Darren Lehmann has told of his desire to coach England, less than a week after his Yorkshire team-mate Darren Gough said Lehmann was the man for the job. While Duncan Fletcher has not announced plans to step aside, there has been recent debate over whether the time has come for him to move on after seven years in the role.Lehmann said he would jump at the chance if he was offered the position. “It’s something I’d love to do,” Lehmann told . “If the opportunity came up to coach England, I’d certainly want to do it.”To be perfectly honest, you never say never, do you? I know the England players quite well. At the moment, I’ve got a lot of things on and I’m still playing cricket, which makes it difficult to coach anyone. But I’ve always had coaching ambitions.”I’d like to think I know the game well enough and I can work with players well enough. If you can do that, you can do some coaching at various levels. I can’t imagine a better stage than to do it at an international level.”Lehmann was evasive when asked if the ECB had already approached him through Gough. “That’s between Goughie and I,” he said. “If it hasn’t happened it hasn’t, if it has, it has. Although I have played a lot of cricket with Darren and he knows what’s going on in English cricket.”While speaking at last week’s Adelaide Oval Test Dinner, Gough said there was a groundswell of support for Lehmann to take over from Fletcher. “It’s a very strong rumour in England that Darren could be the next coach,” Gough was reported as saying in the .”He would be a very popular choice with the England players. He teaches enjoyment to the players, his knowledge is second-to-none, especially of the England players after playing in the country for so long [since 1997]. He has some amazing theories on how the game should be played, new thoughts.”
Uncertainty loomed large over the composition of the Indian team on the eve of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Delhi. Rahul Dravid, suffering from fever, did not practice with the team, but is likely to recover in time to play. It is not entirely clear if Virender Sehwag’s situation is as good. In bed with a throat infection, Sehwag had struggled to eat solid food, and was in a city hospital receiving treatment. He was on intravenous drip, receiving nutrition and medication in this manner. It looks extremely unlikely that he will play, although there was no clarity coming forth from the board-appointed media officer M Baladitya.Should Sehwag not play, Yuvraj Singh will get a go, although whether he will open the batting with Gautam Gambhir, or bat in the middle-order while Sourav Ganguly is promoted to do the job, remains unclear.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were happy to announce that everyone was fit and available for selection. Marvan Atapattu stressed the fact that his team had taken all they could out of the Chennai match, and Tom Moody, the coach, was equally upbeat.One man’s burdenAs much as we would like to think otherwise, most tongues are wagging in the direction of Sachin Tendulkar. Yes, India must win, the fans tell you, but what about Sachin’s 35th Test century? Ever since he got to century No. 34, albeit with a little help from the butterfingered Bangladeshis at Dhaka just over a year ago, fans have eagerly waited for the one ton that would push him to the top of the heap, clear of Sunil Gavaskar. The rain-drenched Chennai affair provided a good chance for him to get the milestone out of the way, but it was not to be. Can Delhi do the trick?New, but improved?After the South Africa one-dayer at Kolkata this Indian team will not be thinking too much about getting the most out of the home advantage, but still, no team likes to play a big game on a largely untried ground. The Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi is no young turk when it comes to stadia, but it has been in such a state of flux since the Delhi and District Cricket Association set out on a revamp in 2004 that no-one is really sure what to expect till the last moment. The teams have not even been able to practice on the ground, which is always a dampener. “It’s always nice to get a feel of the ground you are playing at, in the lead up. It’s the small things – just knowing where everything is, what the different stands are like, what the view is from different field positions,” one Indian player remarked. India have been practising at one ground, the Sri Lankans at a second, and the actual game will happen at the Kotla. Not ideal.No room even for blusterOne of the worst things in modern cricket is the death of the inventive sledger, the artful dodger of tricky questions, the witty manipulator of routine press conferences. Rod Marsh would rather ask the batsman who walked in, “how is your wife … and my kids?” than go “You can’t effing bat you effing effer”; Nasser Hussain would reply, “You’ve covered enough cricket, tell me how you’d bowl to Sachin,” when asked what his strategy was, rather than say, “I don’t want to reveal strategy before a match.” Nowadays the talk is all about the “psychological edge” Sri Lanka gained from bowling India out cheaply on an iffy Chennai pitch in a match that was shortened more than the skirts of airhostesses on gimmicky airlines. There’s talk of “moral victories” when defeat was not even in the realm of the possible. Let’s face it, any which way you look at it, this Test series begins here. What has passed is a lot of water under the leaking covers.What you did not seeA key factor in Delhi could be the manner in which India blunt Sri Lanka’s key bowlers. With all due respect to the rest of the crew, Sri Lanka’s success hinges largely on how badly opposition batsmen play Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. If batsmen have to dig deep enough to give Vaas ten maiden overs on a day, then there’s serious trouble. Vaas needs just two wickets to hit the 300-mark in Tests, and will be only the second Sri Lankan to do so. If Murali reaches that eye-popping delivery stride unchallenged, without being seriously attacked, there’s a struggle on hand. India’s mastery over Sri Lanka in the recent one-day series could not have happened without their best batsmen taking on that strangulating duo. Can Sachin Tendulkar attack Vaas as he did recently? Will VVS Laxman have the wherewithal (and time at the crease before being tragicomically run out) to banish Murali to all parts? That we did not see at Chennai. That we must look out for.
After the game, the Man of the Match Andrew Symonds and the two captains spoke to the media:Andrew Symonds On his innings I just wanted to play straight, and Damien and I both played it straight, which meant they had to try and get us out, which meant we would get some bad balls as they were under pressure to take wickets.On his confidenceMy confidence comes from if I do things right early on in the innings. If I get that right and get about 20, I feel I can go on and take the game by the scruff of its neck. It’s nice to give people that show some faith in you results. I want to play as many games as I can. I have to keep playing good cricket.Stephen Fleming On the match Unfortunately the first 20 overs were our worst. In a match against such a good side you can’t afford to fall a long way behind, and we tried to catch up too quickly, so you make it worse for yourself. We’ve done that before. It’s all about the pressure and the tempo of the game, and we didn’t get it right today. I think two or three things didn’t go our way today, but often you need to play better for them to go your way. We couldn’t put a partnership together until the end, and by then it was too late.On whether Australia will win the tournament I think there’s some very good sides out there. I think Australia are favourites, there’s no doubt about that, but on these one-off occasions it doesn’t take much to be wrong for an upset to be caused. But Pakistan, with the talent they can harness, and even England, the way they played in the last series, are contenders. There’s a lot of cricket to be played before we can get a winner, but I’d definitely say Australia are favourites.On New Zealand’s five-match losing streak against Australia in ODIs It’s a good run for them, but I’m looking forward to getting back to New Zealand and Australian conditions.On the New Zealand team We’re very happy with the direction we’re heading with this team. We’ve had a bad day today against the world champions, and by no means does that make us a bad side. We’ve had a good summer one-day-wise.Ricky Ponting On whether Australia are on a roll like in the World Cup I don’t think you can ever say "on a roll". We have not played that many games together. The fast bowlers today did a fantastic job and got us early wickets. It was a very good win.On Glenn McGrath’s return He’s going along quite nicely and his results will show that. I know he won’t let the side down. He bowled beautifully today, and the first three wickets were everything to do with us winning the game. He’s never going to let you down.On whether Brett Lee will play in the semi final All the fast bowlers today did a fantastic job. They will make it difficult for him. If we play Sri Lanka in the semi final, Brett has a very good record against them.On Andrew SymondsHe gives us everything. He’s the best fielder in the world. He has come a long way in his one-day cricket in the last few years. He can go in at any situation and do well.
Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, has said that Sanwar Hossain is likely to play in the ODI series against Australia, despite being reported to the ICC for a suspect action.”Under the processes laid down he’s able to play,” Whatmore said. “He’s a batsman as well (as a bowler) and he’s a good fielder. Whether he bowls or not is up to the captain on the field.”One delivery of Hossain in particular – when he flicks the ball with a backhanded motion – appears to be under suspicion, but Whatmore said he did not know whether the spotlight would be on that ball or on his action in general. “We don’t know whether it’s that ball … we don’t know what the umpires have written down.”A media release – that’s all I’ve seen. I haven’t had anything officialfrom the ICC. I should be getting the umpires’ report, but the process slows upbecause it goes to London and London sends it back to the (Bangladesh) cricketboard and the cricket board sends it back to us,” said Whatmore. “So I think we have to be a little bit patient.”Whatmore said that delivery of Hossain’s was similar to that bowled by a number of international stars, including Muttiah Muralitharan, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Malik, and that it would appear unfair if Hossain alone were pulled up for it.”I spoke to him (Hossain) yesterday and he feels he’s bowling legitimately. He must feel some pressure – it’s only natural.”
It wasn’t Wednesday and Walcott, Worrell and Weekes were not immediately in sight. But this was a day for the ‘W’s at the Sydney Cricket Ground nonetheless, as Damien Wright and Shane Watson combined to overcome the impact of a magnificent Mark Waugh innings and propel Tasmania to a tense 15-run first innings win.Admittedly, paceman David Saker’s impact was also particularly significant.But, in the midst of an action-packed six hours of cricket, the third day of this Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Tasmania will probably be best remembered for what happened at 3:47pm.For it was at that moment that Waugh, Wright and Watson were enjoined in the passage of play that all but settled a gripping battle for the first points of the two teams’ seasons.Waugh (168), endeavouring to plot New South Wales’ course to the two points from the ruin of a mid-innings collapse, lashed fiercely at a Watson (3/88) leg cutter. Wright, at gully, worked hard and low to his left; flung an outstretched hand at a rapidly travelling ball and conceived a truly magnificent catch.Suddenly at 9/462 as it chased Tasmania’s 504, New South Wales was all but out of a contest that Waugh and fellow centurion Michael Bevan (102) had helped to ignite with a pair of superb innings.”He was just going so well that I suppose we needed something really big to happen to get him out,” said Wright of his remarkable interception.”I was just thrilled; he hit it pretty well and the next minute it was literally in my hands!”To come here in the first match of the year and take two points off these guys is great; we’re really really happy with that. It’s a brilliant start.”Though Jamie Cox, Dene Hills, Ricky Ponting and Bevan had all notched hundreds before him, Waugh ventured to – and beyond – the landmark with an aplomb that made his the best century of this match.He was at his artful and elegant best, showing no ill effects from the finger injury he suffered two days ago and hitting the ball with a majesty that verged on the sublime. Classical drives, especially through the covers, were matched by cuts and leg glances of the highest quality.Importantly, he also fashioned hope for his team where little had seemed to exist through the preceding two days of this match. With Bevan, he crafted a stand of 81 for the third wicket; he added another 113 for the fourth with Mark Higgs (37); and then led the way in further unlikely stands of 71 and 31 with tailenders Stuart MacGill (34) and Stuart Clark (31*) respectively.”I don’t think I’ve been in better nick,” Waugh said at the end of play.”I was happy with the innings and happy with how I hit the ball. Just a bit disappointed not to get us over the line for two points.”Ultimately, it was Wright’s catch and a disastrous mini-collapse which saw four wickets tumble for the addition of only 20 runs in mid-afternoon which scuttled the chase.Higgs, Shane Lee (17), Brad Haddin (0) and Don Nash (0) departed in what amounted to little more than the batting of an eyelid as Saker (4/115) and Watson combined to suddenly extract life from a generally benign pitch.MacGill then frustrated the visitors for 43 minutes by hitting out agriculturally – and surviving twice as he offered catches to Cox at third slip off Watson – and Clark also helped to narrow the margin between the teams. Ultimately, though, it was not enough.Tasmania had reached 0/30 in its second innings by stumps, ensuring that it will now take an overall lead of 45 runs into the final day.But it appears that the match might now be as good as over anyway, given that either team’s prospects of claiming wickets in quick succession over the closing six hours shape as remote.Which is a shame in a number of ways. Because, more than once over three days of high quality cricket, this game has crystallized what it is that is good about the domestic game in Australia.
A standout debut first-class season. Big bucks at the IPL auction. Rising star of the IPL. It was turning out to be a fairytale ride for Shreyas Iyer. But then came the India A outings at home against Australia A, South Africa A and Bangladesh A, which put the brakes on Iyer’s ride and gave him a reality check.Not once in his six innings in the four unofficial Tests did Iyer pass 50, getting out twice on 49. But once he did eventually bring up a half-century, against Punjab on the first day, Iyer was at ease. “It was really important for me to cross 50, which happened yesterday only, and I was quite relaxed after that,” he said.Once his primary objective had been achieved, it was all about enjoying himself. Iyer tonked the Punjab bowlers at will to convert his first fifty of the season into his maiden double-hundred in first-class cricket. “I wanted to stay not out throughout, play session by session and not think about big score straightaway. Glad that I could actually execute that.”It wasn’t as if Iyer had lost touch during the India A series. Only once in those six innings did he get out early in his innings. In the remaining five knocks, he got starts but failed to capitalise. “What was going wrong was actually I was playing too much shots, erratic shots. Now am playing on the merits, respecting good balls.”During the last month ahead of Mumbai’s Ranji season, Iyer worked with his coach Pravin Amre on building an innings. In fact, for a player of Iyer’s abilities – someone who can find gaps at will – concentrating for longer periods of time was the key to converting starts into big knocks. For that, he started visualising more often.”Visualisation is the only thing I added [to my game],” he said. “I imagined that I am going to the ground, I am taking strike, which all bowlers I might be facing. I knew that these are the four bowlers they might be playing, so I visualised accordingly. I didn’t visualise that Yuvraj [Singh] would be bowling, that’s why I got out to him.”He might have been dismissed by Yuvraj, but a ruffle of the hair from the Punjab captain was a nod to a young career that has risen steadily over the last year.
Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge believes Leeds have struggled without Kalvin Phillips in recent months, GiveMeSport report.
The Lowdown: March return
The Whites won just two of their six Premier League fixtures in 2022, losing three of their last four. [Sky Sports]
Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with numerous injury issues throughout the campaign, with holding midfielder Phillips missing since December.
He has had surgery to repair a hamstring problem and is on course for a return next month. The Whites have to navigate fixtures against Liverpool and Tottenham before the month is out, though, and will be without Robin Koch at Anfield following his head injury on the weekend.
The Latest: Bridge’s comments
Bridge was talking to GiveMeSport in a story shared on Wednesday morning, hours before the Whites’ clash with Liverpool.
With Leeds now just five points above the relegation zone, Bridge had this to say on the holding midfielder’s absence from the side in recent months.
“They’ve really missed Kalvin Phillips in that middle. Wow.”
The Verdict: Phillips key
Leeds have struggled without Phillips in the defensive midfield role in their last nine league games, losing six of those, with Bielsa not having a direct replacement in the squad for the England international.
Koch, Pascal Struijk and Mateusz Klich have all turned out at the base of the midfield in recent weeks with Leeds struggling to pick up points, so hopefully, getting Phillips back will result in a change of fortune.
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Next month’s home fixtures against Aston Villa and Norwich City could prove key in regards to the club’s bid to avoid relegation, and all being well, Bielsa will be able to call upon Phillips for both games.
In other news: ‘Exciting’ Leeds attacker now set for March return after months out as reporter relays news.
West Bromwich Albion are back in action tomorrow evening with a clash against promotion hopefuls AFC Bournemouth at the Hawthorns.
The Baggies’ previous league outing saw them fall to a disheartening 1-0 defeat against their Midlands rivals Birmingham City thanks to a goal from Lyle Taylor.
With that in mind, Steve Bruce’s side will undoubtedly be wanting to put that loss behind them and pick up a positive result on Wednesday against the Cherries, who are currently 18 points ahead of them in the league table.
On the chalkboard
One figure that completed the full 90 minutes against Birmingham that shouldn’t be in the team on this occasion is Callum Robinson.
With just 36 touches in total last weekend, the Irishman could only accurately complete 15 of the 26 passes he attempted.
From an attacking point of view, the £18k-per-week earner failed to register even one clear shot at goal and only completed one of the two dribbles he made.
In comparison, fellow West Brom attacker Karlan Grant at least managed to have one attempt at goal before he was taken off after 68 minutes.
Even without the ball, the striker didn’t have much of an impact for his side, having lost six of the eight duels he was involved in and getting dribbled past on one occasion according to SofaScore.
This display didn’t escape the attention of Baggies journalist Joe Masi, who said that the attacker had a “dreadful” afternoon and delivered a “woeful” performance.
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Taking this into account and the fact that Robinson has only managed to score one goal in his past 14 league appearances, keeping the Irishman in the side to take on the Cherries should not be in Bruce’s mind when putting his XI together.
If the Baggies want to have any chance of picking up all three points against Bournemouth, who have found the back of the net 20 more times than West Brom in this campaign, they will need their players to be in top form and in a clinical mood.
In other news: Irvine disaster: West Brom had a howler on “dangerous” flop who cost £1.4m-per-goal
Andrew Symonds wants to make it clear that he has not complained about his treatment from spectators during the one-day series in India. Symonds has been a target of sections of the home crowds, especially during the seventh match in Mumbai on Wednesday, but he insists he has not sought to make an issue out of the abuse and has only responded to questions when asked about the incidents.”Over the past couple of weeks, I have felt as though I have been put in a situation that is not of my making,” Symonds said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “I never made a complaint at any venue, but I did answer media questions asking whether I had heard the chants aimed at me in Vadodara.”At the time Symonds said he was not bothered by the treatment, but he was more upset that the abuse had been denied by local authorities. “I tried to defuse the original situation by interacting with the crowd,” he said. “I feel that the print and TV media have badly misrepresented my views at times over the past three matches.”Symonds, who is uncomfortable in the off-field spotlight, said he understood racism in all sports was a sensitive, serious and global issue. “It is pleasing to see the authorities here in Mumbai tackling the issue following the seventh one-day match,” he said in the Australian. “I would much prefer the focus be on the cricket and for the cricket to be played in an atmosphere where players and spectators can enjoy a good day out, full of excitement and go home having had a great day of sport.”Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, was impressed with the way Symonds had coped with the unwanted attention. “The most positive thing from my regard is that he has been the Player of the Series under that sort of pressure,” Nielsen said. “That shows a strength of mind and a lot of support from his team-mates.”
It’s okay when the touring side’s lead fast bowler criticises the pitch for being too flat and offering no assistance. That is often the way, especially on the subcontinent (where Dennis Lillee was once disheartened enough to famously call Faisalabad a graveyard for fast bowlers). Increasingly it is also becoming the case around the world, where pitches are good if they produce runs and substandard if they don’t.But when the home side’s leading batsman, fresh from his 20th century, sixth of the calendar year, and seventh in his last ten Tests, echoes that very sentiment, almost downplaying his effort, you start to wonder.Before the start of this series, sceptics sensed that the Pakistani batsmen would score comfortably only because pitches would be as unlike the ones they faced in Mohali and Old Trafford this year and Perth two years ago, as is possible. Accordingly, having been humiliated for 89 in their last international outing, they moved serenely to 265 for 4 here, a position of considerable strength.Mohammad Hafeez compiled a neat third fifty, a willing student performing quietly what is expected of him in a high-pressure role. His test, no one should kid themselves, will come on South African pitches. Shoaib Malik joined him, following up a Test century as opener last time with a fifty from number six. Soon, he may well become the only batsman to score a Test fifty from every position. Yousuf’s hundred was blessed with fortune, but also with the usual beauty and new-found common sense he has combined so effectively this year.But what can you really gauge from performances on this surface when even Yousuf criticises it for being too flat? “Yes it is flat but we’ve been playing cricket around the world on such pitches for the last 10-12 years. Even in South Africa, that 434 ODI match, there are pitches like this everywhere,” he said later, as agitated as a mild nature allows him to be.”I don’t support this at all. Wickets should be tougher, there should be enough in them for everyone. Batsmen are too dominant. The ideal pitch should have bounce at least, like there is in Brisbane which is one the best pitches.” Mohali, he argued, was different altogether. “No batsmen can play well on pitches with too much grass, like there was at Mohali. Even Jacques Kallis said he hadn’t seen a pitch like that before.”But it hadn’t played so flat yesterday, or this morning, when heavy clouds, moisture in the pitch and fine bowling combined to take 11 wickets. True, as the sun peeped out this afternoon, inertia crept into the surface but both Inzamam and Lara reckon it will deteriorate gradually. That suggests the surface may yet turn out to be a sporting one, thus casting a different light on Pakistan’s efforts today.Maybe there should just be relief that Pakistan applied themselves studiously enough, turning a slippery 140 for four into a sturdy advantage. They were up against committed bowling too as Yousuf pointed out, before adding, crucially, the proviso, “but on these pitches…” They are now in a position to win this Test. If surfaces are similar, you would back them to take the series as well.But one good day doesn’t erase memories of a few very bad ones in recent time. It doesn’t answer the questions that have been asked of Pakistan’s batting. And few will forget that a tour to South Africa beckons soon after, a destination like Australia, where their batting has rarely looked safe let alone thrived. Relief, but tinged with some caution.