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Our correspondent samples Mumbai’s nightlife, explores Chandigarh on two wheels, and makes canine friends

Firdose Moonda11-Nov-2015October 28
On the road again. Well, almost. There’s a new Indian consul general in town who wants some new and different things from South Africans applying to travel to his country. Among those things is absolute proof of living and working in South Africa, for fear you may never return. All of this is only revealed while waiting anxiously in the visa office the day of the departure flight. Frantic communication ensues, but in the end, crisis averted. All aboard. This will be my third visit to the place my grandparents came from, but I will not be visiting my ancestral home of Porbunder. More’s the pity.October 29
Maximum City. Mumbai. Arrival at 8am reveals exactly what that means. The traffic always takes some getting used to.A trip that would have taken over two hours from the airport to Marine Drive a few years ago now takes only 90 minutes thanks to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link road, a marvel of engineering that goes over the ocean.Hit the ground running by starting work immediately, except that work today is to hurry up and wait. Walk to the Brabourne Stadium, via the Wankhede, to collect accreditation for the South Africa practice match against the Board President’s XI. Am led through a bureaucratic minefield. Go here, find so-and-so, go there, find someone else. Eventually, the entire afternoon later, I find the right person.October 30
The first day of long-form cricket has arrived. And how. The open press box at Brabourne allows me to soak it all in. It’s unusually hot for this time of the year, with temperatures close to 40 degrees, and high humidity, but it’s wonderful. I find a small piece of what I think is my own history – one of the dining halls at the Brabourne is called the Porbunder All Rounder. I can’t wait to tell my dad.The actual cricket meanders, as it would in a warm-up match, and South Africa’s bowlers seem a little soft, but it’s only a taster.The Open Hand Monument in Chandigarh•Firdose Moonda/ESPNcricinfo LtdThat night, three colleagues from our Mumbai office give me a proper taster of the nightlife. We head out on a street-food tour of Colaba, where I
am treated to , rose , potato cutlets with a chickpea curry, and am forced to gulp down after while getting giggled at. We end up at dive bar Gokul, where we bump into more members of the press corps. It’s a good night.October 31
A few more concerns for South Africa after only AB de Villiers manages a decent score.With so little time in Mumbai, I do the touristy thing and head to Café Leopold for a experience.November 1
Mohali-bound for the serious stuff. My only experience of Chandigarh was during the 2011 World Cup, when South Africa played Netherlands. It looks different when hosting a Test match: quieter, cosier, and at this time of year, cooler.There’s not much happening with neither team training, so get some work done and meet up with another colleague, Sidharth Monga, that evening. He introduces me to Uber, which I am embarrassed to admit I had never used before. It is to become one of my best friends over the next week.November 2
Get a first look at Mohali’s much talked about pitch, and on first glance it looks green. Looks can be entirely deceiving. South Africa are the only team training, while the Indians make their way back from Harbhajan Singh’s wedding in Jalandhar. After practice Faf du Plessis says South Africa are expecting “the worst”. He is proved right.November 3
Determined to see a bit more of India than airports, hotels and cricket teams, I have booked a cycle tour of Chandigarh for the morning. As a commuter cyclist back home, I am confident I will be able to cope, and I am not far wrong. Despite an unfamiliar bicycle and unfamiliar routes, I stay on. And I see the city. Among the stops are the Rose Garden (not in bloom at this time of year), the war memorial, the Rock Garden (not open at times when I might have visited), and the Sukhna Lake. Can’t help but feel Chandigarh is quite a strange place because it is planned. What was the plan supposed to achieve? I conclude it must be equality. Every sector has a park, a market, a residential area. It’s a nice idea.At South Africa’s open media session, Dale Steyn offers a completely different perspective about bowling on the subcontinent. He opens up about the secrets of his success here, and the insights are both informative and intriguing.Mohali hearts Kohli•Hindustan Times November 4
There are five puppies in the park close to the PCA Stadium which I decided to use as my running route. They seem about eight weeks old, with bounce and faint barks. They try to jog alongside me but only last a few metres before they are distracted and bound off. I finish my laps and stop to play with them. They enjoy the attention and I enjoy the interaction.I have decided to become a vegetarian for this trip in order to explore different cuisines. Someone has recommended Whistling Duck as place to eat at in Chandigarh. Dinner there does not disappoint.November 5
Ah, that Test match feeling. This is the start of a big summer for South Africa. Eight Test matches are the most they have played back to back in the same season since I started covering cricket, and I am excited about the prospect.Not too many people in Mohali seem to be, though. The crowd is much thinner than I expected on day one, although someone suggested it was a record low. They make up for their size with sound, singing “Happy Birthday” to Virat Kohli even as he fails with the bat. It’s a happier day for Dean Elgar, who proves innocuous no more, and for me when I discover at lunchtime that the food at the PCA is as good as it was during the World Cup. The tandoori ovens are still on the terrace, churning out fresh rotis. A ground after my own heart.November 6

Only three of the five puppies are in the park this morning. I spend most of my run scanning the surrounds for the other two. I don’t want to think about where they might be.The fast-forward action in the Test takes my mind off them, as South Africa are bowled out and more than half the match is over inside two days. But then India strengthen their position and it seems the game is only headed one way.November 7
True to their reputation of being cricket’s best travellers, South Africa fight back. Their bowlers give them a fighting chance of winning the first Test, though they will have to score the highest total of the match to do so. They don’t. The match ends with the crowd sounding like a full house.On my walk back to the hotel, I notice how alive Mohali seems. The roadside cooks are selling everything from sugar-cane juice to snacks. I stop to take pictures and admire the entrepreneurial spirit. Can’t really believe one Test is already over. It still feels like this tour has barely begun.November 8
All five puppies are back in the park again. Relief. I say my goodbyes, wishing I could take them home with me. I’m not sure what Doosra, my cat, would think of that.Fancy a cuppa (or a thousand)?•Firdose Moonda/ESPNcricinfo LtdTime off is a myth in the life of a journalist but I may actually get some. On a whim, I decide to investigate the possibility of a day trip to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple. It’s proving tricky because the rail office at the bus station is closed and private taxis are costly. But I have to try.November 9

Against all odds, manage to get a trip to Amritsar organised with a convenient and cheap taxi by the same people who did the cycle tour. Arrive in the Holy City and am amazed at how busy it is. Diwali is in two days’ time and it seems everyone is shopping. Those who aren’t are praying at the Golden Temple. It is a breathtaking sight. The structure is mirrored in the water beneath it and the colours reflect as rainbows.I am just as awestruck at the community kitchen inside the temple, which is the largest of its kind in the world. Hundreds of volunteers do everything from peeling vegetables to stirring the biggest pots of tea I have ever seen. Two different kinds of in the kitchen – machine-manufactured and handmade – both equally delicious-smelling. Anyone who wants to eat there can, but we head off to the Amritsar Bazaar for a lesson in Punjabi culture.We roam the lanes for hours, smelling spices and tasting delicacies like sweet puffed rice, gnawing on what looks like tree bark but has a honey-like taste, and sipping the best in town, The guide explains how the bazaar is the heartbeat of the city. At this time of year it feels like the lungs, stomach, kidneys and everything else as well. We have tea at a 100-year old tea shop, munch on and admire the Diwali lights. Back in Chandigarh cricket is far from the mind. It’s a topic that will be tackled tomorrow.

South Africa last played a Test series in Sri Lanka in 2006. What Hashim Amla should remember from then is that they remained in good spirits despite the heavy losses on the field and the civil war raging around them

Firdose Moonda02-Jul-2014The last time South Africa played a Test match in Sri Lanka was the year bird flu flapped its way across East Asia, Italy won the World Cup and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had the first of their three biological children. But perhaps more tellingly, the civil war was still raging in Sri Lanka in 2006. There would be cricket but it was on a collision course with real life. The South African team would have to concern themselves with both those things.Naturally, the first was their main focus initially. It had to be considering the state of the South African team that traveled to Sri Lanka. About eight weeks before the team was due to leave, CSA announced Jacques Kallis was unlikely to be able to go with them because he would be recovering from surgery to repair tendinitis in his elbow. Shortly after that, South Africa learnt Shaun Pollock would not be able to play in the first Test because he had to remain home for the birth of his second child.That was bad enough but it would get worse. About two-and-half weeks before the flight to Colombo, Graeme Smith tore ligaments in his ankle while running and was ruled out as well. Ashwell Prince was asked to stand in as captain, a significant appointment in a country with a racially-divided past because he was the first South African of colour to lead the team.Sounds familiar? Of course it does.South Africa are without Kallis and Smith this time as well but their absence is permanent. They are also under a captain of colour again and he is permanent too.Hashim Amla may not have time to consider the long-term implications of accepting the role he was once so reluctant to take up because his immediate task is more pressing. Sri Lanka is the place where South Africa last lost a Test series away from home when Prince’s depleted side was defeated.What Amla, who was part of that team, should remember from then is that they remained in good spirits despite the heavy losses and the incident in which Dean Jones called him a “terrorist” on air during a commentary stint.”The mood was pretty festive. We had a good few youngsters in the squad who had a proper introduction to the rigours of subcontinental cricket there; guys like Hashim, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers who are so integral to our current squad,” Gordon Templeton, the media officer on that tour, told ESPNcricinfo. “And then we also had a good mix of experience- Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel – so we didn’t feel like we had no one senior.”While South Africa were completely outplayed in the first Test, after the massive 624-run partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene condemned them to an innings-and-153-run loss, Templeton prefers to remember the next match where Dale Steyn claimed his first five-for away from home.”He was so young, just in his eighth match and he was very nervous,” Templeton said. “After he took those wickets, he had to address the media, one of the first times he was in front of a foreign press contingent. It was a good learning experience.”Gaining knowledge was one of the main themes of that tour. South Africa were confined to Colombo because of the ongoing violence in Sri Lanka, specifically in the north, and one of the first things they had to come to terms with was visiting a country at war. “From the moment we arrived, we could see there was a heightened security presence. We had military and police around us all the way from the airport to the hotel, much more than normal,” Templeton said.The three ODIs against Sri Lanka mark the start of South Africa’s planning for the 2015 World Cup and will see the return of Jacques Kallis to No. 3 in the batting line-up, which South Africa will build around him•AFPBecause the squad could not explore the other regions of the country, they had to make do with excursions close to the capital. Far from feeling cabin-feverish, Templeton remembers the interest in discovering local culture soared. “We went to one of the Ceylon Tea Plantations, which was quite interesting especially because a lot of us drank that tea,” Templeton said. “And then we also went to the Singer factory where a lot of South African seamstresses from Cape Town had found work. We were intrigued by the connection between the two countries.”The curiosity extended to the Liberty Plaza shopping centre, where the players spent “a fair amount of their down time,” according to Templeton, eating in the restaurants or buying trinkets. They would probably have been there on August 14, when the first match of a tri-series which also included India was washed out but then-coach Mickey Arthur wanted to have an indoor training session.”Mickey felt the bowlers needed to get a good workout and he wanted a proper practice so we went ahead with that instead of taking extra time off,” Templeton said. While they were training a bomb went off at the shopping centre, killing seven. The team found out when they got back to their hotel.”It came as a complete surprise to us because we felt safe in Colombo,” Goolam Rajah, the team manager at the time, said. “Nowhere that we had been in the city had we come across anyone who told us we shouldn’t be there or that it was dangerous. After the bomb went off we wondered if we’d been living in a fool’s paradise.”Team management met with security officials to decide what South Africa’s next move would be while Rajah fielded calls from families back home. “My wife heard about it on the radio and she was frantic. She was able to get through to me to find out we were okay but she was still worried,” Rajah said. “There were definitely concerns.”South Africa decided the best option was to leave and abandoned the tour. They had four more ODIs left to play, which were important for their build up to the Champions Trophy in India later that year. “We were disappointed that we couldn’t play those games and we didn’t want to leave a tour unfinished,” Rajah said.Arthur called the aborted tour a “disaster” and CSA organised fixtures against Zimbabwe to ensure there was game time ahead of the Champions Trophy. South Africa lost in the semi-finals to a rampant West Indies and the tournament was filed as another ‘what if’ in the long line of questions over performances in major competitions.This time South Africa are again using Sri Lanka as the springboard to begin preparations for an important global event. The three ODIs mark the start of their planning for the 2015 World Cup and will see the return of Kallis to No. 3 in the batting line-up, which South Africa will build around him. Their attack contains significant variation with the inclusion of left-armer Beuran Hendricks and Vernon Philander.Once they’ve tinkered with combinations in that format, they will move on to the Tests where only a series win will see them reclaim the No. 1 ranking they fought so long to gain. The fraction of a point that separates them from Australia cannot be closed with a positive result over Zimbabwe so if they do not gain it in Sri Lanka, they will have to wait until the home series against West Indies in December-January to begin searching for it again.Those are two big tasks which will put cricket firmly at the forefront of South Africa’s thoughts when their tour of the island begins. They’ve been back for the World T20 in 2012 and a limited-overs rubber last year but this will be different and again, they will be confronted with all the signs of real life, from their own rebuilding to that of the country they are visiting.Last year, Amla was struck by how the country had recovered from the 2004 tsunami. He said it left him feeling “humbled.” For a team in a time of transition, that is not the worst sentiment to have as they embark on a new era.

Kane Williamson is among a rare breed in New Zealand, a batsman who has the ability to last a whole day in Test cricket

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington17-Mar-2013If New Zealand escape Wellington with a draw, as England did last week in Dunedin, the weather will have aided their cause. As if on cue, a record dry summer is ending with a Test series to play. It would be unfair, though, to look past the batting of Kane Williamson in New Zealand’s second innings, which has been another reminder of an emerging talent on the world stage.Helping his team to safety at the Basin Reserve is not new to Williamson. Last year, facing South Africa, he made an unbeaten 102 against an attack featuring Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel (who took all six wickets), Vernon Philander and Marchant de Lange. It was his second Test hundred, to follow a debut ton against India, and was an important innings for someone who had not kicked on from that notable start to his career.Williamson’s career numbers do not jump off the page. A Test average of 31.86 after 22 matches is not the hallmark of a No.3, and he averaged under 40 in first-class cricket during his spell with Gloucestershire, but New Zealand are being patient with him because, beneath the statistics, there is a considerable batsman in the making. Anyone who watched his unbeaten 145 in the one-day series against South Africa will have realised that this is a batsman who can repay the faith.Clearly, he cannot be given forever to fully bed into Test cricket but New Zealand are not so rich in talent that Williamson cannot be persevered with. Both his innings in this match – he was playing very comfortably until chipping a catch back to Stuart Broad for 42 – have suggested that his average will go one way in the long term. His 135 against Sri Lanka, in Colombo, last year to help set up the series-leveling victory was a fantastic display of batsmanship.New Zealand have not had a steady No. 3 since Stephen Fleming retired. Williamson was worked over by the South Africa quick bowlers in the Test series in January, but there is no disgrace in struggling against Steyn and Philander on their home patch. Still only 22, he has been rapidly promoted up the order – his maiden hundred came at No.6, his one against South Africa at No.4 – and asked to forge a career in a tough position. Then there is the pressure of being mentioned in the same breath as Martin Crowe. That is not an easy burden to handle.Ideally, Williamson would have been offered longer to establish his game before being elevated but there is a jam for middle-order slots and less of a clamour for top-order berths in the current generation of New Zealand batsman, although Hamish Rutherford has recently gone against that trend. There is a strong argument that Brendon McCullum should be batting at No. 3, to allow Williamson time to develop at five or six, but the captain feels, and his current form is compelling, that he is best as a counter-attacker lower down.Therefore, Williamson is the man who has to be prepared to face the second ball of the innings. He has certainly been in early on many occasions. Waiting behind the 158-run stand between Rutherford and Peter Fulton in Dunedin was a novelty for him; the first-wicket partnerships of 6 and 25 in this match are more what Williamson has got used to.So far he has faced 174 balls in the second innings and rarely looked in much trouble. England reviewed for an lbw when he had 1 but an inside edge saved him. That was against a full delivery and, perhaps, England have not dragged him forward quite as much as they could have because Williamson looks comfortable on the back foot in defence or attack. The back-foot punch through the off side is becoming a trademark.New Zealand have also been smart in their recent handling of Williamson. They have left him out of the Twenty20 side since the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year. Although there are exceptions with players who instantly grace three formats, the shortest format is not the game to be honing tight techniques. That is not to say Williamson cannot adapt in the future, but right now there are a good supply of batsman in New Zealand who can give the ball a thump, far fewer who have the potential to bat for a day in a Test match. Williamson is one of those.

All Pakistan’s bowlers played their role, the fielding was as good as it has been in a long time, and two young batsmen played maturely; yet by the next game, their win against Australia could mean nothing

Osman Samiuddin at the R Premadasa Stadium19-Mar-2011What a strange kind of win this is for Pakistan. It is an impressive one; there should be no mistaking that. The first team to beat Australia in a World Cup in 35 games and 12 years was always going to have to play a big game to do it. To top the group, with just one loss, is something very few would have predicted before the tournament began.And to draw, potentially, the weakest of the qualifiers from Group B – that is just a numerical reality in this most-open tournament, not a comment on whichever side it eventually is – means Pakistan could have asked for nothing more. Yet, as much as the win should mean, it might mean nothing at all by the next game. It is that kind of an in between triumph.From the evidence of six games, from the evidence of this win, there is enough to suggest that Shahid Afridi’s pre-tournament target of a semi-final spot is eminently achievable. It was the tournament began as well, but deeds are achieved on the field, not on paper.Pakistan’s bowling won them this game. It is what always wins them games and what always makes them a contender. It is why they don’t go the way of West Indies or New Zealand, because they always have an attack that can do a job; bowl sides out in Tests, defend targets in ODIs.Umar Gul again led the way and he is increasingly becoming a pivotal figure in the campaign. Waqar Younis’ presence as coach is no coincidence, as it wasn’t when Gul went through an earlier phase of success in 2006, with Waqar as bowling coach at the time. “He’s improving day by day,” Waqar said, with a hint of pride. “He’s found his right length and he’s not only bowling straight but with some pace. He’s attacking areas where it’s hard to hit, so he’s getting better and better, which is great for the team.”There was no let-up behind him. Abdur Rehman used defence smartly as attack; Wahab Riaz recovered after an iffy start and even Abdul Razzaq clocked in. Mohammad Hafeez’s batting has hit a dip again, but his bowling has assumed greater importance and his spell at the Premadasa was the one that really took the life out of Australia’s innings.It would have been nothing without a fielding display about as sharp as any Pakistan has put together under Afridi and Waqar. Hafeez was operating a kind of Sri Lanka-like choke, darting them in but turning them also, forcing batsmen to play to short midwicket – a crucial position in any strangle – who would swoop in, stop the single and throw back to Hafeez for it to be repeated all over again, on loop.Runs and boundaries were given up only grudgingly. There were direct hits, a run-out and generally the impression that stealing singles within the circle or doubles out to big boundaries was a risk. “It’s going to get better,” Waqar said. “It makes a difference when you are playing against a bigger team and we still need to improve. But definitely today was a much better performance. We took our catches and we stopped boundaries. We did our job so we must give credit to the fielding.”The batting has more promise than before, though it remains prone to jitters. The surface wasn’t the easiest and Australia’s quicks will test most sides, but Pakistan will take particular delight in their two youngest batsmen taking them home. It is the blend in their batting through the middle that is their strength. There is experience in Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq and freshness in Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal. Younis and Misbah set up the Sri Lanka win, Shafiq and Umar this one.Umar’s hand was worthy of the Man-of-the-Match award, for he counterpunched just when Pakistan could have been knocked out, and he finished the game. But Shafiq’s 46, like the unbeaten 78 against Zimbabwe last week, caught the eye for its quiet sense and method, always full of intent but not averse to caution.Waqar didn’t hold back in his praise. “He’s becoming more and more mature every day, not only this series but even if you go back to the New Zealand series where he played some really good knocks. He’s very steady, not a big hitter, he manoeuvres the ball here and there, picks up the odd boundary. At No. 3, he’s done a superb job in the last match [against Zimbabwe] and he’s done a job today [Saturday] as well.”It is a big win, “a real achievement,” concluded Waqar. But every win from now will, unavoidably, be bigger. They will enjoy it now, Waqar said, before waiting on the permutations of who they play. They will also have to “forget it.” It’s not often Pakistan have been able to say that of a win against Australia recently, which tells, if you think about it, its own story of what this team has done and could yet do.

If patience and stoicism were not deeply ingrained in Daren Ganga, he would have already lost hope in his career as a West Indian Test player

Vaneisa Baksh in St Kitts23-Jun-2006

If patience and stoicism were not deeply ingrained in Daren Ganga, he would have already lost hope in his career as a West Indian Test player. Fortunately, they are the hallmarks of an essentially positive character because he has had to endure harsh, often baseless, criticisms over the years.At Warner Park on the second day of the third Test against India, Ganga scored his third Test century with that same patience and stoicism. He wasn’t the only one to thrive in the first innings, with Chris Gayle adding 83 and Ramnaresh Sarwan producing a superb birthday ton. What was interesting was that they all played absolutely within the parameters of their natural games – Gayle was powerful, Sarwan was stylish and Ganga was disciplined. In that framework they managed to build the best opening total that West Indies has managed through this series.For years, the West Indies team has been searching to find the right combination of skills and experience. Gayle and Sarwan, after a long period of erratic performances, seem to have reached a point of maturity. And it’s because the selectors have allowed them a measure of continuity in the team. Ganga’s temperament carries a stabilising force that is necessary for a team that is still full of dash and without direction. However, the anchor can become the albatross for a public that is impatient for action and a team that just wants to hit everything out of the grounds.So to Ganga had been thrust the Larry Gomes role, but he was only 19 when it came. It was an enormous amount of pressure for such slender shoulders. Remember, he had come to the team with a reputation for stylish, technically correct batting … and runs. The transfer from first-class to Test cricket weighed him down and one could observe that during his debut innings at Durban, when he eked out a painstaking 28 off 94 balls. What followed was a series of in-and-out appearances in the team. Until April 2003, when he scored his maiden Test century against Australia, he had only gone past fifty three times in 17 Tests.He followed it up with another century but then came another long hiatus, when he was dropped for the England tour in March 2004 after a thrashing in South Africa. Faced with apparent rejection by the selectors, Ganga assembled his trademark stoicism and projected his energy towards the Trinidad & Tobago side, which he captained. He scored 265 against the Leeward Islands in March 2005 – an innings with 36 fours and two sixes – and led his team to a double victory in the 2006 Carib Beer Series, the first regional title for the team in 21 years.One of his charges, Darren Bravo (the younger brother of Dwayne) described him as a captain who is “very supportive of players”. It’s an element he brought to the T&T team. He has been described as solid, fair, nurturing, developmental, responsible, decent, and honest. If it all sounds a bit too good to make him likeable to a bunch of young players, they do ascribe some fun to his personality. He is just a cool character.Sill, despite his calm demeanour, Ganga has been ruffled by criticism that prevails regardless of performance. Here, they were heightened by perceptions that his inclusion in the team spelled the end of the fledgling career of Runako Morton, the local boy from Nevis. Hardly had the press conference begun, when he dedicated his century to his childhood friend Sanjeev Moonan, than he was faced with a barrage of questions about the pressure to perform.

“You’ve got to turn negatives into positives,” he said calmly. “I know a lot of people were getting impatient with me with regard to my own personal game and with regards to me opening the batting with Gayle. But these things motivate me and I must add that I had a very good chat with Brian, who knew that I was under a bit of pressure and helped by seeking me out, especially at such a time. He’s been through situations such as these, he’s had his criticism and he’s bounced back.”The day before, Lara had bristled at suggestions that Morton was dropped because of politics. He mentioned that he’d had a chat with Ganga at breakfast on the first day, where they’d discussed Ganga’s different styles while playing for T&T and West Indies. “It’s all about being under pressure,” Ganga said of the contrast. “Every time I walk to the crease to play for West Indies, I’m under pressure. I need to perform. That definitely adds to it. It’s about dealing with that pressure.” He added that it had been nearly two-and-a-half years since he’d last played; indeed, he’d missed ten Tests before being recalled for the New Zealand tour this year.”I didn’t have too much match practice,” he added, “and that showed in the first two Tests [of the ongoing series]. I got starts but didn’t really convert.” He thought he’d matured in the past two-and-a-half years, and felt he’d passed a certain developing stage in his life – the Under-24-average phase – to a point of greater confidence. “To compare my average to my present form and present maturity is not a good judgment. I’ve proven myself in domestic competitions and proven myself in New Zealand.”He doesn’t sound too sure though; all through the press conference he referred to the “pressure” to perform. It is clearly a weight he still carries, though his talk with Lara seems to have eased the burden for this match. Just as he was about to finish, one of the local journalists asked, quite brazenly, “Daren, who is your godfather?” It was a stupid question, but symbolic of the continuous jabs to his self-confidence. Sarwan and Gayle found their way through the early years because someone kept the faith even when they had erratic periods. Ganga hasn’t had that stretch of stability to nurture him and ease the pressure. It is a great pity because it’s something he’s brought to West Indies cricket.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald says star allrounder Glenn Maxwell needs to play his part when it comes to using his rest and recovery periods wisely after he was briefly hospitalised following a night out in Adelaide last Friday.Maxwell has not played any cricket since Melbourne Stars’ last BBL match on January 15. Before Friday’s incident in Adelaide, he had already been rested from Australia’s three-match ODI series with West Indies as part of his management around his previously broken leg. That meant Maxwell was not due to play again until February 9 when he is set to be part of Australia’s T20I side for the three-match series against West Indies.Maxwell was invited to a golf event in Adelaide and flew from his hometown of Melbourne to play on a very warm Adelaide afternoon. He then went drinking at a pub in the evening where he passed out and was taken to the emergency room of a hospital via ambulance and was later released without being admitted.Related

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• CA investigates after Maxwell is hospitalised following alcohol-related incident

McDonald said Maxwell needed to have a look at the choices he was making after the selectors had given him an extra week off to rest before the T20I series.”I’ve spoken to Glenn, had a good chat with him yesterday around the incident,” McDonald told . “Him looking after himself needs to be a consideration moving forward. We’ve given him the opportunity to rest and rehab in that period of time and I suppose the lessons for him around that would be to take up his end of the bargain in that space and take care of himself.”We want to see Glenn Maxwell playing cricket for the next three to four years for Australia. Can he get to the next World Cup in 2027 in South Africa? Who knows. But he’s a key player in our white-ball formats. When he is out there we’re a far better team and on the back of that horrific injury that he did have, there’s going to be some management things that are put in place around him.”But we want Glenn Maxwell playing for Australia for as long as he can. We’re going to have to do our end and Glenn is no doubt going to have to hold up his end of the bargain.”All the information he’s given, he’s had a few drinks and clearly the night has ended the way that it did and that’s less than ideal from his perspective and our perspective. It’s an honest mistake. He needs to obviously have a look at what he’s doing at his end and is that the right thing to be doing at that time? Thankfully there’s no harm out of it. He’s well now.”That’s the other thing to consider in these instances, yes you can point the finger but there’s a duty of care from our end and he’s doing well and he looks as though he’ll return to play in that West Indies series in those T20 games which we’re excited for.”McDonald explained that the decision to rest Maxwell from the ODI series was on the back of the incident that had happened in November 2022 when Maxwell broke his leg in a horrific accident at a 50th birthday party. Maxwell himself said he needed “to be a bit smarter” about his management after he had to fly home from the South Africa tour last year due to soreness in his leg. McDonald added it was something he will need to do for the remainder of his career.The broken leg Glenn Maxwell suffered in late 2022 has continued to impact his recovery from matches•Getty Images

“It’s a discussion we’ve had for the last couple of weeks just around where he’s at physically, on the back of that major injury he had,” McDonald said. “It’s well over 12 months ago now. But that injury hasn’t allowed him to do the things that he’s wanted to do over a period of time and recovery is one of the biggest problems that he has had, pulling up from games. He just started to flag that at the back end of the BBL.”For those who know one-day international cricket well, it’s probably one of the most demanding formats for any player. The amount of speed they have to move at in the field and with the bat. Obviously, Maxwell being a three-dimensional cricketer, we felt it was a prime opportunity just to give him a little bit of a chop out to get ready for the T20s.”That’s going to be an ongoing management problem with Glenn, we believe. We had some good results in the World Cup but also if you think back to before the World Cup, going to South Africa, we had to pull the same lever in terms of managing where his body is at. So it’s got to be a consideration for him, how he looks after himself moving forward for the longevity of his career. But we’ve also got to weigh into that with the way that we manage him and we feel as though this is the best for him at this point in time.”Maxwell had an outstanding ODI World Cup for Australia, however he did miss a game due to concussion after falling off the back of a golf cart.Meanwhile, uncapped Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland had been called into Australia’s ODI squad for the West Indies series as a replacement for injured paceman Nathan Ellis.

MatériaMais Notícias

A ampliação do prazo para negociações entre equipes brasileiras para o dia 20 de abril não deve mudar a estratégia do Corinthians no mercado. Além do fator financeiro delicado, a avaliação da diretoria sobre as opções no futebol nacional também não empolga o clube alvinegro na busca por reforços.

Embora exista o interesse em reforçar o elenco com um meio-campista e um atacante, a filosofia corintiana é contratar somente peças diferentes do que a equipe já possui, o que o Timão não enxerga em outros clubes no Brasil. A ideia é ter substitutos a altura de Renato Augusto e Yuri Alberto, principalmente do primeiro, que não possui regularidade nas atuações, por conta de problemas físicos e da idade avançada.

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O mercado do interior de São Paulo, após a disputa do Paulistão, também não empolga o estafe corintiano. O único atleta que ‘encheu os olhos’ do clube alvinegro foi Chrystian Barletta, que se destacou pelo São Bernardo e foi contratado por R$ 6 milhões – valor por 50% dos direitos econômicos.

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O Timão não buscou qualquer outro jogador de equipes ‘caipiras’. Houve uma avaliação positiva do volante Richard Ríos, que disputou o Estadual pelo Guarani, mas a busca pelo atleta não aconteceu porque a avaliação interna é que o jogador faz uma função onde o Corinthians possui um leque de opções. Ríos fechou com o rival Palmeiras.

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Além de Barletta, o Coringão contratou outros dois atletas para esta temporada: o lateral-esquerdo Matheus Bidu e o atacante Ángel Romero. Ambos foram adquiridos antes do início do Paulistão e por conta de carências que a equipe tinha: um substituto para Lucas Piton, vendido para o Vasco, e também para Gustavo Mosquito, que sofreu uma grave lesão no joelho no fim do ano passado – ainda que Romero não esteja exercendo a mesma função, mas por conta das opções táticas do técnico Fernando Lázaro.

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Scotland captain adds two wickets to half-century with bat as home side maintain 100% start

ECB Reporters Network31-May-2024Allrounder Kathryn Bryce played the starring role as The Blaze maintained their 100% cent record with a fourth win from four in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, defeating Central Sparks by 10 runs at Trent Bridge.Bryce top-scored with 57 for out of 134 for 6 for The Blaze, sharing partnerships of 55 with sister Sarah and 40 with South African allrounder Nadine de Klerk, with Sparks seamer Emily Arlott taking 2 for 23.She then took 2 for 28 with her medium pace, with Blaze skipper Kirstie Gordon taking 2 for 22 as Sparks fell short despite the efforts of Katie George, captain Eve Jones and Courtney Webb in reply.Invited to bat on a cloudy afternoon, The Blaze lost both openers in the powerplay. England’s Tammy Beaumont, having helped Arlott’s loosener round the corner for a first-ball boundary, promptly miscued to midwicket. Teresa Graves hit Grace Potts to extra cover, where Eve Jones took a fine one-handed grab.Kathryn Bryce had an escape on 17 when she was put down at midwicket as she and Sarah plundered 55 in 44 deliveries before Sarah holed out to deep midwicket, leaving The Blaze 71 for 3 in the 11th.The Scotland skipper reached the half-century milestone for the second time in as many matches when she paddle-scooped George for her eighth boundary from 44 balls, following up by sweeping Baker for her ninth but was leg before trying to give the same treatment to the next delivery.De Klerk’s run-a-ball 19 ended with a second catch for Jones at extra cover. Arlott limited Marie Kelly’s contribution to a single but Ella Claridge and Josie Groves added potentially valuable late runs.Needing 6.75 per over, Sparks were behind the clock and three wickets down after their batting powerplay. They had lost Chloe Brewer to a fine catch by substitute fielder Michaela Kirk at deep midwicket, Davina Perrin to a tame return catch and Abbey Freeborn leg before to be 20 for 3.Jones, reprieved on 9 after walking on a caught-and-bowled by offspinner Lucy Higham that umpires Amy Clark and Anthony Harris ruled did not carry, was joined by Webb and by reaching the halfway point with no further losses the pair kept their side at least in contention.But that changed in the course of two tight overs as Sparks captain holed out to long-on off legspinner Josie Groves and Webb was caught by keeper Sarah Bryce off a steepling top edge off Higham, pushing the required rate up to nine, Pavely falling to a superb catch at midwicket by Ella Claridge as the last 30 deliveries began with 46 needed.Arlott hit two boundaries but was bowled by Bryce, leaving 20 needed off the last over, which despite the efforts of George proved too much.

Mumbai Indians tend to use Jasprit Bumrah as their trump card in the back end of the bowling innings, given that is where a lot of T20 games are won and lost and having his skills when the pressure is that high is always useful. But the man himself would like to have a crack at oppositions much earlier.”Of course, you want to make an impact early on when the ball does something,” Bumrah said after he came in to bowl the second over against Punjab Kings and picked up two wickets straightaway – and one later – to help prevent Punjab Kings from chasing down 193.”Because in this format, probably the ball does swing for the first two overs. And when I want to bowl more, I do play Test cricket. That is where all my desires for bowling more gets over. In this format, when the ball swings for the first two overs, you do want to make an impact and when the opportunity comes, I’m happy to contribute.”Related

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This year’s IPL is witnessing increased scoring rates and record-breaking totals. Bumrah, however, has managed to be as miserly as ever, going at a scarcely believable economy rate of 5.96. He has also picked up 13 wickets in seven matches, which puts him top of the tree.”Obviously this format is a little difficult for the bowlers because the batsmanship is going up,” he said. “With the time restrictions [over-rate penalties] as well and the Impact Player rule, that does not help the bowler too much because the batting line-up becomes deeper and deeper and the bowler becomes half the bowler when you get an extra option.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“But I feel like all of those things are not in your control. What you can do is try to prepare to the best of your ability and back yourself in any situation because all of that will then put you in a good space of mind and you can go out there and execute with a smile on your face.”Do his team-mates look to him to provide guidance when they are at the top of their mark?”Whenever there’s an opportunity. I do relay a message from wherever I am. But sometimes in the heat of the moment, it’s difficult to pass on a lot of message,” Bumrah said. “But yes, I am always there if anybody needs help because you don’t want to give too many messages as well because the bowler is already under pressure and when too many messages come, you don’t land here or there, you land in the middle.”

Italian club Roma plan to use Everton to sign Brazilian wing-back Wesley from Flamengo, with both clubs owned by American owner Dan Friedkin.

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Roma to use Everton to buy Wesley due to shared ownerToffees could sign full-back for €30m and loan him to RomaFace competition from Juventus for the signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Italian club could loan Wesley from Everton should the English side sign him for €30 million (£26m/$35m), according to in Italy.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Roma owner Dan Friedkin completed a takeover of Everton by purchasing a 98.8 per cent stake in the club from Farhad Moshiri in December 2024. The multi-club ownership situation could allow Everton to purchase Wesley and send him on loan to Roma as a way to circumvent UEFA’s Financial Fair Play.

THE ROMA SITUATION

Roma appointed former Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini as the successor to Claudio Ranieri, who took up a role in Roma’s management. One of the key positions in Gasperini’s style of play in wing back and this has been Roma’s main focus for reinforcement.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WESLEY AND ROMA ?

Wesley’s transfer could become Gaseprini’s first signing at Roma but they face a stiff challenge from Italian giants Juventus. For Wesley his adventure at the Club World Cup ended when Flamengo were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the round of 16.