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Tottenham Hotspur could dip back into the transfer market in search of another central defender, even if Clement Lenglet completes his loan switch from Barcelona, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Lenglet arriving in N17

As per reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano (2 July), Spurs are ‘hopeful’ of completing a deal with the La Liga giants for the Frenchman ‘very soon’.

Spanish sources claim that the 27-year-old has been granted permission by the Catalan club to complete his loan switch to north London, with reports suggesting that personal terms have already been agreed with the player.

The Lilywhites are expected to pay in the region of £6m to help cover the defender’s wages.

The Latest: Jacobs’ claim

Jacobs believes that Antonio Conte could look to go back into the transfer market for another centre-back once a deal for Lenglet is completed.

When asked whether Spurs could sign another central defender, the reporter told GiveMeSport: “Yes, it’s very possible. The thing about Lenglet is it would be a loan deal.

“They would still have financial capability to get another one in. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if two defenders come in.”

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The Verdict: Short-term signing

Whilst the France international has a wealth of experience playing at the top level, illustrated by his 156 appearances in La Liga and 42 outings in the Champions League (via Transfermarkt), Lenglet’s arrival at Hotspur Way only fills the void temporarily.

After the culmination of the 2022/23 season, the defender will return to Spain, and Conte will be left without a left-sided centre-back.

Therefore, it is crucial that Fabio Paratici brings in a younger and permanent addition for Spurs’ backline, somebody who can grow into Conte’s team under a more long-term vision.

With that in mind, Jacobs’ promising claim will surely be welcomed by Tottenham fans.

Leeds United employee Noel Whelan has hailed the Whites for acting quickly in the summer transfer window, as per Football Insider.  

The Lowdown: Three players in already

Andrea Radrizzani has already backed up his promise for first-team squad improvements following a major scare last season, when the Whites needed a final-day victory to secure their Premier League status.

Leeds have brought in Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen from Red Bull Salzburg and Marc Roca from Bayern Munich. The three deals have cost a combined £52.06m, as per Transfermarkt, with a new forward now seemingly next on the agenda for Victor Orta.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Arnaud Kalimuendo and Wolves winger Adama Traore have both been heavily linked with moves to Elland Road in recent days.

The Latest: Whelan impressed

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was full of praise for Leeds, labelling those early moves as ‘the best approach’ and ‘important’ ahead of pre-season.

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The 47-year-old club ambassador chirped:

“This is the best approach for us. For me, it is the only approach that works for club, player and manager.

“It is important to get that core of players into your squad so everyone knows where they are at in pre-season. They can get settled into the area before pre-season.

“Everything starts early when it comes to transfers. It helps the squad, the manager and certainly the player. It helps them adapt. It is not a whirlwind as they know where they are before pre-season starts.”

The Verdict: Spot on

It was crucial that Leeds acted swiftly to bolster what was a slim first-team squad following a close shave with relegation. Securing three crucial senior signings early in the transfer window is a solid starting point for Jesse Marsch as he prepares for a first full season in charge at Elland Road.

There could still be two big exits in Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, making it even more critical that signings have already been secured, with more additions looking likely.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Lewis O’Brien to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Jesse Marsch will make a move for the Huddersfield Town central midfielder this summer, with the 23-year-old said to have a £10m release clause written into his contract with the Championship side.

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The report goes on to state that, should the Terriers have secured promotion to the Premier League in Sunday’s play-off final, the Whites could have once again missed out on the player they attempted to sign 12 months ago, however, with Nottingham Forest defeating Carlos Corberan’s side at Wembley, the door is now open for Marsch to move for O’Brien.

Rice 2.0

Considering just how impressive O’Brien was for Huddersfield this season, it is unsurprising to learn of Marsch’s interest in a move for the box-to-box midfielder.

Indeed, over his 43 Championship appearances this term – excluding his three play-off fixtures – the £3.15m-rated talent was imperious in the middle of the park, scoring three goals, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.1 shots, making 1.0 key passes and completing 2.0 dribbles per game.

The £5k-per-week midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, enjoying 56.7 touches of the ball, in addition to making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 29.5 passes and winning 7.5 duels – at a success rate of 56% – per fixture.

These returns saw the Huddersfield academy graduate showered with a considerable amount of praise, with Jonathan Hogg stating of the 23-year-old earlier this season:

“I think it’s only a matter of time before he plays in the Premier League. He has a lot of great attributes, his energy and intensity is sensational, up there with the best I’ve seen in my career. He certainly drives the team with his energy and forward runs, it helps the team massively… it’s only a matter of time before he does play at the top level.”

Furthermore, Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff backed up Hogg’s claim that O’Brien is ready for a Premier League move, with the former Crystal Palace, Reading and Watford forward stating of the youngster:

“He’s probably not a household name but he’s a midfielder who, for me, has been a massive part of that Huddersfield team. He’s only 23 years of age but he’s had four real good, solid seasons now at this level and he’s really, really developing. He’s led the team at times, captaining in the absence of Jonathan Hogg.

“He can play central midfield, he’s got a bit of everything; he’s a good tackler, carries the ball ever so well and you can see him popping up with a few goals this season. He literally is a midfielder who’s got every part of his game and I certainly feel there’d be some Premier League clubs knocking if Huddersfield don’t get through the play-offs.”

Indeed, O’Brien’s metrics this season, coupled with Hogg and McAnuff’s descriptions of the 23-year-old, would very much appear to draw comparisons between the Town starlet and West Ham United’s Declan Rice – the driving midfielder who scored one goal, registered four assists, made 2.2 tackles, completed 1.4 dribbles and won 5.1 duels per game over his 36 Premier League appearances this term.

As such, should Victor Orta manage to get a deal over the line for Hogg this summer, the Spanish sporting director could well have unearthed the next Rice at Leeds – something that is sure to be an extremely exciting prospect for both Marsch and supporters of the Whites alike.

AND in other news: Huge transfer twist emerges that will have Leeds United supporters buzzing

Real Madrid have reportedly named their price for midfielder Dani Ceballos, amid interest from Crystal Palace.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish outlet AS, the La Liga giants are set to demand just £10m for the 25-year-old, with the player having only a year remaining on his existing deal at the Bernabeu.

The Spaniard’s former side Real Betis – whom he left on a €17m (£14.5m) deal back in 2017 – are credited with an interest, although the report suggests that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are unwilling to stump up the fee required to recapture the player.

The report goes on to add that there is interest from clubs in Serie A and the Premier League, with previous links earlier this season suggesting that Palace are one of those sides believed to be eyeing a move.

Gallagher replacement

The £13.5m-rated man would seemingly be available at a relative bargain price, while he also offers previous top-flight experience in English football having spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021.

Although the £128k-per-week playmaker came in for criticism during his time at the Emirates, notably from pundit Tim Sherwood, he offers genuine quality to Patrick Vieira’s side, having been dubbed a “very clever” player by Robin van Persie while in north London.

A route out of the Spanish capital is seemingly needed for the 11-cap international having made just two league starts this season, although even in his brief outings he has shown flickering of quality, notably recording an impressive 7.5 match rating in the 4-0 win over Espanyol at the end of April.

Palace appear in need of a new midfield addition with current loan star Conor Gallagher set to return to parent club Chelsea next season, the 22-year-old having chipped in with eight goals and three assists during his stellar stint at Selhurst Park thus far.

The young Englishman – who has been dubbed “like N’Golo Kante with goals” by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino – has shown his quality as an all-action presence in the centre of the park, averaging 0.8 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and o.7 clearances per game in the top-flight this term.

In comparison, however, Ceballos has proven he can match or even better that dynamic quality, averaging 1.4 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 0.6 clearances per 90 while with the Gunners during the 2020/21 campaign, as well as winning 51% of his total duels.

Although he failed to net a single league goal in 49 appearances during his previous stint in English football, he did register five assists in that time, showcasing he can make the difference in the final third if required.

There’s no doubting Gallagher’s absence next term will be a huge blow, although in Ceballos the club can secure an affordable and experienced addition with similar traits and attributes.

AND in other news: Lost the ball every 2.4 touches: Palace flop who lost 63% duels let Vieira down again

The left-arm pacer had to bowl 17 overs on the first day, having bowled less than six overs in an innings in the first-class season in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Durban13-Feb-2019Before we dwell on Sri Lanka’s good start to the series, let us count off all the ways in which it could all go south from here.- Sri Lanka’s innings goes down in a whirl of outside edges and flying bails, before South Africa tear to 260 for 2 at the end of day 2, effectively infinity runs ahead.- Incredibly, the batting goes okay, but while the top order is out in the middle, the bowlers suffer a torn-hamstring epidemic while in line for the dressing room coffee machine.- The Sports Minister sacks the head coach in the middle of the Test and appoints the bus driver. (Don’t worry though, the driver has English county cricket experience.)- The selectors sack the new captain and appoint a debutant.If all this sounds a little fantastical or overly pessimistic it is because – strictly speaking – it is. But not by much. Sri Lanka may have ducked and weaved their way to 49 for 1, but remain thoroughly capable of being 150 all out, as scorecards from the preceding series in Australia will attest. During that Australia series, four first-choice Sri Lanka seamers also suffered injuries in the space of eight days, three of them serious injures, two of those hamstrings. The Sports Ministry, meanwhile, has been seriously considering removing coach Chandika Hathurusingha, only 13 months into his three-year contract. (Sri Lanka Cricket’s previous permanent head coach, Graham Ford, had also been elbowed out of his job 18 months after he had begun.) And in jettisoning captain Dinesh Chandimal, the selectors dropped a batsman who had averaged over 40 in the 2018 calendar year.So, all things considered, Sri Lanka are in a space right now where anything could happen, the things that happen are usually bad, and those bad things are so emphatic in their badness that they drown out all the good. Kusal Mendis made over 1,000 Test runs in the last calendar year? Who cares? Sri Lanka have lost six Tests since they last won one. Angelo Mathews batted all day to save a game? So what? Next Test, another hamstring strain, and he’s unavailable again for two months.It is tempting to take undue heart from an excellent day of seam bowling at Kingsmead – to see in an opposition scoreline of 235 all out the beginnings of a turnaround, slim wisps of a resurgence. After the three months this team has had (they haven’t won a match in any format since October), it would be a relief to make a hero out of young left-armer Vishwa Fernando, who in an outstanding display of disciplined inswing bowling, claimed 4 for 62.But look closer. Look, for instance, at 27-year-old Vishwa’s professional career. He first made it into a Test squad way back in 2014, so Sri Lanka Cricket has long been aware of this bowler’s potential. He has been touted by no less than Chaminda Vaas as the best left-armer in the country, so any sane cricket board would feel itself duty-bound to ensure he develops.But instead, Vishwa came into the Test side in Australia as an injury replacement almost inarguably under-cooked. In six first-class matches for Colombo Cricket Club since late November, he had bowled less than six overs per innings on average, because first-class pitches in Sri Lanka are so abminably dry that quicks are irrelevant for much of the game. In one of those innings he was not required at all. Think about that. Here is one of the finest fast-bowling talents in the country, playing for CCC – one of the biggest clubs – bowling less than six overs an innings, in the longest first-class competition that Sri Lanka host.He is then expected to rock up to a Test after several senior teammates have fallen over in a heap, and deliver 15 to 20 overs a day (he bowled 17 today) against elite international batsmen who have cut their teeth against top-quality fast bowling, on tracks profoundly unlike those found at home. An unreasonably large percentage of the skill that envenomed Vishwa on day one, he had had to learn on the job, on tour with the Test team. There is also an unreasonably high chance, that like the other young quicks – Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera – Vishwa may not be able to sustain a Test workload for long, because unlike other young quicks from around the world, his body is unaccustomed to delivering long spells on a weekly basis.Vishwa himself spoke of the challenges that he must surmount as a young Sri Lankan quick, after stumps at Kingsmead. “There’s a big gap between the quality of our club cricket and Test cricket,” he said. “Clubs are trying to win matches, so they bowl spinners a lot. They don’t play fast bowlers much at all. The most I’d bowled this first-class season was 12 overs in an innings. But I had to play two Tests in Australia before this one, and I’ve been working with the bowling coach as well. So that’s the experience that helped me play today.”SLC has been aware of this plague of poor pitches in the club tournament for years. Almost every season, each of the top 15 domestic wicket-takers are spinners – almost all of them finger spinners. And yet, because ruffling too many feathers with the clubs will dent their chances in the next board election, they have been happy to nurture a disease. It is not merely that pitches have failed to improve, they could be getting worse, year -on-year.”Since I’ve been playing, there have been fewer and fewer fast bowlers in first-class cricket every season,” said Vishwa. “I don’t know why that is.”The problem with domestic pitches is merely one of the multitude of ailments that have led Sri Lankan cricket to its current state. There is also the ever-growing number of first-class clubs, the endless political interference, and the egotism that drives every new sports minister and selection committee to announce their arrival with wholesale changes.It is important to take stock of Sri Lankan cricket’s decline even on days such as this, because it is precisely on the good days that administrators and politicians who have been architects of this fall make themselves endlessly visible, via press conferences or media appearances, forever attempting to siphon off credit for themselves. (SLC’s election is in a few weeks. The circus has begun.) It is vital to acknowledge that whatever Vishwa achieved in Kingsmead, he did so in spite of a domestic system that is unequivocally stacked against him. He had one of the best top orders in the world in serious trouble, bowled a magical delivery that connived through the gate, and broke crucial stands late in the day, none of which are things he had any business doing.

His elevation as Test captain is inadvertent, but a successful run could raise Tamim Iqbal’s chances of landing the job permanently

Mohammad Isam in Christchurch19-Jan-2017Over the last eight years, Bangladesh have seen Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim gradually lead the team through a transition period and towards some success. Now for at least one Test, it is time to see what Tamim Iqbal, another pillar of this era, offers as captain.Though his elevation is inadvertent and, in a way, unplanned, it isn’t a bad time to have a first proper look at his captaincy, especially in the context of Bangladesh’s leadership future.There have been constant talks over the last two years about the burden of Mushfiqur’s triple role in the Test side: as captain, wicketkeeper and middle-order mainstay. During the last BCB board meeting in 2016, there were discussions about picking a new Test captain, talks in which Tamim’s name featured prominently.Tamim steps up in Christchurch only because of Mushfiqur’s thumb injury. Mushfiqur’s 159 in the first innings in Wellington and the subsequent 80-minute bouncer barrage he underwent in the second enhanced his reputation as a batsman, but question marks remain over his captaincy.For two years after he took over from Shakib in mid-2011, Mushfiqur enjoyed a fruitful reign, except for the resignation midway through the 2013 tour of Zimbabwe. But much of Bangladesh’s decline in 2014 was attributed to his reactionary leadership, which led to the BCB splitting the captaincy for the first time in September that year.Mushfiqur continued to be the Test captain, though concerns remained, particularly after the Dhaka Test loss against Pakistan in 2015. Rained-out draws against India and South Africa kept him going but when they next played Tests, against England at home in October 2016, doubts returned.When England raced to 100 for no loss at tea, chasing 273 in Dhaka, coach Chandika Hathurusingha apparently asked the senior players during the break to step up. In the final session, during which Bangladesh clinched the game by taking all ten England wickets for just 64, it was Tamim who took a more active role in directing field placements for Shakib and Mehedi Hasan.Hathurusingha, Mushfiqur and Tamim have played that down in subsequent interviews, but as a window into the potential thinking of the team management, the development was hard to miss.Tamim Iqbal has been a key member of Bangladesh’s think tank over the years•BCBTamim was appointed Test deputy during the leadership shake-up in September 2014, in which Shakib was made Mashrafe’s deputy in the limited-overs formats. Currently, Tamim is Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in each of the three formats, and is one of only two batsmen from the country to have a 40-plus average after 45 Tests – the other being Shakib.There will be preferences among fans, but Tamim’s impact and numbers give him a strong claim to being the team’s best batsman. How he will fare as captain is difficult to predict. On Thursday he said that his captaincy will draw from the same well of positivity as his batsmanship.”I am the sort of individual who likes to take challenges,” Tamim said. “My type of captaincy will look fantastic when my plans are working but it can also go the other way. It is very new for me in international cricket, which makes it a learning curve for me. I am an attacking batsman so I will try to be as positive a captain as I can.”When you take over as captain in the middle of a game, you can’t put in your own plans or organise things. When you know that you will captain the next match, it does become easier. I will need support from everyone in the team, and walk in the same path. It will make everyone’s job easier in that way.”With Mushfiqur’s thumb injury likely to keep him out of the one-off Test in India as well, Tamim’s audition for the captaincy will stretch a little longer. A successful run, even in this short period, could improve his chances of landing the job permanently. He has the experience and credentials as a player. Since the 2015 World Cup, he has become more mature on and off the field, coming out of a number of difficult situations with lessons well learned.Now, in Christchurch he has his first chance to express himself as a captain and leader.

Stats highlights from the second T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Auckland, where Colin Munro made the second-fastest fifty in T20Is

Shiva Jayaraman and Bharath Seervi10-Jan-201614 Number of balls it took Colin Munro to make fifty – the second-fastest ever in T20 internationals and the fastest by a New Zealand batsman. New Zealand’s previous fastest had also come earlier in the innings: Martin Guptill had got to his fifty off 19 balls. Click here for the fastest fifties in T20Is.10 Overs New Zealand took to chase down the target of 143 – the least taken by any team to successfully chase a target of 120 or more in T20 internationals. The previous quickest such chase was South Africa’s running down of a target of 130 runs in 11.3 overs in a T20I against Pakistan in 2006-07.0 Number of instances before this when two batsmen had got their fifties in under 20 balls in the same T20 international. The closest two batsmen had come to this was in a T20I between India and Sri Lanka in 2009-10, when Kumar Sangakkara and Gautam Gambhir had made their fifties off 21 and 19 deliveries respectively.92.00 Percentage of runs scored by Munro in boundaries: 46 runs out of Munro’s 50 runs came from seven sixes and a four. This is the fifth-highest contribution in boundaries in a T20I innings of 50 or more, in terms of percentage. Shane Watson had made 54 (six fours and five sixes) of his 57 runs through just boundaries against the same opposition in a T20I in 2011, which is the highest boundary percentage.14.70 New Zealand’s scoring rate – the second-highest in any T20 international innings. The highest had also been by New Zealand, in a match against Scotland in the 2009 World T20, when they scored at 15 runs an over while chasing in a truncated game. This was also the most runs scored by a team in the first ten overs of a T20 international innings. The previous highest was Ireland’s 132 runs against Netherlands in the 2014 World T20.1 Number of scores in defeats by Sri Lanka batsmen higher than Angelo Mathews’ unbeaten 81 in this match: Mahela Jayawardene had made 89 against England in the 2014 World T20. Mathews’ 81 is the also the fourth-highest score by a No. 5 in T20 internationals.7 Number of sixes hit by Munro in his innings of 50 not out – the most by a batsman in an innings of 50 or less. The previous highest was Tom Cooper’s six sixes in a score of 45 for Netherlands against Ireland in the 2014 World T20.20.50 Bowling economy of Jeffrey Vandersay in this match – equals the worst for any bowler to bowl at least two overs in a T20 international. Two other bowlers – R Ashwin and Scotland’s Mark Watt – have gone at an economy of 20.50 in T20 internationals.17.40 Scoring rate of the stand between Munro and Kane Williamson – the fifth-highest for any partnership of 50 or more runs in a T20 international. A stand between Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson scored at a rate of 19.87 in the 2010 World T20 semi-final is the highest.12 Sixes hit by New Zealand batsmen in this match – the most they have hit in a T20 international. There are five other instances when New Zealand batsmen have totally hit 11 sixes in an innings, the last of which came last year against West Indies at the same venue.0 Number of times Grant Elliott had taken a four-wicket haul in any T20 game before this. His best before this was the 3 for 16 he took in a domestic T20 against Auckland in 2011-12. This was also only the second time he has taken three or more wickets in a T20 game. Eliott’s haul is also only the fourth time a New Zealand bowler had taken a four-for while bowling third change or later.1 This is the first time that all the four bowlers who have bowled for a team in an innings (minimum two overs each) have gone at 10.00 or more an over – all the Sri Lanka bowlers in this match went for 10 or worse.

Plays of the day from the second ODI between India and West Indies

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Oct-2014Street-smart, over-smartMS Dhoni surprisingly did put a foot wrong during his half-century•BCCIThe final minutes of India’s innings were full of strike-rotating shenanigans, as MS Dhoni, batting with the lower order, sought to face the bowling for the majority of the last few deliveries. Fielding at long-on at the start of the 49th over, Kieron Pollard looked to test Dhoni’s resolve to remain on strike. Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit the ball straight towards Pollard, and the batsmen ran the single that was on offer. Having picked the ball up, though, Pollard didn’t throw it to the bowler, and chose instead to roll it away a few yards and entice the batsmen to run a second. It seemed as if he was punting on getting one of the two run out if they chose to take the bait, with the consolation that Dhoni would get off strike if the dismissal didn’t materialise. The batsmen hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then decided they would take the second. Pollard threw to the bowler, but Bhuvneshwar was home and dry well in time.The non-crossoverFacing the last ball of the 49th over, Bhuvneshwar miscued Dwayne Bravo high in the air, and scurried down the pitch by force of habit. Dhoni, at the non-striker’s end, had backed up a few steps out of his crease. As the ball fell towards Pollard’s cupped hands at long-on, Dhoni realised he would lose the strike for the start of the final over if he crossed over mid-pitch with Bhuvneshwar, and ran backwards, towards his crease, stopping Bhuvneshwar with his hand held aloft like a traffic policeman.The slipHaving thus kept the strike, Dhoni swung the first ball of the final over hard through midwicket. Long-on had a good distance to cover to his right, and two runs were on the cards. Just as he was turning at the non-striker’s end to go back for the second, however, Dhoni slipped and fell, and had to send Mohammed Shami, who had run three-quarters of the way down the pitch, all the way back to the keeper’s end. To add another disorienting element to the drama, the throw came in hard and flat, missed the bowler, and nearly struck the fallen Dhoni on his head.Kohli’s missileIn the tenth over of the West Indies innings, Dwayne Smith played a checked drive off Mohammed Shami towards Virat Kohli at mid-on, and did so with soft enough hands to run a quick single. Kohli attacked the ball, swooped down on it, and let rip a powerful low throw that missed the stumps at the bowler’s end. Fortunately for India, it also missed – narrowly – Amit Mishra, who had sprinted in from short cover to try and back up, and Shami, who was lying sprawled on the pitch, having dived to try and stop Smith’s shot.

India’s selectors have given themselves the chance to assess several opening options ahead of the tour of South Africa in December

Sharda Ugra07-Mar-2013The Indian selectors’ decision to drop Virender Sehwag for the last two Tests against Australia cannot be argued with, if cricketing logic and the weight of lack of runs is applied against sentiment and possibility.It is in many ways a far simpler decision to take at this stage, with India 2-0 up against an Australian side whose transition roadmap in all departments has disintegrated in the middle of a series. No replacement was announced for Sehwag either, an oddity and a signal in itself. Even in home series, the Indians travel in large squads -15 usually – which has long been treated as a fall out of zonal selection but has become a hard habit to break. Today, it was broken. The signal is that Shikhar Dhawan could get his big break after a first-class season with six centuries and five fifties.The Sehwag omission is an indication the selectors are treading on the straight and narrow directive of the ‘youth policy.’ It works particularly well in Indian conditions but to gauge whether it can succeed overseas – well, that’s what selectors are paid for. Sandeep Patil’s panel should be complimented for doing much of the dirty work sidestepped by the Kris Srikkanth panel that preceded it and lived off the 2011 World Cup victory for one year too long.After the announcement, Sehwag said he was going to find a way back and that he trusts his game. In the last five years, at his best and even his most mercurial, he produced, by a guesstimate, one in three innings of weight and influence on the state of the game. If he is able to find his way back to that state of mind and batsmanship, India will be pleased. If the new openers are beating him on that ratio, then Sehwag can do nothing but work and wait.Yet, the opportunities for Sehwag to work his way into runs and Test form are on the slender side. The IPL will take all of April and most of May, by which time the Indian summer will set in, in its energy-sapping force. The only avenue is an unusual one: a four-month window in the monsoon, set up for the first time by the BCCI, for A-teams to tour. This July, a proposed India A tour could act as a recce with beanies and thermals, for the full tour that is to follow in the South African summer.While nothing is final – all India tours appear to materialise at the last hour after mysterious agreements – the A tour is expected to contain three four-day matches and a bag of T20 and 50-over games. What both Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir do in the interim, post-IPL, will give clues about intention and effort.There was another option for Sehwag, but no one knows if was discussed: for him to slot into the middle order, where he has always said he really belongs. After all, he made his debut at No. 6 as it happens, in South Africa. It is the position where a specialist batsman, if the rest have gone, must bat with those that follow, maybe face the second new ball, farm the strike and push the innings along.The idea of Sehwag coming in at 44 for 4, batting alongside Dhoni and the bowlers, is a delicious one. But the No. 6 is more of an aggressive anchor and less of a pinch-hitter, more VVS Laxman than Sehwag, and most certainly not a Sehwag without runs. When Sehwag moved to open for India, he had scored a century and two fifties in his first seven Test innings in the middle order and was averaging more than 50. Not now.The decision to drop Sehwag makes Dhawan the first in line to open the innings with M Vijay in Mohali. Dhoni has by and large been rather fond of left-right hand combinations, particularly in ODI cricket. Dhawan may turn out to be an extension into Test cricket, particularly against the shaken confidence of the Australian bowling attack.The only thing that could come between Dhawan and a Test place will be the Rahane Reversal. Ever since he was picked for the 2011-12 tour of Australia, Ajinkya Rahane’s fledgling Test cricket career was turned into the Otis Redding song. Maybe Rahane’s time sittin’ around in the Indian dressing room, like Otis said, , may actually be over.The performance of the openers in Mohali and Delhi will give the selectors tips on who stands a better chance of making it to the XI in South Africa. By freeing up two openers’ slots, the selectors have given themselves a reasonable number to choose from, once the IPL is done with and the injury roster is up. But if anything, Australia’s struggles have proved that no matter how well intentioned a youth policy is, replacing skills is tough. If for the short term, it means going back to an older hand for tours of South Africa and then England in 2014, then so be it. The selectors have shown focus; they must also be ready to be flexible.If there is a blot on today’s events it is that, once again, the reasoning and thought process of the selection panel, the rationale behind Sehwag’s omission or where he stood in the succession-planning business, was left behind closed doors. It is one thing for the selection committee chairman to have to dodge bullets at one of our rowdy press conferences. It is another to infect silence onto the BCCI’s Twitter handle, website and its Facebook page. It can only be hoped that Sehwag, a batsman who is both rare and influential in Indian cricket in the best possible way, had been spoken to by the selectors.For a board that is extremely 21st century in the protection of its commercial interests, its communication with those that are responsible for the generation of that commerce – the public, the Indian team’s fans – belongs to the age when pigeons carried messages and telephones had not been invented.

In a series where neither team enjoyed a sustained dominance, Australia’s disciplined performance with both bat and ball proved to be the crucial difference in the end

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan21-Sep-2011Like his predecessor Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke started his Test captaincy with a series win in Sri Lanka. Although the end result was not as convincing as the 3-0 win in 2004, a new-look Australia were much more disciplined and aggressive than Sri Lanka throughout the series. Following a terrible run in 2010 when they lost 2-0 in India and 3-1 in the Ashes, Australia entered the first Test in Galle as underdogs considering Sri Lanka’s excellent home record. Michael Hussey’s resolute 95 pushed Australia to 273 after they were in trouble at 112 for 4. Nathan Lyon’s five-wicket haul on debut helped the visitors to bowl Sri Lanka out for just 105. Sri Lanka, faced with a target of 379, briefly threatened to make a match of it, but eventually went down by 125 runs. Following the success in the first Test, Australia dominated the rain-affected second Test and comfortably drew the third at the SSC to consign Sri Lanka to their first home-series defeat since 2006.Hussey’s remarkable resurgence in Tests continued in the series as he amassed 463 runs in the three Tests. With 570 runs, he was also Australia’s highest run-getter in the disastrous Ashes campaign. Between his debut and the end of 2007, Hussey had made a terrific start to his Test career with seven centuries in his first 19 Tests at an average of 80.58. His form fell drastically over the next two years as he averaged just 37.04 in 27 Tests. Following his outstanding century in the Sydney Test against Pakistan in 2010, Hussey came back to form and has now scored four centuries in his last eight Tests. In five innings in the series, Hussey scored two centuries and was out twice in the nineties thus narrowly missing out on Brian Lara’s record for the most centuries by an overseas player in a Test series in Sri Lanka.

Michael Hussey’s Test record

PeriodMatchesRunsAverage100/50Overall62511353.2615/26Debut – Dec 200719193480.587/8Jan 2008 – Dec 200927170437.043/11Jan 2010 – present16147556.735/7During the course of the series, Hussey went past the 5000-run mark in Tests and also became the eighth Australia batsman to score over 1000 runs in the subcontinent. Hussey’s average of 63.05 is the highest among all Australia batsmen to score over 1000 runs in Asia. His aggregate of 463 runs in the three-Test series is the second-highest by a visiting batsman in Sri Lanka after Brian Lara’s 688 runs in the 2001-02 series. With his impressive performances, he also achieved the remarkable feat of winning three consecutive player-of-the-match awards.

Australia’s top batsmen in the subcontinent (minimum 1000 runs scored)

BatsmanMatchesRunsAverage100/50Michael Hussey11119863.054/5Allan Border22179954.516/8Matthew Hayden19166350.394/8Mark Taylor13102048.572/3Ricky Ponting28188941.975/10Australia proved to be much more consistent than Sri Lanka in both the batting and bowling departments. They averaged 36.12 runs per wicket as compared to Sri Lanka, who averaged 28.89. The Australia batsmen also had a much better conversion rate of fifties to centuries. They scored five hundreds and four fifties (hundreds-to-fifties ratio of 1.25) while Sri Lanka managed only two centuries and eight fifties (hundreds-to-fifties ratio of 0.25). Australia’s positive approach was also reflected in the fact that they scored at a quicker rate than Sri Lanka in both the first and second innings. Although Sri Lanka’s average (36.06) in the second innings was marginally better than Australia’s (34.90), they were disappointing in the first innings of the first two Tests averaging just 25.60. Sri Lanka had two more century partnerships than Australia, but the visitors had 12 fifty-plus stands as compared to the home side’s eight. .

Performance of the two teams in the series

TeamInningsRuns per wicketRuns per over100/50100/50 partnershipsAustraliaOverall36.123.255/42/10Sri LankaOverall28.892.652/84/4Australia1st37.033.093/21/5Sri Lanka1st25.062.601/42/3Australia2nd34.903.522/21/5Sri Lanka2nd36.062.711/42/1Australia featured a new opening combination for the series with the return of Phillip Hughes. Hughes endured a tough time in the first two Tests before bouncing back with a fine century in the third Test at the SSC. It was Hughes’ first century since his twin centuries in his second Test against South Africa in March 2009. His more established opening partner Shane Watson, however, had a an ordinary series by his recent high standards managing just 87 runs in five innings. Australia’s biggest gain in the batting department was Shaun Marsh, who made his debut in the second Test, scoring a century batting at No. 3. In the first innings in Pallekele, Marsh, together with Hussey, was involved in the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Australia against Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka had their own problems at the top of the order with Tillakaratne Dilshan struggling for consistency. Incidentally, both teams scored nearly the same number of runs for the first and second-wicket partnerships. The Kumar Sangakkara-Mahela Jayawardene pairing, which had aggregated only 117 runs in five innings against Australia before the start of the series, found some form in the final two Tests with two century partnerships. However, the star for Sri Lanka was Angelo Mathews, who scored 274 runs in five innings with a century and two fifties. Mathews forged useful partnerships in the middle-order in the second Test and kept Sri Lanka alive in the series. The Australian middle-order batsmen applied themselves better than their Sri Lankan counterparts across the three Tests, and their positive batting proved to be the crucial difference in the end.

Partnership stats for the top order (1-6) of both teams

Partnership wicketRuns/Avg (Australia)Runs/Avg (Sri Lanka)100/50 (Australia)100/50 (Sri Lanka)1150, 30.00150, 30.000/20/22130, 26.00131, 26.200/10/03277, 55.40263, 52.600/42/04379, 75.80150, 30.001/00/05308, 61.60176, 35.201/11/06178, 35.60282, 56.400/21/2In the first two Tests, Ryan Harris was the key bowler for Australia. He constantly troubled all Sri Lanka’s batsmen with his movement and was particularly effective against the right handers by bringing the ball back sharply into them. He picked up Dilshan and Prasanna Jayawardene on two occasions and crucially dismissed Mahela Jayawardene in the second innings of the first Test giving Australia the victory. Harris, the highest wicket-taker for Australia with 11 wickets at an average of just 14.54, was missed in the third Test as Australia’s attack looked less incisive. Trent Copeland, who made his debut in the first Test, also tasted significant success against Dilshan dismissing the batsman three times. Mitchell Johnson’s form will, however, continue to be a cause for concern for Australia. Johnson picked up six wickets at an average of 52.16 and struggled for impact in all games.For Sri Lanka, Rangana Herath was the standout bowler with 16 wickets at an average of 23.00. Although he leaked runs while bowling to Clarke, Herath picked up the Australian captain’s wicket three times. Brad Haddin, who had an ordinary series with the bat, struggled to score off Herath and was dismissed twice scoring 24 runs.

Batsman v bowlers in the series

BatsmanBowlerRunsBalls facedScoring rateDismissalsAverageBalls/DismissalMichael ClarkeRangana Herath981364.32332.6645.33Tillakaratne DilshanTrent Copeland26523.0038.6617.33Tillakaratne DilshanRyan Harris18274.0029.0013.50Brad HaddinRangana Herath24751.92212.0037.50Mahela JayawardeneTrent Copeland22801.65211.0040.00Prasanna JayawardeneRyan Harris0160.0020.008.00More than the batting quality, it was Muttiah Muralitharan’s extraordinary bowling that had transformed Sri Lanka into a competitive Test team away and a daunting opponent in home Tests. In home matches in which Muralitharan played (Tests since 2000), Sri Lanka were well and truly dominant winning 28 Tests and losing just 11. They had a bowling average of 26.36 as compared to visiting teams who averaged nearly 42.11. Although there have been only six Tests played in Sri Lanka since Muralitharan’s retirement, the drastic drop in the bowling quality is highly evident. Sri Lanka have failed to win even one of the six Tests and struggled to bowl out even a weak West Indies team. In recent home Tests, while Sri Lanka’s bowling average has shot up to 37.31, the corresponding figure for visiting teams is 34.17. In home Tests featuring Muralitharan, Sri Lanka picked up 18 wickets per match on an average, but since his retirement, the corresponding number has dropped to less than 13.

Sri Lanka in home Tests with and without Muttiah Muralitharan (Tests since 2000)

PeriodMatchesWinsLossesW/L ratioBowling runs/wicket (Sri Lanka)Bowling runs/wicket (visiting team)Avg diff2000 – 2010 (with Muralitharan)4928112.5426.3642.1115.752010 – present (without Muralitharan)6010.0037.3134.17-3.34