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The German defender bagged a late winner to give his side a three-point lead over surprise package Girona at the summit

Antonio Rudiger came up clutch to head a crucial late winner for Real Madrid as they secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mallorca on Wednesday night, with usual suspect Jude Bellingham going missing for long periods of the game.

This was a frustrating contest for the home side, who seemed unlikely to find the net for long stretches, before a set-piece sealed a vital win.

The returning Vinicius Jr enjoyed the first big chance of the game, latching onto a Luka Modric pass and seeing his shot diverted narrowly around the post. The Brazilian had another effort denied shortly after, encapsulating a largely frustrating opening period for Los Blancos.

Mallorca offered some thrust of their own, with Antonio Sanchez diverting the ball off the underside of the bar and somehow away from goal. Samu Costa also carved out a chance, cannoning a shot off the base of the post.

Still, this seemed to be Real's game to lose. Brahim Diaz hit the post from inches out halfway through the second half, and the introduction of Joselu saw the home side seize control. But it was from a corner that Carlo Ancelotti's side won it. Rudiger grabbed the goal, directing a majestic, arcing header into the far corner – leaving goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic rooted to the spot.

This wasn't pretty, but the importance simply cannot be understated, as Los Blancos now lead second-placed Girona by three points, albeit the Catalans have a game in hand.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Andriy Lunin (7/10):

  Beaten twice, only to be protected by the woodwork on both occasions. But he was assured with his feet, and can't be faulted for his decision-making.

  Dani Carvajal (6/10):

  Scampered up and down the right with his usual gusto. His crossing wasn't perfect on the night, but it didn't need to be.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

  A first of many enforced starts at centre-back. Reliable in one-on-one situations, but sometimes lacking positionally. He can be exploited in the months to come, despite his individual quality.

  Antonio Rudiger (9/10):

  Made some excellent recoveries when Mallorca aimed to go long in the first half. Good in his tackles, buried the winner. A memorable night.

  Fran Garcia (6/10):

  A bit slow to move the ball, and some of his deliveries weren't exactly on point.

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  Midfield

  Toni Kroos (7/10):

  Pinged the ball around, as usual, and made things happen in the attacking third. Curled a free-kick just outside the post.

  Federico Valverde (6/10):

  Covered loads of ground, but lacked quality in key areas. Skewed a couple of shots wide, and mishit the odd pass.

  Luka Modric (8/10):

  Constantly involved, both in chance creation and ball movement. Assisted the winner, too. A class act.

  Jude Bellingham (6/10):

  Marked out of the game for long stretches, and tried a bit too hard when he was involved.

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  Attack

  Rodrygo (6/10):

  Not quite at his best after an excellent finish to 2023. Fed off half chances and suggestions of space.

  Vinicius Jr (7/10):

  A welcome return to the side. Looked rusty early on, but created a few chances for himself. An agreeable hour.

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• Subs & Manager

  Brahim Diaz (6/10):

  Lively off the bench, but he really should have scored.

  Joselu (6/10):

  Changed things, giving Madrid a more direct point of attack.

  Lucas Vazquez (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Dani Ceballos (N/A):

  On late on too.

  Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

  Had his hand forced with a number of selections, playing Tchouameni at centre-back and Garcia on the left. It looked to be a frustrating one for long stretches, but his side were bailed out by a late winner. Take the victory, onto the next one.

Leah Williamson is back in Arsenal’s starting XI, but the Lionesses star had little to celebrate after seeing the Gunners suffer defeat at West Ham.

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• Defender recovered from ACL injury
• Eased back into the Arsenal team
• Shock loss suffered at West Ham

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Euro 2022 winner has endured close to 10 months of injury hell after damaging knee ligaments that led to her Women’s World Cup dream being dashed. After making her way to the end of a load road to recovery, Williamson has been eased into the Arsenal fold during the 2023-24 campaign.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following outings from the bench, the 26-year-old defender was included from the off in a WSL clash with West Ham. With no risks being taken on her fitness, Williamson was replaced at half-time in that contest with the Gunners leading 1-0.

• WHAT WILLIAMSON SAID

  A slow start to the second half led to them suffering a shock 2-1 defeat, with Williamson’s mood being soured as a result. She posted on social media alongside an image of her back on the field as a starter: “Not a good day. Big week ahead now. Travelling support was a joke again.”

  Instagram

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMSON & ARSENAL?

  Arsenal supporters will be hoping to have plenty to cheer before Jonas Eidevall’s side return to WSL action, with their next two fixtures set to come in knockout competition – away at London City in the FA WSL Cup on Wednesday and at home to Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth round next weekend.

Despite owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney telling him to 'f*ck off' months ago, Wrexham are eyeing a move for Notts County's Macaulay Langstaff.

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• Wrexham target Notts County sensation
• Owners said he can 'f*ck off' months ago
• Championship sides also interested

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Welsh side have shown an interest in signing the 26-year-old from their League Two rivals in the January window, according to . The attacker has scored an amazing 19 goals in 26 league matches this season, adding another in the FA Cup.

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  WHAT REYNOLDS & MCELHENNEY SAID

  Langstaff impressed for County last season when they battled Wrexham for the National League title and were promoted alongside them, with the Red Dragons being crowned champions. Langstaff's name came up in a discussion on the Welcome to Wrexham documentary.

  "Macaulay Langstaff, he can f*ck off," McElhenney said of him. Reynolds then added: "Yeah, god that guy is good. He's handsome as f*ck. He looks like he could be in Peaky Blinders."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham will face a big battle to lure the forward from Notts County, however. While their League Two rivals will hope to keep their star forward, Championship sides Birmingham and Sunderland have also been linked, as have League One teams Peterborough and Derby County.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham are in action against Newport County in League Two on Saturday. Then, on January 29, they will take on Blackburn in the FA Cup – although that game has not been selected for TV broadcast despite the Welsh club's growing popularity.

Renegades, however, took a blow after the loss. They’re not precariously positioned at eight points with two other teams

The Report by Alex Malcolm12-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBetter late than never. Melbourne Stars finally broke their tournament duck with a comfortable 23-run win over a depleted Melbourne Renegades at Docklands stadium.The Stars had been yearning for their senior players to step up and Kevin Pietersen and Peter Handscomb answered the call. Their 110-run second-wicket partnership underpinned the Stars total, which still might have been under par were it not for a whirlwind finish from Glenn Maxwell.They finally took wickets in the Powerplay with a new opening bowling combination in Daniel Worrall and Jackson Coleman running through a Renegades top-order that struggled in the absence of Aaron Finch and Cameron White.The Renegades tournament chances took a blow with the loss. They not only have to find contributors with the bat beyond Finch and White, they will also lose their best spinner Mohammad Nabi to international duty. Nabi bowled beautifully again conceding less than seven an over for the sixth time in the tournament.Long live King KevPietersen’s returns this season have been far from dismal but they have been underwhelming by his lofty standards. Some quality starts have been left uncharacteristically unfinished. His intent to rectify that was clear. He entered in the fourth ball of the innings after Mohammad Nabi removed Ben Dunk for a first ball globe. Pietersen took his time to adjust to the slow surface, scoring just 10 off his first 11 balls. But he still controls the game better than most and puts bowlers under extreme pressure. He was invited to hit over mid-on against the turn of Jon Holland and duly did it twice. He created width from Jack Wildermuth and pierced backward point in consecutive balls. He destroyed Brad Hogg with slog sweeps and pull shots to anything fractionally overpitched or underpitched. He raced to fifty in 28 balls and kicked on. Handscomb was the perfect foil, feeding him the strike and finding the boundary at regular intervals. The pair added 110 from just 70 balls before both men holed out in back-to-back overs.The diminishing finisherJames Faulkner made a name for himself in international cricket as an exceptional power-hitting finisher in limited overs formats. But his BBL to-date has not matched his reputation. He has not been dismissed in his six innings, scoring 118 runs in total. However, he is only striking at 107 compared to his career rate of 124. He also averages a boundary every 9.5 deliveries across his career. He’s faced 25 balls without a boundary across the last three games. That included the 12 balls he faced against the Renegades. He was fortunate Glenn Maxwell caught fire in the last four overs pounding two sixes and two fours in his 16-ball unbeaten 31. But it was the second time in the tournament the Stars have failed to double their total after 10 overs having been only one wicket down at halfway. Part of that was due to Nabi who bowled his last two overs during the last seven of innings, having bowled his first two in the Powerplay. His figures of 2 for 15 were incredible given the carnage around him.Where’s Worrall been?The Stars pace bowling has been a problem all tournament. Worrall replaced Scott Boland, who had conceded 11.20 per over in his three games. Worrall bowled exceptionally well to the Renegades new top three. He swung the ball away prodigiously at good pace from both the right-handed Tim Ludeman and the left-handed Marcus Harris. He conceded just six runs from his first 11 deliveries before erring with his last ball to Ludeman. But his build-up of pressure helped Coleman force a mistake from Harris. Coleman bowled very well himself and picked up the rewards courtesy of some outstanding catching from Maxwell and Pietersen. Maxwell reeled a screamer at backward point off Ludeman. He flung his right hand up to knock it down and held onto the rebound. Pietersen needed just one grab with two hands diving high to his right at cover to remove Tom Cooper, although he did grass a similar chance from Matthew Short earlier.Time in the middleThe Renegades had not lost more than one wicket in any powerplay all tournament and had scarcely been under pressure after 10 overs. Cooper’s dismissal left the Renegades 4 for 56 in the 10th. Dwayne Bravo was able to move up the order having only been used in a finishing role during the season to-date. He made 26 from 18 balls and struck one of the most astonishing sixes of the tournament. He hit good length delivery from Faulkner 103m into the upper deck at forward point with a vertical bat. Despite holing out not long after, his innings will provide impetus for the remainder of the tournament. Wildermuth also played a nice cameo, clubbing 23 from 11 deliveries to keep the game interesting. His second six made the equation 33 from 12 balls but he fell three balls later and the tail stood no chance from there.

Sunil Narine will be available for selection for Kolkata Knight Riders’ second fixture on Wednesday, against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens

Nagraj Gollapudi in Kolkata12-Apr-2016Sunil Narine will rejoin Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday evening after a brief visit back home to Trinidad and Tobago following the death of his father. Narine will be available for selection for Knight Riders’ second fixture on Wednesday, against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens.Narine, who opted out of the 2016 World Twenty20 to work on his remodelled action, underwent testing at the ICC-accredited centre in Chennai before joining his IPL team-mates in Kolkata, but had to rush back home on April 3. His action was deemed legal by the ICC on April 7, two days before the start of this year’s IPL.Brad Hogg, Knight Riders’ other lead spinner, who addressed the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, insisted a change in action has had little impact on Narine’s control and mastery. “It is good having Sunil V 2.0,” Hogg said. “It is just a confidence thing with Sunil. I remember taking some balls from him.”I struggled to pick it from the hand. He was bowling the or I thought it was going the other way and I looked like a complete idiot as the ball went to the boundary past me,” Hogg said rolling his eyes to the left to indicate the ball sliding down the leg side. “His action was perfect. And he was still bowling the balls we see out in the middle. We know that he can do it legitimately.”Hogg, who took three wickets in Knight Riders’ nine-wicket win in their tournament opener against Delhi Daredevils, said Narine’s return would mean a tussle for spots, but insisted it was a healthy rivalry.”We put pressure on each other with the ball. It is competitive and respectful competition between us,” he said. “He is a class bowler. He has been sorely missed. As individuals we train hard. We want to be able to be on the park. But it is a team. If I am not playing and he takes my spot, I have to create the energy which I quite have in the change room to make sure everyone is up for the challenge.”

The Lionesses' forward is in superb form right now, helping to make her side a genuine Women's Super League title contender

As the clock ticked into the 82nd minute, Manchester City must’ve worried that their Women’s Super League title challenge was going to suffer another unwanted setback. The Cityzens have been talked up by many this season, but they’ve been doused in cold water a few times along the way, leaving Chelsea in pole position. On Sunday, it looked like Leicester were going to be the next team to put the flames out.

But then Lauren Hemp, somehow, in rather unorthodox fashion, stoked the fire. She fizzed the ball into Bunny Shaw on the right wing, darted into the box, and when the Jamaica international delivered her cross, Hemp adjusted to backheel the ball into the bottom corner on the volley and finally break the deadlock. “I’ve just managed to see it again. I think it’s outstanding. It’s one of the best goals I've seen,” City head coach Gareth Taylor said after the game.

It’s been eight years since City last won the WSL title, but for a brief moment on Sunday, until Chelsea’s win over Everton later that evening, they were top of the pile. With others faltering, Taylor’s side appear to be the biggest obstacle between the reigning champions and a fifth successive league triumph. Central to that is Hemp and her truly wonderful form.

• Something special

  Hemp was typically modest about her contribution on Sunday, which set City on their way to a 2-0 win. “I just didn’t really want to use my right foot to be honest!” she said afterwards. "I don’t know, I think it hit around [my calf] but whatever it was it trickled in. A goal’s a goal!”

  Taylor, meanwhile, was more than happy to play up the 23-year-old’s crucial strike. “When I saw it in the moment, I didn't realise how much she had to do to get the ball in the goal,” he said. “The way she's been able to manoeuvre that is incredible. It’s a magical goal. Honestly, when I saw it after, I was like ‘wow’. That’s a world-class goal. We needed something like that.”

  It's not the first time the coach has used superlatives to describe Hemp this season, or the first time the player herself has been keen to downplay her actions after a big result. Her two “tap-ins” rescued City in a clash with Aston Villa just before Christmas, prompting Taylor to note the "new, new levels" the winger has hit this season.

  With six goals and three assists in her 12 WSL appearances this season, and the third-most chances created from open play of any player in the league, the role Hemp has been playing in City’s title challenge has been integral and that looks set to continue given the confidence and momentum she oozes.

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  Talented trident

  Hemp’s threat is only enhanced by the players around her, particularly the other two who help make up the front three. There have been a lot of stand-out performers in City’s team this season: Jill Roord made a real impact before a devastating ACL injury; Laia Aleixandri has been truly marvellous in defence; Alex Greenwood remains one of the best centre-backs around and Yui Hasegawa keeps things ticking over remarkably well in midfield. But if you’re an opponent analysing this City team, it’s the front three of Hemp, Shaw and Chloe Kelly that is going to concern you the most.

  Shaw leads the Golden Boot race in the WSL this season with 13 goals in just 12 games, and the attention she draws from defenders means that even if she isn’t able to get on the scoresheet herself, she creates space for those around her to thrive in. Kelly, meanwhile, leads the league in chances created and is a genuine menace out wide with her ability to use both feet. There is seemingly no situation from which she cannot carve out some sort of opportunity for a team-mate.

  Now in their second full season as a regular trio, the chemistry between the three is excellent. It makes City a truly potent outfit and helps to maximise the talents and contributions of each player. On Sunday, it was Shaw’s cross to Hemp that broke the deadlock and Kelly’s ‘Olimpico’ that sealed the three points. One of them will eventually hurt you – or, as is often the case, all three of them will.

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  Chelsea’s main threat

  Hemp’s crucial deadlock-breaker came on a big weekend, too, one which saw Arsenal drop even further off the pace in a shock defeat to West Ham. The Gunners had never lost to the Hammers before, but let a 1-0 lead slip on Sunday to fall six points off the pace with nine games to go.

  It meant that City, kicking off in the early afternoon, went to the top of the table on goal difference for a few hours before Chelsea’s win over Everton later that night. With Manchester United having long fallen behind in the title race, only the team in the blue corner of the city remains capable of putting real pressure on the reigning champions at this moment.

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  Bright future

  There’s excitement beyond this season for those at City, too. After all, only five players in the squad have celebrated their 30th birthday, and the club spent the January transfer window focusing on the future, recruiting three extremely-talented youngsters in Tara O’Hanlon, Poppy Pritchard and Laura Blindkilde Brown.

  "They're so confident in what they do, coaching-wise on a day-to-day basis within the methodology of the football club, that those players will definitely get up to speed quickly,” Izzy Christiansen, the former Man City and England midfielder, told GOAL last week. “I think it's exciting times ahead for City. I think that they're really starting to turn a corner and they're going to be the closest ones to challenge Chelsea all the way.”

  Shaw is still only 27 years old. Kelly is a year younger and Hemp is 23, the same age as Aleixandri. Throw in the likes of Khiara Keating, the 19-year-old starting goalkeeper, and the majestic Mary Fowler, who is 20, and this team is not only producing exciting performances right now, it has the potential to grow together and get better and better.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been mocked by his PSG counterpart after the Spaniard posted a video about the European Super League.

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• PSG chief mocks Perez over Super League
• Real Madrid president praised project
• Real Madrid support The Super League

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  On Thursday, Real Madrid published a video in which club president Perez praised the return of the European Super League project, organised by A22. In response, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi took to X (formerly Twitter) to mock the Spaniard, as Perez chose to make his speech while standing in front of some of the Champions League trophies his club has won.

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• WHAT PEREZ AND AL-KHELAIFI SAID

  In the video, Perez said: "This day will mark a before and after. It is a great day for the history of football and for the history of sport."

  In response, Al-Khelaifi said: "Strange to talk about the Super League with the UEFA Champions League trophies behind you."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On Thursday, A22 relaunched its Super League project after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that UEFA and FIFA and unlawfully blocked the competition when it tried to launch in 2021. Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only two clubs that still back the competition, while PSG has publicly come out in opposition to it. UEFA has issued a firm stance against the Super League.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID AND THE SUPER LEAGUE?

  Without the support of clubs from the Premier League, Serie A, and Bundesliga, the launch of a European Super League seems an impossibility. However, Perez will be hoping that his club will still receive a pretty healthy windfall for their support.

Maidstone United fans were left fuming after their side were drawn against Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry City in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

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• Maidstone stunned Ipswich in fourth round
• Progressed to the fifth round
• Fans wanted to play Manchester City

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Maidstone provided one of the biggest FA Cup shocks of recent times at the weekend, as the National League South side beat Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town 2-1 on Saturday. That result saw them through to the fifth round, and their fans gathered to watch the draw, clearly hoping to be matched up with treble winners Manchester City, although they were left disappointed, as they will play the winners of the replay between Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Maidstone may console themselves with the fact that his tie is potentially more winnable than a meeting with City, but the disappointment etched on their faces was clear to see. The club currently sit fourth in the National League South and a chance to reach the quarter-finals is as rare as they come for a club of their stature.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAIDSTONE?

  In a sign of how far they have come this season, their next game is in the Kent Senior Cup against fellow non-league outfit Punjab United. Their FA Cup tie will take place on February 28.

Erling Haaland shoved the camera as he furiously stormed off pitch after a disastrous performance against Chelsea.

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• Haaland drew a blank against Chelsea
• Was kept in check by the defenders
• Raged in fury before storming off pitch

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Norwegian striker had left his shooting boots at home on Saturday afternoon as he drew a blank despite firing away 10 shots – only two of which were on target. However, Haaland and City were saved their blushes as Rodri popped up in the 83rd minute with a match-saving equaliser after Raheem Sterling scored in the first half against his former employers to put the visitors in front.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Haaland looked lost after the final whistle and the cameraperson panned around him to capture his emotions. But the striker felt offended as did not want to be in focus after missing two gilt-edged opportunities.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Haaland's wastefulness was one of the reasons that City dropped two crucial points in the title race, which could prove costly, especially with Liverpool and Arsenal winning their respective fixtures earlier on Saturday. The reigning champions are four points behind leaders Liverpool and two behind Arsenal, who sit second.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?

  It might have been just a bad day at the office for Haaland as he has been in sensational scoring form this season with 16 strikes in 19 Premier League matches. He will look to make amends for his misses when City host Brentford next on Tuesday in another league encounter.

Batting strength down the order will be West Indies’ trump card, but they will be coming into the tournament cold. By Andrew McGlashan

Andrew McGlashan04-Sep-2007

The shorter the game the more competitive West Indies are; and by that reckoning they should be real contenders in Twenty20.Ramnaresh Sarwan is back at the helm after injury and the selectors have largely stuck with the players who took the one-day series against England. Pedro Collins – earning a recall not before time – and Narsingh Deonarine are the two new faces but neither has been called up because of particular success in Twenty20.West Indies showed they can adapt to the format, piling up 208 in the first game at The Oval and sharing the series 1-1. There was a new verve about their play during the latter part of the England tour as the team responded to Chris Gayle’s captaincy. However, they are one of the teams coming into the tournament cold, and will have to hit the ground running in a tough group that includes South Africa and Bangladesh.Home truths
There is no Twenty20 competition in the proper domestic season in the West Indies, but the game has taken the Caribbean by storm thanks to Allen Stanford. His multi-million dollar Stanford 20-20 has breathed new life into cricket in the region, although most of the players in the West Indies World Championship squad haven’t participated to any great level. Stanford, though, has big plans to go with his big pockets. He wants to take his game international. Last year he tried to entice South Africa for a big-money showdown with an all-star XI, while Australia have also been approached.Strengths
The depth of their batting means they will be able to go hard throughout the 20 overs. There is no shortage of powerful strikers and the boundaries won’t be big enough for Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels (Twenty20 strike-rate: 190) and Dwayne Smith if they get going.Those three and Dwayne Bravo are all capable of bowling their four-over spells, which allows West Indies to pick a top-heavy team. Potentially they could have Denesh Ramdin down at No. 8 or No. 9, and there is a great flexibility about the order.Even in Twenty20, having wicket-taking bowlers is vital, and Collins will form a potent attack with Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards.

Weaknesses
A couple of poor overs in either innings can lose a side a match. Twenty20 is a game where it is imperative for a team to keep their focus, and West Indian sides have been known to let their minds wander, especially when on tour. If they enter the tournament with an attitude that it is just a hit-about and a bit of fun, they could rapidly come unstuck.Although they ended the England tour in fine spirit under Gayle’s captaincy, now they must readjust to having Sarwan back in charge. Rumours of unrest between players and the coach, David Moore, have the potential to undermine the squad. And though it’s a young side, fielding can also be an issue; the teams that go the furthest will be those that save the most runs.Players to watch
He might be a limpet in Test matches, but stick him in coloured clothing and he finds a new gear. In his one Twenty20 outing against England he went from blocker to basher, hitting 41 off 26 balls. Although 20 overs doesn’t sound very long, there is value in having someone who can anchor the innings at the top. Chanderpaul’s flexibility lends itself perfectly to that role, especially if the ball zips around in early-season South Africa. If West Indies are performing well, Bravo is usually at the centre of it. He provides a constant heartbeat to the team, even when others appear disinterested and distant. In all three areas of the game he can be a match-winner. His fielding is inspirational, he strikes the ball cleanly, and his bowling at the death has won one-day matches.Dark horse
Sammy burst onto the Test scene with 7 for 66 at Old Trafford before picking up an untimely hamstring injury, but he – like Bravo – is another multi-dimensional cricketer who gives his all and always appears to be enjoying the battle. While not express pace, his hit-the-deck seam bowling could be well-suited to South African conditions, and his presence in the side will enhance the fielding.

Ian Chappell’s take
West Indies didn’t perform well in the World Cup, playing at home and
led by Brian Lara, and they’re unlikely to do well in unfamiliar conditions and
without their star batsman as captain.However the West Indies players have an advantage over all but their English counterparts in that they have
performed, under pressure and on a regular basis, in their domestic Twenty20
tournaments. The Stanford competition is a big-money affair, and West
Indies are more used to serious Twenty20 cricket than most other countries
where the game was treated more as entertainment until the announcement of
this high-profile ICC tournament.On paper West Indies have most of the ingredients for a strong Twenty20
side. They have a big-hitting opener to take advantage of the fielding
restrictions in the first six overs; they have a couple of very talented
allrounders in Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels to add depth in batting and
bowling; and they have a pacy new-ball
bowler who can strike early.However Chris Gayle’s poor footwork has made
him highly inconsistent of late, and Samuels has flattered to deceive for a long
time. As for Dwayne Smith, he no longer deceives – he always hits a six over
midwicket and then promptly gets out.Fidel Edwards, on the other hand, seems
to have come of age in England, where he bowled with pace and fire. If
Daren Powell and Pedro Collins give him good support, West Indies might at
last have something resembling a potent attack.However, unless Gayle has a
monster tournament, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s golden string of scores
continues, West Indies will be short of runs to trouble the top
sides.West Indies will need to be at their best to get past Bangladesh in the
preliminary round, but even if they do get past that hurdle, I don’t expect
them to reach the semi-finals. Rating: 6/10