Wrexham forward Jay Rodriguez has been accused of diving after scoring a winning penalty against Exeter last weekend.
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Sri Lanka sensed a slightly soft centre in India’s much-advertised aggressive approach. If anything, competitors pick up the smallest of signs and the Indians gave out a few big ones today
Sharda Ugra in Galle14-Aug-20152:23
Let’s Talk About – How good is Dinesh Chandimal?
About eight nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, about 15kms from Galle, the continental shelf that south Asia is rested on, breaks off, the Indian Ocean dropping into marine canyons and the deep sea. India find themselves not so far away from that that kind of an edge. From a position of sure-footed security at the start of the third day in the Galle Test, they were made to get their sea legs going into day four. After session after session of crisp and controlled cricket, on course to win the Test inside three days, India were knocked sideways by Sri Lanka. Or rather, by Dinesh Chandimal for over two hours. The tide of the match has not changed yet, but the Indian boat has certainly been rocked.Tests in Galle usually begin with easy-to-handle narratives but as they head towards the finish, they take on a life of their own – featuring drama and turnarounds, suspense and shredded nerves. Like those movies with breath-snatching twists at the end. Galle promises a wild weekend, too. Except, here everything is for real.To return to hard numbers: at the end of day two, Tharindu Kaushal had said he believed Sri Lanka could defend around 250, but the truth is that the highest successful chase in Galle is a piffling 99. It is Chandimal who has set up this action thriller, playing several key parts through his blistering, post-lunch counter-attack. He gave Sri Lanka the fuel needed to turn this Test into contest, took the match into its fourth day and also gave India much to think about.Their bowling was under attack in away conditions – not through the expected ennui of slow, low turners and long days in the field, as they had expected – but another kind of attack. Chandimal turned the field and common sense around through a series of reverse sweeps and switch hits, with the willingness to risk it all.The three decisions that went against India before lunch will no doubt cause much anguish. But it is best that they remember it as a bad-umpiring virus that has run through this game. Both in terms of the number of errors and the degree of the bloopers given and taken on both sides.India had squeezed the Lankan innings enough to believe they deserved to have them five down at the break before the umpiring handouts. Truth is, they did have 45 minutes in the shade, to kick a few kit bags, curse officialdom the ages, darkly mutter about DRS and then, with adult counsel and some food, work out that they had been dealt a bad hand and move on.India knew what their tactic had to be, as Ajinkya Rahane said later, “to give as little runs as possible.” When Chandimal forced the bowlers to change the very angles that they were coming at him from, they ran into a wall. With the old ball and a slowing wicket, they could not find a plan-B. They lost their tightness and control of lengths, and the stinging turn at the start of the day was negated. Chandimal’s tactics were very simply evident, but none of the spinners found the variety or the fizz to land the ball where it could negate the angles he was reworking.After two firestarter partnerships with Lahiru Thirimanne and Jehan Mubarak, perhaps the most telling set of runs that could hurt India are the 65 runs that Chandimal scored with three tailenders. He laughed about it,”I tried to face three balls and rotate the strike on the fourth ball. They thought I would try to rotate the strike on the fifth ball, but I did it on the fourth ball.”Other than the Indian bowlers, Virat Kohli found himself in a situation of some discomfort early on his captaincy career. For an aggressive cricketer, to have aggression in its most elemental form flung at him when his team is ahead, can be very disconcerting. And maybe clarifying for the future. The balance between being aggressive and absorbing punishment can be the worst of trials for a captain. Kohli was faced with the dilemma presented to him by the four bowlers he was depending on.Other than Varun Aaron, they were a fairly experienced group in terms of matches and situations under their belt. To concede 155 in 28 overs, in the second session (including 88 from Chandimal), is not being caught by surprise. To concede over 5.50 an over for two hours non-stop, is being actually caught in the headlights. Kohli was trapped as to when exactly to go into a run-squeeze and through it concede a little ground; his bowlers, however game, however committed and however skilled, did not give him the run-drying overs that would have made the batsmen try to release the pressure.Aaron, however hostile, had conceded close to six an over in the first session and bowled a total of seven overs all day. This included a spell of 2-0-7-0 in the second session, before the new ball ended the innings in the last session in which Aaron didn’t get the ball.Sri Lanka would have sensed this slightly soft centre in India’s much-advertised aggressive approach. Already, it is being said that seamers are being prepared for the second Test at the P Sara Oval. If anything, competitors pick up the smallest of signs and the Indians gave out a few big ones today.
Sevilla are keen to sign Chelsea flop Mykhailo Mudryk on loan despite his doping suspension, taking inspiration from Antony's success at Real Betis.
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India coach says the importance of World Test Championship points has led to an increase in result-oriented pitches
Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Mar-20234:50
Dravid: Wickets all over the world have got more challenging for batters
On November 29, 2021, New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel hung on for 8.4 overs in fading light to deny India a Test win in Kanpur. That one wicket India failed to take cost them eight World Test Championship points.Had India taken that one wicket – and all other global Test results remained what they were – they would now have 131 WTC points rather than 123. Ahead of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test match, which begins in Ahmedabad on Thursday, they would only have needed a draw to seal a spot in June’s WTC final at The Oval, rather than a win as they currently do.That Kanpur Test was Rahul Dravid’s first as India head coach. Two days before the Ahmedabad Test, Dravid referenced that Kanpur result while suggesting that the pressure to win World Test Championship points may have contributed to a glut of result-oriented, bowler-friendly pitches not just in India but all over the world.Related
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“It could be one of the reasons, because yes, there is a huge premium on results,” Dravid said on Tuesday. “You draw a game like Kanpur against New Zealand, where you take nine wickets in the second innings, you draw that game and that sets you back, in a home game.”Every team is getting results at home or are putting in really good performances at home, so there is a premium on results. You get four points for a draw and you get 12 for a win, so there is a premium on that, there’s no question about it.”India began the four-Test series against Australia needing three wins to confirm a place in the WTC final. They won the first two Tests and lost the third, and all three were low-scoring matches played on pitches where the ball turned sharply from day one. There have only been three 200-plus totals in 11 innings, and only four batters – two from each side – have averages north of 30.Under such circumstances, Dravid felt it was important for teams to have realistic expectations from their batters and set benchmarks accordingly.”It’s really about being realistic about what is a good performance on some of the challenging wickets we are playing on, not only here,” he said. “If you look at the last three-four years, all over the world I think wickets have got a lot more challenging, not only here. So you have to be realistic about what the benchmarks are now, what the standards are.”Just understanding that in these kinds of games, just one good performance can change the game. We saw that with Rohit [Sharma]’s performance [his century in the first Test in Nagpur], we’ve seen that many times over here. It’s just being realistic in our assessment of our batsmen, their averages and their numbers, and don’t really look so much into it.”Just backing our batsmen to understand that these are challenging conditions and they’re the same for both sides. And for them to be able to use it as a challenge and an opportunity to do something special. It might not necessarily be about scoring big double-hundreds, but you know there might be scores of 50-60 or scores of 60-70 somewhere might be really, really good scores in some conditions.”Sometimes, even a score of 17 can count as a positive effort. KS Bharat made that score in India’s first-innings total of 109 in Indore, and it came in a debut series of low scores for the wicketkeeper-batter. Dravid said India had no concerns over Bharat’s batting, and had words of praise for his keeping.Rahul Dravid is happy with the quality of KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping•Getty Images
“I think he [Bharat] has kept beautifully for us,” Dravid said. “Even though it’s not a big contribution he got 17 in the first innings [in Indore], got a nice contribution in the last Test match in Delhi, he played nicely and positively.”So yeah, you need a little bit of luck sometimes in these situations, and he’s probably not had that, but no, I think he’s shaping up really well, he’s been playing really well. He’s keeping really nicely for us which is really important as well. I think you’ve just got to put, sometimes, the batting performances in perspective a little bit, and be a little bit understanding of it.”Given how little work the fast bowlers have got through in the series so far – Mohammed Siraj has bowled just 24 overs across three Tests – there could be a case for India to play an extra batter instead of a second fast bowler. While he didn’t rule out this option, Dravid said the fast bowlers have made an impact even without bowling all that much, citing as examples the wicket of Usman Khawaja that Siraj took with his first ball of the series, and Umesh Yadav’s three-wicket burst on the second morning in Indore. He also felt the batting ability of the three spinners gave India enough depth without needing the extra specialist batter.”We just have to meet every condition separately,” Dravid said. “These conditions might be very different to Indore last week, so I think everything’s on the table. We try and put together what we think is our best side and gives us the best chance to get 20 wickets and the most balanced side.”We’ve seen also at times that [the fast bowlers] haven’t bowled a lot, but the kind of impact even a Siraj can have, picking up that early wicket in Nagpur, Umesh’s spell the other day to pick up three wickets. So even though sometimes you may feel the bowlers are not bowling a lot, just having that balance and that ability at times to go back to a more balanced attack is really important.”The fact that when we are able to play three spinners we bat all the way up to 9, with Axar [Patel] or [R] Ashwin batting at 9 for us depending on left-right, it’s a pretty good depth we’ve got on the batting side of things. We have to weigh everything, weigh all the options and then decide.”
In the 2016/17 season, West Ham United spent around £69.5m on 13 new additions to their squad, ten of which joined on permanent deals, and three of which signed on temporary deals with a loan fee being paid.
The biggest deal of that season was the signing of Andre Ayew from Swansea for around £20.5m. The Ghana international made 50 appearances for the Hammers, netting 12 goals and providing five assists in his 2,882 minutes played.
|
West Ham 2016/17 signings |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Fee (£) |
|
Andre Ayew |
£20.5m |
|
Manuel Lanzini |
£10m |
|
Robert Snodgrass |
£10m |
|
Jose Fonte |
£7.6m |
|
Arthur Masuaku |
£5.9m |
|
Edimilson Fernandes |
£5.3m |
|
Sofiane Feghouli |
£0 |
|
Havard Nordtveit |
£0 |
|
Alvaro Arbeloa |
£0 |
|
Ashley Fletcher |
£0 |
|
Data taken from Transfermarkt |
|
Manuel Lanzini, Robert Snodgrass, Jose Fonte, Edimilson Fernandes, Sofiane Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit, Alvaro Arbeloa and Ashley Fletcher were the other permanent transfers made, alongside one more permanent deal, who went on to be a key man for the Hammers, Arthur Masuaku.
As it happens, he’s now playing rather well away from the London Stadium.
The left-back, who was 22-years-old at the time, was signed by Slaven Bilic, and made 16 appearances in his debut season, providing one assist, contributing to five clean sheets, and totalling 1,247 minutes played.
Masuaku went on to make 128 appearances for West Ham, scoring two goals and providing ten assists, featuring for over 8,700 minutes during his years in the capital.
West Ham went to sell the Congolese left-back in 2023, joining Besiktas on a permanent deal for around £1.75m. And he’s now outperforming all of West Ham’s creative forwards, including Mohammed Kudus.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
This season for Besiktas, Masuaku has made 17 appearances for the Turkish club, scoring once, and providing three assists in 1,463 minutes played.
It’s a mightily impressive record and showcases just how good the former Hammers full-back has been in forward areas of the pitch.
As it happens, his total goal involvements have been more than one of their star men in Kudus. He has only managed two goals and one assist in his ten games played this campaign, one less goal involvement than Masuaku.
Last campaign, the 24-year-old winger made 45 appearances for the Hammers in his debut season, scoring 14 goals, providing six assists, and totalling 3,781 minutes.
But the Ghana international has struggled to hit the same heights this season, which has left West Ham struggling in the attacking third.
|
Masuaku vs Kudus comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Masuaku |
Kudus |
|
Goals |
0.08 |
0.26 |
|
Assists |
0.15 |
0.13 |
|
Progressive Carries |
3.25 |
5.00 |
|
Progressive Passes |
3.50 |
2.75 |
|
Shots Total |
0.90 |
3.64 |
|
Key Passes |
1.00 |
0.68 |
|
Passes into Final Third |
5.00 |
1.62 |
|
Tackles |
2.00 |
1.22 |
|
Interceptions |
1.05 |
0.13 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
||
From the metrics above, considering Masuaku is playing as a left-back and Kudus is playing on the left-wing, it’s surprising to see that creative numbers are in the defenders’ favour, providing more key passes, more progressive passes, and more assists per 90.
Kudus, on the other hand, scores more goals per 90, and has a higher shot volume, taking 3.64 shots per 90. However, he hasn’t had his shooting boots on this season either, only netting twice which has left the Hammers needing other avenues for goals.
West Ham could rue the decision to sell Masuaku, as he could have provided some extra attacking flair from left-back, bringing extra creativity to help the Hammers attacking quartet and improve on their 13 goals scored this season.
West Ham defender has outscored the whole club bar Bowen after leaving
A former West Ham defender is outscoring every player in Lopetegui’s squad this season – except for Jarrod Bowen.
By
Angus Sinclair
Nov 18, 2024
In Bangladesh on a commentary stint, Morne van Wyk is exploring an aspect of life outside the game. His focus, however, remains on staying prepared for any opportunities to play for South Africa again
Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2015During the T20 series between Bangladesh and South Africa at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, the commentary box had a surprise visitor. Morne van Wyk, the man who scored a century in South Africa’s last T20 at home in January this year, was doing commentary for the first time.The mild-mannered wicketkeeper-batsman was one of three commentators for the first game, alongside Athar Ali Khan and Shamim Ashraf Chowdhury, and was joined by former South Africa allrounder Jon Kent for the second game of the series. He has worked as a studio expert back home but is enjoying this new experience, shifting from a role behind the stumps to one behind the microphone.He admitted he was disappointed at being dropped from the national side after getting a good score, an unbeaten 114 he made against West Indies in January this year, but stated he was focused on the 2016 World T20 that is less than a year away.”I think I scored 60-70 odd off 40 balls but also got dropped,” van Wyk told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it was in 2010. It was a T20 game in the Moses Mahbida Stadium. And then I scored a hundred and got dropped [in 2015]. Maybe I should not score runs once or twice and then see what happens [laughs]. I cannot tell you why or how but clearly it is very disappointing. It takes a couple of days to get over it.”Sometimes it is not really about understanding, but focusing on what you have. Certainly that’s what I am going to try to do going forward. It is not over yet. There’s a World Cup in February and I just have to keep myself ready; stay fit, stay in form. If an opportunity comes knocking, I have to use it.”Van Wyk was realistic about his exclusion saying that he had come into the T20 side in January – his first international appearance since March 2011 – as a replacement for Quinton de Kock, who had injured his ankle. Once the incumbent was deemed fit, van Wyk knew the selectors would have to make a tough choice. But he said that the commentating stint was a good opportunity for him to get a taste of a different profession albeit one connected to cricket.”It was an honor to score a century. It was little disappointing at not being picked but that’s the way it goes,” he said. “The selectors decided to put Quinton back in. I only played the game because he was injured. I suppose they had to decide whether to give me another game after the hundred or not.”Clearly they decided to give Quinton another opportunity. Life’s got a way of working out. Because of that I got an opportunity to come to Bangladesh and to commentate. It is my third time to Bangladesh. I thoroughly enjoy it. I love the passion people have for cricket. (Commentary is) Something I am thoroughly enjoying and if it becomes something I can do after my career, I will count myself very lucky.”I feel very blessed in my career. I have experienced a lot from World Cups and numerous records, highlights to winning trophies, international Man of the Match, the hundred. I have been privileged to captain teams for a long time. I am loving my time at the Dolphins,” said van Wyk.He revealed he had hopes of a shot at a World Cup spot if de Kock was not fit. “I think my name was definitely in the hat. But you know in all fairness, the hundred was in a T20. I think it all depended whether Quinton’s ankle came right or not. If he hadn’t gone, I would have gone I assume.”He turned out to be fit enough to play. So they took him. I was in the mix. I have been in the mix for a couple of World Cups. If it was a squad of 16-17, I would have been to a couple of World Cups. It wasn’t the case, it wasn’t meant to be,” he said.Van Wyk said he felt like he was making his debut all over again when he started doing commentary on Sunday. By the next game, he was out conducting the toss with Mashrafe Mortaza, his one-time Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate, and Faf du Plessis, his captain from last January.”I think from a cricketing point of view, I have played first-class cricket for 16-17 years. A lot of those things are very natural to me now. As a commentator, it is a completely new ball game so it almost felt like I have made my debut again on Sunday. Everything has been so different,” he said.
Qualification scenarios: What Sri Lanka, Ireland and South Africa need to do to gain direct entry to the 2023 World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2023South Africa’s hopes of direct qualification for the ODI World Cup later this year have suffered a setback after they were docked one point from their tally in the Super League standings for maintaining a slow over-rate during their defeat to England in the third ODI in Kimberley on Wednesday.Match referee Jeff Crowe imposed the sanction, finding Temba Bavuma’s team to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. South Africa were also fined 20% of their match fee for the offence.South Africa are currently ninth with 78 points – they had 79 before the penalty – in the ODI Super League. The top eight teams gain automatic qualification to the 2023 World Cup, while the bottom five in the Super League will have to play the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier along with five Associate teams. Two teams from that qualifier will then progress to the World Cup and complete the line-up of ten contenders.Seven of the top eight spots in the Super League have already been taken by New Zealand, India, England, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The only spot that is still open is presently occupied by West Indies, who have 88 points, with South Africa (78), Sri Lanka (77) and Ireland (68) in the running as well.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
South Africa
Two wins for South Africa will take them to 98 points (barring any further over-rate penalties). Sri Lanka can go past them if they win all three ODIs in New Zealand, which is a tall order given that New Zealand have a 17-4 win-loss in home ODIs in the last four years. With South Africa being docked a point, Ireland can also catch up with them on 98 if they win all three matches against Bangladesh. In that case, net run rate will come into play (NRR is the second tie-breaker behind wins, but in such a scenario both teams would have the same number of wins).If the South Africa-Netherlands series ends 1-1, South Africa will finish level with West Indies, while Sri Lanka can move past them with two wins (or one win and two washouts).Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will qualify for sure if they beat New Zealand 3-0 (or if they win 2-0 with one washout). However, if they lose a game, then they will depend on other results going their way: both South Africa and Ireland can go past them if they finish on 97.Ireland
They have two series three-match ODI series against Bangladesh on their calendar. One in March which doesn’t count towards the Super League and one in May which does. A 3-0 series win in that will take Ireland to 98 points, which will be enough for qualification if Sri Lanka don’t win all three games in New Zealand, and if Ireland finish ahead of South Africa (on points or NRR).West Indies
West Indies have completed their eight bilateral series in the Super League, and can only hope that none of the other teams in contention pass 88 points. Since the first tie-breaker is wins, West Indies would finish ahead of any of South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ireland if they finished level on points.For West Indies to make it, South Africa should lose at least once to Netherlands, Ireland should win at most twice, and Sri Lanka should win no more than one game in their remaining series.February 3 1800 GMT – This piece was updated to reflect that wins are the first tie-breaker, then net run-rate.
Gerard Pique was "brought to tears" during his trial over alleged fraud and corruption regarding regarding the Supercopa de Espana deal.
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These days every player is handled particular roles. Last season, Suryakumar Yadav was performing the finisher’s role. This season it is more flexible where he has been asked to bat in the middle order and play according to the match situation
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Apr-2015Even Jacques Kallis was impressed. Having an informal discussion about their dominant victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday evening at Eden Gardens, Kallis, now the Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor, singled out Suryakumar Yadav’s dashing 46 that came off 20 balls and included five sixes. “Kallis was talking about batting, and suddenly he looked towards Surya and said, ‘Man, you’ve to teach me how to play that shot.'” Vijay Dahiya, Knight Riders’ assistant coach, says.That shot was the lap shot. Suryakumar unleashed that stroke immediately on taking guard when, off the second ball he faced, he quickly moved inside the line of a fuller-length ball from Vinay Kumar and flicked it over backward square leg for a six. Suryakumar made the shot appear effortless, but it was a stroke that sent the message to the bowler: I can hit you whatever you bowl.Regardless of the match situation, struggling or dominant, Suryakumar always wears the same face mask: a combination of bravado and confidence. “His body language is a huge plus point because he gives you the impression that he is always in control of things,” Dahiya says.Knight Riders were aware of the previous instances when they had lost the match from winning position despite having wickets in the bag. On Wednesday, they adapted quickly deciding not to stretch the match to the last over just because they had more batsmen like Shakib Al Hasan and a powerful hitter in Andre Russell yet to come.Manish Pandey triggered this positive approach which was taken further by Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir who trampled on the Mumbai Indians spin pair of Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha to swing the momentum quickly into the home team’s favour. But such a bold strategy has to be laced with risk. As Pandey lofted Harbhajan into the hands of Kieron Pollard at long-on, Suryakumar walked in quickly. It was a bit of surprise to see him bat ahead of Shakib, who was their fifth-highest run-scorer last season.But the move to promote Suryakumar was part of the plan. “At that time we wanted to send somebody who could rotate the strike and has ability to hit the big fours every over. And that is what you need in the middle overs. He is a very busy sort of a player,” Dahiya points out.These days, especially in compressed format like Twenty20, every player is handled particular roles. Last season Suryakumar was performing the finisher’s role. This season it is more flexible where he has been asked to bat in the middle order and play according to the match situation.Incidentally Yadav does not bat in the nets the day before the match. Instead, he sets himself a challenge while taking throwdowns from Dahiya. “We always plan. For example you are playing last 24 balls of an innings. He sets the target, say 35-45 runs.” And that is how Suryakumar puts on the match-face in the days leading to the actual match.Understanding your role is one thing. But coaches also value players who mature over the years and start taking their own decisions. Suryakumar has improved steadily from least season in that respect. “Let us not forget about the kind of knocks [he played] for us last year. The franchise values him so much because in those crunch situations where there is so much of a pressure he would go out and take off the pressure from the other guy as well,” Dahiya says. What also helps is Suryakumar is never shy to walk up to Gambhir or the coaching staff to figure out what his role is and what the team needs, so he is aware what is needed of him.One big reason last year’s IPL was a transformative one for Suryakumar also because the Knight Riders gave him continuity•BCCIAccording to Ajit Agarkar, former Mumbai and India fast bowler, who has led Suryakumar at Mumbai in first-class cricket, there is a marked difference between the way the youngster prepares in domestic cricket compared to the IPL. So Suryakumar’s ability to adapt across formats is one big change that people, who have seen for long, point out.According to Praveen Amre, the former Mumbai coach under whom Suryakumar made his Mumbai debut, for this format he has a distinct style. “He has his own approach. Even if opposition captains put fielders to challenge him to go for the lap shot, Surya still takes them on,” Amre said recently. When Amre returned to coach Mumbai last season after a gap of three years, he immediately noticed the change in Suryakumar. “He seems more calmer now.”When Suryakumar walked in to bat on Wednesday, the asking rate was nearly nine per over with Knight Riders needing 71 runs from the last eight overs. By the time Gambhir left, 48 runs were still needed from 34 deliveries. The very next ball Suryakumar flicked Mumbai’s young pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah over long leg for his second six. He would hit Bumrah for two further sixes and when Lasith Malinga tossed a full toss, Suryakumar lustily clubbed it for a straight six to reduce the margin to four runs from the final two overs.Domestic cricket brought Suryakumar to the notice of the franchises but it is at Knight Riders where he is polishing his skills especially in terms of mental discipline which he is steadily taking back to his Mumbai cricket. He is still far from a finished product. Having started off on a confident note as Mumbai captain last seaon, Suryakumar was asked to step down from the leadership position because of disciplinary measures.Last IPL Suryakumar remained unbeaten on five occasions, the most for an uncapped player. Out of those five times, Knight Riders finished thrice as winners – twice while batting first and once while chasing. He was also the only uncapped player to score 100-plus runs in the last five overs of the innings last year.Of all his innings the most crucial one came against Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi. Knight Riders were under pressure at 85 for 3 while chasing 153. Only seven overs were left. The match finished in a tie with Suryakumar making 31 from 19 balls.One big reason last year’s IPL was a transformative one for Suryakumar also because Knight Riders gave him continuity. He was part of the group of players that played all 16 matches. This was in contrast to a single match he played during his three years at Mumbai Indians. “That [continuity] gives you confidence and a sense of responsibility and you think the team is banking on me and I need to go out and execute,” Dahiya says.Players like Suryakumar now understand that one good over is what can turn a match. A few bad balls from the opponent can swing momentum in your favour. Against Mumbai, batting on 26, having hit a six on the third ball off Bumrah, Suryakumar was hit on the helmet by a well-directed bouncer. The next ball Suryakumar stayed still, and when Bumrah delivered a full toss, Suryakumar sent it into the stands behind long-on. Nothing changed. No pressure.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his players come back from the international break without any major injuries or incidents that affect how they perform for the club in the weeks to come.
He has already had to deal with a blow to Adam Idah, who withdrew from the Ireland squad before any matches took place, and it remains to be seen what the severity of that is.
The likes of Alistair Johnston, Anthony Ralston, Luis Palma, who scored two for Honduras against Mexico, and Arne Engels, among others, have already competed for their countries and avoided any issues.
However, one Celtic star had a night to forget – to put it lightly – as central defender Liam Scales was left embarrassed against England at Wembley.
The Ireland international lined up on the left side of a three-man central defensive unit, as part of a back five, against the Three Lions in the Nations League on Sunday.
Scales had a very strong start to the game and won four of his five duels, including one crunching challenge on England captain Harry Kane in the middle of the park.
The left-footed defender, however, was left embarrassed by Jude Bellingham, who was signed by Real Madrid for £88m in the summer of 2023, at the start of the second half.
As you can see in the clip above, the superstar midfielder sold the centre-back a dream with his first touch and tricked the Celtic dud into tripping him up, giving away a penalty.
That resulted in his second booking of the match and a red card, after he picked up a yellow card in the first half for delaying the restart, pushing the ball away with his hand before kicking it away moments later – forcing the referee’s hand.
Scales, who was handed a player rating of 5/10 by the Independent, was embarrassed by Bellingham and let his team down in the process.
|
Scales vs England |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
51 |
|
Touches |
27 |
|
Accurate passes |
16/16 |
|
Clearances |
5 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Blocked shots |
1 |
|
Ground duels won |
1/2 |
|
Aerial duels won |
3/3 |
|
Fouls |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore. |
|
The score was 0-0 at the time, in the 51st minute, and his side went on to be thrashed 5-0 with ten men in the second half.
This could be bad news for the Irish flop after the international break if Cameron Carter-Vickers is back fit and available for selection against Hearts.
Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty were preferred as the first-choice centre-back pairing in the games against Aberdeen in the semi-final of the League Cup and against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, before Scales came back in against Kilmarnock as the former Spurs man missed out through injury.
His naive performance against England at Wembley will do little to show Rodgers that he should be his go-to centre-back alongside either Carter-Vickers or Trusty moving forward.
It is now down to the left-footed titan to return to Glasgow this week and show the manager that he can bounce back quickly and nail down a regular starting spot ahead of his positional rivals at Parkhead.
With games against Aberdeen and Club Brugge in the weeks to come, Scales will need to show Rodgers that he is not likely to repeat his Wembley howler on the biggest stages for the Hoops.
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