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South Africa’s management would still welcome an inquiry into the team’s performance, after an independent review was abandoned earlier this month

Firdose Moonda30-Jun-2016South Africa’s management would still welcome an inquiry into the team’s performance, after an independent review was abandoned earlier this month. The initial investigation was due to look into the men’s, women’s and Under-19 sides’ results last summer but was called off after CSA could not agree with terms relating to the scope and cost of the operation.That meant the South Africa men’s team head coach Russell Domingo travelled to the Caribbean without the pressure of an investigation into the side’s shortcomings, but they might not be let off the hook easily. “Annually, whether the team is winning and doing well or going through a tough period like we are now, it’s important to constantly review and refresh, whether it’s the management team, coaching staff or other personnel,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager said.”Like many of you in your line of business, you constantly look at how to improve and make things better, that’s what CSA wants to do. There are ongoing discussions and we are awaiting feedback from CSA board and management if and when the review will be reconstituted.”If South Africa are aiming to do an analysis, they will have to do so in the next six weeks before the 2016-17 season starts with two Tests against New Zealand. A busy six-month period follows, which includes 11 Tests, and South Africa will want to ensure they are ready to climb the rankings after tumbling from No.1 to No.6 earlier this year.Chief among their concerns would be to analyse why they remain stuck in a transition phase that started more than two years ago when Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis retired. South Africa are struggling to compensate for the experience lost in their batting line-up, the allrounder role and the leadership, which has changed hands twice since Smith stepped down.Hashim Amla was named Smith’s immediate successor, after taking a u-turn on an earlier insistence that he did not want to captain, and despite AB de Villiers’ vociferous interest in the job. Amla led the Test team in 14 matches, and started well with a series win in Sri Lanka, but his fortunes changed during South Africa’s tour of India in late 2015. After winning four, losing four and drawing six matches, Amla stepped down mid-series against England, opening the door for de Villiers to get the job. De Villiers has since been confirmed as both Test and ODI captain even as questions are raised about his tactical suitability for the roles.Having never captained at any level before international cricket, it appears to be the one thing he hasn’t come to grips with. Criticisms have mostly centered on his management of bowlers and not the impact on his own form, which dipped noticeably in the Caribbean. Despite that, South Africa’s coaches are as convinced de Villiers is the right man for the job as he is that the team management is “the best in the world”, although calls for Domingo’s head have increased. “AB is the right guy to lead us forward,” Adi Birrell, South Africa’s assistant coach said. “He has got the full backing of every player and every member of staff.”With the players and management in mutual support for each other, the only other area to look at is the structures, which include the domestic set-up. For that, CSA have a separate and ongoing review, which will examine whether the franchise system is producing enough in personnel in quality terms, to provide depth.”We need to try and get the best possible structure to get players coming through,” Birrell said. “There are a lot of players getting opportunities now and hopefully those players will come through with some experience under their belt.”South Africa have rigorous A team and Under-19 schedules, which would see players touring through varying conditions. The A side is set to travel to Zimbabwe and Australia next month while the Under-19s are currently in Sri Lanka – but the bulk of their international stars do not rub shoulders with these players. South Africa’s senior players rarely play in the franchise set-up as a consequence of a packed international schedule. Instead, they often play domestic tournaments in other countries, be it in T20 leagues or the county set-up, which Domingo had already cited as a key reason for the current slump. Whether a review can solve that problem, or more drastic action needs to be taken, remains to be seen.

Plays of the day from the Group B match between India and West Indies in Perth

Abhishek Purohit in Perth06-Mar-2015The Gayle tale – IMohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav were making it seam and bounce at the WACA Ground, and Chris Gayle was having a hard time trying to put a defensive bat to ball. After several plays and misses, Gayle decided to counter in the way he does best. First delivery of the seventh over, he swung hard, but the ball was wide of his reach. So Gayle charged out next ball and had a heave, but missed as it moved away. After leaving the next couple, he had another crack. This time he connected, and a thick edge flew wide of third man. Umesh Yadav made a dash for it, took it as he fell forward but it popped out as he hit the ground. There would be more drama from Gayle.The Gayle tale – IIAnd indeed, he would cause serious damage, but to his own team. In the next over, Gayle had another swipe at Umesh Yadav. Mohit Sharma ran forward from mid-on to take the mishit but it fell just short. The ball was long enough in the air for a single to have been easily taken, but Gayle had barely moved. Marlon Samuels did all the running, coming all the way to the other end. Realising that it had made no impression on Gayle, Samuels tapped his bat at the striker’s end just in case and turned back. Mohit had taken the ball on the bounce and not lost control despite a tumble. He threw it to the bowler’s end, and Virat Kohli made his way there from extra cover to catch a jogging Samuels well short.Russell rouletteAndre Russell walked in with West Indies 71 for 6. That did not stop him from mowing Mohit second ball for six over deep midwicket. Ravindra Jadeja was brought on from that end next over. Russell saw some flight first ball and decided it had to go out of the ground. As soon as he saw it loop towards long-off instead, he swished his bat in frustration, but the deed had been done, and Virat Kohli took the catch.The Dhoni loanAfter the first ball of Ashwin’s fourth over, MS Dhoni wanted a forward short leg in for Lendl Simmons. Ajinkya Rahane came up, and Dhoni went on take his keeping pads off to lend them to the fielder. Rahane strapped them on, and took his position. During the over, substitute Ambati Rayudu attempted to run on to bring in a set of pads but Dhoni waved to him to wait. The captain took back his equipment at the end of the over.

Just 20 years and 14 ODIs old, Quinton de Kock gave the Johannesburg faithful 135 reasons to roar and cheer for one of their own

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers05-Dec-20130:00

‘Indian bowlers bowled short instead of going fuller’ – de Kock

Quinton de Kock held his own against the best ODI team in the world with utmost maturity•Associated PressThe Wanderers roar. It has the bass that comes out of a hollow drum when someone – and there is always someone who can’t resist – lets out a long, lonely “helloooooo” deep into it. It has the volume of the speakers being fitted into cars the size of jelly tots, which somehow accommodate amplifiers three times that size. It boils over with emotion.Today, the roar was expected to be one of anger – towards the Indian players because the South African public holds the BCCI responsible for shortening what would have been the headline tour of the summer. Instead, it was resonant with joy. For Quinton de Kock.From the moment the 20-year old walked out to sing the national anthem, people were cheering for him. He is the only member of South Africa’s ODI XI born in this city, and to see him represent it on the biggest stage is a source of great pride for the Johannesburg faithful. As de Kock stood alongside his team-mates, he looked only a little taller than the child whose hand he was holding, and his expression was as innocent. Clothed in a delicate pink, he seemed as harmless as candyfloss. How deceiving some looks can be.It took three balls for de Kock to dispel all thoughts of tameness when he stepped out to clip Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first delivery, a half-volley, through midwicket. Four balls later, de Kock punctured the gap in the covers, and India’s attack knew they were up against a man with a good eye and a powerful arm, not a boy.Hashim Amla probably went to de Kock at the end of that over and told him to take it easy, as is the job of the senior partner, but it seemed as though de Kock wasn’t going to listen. He flashed and missed as much as he pushed and connected.He seemed to understand the weaknesses of India’s bowlers quickly – the struggle to find the right length on an unfamiliar pitch, and a tendency to bowl half-volleys and full tosses – and he knew he could exploit them. Every time he did, that roar grew louder.Of course, de Kock got lucky on a few occasions. Aggressive batsmen often get those breaks. Against India’s best bowler on the day, Mohammad Shami, he inside edged and was fortunate the ball did not go on to his stumps.De Kock held his own even against the spinners. R Ashwin pitched too short, and de Kock’s movement on to the back foot to pull was instinctive. He brought up his 50 off Ashwin, and the noise levels at the Wanderers rose to meet the overhanging thunder.He raised his bat: first to the changing room, and then to every section of the crowd. To call the cheers a mixture of clapping and chanting would be doing the fans a disservice. They composed a chorus for him.They would have expected a little more exuberance from their local lad a little later on. But despite having scored his first international ton in a home ODI, de Kock was restrained in his celebrations. He had saved himself for the bowling. He spotted holes in areas India thought they had covered, and widened them. He drove wide of cover, swept high enough to clear short fine leg, and with Amla gave South Africa their first opening century stand in 68 ODIs – a span of three years.De Kock watched Amla play the ball onto his own stumps and Jacques Kallis offer a tame catch. It was up to him to ensure South Africa did not waste their start. De Kock showed how solid he could be off the first free-hit he was offered. He assumed the position of a lamp – a firm, broad base and a wide ambit for a shade – and swung hard. The ball disappeared into the sunset and landed on the other side of long-on.De Kock had moved within one scoring shot of a century, and the anticipation was heaving. This crowd demanded instant gratification and wanted to see his hundred off the very next ball. They abandoned the slow clap in favour of one long cheer and it died quickly in obvious disappointment when he only got a single to move to 99.AB de Villiers handed de Kock the strike immediately. Again, the cheers began and again, the quick silence ensued when de Kock played a defensive prod. Then, he tucked the ball to square leg and ran the single that produced the loudest roar of the day.If de Kock remembers one thing about his hundred, it will be that sound. It filled the stadium as though it would suffocate it. It rose higher and higher, attempting to lift him off the ground by the sheer power of noise. He remained grounded.There was no boisterous punch in the air, or dramatic levitation. As the roar grew with impatience, Kock neatly put his bat down, fiddled with his helmet to remove it and then greeted his home crowd.It was only the 35th over and he would have remembered his captain talking about the need for one player to bat through. He would have known the person to do that was him. So he carried on, giving the crowd more and more reasons to roar. He teed off again against Ravindra Jadeja, went inside-out against Ashwin and blasted Virat Kohli over long-on.By the time he handed Kohli a return catch, de Kock had done what he needed to. The way AB de Villiers and JP Duminy used that platform to launch a withering assault – scoring 105 off 46 balls with the freedom of escaped prisoners – gave de Kock’s innings more value.That’s why part of every roar heard on the night belonged to de Kock. Yes, some of it was reserved for the BCCI, and some of it was for de Villiers and Duminy, but most of it was for the youngest player on the park, who lit up a tour that had been marred by administrators’ squabbles.It wasn’t the roar of the usual Wanderers crowd saluting a South African achievement. It was the roar of a community welcoming its favourite son, now all grown up with so much more to achieve.

MS Dhoni isn’t making any predictions about giving up Test cricket or any other format after 2013. But his matter-of-fact statements are open to interpretation

Sidharth Monga in Sydney31-Jan-2012″I just said my statement. The best thing about statements is, you can assume it the way you want to.”That was MS Dhoni’s response when told how his statement that he might have to give up Test cricket at the end of 2013 if he is to captain India to their World Cup defence was seen by many as a general disinterest in Test cricket.”Maybe by 2013 I’ll have to,” Dhoni said. “It is two years away, and the kind of cricket we are playing – IPL, 45 days; Champions League; and back-to-back series; lots of games. We have to see where we last. It’s not a calendar year where you get a lot of rest, and you get away with small niggles during that rest period.”Dhoni then sought to clarify his thought process. “I said end of 2013,” he said. “Now it’s the start of 2012, 2013 is two years. I don’t know whether I will be alive in two years. That’s a long time. What I said was, by the end of 2013, I will have to see whether I can play the World Cup. It wasn’t about one format, it was about cricket. I can’t play till 2014 and say I am not fit enough to survive till the next World Cup. And you’ll have a player coming in who has played just 25 games.”When pointedly asked if he was as interested in Tests as he was in other formats, and whether Test cricket was as important in his mind, Dhoni’s response was emphatic. “Of course. Test cricket is the real cricket.” However, he went on to say he wasn’t running down the other formats either.”Every form of cricket has its own challenges,” Dhoni said. “You have the Test format, the longer version. You have ODI cricket where you can see glimpses of Test cricket and Twenty20s, especially with two balls getting used. And all of a sudden a team loses three or four wickets, and you go and do the consolidating job and then go on with the slog. And then there is the shortest format where you lose five wickets, you go in and the longest consolidating period you get is one over and you start hitting again. All of them are very interesting, and as long as I am able to, I will play all the three formats.”Dhoni was then asked where he felt he was on his Test journey. “I am still on my way. I have not reached any place,” he said, suggesting there might finally be something in a Dhoni press conference that might reveal his inner feelings, before going on to show it was just a tease. “If I remember, the thing I said was 2013, which is two years from now on. I don’t know if you will be covering cricket or not. I don’t know if I will be playing cricket or not. That’s a long time.”

“Now it’s the start of 2012. 2013 is two years. I don’t know whether I will be alive in two years”

That’s the thing with Dhoni. You never know. If you haven’t been to a match, you won’t be able to tell from Dhoni’s face if he has won it or lost it. There is a sense of detachment, whether real or rehearsed, that has worked for Dhoni, ridding him of the pressures Indian captaincy brings. It has consumed the best of them, even the best tactical captain India has had, Rahul Dravid.Dhoni has fought it by not acknowledging it, but over the last 12 months, especially after India won the World Cup, you wonder if he has been too detached when India needed a more involved leader to oversee the transition to the next phase. In Australia, loss after loss brought the same combination, same strategy, same faces, same answers. You didn’t get a feeling somebody was taking charge. You didn’t see Dhoni change his tactics on the field. You can’t blame the thinkers for thinking he didn’t care. Dhoni, though, will tell you only he knows how much he cares. However, people who wanted to see a sign didn’t get to see one.Then there was intrigue off the field. There were reports of Virender Sehwag wanting the captaincy, and that he was not very appreciative of Dhoni’s work. Not to forget that Sehwag can’t be very appreciative of his own work, either as batsman or captain at this stage. Sehwag, of course, denied all that. Now that the series is gone, though, rumour mills are abuzz again. Dhoni’s captaincy in Tests away from subcontinent is bound to come under scrutiny.When asked where he saw himself vis-à-vis the captaincy issue, Dhoni said: “It’s an added role and responsibility for me. It’s not a position that belongs to anyone. That responsibility was given to me three-and-a-half years back. I have been trying to do well, get along with the team, perform well wherever we play.”It’s just a position I hold. It’s something I’ll always look to do well [as long as] I am in the job. It’s not something I want to hold on to or stick on to. If there’s a better replacement, it’s a very open thing. He can come in. At the end of the day you want India to perform. If there is someone who can do a better job, then it’s a place that should be given to him. It’s not something you have to cling on to.”When asked if, given his workload, he had enough left to go on and lead India’s attempt at rebuilding from the defeats, Dhoni said: “It’s not an individual who decides whether he is good enough or not. It’s others who decide if you are good enough or not. When it comes to effort, I am still giving my 100%.”To paraphrase Dhoni himself, the beauty of statements is, they are open to interpretations. As are the last two. Is he resigned to losing his Test captaincy? Is he so detached he won’t fight if it is taken away? Will he not be desperate to correct the lasting memory of his captaincy – back-to-back whitewashes? Or – and this is interesting – is he daring the powers to find a man better suited to the job because there isn’t anybody in sight at the moment?

Stats highlights from South Africa’s historic eight-wicket win, which gave them their first series win in Australia

S Rajesh30-Dec-2008

• South Africa’s nine-wicket win ended Australia’s 16-year unbeaten run in home series. The last time they’d been beaten was by West Indies in 1992-93, which was also the last time they’d lost successive games at home. For South Africa, it was their first win in Melbourne in five attempts since their readmission to Test cricket, and their third in 14 Tests in Australia during this period. They end the year with a 11-2 win-loss record, easily the best among all teams.
• South Africa’s 11 wins in 2008 is also a record by any team in a single year, and a feat that has only been achieved twice previously – by West Indies in 1984, and by England in 2004. Australia’s best is ten, which they’ve achieved three times – in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
• South Africa haven’t lost a Test series in more than two years, during which time they’ve won nine series and drawn one: their last defeat was to the Sri Lankans in a two-Test series in July 2006.
• The chase of 183 made it ten successful run-chases of 175 or more in 2008, with South Africa contributing exactly 50% of those. They finished the year almost exactly like they started it: in their first game of 2008, they chased down 185 against West Indies in Cape Town, losing three wickets.
• Graeme Smith had led that run-chase too, scoring 85 and sparking off a fourth-innings sequence which is quite incredible: in six innings this year he has scored 85, 62, 3*, 154*, 108 and 75. His matchwinning 75 in Melbourne lifted his aggregate in fourth-innings victories to 919, which is the most by any batsman. Matthew Hayden is next with 913, while Ricky Ponting has 835.
• Smith’s knock also lifted his aggregate for the year to 1656 from 15 Tests at an average of 72. Only two batsmen have scored more in a calendar year – Mohammad Yousuf accumulated 1788 in 2006, while Viv Richards made 1710 in 1976.
• With so many South African batsmen in superb form this year – four scored more than 1000 – it’s hardly surprising that they dominate the partnership stats too. Smith and Neil McKenzie put together the most number of partnership runs – 1552 – followed by Smith and Hashim Amla (1090). In fact four of the top eight pairs of the year are South Africans.

After bonus-point wins in the first two rounds, Mumbai captain eyes ‘consistent’ performances this season

Vishal Dikshit16-Jan-2024After eight seasons without a Ranji Trophy title, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane wants his side to be courageous. Courageous to take 20 wickets, courageous to take risks, courageous to show intent, and all this to culminate in outright wins in the space of four days.Mumbai have done that so far by grabbing bonus-point wins in the first two rounds of the new Ranji season. First, they handed Bihar an innings defeat by bowling them out for exactly 100 in both innings, and then thrashed Andhra by 10 wickets at home. In both games, Mumbai made a strong statement by making the opposition follow on, which is not usually the norm in red-ball cricket these days.Mumbai have almost mirrored their start from last season when they started with a nine-wicket win and an innings win, but their campaign went wonky after that, and they failed to make the knockouts. The key this time will be to remain consistent.Related

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“It’s been a very good start for us this season,” Rahane said in Mumbai after their win against Andhra. “The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the period of time. We are looking to take one game at a time. [It’s a] home-away format so the conditions keep changing, so we have to be in the moment, try and see how the wicket will be in Kerala [for the next game] and play to the conditions.”Mumbai can be proud that while they have lost both their tosses so far, their bowlers have stepped up to allow only one opposition batter to reach the 50 mark in four innings. It was the fast bowlers who came together in Patna against Bihar, and then the left-arm spinner Shams Mulani, the second-highest wicket-taker in the last Ranji season, who picked up a 10-wicket match haul against Andhra.Mulani has been Mumbai’s frontline spinner for a few seasons now, having taken 45 wickets in the 2021-22 Ranji season and another 46 last time which earned him call-ups for the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cups over the last couple of years. As was the case against Andhra, Mulani often comes on as first-change and makes life tough for right-hand batters from around the wicket by either targeting the stumps or sticking the off-stump line when there is grip in the surface.

Rahane’s target is to play 100 Tests

Ajinkya Rahane’s obvious and immediate target while playing the Ranji Trophy is to win the title, which Mumbai haven’t been able to since 2015-16. At the same time, he is grinding it out in domestic cricket with hopes of returning to the Test side, which he did successfully last year for the WTC final in which he scored 89 and 46. But after two low scores in the subsequent Caribbean tour, he has been dropped again, and having played 85 Tests so far, he wishes to play another 15. After missing the first Ranji game this season with a stiff neck, he got to bat only once against Andhra and fell for a first-ball duck.
“I’m looking to do well for Mumbai one game at a time. The aim is to lift the Ranji Trophy and bigger aim is to play 100 Test matches.”

Mulani worked hard on his fitness before this season so that he could take the load of bowling in all three formats for Mumbai, whom he also led against Bihar when Rahane was out with a stiff neck. His team-mate Shreyas Iyer believes it’s “high time” Mulani is “elevated to the next level”.”I have changed the recovery process because when you play all three formats, and especially for Mumbai, you have to go out there every day and give your heart out,” Mulani had said after the second day’s play. “And it takes a toll on your body. The recovery process and… you have to be a bit professional and [monitor] the sleeping timings and go to the gym, keep working on the shoulder and the back so that it doesn’t break down somewhere. So that’s what I’ve been focusing on, which is why the last two years were great for me personally, but if I want to continue that in the coming years, I need to keep my body up to the mark.”Rahane will be 36 this year, and he wants to impart all the courage he can as a senior player to Mumbai’s younger crop. In his own words, it could mean creating chances as a bowler, taking the first-innings lead if an outright win is not possible, or showing intent as a batter.”It’s not about being safe,” Rahane explained. “You have to be courageous. It’s a long tournament, and you win matches only when your bowlers take wickets. So you first aim is to take the innings lead, then think about how much time you have at your disposal because in four days very few matches produce outright results. If you play on an absolutely (flat) wicket, the outright result is very difficult. So, first-innings lead, and with time on hand, we decide to go for an outright win. Personally, I feel we shouldn’t play on a flat deck.”It [courageous] doesn’t mean you go out there and slog. It’s all about taking that extra risk or maybe playing with intent. Thinking about your own performance, you go into your shell. But when you put your team first, play your game, there is no fear of failure… that should be the attitude.”The initial two wins for Mumbai have come in the absence of a number of regulars: Sarfaraz Khan and Tushar Deshpande have been away to play against England Lions, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal are part of the India squad for the T20Is against Afghanistan, and Shardul Thakur and Prithvi Shaw are injured.For the next game, against Kerala, they will have only Dube back but will lose Iyer, who had returned to the Ranji circuit after five years. Whatever the changes in personnel and the challenges of conditions in Kerala, Rahane will expect one thing from his players: to be courageous.

The RCB captain slowed down despite a rising asking rate, but he was doing it to keep his team’s net run-rate up

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-20181:36

Coach’s Diary: RCB can’t rely on just Kohli and de Villiers

Is Umesh smashing it or getting smashed? Within minutes of the match beginning, Umesh Yadav was trending on Twitter. He had taken two wickets off the first two balls. This is the third time this IPL Umesh has taken wickets in quick succession. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he struck twice in his first nine balls, and against Kings XI Punjab, he took three in his second over. He also managed to keep the batsmen quiet early in those spells, and in this game, he had figures of 2 for 8 after two overs.So how come Umesh’s economy rate this IPL is 9.06? Because after those sensational starts, he falls off, equally dramatically. These are his economy-rates broken down: 3.75 in the first over, 7.6 in the second, 8.67 in the third and 15.75 in the fourth. Against Mumbai Indians, he conceded 28 off his final two overs to finish with 2 for 36.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy was Chahal v Rohit delayed? Rohit Sharma’s record against legspin is poor. He’s been out to them 22 times in T20s and strikes at just 110 against them. So why did Yuzvendra Chahal only come on in the ninth over when the Mumbai captain walked out in the first? Probably because of the guy at the other end. Evin Lewis smacks legspin at a strike rate of 191.Look at what happened when Chahal did bowl. Rohit got off strike and watched from the other end as Lewis hammered three sixes off Chahal’s first 10 balls. In the end, Chahal, Royal Challengers’ most consistent bowler of the past few seasons, didn’t even finish his quota of four overs. The dynamic could get teams thinking about deliberately having batsmen who have contrasting strengths and weaknesses at the wicket together so the bowling captain doesn’t know whom to bring on.Is millionaire Woakes out of favour?Royal Challengers picked Corey Anderson over Brendon McCullum to get a sixth bowling option. But few would have expected him to bowl his full quota of overs while Chris Woakes, Washington Sundar and Chahal didn’t complete theirs. The decision not to bowl Woakes out was a particularly curious one. He bowled his first two overs in the Powerplay and went for 16 and was then only brought on in the 19th over.Woakes was Royal Challengers’ most expensive buy in the auction, at INR 7.4 crore (USD 1.16 million approx). The decision to bring him on so late despite Mumbai scoring quickly off the other bowlers was either a miscalculation or a sign that Kohli has lost faith in him.Sarfaraz fails againA few eyebrows were raised when Royal Challengers retained the uncapped Sarfaraz Khan ahead of the 2018 season. After all, Kohli did say he needed to get a lot fitter before he could play consistently for RCB. Well, he has now become a regular part of the team, but after three innings, he has managed only 11 runs and has also eaten up too many dots. Against Knight Riders, he took 10 balls to make six runs and against Mumbai, with the required rate at 15.43 when he came to the crease, he took six balls to make five. That released the trolls on social media, though it may have been a case of finding a scapegoat for the whole team’s failure.Was Kohli batting for the not-out?When his team is chasing 214, you don’t expect to see Kohli batting on 40 at a strike rate of 111.11 in the 13th over. But, as he explained after the game, the RCB captain had given up on the chase, as too many wickets had fallen, and was trying to ensure they didn’t fall too far behind on net run-rate. In 10 completed seasons of the IPL, teams have missed making the final four because of net run-rate as much as four times. So clearly Kohli knows what he’s talking about.He started quickly, racing to 18 off 11 balls, but once Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers fell in the same over, he knuckled down and tried to avoid a huge loss. He got going again towards the end and finished with a healthy strike rate of 148.38. With Royal Challengers reaching 167, they stayed ahead of bottom-dwellers Delhi Daredevils on the points table.Getty ImagesThe young legspinner Mayank Markande also played a part in keeping Kohli quiet, conceding just 15 runs off 14 balls, including five dots. And it wasn’t like Kohli was just blocking him. He played just one defensive stroke, but could not find the gaps with his drives and cuts as Markande showed off his variations and accuracy.Is batting first the new bowling first?Teams batting second won nine of the first 10 matches this season. But just as everyone was thinking here was the secret to winning the IPL, the team batting first has now won four games in a row.This is partly down to the law of averages. While fielding first is statistically advantageous in T20s, numbers suggest it is only slightly so (3429 wins and 3228 losses). In the IPL, the gap is slightly bigger – 354 wins and 286 losses. So you have, approximately, a 10% better chance of winning if you field first.There could be a few other reasons the last four games have gone to the team batting first. There was no dew in Mumbai for the Mumbai v Royal Challengers game, and there wasn’t much in Mohali for the Kings XI v Chennai Super Kings game. This has allowed spinners to have greater impact in the second innings. Also, in all four games, the team batting first put up a big total against sides that don’t have strong middle orders, which made chasing difficult.

Argentine musician Nicki Nicole caused a stir as she turned up for Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy clash with Como wearing Lamine Yamal’s No.10 shirt. The global celebrity, who has been romantically linked to the teenage wonderkid, was joined by friends also donning the winger’s name – fuelling further talk about their relationship.

Nicole attends Barcelona match in Yamal shirtArgentine singer fuels rumoursFriends also spotted wearing Barca wonderkid’s jerseyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Nicole was among the high-profile spectators for the friendly match. The 24-year-old arrived at the Johan Cruyff Stadium wearing Yamal’s No.10 shirt, alongside three companions sporting the same jersey. The pair’s 'romantic relationship' has been in the spotlight following their appearances together in recent weeks.

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Speculation about the pair began after Nicole attended Yamal’s 18th birthday party in July, where they were reportedly seen sharing a kiss. They have not been spotted together often since, with Barcelona on a pre-season Asia tour and Nicole focusing on her music career. Wearing his jersey in public has reignited the conversation around their connection. though.

Getty/GOALDID YOU KNOW?

Nicole, with over 21 million Instagram followers, is a household name among younger fans in Latin America and beyond. Her public show of support for Yamal will only add to the media buzz surrounding their relationship. Spanish outlets have been quick to suggest there may be more than a friendship between the two.

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WHAT NEXT FOR YAMAL?

Barcelona will now turn their focus to defending their La Liga crown, with Yamal set to be a key figure in their campaign. Off the pitch, media and fans will continue to watch for signs of the winger’s personal life making headlines; however, for now, both Yamal and Nicole remain silent on the romance rumours.

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O goleiro Ivan e o volante Jair ainda não foram anunciados como novos reforços do Vasco, mas já colocaram o uniforme do clube. Em fotos vazadas nesta quinta-feira, os jogadores aparecem vestidos com a camisa e posados em um fundo verde, dentro da sala de apresentação do CT Moacyr Barbosa. O volante será o número 8, que pertencia a Andrey Santos, enquanto o goleiro escolheu a 97.

+ Confira as movimentações do Vasco no Mercado da Bola

Jair chegou ao Rio de Janeiro na última terça-feira. Realizou exames médicos e aguardava apenas os documentos do Atlético-MG para assinar com o Vasco. O volante acertou um contrato de três anos com o Cruz-Maltino, que pagou pelo jogadorcerca de R$ 15 milhões, por 85% dos direitos econômicos. O Galo ficará com 15% do passe do atleta, podendo lucrar em caso de uma futura de venda.

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Ivan desembarcou no Rio na quarta-feira, emprestado pelo Corinthians até o final do ano. O contrato prevê que o Vasco compre o goleiro a partir de metas alcançadas pelo jogador durante a temporada.

O anúncio oficial é iminente e ambos estarão com a delegação que viaja para Flórida, nos Estados Unidos, na próxima sexta-feira. Por lá, o Vasco terá dois amistosos, contra o River Plate (17) e Inter Miami (21).

Além de Jair e Ivan, o Vasco acertou as contratações dos laterais Puma Rodríguez e Lucas Piton, os zagueiros Robson e Léo, o volante De Lucca e o atacante Pedro Raul. Orellano já treina com o elenco desde o início do mês, mas ainda não foi anunciado oficialmente.

تقدم النادي الأهلي، بطلب إلى مسؤولي اتحاد الكرة المصري، ساعيًا لتطبيق مبدأ الشفافية قبل انطلاق الموسم الجديد من بطولة الدوري المصري.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق النسخة الجديدة من الدوري المصري يوم 8 أغسطس 2025، وتستمر حتى نهاية مايو 2026، وسط ترقب جماهيري كبير لموسم يُتوقع أن يكون استثنائيًا من الناحيتين الفنية والتنظيمية.

الأهلي يتقدم بشكوى رسمية ضد لاعبه السابق

وأعلن اتحاد الكرة المصري، إيقاف القيد لـ 3 أندية، وهي الزمالك والإسماعيلي وفاركو، قبل انطلاق الموسم الجديد من الدوري المصري الممتاز، وجاء القرار بسبب المديونيات المطلوب تسويتها مع اتحاد الكرة.

وتوصل اتحاد الكرة لاتفاق مع مسؤولي الزمالك لحل أزمة المديونيات المتأخرة بعد إرسال شيكات بنكية بدون رصيد.

وعلم بطولات، أن الأهلي طالب اتحاد الكرة بإعلان مديونيات الأندية ومعايير الجدولة الخاصة بها تطبيقا لمبادئ الشفافية.

وأكد الأهلي في موقفه ضرورة تطبيق مبادئ اللعب المالي النظيف وعدم المساواة في منح التراخيص بين من يلتزم بسداد ديونه ومن يتعثر.