India limited-overs captain MS Dhoni has worked with his state team, Jharkhand, as mentor in the lead up to the Buchi Babu All-India Invitational Cricket Tournament
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2016
MS Dhoni worked with the Jharkhand team at a preparatory camp in Ranchi•Associated Press
India limited-overs captain MS Dhoni has worked with his state team, Jharkhand, as mentor in the lead up to the Buchi Babu All-India Invitational Cricket Tournament. He also might join the team in the same capacity during the latter stages of the Buchi Babu tournament, which is a pre-season competition run by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).”Dhoni was with the boys during the camp in Ranchi,” Rajesh Verma, the secretary of Jharkhand State Cricket Association, told . “The boys are thrilled as it gives them a chance to tap into his experience. The original plan was for him to be there from the beginning [of the tournament], but he now has a meeting in Delhi. So, he will most probably join the team around August 12.”This year, apart from Jharkhand, the Buchi Babu tournament will feature Hyderabad, Chhattisgarh, Railways and Uttar Pradesh as invitational teams, alongside three local teams in TNCA President’s XI, TNCA XI and TNCA Districts XI. The tournament is set to run from August 5 to 18.
AB De Villiers’ 200th ODI for South Africa ended much the same way his 100th Test did; with rain forcing an abandonment, after just one over, at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday
The Report by Firdose Moonda19-Jun-2016 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA washout in Bridgetown on Sunday meant Australia face a do-or-die clash against West Indies in their final league game•Getty Images
AB de Villiers’ 200th ODI for South Africa went much the same way his 100th Test did, as Sunday’s tri-series fixture was the first to be washed out, with only an over possible.Just as November’s Bangalore Test involved long periods of watching and waiting, the first game of the series in Barbados dragged on for over five hours because of intermittent rain, which denied South Africa an opportunity to qualify for the final. Instead they shared points with Australia, who now face a must-win clash against hosts West Indies in their final league fixture at the same venue on Tuesday.The damp squib ended the possibility of what could have been the first battle of the quicks in this tournament. Both sides bolstered their seam stocks in anticipation of a surface with more pace and bounce. South Africa handed Morne Morkel his first opportunity on tour, at the expense of left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, while Australia included Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc in their XI. Australia also dispensed with a specialist spinner in Adam Zampa to bring back Glenn Maxwell.Steven Smith decided to let his attack loose on a fresh surface, perhaps mindful of the impact rain could have on the chase. Starc bowled the first and only over of the match: an affair that included three wides, a half-volley that Quinton de Kock drove for four and two well-directed inswingers. Heavy rain swept through the ground seconds after he finished the over.The downpour lasted three hours and 20 minutes before abating. There was a possibility of play resuming when covers were peeled off at 4.30pm local time. But an inspection, and an hour and 15 minutes later, the match officials felt the outfield and the pitch were too wet for the game to resume. The final call was made at 6.25pm.
Scott Borthwick’s high-class 134 and Paul Collingwood’s 85 not out gave Lancashire’s attack one of its first pick, shovel and prop days at cricket’s coalface this season
Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street15-May-2016 ScorecardScott Borthwick made his 13th first-class hundred•Getty Images
To die wondering might actually be rather pleasant, though it is not something that either Jack Burnham or Neil Wagner is likely to experience.Drifting away while contemplating pleasant paths, albeit that they have not been walked, may, at most rates, be preferable to mulling over one’s earthly demise and pondering what, if anything, is next on one’s dance card. However, as Wagner and Burnham went at it hammer and tongs in the first major duel of this game, it was most apparent that their labours were unsparing and that conserving energy had no place in them.The pair began their battle in the second hour of the morning. By that time both Keaton Jennings and Mark Stoneman had been dismissed, the Durham openers nicking catches off the excellent Tom Bailey; and towards the close, home supporters at a sun-embraced Riverside were applauding Scott Borthwick’s high-class 134 and Paul Collingwood’s 85 not out, fine innings which had given Lancashire’s attack one of its first pick, shovel and prop days at cricket’s coalface this season.Yet it was 19-year-old Burnham who helped take the battle to Lancashire’s bowlers, cover-driving Wagner easefully to the boundary in the 25th over and then attempting a rather wilder repeat off the next delivery, only to edge the ball over a leaping Liam Livingstone’s outstretched fingers at first slip. In response Wagner sent down a couple of precisely targeted bouncers, although he is not a bowler for whom that over-used tactic is a default position. The second bumper whacked Burnham somewhere in the vicinity of his helmet and it was followed by a discussion between the pair in which Wagner seemed to take the leading role.He is a curious fellow, Wagner. Off the field he is affable, peaceful, serene. Although he admitted a few weeks ago that he might have to “eliminate” Stuart Broad, he did so with the courteous regret of a James Bond villain. Out in the middle, mind, Wagner spits vengeance and bowls some of the most unsparingly aggressive spells one might see. The history of fast bowling has thrown up similar examples, of course, but rarely is the contrast between the Quaker and the Visigoth as sharp as it is with Mr. Wagner and “Waggy”, his on-field persona. Robert Louis Stevenson knew a thing or two.All the same, Burnham won their battle. At lunch he was 35 not out and had helped Borthwick revive Durham’s innings after their early losses. Wagner’s seven wicketless overs had cost 32 runs. For his part, Borthwick was batting with gentle ease and his glide though gully off Procter was as well-timed and graceful as anything we saw all day. Neither a cut nor a drive, it seems something of a signature shot for Borthwick and few batsmen play it as well. It will be a stroke for us to play once more when May is a memory.Having established himself at the wicket and properly gauged the pace of a pitch from which Bailey extracted most bounce, Borthwick unfurled an even greater variety of shots in the afternoon session. There was the precise cover drive which took him to his fifty off 81 balls and the calculated sweep off Simon Kerrigan, which took him into the nineties.Between those strokes, however, Borthwick lost Burnham, who was caught at slip by Livingstone off Bailey for 44, and Richardson, who edged Kyle Jarvis to the same fielder seven overs later. Both these dismissals bolstered the view that while this is a good batting wicket, it is also a pitch on which seamers can bowl with the hope that their efforts will receive recompense. Certainly home supporters seem likely to rue the absence of Chris Rushworth, whose hip injury prevented his playing in this match.Richardson was replaced by Collingwood, whose 123-run fifth-wicket stand with Borthwick was clearly the home side’s best period of the day. Durham’s skipper was confident and assertive against Wagner from the outset, cover-driving his fifth ball to the Lumley Castle boundary and swivel-pulling his next to square leg. A few overs later Collingwood came down the pitch to Kerrigan and hit him sweetly and straight for six, as if confirming home ascendancy. Borthwick responded with similarly assured strokeplay and reached his century off 158 balls with a cover drive off Wagner. Durham took tea on 213 for 4, emboldened in their belief that the next session would belong to them.So it more or less proved, despite Lancashire’s attack sticking to its disciplines and taking two wickets. Borthwick and Collingwood took the score to 274 before Borthwick, in one of his rare miscalculations, tried to hit Kerrigan over long-on but only found Alviro Petersen five yards inside the boundary. Ryan Pringle then batted well enough for his 25 before giving Bailey his fourth wicket when he gloved a pull to Livingstone who dived forward from slip to take the catch.But by then one’s attention was taken by Collingwood, who was batting with ever more circumspection as close of play approached. James Weighell whacked Wagner’s last ball of the day over square leg for six but Durham’s skipper ended play by patting back a maiden from Kerrigan. His forward defensive shots were as resolute and brimming with resistance as his boundaries had been. Late Collingwood: a cricketer phrased like a vintage.
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford will hopefully be back from injury in time for next week’s action, according to reliable journalist Adam Pope.
The Lowdown: Bamford misses Chelsea defeat
The Englishman has endured an injury-prone time of things in recent seasons, stunting his progress hugely after such an impressive 2020/21 campaign.
Bamford has been limited to only nine starts in the Premier League overall, and he ended up being ruled out of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away to Chelsea.
The hope is that the 29-year-old’s absence is not a long one and a positive update has emerged regarding the situation.
The Latest: Only a short-term absence
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Adam confirmed that Bamford could be available again by next week:
“Leg injury for Bamford according to Gracia. Hopes to be back next week.”
The Verdict: Injuries a big problem now
This is clearly good news, with a long-term injury something that would have been a big blow for Leeds, but Bamford’s injuries are still a problem now.
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The £70,000-a-week-earning striker seems to be unavailable as much as he is available these days, and he is struggling to find any rhythm on the pitch, having scored only once in the league all season.
On his day, Bamford remains a top-class player – he was once hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – but these constant fitness issues highlight the need for attacking signings this summer.
It is reaching the stage where he should be used as a luxury player, managing his minutes carefully, with a younger, less injury-prone figure coming in.
Manchester United suffered their third straight defeat in midweek against Bayern Munich and the pressure is now firmly on Erik ten Hag, despite a spirited performance in Germany.
A tie against Burnley in the Premier League is next up for the Red Devils and while they currently occupy 13th spot in the table with just two wins from five, Vincent Kompany’s men have themselves secured only one point thus far.
This upcoming clash represents a wonderful opportunity for United to get back on track and a confidence-boosting victory will hopefully allow them to kick-start their season and nudge them further up the table.
Following the defeat to Bayern, Ten Hag will likely make changes, especially as several of his starting XI underperformed, with Christian Eriksen among the protagonists in this regard.
How did Christian Eriksen perform vs Bayern Munich?
The Danish midfielder made his first Champions League start since October 2020 against the Bundesliga side, yet he failed to showcase his vast talents when United needed him most.
His Sofascore match rating of 5.6 was the lowest out of anyone on the pitch during the match, as Eriksen's 69-minute spell saw him complete just 30 successful passes while giving away a penalty and being dribbled past twice as he failed to assert his authority in the heart of the midfield.
Christian Eriksen
Following the tie, he and Casemiro were criticised by journalist Mark Critchley, who said: “Manchester United are under the microscope in just about every part of the pitch at the moment but the midfield might be most concerning.
“Casemiro and Christian Eriksen both look like short-term fixes to a long-term problem.”
Will Christian Eriksen start for Manchester United vs Burnley?
The £150k-per-week “absolute genius” – as so dubbed by Statman Dave in 2022 – hasn’t exactly lit up Old Trafford this season.
He has averaged a Sofascore match rating of just 6.9 across five Premier League ties, registering only two goal contributions – one goal and one assist – while creating zero big chances and averaging just 0.8 key passes per game.
Across the United squad, these statistics rank him only tenth, third and tenth for key passes per game, while he doesn’t even rank for big chances created.
It has been an underwhelming campaign thus far and indeed, across the previous 12 months, Eriksen has failed to showcase his best qualities over a range of metrics.
Christian Eriksen
According to FBref, the Dane ranks in the lowest 93% for tackles (1.17) and the lowest 88% for interceptions (0.55) per 90 when compared to his positional peers in Europe's top five leagues, while some of his attacking statistics have not been great either.
He ranks in the lowest 74% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.43) and the lowest 40% for touches in the opposition box (1.37) when compared to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues and Ten Hag should perhaps give someone else an opportunity against Burnley today.
Something needs to click into gear for the Dutchman, and he needs it fast, otherwise the pressure could soon become unbearable, and he may well be looking for a new role sooner rather than later.
With it looking as if Eriksen is a key part of the 'problem' at present, a new solution must be found this evening.
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.”
Everton are now in the driving seat to complete an ambitious summer swoop for Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, with Sean Dyche offering the England international a lifeline to rekindle his career.
Is Harry Maguire going to Everton?
According to Football Insider, the Toffees are now leading the race for Maguire after presenting an enticing offer, with Premier League rivals Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United retaining interest.
It is believed that the Red Devils want £35m for the 30-year-old, who has lost his starting role and captaincy at Old Trafford, after the Hammers saw a £20m offer rejected in July.
Defensive duo Yerry Mina and Conor Coady have departed Goodison Park this summer, whilst exciting young ace Jarrad Branthwaite's future is up in the air, and as such, Dyche will need to bolster his backline ahead of the new campaign.
How good is Harry Maguire?
Everton narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League last season after a 1-0 victory on the final day of the campaign ensured Leicester City's victory over West Ham proved fruitless, relegating the Foxes.
While the Toffees were far from the desired standard, they conceded 57 goals in the league – the fewest of any side in the bottom six – and will hope that a well-placed move for someone of Maguire's ilk could bolster the backline and allow the attack to flourish.
And while Maguire has fallen by the wayside at the Theatre of Dreams of late, he still played a major part in the club's Carabao Cup triumph this year and has completed 175 appearances for the club since finalising a £80m transfer from Leicester City in 2019.
Once hailed as a "colossus" by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, albeit also branded a "bit of a liability", the £190k-per-week defender ranks among the top 17% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 19% for successful take-ons, the top 11% for blocks and the top 12% for aerials won per 90, as per FBref.
Also described as an "unbelievable player" by teammate Luke Shaw, he would prove to be the non-nonsense and assured presence Dyche covets to take his defence to the next level, and would thrive as the centrepiece of the Toffees' defensive structure.
With Maguire forging a steely partnership with James Tarkowski in front of Jordan Pickford's goal, it could allow Amadou Onana to take the next step in his own development, having impressed during his maiden term with Everton despite the club's issues.
Onana joined on a £33m transfer from Lille last summer and captured the awe of Merseyside Blues, making 33 Premier League appearances and earning an average match rating of 6.92 – as per Sofascore – completing 84% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.1 clearances and interceptions per match and succeeding with 59% of his ground duels.
The Belgian midfielder, who has been also dubbed a "colossus" himself by the Daily Mail's Dominic King, is a composed passer of the ball and a robust defensive force, also aerially dominant, ranking among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for aerials won per 90.
His ability to take control of the middle third would alleviate the burden on Maguire's shoulders, in what would prove to be a move to restore Everton's equilibrium and finally pave a pathway to success after several years of instability and strife.
James Foster has committed himself to another year behind the stumps for county champions Essex
ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-20171:26
‘Maybe it’s time to recreate Essex’s glory days’ – Bopara
While the county game lost one of its great glovemen this summer, James Foster will not be following Chris Read into retirement just yet. Foster has been mulling a new contract offer from Essex since the club claimed the Championship title in September and has now committed himself to another year behind the stumps.Foster will turn 38 in April but, having fought to regain his place from Adam Wheater during the 2017 season as Essex surprised onlookers by winning Division One the year after being promoted, he still retains the appetite for competition.”I am delighted to be signing a new contract with Essex,” Foster said. “The 2017 Championship campaign was such an exciting and emotional season, and to see the happiness on so many people’s faces was incredible.”A real highlight for me was when the team walked out to field during the last game of the season to a standing ovation from the Chelmsford crowd. The Championship win was also a huge credit to the work put in by all the backroom team, coaches and staff at the Club and it has been a pleasure working with Chris Silverwood and I wish him every success for the future in his new role with England.”The departure of Silverwood to oversee England’s bowlers role has left Essex without a head coach but the dressing room will still have its most senior figure in place next season, after Foster’s decision to carry on.Read and Foster were held up as the premier wicketkeepers of English cricket during the 2000s and 2010s, though both only won a handful of caps for England as the selectors gave weight to batting prowess. Like Read, who has gone into teaching after retirement, Foster has begun to plan for his post-playing career; he is the cricket professional at Forest School in Walthamstow and has coached with MCC Young Cricketers and Scotland.He will add to that experience over the coming weeks, having flown on Friday to join up with Khulna Titans at the Bangladesh Premier League.”Since the end of the season I have been busy coaching and now have an exciting month coming up as an assistant coach with the Khulna Titans, working alongside head coach Mahela Jayawardene,” he said. “I am looking forward to tapping into his knowledge, as well as the other coaches, and passing on what I learn to both Essex and Forest School when I return.”
Leicester City ramped up their preparations for the new Championship campaign this week with the signing of Callum Doyle on loan from Manchester City, but new head coach Enzo Maresca appears to be on the lookout for even more recruits.
Who are Leicester City signing?
The Foxes have so far brought in Doyle, Conor Coady and Harry Winks since being relegated from the Premier League in May, just seven years on from winning the competition.
Coady and Winks arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur respectively for a combined fee of £17.5m, helping to offset the departures of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Caglar Soyuncu among others.
The Foxes have been tipped to bring in another centre-back to potentially partner Coady, and TEAMtalk suggests Leicester are one of seven teams keeping tabs on Middlesbrough's Paddy McNair.
Middlesbrough are supposedly open to offers for the Northern Ireland international, who is on wages of around £20,000 a week at the Riverside Stadium, according to Capology.
What position does Paddy McNair play in?
McNair has shown his versatility across the past six seasons in the Championship with Sunderland and for his current side, the past five of those with the latter, having played at centre-back in central midfield and at full-back.
Indeed, as per WhoScored, McNair was used 28 times in the heart of defence last season, twice on the right and seven times in central midfield, making him a very versatile option for Maresca should he arrive.
As Boro boss Michael Carrick pointed out last season when praising McNair's "terrific" displays, it is at centre-back he prefers playing.
The 28-year-old can be trusted to do a job wherever he is fielded, with veteran Neil Warnock hailing him as the best player he has managed, while predicting he would be playing "at the very top" again one day.
Everton defenderConor Coady
It has not quite worked out that way just yet, but McNair is still clearly a man in demand, with promoted Premier League trio Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley also said to be interested.
McNair is particularly strong when it comes to his ability to move the ball forward from the back. As per FBref, he ranks in the top 4% of centre-backs for progressive carries (1.69 per 90) across the eight divisions most alike the Championship, and he is among the top 2% for progressive passes received.
Where the former Manchester United player let himself down last season was in terms of clearances per 90 (2.61) and interceptions per 90 (0.80), placing him among the bottom 4% and bottom 7% of centre-backs respectively.
Looking at Coady's figures from last season on loan at Everton, he averaged 3.78 clearances per 90 in the Premier League – only four team-mates could better that – and 0.60 interceptions.
Should they be paired together, it is likely that McNair will be the one tasked with taking the ball forward in a flexible formation – Pep Guardiola protege, Maresca is in charge, after all – while Coady will be more of a pure defender.
Either way, it will be one of the more experienced centre-back partnerships in the Championship should Leicester pull off the deal, and one with plenty of promise.
ScorecardSean Dickson hit a career-best unbeaten double century and Joe Denly notched his third hundred of the summer as Kent enjoyed a first-day run fest in their Specsavers County Championship match with Northamptonshire in Beckenham.Kent cashed in on a Worsley Bridge Road shirt-front after winning the toss to post 434 for 1 after 96 overs with Dickson and Denly unbeaten on 210 and 143 respectively as Sam Northeast’s promotion-chasers racked up maximum batting bonus points at a canter.The total already represents Kent’s best at this venue, while Dickson’s 210 is his career-best as well as the highest individual score at the ground, beating Ben Duckett’s 207* here last season. Dickson also became the first Kent player in history to post double tons as his first two first-class centuries for the county.In adding an unbroken 305 the pair also moved past the previous second-wicket record of 260 against Northamptonshire set by Arthur Fagg and Frank Woolley at Canterbury in 1934. And, when Denly pulled a short one from Nathan Buck for four in the day’s penultimate over, he raised their 300 stand to beat Kent’s record for any wicket against Northants of 296 set by Ken Hutchings and Frank Woolley at Gravesend in 1908. For good measure, the stand is also a record for any wicket at the ground.As for Northamptonshire, they will look to their ill fortune earlier in the day when they might have dismissed Dickson twice before he had even reached three figures.Dickson, the 25-year-old South African right-hander, joined forces with fellow opener Daniel Bell-Drummond to post 129 either side of lunch – their second-best partnership of the season behind their 172 against Sussex at Tunbridge Wells last month.Bell-Drummond went one short of his 50 soon after lunch when edging a back-foot defensive push to the keeper off Ben Sanderson and it transpired to be the visitors’ sole success of the day.Dickson was on 35 when he survived a concerted shout for lbw against Buck then, with his score on 97, Dickson drove hard at an away swinger from Buck only to be given the benefit of the doubt to another loud appeal for a catch behind the stumps.Sean Dickson converted into his second double century•Getty Images
With the luck on his side, Dickson marched on to a 165-ball 100 with 10 fours and a six then Denly reached the milestone from 132 balls with six fours and three sixes.Northamptonshire tried permutating seven bowlers and delayed taking the second new ball in a desperate bid to curtail the run-rate but, when they finally did take it, their worst fears were realised as Denly cracked it to all parts in a sublime display of driving.Just before the close, Dickson clipped sweetly off his pads against Steven Crook to hit the ropes for a 20th time and raise his double hundred from 280 balls.Northamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely described Kent’s run-fest as his’toughest day in any form of cricket’, adding: “We’ve walked offwith smiles on our faces because we’re not quite sure what we might have done differently or what to say about it. A couple ofopportunities and appeals didn’t go our way early on but apart from that both Denly and Dickson played really well.”I haven’t had a tougher day in cricket than this and can’t remember a day when we’ve only ever picked up one wicket in the three sessions.We’ve been playing some really good cricket of late so I’m going to give Kent the credit they deserve.Dickson needs a further 66 runs on day two to better Matt Walker’s all-time individual record total for the county,He said: “I’m a little bit overwhelmed by it all at the moment if I’m quite honest and feel shattered. The last nine overs were a massive challenge for me out there and I just tried to remember what one old, wise man said to me the once , that ‘double hundreds don’t come your way every day’. I said to Joe that I needed a little energy spurt, a mind switch to get myself across the line to 200 and thankfully I found it from somewhere.”There’s a massive amount of emotion after this for me. I have made four ducks this season at at times it’s been a massive mentalstruggle, but I’ve been hitting balls superbly well of late with no result.”