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Some of West Indies’ best-known players are claiming they were “denied the opportunity…. to help Caribbean people” by being omitted from the teams involved in the Hurricane Relief game at Lord’s

Colin Benjamin24-Apr-2018Some of West Indies’ best-known players are claiming they were “denied the opportunity… to help Caribbean people” by being omitted from the teams involved in the Hurricane Relief game at Lord’s.The charity T20 match between West Indies and a World XI is being staged on May 31 to raise funds to repair five major cricket venues damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. West Indies named a 13-man squad last week and it did feature some big names – Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels – but Dwayne Bravo insisted he, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo had all hoped to be involved as well. None of them were picked.”We were denied the opportunity to be a part of something to help Caribbean people in a charity game we wanted to play in and were looking forward to being a part of”, Bravo told ESPNcricinfo. “We weren’t contacted or selected, so we just want people to know that we were fully available for the game and are seeking answers behind our non-selection.”This led former West Indies captain Darren Sammy to suggest Cricket West Indies has missed an opportunity to build bridges between itself and the players.”What better chance could the board want to engage players?” Sammy said. “They could have swallowed their ego and pride and brought the World-Cup-winning side together, even if it’s one last time.”I have personally done fund raisers, sent food and water supplies to Dominica, played and helped organise previous charity game in Trinidad. I was looking forward to this game.”During last October’s Hurricane relief charity game between Trinidad & Tobago and a West Indies XI, all the senior players were picked despite the Trinidad players having a similarly poor relationship with the local TTCB board.Bravo has also requested bank details from the board so he can make a financial contribution. “They’ve given the public the false impressions we don’t want to play in the World Cup qualifiers because we went to play for money, but now we’re available for free for a good cause and they don’t pick us,” he said. “Caribbean people need to know the truth. What we will do also is to ask CWI to provide bank account details, so we the players who are not part of the game. can still make a contribution towards it.”The players are understood to have enquired whether they could represent the World XI side, but were told it was not possible.”It’s a Rest of the World XI not a World XI,” CWI chief executive Johnny Grave told ESPNcricinfo. “And it’s a fully accredited T20I so counts for stats, hence why Caribbean players can’t play for opposition team. It needs to be a proper game of cricket for people to buy tickets to go and see it at Lord’s.”However, Grave said he would like to meet the players to discuss their international futures.”They weren’t invited to take part,” he told . “Darren Bravo has refused selection on a number of occasions now so we can’t continually go back to him every time we have a match and ask if he wants to be part of it.”Dwayne hasn’t played for quite a while in any of our sides… and said he does not see his future playing international cricket. So we’ve asked him for a meeting to see if that is his firm position.”The problem we have at the moment is that there is a huge amount of uncertainty where some players say they are not available and then suddenly they are available.”We can’t have a situation where players pick and choose when they want to play international cricket. In any team you need to have a group of players that are committed to playing and winning cricket matches and then build that cohesion to keep same group of players together for as long as possible.”So we will hopefully be meeting with Dwayne, Kieron, Sunil and Darren in June after the IPL to explain to them what the fixtures are between now and the World Cup in England and World T20 in Australia, who we are playing, when we are playing and if they want to be part of it or not.”What we can do is give them clarity in what it looks like to play for us, We know our tours all the way up to 2023. We’ve got an IPL window and a CPL window. Whether that is enough for them or whether they want to become T20 specialists and travel the world to play franchise cricket, that is kind of what we want to find out from them.”

Trescothick’s neuroses are peerless and this book goes into great detail about them. Pity about the cricket

Patrick Kidd14-Sep-2008

Howard Clayton, the long-serving England Under-19 scorer, tells a story about the young Marcus Trescothick that sticks in the mind. Trescothick used to wear his England cap and blazer everywhere while playing for the Under-19 side and was teased for it by his team-mates. “It might be the closest I get to playing for England” was Trescothick’s proud response.Years later, and with 202 senior international matches behind him, an older Trescothick is contemptuous of age-group cricket. “A complete waste of my time,” he writes in his autobiography, annoyed that having to play for the Under-19 team in 1994 meant he was 76 first-class runs shy of becoming the youngest Somerset batsman to score 1000 in a county season.Such things should really not matter – not when you have won the Ashes and people still sigh: “If only Tresco were still playing for England …” That even now this one tiny record rankles hints at Trescothick’s fatal obsession.Cricketers do tend to be obsessives, as do cricket fans, but Trescothick’s neurosis is peerless. It is seen in his refusal to eat any meat except sausages, a trait which lent him the nickname Banger. His fascination with kit, particularly bats, is another obsession. Trescothick says that if he were ever on Desert Island Discs his luxury would be a cricket kit catalogue.Of course, getting Trescothick on a desert island would be tricky given his homesickness. The depression that afflicted him on England’s tours of Pakistan, India and Australia in 2005 and 2006 appears to have been based on obsession. When doubts and homesickness appear, as they can for any sportsman, Trescothick cannot let go. The first show of fear came when travelling on a school outing to Torquay. “I was terrified, irrationally so, and that scared me even more,” he writes.The condition returned heavily in Pakistan in late 2005. Being away from his wife and baby daughter hurt Trescothick and his depression was exacerbated when he visited victims of the Pakistan earthquake. Witnessing children in pain left Trescothick in floods of tears. The first Test, in Multan, could have been a highlight of his career. Made captain after Michael Vaughan’s knee injury, Trescothick scored 193 as England built a healthy first-innings lead, but chasing 198 to win they were dismissed for 175, the captain making 5.Trescothick reveals why his mind was not on the game. On the second evening of the Test his wife rang him in distress after finding her father unconscious outside their house. He had fallen off a ladder and was taken to hospital. Here Trescothick’s obsession is apparent. He had installed CCTV at home and could watch the images on his laptop. That night he sits in his hotel room and watches the footage of his father-in-law falling, hitting his head and passing out. Forward and back goes the tape as he watches the images repeatedly.The next day his wife asks him to come home but Vaughan refuses to release him. The guilt of staying, heightened by a bomb “scare” (just an exploding gas canister), haunts Trescothick, as does his daughter’s lack of recognition of him at the end of the tour. Undeniably the pain and anxiety of the Pakistan tour caused his breakdown in India a couple of months later.Of the 20 chapters in this autobiography, half deal with his illness, his counselling, his attempted comebacks, why he lied in the set-up confessional with Ian Ward on Sky, and the false rumours about his marriage. This, sadly, is what we want to know, more than his experience of the 2005 Ashes or any of his feats with Somerset.It is a shame, because some of the cricketing stories are fascinating, particularly how Trescothick almost manipulated a run-chase of 612 for Somerset 2nd XI against Warwickshire, run out for 322 with victory seven runs away. But in these celebrity-focused days it is the mental frailties of our heroes that we need to read about in minute detail. Obsession is a weakness of us all.Marcus Trescothick: Coming Back To Me with Peter Hayter
(HarperSport) £18.99

Jude Bellingham could face a suspension if proven guilty of aiming a slur at Getafe star Mason Greenwood during La Liga clash.

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• Decision to be made in the Bellingham-Greenwood incident
• Lip reader submitted report to the competition committee
• Could face a four-match ban

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The incident in question happened during a league encounter between Real Madrid and Getafe on February 1. Bellingham challenged his compatriot on the pitch before allegedly mouthing the word 'Rapist' towards the Manchester United loanee. Getafe had lodged a complaint with La Liga's representative who was present at the ground after which the league hired a lip reader to assess the incident.

  Now according to Cope, La Liga have transferred the case to the competition committee. The lip reader has already informed the committee about the decision although the league remains tight-lipped on the final report. Bellingham could be hit with a four-game suspension if found guilty.

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  As per some reports, the Real Madrid star did not utter the word 'Rapist' and had rather said 'rubbish' which was misinterpreted, although Getafe has demanded a proper investigation. The club have backed Greenwood in the entire episode who joined them on a season-long loan from the Red Devils after having seen charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control made against him dropped in February 2023.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The English winger has been impressive for the Azulones in the ongoing season having scored seven times and provided five assists in 23 matches across all competitions. The Spanish club are considering making his loan move permanent in the summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JUDE BELLINGHAM?

  If proven guilty, the England international could face some time on the sidelines. He is currently out of action with a sprained ankle and is expected to remain out of action for at least three weeks.

India kept their World Twenty20 campaign alive with a remarkable one-run victory against Bangladesh, following a manic final over in Bangalore

The Report by Mohammad Isam23-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:05

Agarkar: Bangladesh tactically good until the last three balls

How did it come to this?After 39.3 overs of a pulsating contest in Bangalore, Bangladesh seemed to have a first ever T20I victory against India in their grasp. Two runs needed off three balls, with Mushfiqur Rahim on strike. The game should have been done and dusted, and India were staring at an early exit in the World Twenty20 in their own backyard.However, Bangladesh proceeded to remarkably offer India a way back into the game, with Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah both being caught in the leg-side boundary off Hardik Pandya. Two needed off one, and suddenly, it was Bangladesh feeling the heat.Pandya ran in for the final delivery, bowled outside Shuvagata Hom’s reach, and MS Dhoni, who had earlier pulled off an outrageous stumping to dismiss the dangerous Sabbir Rahman, ran in 15 yards with one glove and ran out Mustafizur Rahman, who had only just walked into the cauldron.The one-run win keeps India in their hunt for a place in the last four, with a match against Australia coming up. Bangladesh were heartbroken, having done all the hard work, but falling short by a few inches, quite literally.Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled a superb third over after a poor start with the ball, gave away just six frantic singles in the penultimate over, leaving Pandya to defend ten runs, which he did only just.Mushfiqur blasted the second ball for a boundary through the covers after Mahmudullah took a single off the first ball. Mushfiqur then got a second four off his bat handle while attempting a scoop, but he was caught at midwicket off the next ball, with Bangladesh needing two to win off the last two balls. Mahmudullah, who changed ends, fell in similar fashion, betraying his coolness under pressure, but Ravindra Jadeja still had to do extremely well to hold on to the catch.The rest of the Bangladesh innings was just as frantic. Bumrah misfielded off the first ball and conceded a four; Tamim Iqbal, the batsman who hit the shot, had his eye on the ball and bumped into Ashish Nehra. Tamim needed medical attention and in the same over, he was dropped by Nehra off his own bowling.Mohammad Mithun holed out at long-on in the third over before Tamim got another life in the next, this time seeing Bumrah drop a sitter at short fine-leg. Sabbir crashed Ashwin soon after, and Tamim took four boundaries off Bumrah, whose line and lengths went awry. Tamim eventually was stumped for 35 in the eighth over. Sabbir, who added couple of more boundaries, was smartly stumped by Dhoni for 26 off 15 balls.Mashrafe Mortaza promoted himself to No. 5 and started off with a huge six over long-off but the gamble lasted just five balls. There was more madness to come – Shakib was dropped by Ashwin at the deep cover boundary on 8, and he made the most of the reprieve, nailing two sixes on the leg-side. Ashwin had the last laugh, though, getting him caught at slip in his last over. Shakib’s 22 off 15 balls was crucial but so too was his dismissal as he got out at a moment when he was timing the ball very well.Mashrafe seemed to have risen out of his distress over Taskin Ahmed’s suspension by bowling a superb four-over spell in which he did not concede a single four or a six for the first time in his career. His captaincy, to use sweepers on both sides of the wicket from the start and bowling changes, was also spot-on. He was backed wholeheartedly by Shakib’s four strong overs, while Mustafizur and Al-Amin Hossain took two wickets each.India could not get off to a good start after their openers were spooked by Shuvagata Hom’s initial turn. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan had to settle for singles before they struck a six each in the sixth over. Mustafizur had Rohit skying a flick which was caught at midwicket, in the same over. Shakib then trapped Dhawan, who was looking to sweep in the next over, meaning India had two new batsmen having to get settled on a tricky surface.One of those batsmen was Virat Kohli, fresh off a fine match-winning knock against Pakistan. Here, though, he stuttered through his run-a-ball 24, during which Al-Amin dropped a difficult caught- and-bowled chance in the 11th over. Suresh Raina, who top-scored with 30 off 23 balls, broke a boundary drought that lasted five overs, with a couple of sixes off Al-Amin in the same over.Kohli got his first six in the 14th over but Hom kept his nerve by bowling the next one full and on the stumps. Kohli missed, and Bangladesh were back in the game by getting India’s main man and breaking the 50-run third wicket stand.Pandya blasted 15 off seven balls before he was brilliantly caught on the square-leg boundary by a fully diving Soumya Sarkar. Al-Amin also accounted for Raina in the same over, ensuring India’s slog overs did not go to plan. The hosts managed only 34 runs in the last five overs, with the first 19 balls in that sequence going without a boundary.In the Asia Cup final, Dhoni had blasted 20 off the penultimate over to all but seal India’s win. India’s captain was not as explosive with the bat here, but his 13 crucial runs, cunning stumpings and cool run-out with one glove on, made the difference between the two teams.The night will be remembered in Bangalore for a very, very long time.

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has defended Mauricio Pochettino by insisting that even Pep Guardiola couldn't have led the club to success this season.

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• Leboeuf claims Chelsea were in shambles
• Even Pep would have failed to guide them to success
• Chelsea take on Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Leboeuf, who spent five years at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2001, has expressed his beleif that the club was in a "shambles" when Mauricio Pochettino took charge of the team ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Frenchman went on to claim that not even a manager of Pep Guardiola's calibre could have led the Blues to success this season.

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• WHAT FRANK LEBOEUF SAID

  Speaking to , the former defender said: "When Mauricio Pochettino signed for Chelsea, there was not a ‘right man’ for the job – the club was a shambles. You could have put anybody in there, even Pep Guardiola, and I don’t think they would have done anything special with this Chelsea team because an instant solution was impossible to find.

  "Now we are starting to see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel after the games against Aston Villa and Manchester City, but it is all about consistency. We can see how Pochettino is working with the players and the confidence that he is building with them, but there is still a long way to go. I think Pochettino is the last person to blame for the situation at Chelsea. I’m not even sure that I would’ve taken the Chelsea job at the time he did, because although the money might be good it is hard to know where to even start with actually managing the team! He had the guts to take it on and he is doing well."

  He added: "Sometimes the criticism of Pochettino is fair but he has not been without problems and injuries and he has done his best. Everybody was saying that Chelsea didn’t know how to defend without Thiago Silva, but then we saw against Manchester City that they are more than capable. Axel Disasi showed last weekend, against a cyborg in Erling Haaland, that he can handle it.

  "When Pochettino puts his confidence in his players, they have shown that they can produce good performances like they have recently against Aston Villa and Manchester City. Hopefully, we are going to see the result of Pochettino’s hard work very soon."

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  Former Tottenham manager Pochettino did not have the best of starts to his journey with Chelsea as the club managed to register just eight Premier League wins out of 20 games in the first half of the season. They were plagued with multiple injuries, which certainly didn't help Pochettino, but he has still faced criticism for failing to bring the best out of a squad full of big-money signings. Chelsea have been performing more consistently since the start of the new year, though, and are on the verge of winning their first trophy this season as they gear up to take on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  After facing the Reds on Sunday at Wembley, Pochettino's side will next take on Leeds United in an FA Cup fifth-round clash on February 28.

Cricketers who have received knighthoods

Martin Williamson15-Jun-2007

The knighthood awarded to Ian Botham means that he joins a distinguished list of players, administrators and authors connected with the game who have received such an honour.Until recently, most knighthoods have come near the end of players’ lives, and until Don Bradman was awarded his CBE in 1949, it was the domain of the administrator. A further barrier was broken down in 1953 when Jack Hobbs, by then 70, became the first professional to be knighted, followed three years later by Len Hutton. Since then, with the exception of Gubby Allen in 1986, it’s been professional players who have ruled the roost.Most have to wait until they have hung up their boots. The first exception was the Rajkumar of Vizianagram, known as Sir Vijaya Ananda, or more simply Vizzy. He was knighted on June 15, 1936. It was a memorable month for him as 12 days later he made his Test debut as India’s captain at Lord’s. The fairytale ended there. An indifferent player, his captaincy owed more to his breeding and immense wealth and he undermined his team to such an extent that he was effectively ostracised from the game on his return home.Bradman’s Test career was over when he was made a Knight Batchelor on January 1, 1949 but he played two more first-class games as Sir Donald. He is the only Australian to be knighted, although it is reported that his predecessor as captain, Bill Woodfull, turned it down.In 1990 Richard Hadlee was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours on June 16 and five days later played for New Zealand in the Lord’s Test. However, like Bradman, he had not actually had his knighthood conferred on him while a player.The first person to be specifically honoured for services to the game was Francis Lacey, a fair cricketer but a powerful administrator and for 28 years the secretary of MCC. At least he had played the game.He was followed by the most anonymous name on the list, and one who had not played the game to any degree – Frederick Toone. His award was for fostering relations between “the Dominions and the Mother Country”. He had managed the MCC tours of Australia in 1920-21, 1924-25 and 1928-29. Sadly, he enjoyed the prestige for less than 14 months, dying in 1930.Arthur Mailey dryly noted that “the last bowler to be knighted was Sir Francis Drake”, and he was right until 1996 when Alec Bedser became the 16th cricket-related person but the first bowler to be knighted. Some pointed out that Gubby Allen was a bowler, but he was a good rather than outstanding player and was recognised for his administrative work.Neville Cardus was knighted for his services to journalism, not only for his cricket reports in the Manchester Guardian and his books, but also for his writing on music.Learie Constantine was knighted in 1962, primarily for his services as a barrister, politician and diplomat, and seven years later was made a life peer. Colin Cowdrey, knighted in 1992, was elevated to the peerage (Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge) five years later and remains the only peer created on the basis of his services to cricket. Lord Botham of Taunton is still some way off.People awarded knighthoods for services to cricketSir Francis Lacey, 1926
Sir Frederick Toone, 1929
Sir Vijaya Ananda (The Rajkumar of Vizianagram), 1936
Sir Pelham Warner, 1937
Sir Donald Bradman, 1949
Sir Henry Leveson-Gower, 1953
Sir Jack Hobbs, 1953
Sir Leonard Hutton, 1956
Sir Learie Constantine, 1962

Sir Frank Worrell, 1964
Sir Neville Cardus, 1967
Sir Garfield Sobers, 1975
Sir George Allen, 1986
Sir Richard Hadlee, 1990
Sir Colin Cowdrey, 1992
Sir Clyde Walcott, 1994
Sir Everton Weekes, 1995
Sir Alec Bedser, 1997
Sir Conrad Hunte, 1998
Sir Vivian Richards, 1999
Sir Ian Botham, 2007

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch14-Nov-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

I recently read about Hasan Raza’s Test debut at the tender age of 14. Is he the youngest debutant? And who is the youngest to get a century? asked Aswin Chari from Singapore
Hasan Raza, who is playing in the current Test against England at Multan, is indeed the youngest person to appear in a Test match – he was only 14 years 227 days old when he made his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe at Faisalabad in 1996-97. There is some doubt about his exact age, but independent tests at the time suggested that he was about 15, so the published date is not far wrong (if indeed it’s wrong at all). For a full list of the youngest Test players, click here. The 12th man on that list, Mohammad Ashraful, is the youngest to score a Test century – he was 16 years 364 days old when he scored 114 against Sri Lanka in Colombo on the third day of his Test debut.Shaun Udal is currently playing his first Test for England, aged 36. Have many people have been older on their Test debut? asked Jeffrey Cobb from Fareham
Shaun Udal was 36 years and 239 days old when the match started, making him the oldest debutant for England since John Childs, who was 81 days older when he made the first of his two Test appearances in 1988. In all 22 players have been older than Udal when winning their first cap for England: for a full list of the oldest Test debutants, click here.Why did Mark Boucher have the number 200 printed on the back of his shirt in the fifth ODI between South Africa and New Zealand? asked Aamir Masood
Mark Boucher wore the special shirt because that match at Centurion was his 200th one-day international. He is the fourth South African to reach this landmark, after Jonty Rhodes (245 ODI appearances), Shaun Pollock (244) and Jacques Kallis (224). For a list of those with most ODI appearances, click here.

I read somewhere long ago about a Test played in the West Indies that was abandoned because the pitch was deemed unsafe to play on. Was that the only such occurrence? asked Prateek Goorha from Australia
It wasn’t actually that long ago – the match in question was the first Test of England’s 1997-98 tour, at Sabina Park in Kingston. There was less than an hour’s play – 10.1 overs in all – during which time England limped to 17 for 3, with the busiest man on the ground being their physiotherapist, who kept having to run out to players who had been injured by balls flying unpredictably off the rutted surface. I’ve always felt particularly sorry for Mark Butcher, who hadn’t expected to play, got a late call-up … and was then dismissed by an unplayable lifter. This is the only instance in Test history of a match being abandoned after it had started because of an unfit pitch, although there was one ODI that suffered this fate – India v Sri Lanka at Indore on Christmas Day, 1997.You wrote a couple of weeks ago about there having been only one Test in Multan – but surely there have been several played there? asked Siddiq Khan from Lahore
The question was in this column two weeks ago, and asked about grounds which had only staged one Test. What I meant was that there was a ground at Multan – the Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium – which had only staged one Test (against West Indies in 1980-81). Subsequent Test matches in Multan have been played at the new Multan Cricket Stadium. The current Test against England is the fourth to be played there.I know that Mohammad Azharuddin scored a hundred in both his first and last Tests – has anyone else done this? asked Neeraj Bhardwaj from Canada
Apart from Mohammad Azharuddin there have been three other batsmen have scored hundreds in their first and last Tests, and they are all Australians: the current Indian coach Greg Chappell, Reggie Duff and Bill Ponsford. This excludes any current players, and the two men – Andy Ganteaume and Rodney Redmond – who scored a century in their only Test match.

A closely contested and wonderful Test series has been marred by Ian Howell’s poor umpiring

Sambit Bal12-Aug-2007

It is a pity that matters outside bat and ball should continue to spoil what has so far been wonderful advertisement for Test cricket. The first Test was decided by the weather, and the second, which was won by a skilful and determined performance by the Indians, was overshadowed by jelly beans, player behaviour and inconsistent umpiring. And it will be a tragedy if umpiring becomes a decisive factor in this Test.Umpires deserve plenty of sympathy. Theirs is a thankless vocation and they are noticed only for their mistakes. Their actions are judged and damned by experts, journalists, and millions of viewers who now have the benefit of hugely sophisticated cameras and technologies such as Snickometer and Hotspot. But still, it’s not that difficult to tell when an umpire is not up to it.Simon Taufel, who invited the wrath of Indian supporters for denying Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly well-earned hundreds at Trent Bridge, is a good umpire who had an ordinary match. But it is difficult to say the same about his colleague in that Test. Ian Howell had a dreadful match at Trent Bridge, and it has only got worse at The Oval. It can be considered poor taste to pun on someone’s name, but given the number of he has made in the last two Tests, Howell has brought it upon himself.The ICC has a system in place to assess every decision an umpire makes during a match, and it is often trotted out that umpires get over 90 per cent of the decisions right. Of course, considering that they track every appeal and that teams are appeal-happy these days, Howell might still end up with fairly high percentage. But to anybody who has followed his finger, Howell has got more decisions wrong than right when it really mattered.Few things can be worse for cricketers, batsmen and bowlers alike, than to play in the knowledge that their fate hangs in the hand of an adjudicator who is consistently inconsistent. There are not-outers, none more famous than the legendary Dickie Bird, there are those who are trigger-happy – Dave Orchard springs to mind – there are those who are conservative about front-foot lbws and there are ones who are spinner-friendly. In many instances, umpires go by the pitch, and are likely to adjudge lbws on the basis of bounce. At Perth, for instance, batsmen can leave the ball on its length, safe in the knowledge that it will sail over the stumps.But how safe can a batsman feel when faced with Howell? Apart from his obvious tendency to give wrong decisions, it has been impossible to detect a pattern with Howell. May be it lies in his approach to tailenders. This morning he was happy to give Monty Panesar on the forward stretch against Anil Kumble. Panesar had no reason to quibble; he was dead in front. But on what account did he spare Paul Collingwood on the third day? Collingwood’s front foot was perhaps a few inches ahead, but as Ian Chappell remarked on television, if that wasn’t out, they might as well remove lbw as a mode of dismissal. And when he did give Collingwood out, the ball looked, irrespective of what you saw on Hawk-Eye, to be sliding past the leg stump.At Trent Bridge, he denied Panesar two lbws in his first two overs in India’s first innings. They were vital decisions, for they allowed Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer to swell the first-wicket partnership to 147, but he was happy to send back RP Singh and Sreesanth in quick succession: Singh looked out, but Sreesanth deserved the benefit of doubt.It’s futile labouring the point, but the lbw that he handed out to Ganguly has perhaps been the shocker of the series. Admittedly, the ball has been swinging exaggeratedly, sometimes changing path after passing the batsman. But this was a deviation palpably off the bat. If he didn’t hear the nick, he should have seen it. Was he late in looking up? If he was, it was a schoolboy error from an international umpire.Which raises the next question. Should Howell have been standing in the series in the first place? Of course, the ICC cannot be blamed for not anticipating the errors, but Howell is not part of the elite panel, and since no other international cricket is on at the moment, those appointing umpires had a full list to choose from. Were none of them available?It is sad that umpires rarely get the credit for a job well done. In that, they are like wicketkeepers. Matt Prior has become the object of ridicule after two bad matches; it’s only fair that the heat is now turned on Howell.Should umpire Ian Howell, who is not part of the ICC’s Elite panel, have stood in the Oval Test? Tell us here

Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he is yet to feel loved by Chelsea fans after a poor start to his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge.

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• Pochettino does not feel loved at Chelsea
• Blues are currently 11th in the Premier League
• They have reached the final of the Carabao Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Tottenham Hotspur coach did not have the best of starts to his journey as Chelsea boss as the Blues have already lost 10 matches in the Premier League in 23 outings and are currently ranked 11th in the league.

  Unlike most of his predecessors at the club, which include managers like Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel, and Antonio Conte, who have all been adored by the fans, Pochettino claimed that he is yet to feel the love of the fans although they have been respectful to the Argentine.

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• WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID

  When asked if he felt the love of the Blues fans, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach said, "No, no, I need to be honest with you, no because I understand they were winning the Champions League, they won cups, the Premier League. Why are the fans going to love me after six, or seven months?

  "We are in a final but we are not in a good position in the table in the Premier League. I think at the moment I feel the respect from the fans, I see them on the street and they are all nice to me, but I cannot lie."

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  While the club's performance has been below par in the league, they did manage to reach the final of the Carabao Cup where they are set to face Liverpool on February 25. They also recently beat Aston Villa 3-1 to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  The Blues will aim to get back to winning ways on Monday as they take on an out-of-form Crystal Palace side in the Premier League.

Manchester United’s need for improvement in the 2025/26 campaign is there for all to see, after the club endured one of their worst seasons in memory last time around.

The Red Devils could only register a 15th-placed Premier League finish, ending the year 24 points off a Champions League spot, after winning just 11 times in their 38 outings.

Ruben Amorim has so far fallen below the expectations put on his shoulders after arriving, but will have the summer transfer window to try and transform the current situation.

Whilst it’s his first major chance to land new additions to his first-team squad, it could also be his last if he fails to attract the right calibre of player and subsequently sees a repeat of last season’s dismal form.

The pressure is certainly on, but it appears as though the hierarchy are set to hand the 40-year-old the tools he desires to make the changes he needs at Old Trafford.

The latest on United’s hunt for new signings this summer

Bryan Mbeumo is still the name on everyone’s lips at Man Utd, given the major interest they’ve shown in his signature during the ongoing transfer window.

The Red Devils have placed two separate offers for the Brentford star, with the latest totalling £62.5m, but no deal has been agreed, as Keith Andrews’ side are holding out for £65m this summer.

However, he’s not the only Premier League talent currently on their radar, with Chelsea star Nicolas Jackson a firm target, according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth.

He claimed that Amorim’s side are keeping a close eye on a potential move for the 24-year-old forward, who registered 13 goals across all competitions last season.

It’s also been claimed elsewhere that he could command a fee in the region of £100m this summer, with the Blues demanding a pretty penny for his signature.

Why United’s £100m target could be Amorim’s answer to Isak

Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been a name hugely mentioned in recent days, with the Swede potentially being subject to an English record bid this summer.

The interest in his signature this window is hardly a surprise given the 25-year-old’s tally of 23 league goals in his 34 outings during the 2024/25 campaign.

Such a tally takes his total of goals in England to 62 in his 109 appearances, with Isak now undoubtedly one of the most feared talismen in Europe’s top five leagues.

There’s no denying that United fans must wish they had a talent like the forward, but talents like the Swede don’t come around often, and when they do, they command a hefty fee – as seen by his current price tag.

However, they could be about to land their own version of the forward this summer, with a potential move for Jackson, who possesses very similar qualities to the Magpies’ star.

He’s been labelled as a similar player to Isak by FBref, even managing to outperform him in multiple areas when comparing their respective stats from last year.

Jackson, who’s been labelled “sensational” by Pubity Sport, posted a higher shot on target accuracy rate – highlighting his ability to be more precise with the opportunities that are presented to him in front of goal.

He also managed to win more aerial battles, whilst also completing more of the passes he attempted, handing Amorim the focal point to play off and allowing for needed link-up play in attacking areas.

Whilst he’s been unable to match his goalscoring record, Jackson has showcased that he has all the tools to emulate his success in England’s top-flight in the years to come.

His comparison to such a high-profile attacker is evidence of the talent he possesses, hopefully making the jump and taking his career to the next level at Old Trafford.

If he can match the levels of Isak during any move to Manchester, it would be a sensational piece of business, handing Amorim that needed centre forward that he needs in 2025/26.

Amorim's own Pogba: Man Utd leading race to sign "sensational" £42m star

Manchester United could be about to make a move to land a key target in their plans for the 2025/26 campaign.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 16, 2025