All posts by h716a5.icu

Mumbai Indians opener Lendl Simmons has said he enjoys batting with Parthiv Patel, after the pair put on a match-winning 111-run stand against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-20150:36

‘Simmons helps me play fearlessly’ – Parthiv

Mumbai Indians opener Lendl Simmons’ 56-ball 71 was instrumental in his side’s 23-run victory over Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, a result shaped by his 111-run partnership with Parthiv Patel. Parthiv scored his first half-century of this IPL, and Simmons said the complementary nature of their partnership was the reason for their success.”He [Parthiv] is a good stroke-maker, he takes a lot of pressure off me by backing himself and playing his shots,” Simmons told . “We just go on instinct, and reassess on the day. I enjoy our partnership, he is not someone who talks a lot but I like batting with him.”Simmons has struck three fifties in six innings, at an average of 39.83 and strike-rate of 119.50. Mumbai have lost only one of six matches in which Simmons has made a fifty. “I look at building the innings. You can make the most of an innings once you build it. I test the wicket in the first few overs and then you get a feel of what shots you can play and how you can carry about your innings.”I am not as orthodox as players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, but when I do hit the ball on the ground, I get value for runs on these fast outfields,” Simmons said on his approach to batting in India. “I just try to emulate some of those guys at the start of my innings and then when I get a start, I go big.”Having to defend 172 against Kings XI, Mumbai needed a strong show from their spearhead, Lasith Malinga. He obliged by dismissing Virender Sehwag with his first ball, and came back in the 17th over to dismiss David Miller, finishing with figures of 4-0-31-2.”I don’t know what pressure means. I just really enjoy when I am bowling my overs,” Malinga said, when asked about performing in high-stakes games. “I am always looking forward to doing what the team needs at that moment. From the moment I am given the ball, I go and enjoy my bowling.”Malinga has taken 13 wickets in nine matches, with an economy rate and average of 8.00 and 22.15 respectively. Mitchell McClenaghan has also contributed by taking nine wickets at an average of 17.44 since replacing the injured Corey Anderson in Mumbai’s XI.”McClenaghan and myself plan, to bowl according to the situation and what the team needed at that moment,” Malinga said. “Never mind who the batsman is, we were working on doing our best and playing to our strengths.”I don’t specifically focus on taking wickets. But if we try to restrict the boundaries then the batsmen want to hit every ball and they are forced into making a mistake. That is the basic plan all teams have for their bowlers. In T20 every single over is really important, it doesn’t matter whether it’s the first six or last five.”

Colin Graves, the ECB’s new chairman, has moved to defend himself from accusations that he misled Kevin Pietersen in encouraging the batsman to play county cricket in order to win his England place back

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-20151:23

KP can feel aggrieved – Bell

Colin Graves, the ECB’s new chairman, has moved to defend himself from accusations that he misled Kevin Pietersen in encouraging the batsman to play county cricket in order to win his England place back.Pietersen abandoned his IPL contract in order to join up with Surrey at the start of the season, after comments from Graves in which he suggested there could be a way back. “If he plays county cricket and scores lots of runs, they can’t ignore him,” he reportedly told the .Despite Pietersen scoring 355 not out for Surrey this week, Andrew Strauss, newly installed as England’s director of cricket, confirmed the door remained closed due to “issues of trust”. Pietersen subsequently used his newspaper column to say he had been “deeply misled” and accuse the ECB of being “deceitful”.Graves, who was officially installed as Giles Clarke’s successor at the ECB AGM on Thursday, has consistently underlined since then, both publicly and privately, that selection was not in his remit and that he made this abundantly clear at the time. He has now responded to Pietersen’s claims via an official statement.”In the past few days my integrity has been called into question, something I can’t accept,” he said. “Throughout my business career and my years at Yorkshire, integrity has been my watchword. It governs everything I do and is an important part of what I bring to the ECB. So it saddens me that what was a private conversation with Kevin in March has been used to do just that.What Graves actually said

BBC Sportsweek: “The first thing he’s got to do certainly, if he wants to get back, and that’s if he wants to get back, is start playing county cricket for somebody. The selectors and the coaches are not going to pick him if he’s not playing, it’s as simple as that… At the end of the day, it’s down to the selectors, it’s down to the coaches, what they see as best for English cricket. They will make the decision and I will support them when it comes to that decision.”

Quoted in Daily Telegraph: “It is very simple. What has happened in the past is history and there is no point talking about it. I was deputy chairman when the decision was made and I supported it so there is no point pulling that to bits. But if he wants to play for England then he has to play for a county. That is his decision. If he does that and scores a lot of runs they can’t ignore him I would have thought, but that is up to him. You can’t pick someone when he is not playing.”

“Back then, when we talked on the phone, Kevin asked if I thought his England career had ended in the right manner following the last Ashes series in Australia. I agreed that nobody particularly emerged with much credit from the whole episode, particularly given his achievements for England.”Kevin felt he had a lot to offer and was interested in a dialogue with the ECB, sorting things out and working together. He would love to play for England again but he wanted to contribute, whether as a player or not.”I didn’t make any promises. There were no guarantees that if he chose to exit his IPL contract, play county cricket and score runs he would be selected for England. And I said he should make any decision on his future on that basis.”Graves added that “something has been misunderstood around the conversation and in the following debate” and that had never intimated that he could – or would – influence selection. “What I did stress was that when I took over as chairman I would back those people whose job it was to take decisions on team selection. I stand by that.”Referring to Pietersen’s score-settling autobiography and the history of issues with team-mates, Graves reiterated that “trust needs to be restored”. He did, however, hold out hope for the future. “Despite everything, he can work with us to rebuild the relationship and make a further contribution to English cricket,” Graves said.It seems clear that Graves was taken aback by the level of resistance to Pietersen within the ECB, including from the captain Alastair Cook, and that when Andrew Strauss emerged as the favourite as the first director of England cricket, the slate was not quite as clean as he had imagined.Pietersen was expected to be recalled by his IPL franchise this week but sustained calf and Achilles injuries while scoring his maiden triple-century against Leicestershire, ruling him out of the rest of the competition. He is due to play in the Caribbean Premier League in July but his future commitments with Surrey remain unknown.

South Africa’s 52-run win in the first T20 has put Bangladesh in an unfamiliar situation of late – to level a series after a loss in the first game

The Preview by Mohammad Isam06-Jul-2015Match factsTuesday, July 7
Start time 1.00pm local (0700 GMT)1:39

Isam: Bangladesh will look to improve their batting

Big pictureSouth Africa’s 52-run win in the first T20 could have left Bangladesh dispirited but there has been a good vibe among the home team in recent months because they have learned how to bounce back. What will irk them, though, is that this is the first time since November that they have lost the first game of a series.It was South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis who ensured victory after the visitors had a sluggish start. Rilee Rossouw also contributed at an important stage, adding an unbeaten 58 for the fifth wicket with du Plessis, who did not throw his wicket away despite occasionally struggling to time the ball.Bangladesh were hasty in their chase and Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan need to execute proper shots in the next game. They were first hustled by South Africa’s pace attack and later strangled by Aaron Phangiso and JP Duminy. The visitors will want more of the same in the second T20, in particular the verve shown by youngster Kagiso Rabada.Bangladesh will also hope their bowling attack can once again contain South Africa, and that their batsmen can find the right blend of discipline and aggression.Form guideBangladesh LWLLL
South Africa WWLLLPlayers to watchLeft-arm spinner Arafat Sunny took the wickets of AB de Villiers and JP Duminy but did not finish his full quota of four overs. He had figures of 3-0-19-2 and will be expected to be accurate once again.Despite the hot and humid weather, South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada bowled with a lot of energy and generated more bounce than anyone else on this pitch.Teams newsLegspinner Jubair Hossain, who was one of two players to go to training on Monday, could replace Sohag Gazi who went wicketless in his two overs.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Sabbir Rahman, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Litton Das, 8 Sohag Gazi/Jubair Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Arafat Sunny, 11 Mustafizur RahmanThe visitors had left out Beuran Hendricks, Chris Morris and Eddie Leie for the first T20 and it is likely they will remain benched, unless South Africa have plans to hand the young legspinner Leie a T20 debut.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Rilee Rossouw, 7 David Wiese, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Aaron PhangisoPitch and conditionsThe pitch for the first game was slow and had inconsistent bounce. The surface for the second T20 may have higher bounce and aid batting a little more.Stats and trivia Shakib Al Hasan is now Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals, after he overtook Abdur Razzak’s 44 wickets. Having been bowled out for 78 in their 2011 World Cup game, Bangladesh have been dismissed for less than 100 by South Africa in two consecutive matches. AB de Villiers opened in the first match, only the second time he has done so for South Africa in T20s
Quotes”We couldn’t take opportunities that we created in the first game, so I hope it changes in the next game.”

James Taylor compiled his highest first-class score of 291 to reaffirm his England credentials and give Nottinghamshire control at Horsham

David Lloyd20-Jul-2015
ScorecardJames Taylor fell nine short of a triple-century as Notts took charge at Horsham•Getty ImagesThere cannot be a bad day on which to score a huge double-hundred and rewrite a few records. But when the country you are desperate to represent once again has been hammered in an Ashes Test just 24 hours earlier, your timing looks absolutely spot-on.James Taylor is unlikely to be first cab off England’s rank – Jonny Bairstow surely deserves his place at the head of the batting queue – but a chanceless innings of 291 suggests quite strongly that the Nottinghamshire player’s engine is running sweetly again after a spluttering early summer.Three years have passed since Taylor made his only two Test appearances, against South Africa, but at 25 he remains a genuine candidate for further opportunities – and they could come sooner, rather than later, if this eight-hour, 385-ball knock proves to be the start of something big in the 2015 Championship programme.Taylor credits Moores effect

James Taylor highlighted the help given to him by former England coach Peter Moores after scoring 291 at Horsham – the second double-hundred of his career against Sussex. Moores arrived at Trent Bridge recently to bolster the county’s coaching staff and will remain with until the end of the season
“Peter has been outstanding for me,” Taylor said. “It’s no coincidence that over the last three weeks since he joined us I have played some important innings in T20 and now I’ve got this 291. I worked closely with him with England and now for Notts, and he has been brilliant.
“I haven’t scored as many runs this season and haven’t got the big scores I want before now. But as far as England is concerned I’d like to think I’ll be talked about again after this innings.
“It’s three years since I played my last Test and a lot has happened. I feel I have matured as a player and I know my own game a lot better. I’ve got a lot more experience in terms of knowledge of the game too and I’m more mature. I feel in a really good place after that knock and it’s up to me to kick on now.

Splendidly though the little right-hander played while compiling the highest Championship score by a Nottinghamshire batsman for 76 years, and the fourth highest of all time, a couple of points need noting: this Sussex attack – the admirable Steve Magoffin apart – is neither experienced enough nor sufficiently threatening to maintain pressure on a so-far sound pitch while the parched outfield at Cricket Field Road turns even firm pushes into boundary strokes.But, that said, Notts were in a spot of bother at 186 for 5 on Sunday when Taylor and Chris Read joined forces. And, come Monday evening, Harry Gurney – another England possibility should the Ashes continue to go badly from a home perspective – extracted enough bounce from the surface during an impressive, back-bending spell to discomfort Sussex’s batsmen.Back to Taylor, though. Walking out to take guard on the first day, his Championship season had a distinctly underwhelming look about it: a top score of 61 from 16 innings and an average of 29.By the time he left the crease for the final time in this innings, having carved Magoffin to backward point while trying to race to 300, his previous first-class best, of 242, had been put in the shade – as had both the ground record score (262 not out by Ian Bell in 2004) and the biggest individual contribution by a Notts player (268 not out by JA Dixon in 1897) at any venue against Sussex.Much more important to Taylor than any of those statistics, one suspects, is the manner in which he played: careful when required and then supremely confident once in the groove. How much the recent arrival at Trent Bridge of former England coach Peter Moores has had to do with Taylor’s revival is hard for the outsider to gauge but the batsman himself was full of praise for the consultant’s assistance.Resuming on 163, Taylor underlined his determination to cash in by defending resolutely for half an hour while adding just a single and getting his eye in. Thereafter, though, Sussex had next to no answer to either Taylor or Read as a stand of 174 rose, in leaps and bounds, to 365 before the latter thin-edged a catch behind. Oh, and just to keep the statisticians busy, a Notts partnership record against Sussex that had stood for 128 years disappeared along the way.Read’s third Championship hundred of the season was inevitably overshadowed by Taylor’s near triple. But between them the pair had put Notts in a position to dominate – and three wickets for Gurney in a final session that lost eight overs to bad light and drizzle did nothing to help Sussex sleep easy.

A 21-ball fifty from Colin Munro propelled New Zealand past Sri Lanka by 74 runs in a World T20 warm-up in Mumbai

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai10-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsColin Munro blitzed Dasun Shanaka for four consecutive sixes in a 29-run over on his way to a 21-ball fifty•AFP/Getty ImagesAlready he had hit the second-fastest fifty in Twenty20 against them. That was in January and Sri Lanka had not forgotten Colin Munro. In Auckland, Munro had bludgeoned the Sri Lankan bowlers on his way to the 14-ball fifty. On Thursday evening in Mumbai, Munro provided a few thousand spectators another treat, this time to a 21-ball fifty which included six sixes.He had walked to the crease in the early part of the match after his captain Kane Williamson had hit straight into the hands of Chamara Kapugedera at cover. Off his fourth delivery Munro blasted a huge six into the lower tier of the North Stand behind long-on against Thisara Perera. This was followed by a brief lull as Martin Guptill took charge briefly and after nine overs New Zealand were a healthy 77 for 2.In the next over, Munro turned the game on its head. Crouching into a customary low stance and patting his bat more like a baseball player than a batsman, Munro waited patiently for the Dasun Shanaka. Tall and well built he might be, but Shanaka is more medium than fast. The Wankhede pitch had shown no mercy for the fast bowlers, at least the Sri Lankan ones, till the New Zealand quicks later gave them a lesson in the art of bowling fast.Shanaka’s first delivery was fuller and Munro arched his bat backward before swinging it down and lofting a straight six to the left of the sightscreen. The next ball sailed straight over long-off into the photographers’ rink, creating a flutter of anxiety among the snappers. Munro assumed his low squat position, patting his bat. Shanaka delivered wide and short outside off stump. Munro effortlessly cut high over point for a third consecutive six.The crowd was raucous. Perera was pushed back to long-on. Shanaka changed to round the stumps. Munro stayed deep in his crease. Shanaka pitched a yorker-length delivery on the middle stump, but Munro clubbed a powerful six over cover.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and Perera rushed to muffle the young bowler’s ears and remind him of sticking to the plan and not get nervous. A low full toss resulted in a single and robbed the crowd of the excitement of potentially watching the feat of six sixes. The Sri Lankan’s agony only deepened as Corey Anderson, another left-hander, unleashed a ruthless flat batted drive for a straight four off the last delivery from Shanaka. The 29-run 10th over catapulted New Zealand past the 100-mark.A straight six against offspinner Shehan Jayasuriya in the 11th took Munro to his fifty. But Munro had not finished yet and played his most telling stroke when he reverse swept Sachithra Senanayake powerfully high into the empty Vijay Merchant Pavilion in the 14th. Even though Munro departed next over trying to clear the straight boundary, Anderson took over and further flattened the already deflated Sri Lankans.But by that point Munro’s electric hitting transformed New Zealand’s already healthy total to lay the platform for Anderson to get them past 200. Anderson, who shared a match-winning 41-ball 92-run partnership with Munro, could not believe the pair had hit a total of 12 sixes.”He is a hell of a player,” Anderson said of Munro. “He has been doing it domestically for a long time now. And he has taken his chance batting out in the summer and he has grown leaps and strides to becoming the No. 3 in the team. He is tough to bowl at when he is in that kind of form.”If Sri Lanka looked lost and dull in the field, New Zealand were accurate, active and dominant. Tim Southee and Anderson displayed seam and swing at good pace to make the opening combination of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal more circumspect.Dilshan had his leg stump pushed back after he was trumped by a perfect late and quick inswinger from Anderson. Chandimal, who admitted he takes his time to get settled, was beaten by the extreme pace and movement of Adam Milne, who replaced Southee in the fourth over. The rest of the Sri Lankan batsmen, too, failed to make any impact.Sri Lanka were not ready today. Sri Lanka were not ready for this well-oiled, well-dressed New Zealand. Sri Lanka were not bowling ready. Sri Lanka were not ready for extreme pace. Sri Lanka are not yet ready for the World Twenty20.

England’s players were in an airplane for much of West Indies’ semi-final win over India but Joe Root said they would be switched on and ready to go when their World T20 comes full circle at Eden Gardens on Sunday

Andrew Miller01-Apr-2016While West Indies and India were getting down to the nitty-gritty in a fascinating semi-final in Mumbai, England’s cricketers were cruising at altitude over the plains of Uttar Pradesh, oblivious to the swings in fortune that would ultimately decide the identity of their opponents in Sunday night’s World T20 final.It wasn’t until England touched down at Kolkata airport and switched on their phones, after a two-hour flight from Delhi that had begun late in India’s Virat Kohli-powered innings, that they were able to track the final swings of Andre Russell’s bat that brought their campaign full-circle.England, whose steady – even stealthy – progress through the gears has resulted in four wins on the bounce and a sense of serene optimism, must now overcome the only team to have got the better of them if they are to be crowned the World T20 champions for the second time in the competition’s nine-year history.”We knew they [India] were on course for a big score when we set off and there was about an over and a bit left when we landed,” said Joe Root, whose tally of 195 runs in five innings is second only to Kohli for the Super 10s stage of the competition onwards.”They must have played really well to get over the line, but we know how strong West Indies are as a side and we are going to have to play well to beat them as we’ve had to play well to beat everyone so far.”England’s team will remain broadly the same, with Liam Plunkett’s displacement of Reece Topley the only anticipated change from the side that lined up at the Wankhede last month for their opening match of the tournament. However, the confidence and competence of England’s batsmen and bowlers are light years removed from the tentative pathfinders who ended up being walloped by the broadest of Chris Gayle’s bats.And now, having had a day to digest the implications of their thrilling victory over New Zealand in Delhi, Root says England can’t wait to take centre stage at India’s most venerated venue.”You can’t beat it,” he said. “You dream of these opportunities as a kid to play a World Cup final. Every time over the past couple of days I’ve looked round the dressing room or the lads on the bus, they have just been smiling, so I think everyone is excited and can’t wait to get out there on Sunday.”In keeping with most of the squad, Root has never before played a match at Eden Gardens – notably, 10 of the England players in this tournament had never played a single international fixture in the country.However, Root was 12th man during one of England’s most remarkable Test wins in recent memory – the seven-wicket victory in 2012-13 that enabled Alastair Cook’s men to claim the series 2-1. With that nugget of reconnaissance under his belt, he said he was unfazed by the prospect of fronting up for the final.”Every game here so far has been rocking, so let’s hope it will be on Sunday,” he said. Though it was put to him that the mood in the city may be a touch muted, following the tragic collapse of a flyover in Kolkata this week, Root – who had been unaware of the news – hoped that his team could help to revive a few spirits.”India’s a fantastic country, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of support at this wonderful ground,” he said. “We want to make sure that it’s a very entertaining spectacle and that we’re on the right side of that on Sunday.”The other factor that is likely to impact on the atmosphere is, of course, India’s absence from the final itself. The likelihood is that this is good news for England – the prospect of performing in front of a pumped-up and partisan crowd might well have given the hosts that added sense of belief. Root, understandably, argued otherwise.Joe Root and Jos Buttler celebrate sealing England’s semi-final victory over New Zealand•AFP”I don’t think it matters,” he said. “If you are going to win the World Cup you have to be the best team through the tournament. If we are going to win we are going to have to beat the side that beat us, but otherwise we would have had to have beaten India on home soil, so it’s irrelevant who we play.”It’s about doing our stuff in practice leading up to it, then going out there and put on a really strong performance and doing everything we can to get over the line.”That “stuff” that England have been doing has been serving them well enough so far, for the extent to which they have confounded most pre-tournament predictions is startling. Their record run chase against South Africa in Mumbai is cited as the moment that their campaign was kick-started – they chased 230 in a contest that could have effectively eliminated them there and then.Root, however, insisted they had had no great epiphany on that remarkable night. Merely, they have stuck to their commitment to free-flowing, fearless cricket, and have reaped the rewards that have come from each new victory.”We have stayed true to what we believe in as a side and the way we want to play cricket,” Root said. “That has been the most important thing for us, to ensure we did not go away from how we wanted to play and approach our cricket, and having that self-belief in each other meant we could get that win against South Africa and build confidence from that point onwards.”The best thing is that everyone has contributed in some shape or form, which is always nice going into a final. If things aren’t going quite to plan, there are other guys you could call upon who might not normally do that job.”As for England’s approach going into the final, Root said that they would be watching back the highlights of the match that they had missed while airborne. And when they have done so, they will doubtless note the manner of West Indies’ victory, which was achieved with batting tactics markedly different from their own.Whereas Root himself has rocketed to the upper echelons of the run-scoring table by working the singles and avoiding dot balls, West Indies’ batsmen have been unafraid to stack up the blobs, safe in the knowledge that their hard-hitting players are be able to clear the ropes to keep their scoreboard moving. Case in point was the India game, in which a massive 146 of their 196 runs came in boundaries.”If you do get a string of dot balls, it’s about finding ways to keep building them up and put them under more and more pressure,” Root said. “Obviously everyone has their own way of playing the game, we’ve got plenty of players that can play in a similar fashion to that. So more than anything, it’s been about being smart in the situation and making sure that you’re roughly aware of what they’re trying to do and you’ve got something in place to combat it.”We’ve been winning games of cricket, which is really important leading up to a final,” he added. “We’ve found ourselves in a number of different situations, and we’ve overcome them. It means that whatever happens, we’ve been in that situation before in this tournament, and we’ve got experiences to call upon where we’ve been successful.”That will stand us in really good stead, so I’m just looking forward to Sunday.”

Despite Lasith Malinga’s injury, Mumbai Indians begin IPL 2016 as one of the favourites with a power-packed line-up

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan08-Apr-20164:15

Jayawardene: Mumbai Indians have spent well on their overseas players

2015 formMumbai Indians’ campaign over the last two years has followed a template. In 2014, they didn’t have a single point after five games, before stringing together seven wins in their next nine matches to seal a playoff berth. Their 2015 tournament can once again be split into two parts. They opened with four successive losses, but an injury-forced change to the opening combination and several key players stepping up helped Mumbai turn it around and finish second on the points table. After edging past Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier, they beat the same opponents in the final to lift the trophy for the second time.Big PictureLike most years, Mumbai begin as one of the favourites. While the length of the tournament gives teams ample time to bounce back, Mumbai wouldn’t want to find themselves in a predicament early and would be hoping for a smooth start to their title defence. Five of the seven purchases made by Mumbai in 2016 were local players. Mumbai splurged INR 3.2 crores on Nathu Singh, the right-arm medium pacer from Rajasthan, who, it has been reported, has already created a favourable impression on Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil. But whether he fits in a star-studded line-up remains to be seen.Mumbai Indians squad

Rohit Sharma (capt), Corey Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Jos Buttler, Unmukt Chand, Marchant de Lange, Shreyas Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, Kishore Kamath, Siddhesh Lad, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga*, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Kieron Pollard, Deepak Punia, Nitish Rana, Ambati Rayudu, Jitesh Sharma, Lendl Simmons, Nathu Singh, Tim Southee, J Suchith, Vinay Kumar, Akshay Wakhare
*Lasith Malinga is unlikely to feature in IPL 2016 due to injury

While it’s hard to pick a stronger suit, Mumbai’s batting looks more dangerous than their bowling. The timely recovery of Kieron Pollard, who missed the World T20, from a knee injury will come as a relief. Rohit Sharma has already indicated his preference for opening and could be partnered by one of Lendl Simmons or Parthiv Patel. Considering Mumbai’s ample firepower, Rohit could also drop anchor and build the innings. With Pollard, Corey Anderson, Jos Buttler, Hardik Pandya and Ambati Rayudu to pick from, Mumbai’s middle order is among the most destructive forces in the competition.Lasith Malinga is all but ruled out of the tournament, but Mumbai have enough bench strength to make up for it. Malinga’s absence improves the playing chances of Tim Southee – one of two overseas inclusions along with Jos Buttler. Jasprit Bumrah’s fantastic few months with India makes him a certainty and the carrier of slog-over bowling duties.Mumbai have four specialist spinners and yet have variety – offspinner Harbhajan Singh, left-arm spinner J Suchith, legspinner Shreyas Gopal and offspinner Akshay Wakhare. Despite the presence of several pacers, Mumbai chose to shore up that department in the auction, leaving their spin unit wearing a slightly depleted look. But with the Wankhede surface among the flattest in the country, as evidenced in the World T20, it may come down more to how astute the bowler is rather than the kind of bowler operating.Burning questionMumbai have seven foreign players to choose from and it isn’t straightforward to identify their best combination. If Simmons opens the innings, Mumbai will have to choose between Anderson and Pollard. Likewise, only one of Mitchell McClenaghan or Southee is likely to make the cut.Additionally, with a wicketkeeper already there in Parthiv, it remains to be seen if Buttler is handed the big gloves or used as a specialist batsman only.The go-to menRohit Sharma had a central role to play in Mumbai’s turnaround and subsequent win in 2015. Rohit’s detractors are always ready to criticise him, and after a poor World T20, he will be keen to prove a point. Besides, Rohit has already shown his willingness to take responsibility in past editions, and captaincy has done wonders for his batting. Rohit’s 390 runs at a strike rate of 129.13 in 2014 was the second highest for a Mumbai batsman. In 2015, he amassed 482 runs at a strike rate of 144.74 – that included a 26-ball fifty in the final against Super Kings.Lendl Simmons has been a consistent performer for Mumbai. He was the franchise’s highest run-scorer in 2014, despite playing seven matches fewer than the next best performer. Simmons has also shown the ability to step up when it matters. In 2015, he replaced an injured Aaron Finch at the top and scored 540 runs to once again top the batting charts. More recently, he blasted a match-winning 82 not out in the World T20 semi-final against India after being called up just two days prior to the match.Harbhajan Singh will be expected to keep the run-flow in the middle overs in check, a task he has performed brilliantly over the years as a career economy rate of 6.61 after 195 T20 matches testifies.Bargain buyMumbai weren’t the most active franchise at the auction, making just seven purchases – the least, along with Kolkata Knight Riders. Mumbai struck a good deal with Buttler’s acquisition for INR 3.8 crore. While Buttler bagged the highest price among the seven players, his imperious form during the World T20 and big-hitting ability should make for a favourable return on investment.AvailabilityMumbai are yet to announce a replacement for Malinga. There are no other known injury concerns.CoachesMentor – Sachin Tendulkar, head coach – Ricky Ponting, coach – Paras Mhambrey, assistant and batting coach – Robin Singh, bowling coach – Shane Bond, fielding coach – Jonty Rhodes, assistant strength and conditioning coach – Afzal Khan, trainer – Paul Chapman.Quotes”It is very important to start the tournament the way you want. T20 format is about momentum. The way you play reflects in the next game. We have stressed on it. We haven’t started well, but have managed to win the title. We don’t want to repeat that this year though.”

The United boss' threat to make a string of changes against Bournemouth is just the latest public jab at his players. Here are 10 memorable examples

Getty Images"Oh my God! They should all explain the lack of attitude!"

After the 2-1 loss at Huddersfield which first cut them significantly adrift of Manchester City in October, Mourinho complained about his players' lack of attitude.

“[Huddersfield] played like I like, and how it has to be. They played with everything: aggression, desire, motivation, sacrifice. They played with everything, and we didn’t.

“They beat us on attitude. When I lose matches I like to lose matches because the opponent was better than us, and had more quality than us. When you lose a football match because of attitude, that’s really bad.

“I heard that Ander Herrera is in the flash interviews and he’s saying that the attitude and the desire was poor. Oh my God! When a player says that, and when a player feels that, I think they should all go to the press conference and explain why because I can’t explain.”

AdvertisementGetty/Goal"He was disappearing"

The writing was on the wall for Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Manchester United after he was left out of a string of fixtures in the autumn. When asked about the Armenian's absence, Mourinho didn't hold back with his assessment.

“I was not happy with his last performances and I am not speaking about one or two, I am speaking about three, four or five. He started the season very well and after that step by step he was disappearing.

"His performance levels in terms of goalscoring, assists, high pressing, recovery of the ball high up the pitch, bringing the team with him as a number 10, were decreasing step by step.

“There came a time when that was enough because the others work to have a chance, everybody works to have a chance, so it’s as simple as that.”Michael Regan"Some players will make childish decisions their whole careers"

United threw away two points in December with the late concession of a goal to Harry Maguire at Leicester City in a 2-2 draw despite having earlier dominated. Maguire's ability to capitalise on the space left by an injured Chris Smalling infuriated Mourinho, who blamed his "childish" players for not reacting.

“I had the chance to speak to Ashley Young and to tell him the way the team had to be in position because of Smalling’s difficulty. But I think [there was] a lack of maturity because I cannot stop the game and give a team talk for the last two minutes. The players have to immediately adapt and to read the game, which they didn’t.

“So we had childish decisions in front of goal, bad decisions. Not just goals we missed, but also easy decisions to make… Some players they have childish decisions and time helps them to have maturity. But some players stay with childish decisions until the end of their careers.”ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images"Four mistakes after 15 seconds"

It took Christian Eriksen less than 11 seconds to score the opening goal against United in January, and following the eventual 2-0 Tottenham win Mourinho spoke of his fury at the string of mistakes his players made in the build-up to the first goal.

“I don’t think it’s very normal to concede a goal after 15 seconds. After kick-off is ridiculous, especially ridiculous because the players watched it beforehand. We analyse opponents, we work on opponents’ dynamic and routines, the players knew the long ball, they knew Harry Kane, they knew everything.

“And then we don’t press the ball: one mistake. We don’t win the ball in the air: second mistake. We don’t win the second ball on the ground: third mistake. We don’t cover the full-back inside when Eriksen comes: four mistakes. Four mistakes after 15 seconds and you are losing 1-0 against a good team.”

With the draw for the Champions League group stage taking place on Thursday, Goal lists some top under-23 talents to watch this season

GettyDani Ceballos (Real Madrid)

"The coach's confidence is paramount to playing well," Dani Ceballos told earlier this month. "[Julen] Lopetegui has given me that confidence."

The implication was obvious: Ceballos had never felt fully trusted by former Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane, who used the midfielder just 12 times in La Liga last season.

The 22-year-old Spaniard still has Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos ahead of him in the pecking order but with Mateo Kovacic now gone, Ceballos is expected to see far more game time in 2018-19.

If he truly does have his self-belief back, we should see the former Betis star reproduce the kind of magic that lit up the Under-21 European Championships last year.

AdvertisementGettyFrenkie de Jong (Ajax)

Ajax are back in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2014-15 but not everyone was happy to see the Dutch outfit prevail in their play-off tie with Dynamo Kyiv.

Indeed, the Amsterdam outfit's qualification scuppered Barcelona's hopes of signing Frenkie de Jong before the close of the summer transfer window on Friday. 

The Blaugrana had made the 21-year-old, who has just been called up by the Netherlands national team, their primary midfield target but he has now confirmed that he is staying at Ajax.

"Maybe someday I'll join Barcelona, but not this season," he told . "I think it will be a good year for Ajax. Now we're about to find out what we're capable of."

We're also about to find out exactly what De Jong is capable of.

Getty ImagesPhil Foden (Manchester City)

On May 13, the then 17-year-old Phil Foden became the youngest ever recipient of a Premier League winners' medal, after making five appearances during Manchester City's title procession. 

The classy and versatile midfielder is now set to play an even bigger role in his club's bid to hold on to their crown. As coach Pep Guardiola enthused, "He was ready [for the first team] last year but now he is one year more mature."

His composed performance in the season-opening Community Shield win over Chelsea certainly belied his tender age, with Foden creating the game's opening goal, for Sergio Aguero. 

Nailing down a regular berth in the City starting 11 is an unenviable task but Guardiola has the utmost faith in Foden, who last season became the youngest Englishman ever to start a Champions League match.

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Getty Images​Willem Geubbels (Monaco)

Rarely can such fuss have been made over a player to have featured so little at senior level.

Willem Geubbels only saw 87 minutes of game time for Lyon last season but, in doing so, the 16-year-old forward became the first player born in the 21st century to appear in Ligue 1, and the Europa League.

Monaco certainly liked what they saw, as this summer they paid €20 million (£18m/$23m) to beat some of Europe’s biggest clubs to the signature of the France Under-18 international.

Geubbels will be used sparingly but Monaco are quietly confident that they have got another Kylian Mbappe on their hands.

Eagles of Carthage fell by a solitary goal against the Stallions in the quarter-final played on Saturday night

BackpageGOALKEEPER: Ben Said 7/10

Made three vital stops to keep the team in the game.

AdvertisementKARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty ImagesRIGHT-BACK: Mohamed Drager 4/10

He was preferred ahead of Hamza Mathlouthi after good showing agaisnt Nigeria, but was exposed by strong Stallions wingers.

LEFT-BACK: Oussama Haddadi 3/10

It was not his day, made several wrong decisions and in the long run the goal came from his wing. Was subbed after the half-time break.

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BackpageCENTRE-BACK: Bilel Ifa 5/10

Despite making several interceptions, he was ineffectual on the night.