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England batter scored 196 of series tally 296 in a single knock

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Mar-20242:03

Manjrekar: ‘England’s batting got exposed badly’

They say five-match Test series are long enough to play yourself in and out of form. Ollie Pope can vouch for the latter.His dismissal for 11 runs on day one in Dharamsala, running past a googly from Kuldeep Yadav, takes his series tally to 296. It ranks him as the third-highest run-scorer in the England team, with a just-about-respectable average of 32.88. The problem is that 196 came in one single knock.Hell of a knock, though. Hall-of-fame worthy. The likes of which India coach Rahul Dravid said he had never seen before, in challenging conditions against a high-calibre bowling attack.Channelling chaos with a flurry of conventional and reverse sweeps, Pope instigated the mother of all heists in Hyderabad, turning a first-innings deficit of 190 into a 28-run win. It was a stellar return for a player who had missed last summer’s final three Ashes Tests because of a right shoulder dislocation that required surgery. Unfortunately, for England and their vice-captain, things have gone south ever since.Related

• India post hard-hitting reply after Kuldeep five-for wrecks England

• Stats – Kuldeep's quick fifty and Jaiswal's race to 1000

That same chaos has now turned on Pope. Two 23s in Visakhapatnam were followed by 39 and 3 in Rajkot. The real series average killer/conversation starter came in the fourth Test at Ranchi with two ducks – his first pair in a first-class career 94 appearances old at the time.The nature of Thursday’s dismissal added to the sense Pope’s first Test masterpiece was not simply “one of a kind” but an outlier. Maybe this was all just the 72 false shots in that 278-ball epic coming home to roost?For the fifth time in this series, he arrived at the crease to a fifty-plus platform, thanks to Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. His first delivery was nudged just beyond short leg’s reach. Kuldeep beat him for the first time with the fourth, sliding one past the edge from over the wicket. As literal a warning shot across the bow a left-arm wrist spinner could deliver.Pope missed out on a rank short one from Kuldeep spinning down leg, guiding it straight to the man around the corner. Then, he saw what would have been a first, calming boundary cut off by debutant Devdutt Padikkal in the deep. When Pope dabbed his 23rd ball to short fine leg, Dhruv Jurel called out to Kuldeep from behind the stumps.”He’ll advance – advance out [of his crease],” said Jurel, in Hindi to ensure it went over Pope’s head, before Kuldeep spun one past his outside edge. Jurel whipped off the bails with deserved smugness.It was a sharp bit of game awareness from the wicketkeeper, but you did not need his nous to see it coming. Though more controlled with today’s start, Pope’s back catalogue has enough frenetic intros to rival Led Zeppelin, albeit with fewer hits. And his desperation to get at Kuldeep after scoring just 3 off 8 deliveries off his bowling ultimately left him dazed and confused.”Ollie Pope is someone who cannot stay still at the crease for a long time,” Kuldeep explained at stumps, with four other batters in his back pocket. “His style is such that he steps out a lot and tries to dominate the spinners by hitting them down the ground.”So when you have bowled three dot balls, you think about what he would try on the next ball. It’s a keeper’s job to convey what the batter is looking to do. Sarfaraz (Khan) was also helping from short leg. And he had stepped out early anyway, so it was easy for me to change [my plan].”Dhruv Jurel celebrates with team-mate Sarfaraz Khan after he stumps Ollie Pope•AFP via Getty ImagesJust last week, Brendon McCullum discussed Pope’s issues as a sketchy starter, explaining it as the 26-year-old’s propensity to map out an innings in his mind “before he goes out there.” It’s not so much that he bats by numbers, but he is perhaps wary of hitting certain checkpoints, which likely pertains to a certain amount of runs after a certain number of deliveries. It is something Pope is aware of and actively looking to address.”Ollie has his own little things he is trying to improve,” assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said. “Getting into an innings is always challenging over here, and facing high-quality spin. That is part of his game he is looking to improve on.”Six years into a 42-cap Test career, the undercurrent of Pope learning on the job remains.It began when he was thrust into the Test arena aged 20. Despite earning the call-up through big runs for Surrey at No.6, he debuted at No. 4 in 2018 and found himself at the crease in the ninth, 13th and 12th overs in his first three innings despite having never previously batted before the 20th over in first-class cricket.His ascension to three came off the back of a phone call to Ben Stokes early in the 2022 summer, after seeing the news that Joe Root would be moving down to No. 4 via a graphic from the Barmy Army on social media. He had never batted as high before and, broadly, it has been a success. He averages 41.05 when carded at first drop – a figure which includes two occasions when a nightwatcher has bumped him to No.4.In that time, Stokes chose him as his deputy, despite Pope’s official leadership experience being limited to a single County Championship match leading Surrey against Glamorgan at the end of the 2021 season. But the way in which Pope had grown in stature within the dressing room, allied with a willingness to put himself in tough positions, such as batting three or taking the gloves for two Tests in Pakistan last winter, for the good of the team, told Stokes all he needed to know.Unquestionably, Pope is a well-respected, high-ceiling player steadily improving a middling overall average that reads 34.58 at the time of writing. He is currently outperforming the century-cap trio of Root, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, who all fell within 13 deliveries with the score stuck at 175.But as the team seeks evolution, Pope is primed to lead them into the new era. And he will need to figure out how to do that sooner rather than later, all while trying to curb the early tetchiness preventing him from realising his full potential as a Test batter. Only when he figures out the latter will the former come to fruition.

Brunt strikes twice in first over as England defend 128 with ease

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2021England fast bowler Katherine Brunt led the way in a commanding bowling performance in Wellington, as her team comprehensively beat New Zealand by 32 runs to complete a 3-0 series sweep.Six different England players got among the wickets, as New Zealand, chasing 129 for a consolation victory, failed to get any sort of momentum going, eventually being dismissed for 96 in 18 overs.The hosts were pegged back very early in the chase, as Brunt trapped the openers Sophie Devine and Hayley Jensen lbw for ducks in the first over. Amy Satterthwaite at No.3 provided a brief resistance, top-scoring with 25, but once she was dismissed by Sarah Glen in the eighth over, New Zealand withered away, losing at least one wicket each over till the 13th. Offspinner Mady Villiers struck three times in the space of 10 deliveries to reduce the hosts to 60 for 8, before Sophie Ecclestone and Natalie Sciver mopped up the tail to seal the win.England had earlier recovered from a slow start to post 128 for 9, thanks largely to Fran Wilson’s unbeaten 23-ball 31, while Sophie Dunkley chipped in with 26. For New Zealand, Devine was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 4-0-30-3.Sciver stood in as England captain – her first time leading the side – after Heather Knight pulled up from the second match of the series with a hamstring injury. Sciver was pleased with England’s bowling performance after the efforts of Wilson and Dunkley, who are both trying to establish themselves as regulars in the team, had lifted them to a competitive total.”We didn’t really have a big partnership,” Sciver said. “With that I think we could have got up to 140, 150. But in the end, over the tour, our bowlers have done really really well to take take wickets, especially in the in the T20 series. We’ve been hot on that, so yeah, we managed to defend it pretty well.”

Often in football, there is a flashpoint in the build-up to a managerial sacking, the culmination of a long sequence of poor results.

For Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur, winning the Europa League proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Australian coach had ended Spurs’ endless search for silverware, but he also laboured to a 17th-place Premier League finish.

Daniel Levy, now gone himself, felt the manager’s position was untenable and that a fresh start was needed. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, there’s no denying the rationale of the thought process, with Thomas Frank making a promising start to his tenure.

The signings made in recent months carry with them the promise of sustainable and positive football. Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons are testaments to that, with both wide attackers settling nicely down N17.

Kudus & Simons are standouts for Spurs

Tottenham signed Kudus from West Ham United for £55m in June. Some signing, prising him from rivals just like that. And the Ghanaian winger is repaying the faith on the field, having enjoyed a rip-roaring start to life under Frank’s wing.

His final product leaves something to be desired, but the 24-year-old’s pace and energy and directness do not. A maverick, Sofascore record that he has averaged 2.2 key passes and won 7.8 duels per game in the Premier League this season, playing down the right. Kudus has yet to score, but he has three assists.

Likewise, Simons, 22, is yet to break his duck, but then the Dutchman is only four games into his Lilywhites career and has started once in the Premier League. More of a ball-playing creator than his peer, Simons has been described as a “game-changer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Looking at his past two terms in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, it’s rather clear Frank has unearthed a gem, landing him for £51m despite the vested attention of Chelsea.

These rising stars are shaping Tottenham’s future, but they have yet to hit their stride. This bodes well, but it’s also curious to note that a former Spurs flop is outperforming the pair of them.

Indeed, Ivan Perisic is still producing creative performances.

Ivan Perisic's season in numbers

Tottenham signed Perisic on a free transfer after the 2021/22 season, with the Croatian’s contract with Inter Milan having expired. He was 33 and viewed as a utility buy, a squad deepener.

One goal was all he had to show for that maiden year in the English game, but Perisic proved himself to be a creative force of sublime quality, racking up 12 assists.

Antonio Valle of ESPN marvelled at the quiet jackpot addition, saying, “Perisic, that extremely constant player who is not talked about enough.”

Certainly, the veteran provided a steady supply line through to the forwards, only starting 23 times in the top flight that year but creating 11 big chances and averaging 1.4 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the versatile star, with journalist James Maw claiming before the player’s ACL that he would be “remembered as a massive waste of money”.

Indeed, it’s worth noting that he took home quite the pretty penny in north London, earning a living of £195k per week.

However, he played an important part and started strongly in 2023/24 under Postecoglou’s guidance, before suffering that devastating knee injury and before being loaned to Hadjuk Split in January, where he recuperated before his contract expired at the end of the campaign.

Whether it was a mistake to release a player well into their 30s while recovering from a brutal knee injury is open to debate, but there’s no question that Perisic’s Tottenham career is a rueful one, with it all potentially turning out differently had he avoided that disaster.

After all, Perisic has bounced back despite now at the ripe old footballing age of 36. In the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, he has already scored a goal and placed six assists this season, thus proving his potency is very much intact and ahead of Simons’, albeit with the two in different spheres.

In fact, given that Postecoglou’s Spurs ship sank after an emphatic start, it’s not out of the question to think that Perisic’s leadership and experience could have helped things along, had he only been fit.

Simons operates with a similar skill on the ball and a wand of a delivery that is akin to the experienced star. At least now, Spurs have a similar player who can step up and deliver.

Perisic’s time at Tottenham was turbulent, but we can’t forget the quality of his playmaking during that first term. Had injury not struck him down, it all could have been so different.

Worth even more than Kudus: Spurs have struck gold on "phenomenal" talent

Tottenham Hotspur have demonstrated their excellent work in the transfer market in recent years.

By
Ethan Lamb

Sep 26, 2025

A Premier League legend has delivered a brutal verdict on new Manchester United signing Benjamin Sesko, claiming the Slovenian forward "looks like an academy player". Sesko, who moved to Old Trafford from RB Leipzig in the summer for a whopping £74 million ($100m), has so far failed to live up to the hype, scoring only two goals in his first 11 Premier League appearances.

• Sesko yet to adjust to life in England

  Despite the big money transfer in the summer transfer window, Sesko has yet to fulfil the expectations of United fans. The Slovenia international was brought in to solve their attacking crisis, which deepened in the 2024-25 campaign. The likes of Joshua Zirzkee, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford failed miserably as the club endured a nightmare campaign.

  The dearth of quality attacking options forced Ruben Amorim to spend heavily in the last window as he brought in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, alongside Sesko. While Cunha and Mbeumo's performance has been satisfactory, Sesko has failed miserably, scoring just two goals across all competitions. 

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  Premier League legend's Sesko verdict

  Former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler delivered his verdict on Sesko while comparing the United star to Arsenal summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. Fowler told : "For me, I think the obvious one is Gyokeres. He's probably better suited to the Premier League and he understands what is needed in terms of speed, energy and commitment. Whereas Sesko has probably struggled a little at times. He looks a little bit, I hope this doesn't come across wrong, but he looks a bit of an academy player. I have no doubt he's a good player. No one's questioning his ability, but at the minute I think out of those two, it's Gyokeres by far who looks better equipped."

• Shearer slams Man Utd for spending heavily on Sesko

  Newcastle icon Alan Shearer recently opened up on Sesko's early struggles at Old Trafford, slamming the Red Devils for spending heavily on his transfer. He told : "One player that must do better for United is Benjamin Sesko. They paid 70 odd million for him. That was a lot of money, I know it’s the market but it was too much. He’s had a tough start and I don’t expect huge things from him to be honest. I think he’s a good player but I’m not sure he’s any more than that. He should have scored a couple more goals than he has so far. It’s been a tough start for him, especially considering the money United paid."

• Getty Images
  

  Update on Sesko's injury

  In United's last outing against Tottenham, which ended in a 2-2 draw, Amorim introduced Sesko in the 58th minute, only to sub him off in the closing stages of the match after a robust challenge from Micky van de Ven left him injured. At the end of the game, the head coach expressed concern over the striker's condition, while ignoring questions on his form. The Portuguese coach said: "That is not the biggest concern now. That happens, especially with a striker. I am more concerned with an injury, because it's in the knee, we don't know, we need Ben to be a better team. I have no idea. Because it's the knee we never know."

  According to a new report, the 22-year-old is expected to be sidelined for "at most" a month. That timeframe means Sesko will miss the club's upcoming Premier League fixtures against Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham, and potentially Wolves and Bournemouth if there are any delays. However, United view the outcome as a positive one, given the possibility he could have been ruled out longer.

A lot of it has to do with their batters being out of form, but there have been other things bubbling away as well

Mohammad Isam30-Oct-20235:00

Shakib: ‘If everyone played their part well, we wouldn’t be in this position’

As the travelling Bangladeshi fans gather around for some tea in central Kolkata on Monday evening, the collective struggles of England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the World Cup is helping lessen the blow for them. India beating England by 100 runs doesn’t quite have the same feels as Netherlands beating Bangladesh, but a wee bit of schadenfreude is still worth their while.There were high hopes last year when Bangladesh automatically qualified to this World Cup. They ultimately finished third in the ICC ODI Super League, a position that then captain Tamim Iqbal had targeted before the cycle had begun in 2021.”We took up the qualification process very seriously,” he said in November. “We knew we had some away series too. We didn’t want to wait till the very end to qualify. Going into the 2023 World Cup, we definitely want to do really well. If we qualify as one of the top three or four teams, it makes sense talking about wanting to play in the semi-finals or finals. If you go in as say the No. 4 team, it means you have done well over 20-23 games. For a team like us, it would give us some confidence.”Tamim saying what he did then made a lot of sense. Bangladesh had crushed South Africa in the deciding game in their ODI series last year. They won easily in the West Indies. They fought back from improbable situations against Afghanistan and India.Related

• Shanto wants Tamim 'available in all formats' for Bangladesh

• Bangladesh face possible all-round overhaul after forgettable World Cup

• Shakib: Netherlands defeat 'very difficult to digest'

• Bangladesh meet Pakistan in derby of subcontinental misery

Six games into the World Cup, though, that statement just sounds off. That Bangladesh were playing well through 2022 is a distant memory. Even those who had performed well, look a shadow of themselves.It all began earlier this year when they lost the ODI series against England. Their meek approach against the reigning world champions wasn’t made into a big deal at the time but it seems to have followed them to India.There was a definite drop of form despite Bangladesh beating England in the T20Is and then beating Ireland quite comfortably in both the home and away series. A newly-introduced rotation policy also left captain Tamim unsure of what his best combination was for the World Cup ahead. The cracks began to show again when they lost a series to Afghanistan in July, though the consensus is Tamim’s retirement drama played a big role in that defeat.The Asia Cup wasn’t a convincing campaign and things got worse against New Zealand last month, but there was leeway there. Bangladesh were using those matches to prepare for the World Cup so that was more important than the results.Shakib Al Hasan and his Bangladesh team haven’t had too many reasons to smile at this World Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, the up-and-down run into the tournament hadn’t done the team any favours and coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and captain Shakib Al Hasan had started to underplay their chances in interviews and press conferences. Perhaps they knew what was about to happen.Litton Das, the poster child of the new Bangladesh only last year, has become an example of their inconsistency. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s great form of the last 12 months has totally deserted him. Tanzid Hasan is being given time to learn and grow but some of the ways he’s been dismissed aren’t helping his cause.The BCB has contributed to this mess too. Had the board dealt with Tamim with a little more care, he would’ve been at this World Cup, offering stability at the top of the order. To add to that, two players whom the board thought were past their prime are the two who have shown the way forward. ESPNcricinfo had learned back in March that the BCB was planning to move on from Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah. Fortunately for them, that didn’t come to pass.The Bangladesh management has put more faith in someone like Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose surprising batting form has led to his being shuttled up and down the batting order. And while there may be merit in using him to disrupt the opposition’s plans, it still led to other more established players batting out of position. It was also not a good look that a bowler who can bat was being given that much freedom when Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, who are much more capable run-scorers, got stuck to Nos. 6 and 7.For many the buck will stop with Bangladesh’s batting unit for their poor World Cup performance. Except for the first match against Afghanistan and the first 90-odd minutes against India, they haven’t looked like a collective that can chase successfully or set up a good total.The main characters – Hathurusinghe and Shakib – are not new to the scene. Hathurusinghe returned to the Bangladesh job in February. He took over from a very successful Russell Domingo, who had a decent time in terms of win percentage but fell out with the BCB directors on many aspects. Hathurusinghe is a BCB favourite, who was approached to return to the job he left in 2017, several times.Shakib is the country’s greatest sportsperson, but the pre-World Cup interview he gave, where he rounded on Tamim, was bad timing. It had the potential to distract the team from the job on the field and, after the loss to Netherlands on Saturday, Shakib ended up admitting it himself.How the BCB and the Bangladesh team management couldn’t prevent a senior player going after another senior player in the press is a topic for a different day. But ahead of their seventh match in the World Cup, how the batting problem could never be solved remains a troublesome mystery. As much as the batters’ inconsistency and poor form is going to be questioned, the team management’s experimentation and shortcomings will also be under the spotlight.

On the latest edition of The Wayne Rooney Show, Wayne Rooney said, “I am not seeing anything which is giving me any confidence, there needs to be big changes in my opinion.”

Manchester United felt they had secured a coup when taking Ruben Amorim away from Sporting Lisbon midway through the 2024/25 campaign. The Portuguese tactician was flying high in his homeland and had been strongly linked with Liverpool before they appointed Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

But Amorim has floundered across his months in the Old Trafford hot seat, with United finding themselves languishing in 14th place in the Premier League after six matches, having finished 15th last term after losing to Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

Amorim has come under heavy flak for his rigid belief in his 3-4-3 formation, willing to die on that hill in spite of a general weariness over its ineffectiveness in the English game.

INEOS are hesitant to dismiss the 40-year-old from his duties and will hold out hope that United put in a big performance at home against Sunderland on Saturday, but if they fail to kick on, a tough decision will need to be made, with Sir Gareth Southgate emerging as a contender for the managerial spot at the Theatre of Dreams.

Man United consider appointing Southgate

One thing’s for certain, Man United’s potential appointment of Southgate would be met with more than a measure of doubt.

The former Three Lions boss might have achieved more success than any other England Men’s boss since the World Cup was lifted in 1966, but he’s also been out of club management since being relegated from the Premier League with Middlesbrough in 2009.

But he’d come in cheap, and with a reputation for being a strong communicator and an “unbelievable” character, as was said by Jude Bellingham upon the manager’s resignation from his England post after the 2024 European Championship.

But concerns over his tactical grasp persisted throughout his tenure, and the current question mark over Amorim’s own system points toward a necessity for a clear, fluent brand of football going forward.

INEOS need to appoint a proven trophy-winning manager with a deep understanding of the game and a vision which suggests this viewpoint could be effectively applied in the Premier League.

As it happens, former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is on the market, and he’s even showing an interest in making the move to the Premier League and joining the Red Devils, should Amorim be dismissed.

Man United could strike gold with Xavi

Xavi has been out of work since the start of 2024, when he left Barcelona. The legendary footballing figure is, however, open to new work, and Fabrizio Romano believes he is interested in taking the Manchester United job, should a vacancy materialise.

Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that Xavi is open to taking on the job at Old Trafford even without the allure of European football. It is worth noting the mentality on show here, with Amorim having wanted to remain with Sporting Lisbon for the duration of the 2024/25 campaign, instead of switching allegiances mid-season.

As a player, the iconic Spaniard was very much the definitive midfield maestro, and he has willed his managerial career into shape through the application of his own playing-day virtues.

His time as Barcelona manager was somewhat turbulent, but he did win the La Liga title in 2022/23, his first full season as boss, and played an important part in guiding the Spanish giants away from the pit they were sinking into. In February 2024, he left isolated and frustrated, but with his head held high.

If Man United can provide him with the assurances that he can have things his way, there is no reason why his erudite footballing brain. Already, the 45-year-old is enamoured by the idea, having said in the past that he “would love to work in the Premier League”.

Perhaps, then, the words from the horse’s mouth lend credence to Romano’s claim. With Amorim skating on thin ice, it feels like United could score themselves a significant upgrade, especially with Xavi employing a more conventional 4-3-3 formation.

That said, Xavi’s managerial outlook might be conventional at the surface level, but there is a depth and mastery of the technical side of the game that could be exactly what United need as they look to return to the top.

Barcelona are a team defined by their passing, and Xavi, as a player and as a manager, has been an embodiment of that style.

When La Blaugrana lifted the league title under their legendary figure’s wing in 2022/23, they played with a gusto and command that was so very ‘Barcelona’.

So impressive was he that, before the trophy had even been lifted and with everything in the balance, club president Joan Laporta had said, “We have the best manager in the world”.

Here is a tactician who knows his stuff, with credentials of the highest order and a hunger to join Man United and make things right.

Amorim had a good thing going before taking the United job, to be sure, but it’s clear that he is a young coach whose experience was restricted to the Portuguese scene, and his stubbornness in keeping his same tactical outlook despite the glaring deficiencies had made for sustained grim viewing.

If the opportunity to appoint Xavi presents itself, United’s officials must pounce.

Ten Hag sold Man Utd talent for just £10m, now he's outperforming Bruno

Manchester United may have made a mistake in allowing one player to depart Old Trafford.

By
Ethan Lamb

Sep 29, 2025

The Ajax fairytale of Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars will not be rewritten. Both the former manager and director, who were the key architects of Ajax’s dream Champions League run in 2019, have declined offers to return, with Overmars confirming that his chapter with the Eredivisie giants is 'over.'

• Ten Hag turns down return to management

  According to , Ten Hag, who managed the Dutch giants from 2017 to 2022, decided against a return to Amsterdam despite holding discussions with sporting director Alex Kroes. Reports say that the Dutchman concluded that ‘the conditions were not right for a successful partnership’ and therefore declined.

  Ten Hag, who is currently a free agent after being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen just three games into his tenure in September, had been heavily linked with a sensational return to Amsterdam. Ajax were eager to bring back their most successful manager in recent years following the dismissal of John Heitinga last week. The 55-year-old also reportedly rejected an approach from Premier League side Wolves, who are looking for a new manager after sacking Vitor Pereira. 

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  Overmars closes door on Ajax return

  Earlier, the former Ajax director had also ruled out a comeback. Speaking to , Overmars confirmed that he was approached to make a return to Amsterdam but claimed that his chapter with the Eredivisie giants is 'over.'

  "That's happened once before, and now again, and by several people," he said. "By whom? Yes, they're people in important positions, but I'm not going to say who, because then it would just become another political game internally. For me, it's over."

  Overmars resigned in February 2022 following revelations of inappropriate behaviour. His exit marked the end of an era at Ajax, a period when he and Ten Hag built a vibrant young side featuring Andre Onana, Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, which famously reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. However, that fairy tale run ultimately marked the breakup of Ajax’s golden generation, as key players soon departed for major clubs across Europe. 

  The 52-year-old also opened up about Ajax's struggle this season and said that it 'pains' him to see the club struggling.

  "The current situation at the club is very painful for me. I find it difficult to talk about it," Overmars said.

  "I worked there for 10 years, minus two months, and we built something wonderful together. Seeing how things are going now, and everyone just killing each other, is heartbreaking. The respect I get from the supporters is great, and I find it truly wonderful. It's true that I couldn't have imagined it would go this way. I don't read much these days, but I heard there were eight managers after Erik. Well, that's a Dutch record, I think."

• Ten Hag’s turbulent managerial spell since Ajax

  After leaving Ajax in 2022, Ten Hag took charge of Manchester United, where he initially enjoyed success by ending the club’s six-year trophy drought with a Carabao Cup win, followed by the FA Cup next season. However, his clashes with Cristiano Ronaldo and later Jadon Sancho strained his position at the club and among United fans. His failure to make progress in the Premier League or European competitions eventually led to his dismissal in October 2024. 

  His next stint as manager was with Bayer Leverkusen, which lasted just two league matches before his sudden sacking in September, leaving his managerial reputation in question. 

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• AFP
  

  Ajax’s crisis deepens amid search for new manager

  Ajax’s poor season has increased the pressure to find a new manager. The Amsterdam club sit fourth in the Eredivisie, 11 points behind leaders PSV after 12 matches. They have only five wins so far and lost 2-1 to Utrecht in Fred Grim’s first game as interim coach. In the Champions League, they are bottom after four straight defeats.

  Meanwhile, sporting director Kroes has also said he will step down, with his final task expected to be appointing a new permanent manager. According to reports, former Wolfsburg boss Paul Simonis is among the frontrunners for the role. Ajax’s next fixture is at home against Excelsior on November 22.

His numbers against top sides are not those you’d expect from such a skilful bowler, and holding him back till the 15th over of a middling chase – as was the case against India – hardly helps

Matt Roller13-Oct-20232:49

Why Rashid isn’t at his best against the big teams in ODIs?

It was an incongruous sight. As Rohit Sharma raced to 76 off 43, making light of Afghanistan’s 272 for 8, Rashid Khan prowled around the outfield under the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. India were cruising to an eight-wicket win, yet the opposition’s best bowler was at deep midwicket.By the time Rashid finally came into the attack to bowl the 15th over, India were 125 for 0. He dismissed both openers, having Ishan Kishan caught at cover and bowling Rohit after being taken for three consecutive boundaries, but those wickets served only to underline the peculiarity: why did Afghanistan use five other bowlers before Rashid?Jonathan Trott, their coach, could only suggest it owed to Hashmatullah Shahidi’s “gut feel”, saying: “That’s a captain’s prerogative. There is a case, when the ball gets a little bit older, for Rash to bowl with it, and it gets a little bit more turn; it doesn’t skid on as much.”And yet, Trott could not help but make his own view clear: “Certainly, you want a guy like Rash in the attack as soon as possible,” he said, conceding that the game was effectively over as a contest by the time Rashid had bowled his first over. “It’s always something we’ll look at.”Related

• Trott hopes Rashid & Co bring 'joy and happiness' to post-earthquake Afghanistan

It was the latest installment in Rashid’s unusual and underwhelming World Cup career, which is now 11 matches old. At 25, he already holds elite status as a white-ball bowler: at some stage next year, he will overtake Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker in T20 history. And yet, that success has generally eluded him in 50-over cricket.In aggregate, his ODI record is superb: he has 174 wickets at 19.91 in 96 matches. But over 100 of those wickets have come against Ireland and Zimbabwe; in his dozen appearances against nations in the top six of ICC’s rankings, he has taken only 13 at 44.30 each.In T20, nobody has played Rashid better than Shane Watson. Watson faced 73 balls from Rashid across 11 matches, scored 108 runs and was never dismissed by him, most memorably scoring a match-winning century for Chennai Super Kings against Rashid’s Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 IPL final.Watson believes that Rashid’s struggle to convert his T20 form into 50-over cricket owes to the specifics of the format: with only four fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle in the middle overs of an ODI, he has less protection in the deep. “When batters feel like they need to take Rashid Khan on, that really does bring him into the game,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo.Rashid Khan dismissed Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma after coming on in the 16th over of the chase•ICC/Getty Images”With four people out, batters do not have to take a risk: they find it easy to be able to find the boundary or rotate the strike. Everyone knows that Rashid Khan is the major weapon for Afghanistan, so the game plan will always be around making sure they negate him. And if he gets it slightly wrong, there are low-risk boundary opportunities available with four men out.”When facing Rashid, Watson shifted his stance across so that he covered his off stump. “It was a bit like facing Shahid Afridi,” he recalled, “because they’re a lot faster through the air [than most wristspinners] and more direct… they’re not really trying to get you out through flight, more from the ball skipping off the wicket.”The ball where he gets most of his wickets is his wrong ‘un… so I would set up to be able to hit the ball dead straight or into the leg side, with the ball mainly coming in. He’s not a big turner of his legspinner. I thought, if I was on off stump, I was comfortable knowing that he wasn’t really going to spin the ball past me on the outside of the bat.”Throughout their T20 encounters, Watson noticed that when Rashid went wicketless early in his spell, he would “start chasing wickets” by bowling fuller than his natural length. “He’s going to try and bowl more miracle balls… try to bowl a bit slower, or a bit fuller, which means there are more scoring opportunities for the set batters.”That pattern played out on Wednesday night. After Rashid was cut for four by Rohit, his next ball was a fraction fuller and straighter, and was dispatched over the leg side for four more. His follow-up was a googly, targeting the stumps; Rohit swung it away over the leg side for six.

“The ball where he gets most of his wickets is his wrong ‘un. So I would set up to be able to hit the ball dead straight or into the leg side, with the ball mainly coming in.”Shane Watson spills out his secret of tackling Rashid Khan

On Sunday, Rashid will come up against an England side who will look to put him under pressure. All of their batters have played with or against Rashid in international or franchise cricket; four years ago, they plundered 110 runs off his nine overs in Manchester, including 11 sixes.It seems implausible that Shahidi will hold him back as long as he did against India – even if that decision fitted the general pattern of Rashid’s ODI career, which has seen him bowl only two powerplay overs this year. “Once the ball has stopped swinging, I’d be getting him on,” Watson said.”Afghanistan has to take early wickets to try and get into the middle order, and he’s absolutely their best wicket-taking opportunity. Even if it’s just one or two overs in the powerplay, get him into the game early. You’d prefer to ask a few questions, compared to getting him into the game when it’s nearly too far gone.”Rashid’s schedule has been relentless this year – he has featured in six different franchise leagues – and he has been carrying a back niggle for several months. His status as Afghanistan’s most prominent cricketer means that he cannot simply switch off when he is not playing.This week, he announced that he would donate his match fees for this tournament to the relief effort following the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, and his foundation has launched a fundraising campaign for its victims. Cricket can never be his sole focus – even during a World Cup.And yet there are few sights in the sport that can bring more joy than Rashid at his best, grinning after beating a batter or wheeling away with his arms outstretched in celebration. Afghanistan will hope they prove to be the defining images of his 2023 World Cup.

Batsman insists he can still do the job in the shortest format, even though he hasn’t always been in the running for selection

Mohammad Isam25-Mar-2021Ross Taylor has said that he has eyes on the T20 World Cup later this year even though he hasn’t featured in the last two New Zealand squads in this format. He believes there is still enough time to return with the side set to play a lot of matches leading up to the main event in India.Taylor was speaking ahead of the third ODI against Bangladesh in Wellington, having been passed fit following a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first two games.”I think I’ve still got ambitions on the T20 World Cup,” Taylor said. “I think there’s still a lot to go. The selectors have wanted to give these guys the opportunity which is fair enough. This is a good format, especially in New Zealand, for getting these guys into international cricket, if they are not going to play a lot of ODI and Test cricket. T20 is the logical way of bringing them into the side.”In the last two years, Taylor has played 14 out of New Zealand’s 24 T20Is. He made 166 runs with two fifties against India last year, but saw his batting position go to new players like Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips. Taylor said that he was surprised to be dropped from the New Zealand team for the T20I series against Australia, and now Bangladesh. He got to play only four deliveries during the T20I series against West Indies in November last year.”It was a bit of a surprise, getting player of the year and facing four balls. I am not going to lie. You have respect their decision that this is a format to give the guys an opportunity to play.”I feel age is just a number. I am able to do a job that’s required. There’s a lot of cricket to be played in the winter. I will be around somewhere,” he said.After the Bangladesh T20I series at home, New Zealand are likely to play against Pakistan and Bangladesh again during their winter, ahead of the T20 World Cup. On Wednesday, New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said that they haven’t yet ruled Taylor out entirely from their T20 plans.”(New Zealand coach) Gary (Stead) has been working really closely and talking with Ross. Ross sits in behind those current group of incumbents that we’ve got now,” Larsen told stuff.co.nz. “As we said when we didn’t pick Ross originally it was a really tough decision and I’ll say that again because we know his pedigree and the quality. We know and Ross has stated to us that he’s still keen and he thinks he can still contribute. From our side as selectors that’s great. We always take the approach of ‘never say never’. We know he’s sitting there and if we needed to call for Ross then we know he’d be jumping out of his skin.”

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a dream start to their postseason run, jumping out to a 2–0 series lead over the New York Yankees to open the American League Division Series.

Starring for the Blue Jays is slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has six hits in nine at-bats so far in the series, and a home run in each game, including a grand slam that sent the Toronto crowd into absolute elation on Sunday.

The Blue Jays are no strangers to the postseason, having played playoff baseball in three of the past five seasons, but this is already their first trip past the wild-card round since 2016, and if they can make a run to the World Series, it will be their first appearance since taking back-to-back titles in 1992 and ‘93.

Guerrero, who has spent the entirety of his career in Toronto, was asked if he felt there was something different about this year’s team compared to others. Through a translator, he provided a succinct answer.

"Today was optional for everyone here,” Guerrero said. “And we're all here."

The Blue Jays will have the chance to put away the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday night. If Guerrero can keep up his astounding run at the plate, they should have a good shot at finishing the job.