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In the seven ODIs so far against New Zealand and Australia this season, England’s pace attack has struggled to take wickets up front

Andrew McGlashan06-Sep-2015The cry of ‘handball’ might have been expected when England played on Saturday. But in San Marino rather than at Lord’s. Instead, it happened during the second ODI, not even in the pre-match game of football that the cricketers now enjoy so much. The hand in question belonged to Ben Stokes, who, in the judgement of the third umpire, wilfully blocked the path of Mitchell Starc’s throw towards the stumps.For the rest of match Stokes sat on the balcony wearing the stern face of someone who had just been the victim of a harsh red card. Yet while those on either side of the debate threatened to tie themselves in knots over the rights, wrongs, maybes and, heaven forbid, the spirit of cricket, there was one fact that should be under no dispute: it was another convincing win for Australia, leaving England a distant second best.Amid his frustration over the Stokes incident, Eoin Morgan did manage to say, “I don’t think it was the winning and losing of the game.” But when Glenn Maxwell removed Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali shortly after there was no doubt England were done.Barring three wins in a row now for England (or two and some rain) they will end an Ashes summer with an ODI series defeat as they did in 2009 and 2013. Trevor Bayliss watched from Sydney as England went toe-to-toe with New Zealand earlier this season and arrived in the country to read glowing reports of the revival of the team’s one-day fortunes.He was unlikely to have been drawn in by the hype beyond, perhaps, being buoyed by the fact that England were willing to embrace new ideals. Yet as he sat huddled in a thick jacket on a chilly, early-autumn day, he will have been reminded that this will be a significant challenge of his white-ball pedigree.Barring his own thoughts on obstruction, he will not have had to make too many additional notes, either, to those taken at the Ageas Bowl. Australia’s innings followed a similar pattern: a solid base at the top (albeit with David Warner’s injury) and a power-packed innings, this time by Mitchell Marsh, to lead a final-ten surge. England did not manage as many middle-over wickets as in Southampton, although they exercised reasonable control: Australia scored 74 from the 20th to the 35th over.And that brings us to the crux. One-day batting orders – particularly for the two sides on show in the series – are threateningly deep: Mitchell Starc and Liam Plunkett are impressive No. 10s. But in turn that puts the onus on wicket-taking rather than defending. It is why Brendon McCullum endorsed attack – sometimes to the level of four slips – for such long portions of an innings.Adil Rashid’s four-wicket haul in Southampton was an encouraging display – and he nabbed Steven Smith for a second time at Lord’s – but he, and England’s other change-bowling options – are having to operate on the back of very little damage inflicted at the top. Steven Finn’s dismissal of Joe Burns was the only reasonably early wicket, when he was bowled in the ninth over, which Morgan acknowledged was a disappointing return given conditions.It continued a trend. In the seven ODIs against New Zealand and Australia so far this season, on only one occasion have England had the opposition more than two wickets down at the 25-over mark. That was at Edgbaston when New Zealand were flinging the bat chasing over 400. Batsmen are allowed to play well, and England have bowled against some in-form players, but a picture is emerging of a one-day pace attack that lacks a cutting edge.England shuffled the pack at Lord’s, bringing in Plunkett for the rested Mark Wood, but the end result was not vastly different. The pacemen were four right-armers. Plunkett nudged the speedgun over 90mph, but when he found the edge of Maxwell’s bat before he had scored there was no one at slip to try for the catch (what would Brendon say?) Plunkett’s pace is about the fastest an England bowler achieves at the moment, but 90mph is the exception rather than, for example, Pat Cummins who is regularly over the mark.It is not that Australia have plucked out huge numbers of the early wickets – at 25 overs England were two down at the Ageas Bowl and three down at Lord’s – but with Cummins’ speed, Starc’s yorkers and Nathan Coulter-Nile’s splice-jarring aggression, Steven Smith has clear wicket-taking options to turn to. And that does not mention the golden arms of Marsh or Maxwell or those on the sidelines: Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and James Faulkner.It is a reminder, as was the World Cup final, that Australia are a notch above. On days when they are off target the ball can fly, but Australia have long put a high value on outright pace. For example, in 2009 and 2010 England felt the full force of blistering spells by Brett Lee and Shaun Tait at Lord’s.The two pitches so far in the series were flat, although not without decent pace and carry. That is how it should be in one-day cricket. While, ideally, the ball should hold the edge over the bat in Tests, in one-day cricket there is no problem with it being the other way – not that the occasional low-scoring scrap would not be enjoyable. It means a tough life for the bowlers, but they need to find a way.However, for England there is no point trying to match something you do not have – or at least not in abundance. You have to work with what is on offer. They have some variety sat on the bench. The combative David Willey has no great pace – even his dad, Peter, said that in an engaging feature shown during T20 finals day – but he is a left-armer who swings it.Reece Topley, the Essex but soon-to-be Hampshire left-armer, has also been added to the squad. Again, he won’t push the speed much past the low 80s but he can bowl a good yorker and, as he showed in the T20, is shrewd with the slower ball. While it would not frighten the Australians, it might make them think. Failing that, they could hope for a helping hand.

A plethora of “experts” who have spent the last few weeks repeating the myth that Moeen is a “part-time” spin bowler may now afford him a little more respect

George Dobell at Headingley22-Jun-2014Two wickets to the good and with his confidence soaring, Moeen delivered the first “doosra” of his international career. Not just the first doosra of his career, but the first bowled by an England bowler in Tests. It was a significant moment in English cricket history.It was not hard to pick from the hand – it is slower and more floaty than his normal offbreak – but it drew a respectful “well bowled” from Mahela Jayawardene and it may well have given him the confidence to bowl it more often. Most of those who believe the delivery cannot be bowled without throwing did not even notice it happen.”I was feeling pretty confident so I thought ‘why not bowl one’?” Moeen said afterwards. “It’s the first one I’ve bowled. I just wanted to do a job for the team first. I’m not as confident to bowl it with the red ball as I am with the white ball. He played it quite well, but he did sort of say it was alright.”He is improving, too. He has a close relationship with Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal, who has returned to Worcestershire for a stint as an overseas player, and has spent many hours working with him in the nets. Ajmal has shared the secrets of his doosra with Moeen and, he says, nobody else. In recent weeks, Ajmal has watched Moeen bowl 30 or 40 doosras in succession in practice. While there is a long way to go before Moeen’s doosra is anything like Ajmal’s, it is worth remembering that Ajmal only learned the delivery in his mid-to-late 20s. Moeen, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Wednesday, has time on his side.The knives were out for Moeen Ali long before he bowled on Sunday afternoon. “He’s useless,” the pundit in the press box roared when Alastair Cook finally threw Moeen the ball. “He can’t bat and he certainly can’t bowl.”The pundit’s opinion is, up to a point, understandable. Having heard the England coach, Peter Moores, describe the spin position as “a weakness” after the Lord’s Test and having heard the captain, Cook, describe the spin position as “a cause for concern,” it would seem natural to conclude that neither of them had much faith in Moeen’s spin bowling.It was a view that could only have been reinforced when Cook, despite the dry pitch and an off-colour display from his seamers, seemed reluctant to trust his spinner until the 56th over. It was beginning to be hard to understand why they had selected him.And it was a view that could have only been reinforced by the plethora of “experts” who have spent the last few weeks repeating the myth that Moeen is a “part-time” spin bowler. Experts who have clearly not spent much time at New Road watching Moeen fulfil the main spinner’s role for Worcestershire for much of the last few years.Perhaps he will now be afforded a little more respect. While he is a long way from proving his long-term viability as a Test spinner, Moeen did at least show on the third day here that he is far from the bits and pieces player that he has been dismissed as by some.Swann to coach England spinners

Graeme Swann, who retired from international cricket in December after claiming 255 wickets in 60 Tests, is to take on a part-time role working with England’s young spinners.
“Peter Such is the head of the spin department at the ECB,” Swann told the ECB. “He has asked me to talk to bowlers. So at Lord’s I’ll sit down with the spinners who might be asked along, like Simon Kerrigan, Adam Riley, Scotty Borthwick, just to try and impart some advice or knowledge about Test cricket, because it is different to county cricket. I was lucky to go on a couple of tours and not play so I learned a lot then.”
Swann also defended his decision to retire mid-way through the Ashes tour in the winter, insisting that his elbow injury had given him little option.
“If I could bowl at half of what I thought was acceptable in Test cricket I would have done,” Swann said. “You’re walking out on a million-pound-a-year job – nobody is going to do that on a whim. I don’t think people realise how bad my elbow is. I can’t rotate it so can’t get any spin on the ball. If I bowled now, I’d bowl garbage.”

His first wicket was that of Kumar Sangakkara. That is the Sangakkara who had just become one of only four men in history to score seven successive half-centuries in Test cricket and the Sangakkara with more than 11,000 Test runs to his name.But, having turned a couple sharply enough to demand the batsman’s respect, Moeen drifted one into the left-hander. This one did not turn, or turned very little, and though Sangakkara pushed forward, the dip and drift defeated him and he was struck on the pad and trapped lbw. It could have been Graeme Swann bowling. It was exactly the way Swann tortured so many left-handers.Moeen Ali claimed two important wickets•Getty ImagesBetter was to come. Two balls later, Lahiru Thirimanne pushed forward at another bowled from round the wicket and, having been drawn into playing the ball on middle and leg by the drift, was beaten past the outside edge by one that turned sharply and hit the top of off stump. It was, by any standards, a lovely piece of bowling. “It’s the best ball I’ve bowled on TV,” Moeen said.Moeen has now taken 93 first-class wickets since the start of 2012 at an average of 32.18. They are not extraordinary figures, certainly, but they compare well with most other spinners who have been utilised by England in Test cricket in recent years. James Tredwell, by contrast, has taken 49 (at an average of 45.12), Monty Panesar has claimed 153 (at 30.77 apiece), Gareth Batty has taken 74 (at 30.60), Scott Borthwick has taken 71 (at 36.11), Simon Kerrigan 140 (at 29.31) and Samit Patel has taken 63 at 47.09. Adil Rashid, who has not played Test cricket, has taken 60 (at 41.58). Whether Moeen is a Test class spinner remains to be seen, but on those figures, he has a good argument to be considered among the best available to England at present. Calling Moeen a part-timer spinner is simply factually inaccurate.If England are demanding instant success, he may not be the answer. If they are building for the future, he may well be worth some perseverance.Besides, England’s failings here have not been caused by the absence of a world-class spinner. Instead they have dropped catches – Chris Jordan was the latest to put down a straightforward chance, reprieving Dimuth Karunaratne in the slips on 12 – let a strong position slip when batting – they lost their last seven wickets for only 54 runs having surpassed the Sri Lankan total with eight wickets in hand – and then bowled with unusual lack of control or even sense. The manner that James Anderson and Stuart Broad – bowling far too short and often too wide as well – wasted the new ball at the start of the Sri Lankan second innings may yet cost England this match.Complacency surely cannot have been an issue. A team that has now won any of its last seven Tests and was defeated in the World T20 by Netherlands has no reason for anything of the sort.They should not be complacent about their over-rate, either. After being fined for a slow-rate in the Lord’s Test, England have again failed to bowl the minimum number of overs demanded in a day here.One day the ICC will look at the pitifully small crowds which have now become the norm in Test cricket and act to prevent such self-defeating practices. They will suspend a high-profile captain and focus the minds of the players on the demands of the spectators. But until they do, the punters will continue to be asked to pay ever more for less and continue to drift away from the game.

The performance by Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann in Mumbai was one of the greatest slow-bowling double acts in England’s history

David Hopps26-Nov-2012There has arguably never been an England spin bowling partnership like it. Not in a single Test. Not where two England slow bowlers have shared the workload and worked together to pull off a famous victory.Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, in dismantling India at the Wankhede, and returning joint match figures of 19 for 323, have between them produced the greatest England spin double act of modern times. Perhaps of all time.This was only the fourth occasion that England spinners had combined to take 19 wickets or more wickets in a Test and the first time for 54 years since Jim Laker and Tony Lock teamed up to demolish New Zealand at Headingley.Thanks to Swann, as garrulous as ever, there is even a wonderful quote to mark the occasion when Panesar, with reference to the fact they had bowled in tandem in seven previous Tests without success, told his spin-bowling partner before the match: “Come on brother, let’s do it, let’s win one.”It was Panesar who attracted most acclaim with his match analysis of 11 for 210 but Swann is hardly overshadowed by his own return of 8 for 113. They hunted together as so few England spinners have been able to do in the past. They hunted, too, as a perfect complement to each other: one left arm and one right arm, one intense and the other free spirited.The English spin bowler is a put-upon soul, often forced to operate alone and, in England, in conditions alien to spin bowling: unresponsive pitches, chilly temperatures and captains who are always one ball away from losing faith and inviting another seam bowler on for a spell.It is therefore perhaps appropriate that one of England’s greatest spin bowling displays came from Tony Greig against West Indies in Port of Spain in 1973.It was appropriate because he only switched to offspin out of necessity during the tour because his medium pace was in danger of getting a battering. Greig took 13 wickets in the match and, even though three specialist spinners – Derek Underwood, Jack Birkenshaw and Pat Pocock – added five more, it essentially felt like a single-handed triumph. It was a great England victory, but nobody could fairly sell it as a double act.Talk of England spin combinations and attention rightly switches to Laker and Lock, the Surrey pair who along with Yorkshire’s Johnny Wardle provided the slow-bowling craft during England’s golden age of the 1950s, but it is possible to argue that when you consider the best by a pair of England spinners in tandem even they have been outdone by Swann and Panesar’s exploits in Mumbai.When Laker and Lock took all 20 against Australia in 1956, Laker had 19 of them. If that really counts as a double act, there is no doubt that Laker got all the good lines. When they shared 19 wickets more evenly against New Zealand two years later, they conceded only 108 runs, statistically far superior. But that was during a mismatch of a series. Swann and Panesar won a Test for England in India when the chips were down.The story of English spin bowling is a story of occasional triumph amid years of hardship. Swann, in the past few years, has challenged that perception. He now has a partner alongside him.Enjoy it while it lasts because history suggests it rarely lasts very long. Who knows, it could even be over by Christmas. Were it to prosper enough for England to win the series, it would be remembered as long as cricket survives.

Six great England spin double acts

India v England, Kanpur, 1952Malcolm Hilton drew attention to himself at 19 when playing for Lancashire in 1948 he dismissed Don Bradman twice in a match. But he struggled to justify his overnight fame until he was called up with his Lancashire colleagues Brian Statham and fellow spinners Bob Berry and Roy Tattersall for a 1951/2 tour of India.Kanpur was a dreamlike surface for a young left-arm spinner. Hilton, Tattersall and Jack Robertson, an occasional offbreak bowler for Middlesex, took 19 wickets in the match and Hilton and Tattersall, an offspinner, opened in the second innings while Statham had a rare day of inactivity. England won by eight wickets. A successful Test career beckoned but his control deserted him as the 1950s progressed and after he was chosen as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers Of The Year in 1957, his career faded.England v Australia, Old Trafford, 1956Jim Laker’s Ashes summer in 1956 has passed into cricketing folklore. His offspin was at its peak and he demoralised Australia, with 46 wickets in the series and 19 at Old Trafford, where he took all ten in the second innings with half an hour to spare on a rain-hit final day. Never have pictures of sawdust-laden squares looked so endearing.Few would present this as a double act but Tony Lock, Laker’s spin-bowling ally with Surrey and England, was exhausted enough to feel that it was. Lock bowled 69 overs in the match, a few more balls than Laker, and denied him all 20 by removing Jim Burke, who was as obdurate as they come, in Australia’s first innings. He also caught Burke off Laker second time around. Without Lock, things might have turned out differently.South Africa v England, Cape Town, 1956-57Johnny Wardle was unfortunate that for much of the 1950s. England preferred the more aggressive qualities of Lock alongside Laker, but Laker was quick to remark that Wardle bowled some of the finest spells he had ever seen.In a series where pedestrian batting was never far away, the charms of the Yorkshire spinner, purveyor of both left-arm orthodox and chinamen (the latter frowned upon at his county) were a blessed relief. Wardle dominated in Cape Town with 12 wickets in the match. Laker, though, played a part in history when Russell Endean, fending him off, became the first batsman to be dismissed Handled Ball.England v West Indies, The Oval, 1957Kennington Oval rarely felt more like home for Laker and Lock than in the 1957 Test against West Indies. It was over in three days and West Indies, bundled out for 89 and 86, were grateful to a 21-year-old on his first England tour who made 39 and 42. Even then it was apparent that Garry Sobers was going to become a helluva player.The West Indies had been awarded five-day Tests for the first time but, unlike 1950, they failed to shine. Their spin pairing of Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine had little success and by the time of the final Test at The Oval, it was Lock, shirt billowing and bowling his left-arm spin at a fair lick, along with the more elegant Laker who held sway.England v New Zealand, Headingley, 1958England won by an innings and 21 runs in a match where New Zealand could barely get the ball of the square in their second innings, crawling to 129 in 101.2 overs (an excruciating run rate of 1.26).The weather was dreadful in 1958 and so was much of the cricket, as England won four of their five Tests at a canter, three of them by an innings. Lock had an unbelievable season, statistically, with 34 wickets at 7.47 runs each, but others found less pleasure in recollecting what was essentially a mismatch.Sri Lanka v England, Colombo, 1981-82When Keith Fletcher, England’s captain, expressed fears that the pitch for Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test had been excessively watered, , in a memorable misprint, said that Fletcher made his observation when England arrived “for early-morning bets”. These were more innocent times.Sri Lanka’s first innings had been rounded up by Derek Underwood’s brisk slow left-arm but they conceded only a five-run first-innings lead as England lost their last five wickets for 23 on the third morning. Bob Willis lambasted his colleagues as they complained about a succession of dubious umpiring decisions. His exhortations initially had little effect, but Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for eight runs, the parsimonious Middlesex offspinner John Emburey taking five in 33 deliveries, and England escaped embarrassment.And one that got away:Pakistan v England, Dhaka, 1961/2Lock and Allen shared 15 wickets, and all manner of bit-part spinners provided support, but England could not force victory in Dhaka. The main reason for that was the presence of Hanif Mohammad, one of the finest defensive batsmen in Test history, who made painstaking hundreds in both innings. Hanif is regarded by some as the originator of the reverse sweep but it is fair to say that in this Test he did not play it very often.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the fifth ODI between South Africa and India, in Centurion

Sidharth Monga at SuperSport Park23-Jan-2011The casual difficult catch
Yuvraj Singh’s USP has been making big hitting look easy, but every now and then he brings that quality to the field too. Morne van Wyk saw that happen when he hit a drive pretty hard to the left of the bowler, Yuvraj himself. Casually, Yuvraj stuck his left hand out, casually he caught it, and casually he walked towards his team-mates.The rain effect
Something seemed to have happened during the rain break at the end of the 42nd over of South Africa’s innings that affected judgement all around. First of all, the match officials chose not to take lunch during that interruption, which lasted close to an hour, and instead took another half-hour break between innings. Had it rained later in the day, washing out the match, the wastage of time wouldn’t have looked good.Then, South Africa played some crazy shots after coming back, and ran mindlessly between the wickets, losing six wickets for 19. Neither of the blunders cost much: The minimum 20 overs of play in India’s innings were completed, making it a match; and South Africa’s bowlers were good enough to defend their score.The run-outs
Tailenders can have brain freezes at times, but two of them having one in the space of three deliveries is a bit much. It was Dale Steyn first, in the 46th over, who missed an attempted big hit and set off for a single to try to get Hashim Amla on strike. MS Dhoni collected the ball, thought of throwing down the stumps, then saw Steyn didn’t seem interested in coming back, and decided to run towards the stumps. Steyn then showed some desperation to get back in, and Dhoni flicked underarm to run him out. Two balls later, Morne Morkel did the same, and was run out in similar fashion.The catch … or was it?
Parthiv Patel looked the most comfortable Indian batsman in the middle, but when he went for a cover drive off Morkel, Faf du Plessis cut his innings short. It was a low catch and he also had to go appreciably to his left. He did that with the reverse cup, and thus had to twist his hands considerably to make sure they remained under the ball. They did so when the ball arrived, but on impact it threatened to pop out, and he somehow got two fingers under the ball. However, the replays suggested the ball might have touched the ground. Full marks on the effort, but you couldn’t have been sure about that one.The reversal
When Yusuf Pathan reverse-swept Robin Peterson powerfully over point, Simon Taufel signalled four runs, and was ready for the next ball. Morne van Wyk, the fielder at sweeper-cover, however, made sure he signalled to the umpire that it was indeed a six. Replays were called in, and the right decision was made.

The three-Test series between England and India had plenty of statistical highlights. Cricinfo analyses some of the interesting ones

S Rajesh14-Aug-2007

He wasn’t always tidy behind the stumps, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s contribution with the bat was crucial to India’s series win © Getty Images
The value of partnershipsEngland’s batsmen scored three centuries in the series to India’s one; there were four century partnerships for England, twice as many as the Indians managed; yet, the series scoreline read India 1, England 0.India’s triumph in the three-Test series was a victory for collective effort over personal heroics. There were as many as 14 half-centuries, and 16 half-century partnerships, which ensured that England rarely had the luxury of getting two quick wickets in succession.The list of average partnerships for each wicket also shows that England’s top order didn’t do badly. The Indian opening pair was a revelation, but England’s first three wickets did better than India’s, while the middle order (partnerships for wickets 4-6) put together healthy partnerships as well. Where they lost out in comparison to India was in the lower-order batting – their last four wickets averaged ten runs per dismissal, which means they were as good as all out when six down. The Indians scored 17 more per partnership for the last four wickets, which translates into 68 extra runs per innings.Apart from Anil Kumble’s heroics at The Oval, the difference was the performance of the wicketkeepers. Matt Prior, apart from letting through 71 byes and dropping crucial catches, also failed with the bat, averaging 14.60. Mahendra Singh Dhoni wasn’t always tidy behind the stumps, but he was superb with bat in hand, scoring 209 runs at 52.25. Without his match-saving contribution at Lord’s, India would have only managed a drawn series.

Partnerships for each wicket

Wicket Ind – Runs Average 100s/ 50s Eng – Runs Average 100s/ 50s

First 322 53.67 1/ 1 260 43.33 0/ 2 Second 163 27.16 1/ 0 319 53.16 1/ 2 Third 223 37.16 0/ 2 268 44.67 0/ 2 Fourth 336 67.20 0/ 4 300 50.00 2/ 1 Fifth 181 36.20 0/ 2 144 24.00 0/ 1 Sixth 241 48.20 0/ 3 348 58.00 1/ 2 Seventh 181 45.25 0/ 2 51 10.20 0/ 0 Eighth 95 23.75 0/ 1 52 10.40 0/ 0 Ninth 36 9.00 0/ 0 32 6.40 0/ 0 Tenth 103 34.33 0/ 1 73 14.60 0/ 0

Partnerships for each cluster of wickets

Wicket Ind – Runs Average 100s/ 50s Eng – Runs Average 100s/ 50s

1 – 3 708 39.33 2/ 3 847 47.05 1/ 6 4 – 6 758 50.33 0/ 9 792 44.00 3/ 4 7 – 10 415 27.67 0/ 4 208 10.40 0/ 0Working out the angles”We’ve been asked different questions against the left-arm angles which we haven’t seen before,” Michael Vaughan admitted after the series, which was a tribute to the splendid bowling performances of Zaheer Khan and RP Singh. With Sreesanth off-colour through most of the series, the two left-armers were easily India’s stand-out bowlers, confusing the batsmen with their line of attack and the swing they generated. Zaheer became only the third Indian fast bowler – after Javagal Srinath and Sreesanth – to take 18 wickets in a three-Test series. As the table below shows, England’s batsmen weren’t comfortable against them no matter which side of the wicket they bowled from.

Indian left-armers, over and round the wicket

Bowler Over – balls, runs* Wickets Average Round – balls, runs* Wickets Average

Zaheer 695, 290 14 20.71 125, 63 4 15.75 RP Singh 404, 221 7 31.57 154, 110 5 22.00The swing-and-seam factorThe only batsmen who handled India’s three fast bowlers with a measure of success were Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen was immense throughout the series against all bowlers, but Cook blotted his book by falling twice to Kumble and Sourav Ganguly, against whom he managed a miserable seven runs in 41 deliveries.

England batsmen v India’s three fast bowlers

Batsman Runs Balls Dismissals Average

Alastair Cook 176 314 2 88.00 Kevin Pietersen 223 367 5 44.60 Andrew Strauss 150 376 5 30.00 Michael Vaughan 140 345 5 28.00 Ian Bell 109 141 5 21.80 Paul Collingwood 84 185 5 16.80 Matt Prior 42 117 4 10.50 Sourav Ganguly’s series was spoilt by a couple of poor decisions, but despite that he averaged nearly 50 and handled England’s three fast bowlers better than any of his mates. Whether getting into line to defend, weaving out of the way of bouncers, or caressing drives through the off side, Ganguly was mostly comfortable against the three-pronged attack of Sidebottom, Anderson and Tremlett, which bodes well for India’s next two Test series, against Pakistan and Australia.

Indian batsmen v England’s three fast bowlers

Batsman Runs Balls Dismissals Average

Sourav Ganguly 160 315 3 53.33 Dinesh Karthik 197 399 5 39.40 Sachin Tendulkar 151 416 4 37.75 Mahendra Singh Dhoni 112 176 3 37.33 VVS Laxman 149 304 4 37.25 Rahul Dravid 90 221 3 30.00 Wasim Jaffer 156 348 6 26.00 Spin supportWith the fast bowlers doing the bulk of the damage, the two spinners on show played largely a supporting role. That wasn’t quite so unexpected for England, but Kumble would have expected to play a bigger role with the ball, especially on the last day at The Oval. He did finish with 14 wickets in all at a respectable average of 34.50, but those numbers are slightly flattering, as half those wickets comprised the four bowlers in England’s line-up. Against the specialist batsmen, Kumble was distinctly second-best. On the other hand, he also ensured that India didn’t have to suffer any of the lower-order partnerships that have become the norm when they play overseas.

Kumble v England’s batsmen

Runs Balls Wickets Dismissals

Top seven 402 724 7 57.43 Last four 70 150 7 10.00 Panesar was even more ineffective against the Indian top order, but he too benefited from getting lower-order wickets. His series average of 50.37, though, is his second-worst: the only occasion he has been more ineffective was in his first series, also against India. (Click here for Panesar’s series-wise bowling averages.)

Monty Panesar v Indian batsmen

Runs Balls Wickets Dismissals

Top seven 320 605 3 106.67 Last four 83 180 5 16.60 Head-to-headsThe table below lists five of the more interesting head-to-heads: Ganguly was supposed to be susceptible to pace and bounce, but he handled Tremlett pretty well; Pietersen had a good time against Zaheer, but found RP Singh more difficult to handle; Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss had no such luck against Zaheer, while Anderson can legitimately claim to have Tendulkar’s number.

The key head-to-heads

Batsman Bowler Runs, balls Dismissals Average

Sourav Ganguly Chris Tremlett 74/ 151 0 – Kevin Pietersen Zaheer Khan 72, 143 1 72.00 Kevin Pietersen RP Singh 86, 124 3 28.67 Andrew Strauss Zaheer Khan 69, 173 4 17.25 Ian Bell Zaheer Khan 17, 30 4 4.25 Sachin Tendulkar James Anderson 69, 142 3 23.00

Barcelona will reportedly ask La Liga to start the next season with three straight away games as they prepare for a long-awaited Camp Nou return.

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• Barcelona playing home games at Montjuic
• Camp Nou is undergoing a massive renovation
• Will be thrown open in September

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to after a prolonged stay at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuic, the Catalan giants are keen to return to their spiritual home by mid-September. Hence, they are going to formally request La Liga to schedule their first three matches of the upcoming season away from home, so that they can ramp up their efforts for a partial return to the iconic Camp Nou stadium.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Although the club are targeting the fourth round of fixtures for their return, the stadium will not be fully completed at that point. Instead, Barcelona will resume playing at Camp Nou in a transitional phase, welcoming around 60,000 spectators – a little over half the venue’s future full capacity of 105,000.

  The structure will still be missing critical components, such as the third tier, and only minimal essential services will be available during this period. Fans will have to prepare for potential inconveniences: if it rains, everyone – including those in the presidential suite – will be exposed, as the full roofing will not be in place. Furthermore, many of the food and hospitality services will not be operational, and attendees will use temporary access routes.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Barcelona will maintain the digital ticketing model currently used at Montjuic for the transitional period at Camp Nou. The club will offer a digital season pass, valid only for the 2025–26 campaign, which will not be linked to a fixed seat but instead to a designated seating zone. In a shift from traditional season ticket systems, fans will be required to confirm their attendance ahead of each match. This approach, designed for flexibility amid the ongoing renovations, allows the club to manage attendance and stadium logistics more effectively during the partial reopening.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  In recent weeks, the club has laid down a temporary turf at Camp Nou – not intended for long-term use, but to support the ground's substructure and improve drainage. The permanent pitch is expected to be installed at the end of June, with an estimated rooting period of six weeks. If all goes as planned, this will allow the playing surface to be ready by mid-August.

  Barcelona could use the annual Joan Gamper Trophy fixture as a test event to welcome fans back to the stadium. However, the decision is still pending. Should the pitch be deemed unfit for competitive action in August, the event might be postponed until after the league season starts – or, alternatively, it could be hosted abroad. Switzerland, the birthplace of the club’s founder Hans Gamper, has been mentioned as a potential venue.

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Bruno Méndez e Gil formaram a dupla de zaga do Corinthians pelo segundo jogo consecutivo. No empate em 2 a 2 do Timão com o Palmeiras, na última quinta-feira, foram os dois que formaram o setor, como também havia acontecido no duelo contra a Portuguesa, em Brasília, no último fim de semana. Com isso, Balbuena perdeu espaço.

Ainda assim, a formação defensiva corintiana não indica que Bruno e Gil foram os escolhidos. O técnico Fernando Lázaro tem revezado entre os dois e Balbuena desde o primeiro jogo da temporada e pretende manter esse modelo, pelo menos até o fim da primeira fase da competição estadual.

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+Gil se redime, e Corinthians conta com brilho de Róger Guedes e Giuliano em empate no Dérbi

– Bruno, Gil e Balbuena estão participando de jogos alternados em alguns momentos por causa da demanda. Precisamos fazer alguns ajustes. Agora, Bruno e Gil fizeram dois jogos seguidos, a gente está buscando um ajuste de uma forma geral – destacou o comandante corintiano durante entrevista coletiva após o Dérbi.

– Não temos nenhuma pressa de definição, porque pode ser que haja mudanças, em outros setores também. Esses ajustes vão se definir ao longo do tempo e naturalmente. Essa primeira fase também permite isso, ir chegando a essa fase final com uma clareza maior – complementou.

+ Confira os jogos do Campeonato Paulista e faça as simulações

Além do trio, os garotos Caetano e Murillo também são opções para a zaga no elenco profissional. Ambos são crias do terrão. O primeiro já possui rodagem por empréstimo por alguns times, como Oeste, Coritiba, São Caetano, CRB e Goiás e agora será usado em definitivo no Timão. Já o segundo é mais novo, disputou a última Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, mas agrada muito ao clube. Ambos renovaram contrato com o Corinthians neste ano.

Os mais jovens podem ganhar espaço no decorrer da temporada, já que Balbuena tem contrato de empréstimo até o dia 30 de junho e até agora não houve movimentação da diretoria corintiana em procurar o Dínamo de Moscou, da Rússia, detentor dos direitos do atleta, para tentar ampliar a cessão ou comprar o atleta em definitivo. A direção corintiana tenta se assegurar na possibilidade da Fifa ampliar o prazo de permissão para a utilização da ‘cláusula da guerra’, mecanismo que foi utilizado por atletas que possuem vínculos com clubes russos ou ucranianos, que estão há mais de um ano em guerra. Eles podem suspender os seus contratos e acertar provisoriamente com outras equipes. Foi isso que aconteceu com o camisa 31 no Timão.

+ Confira as movimentações do mercado no vaivém do LANCE!

Caso a Fifa não amplie o período permitido para usar a cláusula, Balbuena dificilmente ficará no clube alvinegro e voltará para o Dínamo, com quem ele tem contrato até junho de 2025.

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Bruno Méndez é outro atleta que pode se tornar problema, mas no fim do ano. Ele tem contrato até dezembro desta temporada. O Internacional, clube no qual o uruguaio esteve emprestado até o meio do ano passado, acenou que gostaria de contar com ele novamente, mas não deve fazer grande investimento.

Assim, a zaga se torna uma incógnita para a comissão técnica, que tem revezado as principais peças que tem em mãos de acordo com as necessidades, principalmente físicas, já que dois dos três atletas da função que estão na linha de frente possuem mais do que 30 anos. Não está descartada a contratação de um atleta para compor o setor, mas se isso acontecer o intuito da direção corintiana é trazer para o clube um profissional com status de titular.

Carlos Baleba missed Brighton's third consecutive pre-season friendly match against Wolfsburg on Saturday amid transfer links to Manchester United. The Red Devils have shown interest in the highly-rated young midfielder and they reportedly even tried to offer players in exchange to secure a transfer. Brighton, on the other hand, have maintained that they won't sell Baleba this summer.

• Newcastle absent from Brighton's friendly
• Last played against Stoke City last month
• United remain interested in the midfielder

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Baleba last appeared for Brighton in their friendly against Stoke City on July 16. Since then, he has missed three consecutive pre-season games, including their clash against Wolfsburg on Saturday afternoon behind closed doors. 

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  THE EXPLANATION

  According to , Baleba's absence is not linked to his possible transfer to United. The midfielder picked up a minor knee injury in training after the Stoke City clash, which has kept him sidelined until now. On Saturday, the 21-year-old was present at Lancing and watched his colleagues beat the Bundesliga side 2-0.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Earlier this week, reports emerged that the Red Devils have shown strong interest in signing the youngster, who is considered as one of the finest prospects in the Premier League. Baleba is currently valued at £105 million ($140m) and his existing deal at Amex Stadium is valid until 2028. United even tried to include academy graduate Toby Collyer as part of a swap deal to convince the Seagulls, but the club rejected the idea. 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BALEBA?

  As of now, Brighton are not keen on letting their star player leave in this summer transfer window, while the player is also willing to continue at the club. 

He was charged by the ICC in 2021 and was found guilty in August 2023 following a hearing by an independent tribunal

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2023

Marlon Samuels was charged on four counts in September 2021 and was found guilty in August 2023•Getty Images

Former West Indies batter Marlon Samuels has been banned from all cricket for six years by the ICC after he was found guilty of corrupt behaviour during the Abu Dhabi T10 in 2019, where he was part of the Karnataka Tuskers but did not play.An independent tribunal found Samuels guilty on four counts, including accepting favours that brought himself and the game into disrepute and concealing information from the investigating authorities. He had been punished for a similar offence 15 years ago.”Samuels played international cricket for close to two decades, during which he participated in numerous anti-corruption sessions and knew exactly what his obligations were under the Anti-Corruption Codes,” Alex Marshall, the head of ICC’s HR and Integrity Unit, said. “Though he is retired now, Mr Samuels was a participant when the offences were committed. The ban of six years will act as a strong deterrent to any participant who intends to break the rules.”Related

Marlon Samuels found guilty of breaching anti-corruption code

Marlon Samuels charged under ICC's anti-corruption code

Marlon Samuels, 'the confident fellow', retires

The Abu Dhabi T10 is an Emirates Cricket Board run tournament as such it is their anti-corruption code that is in operation. By their rules, the ICC conducts all investigations into breaches made and they found Samuels had made four of them. Article 2.4.2 (by a majority decision) – Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute. Article 2.4.3 (unanimous decision)- Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official receipt of hospitality with a value of US $750 or more. Article 2.4.6 (unanimous decision) – Failing to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation. Article 2.4.7 (unanimous decision) – Obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation by concealing information that may have been relevant to the investigation.Samuels’ ban takes effect from November 11, 2023. He was initially charged by the ICC in September 2021 before he was found guilty of the offences in August this year.Samuels, who top-scored for West Indies in the final of both the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup, last played international cricket in 2018 and announced his retirement in November 2020 with over 11,000 international runs across formats. He was no stranger to controversy during his career, the lowest point of which was his two-year ban after being found guilty, in May 2008, of “receiving money, or benefit or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute”.

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O meia Paulinho, do Corinthians, é o mais novo cliente daR9 Gestão Patrimonial e Financeira, empresa do Ronaldo Fenômeno.O family office vai auxiliar o jogador em questõesfinanceiras, patrimoniais e familiares.

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+ Veja detalhes da terceira camisa e a nova linha do Corinthians em alusão ao Mundial do Japão

Além de Paulinho, a empresa também auxilia o goleiro Cássio, o atacante Róger Guedes e a lateral Tamires nasquestões extracampo.Gabriel Jesus, ex-Palmeiras e hoje no Arsenal, foi o primeiro cliente a assinar com o escritório e, no mesmo ano, se tornou sócio da empresa.

-Precisamos de pessoas boas, que coloquem a gente no caminho certo e, assim, seguir para uma linha importante. Neste pouco tempo de trabalho com o family office, eu já vejo muita diferença, pois são coisasque eu não vivenciei lá atrás. Você sabe o que você tem, das suas coisas e, desta forma, a tomada de decisão fica mais fácil – explicou Paulinho.

+ Veja tabela e simule a reta final do Brasileirão

Nesta semana, Paulinho voltou a treinar com o resto do elenco alvinegro cinco meses após cirurgia no ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo. O jogador só deverá reforçar o Timão no próximo ano.

O atletavê a aposentadoria como algo distante, mas quer estar bem preparado para o futuro. Para isso, está fazendo cursos de gestão esportiva enquanto se recupera, e com a R9, terá auxílio nas áreas de planejamento financeiro, gestão familiar e patrimonial, assessoria jurídica, fiscal e tributária.

Com sede no Rio de Janeiro e em São Paulo, a R9 Gestão Patrimonial e Financeira oferece linhas de serviço para ajudar financeiramente os jogadores, oferecendo a eles o mesmo serviço de gestão da carreira de Ronaldo.