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This week, Arne Slot tasted the first truly crushing defeat of his Liverpool tenure.

Liverpool are out of the Champions League, with Paris Saint-Germain winning on penalties to set up a quarter-final tie with Aston Villa.

However, Liverpool are also 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League, with Sunday also bringing the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.

While it’s almost certain that Liverpool will enjoy a trophy-winning season to celebrate Slot’s first year at the helm, change is bound to be afoot this summer, with the likes of Luis Diaz facing an uncertain long-term future on Merseyside.

Luis Diaz's Liverpool future

Diaz is an electric-paced and slippery winger capable of causing even the sternest of opponents a spate of problems across a contest.

Only last month, pundit Danny Murphy claimed the Colombian has “gone under the radar” somewhat this season, shifting seamlessly from his preferred wide role to help Liverpool in the centre-forward spot, perhaps the priority position in the transfer market this summer, along with left-back.

The problem lies in Diaz’s lack of cutting edge. Aged 28, time is dwindling for this talented wideman to ever truly be accepted as world-class as he simply doesn’t have the potency in front of goal, certainly not in the same vein as his opposite number Mohamed Salah.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. Salah has scored 32 goals and added 22 assists across all competitions this season and is

But deeper analysis highlights the cracks in Diaz’s game. He might have scored an emphatic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the group stage of the Champions League, but he has blanked across all eight of his further fixtures on the continent.

So with the £55k-per-week talent about to enter the penultimate year of his deal, you have to wonder whether FSG will feel it prudent to cash in for a pretty penny while they still can, with Transfermarkt recording Diaz’s current market value at about £71m.

He’s been a fine servant for Liverpool and is all but set to lift the Premier League in May. However, FSG may feel a bit rueful when glancing back to his £49m transfer from FC Porto in January 2022, for they could have signed a superstar rivalling Salah for the Ballon d’Or instead.

Liverpool could have signed "Europe's best player" over Diaz

Hindsight is only good in, well, hindsight, but Liverpool’s boardroom executives must be somewhat frustrated by their failure to sign one of the season’s superstars back in 2022 all the same.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.

Though Diaz has performed admirably as Sadio Mane’s heir down the left flank, he’s only scored 37 goals across 139 matches in a Liverpool shirt, equating to a rate of 0.27 per game. Mane trumps him in this regard, with his 120-goal return from 269 appearances marking a 0.45 strike average.

Diaz, to be sure, could have made more of his gifted ability, with reporter Lewis Steele even noting he had been “wasteful and frustrating” through phases of his Liverpool career. It makes the decision not to sign Raphinha in 2022 all the more bothersome.

As Liverpool tied up a deal for Diaz, the Daily Express – via Sky Sports – revealed there was genuine interest in Raphinha, then of Leeds United, but complications and financial obstacles precluded a winter deal.

With a deal for Diaz wrapped up, Liverpool did not need the Brazil international as Leeds fell from the Premier League. Arsenal and Chelsea tussled, but it was ultimately La Blaugrana who demonstrated the strongest pull, signing him for a £55m fee.

Fast forward three years (almost) and he’s being hailed as “Europe’s best player” by the likes of Sky Sports journalist Dougie Critchley. Raphinha ebbed and flowed through his opening two years in Spain but has come alive under the wing of Hansi Flick.

The data backs such claims up. As per FBref, Raphinha ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past 365 days for goals scored, the top 8% for assists and the top 9% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Though these metrics are distorted by the 28-year-old’s comparative struggles last season. Now, his 46 goal involvements in 2024/25 are bettered only by that man Salah (54), but with Barcelona still in the Champions League, Liverpool’s talisman will no doubt be concerned that he may ultimately lose out.

Along with Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele of PSG, Raphinha is arguably the biggest adversary in Salah’s way to immortalising his name on the most prestigious individual stage, especially if Barca do indeed lift the continental cup, for he has already chalked up 11 goals and five assists from his ten seasonal displays.

Though Raphinha has played the majority of his career on the right, it’s curious that he should be enjoying his most prolific term yet on Barcelona’s left. This bolsters the argument he would have been a sensational signing for the Reds, with such a potent threat easing Salah’s burden and perhaps even making the Egyptian even better.

It could have been a partnership for the ages. No disrespect to Diaz but he’s the same age as Raphinha and dwarfed in regard to clinical output.

Liverpool missed the mark with this one.

Liverpool struck gold on "extraordinary" star who's worth more than Dembele

Liverpool have hit the jackpot with the impressive forward who is worth more than Ousmane Dembele.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 12, 2025

Perhaps with replacing Mohamed Salah in mind, Liverpool have now reportedly set their sights on signing the Egyptian’s greatest rival to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or this summer.

Liverpool eye new forwards as Diaz, Jota and Nunez disappoint

Arne Slot’s debut campaign has gone so well at Anfield that the natural expectancy was that they would, one way or another, find a way past Paris Saint-Germain. For the first time in the Dutchman’s Liverpool career, however, his side’s weaknesses were laid bare up against a PSG side who are simply more complete under Luis Enrique these days.

Not just Nunez: Liverpool star who lost the ball every 3 mins let Slot down

Liverpool exit the Champions League in the last 16 after losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

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By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 12, 2025

It was fairly fitting that arguably Europe’s best two sides needed penalties to decide what was a two-legged tie filled to the brim with world class quality and in many ways it summed up Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool career that he was the one who blinked first.

Between Diogo Jota’s frantic yet ineffective performance, Luis Diaz’s mixed display and Nunez’s own frustrating cameo, it became clearer than ever that the Reds need an attacking boost this summer, especially if Salah departs as a free agent.

If that is to be the case – and a disastrous one at that – then those at Anfield must pursue the signature of the Egyptian’s Ballon d’Or rival this summer, having already reportedly set their sights on his potential arrival.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are now eyeing a summer swoop to sign Raphinha from Barcelona in a move that would instantly ease their Salah blow and revive their frontline.

Unlike this time last year, however, Barcelona are unlikely to part ways with Brazilian at the first chance they get. In fact, they’re likely to deny any offer at all for the winger’s signature, given how he has exploded into life to become one of Europe’s most lethal players in the current campaign – scoring 27 goals in all competitions.

"Special" Raphinha one of few who could replace Salah

When Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes go searching for a player capable of guaranteeing 20-plus goals a season whilst also taking up the role of main creator, they will struggle to find an extensive list of players able to come close to the levels that Salah has consistently shown. However, if they turn that search towards Spain they may just find one of a select few stars beginning to show similar traits.

Although the numbers show just how unbelievable Salah’s season has been, Raphinha has been no slouch either and remains the Liverpool star’s greatest Ballon d’Or rival – especially after advancing in the Champions League.

At 28 years old, the former Leeds United winger is finally at the absolute peak of his powers and earning deserved praise from Hansi Flick as a result. The Barcelona boss told reporters earlier this season: “He has good dynamics with the ball and he has had an extraordinary match.

“His offensive and defensive dynamics, and his good technique, are something special. I have never had a player like him and he helps us a lot.”

Ahead of what is likely to be a busy summer transfer window, Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly facing the prospect of losing another key man alongside Matheus Cunha.

Wolves transfer news

Whilst Wolves’ main aim is undoubtedly survival this season, there would have still been plenty of frustration over how their FA Cup run came to an end against Bournemouth last time out. Having levelled things up through a sensational strike from range, Cunha commenced his side’s downfall when he left the referee with little choice but to hand him his marching orders.

Going on to lose on penalties without their star man, Wolves are without a place in the last eight of the FA Cup and will be without Cunha for the next three Premier League games in what is arguably a far bigger blow.

It’s something that Cunha should be desperate to rectify if this is to be his final season in the Midlands. With a £62m release clause in his new contract, the Brazilian has already attracted the reported interest of Arsenal, Chelsea and others to create quite the race for his signature when the summer arrives. And he’s not the only player who could depart Molineux.

According to Record, as relayed by Sports Witness, Benfica are now set to advance their talks to sign Nelson Semedo on a free deal following the expiry of his current Wolves contract at the end of the season.

Wolves have finally found their new Raul Jimenez and it's not Cunha

Wolves may have replaced Raul Jimenez with a current first team star.

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By
Ross Kilvington

Mar 3, 2025

Yet to sign an extension in the Midlands, the right-back could yet reunite with former Wolves manager Bruno Lage and return to one of his very first clubs back in Portugal.

Wolves, meanwhile, look increasingly likely to bid farewell to another captain and another experienced player without profiting. With a matter of months left until his contract expires, Semedo seems destined to bow out.

Wolves need Semedo's experience

If Wolves are to lose Cunha this summer, then keeping hold of the likes of Semedo is suddenly more important than ever. Vitor Pereira needs no reminding of the right-back’s importance and experience, having handed him the captain’s armband following his arrival and Mario Lemina’s ill-discipline in the final stages of Gary O’Neil’s tenure.

Pereira reiterated his desire to keep hold of Semedo in January, telling reporters: “Because I have time, I’m finding the personalities that I want as leaders in the team. At the moment, I’m not changing the captain and I’m okay with him, but I’m studying the personalities and I need some time for that.

“He’s a good player, he’s professional, he has the skills that I like, so it means that if the club was to ask my opinion, I would want to stay with him.

“There have been no discussions because there have been a lot of things to fix and to work on, so it’s difficult for me to think about everything. But we will have time to sit down and discuss.”

Whether the time has passed for those discussions over renewing Semedo’s £80,000-a-week contract remains to be seen, but it seems as though Benfica are wasting little time in negotiations of their own in pursuit of his signature.

England captain concedes “challenge of playing on slower wickets” is still an area for batsmen to address

George Dobell in Barbados19-Feb-2019England must learn to win ugly if they are to win the World Cup. That is their challenge with just one more ODI series before the start of a potentially momentous home summer.While England have earned a reputation for explosive batting on true surfaces – they have recorded the two highest totals made in the history of ODI cricket since the last World Cup, both times at Trent Bridge – they have not always proved so dominant in conditions where bowlers have more in their favour. Think of the performance against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017, when they were bowled out for 153, or the match against Australia at Old Trafford in 2015 (they made just 138).But nowhere was this struggle to adapt more painfully exploited that in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan. In that game, on a used surface that provided a bit of assistance to spinners and reverse-swing bowlers, England were dismissed for 211. Pakistan cruised to an eight-wicket win.So, as England start their lead-up to their World Cup campaign – they now play nothing by white-ball cricket until mid-July – they know it is an area they must improve. And, with a possibility that some surfaces in this series against West Indies may prove tough for batsmen, it is a weakness that may confront them several times in the coming days.”Everybody expects us to win,” Eoin Morgan said ahead of Wednesday’s ODI in Barbados. “But the manner it will play out will be different from what people expect.”There is the challenge of playing on slower wickets that don’t necessarily allow us to play an expansive game. We have improved on it, but to produce a level of consistency in performing and winning is something we haven’t nailed down.”I played here last year for Barbados and the pitch was quite uneven and steep bouncing. It offered some turn, too, and the wind plays a big part. So it will be a tough challenge and everybody in our changing room knows that. It’s not an easy place to come and win particularly when they have a lot of match winners.”England misread the conditions ahead of the Test here, however, and it is possible they have done so again. While surfaces on the England Lions tour and in the CPL were not especially good for batting, the pitches prepared for the first two ODIs in Barbados look full of runs.Morgan’s logic is sound, though. England failed to adapt to that surface in Cardiff and, while most pitches for the World Cup are expected to promote big-hitting and high scores, there is always the possibility they will be confronted by a more demanding surface along the way. If so, their batsmen will quickly have to work out what a challenging score might be and play accordingly. It has not been a strength in recent times.England must also grow accustomed to being talked about as favourites and people expecting them to win. This is not entirely new for them – it has been the case for the last 12 months, at least – and they have encouraged such talk in the hope it will”We don’t mind the tag of favourites,” Morgan said. “We’ve spoken about it and we’ve learned to be at ease with it in the last few series. It doesn’t really mean anything: you still have to produce to be rewarded.”But, while England do start this series as favourites – they are No. 1 in the world rankings, after all, and West Indies No. 9 – Morgan made the point that Scotland beat them less than a year ago. There can be no room for complacency.Chris Woakes bowls during England practice•Getty ImagesIn terms of individual selections, the batting and spin bowling looks reasonably secure. But there is at least one seam-bowling position to be finalised, with the likes of Mark Wood, Tom Curran and Liam Plunkett hoping to do enough to see off the challenge from Jofra Archer, who qualifies in about a month.But while Morgan played down any threat to Plunkett’s position, in particular, he did accept that pace – one of Archer’s primary weapons – was an important part of his bowling armoury. And he might have provided a little hint that the loss of Olly Stone, who played in Sri Lanka but has subsequently been diagnosed with a stress fracture, could offer Archer an opportunity.”I’m not concerned about Plunkett,” Morgan replied to a question about the bowler’s apparently diminishing pace. “The trajectory and variations he brings are valuable, too. When you’re facing him, it’s not easy. Particularly here where a bit of extra height does count.”We are very lucky because we probably have only one injury to a guy who might have been involved and that’s Stone. He is capable of bowling 90mph along with Plunkett and Mark Wood. The difference of having those guys is quite significant. You only had to watch the Test matches to see how valuable they are.”One of the best attributes I have is to compartmentalise things. Until Jofra qualifies, he’s not really in our thoughts at the moment.”If Wood is unable to replicate the pace he generated in St Lucia, however, and Plunkett is unable to offer the mid-innings control that he has provided so often in recent times, it is likely Archer will feature very prominently in Morgan’s thoughts before this series is over.

Rajasthan captain Pankaj Singh, the ongoing season’s highest wicket-taker after round seven, reflects on his journey to 400 first-class wickets

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Nov-2016The most memorable domestic wicketMy 200th wicket, when I got Piyush Chawla against Uttar Pradesh in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy. I value this wicket because I had to work really hard to get to that milestone. I had to bowl nearly 60-plus overs to get there. In the previous match, against Railways, I went wicketless having bowled 38 overs. Against UP I was frustrated as catches were dropped off my bowling. Eventually when Piyush was nearing the 90s, I got him caught and bowled. But I had to bowl almost 30 overs to break the barren spell.The toughest domestic batsmanRohit Sharma. I have played at least four to five matches in domestic cricket against Rohit and have got him a couple of times. He plays all the shots. You don’t have the room to just bowl at a certain pace and restrict him. You just have to keep bowling outswing, outswing and then hope to surprise him by pitching an in-cutter. But once he settles he is very difficult to get out and he scores very quickly.The best spellIn the quarter-finals, against Mumbai, in Jaipur in the 2010-11 Ranji season when we won the title for the first time. Mumbai elected to bat. I got three top-order batsmen in my first spell: Sahil Kukreja, Omkar Gurav and Rohit. We had never even taken first-innings lead against Mumbai, at least in my career till then. Mumbai were firm favourites and had fielded their best eleven which also included Ajit Agarkar, Wasim Jaffer, Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) and Ramesh Powar. So I took the challenge upon me that we had to win somehow.The favourite mode of dismissal?Pitching on middle and hitting the top of the off stump. It does not happen too many times, but I love to do that.The toughest spell in domestic cricket Against Maharashtra last year in Pune. I rate this toughest because I did not succeed. We made 250-odd (270) after being asked to bat. I bowled 27 overs on the second day. That was the maximum I had bowled in any Ranji match in a day. We had Maharashtra in trouble at 124 for 6, but [Shrikant] Mundhe and [Chirag] Khurana rescued them. Usually I back myself in such situations to take a wicket. It was the first time I was unable to do anything. Khurana even hit me for a six in the last over of the day. I was exhausted in the end. Maharashtra won with a bonus point.The best domestic fast bowler in your timeVinay Kumar. I like the way he bowls aggressively, how he uses all his skills and works out his wickets. I bowl quite similar to him. You can feel his presence at all time. I also like his attitude and he is the best in the present era in domestic cricket.The most favourite pitch in IndiaSMS [Sawai Madhopur Stadium, Jaipur] and MohaliThe best compliment you’ve received in domestic cricketRecently after I got him out in Duleep Trophy, Yuvraj Singh told me I was the best bowler in domestic cricket.The one skill needed for a fast bowler to survive in domestic cricketAccuracy.The goal you are after nowTo play once again for India.

The Porbunder All Rounder at the CCI in Mumbai is a throwback to old-school English-style clubs. But it’s not only about cricket

Firdose Moonda02-Nov-2015Just the description should be enough to put you off a gentlemen’s club. Then, when you consider that the establishment in question actually stands for what can essentially be categorised as elitism, it may drive you to campaign to turn the place into a public square so it can be redeemed. I know I do. And it’s why I am a little embarrassed when I have to admit that I find old-school English-style gentlemen’s clubs quite quaint. I could not escape the charms of Mumbai’s Cricket Club of India (CCI), though it did its best to convince me otherwise.It is a place that was born of racial discrimination, when the Maharaja of Patiala was aggrieved he could not sit with the Europeans at the Bombay Gymkhana and decided to build a place of his own. It has since evolved into a place of class difference. The CCI carries the weight of old money. You can see it in the clubhouse. Spiral staircases, thick columns, heavy curtaining, lots of wood. And then there are the people.All straight backs, swift strides and stiff suits: the mercury has no impact on the dress code. These people need to look the part and they do. They also have the unique ability to see through anyone who doesn’t. An unfamiliar face is not even met with a curious side-eye to try and see if there is the possibility of a stranger dropping in. All the members know each other without needing to look; maybe they communicate by the sound of their footfalls.They’re usually headed in the same direction – to one of the dining rooms, which looked inviting, but as a non-member, I was uninvited. The only one I really wanted to get inside was the Porbunder All Rounder, admittedly because of the name. My family traces its history back to Porbunder, in Gujarat, and I was intrigued that there would be a reference to the place in the middle of Mumbai.Restricted: the entrance to the Porbunder All Rounder•Firdose Moonda/ESPNcricinfoAt the first opportunity I got to ask someone about the name, I did. One of the senior administrative staff, a middle-aged lady, who said she wanted to be a journalist when she was younger but was told by her father it was “not a profession for women”, told me the Maharajah of Porbunder had been one of the many funders of the club, and so had had a room named after him. The All Rounder bit was just a random cricket reference.In fact, cricket can seem secondary to the club overall. There are stories of members complaining that when a match is on it prevents them from taking their walks. On some match days if play overflows past the scheduled time, the members line up at the boundary rope with their cane chairs, agitatedly waiting for play to end so they can set up for their bridge games.Even if they wanted to forget about cricket, they couldn’t. The club exists because of it and if the walls could talk, the only language they would speak is cricket. Every one of them tells a different story, with pictures of Indian teams of the 1930s, to a history of Don Bradman, to a photographic display of all ten wickets Anil Kumble took against Pakistan in 1999. Kumble himself is only in two of the pictures. When I see him, I’m going to ask him what he thinks of gentlemen’s clubs.

The pitch has not been the seam-friendly surface Alastair Cook might have anticipated but it stretched his captaincy as England’s bowlers strived to find a way through

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's14-Jun-2014There was a power cut at Lord’s on Saturday – apparently caused by too much weight on the Nursery Ground – as Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were building their 17th century stand in Test cricket. It prompted Russell Arnold, the former Sri Lanka batsman turned TV commentator, to say on air: “It’s so like Colombo – sun shining, power cut in media centre and a 100 partnership by Mahela and Sanga.”The pitch was docile, too, if not quite in the league of the SSC in Colombo. England did not want the ball to scuttle through at ankle height, or not even reach the keeper. They did not want the pitch to sap the life out of deliveries hurled down by their four fast bowlers. Not that it should always be about what England want (although what is wrong with home advantage?) but there was certainly no early helping hand for the beginning of England’s era where pace bowling will need to dominate for them to find success.In the days leading up to this Test, Alastair Cook said he had never seen a pitch so green at Lord’s and England would have been encouraged by what they saw. However, it is not so much the colour of the grass that matters – although English quicks will never bemoan a nice emerald surface – but the pace and carry which means edges carry and techniques are tested, especially for Asian sides.The MCC, as the independent arbitrators of the game, do not see it as their role to offer any side a particular advantage but they want to produce pitches that are good for Test cricket. It remains debatable whether this is leaning too far one way.England’s end result of six wickets in the day was a commendable effort, reward for unstinting toil, and leaves open the possibility of a result if Sri Lanka’s tail folds quickly on Sunday. James Anderson was superb, especially in his first spell of 7-3-12-1 and then his working over of Lahiru Thirimanne, but it was the stamina of Liam Plunkett and Chris Jordan, particularly the former in a nine-over spell late in the day, which was praiseworthy.A look at Plunkett’s figures without seeing the context of the day could easily lead you to question the value of his effort: 30-2-113-1 is hardly flattering. However, he performed the role Cook asked of him.Either side of lunch he targeted Jayawardene’s gloves and ribs from around the wicket – there was barely a delivery in Jayawardene’s half of the pitch, although he said he was “quite happy” with England’s tactics instead of pitching the ball fuller – and on a surface with a touch more pace it would have been harder for Jayawardene to withstand the assault. In his final over the day he was still pushing the speedgun to 90mph.Liam Plunkett continued to charge in and battle a moribund surface late into day•Getty Images”We were saying to the bowlers just now what a good effort it was, they’ve run in and kept going,” Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, said. “I think Liam’s performance at the end there, a nine-over spell, and in his last over clocking 90-93mph sums up the performance of the day. It is an unresponsive pitch but the key today is making sure that we don’t get into the frame of mind of talking about no pace, no bounce, just maintaining a good plan. We talked about using the short ball well and got our just rewards tonight.”

There was a late, much deserved, wicket for Plunkett as Prasanna Jayawardene flicked to leg slip. Luck was involved, yes, but Cook had the man in the right position

Last season England were happy, almost gleeful, at grubby, slow pitches that would offer turn for Graeme Swann and scuff up the ball for reverse swing. That was good for England, but not always good for the cricket on display. In theory, the switch of modus operandi to a pace-heavy attack, forced by Swann’s retirement, should encourage the production of pitches with more life: it could be mutually beneficial.”Bowlers always want more pace and bounce,” Farbrace said. “The key is it’s what we’ve got and we’ve got to get on and play. We’ve got to make sure we bowl according to the surface you have. You will have different surfaces around the world. You don’t always get what you want. There’s been no moaning, they’ve just got on with it.”To be fair to Mick Hunt, the groundsman, draws at Lord’s have been a rarer species of late (and, who knows, this might not be one yet) after a period of six consecutive stalemates from 2006 to 2008. The previous one was in 2011 when Sri Lanka previously visited. There are notable similarities to what has emerged here: England made a big total, 486 on that occasion, after being in some bother at 22 for 3 and 201 for 5 before the lower order rallied, then Sri Lanka replied with 479, which virtually killed off the contest although a delayed declaration by Andrew Strauss also played a part.If England do secure a handy lead the way they play their second innings will be another good test of Cook’s captaincy. The side as a whole, from the moment they went at four-an-over in the first session of the match, have played with positive intent in this match. It was instructive to watch Cook in the field today. Occasionally a deep point was in place – some habits die hard – but neither was he afraid to think more out-of-the-box.There was not a line of attack that England did not try and Cook tried plenty with his field, too. He certainly got funky at times, although whether being off the field when Sangakkara edged Moeen Ali can qualify is probably stretching things.When Plunkett came around the wicket after lunch there was one man in front of square on the off side and that was the captain himself at silly point. Elsewhere there was a slip, a leg slip a short leg, and two men out on the hook. When Sangakkara was on strike, there were three men in a line from short leg to deep square-leg.In the last over before tea there were six men on the leg side, no conventional slips and Cook wandered backwards towards a deep fly slip. Then there was Plunkett’s late, much deserved, wicket as Prasanna Jayawardene flicked to leg slip. Luck was involved, yes, but Cook had the man in the right position. Whether it was funky captaincy or not, he will need some more of it to conjure a victory.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the opening day in Port Elizabeth

Firdose Moonda at St George's Park11-Jan-2013Drop of the day
Teams around the world should have learnt: don’t drop Hashim Amla. But still, New Zealand did it. Amla was on 48 when he slashed at a short, wide Trent Boult ball, Kane Williamson needed to move his left to take the catch. He reacted too slowly and by the time he got to the ball all Williamson could do get a loose hand to it. He gave Amla a second chance and that was all he needed. Amla brought up his 19th Test century and fourth against New Zealand as the day drew to a close.Aggression of the day
Brendon McCullum asked his bowlers to show more intent and at least one of them listened. With the first ball of his second over, Doug Bracewell opted for the short ball and found some awkward bounce. Graeme Smith took his eyes off the ball and as he turned away, was hit on the back of the head. Smith did not seem rattled at first but soon realised he needed a few minutes to recompose himself. He crouched to his haunches and called for the medical team. There was no blood but he seemed a little woozy. After a few sips of water and a quiet word with the physiotherapist, Smith was ready to carry on. Disbelief of the day
In three overs after lunch, Smith scored four boundaries as he muscled his way to a half-century. He was looking as imperious as he did in Perth last month when he scored at seven runs an over with Amla to bat Australia out of the match. Smith turned the ball fine to beat the legslip in the over before he was dismissed but when he tried to repeat that, he gloved it through to BJ Watling. Smith was furious with himself and it showed. He shook his head all the way from the crease to the edge of the boundary where he slowed down to watch the replay of his own dismissal. On seeing how he was caught down the leg-side, he continued to mutter and mumble in anger.Shots of the day
Jacques Kallis greeted Port Elizabeth with an imperious pull shot off Doug Bracewell to bring up his first runs. It was an uncharacteristically aggressive start for Kallis but it became even more so when he followed up with another pull off the next ball. The second shot was played in absolute anger as Kallis hit the ball hard and kept it along the ground. Those were Kallis’ only scoring shots but they were memorable.Non-review of the day
New Zealand considered reviewing an lbw shout against Smith off Bracewell’s bowling. It would have been in vain because even though the ball was hitting the stumps, Bracewell had overstepped. What they should have reviewed was the caught behind off Faf du Plessis after the second new ball had been taken. Watling, McCullum and Boult who was bowling appealed as the ball looked to have grazed du Plessis’ glove but did not ask for it to go upstairs. What should have tipped them off was the guilty look on du Plessis’ face and the sheepish glance he tried to make in New Zealand’s direction. Hotspot showed a mark on the glove and New Zealand missed out on the chance to end day one on a high.

When you are finally done with the league stages of this tournament, when you are getting yourselves ready for the real exciting parts of the World Cup, please take time to send a note of gratitude to England

Sidharth Monga08-Mar-2011When you are finally done with the league stages of this tournament, when you are getting yourselves ready for the real exciting parts of the World Cup, please take time to send a note of gratitude to England. For it’s England who have made the league stages so eminently watchable, and it’s no wonder that the dead and predictable group is the one that doesn’t have the services of England.So far there have been about four headlines about the World Cup coming alive, and those have all followed matches involving England. England were there when Oranje became popular in the city of oranges. They were there when India mentioned Guinness more often in one day than it has done collectively before. They brought the worst out of India’s bowling attack, and for one Zaheer Khan over their best too. They were also there when the balance between the bat and ball was restored in Chennai.England have been pure entertainment so far, having regained the kind of form from the last two years that had them somehow drawing Test matches with batting stalwarts such as Monty Panesar and Graham Onions hanging in for dear life. Give them Netherlands, they concede 292 and work hard to get there. Give them India, they have a chase of 339 all sorted out before messing it up before their tail hits three crazy sixes to tie the thing. Give them Ireland, their bowlers fail to defend 327 after having the opposition at 111 for 5. Give them South Africa, the same bowlers come back remarkably to defend 171 from 120 for 3. Pinch yourself, because England haven’t often evoked the next four words with their one-day cricket: never a dull moment.It takes some team to adapt themselves so well to the opposition that they end up within inches of both Ireland and South Africa, both Netherlands and India. Nor have England been one-dimensional. They have played the dirty kind of close games where the pitches are so flat the bowlers might feel like slitting their wrists. They have played the actual game of the tournament too, where on a turning beauty in Chennai, every run had to be worked hard for. However, the bowler that played a big part in that win in Chennai, Stuart Broad, is not quite appreciative of the value England have brought to the tournament. He says they have had more close games than they would have liked before conceding that it might prove to be an advantage in terms of having experienced tight situations.”It’s happened to us in this World Cup probably a bit more than we’d like, but it’s all good experience in the group stages as long as you get through the group stage because when it gets to the quarter-finals, it’s obviously knockout, and you want to come out on top when it comes to those pressure situations.”Broad wants his team to get both its wings working at the same time. “After the disappointing performance against Ireland, we came back very strongly against South Africa with the ball,” Broad said. “It’s important we click with both bat and ball in this game. Our aim is to get a bit of a run going, to get a bit of momentum in this World Cup, and that starts on Friday. We know Bangladesh are going to come out hard against us, after their disappointing result against the West Indies. They’re always a difficult side to beat on their home turf. I am sure the atmosphere will be fantastic. Every player is looking forward to the game. We need to make sure we put in a strong performance with both bat and ball in the same game.”It all sounds very good to have everybody perform, to create momentum and all the rest, but it is also a bit banal. Just imagine if England had been doing whatever Broad said, we still would have been waiting for the first headline about World Cup coming alive. Whatever Broad says, don’t change, England. This tournament still needs more thrills.

Stats highlights from the second day of The Oval Test

S Rajesh10-Aug-2007

Anil Kumble had to wait 151 innings to finally get his first Test century © Getty Images
The story of the day was Anil Kumble’s unbeaten 110. In 117 previous Tests, his highest had been 88, against South Africa at Kolkata in 1996-97. In his 118th match, and his 151st innings, he wasn’t to be denied, though. It’s the most number of Tests any batsman has played to get to his first century. Chaminda Vaas held the earlier record – his unbeaten 100 against Bangladesh in Colombo earlier this year came in his 97th Test, while Jason Gillespie was playing in his 71st Test when he struck that memorable 201 not out against Bangladesh, again, at Chittagong in 2005-06. Kumble had only scored 79 runs in his 11 previous innings, and his innings is also his first 50-plus score overseas. (Click here for Kumble’s innings-by-innings list.) India’s total of 664 is their highest against England, and their fourth-highest against all teams. It’s also only the 11th time – and the fourth for India – that all 11 batsmen made double-digit scores. As at Trent Bridge, India’s top-order batting was characterised by contributions from every batsman. In all there were six 50-plus scores in the innings. Only twice previously have so many Indian batsmen scored so many in a single innings: at Kanpur against New Zealand in 1976-77, India managed 524 for 9 declared with six half-centuries but no hundreds – a total which remains, thanks to Kumble’s hundred, the highest without a century; against Australia at Kolkata in 1997-98, India scored 633 for 5 declared, with the top six all going past 50, and Mohammad Azharuddin scoring an unbeaten 163. So many significant scores from the batsmen meant there were partnerships for almost every wicket. In all India put together an astonishing eight 50-plus stands, which is a record in Test cricket. There are 25 instances of six 50-plus stands, but no team had managed seven in a single innings. The last-wicket stand between Kumble and Sreesanth yielded 73 at a rate of 5.47 per over. It’s the fourth-highest tenth-wicket partnership for India, and their highest against England. The 133 that Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan added against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004-05 remains the highest. Not only did the lower contribute handily, they did so at a brisk pace: India’s last five wickets scored 310 runs in 68.4 overs, a scoring rate of 4.51. Much of that scoring rate was due to the 81-ball blitz by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His 92 is now the highest by an Indian wicketkeeper in England, going past Farokh Engineer’s 87 at Headingley in 1967. In fact, Dhoni and Engineer share the top five scores by an Indian wicketkeeper in England: Engineer also scored 86 at Lord’s and 64 not out at Edgbaston in 1974, while Dhoni contributed a match-saving unbeaten 76 in the first Test of this series at Lord’s. England had a forgettable day in the field, and it’s hardly surprising that a few of them entered the record books for all the wrong reasons. Matt Prior had a terrible time behind the stumps, dropping a couple of catches and letting through 33 byes, which is the second-highest in a single Test innings. England leaked 37 against Australia at the same ground way back in 1934, but there was a good reason for that: Les Ames, the regular wicketkeeper, was forced to retire hurt while batting in England’s first innings, which forced frank Woolley to keep wicket in Australia second innings. Whereas Ames had conceded four byes in Australia’s first-innings score of 701, Woolley allowed 37 in the second-innings score of 327. Prior joins two other wicketkeepers who have conceded 33 byes: John Murray, against India at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in 1960-61, and Jim Parks against West Indies at Kingston in 1968. In fact, the five highest number of byes conceded in an innings have all been by England. James Anderson and Monty Panesar became only the second and third England bowlers to concede more than 150 runs in an innings against India. Andrew Caddick was the first, going for exactly 150 in 40.1 overs at Headingley in 2002.