Kavesh Kantasingh and Ryan Austin wrested the advantage away from the Windward Islands by cutting a swathe through their top order, before Kantasingh and Carlos Brathwaite completed the job to knock Windward over for 173, and hand Combined Colleges & Campuses an unlikely 83-run first-innings lead at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown. CCC extended that lead to 168 for the loss of three wickets, with Romel Currency once again at the forefront with an unbeaten 32 following his 95 in the first innings.The left-arm spin of Kantasingh and the offspin of Austin were introduced early on a pitch that had rewarded the Windward spinners when they bowled, and the move paid off immediately with Kantasingh trapping West Indies opener Devon Smith plumb in front for 6. Austin got into the act shortly after, picking up two quick wickets, and when Kantasingh added two more, Windward were tottering at 54 for 5. Kantasingh’s third wicket was his 100th in first-class cricket, and came when he had Andre Fletcher (31) snapped up at silly point by Shacoya Thomas. A 68-run partnership between the two James, Kevin and Lyndon, added some respectability to the innings, but Brathwaite bowled both men, and Kantasingh snapped up the last two wickets to finish with 5 for 38. Austin picked up 2 for 53, while Brathwaite had figures of 3 for 24.Brendan Nash powered to his maiden first-class double century and Wavell Hinds added an unbeaten hundred of his own as Jamaica amassed 574 for 7 against Trinidad & Tobago at Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine. Nash had already been involved in two century stands when Hinds joined him after Tamar Lambert fell for 41, and the pair made sure there was no respite for the T&T bowlers, adding a further 166 for the fifth wicket. Nash was eventually dismissed by West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard, who had him caught behind for a career best 207 from 349 balls, an innings that included 20 fours and two sixes.Hinds continued the momentum after Nash’s dismissal, getting to his second hundred of the season and ensuring that Jamaica are in pole position to reach the final. Nash and Hinds are now the second and third-highest run scorers in the tournament, with team-mate Marlon Samuels leading the way.

ScorecardFile photo: Shardul Thakur put in another strong performance for Mumbai•PTI

The sheen of bowling Railways out for only 217 was taken off, if only slightly, as Mumbai lost two wickets in the final 19 balls of play. Opener Jay Bista, on first-class debut, was taken out by Anureet Singh for 2 and the nightwatchman Dhawal Kulkarni was bowled for a duck to leave the hosts at 4 for 2 at Wankhede stadium.Prior to those few minutes though, everything went well for Mumbai. Their fast bowler Shardul Thakur produced another impressive performance: he took 4 for 38 in 19 overs and his wickets were of the top-six batsmen. More often than not, that indicates a poor start from the opposition and it was. Railways, having chosen to bat, found themselves at 16 for 3 in the seventh over and 48 for 4 in the 14th before Arindam Ghosh and SS Mishra, playing competitive cricket for the first time in his career, put on 85 runs.Shardul provided the strike Mumbai wanted, having Mishra caught behind for 46. Ghosh was ninth man out for 65, to left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar, and Railways ended their innings on 217. Kulkarni updated his portfolio with a couple of wickets as well.
ScorecardA sturdy top-order performance from Uttar Pradesh left Tamil Nadu ruing their decision to bowl in Kanpur. The 19-year old opener Almas Shaukat, who had begun his first-class career with a century in October, was dismissed only 12 runs short of another one. He had played the anchor role quite well – lasting 203 balls, with 11 fours and a six. Upon that foundation, Umang Sharma laid his 73 off 148 balls and then the Uttar Pradesh captain Suresh Raina, ran the point home with a half-century of his own. He was unbeaten on 52. But Tamil Nadu will hope that their increased discipline as the day wore on – they took three of their four wickets in the final 22 overs of play – continues into the second day.
ScorecardHe had missed out on a century twice this season, but Kedar Devdhar took centre stage in Vadodara and made it big with 186 off only 249 balls to stamp Baroda’s dominance over Madhya Pradesh. He hit as many as 28 fours and a six to lead an opening stand of a whopping 245 off 352 balls to leave Punjab wilting by the time stumps were called, because they had opted to bowl.Runs leaked from both ends as Aditya Waghmode helped himself to 96 off 184 balls, with 14 fours and a six. Devdhar was on the cusp of lasting a full day’s play, but with the safety of stumps only minutes away, he was dismissed by seamer Deepak Bansal. Hardik Pandya was batting on 42, and Baroda will expect him to extend their advantage.Gurkeerat Singh, who spent a day with the Indian Test side in Bangalore as their 17th man before being released to play in the Ranji Trophy – took a wicket. As did Yuvraj Singh. Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh is yet to get on the board having bowled 16 overs.
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Manpreet Juneja and Rujul Bhatt drove Gujarat to 252 for 6 on the first day of their Ranji clash against Madhya Pradesh in Surat. Gujara, opting to bat, lost their opener Smit Patel early, but handy contributions from the rest of the top order pushed the score above 100. Puneet Datey and Jalaj Saxena, who took a record 16 wickets in the previous round, helped MP claw their way back into the game with regular strikes, but Bhatt put up two fifty-plus stands to help the hosts seize the initiative. First, he added 73 for the fifth wicket with Juneja, who made 61, before combining with Axar Patel for a sixth-wicket stand which yielded 62 runs. Bhatt batted patiently for his 51 off 142 balls, stroking just two fours, but was dismissed towards the end of the day by Jalaj.

Jonny Bairstow goes into the opening warm-up game of England’s tour of South Africa, against an Invitational XI at Potchefstroom tomorrow, knowing that he is at last England’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Test cricket, having twice been handed the role mid-series following an incumbent’s loss of form.Bairstow, whom England’s coach Trevor Bayliss confirmed at the weekend would start the Boxing Day Test at Durban, inherited the gloves for the final Test of England’s tour of the UAE, at Sharjah last month, after Jos Buttler had mustered 430 runs at 23.88 in 12 previous Tests in 2015. And this time he believes he is ready to make the job his own, having originally been handed the role in invidious circumstances during England’s whitewash tour of Australia in 2013-14.On that occasion, again for a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, he took over from Matt Prior with England in freefall, 3-0 down in the series and with the Ashes already gone, and he proved powerless to resist the tide with scores of 10, 21, 18 and 0 in a pair of crushing defeats.Bairstow believes, however, that he is stronger for that experience. Though he does not doubt that Buttler has the wherewithal to battle back into contention, not least after his eye-popping 46-ball hundred in the recent ODI series against Pakistan, the chance to start the series with the gloves, having already earned selection as a pure batsman since the midpoint of last summer’s Ashes, will help him to play a key part in what he terms a “massive” series.”There’s always healthy competition,” Bairstow told reporters in Potchefstroom. “Jos has played some fantastic stuff in one-day cricket and Test cricket so the competition for places is there but that will drive us on to become better players and better people.”You can never take anything for granted,” he added. “Every spot within the side has got to be treasured and every opportunity you get you’ve got to try and take. So from game to game you’re always wanting to do as well as you can and get a run.”Hopefully I’ll be able to secure that spot. I’ve only kept in three Test matches but it’s an exciting time for me personally. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and with that comes a lot of responsibility.”Looking back on his baptism of fire in the 2013-14 Ashes, Bairstow was phlegmatic about the experience, from a personal point of view as well as that of the overall team.”I think I’ve grown as a person over the last couple of years since the two Tests in Australia,” he said. “The position of the squad and the morale in the camp is completely different from what it was going into those Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney.”When you’re 3-0 down against an Australian side that’s flying it’s never going to be an easy Test. So there’s different circumstances that are around this group of players at the moment and it’s an exciting time to be involved in English cricket.”As if being a Test wicketkeeper-batsman is not an onerous task in itself, Bairstow will have to match the standards of arguably the best current allround cricketer in the world, following South Africa’s decision to hand AB de Villiers the wicketkeeping duties for the Durban Test, with Dane Vilas, who held the role during their recent 3-0 series loss in India, left out of the squad.It is not exactly an onerous task as far as de Villiers is concerned. He has performed the role in 23 of his 102 Tests, including as a 20-year-old way back in his debut series against England in 2004-05, while his Test average in those matches is a remarkable 58.26. Seven of his 21 Test hundreds have come while doubling up with the gloves, most recently against West Indies at Cape Town in January.”You want to do as well as you can against the best that you can,” Bairstow said. “Obviously comparing yourself to someone like AB is going to be a fantastic challenge and if you do come out being the better of the wicketkeeper-batsmen then I will have had a very good tour.”Having the confidence of the captain and coach going into the warm-up games and hopefully the first Test allows you to be relaxed and enjoy yourself,” he added. “That’s when I play my best cricket and hopefully I’ll be able to do that not only in the warm-up games but going into the series.”

An emergency fund has been set up to help Yorkshire clubs afflicted by the “unprecedented” level of flooding that has ravaged the north of England.Following the severe Boxing Day floods across the region, the Yorkshire Cricket Board – in conjunction with the ECB – has set up an emergency fund to support clubs who are affected.The announcement comes as 500 soldiers have been called up to help with flood rescue across the north, the prime minister, David Cameron, has interrupted his Christmas break to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, Cobra, and thousands have been made homeless.Yorkshire have acted rapidly to promise the worst-hit clubs will be supported, symptomatic of an increasingly communal approach that is at the heart of the resurgence which has brought two successive Championship wins.There are real fears that the damage is so extensive that clubs could go bankrupt unless they receive financial support.As the ECB draws up a detailed strategy to halt the decline in recreational cricket any loss of cricket grounds would have damaging consequencesOther northern counties have also been hit by the floods – Carlisle CC was one of the first to be badly affected earlier this month – but with the ECB essentially locked down for the festive season, the extent and levels of support remain unclear. Some information is available on the ECB website.The Yorkshire Cricket Board has asked for information to be sent to Andrew Watson, the board’s executive director. Details of the damage should include:

• What is insured (and has this been assessed)
• What is uninsured
• What is immediately resolvable
• What may be longer term (such as damage to playing surfaces)
• Cost estimates where available
• Photographs where available

Saltaire CC is another victim of the flooding•Bradford League

The first ball Virat Kohli faced in a tight and ultimately successful chase at SCG should have gone for four runs. Instead, the ball was called dead because it hit the spidercam on its way to the boundary. In the last Test that India had played at the SCG, Steven Smith dropped a sitter from KL Rahul because he was distracted by the spidercam. The ball might have even flicked the cable. India eventually won the fifth ODI, but who knows if Australia would have been held to a draw had Rahul not gone on to score a century in the Test last year?MS Dhoni, India’s limited-overs captain, has called for balance when it comes to intruding the field of play for TV gimmicks. He has also spoken about other gimmicks that have mushroomed with the advent of Twenty20. “I am quite a traditional guy,” Dhoni said. “I have always felt that… anything that disturbs the game of cricket I don’t like it. It all started right from the T20 where people would be like, ‘Why don’t you wear a mic?’, ‘Why don’t you wear a camera?'”I have always felt there is a need for balance. At the end of the day it is a spectator sport, people watching on television, but at the same time four runs can matter, especially when it is a close game. Those four runs can be crucial. Everyone gets penalised, why not have the same system for the spidercam? Say, ‘Okay if you get hit, 2000 dollars per hit.’ Let’s make it interesting.”People [broadcasters] are striving for more. When you have got out and walking off, the cameraman goes right under your face. The same way the spidercam is right next to you. You have seen players, they are like, ‘What is happening?’ It makes a lot of noise. At the end of the day it is also about the spectators. If spectators are not there, cricket won’t be played. It is a mix and match; 2000 dollars per hit is a good option.”During the Sydney Test last year, the camera was moved higher and away from the field of play rapidly after the incident. This time, though, the upper-cut from Kohli was not even a skier. Back then, a joint statement from Channel Nine and Cricket Australia said: “We have spoken about the matter involving spidercam and the dropped catch before lunch and it’s clear the ball did not hit the camera or its supporting wires. Captain Steve Smith was distracted by one of the wires in his eye line. Both CA and Nine will continue to work together on the use of spidercam in the broadcast coverage and will take on board any player feedback as necessary. As it stands, if any player has a concern about the placement of spidercam they can ask the umpires for it to be moved.”Dhoni’s larger point about the intrusion into the players’ space might hold some resonance too, especially shoving cameras up their faces when they have just got out or doing interviews just after their dismissals. Such interviews were the centre of conversation when, earlier in the Australian summer, Chris Gayle infamously made a female reporter uncomfortable in an interview as soon as he had walked off the field.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith admits it will be difficult to fit Usman Khawaja into Australia’s limited-overs teams despite his dominant recent performances across all formats of the game.Khawaja’s unbeaten century in Adelaide on Thursday night, to guide the Sydney Thunder into their first Big Bash League final appearance, was the latest standout innings in a summer of many. Since a tour match against a New Zealand XI in Canberra in October his scores across all forms have been 111*, 21, 11, 174, 9*, 121, 109*, 144, 56, 62 and 104*.Smith spoke glowingly of the way Khawaja was playing, and noted that he had also improved greatly in terms of areas like fielding and running between the wickets, two skills considered even more pivotal in ODIs and Twenty20 matches than Tests. However he pointed to a strong and settled 50-over batting line-up as evidence that Khawaja will be difficult to accommodate, even in his current form.”He has certainly got the capabilities to be able to play for Australia in those formats,” Smith said. “It’s a very tough side to break into at the moment, we’re playing some very good cricket as it is, we’re up 4-0 in this series. I’m sure if he does get an opportunity he’ll take it with both hands.”I think he’s continually improving and working on those parts of the game. Fielding’s very important for an Australian team, we hold ourselves to very high standards and he works extremely hard on it, so hopefully he can continue getting better at it, but he’s going okay at the moment.”I thought he batted beautifully again last night, it was great to see him score another hundred and get another Sydney side into the Big Bash final. If he comes in and gets an opportunity, I’ll see where he’s best suited. I think the order’s pretty settled at the moment, so we’ll wait and see how that all pans out.”One circumstance that may allow Khawaja to squeeze into the Australian limited-overs batting order is a schedule that does not allow any room for a first-class warm-up fixture before the looming Test series in New Zealand. Cricket Australia have scheduled a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Western Australia in Lincoln near Christchurch as a way of providing some preparation, however Khawaja’s status as a Queensland cricketer means his best avenue may be to play in the ODIs that precede the Tests.A fellow Queenslander, the opener Joe Burns, is in a similar predicament, and the team performance manager Pat Howard has suggested there is a possibility of changing the ODI squad with an eye towards the New Zealand Tests. Smith, however, appeared to need further convincing about this concept.”I’m not sure about that,” Smith said. “NSW and WA are playing a Shield game in New Zealand as well, so everyone’s been playing a lot of cricket, the conditions aren’t too dissimilar to what we get here if the wicket’s got a bit of grass on it, and guys are playing plenty of cricket, so I think we’ll be plenty prepared for that tour.”As far as I’m concerned I want to win every series we play. It’s another opportunity for guys to play away from home as well. We’ve been playing some very good cricket at home and I want to win another one-day series away. Its about having the best guys on deck to do that.”Nevertheless, Smith has already made one concession towards future assignments by promoting the allrounder Mitchell Marsh to bat at No. 3 against India at Manuka Oval in order to grant him time in the middle. Other such compromises may yet be required if the likes of Khawaja are to be given their best chance of succeeding in New Zealand, a series that offers Australia the chance of pouching the No. 1 Test ranking.”It was about giving Mitchell a bat,” Smith said of Marsh. “He hasn’t had much of a bat this summer, we’ve got some big series coming up in New Zealand, so I would’ve liked him to spend some time in the middle. For us going forward it’s just about trying to win games and it’s whatever the best line-up is to win a game.”Glenn Maxwell is a doubtful starter for Saturday’s final ODI due to knee soreness after he sustained a knock while batting in Canberra, meaning the selectors will have a choice between Scott Boland and Shaun Marsh for the final spot in the hosts’ XI.

Ben Stokes has urged his England team to unleash “the dog” in them to keep the Ashes alive ahead of a decisive third Test in Adelaide.Trailing 2-0 to Australia after two different but equally harrowing eight-wicket defeats, the England captain has lit a fire under his charges, urging them to show more fight ahead of what will be the biggest match of his tenure.Since taking over in the summer of 2022, Stokes has tended towards a more holistic approach, encouraging players to express themselves in ways they see fit. Now, in the City of Churches, he has called for something akin to Old Testament fury – to challenge Australia head-on in what will be a defining week for his tenure, and that of head coach Brendon McCullum.Asked how he would define that need for more “fight” after two meek Tests, Stokes insisted the word would show itself differently in each player. But the sentiment, he believed, was to look squarely back at Australia and not relent.”What it [fight] means to me could be completely different to someone else,” Stokes said. “It’s just trying to fight in every situation that you find yourself in and understanding the situation and what you feel is required for your team. Just look at your opposition every single time and show a bit of dog. That’s fight to me.”It comes a lot easier to me, it might be a lot harder for other people because of their personalities or whatever that may be. I’m not going to expect or ask a completely different character to me to carry on like me. That’s like asking me to carry on like someone like Jamie Smith, who’s a lot more laid back. It just wouldn’t work. However, you find the best way to find that mode that I’m talking about, that’s probably the best way to explain it.”It was a sentiment Stokes first put across with his own actions, after resuming his seventh-wicket stand with Will Jacks on the morning of the final day of the second Test. The pair’s 96 from 221 deliveries was a welcome show of resistance, even if it only delayed Australia’s win.”I could have gone out there on that morning session in Brisbane and nicked off first ball, but going out there with that mentality and that mindset is what fight is to me.”As long as you go out there and everyone is in that mindset around the situation and what is needed, you’re giving yourself the best possible chance if you’ve got a bit of dog in you.”Ahead of the final passage of the second Test at The Gabba, Stokes urged one last scrap. With Australia needing just 65 for victory, he knew the match was gone. But rather than lean on tropes – “I didn’t go out there and say the cliché thing of ‘you never know’ – he encouraged Jofra Archer to ramp it up to give the home batters something to think about as they left Brisbane.Related

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Archer subsequently bowled one of his fastest spells in an England shirt. And though he was subject to what Stokes describes as “unfair criticism” for summoning those speeds in a lost cause, Archer did exactly what his skipper asked of him.”That was one of those moments when I asked him to really turn it on because I needed that to be a marker for us to carry into Adelaide,” Stokes said. “I thought that that was a really, really important moment for us in the series.”Stokes doubled down on that message later that same day, stating in his post-match press conference that his dressing-room “isn’t a place for weak men”. It was a sentiment that percolated around the squad during their four-day break in Noosa, which Stokes facilitated with individual and group conversations. On Sunday, he reiterated that message to the whole squad in the Adelaide Oval away dressing-room, midway through England’s first training session ahead of the third Test.One of the key examples that Stokes brought up was the recent Test against India at Lord’s. After Zak Crawley’s time-wasting at the dregs of day three drew understandable ire from the visitors, led by their captain Shubman Gill, England decided to bite back. In doing so, they were able to push the game along to such an extent that they triumphed in an emotionally charged finale late on day five. Of course, England did not go on and win the series, as India responded emphatically with a valiant draw at Emirates Old Trafford and then a blockbuster win at the Kia Oval. The series was drawn 2-2, meaning that Stokes is still searching for his first victory as captain in a five-match series. Nevertheless, he pointed to Lord’s as an example of the dog that resides in this group that must be accessed.”That (Lord’s) is exactly what I’m on about. That was a moment where we all did that, we all noticed and we all identified that moment. And you’ve seen the way that team came out on that day.”We were probably in a situation where we would have to be absolutely perfect to win that game, and we were. And on the back of attitude, mentality towards that specific situation is what gave us the best chance of winning that game. That was spoken about, that India game, for the rest of this series.”I’ve done all the talking over the last two days that I needed to have done. All that stuff’s done now, so it’s about what gets seen out on the field in Adelaide this week.”Everyone’s very switched on for what needs to be done this week. Yeah, a few more expectations, I think, around the group, but everyone responded incredibly well to it. Because what other option do we have?”With Josh Tongue coming in for Gus Atkinson as the sole change to the previous XI, the opportunity is there for players to make up for their mistakes so far – particularly in the batting group, of which Stokes is a part. Beyond that half-century in his second innings at Brisbane, he has been found wanting as one of five of the top seven to average under 30 from four knocks so far.Stokes made his Test debut at Adelaide in 2013, where he showcased the mongrel that lies within in a clash with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, having over-stepped for what would have been his maiden Test wicket.Stokes has readily accessed that side to his personality throughout his career – at times, to a fault. But he admits his team of varying personalities have been too tentative in fully combating what Australia has thrown at them, on and off the field.After Mark Wood returned home on Saturday following a recurrence of an injury to his left knee, there are now just four players on the tour with previous experience of Ashes tours. While the squad was told what to expect when they arrived here, the reality has been far more confronting, both with the local media and the crowds.”Honestly I think so,” Stokes said, when asked if the players had been taken aback by the the scale of the noise during their month in the country so far. Now, he hopes they can use it to fuel a desperately needed comeback.”There’s been a lot of guys in the squad who have come out here to Australia for the first time, and I remember my first tour here; you try to imagine what it’s going to be like and you hear people talk. And when it does come around it’s like ‘wow’.”But now I feel everyone has experienced that, and probably at its highest level, so we all know what it’s going to be like. So for the next three games there isn’t going to be any of that ‘I didn’t expect this’ … ‘it’s the first time I’ve had this’.”Even the likes of Jamie Smith, the day he dropped that catch (in Brisbane), then the whole crowd was wailing at him every time he caught the ball. He now knows it.”Sometimes experiencing stuff like that for the first time, you’re not worrying about it. I think sometimes saying it with a little bit more emphasis and passion and attitude from myself can take lads to another level in terms of that side of things that they thought they could get to.”

Michael Dawson finally got justice this week when he was called in by Fabio Capello to replace the injured Rio Ferdinand. It was an absolute travesty he wasn’t in the original 23, given the outstanding season he has had with Tottenham and now Dawson finds himself where he belongs; I believe it could prove the actual making of the centre half and allow the rest of the Premier League see what a top class defender he really is.

It is not often I find myself agreeing with Phil Thompson but his assertion that Dawson was in the top three English centre half’s in England at present is a fair one. Although King rightly gets the plaudits for his performances, Dawson was equally as assured and made a massive contribution in our push for a top four finish. If you compare his season with someone like Upson, it would have been absolutely criminal if he wasn’t in South Africa.

So why has it taken so long for Dawson to get the recognition? Yes he is prone to the odd rush of blood (which defender isn’t?), but there appears to be this perception within the media that he is little more than an old fashioned centre half who simply whacks the ball into Row Z.

Little credit is actually given to Dawson for his abilities with the ball at his feet and his range of short and long passing; an attribute that Daws is far better than say the likes of John Terry and Jamie Carragher. Maybe the media have failed to realise the stark improvement in Tottenham’s defensive record in the past few seasons and therefore fail to give credit where it is due. Dawson’s form over the past 18months has played a massive part in that, and certainly with the injury problems that have hit King and Woodgate, Dawson has become Redknapp’s defensive rock.

Fabio Capello has come out yesterday and stated that Dawson has a big part to play in England’s campaign and you do sense given our rotten luck with injuries that could well prove the case. Dawson deserves his big chance and being given the recognition could provide him with the self belief that will take this talented young defender to a different level.

Written By Matt Wright

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England’s unceremonious exit from South Africa was surprising to say the least, a team that qualified for the World Cup with such ease, was underwhelming in their two weeks in South Africa to say the least. England’s bad performances on the pitch were mostly down to bad team selection by Fabio Capello, but then Capello lamented the lack of English talent for him to choose from. Well, time for him to maybe rethink his tactics? Maybe its time he selected his formation based on the best he has available, rather than try to fit the best he has into his fixed formation?A 4-4-2 has been a classic formation, used for ages by several managers, but for a 4-4-2 to work you need to have 2 really good wingers who can cross really well, 2 strikers who can work well in tandem and the midfield pairing requires one with a defensive mindset and the other more attacking, and of course your fullbacks should be able to attack while  ensuring they do their defensive jobs properly. Now if we check out the English team, the only ‘winger’ who showed some capacity to put in a decent cross was James Milner,  Aaron Lennon and  Wright-Phillips failed miserably in that department. The only other wingers who can cross that England could have picked were Ashley Young, Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing, Capello ignored all three of them surprisingly.England played Steven Gerrard as their main Left Winger in the last 2 games, why? well because he had to play Barry to cover for the defense, but then he could not drop Lampard, so Gerrard had to be moved out wide, and still Gerrard managed better performances than Lampard. Barry happened to be the only defensively able midfielder England had in the squad, Carrick can’t tackle, so he can’t be expected to do much defensively. Other than Barry, England’s options were Scott Parker, Owen Hargreaves and Nigel Reo-Cocker?! Not really good enough, Hargreaves would have been ideal, if he hadn’t been injured for 2 years.Then in defense, Glen Johnson happens to be the No.1 Right back at the moment, but he seems inept in defending, and been caught out of position on several occasions. He’d be an ideal Wing back but not a full back who is expected to do a lot of defensive work too. England’s cover at right back is also not that great. Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Wes Brown, etc are the best they have at the moment.While England have two of the best attacking midfielders in Gerrard and Lampard, also Joe Cole isn’t far behind either and they too have some pretty good Centre backs too and one of the best Left back’s in the world i.e., Ashely Cole, also his cover Leighton Baines and Warnock aren’t that bad, plus Kieran Gibbs looks an excellent prospect. England also have the likes of Wilshire and Shelvey coming through as Attacking Midfielders, Cleverley, Henderson and Eastmond coming through at the Central Midfield and also several good young strikers like Wickham, Welbeck, etc.So maybe its time England change their formation, depend less on Wingers and maybe comsider playing a formation similar to the one that Germany used to decimate them. Maybe its time Capello learnt that he can’t expect to play a 4-4-2, play players out of position and still expect them to win trophies too!If you liked my writing you can follow me on Twitter here

With news trickling in that Rio Ferdinand might be injured for four months, and it would be longer before one can expect Ferdinand to be fit enough to play again. It raises huge questions for Sir Alex, should he buy another Centre back to cover for Rio or does he have sufficient cover if Evans or Vidic were to be unavailable. There has been a sudden rise in centre backs linked to join United, with Gary Cahill being the latest. So does Sir Alex really need to take a plunge into the transfer market?Rio Ferdinand has along with Vidic formed one of the best central defensive pairings in the world. Their presence at the back is reassuring to any manager as he knows he has two world class centre backs playing for him. But Rio has been plagued with a spate of injuries lately, his availability has been severely limited last season. He made only 21 appearances for United last season, with only 12 of them in the league. His back has been giving him incessant problems over the last two seasons and not healing properly. He missed the World Cup after Emile Heskey landed heavily on his knee, sure to injure any player actually!Well when Rio isn’t available, United have Jonny Evans to fill in and Evans has shown that he is more than capable of filling in for Rio without any problems. Backup for Evans would be Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Chris Smalling and Ritchie De Laet, these players are quite good bench players for any team in the World. Wes Brown has been injured a lot off late, but he is decent in the air and is a good header of the ball. He has shown that he is more than capable of playing in the heart of United’s defence. John O’Shea, United’s utility man can play anywhere in defence, though centre back might not be his best position but he isn’t a push over either when he plays there, he’s quite capable of doing a good job. Ritchie De Laet is another one who can play at Centre back if needed, very similar to O’Shea in his Versatility, he also provides Sir Alex with cover in the position.Chris Smalling, the most interesting of them all, has shown that he can play at the premiership level, having made 12 league appearances for Fulham last season. Smalling can step in if needed too and should be behind Wes Brown in the Pecking order next season at United. Smalling performed well for Fulham whenever he played. He did however make some mistakes which can be expected from a lad who is only 20. Chris has a bright future ahead and can easily be expected to partner Jonny Evans in future as United’s starting Centre Backs. But next season is a good chance for Smalling to show that he can be banked upon to cover the defence in case of injuries or suspensions, and show his real potential to the world.So with so many options available for Sir Alex, it would be unrealistic to expect him to take a plunge into the transfer market for a centre back, unless of course Nemanja Vidic were to leave. But until that happens, the rumours of any central defender joining United will remain just that, a Rumour!Click on image below to see the Dutch babes at the World Cup