The Delhi Daredevils coach also explains why the team stuck with Maxwell in the XI despite repeated failures
ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20184:17
Daredevils fail to translate on-paper potential
Twelve innings, 169 runs, an average of 14. Glenn Maxwell had a terrible IPL 2018. His team, Delhi Daredevils, did not fare much better: with five wins in 14 games, they finished bottom of the points table.Still, given their own form, Daredevils persisted with Maxwell for 12 of the 13 games he was available for, ahead of Colin Munro and Jason Roy, who played only five matches each. “We wanted to put the team on the park that we felt was going to give us the best chance of winning the game,” Daredevils coach Ponting said of why Maxwell had been preferred. “If you look through the overseas batsmen we have, we all felt that Glenn Maxwell was going to be the best chance of being a match-winner for us, so we stuck with him.”Before the first game I had Glenn Maxwell pencilled in as our No. 4 batsman,” Ponting said after Daredevils beat Mumbai Indians on Sunday, ending their season on a rare high. “He missed the first game for personal reasons obviously, [for] Aaron Finch’s wedding, which meant Rishabh [Pant] batted at No. 4 in game one and played well.”When Glenn came back into the side he batted at No. 5, which is probably a position that he hasn’t played that much.”Pant had batted at No. 5 in Daredevils’ first game, teeing off for 28 off 13 with four fours and a six, and when Maxwell joined the squad, he began by opening the innings, scoring 17 off 12. The pair moved around the order in the following game, before Pant settled in at No. 4 and Maxwell dropped to No. 5 for a while. In that first innings at No. 5, Maxwell seemed to hit form with 47 off 22, but he got into double digits only three times more in the season.”Having spoken to [Maxwell] a few times through the tournament, he just said he felt frustrated that he’d hadn’t been able to make an impact on the result of the game for his team,” Ponting said. “He’s an outstanding cricketer there’s no doubt about that.”Ponting pointed out that Maxwell was in top T20 form coming into the IPL. In the preceding T20 tri-series in February, which involved Australia, New Zealand and England, Maxwell finished as the second highest run-scorer (five innings, 233 runs, top score 103*, strike rate, 166.42), and was named Player of the Series after Australia won the final.”I wish I knew [why he couldn’t find form in the IPL]. I have spent a long time with Maxwell over the years,” Ponting said. “Only a few weeks before this tournament came around, I spent the triangular series with him with the Australian team. Did a lot of work with him there, he was actually Man of the Series in that tournament coming over here. He was coming here in good form and having played a little bit of T20 cricket.”
Barring a glitch or two, both teams are extremely well balanced, and the quality of resources at their disposal should mean that Eden Gardens is in for a top-notch contest
The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan13-Apr-20183:08
Dasgupta: Gill better than most Indian batsmen in KKR squad
Big PictureForty-eight hours. After barely surviving a rollercoaster against the defending champions Mumbai Indians, that is the time Sunrisers Hyderabad have to recuperate and be back in full swing. It’s another reminder of how punishing the IPL can be, and the challenges teams face in staying fresh through two whole months in the peak of the Indian summer. Moreover, Sunrisers will have to switch cities, as they step out of home into the bastion that is Eden Gardens.With 41 victories, Kolkata Knight Riders are the third-most successful home team in IPL history. That trend extended with a dominant win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening game. Knight Riders are among the most well-balanced teams. Their batting order is full of firepower, and they bat very deep. It came to the fore against Chennai Super Kings, when Andre Russell shellacked an unbeaten 88 off 36 balls to power them to 202, after they were 89 for 5 at the halfway stage.Knight Riders’ only concern at the moment is with the domestic fast bowler’s slot. Vinay Kumar, who is their senior-most player in that department, has fallen flat, having gone at 2.82 runs per ball in the two games so far. After their failure to defend 202 against Chennai, the bowling coach Heath Streak called for better execution from the players. And while Streak placed emphasis on a change in approach over wholesale changes to the XI, Knight Riders may consider testing the Under-19 duo of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti in place of Vinay.Like Knight Riders, Sunrisers have a wonderfully-balanced side. Shikhar Dhawan has done his best to make up for the absence of David Warner with a pair of belligerent knocks. Sunrisers’ middle order has never looked stronger, after the acquisitions of Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan. And Shakib Al Hasan has added teeth to an already potent bowling attack. However, Sunrisers lack a quick striker to complement Dhawan at the top. T20 cricket has often shown us that having one partner buckle down while the other tees off isn’t necessarily a winning strategy. And assuming that Kane Williamson will be largely responsible for holding his end up to build the innings, Sunrisers cannot afford to have two slow scorers in their top three.In the newsMitchell Johnson was rested from Knight Riders’ match against Chennai Super Kings due to a “slight niggle”, but Streak confirmed that the left-arm pacer had recovered, and was hopeful of his return. Streak also said that Lynn’s shoulder problem shouldn’t be a concern. On the eve of the match, captain Dinesh Karthik confirmed the same but also said that team decisions would be made on the morning of the game.Bhuvneshwar sat out the Mumbai game due to a sore back. While he is their spearhead, Sunrisers wouldn’t be sweating too much in case Bhuvneshwar doesn’t recover, seeing as Sandeep Sharma, his replacement, fared well with returns of 2 for 25 in four overs.The likely XIsKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), 6 Rinku Singh/Shubman Gill, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh NagarkotiSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Siddarth Kaul, 10 Sandeep Sharma/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Billy StanlakeESPNcricinfo LtdStats that matter Of the 48 balls that Siddarth Kaul has bowled this season, batsmen haven’t been in control of their shots against 25 of them. The numbers are identical for Kaul’s teammate Rashid Khan. Kaul has taken a particular liking to the short delivery. He has bowled 11 of them so far – the second-most this season – and to great effect, giving away just nine runs, including a solitary boundary, and picking up a wicket. Sunrisers have never beaten Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. Of the five matches these two sides have played here, the home team has won all of them. Among players with at least 600 career IPL runs, Andre Russell’s Smart Strike Rate of 220.40 is, by far, the best. No other player even touches the 200-mark. Glenn Maxwell is a distant second, with 1245 runs at a Smart Strike Rate of 194.79. Contrary to the norm this season, four of the last five meetings between these two sides have been won by the team batting first. Robin Uthappa has an excellent record against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the IPL. Off the 53 balls he has faced from the bowler, Uthappa has scored 65 runs, and is yet to be dismissed.Strategy puntUse your fast bowlers against Narine. Royal Challengers did the mistake of bowling Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar at Narine upfront, and he sunk them with a 17-ball half-century. Chennai, too, turned to Harbhajan Singh for the second over with Narine at the crease. While the move paid off for them, the contrast is telling. Since the 2015 IPL, Narine has averaged 29.7 and struck at 240.5 while being dismissed thrice in nine innings against spin. Against pace, he averages 18.6, while the strike-rate drops to 156.9, and he has got out to them 11 times in 19 innings.Fantasy picksBatsmen at the top are most likely to score the big runs, which makes Chris Lynn an automatic lock. Even if he does end up being dismissed for a low score, Lynn is unlikely to scratch around, which will make the loss of points minimal. Likewise, Narine would make a safe pick, given his batting position and utility with the ball. Since the previous season, Narine has averaged 19.06 with the bat and struck at 186.92; with the ball, he has conceded just 6.85 runs an over: as fantasy as it gets.Quotes”Yes, we’ve got to be careful. He’s not the first bowler, and he won’t be the last bowler who won’t defend 17-20. We’ve seen (Dwayne) Bravo – what he can do. We’ve seen Andre (Russell) hit quite a few overs for those sort of numbers, like 20-plus. It’s tough when you’re defending the last one, but we did the same thing: hit their bowlers for 20-plus.”
Since taking the reins at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, Ange Postecoglou has endured his ups and downs.
In terms of the latter, the Australian has had to deal with an unbelievable number of injuries, which derailed his incredible start to last season and sees his team down in 12th in the Premier League this year.
However, one of the undeniable successes of his time in North London is how he took what was a diabolically boring team to watch under Antonio Conte and turned them into arguably the most entertaining in the league.
Moreover, the former Celtic boss is trying to reshape the squad with younger, less experienced but more promising players for the long term, whereas that didn’t feel like a goal under Conte, especially as one of the players he sold in 2022 is now back in the Premier League and worth an astonishing 2300% more than the fee he left for.
Spurs' 2022 sales
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at a couple of other sales made that summer, starting with an attacker who could never quite get to grips with English football: Steven Bergwijn.
The Dutch winger was undeniably talented and had some stellar moments during his time with the North Londoners – like that late comeback against Leicester City.
However, as he never established himself as a key member of the first team, it made sense to move him on when Ajax came in with an offer of around £26m in July 2022.
The 27-year-old winger would go on to score 29 goals and provide 12 assists in 83 appearances for the Amsterdam side before agreeing to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad for around £17.7m in September.
Since then, he has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 21 games while picking up a salary of £147k-per-week.
Appearances
149
83
80
21
Goals
31
8
29
8
Assists
41
8
12
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.48
0.19
0.51
0.66
Another exit from the summer of 2022 was centre-back and American international Cameron Carter-Vickers, who rejoined Celtic on a permanent deal for around £6m after spending the previous season on loan with the Scottish giants.
The Tottenham academy gem only made five first-team appearances for the club but has since become a key member of the Hoops’ first team, racking up 146 appearances, in which he’s scored seven goals, provided two assists, won three league titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups as well.
Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers
However, there was another exit that summer, a player who has since returned to the top flight and is now millions more than he was when he left Spurs.
The Ex-Spurs player worth millions more today
Now, it’s famously difficult to judge how good a young player is and how good they could one day be, so every club has several youngsters they probably let go too soon, and in this instance, that youngster was Jack Clarke.
Former Tottenham player Jack Clarke.
The Englishman joined Spurs from Leeds United in 2019 for about £8.5m, but after a number of lacklustre loan spells back with the Whites, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and a slightly better six months with Sunderland, the club opted to sell him to the latter in July 2022 for a fee reportedly as low as £750k, but with a 25% sell-on clause.
Over the next two seasons, the often “unplayable” ace, as dubbed by pundit Alan Clarke, racked up a brilliant haul of 26 goals and 18 assists in just 92 appearances for the Black Cats, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.09 games, which was also enough to convince Ipswich Town to splash £15m on him in the summer.
Now, while the talent is undeniably there, it would be fair to say that the York-born dynamo has struggled at points this season.
The step-up to the top flight has seen his output come down by a significant margin, but even then, he’s been able to score three goals and provide four assists in 23 appearances, totalling just 883 minutes.
Appearances
23
Minutes
883′
Goals
3
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.30
Minutes per Goal Involvement
126.14′
That means he’s still been able to average a goal involvement every 3.28 games for the Tractor Boys or, more impressively, every 126.14 minutes.
This, combined with his previous campaigns and the fact he’s still just 24, has seen his valuation remain relatively high, with Football Transfers pricing him at €21.7m, which is about £18m or a massive 2300% increase on the price Spurs sold him for under Conte.
Ultimately, the club probably made the right call for Clarke’s career, but we reckon they might regret letting him go for such a low fee.
He's a "future £100m" ace: Ange struck gold with "outstanding" Spurs phenom
Leicester City have been scouting an “impressive” young striker over the past few weeks, but there may be competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, according to a report.
Foxes hoping to avoid the drop
With a third of the Premier League season left to play, Leicester find themselves in a very precarious position, currently sitting two points from safety, having been on a torrid run of form since the end of 2024.
The Foxes have lost nine of their last ten league matches, most recently succumbing to a 2-0 defeat at home to title-hopefuls Arsenal, and they are now at serious risk of an immediate return to the Championship.
It can be difficult for clubs to plan for the summer when the division they will be in next season is still up in the air, but Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have been linked with a couple of forwards over the past week.
Leicester in race to sign "exciting" £8m star they were in for last summer
The Foxes are interested in signing a new forward.
ByDominic Lund Feb 13, 2025
Hertha BSC attacking midfielder Ibrahim Maza is one of the names on the shortlist, and a report from Denmark has now revealed Leicester have also been scouting FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju.
FC Midtjylland'sDjuFranculinoin action with Real Sociedad's Javi Lopez Henning Bagger
The relegation-threatened Premier League side are said to have sent officials to watch Dju in action a number of times in recent weeks, most recently conducting a scouting mission when Midtjylland took on Lyngby last weekend.
Leicester City’s upcoming Premier League fixtures
Date
Brentford (h)
February 21st
West Ham United (a)
February 27th
Chelsea (a)
March 9th
Manchester United (h)
March 16th
Manchester City (a)
April 2nd
Should the east Midlands outfit formalise their interest this summer, there may be competition for his signature from Crystal Palace, who are also keen, while Bayer Leverkusen and Torino have previously been named as potential suitors.
Dju impressing in Denmark
The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in the Danish Superliga last season, providing 11 goals and six assists, and he has since gone on to follow it up with another impressive campaign.
The Guinea-Bissau international has made 26 appearances in all competitions, amassing 10 goals, with one of those coming in the Europa League against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Although the forward is not currently plying his trade in one of Europe’s major leagues, it is still impressive he has emerged as a key player for Midtjylland at such a young age, having previously received praise from the media for his performances at youth level.
As such, Leicester should undoubtedly pursue a move for the starlet this summer, but their chances of winning the race for his signature are likely to hinge upon them retaining their Premier League status.
Michelle Tredenick, a CA director since November 2015, also serves on the board of The Ethics Centre, the Sydney-based body selected by CA to conduct a far-reaching review into the organisation
Daniel Brettig02-May-2018Conflict of interest has forced a Cricket Australia (CA) Board director to be excused from an independent review into the culture of the organisation stemming from the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.Michelle Tredenick, a CA director since November 2015, also serves on the board of The Ethics Centre, the Sydney-based body selected by CA to conduct a far-reaching review into the organisation. Among its past work was a frank and critical review of the Australian Olympic Committee in 2017, resulting in numerous changes to the organisation.The Ethics Centre review is to be led by its executive director Simon Longstaff, who has worked alongside Tredenick on the centre’s board. A CA spokesperson confirmed that Tredenick had excused herself from any prior Board discussions relating to the choice of the independent body to conduct the review and the amount of money to be paid for it, and will not be involved in any related discussions until the review is complete. Findings are expected to be made public before the start of the Australian season.According to its terms of reference, the organisational review will “investigate whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues within CA, and more broadly within Australian cricket, should be addressed to ensure these events never occur again, either on tour or whilst playing in Australia. This review will investigate links between player behaviour (particularly on this tour of South Africa) and the organisational, governance and culture within CA and Australian cricket.”[The review will] consider whether any cultural, organisational and/or governance factors within the Australian Men’s Team, CA or Australian cricket may have contributed to these issues, either directly or indirectly; and recommend measures that CA and Australian cricket should consider to ensure that any issues are addressed and that these or similar events never occur again.”Tellingly, the terms also state that CA employees and others will be freed from corporate confidentiality clauses in order to speak fully and frankly in interviews.This review is running concurrently with another inquiry specifically into the culture of Australian teams, to be led by the former Test opening batsman Rick McCosker. That panel will also include the men’s Test captain Tim Paine, fast bowler Pat Cummins, last summer’s stand-in women’s international captain Rachael Haynes, Shane Watson (nominated by the Australian Cricketers Association), George Bailey and the incoming Australian coach – widely expected to be Justin Langer. Peter Collins, director of the Melbourne-based Centre for Ethical Leadership, will play a key role facilitating the teams’ review.Combined, the two reviews will be seeking to close the gap between the “target” and “actual” cultures of CA and its teams. The Ethics Centre review will seek interviews with “a range of personnel within and external to Australian cricket (CA and State and Territory Associations)”. After handing in findings it will then work with CA on plans for change.”We understand and share the disappointment of fans and the broader Australian community about these events,” CA chairman David Peever said. “The Board is determined to do all we can to prevent such events from ever happening again. We have full confidence that Simon and his team, along with Rick and the player panel, will be able to fully review and identify recommendations for improvement.”The ACA president, Greg Dyer, said that it was critical the reviews were undertaken with a high degree of transparency and independence.”Culture starts at the top and we welcome investigation in to all aspects of cricket’s culture, organisational structure and governance,” he said. “The ACA outlined proposed Terms of Reference earlier in April and it is pleasing that much of the detail has been adopted. There is a desire to see significant and lasting change aimed at improving cricket’s culture and governance, and the accountability of those who are responsible for running it.”Dyer also pointed out that the outcomes should be aligned to findings and recommendations from the concurrent examination of international player conduct flagged recently by the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson. “We are concerned that our players may be subject to conditions which could be different from those that apply to players from other countries against which they play,” Dyer said.”Changes to player behaviour, expectations or sanctions must be aligned with those which would be handed down to players on both sides of international cricket matches. These are fundamental matters which go the integrity and fairness of our game.”
Tottenham Hotspur have produced plenty of top talents from their infamous academy, with their most outstanding graduate having recently flown the nest, seeking silverware that the Lilywhites just could not offer.
Harry Kane played 430 games for the north London outfit, having worked his way up from an unknown youngster to score 278 times and shatter numerous records.
He departed as both England and the club’s all-time top scorer, with it largely expected that he would have surpassed Alan Shearer’s Premier League tally too had he stayed.
But few could fault his decision to leave, and the £100m gained marked a remarkable fee for someone of his age. The 30-year-old will forever be a Spurs legend, having written himself into their history books, and it will take some beating to come even close to the legacy he has left.
1
Harry Kane
430
2
Ledley King
322
3
Sol Campbell
296
4
Stephen Carr
263
5
Harry Winks
203
However, that’s not to discount the wealth of talent they currently boast, with Ange Postecoglou likely enthralled about both the present and the future of his new club, given their fine start to life under his leadership.
He will hope to borrow from the successes of the last few regimes whilst eliminating the blunders, with Mauricio Pochettino’s youth production certainly a trait worth maintaining.
However, there was another outstanding factor of the Argentine’s reign that the 58-year-old coach would certainly not mind emulating, the partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
How good were Alderweireld and Vertonghen?
The centre-back pairing that Pochettino assembled helped forge the outstanding foundation for the success he would earn, although he failed to claim that elusive trophy.
Having inherited Vertonghen, who moved to north London in 2012, the former Southampton manager already had one-half of that famed duo before he even started building.
However, just one year into his reign, the combination was completed. Alderweireld unified an all-Belgian backline that would stay together until 2020, helping lead the Lilywhites to a Champions League final and even throw their name into a few Premier League title races.
Standing at 6 foot 2 and 6 foot 1 respectively, they balanced each other out with technical prowess, a touch of pace at times, and impeccable positioning to thwart opposition attacks. However, should forwards back off these two, it would often prove catastrophic, as their quality allowed them to thread passes from deep.
Such a trait is imperative in the modern game, and with both boasting it, they were unsurprisingly dominant for years.
Former Spurs academy graduate Alton Thelwell would emphasise this point, noting: “Both of them have been exceptional. They complement each other very well and literally they’re all-round quality defenders. They read the game well, they get on the ball and they play the Tottenham way.
"Vertonghen likes to pass the ball with elegance – he’s like the Rolls-Royce of defending. He gets on it with his left foot, he’s got excellent ability and the same goes for Toby as well. I’d say he’s probably a bit more tenacious than Vertonghen but overall they’ve got all the attributes that you want.”
The pinnacle of their partnership arguably came around 2016, with Alderweireld's throughout the 2015/16 season. The 34-year-old maintained an impeccable 7.28 average rating, buoyed by his six goal contributions, 1.7 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and mammoth 7.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
To compare this with Vertonghen’s 2016/17 campaign, it is clear to see the similarities that made them so great.
He too would post a 7.31 average rating of his own, with his 85% pass accuracy feeding into his 1.3 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and seven clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Vertonghen would remain complimentary of his teammate and compatriot even in the final few years of their partnership, with the 150-cap titan claiming: “Whenever we play we understand each other. When I left for Tottenham, Toby left for Atletico [Madrid] and Southampton but we found each other quite quick after that, so no stress.
“We've been playing together for a long time and we know how to play together, but I don't want to speak about this because it might sound disrespectful to whoever is playing next to me or next to Toby in other situations.”
Clearly one of the finest centre-back partnerships the club and potentially the division has ever seen, should Postecoglou manage to create a couple of heirs from the academy, the potential is there for him to surpass Pochettino’s tenure with ease.
Within the academy, two defenders stand out as potential candidates to step up and become stars to uphold their backline for the next decade.
One such name, in Alfie Dorrington, has been at the club since he was 13. The other, in Ashley Phillips, was snagged from Blackburn Rovers just this summer for a mere £3m.
Who are Ashley Phillips & Alfie Dorrington?
With physicality hardly a problem for the teenage monsters, their presence within such an illustrious setting will do their development no harm as they seek to reach the technical level to one day emerge into the Premier League.
Saying that, the former Rovers ace already recorded 15 senior appearances for the Lancashire outfit, and across his eight Championship appearances last term the 18-year-old maintained an 83% pass accuracy alongside his 2.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
Former Blackburn Rovers centre-back Ashley Phillips.
Despite his inexperience, he still garnered plenty of praise from former boss Tony Mowbray: “He's 6ft 4', he's fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he's composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute."
Not to mention that he also branded him “aggressive”, as if to highlight his mental toughness too.
Meanwhile, Dorrington has been a mainstay for the U21s for years now despite his youth, and in the Football League Trophy has offered enough to suggest Vertonghen and Alderweireld's legacy may be replicated sooner than we think in north London..
His 6.85 average rating during the 2022/23 run of the competition was largely upheld by the one tackle and 7.5 clearances per game he managed, via Sofascore.
2019/20
6th
47
8
2018/19
4th
39
13
2017/18
3rd
36
16
2016/17
2nd
26
17
2015/16
3rd
35
13
Respected journalist Alasdair Gold even outlined the 18-year-old as one of the U21s most likely to push towards the senior squad, as he told football.london: “I think Alfie Dorrington stands a better chance now of making some headway with Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga heading off.
“The young centre-back is a real talent and he's been training with the first team at times and will continue to do so this season and that can only help his development.”
Fans love to see academy graduates rise up to stake a first-team starting claim, so should both Dorrington and Phillips emerge at the same time, they will hope to copy the exceptional Belgian partnership that underpinned the last truly successful regime.
Cricket West Indies is offering its contracted and non-contracted players major pay hikes as an incentive to play the series of three T20 internationals in Pakistan next month
Colin Benjamin19-Mar-2018Cricket West Indies (CWI) is offering its contracted and non-contracted players major pay hikes as an incentive to play the series of three T20 internationals in Pakistan next month.West Indies will announce a 13-man touring squad to tour Pakistan when the ongoing World Cup Qualifier concludes. CWI did not confirm or deny the amount but it is being suggested that the touring squad are being offered around US$25,000 each for the three matches in Karachi on April 1, 2 and 3.Depending on the contract status of players, that means they will be getting anywhere between 70% more and double what they would ordinarily be paid. Under the new CWI contracts announced in January, many of non-contracted T20 specialists got a raise of US$1725 to US$5000 per game, along with double match fees for all three formats.Though CWI will be paying the players, the money for that to happen has come from a payment made by the PCB to CWI for this series – as it is outside the Future Tours Programme (FTP) as it stands. According to a PCB official, that payment to a touring side by the host board is standard for non-FTP series and one the PCB benefited from in a 2013 ODI tour to South Africa.”Pakistan are looking to play more cricket at home, by playing half of the PSL in Pakistan next year and a number of matches in upcoming bilateral series under the current FTP,” CWI CEO Johnny Grave told ESPNcricinfo. “However what they can’t continue to do is pay international players additional fees to tour Pakistan or PSL.”So, considering this tour is outside the Future Tours Programme, the PCB have made a payment to CWI that is being fully utilised. CWI isn’t making any money from the series, just supporting cricket going back to Pakistan.”The issue of paying players extra to tour Pakistan, which hasn’t hosted regular international cricket since the March 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team, is a delicate one for the PCB. They paid Zimbabwe’s players US$12,500 each for a tour in 2015, the first by any international team to Pakistan since 2009.Foreign players were also offered extra money on top of their contracts to play in the PSL final in Lahore last year. The players that toured Lahore as part of a World XI last September were also paid by the PCB.It is an extra cost the board could easily do without but, because the aim is to bring back cricket to Pakistan, it is seen as a long-term investment. The PCB gradually wants to end the practice – no extra money was paid to Sri Lanka when they played a single T20 in Lahore last year, although it was a heavily depleted squad that came.Grave did confirm that the boards have a separate agreement to play T20 matches in USA and Canada. According to an ESPNcricinfo source, CWI has reserved dates at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida for the weekend of August 4-5 to play a pair of T20Is. This is the last weekend ahead of the start of the Caribbean Premier League, for which all West Indian players were announced to be available from August 8-September 16 since it does not clash with any FTP requirements.”As a trade off for this, we have their agreement to play regular T20 games in USA or Canada outside of the FTP to try and build interest in cricket in our timezone,” Grave said. “We [CWI] have been very up front with players and told them all money we are getting for this series they will be getting.”It is unclear which members of the current squad in Zimbabwe will tour Pakistan, however. According to sources close to players none of five of the Bravo brothers, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell – whom chief selector Courtney Browne attacked for choosing PSL over the World Cup Qualifier – were selected. There will also likely be no place for Darren Sammy.Russell and Dwayne Bravo are currently injured, while Narine also elected not to visit Pakistan, even before doubts resurfaced over his action after he was reported in the PSL.According to his representatives, Pollard does not feel comfortable traveling to Pakistan at the moment. He had already decided not to travel with his PSL side, Multan Sultans, if they had made it through from the group stage.Whether Darren Bravo was contacted about playing is unknown, but some likely squad members include veteran legspinner Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit and potentially a recall for Denesh Ramdin.Badree is set to visit Pakistan with Islamabad United and has the experience of going there with the ICC World XI last year. Emrit, who was recalled for the January T20 series in New Zealand for the first time in a decade, also visited Pakistan for the PSL final in 2017.
South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel will retire from international cricket at the end of the Australia Test series
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-20181:55
‘I leave with a very happy heart’
South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the Australia Test series. South Africa will host Australia for four Tests starting March 1 in Durban.”It was an extremely tough decision but I feel the time is right to start a new chapter,” Morkel said. “I have a young family and a foreign wife, and the current demanding international schedule has put a lot of strain us. I have to put them first and this decision will only benefit us going forward.”I have loved every minute that I have played in the Proteas jersey, and I am incredibly grateful to my team mates, Cricket South Africa, and my family and friends for the support over the years. I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in me and I am excited for what lies ahead. For now, all of my energy and focus is on helping the Proteas win the upcoming series against Australia.”When South Africa were in England last year, Morkel was pursued by at least three counties as a Kolpak signing for the 2018 season. The 33-year-old was linked to a Kolpak deal most recently during the India Test series. Indian media reported that Morkel’s father said his son needed to “secure his future” and was considering the Kolpak option but Morkel strongly denied that he was nearing retirement. “There’s still plenty of goals I want to achieve. There’s no truth to that,” he said on January 15, during the Test at SuperSport Park.He will now end his international career when the fourth Test ends on April 3 in Johannesburg. Provided he plays all four matches, Morkel will finish with 87 Tests and will add to his current tally of 294 Test wickets – fifth overall for South Africa.Since making his Test debut in 2006, Morkel has been a vital part of South Africa’s most potent pace attack along with Dale Steyn, especially after Makhaya Ntini’s last Test in 2009. More recently, he led their pace attack in late 2015 in India when South Africa were without Steyn and Vernon Philander.BCCIMorkel suffered a career-threatening back injury in 2016, which kept him out of action for most of the year. He missed series against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka and only returned to the team in March 2017, in New Zealand but appeared a much improved bowler. While Morkel always had the skill of extracting bounce, on his comeback he had also developed the ability to pitch the ball up more. His consistency and menace only grew and he was South Africa’s leading wicket-taker on their tour to England in 2017.Limited-overs formats took a backseat as Morkel’s career went on. He faded into and out of the South Africa limited-overs side after finishing as their top wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup. He was not named in the 2016 World T20 squad, did not play in the 2017 IPL as he sought to find form ahead of a demanding international season, and was unsold in this year’s auction. His involvement in the 2019 World Cup was also unclear.At the start of the summer, Morkel said he needed to discuss with new coach Ottis Gibson about whether he would feature in the white-ball set-up before deciding on his future. In the weeks that followed, Gibson said he had spoken to Morkel and explained that, like every other player, he would be considered if he performed well. Morkel played in five of the six ODIs against India and appeared to be among South Africa’s candidates for the 2019 World Cup until his retirement announcement on Monday.He will end his ODI career with 188 wickets from 117 matches at an average of 25.32 with two five-fors. In T20 internationals – which he last played in Lahore for the World XI side – he collected 47 wickets from 44 matches at an economy rate of 7.50.He ranked in the ICC’s top 10 bowlers in all formats at some stage of his career and was No. 1 in ODIs for a period in 2011.Should Morkel decide to go Kolpak – Yorkshire and Surrey are believed to be interested in signing him – he would become the latest in a line of South Africans to quit international cricket and take up a county contract. A year ago, Kyle Abbott’s departure for Hampshire sent shockwaves through the game in South Africa, with internationals such as Rilee Rossouw, Simon Harmer and Stiaan van Zyl also among those moving to the UK.
Everything that could have gone wrong for Manchester United has done so far this season in the Premier League, with injuries to the likes of Luke Shaw, an off-pitch dispute between Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag, and disappointing results on the pitch.
In four games, the Red Devils have lost twice, with both defeats coming in North London against Tottenham Hotspur and then Arsenal. Meanwhile, the two wins that they have picked up were far from convincing, as they edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day before being forced to come from two goals down to defeat Nottingham Forest.
United's current predicament has forced Ten Hag to turn his attention towards the January transfer window, and one particular star is interested in making what would be a record departure from his current club.
What's the latest Manchester United transfer news?
United ticked plenty of boxes over the summer. They welcomed a modern day goalkeeper in the form of Andre Onana, whilst also adding midfield depth with the arrivals of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat. And to complete their transfer window, they signed forward Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta. Yet, with four games gone, it has been calamitous for the Red Devils.
With that said, it's clear that more reinforcements are needed, and that could come in the form of Brentford's Rico Henry. According to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Brentford could accept a £35m-plus offer for their left-back in what could be a club-record sale.
The defender is also said to be interested in a big move, and a transfer to United would be exactly that. The Red Devils were also reportedly interested in Henry during the summer transfer window, but were not able to afford a permanent deal. When January comes around, it will certainly be interesting to see if United test Brentford's resolve, and if Henry pushes for a move away from the Bees.
How has Rico Henry performed this season?
Brentford'sRicoHenryin action with Manchester City's Kyle Walker
Brentford have got off to a strong start in the Premier League once again this season, remaining unbeaten in four games, drawing against Spurs, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth, as well as defeating Fulham. And Henry has played a large part in that run, starting in every game.
The left-back has earned plenty of deserved praise during his time with the Bees, including from Thomas Frank, who told the BBC: "On the defensive side, one-on-one actions, I actually haven’t seen a player or winger in the last two years in the Premier League that got the better of him.
"Maybe they got a cross in, but in general in these one-v-one duels he is so strong. He is so quick and he is in a fantastic place. If he can just get a tiny bit more output with assists and goals, that would be the next step for him. But he is another good example of a good character working very hard that will run through a brick wall for the team."
Given Henry's talent, United's interest comes as little surprise, making January an interesting month to keep an eye on when it comes to potential arrivals at Old Trafford.
Pakistan Under-19 needed less than 40 overs to beat Ireland Under-19
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2018 3:43
Can U-19 World Cup success be a springboard to international call-ups?
Pakistan Under-19 scored their first win of the World Cup, a nine-wicket thumping of Ireland Under-19 in 37.4 overs in Whangarei.Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has best innings figures of 8 for 39 in first-class cricket, razed them for 97 by taking 6 for 15 in 8.5 overs. Left-arm spinner and captain Hasan Khan claimed three wickets too, as Ireland were dismissed in 28.5 overs. Joshua Little’s 24 at No. 8 was Ireland’s only score above 20.Pakistan’s top order made short work of the target. Opener Muhammad Zaid Alam smashed 43 off 19 balls, while Hasan made 27 off 21 deliveries at No. 3. The chase was done in 8.5 overs, for the loss of only their wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir, who made 18 off 14 balls.