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Tomas Soucek’s future with West Ham United is now in doubt after David Moyes has looked at bringing in a number of different midfielders, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Soucek’s West Ham career

Since joining the Hammers on loan in January 2020 and then signing permanently later that year, the Czech Republic international has gone on to make 105 appearances for the east London club.

However, Irons insider ExWHUemployee recently dropped a surprising update, claiming that West Ham are now willing to entertain offers for the 27-year-old this summer as contract talks between the two parties have failed to progress.

The Latest: Jones’ West Ham claim

With Moyes on a quest to bolster West Ham’s options in midfield, Jones believes that this could be a sign that Soucek’s place in the team is now in doubt.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, he claimed: “Obviously, they are being linked with other midfielders at the moment.

“Kalvin Phillips and James Ward-Prowse have both been linked. I don’t think anything’s imminent on either of those, but it’s interesting that they’re the sort of players that are being linked. Obviously, Jesse Lingard is still being talked about as well.

“If there are these midfield players being talked about, then you wonder what’s happening there. I do think it’s a situation to keep an eye on.”

The Verdict: Would be a surprise if he goes

Since arriving at Rush Green, Soucek has proven to be an important player for Moyes’ team, starting 72 of their 76 top-flight matches over the last two campaigns.

During his first full season in England, the Croatian scored ten goals in the Premier League, making him the Irons’ joint-top scorer alongside striker Michail Antonio.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been very complimentary of West Ham’s first-choice midfield pairing, claiming that Soucek and Declan Rice do ‘everything’ at an ‘incredible volume’.

Therefore, the rumours suggesting an exit from east London for the Czech stalwart may come as a surprise, leaving fans wondering who Moyes will bring in as the 27-year-old’s prospective replacement.

In other news: Journalist says Irons could ‘definitely’ make a move for this player who featured in the 2021/22 Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek, according to a report from Football Insider. 

The lowdown: Premier League star

Signed for £15million following a successful loan spell from Slavia Prague (Sky Sports), Soucek has been nothing short of sensational since arriving in the Premier League.

The towering 27-year-old has scored 19 times and provided two assists in 105 appearances for the Hammers, notching up ten league goals in the 2020/21 campaign.

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However, after discussions over a new contract were recently put on hold, it appears that Spurs could be set to benefit from the impasse surrounding the Czech Republic international…

The latest: Spurs could swoop in

As per a Spurs source at Football Insider, Tottenham are believed to have been ‘offered the chance’ to sign Soucek this summer in what they call a ‘surprise twist’.

It’s claimed that the 48-cap ace’s future is ‘up in the air’ at present and there is a ‘very real chance’ that the powerful midfielder will be sold.

The report also states that the ‘historical relationship’ between the clubs doesn’t lend itself to a move but agents of the man hailed as ‘outstanding’ by journalist Josh Bunting are interested in making the move a reality.

The verdict: No brainer

If indeed the Lilywhites were offered the chance to land Soucek then it would be a deal that Antonio Conte, Fabio Paratici and ENIC should jump at the opportunity to strike.

Not only would it mean taking a top player away from a domestic and city rival, but also bolstering a midfield department at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in need of an assertive presence.

During the recent 2021/22 campaign, Soucek won on average 6.5 duels per game in the league (Sofascore), more than Rodrigo Bentancur (4.9) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (5.1), highlighting the Czech Republic star’s combative prowess in the middle of the park.

Whilst the report makes no mention of a fee, valued at £40.5million and under contract with West Ham until 2024 (Transfermarkt), this won’t be an inexpensive venture for Spurs but it is certainly a worthwhile one.

In other news: Tottenham will now attempt to seal eight-figure agreement for ‘incredible’ speedster, find out more here.

A review of how India, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Afghanistan fared between 2010 and 2019

28-Dec-2019Indiaby Sidharth Monga
A decade in which India, already a superpower in cricket commerce, became one on the field too. Under MS Dhoni, they achieved the Test No. 1 ranking, and won the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. A transitional blip that lasted upwards of two years gave way to another surge under Virat Kohli. This team had a battery of fast bowlers to go with two spinners who will end up among the greats. They were unbeatable at home and competitive away, winning India’s first ever Test series in Australia, in 2018-19. A T20 world crown eluded them in the decade, but they were the most consistent side at ICC tournaments: in nine of those tournaments they won two, and they lost two finals and three semi-finals.India’s Test XI of the decade

M Vijay
Rahul Dravid
Cheteshwar Pujara
Virat Kohli (c)
Sachin Tendulkar
Ajinkya Rahane/VVS Laxman
MS Dhoni (wk)
R Ashwin
Ishant Sharma
Mohammed Shami
Jasprit Bumrah/ Ravindra Jadeja

High point
The Test team’s dominance under Kohli has to be India’s biggest achievement in the decade, but you can’t perhaps point to a series that was the high point for Indian cricket in the 2010s. Had Steven Smith and David Warner played the series that India won in Australia, it would have eclipsed the World Cup win in 2011, India’s first such triumph since 1983.Low point
The two tours of England and Australia in 2011 and 2011-12, where India sleepwalked to eight overseas Test defeats in a row. The batting stars were ageing, the bowlers were unfit, and the preparation was poor for both trips.Results
Tests: P107, W56, L29, D22
ODIs: P249, W157, L79, T6, NR7
T20Is: P106, W68, L36, NR2In this decade Bangladesh have a win-loss ratio of 1.12 in ODIs at home,•AFPBangladeshby Mohammad Isam
This was Bangladesh’s decade of progress. They became a strong Test team at home, and made great strides in ODIs, whitewashing higher-ranked opponents and rising up the rankings. Although they are yet to fully catch up in T20Is, in all, Bangladesh performed remarkably for a side constantly referred to as “minnows” during the previous decade.Much of their progress owed to five of the country’s best cricketers – Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza and Mahmudullah – who forged a partnership strong enough to pull the entire team forward. They took on the responsibility of winning matches and instilled the winning mentality in the rest.Bangladesh’s Test XI of the decade

Tamim Iqbal
Imrul Kayes
Mominul Haque
Mahmudullah
Shakib Al Hasan (c)
Mushfiqur Rahim (wk)
Nasir Hossain
Mehidy Hasan
Taijul Islam
Robiul Islam
Mustafizur Rahman

In form, Bangladesh can now beat any top team at home, particularly in ODIs. In this decade they won home series against India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies. They have also had some memorable Test wins, over England and Australia at home, and Sri Lanka away.High point
Beating India 2-1 in the 2015 ODI series at home was the pinnacle of Bangladesh’s decade of progress. Mashrafe Mortaza marshalled his emerging side superbly against tough opposition, relying on newcomer Mustafizur Rahman but balancing youth and experience in equal measure.Low point
Hong Kong beating Bangladesh by two wickets was the nadir, particularly as it came in a home World T20. Bangladesh lost seven wickets for 23 runs, and despite reducing Hong Kong to 100 for 8 in a chase of 109, they lost with two balls to spare.Results
Tests: P56, W10, L36, D10,
ODIs: P162, W70,, L87 NR5
T20Is: P79, W27, L50, NR2The stuff of dreams: New Zealand players take a lap of honour around Eden Park after winning the 2015 World Cup semi-final against South Africa•ICC/Getty ImagesNew Zealandby Andrew McGlashan
It was the decade in which New Zealand were no longer being called “dark horses” or “underdogs”. Rising to No. 2 in Tests on the back of a formidable home record, thanks to an outstanding pace attack and a strong top order, and reaching consecutive World Cup finals was reward for what could be considered their finest era ever.There was turmoil in 2013 when Ross Taylor was ousted as captain and replaced by Brendon McCullum, but from the depths of being bundled out in a session at Newlands the Test climb started – a trend continued by one of the finest leaders and batsmen in the game, Kane Williamson.New Zealand’s Test XI of the decade

Tom Latham
Brendon McCullum
Kane Williamson (c)
Ross Taylor
Henry Nicholls
BJ Watling (wk)
Colin de Grandhomme
Daniel Vettori
Tim Southee
Neil Wagner
Trent Boult

Overseas Test victories in the UAE and Sri Lanka showed it did not need to be all about home conditions. However, although there was a famous seven-run win in Hobart in 2011, Australia, their final opponent of the decade, remained a nemesis.High point
That heady Auckland evening in 2015 when Grant Elliott wrote himself into New Zealand cricket history with a six off Dale Steyn to take them the team to their first World Cup final. The noise and emotion was incredible. McCullum’s triple-century against India in Wellington – the first triple by a New Zealander – is a close-run second.Low point
“By the barest of margins…” Four years later, on an equally heady day, at Lord’s, a deflection off Ben Stokes’ bat, a missed catch on the boundary, and the agony of Martin Guptill’s forlorn dive left New Zealand ruing a rule that was never expected to be needed. Their grace in defeat (or when tying) was extraordinary.Results
Tests: P83, W32, L30, D20
ODIs: P192, W98, L82, T2, NR 10
T20Is: P96, W49, L40, T4, NR3Class of 2012: South Africa pose with the Test mace after enjoying a series win in Australia in 2012-13•AFPSouth Africaby Firdose Moonda
Successive Test series wins in Australia in 2012 and 2016 and over Australia at home in 2017-18 are highlights of a decade that started with South Africa a dominant side and ended with them struggling to make an impact.They were No. 1 in Tests between August 2012 and November 2015, but their record in Asia left a lot to be desired: they won only three Tests out of 19 in the continent, and only one series, in Sri Lanka (2014). A victory in India remained elusive, with heavy defeats in 2015-16 and 2019-20.South Africa’s white-ball form was consistent between major tournaments but non-existent at the big moments. They crashed out of the 2011, 2015 and 2019 World Cups, the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophies, and the 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 World T20s. Their major trophy cabinet only holds a solitary piece of silverware from more than 20 years ago, the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy.South Africa’s Test XI of the decade

Graeme Smith (c)
Dean Elgar
Hashim Amla
AB de Villiers
Faf du Plessis
Quinton de Kock (wk)
Vernon Philander
Dale Steyn
Kagiso Rabada
Keshav Maharaj
Morne Morkel

Off the field, Cricket South Africa went through three permanent CEO stints and two acting ones (the same person both times) and suffered its worst governance crisis since readmission. High point
Winning the Test mace in 2012 was the culmination of a period of excellence for South Africa’s Test side. At the time, they had the experience of Graeme Smith as captain, the serenity of Hashim Amla, the sensational AB de Villiers, and the most skilled bowling attack around, with swing and speed from Dale Steyn, bounce from Morne Morkel, and subtle seam movement from Vernon Philander. South Africa didn’t quite have the right spinner in the mix at the time, Imran Tahir, but he went on to become the best limited-overs bowler in the world. Low point
There was their choke in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final, their dramatic crashing out of the 2015 semi-final, and their twin 0-3 series losses to India in 2015 and 2019, but ultimately the manner in which South Africa exited the 2019 World Cup, losing five of their first six completed matches, marked rock bottom for the team – and subsequently for the administration.Results
Tests: P89, W44, L25, D20
ODIs: P188, W114, L68, T1, NR5
T20Is: P89, W51, L36, T1, NR1Rashid Khan: Afghanistan’s world-beating leggie•Getty ImagesAfghanistanby Peter Della Penna
In the late 2000s, Afghanistan produced one of cricket’s great Cinderella stories to rise from Division Five of the World Cricket League all the way to ODI status in the space of 14 months. The 2010s were all about proving that they could sustain that ranking after a meteoric rise. And they did, burning brighter through the decade and ultimately securing Full Member status in June 2017.Afghanistan demonstrated they could pull their own weight against Full Members, beginning in 2014, when they defeated Bangladesh in the Asia Cup for their first win against a Test nation, then followed it up four months later by drawing a four-match series in Zimbabwe. By the end of the decade, Sri Lanka and West Indies would be at the receiving end in limited-overs cricket, thanks to Afghanistan’s champion T20 franchise bowlers. It’s those men – Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman – who are emblematic of the vast potential that continues to exist in Afghanistan, despite the country having never hosted international matches, due to security reasons. Until then, the nomads continue their quest to roam and conquer.Afghanistan’s ODI XI of the decade

Mohammad Shahzad (wk)
Nawroz Mangal (c)
Rahmat Shah
Asghar Afghan
Samiullah Shenwari
Mohammad Nabi
Najibullah Zadran
Rashid Khan
Dawlat Zadran
Hamid Hassan
Mujeeb ur Rahman

High point
Unlike Ireland, who can call upon two famous World Cup wins, over Pakistan and England, as signature moments in their history, Afghanistan have to arguably still score a truly stunning win. Instead, their biggest point of pride may be Rashid Khan’s Rs 4 crore (approximately US$560,000) bid from Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2017 IPL auction. His subsequent performances in the IPL helped legitimise Afghanistan’s individual players and the national team across the board.Low point
Losing their maiden Test match by an innings inside two days to India in Bengaluru in 2018. In spite of an outstanding record in the ICC Intercontinental Cup prior to being awarded Test status, Afghanistan’s batsmen looked out of their depth and their prized bowling unit mostly had a case of the yips on day one.Results
Tests: P4, W2, L2
ODIs: P123, W57, L62, T1, NR3
T20Is: P78, W53, L25Ireland are yet to top their World Cup triumph over England in 2011•Getty ImagesIrelandby Peter Della Penna
After seminal World Cup success in 2007, Ireland spent the first three quarters of the 2010s capitalising on that foundation to graduate out of the Associate world, which they had dominated for the better part of a decade, and into Test cricket. But since being christened with Full Membership in 2017, their adjustment to the next level has been a baptism by fire, as an ageing squad and a string of retirements have highlighted a worrying lack of depth.Ireland’s struggles in Tests have spread to limited-overs cricket as well. Their streak of three straight World Cup appearances was snapped after a failure to make it through the Qualifier last year. Having held a 21-match winning streak at the T20 World Cup Qualifier from 2012 through 2015, which included tournament titles in 2012 and 2013, they failed to reach the finals in 2015 and 2019. From the time the streak was broken by Papua New Guinea in Belfast, Ireland won just 19 of 49 T20Is.Ireland’s ODI XI of the decade

Paul Stirling
William Porterfield (c)
Ed Joyce
Andy Balbirnie
Niall O’Brien (wk)
Kevin O’Brien
John Mooney
Trent Johnston
George Dockrell
Tim Murtagh
Boyd Rankin

High point
Few nights in Irish cricket history can top their win over England in Bangalore in the 2011 World Cup. Apart from recording the highest successful chase in World Cup history, they did it on the back of the fastest World Cup century: Kevin O’Brien’s pink-dyed hair rampage.Low point
Ireland’s T20 form has seemingly never recovered from the fateful night in Sylhet when Netherlands ambushed them to chase 190 in 13.5 overs and pass them for a spot in the main draw of the 2014 World T20. As for ODI cricket, a symbolic gut punch was delivered with a six-wicket defeat by England in Malahide in September 2013, when that team’s stars with bat and ball were both Irish-reared: Boyd Rankin (4 for 46) and Eoin Morgan (124 not out off 106 balls).Results
Tests: P3, W0, D0, L3
ODIs: P112, W50, L55, T2, NR5
T20Is: P83, W36, L41, T1, NR5More in the decade in review, 2010-19

Richard Gleeson is another late developer to make his mark for the most resourceful Twenty20 county around

Jon Culley10-Aug-2017Nobody would wish upon any county the hard financial times that Northamptonshire have been through in the last few years but their plight has not been without consolations. Had the purse strings at Wantage Road not needed to be drawn so tight, for example, the careers of several players who have worn the Tudor Rose badge with distinction might never have happened.Working with a perennially small squad of senior players, the county are never more than two or three injuries away from a selection crisis and have had to be more resourceful than most in finding candidates to fill the breach. Plucking names from obscurity has become something of a speciality.So much so that Northants coach David Ripley is advocating that England consider their latest find – a player still largely unknown – for a T20 debut against the West Indies next month.Jack Brooks is the most high-profile example of a fast bowler who blossomed late, a revelation for Northants and subsequently Yorkshire but already 25 when he made his first-class debut after stepping up from minor counties cricket with Oxfordshire.Ben Sanderson, 28, the wicket-taking hero last summer of the county’s second odds-defying T20 finals day triumph in four years, arrived at Wantage Road by a similar route, having played in minor counties for Shropshire, although he had sampled the beginnings of a professional career with Yorkshire before being released in 2011.Now Ripley thinks he has struck gold again with a third fast bowler. Richard Gleeson, the 29-year-old former Cumberland player took 14 debut-season wickets in last summer’s NatWest Blast and has another 10 this time in what is shaping up as another successful Northants T20 campaign, which sees the county second in the North Group ahead of Friday night’s home match against Leicestershire.Gleeson was still being paid on a match-by-match arrangement last year, having never played in a professional game before the 2015 season, but he was given his first contract this year and is making an impact, too, in red-ball cricket, in which he took his first five-wicket haul in Northants’ rain-ruined Championship match against Gloucestershire this week.He was selected for the North v South matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi before the current season only to be ruled out by injury and Ripley rates him so highly he thinks England should be considering him for the T20 fixture against West Indies at Chester-le-Street next month.

‘From what I’ve seen in T20 cricket, I really hope he can be involved in that England-West Indies T20 game’

“He’s got pace, he does things with the ball and he gets good players out,” Ripley said. “From what I’ve seen in T20 cricket, I really hope he can be involved in that England-West Indies T20 game. He holds his nerve in the Powerplays with good players coming hard at him, is hard to hit off a good length, has a yorker he seems to be able to deliver at will, and some improving slower balls.”Blackpool-born Gleeson’s professional contract at Wantage Road fulfils a dream he thought would never be realised, having been overlooked by his native Lancashire, for whose cricket board he worked as a community coach until last year.”I played in under-16s festivals for one of the area teams but that was as close as it got to playing for Lancashire,” Gleeson said. “I didn’t play any Second XI games or even in age-group teams.”He played club cricket for Blackpool and a sports coaching degree helped him find work with the Lancashire board. It was only after he had been invited to play for Cumberland in minor counties that a professional career finally became a possibility.”What had started out as a six-month position with Lancashire Cricket Board had turned into a full-time job, doing a lot of Chance to Shine work with schools,” he said.”I worked in a factory for a few months after university, so it was great to be working in coaching, which is what I’d set out to do with the course I chose at university.”But when I was playing in a match for Cumberland against Bedfordshire, their captain, James Middlebrook, told me he thought I had something and said he could put me in touch with Northants. They played me in a Second XI game and then threw me in against the Australians in a tour game. I got a couple of wickets and it went on from there.”Ripley admits Gleeson’s prowess as a T20 bowler was an unexpected bonus. “The white ball stuff was actually a surprise because he had caught the eye in red ball cricket,” Ripley said. “He had a little bit of pace and could hold the ball up a little bit from a slightly angular action and we liked the look of him.”But then he got into the white ball team and the speed he bowled with the white ball in short spells, to which he has added a yorker which he has improved this year, means he now looks like a banker in all formats.Australian pinch-hitter John Hastings gets the Gleeson treatment•Getty Images”We have had some ill luck with injuries in T20 this year and Richard has been a key to us keeping our roll going.”Gleeson himself missed T20 finals day in 2016 through injury – the consequence perhaps of his over anxiety to make the most of his opportunity in the professional game, something that has cost him two long lay-offs, on the second occasion after taking a chance to play in the Bangladesh Premier League.”I played in the 50-over Blast quarter-final against Surrey and bowled probably faster than I had ever bowled but I ended up with a side strain,” he said. “So I missed T20 finals day, which was really gutting, although I was pleased that Ben Sanderson stepped up and delivered because we came through at about the same time and we get on really well.”I didn’t bowl again all season and when I went to Bangladesh I was probably a bit undercooked. I ended up getting tendinopathy in both knees and it was a long, slow process to get that sorted out and get back.”The knee problems meant he was forced by circumstance to concentrate on bowling in short bursts in white-ball matches, although his success in his Championship comeback in the pink-ball match against Leicestershire, backed up by this week’s 5 for 46 against Gloucestershire, confirmed the potential Ripley originally saw as a red-ball bowler – and confirmed that Northants’ need to look for players that others might ignore had thrown up another gem.”If our budget grew and we were able to have more players I don’t know whether we would find players like Gleesonbecause when an opportunity arose it would probably be a young 20-year-old on the staff that got it,” Ripley said.”But we have a small staff and that’s one of the reasons we are able to offer opportunities to players like him because it only takes a couple of injuries for us to need players who can go straight into our first team.”So we’ve had the opportunity to take one or two out of left field and maybe they have that little bit of extra hunger, because they realise they have to make the most of this opportunity, and that maybe gives them a bit more steel in addition to the skills.”Ben Sanderson was slightly different in that he was well regarded at Yorkshire but just couldn’t break through. But once he got the chance to play some cricket here he grabbed his opportunity.”There is a parallel with Jack Brooks, too. He was a slightly different age but again a late developer, and we put him straight into second team cricket on a recommendation. He loved it, couldn’t believe his luck and really threw himself into it.”With any career it is about being in the right place at the right time. You get some good young players who don’t quite get in at the time and then someone younger comes along and the opportunity is gone.”That happens a lot, and obviously happened with Richard. He was doing a bit of coaching, a bit of club cricket and I’m sure he was enjoying being in the game. But this is a bit different from what he has experienced. He is a professional cricketer and he has that bit of hunger to succeed.”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2016England opted to bat and James Vince, playing his first game at a World Cup, in place of the injured Alex Hales, took the score to 42 for 2 in 5.3 overs•AFPBut his wicket provided Afghanistan the spark they needed. Mohammad Nabi bowled an over that claimed three wickets…•Getty Images… Among them was the England captain Eoin Morgan, who bagged a golden duck as he left a straight ball through to his stumps•Getty ImagesAn in-form Joe Root was run-out for only 12•Getty ImagesRashid Khan bowled Ben Stokes for 7 as England were haunted by spin again. They slipped to 57 for 6 by the halfway stage of the innings•Associated PressMoeen Ali, batting at No. 7, played a decisive hand to put the match back in balance. His 41 off 33 balls took England from 85 for 7 in the 15th over to 142 for 7•Getty ImagesDavid Willey struck in the first over of the chase with the big wicket of Mohammad Shahzad•Getty ImagesHe struck once again in third over as Afghanistan began to lose their way•AFPEngland’s spinners, too, joined in as Afghanistan soon found themselves at 39 for 5 by the ninth over•Getty ImagesSamiullah Shenwari lifted his side towards the end with a slow 22•IDI/Getty ImagesShafiqullah then struck a few boundaries in the end overs to narrow down the equation, but England’s pacers held their nerve to keep Afghanistan to 127 for 9•Getty Images

While New Zealand’s impressive and unbeaten run make them clear favourites, West Indies are as capable as any team of pulling a performance out of nothing

Andrew McGlashan19-Mar-2015Unbeaten New Zealand, unpredictable West Indies. The qualification paths for the two sides playing the final quarter-final were poles apart. New Zealand’s progress was sealed with a six by Kane Williamson against Australia (apologies to MS Dhoni) while West Indies’ was sealed with a scamper against UAE.New Zealand’s three early games in a week gave them a kick start and left them well ahead of the pack. Since then, especially after the drama of the Australia game, they have often been kicking their heels waiting for their subsequent matches. They completed their group stage, sitting comfortably top of the pile, then waited to see who they would meet in Wellington.West Indies, by contrast, have always been at the centre of the will-they, won’t-they debate. An opening-match defeat against Ireland was always likely to leave them battling, but back-to-back wins against Pakistan and Zimbabwe sparked them only for heavy defeats against South Africa and India to threaten elimination. Then there was concern over the weather; they allowed UAE to fight back from 46 for 6 but in the end got home with time to spare.Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson have been keen to stress they believe New Zealand have been stretched at various stages of their qualifying campaign. That is true, but none of them were the ultimate make-or-break moment. Momentum, and perhaps a little belief, was on the line – but not their World Cup campaign. West Indies have had to play every day as though it might be their last.Now form and the manner of qualification can mean everything and nothing at the same time. It is a point that has not escaped those with a close eye on New Zealand’s fortunes. On the eve of the tournament, McCullum actually picked out his greatest fear as being that one, uncontrollable display that takes the game away.”When you talk about major fears that’s probably it. You’re dominating a game, in a position of authority and one of those match-winners comes out and takes game away from you,” he said back in Christchurch before New Zealand faced Sri Lanka.The belief around New Zealand has strengthened throughout the tournament, but the fear of the one-off remains. “The worrying fact is that when you get to quarter-finals, any one player in the opposition can have a great day,” said former captain Stephen Fleming. “It doesn’t matter who you play against – in the knockouts each team is going to have someone who can do that. That’s the only worrying aspect from an outsider’s perspective.”And West Indies, for all their qualifying stresses, are as capable as any team of pulling a performance out of nothing. Chris Gayle has a bad back and Marlon Samuels can sleepwalk through a game, but they can both score big hundreds. Darren Sammy and Andre Russell can slog one up in the air, but also out of the ground. Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor can concede ten-an-over but also take 4 for 20.West Indies have scored three individual hundreds to New Zealand’s one, but the top order limped against Ireland, India and South Africa (the latter in the face of 408 for 5). New Zealand were pushed to limited chasing 152 against Australia and needed most of their resources against Bangladesh, but were very convincing against Sri Lanka, England and Afghanistan.Holder has already talked about getting into New Zealand’s middle order. While they eventually hauled themselves over the line against Bangladesh, it was not without problems. But, ultimately, they have still won. It takes a lot to break New Zealand’s belief at the moment, but West Indies’ confidence and composure forever seems on a knife-edge. On the ground where Tim Southee blitzed England with 7 for 33, New Zealand are likely to want to bowl first to allow him and Trent Boult to set the tone as they have so often done.As Richard Hadlee stressed on Thursday, it is not just a month’s work on the line. “This is four years of planning and preparation to get to seven hours of cricket and if you’re good enough, you’ll get another seven hours,” he said. “Get it wrong in the quarter-final, drop a catch, top order fails, the bowlers don’t get it right, the fielding is not as good as it has been, those sort of things and it can all be over in that seven-hour period.”Injuries have also impacted one side far greater than the other. Darren Bravo went home after two games, Gayle’s back injury is always looming and Sulieman Benn has also struggled. In contrast, the worst New Zealand have had to contend with is Adam Milne’s shoulder and few flying-ant bites in Hamilton.Gayle, it seems, will appear come what may in Wellington. And that embodies the threat West Indies bring to the quarter-final. They are creaking, prone to imploding and forever on the cusp of another internal meltdown. Yet, they could ride on a performance from at least half a dozen of the team.”When you think they’re down, one of their players comes out and plays an explosive innings or bowls a spell that can take you out of the game,” Hesson said earlier this week. “Sometimes it’s easier to play a side that’s a bit more predictable whereas the West Indies on their day are exceptional.For all the scouting New Zealand will do, the videos they will watch and plans that have worked so well for more than a year it becomes difficult to prepare for a side who even themselves do not know which version will turn up.

Plays of the day from the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata

Devashish Fuloria03-May-2013The surpriseRahul Dravid sent in James Faulkner at No. 3 and you thought that was the surprise of the day. But as Rajasthan Royals’ batsmen started falling one by one, everyone expected to see Dravid walking in. Samson came in to bat, then came Yagnik, then Owais Shah, surely Dravid was the next in line? Apparently not. He came in to bat at No. 8, possibly the lowest he has ever batted. He struck his first ball for four, missed the second and charged back for a quick couple off the last ball of the innings. Three balls. That’s it for the legend.The buggy algorithmShane Watson had been making smooth progress and looked set for another important innings, until Sunil Narine was introduced in the 11th over. Watson got a leading edge off the first delivery, then survived a very good shout for lbw to one that was going away, then survived another shout to one that came into him, and was finally trapped in front off the fifth ball. What does one expect of lesser batsmen when an international biggie like Watson still has no algorithm to decode the mystery?The dropWhile the rest of Royals’ batting line-up was struggling against spinners on a pitch that magnified the effect, Sanju Samson, all of 18 years, was stroking the ball beautifully. But then he tried to go leg side to a Sunil Narine wrong ‘un and got a thick leading edge that ballooned towards short cover. Manvinder Bisla, the wicketkeeper, called for it and comfortably got under it, only to see the ball pop out of his hands. Bisla couldn’t believe it, Eoin Morgan, who had tried to catch the fumble, couldn’t believe it, the bowler couldn’t believe it, but reaction of the day came from team co-owner Juhi Chawla, who stared with a blank expression like she had seen a ghost.The wide Manvinder Bisla had just been beaten by a Brad Hogg wrong ‘un which he didn’t read as he went for a sweep. The next ball he tried the sweep to a chinaman that was down the leg side. He missed that one too and the keeper was unable to stop it cleanly, allowing the batsmen to change ends. The umpire, CK Nandan, didn’t signal anything, which means it would have counted as runs for Bisla. The batsman, though, signalled to the umpire that he hadn’t touched it after getting to the non-striker end. A polite request was all the umpire need to call it a wide belatedly.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore

George Binoy26-Apr-2011Impact moment of the day
Virat Kohli had played the ball towards deep midwicket and he and AB de Villiers returned for the second run, taking on the fielder because he needed to get to the ball from deep square leg. That fielder was David Warner, though, who covered ground at incredible speed, reaching the ball quicker than the batsmen anticipated. He picked it up while on the run and aimed at de Villiers’ end, challenging one of the fastest men in cricket. The throw was flat and fast from nearly 60 metres out and it crashed into the stumps at the bowler’s end with de Villiers barely in the frame. The ball went to Warner several times after that, and the batsmen did not even think about a second.The referrals
Tillakaratne Dilshan had flung the ball high in celebration, after catching a stinging slash at point from James Hopes, who was single-handedly dragging Delhi to a competitive score. Abhimanyu Mithun had reason to be relieved, for the ball was full, wide and rather average. The umpire wanted to check whether Mithun had over-stepped, though, and replays showed that he was not behind the line by a fraction. Hopes, on 43, survived. Eleven runs later, Hopes edged Mithun to the wicketkeeper but the ensuing celebrations were dampened again when the umpire checked for another over-step. This time Mithun was okay, by the tiniest of margins.The ambush
Dilshan made a duck, and Chris Gayle had not scored a run. Yet Bangalore were 26 after two overs, due to an astonishing blitz from Kohli, who struck six fours in his first ten balls. Dinda suffered first, getting cut in front and behind point, but Irfan Pathan suffered most. Kohli feasted on his friendly pace and, in the absence of movement, clipped through square, glanced to fine leg, drove through extra cover and flicked through midwicket. Every shot was timed impeccably, and placed with precision.The final lifeline
A seesawing chase had decisively swung Bangalore’s way. They needed two off five balls with three wickets in hand. And then Delhi had a glimmer of hope, as Daniel Vettori spooned an off-drive flat towards Pathan at mid-off. A wicket would have dismissed the last set batsman and left the finish to unaccomplished tailenders. Pathan moved to his right and dived forward, he got both hands to the ball but couldn’t hold on as he was off balance. With that drop, Delhi was truly sunk.

More than four years on, you can still stand on the balcony of the Bradman Stand and recall the shot that clinched one of Test cricket’s most remarkable come-from-behind victories

Dileep Premachandran23-Jan-2008

Respect: Steve Waugh hands Rahul Dravid the match ball after his unbeaten 72 guided India home by four wickets © AFP
More than four years on, you can still stand on the balcony of the Bradman Stand and recall the shot that clinched one of Test cricket’s most remarkable come-from-behind victories. Stuart MacGill, with his round-arm action, terrified other teams, but had little or no impact on the Indians, about whom he once said: “It’s not that they know what I bowl, it’s that they don’t care.”When MacGill pitched one short and wide of off stump, Rahul Dravid gave himself room and cut hard. As it sped across the outfield towards the fence in front of the George Giffen stand, he let out a yell of delight. As the team poured on to the field to celebrate coming back to win after conceding 400 for 5 on the opening day, Steve Waugh jogged across to pick up the ball. Once he did, he presented it to Dravid, whose 72 not out had glued together a run chase that was anything but straightforward.Eight years earlier, Waugh had composed his magnum opus at Sabina Park, making 200 in the face of hostile and intimidatory bowling that left huge welts and bruises all over his body. At Adelaide, he was quick to recognise the magnitude of what Dravid had achieved. He had batted 835 minutes and faced 616 balls for 305 runs, with the monumental 233 in the first innings signalling the turning of the tide.Less than three years after decimating Australian hopes with a 376-run stand at Eden Gardens, Dravid and VVS Laxman had added 303, albeit at a more sedate pace. The circumstances when they came together had been similarly dire, with India reeling at 85 for 4 after the openers had cruised to 66.It didn’t help that Australia had already posted 556. At one stage on the opening day, it had looked like it might be much more, with Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich flaying tiring bowlers in a final session that produced 159 runs. Irfan Pathan had made a dream debut, shaping one away from Matthew Hayden to have him caught behind, but India’s day had got progressively worse as Ponting and his mates took control.After Harbhajan Singh’s eleventh-hour withdrawal with a finger injury that required surgery, Anil Kumble was once again India’s frontline spinner. But with Ponting in prime form, this was a day to soak up the punishment and try to stay on your feet. By the end of day one, he had figures of 1 for 115, even worse than the 5 for 450 he had managed through the tour of 1999-2000.Ponting completed his double-century on the second morning, blowing a kiss to his wife up in the stands, and with Jason Gillespie in stroke-playing mood, Australia were on course for over 600. But Kumble’s perseverance hastened the end, and three wickets in five balls allowed the openers to head out with something resembling a spring in their step.After 12 overs of making merry, the wheels came off, but with Laxman and Dravid adding 95 before stumps, there was a frisson of hope. And when India made 297 for the loss of only three wickets throughout the third day, Kolkata had almost been reprised. Final-day chases at Adelaide are traditionally tricky though, and Australia’s eventual lead of 33 still had the potential to be decisive.On the ill-fated tour four years earlier, Ajit Agarkar had taken out the Waugh twins and Greg Blewett in the second innings, but it had been to no avail as India lasted just 38.1 overs in pursuit of 396. This time, he got his rhythm right almost from his first delivery, swinging the ball at lively pace and with immaculate control.The final day was as engrossing as any you could wish to see. Each time India appeared to be cruising, Australia would fight back. Every batsman got a start, but only Dravid stayed on, combining limpet-like adhesion with unflappable temperament Australia were two down by lunch, and all out an hour before stumps. Agarkar had figures of 6 for 41 from 16.2 overs and India were left to make 230 to clinch a first win on Australian soil since a hamstrung Kapil Dev inspired victory at the MCG in 1981. Katich’s miscued hook epitomised Australia’s almost-reckless approach, and the Indians had knocked off 37 by the time stumps were drawn.The final day was as engrossing as any you could wish to see. Each time India appeared to be cruising, Australia would fight back. Every batsman got a start, but only Dravid stayed on, combining limpet-like adhesion with unflappable temperament. With the pressure on, it was Australia that cracked.Dravid had made just 9 when Brad Williams induced an edge. Adam Gilchrist dropped it, and the fate of the match was sealed. MacGill and Katich gave them fleeting hope, while Williams and Andy Bichel were tireless and unlucky, but the moment had come and gone. Laxman’s breezy 32 sealed it, but it was fitting that the last act belonged to Dravid, who had done a Waugh in the great man’s final series.Four years on, there are 10 survivors from that epic game. Ashish Nehra has long since slipped off the radar, Aakash Chopra was dropped soon after but is now among the runs in the domestic circuit, while Parthiv Patel has to play third fiddle to MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik. Missing too is Agarkar, who could never replicate his heroics of that afternoon, and whose days in an India Test cap are probably done.Australia’s line-up has also been irrevocably altered by retirement and the passage of time. Justin Langer and Damien Martyn followed Waugh into retirement last year, while the likes of Gillespie, MacGill and Katich operate on the fringes. Williams, so nearly the hero, played only two more Tests before increasing disillusionment took him to the Gold Coast and life as a house painter.Bichel, Australia’s top wicket-taker in that game, never wore the baggy green again, but continued to star for a Queensland team in decline until shoulder surgery cut short his season last November. Ponting, Gilchrist and Hayden remain, and given the travails of the first two, Hayden’s bulldozing style will be central to Australia’s hopes of clinching the current series. If it’s even half as good a contest as the one in 2003, the next five days will be worth losing sleep over.

A few hours later though, news came through of Tamim reversing his decision to retire from international cricket

Mohammad Isam07-Jul-2023

“Is this press conference being held about tomorrow’s match? If not, then Litton Das doesn’t need to be here. Call the board president or the coach. They can tell you. I came here to speak about tomorrow’s game.”This was Litton himself speaking in third person. It was around the halfway mark of a long press conference where he had been unveiled as Bangladesh’s interim ODI captain but all anyone wanted to talk about was Tamim Iqbal’s sudden retirement from international cricket. Litton had been fending them all off for the most part, but eventually his patience ran out.Bangladesh players have long held the belief that “retirement” is a touchy subject. The BCB president Nazmul Hassan made it abundantly clear he expects the players to do what they do only after taking his consent. For example, when Mahmudullah retired from Tests in Harare two years ago, Hassan was furious with him and did not accept his decision. It was only much later that Hasan and the board acknowledged the retirement.Tamim’s absence during Friday’s training was a bit jarring. There wasn’t any outward show of solidarity or tribute to him from the rest of the squad. After all, they’re in the middle of an important series, and they’re 0-1 down. But Tamim had a deep and meaningful impact on this Bangladesh team. If his now former team-mates, coaches and support staff find it emotional, they can’t be faulted.Related

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“I learned about it at 1:00pm yesterday,” Litton said. We didn’t expect such a decision. We have been playing together for a long time. It is totally elder bother’s decision. He has given a lot to Bangladesh cricket in his long career. The whole team respects his decision.”I don’t think I should answer these questions, especially with a match coming up tomorrow. We are 1-0 down. We are all focused on winning tomorrow. Even elder brother said that the team comes first. There’s no point talking about it (whether it was professional to criticise Tamim). BCB has given me the responsibility which I want to perform to the best of my ability.”It is hard to say (if we miss Tamim). I am here today. If I am not here tomorrow, maybe due to an injury, Bangladesh team won’t miss me. This is normal. New cricketers will come, and there will be a time when we will also be gone. It will keep happening. If he was around, it may have been good or bad. I don’t think we need to talk about it now that he is not around.”Retirement is a touchy subject in Bangladesh cricket, so much so that the new captain is reluctant to talk about his feelings towards a senior player with whom he had spent eight years of his professional career. This is life under the BCB.The board announced Litton as the ODI captain only a few minutes before he walked into the press conference room on Friday morning. He must have known beforehand, since the decision was made the night before. Some of the BCB directors had a meeting with Hassan in Dhaka, after which it was decided that Litton would lead in the interim.Litton, who has led Bangladesh in the past but only in a stand-in capacity, was the vice-captain for the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan. It is understood that he is once again a temporary measure, for just the rest of this series, and Shakib Al Hasan is the frontrunner to become captain of the ODI side to go with his leadership roles in Tests and T20Is.The Tamim question put to the Afghanistan captain produced a more straightforward response. “He was definitely a top player for Bangladesh,” Hashmatullah Shahidi. “He was an experienced captain. He was around for a long time. It will be a good advantage for us. His absence. We are looking forward for tomorrow’s game.”I don’t know what’s happening with them. I focus on us. You can say it is surprising for everyone that he left in between. He is a nice and kind guy. I respect him too much.”At around 6pm Dhaka time on Friday, the final turn of this incredible drama was revealed as Tamim withdrew his retirement after a meeting with the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.