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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".

Article continues below

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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.

West Ham United are now “well-placed” to sign an “electric” player who Ange Postecoglou is reportedly keen on signing for Tottenham.

West Ham contemplate January signings amid Lopetegui struggles

Manager Julen Lopetegui has endured a nightmare start to his London Stadium career, with West Ham struggling to galvanise any kind of winning momentum or clear footballing identity during his early tenure in charge.

What "close sources at West Ham" are saying about Lopetegui being sacked

The Spaniard faces increasing pressure in east London.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 15, 2024

West Ham have been slammed under Lopetegui, and they’ve been accused of regressing under the 58-year-old’s watch following the departure of David Moyes, who guided the east Londoners through back-to-back campaigns in Europe and won them their first trophy in decades.

“I don’t think Lopetegui is capable of turning this around,” wrote journalist Roshane Thomas.

“He was the wrong appointment. This team has regressed, has no identity, the players look despondent and the formation/tactics are questionable. Lopetegui wants fans to reserve judgement until May, but there is little encouragement that things will improve. He keeps persisting with out of form Rodriguez, Summerville brought off early again and another game with a different formation. I could go on all day.”

In the past few weeks, reports have claimed that Lopetegui is urging the West Ham hierarchy to make January signings, as the former Real Madrid boss looks to preserve his job at the London Stadium.

A lot of the rumours have surrounded the potential addition of a new attacking option, amid striker Niclas Fullkrug’s struggles with injury, but it is now believed that West Ham are contenders to sign Brighton starlet Tariq Lamptey.

West Ham "well-placed" to sign Tariq Lamptey

According to Football Insider, West Ham are “well-placed” to sign Lamptey over interest from the likes of Everton, and Brighton could push him out the door in January, rather than lose him for free at the end of his contract.

This represents an opportunity for the Irons to bring in a capable deputy for Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the long-term, considering Vladimir Coufal is out of contract at the end of this season, although they will also face competition from Tottenham, with Postecoglou keen to find an alternative option to Pedro Porro.

“He’s such a level-headed character – I don’t think I’ve met anybody quite like him, in fairness, in terms of how humble he is,” said former Brighton boss Graham Potter in 2020.

“I’ve got no concerns for him in terms of what the outside noise says. He just wants to help the team, he wants to do well for himself and his family. He’s just a fantastic character.

“He’s got such electric pace, but lots of players have that. It’s having the ability to run in behind. The ability to run into space is often what separates players. Tariq does that, but he’s got courage, he does his defensive work. The boys love him and he’s in a good place.”

The Hungarian suffered a dip in form after a stunning start to his Anfield career, but he's re-emerged as a huge influence in recent months

It's not always easy but, in general, footballers don't like to look too far ahead. Things can change quickly on and off the field. Getting caught up in trophy talk can be dangerous. It's nearly always best to embrace the 'one game at a time' cliche. Dominik Szoboszlai learned that valuable lesson last season.

He never made any ill-advised or arrogant predictions or proclamations but, looking back on Liverpool's quadruple bid under Jurgen Klopp, which unravelled not long after their Carabao Cup triumph, the Hungary captain now feels he was a little too forthcoming about his team's chances of a clean sweep.

"When I came to Liverpool I wanted to win everything in my first season!" he recently admitted. "So, I don't like to talk about the title now."

Hardly surprising, then, that when Szoboszlai was asked about Liverpool fans singing 'We're going to win the league' during the closing stages of last Sunday week's 2-0 win at Manchester City, he swerved the issue. "I didn't hear that," he said before immediately adding, "I was so tired."

Of course, that could easily have been the case, because Szoboszlai really did run himself into the ground at the Etihad – quite literally, with the exhausted midfielder collapsing to the turf the moment the full-time whistle blew. Just three days later, though, he somehow summoned up sufficient energy to produce another 90-minute display of dynamism as Liverpool took another significant step towards winning the title by beating Newcastle at home to move 13 points clear of second-placed Arsenal.

What's more, Szoboszlai had scored in back-to-back games for Liverpool for the first time since arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2023 – further evidence that a player still being criticised just last month for his lack of an end product has become a staple in Arne Slot's side.

• £60 million 'steal'

  Not many players have made a more immediate impact at Liverpool than Szoboszlai. He'd been signed from RB Leipzig for £60 million ($76m), a not insignificant sum of money, but quickly set about showing why his former boss at Red Bull Salzburg, Jesse Marsch, considered it "a steal".

  There were no airs or graces about Szoboszlai, but from the moment he walked in the door, he looked right at home at Anfield. Even the incredibly colourful Klopp was struck by the Hungarian's "charisma".

  He clearly didn't lack confidence, either. Szoboszlai took the No.8 jersey once worn by his idol Steven Gerrard (he even has a tattoo inspired by the former Reds skipper) and plenty of comparisons were drawn between the two during the first few months of the 2023-24 season.

  Marsch felt that Szoboszlai was actually more like "a modern-day David Beckham" because "when the ball is on his right foot he can put it anywhere he wants. The precision and the pace he can put on the ball is ridiculous. And I say 'modern day', it's because he is more mobile and more dynamic [than Beckham]."

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  Heavy work load takes its toll

  However, it wouldn't be long before Szoboszlai's all-action approach began to catch up with him. After playing every minute of Liverpool's opening 10 Premier League games, he almost inevitably began to slow down, before breaking down. He picked up a hamstring problem in January and never really recovered.

  Szoboszlai was directly involved in 11 goals last season, but only three after returning from injury – and all of those arrived during the two legs of the Europa League last-16 tie with Sparta Prague. Tellingly, he ran out of steam around the same time as his team, with Szoboszlai afforded just one start during Liverpool's final seven Premier League games.

  Unsurprisingly, he also struggled at Euro 2024 as Hungary failed to make it out of their group. "He was not in top form and this is also a consequence of the fact that he has not been at 100 percent since his injury in the winter," the president of the Hungarian football federation (MLSZ), Sandor Csanyi, told in July. "At the Euros, he had also been struggling with a minor injury for a long time."

• 'Numbers need to go up'

  Thankfully, Szoboszlai has had no such fitness issues this season. He's only missed two Premier League games to date: one through suspension, and the other through illness.

  Ryan Gravenberch's emergence as the solution to Liverpool's longstanding problem at No.6 has certainly helped, as Slot now essentially has four versatile potential starters to choose from in midfield (Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones are the other three), while Wataru Endo has proven himself an extremely useful option off the bench, a dual-winning machine that can be utilised when team-mates are exhausted and games need to be closed out.

  However, while Slot was happy with Szoboszlai's performance and fitness levels during the first half of the season, it was telling that he publicly demanded more decisive contributions from his first-choice No.10 in the final third.

  The Dutchman acknowledged that while the 24-year-old's pressing was "outstanding", he needed to be "even more involved in scoring goals and creating chances for us.

  "Last season he scored three [in the league] and, for an attacking midfielder at Liverpool, his numbers need to go up." They are now, though.

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  Stepping up

  Szoboszlai has already surpassed his tally of goal involvements for 2023-24 and he's in far better shape going into the business end of the season than he was at this point last year. Indeed, only three Reds played every minute of their crucial and gruelling recent run of five Premier League games in 15 days, and Szoboszlai was one of them (captain Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker were the others).

  Even more encouragingly, he got stronger as the games got tougher. Szoboszlai was excellent in the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa and would have had a deserved, game-winning assist had Darwin Nunez not missed an open goal midway through the second half.

  Mohamed Salah, though, was never going to waste the clever near-post flick that bamboozled Man City at the Etihad, while Szoboszlai then netted the killer second goal after being released into space shortly before the break by the Egyptian.

Leeds United moved up to second in the Championship table after an emphatic and impressive 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle at Elland Road on Saturday.

All three goals were, bizarrely, scored within eight minutes of each other and all came within the first-half, as the Whites saw out the match in the second 45.

Dan James opened the scoring with a superb finish, before Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson added a second and a third shortly after, to secure all three points.

The former Manchester United winger was key to the victory, having scored the opening goal, and put in an excellent performance down the flank.

Dan James' performance in numbers

The Wales international was teed up by Wilfried Gnonto on the edge of the box and managed to get a brilliant shot away under pressure that went flying into the top corner to make it 1-0.

It was a sublime finish, with defenders closing him down quickly, and it takes his tally to two goals in five starts in the Championship so far this season.

Aside from the goal, however, some of James’ play left a bit to be desired. He only completed three of his ten attempted crosses and failed to create a ‘big chance’ for his teammates.

The right-footed forward also lost three of his five duels in the game, which suggests that the Plymouth players found it a bit too easy to get the better of him at times.

James, due to his struggles at times in other areas, was not the real star of the show for Leeds, as Ao Tanaka was even better than him for Farke on Saturday.

Ao Tanaka's performance in numbers

The Japan international has benefitted from injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu to enjoy a string of games in the middle of the park for the Whites, and thrived since coming into the team.

His qualities in and out of possession naturally help Leeds to dictate and control games in midfield, because he has the strength to win duels off the ball as well as the quality to keep play ticking throughout the match.

The Whites ended the afternoon with a whopping 78% of the ball and Plymouth did not have a single shot at goal, which meant that Illan Meslier was not tested at all.

As you can see in the table above, the former Fortuna Dusseldorf star dominated in duels, winning 83% of his battles, and was incredibly reliable in possession, with a 91% pass success rate.

Tanaka was also awarded a player rating of 8/10 by LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross, who highlighted his dominant display in the midfield for Leeds, and he played a part in the second goal – with his shot deflected into the path of Piroe.

The statistics back up that ‘dominant’ claim, as the central midfielder helped to control the match with his use of the ball and his strength in duels for Leeds.

Move over Gnonto: Leeds have unearthed next PL talent in "underrated" star

The Leeds United midfielder has caught the eye with his impressive performances this season.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 31, 2024

Therefore, Tanaka was even better than James, who was fairly average outside of his goal, because his all-round performance was sublime.

Chris Gayle’s innings’ of note have come at long intervals of late; he’ll be hoping to break that trend against South Africa following his punishing double against Zimbabwe

Firdose Moonda in Sydney26-Feb-2015

Gayle misses training on match eve

Chris Gayle did not train with West Indies the day before the match against South Africa as he continues to battle a back issue that has plagued him for almost two years. Gayle was “given the day off,” according to a team spokesperson but “is available,” for Friday’s match at the SCG.
After his World Cup record 215 against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, Gayle shed light on the injury which he said “can’t seem to be solved,” and restricted his ability to prepare for games. Gayle explained that he was not able to have as many gym sessions as he would like and that even simple movements like sitting down can become painful after a long day in the field.

Legend has it that Chris Gayle’s penchant for clearing the boundary developed when he discovered it was easier to do that than run between the wickets. You only have to watch a West Indies’ training session to understand where the myth sprouted from.While his team-mates bound about, Gayle sticks to saving his legs, if he is at practice at all. A near-crippling back injury has kept him on the sidelines more often than he has liked, and the result is that he has not been on a run, in the figurative sense, in almost six years.His last period of ODI form came between April 2008 and July 2009, when he scored four of his 22 centuries along with five fifties in 29 matches at an average of 45.57. Before that Gayle had profitable patches early in his career – four fifties in succession in 2002, three hundreds in four innings that same year against India, back to back centuries at the 2006 Champions Trophy – but his recent big scores have been followed by lengthy lean periods.After his 125 against New Zealand in July 2012, Gayle had just four scores over 20 from his next 14 innings, before scoring 109 against Sri Lanka. That was followed by two scores over 20 from his next 10 innings before he managed a half-century against Bangladesh. It was another eight innings after that, before his 215 came.Faf du Plessis joked that it was “unfortunate that Zimbabwe decided to bowl Chris Gayle into some really good form”, but Gayle’s record suggests South Africa may not have to be too nervous about Gayle blowing them over like he did to their neighbours, unless, according to Ian Bishop, he can replicate the most important part of what he did right against Zimbabwe.”One of the things I liked about his innings against Zimbabwe, which I think he has been trying for a while, is that he got himself in. Everyone says he should go in and have a dash. I disagree. I think he is good enough to get himself in,” Bishop told ESPNcricinfo at an ICC event in Sydney.Although Gayle did not bat slowly against Zimbabwe, he was noticeably watchful upfront, especially after surviving a lbw shout off his first ball that was reviewed. Gayle’s first four came after seven balls, he hit just one six and faced 27 dot balls in his first fifty runs. The time he took to his get eye in is what Bishop thinks allowed him to stay in, which is why Shaun Pollock advised South Africa to put all their energy into removing Gayle early.”Before he gets properly in, from a technical perspective, there are ways you can get him out. Within the first few deliveries you bowl to him, we’ve seen it in South Africa, you can get him out cheaply,” Pollock said. “But once he gets going you have to make sure each bowler has a clear game plan.”If Gayle is allowed to gust freely, Pollock would like to see bowlers challenge him by forcing him to look for runs in areas he does not usually score in. “There is an obvious hitting zone, you can see which balls disappear. He loves to play the ball straight down the ground so you if you can take him out of that comfort zone, bowl in different areas and make him try and score in different areas, you can get him out too,” he said.If that fails, Bishop had told South Africa to fight fire with fire and unleash everything they have at Gayle. “If you’ve got pace, you’ve got to run hard at him, you’ve got to be aggressive to him,” Bishop said. “Every bowler in the world has to be precise. Chris is an excellent player but his footwork may be a little bit slower.”Age is creeping up on Gayle, as it did on Jacques Kallis. When Kallis began skipping more training sessions than he took part in and workload was spoken about as something that needed to be managed, twilight found his career. The same could be happening to Gayle. AB de Villiers said his RCB team-mate “doesn’t train often” because “he needs to look after himself”. There has even been talk among those in the know that Gayle could call time on his ODI career after the World Cup.”He has obviously found it a little more challenging in fifty-over cricket in the last couple of years. Fitness wise, it’s also a challenge. Can he stay fit?” Bishop asked. “If he continues scoring runs and if he is happy, he is the only one who can judge if he wants to continue … But the team enjoy him, they enjoy his success and he keeps them going.”So much so that Bishop believes Gayle’s knock in Canberra has completed the batting outfit and put West Indies on course for the quarter-finals. “It has buoyed them hugely,” Bishop said, and the first mention of Gayle to Jason Holder confirmed it. “Chris is one of the most jovial people in the dressing room. He brings a lot of fun and he is a real team man. It was really good to see him get runs,” Holder said. “He has set the benchmark in world cricket, in a sense. We love him.” And they would love him to get on a good run too.

Hurricanes were never in the chase in what was a poor season-opening performance for them

Tristan Lavalette16-Dec-2022Joe Clarke smashed the first century of the BBL season so far as Melbourne Stars rebounded from a heart-breaking opening defeat against Sydney Thunder to overpower Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG.After being sent in, Englishman Clarke hit 101 not out from 66 balls to dominate Stars’ innings in batting-friendly conditions. Hurricanes were never in the chase in a poor season-opening loss, while Stars regrouped following their dramatic last ball defeat on Tuesday.Clarke bounces back in style
After the anguish of letting through byes on the final delivery against Thunder, wicketkeeper-batter Clarke bounced back and batted through the innings this time. Dropped on one by a diving Shadab Khan at short third, Clarke was unstoppable during the powerplay to get Stars off to a flyer.Clarke needed to fire, because Stars’ batting was shorthanded without Joe Burns, who joined Glenn Maxwell on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring against Thunder. Marcus Stoinis, who is recovering from Covid-19 and for the second straight match was not well enough to field, fell for a second-ball duck after his first-ball dismissal against Thunder.But it didn’t matter as Clarke scored all around the wicket to continue his strong form from last season, where he was Stars’ most consistent batter before Covid-19 swept through the team to derail their campaign.Clarke reached his first BBL century in the final over and smashed four sixes overall, but the biggest went to Beau Webster, who hit Riley Meredith into the third tier of the mammoth MCG.Dooley impresses as Hurricanes rely on spin
There was a lot of anticipation over the new era for Hurricanes, who are seeking an elusive title. Under new coach Jeff Vaughan and head of strategy Ricky Ponting, Hurricanes attempted to shake things up in their season-opener.After electing to bowl, Hurricanes decided to back spinners Shadab and left-armer Patrick Dooley, who had only played one BBL game before.Hurricanes’ strength has traditionally been their pace attack, but Shadab and Dooley were used in the powerplay, where Stars raced to none for 46 after four overs.Meredith and Nathan Ellis didn’t bowl in the powerplay. Ellis was held back until the tenth over in a bid to bowl in the backend, where his canny slower deliveries are especially proficient at the death. But it didn’t do the trick with Meredith and Ellis conceding a combined 81 runs from eight overs.In an encouraging note, Dooley – who has an action described as the bowling equivalent of a windmill – impressed amid an onslaught to finish with 1 for 27 from four overs, the wicket coming when he bowled Stoinis with a beautifully tossed-up delivery.Adam Zampa picked up three wickets in a good performance as captain•Getty Images

Stars’ bowling attack continues to impress
Stars’ bowling had been identified as their weak point in previous seasons, but their attack has started impressively against the high-voltage Thunder and Hurricanes.After an immediate impact against Thunder, prized recruit Trent Boult struggled, but it didn’t matter with Stars’ other bowlers stymying Hurricanes with disciplined bowling. English recruit Luke Wood picked up the key wicket of Ben McDermott, and his probing bowling in the powerplay ensured Stars maintained a stranglehold.Webster’s handy all-round performance continued with his nagging seamers conceding just 21 runs from four overs.It’s a strong start to the captaincy of Adam Zampa, who also claimed three wickets.David moves up but can’t get going
It was a daunting chase but Hurricanes’ explosive batting order looked capable of giving it a crack. Unfortunately, they couldn’t fire at any stage and fell behind the required rate early.As had been flagged from their new brains trust, big-hitter Tim David came in earlier than in past seasons as he entered in the tenth over batting at No. 5. There had been some criticism last season over David coming to the crease too late, although his proficiency as a finisher saw him earn a spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. He hit a first-ball boundary but couldn’t find his rhythm as Hurricanes finally took the power surge in the 17th over in vain.Tribute to Warne
On the 23rd ball of the match, representing his famous jersey number, the smattering of fans at the MCG gave a standing ovation to Shane Warne, who passed away earlier in the year.As Stars’ inaugural captain, Warne’s marketing efforts and sheer magnetism helped mould the franchise into a drawcard, although they have generally underperformed through the years.Warne’s considerable heft was important for the BBL’s credibility in the early years as Stars retired his No. 23 jersey amid a tribute match for him.

They came to worship Kumar Sangakkara in his final ODI in Kandy and he did not let them down, delivering the farewell century of which his fans had barely dared to dream

Alan Gardner in Pallekele13-Dec-2014″Sanga! Sanga! Sanga!”The chanting began as Kumar Sangakkara moved into the 90s. Between the end of the 30th over and the start of the 41st, Sangakkara had faced just 15 deliveries for 15 runs, and the crowd was becoming impatient. But for one chance, spurned by England, Sangakkara had batted imperiously. His subjects had come to see a coronation and Sangakkara was not about to disappoint.”Sanga! Sanga! Sanga!”The noise echoed up into the sky as the sun began to set behind the hills. Sangakkara, the Man of the Match, was talking to the media but the throng remained outside the building, jostling for a glimpse. He came down to greet them, smiling, arms open. Moments later, he was being ushered back inside by lackeys and soldiers, fearful he would be mobbed. Sanga love can be hard to control.They had come in their thousands for Sangakkara, in his final match at Pallekele. The grass banks were packed with people who would call him one of them. The Trinity College schoolboy is now a statesmanlike figure in his country, one of the pre-eminent figures in world cricket and a batsman still capable of glorious deeds. But he will always be a Kandy .If the ancient Kandyan kingdom still existed, Sangakkara would surely sit on the throne. It is conceivable, were it put to a vote, the locals might choose to revert to an absolute monarchy. His regal touch with bat in hand is matched by a compelling charisma as a person, an easy smile and a gracious manner. King Sanga would have been a benevolent ruler.He is, however, set to abdicate as a cricketer. The World Cup will bring a close to his 15-year ODI career and this was necessarily a farewell. His 20th one-day hundred was therefore timed as sweetly as one of those scything front-foot drives through the covers.When he reached it, stroking one more single through the off side, the congregation worshipped. His dismissal a few overs later brought another ovation. The post-match presentations were only about one man. They hymned his name over and over again. “Sanga don’t retire” read a sign held up by one fan. “God of the cricket” said another.

He is right about knowing the time to go. Kings choose their own destiny and right now Sri Lankan cricket beats to the sound of a Kandyan drum

In the middle of Kandy stands the Temple of the Tooth. This holy place is home to the Tooth Relic, supposedly one of Buddha’s teeth, which is held in a casket and paraded in a ceremony once a year. Without being remotely sacrilegious, in a more inconsequential building nearby they might want to think about housing Sangakkara’s arm guard, or a wicketkeeping glove, for future generations to witness.Or perhaps the faithful will simply head to Asgiriya, the Trinity school ground where Sangakkara learned his game. They still talk of him fondly there, although that is probably the case in the smallest tea house – even the ones he has never set foot in.”I’ve been in Kandy since I was small,” he said afterwards. “I went to school here, I grew up here. I’m especially thankful to Kandy, my school, my friends, my teachers, and coaches. Today one of the sons of my Year 2 teacher had come to the presentation. I have great memories of growing up here, and it’s those experiences that have helped me to develop to this stage.”Rather than a leader, Sangakkara said he was a servant of the fans who had turned up to cheer him and Sri Lanka to victory. “I’m especially thankful for the love and support they’ve shown me. As cricketers, even if we sign our contracts with Sri Lanka Cricket, our real contract is with the Sri Lankan public. We play for them. I’m grateful that so many people have come here for my last match and supported the team. When your cricket life ends, you have to go. That’s not something any sportsperson can escape. My time is right.”After his 91 in defeat at Pallekele during the week, England knew they were in the hall of the mountain king. Twice in the series so far, he has picked out catchers with a hundred in his sights but the one opportunity he granted on this occasion came on 41, a miscued drive to mid-off that somehow popped out of Alastair Cook’s grasp. The offering was gratefully accepted.He was otherwise as sure-footed as ever, striding out to hit against the spin of Moeen Ali, effortlessly flicking Chris Jordan off his pads. With the gloves, he took four catches, extending his world record for ODI dismissals. He appealed for lbws with the vigour of a man half his 37 years of age. When a Joe Root edge flew between him and Mahela Jayawardene at slip, they dived towards each other like mirror images and shared a grin that said they are almost that close. The light is fading for both.He is right about knowing the time to go. This is the fourth year in a row he has tallied more than 1000 ODI runs. He is currently the leading run-scorer in Tests. He scored an unbeaten half-century to lead his country to the World T20 title in his final match. Kings choose their own destiny and right now Sri Lankan cricket beats to the sound of a Kandyan drum.