Category Uncategorized

Newcastle United are currently enjoying a solid start to the new season with five draws and one win from their opening seven league games, with manager Eddie Howe having impressively stabilised the club following his appointment last year.

After the turbulence and doom and gloom that surrounded his predecessor Steve Bruce’s stint in charge, the former Bournemouth boss – as well as a change of ownership – has renewed belief among both the club and its supporters, with the Magpies no longer merely looking over their shoulder.

For all the plaudits that the 44-year-old has been receiving of late – having been praised for the “top-class job” he has done by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola – there is still a long way to go before the newly-ambitious Tynesiders can truly begin to threaten at the top half of the table.

Despite having only recently signed Alexander Isak for a club-record fee to help bolster their attack, the northeast side still appear somewhat light on attacking options, with far too much responsibility still on the shoulders of the mercurial, Allan Saint-Maximin, who led the way last term for the club with ten goal contributions in all competitions.

The Frenchman had enjoyed a fine start to the season prior to his recent injury absence, with one goal and two assists from his opening four league games, with his average match rating thus far of 7.53, as per Sofascore, the highest among the Newcastle squad, as well as the eighth-best record in the Premier League.

The former Nice man offers a real potent threat down the left flank as a result of his devastating speed and sheer unrivalled trickery, with his innate quality in possession seeing him rank in the top 1% among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed.

The £36m-rated ace could well benefit from having another figure to also chip in creatively, however, with Miguel Almiron seemingly not a natural fit on the right flank, with a potential icon from the past in Hatem Ben Arfa one man that may well have been a possible solution in his prime.

Although it may appear something of a creative overload to have two maverick talents in the side in the form of the former France international and his compatriot Saint-Maximin, the latter man’s importance to Howe’s side would seemingly illustrate that the Magpies boss would also allow Ben Arfa to flourish.

The now-veteran playmaker had originally been signed by the St James’ Park outfit on an initial loan deal back in August 2010, with manager Chris Hughton bringing him to England from Ligue 1 side Marseille.

While the “majestic” fleet-footed star – as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning – was not able to remain consistent during his time at the club, for a brief time he was simply a true genius, notably registering 11 goal contributions in just 26 league games during the 2011/12 season.

The former Lyon man – who had been snapped up permanently by Alan Pardew in January 2011 – notably netted a stunning solo goal in a win over Bolton Wanderers in April 2012, picking the ball up from inside his own half before expertly weaving his way through the opposition.

With the club already having a figure such as Saint-Maximin who can produce such moments of quality, it would pure, joyful attacking carnage to also see Ben Arfa terrorising defences with his sheer brilliance, with it a mouthwatering thought as to having both men lining up on either wing.

Of course, the latter man’s time at the club ultimately ended in frustration as he struggled for form and fitness, before departing in 2015, although supporters would likely jump at the chance to have a peak version of the now-35-year-old back at Newcastle.

Rather than holding back Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat for the last four overs, the Royals captain went for wickets

Dustin Silgardo13-May-2018Rahane breaks conventionWith 15 overs gone, Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat, Rajasthan Royals’ death-over specialists, had two overs left each. The expectation was that they would bowl the last four. But Mumbai Indians had lost four wickets and had two of their most dangerous hitters, the Pandya brothers, at the crease, with Ben Cutting set to come in next. So, Ajinkya Rahane decided to bowl out Archer and Unadkat by the 19th in the hope that they could pick up a couple of wickets and leave Ben Stokes to bowl to JP Duminy in the 20th. It was an aggressive move from a captain, who attracts criticism for being too conventional. And it would have worked if Archer had held on to a simple catch to dismiss Cutting in the 19th. Despite the drop, Stokes went for a respectable 13 in the last over.Jos Buttler has scored most of Rajasthan Royals’ runs in May•ESPNcricinfo LtdBlinders and bloopersIn the 11th over, Rohit Sharma hooked an Archer bouncer flat and hard towards fine leg. Jaydev Unadkat got his hands up, grabbed it and then stared at the ball, seemingly shocked at how quickly it had come to him and that he had managed to hold on. Unfortunately for Unadkat, it was nothing compared to the shock he felt in the 19th over, when Cutting toe-ended one of his offcutters and the ball looped up so slowly and gently to Archer at point that Cutting was almost walking off, only for Archer to somehow drop it.It was not the first catch Royals had dropped on Sunday. In the second over, K Gowtham dived forward from mid-on but could not get his hands around a catch that would have dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for 9. In the next over, Stuart Binny settled under a skier from Evin Lewis, then on 5, but he dropped it as it came down. It seemed like Royals had just two players who could take a catch clean: Unadkat, who took two, and Sanju Samson, who tried to make up for the rest of his team’s failures with three. Samson had to run back and take a reverse-cupped catch at deep midwicket to dismiss Ishan Kishan, and in the final over, he ran to his right, dived and held on while in the air to remove Hardik Pandya. Jos Buttler’s May madnessSince the start of this month, Jos Buttler has scored half of all Rajasthan Royals’ runs in the IPL. He’s equalled the record for most consecutive IPL fifties – five – and his last three scores are 82, 95 not out and 94 not out, all in wins. He’s done it all at a strike rate of 161.53. It’s the kind of hot streak that might get psychologists to finally believe in hot streaks. The only worry for Rajasthan Royals is that if he does get out cheaply, the other batsmen might get disoriented just by the sight of someone else at the other end.Mayank Markande’s smart economy rate in his last six games is 10.27•ESPNcricinfo LtdA season of two halves for MarkandeAfter the first six games of Mumbai’s season, young legspinner Mayank Markande was the side’s top wicket-taker, with 10. His smart economy rate was 7.04, third best in the team. At just 20, he was becoming the man Rohit Sharma threw the ball to when he most needed a strike and was drawing comparisons with Rashid Khan, one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. But the next six games have seen Markande’s stocks slide dramatically. He’s taken just four wickets in the last six, and his smart economy rate has been 10.27, which means he’s cost his team 22 runs – more than any other bowler. Batsmen seem to have begun picking his variations, and Buttler looked at ease against him in this game.

While his team-mates were prone to losing concentration on the cusp of breaks in play, Virat Kohli steeled himself to stay until stumps and brought up another Test ton

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Antigua 22-Jul-20161:03

Manjrekar: ‘Kohli reminds me of Tendulkar’

Four wickets down, 302 on the board. An excellent first day for a batting side, by almost any measure. Almost. India’s number six was R Ashwin, a man who has played 32 Test matches, a man with undoubted batting talent, but also a man who had never batted anywhere in the top six before, and had batted at seven only twice. On Thursday, Ashwin walked in at 236 for 4, a far less secure situation than 302 for 4.At the other end was Virat Kohli, batting on 99.Kohli had just watched Ajinkya Rahane fall against the run of play to a long hop. Not too long before that, in the final over before tea, he had watched Shikhar Dhawan, who had curbed his instincts for four hours to score 84, fall to a high-risk shot: a sweep played to a ball pitched on middle stump, by a legspinner. Deliveries from legspinners pitching on middle stump often straighten to hit middle stump, or, as in Dhawan’s case, the front pad. And just after lunch, Kohli had walked into the middle after Cheteshwar Pujara had got himself out to another long hop.Three wickets carelessly given away, three wickets given away against the run of play, two of them close to breaks in play.On the eve of the match, Kohli had spoken about the need to guard against that sort of thing.”We have discussed this quite a lot, since the [2014-15] tour of Australia. We have felt the breaks – lunch break, tea break, drinks break – we tend to lose a lot of wickets around this time. It’s a matter of experience. We were losing our concentration, and not realising how important those moments are in a Test match.”He had also spoken about India identifying the need to attack the opposition in the first Test of a series, and to play their best possible bowling combination in order to do so. He had backed his words in the most comprehensive way possible. Kohli’s India had played five bowlers before, but one of them was usually an allrounder such as Stuart Binny or Ravindra Jadeja. Now neither was in the side, and the five bowlers were five .This was why Ashwin was batting at No. 6. And he came in as early as he did because of three soft dismissals, two of them close to breaks, two of them watched from 22 yards away by the very person who had spoken of the need to avoid such lapses.They had committed those lapses against a team that had seemed set for two days on the field, a team with one genuine fast bowler, one genuine spinner, and two 128 kph workhorses who were in the side in large part for their batting ability. It was a bowling attack of a team that seemed bent on drawing the Test before a ball had been bowled. Given the resources available to them – the one other fast bowler in their squad, Miguel Cummins, was yet to make his Test debut – it may even have been a prudent selection.Shannon Gabriel, the one genuine fast bowler in the West Indies XI, had begun the day by removing one of India’s openers in a nasty spell of short-pitched bowling. But that spell had only lasted four overs, and his next spell, close to lunch, only three. Every time he went out of the attack, the threat to India’s batsmen dwindled visibly.Virat Kohli held firm to finish 143 not out at the close of day one in Antigua•Associated PressAnd so, when the third-wicket partnership between Dhawan and Kohli passed the 100 mark, West Indies almost seemed resigned to conceding 500. And yet, somehow, India slipped to 236 for 4.For once, it was hard to read displeasure in Kohli’s body language. He probably felt it. But all he could do was carry on batting. Just as he had done till then.When Kohli came to the crease, India were 74 for 2 in 27.4 overs. They were going at less than three runs an over. Carlos Brathwaite, bowling wide of off stump and testing India’s patience, had figures of 6-2-6-0, because Dhawan and Pujara had been as patient as the tactic demanded, with an early wicket down and the ball still new.The first time Brathwaite bowled that line to Kohli, he took a long stride out, reached for the ball, and drove him into the covers for three. He was batting on 26, but he had done the same thing against Jason Holder, West Indies’ other run-drying workhorse, when he had been batting on 0.This need to feel bat on ball has been Kohli’s weakness in conditions where the ball moves around, but here, with the sun out, the ball shorn of its shine, and against friendly medium-paced bowling, he probably reckoned it was a risk worth taking.It proved to be so, and the reward was a strike rate that rattled along in the 70s. Twice – once off Gabriel when on 19, and then off Brathwaite when on 37 – he reached out and sliced the ball dangerously wide of gully. But those were the only false steps in an innings where he achieved a 94% control rate.It was an approach that probably only Kohli among India’s batsmen could have taken, for he has consistently shown across formats an ability to make risky shots look mundane during his ongoing, and seemingly endless, run of form. Take this shot he played against Devendra Bishoo when on 83. A well-flighted delivery, landing on a length that forced Kohli into a big front-foot stretch. It pitched on off stump, and Kohli flicked it between midwicket and mid-on. It wasn’t the rubbery bottom-handed Kohli whip we are accustomed to seeing. This was a daintier creation, a last-second improvisation born of that long, smooth stride that brought his head on top of the ball, and the recognition – possibly off the pitch rather than out of the hand – that this was a googly.Strokes of this kind peppered Kohli’s innings. The loose balls disappeared as you might expect, and reasonably good ones went into gaps as well, manipulated by neat footwork and a pair of hands and wrists that is perhaps the best in the cricketing world today. Twenty-eight of his 143 runs came in twos and threes.On a pitch that seemed to flatten out as the day went on, against a bowling attack with only one real threat, there were moments when batting almost seemed too easy for Kohli. But, as his team-mates showed, snares lay waiting for that one mistake, that one moment of carelessness. This, after all, was still Test cricket.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2015The Rajasthan Royals bowlers struck two crucial blows, removing Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis, to leave Super Kings at 39 for 3 in the seventh over•BCCIDwayne Smith struck two sixes and three fours for his 29-ball 40 but fell to James Faulkner in the 10th over, leaving Super kings on 65 for 4•BCCIDwayne Bravo brought up his second IPL fifty for Super Kings. He struck eight fours and a six during an unbeaten 91-run stand with MS Dhoni, helping his team post 156 for 4•BCCIChris Morris bowled 14 dot balls, took a brilliant catch and a wicket against his former team•BCCIAjinkya Rahane and Shane Watson put on a 144-run opening stand to blank the Super Kings•BCCIShane Watson, in his first match of IPL 2015, smashed six fours and fours sixes during his 47-ball 73, before falling to Ravindra Jadeja•BCCIAjinkya Rahane struck six fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 55-ball 76 to guide Royals to an eight-wicket win and handed Super Kings their first loss this IPL•BCCI

Despite a terrific county season, Graham Onions wasn’t picked for the Ashes. Instead of moping, he chose to sharpen his skills with Dolphins

Firdose Moonda27-Nov-2013One is a reserved Englishman who has not spent much time outside his native Newcastle. The other was a boisterous Bajan widely acknowledged as one of the best bowlers ever born. Believe it or not, Graham Onions and Malcolm Marshall have something in common.Both made Durban their second home when they signed on as overseas professionals for teams based on South Africa’s east coast. Marshall spent four seasons with Natal from 1992-93 to 1995-96, while Onions, in his maiden run with the Durban-based franchise, has revived the concept of the full-season foreign signing in a country where international talent has not had much of a look in recently.South Africa’s domestic season clashes with those in the subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, which leaves only West Indian or English cricketers available to play here. But the days of Ottis Gibson and Vasbert Drakes strutting their stuff here are long gone. The declining rand and a packed international calendar have meant overseas players come rarely and mostly for limited-overs tournaments.Only Ian Harvey in the 2005-06 season, and Owais Shah in 2010-11, dabbled in the longer version, until Onions settled in. And he is here for the long haul. His wife and ten-month-old son have relocated for the summer, and while they set about making new friends and enjoying the warm climate, Onions got his first set of matches out of the way.His visit began with the One Day Cup, in a format he wants to improve in. He had a moderate return of seven wickets in seven matches at an average of 29.28 as Dolphins finished in third place. Both the team and the bowler want to step it up for the first-class competition, which is Onions’ speciality.”I feel a lot more settled now and I am looking forward to this part of the summer,” he said. “I came to South Africa to challenge myself and also to learn and develop my game. I am really determined to get better and I think I can keep on improving. It was an achievement for me to be contracted to the Dolphins and I want to do well for them.”Onions was approached with the idea of him spending a summer in South Africa by Dale Benkenstein, a Durban boy who plays for Durham and is now the batting consultant for Dolphins. “Lance [Klusener, the Dolphins coach] wanted someone to lead the attack and since Kingsmead is useful to seam bowlers, I thought Graham would do well here,” Benkenstein said.But he also invited Onions for another, more personal reason. “He is a quality bowler, who has been and still is on the verge of the England team and he has never been given a decent run. He wasn’t picked for the Ashes side and the thought of sitting on the sidelines and not playing wouldn’t have been nice for him. This was a good way to keep him fresh.”After finishing the County Championship as the leading wicket-taker with 70 scalps at 18.45, Onions was gutted to be left out of the Ashes touring party, but Benkenstein convinced him not to spend his winter moping. Instead, by using it to prepare, Onions could set himself up to be an automatic replacement, should the need for one arise.”It was disappointing not to be part of the [Ashes] squad because back in England I’ve done well. I would love to be there, performing against our great rivals,” Onions said. “But it was not to be. I’d rather be playing cricket here than carrying the drinks there. Maybe I can force myself back in.”Onions thinks it will be a “miracle if we use the same bowlers in all five Tests” and so he wants to make sure he’s “not rusty” in case he is asked to fly over. But he also understands that might not happen because the England selectors seem to have sent a message that they don’t think Onions would be suited to conditions in Australia.”English conditions are perfect for him, where there are seaming wickets and the ball swings all day,” Benkenstein said. “Here in South Africa or even in Australia, the wickets can get a bit flat if we’re having a particularly hot period. But quality bowlers like him can adapt.”That may be what Onions is here to prove – that he can be successful on surfaces other than the ones at home, which he has already done, notably on England’s last tour to South Africa, in 2009-10. Onions took eight wickets in three Tests and memorably denied the hosts victory with his batting, twice. “I have good memories of that tour, but obviously my career changed a lot after that.”

“English conditions are perfect for him, where there are seaming wickets and the ball swings all day. Here in South Africa or even in Australia, the wickets can get a bit flat if we’re having a particularly hot period”Dale Benkenstein, batting consultant for Dolphins

Onions was controversially left out of the XI for the final Test and it was 29 months before he would play another. Career-threatening injuries, rather than questionable selection, kept him out, and there was a stage when, in dealing with his back pain, Onions wondered if he would ever bowl again. “It was the toughest part of my career,” he said. “I’ve now got screws in my back holding me together but they’re doing it pretty nicely for now.”While he stays in one piece, he said it’s his goal to play even just one more Test, and Benkenstein sees him achieving that and much more. “I think Graham is definitely good enough. He should have been there. If you’d asked any batsman on the county circuit who the best bowler was, they would have said Graham.”For now Benkenstein is hopeful South African batsmen will be saying the same. Onions and Dolphins had a poor start to the first-class competition, when the team was bowled out for 88. Onions had little to defend and went wicketless. Benkenstein thinks that will change soon as pressure mounts on Dolphins to end a seven-season title drought.”Graham’s job is to win matches for the Dolphins and he knows that. There’s no doubt that he is trying,” Benkenstein said. “He’ll be the first to say he hasn’t bowled as well as he could have. And he will want to change that. He has done it for Durham and he will do it here.”Benkenstein believes the main hurdle to performing well in South Africa – adjusting to the level of competition – is one Onions has just about overcome. “It’s tough here because there are only six franchises, whereas on the county circuit there are many more, so you might not always be playing against a tough side.”Onions admitted the franchise system – created as a distillation of the 11 provincial affiliates – has resulted in a “very good standard and depth” of players. He also said the structure of South Africa’s competitions aids their cricketers’ development because it allows them to focus on one format at a time rather than play a mish-mash of first-class and List A cricket at the frequency they do on the county circuit.”It’s good to concentrate on one competition at a time,” he said. “It also gives you time to work on things. If you’re having a bad game, you have days in between to work on it. Of course, if you’re in good form you want to keep playing, which is what we have in England but with this system you have time for fitness work as well.”The breathing room has given Onions the opportunity to play a mentoring role to some of Dolphins’ younger crop, like Kyle Abbott and Craig Alexander, and learn from people he respects. He has spent time chatting with Klusener and another Durban resident, Shaun Pollock.He has also allowed himself to become absorbed in living in another part of the world, which he hasn’t done before. “It’s an experience for him and his family,” Benkenstein said. “Sometimes when people are offered to come to South Africa, they worry about things like crime. There’s a fear of the unknown. But the longer you spend in Durban, the more you’ll see it’s a great place.”Onions, with the help of a strip of beach called the Golden Mile, has already realised that. “People seem to go at their own pace here. I like that because where I come from in northern England, it’s pretty quiet. I’m really enjoying it. When I go for morning runs along the beach, I realise how lucky I am.”

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the Asia Cup final, between Bangladesh and Pakistan, in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam and Siddarth Ravindran 22-Mar-2012The four-finger celebration
Tamim Iqbal had come in to the Asia Cup squad under a cloud of controversy, having initially been left out. On reaching 50 in the first game, he had sent a message to the dressing room, with some agitated finger-pointing and shouting. In the final, when he completed his fourth half-century in four games, he had a more joyous celebration: looking towards the pavilion and counting out the number of times he has reached the milestone this series.The periscope
Tamim had showed his talent with a series of classy boundaries early in the innings, but his four off Aizaz Cheema in the 14th over could not be added to that list. Spotting a bouncer, he decided to duck but left his bat up. The ball deflected off the back of the bat and trickled down to the fine-leg boundary to bring up the 50-run opening stand.The injury
Nazmul Hossain was playing his 38th ODI in his eighth year of international cricket, and the scarcity of appearances has not been just because of lack of opportunities. He has had terrible luck with injuries. As he ran in to finish his eighth over, Nazmul went down tumbling in pain after his delivery stride, falling on his stomach. Umar Akmal hammered the intended slower delivery for a single but worse damage had been done to Nazmul. Replays suggested an ankle twist which was possibly caused by a shorter landing step.The trend-breaker
The Bangladesh fielders are not exactly tigers in the field, despite the nickname. Their failure to hit the stumps when required is often a point of ridicule. Nasir Hossain bucked the trend early in the game this time, ending Misbah-ul-Haq’s stay with a direct hit running in from point. The mix-up between Misbah and Mohammad Hafeez contributed to the dismissal but the sight of a Bangladesh fielder hitting the stumps was the highlight.The shot
There were several stand-out strokes in the Bangladesh innings, but few were as audacious as Mashrafe Mortaza’s to get a boundary to fine leg. With the match already seemingly lost, in the 47th over, Mortaza shuffled across the stumps to an Umar Gul short ball outside off and cheekily slapped the ball past short fine leg for four.The message
In Umar Gul’s first over, Nazimuddin could not locate the ball on four out of five occasions, swinging loosely outside off and missing. He was beaten every time Gul gave him a hint of width, which was obviously a veiled attempt to lure him into a caught-behind dismissal. After the fourth miss, someone from the Bangladesh dug-out told the 12th man, Anamul Haque, to get ready. Perhaps he delivered a message of caution to Nazimuddin because the next ball he faced after the visit was a solid defensive prod to keep out the fifth ball of the third over, bowled by Mohammad Hafeez. Nazimuddin ended up scoring 16 off 52 balls.The drop
Jahurul Islam was stationed at a shortish point position when Hafeez sliced one towards him in the sixth over. Jahurul dived to his left but couldn’t get his hands completely around the ball. It was a second lucky reprieve for Hafeez, who had survived a close leg-before shout in the fourth over. Hafeez went on to make a scratchy 40 off 87 balls before falling to a good catch by Nazmul Hossain at mid-on.The drop II
The fact that Nazimuddin did not come to attention till so late in the Pakistan innings meant only one thing: he had fielded safely. But off the third ball of the 45th over, Sarfraz Ahmed smashed one towards him at midwicket, and he timed his jump perfectly but couldn’t hold onto the ball.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Kevin Pietersen has got his way again. Maybe not as directly as persuading Steve Harmison out of one-day retirement or putting Andrew Flintoff at No. 6, but Michael Vaughan’s 12-month central contract has the stamp of KP all over it

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's09-Sep-2008
Michael Vaughan: still in with a chance of an Ashes berth next summer © Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen has got his way again. Maybe not as directly as persuading Steve Harmison out of one-day retirement or putting Andrew Flintoff at No. 6, but Michael Vaughan’s 12-month central contract has the stamp of KP all over it. They are great mates, and Pietersen wants to do all he can to have Vaughan back in the Test side when Australia arrive next summer.Geoff Miller, England’s national selector, insisted the final decision over Vaughan was down to him and his panel, but admitted Pietersen had never been far away from the discussion. “He said he would very much like Michael in the team,” Miller said. “We made the decision, but we talked to Kevin about most things and he’s quite happy with that decision.””We’ve got a lot of Test cricket in the near future and we see Michael as a vital member of the side,” Miller added. “We know what his qualities are and if he is playing well Michael is a vital part of the team. We’ve got some big series coming up and the Ashes in the not-too-distant future. Michael’s done very well in winning the Ashes so he’ll be an integral part of that side.”So the ECB will pay Vaughan’s hefty salary for the next year, yet there is no guarantee that he will rekindle his batting form. The early signs have not been promising; scores of 10, 0 and 19 in his three innings since returning from a post-resignation break. However, the way that Miller was talking suggests that Vaughan is very close to their thoughts for the India Test tour, the squad for which will be named on September 29, two days after the season finishes. He may not even have to score heavily in his final two matches.”We’ll monitor that. It’s not over-relevant because we know what Michael is capable of doing,” Miller said. “Yes, it would help his cause if he was going on a tour in some kind of form, but we know what he’s capable of and I have no hesitation in knowing that he will get through this sticky patch.”On one hand that’s a huge vote of confidence in someone whose Test average has slipped by nearly 10 runs from the high point of 50.98 that he reached in 2003 – after rising to No. 1 in the world against Australia. At the same time it’s a bit of an indictment of the batting talent coming through. Of the seven incremental contracts handed out, only one – Owais Shah – is a specialist batsman. Looking around the counties there are not many other convincing cases being made, with the Kent pair of Robert Key and Joe Denly probably the next in line.”We’ve got a lot of players trying to get in and we’ll monitor that,” Miller said confidently. “We are looking forward, we continually look forward. There’s consistency and we are looking ahead as well. I want players in that side who merit an England place and until they do they’ll keep knocking. In form, Michael Vaughan is a quality player, but there are others too.”There is a precedent for the path England are taking with Vaughan. Last year Andrew Strauss was handed a full contract then subsequently left out for the Sri Lanka Tests. Instead he went off and played state cricket in New Zealand before being recalled for the tour of that country. In the nick of time he hit 177 at Napier and went on to be Man of the Series in the return contest in England.It is a possible route for Vaughan. Leave him out against India, send him to find some cricket with the view of a possible recall against West Indies. “It could well happen, but we have all options available,” Miller said. “There is a performance squad running parallel in India, but I’m hoping he gets his game together and gets in the side.”But while Vaughan can breathe a sigh of relief that he has the chance of a second coming, spare a thought for Matthew Hoggard. In the space of seven months he has gone from England’s new-ball bowler to nowhere. It’s certainly a show of ruthlessness from the selectors – and the current attack is shaping up strongly with the fresh and fit faces – but it doesn’t always seem to run both ways.”It’s disappointing for Matthew,” Miller said. “We had to go and have a chat with him and said we have strength in depth with seamers. He’s not out of the picture completely and we told him that as well.” However, his route back, if there is one, doesn’t come with an ECB safety blanket. It really is a batsman’s game.Central contracts James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan.Increment contracts Tim Ambrose, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Lahore Qalandars’ owner Sameen Rana has castigated the PCB for announcing its decision to tear up Haris Rauf’s central contract just two days before the start of the PSL, tagging the board’s handling of the situation as “pathetic”. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Rana said he did not wish to get into whether the decision was correct but its timing severely disrupted his side’s PSL campaign, and the way the information was passed on to the player amounted to “really poor management”.”The timing of that announcement was wholly unnecessary,” Rana told ESPNcricinfo. “There was no Pakistan series coming up, or any emergency situation that necessitated the announcement two days before the PSL. Whatever the logic was, the timing was really bad. It was a huge blow psychologically for him, because his whole life’s main aim is playing for Pakistan.Qalandars were understood to be privately fuming at the time the decision was announced. Shaheen Afridi told ESPNcricinfo on the day of the decision that the PCB would “understand in time” that making the decision just before the PSL started was not correct. But while Qalandars held back from expressing public outrage at the time, now, Rana has not.Related

• Rauf out of PSL with shoulder dislocation

• PCB terminates Rauf's central contract

• Shaheen Afridi: Imran Khan suggested I become Qalandars captain

“Rauf’s our premier bowler, our highest wicket-taker after Shaheen Afridi. To publicly humiliate him and issue a press release announcing the termination of his central contract, I have never seen this happen anywhere,” Rana said. “I would never treat my employees like that.”The employee at least has the right for you to call, email or message them. None of that happened with Rauf, and it was pathetic. It was really poor management.”The decision came two months after Rauf made himself unavailable for Pakistan’s three Test series in Australia; at the time, chief selector Wahab Riaz had publicly criticised Rauf, saying he had gone back on his word. Wahab said Rauf’s decision would hurt Pakistan, and that his central contract mandated him to be available. Pakistan went on to lose the Australia series 3-0.While disciplinary proceedings against Rauf were not made public, the PCB issued a statement on February 15 that Rauf’s responses in a personal hearing were unsatisfactory, and that the board was terminating his central contract. In addition, it would prevent him from playing any overseas T20 league till June 30 2024.The development put title-defenders Qalandars “on the receiving end”, Rana said. Their 2024 campaign has gone from bad to worse as injury, unavailability, and indifferent performances have seen them rooted to the bottom of the table, winless in their first seven games.Rauf, who was searching for form before the PSL, began poorly, but had his best day against Karachi Kings, taking 1 for 22 in four overs, but even that could not prevent Qalandars from slipping to a final-ball, two-wicket defeat; and Rauf injured himself in that close finish. He dislocated his shoulder while diving to take a catch off the penultimate delivery of the game, and the injury is expected to keep him out of action for about six weeks.”I don’t know what the PCB was thinking; I was on the receiving end. Haris was our premier fast bowler. If someone treats you like that, you can’t pretend it doesn’t affect you,” Rana said. “Especially when it’s your country, something you’re emotional about anyway. And especially Haris, who is a naturally emotional person.”It was an additional responsibility on me and the whole team to keep motivating him, and keeping him in the right frame of mind. He is a very strong boy, but again, a negative thought can creep into your brain. But unfortunately, after he seemed to be returning to form and performed brilliantly, he got injured. Of course we can’t control that.”

Nottinghamshire coach becomes only current overseas name in the BBL filling the role vacated by David Hussey

Alex Malcolm28-Mar-2023

Melbourne Stars have hired former England and current Nottinghamshire coach Peter Moores to take charge of the trophy-less BBL club for the next two seasons.Moores will become the only current overseas coach in the BBL, filling the role vacated by David Hussey after he chose to take up a position as Victoria’s head of male cricket following four seasons as Stars coach.Moores has coached England in two separate stints from 2007-2009 and 2014-2015. He has had tremendous success in English county cricket winning three county championships with Sussex and Lancashire as well as two T20 Blast titles and a one-day title with Nottinghamshire since taking charge in 2017. He will remain in his job at Nottinghamshire.Related

CA secure $1.512 billion seven-year rights deal with Seven and Foxtel with BBL to be reduced

Melbourne Stars' Zampa requests trade to crosstown rivals Renegades

Beyond England, he has coached an overseas franchise team previously having led Karachi Kings in the PSL in 2022 but that stint lasted just one season as they finished last with one win from 10 games.Stars are coming off three dismal seasons having finished sixth, seventh, and eighth after making the BBL final in Hussey’s season year in charge in 2019-20.”I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to work with some of the best players in the world but also to help develop the rest of the squad to get this club back where they belong,” Moores said.Moores joins Stars with a strong Nottinghamshire connection already established via Hussey who played for them between 2004 and 2013 and helped them win two County Championships in 2005 and 2010.Joe Clarke and Luke Wood were both part of Stars last season as overseas players having played for Nottinghamshire under Moores, although Wood currently plays at Lancashire.Moores joins Stars with the list in a state of flux after stand-in captain and Australia limited-overs legspinner Adam Zampa requested a trade to Melbourne Renegades. Former Australia fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile is also out of contract.Stars general manager Blair Crouch said: “Peter was the outstanding candidate from a very strong group of applicants and I’d like to thank all of them for their time.”Peter has built a very strong resume over a long period of time both at domestic and international level and we look forward to him sharing all of that knowledge and experience with our group.”We are well aware of the challenge ahead of us, rest assured the entire club is working as hard as we can to rise back up the BBL ladder and Peter is the best man to lead this group.”It has yet to be confirmed whether next season’s BBL will continue in its current format or be trimmed to the reduced 10-game competition which is part of the next broadcast deal which begins in 2024.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has admitted that his side have to improve on their Community Shield performance after losing to Crystal Palace.

Liverpool lose to Palace on penaltiesSlot admits his team must improveLiverpool boss not the only person to spot weaknessFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool drew 2-2 with the Eagles in normal time, but thanks to wayward finishing from the spot by Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister, the Reds lost 3-2 on penalties and were unable to lift the trophy. Liverpool went ahead twice through Hugo Ekitike and Jeremine Frimpong either side of a Jean-Phillipe Mateta penalty, before Ismaila Sarr raced through into open space in the Reds' box and equalised. Slot was pleased that his squad were able to find the back of the net twice, but was unhappy with the way in which they were carved open so easily at the back.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT SLOT SAID

Speaking after the game to TNT Sports, Slot said: "It's a bit mixed feelings. If you look at our attacking play against a team that is so compact, it might be a bit better than last season. I think we created more chances. Last season, we could only score one goal against Palace. Now, we scored two.

"But on the other hand, we conceded two goals which we did against Bilbao and also a couple more against Milan. It’s something we need to do better.”

Slot elaborated further on his team's defensive issues later at his press conference, adding: "In general there were not many chances because they went to a low block [and] we had a lot of ball possession. But after the 2-2 they had [chances], so it needs maybe a little bit of adjustment defensively at the moment because we don’t concede a lot of chances but we do concede goals at the moment."

DID YOU KNOW?

Slot was not the only person to be critical of Liverpool's leaky defence. Former captain and central defender Jamie Carragher was quick to take to X to share his grievances about the Reds' defence. Carragher bemoaned how easily the Liverpool full-backs were pulled out of position and allowed the Palace wing-backs freedom to get in behind – not just for the first goal, but the second too.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

The next defensive test for Liverpool comes in the form of Bournemouth. The Cherries impressed with their attacking flair last season and will be hoping the likes of Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson can pick up where they left off last campaign and inflict damage on the creaking Reds defence.