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A leaner Virender Sehwag came in at No. 4 for Delhi in their Challenger Trophy match against India Blue and produced a typically belligerent innings

Sidharth Monga26-Sep-2013A leaner Virender Sehwag emerged to play for Delhi in the Challenger Trophy, batted at No. 4, and scored only his second fifty since being dropped by India in March this year. The runs he scored – 59 off 38 balls, treating the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla with scant respect – are incidental. Sehwag made two statements: like Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh he has come back fitter, and more importantly he might have finally made his mind up to present himself as a middle-order Test candidate, something he said he wanted to do even when he was at the top of his powers as a Test opener.A big crowd built around noon at Holkar Stadium in Indore with the prospect of watching Virat Kohli and Sehwag batting. There was disappointment in store when Sehwag didn’t come out to open. Further disappointment arrived when Kohli went chasing a wide delivery in the third over, and edged it through.At 7 for 2 out came Sehwag, beginning what looks like a longish audition at No. 4. In attendance was chief selector Sandeep Patil, sporting the mo’ and rat-tail that is the trademark of Sehwag’s replacement as Test opener – Shikhar Dhawan. After this Challenger Trophy, the clean-shaven and follically less-blessed Sehwag has two first-class games against West Indies A and the start of the Ranji season before the selectors pick India’s next Test squad.Albeit against an average attack, Sehwag came out with most of his trademark strokes intact. The first three balls he faced – from Bhuvneshwar – were typical Sehwag: a driven four through cover to widish delivery, a cut to third man for two, and then a flick through midwicket. Then came Vinay for his dose: a cut for four and a loft over extra cover for six.The crowd in Indore was getting post-lunch delicacies, and it made its pleasure known through loud cheering. Sehwag pushed their vocal limits with shot after shot of authority. The run-out of Unmukt Chand didn’t slow him down, but a familiar foe soon turned up: spin. Sehwag decided Chawla and Iresh Saxena were not to fit to bowl to him, and fell to Saxena after taking 19 runs off 11 balls of spin.He was down the pitch, beaten slightly in the flight, but went ahead with the drive, and provided Saxena a return catch. It was an interesting end because he will have to face a lot of spin – at least in India – if he wishes to move down the order.Delhi lost by 18 runs with 13 balls still to go. Will Sehwag be thinking a little more discretion against spin might have won them the game? Will he be thinking a little more discretion against spin might help him in the future if he indeed wants to be an India middle-order batsman?

India’s bowling department has been over-reliant on Zaheer Khan in recent times, but Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav’s impressive performances in Melbourne have given the attack a sense of completeness

Sidharth Monga at the MCG28-Dec-2011At the end of the second day, R Ashwin, the India offspinner, set his bowling colleagues a lofty ambition. He spoke about the readiness of the Indian attack and how they would try to match the eagerness England’s bowlers showed during the Ashes in Australia last season. “We saw in the Ashes the England team seemed, through the series, as though they wanted the ball in hand,” Ashwin said. “That’s the kind of impression a good bowling attack can pose upon an opponent. It’s all about readiness and the belief that wickets will keep coming. If a couple of us can get five-wicket hauls early in the series then obviously you will see the effects on our team as well.”It is a good aspiration to have: to want to be constantly enthusiastic to bowl and take wickets. However, the Indian attack, hurt by injuries and lack of consistency over the past year, has had questions asked of the very durability Ashwin asked for. It seemed certain that a time would arrive during this tour when the bowlers would be asked to measure up to Ashwin’s aspiration. That it would arrive a little over two hours of play after his statements was slightly unexpected. The Indian batting had collapsed by lunch on the third day, losing eight wickets for 68, and India needed something special from their bowlers. By the end of the day, Ashwin & Co. had the approval of Virender Sehwag. He said: “This is the best Indian bowling attack I have played with.”That’s a tall claim, but perhaps Sehwag has seen something. The most striking aspect of this attack – albeit on the evidence of a small sample – has been that they have not been overly reliant on Zaheer Khan. Yes, Zaheer’s experience has counted in his final spells on the first and third days, but Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have been ready, have been quick, and have improved as the game has progressed.Zaheer’s importance is not always a tangible quantity of course; it doesn’t always show in five-fors but only in the slump when he is missing. But you get the sense there is something to Yadav and Ishant’s games. Usually, when India win Tests abroad – and this is by no means won – there is a sense of happenstance to the composition of the attack. There is a deliberateness about this set of bowlers. Yadav is young, fit and quick, and was punted on at the right time. Ishant has been around for a while, and while he may have gambled by not going for ankle surgery, he has not held anything back in this Test. Unlucky to have not picked up a wicket in the first innings, he bowled consistently in the late 140s in his first spell in the second, and once crossed 152kph.It is rare for all three quicks of an Indian attack to look like they could take wickets in all of their spells. India desperately needed just that after the collapse in the morning. Helped in part by injudicious shot-making from the Australia batsmen, Yadav burst through the top order, and Zaheer and Ishant were not far behind. The trio showed they had learned from their first-innings mistake of bowling too short, and also from watching how the Australia quicks exploited the conditions.Then there is Ashwin, who has brought freshness to the spin department. He has not over-reached on a pitch that is not helping spinners, but he hasn’t been overly defensive either. He may have been guilty of bowling the odd short ball, but his opposition have acknowledged that he has made it difficult for them through changes of pace, angle and trajectory, and of course the carrom ball against the tail. Ricky Ponting said there was a lot Nathan Lyon, Australia’s offspinner, could learn from Ashwin. The way Ashwin bowled over after over, going at well under three an over, allowed the quicks to keep coming back fresh.The control Ashwin exerted meant Australia had not run away to a big lead by the time Zaheer came back for a final spell on the third day. On cue, he produced two wickets, reversing one away from Ponting, and then dismissing Brad Haddin from around the stumps. Ashwin then showed his effectiveness against the tail, and but for a drop off his bowling India might have been in an even better position by stumps. Zaheer, though, bowled only a four-over spell, feeling his hamstring during the fourth, walking off immediately, and then coming back to the field but not bowling. That was a reminder for Indians fans not to get too far ahead of themselves.This is a long Australian summer, and anything could happen when it comes to the bowlers’ fitness. One of the three fast bowlers might even need to be rested from a Test. In fact the MCG Test itself still has some way to go, but whatever happens here the bowlers can say they have done their job. Well, almost. There are still two wickets to get on the fourth morning.

The KPL could change the process of talent-spotting in Indian cricket and spread more wealth to a larger section of cricketers

Siddarth Ravindran23-Sep-2009A couple of months ago, a group of cricket officials, businessmen, politicians and the odd impresario put the finishing touches to a Twenty20 tournament, the Karnataka Premier League. Like its inspiration, the IPL, it would be franchise-based, but there the similarities between the two ended. Where the IPL had the best global talent to choose from, and the country’s finest stadiums to stage the tournament in, the KPL seemed to have the makings of a dud: it lacked the stars from the national team (or even, following a BCCI diktat, any players from outside the state) and so would be seen primarily as domestic cricket; there was no fat television deal to bankroll it; and it was born in recessionary times, unlike the IPL, which was clearly a product of the boom days. Nor did it help that Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, two of Karnataka’s biggest names of recent times, came out against the way the idea was implemented.Yet, as the first season (if a fortnight can be called a season) winds down with the final on Tuesday night, there’s reason for optimism, if qualified. The fans have turned out (as many as 8000 for the game between the two Bangalore teams on a Sunday), sponsors have stumped up big bucks [Mantri Developers, the title sponsors, will plough in 11.11 crore ($2,306,400) over five years], and the ripples of interest have spread far beyond Karnataka’s borders.And so the stakeholders – those cricket officials, businessmen, politicians and the odd impresario (who are now also franchise owners, commentators and KPL organizers) and the players – have fairly satisfied smiles as their varied interests have been served.For Mohiuddin Bava, a member of the Congress party in the coastal city of Mangalore, buying the local KPL franchise instantly increased his profile in his constituency and helped him spread his message. You’d think his team, Mangalore United, is named after the more famous Man U; it isn’t. In the recent past, Mangalore has been riven by communal tension and violence, which Bava hopes to ease through the KPL. “Cricket will be a ladder to bring back harmony in the society,” he says, a point emphasised by his team’s slogan, “Cricket for unity.”It’s a different ball game for the Brigade Group, a Bangalore-based real-estate major. To begin with, the expenses involved are relatively small change – they shell out about Rs 1.4 crore (US$291,000) a year for the most expensive franchise, the Bangalore Brigadiers. Their campaign to promote their team includes billboards, a snazzy website, a Facebook group to connect with fans, and several big-name team sponsors. They’ve gone about it with a corporate thoroughness: The first day of the KPL saw groups of supporters sporting Bangalore Brigadiers T-shirts.”We did our math, we knew that it was not going to be a profit-making venture, we are fine with that,” says Anil Thomas, the franchise’s deputy CEO. “As of now it is the Bangalore Brigadiers that is building a fan base. At some point the association with the Brigade group will get stronger.”The Udaya network [the KPL’s broadcasters] have a big chunk of the state’s population watching them, and it is a good opportunity for us to use that as a brand vehicle to publicise our company’s work. It’s not the immediate objective, though, which is for the team to do well.”Money is probably not the motivation for Robin Uthappa either. He is the league’s most expensive player, but his Rs 325,000 ($6750) salary is a fraction of the US$800,000 he earns in the IPL. It is more a chance for him to tune-up his Twenty20 game before the Champions League. “I am just looking at it as an opportunity to work on my Twenty20 skills,” he says, “and to get more Twenty20 experience under my belt.”Twenty20 experience is something Indian players are short on, with opportunities restricted to the IPL or the ICL. Even Ranji players like batsman KB Pawan, a regular with the Karnataka side for the past two seasons, have played little Twenty20. “This is my first experience actually,” Pawan says. “There are some club-level matches, and if you play for institutions you may get to play two or three Twenty20 tournaments a year; otherwise you won’t get any Twenty20 matches.”Playing under floodlights with a crowd egging him on (or barracking him) is a novel experience for him. “Initially everybody felt the pressure because of the crowd watching them. It’s important for a player to learn to control himself and learn how to handle the pressure – that’s what I’m looking for from the KPL.”Further down the pecking order the returns can be more dramatic; the tournament, with 120 players involved, provides much-needed exposure to reach the next level. Mangalore’s R Jonathan’s big hits became a talking point, and left-arm spinner Narayanan Vinu Prasad, who played one match for Karnataka last season, has made a case for his re-selection by taking 10 wickets at a miserly economy-rate of 4.97.It could also be a springboard to the lucrative IPL, where a couple of good performances can take an unknown player higher up the ladder, as happened with Manish Pandey, the first Indian to score an IPL century. “Of course, we [franchises] all are [scouting],” says Joy Bhattacharya, team director of the Kolkata Knight Riders. “If anyone tells you they are not watching… well, they are looking at games, looking at opportunities, looking at anyone whom they think will make a difference.”Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer of Delhi Daredevils, is one of those who says he isn’t watching. “I don’t think we have made the effort to look at the performances, at least not this year,” he says. “Ideally, if players from outside the state are allowed to compete, the quality will be higher and one will get a better sense of a player’s quality.”

“About 90% of cricketers give up the game at the age of 18 because of family pressure or to pursue academics. Of the remainder another 90% drop off at 21, and 90% more at 24 because their hopes and aspirations aren’t met. The KPL intends to check that trend by giving a huge number of cricketers a reason to keep hoping, and to stay in the game.”Charu Sharma, TV anchor

That, though, is getting ahead of the game for Charu Sharma, the TV anchor who has brought his IPL experience – he was CEO of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first season – to help set up the league. More important than being a supply line for either the IPL or the Ranji Trophy, he says, the KPL needs to be a “hopeline” for the state’s cricketers. “About 90% of cricketers give up the game at the age of 18 because of family pressure or to pursue academics. Of the remainder another 90% drop off at 21, and 90% more at 24 because their hopes and aspirations aren’t met. The KPL intends to check that trend by giving a huge number of cricketers a reason to keep hoping, and to stay in the game.”How the league was built
The KPL took shape when the sports-marketing firm Frontiers Group, which owns in-stadia advertising rights to most of India’s big stadiums, approached the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) with the idea. Once the KSCA was sold on it and went public with it, things moved at breakneck pace. Over the next 45 days the franchises were sold, an IPL-style auction of players was held, and sponsors came on board. On September 9 the first ball was bowled at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.Among the challenges in that period was getting a broadcast deal in place, which Sharma says was the “hardest nut to crack”. With interest in the tournament likely to be limited to Karnataka, regular sports channels that beam nationwide weren’t likely to be interested, and there were no local sports channels. “However good the cricket was, it was unlikely to be relevant to someone in, say, Guwahati,” he says. “So we needed a strong local television partner, and there was none dedicated to sports.”To solve the problem, the KSCA decided to produce the feed themselves and signed up with the Udaya network to telecast the matches on its news channel. Unlike the IPL, which was driven by the billion-dollar deal with Sony, there was little money involved here; instead, the franchises were compensated with 3500 seconds of free airtime each (called Franchise Commercial Time or FCT).The decision to go with the franchise system drew some flak, notably from Kumble and Srinath, who both wondered why the KSCA needed external financial support to run the league when it receives a grant from the BCCI. Kumble was typically blunt: “In its current form, it would allow a backdoor entry into the KSCA for people not passionate about cricket,” he said. Sharma, though, defends the concept. “Why not raise the same question about the IPL?” he asks. “What is the harm if the KSCA brings in eight partners who are interested in promoting cricket and unearthing talent?”One of the downsides of bringing in franchises is the need to manage them, and meet their expectations. “We are unable to sell the FCT because of the delay in getting the TV deal in place,” says Joseph Hoover, CEO of the Belagavi Panthers. “This has hit us badly, we are not even getting 50% of what we expected in terms of revenues. We are hoping the KSCA will be large-hearted and offer us a bigger portion of what they earn.”So what does the KSCA earn from the KPL? Its two main sources of income are from the sale of franchises (about Rs 7 crore [$1,450,500] a year), and from sponsors (the bulk of it, about Rs 2.22 cr [$461,000] a year, from the title sponsors, Mantri). Their biggest expenses include the marketing of the tournament, producing the TV visuals (about Rs 2 crore [$415,300]), and the actual running of the tournament (including a costly three days when the whole bandwagon moved to Mysore, the other venue).It costs something in the region of Rs 1.5 crores ($311,500) a year to run an average KPL franchise. While the KSCA will provide them some revenue, the franchises will have to recover most expenses on their own, by selling FCT (which, at most, will net them about Rs 10 lakh) and by bringing on board sponsors.Is such a model, with so much of the onus on the franchises, viable? Mathur thinks so. “Obviously if there is [big] TV money, it’s a huge, huge bonus, but I think even without that it can survive and do well,” he says. “The Twenty20 format is very strong, the product is terrific in terms of three hours of aggressive cricket, but what will differentiate between a successful and unsuccessful tournament will be the quality of cricket.”The KPL could well be a springboard for selection in the IPL, whose franchises have been observing the action with interest•ESPNcricinfo LtdThe cricket itself has been of a decent standard so far. Batsmen have been innovative – NC Aiyappa, one the quickest bowlers in the tournament, watched the Bijapur Bulls’ Praveen Kumar play a Dilshan-like scoop off him – and the bowlers are learning to deal with permanently aggressive batsmen. The big letdowns have been the fielding – boundary-fielders spilling skiers has been a common sight – and the players’ fitness.Bring on the next season
With the first season done, the KPL will look at building on it. One option is to take the game to the smaller cities in the state, given the success of the Mysore leg of the tournament. Mysore usually has to be content with one Ranji game a year, and fans there had never seen a high-profile Twenty20 match. Adding to the novelty factor was the IPL-style razzmatazz – foreign cheergirls and traditional folk dancers rooting for the home side, film songs and team anthems blaring at intervals, and a newly installed giant screen. A 3500-strong, vocal, partisan crowd packed Mysore’s Gangothri Glades stadium for the game between the home team and the Bangalore Brigadiers, creating an atmosphere rivalling – in decibel level and colour, for sure – an international match.While the lack of infrastructure in the districts remains a problem, the KSCA realises the need to move more of the tournament outside Bangalore, which hosted all but six of the 31 games this season. “We are planning to go, from the next edition onwards, to other locations in Karnataka,” Srikantadatta Wadiyar, a descendant of the Mysore royal family and current KSCA president, says. “The idea is to ultimately take it to the respective locations and zones [of the franchises].”He is also hopeful of getting some players from outside the state to feature next year. “This year it was not possible, but next year we shall plan in advance and try and get something organised, but the tournament basically has been marketed as an event ‘for Karnataka, by Karnataka, of Karnataka’.”The franchises are also looking ahead to the next season. Mangalore has announced its plans to start an academy to spot and groom talent. Belgaum is looking at providing equipment and forming teams within its catchment area, and holding intra-zone tournaments. “We are committed to four tournaments a year in Belgaum,” Hoover says. “We will club some areas together and make a team; we plan to have five or six such teams, who will then face off against each other.”If the franchises stick to their promises, it will go a long way towards achieving the KPL’s goal of expanding the game in the rural districts. The league has managed to get people to the grounds to watch domestic cricket ¬- uncommon in India: the Chinnaswamy Stadium wore a deserted look during the final of the Corporate Cup, which finished just days before the KPL, despite the presence of crowd-magnets like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. If other states decide to replicate the KPL, the KSCA’s gamble could end up revolutionising the manner in which talent is spotted in Indian domestic cricket, besides multiplying the number of players involved in the game at a high level.

An early goal from Alejandro Zendejas wasn’t enough to stop the reigning Liga MX champions from winning at Dignity Health Sports Park

• Romero, Méndez, and Días scored for Toluca
• Diablos will face LA Galaxy in the Campeones Cup
• Mohamed reaches 10 titles as manager, seven in Mexico

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Club América's downward spiral in 2025 continued, as they lost yet another title – this time falling 3-1 to reigning Liga MX champions Toluca in the Campeón de Campeones on Sunday. It was another missed chance for redemption after losing the Clausura 2025 Final, which denied them a historic four-peat.

  And that wasn’t the only failure of the year so far: América also fell short in the Champions Cup and failed to qualify for the Club World Cup, leaving them empty-handed in the first half of the year.

  Mexican media didn’t hold back in their criticism, especially for head coach André Jardine.

  “I don’t just think this is the worst moment of Jardine’s era – it’s the worst moment for the club in many years,” said Fox Sports Mexico analyst Rubén Rodríguez. “This isn’t just a results crisis, it’s a crisis of performance. The team isn’t playing well, they’re not generating the kind of football they should. Today, Toluca aren’t just celebrating the Campeón de Campeones – they’re celebrating that they’re clearly superior to América. This América side is good enough to compete, but not to win titles. It doesn’t give you the certainty it did in previous tournaments.”

  Former footballer Fabián Estay, also Fox Sports, defended Jardine and said América are still favorites.

  “They were the better team throughout the first half. When Toluca scored the 2-1, that was during América’s best spell,” he argued. “It’s very unfair to criticize Jardine now that things are going badly, because when he was on top, nobody said a word.”

  On ESPN’s Futbol Picante, the commentary panel praised Antonio Mohamed for Toluca’s dominant performance.

  “Once again, he proves he’s a master – a real coach. He analyzes opponents very well. After conceding early, he managed to contain América and outplayed them in every area,” said former player Ricardo Peláez. “América ran out of ideas after some substitutions that didn’t work.”

  Ricardo Puig added: “I didn’t understand Jardine’s subs. I think when the team is functioning and he tries to take control with changes, it backfires.”

  Commentary from Fox Sports' Raoul Ortiz and TUDN reporters shifted the tone. Ortiz claimed this loss might actually benefit América, saying, “This could be the best thing that happened to América – it will make them realize they need to go for a major signing. They have to go after Denis Bouanga.”

  The LAFC player recently opened the door to a possible exit from MLS, and Club América owner Emilio Azcárraga hinted that negotiations with the Gabonese forward could be in the works.

  “There are a couple of things we’re working on,” he said.

  Said Fox Sports Mexico analyst Carlos Hermosillo, “If they bring in Bouanga, watch out for América."

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• AFP
  

  WHAT ANTONIO MOHAMED SAID

  Toluca’s head coach shared his thoughts after the victory over América.

  “I’m very happy," he said. "I’m grateful to the board for trusting us, and obviously, beating América always adds a little extra. We know they’re the biggest club in Mexico, so winning two finals against them in such a short time is a big deal.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Toluca and LA Galaxy will face off in the 2025 Campeones Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park. The date has not yet been announced.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CLUB AMÉRICA?

  Jardine’s team will face Necaxa next Saturday in Matchday 3 of the Apertura 2025.

Graeme Swann returns in mentor role, as Tom Abell takes charge of white-ball team

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Jan-2023Haseeb Hameed will captain England Lions for their red-ball tour of Sri Lanka next month.The Nottinghamshire opening batter will take the reins for a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on January 25, before leading the Lions in two four-day “Tests” against Sri Lanka A in Galle. Somerset captain Tom Abell will then skipper the white ball team for three unofficial ODIs against Sri Lanka A in Colombo.Hameed earned the most recent of his 10 Test caps at the start of 2022 in Sydney before being dropped for the fifth and final match of a disastrous Ashes campaign. He looked revitalised for Nottinghamshire in the summer, however, playing a key role in their promotion from Division Two of the County Championship with 1,235 runs at an average of 58.80, with four centuries and a top score of 196. Not only was it his most productive summer in terms of tally and average across a domestic campaign, but a strike-rate of 62.40 suggested a change of tack from the 25-year-old, to become more of a run-getter than an accumulator.That was particularly evident on the Lions training camp in the UAE last November when Hameed scored 145 from 172 deliveries against the full England team ahead of their tour of Pakistan. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, who have led the revolution that has resulted in the Test side playing in a more authoritative manner, were suitably impressed by the manner in which Hameed had showcased his higher gears.Hameed has previously captained England at Under-19 level, and captained Nottinghamshire in last season’s Royal London One-Day Cup having been appointed vice-captain of the club. Speaking about the decision to hand him more responsibility, men’s performance director Mo Bobat praised his qualities as a leader.”We thought long and hard about the options and there were lots of good options, people I’d regard as senior players,” Bobat said on Friday, having also overseen the UAE training camp, which began with three intensive weeks in Dubai in October. “You’ve got Alex Lees, who’s done a little bit of Lions captaincy before, he could no doubt do this pretty well. Tom Abell himself has captained Somerset, he could easily have captained the Test stuff. You’ve got other experienced players, Sam Cook, Matt Fisher who I regard as pretty senior players, Tom Haines who has captained at Sussex. Loads of good options but we felt Haseeb would be a good shout.”When he did bits of leadership on the training camp we found he was very astute tactically and very creative with how we might take wickets in those conditions, which is going to be important in Sri Lanka. He’s done bits of captaincy and been vice-captain at Notts and captain in Royal London. He’s done some age-group captaincy with England so it’s great to give him that opportunity.”Neil Killeen will operate as head coach of the Lions across both formats, having joined the ECB this week as men’s elite bowling coach. He will be assisted by Ian Bell and Min Patel, who reprise their winter roles as batting and spin bowling coach respectively. Somerset’s Paul Tweddle will oversee fielding and wicketkeeping duties, though mainly for the limited-overs part of the tour once he has fulfilled off-season duties at Taunton.Graeme Swann has been a regular in the media since retirement but is inching towards a coaching role•Getty ImagesThere will also be a return to the Lions set-up for Graeme Swann. Regarded as one of England’s greatest spinners, with 255 dismissals across 60 Tests, Swann will act as a mentor for the first half of the trip, a role not just restricted to working with the spinners.It is a job he fulfilled in the UAE before taking on commentary duties for the T10 and something he has long craved. Players and staff were impressed by Swann’s knowledge and energy among the group.That was his first formal involvement with an England team since his retirement at the end of 2013. His move into coaching is a recent development, though he has spoken often about his willingness to help the next generation of English spinners. He was part of the backroom staff for Trent Rockets in 2022 during their successful men’s Hundred campaign.That he is back hints at a greater involvement in the national set-up as a whole going forward. Indeed, Bobat believes the manner in which Swann approached his game is aligned with what Stokes, McCullum and director of men’s cricket Rob Key are trying to instil throughout the English system.Related

Jofra Archer to step up injury comeback at England Lions training camp

Graeme Swann to mentor England Lions' spinners

Ben Stokes puts prep over precedent as England ease towards Pakistan challenge

“It will be great to have him supporting the spin bowlers in particular,” Bobat said. “But not just them. He added so much value in the UAE, with all players around tactical understanding and insight.”The type of cricket the Test team is trying to play, Swanny’s a great example of that with his positivity and energy and even just tactically, working with the captains.”When Keysy first started, he and I spoke about trying to get the right personalities and characters around our players, people who really embody the type of cricket we’re trying to play. He [Swann] was someone who certainly came to mind.”We all saw the way he approached his bowling. He used to take a lot of wickets in his first over, freakishly so. It was often because he literally tried to take a wicket. It sounds so basic but often a spinner will start thinking ‘I’ll ease into my spell’ or ‘I’ll start with sweepers out and build to attack’.”But Swanny just thought from ball one: I’m here to attack. That fantastic mindset we want our players to embody. The way he embodied his spin bowling, yes, but also the way he batted. He was always aggressive, had an impact with the way he batted and approached things in the field. It’s infectious.”He brings great energy as well and you want to have that in the environment. He’s had great success in the sub-continent and will know how to win Test matches in that part of the world. More importantly, getting him to work with the spinners, to think about attacking lines, attacking lengths, attacking fields. Thinking non-conventionally, like Stokesy has done as captain, is something Swanny has done really well.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras inicia a semana de trabalho nesta segunda-feira, após vencer o Água Santa, no último domingo, pela oitava rodada da fase de grupos do Paulistão de 2023. E os próximos dias tendem a ser decisivos, uma vez que quinta será dia de Dérbi, contra o Corinthians, na Neo Química Arena. Depois disso, porém, o elenco ganha dois dias de folga no final de semana do Carnaval.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui

Para o clássico em Itaquera, marcado para às 21h30 desta quinta-feira, o Verdão terá três dias de treino na Academia de Futebol. Todos previstos para começar às 10h. Por ser uma partida no período da noite e na cidade de São Paulo, a comissão técnica costuma fazer uma atividade leve com o elenco no dia do jogo pela manhã para encerrar a preparação para o confronto.

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No dia seguinte ao Dérbi, sexta-feira, está marcado um treino às 10h na Academia de Futebol. Como é um trabalho pós-jogo, provavelmente será um regenerativo para os titulares e atividade em campo somente para os reservas e quem jogou menos de 45 minutos na noite anterior.

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

Depois do treinamento, os jogadores estarão liberados para curtir a noite de sexta-feira de Carnaval, além de sábado e domingo, que estão indicados como dias livres na programação do clube. Isso se dá, pois a partida do Palmeiras na décima rodada está marcada somente para o dia 22 (quarta-feira), contra o Red Bull Bragantino, no Allianz Parque, às 21h35. Ou seja, há espaço para descanso.

Confira a programação completa do Verdão:

DIA 13/2/23 – SEGUNDA-FEIRA
10h – Treino na Academia de Futebol

DIA 14/2/23 – TERÇA-FEIRA
10h – Treino na Academia de Futebol

DIA 15/2/23 – QUARTA-FEIRA
10h – Treino na Academia de Futebol

DIA 16/2/23 – QUINTA-FEIRA
21h30 – Corinthians x Palmeiras, na Neo Química Arena, em São Paulo (SP), pela 9ª rodada do Campeonato Paulista

DIA 17/2/23 – SEXTA-FEIRA
10h – Treino na Academia de Futebol

DIA 18/2/23 – SÁBADO
Livre

DIA 19/2/23 – DOMINGO
Livre

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo tem interesse na contratação do lateral-direitoMichael Murillo. O jogador é panamenho, tem 26 anos e pertence aoAnderlecht, time da primeira divisão da Bélgica. A informação foi publicada primeiramente pelo “ge” e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

Assim como na negociação comGiovanni González, do Mallorca, Botafogo também deseja adquirirMichael Murillo por empréstimo. Os dirigentes alvinegros estão com ambas as negociações em andamento e esperam acertar com um dos nomes nos próximos dias.

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Ao contrário de Giovanni González, que é reserva do Mallorca e disputou apenas sete jogos nesta temporada,Michael Murillo é titular absoluto doAnderlecht. Antes de chegar ao clube belga, ele teve passagens por San Francisco,New York Red Bulls e atuações na Seleção Panamenha.

No momento, Luís Castro conta somente com Rafael e Daniel Borges na posição. Após um período de férias, os jogadores alvinegros retornam para as atividades no dia 9 de janeiro para iniciarem a pré-temporada.

Allrounder Aaron Hardie has been called up to the squad ahead of Thursday’s opening match

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2023

David Warner has been withdrawn from the T20I series against India following the ODI World Cup.Warner joins a group of multiformat players who will skip the five-match series ahead of the home summer which starts with the first Test against Pakistan on December 14.Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are also heading home along with allrounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.Related

New format, new teams, a bit more India vs Australia

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Warner had an outstanding World Cup where he scored 535 runs at 48.63. The upcoming Pakistan series will be the final stage of his Test career with him having earmarked the SCG in early January for his retirement from the format.Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his debut in South Africa earlier this year, has been added to the T20I squad. Kane Richardson has also been called up as a replacement for Spencer Johnson who has a hamstring injury.Despite starting just four days after the ODI World Cup final, the series acts as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 edition in West Indies and the USA. Australia currently have six more T20Is scheduled before that tournament with a pair of three-match series against West Indies and New Zealand in February.The squad now includes seven players who featured during the World Cup plus Tanveer Sangha who was a travelling reserve throughout.The side will be led by Matthew Wade although Marsh, who captained them to a 3-0 victory against South Africa in September, is the favourite for the role on a permanent basis.There will also be a stand-in coach for the series with Andre Borovec taking charge as Andrew McDonald returns home ahead of the summer.The series gets underway in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.Australia’s T20I squad Matthew Wade (capt), Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha

تلقى روبن أموريم مدرب مانشستر يونايتد دفعة قوية قبل افتتاحية الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز الموسم المقبل.

وبحسب “ديلي ميل” البريطانية فإن كلا من أندريه أونانا وجوشوا زيركزي وليساندرو مارتينيز قد عادوا للقيام بالتدريبات الخفيفة مع مانشستر يونايتد.

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ويحرز الحارس الكاميروني الدولي تقدماً أسرع من المتوقع حيث يتعافى اللاعب من إصابة في أوتار الركبة.

وقد كان من المتوقع أن يغيب الحارس الكاميروني الدولي لمدة تتراوح بين ستة وثمانية أسابيع لكنه يشارك بالفعل في جلسات تدريبية خالية من الاحتكاك.

ولن يشارك أونانا ضد إيفرتون نهاية هذا الأسبوع، وهناك احتمال ضئيل أيضاً لمشاركة الحارس الكاميروني الدولي ضد فيورنتينا يوم السبت.

وفي حالة لم يمر أونانا بأي انتكاسات فإنه يبدو بأن الحارس الكاميروني سيحرس مرمى الفريق في المباراة الافتتاحية للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ضد آرسنال.

وكان المهاجم الهولندي زيركزي قد تعرض لإصابة طفيفة مما يعني أنه لم يتمكن من اللعب في المباريات الودية الثلاث التي خاضها الفريق في الفترة التحضيرية ضد ليدز ووست هام وبورنموث.

وقد قلل زيركزي من الإصابة وذكر أنه يتوقع جاهزيته للمشاركة ضد آرسنال على ملعب أولد ترافورد يوم 17 أغسطس.

ورغم عودة ليساندرو مارتينيز المدافع الأرجنتيني الدولي للتدريبات على العشب إلا أنه لا يزال أمامه بعض الوقت للعودة للتدريبات الجماعية بعد تعرضه لإصابة في الرباط الصليبي الأمامي في فبراير الماضي.

Gareth Southgate has been snubbed by the Polish FA for the vacant head coach role of the national team.

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Southgate turned down by PolandPolish FA want someone to guarantee successComes after Lewandowski feud with ProbierzFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Southgate had put his name forward for the position after Michal Probierz resigned following a bitter feud with Robert Lewandowski. The former England boss has not been involved in football since departing the Three Lions after their European Championship final defeat to Spain last year. Southgate appears to now be considering his options and would be interested in international management again, but the Polish FA have turned down the chance to hire him.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT THE POLAND FA SAID

Speaking to , the president of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza, said: "We have received an offer to hire him.

"But we must remember one basic thing: no foreign coach will give us a guarantee that we will qualify for the World Cup.

"If he gave us such a guarantee, I would hire him immediately."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The comments from Kulesza indicate that the Polish FA would prefer to hire a Polish coach to lead them through World Cup qualification, unless a truly exceptional foreign manager is available. Southgate may be disappointed to be overlooked, having led England to two European Championship finals and a World Cup quarter and semi-final, but will no doubt have suitors if he does wish to continue in international management.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR POLAND?

The hunt for a new manager that appeases both the Polish FA and Robert Lewandowski continues. Legendary Germany striker Miroslav Klose, as well as Nenad Bjelica, Winfried Schaefer and Carlos Queiroz offered their services, but are unlikely to be as attractive an option as the snubbed Southgate. Urawa Red Diamonds boss Maciej Skorza has also been considered, but is overseeing the side in the Club World Cup currently.