to move him on from Stamford Bridge this summer.

Should Chelsea sell Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

The powerful midfielder is a product of Chelsea's youth academy and has been with the Blues since the age of eight, but has not gone on to achieve the things many thought he would when he was a teenager.

The former England international earned a wonderkid status from the media after making his debut for the club in a Champions League game against Sporting at Stamford Bridge back in 2015.

At that point, nothing seemed likely to prevent Loftus-Cheek from reaching the very top with the Blues but he has been plagued with minor injuries throughout his career, which have perhaps prevented him from ever enjoying a consistent run in the first team.

Now 27, the versatile midfielder has failed to ever make more than 24 appearances for Chelsea in a Premier League season, with his 30 top-flight outings at Fulham in the 2020/21 relegation campaign producing an underwhelming one goal and no assists.

While he has been something of a regular under Potter this season, making 18 appearances in the Premier League thus far, he has averaged a disappointing 6.67 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with no goals or assists to his name.

This ranks him as the 15th-best performer at Stamford Bridge and it seems likely that, with the January addition of Enzo Fernandez, he will be forced to play second-fiddle to Chelsea's big-name signings in the future, as he has done for much of his career.

Former manager Thomas Tuchel perhaps put it best when describing Loftus-Cheek's ability after he scored his first Chelsea goal in three years last season, saying:

“This performance is what he shows in training, but it’s not enough because he needs to show it on the pitch.

“I think he’s been hiding his talent and his potential for a long time in his career. He’s capable of producing performances that everybody sees on the pitch, but he’s also capable of producing performances that hides all of his quality."

However, there is still an opportunity for the Blues to rake in a promising amount of money on their academy graduate, as CIES Football Observatory values him at €15m (£13m), which would represent good value for money for Chelsea given they obviously paid nothing to sign him.

There would surely be interest in the Englishman from other top-flight clubs and a move away from Chelsea could be exactly what both the player and the club need to move on, with both no doubt left wondering what could have been had he lived up to his immense potential with the Blues.

France international and football superstar Paul Pogba has definitely had a poor couple of years based on his own self-set high standards given the titles and accolades the 29-year-old has earned, or been presented with, across his career.

Having initially caused controversy by leaving Le Harve for Manchester United's famed Academy set up despite written agreements having been made, Pogba moved on in 2012 having failed to agree a new contract, and even Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy with the situation, taking to the press to criticise Pogba's behaviour saying as far as he was concerned Pogba had signed for Juventus "a long time ago as far as we're aware."

Ferguson further accused him of a complete lack of respect, stating "It is disappointing. I don't think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest. I'm quite happy that if they (players) carry on that way, they're probably better doing it away from us." Pogba might have been left wondering at that point if his future was better served by playing free slots no deposit UK games rather than football.

Pogba will have felt justified though, he truly made a name for himself when he officially joined the Italian Serie A giants. Trophies and success followed, both on a club and personal level, but equally on an international level for his country – the 2018 FIFA World Cup success being the most notable. Controversy remained a subtle part of his back story however.

In 2016, he returned to his former club as they were convinced to pay a whopping £90 million for their former Academy graduates services and whilst things started brightly enough as he more than made his mark on the Premier League, controversy again was never far behind a man who clearly backs himself over others. He had issues with Jose Mourinho over the captaincy, there was a training ground confrontation on top and ultimately the softly spoken (and self-proclaimed) Special One, branded Pogba a 'virus' on team form and he was subsequently dropped.

Things improved for the Frenchman as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Mourinho in the dugout and the 2018/19 campaign saw him at his most productive on the pitch – albeit not consistent. He was again antsy for a new adventure the following season, and he was not quiet in letting that be known. He did, however, see his contract out and remained at the club until the summer of 2022, wherein, he again returned to Juventus looking to reinvigorate himself.

It has not been plain sailing again though, and things certainly came to a head this week as Pogba again found himself dropped from first-team duties over a disciplinary breach. In the build-up to their Europa League tie with Freiburg, the BBC reported that the disciplinary issue in question was a failure to turn up on time for a team meeting on Wednesday, and that left coach Max Allegri with no option but to refuse to name him in the squad for Thursday's first leg clash.

If Pogba wanted a fresh start last summer, this is the last thing he needed to restore his reputation as he has only made two substitute appearances for them since his return after suffering a serious knee injury during pre-season. He opted against surgery focusing on not club, but the World Cup instead, and then was left with no option but to go under the knife and fans of the Bianconeri will certainly have their own thoughts about that perceived commitment – as will future potential employees, as fans certainly will.

Royals can control their fate by winning their next three. The first of those is against a side with a history of pulling off late heists

The Preview by Shashank Kishore12-May-20185:06

Manjrekar: Mumbai Indians finally playing to potential

Big PictureThe venue of that famous Rahul Dravid cap fling after one of the most stunning T20 heists will now host another high-voltage clash, even though this isn’t quite a knockout.Such are the dynamics this time that even 12 points could get a team into the knockouts, something each of the bottom four is still in the running for. If they win their last three, or maybe even two, there is a bright chance of Royals entering the top four without a helping hand. The tougher challenge, though, is in trying to win two of these away.Form guide

Mumbai Indians: beat KKR by 102 runs, beat KKR by 13 runs, beat Kings XI by six wickets

Rajasthan Royals: beat CSK by four wickets, beat Kings XI by 15 runs, lost to Kings XI by six wickets

One of those will be in Mumbai, which means a homecoming for not just Ajinkya Rahane, the captain, but also for the core support group – Amol Muzumdar (batting coach) and Sairaj Bahutule (spin bowling consultant). It is this vast knowledge of the conditions that will add a layer of intrigue to the clash on Sunday evening.For starters, they’ll have to find a way around a thin middle order. Stuart Binny at No. 5 is at least two positions higher while Prashant Chopra, who opens in domestic cricket for Himachal Pradesh, isn’t their best option as a middle-order batsman. But given Mahipal Lomror hasn’t managed to make an impression, shunting him out after just two games so far could be a tad too harsh.Mumbai are in a similar position. From being on the brink of elimination 10 days ago, they have come storming back with three successive wins. Among the primary reasons is their batting rejuvenation that has helped blow over patchy death bowling.After shuttling up and down the order, Rohit Sharma at No. 3 has proved to be the steady influence. Ishan Kishan’s injection of momentum, like he did with a blistering half-century against KKR, and their utilisation of Ben Cutting made possible only because they have finally looked beyond Kieron Pollard, have provided them the necessary muscle. Now for the bowlers to hold their own and play the home-advantage card well.Previous meetingJofra Archer, one of their costlier acquisitions at INR 7.2 crores (US$ 1.1 million), made a splash on IPL debut after sitting out of the first two weeks with a side strain. His 3 for 22 helped restrict MUmbai to 167. K Gowtham, among their costlier Indian signing at INR 6 crore (US$ 970,000), walked in at No. 8 with Royals needing 43 off 17, and then clattered an unbeaten 11-ball 33 to seal a win with two balls to spare.Likely XIs
Mumbai Indians: 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Suryakumar Yadav, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Ben Cutting, 8 Mitchell McClenaghan, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Mustafizur Rahman/Adam MilneRajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Prashant Chopra, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Ankit Sharma/Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Ish SodhiStrategy punt
In a tournament of tall scores and big individual contributions, Gowtham’s 100 runs in 10 innings have contributed to two vital wins. After his cameo against Mumbai, he made a six-ball 18* when Royals needed 25 off eight, to take them within one blow against Delhi Daredevils. His two sixes off his first three balls helped clinch a last-over thriller on Friday night against CSK. There’s perhaps a case of promoting him to give him more match time. He’s got numbers to back him: 157 runs off 91 balls with his balls-per-boundary ratio at an impressive 3.95. This could mean trusting Stokes to play finisher despite poor form.Stats that matter
Rahane has eight 30-plus scores in 14 innings against Mumbai. Overall, he has made 490 runs at an average of 40.8 and strike rate of 125.6. Mitchell McClenaghan has dismissed Sanju Samson four times in five innings. Mumbai’s win percentage of 70 is the highest among all sides in their last four league games, since 2013. Royals’ stands second last at 41.6% above Delhi Daredevils’ 21%. Jos Buttler is coming off four successive half-centuries. Can he become only the second batsman in IPL history after Virender Sehwag to score five? Familiarity of Mumbai’s bowlers, having represented them for two seasons, could help.Fantasy pick
Think left field. Ben Stokes has a week left at the IPL, before he links up with the England side for the Test series against Pakistan. His batting numbers – he doesn’t even figure in the top 20 this season – have been ordinary. Fantasy points are maximised when an unpopular pick delivers finally. Stokes is like a ticking timebomb. Surely, there’s a big performance coming, at least to justify the returns on investment.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their plans to bolster their defensive options before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Villans are exploring a deal to sign left-back Nuno Tavares from fellow Premier League side Arsenal, as Unai Emery eyes a move for the defender.

The reporter has claimed that Nottingham Forest's swoop for his services has now collapsed, which has opened the door for another team to snap him up.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

Romano also added that personal terms are yet to be agreed between Villa and the Portuguese full-back as it is up to the clubs to agree on a fee first.

It was recently reported that the Gunners would demand a fee within the region of a staggering £22m to sell him on a permanent basis this summer, amid interest from West Ham and Galatasaray.

How good is Nuno Tavares?

The 23-year-old dud's performances in recent years suggest that he would not be a very good option for Emery this season and that means that the club could land Lucas Digne 2.0 by signing him.

Villa signed the France international from Everton for £25m in January of last year and he struggled badly throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

The 30-year-old flop averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.67 across 28 Premier League appearances, which placed him 16th within the squad. This shows that he was far from being one of the club's top performers despite his big-money switch from Goodison Park.

He failed to provide a threat in possession from left-back as the season ended with one goal and zero assists for the former FC Barcelona defender, whilst his 0.6 key passes per outing was the seventh-best in the team.

Emery could now sign Digne 2.0 in a move for Tavares as his poor form for Marseille is a huge cause for concern, particularly if it would cost £22m to secure his signature this summer.

The Portugal U21 international spent last season on loan in France and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.67 across 31 Ligue 1 appearances, which shows that he was as disappointing as the French dud was for the Villans.

Tavares was beaten far too easily by attackers as he was dribbled past 0.9 times per game and Alex Moreno (1.2) was the only Villa defender who was dribbled past more per match in the Premier League last term.

The ex-Benfica prospect also lost 58% of his duels and failed with 58% of his attempted dribbles, which shows that the opposition found it too easy to outmuscle him in physical contests and were able to stop him moving forward the majority of the time.

This also came after he averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.63 over 22 Premier League clashes for Arsenal during the 2021/22 campaign.

Tavares, who was described as "catastrophic" by Casa Sports director of development Cherif Sadio during his time at Marseille, also failed to register a single assist in Ligue 1, although he did rack up six goals from left-back.

Therefore, Emery must now avoid a deal to sign the Arsenal dud as his performances over the last two years suggest that it would be another expensive flop at left-back for the club.

The 16-year-old could be the key to saving the Blaugrana's season – and keeping their under-fire manager in a job

Lamine Yamal should have ended his first Barcelona appearance with a goal and an assist. It was April 29, 2023, and the then-15-year-old was chucked into a meaningless game against Real Betis. The Blaugrana were leading 4-0 at the time, and having already sealed the title, Xavi had little to lose in turning to La Masia's latest starlet.

Yamal's impact, though, was near-immediate. He touched the ball 12 times, poked an effort on goal, and played an inch-perfect pass over the top of the Betis defence that Ousmane Dembele should have tucked away. Perhaps understandably, he didn't play another minute in the 2022-23 season – the kid still had to worry about his maths homework, after all. But the impact had ben made, his potential influence known.

Nine months on, and Yamal, still 16, has four goal contributions for Barca. Statistically, he is one of the most effective dribblers in La Liga, while the eye test alone suggests that Barca are simply better when Yamal is strutting, scampering and darting down the right-wing.

And yet Xavi remains reluctant to use him. Instead, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and even Joao Cancelo have been preferred in Yamal's favoured position, and that needs to change. Barca are stumbling to a halt in La Liga, and could squander their most obvious chance at a trophy if they lose to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Xavi needs to put his best players on the pitch to not only bring success to Catalunya, but also save his own job, and so it's time to let Yamal prove that he can grow into being one of the world's best.

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  'Nothing like him has been seen'

  If there were any doubts about Yamal's potential to be a regular starter in Catalunya, they were swiftly erased in early August. The teenager entered Barca's clash with Tottenham in the Joan Gamper Trophy with 15 minutes remaining and his side losing 2-1 as the Blaugrana turned in the kind of ominous showing that raised questions over Xavi's ability to fire the defending champions up for another title challenge.

  In a brief cameo, Yamal offered hope. He assisted Torres for the equaliser, before starting the moves for Barca's third and fourth goals in their comeback win. Yes, this was a glorified friendly between two sides still not yet in the full swing of things, but Yamal proved that he belonged.

  The Catalan press, in typically measured fashion, started the hype. In a twist of immense promise and damning expectation, it just so happened that a certain Lionel Messi had enjoyed a similarly electric showing, at the same stadium, in the same rather meaningless game, 18 years previously.

  encapsulated the hysteria most effectively in their live blog of the game, claiming that: "since Leo Messi against Juventus in his first Gamper, nothing like him has been seen."

  Madness grew from there. Xavi tried to stifle some of the talk around his teenage starlet's performances, but the noise around Yamal multiplied. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente compared him to both Messi and Diego Maradona in a 10-second statement, while former Barca stalwart Rafa Marquez, in his infinite wisdom, likened Yamal to Ronaldinho.

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  Patience!

  Xavi, though, has done his part in tempering such lofty comparisons. In October, he tried to cool the relentless chatter, saying: "I hope Lamine can mark an era [in football], but we are not doing him any favours saying that… Let's see what the future holds without comparing him with Messi. It's not gone that well for all the players that have been compared with Messi in the past."

  The manager has backed that up by curtailing the teenager's minutes. Yamal has been in the staring line-up for just 11 of a possible 28 games in all competitions, and has the same number of league starts as the oft-injured Raphinha. Torres, a player who is less effective out wide than he is centrally, has started three games on the right-wing while Yamal has been fit — leaving the promising youngster to watch from the bench.

  It has, undoubtedly, been a point of frustration for Barca fans. But for Xavi, the man charged with maintaining the legs of a player who hasn't played a full season of professional football, it seemed the right solution. He has already lost Gavi, still 19, to a torn ACL, while 21-year-old Pedri can barely string a couple of months together without getting hurt. The Barca coach simply cannot have another overused young talent miss chunks of the season through injury.

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  Influential in recent weeks

  But as the results have soured, and Barca's performances have dropped off, Yamal's positive influence has become clearer. On Sunday against Betis, Xavi handed the winger his first La Liga start since November 25, and Barca were better for it. Yamal created three chances, completed five dribbles, and grabbed himself an assist as the Blaugrana turned it on in the dying minutes to win 4-2.

  That is no new trend, though. Yamal has been an impact substitute for months — offering a series of valuable cameos to give Barca an injection of quality in the dying phases of games. It's something his manager has noticed, too.

  “I would ask Lamine to do more of the same: play with courage, confidence, show his talent and quality. He is young but he won’t feel the weight of the occasion because he has enough confidence to make a difference in a game like this, even as a teenager," Xavi said last week.

  He did just that in Barca unsuccessful showing in the Spanish Supercopa final. Barca were dire for an hour against Real Madrid, and only really improved when Yamal entered the fray. He teased Ferland Mendy, found neat angles to feed Robert Lewandowski, and linked up well with Ilkay Gundogan. His team may have been on the wrong end of the result, but that was no fault of the teenager's.

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  Lewandowski in decline

  Yamal's emergence has come at the right time, too, as Barca have a real Lewandowski problem. The Poland striker, the architect of last season's La Liga success, has seen his goals plummet. He has scored just eight times in 18 league appearances this season, a significant drop off from the 23 he bagged last term.

  Look more broadly, and things get even more concerning. Lewandowski bagged 18 goals in 37 league appearances in 2023 — averaging just under a goal ever other game. In his last three campaigns at Bayern Munich, he was bagging at least one per game. His goals-to-expected-goals ratio, minus 1.6, is his worst in years. Add the fact that he's 35, and Barca are now in possession of an ageing striker whose career is going the wrong way.

  Xavi has made some moves that suggest he knows Lewandowski's best days are behind him. According to reports in the Spanish press, the Barca boss "raged" at his star man at half-time of Barca's win over Almeria just before the winter break. Since then, he has cut Lewandowski's minutes. He played just over 70 against Las Palmas on January 4, and 62 in the win over Betis.

  The arrival of Brazilian teenager Vitor Roque alone paints a picture of a club already preparing for a post-Lewandowski world. They might just be facing it sooner than expected, and Yamal can certainly step up and help fill the void.

Australia’s captain led from the front before England’s top order was rattled in a hostile final session to tilt the opening Test the home side’s way

The Report by Andrew Miller25-Nov-2017England 302 and 2 for 33 lead Australia 328 (Smith 141*, Marsh 51) by seven runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the course of what is rapidly developing into a supernatural Test career, Steven Smith has surpassed himself time and time again. But in the course of 57 Tests and 21 centuries, it is hard to believe that he has compiled a more brilliant and vital innings than his unbeaten 141 in the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes.On Smith’s dogged and indomitable watch, Australia seized hold of a rapidly freefalling first innings, and dot by dot, nudge by nudge, turned what had at one stage looked like being a 100-run deficit into a vital lead of 26.And then, as if ignited by their skipper’s deeds, Australia’s bowlers tore into England’s top order in a gory final hour. Josh Hazlewood ripped out two prize wickets, including Alastair Cook for his second failure of the match, before Mitchell Starc clanged England’s captain, Joe Root, a savage blow on the helmet. Root and Mark Stoneman limped to the close on 2 for 33, a lead of 7, but in the course of 16 high-octane overs, the legend of the Gabbatoir had burst back to prominence in no uncertain terms.It was a sensational day’s cricket, glacially slow at times – particularly during a morning session in which Smith added just 17 runs to his overnight 64 – but never less than utterly absorbing, thanks to a match situation in which two wholly committed teams have surged and slipped like a pair of boat-race crews hurtling under Hammersmith Bridge.But, by the close of day three, it was abundantly clear which team had pulled ahead by a length. Hard though England toiled in the field, not least in the build-up to the second new ball, when Jake Ball and Chris Woakes – backed up by funky leg-side fields – set themselves to slow the run-rate to a crawl, their efforts were as nothing compared to the pace and fury that Australia’s seamers were able to generate on a surface that is appreciably quicker now than it had been on a sluggish first day.From the outset of England’s second innings, it was clear that Starc and Hazlewood were generating a touch more heat than their English counterparts. However, Cook was still taken completely by surprise in Hazlewood’s second over, when he fizzed down a pinpoint bouncer that the former skipper could only flap off his eyebrows to fine leg, where Starc had only moments earlier been changing his boots and now dived forward to scoop up a stadium-igniting catch.In came James Vince, England’s hero of the first innings, who moments earlier had been pictured shadow-batting in the dressing room. He got off the mark with a neat clip off his pads, but could go no further than that, as Hazlewood zeroed in on his outside edge, for Smith to snaffle a flying edge at second slip.And before Root had had a chance to settle, it was Starc’s turn to leave his mark on the innings – or more specifically the peak of Root’s helmet, as he smashed a stunning bouncer flush into the corner of the visor and sent his ear-guard flying in the process. Australia’s fielders showed instant concern for the England captain, and the team doctor rushed out to give him a standing count, but with Mark Stoneman showing his mettle once again, England managed to reach the close with their hopes more intact than the fury of the session might have suggested.And yet, England will have regrouped at the close of play wondering how they were not firmly in control of this contest. The simple answer is that Smith refused to let them take control, although there were also some crucial questions flying around about the fitness of James Anderson, whose withdrawal from the attack after just three overs of the second new ball undermined England’s hopes of a quick kill, after he and Stuart Broad had struck twice in as many overs to reduce Australia to 209 for 7.To focus on England’s tactics in that particular instance, however, would do a disservice to the immense levels of skill and determination shown by Smith in particular, but Pat Cummins too – whose innings of 42 from 120 balls helped add 66 vital runs for the eighth wicket, as Australia put crease occupation ahead of forward momentum in a bid to endure by whatever means necessary.Smith had resumed his innings knowing full well how vital his continued presence would be, given that England’s own innings had featured three half-centuries but nothing more substantial than Vince’s 83. And, having converted 20 of his previous 41 fifties into three figures, he was in the right frame of mind to go on again and give Australia the best possible chance of extending their proud unbeaten run at the Gabba.In total, he needed a hefty 261 balls to bring up his hundred, which he finally achieved with a crunching drive through the covers off Broad, one of the few occasions when he allowed his natural ability to over-ride his defensive mindset. His moments of alarm could be counted on one hand – on 69, he was caught unawares by a perfectly directed throat-ball from Ball, but the spliced opportunity plopped short of the slips. But beyond that, Smith was happy to duck the short balls and get firmly into line against the straight ones, and bide his time in a manner that few players of the modern era are willing to do.Shaun Marsh rather proved that point in the manner of his dismissal. He had been Smith’s partner when Australia resumed on 4 for 165, and though he marked his return to the Test team with a hard-fought fifty, he was eventually done in by a canny piece of bowling from Broad. Lured onto the front foot by an apparent wide half-volley, Marsh failed to clock that Broad had rolled his fingers down the seam, and Anderson collected a dolly of a lofted drive, as the ball skidded off the splice to mid-off.Tim Paine, who had made his Australia debut alongside Smith against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, came out to join Smith for his first Test innings for seven years. And though he looked solid for a while, he had no answer to the ball of the day from Anderson. Armed with the new ball, as well as the knowledge that he needed to make it count, Anderson produced a snorter that angled into the right-hander, nipped away, and kissed the edge for Bairstow to collect a fine one-handed catch behind the stumps.Starc started his innings with eye-popping intent, slamming his second ball, from Broad, clean over long-off for six – to induce a wry grin and a shrug from the bowler. Two balls later, however, Broad had his revenge, hauling his length back just an inch or two to collect another attempted drive in his follow through. At 7 for 209, Australia were on the ropes.But then came Anderson’s apparent injury – a clutch of his side midway through his third over with the new ball, and a guarded chat with his captain. Though he initially remained on the field, he was delivered a tablet by England’s 12th man before lunch, and departed into the dressing room for further treatment in the afternoon. And without his incisive attack-leading, England’s remaining bowlers went flat at precisely the moment that a moment of magic was required. That it was left to Root himself to end the innings, courtesy of Cook’s leg-side catch off Lyon, was an indictment of a fielding performance that finally ran out of steam. Australia’s bowlers, by contrast, haven’t looked fresher all match.

He has bowled 334.5 overs across formats in 2017, playing all four of Australia’s most recent Tests and acting head coach David Saker was not averse to the possibility of rotating him out of the XI during the limited-overs series in India

Daniel Brettig14-Sep-2017In 2013, Australia played India in an ODI series before a home Ashes encounter – same again in 2017. In 2013, Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann skipped the tour in order to prepare for the England challenge – same again in 2017. In 2013, Mitchell Johnson played a key role as the ODI spearhead before flying home early to prepare for England – Pat Cummins is in that boat in 2017.Further strengthening the case for Cummins to be spared from full duty in India is the fact that both Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are currently recovering from injury in the hope that they will be fit to take part in a trio of Sheffield Shield matches that prelude the Ashes. Given his high pace and steep bounce, Cummins stands some chance of having the sort of impact Johnson did four years ago, provided he is well looked after. He has bowled 334.5 overs across formats in 2017, playing all four of Australia’s most recent Tests, and the IPL as well.David Saker, the assistant coach responsible for the pacemen who is deputising for Lehmann in India, did not shy away from the prospect of Cummins being rested at some point during the limited-overs series due to begin on September 17.”At this stage we’re planning for him to play all the games,” Saker said. “We’ll look at [resting him], it’s obviously been brought up between all of us. We know that his workloads are up there, but we know it’s an important series. It’s Australia v India, you don’t get any bigger than that. He’s really determined to play well over here. It’ll be game-by-game basis, we’ll play it by ear.”In discussing Hazlewood and Starc, Saker revealed there was uncertainty about exactly when the pair would be ready to play for New South Wales, with the former recuperating from a side strain while the latter is in the final stages of his own recovery from a foot problem that reared its head during the India Tests earlier this year.”We’re hoping they’ll be ready before the first Shield game or second Shield game and that will give them good preparation,” Saker said. “We’ve probably got a bit of a blessing that we’ve got three Shield games before the first Test of the Ashes and it’s probably as good a build-up as you’d want for an Ashes.”So in that sense as long as they’re ready to go by the first Test in Brisbane [on November 23] and ready to play and perform, I’ll be really happy. This time last year, we were in South Africa and it was the same thing, Hazlewood and Starc were rested for that tour. And they got through a really heavy workload in the summer, got through all the Tests. It’s not such a bad thing that they’re not here, as long as they’re ready to go for that first Test in Brisbane.”The bowlers subbing in during the ODI series in India are Nathan Coulter-Nile – himself an unused Ashes squad member in 2013-14 – and Kane Richardson. Other pace bowling options are provided by the allrounders James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis, who are among the players in contention to occupy the No. 6 spot in the batting order during the Ashes.

The 23-year old batsman from Tamil Nadu took India Red from 205 for 9 to 383 to give them a chance in the Duleep Trophy game against India Blue

Deivarayan Muthu15-Sep-2017

Double-hundred in maiden Duleep Trophy match. First Indian to hit a double on pink-ball debut. Rallying India Red from 205 for 9 to 383. Dominating the highest tenth-wicket stand (178) in the tournament, and the second-highest in Indian first-class cricket. B Indrajith could not have asked for a better start to the 2017-18 first-class season.The 23-year old batsman from Tamil Nadu was in his sixties when the ninth wicket of the innings fell. Scoring a hundred, let alone a big one, seemed far fetched.But Indrajith combined with Vijay Gohil and blunted the India Blue attack under the floodlights to lead a remarkable recovery. “This is a very, very special innings for me,” he told ESPNcricinfo from Kanpur. “I did not expect to score a hundred after we were nine down. To reach a double-hundred from there is very special. Vijay Gohil defended tightly and I found a rhythm. Without his support and partnership, it would not have been possible.”After closing the first day at 120 off 181 balls, Indrajith reached his 200 off 280 balls, smashing 20 fours and six sixes. This despite India Red captain Suresh Raina posting five men on the boundary as soon as the batsman had moved past his century.”I later took calculated risks when the ball was in my area,” Indrajith said. “I hit out against the spinners and targeted some medium-pacers. I told Vijay ‘I will face the first three balls of the over and then try to turn the strike and give it to you’. I asked him to push for two and run hard whenever he found the gap in the outfield and dealt with the situation. He also showed good application, defended tightly, and left balls outside off.”In addition to the match situation, which was complicated enough, Indrajith had to deal with a couple of issues with the pink ball. “At times, it is hard to spot the seam,” he said. “I usually play the red ball looking at the shine, I could not do the same against the pink ball. It swung in the first five-six overs; once you see that off and settle down, you can score runs.”I did not find it easy to pick the spinners, too, particularly under lights. Wristspin is more difficult to pick but India Blue did not have a wristspinner. At the nets, I found it difficult to pick my team-mate Karn Sharma under lights… The trend has been that wickets fall to the new pink ball under lights. But me, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi and Vijay Gohil hung on.”Indrajith is into his fifth season as a first-class cricketer. In 2015, two years after his debut, he was named the Tamil Nadu vice-captain but a sharp decline in form forced him out of his leadership position. Able to concentrate solely on his batting again, he struck 697 runs from 14 innings in 2016-17, playing a vital part in Tamil Nadu’s run to the Ranji Trophy semi-final. He was selected to play for India A against the touring Australians on the back of that performance.Indrajith starting the new season with a back-to-the-wall double-century was the result of his preparation leading up to it. His personal coach and former Railways player S Balaji said: “He has been working hard at training before the season and there a few aspects to it.”Firstly throwdowns, sometimes we use a steel pipe instead of the bat – the pipe is roughly the same weight as that of the bat. Then visualisation: what length the bowler might bowl and respond to various situations. Then during 22-yard practice, we ask for certain wickets, whether seaming pitches or turners. We also practiced at [team-mate] Vijay Shankar’s terrace, where one end of the make-shift indoor pitch has tiles. The ball turns madly and sometimes jumps from there. It has helped all three [Indrajith, his twin brother Aparajith and Shankar] of them deal with uneven turn and bounce.”Balaji hoped the Duleep Trophy innings was the start of a Indrajith rectifying a flaw in his career so far: “I have been telling him in the last few years the impact innings haven’t been coming and that he needs to improve. He is due for bigger call-ups. He has been hitting fifties and hundreds in Ranji Trophy, but there weren’t many high-impact innings. In fact, 10 days back, VB Chandrasekhar called me and asked ‘why he hasn’t been scoring big’? Hopefully, this turns out to be that innings.”