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He can take wickets and he can give the batsmen lip. What’s not to love?

Osama Siddiqui27-Oct-2011Choice of game
I’d always wanted to watch the opening day of a Test match, and with Pakistan’s second Test against Sri Lanka being held in Dubai, where I live and work, I took the day off and made sure I was there.Team supported
As a Pakistani, it was only natural for me to be supporting Pakistan. I hoped they would get to bowl first because I believed that was my best chance to see some exciting cricket. Dilshan won the toss, elected to bat, and the Pakistan bowling line-up duly delivered.Key performer
Umar Gul, without a doubt. He shook the Sri Lankan top order with three wickets in his first five overs. His sensational new-ball spell set the tone for the rest of the innings, and though he took no further wickets, the damage had already been done. He also dispelled any doubts about his match fitness by bowling close to 20 overs in the dayOne thing I’d have changed
I would have picked a third seamer for Pakistan. The choice to include two specialist spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, might end up being vindicated, but today, with the conditions offering some assistance to the seamers and Sri Lanka at 73 for 5, Pakistan really missed the pace and energy that Aizaz Cheema or Wahab Riaz would have offered them.Interplay I enjoyed
The 65th over of play was an absolute cracker. It was after tea and Sri Lanka’s ninth-wicket partnership was beginning to frustrate Pakistan. Misbah-ul-Haq had just replaced Ajmal with Rehman, and Junaid Khan looked like he was warming up to replace Gul, who walked up to Misbah and requested one more over.Gul’s first ball to Herath hit him on the pads, and the fielders and the crowd went up in an almighty appeal, which was turned down. Gul turned around and gave Herath a earful. The crowd, loving the aggression, turned the noise up even further; Gul, seemingly spurred on by the crowd, kept the verbal barrage going. Herath’s strike partner, Chanaka Welegedara, came up and had a word, only to get his own share of abuse. As Gul finally returned to the top of his mark, the crowd could sense the battle in the middle was heating up. Herath took a single off the next ball, bringing Welegedara on strike to face some fiery short-pitched stuff. The first delivery was, incredibly, hooked for six, and the remaining ones safely if not utterly convincingly negotiated. It would be the last over Gul would bowl in the day. He had quite clearly given it his all and the crowd let him know his efforts were appreciated.Wow moment
Pakistan’s catching in the morning stood out for its assuredness. After the catching in the second innings of the Abu Dhabi Test, it was remarkable to see the first four catching opportunities offered today being comfortably snapped up. Unfortunately Pakistan soon reverted to type: Sangakkara was dropped by Taufeeq Umar before he had reached 30, and Herath by Younis Khan off the first ball he faced.Shot of the day
Although there was some brilliant strokeplay all around the wicket from Sangakkara, the shot of the day had to be Welegedara’s pull shot off Junaid Khan right before tea. It was positively thumped for four, and the crack literally reverberated around the stadium. The fact that it came completely against the run of play with Pakistan well on top and Junaid in the middle of another probing spell from around the wicket made it even more remarkable.Banner of the day
The only ones I saw were the ones I was holding up! Despite my best efforts I remained unsuccessful in catching the cameraman’s eye with a “Who needs Amir and Asif when you have Junaid and Gul” poster, and one offering some freelance consultancy to the PCB.Marks out of 10
An 8. I do wish more people had turned up to watch than the few hundred in attendance. There were moments when the crowd really got into the game. Had it been 10,000 people making noise rather than a few hundred, it would have made for a truly memorable experience.Overall
The day lived up to all that I had hoped for and I thoroughly enjoyed the cricket. I especially loved the ebbs and flows through the day and the battles within the game that seem to be a luxury afforded only to the longest format of cricket.A very well-informed British gentleman of Pakistani origin was next to me in the stands. He was here especially for the Test match. As he took his seat, Junaid had just bowled the first ball of the 12th over from over the wicket to Dilshan and had had a leg before-appeal turned down. “He needs to go around the wicket if he wants to take a wicket,” my new neighbour said. The very next ball Junaid went around the wicket, and with the last ball of the over, bowling from around the wicket, he dismissed Dilshan.

A look back at Surrey’s season, which disappeared down a drain of injuries and ill-judged signings, and ended in relegation

Lawrence Booth04-Dec-2008

The year it all went pear-shaped: Surrey didn’t take enough wickets, dropped far too many catches, and were brittle with the bat © Getty Images
Surrey are supposed to know all about schadenfreude. In the days when the swagger was said to be the favoured gait around Kennington, they were accused of doling it out. Last summer, though, they attracted it by the lorry-load. The side that lifted the County Championship in 1999, 2000 and 2002 was relegated without winning a game. For Surrey the experience was unprecedented. And, well, it was hard to take.”What disappointed me most was that some of the criticism was quite gleeful,” says Mark Butcher, the captain, whose season finished in May because of knee trouble and whose father, Alan, ended up losing his job as cricket manager. The wicketkeeper, Jon Batty, agrees. “People are quick to stick the knife into Surrey for various reasons, most of them dating back to before the days when most of the guys currently at the club were even playing,” he says. But Martin Bicknell, once the club’s most reliable seamer, now a member of its committee, gets straight to the point. “We had a shocking year.”But why so shocking? How did a side that continues to top county cricket’s financial league table fall so short out in the middle? The headline answer is “Not Enough Wickets”. Not once in 16 games were the opposition bowled out twice, and only Saqlain Mushtaq (three times) and Jade Dernbach (once) managed five wickets in an innings. But the stats hide a multitude of other sins, themselves a mixture of poor execution and even worse luck.For a start, Surrey kept dropping catches – 46 in the Championship according to Batty. Since they held only 89, this meant they were missing more than one chance in three: their bowlers thus needed to create 30 wicket-taking opportunities per match to have even a sniff of victory.Injuries and illnesses did not help. Butcher had been in prime form before his knee went, hitting 139 in a Friends Provident Trophy match in Canterbury, followed immediately by a Championship double-century against Yorkshire. Meanwhile Matt Nicholson, the leading wicket-taker in 2007, spent most of the summer struggling with flu. In the Championship he averaged 56 with the ball.Three signings that didn’t work out
Shoaib: “a desperate measure” © Getty Images
Chris Lewis Eyebrows were raised when the 40-year-old former England allrounder was signed for the Twenty20 Cup on the back of some nippy performances for the PCA Masters XI in 2007. They were raised even further when his first outing was a FP Trophy game against Middlesex (6-0-51-0 followed by a hard-hit 33), and in the end he played only one Twenty20 match (against Essex: 2-0-29-0 and 2 with the bat). “It was very bizarre that they picked him for the Friends Provident game,” says Bicknell, who was instrumental in bringing Lewis to the club. “That knocked his confidence and then he was carrying an injury.” Expect an absence of 40-year-olds next summer. Alex Tudor It’s hard to believe that the man who removed both Waugh twins on his Test debut in Perth, then hit 99 not out as nightwatchman against New Zealand at Edgbaston, was scrabbling about for county cricket at the age of 30 nearly a decade later. But here he was, back at the club that released him in 2004, after Essex had cut their ties in August. Three Championship matches produced only five wickets and 48 runs but Surrey still felt confident enough to offer him a one-year contract for 2009. Shoaib Akhtar He arrived promising to demonstrate his fitness to the Pakistan selectors and hoping to help Surrey stage a last-gasp bid for survival but ended up missing one Championship match because he had to fly home to get the right visa and then took a single wicket in two games. “Shoaib Akhtar was a disaster,” says Bicknell. “It was a classic case of trying to clutch something out of the burning fire. It summed the club up – a desperate measure for a desperate team.” But Batty has a different view. “I have nothing but praise and admiration for the guy. He helped the younger seam bowlers, and when he missed the Pro40 game [against Leicestershire] because of a slight calf niggle, he demanded to do 12th-man duties when there were a couple of younger guys around who weren’t so keen. I thought it was funny how people criticised Surrey at that stage of the season for bringing Shoaib in. Yes, it was a gamble but what choice did we have given the other choices available? We might have played the same had he not been there, so credit to Alan Butcher for bringing him inButcher, who in late October underwent a successful second operation, pinpoints other areas too. “Injury and form meant that three of the four youngsters who had been emerging didn’t do much this year,” he says. “Jade Dernbach pulled through and became the first name on the teamsheet, but Chris Jordan was out injured with back and side problems, and James Benning had back injuries too.” The fourth, Stewart Walters, averaged 15 in eight Championship innings.Then there was Mark Ramprakash and his Godot-like wait for 100 hundreds. Opinion is divided over whether the delay – and one or two outbursts by Ramprakash himself – loomed detrimentally over the dressing room. Bicknell believes the 10-innings sequence between Nos. 99 and 100 “clearly got to him and that probably had an adverse effect on the side”. But Butcher feels “it’s too simplistic to say our season changed when Ramps stopped scoring runs”. He adds: “It was poor that we were reliant on him. Contributions from other players were not consistent enough.”Never was Surrey’s brittleness with the bat more evident than during a painful home defeat by Kent at the start of July. Batty, who insists the players remained united throughout the summer, points out that performances had not been bad during the weather-beaten first half of the season. Surrey made 500 against Lancashire, 400 against Sussex, 450 against Yorkshire, and in-between were two wickets away from beating Hampshire. But when they blew a first-innings lead of 127 against Kent by slipping from 50 without loss to 130 all out, it was as if not winning had become a habit.”That was a massive kick,” says Batty, whose first-innings 136 not out went to waste. “It really did hurt us. But what I’ve learned is that individual events swing individual matches, and individual matches swing whole seasons.” If there was a turning point, the defeat to Kent, inspired by Martin van Jaarsveld’s twin hundreds and unprecedented five-for, was surely it. And since it came so soon after a disastrous Twenty20 campaign in which eight games were lost out of 10, the effect felt like a knee in the groin after a prolonged spell on the rack.The weeks that followed were a mixture of bloodletting and introspection. Ali Brown, a Surrey stalwart for two decades, was released. Butcher senior had his contract terminated with a year still to go. Ramprakash wrote in a newspaper column that he didn’t want to finish his career in the second division, which may have been a message to the club hierarchy to get their act together rather than a genuine threat that he would leave. Shoaib Akhtar was widely derided for taking one wicket in two Championship appearances. Graham Thorpe was drafted in as batting coach, while Gus Mackay arrived from Sussex to take up the new role of managing director of cricket and oversee the appointment of Butcher’s replacement.In the wake of suggestions that the communication between players and management was not up to scratch, Mackay describes his role as trying to achieve “a joined-up approach and a no-excuse environment” with a focus on homegrown players and youngsters. “Otherwise,” he says, “what’s the point of investing money in academies?”Reassuringly for those who felt Surrey have paid the price for failing to invest in younger talent when they were last relegated in 2005, Mackay talks of a “five- year plan”. In theory, then, Oval members should be seeing more in 2009 of Matt Spriegel, Jordan, Walters and the 19-year-old seamer Stuart Meaker, and less of 30-something, readymade imports.”I think it’s a very positive thing for the club that we’ve gone down,” says Mark Butcher. “If we’d stayed up we’d just have had the same problems next year. At the moment we’re about the equivalent of 10th or 11th in the old 18-team league and that’s no disgrace. It’s where we were in the early 1990s. Now we have a chance to build a team like we did back then. You don’t fashion something like this out of thin air. That side was six years in the making.” The hard work may have only just begun.

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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• Ranji Rd 2: Pujara shines in Saurashtra's tough start, Sarwate helps Vidarbha top Group A

• Iyer shows good intent on Ranji return ahead of England Tests

“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.

Wrexham continue to dream of reaching the Premier League, but the Welsh outfit have been told "avoiding relegation would be a good season".

Three successive promotions for Red DragonsHollywood co-owners continue to spend bigChampionship is notoriously competitiveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have refused to rein in collective ambition during a meteoric rise up the EFL ladder. A historic run of three successive promotions has lifted them out of the National League and into the Championship.

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They are now just one step from the top-flight, with Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney having never shied away from the fact that they want to rub shoulders with the elite.

DID YOU KNOW?

Big money has been invested along the way, with more transfer records being smashed in the latest window, with Wrexham intending to compete with Tom Brady’s Birmingham and several other former Premier League teams during the 2025-26 campaign.

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Getty/GOALWHAT DELAP SAID

They have, however, been advised to slow down and draw up longer terms plans. Ex-Football League star Rory Delap – father of Chelsea striker Liam – has said at the launch of : "There will be a lot of hype around Wrexham and Birmingham and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle what is a massive leap from League One to the Championship. Avoiding relegation would be a good season for Wrexham, but with Birmingham it’s a bit different because they’ve got players with Championship experience.

"So far, it seems like Birmingham have a bit more Championship pedigree than Wrexham. A lot of people are predicting automatic promotion for Birmingham, but it will still be a tough season for them – they’ll be in and around the play-offs though. Wrexham will be focusing first and foremost on staying in the Championship. Then they’ll be able to kick on in the next season or two."

D’Arcy Short made 127 while Ashton Agar and debutant Bryce Jackson took three wickets in a 52-run over Tasmania to keep WA’s three-peat hopes alive

AAP14-Feb-2024

A D’Arcy Short century has helped Western Australia reach a fifth consecutive Marsh Cup final after beating an injury-depleted Tasmania with more than 13 overs to spare, to keep the dream of a three-peat alive.Chasing 321 on Wednesday in Hobart, Tasmania lost Mac Wright to a knee injury and Mitch Owen to a side injury with neither able to bat after they were hurt in the field. Tasmania’s faint hopes of reaching the final rapidly disappeared as they were bowled out for 268, having lost only eight wickets in 36.2 overs.New South Wales will now host WA in the February 25 final, with a Sydney venue yet to be determined. WA are the two-time defending champions and have played in six of the last seven finals, finishing third in the other season.Opener Short top-scored with 127 from 121 balls, with 15 fours and a six. It was his fourth List A century and his first since 2019 having averaged just 17 this season. Cameron Bancroft scored 64 in a 147-run stand for the second wicket with Short that set up WA’s formidable innings.Sam Whiteman also contributed 49, while Hilton Cartwright (23no) and Nick Hobson (29no) scored at better than a run a ball at the end of the innings.Billy Stanlake (2-54 from 10 overs) was the only Tasmanian bowler to take multiple wickets. Charlie Wakim gave some respite from the WA batting onslaught when he took an outstanding one-handed catch in the deep to dismiss Whiteman. The shot off Stanlake appeared certain to be a six, but Wakim brilliantly snared it on the boundary rope.Wakim top-scored in the chase with 68 from 53 balls, including six fours and a six, as Tasmania’s top five batters all made starts. Jordan Silk also made 61, but no-one in the top order could score the century Tasmania needed to overhaul WA’s imposing total.WA debutant Bryce Jackson took 3 for 67 from nine overs and Ashton Agar’s 10 overs yielded 3 for 57.

Afghanistan’s top order fought back in the second innings, but they lost 9 for 82 to collapse on fourth day

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2024

Sri Lanka’s use of the second new ball sent Afghanistan tumbling to a ten-wicket defeat on day four. Having begun the day with only one wicket down and within striking distance of the lead, Afghanistan crashed, losing their remaining nine for 82 runs. Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was the primary destroyer, taking five wickets in a devastating spell either side of lunch. Asitha Fernando claimed two more wickets to add to his one from yesterday, and Kasun Rajitha also struck twice.Some lower-order hitting extended Afghanistan’s total to 296, but they will be disheartened that having begun their second innings with two century partnerships, none of the rest of their stands breached even 25. They set Sri Lanka 56 runs for victory. With little pressure on them, Sri Lanka’s openers knocked off the runs inside eight overs, with Dimuth Karunaratne racing to 32 off 22 and Nishan Madushka striking 22.The second new ball became due five overs into the day. Sri Lanka took it immediately, and found success soon after. It was Rajitha – playing as a concussion substitute for Chamika Gunasekara – who made the first incision to end the 108-run second-wicket stand between Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah. In his first over with the second new ball, Rajitha angled one in to Rahmat, then straightened it slightly off the seam on about a fourth-stump line. Rahmat was forced to play, and ended up providing a thin edge through the wicketkeeper.Jayasuriya then entered the fray, and immediately found that the harder seam of this ball allowed his deliveries to grip and leap off the surface. He had Ibrahim dropped by Dinesh Chandimal on the deep-square leg fence on 109, but flummoxed the batter not long after.The ball now beginning to take turn, Ibrahim played for one that spun in the 90th over, but this one just went on with the arm, whizzed between bat and pad, and clattered into off stump, ending Afghanistan’s best innings of the match so far. Ibrahim had added only 13 to his overnight score, as he fell for 114.Hashmatullah Shahidi was out to one that did turn and take his outside edge; Qais Ahmad was caught beautifully by Dhananjaya de Silva, who dived forward at slip and intercepted the ball centimetres from the ground; and Zia-ur-Rehman left a Jayasuriya delivery that continued with the arm and crashed into off stump – the second time this match Jayasuriya claimed such a dismissal.In between the Jayasuriya wickets, Asitha – the best of Sri Lanka’s seamers in this match – also added one to his wicket column. Bowling back of a length and outside off stump, he had Ikram Alikhil edge one to second slip, where Kusal Mendis also took an excellent low catch diving forward.Afghanistan had lost five wickets for 13 runs in the space of eight overs at this stage, but after lunch, Nasir Jamal showed a little more spunk, striking five fours and a six in his unbeaten 41. It always looked like it would be insufficient, though. Jayasuriya slipped into Naveed Zadran’s stumps to complete his five-wicket haul. Asitha and Rajitha then wiped out the tail.There were no hiccups in the chase. Madushka and Karunaratne batted in much the same aggressive manner they had played with in the first innings. Between them they struck seven fours and a six.

Five Manchester United players have put in transfer requests this summer as the Red Devils continue to rebuild their squad under Ruben Amorim. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia have all indicated their desire to pursue opportunities elsewhere, throwing a curveball into United's pre-season plans.

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• Man Utd gear up to offload deadwood
• Five players are on the chopping block
• Club delay their return to Carrington

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to GOAL, Rashford, Garnacho and Sancho have grown frustrated with their diminished roles and are believed to have informed the club of their intent to move on, having found themselves increasingly marginalised.

  Rashford is said to be eyeing a move to FC Barcelona. While no official bids have been submitted yet, the 27-year-old remains hopeful of a switch later in the transfer window. His main desire is to play in the Champions League, but he has no interest in relocating to London, nor does his camp support a deal involving a player swap.

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  Acknowledging the situation, United have adjusted their pre-season approach. The five players who have submitted transfer requests will not be expected to join up with the squad immediately. Instead, they’ve been given additional time to consider their futures and engage in talks with interested clubs.

  The club has confirmed that its medical and rehabilitation facilities will remain available to the quintet and virtual support will also be provided. Should any of the players remain at United beyond the current window, they will be reintegrated at Carrington and given full access to training resources. The rest of the first-team squad is scheduled to report for duty starting Monday, as pre-season preparations begin in earnest under Amorim.

• TELL ME MORE

  After spending last season on loan at Real Betis, Antony has become the subject of interest from multiple clubs. The La Liga outfit are keen to bring him back, though their financial constraints make meeting United’s valuation difficult. Serie A side Como have also shown interest, but sources suggest Antony prefers a return to the Benito Villamarín. Interestingly, former United boss Erik ten Hag's new club, Bayer Leverkusen, are reportedly keeping an eye on the situation.

  Meanwhile, Sancho’s next move may be the first domino to fall. Negotiations are progressing between United and Juventus, with both sides working to settle on personal terms and a final fee. The Red Devils are believed to be holding out for around £25 million, a figure the Turin club is working to meet.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Garnacho’s status remains unclear. While Chelsea are reportedly monitoring the 21-year-old forward, no formal proposal has been submitted. Garnacho was used sparingly in the final stretch of last season and his omission from the matchday squad in the campaign’s closing fixture against Aston Villa only deepened speculation. His limited involvement in the Europa League final, coming off the bench rather than starting, was viewed by many as a turning point in his relationship with the club.

Retiring allrounder says he was “upset, angry, disappointed” after not being offered a deal

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2023David Willey has described not being awarded a central contract by England as “the final nail in the coffin” of his international career, following the announcement of his retirement earlier in the week.Willey, 33, called time on an eight-year England career that had seen him play more than 100 times in the white-ball formats, as well as collecting a T20 World Cup winner’s medal. But speaking to Sky Sports, he admitted to being “upset, angry and disappointed” at being the only member of England’s ODI World Cup squad left out of the batch of contracts for 2023-24 and beyond, saying it had made his decision to retire easier.”That for me was probably the final nail in the coffin really, and made my decision a lot easier,” he said. “These conversations around contracts all happened before we came out. So when we joined up at Lord’s [before flying to India for the ODI World Cup], I knew I was the only one that didn’t have one. It was difficult.Related

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Willey to retire from international cricket after World Cup

Stokes to undergo knee surgery after World Cup and 'hopefully be fine' for India Tests

“I feel with two World Cups in 12 months, knowing my position in the squad, should there be injuries or whatever, I’m a chance and feel like I’m always a chance. I’m not involved in how these [things] are put together, who selects them. I don’t necessarily have to agree with them. But you know, there are decisions that are made and I have to respect them and, and I make decisions based on how I feel around them.”[I was] upset, angry, disappointed. But as I said, I respect their decision. Don’t have to agree with it and it made my decision a lot easier.”Willey has rarely been a default pick for England but battled back into contention after the disappointment of being left out of the 2019 World Cup squad at the last minute, with Jofra Archer parachuted into the side. He was involved in the 2022 T20 World Cup win – although didn’t play a game at the tournament in Australia – having previously been part of the XI beaten in the final of the 2016 event.He has also had to juggle involvement in franchise T20 tournaments with family life and playing for England. Willey has signed up for the ILT20 in January and could be retained for the subsequent IPL, having also appeared in the Big Bash, PSL and SA20.”So over the last six to eight months, the landscape’s changing,” he said. “It’s always been hard for me to make sure I’m in [England] squads and I’ve got no guarantees, and the anxiety leading up to every selection. Then when I am playing, looking over my shoulder, it starts to weigh heavy on you and I’ve done that for a long time now.”I was desperate to play in this World Cup and it was great to be here. But you know all that rolled into one. I just felt I’ve given my all and I don’t think I can to do that anymore.”Having been left out at the start of the ongoing ODI World Cup, Willey has been one of England’s better performers after coming into the side, taking five wickets in three games. But with their World Cup defence effectively over, he decided now was the time to make an announcement on his future.”Towards the back end of the summer, I knew it was always going to be around this time. I knew it was coming. I wasn’t sure what my involvement would be in the white-ball stuff in England before we came. [I] made the side here, and I’ve managed to get into the side and perform.”I just feel that there’s not very many opportunities in cricket to walk away when the time is right for you. And I really wanted to finish my career, whatever my involvement is in these last three games, able to enjoy it, and not carrying the weight of this decision, and looking over my shoulder thinking if I’m not performing, I’m out of the side again”To have played three games …and that game against India, full crowd in a World Cup in India. I walked out to bat there, they were doing a strobe light show, you know, and I thought as I walked down the steps, I thought I’m done.”

Leeds United are looking to sign a new £8m+ striker who already knows Whites winger Largie Ramazani.

Leeds eye signings as Millwall win takes them back top of Championship

Daniel Farke’s side returned to the summit of the Championship table in midweek after a 2-0 win over Millwall.

A draw at the beginning of the month to West Brom and a defeat to Portsmouth allowed Sheffield United and Burnley to reduce the deficit, however, Leeds took advantage of the Blades and the Clarets dropping points to Bristol City and the Baggies, respectively.

The Whites now sit four points clear of Burnley in third and two ahead of Sheffield United ahead of their trip to Loftus Road to face QPR on Saturday lunchtime.

Talking after the win over Millwall, Farke said: “An excellent win for us tonight and after a pretty busy period, I think also excellent performance.

“I think the key in the first half was to be there with excellent defensive behaviour and also to fight our way to create chances, like for the first goal. It was a great second goal. You also have to say, game after a loss, sometimes you have to shake off a bit the disappointment and also that you feel a bit unsure after a loss to gain the confidence back.

“That was what we did in the first half. In the second half, or at halftime, we spoke also a bit about a few changes in our positioning, in the build-up, in our possession play, to gain more control over the game. And the lads delivered brilliantly because I think the second half was in full control and full dominance over the game.”

"Perfect news" – Farke buzzing as Leeds seal new 3-year contract for gem

His new deal runs until 2028.

By
Charlie Smith

Mar 12, 2025

Should Leeds seal promotion back to the Premier League, the 49ers Enterprises may be busy in the summer transfer window.

There are reports that a verbal agreement has already been reached with Leeds and former midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who is currently on loan at Ipswich Town from Manchester City.

However, a new attacker to potentially replace top earner Patrick Bamford could also be wise, considering the forward has been out for large parts of the campaign through injury once again.

Southampton’s Cameron Archer was the target in January and still looks to be on Leeds’ radar, however, a new name has emerged on the Elland Road wishlist.

Leeds looking to sign £8m+ striker Ibrahima Kone

According to reports from Africa Foot, Leeds are keen on signing Almeria forward Ibrahima Kone this summer. Compared to Romelu Lukaku due to his power, Kone is currently on loan at Al Okhdood Club in Saudi Arabia but could be sold permanently ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Blackburn and Sheffield United were both keen on Kone last summer, who has a release clause in his Almeria contract set at €10m (£8.4m).

Leeds negotiated with Almeria in 2024 to sign Ramazani following Crysencio Summerville’s exit, and Kone has played alongside the current Whites winger in Spain.

Now it looks as if a reunion could be on the cards in Yorkshire, making a Leeds move for the Mali international one to keep an eye on.

Shorna Akter showed some fight for Bangladesh but the target was too big

S Sudarshanan17-Feb-2023

After two ducks in the previous two matches, Suzie Bates turned her form around to help New Zealand post the fourth-highest total in Women’s T20 World Cups, and keep their hopes of making the semi-final alive.Bates scored an unbeaten 81 off 61 balls to help New Zealand to 189 for 3 before a strong bowling performance restricted Bangladesh to 118 for 8. In the process, she also became the first player to reach 1000 runs in T20 World Cups.Bates aside, Maddy Green’s 44 not out off 20 balls also propelled New Zealand, who scored 60 in their last five overs.Bezuidenhout and Bates give New Zealand brisk startNew Zealand were bowled out for 76 and 67 against Australia and South Africa respectively, and Bates had registered first-ball and second-ball blobs in those contests. On Friday, she began watchfully against Bangladesh, with fellow opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout hogging most of the strike in the first three overs.Bezuidenhout, who herself was out on zero in the previous game, hit the first ball of the innings for four before picking up another boundary in the third over. It took a pristinely timed whip through midwicket for Bates to open her boundary count. But it was Bezuidenhout who did the bulk of the scoring as New Zealand finished the powerplay 49 for no loss. More importantly, the pair faced only eight dots in the phase.Bezuidenhout looked primed to score her maiden T20I half-century before she charged down and was stumped off Shorna Akter, bringing an end to the 77-run stand in which she had contributed 44 off 26 balls.Bates and Green lead final assaultBates and Amelia Kerr took New Zealand past 100 before legspinner Fahima Khatun dealt a double blow. First, she had Kerr offering a return catch off a full toss and then, on the next delivery, bowled Sophie Devine with a slider.Maddy Green hit some crisp strokes during her unbeaten 44•ICC/Getty Images

But a steady Bates was then joined by a belligerent Green, who found the middle of the bat from the get-go. She used her feet to hit Fahima back over her head before using the depth of the crease and the bowler’s pace to thump seamer Marufa Akter for three fours in an over. She also showed her wares against spin, first reverse-sweeping Salma through short third and then hitting left-arm spinner Nahida Akter down the ground.Bates, meanwhile, passed her seventh fifty-plus score in T20 World Cups and pounced on anything remotely short. She pulled Fahima through midwicket before repeating the drill against Nahida. She also used the reverse sweep to good effect. She was dropped at deep midwicket in the 18th over by Marufa, who parried it for six that brought up Bates’ 1000th run.Bates and Green added 82 in seven overs in an unbroken stand for the fourth wicket, leaving Bangladesh with a mountain to chase.Shorna sparkles but New Zealand clinicalShamima Sultana hit Lea Tahuhu for a four and a six in the opening over of the chase to get Bangladesh off to a positive start. But Hannah Rowe trapped her lbw for 14 and then yorked No. 3 Sobhana Mostary for 4, while conceding only three runs from her first two overs.Kerr bowled Nigar Sultana with a googly in the tenth over, but Murshida Khatun and Shorna, who was part of the Under-19 T20 World Cup as well, added 46 for the fourth wicket.Shorna hit Kerr for a couple of fours through the leg side before smashing Rowe for successive fours in the 13th over. Murshida too picked up a couple of boundaries before offspinner Eden Carson had her slicing one to backward point.Once that stand was broken, Bangladesh could manage only 18 in the remaining 32 balls.