Plays of the day from the fourth day of the first Test between India and Australia in Mohali

Sidharth Monga in Mohali04-Oct-2010The slow decision
Billy Bowden laughs in the face of the basic umpiring principle, that of staying inconspicuous. Add to his other antics this new-found habit of calling no-balls excruciatingly late. He did so today when Ishant Sharma got Michael Clarke first ball and was almost done celebrating. Bowden belatedly asked Clarke to wait, and discussed the nuances of Ishant’s landing with the third umpire. Amid utter chaos, he declared Clarke not out. Somebody please tell him to not do this at Indian grounds where the public information system is so dismal that people get to know of such complications only when they go home and watch news channels. TV channels and mobile service providers won’t be complaining, though.The blow
Gautam Gambhir will want to forget the day. During the first drinks break, he got some treatment on his knee cap. Soon, though, when he was fielding at forward short leg, Michael Hussey swept mightily into the back of his leg, sending him off the field. The ball almost ricocheted for a catch, though, but there was to be no saving grace for Gambhir. Even Bowden contributed to his bad day, giving him out lbw when he had hit the ball.The forgotten howler
With the Gambhir decision dominating discussions at the end of the day, the other umpiring howler is likely to be forgotten. Just for the record, Hussey was given lbw to an offbreak that was hitting the stumps, and hence likely to have pitched outside leg. The replays confirmed the fears.The substitute
Cheteshwar Pujara is not likely to get a game in this series, but he made his presence felt when substituting for one of the three struggling players in the side. The side is so struggling with fitness it is difficult to ascertain who is on for whom. Without digressing, though, Pujara took a superb reflex catch to dismiss Tim Paine, who had defended one almost off the middle of the bat. Pujara was in the natural motion of getting up when he went back down and plucked it one-handed off his boot laces.The sticky moment
In the 55th over of the Australian innings, Zaheer Khan bowled a near-perfect delivery to Ben Hilfenhaus, angling it in from round the stumps, getting it to move away, and brushing the top of off. Except the bail wouldn’t come off. Zaheer, though, made up for it with two deliveries too good for the tail, shattering Nathan Hauritz’s off stump with another reversing delivery, and Hilfenhaus’s middle with a yorker. The last was his 250th Test wicket.

Imran Khan and Javed Miandad started out as polar opposites but then settled into a marriage of convenience where each understood the other, perhaps better than others around them

Saad Shafqat17-Aug-2010They were matched, yet mismatched; cozy allies, yet bitter rivals; bound by a common vision and purpose, yet also pushed apart by their backgrounds and polarised temperaments. At some point during their contemporaneous careers for Pakistan, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad grasped the prisoner’s dilemma that circumstances had thrust upon them. Somehow they saw through the fog of bitterness and understood that they were better off collaborating than fighting. In the process, enough magic was unleashed to launch a golden age.They say momentous eras are appreciated only in retrospect, but in this case, even at the time, most people were on to the fact. A landmark ODI victory in Sharjah, inaugural Test series wins in India and England, a contest for the ages on West Indian soil, and – the cherry on the cake – the World Cup in 1992. Pakistan had never come upon such riches before and haven’t since.Imran was born in 1952, Miandad in 1957. Their international debuts were four years apart, yet their rise to international fame was separated only by months. In 1976-77, Pakistan’s great watershed season, Miandad made 504 runs from three Tests against New Zealand at 126, and Imran took 12 wickets in Sydney in Pakistan’s first Test win in Australia. Team photographs from that period show these two standing at the edges with bemused, innocent expressions. They appear to have no awareness of the historic accomplishments that are to be their fate.From these spectacular starts, they prospered and went from strength to strength, evolving a relationship that, to paraphrase Imran’s biographer Christopher Sandford, was to be the making of modern Pakistani cricket. Despite this vital collaboration, it is no secret that these two did not quite see eye to eye. Even today it is difficult to extract praise from one for the other without a touch of grudge.Much has been made of the Lahore-Karachi rivalry as the basis for the tensions between Imran and Miandad, but it probably had more to do with the taboo subject of social class. Both were burdened by it in their own way – one by having less, the other by having more. Approaching each other warily, they communicated the natural reactions of their ilk, and the resentments built up. Class may be a sensitive and uncomfortable topic, but it is one to which cricket – a sport that once distinguished between gentlemen and players – is hardly alien.The slights Miandad perceived are specific, while Imran’s are vague. In 1982, Imran declared on a featherbed pitch when Miandad was 280 not out and looked good for 400; this still gets Miandad seething. Imran was also the lynchpin in the rebellion against Miandad’s initial spell of captaincy in 1981; this also continues to rankle. On the other hand, Imran’s gripes are more about Miandad’s scheming, penchant for confrontation, and capacity for political intrigue.There wasn’t a eureka moment, but sometime in the mid-1980s a penetrating hunger for team success forced them both to put their visceral feelings aside. Strip Imran of his cricket and he would still be accepted into Pakistan’s most rarefied postcolonial enclaves; strip Miandad of his cricket and questions would be asked. The mutual genius of the two was to invert the premise of this hypothetical: instead of eliminating cricket attributes from their assessment of each other, they eliminated class attributes. Miandad still remains Pakistan’s best batsman, and Imran Pakistan’s best cricketer. This was the stark realisation.Arguably, Miandad conceded more. Forced to make way for Imran, he was stripped of the captaincy and left friendless. He could have squandered his promise and burned out with anger and paranoia, yet he pulled himself together to faithfully serve as Imran’s primary tactical advisor and Pakistan’s batting mainstay. His family and friends helped, but the single biggest factor behind this turnaround was that Imran succeeded in earning his respect. The general view of Miandad conjuring up tactics and Imran barking the commands and motivating the troops is largely correct. There have been matches – the Bangalore Test from 1987 is perhaps the best example – when they were practically co-captains. By the late 1980s these two were essentially a team within the team.

Arguably, Miandad conceded more. Forced to make way for Imran, he was stripped of the captaincy and left friendless. He could have squandered his promise and burned out, yet he pulled himself together to faithfully serve as Imran’s primary tactical advisor and Pakistan’s batting mainstay

Anecdotes are aplenty on this subject. A perennial favourite dates to Pakistan’s round-robin match against South Africa in the World Cup of 1992. After a heartbreaking defeat in which Pakistan found themselves on the wrong side of the rain-interruption rule, Imran thundered into the pavilion and flung his bat across the dressing room. The rest of the team made itself scarce.Photojournalist Iqbal Munir decided this was the moment to take a picture and stepped forward, but Wasim Akram stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?” said Akram. “The only person who can approach Imran right now is Javed.” Sure enough, within minutes Miandad was at Imran’s side, pacifying, counselling, cajoling.The one blemish in Pakistan’s otherwise idyllic era had been a heartbreaking loss in the 1987 World Cup semi-final in Lahore, where Imran and Miandad were separated during a crucial partnership. But it turned out to be a necessary setback that would prepare them for the ultimate finale. Five years later they found themselves in a World Cup final in Melbourne, and Miandad was walking out to join Imran at 24 for 2. Imran by this time was in the twilight of his career and Miandad nearly so. Pakistan being Pakistan, another wicket meant certain collapse. Miandad notes in his autobiography that they barely uttered a word to each other during what became a 139-run title-winning partnership. After all those years and all those ups and downs, there was no longer any need for it.Today, Imran may be a marginalised politician and Miandad a marginalised cricket administrator, but in statistical archives, in history books, and indeed in the hearts and minds of the cricket-following public, they sit at the two ends of Pakistan cricket’s table of grandmasters. Every now and then they can still be seen delivering some opinionated critique on television. It isn’t quite the same as watching them play, but it’s not a bad substitute. The style, vigour, wit and – most charmingly – deadpan disdain, are all there.Recently, during an ODI in Dubai, television cameras captured the two watching the action, seated next to each other on plush sofas, absorbed in conversation. Imran, sporting dark glasses, appeared regal, declarative and forthright; Miandad appeared dismissive, cutting and often incredulous. Perhaps in deference to the die-hard, they seemed to be enacting the same old roles that had made them legends.

A 2-1 result across five Tests in Asia is certainly not a failure, but things went pear shaped over the last few days

Alex Malcolm12-Jul-2022A reality check, indeed. Pat Cummins’ first defeat as Australia Test captain in Galle, by an innings inside four days, was more than just a blip on the radar.It doesn’t quite warrant the vitriolic email former Cricket Australia head of high-performance Pat Howard sent from a Dhaka cafe the day after their first-ever Test loss to Bangladesh in 2017.Nor does it warrant the resignation of the chair of selectors and wholesale team changes, as happened after Australia’s last Test match innings defeat in Hobart in 2016.It is the first defeat in 10 Tests for the new captain and the first defeat in five under new coach Andrew McDonald. Winning teams can have bad games and there are a lot of credits in the bank. If you had offered Cummins and McDonald a score line of two wins, two draws, and a loss from five consecutive subcontinental Tests prior to leaving for Pakistan in late February, especially in the wake of the messy departure of former coach Justin Langer, they would have gleefully accepted it.Related

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However, if you’d offered the same at 329 for 5 on the second morning of the second Test in Galle would they have taken it?”It’s a good reality check,” Cummins said post-match. “For people touring over here, it’s really hard. I think there’s so many positives out of last week that we did find methods that work. One small hiccup doesn’t mean you’ve got to change everything about your game.”This is true. Reacting to one loss emotionally, no matter how large, would go entirely against the grain of this team’s new philosophy of being cool, calm and composed at all times.But this was a little more than a hiccup. This capitulation had a very familiar feel to it for Australian teams on the subcontinent. For all the good work of Pakistan and the first Test in Galle, this would have felt like two steps forward and one decent step back.Australia’s collapse on the second morning was a reminder to make strong positions count•Getty ImagesTo the batting firstly. India’s Ravindra Jadeja would have been licking his chops as he watched during his morning coffee in England, as 30-year-old left-arm orthodox Prabath Jayasuriya tore through Australia twice to take the fourth-best figures in history by a Test debutant.Australia had mauled Lasith Embuldeniya last week to the point where Sri Lanka could not afford to pick him again. But the same methods did not work against Jayasuriya, who franked his tremendous first-class record with two spells of bowling that belied his Test inexperience.Where the sweep and reverse sweep had been so productive for Australia’s batters in the first Test, it caused no end of problems in the second. What was noticeable was how many Australia batters fell trying to sweep off the stumps, with Cameron Green (first innings), David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, and Nathan Lyon all trapped lbw attempting to sweep.Contrast that with the diligence of Dinesh Chandimal, who used the sweep prodigiously but judiciously during his superb 206 not out. He barely once swept Mitchell Swepson’s legspin or Lyon when he bowled from around the wicket, given lbw was very much in play. He only swept Lyon when he pitched wide of off, so he could get his front pad outside the line and he could sweep with the turn, something Steven Smith prefers to do.The reverse sweep also yielded plenty of runs in the series but caused the downfall of Alex Carey at a critical time in the first innings. It would be rash and ill-advised for all of Australia’s top order to abandon their sweeping and reverse sweeping plans for India next year as a few did in Sri Lanka in 2016, but some refinement of those plans will certainly be needed.”I think it’s just those individual methods,” Cummins said. “Everyone does it in their own way, slightly different. But just trying to get a little bit better at everything you try to do. We’ll obviously sit down after this and review it and look at different areas and maybe tactics, but I think it’s just those methods, which might be quite different to what we experience back home in trying to be good enough overseas.”Likewise, with Australia’s batting selection on the subcontinent, refinement might be needed. Some of the areas were already known going in but it would have taken courage to make a change ahead of time.Travis Head’s record against spin was a watching brief for Australia’s selectors and he only confirmed what they already suspected. He could not protect his off stump nor could he score with any freedom. He was the only Australia batter not to make a half-century across the Pakistan and Sri Lanka series, with a highest score of 26. He now averages just 21.30 in Asia from seven Tests and has passed 50 only once.There will be loud calls for Glenn Maxwell for India next year, as he was close to playing in this series. But Maxwell averages just 26.07 in Asia from seven Tests and has also passed 50 just once, albeit it was a superb hundred in Ranchi in 2017. He also hasn’t played a first-class game in three years and is unlikely to play one prior to the India tour.The notion that he is a miles better horse for the course is not backed up by the numbers. Australia A’s concurrent tour to Sri Lanka yielded some excellent batting performances on similar pitches to that produced for the second Test. That Maxwell was called into the squad above any of those players did go against the high-performance philosophy they have been trying to move to in recent times.Warner’s form in Asia is also worthy of discussion. He scored two half-centuries across the two tours. He has the unenviable record now of being one of only three players in Test history to have batted in the top four more than 25 times in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka without making a century. He averages just 26.13 in those three countries with a highest score of 71. He has three centuries in the subcontinent, two in Bangladesh and one in the UAE, but only once has he faced more than 200 balls. The need to bat long in the subcontinent, as shown by Usman Khawaja, is every bit as valuable as big runs and Warner has not been able to provide it over his career despite being unequivocally one of Australia’s greatest ever openers.Travis Head did not make a half-century across the two tours•AFP/Getty ImagesFrom a bowling perspective, as well as Australia have played in these tours, they have only taken 20 wickets twice and have failed to bowl an opposition out inside 160 overs three times. One of those was on a flat wicket in Rawalpindi that yielded just 14 wickets in five days. But both in Karachi and Galle, opponents have batted for more than 170 overs on pitches where other innings in the game have seen 10 wickets fall inside 54 overs.There will be questions raised about the composition of the attack and the form of Australia’s spinners, as they were unchanged for four of the five Tests. However, Australia’s fielding and reviewing were as much to blame in Galle. The bowlers created as many as 19 clear-cut chances to take just 10 wickets. Lyon and Swepson are lightning rods for opinion, but they had three missed stumpings (two were extremely difficult), a dropped catch, and four lbws between them that would have been out if either the umpire’s call had gone their way or reviews had been kept.Mitchell Starc also had Chandimal caught behind on 30. Australia fans will make noise around some of the umpiring decisions, but it’s worth noting Sri Lanka overturned three incorrect decisions against them in the Test because they kept reviews up their sleeve.Nathan Lyon shouldered a huge workload•Associated PressJayasuriya did, though, prove the value of a left-arm orthodox in the subcontinent, particularly on a decent pitch, where the angle to the right-handers and the odd ball not spinning can often cause more problems than a legspinner can muster. But Australia do not have a left-arm orthodox who averages 25.08 and strikes at 44.3 as Jayasuriya does, with their first-choice option Ashton Agar (whose tour was ended with a side strain) averaging 41.28 and striking at 80.7.Cummins admitted he could have managed his bowlers better, with Swepson and Starc under-bowled in Galle compared to Lyon’s marathon 64 overs.”I think field placements and using the spin bowlers, I hadn’t had a lot of experience with that,” Cummins said. “And just managing the tempo and even the bowling spells, 180 overs out here happens quite a bit overseas. Just managing different bowlers trying to keep relative control on the scoreboard and the scoring rate. It felt like I learned quite a bit.”It has been a useful learning experience for Australia. A deciding third Test against Sri Lanka would have been even more valuable. But alas, they now wait until February next year for the date with India in their conditions. Five Tests against West Indies and South Africa at home will not aid their preparation for that tour in the slightest.Therefore they cannot afford to brush this loss under the carpet, despite the positive nature of some of the gains over the previous four Tests. Sri Lanka have rather easily exposed some cracks that Australia thought they might have filled in. India have the skill to make them gaping holes next year.

The major requirement of Craig McDermott’s successor will be to ensure that his predecessor’s basic tenets are kept close to the minds of Australia’s bowlers

Daniel Brettig17-May-2012Among the more succinct lines uttered by John Buchanan in his time as Australia’s head coach was a stated desire to ultimately make himself redundant. Buchanan argued that if he was doing his job successfully, then the players under him would soon learn to make their own decisions, leaving the coach to concentrate on more strategic matters.In less than 12 months as Australia’s bowling coach, Craig McDermott has gone close to achieving this goal. He adopted a mantra simple enough to be quickly taken in by the bowlers in Australia’s pace battery. It read a little something like this: be as fit as you can possibly be, pitch the ball up to allow it to swing, tempt batsmen into driving, and so open up the possibility of catches in the slips, or bowled and LBW dismissals. At the same time McDermott counselled the captain Michael Clarke to not be afraid of a few cover drives whizzing through the field, for in those runs came the promise of wickets should a batsman miscalculate.Now that McDermott has left the job, far more quickly than many in Cricket Australia would have liked though they understand his family-oriented reasoning, his message is simple enough for it to be carried on by those same bowlers in his absence. Likewise Clarke should not need too many reminders that the drive is far from a dirty word in the field.McDermott’s exit is unfortunately timed in some respects. Most of the other outstanding candidates for such a role are now safely locked away by other national teams, England’s David Saker and New Zealand’s Damien Wright among them. Allan Donald is at home with South Africa, and another past applicant, Andy Bichel, is happily employed part-time as a selector with little inclination to take on the punishing schedule dictated by the job of bowling mentor.Of the next tier, Jason Gillespie is in his first season as the coach of Yorkshire, Shane Jurgensen is coaching Bangladesh, and Joe Dawes has gone from Queensland to India via South Australia. Allister de Winter, Tasmania’s bowling coach and a rival candidate to McDermott last time, has been promoted in his state to coach the Hurricanes Big Bash League team. Damien Fleming, another with the right kind of experience and approach, has carved out a career juggling media, coaching and all-round joviality that would be somewhat curtailed by full-time touring duty.Australian newspapers will today carry an advertisement for the position of bowling coach, emphasising the role’s importance and the characteristics required by anyone wishing to apply. If there is anything the new man can add to the mix it is a more varied approach to the challenges of bowling in limited-overs matches: McDermott’s methods proved to be just the thing Australia needed in Test matches, but in ODIs and Twenty20s a certain inconsistency remains. That task will likely be handled by staff rotated through the Centre of Excellence on Australia’s next tour, to Ireland and England for six one-day matches.The major requirement of McDermott’s successor will be to ensure that his predecessor’s basic tenets are kept close to the minds and training patterns of the bowlers. Peter Siddle and James Pattinson must be reminded of the success they enjoyed by bowling full and swinging it, Ben Hilfenhaus kept committed to the strong body action and subtle variations at the crease that make his outswinger doubly dangerous, Ryan Harris reminded that it is just fine to be pushed down the ground every now and then. Younger bucks like Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will need a mentor to take them through the butterflies and doubts of their early steps in the international game, and in this area another coach with a Test match past would help.McDermott, of course, will not be lost entirely to the Australian set-up. He will still work as a consultant at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, giving him the chance to influence the development of Australia’s younger quicks, much as he did before assuming the more senior role. In this he will be able to continue imbuing the young with the same simple lessons he brought with refreshing directness to the national team. Even though McDermott will no longer be able to perch himself watchfully at the long on fence, as he commonly did during the past year, his influence will remain.

Covid-19, and the surfeit of cricket, has led to India fielding a record number of players. We have the details here

ESPNcricinfo stats team, Mathew Varghese, Illustration by Kshiraja K10-Aug-2022Forty-eight players turned out for the India men’s team in 2021. In 2022, so far, the number is 39. India have made the most of their strength in depth in the Covid-19 era, with 54 players finding a place in their first XIs across 74 international matches since the start of 2021. And there have been a fair few captains too. Who has played the most, and which format has seen the most players used? This cool graphic tells you.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Allrounder unites a USA team defying all odds for their chance on the World Cup stage

Peter Della Penna13-Jan-2023If America can sometimes be seen as a country of extremes, then the USA squad preparing to take part in the maiden Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup is in some ways a microcosm of that, whether by population demographics, culturally or geographically.There are players representing seven states from coast to coast: from New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina in the east, to California and Washington in the Pacific Northwest, to Texas in the south and even two players from Missouri to showcase the Show-Me State in middle America.Culturally, they all share a bond in that every player in the squad is a daughter of at least one parent, and in many cases both, who is a first-generation immigrant from India. But more remarkable is the minor miracle of the sample size they are drawing from.Most casual statistics would deduce that it should not be hard to find 11 quality players in a country of 350 million people, even if the actual number of registered cricketers in the country can range from 25,000 to 100,000 depending on where the data is drawn from. Yet there are only 283 total registered female cricketers of any age group in the USA, less than 1% of the overall amateur player pool, according to data shared during the most recent USA Cricket AGM.Related

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Some of them have been playing cricket for more than half their lives. Others have only started since the Covid pandemic, and in one case, precisely because of it. Some live in cities where there are enough girls to form an entire female team or mini-league to compete against fellow girls. Other players are literally pioneers, the first and in some cases only females of any age group playing in their city or state, forced to join boys’ age-group or men’s teams if they want to get a game.In some sports, the odds would be stacked against not just the individuals but the group making it to this tournament. But these girls will prove to be just one more example of how to live out the American Dream by wearing the red, white and blue when they take the field for their opening Group A match against Sri Lanka in Benoni as part of the first USA cricket team to qualify for any World Cup since 2010, when the U19 boys did it.”The opportunities that we’re getting, it just shows how fast cricket is growing in the US and around the world,” said USA Women’s U19 captain Geetika Kodali.She would know better than most. Just over three years ago, she was making her debut in the USA Women’s senior team at a time when there was no such thing as a USA Women’s U19 team, let alone a Women’s U19 World Cup.But in the time since, she has carved out a name for herself globally, taking part in the Fairbreak T20 in Dubai last May as well as being picked in the Trinbago Knight Riders squad for the inaugural Women’s CPL and 6ixty, where she took a hat-trick that included Hayley Matthews, Britney Cooper and Chloe Tryon.”Women’s cricket has been growing rapidly starting with the new women’s CPL and Fairbreak tournaments,” Kodali said. “It’s an absolutely amazing time to start playing this game now.”

“This team is exactly who America is because America is known for its diversity”Aditi Chudasama

Despite being just 18, Kodali is not just seen as a captain, but an inspiration and a role model by a number of her team-mates. Prior to her debut and that of Maryland native Lisa Ramjit, both at the age of 14 in the same T20 World Cup Regional Qualifier series against Canada, it was practically unheard of for an American-raised and developed player to be in the USA Women’s national team.”Geets and Lisa, them getting into the team, there was like a spark across a lot of the girls in the country because their eyes opened up, of their families and them,” said USA Women’s U19 vice-captain and fellow senior team player Anika Kolan, who grew up playing junior cricket with Kodali in the East Bay of northern California.”These girls, even though they’re young, they were getting somewhere, they’re doing things. When I started, a lot of the uncles thought it was just a waste of time. But both of them getting in, especially being the younger ones to get in, definitely inspired a lot of us to keep on pushing and try to reach that goal to represent a national team like they did.”The only other American-born players in the team at the time, in May 2019, were field hockey convert Erica Rendler from California and Shebani Bhaskar, who was born in Illinois but had travelled the world for most of her life as the daughter of a US diplomat. But in the USA Women’s squad that took part in the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE this past September, 11 of the 15 players were teenagers. All but one of them would double up as part of the squad at the U19 World Cup, and all but two are American born.In Kodali’s first two tours with the USA Women in 2019, she played two matches and mostly rode the bench as a reserve with raw but unrefined fast-bowling talent. But Kodali’s stature has rocketed since then, to the point that she was named vice-captain for the senior team in Abu Dhabi, not to mention U19 captain for the World Cup.”In the past year or so with the experiences and opportunities she’s been getting, it’s amazing how she’s starting to understand her game better,” said USA Women’s senior national team captain Sindhu Sriharsha. “At Fairbreak we did speak a little bit about how she should be using this opportunity for herself and she was loving it.”She spent every minute she could with Shabnim Ismail. She’s definitely looking up to Shabnim as her role model and after she came back from Fairbreak, she was a different bowler altogether.”She was trying to work on different variations and trying to think about the batter, how to play the batter and manipulate the batter. I think she has grown as a person and having that leadership role with the Under-19s, all of the girls really look up to her.”We’ve been working on this for a year because we identified quite quickly that she would be a leader going forward. I don’t think we noticed it growing up, but the way she has developed confidence in herself has come up in the last couple of years.”Kodali has also been someone who has the unique perspective of being part of the cricket culture on both coasts, aiding her ability to bond with many of the players and help form a more cohesive national team. Though she grew up in Fremont, California, her family moved to North Carolina not long after her senior national team debut to access better playing facilities and coaching from former West Indies opener Alvin Kallicharran, who was active in junior cricket initiatives in the Raleigh area. She has been a successful captain of the Eastern Conference team now that she’s based in North Carolina, and wound up leading them to the USA Cricket Women’s national title this year over the Western Conference team captained by Sriharsha.But that’s not the only feather in Kodali’s leadership cap. The USA Women’s U19 squad was invited to participate this past summer in the Cricket West Indies Women’s U19 Rising Stars Regional tournament and went undefeated to win the title, including a resounding victory over Trinidad & Tobago in the de facto final. The successful tour coincided with former West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s appointment as USA Women’s senior and U19 head coach to guide the team on their journey to South Africa. To show that this result was not a fluke, USA hosted a full West Indies Women’s U19 side a month later for a five-match T20 series in Florida and won it 4-1 with captain Kodali ending as one of USA’s key performers with bat and ball.Aditi Chudasama receives the Best Batter Award at the 2022 USA Cricket Women’s National Championship from Shivnarine Chanderpaul•Peter Della Penna”I think that and with the experience that she’s gotten now with Fairbreak and the opportunity at the CPL, she’s very commanding with the players,” Sriharsha said. “I saw it at USA nationals. Isu [Vaghela] and I came out to bat together after a wicket and she’s telling the girls in the huddle, ‘These are the top two batters of the West. If we get these two out, they’re finished and we win the championship. This is when I need the best from you all.’ I was like, ‘Oh wow.’ I even told her, ‘Geets, that was good.’ And she was like, ‘I know, we’re gonna get you!'”She has a never-give-up kind of an attitude. And she also speaks the language of the teenager, which helps me a little bit as well. So she is a true vice-captain for me in such a young team.”But Kodali is not the only leading light in the U19 team. Ritu Singh and Pooja Ganesh were the first two females playing in St. Louis, Missouri. Both of them have risen through the adverse circumstance of non-existent dedicated female cricket opportunities in their state to make it to South Africa. Singh’s journey is especially remarkable because she has done it while juggling Olympic gymnastics ambitions, having competed at a high level nationally in her age group in trampoline.Allrounder Ritu Singh drives over mid-off during USA’s tour of the UAE•Peter Della PennaJivana Aras is the first female to play competitive league cricket in Seattle. Born and raised in the suburb of Bellevue, Aras only started playing organised cricket because the club soccer season – her primary sport at the time – was cancelled in 2020 due to local Covid restrictions. Cricket was one of the few sports that was sanctioned for outdoor activity and Aras joined the same club team as her dad, Yatin. Less than three years later, she’s playing for USA and hopes she is not the only player from Seattle who plays for the country in future.”It’s been an honor to represent the USA, and specifically Seattle and Bellevue in Washington,” Aras said. “I’m really looking forward to helping younger girls come into the sport and not be scared of playing with the boys and being discriminated [against] in a way.”Speaking of discrimination, the U19 World Cup squad caused a stir on the internet when it was unveiled on the USA Cricket social media account in December. A graphic featuring headshots of each player was included, sparking derisive comments mainly from sections of the cricket community outside of the USA who zeroed in on the ethnic background of the entire squad and labelled them, ‘The India B side’.But the players just shrug it off, eager to talk up their pride in wearing the Stars & Stripes as they hope to beat the odds against the Test nation competition they’ll face through January.”These people are saying things because they’re not in our shoes,” said New Jersey native Aditi Chudasama. “I think this team is exactly who America is because America is known for its diversity. We’re known for its culture and inclusiveness. If you look at this team, we’re just that. We’re diverse and we come from different parts of the country. I don’t think that’s anything out of the American norm.”Any cricketer who grows up wanting to play professionally, they all want to have their last name on their back, have the country’s flag on their chest. It’s no different for me. I’ve always wanted to play for the country. I think it’s an honor to be a part of history to play in the first U19 World Cup.”

The 21-year-old has been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship

Deivarayan Muthu29-Jan-2025Guyana’s Matthew Nandu had a rousing start to his career, scoring a century on first-class debut and almost repeating the feat on List A debut, in 2023. He then suffered a slump in form but is rising again, having topped the run-charts for Guyana in the 2024 Super 50 competition, with 260 runs in six innings at an average of 43.33. The 21-year-old has now been appointed Guyana’s vice-captain as they prepare to defend their four-day title in the West Indies Championship, which will kick off on January 29.Guyana will open their campaign against Barbados at Providence. Nandu has fond memories of his 126, spanning over eight hours, against the same opposition on debut in North Sound almost two years ago.”Before making my debut I was nervous but after I got a hundred it was a special feeling,” Nandu recalled, speaking to ESPNcricinfo during a camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai in December 2024. “Yes, not many people can say that they have a hundred on debut, but I think we can now leave that behind and keep moving forward. “I don’t want to look back at the past, I want to continue looking at tomorrow and what it brings.”Nandu prepared for West Indies’ domestic season by facing a variety of spinners on a variety of surfaces, including black and red, in Chennai. He hopes he can incorporate the Chennai lessons against spinners in the Caribbean.”I’ve been able to figure out ways to score off the spinners in the middle, especially against left-arm spin, and the coaches have given me some good pointers,” Nandu says. “I think what the coaches have passed on over this past week and a half, it’s been very helpful towards my game. I came here with an open mind, looking to learn as much as I possibly can and try and incorporate as much as I can towards my game. So, when I get the time to go back home and put in the work, I’ll definitely focus on the things that I learnt here and try and make it more consistent towards my game.”Related

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While Guyana continues to produce new heroes – Shamar Joseph is the latest poster boy of the region – cricket isn’t as popular in Canada, where Nandu grew up. Nandu played a number of sports, including baseball, basketball and ice hockey, when he was young, but he was always hooked to cricket, which is in his blood. Matthew is the son of Arjune, the former West Indies Under-19s and Guyana legspinner, who played four first-class matches before he moved to Canada. His uncle Richard Jodah has also represented Guyana in youth cricket.During the off-season in Canada, Nandu used to travel to Guyana and went onto emulate his father by playing for both West Indies Under-19s and Guyana. Against Papua New Guinea in the 2022 Under-19 World Cup at Diego Martin in Trinidad, he made 128 off 134 balls to go with two wickets with the ball.”I’ve had my dad work with me since I was a kid, so he’s played a big part in my journey as well; I’ve had the support from my mom and my brother and my uncle as well,” Nandu says. “I’ve been working hard towards my game since I was about nine-ten years old, fell in love with the game and found my way in Guyana, playing trials and stuff like that to get to the next level, so just looking to continue moving forward and taking one game and one opportunity at a time.”Matthew Nandu hones his defence at the CSK Academy in Chennai•Super Kings AcademyWhile these are still early days in his first-class career, Nandu has displayed stickability, which was the calling card of his hero and Guyanese great Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Nandu also idolises current West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope, who had handed out his maiden CPL cap at Guyana Amazon Warriors.”He’s not playing now but I looked up to Shiv Chanderpaul growing up,” Nandu says. “I think right now, it’s Shai Hope – the way he goes about his game and his mannerisms on and off the field. I feel special that Shai was the one who gave me the [CPL] cap and hopefully I’m looking forward to that happening in the future.”Shai was very open. He always wanted to share his knowledge with me, and I tried to work as much as I could with him, to learn as much as I can. And he was always open to share his experiences, and I took that with both arms.”You can be fairly certain Nandu wasn’t talking about getting another cap from Hope for any other team in domestic or franchise cricket.”Well, yeah, it [playing for West Indies] is the ultimate goal, but I think it’s one thing, getting to the level is one thing…but staying there and performing every game is another thing,” he says. “So, it comes more so with the mindset and working on that every day, every game. Just want to continue to have that right mindset.”

Louis Saha was a player who captured the hearts of the fanbase at Manchester United over a four-and-a-half-year period, racking up 124 appearances for the Red Devils.

The Frenchman struggled with injuries during his stint at Old Trafford, but managed to register a total of 42 goals and 15 assists, helping the side win two Premier League titles.

Apart from his goalscoring record, he was also known for his movement and his ability to torment the opposition, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher paying homage to his movement off the ball.

By no means was he prolific during his spell in the North West, scoring one goal every three outings, but it was his all-round play that made him such a threat to sides in England’s top-flight.

In the present day, boss Ruben Amorim has the opportunity to land his own version of the forward in an attempt to help the side rise up the league table in 2025/26.

The latest on United’s hunt to land new attackers this summer

Bryan Mbeumo has been the name on the lips of all United supporters this summer, with a deal for his signature appearing to be dragging on throughout the majority of the transfer window.

However, a breakthrough may appear in the coming days, after the Red Devils submitted a third offer of £65m fixed fee with £5m in potential add-ons.

He’s not the only attacker who’s emerged on their radar in recent days, with Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson a player they’re strongly considering, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

He claimed that Jason Wilcox have been discussing a deal for the signing of the 23-year-old striker in recent days, after he scored 13 times across all competitions last campaign.

Jacobs further stated that Enzo Maresca’s side could be open to offers for the Senegalese international, with a £100m price tag for his services previously mooted.

Why United’s £100m target could be the perfect Mbeumo partner

Mbeumo’s ability to thrive in England has been showcased over recent months, especially after his latest year in the Premier League in the capital with Brentford.

The Cameroonian international managed to score 20 times in 2024/25, in what was the best goalscoring season of his professional career, leading to the interest in his signature.

He will be tasked with improving the situation within the final third, given United only managed to find the back of the net on 44 occasions in their 38 outings last season.

However, he could be aided by Jackson in any attempts, potentially being the perfect partner to the 25-year-old, whilst also being Amorim’s answer to Saha.

The Senegalese star, who has “Louis Saha vibes” according to former Red Devils star Rio Ferdinand, always likes to get beyond the last defender, leading to Theo Walcott singing his praises.

Like the Frenchman, he’s not the most clinical option, scoring just 24 league goals in the last two years, but his all-round ability could see him be a success – averaging 6.2 touches in the opposition box per 90, subsequently able to get on the end of Mbeumo’s deliveries.

His impressive numbers don’t stop there, averaging 1.4 shots on target per 90, whilst completing 1.2 dribbles per 90, having the talent in various areas to thrive at Old Trafford.

Games played

30

Goals & assists

15

Shot-on-target accuracy

45%

Pass accuracy

76%

Aerials won

37%

Shots on target per game

1.4

Fouls won

1.2

Jackson could also potentially return the favour for the Cameroonian should they both join the club, creating 1.2 chances per 90, potentially being the perfect striker for the current 3-4-2-1 system.

The £100m price tag that is being mooted is way too expensive for the Blues talisman, with the hierarchy needing to negotiate a deal if they are to land him this summer.

The prospect of the forward linking up with Mbeumo at Old Trafford could be a frightening sight for the opposition, potentially firing the club to success in the near future.

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While the jury might still be out for some when it comes to the competition itself, there is no doubt that Chelsea were worthy winners of the Club World Cup.

Enzo Maresca’s men impressed in almost every game they played, and saved their best performance for the final, in which they made Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain look totally out of their depth.

Aside from the out-of-this-world Cole Palmer, one of the Blues’ best players in the last few games was Joao Pedro, who scored three goals in three games.

So, fans should be delighted by the news that the club are looking to sign another international who could help the Brazilian reach another level entirely.

Chelsea's transfer business so far

On top of blowing away the competition on the pitch this summer, Chelsea have been just as impressive off it, in the transfer market.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

They’ve managed to ship off the likes of Noni Madueke to Arsenal for £52m and Đorđe Petrović to Bournemouth for £25m, while spending £60m on Pedro, £30m on Liam Delap and £48m on Jamie Gittens.

However, the Conference League champions aren’t done there, not even close, as they now appear keen on landing an international superstar who could help the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace get even better.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Spain, which claims that Chelsea are now interested in Rodrygo.

In fact, the report goes a step further than that, revealing that the Blues have already made an offer for the Brazilian – a straight swap for Nicolas Jackson.

The proposal has yet to be shot down, but the report states that Real would rather receive a fee for the player they value at €100m, which is approximately £86m.

Even if Chelsea have to splash the cash to get their man this summer, they should, as Rodrygo’s a proven winner and someone who could help Pedro get even better.

Why Rodrygo would make Pedro better

Now, there are quite a few reasons why Rodrygo could help Pedro reach another level at Chelsea next season, and one of the most significant is his output.

Since the start of the 23/24 season, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is undoubtedly impressive.

Appearances

51

54

Minutes

3707′

3452′

Goals

17

14

Assists

9

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.46

Minutes per Goal Involvement

142.57′

138.08′

What makes those numbers even more impressive is that he has rarely played in his favoured position off the left across the last two seasons, so just imagine how much more effective he could be regularly starting there.

This regular supply of goals and chances to his left would undoubtedly see the former Brighton star’s own goal and assist tally soar next season, especially as he proved himself to be particularly clinical last year, scoring ten league goals from an expected goals figure of just 8.86.

Furthermore, the former Santos gem has also won all there is to win in the club game, securing two La Liga and two Champions League titles in the Spanish capital.

In other words, he has what it takes to win and should hopefully impart the right mindset to those around him, like his compatriot, and help them win major silverware at some point in the coming years.

Finally, the fact that they’re both Brazilian is also a significant bonus, as establishing a place for himself in the national team will give Pedro and the Real star even more opportunities to develop a deep understanding of one another’s game.

Ultimately, it might cost them a substantial sum of money, but Chelsea should do everything possible to sign Rodrygo this summer.

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حرص محمد مجدي أفشة لاعب الأهلي ومنتخب مصر الثاني، على توجيه رسالة لجماهير الكرة المصرية، بعد خروج الفراعنة من بطولة كأس العرب.

وفشل منتخب مصر في التأهل من دور المجموعات في بطولة كأس العرب، بعدما حقق تعادلين وخسارة ليحتل المركز الثالث في المجموعة ويودع مبكرًا.

وكتب أفشة عبر حسابه على منصة التواصل الاجتماعي انستجرام: “قبل أي كلام يتقال لازم يكون أوله جملة واحدة بس”.

طالع.. خالد الغندور: ما حدث في كأس العرب “كارثة”.. ودفعنا ثمن خلاف حسام حسن وطولان

وأضاف::آسف جدًا جدًا، مهما حصل ومهما اتقال اسم مصر كبير وكان فيه أفضل من كده أنا عن نفسي بعتذر وحزين جدًا ومش بهرب من أي مسؤولية”.

وأكمل: “اللعب باسم منتخب مصر مينفعش فيه الأداء اللي حصل ومفيش تبرير ولا كلام أكثر من كلمة آسف جدًا كان لازم أفضل من كده، حقكم بصراحة، آسف مرة واحدة مش كفاية آسف مليون مرة”.