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Bumrah, Afridi, Pathirana, Mustafizur and many, many more: has the region’s pace stocks collectively ever burned brighter before?

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Jun-2024In decades gone by, this article, a stock-take of South Asia’s pace-bowling output, would have started with Pakistan, cast a sympathetic eye towards India, skimmed patronisingly over Sri Lanka, made little mention of Bangladesh, no mention of Afghanistan, then returned swiftly to the high-octane, long-hair-blowing-in-the-breeze, bursting-through-the-tv-screen-into-our-fantasies world of Pakistan fast bowling.Other teams might have had the occasional great fast bowler, but Pakistan had Sarfraz Nawaz, then Imran Khan, then Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, and then Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, so really one of the richest bloodlines in the sport.They have still got it, of course. Pakistan are still the South Asian home of the fast bowler of the ancient scriptures – tall, fast, muscular, with strong wrists, braced front legs, raining down late movement, and blowing imaginations upon squalls of attitude. But the region’s other teams have begun to set up what could be production lines of their own. They haven’t followed Pakistan’s lead, exactly – they have other things that work.Related

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Often, they’ve dabbled in fast-bowling heresy.No story ties together the many forces that have raised the fast-bowling temperature of the region than that of Jasprit Bumrah, the best all-format operator around. In his earliest years, he was taken with the bowling of the greats of the age – Brett Lee and Allan Donald, yes, but also Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib. It is no surprise that the yorker was among the first deliveries Bumrah perfected.And yet his own action, an amalgam of his idols’, was so spectacularly heretical, it took an IPL franchise to properly propel him into the stratosphere, then Mumbai Indians coach John Wright pulling the strings to have him yanked to MI HQ.Once there, another fillip to his rise: meeting and bowling alongside Lasith Malinga, the godfather of modern fast-bowling heresy basically. Malinga, not big on Hindi, almost as modest in English, conveyed to Bumrah through their shared love for the craft, the value of ego-free fast bowling. “I used to do stupid things in front of batsmen, I could go and say anything,” Bumrah once told . “But as I played with Malinga, I realised the calmer you are, the better you are. Because at that time your brain starts to work.”Shaheen Afridi, Jasprit Bumrah, and Haris Rauf will all have points to prove over the next month•Getty ImagesWhere spitting invective at batters was once a fast bowling trope, now using every second available to set the cogs in your brain whirring is an increasingly prized virtue in T20s. What does the team require right now? Where does this batter tend to hit? Which balls am I good at executing? What should the field be? Is now the time to confound the batter’s expectation? Bowling overs 16-20 in a T20 might be the most cerebral work in cricket right now, and increasingly this is becoming a space that is dominated by quicks – of thinking, that is.Sri Lanka perhaps has the loudest echoes of the Bumrah story. Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara grew up watching Malinga, fashioned heretical actions that emphasised aspects of Malinga – Pathirana the pace, Thushara the early swing. They have at various points been tutored by him too.Thushara and Pathirana also have franchise cricket to thank for their rise, Pathirana getting an early gig with Chennai Super Kings, and Thushara performing in the Abu Dhabi T10 before getting a long run in the Sri Lanka side. An international hat-trick and a stint at Mumbai Indians followed.Sri Lanka’s cricket establishment has long prided itself on embracing the unorthodox, but not so for Bangladesh of the past. Not until Mustafizur Rahman burst through, first exhibiting rapid left-arm pace (is there a more prized regional trait?), before later picking up the cutters that would define him. Mustafizur has been through several phases in his career already, but the latest is his rejuvenation, which – here’s a familiar refrain – CSK has been responsible for, with MS Dhoni sowing into his craft, as Dhoni has for Pathirana.In the past few years, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have also shared a commitment towards developing fast-bowling talent after the latter half of both their 2010s, saw them investing in spin. In Sri Lanka, Chris Silverwood has been influential in building up a fast-bowling battery. In Bangladesh, Ottis Gibson has helped Taskin Ahmed rediscover himself, while the likes of Shoriful Islam, have come along under him as well.Fazalhaq Farooqi can be dangerous when looking for swing early in an innings•AFP/Getty ImagesThere are bowlers who don’t quite fit the narrative. Dushmantha Chameera is a straight-up-and-down orthodox operator who happens to bowl fast. Dilshan Madushanka, discovered through a talent search in the provinces, bowling left-arm inswingers at a rapid pace, has an origin story that could be more or less be transplanted from Pakistan.In India, they have a vast system now – proper pathways featuring scouts, academies, and a surfeit of opportunities through which to hone your game at the higher levels. There are domestic tournaments, the IPL, and when you break through into the India side, so many matches on offer that they are almost certainly the most-exposed team in the world. Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami have benefited from this. Others like Mayank Yadav are pounding down doors.It could only be a matter of time before Mayank Yadav pounds down the India door•AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan themselves have Haris Rauf – a franchise find. But then also Shaheen Shah Afridi, the reigning king of their pace attack, though he very much now has to fend off advances from the prince, Naseem Shah, that famed Pakistan fast-bowling frenemy vibe now seemingly developing. Shaheen has the numbers and the record, and is a spectacle on the field; Naseem has the old-school romance in his action, and a firestarter vibe, which in the context of Pakistan bowling is about as celebrated as vibes come.Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, by the way, has outstanding figures too, particularly when he looks for swing early in an innings, and then goes for the yorker at the death. When bowling fuller lengths, his economy rate of 7.51, is the best for any bowler since 2021 in T20s. Between him and Naveen Ul Haq, Afghanistan too have a seam-bowling set up of note, even if Rashid Khan’s spin remains the headline act.All told, it is difficult to escape this conclusion: South Asia’s fast-bowling talents have never, collectively, burned brighter. In T20s in particular, South Asia’s quicks have substantially broadened definitions of what a successful fast bowler looks like, and what roads they might tread to get so good.

His being dropped may not be the worst thing, but it does dent his halo, bringing him down to the ranks of the merely very good

Osman Samiuddin14-Oct-2024As first tasks go, telling Babar Azam that he was about to be dropped must have been some introduction to selection for Azhar Ali. Welcome to the committee. Before you settle in, here’s the mess you’ve inherited. Mind cleaning it up, pronto?Thankfully Azhar is used to this kind of stuff given his introduction to international cricket was the soap operatic mess of the 2010 tour of England, and that at one down, it was pretty much his entire JD. He’s a good, empathetic man, who probably would have wanted the responsibility of telling Babar he was going to be dropped. It can’t have been an easy call, and made no lighter by the almost ironic twist that it was under Babar’s captaincy that Azhar’s Test career ended, sooner, perhaps, than Azhar would’ve liked.These days, of course, teams tiptoe around the idea that anyone is being dropped. “Rested” as the PCB said diplomatically in their press release. A later communication said that Babar had been “spared from the team”, which, given recent results and mood, well, you can picture Freud slipping can’t you?Related

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Whatever the semantics, it is a big call. A bigly call, even. So big it’s difficult to recall a bigger one in recent Pakistan history (maybe Inzi after the 2003 World Cup). Big players have been banned, punished, forced to retire, yes, but dropped for as mundane a reason as form? And make no mistake, they don’t come bigger than Babar, Pakistan’s best batter, in the conversation to be their greatest ever, their unquestioned all-format captain until not long ago, and – because these things matter – the biggest draw in Pakistan cricket. That he was helped on to that last pedestal by the very board that is now nudging him off it is by the by, of course. The simultaneous absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah from the second Test amplifies the sense of a culling of stars, but fast bowlers, Pakistan have always thought, are expendable. The epicentre is Babar.So yes, a big call. Was it one Pakistan had to make? Is this really the call that turns their fortunes around?At one level, this is a proper Statement Axing. There’s a(nother) new selection committee in town. Pakistan have suffered another record-breaking, earth-shattering loss. Drastic change feels necessary. Scapegoats must be found, and the captain can’t be sacked one Test into the series. So sack the former captain. Even by the PCB’s standards, this selection committee is an eclectic mix of the outré and strait-laced sensibility – Aaqib Javed and Aleem Dar with Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali – but it’s telling they were unanimous in their view on Babar. The captain and coach weren’t involved in the decision, and given their pleas for continuity, it’s logical to assume they are not entirely pleased with the call.

There is a tangible sense that a break really might do Babar good, that what he needs most is to decompress. The last couple of years have been especially taxing and toxic

It is possible, though, to see a level where it does make sense. That isn’t concerned so much with the batting and the returns, because those can be argued either way. Yes, the numbers aren’t great. Yes, he’s getting dismissed early and he’s getting dismissed when he’s set. Yes, he’s getting beaten on the outside edge and the inside. Yes, he’s falling to pace and spin.No, his form doesn’t feel terminally bad. Two years without a half-century sounds like a long stretch, time-wise, but no, nine Tests without one doesn’t sound so long Tests-wise. That is part of the problem. Pakistan just don’t play that many Tests and those they do come with great irregularity. These nearly two years, for example, include a stretch of no Tests for six months, then nearly five months without one, then almost eight months without one again. How do you get out of a rut and into a run in this stop-start schedule? Ollie Pope not scoring runs in a few Tests, for instance, is less complicated, given there’s almost always another Test right around the corner for him to right things. And if Pope has issues, he knows he has Marcus Trescothick, England’s batting coach since 2021, to turn to. Babar? Speed dates spend more time getting to know each other than Babar has had with some coaches lately. So given his track record and the general acknowledgment that he remains Pakistan’s best batter, retaining him for the remaining two Tests against England would have been far from a terrible call.Instead, more than the runs or the form is this tangible sense that a break really might do him good, that what he needs most is to decompress. The last couple of years have been especially taxing and toxic. Stripped of the captaincy, given parts of it back, then having to let go again; poor results cascading in tune with administrative clownery; becoming the eye of every storm, whether it is the culture wars over his intent in T20s and ODIs, the obsessive, magnified dissection of his lack of Test runs, the dismissals of his insipid captaincy, or the growing talk of team factions and disunity. Against this, a break should be considered a period of convalescence.At the very least, it is a moment to pause and breathe and take in the giddying journey of his last few years. Hardly had he established himself as a Test batter in early 2019 than he was rising to all-format captain in 2020 and to global superstardom shortly thereafter. The relentless playing schedule, the burgeoning celebrity and its distorting effects since, have likely sheened onto this period a sense of unreality. It’s worth trying to unwrap that. Maybe even for him to tend to his primary occupation, by working on his batting with someone and rediscovering what made him so good.Since the start of January 2023, Babar has averaged 20, as against 49 before•AFP/Getty ImagesRisk is inherent, of course, in that genuine resets in the Pakistani context are rare, and in an environment as corrosive as the prevailing one… well, there’s as much chance he comes back broken as he does having not taken a meaningful break, and as captain. There’s a reason why so many Pakistani cricketers never willingly take a break, because they know well the vagaries of Pakistan selection.Which is why there is an overriding sense of sadness about all this. Babar wasn’t supposed to be just another talented Pakistani cricketer. It really did feel like he was the real deal, the batter who, one day, we would look back on as the undisputed greatest in Pakistan’s history, who rode out pace and bounce in Australia and South Africa, who coped expertly with seam and swing in England and New Zealand, who plundered at home and on the subcontinent, and who maybe even won a world title along the way.He may still get there eventually, but that road is a crooked one now. He’s been tarred with a little mortality, suddenly pervious to the tremors and jitters of ordinary cricketers. In the long term, and for a life away from the game, it is probably no bad thing. Call it a life lesson. In the short term, that’s hardly consolation.

From his early days of playing tape-ball cricket, to hitting Dale Steyn for a six in ODIs, Mohammad Naveed has come a long way

Alagappan Muthu in Fatullah21-Feb-2016Mohammad Naveed eyes the middle stump hiding behind the batsman and not playing a fair fight. He targets it from the first ball he bowls, coming off a shortish run-up but gathering pace as he nears the top of his mark. His arm speed is impressive as well and he is able to skid through the defences of Kinchit Shah, Tanwir Afzal and Aizaz Khan with very little warning.At the end of a one-sided clash, Naveed finished with 3 for 14 from his four overs and Hong Kong’s 147 for 7 was overhauled with six wickets and nine balls to spare, leaving UAE in pole position to qualify for the main round of the Asia Cup.UAE are the only team that is unbeaten after three days of memorable cricket in the qualifiers, and their net run-rate may well be big enough to accommodate a loss in their final match tomorrow against Oman. The Fatullah crowd may not have done the math, but they are quite partial to physics, especially the set of laws which say small but heavy projectiles will have no trouble uprooting a pole dug into the earth it if had enough force behind it. Naveed has certainly put in enough force, for various reasons.”The crowd comes in to see who can be a hero, and if we put in a good show, they will always leave happy. And I am proud I can give them that. It’s an amazing country, Bangladesh. I like it. Feeling their excitement is the biggest happiness for me.” Perhaps, but there maybe a bit of selfishness in there as well. “[Not only the fans] If I perform well, I am happy too.”Naveed has grown accustomed to an audience well before becoming a professional cricketer. “There were crowds larger than this [in Fatullah] when I used to play tape-ball cricket.”In fact, he did not really have much hard-ball experience when he wound up at a fast-bowling trial for the national team in Dubai in 2011-12. Until then, he had been a simple, but popular, man working at a shipping company in Fujairah and playing street cricket with his friends.”After a lot of hard work, I was able to go to Sharjah and bowl to a touring Sri Lanka team. I got a three-four batsmen out and that was when [former UAE coach] Kabir Khan saw me and said ‘this boy is good, take him,'” Naveed says.Current coach Aaqib Javed is of a similar opinion, which had taken from the minute he had seen Naveed at that fast-bowling trial. “It takes a lot more effort than a cricket ball, especially bowling yorkers,” Aaqib had explained to the . “When you are playing tape-ball cricket, you have to be smart.”Naveed made his UAE debut not long after and has never looked back, except to thank his friends for convincing him to go and participate in the trial. Now, not only does he get to play for UAE, tour the world and break middle stumps, he has the security of a day job, too. Naveed was picked up by United Bank Limited and plays for them in the domestic circuit.Among the reasons Naveed has been such an attractive package is that he seems to replicate one vital tape-ball skill with the hard ball too: beating the batsman for pace. He has a steady approach to the crease, but summons a lot of power in his load-up and delivery. Often, he gets the ball to zip through after pitching and if the batsman had chosen to blindly slog one of them, he was a goner.The power for those kinds of shots come from a considerably large back-lift and so it might take that little bit longer for the bat to come down and meet the ball. That seems to be more than enough for Naveed to exploit. He has 50 wickets in List-A matches, putting him fifth among UAE players over the last decade. The man at the top is Amjad Javed with 61, but he has taken 60 innings to get there. Naveed is only on 36.In T20Is, Naveed’s tally is 13, and the 3 for 14 tonight is his best performance till date. The team may not have known that, but they were certainly appreciative of his efforts. Naveed had barely finished following through after completing his spell when three fielders from the offside made a beeline right to him for lengthy pats on the back. As he was wandering off to his fielding position, his captain Javed came up and gave him a triumphant high-five. Each of Naveed’s strikes had come at the perfect time for UAE – the first, 17th and 19th overs, and Hong Kong were thumped.It was only three months ago that the shoe was on the other foot. Hong Kong were on tour in the UAE and demolished the hosts in three out of three matches. Could that have been a goal for Naveed? He has a habit of doing the things he sets his mind to. At a meeting with coach Javed to discuss the 2015 World Cup, Naveed said he wanted to hit Dale Steyn for a six. It took him only two balls to do so.

Annie Kilner has seen the funny side of a “poisoning men” post after being caught up in drama involving Lauryn Goodman and her husband Kyle Walker.

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Experienced defender fighting to save marriageMove to Italy was intended to aid that processWife's family delivering thinly-veiled jibesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite becoming a mother of four with England international Walker, Kilner has seen her partner father two children with former Love Island contestant Goodman. That affair has placed considerable strain on a long-term relationship.

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There was talk of Kilner filing for divorce towards the end of 2024, but Walker’s loan move from Manchester City to AC Milan was intended to offer the couple a fresh start and clean slate. More unfortunate headlines have been made since the 34-year-old defender headed to Italy.

Getty/InstagramDID YOU KNOW?

Kilner is reportedly willing to give her marriage another go, having made trips to Milan and welcomed Walker back to their family home in Cheshire, but continues to be spotted in public without her wedding ring.

THE GOSSIP

A veiled dig now appears to have been aimed at Walker, courtesy of her sister. Annie has shared a post from Sian Kilner which includes the message: “I've cooked for men I should have poisoned. So yeah I do have self control.”

Manchester City have made some fantastic signings under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola. Of course, they have not held back with the spending, buying some of the world’s best players for significant transfer fees. The most expensive of those was Jack Grealish. He joined from Aston Villa for £100m in 2021.

It has certainly been a worthy investment. The Cityzens’ signings in recent summers ultimately helped them to win their historic treble in the 2022/23 campaign, which included the club’s first-ever Champions League title.

Of course, arguably the most important window of the lot came in the summer of 2022.

City’s summer 2022 transfer window

Although it was an important transfer window for the Cityzens, there were a few signings that did not work out. One of those was promising Spaniard, Sergio Gomez, who made the move from Belgian side Anderlecht. He made just 38 appearances for the club over two seasons before leaving in the summer for Real Sociedad.

There were two key signings made from German giants Borussia Dortmund. Manuel Akanji was one of those who made the move to the Etihad Stadium. The Swiss international has played 113 times for the club and was an important part of the treble-winning side.

However, the most important signing made that summer was surely Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker also joined from Dortmund for a fee of £51.2m and has been sensational during his time in Sky Blue so far.

The centre-forward, who was born in Leeds, has 107 goals to his name already for the Cityzens, despite playing just 117 games. His first season at the club, the treble-winning campaign of 2022/23, saw the striker score a remarkable 52 goals in 53 games.

This term, the 24-year-old has seen his form fluctuate. Although he has scored an impressive 17 goals in 19 appearances, the striker has managed to score just two goals in his last eight Premier League games, as City’s form also hits a rut.

Despite current circumstances, there is no doubt the signing of Haaland, especially, made the 2022 summer window worth it for City. However, there was another expensive addition who did not work out how all parties hoped. That man is Kalvin Phillips.

Kalvin Phillips’ Man City career

The Mancunian side paid Leeds United £42m up front and a further £3m in add-ons to sign Phillips. It was a signing they were hopeful would work out, especially given the money the England international cost.

When he first put pen to paper at the Etihad Stadium, City director of football Txiki Begiristain described the midfielder as a “formidable” player:

However, things have not quite worked out as he may have hoped. Incredibly, despite the money spent on the midfielder, Phillips made just 31 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens, despite representing the club in three different seasons.

Stat

2022/23

2023/24

Total

Games

21

10

31

Minutes

595

319

914

G/A

0

1

1

Trophies

3

3

6

Full 90 mins

6.61

3.54

10.15

Given his lack of opportunities under Guardiola, the Leeds academy graduate departed the club on loan in January of 2024, moving to East London outfit West Ham United. However, his opportunities there were also incredibly limited, and he made just ten appearances.

Now, Phillips plays for Ipswich Town, whom he also joined on a season-long loan deal. However, life under Kieran McKenna has also been slow for the experienced defensive midfielder. He has made just eight appearances during his time for the Tractor Boys.

It certainly seems like the best thing for City to do is to cut ties with the Englishman. Not only has he not really been able to make a mark in Sky Blue, but he earns an outrageous £150k-per-week.

That is £110k more than any other player at Portman Road, and a wage City might look to avoid paying if he returns to the club over the summer.

It is a real shame that things did not work out between Phillips and the Premier League champions, but he played a small part in their famous treble win in 2022/23. However, it seems like it will be best for both parties to part ways sooner rather than later, and put this disappointing chapter behind them.

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There is a difference between being encouraged to play your shots and “being reckless”, says the batter

Danyal Rasool19-Oct-20221:56

Jongwe: ‘We could have gone about the chase in a better way’

Zimbabwe batter Sean Williams admitted his side might have taken their aggressive approach a touch too far in their defeat to West Indies, saying there is a difference between being encouraged to play your shots and “being reckless”.At 48 for 2 after five overs, Zimbabwe were well-placed to chase down West Indies’ 153, with the asking rate around seven. But rather than playing the situation, Zimbabwe continued to go hell for leather against the West Indies fast bowlers and kept losing wickets. The last nine wickets fell for 75 runs as West Indies sealed a comfortable 31-run win.”Having a positive approach is the way we want to play,” Williams said. “We have had quite a few victories by playing that way. If we want to play competitive T20 cricket, we would rather be bowled out for 70 than take it deep. But on the wickets side, we lost too many quite early even though the asking rate was in the sevens. It was going to be very difficult with a non-batter on one side. There were lots of lessons to be learned, even if it’s not nice to lose.”I 100% agree we don’t always need to go ultra-aggressive. But we still want to have that positive mental approach, because T20 is one of those games where a bad ball can get you out and a good ball can go for six.”It is an approach Dave Houghton, Zimbabwe’s coach since June, has actively encouraged, and it’s difficult to argue with the results. Zimbabwe eased to the T20 World Cup qualification without losing a game in the Qualifiers tournament in July, before beating Bangladesh in T20I and ODI series, and winning an ODI against Australia in Australia for the first time in their history. That was a remarkable turnaround, both in terms of results and approach, from an attritional brand of cricket they played under Houghton’s predecessor Lalchand Rajput, one that culminated in chastening home series losses against Namibia and Afghanistan.Against that backdrop, Luke Jongwe was willing to write off Wednesday’s batting performance as just a bad game at a bad time. “We didn’t really change much,” he said. “We just tried doing what we were doing in previous games. It’s just one of those days where it didn’t click. We just needed a good partnership of 50-60 runs to get us home but we didn’t do that today.”It was one of those games where when [Sikandar] Raza was out we needed sevens or eights [per over]. We could have gone about it in a better way, but our coach has been telling us to play positive cricket, and it just didn’t come through today. Dave has been trying to make us play our best cricket rather than being in our shells. It just didn’t work today.”Wednesday’s defeat, though, makes Zimbabwe’s final group game against Scotland on Friday a must-win. But if that game is washed out – there’s a forecast of rain that evening, when the game is scheduled – a completed game in the afternoon between West Indies and Ireland will knock Zimbabwe out of the tournament. After a remarkable turnaround over the past few months, it would be a cruel way to exit.

Sky Sports has provided an update on Aston Villa’s potential future recruitment, with the Villans having made a “concrete enquiry” for a new midfielder.

Aston Villa eyeing reinforcements

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Aston Villa are expected to be busy as Unai Emery continues to craft a side capable of challenging at the top of the Premier League and Europe.

They have been strongly linked with a move for a new forward, while there is also concern over the future of defender Diego Carlos, who was made available for transfer over the summer window and could still leave this coming January.

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He could arrive at Villa Park either in January or in the summer.

1 ByBen Browning Nov 30, 2024

Having struggled in recent weeks, it will likely be a case of adding depth to the squad rather than a major overhaul at Villa Park, but they may be forced to wait until the summer to get the man they seemingly really want.

Aston Villa make enquiry for new midfielder

That comes as a fresh update has been forthcoming on Aston Villa’s interest in PSV Eindhoven star Malik Tillman.

The USA star has enjoyed a fantastic start to the campaign and has drawn rave reviews for his performances in the Champions League and Eredivisie, with the ex-Rangers man enjoying a purple patch with the Dutch side.

Appearances

19

Goals

8

Assists

4

Yellow Cards

2

Minutes per goal/assist

121

It emerged last week that the USMNT forward was “surfacing” as a potential new recruit at Villa Park, and now Sky Sports has gone further, providing a fresh development.

Indeed, Sky Sport in Germany claims that “there are already several concrete inquiries for a winter transfer” and add that “Manchester United, Tottenham and Aston Villa are among those interested” in the former Bayern Munich man.

Bayern, for their part, have a buy-back clause for the American, but it is added that “a return to FC Bayern is currently considered unrealistic”, while Tillman “sees himself in the long term at an ambitious top club, with the Premier League being a major goal”.

However, his arrival in England won’t be cheap, with the midfielder still having almost four years left to run on his £250,000-a-year deal in Eindhoven. Sky adds that there is a release clause in his contract set at between €30-40m (£25-33m), but that it does not come into effect until the summer, meaning that a January transfer would likely be expensive.

Villa are clearly on the hunt for more attacking firepower and have been linked with several attacking midfielders as they look to find competition for Morgan Rogers. Tillman’s “phenomenal” performances have seen him catch the eye, and football analyst Ben Mattinson claims that the PSV man “reminds me of Morgan Rogers”.

Could he be the perfect man to help share the workload with the England international at Villa Park?

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2015Shikhar Dhawan, celebrating his 30th birthday, had to be patient as well because…•BCCI… Morne Morkel was bowling a spectacular spell•BCCIRohit Sharma felt the brunt of it and fell for 0•BCCIAnd Dhawan too, who had looked quite solid for 21 off 86 balls, was undone by an inswinging ‘Morker’•BCCIImran Tahir did his bit and removed Cheteshwar Pujara with a flipper and India stumbled to 57 for 4•BCCIThat brought Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli together, and their fifty partnership stabilised India and took their lead past 300•BCCIIt wasn’t easy going though. Virat Kohli was adjudged caught behind on 5 and looked visibly aggrieved since he hadn’t nicked it. He could bat on though because Tahir had overstepped•BCCIAnd Rahane, also on 5, did well to save himself from being caught by Dane Vilas•BCCIMorkel continued to trouble the batsmen but SA were unable to find a breakthrough•BCCIKohli and Rahane batted throughout the last session and stretched India’s lead to 403 before bad light brought an end to the third day’s play•Associated Press

Patrice Evra made a huge claim that FIFA "gave the World Cup to Lionel Messi" in Qatar in 2022.

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Argentina beat France in 2022 to win the World CupMessi scored in the title decider to fire Argentina to the trophyEvra alleged that the authorities favoured the AlbicelesteFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Messi, who played a pivotal role in Argentina’s campaign, scored seven goals and provided three assists, featuring in every match from the group stage to the final. The South American nation secured their third World Cup title after an intense final against France, which was settled by a dramatic penalty shootout following a thrilling 3-3 draw.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT EVRA SAID

During a discussion with former PSG winger Jerome Rothen on Evra did not hold back his thoughts on the 2022 tournament, stating: "Okay, we haven’t won anything since 2018, but we all know that in 2022, they gave the World Cup to Messi. It was all already written. Even the French wanted Messi to win it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Following his World Cup success, Messi continued to make history, guiding Argentina to a second consecutive Copa America title. However, his performances in the 2024 edition in the United States hinted that the physical demands of top-level football over nearly two decades had begun to take a toll on the 36-year-old.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & ARGENTINA?

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed that Messi has been left out of the squad for the upcoming CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay due to a low-grade adductor muscle injury. However, Argentina remain in a commanding position in the South American World Cup qualification standings as the reigning world champions currently lead the table by five points, putting them on course to secure a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A lowdown of ICC’s new slow over-rate rule that played a key role in the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday

Sidharth Monga29-Aug-2022Is it me or were India and Pakistan overly attacking with their fields in the death overs of their Asia Cup opener on Sunday?Your observation is accurate, but it was forced on them. Their over-rate was so slow that they were forced to bowl the last three overs each with an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle.What is this rule and when did it come into play?This new playing condition came into effect in January 2022. Simply put, any over that begins outside the stipulated time limit of 85 minutes for an innings has to be bowled with at least five fielders inside the ring. An over is said to have begun when the bowling side is in position to bowl the first ball.Related

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Why 85 minutes?That is the time an innings should not exceed to achieve the desired over-rate of no less than 14.11 overs an hour. Or, four minutes and 15 seconds for an over. In the case of an 18-over match, the 18th over must begin inside 76 minutes and 30 seconds.I imagine it would be chaos in case of rain-shortened innings. Especially when the interruption occurs during an innings.That’s a good observation, but the ICC has made a provision for that. If three or more overs are lost in a delayed or interrupted innings, bowling teams have to be in position to start the penultimate over by the time the innings is supposed to end. And in innings shorter than ten overs, there is no such penalty unless the team is so slow that it has already incurred the penalty at the time of the interruption that reduces the duration of the match.But a host of Pakistan players struggled with cramps. How is that fair?Several allowances are made including and not limited to treatment given by authorised medical personnel in the field of play. Other allowances are time lost in replacing an injured player, during third umpire referrals and DRS reviews and any circumstance, which according to the umpires, is beyond the control of the fielding side.A lot of the Pakistan players came down with cramps•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the India-Pakistan match, Ravindra Jadeja spent precious seconds changing his gloves immediately after Haris Rauf had a long treatment. Do fielding sides get allowances for such delays?Yes. This is an example of an event that is not in the fielding side’s control. On top of that, if the umpires deem the batter’s act to be deliberate time-wasting, that time lost is deducted from the allowances “granted to such batting team in the determination of its over-rate” over and above other penalties under “unfair play”.That creates a problem that the ICC playing conditions are silent on. If a team batting first is found wasting time, it will incur the in-game penalty when it bowls, but what about batters wasting time during a chase?Does this all mean taking wickets is not a good idea because of the time it takes for batters to change over?Not quite. Once you have taken five wickets, every subsequent wicket earns you one minute of allowance. If you bowl a side out, the innings is deemed completed at that instant.Who keeps track of the time?The third umpire. So if you think that official has a cushy job, just think again.How do teams keep track of all the allowances made?The umpire at the bowling end informs the fielding captain, the batters and the other umpire of the scheduled time by which the innings should end. After every interruption, the same drill has to be followed to advise them of the rescheduled closing time. The umpire shall also inform the same parties of any allowances as and when they occur barring the allowances for the sixth to ninth wickets, which the teams have to keep track of themselves.Apart from this stated playing conditions, the umpires keep captains informed of their over-rate as much as possible especially when they are behind.What about the fans? Who tells them what is happening?In venues with the capability, it is requested that the innings timer and over-rate are displayed on the replay screen at all times. Otherwise, it is expected that the over-rate is displayed on the replay screen at the end of every over for at least five seconds.That’s all well and good, but we had a perfectly entertaining match. What difference does it make if overs are not completed in time? Do we really need in-game penalties for over-rates?Apart from many fans wanting T20 to be a contest that finishes quickly and broadcasters losing viewership if a match goes into after hours, there is also a possible competitive advantage to be had by bowling overs slowly. You get more time to think and plan, your lack of fitness and planning is not penalised, and you can also break the momentum of a batter who is on a roll. It is a little similar to tennis where the server has to start the next point within a stipulated time frame.Now whether this is too extreme and might lead to farcical circumstances where a team is bowling part-time spinners when it would rather be bowling a quick is something for the lawmakers to keep reviewing.