Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s variations and control gave India wickets at key times, and highlighted his own growth as the leader of India’s pace pack

Vishal Dikshit in Pune26-Oct-2017Bhuvneshwar Kumar is so soft-spoken and mild-mannered, one might not be able to guess easily that he leads a potent pace attack. If he was not a cricketer, he could be easily mistaken for a bank accountant, asking politely if you were maintaining the minimum balance in your account. Could he make for a bouncer at a pub? Probably not. An argumentative lawyer? Maybe not. The leader of a pace attack? Let’s seePace-bowling is no longer about simply speed or swing or bouncers. The evolution of the game has pushed bowlers to add new dexterities over time, and Bhuvneshwar is a prime example of such progress.When he started out, he was seen primarily as a swing bowler and needed assistance from conditions. In under five years since his international debut in 2012, Bhuvneshwar has worked diligently to add several skills apart from pace and develop into a bowler with a variety of arrows in his quiver.Old ball and death-overs specialistAs leader of the Sunrisers Hyderabad attack in the last few years in the IPL, Bhuvneshwar had the added responsibility of bowling in the death overs, and he now carries out the same task with Jasprit Bumrah for India. A specific training programme and an increased emphasis on fitness have helped him add pace and aided his end-overs bowling.”Our trainer Mr. [Shankar] Basu introduced me to a different type of training that eventually helped me increase my pace,” Bhuvneshwar said last month. “That, in turn, went on to help me bowl at the death too.”India batsman Shikhar Dhawan was all praise for his India and Sunrisers team-mate, after the bowler’s 3 for 45 limited New Zealand to 230 in the second ODI in Pune.”When it comes to the death overs, he is the best bowler; the best bowler I guess in the world, the way he bowls yorkers,” Dhawan said on Wednesday night. “I have seen him in the IPL and in the Indian team, he has been doing it consistently well. He has improved a lot. And I feel that he has got a lot of belief in himself and that’s just showing out there.”VariationsWhile spinners have developed variations like the doosra and carom ball, the quick bowlers have the knuckle ball. Zaheer Khan used it in the 2011 World Cup and Australia’s Andrew Tye exhibited it on numerous occasions in IPL 2017. On Wednesday, Bhuvneshwar utilised it against New Zealand’s left-handed opener, Colin MunroAssociated PressWith Munro looking to play aggressively, Bhuvneshwar decided to change his strategy in his fourth over and came round the wicket. He started with a bouncer, Munro ducked. Bhuvneshwar followed it with another short ball and Munro mistimed the hook. After a good-length delivery outside off, Bhuvneshwar returned to bowling over the wicket for the last ball of the over, and slipped the knuckle ball.With the help of the loosened grip, the slower ball at 118kmh pitched on middle stump and shaped in only slightly to beat Munro’s push down the ground and deflected off the bat and pad to knock the top of middle stump. The change of pace, change of angle twice in the over and a hint of swing undid the batsman.”The only thing I tried to change [in this match] was to Munro because in the last match he went after us,” Bhuvneshwar told after the match. “So, I had a plan for him; I tried to bowl knuckle balls and bowl bouncers to him.”I developed it [knuckle ball] just before the IPL, during the Test matches, keeping in mind that the ball in India doesn’t swing much and you have two fielders catching. So, keeping that in mind I tried to develop it, knowing it will be handy in T20 and one-dayers. I’m glad I added one of the variations.”Dhawan felt the knuckle ball to Munro was evidence of Bhuvneshwar’s control.”I feel his control over the bowling is very good,” Dhawan said. “Not just at the start but he’s got a lot of variations, and even when he bowls the slower ball and knuckle ball, he makes sure that he’s pitching it on the right area. The way he got that left-hander [Munro] out, it was because he pitched that ball in the right area.”Punit Paranjpe/AFPIn a television interview during the innings break, Bhuvneshwar explained how he gripped the ball differently while bowling the delivery that dismissed Munro.”When I load up, I just try to do this way (bending the knuckles of the first two fingers to hold the seam with the fingertips on top and the thumb gripping the ball from below) so it comes out from the fingertips and doesn’t go at the normal pace.”Last month, Bhuvneshwar used the same tactic to dismiss two top-order Sri Lanka batsmen in the last ODI of the series. Niroshan Dickwella handed a return catch to Bhuvneshwar by mistiming a flick and Dilshan Munaweera miscued another knuckle ball by not getting the kind of power he wanted. Bhuvneshwar then went on to take three more wickets to complete his maiden ODI five-for.Targeting left-hand batsmenBhuvneshwar’s ability to swing the ball both ways helps him against right- and left-handed batsmen. He ranks fourth among the top wicket-taking fast bowlers against left-handers this year, and even has a better average against them when compared to his own record against right-handers in 2017. Despite bowling an extra 104 deliveries to right-handers, his 24 wickets this year are split equally and he averages much better against left-handers (28) than right-handers (33.66).Such confidence gives his captain the option of bringing Bhuvneshwar into the attack even in the middle overs, when a left-hander may be collecting runs more easily against bowlers like Yuzvendra Chahal or Axar Patel, who turn the ball into them. In Pune, for instance, Colin de Grandhomme and the left-hander Henry Nicholls were putting up a counter-attacking stand by targeting those two spinners. When the reintroduction of Kedar Jadhav and Bumrah failed, Virat Kohli gave the ball to Bhuvneshwar for the 38th over, with the two batsmen having scored 44 runs in eight overs. The breakthrough took five balls: once Nicholls was back on strike, Bhuvneshwar went round the wicket and angled the old ball sharply into him to knock over the top of leg stump.This expertise and deftness isn’t just about utility. It makes Bhuvneshwar a very skillful bowler. If you ask his Sunrisers team-mate Ben Laughlin, the “most skillful bowler in the world!!!”

Bhuvi is the most skilful bowler in the world!!!

— Ben Laughlin (@Benlaughlin55) October 25, 2017

This might have been the first time the lurking shadow of DLS might have actually helped South Africa direct a chase, as Henrich Klaasen and JP Duminy set small targets for themselves while chasing 189

Sidharth Monga in Centurion22-Feb-20182:31

Cullinan: South Africa took full advantage of the conditions

This is a weird summer for South Africa. They have been losing ODIs at home to spin in dry conditions. The only limited-overs matches they have won have been in the rain. It is as if Duckworth-Lewis-Stern holds no demons for them until the next knockout match arrives. Well, South Africa actually did speak about this game being like a semi-final, a must win for them to take the series to Cape Town.Jokes aside, this might have been the first time the lurking shadow of DLS might have actually helped South Africa direct a chase. Until the drizzle began at the start of the fifth over, the South Africa innings had lacked a bit of a purpose. Manish Pandey did say that the new ball was getting stuck in the surface, but still it seemed the innings was not going anywhere, especially with JJ Smuts not able to get out of the blocks.And then, all of a sudden, South Africa had a target for the end of the fifth over. They needed to get 18 in this over to stay ahead of the DLS target should there be no more play. They lost a wicket in the process but rain continued, and the pair of Heinrich Klaasen and JP Duminy kept batting to the DLS total. Klaasen hit two sixes in the next over, but South Africa were still five behind. The next over, with rain still coming down, ended with South Africa three behind. In the eighth over, Klaasen hit Yuzvendra Chahal for a six, taking them ahead of the DLS par score, and on cue, the rain stopped.South Africa scored 46 in those four overs for the loss of one wicket, and Klaasen spoke about the impact of that period. “At the start, yes [we did bat to DLS targets],” Klaasen said. “I think credit must go to the umpires for keeping us out on the field. At some stage it actually drizzled quite hard. The first five or six overs, we actually tried to keep up with Duckworth-Lewis. Luckily on the fifth or the sixth over, the drizzle stopped. I said to JP, ‘We can now actually stay one boundary under the Duckworth-Lewis target, and it worked out.”In the ninth and tenth overs, South Africa went back to waiting for a bad ball or one into their strong areas to hit a boundary. Earlier, they had the freedom to go for two boundaries, and they kept connecting. Klaasen even joked they might be on to something here. “Not really [it’s not like every over is a last over],” Klaasen said. “It’s small targets. I think the way we actually batted tonight, it’s a good way to chase a total. Keep up with the rate, keep up with Duckworth-Lewis. That just gave us small targets. When to go, when not to go. Maybe something to think about going forward.”That there was a focus and some freedom is hard to argue against. “The way JP told me to go, ‘This over needs to go for 10,'” Klaasen said, “it takes all the fear out of your game. Then it is very important to keep a calm head.”It all sounds great until here. It is the lack of extension of this principle into the first innings that perplexes analysts. Think of Duckworth and Lewis and Stern as three analysts. Their algorithm when chasing tells you where a team needs to be at certain stages to be considered ahead of the game. In a game that is heavily skewed against teams batting first, analysts wonder why batsmen can’t go according to these small targets they set them based on various factors: history of the ground, history of the bowlers against this set of batsmen, chasing history of the opposition, and communication with the batsmen out in the middle as to what the conditions are like.It is like letting the dugout – the coaches and the analysts – decide – based on communication with batsmen in the middle – what a good target is, and then giving the batsmen small DLS-like targets for each over or a set of two overs. It doesn’t happen. It can happen in standardised conditions – perhaps Wanderers or Wankhede Stadium where the conditions rarely waver from the norm – but cricket, even over 20 overs, remains reliant on conditions.ESPNcricinfo asked Stephen Fleming, one of the most successful T20 coaches going around, if this kind of thinking was realistic. “It is creating another pressure,” Fleming said. “If they don’t get it, they go with more anxiety into the next over. If they are three runs behind that, you have got to get that many more in the next. In a way, while setting a total, you are applying the pressure of a run chase. You are defeating the purpose of being as efficient as you can. If you are as efficient as you can be in the first innings, then you should make a good score.”In other words, if something be done, it doesn’t come with the fear of consequences of a failure. Also, cricket continues to be a sport where coaches are happy for players to be the boss. They trust the players to be able to do what the conditions and situations demand. And yet, some of the successful T20 captains are those who have come a long way from sniggering at match-ups and listening to analysts for certain field positions for certain batsmen. If the imbalance against sides batting first continues to stay, this might not be too outlandish an idea to try and see if it works.

Australia’s selectors are set to announce the squad for the Test series in India on Sunday

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2017At the end of Australia’s humiliation in Sri Lanka last year, we were told emphatically that the team’s plans for Asian conditions had to change fundamentally if they were to succeed next time. The announcement of the touring party for four Tests in India in February and March will be a measure of the selectors’ resolve.The coach and selector Darren Lehmann has overseen five consecutive Test losses in Asian conditions, from the 2014 tour of the UAE to the Sri Lanka visit. He was appointed coach in the aftermath of the previous trip to Asia – the infamous 2013 visit to India that featured a 4-0 defeat and the “homework-gate” fiasco. His words after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka series bear repeating:

Possible squad

Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Agar, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon

“The difference is we’ve got to change in the subcontinent. Results will say that with India, UAE and now Sri Lanka. We’ve got to change the way we pick and shape up the squad for a subcontinent [tour]. We have to look at all different angles I suppose. The shape-up of the side, whether you need one quick, two quicks, three quicks, allrounders, and see how we play.”It certainly hasn’t worked the way we’ve played. We think we’ve had the right balance but our batters haven’t made enough runs. It’s pretty simple. When you look at [Sheffield] Shield cricket, it’s very hard to determine who’s going to be a good player of spin and not on Australian wickets. So for us somehow we’ve got to find a way.”To that end, the likes of Peter Handscomb, Steve O’Keefe and Ashton Agar were shuffled into the Test squad over the course of a tumultuous home summer. Others, like Shaun Marsh and Travis Head, were present in Sri Lanka. Glenn Maxwell, who has spent much of the season dealing with the fallout of his attempt to move from Victoria to New South Wales, appears to have rehabilitated his reputation, and has past experience on his side.More problematic for the selectors are the Queensland duo of Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw. Khawaja has never passed 50 in four Tests in Asia and looked no closer to unlocking the secrets of playing spin on the last Sri Lanka visit. Renshaw possesses many of the natural attributes that once aided Matthew Hayden in India, but at 20 years old he will have to prove a rapid learner.One thing in favour of both batsmen is the keen sense among Australia’s planners that the touring team will have to bat for long periods of time in order to succeed. Renshaw and Khawaja love nothing more than to spend hour upon hour at the crease: the question is whether they have the requisite methods to stay there.While wicketkeeping skills are tested to extremes by the variable bounce and degree of spin expected in India, the selection of Matthew Wade as the gloveman does not appear to be in dispute. Though his work behind the stumps lacks the polish of others, notably the man he replaced in Peter Nevill, Wade’s ability to help contribute to a winning attitude in the team – evidenced by his century in the Gabba ODI against Pakistan on Friday – will help him.”I’d be nervous if we’d lost four Test matches in a row, but we’re winning games,” Wade said. “The team’s going well, the young guys are playing well and I feel like we’re in a really good spot. “Selection is selection. The team will get picked and hopefully I’m in it, but I don’t feel nervous when the team’s winning the way it is.”Nothing will stretch the captaincy skills of Smith, nor the coaching abilities of Lehmann, like the trip about to be undertaken. The squad unveiled on Sunday will need to be, above all else, resilient.

Also: most wickets in a two-Test series, and the highest total that could not forestall defeat

Steven Lynch06-Dec-2016Pakistan lost nine wickets after tea on the last day in the recent Test in New Zealand. Was this a record? asked George Cameron from New Zealand

Chasing 369, Pakistan were 158 for 1 at tea on the final day of last week’s dramatic Test in Hamilton, but lost nine for 72 in 25.1 overs afterwards to lose by 138 runs. That is indeed the most wickets lost by one side in the last possible session to lose a Test. There had been four previous cases of eight, by Sri Lanka against Australia in Colombo in 1992-93, by England against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2001, by Sri Lanka against England in Cardiff in 2011, and by India against Australia in Adelaide in 2014-15. The most wickets lost in total after tea on the last possible day of a Test is 12, by England (four) and Australia (who careened to 35 for 8) in a draw at Old Trafford in 1953.Who was the last Australian Test player to be born in England, before Matt Renshaw? asked Kelly Harris from Australia

Matt Renshaw, who made his Test debut for Australia against South Africa in Adelaide recently, was born in Middlesbrough in 1996. He was the 24th man born outside Australia to represent them in a Test, and the 11th born in England – the first since Andrew Symonds, who first saw the light of day in Birmingham in 1975. Most of the English-born players appeared in the early days of international cricket. Australia’s side in the very first Test of all, in Melbourne in 1876-77, included four (Charles Bannerman, John Hodges, Tom Kendall and William Midwinter), as well as Tom Horan, who was born in Ireland, and Bransby Cooper (in Dacca, which was part of India at the time but is now in Bangladesh). After that, English-born Percy McDonnell, William Cooper, Henry Musgrove, Hanson Carter and Tony Dell all represented Australia before Symonds, as did Jim Kelly (born in Ireland) and Rex Sellers (India). Tom Groube, Clarrie Grimmett and Brendon Julian were all born in New Zealand. And six other countries have each provided the birthplace of one Australian Test player: Scotland (Archie Jackson), Sri Lanka (Dav Whatmore), South Africa (Kepler Wessels), Pakistan (Usman Khawaja), Portugal (Moises Henriques), and Malaysia (Steve O’Keefe).Jack Hobbs, on his way to a hundred here in the 1926 Oval Test at the age of 43, made 2440 runs after he turned 40•PA PhotosHas Misbah-ul-Haq scored more Test runs after turning 40 than anyone else? asked Qasim Ahmed from Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq has now scored 1657 Test runs since his 40th birthday, which puts him third on this particular list, behind two great England batsmen of the inter-war period: Jack Hobbs made 2440 runs after his 40th birthday in 1922, while Patsy Hendren, who turned 40 in 1929, made 1901. Tom Graveney, with 1243, is the only other batsman to score 1000 runs in Tests after his 40th birthday (Geoff Boycott made 999). Hobbs, with eight, is the only one to hit more than Misbah’s five centuries. Misbah does hold the record for one-day internationals: he made 595 runs in ODIs after turning 40. Next come Khurram Khan of the UAE, who made 489, and West Indies’ Clive Lloyd, with 368.Rangana Herath took 19 wickets in Zimbabwe recently. Is that a record for a two-Test series? asked Tushar Mukherjee from the United States

Rangana Herath does hold this particular record – but not for that recent series in Zimbabwe. Back in 2014, Herath claimed 23 wickets in two home Tests against Pakistan – 9 for 164 in the first one in Galle, and 14 for 184 in the second, in Colombo. He broke the record held by his distinguished Sri Lankan spin-bowling predecessor Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 22 wickets in two home matches against South Africa in 2006. Three bowlers took 21 wickets in a two-Test series: the England slow left-armer Johnny Briggs, in South Africa in 1888-89; Anil Kumble, for India, at home against Pakistan in 1998-99 (which included his 10 for 74 in a single innings in Delhi); and Irfan Pathan, for India in Zimbabwe in 2005-06.Wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, batting here for the World XI in Sydney in 1972, opened the batting in 26 Tests for India•Getty ImagesWho was the last wicketkeeper to open the batting in a Test for India before Parthiv Patel? asked Vivek Kumar from India

Parthiv Patel’s successful return at the top of the order against England in Mohali last week was the first time a wicketkeeper had opened for India since Dinesh Karthik did so in the first innings against South Africa in Cape Town in 2006-07. The one before that was Parthiv Patel himself, in an innings victory over Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2003-04. The most recent instance for any country was by Quinton de Kock, who opened for South Africa against New Zealand in Centurion in August 2016. Another Indian, Farokh Engineer, holds the overall record: he opened (not necessarily in both innings) in 26 Tests in which he also kept wicket. Imtiaz Ahmed of Pakistan comes next with 17, ahead of India’s Nayan Mongia (15) and John Waite of South Africa (14).What’s the highest total a side has made in a Test but still lost? asked Brendan Murphy from Ireland

The highest innings total that wasn’t enough to insure against defeat was Australia’s 586 against England in Sydney in 1894-95 – the first of only three Tests to be won by the side that followed on. In Melbourne in 1972-73, Pakistan declared at 574 for 8 in their first innings, with a lead of 133 – and went on to lose by 92 runs. There have been 13 other occasions when a team was beaten despite reaching 500 in an innings, most recently New Zealand (523) against England at Lord’s in 2015.Post your questions in the comments below

His T20 powers may be on the wane, but he couldn’t have asked for a better environment than the CSK set-up to reinvigorate his game

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai05-Apr-20181:56

IPL Lead Up: MS Dhoni

When MS Dhoni last captained in the IPL (in 2016), his side Rising Pune Supergiant finished seventh. When Dhoni should have last played the T20 format in March but was rested, second-choice wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik became an instant hero courtesy a whirlwind knock that helped India beat Bangladesh and clinch the Nidahas Trophy.Now, Dhoni returns to the shortest format as captain of a side that was suspended for the previous two seasons. He hasn’t led a T20 side since August 2016, when India played West Indies in Florida. Will he be rusty as a leader in IPL 2018?His tactical and verbal skills as picked up by the stump mics during the tour of South Africa in January-February suggest that may not be the case. Dhoni did them all: made minute adjustments in the field, advised bowlers on where to pitch the ball and made clear calls while running between the wickets. Even his yelp at a junior team-mate for not being alert enough for an extra run showed the hunger and passion.Now, will he be rusty as a batsman? In four ODI innings in South Africa, he managed to cross 15 only once and ended the series with a strike rate of just over 80. He batted at No. 6 in the three T20Is, coming out in the 15th over or later in two of those. When he got more time in the second T20I by walking out in the 11th over, he faced 28 balls and clubbed 52 unbeaten runs with four fours and three sixes.

Dhoni has all the support and backing of the owners, the management, the dressing room and possibly every Chennai resident who watches cricket

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming must have been aware of this when he said Dhoni will be promoted up the order this time. “MS will bat relatively high, not necessarily a position with him but a time that we may choose depending on what conditions we see. But he will definitely play a more prominent role as a batter,” Fleming said earlier this week.The numbers back Fleming. When Dhoni has batted at No. 6 in the IPL, his average is 27.50 and strike rate an unimpressive 113.20. At No. 4, the numbers go up to 35.83 and 141.44. But his best position, going by the numbers, is No. 5 where he averages 46.12 and strikes at 147.72.What will give Dhoni a bigger boost is the CSK environment and his camaraderie with his old mates. His fading T20I performances in the last year or so have attracted all the attention from the media and experts, but the IPL now brings him in his territory.There have been calls from some of his former team-mates, most notably VVS Laxman who wanted youngsters to be given a chance in India’s T20 set up. But there was no doubt that Dhoni was going to return as captain of Super Kings upon their re-entry.Dhoni has all the support and backing of the owners, the management, the dressing room and possibly every Chennai resident who watches cricket. He is their undisputed leader.MS Dhoni couldn’t have asked for a better environment than CSK to reinvigorate his game•BCCIWhy else would 20,000-odd people turn up at Chepauk to watch him and the squad play practice matches? Also, Dhoni calls Chennai his second home. So much so that he became teary-eyed while talking about their return to the IPL. This from a man who has barely shown emotions on the field in all these years.Dhoni also ensured they retained the core with Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo. Whether Dhoni makes way for youngsters in the Indian team or not remains to be seen but in the Super Kings squad, he has a team whose average age is 32.The change in setting for him is such that even the media may not criticise him if Super Kings don’t make it big this IPL. Sure, there might be columns if his batting fades, there might be discussions on TV if he is not able to finish games the way he used to, but seeing someone asking him to step down as CSK captain is unlikely. And the credit goes to Dhoni for that.He is the only player to have captained CSK in all these years and has even won back-to-back titles. No other captain has survived in the same role since. CSK have with them the most experienced Indian T20 player as their captain, and the most experienced T20 and IPL captain. He has also led different teams in 11 T20 finals and six IPL finals, the most by any captain.As great as those records are, recent form counts for a lot. What CSK will not want to know is that Dhoni scored under 300 runs in each of his two seasons with Rising Pune. The last time that happened was in 2010. To add to that, he struck under 17 sixes in each of the last two IPL seasons. The last time he did that was in 2012.Dhoni has averaged below 30 in just two seasons: 2012 and 2017. The previous IPL season was particularly harsh on him: he finished with a strike rate of 116, his lowest in IPL history, and took over eight balls on average to strike a boundary.To overcome all this and shake some pressure off, Dhoni could not have found a better place than CSK. To return as captain and lead his team to the playoffs yet another time, he could not have found a better platform than the IPL. And to kick things off, he will face the same team his side beat in the IPL 2010 final in the same city where he lifted that first IPL trophy for him – against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai.

ESPNcricinfo previews Middlesex’s prospects for the 2017 season

David Hopps01-Apr-2017Last season:

In:
Out: Andrew Balbirnie (released), Max Holden (loan, Northants), Cameron Steel (Durham)
Overseas: Brendon McCullum (NZ, T20), Adam Voges (Aus)2016 in a nutshell
Memories of Middlesex’s first Championship win in 23 years are still fresh more than six months later. Their winner-takes-all victory against Yorkshire at Lord’s, with Somerset looking on from Taunton and hoping for a draw that in turn would give them the title, was a great advert for the Championship at a time when English cricket’s debate lies elsewhere. That triumph was based upon a formidable batting line-up with six players averaging more than 40, led by opening bat Nick Gubbins who won England Lions recognition. Fortunately for Middlesex, the sleepy Lord’s pitches awoke just in time to give them two late victories, but it was away wins against their two closest rivals that swung it. Their NatWest Blast form was better, even with Brendon McCullum under-achieving and Eoin Morgan largely absent, although a convincing quarter-final defeat against the eventual winners, Northants, was a meek way to exit.2017 prospects
Middlesex are capable of another excellent season. To retain the title, their pace bowling will have to be up to the task and a bit of help from Lord’s would not go amiss. They lose Tim Murtagh to Ireland in early season, but England Lion Tom Helm has considerable promise, James Fuller will also have benefited from his Lions involvement and Harry Podmore could also kick on. If the title challenge runs out of steam, expect their strongest NatWest Blast campaign for years as Daniel Vettori, brought in as a specialist T20 coach, attempts to finally unlock the potential of a side not short of T20 ability.In charge
Angus Fraser found Middlesex languishing in the middle of Division Two of the Championship when he was appointed as director of cricket in 2009. Seven years of hard graft later, with prima donnas phlegmatically and determinedly dispensed with and good habits ingrained, he supervised a Middlesex title win that had traditional virtues at its core. Celebratory hangovers had not even kicked in before Fraser challenged Middlesex to repeat it. James Franklin retains the captaincy of the Specsavers and Royal London sides, with Dawid Malan once again in charge for T20. Middlesex also took advantage of the Blast returning to a block by awarding a three-year deal to Vettori, who can add to his CV as head coach of Brisbane Heat and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Key player
Toby Roland-Jones’ hat-trick in the final session of the season completed Middlesex’s Championship triumph and his indefatigable seam bowling, often on unresponsive Lord’s surfaces, sustained them throughout, with 54 wickets (and an impressive 84 in all competitions). His dangerous late-order hitting also reawakened the final day of a match against Yorkshire at Scarborough that had seemed destined for a draw. With Middlesex’s seam bowling slightly understaffed for a title-winning side, more of the same will be welcome in 2017.Bright young thing
Helm’s ill luck with injuries meant that he was just relieved to complete England Lions’ tour of Sri Lanka in one piece, but he was also one of the successes of the trip, managing to browbeat pace and bounce at times from Sri Lanka’s placid pitches. He deserves an injury-free summer and, if he gets it, Middlesex’s tilt at a second successive title will be all the stronger for it.ESPNcricinfo verdict
A top-two Championship finish is well within Middlesex’s capabilities but, as much as Fraser will view that as the No. 1 priority, it is the arrival of Vettori which is most intriguing. Great T20 nights have been more common south of the river at Surrey but, if Vettori can transform the likes of Ollie Rayner, Nathan Sowter and Ravi Patel into T20 slow-bowling stalwarts, then Middlesex might be about to join the party.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship Div 1 7-2; NatWest Blast 11-1; Royal London Cup 12-1

Left-field selection confirms that county cricket is in an existential crisis not of its own making

David Hopps26-Jul-2018The selection of Adil Rashid in England’s squad for the first Test will go down as one of the great betrayals of county cricket.And that is quite an accolade at a time when barely a week goes by without England’s professional game being treated with condescension.When, back in February, Rashid informed Yorkshire that he wanted to sign a white-ball contract and turn his back on the red-ball game, it was widely assumed that, unless and until he changed his mind, his Test career was at an end.Now it appears that Rashid can tack a few Tests onto a white-ball contract with the full blessing of those empowered at the ECB.Pragmatic, some might say; blue-sky thinking. The bigger picture is all that matters and there are not many spinners around. If it helps England beat India then all well and good.But as far as the county game is concerned – the game that underpins England’s team – this decision is expedient, unprincipled and unfaithful.There will be fury in the Broad Acres over the decision to select Rashid. That there is fury in Yorkshire should come as no surprise because it tends to happen on a daily basis.But as a sporting example of the difference between metropolitan laws of convenience and the cussed, uncompromising, sometimes self-harming morality that still flavours much of the north, this one will take some beating.Yorkshire are now in a curious position where a player who, by his own request, is on a white-ball only contract is now unavailable for the later stages of the T20 Blast (a white-ball competition) because he is playing red-ball cricket for England.(This follows, incidentally, two Yorkshire players – Liam Plunkett and David Willey – joining the IPL as injury replacements on the eve of the season and an overseas signing, Billy Stanlake, withdrawing entirely from a deal because Cricket Australia changed their mind).When Rashid made his white-ball decision in February, this onlooker, for one, was less critical than most. It was his life, his choice and, however much his critics protested about disloyalty, he was entitled to exercise his own free will.Now that England have persuaded him into double dealing – cognitive dissonance writ large – it is harder to defend him other than to remark that he faced an impossible choice: damned whichever way he fell.The condemnation that could now fall upon him, especially in his own county, will be considerable; the mischief that some will make of this unimaginable.Yorkshire, after all, have just undertaken a Roses match with Josh Poysden, another legspinner, called in on an emergency one-match deal because Rashid remained unavailable in a Championship round in which the vast majority of England players took part.It would have been strong-minded for Rashid to respond to England’s overtures to make himself available for the Test series against India by stating that he had made his decision to play white-ball only and, as long as that stance remained, he had to live or die by that.But Rashid is a complex, uncertain character, the pressure to say “yes” will have been considerable, and he should never have been put in that position.Expectations are that such decisions will soon be outlawed – that in future players will have to make themselves available for red-ball county cricket to be considered for Tests. But even this concession could soon descend into farce and fakery unless the will is there to protect the status of the county game.For Rashid to switch to Test-match mode will be far from easy. He is a wonderful white-ball cricketer when batsmen must attack him, when he can set boundary riders and when his mind is clear. Taking Test match wickets will be an entirely different challenge.If England win the World Cup next summer, there is every chance that he will be a central figure and he will deserve his triumph.If he appears at Edgbaston, he does not deserve to become the victim of this decision. He deserves the backing of every England cricket follower, of course he does. But it will be a time for regret and an exhausting realisation once more that England’s professional game is facing an existential crisis not of its own making.

The reactions on Twitter following Pakistan’s close three-wicket win over Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2017Chasing 237, Pakistan’s semi-final hopes were looking up when they were 92 for 1. It started fading as the slide began: 92 for 2… 95 for 3… 110 for 4… 131 for 5… 137 for 6… and eventually 162 for 7. But Sarfraz Ahmed, their captain, and Mohammad Amir combined to see them home, much to the delight of their supporters.

What a wonderful performance from Sarfraz and Amir. Stunning batting under serious pressure. Well done Pakistan Zindabad

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 12, 2017

Congratulations Pakistan! This is how cornered tigers fight. Well played @SarfarazA_54. Pakistan all the way! #SLvPAK #CT17

— Inzamam ul Haq (@InziTheLegend) June 12, 2017

#CT2017 @TheRealPCB awww talk about kaboom! Drama galore in Cardiff Congrats to the skipper & Amir of the Green Machine' #ripperPakistan

— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66) June 12, 2017

It was such a roller coaster ride. Incredible effort from the entire team but @SarfarazA_54 knock was the cherry on the top. #SLvPAK #CT17

— Mushtaq Ahmed (@Mushy_online) June 12, 2017

Good to see Pakistan team into semi finals brilliant allround performance by @iamamirofficial & congrats to debutant Fahim Ashraf.good luck

— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) June 12, 2017

Wow great inng by the skipper @SarfarazA_54 well supported by @iamamirofficial.its all abt believe,good luck for the semi final

— sohail tanveer (@sohailmalik614) June 12, 2017

Great win! Congratulations to all @SarfarazA_54 @RealPCB_Live #ChampionsTrophy2017 #SrivsPak

— Umar Akmal (@Umar96Akmal) June 12, 2017

@SarfarazA_54 you Beauty!!!!
Congratulations Pakistan #PAKvsSL

— Muhammad Wasim (@MuhammadWasim77) June 12, 2017

Before his composure with the bat, Mohammad Amir had begun the slide in Sri Lanka’s innings, removing the two set batsmen in Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella.

This victory is for the nation. This victory is for Pakistan. Nothing can beat you when you play with vigour,… https://t.co/R9GqwTmXTT

— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) June 12, 2017

Sri Lanka would rue the chances they missed on the field.

Disappointing loss. At the end forget @OfficialSLC batting or bowling the fielding let the team down badly. It was there to be won.

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Like I said at the start it was important to nail the basics for @OfficialSLC to win.

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Great fight back by the bowlers led by Lasith Malinga and @Angelo69Mathews. @OfficialSLC will be thinking for sure about what might've been

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Disappointing loss today for @OfficialSLC hard to take that all in. @TheRealPCB took there chances and got over the line.

— Allan Donald (@AllanDonald33) June 12, 2017

Lasith Malinga tried his best to fashion a win but his efforts seemed futile as Sarfraz Ahmed was dropped twice in six balls off his bowling.

Malinga's great strength was bowled and lbw. With reduced pace, has to rely on fielders and has been let down very badly

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 12, 2017

Catches win matches might be cliche….but it still holds true. Don't believe me? Ask Sri Lanka and Malinga. #CT17 #PakvSA

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 12, 2017

Malinga was the key match winner when SL had that great run in global events. He might not play in 2019. Didn’t deserve to go out like this.

— Andrew F Fernando (@andrewffernando) June 12, 2017

Was Sri Lanka’s performance one of the worst seen on the field in recent times?

Sri Lanka's players can now wash the butter off their fingers. Haven't seen such nervousness, so many mistakes in an ODI

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) June 12, 2017

Great match,but Sri Lanka pathetic in the field. One of the worst fielding performances ever at International level. Congrats Pak.#PAKvSL

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 12, 2017

The win extended Pakistan’s dominance over Sri Lanka in big tournaments.

Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka in 10 out of 11 games in ICC ODI tournaments. Seven out of seven in WCs. Three out of four in CTs. #CT17

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 12, 2017

The match was surely the best in the group phase of a tournament that had too many lacklustre contests.

There isn't a dull moment when Pakistan is playing cricket…ICC should consider charging more for their games. Too much excitement. #CT17

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 12, 2017

CONGRATS PAKISTAN!!

Retweet if u had any mini heart attacks whilst watching Pak today!!! #PAKvSL

— Maz Bonafide (@MazBONAFIDE) June 12, 2017

Time for apologies?

All those who abused the PCB and Team Pakistan last week should say SORRY.

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) June 12, 2017

Pakistan meet hosts England, one of the tournament favourites, in the semi-finals. Will it again be their day?

Do you think England have one bad batting day in them and Pakistan one good one? #CT17

— Bazid Khan (@bazidkhan81) June 12, 2017

أعلن أحمد جاب الله، طبيب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن سبب غياب 4 لاعبين من قائمة الفريق لمباراته المرتقبة أمام حرس الحدود في الدوري المصري.

ويخوض فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي مباراة هامة غدًا أمام حرس الحدود في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثامنة من بطولة الدوري المصري.

وشهدت قائمة الأهلي غياب الرباعي، محمد مجدي أفشة ومحمد بن رمضان وأحمد نبيل كوكا وأحمد رمضان بيكهام.

طالع | قائمة الأهلي لمباراة حرس الحدود في الدوري المصري.. موقف أحمد عبد القادر

وكشف طبيب الأهلي، عن تعرض محمد مجدي أفشة لآلام في عضلة السمانة خلال المران الأخير، مشيرًا إلى أن اللاعب سيخضع لأشعة خلال الساعات المقبلة لتحديد موقفه الطبي من المشاركة.

وأضاف جاب الله أن الجهاز الطبي استبعد الثلاثي أحمد رمضان بيكهام، وأحمد نبيل كوكا، ومحمد بن رمضان من قائمة مباراة حرس الحدود، وذلك بسبب معاناتهم من إجهاد في العضلة الخلفية وعدم الجاهزية الطبية.

Arsenal have entered “pole position” to sign a “sensational” Premier League player for Mikel Arteta, according to a very reliable media source, with Andrea Berta remaining hard at work after sealing an agreement with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.

Arsenal transfer plans following Martin Zubimendi deal

The renowned Fabrizio Romano has already given his famous ‘here we go’ to Zubimendi’s north London move, so barring a last-minute disaster, it appears the Spain international is set to become Berta’s first major signing as Arsenal sporting director.

Arsenal reopen talks to sign "sensational" target after Berta intervention

The Italian has influenced their decision to reignite interest.

ByEmilio Galantini May 13, 2025

Arsenal were in negotiations over Zubimendi’s capture for months, but with the 26-year-old now poised to make the Premier League his new home, attention is now turning to who will follow him to N5.

2. Arsenal

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3. Newcastle United

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4. Man City

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5. Chelsea

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6. Aston Villa

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7. Nottingham Forest

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As per a report from GiveMeSport in the aftermath of Berta’s arrival, Arsenal want to back Arteta with the signings of a second-choice keeper, defender, left-winger, right-winger and striker before summer deadline day on September 1.

That same outlet claimed at the time that £300 million could be spent in a serious show of ambition from the Gunners’ side, but this will likely be dependent on player sales and trimming the wage bill to make room in Arteta’s squad.

Zubimendi will cost around £51 million, the value of his release clause, plus additional costs like agent fees, commission structures and wages.

A significant outlay of Arsenal’s budget will be utilised on Zubimendi’s signing, but Berta is already moving on to other targets. Another key potential signing they’re looking at, Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, is set to cost a similar amount.

The “sensational” 20-year-old has made a name for himself as one of Spain’s most exciting defensive prospects after an excellent debut campaign in the Premier League under Andoni Iraola, and his £50 million release clause is likely to be triggered by an illustrious suitor.

The competition for Huijsen’s signature will be fierce, though, with Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Real Madrid all reportedly contenders.

Arsenal in "pole position" to sign Dean Huijsen

However, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, who shared a promising update on the saga, Arsenal are one of the main contenders to sign Huijsen and sit in “pole position” with Liverpool.

This follows from Romano’s update that Huijsen’s Premier League suitors wish to strike a deal for the ex-Juventus starlet by the end of this month, so things could change very quickly in this rapidly-evolving saga.

“The idea of the three main Premier League clubs involved in this story, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, is to do the deal now as soon as possible,” said Romano on his YouTube channel.

“Now it means by the end of May, so to close the deal this month.”