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After such a build-up, the behaviour of the MCG track on the opening day was a disappointment, and while the ground staff and management may be looking at long-term development, the clock is ticking for the venue

Daniel Brettig in Melbourne26-Dec-20181:40

Hodge: Cummins made batsmen question their technique

As he did in Perth, Nathan Lyon drags Virat Kohli wide of the off stump with his drift and his drop, leaving India’s captain feeling for a ball of which ball he is not quite to the pitch. Rather than skidding on and taking the edge, however, this ball grips a little, turning past the groping bat and hitting Kohli on the front pad outside the line of the off stump.In usual circumstances, this would have been cause for an “oooh”, a speculative appeal, and maybe a cursory chat about referring Marais Erasmus’ not out verdict. But this was the MCG on Boxing Day, on a pitch that, for all the work of the curator Matt Page and the Melbourne Cricket Club over the past 12 months, showed little sign of improvement in terms of the life on offer for wicket-taking or fast scoring.So instead the Australians saw the mirage of a genuine chance for a wicket, appealing desperately, then consulting thoroughly in the limited time available before the captain Tim Paine gave Erasmus the “T” signal for a review.The fact of the mirage was revealed from the moment of the very first replay, showing that the ball had struck Kohli so far outside the line of the off stump that by the time ball-tracking was ready the Australians had already resumed their in-out fielding positions. A Melbourne crowd of 73,516 that had momentarily stirred, collectively chuckled then returned to thoughts of home and an early night after all the holiday revelry.After such a large build-up, and plenty of optimism from Page and his ground staff about the experimental work they had done throughout the winter, the behaviour of the surface on the biggest day of the Australian cricket calendar had to be regarded as something of a disappointment. Little more than half an hour of pace was required before Paine resorted to the spin of Lyon, only the second time he had bowled inside eight overs in a first innings in a Test in Australia over eight summers.Within the next 10 minutes, Paine dispensed with third and then second slips, deciding that ring fields and searching for a mistake was the order of the day rather than the more predatory hunt for outside edges that he and his pacemen prefer. While the pitch did begin to quicken after the first hour, aiding the exemplary Pat Cummins in conjuring a short ball to pin Hanuma Vihari on the gloves and end his stay in the 19th over of the match, the process was stunted.”Yeah tough going. There wasn’t much on offer,” Cummins told Fox Cricket afterwards. “Especially this morning. There wasn’t really any sideways or bounce or pace. It got a little bit quicker towards the end of the day but not a lot in it for us bowlers and they batted pretty well.”I think the key on this kind of wicket is you’re not going to blast them out so you’ve just got to be really disciplined. We bowled a couple of good spells, a couple of maidens, I think it’s about trying to bowl five or six maidens in a row and hopefully they crack. But they’re batting pretty well at the moment.”4:39

We restricted India well in trying conditions – Head

Kohli was to offer a more genuine chance when Paine took the second new ball, tempted wide of the stumps by Mitchell Starc and edging, but Paine’s dive from close to the stumps was unable to achieve a clean interception. If the Australians, half expecting such conditions, had trained for being closer than they had stood in Adelaide and Perth, they undoubtedly would prefer to be standing further back for clearer sights of the ball.For India’s debutant Mayank Agarwal, there was vindication of his sound mental approach before opening the batting in Melbourne. He had chosen to keep his mind clear of preconceived notions about the pitch until he could actually play on it and adapt accordingly. “I won’t complain about the pitch, I thought it was good to bat on. It did do a bit early on and then it was a bit slow. As the day progressed and we batted on it more, it got a little quicker,” Agarwal said.”I didn’t think too much of the wicket and didn’t put too much thought into the wicket before the game. I wanted to try to stay blank and take it as it comes and just let me assess the wicket and see how I would go about it. I thought they bowled extremely well, they didn’t give us any loose balls, they kept it tight, and they were attacking.”A Test-match pitch should offer evolution over hours, sessions and days, affording assistance to various disciplines of the game across its lengthy journey towards a conclusion. It may be too early to make a definitive judgment of this surface, particularly given the far hotter temperatures expected in Melbourne over the next two days, but the vast body of evidence about the MCG’s drop-in pitches and the concrete slab underneath them is that if the turf does not afford early assistance to bowlers and reap wickets as a result, there will be little deterioration later in the game to counterbalance it.In the words of Page to ESPNcricinfo before the Test: “We’re finding if we leave the grass on them, not too thatchy, more leaf grass, but if we leave the grass on and more moisture in, then we actually get a better result in terms of pace, bounce, ability for the spinners to be able to spin the ball off the surface, than if we go in drier and harder.”According to all of the ground staff’s research and preparatory work, this surface should have done more than it has. But at the same time the ground’s custodians are aware that more must be done urgently to ensure that there is more for Page and company to work with, namely by adopting a more up-to-date system for drop-in pitches that will mean less concrete and more natural variation provided by Melbourne’s mixture of clay, turf, gravel and sand.Certainly for Cummins, his reminder earlier this week that he would like to discuss with Cricket Australia the prospect of longer-term central contracts for the fast bowlers only gained in relevance as he and his fellow pacemen slogged their way through what should have been the best day to bowl in this match. “As fast bowlers, we put ourselves through a lot,” Cummins told AAP before the match. “I guess every sport has long-term contracts so I just asked the question of seeing if I could do something longer term.”Longer term is exactly how the MCG’s management and staff are thinking in terms of creating better pitches, but the clock is ticking. Afforded the luck of the calendar by the ICC’s move to a more punitive pitch rating and penalty system a matter of days after the conclusion of last year’s dirge of a draw, they need to see improvement, and soon. Otherwise the mirage Lyon and Australia’s fielders saw when Kohli was struck outside the line will be followed by genuine questions about a fitting location for Boxing Day.

Back from the IPL, both batsmen attended their first full day of training with the Australian team since their ball-tampering bans ended on March 29

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane05-May-20190:42

Smith and Warner join Australia net session

It was another small and slightly symbolic milestone. For the first time in more than a year, Steven Smith and David Warner were hitting cricket balls as part of an Australian squad. Warner middled more than Smith, which is pretty much what it has been like for the past six weeks at the IPL.Both have been ill over the last few days so while the camp in Brisbane officially started on Friday this was the first full day for them. It remains to be seen whether they both play the opening match against New Zealand on Monday – Australia are certainly not short of players this week with members of the Australia A squad also in attendance – or are staggered across the three games.There are, it’s probably worth reminding, a few other things for Australia to settle on before the World Cup than just the return of Smith and Warner.However, it remains the main story in town for now. The bans officially ended on March 29, but it has been the slow comeback: a quick meeting in the UAE, the IPL, now Brisbane, with more warm-up matches to come in England before the World Cup opener against Afghanistan on June 1.Warner had an easier afternoon that Smith under the pristine blue skies of a perfect Brisbane autumn day. He faced a bit of spin and then plenty of throwdowns from head coach Justin Langer. As at the IPL, most of his shots came out of the middle.”You rarely see him out of form,” Glenn Maxwell said of Warner before the session started. “He’s such a good player and you look at his stats over there in the IPL, what he’s done for Hyderabad – he’s got an unbelievable record. I think he’s scored over 500 runs every time he’s been over there, which is amazing consistency and hopefully that continues in the one-day stuff here.”David Warner and Steven Smith look on before the start of the match•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesSmith, his troublesome elbow still well strapped and occasionally being flexed, also began in the spinners’ net before facing the challenge of the pacemen. Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott and Michael Neser ran in hard (the latter two part of the Australia A squad) with more deliveries squirting off both edges of Smith’s bat than the centre – which didn’t escape Smith’s notice at one stage – but a couple of leg-side flicks showed promise.”They’re both superstars,” Maxwell said. “Steve made back-to-back fifties at the end there [at the IPL] as well and I watched both of them go about it as well, and they were absolutely brilliant over there. They’re striking the ball really nicely so there’ll be no worries about them coming back in.”Starc looked especially impressive after recovering from the pectoral injury he sustained in the second Test against Sri Lanka in February, which ruled him out of the one-day tours of India and UAE. He produced a searing delivery which climbed at Shaun Marsh to hammer into the gloves and was constantly testing Smith’s technique as he got to the ball to shape back.The main injury concern in the Australia camp remains Jhye Richardson after the dislocated shoulder he sustained in the UAE. On Friday, Langer said he hoped to have a better idea early in the week about Richardson’s prognosis. Kane Richardson and Josh Hazlewood, the latter who didn’t make the World Cup squad due to his back injury, are the first-choice reserves and are both attending the camp although Hazlewood won’t be available for the New Zealand matches.One final point worth noting about these three games is that they are scheduled to finish at 5pm. At this time of the year in Brisbane, even on a perfectly clear day, the light was barely playable at that point. While the results of these matches are not the important thing, it could be worth the chasing side having the DLS score handy. Which, coming into a World Cup, perhaps is not a bad practice anyway.

With the T20 World Cup just over a year away, how far have India come since the previous edition, where they were out-muscled by West Indies?

Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Aug-2019Three-and-a-half years ago, India met West Indies in a World T20 semi-final at Wankhede Stadium. It was less a cricket match than a clash of philosophies.Sent in, India made 192 for 2 in their 20 overs. They only faced 29 dot balls, and hit 17 fours and four sixes. West Indies won by seven wickets, sweeping past their target with two balls to spare. They faced 50 dot balls, but hit 20 fours and 11 sixes.That’s 146 runs in boundaries, to India’s 92.The players most illustrative of their respective teams’ philosophies were the opening batsmen, born six months apart on opposite sides of the globe.Ajinkya Rahane made 40 off 35 balls, hitting two fours and no sixes, and contributed to half-century stands for the first two wickets. In excellent batting conditions, with his partners scoring freely, Rahane looked to rotate the strike, anchor India’s innings, and help set a platform before the slog overs.West Indies lost two wickets inside the first three overs of their chase, but Johnson Charles didn’t look to “consolidate” or “rebuild”. He kept clearing his front leg and heaving the ball into the on side. He made 52 off 36 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes.It was batting versus hitting, and on that day – as on most days in T20s – hitting won.Andre Russell runs towards his team-mates after taking West Indies home•Getty ImagesIndia’s approach, seemingly adapted from ODI cricket, had helped them scrap their way into the semi-finals, just about, with Virat Kohli’s form making up for an otherwise misfiring top five, and Bangladesh handing them a lifeline with a final-over meltdown in Bengaluru. Most of India’s group games, moreover, took place on tricky batting pitches.Their safety-first approach wasn’t going to serve them quite as well at the Wankhede, with its flat pitch and small boundaries. Not against West Indies, who were playing T20 with minimal carry-over from the longer formats. They only had two specialist bowlers, a multitude of allrounders who could hit big sixes, and, consequently, the kind of depth that freed up their batsmen to play their shots without worrying about getting out.A team’s strategy is dictated by the resources available to them, of course, and if India were taking an ODI approach into this T20 World Cup, it could be argued that West Indies did exactly the opposite in the 50-over World Cup last month.The fact is that India, in 2016, had neither the quantity nor quality of hitters West Indies could call upon. Their squad was a weird mix of the old – Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ashish Nehra – and the new – Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah had only just made their India debuts – and there was still room in it for Rahane, who came into the XI for the semi-finals at the expense of an out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan.Rishabh Pant got India moving with some classy strokes•IDI via Getty ImagesThree-and-a-half years on, on the eve of another set of T20Is against West Indies, India’s squad has a fresher, more youthful look to it, with a bigger sprinkling of six-hitters. With MS Dhoni out of the picture for the moment, and Dinesh Karthik – perhaps unluckily, given his recent T20I record – left out, there’s a sense that this could be the time for the next generation of middle-order batsmen to leave their imprint on how the side bats. This generation is perhaps the first one from India – 11 years after the birth of the IPL – that is more attuned to T20 than ODIs.KL Rahul has smoked two T20I hundreds – one of which came in Lauderhill – and boasts spectacular numbers in the format – an average of nearly 44, a strike rate of nearly 150. Unless he’s promoted to open, he will probably slot in at No. 4, and along with Rishabh Pant and the Pandya brothers – of whom Hardik has been rested for the West Indies tour – form a more explosive middle order than the one India had in 2016.With Ravindra Jadeja most likely filling the bowling allrounder’s slot, India shouldn’t lack too much for depth, either. All this should, in theory, free up the top three to bat more expansively.Lauderhill will give us a glimpse as to how well these parts will fit together, against a West Indies T20I squad that is close to full strength for the first time in a long time. This could be the beginning of a journey that might just culminate next November – at the SCG, the Adelaide Oval, or perhaps even the MCG.

The success of a clutch of players aged 24 or under means Joe Root can look forward with optimism

George Dobell in Johannesburg28-Jan-2020That’s how England can win the Ashes. Nobody is claiming they are favourites, or overlooking the many other significant challenges that lie ahead (not least India in about 12 months’ time). But the Ashes remain, for right or wrong, the barometer by which English Test cricket judges itself. And over the last few weeks in South Africa, England have shown a way they could regain the urn in Australia.What’s that way? Well, for a start, they have acknowledged – at last – that five-day cricket is a marathon not a sprint. And if they are to regularly establish match-defining first-innings totals, they are probably going to have to take their time over it. So the top-order have been empowered to occupy the crease for as long as it takes safe in the knowledge that the middle-order will not only be more comfortable against the older ball, but that they can accelerate if required. It’s not so dissimilar a formula to the one used so effectively in 2010-11.Then there’s the bowling. It was fitting that Mark Wood should take the final wicket in this series as it has been his pace that has shown what England have been missing. On flat surfaces, with a kookaburra ball, England have often looked toothless in recent years. With Wood and Jofra Archer in tandem – and let’s not forget, that is still only a dream, as they’ve yet to play a Test together – this England attack threatens real bite. “It would have made a big difference last time to have Jofra and Woody in Australia last time,” Joe Root said ruefully.ALSO READ: Broad handed demerit point over du Plessis altercationThis victory has all but guaranteed that Root will lead England into that Ashes series. While a change of captaincy never seemed an especially realistic suggestion – there simply aren’t viable alternatives, and Ben Stokes called it “laughable” after the Wanderers Test – it could have become a damaging distraction in the months ahead had England kept losing. They could still do with more runs from Root, whose top score in the series was just 61, but his positive qualities should not be underestimated.The team are united, delight in the success of their team-mates and are dedicated to playing selfless cricket. It says much about Root’s character – and that of senior players like Stokes and Stuart Broad – that young players are now able to come into the team and thrive. It wasn’t always this way. These are not minor attributes. Root deserves a lot of the credit for instilling them.It must be acknowledged that this is a weak South Africa side. Diluted by the loss of a coterie of economic migrants, they failed to post a total of 300 in any of the four matches; none of their batsmen registered an individual century. Their attack was led by a man in Vernon Philander who was clearly running on fumes while the other four seamers they used in Johannesburg came into the game with eight caps between them. They are nowhere near the force they once were.To a large extent, the causes of South Africa’s decline are well beyond the realm of cricket. But if the ICC and, more pertinently, the “big three” of England, India and Australia, are serious about nurturing international cricket, they will give more thought to a minimum wage and a new model for the distribution of revenues. If international cricket is to remain viable, it requires not just a strong England, but a strong Pakistan and West Indies and Sri Lanka and South Africa, too. There should be a certain hollowness in beating such an impoverished foe.That isn’t to take anything away from this England team. Even on the final day in Johannesburg, South Africa fought hard. Faf du Plessis was finally undone by a delivery that kept low; Temba Bavuma by one that reared. It says something for the incredible depth of talent in South Africa that, only through the dozens of departures, have cricketers as talented as Anrich Nortje, Pieter Malan and Rassie van dur Dussen won prolonged opportunities. It would be wrong to underplay the value of beating a team containing such players.England faced setbacks, too. Remember, they were decimated by illness when they went 1-0 down in Centurion. They lost their senior fast bowler, James Anderson, their senior opener, Rory Burns, and their senior spinner, Jack Leach, to illness and injury when they had contributed just three Tests between them. Archer also missed three Tests through injury, while Stokes had to contend with the serious illness of his father. These are significant challenges.But the holes in the side provided opportunity. And by the end of the series two men aged 24 or under (Archer and Dom Bess) had claimed five-wicket hauls, two others (Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley) had made centuries and two others (Sam Curran and Zak Crawley) had returned career-best figures with ball and bat respectively. All will hope to have their best days in Test cricket ahead of them. And, underlining the sense that this is a team building to future challenges, Sibley, Crawley and Bess will shortly fly to Australia to take part in the red-ball leg of the Lions tour. England’s eye is on Australia already.Of all these young batsmen, Pope is perhaps the most promising. His time for the ball, his range of strokes, his technique and his temperament mark him out as a special talent without obvious weaknesses. Stokes suggested that there wasn’t a more promising young batsman in Test cricket and it would be hard to disagree. But you could argue it is Sibley who is the most relevant. For in embracing the somewhat old-fashioned way he plays, England have also accepted the remit of the Trevor Bayliss years was naive. His partnership with Crawley, who looks made for Australian pitches, played a huge part in this series win.Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope celebrate•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThe development of these young players has allowed England to peek into the future with more excitement than fear. For a long time, the bowling attack looked over-reliant on Anderson and Broad but now, with Archer and Wood to the fore, Olly Stone in the wings and Stokes in support, England have started the transition to life beyond them.That’s not to hasten their retirement. Not at all. Broad still finished the series as England’s leading wicket-taker, while Anderson claimed match figures of 7 for 63 in the Cape Town Test. They aren’t finished just yet. But England have to move on at some stage and, right now, the leap looks less intimidating than it has for a long time. The final Test of the 2020 English summer, at Trent Bridge, could well prove the stage for a double farewell.There are other concerns. England will need to look after Archer and Wood. And they have played three of their most recent five Tests without a specialist spinner. As a result, there have been times they have looked one-paced and forced to over-bowl seamers who might well benefit from a slightly lighter workload. At some stage, they need to find a way to include a spinner in their side in all but the most extreme circumstances.And then there’s Stokes. Just as Mike Brearley’s reputation was made, in part, by Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan’s, in part, by Andrew Flintoff, Root is incredibly fortunate to have a great allrounder at the peak of his powers in his side. Yes, he was hot-headed with the spectator in Johannesburg – “A grown man running 50 yards to shout at me. Let’s just say we were both immature” – and yes, he will have to learn to handle a great deal more provocation in Australia. But to have a player capable of shaping the game in all three disciplines, to have a player at his best when others might crumble, to have a player so utterly committed to the team good rather than personal statistics… England have something very, very special in Stokes.So it turned out not to be such a “cursed tour” after all. England won, Ged Stokes is, thankfully, on the road to recovery and the future looks brighter than it has for some time. Of course there will be bumps in the road in the months ahead. But if England’s attack at Brisbane in 2021 includes Wood and Archer, if their middle order consists of Root, Stokes and Pope, if those young opening batsmen can build on the good start they’ve made and complement Rory Burns in the top three… well, we might have quite an Ashes series, mightn’t we?

Their bowlers were also lacklustre in the first game as India conceded the biggest ODI stand against them ever

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai15-Jan-20206:14

Star Sports Match Point: Laxman expects Kohli to bat at No. 3 in Rajkot

It is not often you see India being bowled out for a below-par total and then their full-strength bowling attack receiving such a thrashing in a home ODI. The combination of these two has placed India in a desperate situation of winning the remaining two games in the next four days against a full-strength Australia side that Virat Kohli called one of the top one-day sides in the world right now. A close loss for India would have asked a question here and there, but now they face several big ones as they look to quickly bounce back in the second ODI in Rajkot, else it will be their second straight ODI series loss to Australia at home. Here’s a look at the main areas India need to address quickly.Fix the batting orderKohli admitted after the match on Tuesday that he needed to “rethink” his batting position after he failed to make a substantial score at No. 4. His move to drop down a slot was to accommodate the three openers – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul – but it meant tinkering with a line-up that wasn’t broken in the first place. Kohli has realised he probably needs to go back to his original No. 3, but how?Even without the hindsight advantage, it can be argued that India should have opened with Sharma and Rahul, and kept Dhawan out of the XI. Rahul has been in a much better form of late, whereas Dhawan has just returned to the international cricket after an injury. Dhawan struck an impressive 52 against Sri Lanka in the third T20I but after being dropped early on in the innings, and against Australia too, he was once nearly caught at third man, and then dropped at midwicket while eating up 51 dot balls in his 91-ball stay. The problem now, though, is that Dhawan should not be left out of the XI after top-scoring in the first ODI even if he had a scratchy start while playing his first ODI since August 2019.Virat Kohli reacts to his dismissal•AFPKohli said after the match they “didn’t have enough intent to take risks for those extra runs” and “didn’t take the game by the scruff of its neck”. The best way Kolhi can do that is by returning to No. 3 and pushing Rahul to No. 4. Before Dhawan got injured during the World Cup last year, India played Kohli at No. 3 and Rahul at No. 4, and doing that again in this series will give Kohli the chance of setting the tone of the innings early. Even if he gets out early, he will be followed by a batsman in top form.Now that Rishabh Pant has been ruled out of the second game, India can fix another problem with this blessing in disguise. They played only five bowlers in Mumbai and even though a sixth wouldn’t have made any difference there, a part-time bowler in Rajkot and Bengaluru – where pitches are expected to be flatter and the boundaries shorter – will be handy. They can now bring back Kedar Jadhav at No. 6 where he will add some experience which India missed severely on Tuesday.Bowlers need to bounce back quicklyIt is almost unimaginable that with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav in the attack, India conceded the biggest ODI stand against them ever. Wankhede is Bumrah’s home ground in the IPL but he has just returned from injury and has looked somewhat rusty this year. Playing his first ODI in over six months, Bumrah, and even Shami, didn’t hit the lengths that would have troubled Aaron Finch and David Warner. They were initially too full and then overcompensated by going too short. Also, the familiarity with these conditions because of the IPL experience helped both batsmen to cash in as batting became easier under lights.Aaron Finch and David Warner embrace after bringing up the winning runs•AFP”Tonight was making the most of those overpitched deliveries and we got off to a good start,” Warner said after the match. About facing Bumrah, he said: “You’ve just got to watch real hard [for the change-ups]. If I’m to give any advice, and I take this as well, you’ve got to be nice and still.”India’s next hope was Yadav whose ODI form tapered off in the second half of 2019. He turned the ball, even beat Finch a few times, inducing two leading edges in his first over, but the batsman was more careful later, either going back to let the ball turn under his eyes or dancing down to get to the pitch of the ball. Twice he charged down the track – once against a legbreak and the second time against a googly – before the balls could turn to smash them for sixes with a straight bat. Warner also said Yadav has been bowling “slower” these days which could be helping batsmen in picking his variations.India’s bowlers will have very little margin of error with their lengths in the remaining games, and the fielding, which was at times sloppy on Tuesday, will have to better its standards too.India have been in a similar situation (down 1-0) in a three-match ODI series at home five times before this and have won four of those – against West Indies recently, Sri Lanka in 2017, New Zealand in 2017, and England way back in 1981-82. Kohli and Sharma were the captains in three of those, which will instil plenty of confidence in their team-mates to come charged up again in Rajkot.Kohli had even said a day before the first ODI that India-Australia contests were always “competitive” and not dominated by one side, “the margin is always 3-2 or 2-1”. The first game showed that Australia are dominating for now, and the pressure of bouncing back and keeping the series alive now rests with India.

Also pieces of India’s middle-order puzzle start to come together in the ODI clean sweep against West Indies

Shashank Kishore11-Feb-20221:15

Chopra: Kuldeep is a wicket-taker, and wicket-takers can be expensive

Rohit Sharma’s India wrapped up a 3-0 ODI whitewash of West Indies. As such, the series proved to be one-sided, with the visitors failing to bat out 50 overs even once. India used the series to try out a few options and came back with a better idea of what their larger squad could look like as they build slowly towards the 2023 World Cup.The Kohli presence
With the bat, Virat Kohli had a forgettable series. He only managed scores of 8, 18 and 0. Two of those three dismissals were nicks behind: one off the outside edge, another being a strangle down leg. In the series opener, he came out swinging, hitting two boundaries in three balls before perishing to a miscued pull off the fourth. And so, century No. 71 will have to wait. He has now gone 68 innings without a hundred. Incidentally, his previous century – against Bangladesh in India’s pink-ball Test debut in November 2019 – came at the venue where India flies to for the T20Is.”Virat Kohli needs confidence? What are you saying, ,” Rohit laughed when asked if the former captain’s form was a matter of worry. “Not hitting hundreds is different but in South Africa, he just made two fifties in three matches. I don’t see anything wrong with his game. The team management is not at all worried.”On the field, Kohli the non-captain was a lively presence without the yelps into the mic or giving send-offs to the batter. There were no roars of “come on” belted out either. Perhaps, the one-sided nature of the series may have something to do with it, but the Kohli who took the field against West Indies seemed jovial. He was chuckling away in the infield, doing jigs to celebrate wickets, and being a smiling presence in general on the field. There was an occasion in the first ODI where he stepped in to help Rohit Sharma place fields as he brought on Yuzvendra Chahal. Then, he ran up to the legspinner to quietly slip in a word as Kieron Pollard walked in, and celebrated wildly the West Indies’ captain’s first-ball duck after he missed the googly.Alzarri Joseph is over the moon after dismissing Virat Kohli, whose wait for international century No. 71 continues•BCCIChahal and Kuldeep shine
Kuldeep Yadav cut a forlorn figure most times when the cameras panned to him in the Kolkata Knight Riders dugout last year. In 2020, he’d played all of five games for them. In 2021, he didn’t play a single game in the first half of the IPL and got injured during the second. With the team management preferring Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery, Kuldeep, once a certainty in India’s XI, seemed low on confidence and form.A shoulder surgery and three months of rehabilitation later, he made a comeback and bowled well in his only outing in the series. Kuldeep started with a flatter trajectory, but the confidence of plenty of runs to defend and an opposition batting unit that was in self-destruct mode allowed him to flight the ball. He got tonked the few times he gave it a tad too much flight, but spun out two wickets, including that of West Indies stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran, who was out driving. A few overs earlier, he had bamboozled Fabian Allen with his mastery, by teasing him with his loop and then deceiving him in the air to have him caught behind.”We wanted to rest Chahal to see what Kuldeep has to offer [in the third game] and I thought he bowled brilliantly,” Rohit said. “I can see glimpses of the old Kuldeep. He was flighting the ball, bowling those googlies and getting the batters to nick to the slips and that is what he has done in the past. It was good to see him bowl that way.”He’s playing an ODI after a long time. He got hit for a few runs but honestly that didn’t matter. I told him not to worry about that stuff, I told him ‘you need to get your rhythm back and we’re here to support you’.”Before Kuldeep came in, Chahal kept his end of the bargain by being a wicket-taker whenever the ball was thrown to him. He was named Man of the Match in the first ODI for his four-for. In the second, he bowled tidily to pick up one wicket. The faster-through-the-air Ravi Bishnoi will have to wait for an ODI debut.Deepak Hooda did his reputation no harm in the opportunities he got•Associated PressIyer, Suryakumar grab opportunities
Having brushed aside comparisons with Michael Bevan, he did exactly what Michael Bevan might have done for Australia in his pomp: revive a floundering innings with a sturdy knock. Suryakumar Yadav top scored with 64 in the second ODI. He looked good for a lot more but fell against the run of play.In the final ODI, Shreyas Iyer, who at this time last year was stretchered off clutching his shoulder against England, combined to have crucial partnerships with Rishabh Pant to stem the damage after a top-order collapse. He top scored with 80 to set the tone for India’s innings, thereby serving a reminder of his middle-order chops.In his two outings of the series, Deepak Hooda showed he was no pushover. His two knocks brought him scores of 26* and 29. In the first, he came in with India having lost four quick wickets in a low-pressure chase. In the second, he tried to hold the lower order together before perishing in the final overs. He also nipped out the wicket of Shamrah Brooks – West Indies’ top scorer in that second game.Another key piece in the middle-order puzzle, Washington Sundar bowled with tact and made useful contributions with the bat.Prasidh Krishna played India’s pace spearhead in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami•BCCIPrasidh Krishna’s giant strides
With Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah resting, Prasidh Krishna put on a stellar show right through the series. He nipped the ball both ways, beat the inside and outside edges with zip and bounce, and kept a lid on the runs early on to build enough pressure around batters before getting them. In the second ODI, he returned career-best figures.Deepak Chahar, brought in for the third ODI, also did his reputation no harm. Having fallen agonisingly short of taking India home with the bat in the final ODI against South Africa in Cape Town, he ensured a cameo towards the death in the final ODI against West Indies got India to a competitive total. With the ball, he married swing with accuracy to nip out two top-order wickets in the same game.”We were looking for someone like him to come out and bowl those overs in the middle and get us those breakthroughs,” Rohit said of Prasidh’s impact. “We saw that clearly, the way he bowled in the last two games, with a lot of pace, we could see he got something out of the pitch as well. He’s definitely a prospect for the future. There’s no doubt about that.”

Results remain inconsistent, yet Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system is starting to come to fruition at Manchester United, with the Red Devils heading into the international break in buoyant mood after convincing wins of Real Sociedad and Leicester City.

Even in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, there were further signs of encouragement, albeit with Amorim himself admitting that his side “need to be better” in the final third.

That narrow defeat saw United fire off 23 shots without getting on the scoresheet, with the fact remaining that Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have scored just six Premier League goals between them this season.

Such a return from the Red Devils’ only senior options at centre-forward simply isn’t good enough, with the wait still on at Old Trafford for a proven and consistent number nine to lead the line.

As showcased below, not since Robin van Persie’s debut campaign has a player reached 20 league goals in a season for the club. Elsewhere in Manchester, by contrast, Erling Haaland has reached that milestone in each of his three seasons at the Etihad to date.

Season

Player

Goals

2024/25*

Bruno Fernandes

8

2023/24

Bruno Fernandes & Rasmus Hojlund

10

2022/23

Marcus Rashford

17

2021/22

Cristiano Ronaldo

18

2020/21

Bruno Fernandes

18

2019/20

Marcus Rashford & Anthony Martial

17

2018/19

Paul Pogba

13

2017/18

Romelu Lukaku

16

2016/17

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

17

2015/16

Anthony Martial

11

2014/15

Wayne Rooney

12

2013/14

Wayne Rooney

17

2012/13

Robin van Persie

26

Having actually only scored 37 goals in 30 top-flight games as a collective in 2024/25, it’s evident where the problem lies, with it seemingly no surprise that work is already being done on potentially trying to solve those goal-scoring woes.

Latest on Man Utd's search for a striker

In each of the last two summers, United have forked out for a ‘striker’ in the form of Hojlund and Zirkzee, with the pair costing just over £100m combined following their respective arrivals from Serie A.

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As alluded to above, however, that extensive investment has not solved the Red Devils’ woes at the top end of the pitch, with the club almost back to square one in that regard, heading into the upcoming summer window.

Recent reports in Germany have named the likes of Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres among a raft of targets that INEOS are believed to be considering, with the latter man having scored 66 goals in just 68 games under Amorim’s watch at Sporting CP.

According to the latest claims, however, the Old Trafford side could look closer to home to find a new number nine, with the Daily Mail reporting that the club are stepping up their interest in Ipswich Town talisman, Liam Delap.

As per the report, United have held internal talks regarding a move for the in-demand striker, with as many as five clubs seemingly battling for his signature.

The suggestion is that the presence of technical director Jason Wilcox – who knows the 22-year-old from their time at Manchester City’s academy – could have given Amorim and co an ‘advantage’ in that race, with the Englishman set to be available for around £40m, amid Ipswich’s looming relegation.

Such a move would be the first time United have plucked a new senior striker from within the top-flight since landing Romelu Lukaku back in 2017.

Why Man Utd could be set for their next Lukaku

Let’s face it, Lukaku’s time in Manchester is likely not looked upon favourably by all parties, with the Belgian star departing after just two years at the club, having been criticised by journalist Samuel Luckhurst for his “woeful and costly” finishing during Jose Mourinho’s final days in charge.

There were also criticisms made due to the fact that the now-Napoli man had “bulked up too much” ahead of his second season at Old Trafford, as Luckhurst noted, with those woes culminating in a swift £74m exit to Inter in the summer of 2019.

The one-time Chelsea man may not have delivered quite what was expected upon his £75m move from Everton in 2017, yet his goal return has aged impressively, when considering the woes of Hojlund et al.

Indeed, Lukaku – who was just 23 when he made the switch from Goodison Park – finished off with a respectable total of 42 goals in 96 games. Hojlund, by contrast, has scored just 24 times in 83 outings in all competitions.

Lukaku arrived with a fearsome reputation amid his tally of 87 in 166 for the Toffees, with the same perhaps true of young Delap, with the Man City youth product having scored ten times in his first full season in the top-flight for the Tractor Boys.

That return – which betters every United player in the league in 2024/25 – has seen the England U21 star described as a “problem for every Premier League defence” by data analyst Ben Mattinson.

Also described as a “wrecking ball” by Sky Sports reporter, Lewis Jones, Delap mirrors Lukaku in being able to offer that physical focal point in attack, having seemingly relished the battle with Harry Maguire in the meeting between the two sides at Old Trafford.

What has been particularly evident this season is the Ipswich star’s ability to drive his side forward, as he ranks in the top 18% of European strikers for progressive carries, and in the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Lukaku in his pomp at Everton was also that kind of bull-dozing centre-forward – as illustrated in his catalogue of goals below – with it having been understandable as to why Mourinho and co were so keen to land his services.

There may be a risk of Delap enduring similar woes to Belgium’s all-time record scorer, not least considering he is far less experienced in top-flight football, yet he does mirror a young Lukaku in being a high potential centre-forward who has showcased what he can do up against Premier League backlines.

He is a handful, no doubt about that.

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Celtic provided the perfect response to their 3-2 defeat to their rivals before the international break with a 3-0 win over Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.

The Hoops had allowed their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to be cut down to 13 points by losing to Rangers, but immediately bounced back with a convincing win over the Jam Tarts.

Daizen Maeda took his tally for the season to 30 goals in all competitions for the Bhoys with his two strikes against Hearts, whilst Jota added another goal to his collection since his return to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

Whilst many will focus on the attacking talent that was on display, as Jota and Maeda stole the headlines with their goals, the presence of Callum McGregor in the middle of the park was equally as important.

Why Callum McGregor's performance was important for Celtic

The retired Scotland international missed the 3-2 defeat to Rangers before the break through injury and returned to show the Hoops what they missed with a sublime display in midfield.

Celtic’s captain lined up alongside Reo Hatate and Arne Engels in the midfield three against Hearts on Saturday and stood out as the star performer in that area of the pitch.

Pass accuracy

89%

81%

99%

Passes completed

59

34

66

Key passes

1

0

2

Big chances created

0

0

1

Tackles + interceptions

0

1

2

Dribbled past

1x

0x

0x

As you can see in the table above, McGregor outperformed his positional peers in the match with his exceptional use of the ball and his reliability defensively.

This illustrates why his display was so important for Brendan Rodgers against Hearts because it highlights the quality he brings in and out of possession.

The left-footed star provides a metronomic presence at the base of the midfield for Celtic with his ability to complete passes efficiently under pressure, completing 94% of his passes overall in the division this season.

McGregor, who completes 73 passes per game on average, can control games for the Hoops by dictating the tempo of matches with his passing quality, whilst also frustrating opposition teams because of his press resistance on the ball, forcing them to drop back deeper.

This is part of the reason why Celtic struggled without their captain when they faced Rangers at Parkhead before the break, as Engels is not best suited to that role as the number six.

Why Arne Engels struggled against Rangers

The former Augsburg star started at the base of the midfield, with Luke McCowan and Hatate in the number eight positions, and struggled against the Gers.

Engels is usually tasked with playing as one of the more advanced midfielders, looking to score and create goals, but had to step up in a deeper role against Rangers because of his captain’s injury.

Pass accuracy

88%

94%

Touches

76

89.1

Passes

51

73.2

Ground duel success rate

20%

59%

Possession lost

14x

7.2x

Tackles + interceptions

0

1.7

As you can see in the table above, the Belgium international failed to live up to the standards that the skipper has set for that position in or out of possession, losing the ball far too frequently and offering little protection to the back four.

The 21-year-old starlet should not be expected to be as effective in that role, though, because he is an attack-minded player who has a future as a number eight for Celtic, rather than as a deep-lying conductor of play.

Engels has racked up ten goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Scottish giants this term, which shows that he has excelled at his natural game – scoring and creating goals.

The former Bundesliga whiz is not the long-term successor to McGregor, because that is not his natural game, and that is why he struggled in the game against Rangers before the break.

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Rodgers, though, may have already unearthed his next version of the Celtic captain by bringing 19-year-old academy starlet Jude Bonnar into the first-team group.

Why Jude Bonnar could be the next Callum McGregor

The teenage dynamo has been in the matchday squad on five occasions in all competitions since the start of February, and got ten minutes off the bench in a 5-1 win over Aberdeen in the Premiership.

That ten-minute cameo, in which the Scotland U21 international completed all four of his attempted passes, was his first-team debut for the Hoops and the manager spoke to his suitability for the team after the match.

Rodgers told the Daily Record: “He’s got a good profile and fits how we want to play. So that is a nice little taster for him.”

This suggests that the Northern Irish boss sees potential in Bonnar and believes that the teenage talent has the technical skills and know-how to suit the way that his team lines up, with a number six and two eights in a midfield three.

The B team star, whose ability was described as “unbelievable” by former coach Alan McGrillen, spoke to Celtic TV after the game and admitted that he looks up to McGregor as a role model, because of how he acts on and off the pitch every day.

Bonnar has already shown a tiny glimpse of his metronomic qualities, completing 100% of his passes in his cameo against Aberdeen, and Rodgers could look to help him develop and refine that ability to mould him into the new version of McGregor in the future.

The Scottish youngster has also shown the potential to offer a goal threat, as the captain has with eight goals in 28 league matches this term, with a return of ten goals in 46 B team games.

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This is only the start of the road for Bonnar, though, and there is plenty more time left for him to progress as a player and forge his own way in the game, hopefully at Celtic.

The very early signs, however, are that the potential is there for him to develop into McGregor 2.0 for Rodgers as a composed and controlling midfield star who can also provide a goal threat.

Manchester United are now in advanced talks to sign a midfielder who’s “out of this world”, but there could be competition for his signature from rivals Manchester City, according to a report.

Man Utd planning summer rebuild

Man United are on course for their lowest-ever Premier League finish, sitting in 14th place with just six games left to play, and Roy Keane was extremely critical of the players’ mentality after the 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United.

Andre Onana’s performances have been a cause for concern, with the Cameroonian being dropped in favour of Altay Bayindir against Newcastle, while Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have just six Premier League goals between them this season.

As such, Ruben Amorim is planning a serious rebuild this summer, with FC Porto’s Diogo Costa and Angers’ Yahia Fofana among the targets between the sticks, while Premier League duo Liam Delap and Matheus Cunha have been identified as potential options at striker.

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According to a report from Spain, Amorim may also be keen to strengthen in midfield this summer, with it being revealed Man United are now in advanced talks with the agents of Atalanta star Ederson, although there may be competition for his signature from Man City.

Doubts over the futures of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen mean United have now stepped up their pursuit of the Atalanta midfielder, and they are ahead of their rivals in the race, but he will not come cheap.

The Italian club could hold out for a fee of €60 (£52m), given his importance to the side, and they are in no rush to sanction the Brazilian’s departure.

"Out of this world" Ederson impressing for Atalanta

It is little wonder two of England’s biggest clubs are now keen on the 25-year-old, given that he has been impressing for Atalanta for quite some time, making 12 appearances en-route to their Europa League triumph in the 2023-24 campaign.

Fabio Capello also singled the Brazil international out for particularly high praise earlier this season, saying: “He is out of this world for his ability to combine running, physicality, technique and intelligence”.

With doubt over Casemiro’s future, it could be important for United to bring in a defensively adept midfielder this summer, and the Atalanta maestro certainly fits the bill in that regard, given that his tackling ability was regularly on display last season.

Ederson could be the perfect heir to Casemiro, who is now in the twilight years of his career at 33-years-old, so it is exciting news that Man United are in advanced talks with his agents.

Manchester United are still yet to determine their fate ahead of next season, but may now have a surprise proposal to consider at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim, per reports.

Man Utd's transfer business hinges on Europa League outcome

Nerves are slowly starting to kick in as the Red Devils prepare for their two-legged Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club, a competition that remains their only viable route to Champions League qualification.

Ruben Amorim wasn’t dealt the best hand at Old Trafford after replacing Erik ten Hag and will be given an extended grace period to piece together a squad of his own making. Still, Manchester United have hardly been convincing on Premier League duty.

Ultimately, the importance of the Portuguese boss bringing Europa League silverware back to English shores cannot be understated, especially considering the finances involved.

As a reward for such an achievement, Manchester United could launch a significant bid to sign Southampton’s Tyler Dibling to offer a new dimension between midfield and attack.

However, without the £85.8 million prize pot on offer for winning the Europa League and subsequently qualifying for the Champions League, there may be limited scope for big-money deals to take place.

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Taking PSR regulations into account, selling one or two star assets could be a scenario the Red Devils will have to consider to ensure their books remain in check.

Manchester United could sell Rasmus Hojlund to kickstart a chain of movement in both directions, though he is unlikely to be the only one at risk of being let go to breathe new life into the club.

Now, Amorim may have another proposal to consider once the summer window opens for business, per recent developments.

Andre Onana in major talks to leave Man Utd for Saudi Arabia

According to Foot Mercato, Saudi club Neom SC have started major discussions over a move for Andre Onana and the Cameroon international is open to leaving Old Trafford for a new challenge in the Gulf region.

Earning over £6 million a year at Old Trafford, the former Inter Milan stopper is said to be ‘unsettled’ in his current surroundings, which isn’t a major surprise when taking into account his patchy form this term.

Andre Onana’s patchy Man Utd form this season – Premier League (26/04/25)

Save percentage

67.7%

Goals conceded

42

Clean sheets

9

Penalty saves

1

Pass accuracy

70.2%

High claims

21

In turn, Manchester United are close to signing Freddie Woodman on a free transfer from Preston North End to populate their goalkeeping pool of talent.

Admittedly, the former England Under-21 international is likely to be brought in to strengthen their homegrown quota, but it may be a sign of changes to come between the sticks as Amorim searches for added security.

Onana is evidently a talented stopper and has enjoyed plenty of highs alongside the lows he has experienced at Old Trafford. Still, it feels like a clean break could be best for all parties.