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Manchester United have been rejected by Leeds United midfielder and summer transfer target Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the story?

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claimed that the England star will snub a move to Old Trafford this summer out of loyalty for his boyhood club, with the two teams sharing a fierce rivalry.

However, the Whites will listen to offers in the region of £60m for the 26-year-old.

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Ten Hag will be furious

Although the new Manchester United boss has stated that he wants to be left alone by club officials until he takes up his new role in the summer, with his current club Ajax still in the hunt for the Eredivisie title, he will certainly be furious to hear of Phillips’ snub.

The 52-year-old is set to lead a major squad overhaul this summer as part of a serious rebuilding job required at Old Trafford, with numerous players set to leave.

It has already been made clear that the likes of Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata will depart the Red Devils, and plenty more could follow suit.

Therefore, new recruits are vital, and Phillips would certainly have been an excellent addition to the Manchester United squad, with the midfielder now an England regular and a kingpin for Leeds.

In fact, the 26-year-old was named men’s senior England player of the year for 2021 after a breakthrough year which saw him become a key cog in the Three Lions’ run to the final of the European Championships last summer.

However, this season will have certainly been a frustrating one for the midfielder, who has been limited to just 15 Premier League appearances due to a hamstring injury keeping him out of action for almost four months.

Whilst Phillips was on the sidelines, fan favourite Marcelo Bielsa was sacked as Leeds manager with the Yorkshire club’s top-flight status in serious jeopardy, with American coach Jesse Marsch coming in and subsequently steadying the ship at Elland Road.

Whether or not the England midfielder – who was labelled a “baller” by Nigel de Jong – will want to be a part of the 48-year-old’s long-term plans in Yorkshire next season is still to be learned.

What does seem certain, though, is that Phillips’ rejection of Manchester United will leave Ten Hag furious ahead of taking the reins at Old Trafford.

AND in other news: “Made contact…”: Journo drops huge MUFC transfer update, supporters will be buzzing 

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.

Also, who has the most Test scores between 80 and 99?

Steven Lynch01-Aug-2017How many people have finished a Test with a hat-trick, as Moeen Ali did at The Oval? asked Richard Whitehead from England

Moeen Ali’s hat-trick to wrap up the match at The Oval yesterday was actually the fourth time a Test had been concluded in this way. The first instance was in 1895-96, when England’s George Lohmann ended the South African resistance in Port Elizabeth: they were all out for 30, with Lohmann taking 8 for 7. Not long afterwards, in 1901-02, the Australian offspinner Hugh Trumble ended an Ashes Test in Melbourne by taking the last three wickets in successive balls, then in Cape Town in 1957-58 Australia’s Lindsay Kline’s hat-trick clinched victory for Australia. (Moeen’s was the first Test hat-trick against South Africa since that one.)And Moeen’s Oval hat-trick set some other records, too. It was the first in Tests to feature three left-handed batsmen, the first in 100 Tests at The Oval, and the first in the same Test innings to include both an opener and the No. 11. Merv Hughes (for Australia in 1988-89) and Jermaine Lawson (for West Indies in 2002-03) also dismissed an opener and the last man, but both of those were spread over two innings, with the opener being the final element in the hat-tricks. For the full list of Test hat-tricks, click here.Shikhar Dhawan was out for 190 before tea on the first day at Galle. Has anyone had a higher score at tea on the first day of a Test? asked Amit Shukla via Facebook

In his remarkable innings in the recent Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Shikhar Dhawan was out for 190 in the last over before tea on the first day. There has only been one higher score: at tea on the first day of the Ashes Test at Headingley in 1930, Don Bradman was sitting pretty on 220 – he finished the day with 309 not out, another record. I’m indebted to Charles Davis from Melbourne for unearthing the next-highest, Jack Hobbs’ 180 not out before tea on the first day for England against South Africa in Cape Town in 1910-11.I wondered during the Oval Test whether Alastair Cook now has more scores between 80 and 99 than anyone else? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

Alastair Cook’s 88 in the Test that has just finished at The Oval was the 15th time he had been out for a score between 80 and 99 in Tests. There are a trio of batsmen who had 16 such scores: Brian Lara (including one not-out), Mike Atherton (two not-outs) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (a remarkable seven asterisks). But there are two others with even more innings in this range, and they’re the usual suspects, really: Rahul Dravid had 21 scores from 80 to 99 (one of them not out), while Sachin Tendulkar had 22, all of them ending in dismissals. Another Indian, Chetan Chauhan, had seven scores between 80 and 99 in Tests – and never did make it to 100.Seven-for on Test debut? What’s not to like?•Getty ImagesWas India’s victory at Galle their biggest over Sri Lanka? asked Ian Hugo from Nigeria

India won the first Test in Galle by 304 runs, their fourth-largest by runs against any team. They beat Australia by 320 runs in Mohali in 2008-09, New Zealand by 321 in Indore in October 2016, and South Africa by 337 in Delhi in 2015-16. India’s previous-biggest victory over Sri Lanka by runs was 278, at the P Sara Oval in Colombo in August 2015. India have also won 15 Tests by a margin of an innings and 100 or more runs, the highest being an innings and 239, against Bangladesh in Mirpur in May 2007.How many England players have taken a five-for on Test debut, as Toby Roland-Jones did at The Oval? asked Paul Greaves from England

Toby Roland-Jones, who took 5 for 57 in South Africa’s first innings at The Oval, was the 47th bowler to take a five-for on Test debut for England. Four of them – Fred Martin (1890), Tom Richardson (1893), Charles “Father” Marriott (1933), and Ken Farnes (1934) – took two in the match, so this was the 51st instance. The best figures on debut for England remain Dominic Cork’s 7 for 43 against West Indies at Lord’s in 1995. Four other bowlers took seven in an innings in their first match for England: John Lever (7 for 46 v India in Delhi in 1976-77), Alec Bedser (7 for 49 v India at Lord’s in 1946), James Langridge (7 for 56 v West Indies at Old Trafford in 1933), and Jim Laker (7 for 103 v West Indies in Bridgetown in 1947-48).Roland-Jones is the first England player with a double-barrelled surname since 1935, when Mandy Mitchell-Innes played against South Africa, and the first to take five wickets in an innings for them since George Simpson-Hayward, who claimed 6 for 43 in the first Test of 1910-11, in Johannesburg, and 5 for 69 in the third, also at the Old Wanderers. Bowling underarm lobs, Simpson-Hayward took 23 wickets in that five-match series, his only taste of Test cricket.Leave your questions in the comments

No Indian batsman in the Kings XI line-up is close to threatening a spot in the T20I team, and it showed in the way they tied themselves in a mess in the middle overs against Gujarat Lions

Sidharth Monga in Mohali11-Apr-20161:26

‘Bravo’s spell was the turning point’ – Finch

Two yorkers. One fast, one slow. Both at the base of the stumps. Glenn Maxwell and David Miller gone. It will be tempting to surmise that Dwayne Bravo, rightly being hailed as arguably the best bowler in this IPL, won Gujarat Lions the match in one over, but it is important to also look at events that led to this big over and those that followed it. Kings XI Punjab’s Indian batsmen – not one of them is anywhere close to threatening a spot in the Indian T20I side – will have to take a lot of the blame.M Vijay and Manan Vohra got off to a dream start with the new ball coming on to the bat, when all that was required to do was clear the infield. In T20 cricket, especially on Indian pitches, the bowling side is not overly bothered by these kind of starts, so long as the batsmen are going at under 10 an over. The best bowlers are saved for the overs immediately after the Powerplay. This is when lesser T20 batsmen get stuck.There is no time for batsmen to relax in a T20 game. If you do have a slow period in the middle, you better trust your game as much as Virat Kohli does, and you better be that good. If you cannot hit boundaries, you should be able to keep working the twos and be able to go at a strike-rate of about 120 before you can open up again. As they got stuck into Sarabjit Ladda and Pradeep Sangwan, Vijay and Vohra took Kings XI to 52 for 0 in six overs. Then, Gujarat Lions went to their best bowlers: Ravindra Jadeja and Bravo.In the sixth over, Vijay hit his final boundary. Until then Vijay batted beautifully, his flicks languid, his drives free-flowing. Even opponent Aaron Finch said for some time it was beautiful to watch. In T20s, though, there is not much room for the niceties of the high elbow.Vijay eventually fell in the 11th over, trying to hit Jadeja inside-out – a low-percentage shot unless you are playing with a wet ball or on a perfectly flat surface. Vijay scored 10 off the last 14 balls he faced. Vohra enjoyed some luck in a slow start – he was dropped early by Bravo – but he too relied just on the big shots, and perished to the wily Jadeja. Ajinkya Rahane faces criticism for similar dismissals in T20Is.By the time Miller and Maxwell came together, Kings XI had fallen behind on a pitch where 190 was about par. They were ideally the men to be doing the big hitting at the end, but were obliged to look for those big ones earlier than they would have wanted. That task was made even more difficult because they came up against Gujarat’s best bowler, Bravo.Just before Miller was done in by the Bravo slower one, the field had changed. Midwicket had gone back, and third man had come in. It was apparent Bravo was going to bowl a slower ball. This was also the last ball of the over. Who knows if, in another circumstance, Miller would have just looked to pick a single? A proper batsman should not be getting so befuddled by a slower ball when it has been telegraphed.What followed was a reminder that Wriddhiman Saha, despite being a plucky Test batsman and despite one great IPL season, is a limited T20 batsman, especially when the field has been spread out. His 20 off 25 was one of the prime reasons Kings XI fell 30 short of a par score. They now have a problem at hand. Their Indian batsmen will have to pull their weight, and their two big star batsmen will have to pull themselves out of an ordinary run of form.

ESPNcricinfo’s poll of county chief executives reveals a hankering for Twenty20 in the summer holidays and a presence on free-to-air TV

George Dobell and Alex Winter15-Jan-20153:47

Surrey’s chief executive Richard Gould insists that an 18-team T20 tournament can work

Derbyshire (Simon Storey, chief executive): “There is no doubt that regular Friday night cricket has helped us. The Derbyshire vs Nottinghamshire local derbies are the highlight of our calendar and we wouldn’t want to lose them. We would support any changes and ideas that help us grow our income whilst still allowing us to build relationships with our local supporters. If that includes developing the T20 franchise model to complement our domestic T20 season, then we should at least consider it.”Durham (David Harker, group chief executive): “I would like to see the English domestic competition moved to later in the season to take advantage of the best of the summer weather, lack of football and school holidays.”Essex (Derek Bowden, chief executive): “Consolidating the T20 schedule to July/August would greatly improve both the quality and commercial performance of the competition. A tighter schedule to attract quality overseas players and prime summer months, during school holidays, to attract a broader audience base including families with children.”Glamorgan (Hugh Morris, chief executive): “It was my first year back in county cricket after my time at the ECB and with the help of the revamped NatWest Blast we doubled profitability and increased crowds so while the new format was not a silver bullet that some had hoped for it nevertheless was a cause for encouragement. If we build a strong brand I see no reason why this can;t grow into a tournament that people want to see on a regular basis.”Gloucestershire (Will Brown, chief executive): “It’s time to accept the fact that Twenty20 is the leading form of county cricket, in terms of finance and spectators, in this country. Let’s put it where people want to see it, which means the school holidays, and make the brand far more exciting. Look at the BBL website: it oozes excitement. We have an equally exciting product to BBL: we just have to present it in a better way.”Hampshire (David Mann, chief executive): “We need a major tournament in a short window in high summer with all the big names playing and held at the big venues. This would be for the benefit of all counties, not just those teams hosting the tournament. It doesn’t mean we can’t have a ‘domestic’ T20 event as well along existing lines, but we should put the franchise event in the calendar first and then work out the rest around it.”Kent (Jamie Clifford, chief executive): “It is no longer acceptable to view Twenty20 as anything other than domestic cricket’s core commercial property ‐ in this context 18 counties should be seen as a strength not a weakness. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it provides the perfect vehicle for cricket to remain culturally relevant. It is essential that we do absolutely everything we can to ensure the full potential is maximised.”Lancashire (Daniel Gidney, chief executive): “We have seen big increases since moving to Friday nights. Playing in a shortened block would probably see a return to Mondays and Tuesdays that UK cricket fans have already shown that they won’t support in the larger conurbations. Play later in the summer; probably mid-June to early/mid-August. We hardly have any matches in the school holidays currently. This could be achieved via moving the 50-over tournament earlier in the season.”Wasim Khan, formerly with Chance to Shine, has taken over at ailing Leicestershire•PA PhotosLeicestershire (Wasim Khan, chief executive): “A T20 tournament during the school summer holidays in August would open up a huge school, family and potential new market that we currently only scratch the surface of and lend itself to high quality overseas players being available, making it an attractive proposition to watch. The condensed theory has been tested in the past; what we haven’t done is hold it during times when our key market place is on holiday.”Middlesex (Vinny Codrington, chief executive): “I would like the tournament to start later in the summer – May is too early. And personally speaking I think it should be condensed in order to help spectators follow it closely and understand it better.”Northamptonshire (David Smith, former chief executive*): “We need to work towards a County Championship of 12 games. It would help create a window in the structure for a three-week height of summer T20 competition in a franchise format, played at the big Test grounds only, targeting new audiences and attracting families and young people. But also still retain T20 cricket at county level on Friday nights throughout the summer to help continue to finance the county game.”
Nottinghamshire (Lisa Pursehouse, chief executive): “A consistent quality in-venue experience; making sure the match experience ensures that people want to return. T20 cricket is popular with spectators, but in the UK we cannot always guarantee the sunshine so we need to make a little more effort on the extras, like a quality PA system, using relevant graphics and video content and using your players to promote your matches so that people develop an affinity for the club.”Somerset (Guy Lavender, chief executive): “Free to air TV, even if it has to be a highlights package whilst the Sky deal remains in place. Did you watch the darts? The BBC’s coverage attracted a peak of 3.1 million viewers over the first weekend of the competition. I expect it was enormous for the final! We have got to get more people watching T20 cricket.”Yorkshire (Colin Graves, Yorkshire chairman. Candidate as chairman of ECB)

“The first thing I want to do is review everything: T20, the congestion in the schedule, our costs and our efficiency. After we, the executive team, have reviewed how we are operating now – and there will be no more outside reviews of the game while I’m chairman – we will announce our strategy towards the end of the year. We have to make the counties more sustainable. Whether that is 18 teams or 21 teams, let’s see. The fact is, county cricket brings in very little money and costs a great deal.”
*Yorkshire’s chief executive, Mark Arthur, was unavailable

Surrey (Richard Gould, chief executive): “Keep the appointment to view schedule with a week between home games but play in the middle of the summer to coincide with school holidays. And get some cricket in front of the pay wall.”Sussex (Zac Toumazi, chief executive): “We are making progress but need to better engage with the next generation of cricketers and fans game wide. We need to work on the image of the game, create heroes for the fans to identify with and follow. This should be centrally driven and supported by the counties.”Warwickshire (Colin Povey, chief executive): “In general T20 has been a huge success story for domestic cricket in England and Wales since its launch. The ‘new’ tournament delivered progress last summer but it is clear there is scope for further significant growth and improvement if we can get the formula ‘spot on’. The IPL benefits from the specifics of the Indian market but Big Bash and other tournaments around the globe have much that we can still learn from.”Worcestershire (David Leatherdale, chief executive): “Progress has been made in 2014 with the customer being the main focus and as the premier one day format it is vital the future structure works to give an experience the customer both wants and expects. Add to this further availability of England players and an option for spectators and supporters to view t20 on free to air TV then I am sure t20 can grow cricket across all age groups”.This article was updated at 1830 on January 16 with Middlesex’s contribution and some published comments also removed

Plays of the day from the IPL match between Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders

Devashish Fuloria09-May-2013The short fuse
“You’re calling me a cheat,” grumbled Jacques Kallis to umpire Sudhir Asnani in a rare moment of rage after his appeal for a run out at the non-striker’s end was turned down by the third umpire, Simon Taufel, because of lack of evidence. The ball, according to the bowler, had flicked his boot on its way to the stumps and had caught the non-striker Aaron Finch backing up too far. Two balls later, Kallis hit Finch’s offstump with a cutter and immediately turned back to give Asnani another long stare. He did talk to the umpire at the end of the over to clear the air.A first for the bowler
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had picked up 235 wickets in all forms of cricket before this match, but his 236th was the first of its kind for him. Knight Riders’ openers were cruising along, often charging out, which prompted Finch to ask the wicketkeeper to stand up to the bowler. Bhuvneshwar got one to swing back into Manvinder Bisla, it sneaked through the gap between bat and pad and Mahesh Rawat flicked the bails off as the batsman dragged the foot out, giving the bowler his first wicket through a stumping.The slap
Ryan ten Doeschate played only three matches last season and it didn’t look like this season was going to bring any more luck as the allrounder didn’t find a place in the XI till today. With Knight Riders’ campaign all but over, he finally did get a look in. When he arrived in the middle to bat, the team had squandered a frenetic start to get bogged down, but ten Doeschate provided the release with a ferocious slap shot off an Angelo Mathews delivery in the 17th over that went a long over midwicket and set the tone for the late acceleration.The slap that didn’t go too farParvez Rasool bowled an impressive spell in his debut IPL match but when the allrounder came in to bat, the match was all but over. In the last over bowled by L Balaji, he charged down the pitch, made some room and flat-batted a slower delivery back to the bowler, but Balaji, in his follow through, stuck his right hand out and grabbed the speeding ball out of thin air, leaving Rasool smiling at the absolute absurdity of that catch.

Firdose Moonda picks her best XI of the fourth season of the IPL

Firdose Moonda30-May-2011Chris Gayle
The Jamaican juggernaut crashed into town by complete accident, but after he propelled Bangalore into the final, virtually single-handedly, it will be tough to find someone who will say his inclusion was a mistake. He was the architect of a complete turnaround for Bangalore, and changed a three-match losing streak into a record seven-match winning one. Gayle showed the bowling no respect, fearlessly smashing whatever he could. He played fewer matches than most others, but took the orange cap, and had a strike rate of 183.13. He scored centuries against Kolkata and Punjab, but it was his 89 in the play-off against Mumbai that was his most destructive knock of the competition. He was also handy with the ball, his offspin capturing eight scalps for Bangalore.Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar’s insatiable appetite for runs has not dried up, even after India’s successful World Cup campaign, and he scored over 500 runs in the IPL. He opened the batting with his usual combination of solidity and flair, and a main contender for the orange cap until the Gayle force blew in. Tendulkar marshalled the top order of Mumbai Indians with such aplomb that eight games into the competition, Kieron Pollard had only faced three balls. He also achieved another first – his maiden IPL hundred, which he scored against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. His captaincy didn’t go unquestioned, but he remained the glorious batsman he has been for the last two decades.Shaun Marsh
Shaun Marsh was one of the chief reasons Kings XI Punjab remained in contention for the play-offs until the dying stages of the tournament. His 95 against Delhi Daredevils and unbeaten 79 against Bangalore were his two standout knocks but he had other, smaller contributions at No. 3 which were just as important. Marsh is one of the cleanest and most elegant strikers of the ball, and he showed he is not an IPL one-season wonder after claiming the orange cap in 2008.Virat Kohli
Tipped to be the future captain of India, Virat Kohli showed that consistency is one of his biggest assets, batting with maturity through the league. Kohli paced his innings’ well, finishing second on the run-scorers’ chart. Although he often was just a spectator to Gayle’s fireworks, he played his part to perfection, both as the standout supporting actor and stand-in captain when needed. In Daniel Vettori’s absence, he was handed the reins and led the side with distinction.S Badrinath
A man for all occasions, Badrinath performed in situations where he was needed to consolidate after a top-order failure and when he was sent down the order after a solid start. His yo-yo functioning in the batting order did not upset his sound temperament. His technical superiority was on display during crucial knocks like his 63 not out against Pune, his best knock of the tournament. Badrinath also established himself as one the best fielders in the Chennai side.MS Dhoni
Quickly becoming the best leaders of his generation, MS Dhoni’s ability to guide teams to champion status is now almost legendary. The face of calm under pressure, Dhoni’s role as tactician and planner is unmatched. He was particularly impressive with the way he used his bowlers, allowing the spinners and fast bowlers to share centre stage, and kept faith in players – Chennai fielded an unchanged XI in six consecutive matches at the league’s business end. While technically Dhoni may not be the best wicketkeeper in the tournament or world cricket, he is one of the most trusted. His skills with the bat came out in the 70 he scored against Bangalore. He promoted himself up the order in the final, in a move reminiscent of his World Cup final strategy, and although he didn’t accumulate nearly as many runs, his handy 22 was not wasted.Rahul Sharma
The fairytale story of this IPL, Rahul Sharma recovered from a problem which affected the nerves around his eye, Bell’s Palsy, to become one of the most eye-catching players of the tournament. A legspinner, whose height helps him achieve extra bounce on almost any wicket – drawing some comparisons with Anil Kumble – he was a threat to the opposition whenever he bowled. He maintained a tidy economy-rate, the best among all bowlers who had played more than two matches. He impressed with his 3 for 13 against Rajasthan and 2 for 7, one of the standout players for the new franchise, Pune Warriors.Iqbal Abdulla
This young left-arm spinner is one of the chief reasons for Kolkata emerging as one of the top four sides this year. Abdulla has been around the block a few times, playing for India’s under-19 side and on the club circuit in Mumbai, but came to the fore in this competition, with his aggressive performances. He took the new ball four times in the tournament, showing no fear in bowling in the Powerplay overs, breaking early partnerships as a result. He was awarded Man of the Match awards twice – and eventually named under-23 player of the IPL – when opening the bowling, once for his 2 for 19 against Punjab and 1 for 15 against Chennai.R Ashwin
The ever-impressive R Ashwin was one among a galaxy of star performers from the Chennai team, and once again used the IPL to stake his claim for more regular place in the national XI. An experienced hand at opening the bowling, Ashwin is now comfortable in this role and achieves early breakthroughs with regularity. His most impressive one came when it mattered most, in the final, when he removed Chris Gayle for a duck. Ashwin is also a man for big occasions and he performed at crucial times, claiming 3 for 16 in the final to break the Bangalore’s back.Doug Bollinger
Bollinger’s aggression and accuracy made him one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in this edition of the tournament. The left-armers’ consistent lines and lengths often saw him create early breakthroughs for Chennai, but that wasn’t the only stage he was effective at. He was one of the best death bowlers in the league, mixing up bouncers and slower balls, to prevent a late burst from the opposition on many occasions. His performance in the play-off, where he took 1 for 20, was key to Chennai’s progression to the final.Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga was head and shoulders above any other bowler in the tournament, and that’s not even when taking his curly, blond mop into account. Besides the unusual action, which has now been around long enough for batsman not to be alarmed by, Malinga is as accurate as it gets, landing the yorkers perfectly almost every time. He had batsmen’s toes crying for mercy and stumps being uprooted with regularity. His 5 for 13 against Delhi was the most destructive spell of the IPL and one that will be remembered for being as lethal as it was precise. More than 50% of the wickets he took were bowled, an incredible feat on its own.

New Zealand’s chances revolve around their slow men. By Brydon Coverdale

Brydon Coverdale06-Sep-2007

Daniel Vettori will have his work cut out for him as captain and lead bowler © Getty Images
Another World Cup, another missed opportunity. New Zealand’s failure to progress to the decider in the Caribbean was the fifth time they had stumbled at the semi-final stage, and post-tournament changes were inevitable. Stephen Fleming quit the one-day captaincy, John Bracewell’s position as coach was reviewed, and four members of their initial World Cup squad were overlooked for the Twenty20 version.Bracewell has stayed since but Fleming, James Franklin, Michael Mason and Daryl Tuffey have made way for Chris Martin, Gareth Hopkins, Bradley Scott and Nathan McCullum.It is Daniel Vettori’s first engagement as the full-time limited-overs captain and on-the-job training may be required, as his only Twenty20 experience is a solitary match for Northern Districts two years ago.Home truths
Only England have played more Twenty20 internationals than New Zealand’s five – which resulted in two wins, two losses and a tie – and the concept has been embraced at domestic level. Each provincial team played two matches in 2005-06 and the program was expanded significantly last year. In addition to a full round-robin tournament, a Southland Twenty20 competition was held in Invercargill over a weekend in November.Strengths
Quality slow bowling has become an important weapon in Twenty20. Batsmen are then forced to create the pace and contrive shots. New Zealand have potentially the most difficult spin duo of any team: Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel will use every piece of guile they can muster to tie down and frustrate the opposition. Vettori is a proven match-winner in one-day internationals with his subtle variations in line, length, flight and turn, and Twenty20 should be no different. Patel has become an effective foil and bowling in tandem they race through overs in the middle of an innings. Patel’s Twenty20 record – eight games, nine wickets at 16.77 and an economy rate of 6.20 – is excellent.They will follow the always dangerous Shane Bond, which means even the best sides will have to work hard to rack up a big score against New Zealand. New Zealand have a great spearhead, andthey also have great depth and variety in their bowling, which is second only to Australia’s Ian ChappellWeaknesses
It’s just as well New Zealand are good at restricting their opponents, because posting a huge total themselves will be a challenge. Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram are all dangerous strikers, but they struggled to click as a unit at the World Cup and their only decent totals came against minnows. The batting lacks the depth of more fancied sides and the line-up remains far from settled.In Fleming’s absence McCullum could again be pushed up to open, although that ploy has been unsuccessful in ODIs. Teams will also target New Zealand’s second-tier bowlers. Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin have their moments but at times they leak copious amounts of runs. The newcomer Scott, a left-arm fast-medium bowler, concedes nearly ten an over in domestic Twenty20.Player to watch
Thanks to his time in county cricket, Styris is the most experienced Twenty20 player in the squad. He is in form – he was easily New Zealand’s best batsman at the World Cup with 499 runs at 83.16 – and he could be the platform around which the likes of McMillan and McCullum launch their attacks. The only concern is that he returned from Durham with niggling back, knee, and calf problems, and losing him mid-tournament would be a major setback.Dark horse
It will be interesting to see how Hopkins, the back-up wicketkeeper, is used. New Zealand believe Hopkins and McCullum can play in the same side and after Hopkins made 514 first-class runs at 85.66 last summer, who can argue? He had a taste of ODI cricket three years ago, and at 30 he has enough experience to suggest he will not be overawed by the occasion. Hopkins will be desperate to pass this audition as he pushes for a batting spot in the one-day team.

Scott Styris needs to be the middle-order rock around whom the big-hitters play © Getty Images
Ian Chappell’s take
New Zealand are mainly a side of veterans who have been around in international cricket for a long time. The only unknown aspect about their cricket is the captaincy of Daniel Vettori, who takes over from long-term leader Stephen Fleming. How the left-armer adapts to the difficult role of being a bowler-captain is crucial to New Zealand’s chances in the tournament.The two big question marks surrounding New Zealand cricket are the ones that have been around for a long time – their vulnerable top-order batting and their ability to fall at the final hurdle with the winning post in sight. If Lou Vincent plays consistently well, the top order will be enhanced, which improves New Zealand’s chances immeasurably as they have ample power in the middle order. Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum have the power, precision and thought processes to make New Zealand’s middle order as dangerous as any, including Australia.With Shane Bond licensed to dismiss, New Zealand have a great spearhead, andthey also have great depth and variety in their bowling, which is second only to Australia’s. They back up their strong bowling line-up by being resourceful and athletic in the field.If they bat well at the top, and Vettori handles the extra responsibility ofcaptaincy, then New Zealand could very well make the finals as long as theydon’t freeze in sight of the prize. Rating: 7.5/10

Erik ten Hag reportedly "did not support" spending £85 million on Antony but Manchester United "pushed through at all costs" to fend off Arsenal.

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Man Utd spent big on Antony in 2022Followed his manager from Ajax to OTTen Hag was against the transferFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In a surprising revelation, it has emerged that Ten Hag was not in favour of United's massive investment in the Brazilian in 2022. Antony had played under Ten Hag at Ajax, and the expectation was that the familiarity between the two would ease the transition to Old Trafford and spark immediate results.

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According to multiple reports, it was only after United lost their opening two matches of the 2022–23 Premier League season that the urgency to bring in a high-profile attacker intensified. This urgency translated into action, with then-football director John Murtough submitting three separate bids to Ajax. The final offer was eventually accepted, despite Ajax’s reluctance to lose Antony.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

However, contrary to popular belief, Ten Hag tried to halt the move, as disclosed by Kees Vos, co-founder of SEG, the agency representing Ten Hag.

In the book , Vos states: "Ten Hag and Vos were not in favour of this and wanted to stop the transfer. But the club wanted to push through at all costs, because Arsenal was also interested in Antony. The risk of a stronger competitor would be great. Ultimately, Manchester United paid almost 100 million euros for Antony.

"Although Ten Hag did not support this transfer, it stuck with him throughout his entire time in Manchester that he took over the attacker from Ajax for this ill-fated amount, who was never able to fulfil his promise."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Over the course of 96 appearances for United, Antony only managed to net 12 goals and register five assists, figures that drew sharp criticism from fans. His tendency to perform flashy tricks without delivering tangible outcomes made him an easy target for those frustrated with United’s inconsistent performances. By the start of his second season, Antony had begun to fall down the pecking order. His limited impact saw him lose his regular starting role, and in a notable development halfway through his third season, he was loaned out to Spanish side Real Betis.

Gary Neville has revealed whether new signing Senne Lammens will be installed as Manchester United's No.1 following his transfer from Royal Antwerp. The highly-rated Belgian goalkeeper moved to Old Trafford in an £18 million ($24m) deal on deadline day.

Neville reveals United's stance on LammensSigned the Belgian goalkeeper on deadline dayOnana and Bayindir continue to struggleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United showed urgency in their pursuit of a new goalkeeper towards the end of the summer transfer window after Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir endured nightmare starts to the 2025-26 campaign. Bayindir conceded four goals in United's first three Premier League games, making clear errors against Arsenal and Burnley, while Onana's disastrous performance against Grimsby Town led to the Red Devils' exit from the Carabao Cup in the second round.

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United were also linked with a swoop for wantaway Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, but they eventually prioritised a deadline day move for 23-year-old Lammens. Now, speculation is rife over whether the young custodian will feature in Ruben Amorim's starting lineup once action resumes after the international break.

WHAT NEVILLE SAID

Speaking to , Red Devils icon Neville said: "I’ve been asking around about that one this morning and spoke to a few people at United. The feeling is the new boy coming in would probably be a No. 2 who would start on the bench, but they absolutely do need a No. 1."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Amorim's side, who finally picked up their maiden win of the season against Burnley last weekend, next face rivals Manchester City on September 14. It remains to be seen if Lammens will make his United debut in the derby.