With Christmas approaching, there are still two winless teams in Europe's 'Big 5' leagues. That one of them is Wolves is arguably unsurprising. The Fosun International-owned Premier League club sold two of their best players during the summer and squandered the proceeds on sub-standard signings. However, the fact that Fiorentina have yet to win a single game in Serie A is shocking.
Even if we ignore the fact that the Viola were one of the seven sisters of Italian football during the club's heyday, they finished sixth last season – above current table-toppers AC Milan. The expectation was that Fiorentina would be even more competitive in Raffaele Palladino's second year at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Palladino, though, quit at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, his replacement, Stefano Pioli, has already been sacked and results have yet to improve under new coach Paolo Vanoli. Consequently, the situation in Florence has turned toxic, with some players and their families being subjected to death threats.
So, what on earth is going on at Fiorentina? And do they have any hope of avoiding relegation to Serie B? GOAL breaks it all down below…
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From an extension to sacked in three weeks
On May 7, Fiorentina revealed that Palladino's contract with the club had been extended for an extra year until 2027. The news did not come as a surprise. Fiorentina were in the semi-finals of the Conference League and on course to qualify for the same competition via Serie A.
Less than three weeks later, though, Palladino was gone, having parted company with the club by "mutual consent" – despite leading the Viola to their best league finish for nine years.
While it was true that not all of the supporters had been convinced by the 41-year-old and his style of football, an alleged falling-out with sporting director Daniele Prade was believed to be the real reason for his unexpected exit.
"I see football as a puzzle; all the pieces have to fit together to work," Palladino explained in an interview with the in September. "I'm proud of the work we did in Florence, but the conditions for moving forward together were no longer there. The ideas and visions were too different."
Although he refused to get into specifics, it was abundantly obvious that Palladino had not wanted to walk away. Doing so clearly hurt him. But his departure also hit the players hard too.
Palladino had formed a strong bond with his team and his appointment had proven a godsend for the likes of Moise Kean, who had hit a career-high 25 goals in all competitions across the 2024-25 season, while Manchester United outcast David de Gea had also got back to his brilliant best during a remarkable run of form in Florence that sparked giddy talk of a title challenge this time last year.
As a result, the squad was stunned by Palladino's dramatic U-turn. "I have to say, the video calls and messages from the guys made me cry," the Neapolitan admitted. "I've experienced some great moments with them, and some very difficult ones, so something special was created. In fact, we still keep in touch today."
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'Get the f*ck out!'
By time of Palladino's interview, it was already clear that Pioli didn't have anything like the same rapport with the players, with Fiorentina having picked up just two points from his first four games in charge.
Europe provided some relief, with the Viola winning their first two matches in the Conference League, against Sigma Olomouc and Rapid Wien, but they continued to struggle horribly in Serie A.
The majority of the fans' fury focused on Daniele Prade rather than Pioli and his ever-changing system, with stickers being placed in and around the Artemio Franchi featuring images of the sporting director's face on the body of a pig, accompanied by the word 'Vattene' ('Leave').
The club's ultras had wanted him out for a long time, too, as they saw him as "the symbol of a sporting failure that has gone on for years".
Enraged by the sale of top players (most painfully to hated rivals Juventus), a controversial logo change and an alleged lack of engagement with the club's staunchest supporters, The had actually called for Prade to follow Palladino out of the club back in June.
"Prade: All roads lead to Rome… Take one and get the f*ck out!" read one banner hung outside the club's training ground.
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Prade & Pioli pay price for rotten results
In Prade's defence, he repeatedly insisted that he – and not Pioli – was responsible for Fiorentina's worst start to a Serie A season for more than 50 years, not least because relatively expensive signings such as Roberto Piccoli hadn't worked out at all.
"If there is anyone who can get us out of this situation, it is Stefano Pioli," Prade told after the 2-1 defeat at AC Milan on October 19. "The rest is my fault, the protests from the fans are against me, and it is because the club put the strategy in my hands.
"There were also other elements that haven’t helped: our stadium is a building site and we cannot have all our fans there, while we have three tournaments to play in. I feel bad for the fans, for the President (Rocco Commisso), and the coach. If there is anyone who should be fired or resign, it is me."
There was an air of inevitability, then, about Prade's decision to step down on November 1 – the day before a vital relegation battle with fellow strugglers Lecce. However, his exit didn't alleviate any of the tension at the Artemio Franchi. On the contrary, it only intensified after a 1-0 loss that prompted a media blackout from the club before Pioli was eventually put out of his misery two days later with Fiorentina bottom of the league with just four points to their name.
Despite initial reports that the Viola considered re-hiring Palladino – that weren't denied by director Alessandro Ferrari – they ultimately turned to former Torino coach Paolo Vanoli to try to save their season.
"I'm proud to be back in Florence," the ex-Italy international said, "a city where I've already played and know what it means to win here." Unfortunately for Fiorentina, he seems to have forgotten how to win there – at least in Serie A.
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Dzeko calls out fans on lack of support
Vanoli has already become the first Fiorentina coach since Ottavio Bianchi 23 years ago to fail to win any of their first four league games. Things had actually started reasonably well, with back-to-back draws away to Genoa and at home to Juve. However, after a dismal 1-0 loss to AEK Athens in the Conference League, veteran striker Edin Dzeko took aim at the negative atmosphere inside the Artemio Franchi.
"You can say that we suck, that we don’t deserve to wear the shirt, that’s all fine, no problem," the Bosnian summer signing told . "However, if we are playing at home, then we need the fans to help us, not jeer at every misplaced pass.
"We’ve got to get out of this situation together, this is not right. If you need to jeer, do it after the final whistle, but during the match we need your support. It’s all true, we are not playing well, but we still need your help.
"We can’t seem to string two or three passes together, and that is not normal for a team like ours. The moment a player makes a mistake, the jeers start coming down, so then the next time he will feel anxious and perhaps not try to risk the pass, or he doesn’t want the ball at his feet. It all becomes more difficult.
"We need more support from the stands. I understand it’s difficult at the moment, and the stadium situation is a bit strange (certain sections of the Artemio Franchi remain closed due to ongoing construction work), but we've got to have more support when we are playing at home. Otherwise, the negative energy just keeps spiralling."
Dzeko's impassioned plea upset some supporters and led to the extraordinary sight of the striker grabbing a megaphone after the 2-0 loss to Atalanta three days later to address the away end at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo.
The inaugural elections of the new board, initially slated for May 18, has gone through a series of delays
Peter Della Penna13-Jul-2018The inaugural USA Cricket elections, which were originally announced to be held on May 18, will now begin on July 20 according to an announcement from the board. The elections have gone through a series of delays, including being postponed indefinitely after a series of challenges were made during a peer-review process regarding the legitimacy of voting members.Full list of candidates
League director: Mark Demos, Shuja Khan, Sushil Nadkarni, Atul Rai Club director: John Aaron, Ajith Bhaskar, Jag Poosarla, Maq Qureshi, Aziz Savul Individual director (3 positions): Avinash Gaje, Ramesh Immadi, Ajay Jhamb, Jatin Patel, Venu Pisike, Shantha Suraweera, Suraj Viswanathan, Brian Walters Female player: Nadia Gruny, Erica Rendler Male player: Usman Shuja
Five of the original 25 candidates have also dropped out of the elections for the seven constituent board-member positions. Lesly Lowe, president of the Commonwealth Cricket League in New York – the largest league in the country with 81 clubs – has withdrawn from the race for the league director position. Biju Nair and Masaood Yunus have officially withdrawn their names as candidates for club director. Both roles are to be voted on by eligible leagues and clubs respectively.The other two candidates to drop out came from the individual director pool. Kiran Manchikanti and Ramu Parupalli are no longer in the running. The remaining eight candidates will be voted on by the approximately 5000 eligible USA Cricket members who registered by the April 24 voting-registration deadline. Three individual directors will be voted in through the electronic voting process, which will remain open until July 29.The other two candidates to be voted in will be the male and female elite athlete representatives on the board. There are no changes to the originally announced candidates in each category: Usman Shuja, who is running uncontested in the male elite athlete category, and a two-player race for the female representative between Nadia Gruny and Erica Rendler.After the seven constituent members have been elected, USA Cricket has announced that the final three independent director positions on the board will be appointed by the nomination and governance committee by mid-September. It is then expected that the full 10-person board will be presented to the ICC at the next board meeting in October.The delayed elections timeline also means that the current ICC Americas caretaker administration, known as Project USA, will remain in charge of the administrative process of organising and selecting USA squad for the World T20 Regional Qualifier to be hosted by USA from September 16-24, as well as a squad for ICC WCL Division Three, which is expected to be held in October or November of 2018.
Mayhem erupted after Liverpool's late win against Nottingham Forest, with the home team's owner seen on the field and a coach given a red card.
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Liverpool scored controversial winner
Forest furious with referee at full-time
Owner reacted angrily towards officials
WHAT HAPPENED?
Darwin Nunez scored a 99th minute goal to secure a vital 1-0 win for the visitors at the City Ground on Saturday. The home team were not happy about the manner of the goal and confronted the referee after the final whistle. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch while first-team coach Steven Reid was shown a red card for remonstrating with the officials.
It has been reported that Marinakis had to be held back as he chased referee Paul Tierney down the tunnel.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Forest were angry at the officials' decision to let Liverpool's goal stand. The referee had stopped the game when Ibrahima Konate sustained a knock to the head in the Liverpool box. When the game was ready to resume, the official gave the ball to the visitors to start play again, beginning the attack that resulted in the goal. Forest felt there should have been a contested dropped ball instead.
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WHAT NEXT?
Many at Forest may face sanctions for their treatment of the referee after the final whistle. In the meantime, Forest will hope to boost their hopes of Premier League survival when they meet Brighton on March 10. Liverpool, meanwhile, will turn their attention to their Europa League clash against Sparta Prague on Thursday.
Sussex have strengthened their middle order for the Vitality T20 Blast by securing New Zealand batsman Tom Bruce for the entire tournament
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2018
Tom Bruce pulls the ball away•AFP
Sussex have signed New Zealand international batsman Tom Bruce for the duration of their 2018 Vitality T20 Blast campaign.Bruce, a T20 specialist with 14 caps, will be available for all 14 of the team’s matches in the South Group, as well as the knockout stages should the Sharks progress.Sussex supporters will have a sneak preview of Bruce in a Sussex shirt on Friday when he forms part of the men’s side that takes on a touring Aboriginal XI at Hove.Sussex’s move for Bruce has come because of a knee injury for their South African batsman, Stiaan van Zyl, which is expected to rule him out of much of the tournament.Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie said: “The injury to Stiaan forced us to reassess our squad for the Vitality Blast and we’ve decided that we need to bring in a quality overseas batsman for the duration of the tournament.”Tom has experience on the biggest stage with New Zealand and is exactly the type of dynamic middle order strokemaker we’re looking for.”To have him available for the entirety of the competition will offer us continuity, which is very important in tournament cricket.”The extent of Van Zyl’s absence is not yet known but Sussex have suggested that he needs “an extended period of rest and rehabilitation”.Bruce’s most recent international appearance came during the tri-series between New Zealand, Australia and England earlier this year.He burst onto the New Zealand domestic T20 scene in the 2015-16 season when he finished that year’s competition as his side’s second leading run-scorer behind the Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene.In his 41 career T20s so far, he has scored 958 runs at an average of 28.17. His career strike rate of 150.39 puts him in 26th place on the all-time list.Sussex begin their Vitality Blast campaign on July 4 against Essex at Chelmsford.
da bet nacional： Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement will be looking to end 2023 on a high as the Ibrox side prepare to face another vital Premiership clash.
da marjack bet： They travel to the east end of Glasgow on Saturday to face Celtic and a win would do wonders for their title challenge as well as inflicting a psychological blow on their opponents in the process.
The 49-year-old coach has already delivered a blow to his Old Firm rivals as the Gers have secured a loan deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva until the end of the campaign.
Rangers sign Fabio Silva
According to Football Insider a few days ago, both Old Firm clubs were chasing a deal for the striker as they aimed to bolster their attacking departments.
Having cost Wolves a staggering £35m just three years ago, a permanent move didn’t appear to be viable, yet securing him on a short-term loan deal could prove advantageous for either club as they chase glory during the second half of the season.
Rangers sign “unique” player with Clement “crucial” to transfer
Rangers are not messing around…
ByTom Cunningham Dec 28, 2023
The youngster chose the Ibrox side, and it could be a smart move, with the Portuguese forward already endearing himself to the supporters by praising the Light Blues, saying:
"When I was a kid and we spoke about Scotland, Rangers for me was the best team here. I want to play for the fans, with my teammates and to win titles. That's the most important thing."
Securing a move for Silva indicates that Clement means business and with several key players out injured for the foreseeable future, this won't be the first signing the manager makes over the next four weeks.
Fabio Silva
The Gers have been linked with a few defenders of late. Could the Belgian be close to making a swoop for a left-back in the coming weeks?
Rangers transfer news – Fredrik Oppegard
With Silva arriving through the door, thoughts now turn to further transfers and, according to the Daily Record, the Light Blues are now pursuing a move for a left-back during the January transfer window.
Philadelphia Union’s Kai Wagner and PSV Eindhoven’s Fredrik Oppegard have both been scouted by the club in recent weeks as Clement steps up his chase for more reinforcements.
Oppegard is the younger of the two players and this could perhaps be the player who the former AS Monaco coach will target, especially with his long-term potential.
Ridvan Yilmaz hasn’t quite had the required impact at Ibrox since his £5m move from Besiktas during the summer of 2022, while Borna Barisic is out of contract at the end of the current season and it remains to be seen whether he will be extended his stay in Glasgow.
Oppegard could be a perfect replacement for the Croatian and securing a deal for him in January would allow the PSV starlet to settle in during the second half of the season.
Borna Barisic’s season in numbers
The 31-year-old has been with the Gers since joining under Steven Gerrard in 2018, and he has served the club well during the previous five and a half years.
At the time of writing, the defender has made 224 appearances for the club, chipping in with nine goals and registering 53 assists as he has been a constant attacking presence on the left-hand side throughout the years.
With victory in the League Cup final earlier this month, Barisic has now secured the full set of domestic honours, but he has missed a few games during the season due to some niggling injury issues and this term hasn’t exactly been his most productive.
For a player who is so effective at bombing up and down the left flank with ease, Barisic ranks in a lowly 16th spot for successful dribbles per game across the squad in the league (0.3), while he also ranks 12th for big chances created (one) and fourth for assists (two) and it looks as though his influence in the side is waning.
This will increase the need for Clement to sign a new left-back sooner rather than later and a deal for Oppegard could be a shrewd investment for the future.
Fredrik Oppegard’s career statistics
The 21-year-old started his career at PSV, making a total of 81 appearances with their youth sides, before making his debut for the senior side during the 2020/21 campaign.
The youngster enjoyed a loan spell at Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles for the second half of last season and, across 11 appearances in the Dutch top flight for both teams, the Norwegian showcased his attacking abilities.
Oppegard succeeded with 92% of his dribble attempts – at a rate of 1.1 per game – while also making 0.3 key passes per game. His defensive traits were also on show too, as the 21-year-old won an impressive 72% of his total duels per game along with being dribbled past on just 0.4 occasions, and while there is scope for improvement, the defender is showing some potential.
Domestic statistics during 2022/23
Borna Barisic
Fredrik Oppegard
Accurate passes per game
46.8
17.4
Key passes per game
2.3
0.3
Successful dribbles per game
0.3
1.1
Total duels won per game
3.8
3.8
Tackles per game
1.8
1.5
The 5 foot 8 gem has yet to make an appearance in the league for the club this season, being restricted to just one Champions League cameo against Arsenal earlier this month, and it looks as though he isn’t part of the first team plans under coach Peter Bosz.
With his contract expiring in just 18 months, January may be the perfect time to secure a deal for the Norway U21 international, especially with the situation surrounding the current left-backs in the Gers squad.
Oppegard has played in the Champions League and has experience in the Eredivisie. A move to Scotland could reinvigorate his career and give him plenty of opportunities to play on a regular basis.
Clement has plenty of time on his side, and it looks as though he is avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors by tying up his January transfer business with plenty of time to spare rather than chase last-minute deals which haven’t been thought through properly.
This strategy could certainly pay dividends over the second half of the 2023/24 campaign and with one trophy in the bag already, Clement will be confident he can add another two to the cabinet in the coming months.
da brwin： After Arsenal’s captivating late 4-3 win over Luton which aptly, was as mad as a Hatter, the great goalkeeping debate of 2023/24 will rage on.
da realsbet： Since David Raya entered the club as competition for Aaron Ramsdale, it has perhaps been the only huge concern surrounding the club this term, not that Mikel Arteta would like to admit it’s an issue.
The fact of the matter, however, is that it is a problem. Quite a large one.
Ramsdale had his moments last term – notably in both outings against Southampton but he was also capable of the extraordinary.
Remember that double stop to deny Mo Salah and Ibrahima Konate at Anfield? Yeah, he’s a pretty good shot-stopper.
Arsenal's £280k-p/w star dropped a "monster performance" vs Luton
Declan Rice stole the show with a late winning goal but another Arsenal star deserves equal praise.
ByMatt Dawson Dec 6, 2023
The England man didn’t do a huge amount wrong to lose his place but since the first international break of the campaign, the Spaniard has been the no.1 ‘keeper, whether we all agree with it or not.
David Raya's performance vs Luton
It's safe to say this was the Spaniard's worst outing in an Arsenal shirt yet.
Since signing on loan from Brentford in the summer, the gloveman has had a topsy-turvy but ultimately relatively impressive stint between the posts.
Indeed, prior to the clash with Wolves last weekend, the 28-year-old had been streets ahead of Ramsdale in multiple areas of the game, notably passing from the back and claiming crosses.
Ramsdale vs Raya
Stat (* = per 90)
Ramsdale
Raya
Goals Against*
1.23
0.83
Save Percentage*
68.5%
80.81%
Clean Sheet Percentage*
30%
41.7%
Passes Completed* (Launched)
2.63
7.92
Goals Prevented
-1.72
1.32
Pass Success rate
71%
77%
Crosses Stopped*
0.60
1.44
Crosses Stopped* %
6.4%
10.5%
Stats via Sofascore & FBref.
However, it was that ability to come for crosses that actually landed him in hot water on Tuesday night. Raya tried to come for a corner but got none of the ball as Elijah Adebayo was able to head home with ease.
It was his involvement in Ross Barkley's third goal, however, that proved most suspect. The former Chelsea man advanced beyond Ben White and then placed an effort goalbound that squeezed under Raya who ended up looking rather hapless.
It was unsurprising, therefore, to see the 'keeper jump immediately to thank Declan Rice for his astonishing last-gasp winner at Kenilworth Road when the full-time whistle blew.
That being said, Raya wasn't the only in Arsenal colours who underwhelmed vs Luton. A rare starter, Jakub Kiwior didn't have his finest night either.
Jakub Kiwior's game vs Luton in numbers
The Pole knows his role well. If an injury occurs to either Gabriel or William Saliba then he'll get a chance in the team. He's done that aptly since arriving last January for £20m, although out of position on Tuesday was far from his best.
With Takehiro Tomiyasu injured, the defender was trusted with playing at left-back ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko who was rested on the bench.
This wasn't the first time Arteta has played Kiwior in that position but on this occasion, he found life tough, with the Poland international's limitations going forward a hindrance to build up play down Gabriel Martinelli's left-hand channel.
That was evident in the fact that Kiwior failed to make a single key pass before he was subbed off in the 64th minute for Zinchenko. To put that into context, Arsenal's opposite full-back in Ben White played two key passes, including the assist for Gabriel Jesus' headed first-half goal.
Writing about his performance after the game, Football.London reporter Kaya Kaynak gave the former Spezia man a 5/10 match rating, saying: "Not the best of nights for the Polish defender. His lack of offensive contribution was laid bare at times and he struggled to lock down his flank. Not awful, but not at the standard he's set for himself."
Not awful, but pretty standard is just about right when it comes to describing the player's performance. Defensively the numbers portray this was a solid game – winning 75% of his duels – but ultimately he offered little offensively and struggled against Andros Townsend and Issa Kabore.
On this evidence, it wouldn't be a surprise if we saw him back on the bench for the clash with Aston Villa this forthcoming weekend.
Thanks to the Impact Player rule, CSK could be tempted to have him on field for 20 overs, and use him as a batter when his impact can be maximum
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-20244:52
Is this the right time for Gaikwad the captain?
MS Dhoni has done it again. Yet again, he has stepped away from a role without an announcement, forget fanfare. Right from his Test retirement back on December 30, 2014, Dhoni has once again caught everyone by surprise. Nobody outside Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seemed to have an inkling until Ruturaj Gaikwad turned up for the captains’ photoshoot a day before the first match of this edition of IPL: CSK against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Minutes later, the CSK management confirmed the development with a cursory one-line press release, which chose to omit Dhoni’s role as a player now that he is not captain. Given nothing has been said, it is safe to assume Dhoni will continue playing as a wicketkeeper and occasional batter.It is possibly the Impact Player rule that allows Dhoni to step down from captaincy while still letting him shepherd the new captain into his role. It opens up interesting possibilities for CSK to have him on the field for the whole 20 overs but use him as a batter when his impact can be maximum.It is no secret Dhoni preferred to bat only a few number of deliveries and certain match-ups last year, which happened to be the introductory year for the Impact Player. Now he can almost formalise that arrangement.If CSK bat first, they can start off without Dhoni in the XI. If wickets fall and match-ups allow for it, Dhoni can be substituted in while the batting innings is on. If he is not required at all, he can substitute a batter and keep through the defence.If CSK are chasing, Dhoni can keep through the fielding innings and make way for a batter during the chase. Of course Dhoni could be used as a batter in some games where the match-ups suit him and CSK fancy bringing in an extra bowler for a specialist batter.Whichever way it turns out, Dhoni has opened up a lot of talking points and tactical possibilities right on the eve of what was proving to be an uneventful start to the IPL. And he has done so without warning.
Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger are starting to form a particularly useful bowling combination
Brydon Coverdale at the MCG28-Dec-2009While families all around Australia continue to enjoy their Christmas leftovers, the country’s cricket team is filling up on left-arm overs. For most of the past two decades, Australia have relied heavily on right-arm fast men but Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson, who combined for six wickets in the first innings at the MCG, are starting to form a particularly useful left-arm combination.Johnson is the leading Test wicket-taker in 2009 and, as Australia’s spearhead, he continues to tally up victims with speed and unpredictability. Bollinger is a new man in the Australian team but has rapidly bowled himself into a position from which the selectors will find it hard to drop him.Bollinger’s 13 wickets in two Tests against West Indies, and then 3 for 50 at the MCG, means he might not be the one to make way once Ben Hilfenhaus recovers from his knee problem. Today, he was again the catalyst for a run of wickets after the nightwatchman Mohammad Aamer, a promising left-armer himself, frustrated the Australians for more than two hours.When the new ball arrived, a well-rested, fired-up Bollinger found the outside edge from Aamer. Such was the pace and bounce that Marcus North at first slip did well to snare the chance in front of his face, which was a surprising result given the general deadness of the pitch had caused several edges to fall short of the cordon.All of a sudden Pakistan lost 4 for 17 including two more for Bollinger, as his angle across the right-handers drew edges that were taken behind the wicket. Having earlier had the dangerous Umar Akmal caught at slip, Johnson then finished the task by coming round the wicket and rattling the off stump of the No. 11 Saeed Ajmal.Before Johnson and Bollinger came together for the first time in Sydney last summer, Australia had not played two left-arm fast men in a Test for more than 20 years, since Bruce Reid and Chris Matthews joined forces in 1986-87. Other countries haven’t had the same predilection for right-armers and various combinations of Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra have worked well together for India, while Sri Lanka have regularly used Chaminda Vaas in concert with Nuwan Zoysa and Thilan Thushara.Part of the attraction towards Johnson and Bollinger lies in their contrast. Both men are very quick but that’s where the similarity ends. Bollinger is all aggression, loud and brash, and sprints in like he’s racing against Usain Bolt. He has control over his swing and enjoys reverse when the ball gets older, but equally loves to dig in short ones.Johnson is quiet and sensitive, ambles in off a short run-up and generates his pace with his slingy action. He too can swing the ball but just as often the seam is scrambled, angling across right-handers and in towards left-handers. His unpredictability is one of his biggest weapons, because occasionally he’ll unexpectedly curve a delivery in to a right-hander or bang in a nasty bouncer lethal enough to injure or dismiss.He has taken 60 wickets at 28.03 this calendar year and was named the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year, and is already the third-most successful Australian left-arm fast bowler in Test history. But then, with the exception of Alan Davidson, Bill Johnston and the injury-prone Bruce Reid, the team has rarely had a quality left-armer on a permanent basis. They might now have two for the foreseeable future.
Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan have watched West Indies sink to awful depths in recent years, but now they can help claw the team back towards respectability
Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan have watched West Indies sink to awful depths in recent years, but now they can help claw the team back towards respectability. They have shared many batting partnerships together and if their unbeaten stand of 142 is transformed into something even more substantial, maybe the Caribbean public will start believing again.Sarwan is back in the ranks these days having lost the captaincy in 2007 and giving up the vice-captaincy for “personal reasons” last year. He went through a lean run on the recent tour of New Zealand and has begun this home season with a few mutterings over his form. Those mutterings could have turned louder if he hadn’t been reprieved on 5 when Tony Hill reversed his lbw decision on the basis of advice from the TV umpire, Daryl Harper.”I did say a couple of days ago that I needed a bit of luck on my side and today I was fortunate enough to get that,” he said with a grin. “I’m not a big fan of it [the system], we played with it in New Zealand and it was a bit confusing, but today I’ll take it.”It was 50-50 to be honest, I felt the pain in my knee and that is why I asked Chris about it, how it looked, and he said it was a bit close. I thought I would try [to refer it] because in my mind it was a bit high.”Gayle took over the captaincy from Sarwan during the last tour of England in 2007, after Daren Ganga’s brief inter-regnum. Sarwan was injured during a record innings-and-283-run hammering at Headingley – arguably the lowest of West Indian lows – but since then fortunes have begun to improve.While most people involved with the England team were losing their heads during the Stanford week in Antigua, Gayle was exuding calmness and composure. It was a trait that won his team the jackpot of US$20 million. He admitted after the Stanford final that he’d actually been a bag of nerves with so much money at stake, but the key was he kept all that hidden and on the outside appeared in complete control. England have not yet been beaten in the same way at Sabina Park – they have three days to turn their fortunes around – but Gayle’s performance over the opening two days has set a perfect tone for West Indies.He was quick in the field to spot a slow pitch and introduce his spinners into the attack and then he was even quicker to take the initiative with the bat, driving Andrew Flintoff’s second ball back over his head for a breathtaking six. Two more maximums followed in what was a curious innings of extremes, ranging from mighty blows to studious defence. But it was the fact that he married the two successfully which was the noticeable factor, because control at the crease has not always been Gayle’s forte.The captaincy, though, has brought out a new, mature side to Gayle, which was on show during the Stanford tournament and has brought a sense of stability back to the team. And if he can bring the best out of his team-mates his job will be made that much easier. An in-form Sarwan would be a major step.”Since I came back from injury I’ve had two series, one against Sri Lanka and one against Australia and I thought I did pretty well,” said Sarwan. “Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up the pace and I thought it was a bit of a backward step. I’ve had two weeks to reflect on my game after coming back from New Zealand. I tried to put in a bit of work although I couldn’t do much because of the rain. I just wanted to start the series really well and hopefully carry on the same sort of form I’ve started with here.”Sarwan, though, did sound a cautionary note that will ring true with many West Indies fans. “I think we are in a pretty good position but we have seen before that we have collapsed. It is important that myself and Chris go on and get big scores and also important that whoever follows try to form partnerships. That is going to be the key for the rest of the innings.” A success-starved region watches in anticipation.