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Who has the best chance of progressing to the knockouts, and who needs a miracle? Read all about it

Hemant Brar10-Feb-2020

Elite Groups A and B

Gujarat (29 points) and Saurashtra (28) have enough points already to ensure themselves quarter-finals spots, and even if Andhra (27) lose their last group match, their four wins will be higher than any other side they might end up tied with for the final slot.That means there are only two more slots to be filled up from Elite Groups A and B, combined. And there are seven teams – Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Vidarbha and Delhi – still in contention. Here’s what each of them needs to do.Bengal (points 26)

A win, or even a draw with a first-innings lead, will seal their place in the quarter-finals. Even if Punjab take the first-innings lead, they should be safe, courtesy their superior quotient (1.537). In fact, they can qualify even if they lose, provided Uttar Pradesh don’t get a bonus point against Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka either lose or concede a first-innings lead in a draw with Baroda.Karnataka (points 25)

Ditto. They either need to win or secure a draw with a first-innings lead to qualify for the knockouts. But if Baroda get the first-innings lead, they will have to hope Bengal beat Punjab, UP don’t win against Himachal, and Tamil Nadu don’t get a bonus point against Saurashtra.If they lose, they can still qualify if Bengal beat Punjab, UP and Tamil Nadu either draw or lose their games, and Vidarbha and Delhi don’t get a bonus point against Hyderabad and Rajasthan respectively.Bengal and Karnataka are the only teams from the combined group that can qualify even if they lose their games.Punjab (points 24)

Punjab’s fate is also in their own hands. If they beat Bengal, they qualify. They can also scrape through if they manage a draw with a first-innings lead. In that case, both Punjab and Bengal will end with 27 points, and there is a scenario where Andhra and UP too can finish with 27 points each. Then the quotient will be the tie-breaker.Uttar Pradesh (points 20)

A bonus-point win against Himachal will take them to 27 points, but even that will not guarantee them a quarter-final berth. Their best chance is if there is an outright result in the Punjab-Bengal game and Karnataka lose to Baroda or at least concede a first-innings lead in a draw.But if Karnataka win or take a first-innings lead, they would want Punjab to take a first-innings lead against Bengal in a drawn game, or Andhra to lose to Gujarat. In both those scenarios, there will be multiple teams tied on 27 points with the quotient being the deciding factor.If UP win without a bonus point, then their best chance is if Bengal beat Punjab, Baroda beat Karnataka and Saurashtra either beat Tamil Nadu or draw with them. In that scenario, they will be through without relying on the quotient. But if Karnataka win and there is an outright winner in the Punjab-Bengal game, UP will be out of the race.Abhinav Mukund marked his 100th Ranji game with a 100•K Sivaraman

Tamil Nadu (points 19)

Tamil Nadu also need many other results to go their way. Their best chance is to beat Saurashtra with a bonus point and hope that Karnataka, Punjab and UP lose their respective games. This way they will be on 26 and could be the fifth team to make the cut.If Tamil Nadu don’t win by a bonus point, they can still qualify if Karnataka, Punjab and UP lose their respective matches. In that case, it will be battle of quotients between them and Karnataka (and Vidarbha, if they beat Hyderabad with a bonus point). Right now, Tamil Nadu (1.319) have a higher quotient than both Karnataka (0.969) and Vidarbha (1.126).Vidarbha (points 18)

The two-time defending champions need a slew of results to go their way. The only positives for them are their decent quotient and that they are playing against Hyderabad, who have lost six out of their seven games. Vidarbha must beat Hyderabad either by an innings or by ten wickets, and then hope Karnataka and Punjab lose their games, and UP and TN don’t win theirs.Delhi (points 18)

Despite having the same number points as Vidarbha, their situation is even worse because of a low quotient. They need to beat Rajasthan with a bonus point and then hope Karnataka and Punjab lose their games, UP and TN at the most draw theirs, and if Vidarbha win, it’s not with a bonus point. Even after all this, they will have to ensure they end with a higher quotient than Karnataka’s. Looks like they need a miracle, right?

Elite Group C

The road to the quarter-finals isn’t any simpler in Elite Group C. Five out of the ten teams in the group are battling for the top-two slots. Here’s what they need to seal them.Parvez Rasool shares some smiles with team-mates after yet another Jammu & Kashmir victory•PTI

Jammu and Kashmir (points 39)

If they win or get a first-innings lead against Haryana, they qualify. But even if they lose, they can still progress to the quarter-finals if one of the following is met: a) Odisha either lose to Jharkhand or at the most get a first-innings, or b) Services don’t get a bonus point against Chhattisgarh.Odisha (points 35)

A victory against Jharkhand will send Odisha through. If they only manage a first-innings lead, they have to hope Services don’t win against Chhattisgarh. If Odisha lose to Jharkhand, they need Services to either lose to Chhattisgarh or at least not get a first-innings lead in a draw.Services (points 33)

If Services beat Chhattisgarh with a bonus point, they will want Jammu and Kashmir to lose to Haryana, or Odisha to not win against Jharkhand. If Services get don’t a bonus point, they can still go through without bringing the quotient into the picture provided Odisha don’t win.In fact, Services can qualify even if they manage just a first-innings lead, but in such a case Odisha will have to lose and Haryana shouldn’t win. In such a case if Odisha manage a draw after a conceding a first-innings lead, or Haryana win without a bonus point, the quotient will become the deciding factor.Haryana (points 30)

Haryana need nothing short of a win to give themselves a chance, and even then they will have to depend on others. Their best bet is to beat Jammu and Kashmir with a bonus point, and hope Services don’t win and Odisha lose or don’t get a first-innings lead in a draw. If Haryana don’t get a bonus point, they need both Odisha and Services to lose, else it will come down to the quotient.Maharashtra (points 28)

Their only – and very bleak – chance is if they beat Uttarakhand by an innings or ten wickets and then Odisha lose to Jharkhand, Services either lose to Chhattisgarh or don’t get a first-innings lead in a draw, and Haryana don’t win against Jammu and Kashmir.

Plate Group

Things are much simpler here as only Goa and Puducherry are in the race for the lone quarter-final spot from Plate Group.Goa (points 43)

If Goa win against Mizoram – with or without a bonus point – they will be the one qualifying. But if they just manage a first-innings lead, they should hope Puducherry don’t win against Nagaland.If Goa end up conceding the first-innings lead, they want Puducherry to do the same. Similarly, if Goa lose, they want Puducherry to lose as well.Puducherry (points 41)

Puducherry’s best chance is if they win and Goa don’t. If they manage only a first-innings lead, Goa should lose or at the most fetch a draw after conceding a first-innings lead. In the latter case, Puducherry would bank on their superior quotient – 2.225 as compared to Goa’s 2.080 – to see them through.

Batsman happy “mixing electrolyte drinks” if it means he can help England win series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2020Keaton Jennings has insisted that he has plenty to offer England after his recall to their squad for the Test tour to Sri Lanka, regardless of whether he can break into the side.Jennings, picked as the back-up top-order batsman in the absence of the injured Rory Burns, won his place on the tour primarily due to his record on the subcontinent: he averages 44.44 in five Tests in Asia, and his two hundreds for England have come in Mumbai and Galle.And while he hopes that his ability against the turning ball can put pressure on incumbent opening pair Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley, Jennings said that he hopes he can use his own experiences in the spotlight to help them through difficult times if necessary.ALSO READ: The Keaton Jennings recall: has the era of batting specialisation arrived?“We’ve got a few guys competing for top-order places but that’s healthy” Jennings told PA. “It’s almost like the old opening batter’s union – only you know the pressure they are feeling and what they are going through.”They [Sibley and Crawley] are two very good blokes and two guys who are working very hard at their game. Whether I get the chance or not, I’m here to help England win the series. If I play, that’s awesome, if I end up mixing electrolyte drinks then I’ll do that.”You cannot underestimate the level of support everyone offers each other in that dressing room. It becomes a family-type unit. You feel your mate’s hurt when he nicks off early doors – it’s hard to see because you have been in that situation and you can double it when you’re playing for England.”Jennings’ struggles at the top of the order in seam-friendly conditions saw him come in for heavy criticism during his second spell in the Test team, with the nadir coming in England’s series at home to India in 2018 when he averaged 18.11 across nine innings.”I’ve had an absolute battering at times,” Jennings said. “The sport section can be hard reading. But there are going to be times when you see things you don’t want to see or hear things in the street… that’s the life I’ve chosen.”I’ve got to make sure I’m big and strong enough to know where my values are. I don’t want to run away from my failures or my shortcomings. I have no issue being open and honest if it lets me put my head on the pillow at night.”If a youngster reads this, sees that someone who plays for England struggles with this stuff, it might help them learn to cope. Maybe that youngster can go on and become the best player in the country.”Even before arriving in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Jennings has had a busy winter. He travelled to Mumbai for England’s spin camp at the end of 2019 before returning for a Lancashire commercial event in January, and last month captained England Lions to their first-ever victory against an Australia A side at the MCG.”Any Australia side is up for it and always wants to compete, so to captain and to win there definitely makes me very happy,” he said.”It’s something I’ll look back on with a beer in front of my fireplace and be very proud of. There’s potential for some of the guys to go back there in a little while and recall those experiences. You live between Ashes series, that’s the way English cricket works.”

England bowler targets comeback for Sri Lanka tour after muscular injury is ruled out

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2020James Anderson says that the injury that forced his withdrawal from England’s tour of South Africa was the “most pain I’ve ever been in on a cricket field”, but insists he may yet be fit to take part in the tour of Sri Lanka in March, after being diagnosed with a broken rib.Anderson, who claimed 5 for 40 in the first innings of last week’s second Test in Cape Town, was restricted to eight overs on the final day of England’s victory push, and just two in the final session, after confiding to his team-mate Stuart Broad that he feared he had “ripped a muscle off the rib”.Speaking on his BBC “Tailenders” podcast, Anderson described how he first suspected he had a problem during an exploratory over with the new ball before lunch, but that it was his two-over burst immediately after tea, with England still needing five wickets to force victory, that confirmed his participation in the tour was about to end.”I felt a bit of side soreness from the first Test,” Anderson said. “I felt fine throughout that second Test, bowled six overs on the final morning and felt pretty good. We took the new ball just before lunch and it didn’t feel right.”I didn’t bowl again until after tea. We needed some wickets and Joe [Root] asked if I was able to have a go.”I was in the most pain I’ve ever been in on a cricket field. I couldn’t pull through properly. It was hurting every time I bowled, so I knew there was something not right.”Anderson’s initial fear was that the injury was a torn muscle, which would have entailed a lay-off of up to four months – and given that he was restricted to just four overs during last summer’s Ashes after aggravating a calf injury, that sort of prognosis could well have jeopardised his preparations for this summer’s home Tests against West Indies and Pakistan.”I was saying to Stuart Broad ‘I think there’s something really wrong here’,” Anderson said. “I thought I’d ripped a muscle off the rib, so a broken rib isn’t the worst outcome. A torn muscle would be anywhere from two, three or four months. A broken rib will hopefully be healed in three or four weeks.”The circumstances of the injury were something of a mystery to England’s medical team, who initially assumed he must have been struck in the ribs while batting.”I’d have remembered if I’d been hit,” said Anderson. “They think it is through the constant force of me bowling. The muscles were strong enough, but the bone wasn’t.”They said it doesn’t look like a stress fracture, it’s actually cracked. They said they’d not seen one like this in a bowler before.”It’s just a case of waiting for the bone to heal. I can do anything that doesn’t hurt, so hopefully my fitness won’t drop off too much. I can still do stuff in the gym.”Once the bone has healed, I can get straight back into it. It might be three weeks before the bone has healed properly, then I can get straight back into it.”Anderson’s optimism confirms his hunger to fight back from this latest set-back and extend his Test career – he is currently 16 wickets shy of becoming the first fast bowler in history to reach 600 Test wickets.ALSO READ: Ollie Pope leading the charge for England’s young gunsAnd despite intimating recently that he would be willing to skip the tour of Sri Lanka in March – where he played a bit-part role last year in England’s 3-0 series win – he is now hopeful of putting his name back in the frame, and dispelling any suggestion that, at the age of 37, his illustrious 17-year England career is about to come to an end.”I’m not ruling out being fit for the Sri Lanka trip,” he said. “Obviously I’m absolutely devastated not to be part of the last two Tests, especially having bowled really well in the second Test.”I know a lot does get talked about as you get older, but it’s more knowing within yourself. I thought I could still do it, but you don’t know unless you do it on the field.”That will help me through the next few weeks, knowing that I want to come back stronger and still play a part in this England side.”Anderson still managed to play an important role in England’s victory push, taking the catch at leg gully to dislodge the obdurate Rassie van der Dussen for 17. And he was able to take pride in the progress of a young team featuring four players under the age of 22.”I feel like we progressed as a team in that week and I’m sure they will continue to do in the next couple of games,” he said. “It was a bit subdued from my point of view, but one of the best wins I’ve been a part of.”Obviously it didn’t end well, but it made all the hard work worthwhile, proving to myself that I can still do it.

Sharda Ugra19-Aug-2011The Decision Review System (DRS), comprising the audio tracker and Hot Spot infra-red cameras, will be used for the first time in a bilateral series in India later this year. India had, till recently, strongly opposed the DRS but will now use the system in all 13 home international games before the tour of Australia in keeping with the ICC’s new guidelines that make it mandatory for Tests and ODIs.Warren Brennan, CEO of BBG Sports, which own the Hot Spot camera technology, confirmed that the BCCI had asked for the cameras to be set up in place for India’s home season. Brennan told ESPNcricinfo that four Hot Spot cameras would be in use for the five ODIs against England and three Tests against the West Indies, while two cameras would be in use during the five-match ODI series against the West Indies.During its annual conference in June, the ICC had made the DRS mandatory in Tests and ODIs with a minimum requirement of the audio tracker and infra red cameras. In its announcement, the ICC had, “unanimously recommended universal standards for the usage of technology in decision-making (Decision Review System) in all Test matches and ODIs subject to availability and commercial considerations.” The “availability and commercial considerations” were brought into play as the Hot Spot technology – the only infra-red cameras being used in cricket – is an expensive tool which must be paid for by the home boards and/or broadcasters. It is why the current Zimbabwe v Bangladesh series does not feature the DRS, with the two boards agreeing on not using it.

Hot Spot in South Africa

Brennan also confirmed that Hot Spot will be used for all international cricket in South Africa. ”We’ll be doing all of South Africa’s international cricket since they’ve just come on board, including the Australian series in October and the Sri Lankan series after Christmas,” he was quoted as saying by the . Australia play two Twenty20s, three ODIs and two Tests on the tour of South Africa. Against Sri Lanka, South Africa play three Tests and five ODIs.

The BCCI’s earlier objection to the DRS was based on its lack of belief in the reliability of the ball-tracker technology used in the DRS and the expenses involved in the Hot Spot cameras, which they pegged at US$60,000 per match, while estimates had it down to $5000 per day and a maximum of $25,000 per Test.Previously the mandatory requirements for the DRS were “clear stump mikes”, a Super Slo-Mo camera and ball-tracking technology. The new regulations have, however, left ball-tracker out of the mandatory requirements but incorporated the infra-red cameras.The acceptance and use of Hot Spot cameras will mark another step in the BCCI warming to the DRS. Hot Spot cameras were not used during the ICC World Cup earlier this year over issues of the speed of security clearances.

Ireland veteran Trent Johnston says the first-class structure needs to be in place before the country gets Test status

Brydon Coverdale in Bangalore03-Mar-2011The Ireland veteran Trent Johnston does not believe his country is ready for Test cricket despite Wednesday’s triumph over England, which he described as “the greatest performance that Irish cricket has ever put on”. However, Johnston said the Ireland team should be playing far more ODIs against the leading countries, and that they were spurred on by the ICC’s decision to cut the next World Cup to 10 teams.Johnston, 36, was captain of the Ireland side that upset Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, but he said the win over England was a greater moment considering the size of the chase and the need to prove the Associates belong at the tournament. Ireland began with a fighting loss to Bangladesh and they are now a realistic chance to make the quarter-finals, but Johnston said talk of Test promotion was premature.”I think Test cricket is probably a good while away,” Johnston told ESPNcricinfo on the morning after Ireland’s win. “We need to get things set up back in Ireland, the infrastructure and first-class setup and that sort of stuff. But one-day cricket and Twenty20, definitely, I think we proved yesterday that we can mix it with those guys.”Without a World Cup in our season I’d say we’d play those guys two or three times a year, where we should be playing them 10 times a year. If we’re doing that then we’re beating Bangladesh in our first game because we know how to win those games. That’s a big factor for us and Warren Deutrom, our CEO, has got a massive job on his shoulders to try and get us into that programme.”Last year, Ireland played four one-day internationals against Test-playing sides, two in Belfast against Bangladesh and one each against Australia and West Indies. The previous year, a one-off ODI against England, which Ireland lost by just three runs, was their only 50-over exposure to a full-member country, and this year they are scheduled to play another ODI against England in Dublin in August.But it’s at the World Cup that Ireland have really made their mark, after their St Patrick’s Day triumph over Pakistan in 2007. In that tournament they also tied with Zimbabwe and in the Super Eights beat Bangladesh, but the Irish players could be watching the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from a pub in Dublin, with pints of Guinness in hand.”We have to prove that we want to be at the top table, it spurs us on a little bit more,” Johnston said of the ICC’s decision to reduce the number of teams. “At the end of the day it’s a world game. It’s not just the elites that play at World Cups. I think we warrant our selection there and warrant being there. I think we proved that against Bangladesh and we proved it yesterday against England, and hopefully we can do the same against India.”We want to mix it with the big boys. We want to play those guys 10 or 20 times a year … We just go out there and enjoy each other’s success. I think that’s the biggest thing, we go out there as a team. Whether we go out and get flogged or we win comprehensively or we get over the line like we did last night, we enjoy each other’s success. That’s what it comes down to. We play for each other, and I honestly couldn’t say there’s too many teams in the World Cup could do that.”Johnston was speaking at the team hotel in Bangalore, where the Irish celebrations had lasted into the small hours of the morning after Kevin O’Brien’s record-breaking 50-ball century set up their three-wicket win. Phones were ringing all through the night, calls coming from friends and family back home, as well as a host of interview requests from Irish radio stations.And the success couldn’t have come at a better time for Ireland, a country that has struggled with a serious financial crisis over the past couple of years. At the same time, there has been plenty of support for a cricket team that has gone from being made up almost entirely of amateurs to now being a thoroughly professional outfit.”It’s been a tough 18 months or two years for Ireland,” Johnston said. “The economy is not doing so well and what have you, but sporting wise it gets the nation together. Yesterday would prove that. There were radio stations ringing left right and centre, and TV stations. It was just like four years ago, and that’s great. That’s one thing that we spoke about when we first came out here, was let’s try to lift a nation, let’s try to win a few games out here and it’s not all doom and gloom.”Four years ago we had two guys on central contracts and the rest of us were amateurs. Now we have 13. That makes a massive difference and we can only do that through sponsorship and great support and that sort of thing. The big thing is that it’s great for Irish cricket that we can get out there and perform on the world stage and put ourselves out there.”As long as the ICC lets them keep mixing it with the big boys.

Ricky Ponting is expected to announce his resignation as Australian captain later on Tuesday

Daniel Brettig28-Mar-2011Ricky Ponting is expected to announce his resignation as Australian captain later on Tuesday. Time has been reserved at the SCG for a “major announcement involving a senior Australian player” at 1pm Sydney time.The team for the Australia tour of Bangladesh is not expected to be named until Wednesday, but Ponting’s announcement should allow Michael Clarke to assume the captaincy on the trip, before difficult assignments against Sri Lanka and South Africa later in the year.On his arrival home from an unsuccessful World Cup defence, Ponting had said he was prepared to give up the captaincy and also move down the batting order if it was in the interests of the Australian team.”If that is what they and I believe is the best way forward for Australian cricket, that’s the way it has always been,” Ponting said, “Whatever I have done in the role to this date has always been with Cricket Australia backing – it is not as though I pick myself as captain. I am picked as captain every tour we have been on for the past six or seven years and thoroughly enjoyed that.”But if there is someone out there better and more suited to the role than me right now then I have no problems at all about that.”Glancing towards Bangladesh, Ponting was adamant in his enthusiasm for the sort of tour he might have been rested from in earlier years. “I will go to Bangladesh if selected, the team hasn’t been picked yet, and I will look forward to that tour then have a decent break after that to prepare for Sri Lanka and South Africa and the Australian summer.”As I have said for a number of months now I have never seen a finish line, I have never come up with a time or a date or a game that might be my last. What I want to do is focus my time and energies to be the best player I can be.”At 36, Ponting believes he can still enjoy the type of renaissance that has sustained Sachin Tendulkar in recent times.”I will know the right time for me not to be playing but I haven’t found that time just yet; I guess with making runs in this last game and getting that good feeling back about my batting again might be the kick start for a bit of a Tendulkar-type rebirth if you like.”Ponting has held the Australian Test and limited-overs captaincy since he took over from Steve Waugh in 2004, beginning his tenure with a 3-0 defeat of Sri Lanka. But his fortunes have waned along with those of the team as a series of retirements weakened its resources, culminating in the humiliation of a 3-1 home Ashes defeat in 2010-11.

Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan tied Pune down, exploiting the generous spin available on the DY Patil Stadium surface, and Gautam Gambhir ensured that his side motored to victory in the 17th over

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit19-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSourav Ganguly managed just 18 against his former team•AFP

It was billed as Sourav Ganguly’s payback game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Instead, it proved to be a stern examination on a turner for the Pune Warriors batsmen, and called in to question the home side’s decision to play only one specialist spinner as Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan exploited the generous spin available to tie Pune down. Kolkata, anchored by Gautam Gambhir, and under no pressure with an asking rate of below six, motored to victory, taking a big step towards making the play-offs.Unless they lose badly to Mumbai Indians in their last league game, and Kings XI Punjab manage another big win in their last match, Kolkata should be through to the knock-outs.The comfortable victory was set up by the Kolkata spin trio, who picked up five wickets for 51 runs in 11 overs, but more than that, preyed on the minds of the Pune batsmen, who struggled to score on a pitch that would have been a good test of batsmen’s skills in a Test match against quality spin, but looked out of place in a Twenty20 game.Right from the first ball that Abdulla bowled, it was clear that the batsmen were in for a hard grind. It was flighted, drew Manish Pandey forward, and spun sharply across as he missed the ball by a long way. The third was the typical left-arm spinner’s sucker ball, making Pandey push forward outside the line for the turn and going straight on to strike him in front. This was after Jesse Ryder had targeted the second ball of spin in the game, trying to smash Yusuf Pathan for six but only finding mid-off. It was the beginning of Pune’s problems.Callum Ferguson came in ahead of Ganguly, and the relative ease with which he played during his short innings made one wonder again what he had been doing in the Pune dugout for most of the season. It was the spinners’ night though, and Ferguson was left clueless as he skipped out to Shakib, only for the ball to turn a long way past his bat for Shreevats Goswami to do the rest.There was a time when left-arm spin from both ends would never be tried against Ganguly, but that time is long gone. Ganguly led a charmed life today, almost edging the ball on to the stumps and also escaping a stumping chance. He showed one glimpse of the batsman he once was, lofting Abdulla for a very straight six, but clearly, sustained big hitting on a difficult pitch was too much to expect. He departed on another failed attempt to break free, sweeping Shakib to Yusuf at backward square leg.It was not until the 13th over that Pune’s most explosive batsmen, Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh, got together. A run-rate that had remained stuck below six after the opening over forced Uthappa to go hard at Yusuf in the next over, but he swung it to deep midwicket where Lee took a sharp catch. Yuvraj was left playing the tragic hero yet again, but even he could not do much, ultimately top-edging a pull off L Balaji, who came on to bowl for the first time in the last over.Alfonso Thomas got Pune the breakthrough in the first over, getting Goswami caught behind with one that took off. That was as close as Pune came to entertaining hopes of an upset, and Kolkata’s line-up proved to be too powerful, not even requiring the services of Jacques Kallis, who had injured his finger in the field.Gambhir, as always, showed how to tackle a turning pitch, repeatedly using his feet against Pune’s spinners, Rahul Sharma and Yuvraj. He also played two delightful extra cover drives off successive deliveries against Thomas. Yusuf wasn’t far behind, making room to cut Rahul’s skiddy deliveries from off stump through short third man.That it wasn’t to be Pune’s day was evident when consecutive throws from Ferguson ran to the boundary, the latter after hitting the stumps. Not that it mattered in the end, as Kolkata were simply the superior side by a long margin.

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said performing under pressure has become India’s strength and that will hold them in good stead for the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2011MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said performing under pressure has become India’s strength and that will hold them in good stead for the World Cup where he admitted expectations will be high.”What we have done in the last three years is that we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility and we take it as an added responsibility,” Dhoni said. “Cricket is the biggest sport in India and it is widely followed. Everybody wants us to do well and we take that in a positive way. We just stick to the basics, prepare well for the game and at the end of the day we know we have got the potential to do well on the field.”One of the questions facing the India team, who play their first match on February 19 against Bangladesh, is how they will deal with the pressure of being tournament hosts along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India have failed to get past the semi-final stage in previous World Cups played on home soil. But Dhoni said he was concentrating just on the preparation. “I am ready to prepare well for the World Cup and that is what is in my hands right now.”Dhoni dodged the question of whether India were favourites for the tournament by saying: “For a change we won’t be considered underdogs.” He stuck to what has become almost a mantra for him in his time as captain in saying “processes” would take precedence over results. “I never predict much when it comes to cricket. We believe in each of us, and the support staff members are also there to help us. We believe in doing the process, so I have no prediction about the World Cup and we will just give it our best shot.”A day after England batsman Kevin Pietersen termed his side’s hectic schedule leading up to the World Cup as ‘ridiculous’, Dhoni admitted arriving at a balanced schedule was difficult. “The biggest thing in cricket is that we do criticise a lot. When we lose a game, even I have said in the past that we play too much cricket. To get the perfect balance is a very difficult task because there is a very thin line and it is not like technology where we can be close to perfection. It is an issue that will always be raised that either it will be a cramped schedule or there is too long a gap between games.”India have selected seven batsmen, four seamers, three spinners and just one wicketkeeper in their 15-man squad for the World Cup, and Dhoni said there were always players bound to miss out when you have to pick just 15 players. “We have tried to keep the best squad but you can’t accommodate everyone. You can only select 15 players, so you may miss some players who are key in some areas like a left-arm spinner or maybe a legspinner. It will always be a point of discussion, but what is important is that the 15 players who are selected right now make an impact on the World Cup.”Dhoni said he wasn’t thinking about the disappointing loss to Bangladesh – who are India’s first opponents in the 2011 tournament – in the 2007 World Cup. “I am certainly thinking about the match [against Bangladesh] positively. We may have lost in 2007, but there are plenty of positives that we can look for like the 2003 World Cup and the entire tournament we played then.”As far as the gaps between the games are concerned, we all know that it is there so what is best for us is to make a good plan to utilise it in the best possible manner. Of course, we play throughout the year, which means that in between these tense games the players will get time to relax themselves and at the same time if there are some niggles you can get over it.”It is the biggest tournament and it is the biggest thing that happens in cricket, so it is very important that you play with the best XI that your team has. You don’t want to miss many players because of injuries.”

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Everton were beaten 1-0 by Watford on Saturday afternoon, and the Goodison faithful can’t quite believe what Marco Silva said after the match.

Silva’s Everton went on a superb run of form in October and November, beating Fulham, Leicester City and Crystal Palace before a hard-earned draw at Chelsea.

Things have gone off the deep end quickly since the last second heartbreak at Anfield though, and the latest performance at Vicarage Road was absolutely woeful.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The Toffees mustered just four shots on target on Saturday as Andre Gray’s second half goal was enough to give the Hornets all three points, and once the score was 1-0 Silva’s side looked dead and buried.

This lack of fight and passion has perhaps infuriated the fans more than the actual results themselves, and they can’t believe Silva’s verdict on the match.

“We created enough chances to achieve a different result today,” the boss claimed, per Phil Kirkbride of The Liverpool Echo.

Needless to say, fans don’t exactly agree with the gaffer’s judgement on this one, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Marco…

Fans of Southampton have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Saints relayed their statement regarding the now-collapsing proposal of a European Super League.

In a statement posted on the club website, Southampton confirmed that they are in “complete opposition” to any plans for a breakaway league, and that club shares the feeling of its supporters in that the proposals involving the so-called big six sides were “borne from a position of greed” as well as “fear of true competition.”

The club also claimed that it will do “everything in its power” to prevent the plans from becoming reality, alongside the Premier League, the British government and the governing bodies of European and world football.

However, after Southampton shared their statement on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing furious at the timing of Saints’ tweet, as the statement came a number of hours after it was already rumoured that Chelsea had pulled out of the ESL, and not long before all six Premier League sides had completely withdrawn.

By contrast, the likes of Everton and West Ham had shared their disgust at the ESL idea much earlier on Tuesday, drawing massive praise.

So, what exactly did these Southampton fans have to say in reaction to the club’s statement?

“Shambolic that it took so long.”

@_supersaints

“Being the last club to issue a statement on this is not something to be proud of lads.”

@BristolSaints

“So, in the end, we published this *less than an hour* before the English clubs announced they were leaving anyway.”

@lucyhighnett

“Bit late lads.”

@europasaintsfc

“See we are as gutless off the pitch as we are on it at the moment. Basically wait for it to fall then strong condemnation. Shambles.”

@SFC_BazChez

“Issue a statement after the idea is in the bin already. Well done lads.”

@andrewhal20

In other news: Reports from Germany reveal interest in key Southampton man; claim 15% chance of summer exit – find out more here!