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Daniel Vettori has turned his attention from Royal Challengers Bangalore to Middlesex but still success is not coming easily

Arjun Bhardwaj09-Jul-2018Daniel Vettori has been one of the most sought-after coaches in world cricket. As the head coach of Brisbane Heat and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he is responsible for the fortunes of two of the largest franchises around.Vettori brings that high reputation to Middlesex for a second successive season. But all three Vettori-led teams have been consistently underperforming. With Middlesex only securing one win from their opening three games, his record is bound to come under scrutiny under the coming weeks.The return of the Vitality Blast provides Middlesex with a timely opportunity to bring some stability to their season, and how they need it. Richard Scott, Middlesex’s Championship head coach, resigned a week ago after nine years in charge, leaving Vettori to deal with the after-shocks.Middlesex failed to progress from their group in the T20 Blast last season, winning only five matches in 14 in Vettori’s first in charge, a season in which a general malaise also saw them relegated from the Championship.Three matches into their 2018 campaign and nothing seems to have changed. They failed to win two T20 matches in a row last year and once again they have been unable to string victories together, losing to Essex a day after beating a below-strength Surrey side.Another defeat, at the hands of Gloucestershire, on Sunday night has left Middlesex with one win from three matches and needs the usually calm Vettori to reignite a struggling side.Middlesex fans relish victory in the London derby•Getty ImagesVettori has not had much success in revamping struggling franchises in the past. When he took charge of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014, they had qualified three times from the group stages in six years since the tournament’s inception in 2008. Under Vettori’s supervision, they have progressed twice in five.Bangalore’s moderate IPL record is exceptionally worrying since they boast arguably the best squad on paper. Their batting unit contained a wealth of talent in Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson for several years. However, Vettori’s side were unable to convert raw talent into results on a consistent basis. This is the same problem he is facing at Middlesex, as his group of big-name players are unable to come together as a team and win.Many observers initially blamed Bangalore’s failure to catch fire on a lack of a balanced side, with their batting being significantly stronger than their bowling. There were investments in high-profile million-dollar batsmen such as Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik.Vettori hailed Bangalore’s 2018 vintage as their most balanced ever. He was careful to acknowledge the importance of data and placed more emphasis on it in the IPL Auction to ensure that Bangalore were well equipped. Despite their new-look and carefully calculated side, the results were much the same for Bangalore as they finished sixth.Middlesex certainly have a balanced squad on paper but, if anything they have the reputation of being a bowling side. Tim Helm, who took 19 wickets last season, was the sixth highest wicket-taker in the competition while Middlesex’s leading run-scorer Eoin Morgan didn’t even feature in the top 30 leading run scorers in the tournament.With Morgan away on international duty, their overseas players are multi-functional. Hilton Cartwright, initially signed for a Championship stint, has stayed on for a while, Dwayne Bravo’s death bowling will be an asset and his batting ability will increase the depth in their side until he heads to the Caribbean Premier League and Australian Ashton Agar will soon follow.Recruiting the services of Bravo for six matches aimed to give Middlesex a strong start. The charismatic all-rounder is the only bowler to have taken over 400 wickets in T20 cricket and was named in ESPN Cricinfo’s all-time best T20 team. He bowled well at the death in the defeat of Surrey, and top-scored against Gloucestershire in a deflating defeat at Uxbridge but three of his matches have gone and he is running out of time to kick-start the season.As Vettori looks for solutions, perhaps legspinner Nathan Sowter holds the key. Sowter has had a hit and miss start to the season, opening with of 1 for 42 against Surrey but bouncing back with an economical 1 for 24 against Essex as others faltered. There is a growing trend in limited overs cricket of utilising leg-spin, and Sowter could be Middlesex’s answer.Last season, when Middlesex had only recorded two wins from their first seven matches, their season was nearly over at the halfway point. They are in danger of suffering the same fate this year.

A student of Economics, and defender at University College Dublin (UCD) club, legspinner Elena Tice has more than a hundred international caps split across the two sports

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2018At age 13, she became one of the youngest ever to play international cricket when she took the field for the Ireland women’s team. Two weeks short of 18, she made her senior international debut for the Irish hockey team, in 2016. Now, all of 20, dual international Elena Tice has a Hockey World Cup silver medal to her name.In a breakout run at the recently-concluded Hockey World Cup, where Ireland made their first appearance in 16 years, Tice and her team finished runners-up following a 6-0 hammering from eight-time champions Netherlands in London on Sunday. The unprecedented campaign culminated in a best-ever finish for Ireland at an international event, who are expected to break into the top 10 in the next update to the world rankings.A student of Economics, and defender at University College Dublin (UCD) club, Tice holds the distinction of being among the few elite female cricketers who have represented their country in two sports. Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry (football), New Zealand captain Suzie Bates (basketball) and allrounder Sophie Devine (hockey) are some of the pre-eminent members of the club. A defender at the UCD Club, Tice has more than a hundred international caps split across the two sports – 40 in cricket alone. Having largely played as a legspinner in a currently dormant cricket career, her last international appearance came in 2015, in a T20I against Australia.Born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Tice moved to Indianapolis in the USA when she was four. There she picked up baseball and, at age six, the family moved to Vienna. During her three years in the Austrian capital, she made her first foray into cricket and went on to play for the Austria Cricket Club later. At nine, she moved back to Ireland where she began playing school cricket for Aravon School while also lining up for the Merrion Cricket Club. The same year marked her initiation into hockey too.Growing up, Tice dabbled in several other sports, including football, rugby and horse-riding, and Evented (an equestrian event) until about age 13. But juggling cricket and hockey became challenging for the widely travelled Tice, especially while representing the Irish Under-16 and Under-18 hockey teams. Extension of the season deep into summer would mean the cricket season had to be compromised with.For Tice, developing an interest in myriad sports has been a natural phenomenon. Youngest of three siblings, one of her brothers, Patrick, represented the Ireland’s Under-19s and Cambridge University as wicketkeeper-batsman. The other, Dalton, played rugby with the Leinster under-19s. A long-time supporter of the English football club Manchester United, she looked up to the legendary Paul Scholes and allrounder Andrew Flintoff for his charisma.With her sights set on the qualifying tournament next year, Tice’s career goal is to play in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. And if her advice to young hockey players, as it reads on her Hockey Ireland profile page, is anything to go by, rest assured Tice is likely to “be the person who works harder than everyone else.”

One of Shikhar Dhawan’s defining traits is the ability to forget failures, and so far it has resulted in making him one of India’s top openers in ODIs

Shashank Kishore in Dubai24-Sep-2018Rohit Sharma summed up Shikhar Dhawan’s confidence in a line, when asked about their double-century opening stand against Pakistan on Sunday. “First five overs we talk about cricket, discuss what we need to do, where we take singles and which fielders we can out-do under pressure. After that, it’s better to leave Dhawan alone.”Dhawan, in fact, has been doing most things alone on tour so far.On the only day India have trained at the Asia Cup – a day prior to their match against Hong Kong – ice buckets were arranged for all the batsmen to cool off after 15-minute batting stints. Dhawan, who was first in at the nets, was in a different world, still going strong 25 minutes into the session – first against pace, then against spin and finally against their new left-arm throwdown specialist from Sri Lanka.After his first batting session was over, he went over to an open net and kept asking Shahbaz Nadeem, who was with the Indian team for five days, to keep spinning the ball back in from the rough. A special mat had been put somewhere close to a length. Dhawan swept continuously. This lasted 15 minutes, before he finally walked out of the net, amused at the ice treatment his team-mates were receiving. Later, a member of the support staff joked at how didn’t need ice treatment. Why? (‘He’s from Delhi where 45 degress is normal, as it is in Melbourne [where his wife and kids live]’)Dhawan wasn’t done yet. Even as the others took 10-minute hits before walking off, Dhawan marched towards a separate net where Sanjay Bangar, the batting coach, and throwdown expert Raghu greeted him for a third session, hurling short-pitched deliveries. The instructions were to alternate between a pull in front of square and swaying out of the way depending on the line of the deliveries. In all, it was an intense workout in the heat to prepare for potentially four games in six days. He was roaring with the confidence that said ‘I’m ready, come and get me.’It seemed as if there was a remarkable difference in mindset and body language to the diffident Dhawan who had kept prodding and poking to the slips in the Test matches in England. It’s a remarkable Dhawan trait, to be able to put behind his failures as fast as it takes to guzzle a litre of water in the UAE heat. Just three days prior to his first nets session in Dubai, he’d left England with more questions than answers. Doubts lingered if he’d done enough to be India’s first-choice opener in Australia. Mind you, the home Tests in West Indies weren’t even in consideration because it was a given he’d score at home. Numbers back the popular perception that Dhawan is a subcontinent specialist.Seven of Shikhar Dhawan’s 15 ODI hundreds have now come in three multi-nation tournaments•ESPNcricinfo LtdDhawan’s larger issue in red-ball cricket is his tendency to stay inside the line of the ball, in trying to open up the off side. This has resulted in heaps of runs in the subcontinent, on tracks where there’s no lateral movement. On green tracks, however, he’s been found wanting. This approach may cast apprehension in a few batsmen but not Dhawan.On tracks where there has been true bounce – invariably the case in ODIs – he’s been more than happy to play without the fear of nicking behind. In any case, India have had three low-pressure chases in four matches so far at the Asia Cup, where he’s dominated right from the outset. He’s latched onto anything on a good length, pounced on the short deliveries, played the hook and pull, and against spin, there has been intent whenever he’s looked to sweep. This has resulted in scores of 127, 40, 46 and 114.Earlier this year in South Africa, he made 305 runs courtesy two half-centuries and a hundred in the ODIs. These runs came at a strike rate of 110.5. It superbly complemented Virat Kohli, who was by far the best batsman on tour. It was in stark contrast to Dhawan’s Tests during that tour, where he had scored 16 apiece in Cape Town and was left out in favour of KL Rahul for the Centurion Test. That didn’t, however, have any impact on his ODI form, a testament to his mental make-up.Four years ago too, he walked into the 2015 World Cup searching for his off stump and for answers against late swing. The slips were always in with a chance. Poor form had deserted him in the Tests before he made way for a nervy debutant in Rahul. In the tri-series with England that followed, Dhawan failed to hit top gear. A week’s break in Melbourne later, the batsman who arrived at the World Cup was a different version of the man whose confidence appeared to have been at its lowest barely a week ago.In just his second innings at the tournament, his century set up a stunning win over South Africa. He eventually finished the tournament with 412 runs in eight innings at an average of 51.50 and strike rate of 91.80. His remarkable consistency at the Asia Cup mirrors that World Cup form, and with a full series against West Indies at home before they travel to Australia and New Zealand, India would hope for this confidence resonates across formats.His ODI career began with a first-ball duck eight years ago against Australia in Visakhapatnam, but since becoming a regular at the Champions Trophy in 2013, he’s been one of the first few names on the team sheet, the stifling competition notwithstanding. His batting average of 47.13 and strike rate of 94.38 across 108 innings have established him as one of the best ODI openers in the country along with Rohit Sharma; their 210-run opening stand against Pakistan was the highest for India in chase and was also the fourth highest overall.For all his Test struggles, Dhawan’s Sehwag-like traits – whistling while batting and always having a laugh to spare, even in the tightest of situations – may give you an impression of him being carefree. But that’s just who Dhawan is, something India have learnt to embrace. They’d just hope now that the purple patch extends into the World Cup year.

Zubayr Hamza struck a sublime double-hundred against Dolphins, but it was not enough to secure the title for Cape Cobras

Liam Brickhill31-Jan-2019Results summary
The 4-Day Franchise Series ended in thrilling fashion, with Lions claiming the 2017-18 title on a nail-biting final evening in Potchefstroom. With five overs lost to rain on the final day of a game that Lions had to win, and Yaseen Vallie and Sinethemba Qeshile adding 85 for the fourth wicket, Warriors had almost reached safety before Nono Pongolo and Nandre Burger made inroads into their tail in the afternoon. There were just two wickets standing when the last hour was signalled at 5.15pm. Thomas Kaber held on, limpet-like, at one end, but when the new ball was taken after the 80th over, Lions broke through. Burger had Basheeru-Deen Walters caught behind, and in fading light Wihahn Lubbe then struck with his third ball, beating Sithembile Langa’s forward defence to spark wild celebrations.The eventual result would not have been possible without a record-breaking first-innings stand between Bjorn Fortuin and Delano Potgieter, who helped their side recover from a perilous 96 for 6. Fortuin’s 183 was his highest score in Franchise cricket – and just nine short of his best ever effort with the bat in all first-class cricket – while Potgieter’s 145 was the highest score of his career in just his 12th first-class game. Potgieter then took 4 for 81 to secure the first-innings lead, and Kagiso Rapulana’s 114 in the second dig allowed Lions to declare at 292 for 9. Warriors had almost reached a position of safety when, on the final day, they were only five down after 4pm. But then came Lions’ match-winning, title-sealing burst in the closing moments.That result meant that Zubayr Hamza’s magical double-hundred on the penultimate day of Cape Cobras’ game against Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg was not enough to secure the title for his team, who had led the points table for virtually the entire competition. Hamza’s 201 was his maiden double at franchise level and the second of his first-class career, and allowed Cobras to declare their innings at 523 for 7. On a flat pitch, Keshav Maharaj’s 2 for 217 were the best figures for Dolphins, but while the pitch might have been benign the weather was anything but, and overs were lost to bad light on every day of the game. The lost overs forced the game into a draw, with Dolphins’ top four all passing fifty before the captains shook hands midway through the final afternoon after bad light stopped play once again.In Benoni, Titans and Knights were finally put out of their misery early on the final day after their match was abandoned due to a wet outfield at Willowmoore Park. All three previous days were also affected for the same reason, with players on both sides left frustrated by the conditions underfoot in what was their last match of the first-class season.The final decision by umpires Abdoellah Steenkamp and Johan Cloete meant there was no cricket played at all after all three previous days had to be abandoned – the main problem area being the bowlers’ run-up. The shared points from the game meant the hosts and defending champions Titans, as well as the Knights, ended in the bottom three.On the national radar
Hamza’s double-hundred should be enough for him to be retained in South Africa’s squad for the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka in February, while in the same game his team-mate Vernon Philander defied the placid batting conditions to take 4 for 46 in Dolphins’ first innings. At the other end of the spectrum, Maharaj bowled a whopping 56 overs for his two wickets and, given that he has also been left out of South Africa’s Test playing XI in a seam-heavy attack recently, Maharaj could do with a confidence boost.Confidence shouldn’t be a problem for Temba Bavuma, who registered scores of 22 and 48 in Lions’ victory, but more importantly captained the side to the 4-Day title.Top performers
Bjorn Fortuin has made more of a splash with his left-arm spin than his batting in domestic cricket of late, opening the bowling for Paarl Rocks during the Mzansi Super League, but his knock against Warriors turned the game around and he was rightfully named Player of the Match in their title-sealing 84-run win. He also ended the season with 23 first-class wickets at 22.78 to his name.Over the course of the season, however, Cobras captain Dane Piedt stood head and shoulders over the other bowlers across the franchises. He ended the season with 54 wickets at 27.74, 20 more scalps than second placed Dane Paterson.With the bat, Knights’ Keegan Petersen and Warriors’ Eddie Moore both passed 900 runs for the season to top the run charts.

Cricket’s biggest rivalry is back. Also, can RCB doing anything right?

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-May-2019Premature celebrations
Congratulations were withdrawn this month from James Faulkner, who initially seemed to have come out as gay, only to later come out as not gay (or should that be “go back in” – not really sure how specifics of this metaphor work). Several major news outlets swooped on the news that Faulkner had come out after the allrounder described the man he was having dinner with as “boyfriend” on an Instagram post. Hours later, though, Faulkner clarified that he was not gay, and described the whole thing as a misunderstanding, which, in turn, prompted criticism of Faulkner in some circles, for supposedly making a joke of what is understandably a sensitive process for many gay men and women. It seems clear that Faulkner did not set out to intentionally do gay people a disservice, but just to be safe, he should definitely steer clear of Ben Stokes at the World Cup.The IPL unites the world
March in the IPL ended in disharmony, with the pro-mankad and anti-mankad armies engaged in a furious online war. April, though, was different. This month, cricket fans the world over looked each other in the eye, linked arms, and with their differences forgotten, came together as one to laugh at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s state-by-state tour of incompetence.The copycat move
Having skidded through the first half of the IPL, Royal Challengers even tried to take a page out of Chennai Super Kings’ book by signing up an older player, Dale Steyn. But where Super Kings’ senior army sees the team win tough matches thanks to their collective experience, Royal Challengers have of course managed to find the biggest possible downfall in hiring older players. Having played just two matches, Steyn injured his shoulder, and is now not only ruled out of the IPL, he is also in some doubt for the World Cup.The showdown
While there is plenty of live cricket to look forward to in May, such as the conclusion of the IPL and the start of the World Cup, cricket has reminded us all that the biggest showdowns in our sport happen at the administrative level. The BCCI, who have one of the most storied running rivalries of all time with the PCB, have recently engaged in a mouth-watering tiff with Cricket Australia over scheduling – a clash that is likely to unfold in scintillating fashion in conference rooms in India and Australia. The contest looks like it will feature the best administrative talent from both nations, with all the delicious horse-trading and brinkmanship fans have come to expect from these encounters.Meanwhile, in actual live cricket news, the women’s IPL exhibition series, due to take place in May, will be without three of the finest cricket talents in the world, in Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy, as a result of the BCCI v CA fixture.A victory for professional honesty
Having been removed from England’s World Cup squad for failing a drug test for the second time, Alex Hales left it to his management company to issue a statement, instead of personally fronting up, which many have interpreted as insincere. Hales has undermined England’s World Cup campaign, his critics say, and owes his fans and team-mates a direct explanation.But were they ever going to get one? Isn’t every public statement from high-profile cricketers endlessly pored over and fine-tuned by a management team? In cutting out the middleman (i.e. himself) from the whole public-regret process, Hales is helping usher in a new era in which public-relations professionals get to deliver their calculated messages undiluted to the masses. With the rate at which Hales gets into trouble, perhaps he himself can continue to spearhead this campaign for professional honesty.Next month on The Briefing:- A talent agency issues an even more honest statement following a player gaffe: “Although in an ideal world, [the player] would loved to have both done [the thing he is in trouble for] and not got caught, his being caught has for sure made him wish he hadn’t [done the thing he is in trouble for].”- New MCC president Kumar Sangakkara spearheads laws to ban sledges containing four-letter words. Seven-letter words and above only.- “We’ll be sending in our biggest administrative superstars and using some of our most famous passive-aggressive tactics against,” says the BCCI, as hype for the clash with CA reaches fever pitch.

Given the divisive recent history of the Australian captaincy, in fact, the argument for Khawaja only grows stronger. Where Paine broke the mould, Khawaja would help to reshape it still further

Daniel Brettig28-Aug-2019Sometime after Australia’s international cricketers became fully professional, the captaincy of the national team became not just coveted, but a genuine prize.This was not necessarily just because of the honour it conferred, but also the privilege. Captains are paid more, get an additional retainer above the money applied to players on Cricket Australia’s contract rankings. They stay in the best suite at team hotels – a gift once bestowed on the team manager – and they also have the chance to monetise their leadership by all manner of additional endorsements.Along with the increasingly elevated place of the Australian team in public consciousness and corporate attraction, these factors helped turn the national captaincy into a prize. The phrase “second most important job after the prime minister” was thrown around more often in the late 1990s when Mark Taylor held it, but ever since he took over from Allan Border it was to become almost as sought after.What is awkward about this story is how much the lure of captaincy began to affect the team in terms of unity, or from the performance of its best players. Undoubtedly, some of the most prominent bust-ups, from Steve Waugh-Shane Warne to Ricky Ponting-Michael Clarke, had the question of captaincy or ambition for it at core.After Taylor the role went increasingly to the best batsman, without any other qualifiers. Waugh, Ponting, Clarke, Steven Smith: all were, either shortly before they took the job or during their tenure, regarded as the premier batsman in the world, let alone Australia.This process reached its apogee with Smith’s appointment, both the most outrageously talented batsman and the youngest and least experienced leader. The shortcomings were to be seen in the worst possible way in early 2018 when, exhausted by his workload, Smith could neither lead with the bat nor with his words and advice in the dressing room. The Newlands scandal pushed him and David Warner, the other obvious candidate, out of contention for captaincy.What happened immediately afterwards was a decision to hand the role to Tim Paine, a cricketer of worth but of the kind habitually ruled out in previous years. Before Newlands he would have been seen as one or all of too old, too inexperienced, ineligible as a wicketkeeper and not secure enough in the team. But the scandal left the board with few other options in their view, so setting up a period in which Australia’s definition of captaincy was redefined, and broadened.Eighteen months later and Paine’s captaincy has been successful in helping to restore respect for the team, but not outstanding in terms of results. The question of how much longer Paine goes on is an open one, although it is difficult to see him keeping it beyond the forthcoming home summer. Many have assumed that once his leadership ban expires in April 2020, Smith will take back what he lost at Newlands, but there are just as many judges adamant that he should not – as much to ensure a continual flow of runs as anything else.Justin Langer chats with Alex Carey and Usman Khawaja as Australia begin their camp•Getty ImagesMany have bemoaned the lack of options, commonly wondering aloud whether Travis Head is ready, or whether Pat Cummins can be expected to do the job as a fast bowler likely to be rested or rotated at some point in a series. In this discussion there has generally been one curious omission, but selection as captain for the tour game against Derbyshire has raised it at a notable moment: Usman Khawaja.In February 2012 I wrote a piece for ESPNcricinfo that summed up perceptions of Khawaja from the perspective of many inside Australian cricket. Essentially, it assessed him as a rich talent but lacking the work rate or yearning for constant improvement admired by coaches and selectors. Eight years later and this is still the perception among many, even though Khawaja has grown and improved an awful lot since, turning himself into a Test batsman of quality and a leader of considerable repute in Queensland.It may be a surprise to some to know he has held the state captaincy of the Bulls since 2015. it may also be a surprise to learn that team-mates regard him as one of the very best they have had. “In short, excellent,” says one. “Never once saw him get flustered even in pressure situations (he has that calmness that gets misinterpreted as not caring), very fair (listens to ideas and asks his chosen confidantes) and very decisive (never ums and ahs). Genuinely one of the better ones.”Khawaja has held a leadership role before, leading Australia A to a 1-0 series win over India A in India in 2015. A hallmark of the win was the nifty use of Gurinder Sandhu’s offspin. Otherwise, he has been passed over for vice-captaincy, although with an important rider – last year the selectors made it crystal clear that the deputy role was not to be for a captain in waiting. Khawaja’s captaincy appointment for Derby serves as a reminder that there is no line ruled through him.One figure who had his perception of Khawaja changed was Justin Langer. Among the first things Langer did when appointed coach was to seek out Khawaja for some firm discussions about his future. Counselled to get fitter and work on his fielding, Khawaja responded with a fitness regimen that saw him lose somewhere in the region of seven kilos while also improving his agility.His first Test for Langer was in Dubai, where he sculpted a fourth-innings masterclass that allowed Australia to squeak out a draw. If the runs have not been as consistent since, Langer was won over, and notably felt the World Cup semi-final against England would have gone another way had Khawaja not been sidelined with a hamstring strain.”I think he’s been the pin-up boy of Australian cricket in the sense that he knew what he had to do,” Langer said earlier this tour. “He had to get fitter and stronger. He had to improve his fielding. We know he’s a good player and he’s done all those things. He’s been very good as a leader and he’s different, he’s a bit quiet, he sits back and he’s unafraid to give an opinion. He’s got strong opinions. He’s played a lot of cricket now.”The young Queenslanders like Michael Neser and Marnus [Labuschagne] look up to him. I like how calm he is in big Test matches. Sometimes it comes across as him being very laconic but Mark Waugh was like that as well. There are different personalities, but I like how calm he is and I like his temperament.”

“You learn pretty quickly you can’t expect anyone else to do anything you don’t do yourself. Don’t try to be anything different just because you have a ‘C’ next to your name, it’s really important to stay consistent and clear and I think that’s what guys respect.”Usman Khawaja on captaincy

As an example of Khawaja’s thinking, his perspective on Headingley and how to deal with it was that of a mature cricketer at ease with the conversations any captain must have with distraught players.”You lose from a point where you don’t expect to lose and it hurts, probably hurts more,” he said. “It definitely sticks with you. It’s always tough to sleep that night because you’re thinking what could you have done, what could you have done differently as a team. Probably one of the toughest losses I’ve had, a lot of the guys would be the same.”But in the same respect you have a good night’s sleep and then you wake up the next morning, the sun does come up and you’re back at it again. It’s all about being a professional, try to learn from your past, try to learn from those past mistakes. When you’ve done it for a long time you know how quickly things can change in sport.”Asked about what is key to captaincy, Khawaja offers a response enriched by living through Australian cricket’s past decade. “Being yourself is the most important thing, You learn pretty quickly you can’t expect anyone else to do anything you don’t do yourself. Don’t try to be anything different just because you have a ‘C’ next to your name, it’s really important to stay consistent and clear and I think that’s what guys respect. I hope the guys back home in Queensland that’s what they respect me for, I’m pretty consistent and I don’t really change much whether I’m captain or not captain, I still carry myself.”I talk to Painey [Tim Paine] on the field about tactics and different things, not too much because I don’t want to get into his head. I know what it’s like to be a captain, to have everyone come up to you. So I pick and choose important times.”ALSO READ: Batting in spotlight as Australia plot resurrection of their ownOne of the new variables in leadership decisions is that the ICC has provided cycles into which a Test captaincy appointment can be focused, such as the run up to the 2021 World Test Championship final. While it looks unlikely that Paine could make it all the way to that juncture, it is equally true that naming Khawaja as captain for the same amount of time would allow younger candidates to emerge. Undoubtedly, Head would be older, wiser and more secure by then.Meanwhile, in Khawaja Australia has a candidate who has long, deep relationships with Warner and Smith at one end of the experience scale, but also the respect and admiration of Labuschagne at the other. And should the riposte to his mention as a possible leader be to an uncertain standing in the team in terms of selection at this very minute, then one need only look as far as Paine for an example of why the captaincy need not always go to the most accomplished batsman.Given the divisive recent history of the position, in fact, the argument for Khawaja only grows stronger. Where Paine broke the mould, Khawaja would help to reshape it further. Why Khawaja? Why not.

From the national coaches’ unending job insecurity to a bloated domestic competition, there’s a lot that’s not right with Sri Lankan cricket. When will this change?

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Aug-2019Sri Lanka have won another Test, their third in a row chasing a tough score. Their captain dug in for a tenacious fourth-innings hundred. The victory has yielded 60 Test Championship points – an excellent start to their campaign in that competition. Away from Tests, they have comfortably won their most-recent ODI series, against Bangladesh, and performed better than expected at the World Cup, finishing sixth. With young players suddenly coming through, and a capable captain at the helm, it is tempting to believe Sri Lanka have begun to recover following a several-year lull.But are these improvements sustainable? Here is what’s happening in administration.Right now, Sri Lanka Cricket is still trying to sack its coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, roughly two weeks after it sent him a letter detailing what the board claims are his many flaws. So far they have not succeeded in sacking him, because, anticipating turmoil at SLC, at the time of joining Hathurusingha had insisted on what appears to be an iron-clad contract. Lawyers are yet to properly shake each other down, but there is a strong possibility that if SLC does terminate his contract, they will be forced to pay him for the remainder of his contract period, which amounts to around 16 further months. In 2012, a previous SLC board had sacked Geoff Marsh and then had had to pay him a substantial settlement.The board itself has not publicly stated its grouses with Hathurusingha. On a purely performance front, Sri Lanka have won a higher percentage of matches under Hathurusingha than they had in the year prior to his arrival, across formats. What SLC president Shammi Silva did say, however, was that he “was also in the board that recruited Chandika Hathurusingha, and we’ve made some mistakes”. Adding: “If we are to do right by cricket in future, we have to correct those mistakes.” Okay, but had not the same board that Silva had been a part of also hire Graham Ford at the start of 2016, then essentially forced him to resign in the middle of 2017? Was that also a “mistake”? If board members keep hiring coaches and then getting rid of them 18 months in, is the problem really with the coaches? If mistakes are made this frequently, are these board members fit to continue making decisions?Hathurusingha, by the way, is the 10th head coach appointment (including interim coaches) SLC has made since the end of the 2011 World Cup, which means Sri Lanka have had a new head coach every nine months, on average. Every time the team fails, the board blames the coach and has him fired. It’s worked so many times. Why would SLC stop now?

If board members keep hiring coaches and then getting rid of them 18 months in, is the problem really with the coaches?

Among those leading the charge to have Hathurusingha sacked, also, is sports minister Harin Fernando. He has only been in the job since December, but like most sports ministers before him, desires to be seen as the saviour of Sri Lanka’s cricket, by far the island’s favourite sport. Although it has never been a secret that Hathurusingha is the highest-paid Sri Lanka coach ever, Fernando has taken the unusual step of publicly announcing Hathurusingha’s salary in order to effectively shame the coach for failing to deliver consistently outstanding results.It’s true that Hathurusingha’s early insistence on being selector as well as coach proved unsuccessful, but you wonder if Fernando knows that Sri Lanka had lost nearly three-fourths of their international matches in the year before Hathurusingha arrived (there were 40 losses, 14 wins and two draws in completed games across formats in 2017). As the size of Hathurusingha’s salary is the product of SLC’s desperation to lure him away from Bangladesh, back in late 2017, you wonder whether Fernando understands how contracts work. You also wonder whether he feels Hathurusingha is a soft target, on account of Hathurusingha being a Sri Lankan – no foreign coach has ever had remuneration so publicly picked apart.And if Hathurusigha is successfully discarded, how many top international coaches would seek out the Sri Lanka job, given its many insecurities?Fernando’s one saving grace may be his stated desire to see SLC’s utterly pathetic domestic tournament structure transformed. And yet, on that front, he is yet to deliver any tangible results. This year, the only first-class tournament played in Sri Lanka was the club competition, which features 14 teams and has long been derided as bloated and of little use. In 2017, Karunaratne himself had voiced his frustrations with it. Despite several former greats, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in particular, repeatedly stressing that Sri Lanka needs a stronger, more condensed domestic structure, the board has continued to prioritise the club competition, season after season, while a series of sports ministers have shown no political will to actually instigate changes that benefit cricket in the long term.The Sri Lanka team may suddenly be performing, but don’t let the administrators and politicians hijack credit. Don’t let them preach, as they did after the Test series win in South Africa this year, that their archaic domestic tournaments are responsible for such triumphs. If Sri Lanka succeeds, it is in spite of the system. They are winning now, but how much better could they have been with administration that is not incompetent?

This summer could be an exciting one for Everton and their supporters, having the opportunity to strengthen the first-team squad with investment from The Friedkin Group.

It will be the first full transfer window David Moyes has to make his own mark on the side after taking the reins from Sean Dyche back in January – largely having to work with the players already at Goodison Park.

A move to Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season could play on the mind of any player linked with a move to join the Toffees, possibly being a star in a new chapter for the club and taking them to the next level.

It’s no secret that the side have been underperforming for numerous years, being involved in countless relegation battles, with the summer a huge opportunity to push the side closer to the top half of the table.

Rumours have been swirling over the last couple of weeks ahead of the opening of the transfer window, with a shock move potentially on the cards for one player already on Merseyside.

Everton planning shock move for £30m star

According to Football Insider, Everton are ready to target a surprise summer move for Liverpool’s young forward Ben Doak.

The 19-year-old, who’s spending the season on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough, could be available for £30m with the teenager unlikely to break into the first-team picture at Anfield.

He’s had an impressive debut season in England’s second tier, notching three goals and seven assists in his 24 outings, playing a key role in Michael Carrick’s play-off push.

The report claims that the Toffees have a growing interest in the Scottish international, with Arne Slot’s side having no issue with selling him to their rivals should an acceptable offer present itself.

It would be a huge investment from the board, but one that could set them up for future success – potentially being their own version of a leading Premier League star.

Why Doak could become Everton’s own Salah

Mohamed Salah has been a leading talent in England’s top flight over the last few years, undoubtedly to the annoyance of Everton supporters.

The Liverpool winger has notched 184 goals in the Premier League after his move to Anfield back in the summer of 2017, with eight of his efforts coming against the Toffees.

There’s no denying that he’s an elite-level talent, but Moyes’ side could land their own version of the Egyptian this summer should Doak move across Merseyside.

The similarities between the Scotsman and Salah are there for all to see, with the pair both having blistering pace and their desire to cut inside onto their favoured foot – with the obvious factor being that both currently are on the books of Slot’s side.

Joining from the Reds would undoubtedly be a controversial move, but one that could excite supporters, with Doak producing some similar stats to the Liverpool star – albeit in a lower-quality division.

Games played

24

31

Goals & assists

10

44

Shot-on-target accuracy

52%

46%

Progressive carries

6.8

4.2

Pass accuracy

79%

71%

Take-ons completed

1.8

1.6

Fouls won

1.3

1.1

The Scotsman, who’s been labelled a “generational” talent by one analyst, may have registered fewer combined goals and assists, but has managed to achieve a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate – showcasing the attacking threat he carries.

He’s also completed more take-ons per 90, whilst also achieving more progressive carries per 90, highlighting his superb talent with the ball at his feet.

Doak is still only 19, having the ability to develop further down the line, subsequently taking his career to the next level with more minutes in the top-flight, something which he won’t receive with the Reds.

Whilst £30m would be a huge sum to splash out on a young prospect, he’s already demonstrated that he has the tools to make it at the top level, potentially being a bargain should he continue on his upward trajectory.

Should he get anywhere near the levels produced by Salah over the last few years, it would be a sensational piece of business, taking the side to new heights upon their move to the new stadium.

He plays like Moise Kean: Everton join race to sign £40m "wrecking ball"

Everton are gearing up to sign a striker in the transfer market this summer.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 9, 2025

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk peeled away after scoring the late winner against West Ham United at the weekend and kissed the badge, effectively confirming that his story on Merseyside will continue beyond the current campaign.

The captain’s contribution put the Reds within touching distance of lifting the Premier League title: should Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur be turned over in the fixtures to come, gold will be secured.

Van Dijk, 33, has been engaged in protracted contract discussions with FSG over the past several months, with a breakthrough seemingly found in the past week.

An announcement has yet to be confirmed, but a two-year extension for the awe-inspiring centre-back is, by all accounts, sealed.

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Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah’s new deal has already been confirmed. The 32-year-old forward has been Liverpool’s driving force this season, surely a shoo-in for the division’s Player of the Year award.

Sadly, Liverpool have been luckless in trying to tie Trent Alexander-Arnold down to his boyhood club for the prime years of his career. The right-back has been sold on the dream of plying his trade for Real Madrid.

This is a terrible shame, one which will sit sour with the fanbase for a long time. However, Liverpool are already proving that they can overcome the painful setback.

How Liverpool are forgetting about Trent

Liverpool are planning to defend their incoming Premier League title by means of attack, attack, attack. This summer, the Reds are planning to throw down with the best of them and strengthen across a range of positions.

Getting Van Dijk and Salah’s deals done means such things can be prioritised, with several exciting signings – alongside the title – sure to ease the anguish over Alexander-Arnold’s departure.

Of course, Liverpool will need to sign a new right-back, but Conor Bradley has proved that he has what it takes to star as Liverpool’s first-choice.

Talented, athletic and more conventionally tailored to the positional berth than his English counterpart, Bradley, 21, is making headway, with The Liverpool Echo awarding him an 8/10 match rating for his performance against West Ham, completing 91% of his passes and winning six of eight contested duels, as per Sofascore.

Liverpool can cope with Alexander-Arnold’s exit; indeed, those in the Anfield offices may have been tacitly resigned to the outcome for many months at this stage.

Real Madrid are a greedy lot, though, and might not be content with just Liverpool’s Scouse-born sensation. Florentino Perez might actually have his sights set on another of Arne Slot’s prized members.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Liverpool facing another Trent disaster

According to reports over in Spain, Real Madrid have their eye on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, billing him as an option ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report notes that he is ‘considered attractive to Real Madrid due to his quality’ and few would suggest he isn’t worthy of playing in the finest midfields around.

The shops might be shuttered right now, but Los Blancos are doing groundwork and might be buoyed in their intrigue after the player’s father publicly discussed the La Liga giants’ interest.

Given the magnitude of Liverpool’s transfer task this summer, it would be a detrimental blow to lose their midfield linchpin when some more punch needs to be added to the engine room anyway.

Why Liverpool can't lose Alexis Mac Allister

When Liverpool signed Brighton’s Mac Allister, they signed him for £35m. A recently-crowned World Cup winner and the midfield fulcrum behind the Seagulls’ fast rise to prominence, this was considered a bargain from those in the know.

An all-action, intelligent and technically gifted player, the 26-year-old was instrumental in steadying Jurgen Klopp’s ship last season, in returning to the Champions League, in lifting the Carabao Cup.

Now, in Slot’s system, he’s been the centrepiece of a looming Premier League triumph.

The Argentine has kept his level just so across his two campaigns in Liverpool colours, adapting to a different role under Slot’s wing while maintaining his quality.

Matches (starts)

33 (31)

31 (28)

Goals

5

4

Assists

5

4

Touches*

74.2

57.6

Pass completion

88%

87%

Key passes*

1.4

1.2

Dribbles*

0.5

0.5

Ball recoveries*

5.9

4.3

Tackles + interceptions*

4.1

3.3

Duels won*

5.9

5.0

Hailed as a “superstar” who “can play anywhere” by pundit Joe Cole, losing Mac Allister this summer would be tantamount to losing the glue that keeps Slot’s system ticking over.

Reporter Bence Bocsak has very neatly drawn attention to his far-reaching influence, having won the most tackles for the Merseysiders this term while also sparking more shot-creating actions than all but, you guessed it, Salah.

Liverpool have had ample time to prepare for Alexander-Arnold’s departure and indeed have a factory-built replacement waiting in the wings. However, no one plays the £150k-per-week Mac Allister’s role to the same degree.

He plays his football with an almighty fusion of combativeness and creativity, further evidenced through FBref’s data: Mac Allister ranks among the top 15% of Premier League midfielders for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for tackles and the top 4% for interceptions per 90.

Liverpool have much to get on with this summer, and though Mac Allister is highly valued – Transfermarkt record the player’s market price at about £78m right now – Slot and co will surely consider the drawbacks to cashing in on the central linchpin.

Make no mistake, losing Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid is going to be a bitter blow that will sting for a long time, but if the Spaniards swoop in for Mac Allister, it could unravel all the good work being put in at Anfield.

Gerrard 2.0: Liverpool step up £86m move for 'one of the world's best CMs'

Liverpool could soon land a midfield star who possesses shades of Steven Gerrard’s celebrated game.

1 ByKelan Sarson Apr 12, 2025

Celtic clinched the Scottish Premiership title for the fourth season running on Saturday when they smashed Dundee United 5-0 at Tannadice Park.

The Hoops only needed one point to make it official, but, of course, they did it in style with a five-star display away from Parkhead to win the division yet again.

Brendan Rodgers will surely be delighted with his side’s performance on the afternoon, and may be particularly pleased with Adam Idah’s contribution to the win off the bench.

Why Adam Idah has won his place in the team

The Ireland international was taken out of the starting line-up for this match, despite scoring against St. Johnstone in the SFA Cup semi-final last weekend, but did not have to wait too long to get his chance.

Jota limped off the pitch towards the end of the first half and that provided the former Norwich City centre-forward with an opportunity to prove Rodgers wrong, after being dropped.

Idah, motivated to show that he belongs in the starting XI, made it 4-0 and scored his first of the match just two minutes into the second half, as he peeled away from Emmanuel Adegboyega to nod the ball into the bottom corner.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Irishman then made a terrific run across his former Norwich teammate to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the near post, making it 5-0.

Idah has, now, won his place in the XI, particularly if Jota’s injury keeps him out of the next match, ahead of the clash with Rangers next time out, because he came on and made a big impact in the final third.

He is not the only Ireland international who has made himself undroppable, though, as central defender Liam Scales put in an excellent showing.

Why Liam Scales is undroppable

The left-footed central defender has started the last three matches in all competitions, and the last two Premiership games, and has proven that he deserves to keep his place in the side.

Scales played a part in the opening goal for Celtic with his header at the back post that forced Ryan Strain to deflect the ball into the roof of his own net.

It was his play out of possession, however, that was most impressive. The Ireland international was not dribbled past a single time in the 90 minutes, and won eight of his 14 duels – dominating the Dundee United attackers on the deck and in the air.

He was up against Sam Dalby, who has scored 14 league goals this season, and limited the impressive marksman to zero shots and ten duels lost.

Minutes

90

90

Sofascore rating

7.8

8.0

Clearances

5

6

Interventions

1

1

Tackles

0

3

Duels won

7/11

8/14

Pass accuracy

95%

94%

Passes completed

144

103

As you can see in the table above, Scales has caught the eye in his last two Premiership appearances for the Scottish giants, against Kilmarnock and Dundee United.

The left-footed ace, who earned an 8/10 Sofascore rating on Saturday, has been incredibly reliable on the ball, completing 95% and 94% of his passes in those matches, which means that he provides a composed presence in possession to progress the play for the Hoops.

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ByDan Emery Apr 22, 2025

Therefore, Scales should be considered as undroppable as Idah, despite having Auston Trusty pushing him for his place on the bench, ahead of the clash with Rangers next time out.