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His fourth T20I century wasn’t just about a slow start followed by an onslaught. There was a clear method to his madness

Sreshth Shah in Lucknow07-Nov-2018A steady accelerationRohit began watchfully after India were asked to bat on a brand-new batting surface. With Oshane Thomas steaming in, Rohit left the first two deliveries and blocked out the rest in the first over. His first boundary came in the fourth over – much to the 50,000 strong crowd’s delight. Rohit finished the Powerplay with a strike-rate of 119.05.As the ball got older and the pitch stayed true, Rohit justified the decision to begin cautiously. He smacked three sixes and four fours through the middle ten, gaining momentum to reach 78 off 49 by the time the 16th over ended. In the middle overs, Rohit went at a strike-rate of 189.29 as India’s run rate was above eight.At the death, Rohit had the license to blast, with India still having eight wickets in hand, and he mesmerised the Lucknow crowd. He began the 17th with two exquisite boundaries that lit up the stadium – first, a cover drive right over the infield followed by a cut over point. With eight needed off the innings’ final five balls to reach his century, Rohit hammered two consecutive boundaries and then followed it up with a six over long on to cap off India’s innings in style. His strike-rate for the final four overs was a whopping 275.A leg-stump guard that opened both sidesWest Indies’ plan was clear at the outset: bowl so wide that Rohit is forced to reach at it, thereby preventing him from generating maximum power. But Rohit’s experience of nearly 300 T20s showed, as he picked the opposition’s plan very early. He planted himself in a way that two stumps remained exposed.The plan gave Rohit the chance to free his arms whenever the ball was pitched on off, or slightly beyond. The game’s first boundary off Kharry Pierre was testament to that, when Rohit muscled an inside-out drive right over mid-off after staying on the leg side of the delivery. When Thomas came to bowl this third over, Rohit backed away towards the leg side even before the bowler had delivered the ball, and shellacked the youngster’s 149kph delivery right over his head and into the sightscreen.The template continued as the evening progressed. Anything that was outside his off stump was clobbered with his toes pointing towards cover while a delivery bowled near his toes was deposited towards the leg side as he cleared his front leg towards the midwicket region. It wasn’t the first time Rohit used this strategy. On an excellent batting surface in Indore during an ODI win against Australia in 2017, Rohit found success doing much of the same.Associated PressUsing the dimensions of the ground to one’s advantageWith one square measuring 82 metres and the other at 79 metres rotation of strike was key. Shikhar Dhawan never got going despite a 41-ball 43, and it was down to Rohit to dictate proceedings in the middle. Rohit played out only 16 dot balls in his knock, of which six came in the very first over itself.Off his 61 deliveries in all, Rohit collected 29 singles and two doubles, playing the balls into the gap and rotating the strike even if he couldn’t get the boundary. It was in stark contrast to the Rohit we know, who plants himself to clear the infield – and the ground – once set. Under cool Lucknow conditions where there wasn’t much humidity, Rohit pinched singles at will, caressing the ball into the gaps between fielders patrolling the boundaries and ensured India’s scoring rate continued to tick along.Using the V – both in front and behindCoaches keep telling youngsters that the safest shots are those that are played between mid-on and mid-off. It allows the batsman to offer the bat’s full face, and therefore gain the most out of a bat swing. On Tuesday, Rohit followed that mantra to the T, scoring over half his runs in the V in front of him and behind.Forty-four percent of his deliveries (27 of the 61 balls) were hit between mid-on and mid-off while fetching 52 runs. And behind the keeper, he paddled and dabbed his way to add another 12 off six deliveries between third-man and fine leg. In all, Rohit scored 64 runs in 33 deliveries in those two scoring regions. The only other area where Rohit caused more destruction was the area just over midwicket, where he struck 17 runs in just four deliveries, smacking two sixes and a boundary in the process.

England have a lot of experience using the DRS, but you might not have guessed as much from their early referrals on the review system’s Test debut in India

Sidharth Monga09-Nov-2016Betting houses will give you odds on anything, but you cannot be sure if they would have accepted bets on the first talking point of the DRS on the first day of its use in a Test in India being its non-use. It has been a long wait for the review system’s Test debut in India, and it has come with all the bells and whistles in place, including letting the viewers at home have a listen-in. You would have expected it to arrive with a bang, and it did – through its conspicuousness.Alastair Cook had enjoyed all the luck until then: won the first toss in a Test where Virat Kohli has flicked the coin in India, then enjoyed two dropped catches in the first two overs after deciding to bat. Having survived the first hour, having just begun to look comfortable, Cook missed one from Ravindra Jadeja. It was a shortish delivery, it spun past his inside edge and hit him in front of leg. At first look it seemed it was headed down leg, but Cook followed the protocol teams have in place: ask the non-striker, unless you have hit the ball.Cook did ask Haseeb Hameed, the 19-year-old debutant, the youngest player to open the innings for England on debut. You have to admire a team space where such a rookie can tell the captain, the most-capped England player, to walk off, but Cook would have realised his error soon after, watching replays inside the dressing room.Hameed was not done dealing with the DRS. Soon he was trapped in front off the bowling of R Ashwin. This was a length ball from around the wicket that turned back just enough to be hitting the stumps but not enough to hit the defensive bat. This time, though, the vice-captain Joe Root encouraged Haseeb to ask for the review. Challenges remaining: 1.India made their first use of DRS minutes before tea, at the end of a wicketless session. The ball was reversing, Root had planted his front foot across, and Umesh Yadav had swung it past his inside edge. This one looked a really good candidate for lbw, but Kumar Dharmasena ruled it to be not out. India understandably reviewed it. Ball tracking said the ball was hitting the leg stump as much as it could without getting the decision overturned. Root was on 92 then, and successfully went on to become the first batsman visiting India to score a century since Michael Clarke in February 2013.Dharmasena, whom DRS had given a lot of grief in Bangladesh, could relax. It was DRS 0 – Dharmasena 2.

The India tour gives the South African wicketkeeper another chance at sealing his spot in the national team

Firdose Moonda25-Sep-2015The closest Dane Vilas thought he would get to international cricket was when he was Allan Donald.Seven years ago Vilas was a dedicated provincial player, adequate but not exceptional, captaining the Lions franchise’s academy side in Potchefstroom, a student town 120 kilometres south-west of Johannesburg, which was also home to the Lions bowling coach Gordon Parsons and his wife, Hester, the sister of Hansie Cronje.When Hester’s brother Frans, who was making a movie on Hansie’s life, told his family that he was struggling to find extras who were both athletic and articulate to play the role of some of Cronje’s team-mates, she suggested Vilas’ name.Vilas’ height (six feet), his hair colour (a blond that’s not quite bleached) and his angular face reminded Frans of Donald, so though Donald was four inches taller, with a little less hair and a harder expression, Vilas was cast as him. That Vilas was an English-speaking wicketkeeper-batsman and Donald an Afrikaans-speaking bowler whose English was almost exclusively learnt in Birmingham made no difference. Welcome to the movies.

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These days wicketkeepers tend to be batsmen who can’t bowl. Standing behind the stumps is a “second skill”, according to coach Ray Jennings, because most teams cannot afford to have a place reserved for a gloveman whose main strength is safe hands.

“Dane may actually be the South African Gunn & Moore have sponsored the longest”Anne Vilas

“If we are honest about it, wicketkeeping around the world has become worse in skills terms, because keepers are relying on their ability as batsmen to make it into teams,” Jennings said. “There isn’t an understanding that if you keep badly you will be dropped on that alone – as long as you can bat as well.”That means sometimes the best wicketkeeper may not make it into a team but the best wicketkeeper-batsman will.In October 1997, Nic Pothas was widely regarded as the best keeper in the country. He was Transvaal’s first choice, had played 41 first-class matches and scored 1849 runs at 33.01. Mark Boucher, three years younger, was a rising star who had been with South Africa’s Under-19 team but had played only 14 first-class matches, in which he had scored 689 runs at 38.27.Boucher was much less experienced but his potential loomed large, and his bullish batting was partly the reason why he was picked ahead of Pothas to replace an injured Dave Richardson in a Test in Pakistan.For the next decade and a half, apart from three Tests in 2004, Boucher was South Africa’s Test keeper and there was no obvious competition. Despite scoring a century against West Indies A a month after Boucher’s debut, Pothas played for the national side only as his injury replacement, and his career eventually took him to the county circuit.Keeper Nic Pothas was denied a place in the South African side because Mark Boucher’s batting was believed to be better•Getty ImagesMorne van Wyk should have been Boucher’s challenger – he had a batting average over 40 for four seasons and over 50 for two – but never got a look in. Instead, Thami Tsolekile replaced Boucher briefly but then fell off the radar and emerged again only as Boucher’s career reached its twilight. There were no other candidates to keep wicket, perhaps because no one wanted to be a wicketkeeper in a system where they did not stand a chance.”The same thing happened with bowling, when South Africa would insist on an attack with four seamers and no spinner, and then found we had not developed spinners,” Jennings said. “We have to stimulate every side of the game so that players in every discipline can feel they have a chance and there will be opportunity.”

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Vilas started playing cricket in 1994, when he was nine years old. What set him apart then was that he had better equipment than any of his peers.His mother, Anne, is the managing director of Opal Sports, the South African agency for Gunn & Moore. “Dane may actually be the South African Gunn & Moore have sponsored the longest,” Anne joked.

Vilas was on the fringes of the franchise team and captained the academy, but by the time he featured in the Cronje movie, he seemed to have reached a glass ceiling

Anne, whose brother was a wicketkeeper for SA Schools, was “always keen” that her three sons play sport, so she sent them to King Edward VII school (KES), the alma mater of Ali Bacher and Jimmy Cook. “I thought that even if they only make the B team, they would be pretty good.”Of the three boys, Dane was the most successful. He was a regular in the school teams, where he performed well, but it was not immediately clear that sport could be a career option for him. He was picked for a provincial side only once while in school, when he played for the Gauteng U-13 B team, and Anne accepted that while Vilas would be a decent school sportsman, it would possibly be difficult for him to progress beyond that. “It’s not often that if you are not in the provincial system through the age groups that you will go further.”After school, Vilas played at Old Eds, the KES old boys’ club, while working as a sales assistant for his mother. He was also occasionally involved with the provincial side. He was on the fringes of the franchise team and captained the academy, but by the time he featured in the Cronje movie, Vilas seemed to have reached a glass ceiling, although he appeared to want to break through.Jennings, who was on the domestic coaching scene at the time, remembered Vilas as a committed cricketer, “a fanatic, a very hard worker, who would be in the nets until the sweat ran off him”.At the start of the 2010-11 season, Cobras were looking for a keeper and thought Vilas would fit their requirements. It would mean moving to Cape Town, which Anne said was “difficult for the family but good for Dane”. Nobody really thought the move could open doors to the national side.Quinton de Kock impressed with the bat in limited-overs games before his dip in form gave Vilas another chance•AFPVilas was solid behind the stumps and with the bat he averaged 48 in 2011-12 and above 30 every season since then, but more importantly he was building a career as a professional cricketer. “He really loves the game, which is important when you are one of those players who may not make it,” Anne said.

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By the time Boucher announced his intention to retire in mid-2012, a replacement had been lined up. Tsolekile was nationally contracted, had travelled as the reserve keeper, and he claimed he was promised he would get to take over from Boucher in the home series against New Zealand and Pakistan in 2012-13. But when an eye injury forced Boucher to quit earlier than planned, AB de Villiers was given the gloves as the emergency replacement.At that point, wicketkeepers on the domestic scene would have been forgiven for giving up. The national selectors made it clear that they were not casting the net wide, primarily because with de Villiers keeping they could play an extra batsman.Then de Villiers’ back started to give way. His value as batsman, fielder and captain was being compromised by the burden of keeping wicket, but by then Quinton de Kock had emerged to take his place behind the stumps. Carefree but calculating, aggressive but artful, at 19, de Kock had already played for South Africa, been dropped and re-selected by the time he was needed to take the load off de Villiers.

“What I do know is that Dane’s work ethic and skill and desire is there. Now it’s about how he performs”Ray Jennings

And as he broke batting records – de Kock was only the fifth batsman in history to score three ODI centuries in succession – other keepers in the country lost hope.

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Vilas had been picked for a solitary T20,against India in March 2012. “He’d been playing for a couple of years for the Cobras and we thought it was not impossible that he might get picked for South Africa,” Anne said. “But after that T20, I thought that was it.”Vilas did not bat in the match and he was only required in the field for 7.5 overs before rain stopped play. Rain was to play a major role in his next South African debut as well.

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After the 2015 World Cup, South African cricket structures shifted dramatically, underlined by a stronger commitment to transformation. In the aftermath of the World Cup exit, Cricket South Africa announced increased quotas at franchise level, and eventually, following a protracted controversy surrounding Vernon Philander’s selection for the semi-final against New Zealand, explained how the system applied to the national teams as well.Vilas’ international debuts were marred by rain, but the selectors want to give him a fair shot•AFPThe commitment to change was obvious from the squads selected to tour Bangladesh, particularly in terms of the number of black African players. Against that backdrop, Vilas was a surprise inclusion. He was travelling as a reserve, much like Aaron Phangiso, and with the focus on providing more opportunities to players of colour, Vilas was probably lucky to be included at the expense of Tsolekile or even Rudi Second.Vilas was “shocked” by the call-up, and even more shocked when, two days before the game, he realised he would be making his Test debut. De Kock was struggling with his form since his comeback from an ankle injury, and with de Villiers out of the tour due to paternity leave, there was no one else but Vilas, who had also become a father four months before the series.”He just loved the experience being with the team,” Anne said. “Dane likes structure and he liked the kind of structure that set-up had. And then to make his Test debut – that was just the cherry on top. He was so excited to make his Test debut and we were so proud of him. We had thought of going over when he told us he was going to play, but on short notice and with the possibility of rain, we decided not to go.”Play was possible only on the first day. The remaining four were washed out. An experience that started off as “amazing” for Vilas turned “bittersweet”, especially since he didn’t know whether his Test career would go the same way as his T20 one.

De Villiers’ value as batsman, fielder and captain was being compromised by the burden of keeping wicket, but by then Quinton de Kock had emerged to take his place behind the stumps

Immediately at the end of the Bangladesh tour, de Kock redeemed himself with a hat-trick of hundreds on South Africa A’s tour of India. Vilas, also part of that squad, scored a fifty in a List A match and 75 in an unofficial Test, but he did not know if that was enough. There was uncertainty over everything, including Vilas’ batting ability, but the selectors decided the only way to obtain some clarity would be to give Vilas a fair chance. He is the first-choice keeper for the upcoming tour of India.”We don’t know how good Vilas is because he hasn’t had the chance to show us yet,” Jennings said. “From a wicketkeeping point of view, I don’t think there is much between Vilas and de Kock, but from a batting point of view, I don’t know,” Jennings said. “What I do know is that Dane’s work ethic and skill and desire is there. Now it’s about how he performs. India will be about standing up to the wicket and making sure the skills are good enough. There will also be uneven bounce and spin. After India we will have a better idea of who is in front for now.”At 30, Vilas will have fewer years to give than de Kock, who is now 22, but Jennings does not believe age will be a factor. “The best player must play, and if he is a bit older, then there needs to be a succession plan in place. It’s much more important to have a strong system. Competition means there is a person pushing from the bottom and the person already there cannot get into a comfort zone and stop growing.”Vilas has never had the luxury of complacency in cricket, except when he was pretending to be Donald. Now he is a real international cricketer. Welcome to the movies.

Grant Bradburn, former coach of Northern Districts, recounts the rise of Corey Anderson, who took some brave decisions, overcame the hurdles of debilitating injuries and countered weight issues

Abhishek Purohit in Hamilton23-Jan-20140:00

Crowe: Anderson the difference between the teams

Grant Bradburn: “He is more determined and confident now that he has the ability to bat for longer periods of time”•Getty Images”The biggest compliment I could give Corey Anderson is I wish I could hit the ball like him,” Chris Cairns had said after Anderson smashed the fastest ODI hundred recently. How would you feel if the man you consider your idol said this about you? To get this far, however, Anderson has had to overcome a potentially debilitating cocktail of injuries, surgeries and weight issues.He also shifted domestic teams for better prospects when he was only 20, an age when most players would be happy to be part of the squad and get the odd look-in. Anderson might still be quite young in terms of years, but for someone who made his first-class debut aged 16, and was the youngest domestic contracted player in New Zealand, maturity has come early.The talent has been there from Anderson’s junior days. Virat Kohli remembers him hitting big sixes in Under-19 games. “He smashed us at Kuala Lumpur as well in the Under-19 World Cup, he hit some massive sixes,” Kohli said. “Even then he had a lot of power. Even when we came to New Zealand with the Under-19s, in Dunedin he scored a hundred on a drop-in wicket which was very difficult and he hit some massive sixes there as well.”It is good to see someone from the same batch coming in, maybe from another country but doing well. He has a lot of talent, bowls decently as well, good fielder, pretty strong lad. He is a huge bonus for the New Zealand team. Especially, I don’t think they had any pinch-hitters in the middle order before him, so they were struggling after Ross Taylor would get out. Now they have a dangerous player like him who can change the course of the game anytime.”Before he started changing the course of games for New Zealand, Anderson took a route that led up north from his hometown Christchurch, and one that was to turn around his career. Grant Bradburn, who was the coach at Northern Districts when Anderson shifted there from Canterbury in 2011, said the move revealed a lot about Anderson.”He made the decision himself that he needed to move away from his home association and wanted to push himself to take his game to a new level,” said Bradburn, also a former New Zealand player. “He decided to move here without even being contracted. That makes it even more special that a guy with such talent was prepared to come up here knowing that he was going to be under pressure to perform, and he did it. He challenged himself by coming out of his comfort zone. That was a big decision to leave his family, leave his association where he first started the game. He’ll always hold huge respect from me and all the staff and players for that.”That is a sign of his integrity, of his desire to prove himself, to make himself accountable. He knew he needed to play his way into a very strong squad here. He made some big physical changes, lost 20 kgs very quickly and became a lot more resilient because of that.”Anderson had missed most of the 2010 season for Canterbury with a severe groin injury and wanted a “fresh start.” But he had been known to have troubles with his weight and Bradburn said it was “non-negotiable” that he work on that when he joined Northern Districts. To Anderson’s credit, he drew motivation from his new colleagues and worked hard to shed the excess weight.”He knew that strength and conditioning was very important up here in this environment in terms of how it related to performance. It was almost non-negotiable when he came into this environment. There were a number of dedicated cricketers around him training very hard. He is very close to Kane Williamson and [Trent] Boult, for example, who are exemplary with their physical conditioning. Corey realised even before he made the move that it was not going to be easy up here. Physically it was going to be tough. He was up for that challenge. He wanted to make those changes. Without him wanting to make those changes, they would not have happened.”We have just provided the environment for him to do that. We recognised his immense ability. We welcomed him into our environment. He recognised, too, that Northern Districts was a place where he would be valued and supported.”A leaner, fitter frame has also helped Corey Anderson become more effective with the ball•Getty ImagesAnderson has been marked out for his talent for a long time, but, for all his potential, he did not have any first-class hundreds until 2012, and often used to fall after getting starts. Then he cracked a second-innings 167 against Otago in Hamilton. Bradburn calls that knock the “turning point” in Anderson’s career, and says the allrounder has learned to control himself. A fitter body has also meant a stronger mind, and Bradburn says Anderson is able to concentrate hard and long now.”He’s always had the ability to hit the ball hard but also had the tendency to get out too early. During that innings he showed, most of all to himself, that he has the ability to think tactically through a situation and apply his skills for a longer period of time. He learned so much during that first breakthrough innings.”He is more determined and confident now that he has the ability to bat for longer periods of time, and therefore, much more significant innings than short, explosive ones. Technically we haven’t had to make many changes. It is more applying those skills to the situation that we have worked hard with him.”Within a year of moving to Northern Districts, Anderson had earned himself a new contract. With a leaner frame, he became much more effective with the ball as well. And crucially, the injuries are less frequent now.”With the better physical condition, he was able to be a lot more effective for longer periods of time, was able to stay on the park a lot more,” Bradburn said. “It really helped his whole game and his confidence.”He’s always been a very strong, powerful man. Because of that immense power, his body has taken a little bit of time to build the resilience it needs to control the power. He’s always got some niggles here and there, but because he is in great shape now and his body has matured, we are finding that he is getting a lot less injuries.”He’s always been quick because of his power. With the coaching up here, he has learned to control that power and also use if more effectively. He has learned so much about his bowling rather than just coming in and charging. He has learned the finer points of release and good strong body position. We always had the feeling it was a matter of when and not if Corey would make the necessary physical changes to go to the next level.”The next level is well and truly his now. But there is plenty more to come. Anderson is widely expected to earn a huge IPL contract at the February auction. Can all the success, and money, get to his head? He is still only 23, after all. Bradburn thinks there is no chance.”Corey is fortunate that he is from a well-balanced and a very supportive family, and he is a very well-balanced man himself. He has the right people around him to keep him under control. Knowing Corey so well, he will be enjoying the fact that he is playing good cricket and improving all the time, that he is proving to himself that he can do it at the highest level. There will be no problem now.”

After two days of relaxation, Australia’s young cricketers got back to full-intensity training in a quiet setting ahead of the big final on Sunday against India

George Binoy in Townsville24-Aug-2012The venue for Australia’s last full net session ahead of the final of the Under-19 World Cup was only a five-minute drive from Tony Ireland Stadium, but its setting was far removed from the goldfish bowl they’ll be in on Sunday. The Brothers Cricket Club, nestled in the quiet suburb of Thuringowa, has a huge, lush field bordered by a white picket fence. Stand in its middle and, apart from the birds, the only sounds are from groups of excited Under-19 cricketers, having a net on the centre wickets and practicing their fielding in preparation for the biggest match of their lives.Australia played their semi-final against South Africa on August 21, which means they had four days until the title clash. They didn’t even know who their opponent was until last evening. India, it turned out.Their players had a couple of days off after the semifinal to take their minds off the high-pressure match coming up. William Bosisto, the captain, played some golf, as did Travis Head, the allrounder who bowls offspin.”After the game we did our normal recovery, came to the pool,” Bosisto said. “I had a hit of golf yesterday, so that was quite relaxing, I love my golf. That’s a great way to take your mind off cricket, relax and enjoy life kind of thing. Today we had a net session – that was our big, main session before Sunday. Tomorrow we’ll have an optional session at Tony Ireland, just a short little hit.”Head, who said he was a “pretty relaxed person,” went down to Tony Ireland on Thursday to see bits of the India-New Zealand semi-final too. “I just couldn’t watch, got back to the hotel and the air conditioning, it was a bit hot,” he said. “Just got a bit itchy watching … just wanted to get out there. I think we’re pretty relaxed and the team’s not too nervous. It’s good to know we’re playing India now, we can plan for that and look forward to Sunday.”Gurinder Sandhu, the fast bowler, said there hadn’t been much talk about the final over the last two days, with most of the team unwinding about Townsville.Their coach Stuart Law said the down time was important in such a high-profile tournament. “You can only do so much practice,” he said. “Players in this day and age are probably getting it wrong. They think you can improve at practice, you don’t. You improve in a game; you maintain a practice. You shouldn’t be batting for four hours each day in the nets. It’s not going to do you much good at all.”We had a similar sort of break between our quarter and our semi, so we did basically the same thing as we had done then – two days off, the boys have got family up here, so spent a bit of time with them. They go fishing, they play golf, just keep them relaxed, keep them occupied, among doing gym sessions and whatever. They knew they had to come back today to start the hard work again.”The practice was extensive and the spirits high. Among other things, the national talent manager Greg Chappell had a long chat with Bosisto after a net, watched the offspinner Ashton Turner bowl closely and gave Kurtis Patterson some catching practice. Sandhu was among the most vocal and enthusiastic while catching skiers from Craig McDermott.Greg Chappell oversaw the cricketers during practice•George Binoy”Don’t really have any words to explain it to be honest, the boys are pretty pumped, especially with India,” Sandhu said, when asked about the excitement ahead of the final. “Everyone’s positive, 5-0 at the moment, haven’t lost a game, the momentum is on our side I guess. Just get out there.”The tournament could not have had a more high-profile final. Australia against India is a promoter’s dream, drawing in the local support for both teams, and the television audiences from cricket’s biggest market. The competitors have pedigree too. Australia are undefeated in this World Cup; while India have had the most success among Under-19 sides over the last 12 months, winning two quadrangular tournaments and sharing the Asia Cup. Both those quadrangulars involved Australia and they recognise that having to face India in the finale is a fitting test of which is the best side.”Coming into the World Cup we were expecting India to be a really tough opponent and we thought that there was a fair chance they’d probably end up in the final, so look it’s no surprise to see that they’ve done a great job,” Bosisto said. “They have been successful over the last 12 months. Hopefully we can produce the right game of cricket on Sunday.”Head said: “We’ve got to play the best to win this sort of championship and to play against the best is what we want to do in a final. We’re always expecting to play a really good, strong team in the final if we made it. Obviously we’ve won all our games and we’re coming in confident.”These Australian Under-19 players have not been together as long as India’s have, nor have they played in as many finals, but Law said the role their “grit and determination” will play on Sunday should not be underestimated.Australia’s practice on Saturday will also be in the suburb of Thuringowa, but it won’t be at an obscure little cricket club. They’ll be at Tony Ireland Stadium, on the eve of the biggest match of their cricket careers.

An inexplicable strategic error cost Mumbai Indians the IPL final, and it will haunt them for some time

Cricinfo staff26-Apr-2010A couple of moves cost Mumbai Indians the IPL. Both were loaded with nothing but risk. The first was to send Abhishek Nayar at No. 3. If that was not a gamble, whatever Robin Singh and the rest of the think tank thought before asking Harbhajan Singh to walk in to bat next was hard to comprehend especially when Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary, JP Duminy and Kieron Pollard, batsmen who had played a crucial role in Mumbai reaching the final, should’ve been given the preference.Even before Mumbai had won the semi-finals against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they were aware that Sachin Tendulkar, their captain and star batsman, was fighting to get fit for the ultimate game. It was only appropriate then that the management put faith in the team’s most trusted lieutenants – a responsibility carried out successfully and admirably by the pair of Rayudu and Tiwary all season. Such has been the importance of that pair that they have easily been the Indian success story of IPL 2010.On numerous occasions, both Rayudu and Tiwary had allied grit with instincts and smart strategy to put Mumbai in a winning position. They couldn’t have asked for a better teacher than Tendulkar, who deserved to win the orange cap, a belated birthday gift. Perhaps, the biggest lesson they seemed to have learnt from the master was pacing the innings.As a fresh example, refer to the semi-final against Bangalore. Mumbai had lost Tendulkar in the second over and though Nayar hung around staunchly to guard any collapse, it was Rayudu and Tiwary who pushed the opposition back and regained control before Pollard slashed ruthlessly. His 13-ball 31 allowed Mumbai ransack 77 runs in the last five overs, easily the biggest turning point in the semis. In the final, Mumbai needed the same vigour.This does not mean that Nayar, a proven allrounder, was not up for the job. But he had his limitations. He was only playing his third match of the season, having spent most of the time recuperating from a wrist injury. Though he hung around tenaciously, Nayar failed to answer to Tendulkar’s call to up the ante in the first ten overs. As a result there were a few airy swings and cheeky singles, but that did not force the issue. Ideally Nayar was suited in the lower order, a role he had managed successfully last year in South Africa.”They tried to push their big hitters down the order so that may be my left-arm spinner can’t bowl with the left-armer at the crease,” was how MS Dhoni read Mumbai’s strategy, but it was not just about big hitting. It was more about playing percentages and then picking the bad ball to get easy runs. Importantly, with Tendulkar in pain, the other guy needed to dominate.That is what Rayudu did as soon as Harbhajan went back swinging his bat wildly. Immediately, he picked the loose balls to hit over the inner circle into the wide gaps and found the ropes easily. His positive approach allowed Tendulkar, who till then appeared cagey, to free his arms. The partnership prospered fast and 27 were scored off 14 balls before Tendulkar’s punch landed in the hands of M Vijay at long-off.Though hopes still lingered with Tiwary and Pollard still to bat, Mumbai’s fightback had started late. The asking rate hovered in the ten-an-over mark which meant the following batsmen were under pressure and the margin for error was minimal. They had to accelerate from the first ball and take chances. Duminy and Tiwary failed, but Pollard nearly answered the rousing calls of the full house and threatened to pay back the (undisclosed) big purse the Ambanis had bought him for in one night. It was also an evening heavy with the uncertainty of IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s future. Pollard’s cameo seemed to lift the gloom pervading the IPL as it enlivened the atmosphere and brought cricket back to the centrestage. Except the miracle never happened, and Mumbai had to pay for their fallacy.Explaining his batting line-up for the day, Robin said Mumbai wanted to play Pollard kin the final overs when he could take on the fast bowlers. Obviously, he did not mention Pollard’s discomfort against spin and hence it was no point exposing him against Chennai’s trio of spinners. But it would have been more viable to put faith in Rayudu and Tiwary in the top order and leave the finishing role to Pollard and Nayar. It was inexplicable strategic error that will haunt the league’s richest franchise for long.

Manchester City were "absolutely mad" to sell Cole Palmer, says Terry Phelan, with another move from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain being ruled out.

• Moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023
• Become a talismanic presence for the Blues
• Extended contract through to 2033

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pep Guardiola reluctantly agreed to part with a product of City’s academy system in 2023 when Chelsea tabled a £40 million ($54m) bid for Palmer. Full potential is being unlocked at Stamford Bridge, with the England international claiming PFA Young Player of the Year, Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup honours in west London while inheriting the iconic No.10 shirt.

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  There is the promise of even more to come from Palmer at 23 years of age, with Chelsea continuing to invest heavily in the transfer market as more pieces of an intricate puzzle are drafted in alongside their talismanic playmaker.

• WHAT PHELAN SAID

  Quizzed on whether Palmer can go on to become a Ballon d’Or contender, former City and Chelsea defender Phelan – speaking in association with – told GOAL: "I think so, if he keeps developing. But he has to do it for England as well. He has got to get a chance with England.

  "I think he’s a wonderful player. Manchester City must have been absolutely mad letting him go. Pep would be scratching his head wondering ‘what did I do?’ A No.10, creativity, courage, wants to go forward, wants to light up the game, acts dumb but is very clever. He wants to bring other players into the game with that wonderful left foot.

  "Beautiful player and I get goose pimples watching him. Remember Tony Currie and Liam Brady back in the day, and Graham Rix and John Robertson, that’s what he reminds me of – that flair, that guile, that swagger. I think he’s absolutely brilliant."

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  There has already been talk of Palmer attracting admiring glances from afar, with big-spending PSG said to be one of his many suitors, but Phelan added on unwelcome transfer rumours: "Why would you go to PSG? You’re playing in a league that is nowhere near the Premier League. You want to play in the best league in the world. He’s only a young boy.

  "Does he need the money? It’s like saying ‘go to Saudi Arabia’. No disrespect to the French league, but you want to be playing against the best players in the world at a young age. You want to be playing against the best teams.

  "If you turned around and said Barcelona, then that’s different. Or Bayern Munich, yeah. No disrespect to PSG, they are the best team in Europe because they won the Champions League, but deep down in those deep roots, you want to play against top, top quality opposition and the best players. He has shown that."

RCB are on a four-game losing streak, while Capitals are on par with Mumbai Indians at the top with six points

S Sudarshanan12-Mar-2023RCB look to get off the markRoyal Challengers Bangalore cannot go lower in position in the points table. Delhi Capitals are soaring and are one of the teams to beat. As the second half of the Women’s Premier League starts, Royal Challengers would look to start afresh.The last time the two teams met was the start of a special opening partnership for Capitals between Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning. Capitals opted to play Laura Harris in their previous game against Gujarat Giants in place of Alice Capsey but the ten-wicket win denied her a chance to bat. A plethora of bowling options in the XI – with even Minnu Mani chipping in against Giants – allows for a cushion of comfort.On the other hand, Royal Challengers’ powerplay run-rate of 8.91 in the WPL is only behind Capitals’ 9.79. But their middle and lower middle order have failed to build on the starts and that has meant they have fallen short on most occasions. Sophie Devine has slowly found her touch at the top of the order and along with Ellyse Perry has been among the top-scorers in the competition.Players to watchLaura Harris is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in T20s. Her strike rate of 157.01 across 83 innings in the Women’s Big Bash League is the best among those who batted in at least ten innings in the competition. Capitals’ lower middle order is bolstered by her presence in the XI.Smriti Mandhana has had a horrid run so far. In each of the four innings, she has been dismissed by spinners – three of them against offspin. It will be the first time she will return to DY Patil Stadium, where her 79-run knock helped India tie the second T20I against Australia and then win it via a Super Over. Will that help her turn her form around?6:07

Kappital performance by Delhi in WPL

Playing XIsDelhi Capitals (possible): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Laura Harris, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Minnu Mani, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Tara NorrisRoyal Challengers Bangalore (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhaa (capt), 2 Sophie Devine, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Heather Knight, 5 Erin Burns/Dane van Niekerk, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Kanika Ahuja, 8 Shreyanka Patil, 9 Renuka Singh, 10 Komal Zanzad, 11 Sahana PawarStats and trivia Capitals have hit the most sixes in the WPL – 22 – and Royal Challengers are second with 13. Marizanne Kapp’s 5 for 15 are the best figures in the WPL so far. Heather Knight is the leading wicket-taker for Royal Challengers with four.Quotes”To see her do so well was great. She’s been a little bit down throughout the tournament. I don’t think she has bowled badly but it’s the nature of the game. She works very hard and is very hard on herself.”
“Losing four games in a row in a brand new competition is really tough. The best part about playing team sport is you can go back and support one another and know one another’s feelings.”

Robert Lewandowski has explained why he never ended up at Manchester United despite saying “yes” to a Premier League transfer.

Move to Old Trafford mooted in 2012Pole wanted to work with FergusonNo regrets at never playing in EnglandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Blackburn Rovers famously missed out on the Polish striker’s signature due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights in 2010. It has now been revealed that Lewandowski came close to heading for England again two years after that.

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In 2012, after enjoying the first 30-goal season of his career at Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski registered on Sir Alex Ferguson’s recruitment radar at Old Trafford. A verbal agreement was reached, but no deal was ever done.

WHAT LEWANDOWSKI SAID

Lewandowski told of a saga that could have altered history for himself and the Red Devils: “To Manchester United I decided and said yes. I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson.

“They [Dortmund] could not sell me. Because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years. But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United.”

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Lewandowski spent another two seasons with BVB before joining Bayern Munich. He would go on to register 344 goals for them across eight years that delivered Bundesliga and Champions League titles.

The 36-year-old is now at Barcelona, where he remains a prolific presence, and said of never getting the chance to test himself in the Premier League: “Maybe it could be a regret [not playing in England].

“But when I am looking back [having] played for Bayern Munich, Dortmund and now Barcelona I have to say I am very happy with my career. I don't have this kind of feeling that I missed something, because every move or decision… I made because I wanted it.”

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O Palmeiras praticamente selou a saída de Danilo para o Nottingham Forest-ING e, com isso, perde mais um titular importante das últimas temporadas históricas do clube. Sem ainda ter contratado e com aposta na permanência de uma espinha dorsal, o Verdão contará ainda mais com o trabalho e os planos de Abel Ferreira. O ano de 2023 promete ser daqueles que colocará muito coisa à prova.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui

Antes do jovem meio-campista, o Alviverde já havia perdido Gustavo Scarpa, melhor jogador do Brasileirão-2022, e talvez o melhor palmeirense da temporada. Até o momento, não houve reposição para essa saída e a tendência é de que nem haja, pois é um atleta com status de insubstituível por tudo o que conquistou e representou nos últimos anos. O jeito é buscar alternativas para ele.

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O mesmo sentimento vale para Danilo. Por mais que se busque um substituto, dificilmente será encontrado um jogador do mesmo nível e que se encaixe perfeitamente nesse esquema vencedor que vem desde 2020. É um garoto diferenciado, raro no mercado. Novamente, o jeito será criar alternativas para suprir a ausência, seja com reforços, seja com os famosos planos de Abel Ferreira.

Todos os movimentos do departamento de futebol para esta temporada apontam para essa aposta na capacidade de Abel. Não é à toa, ele já mostrou que é um profissional competente e que apresenta resultados, mas não deixa de ser curiosa essa centralização das expectativas.

>Veja os clubes da Série A que mais anunciaram reforços até aqui para 2023

Claro, não podemos nos esquecer que o clube renovou o contrato de quase todos os titulares, que tiveram suas permanências garantidas por, pelo menos, mais duas temporadas. No entanto, a aposta também está aí, quando se acredita ser possível manter um grupo motivado e competitivo para buscar novas conquistas mesmo sem trazer reforços. A crença é que Abel promova tudo isso.

Talvez por tudo o que essa equipe já ganhou e já mostrou, a temporada de 2023 seja mesmo uma espécie de entressafra. Ou seja, mesmo que não conquiste títulos, a ideia é que se tenha a noção que o trabalho permanece sendo feito, e essa etapa é uma transição para a montagem de uma nova cara para o time, principalmente com os novos garotos da base subindo. Não deixa de ser uma prova de fogo, até para sentir o quanto a torcida entenderá o momento e confiará em Abel Ferreira.

> Veja as principais transferências no Mercado da Bola do LANCE!

A verdade é que qualquer equipe que perca jogadores de alto nível como Danilo e Gustavo Scarpa, sentirá falta e terá dificuldade para se adaptar à nova realidade. Isso evidentemente vai acontecer com o Palmeiras, que tem o trunfo de contar com Abel Ferreira, melhor técnico em atividade no país e há mais de dois anos no cargo. A aposta é alta, mas cai no colo de quem pode sustentá-la.

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