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IPL franchises hope that players from the victorious Pakistan team will be available to play in the league next year

Ajay S Shankar22-Jun-2009Pakistan’s title win in the ICC World Twenty20 has sparked a buzz among the IPL franchises who are now hoping that players from the victorious team will be available to play in the league next year. It may happen sooner rather than later: Sohail Tanvir could play for his IPL franchise next month, when Rajasthan Royals, the 2008 champions, play Middlesex at Lord’s in a one-off game.Manoj Badale, the Royals co-owner, told Cricinfo that Tanvir, who was part of Rajasthan’s IPL-winning team last year, will play the game on July 6, “subject to availability”. The match between Rajasthan and Middlesex Panthers, last year’s English Twenty20 champions, will take place two days before the first Ashes Test and is being organised by the British Asian Trust. Pakistan are scheduled to start their Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on July 4 but Tanvir does not figure in the 15-member national squad.Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, is clear that the league has “no problems” letting Pakistani players play the next edition in India in March 2010 but said it’s for the governments of the two countries to decide. And franchise officials are now hoping for some clarity to emerge on the issue after political tensions between India and Pakistan prevented those players from participating in this year’s competition.Joy Bhattacharya, team director of Kolkata Knight Riders, said all the IPL teams would “definitely welcome them back” if Pakistan players were made available next year. Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer of Delhi Daredevils, said they would “look at recruiting more players” from the World Twenty20-winning team, if such an opportunity arose. Ray Jennings, coach of Royal Bangalore Challengers, said that the return of Pakistan players would be a “very good thing” that will strengthen the system.Eleven Pakistani players, including Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, the stars of Pakistan’s World Twenty20 campaign, were recruited by the Kolkata, Rajasthan, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore franchises before the inaugural IPL. However, the franchises opted to retain the contracts of only four of them – Akmal and Tanvir (Rajasthan), Misbah-ul-Haq (Bangalore) and Gul (Kolkata) – after it became clear that they would not be able to play in the second season of the league.Even these four contracts are on a suspended status after the terror attacks in Mumbai last year led to a chill in political ties between India and Pakistan. In fact, no Pakistani team has been invited for this October’s Champions League, the multi-nation, inter-club competition jointly organised by the boards of India, South Africa and Australia. “We have no problems in letting the Pakistan players play,” Modi, who is also chairman of Champions League, told Cricinfo. “It’s for the two governments to decide. The Pakistan government has to clear their players to play in India and the Indian government has to allow them to play here.””We have always wanted the Pakistani players,” Bhattacharya said. “Gul, especially, is a valuable player for Kolkata. Why only Kolkata? I am sure every IPL team would welcome them back. But we are aware that there are extraneous factors that will influence any decision on this issue.”Kolkata also had Shoaib Akhtar and Salman Butt in their squad in 2008 but chose to terminate the two contracts. “Pakistan has some of the best Twenty20 players and the title win in England only proved that,” Bhattacharya said. “To a large extent, the format suits players from Pakistan. Fast swing bowling and natural, uncomplicated batting is what Twenty20 demand and Pakistan have those.”Mathur said that Delhi hoped for clarity to emerge on the issue soon. “We had two Pakistan players in the first year and if they are made available next year, we will look at signing more players from the Pakistan team,” he said.Delhi had signed Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, and fast bowler Mohammad Asif in 2008 but terminated both contracts. Asif’s contract was terminated after the player was banned for a year following an adverse dope result during the inaugural IPL edition.Deccan Chargers, the IPL champions this year, had signed Shahid Afridi for US$675,000 in 2008 but chose to terminate his contract this year when they were informed that he would not be allowed to play. “There is no point looking back,” PK Iyer, the managing director of Chargers’ parent company, Deccan Holdings, said. “The South Africans were the flavour of the season this year, and it could be the Pakistanis next time. But it is not in our hands.”Jennings, who coached Bangalore to the IPL final this year, said that Misbah is a “key player” for his team. “It would be a very good thing if they are made available,” Jennings said. “The more players that are available, the better it is for the system. But having said that, it is not for me to decide.”Rajasthan, meanwhile, were keen to field Akmal, too, at Lord’s next month but the wicket-keeper has been named in the Pakistan squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka and will not be available for the charity game. The Royals had also signed up Younis Khan last year but opted to terminate his contract later. On Sunday though, the Pakistan captain turned his back on the Indian league and announced that he won’t play the Twenty20 format any longer.

Yorkshire had two enemies to overcome on the third day of the match at Headingley, and until Worcestershire put up a dogged fight late in the day, the weather proved the more troublesome of the two

John Ward at Headingley30-Apr-2009
ScorecardYorkshire had two enemies to overcome on the third day of the match at Headingley, and until Worcestershire put up a dogged fight late in the day, the weather proved the more troublesome of the two. The players were on and off the field throughout the day to a mixture of drizzle and bad light, and well though the Yorkshire seamers bowled, Vikram Solanki defied them and the visitors had lost only two wickets by the close of play.Yorkshire’s plans were somewhat hindered by a touch of lunacy from their overnight pair, who neglected to play themselves in for the new day. In the second over of the day Andrew Gale startled everybody by driving a straight six off Gareth Batty, but then holed out at deep midwicket for 21 off Daryl Mitchell. Moments later Jacques Rudolph uncharacteristically threw away his chance of a double century, stumped down the leg side off Mitchell for 198. It was a fine innings lasting 335 balls and containing 14 fours and two sixes, but its untimely conclusion, less than ten minutes after play started, did mean that Yorkshire had to take a breather before resuming their quest for quick runs.Gerard Brophy and Tim Bresnan took a few overs to settle in, with the light worsening, before starting to attack. Brophy made 16 before he tried to hit a yorker from Mitchell across the line, but then came the first of numerous breaks for bad light or rain – or both. Ajmal Shahzad hit breezily for an unbeaten 20 off 14 balls, amid another rain break, before Yorkshire declared at 460 for 6. Mitchell, whose military medium concentrated on line and length, took 4 for 49, his best career-return.The Worcestershire innings lasted exactly eight balls, with no runs yet on the board, when the weather again closed in and an early lunch was taken. The resumption was delayed, and when the players took the field again Yorkshire struck quickly. Alex Kervezee got off the mark with a neat clip for two to long leg, but was then brilliantly caught by Joe Sayers, diving at third slip, off the dangerous Matthew Hoggard; 3 for 1.Vikram Solanki almost fell exactly the same way first ball, but this time the ball bounced just short of the fielder. While Mitchell hung on grimly, Solanki tried to take the attack to the Yorkshire seamers, no easy task with Hoggard and Bresnan racing in with hostility, skill and purpose, and the light poor enough to bring another break in play. When he had made 6 he was dropped off a sharp chance in the slips, but continued to attack against an attacking field. He lost Mitchell, trapped leg-before to a vicious off-cutter from Shahzad for 10, at 39 for 2, and shortly afterwards play was stopped yet again.When they returned temporarily, Solanki and his new partner Moeem Ali decided on caution. There were a lot of edges, two of them through the slips to the boundary to bring Solanki his 50 off the bowling of the unfortunate Bresnan; it took him 106 balls. Like the Yorkshiremen, though, the Worcestershire batsmen were handicapped by a slow outfield. After 5.30pm the light improved to be the best of the day and the batsmen gained in confidence, although the Yorkshire seamers continued to do a fine job without any luck. Shahzad in particular bowled some testing deliveries and the batsmen did very well to survive.The 100 came up for Worcestershire in the 46th over, but shortly afterwards the weather rudely intervened for the eighth and final time during the day. Yorkshire face the unlikely prospect of having to take 18 Worcestershire wickets on the final day to win the match outright, in whatever time the weather allows them.

Lee Ryder has criticised the performance of Matt Ritchie as Newcastle United lost 2-1 away to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Slippery slope

The Magpies are going down a bit of a slippery slope at the moment, with still no wins and a mere three points from their first seven games in the Premier League, as they currently linger in 19th spot in the table (Premier League).

The international break has come at the right time for Steve Bruce and his team, who will look to regroup and try to fix what is happening on the pitch.

The Latest: Ryder on Ritchie

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, while a lot of Newcastle players received criticism from Ryder, he was particularly critical of Ritchie’s performance.

The journalist claimed that the 32-year-old ‘lacked quality’ in terms of his distribution and gave him a mere 4/10 overall rating, the joint-second lowest out of any of his teammates.

The Verdict: Must do better

Ritchie, who is currently on £39,000 per week at St James’ Park, did not have his best game at Molineux as he lost out on three of his duels and also failed to record a single dribble, clearance or block from left-back (Sofascore).

As Ryder pointed out, the Scotland international was only successful with two out of his 12 attempted crosses in the match, while he also lost possession of the ball on 20 separate occasions, the joint-third most of any player on the pitch (Sofascore).

Indeed it was a day to forget for both Ritchie as well as Newcastle as a whole.

In other news, find out what big PIF claim has been dropped on the potential takeover

Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher continued his good run of recent form, putting in a solid display for the England Under-21’s in their Euro 2023 U21 qualifier against Kosovo.

The Eagles began life under new manager Patrick Vieira in unspectacular style, recovering from an opening-day defeat against Chelsea to draw with newly-promoted Brentford and West Ham United.

Gallagher was unavailable for selection for the curtain-raiser at Stamford Bridge due to him being on loan from the Blues, and his presence in the starting lineup since has made a visible difference.

A brace against the Hammers last time out rescued a draw for the south London outfit, earning him a place in Lee Carsley’s first Three Lions squad.

Rhian Brewster and Manchester City’s Cole Palmer may have got the goals in England’s 2-0 victory over Kosovo on Tuesday night, but Gallagher’s instrumental contribution also played a key part in their success.

As per SofaScore, the highly-rated 21-year-old received a match rating of 7.6 out of 10, the third-highest total received by anyone on the pitch in midweek.

The box-to-box dynamo won a whopping nine duels during his 90 minutes on the pitch while also achieving a passing accuracy of 87%, showcasing his dominant display in the middle of the pitch.

Gallagher also claimed an assist, pulled off three successful dribbles and had 100 touches of the ball as he dictated proceedings at Stadium MK.

It was yet another illustration of the potential that the youngster possesses, and Vieira will be looking for more of the same when Tottenham Hotspur visit Selhurst Park in the early kickoff on Saturday.

And, in other news…100% aerial duels won: CPFC colossus who completed 92% passes stars for his country 

Steve Waugh has questioned whether Ricky Ponting should rest from the remainder of the one-day series against New Zealand to allow him to be as fresh as possible for this month’s tour of South Africa

Brydon Coverdale02-Feb-2009
Steve Waugh says it is hard for players like Ricky Ponting to justify taking a break from playing for their country when they sign up for extra duties such as the IPL © Getty Images
Steve Waugh has questioned the decision to rest Ricky Ponting from the next two one-day matches against New Zealand to allow him to be as fresh as possible for this month’s tour of South Africa. Waugh also said it would be a gamble to take the struggling Andrew Symonds on the trip and endorsed Phillip Hughes as a must-pick player.Australia depart for their three-Test tour of South Africa immediately after the Chappell-Hadlee Series wraps up in a fortnight. One of Australia’s most in-form men in a below-par batting order, Ponting will rest from the second and third matches and perhaps the entire series having played every game of a busy summer.Ponting has not had a break since the start of October’s tour of India but leaving him out must have been a hard decision in a side that is out of form. Waugh, his predecessor as captain, said it was difficult to justify players resting from representing their country when they were happy to sign on for extra duties such as the IPL.”There’s never an easy time for a captain to rest,” Waugh said. “In these days, with so much cricket happening and the players choosing to play IPL and choosing all these other opportunities, I guess there’s got to be question-marks thrown up when people say they want to rest because they’re committing to playing more cricket and you are playing for your country.”It’s a tough one to answer and really Ricky’s the only one who can answer that. Is he mentally and physically fatigued? Is he better off having a couple of games [off]? Will he come back fresher and stronger for the team? They’re the questions that people in and around the side have got to answer.”Waugh was speaking at the MCG on Monday after being announced as the latest addition to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. He said the selectors would also face a tough call on Symonds, who has had a number of off-field issues in the past six months, has been below his best form and is returning from knee surgery.”He gives that side that x-factor and that’s something special that can win a match,” Waugh said. “But he’s got to be very clear in his head and he’s got to be concise in his thinking and right now he doesn’t seem to be playing his best cricket. If he was selected for South Africa I think it would be a gamble.”The selectors will meet on Wednesday to choose the squad for the Test tour and Symonds and Hughes will feature heavily in their discussions. Hughes, the New South Wales opener, proved he could handle the spotlight this week with a perfectly timed combination of 151 and 82 not out against Tasmania.“Right now he doesn’t seem to be playing his best cricket. If he was selected for South Africa I think it would be a gamble.”Steve Waugh on Andrew SymondsAt 20, Hughes is the same age that Waugh was when he made his Test debut in 1985-86. Waugh said he would definitely choose Hughes if he was a selector and he said that the batsman’s season tally of 891 runs at 74.25 showed that he was prepared for a national call-up.”I think he’s much more ready to play at 20 than I was, looking at the way he plays the game,” Waugh said. “All you can say about Phillip Hughes is he’s done everything expected of him.”He’s scored runs under pressure, he’s obviously in the frame for a Test spot in South Africa and he comes out and gets 150 and 80-odd not out in the second innings. That shows to me that he’s got fantastic temperament and can handle pressure and that, at the top level, is probably the main ingredient.”Whatever combination Australia choose for South Africa, the squad will be under intense pressure as a series loss would hand their opponents the No. 1 Test ranking. Waugh said while there were some similarities between the current group and the side he joined in the 1980s, he felt Ponting’s men would remain near the top of world cricket for some time.”We’re in much better shape now than we were in the mid-80s,” he said. “The big difference was that we lost 20 players out of the system. We had 16 players go to the rebel tour of South Africa. Lillee, Marsh and Chappell [retired], so that was a massive chunk of Australian cricket gone. It really was the new beginning.”It’s not as if we’re going to drop back and be the seventh or eighth best side. I still think we’ll be in the top two or three sides in the world for quite a while to come.”

Lots of Manchester City supporters have reacted to reports that Phil Foden has been offered a new contract with the club.

According to the Daily Star (via City Xtra), the highly-rated academy graduate has been offered a new six-year contract worth £150,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium.

The 21-year-old already has 124 senior appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 31 goals and registering 22 assists after making his debut in November 2017 against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Last season was Foden’s best to date, scoring 16 goals in all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s side reached the Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history.

After appearing in the European Championship for England during the summer, he is now one of City’s key players and he is set to be rewarded for his positive progression. He is currently on £40,000 per week, potentially seeing him earn almost quadruple his current wage if the latest reports come to fruition.

City fans react to Foden contract rumours

These Man City supporters took to Twitter in response to the City Xtra account to make their feelings known about the potentially “outrageous” contract extension for Foden.

“150k is still too low imo but I suppose he’s still only 21”

Credit: @UnrealFoden

“40k a week that’s outrageous, he deserves the 150 so much man”

Credit: @CitySouljaa

“150K sounds about right, he’s proven himself at this level and then some. He’s not yet an undisputed starter and still very young so no need to offer much more wages as it would only cause problems long term imo”

Credit: @JanYoUnchained

“The best young player in the league”

Credit: @Basseysamuel998

“Even £150,000 doesn’t seem enough for the lad”

Credit: @CitehSte

“about time, he deserves a pay increase”Credit: @aezl21

In other news, a former Premier League star insists City will re-visit transfer situation. Find out more here.

With a draw always on the cards on a flat deck, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, said he was pleased with the way his team performed at the National Stadium

Cricinfo staff25-Feb-2009
With the pitch not offering much to the bowlers, Mahela Jayawardene resorted to utilising his non-regular bowlers during Pakistan’s innings © AFP
With a draw always on the cards on a flat deck, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, said he was pleased with the way his team performed at the National Stadium, barring the minor blip in their second innings in the final session on the final day, when they lost half their side in quick time.”I think we always knew that the way the wicket played it would be tough for a result,” Jayawardene said after the fifth day’s play. “We dominated probably for four days in this Test. I am quite happy that we batted really well upfront and our bowlers bowled their heart out for long periods. So it’s a good effort.”Jayawardene felt bowlers would be an “endangered species” if there were more such tracks at the international level. “The wicket didn’t misbehave at all; as a batsman I don’t think I have complaints. I think even our bowlers also wanted to bat on that wicket. It’s always going to be tough for the bowlers if you want to play for a result,” he said. “I’m quite happy finishing the first Test with a very good result for us and I’m looking forward to the next one.”We knew batting first will be always crucial and we put a lot of pressure on them. We had our opportunities and a couple of chances with Younis [Khan] upfront. If we would have held on to those, probably [the result] would have been different so I am quite happy the way things went.”Pakistan were the team under pressure after Sri Lanka scored 644 for 7, but Younis Khan led their reply with a triple-century, eventually helping them gain a lead. “I thought he batted really well, especially his approach. He played lots of shots and controlled the innings,” Jayawardene said. “He batted with concentration for quite a period of time. It was a brilliant knock and because of him we couldn’t create more opportunities to win the match. He was a bit unfortunate to get out this morning going for that [Lara’s] record. I think Dilhara [Fernando] bowled well to him throughout the match and deserved that wicket.”One Sri Lankan batsman who failed to utilise the conditions was their new opener Tharanga Paranavitana. He bagged a golden duck on his first outing and was run out for 9 in the second. “Tharanga is a very talented cricketer. He probably wasn’t really himself but I am sure after the first game under his belt he will feel much more comfortable going into the second one,” Jayawardene said. “Not many guys on their debuts have batted really well. It was a good experience for him. It’s fine as long as he learns from his mistakes and keeps improving.”

Cricinfo traces Uttar Pradesh’s path to the final of the Super League of the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2009

Can Mohammad Kaif lead Uttar Pradesh to a win against Mumbai? © Cricinfo Ltd
Round 1, v Andhra in Meerut

Scorecard
Centuries from Mohammad Kaif and Tanmay Srivastava fetched UP three points for the earning the first-innings lead. Srivastava and Kaif added 285 at nearly three runs an over. Srivastava hit 16 boundaries in his 154, while Kaif managed two more in his 144. For Andhra, LNP Reddy missed a century but AG Pradeep compiled his first first-class century. Andhra were comfortably placed at 222 for 4 but Praveen Kumar struck in quick succession to reduce them to 238 for 6. However, a 107-run stand between M Suresh (46) and Pradeep made sure they weren’t bowled out cheaply. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then took three wickets in the space of four runs to hasten the end before Kaif and Srivastava ensured UP started their campaign well.Round 2, v Baroda in Vadodara

Scorecard
In a closely fought game UP hung on to the vital first-innings lead courtesy a gritty partnership between Kaif and Amir Khan. Chasing 264, UP had slipped to 97 for 6 on the final day but Kaif, batting low at No. 7, and wicketkeeper Khan played out 30.5 overs to ensure a draw. Kaif chipped in in the first innings as well to ensure they snatched the lead. Down to 9 for 3 in reply to Baroda’s 235, Uttar Pradesh recovered despite Irfan Pathan’s 5 for 71. Half-centuries from Srivastava and Kaif and a fine rear-guard effort from Praveen Kumar enabled UP to cross Baroda.Round 3, v Tamil Nadu in Ghaziabad

Scorecard
L Balaji celebrated his return to first-class cricket with a five-wicket haul to help Tamil Nadu crush Uttar Pradesh by an innings and 238 runs. Dinesh Karthik made his highest first-class score to push Tamil Nadu past 500 before Balaji and C Ganapathy combined to bundle out UP for 119. Faced with a daunting deficit of 357, UP began cautiously as their openers added 36 in 17 overs. Ganapathy broke through for Tamil Nadu, sending back Shivakant Shukla to trigger the collapse. Only four players managed double figures and the resistance was feeble as Balaji and Ganapathy pegged away at the wickets, finishing the formalities in just 43 overs, with a day to spare.
Piyush Chawla has taken 23 wickets and also made vital runs © Cricinfo Ltd
Round 4, v Maharashtra in Kanpur

Scorecard
This eight-wicket victory was Uttar Pradesh’s first outright win of the season, and moved them up to No. 3 in Group B. Shivkant Shukla hit 131 and added 137 runs with Parvinder Singh to charge UP to a lead before Piyush Chawla (3 for 42) and slow left-armer Praveen Gupta (3 for 55) bowled out Maharashtra for 221 in the second innings. Shukla fell for 16 in UP’s chase, but Srivastava and Parvinder scored at a fair clip to clinch the victory in 36.5 overs.Round 5, v Railways in Delhi
Uttar Pradesh 346 (P Kumar 98, Raina 66, Kartik 3-60, Karan 3-73, Singh 3-86) and 150 for 6 dec (Srivastava 62, Parida 2-7) drew with Railways 200 (Goud 78*, Chawla 5-33, RP Singh 3-81) and 215 for 8 (Rawat 80, Bangar 70*, B Kumar 5-35)
ScorecardA determined Sanjay Bangar and Mahesh Rawat, playing with viral fever, helped Railways hang on for a tense draw, after Uttar Pradesh had reduced them to 33 for 6, then 77 for 7. UP declared 5.5 overs into the final day, and 33.4 overs and seven wickets later were in sight of a big win. But Bangar and Rawat frustrated them for close to two-and-a-half hours, before Bangar and Anureet Singh batted out 13.2 overs to keep the visitors at bay. Yere Gowd had done the same in the first innings with a stodgy unbeaten 78 to help Railways avoid the follow-on after Chawla took a five-for. UP were left to rue their slow batting in their second innings when they added only 150 runs in 55.3 overs.Round 6, v Karnataka in Bangalore
Karnataka 511 (Akhil 135, Uthappa 65, Raghu 64, Chawla 3-141) drew with Uttar Pradesh 567 (Srivastava 159, Kaif 112, Chawla 96, Aiyappa 3-108)
ScorecardWhile all about him were losing their heads, and their wickets, Piyush Chawla kept his, to score a crucial 96 and take Uttar Pradesh a step closer to the quarter-finals. Coming in just before lunch, with UP still 143 short of Karnataka’s 511, he strung together a partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, then saw two wickets fall to let Karnataka back in. UP were 55 behind when No. 10 Amir Khan came out but the two batted sensibly for the much-needed three points in this, their last league game. Meanwhile, Maharashtra denied Railways, who needed to win with a bonus point to get ahead of UP, an outright win and paved the way for UP to enter the final eight.
Tanmay Srivastava has been Uttar Pradesh’s leading run-scorer this season © Cricinfo Ltd
Quarter-final v Gujarat in Vadodara

Scorecard
This quarter-final ended in a draw and UP sauntered to the semi-final on the first-innings lead. Gujarat squandered their first-day advantage, being bowled out for 117 after restricting UP to 305. Praveen Kumar took five wickets, and was well supported by fellow medium-pacers Imtiyaz Ahmed and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who shared the remaining wickets between them, to help UP gain a massive 188-run lead. UP were in no hurry on the third day, plodding along at 2.32 runs an over to shut Gujarat out of the match. Gujarat had about two sessions to bat on the final and their batsmen crawled to 106 before the match was called off.Semi-final v Tamil Nadu in Nagpur
Tamil Nadu 445 (Mukund 100, Karthik 72, Vijay 69, Ganapathy 67*, Badrinath 65) drew with Uttar Pradesh 447 for 8 dec (Shukla 178*, Parvinder 138, Balaji 5-114)
Uttar Pradesh progress to the final by virtue of first-innings lead
Scorecard
A monumental effort from Shivakant Shukla, the fourth-longest innings in first-class cricket, took Uttar Pradesh through to their third final in four years. Both teams fought hard till the end for the vital first-innings lead. UP were the favourites to knock off the required 193 runs at the start of the final day, but a spirited L Balaji kept TN in the hunt. However, Shukla continued unflustered, playing with intense determination to steer his team into the lead with only two wickets in hand.

Successful teams in sport are those where the whole is far greater than thesum of the individual parts

David Wiseman04-Dec-2002Successful teams in sport are those where the whole is far greater than thesum of the individual parts.In cricket, each player is but one piece in thepuzzle. How well each of these 11 pieces interconnects with each other willdetermine the fate of the side.The players should know the game and playing idiosyncrancies of their teammates inside out.Who are the good and not so good runners between wickets?Who has a good throwing arm?Who should field where?Who should bowl at which end of the ground?What field should you have for each bowler, given who the batsman is?How many overs can you give the bowler before you relieve him?Steve Waugh and his Australian side know the answers to all these questionswhilst Nasser Hussain and his side are just getting to learn each other’snames. There is no way you can begin to dissect the opposition andunderstand their strengths and weaknesses until you first know your own sidewell.Australia has the advantage in that their players have been together for along time now. The side is incredibly stable.Over the last 12 months, Australia has played in 12 Tests and used just 14players. In the corresponding period, England played 16 games and used 22players.Taking a bigger time frame, the contrast becomes more stark. Over the lastthree years, Australia played 34 times and engaged the services of 21players. Over the same period, England played 40 Tests and used 37 players.The familiarity of the Australians for each other is breeding contempt forEnglish cricket. They can play on the insecurity of the Englishman who areplaying more for their own career than for the side. England are not a close-knit unit like Australia is.This is nothing new. Australia and England both started playing Test Cricketon the same day with England using 612 players in this time to Australia’s384. England has had 32 more Test Captains than Australia.England last won the Ashes in 1986/87 when they defeated Australia 2-1. Youwould have thought England would have built the nucleus of a successful teamto come around this side. The opposite occurred with some of those playersbeing rarely sighted afterwards.Chris Broad was a revelation on the tour. He scored centuries in threeconsecutive Tests, but only played in 15 more Tests after the Ashes seriesdue to supposed discipline problems. Disillusioned, he joined the 1989 rebeltour.Jack Richards was an unknown when picked for the Ashes tour. After scoring aduck on debut at the Gabba, he defiantly fought back in the second Test atthe WACA to score 133 and share in a sixth-wicket 207 run stand with DavidGower. After playing in all five Tests of the Ashes, Richards only playedthree more Tests.There is a huge chasm in culture between the two sides. There always hasbeen. Australia grooms players in the hope they will have a long andfruitful career.When England toured Australia, they infamously lost two limited-overs gameto the Australian Cricket Academy. The Academy side featured players of thefuture like Corey Richards, Brad Hodge, Ian Harvey and Ryan Campbell. Youcan visibly see the progression with Australian cricketers as they arepicked for the various state and national youth sides, followed by theirstate and finally for their country.With only 66 first-class players in Australia, competition is fierce amongplayers to retain their spots. Consequently, the Pura Cup is the bestbreeding place in the world for would-be Test cricketers.England chop and change their team with alarming regularity and that cannot be good for team morale. On the other hand, what alarms Australia isdropping more than one player per game for fear of it disrupting team unity.Just the absence of Mark Waugh alone can be felt. The slips cordon had tochange as did the batting order and Australia lost a handy part-time bowler.Australia has learnt from the experience when Greg Chappell, Dennis Lilleeand Rod Marsh all retired together.Retirements are now staggered to prevent too much upheaval in the team andin recent times, the team has benefited from having ready-made replacementsfor stalwarts such as Ian Healy and Mark Taylor.Appointing Rod Marsh is a step in the right direction for the English butmaybe the reason for the standard of their cricket dropping off and theirfailure to produce a world-class player in the last 20 years is because theydon’t care as much about the game as they used to. You can’t manufacturepassion.

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly prepared to give 18-year-old winger Harvey Elliott a first-team break in 2021/22, potentially utilising him to fill any prospective void that would be left if Xherdan Shaqiri departs for Lyon [Daily Mail].

Staking his claim for senior involvement admirably on loan at Blackburn Rovers in 2020/21, the youngster registered 18 goal contributions in 41 Sky Bet Championship fixtures; seven goals and eleven assists [Transfermarkt].

Following on from these exploits, he could now be set to be given his long-awaited opportunity this campaign.

He is reportedly in contention for a starting place against Norwich City this weekend, whilst Klopp has been impressed by his progress at the Reds’ summer training camp [Daily Mail].

Should Shaqiri leave, Elliott would likely be his direct replacement, negating the need to dip into the transfer market to purchase an alternative.

In light of this news, loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to call on their owners to invest in a new signing instead.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool fan outlet LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about the situation:

“Fsg hate us, this is one hell of an inside job”

Credit: @oni_kzz”This is appalling.”Credit: @tomtayl60265946″I though Elliott was a replacement for Gini”Credit: @wearewinnin

“Can’t wait until next season when Salah leave and where told Kaide Gordon will be his replacement”

Credit: @LKingofeurope”Excuses already coming in even tho they said they would sign if we sold them”Credit: @LukeFC_FSGOUT”Clowns, don’t want to hear any complaints when we start falling apart next season”Credit: @SnowHalliburtonIn other news, Liverpool fans react to a transfer update.