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Everton could reportedly now sell Dele Alli alongside both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer.

The Lowdown: Mass exodus?

Following the Merseyside club’s disappointing season, in which they are still battling relegation from the Premier League after Sunday’s disappointing result, there could well be a mass exodus at Goodison Park this summer.

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Both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been recently linked with moves away, and others could follow them out of the door if offers came in.

The Latest: Alli update

As per The Sun, the Toffees could look to sell Alli as well, if they are offered anything up to £20m for the former Tottenham Hotspur ace.

However, they would have to pay 25% of any fee received back to Spurs, and they would also receive a small bonus if he plays ten times, and a further £10m for 20 appearances.

The Verdict: Sell

It just has not worked out for Alli with the Blues, where he has managed no goals or assists in his nine appearances in the top flight, and has been limited to cameos off of the bench (Transfermarkt).

Described as a ‘fantastic talent’ by former Lilywhites manager Harry Redknapp back in March, the 26-year-old seems to have fallen out of love for football in truth, as he has even been accused of ‘clubbing too much’ instead.

Nonetheless, Frank Lampard does not seem to fancy him, and so the summer would present an ideal opportunity to part ways early, before the situation gets any worse.

In other news, find out what ‘nonsensical’ EFC claim has now been made here!

Arsenal are keen on a move for Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo, according to Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Arsenal shelled out almost £120m in the summer transfer window, bringing in five new players, but attention is already turning to January in the club’s recruitment department.

Grimaldo, who came the youth ranks at Barcelona, was a target for Manchester City this year, as per Marca. The Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season, so Benfica know that the winter market is potentially their last opportunity to cash in on the 26-year-old.

The latest

The report from Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness) states that Juventus are interested in Grimaldo but face competition from two Premier League sides in Arsenal and Newcastle United.

Significantly, it’s said that the Spaniard would be available for ‘less than €10million’ (£8.6m) because of his contract situation.

The verdict

Arsenal already have two left-backs at their disposal in Oleksandr Zinchenko, who joined this summer, and Kieran Tierney, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the latter leave the club given that Zinchenko’s arrival appears to have pushed him down the pecking order.

Indeed, the Ukrainian has started every Premier League game for which he has been available so far this season.

The sharks will surely begin to circle if Tierney is repeatedly left out, with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City credited with an interest in him this year.

Grimaldo could be a low-cost replacement if the Scot does move on, and the 26-year-old proved his quality in Benfica’s Champions League opener against Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday.

He won the official Player of the Match award after setting up his team’s first goal, scoring the second and making three tackles (Sofascore), and there was simply ‘no stopping’ his long-range screamer, according to BT Sport’s official Twitter account.

Also, what’s the longest spell by a fast bowler in a Test?

Steven Lynch20-Aug-2019Has anyone made a higher score than Steve Smith’s 142 at Edgbaston that wasn’t his own highest score of the match? asked Tim Clements from England

That superb double by Steve Smith at Edgbaston earlier this month was only the fourth time a batsman had exceeded 140 twice in the same Test. Andy Flower followed 142 in Zimbabwe’s first innings against South Africa in Harare in 1999-2000 with 199 not out in the second innings, while Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 162 and 143 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2008-09. But the leader on this particular list is Australia’s Allan Border, the only man to reach 150 twice in the same Test: against Pakistan in Lahore in 1979-80 he made 150 not out in the first innings and 153 in the second.The commentators were getting very worried that Jofra Archer was being overbowled at Lord’s. What’s the longest spell by a fast bowler in a Test? asked Michael Roberts from England

Jofra Archer’s promising spell, during his debut Test, at Lord’s, lasted all of nine overs, seven of them on the third morning. That’s some way from the longest-known spells by seamers: John Lever bowled 31 successive overs for England against Australia in Melbourne in 1979-80 (he finished with 4 for 111 from 53), as did Australia’s Mick Malone, in his one and only Test, at The Oval in 1977, while Kapil Dev’s career-best 9 for 83, for India v West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983-84, came in one unbroken run of 30.3 overs. Charles Davis, the eminent Australian statistician, also unearthed a spell by the early Aussie “demon bowler” Fred Spofforth, against England in Sydney in 1884-85, that lasted 48 four-ball overs, the equivalent of 32 six-ballers.The longest spell I can find by a genuinely quick bowler is one of 24 overs by Wes Hall of West Indies on the pulsating final day of the 1963 Lord’s Test, which ended with England needing six to win and their last pair at the crease. “Hall, in particular, and [Charlie] Griffith, showed remarkable stamina,” reported Wisden. “Hall bowled throughout the three hours and 20 minutes that play was in progress on the last day, never losing his speed and always being menacing. He took four for 93 off 40 overs in the innings. Griffith bowled all but five overs on the last day.”What is the symbol, like a big golden flower, on the Australian players’ shirt collars in this Ashes series? asked Chris Ricketson from Australia

The collar embellishment is actually a representation of a piece of Australian native art called “Walkabout Wickets”, by Aunty Fiona Clarke, the great-great-grand-daughter of “Mosquito”, a member of the pioneering Aboriginal team that toured England in 1868. According to Cricket Australia, the shirt symbol is a commitment as a team to reconciliation and finding common ground with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.The artwork represents past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers. The large circle represents Lord’s, one of the many famous grounds the 1868 team visited, while the smaller circles signify the team’s various meeting places. The wickets appear with no bails, to illustrate that the game continually moves on. And the flying stumps represent Aboriginal cricketers beating the English at their own game.The Walkabout Wickets artwork, seen here on Travis Head’s right collar, symbolises past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers•Getty ImagesDid Dale Steyn have the best bowling strike rate in Test cricket? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines

The answer here depends on the qualification you impose. Dale Steyn leads the way for those who took more than 200 Test wickets, as his 439 victims came at a rate of one every 42.3 balls; next are Waqar Younis (43.4), Malcolm Marshall (46.7) and Allan Donald (47.0). But watch out for Steyn’s South African team-mate Kagiso Rabada: so far he has taken 176 wickets at a strike rate of 38.8.If you drop the qualification to 100 Test wickets, then Rabada is second and Steyn fourth. The 19th-century Surrey seamer George Lohmann tops the list: he took his 112 wickets at a rate of one every 34.1 balls. Another legendary England bowler, Sydney Barnes, collected 189 wickets at a strike rate of 41.6.Who was the man who, in his first Test as an umpire, gave Sunil Gavaskar out first ball? asked Hang Zhang from Australia

The umpire who was called into action immediately in his first Test was the jovial England-based Aussie Bill Alley. He confirmed that Gavaskar had been caught behind – by Alan Knott off Geoff Arnold – from the very first ball of the match between England and India at Edgbaston in 1974.Said Wisden: “Alley was the first Australian-born umpire to stand in a Test in England since Jim Phillips in 1905. Moreover, off the first ball of the match Alley gave out Gavaskar caught at the wicket, and off the last ball Engineer leg-before.”This was the first of Alley’s ten Tests in the white coat. He joined Somerset in the 1950s after missing out on Test cricket at home, and in 1961 – aged 42 – became the last man to date to amass 3000 first-class runs in an English season, a feat that will never be repeated unless there is a substantial change to the current fixture list.And there’s an addition to the recent question about England openers from the same county, from Rajiv Radhakrishnan

“The Surrey pair of Mark Butcher and Alec Stewart [who was his brother-in-law at the time] opened the batting for England in Sydney in 1998-99, and in the first two Tests against New Zealand at home the following summer. So they are the most recent pair from the same county, before Rory Burns and Jason Roy, also of Surrey, this year.”Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah have lifted Bangladesh from the depths of gloom and doom while setting examples for the next generation

Mohammad Isam10-Jun-2017Five players have formed the core of the Bangladesh team. Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah play different roles in the team. In addition to leadership roles, they hold the batting and bowling together. They also deal with the ever-growing expectations, provide a hand on a rookie player’s shoulder, decide what their jersey’s colour scheme should be, and where the team dinner will be held.In essence, these five players have a whole lot of responsibilities in the team, but they are mainly judged by their own performances. Tamim and Mushfiqur had stepped up against England and Australia in the Champions Trophy, but there was greater pressure on Mahmudullah, Mashrafe, and Shakib ahead of the must-win match against New Zealand in Cardiff.They soaked up the pressure and delivered. Mashrafe led superbly before Mahmudullah and Shakib lifted the team from 33 for 4 with a 224-run partnership – the highest for Bangladesh for any wicket in ODIs. Both Mahmudullah and Shakib hit centuries to lead Bangladesh to a memorable win.Having suffered several injuries, Mashrafe isn’t the bowler he was. He predominantly plays as a captain, but continues to prove his critics wrong. He bowled important spells in Cardiff and showed why he is Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker since the 2015 World Cup. In fact, he is the second-highest wicket-taker among active players in ODIs, after Lasith Malinga.Mahmudullah, too, doesn’t quite get the treatment he deserves. His place in the team is perennially questioned: when he does well, popular opinion is that he could have batted higher and when he doesn’t do well, he gets dropped hastily.Both Mashrafe and Mahmudullah have learnt to handle such questions. Shakib, on the other hand, is a certainty in the XI. He is Bangladesh’s best cricketer, the world’s best allrounder, and one of the most experienced middle-order batsmen in ODIs. In fact, he is one of only four batsmen to have batted at No. 5 for more than 100 innings in ODIs.He hardly goes out of form but even when he suffers a dip, Shakib himself is the last person to get worried. Before the match against New Zealand, he had not scored an ODI hundred since 2014 or hadn’t won a Man-of-the-Match award since September last year. But he understands his game so well that he habitually senses that a big innings is around the corner. Most coaches and captains continue to back him.Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah were responsible for another famous Bangladesh win in Cardiff•Getty ImagesShakib’s batting, though, has suffered due to his continuous presence as a lower-order batsman in T20 leagues. It might have increased his range of shots, but has dented his overall approach. Sometimes, he tends to enforce his high-profile image. Looking to get on top of the opposition bowling when they are in control is risky, and Shakib has achieved it with mixed results.Against New Zealand, he rode out the tough period when the ball was still swinging, before opening up and putting the bad balls away. He sensed that Kane Williamson wouldn’t have much firepower in the slog overs and took advantage of it. He had contributed with the ball as well. He did not try to overwhelm the batsmen; instead he kept asking questions with his length and finished with 0 for 52.Having played ten years at the highest level, Shakib has resisted himself from one of the striking traits of Bangladeshi personality: talking. He lets his bat and bowl do that job. They don’t call him Mr. Cool for nothing.Shakib doesn’t indulge in talking himself up, down or on either side of any issue. He doesn’t brag about himself in interviews, despite being one of Bangladesh’s biggest superstars across all spheres. His business interests hardly create a splash while his endorsements are as mundane as those for Indian or Pakistani cricketers.He has had to contend with controversies as well: making a lewd gesture towards the camera which earned him a three-match ban, allegedly beating up a spectator who was bothering his wife in the stands, and threatening to quit international cricket in July 2014.The last two incidents earned him a six-month ban from the BCB that was later reduced, and since then he has gone more into his shell. He, however, doesn’t mince his words, neither does he speak ill of anyone in public. He once pointed out that the Bangladeshi meal isn’t sufficient to develop big hitters. Perhaps, it needs more orange juice, he said, but that’s about it.Mahmudullah wouldn’t even say such a thing, unless it is in the confines of the Bangladesh dressing room. He is known as the lead prankster and in 2012, was outed as the best Gangnam-style dancer in the team. He has a wicked sense of humour, which is never on show in public. He has also been known to be ridden with self-doubt, which was evident during his 18-month drought in 2013-14.He then hit back-to-back centuries in the 2015 World Cup, but still couldn’t quite hold onto to his top-order slot. Instead, he was asked to become a finisher in the limited-overs formats, particularly in the T20s. He aced that role for nearly 12 months but again fell into a slump, starting December last year.Things went from bad to worse when he was dropped for Bangladesh’s 100th Test in March this year. The team management even thought of sending him home from Colombo for a few days to avoid walking on eggshells in the dressing room. Nazmul Hassan, the BCB president, later intervened as he was kept in the squad for that game. Subsequently, he was retained in the ODI squad even as there was reports that he was about to be dropped.Another big-match classic: Mahmudullah struck his third ODI hundred in ICC events•Getty ImagesMahmudullah regained some confidence with a match-winning 46 against New Zealand in Dublin last month. Questions about his ability still lingered. He faced only six balls for six runs against England in the Champions Trophy opener before playing a poor shot against Australia’s Adam Zampa and falling for 8. He then produced a sensational hundred against New Zealand and earned himself more breathing space. But Mahmudullah will be wary of complacency.Mashrafe might not sit back and relax either. He has had a rough few months since December last year, culminating in his retirement from T20 internationals.It was said that he had beaten the BCB to the punch by announcing his retirement during the toss of the first T20I against Sri Lanka because there was pressure on him to quit the format.Mashrafe, though, continues to be Bangladesh’s best bowler in ODIs – be it with the new ball or the old one. On big occasions, he can still generate swing and seam movement that often goes unnoticed by batsmen who try to hit out. His lack of pace can also fox batsmen.It is also hard to deny his overwhelming presence on and off the field in the Bangladesh set-up. Mashrafe has to tackle the player-management relationship front on, but striking a balance is hard in an environment that is often riddled with uncertainty He also has to goad the younger members while still bringing the best out of the senior players when they are out of form.Tamim has spoken at length about how Mashrafe took special care of him during the 2015 World Cup. Mashrafe might not do the same with Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah because he knows there are other ways to perk them up.He has the knack of accepting brutal reality, and can cope with things not going his way in the field or during meetings in the dressing room or the team hotel. Mashrafe and these four other senior cricketers continue to play with great care and responsibility for Bangladesh, setting examples on and off the field for future generations. They are the embodiment of Bangladesh’s rapid progress, and they still have many miles to go.

Virat Kohli’s desire to play five bowlers leaves the already rusty middle order thinner, an area which South Africa will probably aim to exploit in the third Test in Nagpur

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur24-Nov-2015India’s middle-order batsmen will enter the Nagpur Test having gone 17 days without facing a single ball in competitive context. Their openers will have gone 10 days without feeling bat on ball anywhere outside the nets. Rustiness, potentially, could afflict one or more of their batsmen when they strap on their pads at the VCA Stadium.Rustiness does not rank very high on the scale of cricketing worries, but India will still be wary of it, given how little cricket they have played thanks to the rain in Bangalore. India are 1-0 up, but are almost starting a new series on Wednesday.It is less of a worry for India’s bowlers, who have have done splendidly in each of the three innings they have had. On the other hand, the batsmen have had a difficult time. They came up against a tough pitch in the first, barely got enough time in the middle in Bangalore, and have been restricted to the nets ever since.Overall, however, India have a lot going for them. They are 1-0 up, the conditions are in their favour, they have a fully fit squad, and their opponents do not. It will be important, therefore, that they don’t let their advantage slip. Their batsmen, in particular, will need to shake off any accumulated rust in a hurry, and guard against looseness.Virat Kohli perhaps had this thought in mind when he answered a question about Dale Steyn’s potential absence. He was careful not to show any emotion, whether delight at the opposition missing their best bowler or regret that his team would be deprived of the challenge of facing him.”We have played him enough times in the past, we have scored enough runs against him in the past,” Kohli said. “It does not make a difference if he is playing or not. We treat every bowler the same way. It is not certain that everyone will do well in a Test match or a cricket game, someone else might step up so you can’t take anyone lightly or more seriously than the other.”We treat everyone equally. It doesn’t really matter, it is eventually a cricket ball coming out of anyone’s hand, it is not the name that we play, it is a cricket ball that we face and you got to back your ability to tackle whatever is thrown at you.”Among India’s specialist batsmen, only M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara have faced 100 balls in the series. South Africa would love to dimiss them quickly and get at the middle and lower order early. If India play five bowlers, Wriddhiman Saha will probably bat at No. 6. Saha could grow into a fine wicketkeeper-batsman in Tests one day, but his average at this juncture is 21.71. Ravindra Jadeja, India’s No. 7, averages 21.57 with the bat in Test cricket.Given Kohli’s desire to play five bowlers in most conditions, and given the limitations of his allrounders, the numbers show that India have had to make a genuine trade-off, losing a bit of batting solidity to gain bowling bite.In Kohli’s eight Tests as captain – a small sample size, admittedly – India have averaged 34.87 runs per wicket with the bat, which is less than they have under any other captain in this millennium, apart from Sachin Tendulkar. With the ball, though, Kohli’s India boast the best average – 31.00 – of them all.It is not a bad trade-off at all. As Kohli himself has stressed, putting up big totals does not necessarily deliver wins; picking up 20 wickets often does.On Wednesday morning, there is a fair possibility that India will pick five bowlers once again. More punch with the ball, but potentially a bit of wobble with the bat. On match eve, Kohli was unwilling to divulge the combination he had in mind, but gave enough of a clue when he took off on a tangent while answering a question about R Ashwin.First, Kohli praised Ashwin’s growth as an offspinner over the last six months. Then, the tangent: “As a captain I am delighted Ashwin is in our team along with Amit Mishra, who brings a lot of variation for us, and Ravindra Jadeja, who is very, very consistent. All these three put together, if I was playing against them, I would find it really difficult to score off, I can assure you that. I am sure it is not pleasant facing all three together and I am glad we have all three in our team.”While South Africa will not relish the prospect of facing an attack containing Ashwin, Mishra and Jadeja on what is expected to be a turning track, the selection of all three spinners could give them a sniff of a chance against an Indian batting line-up that possibly lacks depth and is also potentially rusty. It is a bit of a straw for a bowling attack to be clutching at, but South Africa are 1-0 down, quite likely missing their best fast bowler, and in need of any encouragement they can get.

There will be plenty of debate between now and February 14, but for now, here are 10 talking points to ponder

Peter Della Penna05-Nov-2014

West Indies: Implosion versus explosion

The world of West Indies cricket has recently been dominated by off-the-field headlines, which is never a good sign. The squad abandoned its tour of India in a pay dispute over a new collective-bargaining agreement signed by the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) that players say they never saw or approved. The dispute fueled speculation that West Indies wouldn’t make it to the World Cup, but both sides now appear close to a resolution.

Many fans will be watching intently to see if the controversy galvanizes this immensely talented squad, which needs to sharpen its focus if it wants to reach its first World Cup final since 1983.

Afghanistan’s Cup debut

In the past two World Cups, Ireland have been the darling underdog for most neutral fans. In 2015, Afghanistan will be that feel-good story. The first-time entrants already have three World Twenty20 appearances under their belt, but qualifying for cricket’s 50-over showpiece event holds even greater significance.

Twenty20 cricket is often presented as a way to close the disparity between uneven teams and open the door for more upsets because the games are shorter; but Afghanistan have shown it can compete at 50-over level, so if it knocks off some of the big boys Down Under, it won’t be any fluke.

Where there’s an Aussie cricket crowd, a beer snake isn’t too far behind.•AFP

Crowds, crowds, crowds … oi, oi, oi!

India’s run to the 2011 title was cheered on vociferously by home fans who were desperate to see the hosts win their first World Cup since 1983 and deliver a first crown to cricket’s greatest modern batting icon, Sachin Tendulkar.

There may not be such a sentimental connection for home fans in Australia this time around (the Aussies won three straight Cups in 1999, 2003 and 2007), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be fun in the stands.

Along with cheering on the home team, Aussies know how to get creative during dull passages of play and boost the crowd atmosphere. That includes making beer snakes, when fans stack all of their empty plastic beer cups together to make a long chain between sections. It’s an amusing sight.

Oh, the format

When it comes to the Cricket World Cup-unique format, there is too much emphasis on the final destination than the journey. The format, which gives each country a minimum of six matches to play regardless of whether they advance out of the group stage, discourages the excitement of the early upset, like we saw with India losing to Bangladesh and Pakistan being stunned by Ireland in 2007. Instead, we are given 42 group-stage matches, which may appease TV rights-holders, but it also makes the tournament too predictable.

To give some perspective, in the month it takes the FIFA World Cup to determine a winner, the ICC World Cup is still working through the group stage. The event is a marathon, not just for the players, but also for fans and viewers. It takes a committed soul to stick around for six weeks and still have enough energy to enjoy the final.

Sangakkara’s swan song?

One of cricket’s modern greats, Kumar Sangakkara is beloved by Sri Lankans and non-Sri Lankans alike. This will likely be the 37-year-old’s last ride on the World Cup merry-go-round, along with teammates Tillakaratne Dilshan, 38, and Mahela Jayawardene, 37.

Sangakkara is fourth all-time in runs scored in ODI cricket with 12,857. If he maintains his current average through the World Cup, he will likely pass countryman Sanath Jayasuriya (third overall, 13,430) and Australia’s Ricky Ponting (second, 13,704).

Sri Lanka have played the role of bridesmaids on the big stages, runner-ups at the World Twenty20 in 2009 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2007 and 2011. After finally winning the World Twenty20 crown in April, will the third time be the charm again for Sangakkara at the Cup?

The return of Christchurch

It is no coincidence that the Cricket World Cup kicks off on Feb. 14 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The country’s second-largest city was decimated by a major earthquake in February 2011, killing 185 people. The New Zealand-Sri Lanka opener at the newly certified Hagley Oval will represent a cathartic comeback for Christchurch and its people.

On January 1, 2014, Corey Anderson beat the record for the fastest ODI hundred previously held by Shahid Afridi.•AFP

“God Defend New Zealand”

Aside from the joy in seeing cricket come back to Christchurch, hearing New Zealand’s national anthem on a loop during the course of the tournament is something that will be pleasing, Kiwi or not. It’s a lovely blend of melody and lyrics, the first verse sung in Maori and the second in English.

Remember these names: Aaron Finch and Corey Anderson

Two of the tournament’s breakout stars are poised to come from the host countries. Australian opener Aaron Finch burst onto the international scene by setting a Twenty20 international record of 156 runs off 63 balls in 2013 against England and has since followed with four centuries at the top of the order in ODI cricket. Keeping a red-hot bat will do wonders for Australia’s World Cup chances.

Corey Anderson, meanwhile, showed he is a box-office performer in New Zealand’s last home summer. On New Year’s Day, he broke Shahid Afridi’s 18-year-old record for fastest ODI century by notching his first 100 runs in just 36 balls against West Indies. With the ball, he has a knack for taking wickets and is an athletic fielder, making him one of the must-watch players of the Cup.

Not your grandpa’s uniforms

One of the many clichéd knocks on cricket from casual sports fans is that the game literally looks too dull — players dressed in all whites (including sweaters), giving the appearance of grandpa at bingo night.

But for those who may be getting into cricket for the first time, the World Cup will be different, featuring players in colored uniforms that would fit into any other modern-day sport. If anything, some of the kits will be more brash than conservative. Just check out the iconic West Indies uniforms.

Dale Steyn

Another cricket misnomer is the old adage of the sport being a “gentlemen’s game.” When a fast bowler is roaring in, bouncing the ball at a batsman’s head at 95 mph, nothing could be further from the truth.

The perfect example? South Africa’s Dale Steyn, the world’s preeminent pace bowler who currently sits at No. 1 on the ICC’s ODI top bowler rankings. Speed merchants like Steyn are worth their weight in gold, especially with their ability to swing the ball as opposed to bowling dead straight. Intense wicket celebrations only add to Steyn’s spectacle.

After Murali’s retirement, the responsibility to win Tests has again fallen on the shoulders of a lone spinner

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo18-Mar-2013Before Rangana Herath’s 19th over of the day, Sri Lanka were drifting towards trouble. The pitch had begun to bite, and Bangladesh were edging ahead in the third innings with not much fear, for not much menace defied them.In two brutal balls, Herath reeled in the upper hand for his side again. Jahurul Islam, having ground a gutsy 48, stepped down the track to lay down his terms for Herath’s spell, but a dipping Herath ripper wouldn’t have it. Chandimal collected and stumped the batsman well out of his crease. Mahmudullah arrived, received a flatter one that gripped and felled off stump, and was back in the dressing room within two minutes. Later in his spell, Mominul Haque was dropped at mid-on, and Mushfiqur Rahim shelled at slip. Called in to make a breakthrough, Herath served up Bangladesh’s innings on a plate. The chance to shut the visitors out may have been missed, but Sri Lanka will sleep easier with only six more to get on day four.That spell, though, in its impact, raises a series of worrying questions. What if Herath was not playing? What if he had a bad Test? He took five wickets on the first day, and now has three of four on the third. Would Bangladesh have made 100 more in their first dig? 150 maybe? Probably. Would they be cruising towards a big lead in the second innings, as the pitch disintegrates? Also likely. Are Sri Lanka, in their home conditions, a worse Test team than Bangladesh, save for Herath?He has effectively assumed Muttiah Muralitharan’s mantle, only his body was shaped in a mortal’s mould, and he will perhaps never be a great, given he is on the brink of 35. Without Murali, Sri Lanka have won 11 Tests and lost 39. With him, they triumphed 54 times and were beaten in 41. Herath, who has taken five wicket-hauls in three of the four victories since Murali’s retirement, has not only inherited Murali’s responsibility, but his team-mate’s frailties as well. The team has slipped from one one-man-show to another.At present, Herath is at once sledgehammer and workhorse. When his side grows desperate for a breakthrough, Sri Lanka look to him. When an opponent is mowing bowlers down, Herath must be on hand to tamp the blaze. A long, tight spell, a sneaky wicket before day’s end, new ball, old ball, greentop, dustbowl, Herath is the man. The only man. How tiring it must be, though his cricket never seems careworn.On Sri Lanka’s recent walloping in Australia, not only did the other bowlers fail to contribute with notable hauls, they undid Herath’s fine work at one end with waywardness at the other. Worse, they spilled several chances that he created, as they have done again in Colombo. Besting Test batsmen is not a cakewalk for Herath as it often was for Murali. He grafts for wickets – spends eons setting them up. A dropped chance often means that a lengthy process must begin again. How cruel, for a man who gives far beyond his own ability in the field.There were encouraging patches for Herath’s support crew on day three, however. Shaminda Eranga had been one of those whose indiscipline set Sri Lanka back in Australia, but showed commitment to line, length and pace throughout his spells at the Premadasa, and removed Tamim Iqbal. Eranga still lacks the movement, in the air and off the pitch, to be a major Test threat, but Sri Lanka’s pace attack must walk before it can run, and control at least, is a step on that journey.”Eranga’s developing quite well,” Kumar Sangakkara said after stumps. “It’s just a case of day-in-day-out that you have a specific plan to work towards in practice and even in a match. Even if you take the most successful bowlers, not a lot of them are extraordinary bowlers. You’ve had a few like Murali who was a freakish X-factor, or you had Shane Warne, who was probably one of the unique bowlers that you get very rarely. But if you take the rest of the fast bowlers – Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, all of them had one thing in common. They were very accurate and they managed to put the ball in the right place. Other than that there was no magic in it.”For Eranga and all other fast bowlers, it’s just a case of understanding that and putting that ball consistently in a place that challenges batsmen and keeps making him play. You can’t try and bowl magic balls, you can’t try and get batsmen out. It’s just a case of bowling to a plan and if there’s swing, letting the ball swing and if there’s seam, letting the ball seam. Your job is to just hit that one spot.”After his five-wickets on day one, Herath said he hoped to have 50 wickets in Galle before he retired. He is only two short, but Sri Lanka’s next home Test there is not until 2015, when Herath will be 37. If he waits that long to call it a day, he may just buy his team-mates enough time to learn to hunt as a pack, and build, with heart, upon each other’s efforts. But, maybe not. Maybe another must emerge, to tread the lonely path Herath has trekked so tirelessly.

An unending skirmish for the orange cap, a left-field rehab programme, a déjà vu opening over and more in a review of the action for the second week of the IPL

Nitin Sundar22-Apr-2011The rehabilitation programme of the week
It doesn’t matter if your pains are physical or mental – the IPL has a cure. Lasith Malinga can barely hold his bones together after all the injuries, and has opted out of Tests. Chris Gayle can barely hold himself together after being ‘disrespected’ by the WICB. What do these men do? They turn up at the IPL. Malinga trots in for four overs of therapeutic yorkers every other day, while Gayle seeks inner calm by flogging sixes in every direction in his first game for Bangalore. Even the Sri Lankan board now seems convinced of the IPL’s special powers – they believe it offers their players better preparation for the upcoming England tour, than a three-day tour game against Middlesex.The unending tussle of the week
Can Sachin Tendulkar and Paul Valthaty settle their differences like gentlemen, please? Clearly neither man can bear to see the orange cap adorning the other’s head. The one-upmanship began last week, after Valthaty played innings against Chennai Super Kings. Tendulkar responded by producing a century of his own. Valthaty was not pleased, and unleashed his rage on Deccan Chargers to wrench the cap back. Tendulkar simply sighed, adjusted his crotch guard, squinted into the distance and calmly reclaimed the lead with an assured innings against Pune. Valthaty would have none of it, and smashed Rajasthan to all corners of Mohali to regain pole position. Can Mr Chirayu Amin just give both of them a lifetime’s supply each of orange caps, and ask them to stop being so competitive?The maiden of the week
When Shaun Tait chugged in for the sixth over against Punjab, the score had a distinct stick-cricket like feel to it. 73 for 1, at the other-worldly run-rate of 14.6. The batsman on strike was Valthaty, who was mauling everything hurled at him. Tait produced one yorker, three short balls, one bouncer and a late swerving inducker, each one at close to 150 kph. Valthaty defended the yorker, and swung at every other ball without making contact. A maiden would not have been more out of place in the men’s room.The contrived finish of the week
A chase of 119 should always be a walk in the park. Especially if you have Sachin Tendulkar at the top, and the likes of Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard in your middle order. Yet, Mumbai somehow contrived to take it to the last ball. Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu added 74 to put their side on course, but consumed 12 overs for those runs. Sharma and Symonds, who had spent too long padded up and waiting for a chance to bat in previous games, must have been very pleased when they eventually got a hit. They were probably worried if they would ever get another bat, and chose to stay out there as long as possible. With 11 required off 15 balls, they focused on pushing singles before Rohit hit a last-ball six to end the crawl-fest.Mahela Jayawardene’s predictions are as precise as his placement•AFPThe WAG of the week
Elizabeth Hurley added to the IPL glamour, but it wasn’t a good week for a Rajasthan supporter. Her first outing was a washout, but she was there to cheer Shane Warne’s side in their match against Punjab. When Siddharth Trivedi castled Adam Gilchrist in the first over, she was jumping for joy with the rest of the Rajasthan contingent. When the umpire called it a no-ball, she was visibly shocked. When Dishant Yagnik then tried to slyly run Gilchrist out as he walked, she looked on hopefully, but was left disappointed. To make matters worse, her presence coincided with Warne’s worst performance of the season, as he leaked 50 runs in his four-over spell.The slump of the week
Warne could do no wrong in the first week, getting vicious drift and turn out of his chubby wrists, but his fortunes – and his team’s – plummeted in the second. First, Rajasthan ran into an inspired Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis, who strolled through a chase of 160. In the return game, Rajasthan collapsed to 81, leaving Warne fuming at the press conference. That verbal lashing, however, did the opposite of lifting the team for their game against Punjab. There were no-balls that fetched wickets, free-hits that leaked boundaries, dropped catches, and atrocious bowling. Warne was at the forefront of the meltdown, living up to his prediction that the pitch was a “batsman’s payday” by sending down a rash of long-hops that were feasted upon. He then lost his composure, sledging Dinesh Karthik even before he had faced a ball.The precise prediction of the week
Mahela Jayawardene must be a stickler for high precision. During the toss in Kochi’s game against Kolkata, he was asked that oft-repeated question that captains barely think about before answering. “What do you think will be a defendable score?” Jayawardene’s refused to be vague, and boldly backed his team to defend anything between 130 and 140. Against a line-up that included Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Gautam Gambhir and Eoin Morgan. As it transpired, Kochi scored 132 and won by six runs. Jayawardene was awarded the Man-of-the-Match award, despite not scoring too many. The venerable Nostradamus would have approved.The déjà vu over of the week
Zaheer Khan may be the canniest fast bowler doing the rounds in international cricket, but IPL 2011, so far, has not been kind to him. His worst moment was the opening over in the game against Kolkata. He started with a delivery on the pads that Kallis glanced for four, but the next ball was even wider and ran away for five wides. Zaheer shifted to round the wicket and sent down another leg-side wide. He then over-compensated and pushed a ball yards outside off stump. As if the wides weren’t enough, he then gave Kallis gifts outside off and on the pads, both of which were dispatched to the boundary. Memories of the opening over of the 2003 World Cup final wafted around Eden Gardens.

The Delhi opener talks about making his peace with not being selected for India despite an exemplary last season

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi24-Sep-2008

“One should always aspire, but not at the cost of enjoying the process of making it to the top” © Cricinfo Ltd
Last year you spoke of how you had stopped thinking about getting back into the national reckoning and instead started enjoying your game. Your runs in the last two seasons are clear evidence that you’re doing just that. How has it worked for you?
I’m sticking to that formula. Each time you go in to bat, you want to play for the country. But after I got dropped I wanted to make a double-century every time I went out to bat, which didn’t happen and won’t happen either. But when you are doing well, like I have been in the last couple of seasons, then you build a lot of pressure on yourself where you think, ‘Okay, fine, now I’ve scored runs and now I’m so close to getting back to the team.’ That can probably get you in the same rut again. But I realised the reason I play this game is I enjoy it and beyond that it’s not in my hands and I’ve made peace with that. Yes, I would be lying if I say that I don’t feel disappointed when I don’t get picked, because if you score runs you want to get picked, and if you don’t get picked it’s human to feel bad. It is probably important to feel bad, because you are playing for some purpose – you are not just turning up and not hoping to achieve anything bigger.You’ve spoken about how hard you work during the off-season. What did you do before the season started?
I wanted to take a break. Last season was a nine-month long, rigorous one, so I took a break, which was a first, when I didn’t touch the bat for three weeks. I didn’t play but I was doing my training and gym. I thought that was necessary so I could come back recharged, refreshed, with my desire back again.I also realised that peaking at the wrong time or peaking too early, when there is no cricket, can actually ruin things, and I wanted to avoid that. Now when I’m picking the bat up, I’m as hungry as I was when I started to play cricket – it’s that exciting.How’s your book coming along?
The book is one thing that has taken my mind away from the game for a while in a very good sense – it has given me time to reflect on what I did last year. When you go through the chapters you know where you were wrong, what things you did right, and how it worked, and how you felt at that point. It gives you perspective because you tend to forget a lot of things and remember what you want to remember, but when it is documented it refreshes the memory. It gave me something to do.So have you been taking care of your personal life rather than only focusing on your professional life?
During the IPL [Tatenda] Taibu told me that whenever you don’t do well there are three check-boxes to tick. One, are you hitting enough balls in the net or are you working hard enough ? Two, is there a fear of failure? And three, is everything fine in your personal life? If you are not doing well, invariably one of these boxes is not ticked. If you are not content in your personal life, it is very difficult to play naturally. So I took care of that this off-season by spending a lot of time with my family. Watched a lot of movies, did a lot of stuff I wanted to do, spent time with friends. At times playing sport day-in-day-out adds nothing but pressure and boredom creeps in and it becomes monotonous.It doesn’t really matter to anyone in the world except for yourself and your family whether you play for India or not, or if you ever play for India again. Cricket will go on. I’m not blaming anyone, because no one should care Four years ago you played your last Test and it was against Australia. Which areas of your game have changed in this period?
I’ve evolved as a player. In my batting I’ve worked hard. When I played for India I played in a certain manner, which was right at that point of time. Couple of seasons after that, I got dropped. I was a confused, confused man. From 2005 to mid-2006 I didn’t bat the way I used to bat. I was too preoccupied with getting back into the team, and secondly, I thought the only way to score runs was to go out there and bat the whole day and exercise patience, but it didn’t work out. So I got bogged down and I didn’t do myself any favours and I didn’t make enough runs. Without playing a single rash shot I was getting out, so there must have been something wrong somewhere. Then I decided to loosen up and start enjoying my game. So that brought a change in attitude.As far as batting goes, instead of looking to occupy the crease and play out time, I’ve started to open up, dominate the bowlers and look for runs at every given opportunity. And if the opportunity isn’t there, try to create one and not be afraid to fail. I’ve also started to use my feet a lot more. That has helped me to play my best cricket in the last two seasons.You’ve dealt with disappointments. Obviously, each time the Test squad was announced, you expected your name to be there, but were there any particular instances when you especially felt you deserved the opportunity?
I wouldn’t say I was expecting a call every time the team was announced, but when India toured Australia [2007-08] I was near 100% confident that I’d make it, for the simple reason that my name was in the 24 probables. The only other opener was Gautam Gambhir and he got injured. And I had scored nearly 800 runs in the domestic season. A week before the team was announced I’d scored my second double-century of the season, against Himachal Pradesh. So that was very disappointing. I didn’t know what more to do. The last time I played for India I was picked on my domestic performances. You can sulk, crib and cry and it will never make a difference to anyone else.Did any of the selectors ever call up to explain where you fell short?
Not one selector has ever spoken to me.Players these days seem to be vocal with their disappointments. Is that a good approach?
It’s probably right. As a player I need to know what more I should do to get picked. I’m not asking why they didn’t pick me, and I respect them, but at the same time people need to talk to the player.As a player, you have to put disappointments behind you because there is no other way. It doesn’t really matter to anyone in the world except for yourself and your family whether you play for India or not, or if you ever play for India again. Cricket will go on. I’m not blaming anyone, because no one should care. It’s your pain, your joy, your happiness.Has the thought that you might never play again for India crossed your mind?
Yes, that thought has crossed my mind. It would be really disappointing if that happened. Bigger picture: I’ve played for India and no one can take that away from me. So I’ve made my peace with that.

Chopra in a match against Tamil Nadu last season: “I realised the reason I play this game is I enjoy it and beyond that it’s not in my hands and I’ve made peace with that” © Cricinfo Ltd
Last year you spoke about how Rahul Dravid met you at Hove and said you were in contention for the opener’s slot still. What has Virender Sehwag’s advice to you been?
Viru will always give you a perspective in as few words as possible. You might like it or might not but he has your best interests at heart. For example, when I wasn’t picked this time for the Australia series, he said “Aakash, you’ll play for India. If myself or Gautam [Gambhir] don’t make runs in the next four Tests, your name might come again, but if both of us make runs then your name will not come up.” He is black and white always in what he says or does. And you need to take him at face value.There are many cricketers who are in positions similar to the one you’re in. What would your advice to them be?
Michael Atherton once told me that at the end of the day you need to remind yourself why you started playing the game. The basic reason was that you actually wanted to play. Any game has to be enjoyed, and as long as you can keep that enjoyment going, you should keep playing. One should always aspire, but not at the cost of enjoying the process of making it to the top.A year after I was dropped from the Indian team, there was this pertinent question: “When will you be happy?” I always thought that I’d be happiest when I played for the country. But happiness doesn’t lie in one particular achievement. We tend to believe that. We tend to pin it on that one moment, which is not actually moment. You will never achieve that one certain thing. That is what I’ve learned after being dropped. There are more reasons to be happy in day-to-day life.Did you ever think that not playing ODIs has hurt your chances?
It does. If you are playing ODI cricket, it does automatically enhance your chances for playing in the longer form. I know playing one-day international cricket for India is probably not going to happen for me. Having said that, I will not agree to the criticism that I’m not an ODI player. In List A games my average is in the mid-40s and my strike-rate is right up there. I scored three run-a-ball centuries for Delhi last season with an average of 332. So it’s not that I cannot play ODIs. The difference between me and the people who play in both forms in first-class cricket is not more than seven runs. But that perception remains. If I go out and do a Shaun Marsh and score the maximum number of runs in the next IPL, I’ll play for India in ODIs. My performances in the Deodhar Trophy and Ranji one-dayers count for nothing.Where do you rank yourself as an opener in the national reckoning?
Logically there are two people who are opening for the country at this point of time, who are the best at the moment. But the other side of it is that there could be someone who deserves to be playing but is not. I might be wrong, but I don’t know. But I think I should be right up there given the number of the runs I’ve been scoring. Also, I’m made to believe I’m in the loop, since I’ve been called for national camps. More importantly, I’ve been knocking loud enough when the opportunity has come. Anyone who has scored three double-centuries a season will play for the country. It was just unfortunate.

Sunrisers made 277, the highest ever total in IPL history, and Mumbai, just as incredibly, fell only 31 short

S Sudarshanan27-Mar-20241:43

Moody: Head set the tone, and Sunrisers just didn’t look back

Sixes were being hit for fun. Runs were flowing at a breakneck pace. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking you were watching a video game. The carnage in Hyderabad resulted in an 11-year-old IPL record falling, RCB’s seemingly insurmountable total of 263 from 2013 falling by the wayside thanks to a breathtaking, collective show from the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters. They notched up the highest total in the 16-year history of the IPL – 277 for 3 – but then, just as incredibly, Mumbai Indians almost paid them back with the same coin, their batters coming out with a nothing-to-lose attitude. Eventually, they ran out of steam and finished on 246 for 5, the highest IPL total in a losing cause.Travis Head set the pace on the night, striking an 18-ball half-century, the fastest for SRH in the IPL. His record lasted roughly four overs, Abhishek Sharma slamming a 16-ball fifty to relegate him to No. 2. An hour after that, Heinrich Klaasen cut loose to seemingly bat MI out of the contest. But the sixes kept rolling off the Mumbai bats too, helping them keep up with the asking rate for most of the chase, eventually falling only 31 short.Related

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Never were more runs scored in a men’s T20 match (523). Never were most sixes hit in a men’s T20 (38). At the end of the close to four-hour six-fest, only two bowlers returned with an economy rate of under ten an over.The perfect Head-startHead, in for Marco Jansen, continued from where he had left off on his previous tour of India. He was off the mark with a four off IPL debutant Kwena Maphaka, the 17-year-old who played for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Head was given a life when Tim David dropped him at mid-off off Hardik Pandya’s first ball. But there was no looking back from there.Head smacked two fours and two sixes in a 22-run Maphaka over before hitting two fours and a six off Gerald Coetzee in an over that went for 23 to end the powerplay. Head had scored 59 of the 81 SRH made in the first six overs. In his next over, though, Coetzee bowled a short and wide one, which the batter could only carve to deep backward point.Abhishek shows his mettleHead’s inclusion in the XI meant Abhishek had to move down the order, and he walked in at No. 3 after Mayank Agarwal fell in the fifth over. Abhishek got going with a pull off Coetzee and then meted out a special treatment to the legspin Piyush Chawla, hitting him for three sixes in an over. That helped SRH notch up their 100 in just seven overs, their second-fastest in the IPL.Abhishek also tore into Maphaka’s third over, hitting him for a sequence of 4, 6, 6, 4 to complete his fifty and snatch the record from Head. The key was how early he picked the length of the bowlers. He hit seven sixes in his 23-ball stay for 63 runs, before heaving a half-tracker that Chawla fired in seam-up at 112.8kph straight to deep midwicket.Heinrich Klaasen hit another rampaging half-century•AP Photo / Mahesh KumarKlaasen, Markram add finishing touchesWith nine overs to go and two right-hand batters in the middle, Hardik Pandya sensed an opportunity to get left-arm spinner Shams Mulani in the game. That played into the hands of Klaasen, though, who is a spin-basher. In T20s since January 2022, no batter who has faced at least 500 balls had a higher strike rate against spin than Klaasen’s 174.38 before the start of the game.True to form, he smacked Mulani over long-off to get his rhythm going. Klaasen then hit a six each off Hardik and Jasprit Bumrah as SRH crossed 200 in the 15th over. Aiden Markram, at the other end, hit a six and a four but was happy to give the strike to his South Africa team-mate. Klaasen brought up his fifty off 22 balls, which was only the third quickest on the night.Klaasen hit two successive sixes in the last over bowled by Mulani to take Sunrisers past RCB’s record score. SRH added 63 in the last four overs to post the fourth-highest total in all men’s T20s.Mumbai lose their fizzRohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan kicked off Mumbai’s reply in fine fashion. Rohit muscled Bhuvneshwar Kumar down the ground before hitting Jaydev Unadkat – brought in for T Natarajan, who had a niggle – for back-to-back sixes. Kishan meanwhile took 23 off Bhuvneshwar’s second over, hitting him for a four and three sixes. Kishan then slogged Shahbaz Ahmed to deep midwicket, but Rohit kept going.He whipped Pat Cummins’ second ball over midwicket before miscuing a pull to fall for 26 off just 12. Only twice in the IPL has Rohit scored more – 37 in April 2015 vs RCB, and 27 in May 2015 vs Chennai Super Kings – off the first 12 balls he faced.Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma also kept Mumbai abreast with the required rate. They found boundaries regularly, with Tilak leading the charge, and added 84 off 37 for the third wicket. But once they fell within 21 balls of each other, MI lost momentum. David managed to hit a few into the stands, but by then it was too late.