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The Sethi-led set-up has been given till June 21 to bring back the board’s 2014 constitution

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2023The interim management committee currently running the PCB has been granted an extension of two months by the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the patron of the cricket board. The length of the extension is more than had been expected.Over the weekend, ESPNcricinfo had reported that the Inter-provincial coordination (IPC) ministry, which acts as a conduit between the board and government, had recommended that an extension of between two to a maximum of four weeks be considered for the management committee that runs the PCB’s daily affairs. They had also asked the prime minister to name two nominees to the PCB board, one of whom would be expected to become chairman. There was no word on the nominees in the notification issued by the IPC’s office.That means the current PCB set-up, led by Najam Sethi, has been given till June 21 this year to implement the various changes they were targeting when they took over from the Ramiz Raja-led board in December last year. Sethi came in leading a 14-member management committee with a brief to replace the board’s 2019 constitution with the one that was in place in 2014.The biggest change that will entail is the return of the regional and services department set-up in domestic cricket. Once again that will mean a total upending of Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure, which had been operating for the last three seasons on a leaner six-team model of provincial teams. That model was based on the Australian Shield structure, at the behest of then prime minister – and former captain – Imran Khan.The management committee is also responsible for forming a board of governors and electing a chairman, with Sethi himself in the fray, according to the 2014 constitution. That process will begin with the election commissioner convening a special meeting with member boards.The PCB’s board will comprise ten members: four regional representatives (top-four teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy), four representatives of services organisations (top-four department teams), and the two members nominated by the patron/prime minister. The federal secretary of the IPC ministry (or any other officer nominated by them) shall be an ex-officio, non-voting 11th member. The term of each member of the board of governors is three years – equivalent to one term of the chairman – in a bid to promote continuity in the set-up.”The Management Committee was appointed for a four-month period on 22 December 2022 to restore the 2014 PCB Constitution in its letter and spirit,” the PCB said. “This included, among other things, restoration and integration of departmental cricket in the domestic structure so that the careers and future of professional cricketers can be secured, elections at the district/zonal/regional level and composition of a democratic and elected Board of Governors.”In this regard, significant work has already taken place.”While a number of departments have confirmed their return to the domestic structure, election process at the district/zonal/regional level has recently picked up pace following last month’s appointment of the independent Election Commissioner by the… Prime Minister.”It is anticipated the entire process for the revival of the 2014 PCB Constitution will be completed within the next 60 days.”

Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for Aston Villa as they saw off Preston 3-0 at Deepdale to progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

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• Villa into the FA Cup semi-finals
• Beat Preston 3-0 at Deepdale
• Rashford nets first goals for the club

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  TELL ME MORE

  The Manchester United loanee broke the deadlock 13 minutes after half-time, converting Lucas Digne's cross after a crisp Villa move.

  Five minutes later, Morgan Rogers was fouled inside the box and Rashford stepped up to stroke home his second from 12 yards.

  Soon enough, the game was completely killed off when Jacob Ramsey turned on the afterburners to race through midfield and slam home a third.

  Preston had been competitive in the first hour, Stefan Thordurson heading a presentable chance wide in the first half, while their Premier League visitors were limited to chances from set-pieces.

  Suffering a long list of absences, however, North End could not keep up the pace and it is Unai Emery's side on their way to Wembley.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  By progressing to the semis, Villa are in the final four for the third time since 2000. Martin O'Neill's side lost to Chelsea 3-0 at that stage in 2010, while under Tim Sherwood they went one better in 2015 before losing 4-0 to Arsenal in the final.

• THE MVP

  The afternoon undoubtedly belonged to Rashford, who finally added goals of his own to what has been a hugely encouraging loan spell in the Midlands. With Ollie Watkins only fit for the bench, Rashford started through the middle and scored a poacher's goal to break his duck after Digne's square cross. His calm penalty that followed was a sure sign of a player whose confidence has been restored and he looks set to be a major player for Emery between now and the end of the season.

• AFP
  

  THE BIG LOSER

  Preston did themselves justice and manager Paul Heckingbottom will be left ruing what might have been had his list of absentees not been so long. For a variety of reasons, North End were without Freddie Woodman, Ryan Porteous, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Ryan Ledson and Sam Greenwood, all of whom may have started, and did run out of steam once Villa had their noses in front. It means there will be no Championship representation in the semi-finals for the first time since 2022.

The Scottish League Cup final has often been contested between Rangers and Celtic, with the Old Firm rivals dominating the competition since its 1946 inception.

The tournament is an opportunity to secure the first trophy of the season, potentially keeping a domestic treble dream alive heading into the second half of the campaign.

The 9 best derby matches in UK football – ranked

They are some of the most heated matches on the calendar, but which are the best?

By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 8, 2024

Here, we have taken a look back at eight of the most memorable League Cup finals between the two teams.

1

Celtic 7-1 Rangers (1956/57)

Bhoys inflict massive defeat on Rangers at Hampden

The first Old Firm League Cup final came in the 1956/57 season. The Light Blues had won the inaugural tournament while winning a second title just three seasons later. Celtic, on the other hand, only reached their first final the season before this clash, defeating Partick Thistle 3-0 in a replay.

Rangers were clear favourites, but on the day, Celtic were superb. They were 3-0 up after 53 minutes before the Gers scored on the hour to reduce the deficit. The next 30 minutes saw the Parkhead side net four answered goals to claim a stunning 7-1 win.

The result is still the heaviest Old Firm defeat inflicted on Rangers, while it is also the record victory for a major domestic cup final in the UK.

The match has been dubbed “Hampden in the Sun” by the Celtic faithful following the chants on the terrace after the win, which is still fondly remembered nearly 60 years on.

Remarkably, Celtic didn’t win another major honour until 1965, while Rangers ended that season as league champions.

2

Rangers 0-1 Celtic (1966/67)

Celtic secure first of four major trophies

The Bhoys had won the League Cup twice in a row heading into the final against Rangers in October 1966, looking to make it three successive victories.

Hampden was packed to see Jock Stein’s men prevail 1-0 in a tight final which was settled by a fine Bobby Lennox effort after just 19 minutes. The Gers were dogged over the remaining 70 minutes but couldn’t find a breakthrough.

The result proved to be the catalyst for the club to not only win the Scottish Cup and league title, but also become the first British team to win the European Cup, defeating Inter 2-1 in Lisbon.

The League Cup final may not have been the most exciting clash between the sides, yet from Celtic’s perspective, the win was the start of something special.

3

Rangers 1-0 Celtic (1970/71)

Rangers' teenage striker settles cup final

The Light Blues had lost their previous two League Cup finals to Celtic. Add in a Scottish Cup defeat to the same opposition in 1969, it was evident the Ibrox side was out for revenge.

This marked the seventh consecutive final in the competition for Celtic, winning the previous five tournaments. A crowd of nearly 107,000 were packed into Hampden – the last League Cup final to attract over 100k fans – as the Light Blues were eyeing their seventh triumph.

Captain John Greig missed out and 16-year-old Derek Johnstone made the starting XI. The teenager ended up as the hero. With five minutes left of the first half, a cross was delivered into the Celtic box upon which Billy McNeill hesitated, allowing the youngster to send a powerful header into the back of the net.

It was a moment of magic at Hampden. More than 50 years later, Johnstone is still the youngest player to score a League Cup final goal.

4

Rangers 2-1 Celtic (1977/78)

Gers claim first part of treble

Rangers had won the treble during 1975/76 and were looking to make it two in the space of three seasons.

The League Cup success during that treble-winning campaign was their only triumph in the competition since 1970. The final was one of the tightest played between the pair in the tournament, being settled in extra time.

Davie Cooper – who would win seven League Cups at Rangers – opened the scoring for the Gers, before Johannes Edvaldsson netted an equaliser for Celtic, extending the match for another 30 minutes.

With just a few minutes of the tie remaining, Gordon Smith popped up to head home the winner as the Light Blues secured the first trophy of the season. A few months later, they added the Scottish Cup and league title to their collection.

5

Rangers 3-2 Celtic (1983/84)

Ally McCoist hat-trick wins it for the Gers

The 1983/84 League Cup final was one of the most pulsating between the Old Firm rivals. Having lost to Celtic the year prior, the Light Blues were seeking revenge, and they duly got it thanks to Super Ally.

The striker opened the scoring with a penalty before firing an effort past Pat Bonner to make it 2-0. The Parkhead side came roaring back into the tie, netting twice to take the match into extra time.

Another penalty was awarded to Rangers, with McCoist taking centre stage to score his third and win the cup for the Ibrox side in a thrilling clash between the clubs.

6

Celtic 1-2 Rangers (2002/03)

Alex McLeish wins second League Cup

Throughout the league season in 2002/03, nothing could separate Rangers and Celtic as they went blow for blow in the SPL.

The Light Blues won the title by scoring just one more goal than their rivals in what was an extraordinary campaign. Both teams were as good as each other, but when they clashed at Hampden in March 2003 for the League Cup final, Alex McLeish was the man who came out on top.

Celtic would have been the more confident, having defeated the Gers in the league just a week before the final, but it was McLeish’s side who started liveliest. Indeed, well-taken goals from Peter Lovenkrands and Claudio Caniggia ensured they were the ones who led at the interval.

Celtic struck back through Henrik Larsson with just over 30 minutes left. It looked like John Hartson had netted the leveller, but he was ruled offside somewhat controversially. The Welshman even missed a penalty late on to compound his misery.

It was another thrilling clash between the two giants. Rangers won their seventh treble just a couple of months later.

7

Celtic 1-2 Rangers (2010/11)

Walter Smith wins last domestic final as Rangers boss

This marked the third meeting between the teams in the League Cup final over the previous three campaigns, with each side notching one win apiece.

Walter Smith had announced he was retiring at the end of the season, and following a Scottish Cup loss to Celtic just weeks earlier, the League Cup showdown was to be his Hampden swansong.

Steven Davis scored a long-range effort to settle Smith’s nerves, although Joe Ledley equalised minutes later for the Parkhead side.

The rest of the match was nervy, and it was no surprise it went to extra time. With a dreaded penalty shootout awaiting, Vladimir Weiss’ quick freekick found Nikica Jelavic, who latched onto his excellent pass.

Shrugging off two defenders, the Croatian forward curled an effort which looked like it had missed, before hitting the inside of the post and settling into the net. A 2-1 win was secured, giving Smith the perfect send-off at the national stadium.

8

Rangers 0-1 Celtic (2019/20)

Celtic win fourth successive League Cup

This was the first Old Firm cup final of any kind since 2011, thus creating an extra hostile atmosphere at Hampden.

Steven Gerrard had led the Gers to two victories over Celtic the season before and was going about his business quietly, reaching his first final as manager.

A positive start was needed by the Light Blues, and they got it, peppering the Celtic goal with shots during an utterly dominant first half.

Celtic scored on the hour thanks to a header from Christopher Jullien, but they had Jeremie Frimpong sent off just minutes later for a foul inside his penalty area.

With a chance to level the match heading into the final 25 minutes against ten men, Alfredo Morelos missed the penalty, spurning a perfect opportunity to score his first Old Firm goal.

Neil Lennon’s side held on for a famous win, but the Gers should arguably have had the tie sewn up in the first half, with Celtic having Fraser Forster to thank for a series of wonderful saves.

Unbeaten 153 drives home first-day advantage before bowlers cement dominance

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Feb-2023Joe Root says he “owed” England his 29th Test century after finishing unbeaten on 153 at Wellington on day two of the second Test against New Zealand.Root’s innings, the 14th time he has gone past 150 in Tests, has now put his average back above 50. It allowed England to declare on 435 for 8 and have two cracks at the New Zealand batting order before and after lunch. The hosts were reduced to 138 for 7 before the rain came to wash out the final two hours of play, for the second day in succession.This was Root’s fourth century under Ben Stokes’ and Brendon McCullum’s tenure, but it came after he had admitted to struggling to find a balance between contributing and doing so in a manner which aligns with the new attacking approach of this side. The way he went up the gears on this occasion – his last 103 runs took just 102 balls – was very much the Root of old. He credits Harry Brook, who only added two to his overnight score before being caught and bowled for 186 by Matt Henry, for bringing it out of him. The Yorkshire pair added 302 for the fourth wicket, having come together at 21 for 3.”I felt like I owed that to the group,” Root said. “It’s been a while since I made a solid contribution. To be part of such a big partnership was really pleasing and I think the best thing was I had the best seat in the house to watch Harry go about his business. It’s a joy to watch him play at the minute. He certainly made my life a lot easier out there, the way he manages to wrestle momentum in our favour and constantly put bowlers under pressure.”When he comes and plays as he does – if you slightly over-pitch he hits you over your head, if you miss short he goes midwicket, he’ll back away and hit you through the off side – it’s difficult to know where to bowl with him. When you get down the other end it just feels like there’s less pressure on you, and more opportunity to get him back on strike and down the business end.”I felt we had a really good understanding, we negated a few modes of dismissal by getting down the crease. We fed off each quite nicely and made it difficult for them to bowl one length for us.”Root also credited Stokes for the timing of the declaration, allowing James Anderson to remove Devon Conway and Kane Williamson before lunch, before the rest of the top five were dismissed with just 77 on the board. Without the weather intervening, there was a strong chance of all 10 wickets before the scheduled close of play.Related

• Root's mantra: To be 'consistently useful' within evolving England set-up

• Harry Brook's latest exploits hand England control after stuttering start

• England's past, present and future combine in Harry 'n' Joe's Shawshank-and-sledgehammer stand

• James Anderson, Jack Leach share six as England capitalise on attacking declaration

“I think it was a brilliant call from Ben,” Root said. “It felt like that 40 minutes before the break, the sun was out and with 40 minutes of sun, a heavy roller and 40 minutes of sun at lunch, it might have changed the wicket.”It didn’t work out like that, it gave a better opportunity to make the most of conditions. The way we’re playing at the minute with the confidence we’ve got, seeing the ball move around with the No. 1 Test bowler, the two leading wicket-takers we’ve ever had, it just seemed a very brave and attacking option. Full credit to Ben, as you’d expect, for taking it on.”He’s just walked so naturally into the role, he’s managing the game really well and everyone is responding to it. I just think was a brilliant call from him, it would have been very easy for us to keep going and we might not be sat here with them seven-down tonight. Credit to him, he’s doing a great job.”As for the match going forward, a follow-on could be on the cards, given the likelihood of more rain interruptions and the relatively light workload of England’s bowlers so far. Either way, the result will decide whether this century ranks as one of Root’s best since the start of last summer.”Potentially,” he answered when asked whether this one was top of the four, the others having come in the opening matches of last summer, including two successful run-chases at Lord’s and Edgbaston. “We’ll see how the game turns out. You always judge how well you’ve played off the back of a result and I’m certainly sat here in this position, at the end of day two, having them seven-down with a huge lead is very satisfying right now. Hopefully we can follow through on it and continue all the good cricket we’ve played up to now.”

Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly gave an authentic reaction after scoring for England against Albania in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier.

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• Lewis-Skelly discusses England debut
• Set new Three Lions all-time record
• Praises Bellingham assist for goal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lewis-Skelly spoke to reporters at Wembley Stadium after making his senior England debut as a starter in the 2-0 win over Albania. He was picked at left-back in an experimental defensve unit, flanking fellow debutant, 32-year-old Dan Burn. It took just 20 minutes for him to find the net and open the scoring.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The last few months have been a whirlwind for Lewis-Skelly. He started the season in Arsenal's Under-21 squad, but was promoted to the first-team in late August to help cover defensive injuries. Even then, the teenager spent much of his time on the bench until a first Premier League start in December, after which he has cemented his place in Mikel Arteta's preferred XI. His England call-up by Thomas Tuchel earlier this month was deserved and widely praised.

• WHAT MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY SAID

  "I am lost for words. This past six months have gone so quickly. I stay in the present and I take every moment as it comes," he said.

  "[For the goal], all I remember is staying wide and rotating with Marcus Rashford. Jude [Bellingham] loves to stay on the half-turn. It was a great pass from him and the timing was very good. The finish, the keeper was coming at me, and I tried to put it between the legs. I didn't even think I was going to score.

  "I found out [I was starting] in the morning in the meeting and when I saw my name my heart started to pound – I was so excited. So many messages before the game. They are all here tonight and it means the world to them. Honestly, it is incredible – this is a day I'll never forget."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Aged 18 years and 176 days, Lewis-Skelly broke Marcus Rashford's 2016 record to become the youngest-ever England player to score on their senior men's debut. Rashford was 18 years and 209 days when he found the net against Australia in pre-Euro 2016 warm-up.

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Zimbabwe and India in Harare

Liam Brickhill10-Jul-2015The premature celebrationBrian Vitori wasn’t quite as miserly as his new-ball partner Tinashe Panyangara in his opening spell, but with shape through the air and fizz off a fresh pitch he quickly found M Vijay’s outside edge 20 balls into the match. When he got one to lift off a length past Ajinkya Rahane in his very next over, with a clear sound as ball passed bat, Vitori thought he had a second and immediately set off in exuberant celebration. He’d almost passed square leg when the umpire’s call of ‘not out’ muted his revelry. Replays showed the ball had only brushed the thigh pad.The catchWith 58 catches in one-day internationals, Hamilton Masakadza has one of the safest pairs of hands in Zimbabwe’s squad. He put them to good use to get rid of Rahane, the batsman fending at one from Donald Tiripano in the 18th over. Masakadza had been slightly unsighted by Richmond Mutumbami, who was up to the stumps, but shifted quickly to his right to hold a superb reflex catch at chest height, breaking a troublesome 51-run stand.The spellThough he has often opened the bowling for his old franchise, Southern Rocks, Chamu Chibhabha’s bustling medium pace has rarely been called upon by Zimbabwe. He’d only taken 21 wickets in 69 ODIs before today, and only once before – against Pakistan in Karachi in 2008 – bowled a full 10 overs. There was some surprise when he was brought on in the 13th over, but Chibhabha immediately found his groove and not only bowled his full quota, but did so in an unbroken spell that brought two wickets for just 25 runs.The belated celebrationWhere Vitori’s wicket celebration had been premature, Ambati Rayudu’s acknowledgement of his half-century was subtle to the point of being non-existent. As a ripple of applause rounded the ground after a single to square leg brought his fifty, Rayudu simply stood mute at the non-striker’s end. His body language suggested a man with plenty more work to do: it was only when he went on to a faultless hundred that Rayudu cut loose with an emphatic, roaring, fist-pumping celebration.The replaySikandar Raza kick-started his knock with a brace of lapped sweeps off consecutive deliveries from Axar Patel in the 27th over, the shots identical in their execution and placement to fine leg. He had an opportunity to do something similar six overs later when Harbhajan Singh served up two long-hops one after the other. Raza nailed the first one precisely in the air to deep midwicket, bisecting the fielders, but when he attempted to replay the stroke off the next delivery he found the fielder to give Harbhajan his first ODI wicket in four years.

Leeds United moved back to the top of the Championship table on Wednesday night with a comfortable win over Luton Town at Elland Road.

The Whites secured all three points in style, with a 3-0 victory, and kicked it off with an impressive, Paulo Di Canio-esque, volley from full-back Sam Byram.

Joel Piroe made it 2-0 just before half-time with a close-range poacher’s finish, before Dan James wrapped up the win with a terrific lobbed finish off the bench in the second half.

One of the team’s top performers on the night was not directly involved in any of those goals, however, as Ao Tanaka once again impressed in midfield.

Ao Tanaka's performance against Luton

The Japan international was constantly available to his teammates in the middle of the park and ended the 90 minutes with an eye-catching 114 out of 120 passes completed.

Tanaka, who had 135 touches of the ball, was always looking to take responsibility to progress the play for his side and played his passes quickly to put Luton on the back foot.

The former Fortuna Dusseldorf star was also strong out of possession. He won five of his seven ground duels, although lost his only aerial contest, to make three tackles and two interceptions to cut out Luton attacks.

These statistics illustrate how important he was to the side in and out of possession, despite not being directly involved in any major moments.

There was one Leeds player, however, who provided similar qualities on and off the ball and was even better than Tanaka – centre-back Pascal Struijk.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Pascal Struijk's performance against Luton

The Whites captain was the real hero for Daniel Farke’s side on the night with his terrific showing at the heart of the defence, as he showcased his ability on both sides of the game.

His biggest moment in the match came just after Leeds had taken the lead through Byram, as the defender incredibly cleared a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net off his own goal line, after it had been dinked over Illan Meslier

The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth described it as an “acrobatic” clearance and started his post with “WOW”, which was also the collective response heard from the crowd afterward.

As you can see in the table above, Struijk also completed more passes and won more duels than Tanaka, whilst he was not dribbled past a single time by the Luton players.

These statistics show that the Dutch titan dominated the game with his defensive work and helped to control and dictate the match with his use of the ball.

Couple that with his miraculous clearance to prevent the away side from drawing level at 1-0 up and that is why he was Farke’s real hero and even better than Tanaka on Wednesday night.

Farke can drop Aaronson by unleashing Leeds "livewire" in new position

The Leeds United head coach could move Brenden Aaronson to the bench by unleashing this star.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 27, 2024

Weather warning on North Island as two-day tour game peters out to draw

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Feb-2023England XI 465 (Brook 97, Lawrence 85, Root 77, Foakes 57) vs New Zealand XIAs England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted to an inevitably tame conclusion, the prospect of further fine-tuning ahead of the series opener in Mount Maunganui was thrown into doubt with warnings of an incoming tropical cyclone.On Thursday the MetService issued a warning that Cyclone Gabrielle would hit the upper of New Zealand’s North Island from Sunday morning, bringing gusts of up to 150kph and as much as 300mm of rain at the start of the week. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has extended the state of emergency for a further seven days as a result, a week after torrential rains caused widespread damage to the region. The Coromandel Peninsula, which sits just above Mount Maunganui, has followed suit.England are due to arrive on Sunday with the first Test starting next Thursday (February 16). The first three days of next week were viewed as the ideal lead-in to bring players fully up to scratch, supplementing the four days training at the venue earlier in the tour, and this week in Hamilton, which culminates in an optional session on Friday morning (February 9). Now that build-up looks under serious threat.Day two of England’s tour match at Seddon Park drifted predictably. A New Zealand XI flayed for 465 inside 69.2 overs on day one made the endeavour worthwhile with a spirited 310 all out in 82.1 overs through to 8:52pm local time. Quinn Sunde’s battling yet classy 91 was the pick of their resistance.The main quicks James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Olly Stone got a reasonable workout with the pink ball across three spells during the day. while Jack Leach led the way with 17 overs of left-arm spin.Ben Stokes, however, remained a bystander as Ollie Pope captained in his absence, as was the case in England’s warm-up match against the Lions ahead of the Pakistan series in Abu Dhabi. While he put himself through the wringer in the nets and out in the middle during the interval, there is a real chance that cyclone will prevent Stokes from getting the ideal amount of work in before the series begins.Related

• Despite his pink-ball successes, Ollie Robinson not a fan of the 'gimmick'

• 'Future England Captain' tag not on Ollie Pope's mind as he prioritises No. 3 role

• Brendon McCullum backs calculated revelry as England ease into Test preparations

• Kyle Jamieson, Will Young included in NZ XI squad to face England

• Kyle Jamieson 'feeling mentally and physically fresh' after time out injured

It is not a fear not shared by head coach Brendon McCullum, however, who backed Stokes’ decision to stay out of his whites for the last couple of days.”Some characters don’t need warm-up games,” McCullum said. “The bigger the competition, the more they step up. He [Stokes] has never been a warm-up-game kind of guy and I don’t see that changing any time soon.”Anderson and Broad opened proceedings, reunited after Broad missed Pakistan for the birth of his first child, and it was the latter who got the ball rolling, taking a sharp return catch off William O’Donnell. Anderson was made to wait until the 73rd over, removing Curtis Heaphy, caught at first slip by Joe Root once the lights had taken over for the first time in the match. However, he did affect a dismissal earlier with the run-out of Robert O’Donnell.Numerically, Stone was the pick of the attack, finishing with 3 for 54. His previous first-class match had been the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston in June 2021 before a fourth stress fracture of the back and subsequent operation kept him out for a year.Up to now, Stone’s return to action had been white-ball only: for Warwickshire, Chennai Braves in the T10, MI Cape Town in the SA20 and the first two ODIs of England’s series with South Africa, before flying to New Zealand. Here, he bowled with good pace, eventually snaring Sunde with a sharp delivery eliciting a twitch outside off stump from the right-hander.Matthew Potts, however, was perhaps the most impressive quick on display, after missing out on the tour of Pakistan. His luck was summed up with his first delivery, which tailed in and seamed away to catch Test opener Will Young’s outside edge, only for Zak Crawley to put down the catch at second slip. Potts did eventually get one in the wicket column when Kyle Jamieson hooked a bouncer high to Pope out at deep square leg.Potts, Stone and Broad will be vying for one spot in the XI for the first Test, with Anderson, Robinson and Leach in possession. The consideration for Stokes and McCullum is who will offer the best point of difference as England seek to bring to an end a seven-match winless run in New Zealand and in turn register a first series win here since 2008.On the face of it, Stone’s ability to tip the speed gun into the 90s is the precisely the point of difference England would want, particularly with a pink Kookaburra ball on a batter-friendly pitch. England’s only previous match at Mount Maunganui saw them lose by an innings and 65 runs after New Zealand posted 615 for 9.

BJ Watling watched New Zealand’s journey to the World Cup final from the sidelines but he has been a vital part of their Test resurgence both in front and behind the stumps

Alex Winter18-May-2015It was Iain Duncan-Smith who, as UK Conservative party leader, said do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man. It could be just as easy to misjudge softly-spoken BJ Watling’s appetite for success but he, and his New Zealand side, have captured the public’s imagination far better than Duncan-Smith ever did. Certainly there will not be a vote of no confidence about Watling based in his form of the last 18 months.Like the Conservatives in 2003, New Zealand axed their leader amid an internal mess. But unlike the Conservatives, the benefits were seen almost immediately. Ross Taylor was sacked and Brendon McCullum’s leadership has steered them to success and popularity. Watling was just eight Tests into his career when the rift occurred but, with his inexperience and seemingly general easy-going nature, was able to let the politics pass him by.”There was obviously tension around the squad at that time,” Watling told ESPNcricinfo. “It was tough for us.” A quick comment on the events of December 2012 is an accurate reflection of how the public no doubt looks back too – it was quick, like pulling off a plaster, and everyone has moved on. Watling also brushes off the Cape Town Test, the first of McCullum’s reign as captain, where New Zealand where bowled out for 45 and McCullum locked himself in his hotel room with a beer.What did Watling, playing just his ninth Test, do? “I can’t really remember,” he says genuinely. “I think we definitely learnt a lesson from then. But I don’t think we dwelled on it for too long to be fair. It happened so quickly and it was over. We fought hard in the second innings and we took a lot from that, I had a partnership with Dean Brownlie who got a hundred and it was confidence building. It was a tough series against a quality team but we’ve managed to grow from that.”From behind a locked Cape Town hotel room, McCullum plotted a route to the unprecedented success New Zealand have enjoyed in the past 18 months. And Watling has been an integral part of the Test side’s rise to No. 3 in the world – above England, ahead of the Test series that starts on Thursday, and India, whom Watling helped repel with his third Test century in a record-breaking partnership in Wellington in February 2014. It secured New Zealand a draw and a 1-0 series win, the second of four series wins in their last five.”It was a pretty proud moment,” Watling said of his 352 stand with McCullum, who made 302. “We had the 1-0 lead at the time and the incentive was there to get the win, and we hadn’t had too many at the time. We were just trying to get through every over but it was a long time out there and we often ran out of things to say to each other.”Brendon is pretty relaxed, and just plays his natural game, we had a few demons to fight but it was great to watch from the other end. For me it was staying there as long as I could.”Eleven months on, back in Wellington and Watling’s stickability was again a prized asset as he and Kane Williamson shared 365 for the sixth wicket against Sri Lanka, which this time lead to a remarkable turnaround win and another series victory. “Both were important partnerships in terms of the series and to do that twice was the most pleasing thing,” Watling says. “We’ve managed to do that a few times over the last year or so.”Do those partnerships best demonstrate the mental improvement in the squad? “Yes I think so. We’ve got a lot of fight in us. New Zealanders have always fought but the experience and the consistency in the squad now is helping. The boys are moving forward from that tough period and have a lot more confidence now.”We always believed we could do it. I guess there’s a bit more relaxed, the boys know what they’re doing, they know their roles and it’s a team who are gelling quite nicely at the moment. This team has now managed some success in different conditions now, the boys are working hard and we should put up a decent fight against England.”To do so, New Zealand will have to adjust to the Dukes ball. Their IPL contingent have had a batch sent to India to bowl with in the nets and Watling has been canvassing opinion about keeping to it, including with his first coach in Hamilton, where he moved to aged 10 from Durban.”It’s a difficult job keeping in England,” Watling says, also with the Lord’s slope to consider on Thursday. “The change in ball makes a big difference, it wobbles more than it does back home. I’ve played here a few times and I’m starting to adjust. But it varies. It can wobble randomly or zoom straight through. I did quite a bit of work with keeping coach back home, everyone’s got their own theories about how to deal with the wobble here so hopefully I can work something out.”Watling has worked out quite a lot since being handed the gloves against Zimbabwe in January 2012. He made his first Test century in that match and has since settled the debate of New Zealand’s wicketkeeper after several candidates were offered a chance.”I was fairly nervous,” Watling recalls of his first game as wicketkeeper, having started his Test career as an opening batsman. “There was lot of talk about the keeping and I had been on and off keeping throughout my career, but that Zimbabwe game was the time when Brendon decided to give up the gloves full time and bat in the middle order, it’s been good to come out the other end of that period of uncertainty.”Watling’s is not the only settled position now and New Zealand are in good shape to try to add to their four Test wins in England. A series victory would continue to raise the profile of New Zealand’s cricketers, who stepped out of the shadow of the country’s rugby players during the World Cup. Watling was included in the initial 30-man squad but didn’t feature in the tournament. But it was still a great experience from the outside.”We were playing four-day cricket at the time so we would finish and get the TV on to watch the boys,” Watling says. “They just kept playing entertaining cricket and it was awesome to see them doing well. They made the county proud.”The buzz around New Zealand was brilliant. I’m sure we gained a few more fans and hopefully we can grow the game from here and especially keep the kids involved. Rugby is obviously our number one game but hopefully we’re starting to grow the fan base and maybe off the back of the World Cup we can steal a few of those rugby players who are decent cricketers too.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been accused of being "disingenuous" over Manchester United's finances, after claiming they could "go bust by Christmas".

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• Ratcliffe made bold financial claim
• Finance expert pushes back
• Used it as excuse for swingeing cuts

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed that United could go "bust by Christmas" as he attempted to rationalise swingeing cuts, that have seen a multitude of the Red Devils' staff members lose their jobs. However, that claim has now been placed into doubt, especially within the context of the announcement of a new stadium.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kieran Maguire, a finance expert who works for the University of Liverpool, said that the Red Devils had actually forecast a profit of up to £160 million ($207m) before Ratcliffe's cuts took hold. It is true that United have made losses of over £400m ($518m), and also owe over £300m ($388m) in outstanding transfer fees. Maguire, though, contends that multiple clubs face similar problems.

• WHAT MAGUIRE SAID

  Maguire told the , after calling Ratcliffe's claims 'very disingenuous': "If you go to Manchester United Investor Relations, you’ll see this prediction of the upper end of £140 million-£160 million of EBITDA profit for the financial year 2024-25. So, that would indicate that they’re probably not too worried about a cash-flow issue."

  He added: "Every single club buys players on credit. So, Manchester United are not alone in that. They certainly owe less than Chelsea and you don’t see Chelsea announcing 400 job losses. For a company that’s floated on the New York Stock Exchange, that’s quite an inflammatory comment. To me, it’s incredibly unprofessional. If you take a look at the share price last night, it dipped. Not significantly. But you would think that somebody who is used to running a business would be aware of coming out with market-sensitive comments like that."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  On the pitch, United play Real Sociedad in the Europa League last-16 on Thursday. The tie is poised at 1-1 from the first leg.