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Aston Villa slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League over the weekend, and it now means the club have lost three of their previous four matches.

While Unai Emery’s men are still occupying fifth place in the table, the Old Trafford side are just five points behind and things can change quickly.

They need to dust themselves off and prepare for the clash against Fulham this weekend. A win could restore their confidence, but another top-flight defeat could see Emery’s men unravel.

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Several players failed to produce their best against the Red Devils and Matty Cash was arguably one of the worst performers for the club.

Matty Cash’s game against Man Utd in numbers

Cash may have provided a reliable attacking outlet against United, creating a big chance, delivering two accurate crosses and making two key passes during the clash, but defensively, he was all over the place.

The English-born Poland international committed three fouls and was dribbled past twice, as Marcus Rashford clearly enjoyed playing against the 26-year-old, giving him a torrid time during the match.

With the scores tied at 1-1 and Villa looking like they had snatched a point, the right-back was beaten to the ball all too easily for Scott McTominay’s headed winner, and he could have done so much better with the goal.

To compound his misery, Cash lost possession a total of 17 times throughout the 90 minutes, won just three of his 12 contested duels and was even awarded a dismal match rating of 4/10 by Birmingham World for his performance.

Will Matty Cash be dropped?

According to Birmingham World, ‘Rashford ran rings around him’ and he was also ‘sloppy in the first half’. As a result, this display may well give Emery a slight selection headache ahead of future matches.

Cash has been the undisputed first choice on the right side of the defence this season, and he does not really have any challengers for the role after injury occurred in the camp.

Ezri Konsa has played there on 13 occasions this term, yet he will be out for the next three to four weeks having suffered an injury against Sheffield United recently.

The only other first-team player who could replace Cash is Calum Chambers, yet he has played a grand total of just 178 minutes across three matches, with none of them coming domestically.

This clearly suggests that despite enduring a dismal display against Erik ten Hag’s side yesterday, Cash will likely still be in the starting XI when they play Fulham this weekend.

Emery has built a solid starting XI at Villa since taking charge in 2022, but he must improve his squad depth across a number of key areas during the summer transfer window, otherwise if injuries set in, he will be forced to play people out of position.

The Spaniard has a lot to think about, but another poor performance by Cash against the Cottagers this coming weekend could see the former Nottingham Forest defender dropped from the starting XI and forced to regain his managers' trust.

South Africa are prepared for the reality that they may not be able to win the Newlands Test against England, but they are not quite ready to accept defeat yet. On a surface that flattened out after 18 wickets fell on the first two days, coach Mark Boucher believes a long second innings is possible, whether his men go for glory or a gritty draw.”There’s a Test match up for grabs. There are times that the characters have to come out. We understand our batters are under pressure. If we can bowl them out and look at a total worth chasing, we must do that, but good teams also manage to block out draws,” Boucher said. “Depending on how well we bowl tomorrow and if we get quick wickets then hopefully we can go for a chase, otherwise we are going to have to fight and bat out a day or a day-and-a-half.”Conditions at Newlands changed significantly on the third day when cloud cover and cooler weather prevented the cracks on the pitch from opening up and made run-scoring a lot easier than on the first two days. Then, Boucher wouldn’t have wanted “to chase anything more than 250”. Now, he thinks “anything around 330 or 340 will be great”.First, South Africa need to take six England wickets. The quicker, the better. Even though it will give James Anderson and Co more time to get South Africa out, it will also mean fewer runs to chase. That’s the conundrum the team that is not in control of the game faces, and Boucher knows it. “Let’s be honest, our backs are up against it,” he said. “If we come out tomorrow, new ball in hand, and we use it well, we believe we can pick up quick wickets but it’s still going to be a tall ask.”Especially given that batting has been South Africa’s weaker suit over the last year.With inexperience running through half the top six and no totals over 300 in their last seven innings, South Africa do not look like a side that can chase down a big target, never mind break a record. The highest successful chase in Cape Town is the 334 Australia scored almost 18 years ago, when they were the best team in the world. Since readmission, Australia are the only team South Africa have lost to at this ground, with England earning a hard-fought draw here in 2010.Boucher was part of the XI that played against England a decade ago, two years after South Africa had done what many thought was impossible and successfully chased a 400-plus target in Australia, which led to a series win. “Back when we played, we wouldn’t even think of chasing 400-odd but we did it in Perth and we took a lot of confidence out of that,” he recalled.For Boucher, the key to the Perth win was the planning that went into the chase and he will try to do approach this match in the same meticulous way over the next two days. “You have to break it down, and there’s a lot of strategic planning that needs to go into it. If we look at the way they played Keshav [Maharaj], we might have to be a little bit more positive against [Dom] Bess if we are going for the total,” Boucher said, indicating South Africa would take on the England spinner. “You don’t chase down totals like that without partnerships, big partnerships.”If one or two guys get into a position where they can bat long and get big hundreds then we can get ourselves into a position where we can think of chasing the target. There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’ve still got to bowl them out. If conditions allow us to go for the chase, I’m sure there’s a lot of guys in the change room who would love to do that.”

Arsenal sporting director Edu will "genuinely" look into signing a marquee star this summer as journalist Dean Jones eases FFP worries.

Arsenal endure quiet January transfer window

Despite a lot of noise in the build-up to January, manager Mikel Arteta was forced to watch on as other Premier League sides spent while the Gunners were fairly inactive.

Expert reveals Arsenal January transfer decision that Arteta may now regret

This could prove to be a decision to forget…

ByTom Cunningham Feb 2, 2024

Arsenal were widely linked with a striker, midfielder and new full-backs in the months leading up to winter, but Edu's transfer plans ultimately amounted to nothing despite their glaring need in some areas.

After spending over £200 million last summer, journalist Graeme Bailey, among others, put Arsenal's inactivity down to both a cautionary FFP approach and a limited mid-season budget.

“Arsenal spent a lot of money in the summer window. Spending the amount of money they did on Declan Rice, it has implications,” the transfer expert explained to Arsenal Insider last month.

“We’ve seen big new contracts handed out in the last season or so, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli all signed new deals. In the January window, you do tend to overpay."

Brentford star Ivan Toney is one name who was regularly mentioned as a top striker target for Arsenal, and still is. The 27-year-old has just recently returned to action after serving a long footballing ban for alleged gambling breaches, and he's already bagged two goals in two league starts since.

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Toney is undoubtedly going to be mentioned in the build-up to summer as well, with Jones sharing a small update to GiveMeSport while also easing some concerns surrounding FFP.

Edu set to "genuinely" look into signing Toney

Indeed, it is believed Arsenal will "genuinely" look into signing Toney and the club are actually in very healthy shape when it comes to avoiding the sanctions of breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Everton and Nottingham Forest are the latest cautionary tales in regards to what could happen if you go over the line in that regard, with Sean Dyche's side already docked 10 points this season.

However, that isn't something Arsenal will have to be concerned about too soon.

"Arsenal suffered losses over the three seasons up to 2021/22 and have been rumoured to be on UEFA’s watchlist in the past in relation to Financial Fair Play," wrote Jones.

"However, UEFA’s old version of FFP is very different to the Premier League’s and the club have also stated a £122m Covid impact on revenue in their accounts.

"This figure, even before any other PSR exemptions, gets them to an adjusted three-year PSR calculation of a loss of £28.15m, well within EPL limits. Arsenal have prospects of signing a top striker and midfielder – and they may look to bring another exciting wide player too. Ivan Toney is rated upwards of £70million and is regarded as a player they genuinely will look into signing."

Sledging gave batsman ‘extra personal motivation’ in heroic series-squaring innings

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2019Ben Stokes says that the extraordinary unbeaten hundred with which he carried England to a one-wicket win over Australia at Headingley this summer was inspired by David Warner’s incessant goading from the slip cordon.In a new book, On Fire, which chronicles his remarkable performances throughout the 2019 season, Stokes recalls how Warner set out to distract him during his unbeaten 135 in the third Test, particularly in the early part of the innings on the third evening of the match, when his only objective was to reach stumps with his wicket intact.With England 1-0 down in the series after their opening defeat at Edgbaston, their hopes of regaining the Ashes appeared to be over when they were bowled out for 67 in their first innings at Headingley, before eventually being set a target of 359 to square the series with two to play.And after arriving at the crease in the final hour of the third day, Stokes ground his way to the close on 2 not out from 50 balls in partnership with Joe Root, as England sought to keep their hopes alive.In a book extract published in the Daily Mirror, Stokes noted how Warner had given the impression of being a reformed character after completing his year-long ban for ball-tampering.However, with Warner in the midst of a terrible run of form that would result in him making 95 runs in ten innings, the lowest return by any opener in a five-Test series, Stokes also suggested that he had reverted to type in a bid to bring out the best in himself.”I had extra personal motivation due to some things that were said to me out on the field on the evening of day three when I was trying to get through to stumps,” Stokes wrote. “A few of the Aussies were being quite chirpy, but in particular David Warner seemed to have his heart set on disrupting me.”He just wouldn’t shut up for most of my time out there. I could accept it from just about any other opponent. Truly. Not from him, though.”The changed man he was adamant he’d become, the one that hardly said boo to a goose and even went as far as claiming he had been re-nicknamed ‘Humble’ by his Australia teammates, had disappeared. Maybe his lack of form in his new guise had persuaded him that he needed to get the bull back?”Warner’s solitary Ashes half-century came in the first innings at Headingley, but second-time around, he was trapped lbw by Stuart Broad for a second-ball duck, one of a record-equalling seven dismissals by Broad in the course of the series.”Although he’d enjoyed a prolific World Cup campaign, he had struggled with the bat at the start of the Ashes and was perhaps turning to his old ways to try to get the best out of himself,” Stokes wrote. “The nice-guy act had done nothing for his runs column.”I muttered ‘Bloody Warner’ a few times as I was getting changed. The more time passed, the more it spurred me on. All kinds of ideas of what I might say to him at the end of the game went through my head. In the end, I vowed to do nothing other than shake his hand and say ‘Well done’ if I could manufacture the situation.”You always shake the hands of every member of the opposing team at the end of a match. But this one would give me the greatest sense of satisfaction.”Stokes went on to square the series in remarkable fashion, adding 76 runs for England’s tenth wicket with Jack Leach, who finished on 1 not out. Australia then won the subsequent Test at Old Trafford to retain the Ashes, but England’s win in the final Test at The Oval ensured the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.

Rohit Sharma’s decision to keep three overs of Khaleel Ahmed for the death backfired

Sidharth Monga in Delhi04-Nov-20198:02

Did a conservative Powerplay hurt India?

It was difficult to focus on it through the toxic haze, and even more difficult for those playing it – two players vomited during the game – but the Feroz Shah Kotla T20I was a great study in minute tactics and larger struggles of batsmen looking to find their touch, and the intersection of both. One captain known for his studied and deliberate decision-making went against a side known for emotionally charged cricket, and it made for a gripping finish.Rohit Sharma, India’s stand-in captain but a clinical leader of the Mumbai Indians, made a seemingly un-clinical move by leaving the young Khaleel Ahmed three overs to bowl in the last six. His third eventually went for 18, sealing Bangladesh’s chase, relieving some of the nightmares Mushfiqur Rahim might have had from the unfinished job in Bengaluru three years ago.Players actually think less of those nightmares than we do. Not least because Mushfiqur knew he has finished many a game off for Bangladesh since then. It was more challenging from the point of view of where Mushfiqur stood and where his team stood. After all the drama of the last fortnight – “the toughest two weeks of my 15-year career” – Mushfiqur knew the only way back was winning matches.ALSO READ: ‘Nothing feels more special’ – Mushfiqur Rahim on making tough runsIn the way of that win were struggles on a slow pitch with turn on it and canny spinners exploiting it. Mushfiqur and Soumya Sarkar struggled to find any sort of fluency in their innings. After they had spent six overs together, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave them a 65% chance of winning. It seemed optimistic: the ball was turning, and the two were going at around a run a ball despite having tried adventurous shots.The T20 rule of thumb for these situations in chases is that you hit out only if the conditions are flat. Otherwise, if you are a seasoned batsman, if you are finding it difficult, chances are the next batsman will find it more difficult. So you back yourself. So Mushfiqur and Soumya decided to fight it out and take the game deep and wait for the seamers.Unknown to themselves, the Bangladesh pair pushed the seamers back by simply not getting out, leaving, as a result, Khaleel with three overs at the end. Now Rohit might ask Jasprit Bumrah or Lasith Malinga to bowl three at the death, but he ideally doesn’t want Khaleel in that position. However, he is calculating in his head that after Soumya, Mahmudullah will come out to bat, so he is waiting to see if he can re-introduce Khaleel to two right-hand batsmen instead of a left-hand batsman.It is as much about protecting Khaleel’s left-arm angle into the left-hand batsman as it is about exploiting the angle across the right-hand batsmen. Rohit would later say that the angle troubled them too. Rohit knows he can keep Yuzvendra Chahal back for one over but other spinners need to bowl out before the death. So that window to get that one Khaleel over out of the way is brief, a window that Mushfiqur and Soumya unwittingly shut by just looking to take the game deep.Chahal goes for just one run in the tenth, Washington Sundar concedes just four in the 13th, the first six overs of the partnership bring just 40 runs, the asking rate keeps rising, but neither of them gives up the ghost.”Only the batsmen in the middle know what’s going on in the pitch,” Mushfiqur said. “Not anyone in the dugout, not the next batsman. I told Soumya if one of us bats till the 19th over, we can still chase 25 because they will bowl seamers.”It is true India would bowl seamers in the last two, but to get three straight overs from Khaleel to be able to line him up is a bonus Bangladesh get without really working towards it. In ultimate irony, Khaleel gets the wicket of the left-hand batsman, a precondition, if fulfilled sooner, that might have given him an easier task at the death. Such events can make a captain look silly at times, but captaincy is not done in hindsight. Rohit had a sound cricketing reason for what he did.And so begins the 19th over with all the similarities of that Bengaluru heartbreak coming to fore. A similar target, same opposition, the same two batsmen out in the middle. This time, though, they have Khaleel instead of Bumrah. The stakes might not be as high as in a virtual World Cup quarter-final, but losing will raise more questions about their finishing abilities against India. Losing will send them back to thinking about the events of the last two weeks.Mushfiqur gets the better of Khaleel here, ruining his figures of three overs for 20 runs. Mushfiqur eventually ends with a strike rate of 140, Bangladesh have their first win in India after having let the Forecaster drop to 49%, but it is fascinating to imagine how the game plays out if Soumya falls to spin around the 11th over. Khaleel tries to sneak an over in, but surely Bangladesh don’t sit back and let him bowl that over. Or perhaps, in a similar situation next time, Rohit – who usually has a proper sixth-bowling option at Mumbai Indians – tries to sneak one in from Shivam Dube.There is relief too that the next such set piece will be played in much more breathable air.

Manchester City look set to have a rather busy summer transfer window once their current season comes to an end.

Having secured a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, the Citizens may also be set to see one of the club’s most significant figures leave the Etihad Stadium.

Last month, City’s veteran midfielder Fernandinho revealed that this would be his final season at the Manchester club after signing for them back in 2013.

With 380 appearances for City under his belt across all competitions, the Brazilian has scored 26 goals, delivered 33 assists and won numerous trophies along the way.

If the club feel the need to secure an immediate replacement for the 37-year-old this summer, one potential transfer that they could look to complete is for AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Last month, Pep Guardiola’s side were linked with a summer move for the 22-year-old.

Since joining Monaco from Bordeaux in January 2020, the midfielder has gone on to make 93 appearances across all competitions. In that time, the youngster has chipped in with eight goals and six assists along the way.

Despite his occasional knack for scoring or creating goals, it’s his defensive talents which could make him an ideal long-term replacement for Fernandinho at City.

With 33 Ligue 1 appearances and three goals to his name in the current campaign, the midfielder has the highest number of players tackled (94), tackles won (64), pressures (562), successful pressures (203) and interceptions (108) of anyone in the Monaco squad.

Looking at the league as a whole, Tchouameni also has the highest number of combined tackles and interceptions under his belt (202).

Having racked up a total of 225 players tackled during his time with City in the Premier League since the 2017/18 season, the Brazilian would leave a big hole in their squad with his absence, but one that a player like Tchouameni could fill.

Labelled an “extraordinary” player by his fellow France international Paul Pogba, the Monaco star reportedly has a price tag of £83m to his name.

While this may seem hefty given his fairly young age, it could be an investment worth making for City to give them their ideal replacement for Fernandinho.

In other news: David Ornstein drops big Man City transfer development, supporters will be gutted 

Aaron Ramsdale could be heading out of the Emirates as the Arsenal outcast is reportedly on the wish list of Southampton.

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• Ramsdale has no future at Arsenal
• Southampton show interest in stopper
• Wolves have also made an approach

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to the the Saints have been actively exploring their options between the sticks, holding discussions over a potential move for Feyenoord's Justin Bijlow. However, should those negotiations falter, the Saints are eyeing Ramsdale as a viable alternative.

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  With Southampton manager Russell Martin eager to add depth to his squad, particularly with Gavin Bazunu sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles, Ramsdale has emerged as a strong candidate to fill the void. The 34-year-old Alex McCarthy, who started in goal during Southampton’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in their Premier League opener, has been dependable but may not be the long-term solution Southampton need.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wolves have also entered the fray, offering an initial loan deal for Ramsdale with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. The Midlands club is reportedly willing to cover the majority of Ramsdale's wages during the 2024-25 campaign, making the offer financially attractive for Arsenal.

  Ramsdale, who joined Arsenal in 2021, quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper under Mikel Arteta, starting 72 of the 76 Premier League matches during his first two seasons with the club. However, the arrival of David Raya from Brentford on loan has drastically reduced Ramsdale's playing time, with the Englishman making just six starts in the Premier League.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Arsenal, meanwhile, have been exploring their own options to cover the potential departure of Ramsdale. The north London club has shown interest in Wolves’ goalkeeper Dan Bentley as a backup for Raya. However, it remains unclear whether Arsenal and Wolves will seek to include Bentley in any potential deal involving Ramsdale. The Gunners reportedly have Espanyol's Joan Garcia on their shortlist as well.

Faf du Plessis has hinted he would like to continue as South Africa captain until the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.While du Plessis continued to rule out the suggestion that he would retire from international cricket after the current World Cup he expressed a belief that his experience could help younger players – and perhaps a new captain – through a transitional period.Imran Tahir and JP Duminy have already confirmed their retirement from ODI cricket, while it seems there is little chance that du Plessis (who is 35 in a few days) and Hashim Amla (who is 36) will be viable contenders by the time the next 50-over World Cup comes round in 2023.WATCH on Hotstar (India only): Faf du Plessis’ hundredBut du Plessis, in particular, feels he is batting as well as ever – he made a century as South Africa defeated Australia at Old Trafford on Saturday to take his tournament tally to 387 runs at 64.50 – and suggested he might be interested in playing until the T20 World Cup – which is scheduled for October and November 2020 – to help younger players “grow and mature” into their roles.Asked whether he had just played his final ODI innings, du Plessis replied: “I don’t know right now. I love playing for South Africa, but the big thing for me is to have purpose as a leader.”I don’t want to just play games for the sake of playing games. When I play I want to make sure I’m motivated to keep doing it and right now sitting here I am still, very, very motivated.”I decided way before this World Cup that I was going to play, win or lose, good or bad, and then after the tournament sit down and relook at what how hungry I am, how motivated, and what are Cricket South Africa’s plans. Those things will happen over the next three or four weeks. But I really enjoyed this game, so it will be hard to walk away from that feeling and playing international cricket. The decision will probably be decided in front of a fireplace with a glass of red wine in my hand.”Although du Plessis accepted that it would, “in a perfect world,” make sense for South Africa to start building a new ODI team for the 2023 tournament now, he urged caution over blooding too many inexperienced players at the same time.”If your plan is to start introducing some young players, I think you need to have some experience around those players because they learn very quickly from those [more experienced] guys,” he said. “From a leadership point of view, whoever is going to be the next captain, I think there is still a lot of value of playing with me for a year or two to make sure that they can learn and grow and mature into what will be the next World Cup.”I think to completely cut off everything is not necessary. I think probably four or five players make space in the team and then you start phasing it out by getting players ready for four years’ time.”Initially the plan was for me and [the coach] Ottis Gibson to go to the T20 World Cup so that is in a year’s time. For both of us, the plan was not to look past that. Then Cricket South Africa may change the coach and captain probably after that tournament and still have two-and-a-half to three years before the World Cup. That’s a possibility.”

When a man’s desire defeats his reason he is wont to dream. That is where a quest starts and also the hard work needed to achieve a goal other men dub fantasy. Little more than a decade ago there was nothing but pasture where Newclose cricket ground now stands. Then Brian Gardener, the prosperous visionary who owned the land, decided the Isle of Wight should have a venue capable of not only staging Premier League club matches but even of tempting Hampshire to cross the Solent. And at eleven o’clock this morning, over four years after Gardener’s death, Luke Fletcher bowled to Joe Weatherley.Nobody knows exactly how much money Gardener spent to realise his vision; estimates have settled on something above £2m. All that spectators might have noticed as they gathered on the grassy banks surrounding the arena was that the pavilion was modelled on that at Sir Paul Getty’s ground at Wormsley and that the seating in front of the pavilion reminded them of somewhere … ah yes, Lord’s, that was the place. Some, seeing the alders and oaks on the River Medina side of the ground, made comparisons with Arundel but Newclose is less intimate than that particular Elysium. The outfield, though, is smooth as one could wish and the pitch is clearly fit for first-class cricket even if it did not encourage free scoring on this first day.Hampshire’s 288 for 6 at stumps was thus an accurate reflection of three sessions in which the ball had moved about a lot yet one in which batsmen could prosper if they played straight and late. The images one remembers are not those of Stuart Broad or Jake Ball racing in but those of Steven Mullaney bowling his brisk medium pacers and taking 2 for 42 in 24 overs from the Carisbrooke End while Hampshire’s openers, Weatherley and Oli Soames went about their business as cautiously as bomb disposal men.Batsmen who looked to force things generally perished: Ajinkya Rahane did so in mid-afternoon when he edged a drive off Broad and was caught at around fourth slip by Chris Nash for 10. By then Weatherley had also departed, unluckily judged caught behind off Ball for a pleasant 66 when the ball had done no more than brush his upper arm. But that contribution represented something of a relief for an opener who had passed thirty only twice in his previous 18 first-class innings. Rather more to the point, Weatherley’s 112-run stand for the first wicket with Soames had given Hampshire a foundation upon which Aneurin Donald and Ian Holland can build further on the second morning. Mullaney’s bowlers might yet regret the inaccuracy which characterised their efforts in the opening sessionWhatever the analysts tell them cricketers will always be suspicious of a fresh pitch on a new ground. Both Weatherley and Soames have played second-team cricket at Newclose but only when Broad bowled an attacking length did he leak a few boundaries as first Weatherley and then Soames drove him through the covers. The pair put on 88 in that morning session and Weatherley looked to be in particularly sound form.By middle of the day, though, Hampshire had lost two wickets and Nottinghamshire’s bowlers had found a better length and line. Then just before tea, a few cricketers’ thoughts turned to self-preservation as a modest swarm of bees approached the ground from the Medina side. Some players, among them Broad, lay on the ground and one remembered wartime photographs of fielders lying in similar positions to avoid the rather more deadly danger of German bombers. By contrast, the threat this afternoon was brief and its effect faintly comical.Having rediscovered their accuracy in the second session Nottinghamshire’s bowlers got the rewards they deserved in the hour after tea. Soames’ four-hour vigil for 44 runs was ended in the over after the resumption when he pushed at Ball but only nicked a catch to Matt Carter at second slip. Half an hour later Sam Northeast’s innings of 33 ended when he attempted to force the ball through midwicket but was leg before wicket to Mullaney, who almost immediately took a second wicket when Tom Alsop was athletically caught down the leg side by Tom Moores. Hampshire’s poorest period of cricket was then completed when Liam Dawson drove loosely at Fletcher and was bowled for 25.And so we got to the end of a day created by the ambition of a man who did not live to see an occasion he would have treasured. Gardener was assisted in the building and development of Newclose by a number of similarly able lieutenants, among them the former Sussex chief-executive Hugh Griffiths. As the cricket unfolded on this first day and the niggling problems which always affect such great undertakings cropped up, Griffiths and many others scurried about in the manner of outground officials across the land. And you can be sure that as they did so they were thinking of the man whose money and drive had made it all possible in the first place. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world,” Jed Bartlet tells Will Bailey in . But Bailey has the rejoinder to that one ready. “It’s the only thing that ever has,” he says.

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane06-May-2019The Australians, including Steven Smith and David Warner for the first time in more than a year, had to scramble for a one-wicket victory against a New Zealand XI including just five of the World Cup squad after suffering a batting collapse on the first of three practice matches at Allan Border Field.Having earlier restricted the New Zealanders to 215 they stumbled from 2 for 122 to 9 for 205 leaving the final pair of Jason Behrendorff and Adam Zampa to edge them across the line as darkness fell and save the blushes of a middle order that produced some poor shot selection.For all the excitement at the end, the result of this match won’t be hugely significant in the bigger picture but it was the latest milestone in the comeback story of Warner and Smith, pulling on the Australian colours for the first time since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. They are likely to face more hostile crowds over the next few months than the 1000-plus of friendly local support that gathered on a public holiday. “Welcome back, Smithy” came a lone voice as the Australians took the field in the morning and both were greeted by warm applause as they walked to the crease. In England, however, things are expected to be a bit different.One of the more intriguing aspects of the day was a small message in how Warner was used: it doesn’t matter how good your form is, you may have to take on a new position in the team as he was slotted in at No. 3 despite only once in 104 ODI innings having not opened.As it was, Warner arrived at the crease in the first over of the chase when Usman Khawaja was bowled by Matt Henry playing an expansive drive and, after an iffy start where he was dropped at gully before scoring, cantered his way to 39 off 43. Smith, who earlier took a terrific one-handed diving catch that will have given the troublesome elbow a good test, got himself settled before falling for 22 and the innings stuttered.Marcus Stoinis was caught behind from a loose drive, Shaun Marsh slashed to gully and Alex Carey nicked a wild shot to leave it to the bowlers. Nathan Coulter-Nile tried to muscle the Australians over the line but was lbw to Todd Astle with 11 still needed.David Warner takes the field•Getty ImagesIn the weeks leading up to Warner and Smith returning, Australia strung together eight consecutive ODI wins. One of the key parts of that was the success Khawaja and Aaron Finch had together at the top of the order. What the top order looks like at the World Cup remains one of the questions Australia need to answer. In all likelihood various combinations will be used during the three matches against New Zealand, and the odds still favour Warner opening come the tournament, but the fact he didn’t get first crack was a reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.Warner didn’t quite middle everything from the off, perhaps still adjusting to the change in conditions from the IPL to Brisbane. He almost spooned his first ball close to backward point then nearly offered a return catch to Henry, who should have had him in his next over when Daryl Mitchell spilled a chance at gully, but was soon dispatching deliveries to the boundary. He took a particularly liking to anything Doug Bracewell dropped short before trying something a little too inventive off Astle and top edged a reverse sweep.Smith had been given a tough net session by the Australian quicks yesterday but looked reasonably assured in the middle, one straight in particular standing out, until he was caught behind off Henry as Australia’s collapse was set in motion.The player who was a shining light for the men’s team during a difficult home summer, Pat Cummins, had got the day off to a lively start when he struck twice in the opening over to send back George Worker and Henry Nicholls.From there, the New Zealanders recovered impressively through a third-wicket stand of 137 between Will Young and Tom Blundell. Young, recently handed a central contract, is the next in line behind the incumbent batsmen while Blundell earned the final spot in the World Cup squad when he was preferred ahead of Tim Seifert as back-up wicketkeeper.After laying a foundation following the early losses both started to expand their strokeplay; Blundell launched Behrendorff into the grandstand over deep square and Young later peppered the same area. However, when Young clubbed Coulter-Nile to deep midwicket and Blundell fell four overs later and the innings went into a nosedive as the New Zealanders lost 8 for 78.Cummins, Behrendorff and Coulter-Nile each finished with three wickets while Adam Zampa nipped out Mitchell with a stumping. Kane Richardson, who is one of the standby pacemen for the World Cup along with Josh Hazlewood, and would be in line for a call-up if Jhye Richardson doesn’t recover from his dislocated shoulder, went wicketless and will hope for another chance in the next two matches. Australia will hope to bat better.