Pep Guardiola revealed how Manchester City took care of Erling Haaland as he hailed the Norwegian for his match-winning brace against Brentford.
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Opener says enforced stay in bio bubble is an opportunity to bond with teammates rather than a restriction
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2020Three venues in the UAE will share the load of hosting 60 IPL matches this season. This, according to the Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan, could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the players won’t be flying between venues constantly like they do back in India. On the other, they might have to play a lot of matches on worn pitches.”Because there will be less travel, your body won’t tire as much,” Dhawan said during a media interaction organised by the Capitals. “Usually in the IPL, your match will finish late at night, and then you’ll take a flight at 11 the next morning. Now, all the players will be able to recover better between matches.”[From a batsman’s point of view], it’ll depend on the pitches. If we get good, true pitches, we’ll make plenty of runs, but it won’t be that easy if the pitches aren’t as good. We’ve not had cricket for all these months, so we’ll have to see how the pitches are prepared, how they are used. By the middle of the tournament, they’ll get used quite a lot [because there are only three venues], so it’s possible they will start turning, or keep low – all these things are possible.”ALSO READ: IPL 2020 schedule: A team-by-team guideTired, used pitches, however, might present the Capitals with an advantage over some of their rivals, given the strength of their spin attack, which has been bolstered by the acquisition of R Ashwin in an out-of-auction trade from Kings XI Punjab.”I feel that the wickets are going to turn a bit or get slower, because only three grounds are available, and that’s where we’ve got such great spinners in our side,” Dhawan said. “Ashwin has come in, Sandeep [Lamichhane] is there, Amit Mishra is there, Axar [Patel] is there, so we’ve got a very very strong side, and at the same time they bat well, so our batting goes deep, and with their experience, it’s going to be a huge advantage for us.”On-field challenges apart, the players in this season’s IPL will also need to endure two months inside a bio-secure bubble. Dhawan said players would need to be mentally strong to get through it.”There are challenges to living within the bubble, because you won’t get to meet new people, you’ll have to remain with the same people throughout. You can’t go to restaurants, you can only go to designated areas. Our team has an entertainment room, where we play TT or video games, so that’s a good thing we’ve been provided, plus we have team dinners.
“Where there are challenges, there are opportunities. I see it as an opportunity to bond with my team-mates and the entire team.”SHIKHAR DHAWAN ON THE BIO BUBBLE
“Where there are challenges, there are opportunities as well, and it depends on the person and how he views things. I see it as an opportunity to bond with my team-mates and the entire team.”Secondly, whether a player is doing well or badly, they can’t go out, they’ll have to remain inside [the bubble] and go through those emotions. There won’t be an outlet. You can’t go out and relax and divert your mind. People have to be mentally strong – as I said, it can be a challenge, it can be an opportunity too. I see it as an opportunity – I’m going to explore it and get stronger.”Beyond the IPL, Dhawan hasn’t given up hope of making a Test comeback. He is a regular for India in white-ball cricket, but he hasn’t played a Test match since September 2018.Since then, India have used Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul as their Test openers, and all four remain above Dhawan in the pecking order for now. That, however, doesn’t discourage Dhawan. He said he was ready to make the best of any opportunity he might get to make his case, and used the example of the century he made for Delhi against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy last December – which had also strengthened his claims for an ODI comeback after Rahul had stepped in and scored plenty of runs in Dhawan’s injury-enforced absence.”I’m not in the Test team now, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up the desire [to be part of it],” he said. “When I’ve got the chance… like last year when I made a century in the Ranji Trophy, I made a comeback into the one-day team, and if I get a chance, why not?”
Crystal Palace are ready to back Oliver Glasner by reuniting him with another of his former players, according to reports coming out of Italy, following previous reports linking the Eagles with Daichi Kamada.
Though it has been a happy start to his time in south London, Glasner and his Crystal Palace side are likely to see a significant overhaul ahead of the new Premier League season kicking off.
After steering the Eagles well clear of relegation trouble thanks to a burst of good form in recent weeks, Glasner appears to have bought the feel-good factor back to Selhurst Park, but it may not last.
That comes with plenty of Palace stars at risk of being poached this summer. Captain Marc Guehi is the latest to be linked with a move away from the club amid interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, and the England defender is down to the final two years of his contract.
Crystal Palace star who Glasner loves is set to extend deal
The Eagles supporters can look forward to seeing him play beyond this season.
By
Dan Emery
Apr 28, 2024
Also thought to be of interest are attacking pair Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, both of whom have been subject to interest previously – Palace have slapped £60m price tags on the pair in a bid to preempt interest this summer.
Though they would receive mammoth fees, it does feel likely that the Eagles will lose at least one of their key trio before the new season kicks off, and they need to be able to build the rest of the side for when that happens.
Now, they have been linked with a cheap move that brings bags of experience.
Now, reports coming out of Italy have linked Glasner with a reunion with one of his former players during his time with Eintracht Frankfurt.
The player in question? Serbian defender Filip Kostic, who is currently with Serie A giants Juventus.
According to Italian outlet Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], he has been placed on the transfer list by the Old Lady, for whom he has started 25 Serie A games this season.
Priced at just €10m (£8.5m), Juventus are keen to be rid of him despite Kostic still having two years left to run on his £51k-per-week deal in Turin.
It is added that Crystal Palace are the main contenders for his signature as it stands, with the Eagles having "carried out surveys" on the possibility of adding the veteran to their ranks this summer.
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Filip Kostic under Oliver Glasner |
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|
Appearances |
45 |
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Goals |
7 |
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Assists |
16 |
|
Minutes per goal contribution |
168 |
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Yellow cards |
4 |
Tuttosport also states that Glasner's history with the player is "significant", with the pair having linked up to good effect at German side Eintracht Frankfurt – something which they claim could see the Austrian push his side to make the move happen before the new season.
Kostic was a favourite in Frankfurt, with former Frankfurt Sporting Director Fredi Bobic hailing him as an "extraordinary" player and a "top professional".
“He showcased his extraordinary qualities [at Stuttgart] and then at Hamburg.”
“He’s a quiet and reserved guy, works very hard in training and puts in extra running shifts. He’s a top professional.”
Kostic isn't the only former player Glasner has been linked with bringing to south London, with Daichi Kamada also reportedly on his radar as he looks set to become a free agent this summer.
Everton have endured a tough couple of campaigns off the field, with the club suffering multiple points deductions during 2023/24, which has threatened the club's ever-present Premier League status.
The Toffees have so far received two separate sanctions, with the club being deducted eight points in total after breaches of the Premier League's FFP and PSR rules.
However, Sean Dyche's side are still outside the relegation zone despite the breaches, sitting two points clear of Luton Town, who occupy the last drop zone place.
The club's solid defensive record is partly to thank for their league position, with the club only conceding 48 times – a tally that is 22 less than Rob Edwards' side.
However, the club allowed one defender to leave Goodison Park in the last couple of years, with the club making the right decision given his recent form during 2023/24.
Yerry Mina's stats at Everton
After joining the club for £28.5m from Barcelona back in the summer of 2018, centre-back Yerry Mina was brought in to bolster the Toffees' defence and push the club towards European football.
He suffered with injuries during the majority of his first campaign on Merseyside, but went on to feature 13 times for the club during his season in English football.
The 2019/20 campaign would be his best on two fronts for Everton, making 29 appearances and scoring twice – both his highest tallies during his stint at the club.
However, Mina's game time would gradually decrease in the seasons following, starting in 2020/21 when the Colombian still made a respectable 24 starts, but still a drop from the season prior.
The former Barcelona centre-back could only muster 20 appearances over the course of the next two seasons, with Mina departing Goodison at the end of the 2022/23 season after his contract expired.
2018/19
13
1
2019/20
29
2
2020/21
24
1
2021/22
13
0
2022/23
7
0
Yerry Mina's stats in 2023/24
After leaving Everton last summer, the now 28-year-old Colombian joined Fiorentina in Italy on a free transfer, with his contract length with the Serie A side unknown.
However, he only made four appearances for the club, none of which came from the start, before leaving after just six months to join fellow Italian side Cagliari in January.
He's since started nine out of ten games in the league for the side who currently occupy 14th place in Serie A as he looks for a more settled home after his Goodison departure.
Despite his impact on Merseyside for the Toffees, the club made the right decision in allowing Mina to leave the club at the end of his contract in July last year.
The centre-back was on a whopping £120k-per-week, as per Spotrac, at Everton, with the club needing to cut costs where possible to try and comply with the Premier League's strict FFP rules.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
His wages alone will save the Toffees over £6.2m per year, which will go a long way to ensuring the club stay within the regulations in the seasons to come.
Given Jarrad Branthwaite's rapid rise to a consistent first-team starting position, the club haven't missed Mina, with the Colombian unlikely to have dislodged the youngster given his form in the Premier League under Dyche this season.
Everton may regret 2023 sale whose value has risen 844% after leaving
He’s excelled away from Goodison Park this campaign.
ByEthan Lamb Apr 11, 2024
India and Pakistan have identical numbers and performances in the tournament so far as they prepare for a second consecutive U-19 World Cup semi-final meeting
Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom03-Feb-2020Big pictureIndia’s highest score this World Cup is 297. Pakistan’s is 294. India have taken 40 wickets in four games. Pakistan have taken 39. And that might’ve been 40 too, had their group stage game not been abandoned with Bangladesh at 106 for 9.Pakistan captain Rohail Nazir has beaten an Indian team before. He did it as a teenager while captaining the U-23 side at the ACC Emerging Cup last year, where Pakistan knocked India out in the semi-final.Among the 11 Pakistan players who will take the field on Tuesday, Nazir is the only player to have featured in the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat against India. Nazir said he dropped a catch early on in Shubman Gill’s innings that allowed him to score a hundred and take the game away from Pakistan. This time, he vows to not make that same mistake.As for India, “process” is the one word that rings through the camp. Despite being pushed into a corner against Australia’s bowlers, their allrounders dragged them out of a difficult situation by looking to bat through till the 50th over. The last time both sides faced, once again at an ACC Emerging Cup competition – although this was for U-19s – it was India who won by 60 runs last year. Barring that batting wobble, there’s nothing else that’s gone wrong for the side in the World Cup.There’s not much to separate both sides, so the flimsy ground on which India have an edge is evidence from past World Cups. Pakistan’s U-19s haven’t beaten India at a World Cup since 2010 and as a unit have come together far later than the current India U-19s.And then there’s the bowling departments. Like India, Pakistan have a left-arm seamer, a right-arm quick and a handy left-arm orthodox bowler within their ranks. But what they lack is a frontline wristspinner, which India’s Ravi Bishnoi is. On a used and tired Potchefstroom pitch, that may be the difference between the two sides.It’s expected to be the most-watched World Cup game so far. It will probably have higher a viewership than the final. In recent history, India-Pakistan games have not lived up to their hype. Here’s hoping 2020 is different.Form guideIndia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWL
In the spotlightIndia opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, is by far, their most successful batsman in this tournament, scoring three fifties at an average of 103.50. His wicket will be key for Pakistan, since India’s second-highest run-scorer in the tournament – Diyaansh Saxena – has made only 89 runs. If Jaiswal can anchor through, then the remainder of India’s batting order can play around him. If he fails, the pressure shifts to a relatively untested Indian batting order.Pakistan’s left-arm quick Tahir Hussain is an unknown quantity for India. He was a late replacement for Naseem Shah in the squad and was discovered just months before the tournament, after being spotted by coach Ijaz Ahmed while he was a net bowler to the U-19 national team. The left-arm seamer can move the ball to move both ways – both in the air and off the deck – and poses a danger both with the new and old ball.Team newsBoth sides are injury-free and are likely to go unchanged from their quarterfinal wins.India (likely): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Divyaansh Saxena, 3 Tilak Verma, 4 Priyam Garg (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Siddhesh Veer, 7 Atharva Ankolekar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Sushant Mishra, 10 Kartik Tyagi, 11 Akash SinghPakistan (likely) : 1 Haider Ali, 2 Mohammad Huraira, 3 Rohail Nazir (capt, wk), 4 Fahad Munir, 5 Qasim Akram, 6 Mohammad Haris 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Abbas Afridi, 9 Tahir Hussain, 10 Amir Ali, 11 Mohammad Amir KhanPitch and conditionsPotchefstroom receives showers nearly everyday, and tournament rules say India will go through – because of more group stage wins – in case the game is washed out, but the chances of rain are only 20%. The pitch is a tired one, and team totals have fallen as the tournament has progressed. Batting conditions are tricky with the new ball and spinners get considerable purchase with the older ball.Stats and trivia Pakistan last beat India at the U-19 World Cup in 2010 Among games between nations that have senior Test teams at the 2020 U-19 World Cup, the highest score at Senwes Park is 261. The average first-innings score in games between such at this ground during the tournament has been 193.5 (completed matches only) Jaiswal needs 52 more runs to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer
South Africa must find better support for lead spinner Keshav Maharaj, whose absence was felt in Pakistan
Firdose Moonda08-Nov-2025South Africa will leave Pakistan with only a share of a Test series after losing both white-ball contests, including their first ODI series under coach Shukri Conrad. Given that they have also won just five out of 13 T20Is since July, and there is a World Cup looming in three months’ time, it could be cause for concern. But there’s a caveat.Despite Conrad’s assertion that South Africa would have their first-choice players available more often than not, the opposite has happened. A packed schedule, the need to prioritise some series over others and the inevitability of injuries has meant that South Africa have not always been at full strength. That was the case for both the T20I and ODI series in Pakistan and so the post-tour analysis is likely to focus more on individuals than the overall result.This is what South Africa may have learnt:
A four-ball one in Windhoek last month was not quite the way Quinton de Kock would have wanted to come back to the international game but he quickly found his old self, albeit in the longer white-ball game. De Kock was named player of the ODI series as he topped the run-charts with a century sandwiched between two fifties that served as a reminder of how vital he is at the top of the order.ESPNcricinfo LtdNo longer just a basher, de Kock was happy to let his young opening partner Lhuan-dre Pretorius take the lead while he dropped anchor and it worked a charm. The pair shared in three profitable opening stands and have given South Africa a good selection headache. Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram are the incumbents but it is difficult to see a situation where South Africa don’t find a space for de Kock, who continues to work on his game.”It’s my first time playing white-ball cricket in Pakistan and I learnt a couple of things about my own game,” he said on Saturday. “The wickets stayed low, reverse swing and there was a bit of a turn, so it was about how we adjusted to that.”De Kock will have a break before South Africa’s white-ball series in India, which could prove decisive in whether he makes the T20 World Cup squad.
Pakistan seemed to be Matthew Breetzke’s favourite place to play cricket earlier this year when he scored 150 on debut at the start of a run of five successive fifty-plus scores. Breetzke was the world’s leading run-getter after five ODI innings and the second-leading after eight but has since fallen to fifth after nine innings in what was a tough return, with additional responsibility.Matthew Breetzke enjoyed an excellent tour of Pakistan earlier this year, but in this one he made 42, 17 and 16•Getty ImagesHe was named South Africa’s stand-in captain and while he did a decent job in the field, his batting returns of 42, 17 not out and 16 were less than satisfactory. Breetzke was out to Abrar Ahmed on the two occasions he was dismissed – once trying a big shot and once on the forward defence – and like so many South Africans before him will want to work on his game play against legspin. In the third ODI, he wanted “to try and play as straight as possible with the variable bounce” but it proved trickier than he expected. Of course, Breetzke did not become a bad batter over the course of three matches but with a queue of top-order players knocking down the door, including Tony de Zorzi, his returns in this series may push him down the pecking order for now.
With the first-choice fast bowlers – Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen – rested, left-armer Nandre Burger stepped up and finished second to Abrar on the wicket-takers’ charts. Four of his five wickets came in the second ODI, and three of those four in the powerplay, where he used the bouncer to excellent effect. Breetzke singled out Burger’s “aggression,” as a positive South Africa will take from this tour. Burger also found seam movement in the third match and sprinkled in slower-ball variations and has given South Africa an additional option to vary their attack.Nqabayomzi Peter, the 23-year-old legspinner, is likely to be part of SA’s future plans•Getty Images
Keshav Maharaj was rested for this series and his absence only seems to highlight his importance, but South Africa must find another tier of spinners to come after him. Donovan Ferreira had a forgettable tour with ball, bat and as a temporary T20I captain and George Linde was expensive which leaves left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin and legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter to assess. Fortuin was South Africa’s most economical bowler of the ODIs, and conceded at 4.50 runs to the over, but was not particularly threatening while Peter, 23, demonstrated good control and is most likely to be part of South Africa’s longer-term plans.Playing in Pakistan is tough – for reasons other than the conditions While almost all the South African players interviewed described the pitches as the most difficult thing to get used to in Pakistan, there were also other challenges that come with touring a country so unlike their own. South Africa cited last year’s Bangladesh Test series as a tour that unified them like never before because they were confined to their hotel and this year’s Pakistan visit may have had the same effect.”You kind of get into a routine because you can’t leave the hotel,” de Zorzi said at a pre-match press conference. “So it’s a bit of a grind on and off. It’s almost just staying in that work mindset and only really focusing on cricket. There’s nothing else to focus on. There’s nothing else to do. Everything is a bit of a grind, but you kind of make peace with that. And anyone would be happy to do that grind. So you just have to remind yourself that you’re lucky to be here and it’s your job.”
After combining to topple a target of 223, Salt and Brook showed they can drive England’s next white-ball era
Cameron Ponsonby17-Dec-2023As Harry Brook launched his first ball back over the bowler’s head, West Indies captain Rovman Powell at long-on started to walk-in.The ball had gone high, with the angle blurring whether it had gone far, or just gone up. Powell continued to walk-in, but just as you expected him to look up and settle himself for a catch, his stare remained gun-barrel straight. The ball had gone. And he had the next over to prepare for.”Yeah, I knew I’d got it,” Brook smiles. “It came straight out of the screws…I was waiting for the slower ball and I was looking straight the whole time. Thankfully he missed and I took the opportunity.”Brook had walked in to bat with 37 runs required off 13 deliveries. A total that was hauled in with a ball to spare as he contributed with a scarcely believable 31 not out off 7 balls.The 21 runs he struck off the final over to win the match was a figure that had only ever been achieved once before in the history of T20I cricket.”I was trying to stay as cool as possible and relaxed. As soon as I get tensed up that’s when i lose my shape and I don’t quite hit the ball as cleanly. So I was just trying to stay as cool as possible and free-flowing.”Brook’s summary of the wave of emotions he felt when the winning runs came off his bat was typically understated, taking a moment to reflect, before sighing that, “yeah, it’s a pretty good feeling.” Whilst Phil Salt, who himself had contributed with the small matter of 109 not out off 56 balls, was more superlative, “There is no more special feeling than walking off the ground in an England shirt, winning the game.”Related
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Salt 109*, Brook late cameo fire England to dramatic chase of 223
Brook’s talent is such that in an era where every other white-ball batter to be has had to wait their turn, he’s been given a VIP wristband and allowed to jump the queue. Since the summer of 2022, Brook forced his way into the T20 side in time to play every single match of the victorious World Cup campaign before scoring four Test centuries in his first six matches, which in turn paved the way for his entry into the ODI set-up and eventually the World Cup squad.By contrast, Salt is three years his senior and made his England debut a year earlier, but has lived a bridesmaid’s international career. There to help out whenever required, but never afforded his own special day. Until yesterday.”We spoke about that actually the other day,” Brook said of England wanting to build a team of characters who can win when their backs are against the wall. “Trying to play with personality and go out there and show what you can do. Salty’s done that beautifully today, it’s his first hundred for England in T20 cricket and I’m sure if he keeps on batting like that he’ll get many more.”In Brook and Salt’s embrace at the end, you had a picture of two players with different routes but the same destination as integral members of England’s next white-ball generation.A point of particular pride for both players was that England, having scored 13 fewer sixes than the West Indies across the first two matches of the series, had turned the table in the third and out-Windied the Windies. Salt himself struck nine, Brook four, England 18 and the West Indies 16.Salt and Brook – the frontmen of England’s new white-ball wave?•Associated Press”It’s an incredible effort,” Salt said. “The power that those guys have. I’ve played with a lot of them, played with Dre in the Hundred, played with Rovman in the IPL. Even in the nets over there, I was a bit shocked at times with the raw power they have and then when you’re playing against them, seeing the ball fly over your head, it’s not just going ten metres over, it’s a good 30, 40, 50 metres over the fence. Sometimes you are genuinely in awe of it.”To out-six them today, it shows we’ve got what it takes. Mo (Moeen Ali) talked in the huddle before the game about fighting fire with fire, so that’s a nice little stat, that.”Brook has long been considered a lock, but Salt’s innings could for the first time have officially shifted the dial of England’s white-ball pecking order. It was only a matter of months ago that Salt had lost his place at the top of the order to Will Jacks, but such is his propensity for attacking the powerplay that this series saw Salt get the nod at the top of the tree, with Jacks relegated to No.3. And now, with Jonny Bairstow’s return on the horizon, it is difficult to imagine a world where England refutes the opportunity to keep Salt where he is, with Bairstow replacing Jacks at first drop.It has taken eight years for the next generation to be afforded the chance to come through, but in Salt and Brook, England have the backbone of a batting line-up that will serve them well for years to come.
Viv Richards, lion in winter, talks T20 and whether he wishes he was playing in the modern era
Osman Samiuddin16-Mar-20220:59
‘If T20 was around when we were, why not go and have some professional fun’
Last week, as we mourned the tragic loss of one of the game’s greats, so passed a significant life moment for another. Sir Viv Richards, who played his last Test five months before Shane Warne played his first, is now 70 years old.Or, as he is quick to point out, “70 years young”.It’s a bit of a dad-quip but are you not going to laugh when Viv Richards laughs, satisfied with the funny he’s made? We’re talking, as we do now, via Zoom, and Richards, proudly of Antigua, is sitting in a hotel room in Lahore, as a “mentor” for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, talking into a smartphone. This is a very 21st-century scene, although Richards, and those shoulders, bring a magisterial touch to the framing.Related
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Nowadays this commitment is his most active involvement in the game. And while a T20 franchise mentor is totally the same energy as a company’s Chief Happiness Officer, somehow Richards’ role at Quetta has not only appeared organic, it has also been substantive.His presence in the dugout at PSL games has often been the game to watch. Even now, there’s little doubt he is – was – an athlete, the vibe he always brought, that there is nothing more serious in his life than that to which he is presently deployed. He chest-bumps, he fist-pumps, he high-fives, he grooves. In the first PSL, when Quetta reached the final, he charged on to the field to celebrate, with the same conviction with which he once celebrated a Rob Bailey dismissal. That was five years go, but he’s still so clearly into each moment of a game, you can’t help but wonder: 30 years from his last game, how much is he missing it?”Not really,” he says. “What I’m seeing is a lot of individuals who have done the game in itself proud. The magnificent players that you’ve seen, certainly the game has improved somewhat. The bats, the power-hitting, you know, most certainly the T20 stuff wasn’t around when we were playing.”With old chum Ian Botham at the unveiling of the trophy named after the two of them earlier this month in North Sound, Antigua•Gareth Copley/AFP/Getty ImagesSurely, though, there have been times where you’ve sized up some poor bowler, clocked the boundary sizes, felt the heft of that bat and thought: pad me up now?”Well, yes, I would say this, that sometimes there is a little urge… why the hell didn’t T20 come a little earlier, you know?” There’s a little shimmying of those shoulders as he says this, just one of the physical manifestations of that gold-dust swagger.”One of the things I am pleased and very happy for is that the pioneers that graced the field over the years, they would’ve set the foundation for what’s happening today. I’m just hoping that the individuals who are playing today and earning whatever, appreciate the fact that there were pioneers before who obviously led the way for what’s happening today.”A wider theme can be parsed from these lines, in which, broadly speaking, the supremacy of red-ball cricket is paramount. T20s cannot be the judge of a cricketer, Richards says. Red-ball remains “the real baptism where cricket is concerned”. Boundaries are too small. If helmets weren’t around, neither would modern batting’s derring-do be. “Suits of armour” makes an appearance, and he frets players are too readily forsaking national teams for franchises. In referring to T20s as “professional fun”, moreover, he fairly harrumphs “professional”, as might a man from a time when being a professional cricketer was not inevitable.This is a generational cleft, although it doesn’t come across as bitter as much as it does cautionary. It is to say that a world existed before yesterday, that people strived hard in it; in it people failed and excelled, in it people innovated, in it there were greats who were shaped by the circumstances of their time. It is to say that as we move ahead, we can only do so by remaining mindful of where we are coming from. Which is no bad plea.And he kind of have a point about bowlers in T20s.Richards obliges with selfies and autographs at the West Indies-Pakistan game in the 2019 World Cup•Gareth Copley/ICC/Getty Images”What I would say is that there are times when I think bowlers are taken advantage of.” He pauses, then laughs at the words that are about to come: “And I say that mildly.”You know, when you look at some of these T20 tournaments, you see the small boundaries, these huge hitters, the improvement in the bats, you know, as a batsman I shouldn’t be saying this, but I believe that the bowlers sometimes have been taken for granted. Especially when you have batters making mistakes, top-edging stuff for sixes. I believe the boundary sometimes could be a little bit bigger. Just making the playing field on the whole much more enjoyable for everyone to participate and compete.”When asked what his one wish for the game would be, he asks for bigger boundaries. It is hardly a radical manifesto, but this note of sympathy from a batter who displayed little of it to bowlers when playing adds a little gravitas.That had everything to do with the bowlers he came across, the Lillees and Thommos, the Imrans and Hadlees, as well as his own team-mates. The one thing he couldn’t dare give them was sympathy.We are currently passing through an era that might, in time, be remembered even more favourably for fast bowling. Richards watched the Ashes – it is not clear why – and, unsurprisingly, liked what he saw from the hosts.”When I looked at Australia, I felt that was the perfect example. You have four guys coming at you all day and you’ve got to survive that, your technique on the line. Testing times. The leaving of deliveries outside off stump. The concentration factor.I and I: Richards holds up a portrait of him by artist Brandon Kelly•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images”Yes, you look at even Shaheen [Shah Afridi], he has come on in leaps and bounds. Ever since I’ve been coming here to Pakistan, this is one of the things I have noted – the finds in terms of fast bowlers. Guys are clicking at 145-150kph on a regular basis, which means that it is healthy in that category.”As I said, some of the things that have not changed, in my opinion, is proper fast bowling. I could call on a few from yesterday, you know, who were fine exponents. I could give you four who I played with. And the count could go on and on. But in a big way, I believe that never changes.”The fastest bowler he says he faced was Jeff Thomson, which is not surprising. The fastest ball he ever faced is, but also isn’t: a bouncer from Wasim Akram in an ODI in Hobart in late 1988. It could be recency bias of one kind – on the morning of this interview, Richards had inducted Akram into the PCB’s hall of fame. But everyone knows that though Akram operated as a sculptor, he could be a wrecking ball when the mood gripped him.”One of the quickest deliveries I have ever, ever encountered, and I believe there was someone upstairs looking after me,” he recalls. “I had some hair left then, somewhat of a mini-Afro and this one went by so quickly, I could hear it hitting the wicketkeeper’s gloves and I said, ‘Wow, wow.’ Wasim was a young man, coming on to the scene, and I was heading towards the exit door so I was glad that while he was coming then, I was going.”I can remember also that I did say to the individuals, the batsmen in the West Indies team at the time, I said, ‘Hey man, good luck to you guys, having to encounter that guy on a regular basis man.’ Wasim, he was very, very special. Up to this day, I still see that particular delivery. I have nightmares about it every now and again.”It is from a great contemporary of Richards’ that we have heard on racism over the last couple of years, since the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Michael Holding has become a prominent and powerful voice on racism. For those who followed the great West Indies sides of that era, it might seem an unexpected development; even Holding himself admitted in 2020 that Richards was more politically active than he was during their playing days.Second life: Richards is probably found more often on golf courses than at cricket grounds these days•Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesThere would appear to be no specific reason why we have not heard Richards as much. It could be visibility – the pandemic has meant that the first time he travelled outside the Caribbean in recent years was for the T20 World Cup last year. It’s definitely not because he has suddenly not been subject to racist behaviour anymore. In fact, he was, as recently as when returning from the T20 World Cup, on a flight in the Caribbean. It should be getting better, he says, but it isn’t.And he is exactly as you imagine he might be on the issue.”Well, what I know for sure is, the way it should be is that all lives should matter. You know, that’s the way I look at it. All lives should matter. But in some cases, take, for instance, America, the racism we have seen on a regular basis, innocent folks being gunned down by the police, it doesn’t seem like that is the case.”So this is why I will always be an advocate in a big way. Why is it that it just keeps happening to this particular colour?” He points to his forearm. “Because I myself have gone through that sort of stuff, the racism, at some point. I’m a pretty conscious guy. I’ve always believed in my colour, my race. And anyone, in my opinion, who wants to shoot you down, to stamp on you because of your colour, he doesn’t have a divine right to do that.”This is why I would always believe in the Malcolm X factor: by any means necessary, if you need to survive some of the thinking of individuals around the world, like the National Front, the Klan. I’m for anyone of this colour, whoever is being persecuted, whoever is facing race issues, anyone on this earth who is going to say to me as a human being that I haven’t got any right to survive because of my colour – wow, I will do what it takes, what is necessary, in order to survive.”The only sour note, really, is that we’ve lost Richards to golf. That’s how he now spends his days, hanging on courses with Richie Richardson and Eldine Baptiste. Playing a fair bit too, as a handicap of seven indicates. Not bad, he says, for a 70-year-old.
MatériaMais Notícias
Douglas Luiz concedeu entrevista coletiva nesta quinta-feira (21), antes do amistoso da Seleção Brasileira contra a Inglaterra. Jogador do Aston Villa, da Premier League, o meio-campista falou sobre a oportunidade de jogar em Wembley e comparou os momentos das duas seleções, antecipando dificuldades.
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– Então, eu jogando aqui, falando minha opinião como jogador da Premier League. É uma liga muito forte, eles com certeza não vão querer perder. Acho que vai ser um grande espetaculo em Wembley, um estádio que não é qualquer jogador que pode jogar. Eu graças a Deus tive uma oportunidade de jogar lá em cinco anos, numa final de copa contra o Manchester City – comentou Douglas Luiz.
– A gente sabe a dificuldade do jogo, estamos tentando entender o trabalho do Dorival o mais rápido possível. São momento diferentes, a gente em reconstrução e a seleção da Inglaterra já com o grupo mais formado, mas a gente vai dar nosso melhor para vencer essa partida – completou o volante.
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Sobre posicionamento, Douglas Luiz afirmou acreditar que Dorival irá manter um volante para cumprir a função de Casemiro, que foi cortado desta convocação por conta de lesão. O jogador analisou taticamente o trabalho do novo treinador.
– Tive uma conversa com ele, e acho que ele vai manter esse número 5, porque o Dorival é um cara que gosta muito desse jogo posicionado. Ele gosta muito de defender os 11 e atacar marcando. Então, acredito que ele vá deixar esse 5 ali mais posicionado, e aí não sei se vai jogar com dois volantes ou um “triângulo”, com um 5 e dois 8. Isso vou ter um pouco mais de noção hoje – explicou.
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Douglas também falou sobre ter sido ausência em convocações no ano passado, mesmo fazendo ótima temporada pelo Aston Villa. O meio-campista retornou à Seleção na última lista de 2023, e foi mantido por Dorival Júnior para esta Data Fifa.
– Cara, eu procuro sempre fazer meu melhor dentro de campo e isso refletir numa convocação. Mas eu fico tranquilo, como eu disse, a Seleção é recheada de meio-campistas muito bons, sempre está com uma qualidade muito alta. Procurei manter minha cabeça no lugar, falei comigo mesmo que meu momento ia chegar e me preparei o máximo. Agora chegou, se não iniciar uma partida, entrar em campo no segundo tempo e poder resolver, mudar a história de um jogo – afirmou Douglas.
O volante foi questionado sobre a convivência com companheiros cariocas, assim como ele, e relembrou momentos do futebol junto dos companheiros. Além disso, o meio-campista comentou sua trajetória até chegar à Premier League.
– Primeiramente, e sinto muito confortável de estar com o Paquetá, João, Bruno, André… são pessoas que eu consegui jogar contra e favor, na Seleção Sub-20 o Paquetá, principalmente. Então, a gente tem uma liberdade e acho que isso ajuda bastante na montagem do grupo ali. Sobre a dificuldade, é bem difícil sair da comunidade de onde eu saí. Hoje estar jogando a Premier League é algo inexplicável. Só eu e minha família passamos por isso. Estou muito feliz com o clube e agora o foco é aqui na Seleção.
Cria da base do Vasco da Gama, Douglas Luiz falou sobre a resenha com companheiros vascaínos, como Bruno Guimarães e Richarlison. O volante revelou, ainda, uma conversa que teve com Léo Jardim, goleiro do Cruz-Maltino que também está no grupo da Seleção.
– Cara, essa relação é muito boa. com o Richarlison e o Bruno. Consegui descobrir do Richarlison nas Olimpíadas, eu nem sabia. Sobre o Jardim, a primeira coisa quando ele chegou aqui (na Seleção) eu perguntei: o que vai acontecer esse ano? Vamos sofrer de novo? Ele falou que precisava de algumas contratações, mas que o Ramón Díaz é um excelente treinador, então creio que não vamos sofrer. Mas essa é a resenha, fico feliz de ter atletas do Vasco aqui.
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Confira outras respostas de Douglas Luiz na entrevista coletiva desta quinta-feira (21), pela Seleção Brasileira:
– Fico muito feliz com essa concorrência que eu tenho, até porque cada vez mais exige a querer melhorar. O time exato ainda não sei, a gente vem aqui fazer nosso melhor e de tudo para ganhar minutos. Então, fico feliz com essa concorrência toda, mas é um dia após o outro. Continuar trabalhando para que tudo possa dar certo.
– Até o momento (Dorival) não (definiu o time titular). Está sendo um treinamento bastante mesclado. Acho que ele está querendo conhecer todos os jogadores. É a primeira convocação do Dorival, ele tá querendo ver quem ele pode confiar e querendo descobrir os 11. Então, não teve essa separação de titulares e reservas.
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Douglas LuizInglaterraSeleção Brasileira
When defending a Premier League title, it is important to ensure you make signings of outstanding quality.
Liverpool did that, didn’t they? A record-breaking summer spending spree consolidated FSG’s new era, with Arne Slot at the helm. The league title was in the bank, and players like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike arrived with a weight of expectation, regarded as elite talents.
Isak, in particular, was a banker, having been hailed by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher as “the best striker in the Premier League right now” as Newcastle United rode the crest of a wave through last season’s winter period.
But, having forced his way out of St. James’ Park this summer, missing out on pre-season, the Sweden striker has found himself on a sticky wicket, lacking sharpness and coherence. Across 752 minutes of action this season, Isak has scored just two goals.
Better days will surely come for this world-class player. And it’s not like he’s alone in flattering to deceive, with Ibrahima Konate and Cody Gakpo among those to have put their jobs at risk with such poor performances.
The Liverpool players whose jobs are at risk
First, let’s address the elephant in the room: Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian’s incendiary interview after the recent Premier League draw at Elland Road has cast his Reds future into jeopardy, the 33-year-old having been left out of three successive starting line-ups before being dropped ahead of the win over Inter.
Salah has been poor this season, ineffective in front of goal and lacking work-rate in regard to pressing and defending. The intensity hasn’t been there, but Salah’s struggles have been a part of a wider malaise.
When he aired his frustrations, the Egypt superstar might have been referencing someone like Gakpo, who has reprised his starting berth regularly this term despite struggling for fluency and dynamism down the left flank. Liverpool need a more protean threat, for sure.
Konate may have been the worst of the bunch. Certainly, the France centre-back has been riddled with mistakes, lacking any semblance of the powerhouse of last season. He is out of contract at the end of the season, but FSG plan to renew his deal.
These are players who have not done their reputations justice this season, and many of a Liverpool persuasion would press for upgrades after such a wretched campaign.
However, there’s another man who has been in finer fettle than the lot, and yet he may need to be sold too, given Slot’s reluctance to hand him minutes.
FSG could sell Liverpool's "Origi regen"
Last season, Federico Chiesa flattered to deceive at Liverpool. The Italy international arrived in August 2024 as the sole summer signing of Slot’s first transfer window, a cut-price buy of just £12.5m as he entered the final year of his contract with Juventus.
Chiesa had to wait until the title was wrapped up before he earned a starting berth in the Premier League, and while Slot has yet to hand the 27-year-old an appearance from the outset in the Premier League and Champions League this season, Chiesa has redeemed himself with some impressive performances.
An intense and direct forward, the Italian scored the late winner against Bournemouth in August, sealing three points on the first game of the Premier League season. He bagged again against Crystal Palace in September, a consolation in defeat, while assisting twice against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
This kind of potency has even seen the versatile forward hailed as a “Divock Origi regen” by reporter Lewis Oldham for his clutch quality in the final third, popping up when teammates around him were foundering.
The problem: Slot clearly doesn’t favour Chiesa as a prominent member of the squad. And we have to believe that Liverpool will turn a corner sooner rather than later, challenging again for silverware, rather than scraping the gutter for points.
Hugo Ekitike
22
8 + 1
Mohamed Salah
19
5 + 3
Cody Gakpo
21
5 + 4
Federico Chiesa
15
2 + 3
Alexander Isak
14
2 + 1
Florian Wirtz
20
0 + 4
Rio Ngumoha
7
1 + 0
Would Chiesa fit into grand plans of greater ambition? Could the plain truth be that we saw how that transpired last year?
Given that he earns £150k per week, more than most of his teammates, FSG may feel that they are not getting bang for their buck, and that they need to invest in a wide forward better aligned with Slot’s vision.
For this reason, it might be worth cashing in while Liverpool can still recoup something of their shrewd, low-risk investment.
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