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In the golden era of Chelsea's history when the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba were dazzling packed-out crowds in west London, goals were never an issue as that duo would strike fear into opposition defences with their sheer quality.

In the Blues near faultless title-winning campaign in the 2005/06 season, spearheaded by the tactical brilliance of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea posted 72 goals in the league, but perhaps more telling, Lampard and Drogba combined for 47 of them.

Forming an almost telepathic partnership across their time at the club, the two legends built up the most fruitful duo in Premier League history, holding the record for the most combined goals as a pair (36) from 2012 – holding it for a full decade – before it was broken by Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane in 2022.

In recent times, despite accumulating over £1bn on new players since Todd Boehly took over, the Blues are still toothless in front of goal, finishing sixth from the bottom for goals scored last term (38), behind the likes of relegated Leicester City and Leeds United.

Chelsea attempted to fix that problem with the £32m acquisition of Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson but it is fair to say, he hasn't had the desired impact thus far.

What has gone wrong for Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea?

Jackson has shown glimpses of the star striker that Chelsea so desperately desired through his piercing movement in-behind, ability to occupy dangerous pockets of space and being a handful for opposition defenders, lacking the most important part – putting the ball in the back of the net.

While the 22-year-old hasn't been helped by the injury to Christopher Nkunku as the pair formed what was looking like a budding partnership in pre-season, Jackson's attacking metrics paint a picture of someone who is doing everything but take his chances.

The Senegalese has scored only twice in the Premier League this term – the latest coming in a 4-1 victory against Burnley – a goal he hopes will truly kickstart his Chelsea career, however, the youngster could have had several more goals to his name.

According to Sofascore, the 6 foot 1 marksman is joint second in the league for big chances missed (7), fifth for the most expected goals (xG) accumulated (4.09), while his goal conversion of 10% paints a sorry picture of striker squandering big opportunities in front of goal, as seen during their defeat against Nottingham Forest.

Despite being in the early days of his Chelsea career, should he continue to be wasteful in front of goal, Mauricio Pochettino could ditch him and splash the cash on one of Europe's most promising goal-getters, Lois Openda.

What would Lois Openda bring to Chelsea?

The RB Leipzig forward has been ripping it up in the Bundesliga since making the £37m (€43m) switch to the German giants this summer.

Having netted an astonishing 58 goals combined across his past three seasons for Vitesse Arnhem and RC Lens, Openda is a lethal finisher, exhuming a calmness in front of goal, an attribute that isn't distinguished from Jackson.

Lauded as "exceptional" by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the talented 23-year-old has taken the footballing world by storm in the past year and this is demonstrated by his incredible shooting stats, ranking in the top 3% for non-penalty goals against his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues, top 6% for shots on target, top 12% for total shots and top 32% for shot creating actions per 90, via FBref.

While clever movement and lightening pace frees the Belgian into dangerous positions, similarly to Jackson, the fact he ranks so high for non-penalty goals suggests he's uber-efficient in and around the box, displaying the attributes that could get Chelsea challenging towards the top end of the table.

With four goals and two assists in seven Bundesliga appearances so far this campaign, including a strike in the Champions League against Manchester City, it is no surprise to see Premier League's circling for his signature with Liverpool and Manchester United reportedly entering the race, alongside Pochettino's men.

A deal would be near impossible to complete in January given he's only just signed for Leipzig, but if he continues this rate of scoring, the £80m rated youngster will begin a bidding war next summer that the Blues desperately need to win.

David Leatherdale is expected to resume his role as chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) within days. His return comes at a time when the players’ union faces a number of pressing issues, not least about its response to the ECB’s proposed 100-ball concept for 2020.Leatherdale was forced to step back from his position in February, having struggled with stress in the aftermath of a heavy workload and family health problems. But now, having had just over three months away from the game, Leatherdale is poised to go back to work. While no date has yet been put on that return, it is possible it will be as early as next week. If not, the PCA are hopeful it will be the following week. He is expected to start with a day a week and slowly build-up his workload.Leatherdale’s return will be warmly greeted. Not only will there be relief that a well-known figure in the game is firmly on the road to recovery, but he has been much missed in his absence. At a time of great flux in the game, the PCA has been criticised in some circles for failing to support its members as vociferously as it might have done in the past, and for the closeness of its relationship with the ECB. The union’s founder, Fred Rumsey, recently told ESPNcricinfo that he wondered if the organisation was “doing enough to look after the interests of players”.In Leatherdale’s absence – and with the position of deputy chief executive having been abandoned with the departure of Jason Ratcliffe 18 months ago – the organisation’s two chairmen, Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Wheeler, have assumed his responsibilities. But both have had to combine their PCA work with other roles: Mitchell is a senior player with Worcestershire and Wheeler fronts a couple of companies involved in sports marketing.Foremost among the issues likely to confront Leatherdale on his return is his members’ apparent opposition to “The Hundred” and an increasing realisation from players that the new competition will involve a relatively small number of them.A new pay deal for centrally contracted England players is also on the agenda, while the PCA has just learned that the County Partnership Agreements (CPA) with counties – the agreement that includes salary cap levels, minimum salary levels and performance related fee payments among many other things – for the period 2020 to 2024 will not be finalised by the ECB until the autumn. That makes it hard for counties and players to agree the value of contracts beyond the end of the 2019 season.But it is discussions around “The Hundred” that may remain most contentious. A sizeable number of players remain unconvinced by the format, underwhelmed by the manner in which information has been divulged to them by the ECB and unhappy that the current PCA executive is either not inclined or not able to mount any meaningful resistance.There was talk of a vote of no confidence in the current PCA leadership a couple of weeks ago – a move that failed to gain enough support to progress – while it is understood the ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison, was given a torrid time at the recent meeting with the players. His insistence that the new competition was only “a concept” at this stage appears to have been contradicted by his chairman, Colin Graves, stating it was “set in stone”.All of which is likely to leave Leatherdale with plenty on his plate upon his return.

Colin Munro, the New Zealand allrounder, has become the latest international cricketer to shelve his red-ball career to focus on the white-ball

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-2018Colin Munro, the New Zealand allrounder, has become the latest international cricketer to shelve his red-ball career to focus on the white ball saying that his “passion” for the longer format has diminished.Munro, 30, played one Test for New Zealand in 2013 but has now established himself in the ODI and T20 sides at the top of the order. He has scored three T20I hundreds, the most by any player.Despite holding a first-class average of 51.58, it was unlikely that Munro would have forced his way back into Test contention.He will continue to play 50- and 20-over cricket at both domestic and international level. Last year pace bowler Mitchell McClenaghan opted out of a New Zealand central contract so he was free to take up T20 deals around the world, but Munro remains committed to international cricket with the 2019 World Cup a particular focus.”It would be fair to say that my focus hasn’t been on four-day cricket this season and my passion for that format of the game isn’t what it once was,” Munro said. “I’m still 100% committed to playing for the Blackcaps and Auckland Aces in the shorter formats and have some big goals I’d like to achieve in the next couple of years.”Obviously with the World Cup next year I’d love to give myself the best chance of making that squad and that’s where my main focus is.”Munro admitted he would have liked to have played more than his one Test – which came against South Africa in Port Elizabeth – but he was starting to have issues with his body which made first-class cricket tough.”I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to play more Test cricket in that time but you look at the guys who have come and made a real go of it. I’ve given a fair crack to first-class cricket and now it’s a change of focus, I want to be part of that World Cup squad”Being classed as more a batting allrounder I don’t think the body is was it was a couple of years ago. I’ve carried a few niggles through this home summer. It wasn’t like I could run and bowl 15-20 overs, even though I’m medium-slow.”Munro put his thoughts past former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, now his mentor, but it was very much is own choice. “I had chats with him a little while ago and he said he can’t make the decision for me, it comes down to what’s best for me and my family.”Last month, England pair Alex Hales and Adil Rashid opted to take up white-ball only contracts with their counties.Meanwhile, Tom Latham and Martin Guptill will captain two New Zealand XI sides against England in their warm-up matches in Hamilton between March 14 and 17. The four days of cricket will be split between two with a pink ball under lights to prepare for the day-night Test at Eden Park and two in daytime conditions.New Zealand will use those matches as a chance for a number of their Test players to tune up ahead of the two-match series although the frontline pace bowlers will have a separate camp in Mount Maunganui. NZ XI squad – Two-day pink-ball match: Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Henry Nicholls, Seth Rance, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, George WorkerNZ XI squad – Two-day red-ball match: Martin Guptill (capt), Logan van Beek, Tom Blundell, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Scott Kuggeleijn, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, George Worker

England has been a happy hunting ground for the man who replaces Symonds in Australia’s order

Brydon Coverdale12-Jun-2009Early next week a planeload of Australian Test specialists will reach London to prepare for the Ashes, and try to put the team’s Twenty20 humiliation firmly in the past. Most of the five-day men have created Fleet Street headlines already. Not Marcus North. Despite his shaping as a pivotal player the tabloids have found him as interesting as a bowl of porridge.There have been howls of protest at Phillip Hughes’ acclimatising with centuries for Middlesex, Stuart Clark has caused indignation by trying for a county stint before visa problems arose, and Andrew McDonald has been photoshopped into a fast-food clown. Although North, who will turn 30 during the Ashes, has avoided the spotlight, he knows what it’s like to be an Australian in England in an Ashes year.”I had a very short stint at Lancashire for about seven or eight weeks in 2005,” North told Cricinfo. “I was watching it on TV, so it wasn’t a great time for me. The English supporters and public were waiting for that day to beat us. I got plenty of stick over there, that’s for sure.”Back then there was nothing North could do to help Australia’s cause. This time, despite his career being just two Tests old, he looms as a key man for the team’s balance. A century on debut in Johannesburg sealed his spot as a calming influence at No. 6, and his part-time offbreaks will be important if spin-thin Australia choose an all-pace attack.But it’s his batting that ought to earn him England’s respect. Of Australia’s 16-man touring party only Simon Katich and Michael Hussey have played more first-class cricket in England than North, whose tally includes stints for five counties and an average of 50 or more in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Australia’s selectors admire his ability to score his runs in tough circumstances, and a reverse-swinging Duke is nothing new to North.”That’s probably going to be the key to the batting, to adjust and combat that swing quickly,” he said. “We’ve seen that Jimmy Anderson is swinging the ball consistently both ways, and that’s something I think proved a big weapon in the 2005 Ashes campaign.”They’re both very strong attacks. The English will be suited to their English conditions. Jimmy Anderson has really come of age, Stuart Broad is maturing each Test that he plays, and Ryan Sidebottom has got an extremely good record in England, as well as [Andrew] Flintoff if he’s fit. They’re going to be a tough opposition. They’ve got a pretty well-balanced bowling attack.”Not that many bowling outfits are scarier than Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel, who North saw off to become the 18th Australian to score a century on Test debut. It was the first time in a decade-long career that North, who eschews the on-field flashiness favoured by his Test predecessor Andrew Symonds, had truly grabbed the attention of the Australian cricket public.”Three months have gone past and it feels like yesterday,” North said. “I’ll be honest, I still pinch myself a little bit. It’s an achievement I’ll remember for the rest of my days, but that’s gone now, that’s the last series, and my focus is on doing well and trying to establish myself as a player in England.”Marcus North has represented five counties, so the reversing Duke should not be news to him•Hampshire County Cricket ClubHis preparation has involved a couple of trips to the Centre of Excellence, although Australia resisted the temptation of sending him for specialist spin training in the lead-up to the Ashes. He collected his maiden first-class five-wicket haul during a tour match in South Africa, and his presence will tempt the selectors to squeeze out Nathan Hauritz and choose four fast men.”In the past I’ve looked at myself as a part-time bowler, but it’s something that I’ve identified in the last 18 months to really work hard on,” he said. “I feel that I can hold my own with the ball, and I can offer Ricky a good option, not just as a holding role, but an attacking role as the wickets get a bit more worn on the fourth and fifth day.”Unlike most Test rookies North knows plenty about what a leader requires from his troops. Two seasons ago he was named captain of Western Australia, and it sharpened his focus on his own role in the team. Runs began to come on difficult surfaces when his side needed him the most, and it pushed him to the top of the queue when Symonds became unavailable.”One of the best things that happened in my career was getting the captaincy of Western Australia,” he said. “That was a huge honour and gave me a real focus to try and improve Western Australian cricket. It gave me that responsibility, which carried into my game as well.”I felt that it was in tough conditions or when the team needed it the most that I performed. I felt that’s probably given me a hardened edge as a first-class player, which hopefully will hold me in good stead at Test level.”It started well in South Africa. The next phase begins a couple of days earlier than expected, after his flight was brought forward because of Australia’s premature exit from the ICC World Twenty20. But until the Tests begin, expect North to keep flying under the radar.

Newcastle United are interested in completing the signing of a defensive "jewel" this summer, according to a fresh transfer update.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies continue to be linked with lots of potential new signings at the end of the season, as PIF look to provide Eddie Howe with enough funds to make significant reinforcements.

Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande has jumped out as a primary target in recent weeks, with the 20-year-old Ivorian considered an ideal long-term partner for Sven Botman at the heart of Newcastle's defence. Contact has even reportedly been made with the defender, further suggesting that he could come to Tyneside in this summer.

Elsewhere, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher could depart Stamford Bridge in the coming months, and the Magpies are seen as contenders to sign him, battling Tottenham for his signature. There have also been links surrounding Brentford and England ace Ivan Toney should Howe decide that he wants to add to his attack.

Newcastle fans will also be hoping that a number of key players stay put rather than move elsewhere, and Callum Wilson could now reportedly remain at the club. That's partly due to Financial Fair Play and choosing not to bring in an expensive striker in his place.

Newcastle want defensive "jewel"

According to a new report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are keen on signing Salernitana centre-back Lorenzo Pirola in the summer window.

The 22-year-old is described in the report as a "real jewel" of a player, and there is hope that the Magpies could snap him up for a fee of around €30m (£25.7m).

Pirola could be exactly the type of profile that Newcastle are looking for ahead of next season, in what is a crucial area of the pitch to add at least one new face. Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles are now both in their 30s, with the latter also currently out with a serious ACL injury, so they hardly represent the long-term picture at St James' Park.

Salernitana ace Pirola has experienced a tough season with his team, who sit bottom of Serie A by some distance, but he has still arguably stood out as one of their best players. He has averaged 3.2 clearances and 2.3 aerial duel wins per game in the competition, as well as winning 1.3 tackles per match, which is impressive considering he is one of the youngest members of the squad.

The fact that his side have been relegated to Serie B also means that could be expected to move on, and this could be beneficial for Newcastle, giving them an even better chance of signing him.

Freedman could strike gold by immediately axing £110k-p/w Newcastle trio

He’s been linked with replacing Dan Ashworth at St James’ Park this summer.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 26, 2024

Back in 2019, it was reported that both Manchester City and Manchester United were eyeing a move for Pirola, with the pair watching him for Italy at the Under-17 World Cup. This further shows his potential as a player, and why the Magpies should look to strike a deal for him.

The January transfer window is around six weeks away from opening up for business and Liverpool are reportedly looking at a possible addition to their defensive options.

Liverpool's transfer news – Valentin Barco

According to a report from Calcio Mercato, via TEAMtalk, the Reds are ready to provide 'fierce' competition to land the signing of Valentin Barco from Argentine outfit Boca Juniors next year.

The outlet has claimed that Juventus and Manchester City are also interested in the talented 19-year-old left-back, who is said to have a release clause of €10m (£8.8m) within his current contract.

However, it is not stated who is currently leading the race to secure his signature and it remains to be seen whether or not Liverpool have a realistic chance of being able to sign him.

If Jurgen Klopp is able to bring Barco to Anfield, though, then the German head coach could have his long-term heir to Andy Robertson at left-back.

Robertson's Liverpool statistics

The Scotland international has managed one goal and zero assists along with 2.9 tackles and interceptions per match in eight Premier League matches so far this season for the Reds.

Last term, the 29-year-old ace racked up eight assists in 34 top-flight appearances for the club and his creativity has been a constant bright spark throughout his career at Anfield.

17/18

22

Five

18/19

36

11

19/20

36

12

20/21

38

Seven

21/22

29

Ten

22/23

34

Eight

23/24

Eight

Zero

As you can see in the table above, Robertson has always been able to provide his teammates with chances to score at the top end of the pitch, despite being a left-back.

The statistics that show why Barco could be Robertson's heir

At the age of 19, Barco is ten years younger than the current Liverpool star and could, therefore, be the long-term heir to his position in the team as he has plenty of room and time to grow and develop as a player.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him an "exciting" prospect and once described the gem as a "wonderkid". Kulig has also gone as far as to hail him as Argentina's version of former Brazil and Real Madrid left-back legend Marcelo.

The teenage talent has showcased his attacking potential throughout 2023 and could be a like-for-like replacement for Robertson due to his ability to make things happen in the final third.

Barco has registered one assist and created three 'big chances' for his teammates in eight Libertadores starts this year, along with two assists and three 'big chances' created in six Copa de la Liga starts.

The talented left-back also caught the eye with one assist and 2.5 key passes per match across three starts at the U20 World Cup for Argentina earlier this year.

These statistics show that the young whiz has the ability to create chances and assist goals at an impressive rate from a defensive position, much like Robertson does for Liverpool.

Therefore, Klopp could land his next assist-king at left-back by securing a deal to sign Barco ahead of the likes of Manchester City and Juventus in January.

Liverpool have started the new Premier League season with renewed purpose and appear to have enjoyed an impressive transfer window that has eradicated the issues that punctured the club's pursuit of success.

Jurgen Klopp has been an absolutely brilliant manager and the architect of newfound feats at Anfield, having restored Liverpool's position at the forefront of domestic football, secured the league title for the first time in 30 years and reached three Champions League finals, winning one.

For all of the immense quality added to the club during this period, no signing has had greater importance to the trajectory than that of the manager, who has had to make some ruthless decisions along the way.

Loris Karius lost his place as the first-choice goalkeeper to Alisson Becker in 2018, who joined for £67m, and while Kevin Stewart's sale was more low-key, he too is emblematic of the decisions necessary to create this remarkable winning culture.

When did Liverpool sign Kevin Stewart?

Liverpool swooped for Stewart in 2014 when the player was aged 20, having not been offered a professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur.

The youngster was viewed as a crisp and combative centre-midfielder and quickly asserted himself as one of the club's most promising talents before Klopp's arrival changed everything.

Impressive with his equanimity, very much the composed head needed to keep the play ticking, Klopp was certainly a fan and offered Stewart his Premier League debut in 2015/16, starting him for six of the Reds' final eight games of the term – praised as the "perfect role model" for younger peers by reporter James Pearce.

He would make four substitute showings during the opening phase of the following season – his last with Liverpool – but this has been the extent of his top-flight career.

He lost his place, and while he continued to feature sporadically across cup competitions that season, his fate was sealed and he was shipped on to Hull City the following summer.

Why did Liverpool sell Kevin Stewart?

In July 2017, Liverpool signed left-back Andy Robertson from Hull for an initial £8m, with Kevin Stewart heading in the opposite direction for a similar fee.

Stewart had been held in high regard by Klopp but it was becoming increasingly clear that injuries and Liverpool's fast-rising ascendancy to prominence would mean that the one-time Spurs youngster was not going to earn regular match action at Anfield.

To think that Liverpool effectively recuperated the entirety of the fee paid to sign Robertson through the sale of Stewart, who was never really likely to cement a starting berth in a team targetting new levels of success, was incredible business.

Robertson has gone on to revel in a truly astounding career, important in winning the entire sweep of silverware under Klopp's tutelage and now praised as the “complete player” by former Liverpool player Fabio Aurelio.

The Scotland captain is also considered the fourth most valuable full-back in the world according to Football Transfers' valuation model and holds the Premier League record for most assists created by a defender, with 57.

It's safe to say that the 29-year-old has enjoyed a more successful Merseyside career than Stewart would have likely forged for himself, had he remained on the club's books.

In fact, the former Red – who was once compared to Xabi Alonso for his quality of passing – is now moored in the piteous position of unemployment, having actually spent over a year on the sidelines after enduring a detrimental spate of injuries that resulted in his contractual culmination with Blackpool.

What happened to Kevin Stewart?

Stewart has not been very lucky over the past few years; having joined Blackpool on an initial 18-month contract in January 2021, the midfielder completed 28 appearances before penning a new two-year contract in June 2021, though the 5-0 defeat against Peterborough one month earlier has proved to be his last professional display to date.

Seasiders writer Sean Mcginley conveyed news just months into the 2022/23 season that the former Liverpool ace had sustained an injury that would rule him out indefinitely, having not featured under Michael Appleton that term before his setback.

And given he would not feature again and is not unemployed, Stewart faces a fight to return to senior action as he currently bobs in uncharted waters.

He did manage to impress in instances for Hull, with former City player Peter Swan writing that his 'tenacity and doggedness in the middle was crucial' and that he deserves the 'plaudits he's getting now', but Stewart was unable to sustain his performances with the kind of regularity that is requisite for success.

Indeed, the 30-year-old completed 78 matches for Hull and posted two goals and assists apiece, but was released in 2020 and subsequently picked up by Blackpool.

Season

Apps

23/24

0

22/23

0

21/22

12

20/21

16

19/20

27

18/19

27

17/18

17

16/17

4

15/16

7

Stats via Transfermarkt.

The fact that Stewart has only completed in excess of 20 league matches across the duration of his senior career epitomises his struggles, with the incessant inability to muster a rich vein of form and sustain it utterly stifling any tincture of quality from blooming into something worth singing about.

And it's unfortunate too for a player who had such effusive praise while rising to the fore on Merseyside, but such is the ruthless nature of professional football.

Stewart has fallen foul to the sable side of the beautiful game, and while he can hold his head high after impressing during his maiden years and indeed playing a part for the Tigers during his stay, there is a rueful element to a career that could have been so much more.

As it is, Liverpool must be pleased with the business savvy displayed in shipping him on for a pretty exorbitant fee all things considered.

With Robertson arriving for a similar figure from the opposite direction, Liverpool can only be satisfied with the way things panned out, even if Stewart's decline is one of great poignancy.

With a year to go for the World Cup, the India A coach believes his players are progressing well enough to serve as excellent back-ups to the senior team should the need arise

Alan Gardner at The Oval03-Jul-2018Rahul Dravid, the India A coach, has hailed the “bench strength” being developed for the senior side ahead of next year’s World Cup after his players secured victory in the tri-series final on Monday. Led by a strong bowling performance and Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 64, India A overturned England Lions’ home advantage for the second time in a week to make it four wins in a row and take the trophy.Dravid on India in England

“It should be an interesting series. The India batting line-up has been here before, which should give them a lot of confidence. Hopefully the bowlers, if they can keep them fit, we’ve got a very good attack; the spinners have been here before, too. India is well placed to do well, but make no mistake, England in these conditions are a very good side. I’m hoping for a great series.”

Victory at The Oval had several authors, as has been the case all series. Deepak Chahar claimed 3 for 58, including a wicket with the new ball and that of Sam Hain, the Lions centurion; Khaleel Ahmed also picked up three wickets, while only Krunal Pandya, who removed Liam Livingstone for 83, went at more than a-run-a-ball. Pant then sealed the chase with a sprightly half-century, after 40s from Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer laid the platform on a sometimes-tricky pitch.Overall, India A had four hundreds by three batsmen – Agarwal, with two, was second only to Hain in the run-scoring charts – and four players averaging more than 50. They also piled up a record 458 for 4 in a warm-up match against Leicestershire. With the ball, Chahar claimed 10 wickets at 14.70, while Shardul Thakur, Khaleel and Axar Patel also impressed in unfamiliar conditions.

I think we’ve got a really strong bowling attack at the moment, with the India side, a lot of variation and depth, and it’s nice to see we’ve got another batch there in case of injuries

With the 2019 World Cup taking place in England, Dravid said he had been encouraged by the strides the team had made after losing to the Lions in the opening match of the tri-series at Derby last week.”A lot of these tours aren’t necessarily about winning, but I think the quality of cricket we’ve played throughout this tournament – except for the first game where we didn’t bat particularly well – has been really good,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo. “A lot of the boys have had their first-time exposure to these conditions; we tried to rotate the squad as much as we could and give everyone decent opportunities.”It’s been quite satisfying, some good performances. A tough game today as well, we had to fight back with the ball and the bat – so good to see them fight, good to see them compete in these conditions. Definitely some positives, as well as seeing some of the boys get into the national side as well, irrespective of the result.Rahul Dravid watches the India A side•Getty Images”Especially with the World Cup in a year’s time, it’s nice to have bench strength, for the selectors to know there are good young players if the situation does arise. It’s nice to replicate this experience leading into the World Cup, to give these boys some exposure in these conditions.”Chahar, who claimed career-best List A figures of 5 for 27 against West Indies A following an impressive IPL, and Krunal have already been rewarded with maiden calls to the full India squad, for the T20I series against England starting on Tuesday. Dravid was particularly pleased with the performances of the team’s pace attack during the tri-series, which he suggested had matched that of the Lions, notably in the final and in their 102-run win in Leicester.”There’s a good bench strength being developed and I think it gives people a lot of confidence that there are players, if the situation arises, who are in good touch and playing well,” Dravid said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve done really quite well in white-ball cricket at this level, built up quite a few players – so that’s a good thing for Indian cricket.”All the quicks were really good, we rotated the four of them and all of them had their moments and did well in the series. I think we’ve got a really strong bowling attack at the moment, with the India side, a lot of variation and depth, and it’s nice to see we’ve got another batch there in case of injuries. Especially with the fast-bowling department, you need back-ups and people who can come in – we’ve got Deepak and Shardul [in India’s last series before this tour] joining the national team due to injuries. It’s good to see the fast bowlers coming through and almost out-bowl some of the English seamers in these conditions, which is a really good sign for us.”

If he had to sit in the Gabba stands for next week’s first Test against New Zealand for doing everything in his power to win here, he would have been celebrated

Ali Cook10-Nov-2008
Ricky Ponting has now slipped below Steve Waugh as the game’s most successful captain – his winning percentage is 68.75 next to Waugh’s 71.92 © AFP
Winning at all costs no longer seems to be the Australian way, but it doesn’t feel like supporters have gained a team to love instead of an uncompromising steamroller. The tourists still walk on the confident-arrogant border, sledge in times of strength and weakness, insist there is only one way to play the game, and mention “the spirit of cricket” as a defence when their behaviour or tactics are challenged.It was one of the reasons Ponting gave for calling on his part-time bowlers instead of looking to his fast men when the over-rate became more of a concern than winning the fourth Test and retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bowling 90 overs in a day, something the Australians hardly managed over the past five weeks, suddenly came under the banner of a “spirit of cricket” issue. It’s not the sort of response that makes you feel all warm and cuddly for the players’ commitment.There were many stages that cost Australia this game, from India’s strong opening partnerships to the visitors’ failure to attempt to disrupt India’s negative line, to the inability of the fast men to strike regular blows and the illnesses experienced by Brett Lee and Michael Clarke. But no point was harder to understand than Ponting using his spinners on Sunday – and then watching them ease the pressure on India – instead of looking for a quick kill and thinking “stuff the consequences”.If he had to sit in the Gabba stands for next week’s first Test against New Zealand for doing everything in his power to win here, he would have been celebrated. That’s the sort of attacking outlook that would charm people. Ponting chose the defensive option instead and his side suffered and he has been heavily criticised.Ponting has now lost two of the major Test trophies for similar reasons. In England in 2005 Australia was slow to catch on and unable to innovate. That happened again in India, unless picking Cameron White as a specialist spinner for three matches is creative. Old tactics were used with defensive field settings and bowling plans, but new trends were missed, especially with reverse-swing. The home-and-away battle against South Africa over the next six months will determine whether Australia head to England for the 2009 Ashes as a world leader or a challenger. Despite a 13-point lead over second-placed India, Australia’s No. 1 spot is no longer undisputed When Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in charge of India the side looked vibrant and in control compared to the outfits of Ponting and Anil Kumble. It can’t be a fluke that the two games Dhoni led, India won in dominating fashion. Dhoni was helped by a firing unit, but he provided the energy.Ponting can manage that only when a team is in front, which is probably a product of him not being behind too often. That is changing. Ponting has now slipped below Steve Waugh as the game’s most successful captain – his winning percentage is 68.75 next to Waugh’s 71.92 – and it looks like it will drop further.This is not a side that will dominate all-comers any more and the home-and-away battle against South Africa over the next six months will determine whether Australia head to England for the 2009 Ashes as a world leader or a challenger. Despite a 13-point lead over second-placed India, Australia’s No. 1 spot is no longer undisputed.For the past three Tests, Australia have been behind as soon as they have lost the toss. The fast bowlers have not had regular impact and Jason Krejza showed how much a specialist spinner could achieve with his 12 wickets on debut.Krejza’s performance was the only significant bright spot in another difficult game for the tourists, but he must now wait until the series against New Zealand to discover whether he can make it at home. Without Krejza’s performance here, Australia would have been humiliated. Instead they were beaten badly.”This tour we’ve just been totally outplayed,” Ponting said. “With the exception of the first Test, where we pretty much dominated that game, in any other game we’ve got back to level, but never really got in front. Losing three tosses in a row, if you don’t actually get yourself back in front after the first innings, it’s very hard to win here.”
It can’t be a fluke that the two games Dhoni led, India won in dominating fashion. Dhoni was helped by a firing unit, but he provided the energy © Getty Images
On the third day in Nagpur, with Australia resuming at 189 for 2, Ponting hoped his side could draw alongside India’s first-innings 441, but they were unable to innovate against the negative bowling of the morning session and the hope of parity was soon extinguished. “Coming here on the third morning I was really positive about how the game was going,” he said.”India adopted a certain style of play that made it very difficult for us, they chipped in with a few wickets and the scoreboard was going nowhere. Being behind on first innings again wasn’t ideal and chasing 380 today was exceptionally difficult.”Australia needed a miracle and it was not possible for this team. Waugh’s side only collected a chase around that size once. How Ponting and his men recover will determine how far they fall. Spirit will have to be shown in stomachs and hearts rather than being something that is talked about in times of trouble.

Australia bowled only spinners and part-timers after tea on day four in Nagpur, in an attempt to boost the over-rate, a tactic that just about everyone found inexplicable

11-Nov-2008

‘Let’s hurry it up here’ © AFP

“In his most embarrassing moment in his 48th Test as Test captain in five years in charge, Ponting opted to worry more about improving Australia’s sluggish over rate than going for broke to try and snare a must-win match when a result was clearly on the line.”
Daily Telegraph”The first question you’ve got to ask is: how the hell can he keep making the same mistake? He has been in that position previously in this series; he has been fined and he has been warned about the slow overs but here we are again… He’s the guy who takes up a lot of time talking to his bowlers, talking to his fielders about tactics, changing his field placings – and all of that just takes too long.”
“Myself as captain of the Australian cricket team, I feel I have a lot of responsibility to play the game in the right spirit, I have an obligation to try to bowl 90 overs in the day’s play… The thing I’m most disappointed about is there seems to be this inference out there that I’ve put myself totally ahead of the team.”
“I might be concerned, I might not be. It depends on getting a clear understanding of the circumstances that ensured that we played the way we did after the tea break… I’d like to understand the situation.”
“I don’t know what to make of all this. They go into the tea break on a high and come out worrying about over-rates… I am glad Ricky can’t read my mind right now because he is not going to like it.”
“Whatever Ponting had in his tea, it did not help his judgment afterwards.”
Times”I remember when I played it was considered a badge of honour not to have a drink in a session [apart from the scheduled drinks break]. And no one died from dehydration. These days there are far too many drinks breaks. It’s ridiculous. But it is just not the captain’s fault. It is up to coaches, referees and umpires to keep the show moving.”
“It’s easy to sit up in the commentary box and poke fire at the captain because of the decisions he’s making out there.”
“One could never imagine Ian Chappell making such a decision in his day but if he had, I wonder whether the likes of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson would have taken it with the same apparent grace that Watson and Lee did today.”
“I always thought he was an ordinary captain and this proves it. His captaincy calculator isn’t that brilliant, is it?”
“To give themselves a chance, the Australians needed to take four wickets in that hour… Did not the dressing room sense the mood? Do they not know that there is a tide in the affairs of men that must be taken at the flood?”
“It’s not the captain’s fault and this was clearly a decision at the weekend made by four or five people.”
“I can’t understand why the fast bowlers wouldn’t bowl off a short run.”
“We were quite happy to get a few runs on the board in that particular time.”