تعرض منتخب السعودية الأول لكرة القدم لضربة موجعة بإصابة المهاجم صالح الشهري خلال مباراة البحرين بكأس الخليج “خليجي 26”.

ويشارك منتخب السعودية في منافسات خليجي 26 المقامة خلال الفترة الحالية في الكويت، ويتواجد بالمجموعة الثانية التي تضم إلى جواره منتخبات البحرين والعراق واليمن.

فيديو | منتخب البحرين يهزم السعودية بثلاثية في مباراة مثيرة بـ كأس الخليج “خليجي 26”

وأوضحت صحيفة الرياضية السعودية وفق مصادرها الخاصة أنه من المتوقع عودة الشهري إلى السعودية لاستكمال علاجه، حيث منعت الإصابة اللاعب من المشاركة في الحصة التدريبية التي تلت المباراة مباشرة.

وكان الشهري قد شارك كبديل في الشوط الثاني من مباراة البحرين التي خسرها الأخضر بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، ليضاف هذا الخبر القاسي إلى سلسلة الإصابات التي ضربت صفوف المنتخب السعودي، حيث سبق وأن غاب اللاعبان هارون كمارا وفراس البريكان عن البطولة.

ويواجه المدرب الفرنسي هيرفي رينارد المدير الفني للسعودية الآن تحديًا كبيرًا في البحث عن البديل المناسب للشهري، خاصة وأن اللاعب كان يعد أحد أهم أوراق الأخضر الهجومية.

وتأتي هذه الإصابة في وقت حرج لـ منتخب السعودية الذي يسعى للتعويض عن خسارته الأولى في خليجي 26 والعودة إلى المنافسة بقوة.

من جهة أخرى، واصل منتخب السعودية استعداداته لمباراته المقبلة أمام اليمن، حيث أدى اللاعبون الذين لم يشاركوا في مباراة البحرين حصة تدريبية مكثفة، بينما خضعت المجموعة الأساسية لتدريبات استشفائية.

Peter English25-Jan-2006

It’s not a surprise that Glenn McGrath fancies himself as a master of barbecues. He’s grilled 542 Test batsmen to become the world’s most successful fast bowler while impressively improving his stock at No. 11. Now he’s rating himself highly with a pair of tongs and a kiss-the-cook apron. “Little known to the general public,” he reveals, “I am a very competent barbecue cook and have entertained people with my barbecuing skills.”He enters this project with similar focus to a regular service of his bowling action, ladling advice with his personal cooking creed, a history of the barbecue method, notes on the right equipment and tips on which grill and fuel to use. Don’t nod off, the food is coming. However, the recipes, which are battered with commercial product placement, are more “eeewww” than “ooh aah”. While The Matthew Hayden Cookbook, a brave left-field publication, is full of carefully discovered taste mixes and techniques that produce satisfying results, McGrath relies on his business allies for those special – and significant – ingredients.Feel like a Bearnaise sauce with beef fillets? Add a 175-gram pouch of sponsor’s Bearnaise finishing sauce. Anyone for teriyaki chicken drummettes? Half a cup of sponsor’s marinade will do the trick. For mustard steak with garlic mash and onion jam the extras are taken care of with sponsor’s crushed garlic, sponsor’s mild English mustard, and sponsor’s caramelised onion and red wine touches. Mouths of university students can start watering now.Tandoori paste and smokey barbecue marinade are missing from the range – they must still be in testing – as a chicken dish and a ribs plate are the only compilations without a corporate herb, spice or condiment. If the company ever drips meat and vegetables into a jar future editions can be titled .

So far this fluctuating Test match has closely resembled the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977

Steven Lynch23-Jul-2005

Will England find a player to repeat Randall’s innings of 1977? © Getty Images
So far this fluctuating Test match has closely resembled the Centenary Test at Melbourne in March 1977 – which, perhaps not coincidentally, was probably the most-hyped England-Australia encounter until this one.In that showpiece game at the MCG, staged to mark the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Test match, England were cock-a-hoop at bowling the Aussies out for 138 on the first day – until they were rolled over for 95 themselves, with Dennis Lillee taking 6 for 26.Just as in this match, the Australian batsmen then regrouped, scoring 419 to set a massive target of 463. England didn’t make it … quite. A memorable innings of 174 from Derek Randall, his first Test century, took them a tantalising 46 runs short of victory before Lillee (5 for 139) finally ended the fun to exactly replicate the result of the original game in 1877. So who’s going to do a Randall for England this time?

The tournament’s organisation has been chaotic so far, but the performances were beautiful

Neil Manthorp12-Mar-2007The final hour before the festivities began was like watching a particularly slow fielder on the third man boundary moving awkwardly towards a high, swirling catch. The ball was in the air, the clock was ticking, and you just knew he didn’t have a chance. He couldn’t. It just wasn’t going to happen.Large parts of the enormous stage used during the opening ceremony were still being constructed with an hour to go and some of the organisers were starting to panic. You knew that because they were awake, unlike many of the construction workers at Sabina Park on the other side of the island or at the Kensington Oval in Barbados where completing their shiny new stadiums really is becoming a genuine irritation to the sleeping patterns of the work force.The traffic queues getting into Trewlany’s multi-purpose Greenfields Stadium were long and very slow moving; it was a hot and steamy afternoon and the traffic officers did their best but weren’t helped by the endless stream of screaming VIP vehicles jumping the queue.Stadium and event staff had been well briefed to maintain the traditions of inflexibility and stubbornness first started by the gatemen at Lord’s over a century ago and patrons wishing to view the ceremony only just missed out on a full, rubber-gloved body search. And woe betide anyone wishing to sit in an alternative seat to the one numbered on their ticket, no matter how many empty seats there were in the vicinity.Then, finally, it started. With a marching brass band! It wasn’t immediately obvious to those of us in the stadium whether that bit was televised to the rest of the world, but it was incongruous, to say the least, in the land which gave the world Bob Marley.The speeches were short and to the point, well scripted and well delivered. Then the real show began. And what a show it was.Perhaps my enjoyment was made so complete by the presence of a colleague next to me who experienced previously unimagined levels of excitement at seeing Buju Banton sing live for the first time. And the reception that greeted Sean Paul (who, for the uninitiated, sings a form of reggae called ‘Dancehall’, I think) was greater than that which greeted Brian Lara when he swore the players oath on behalf of all 16 competing nations.The entertainment had been billed as a voyage through Jamaica’s history and culture in the form of music and dance, and that is exactly what it was•Clive Rose/Getty ImagesThe entertainment had been billed as a voyage through Jamaica’s history and culture in the form of music and dance, and that is exactly what it was. The running commentary from my friend added joyfully to the occasion and it is actually possible, remarkably, that I learnt something. I certainly learned that I am now a fan of a singer called ‘Half Pint’ although he wasn’t nearly as good as South Africa’s Lucky Dube who was as brilliant as ever, but then I am biased.’Soca’ is not, I now know, a game played between two teams of 11 involving a ball, but a dance form that requires extraordinary strength and energy. As does ‘ska’. The dancers on stilts were hilarious, and the parade of the teams worked a treat with the dulcet and familiar tones of Tony Cozier providing the introductions. Spirits rose and rose, as the did the enthusiasm of volume of the crowd. Suddenly it didn’t seem important that you had to pay over US$2 for a cup of water and it certainly didn’t matter that the stage was still being bolted together moments before the performance.The organising committee, apparently, had to make use of three local companies and eight generators to provide the power to light a stadium with no floodlights and for that alone they deserve enormous credit. Jamaica and its citizens deserve credit. It may not have happened this way, but it would appear that the Caribbean’s cricket playing islands asked themselves what it was that bound them together, apart from cricket. The answer, of course, is music and dance. So they pretty much stuck to that. And it worked. Gloriously.The fielder lurched, took a step or two in the wrong direction, over compensated and nearly tripped, but he was steady for the final, critical second with the entire match at stake and the world watching, and the ball landed as safely as a joey returning to its mother’s pouch. And the crowd rose as one, raising their arms and roaring their approval.As opening ceremonies go, it really was bloody good. Bring on the games.

On the field, Mashrafe Mortaza performs one of the most thankless jobs in cricket: spearhead the fast bowling attack of a subcontinent team

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong18-May-2007

After missing the first ODI against India due to injury, Mashrafe bowled the first ball of his comeback match at 86 mph © AFP

There’s a mad man loose at the Bangladesh nets. It has been raining incessantly in Chittagong; the third one-dayer between Bangladesh and India looks improbable, and the players have moved to the indoor facility. Mashrafe Mortaza spots a mini football and wants to dribble past his friend Abdur Razzak. Next, he wants to keep heading it forever – cap in one hand, the other gesturing towards the forehead, as though saying “I have magic there, I can make it talk with my head”. He wants Syed Rasel to bowl him bouncers with that ball and he hooks them. He wants to beat up Rasel and chases him all over the nets. He aims with the ball from one end and hits Rasel smack in the head. All the while his face, his hands and legs keep moving, expressing, telling the story. This isn’t body language, more a conference of polyglots.On the field, Mortaza performs one of the most thankless jobs in cricket: spearhead the fast bowling attack of a subcontinent team. He does that remarkably well. Only a few days ago, he had missed a match because of injury. On his comeback, the first ball flew at 86mph.Where does he get all this energy from? “I think I am strong,” he says with a confidence that in anyone else would have sounded arrogant. Mortaza’s strength comes from his first love: the river Chitra, which flows just opposite his house in Narail. “I loved swimming from childhood; I’d swim, with friends or kids tied to my back, from noon to 3 pm or so.” He also had a penchant for climbing coconut trees; on his wedding day last September, one of his guests joked that there were no coconuts. Mortaza made for the nearest tree in a flash; it took a lot of effort to keep him down. Anyway, he swam in the Chitra that night.His team-mates and friends call him , an affectionate term loosely translated as madman. “Maybe I am a bit like that”, he acknowledges. When he was young – he’s 23 now – he was a veritable circus on the road. “I did a lot of tricks with my bike.” When he was younger still, he would jump 20 feet off a bridge and on to moving trucks. “I used to do it everyday. Not now,” he says. “I have stopped the bike antics too. My father doesn’t like it. He thinks as a player I shouldn’t be doing all this.”Mortaza was so in love with Narail that he didn’t like travelling. At the age of 17, a grand-uncle who was a coach at Dhaka’s Mohammedan Sporting club, asked Mortaza to join the team, which was short of players, for a match about an hour’s journey from Narail. He agreed only after his grandmother convinced him, and took six wickets against Kashim City. He returned, but the bug had bitten; soon he was bound for the under-17 zonal camp, where he was picked by Malcolm Pareira for a tour of Sri Lanka; then to the under-19 side, and finally the national side. All this, and stints with Andy Roberts too.The lows are as clear in his mind as the highs. Mortaza remembers the worst day of his career. “Once Zimbabwe [at Harare last August] needed 17 runs off the last over.” He looks down, smiles, and says, “I gave them. That was the worst day for me.” The simplicity conveys the anguish.Dav Whatmore, the coach, was good support then. “He said, ‘When you wake up the next day, it will be hard for you. But don’t worry, just keep working.'” A day later, Mortaza was heard telling a friend, “This will never happen to me again. Even if I try to do it, this will never happen.”He remembers when he dropped Ricky Ponting in the Fatullah Test last year, a catch which, if taken, might well have caused the biggest upset in cricket history. “There was a breeze, and I was three seconds late.” It plays on his mind whenever they are close to winning an important match.He fondly remembers his Man-of-the-Match performance against India at the World Cup, and also Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket at Chittagong in 2004-05. He has seen and felt the change of the other teams’ attitude towards Bangladesh. “They used to ignore us earlier. They would think, ‘Bangladesh is coming; we will win easily.’ Nowadays, they cannot afford to do this,” he says. “It used to hurt a lot.”But it was nice”, he adds wryly, “to see India celebrate so much after beating us.”
At 23, he has seen a lot of cricket, has travelled the world, yet he still misses the good life of Narail. “I miss everything. Friends, family,” he says, sounding like a 17-year-old on his first tour. “But as a professional cricketer, you have to do all this.” All of a sudden the country’s leading paceman takes over. In three seconds, his face has changed from a child’s to that of a grown-up.Mortaza is, if possible, a wise mad man. Part of the maturity stems from a long list of injuries and operations – three operations on his left knee, one on the right, many stress fractures of his back, shoulder problems and two torn ankle ligaments. He has spent agonising days in hospitals – injury after injury, operation after operation. He recently lost Manjural Islam Rana, his close friend and team-mate, in a motor accident.Most significantly, Mortaza has started to realise his responsibility as Bangladesh’s leading pace bowler. He has become more measured. That shows in his bowling. “I love bowling fast but in the past two years I haven’t been bowling really fast,” he says. “I am getting fit and back. I think I can bowl really fast now but I like to bowl in the right areas. [Glenn] McGrath, [Brett] Lee, everyone told me I should bowl in the right areas.” He also believes he has the ability to raise his speed whenever he wants to. He has started to read the batsmen and started to work them out. “This is an aspect I have improved a lot in. I like to read a batsman.”His goal is to become one of the world’s top-10 bowlers in Tests. In one-dayers too, but Tests especially. “Test match is the real cricket.” He has started taking his batting seriously. “The coach tells me I can be a good batsman.” Dinesh Mongia will testify to that.On an average, he goes back home once about two months. “I love the river. I like sitting there and chatting with my friends. Even if I am not swimming, I like to just sit there.”Mortaza has changed. There’s a price he is paying. “I can’t injure myself anymore.”

Stats preview to the third Test between Australia and India in Perth

S Rajesh15-Jan-2008

Adam Gilchrist averages 66.62 at the WACA, with 533 runs from eight Tests © Getty Images
Australia’s 17th win in a row is generally being considered a fait accompli, and while the Indians might want to contest it over the next five days, there’s good reason for the home team to believe they have an excellent chance to go 3-0 ahead: in 17 Tests here since 1990, they have won 12 and lost just two, both to West Indies. During this period, they’ve averaged 43.91 runs per wicket when batting, and taken their wickets at a cost of just 25.77 each. Overall, they’ve won 20 times here in 34 Tests, with seven losses and as many draws.The other reason for the Australian optimism is the record of their rivals at this venue: India have lost both their Tests here, the last one – in 1992 – by 300 runs. In fact, all teams from the subcontinent have struggled at the WACA: out of the nine Tests played by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they have lost each and every one of them. The margins of defeat indicate the games were no-contests – apart from India’s two-wicket loss to a second-string Australian team in 1977-78, the rest have all been comprehensive victories for the home side.

Teams at Perth

Team Wins Losses Draws

Australia 20 7 7 Australia since 1990 12 2 3 India 0 2 0 Subcontinent teams 0 9 0 Most of the Australian batsmen have relished the pace and bounce in Perth. Among the current lot, five batsmen average more than 50. Matthew Hayden has been ruled out, which is just as well for the Indians: he averages more than 56 here, with a highest of 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. The only failure has been Andrew Symonds, who has managed just 66 runs from four innings.

Australian batsmen at the WACA

Batsman Tests Runs Average 100s/ 50s

Michael Hussey 2 258 86.00 1/ 2 Michael Clarke 2 200 66.67 1/ 0 Adam Gilchrist 8 533 66.62 2/ 3 Matthew Hayden 8 733 56.38 1/ 3 Ricky Ponting 11 811 54.06 1/ 6 Andrew Symonds 2 66 16.50 0/ 0 The pace and bounce here has confounded most overseas batsmen, and the table below indicates how difficult it has been for the top orders of visiting teams to string together meaningful partnerships. The average stands for three of the top four wickets for overseas sides has been less than 30 runs per wicket. The Australian batmen, however, have had no such worries, with average partnerships of more than 50 for each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth wickets.

Partnerships for each wicket at Perth since 1990, for Australia and overseas teams

For wicket Aus ave 100s/ 50s Overseas ave 100s/ 50s

1st 37.75 2/ 3 29.12 0/ 6 2nd 47.65 4/ 7 25.75 1/ 3 3rd 55.88 3/ 9 40.06 3/ 4 4th 50.68 4/ 6 22.00 0/ 3 5th 61.12 4/ 6 33.48 2/ 5 6th 56.04 4/ 3 28.56 0/ 9 The pitch here has always been known to favour pace, but the overall figures indicate that fast bowlers haven’t all done well either: since 2000, they average more than 36 per wicket. The spinners have struggled even more – each wicket has cost them 42.27.

Pace and spin at the WACA in Tests since 2000

Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM

Pace 161 36.06 64.45 7/ 0 Spin 48 42.27 77.7 2/ 0 While conditions have generally favoured pace bowling, few overseas bowlers have learnt the trick of bowling here. The Australian fast bowlers average 25 runs per wicket, but overseas bowlers concede more than twice that number per wicket. Among the 11 bowlers who have taken more than 20 Test wickets here, ten are Australian, but the only overseas bowler leads the pack: Curtly Ambrose’s 24 wickets in three Tests came at an outstanding average of 12.91, and a strike rate of less than 27 deliveries per wicket.Among the Australian bowlers in the current line-up, Brett Lee is the only one to have played more than a Test in Perth, and he has enjoyed the conditions here, taking 33 wickets in six Tests.

Australian and overseas fast bowlers at the WACA in Tests since 2000

Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM

Australian 96 25.11 53.9 4/ 0 Overseas 60 52.23 80.0 3/ 0

It’s not about beating the best sides on your day but about building a team that can compete consistently at the highest level, Bangladesh’s coach tells Cricinfo

Interview by Khondaker Mirazur Rahman15-Sep-2008

	‘Our supporters cannot have a team that entertains from ball one by hitting the ball in the air, and expect them to also score a lot of runs at international level. It won’t happen’ © AFP

What was your motivation for taking up the Bangladesh job?

I took the position as it was an amazing opportunity to coach an international cricket team, and it was a natural progression from my position as assistant coach of Australia, where we had won the World Cup, The Champions Trophy, and regained the Ashes. I wanted to bring my knowledge and experience to Bangladesh and take them forward.In terms of cricket ability, where do Bangladesh stand now?
It is not a question of cricket ability but a question of cricket schooling. Our coaches, competition, and facilities are just not preparing our players for the tough world of international cricket. Our players are as skillful as any, but we are lacking in depth when it comes to consistent performers at the highest level of cricket.You have been trying to change the cricket culture of Bangladesh and also the way the players approach their game. Why is that important?
At present, and before I came on board, we had no players in our side that you could say are truly successful international cricketers. We love them and they are our heroes but they do not have the results or statistics that their oppositions have. Our batsmen average 20 and the opposition batsmen average 45-50. Our bowlers average 45 and the opposition average 25. This suggested to me that things – and team culture is one of them – needed to change. I have taken a long-term approach and may never see the results of my work. The players are learning to train and prepare in a more professional and responsible manner, where we are trying to improve so that we can be consistently competitive, not just when all the stars are aligned and we have a “good day”. We have several players in the team at the moment who I believe have the ability to lead from the front and be world-class players that we can count on each time we play. This is what I am excited about for Bangladesh Cricket and our supporters.Isn’t trying to force a change in the natural style of play fraught with risk?
There is such a misconception about how I want my players to play. I will just say that the batsmen are instructed to think of every ball as an opportunity to hit a four or a six, but if the ball is too good and the risk or percentage for success is not good, then we must do something else. The game is about making runs and I encourage my players to look to score at every opportunity. Our supporters cannot have a team that entertains from ball one by hitting the ball in the air, and expect them to also score a lot of runs at international level. It won’t happen. We will lose wickets and fail nine times out of ten as we have done in the past. There needs to be a balance of responsibility and structure to our batting. We are a team that in the past used to pass 200 in our innings just one time in four at the crease. We now do this every second time we play. I look for success in lots of ways. Winning is a result of a lot of successes in the process.How is coaching Bangladesh different from coaching Australia or any other international team?
In Australia there is an amazing domestic infrastructure, which culminates in the best first-class competition in the world. The international players, when not playing for the country, simply go back to their state cricket system and train with their state team-mates and coaches, fitness trainers, physios, doctors and so on. In Bangladesh our players must stay in Dhaka to train and get any coaching they need. There are just no real facilities for them in the home areas, but the cricket board and I have identified this and are planning to improve in this area.

	With Australia you are talking tactics and teaching new shots and small aspects of the game; with our team you spend every day just teaching them the basics of the game, things that they should know when they are 15 or 16

Our players are just so inexperienced in terms of decision-making and being ready for international standard. With Australia you are talking tactics and teaching new shots and small aspects of the game; with our team you spend every day just teaching them the basics of the game, things that they should know when they are 15 or 16. This is because our infrastructure and pathway is not good enough at present.What are the major obstacles that are holding Bangladesh back in international cricket?
International cricket is as competitive as it has ever been. We have seen India beat Australia in Australia in a one-day series. Then Pakistan won the tri-series in Bangladesh. This was followed by Sri Lanka beating us all to win the Asia Cup in Pakistan. All three of these teams are at the top of their games and are capable of pushing the world No. 1. We are still a young cricket country and are still to get our facilities and infrastructure to where they need to be to produce world-class success stories. We are aware of our deficiencies in this area and know that it will take time to develop them to the high standard required.At the moment the players selected have still got many areas that need to be improved if they are to perform consistently at the highest level. The pathway at present does not allow those flaws to be ironed out before they are selected. Our players learn the hard way, in the public eye, on the international stage. I know we have won games at times in the past, but I ask: have we really produced a world-class cricketer that we can rely on year in year out?Recently Bangladesh have shown signs of improvement in batting, but the bowling has deteriorated significantly. Has having a specialist bowling coach like Champaka Ramanayake in your coaching staff helped?
It is fantastic to have Ramanayeke in our system at the moment. He was a regular at our training before the Australian tour, so we have access to his assistance when we need or want him. His bowling squad regularly attends our training sessions as well.There is a perception among cricket fans and media that you are downplaying the successes achieved by your predecessor Dave Whatmore, to cover up the recent failures of Bangladesh team.
I have the utmost respect for Dav. He is a personal friend and we speak from time to time. Success is measured in many ways, and I would love the team to grab a couple of wins here and there – as Dav and the boys did in his time. However, I am not here just to have the team win a game or two. I am trying to develop this squad and the future of Bangladesh cricket to a point where they can compete regularly against the top-ranked teams. This will take time as the players have so many lessons to learn and skills to develop. There are no easy wins out there at the moment. All the teams we have played recently are very strong and on the move forward.I continually talk about success and improvement. We have a young team, and when you are developing you must base success on achievement, not on the win-loss figures. I hate the word “failure” when used to describe our team. They have had so many achievements in the nine months I have been with them. It is the long term that the people of Bangladesh must look at, not the immediate high of a win. Though I admit it would be nice at the moment to get you guys off our backs and increase the confidence of all. We now have more potential world-class players than ever before and the future is as bright as ever.

	‘Our players learn the hard way, in the public eye, on the international stage’ © AFP

There was once a belief that Bangladesh could compete with any team on their day, which no longer appears to be the case. Do you think you are a bit too pessimistic about Bangladesh’s chance of winning against the top eight teams, which is affecting the team morale?
The problem is, people have no idea how I talk to my team on a daily basis. The players are aware that our vision is to always improve. I would love to know what “on their day” means. I am not interested in coaching a team that relies on luck or it being their day. I am concerned with improving skills and confidence, so that we believe in ourselves every time we compete. We do believe that if we play to the best of our ability then we can win.The other thing I need to say is that the team under Dav were given plenty of games against the so-called minnow teams prior to the World Cup. This allowed them to win a lot of games in the lead-up and gain some momentum. They then went on to win two very big games [against India and South Africa], in perfect conditions for our style of cricket. In my time so far, we have been scheduled to play the No. 2 sides in the world in two series, and the No. 1 recently. We also had a series in New Zealand, which is very tough to tour. We have had just one three-match series against a minor team [Ireland], a team that actually beat us at the World Cup. We completely outplayed them and won the series 3-0.Are you happy with the progress Bangladesh have made over the last ten months under your coaching?
As I have said previously there are so many examples of success within our team lately. The elusiveness of victory is not helping the public see this, though. We have scored our highest scores ever against India and Pakistan in the last three months. We have had five players make their first or second ODI centuries. We have a 19-year-old, Raqibul Hasan, who is shaping to be an international player of the future.How do you explain Bangladesh’s recent performance in Australia?
I can say that the results were very disappointing and the lessons learnt were hard ones. The players were simply overwhelmed by the world No. 1 team. They know they are better than they showed us in this series and are determined to gain some credibility back in the near future. We should have won the third match in Darwin. Our bowlers, and in particular our fielders, were superb in keeping Australia to 198 in their 50 overs.We were a little unlucky at the beginning of our tour to lose two opening batsmen before the first practice match, and then to lose Raqibul with a broken thumb in the first ODI. We simply don’t have the depth just yet to replace an opener and our best No. 4 batsman. This left us very unbalanced and even more vulnerable than we were at the beginning. No excuses though – the team have underperformed and are embarrassed by their efforts.During the Australia series you were very critical about Ashraful in public. What were you trying to achieve? Was it a desperate attempt to bring some responsibility to Ashraful’s batting?
I am always talking to Ash about his performances, both good and bad. We are trying to get him to be more consistent and contribute to the score more often. Ash has made maybe just four or five half-centuries in his last 50 innings and I felt it was worth a try to say that we need more from him as captain and a key batsman in our line-up. Ash was sitting beside me and I only stated the obvious. You might consider it as an honest attempt to make him aware of his responsibilities.I believe we have been too focused on Ash and what he is capable of. We have many batsmen who have made centuries for us and who are real match-winners in our team. These are the players that will make us a successful team; one man cannot do it alone. I hope Ash can find the game that he needs to play his role for us. Everyone thinks he is one of our best players. He needs to show this by making consistent big scores.It has also been said that I tried to remove Ash as captain of the team during the Australia tour. I have never, and would never, do that. He has the toughest job in world cricket and his players do not always back him up with consistent performances. I have told him that if he is under too much pressure and he feels his batting is suffering due to captaincy, then he should consider resting from it. A run-making Ash is better for his team than to have him as captain and not making runs.Do you think the team is a bit too youth-oriented and lacks experienced players?
Yes, we lack experienced players, but you cannot have experienced players in your side who are failing all the time – they will not offer guidance when they are not performing themselves. We have no experienced players out of the team at the moment who demand selection because they are performing, or have performed recently in international cricket. If we had an experienced player who was demanding to be picked because of performances then I would be asking the selectors to pick him.

	I do not base success on win-loss figures, as this is demoralising to a developing side – they would see every loss as a failure, irrespective of whether they have made a century or taken five wickets

What about someone like Habibul Bashar?

Habibul is one of our centrally contracted players. He is not currently in our team but is a helpful and welcome addition at training. He understands better than most just how hard it is to be successful at international level. I would love to have a performing Habibul in our team. However, he is not at the top of his game and was omitted some time ago after many opportunities. A non-performing senior can’t really influence the game of his team-mates. We would not leave a senior player out of our young team if they had the potential to be a match-winner or be in our team come the next World Cup.What do you expect from the upcoming New Zealand series?
I do not base success on win-loss figures, as this is demoralising to a developing side – they would see every loss as a failure, irrespective of whether they have made a century or taken five wickets. Our young team, whether we like it or not, will lose a few games before they start to win consistently. I want to be realistic here; we have to raise our game to beat teams like New Zealand. The series is on our home soil, the conditions should favor us. If we can play up to our potential, there is no reason why we can’t compete and produce some good results.I expect us to have a lot of players achieving great things against New Zealand, and I also believe we will show that we are improving by winning games in this series. Winning would be amazing for all of us.Where do you want to see Bangladesh at the end of your initial two-year contract?
We will still be ranked ninth in the world when my two years are up. What I have embarked on is not going to bear much fruit inside two years. What I want to see is that we have started to compete and are consistent in the plans and the processes we need to follow in order to push and beat teams regularly. My intentions have always been to produce some world-class performers who can carry the team to new heights on a consistent basis. And the exciting thing is, there are three or four players who may just do that.

On the Chennai surface that offers true bounce and assists spin, Tendulkar has thrived. It’s no wonder that he has always maintained that it’s one of his favourite grounds

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan in Chennai25-Mar-2008
Sachin Tendulkar puts in some serious time in the nets © AFP
During the first Test, Sachin Tendulkar will most likely get the 12 runs he needs to go past Sunil Gavaskar’s aggregate of 5067, the most Test runs by an Indian batsman on home soil. It will be fitting if he reaches the mark at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, a ground where he has been influential in every one of the nine Tests over the last 15 years.Mumbai may claim complete ownership of Tendulkar, but it’s Chennai that has had a chance to watch him in full splendour. With four hundreds in seven Tests (two of which were almost completely washed out) he’s been near invincible.He has soared against Australia – not once but twice – with epic knocks that turned series. The first, the opening game of the series in 1998, came after India had conceded a first-innings lead and the second, in the deciding match in 2001, set up India’s response to 391. One turned the tide on the fourth day; the other set up a classic on the third.Few will forget the magnificent 136 in the final innings against Pakistan in 1999, a masterpiece which lost a bit of its lustre only because the team tripped at the final hurdle. There was also a controlled 165 against England back in 1993 that shut them out of the contest and a guarded 43 against West Indies, an innings which went a long way in India gaining the upper hand.Take out the the rain-affected match against Sri Lanka in 2005, and you have Tendulkar’s imprint in every game. Few batsmen have handled Chennai’s heat and humidity as well as him. Surprisingly, neither Rahul Dravid nor VVS Laxman have a century at this ground and Sourav Ganguly averages a paltry 16.12 in his six Tests here. On a surface that offers true bounce and assists spin, Tendulkar has thrived. It’s no wonder that he has always maintained that it’s one of his favourite grounds.As if to re-emphasise the point, he flowed freely in Tuesday’s net session, unusual for one who normally prefers to simply knock it around before the big day. Through the Tests in Australia he preferred being low key a day before the match – he would bowl some spin and stretch – but both yesterday and today he got down to some serious business. He patiently waited his turn, standing for a good ten minutes behind the netting, and watched Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahul Dravid have a hit.Then he spent half an hour smashing the spinners. Piyush Chawla was put to some serious grilling, Harbhajan Singh was slog-swept over the manual scoreboard and out of the stadium and even Anil Kumble was cut away with some degree of violence. It was at this ground that he unleashed the famous slog-sweep back in 1998, smacking Shane Warne’s round-the-wicket ball into the stands. It was as emphatic a statement as any and one from which Warne didn’t recover for nearly six months.Despite the talk usually hovering around the Fab Four, Tendulkar remains India’s premier batsman. Dravid held the mantle for around four years and Laxman leaves a lasting impact on some series but Tendulkar continues to be the first among equals Despite the talk usually hovering around the Fab Four, Tendulkar, even after all these years, remains India’s premier batsman. Dravid held the mantle for around four years and Laxman leaves a lasting impact on some series but Tendulkar continues to be the first among equals. Even in Australia he rattled off gem after gem to allow India a winning chance in three of the four Tests and carried his form through to the one-dayers.Tendulkar will need plenty of support, though, as India prepare for one of the toughest challenges this year and Kumble was clear that it was upto the batsmen to set up wins. “I think whenever we have played at home we have been able to post big scores on the board and that will be the key. Once you do that, our spinners and fast bowlers [get the chance to] put pressure and this is how we won matches and we would like to continue that way.”The Chennai faithful, though, wouldn’t mind watching India riding on Tendulkar. Another hundred here would also fill one blank in his glittering resume – the lack of a home ton against South Africa. It would also give him 17 hundreds at home, going past Sunil Gavaskar’s tally for the most by an Indian batsmen on home soil. Going by his exploits over the last decade and a half, it will be fitting if he brought it up at this venue.

The 18-year-old has been rewarded by Gareth Southgate for his exceptional performances at Old Trafford and could yet make the difference in Germany

In the build-up to every international tournament, there is always a clamour for the flavour of the month to be called into the England squad. Think Michael Owen for the 1998 World Cup, Wayne Rooney for Euro 2004, Phil Foden for the rescheduled Euro 2020 and Jude Bellingham ahead of the last World Cup in Qatar.

Kobbie Mainoo has been the name on every England fans' lips ahead of Euro 2024 and there was noticeable disappointment among supporters when he was initially left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. But the England manager has had a dramatic change of heart and has called him into his penultimate squad before the tournament.

Mainoo has been impressing in practically every match he has played for United this season since breaking into the first team in November, and was one of the standout players in the Red Devils' incredible 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup. His England call-up is richly deserved and now it's time for him to sprinkle his magic on the biggest stage.

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  Injury pain to indispensable

  It is no exaggeration to say Mainoo has transformed United's fortunes since returning to action in November following a long spell out with an ankle injury suffered in pre-season. Mainoo was the player everyone had been talking about during United's tour of the United States after giving glimpses of his potential last season.

  However, his progress was cruelly de-railed by a freak injury suffered against Real Madrid in Houston, when Casemiro tackled Rodrygo and the forward landed on Mainoo's foot in just the second minute. The midfielder left the NRG Stadium on crutches and did not even return to training until late October. And despite United spending more than £150m ($189m) on new signings, including Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund plus a raft of loan arrivals, they got off to a horrendous start, losing nine of their first 18 matches in all competitions.

  Their abject midfield was a huge factor in their miserable results, with Casemiro looking off the pace, Sofyan Amrabat struggling to adapt to his new surroundings and Christian Eriksen not having the legs to last more than 45 minutes.

  Fit-again Mainoo was, however, a surprise inclusion for a potentially tricky match at Everton in late November, and he was a revelation in his first-ever Premier League start. Indeed, he was so impressive that Gary Neville remarked he looked more like a Manchester City player than a United player.

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  Growing in importance

  Since returning to full fitness, Mainoo has been involved in 19 of United's last 22 matches, and there has been a significant improvement in results. Ten Hag's side have won 10 out of 16 games in which Mainoo has played more than 45 minutes, only losing to Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and City while drawing with Tottenham and Liverpool.

  He played no part in the humiliating 3-0 thrashing by Bournemouth and was taken off at half-time against Nottingham Forest, with it being little coincidence that United ended up losing 2-1. Mainoo has started every match since the turn of the year with the exception of the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, helping United win eight out of 11 matches in all competitions.

  He scored his first goal for the senior team with a thumping strike against Newport County and followed it up with an incredible run and curling finish against Wolves in the 97th minute, snatching back two valuable points. He dominated the midfield against West Ham three days later, forming part of an already iconic photograph with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.

  He helped United come through a tricky test against Aston Villa in what was a potentially make-or-break match for the club's top-four ambitions. It was his clever footwork in a tight space around the area which allowed Diogo Dalot to pick out Scott McTominay to head in the winning goal.

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  Maturity amid chaos

  He was exceptional again in a tricky encounter at Luton Town. With Casemiro and Harry Maguire getting tied up in knots while Bruno Fernandes played at 100mph, Mainoo held the fort practically by himself, offering control with his quick footwork and his intelligent passing, as well as cutting out the hosts' most dangerous balls.

  He was a big factor in Erik ten Hag's side eventually scraping a 2-1 win, and former England striker Ian Wright was thoroughly impressed, leading calls for him to be called into the Three Lions' squad. "Kobbie Mainoo has to be in the next England squad," Wright wrote on . "Such maturity in chaotic conditions that we've not seen from a England player in a long time. Impressed every time I watch him."

  Sunday's match with Liverpool was the game where everyone sat up and took notice, however. Mainoo was missing his usual partner Casemiro, but if anything he looked more confident without the Brazilian by his side and took more responsibility in attack, gliding past opponents with ease while skilfully controlling the ball under huge pressure.

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  Henderson's career has gone backwards

  Mainoo's effervescent form is in total contrast to the players he is competing with for a place in the England team. Jordan Henderson' career has nosedived ever since his ill-advised move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, which attracted huge criticism back home given his previous support for the LGBTQ+ movement. The transfer was also a disaster on an individual level, as Al-Ettifaq won just six out of their 19 games with Henderson.

  The former Liverpool captain sought an early exit to join Ajax, and his arrival has coincided with a downturn in the Dutch giants' results. Ajax had won seven out of nine games in December and January, but since the former Liverpool captain joined, they have won just one out of the nine matches in which he has played.

  Henderson has an extra 15 years experience than Mainoo, but on current form, the United teenager has the edge.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa narrowly missed out on earning a $200,000 performance bonus this season after he was not in the lineup for the team’s final game against the New York Yankees on Sunday, but the 29-year-old said after the game that he had been given the option to play in the game and decided against it.

Kiner-Falefa’s contract included a clause that would pay him $200,000 if he made at least 500 plate appearances during the season. After batting leadoff in Saturday’s game in the Bronx, he was sitting on 496 plate appearances. If he had been slotted into the same spot in the lineup for Sunday’s season finale, he almost certainly would have gotten the requisite number of plate appearances to earn the bonus. But Kiner-Falefa wasn’t in Sunday’s lineup—partly due to his own choice.

Kiner-Falefa said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show that he had seen the lineup for Sunday’s game the night before and when he saw he wasn’t in it, he “had no problem with it.” About an hour before the game was set to start, once the team realized how close he was to triggering the bonus, he was offered a spot in the lineup. Kiner-Falefa passed it up.

“At that point, I had kind of already checked out,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I didn’t think it was fair to take Peggy [Liover Peguero] or one of the young guys who hasn’t had the opportunity to play at Yankee Stadium away from them.

“I got hurt this year and missed a month. If that doesn’t happen or we’re actually in a real (playoff) race, I crush those incentives by a long shot. At the end of the day, I feel like I didn’t deserve it. From that aspect, it was nothing the team did. They tried to make it right at the end. That meant a lot to me right there.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he was impressed with how Kiner-Falefa handled the situation.

“When I did find out about that situation, I called him in and said, ‘Hey, you’re this close. I’ll be more than happy to adjust the lineup,’” Shelton told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “I think that speaks to the leader that he is. He said no. We had multiple conversations about it. I wanted to make sure that he was in a spot that he understood that we would make that adjustment, that I would make that adjustment.”

Kiner-Falefa’s pursuit of the bonus drew extra attention because the Pirates released first baseman Rowdy Tellez last week when he was just four plate appearances shy of triggering a $200,000 bonus. General manager Ben Cherington said the looming bonus had “zero factor” in the decision to cut Tellez, who batted just .116 in the month of September.

Kiner-Falefa was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays just before the deadline. He is under contract for one more season and will earn $7.5 million next year.