All posts by h716a5.icu

Australia’s wicketkeeper Tim Paine said it was “blatantly untrue” that Quinton de Kock’s family was targeted, but he did hear a comment on David Warner’s wife Candice

Daniel Brettig in Port Elizabeth06-Mar-2018Australia’s wicketkeeper Tim Paine has vehemently rebutted South African claims that the tourists instigated the personal sledging that led to the confrontation in the stairwell in Durban, declaring it was “blatantly untrue” that Quinton de Kock’s family was mentioned in verbal exchanges and confirming that he heard David Warner’s wife Candice being targeted.Alongside Usman Khawaja and the captain Steven Smith, Paine was one of three Australian players who restrained Warner in the stairwell, and said he had heard the remark from de Kock that set the vice-captain off. Paine conceded the Australians had been trying to make de Kock “uncomfortable” in the lead-up to tea, but stated that verbals had only pertained to “cricket stuff and a few little things about his fitness”. A tweet linking to the CCTV footage of the exchange, meanwhile, led de Kock’s sister to tweet: “Wtf! I will hurt you @davidwarner31”.Paine also rejected the South African contention that Warner had indulged in a lengthy tirade of personal attacks on de Kock, noting that at no stage did the on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and S Ravi offer so much as a single word of warning to the Australians that their comments were skating close to the edge of what was appropriate. The rebuttals have further underlined the distance between the two teams over events at Kingsmead, for which the ICC has charged both Warner and de Kock with “conduct bringing the game into disrepute”.”That’s completely false. At no stage was Quinton’s family mentioned, that’s 100% false,” Paine said in Port Elizabeth. “I don’t know how their team manager [Mohammed Moosajee] can hear from where he’s sitting, but from where I was, which was right nearby the whole time, there was nothing we said that was inappropriate. We were trying to make it an uncomfortable place for Quinton to bat, no doubt, but we didn’t cross the line. We spoke about cricket stuff and a few little things with his fitness.”Our stuff is the way we’ve always played our cricket. Certainly it’s hard, and we like to make them feel uncomfortable out there. But we don’t cross the line and bring people’s wives and family into the cricket game. And we’ll continue to do that for as long as we play. Obviously the situation wasn’t ideal for both sides and it was regrettable what happened up the stairs, but it’s disappointing that they’ve come out now and said a few things that are just blatantly untrue.”In the moment he came face to face with a raging Warner, Pained admitted he did not know what the opening batsman might have done if he had been allowed to get any closer to de Kock than shouting distance. “I don’t know what would have happened to be honest, but he was certainly extremely fired up and he had every right to be,” Paine said. “I think at the time when it was actually said, I think I was probably the only person that heard it.Getty Images”Usman had gone a bit further ahead and I was about to walk around them both, I just thought they were still going on just from the general chatter that was on the ground. As I went past de Kock he said what he said, and luckily I suppose I was there in between.”Once he [Warner] got off his chest what he wanted to say, once he sat down, there was no issue. He is not the sort of bloke who will whinge about being sledged, I’ve hear blokes say a lot of things on the cricket field that don’t bother him, I have never seen him react like he reacted when we were coming off the field. People have said if he gives it he is going to have to take it, all that sort of rubbish, which is fine on the field, but when you are bringing people’s families or wives into it it’s unacceptable.”As for whether the episode would change the way the Australians conducted themselves on the field, Paine reckoned that it was most likely to have the opposite effect, while also making it clear that Warner knew the risks of “blowback” he took by going after members of the opposition.”He understands that is unfortunately how it is at times, a character like Dave who likes to get under the skin of opposition players will get a bit of blowback at times,” Paine said. “Our team is certainly behind him, we know as a group what we said on the field and what we didn’t say on the field, everyone is totally comfortable with that and we also know what was said by the opposition.”I don’t think it will change [us] a lot, a lot of people like to pretend that they like being in the fight and having verbal stoushes on the cricket field but Davey is genuinely someone who loves that and thrives on it. I can’t wait to see him prepare for this game, when he gets the bit between the teeth he is one of the best cricketers in the world.”There’s a line that we don’t cross and at times we probably went pretty close to it in this Test with some wicket celebrations and what happened with Nathan [Lyon], but Dave is at his best as a cricketer when he is in the face of oppositions. He is very good at getting under their skin and its been clear in the first Test that he has been able to do that.”Asked whether the issues with the way the Australians used verbal tactics to unsettle opponents were based on cultural disconnects between countries, Paine pointed out that South Africa’s style had long been considered the most similar to his own side’s. “They’ve stated as well that we play a pretty similar style of cricket,” he said. “I’ve only ever heard one thing that has ever crossed the line and that was when we were coming up that stairwell.”On the field they have been niggling away at us and we have been niggling away at them and that is where it is going to stay. The umpires didn’t object to anything that was said. We didn’t have any of our players mention anyone’s family members or wives. Even on the ground. I’ve heard some comments from their team manager or former captain [Graeme Smith] in commentary that we were crossing the line. If you’re crossing the line, the umpires will intervene, and they didn’t.”

Sunderland stayed strong throughout the summer transfer window as they managed to avoid cashing in on star forward Jack Clarke despite interest from the Premier League.

What's the latest on Jack Clarke's future?

Journalist Pete O'Rourke claimed at the end of last month that the English attacker is unhappy with the way that the club handled his situation throughout the off-season.

The reporter stated that the former Leeds United prospect was told that he would be allowed to move on if an offer of £10m was put on the table for his services.

However, the Black Cats rejected a bid of more than £10m from Burnley, who were promoted to the top-flight last term, and this has led to frustration from Clarke and his agent.

O'Rourke also added that the ex-Tottenham Hotspur speedster is one of a number of players who are not happy with the direction Sunderland are going after they decided to sell Ross Stewart to Championship rivals Southampton.

Who could replace Jack Clarke at Sunderland?

Tony Mowbray and Kristjaan Speakman may not want an unsettled player in the squad for too long and this could force them to consider Clarke's future over the next two transfer windows.

This would leave Sunderland in need of a replacement and the Black Cats head coach could possibly find an heir to the 22-year-old maestro by unearthing academy starlet Tom Watson.

Like Clarke, the 17-year-old magician, who recently signed a new three-year contract at the Stadium of Light, is a left winger who is capable of providing goals and assists from out wide at an impressive rate.

Watson showed signs of promise during the 2021/22 campaign as he racked up eight goals and one assist in 19 U18 Premier League matches.

However, the teenage talent, who journalist Josh Bunting hailed as an "inventive" ace who carries a "real threat", really hit his stride at the top end of the pitch last season.

The creative wizard produced five goals and six assists in 13 U18 appearances and earned himself a move to the U21 squad, where he went on to score two goals and provide three assists in seven games.

Watson, who made his first-team debut against Huddersfield in the Championship earlier this year, managed seven goals and nine assists in 20 academy matches throughout the 2022/23 season, which works out as a goal contribution every 1.25 clashes on average.

Clarke, meanwhile, amassed nine goals and 12 assists in 47 league games for Sunderland last term, which works out as a direct involvement every 2.24 outings on average.

Statistics via FBref

The Burnley target proved himself to be capable of delivering a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator from a left wing position for the Black Cats, which is why his exit would leave a big hole to be filled.

However, Watson's form for the club at U18 and U21 level suggests that the potential is there for him to fill that possible gap within the squad if he can translate his performances over to a first-team setting.

Mowbray should look to offer the young dynamo more senior opportunities over the coming months to slowly bed him into the group before potentially unearthing him as Clarke's heir after the January or summer transfer windows next year.

Football is unquestionably the world's game, with groups playing it in all four corners of the globe. Even the US is starting to succumb to the beautiful game, with Major League Soccer seeming to go from strength to strength with every passing season.

With that in mind, we here at Football FanCast have decided to rank all of the stadiums in MLS, starting with the Eastern Conference.

15 Yankee Stadium – New York City FC

Kicking things off is one of America's most famous and nicest sporting grounds, the Yankee Stadium. Its place on the bottom of this list might confuse you, given how beloved and storied it is as a sporting venue, but there is a good reason, we promise.

It's a terrible place to watch football.

While the maximum capacity of the stadium in its current guise is only 46,000, the vast gap between the stands and where the pitch is makes watching games more difficult than it should be. Worse still, the team averaged just 17,180 fans at home in 2022, making the cavernous stadium feel even more so.

In short, it's a fantastic stadium but a terrible place to watch the football.

14 Gillette Stadium – New England Revolution

Coming in ever so slightly ahead of Yankee Stadium on our list is New England Revolution's Gillette Stadium.

The main issue with the stadium is that it was designed for American football, meaning that it is absolutely massive, and with the Rev's lack of success in recent years, they get nowhere close to filling the thing.

The only reason it just edges Yankee Stadium is that the seats are at least much closer to the pitch, making it far easier to actually see what's going on in the game.

13 Soldier Field – Chicago Fire

You might be noticing a bit of a trend here, but another ground low on the list and another ground built for a sport other than football.

Chicago Fire shares Soldier Field with NFL side Chicago Bears, and while this has probably helped the team financially, it hurts the atmosphere at games.

The stadium can hold 61,500 fans, but the Fire averaged just 15,848 per game last year.

12 Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte FC

Right, this is the last NFL stadium on our list, technically, and it's the Bank of America stadium, home of Charlotte FC and the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise.

The ground shares all the other NFL-related issues as the ones before it on this list, but it finds itself higher for two reasons. One, it held the second largest crowd to attend an MLS game ever, 74,479, when the LA Galaxy visited for Charlotte's inaugural MLS game last March.

Second, the team averaged 35,260 fans at home last season, the second highest in the entire league.

11 DRV PNK Stadium – Inter Miami

Here we are, the first ground on the list explicitly built for football, Inter Miami's DRV PNK Stadium.

That said, while they earn some bonus points for having a ground built for football, they also lose some points as it's just temporary, something that becomes very apparent when you see the temporary stands.

There was also an issue with atmosphere and attendance until a certain Argentine arrived from Paris earlier this summer. Since then, getting a ticket for games has been practically impossible, and the atmosphere has dramatically improved.

We aren't sure we can give that to the ground, though.

10 Audi Field – D.C. United

Opened in 2018. DC United's Audi Field is a genuinely nice-looking ground and has seen some impressive moments in recent years.

The one that instantly springs to mind is that Wayne Rooney performance against Orlando City when he won a tackle on the halfway line and produced a stunning cross for Luciano Acosta to score the 96th-minute winner.

The club averaged 16,256 fans a game last season, which is pretty good going with a max capacity of 20,000.

9 Saputo Stadium – CF Montreal

The first stadium on the list that isn't in the USA is CF Montreal's (formerly the Montreal Impact) Saputo Stadium.

There really isn't an awful lot wrong here. It's a nice-looking, football-specific ground that generally wouldn't look out of place in a European football league. In fact, its design somewhat reminds us of Union Berlin's ground, well, a little bit, anyway.

The club averaged 15,905 fans a game last season, which, considering the stadium's capacity is just 19,619, we reckon is pretty good going.

8 TQL Stadium – FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium is one of the newest grounds in the MLS, seeing its first action in the 2021 season.

From a purely visual standpoint, it's a stunner. The outside of the stadium is covered in thin aluminum poles that light up in the team's dynamic blue and orange colour scheme, and the wraparound roof actually covers all the seats.

The ground can hold 26,000 fans, with the team averaging 22,487 fans per game last season. The fans have also built up a reputation as some of the most passionate in the country.

7 Red Bull Arena – New York Red Bulls

This is an interesting one as New York Red Bulls' Red Bull Arena is, for all intents and purposes, a fantastic football ground, with everything you could want from a modern ground and generally a decent atmosphere on game days.

However, there are two issues with its location. First of all, despite being called the New York Red Bulls, they don't actually play in the city – let alone the state – instead, the stadium is located in New Jersey, making getting there more difficult than it should be for fans.

The second problem is that it's surrounded by industrial sites and warehouses, making the journey to the ground a pretty miserable affair for all involved.

6 Lower.com Field – Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew's new Lower.com stadium is easily one of the nicest-looking grounds in the entire league, let alone the Eastern Conference.

Its sharp angles on the outside and steep two-tiered seating on the inside make for an incredibly visually appealing football stadium and should help cultivate an intimidating atmosphere. Oh, there's also the small bonus of the multiple taprooms within the stadium for beer lovers.

With a maximum capacity of 20,371, the Crew did incredibly well to average 19,237 fans a game last season.

Afghanistan’s path through the Super Sixes to the 2019 World Cup is a complicated one, but the legspinner wants his team to concentrate on winning their last match and then “see what happens”

Liam Brickhill in Harare20-Mar-2018″Anything can happen,” Rashid Khan said, after Afghanistan’s five-wicket win over UAE in their Super Sixes clash at Old Hararians Sports Club took them to four points with a game still to be played. Afghanistan have now drawn level with Ireland, and if Scotland and Zimbabwe both lose their remaining matches, and Afghanistan win their encounter with Ireland, they can still book their place in Sunday’s final.”Anything can happen. In the Super Six, it’s quite difficult for anyone to go direct,” Rashid said. “Till now, a single team hasn’t qualified. Everyone is in doubt. That is a good thing. We just need to win the last match and see what happens.”The favourites tag seemed to weigh heavily on Afghanistan, who stumbled through the group stages with losses to Scotland, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. Since then, however, they have kept themselves in the running with wins over West Indies and, now, UAE.”In this Super Six, the target was to win all three matches and just see what happens,” Rashid said. “Anything can happen in the match between UAE and Zimbabwe. We can only hope for the best.”Rashid’s contribution with the ball was vital to Afghanistan’s success over a spirited UAE side. He took 5 for 41, stalling UAE’s fightback with the wickets of Shaiman Anwar for 64 and Mohammad Naveed for a quickfire 45.”It feels good to take five-wicket haul and to contribute in the bowling department,” Rashid said. “I did well in the last matches as well, but I was unlucky in not taking many wickets. Today I took wickets, and it was a good day for me.”Initially, the ball was gripping and turning, which helped us to take early wickets. And then we put pressure on them, with dot balls, and at the end they tried to play shots and lost wickets.”Rashid also credited Gulbadin Naib and, in particular, Najibullah Zadran. Naib was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 74, while Najibullah’s 63 was his third fifty-plus score of the tournament.”The batters also did really well,” he said. “They took responsibility. Losing five wickets for 50 or 60, and chasing 180, they formed a very good partnership. They did a good job to bat to the end and win the game.”[Najibullah] is very talented, and the way he has played in this tournament is superb. He took responsibility in the end, and that’s the main thing. On these wickets, taking responsibility and playing a long innings is really good. At the end, you’ll have time to hit and make some runs. He took responsibility, as he has throughout the tournament.”Rashid had also worn the extra responsibility of the captaincy in the early stages of the tournament, after regular captain Asghar Stanikzai had to undergo an emergency appendectomy. But Rashid insisted that the extra responsibility had not affected his bowling.”I didn’t feel any pressure when I was captaining and bowling. Whether I’m captain or not captain, I just try my best to enjoy myself.”UAE coach Dougie Brown suggested that the responsibility shown by Najibullah and Naib had been the difference between the two sides.”Rashid spoke about taking responsibility, and I think the two guys at the end showed exactly what responsibility was on a pitch, which, really, there were no demons in,” Brown said. “Both teams bowled exceptionally well.”Before Afghanistan play Ireland on Friday, UAE will face Zimbabwe in a clash that will likely decide the fate of several teams vying for a top-two finish. While UAE aren’t in contention, Brown suggested that their experience in Zimbabwe had been a good one despite his team’s inconsistency.”It’s been great. We’ve learned a lot. We don’t often get a chance to play Full-Member teams. We are a team who are learning. We strongly believe that as a team, we’re working on the right things. And on a day when we piece together 100 overs of really solid cricket, we know that we can put in a strong performance against anyone.”In the last game against Zimbabwe, we know it’s going to be a tremendous atmosphere,” he added. “There’s a lot riding on that game – World Cup qualification for them. And other teams as well. There will be thousands of people in there shouting for Zimbabwe. But we know that around the world there will be millions of people shouting for us. We take that positivity with us, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Aston Villa have now been provided with a transfer update involving winger Leon Bailey, which hints his long-term future at the club could be in doubt.

What's the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

Villa may be rocked by a departure in the near future, as it has now been revealed that Ollie Watkins has emerged as a transfer target for AC Milan, and talks have already been opened with intermediaries, although they are still in the "embryonic stage."

In terms of potential arrivals, the Villans may look at bringing in central midfielder Dani Ceballos, who has been followed by Unai Emery for a long time, with it now becoming clear that he is no longer part of Carlo Ancelloti's plans at Real Madrid.

One of Emery's main targets is likely to be Athletic Club star Nico Williams, who is free to negotiate a deal with a new club in the January transfer window, at which point his contract will have less than six months left on it before expiry.

Aston Villa are one of several sides set to "insist" on signing Williams, and the winger's arrival could pave the way for a first-team player to leave, with Jones now hinting that Bailey's long-term future at Villa Park may be in doubt.

The transfer insider has hinted the winger may need to start performing at a consistently high level if he is to avoid being replaced, with Villa keen to strengthen even further in attacking areas over the next few transfer windows.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Jones said: “I mean this has to be the season for him to regularly deliver otherwise it’s going to be time to leave because Leon Bailey is always wanting to be a big part of something special, and I think being a bit-part won’t be enough for him.

“It’s tough because there’s so much competition at Aston Villa now in those positions that he likes to get into. And I think they will probably be more competition to come over the next year because they’re going to continue to try and recruit and get better.

“But it’s all on Leon Bailey now to step up. I can’t say that I’m completely convinced that he’ll become a key player for Aston Villa, but he’s shown flashes that he is brilliant. And Villa fans need to see that a little more regularly to be convinced.”

How many goals has Leon Bailey scored for Aston Villa?

After averaging one goal every four games in a Bayer Leverkusen shirt, the Jamaican has not been quite as prolific since joining Villa, having scored ten times in 61 appearances, although he has started performing better recently.

The 26-year-old has scored four goals in all competitions for the Villans this season, and he put in a particularly impressive display against Everton back in August, receiving a Sofascore match rating of 8.6, the highest of any player.

If Bailey continues to perform how he has been this season, then Villa may not need to strengthen in wide areas, but if there is a dip in form, then it will be worth thinking about signing Williams as a replacement, especially since the Spaniard will be available for free.

After a challenging start to the season which has yielded 88 runs in six innings, Clarke delivered the sort of knock that will have the selectors taking note

Dan Norcross at Kia Oval06-May-20182:04

Yorkshire complete epic comeback

ScorecardWhen Joe Clarke slapped a filthy long hop from Dom Bess into the hands of Sam Curran at the Kensington Oval in the second match of the North v South series in March to be dismissed for a glorious 58-ball 71, Andy Flower on commentary pursed his already thin lips and produced a stare harder than any animated English-speaking Peruvian bear could muster.Disappointment was not the emotion. Barely concealed fury would be closer to the mark. England rate Clarke, you see, and they want him to score big runs. The big runs that have been missing from the Test team pretty much since the middle-order of Trott, Pietersen and Bell broke up.After a challenging start to the season which has yielded a mere 88 runs in six innings, Clarke delivered the sort of knock that will have had Flower purring in appreciation over his tea time marmalade sandwiches.The cynics will point out that The Oval does not provide the most testing of conditions for batsmen. The wiser heads will counter that most Test match surfaces are pretty good to bat on. The problem England have encountered is that their batsmen don’t seem minded to bat on them for any great length of time.On pitches in the winter that produced nine centuries for Australia, England managed just three. Their best batsman, Joe Root failed to convert any of his fifties into a three figure score. What they would have given for the sort of application and hunger that Clarke displayed against Surrey in compiling a near perfect 157 from 280 balls. It took a ball of considerable pace from the promising Conor McKerr, making his first appearance for Surrey this season after recovery from injury, to trap him in front after nearly six hours at the crease.Clarke’s most eye catching strokes tend to be his off side drives, but England fans have grown wary of the eye-catching. A winter listening to James Vince whisper sweet-nothings into sleep-deprived ears before nicking off to second slip has taught a nation to harden its heart to the frivolous blandishments of aesthetic beauty. What impressed most was Clarke’s determination to cash in while he had the chance. After all, he could be back on a green top at Worcester by Friday, facing up to Jamie Porter, Peter Siddle et al.Surrey’s captain Rory Burns, much like Root when confronted with Steve Smith in the winter, tried any number of fancy tricks; leg-slips, multiple mid-wickets, short-bowling with the old ball, but much like Smith, Clarke could not be drawn from his impressive bubble.As a spectacle this game is dying a death. As a potent tonic for Worcestershire’s early season despondency it’s doing just the job. Batsmen who have barely made a run are starting to feel the unfamiliar comfort of bat on ball. Daryl Mitchell, Tom Fell and Travis Head have all got half centuries and Ed Barnard, Worcestershire’s one bright spark in a sepulchral April is unbeaten on 42, eyeing up perhaps a dart at the stiff Surrey bowlers in the morning with a view to applying some pressure in the afternoon.That, though, is the tallest of orders. The pitch offered the bowlers nothing and although the crowd was twice treated to Amar Virdi’s ersatz rendition of Imran Tahir’s wicket celebration, this match will in all likelihood be completed with a shake of the hands in the late afternoon tomorrow.If Surrey are to be genuine title contenders they cannot afford to play matches on pitches like this; least of all matches against the division’s bottom side. There are extenuating circumstances. The weather has made preparation unusually difficult, but this is a repeating theme. High scoring draws may keep you in this division, but it won’t get you the title.As for Clarke and indeed the England selectors, an innings of substance in a high-scoring draw might be just what the doctor ordered.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is personally "ready" to strengthen as Spurs chiefs reportedly consider a "premium" 6 foot 4 defender.

What's the latest Spurs transfer news?

After sealing deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, assured defender Micky van de Ven, England midfield star James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, exciting striker Alejo Veliz and Wales forward Brennan Johnson over the 2023 summer transfer window, reports suggest Spurs could make more moves in January.

While chairman Daniel Levy's summer business has proved fruitful thus far, with Maddison in particular often standing out as a shining light in the Tottenham midfield, there are certain positions which the club ultimately didn't address. One of them was failing to sign an out-and-out replacement for star striker Harry Kane, who joined Bayern Munich in a deal which could reportedly be worth up to £103 million.

The Lilywhites had been linked with a move for Gent striker Gift Orban, who is currently garnering quite the reputation as one of Nigeria's hottest young talents on the continent. While there are little in the way of fresh rumours regarding a move for the African striker, it is believed that Spurs could move to sign a back up for van de Ven this winter.

Indeed, both Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Juventus star Gleison Bremer have been mentioned as targets in the past month, while Spurs also held a keen interest in Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba over the summer.

Now, according to a report by Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke, it is believed that Spurs chiefs are still eyeing the Burkina Faso international as a "premium" option to strengthen their central defence. This comes as Postecoglou is "ready" to reinforce his backline in January, and a potential January exit for out-of-favour defender Eric Dier could free up space for an arrival.

The England international doesn't feature in Postecoglou's plans going forward and is set to leave as a free agent in 2024, if Spurs can't find a buyer before then.

How good is Edmond Tapsoba?

Tapsoba has been likened to former Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng: "The legendary Bayern Munich defender, who made 364 appearances across 11 seasons for the Bavarian giants, was as cool and calm as it gets both on the ball and in the tackle while he was also famed for his pinpoint long passing that set up many an attack for the record champions. Tapsoba has similar traits and such is his eagerness to start forward thrusts, he has often been referred to as a defensive playmaker."

The 24-year-old played more Bundesliga minutes than any other Leverkusen outfielder last campaign, highlighting just how important he is for head coach Xabi Alonso. In that time, only fellow centre-back Jonathan Tah managed more clearances made per 90, making him an enticing option for Spurs and Postecoglou (WhoScored). It will be interesting to see how much Tapsoba could cost as a "premium" option.

New team manager Varuna Waragoda is the only new face as selector-on-tour, while Rasanjali Chandima Silva, Jayamini Indika and Thalika Gunaratne have been retained as other selectors

Madushka Balasuriya05-Jun-2018All the members of Sri Lanka women’s selection committee have been reappointed, with new team manager Varuna Waragoda the only new face as selector-on-tour. Rasanjali Chandima Silva has been retained as chief selector, while Jayamini Indika and Thalika Gunaratne round out the committee. The new committee will be effective for one year, starting from May 16, 2018.Meanwhile, the move to appoint Waragoda, who had replaced Indrani Abeyratne as team manager ahead of Sri Lanka’s ongoing Asia Cup T20 campaign, as selector-on-tour indicates a more hands-on role. Abeyratne had previously been appointed for more of an administrative role.The new committee’s next official task will be to pick the squad for Sri Lanka’s home series against India later this year, the schedule of which is yet to be announced.Waragoda featured in 108 first-class games, with 40 List A and two T20 appearances to her name. Silva, a former international batsman, played 22 ODIs and her only Test appearance came against Pakistan in 1998. Gunaratne, too, represented the country in ODIs, picking up 10 wickets from 13 games as a left-arm fingerspinner.

An off-day in Manchester suddenly leaves hosts in must-win as they ponder team balance and batting flexibility

The Preview by Shashank Kishore05-Jul-20182:22

Dasgupta: Don’t see India making any changes to their XI

Big pictureIt is hot and dry, the pitches are flat and there will be lots of spin awaiting England. Add to this a huge Indian contingent that will be cheering their team at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. If there was any doubt before, there is none now – the main challenge of the summer has arrived.A game down, England know one thing already: scoring truckloads of runs against Ashton Agar was clearly no preparation for India’s spin variety. Already, discussion of wristspin and their failure to cope against left-armer Kuldeep Yadav has become a talking point. The second T20I, therefore, gives them an opportunity to prove the Manchester nightmare was an aberration.It is one thing executing badly against this rare bowling style, another not picking them at all, as was the case with four of the five England batsmen in the series opener. While two days between games is unlikely to change their foundation towards approaching spin, it sure could have given England time to ponder over batting strategies – knowing whom to target – and perhaps batting positions. Joe Root, for example, was a complete misfit at No. 6, especially when having at come in as late as the 14th over. His strike rate in T20Is since 2016 a modest 105.74 in seven innings.India have decided to play five specialist bowlers, leaving them vulnerable at times to a bowler having an off day and little else to fall back on. That perhaps explains the team management’s preference for Suresh Raina over the in-form Dinesh Karthik, because he can offer part-time offspin. England must look to capitalise on this.A game down, India may have discovered their best batting line-up too. KL Rahul’s success at No. 3 could mean an end to the musical chairs at No. 4, with Virat Kohli all but likely to settle there for the time being. The success may have come in the shortest format, but India are approaching what would otherwise be a context-less T20I series, with an eye on next year’s 2019 World Cup.Form guideEngland LWWLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
India WWWWWIn the spotlightMoeen Ali took 12 wickets in five ODIs against Australia, but has little to show with the ball in the two T20Is since. Against Australia, he was clobbered for 58 off his four overs. On Tuesday, his 2.2 overs went for 37. He didn’t look great with the bat, either, out to an ugly hoick when England needed to arrest the slide in the wake of Kuldeep’s strikes. England may well be tempted to play a specialist bowler in his stead, given their batting depth. However, should they persist with Moeen, the onus is on him to deliver.Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s lead bowler, and one bad outing is unlikely to change that. He’s graduated to become a bowler who isn’t always dependent on swing and seam, and will want to get back to his usual ways after two wicketless matches in Dublin and Manchester. Umesh Yadav’s stunning IPL form that earned a comeback and his fiery spells since have given him a headstart. Should Bhuvneshwar also find his groove back, it will give the team management a healthy headache when Jasprit Bumrah recovers from his thumb injury.Team newsEngland (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Alex Hales, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Root, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidIndia (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalPitch and conditionsCardiff has tended to play much slower than other surfaces in the UK, the average score here is just 144. Weather-wise, all of UK is set for a scorching weekend. No prizes for guessing which team is happier.Stats and trivia Umesh Yadav is the highest wicket-taker in Powerplays in T20s this year. In 16 innings, he has 17 wickets; he averages just 14.29 in this period. The only England-based bowler in the top 10 – never mind, he doesn’t qualify to play for them yet – is Jofra Archer (eight wickets in 22 innings at 34.75). Jos Buttler’s 69 in the series opener was his seventh fifty-plus score in his last eight T20 innings. All of them have come as an opener.Four of England’s top five – Buttler, Roy, Hales, Morgan – have been dismissed at least thrice to wristspinners in T20s. Buttler has been out the most: nine times in 16 innings. England are undefeated in four T20Is in Cardiff Tuesday’s win was India’s first in T20Is against England in England.Quotes”It has been made very clear that there will be few changes in the team and as a batting unit we need to flexible in our heads to be able to perform any role or responsibility that has been given to us by the team. We are all working towards it like you said, I might bat at No. 3 or 5 or 6. Someday we might want to promote MS Dhoni or Hardik Pandya if we get a good start to go and get us a few sixes or get the run rate up. So we will be flexible keeping in mind the World Cup.”

“It was a good spell from Kuldeep Yadav, first of all, and then a very good innings from KL Rahul. They thoroughly deserved the win, but we’ll be looking to bounce back come tomorrow.”

Alisha Lehmann was in attendance to support boyfriend Douglas Luiz as his Aston Villa side played out a 0-0 draw with Ajax on Thursday night.

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Luiz features for Villa against Ajax in UECLLehmann in attendance to support boyfriendPoses for pictures before 0-0 drawGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Luiz started as Unai Emery's side picked up a respectable draw at the Johan Cruijff Arena, as they look to progress beyond the Europa Conference League last-16 stage. Lehmann, who is in a relationship with the Brazil international, posed for pictures before the 0-0 draw as she watched her boyfriend put in a valiant display against the four-time European champions.

AdvertisementWHAT LEHMANN POSTEDIG: alishalehmann7THE GOSSIP

Lehmann was certainly dressed to impress, with a leather and fur trench coat paired with a Louis Vuitton bag and leather-look trousers. She had already posted an Instagram story earlier in the match, rallying support behind the Villa men's team with a UTV (Up The Villa) message while Luiz and co. lined up to face their European opponents.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LEHMANN?

Lehmann's travels to Amsterdam came off the back of a 4-0 mauling at the hands of Arsenal in the Conti Cup on Wednesday, who will now face Chelsea in the final after their victory over Manchester City on Thursday.

For Lehmann and Villa, though, they will look to bounce back from that damning result – which saw the Swiss star hooked at half-time – and put in a better performance when they face Everton on Saturday.