Kylian Mbappe has been hailed for displaying “self-criticism” at Real Madrid, with that mentality allowing the Frenchman to show “what he can do”.

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• Another 'Galactico' at Santiago Bernabeu
• Found form after slow start in Spain
• Pressure easing on forward & head coach

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The World Cup winner knew that he was thrusting himself under the brightest of spotlights when agreeing to become another ‘Galactico’ at Santiago Bernabeu. His every move in the Spanish capital will be dissected in minute detail, with any supposed dip in form leading to uncomfortable questions.

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  WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Mbappe has already come through plenty of those, but has won two trophies with Los Blancos while taking his goal tally to 14 through 24 appearances. After netting in a fourth successive game, as Real saw off Sevilla 4-2, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said of the progress being made by his fearsome No.9: “This could have been a very complicated situation for Mbappe but he has worked and shown what he can do with self-criticism. As I said on Saturday, his adaptation period is over.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A return to form for Mbappe, who has six goals through his last eight outings, has helped to ease some of the pressure that had been building on Ancelotti following a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign by Real as a collective.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Italian insists that he never had any fears regarding his role, with Real sitting just one point off top spot in their bid to defend their La Liga title. Ancelotti, who has savoured UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup success this term, added: “I’ve never worried for my position. It’s my responsibility when things don’t work, but the club has supported me and the players have helped us. All coaches need support their club and I trust in the club.”

Only 10.5 overs of play were possible after a delay of more than four hours

Firdose Moonda24-Mar-2022No result South Africa have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals after rain washed out their match against West Indies in Wellington. Only 10.5 overs were possible after a delay of more than four hours that saw play get underway after 3pm local time and South Africa were in trouble at 61 for 4. But persistent rain meant no further play was possible.West Indies’ hopes of advancing are hanging by a thread after three losses, three wins and a no-result. If either India or England lose a match, West Indies could still advance to the knockouts, but their tournament future is now out of their control. Irrespective of the outcome of their final match against India, South Africa will qualify in second place and have avoided facing table-topping Australia in the final four.South Africa may consider themselves lucky to have got away with the point they needed to break away from the chasing pack after they teetered on 22 for 4 in the sixth over of their rain-reduced encounter. In a match that was cut down to 26 overs a side, South Africa were on the back foot after West Indies’ opening bowlers made good use of extra bounce in the surface to dismiss their top four without any of them getting into double figures.Laura Wolvaardt was out cheaply for the first time in the tournament when she tried to cut a wide Chinelle Henry ball through point but found a flying Deandra Dottin, who took another stunning catch. Dottin dived left and took the catch one-handed, in her right hand. Four balls later, Lizelle Lee’s torrid run continued. She tried to hit a Shamilia Connell delivery across the line and toe-ended it to midwicket. Karishma Ramharack juggled the ball but took the catch to leave Lee with no scores over 36 from five matches in the competition.Connell could have had another off her next ball when Tazmin Brits edged it but Hayley Matthews moved too early at slip and the ball hit her wrist. In Henry’s next over, Brits was dropped at second slip as she jabbed at a ball but Dottin couldn’t hold on. Henry got her reward two balls later when she got a delivery to stick in the surface and Sune Luus lobbed it to Stafanie Taylor. Henry had an opportunity for two wickets in two balls when Mignon du Preez edged her next delivery to second slip but Dottin dropped it again. It only took until her next over for Henry to strike again, when Brits sliced her to Ramharack at cover. Henry finished with figures of 3 for 19.du Preez and Marizanne Kapp were rebuilding the innings and scored 39 runs in 32 balls for the fifth wicket when the drizzle which had hung around throughout the day became harder, forcing the umpires to take the players off the field. du Preez managed her highest score in her last 10 ODIs and was hitting the ball on 38 not out but was unable to continue. Conditions did not improve and the match was called off after another lengthy rain delay.

Back at the end of last season, Erik ten Hag held the FA Cup trophy aloft, he smiled and batted away any concerns that he wouldn't be Manchester United's manager when the new campaign kicked off.

Despite a wave of criticism and a barrage of torment from pundits, he defied his critics. Well, sort of.

Ten Hag kept his position but nothing has been different about the Red Devils during their opening three matches of the season to date.

They defeated Fulham but it took a last-gasp goal from debutant Joshua Zirkzee to do so. They then suffered a late defeat to Brighton and were swept aside, of course they were, by rivals Liverpool.

They face newly-promoted Southampton on Saturday lunchtime and it's a game where they should take all three points.

Latest Man United injury news

Heading into the game with the Saints, United will still be without the services of Mason Mount and long-term absentee Leny Yoro. It's also likely that Rasmus Hojlund will continue to sit out with the club cautiously managing his return to action.

The biggest blow to Ten Hag's preparation concerns Bruno Fernandes. This has been a dreaded international break and it's lived up to its name with Nathan Ake and Martin Odegaard receiving nasty-looking injuries while playing for their countries.

Well, Fernandes may have suffered the same feat. Playing for Portugal against Scotland, the attacking midfielder lasted the full 90 minutes and scored but was seen limping after a blow to his ankle.

Talking to the media after the game, he was quick to calm any fears over his fitness, saying: "It's just a little bump."

At the moment, his chances of making the game are said to be around 75% with assessments taking place.

It looks as though he'll be fit to play in some capacity but whether he starts remains to be seen.

How Bruno Fernandes could be replaced

If the United skipper is forced to sit out of Saturday's encounter it will be a huge blow to an already down-trodden side.

He is the heartbeat of the team and even if he hasn't scored yet this term, he has proven to be their main man over a number of years now.

Fernandes found the net on 15 occasions last season and also registered 13 assists. To put those numbers into context, only Hojlund scored more (16), while no other player at Old Trafford assisted more goals. So, he's pretty damn important then.

How can United replace him? With great difficulty. Mount is out so that rules out one option which could mean that Christian Eriksen is given his first start of the season in a no.10 role, the position he thrived in at Spurs.

Signing fee

£47m

Salary

£300k-p/w

Games played

237

Goals

79

Assists

67

Minutes played

20,077

Honours won

2

During his career in Manchester, the Dane has usually been restricted by playing in a deeper role but 55 of his 118 career goals have come as an attacking midfielder.

What his inclusion means, however, is that there's a strong likelihood that Casemiro is forced to start in the centre of the park.

Toby Collyer did replace the struggling Brazilian at half-time against Liverpool but with Fernandes out, it would be a gamble to remove so much experience from the side.

That said, anyone is better than Casemiro, right?

The veteran has been a dwindling force over the last year – that's putting it politely too – with the nadir of his time arguably that showing against Liverpool nearly a fortnight ago.

He made two costly errors that subsequently led to the two Luis Diaz goals in the first half of the game and was handed a rather harsh 1/10 match rating by MEN's Samuel Luckhurst.

So, Collyer could replace him or Manuel Ugarte could also be handed a debut but considering he's not played a single minute of club football in 2024/25, that's also unlikely.

If Fernandes does miss out then all rounds point towards another possible inclusion for Casemiro. Hold onto your hats, United fans.

Man Utd must regret selling £9m star who's now miles better than Casemiro

The star has been a real hit after departing Old Trafford.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 9, 2024

Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal has been added to India’s squad as his replacement

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore13-Dec-2021Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test leg of India’s tour of South Africa with an injury to his left hamstring. The Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal has been drafted into the squad as his replacement.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Rohit suffered the injury during a net session before the India squad entered quarantine in Mumbai, from where they are scheduled to travel to South Africa this week.For Rohit, this is the second major tour affected by injury in the last 12 months. He only featured in the third and fourth Tests of India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia, missing the first two Tests due to a hamstring injury picked up during IPL 2020.Related

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Quinton de Kock set to miss part of India Test series on paternity leave

Rohit’s absence will be a blow to India’s preparations given he has been their highest Test run-getter in 2021, and one of only two batters – Rishabh Pant being the other – with a 40-plus average from 10 or more innings. Since moving to the top of the order during the home series against South Africa in 2019, Rohit has scored 1462 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 58.48, with five centuries including, most recently, a Player-of-the-Match-winning 127 in India’s win at The Oval in September.KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are the other openers in India’s Test squad apart from the uncapped Panchal.Rohit had also been named vice-captain of the Test squad, apart from taking over as full-time captain in the white-ball formats.It remains to be seen if India will hand the vice-captaincy back to the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane, or name a new deputy to Virat Kohli. It is learned that the selectors are deliberating over Rohit’s availability for the three ODIs that follow the Test series. A decision is likely to be taken this week.Priyank Panchal captained India A in two of their three recent four-day games in South Africa•Cricket South AfricaThis isn’t Panchal’s maiden call-up to the Test squad. Earlier this year he was part of an extended India squad that took on England in four Tests at home. Panchal, who is 31 and leads Gujarat in domestic cricket, was among the reserve openers for that series alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran.While Panchal is a relative unknown to the wider public, he has been one of the regulars for India A over the last few years. A veteran of 100 first-class matches, Panchal was most-recently part of India A’s shadow tour of South Africa, where he captained the team in two of the three four-day games in Bloemfontein. He made scores of 96, 24 and 0 in his three innings on tour.Panchal’s stocks rose significantly since his breakout Ranji Trophy season in 2016-17, where he topped the run charts with 1310 runs in 17 innings at an average of 87.33. His first-class highest, an unbeaten 314, came against Punjab that season. Those runs were part of a historic run for Gujarat, who clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Following Parthiv Patel’s retirement last year, Panchal took over the Gujarat captaincy.

Arsenal have held talks with the agents of a £60 million Brazil striker and new transfer target, coming after he scored 25 goals in all competitions last season.

Edu and Arteta exploring market to sign new Arsenal forward

An array of new attacking options and many interesting names have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium this summer, but sporting director Edu Gaspar is yet to officially get one over the line.

Talks ongoing: Arsenal believe they'll sign £55m ace soon, he wants to join

The Gunners are still trying to make their third signing of the window.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 13, 2024

A lot of the noise coming out of north London in the past fortnight has been centred around Arsenal's ongoing talks over a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino, which has dragged on for quite a long time now.

Once, or if, Mikel Arteta sees his compatriot sign for Arsenal before deadline day – the Spaniard may be hoping he can bring in one more forward option. Indeed, a striker has long been viewed by some critics as the final missing piece of the jigsaw at London Colney.

Arsenal were rumoured to hold a serious interest in Ivan Toney as far back as 12 months ago, and have been regularly tipped to move for a striker ever since.

After Toney, Edu was tipped to bid for Victor Osimhen of Napoli, while Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres has also been on Arsenal's radar. Even Dominic Solanke was linked with an Arsenal move, before he opted to join their north London rivals Tottenham for a total fee of around £65 million.

Last season, Kai Havertz impressed in a makeshift centre-forward role, with the German putting himself ahead of Gabriel Jesus in Arteta's pecking order. However, reports suggest that Arsenal are still very much open to the idea of bringing in a new number nine.

Arsenal hold talks with Evanilson agents in search for forward

According to HITC, it is believed FC Porto striker and two-cap Brazil international Evanilson is now turning heads in north London.

Indeed, Arsenal have apparently held talks with Evanilson through his agents, following the 24-year-old's exceptional haul of 25 goals in all competitions for Porto last season.

However, the Gunners are not the only Premier League side registering their interest in Evanilson, as Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and West Ham have all done the same.

There are two other English sides currently above Arsenal in the race for him as well. Both Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are the only sides to have formalised their interest in the South American marksman, who is rumoured to command a price tag of around £60 million.

“This is where the Khawajas are from. This is my home”, he said after a century in the country of his birth

Andrew McGlashan12-Mar-2022He wasn’t going to miss out this time. With a nudge into the leg side, Usman Khawaja ran through for his 100th run. Another Test hundred, but not just any Test hundred.Having fallen three runs short of the milestone in Rawalpindi – near the city of his birth Islamabad – a few days ago, the celebrations could come in the city that his family hails from. He had four relatives in the stands in Karachi after all.”This is where the Khawajas are from. This is my home,” he told the host broadcaster. “Would have been nice to get a hundred both [ in Rawalpindi] and here, but I’ll take this one.”Related

Khawaja's special century puts Australia on top

Khawaja's Test renaissance down to being daring and being himself

Ashraf gives Pakistan an opening, but floodgates stay shut

Not for the first time in the series, cries of “Khawaja, Khawaja” rang around the stadium. “The fans have been great, they’ve been so supportive, I couldn’t ask for more,” he said. “I love it because you can tell they want Pakistan to win…but you can also tell they are very supportive of me.”This has been an extraordinary comeback to Test cricket which has now brought three centuries in six innings along with a 97. If ever there was a sliding-doors moment, it was Travis Head’s positive Covid-19 result before the Sydney Test which created the spot for Khawaja’s return.”It does feel right now like things are going pretty nicely, but I know the game can change pretty quickly,” he said. “I’m just enjoying the journey. I’m at a point in my career where it’s more about enjoyment than anything else. Nothing lasts forever; I understand that.”This was another supremely crafted century. It began at a reasonably high tempo as he and David Warner played aggressively against the new ball. Khawaja was on 34 off 44 balls at the first drinks break and brought up his fifty from 69 deliveries, but then reined things in with the double loss of Warner and Marnus Labuschagne. The next fifty runs would take 124 deliveries as the ball softened and Babar Azam became increasingly defensive with his tactics.When Warner was dismissed, Australia were 82 for 1 off 18 overs with the remaining 72 overs bringing 169 runs and just another 79 in a 36-over final session. However, Khawaja said they were determined not to give Pakistan anything as they tried to stop the scoreboard, having had batters fall to the leg-stump line in Rawalpindi.A batter would hope to fill their boots in conditions that have been presented across the first six days of this series – Labuschagne’s face after being run out for a duck showed the feeling of missing out – but after none of Australia’s top order could convert in the opening Test, it was important the first player with an opportunity to do so here took advantage.Unbeaten on 127 at the close, Khawaja will be eying a huge score after the loss of Steven Smith late on the first day – his wait for a century goes on after Faheem Ashraf’s spectacular slip catch – meaning Pakistan do have an opening at a middle order that remains inexperienced in these conditions.There were a few hints that this pitch may break up as the game progresses, and Khawaja expected that it would. Nauman Ali got one to spin sharply past Smith’s edge to bring a nod of approval, and Sajid Khan, during a largely disappointing display, made one grip which took a leading edge from Khawaja but landed safely.As predicted before the game, it also appeared reverse swing would be more of a factor in this contest. The most compelling passage of the opening day was when Shaheen Shah Afridi, in a spell of 4-4-0-0, and Ashraf got the ball to move before tea. And neither of them bowled again until the second new ball was taken.”It was reversing pretty big in that middle session, and just got really hard to score,” Khawaja said. “We just had to grind. Me and Smithy knew that. If we saw an opportunity to score we were looking for it, but we weren’t presented with many. They bowled well in the middle session, and then [in] that last session, the spinners went a little bit negative to the leg side.”Australia will want to go very big in this first innings – Khawaja spoke of 500 – not least because it will help debutant legspinner Mitchell Swepson to operate without too much concern of runs conceded. Khawaja’s day had started with a heartfelt speech as he presented Swepson, who he captains for Queensland, with his baggy green.He recalled being in the Australia dressing room on Swepson’s first tour in 2017 and thinking it would not be long before he played a Test only for it to eventually take five years. For Khawaja though, the opportunity to play in the country of his birth has been a much longer wait and for some time appeared may never happen. Instead, the homecoming is complete.

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet sport： Antes da sequência de boas atuações do Flamengo de Paulo Sousa, uma das deficiências do time vinha sendo a ineficiência dos volantes em meio ao rodízio do treinador. Mas, nos últimos jogos, a dupla formada por João Gomes e Thiago Maia deu liga e tem auxiliado na engrenagem rubro-negra, seja na fase defensiva ou ofensiva, como ocorreu no empate sem gols com o Palmeiras, na última quarta. E Paulo Sousa terá um dilema logo menos: e o Willian Arão?

RelacionadasFlamengoVÍDEO: Pablo treina no Maracanã após passar por situação curiosa em jogo do FlamengoFlamengo21/04/2022VídeoVÍDEO: João Gomes e Lázaro tietam Zico após jogo do Flamengo, e Galinho enaltece: ‘O nosso futuro!’Vídeo20/04/2022BrasileirãoApós autocrítica, Thiago Maia celebra evolução no Flamengo: ‘Quando está mal, tem que reconhecer’Brasileirão20/04/2022

da betsson： Como Pablo foi contratado para ser um líderes da zaga, é natural imaginar o Flamengo com o camisa 30 entre os titulares, possivelmente em vaga hoje ocupada por Willian Arão, no lado direito da defesa.

Portanto, a dúvida é se Arão voltará a concorrer por vaga no meio ou seguirá como opção na zaga, onde tem atuado de forma sólida e sido bastante elogiado por Paulo Sousa, sobretudo, pela qualidade na saída de bola.

Aliás, impulsionado pela ótima fase de Gomes, eleito o melhor jogador da rodada passada e autor de um assistência na vitória sobre o São Paulo, Thiago Maia está em evolução e sendo fundamental na verticalização das jogadas.

– Encontrei mais um jogador que está crescendo, que dá soluções com a bola nos primeiros momentos de construção. Ele tem capacidade de melhorar cada vez mais o posicionamento e ocupação do espaço, assim como o entendimento entre ele e o João e a lateralidade. A necessidade de que a equipe tem de ter os dois, para ver o jogo para frente, também como apoio para movimentos e capacidade de articulações, saltar linhas de pressão. Podem melhorar mais nos duelos e no último terço do campo, por ver mais longe e ter mais profundidade. Mas espero que outros também possam crescer porque são posições de grande desgaste mental e físico. É uma época longa, com esse ritmo intenso como foi hoje, necessitamos de todos – salientou Paulo Sousa.

Sobre a dupla Gomes-Maia, o camisa 8 lembrou que a função de volante era a que Paulo Sousa exercia (e bem) quando era atleta e sublinhou o entrosamento que vem tendo com o Garoto do Ninho na cabeça de área.

– O Paulo foi volante, ganhou vários títulos e só temos a aprender com ele. Temos que escutá-lo. Eu aprendi muito com o João também, e ele comigo. Somos garotos, mas parece que nos transformamos dentro de campo. Fico feliz de estar atuando ao lado dele. É um moleque que vai estourar mundialmente. Espero jogar muitos anos com ele aqui, espero que não vá embora – disse Thiago Maia.

Apesar de ser canhoto, Thiago Maia tem atuado pelo lado direito do meio, enquanto Gomes, destro, pelo esquerdo. O fato de ambos estarem com o “pé trocado” é uma estratégia do Mister para otimizar os passes em profundidade, o que tem colaborado com a fluidez nas transições ofensivas.

ATUAÇÕES: Everton Ribeiro volta a ser destaque, e Hugo demonstra segurança

Thiago Maia foi o jogador em Flamengo x Palmeiras que mais acertou passes, segundo o site “Footstats”: 53. Boa parte para Everton Ribeiro (8), por exemplo. E Gomes foi, disparado, o líder de desarmes (o que tem sido uma tônica): oito.

Com boa movimentação e intensidade na marcação, os dois têm se complementado e reduzido as brechas para a concorrência. Por fora, correm Andreas Pereira e Diego Ribas, além de Arão, que tem a confiança de Paulo Sousa, mas ainda não a certeza de onde brigará por vaga quando Pablo tiver 100% quanto às condições de jogo/ritmo, o que ocorrerá a curto prazo.

O PRÓXIMO JOGO

> Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

Neste final de semana, o Flamengo visita o Athletico, na Arena da Baixada. O jogo, válido pela terceira rodada do Brasileirão, será no sábado, às 16h30.

كشفت تقارير صحفية، عن رغبة يورجن كلوب المدير الفني السابق لفريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، في العودة من جديد للعمل من داخل الملعب، وسط أنباء حول خلافته لـ أنشيلوتي في ريال مدريد.

ويعمل كلوب حاليًا مدير عمليات كرة القدم في شركة “ريد بول”، وهو منصب جديد للألماني الذي اعتاد على التواجد داخل الملعب وعلى حدود المستطيل الأخضر.

وارتبط كلوب بتدريب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ريال مدريد، لخلافة كارلو أنشيلوتي الذي يقترب من الرحيل، في ظل النتائج السيئة للنادي الملكي مؤخرًا.

صحيفة “Uol” البرازيلية، أكدت أن يورجن كلوب قرر العودة بداية من الموسم المقبل لكرة القدم، ويفاضل الآن بين عرضين وهما المنتخب البرازيلي وريال مدريد.

وكشفت بأن كلوب تحدث مع أحد المقربين منه، أنه لن يقبل بمغادرة شركة “ريد بول”، إلا إذا انضم للمنتخب البرازيلي أو فريق ريال مدريد.

المنتخب البرازيلي يعاني مؤخرًا، وارتبط بالتعاقد مع بيب جوارديولا وكذلك كارلو أنشيلوتي، مع تزايد أنباء رحيل جيسوس عن الهلال السعودي وتولي قيادتهم في ظل الأزمة التي يمر بها السيليساو.

المدرب الألماني، من المعروف عنه أنه رجل المشاريع طويلة الأمد، مثلما فعل مع ماينز من 2001 وحتى 2008 قبل الانضمام إلى بوروسيا دورتموند ليستمر معهم حتى 2015.

وأخيرًا، أنجح تجارب الألماني مع ليفربول في الفترة من 2015 وحتى 2024، ليرحل ويترك مكانه لـ أرني سلوت المدرب الهولندي.

راتب كلوب مع ريد بول، حسب ما أفادت الصحيفة البرازيلية، يتراوح ما بين 12 لـ14 مليون يورو سنويًا، ورحيله سيكون بمثابة مفاجأة للشركة التي كانت تنوي القيام بالعديد من المشاريع والتطوير مع المدرب الألماني.

Eoin Morgan will be in England mode next week with the start of the series against Sri Lanka, but first his focus is on helping Middlesex make a double-quick start to the NatWest T20 Blast

Tim Wigmore15-May-20141:29

Captain Morgan looking forward to double-header

The refrain that England’s stars have become disconnected from the county game is a familiar one. The start of the season has been a welcome exception and, before England return to the international treadmill, their stars will help to launch the NatWest T20 Blast.And in the shortest format no current England player rivals Eoin Morgan for star quality. He will lead Middlesex when their T20 season begins against Essex at Lord’s on Saturday – and then do the same against Sussex a few hours later. It is the first such double header in county history. “Saturday for us is going to be quite a huge event – not only for ourselves but for English cricket,” Morgan said. “I know Middlesex are having a huge push.”The challenge of back-to-back games will be an unusual one, including quickly moving onto the next contest whatever the result of the first. “Going into the second game, we’ll already have had a chance to have a bat and a bowl. But does that equalise the fact that we might be a little bit tired? We don’t know.”But while Middlesex’s T20 campaigns will begin rapidly, the tournament is a slow-burning affair: finals day takes place exactly 100 days after the matches begin. “The idea of the format this year is to get more bums on seats throughout the whole summer, as opposed to it being sporadic,” Morgan said.Other T20 leagues take a very different approach, being completed in a much tighter block and which has left others, including England, playing catch-up. “You could say that the IPL and Big Bash have taken the initiative and sort of raced ahead of most other countries in franchise cricket and they’ve reaped the rewards for it.”This year, though, the IPL is far from Morgan’s mind: it is the first time he has begun the county season in England since 2009. And his county have given him the responsibility of captaining, when England commitments allow, in all limited-overs cricket.The development feels significant, with uncertainty over the captaincy of the national side in both limited-overs formats – and a shortage of viable successors to Alastair Cook in Tests. Morgan’s initial forays into captaincy have been marked by serenity and unusual tactical imagination, perhaps reflecting that he is an essentially self-taught cricketer. Few would argue with Morgan’s assessment of his own captaincy: “calm” and capable of “making good decisions under pressure”.With Stuart Broad injured, Morgan will be able to showcase those attributes in the T20 international against Sri Lanka next week having previously led England five times. “The opportunity to captain the side is one that I’m looking forward to.”The expectation is that Morgan could imminently succeed Broad on a permanent basis, whose role is in doubt after disappointing performances in the World T20 tournaments. Morgan says only that “it’ll be something that I think of” if offered, while, tellingly, admitting that he “was interested” in the job when Paul Collingwood’s reign ended three years ago.”It’s something that I’ve enjoyed because I’ve had something to offer,” Morgan said, speaking like the unusually self-assured 27-year-old that is. “Guys like Ben Stokes who have come in – I was captain when he debuted and then to watch him come through and play in the Ashes series from afar was awesome to see. You take great pride in awarding someone that – although you only play a minor part you’re still involved in it.”For all the bluster about England’s “new era”, uncertainty provides the backdrop for the international summer ahead. Mushtaq Ahmed and Graham Gooch have already lost their jobs, and the make-up of the new set-up is in flux. “We still haven’t got exact clarity on what’s going on or who’s doing what,” Morgan admitted. “The sooner that happens the better, and the calmer and the quicker things can move on.”

David Warner is your typical example – he started in T20, got into the one-day side and the broke into the Test team. And the shots he was playing in the Test matches were unbelievable

In limited-overs cricket, Morgan’s blend of calculation and panache make him immune from selectorial uncertainty. But in Tests the picture is rather more complicated. It is clear England have him in mind – Morgan would not have withdrawn from this year’s IPL otherwise – and a century against Lancashire was “timely”.Whether that is enough to merit inclusion against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on June 12 is a thorny question. Based strictly on first-class pedigree – Morgan averages under 35, and his previous first-class hundred came in August 2011 – he should not even be under consideration. Yet the notion of Morgan replicating his limited-overs brilliance in Tests evidently retains an allure for the selectors.It has been 830 days since Morgan last played Test cricket. His 16 Tests, thus far, did not end happily: he mustered only 82 runs in six innings against Pakistan in the UAE before beginning ignominiously dumped. “It’s professional sport – you’re out of form or you’re not performing you get dropped.” With a middling career average of 30, Morgan did not have enough credit to fall back onto with the selectors: “I don’t think it was harsh, looking back on it.””If I played the series again I might have played a little bit differently. I could have been a lot smarter about how I played,” he said. “Since I’ve played my last Test I’m a better cricketer for the fact that I’ve played more games and I’ve made more mistakes.” He evidently believes that class transfers between formats, suggesting that Ian Bell could replicate Mahela Jayawardene’s success in the shortest format if he returns to England’s T20 side.But it is an Australian that Morgan cites to show that cricketers can thrive in Test matches despite games that seem more suited to the short formats. “David Warner is your typical example – he started in T20, got into the one-day side and then broke into the Test team. And the shots he was playing in the Test matches were unbelievable.”If Morgan is able to imitate Warner’s success dovetailing the demands of the three formats of the game, it will leave Ireland lamenting once more that they could have retained his talents. In theory, the ICC’s new Test Challenge should help prevent a future Morgan from making the same decision. The reality, with a lack of scheduling space for any new Test nation, may be rather different. “Given the aspirations that I had as a kid, I’d probably still make the move.”Eoin Morgan was speaking at the launch of Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week. On 2-6 June thousands of Chance to Shine schools all over the country will enjoy a week of cricket-themed activities in the classroom and playground. Visit www.chancetoshine.org to find out more.

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.