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Sri Lanka need their bowlers to step up in their quest to level the three-match series

Hemant Brar11-Jan-20234:13

Do India need a bowling allrounder? Who replaces Madushanka if he misses out?

Big picture: Can Sri Lanka stage a comeback?

The last time India and Sri Lanka played an ODI at Eden Gardens, in 2014, Rohit Sharma smashed a world-record 264. He looked set for a big hundred in Tuesday’s ODI in Guwahati as well before getting out for a 67-ball 83. Still, it was a big positive for India as Rohit was playing his first game after his hand injury in Bangladesh.Related

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Rohit’s decisions regarding the playing XI too proved to be right. Before the opening ODI, he had announced that Shubman Gill was ahead of Ishan Kishan in the pecking order despite the latter scoring the fastest double-century in ODI cricket in his previous match. There was a reason behind that.Going into the first game, Gill had been the most prolific run-getter in the world in ODIs since his comeback in July last year, with 638 runs at an average of 70.88 and a strike rate of 102.57. He carried on in the same vein in Guwahati, scoring 70 off 60 balls.

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WATCH the second India vs Sri Lanka ODI LIVE

The other important decision was the omission of Suryakumar Yadav, who has been making heads turn with his T20I performances. India stuck with Shreyas Iyer, and he chipped in with a handy cameo as the team looked for quick runs to guard against dew in the second innings.One concern for India is, with Axar Patel slotted at No. 7 and followed by four bowlers, the tail is too long. They have Washington Sundar on the bench, but the question is, whom do they drop to fit him in?Even though Sri Lanka were outplayed in the first ODI, there were some encouraging signs. Pathum Nissanka scored 72 at the top of the order, Dhananjaya de Silva contributed a 40-ball 47, and Dasun Shanaka continued his good form with an unbeaten hundred.Dilshan Madushanka hurt his shoulder while trying to make a stop•BCCI

Having said that, their bowlers need to put in a much-improved performance if they are to keep the series alive. However, it may not be easy given the lack of experience in the bowling unit. It’s also not clear if Dilshan Madushanka will be available for Thursday’s match. The left-arm seamer dislocated his right shoulder while fielding during the first ODI. He was sent for an X-ray and MRI, and the reports are awaited.

Form guide

India WWLLL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWLLW

In the spotlight: Umran Malik and Wanindu Hasaranga

In the absence of Prasidh Krishna, Umran Malik has been tasked with being the enforcer in the middle overs. After impressing during the T20I series, he picked up 3 for 57 from eight overs in the first ODI. At one point, he had figures of 6-0-32-3 before Shanaka took him on at the death. Having already improved his control, perhaps it’s time to incorporate some variations.Wanindu Hasaranga hasn’t been at his best in ODIs•Associated Press

From Sri Lanka’s side, the focus will be on Wanindu Hasaranga. While he is among the best spinners in T20I cricket, his ODI record is a bit underwhelming. In 35 ODIs, he has 39 wickets at an average of 36.51. But he is the leading wicket-taker in the squad, and his team requires him to step up.

Team news: Will India go unchanged?

Before the series, Rohit said India were not looking to chop and change. So expect them to go with an unchanged XI, especially after a win in the first game.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalSri Lanka could bring in Lahiru Kumara if Madushanka is unavailable. No other changes are expected.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Chamika Karunaratne, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka/Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions: Haze at Eden Gardens?

Eden Gardens last hosted an ODI more than five years ago when India, batting first, were all out for 252. In response, Australia folded for just 202. There is no forecast of rain, but it could be hazy at times. During the daytime, the temperature will be around 25°C but could drop by more than 10° at night.

Stats and trivia

• Virat Kohli (12,584) needs 67 runs to go past Mahela Jayawardene’s ODI tally of 12650 and move to fifth position on the list of top run-getters in the format.
• Since the start of 2010, India have played 24 bilateral ODI series at home. Of those, they have lost only three – against Pakistan in 2012, South Africa in 2015 and Australia in 2019.
• Avishka Fernando is 31 short of 1000 runs in ODI cricket. If he reaches there on Thursday, in his 28th innings, he will be the joint second-fastest to the landmark from his country, along with Upul Tharanga and Kusal Mendis. Roy Dias holds the Sri Lankan record, getting there in 27 innings.

And a quiz on how best England’s performance in the West Indies can be described

Andy Zaltzman21-Apr-2015Welcome to the Confectionery Stall’s world-exclusive coverage of the 2015 cricket season. The World Cup has been consigned to the record books/memory banks/stuff of nightmares (delete as applicable), the IPL is in full, shiny swing, and Test cricket is back with more of a bang than most people were expecting from the least eagerly awaited England tour of the West Indies since way before Columbus set sail.As I write, England – now unbeaten in two international matches across multiple formats – prepare for the second Test in Grenada, buoyed by Jimmy Anderson breaking Ian Botham’s long-standing national Test wicket record, deflated by their failure to force victory in 130 overs, cheered by a good all-round performance in the Test arena after plumbing some extremely murky depths at the 50-over World Cup, disconcerted that even a good all-round performance fell considerably short on the final day, encouraged by the continuing progress of their young batsmen, and the return to batting form of Ben Stokes, disappointed by the continuing lack of progress of some of their older batsmen, and relieved that they now only have 16 Test matches to play in a stupidly compressed schedule, rather than 17.Was England’s performance in Antigua:(a) perfectly acceptable given the lack of preparation time and the moribund surface;(b) a good effort by an emerging team, continuing its strong rebound from the cataclysmic 2013-14 Ashes and an awful start to last summer;(c) what you would expect from a team that has good players but opted for conservatism in at least two selections, and lacks the bowlers to create mayhem in unpromising conditions;(d) nowhere near good enough to make either New Zealand or Australia even contemplate twitching in their boots, let alone quaking in them; or(e) all of the above?Write your answer down, lock it in a secure bank vault, and check back here at the end of August to see if you were right.

My mother always seemed blithely indifferent to the career-shaping dramas of, for example, the young Mike Atherton progressing towards three figures against New Zealand in 1990. “That’s nice, dear. Can you take the dog for a walk?”

West Indies were their now-traditional mix of quite promising, fitfully brilliant, and quite awful, but finished rousingly with an excellent captain’s rearguard by Ramdin, and one of the more astonishing Test hundreds of recent years by Jason Holder. Quite how Holder had never scored more than 52 in his 26 previous first-class matches is one of the universe’s more impenetrable mysteries, alongside how the Big Bang kaboomed, where the lost city of Atlantis is, how, why or if economics works, and the authorship (human or otherwise) of Danny Morrison’s thesaurus.Holder’s innings, a rare combination of defiantly immovable and gloriously stylish, as Moeen Ali’s similar but ultimately unsuccessful hundred against Sri Lanka was last summer, was the fourth century by a player batting at eight or lower in the fourth innings of a Test. Of the previous three, two were in heavy defeats (Ajit Agarkar’s 109 v England in 2002, Daniel Vettori’s 140 v Sri Lanka in 2009), and the other was by Matt Prior in Auckland two winters ago, when he was batting a place lower than normal after a nightwatchman had been promoted.There is always excitement in seeing a player reach his maiden Test hundred, especially when that player is young and promises a new tranche of regular run-making, and even more especially when his team has recently lacked regular run-makers. (If cricket is your thing, that is. My mother, an admirable woman and high-class parent in most respects, has remained tragically uninfected with the cricketing virus, and in my formative years always seemed blithely indifferent to the career-shaping dramas of, for example, the young Mike Atherton progressing towards three figures against New Zealand in 1990. “That’s nice, dear,” she would offer in response to the news that English cricket could be witnessing the epoch-defining launch of a new batting standard-bearer. “Can you take the dog for a walk?” Walk the dog? While Graham Thorpe is on the verge of a historic debut ton? Against Australia? What kind of negligent parenting of an 18-year-old son is that?)Given the match situation, Holder’s is one of the greatest fourth innings by a lower-order batsman ever played, even allowing for the somnolent avocado of a pitch. Looking at the list, it might be trumped by Dave Nourse’s unbeaten 93 batting at eight for South Africa against England in January 1906. Nourse came in 105 for 6, chasing 284 in a match in which neither side had reached 200. Almost four hours later, and after a last-wicket stand of 48, South Africa had snuck home by one wicket and Nourse was 93 not out. But Nourse was essentially a frontline batsman in a team packed with allrounders, and did not have to deal with the added distraction of his nation’s cricket having been written off as mediocre, or people banging on about how he was probably only in the team because most of the first-choice players were playing in India for big bucks, even when those so-called first-choice players would actually have only been second or third or fourth choice.It might seem pointless comparing cricket from 2015 with cricket from the early 20th century, but since some of the media seems to have set itself the task of calculating whether the undeniably excellent and often mesmeric Anderson is better than the very dead SF Barnes, I am quite happy to compare Holder’s innings with Nourse’s, which I had not known about until searching the aforementioned fourth-innings tailender stat, but which seems nail-bitingly thrilling just by looking at the scorecoard.”Here, take this invisible token and go to the back of the queue”•Getty Images● According to some hopefully correct late-night communing with Statsguru, Jermaine Blackwood and Holder became only the third pair of team-mates aged under 24 to score debut centuries in the same Test – Mominul Haque and Sohag Gazi (both 22) did so for Bangladesh against New Zealand in October 2013, and Ali Naqvi (20) and Azhar Mahmood (22) both scored hundreds on their debut against South Africa in 1997.England have also been unusually replete with youthful Test centurions of late (perhaps oddly for a country that has just recalled one batsman who is about to turn 34, and whose newspapers and airwaves are stocked with chatter about the possibility of a recall for one who is almost 35). They have had four hundred-makers under the age of 25 in the past two years – Root, Stokes, Ballance and Robson. In the 27 years between David Gower’s maiden hundred in 1978 and Ian Bell’s in 2005-06, only five England players aged 24 or under had scored Test centuries. Three were specialist batsmen (Atherton, Thorpe and Crawley), and two allrounders (Chris Lewis and Flintoff), and they collectively managed a total of seven centuries before turning 25. Root already has five, and does not turn 25 until the end of December this year, in approximately 83 Test matches’ time.● This is the first Confectionery Stall since the death of Richie Benaud, who in 1981 uttered the line of commentary from which this blog took its title. Like for most cricket fans of the past five decades, Benaud’s commentary and television presence was woven into the sounds and conversations of my formative years, a conduit into the world of cricket that has entranced and entertained me since childhood. Not only was he one of the most influential people in the history of cricket, he was also, in effect, my surrogate fifth grandparent.I wonder what he would make of Adil Rashid’s situation in the West Indies, waiting for his Test debut at the age of 27, more than six years after he was first picked in an England touring squad. Benaud’s breakthrough series was in the Caribbean, in 1955. Before then, in his first 13 Tests, over three years, he had taken 23 wickets at almost 38, and averaged 14 as a batsman. Even after taking 18 wickets at 26, and scoring his maiden century, in the West Indies, he failed again in the 1956 Ashes, with just eight wickets in five Tests, and only one major innings, in victory at Lord’s.Thereafter, in his last 40 Tests, he took 199 wickets at 25 (including an extraordinary golden period of 131 wickets at 19 in 21 Tests), averaged almost 27 with the bat, took 42 catches, and captained his country to five series wins out of six, the exception being a drawn rubber with England that retained the Ashes for Australia. Even the finest legspinning allrounders have needed time and patience. England should pick Rashid and see what happens, rather than not pick him and assume what might happen.

Amid their worst patch of form under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have reportedly turned their attention towards the transfer market and a La Liga duo who would hand their midfield a much-needed boost.

Man City transfer news

Losing four games in a row for the first time in his managerial career, Guardiola finds himself in uncharted waters at the Etihad and five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table. The international break, for once, was perfectly timed for the Citizens, who have been given the chance to gather their thoughts and perhaps finally begin to welcome a plethora of players back from the sidelines.

It’s a period of form that City cannot afford to dwell on after the international break, with the visit of bogey team Tottenham Hotspur to come before Feyenoord make the same trip, with Guardiola’s side making what is currently an ominous journey to Anfield a few days later. Three crucial games, it could be a make-or-break week for all involved.

Man City scouts impressed by versatile £2.5m gem who could replace Walker

Man City are on the lookout for a long-term replacement for a key player and their scouts have spotted a potential target.

By
Brett Worthington

Nov 14, 2024

Increasingly in need of reinforcements, meanwhile, the Premier League champions have seemingly turned their attention towards La Liga. According to CaughtOffside, Manchester City are now monitoring both Williot Swedberg and Alberto Moleiro ahead of potentially joining the race to sign the midfield duo alongside Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Swedberg – Celta Vigo’s talented 21-year-old – can play at left-wing and in central midfield, in what would be crucial added depth for Guardiola’s injury-struck side. Meanwhile, Moleiro is an attacking midfielder who is continuing to play a vital part for Las Palmas at just 21 years old.

City could certainly do with a midfield boost amid Rodri’s season-ending injury and Kevin De Bruyne’s own fitness struggles in the middle of the park.

Man City need midfield refresh

Man City’s main focus in the January transfer window should centre around replacing Rodri. Without their defensive midfielder and recent Ballon d’Or winner, Guardiola’s side have been more vulnerable than ever before. Mateo Kovacic has attempted to fill that gap, but it’s been to no avail. Once the Citizens tick that task off their list, however, they should shift their focus towards replacing De Bruyne, whose contract comes to an end next summer.

That’s when Moleiro should come in. The Las Palmas star has impressed in the current campaign – scoring four goals in 13 appearances – and has been earning praise for some time in La Liga. In 2023, Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig dubbed the midfielder’s touch as “silky”.

Replacing De Bruyne is a near-impossible task, but at 21 years old, Moleiro has plenty of time to grow into the player that City may desperately need next summer.

The club's passionate 3252 fan base and actor Will Ferrell paid tribute to the heroes who helped victims of California wildfires

• LAFC's supporter group, The 3252, unveils a striking tifo
• Display honors firefighters and affected communities
• Hollywood star Ferrell also paid tribute before the game

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• WHAT HAPPENED

  Los Angeles Football Club's dedicated supporter group, The 3252, unveiled a striking tifo display in solidarity with victims of the recent California wildfires. The large-scale tifo, revealed during the club’s first home game of the 2025 MLS season, honored both the firefighters battling the blazes and the communities affected by the devastation. The 3252 weren’t alone in their tribute — star actor and LAFC part-owner Will Ferrell also showed his support before the match. The Hollywood star was seen alongside the Honorary Falconers, a youth team from Pacific Palisades still recovering from the recent LA fires.

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• THE TIFO

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This act of solidarity through art is not just about supporting a cause — it's a testament to the strong community spirit fostered by LAFC and its supporters. The club has a history of engaging with local issues, and this tifo continues that tradition.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  LAFC kicked off their 2025 MLS season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Minnesota United FC at BMO Stadium. Jeremy Ebobisse, a new signing, scored the winning goal in the 78th minute with a stunning left-footed strike. This victory extended LAFC's streak of winning season openers to eight consecutive years. Steve Cherundolo’s side faces Colorado Rapids in the second leg of their Round 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup next, going into the game behind 2-1 on aggregate.

It’s been a mixed start to Premier League life for Ipswich Town this season.

Kieran McKenna’s side have only lost five of their opening ten games, which is quite impressive for a newly promoted side, but they have also failed to win a single one.

The Tractor Boys’ most significant weakness at present is undoubtedly their defence, as evidenced by the fact that they have conceded the second most goals so far, but they’ve also been sloppy in attack at times.

It’s too early to say with any certainty whether Ipswich will beat the drop this season, but if they continue to let in goals at the rate they are and miss the chances they are, their chances don’t look great, and it’s times like this that it would be great to have a former loan player whose valuation has since exploded back at the club.

Ipswich's attacking form this season

So, if we’re going to examine Ipswich’s attacking form in the league this season, the logical place to start is with how many goals they’ve scored in their ten games and where they rank compared to the rest of the league.

The good news in this regard is that McKenna’s side are not the worst, but their tally of just ten goals is better than only Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United, who have all been struggling massively this year.

Moreover, the underlying numbers don’t paint a particularly rosy picture either.

According to Understat, the Suffolk side have only created an expected goals figure of 11.09 in the league, so not only are the chances few and far between, but when they do come, the team are still slightly underperforming when it comes to their finishing.

The saving grace at present is Liam Delap, who has scored his five goals from an expected goals figure of just 2.81, and while that level of overperformance is unstainable for the long-term, it’s a sign that he has the ability to singlehandedly get the Blues out of trouble in certain games.

However, as impressive as the 21-year-old’s goalscoring exploits have been this season, a former Ipswich loanee is outscoring him at the moment, whose valuation has skyrocketed since his short stint at Portman Road.

Ipswich's former loan star now worth millions

So, the former Ipswich loanee in question is current Nottingham Forest talisman Chris Wood, who has been enjoying a spectacular campaign this year.

The “outstanding” New Zealander, as dubbed by pundit Stephen Warnock, joined the Tractor Boys on a six-month loan deal from Leicester City in February 2015.

However, just over a month later, following 8 goalless appearances, he returned to the King Power before being sold to Leeds United that summer.

The next nine years would see the Auckland-born poacher move from the Whites to Burnley to Newcastle United and then to Forest on a short-term loan with an obligation to buy in January 2023.

Since moving to the City Ground, the 74-capped international has taken a step-up, and this season, in particular, he has been unreal, scoring eight goals in just ten appearances and from an expected goals figure of 5.41, highlighting just how clinical he has become.

Unsurprisingly, his impressive career and recent form have seen his valuation balloon, and according to Transfermarkt, it now sits at around €7m, which is £5.3m or 598% more than the €1m – £800k – it was during his time at Portman Road.

Ultimately, while his stint in an Ipswich shirt was less than successful, we’re sure that McKenna would love to have Wood by his side now to compliment and help Delap continue to develop into a top-class forward himself.

Ipswich flop now cannot be trusted to play for McKenna again

The experienced veteran has hit another wall at Ipswich.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 6, 2024

Australia’s captain says “2023 is going to be a big year,” with a Test tour of India following the final match against South Africa

Andrew McGlashan03-Jan-2023Pat Cummins expects there to be a “huge connection” between the conditions for the Sydney Test against South Africa and what Australia will face on the upcoming tour of India, with their focus on the present but also the challenges ahead.Through a combination of factors, Australia have some tricky decisions to make over the balance of their side for the SCG. Allrounder Cameron Green, who provides a natural balance, is injured for a match which is pushing selectors hard to include Ashton Agar as a second spinner, but reverse swing is also likely to be a factor.They are similar conversations that will need to be had during the four-Test tour of India which begins in early February and where Australia are aiming to win for the first time since 2004.Related

• With Labuschagne as third seamer, there's a very un-Australian Australia at the SCG

• Hazlewood on injury layoff: 'It just happens to be at the wrong time of the year'

• Agar, Renshaw, Morris: Australia's Sydney balancing act

“It’s a huge connection to India,” Cummins said, while not revealing the final XI for the SCG Test. “Fast bowling and reverse swing is going to come into it, which we can expect in India. Probably get more spin overs here, our batters are probably going to face more spin here as well. So it’s a really good connection.”Even personally captaining here might be a little different to the last few Test matches. So it’s a really good prep. Whatever you do there’s going to be strong connection to India, which is nice. It’s not by purpose, it’s just worked out that way.”If Agar does play, having last appeared in the format in 2017, it will be the first time since 2016-17 that Australia have included two frontline spinners for a home Test. He can expect to be part of the squad for the India tour alongside Nathan Lyon which will also include more spinners, potentially Mitchell Swepson and the uncapped Todd Murphy.There has been an effort to return SCG pitches to something more akin to what they were traditionally known for, where spin would play a major part, although this year the nature of the surface – which was last used for Shane Warne’s final Test in 2006-07 – has also been determined by the weather and volume of cricket played. In the one Sheffield Shield match played on the ground this season, 23 of the 40 wickets fell to spin.”We’re hoping for a traditional SCG pitch,” curator Adam Lewis said. “It’s not quite what we’ve seen in the past few years. A few of the players have told me it looks like a wicket from about 10 years ago, which gave me a bit of confidence. It’s thin on grass, a bit patchy and probably not the best-looking pitch that we’ve seen, but we’re looking forward to it and we’ve done the best we can.”The combination of conditions and injuries has provided Australia with a chance to explore various options within their squad at the beginning of a year that includes 11 Tests – if they make the Test Championship final – between now and the conclusion of the Ashes in late July.”In T20s and one-dayers think [opportunities] happen organically, Test cricket it’s a bit harder,” Cummins said. “Don’t wish [injuries] upon anyone but…we speak a lot about having a squad of 15 plus players to get through a really busy 12-month schedule. It’s not going to take 11, it will take 15 or 16 and if that means one or two guys get their opportunity they may not have got before heading over to a place like India in that hot furnace it’s only a good thing.”However, having narrowly missed out on the first Test Championship final because of docked points for over-rate – and also slipping up at crucial moments in the previous cycle – there has been a laser focus to ensure there is no repeat.”That was always going to be a big goal,” Cummins said. “I think we’ve been playing fantastically, we’ve put ourselves in that position to earn that spot early which is a huge driver for us.”On the verge of a summer clean sweep against what has been largely underwhelming opponents in West Indies and South Africa, the next seven months will likely define how this Australian Test team is remembered. If they complete a hat-trick of winning in India (which will be a monumental task) taking the Test Championship title, and securing an Ashes in England, Cummins’ side will need to be ranked very highly.”We’ve got a huge year ahead,” he said. “I think even in these three weeks it might be a good time to pause and think about what a great 12 months it’s been for this team. Pakistan and Sri Lanka were two really good subcontinent tours with a third one in India to come. 2023 is going to be a big year.”

Tim Southee to take up captaincy duties; Mark Chapman called up as replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2022New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the third T20I against India in Napier because of a pre-arranged medical appointment. He is expected to rejoin the team ahead of the three-ODI series that begins on Friday.Head coach Gary Stead said Tim Southee would lead New Zealand in the third T20I in Williamson’s absence, while Mark Chapman had been called into the squad as cover.Related

• India have series win in sight but still many questions to answer

• Stability or strike rate? Williamson finds himself in the middle of this dilemma

• Williamson wants to continue playing all three formats

• Sunrisers Hyderabad release Kane Williamson ahead of IPL 2023 auction

“Kane’s been trying to get this booked in for a while now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been able to fit into our schedule.” Stead said. “The health and well-being of our players and staff is paramount, and we look forward to seeing him in Auckland.”Stead said Williamson’s medical appointment had nothing to do with his elbow, a pre-existing injury the New Zealand captain has been coping with over the last year. He had missed games for New Zealand and in the IPL because of it.Williamson’s form in the T20 format has come under some scrutiny in recent times. While New Zealand made the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Williamson scored only 178 runs at a strike rate of 116.33. Last week, he was released by his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad after he scored only 216 runs at a strike rate of 93.51 in their eighth-place finish in the 2022 season.After the first T20I in Wellington was washed out, India won the second match in Mount Maunganui by 65 runs, on the back of Suryakumar Yadav century. Though Williamson top-scored for New Zealand in the chase with 61 off 52 balls, he was unable to challenge the target of 192The third and final T20I will take place on Tuesday in Napier, before the teams head to Auckland for the first ODI on November 25. The second and third ODIs are in Hamilton and Christchurch on November 27 and 30.

It is not just a new mindset on the field which is helping Eoin Morgan’s team, but signs of an enlightened approach in the dressing room and away from the game and a young squad is happier for it

George Dobell in Perth31-Jan-20150:48

‘Play the game, not the reputation’ – Buttler

Just over a year ago, the England team left Perth unable to deny the reality of their situation: the Ashes were lost and an era was over. They looked broken, in spirit and in mind. Several illustrious careers were ebbing away.They have returned an almost unrecognisable team. And, while they might not have players with the records or talent of Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann, they do not have the burden of their history and expectation, either. They are unscarred, by success or failure, and they are, with a few exceptions, relishing their first experience of a major global event. The schedule will, in time, weary them all. But for now, they’re living their dreams. These are their wonder years.It would be unfair to contrast the last days of Andy Flower’s period as coach with the relatively early days of Peter Moores second stint. There was a time, under Flower, when England harnessed enjoyment and excellence to play some of the best cricket in their history. His reputation is justifiably high.But, by the time England reached Australia a year or so ago, Flower was a changed man. England were tense, tired and tetchy. The joy and wonder had been lost and, in their place, was a relentless intensity ill-suited to a punch-drunk team with too many miles on the clock. It was time for a change.Moores, in partnership with his avuncular assistant Paul Farbrace, has revived England. He has identified players – characters as much as cricketers – who he feels can lead the rebuilding. Players with no baggage from the past and no agenda for the future other than to play to the best of their ability. The shoots of recovery are fragile at present but in Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler and James Taylor England should have the nucleus of a side that can serve them not just at this World Cup but at the next, as well.There are parallels here with Moores’ first period as England coach. Even in that largely discredited reign, he made key decisions that laid the platform for some of the success enjoyed later by Flower and co. It was, after all, Moores who made the decision to entrust James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the new ball; Moores who recalled Matt Prior; Moores who backed Swann. Whatever his failings – and he would be the first to admit he is a wiser man now – he was always a decent judge of a player.

A team that lives on the road as much as England needs to enjoy the journey. It needs to offer an environment which is relaxed but intense, personally ambitious but selflessly supportive, fearless but focused

Whatever happens on Sunday, everyone in the England squad will have four days off following the match. There will be no training, no sponsorship engagements and no media opportunities.Instead the squad, many of whom have their partners here, will be encouraged to explore this fine country. To embrace the beaches and breweries; the valleys and vineyards; the creeks and the cafes. Moores understands that, however good the dressing rooms and hotels, they become prisons if inhabited for 300 days a year.It is unthinkable that Flower would have allowed his team such freedom. And perhaps, because of that, it became unthinkable that they would play free and fearless cricket. Whether they were jaded or fearful of the reaction a dismissal might provoke, they became a team adept at playing the percentages. It was enough to take them to the brink of the Champions Trophy, but such a team has never won a World Cup.A team that lives on the road as much as England needs to enjoy the journey. It needs to offer an environment which is relaxed but intense, personally ambitious but selflessly supportive, fearless but focused. Moores has gone a long way towards creating that environment in the last few months.Pietersen’s memorable description of Moores as “the woodpecker” – a maddening presence whose constant intrusion upon the players became an impediment – may have been true in 2007. But there is no evidence to support it now.It does not matter hugely who wins this match. While it is a final in theory, it is the coda that became the overture. England will take confidence simply from reaching it and both sides will know that conditions in Perth bear little comparison to conditions in Melbourne, where they meet again on February 14. All the pressure is on Australia.In a perfect world, England would like to see Ravi Bopara contribute a little more and Stuart Broad continue to improve following his comeback. But with runs from Taylor, Buttler, Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell, with good spells from Woakes, Anderson, Moeen and Steven Finn, they have probably already gained more from this tri-series event than they could have expected. They’re improving.There is a concern about the pitch, though. Facing Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc on the same surface upon which Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner, saw his deliveries spit to head height, is not just challenging, it is potentially dangerous. Nobody wants to see a player ruled out of the World Cup with a broken finger.The groundstaff have worked hard since the end of Friday’s match to improve the surface. The floodlights stayed on past midnight as the pitch has been rolled endlessly from every angle. But those cracks are a worry and add just a hint of chance to an encounter that should be decided on merit.

Alexander Isak's absence from Newcastle's squad to take on Liverpool on Wednesday night has been explained.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Isak missing Newcastle's game at Liverpool
• Swede has been in superb form
• Absence is explained

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Magpies announced their team for the Premier League clash with Isak nowhere to be seen. They then followed up by explaining that the striker as a minor groin injury.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Isak has been one of the star players across the entire Premier League, scoring 19 goals so far this season. He netted twice in Sunday's 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest and is key to Eddie Howe's sides chances of qualification for Europe and in next month's Carabao Cup final.

• WHAT NEWCASTLE SAID

  On X, Newcastle said: "Alexander Isak misses out through a slight groin problem this evening."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ISAK AND NEWCASTLE?

  Howe will hope to have his talisman back involved for Sunday's FA Cup clash against Brighton, before they head to West Ham in the Premier League the following Monday. The EFL Cup final is then on Sunday, March 16.

Potentially repeating their deal to sign Dominic Solanke a few months ago, Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to pay £50m to sign one Premier League winger.

Tottenham transfer news

The Lilywhites returned to winning ways in style against West Ham United, putting their disappointing capitulation against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break behind them. Despite falling a goal behind courtesy of Mohammed Kudus’ second goal in as many games, Ange Postecoglou’s side battled back well to eventually ease past their London rivals and seal a comfortable 4-1 victory.

As if Spurs need any further attacking reinforcements after such a display of goalscoring prowess, those in North London have been linked with summer moves to add even more excitement to their frontline.

The likes of Jonathan David and Benfica winger Kerem Akturkoglu. The former could of course partner Solanke to form quite the duo under Postecoglou, particularly if the Lilywhites also add another creative outlet when 2025 arrives.

According to reports in Spain, Levy and Tottenham are now willing to pay as much as £50m to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth with Spurs reportedly preparing an opening offer to sign the winger.

Of course, Bournemouth and Spurs should already be familiar with each other in the transfer market given that Solanke swapped the South Coast for North London just a few months ago. Now, the two clubs could renew their relationship in what could see yet another Bournemouth player become part of Postecoglou’s ongoing project.

Tottenham join race to sign "superb" versatile new forward for Postecoglou

The Lilywhites could boost their frontline even further…

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 19, 2024

Semenyo certainly seems to be one to watch. The winger first stole the headlines amid links to the likes of Spurs earlier this month and those rumours have only increased ever since to the point that the Lilywhites are seemingly set to step things up.

"Underrated" Semenyo could unleash Solanke

Although Solanke has shown enough glimpses of his best form to say that the goals will begin to flow in abundance sooner rather than later, the arrival of a winger he knows so well in the form of Semenyo would undoubtedly speed that process up.

Forming a solid partnership at Bournemouth last season, Solanke ended the campaign with 21 goals in all competitions, whilst Semenyo ended on eight as both earned praise around the Premier League. Analyst Ben Mattinson, one of those full of praise, spoke about the Cherries’ dangermen in the last campaign and went on to describe Semenyo as “underrated”.

Kicking on even further in the current campaign, Semenyo is now in line to follow in his former teammates’ footsteps and potentially complete a move to Spurs when 2025 arrives.