وصل تشابي ألونسو لتدريب ريال مدريد الصيف الماضي، وعلى الرغم من ذلك فقد كشفت تقارير جديدة فإنه كان من الممكن أن يتخذ مساره التدريبي اتجاها مختلفا قبل عودته لملعب سانتياجو برنابيو كمدرب.
وبحسب الصحفي “فابريس هاوكينز” فإن تشابي ألونسو مدرب ريال مدريد كان من بين الأسماء المرشحة لتدريب باريس سان جيرمان في عام 2023 عندما كان يحقق نجاحاته مع بايرليفركوزن.
وأضاف أن باريس سان جيرمان وصناع القرار في النادي كانوا يبحثون ويدرسون أسماء العديد من المدربين وملفاتهم الشخصية.
أقرأ أيضاً.. مخاوف في باريس سان جيرمان بسبب لويس إنريكي
وتحدث هاوكينز عن ارتباط عدة أسماء بتدريب باريس سان جيرمان في عام 2023: “وضع المدير الرياضي لويس كامبوس قائمة طويلة جداً، كان أرتيتا أحد المرشحين الأوفر حظاً وكان أيضاً هناك هانز فليك ولويس إنريكي وتشابي ألونسو”.
وأكد الصحفي الفرنسي أيضاً أن باريس سان جيرمان تحرك للعديد من الأسماء المرشحة الأخرى: “كان هناك محادثات مع ناجلسمان، وأرتيتا، وتشابي ألونسو، أراد ألونسو الاستمرار في ليفركوزن وكان يحلم بتدريب ريال مدريد بينما أراد أرتيتا البقاء مع آرسنال”.
وحول قرار باريس سان جيرمان بتفضيل تعيين لويس إنريكي مدرباً جديداً للفريق، اختتم أيضاً: “ما جذب اختيار لويس إنريكي هو شخصيته، إنه شخص يعبر عن رأيه بصراحة، ولا يخشى اتخاذ قرارات صعبة، هناك أيضاً الجانب الرياضي وقصة لويس إنريكي التي أثرت في ناصر الخليفي ولكل هذه الأسباب كان الإسباني هو المدرب المختار”.
Newcastle United supporters will be filled with relief after seeing Eddie Howe secure his first major signing of the summer transfer window.
A move for Anthony Elanga was finally confirmed on Friday, but this deal has been weeks in the making.
The Swedish winger cost the Toon around £55m, but Howe will be hoping that this fee eventually turns into a bargain.
“Elanga is an exciting talent with attributes that make him a unique attacking threat,” said Howe upon Elanga’s arrival at St James’ Park.
“His pace, energy and ability to create and score goals will strengthen us and complement the way we want to play.”
Champions League football will take centre stage next season and Howe will be aiming for his side to do better than when they were last in the competition. Newcastle finished bottom of their group during 2023/24, despite claiming a famous 4-1 win over PSG.
Anthony Elanga
With Elanga now signed, it should be the catalyst for the manager to land another couple of signings in the coming weeks.
The former Nottingham Forest star has plenty of Premier League experience, but what exactly will he offer the Magpies next term and beyond?
What Anthony Elanga will offer Newcastle
Since making the move from Manchester United to Forest in the summer of 2023, Elanga has been at the forefront of their recent success.
Across these two seasons, the winger has scored 11 goals in the Premier League, while chipping in with 20 league assists in that time.
He doesn’t just offer a clear-cut threat in front of goal either. According to FBref, when compared to his positional peers in the Premier League last term, Elanga ranked in the top 3% for crosses (6.66) per 90, along with ranking in the top 10% for goal-creating actions (0.65) and in the top 27% for carries into the opposition penalty area (1.73) per 90.
While signing the 23-year-old is a boost for the team, plus giving Howe an excellent attacking option for the next few years, was signing another player in this area a priority for the club?
Jacob Murphy was excellent on the right flank last term, tearing it up for the Magpies in the top flight. Indeed, across 35 top flight games last season, the Englishman scored eight goals while recording 12 assists for the Magpies.
If comparing him to fellow wingers Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, who registered 12 and 14 goal involvements in the Premier League, Murphy was by far the best-performing wide man in the squad.
Of course, he won’t be around forever, and some competition would be ideal, but in terms of improvement, the right flank shouldn’t be Howe’s priority ahead of next season.
The defence is an area which requires strengthening, notably at centre-back and between the posts.
Howe is certainly making inroads to bolster both positions and he has been given an exciting update regarding a transfer target recently.
Newcastle’s search for a defender
Marc Guehi still looks like a target, although it remains to be seen exactly how far Howe is prepared to go in order to sign him.
Elsewhere, Malick Thiaw and Leonardo Balerdi are both defensive targets, with Howe expressing interest in both centre-backs recently.
AC Milan's MalickThiaw
The one player he appears to be most keen on is Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini. The Italian could be set to leave the Serie A side this summer, but they have placed a £50m price tag on his head.
According to The i Paper, the Toon have ‘carried out preliminary work on a possible deal’, but there are a host of clubs keen on securing his signature, including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus.
Scalvini has reportedly stated he is intrigued by the prospect of playing in the Premier League, while also gushing about both the club and manager when on international duty of late.
Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini
Could this help Howe get a deal wrapped up sooner rather than later? Only time will tell.
Why Newcastle must sign Giorgio Scalvini
Newcastle must add at least one centre-back to their squad this summer. Last season, Howe mainly relied on Dan Burn and Fabian Schar. Both are excellent players, but they are both 33 and won’t be around forever.
Indeed, the only centre-back in the current squad who is under 30 is Sven Botman, but he has missed 59 games since the start of the 2023/24 season.
As such, a move for Scalvini is a must for the club. He missed the majority of last term due to injury, but throughout the 2023/24 campaign, he was superb.
Accurate passes
37.8
Tackles
1.6
Interceptions
1.8
Clearances
2
Total duels won
4.8
Balls recovered
4.9
Hailed as a “top talent” by Fabrizio Romano in 2022 – as well as a “world-class” centre-back by talent scout Jacek Kulig – Scalvini ranked highly across a range of metrics in Serie A during 2023/24.
Compared to his peers, he ranked in the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, along with ranking in the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 4% for interceptions and in the top 16% for aerials won per 90.
If he is able to replicate those types of performances at Newcastle, then Howe would have landed an excellent signing for the club.
The best thing is, Scalvini has yet to even reach his peak, indicating that the next few years could see the Italian defender only going from strength to strength.
Although Howe has just spent £55m on Elanga, there is no doubt that a deal to sign the Atalanta starlet would be viewed as a more important signing, especially with concerns about the defence.
Scalvini has showcased his talents in Europe before, impressing during the 2024 Europa League final as his side defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
Performing in the Champions League will be a massive step-up for the youngster, but if he wishes to take his game to the next stage, this is the level he should be playing at.
The next few weeks will be interesting for the club. That much is certain.
Elanga's new Gibbs-White: Newcastle leading race for £40m "magician"
Newcastle are hoping to make more signings after landing Anthony Elanga.
A county regular made it to The Oval for the opening night of the Hundred. Would it end up as an “I Was There” moment?
Tawhid Qureshi22-Jul-2021The game The Hundred is supposedly English cricket’s Brexit; a contentious new format that has polarised opinion. Despite the nagging sense that I was betraying my loyalty to county cricket, it still felt important to be at The Oval for the first-ever match of the Hundred, if only to see what all the fuss was about. Perhaps it will turn out to be a significant “I Was There” moment or it could just end up as a curious footnote in cricket’s long history.I was determined to view the game through the lens of open-mindedness rather than scepticism, but I was also aware that middle-aged me is not really the demographic that the ECB marketing team is so desperate to attract. So I thought it would make sense to invite my nine-year-old nephew and experience the game through his eyes. Unfortunately, as it was a school night, he wasn’t allowed to join me. Even though two hours and 30 minutes might seem like a short time for a cricket match, the 6.30pm start creates a finish time that’s too late for many kids, just one small example of the organisers shooting themselves in the foot.Watching county cricket as a solo spectator is almost the norm: during County Championship matches at The Oval, the stands are flecked with the odd person against a vast backdrop of empty upturned seats. On this occasion, I was very much the exception, as groups of families and young friends were in the majority. It was in keeping with the general theme of the evening, when almost every assumption associated with a game of cricket was challenged.Key performers I’m ashamed to admit that the last time I went to a women’s cricket match was about ten years ago and I’ve only kept loose tabs on the women’s game. That changed after England’s 2017 World Cup win and the increasing visibility of the women’s game on TV and radio. And having watched much of the recent England series against India, my interest was certainly piqued.I recognised Kate Cross from that recent series, as well as from presenting a popular BBC podcast which also features her team-mate Alex Hartley. Cross picked up two wickets in two balls and three altogether .Her second wicket, a ball viciously jagging back to hit middle stump, was the best of the lot.Wait, what does that mean?•Getty ImagesThe batting partnership between real-life partners Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp broke the back of the chase for the Oval Invincibles. The cameo innings by Mady Villiers, including a much-needed six, was also vital. But it was the brief innings of the Manchester Originals’ Harmanpreet Kaur that really caught the eye. She appeared to have much more time and timing than anyone else. Early in her innings, she hit four fours in five balls, the best boundary being a flowing cover drive which sent the ball skipping to the rope.One thing I’d change It’s difficult to boil it down to one thing! I ended up with a long mental note of things that need improving. The most fundamental issue is the format itself. Doing away with overs in favour of five-ball sets is difficult to get used to. Similarly deciphering a scoreboard that doesn’t show total runs scored, in favour of runs required and the waving of a white card by umpires to signify a ten-ball over (at least that’s what I think it meant) are also alien concepts. A bit like learning to bat left-handed after a lifetime of holding the bat the opposite way.There was always going to be an element of people taking time to understand the new format, even more so for those who are entirely new to the sport. There were lots of quizzical looks among groups of fans at the start of the game and conversations about what exactly was going on in the middle, and I felt no embarrassment about being confused myself. The giant screen showing runs and balls only was self-explanatory but the more detailed scoreboard on the smaller screen was almost impenetrable. Interestingly the largest scoreboard, the non-digital one, was made redundant: it’s layout sadly deemed no longer fit for purpose. It might seem like a minor detail but to not show partnership runs detracted from the overall narrative of the game. In general, the short five-ball sets initially seemed to make things feel a bit disjointed and caused the game to lack rhythm.The crowd Easily the best thing about the evening was the crowd. Exactly how many were paying customers is a moot point, as many were enticed by complimentary tickets. In any case, the largest crowd for an English domestic women’s game was exactly how the organisers wanted it to be: diverse. People weren’t obsessed about refilling empty pint glasses; instead the crowd felt innocent and totally intent on enjoying the occasion. It reminded me of crowds at the 2012 London Olympics, which had a similar feel-good undertone. It was very different to the crowds found at the Oval for a T20 Blast match, when the frenetic energy of after-work drinkers can sometimes blur the line between fun and rowdiness.Young fans seemed to enjoy the thrilling finish to the game•Getty ImagesThe pre-match fireworks, the DJ and the music during the interval were all lapped up by the crowd. The most memorable thing were the shrieks of delight from youngsters towards the end of the Oval Invincibles’ chase. With 10 balls remaining and 16 runs required, the crowd played a big part in getting the home team across the line.Marks out of 10 A strangely satisfying 7. As I tried to let the game wash over me rather than judge its shortcomings, I feared I wouldn’t really be invested in the outcome. I only knew a few of the players on show and most of them were playing for the away team, the Manchester Originals. But then I noticed that the crowd didn’t really seem to care who was scoring the runs or taking wickets, they were just enjoying each boundary and catch as an exciting event in itself. I decided to take my cue from them and try and revel in the slightly weird moment, and it almost worked. Want to do a Fan Following report? Read our FAQ here.
Lancashire made up for lost time and maintained their Vitality County Championship Division One survival hopes after Tom Bailey and Anderson Phillip impressed with the new ball against Worcestershire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Bailey and Phillip fully justified Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings decision to put the home side into bat in reducing them to 22 for 5 and then 56 for 7 in seamer-friendly conditions when play got underway after lunch. The duo both picked up three wickets to give Lancashire an ideal start to a game they have to win to keep alive their chances of remaining in the top flight for another season.Lancashire began the game 15 points adrift of third from bottom Nottinghamshire but last week’s win over Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford had kept them in contention.Bailey bowled eight overs on the trot and returned excellent figures of 3 for 9 while Phillip had 3 for 44 from seven overs.Worcestershire had already guaranteed their safety during a recent run of three wins in four matches and their eighth-wicket pair of Matthew Waite and Logan van Beek led a partial recovery. They plundered 63 in seven overs but the rain which had washed out the morning’s play returned after tea.Worcestershire made two changes from the side in action against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl with the fit again Waite and Jack Home replacing the injured Tom Taylor and spinner Amar Virdi. Lancashire kept faith with the side which had defeated Somerset.Bailey’s second delivery of the opening over accounted for Gareth Roderick who drove at a ball of full length which was swinging away and he edged to Will Williams at fourth slip.Jake Libby square cut Phillip for four but then was stuck in the crease and nicked another ball which moved away to Harry Singh at third slip. Rob Jones was undone by an excellent full length swinging delivery from Phillip and was caught behind. Kashif Ali steered Bailey to first slip and then Brett D’Oliveira pushed at the same bowler and perished at second slip.Adam Hose off drove Bailey to the ropes to move into double figures but it became 39 for 6 when Ethan Brookes played forward and was bowled with a fullish-length delivery which did just enough to nip away.Phillip came back into the attack to replace Bailey after a superb opening spell of 8-4-9-3 and he soon claimed his third scalp when Hose tried to on drive a delivery slanted towards leg stump and ended up deflecting to Jennings at second slip.Waite decided attack was the best policy and pulled and on drove Williams for sixes in his first over which cost 15 runs. Van Beek also went on the attack and he struck Balderson and Williams for further maximums.By tea the eighth wicket pair had added 63 in just seven overs but the players were unable to return for the final session after a heavy downpour.
Tottenham Hotspur are on the look-out for new managers to replace the under-fire Ange Postecoglou this summer, with widespread reports claiming the Australian is likely to walk regardless of their success in the Europa League final.
Tottenham identify managerial candidates amid Postecoglou uncertainty
Postecoglou has now led Spurs to 20 Premier League defeats in a single campaign, breaking the club’s record which was previously held by former Lilywhites boss Ossie Ardiles, who oversaw 19 top flight losses in the 1993/1994 season.
Tottenham: £4m-per-year manager enters pole position to replace Postecoglou
The Australian could still leave Spurs if they win the Europa League.
1
By
Emilio Galantini
May 10, 2025
While Postecoglou has an all-important Europa League final on the horizon, which could well save Tottenham’s season, the 59-year-old’s future remains uncertain.
Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League
Average match rating
Son Heung-min
7.05
Pedro Porro
6.98
James Maddison
6.98
Dominic Solanke
6.88
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
Even if Spurs win the competition and end their 17-year wait for a piece of major silverware, all while qualifying for next season’s Champions League, there is still absolutely no guarantee that Postecoglou will be in charge next term.
As per the reliable David Ornstein and other media sources, Postecoglou remains likely to be replaced by Tottenham this summer in the event they’re victorious in Bilbao against Man United come May 21.
“I think the direction of travel is for Spurs to make a change in the summer, irrespective of the outcome of this match,” said Ornstein on the Sky Sports Back Pages podcast this week (via GiveMeSport).
“I do take the point on the emotion, and we saw what happened with Manchester United [under Erik ten Hag], although that may serve as a warning why clubs shouldn’t repeat what they did.
“The view of the club seems to be that he hasn’t got what he should’ve out of the team this season, and that’s putting it politely. And therefore, whatever happens in this Europa League campaign, I think that a new coach coming in over the summer is a very high possibility.”
In terms of Tottenham’s reported managerial targets, the likes of Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Thomas Frank (Brentford), Scott Parker (Burnley), Jürgen Klopp (Head of Global, Red Bull), Niko Kovač (Borussia Dortmund) and Edin Terzić (free agent) have all been linked in recent weeks.
Tottenham hold talks with ex-Barcelona manager Xavi
Now, as per ex-Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, via his personal website, former Barcelona boss Xavi has also attracted interest from N17. The Camp Nou legend guided Barça to a La Liga and Spanish Super Cup title in 2023, but later parted company, telling any future manager that they’d “suffer” in the job.
He’s been out of work ever since, with Keys sharing information from a “very good source” of his that Tottenham have held talks with Xavi over becoming their new manager.
However, as things stand, it is believed the 45-year-old is not looking to make a Premier League move just yet. This comes as a dampening blow for Spurs, with Xavi arguably the most exciting free agent coach available for hire right now.
Unlike Postecoglou, Xavi has also been praised for his in-game tactical switch ups and versatility when it comes to making substitutions.
“Xavi is intelligent, and he knows it,” said ex-Liverpool and Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez. “The substitutions that Xavi makes are intelligent.”
Liverpool have postponed the return of players for pre-season training following the tragic death of Diogo Jota in a car crash. The 28-year-old forward, along with his brother Andre Silva, died in Spain early on Thursday morning after a burst tyre caused their vehicle to veer off the highway. The Premier League champions continue to mourn the loss of a cherished team-mate and beloved figure.
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Liverpool delay training return after Jota's death
Forward and brother killed in Spain ahead of pre-season
Club opens condolence book as fans pay tribute at Anfield
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Jota died in a car crash alongside his 25-year-old brother while returning to Liverpool for pre-season. The 28-year-old had undergone minor surgery and was advised not to fly, opting instead to travel back to England by car and ferry before his fatal clash. Liverpool players were scheduled to return for pre-season medical at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, July 4, but will now report on Monday, July 7.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The news has shaken the Liverpool community, with the club postponing activities and providing full support to Jota’s grieving family. Head coach Arne Slot emphasised the deep emotional toll the tragedy has taken on the squad. Liverpool’s facilities remain closed, and tributes have flooded in from fans and clubs across the world.
DID YOU KNOW?
A physical book of condolence has been set up at Anfield, while fans have turned the stadium into a shrine with shirts, scarves, and messages. Meanwhile, Wolves fans also gathered outside Molineux to honour their former player. Mourners also assembled at a wake in Portugal on Friday morning to pay tribute to the brothers.
Getty Images Sport
WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
The Reds will resume pre-season preparations on Monday, beginning with physical testing at the AXA Training Centre. The club will continue to support Jota’s family and honour his legacy in the weeks ahead. Slot’s side are set to play Preston North End on July 13 in their first pre-season friendly.
Rangana Herath will retire in the realms of Test greatness, but it is determination and toil – rather than magic – that got him there
Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Nov-2018It is impossible to watch Rangana Herath bowl a difficult spell and not gain a sense of the human being. On those days – the tough ones – when he’s set a batsman up for the slider only for the opponent to have worked him out, when he’s tried the gentle floaters, the over-spinners, the round-arm darts, and none of these has come good, these are the moments that lay him bare, the sessions that expose him.He is a mongoose, rooting through the undergrowth. He turns over another rock, and drives onward, never pausing, a vision of grim determination. Great spinners are often cast as wizards, players who flicked their fingers, flexed their wrists and brought forth the magical – balls that exploded off the surface, deliveries that danced through defences, batsmen left standing there like idiots, their minds addled, their feet hexed. Herath has more wickets than all but three of the greatest, but he has never been that kind of spinner. He has lived and played in our world, rooting through the undergrowth.His success seems all the more extraordinary for having come now, in the second decade of the 21st century. This is an age of academy-drilled cricket-playing automatons, and in Sri Lanka, of frequent fast-tracking of young players into the national team, like they are being carried in on palanquins. It is no surprise that many of these young players fail abysmally when hard times come, because when have they ever known them?Herath, meanwhile, knows all about lean years. He spent a decade in the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan, playing season after thankless season in the domestic competition, picking up short-term gigs in English leagues, part-timing at his bank job when there was no cricket to be played. What’s a wicketless session compared to all that? What’s a batsman who has just hit him against the turn? A team-mate who has dropped another catch? An umpire in a sour, not-outing mood?If he has never taken it upon himself to shoot barbs at the many powerful incompetents running cricket in the country – as virtually every other great Sri Lankan player has done – it is because he has never taken himself too seriously. Self-deprecation comes easily to him. Boasting and posturing, not at all. Make a quip, about his rotund shape, say, as everybody who has ever written about him, or spoken about him, or looked at him has done. He will chuckle as if he was in on the joke. So heartily, it’s like he is more in on it than everyone else. Few great bowlers are as forgiving of team-mates who have made fielding lapses, yet Herath will throw himself around the field for others, despite the fact his body is at least 90% torso. Another joke about his shape. Who can possibly resist?
In the last two years, Herath has almost certainly been the most popular active cricketer on the island, partly because the new generation has failed to capture the public imagination, but also because, more than any other cricketer, he has felt like one of us. The great battles of his career are not with form, or technique – what does the policeman, or the bus driver, or the marketing executive know of those? But he has been doubted, he has known toil, he has been overlooked, accused, ignored, spat out. One time in 2016, he was hit in the box by Josh Hazlewood, and he walked funny for the next three sessions. That he claimed yet another five-wicket haul and won that Test upon wounded groin only made him more endearing.His body, he says, is now properly giving up. There’s only enough strength left in his audibly creaking knees for one more five-day stint of toddling up to the bowling crease and waddling around the outfield. There will only be two more reverse-sweep laden innings, at most.In looking back at his career, it is tempting to recount only the astounding highs – the frequent ambushes of Pakistan, the 2011 revelry in Durban, the home rout of Australia, that spellbinding defence of 176 against India on his favourite track, in Galle. All that is worth enshrining. But don’t forget the other Herath. The one who has tangoed unsuccessfully with the rough for sessions on end. The Herath who could have let his career slip all those years ago, but sweated for a decade, for a dream. He finishes now in the realms of the game’s greatest, but it is not genius that got him there. It is the lean years that have made him what he is.
Hampshire’s quarter-final hopes look thin after two wins and five defeats
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2024
Ottneil Baartman celebrates a wicket at the T20 World Cup•Getty Images
Visa issues have prevented Ottneil Baartman, the South African fast bowler, from joining Hampshire for the rest of the T20 Blast.Baartman, who made six appearances at the T20 World Cup during South Africa’s run to the final, was due to play for Hampshire in their final six group games. But his arrival was delayed due to unspecified “visa issues” and the club announced on Friday that, with their quarter-final hopes thin, his deal has been cancelled.”We would like to wish Ottneil all the best and hope to see him in a Hawks shirt in the future,” Hampshire said in a club statement. Baartman initially signed as a replacement for Naveen-ul-Haq, who pulled out of his contract with Hampshire citing “personal reasons” and is instead playing for Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket.After two wins, three no-results and five defeats, Hampshire sit seventh in the nine-team South Group of the Blast heading into Friday night’s fixture against Gloucestershire at the Ageas Bowl. With the top four teams qualifying for the quarter-finals, they may need to win all four of their remaining fixtures to progress.”We’ll have to do some maths to see if we can still qualify,” Adi Birrell, their coach, said after their most recent defeat to Sussex. “I can’t really think that two wins out of ten gives us a chance of getting through to the quarter-finals but we’ll have to have a look at it.”We had three rained-off games, which has given us a few points, but we’re not really playing well enough to go through… we were a bit off in all departments [against Sussex], as we have been throughout the campaign. We haven’t really put in a good performance in all departments.”
In averting the kind of slip-ups made by Bangladesh, in backing the hitting power of their middle and lower-middle order, Afghanistan prove they know how to win and are ready for a bigger challenge
Sidharth Monga in Dehradun06-Jun-2018Twenty20 is too unpredictable a format to term unexpected results as upsets, but one of the traits of better, more fancied sides is that their cricket is more deliberate when things get tight. On a difficult pitch, during a spell of good bowling from the opposition, they appear more in control, unhurried even if it might seem to those outside that time is running out. The better sides target the weak bowlers in these situations. Those who don’t trust themselves go after the good bowlers. It can come off at times, but it is low-percentage T20 cricket in tight situations.In winning the second T20I against Bangladesh, and with that the series, Afghanistan have left no doubt over who the better, the more fancied team was. They faced two maiden overs from left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam at the start of the innings, went 33 balls without a boundary in the middle, but rarely played shots that they are not comfortable playing. The slightly desperate sixes were straight hits and not slogs across the line. In a similar scenario, having gone 39 balls without a boundary, three of Bangladesh’s left-hand batsmen got out trying to hit Rashid Khan for a six.The situation in both the innings was pretty similar. Rashid came on to bowl in the 11th over, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi soon bowled out, and Bangladesh had to know they were going to get three overs of pace towards the end that they could target. Afghanistan also got stuck against the spin of Nazmul, Shakib, Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain, but they also knew Bangladesh couldn’t forever continue bowling spin.Bangladesh didn’t wait for the overs of pace. Imagine a batsman like MS Dhoni in this situation. Bangladesh were 101 for 4, Rashid’s third over was the 16th of the innings, the other two spinners were bowled out, and you have three overs of pace to target. Dhoni is not always the best example on flat pitches, but in this situation, what would he do? He would not even mind as few as eight runs off Rashid’s two overs as long as he doesn’t get a wicket, which in turn leaves them in a position to gather 40 off the other three. That is an effort that takes them to 150, which is what Bangladesh felt was a winning total on this pitch.Instead, Shakib, Rashid’s team-mate at Sunrisers Hyderabad, went to hit six off the first ball, and Tamim Iqbal – who must have felt the pressure of having faced 47 balls for 43 – off the fourth. The next ball, Rashid got Mosaddek with a wrong’un. Soumya Sarkar soon became the fourth batsman to get out trying to hit Rashid out of the ground.There can be two explanations for this approach. Bangladesh didn’t have the luxury of knowing what they were chasing, which must have made them feel they were going under par. Having got the match-ups right – they had stacked left-hand batsmen against Rashid, who went at close to 10 runs an over against left-hand batsmen in the IPL as compared to under a run a ball against the rest – they possibly felt obliged to chase the match-up and attack Rashid.However, Bangladesh need to ask themselves if the third one was true: that they failed to judge the pitch and back themselves against the quicker bowlers. Even if you get historical match-ups right – and they do tell you a lot – you have to sometimes respect the conditions, and this has not been the pitch to be going after the spinners. In this series, the quicks have gone at 9.75 an over and spinners at 5.29. One of the two senior batsmen – Shakib and Tamim – should have taken it upon himself to be there against the returning quicks.In contrast, Afghanistan made sure they had set batsmen when the quicks returned. Shafiqullah later said the captain and the coach had told the batsmen going out that if they had five wickets in hand in the last five overs, they would win. The confidence comes from their faith in the hitting power of the middle and lower-middle order. While a tiring Samiullah Shenwari kept going for his hits, Mohammad Nabi took no risk at all against spin. Bangladesh played it well by continuing with spin till the 18th over but Nabi knew he still had time. Nabi was telling Shakib he is not going anywhere, that he will be there to see the spinner should he still fancy bowling the last over.Shakib eventually gave in and went to Rubel Hossain in the 19th over, and clinically, without fuss, Nabi ended it in the that over itself. This is a team that has come a long way from being the emotional side that coaches wanted to calm down. This is a side that is extremely good at T20 and knows it. They have two of the best spinners going around, they have experience in the batting, they are all naturally strong batsmen who have now honed their techniques to hit sixes efficiently. They know how to win. They are now waiting for bigger prey.
The ‘pack of dogs’ that Faf du Plessis spoke of four years ago was back in full force at Kingsmead, ‘headbutting the line’ in a manner more reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane than Jonny Bairstow
Daniel Brettig in Durban04-Mar-2018Like a family heirloom, the concept of verbal hostility on the field of play is passed from one generation of Australian cricketers to the next. There were times during a hot-tempered and endlessly watchable day four at Kingsmead that recalled angry days in the past, as a young Australian side sought to make its own mark on South Africa.It was four years ago, amid an Australian victory over South Africa in Cape Town, that Faf du Plessis described the team then led by Michael Clarke as “like a pack of dogs” in the way they swarmed around an opposition batsman in the field. During that series and the preceding encounter with England, the Australians reached peaks of hostility that left angry words to be exchanged between Clarke and Dale Steyn at the end of the Newlands Test and the teams to socialise separately that evening.Australia had beaten both England and South Africa playing cricket of a high standard and an unmistakable hostility, the intensity of which renewed debate about the way the team plays in moments of pressure. Within the Australian team, there was total certainty about this being the most effective way to win; outside it, there was no little conjecture about how this method, however effective, looked. But the bottom line was that the results went Australia’s way, further entrenching the team’s view that this was how they won. In the words of Nathan Lyon, the Australians play the game while “headbutting” the line between aggression and transgression.This time around, that level of hostility was revisited as Steven Smith’s team sought to bury a Proteas side chasing 417 for victory, and grew in intensity as the commendably upright Aiden Markram frustrated their efforts to do so. Seemingly it started not with the beginning of the South African innings but the arrival of AB de Villiers, who before facing a ball was immediately talking to the umpires. When he was turned back from a quick single by Markram and run out by David Warner and Lyon, the line was headbutted with a force more Zinedine Zidane than Jonny Bairstow – the “pack of dogs” were back.Lyon, upon breaking the stumps, took particular interest in a prone, diving de Villiers as he ran past him, and dropped the ball so closely in his vicinity that it fell between the batsman’s body and one of his batting gloves. At the same time, Warner was yelling at the top of his lungs in Markram’s direction, manically mouthing words that looked like “why’d you do that” among other things. Australian celebrations about getting de Villiers in such a manner, and having an opportunity to get inside the head of Markram at the same time, were summed up by the wicketkeeper Tim Paine.”Obviously it was a huge wicket. You put a lot of planning into how you’re going to bowl to someone like AB de Villiers, so to have him run out for zero is – I think that gets everyone a little bit excited,” Paine said. “The boys were certainly pumped up to see him going back. We think he’s their best player, to have him back in the sheds for zero was a huge confidence boost for us. But we also know how good the rest of their side is.”We knew there was going to be some fight at some stage, and we certainly got that and we expect that to continue throughout the series. That’s what happens when you’ve got two great sides playing against each other. It was a big moment in the game – probably even bigger now that you look back and see how they played after that. and how the wicket didn’t help us as much as we thought it may have.”We spoke to Aiden about running out their best player and one of the best players in the world. I think had someone run Smithy out in our team you’d cop a fair bit of a ribbing. It was nothing aggressive. It was just reminding him of what he had just done, trying to get him off his game, the same as they do to us. It didn’t work.”The fact that it did not work was to be demonstrated as Markram and Theunis de Bruyn regrouped. The latter became embroiled in some fiery exchanges with Mitchell Starc in between deliveries and boundaries. Sometimes, a fast bowler starting to get involved in a war of words with a batsman denotes nothing so much as frustration and a loss of concentration on the task.But it was telling about the way Australia’s players see the game that from behind the stumps, Paine was happy to hear Starc raise his voice. For the way the Australians play is the way that they have been raised to play, at junior, club and state levels, and having all copped it themselves at various times, they are always eager for opportunities to dish it out where useful.”It was good to see actually. We enjoy it when Starcy is up and about like that and at the batters, because he bowls at high pace and can create chances all the time,” Paine said. “It wasn’t his session during the middle but he showed what he can do when the ball starts to reverse-swing – or hopefully tomorrow when he gets the new ball in his hand. He’s such a dangerous, fast, left-arm bowler that it’s a delight to have him in your team.”
For Markram, the experience was akin to the introduction to cricket the Australian Test team way that another young South African batsman had endured back in 2002 – Graeme Smith
In the final session, Starc’s exchanges stretched from the middle of the ground to the boundary, where he replied to numerous choice remarks by a group of young South African spectators at fine leg. Here, too, was a bit of deja vu, recalling a tamer version of the day Merv Hughes swung his bat at a fence at the Wanderers in Johannesburg after being harangued by a spectator as he jogged up towards the dressing room during a rain delay. This time security arrived to calm fans down before things escalated, but it was another moment speaking to the edge on which the Australians were playing.For Markram, the experience was akin to the introduction to cricket the Australian Test team way that another young South African batsman had endured back in 2002 – Graeme Smith. In a detailed interview with Sports Illustrated, Smith later recounted more or less exactly how he had been targeted by Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, in a departure from the “what happens on the field, stays on the field” mantra commonly stated by the Australians. But he was able to get through it with plenty of credit, not only surviving the reaction to the run-out but thriving in one of the finest innings ever seen at Kingsmead.”That was a massive challenge today, as well,” Markram said. “It’s natural when you play against the Australians that there’s a lot of chatter on the field. Something that I certainly don’t mind, something that keeps me in the game and keeps me going, keeps me motivated. And it never really gets out of line either, not a lot of swearing or things like that happen. There are a few here and there but it’s not the end of the world.”I believe it’s part of the game. It’s how the game should be played, nice and hard, and makes success that bit more rewarding. I think just having what happened [with the run out] did affect me a little bit and you hear every word out on the field but I don’t speak back on the field, I try to just get on with what I do and it’s always going to be there, it’s part of the Australian side to keep chatting to batters but it’s something I really do enjoy, it’ll keep coming for the rest of the series, but I enjoy it.”Discussion about whether the Australian side needs to play in this way will carry on long after this match concludes, but it was perhaps telling that the moment the day tilted definitively towards Smith’s side had less to do with intimidation than it did with physical durability, alertness of mind and fierce concentration. Mitchell Marsh, sore after a fall in the field, was brought on to bowl as Markram and Quinton de Kock pulled ever closer to the target. Paine came up to the stumps, and found rapid reward when a Markram edge slapped neatly into his gloves.It was a reminder that for all the bluster, the other tradition carried from generation to generation of Australian players is the pursuit of excellence. How much that excellence has to do with “aggression”, “hostility”, “sledging”, “mental disintegration” or any other of those buzz words is a question that will continue to be asked – especially when Australia perform as well as they have in Durban.