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Coach Russell Domingo also said that ODI captain AB de Villiers’ decision to opt out of Tests for South Africa has not affected the team adversely

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2017AB de Villiers’ behind-the-scenes leadership skills are good enough to merit him continuing as ODI captain despite mounting calls for him to step aside. That was national head coach Russell Domingo’s endorsement of de Villiers, which added to a growing chorus from inside the team camp in support of the ODI captain following South Africa’s first-round exit from the Champions Trophy.”He has done a fantastic job as captain during this campaign. He leads from the front. I know there has been a lot of criticism about his leadership but a lot of it takes place behind closed doors, so what people see on the field, they will create their impressions from that. But the team and management all think he has done a wonderful job behind closed doors, in the preparation and lead-up to games,” Domingo said. “There’s a lot more that goes on than just making a bowling change. People can question his tactics, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. There is no right and wrong way in cricket. He has got to go with what he feels are the best decisions on the field and he has got to commit to that and that’s what he does.”De Villiers was appointed captain of the ODI and T20I sides in 2011, when Domingo began his work with the South African side. At the time, Domingo was Gary Kirsten’s assistant and two years later, he took over the main job only for de Villiers to hand the T20 reins to Faf du Plessis and set his sights on Test captaincy. Throughout that time, de Villiers was still said to be learning the leadership and slow over-rates, coupled with occasionally odd tactics, were proof of that. Domingo was among those who were patient with de Villiers’ schooling.When Graeme Smith stood down in March 2014, Hashim Amla was preferred over de Villiers but less than two years in, Amla did not want to do the job anymore. De Villiers captained two matches as interim skipper before being confirmed the permanent Test captain but never fulfilled the role after injury and then a Test hiatus kept him out of the whites.De Villiers’ absence from the longest format has now stretched to 18 months and could extend to as much as two years. He has opted out of Tests until the home series against India – dates have yet to be confirmed but it could start as late as January 2018 – to manage his workload ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.Domingo on de Villiers’ choice to opt out of Tests: ‘By no means can we force players to play every single format’•Getty Images

De Villiers’ selective availability for South Africa – while still playing in tournaments such as the IPL – has not sat well with everyone, including former national batsman and current Cobras’ coach Ashwell Prince, who, in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy exit, tweeted: “Perhaps it’s time that @OfficialCSA dictates to players when they may have the honor of representing this country instead of other way round.”Asked whether de Villiers’ decision has affected the team, Domingo denied that it did. He said: “A lot of players have given up a certain format to focus on another one and that’s their choice. By no means can we force players to play every single format. You’ve obviously got to play them according to what they’re contributing in the particular formats and that’s what has happened. If he wants to just play one-dayers and T20s then that’s a decision he has got to live with and a decision he has got to make. You can’t force players to play every format if they are not committed.”Domingo went even further in his defence of de Villiers, pointing out that although de Villiers is not available for Tests, he has not missed any fifty-over cricket since recovering from elbow surgery early this year. After being unable to play against Australia at home last October, de Villiers returned against Sri Lanka, went to New Zealand and has now played in England, where he is also set to feature in three T20s ahead of the Tests. He is expected to play all of South Africa’s one-day series ahead of the World Cup.”He hasn’t sat out any one-day series where he hasn’t been injured. Whenever he has been fit, he has played one-day series. He’s sitting out Test cricket at the moment. His [lack of] Test cricket, in my opinion, would not be affecting his one-day cricket that much,” Domingo said. “So I can’t see the last time he missed a one-day series out of chance – it’s either been having a baby, or getting injured, and those are the main reasons. I wouldn’t say he has been picking and choosing one-day series.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-20171:00

Quick Facts – Virat Kohli in the IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from the shoulder injury he picked up during the Australia Tests. The IPL starts on April 5, with Royal Challengers playing defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener.”It’s still a few weeks to go before I can be 100% on the field,” Kohli said at the end of the Dharamsala Test, when asked about his fitness. “But these things happen in your career. Got to take it in my strike and move forward.”Kohli had hurt his right shoulder during the third Test in Ranchi, when he dived in an attempt to stop a boundary. He sat out the final Test as a result.Royal Challengers were yet to offer an official comment on Kohli’s availability. Kohli has missed only one game for the franchise so far, in the inaugural season in 2008. In 2016, he scored 973 runs for RCB and could have become the first player to score 1000 runs in an IPL season.

Both players have had stints in the middle order before, but India’s team management does not want to resume those experiments

Vishal Dikshit at the Wankhede21-Oct-20171:42

‘Don’t want to force Rahul into middle-order role’ – Kohli

KL Rahul is missing from India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series because the hosts are looking at him purely as an opener and don’t want to forecefully make him another middle-order option. Captain Virat Kohli explained on the eve of the first ODI in Mumbai that India were already carrying three openers – Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane – so it was decided to give Rahul more time in the first-class circuit.

Kohli wary of India’s ‘hectic’ schedule

Virat Kohli is concerned about the lack of rest Indian players have been getting because of the “hectic” schedule they are made to play in. Kohli emphasised the importance of getting adequate rest as it could be the difference between good and bad performances, and said every player needed a break irrespective of the high fitness levels they maintain these days.
“It’s become quite hectic, that’s something we definitely have to sit and discuss in the future,” he said. “Look at New Zealand, they haven’t played any cricket after Champions Trophy, there’s been such a good layoff and it can be the difference between doing well in a big tournament and not doing well. We are expected to perform on a consistent basis but I think the rest and the time to prepare should be adequate for athletes as well.
“This shouldn’t be an area where players are just chipped and changed according to form. You need to look at all the aspects, in terms of how many games you are playing, how much rest you are getting, whether you are able to maintain that consistency for 12 months given the number of matches that we play. Physically, are you able to keep up with it.
“How much ever fitness you do, but everyone needs rest. Everyone needs time to come back from training, especially the fast bowlers. We are doing that now with Umesh and Shami, we want them fresh for the Test season coming up. We don’t want to overtire players. Even some of the key batsmen will definitely get some rest in the future weeks because of the importance of the away tours that are coming up.”

For the middle order, India opted for Dinesh Karthik, who has amassed runs across formats in recent times. Even though Rahul was in the squad for the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia, he was dropped without being given a single chance.”This series, Dinesh Karthik has come in for KL. We felt KL, because he opens mostly, we don’t want to have a situation like Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) was going through in between – having to play in the middle order forcefully because of what the top order was doing,” Kohli said. “We thought it’s better that he (Rahul) gets some game time in the first-class level so we got in Dinesh who has always played in the middle order. He is more comfortable and more aware of how to bat in the middle order. We need to strike that good balance, bring in guys who have the ability, who have done well in domestic cricket, who have done well for India A, you know track their performances and give them chances accordingly.”It’s not a situation where you just start giving chances to people so much that you compromise on winning the series because of lack of experience. We need to strike that good balance regularly.”Soon after being dropped for the ODIs, Rahul got a chance to open when he was drafted in for the warm-up matches against New Zealand. In the first match , he scored 68 off 75 balls in an opening stand of 147 with Prithvi Shaw but was only made to carry the drinks in the second match, for which Karun Nair moved up from No. 3.Rahul had started his ODI career in impressive fashion when he became the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut, against Zimbabwe in June 2016. He got to open against England too, earlier this year, when Rohit was injured but only managed low scores of 8, 5 and 11, falling to early swing two out of the three times. Rohit opened in the Champions Trophy once he recovered, and now the only way to slot Rahul in the XI was somewhere in the middle order.When India toured Sri Lanka in August, Rahul got opportunities at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in the ODIs but the runs still didn’t come as he scored 4, 17 and 7, perishing to offspinner Akila Dananjaya all three times. Time was running out for Rahul because of the fierce competition in the Indian batting line-up. There could have been another chance to open for him when Australia arrived for five ODIs and Dhawan opted out of the series, but Rahane had been sitting on the sidelines for so long that he was given a go and he shone with four consecutive half-centuries. Coincidentally, he may also sit out of some of the New Zealand ODIs as the Dhawan-Rohit combo is set to reunite.”He’s definitely grabbed his opportunities as the third opener,” Kohli said of Rahane. “As I mentioned, there was KL as well competing for the spot for a bit, but Jinks has really performed well, he stood up and taken his chances. That’s how the dynamics of the team work, when you have four guys who play in a similar position, then obviously one of them will have to miss out. Even in the three, only two can play in the XI. Again, as I mentioned, we don’t want to confuse him too much making him play in the middle order.”You need to find your game in ODI cricket, you need to understand how to go about things in ODI cricket and he’s always been very solid at the top order because of his technique. And he likes playing there as well, it gives him freedom to go after the bowlers. We don’t want to confuse him, he’s in a happy space, he knows whenever someone is not going through a good phase or there is an injury coming up, he’s there, he is right at the doorstep waiting to play a game whenever the team requires him to. He’s pretty happy with his batting at the moment.”Since Dhawan and Rohit have collected nearly 3000 runs while opening together, at an average of over 48, it only means Rahane is going to be the back-up opener. And Rahul, will be the back-up’s back-up.

Alex Hales, the England opening batsman who was present at the arrest of Ben Stokes in Bristol in September, will mark his return to action this week

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2017Alex Hales, the England opening batsman who was present at the arrest of Ben Stokes in Bristol in September, will mark his return to action this week when the inaugural Ten10 League gets underway in the UAE.Hales had been withdrawn from England selection by the ECB following the incident outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25, in which Stokes was allegedly caught on camera throwing punches at two men. Both players missed the final two ODIs of the English season, against West Indies at The Oval and the Ageas Bowl, with Stokes subsequently being withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad.However, Hales was informed last week that he was no longer under police investigation and, having been named in England’s ODI squad to tour Australia and New Zealand in the New Year, he was granted a No-Objection Certificate by the ECB to play for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League.”I was disappointed not to be out there on the [Ashes] trip,” Hales told reporters in Dubai. “But if I was out there, obviously I wouldn’t be here. When one door closes, another one opens.”England’s Ashes campaign remains tainted by the fall-out from the Bristol incident, with the team not only 2-0 down in the series, but facing endless questions in the media about their off-field behaviour, in the wake of the headline-generating antics of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett in a bar in Perth.Hales, however, refuses to write off their hopes of a comeback, in spite of Australia’s daunting record at the Waca in Perth, a venue where they have beaten England in each of their last seven Tests.”They definitely have got it in them, but it is going to be tough,” Hales said. “The Waca is one of Australia’s best ground for them to play at home. But the guys are tough. I know them all really well as a team, and they are tough individuals.”I think they missed out at Adelaide, because they had chances to win the game there. They will know that.”I don’t see why they can’t turn it around in Perth, and suddenly at 2-1, it is anyone’s for the taking.”In the meantime, Hales is preparing to take a leap into the unknown with the T10 League. It is a format that he hopes will suit his hard-hitting game, but he admits, the pressure to keep the scoreboard moving will be intense.”Being tall with long arms helps me get under the ball, so I’ve got some things in my favour,” he said. “But there will be more pressure because you haven’t got as long to get in as you usually would.”In T20, if you face two or three dot balls, you have a little bit of time to build your innings, but 10 overs will creep up on you very quickly.”

Nic Maddinson’s 123 and Peter Nevill’s wicketkeeping world record of eight dismissals set up second win for New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017Nic Maddinson scored 123 off 113 balls•Getty Images

A Nic Maddinson century and an even contribution from the bowlers hurried New South Wales to a 93-run victory over the Cricket Australia XI in the domestic limited overs match at Hurstville Oval in Sydney.Maddinson added 132 with his opening partner Daniel Hughes to set the platform for a healthy NSW total, before the left-arm wrist spinner Clint Hinchliffe worked his way through the middle order with some artful variety. Ryan Gibson also offered useful innings to the Blues’ cause.In reply, the CA XI were given a rollicking start by Max Bryant, who careered to 89 off 61 balls with support from Beau Webster.During the course of the match, NSW gloveman Peter Nevill equaled the List A wicketkeeping world record, affecting eight dismissals which included six catches and two stumpings.At 1 for 117 in the 16th over the composite team were in good position to chase down the hosts’ total, but a parsimonious spell from Nathan Lyon played a key role in stalling their momentum – a strong response to his rough treatment by Alex Ross at the same ground on Friday.

Western Australia allrounder Hilton Cartwright has been included in the Australia squad for the second Test against Pakistan at the MCG

Brydon Coverdale and Daniel Brettig20-Dec-20160:49

Quick Facts – Hilton Cartwright

Australia’s selectors have pushed still further towards youth, ignoring Mitchell Marsh in order to draft his Western Australia team-mate Hilton Cartwright into the Boxing Day Test squad as all-round cover for a bowling attack heavily fatigued by their Gabba exertions.Cartwright, who had already been included in the Chappell-Hadlee ODI squad to face New Zealand but did not play, is an allrounder whose virtues have been pushed by the interim selector Greg Chappell in particular, as part of the developmental Cricket Australia XI that first played in the Matador Cup two summers ago.Last season he graduated to the Western Australia state side and performed strongly with the bat in the Sheffield Shield, something he has backed up this season to average 44.50 across 16 first-class matches. His bowling record is less notable, with a career tally of 15 first-class wickets at 41.93 and only four wickets at 74.75 in the current Shield campaign.

Test squad

David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers

However, the acting selection chairman Trevor Hohns emphasised the desire for a batting allrounder to take a place in the top six, a role Marsh has been unable to adequately fill over time. The decision also means the incumbent No.6, Nic Maddinson, could face the axe after three Test innings of 0, 1 and 4 in Adelaide and Brisbane.”The bowlers got through a high workload in Brisbane and although everyone has pulled up okay, on reflection we wanted to give ourselves the option of including an allrounder in Melbourne to ease that workload somewhat,” Hohns said.”To do that, we wanted a batting allrounder, someone to bowl seam-up and capable of batting in the top six as well, and after considering several names we came to the conclusion that Hilton fits that bill. We have seen plenty of him, he has performed well this season and we believe that if called upon he will do an excellent job.”Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood each bowled 56 overs during the win over Pakistan at the Gabba, which for both men was their biggest workload not only in a Test match but in any first-class game. Jackson Bird sent down 45 overs, his highest tally in a Test. As such, the selection shift away from an allrounder, which took place when Marsh was dropped following the first Test of the summer, has been rethought.”It depends on what sort of wickets you play on,” Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, said after the win in Brisbane. “You would have probably liked to have an extra bowling option in this game but we went with the six batsmen, four bowlers and they got the job done, albeit a lot of work into our quicks.”Should Cartwright become Australia’s 450th Test cricketer when the XI is confirmed for Boxing Day, it would mean an uncertain Test future for Maddinson. On debut at Adelaide Oval, Maddinson was bowled for a 12-ball duck by Kagiso Rabada, while at the Gabba he was dropped on 0, then caught behind for 1 in the first innings. In the second, he was caught hooking for 4 as Australia sought quick runs and a declaration.”We’ve had two pink-ball Test matches, so red-ball Test coming up and we know he’s a fine player,” Lehmann said of Maddinson on Monday, before Cartwright was added to the squad. “He’s just got to believe at this level. I actually thought he did a really good team thing the other day [in the second innings].”I know there was some talk in the commentary and media that he probably could have gone up the order and done that, but Steve’s really strong on keeping the batting order very similar. So he came in for two balls, tried to get the game moving as quickly as he could. So I disregard the second innings of this one, and we’ve got some red-ball cricket coming up, so I’m sure he’ll do okay.”Another member of Australia’s new-look side who will be keen to justify the faith of the selectors is wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who replaced Peter Nevill ahead of the Adelaide Test. The selectors preferred Wade’s batting fight down the order and although he scored two Test centuries in his previous incarnation in the baggy green, he has not made double figures since his recall.Wade’s work behind the stumps has also left a little to be desired. In Adelaide, he failed to move for a chance when Hashim Amla edged Mitchell Starc and first slip Matt Renshaw ultimately spilled the chance with his left hand. At the Gabba, Wade missed a stumping chance off Nathan Lyon when Sarfraz Ahmed had 31 in the first innings; he went on to make 59 not out. He also appeared to miss a possible catch when Yasir Shah tickled down leg off Starc late in Pakistan’s chase.”Obviously his batting ability, although he hasn’t got any runs at the moment,” Lehmann said when asked what Wade brought to the squad. “He’s been working pretty hard with that. And his energy behind the stumps. He’d like to keep better obviously, but I thought he’s improved his keeping out of sight in the last 12 to 18 months from where we were.”Peter Nevill is obviously a very good keeper as well. It’s a tight call whichever way you go. But Matthew’s got the chance to nail down the spot and we’ll see how he goes in Melbourne.”

Anand Vasu says Wasim Jaffer hardly played a false shot during his unbeaten 192 on the first day of the Kolkata Test

Anand Vasu in Kolkata30-Nov-2007

On January 28, 2003, Mumbai needed 127 to beat Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match when Wasim Jaffer received news that his mother Zulekha had died. Jaffer was shattered and unsure of whether to play on the final day. Chandrakant Pandit, then coach of the Mumbai team who had suffered a similar fate, spoke to Jaffer of his experience to which Jaffer replied, “I’ll do it for my team”. He scored 47 off 51 balls as Mumbai won without losing a wicket. Only then did Jaffer leave to attend his mother’s funeral.Determination is one of Jaffer’s stronger suits and he prefers to make statements on the field rather than off it. Ask around for a tale of some sort from his past, and apart from descriptions of his long innings in domestic cricket, you draw a blank. Soon after scoring 192 on the first day of the Kolkata Test, Jaffer faced the media. When a journalist asked if he was distracted – or forced to concentrate harder – by the presence of his wife Ayesha in the stands, who was frequently on the giant screen, Jaffer only said, “I always know where my wife is,” displaying a sense of humour that isn’t always obvious.What is obvious, though, is Jaffer’s tremendous hunger to score. In Indian cricket, the role of an opening batsman is not to be envied. They don’t get too many chances, and once dumped, there isn’t a way back. Ask Sadagoppan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, or even Aakash Chopra. But Jaffer has done it twice – he made his debut in the home series against South Africa in 2000-01 and was dumped, following which he was picked again for the 2001-02 tour of West Indies before being dropped once again.”I’ve gone through a lot of lean phases in my career,” Jaffer said. “I’ve been brought up like that. I’ve been dropped two or three times and gone back to Ranji Trophy, got big scores and come back. I’m used to scoring big. It’s just that I haven’t done that much in international cricket and I’ll try to do that from here on.”On the day, Jaffer faced 255 balls and was rarely beaten. Even Rahul Dravid was troubled early on, especially by Sohail Tanvir, but Jaffer hardly played a false stroke. He has always scored a high percentage of his runs in boundaries, looking exceptionally elegant when he strikes the ball through the leg side, and he hit 32 fours today.

“I don’t think I’ve batted so fluently so far in my Test career,” Jaffer conceded at the end of the day, but refused to compare this knock with his double-century against West Indies in Antigua. “All hundreds have been special. I’ve got only few so I’ll count all of them as special. Scoring 192 runs in a day is something I haven’t done before. It feels good that we’re in a strong position and I’ve got runs.”Jaffer has five centuries in 23 Tests but you can break his career up into two phases. In the seven Tests he played before his latest comeback, and the 16 he has played since. In Phase I, Jaffer made 261 runs at just over 20, scoring three fifties and no hundreds. Since returning to the team against England at Nagpur, Jaffer has been a different batsman. He’s not so hampered by that half stride forward, is being trapped half-cocked much less, and has been far more assured outside the off stump. And it’s shown in his numbers; an average of 41.89 with five hundreds, one of them a double.”I was conscious that I have got a few starts in the England series [earlier this year] and did not convert them into hundreds,” Jaffer said. “The same happened in the Ranji Trophy so I was a bit conscious and tried to be focused once I was past 60-70.”And focus he did, past 100 and then 150 and to the doorstep of 200 while VVS Laxman, the man who owns an epochal 281 at this ground, sat padded-up and watched. In a team of stroke-makers Jaffer barely gets mentioned, and more talk is centred round players who aren’t even in the Test side. Almost without anyone noticing, Jaffer has become the third highest run-getter in the world this year behind Jacques Kallis (1125) and Kevin Pietersen (881), with 718 to his name so far. Contrary to popular belief Jaffer isn’t bland or colourless, just quiet, and at the moment very valuable to this Indian team.

Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, has declined to publicly air his views on the ongoing player pay dispute with Cricket Australia, but has emphasised the importance of the two parties getting a deal done soon

Daniel Brettig18-May-2017Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has strong views about the fixed revenue percentage model that the players are presently battling Cricket Australia to retain in the next payment MOU. But he’s not going to air them publicly.Lehmann, a former player delegate and president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and now a highly-paid employee of CA, sat firmly on the fence ahead of the national team’s departure for England and the ICC Champions Trophy – the last tournament to take place before the June 30 expiry of the current pay deal.Though he acknowledged that the dispute would be a distraction for the players over at least the next six weeks, he doubted the Ashes would be disrupted, saying “I wouldn’t think so, and I would hope not as a fan”. Most of all, he stressed the importance of the two parties re-opening effective, respectful communication to get a deal done.”Both parties have got to get talking, that’s what they’ve got to do,” Lehmann said the day after CA rejected the ACA’s request for independent mediation. “Once they get that they’ll get a deal done, and once that happens we’ll be right and get the game going the way it should be.”What I want to do is see both parties come to the table and get a deal done for the betterment of the game. From the grass roots right through to the elite cricketers. From a players point of view they’re sticking together, we support players and support CA. Everyone supports each other, it is just a case of getting a deal done.”Communication has been a hallmark of how Lehmann has coached Australia, and he has continued that theme during the dispute. He has discussed matters at length with the national captain Steven Smith during his IPL stint, and also indicated that he would open the floor to players to discuss matters together when they convene in England, for the start of a campaign that leads ultimately to the 2019 World Cup and Ashes double.”It is going to be a bit of a distraction there’s no doubt about that,” Lehmann said. “But at the end of the day we’re there to concentrate on the cricket, we’ve got to do the best job we possibly can so from my point of view they’ve just got to get talking, simple fact of life. They’re both adults, both will deal with it as best they can and get the outcome right for the game.”We’ll talk about it when we all meet. You have to do that, you’ve got to keep it open in communication so we know the direction everyone’s going. At the end of the day it’s about getting ready for that first game and playing well. The next three years we go to England for one dayers the following year and then we’ve got the World Cup, so it’s a pretty important tournament for us in many ways.”While pointing out that negotiations have often run close to the wire in the past, Lehmann admitted he had not seen such acrimony between the two parties since the 1997-98 dispute that ultimately led to the revenue-sharing arrangement that has existed over the past 20 years.”I was there as a player and a delegate and then president,” he said. “You have those issues, every sport has them, so it’s just about communication and getting the right outcome for both parties. That’s the key. Both sides I’m sure will get there. It traditionally goes quite late, so there’s no panic, it’s just about those two parties getting together.”

Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate laughed off suggestions that he may be joined by France team-mate Kylian Mbappe at Anfield.

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• Konate laughs off Mbappe Liverpool link
• Says: 'We all know where he's going'
• Reds go five clear at top of table

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The defender returned from suspension to help his side to a comfortable win at Brentford on Saturday afternoon. He was in a playful mood after the game when asked by a French broadcaster on the prospects of Mbappe, who this week told Paris Saint-Germain he will depart the club his summer, joining him on Merseyside next season.

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• WHAT IBRAHIMA KONATE SAID

  "Do you really think he's going to come here?" laughed Konate when asked by about the chances of Mbappe joining Liverpool. "I think we all know where he's going to go."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Konate's response underlines the theory that Mbappe is destined for Real Madrid. Representatives of the 25-year-old are reportedly in negotiations to finalise a deal that has been a long time in the making, with the Madrid board keen to conclude the transfer with as little fuss as possible and also keen not to upset a club they may yet meet in the Champions League this season.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL AND KONATE?

  It was a good result for Liverpool, winning at a ground that has proved problematic for them in the last two seasons. But it wasn't all plain sailing as the Reds picked up a number of concerning injuries as they head into a week where they face Luton Town in the league on Wednesday and contest the first silverware of the season against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final next Sunday.

USMNT prospect Cade Cowell's hot start to life in Mexico continued Saturday with an emphatic cowboy celebration after a Chivas goal.

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• Chivas defeat Juarez 2-1
• Cowell celebrates goal with cowboy celebration
• Liga MX side in CCC action Tuesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After Chivas went 2-0 up on Juarez, Cowell – who was substituted on the pitch in the 63rd minute – leapt onto the back of goalscorer Victor Guzman, celebrating rapidly. The 20-year-old was held up by his teammate as he threw his arms and hands in the air like a cowboy with a lasso on a horse.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Cowell's start to life in Mexico has been electric, with the ex-San Jose Earthquakes player seemingly adapting to play – and the lifestyle – quickly. He has yet to find the back of the net in Liga MX action, but scored two goals and added an assist in Leg 1 of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Forge FC last week.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR COWELL AND CHIVAS

  The Liga MX side are back in action Tuesday evening in the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Canadian side Forge FC. It's Leg 2 of the meeting between the two clubs, with Cowell and co. holding a two-goal advantage via a 3-1 aggregate scoreline from last week's meeting.