da bet esporte： Newcastle United have reportedly made contact with a former Chelsea star whose sale has been green-lighted by his current club, according to reports.
Howe "disappointed" with Newcastle form as January approaches
da lvbet： Newcastle’s need for defensive reinforcements was clear for all to see at the weekend as the Magpies were thumped 4-2 by Brentford in the Premier League. A frenetic start at the Gtech Community Stadium saw both teams find the net within the first 12 minutes, with Alexander Isak canceling out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener.
The home side regained the lead when Yoane Wissa capitalized on an error by Harvey Barnes for his ninth goal in eight games, but the English winger redeemed himself soon after with a superb turn and finish to level. After the break, however, it was all Brentford, with goals from Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade sealing victory for the Bees and extending their unbeaten run at home this season to eight games. Speaking after the game, Howe highlighted his team’s defensive woes.
Dan Burn and Eddie Howe for Newcastle
“Really frustrating,” he said. “We are really disappointed with the manner of the goals we conceded. It is not even individual mistakes. There’s two or three actions I’m not happy with for each goal. We have to do better in those situations.”
Magpies open talks for Barcelona defender
To help fix their issues at the back, Newcastle have now opened talks for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen about a potential move to St. James’ Park in January, according to CaughtOffside. The publication claims that Barca are open to selling the former Chelsea star, who joined them on a free transfer in July 2022 and is now in the final year of his contract.
The Catalan club don’t want to lose him on a free next summer, so he could be made available for around £25 million after the New Year.
Andreas Christensen
Christensen had been a key player for Barcelona since his arrival at the Camp Nou, but he’s played just 26 minutes of football this season due to an achilles tendon injury, for which he underwent surgery in Sweden. He is expected to return at the end of January.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel once described Christensen as a clever defender after the Dane enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 season with the Blues.
“He’s a calm guy, very intelligent player, and sometimes you can get maybe a bit misled by judging him from his personality, because he is a hard defender and he is a guy who is not shy to have hard tackles and win challenges and step up in games,” said the German.
“He is very strong, very reliable and he has not reached his limits because at his age there is still room to improve. He can be a top defender for us in the next years and hopefully he will be because he comes from the academy.”
Should Newcastle want to land the Dane, however, they face competition from Manchester United, who are understood to have already put in an early £12.5 million offer for the 28-year-old.
Just when Rangers supporters thought this season couldn’t get any worse for the Ibrox outfit, well it can.
On Thursday night, Russell Martin’s Gers were beaten 2-1 in a Europa League clash at Liebenauer Stadium.
Austrian champions Sturm Graz scored twice in the first half, both times thanks to some absolutely horrendous defending that left Ally McCoist on commentary speechless, while Djeidi Gassama did lash one home immediately after half time, but an equaliser was not forthcoming.
Having lost 1-0 at home to Genk last Thursday, the Light Blues have now started a UEFA Cup or Europa League group stage with back-to-back defeats for the very first time, while Martin’s team have in fact lost five successive European fixtures, conceding 14 goals and scoring only three.
Considering he has won only five matches in charge across all competitions, losing six, supporters wanted the manager gone weeks ago, but was starting Rangers’ summer flop a sackable offence in of itself?
Rangers' continued defensive issues
Credit where credit’s due, this fact comes from Rory Hamilton during his commentary on TNT Sports.
Rangers’ last clean sheet away from home came against Ross County in Dingwall on 8 December, 299 days ago and counting, a streak of 22 matches across all competitions, which equals a club record set in 1897 when Queen Victoria was still on the throne.
Failure to keep a shutout against Falkirk on Sunday would break that 128-year-old record.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland was unceremoniously dropped by interim manager Barry Ferguson last season, but has been Martin’s undisputed number one since his appointment, albeit the England international may feel he should have kept out Tomi Horvat’s opener, a shot that was pretty much straight at him, but squirmed under his body and in.
In fairness, he does have a completely chaotic defence in front of him, with deadline day signing Derek Cornelius wondering what he did to deserve landing on this sinking ship, while 19-year-old Jayden Meghoma, who was hooked at half time in Austria, is not enjoying his time in Glasgow so far much either.
With games against Brann, Roma, Braga, Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and Porto to come in this Europa League campaign, if Rangers continue to defend the way that they are, they will be crashing out in the league phase, having finished up in eighth place as recently as last season.
However, Martin has issues at the other end of the park too, making it bewildering as to why he chose the centre-forward he did.
Rangers striker yet to impress
When 49ers Enterprises completed their takeover of Rangers in the summer, they pledged to invest around £20m into the club, but how much of that has been wasted on Youssef Chermiti?
The Portuguese under-21 international joined the club from Everton on deadline day for a reported fee of £8m, potentially rising to £10m with add-ons.
The Gers’ previous transfer record in the post-liquidation era is the £7.5m paid to Liverpool to secure Ryan Kent’s signature, following an impressive loan spell, with Chermiti’s fee thereby second only to the £12m splurged on Tore André Flo in 2000.
Most expensive SPFL signings before the 2025 summer window
The 21-year-old led the line in Graz, as he did for the visit of Genk a week earlier, but did not impress, as the table below documents.
Shots on target
3
2nd
Hit woodwork
1
1st
xG
0.49
3rd
Duels contested
11
5th
Duels won
5
10th
Touches
24
22nd
Sofascore rating
6
32nd
As the table notes, despite attempting four shots, of which three were on target, Chermiti was not taking these from particularly good positions, hence why his expected goals figure was as low as 0.49, an average of only 0.12 per shot.
He also lost possession eight times, as well as winning less than 50% of his duels, registering a miserly 24 touches, which is fewer than goalkeeper Jack Butland (31), as well as six less than Oliver Antman, who was hooked at half-time.
During commentary for TNT Sport, McCoist outlined his reservations about the signing, saying that he hopes that Chermiti will score 200 or even 300 goals for Rangers, and he would probably have to if he’s to justify the sky-high price-tag.
Well, first and foremost, just one goal would be a start!
He did not score a single goal in two seasons at Everton, albeit he made just 24 appearances, totalling 295 for the Toffees, meaning his last senior goal came for Sporting against Paços de Ferreira on 7 May 2023.
That same day, Todd Cantwell scored the only goal as Michael Beale’s Rangers beat Barry Robson’s Aberdeen 1-0 at Ibrox, while Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic rubber-stamped the title at Tynecastle simultaneously; a lot has changed all round!
When you’ve got a proven reliable goalscorer sat on the bench in Bojan Miovski, who was introduced at half time when it was already too late, Martin’s decision to start Chermiti, when his job is on the line, is frankly baffling.
Not Antman: Martin has found the new Cerny in "electric" Rangers star
Russell Martin and Rangers may have found their new Václav Černý in “electric” star but it isn’t Oliver Antman.
Leeds United won the Championship title with a staggering haul of 100 points in the 2024/25 campaign, but they knew that the jump up to the Premier League was still a huge one.
The last six teams to have been promoted to the top-flight have all gone straight back down in the last two seasons, which illustrates the size of the task ahead for Daniel Farke’s Whites, Sunderland, and Burnley.
Leeds United managerDanielFarkeapplauds their fans after the match
Unfortunately, though, Leeds ended the summer transfer window without doing all the business that they wanted to do in the forward areas, as they missed out on a deadline day deal for Harry Wilson.
The only attacker the Whites paid a transfer fee for in the window was Switzerland forward Noah Okafor, who joined from AC Milan for a reported £18m.
The 25-year-old winger only scored seven goals in 57 matches for Milan and Napoli in the last two seasons combined, per Sofascore, and was an unused substitute against Newcastle United last time out.
Another one of the club’s attacking signings over the summer who still has a big question mark hanging over him is centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who joined on a free transfer from Everton.
Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a risk signing for Leeds
Speaking earlier this month, Leeds United’s managing director Robbie Evans explained the reasoning behind the signing: “When you acquire a new player, you’re making a sacrifice somewhere as far as their age, their experiences, their ceiling, their character or their injury history.
“Something is not going to be perfect, unless they are the highly expensive player. We’d rather take somebody that’s got the experience, the physicality, the profile, the goal record and the character, and bet on ourselves to keep them healthy, than take somebody who doesn’t have that ceiling.”
These are interesting comments from Evans and understandable to a point. Calvert-Lewin is a vastly experienced Premier League performer who has been there and done it in the past, but the main issue is that his best performances are well and truly in the past.
The former England international has failed to hit double digits for goals in the Premier League in any of the last four seasons, and has underperformed his xG in all nine of his seasons in the division.
24/25
8.85
3
23/24
13.63
7
22/23
6.50
2
21/22
6.22
5
20/21
18.21
16
19/20
16.11
13
18/19
6.17
6
17/18
5.44
4
16/17
1.25
1
As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin is a wasteful finisher who has not provided much in the way of quality since the last season without crowds at games.
Evans also mentioned the injury risk, which is a big one with the striker, because the forward has missed 112 matches through injury in his career, per Transfermarkt.
The 28-year-old attacker is, therefore, an incredibly risky signing for Leeds because his goal record and his injury record both suggest that the Whites may struggle to get much of an impact out of him this season.
Time will tell whether or not that risk will end up being worth it or not, as it is now up to Calvert-Lewin to get his career back on track, but Leeds may regret letting go of a number nine who has outperformed the Englishman in recent years.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
Spanish striker Rafa Mujica left Elland Road to sign for Las Palmas on a free transfer, per Transfermarkt, in the summer of 2021, and has since gone on to shine in multiple countries.
Why Leeds must regret releasing Rafa Mujica
The young centre-forward went out on loan to various teams across Spain during his spell with Leeds before they ultimately decided that he was not going to make the grade in West Yorkshire and let him join Las Palmas for nothing.
Rafa Mujica
He had failed to score more than four goals in any of his loan spells, per Transfermarkt, which may be why the club were willing to let him go in 2021, but they may look back on that decision with regret considering what the star has gone on to achieve.
Mujica really hit his stride at first-team level after his move that saw him sign for Arouca from Las Palmas in 2022. The Spanish marksman scored 14 goals in 32 matches in his first season in Portgual, per Transfermarkt.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin in action for Everton.
Since the end of that season, from the summer of 2023 onwards, the former Leeds academy starlet has significantly outperformed Calvert-Lewin as a goalscorer in the past two seasons.
Mujica, who signed for Qatar-based side Al-Sadd last year, has scored 44 goals in all competitions for Arouca and Al-Sadd since the summer of 2023.
Appearances
65
26
Minutes played
5,297
4,243
Goals
44
11
Minutes per goal
120
385
Assists
9
5
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old striker has scored 33 more goals and provided four more assists than Calvert-Lewin in the last two years, with a far more impressive minutes per goal ratio.
Mujica, who was hailed as “magnificent” by former boss Pepe Mel, also outperformed his xG of 16.27 to score 20 goals in the Portuguese top-flight in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore.
These statistics suggest that the Spanish attacker is far more clinical and lethal in front of goal than Calvert-Lewin, having delivered at a decent level in Portugal and, now, in Qatar.
Whilst he is an unproven quantity in England and the Premier League, Mujica appears to be a far better player and far more valuable asset than he was when Leeds decided to let him join Las Palmas on a free transfer four years ago.
Summerville really rates him: Leeds have their own O'Reilly in 19-year-old star
Leeds United may already have their own Nico O’Reilly in a young talent who is currently out on loan.
ByDan Emery Sep 8, 2025
This is why supporters may look back on the decision to release Mujica as a poor one, particularly given the risks that the club have had to take with the signing of Calvert-Lewin in the hope that he can fire them to survival in the Premier League.
Heinrich Klaasen was the only batter to resist as Orcas were bowled out for 82, which took Freedom just 9.2 overs to overhaul
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2025
Glenn Maxwell had three wickets inside the powerplay•Sportzpics for MLC
Shimron Hetmyer had done it three games in a row for Seattle Orcas, but couldn’t on this occasion, against Washington Freedom. That Orcas batting line-up, which had stuttered and stumbled to five losses in a row before Hetmyer took charge, went back to being incompetent as Hetmyer had an off-day, putting up a paltry 82. It took Freedom just 9.2 overs to complete the chase and climb back to No. 2 on the MLC 2025 points table.Freedom won the toss, bowled, and Saurabh Netravalkar struck first ball, sending back Shayan Jahangir. Next over, Glenn Maxwell had Aaron Jones’ number. Netravalkar got rid of Sikandar Raza in the third over. First ball of the fourth, Maxwell sent back Steven Taylor. And Maxwell then finished the powerplay with Kyle Mayers’ wicket, leaving Orcas at 21 for 5 after six overs.Those three wickets gave Maxwell, who finished up by bowling the tenth, figures of 3 for 12 from four, while Netravalkar, who came back to bowl the 16th and got the wicket of Jasdeep Singh, the ninth of the innings, returned 3-13. Jack Edwards was the other major wicket-taker for Freedom, finishing with 3 for 19, including the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen, the only Orcas batter to put up a fight before becoming last man out for a 39-ball 48.The chase was a straightforward one even though Raza saw the back of Mitchell Owen in the third over. By the end of the powerplay, Rachin Ravindra and Mukhtar Ahmed had taken Freedom to 50 for 1, leaving just 37 runs to get from 14 overs. They needed just 3.2 more, as Ravindra scored 32 from 23 before becoming the next batter out, and Mukhtar remained unbeaten on a 21-ball 36.For Orcas, despite the big defeat, the three-match winning run has kept them in the fray for the playoffs. They are still at No. 4, though after nine games, as opposed to fifth-placed MI New York, who are one win behind but with a game in hand.
أدلى لامين يامال لاعب برشلونة الإسباني، بتصريحات عقب مباراة فريقه المثيرة أمام كلوب بروج بدوري أبطال أوروبا.
وباغت كلوب بروج خصمه برشلونة بهدف مبكر وكاد ينتصر على الفريق الكتالوني، لكن المباراة انتهت بتعادل إيجابي بثلاثة أهداف لمثلها ضمن مباريات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وقال يامال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “أشعر بمذاقٍ حلوٍ ومُرٍّ في الوقت نفسه، كنا نريد الفوز والنقاط الثلاث، نحن برشلونة ويجب أن نفوز دائمًا، لكن الآن تركيزنا على المباراة القادمة في الدوري (أمام سيلتا فيجو)”.
وأضاف: “كنا نعلم أنه فريق قوي وأن اللعب في هذا الملعب صعب، لكن من الصعب الفوز عندما تستقبل ثلاثة أهداف، وهذه نقطة علينا تحسينها”.
وعن هدفه الأول، ابتسم يامال بخجل وقال: “أحاول أن أقدّم أفضل ما لديّ، كانت لعبة سريعة جدًا، ومررها لي فيرمين بالكعب، ما يؤلمني أننا لم نتمكن من تحقيق الفوز، نأمل أن ننجح في المباراة القادمة”.
وقال المراسل ليامال إن اللقطة ذكّرته بشخص ما، وسأله: “هل تعرف مَن؟”، أجاب لامين بالنفي، فردّ الصحفي: “بشخص اسمه ليونيل ميسي”.
ابتسم يامال قائلاً: “لا يمكنني مقارنة نفسي بميسي، لقد سجل ألف هدف مثل هذا، أما أنا فعليّ أن أسلك طريقي الخاص”.
اقرأ أيضًا | فيرمين لوبيز: فشلنا في إيقاف كلوب بروج.. وليس هناك تفسير لما حدث
وأراد يامال وضع حد للشائعات التي دارت حول حالته النفسية، قائلاً: “تحدث الكثيرون عن إصابتي بالتهاب العانة، وعن أنني كنت حزينًا، لكن كل ذلك كان أكاذيب، كنت فقط أريد العودة إلى العمل ومحاولة اللعب بهذا المستوى، لأنه عندما أكون في هذه الحالة، أشعر أنني في أفضل أحوالي وأستمتع أكثر”.
أما عن صافرات الاستهجان من الجماهير البلجيكية، علّق: “أعتقد أن الأمر ليس صدفة أن يهاجموني أنا تحديدًا، فهم لا يهاجمون أي لاعب آخر، إذا كانوا يطلقون الصافرات نحوي، فهذا لأنهم يعرفون أنني أؤدي عملي جيدًا في الملعب، لست قلقًا بشأن ذلك”.
There’s no place for Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the 16-man squad for the three T20Is
Mohammad Isam21-May-2025Sahibzada Farhan has been rewarded for his sterling form in the ongoing PSL 2025 with a recall to the Pakistan T20I side for the three-match series against Bangladesh later this month. Farhan is among eight changes to the side that toured New Zealand in March.Also returning to the side are Hasan Ali and Saim Ayub.Ayub was out of the national side since picking up an injury in South Africa in January during the Test series. He missed all the cricket between that series and the PSL, including the Champions Trophy, and makes his comeback despite average returns for Peshawar Zalmi – 174 runs in ten innings at an average of 17.40 and strike rate of 125.17.Hasan was in the team last in May 2024, and has now forced his way back with 15 wickets in the PSL for Karachi Kings, which places his joint-second with Abrar Ahmed and Jason Holder, and only behind Abbas Afridi, who has 17 wickets. Abbas, meanwhile, is one of the players to have been dropped.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Farhan pretty much forced the selectors to recall him after last playing a T20I in December last year. Playing for Islamabad United, he is currently the PSL’s top scorer with 394 runs at a strike rate of 154.50, and has hit a century and two half-centuries.Also back are Fakhar Zaman, Hussain Talat and Faheem Ashraf, apart from Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah, giving the side an experienced and solid appearance.However, there is no place for Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Babar and Rizwan were dropped from the T20I series in New Zealand earlier this year, when Salman Agha was unveiled as the new T20I captain. Afridi played the T20Is on that tour, but has now been left out.
Pakistan squad changes
IN – Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub OUT – Abdul Samad, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan
Pakistan’s three-match series against Bangladesh is also going to be Mike Hesson’s first assignment as the Pakistan white-ball head coach after he joined them earlier this month.The three T20Is will be played on May 28 and 30, and June 1.
Pakistan squad for T20I series against Bangladesh
Salman Agha (capt), Shadab Khan (vice-capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Wasim, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub
da doce： O atacante Thiago Galhardo recebeu a equipe do Lance! no seu primeiro dia de férias, e a apresentadora Ana Goebel mostrou todos os detalhes da mala do jogador. Desde os looks importados até uma “cueca da sorte” que o camisa 91 usou em todos os jogos da temporada.
da realsbet： “Sou supersticioso, uso a mesma em todos os jogos do ano. Ano que vem compro uma nova” – risos.
Confira a entrevista completa no link abaixo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m3HIvF48yc
da dobrowin： O presidente que assumir o Santos no próximo triênio terá que quebrar a cabeça para arrumar as contas do clube. Isso porque o rebaixamento à Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro causará um grande prejuízo financeiro para o Peixe.
da stake casino： ➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos
Com o descenso, o clube não recebeu nenhum valor de premiação da CBF (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol). Nenhum dos quatro últimos colocados são premiados. Já a Série B paga R$5 milhões para os quatro clubes que garantem o acesso, sendo que, a metade deste valor, fica com o campeão.
Para agravar a situação, o time da Vila Belmiro não vai disputar a Copa do Brasil e nenhuma competição internacional em 2024. O clube jogará apenas o Paulistão e a Segunda Divisão Nacional.
Desta forma, o Peixe terá que armar uma estratégia para montar uma equipe competitiva e não piorar as suas dívidas. Atualmente, o déficit é de quase R$ 800 milhões. A folha salarial, inclusive, é uma preocupação. No terceiro trimestre de 2023, houve um aumento de 10,53% na folha salarial do clube (com encargos) em relação ao que foi gasto no trimestre anterior.
A proposta orçamentária para o exercício de 2024, firmada antes da queda, prevê uma receita total de R$ 394.086.925, sendo R$ 260.086.925 em receitas ordinárias e R$ 134 milhões em extraordinárias.
A efeito de comparação, o orçamento de 2023 complementado foi de R$ 437.688.531, uma variação de R$ 43.601.606. Além disso, imagina-se R$ 307.620.695 em custos em despesas. Neste ano, foram gastos R$ 347.418.610, uma diferença de R$ 39.797.915.
O orçamento inclui uma arrecadação de R$ 134 milhões provenientes da venda de direitos federativos como receitas extraordinárias. A média nos últimos 12 exercícios (2012 a 2023) foi de R$ 81.655.000, “valores que, à primeira vista, destoam da média histórica”.
+Apresentador da ESPN se emociona ao comentar queda do Santos: ‘Torcedor merece respeito’
Vale lembrar que a atual diretoria realizou uma antecipação de até R$ 30 milhões das cotas do Campeonato Paulista de 2024. A movimentação pode contribuir para um déficit financeiro. Elas foram antecipadas em novembro de 2023. Andrés Rueda encerra o seu mandato no final deste ano e não irá concorrer novamente. A eleição está marcada para sábado, dia 9 de dezembro.
Sri Lanka’s struggles on the field are compounded by their issues behind the scenes
Firdose Moonda at SuperSport Park17-Dec-2011Would you have any motivation if the company you worked for was in a corporate governance tangle messier than Lasith Malinga’s hair? If that company had not had elections in the last seven years and had run by a series of committees who changed more frequently than the number of teams in the IPL and with far greater impact? And most importantly, if you had not been paid in nine months?Sri Lanka’s cricketers have managed to keep going, albeit it without much success, in spite of all of the above. Allegedly, they have come to South Africa more interested and with greater focus than they have had in any other series this year.That has included a tour of England, in which a nightmare session in Cardiff saw Sri Lanka skittled for 82, a home series against Australia where the dustbowl at Galle gave Australia victory and a trip to the UAE where rain in Sharjah denied Sri Lanka a Test win. Now, in the country where flat-track bullies come to die and with injuries to five fast-bowlers, Sri Lanka arrived with a smidgen of self-belief and heaps of hope.So far, it has all came to nought. They were written off every time they were written about and in the end they lived up, or rather down, to their reputation and were solidly and comprehensively beaten.More concerning than the loss itself was the manner in which it came. The lack of application and commitment from Sri Lanka’s batsmen, albeit against a quality attack who exploited their home conditions well, was astounding and the ease with which they gave up was alarming. Everyone from Tillakaratne Dilshan to Rangana Herath succumbed to an inability to read the lengths the South African bowlers presented them with. Eight batsmen were caught by the wicket-keeper or in the slips in a second innings showing that was more dismal than the first.
Between being told to be positive, without being rash, and cautious without being tentative, it’s little wonder that Sri Lanka’s batsmen are somewhat confused.
It’s unlikely they were thinking of their pay cheques or their board when they edged behind and even unlikelier that their bank accounts were full, the edges would have become solid drives, but it’s clear that something is plaguing Sri Lankan cricket. In an excuse that sounded almost Mahmudullah-eqsue in nature, Dilshan revealed that he does not know exactly what it is that stops Sri Lanka from translating their net practices into on-field performances.”We are working hard in the nets, but we are not able to carry it into the middle,” he said. “We have two batsmen close to 10,000 runs [Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara] but as a batting group, we have not been clicking well over the last few months.”Over-reliance on the two big names could be part of the problem. Even when Dilshan and Tharanaga Paranavitana had been dismissed, it was when Vernon Philander worked over Kumar Sangakkara that the sense that real trouble had hit Sri Lanka’s ranks emerged.When Mahela Jayawardene was run-out attempting to make his 10,000th Test run, an innings defeat seemed inevitable. Even Dilshan admitted that the once the milestone is out of the way, a burden will be lifted. “I think if he got 10,000 runs, after that he might have had a free mind,” Dilshan said.As a unit, Dilshan said that responsibility has to be taken by all but he did not signal out anyone else in the line-up. The middle-order appears brittle, Prasanna Jayawardene is being missed and the game-plans are not being thought out with the required depth to play in foreign conditions.Marvan Atapattu said Sri Lanka had to be “positive” when they approached their second innings. It appears that that instruction is being misunderstood by some players, adding another dimension to their issues. Dilshan’s first innings shot was an example of it. Atapattu wants his batsmen to look to AB de Villiers’ innings as an example of how to play on South African surfaces. “Anything outside the off stump, look to score off and anything pitched up,” he said.Instead, Sri Lanka were strangled by fuller deliveries, particularly by Vernon Philander’s show of bowling just outside off and getting the ball to nip around. They showed unnatural restraint and fell apart as a result. “If you are tentative on a wicket like that, you won’t get many places,” Graeme Smith, South Africa captain, said.Between being told to be positive, without being rash, and cautious without being tentative, it’s little wonder that Sri Lanka’s batsmen are somewhat confused. Dilshan said he only needs the batting problems to be fixed in order for his side to be competitive because the bowlers will be able to produce in seamer-friendly conditions. “If the batting unit can put runs on the board, I feel we can bowl them [South Africa] out if we are given this kind of wicket, with help for the fast bowlers,” he said. “If we can put some runs on the board, we know we can put pressure on the South African team.”But finding those runs seems to be a beyond the Sri Lankan batsmen. Dilshan has repeatedly insisted that the board issues are not troubling the team, that they can’t control what is happening at management level, and in a tone that sounds almost like a plea for help that Sri Lanka are just “trying to play our best cricket”.That may be the case, but the environment in which Sri Lanka have to play their cricket is not one that facilitates a culture of success or development. The shop’s backroom is a shambles so their outside display can hardly be perfect. Although Sri Lanka’s cricketers have been trying to do a window-dressing act for months, their abysmal form see some questions being asked about what is really the source of their current problems.
The groundwork which enabled England to reach No. 1 in the Test rankings was put in place before the new millennium
Andrew McGlashan15-Aug-2011Not for the last time as England captain, Nasser Hussain was emotional after the team sank to bottom against New Zealand•Getty Imagesv New Zealand, The Oval, 1999: Bottom of the pileWhen Alan Mullally skied Chris Cairns to mid-off, England had been beaten by 83 runs in the fourth and deciding Test and were, according to the Wisden rankings that predated the official ICC ladder, the worst team in the world. Nasser Hussain was booed as he made his way onto The Oval balcony for the presentation. The only way was up.November 1999: From now on, this is how it worksDuncan Fletcher, at the time a fairly unknown name outside of his achievements for Zimbabwe, had been confirmed as England’s new coach earlier in the year. However, he had a watching brief as the team hit rock-bottom against New Zealand and it wasn’t until the tour of South Africa that he could start to change English cricket. On his first day in charge, England slumped to 2 for 4 against South Africa at Johannesburg, yet slowly, but surely, a strong relationship with Hussain began to formMay 2000: England firstA hugely significant moment in the bigger picture of English cricket’s future came with the first batch of ECB central contracts. Some, such as Chris Schofield and Mark Ramprakash, faded away, but the principle of the leading players being managed by the England coach brought a new professionalism to the set up.v West Indies, 2000: Regain the Wisden TrophyWest Indies weren’t the force of old, but with Ambrose, Walsh and Lara they still had plenty of matchwinners. When they secured the first Test at Edgbaston it looked like normal service, but after producing a wonderful fight-back at Lord’s to win by two wickets the momentum was with England. On a heady day at The Oval they bowled out West Indies to take the series 3-1. Hussain, who’d barely scored a run, sank to his knees. England were on the climb.December-March 2000-01: Subcontinent successThis is a winter that doesn’t get the acclaim it deserves. Firstly the team won in the dark at Karachi to secure a series victory in Pakistan after 39 years then, even more impressively, came from 1-0 down to beat Sri Lanka on their home soil. A core of experienced players, led by Darren Gough and Graham Thorpe, was forming alongside younger stars such as Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan. This was Hussain’s finest hour.July-September 2001: Ashes hammeringHowever, any thought that England were ready to make a challenge for the top was brought into stark focus by another Ashes hammering. The first three Tests were over within 11 days and only Mark Butcher’s career-defining 173 saved face. Australia were still light years ahead.July-August, 2002: Missed opportunitySri Lanka had been dispatched 2-0 in helpful conditions and when India were beaten by 170 runs at Lord’s, confidence was high. However, inconsistency still dogged the team and at Headingley they were thrashed by an innings and 46 runs. A 1-1 draw was unfulfilling and, more crucially with an Ashes on the horizon, Andrew Flintoff had been stretched to breaking point with a double hernia.By 2003 Andrew Flintoff was becoming a world-class allrounder and would be central to England’s success•Getty Imagesv Australia, Brisbane, 2002: “We’ll bowl.”It’s a moment Hussain has never lived down, putting Australia into bat at the Gabba and watching them amass 364 for 2 on the first day. Worst still, Simon Jones suffered a career-threatening knee injury sliding on the sandy outfield. The Ashes finished 4-1 and, despite the consolation victory at Sydney, the team was still treading water.v South Africa, Edgbaston, 2003: Hussain loses the teamHussain had packed in the one-day captaincy following another poor World Cup campaign and Michael Vaughan made a promising start in the job with two early trophies. Hussain returned for the start of the Test series against South Africa and watched his team struggle to make an impression although the opening match was saved by a mixture of Vaughan and rain. Immediately after the game a tearful Hussain stepped down saying the side had moved on. But he had played a huge role dragging England off the bottom.v South Africa, The Oval, 2003: A tone-setting victoryVaughan’s reign started with a crushing innings defeat at Lord’s and England verged from the very good (winning at Trent Bridge) to the very bad (another defeat at Headingley) to leave the series 2-1 heading into the final match at The Oval. That’s when the first signs emerged of the cricket the side could be capable of playing, having fought back from South Africa being 345 for 2. Trescothick hit a double hundred, Thorpe a comeback century, Flintoff bashed 95 and Steve Harmison rattled South Africa with pace. The series was levelled. It was the start.May-September 2004: Magnificent sevenA summer of complete domination as England wiped the floor 7-0 against New Zealand and West Indies. Harmison became the No.1-ranked bowler in the world, Flintoff became the leading allrounder and the batting line-up was formidable. Momentum was building for the greater challenges ahead.England conquered the Ashes summit in 2005•Getty Imagesv South Africa, Johannesburg, 2005: One of their bestThe series was level following three Tests and after the two first innings at the Wanderers it was still even. Then Trescothick produced a scintillating 180 and Hoggard stunned South Africa on the final day with 7 for 61 to take his match haul to 12 wickets. The totality of their final-day performance proved they were ready to challenge Australia.January-February 2005: Enter Kevin PietersenIt’s easy to forget that Kevin Pietersen wasn’t in the Test side at the start of the 2005 season. Thorpe played against Bangladesh, but was pensioned off when Fletcher and Vaughan decided England needed an X-factor player. That player was Pietersen, whose scintillating arrival in the one-day side against South Africa had proven both his talent and big-match temperament. Three centuries in the series, in a sometimes poisonously hostile atmosphere, meant his Test call-up was a given.July-September 2005: The Greatest SeriesThe summer became the ultimate contest between the two best sides in the world. They exchanged blows throughout the series with the famous two-run win at Edgbaston producing wonderful sporting emotion. Australia hung on nine-down in scenes of rare drama at Old Trafford then England went ahead with another nail-biter at Trent Bridge. It all came down to the final day at The Oval and England stuttered. Would old failings emerge at the crucial hour? Pietersen ensured they didn’t with his spine-tingling 158. Australia’s years of consistent success meant they remained top of the rankings, but the belief was England were genuine contenders for the years ahead. It didn’t turn out that way …