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After just one full season of domestic cricket, the 20-year-old left-arm quick is part of India’s Asia Cup squad, having imbibed some lessons from Zaheer Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along the way

Shashank Kishore01-Sep-20185:24

Agarkar: It was time for India to move on from Raina

These are the questions on everyone’s mind, now that Khaleel Ahmed has made India’s squad for the Asia Cup: How quick is he? Can he swing it back into the right-handers? Can he bowl the heavy ball? What does his action look like?First, some background. Khaleel has only played one full season of domestic cricket – and only two first-class matches. But he has shown enough promise to win a place in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s squad in IPL 2018 and get fast-tracked into the India A squads for a tour of England in June-July and the recently concluded A team quadrangular series. In his last nine outings for India A, he hasn’t gone wicketless even once, and has picked up 15 wickets.Khaleel’s strength lies in extracting bounce even on docile surfaces – which could come in handy in the Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – and he’s got pace too. He grew up playing tennis-ball cricket in Tonk, a Rajasthan town known for its muskmelons. On muddy surfaces where batsmen kept swinging, he learned early that the only way to beat them was by being quick through the air. Now he’s trying to blend that pace and bounce with with swing to become the complete fast bowler.When he first came through at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, he relied mostly on his angle across the right-hander. Over the last two seasons, he’s worked closely on swinging the ball back in. This process began during a stint with Delhi Daredevils (2016 and 2017), when he didn’t get to play in the IPL, but got to rub shoulders with Zaheer Khan, who was captaining the franchise at the time. Zaheer would try and get Khaleel to think for himself, ask him to set his own fields and bowl to them. Khaleel says this experience improved him significantly as a bowler.”Being under Zaheer coincided with my improvement as a cricketer,” Khaleel told ESPNcricinfo during the quadrangular series last week. “I used to just look to bowl fast, didn’t think much about the technicalities, but Zaheer worked on my non-bowling arm and wrist position. The seam position used to be wobbly, because there was some problem with my grip and alignment with my thumb. Now I can swing the ball back into the right-handers.”Khaleel Ahmed and Pawan Suyal bond with each other•Delhi DaredevilsKhaleel only picked up two wickets in his two Ranji Trophy games in 2017-18, at an average of 90.00, but did rather better in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, picking up 17 wickets at 15.52, while conceding just 6.76 per over. Rajasthan finished the T20 tournament as runners-up. In the final against Delhi, Khaleel dismissed Rishabh Pant and half-centurion Unmukt Chand to finish with figures of 4-0-23-2.In the 2018 IPL auction, Sunrisers entered a serious bidding war with Kings XI Punjab and Daredevils before eventually picking Khaleel up for INR 3 crores. It’s another matter that Sunrisers looked at him as a back-up option, since they had a strong Indian pace battery in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Basil Thampi. He only got one game for the franchise, in which he ran into the rampaging Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine and ended up with figures of 0 for 38 in three overs.At the time of his signing, Khaleel hadn’t even played List A cricket, but he went into the IPL on the back of a productive Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which he picked up 10 wickets at at 23.40 in six 50-over matches, while returning an economy rate of 4.77. These performances earned him a place in the season-ending Deodhar Trophy.In the final, he bowled a hostile spell in tandem with Umesh Yadav to rip through Karnataka’s top order. He took three of the top five to help his side beat the domestic 50-over champions. “Performing in those matches gave me a lot of confidence,” Khaleel said. “Before that, at the Under-19 level itself, Rahul Dravid sir kept talking to us about how we have to be ready for the step up and the kind of adjustments we must make. So that transition was a little smooth, because we were prepared mentally.”While playing opportunities for Sunrisers were scarce, he spent as much time as possible with Bhuvneshwar, often accompanying him for breakfast or to watch moves in rest days. All along, he tried to pick his brains. “With Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Sunrisers, I learnt about death bowling,” Khaleel said. “How he trains in the nets, how he practices bowling yorkers and does target practice. He is a very simple person, and is always ready to offer advice.”With him, chats have been around consistency. My strength is bounce because of height, but if I can swing the ball, then it adds variety. So even when I didn’t get chances, I wasn’t frustrated because I tried to learn in whatever little time we had between matches.”Khaleel’s rise has been swift, helped by the fact that there aren’t too many left-arm quicks in Indian cricket at the moment. While this could put pressure on some, Khaleel is relaxed. “I consider it as a good thing, because it could get me noticed, so isn’t it a good thing?”He may or may not get game time for India, but he is at least guaranteed another learning stint with Bhuvneshwar, this time in blue and not in orange.

After going wicketless in the first two sessions on a flat pitch in inhospitable weather conditions, the bowlers hit back to make inroads into Pakistan’s line-up

Daniel Brettig in Dubai07-Oct-2018″Everyone has a plan ’til they get punched in the mouth.” Mike Tyson’s succinct summary of boxing came easily to mind as Australia toiled on the flattest of Dubai pitches, after losing the toss and being sentenced to a day or two’s hard labour against a Pakistan side well versed in batting time on slow, low surfaces.In fact, it cannot have been far from the thoughts of the new coach Justin Langer, a renowned pugilist who once sparred with the former world champion Vic Darchinyan in the Sydney gym of Jeff Fenech. The shock of a Pakistan opening stand lasting all of 63 overs and 205 runs resembled that of a near-knockout punch in round one of a bout, but Langer had to be heartened by the way his team persevered, refusing to yield and even landing a blow or two of their own in a final session of enormous effort.”Inside the boxing ring it’s the same as when you’re playing Test cricket–nowhere to hide,” Langer had said at the time he met Darchinyan. “You’ve got to face a lot of your own fears. If you punch someone properly it’s like hitting the ball in the middle of the cricket bat–it’s a really nice feeling.”

Emotional addresses to debutants

Australia’s three debutants, Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, were each handed their baggy green cap by a more senior member of the same exclusive club, with the South Australian captain welcomed by an emotional address from his former Redbacks team-mate Nathan Lyon.
Allan Border presented Finch’s cap and Mike Hussey did the honours for Labuschagne, but it was Lyon’s words, as the spin bowler fought back tears, that left the most striking impression. “I was there for your SACA debut, cap No. 609, I’ve looked at you as my little brother that I never had,” Lyon said in a huddle of the Australian squad, support staff and multiple family members. “This cap means more than just a game of cricket. It impacts your family, it impacts your friends, and it makes me extremely proud to hand you No. 454.”
While Border spoke about Finch’s opportunity arriving after years in which it seemed this might never occur, Hussey’s words to Labuschagne could have applied equally to all three batsmen. “It is a great honour to wear this baggy green cap, but with a great honour comes great responsibility,” Hussey said. “And I guess what’s most important for you is to just focus on that next ball, play that next ball as best as you possibly can.
“And the second piece of advice I have for you is how you view pressure. I can assure you you’ll be under enormous pressure pretty much every day of your Test cricket career, but some succumb to the pressure, and some see it as a privilege. And pressure is a privilege because it gives you the opportunity to do something really special. So good luck, I hope you enjoy your journey with the Australian team, and I’ll certainly be the first and the loudest to cheer when you score your first Test hundred.”

Fearful or not, no-one imagined the first Test match for Tim Paine’s team since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal would be a simple task, particularly given the trouncing of a far stronger team in these parts four years ago. There have been oodles of meetings, plans and what Mitchell Starc termed “really, really constructive conversations” about how Australia would tackle this assignment, focusing as much on how the bowlers would work in concert in adverse conditions as how the batsmen would deal with spin and reverse swing.Equally, Cricket Australia as a whole and the men’s national team, in particular, have been subject to dual reviews of their culture and behaviour, the better to ensure that the events leading to the banned trio of Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft watching this match on television at home are never repeated. All those high-minded intentions and aims are undoubtedly harder to think about when the thermometer reads 39 degrees Celsius in the shade and Imam-ul-Haq has just clouted the last ball before tea into the all but empty stands at Dubai International Stadium.The way Australia started certainly suggested a team finding their way. Paine posted only two slips in acknowledgement of the conditions, and the early overs from Starc and Peter Siddle were serviceable rather than fire-breathing. Nathan Lyon similarly dropped onto a length without being able to draw too much in the way of false strokes, and at the other end Jon Holland experienced some struggles with finding the right rhythm in the face of batsmen seeking to attack him, a sight familiar to those who watched him bowling, albeit with far inferior preparation, in Sri Lanka two years ago.Scarcely a ball beat the bat as Mohammad Hafeez provided a masterclass in how to sculpt a bowler-blunting top-order century. His only misstep along the way had been a skier to long off from Holland’s bowling, whereupon the vice-captain Mitchell Marsh tried to leap for an AFL-style mark rather than a catch and saw the chance slip through his fingers – in fairness, the Grand Final at the MCG was only a week ago. Otherwise, glimmers of a wicket were as rare as Dubai raindrops.The first signs a change was going to come did actually appear in the overs before tea, as Starc began to gain sharp reverse swing, and created what should also have been a chance. Leaning forward, Hafeez edged one tailing away from around the wicket, but Paine had dispensed with all slip fielders and could only dive helplessly as the ball sailed into the position Aaron Finch would somewhat belatedly occupy in the following over.Getty ImagesNevertheless, that over was a source of possibility for the Australians when the final session began, and it was Siddle who led the way with a spell of grinding discipline and sometimes fiendish curve. After Lyon had managed to coax an edge from Imam that slapped straight into Paine’s gloves, Hafeez’s stay was ended by an inswinger that swerved into his pads and, on the DRS ball-tracker, the outside of the leg stump after Richard Kettleborough raised his finger.Siddle’s spell was ultimately worth 5-4-4-1, with a single boundary being the only scoring shot off the bat, as the tourists began to climb back into the contest after surrendering what in the boxing ring would have been a lengthy points deficit after a few rounds. The high level of fitness insisted upon by Langer, and the acclimatisation provided by two weeks in the UAE, were proving their worth.”We were still positive, still up and about,” Siddle said of the tea break. “We knew that they’d batted well, the wicket hadn’t offered a lot, there wasn’t a lot of movement as such yet, so we knew we had to keep grinding and we got close to that reverse swing early on, but it probably took a bit longer being a day-one wicket, it’s always a lot harder. As we saw this evening once that ball started reversing, yes it was a little bit soft, but we saw some inroads, the boys stuck together and we had some really good partnerships to be able to maintain that through the whole session.”It’s always a tough challenge going over to the different Asian conditions and digging in with the heat but the boys handled it really well – today was one of the cooler days we’ve had since we’ve been here, so that was quite refreshing actually walking out this morning and a little less humidity, so that was nice for the boys. But it’s going to be about how we back up tomorrow, we’ve got the new ball ready to go whenever we want to take that, so we’ll have some discussions whether we want to stick with this one for a little bit or take it straight away. But it was well toiled by us and you look at it at tea time, it could’ve been a lot worse.”Others rallied to join in the fight in the final hour, as Holland crept closer to his best and Starc summoned a swift final spell, despite the obvious discomfort of cramp. Siddle, a longtime team-mate of Holland for Victoria, observed the left-arm spinner’s day with plenty of empathy. “I’ve played a lot with him over the years and watched him bowl,” he said. “He wasn’t far off bowling his best, but it did look like they were a lot more aggressive against him and sitting on Nath a little bit.”Once we saw later in the day there it was starting to grip a bit more, a little bit of spin and bounce, he started to trouble them. That showed with the wicket he got, a couple of close calls along the way, it isn’t going to be as easy to do that in the rest of this match. The way he dug in, you have to, but sometimes it can be hard and you lose your way, but he kept going and to get that breakthrough at the end was a great reward for us.”At final drinks, Pakistan had added a mere 25 runs to their tea-time tally, and by the close it was still only 56, at the cost of three wickets. The Australians were tired and sore but far from despondent, knowing they had fallen behind on the day but won the session that looked at first glance to be the hardest proposition of all three. In doing so, they walked much of the talk of the past two weeks – and indeed the past seven months since Newlands – a team that toils hard and can win admiration as well as cricket matches.”Everyone around that last session bowled superbly. Building pressure, bowling in partnerships, things we’ve spoken a lot about in the lead-up, that last session summed up what we’ve been working on,” Siddle said. “To only go for 50 runs at the back end of a day when a team is none down at tea, I think that’s a tremendous effort from the whole group to be able to restrict them to that, but get wickets along the way it showed the hard work’s paying off.”After his 2006 meeting with Langer, Darchinyan had expressed surprise at how well the batsman had boxed. “I was quite surprised,” Darchinyan said. “He can hold a punch. I did not go very hard because he is not boxer, but he is fit, I can see. He’s not scared, coming forward. Not punching hard, but he’s good.” There will, undoubtedly, be harder punches thrown in this series, but Australia have already risen once from the canvas.

There might never be a World Cup appearance for the veteran Irish paceman, but he’s having the time of his life as a Test cricketer

Sidharth Monga in Dehradun15-Mar-2019It happened over a game of touch rugby. Ireland were in Dubai in 2015, preparing for the upcoming World Cup. They began this particular training session with a quick game of touch rugby when Tim Murtagh went over on his right foot. He heard something right away. He tried to, but couldn’t place any weight on his foot. He didn’t need X-rays to tell him that his dream of representing Ireland in a World Cup was over. The scan’s results were mere details: he had broken the metatarsal on his right foot.”Definitely that’s my biggest regret in my career, getting injured just before that tournament,” Murtagh said. “Such a big tournament, boys had a great time and got some good results there. It was pretty devastating.”The doctors put a screw in, and put him back on the park, but soon enough the ICC dealt him the double blow by reducing the 2019 World Cup to ten teams; even West Indies had to go through qualification. Murtagh is closing in on 38; he knows there isn’t a World Cup left for him.

We are going to have to scrap in the morning and pick up as many early wickets as we can and try and restrict them to as few as we can in the first innings because 170 in the first innings in not idealTIM MURTAGH

Murtagh is your typical county pro, who turns up and bowls his steady and accurate medium pace day in, day out. He is unassuming. He says you haven’t seen his batting if, after his unbeaten half-century on the first afternoon kept Ireland alive in their second-ever Test, against Afghanistan in Dehradun, you are wondering why he is at No. 11.In a way, Murtagh is the quintessential nine-to-five pro, but he does so because he loves the sport and because he doesn’t want the nine-to-five job outside cricket. That’s what has kept him going. If you keep going, sometimes the sport can make up for the injustices.”It was devastating to miss the World Cup but if you had said to me I would get the chance to play a few Test matches then I would have bitten your hand off,” Murtagh said. “When I first started to play for Ireland, it didn’t look possible at all. So that first one was a dream and then to play another here, then to have one at Lord’s against England in July, is beyond my wildest expectation really.”Murtagh has now bowled the first ball in Test cricket for Ireland, he has hit their first six, but has most importantly scored a fifty from No. 11 and taken part in a last-wicket partnership that is among the top-five contributions to a team’s total in terms of percentage. It was an absolutely crucial innings that came at a time when, once again, Ireland would have started feeling that the knives were being sharpened. As was the case with their first innings in Malahide against Pakistan in their maiden Test where they were bowled out for 130 in their first innings.Tim Murtagh bowled Ireland’s first ball in Test cricket•PA PhotosMalahaide, though, was difficult conditions against a top-quality seam attack. Here they had won the toss on a pitch not likely to be fun in the last innings. They had gotten off to a good start with Paul Stirling even fancying some driving on the up against the new ball. They raced away to 37 in 5.1 overs, and then Afghanistan corrected themselves. They bowled tighter lines, strung together 20 dots, and then Stirling had a poke at a wide ball to begin a glut of wickets.Within an hour, they had gone from the possibility of taking decisive advantage on the first morning to having their No. 11 padded up before lunch. There were some soft shots possibly after the start they had been given. This was, as they later realised, the only time batting was going to be difficult in the first innings. Get through to lunch two or three down, and you could bat the opposition out. The pitch was a little damp, which gave the spinners some bite. Still it can be okay to get out to a deadly accurate wrong’un from Rashid Khan first ball but not a full toss two balls later.All sorts of records were under threat at one point, including the lowest total in India, and this not on a raging bunsen or in crazy seaming conditions where India scored 76 against South Africa in Ahmedabad. Murtagh joined George Dockrell at 85 for 9, having not scored a run this year. He felt good about it today, though, and dug in. The turn was now slow, giving them time to adjust. Still it took discipline not typical of a No. 11 to hang in for as long as he did. Murtagh picked the right balls to hit, giving Ireland their first two sixes in Test cricket.That the advantage had been given away was apparent from how it turned even more slowly when Afghanistan came out to bat. Ireland know they need to put a squeeze on to restrict Afghanistan’s lead in the first innings, to make them bat last on a pitch that is bound to make chasing difficult.”We would have been hoping to get 250-plus on that pitch,” Murtagh said. “Knowing that it has had a lot of cricket during the course of the T20s and ODI series, knowing that we weren’t going to bat last, it was definitely an advantage. We have given that back to them a little bit there. We are going to have to scrap now. We are going to have to scrap in the morning and pick up as many early wickets as we can and try and restrict them to as few as we can in the first innings because 170 in the first innings in not ideal.”We have got to dig deep and sort of relive that spirit in Malahide where we came back well in the second innings and scored a good score there. When it is our turn to bat again, I think it is obviously going to be tricky but we are going to have to dig deep and show that same spirit.”There is no choice but to reprise that kind of revival because chances for these teams come sparingly. Murtagh himself knows he is in the final stages of his career, but he is enjoying this time more than “any stage of my career”. There is no World Cup in sight, but there is still at least a Test and a half to make the most of. That half is still theirs to revive.

The 17-year old made the best of a bad situation and also lived up to Steven Smith’s high praise earlier in the tournament

Alagappan Muthu04-May-2019There was no good way through the rubble for Riyan Parag. Every time he might have thought he could spark a recovery, wickets would go down. Rajasthan Royals were actually very lucky to finish the innings without conceding a hat-trick. But they did get through the 20 overs and it was largely thanks to a 17-year old boy.A 17-year old boy who became the youngest to hit an IPL fifty.ALSO READ: Riyan Parag and the Royals rookies”The way he batted, even in the first game that he played, he probably taught a lot to the experienced players a little something out there, even myself.” That was Steven Smith, noted for being among the best batsmen of this generation, talking about Parag after just a glimpse. We got a little more in Delhi as he did the only thing he could – bat long and pick the bowlers he wanted to attack. For all of Ishant Sharma’s new-found abilities, he still runs into trouble in the final overs of a T20, and Parag took 18 runs off the fast bowler to make a dismal total look just a bit less so.Riyan Parag shapes up to play a sweep•BCCIIshant’s new skillzAt one time in Ishant’s life, he basically scared Ricky Ponting. And that is when the Australian was at his ultimate best. Back then, the fast bowler had one strength – straightening the ball against the angle – and coupling that with the bounce he normally gets he became India’s great fast-bowling hope.Now the pace is down, but the skills have gone up. Take Liam Livingstone’s wicket today. Ishant understood the pitch was slow and low. He also knew the man he was facing liked pace on the ball. So he just took everything off it and made him literally buckle down in defeat as an offcutter slipped through bat and pad and bowled him.Ishant wasn’t picked to play the last IPL. This IPL, he’s one of the best Powerplay bowlers.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy the chase was the way the chase wasDelhi Capitals could have gone to the top of the table on net run-rate had they chased down 116 in 10 overs, and while that may have looked very possible in modern day T20 cricket, there were a couple of deterrents.The slow and spin-friendly Feroz Shah Kotla hasn’t allowed batsmen to score at rapid pace in IPL 2019. Even before today, they’d only managed a rate of 7.1 runs per over there – the second-worst after Chepauk.Also, the Capitals have been dealing with middle-order problems all tournament. Their Nos 4 to 7 came in averaging a mere 19 and were major culprits in a collapse of 7 for 8 earlier in the tournament.If this had to be done, it had to be done by the top three, and when Ish Sodhi removed Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw in the fourth over, plans had to change. Besides, the net run-rate of the Chennai Super Kings, the team currently at No. 1, could easily change as they play their final game of the season tomorrow.

Was the World Cup final the greatest ODI? Here are some other candidates in the thrilling finish stakes

Matt Roller15-Jul-2019Allan Donald is run out and the game is tied•Getty ImagesEdgbaston, 1999 – Australia tied with South Africa
You know the story of this one. South Africa need nine; Lance Klusener whacks Damien Fleming for two fours. One run off four balls to reach the World Cup final. The third ball goes straight to mid-on, and Darren Lehmann is inches away from running out Allan Donald at the non-striker’s end. And then, off the fourth ball, chaos: Klusener plinks it down the ground and sets off, Donald stays put; limbs fly in different directions, bats are dropped, and eventually Australia seal the run-out for a tie. By virtue of finishing higher in the Super Sixes – because of their head-to-head record in the group stage – they went through to the final. The finest of pre-Super Over margins?Georgetown, 1999 – West Indies tied with Australia
Bedlam at Bourda. In a rain-reduced 30-over game, Australia had recovered from 119 for 7 thanks to an unbeaten partnership of 49 between Steve Waugh and Shane Warne in a chase of 174. With six balls to go, left-arm spinner Keith Arthurton had only six to defend, but after Waugh hit his first ball for two, he held his nerve brilliantly with four dots in a row. That meant four to win off the last ball, and when Waugh heaved one out towards the fielder at deep midwicket, it looked like West Indies’ game. But by the time the return throw had come in, the raucous crowd had flooded on to the Georgetown pitch. Australia ran two, and Arthurton broke the wicket at the non-striker’s end. Waugh tried to sneak through for a third, by which point the crowd had completely enveloped the ground and taken the stumps with them. More than an hour after the game had finished, the match referee consulted video footage and declared the game a tie, since a third run had been attempted before the invasion.The scoreboard reveals South Africa’s impossible task•Getty ImagesSydney, 1992 – England beat South Africa by 19 runs
South Africa needed 22 off 13 balls after Jonty Rhodes had led their recovery at the SCG, but then it started to rain. In a pre-Duckworth-Lewis world, the tournament’s rain rule bizarrely dictated that the target would be adjusted by removing the defending side’s least productive overs. Since England had played out two maidens, the big screen declared that the new equation was 22 off 1 – though it was actually 21, adding to the confusion. South Africa took a single amid boos and jeers after trudging back out, and the victorious England sheepishly celebrated their progress to the final. “Had Martians landed at the SCG,” wrote Martin Johnson in the , “they would have concluded there was no intelligent life on earth and gone home.”Lahore, 1987 – Pakistan beat West Indies by one wicket
Abdul Qadir’s straight six with 10 needed to win off three balls left Pakistan in a brilliant position to harm West Indies’ chances of qualification in Lahore, and a scampered two off the penultimate ball meant they needed two more to sneak a win. Courtney Walsh steamed into bowl, and non-striker Saleem Jaffar backed up aggressively, trying to sneak whatever advantage he could. Walsh, pulled up in his delivery stride, but rather than running Jaffar out, stood knowingly with his arms crossed. Eventually, Qadir’s mishit flew through the infield for the two runs needed to seal a one-wicket win, but Walsh’s sportsmanship would ultimately be remembered better than the game itself.Trevor Chappell rolls the final ball of the match on the floor•Associated PressMadras, 1987 – Australia beat India by one run
A year on from the tied Test at the same venue, Australia made 270 for 6 batting first in the World Cup opener. But their total had originally been declared as 268, adjusted upwards after a debate as to whether a shot over long-off by Dean Jones had cleared the ropes or not. That decision proved crucial. Maninder Singh – also the man at the crease at the culmination of the tied Test – needed two off the last ball, but was cleaned up by Steve Waugh instead. “In the end the six did make the difference,” recalled Australia coach Bob Simpson. “It may have seemed like good fortune for us, but it was right.”Melbourne, 1981 – Australia beat New Zealand by six runs

“Let me just tell you what I think about it. I think it was a disgraceful performance… and I think it should never be permitted to happen again.” Richie Benaud’s damning verdict on the infamous final ball of a 1981 ODI at the MCG betrayed a sentiment shared by most of the sporting world. With six needed for a tie and brother Trevor bowling, captain Greg Chappell hatched a plan. Rather than give tailender Brian McKechnie the chance to smear one into the stands, Greg decided to ask Trevor whether he was any good at bowling underarm. “I don’t know,” said Trevor. “Well you’re about to find out,” came the reply. McKechnie blocked the pea-roller, and threw his bat in disgust. The incident provoked uproar, and underarm bowling was soon outlawed.

A commitment to homegrown talent and embedded local support show county game in best light

George Dobell at Taunton26-Sep-2019Of course, at the end of this ridiculous season, we had a ridiculous finish.Of course a summer that gave us World Cup final and finish to the Test at Leeds promised to serve up another miracle.Just as it seemed even the most optimistic Somerset supporters had given up hope, we saw a collapse that was remarkable even by modern standards. From the moment Alastair Cook turned one to short leg, Essex lost nine for 39. Less than 90 minutes after he was out – a spell that included the tea-break – Cook was back at the crease having been set 63 to win in 67 minutes by a Somerset side that forfeited their second innings in desperate pursuit of that maiden Championship title.Maybe, had Cook been given out leg before in the first over of the final day (as he should have been), or Nick Browne been caught at leg-slip by Murali Vijay in the first over of the fourth innings (as he should have been), Somerset may have been able to force victory. In the end, though, the fact that the first three days realised just 72.4 overs and another 90 minutes was lost on the final day proved decisive.In years to come, some may look at the scorecard and wonder why Essex, with just 18 more required, were so happy to shake hands on the draw. They had nine wickets in hand, after all, and the best part of 10 minutes remaining. But we had seen how quickly wickets could fall on this surface and, as an endearingly nervous Cook put it: “You don’t play on a wicket like that and expect to cruise through. When Somerset offered to shake hands on a draw I was more than happy.”It felt like the right thing to do, too. Essex’s primary objective had been achieved and Somerset, for their fight and bravery, didn’t especially deserve to lose. And it afforded Marcus Trescothick, on the pitch for the final moments as a substitute fielder, the chance to lead both sides from the field through a guard of honour. To see how much victory meant to the likes of Cook and Simon Harmer – or, indeed, to see the extent of Jack Leach’s disappointment – was to be reassured of the importance of the Championship to modern players. Both sides emerged with credit from this final day. So, too, did county cricket.And maybe it’s just as well that Essex held on. Somerset took quite a gamble with this surface and, while they probably judged it perfectly – the regulations specify that excessive turn is rated only as ‘below average’ and such a rating does not carry a points penalty – had they won, the season would have ended with us waiting for confirmation of the champions from deliberations in committee rooms at Lord’s. And that’s no way to decide a sports event.”I’ve been stressing the severity of how bad that pitch is,” Essex captain, Ryan ten Doeschate, said afterwards. “They’ve really taken a risk here by producing this wicket, but I’m sure we would have done as well.”Besides, this Essex side deserve their success. After defeat in their first game of the season, they won nine matches out of 11 including a comprehensive victory over Somerset at Chelmsford and are unbeaten in 13. Since they won their first Championship title, in 1979, no side has won it more often than their eight times including two in the last three years. They also became the first team to win the T20 and Championship competitions in the same season. Whichever way you look at it, they are an outstanding club.There is no special secret to their success. Instead, it reflects commitment to their pathway system, a determination to back young players, a nice balance between youth and experience and the occasional outstanding addition. They have a world-class spinner who bears a heavy workload and decent depth to ensure they have three good-quality seamers ready to go at any time. And while there is youth in the side, it is underpinned by experience: Cook, England’s record Test run-scorer, topped their batting averages. Later, he confirmed he would play at least one more season, too. Whether ten Doeschate, who was non-committal about his future, or even Ravi Bopara, stay with him remains to be seen.”The cornerstone of this success is built on our own guys,” Anthony McGrath, Essex’s coach, said. “The conveyer belt is a superb effort form the club and the young guys get their opportunity. It gives you that loyalty. The family and friends all buy into it and the crowd that come and watch can relate to local guys. The pathway is there for young players and we’re not scared to play them. We’ve played the last three Championship games without an overseas player.”Marcus Trescothick raises his cap to the crowd as he is given a guard of honour in his final match•Getty ImagesThere are similarities between the clubs in this regard. There were nine home-grown players in the Essex team and seven in Somerset’s. Essex’s Kolpak recruit, Harmer, has proved his worth by lifting the quality of the competition and helped developing players understand the level required if they are to progress to the next level. Both clubs, based in town-centre locations, feel a relevant part of their community and sell T20 tickets in an abundance that it embarrasses some larger clubs. While some larger clubs swoop on their neighbours – or even the overseas market – every close season in search of short-cuts to success, these clubs invest in scouting, coaching and development. These are, in short, clubs doing exactly what they should be doing: developing players that can represent county and country with distinction and winning trophies in the process. They represent much that is best about the county game.Perhaps there was a reminder here, too, that there isn’t much wrong with our great game that a little nurturing wouldn’t fix. Whether it has been the Ashes, the World Cup, the Test against Ireland or any of our domestic competitions, the sport has continued to surprise and delight and thrill throughout the summer. Given just a little encouragement – a bit more exposure here, a little help with the scheduling there – there is no reason it could not enthral a new generation of supporters with the teams and formats it already possess. We tinker with its foundations at our peril. The boos that greeted the appearance of Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, underlined the impression that spectators have not been adequately consulted.Yes, of course we must be mindful of the harsh realities. Yes, of course we must adapt. But let us never forget it was county cricket that gave birth to the one-day game and county cricket that gave birth to T20. It has shown a willingness to change without relegating its own teams to secondary status. As soon as sport becomes nothing more than something to invest in, it risks losing its identities, its loyalties and its relevance to the community. Never more than in the last few days has The Hundred seemed such a massive and unnecessary gamble.For Somerset, right now, there are mixed emotions. There is pride, certainly, in their consistency. And in the fact the season finished with a trophy for the first time since 2005. There is excitement, too, in the quality and quantity of home-grown players that continue to develop through the local systems. This is a region where cricket still matters. Where you see cricket-related items on sale up and down the high street. Where grandparents, children and young people in bars wear gear branded with the Somerset wyvern. It is, perhaps, as close as you will come in the UK to the sense of what cricket means in an Indian town.But Somerset have now been runners-up in this competition six times this century and three times in the last four years. They have seen Glamorgan (in 1997), Lancashire (in 2011) and now Essex (2019) celebrate clinching the title in Taunton. And it is starting to really hurt. Rumours have it an open-top bus had been put on standby. Sometimes you wonder if they will ever need it.While history may suggest it was last week’s match at Hampshire that cost Somerset – the hosts recovered from 88 for 7 in one innings and 103 for 8 in the other – their head coach, Jason Kerr, was not so sure. “We were out-played in that game,” he said. “Kyle Abbott bowled exceptionally well.”Instead, Kerr looked back on defeat at Yorkshire, when Somerset squandered excellent bowling conditions in the first innings and conceded 520, as a key moment.”But I still believe 100 percent that we are the best team in the Championship,” he said. “The weather hasn’t been kind to us this week and if we had been given more opportunity to play, I think the result might have been different.” In time, he may reflect that a side without a batsman averaging even as much as 32 is expecting rather a lot from their bowlers. Tellingly, they lost three of the seven games they played away from home. They will miss their groundsman, Simon Lee, who departs for Hampshire, almost as much as they miss Trescothick.These is always an element of sadness about the last day of the cricket season. But this year, more than ever, it brings with it an ominous sense of the ending of an era. Domestic cricket is embarking in a new direction in 2020 and many of us are far from sure it is wise. To be in Taunton these last few days was to be reminded and reassured of the value and validity of the county game. It would be a tragedy to diminish or destroy it.

A win guarantees a place in the playoffs for Perth Scorchers, but it may not for Sydney Thunder or Hobart Hurricanes

Shiva Jayaraman25-Jan-2020Brisbane Heat have come back strongly into the reckoning for the playoffs on the back of a 37-ball 71 from AB de Villiers to climb up to No. 5 on the ladder. The 71-run win over the Melbourne Stars also improved their net run rate (NRR) from -0.58 to -0.23. It might come in handy should qualification come down to NRR. A tie on points is still possible in the event of a no-result in one of the remaining matches and a favourable result in the other. Heat will qualify for the playoffs irrespective of other results if they win against Renegades on Monday.While Heat will know exactly what they need to do when they take on Renegades on Monday, here’s a look at what Sunday’s matches mean for the four teams involved.

Sydney Thunder v Perth Scorchers

Sydney Thunder, Points 11Thunder’s best chance to qualify is by winning this match, and winning it by as big a margin as possible. That will ensure they move ahead of the Hobart Hurricanes on NRR. If Heat beat the Renegades on Monday and the Hurricanes win their match against the Adelaide Strikers, it will come down to NRR between Thunder and the Hurricanes.Here’s an illustration of what Thunder would need to do to push their NRR above the Hurricanes’.If Thunder and the Hurricanes score 180 batting first in their respective games, then Thunder have to beat the Scorchers by at least 14 runs to stand a chance of qualifying ahead of Hurricanes if the latter win by the narrowest of margins.If Thunder and the Hurricanes concede 180 bowling first in their respective matches, then Thunder have to beat the Scorchers with at least 10 balls to spare to get ahead of the Hurricanes if the latter win off the last ball of the match against the Strikers (this will change based on the Hurricanes’ final score).If Thunder beat the Scorchers, but not by a margin that’s big enough to take them ahead of the Hurricanes on NRR (and if the Hurricanes beat the Strikers), the Thunder can still qualify on points if Heat lose to the Renegades in the final match of the league stage.If Thunder beat the Scorchers and one of either Hurricanes or Heat lose their respective matches, then Thunder will qualify on points.Josh Inglis goes hard on the leg side•Getty Images If the Scorchers win, they qualify. If they lose, they have to make sure their NRR doesn’t suffer by much. To qualify on 12 points, they will need both the Hurricanes and Heat to lose their respective matches. They will also require Heat to lose by a margin that is big enough to keep the Brisbane team below them on NRR.If the Scorchers lose to Thunder, the Hurricanes-Strikers match is washed out, and the Renegades beat Heat on Monday, it will be a three-way tie on 12 points among the Scorchers, the Hurricanes and Heat. The fifth place will then be decided on NRR.

Adelaide Strikers v Hobart Hurricanes

Hobart Hurricanes, Points 11They are in the same boat as Thunder. Their best chance to qualify is to beat the Strikers by a margin that is big enough for them to stay ahead of Thunder should it come down to NRR. Hurricanes will have the benefit of knowing exactly what to do to stay ahead of Thunder since they play the second match on Sunday.If Thunder lose to the Scorchers and the Hurricanes beat the Strikers, then it will boil down to the result in Monday’s match between Heat and the Renegades. If Heat lose, Hurricanes will make the playoffs. They won’t if Heat win.Adelaide Strikers, Points 17They have to win their final match to finish in second place. They will tie with the Sydney Sixers on points but will be comfortably ahead of the Sydney team on NRR.

Second season syndrome. It’s sure to be a phrase bandied about online when rival fans discuss Liverpool’s chances under Arne Slot’s management for the 2025/26 campaign.

Liverpool must ensure they put paid to such notions by bolstering effectively in the summer transfer market and adding the depth that has been somewhat lacking this term.

Slot has worked wonders since replacing Jurgen Klopp last summer and it’s difficult to find faults to pick at, but a resistence to rotation is definitely one area the Dutch tactician has drawn criticism, with some intimating that Liverpool’s recent drop in fluency and sparkle is a by-product of certain players being overplayed.

But this is a minor blemish on a man whose arrival at Anfield has left the city aglitter, with the Premier League title a stone’s throw away and promises already being made of significant summer investment.

However, out with the old and all that. Some players have failed to win their boss over this season and simply have to be sold to make room for fresh faces.

Who Liverpool need to sell this summer

First and foremost, Darwin Nunez needs to be sold this summer. The misfiring striker didn’t even make the bench on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool beat West Ham United at Anfield. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool expect to sell him this summer.

Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota have also endured differing problems this year and either could be deemed expendable if the right bid were to come in, especially now that Mohamed Salah has extended his contract and the likes of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak are being eyed.

It might be a tad harsh to suggest Liverpool need to sell Andy Robertson after his struggles at left-back this term, but with concrete interest confirmed in Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, either the Scotsman or his deputy, Kostas Tsimikas, will need to leave.

Several others – Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott – may be sold if the right circumstances present themselves. However, there’s another Liverpool star riding the crest of a wave right now who may also need to go.

Luis Diaz is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League, and FSG should cash in for maximum value while they can.

The latest on Luis Diaz's future

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are now willing to accept offers for Diaz this summer in spite of his recent form, should bids reach the ballpark of €80m (about £68m).

The Colombian is one of the best forwards in the Premier League and has rediscovered his touch in the final third over the past few weeks, but aged 28 and approaching the penultimate year of his £55k-per-week contract, it might be the right time for Liverpool to cash in.

Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in the player, while Spanish reports suggest Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League are preparing a bid ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure at the end of his contract this summer.

Diaz has been one of the driving forces behind Liverpool’s anticipated Premier League triumph, but he’s not irreplaceable and some difficult decisions will need to be made soon.

Across all competitions this season, the 28-year-old has scored 15 goals and supplied eight assists for his teammates, having registered goal involvements in each of his past five Premier League appearances.

An electric-paced forward with an energy that’s charged not by pace but tenacity, Diaz is the real deal, coveted by the likes of Manchester City last year and heading toward the championship having been outscored only by Salah in Liverpool’s squad, which is nothing to be ashamed about.

Ranking among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, as per FBref, he’s got the technical capacity to thrive too. Klopp even hailed him once for his “world-class” passing.

Diaz has been indispensable this season for his tactical flexibility, able to skip around the frontline and fill in as a make-do centre-forward, owing to his gifted ability but highlighting the need for a recognised, hard-to-handle number nine.

While he’s at his most clinical when placed as the focal frontman, he might find his opportunities limited in that area next term, given Liverpool are headset on signing an out-and-out striker, one who will likely cost quite the figure to bring over to Anfield.

They’ll need to get it right, but the same thing happened when Nunez was brought in from Benfica in the summer of 2022 as Sadio Mane took his leave.

Mane joined Bayern Munich in a deal worth £35m that summer, draping the curtain on an illustrious career at Liverpool. Given that he had turned 30 years old and was a year away from his contract’s conclusion, FSG’s decision was understandable.

Mane still had mileage in the tank but renewing his deal at that point of his career could have knocked the club’s wage hierarchy askew, with Salah being an exception to the rule.

And so history is shaping up to repeat itself. Diaz has been a more than able replacement for his Senegalese counterpart and now faces a similar fate, but given that he is set to consider a departure from the English Champions Elect, it could be a move that benefits all parties.

Back to the present, Cody Gakpo has nailed down the starting berth on the attacking left flank this year, scoring 16 times from 35 matches in the position.

The Netherlands international might have stepped away from the limelight over recent weeks due to injury, but he ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90.

There may well be a conflict of positional interest if these players remain at Liverpool and fight for a place alongside Isak or Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, for example.

The same, curiously, occurred when Mane, Salah and Diaz all played together for five short but sweet months in 2021/22, with Klopp’s new recruit making waves, notching seven goal involvements across 11 Premier League fixtures while winning 5.3 duels per game.

Liverpool wouldn’t grumble if Diaz was still in their mix next season, for sure, but if clubs present bids north of £60m for a player who is entering the later stage of their contract and is not that far away from their 30th birthday, it feels like it could be a no-brainer for sporting director Richard Hughes.

Awful Trent repeat: Another Liverpool "superstar" is now wanted by Madrid

Liverpool need to make sure they keep their best players this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Apr 14, 2025

Sheffield United’s automatic promotion dream is now over with Burnley and Leeds United confirmed as Premier League-bound on a disappointing Easter Monday for the Blades.

Earlier in the day, before United’s pivotal showdown with the Clarets, Leeds resoundingly thumped Stoke City 6-0 in the Championship, with Daniel Farke and Co then needing Chris Wilder’s men to slip up and lose to seal a return to the top-flight.

Their wish would come true to the dismay of the away side at Turf Moor, with their pain only intensified when you consider the hosts also clinched a dramatic passage back up to the top-flight when beating the visitors 2-1.

Anel Ahmedhodzic suffered from a rare off-day in Lancashire, with his clumsiness right before the half-time whistle gifting Josh Brownhill the decisive spot-kick that sent the Clarets up a league.

Ahmedhodzic's off-day at Turf Moor

Ultimately, United’s dismal run of four losses from their last five Championship outings has cost them the glory of automatic promotion, but the Bosnian brute certainly didn’t help matters when putting in a rare bad performance.

The number 15 was definitely fired up for the crunch contest, but it resulted in his overall game looking rash and hot-headed rather than focused, culminating in him clattering into Hannibal Mejbri to gift the home side a golden penalty.

Brownhill would calmly tuck away the opportunity to juxtapose Ahmedhodzic’s reckless approach, with the out-of-sorts 26-year-old going on to commit four fouls in total, on top of uncharacteristically winning just 33% of his duels.

Wilder will need his usually reliable colossus to be more switched on ahead of some huge playoff clashes to come, but whilst Ahmedhodzic did cost his team dear, there was one underperformer for the Blades who was just as bad as the defender in offering very little throughout.

The Blades dud who was just as bad as Ahmedhodzic

It was always going to be a tough ask for the Blades to get the better of a dogged Burnley side, considering the stern hosts have only shipped 15 strikes all season long.

Tom Cannon did manage to break his goalscoring duck at Turf Moor to raise a smile, but it was the efforts of Ben Brereton Diaz down the right wing that would have worried away spectators, irrespective of the ex-Leicester City man managing to salvage some personal pride.

The numbers from the table above do make for some dire reading, with the Chilean only managing a meagre 15 touches of the ball from his forgettable 60-minute stint.

On top of that, Brereton Diaz also failed to register a single on-target effort at James Trafford’s formidable goal, alongside only managing to muster up a weak five passes of the ball that found their intended target.

Whilst Ahmedhodzic was notably poor, he did manage to at least win three of his duels during the contest, with Brereton Diaz then unsurprisingly hooked off by Wilder for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to gain a run-out.

After all, Rak-Sakyi had at least bagged in United’s last away contest before this miserable outing to Lancashire, with his late efforts at Turf Moor seeing him conjure up one successful dribble among other promising moments.

If the Blades are to bounce back from this agonising promotion near-miss, Wilder could now have to axe Brereton Diaz from his forthcoming lineups, knowing full well that lethal displays are needed in the lottery of the playoffs.

Sheffield United sold a star for £2m, now he's way better than Cannon

The former Sheffield United striker is now way better than Tom Cannon.

By
Dan Emery

Apr 16, 2025

Celtic are in the market for reinforcements this summer, and Brendan Rodgers may have found the answer in his search to populate the forward areas with healthy competition, per a report.

Celtic look to finish season strong before summer recruitment drive

While the other side of the city end the season trophyless, Celtic are on the brink of another domestic treble heading into their final six matches of the campaign. This weekend, the Bhoys can wrap up the Scottish Premiership title by claiming a point against Dundee United at Tannadice.

On the same token, Aberdeen await in the Scottish Cup final next month as the chance to record another clean sweep lays a gripping backdrop for Brendan Rodgers.

Undoubtedly, the Irishman’s first port of call will be competing for the two remaining trophies on offer to Celtic, but he will also have one eye on what is set to be a busy summer at Parkhead. Per reports, the Hoops remain interested in Stoke City winger Million Manhoef, even if his £10 million price tag threatens to put a dampner on their pursuit.

Crystal Palace youngster Jesse Derry is also a target for Celtic after refusing to sign a new contract at Crystal Palace. Nevertheless, he would likely be a developmental addition for years to come.

Celtic fumbled the next Dembele when "generational" star left on the cheap

Celtic fumbled another Karamoko Dembele when they lost Ben Doak on the cheap.

By
Dan Emery

Apr 22, 2025

With the Bhoys set to enter the Champions League at the final qualifying stage next year, targets will become public knowledge before too long due to the time constraints on their scope for business.

Bolstering the forward line is a key mission for Rodgers to support Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah, so it won’t be a surprise to hear that Celtic are now circling for a talented young striker.

Celtic position themselves to sign Moussa Soumano

According to Africa Foot, Celtic are in the mix to sign AC Ajaccio striker Moussa Soumano and have recently monitored the Saint-Denis-born man in action for the Ligue 2 outfit. However, Brentford are believed to be in the lead for his signature after putting forward a £2.5 million bid, though it is unclear whether his club have chosen to accept their proposal.

Leeds United, Leicester City and Serie A clubs have also run checks on the 19-year-old, who will enter the final year of his deal come the end of the season. Primarily a centre-forward, Soumano can also play on the left flank and has completed 25 dribbles on league duty as AC Ajaccio veer towards the end of the campaign in mid-table.

Versatility is always a trait that can be put to good use at Celtic, especially considering the volume of matches Rodgers’ men need to encounter due to their involvement in multiple competitions.

However, they may have their work cut out for them in the chase for Soumano as Thomas Frank’s Brentford appear to be the primary contender to sign the prodigious talent.