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The Grammy award-winning artist has served as an ideal reference point for those tasked with putting on soccer's flagship tournament

There’s a complicated list of factors that go into staging a major event. It starts with the venue. Can it seat enough people? Then there’s the security. How can you get them in and out safely? And then it’s the actual, physical event itself. How do you ensure that everyone has a good time? you do that?

The good news for those United States charged with organizing the 2026 World Cup, there are familiar touchpoints – other events held at the same venues. For soccer, you’d figure that natural reference points include the 2024 Copa America, major USMNT games, or even summer friendlies.

And to an extent that’s true.

“You have to learn from every event, every major event, whether it's Copa or the you know, these big touring, touring shows, I think understanding fan behavior, understanding movement patterns and how people travel,” Pam Kramer, CEO of Kansas City’s 2026 World Cup host committee, told GOAL.

But the U.S. looks to host the first men’s World Cup in the country since 1994 – as they’re planning for the crowds, the transit, the parking, the influx of people and even the noise – it turns out that Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour most accurately resembles what hosting a global tournament event might look like.

“If you’re looking at something like the Eras Tour, that’s one of the sports entertainment events that people are traveling for,” Alex Lasry, CEO of New York/New Jersey’s World Cup committee, told GOAL.

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  'The most comparable thing'

  It is well documented what a global phenomenon the 14-time Grammy Award winning artist’s tour was: 21 countries, 51 cities, 149 dates spanning 21 months – with three albums released in between. You probably know multiple Swifties who attended shows, or would have seen it on social media, or heard it referenced in the day-to-day.

  It was the highest-grossing tour of all time, bringing in $2B, and with good reason. This was 3.5 hours of song after song, hit after hit. In terms of attendance – each show averaged nearly 70,000 fans – and perhaps even global impact, it was as big as soccer, even if it’s hard for many fans of the beautiful game to admit.

  “It is probably the most comparable thing to the World Cup,” Lasry admitted.

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  'You are the only city'

  But while there might be an ideological clash in that notion – devout football fans will defend the game to the end – there is a real backing to it. There are 11 U.S. cities – and five more in Canada and Mexico – hosting the World Cup, with 48 teams participating. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to attend, according to FIFA.

  How can you prepare for something so massive? Most sports events in the United States are regional. The Super Bowl stadiums are flooded with corporate ticket holders and fans from the local area, more than those of the competing teams. It’s a relatively well-mannered event that happens to have a concert at half time. There are few stories of fan hysteria.

  The College Football playoff is another reference point. But that, too, has its imperfections. Pockets of the country are invested – you’d imagine that last year’s National Championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State in Atlanta had a significant midwest following, without overwhelming national attendance.

  “You are the only city running that event at that time of year,… so we learn from that event, we do after actions to say what went well, what didn’t go well, and how we can improve,” Georgia O'Donoghue, CEO of Atlanta’s 2026 host committee, said.

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  'Always try to learn from those'

  The United States doesn’t have any matches of global scale in its yearly soccer calendar (with all due respect to the MLS and NWSL finals). This summer’s Club World Cup – running simultaneously with the CONCACAF Gold Cup – will certainly provide data points, as a test run of sorts.

  But given their frequency and ubiquitous presence at venues across the country, concerts are a natural reference point for World Cup organizers – especially since tours such as Swift’s often include fans traveling internationally to attend.

  “Concert businesses have had challenges at times. We as an organization always try to learn from those and incorporate them into our exercises,” Adam Fullerton, VP of stadium operations at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, said.

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  'The same way that we anticipate the World Cup guests are going to come'

  Part of the challenge in planning for the 2026 World Cup has been unfamiliarity. Soccer fans interact with the sport in different ways in every single country. Dutch fans engage in a “march to the match.” Argentinians will have a pre-game asado. English fans really, really, really love pubs.

  And rarely, if ever, have so many descended en masse into one area. Preparing for anything and everything is vital. The Eras Tour, for some host committees, offered an idea of what the logistics involved in a truly global event might look like – even in terms of physical movements of attendees to a given venue.

  “We get good experience from a lot of the events we have, where it's a third party event, where a lot of people fly into town,” Fullerton said. “Take a Taylor Swift show. That group of people stay in the downtown corridor, and they come to the stadium in the same way that we anticipate the World Cup guests are going to come.”

  It’s not just about individual behavior. The tour attracted fans from all over the globe into major cities. It became a destination, an excuse to spend time in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta – massive metropolitan areas in the United States.

  Remind you of anything else?

  “Taylor Swift, you're getting international travelers, people from all over the country, all coming to see her show,” Lasry said. “New people coming to a market who might not be familiar with the city or the region.”

Leeds United are flying high in the Championship this season, and seem destined for promotion. The Whites are level on points with second-place Sheffield United, who are vying with them for the league title in the second tier. The gap between Yorkshire club Leeds and their Lancashire rivals Burnley currently stands at just two points, however.

Some of Leeds’ biggest attacking threats have been on fire this season. Daniel James is in sensational form, and has ten goals and nine assists so far this term. Striker Joel Piroe has also been playing superbly, and has 15 goals and six assists.

At the opposite end of the pitch, it has been a slightly tougher season for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Meslier’s 2024/25 season

It has been a rough campaign for Leeds number one Meslier. The Frenchman, who has been capped at under-21 level for his country, has been an ever-present for the Whites in goal this season.

He has played all 35 of their games in the Championship, conceding 22 times and keeping an impressive 20 clean sheets. However, he has made some crucial mistakes, which have cost Leeds points.

Perhaps the worst of the lot came against Sunderland, a side pushing for the playoffs, back in October. In a bizarre moment with Leeds 2-1 up in stoppage time, he failed to catch the flick-on from a Black Cats attacker, simply letting the ball shoot under his body and roll into the back of the net.

Described as a “hindrance” by Lewis Deighton, a fan writer for BBC Sport, the Frenchman has statistically been one of the worst shot-stoppers in the Championship this season.

As per Sofascore, he has prevented -1.33 goals, better than only 13 goalkeepers. For context, Blades’ number one Michael Cooper has prevented 4.92 goals.

Meslier’s form has been an issue for Leeds at times this season, despite their good performances across the board. They once had someone at the club who could have been a big upgrade on him, but left Elland Road on a cheap deal.

Leeds already sold a dream Meslier upgrade

It might be frustrating for Leeds fans to see what Kasper Schmeichel has achieved since leaving the club. He spent one season in Yorkshire in the 2010/11 campaign, before departing the club and going on to achieve great things.

Where Are They Now

Indeed, the Dane, son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, made 40 appearances across all competitions in a Leeds shirt 15 years ago. Admittedly, his record was not astounding. He conceded 55 goals and kept just ten clean sheets in that time.

In June 2011, the Denmark international, who now plies his trade at Scottish giants Celtic, made the move from Elland Road to the East Midlands to join Leicester City for a reported £1m fee. The rest, as they say, is history.

Schmeichel played 479 times for the Foxes, conceding 586 goals in that time, and managing to keep an impressive 187 clean sheets.

The highlight of his time at the club was surely winning the Premier League in 2015/16, in the most unlikely of circumstances. He also lifted the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021.

The stats on Squawka suggest that the legendary Danish goalkeeper has been outperforming Meslier in many areas this season.

For example, Schmeichel makes 2.3 saves and concedes 0.6 goals per game, compared to 1.7 saves made and 0.7 goals conceded each game by Meslier.

Stat (per 90)

Schmeichel

Meslier

Saves

2.3

1.7

Goals conceded

0.6

0.7

Clean sheets

0.7

0.6

Save percentage

79.27%

72.15%

Pass accuracy

94.55%

78.42%

Former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers described Schmeichel as one of the “top keepers” in the Premier League back in March 2021, and it is not hard to see why. The qualities he possessed then, and still does, could have served Leeds well.

Perhaps they wish they had kept Schmeichel around at the club beyond the 2010/11 season. They could have had a brilliant goalkeeper who would have been a long-term fit in the sticks for the club.

Not just Kristensen: 49ers must sell Leeds flop who's cost £525k-per-game

Rasmus Kristensen looks to be on his way out of Leeds United, with another player needing to follow him.

ByEthan Lamb Mar 6, 2025

Guillermo Almada, Nicolás Larcamón, Robert Dante Siboldi, and Ignacio Ambriz are among other names being considered

Article continues below

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• Chivas parted ways with Gerardo Espinoza
• Lozano coached the Mexican national team in 2023-24
• He won the Gold Cup in 2023

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chivas are already searching for their next head coach, and according to reports, Jaime Lozano has emerged as the leading candidate to take over after Gerardo Espinoza’s dismissal. The club’s front office is reportedly interested in Lozano’s profile, given his previous experience in Liga MX and his recent success with the Mexican national team – including winning the 2023 Gold Cup.

  The red and whites were eliminated from the Clausura 2025 after finishing 11th in the table. Since their last league title in 2017 under Matías Almeyda, the club has gone through 11 different managers, none of whom have been able to restore Chivas to consistent top-tier status.

  The closest they came was under Veljko Paunović, who guided the team to the Clausura 2023 final, which they ultimately lost to Tigres.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lozano has relatively little experience as a coach. In fact, the decision to appoint him as head coach of the Mexican national team after Diego Cocca’s departure was widely questioned. Before taking charge of El Tri, he had only managed Necaxa, Querétaro, the Mexican U23 team, and the Olympic squad that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

  In the race to take over at El Rebaño, there are candidates with much more experience at the club level, though none have coached a national team. These include Guillermo Almada, Nicolás Larcamón, Robert Dante Siboldi, and Ignacio Ambriz.

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  WHAT JAVIER MIER SAID

  During the news conference announcing Espinoza's dismissal, Javier Mier, the club's sporting director, outlined the criteria for the next manager.

  “The project is the club, not just one person. The coach who comes in will have to enhance the project that already exists within the team," Mier said. “We want the new coach to understand the club they are coming to. We have an important core group, and we will look to strengthen the squad to get the team to where it deserves to be. The new coach must be fully immersed in the team’s planning. Choosing the next coach must be a smart decision because it marks a turning point in the project we’re looking to consolidate.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Lozano has only managed 68 games in the top division, while Almada has 623, Larcamón 306, Siboldi 346, and Ambriz 547.

And what’s the lowest number of bowlers who took all 20 wickets in a Test between them?

Steven Lynch04-Jul-2023In the Lord’s Test England’s new-ball pair had a combined age of more than 78 years. Was this a record? asked Jeremy Lambton from England
England’s opening bowlers in the gripping second Ashes Test at Lord’s were Jimmy Anderson, who’s nearly 41, and 37-year-old Stuart Broad. In terms of combined age they were the oldest pair to take the new ball in a Test since 1951, when the South Africans Eric Rowan (41) and Dudley Nourse (40) did it in the second innings at Lord’s. Rowan and Nourse were really batters – neither ever took a Test wicket – who had a trundle because England needed just 16 to win.The only England new-ball pair with a higher combined age was Gubby Allen (45) and Harold Butler (34) against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1947-48. This is actually the highest instance of all with two supposedly fast bowlers: there are two older new-ball pairs, both involving the venerable Australia left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger. “Dainty” was 46 when he made his debut against England in Brisbane in 1928-29; in the second innings he took the new ball with fellow spinner Clarrie Grimmett (36). Two years later, against West Indies in Sydney in 1930-31, Ironmonger – by now 48 – opened in the second innings with medium-pacer Ron Oxenham, who was 39; their combined age was around 88½ years.These instances are taken from ESPNcricinfo’s database. But Charles Davis, the distinguished Australian statistician who has re-scored many early Test matches from the original scorebooks, warns: “There are many cases of incorrect second-innings bowling order in the ‘received’ scorecards for older Tests. Both the instances mentioned about Ironmonger are actually incorrect: in the fifth Test of 1930-31, Oxenham opened with Stan McCabe in the second innings, while in Brisbane in 1928-29, Grimmett and Stork Hendry opened in the second innings. Ironmonger and Oxenham did open the bowling in Melbourne in 1930-31, but in different innings.Where does Ben Stokes fit in the list of the highest scores in the fourth innings of a Test? asked Martin Steele from England
Ben Stokes’s valiant 155 at Lord’s was the 27th time a batter has reached 150 in the fourth innings of a Test.Only 21 of those innings were higher than 155, and just four were for England, whose highest remains Bill Edrich’s 219 in the timeless Test against South Africa in Durban in 1938-39. Highest of all is George Headley’s 223 for West Indies against England in another drawn timeless Test, in Kingston in 1929-30. (Both these games had to be left unfinished as the England teams needed to catch their boat home.)Of those 27 scores of 150 or more, 13 came in wins (the highest was Gordon Greenidge’s 214 not out for West Indies vs England at Lord’s in 1984), nine in draws, and five (including Stokes’) could not prevent defeat – the highest in vain was Nathan Astle’s 222 for New Zealand vs England in Christchurch in 2001-02.Stokes was the first to score 150 in the fourth innings of a Test from as low as No. 6 in the batting order. Adam Gilchrist hit 149 not out from No. 7 for Australia against Pakistan, in Hobart in 1999-2000. The previous-best from No. 6, before Stokes’ innings, was Asad Shafiq’s 137 for Pakistan vs Australia in Brisbane in 2016-17.Six Australian bowlers took wickets in England’s first innings at Lord’s. How unusual is this? asked Kasey Anderson from Australia
England’s first innings at Lord’s provided the seventh instance in the Ashes of six different Australian bowlers taking at least a wicket each. It was, however, their first such instance in the Ashes for more than 60 years, since Sydney 1962-63.England have done it eight times, and also have the only case of seven men taking a wicket in an Ashes innings, in Melbourne in 1897-98. In all Tests, there are three further instances of seven, and over 100 cases of six.Tony Lock takes a catch off Jim Laker in the Test where the two spinners took all 20 wickets – between them – Laker 19, Lock one•PA PhotosWhat’s the lowest number of players involved in taking all 20 wickets of an opposition in a Test? I am guessing one answer at least involves Jim Laker. And what’s the number for an entire Test match? asked Ashwin from India (not that one, I don’t think!)
The Old Trafford Ashes Test of 1956 – when Jim Laker took 19 wickets and Tony Lock one – is one of six Tests in which just two bowlers shared all 20 opposition wickets. It happened to Australia again a few months later, in Karachi, when Fazal Mahmood took 13 wickets for Pakistan and Khan Mohammad seven.The only instance since then was at Lord’s in 1972, when the Australian debutant Bob Massie took 16 of England’s wickets, and Dennis Lillee claimed the other four. The earlier instances were by Australia against England in Melbourne in 1901-02 (Monty Noble took 13 and Hugh Trumble seven), England vs Australia at Edgbaston in 1909 (Colin Blythe 11, George Hirst nine), and South Africa against England in Johannesburg in 1909-10 (Bert Vogler 12, Aubrey Faulkner eight).There are two Tests in which just six bowlers shared all 40 wickets: England vs South Africa at Headingley in 1998, and Sri Lanka vs Australia in Kandy in 2003-04. Only five bowlers took wickets in the 1901-02 Melbourne match mentioned above, but one batter was run-out.Who was the first man to score 42 in the second innings of his 24th Test? asked Sudarshan Narayanan Poondi via Facebook
This one made me smile, as I think it’s a variation on those old jokes about cricket statisticians pointing out things that had never happened before at Lord’s on a wet Tuesday afternoon. But it did make me wonder whether anyone had ever done this – and it turns out four people have.The first to score 42 in the second innings of his 24th Test match was the allrounder Charles Kelleway, in the course of Australia’s innings defeat against England in Melbourne in 1924-25. He was followed in 1971-72 by Bruce Taylor, who made 42 not out to help New Zealand force a draw against West Indies in Port-of-Spain.This exclusive band was boosted in the current century by Chris Gayle, for West Indies against India in Mumbai in 2002-03, and Martin Guptill, for New Zealand vs West Indies in Kingston in 2012.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh put on a record-breaking 298 for the opening wicket against Saurashtra

Shashank Kishore01-Jan-2025

Mayank hits purple patchMayank Agarawal, the Karnataka captain, recorded his third straight List A century, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. However, it wasn’t enough as Hyderabad chased down 322 with two balls to spare. Hyderabad’s chase was fuelled by Tilak Varma, who laid the foundation with a 106-ball 99.After four games, Agarawal is currently the second-highest run-getter in the 50-over competition, having racked up 428 runs in five innings. His strike rate of 117.26 is the highest among the current top five run-scorers.Agarawal’s up-turn in form comes at a time when Karnataka’s senior players are all on notice, with the selectors keen on handing opportunities to younger players. The selection churn has already led to the likes of Manish Pandey and K Gowtham finding themselves out of favour, while a number of other senior players, like R Samarth and Karun Nair, have found homes with other state sides.Related

Ayush Mhatre breaks Yashasvi Jaiswal's record for youngest to hit 150-plus in men's List A

Anmolpreet Singh hits third-fastest List A century off just 35 balls in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Samson and Pandey excluded from Vijay Hazare Trophy squads

Agarawal, who went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, has been in patchy form this season. He managed just 179 innings in seven innings at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. More importantly, he presided over Karnataka’s group-stage exit. In seven innings in the first half of the Ranji season, Agarawal managed just 203 runs at an average of 29.With four wins in five games, Karnataka are currently second in Group C, tied on 16 points with toppers Punjab. Mumbai, the T20 champions, are currently third with 12 points.Nair leads from the frontElsewhere, Agarawal’s former Karnataka teammate, Nair, has been in rip-roaring form for Vidarbha, whom he’s also captaining. Unbeaten in the competition, Nair’s scores so far read: 112*, 44*, 163* and 111*. The last of those knocks, also the most recent one, was instrumental in Vidarbha knocking the wind out of Tamil Nadu in Visakhapatnam, whose knockouts qualification has taken a slight hit.Nair currently sits on top of the run charts, his 430 runs in four innings coming at a strike rate of 116.21. His form has coincided with Vidarbha topping Group D with four wins in as many matches. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are currently second and third.Nair was also the team’s top-scorer at SMAT.File Photo: Prabhsimran Singh made 125 off 95 balls against Saurashtra•BCCI

Abhishek, Prabhsimran set recordsAbhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh, Punjab’s openers, put on 298 in their 424 for 5 against Saurashtra, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.This is the joint second-highest opening stand in the tournament history, equalling the record set by Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in 2022.Abhishek, also Punjab’s captain, hit a career-best 170, off just 96 balls, while Prabhsimran hit 125. The record for the highest opening stand is currently held by Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan and B Sai Sudharsan, who put on 416 against Arunachal in November 2022.Punjab’s 424 is also the joint fifth-highest total in Vijay Hazare history. Saurashtra’s Arpit Vasavada was their top scorer with 104, but they fell 57 short eventually.A game prior to that, Arshdeep Singh recorded his second List A five-for, taking 5 for 38, as Punjab beat Mumbai, in Ahmedabad. Prabhsimran then hit an unbeaten 150, off 101 balls, as Punjab chased down 249 in just 29 overs to gain a massive net-run-rate advantage over the rest of the pack.Earlier in the tournament, Prabhsimran’s cousin, Anmolpreet Singh, recorded the third-fastest List A hundred – off 35 balls – against Arunachal.Mhatre – fast climbing up the ladderMumbai’s Ayush Mhatre set a new record for the youngest player to score 150-plus in List A cricket, during Mumbai’s clash against Nagaland on Tuesday. Mahtre did it at 17 years and 268 days, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record (17 years, 291 days).Mhatre, who made his debut for Mumbai earlier this season, clobbered 11 sixes and 15 fours to make 181 off only 117 balls while powering his side to an imposing 403 for 7, which was 189 too many for Nagaland.

da bet vitoria： Andre Onana was once seen as a huge signing for Manchester United, having the potential to offer an upgrade on David de Gea after the Spaniard was released back in 2023.

da dobrowin： The Red Devils forked out a fee in the region of £47.2m to sign him from Inter Milan back in the same summer, with the deal seen as an astute piece of business at the time.

However, nearly two years on from his big-money move to Old Trafford, the Cameroonian has failed to deliver, producing numerous howlers that have cost Ruben Amorim’s side in key moments.

He’s registered eight errors leading to goals this season, undoubtedly being at fault for conceding Brennan Johnson’s effort, which ultimately saw them suffer defeat in the Europa League final.

It’s a surprise to no one to see other targets being considered during the summer transfer window, with a new shot-stopper desperately needed if the club are to take the next step in the years ahead.

The latest on United’s hunt for a new goalkeeper

Earlier this summer, Burnley ‘keeper James Trafford was seen as a viable option for United, with his tally of 29 clean sheets this season catching the eye – but no deal has yet progressed for the former Manchester City youngster.

Champions League winner Gianluigi Donnarumma was also seen as a potential addition, but their quest for his signature has been foiled after the Italian stated his desire to remain at PSG.

As a result, the Red Devils have had to take their efforts elsewhere, appearing to be heading in the right direction over a move to sign Lille star Lucas Chevalier, according to TEAMtalk.

Their report claims that Amorim’s side has opened talks with the 23-year-old’s agents as they bid to sign a player who kept 11 clean sheets in his 34 Ligue 1 outings throughout 2024/25.

It also states they face competition from fellow English side Aston Villa, with the French outfit demanding a fee in the region of £50m to part ways with the promising talent this window.

Why Cheavlier would be a better signing than Martinez for United

As previously mentioned, United have been working hard to identify a new goalkeeper for Amorim in recent weeks, subsequently turning their attention to Villa’s Emiliano Martínez in recent days.

The Argentine has been one of Europe’s most impressive shot-stoppers in recent seasons, claiming the Goalkeeper of the Year award twice in the last three years.

This season has been no different, winning the league’s Save of the Season award, but looks set to depart Unai Emery’s side, with sales needed to avoid a PSR breach.

It’s been reported that they are demanding £40m for the 32-year-old this summer, with the player himself said to be keen on a switch to join the Red Devils.

However, the club should look past Martinez in the coming months and put their focus onto Chevalier, with the Frenchman providing a better option for Amorim’s side.

At only 23, he has the potential to grow into one of Europe’s leading talents in such a position, even outperforming Martinez in numerous key areas this campaign – subsequently highlighting the talent he possesses.

The Lille number one, who’s been labelled “unbelievable” by one analyst, has conceded fewer goals and kept more clean sheets in 2024/25 – handing United the quality they’ve been lacking between the sticks.

How Chevalier compares to Martinez in 2024/25

Statistics (per 90)

Chevalier

Martinez

Games played

34

37

Goals conceded

36

45

Clean sheets

11

8

Save percentage

75%

69%

Saves made per 90

2.8

2.7

Pass accuracy

80%

78%

Errors leading to goals

0

1

Stats via FBref

He’s also achieved a better save percentage and made more saves per 90, highlighting why he would be a better and higher-quality addition despite his tender age.

Chevalier has starred with the ball at his feet, completing more passes and registering fewer errors that lead to goals, offering Amorim the option to play out from the back should he want it.

Whilst £50m may appear to be a hefty figure for a young ‘keeper, the Lille star has demonstrated that he’s a competent option that’s only going to get better in the years to come.

Martinez would likely be a solid short-term solution to the current issue, but Chevalier could easily be the club’s number one for the next decade, with the hierarchy needing to prioritise a move for his signature over the Argentine this summer.

Related He's perfect for Mbeumo: Wilcox opens talks to sign £35m star for Man Utd

Manchester United could be about to make a move for another young gem this summer.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Jun 25, 2025

In another era, Woakes may well have been England’s premier swing bowler for a decade

George Dobell02-Sep-2021In another era, an era without James Anderson, Chris Woakes may well have been England’s premier swing bowler for a decade. And in another era, an era without Ben Stokes, Woakes may have been England’s premier seam-bowling all-rounder, too.But sometimes it seems it is Woakes’ destiny to be the supporting actor to the Oscar-winning star; the sidekick to the hero; the straight man to the comic. Despite his outstanding record – and it might be remembered he was England’s player of the year in 2020 – he had not played a Test in more than a year and, if England were at full-strength – with Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad and Stokes et al available – there’s every chance Woakes would have been overlooked once again.He should, by rights, be a star in his own right. Instead you get the impression that, when he is recognised in public, people come up and ask what it’s like to play with Stokes. You imagine Stokes doesn’t get that in reverse.So it was pretty typical that he should end without a five-for after the first day of the LV= Insurance Test at the Kia Oval. It wasn’t that he didn’t deserve one – he surely did – but more that it seems more than a little typical that he shouldn’t quite gain the credit he is due. He has a better bowling average in England (22.47) than either Anderson (24.06) or Broad (25.78) but, aged 32, he has played only 39 Tests.He provided a reminder of his abilities here. Generating movement that none of his colleagues, even Anderson, could match, and bowling at a slightly quicker pace, Woakes maintained a probing off-stump line and claimed four wickets to help his side gain the upper-hand on the first day of this match. In English conditions at least, he really does demand selection.Related

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It should have been even better. There were two dropped chances off Woakes’ bowling, both of them in a slip cordon that seems to change every time you look at it. Virat Kohli, poking at a beauty which left him, one of those fortunate to survive. How like Woakes to defeat the best player and still end up without the wicket. His figures (3-19 from 11 overs at one stage) were dented by a late assault from Shardul Thakur, too.Maybe a reminder of Woakes’ skills required. He hadn’t played a first-class game for more than a year – his previous one, the final Test against Pakistan last summer, finished on August 25, 2020 – and has had a frustrating time of late. Having been sidelined in Sri Lanka after being deemed a close contact of Moeen Ali, who had been diagnosed with Covid, he then found himself surplus to requirements in India. As an IPL player, he was not considered for the Test series against New Zealand and then suffered a freak heel injury, sustained when he slipped down some stairs, which kept him out of the first three Tests of this series.Joe Root recently described Woakes’ last year as a “nightmare,” but Woakes, typically, was more phlegmatic.”There are a lot of people in the world who have had a lot worse 18 months than me,” he said. “But it has been a weird time. And I was absolutely desperate to play cricket again. It’s felt like a long time coming. I do feel I’ve missed out a bit by not being able to build on the year I had before [in 2020] but I loved it today. They were good conditions in which to bowl and I was happy to show what I could do again.”You wonder if that unassuming affability has sometimes held Woakes back. You can’t imagine him taking to TV, as Broad once did, to bemoan the decision to leave him out of a side, can you? Or posting videos of himself on social media, as Anderson once did, to prove his fitness to reluctant selectors. He is not a sulker, a moaner or a prima donna. He spent several months in bio-bubbles over the winter without bowling a red ball in anger. He didn’t utter so much as a tut. Maybe, at times, he should make it slightly less comfortable for coaches to leave him out.”I don’t look at it that way,” he said. “It’s well publicised that my record in England is much better than my record away. But I played a lot of cricket last summer. I like to think that, had I been available this summer, I would have been in the first XI.”Chris Woakes celebrates the wicket of Rishabh Pant•Getty ImagesWoakes’ reputation as a home-track bully is understandable. He takes his wickets in England at a cost of 22.47 apiece, but overseas they cost him 51.68. But it might also be a bit outdated.When Darren Gough worked with the England team as a bowling consultant, towards the end of 2019, he encouraged Woakes to forget about floating the kookaburra ball up in the hope of gaining swing. Instead he encouraged him to hit the pitch harder – as hard as he could – on a length in a bid to extract anything he could from the seam and surface.Combined with his other skills – not least the wobble-seam, which is a relatively new addition to his armoury – this seemed to add an edge to Woakes’ game. In two overseas Tests since (one of them on the bowlers’ graveyard that is Hamilton) he claimed seven wickets (including that of Kane Williamson) at a cost of 25.71. It’s a small sample size, but his potential value in Australia shouldn’t be discounted at this stage.It was no coincidence that Woakes’ introduction into the attack coincided with England seizing the initiative in this match. India were 28 without loss after eight overs when Woakes came on. He didn’t concede a run in his first three overs – there was only one scoring stroke in his first five-over spell – and, with Ollie Robinson (8-6-8-1) equally frugal at the other end, England delivered seven successive maidens at one stage.The pressure brought two wickets, with Woakes dismissing Rohit Sharma in his first over with one that lifted and left him to take the edge. Later Ravi Jadeja poked at one which left him, Rishabh Pant was defeated by a slower ball – a reminder of Woakes’ limited-overs skills which, but for Stokes’ brilliance, might have been player of the match in the World Cup final – and Thakur was beaten by one which nipped back.Woakes later confessed that, having “not played a lot of red ball cricket,” he was more than a little nervous and concentrated on his core skill of moving the ball away from the right-handers. “I knew the lads have had some success with the wobble seam, so I tried that more than I usually would,” he said. “And thankfully, I got away with the nerves as the surface was responsive and I got that early wicket.”He confessed, too, that the efforts of bowling 15 overs would hurt him tomorrow. But it will be sweet pain. He had waited a long time for this and had proved, once again, that England are lucky to have him.

On a sluggish wicket, he scored 79 off 84 to keep India on track in the chase and showed he can still thrive under pressure

Hemant Brar19-Jan-20222:00

Manjrekar: India must tweak their line-up to make middle order ‘wholesome’

“Champions thrive under pressure.” That was Shikhar Dhawan’s message to India’s Under-19 cricketers ahead of their World Cup campaign in the West Indies. Having struck three centuries in the 2004 edition of the tournament, Dhawan knows what it takes to perform there. But he could have used the same words to motivate himself too.At 36, Dhawan is in the twilight of his career. Last July, he led a second-string Indian side to Sri Lanka and hoped to utilise the tour to make his place “stronger” for the 2021 T20 World Cup. Dhawan has stepped up his T20 game in the last couple of years, but the selectors preferred Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as their openers for the global tournament.Related

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One justification behind Dhawan’s exclusion could have been that a top three of Rohit, Dhawan and Virat Kohli makes the T20I side too anchor heavy. When Chetan Sharma, the chairman of selectors, was asked about it, he said, “He is a very important player for us… The need of the hour was that we wanted to look at other players while we give rest to Dhawan.”Make of it what you will but the bottom line is ODIs is now the only format Dhawan finds a place in. But in stand-in captain Rahul’s words, Dhawan was “in a great space” coming into the South Africa series.”He’s a senior player, he understands exactly what is expected of him,” Rahul said on the eve of the first ODI. “He has come out here and is really having fun, really enjoying his cricket. For me as a captain, it will just be about trying to keep him in that space, and give him that confidence and freedom to go out there and do what he has been doing for so many years.”On Wednesday, Dhawan did exactly that. Chasing 297 on a sluggish wicket, he scored 79 off 84 to keep India on track. South Africa eventually won by a comfortable margin but Dhawan’s knock once again underlined his value in the ODI side and showed he can still thrive under pressure.Shikhar Dhawan lays into a drive•AFP/Getty ImagesWith the pitch helping spinners and the ball not coming on to the bat, South Africa opened the bowling with part-time offspinner Aiden Markram. While Rahul played Markram cautiously, Dhawan skipped down the track and lofted him over mid-on.From the other end, he hit Marco Jansen to the square boundary on either side of the wicket. That meant despite Rahul scoring 12 off 17 balls, India’s scoring rate hovered around five.Keshav Maharaj was introduced in the tenth over but started with a wayward delivery down the leg side and Dhawan enchased that too for four.Luck was on his side as well. In the second over of the innings, he got inside edge off Jansen but the ball missed the stumps and went for four. Later, when he was on 43, he played back to a fuller delivery from Maharaj and got an outside edge but with no slip in place, it fetched him another boundary.That meant Dhawan reached his fifty off just 51 balls without taking much risk. Along with Kohli, he added 92 off 102 balls for the second wicket to put India in a commanding position.But with the target still 159 runs away, Maharaj got one to turn sharply from outside off. Dhawan was shaping for a cut and was bowled. Kohli fell soon after, which allowed South Africa to wrest back control.