Category Uncategorized

Manchester United have received a huge offer for Bruno Fernandes from Al-Hilal but the Red Devils are unlikely to sell their captain this summer.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Al-Hilal swoop for Fernandes
• Man Utd skipper unlikely to be sold
• United could part ways with Mainoo & Garnacho

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per , reigning Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal have tabled a three-year contract for United captain Fernandes to join them this summer. Officials of the Saudi giants have initiated talks with Fernandes' lawyer Caetano Maria and agent Miguel Ruben and have informed them that the club are ready to accept all the financial demands of the Portuguese midfielder. If they manage to reach an agreement with the player's representatives, Al-Hilal will formally approach the Premier League side. The 28-year-old's current contract at Old Trafford runs until June 2027.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While the Red Devils can expect to receive a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League club, it is unlikely that they will part company with Fernandes. The midfielder, along with Harry Maguire, Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu, has been clubbed in an exclusive group of players who won't be sold during the upcoming summer transfer window, according to the .

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Red Devils are planning to sell a number of other players at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, though, as they are looking to fund fresh transfers to bolster their squad, while complying with financial regulations. Alejandro Garnacho, who has attracted interest from Chelsea, could be sold this summer alongside players like Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Christian Eriksen, the Daily Star report added.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  After a frustrating loss at Brentford last weekend, Ruben Amorim's side will now hope to seal their place in the Europa League final as they face Athletic Club in the second leg of their last-four fixture. The Red Devils head into the clash at Old Trafford with a 3-0 lead.

Barcelona Femeni have confirmed their sixth-straight Liga F title after a massive 9-0 win over Real Betis, with Claudia Pina scoring a hat-trick.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Barcelona win sixth-straight Liga F titleCatalan side win 9-0 over Real BetisSet to face Arsenal in UWCL finalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona have been on fire throughout the season as they look to achieve a European treble by defending their Liga F and Champions League titles. They have been the best side yet again in Spain, and despite pressure from Real Madrid for the league title, they have now confirmed their sixth-straight Liga F trophy with a 9-0 win over Real Betis at Ciudad Deportiva Luis de Sol.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Barcelona are now free to prepare for the Women's Champions League final against Women's Super League side Arsenal. The Catalan side are on course to defend their European title in a bid to win their fourth Women's Champions League in history.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

With Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas scoring a brace and Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmati scoring once in the win over Real Betis, the Catalan side's trio of the aforementioned stars and Patri Guijarro have now brought up 100 goal contributions this season, the first time this has been accomplished in football history by a midfield trio.

WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Pere Romeu's Barcelona will now have to contend with one more Liga F match before they travel to Lisbon to take on Arsenal in the Women's Champions League final on May 24.

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior was furious with Monaco head coach Adi Hutter following the two teams' 0-0 draw at the weekend.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Strasbourg and Monaco played out a 0-0 draw
• Rosenior involved in full-time altercation with Adi Hutter
• English coach explained his actions after the match

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior had a brief verbal altercation with Monaco head coach Adi Hutter at full-time after the match finished in an uneventful 0-0 draw on Saturday. The footage captured by reveals the words Rosenior used as he confronted Hutter.

  "I've been waiting 20 minutes to shake your hand. Well done. You do this every game! I have to shake your hand. I've been waiting 20 minutes, Adi! Do you do this to everyone? This is the first time I've seen it. Well done, you're a top man," said a visibly annoyed Rosenior.

Advertisement

• WATCH THE CLIP

• WHAT LIAM ROSENIOR SAID

  Rosenior provided more context about his full-time altercation with Hutter and explained the reasoning behind his outburst.

  He said: "There is a code that I live by: you respect your opposition, you respect the people that you play against. I felt that the code was broken. I felt that code was broken in the first game [against Monaco earlier in the season]. When I have to wait five minutes to shake the opposition manager's hand, that says a lot about other people. I am here to win matches, not to make friends." (h/t Get French Football News)

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This is Rosenior's third job, having previously gained managerial experience in England with Derby County and Hull City, with the Strasbourg boss having recently been linked with replacing Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. In the post-match press conference, Hutter used the fact that he has been managing for 16 years to defend himself from the 40-year-old's accusations, stating: "It is the first time in my 16 years as a manager that I’ve heard things like this. I have managed in many countries, managed 650 matches. I have been coaching for two years in France and no coach has ever said to me that I have disappointed them."

The 19-year-old is joined by Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft but there is no place for Matt Renshaw

Tristan Lavalette14-Oct-2024Teenaged opener Sam Konstas will audition for a Test spot in national team colours after being named in the Australia A squad for the upcoming red-ball series against India A.His spectacular rise has continued after being included in a 17-man squad for the two four-day games in Mackay and the MCG.Konstas, 19, lit up Australian domestic cricket by scoring twin centuries against South Australia in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield. He became the first teenager to achieve that feat in the Shield since an 18-year-old Ricky Ponting in 1993.Related

Steven Smith's Test opening stint over with middle-order return for India

Mature McSweeney making his mark in South Australia

NSW teen prodigy Konstas shines with Ponting-like feat

Carey and McSweeney hundreds deny New South Wales after Lyon's inroads

With allrounder Cameron Green ruled out of the summer due to a back injury, and Steven Smith likely to move back to No. 4, Konstas has emerged as a contender for next month’s first Test against India in Perth.”He’s in the mix as are plenty of others. I certainly don’t want to single him out,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “Think the consistency of Cam Bancroft over a number of years, the consistency of Marcus Harris over a number of years, they’ve both had a look at Test cricket as well, so don’t think there’s a need at this stage to put any undue pressure or expectation on Sam.”He’s five games into his first-class career, he’s had a good start and certainly looks like he has a well-organised game that we are really exited [about] and looking forward to seeing at the A level and we’ll continue to watch as that progresses.”Harris and Bancroft are both in the squad but Matt Renshaw, who was the spare batter in the series against West Indies and New Zealand earlier this year, has not been included.Harris started the season strongly after scoring a century and a half-century against Tasmania albeit on a benign Junction Oval surface. Bancroft, who made a pair, and Renshaw both had double failures in the match between Western Australia and Queensland at the WACA.”We still really like Matt’s ability to play,” Bailey said. “As far as Australia A selection goes, part of the process around that is trying to identify opportunities that may come around in the short term but also making sure we do keep an eye on developing opportunities for those players who may become important in different roles in the future as well.”Whilst there’s an Australia A squad there, I think Matt Renshaw, Pete Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, as three examples, are guys who we’ll continue to watch really closely in Shield cricket.”South Australia skipper Nathan McSweeney will captain Australia A in a role he has fulfilled several times previously. Allrounder Beau Webster, the reigning Shield player of the season, has also been named and could be in the mix for Test selection if Australia’s hierarchy decide to go with a like-for-like replacement for Green.Fringe Test quicks Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who claimed a five-wicket haul against WA, have been selected while Victoria quick Fergus O’Neill has been rewarded for his Shield success.Offspinners Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli are also in the squad and will be firmly in the mix for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka early next year.Cooper Connolly, who made his ODI debut in England, is the only player named in both the ODI and the Australia A squads.Josh Philippe, who left WA for NSW in the offseason, and Jimmy Peirson are the wicketkeepers.The first four-day game in Mackay ends on November 3 ahead of the first ODI on November 4 while the second four-day game at the MCG runs from November 7-10 with the second and third ODIs being played on November 8 and 10.The depth of Shield teams will be firmly tested with those series clashing with the third round of the Shield starting on November 1.”We are really excited by this squad, particularly after some of the tremendous performances to start the Sheffield Shield season,” Australia national selector George Bailey said.”As always with Australia A selection we have picked a side we hope can present performances which are compelling for the upcoming Test summer, whilst also rewarding players for strong domestic form in roles we see as being important further afield.”It will be a great opportunity for these players to shine against a strong Test nation looking to prepare for what is going to be a captivating summer of Test cricket.”Australia A squad vs India ANathan McSweeney (captain), Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Jordan Buckingham, Cooper Connolly, Ollie Davies, Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Michael Neser, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster

The Saudi Pro League is renowned for its wealth and ability to give players huge wages, but who are the most expensive signings in the competition’s history?

European football remains the dominant force in the modern game, with the likes of the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga generally possessing the best players in the world.

In recent years, the Saudi Pro League has increasingly come to the fore, offering footballers eye-watering weekly wages and tempting them away from European clubs in the process.

To some, it is a sub-standard league where players go to earn big money in the twilight of their careers, but others feel it could only continue to grow in the coming years, especially if it continues to attract some of the biggest names in the sport.

There have been plenty of big-money signings to Saudi clubs since its rise to prominence – here are the 15 most expensive to date.

15

Marcos Leonardo

Benfica to Al-Hilal (£33.7m)

Kicking off the list is Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo, who joined Al-Hilal from Benfica earlier this year in a deal worth a reported €40m (£33.7m).

The 21-year-old forward was previously with Santos in his homeland, but he clearly felt that a Saudi move was best for his development at this early stage in his career. Only time will tell if it is the right call, but it has been rare to see such a young footballer head there.

14

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Lazio to Al-Hilal (£34m)

For a long time, it seemed inevitable that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic would end up at one of the best teams in Europe, having stood out as such a dominant performer for Lazio, combining talent and physicality in midfield.

It came as a huge shock to see him join Al-Hilal last year in a deal reportedly worth £34m, especially as he was still only in his late 20s at that point. Will he return to Europe in the future?

13

Mohamed Simakan

RB Leipzig to Al-Nassr (£37.9m)

Mohamed Simakan made the decision to leave RB Leipzig and join Al-Nassr in September 2024, in a move worth €45m (£37.9m), linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.

Only in his mid 20s, the centre-back’s decision to move away from Europe arguably surprised some, but it is still early days, and the club’s success on the domestic and continental stages may determine whether he’ll come to regret saying goodbye to the Bundesliga.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Frenchman will certainly be looking to make an impression as he seeks a first senior international cap.

12

Fabinho

Liverpool to Al-Ittihad (£40m)

Liverpool enjoyed a glorious period in their history under Jurgen Klopp, winning plenty of trophies, and Fabinho played a massive role in the Reds’ success.

A world-class No 6 at his peak, the Brazilian’s ability started to wane in the 2022/23 season, with his body no longer allowing him to cover ground like he once did.

A Saudi move felt like the best outcome for all parties, and Fabinho moved to Al-Ittihad for a reported £40m the following summer.

11

Ivan Toney

Brentford to Al-Ahli (£40m)

Much like Milinkovic-Savic, Ivan Toney felt like a player who was only on the up at Brentford, with a move to one of the Premier League’s biggest teams often mooted.

Instead, the England international left the Bees to join Al-Ahli in the summer of 2024 in a move that surprised many, even amid his contract issues in west London.

Reports of his eventual transfer fee were mixed, but most appear to indicate Brentford received a sum of around £40m.

10

Galeno

Porto to Al-Ahli (£41.6m)

Former Porto star Galeno was one of two major signings in the January 2025 market for the Saudi Pro League, with the winger joining Al-Ahli for €50m (£41.6m).

Galeno had scored eight in 18 appearances for Porto before departing for the Middle East, and has already written his name into the history books, scoring in the AFC Champions League final against Kawasaki Frontale.

His arrival marks Al-Ahli’s most expensive signing, replacing Ivan Toney.

9

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham to Al-Hilal (£46m)

Many players who have moved to the Saudi Pro League have been individuals whose peaks have been and gone, but Aleksandar Mitrovic went there while in his prime.

He was just 28 when he opted to trade Fulham for Al-Hilal, but he is no doubt reaping the financial rewards. Mitrovic’s transfer fee was officially undisclosed, with the Cottagers indicating they had received a “club-record” fee. While it was thought to be close to £50m, a sum of £46m appears to be the most widely mentioned.

8

Ruben Neves

Wolves to Al-Hilal (£47m)

Ruben Neves’ move to Saudi Arabia has to stand out as one of the biggest surprises having grown into such a key player at Wolves, while still only being in his mid-20s.

It looked like the Portugal star had the pick of his clubs given the natural talent he possesses in midfield, but the race for his signature was won by Al-Hilal, who paid £47m for Neves’ services.

7

Moussa Diaby

Aston Villa to Al-Ittihad (£50m)

It looked like Aston Villa had signed themselves a gem of a player in Moussa Diaby, with the winger catching the eye with his quality and end product during his one season at Villa Park.

His campaign did fizzle out a bit as it went on, but few would have expected to see him ditch the Midlands side for Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad, with the Villans receiving around £50m in the process.

It’s hard not to feel as though the Frenchman is wasting the best years of his career in a lesser division, although the financial aspects of the move are undeniably appealing.

6

Otavio

Porto to Al-Nassr (£51.1m)

Otavio was always a highly rated figure for Porto, and became a key part of the Portugal setup before opting for a Saudi move instead of a European switch, which cost Al-Nassr €60m (£51.1m) in August 2023.

He’s not set the world alight in the Middle East, scoring just one goal and supplying five assists in 2024/25.

Nick Woltemade is desperately trying to move to Bayern Munich and wants Stuttgart to engage in talks over a possible transfer move.

• Woltemade wants clubs to discuss potential options
• Negotiations have stalled after Bayern signed Luis Diaz
• Both teams currently stand firm on their stance

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern made a second formal bid of around €55 million (£47m/$62m) for the German striker, which was rejected by Stuttgart. Bayern have made it clear that they won't launch a third bid at the moment, and Stuttgart are also standing firm on their stance not to part ways with the 23-year-old unless the offer price matches their asking price. According to , the young striker is in a bad mood and has asked Stuttgart representatives to initiate talks with Bayern.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Woltemade has joined the Stuttgart camp, but his sole focus has reportedly been on trying to clinch a move to the 2024-25 Bundesliga champions. However, the player's representatives and Bayern's camp have both been irked by Stuttgart's rigid stance. The 2024-25 DFB-Pokal winners have not even engaged in personal talks as of now and are adamant that their asking price must be met.

• TELL ME MORE

  Stuttgart's sporting department has decided to listen to suitable offers for the next two weeks – that is, until the DFL-Supercup on August 16. After that, the club will decline any proposed offers and will continue with Woltemade in the squad and in their future plans. Manchester United and Newcastle United are monitoring the striker's situation and might make a move should they fail in their race to sign Benjamin Sesko.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE?

  Bayern are confident of reaching an agreement for Woltemade but aren't sure when they will pursue him next. Woltemade's actions are also considered positive by the Bayern camp. However, his contract with Stuttgart runs until 2028, and there is no release clause, which prompts Stuttgart to take a back seat and wait for his value to rise further.

2021 wooden-spoon winners are optimistic that young squad can make big strides forward

Alan Gardner01-Apr-2022Few things quicken the anticipation ahead of the start of the county season like a trip to Good Old Sussex by the Sea. The sight of Hove’s deckchairs might not cure all the ills which currently beset the English game, but it feels like a decent place to start. The question that might have been asked, however, as a flurry of sleet and snow across the immaculate green acreage caught the attention of those assembled in the pavilion for Sussex’s press day, was: which sea? Perhaps the Baltic.Soon the sun was shining again, and there are hopes for brighter times at Sussex. After finishing bottom of the Championship in 2021, during a season in which they gave as many as nine first-class debuts to young, homegrown players – and at one stage fielded a team with an average age of 19 – the expectation from both management and supporters is for a more competitive summer.Concerns about the club’s direction of travel have simmered under the surface, notably given voice by the former Sussex and England wicketkeeper Matt Prior, with the influx of youth offset by a high number of departures – Phil Salt, Chris Jordan and Ben Brown left over the winter, following the likes of Laurie Evans, Danny Briggs and Luke Wells out through the gates on Eaton Road. But Ian Salisbury, head coach of the Championship and 50-over sides, believes a rebuilding process was needed in order to deliver “sustained success” of the sort Sussex were used to in the 2000s.There have been moves to strengthen a callow squad that might otherwise be considered outside contenders in Division Two. In particular, the arrivals of Steven Finn, the former England seamer signed from Middlesex, and overseas batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan ought to bring a hardened edge to the dressing room; Ollie Robinson, who has a point to prove after fitness issues stalled his progress at Test level over the winter, is also expected to be available for a number of the early rounds – though not next week’s opener against Notts.Related

Notts left snow-blind amid uncertainty over Championship future

Bopara named Sussex T20 captain, Haines to lead in Championship

Alsop signs for Sussex on season-long loan

Sussex sign Pujara for English summer

Brown joins Sussex exodus after requesting early contract release

Further international experience has been added to the mix with the arrival of Grant Flower as batting coach, while former club captain Mike Yardy has returned to Hove as academy director. It feel likes there is now greater heft behind the club’s crop of young players, which includes a pair of precociously talented 17-year-olds in Danial Ibrahim and Archie Lenham. What Salisbury refers to as “the project” at Hove might just be coming together.”Do we aim to get promoted? Of course we do,” Salisbury said. “But more importantly, we want to be better than what we were last year. That’s not just as a team, it’s as individuals, as coaches. We just want to keep improving. We know where we want to be in four or five years’ time, which is bringing sustained success back to Sussex, in all competitions. I know the side we have, and the squad we have, once we get to that situation, we can be there for a long time, just because of the age of this side.”That’s why we took the decisions we have done in the past, because we haven’t been in the first division since 2015, we haven’t won a trophy for 13 years. So something had to change, because that’s not acceptable for a club of this standing. So how do you do it? You rebuild, you make decisions – some made around Covid. But we made a decision to go down the route we have, because we want to bring sustained success back to Sussex. But we know when we get there, we’ll hold it there for a long period of time.”One of the players who is expected to play a key role in any Sussex resurgence is 23-year-old opener Tom Haines. No-one in the country scored more than Haines’ 1176 Championship runs at 47.04 in 2021, and he will be aiming to lead from the front after being named interim captain of the red-ball side (“interim” because Sussex still retain the option to bring back Travis Head, the Australia batter who was expected to take charge, next summer). Encouragingly for Sussex, Haines’ average actually rose – to 51.12 – in the four games in which he stood in for Brown last year.It is only a couple of seasons since Haines was looking to establish himself in the first team and he admits it is “weird” to now be considered a senior player. Given the struggles of England’s batters over the winter, it is not too far-fetched to think that further promotions could soon be in order. A strong start to the summer could bring him into discussions for the New Zealand series in June, though Haines will not be looking that far ahead.Tom Haines made a pre-season hundred against Surrey•Getty Images”Right at the front of my mind at the moment is scoring as many runs as I can for Sussex,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m really focused on leading this side, and hopefully leading by example with runs and in the field. I’m not one to get too far ahead of myself, I think when you do that in cricket, it comes back to bite you. So I would never focus on the speculation [around] England selection, I just want to get my head down again, like I did last year, and hopefully back it up.”It’s nice to be mentioned by people but I’m always one to try and stay as level as I can, because as an opener batter failure it always going to happen. I try to stay nice and level headed and focus on the here and now, game by game in the County Championship for Sussex.”Haines describes “trusting my defence, and leaving well” as the two fundamentals of his game. Like Kraigg Brathwaite, whose obduracy at the top of the order helped West Indies to secure a series victory over England last week, he has never played a game of professional T20 – and while Haines says he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself, he has a clear goal in mind.”My dream since I was young is to play Test cricket for England. I don’t like to compare myself to any other players I don’t like to put myself in their shoes and say I’d have done better because that’s just not what I’m about. I try and focus as much as much as I can on myself, improving my own game. We’ve got great coaches here, Grant who’s come in and been brilliant since day one, and we’ve got all the facilities here to really improve as a player.”Salisbury says that the Sussex’s goal remains producing players for England, and Haines pushing for Test selection would be welcome – even if it leaves another hole in the side to be filled. The depth of the squad will be tested anyway, with spinner Jack Carson unlikely to play before May, having had surgery on a knee injury, and long-term absentee Jofra Archer unlikely to be in contention for first-team action until the Blast comes around.No-one is getting carried away at Hove, but with a strong T20 side looking to improve on their Blast Finals Day appearance last year and a zephyr of optimism whispering around the Championship rebuild, there is hope that the members might be able to rest a little more comfily in their deckchairs.”We won one [Championship] game last year, that’s factual,” Salisbury said. “So there’s got to be some realism. To get promoted we might have to win eight games – 800% improvement? Anything’s possible. More than anything, I want us to be better and show that we are actually progressing.”

The batsmen didn’t stand up when needed, the bowling lacked experience and the fielding let them down

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai19-Feb-2020It’s the second season in a row that domestic heavyweights Mumbai haven’t reached the Ranji Trophy knockouts, and it’s four years since they last won the title, under Aditya Tare in 2015-16. It is not just the lack of that trophy in their cabinet that must be hurting them but also the manner in which they bowed out of the quarter-finals race that must have deepened their wounds. Mumbai won only one game this season, lost by 10 wickets to Railways, and had lost out in the knockouts race even before the last round had begun.They eventually finished 13th on the joint points table of Groups A and B, from which five teams go through out of 18. Last season too, they had finished with the same number of points – 17 from eight games with one win – and in their first match this season it appeared that they had taken steps to make amends, when they thrashed Baroda by 309 runs.From there, though, Mumbai went down a slippery slope. They could not score 200 even once in four innings against Railways and Karnataka in consecutive losses, they got one of the flattest pitches of the tournament against Uttar Pradesh for a draw, and their clash against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala didn’t even see a full day’s play because of rain, giving them only one point from the game. Attribute it to luck or not, Mumbai could not step up when they really had to.”Those losses against Railways and Karnataka was a low for us,” coach Vinayak Samant tells ESPNcricinfo. “We took some risk by keeping a green top against Railways and it backfired. Both were seaming wickets and we lost both tosses, [both teams asked us to bat] and we struggled to put on even 170 and 200.”Those two losses at home pushed Mumbai down so much that they weren’t able to recover for the rest of the season. Samant admits that the team failed in all three departments. Their senior batsmen didn’t score in those two losses, their bowling attack lacked experience, and their fielding was not up to the mark for the second reason in a row.”We put down some crucial catches in the slips, there was a stumping or two [missed],” Samant says. “Last year as well our fielding wasn’t up to the mark and this time again. Sometimes it becomes tough to bounce back in the game after dropping a catch. From the bowlers’ perspective also, we didn’t get a few leg-befores, like in the last match (against Madhya Pradesh). Against Karnataka a couple of decisions went against us. But these things happen, it’s part and parcel of the game. The crucial thing was, despite the dropped chances, we didn’t get the breakthroughs which is attributable to lack of bowling experience.”

“Senior players need to realise themselves that they’ve let Mumbai down this year. Had Sarfaraz not struck that form, it would have been a disaster. If you analyse every innings, only two batsmen have scored. The players have to do a lot of soul-searching.”MILIND REGE, CHIEF SELECTOR

Mumbai’s pace attack was being led by Tushar Deshpande this season. Dhawal Kulkarni, who picked up a hamstring injury after the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Shardul Thakur, who was representing India in ODIs and T20Is, were both missing. The dent of that inexperience was deepened further when their fielders put down chances. One of them was dropping R Ashwin early in his innings when Mumbai went to Chennai after their loss to Karnataka. They posted 488 and reduced Tamil Nadu to 195 for 7 on the third day but then dropped Ashwin. The No. 8 capitalised with a century stand alongside R Sai Kishore and went on to score 79 to help the team post 324. Tamil Nadu followed-on on the last day, but Ashwin ensured Mumbai didn’t earn a win.Mumbai have endured torrid times like this in the past and even bounced back to win titles. In 2015-16, they started the season with a loss to Jammu & Kashmir, they were skittled for 101 by Railways in the next game, and were deep in the pits at 57 for 6 against UP. There was even an on-field altercation between Suryakumar Yadav and Thakur in one of the games and it all looked gloomy for them. However, Tare struck a century, Shreyas Iyer played counter-attacking knocks, Thakur finished with 41 wickets to be among the top five wicket-takers, and Mumbai lifted their 41st Ranji title.This time, though, not even the senior players were able to pull them out of this dark abyss. Ajinkya Rahane, Aditya Tare, Siddhesh Lad and latest international star Prtihvi Shaw’s scores in those two losses against Railways and Karnataka narrate the story. Rahane made 5, 8, 7 and 1, Tare 4, 14, 0 and 6, Lad 14, 8, 4 and 4 and Shaw managed 12, 23 and 29.Fifteen innings for a total of 139 runs with a combined experience of 300 first-class games behind them. From there, it was no surprise that things got worse. Rahane, Shaw and Yadav all left for New Zealand at different times, whether for A games or international matches, and the depleted Mumbai side crashed out.”It becomes very crucial to control the innings when you lose wickets in a cluster and our batsmen could not do that,” Samant says of the collapses they endured. “We were 81 for 4 in one game and then we suddenly collapsed completely. The biggest surprise was that Lad was going through a rough patch because he hardly scored 200 runs (174) in the season and last season he had scored 600-650 runs. He was out of form. We had backed him since he is a senior player.Sarfaraz Khan extended his rich form with another hundred•PTI “It’s mainly the lack of discipline in our batting that cost us. If someone had done that and taken the responsibility, like Sarfaraz [Khan] did later…It’s just unfortunate because we have such stalwarts but we lost those two crucial matches. This is not a blame-game but just the responsibility they should have taken. Sometimes you’ve to respect the game, stay on the back foot, see some balls through, and we were missing that discipline in all three departments.”If Khan had not scored all those runs, Mumbai’s campaign would have been a “disaster”, chief selector Milind Rege says. Khan did not play Mumbai’s first two games – against Baroda and Railways – and started off with a half-century against Karnataka before an unbeaten 301 against Uttar Pradesh, a 226 not out versus Himachal Pradesh, 78 opposite Saurashtra and another impressive 177 in the last game, against Madhya Pradesh. A tally of 928 runs in only nine innings with an average of 154.66, the best this season so far.”Our batting has failed miserably despite some big names in the first three or four games,” Rege said. “And then many players went away but the plus point is also that those who replaced the senior players, who left, have done better. There are good youngsters coming up: Sarfaraz Khan was absolutely fantastic, the opening batsman [Hardik] Tamore was good, and Aakarshit Goel scored a hundred on debut.”Senior players need to realise themselves that they’ve let Mumbai down this year. Had Sarfaraz not struck that form, it would have been a disaster. If you analyse every innings, only two batsmen have scored. The players have to do a lot of soul-searching.”Rege believes it was also the lack of firepower in the bowling attack that cost Mumbai.”Over the last five years Mumbai hasn’t produced a single bowler, except for Shardul Thakur. So what are the coaches doing? We need fast bowlers. Give us a bowler who bowls 140kmh, nobody bowls that. The bowling strengths have gone down.”As a result, Mumbai squandered some strong positions and suffered, with the Tamil Nadu game not the only instance. They had set Saurashtra a target of 290 on the last day of their must-win game in Rajkot and even reduced them to 83 for 7 with over 40 overs to go, but Mumbai’s bowlers could not strike even once and came back with a draw. Against Madhya Pradesh in the next game at home, they set a target of 408 and had the visitors at 183 for 6, but went wicketless again for over 35 overs.Add to that the off-field issues Mumbai cricket has been grappling with for more than a year now, and the association has several headaches before the next season: the entire selection panel had quit about a year ago, the MCA was haphazardly looking for a coach before the beginning of the current season, and a selection controversy saw them sack two of the new selectors a few months ago.By the time the next season arrives, Mumbai will probably have a new set of selectors and maybe a new coach too. The set of players, however, is likely to remain the same and it is mainly them who can turn Mumbai’s fortunes around.

Their form since the 2018 tournament has been horrid, but on their day there is the talent to shine

Deivarayan Muthu20-Feb-2020OverviewWest Indies stormed to the title in 2016 in India and then progressed to the semi-finals at home in 2018, but their fortunes have turned for the worse since. So much so that, among the ten teams that will turn out at this World Cup, they have the second-worst win-loss ratio (0.4) since the 2018 edition. Only Sri Lanka, who have suffered nine successive losses, have fared worse than West Indies during this period.West Indies’ drastic fall coincided with an injury to their star allrounder Deandra Dottin, who had featured in a mere three T20Is out of 15 in their lead-up to the World Cup. Dottin, though, is fit again, as is experienced seamer Shakera Selman, who had recently returned from her own injury in the T20Is against India in November last year. Shamilla Connell, who could potentially take the new ball along with Selman, has also regained full fitness. Much like the men’s side, the women’s team is getting the band back together in a bid to reclaim the title down under. Dottin’s return, in particular, spruces up the batting line-up that was prone to collapses during their 5-0 whitewash at the hands of India at home. At the Providence, West Indies had suffered the ignominy of dawdling to 59 for 9 – their lowest-ever T20I total.Can West Indies shake off that hangover and fire in unison as they did in 2016?SquadStafanie Taylor (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed (vice-capt), Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman (coach: Gus Logie)Group fixturesFebruary 22: West Indies v Thailand, WACA
February 26: West Indies v Pakistan, Canberra
March 1: West Indies v England, Sydney Showground
March 3: West Indies v South Africa, Sydney ShowgroundT20 World Cup historyWest Indies have been among the most consistent sides in the T20 World Cup since their first-round exit in 2009. They’ve made it to the knockouts – or beyond – in the past five editions, having won it in 2016. In 2018, an awful batting meltdown against eventual champions Australia cost them the semi-final at home.Form guideWest Indies will want to look away from their section. They went down 5-0 to India and have won just four out of 15 T20Is since the last World Cup. And three of those four wins had come against Ireland, who are ranked 10th in the shortest format.Key playersDeandra Dottin can be destructive both with the bat and ball and it will be mighty difficult to stop her if she gets on a roll. The boundaries in Australia may be bigger for other players, but not so much for Dottin. But, does she still that power-hitting in her after undergoing a corrective shoulder surgery? Dottin had even told the Cricket West Indies website that she had “felt like giving up” during the rehab. Apart from Dottin and Hayley Matthews, Stafanie Taylor is the only other West Indies player with WBBL experience. The West Indies captain has had stints at Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder, making 1074 runs in 56 innings at an average of 26.19 and strike rate of 101.41. She was also in fine form in the ODIs at home against India and with Dottin just easing her way back into the set-up, West Indies will bank on Taylor to shoulder greater responsibility with the bat.What would be a success at the tournament?On current form, it’s quite hard to imagine West Indies making the semi-finals once again, let alone reclaiming the crown. But, count them out at your own peril. If Dottin gets cracking, and the others can rally around her, West Indies can make things happen.

A familiar tale played itself out as defensive frailties and poor shot selection hastened the visitors’ slide to defeat

Mohammad Isam in Indore16-Nov-2019Big gaps between bat and pad, bats coming down at odd angles against seaming deliveries, indecision outside the off stump, and the general lack of long-format temperament. Saturday was the same old story for the Bangladesh batting line-up in an overseas Test match, and the flaws were further exposed by arguably the best bowling attack in the world.It was only thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim, who faced one-third of all the balls faced by Bangladesh’s batsmen in the entire Test, that the game went on until 3.30pm on the third day. He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, but among a group of batsmen who hardly showed any patience, his 43 and 64 stood out like a beacon.Openers Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes looked susceptible against both the incoming and outgoing deliveries. Both got out to balls leaving them on the first day, and on the third day both were bowled by balls that came back in, and not terribly sharply. They were undone by subtle movement.Mahmudullah was undone by his lack of patience in both innings, exposing all three stumps and missing a sweep in the first and poking at numerous deliveries from the quicks in the second. Mohammad Mithun survived 36 and 26 balls, and could be considered unlucky to get out to a brilliant delivery in the first innings, but in the second dig, his bat coming down at an angle got him into trouble against a Mohammed Shami bouncer.Liton Das may have fewer technical issues to sort out, but his impatience is eating into his international career. In the second innings, he put on 63 with Mushfiqur before giving it away by playing one shot too many.Mushfiqur Rahim flicks one on the leg side•BCCIThrough this Test match, Bangladesh’s batsmen were not in control of 20% of the balls they faced, as against India’s 5%. While this was reflective of the disparity in quality between the two attacks the respective teams faced, it was also indicative of the issues of technique and shot selection that continue to bog down Bangladesh in Test cricket.Even Mushfiqur isn’t without flaws. Teams have been trying to target him with the big inswinger homing in on his off and middle stumps, in the hope that he’ll leave a gap between bat and pad. West Indies have tasted notable success with this tactic recently, and Shami did so too in the first innings, finding the gap between bat and pad. There were a couple of close calls of this nature on day three too.Mushfiqur will no doubt busy himself practising against the incoming ball over the next five days, trying his best to iron out his weakness. At least he knows exactly what his issue is. And at least it’s just one issue. The problems are a lot more complicated when it comes to his colleagues. In overseas conditions in the last two years, they have been exposed in multiple ways, technically and mentally.It calls into question Bangladesh’s preparation for these challenges.Apart from the lead-up to the 2015 World Cup – when their then coach Chandika Hathurusingha installed a granite slab at the Shere Bangla National Stadium to simulate the bounce of Australian pitches – there haven’t been too many recent instances of Bangladesh coming up with specific training methods to combat specific challenges. That kind of preparation is essential for batsmen to develop the habits that will serve them well when their techniques are examined relentlessly for long periods.Bangladesh’s recent struggles against New Zealand, West Indies and India have suggested that this isn’t happening.It isn’t that Bangladesh’s batsmen lack the pedigree to play at the top level. The current lot is much better against pace and bounce, for instance, than previous generations were. But when it comes to dealing with a full arsenal of bowlers asking them questions ball after ball, they are still quite some way behind most batting line-ups.