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Leeds United star Raphinha will be a Barcelona player ‘in the coming days’, according to journalist Shay Lugassi.

The Lowdown: Marsch’s comments

The Whites took on Blackpool on Thursday evening in their first public pre-season fixture, winning 4-0.

Jesse Marsch revealed after the game that Raphinha had returned to training yesterday, and that it was still undecided if the 25-year-old would travel with the squad to Australia on Sunday.

The Brazilian appears to be holding out for a move to Barcelona, despite Leeds agreeing a fee with Chelsea, and it looks as if he may just get his wish.

The Latest: ‘Deal almost done’

According to Barca Times journalist Lugassi, Raphinha will be a Barcelona player ‘in the coming days’.

He shared the news on Twitter in the last 24 hours, revealing that a ‘deal is almost done’, with just ‘final details’ left and contracts already swapped.

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The Verdict: Best for all involved

It looks as if Raphinha may well get his wish over the coming days, but it remains unclear as to what the finances involved in a potential transfer would be.

Leeds may not receive a £60m up-front fee like they could have gotten from Chelsea, but the plus side of that is he won’t be joining a Premier League rival.

Hopefully the fee will still be a respectable one, as that would then allow the club to invest in a new marquee striker, which appears to be their final piece of major business to accomplish ahead of the new season.

Adam Jones has been left thrilled by some news that he has now heard from Everton.

The Lowdown: Everton hand contract to Warrington

As confirmed by the Toffees’ official website, under-23s midfielder Lewis Warrington has now signed a new two-year deal which will keep him at the Merseyside club until the end of June 2024.

He spent the second half of this season on loan at Tranmere Rovers, where he scored one goal and supplied two assists in League Two (top-half finish as they narrowly missed out on the play-off spots.

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The Latest: Jones reacts to Warrington contract

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones was left thrilled by the update, claiming that there is a ‘lot of excitement’ over Warrington’s contract at Everton.

Sharing a corresponding article on the news, he tweeted: “Understandably a lot of excitement around Lewis Warrington’s new contract. He’s had a very strong season, both with the U23s and on loan, and certainly given himself a great platform to build.”

The Verdict: One for the future

Warrington is certainly one for the future, and his exposure to men’s football at Tranmere should help him with his eventual transition into the Everton first team when Frank Lampard feels that he is ready.

The 19-year-old has played 51 times at youth level for the Toffees over the last four seasons, scoring five goals and supplying three assists and showing his versatility by adapting to a number of different positions across the pitch (Transfermarkt).

Also, at such a fledgling age, he will surely only get better as he continues his development with the Blues, so it’s little wonder that Jones is so enthused by the confirmation of a new Everton deal for the youngster.

In other news, Everton are now ‘waiting’ to sign this 6 foot 1 colossus

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Konrad Laimer.

What’s the word?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist and transfer insider revealed that Bayern Munich are preparing an opening offer of around €20m (£17m) for the RB Leipzig midfielder, with Julian Nagelsmann believed to be a big fan of the 24-year-old.

However, Romano goes on to state that a number of Premier League sides – one of whom is reported to be Antonio Conte’s Tottenham – are also interested in a move for the Austria international this summer.

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In his tweet, the journalist said: “FC Bayern are preparing an opening bid [of] around €18/20m to begin talks with RB Leipzig for Konrad Laimer – it won’t be easy but Bayern want him. Julian Nagelsmann is pushing to sign Laimer – as Premier League top clubs are interested too. He’s out of contract in 2023.”

Paratici must move

Considering just how well suited Laimer appears to be for Conte’s tactical setup in north London, in addition to the fact that it appears as if the midfielder will be available for an extremely reasonable fee this summer, it would seem a very wise move for Paratici to launch a bid of his own for the RB Leipzig dynamo at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, according to FBref statistics, the £23.4m-rated Austrian ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for pressures per 90 minutes, as well as the top 19% for tackles, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 17% for blocks and the top 14% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

The £49k-per-week talent also impresses in attacking metrics, with FBref ranking the 24-year-old in the top 10% of midfielders for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, in addition to the top 4% of non-penalty xG, the top 13% for shots, the top 4% for assists, the top 13% for xA and the top 5% for non-penalty xG+xA throughout the last year.

As a result of these returns, FBref compare Laimer to the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, Liverpool’s Naby Keita, Barcelona duo Pedri and Gavi and Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners, demonstrating the calibre of player the RB Leipzig sensation is in and amongst.

As such, should the player dubbed an “elite presser” indeed be available for as little as £17m this summer, Paratici simply must throw Tottenham’s hat in the ring, as it is abundantly clear that Laimer signing that Conte would love to welcome to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of the club’s 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news: Spurs now set to seal “unbelievable” first summer signing, it’s a Paratici masterclass

India punted on youth, but it backfired spectacularly on a tough surface where Raj’s experience could’ve been valuable

Shashank Kishore23-Nov-2018The winds of change are here.First MS Dhoni, now Mithali Raj. Two pillars of Indian cricket have been given subtle messages that they aren’t automatic picks in T20Is anymore.Dhoni’s exclusion was for a bilateral series against West Indies and Australia. With the World T20 15 months away, the selectors felt it was an opportunity to see how good Rishabh Pant can be both in front and behind the stumps. In contrast, Raj’s exclusion came in a World T20 semi-final, against the very side that broke their hearts in the World Cup final last year.And so, as one India batsman after another squandered the launch pad set by Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in Antigua, the cameras panned to Raj. Sitting without the bib meant for substitutes, she was typically expressionless. It was the first time since her debut tour in 1999 that she wasn’t part of an Indian XI despite being available. Was it a good decision? Social media didn’t think so.If this was 2012, a women’s team selection would’ve escaped the eyes of most cricket fans in the country. At the World T20 that year, after India’s winless campaign, Raj was asked to look left and right by the cameraperson while answering questions from a lone journalist at the press conference. Why? So it appeared as if she was talking to a room full of journalists.That this call elicited debate and became a trending topic on Twitter was down to the improved visibility of women’s cricket in India. The sport is now firmly in the public consciousness and it was clear that the decision wasn’t received well by the fans.IDI via Getty ImagesThe outcome notwithstanding, it was a bold statement from the team management. Ramesh Powar’s appointment as coach on an interim basis in July started with him needing to mend a “disturbed side” that didn’t gel with his predecessor Tushar Arothe. That partly stemmed from a lack of confidence shown towards the younger players. Now, here was a coach willing to back his young players even if it meant dropping India’s biggest match-winner of two decades for a crunch game.Except, in this case, it was a costly miscalculation.India were playing the second semi-final on a used surface that was keeping low and turning square. But their batsmen kept going for their shots. Could they have taken cue from watching Australia negotiate spin earlier in the day? Meg Lanning, a fierce ball-striker, was happy to just nudge the ball around, realising that where 165 or 170 may have been par in Guyana, 140 was more than good enough in North Sound.India have largely relied on Smriti Mandhana upfront and Harmanpreet Kaur towards the end. There were question marks over Taniya Bhatia’s role as a batsman, particularly at the top of the order. Coming into the game, she averaged 9.62 from nine T20I innings. Her 66-ball 68 in an ODI victory over Sri Lanka may have tempted the team management to give her a go, but it hasn’t worked all tournament and only went unnoticed because India finished the group stages undefeated.Mithali Raj goes over cover as Sidra Nawaz watches•IDI via Getty ImagesThat isn’t to suggest Raj should’ve opened, even though her strike-rate this year has been close to 105. Or that India couldn’t win without her. After all, it was only a few days ago that they beat Australia emphatically without Raj in the XI. But in a semi-final, being able to call on her experience, would have been handy.India’s batting order was always going to be fluid. This was known on the opening day of the World T20, when Raj was pushed down below No. 7. She would be insurance against unexpected wobbles, as was the case against Ireland, when she stuck on despite the fall of wickets at the other end to make 51 valuable runs.India could have used that insurance against England too, slipping as they did from 89 for 2 to 94 for 5 in the space of eight deliveries. But that would’ve meant a change in team composition.Anuja Patil’s performance, with her low-arm, fast and street-smart offspin in her only game, against Australia, had made her key amid a clutch of other spinners in D Hemalatha, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav. India didn’t even bowl their only fast bowler, Arundhati Reddy, against England, a validation that they believed in ‘spin to win’. So, while the thinking may have stemmed from not wanting to change their bowling combination, the team management failed to weigh Veda Krishnamurthy’s effectiveness against Raj’s consistency. This tactical blunder may have been the difference between putting up 125 and then attacking with a completely different mindset, as opposed to limping to 112 and struggling to fight back.So, just like that, there is now a question mark over one of the most prolific batsmen in women’s cricket. What happens next?

Having shown strong performances in the first two ODIs, Afghanistan failed to absorb the pressure of a series-defining third match, with poor fielding and lack of partnerships in a steep chase

Mohammad Isam01-Oct-2016Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai acknowledged that his side failed to match Bangladesh’s experience during the 141-run defeat in the series-deciding third ODI in Mirpur on Saturday.”Bangladesh is a Full Member team and has a lot of experience,” Stanikzai said. “Our team played very well and gave them a tough time in the first two matches. They had experience and we had inexperience. We have learnt lot of things from these matches.”Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who had stated after the second match that Bangladesh were lucky to be in contention in the series, said his team had summed up the opposition well in the decider. In the first match, Afghanistan had run Bangladesh close, losing by seven runs, before beating the hosts in a tense chase in the second game.”The more matches you play, the better you can assess the situation. Afghanistan played better than us in the first two games and we played better than them in this game,” he said.The 2-1 win over Afghanistan was Bangladesh’s sixth consecutive bilateral ODI series victory at home, equalling India’s record for the longest consecutive bilateral ODI series streak at home (excluding their 2011 World Cup win), spanning from 2009 to 2011. Among teams from the subcontinent, only Pakistan (7) have won more.Had the crunch match against Afghanistan gone the other way, it would have put Bangladesh under pressure for the upcoming ODI series against England.Instead Tamim Iqbal, who struck a run-a-ball 118, found clarity when Stanikzai dropped him on 1 in the third over, the first of numerous fielding lapses from Afghanistan. Tamim attacked the bowlers, starting with Mirwais Ashraf who had bothered him in the first two games. By the time he was dismissed, he had brought up his seventh ton and achieved the record for the most ODI centuries by a Bangladesh batsman.Tamim knew that Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were the most threatening bowlers, so he went after Samiullah Shenwari and Rahmat Shah. He was severe on anything loose, and later said that the reprieve sharpened his focus.”I never thought that he [Stanikzai] would drop that catch,” he said. “I was trying to tell myself understand that I will do well in this innings. I knew that I was on 1 and that I had to work harder and longer to get a big score. I was trying to start afresh and just play cricketing shots.”When they came out to bat, Afghanistan did not break the chase down into partnerships, which resulted in a collapse that left them at 89 for 7 in the 26th over.Mohammad Shahzad, one of the side’s most attacking batsman, was not given any width to use his arms. Instead, Mashrafe’s disciplined line kept making him play in the first over before the Bangladesh captain got one to come back sharply at the start of the third over. Mashrafe, having injured his ankle after a fall, bowled off a short run-up later on, and ensured Afghanistan played a lot of spin before they could settle at the crease. Nawroz Mangal and Rahmat scored 33 and 36 respectively but failed to carry on. Eventually, Afghanistan’s middle order fell to shots they probably would not have played if the target was lower or they were batting first.Afghanistan will, in the course of time, learn that batting normally can also bring success in a high-pressure match like the series decider. They will also have to learn how to recover quickly from mistakes like Stanikzai’s that led to the century stand. The split-second indecisions can go away through clarity and experience. Just ask Tamim, who finished with a seventh ODI hundred, the Player-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Series awards.

They could not find a way past Pakistan in Pallekele, Sri Lanka’s openers and the verve in their pace attack will keep them in good stead moving on

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jul-2015

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Angelo Mathews (269 runs at 53.8, 2 wickets at 40)Now Sri Lanka’s bona-fide crisis manager, Mathews’ 122 in Pallekele was Sri Lanka’s best innings of the series and should have been enough to secure victory, had his bowlers been on task. As a batsman he is like a granite wall, allowing almost nothing to divert him. As a tactician though, he could be a little more flexible. But then given the inexperience in his side, he has one of the most difficult jobs in world cricket. His bowling continues to provide able support to the frontliners.

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Dimuth Karunaratne (318 runs at 53)Of the younger Sri Lanka batsmen, Karunaratne has made the most visible improvements to his game. A sucker for the whip through the legside when he began, Karunaratne now finds a substantial portion of his runs through the offside as well. He has also found the means to push beyond those middling scores. For the second series in a row, Karunaratne hit a hundred in conditions his team-mates faltered in. His up-tempo play makes the going easier for the batsman at the other end as well.Dhammika Prasad (14 wickets at 27.07)It seems downright strange that a seam bowler is Sri Lanka’s top wicket-taker from a home series, but such is the nature of this new attack. Prasad has been consistently impressive in the three Tests, finding sharp movement from just short of a length at healthy pace. He still flaunts the attitude, but has channeled his more abrasive traits into his bowling. He seems to have overcome injury concerns, but with Sri Lanka fast bowlers, you never know. Deserves a good stretch in the team and not just because fans deserve to see more of his eye-popping, nerve-shattering appeals.Dushmantha Chameera (4 wickets at 21.50, in one Test)Seems like the kind of person who would weep in apology if he trod on your toes, but has no qualms about sending 150kph cricket balls at your skull. Chameera was instrumental to that one victory in Colombo, then in characteristic fashion, was injured for the next Test. The selectors have high hopes for him.

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Kaushal Silva (222 runs at 44.40)Sri Lanka’s Geoffrey Boycott-type, only, a few inches shorter and a little more popular with team-mates. Silva’s grit helped Sri Lanka take control of the Galle Test, before they stabbed themselves in the eye and bled to death there. He was good at the P Sara too, but received some very good deliveries at Pallekele. His strike rate of 38.60 has caused a minor stir, but given it was a ball-dominated series, it’s more than forgivable.Upul Tharanga (94 runs at 47, in one Test)Not an orthodox choice for the No. 3 position, but Tharanga’s brisk 40s helped return fire during two tough new-ball spells in Pallekele. He will be disappointed for not pushing through for a more substantial innings. Sri Lanka would be foolish to let him go easily, given the international exposure he has had and the talent he clearly possesses.Nuwan Pradeep (5 wickets at 33.80, in two Tests)Was outstanding on the first day in Pallekele, but in typical Pradeep fashion, was only sporadically good the rest of the time. That bowling average keeps decreasing though, and when his rhythm is good and the ball is moving he makes batsmen grope and prod with the best of them.The eye-catching Dhammika Prasad was Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker•AFP

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Tharindu Kaushal (9 wickets at 34.22, in two Tests)How to assess his wild swings of fortune this series? Virtually won Sri Lanka the Colombo match with his first-day five-wicket haul, then basically lost the Pallekele match, on a somewhat helpful pitch, against two batsmen playing the innings of their lives. He is exceedingly raw, but supremely talented. Has a bright future if he can work on his control. May be the only surviving doosra bowler in the world. Test cricket deserves that.Dinesh Chandimal (153 runs at 30.60)Only a single fifty in the tour, but it was an important one at a difficult time. His positivity during the second innings in Pallekele eased the pressure on Mathews, who is always a little shaky in the approach to a milestone. Some feel Chandimal’s talent is wasted all the way down at No. 7, but he hasn’t yet shown the kind of consistency that deserves a top-order spot. His wicketkeeping was imperfect, but serviceable. As ever with Chandimal, there is plenty of room for improvement, but there is also container-loads of potential there.Jehan Mubarak (60 runs at 30, in one Test)Not exactly a high-octane return to Test cricket after his seven-year hiatus, but two valuable innings nonetheless. He threw his wicket away in the first innings in Pallekele, but then got an excellent ball from Yasir Shah in the second. The fifty-plus partnerships he was involved in helped Sri Lanka recover from early losses.

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Dilruwan Perera (4 wickets at 38.25, in one Test)Accurate as ever and no one tries harder, Dilruwan was usurped by the shinier Kaushal for the two final Tests. But Sri Lanka are unlikely to have seen the last of him. He lacks for a little variation, but is adept at exerting pressure on the opposition and bowling in partnerships.

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Kumar Sangakkara (102 runs at 25.50, in two Tests)Did not appear to be his characteristic high-intensity self at the crease. Hit a fifty in the first innings at Galle, and did little else of note apart from two good catches – one of them at slip. His unavailability for the third Test was also less than ideal, but as it was the former selectors who cut this deal with him, Sangakkara can’t really be blamed. He will likely be fired up for his final Test foray, against India, however.Rangana Herath (2 wickets at 109, in two Tests)Ripped Pakistan to shreds, put the shreds through a grinder, then shredded them some more when they came over in 2014. This year, the opposition were all over him. The only man he dismissed was Azhar Ali (twice), and given Azhar’s long-standing history of surrender to Herath, these two wickets barely count. How Sri Lanka missed Herath in the final, definitive sessions of the tour though. His heart will still be beating long after the apocalypse has swallowed the world, but the India series should be better indication how much more top-flight cricket Herath’s body can sustain.Lahiru Thirimanne (90 runs at 18)Thirimanne’s 2015 seems to be going the same way as his 2014; excellent limited-overs returns at the start of the year, giving way to dramatic loss of Test form through the middle months. This was a shocking series for a player as capable as he is. Perhaps he will play himself back in through the one-day format which has emerged as his strongest.Suranga Lakmal (1 wicket at 112, in one Test)Was not at his metronomic best after returning from injury for the Pallekele Test. He delivered one or two good balls, but seemed to be less effective than the more attacking seam options. Remains an important part of Sri Lanka’s wider pace battery though.

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Kithuruwan Vithanage (56 runs at 14, in two Tests)Yes, there was the manic 34 to set Sri Lanka’s Colombo chase into gear, but his reverse sweep to Yasir in the first innings of that game was …errr… not good. Perhaps a player who can work his way back up to Tests via T20s.

After Ireland and Netherlands served up a run-fest in what was meant to be an appetiser to the big clash of the day, Pakistan’s batsmen failed to get out of second gear in a disappointing defeat to India

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur21-Mar-201422:59

Crowe: Pakistan looked unsettled from the start

It was unfair to expect Pakistan to match what Netherlands did 272km northeast of Shere Bangla National Stadium. But the batting performance that came an hour or so after the six-binge at the Sylhet Stadium was a damp squib even in absolute terms.Andrew Poynter, Kevin O’Brien, Stephen Myburgh and Tom Cooper concocted the perfect appetizer ahead of an India-Pakistan game, but despite the plethora of stroke-players in both sides, the main course only had six sixes after those 30 big ones in the Ireland-Netherlands game. Boredom seeped into the Mirpur crowd as they went for the Mexican Wave as early as the sixth over of the Pakistan innings.Pakistan were underwhelming from the start, never threatening India with a spell of batting at any stage. They were restricted to 130 for 7, a below-par total by any standard. They wouldn’t have been expected to defend the total too, having defended a total below 130 only once in Twenty20s – against Sri Lanka in Hambantota two years ago.Mohammad Hafeez crawled to 15 off 22 balls as Pakistan struggled to get their run rate up in the first ten overs•Associated PressBut the biggest disappointment was their batting as a whole, which was built through four poor clusters. Mohammad Hafeez picked out the Kamran Akmal run-out as the reason for the poor start but Ahmed Shehzad and the captain himself failed to force the issue in the first six overs.Pakistan made 34 runs in the Powerplay, after which they lost the way further by losing two more wickets and adding just 16 more runs till the 10-over mark. From 50 for 3, Pakistan still had hopes from the remaining batsmen, particularly the pair in the middle – Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik – who were steadying the ship and slightly threatening. But as it happened, the danger was minimal for India.”You have to set the tone right from the start,” Hafeez said. “But unfortunately one run out at the start of the innings and the pitch – the ball was not coming on to the bat and there was some spongy bounce in it. That’s the reason we couldn’t get that total in the first 10 overs.”But still I believe that partnership between Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik gave us some hope that we can score 150 on this track. But those three overs after the 15th, we couldn’t get the momentum right and we couldn’t get that total.”In the three-over period after the 15th, Pakistan added just eight runs and lost two wickets, enough to derail them. Sohaib Maqsood tried a few angles and was briefly successful, hitting two fours and a six, but that was the only six of the innings, and it was never going to be enough in the last few overs.In the Powerplay overs, Pakistan’s average RPO is 6.95, and in the next two slots, from the seventh to the tenth over and from the eleventh to the fifteenth, they usually score at 6.70 and 8.29 per over respectively. They batted below par in those three slots, and finally in the last five, they were 34 for 4, as opposed to the 8.71 they usually get in this time.Hafeez said the wicket wasn’t good enough to have a target in mind, but bemoaned the lack of one big score. Akmal made 33, the highest score in the innings.”In a match like this, you need one big knock which unfortunately we didn’t get this time,” Hafeez said. “But still, these conditions – the ball turning – that is more suited to us against Australia and the other teams and our batting must play its role, there is no doubt about that.”As far as the opening match of the Super 10s is concerned, this was below-par. Pakistan, having always had the tag of being one of the favourites in World T20s, have to turn up with a better plan next time.

Being on the end of Kevin Pietersen in full force can make or break a bowler. Simon Kerrigan just saw it has part of his learning curve

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford06-Aug-2012If Simon Kerrigan does fulfil the predictions of many good judges by one day playing Test matches for England, the media will do well to make a headline out of anything other than his cricket. Then again, they may not need to.The quietly-dedicated slow left-armer, Kerrigan only made his Championship debut for Lancashire in 2010, but his performances since then have grabbed the headlines in a manner only international spinners tend to manage. What is more, perhaps, they have attracted high praise from shrewd judges. Last week Kerrigan claimed the 100th wicket of his first-class career; this week or next, he may make his four-day England Lions debut in an unofficial Test against Australia A. He is in the 13-man squad for the two-match series and despite the presence of fellow twirlers Samit Patel and James Tredwell, it would seem a little odd if he didn’t get his chance either at Old Trafford or Edgbaston.Yet while Kerrigan, 23, admits he is delighted to be in the Lions squad, it is entirely consonant with his approach to his cricket that he regards this week’s match on his home ground as “just another game”. To do anything else would be to risk losing the settled rhythm and calm approach that have served him so well in his brief but burgeoning career. He is already a technician, well versed in arts like drift, drop and loop which are essential items in a top-class spin bowler’s tool-kit. While he concedes that it must be “very special” to make a Test debut in front of a full house at Lord’s, as his Lions colleague Jonny Bairstow did earlier this summer, he knows that such experiences will only come about if he remains focused on his skills.”I need to look short-term,” he insisted. “It doesn’t work for me to start thinking I need to do this or that today. If you go out thinking you have to impress the selectors you end up getting cluttered in your head. If I can perform in every game then, before I know it, things like being selected for an England Lions squad can happen for me.”And when they do happen, Kerrigan makes good use of the detailed preparation offered to England cricketers. For example, he has already studied a pen-drive of the eight wickets Ian Blackwell took against Australia A in Durham’s victory over the tourists last week. But the ability to learn from his own and others’ experiences is only one of the things which have impressed coaches like Lancashire’s Peter Moores, who believes that Kerrigan has the qualities to cope with Test cricket.”Simon’s got an attacking mindset, he makes good decisions, he spins the ball hard, he’s got a quick bowling arm, he gets the right shape on the ball and he gets good players out,” said Moores. “His job is to become consistent and skilful and calm enough under pressure to deliver when it counts. If he does, he’ll get his chance in international cricket. When it’ll come I don’t know, but he’s certainly got the talent and the necessary qualities.”Moores is not alone in his assessment of the spinner. The ECB’s national lead spin bowling coach Peter Such began working with Kerrigan three seasons ago and he too has been impressed with a cricketer who may not reach his peak for some years.”Simon’s got a very good attitude to the game, he works hard and he certainly puts a shift in whether he’s practising or playing,” said Such “Other attractive qualities about his cricket are that he has a strong mind and knows his game. He has clear ideas and plans, and those plans are based around his strengths. He’s a very talented young spin bowler.”Yet for all that Kerrigan has taken 38 County Championship wickets this year, there have been days when he has been taken apart. The most notable of these was at Guildford when he encountered what might be seen as the spin bowler’s perfect storm: a slow, flat wicket, a quick outfield, shortish boundaries – and Kevin Pietersen in his most destructive pomp. On that extraordinary Friday afternoon Pietersen made 234 not out off 190 balls and seven of his eight sixes were struck off Kerrigan’s bowling. The slow left-armer’s figures were 23-0-152-1.Kerrigan’s response to that onslaught impressed his coach. “Simon didn’t back off the challenge,” said Moores “He still wanted to bowl at KP, he still wanted to set attacking fields and that’s part of his quality as a cricketer.”And on the following morning when it was clear that the final day of the game was to be lost to the weather, Kerrigan sought advice from a spinners’ symposium of Mushtaq Ahmed, Murali Kartik and Ian Salisbury, all of whom offered advice as to how to deal with a world-class batsman on the rampage.”One thing they said was give Pietersen a single and bowl at the other batsman, but that’s easier said than done when he’s hitting a four every other ball,” observed Kerrigan. “They also told me to keep putting the ball in the right area and not worry about anything else. Even if a batsman does keep hitting you for six, he’ll eventually make a mistake.”I just had to keep going and going,” he added “The only time you have been defeated as a bowler is if you have given in mentally and I felt like I didn’t do that. I kept plugging away and I learnt a lot from it. If it happens again I will be more ready for it. In some ways it is good to know that I still have a long way to go to be where I want to be. But it was still nice to see Pietersen get that 149 at Headingley because at least that showed that it’s not just me he’s does it to.”

With West Indies’ victory against England at St Kitts, has the women’s game finally got another major player on the park? Are the Awesome Foursome now the Big Five?

Jenny Roesler05-Nov-2009For years, four giants have roamed the women’s landscape; Australia, New Zealand, India and England have reigned unchallenged, sharing the spoils among them. On Wednesday, though, one of them was toppled at long, long last, when West Indies beat England – the double World Champions and Ashes holders – by 40 runs in the opening ODI in St Kitts.West Indies, of course, are not new on the scene. Representatives of different islands were part of the first World Cup in 1973 and have been promising much ever since, but only now finally delivered. At the risk of premature exclamation, it does beg the question: has the women’s game finally got another major player on the park? Are the Awesome Foursome now the Big Five?Yes, it is only one victory and we must be mindful that South Africa were giant-killers on more than one occasion in the early 2000s. We must also note that England had lost only one of their previous 24 games and, once bitten, may return to maul their hosts in the subsequent matches. Or perhaps not – West Indies’ victory was no fluke.At the World Cup in March, a youthful and inexperienced side secured fifth place under the calm counsel of young Merissa Aguilleira. Such a world ranking retained some vestiges of superficiality, given the erstwhile dominance of the top four. West Indies’ results were also celebrated as a triumph of hope over adversity. They had very nearly missed the tournament itself through board funding issues in the preceding years.Now it seems that such circumstances may have camouflaged their prowess, even if at the time their fast bowling and hard hitting had certainly raised eyebrows – and then lifted them close to the hairline in the World Twenty20, when they nearly toppled Australia with some blazing cricket.

West Indies’ victory may not make a summer but it’s hard not to get just a little bit excited. Wednesday’s win may yet have portended the beginning of a sustained period of genuine competitiveness in Caribbean cricket

The young trio of Stafanie Taylor, Stacey-Ann King and Deandra Dottin had impressed in both tournaments and, with veteran Pamela Lavine, they made West Indies a team to watch.Though they were simmering, nobody expected them to come to the boil so quickly.
Twenty-seven-year-old Cordel Jack stole the show on Wednesday with 81, her first international half-century, while Chedean Nation proved another surprise package with her first three-wicket haul for her country. Lavine added three wickets and made 49.England were supposed to be only keeping warm during their winter but in St Kitts they were scalded. They may have been without two of their major batters, in Claire and Sarah Taylor, but the line-up still managed 197, while their full-strength bowling attack was taken for 235. Debutante wicketkeeper Tamsin Beaumont must have had a shock entering a team not used to losing.Charlotte Edwards was gracious as ever in rare defeat. “Congratulations should go to the West Indian team for playing well,” she said. “They outplayed us and deserved to win, but we’ll come back fighting.”Followers of the game had been hoping that England would not pull away even from their own pack of four, with their superior funding and flexible training and availability for international representation afforded by the contracts. (Though it would be churlish, not to mention foolish, to wish the deals away, given the huge strides they represent.)West Indies’ victory may not make a summer but it’s hard not to get just a little bit excited. Wednesday’s win may yet have portended the beginning of a sustained period of genuine competitiveness in Caribbean cricket. For the game’s sake, we must hope so.
Then it will be time to search for a Super Sixth, who may be found in the guise of South Africa, who recently enjoyed beating West Indies in a one-day series in the Caribbean. But that’s a different story.

There was no place for Shahidi, who captained Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2024

Rashid Khan will lead an experienced 15-man Afghanistan squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, the ACB announced on Tuesday. Of the 15 players, eight are currently involved in the IPL.The squad has only four batters – wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, and back-up keeper Mohammad Ishaq, but the presence of six allrounders makes up for it. Alongside Rashid, the other allrounders in the Afghanistan squad are Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat and Nangeyalia Kharote.