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Having threatened to pull off a win over a big team in their first three matches of the Super 10 stage, Afghanistan finally went ahead and did it against the group-topping West Indies in Nagpur

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur27-Mar-2016

Having threatened to pull off a win over a big team in their first three matches of the Super 10 stage, Afghanistan finally went ahead and did it against the group-topping West Indies in Nagpur. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Afghanistan’s batting coach, praised his team’s self-belief, and reiterated the call for more opportunities to play against the Full Members.”All our previous matches have been close,” Inzamam said. “There haven’t been one-sided matches, it’s not like a team makes 200 against us and we are all out for 100 or 150. The team has been fighting, and the belief was always there.”But Afghanistan haven’t had that exposure of winning against big teams. The finishing point has not been seen yet. But now that we have won this, it will definitely help. And we had a strong belief that if we can come so close, we can win too. Today it has happened. We could have won against England, there was a close game against Sri Lanka too. So we knew we had the potential to win, but you still need that win. The more we play against big teams, the more we’ll learn, and can perform even better.”One of the players who displayed strong self-belief was the left-arm spinner Amir Hamza. Having been hit for 25 runs in one over in his last match, against England, he took the new ball, bowled three of his four overs in the Powerplay, and finished with figures of 4-0-9-1.”He’s one of our main bowlers,” Inzamam said. “Sometimes we need to make changes in the XI as per the conditions, and as per the player’s form. But he is a seasoned player and a terrific bowler. In the last match, he conceded 25 runs in one over, but he didn’t let it affect his confidence. Today, at a crucial point, he bowled well.”Sent in to bat, Afghanistan posted 123 for 7. Inzamam felt the total was perhaps 15 or 20 runs below par given the conditions, but said the team made it up with their bowling and fielding.”If you see, chases have been difficult on this ground,” he said. “Even in the last game, West Indies could chase 123 against South Africa only in the last over. India also played earlier and were all out for 79 [against New Zealand]. So it’s not easy to get runs in the second innings on this ground.”And we knew that, so it’s not like we had started out thinking we should get 160-170. Our target was 140 to 150, we thought we could put pressure [on West Indies] if we had that total. So we thought we fell maybe 15-20 runs short, but I think the boys fielded excellently. They caught well and saved 10-15 runs on the field. That covered the runs we couldn’t make while batting.”West Indies were playing their second match of the tournament in Nagpur, while Afghanistan – who had won three out of three first-round matches at the venue – were playing their fourth. Inzamam said Afghanistan’s knowledge of the conditions gave them an edge on the day.”We thought we knew this ground better than West Indies, we had already played three matches here, practised a lot here. We had an idea about the pitch and the ground, and that helped us mentally as well as on the ground. The bowlers knew how to bowl on the pitch, the batsmen had an idea, and we spoke about this in our team meeting yesterday also – that we definitely know these conditions better than West Indies.”Inzamam has been part of the Afghanistan backroom since October 2015. Asked how long he intended to stay on in the role, he said he would sit with the Afghanistan Cricket Board at the end of his current term and take a mutual decision.”I am with them for a year now, so I’m looking at [finishing] that first. After a year is up, we have to decide whether they want to keep me or not too. It has to be both ways. I have five-six months left and, inshallah, they will go well.”

Newcastle United ended their recent wobble by edging past Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park on Sunday evening, with Eddie Howe’s men claiming all three points for the first time since beating Fulham back in January.

Having gone five Premier League games without a win – as well as losing in the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United – the Magpies had hit something of a rocky patch heading into yesterday’s encounter, with the club’s top-four hopes beginning to ebb way.

Despite those recent frustrations, the Tynesiders produced an excellent response to see off Julen Lopetegui’s side, with goals from Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron proving the difference either side of Hwang Hee-chan’s close-range effort.

That impressive showing proved a welcome return to the side for midfield star, Joe Willock, with the former Arsenal man – who hadn’t started in the league since the draw with West Ham United – leading the way with his 7.8 match rating, as per Sofascore.

That eye-catching display from the 23-year-old saw the playmaker register an assist for Almiron’s late strike and provide two key passes in total, having also completed four of his six dribbles and won a solid six ground duels.

The London-born dynamo was not the only figure to have proven his worth in that 2-1 triumph, however, with compatriot Jacob Murphy also making the most of what was a rare start in the league.

How did Murphy perform against Wolves?

While Murphy has been a regular fixture under Howe during the latter man’s tenure to date – having featured more frequently than any other player in that time – the 28-year-old has largely been an impact player off the bench this season, making just six league starts thus far.

As such, it was undoubtedly a bold call for the Newcastle boss to include the winger in his starting lineup for the visit of the Old Gold, although the experienced asset seemingly passed that test with flying colours.

As the Chronicle’s Jordan Cronin stated, Murphy deserves a “special mention” for his performance against the Midlands side, having “more than justified his selection” despite the initial concern over his inclusion in the side.

The former Norwich City speedster simply ‘ran himself into the ground’ in that relentless display down the right flank, as per journalist Lee Ryder, notably winning four duels as a marker of that willing work ethic.

The £35k-per-week machine also attempted five crosses and completed 12 of his 16 passes, having showcased a real desire to make things happen in the final third – even while losing possession on 13 occasions.

There is, undoubtedly, a need for the 5 foot 10 menace to provide a greater end product when it matters, although it will be truly invaluable for Howe to have such a committed and hard-working figure to call upon when needed.

With January arrival Anthony Gordon facing a brief spell on the sidelines due to injury, there is now likely to be an even greater onus on Murphy to perform, with Sunday’s 85-minute outing seemingly indicating that the Wembley-born gem is up to the task.

Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas has been praised for his ‘fantastic play’ during the Premier League game vs Wolverhampton Wanderers by journalist Ian Doyle.

The Lowdown: Victory at Anfield

The Reds were the hosts at Anfield on Wednesday night as they secured a 2-0 victory over the Old Gold thanks to two second-half goals from Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The Greece international was named in the starting line-up by Jurgen Klopp and had a wonderful impact on the game, providing the assist for the Egyptian striker to seal all three points.

The Latest: Doyle’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Doyle was quick to applaud Tsimikas for his work rate to burst into the box and lay it on a plate for Salah. He wrote:

“Fantastic play down the left by Tsimikas, who ran on to a Gakpo pass, delayed and delayed and delayed and then picked the right pass to cut back for Salah to score.”

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The Verdict: Standout performer

Liverpool picked up a much-needed win over Wolves, and Tsimikas’s contribution certainly helped them get the result over the line.

The left-back, labelled ‘excellent’ on the night by Dave O’Connell, was his side’s second-best performing player, earning a match rating of 7.7, slightly behind Van Dijk, who came in at 8.2 for his goal and captaincy on the night (SofaScore).

The Reds star also had an 85% pass accuracy and registered two key passes, highlighting the positive impact he made under the lights.

Tsimikas has only been handed six league starts this season, but after a performance like this, Klopp may now have to consider increasing his involvement in the weeks ahead.

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

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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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  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.

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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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  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.

Everton are looking at strengthening their front line this summer, as Sean Dyche hopes to get the Blues firing to avoid a repeat of last season’s lows.

Recent reports have now revealed who they could target before the end of the transfer window, in a name that could significantly bolster the Toffee’s efforts in the final third.

Dyche confirmed his side’s survival on the final day last term, with it being vital that the Merseyside club move away from their form of being relegation candidates in the top flight.

Who could Everton sign this summer?

It’s clear that Everton are pondering making a move for a forward this summer, with links to Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto and Southampton’s Che Adams consuming recent speculation surrounding the club.

There has however been another name arise as a contender for Dyche to chase, with Troyes winger Mama Balde identified as a target for the Blues.

As reported by journalist Mike Minay, the 27-year-old has gained significant interest from the Premier League, with Burnley, Sheffield United and the Toffee’s named as those eyeing the Ligue 1 whiz.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

Minay added that a deal for the Guinea-Bissau forward could be struck for a fee in the region of €8m (£7m), making him an affordable acquisition for the Blues.

What is Mama Balde’s playing style?

Deployed primarily as a right-winger, Balde is just as efficient on the left flank, making him a strong and versatile forward to have in the squad.

Identified for his “pace and power” by writer Liam Scahill, as well as being lauded as an “impressive attacking weapon”, the 27-year-old could be the perfect addition for Dyche to integrate into his squad.

In Ligue 1 last term, the versatile attacker netted 12 goals and recorded four assists for Troyes, who struggled in the top flight throughout the campaign, seeing them relegated to Ligue 2.

The Guinea-Bissau international’s contribution to playing within a side that was far from at their best highlighted just how much of a threat he is, showing up when his team needed him most.

Praised as being a “really strong” asset in the attack by former teammate Tristan Dingome, Balde could be the ideal player for Everton, in a talent that could compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Englishman has had a trialling couple of years, juggling injury with poor form at Goodison Park that has seen his goal tally take a bruising compared to 16-goal Premier League season of 2020/21.

Since then, the 26-year-old has netted just seven goals over the last two league campaigns, prompting that the introduction of some competition could bolster the striker’s performance.

Balde could not only add to the goals for the club, but promote a healthy rivalry with Calvert-Lewin, in a move that could positively encourage the Englishman to raise his game for the good of the club, and his confidence.

The Troyes forward has netted 15 goals over the last two seasons to the jaded Blues talisman’s seven, suggesting just how he could improve Dyche’s options in the front line.

On the other side, the Ligue 1 gem could be the perfect addition to accompany Calvert-Lewin in leading the line, with him being flexible in his ability to be deployed in various positions around the striker.

For a fee expected to be lower the £10m mark, the Blues could land themselves a strong acquisition that could finally improve their fortunes this season.

After all, having failed to score in their first two outings, they could certainly do with some added firepower.

Alastair Cook carried his bat for 244 not out but England’s hopes of victory were hampered by the weather and some obdurate batting

Report by Brydon Coverdale29-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe weather, it seems, is not England’s friend. At the WACA, they needed final-day rain to keep the series alive; despite a lengthy delay due to leaking covers, there was not enough wetness to prevent an Australian victory. And now at the MCG, England’s push for a consolation win has been hampered by heavy and persistent rain that washed out half of the fourth day’s play. By stumps, Australia still trailed by 61 runs but had eight wickets in hand, with their two best batsmen at the crease.The day started with Alastair Cook becoming the highest scorer ever to carry his bat in Test cricket, before England further strengthened their position by claiming two wickets before lunch. However, Steven Smith and David Warner then steadied Australia with a patient partnership which, along with the weather, loomed as the key to the match. When play was abandoned, with only 44 overs bowled in the day, they had steered Australia steadily to 2 for 103.