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The Indian board’s latest warning to Sehwag was totally uncalled for and reeks of double standards, writes Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan10-May-2006

Here we go again. How irresponsible can Virender Sehwag get? One can understand his liberal swishing of the bat out in the middle, but look what he’s done now. He actually had the audacity to publicly go on record and say that there’s too much cricket and that players “need a break” to guard against burn-out. Worst still, he was cheeky enough to say that Sourav Ganguly was the best captain he has played under and added that (take a deep breath) “we miss him”.Obviously, none of this would sit well with the Indian board, who promptly issued a warning. One wonders how Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, controlled a chuckle when he read out this statement: “As a player you cannot give your opinion on any other player.” Shah, probably realising his folly a day later, attempted a cover-up operation: “It was not a warning, just our advice to him. There is no question of taking action against Sehwag. The matter is closed.”But, more pertinently, why was it an issue in the first place? Sehwag isn’t the first to be pulled up for opening his mouth. The two Singhs – Harbhajan and Yuvraj – have been gagged earlier and Greg Chappell has faced the music as well, except that his comments, unlike the other three, were against Ganguly. So it’s 3-1 at the moment, but the refereeing has been quite hopeless.Around a month back, at the pre-match press conference before the sixth one-dayer against England at Jamshedpur, Sehwag was asked about Ganguly. His response was guarded, more an effort to pass the question rather than create a stir: “… there’s no question of looking back … We have already forgotten that chapter.” No warning then, no yellow card, no nothing.Around two weeks back, Sachin Tendulkar was asked, again in a press conference, about too much cricket. One of his responses: “I have been happy with my schedule. It is important to physically and mentally recharge yourself after every series. One must make sure there is a break after matches and series.” Tendulkar expresses his opinion. No hassles. Sehwag expresses his opinion. Warned. Inference: open your mouth but just don’t say what the board doesn’t want to hear.And what if you are asked about your former captain? He might have been your greatest backer, he might have revitalised your career, and he might be your hero, but it’s almost anathema to take his name, more so if you are praising him. If the Indian board has its way, a few years down the line you may watch this version of a player interview.Interviewer: Who have been the key players in India becoming the best team in the world?
Player: Sorry, I am not in a position to answer that.I: Tell us about the World Cup final. What a superb innings from your captain …
P: I wish I could talk about that innings. But I can’t publicly comment on other players.I: Do you still have fond memories of your debut?
P: Great moment. I need to thank one man for having faith in me during that time. I am sure you know who I am talking about. That’s all I can say.I: A thousand Twenty20 games in the last year. Isn’t it too much?
P: That is for the board to comment.

Debutant Cameron Green took five wickets as Tasmania were bowled out for 198 before Western Australia’s openers reduced the first-innings deficit to 49 at the end of first day’s play in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Jonathan Wells’ 78 included 68 runs scored off boundaries•Getty Images

Western Australia dominated Tasmania on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Winning the toss to have first use of a fresh pitch with the experimental Dukes ball, the Warriors bundled the Tigers out for 198 before making major inroads towards the hosts’ first-innings tally.Simon Mackin, so dominant in WA’s win over South Australia at Glenelg Oval in the previous round, plucked another four wickets to lead the visitors’ attack, while the 17-year-old debutant Cameron Green improved from a first up no-ball by claiming five wickets as he started the ball around disconcertingly.Tasmania were awfully placed at 9 for 128 before the last pair of Sam Rainbird and Cameron Stevenson offered some resistance with a swift stand of 70. George Bailey top-scored with 75.In reply, Western Australia gained the ideal start through Jonathan Wells and Cameron Bancroft. They added 130 before Wells was out to the allrounder James Faulkner for 78, leaving the Sydney Test debutant Hilton Cartwright to accompany Bancroft – not out at 58 – to the close.

After being hailed as English spin’s saviour, Panesar has had a less-than-miraculous sophomore term. Sure the talent is still there, but he needs to get his self-belief back, and get out of his shell some

Andrew Miller25-Jan-2008

Like a FTSE-listed victim of the global credit crunch, Monty Panesar’s stock has fallen dramatically of late. He’s slipped from his June high of No. 6 in the world rankings to a lacklustre No. 20, he’s lost the one-day spinner’s role that was his during the World Cup in March, and he’s even had to make do with a third-placed finish in the annual
Beard of the Year awards – the title he scooped during his Ashes zenith last winter.This week his England team-mates jet off to New Zealand for the start
of their spring campaign, but Panesar has been asked to take the
scenic route Down Under. Yesterday he arrived in Mumbai with the
England Lions, where over the next couple of weeks he’ll hone his
skills in the Duleep Trophy, India’s premier domestic competition.
Nobody expects it to be a holiday camp – one on famous occasion on the
last such tour in 2003-04, Rod Marsh’s squad somehow allowed South
Zone to chase 501
for victory in the fourth innings – but for Panesar the trip
represents an urgently needed break from the limelight.His game has been stuck in a rut for the past six months, and in Sri
Lanka before Christmas, the frustration was evident. Monty’s mantra
throughout his brief career has been that most enervating of
cricketing clichés, “Put the ball in the right areas”, but for long
periods in all three Tests, he was palpably unable to do just that.
His impact may have been dulled by the broad blades of Kumar
Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, but instead of backing himself to
bowl maidens and bore his opponents into error, he sacrificed his
established strengths of line and length, and set about searching for
the elusive magic delivery.It was not a recipe for success, personal or collective. Panesar still
finished as England’s leading wicket-taker in the series, but that was
entirely down to the shortcomings of his fellow bowlers. His eight
scalps at 50.62 were his worst return since his debut tour of India in
March 2006, but they mirrored almost exactly the eight at 50.37 he
picked up in his previous outing, the home series against India. If a
mental block is forming in his game, then the selectors should be
praised for spotting the right moment to pull him from the front line.”He didn’t have the best of times in Sri Lanka,” said David Parsons,
the ECB’s performance director, who will oversee the Lions tour. Prior
to his appointment in December, Parsons had worked alongside Panesar
as the England team’s spin coach, and few know the mechanics of his
game better. “Monty’s the sort of guy who wants to play all the time,
so I’m sure he’s looking forward to the trip,” Parsons added. “We all see
this as an opportunity for him to work on his game so he’s ready for
the Test matches in New Zealand.”England’s former coach Duncan Fletcher would doubtless seize upon
this form slump as vindication of his own, controversial, assessment
of Panesar’s talents, but not everyone sees it quite like that. Writing in the Observer, Vic Marks, himself a former England spinner, suggested that Panesar was in need of nothing more than a “10,000-ball check-up”. “Monty is a mechanical bowler rather than an intuitive one, which need not be a major disadvantage,” said Marks.
“But [he] looks as if he’s starting to panic when his tried-and-trusted mechanism is no longer producing the results.”

If a touch of vertigo is setting in after Panesar’s stellar rise in
international cricket, it’s hardly surprising – he has not even
completed two years in the Test team, but he has ridden such a
tidal wave of hype and celebrity, he’s sure to feel weighed down by
inflated expectations. Mind you, his lofty profile is largely
self-inflicted – in 2007, thanks to some pretty avaricious cash-ins
by his team of advisors, he was the face of everything from DVDs to
potato snacks, and even found time for an unfortunately premature
autobiography.”A few people have suggested I might be getting too commercially
motivated, but nothing could be further from the truth,” said Panesar.
“When you become a recognised face, people want to get to know you and
with that can come opportunities, but I am working as hard as ever on
my cricket.”Few who saw him in the nets in Sri Lanka would doubt that
final assertion, but somehow he lacks a spark of belief at present.
His predecessor, Ashley Giles, also struggled to cope with the burden
that is placed on England’s anointed spinner, but in hindsight Giles had
it easy. In an era dominated by three of the greatest (and weightiest)
wicket-taking spinners in history, no one realistically expected him
to match the matchless. Panesar, for one reason or another, does not
have that luxury.In truth, he’s been pretty unfortunate in his timing. Five of his
first seven series (and 15 of his 23 Tests) have featured one of the
big three – Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble – who
currently outweigh his wickets tally by the small matter of 25 to 1.
Coming from a culture where deference to one’s elders is ingrained
from birth, that’s quite some mental hurdle to have to overcome.Panesar’s reaction ahead of each of these series has been the same.
“How can the student be a rival to the teacher?” he said of his
impending meetings with both Kumble and Muralitharan last year. The
answer, to judge by his stats, is that he can’t. Monty’s record in
matches involving the big three is 41 wickets at 41.68, compared to 40
at 23.62 against the spin-light opposition of Pakistan and West Indies.
Moreover, he’s contributed to two victories in 15 attempts in the
first bracket, compared to six in eight in the second.

That’s not to say he hasn’t had some measure of success in these
games, but at no stage – except arguably in Perth during the Ashes, when
he was pumped to the gunwales with indignation after his earlier
omissions – has he gone in with the same belief that so overwhelmed
West Indies and Pakistan. With that in mind, his next destination,
after the Indian interlude, is an intriguing one. New Zealand’s
captain is Daniel Vettori, the most durable left-arm spinner in the
world today. He’s respected and renowned, but hardly the type to be
revered. In fact, his average of 34.22 is two clicks higher than
Panesar’s, and his strike-rate some ten balls slower.Perhaps that goes to show that Monty’s off-colour moments simply come
with the territory. Despite the hype, he is not the messiah that
England dearly wish him to be. He is merely the best slow bowler that
the country has to offer. A touch more self-belief would not go amiss,
however, and to that end he could doubtless be helped by his captain.
In one of the most candid passages of his autobiography, Panesar tells
of the excitement he felt when selected for his debut against India at
Nagpur. Up he bounded to the room of the then-skipper, Andrew
Flintoff, armed with a bundle of plans and potential field placings.

When I knocked on Flintoff’s door and handed over the results
he seemed a bit bemused.

“This is what I’m thinking of doing,” I said.

“Ah, okay,” he replied, sounding as puzzled as he looked. “No worries
at all, mate. I’ll take it all on board and you have a good night’s
sleep.”

I decided I ought to leave quickly because I wasn’t sure whether he
wanted me in his room

Michael Vaughan, take note. Monty is his own man, and has plenty of
ideas to make his own game work better. But to judge by the passivity
of his recent performances, he could probably do with being coaxed
back out of his shell a touch.

Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third afternoon at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s hopes of victory with a brilliant 218

The Report by Andrew Miller13-Aug-2016England 328 and 88 for 4 (Bairstow 14*, Ballance 4*, Yasir 3-15) trail Pakistan 542 (Younis 218, Shafiq 109) by 126 runs

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt the age of 38, and in the final Test of a tour in which most sage judges feared that his imperious talents were beginning to fade, Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third day at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s ambitions of another come-from-behind victory with a brilliant and match-defining 218.By the close, England – who had still harboured realistic expectations at the start of an enthralling day’s play, given the greater strength in depth of their batting line-up – were instead bracing themselves for the prospect of another bruising defeat in the capital. Twin losses at Lord’s and The Oval in the 2015 Ashes were followed by last month’s first-Test defeat to Pakistan, who are now closing in on what would be one of the most highly acclaimed 2-2 draws to have been sealed in south London since England’s own comeback against West Indies in 1991.Nothing can be predicted in a Pakistan Test match except unpredictability itself, especially with the twin architects of last week’s third-Test revival at Edgbaston, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, yet to be implicated in England’s latest collapse.Nevertheless, with Yasir Shah emerging from his mid-series slump with three massive breakthroughs, including the key scalp of Joe Root for 39, and with Wahab Riaz once again showing the value of extreme speed in blasting Alastair Cook from the crease for 7 with his third delivery of the innings, England limped to the close on 88 for 4, still 126 runs from asking their passionately focused opponents from batting again.This is how Pakistan operate, in bursts of unanswerable brilliance, but for all the harrying skill that Yasir in particular demonstrated as the shadows lengthened in the evening session, it was the events before tea that ripped this contest from England’s grasp.With 31 fours and four belligerent sixes off the spin of Moeen, Younis soared past his previous series haul of 122 runs in three Tests with a supreme 218 from 308 balls – including 90 from exactly 100 deliveries in conjunction with Wahab and Mohammad Amir, two members of a Pakistan tail that had proven so wafer-thin in their losses at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.On Younis’s watch, Pakistan transformed a slender overnight advantage of 12 into a formidable lead of 214, and until James Anderson finally crowbarred an lbw decision from Marais Erasmus with ten minutes of the afternoon session remaining, England had looked bereft of ideas on a pitch that, as Wahab and Yasir would later demonstrate, was unquestionably offering more life than Pakistan’s formidable first-innings total of 542 seemed to suggest.Having played second fiddle to a typically pugnacious cameo of 44 from 78 balls from Sarfraz Ahmed in the morning session, Younis took command of both the scoring and the strike as the afternoon wore on, adding 37 in 11.3 overs with Wahab, who made 4 from 32 balls, then 97 in 20.3 with the steadfast Amir, who waited 23 balls to get off the mark as he helped his senior partner power through to his sixth Test double-hundred, before joining the celebrations three balls later by lashing Moeen over deep midwicket for the most unexpected six of the day.Younis Khan takes the applause for a magnificent innings of 218•AFP

When Pakistan’s last man, Sohail Khan, holed out to mid-on on the stroke of tea, Amir was the last man standing, unbeaten on a career-best 39 not out from 70 balls, his initial caution having given way to a florid range of strokes that ramped England’s frustrations up to boiling point.But Younis’s magnificence transcended everything else. He had begun the day on 101 not out, his confidence restored after a torrid series, and while Sarfraz dominated their morning partnership of 77, he bided his time, ensured his eye was fully in, then climbed into a tiring and tetchy England attack with a breathtaking shift of his gears.Having waited 13 balls to add to his overnight total, and with a handful of cherry-picked boundaries to keep his innings ticking along, the first real indication that Younis was set to produce a masterpiece came in the final over before lunch. Moeen was thrown the ball for an exploratory over of offspin, but Younis lashed him for two fours in three balls – a crushing drive through the covers and a rubber-wristed sweep past backward square – to go to the break on 147 not out.Soon after the resumption, he passed 150 for the 12th time in his formidable Test career, with a full-throated pull through square leg off Stuart Broad, then repeated the trick in Broad’s next over as the long-suffering Moeen at fine leg receiving a tongue-lashing from the bowler for failing to cut off the boundary.England’s mood worsened before could improve, as Cook shelled England’s fourth catch of the innings as Wahab poked outside off to Moeen, only for the opportunity to burst through his fingers at slip. Though Wahab fell two balls later without addition – slightly fortuitously stumped off Bairstow’s gloves as the ball deflected back into the stumps – the arrival of Amir was Younis’s cue to go into overdrive.The score at that stage was 434 for 8, the lead a healthy but still potentially precarious 106 – only three runs more, in fact, than the deficit that England had overcome at Edgbaston last week. But with a qualified faith in his team-mate’s durability, Younis took it upon himself to farm the strike as best he could, seeking to limit Amir to one or two balls per over, while cashing in at the business end of each over.While he picked a brace of boundaries off the quietly fuming Broad – a calculated edge through gully and a sumptuous full-faced four through the covers – it was Moeen, inevitably, who bore the brunt of Younis’s aggression. Cook kept faith in his offspinner’s ability to wheedle out important wickets – Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq have both fallen twice to him in the series to date – but Younis treated his offerings with contempt, battering him for three massive sixes in the space of five overs, the last of which – high and mighty over wide long-on – brought up his double-hundred, from 281 balls.It was, genuinely, a chanceless performance. Younis’s only real moment of alarm had come on 133, with 15 minutes to go until lunch, when Pakistan’s lead had stood at a relatively manageable 75. Steven Finn, who finished with 3 for 110 in another quietly encouraging display, rapped Younis on the pads as he hopped into line in front of middle and extracted a raised finger from umpire Bruce Oxenford. However, replays showed that the ball was bouncing straight over the top of middle stump and the moment was lost.And by the close so too, it seemed, was the match. With the onus on batting time, first and foremost, the stage appeared set for another of Cook’s masterful rearguards – it was on this ground, in the same innings six years ago, that he produced arguably the most important century of his career. But, having lined up the left-arm offerings of Amir with some success, leaving the ball with familiar poise outside off, he had no response when Wahab – in another of his erratic full-throttle moods – followed a first-ball no-ball long hop with a scorching lifter that Cook could only deflect at high velocity to Iftikhar Ahmed at first slip.Alex Hales, his place under pressure after a disappointing series, and with his conduct under scrutiny too following his contretemps with Yasir in the first innings, resisted as best he could but never looked likely to be England’s hero in this contest. Having flirted with danger outside off to the seamers, he fell, with some predictability, to the wiles of Yasir, playing all around a straight one to be pinned lbw for 12.One over later, Yasir had his second, as James Vince once again found a weak-willed means to leave the crease, drawn into a pretty-looking drive outside off but skewing a dolly straight to Misbah at cover. And though Root once again looked a class apart in reaching 39 from 46 balls – including his 4000th Test run – England’s dismal day was complete when Yasir, throttling back his pace to maximise his impact off the pitch, skidded one into his pads to extract another lbw. Gary Ballance and Bairstow clung on to the close but England – not for the first time in recent memory – are finding the final Test of a series strangely difficult to close out.

The Real Madrid star dominated the midfield against Scotland as well as setting up two goals and scoring the other himself

England were already a pretty good team before Jude Bellingham forced his way into the starting XI. Now, with the Real Madrid man looking like one of the best players in the world, they are not only candidates to win Euro 2024 – they should be the favourites.

After scoring five goals in his first four matches for Los Blancos, Bellingham turned on the style for his country in a convincing 3-1 win over Scotland. Bellingham carved Steve Clarke's side open to help set up Phil Foden's deadlock-breaking strike and then started and finished the move for the second goal.

A nightmare own goal by Harry Maguire gave Scotland belief and shook England for a bit but Bellingham steadied the ship, saving his best moment 'till last. A sumptuous piece of skill and pass set up Harry Kane, who finished superbly to put the result beyond doubt.

GOAL rates England's players from Hampden Park…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):

  Comfortable on the ball despite huge pressure from Scotland. Understandably flummoxed by Maguire diverting Robertson's cross past him as he had it covered.

  Kyle Walker (8/10):

  Magnificent going forward. Led wave after wave of attack and set up Foden's goal with a cross-shot. Nearly got another assist with a fine pass for Eberechi Eze.

  Lewis Dunk (6/10):

  A solid second appearance for his country.

  Marc Guehi (6/10):

  Composed on the ball and anticipated well. Scotland appealed for a penalty when the ball touched his hand but VAR sided with him.

  Kieran Trippier (5/10):

  Not as comfortable on his weaker left side and struggled defensively.

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  Midfield

  Kalvin Phillips (6/10):

  Hit and miss. Played a couple of sloppy passes that led to England surrendering possession but also looked to split Scotland's defence open.

  Declan Rice (6/10):

  Kept England's play ticking over without pulling up any trees.

  Jude Bellingham (10/10):

  Simply outstanding. Dictated the play and drove England forward, setting up almost every dangerous move. His assist for Kane was sublime while he played his part in Foden's strike and took his own goal with aplomb.

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  Attack

  Phil Foden (7/10):

  Stretched Scotland in the first half. Made amends for a bad miss by giving England the lead.

  Harry Kane (6/10):

  Had a relatively quiet game and left most of the creating to Bellingham. But when he needed to finish he did so expertly to make sure of the victory.

  Marcus Rashford (6/10):

  Ran Scotland ragged in the first half but couldn't finish off many moves. Did play his part in the opening goal.

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  Subs & Manager

  Harry Maguire (2/10):

  His shocking own goal gave Scotland hope and put England on edge.

  Bukayo Saka (6/10):

  Didn't do loads in his 19 minutes on the pitch.

  Eberechi Eze (6/10):

  Lovely control to set up a chance but should have done better against Gunn.

  Callum Wilson (N/A):

  Only came on in the 84th minute.

  Conor Gallagher (N/A):

  Handed a very short cameo.

  Gareth Southgate (6/10):

  Made six changes from the Ukraine game and slipped the shackles off slightly. His biggest mistake was bringing on Maguire.

The 34-year-old striker has been once again left out of the squad but could she force her way back in for the Olympics?

The moment an international squad hits an email inbox or social media timeline, there's a mad dash to see who has made the cut. The U.S. women's national team is no different. When Twila Kilgore's Gold Cup squad dropped on Wednesday, fans all over the U.S. raced to read who was involved.

Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith were there, of course. So too was Rose Lavelle. Oh, Alyssa Naeher was back to fight for a goalkeeping spot and, would you look at that, a returning Mal Swanson's name was included as a training player as she pushes toward full fitness.

The squad, in truth, contained most of the usual suspects. But it's one missing name that remains a major talking point.

That name, of course, is Alex Morgan. The USWNT legend was once again left out of the squad, as she was in December, too. The forward positions were loaded with young talent. Players like Smith, Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel were all there, as were veterans like Midge Purce and Lynn Williams. There was no Morgan, though, and this time around it didn't quite feel like a surprise.

Just a few months away from the Olympics, the 34-year-old striker remains out in the cold. It isn't a one-time thing, a chance for Kilgore, and Emma Hayes, to assess different options ahead of this summer's tournament. No, right now, it feels like Morgan has a legitimate fight on her hands. It seems that she'll have to overcome the odds if she wants one last tournament run with the USWNT.

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  Morgan left out

  As of February 22, it will have been one full year since Morgan scored in a USWNT shirt. That goal came in a 2-1 win over Brazil in the SheBelieves Cup, and it's hard to truly explain how much the USWNT has changed in the 12 months since that finish.

  Vlatko Andonovski is gone after a disastrous World Cup that saw the U.S. attack, including Morgan, go totally dry. Emma Hayes, the Chelsea boss, has been brought in, although she won't make the move officially until May. In her stead, Twila Kilgore is running things, keeping the ship afloat by introducing a series of young, exciting players to a core of veterans eager to move past the last World Cup.

  Morgan, though, hasn't been one of those veterans in these last few camps. She was involved in September and October, as the U.S. won three of four games against South Africa and Colombia. Her name, though, was absent from the USWNT squad for the final friendlies of the year as the U.S. topped China twice without her.

  They say once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. This, though, doesn't feel like a coincidence, but rather a changing of the guard.

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  A changing of the guard

  Morgan's exclusion, to be fair, has little to do with her own performance. Despite her USWNT goal drought, she's been fantastic in the NWSL, scoring 27 goals over the last two seasons while evolving her game to become a more complete forward.

  Her absence, though, is largely due to the crop of rising stars coming up and staking their claim at the forward position.

  We'll start with Smith, who, at just 23, is already pushing toward an elite level. She has an NWSL MVP and a U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year trophy already, and it feels like she's just getting started. Smith started out wide at the World Cup and never quite got going, which makes a potential move to striker, where she plays with the Portland Thorns, a decision that makes too much sense.

  Rodman, too, is pushing toward that world-class level. The Washington Spirit star heated up in a big way at the end of 2023, putting a disappointing World Cup behind her. Rodman's potential feels endless, and it seems like she'll be a locked-in starter for the USWNT for years to come.

  And then you have the newcomers, players like Fishel, Shaw and Alyssa Thompson, the latter of whom is out of the Gold Cup with a back injury. Fishel is developing at Chelsea under Hayes, a huge advantage. Shaw has seized her early USWNT chances, proving she belongs. And then Thompson, at just 19, already has World Cup minutes under her belt as she looks to make another big leap this season.

  Throw in the returning Swanson, too. Before her horrible injury last year, she looked destined to start at the World Cup. She's still not fully fit, but she's getting there. When Swanson is healthy, the U.S. have a hell of a forward on their hands.

  All of this leads to one conclusion: this is a talented, talented group. We didn't even get into the more senior players, names like Williams, Purce or Ashley Hatch. They all have legit Olympic dreams, too.

  Hayes, though, will have some huge decisions to make at the forward position heading into next summer.

• Olympic roster spots

  The USWNT's Gold Cup squad features 23 players, including three training players: Swanson, Savannah DeMelo and Gisele Thompson. Alyssa Thompson is out injured, as is Catarina Macario. Players like Becky Sauerbrunn, Sofia Huerta, Andi Sullivan and Ashley Sanchez will feel they're in the mix, too. And then, of course, there's Morgan, who will be looking for one last push to a major tournament.

  There's a big problem, though. Olympic squads feature just 18 players. Hayes, when the time comes, is going to have to make some very, very hard cuts. Those rosters, typically, feature two goalkeepers, which leaves just 16 outfield spots for Hayes to play with to construct her squad.

  Versatility will be key, as will flexibility and, the issue for Morgan at the moment is that there aren't too many ways to get her onto the field. She's a striker, a true No. 9. She can't step into a central midfield spot, even as pseudo-No. 10. She can't play on the wing, not that the U.S. would really want her to, given the young talent out there. Even if you wanted to bring her in as a veteran presence, can you afford to waste a precious roster spot on a player who would simply be there to provide experience?

  It makes the road difficult, very difficult. It's not impossible, though. The USWNT isn't counting anyone in or out just yet.

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  Kilgore responds

  It was one of the obvious questions once the roster release, and it was quickly asked of Kilgore: with Morgan left out once again, what does this mean for her USWNT career?

  Kilgore was quick to point out that Morgan has not been written off. The U.S. has not moved on from her, nor anyone else. The squad of the moment may not be the squad of the summer, which gives Morgan, and others in her situation, a bit of hope.

  "In terms of Alex, and I guess this goes for really everybody that's not here, everything that happens in the Gold Cup will matter in terms of the future and everything that is happening outside of the Gold Cup will matter in the future," Kilgore said. "We recognize that there are multiple players that aren't going to be in the environment that we are still looking at but are still very much so in the mix…

  "Of course with preseason underway, there are going to be opportunities for preseason matches for those that aren't in camp with us. If you're playing in Europe, there are opportunities there and then our league is starting pretty shortly here. We will be watching and we want to pick the best team and it's going to be very competitive."

  She added: "We have quite a few players that are not in camp that we're still looking at and evaluating in terms of leading up towards the Olympics. Nobody is out of the mix. That goes for some of our bigger names, that goes for lesser names that we've been tracking. We want to get it right, and everybody's still involved. This is more about that there can only be 23 people on the roster and as we head towards the Olympics, only 18. We just simply can't include everybody and this is the group that we feel is the right group for right now and who we need to look at in this tournament."

Justin Langer, Australia’s coach for the West Indies tri-series, said that he’s in awe of the young fast bowling talent he saw in the West Indies

Brydon Coverdale28-Jun-20162:47

Langer hopes for no more ‘dead’ WI pitches

West Indies cricket would go a long way to reaching its potential if Caribbean pitches regained the pace and bounce of yesteryear, according to Australia’s stand-in coach Justin Langer. After Australia won the tri-series final against West Indies on Sunday, Langer said he had been in awe of the talent he had seen among local net bowlers over the past month.However, the pitches offered up during the series tended to be on the slower side, as has been the case in the region for many years. Langer said he found it baffling that pitches were prepared that would help spinners such as Sunil Narine, who he said was “still going to be a star” on any surface due to his natural talent, instead of fast bowlers who could rattle opposing batsmen.”There is so much fast-bowling talent here,” Langer said. “You’ve got big, tall, beautiful athletes, and they run in and bowl fast and they keep bowling all day, but I don’t understand why they play on such dead, low, lifeless wickets. It doesn’t make any sense to us.”If you could harness the natural ability you’ve got in the West Indies with those tall fast bowlers … it would get the batsmen more used to facing fast bowling, more used to facing short-pitched bowling. And with the natural talent they’ve got it won’t take long. But you’ve got to face it. You’ve got to be exposed to it.”There’s so much natural talent. We’ve seen it in the net bowlers. I’m in awe of how many young fast bowlers you’ve got in the West Indies. We’ve seen it in Guyana, we’ve seen it in St Kitts, we’ve seen it in Barbados, and yet you play on wickets that bounce about this high. It doesn’t make sense to me.”The 19-year-old Leeward Islands bowler Alzarri Joseph was one such talent who impressed Langer with his work in the nets against the Australians during the St Kitts leg of the tour. Joseph was part of the West Indies side that won the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, and Langer said he was seriously impressed by what he saw at training.”He reminded me of Andre Russell,” Langer said. “He bowled fast, beautiful yorkers – and what an athlete. I reckon I’ve seen four or five who have really, really raw talent, and they just kept bowling. That’s what I kept loving. They just kept running in and bowling all day.”In a lot of parts of the world now it’s so structured with workloads and bowling loads. These kids just kept running in and bowling fast, and it was bloody hot … I do know they gave our batsmen a workout, and there was talent. The talent is very obvious.”Langer, in charge of the Australian squad while Darren Lehmann had a break at home, emerged from the tour with a series win to his name, but he said West Indies should have a bright future judging by their performances this year.”West Indies cricket is so exciting,” he said. “They won the T20 World Cup, they’re so dangerous. They’re like a boxer who’s got the big right hook and could knock you out at any time. They’ve got so much talent.”I really respect and admire the guys who are playing, Jason Holder and Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite to name a few – Narine, Pollard is always dangerous. [Johnson] Charles is a very dangerous player. Until we got him out I was nervous for the game, because he’s a serious player. He whacks it – not a lot of foot movement but he’s a dangerous player. If he could harness his ability and go out and score more hundreds … Darren Bravo got a brilliant hundred the other day.”There’s a lot of talent and I think they’re playing really well. They made the final, they beat South Africa very well, who are on paper an unbelievable cricket team. West Indies have a lot to look forward to.”

South Australia almost held on for a draw, but Queensland wrapped up a 128-run win with 12 balls to spare on the final day

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2016
ScorecardAlex Carey added a second-innings 54 to his 76 from the first innings•Getty Images

Queensland secured victory late on the final day at the Gabba, where South Australia’s last wicket fell with just 12 balls left in the day’s play.Theoretically chasing 446 for victory, the Redbacks’ best hope was realistically a draw, and some fight from the tail gave them hope of doing so, until spinner Jason Floros sealed the Queensland win by bowled Chadd Sayers for 22.South Australia had resumed on 2 for 71, and lost captain Travis Head for 34 and Jake Lehmann for 10. Opener Jake Weatherald compiled 73 before he was caught behind off Floros, but a pair of fifties from Tom Cooper and Alex Carey kept South Australia fighting. Cooper made 52 and Carey managed 54, continuing a fine game after he top scored with 76 in the first innings.But Queensland’s bowlers kept chipping away and got the result they were after, with Floros, Ben Cutting and Peter George each collecting three wickets.