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Former South Africa captain says CSA’s new T20 league will bring an investment that their game desperately needs

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2022

Test cricket could be played by only five or six countries with competitive teams in the future, according to former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Speaking on on day three of the first Test between South Africa and England at Lord’s, Smith, who is now Cricket South Africa’s T20 league commissioner, said he didn’t think South Africa “have any intent to not play Test cricket,” but that the format appears destined to shrink overall.”With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India really took Test cricket seriously. They lead the way with that. But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level.”Smith’s comments came on the back of the ICC’s new FTP, according to which South Africa play fewer Tests in the next cycle (2023-2027) than the current one (2019-2023) and no three-Test series in the 2023-2025 World Test Championship (WTC).CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki explained that their calendar was constrained by their new T20 league and the financial implications of hosting Test cricket but understood there would be disappointment with their sparse fixture list. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) were among the first to voice their frustration.”We are disappointed with the lack of Test cricket. For youngsters, it’s the optimum test of your cricket ability,” Andrew Breetze, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “With fewer Tests being played and more two-Test series, Test cricket is being diluted. If you look at what FICA and SACA have been saying for the last five years, we said that the ICC should take ownership of this by looking at how we balance bilateral cricket with T20 events and if they don’t do that we are going to see Test cricket being diminished by the non-big three. We are there. And that’s disappointing.”Related

CSA downsizes international commitments to make room for new T20 league

CSA forfeits Australia ODIs to secure 'long-term sustainability of the game' in South Africa

Despite that, SACA and its members (South African domestic and international players) will throw their weight behind the new T20 league as they recognise the pivotal role it will play in keeping South African cricket sustainable. “We support the league. The league is critical for the survival of cricket in South Africa,” Breetzke said. “We’ve got three sources of revenue for cricket in South Africa – broadcast revenue, sponsorship and ICC revenue. Two of those are reducing, and because of that, we’ve got to find a source of revenue and that is the T20 league.”Broadcast revenue and sponsorships are the two streams that are shrinking, partly because of the state of the global game and economy and partly because of CSA’s recent administrative meltdown. “If you are not playing India enough, your broadcast revenue is down,” Breetzke said. “Sponsorship revenue is two-fold because we’re not playing as much and because of the last five years at CSA. No-one wants to get involved in our cricket and that’s the sad reality. There is a lot of work for CSA – and to give them credit they are doing it – to enhance the work of CSA and to get sponsors. That’s more critical than ever. The market has changed post Covid. You are not getting those 18-million-rand-a-year Standard Bank sponsorships. The market is more about short-term sponsorship deals, smaller sponsorship and more specific sponsorship. That’s where CSA have to up their game.”Graeme Smith: ‘I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away’•BCCI

The six teams in CSA’s new league have all been bought by IPL owners, a development that will inject unprecedented amounts of money into the country’s game. “It’s certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed,” Smith said. “The pressures on nations like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa to stay financially sustainable to keep up with England, India, and the world game to stay competitive is hugely important. I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away.”Asked whether he thought there were any dangers to private ownership, Smith said he did not see any drawbacks. “Cricket South Africa is still the major shareholder in this league. The investment into the South African game is still going to happen. It’s not people coming in and taking cricket away from the federation. A big part of this private ownership is that these owners had to look at the grassroots programmes, development programmes and how they would impact that. Hopefully we’ll see a talent pool would really get stronger and stronger and benefit cricket across the board. We needed partners that were sustainable. They’re not looking to make a dollar early on, they were prepared to invest in South Africa and grow this opportunity with us. And I think the key difference for us is that the money will still flow back into the game.”Given all the promises of the new league, CSA has been willing to move other commitments aside, including future Test engagements and forfeiting World Cup Super League matches in Australia next January. Smith said it was a necessary sacrifice, which was actually a lot smaller than it may seem. “For four weeks of an entire year, the priority will be the league. I feel that if we hadn’t done this South African cricket could have probably lost eight to ten players to this UAE league,” he said. “People also look at those three ODIs wrong. Yes, South Africa hasn’t handled ODI cricket as well and it should never be in this position. But for South Africa to be in Australia out of their key part of the summer financially is a huge stress for them. It’s like asking England not to play during your summer. The commitment that South African cricket made to go for the three Test matches is good for the game. It’s something that won’t happen often.”South Africa will not travel to Australia for Tests at all in the next FTP, and overall they also play fewer ODIs than any of the other Full Members, and the third-lowest number of bilateral matches in total after Ireland and Zimbabwe. That number may increase after ongoing discussions with other members.Moseki said CSA were looking at ways to organise more ODIs before the 2027 World Cup but SACA hoped additional fixtures can also be secured before then. “It’s placed CSA in a position where they have to go out and negotiate additional white-ball matches,” Breetzke said. “If you look at that FTP and you look at areas there, there’s a negotiation for additional matches. Relationships are going to be critically important as to can we enhance that FTP with white-ball cricket.”

There was a remarkable role reversal on day one at the Gabba as Australia resembled the tentative under-prepared team that is usually the tourists

Daniel Brettig in Brisbane21-Nov-20130:00

Chappell: Australia got mugged by reality

By Australia’s proud and repeated assertion, Brisbane is supposed to be their fortress. Many an overseas Test side have arrived at the Gabba still shaking off jetlag from a trip halfway around the world and a rudimentary preparation, their captain hearing the coin toss hit the hard, grassy pitch with a percussive sound unfamiliar to players from just about anywhere but South Africa.Sometimes they bat and get rolled, others they field and get pummelled. Always they get lost in the catacombs beneath 40,000 seats. Not once in 25 years have they won.By the time their Test match is finished, touring teams are just about ready to play in Brisbane: second innings revivals are not uncommon. But instead they are leaving town, headed south or west, invariably 1-0 down in the series and with indignant headlines ringing in their ears.As a cricket ground, the Gabba has been something like Australia’s surprise weapon, seldom offering anything other than a decided advantage to the hosts through their far greater familiarity with the place.But on day one of the Ashes a strange dynamic held sway over proceedings. Australia’s batsmen played largely with the fidgeting insecurity of nervous visitors, while Stuart Broad homed in on his quarry in a manner befitting of the Lillee, McDermott, McGrath lineage. James Anderson and Chris Tremlett were similarly confident of their roles and best avenues of attack on a ground offering rich rewards for pacemen with precision. It was possible for a moment to ignore the colour of the caps, the identity of the badges and presume this was an Australian team bowling to a touring side. The men in baggy green were strangers in their own land.All the usual sights were there. An opening batsman, Chris Rogers, surprised by the extra bounce early and lobbing a catch to gully. A No. 3 in Shane Watson fencing at a ball he should have left in the minutes before lunch, tempted into the stroke by Broad’s teasing line and exclaiming “oh no” even before Graeme Swann took the catch. Michael Clarke looked every inch the hunted and haunted visiting captain of the 1990s or early 2000s, psyched out by an intimidatory field setting and a bowler knowing exactly how to unsettle him.David Warner and Steve Smith offered hints of resistance in their contrasting ways, but also perished to the bounce. George Bailey’s first innings was not memorable – few touring debutants in Brisbane have been. And while Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson fought with commendable application and good sense to repair some of the earlier damage, Clarke’s team still ended the day looking likely to fall well short of a total commensurate with the quality of the pitch.

Johnson pleased to be back

Mitchell Johnson believes his hard-earned 64 in a rearguard stand of 114 with Brad Haddin has eased his Ashes nerves and can set him on the path to a staunch bowling display in the first Test in Brisbane.
Admitting to feeling very tense at the start of the day, Johnson worked his way into the game while helping Haddin ensure the hosts will have some sort of total to bowl at.
“Runs definitely help, especially this morning when I rocked up and the nerves start kicking in standing out there in front of a big crowd and singing the national anthem,” Johnson said. “It was quite nerve-racking and quite nice to be able to get out there and bat, I got all the nerves out of my system.
“I definitely feel I’ve had that confidence in myself over the last 12 months, so hopefully that turns into a good bowling performance as well. The wicket’s definitely going to quicken up, there’s definitely swing out there.
“I’ve had a lot of experience bowling at the Gabba and I’m looking forward to bowling with the group of bowlers that we’ve got. We’ve got experience and it’s really exciting to be part of a Test match at the Gabba again.”

So how was it that Australia’s top six looked so out of synch with a ground they have professed such profound affection for? Unless they were satisfied with the simple notion that England are an older, better and more confident team than Australia, most of the 34,889 spectators in attendance puzzled over this question across the day.The answer probably lies in the conflagration of numerous circumstances, both deliberate and accidental, but all related to the summer schedule. Seldom, if ever, can the two Test teams have arrived in Brisbane ahead of the Test match without a single player on either side having played a match there so far in the summer. A resurfacing of the entire ground, the first since 2000, kept Queensland’s domestic fixtures away from the Gabba, meaning the Bulls, Tasmania and New South Wales all played their matches at Allan Border Field, a surface of far less bounce.Aware of this, Cricket Australia were keen to move the Blues’ match against Queensland last week to the Gabba by way of preparation for as many as seven members of the Test side. Logistical difficulties ensured that the match remained at AB Field, and meant that no Australian player visited the Gabba until Tuesday morning, two days out from the Test.This is not to say a lack of cricket is to blame. CA chief executive James Sutherland’s declaration that the nation’s players would reach the Gabba having played plenty of cricket requires a qualifying question. What kind? Before the Shield began, the scheduling of an ODI tour to India in October meant that Watson, Johnson, Bailey and Haddin all entered the Brisbane Test with somewhere between zero and two first-class fixtures behind them.They might have had more, but CA also decided to play the domestic limited-overs competition as a carnival style event in Sydney across three weeks to start the season. The tournament made a stuttering start on a poor pitch at Bankstown, then spluttered into life in later matches at the small and similarly slow North Sydney Oval. Exempted from India, Warner and Smith gained confidence from scoring runs but not the experience of riding the bounce on swifter four-day surfaces.Paradoxically, the greatest casualty of the schedule may actually have been Bailey, the man who bounded into the Test team off the back of his elephantine scoring feats in ODIs on the subcontinent. Anyone watching at the Gabba knew instantly how little these runs meant, scored as they were on flat pitches against amiable bowling under fielding restrictions that left the opposing captain MS Dhoni powerless to plug Bailey’s favoured scoring zones. On his return he played on low pitches at Allan Border Field and at Bellerive in Hobart, never going beyond handy starts in four innings.As he faced up to Anderson in a spell of swing and accuracy at a high enough speed to punish any error, Bailey must have wondered how better his preparation time might have been spent. As several balls whizzed past his outside edge before finally kissing it on the way into the slips, he had cause to question whether he had been set up to fail. Brisbane might be considered Australia’s fortress, but it is nothing like any of the places he, and most of the top six, have been batting on for the past two months.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his admiration for the players who have stepped up for him and the club during a difficult period.

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• Cityzens enduring difficult season
• Injuries have also been an issue
• Guardiola admires players' efforts

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After years of success, Manchester City and Guardiola have struggled so far in the 2024-25 season. The team are a distant 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and in danger of being eliminated from the Champions League ahead of the final round of group fixtures.

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  Injuries have also taken their toll on Guardiola's side, meaning the Catalan coach has been forced to use players in unfamiliar positions and adapt his squad throughout the campaign. The City boss says the effort made by his players who have been prepared to sacrifice themselves and battle for the club over a difficult last few months has meant a lot to him and is something he will not forget.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  He told : "I will never forget those players that were there [in this period]. Never. And they know who they are. In the circumstances, horrible, playing out of position. I know the names. All of them will remain in my heart. How the injured players made an effort to play. I love it. I love who they are and I admire them. I will appreciate them for the rest of my period here."

• Manchester City FC
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY

  Guardiola's side have been able to strengthen in the January transfer window and have signed Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov. The signings come at a good time as City face Chelsea next in the Premier League and then take on Club Brugge in a must-win Champions League fixture.

Rodri’s absence was always going to knock Manchester City off-kilter, but Newcastle United knew that Saturday’s Premier League fixture was still going to be one of the toughest of the campaign.

But Newcastle played with assurance and gusto and claimed a hard-fought draw, rallying after falling behind in the first half to restore parity through Anthony Gordon’s penalty and cranking up late pressure that unfortunately came to nought.

Eddie Howe will be delighted with many of the performances on show at St. James’ Park, with the goalscorer doing extremely well in the absence of the injured Alexander Isak.

Anthony Gordon proves his worth vs Man City

Isak was ruled out with a toe injury to compound his frustrating start to the season, but Gordon is a dynamic forward and moonlit in a focal striking role on occasion, so he was tasked with the occasion against the indomitable champions today.

He certainly didn’t produce the greatest performance in the world, but Gordon did well against titanic opposition, winning and converting the second-half penalty to make it 11 points from six contests – only three behind Pep Guardiola’s side.

A real menace of a player, the England international has now won seven penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, the most in the division – Raheem Sterling is second with three.

He also completed two key passes and won four duels, as per Sofascore, but his spot kick was the sole shot of his afternoon and you can’t help but think Isak, fit and available, might have offered that predatory sense that could have won the hosts the game.

Of course, with Rodri out of action, Bruno Guimaraes was able to showcase his quality and dominate from the centre of the park. He was Howe’s real hero.

Bruno Guimaraes was Howe's real hero

Guimaraes was at fault for Fulham’s third goal at Craven Cottage last weekend to condemn the Toon to their first defeat of the campaign, but he made amends today with a fine display against a City side that needed to bounce back after drawing with Arsenal one week ago.

The Shields Gazette were gushing in their review of the Brazilian’s performance, handing him an 8/10 match rating and writing: ‘Imposed himself well against a strong City midfield. Had some good moments on the ball and played Gordon through. A good response to a difficult match late time out at Fulham.’

City might have been missing Rodri but let’s not forget that they still boast some of the best midfielders in the world. Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis were strong and City actually won 55% of the game’s ground duels.

Minutes played

90′

Touches

64

Accurate passes

35/43

Key passes

1

Dribbles (completed)

4 (4)

Tackles

3

Interceptions

2

Clearances

1

Total duels (won)

17 (9)

Most of Newcastle’s success in combative situations seemed to have come from Guimaraes, who, as you can see, won a ridiculous amount of duels and stood like an iron wall against City’s attempted onslaughts that never really materialised. There was also silk to match the steel as he successfully completed all four of his attempted dribbles.

Newcastle will look at forthcoming Premier League fixtures against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion with sights set on victory, but this was an excellent performance against the best team in the country, with signs aplenty that the Magpies are starting to click into gear.

Newcastle wanted ace for £12.5m in 2019, now he's outshining Isak & Gordon

This was a big missed opportunity for the Magpies…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 27, 2024

da bwin： Whilst Arne Slot’s reign has got off to a fine start, concerns over Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future has reportedly seen the Reds turn towards one of the most exciting wingers in European football.

Liverpool transfer news

da bwin： The Reds have barely skipped a beat under their new manager, but that’s not to say it was an easy summer in the build-up to Slot’s first campaign in charge. Those at Anfield left their business late and failed to sign a defensive midfielder for the second consecutive summer after Martin Zubimendi reportedly turned down the chance to complete a move in favour of staying loyal to boyhood club Real Sociedad.

Related Worth as much as Alisson: Liverpool star's value has risen 261% since exit

He’s been the cause of defeat for the Reds since leaving…

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 27, 2024

Whilst Ryan Gravenberch has since emerged to take that role with both hands and arguably make a claim to be Liverpool’s player of the season so far, other problems are beginning to mount on Merseyside. As things stand, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

Despite all three players’ contracts coming to an end and none of the trio suggesting that they would like to leave, fresh offers are yet to be confirmed, as Salah revealed when speaking about his situation after the Reds beat Manchester United earlier this season.

However, in the event of the Egyptian’s exit, it seems as though those at Anfield have a plan in place. According to reports in Spain, Liverpool chiefs are now determined to sign Nico Williams if Salah does leave next summer.

The Athletic Bilbao winger, who has also reportedly attracted the attention of Manchester United and Barcelona, is one of the best wingers in European football, as highlighted by his recent role in Span’s Euro 2024 triumph.

"Superb" Williams one of few who could replace Salah

Replacing Salah is a near-impossible job, that much is clear. The Anfield legend may even go down as the greatest winger that the Premier League has ever seen, having picked up three Golden Boots and won everything there is to win in English football during his time at Liverpool. So when he does leave, be that next summer or in years to come, Liverpool have the toughest of tasks on their hands. But that’s when Williams could come in.

A player yet to reach his peak, the £167,000-a-week star is already proving himself on the biggest stage, having scored the opening goal against England as Spain set course for Euro 2024 victory a few months ago. Praised for his “superb” performance against Barcelona earlier this year by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, Willams is arguably one of the few who are talented enough to fill Liverpool’s eventual Salah void.

After scoring eight goals and recording a staggering 19 assists last season, it is clear that Williams is destined for the top, which could yet feature a move to Anfield to replace Salah.

chants set the perfect tone for Mumbai’s thumping win in their first home game

Krishna Anand10-Apr-2013Choice of game
I had marked this game down as a must-see as soon as the fixtures were released, since it was Mumbai’s first home game for the season. Also, Delhi is arguably the one city-franchise any Mumbai fan would love to see defeated.Team supported
Having been born and brought up in Mumbai, I’ve always supported the Mumbai Indians. Also, I genuinely believe that this city is the home of Indian cricket.Key performer
Judging by the loud applause the Mumbai openers got, you would have got the sense that Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar were the key contributors. However, Mumbai’s mainstay was the ever-consistent Dinesh Karthik. He came in with his team in a spot of bother at 1 for 2, and held his nerve in a manner that would have made any top-order batsman proud. He unleashed a lethal barrage of strokes on the Delhi bowlers , catching them completely off-guard.One thing I would have changed
The first thing I would have changed about the match is the failure of the Mumbai Indians openers. For all the hype around Ponting and Tendulkar, this was a rather massive anticlimax. The anticipation was immense and the entire stadium was looking forward to some Ponting-Tendulkar magic. However, everyone was stunned into silence when the legends were sent packing in the first two overs itself.Face-off I relished
Judging by the intensity with which Lasith Malinga was warming up, David Warner v Malinga was right up there on my list. Warner came out on top against Malinga as was evident from the fearless on-the-up drives against brute pace. I was also looking forward to seeing the Delhi bowlers – in particular Morne Morkel and Shahbaz Nadeem – go up against the Mumbai batting. It was in this fixture last year that they had Mumbai in a tizzy, before storming home to victory. Although the initial hiccups brought back memories of last season, the latter half of the Mumbai innings ensured the Delhi bowlers finished a distant second.Wow moment
Ambati Rayadu’s onslaught in the 19th over, and Rohit Sharma’s perfect finish in the final over were right up there for me. However, the best moment had to be Ponting’s spectacular catch of Unmukt Chand off the first ball of the Delhi innings. The electric atmosphere was evident as it got to even the most unemotional captain going around. Ponting threw his hands up in the air with joy on completing the catch. There was something about Punter that struck the right chords with the Wankhede faithfuls.Shot of the day
The shot of the day has to be the first six hit by Kieron Pollard in his brief blitz of an innings. His gentle flick over long-on seemed like an effortless push that would lob into the outfield for a couple of runs. But it ended up sailing into the crowd and was greeted by surprise and exhilaration in the stands.Crowd meter
The Wankhede crowd has always been the benchmark when it comes to atmosphere or hostility depending on which side of the coin you prefer to look at. This night was no different as the Delhi players were booed, while all members of the home team, and especially that one man, were given a standing ovation. Every time Tendulkar touched the ball, or even got close, the reaction was so loud you’d have thought a six had been hit. The most interesting banner was held by a girl in the Garware pavilion which read, “Pollard I love you, marry me”.Accessories
A Mumbai Indians match at the Wankhede is always full of colour and noise. For this game, along with the customary Mumbai shirt and flag, I carried along a Malinga-style fuzzy hair wig and a make-believe vuvuzela.Entertainment
The entertainment was top-notch, though limited only until 10 pm owing to local laws against loud music. The live DJ added to the excitement and ensured the crowd was involved throughout the game. The mix of international and Bollywood music was good, but the chant got the crowd engaged like nothing else had managed to.Marks out of 10
Overall, this game had everything I expect out of an IPL experience. A 10/10 show, and hats off to all stakeholders involved. It was complete and thorough entertainment for everyone who turned up.

Shahid Afridi and James Vince have been traded by Multan Sultans to Quetta Gladiators in exchange for a Diamond and Silver pick in the upcoming PSL draft. In another deal, Gladiators traded wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to Islamabad United and have received Iftikhar Ahmed’s services instead.After moving to his fourth PSL franchise, Afridi said: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”For the upcoming edition, the PSL management has also rejigged categories for some players ahead of the draft, notably moving Mohammad Rizwan – who captained Sultans to the title last year – up from Silver, the third-most valuable category, to Platinum, the most valuable. United batter Asif Ali and Lahore Qalandars bowler Haris Rauf also take their places in the Platinum category. This year, the categories were decided by the PCB. In previous editions, the six franchises would classify players into categories.Leaving Iftikhar was a tricky decision for United as they were allowed to have up to two local players in each of the Platinum and Diamond categories. Since they now have Shadab Khan and Asif in platinum, they had to leave one of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar out. They added Azam in the Gold category instead.”It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead at my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move,” Iftikhar said.”I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions. I am thrilled to be rejoining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket.”The seventh PSL season will be beginning on January 27 next year, with a pre-tournament draft on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan in March-April, will be ending on February 27.Every franchise is allowed to retain up to eight players from their previous roster and pick another eight in the draft. Players who were picked up as replacements for the Abu Dhabi leg in PSL 6 have not been considered in the original roster. Each team is also allowed to pick two additional players in the supplementary round.Only two venues will be hosting the PSL: Karachi’s National Stadium will be staging the first 15 matches, while all other games – including the final – will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The deadline for PSL trades closed on Thursday with only United, Gladiators and Sultans utilising the option to trade. Teams now must decide their retentions – maximum of eight – by 4pm Pakistan time on Friday.

Manchester United questioned their players regarding the team leak a day before the club's 2-1 win in the Manchester derby.

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Man Utd questioned their playersInvestigating team leak ahead of Manchester derbyAmorim claimed the problem is 'impossible to fix'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per , at least two United stars were quizzed on the matter of the leaking of the team on social media. Samuel Luckhurst had reported that almost 17 hours before the clash at Etihad Stadium, Amorim's potential selection was revealed on social media and the final XI turned out to be the exact same.

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The unfortunate leak, though, did not affect the team in the derby as the Red Devils staged a late comeback riding on Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo's strikes to beat their rivals 2-1. The manager is aware of the incident and has described the problem as unfixable when he addressed the media.

"I know that story. I don’t know, I think it’s impossible to fix nowadays because you have a lot of people in the club, the players talk with agents," he said.

DID YOU KNOW?

United have regularly seen their line-ups leak this season ahead of matches and have so far been unable to find a solution to the underhand sharing of insider information.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

A rejuvenated United side will now meet Tottenham in a Carabao quarter-final clash on Thursday before they face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.

Saqlain Mushtaq, Pakistan’s interim head coach, would love it if his team got the opportunity to face India again, and beat them again, in the final of the T20 World Cup. He also feels more meetings between the sides will only improve relations between the two neighbours.Pakistan began their campaign with a 10-wicket win that ended India’s stranglehold over their arch-rivals in World Cups – they had won each of the five previous T20 World Cup meetings between the sides as well as the seven ODI World Cup meetings. That resounding win was followed by a five-wicket victory over New Zealand that has put Pakistan firmly on top of the Group 2 table, and left them favourites to reach the semi-finals. They next face Afghanistan on Friday, followed by matches against Associate teams Namibia and Scotland.Related

• Fantasy XI: Back the in-form Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan

• How far can Afghanistan's six-centric approach take them?

• Pakistan eye a hat-trick of wins, but in-form Afghanistan stand in their way

“When you come with a mindset to become a world champion then you don’t think about the opponent,” Saqlain said in a virtual press conference. “You rather think whoever comes in, you do what you have to do and want to do. So we are thinking on the same lines day in and day out that whoever is against us in the next stage we will accept it. If you want to become a world champion then you have to live up to the requirements — being tough, being well-prepared, and playing cricket different from the others, and it shows that you are a genuine World Cup winner. If you want to be a world champion then you should be thoroughly [tested] so that the world actually recognises you.”If India makes it to the final with us, it would be a great thing because I feel — and this is not because we became big-headed after beating them — but because they are a strong team, everyone considers them a favourite. England and Australia always play tough cricket too. What we have in hand is our process, how we plan, our commitment, how we fight and bounce back and things we can control so we don’t focus on results and the opponent. If India comes in the final, then it would be very good for the ICC, fans around the world and for world cricket — everyone will enjoy it. They are our neighbouring country and playing one more match would only improve our relations.”‘They just play a sort of fearless cricket and I think that kind of team can be dangerous’ – Saqlain Mushtaq on Afghanistan•ICC via Getty

On Friday, Pakistan will face a stiff test against one of the best spin attacks in the competition, featuring Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. It’s not a test Pakistan have faced too often: they have met Afghanistan only once in T20Is, beating them with one ball to spare back in 2013, when Rashid and Mujeeb were yet to make their debuts.Looking ahead to the game, Saqlain talked up Afghanistan not just for their spin attack but also their fearless batting. “I’ve been hearing about them, that they are actually a key player for Afghanistan,” he said of the spinners. “They’ve been doing really well in different leagues and they are quite confident to do their business on their day. They are very good but obviously we should play and we should execute our plan with the clarity of the mind.”It’s a strong unit. We can’t really say that it’s very easy and you will roll over them. It’s not like that. They have a wonderful bowling attack, especially the spinners. When they bat, they just play, the way they feel it, what’s in their heart, what they think. They just go and execute the plan. They just play a sort of fearless cricket and I think that kind of team can be dangerous.”But you play for your pride and you don’t think that this is a small team and this is a big team. Otherwise your mind will start thinking in that way. So in the World Cup, it’s a mega win. You play all the teams with the same intensity, with the same attitude, with the same sort of mindset and you execute your plan the way you execute the plan against the bigger-name team.”

Big picture

There isn’t a great deal of jeopardy in the contest. Both Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have qualified for the playoffs but there is the small matter of confirming a place in the top two, which offers an extra shot at a place in the IPL final.A scrappy victory over the defending champions, led by their former captain, may well be just the kind of tonic the Capitals need as they move into the final stretch of the IPL. Mumbai Indians were in full-on fightback mode on Saturday but Shreyas Iyer weathered the blows like a grizzled old pro who knew just when to go for the KO. This team already has a great pair of openers and a phenomenal bowling attack. Now they’ve found their middle-order marshal.

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Super Kings also learned a valuable lesson, albeit in a loss to Rajasthan Royals. After going down in that high-scoring game, they will be better informed about what to do and what not to when batters come at them as hard as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube did.

In the news

Marcus Stoinis has spent three games on the sidelines as a result of injury. It is as yet unclear if he has recovered well enough to take part in tomorrow’s match.1:52

Has R Ashwin underperformed this IPL?

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Sam CurranDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk) 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan

Strategy punt

• Prithvi Shaw is a destructive batter, when the ball comes down perfectly straight. Bowlers capable of moving the new ball have troubled him in the past. So he might want to be off strike when Deepak Chahar has the ball. The head-to-head reads 55 runs off 50 balls and five dismissals.
• South Africa may not want him in their T20 side anymore but Faf du Plessis is among the first names down on the Super Kings team sheet. He sets the tone for their entire innings, so taking him out assumes top priority. Enter R Ashwin (45 runs off 45 balls, three dismissals) and Kagiso Rabada (31 off 28, three dismissals). Capitals will do well to open the bowling with this pair.

Stats that matter

• Super Kings have been the best six-hitting team in the IPL. They have cleared the ropes 96 times with Ruturaj Gaikwad topping the list of players (20) with the most maximums this season.
• Shikhar Dhawan appeared invulnerable in the India leg of the tournament, averaging 54 and striking at 134. But after four matches in the UAE, those figures have gone down to 20.5 and 114.
• The Delhi franchise is one shy of 100 wins in the IPL.