Meanwhile, the curse of Durban strikes South Africa again. They’ve now lost seven out of nine Tests there

Bharath Seervi16-Feb-20190:57

First Lara, then Perera – all the records Sri lanka broke to beat South Africa

78* – The final-wicket partnership between Kusal Perera and Vishwa Fernando – the highest-ever in a successful chase. The previous was 57 between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed against Australia in Karachi in 1994. The Perera-Fernando stand is also the biggest such partnership in any first-class match, going past the 77 between Thomas Leather and Ron Oxenham for Australians against Madras in 1935-36.Highest tenth-wicket partnerships in successful chases•ESPNcricinfo Ltd13 – Instances of a side winning a Test by one wicket. It was the second such win for Sri Lanka after their display in Colombo 2006, also against South Africa. The last one-wicket victory in all Tests was by India over Australia in Mohali in 2010.153* – Kusal Perera’s score – the highest by a Sri Lanka batsman in a successful chase. It is also the highest against South Africa in a successful chase beating Neil Harvey’s unbeaten 151, also in Durban, in 1949-50. Overall, Perera’s innings features in the top-10 individual scores in successful chases.304 – Successfully chasing that target made it Sri Lanka’s fourth-highest chase in Test cricket. Each of the top three had come at home, so this is their best in an away win. It was also the fifth-largest target chased by any team against South Africa.1-7 – South Africa’s win-loss record in Durban in last ten years, easily their worst at any home venue. In nine Tests played there, they have lost seven and drawn one. The only victory was against India in 2013. Their win-loss ratio is the worst among the top-eight sides at a home venue playing last five-plus matches in this period.6 (27) – Fernando’s score in the partnership with Perera for the last wicket. Four of those runs had come in overthrows. Perera scored 67 off 68 in the partnership, with five sixes and three fours.

Batsman Runs Balls SRKusan Perera 67 68 98.52Vishwa Fernando 6 27 22.222- Number of successful run-chases by Asian teams in South Africa, in 20 attempts. Before this effort by Sri Lanka, the only successful chase was by Pakistan in Port Elizabeth in 2007. Last year India lost chasing targets of 207 and 286 on their tour of South Africa.

Two teams in serious disarray are about to meet in Cardiff. One team has a lot more to lose, and that team isn’t too fond of wristspin. What could possibly go wrong?

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Cardiff14-Jun-2019While India, New Zealand and England have been sashaying their way through the World Cup, West Indies, Pakistan and Bangladesh have had their moments, and Sri Lanka have lain low, the two teams to face off in Cardiff have been outdoing each other at the crapalympics. Neither has won a game yet. Both have been rocked by off-field selection-related controversy. There have been retirement threats, injuries, press conferences that felt like interrogations, underwhelming performances galore, and a whole lot of soul-searching. South Africa and Afghanistan are ninth and tenth on the points table respectively. Their campaigns, so far, have been as miserable as the weather. Almost.The injuries – to Dale Steyn, Lungi Ngidi, Mohammad Shahzad and Rashid Khan – have been unfortunate, but neither team can say their other problems are not at least somewhat self-inflicted. AB de Villiers had attempted to waltz into the World Cup team after having devoted himself exclusively to franchise T20s over the past year, but is it any surprise that he was bold enough to make the request? Even before his retirement, he had essentially been allowed to treat South Africa commitments like offerings at a hotel buffet – dipping into some series, turning his nose up at others, little explanation given as to why or why not. On the field at the actual World Cup, meanwhile, they have played meekly – their innings rarely not in crisis, their bowlers – Kagiso Rabada excepted – some distance from their best.Afghanistan have at times appeared to be in even more serious disarray. Asghar Afghan was sacked as captain in the months leading up to the World Cup – a decision that was met with serious protest by some in the team. Then, after the team sent Shahzad home after his knee injury failed to heal, the player declared himself fit, then threatened to rage-quit the game on account of being either overlooked or sent packing from two successive World Cups. That there is some controversy surrounding Shahzad is unsurprising given his history, but nevertheless, this was Afghanistan’s top ODI run-scorer. To replace him, they had to bring in a specialist wicketkeeper against New Zealand, which in turn forced them to play with one fewer bowler.Rassie van der Dussen is bowled while attempting a reverse sweep•IDI via Getty ImagesExpectations of Afghanistan were always lower than they were of South Africa, of course, so perhaps their campaign is not threatening train-wreck territory in the same way their opposition’s is. Perhaps they haven’t imposed themselves on the tournament properly yet (though they did come close against Sri Lanka), but they have also not had the kinds of tracks they needed in order to prosper. In Bristol, Cardiff and Taunton, pitches have suited the quicks and largely neutralised their major spin threats. They are hoping Saturday’s track in Cardiff is more to Rashid and Mohammad Nabi’s liking.”In the last three games they, didn’t help the spinners,” captain Gulbadin Naib said. “It doesn’t matter if this ground is smaller – if the boundary is 50 or 60 metres. If the ball turns, Rashid and Nabi have a lot of potential on it.”Rashid is in any case Afghanistan’s most potent weapon, but against South Africa he could be especially effective. That wristspinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal devastated South Africa’s middle order a little over a week ago will have escaped no one’s notice. Not least that of South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who was bowled by legspinner Chahal in the midst of a collapse that claimed three wickets for 11 runs.”What’s clear in the world of cricket now is that you can’t call teams minnows, because they have the ability and the players in the dressing room to change a game,” du Plessis said. “You need two or three guys to stand up and win you a game. They’ve got those players. Rashid Khan is probably the standout for them. He’s proven in T20 cricket that he’s probably the best legspinner in the world.”In 50-over cricket it gives him a bit more time but you also don’t have to attack him as much. So it’s really important for us to make sure that the learnings, the players who’ve played against him in the IPL have got – that we share that knowledge in the dressing room and make sure we annihilate that threat.”If Rashid does contribute to an upset, South Africa’s misery will not only be extended, they will have sunk to a low that is almost unprecedented for a South Africa team at a World Cup – virtual no-hopers before the tournament is even halfway done. South Africa need a victory in Cardiff to overcome their inertia. So too their opponents, if maybe not quite as much.

Using the Pitch Quality Index, we measure the true nature of a Test pitch

Anantha Narayanan20-Apr-2019In the mid-19th century, there was a terrifying roundarm bowler from Nottinghamshire named John Jackson, a giant who scaled 15 stone in his socks. It was said he was faster than Harold Larwood.

– Neville Cardus in

***Imagine an overcast June morning at Headingley well before the millennium. The English captain has put the visiting team in. The four-man pace attack is waiting for the kill. What can the batting team aim for? Two hundred would be a good score.Let us now travel down south-east a few thousand kilometres to Lahore in the 1980s. Despite the presence of a strong local bowling group, led by Imran Khan, there was a two-thirds chance that a match played there would end in a draw.Move south another couple of thousand kilometres to the beautiful hill region of Kandy in Sri Lanka, and the fourth day of a Test at Asgiriya. After three middling innings scores, the visiting team is set 200 to win. A trio of smiling assassins, masquerading as spinners, is waiting to have a go. A noted bookmaker offers odds of 25-1 against a batting win.Go westward, to the Caribbean, to Georgetown in Guyana or to St John’s in Antigua. It does not matter who wins the toss, who bats or who bowls: 500-plus will be met by 500-plus. The bowlers might as well go on a strike.The study of Test grounds is a fascinating one. Thirty years ago, when I started work on my first cricket simulation program, I set a Ground Index value of 1 for Headingley and Asgiriya and 5 for Bourda in Georgetown. That rating holds good even today, despite the fact that my database then was an infinitesimal part of what I have today. In 1988, I went by the Test results and computed RpW (runs per wicket) values.Today, I will dive into this fascinating area of analysis using the PQI (Pitch Quality Index) metric, one of my most powerful and solid derived measures. The PQI indicates the true nature of the pitch. Because the expected performances of the players is built in, PQI allows for normalisation across players at the ends of the spectrum, which means Bradman and Bashar won’t be dumped in the same basket, and neither will Barnes and Boje.First, a short primer on PQI.The PQI is dependent on five values: the runs expected from the batsmen (based on Career-To-Date-Location averages), actual runs scored by the batsmen, wickets expected from the bowlers (based on CTD-Location averages), actual wickets taken by the bowlers, and the actual runs scored per wicket.To start with, the following ratios are determined.- Actual runs to expected runs
– Actual wickets to expected wickets
– Actual RpW to Average RpWEach of these ratios falls in the range of 0 to 3.0. The sum of the ratios, which is the first-level PQI, has a range of 0.0 to 9.0. However, since the median of this distribution is around 3.0, it is mapped to a 100-based PQI. A raw PQI of 3.0 maps to 50.0. A low PQI indicates a bowler-friendly pitch and a high PQI indicates a batting pitch.In the last 142 years, the highest and lowest PQI values are 93.4 (India v New Zealand, Delhi, 1955-56 – 450 for 2, 531 for 7 and 112 for 1) and 14.1 (Australia v South Africa, Melbourne, 1931-32 – 36, 153 and 45). In addition to the match PQI, over the past few months I have developed PQI values for the first and second halves of each match.My analysis covers all 2351 Tests played, across three periods: 1877-1949, 1950-1989 and 1990-2019. These periods have been selected after careful consideration of all relevant aspects. I’ll be looking at the average match PQI; the change from the PQI for the first half, PQI 1/2 to that for the second half, PQI 3/4; and finally the result percentages.In order to show ground names on graphs properly, I have used the following names on the graphs. The accompanying text in parentheses refers to the more well-known ground names.Manchester (Old Trafford)
Nottingham (Trent Bridge)
Leeds (Headingley)
PSS (P Saravanamuttu Stadium – Colombo)
SSC (Sinhalese Sports Club – Colombo)
First, let me look at the complete set of Tests from the average match PQI point of view. The criterion for selection is that a minimum of 20 Tests should have been played at the particular ground. Only then do the average PQI values have some relevance. And I will not consider Tests in which fewer than 80 overs (approximately one day’s play) were bowled and fewer than five wickets were taken. Eleven such Tests are excluded.Anantha NarayananAs expected, Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy was the most bowler-friendly ground in the history of Test cricket. The average PQI for this ground, in the 21 Tests played between 1983 and 2007, was a mere 43.6. Just to give an example, the Sri Lanka-England Test in November 2018 at the SSC, with a match PQI of 42.3, had scores of 336, 240, 230 and 284. The low PQI also means that the result percentage is high. More about that later.The ground in Port Elizabeth, the Wanderers and the Old Wanderers had average PQI values around 45-47. Everyone knows that these are tough grounds to play on. In between them comes the Wankhede Stadium with a comparable PQI value. The third and fourth innings at the Wankhede were really tough to handle; more often than not, the spinners ruled the roost. Headingley also comes in around here, with an average PQI of 47.6. However, this is over a large number of Tests.At the other end of the spectrum, we have St John’s, which clocks in at 59.0. A comparable Test is the 1991 Ashes match in Adelaide, which had a match-PQI of 59.1, with scores of 386, 229, 314 for 6 and 335 for 5. It is no wonder that 12 of 22 Tests were drawn at St John’s.Bourda in Georgetown has an overall PQI of 56.7. Kanpur, Adelaide and Bulawayo have average PQI values exceeding 55.0. There is no surprise at seeing any of these grounds so far to the right in this graph.The overall mean PQI value is around 51. Many grounds fall into the middle area – PQI of between 48 and 54. This includes the four most famous grounds ever. Only these top grounds are identified on the graph. The others are just listed. There was no space to list four other grounds – Centurion (24 Tests), Bangalore (23), PSS (21) and Mirpur (20).Now let’s move on to analysis by period.Anantha NarayananThe first period spans 72 years, between the very first Test to the last one played in 1949, so it covers the careers of Don Bradman, Sydney Barnes, Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond, Harold Larwood and Clarrie Grimmett. The cut-off is a minimum of ten Tests per ground.Only the Old Wanderers and Newlands fall into the bowler-centric domain. Headingley and Sydney are on the border. And only one ground, Adelaide, had an average match-PQI as high as 58.0. The other grounds were in the middle. How does one explain this congregation of grounds in the middle? Analysing result percentage during these years is a futile exercise since many Tests were played to a finish.My take is that the Barnes- and George Lohmann-driven bowler-centric early Tests (say, until 1920) were almost totally compensated for by the Bradman- and Hammond-driven batsman-centric inter-war years. This conclusion is confirmed by analysis. However, I cannot really split the period further since the number of Tests played is quite low.Anantha NarayananNow, for the period 1950-1989. One could call this the era of Sobers, May, Chappell, Gavaskar, Lillee, Holding, Bedi. Careful batting and wanting to avoid losses were the mantra during the first two decades of this period. But the style of play became more attacking in the latter two. The cut-off here is 15 Tests.Only Headingley falls into the bowler-centric area, with an average PQI of around 46. Lord’s just about manages to stay left of the line dividing the bowler-friendly zone from the neutral one. However, it is clear that batsmen dominated this period. This is proved by the number of grounds that appear in the batsman-centric group: no fewer than six, all but one of which are from India and the West Indies.Anantha NarayananThe graph above refers to the current period: 1990 to 2019. As we will see later, this is a result-oriented period. The cut-off here is 20 Tests.Two grounds each from South Africa and the West Indies are in the bowler-centric area. From the time they were admitted back into international cricket, South Africa have turned out pitches that produce results. Their own bowling strength gave them the encouragement to do so. For West Indies, the 1990s were still a good period, with stalwarts like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh leading the attack.Sydney has been the most batsman-friendly track of the past 30 years. It is possible that the seemingly spinner-friendly tracks at the SCG ensured that first-innings scores were consistently above par. That may be the case with Bulawayo also, because of the general lack of bowling strength of Zimbabwe.In the next lot of graphs, I will use the newly developed PQI 1/2 and PQI 3/4 figures to show you how the PQI values changed during matches. This includes both types of changes: grounds in which the PQI deteriorated (more likely) as matches went on, and grounds in which it improved. The PQI values used are the averages across all matches.Anantha NarayananOver the years, the Wankhede has deteriorated the most. Teams were better off trying to score runs there in the first innings: the average PQI went down 35% from 51.1 to 34.1. It’s clear that this was caused by the wearing of the pitch and the spinners ruling the roost. Bulawayo moved from 57 to 43. It is possible that many of the high first-innings scores would have been by visiting teams and the low second-innings ones those of the weaker Zimbabwe sides. The other five grounds in the first group are all in the subcontinent, indicating clearly the influence of wear of the pitch and of spinners controlling the match in the latter stages.In Hamilton, the PQI 1/2 was almost exactly equal to the PQI 3/4 – a terrific symmetry, across 25 Tests.There were only three grounds in which the PQI improved as the match went along. Perth, Old Wanderers, and surprisingly, Kandy. The first two are good grounds that are maintained very well and hold their shape for match days. But Kandy: how does it not deteriorate? From an inspection of the scores, I see two reasons. One is that there are quite a number of Tests in Kandy with innings scores that read like 249, 198, 325 for 5, 307 for 7. And the other is that there have been some huge innings wins – in the early stages, Sri Lanka were at the receiving end, and more recently, it has been their opponents who lost by big margins.Anantha NarayananDuring the first 70 years of Test cricket, the two major English pitches deteriorated fast – understandable because of the weather and the uncovered surfaces. The Australian and South Australian pitches held firm and improved as matches went along. However, the greatest improvement came at Trent Bridge – of around 15%. At the SCG there were identical PQI figures in the first and second halves, across no fewer than 38 Tests.Anantha NarayananIn the middle period, Chepauk in Chennai deteriorated just over 30%. Enough for the spin quartet and other spinners to make hay while the southern sun shone. At three New Zealand grounds, the pitch deteriorated upwards of 15%. Adelaide maintained an almost perfect PQI through 29 Tests. At the other end, Lord’s and Eden Gardens improved as the Test went on, which brings to mind the spring of 2001 when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted through the fourth day.Anantha NarayananNow we come to the current period. I have already talked about Bulawayo; Mirpur might be a similar case. In the early stages there were a few innings losses for Bangladesh. It’s interesting to note that at some famous grounds, like the MCG, Adelaide and The Oval, the second-innings PQI in recent times has dropped quite significantly. We have already seen Hamilton’s almost identical brace of PQI values. Only in two grounds in the southern hemisphere do we see a significant improvement of the PQI values as the match progressed.My third analysis is a BCG Chart that looks at the two key values – PQI and Result %.Anantha NarayananThe overall result percentage is around 67. Note the very high result percentages (80-plus) in Kandy and Port Elizabeth, and high result percentages at the Wankhede, Old Wanderers and Headingley. Understandably, these are grounds with low average PQI values. At the other end of the spectrum, note the low result percentages (sub-45) of Lahore, Kanpur, Antigua and Georgetown. As expected, the average PQI values of these grounds are rather high. Lahore has had 20 draws in the 35 Tests played there, while Antigua has had 12 draws out of 22 Tests.However, I am intrigued by the possible exceptions that can be clearly identified on the chart. There are grounds that have a high result percentage but with surprisingly high PQI values – Adelaide, the WACA and Brisbane. However, we should not be fooled by the high result percentage of a ground like Adelaide, which no doubt owes partly to the fact that most early Tests played there were timeless and were played to a finish.On the other hand, there are grounds like Bangalore, Karachi and Old Trafford that do not have very high result percentages and also have somewhat low PQI values. This is very intriguing indeed. With Old Trafford, there might be a valid reason: the significant loss of playing time because of weather. Is that the case with Lord’s also? Maybe one day I should do an analysis of the time lost to weather interruptions.An interesting and amazing coincidence: Trent Bridge and Chepauk have totally identical result percentages and PQI match values – 64.5% and 51.0. On the graph, the grey circle with a white one overlaid indicates that there are two grounds with exactly the same values.Anantha NarayananIn the first period, Adelaide stands out. It was a high-scoring, result-oriented ground. Seventeen out of 18 Tests played there ended in results. The SCG was even better – 37 results out of 38. The MCG was up there too – 36 results out of 39. But let us not forget about the timeless Tests at these grounds.At the other end of the spectrum, we have Old Trafford – only ten Tests out of 26 ending decisively, and Headingley (nine out of 16). And let us not forget that both these grounds had relatively low PQI values. The average result percentage during this period was a high 70%, not much of a surprise.Anantha NarayananThe second period was a dull one. The overall result percentage was only around 57%. The grounds that shone like beacons were the WACA and the Gabba, which had result percentages above 70%. Headingley had a terrific value of 77%; there were 28 decisive Tests out of 36 played there. Both the SCG and the MCG had high result percentages. Those two and Headingley had relatively low PQI values. Kanpur had the worst record, followed by Lahore and Georgetown. Only five out of 16 Tests played in Kanpur ended decisively. All three grounds had high PQI values. Despite low PQI values, Karachi and Eden Gardens did not produce many results. It’s interesting to note that Adelaide had a string of six consecutive draws in the 1980s.Anantha NarayananFinally, we come to the present era. The overall result percentage was an amazing 74%. Old Trafford continues to lead the table for Tests without non-draw results. However, with 13 results out of 21, the result percentage is a reasonable 62%. Zimbabwe playing for draws means that Bulawayo is also around that mark. Kingsmead, Trent Bridge and Hamilton have 72% results, but the low PQI values ought to have produced more results. The SCG matches this result value but at a much higher PQI. Headingley leads the table, with 88% results. The years either side of the millennium were golden ones, producing 15 consecutive results in Kingston, 13 in Centurion, and 16 at the MCG. Adelaide and The Oval are comfortable wickets for batsmen (PQI above 54) but also produce a high level of results.***From next month, I will move on to the ODI scene. My next three articles are briefly outlined below.- The long-awaited ODI Performance Analysis – for both bowlers and batsmen (May)
– A look at World Cup matches that proved to be turning points for the ultimate champions. These are not necessarily the best matches nor the most exciting ones. The has done an excellent job chronicling those. I will look at the matches that turned the tide, so to speak, for the winners (June)- A performance review of the World Cup 2019 (July)

Zimbabwe coach admits that recent developments have been disturbing for the players, but expects the team to make a big statement in the tri-series in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam11-Sep-2019You’re the head coach of an international team. You do what you can, within your means and resources, to make the team as good as it can be, but things outside your control lead to the team being suspended from the international game. What do you do then? Lalchand Rajput, the Zimbabwe coach, has what he calls a simple motto: “Be positive, look ahead, and think about what you want to achieve. That’s it.”As things stand, the Zimbabwe men’s and women’s cricket teams are suspended by the ICC. The reason is a spat between Zimbabwe Cricket and the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission. The conflict, based on what we know, has been resolved. The ICC decision stands, but if everyone in Zimbabwe plays by the rules, that could change in the not-too-distant future.The players, of course, have been hit hard, and they have made their displeasure public. Sikandar Raza, the senior allrounder, has been dropped from the squad for the T20I tri-series in Bangladesh – with Afghanistan as the third team – because of disciplinary reasons, while Hamilton Masakadza, the captain, has announced his desire to quit after the series because “with Zimbabwe barred from [ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai next month], I feel the time is right to shift the focus to the next generation”.It can’t be easy under the circumstances, and Rajput admits that it isn’t.ALSO READ: Brickhill – The troubled history of Zimbabwe player unions”Obviously everyone was worried, because no one knew what was going to happen. The players were disturbed because it came as a surprise. We had just landed in Netherlands [for a white-ball series], and before the first game we got the news. So everybody was worried, understandably,” Rajput told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a difficult phase, that tour. But we tried to motivate the players, we tried to … I told the players to leave these things behind, and once at the ground, focus on the job. I think we have overcome that. We want this to be a new beginning for us, I’d say, a fresh start, and I hope we move forward now.”We will, of course, miss Raza, because he has been one of our better players. But we have to move on, move forward with the players we have. Whatever team we have got, we must utilise to the best potential.”

Yes, things have happened back home, but that’s not really in our control. But that’s why we have to try and be very positive, look ahead. Hopefully, there is a future, because that’s what we are here for

Fortunately for the team, their trip to Bangladesh wasn’t cancelled, and they now have a chance to make a statement in the T20Is in Dhaka before travelling to Singapore to take on the home side and Nepal in another T20I tri-series.”A lot of eyes are on Zimbabwe cricket – that’s what I have told the players. Everyone is watching us, so we have to make sure we do well; if you do well, things will change,” Rajput said. “In cricket, the bottom line is performance. It’s a good platform for us, that we are getting to play. We have got a nice mix of young and experienced players, and they are hungry. They want to perform, and this is the best platform. So, hopefully, we do well, and do well in Singapore as well.”It should help. After all, bar a 1-1 Test series in Bangladesh late last year, it’s mostly been rough going for Zimbabwe since Rajput’s appointment was confirmed, in August 2018. They swept UAE 4-0 in an ODI series at home in April this year, but have lost everything else in the format – in South Africa and Bangladesh last year and in Netherland and Ireland this year. And in T20Is, the record is one win and four losses in six matches.As things turned pear-shaped, first at home and then in the form of the ICC suspension, everything seemed to be in a state of disarray; emotions among players ran high, with questions about the team’s – and their – future uppermost in everyone’s mind.While accepting that the circumstances – “not in our control” – made things tough for him and the players, Rajput, whose last gig before joining Zimbabwe was with the Afghanistan team, said he just shifted to what was his “speciality”, man-management.”Yes, things have happened back home, but that’s not really in our control. But that’s why we have to try and be very positive, look ahead. Hopefully, there is a future, because that’s what we are here for. You can’t think about the things that have happened. You do, but you have to look ahead too. We must all think of what we are going to do next. My motto is simple: be positive, look ahead, and think about what I want to achieve.Lalchand Rajput was the coach when Afghanistan achieved Full-Member status•Getty Images”In international cricket, the mindset is the main thing. A player is judged by the nine inches above his shoulders. If you have a good head, a strong mind, you can conquer anything. Look at Steven Smith. His technique isn’t what coaches teach you, but look at the runs he has scored in England. It’s because he is mentally strong. That’s all the matters. Technique will take you only so far. After that, it’s the mindset. It’s the self-belief.”I said that to the Afghanistan players too, and that’s what I am telling the players in Zimbabwe. If you have the self-belief, that I can do it in the middle, then you can. As a coach, my job is to give them the self-belief, the confidence. I can give those inputs, what it requires to perform in the middle. After that, of course, it’s over to the players. Whatever the conditions and circumstances, you have to have the courage. If you have the courage, you can conquer anything. No backward steps.”In Bangladesh now, Zimbabwe are the lowest-ranked of the three competing teams: 14th, with the home side at No. 10 and Afghanistan three spots higher. Rajput is, however, targeting a final appearance.”The pressure is on Afghanistan and Bangladesh. We have nothing to lose, and we have to play fearlessly. We have to give our best in every game, and if we can show some self-belief, we can do anything we want on the ground,” Rajput said. “We have to reach the final, that’s the main thing. We go one game at a time, take stock after each game, and see what we need to do. In T20s, I believe there are no favourites. You do well on the day, and you win. That’s what we have seen in T20 competitions. We are as good as any other team in T20s, and if we play to our potential, we can win matches.”We have a good bunch of players coming through the ranks now, and we have the regular seniors too. This is a transition period for us, and hopefully, we will overcome it, and you’ll see a better Zimbabwe team in the near future.”Rajput has just under two years to go on his contract but Masakadza, who took over as captain across formats in February this year, won’t be a part of the remainder of Rajput’s time with the side.”He has served Zimbabwe cricket for a long, long time,” Rajput acknowledged. “He has been an ambassador for Zimbabwe cricket, he has done yeomen service for us. His performances are right up there, they speak for his skills and ability. As a coach, I have had a wonderful time working with him, and I hope he leaves on a high note. If we can win the final, that would be a perfect farewell for him. That’s what we are hoping for.”

The wristspinner endured a tough run last year, but he has come back with better tactics

Deivarayan Muthu in Pune09-Jan-2020In the lead-up to the 50-over World Cup in the UK, Kuldeep Yadav had become one half of a wristspin combination that gave India’s bowling attack the cutting edge. Kuldeep enhanced his reputation further at the World Cup, when he stormed through the defences of Babar Azam with a dream delivery that drifted away and then spun back in through the gate. However, he was caught napping when England’s openers came hard at him at Edgbaston, where there is a 59-metre boundary on one side.Roy had dashed down the track to Kuldeep’s second ball and laid down the marker with a straight six. At the other end, Jonny Bairstow, too, flitted around the crease and even rolled out a variety of sweeps to mess with Kuldeep’s lengths and his head. He simply kept bowling into the swinging arc of England’s batsmen and kept copping punishment. There was no Plan B for Kuldeep – or Yuzvendra Chahal for that matter. Even as the batsmen kept lining him up, he bowled 34 balls on the stumps and leaked 46 runs.”It was a tough one,” Kuldeep said of the past year, when he had been dropped from Kolkata Knight Riders after a poor run in the IPL 2019 as well. “I learned a lot of things and the biggest positive was getting to know that I could have planned things better.”New year, new plans for Kuldeep. In Indore, Kusal Perera took a leaf out of Bairstow’s playbook and unleashed a rasping reverse-swat. When the left-arm wristspinner dropped one short on the stumps, Kusal jumped back and smoked him into the MM Jagdale stand. He knew Kusal was coming after him. So, he cut his pace, shifted his lines much wider of off, and asked Kusal to manufacture the pace for himself.Kusal charged out of his crease, but was deceived in flight and ended up dragging the ball to long-on. Before getting Kusal with a 78kph donkey-drop in his second over, he had dismissed Oshada Fernando in similar fashion.He invited Oshada down the track with a 79kph delivery, but the sharp dip created distance between the bat and the pitch of the ball and the sharper turn took it past the outside edge. Rishabh Pant did the rest behind the stumps. The double-strike – coupled with Navdeep Saini’s range – left Sri Lanka gasping for breath and allowed India the luxury of having a slip even in the 18th over.Kuldeep has largely been an attacking bowler and has a bag of variations, but his spell on a flat surface in Indore showed that he was prepared to bowl defensively and induce an error from the opposition.Defensive bowling has become a thing in T20 cricket, and Kuldeep acknowledged that on the eve of the third match against Sri Lanka in Pune.Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian to pick up two hat-tricks in international cricket•BCCI”When you are playing at a small ground like Indore, we tend to plan something different compared to when you are playing at a big ground like Nagpur,” he said. “My plan was to keep the ball away from them, because of the size of the ground. I bowled a couple of balls near the stumps, but they were not effective. And I was trying to take the ball away from them and make them mistime some balls and that is how I got the wicket of Kusal [Perera]. So that was plan for the second game.”Going full and wide is Yuzvendra Chahal’s modus operandi against big-hitters – just ask Glenn Maxwell. Chahal’s tactical nous made him India’s premier wristspinner when the management had to pick between him and Kuldeep.Kuldeep is now getting there and getting a longer stint against Sri Lanka, partly because of the presence of a number of left-hand batsmen in the visitors’ batting line-up. Earlier, he regained some of the confidence he had lost in IPL 2019 and the World Cup by claiming a hat-trick against West Indies in the Visakhapatnam ODI last December.Washington Sundar, whose stock ball leaves the left-handers as well, has also been preferred over both Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal for the Sri Lanka series. India captain Virat Kohli said as much after his side went 1-0 up at the Holkar Stadium.”It [the selection of spinners] was purely based on the number of left-handers they [Sri Lanka] have,” Kohli had told Star Sports, the host broadcaster, at the post-match presentation. “Kuldeep takes the ball away, so does Washington. It’s all about match-ups. If there are more right-handers, Jadeja and Chahal become more lethal.”Kuldeep and Chahal haven’t been reunited in the XI since game against England, but both the wristspinners have reacted well to pressure since. Chahal often bowled at the death against Bangladesh and took down their designated finisher Mahmudullah, when India had played just five bowlers, including Shivam Dube, in the T20I series decider in Nagpur. Kuldeep then dug deep into his reserves against West Indies and Sri Lanka on batting-friendly pitches in Mumbai and Indore. Kuldeep isn’t sure if Chahal will get a game on Friday, but they could be difficult to get away in tandem on the larger grounds in Australia at the T20 World Cup later in the year.

Not so long ago, it seemed England had forgotten how to bat time, had few spin options and little idea how to strike with the Kookaburra ball

George Dobell in Port Elizabeth20-Jan-2020It’s amazing how a couple of weeks can change things.A couple of weeks ago, after defeat in Pretoria, it seemed England had forgotten how to bat time, had few spin options and little idea how to strike with the Kookaburra ball.Now? Well, you still suspect that, were this England side to arrive in Australia for an Ashes series tomorrow, they would struggle. Maybe they still will in 22 months. But it feels as if they are, at least, heading in the right direction.The basic statistics are these: an England team that has struggled to claim wickets in overseas Tests has now claimed 20 in three games in succession. An England side that has struggled to build substantial totals has now scored 391 for 8 and 499 for 9 in successive innings, while an England side that has struggled to win away from home has now won successive Tests in South Africa for the first time since 1956. And they’ve won an overseas Test by an innings for the first time since January 2011, too. These are significant achievements. They deserve credit for them.There are two key factors at the heart of this resurgence and, to some extent, the new coach, Chris Silverwood, deserves credit for them both. The first is the very obvious change of approach with the bat; an acceptance that all that talk of positivity and aggression that accompanied the previous regime’s efforts to build a Test side was naïve. This side, with Dom Sibley setting the tone at the top of the order, is much more inclined to take the old-fashioned approach to innings building: slow and steady, with an acceptance that the middle-order can accelerate far more easily if the shine has been taken off the ball and the bowlers are into their fourth or fifth spells. They are all the better for it.The second factor is the decision to trust young players. Four men aged under 25 have either scored a century (Ollie Pope and Sibley) or taken a five-wicket haul (Jofra Archer and Dom Bess) in this series to date. A couple of others, Sam Curran and Zak Crawley, have contributed important performances. In Pope and Archer, in particular, you would think England have found players who will represent them for years to come.Ollie Pope was player of the match•Stu Forster/Getty ImagesThis influx of new faces has had a secondary benefit. It has also challenged the more experienced players – the likes of Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow – to work harder to improve if they are to extend their Test careers. It has freshened up an England side which sometimes looked just a little cosy.Certainly the middle-order – from Joe Root at No. 4 to Ollie Pope at No. 6 – now looks strong and settled. You suspect Jos Buttler may need an outstanding Test at Jo’burg to prevent a change at No. 7 – there appears to be every chance that Ben Foakes could win a recall for Sri Lanka with Buttler’s future in white-ball cricket, perhaps as ODI captain – while Joe Denly needs a significant score to retain that No. 3 position. Bairstow made a century from there in England’s most recent Test in Sri Lanka, after all.Selection for that Sri Lanka tour will be intriguing. It seems, at this stage, as if England will rest several of their specialist seamers – including James Anderson and Stuart Broad – and leave the seam bowling in the hands of all-rounders such as Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran. And while Dom Bess and Jack Leach, if fit, are assured of two of the spin positions, there are still decisions to be made about the other spot. Moeen Ali, at his best, probably still represents the best option England have – even though he, like Root and Bess, is an off-spinner – but Liam Dawson may come into the equation, too. Suffice to say, there are still issues with the development of spin bowling in England.We do have to acknowledge the modesty of this South Africa side, though. The weak state of the economy has led to a mass exodus of players from the country and, as a result, the international team looks as poor as at any time since readmission. And you could argue the words ‘since readmission’ are generous.There are no easy solutions to such challenges, but it might make sense to look at the costs associated with the Mzansi Super League – which isn’t especially super – and instead divert some of that money to better pay for players. One or two of those Kolpak refugees might well be ripe for return if South Africa can match their earnings in England or New Zealand or wherever else they may have flown. Either way, we have to accept this result has been achieved against a side in a state of something approaching crisis. Tougher opponents, much tougher opponents, lie ahead.ALSO READ: ‘It’s my team, guys are listening to my message’ – RootNone of that need concern England right now. Just as Australia or India or West Indies rarely paused for pity of poor England sides, it is now their turn to be ruthless. It felt as if the Stokes-Pope partnership was the tipping point of the series; the moment South Africa knew they were beaten. England have a great chance to seal this series in Jo’burg where South Africa will be weakened further by the absence of Kagiso Rabada and England may well be boosted by the return of Archer, possibly in place of the spin of Bess. An attack containing Archer and Mark Wood on one of the fastest pitches in world cricket is an attractive prospect for a team who have been crying out for a fast bowler for years. Suddenly they have two.Whether either man is available remains uncertain. Archer is bowling again in training but is not back to full pace while Wood last played back-to-back Tests in July 2017. He finished the second of them with none for a hundred and plenty. And if you had any doubt about the amount required of fast bowlers in these matches, just consider these statistics: Wood ran 38 km during this Test; that’s just under 24 miles. While his top speed was 30kph – somewhere approaching 19mph – he exceeded 25kph in 167 separate sprints and 3.4km was run at a speed of over 20kph. That’s beyond the maximum speed of most treadmills. The scheduling of back-to-back Tests is brutal and no doubt compromises the quality of fast bowling.On the subject of scheduling and administrative decisions, this was another Test that underlined the value of five-day Test cricket. Had this been a four-day game, the weather would have had the final word. Not for the first time, the thought occurred that those charged with a duty to protect and nurture the game’s future – in England, at least – are those most obsessed with embracing commercialism to the exclusion of other considerations.This England team will not worry about that. Not now, anyway. Many of them are still fresh to these experiences and are relishing every new challenge. Nobody is claiming they are anywhere near the finished article but they now have almost a year until the India tour and almost two years until the Ashes. They have something to work with and time to improve. Those might be the green shoots of recovery peeking through.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are ready to accept a loss and sell one of their players for £25m this summer, according to a new report.

Wolves close to Premier League safety after back-to-back wins

The Old Gold took another step to securing Premier League safety after a 1-0 win over West Ham United on Tuesday evening.

Wolves followed up the win after a 2-1 victory at Southampton prior to the international break, with Vitor Pereira’s side nine points clear of 17th with nine games remaining after Jorgen Strand Larsen’s winner against the Hammers.

Talking after the victory, Pereira said: “We deserve this result because we play 45 minutes with high quality. The result at half time must be 2-0 in my opinion. Second half we start to think about the result, they start to put more players on the pitch with different qualities to try to explore the crosses.

“In the end, after 80 minutes, we had to think about result and to get the three points. The team, we have true spirit as we showed today. In the moment we can play very good game with quality, but in other moments, especially this moment, we need to suffer together. We help each other and I feel this in my team.”

Those behind the scenes could soon start preparing for incoming transfer business, but there also be departures.

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One player who could move on is Fabio Silva, who has been on loan at Las Palmas. The 22-year-old has scored eight goals and provided two assists in 21 La Liga appearances.

Talking about his Wolves future after scoring for Portugal U21s against England at The Hawthorns last month, Silva said: “I cannot answer that because my focus now is to be in Las Palmas. We have so much there to maintain in the first division in Spain and that is my focus. Also to help Portugal with the Euros and after that we have time.”

Now, it looks as if Wolves are ready to sell the attacker following a new transfer update.

Wolves ready to sell Fabio Silva as Old Gold willing to take loss

According to a report from Spain, Wolves have named their price to part ways with Silva this summer. Signed for €40m (£33.4m), Wolves are now willing to cut their losses and sell Silva for €30m (£25m).

Villarreal and Real Betis are thought to be interested following Silva’s impressive campaign with Las Palmas, however, Wolves’ asking price could ‘hinder’ a permanent move to Spain.

Silva, called “interesting” by Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, is under contract at Molineux until 2026, so this upcoming summer could be the last chance Wolves have to receive as much for the forward as possible.

Games

72

Goals

5

Assists

6

Whether or not they bring in £25m remains to be seen, but they are happy to take an £8m+ loss as per this update.

Arsenal might be second in the Premier League and in a Champions League quarter-final, but their biggest weakness, aside from injuries, is evident: scoring goals.

Mikel Arteta’s side produced the best defence in the league last season and look set to do the same this year, but as things stand, they have scored 15 goals fewer than Liverpool and as many as Tottenham Hotspur, which is not good enough for a team who want to win it all.

So, it’s no surprise then, that since Andrea Berta was announced as the club’s new Sporting Director last week, the rumours coming out of the Emirates have all been around signing a new striker, with Viktor Gyokeres the most prominent link of the lot.

The Swedish international would be an incredible addition to the side, but one that might not have been necessary had Arteta and Co not sold their own promising forward in the past.

The strikers sold by Arteta

So, before we get to the striker in question, it’s worth going over a few of the others sold or let go during Arteta’s tenure, starting with Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun.

Now, to give the manager credit, the sale of both Hale Enders now looks like excellent business, as since his £30m departure last summer, Nketiah has only scored five goals and provided two assists in 28 appearances for Crystal Palace, which is not what they would have been hoping for considering his price tag.

Likewise, while Balogun started life with AS Monaco well enough, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 32 appearances last season, he has since added just three goals in 12 games this year, which, again, is not the sort of output the club would have wanted from a £34m purchase.

Now, a striker who has thrived since his departure from the Emirates in the summer of 2022 is Alexandre Lacazette.

In his first season back at Lyon, the Frenchman racked up a sensational haul of 37 goal involvements in 39 games, then managed 26 in 35 last season and has so far amassed 16 goal involvements in 35 games this year.

However, while having the Lyon-born poacher in the squad over the last few seasons would have been useful, he came to the end of his contract when he left, and it was clear he wanted to return to his former club.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to see any logical reason why the striker, who could have been the Gunners’ own Gyokeres, was sold last summer.

The striker who could have been Arsenal's Gyokeres

While the most notable sale of a forward from Arsenal last summer was that of Nketiah, Arteta and Co also sanctioned the sale of Mika Biereth to Austrian outfit Sturm Graz for just £4m plus a 25% sell-on clause.

Now, there is an argument to be made that considering the Dane had never even made a competitive appearance for the club, getting a fee like that for him was good business.

However, the counter to that was the fact that he had just come off a season in which he scored 15 goals and provided nine assists across loan spells with Motherwell and Sturm Graz, suggesting he was a promising goalscoring talent.

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Unfortunately for the Gunners, it appears as if the fee they got wasn’t great as in the first half of this season, the “crazy” talent, as dubbed by former GOAL reporter Robin Bairner, reached another level and scored 14 goals and provided five assists in just 25 appearances.

This incredible run of form was enough to turn heads in Ligue 1, and AS Monaco decided to sign him for just £10.8m plus £1.75m in add-ons in the winter window.

Appearances

25

14

Minutes

1971′

1026′

Goals

14

12

Assists

5

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.76

1.07

Minutes per Goal Involvements

103.73′

68.4′

Since moving to a top-five league, the Danish marksman has gotten better and has so far scored 12 goals and provided three assists in just 14 appearances.

That means the 22-year-old phenomenon has managed to rack up a sensational haul of 26 goals and eight assists in 39 appearances, totalling 2997 minutes.

In other words, he is averaging a goal involvement every 1.14 games, or even more impressively, every 88.14 minutes.

It’s this obscene rate of return, plus the fact they are both 6 foot 2 and Scandinavian, that makes the former Arsenal ace so similar to the Sporting CP star.

Ultimately, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and Gyokeres may well be just what Arsenal need in the summer.

However, had they not sold Biereth for such a small fee last year, signing a new striker might not even be a necessity.

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Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways yesterday after a 3-1 victory over Southampton in North London, condemning the Saints to an immediate return back to the Championship.

A double from Brennan Johnson and a late penalty from January addition Mathys Tel secured all three points for Ange Postecoglou’s side, making amends for Thursday’s defeat against Chelsea.

The result moves the Lilywhites ahead of Everton and West Ham United, but still sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table in an all-round season to forget.

The summer remains a huge one for Postecoglou to try and make amends in 2025/26, with funds needed to turn around their dismal run over the last couple of months.

However, numerous players will also need to be moved on, with one player nowhere near the levels he’s previously procured at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Heung-min Son’s stats against Southampton

Over the years, attacker Heung-min Son has often been the go-to man in terms of contributions in the final third, as seen by his tally of 173 goals and 94 assists in his 450 appearances.

However, the South Korean has struggled to replicate such levels in the last few months, only managing to score two league goals in the first four months of 2025.

His showing against the Saints yesterday was yet another disappointing one, featuring for just 57 minutes before being replaced by youngster Wilson Odebert.

The 32-year-old only managed a total of 39 touches, completing just one of his four attempted dribbles, whilst also only managing a single effort on goal.

After such a showing, it’s fair to say he’s no longer one of the first names on the teamsheet, with one other first-team member going from stride to stride with regular minutes over the past few months.

The Spurs star who’s more important than Son

Spurs have invested in young talents over the last couple of years, with their transfer strategy coming into question – especially considering the lowly league standing in 2024/25.

The decision to put funds into youth rather than players into their prime has often been a poor call, but it’s safe to say one player has been an anomaly to that trend.

Midfielder Lucas Bergvall has gone from strength to strength over the last few months, often being a regular in Postecoglou’s side – highlighting his impressive development.

The 19-year-old started the clash with the Saints yesterday, impressing massively during his 80-minute performance before being replaced by Yves Bissouma.

The Swede registered 43 touches during his display, completing 83% of the passes he attempted, being the shining light in the middle of the park despite his tender age.

He also created two chances, completing four passes into the final third, often looking to play forward at any opportunity – impressing at both ends of the pitch.

Lucas Bergvall’s stats for Spurs against Southampton

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

80

Touches

43

Passes completed

24/29 (83%)

Passes into final third

4

Tackles won

1

Interceptions made

2

Recoveries made

6

Stats via SofaScore

Bergvall also won one tackle, two interceptions and six recoveries, highlighting his ability as a box-to-box midfielder – undoubtedly having the potential to star at the heart of the side for many years.

As a result of his showing, he was handed a 7/10 match rating by Football London’s Rob Guest, further demonstrating how impressive he was during the triumph.

Such a showing has undoubtedly cemented his place at the heart of the side, with the position now his to lose despite his tender age – looking to be a phenomenal pickup.

As for Son, he’s entering the back end of his professional career, with age starting to become apparent, with Postecoglou having a huge call to make over his future this summer.

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Chelsea are already making plans to prepare for the upcoming summer transfer window in an attempt to bolster the squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The Blues have been linked with Inter stars Yann Bisseck and Marcus Thuram, whilst Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen reportedly wants to sign for Enzo Maresca’s side.

Chelsea have had success in recruiting from the Serie A in the past, with French central defender Marcel Desailly being a prime example – the titan joined from AC Milan in the summer of 1998 and went on to become a stalwart at Stamford Bridge.

He ended his time in England with 222 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, winning the FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, before being released in 2004 after six years at the club.

Chelsea could repeat that success and raid AC Milan once again for a defensive star as they reportedly eye up one of their present-day stars.

Chelsea plot move for Milan star

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Chelsea are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

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The report claims that Aston Villa and the Blues are both plotting moves to sign the France international, as Maresca looks to bolster his options in the goalkeeping position.

It adds that both teams have ‘taken information’ on the shot-stopper ahead of a possible ‘concrete’ move in the summer window, suggesting that they have made contact with either Milan or the player’s representatives to see if a transfer is realistic.

There is no mention of how much it would take to take the Italian giants into selling Maignan, but Chelsea must now push to get a deal done for him ahead of next season.

Why Chelsea should sign Mike Maignan

The Blues hit the jackpot when they signed Desailly, who went on to be a regular for many years and racked up over 200 first-team appearances, from Milan and they could do the same again by improving their defence with the French shot-stopper, who has played 154 times for the Serie A side.

Robert Sanchez has been the first choice for much of the current campaign and has done little to suggest that he is the long-term answer for Maresca in that position.

The Spaniard has made three errors that have led to shots, five errors that have led to goals, and given away two penalties in his 25 Premier League appearances this term.

Maignan’s performances in the Serie A for Milan over the past two seasons, meanwhile, suggest that he could come in to provide more stability between the sticks.

23/24 + 24/25

Mike Maignan (Serie A)

Robert Sanchez (Premier League)

Appearances

59

41

Clean sheets

20

10

Error led to shot

2

5

Error led to goal

3

6

Penalties committed

1

2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Sanchez has made more than twice as many errors that have led to shots, twice as many errors that have led to goals, and committed twice as many penalties in 18 fewer appearances since the start of last season.

This suggests that Maignan would improve Chelsea’s defence by not making as many critical errors that lead to goals conceded, hence why his clean sheet rate is also more impressive than the current Blues goalkeeper’s.

The French ace, who was described as “world-class” by Serie A reporter Haris Mrkonja, has the potential to be an excellent addition to Maresca’s squad as a replacement for Sanchez, given his form over the past two seasons, and that is why the club must push to land him ahead of Villa.

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Maignan, therefore, also has the potential to be Desailly 2.0 for the club as another defensive titan, albeit in a different position, to come over from Milan to the Premier League to star at Stamford Bridge.