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The two opening batsmen have more in common than just their placid demeanours and astronomical strike rates

Aakash Chopra17-May-2011A poll on a social-networking site recently declared Chris Gayle a far more destructive batsman than Virender Sehwag. When Gayle arrived in the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp last month, their two-year purple patch in the IPL had been crushed and the team were preparing for a premature exit. When Sehwag joined a depleted Delhi Daredevils, little did he know that he would have to single-handedly steer his team through his time in this IPL.But while Gayle’s first-game heroics battered the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sehwag’s ferocious intent couldn’t do much to change Delhi’s kismet. Unlike Gayle, who had Virat Kohli and AB de Villers to back his explosive style, Sehwag didn’t have a strong batting line-up supporting him. Delhi won each time Sehwag clicked but it didn’t happen often enough.Though Gayle and Sehwag are both big-hitters, match-winners, and brutal on all bowling attacks, you wouldn’t quite think their batting styles are comparable. Let’s give it a shot, though.Footwork
Most batsmen have a trigger movement before the bowler delivers the ball. It could be a slight shuffle across, a small press or something else that helps you get moving before the ball is delivered, which in turn helps you get into position quickly. But both Gayle and Sehwag stay completely still till as late as possible before a delivery.The quicker the bowler, the more crucial these movements, for you don’t want to be late for the ball. But these movements can also give away a batsman’s preferences in terms of strokes and scoring areas. For instance, if he goes back and across, chances are he’s looking for a full ball and transferring his weight on to the back leg. The only movement from that position will be a forward press. Likewise, if he plants his foot in front, he prefers short-pitched deliveries.But these apply only to lesser mortals; great batsmen can do without. Both Gayle and Sehwag move only when the ball leaves the hand of the bowler, and hence give nothing away. In fact, even when they do move, their movements are restricted to the minimum.The lack of foot movement may have its pitfalls but their quick hands make up. When you can’t reach the delivery with your feet, the chances of missing it increase, but both these batsmen have mastered the art of throwing their arms at the ball. And the minimal movement ensures they rarely find themselves in awkward positions that might lead to their playing off-position shots.Sharp eyes
Gayle’s and Sehwag’s batting seems to be based on the simple technique of see ball, hit ball. This approach can only be effective if you do the first part right. While most good players pick the line and length quickly, what separates these two from the rest is their ability to pick slower balls and other variations with ease. Love Ablish, the Kings XI Punjab medium-pacer, changes his pace and disguises his deliveries well, but he couldn’t fox Gayle who delayed his downswing a fraction to send the ball over the ropes.Ashish Nehra once told me that there are only two batsmen in the Indian team, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who, when countering sudden changes in pace, don’t turn their aggressive stroke into a defensive prod. Instead they wait a fraction longer and at times even convert a defensive prod into a lofted drive. Most batsmen would be too early on the shot while facing a well-disguised slower one, but not these two.

What makes Gayle and Sehwag even more dangerous is that they don’t need to go down the track or generate momentum to send a spinner for six

Hitting from the crease
What makes Gayle and Sehwag even more dangerous is that they don’t need to go down the track or generate bbody momentum to send a spinner for six. While Gayle prefers to give the fast bowlers the charge every now and then, like Sehwag he stays put in the crease when facing spinners. Both trust the downswing in their back-lifts to generate enough power, and it rarely ever fails them.Astute brains
Since their batting looks simple and uncomplicated, most people discount the tactical shrewdness of these two. If the ball moves prodigiously at the start, they are happy to bide time. Even in Twenty20 games, like they did against Punjab and Deccan Chargers respectively, where they allowed the early swing to fade away before exploding.Gayle and Sehwag always target certain bowlers in the opposition and play strokes that may look ambitious but are percentage shots. They also trick bowlers by wildly heaving at and missing deliveries intentionally. Once, in a domestic game on a poor surface, Sehwag stepped down the track and played a rather ambitious shot, only to miss the ball by a mile. It looked suicidal but he had a plan in mind. He charged the bowler because he wanted to force him to shorten his length, which he did the following ball, to be dispatched to the fence. Gayle does the same against many quick bowlers only to sit deep inside the crease on the following ball. There are astute cricket brains working behind those rather calm facades.Both Gayle and Sehwag may have two Test triple-centuries to their names, but their recent performances in Twenty20 have been just as pleasurable to watch. Unless, of course, you are the hapless prey in their sights.

The CSK captain is also not worried about Pathirana as he has more death-bowling options to choose from

Alagappan Muthu22-Mar-20252:05

Cricinformed: MS Dhoni, CSK’s 43-year-old six machine

MS Dhoni arrived in Chennai in February to prepare for IPL 2025. He doesn’t play any cricket in between. He’s 43 years old. And he remains as important to Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) chances of success as he has ever been, performing the same role that he used to play – the finisher – but in a reduced capacity: batting for a couple of overs, trying to hit everything out of the ground.”I think his training is very much limited to whatever he tries to achieve,” Ruturaj Gaikwad, the CSK captain, said on the eve of their game against Mumbai Indians. “Or whatever his role would be in the IPL. So, it is pretty much very simple, focused on trying to hit as much as sixes as possible and trying to get the right swing, trying to be in the best shape.”That is what I think initially he was trying to do. And then I never thought he was out of shape even on the first day. So, I think obviously he is special – he’s done it for so many years.Related

• Ashwin, Dhoni and their history of funvention

• CSK vs MI – the greatest hits in the IPL over the years

• Nine current IPL players who also featured in 2008

• CSK look ready for spin to win again in Chennai

• Dhoni: 'I just want to enjoy the game for the next few years'

“So, definitely that always will be there. If you see now even Sachin Tendulkar is batting as great as he is right even now at the age of 50 [51]. So, I think still many years to go.”Dhoni recently spoke about his cricket career, which began way back in 2005, and how he sees himself playing for a few years yet.”I want to enjoy it,” he said at the launch of one of his apps last month, “how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4 o’clock (in the afternoon) was sports time, so we’ll go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather doesn’t permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence (but it is) easier said than done.”MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja tune up for IPL 2025•PTI

CSK are enjoying the benefits of that. “I mean everyday we get to see him,” Gaikwad said. “Obviously, it inspires [us] a lot. A lot of new players have joined the team and sometimes they, as professional cricketers, struggle to strike the ball as good as he is striking it right now.”So, definitely it inspires a lot of us including myself, including everyone from the group. So, whatever he is doing at the age of 43, I think it is remarkable. It is really commendable.”And definitely, he will be looking to contribute in the best way he can. But I mean we have certain strengths that we have been following since last two years. So, I think nothing much really changes and hopefully he will continue to deliver those crucial knocks for us.”CSK are known to stick to a set formula, especially when playing at home, and now their XI is likely to include three high quality spinners.
“When you have someone like [R] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja and we have Noor [Ahmed]. I think we always wanted someone in our bowling department who can be an aggressive bowler, who can come in and take wickets at regular intervals. And there were very few in the auction pool. So, we wanted to get the best whoever is available, and I think Noor is right up there. So, hopefully if conditions suit us, definitely he will be a great threat for opposition.”Chepauk has a history of assisting spinners, but that wasn’t the case last season. It’s resulted in them relying on their fast bowlers in recent seasons. Death-overs specialist Matheesha Pathirana is their second-highest wicket-taker since making his debut in 2022. Pathirana appears to have made a change to his bowling action, where his arm is a little higher than it used to be on release. CSK lost him to injury towards the back end of last season, when they were unable to make the playoffs.”He [Pathirana] is definitely in a good shape and we had a good look at him in the practice game that we had,” Gaikwad said. “But what this year we have done in the options as well, I think we have got very good fast bowlers as back-ups.”We have Mukesh [Choudhary] who is bowling really well. We have Khaleel [Ahmed] as well, who is right up there in the Indian team. Anshul Kamboj has done really well in the domestic circuit. Gurjapneet [Singh] is there. [Kamlesh] Nagarkoti is there, who really impressed me in the pre-season. So, we have a good set of fast bowlers this year. We have [Nathan] Ellis as well. So, I think I am not really worried about that back-up option. But it is always good to have Pathirana in the team. But as I said, I am not really worried about if he is there or not.”

Nottingham Forest are weighing up a swap deal for Sevilla’s Jose Angel Carmona, with Sevilla showing interest in David Carmo.

• Forest weighing up swap deal for Carmona with Carmo going to Sevilla
• Carmona valued at €12 million, Carmo at €10 million
• Spaniards see defender as perfect replacement for Bade

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , the  clubs are in talks over a potential swap deal with Sevilla valueing Carmona at €12 million while Forest have a €10m asking price on  Carmo. 

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Carmona rose through the ranks in Sevilla's academy before being sent out on loan to El Che and Getafe before being a starting left back at Sevilla last season. He appeared 36 times for Sevilla last season as they finished 17th last season. Carmona comes as a target for Forest after their failed pursuit of Manchester City defender Rico Lewis as he decided to extend his contract with City.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Carmo, signed from Porto, spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Olympiakos. Sevilla coach Matias Almeyda knows him well from his time managing rivals AEK Athens, while sporting director Monchi sees Carmo as the ideal replacement for Loic Bade, who is close to joining Bayer Leverkusen.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR FOREST AND SEVILLA?

  Forest will hope to complete the signing of Carmona after missing out on Lewis while Sevilla will hope to complete the signing of Carmo to replace Bade.

The series would serve as an appetiser for the hosts to the bonanza of the upcoming PSL

Danyal Rasool10-Feb-2021

Big Picture

After an entertaining Test series where the 2-0 scoreline belied the competitiveness of the cricket, Pakistan and South Africa move on to the shortest format. This is a series both sides will cherish for very different reasons. For Pakistan, it serves as an appetiser to a five-week-long bonanza of T20 cricket in the shape of the PSL which starts later this month, and will mark, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the presence of crowds for a cricket match. The visitors, on the other hand, can put their heart and soul into these three matches, not knowing when they play next, following Cricket Australia’s controversial decision to call off their tour to South Africa citing Covid-19 concerns.Pakistan have to be the clear favourites simply because of the youthful, inexperienced side South Africa line up with. Initially selected because they wanted to keep their senior players rested for the now-cancelled Australia tour, South Africa opted to stick with that fresh-faced side, a far cry from the team that ended Pakistan’s record-breaking 11 T20I series-winning streak two years ago.Related

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Pakistan will look to put an indifferent performance in the T20I series against New Zealand behind them, while hoping to replicate the spirit of the Napier T20I, where they pulled off a victory from a deeply unfavourable position. At home, meanwhile, they have been solid in T20I cricket since a disastrous 3-0 reverse against a severely depleted Sri Lanka side 18 months ago. However, the wins since then have only come against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and South Africa represent the biggest threat to that recent uptick in T20I form, no matter the absences.South Africa’s most experienced player David Miller admitted they would come under heavy pressure, and recent form indicates that. The visitors have not won any of their last five T20I series, last triumphing against Sri Lanka nearly two years ago. Heinrich Klaasen captains them on this tour, but with little obvious firepower either with bat or ball, his side will have to produce a level they have struggled to attain of late to seriously test a well-drilled Pakistan side that knows the Lahore conditions inside out.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLLWW
South Africa LLLLW

In the spotlight

Haider Ali misfiring in New Zealand meant Pakistan were left a bit short on firepower in the powerplay, and a return to form would give the home side an invaluable boost. With Fakhar Zaman’s form declining and Mohammad Rizwan, despite his Napier heroics, not quite explosive enough to hold down a permanent opening spot, Haider’s emergence has been perfectly timed. Alongside Babar Azam, who is set to return after his absence in New Zealand, Pakistan have the perfect mix of quality and power at the top. Haider demonstrated the sort of impact he could have on a game on debut against England and at home versus Zimbabwe, and with the PSL – where he shot to prominence – right around the corner, he likes this time of year.Janneman Malan will be high on confidence following scores of 67, 95 and 69* in his last four List A matches•Associated Press

In a fairly inexperienced touring party, Janneman Malan stands out for his pedigree and quality. Arguably one of the players who might have earned a call-up in a full-strength side, Malan’s recent form makes him one of South Africa’s trump cards this series. It might have come in the 50-over format, but 67, 95 and 69* in his last List A matches – coupled with a match-winning 129 not out against Australia last year – means confidence isn’t something the 24-year old will be short of. A strike rate in excess of 135 in T20 cricket is indicative of Malan’s potential in the shortest format, and there’s little reason this couldn’t be his breakout series.

Team news

Azam’s availability means Rizwan will likely drop lower down the order despite his heroics in New Zealand. Asif Ali and Hasan Ali are likely starters, while Shaheen Afridi may get a rest.Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Haider Ali, 3 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 4 Khushdil Shah, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Hussain Talat, 7 Faheem Ashraf/Iftikhar Ahmed, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Usman QadirGlenton Stuurman and Pite van Biljon may start for South Africa, while a spin-heavy strategy could see George Linde, Jon-Jon Smuts and Tabraiz Shamsi all feature.South Africa: 1 Janneman Malan, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Jon-Jon Smuts, 4 David Miller, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (capt &wk), 6 Pite van Biljon, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 George Linde, 9 Lutho Sipamla 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Glenton Stuurman

Pitch and conditions

Dry, sunny weather of late in Lahore means that true to form, the Gaddafi surface should be a belter for run-scoring. There’s no inclement weather about either, and a full game should play out.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have never lost a T20I series to Pakistan.
• Statistically, there isn’t an obvious answer as to what the side winning the toss should do at the Gaddafi Stadium. Batting first has resulted in six wins in T20Is, while chasing has produced five.
• Miller needs 99 runs this series to leapfrog his teammate Faf du Plessis as the third-highest T20I run-scorer for South Africa.

Quotes

“We are here to win. We are here to represent the Proteas in the best possible light, regardless if you’ve played your first game or your 100th game.”

Board under scrutiny as former official John Holder claims of ‘years of racism’ in appointments

George Dobell16-Nov-2020

Former Test umpire John Holder is among those calling for an independent inquiry into the lack of non-white match officials in English cricket.While Holder enjoyed almost three decades as a professional umpire, he is concerned that no non-white umpires have been appointed to the first-class list since 1992. He also claims there has never been a non-white Pitch Liaison Officer, Cricket Liaison Officer, Match Referee, Umpires’ Mentor or Umpires’ Coach.In partnership with Ismail Dawood, the former county player whose career in umpiring stalled when he could not gain promotion, Holder is now accusing the ECB of “years of racism” and calling for an independent QC-led investigation and an investigation from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.While the pair have shared many of their concerns with ECB officials, they say they have “no faith in the ECB handling of complaints” and have a dossier containing “evidence of deliberate obstruction and interference” in the handling of those complaints.ESPNcricinfo understands that a senior member of the ECB’s staff was recently suspended following claims of racial discrimination in connection with this issue. It is believed the employee, who we have chosen not to name, was cleared of wrong-doing and is expected to return to work shortly.Vanburn Holder, who retired at the end of the 2010 season, was the last non-white umpire on the ECB’s first-class list. He was also the last appointed to that list in 1992. While numerous other non-white candidates have expressed an interest in the profession – including high-profile figures such as Devon Malcolm – none have progressed.”I’ve lived in England for 56 years,” John Holder told ESPNcricinfo. “And I can tell you, hand on heart, I have never experienced racism before. But when you look at these figures, when you understand what is going on, it is hard to reach any other conclusion.”When I stopped working for the ICC, I contacted the ECB to offer my services to mentor umpires. I didn’t even get a reply. Instead, ex-players, some of whom have never stood as umpires, were appointed to the role. That is ludicrous. It’s like employing someone who can’t drive to be a driving instructor.”I’d have had no chance if I was looking to start a career as an umpire today. If Devon Malcolm, who is not only a fine cricketer but an exceptional man, cannot progress, what chance would I have had?”My suspicion is that there has been a definite policy of only employing whites for this position. There needs to be a transparent policy related to selecting, training and mentoring umpires, which presently does not exist.”Dawood, meanwhile, was described as a “sound, technical umpire” in his performance appraisal but was told that consideration also had to “made about who best fits in”. Dawood’s final year on the ECB’s reserve list was 2014.ALSO READ: What has English cricket been like for black players?”The glass ceiling is incredibly low for BAME individuals, with systematic racism at the heart,” Dawood says in a statement to be released shortly. “I feel I have encountered racial discrimination, dishonesty and misinformation, cronyism, bullying, all which is deep rooted in the organisation. It was an isolating place for a person from a BAME background.”The language I have heard over the years has been horrendous, words such as P**is, C**ns, N***ers featured from individuals attached to the ECB. Some of this language was used in front of Senior ECB managers, which I found extremely disturbing. Having worked in different progressive sectors to cricket, I feel the ECB is the last colonial outpost. It is archaic and any change is mere marketing rhetoric.”While unaware of being named in the statement, Malcolm supported the call for an independent inquiry.”It’s true that I did express an interest in umpiring,” Malcolm told ESPNcricinfo. “I love cricket and I love watching cricket. I did a bit of umpiring and it turned out I was pretty good.”But I was basically told ‘I wouldn’t bother if I was you’. It was quite a knock-back at the time. I felt there was no chance. A few years later, I had another go and I passed my Level One exams. But if my initial enquiry had met with a more positive response, I’d be well on my way by now.”We all know the lack of black players and coaches needs to be addressed. So yes, I’d support the calls for an enquiry. But it really would have to be independent.”The ECB, having been sent a draft of this piece, responded to ESPNcricinfo with a statement. It read: “Today’s group of professional umpires don’t reflect the diverse ECB we are determined to be. We want to see more BAME representation among our officials, and recognise we still have a long way to go as a game to achieve this.”Earlier this year we commissioned a full independent employment investigation into allegations made against an individual, and while these were not upheld, the investigation did identify areas where we need to be better and do more to be inclusive and diverse.”The ECB has now commissioned a review, with Board oversight, to look at how we can reform our approach to managing Match Officials. This will set out actions as to how we can improve our systems and processes to increase the diversity of umpiring, inspire the next generation of umpires and match referees, have a world class umpiring programme and ensure a culture of inclusivity and fairness throughout the umpiring system.”

When he came to the crease, his team needed 87 off 44 balls with five wickets in hand

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-Aug-2020T20 has evolved to the extent that teams now back themselves to chase two runs a ball over the last eight – or even last ten – overs of matches. Those sorts of chases, however, usually involve flat pitches and line-ups packed with hitting talent. On Saturday, Trinbago Knight Riders probably wouldn’t have backed themselves when Kieron Pollard walked to the crease on a slow Queen’s Park Oval pitch with 87 runs needed from 44 balls, and five wickets in hand.This was a Knight Riders line-up that lacked Sunil Narine at the top and Dwayne Bravo in the middle. This was a pitch on which Lendl Simmons, the batsman at the other end when Pollard came in, had hit three sixes but no other boundaries while scoring 31 off 26 balls.Simmons fell soon after Pollard came in, in the 15th over, for 32 off 29. That over, bowled by Mitchell Santner, and the 16th, bowled by Rashid Khan, brought the Knight Riders only six runs in total. That left them 66 to get off 24 balls.Only a handful of players are capable of pulling off such a task, and Pollard has shown repeatedly – despite having been written off on multiple occasions – that he’s one of them. This, given the modest support available to him from the other end, would be one of his best knocks if he could pull it off, and he did, laying waste to the Tridents’ death bowlers as if he were a 16-year-old ringer in an Under-12s game, launching nine massive sixes in a 28-ball 72 to ensure the Knight Riders stretched their perfect start to the tournament into their sixth game. He made 72 off 28 balls. When Pollard was at the crease, the batsmen at the other end, plus extras, combined to score 7 off 12 balls.Kieron Pollard clubs one over long-on•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Patriots’ allrounders come to the foreBefore Pollard’s innings, a different T20 game took place, and it would be prudent to note at the outset that Pollard played a key role in that game too. With Dwayne Bravo absent, he assumed the role of slower-ball specialist, mixing up his pace, changing his angles constantly – going over and around the wicket every alternate ball against the left-handers – sending down four overs – including the 16th and 20th of the Tridents’ innings – and conceding only 27 runs.That apart, though, the most influential performers were the Tridents’ allrounders. They’d begun sluggishly with the bat, but Ashley Nurse, Rashid and Santner – spin bowlers primarily, but excellent hitters at the death too – clattered a combined 39 off 18 balls to give them a more than fighting total of 148.Jason Holder, the Tridents’ premier allrounder, had failed with the bat, but he got his short ball to behave unpredictably off the pitch and delivered a double-wicket maiden in the second over of the chase. Rashid then bowled a single-wicket maiden, and the Knight Riders ended their Powerplay 27 for 3. Santner, for his part, used his seam-up variation cleverly and kept forcing the batsmen to hit the ball where he wanted them to hit it.Nurse had made an important contribution with the bat, but his one over went for 13, with Simmons launching two half-volleys for big sixes. When not handed freebies on a platter, though, Simmons struggled to score quickly, and with the rest of the top order utterly failing to get going, the Tridents were soon in a seemingly unassailable position. Seemingly.Enter PollardHayden Walsh, the Patriots’ fourth spinner, was also having a pretty good game. When he dismissed Akeal Hosein in the 13th over, his figures read 2.4-0-12-1. Not bad at all. But his first ball to Pollard was a sign of what was to come. It may have been a pretty good wrong’un to most other batsmen, but Pollard’s reach allows spinners only the smallest margin for error, and he slog-swept it for an emphatic first-ball six.When the 17th over began, Pollard had only hit two sixes – the other a ridiculously effortless loft over long-off, off Rashid – in 13 balls. By the time it ended, he had hit four more. With each, Pollard made the young legspinner doubt himself a little more, and by the time the over ended he was firing in quickish darts with little spin on them. That isn’t to say he would have held Pollard back if he’d bowled differently, of course.The contest now took on an entirely different complexion, and the next over brought the Knight Riders the sort of luck a winning team often needs in T20. Sikandar Raza had sacrificed his wicket off the first ball, just to get Pollard on strike, but only two runs came off the next three balls as Raymon Reifer tied Pollard and Khary Pierre down with his left-arm angle and changes of pace. The fifth ball was a pretty good ball too, a slower bouncer, but a top-edge got Pollard four runs. Then came a leg-side swipe off a blockhole ball on the stumps – it was a bit of a miscue, off the inside half of the bat, but all that mattered was that it sped away for four. It also brought up Pollard’s fifty, off 22 balls.The Knight Riders needed 31 now, off 12 balls, and there was nothing fortuitous about Pollard’s next two significant interventions. Holder had set a field for the wide yorker, and he got his line right and his length almost right – but almost isn’t enough sometimes. He erred in both line and length next ball, and Pollard launched him for another big straight six.There was still one final twist, of course. Pollard lifted the first ball of the final over beyond the long-on boundary to bring the equation down to 9 off 5, but was run out next ball, Holder firing in a spectacular throw – no bounce, straight into the keeper’s gloves – from long-on, to catch him short of retaining the strike.It could have gone either way, but the big error came from the bowler, Reifer, who sent down a wide and possibly high full-toss with 7 needed off 3. Pierre slashed it over point for six, and all but sealed a wildly improbable win.

The risk of matches being cancelled if a squad returns too many cases of Covid-19 remains real as the South African summer gets underway on Friday.The hosts have already been hit with two positive tests and have since been tested twice more, including a final round on Thursday morning. Their third test run revealed no new cases.Asked what would happen if the pre-match tests showed a significant number of cases, CSA’s chief medical officer, Dr Shuaib Manjra explained it could impact the schedule.”There probably won’t be a game. If you’ve got lots of positives you’ve got a quarantine context,” he said. “We cannot bring in a player from the outside without testing them at least twice before we bring them into this space. If a large group of people test positive we wouldn’t have adequate opportunity to bridge people into the bio-bubble. But we’ve got a squad of 24 so hopefully we can put a team together.”ALSO READ: Chaos swirls off field as South Africa welcome England for 2020 rematchThis is South Africa’s first experience of operating in a bio-secure environment as a national team (although several players have just returned from 11 weeks of doing it in the IPL) and will become their new-normal for the next six months. In a country where healthcare resources are challenged and where, as of this week, overall Coronavirus case numbers are going up, South African cricket will have to learn to box clever in the environment and with the welfare of their players, making this the most complicated season yet.Ahead of this series, the 24 players were tested before entering their base and one returned a positive result. He was kept out of the bubble and quarantined at a different venue. Two other players who were deemed to have come in close contact with the player were isolated and have since tested negative. A second player then tested positive a few days later, having already been in the bubble, and had to be removed. Both players will be retested and if negative, will rejoin the squad on Saturday, ending a tough period for both of them.”The players were devastated on receiving the news that they had tested positive for Covid,” Manjra said. “He (the first player) has taken quite a bit of strain in the sense that he’s been isolated in a hotel all alone and not participating in training.”There’s going to be a lag period in him coming to the squad and getting back to fitness because of injury concerns. If you’ve been in a hotel room for 10 days we can’t simply throw you onto the park. We’ve got to give at least another seven days to return to match fitness in order to consider him for any of the games. It takes a mental toll on him and all the others.”Manja described the period around testing as “stressful,” and the tests themselves as “uncomfortable,” but unavoidable. “Players don’t like the Covid test. We had a guy here doing the test on Monday and the players complained, so we had to try and get somebody else. Some of them are over enthusiastic, and not only get into your nose but into your sinuses and into your brain as well,” Manjra said. “It’s an uncomfortable test, but it’s very short.”And it will have to happen continuously as the summer goes on. Testing will be done again between the T20s and ODIs “to ensure the integrity of the bubble is maintained,” and before each Test match. South Africa have five scheduled for the summer.During the period in which they are in the bubble, players will have to continue to operate in small groups, whether at training or socially. “In the event that somebody tests positive we isolate a small group of people rather than the entire contact or non-contact group. That has a role to play in the dynamic of the team in terms of training, dining and socialising,” Manjra said.Those limitations, the administrative crises at CSA and the controversy over the way South African cricket has handled the Black Lives Movement have all made for an imperfect build up to the series but, Manjra believes, helped them become closer as a squad.”Preparing without distractions is an ideal situation, but in the real world you always have distractions. One of the things that allowed our team to build resilience is much of the kind work we’re doing in the background with the squad,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity during lockdown for the players to interact with each other and get to know each other, and play out some of the dynamics we’ve been speaking about.”For us it’s not only about symbolism but about living particular experiences and sharing them — demonstrating what we believe in. The lockdown has a positive effect in those terms. Building resilience is not about removing distractions. It’s how you deal with those distractions, which will always be there.”Eoin Morgan, the England captain, was understanding of the challenges of keeping the sport’s bio-secure environments safe.”During the summer we did a magnificent job in not having any cases at all,” Morgan said. “We felt in a very privileged position, not to have to worry about the virus in our bubble, but this has presented different challenges.”South Africa have had two cases. One was off site, one was on the site, at the hotel, which presented a different challenge. To us, very similarly in the summer, if we had a case, we needed to be able to demonstrate that we could contain it to make every team, and every player within that bubble secure and safe, and South Africa seem to have done that so far.”Morgan also acknowledged the importance of the series being played at such a difficult time amid the pandemic, describing the role it could play in providing some relief and entertainment as “huge”.”As a sportsman, there are very few times you play sport or contribute to things when people actually really need it,” he said. “I went through this experience myself towards the back end of our first lockdown period when sport just started to be reintegrated into people’s TVs at home, and the smile it put on my face and the community that I live in was outstanding.”Given the circumstances, how bad they still are, particularly at home, it’s important for us to go out there and hopefully put on a bit of a show. Because it’s certainly a lot of different challenges at this moment in time but certainly sport can help relieve that a little bit.”

da heads bet： West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan is "likely" to go in the direction of an "exceptional" manager after "productive" talks, on one condition.

Moyes tipped to leave West Ham as club interview candidates

da bwin： Reliable news outlets are reporting that manager David Moyes is increasingly likely to leave the London Stadium after four memorable years back in charge.

Related Sullivan inundated with Moyes successors as West Ham eye Amorim alternative

The Hammers are making contingency plans.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Apr 23, 2024

The Scotsman's job has been nothing short of incredible, having steered West Ham away from relegation in 2019/2020 to then massively overachieve. Indeed, the Irons qualified for Europe in each of Moyes' full campaigns thereafter till now, sealing record-high league finishes, which was something nobody could've predicted.

The highlight of his tenure was West Ham winning the Conference League in Prague last year, their first major piece of silverware since the 1980s. When Moyes departs, he will go down as a club legend in his own right, but there have also been some bumps along the way.

West Ham's league finishes under Moyes

Season

14th

2022/2023

7th

2021/2022

6th

2020/2021

16th

2019/2020

Domestically, the east Londoners flirted with relegation last campaign and supporters have grown disenchanted with the former Everton boss' style of play. Many now believe change is needed, with West Ham looking set to oblige, according to reliable media sources like Jacob Steinberg.

A few candidates to succeed Moyes have been interviewed already, as per whispers in the press, and one of them is Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim. The 39-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of Europe's most exciting young managers, was pictured boarding a jet for talks with West Ham on Monday.

The plane has since returned to Portugal after this first round of negotiations, but reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has since claimed Amorim discussions with West Ham are unlikely to advance any further.

Alternative options are now being assessed, and it is believed former Wolves, Sevilla, Spain and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui is a sure-fire candidate.

Sullivan "likely" to favour Lopetegui after "productive" West Ham talks

According to another report from Steinberg in The Guardian, West Ham have held "productive" talks with Lopetegui over replacing Moyes, and it's added that co-chairman Sulllivan is personally "likely" to hire him if he ignores other board members advising him against the move.

The Spaniard steered Wolves away from relegation at the end of 2022/2023 but later left after growing frustrated with the club's transfer policy. Lopetegui's experience both in England and at the very top level is an enticing draw for Sullivan, with Man City manager Pep Guardiola also calling him an "exceptional" person.

It's never easy, is it? Be that as it may, Liverpool overcame unlikely adversity against Sheffield United to reclaim their place at the Premier League summit heading into the season's final stretch.

Expected victories for Arsenal and Manchester City the day before increased the pressure on Jurgen Klopp's side and while the soon-to-step-down manager did not ring the changes as many anticipated, with Old Trafford awaiting on Sunday, Liverpool were complacent and wasteful in attack.

Darwin Nunez's tenacious but fortuitous first-half goal was cancelled out by Gustavo Hamer's deflected equaliser, going down as a Conor Bradley own goal, and while Cody Gakpo sealed the all-important victory with a precise header late on, it was Alexis Mac Allister who stepped up with a stunning strike to restore the lead after 76 minutes.

Alexis Mac Allister's performance vs Sheffield United

Mac Allister is proving to be quite the sensation on Merseyside this season, and while he's been impressive throughout his maiden campaign for Liverpool, his wonder goal against the Blades takes his goal contribution streak to six successive matches in the Premier League.

It was a goal of the highest order, at the biggest moment. There's something very Ilkay Gundogan-esque about the manner in which the 25-year-old is fashioning results himself with frightening constancy right now.

Unfortunate not to add a delightful second after his shot from a direct free-kick careered off the bar, Mac Allister is truly the real deal and might just have a say in whether Liverpool glean gold in less than two months.

Not just popping up with a staggering strike, he put in a real shift and deserves all the plaudits after another barnstorming performance.

Minutes played

90'

Goals

1

Touches

103

Accurate passes

77/87 (89%)

Key passes

2

Shots taken

3

Hit woodwork

1

Duels won

6/10

Tackles

4

Interceptions

2

Saved by his Argentinian teammate, Ryan Gravenberch will be bitterly disappointed after failing to impress for the Reds, having been hooked on the hour mark after resembling something of a passenger against the bottom-placed opposition.

Ryan Gravenberch fails to take his chance

So much talent, so much still to prove. Gravenberch signed for Liverpool from Bayern Munich in a £34m deal back in August to complete a summer of sweeping midfield change, but he's ebbed and flowed throughout the year and did himself little justice against the valiant Blades.

With Mac Allister anchoring the midfield, Gravenberch was handed the chance to impress after missing recent matches through injury, but he failed to impress with a peripheral performance.

As per Sofascore, he did complete 85% of his passes but took less than half the touches of his starting midfield peers, failing to make a single key pass and winning three duels and two tackles.

The Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle felt that Gravenberch left much to be desired, branding him with a 5/10 match rating and writing: 'often on the fringes of the action, understandable after so long out the starting line-up. Looked particularly off the pace after interval. Subbed.'

It feels important to stress that this is a 21-year-old player with an abundance of talent and many matches to make the requisite improvements. Here stands a young gun with talent lofty enough to entice the likes of Bayern and Liverpool.

He will be disappointed with his failure to make his mark against Sheffield United but with so much on the line across these culminating weeks of the top-flight campaign, it's hard to envisage a world where Klopp feels comfortable starting him in the engine room.

Harvey Elliott, Bobby Clark and Curtis Jones are all pushing for that coveted starting berth and Gravenberch, while talented, might be better off introduced in later phases with so much on the line.

Manchester United looked to be staring a 2-1 FA Cup defeat in the face as the clock ticked down in normal time versus Liverpool, only for the heroics of Antony to take the game to a dramatic finale in extra-time.

The Brazilian winger's late strike in the enthralling 90 minutes would be somewhat upstaged by fellow substitute Amad Diallo, however.

Previously frozen out of Erik ten Hag's first team plans at the Theatre of Dreams, Diallo would sweetly hit an effort that trickled past Caoimhin Kelleher at the death in extra-time to secure an unbelievable 4-3 win for the jubilant Red Devils.

Slaying the beast that is Jurgen Klopp's Reds is no easy feat, especially when you consider how revitalised his team have been knowing it's the German manager's farewell tour, with Diallo obviously receiving much of the glowing praise at the conclusion of the 120-minute rollercoaster ride.

Amad Diallo's performance vs Liverpool in numbers

Only present in three other games this season for Ten Hag's men before firing home the crucial winner today, Diallo was a livewire from the second he was introduced into the back-and-forth affair.

The fringe number 16 would successfully complete all ten of his passes from his highly memorable 37-minute spell against Klopp's side, whilst also showing off his showboating nature with a single successful dribble attempt notched up in the 4-3 win.

Diallo's last-gasp strike that sent Old Trafford into absolute pandemonium was his only effort on goal too, the forgotten Man United winger coming up trumps when his team needed him in a deadly cameo from off the bench.

The wild celebrations that ensued in the direct aftermath of Diallo's golden goal would see the 21-year-old pick up a second yellow and get sent off, but the 5 foot 8 attacker wouldn't have cared one bit knowing that his vital 121st-minute strike means he's now forever adored in Man United quarters.

Away from Diallo stealing the headlines rightly as an impact substitute, Bruno Fernandes shone also throughout the action-packed 120-minute encounter.

It could even be argued that the dependable Red Devils number eight was ten Hag's real hero in the monumental win, instead of the eventual match-winner.

Bruno Fernandes' performance vs Liverpool in numbers

Only Fernandes and three other steely Man United performers would last the full slog of the contest, with Fernandes attempting to make things happen even when his legs had begun to understandably tire.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder would amass 103 touches in total for his side, notching up four key passes along the way as his never-say-die team kept searching for a route back into the enthralling game.

Winning his fair share of battles in the 4-3 win as well, coming away with seven successful duels to add bite to Man United's overall showing, the 29-year-old Red Devils captain continues to be crucial for his side five seasons into his impactful stay at the Theatre of Dreams.

Football journalist Samuel Luckhurst would dish out an 8/10 rating to Fernandes in his post-match musings, stating that the battling midfielder utilised his 'quick thinking' effectively in the FA Cup success to steer his team to a stunning win.

Ten Hag and Co will now be viewing the trophy as a winnable bit of silverware off the back of this dramatic contest, with a Wembley semi-final against Coventry City now awaiting his brave side next month.