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The biggest impact of Australia’s decision to postpone their tour to Bangladesh will be felt by the young home side, but the BCB will also be left with financial and perception challenges

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2015Australia are not coming to Bangladesh to play the two Tests so the excitement has quite easily drained out of the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Bangladesh’s home of cricket. Where there were supposed to be training sessions of two exciting young teams in the eastern and northwestern wings of the stadium, there is silence.Bangladesh cricket has not dealt with such a long silence from international cricket for more than 13 years and this will leave the average fans – millions of them – disappointed. The BCB, too, will suffer some form of a financial blow although it is unlikely to ask Cricket Australia for any compensation lest the chances of a future tour are ruined. In any case, when security is grounds for postponing a tour there aren’t many precedents of home boards claiming reimbursement. It also doesn’t help when you’re not the strongest voice among the Test-playing nations.More worryingly, the BCB has to deal with the awkwardness of a foreign team refusing to tour despite the assurances given in meetings it had arranged with the highest level of intelligence and security agencies in the country.Still, the most significant and immediate impact will be on the Bangladesh team that misses out on two very significant international matches. Test matches against Australia are rare for this team and none of the current squad has ever played one. The last Test between the two sides was held more than nine years ago.The start of the 2015-16 international season in Bangladesh was supposed to be an interesting contest between two teams facing wide-ranging challenges. One that has gone through many recent retirements and is standing at a critical juncture, and another that has a lot to prove as a Test team but was being helped along by its ODI credentials.The World Cup campaign, the continued success in the aftermath at home and the discovery of talented young players has made Bangladesh cricket a happy place in 2015. There was hope that they could crown the year with a strong performance against Australia in a format where they have shown signs of improvement. To be without international cricket for more than six months following the team’s most successful period – October 2014 to August 2015 – could set them back several steps.While the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan have had to adjust to breaks in international cricket, it will be a new challenge for players like Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman, who are just starting out with their international careers.All the squad members will be playing in the National Cricket League first-class competition for their respective divisions from October 3. But a break this long from international cricket is bound to hurt a team that has finally become consistent in ODIs and is looking to extend that into Tests. Zimbabwe aren’t schedule to arrive before mid-January when they are supposed to play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20s. Bangladesh’s last such break was a day short of six months back in 2002, between January and July.For the BCB, the impact is multiple, too. Their media rights holders, Gazi TV, are sure to query the BCB about the financial implications of missing out on two Test matches. The BCB has also sold their in-stadia and other commercial rights to a company, which now sells those to third parties that get to buy the naming rights to each series. BCB is unlikely to be touched by those parties but it will nonetheless incur some financial losses.Their plan to host the Bangladesh Premier League from November and the scheduled Under-19 World Cup would now have to go through more security reviews, assurances and clearances. While the tournaments will not be of similar importance to the Australia series, foreign players will be involved and teams could ask the same questions about security. In a relatively peaceful period in the country, a foreign team’s refusal to travel due to security concerns could be a bigger problem for the BCB.Getting VVIP-level security assurances for every team that is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in the future will be a big worry for the board, which could end up in a position of having to restore confidence in the country’s security to visiting teams when its real job is to run cricket.While a successfully run BPL may bring back smiles to fans and the Bangladesh players may recover with a good performance against Zimbabwe in January, the impact of this postponed tour could be a long-standing headache for the BCB.

Mumbai assured of a top place with a win; Delhi with a chance to draw level on points with Mumbai

S Sudarshanan19-Mar-2023

Batting in focus for Mumbai and Capitals

Both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals head into their penultimate group-stage fixture with a particular focus on their batting despite being two of the best sides in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).Related

• How Royal Challengers and UP Warriorz can qualify for the playoffs

• Metres matter, but short boundaries not the only reason for the run-fest in the WPL

Capitals’ batting floundered in their previous game against Gujarat Giants in a 148-run chase. Their batting mantra has been to go hard and that has come off whenever either of Shafali Verma or Meg Lanning has stayed in the middle for long. Capitals have used allrounder Arundhati Reddy’s bowling services in only two out of the four games she has played and she batted only in their last game. A case perhaps then for getting in an extra batter?Mumbai, on the other hand, have two batters among the top five run-getters in the tournament so far, and both of them – Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur – bat in the top order. They were hampered by a lack of firepower down the order on a slowish DY Patil track against UP Warriorz. Not a bad time for South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon, who bowls left-arm spin, to get a game.Amelia Kerr is expected to play a role with the surfaces starting to take turn•BCCI

Players to watch

Spinning tracks would increasingly mean a larger role for Amelia Kerr. She managed to get the better of an on-song Tahlia McGrath with a googly in the last game. She has had the upper hand against Lanning in internationals and could yet again challenge the Capitals captain.Capitals have benefitted from Jess Jonassen‘s all-round efforts. She has played a few handy knocks and also picked up five wickets.

Playing XIs

Mumbai Indians (possible): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Issy Wong/Chloe Tryon, 7 Amanjot Kaur, 8 Humaira Kazi 9 Dhara Gujjar, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika IshaqueDelhi Capitals (possible): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Arundhati Reddy/Jasia Akhter, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Shikha Pandey, 11 Poonam Yadav/Tara Norris

Stats and Trivia

• Mumbai and Capitals’ bowlers have the best economy rates while bowling in powerplays – 5.61 and 6.27 respectively
• The two teams have also taken the most wickets in the powerplay. Mumbai’s bowlers have taken 16 wickets combined while Capitals’ bowlers have 11

Quotes

“I think our bowlers did a fantastic job. Anytime you get 127 or so, it is a hard job to defend but our bowlers did really well to take the game to the last over.”
“Something we are working hard on is improving the last five or six overs, when we are closing out as a bowling unit. We are also tinkering with our side and the [batting] order.”

There are four matches to go and as we saw in 2005 and 1997, sides are capable of coming from behind to win Ashes series. There will be no complacency from England. But there will be confidence

George Dobell in Cardiff11-Jul-20154:01

Are new England the real deal?

It says something about the trepidation among England supporters, something about the years of hurt and disappointment, something about the number of times they have been stung by Ashes defeats that, even at the start of the fourth day, even with Australia requiring a record fourth-innings total, there was a sense of fear and foreboding around the ground in Cardiff on Saturday morning.It was not that they did not have confidence in their side. It was they did not dare have hope. It has, so often, been the hope that hurts.But there is hope for the future of this England side’s future now. By the end of a golden day – a golden four days – for England cricket, everything seemed possible. All of a sudden it seems reasonable to presume that, if you re-watch the DVDs today, Paul Gascoigne will make that slide in Euro 96, Mark Cueto’s try will stand in the rugby World Cup final of 2007 and Muhammad Ali won’t get up from Henry Cooper’s left hook at Wembley in 1963. After the Cardiff Test, almost anything seems possible in English sport.Maybe we should not be surprised. Australia’s record away from home is modest – they have now lost 11 of their last 17 away Tests and they have won only one of their last 15 Tests in England (or Wales) – while England have now won five of their last six home Tests. It is, after all, 14 years since Australia won the Ashes away from home.Suddenly, Australia are the side with all the problems. The cracks in their team – its lack of balance, its age, its injuries, its discomfort on slow surfaces, its three-man seam attack and its wicketkeeper living on past performances – can no longer be obscured. Certainly, they did nothing to disprove Jason Gillespie’s suggestion that they had a Dad’s Army look to them. In due course, we may reflect that they are, like the England side in Australia in 2013-14, at the end of their life cycle as a team.Perhaps it is too early to draw such conclusions. There are four matches to go, after all, and as we saw in 2005 and 1997, sides are capable of coming from behind to win Ashes series. There will be no complacency from England. But there will be confidence.The fact is, England looked the better side in this game. While it is true that they benefited hugely from the dropping of Joe Root in the first innings, they appeared to have more discipline with the ball and more application with the bat. In these conditions – and it is a long time since we have seen a quick Test wicket in England – their ability to bowl a “relentless” line and length, in Alastair Cook’s words, is a major asset. There is no more mileage in Australia complaining about the pitches here as there is England asking for a slower Perth wicket.Alastair Cook’s move to bring Moeen Ali back before lunch worked wonders, in a superb match for the England captain•Getty ImagesThe convenient narrative will suggest that England have been freed up by the promotion of Paul Farbrace and the arrival of Trevor Bayliss. And no doubt both have made important contributions.But this has been a performance that has been coming for some time. We saw in Antigua, in Grenada and at Lord’s that England were attempting to play a more aggressive style of cricket. We saw, from the time that Ben Stokes cemented his place in the side in the Caribbean, that England benefitted from the presence of four seamers offering slightly different angles of attack – swing, seam, pace and reliability – and offering more opportunity to keep the two strike bowlers just that little bit fresher.And we saw the benefit of a deep batting line-up with a man good enough to score an ODI century as an opening batsman coming in at No. 8. England now have depth with bat and ball and look less reliant upon one or two standout performances. There are still some questions to answer, but they are looking ever more solid as a team.That may have been the most pleasing aspect of this victory. Almost everyone contributed. Stuart Broad delivered perhaps his most consistently good performance for a long time – he has been excellent in patches, but rarely so good throughout a match – Gary Ballance and Ian Bell made the contributions they required to regain some confidence and the time England spent practising their catching practise in Spain (“we practised our catching from first thing in the morning to last thing at night,” Cook said) was rewarded with a series of outstanding efforts. Only one chance was missed; that was a significant improvement on recent efforts.Among the many positives to emerge from this match from an England perspective, one of the most surprising, was to see Cook out-captain Michael Clarke. Almost everything Cook attempted in the field worked: his decision to stick with Bell at slip was rewarded with some fine catches – and a player whose confidence was not further eroded by more demotion – while recalling Moeen Ali for the over before lunch on the fourth day brought the immediate wicket of David Warner with a fine arm ball.Equally, the decision to have a short-leg for Clarke – setting him up for the short ball – and then luring him into an unbalanced drive with his weight on the back foot was masterful. The short midwickets, the decision to give Root a bowl and the gamble with asking Broad to bowl on the third morning with the new ball just 10 overs away were all innovative and were all rewarded.Cook may well have to temper his style of batting if he is to get the best out of himself in the long term – he became a record-breaking player through accumulation, not aggression – but, in the field at least, he has never had a better game as leader.”We always tried to take the attacking option,” a modest Cook said afterwards. “But as a captain, you’re only as good as your bowlers and our bowlers were brilliant.”It was really important for this group of players to show we can compete with Australia. It shows that, if we do the basics well and play with that kind of attitude, we can put Australia under pressure.”It won’t work every time but if we can go out there and show off our talent – we keep talking about that – then we’re a dangerous side.”An entertaining one, too. All of a sudden the future looks a little brighter. All of a sudden, spectators are starting to share the team’s belief: England can win the Ashes.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact over signing a Netherlands international who could leave for his club at a bargain, with La Liga leaders Barcelona hesitating over a deal and leaving the door open for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Spurs face Roma in Europa League after 4-0 win over Man City

Postecoglou made the perfect start to club football’s resumption last weekend, battering Premier League champions Man City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, and the Australian is now looking to build upon that exceptional result with victory over Serie A giants Roma in North London on Thursday.

Tottenham now plotting "important" £29m bid to sign Inter Milan star

The Nerazzurri are seriously considering his sale.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 26, 2024

Roma are ripe for the picking, having made an underwhelming start to their season with just three wins from a possible 13 in the league, and Claudio Ranieri’s side have lost their last three consecutive Serie A matches.

Spurs will be flying high from their impressive victory at Eastlands, but as we’ve seen so far this term, the Lilywhites can blow very hot and cold.

Postecoglou’s men are finding it difficult to maintain consistent form, with big wins over the likes of Aston Villa, West Ham and City overshadowed by disappointing defeats to struggling Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.

There are clearly still gaping holes in Tottenham’s squad that need to be addressed, and some reports have claimed that Pedro Porro’s “inconsistent” form has led technical director Johan Lange to look at alternative right-back options.

Tottenham are considering a January move for Tariq Lamptey as one option, with Brighton potentially willing to sell at a cut-price winter fee, rather than let the Ghanaian depart for nothing at the end of this season when his contract expires.

The 24-year-old has been sporadically linked with Spurs for quite some time, with Lamptey on Tottenham’s radar all the way back in 2021 (Sky Sports).

“He can play as a wing-back or full-back, he’s a bundle of energy,” said former Spurs right-back Alan Hutton on Lamptey in 2021 (Football Insider).

“I think that’s a move that the fans would be really excited about. He’s an exciting player, and he’s going to get better as he gets more experienced. I think it’s one the fans would like.”

Tottenham make approach to sign Ajax defender Devyne Rensch

The caveat to a potential Lamptey move is his lack of action recently, with the defender playing just 10 Premier League minutes all season.

Looking out of favour at the Amex, an alternative to Lamptey who’s been in excellent form this season, and could also be available at a cut-price January fee or nothing next summer, is Ajax full-back Devyne Rensch.

The Netherlands international has started nine Eredivisie games for them and has been Ajax’s third best-performing player by average match rating, according to WhoScored.

Spanish newspaper Sport, via Sport Witness, claim Tottenham have asked about signing Rensch, alongside title contenders Liverpool. He’s also on Barcelona’s radar, but the European heavyweights are hesitating, and haven’t decided whether they’re going to press ahead with a move for the 21-year-old.

This could be a golden opportunity for Daniel Levy to sign a very astute back-up for Porro, or even a replacement for the Spaniard, as he continues to be linked with a high-profile move to Real Madrid.

Peter Crouch scored a brilliant header in Liverpool Legends' game and unleashed the robot before scoring again in a 2-0 win over Chelsea Heroes.

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• Anfield witnessed a massive star cast
• Crouch inspired the Reds to a 2-0 win
• Performed the trademark robot celebration

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Reds striker rolled back the years, scoring twice within a 10-minute span in the second half to settle the annual LFC Foundation event. Crouch's first goal arrived in the 55th minute, delighting the Anfield crowd. Florent Sinama-Pongolle provided a pinpoint cross, lifting the ball into the box, where Crouch rose above Jose Bosingwa to send a looping header into the net at the Kop End. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, the ex-Liverpool forward brought back his iconic robot dance, much to the delight of the fans.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• WHAT CROUCH SAID

  After the match, Crouch admitted that fans had urged him to bring back his famous robot dance before the game.

  "So many kids on the way here were like, 'Can you do the robot?'” he revealed. “I'd rather have not, to be honest, but it was for the kids.”

  Beyond the goals and celebrations, Crouch spoke about the personal significance of playing at Anfield again, particularly in front of his children.

  "To play with the likes of Stevie again is fantastic," he said. "My little boy has never seen me kick a football and I think he thought I was lying about it! Great day and great for the Foundation."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Whereas, Crouch's second goal showcased his composure and finishing ability which was a regular sight back in the day. Mark Gonzalez delivered a dangerous cross, which Crouch initially struggled to control, but he quickly regained composure to expertly chip the ball over Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green, sealing a perfect outing for the Reds legend.

It is understood that the fast bowler initiated the request for release with the Indian team management

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2023Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat will be available to captain Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final against Bengal starting on February 16 in Kolkata, after he was released from the India squad for the second Test against Australia starting on February 17.It is understood that Unadkat was keen to play the Ranji Trophy final and initiated the request with the Indian team management before the selectors approved his release.Saurashtra qualified for the Ranji Trophy final on Sunday by beating Karnataka by four wickets in the semi-final in Bengaluru. Bengal won the other semi-final against Madhya Pradesh by 306 runs.Unadkat’s availability is a boost to Saurashtra’s prospects in the final, as they aim for their second title after winning their first in the 2019-20 season. Though he has played just three matches this Ranji Trophy season, Unadkat led the side in all those fixtures and took 17 wickets at an average of 13.64.His best performance came in the group match against Delhi, when he took a hat-trick in the first over of the match on his way to career-best innings figures of 8 for 39. He also scored 70 in that game. Unadkat did not play any of the knockouts for Saurashtra, who were led by Arpit Vasavada in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.After making his Test comeback in Bangladesh in December last year following a gap of 12 years, Unadkat was part of India’s Test squad for the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He did not feature in the XI in the first Test of the series in Nagpur, which India won by an innings and 132 runs inside three days. The second Test will be played in Delhi between February 17 and 21, and India are expected to field an unchanged bowling attack comprising R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.

Everything you need to know about Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka's salary numbers

Despite his still relatively tender age, Bukayo Saka has already established himself as an Arsenal legend.

Coming up the ranks in the youth team, Saka made his first team debut for the Gunners in 2018 aged 17. Since then, the winger has managed to establish himself as one of the best players in the squad and the league. He even won the PFA young player award for his performances in the 2022/23 season.

Saka’s performances for the club have earned him a handsome salary in the wage bill, making him one of the top earners at the club.

Just how much does Saka earn at Arsenal, though?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

*

• Bukayo Saka’s wages at Arsenal in numbers

  Saka signed a new four-year contract with the Gunners back in 2023, keeping him at the club until June 2027.

  The attacker currently earns £195,000 ($246,311) on a weekly basis, which scales up to £10 million ($12m) annually.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Bukayo Saka	English	£195,000	$246,311	£10,140,000	$12,808,189

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Top earners at Arsenal

  Despite Saka’s importance at the Emirates, he fails to make it to the top five when it comes to the highest-paid players at the club.

  Acquiring the number one spot in the list is former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz, followed by Gabriel Jesus in second spot. 

  Club captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice earn similar wages at the club, while number five is Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Kai Havertz	German	£280,000	$353,678	£15,560,000	$18,391,246
  Gabriel Jesus	Brazilian	£265,000	$334,731	£13,780,000	$17,406,000
  Martin Odegaard	Norwegian	£240,000	$303,152	£12,480,000	$15,763,925
  Declan Rice	English	£240,000	$303,152	£12,480,000	$15,763,925
  Thomas Partey	Ghanaian	£200,000	$252,627	£10,400,000	$13,136,604

• Top 5 earners in the Premier League

  None of the Arsenal players make it into the top-five earners list across the league.

  Manchester City’s Erling Haaland sits at the top of the list having recently signed a nine-year contract, keeping him at the Etihad up until 2034. Following Haaland is yet another City attacker in Kevin De Bruyne, while Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah makes the cut at number three.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wage sin USD
  Erling Haaland	Norwegian	£525,000	$663,164	£27,300,000	$34,483,586
  Kevin De Bruyne	Belgian	£400,000	$505,254	£20,800,000	$26,273,206
  Mohamed Salah	Egyptian	£350,000	$442,097	£18,200,000	$22,989,057
  Casemiro	Brazilian	£350,000	$442,097	£18,200,000	$22,989,057
  Jack Grealish	English	£300,000	$378,941	£17,169,698	$19,704,906

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Highest paid players in the world

  Looking at the list above, it's quite obvious that the English winger would be way down the list when it comes to top-earners across the world. But how much exactly do the highest-paid players in the world earn? Let's find out!

  At the top sits all-time top goalscorer of the Champions League Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays his football for Al Nassr. He is followed by his former Real Madrid attack partner Karim Benzema.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,846,154	$4,027,872	£200,000,000	$209,449,340
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,923,077	$2,013,936	£100,000,000	$104,724,670
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£1,003,846	$1,051,275	£52,200,000	$54,666,278
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£769,231	$805,574	£40,000,000	$41,889,868
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£667,308	$698,836	£34,000,000	$36,339,460

It’s been a strange few years for Manchester United fans.

They’ve seen their club lift two domestic trophies but then perform so poorly in the league that Erik ten Hag was given the chop just a couple of months into this season.

However, following the announcement that Ruben Amorim is set to take the reigns at the end of this month, there is reason to be hopeful again for the United faithful.

With that said, while Ten Hag undoubtedly failed in his mission to take the club back to the top of the English game, he did get a few things right during his tenure, such as bringing through a contingent of promising youngsters who could become core members of Amorim’s next great United side, including one whose value has exploded in recent years.

Ten Hag's exciting youngsters

So, before we get to the youngster in question, let’s look at another of the other young talents Ten Hag helped to bed into the side during his time in Manchester, Kobbie Mainoo.

The English midfielder was given his senior debut by the Dutchman back in a January 2023 League Cup game against Charlton Athletic.

Still, it wasn’t until last season that he was finally given a run of games in the first team, and to say he took his opportunity would be a massive understatement.

The Stockport-born gem has now made 44 appearances for the Red Devils, in which he’s scored five goals and provided one assist.

He has even won ten senior caps for England and started every knockout round at the Euros this summer, including the final – talk about maturity beyond his years.

Overall, so long as he remains fit, there can be no doubt that a successful United side in the future includes Mainoo at the very heart of it. With that said, another young United star looks destined for a bright future at the Theatre of Dreams and is already worth a fortune.

The youngster worth a king's ransom

Now, if the youngster in question isn’t the incredible Mainoo, it can only be one other: Alejandro Garnacho.

The Argentine international may have been signed for a small fee of £420k under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and given his debut under the watch of Ralf Rangnick in April 2022, but his development into the player he is today all happened under Ten Hag’s watch.

For example, while he made just two appearances, totalling 12 minutes during the 21/22 campaign, the Madrid-born dynamo ended up making 34 appearances, totalling 1205 minutes, the following season, in which he racked up five goals and five assists.

His importance to the team only grew last year, as he ended the season with 50 first-team appearances, ten goals and five assists to his name, despite being just 19 years old at the start.

As with the entire team, things have been a little more difficult for the former Atlético Madrid prospect this season, but even so, he has still racked up an impressive haul of seven goals and four assists in 18 appearances.

Unsurprisingly, such a rapid rise from unknown youth prospect to goalscoring “superstar”, as dubbed by BBC podcaster Gaz Drinkwater, has seen the seven-capped international’s valuations soar.

For example, the CIES Football Observatory now values him at up to €120m, which is about £99m, or a whopping 23471% increase on the fee he cost United four years ago.

Ultimately, while Ten Hag made plenty of blunders during his time in charge of United, playing and developing youngsters like Mainoo and Garnacho was not one of them, and while Amorim will have to correct some of the Dutchman’s mistakes, he should be thankful to have two outstanding young talents ready to go in his squad.

INEOS make enquiry to sign £195k-p/w "monster" star for Amorim at Man Utd

INEOS have made their first move to land an unhappy player in the January transfer window.

By
Brett Worthington

Nov 11, 2024

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2015Delhi Daredevils knew that defeat would make them holders of the longest IPL losing run (12), and gave it their all on the field•BCCIVijay was dismissed for 19, but Virender Sehwag’s aggressive 47 kept the run-rate at over seven an over•BCCIHe shared a 71-run, second-wicket stand with Wriddhiman Saha, who slammed three sixes during his 39 off 28•BCCIKings XI were 104 for 1 in the 14th over when the Daredevils spinners clawed the visitors back into the game. Saha perished after lofting JP Duminy to Nathan Coulter-Nile at deep cover•BCCISehwag fell in the very next over, and though Glenn Maxwell hit Imran Tahir for two sixes, he was bowled off a legbreak from the spinner. Tahir ended with figures of 4-0-43-3•BCCIAxar Patel and George Bailey tried to accelerate at the death, but Daredevils fought back to keep the hosts to 165. Kings XI’s innings ended with Axar’s slog safely pouched in the hands of Angelo Mathews•BCCIKings XI got an early breakthrough in their defence when Sandeep Sharma dismissed Shreyas Iyer for 6•BCCIBut Duminy was fluent, stroking his way to 21•BCCIUntil his innings ended in unfortunate fashion when he was run out after colliding with Axar•BCCIMayank Agarwal was unfazed, though, his 48-ball 68 featuring seven fours and two sixes•BCCIDaredevls’ record buy Yuvraj Singh also rose to the occasion, flicking three sixes over the leg side. He smashed 54 off 39•BCCIThe pair added 106 in 11 overs, as the visitors closed in on victory•BCCIHowever, neither batsmen could quite complete the chase, as two wickets in two balls injected gave Kings XI a glimmer. Yuvraj was the first to go, dismissed after Sandeep Sharma pulled a blinder from midwicket…•BCCI… and when Agarwal was bowled off a full toss from Anureet Singh, Daredevils were left needing seven off nine balls•BCCIMathews, though, ensured his team’s losing run wouldn’t stretch any further, sealing the win with a four down the ground with one ball remaining•BCCI

He played everything the fierce Wahab Riaz served up with the assurance born of being the finest and most reliable batter in the team

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide20-Mar-20151:47

Watson’s flexibility in batting order useful for Australia

Michael Clarke called it the closest Australia could go to knowing what it was like to face Mitchell Johnson at his most terrifying last summer. Wahab Riaz certainly had every member of the 35,516-strong Adelaide Oval crowd perched on the edge of their seats, not least a host of nervous Australian batsmen in the team viewing area.It was dynamite cricket, and it could have swept many a team away – last season’s victims England know that better than most. But the fact that Australia stood up to Wahab’s fire and ultimately quenched it spoke strongly for their standing as World Cup favourites. Shane Watson enjoyed a helping of luck in doing so, and later Glenn Maxwell was similarly fortunate. But there was little to wonder about Steven Smith, as he produced another innings worthy of a long-term No. 3 batsman.Australia played this match in conditions that were more or less to their measure. The Adelaide pitch was well grassed and capable of offering encouragement to pacemen, while a breezy day aided swing and also challenged batsmen to hit into it at times, a circumstance that favoured the hosts’ power. These factors were all at play when Pakistan were rounded up for 213, as Josh Hazlewood’s bounce and movement harvested four wickets and vindicated his inclusion.The only risk entailed in playing on a speedy strip is that of retaliation from an opponent capable of bringing significant firepower to bear. South Africa memorably did this to Australia in Ricky Ponting’s final Test match at the WACA Ground in Perth in late 2012, and this time Misbah-ul-Haq had Wahab to call on. Bristling at some of the comments tossed his way during a mis-adventurous tail-end innings, he would not only bring pace but also an angry, intimidatory bearing that many of the Australians would have found analogous to their own attack dog strut.England’s own version of the puffed out chest and the potty mouth had been exposed as empty in 2013-14 when they had nothing to match Johnson’s speed, but that was not the case here. Wahab’s histrionics, while extreme, recalled nothing so much as Watson’s send-off to Chris Gayle in Perth in 2009, or David Warner and Brad Haddin mimicking dogs upon Faf du Plessis’ second innings exit in Cape Town last year. Critically, they were backed up with bowling of high class and higher pace, bouncers used with precision and plenty of malice.Watson bore the brunt of all this, and struggled enormously to cope with it. Had Misbah or perhaps Younis Khan been at fine leg instead of Rahat Ali, he would not have survived the spell. But the good fortune that came his way was capitalised upon, and Watson grew gradually more secure in a further sign that his move down into the middle order was correct, even if its execution looked somewhat ham-fisted only a game after he had been dropped.Shane Watson survived a menacing spell from Wahab Riaz•Getty Images”That’s as good as I’ve faced in one-day cricket for a long time, there’s no doubt about it. It probably gave us a bit of a look at what it would be like to face Mitchell Johnson throughout the Ashes,” Clarke said of the passage. “Credit to Watto the way he hung in there, he had a bit of luck getting dropped at fine leg but the way he was able to get through that period and be there at the end shows his experience and he deserves a lot of credit for that.”But if they take that catch at fine leg who knows what could have happened, it would have been a lot tighter that’s for sure. There are certainly times throughout your innings you have to get through, sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t. That’s why I say credit to the way Watto found a way to get through that spell and get us home tonight. I thought he and Steve Smith played really well.”It was Smith more than anyone who defused the situation, playing everything Wahab served up with the calm assurance of a young man who is now indisputably the finest and most reliable batsman in the team. His straight bat and impression of having time to spare was redolent of the very best players against pace bowling, and a marked contrast not only to Watson but also Clarke, who was pinned and pouched at short leg in the midst of Wahab’s spell.Smith’s move to first-drop ahead of Watson may in years to come be seen as the moment at which Australia not only found the right formula to win this World Cup, but also when the team identified that the leader of the future should also be the No. 3 batsman in the Ricky Ponting mould. Wahab simply looked half a yard slower when bowling to Smith, so assured was the younger man’s movement into line.Just as Australia’s explosive batting line-up looked like it needed a more precise helmsman in the position after their defeat in Auckland, so too did Smith appear as though he needed a new challenge following a pair of slim scores at No. 5 against England and New Zealand. He has taken on added responsibility with grace and poise, whether it be the temporary captaincy commission against India or a higher spot in the batting order. By the time Smith fell lbw, Australia’s period of danger had passed.The thought of Glenn Maxwell trying his outrageous brand of batting against Wahab at top pace with plenty of runs still required does not bear too much thinking about, but thanks to Smith no-one had to. So Australia progressed, setting up a meeting with India in Sydney.”The fact we won gives us a lot of confidence. Since the New Zealand game we’ve been slowly building and our cricket’s slowly been improving,” Clarke said. “So every win gives you momentum and confidence and this will certainly be exactly the same. India are completely different opposition to Pakistan, different strengths but different weaknesses as well. They’re playing a lot better than they were at the start of the summer, and I said that leading into the World Cup that India were going to be a tough team to beat because they’ve spent so much time in Australia.”Steve Waugh’s worry before the match was that Australia could fall out of this World Cup by presuming that in such a talented collective there would always be someone else able to step up. He would have nodded approvingly at the way Watson and Smith did not leave the task of subduing Wahab to others.