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Celtic have reportedly been handed a potential boost to their chances of securing a transfer deal for Manchester City defender Ko Itakura.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from BILD (via Daily Express) the Manchester club are looking to bump up their £5m price tag for the defender this summer, which could put an end to Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach’s pursuits of Itakura.

This could therefore give the Hoops the green light to launch a move to sign the Japanese international.

Having started his career in Japan, the 25-year-old signed for City during the 2019 January transfer window.

After two loan spells with FC Groningen, the centre-back spent last season on loan with Schalke, helping them get back to the Bundesliga.

In his 31 league appearances in 2021/22, the defender racked up the second-highest number of interceptions (38) and the third-highest number of successful tackles (31) in Schalke’s squad.

He also ended the campaign with the third-highest average of clearances per game (3.0) at the club, once again highlighting his defensive talents, in addition to being described as being “incredibly fast” by Hans Kraay Jr.

This shows that he certainly played a big part in getting the club back to Germany’s top division.

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Taking into account how the Bhoys have been linked with the City outcast since the last summer, it would surely have Ange Postecoglou buzzing if the club are finally able to get the player through the door at Parkhead this summer.

Bearing in mind how the Hoops boss has brought in several Japanese players since his arrival at the club such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, this could make it easier for Itakura to settle into life at Celtic if he were to make a move there in the coming weeks.

Also, with the Hoops having made deals with the Manchester club in the past over players such as Patrick Roberts, Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata, this connection between the two sides could give the Hoops an advantage when it comes to potentially working out a move for Itakura.

Moving forward, if the two German clubs are out of the race to sign the centre-back this summer, then Celtic should have no doubts over launching a move to strike a deal for him.

AND in other news: Ange could land Roberts 2.0 as Celtic plot bid for £12k-p/w wizard who wowed Guardiola

A transfer tease has emerged over the future of Newcastle United target Christian Eriksen as the summer window gets underway… 

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Magpies target will be deciding on his next club in the imminent future.

He Tweeted: “Brentford have submitted a serious, important personal terms offer to Christian Eriksen – but the player is considering his options with many clubs interested. Eriksen will make his decision on the future club in the coming days.”

Jacque Talbot recently reported that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was set for talks with the Denmark international over a move to St. James’ Park, with the club ready to challenge the Bees for his signature.

Supporters will be nervous

Toon supporters will now be nervously awaiting the player’s decision as they will surely be keen to see him playing in black and white next season.

He is a proven Premier League performer who would come in and provide Howe’s team with a massive lift in terms of creativity.

The 30-year-old made an astounding return to England in January, months on from suffering a cardiac arrest in the European Championships, and was sublime for Brentford.

In 11 top-flight outings, Eriksen scored one goal and provided four assists as he created an eye-catching 2.8 chances per match. This shows that he was creating openings for his teammates at a phenomenal rate, given that Allan Saint-Maximin only managed half of that return (1.4 per game) for the Magpies.

At his best, the Dane was regarded as one of the best in the world with ex-Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter saying: “He is an unbelievable player — a world-class player — he deserves all the credit he gets in the Premier League and international-wise.

“We’re going to have to stop him from trying to do what he does, but it is important not to just concentrate on him. To concentrate on ourselves is probably the most important thing and then try to take care of them.”

The 30-year-old has played in eight separate Premier League seasons and has not averaged a SofaScore rating lower than 6.84 in the six campaigns they have data available for.

In 236 outings in the English top-flight, Eriksen has plundered 52 goals and 71 assists for Tottenham and Brentford combined. He knows exactly what it takes to make a big impact in the division and that is why he would be an excellent signing for the Toon.

Therefore, Newcastle supporters will now be nervous as they wait to hear who the midfielder has decided to join ahead of next season.

AND in other news, NUFC can find their own Paqueta in deal for “glorious” £64m gem with “no weaknesses”…

The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell has detailed the latest financial situation at Ibrox, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst prepares for his second season in charge of the Teddy Bears.

The Gers have obviously endured their fair share of financial issues in the past but Campbell suggests that they are in a good place right now and should find themselves ‘in the black’ in the near future, so long as they can earn a spot in the Champions League group stages next season.

Van Bronckhost’s side narrowly missed out on an automatic group stage place when they lost on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final last month but will be hoping to replicate their strong European performances when they enter the qualifying stages at the third round next month.

Things were looking bleak for the Ibrox outfit in the wake of the pandemic as they posted £23.5m in losses but after a full season of capacity crowds, Europa League runs and player sales, they are back in a strong position.

Campbell confirmed that, if Rangers do fail at the qualifying stage, then a player may need to be sold in order to balance the books.

He writes:

“It is thought that with the money generated from the sale of Nathan Patterson to Everton (although it isn’t all up front), the compensation for Gerrard and his team joining Aston Villa and the Europa League revenue, it will see Rangers in the black for the first time in over a decade.

“That is where they need to be, but they also need to put a winning team on the park — and that means there will be movement this summer.”

Supporters will no doubt be glad to hear that their club is in a strong financial position and will be hoping that Champions League qualification allows them to be active in the summer transfer window.

[freshpress-quiz id=“712674″]

If the worst happens, then Rangers have a number of saleable assets including Ryan Kent, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo, so there seems to be little danger of the Ibrox outfit slipping back into the red.

And, in other news… Rangers dealt transfer blow, Gerrard will be gutted

Liverpool have taken their Premier League title challenge with Manchester City down to the last day of the season after taking all three points from St Mary’s last night.

Jurgen Klopp made the decision to rest key players like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold for their penultimate league game after a tough 120 minute FA Cup Final on Sunday against Chelsea where the club picked up their second trophy of the season.

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Luckily for the German coach his decision to rest players paid off. Although the game was tight between the two teams, Liverpool pulled through and prevailed in their efforts winning 2-1.

Despite the tight scoreline, the Kopites dominated in every area of the game with 71% possession, 20 more shots, over twice as many accurate passes and winning more duels than Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Tuesday evening.

The goal-scoring started with Southampton taking an early lead when Nathan Redmond found the back of the net in the 13th minute of the game, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Liverpool’s FA Cup and Carabao Cup top scorer Taki Minamino who delivered a defiant response by equalising in the 27th minute.

In the second half, the hosts struggled to contain their visitors and Joel Matip managed to put one past Alex McCarthy in the 67th minute to kill the game and ruin Manchester City’s Premier League title party and take their title chances all the way to the final day of the season.

One player who didn’t get on the scoresheet but remained resilient and put on a solid performance to become Klopp’s unsung hero in the game was James Milner.

According to SofaScore, the 36-year-old midfielder was supreme in possession, making 123 touches, 86 passes, six key passes and successfully delivering 100% of his long balls.

The former £150k-per-week England international was also superb from a defensive point of view, winning 80% of his duels whilst making four tackles, one interception and producing a clearance, proving that he was a huge presence in the centre of the pitch.

With those kinds of statistics in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that writer Taj Ali took to Twitter to describe the veteran as a “beast.”

The Liverpool vice-captain is currently negotiating a new deal with the club after Jurgen Klopp reportedly wants to keep the former Man City star at the club for next season, and spoke out on Klopp and his current contract situation recently in an interview with Alan Shearer for The Athletic:

“He’s one of the very best managers in the world and if he wants me here for another year, it would be silly not to play, wouldn’t it?”

The Merseyside giants will have to hope Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa can steal the game from Man City on Sunday if they have any chance of winning the league but Klopp’s side have done their job in making sure they can stay involved with the challenge which is all the manager can ask from his side ahead of their Champions League final clash with Real Madrid at the end of the month.

AND in other news: Liverpool eyeing bid for “complete” £36m-rated colossus, he’s even better than Fabinho…

Trinbago Knight Riders reap rewards for continuity, and Andre Russell stands up for more “home” games for Jamaica Tallawahs

Peter Della Penna18-Sep-2018Continuity pays off for TKROne of the most amazing things about Trinbago Knight Riders’ third CPL title in the space of four seasons is how they’ve done it, by virtue of a settled core to maintain team chemistry. The draft and auction regulations for many of the world’s T20 franchise leagues can lead to excessive chopping and changing from season to season, making some teams unrecognizable from one season to the next, but that hasn’t been the case for the Knight Riders.Twelve squad members who took the field during their 2017 title run were back again in 2018. When newcomers were forced to be chosen, due to the unavailability of Shadab Khan and Ronsford Beaton, management chose their replacements shrewdly as Fawad Ahmed and Ali Khan were the team’s top two wicket-takers in 2018, helping TKR to repeat as champions. Unsurprisingly, the team with the second-fewest changes – Guyana Amazon Warriors with nine players retained – was TKR’s opponent in the final, showing the value of keeping faith in a strong nucleus.Associate stars shining brightThe CPL has been a trailblazing league when it comes to offering opportunities to Associate players. Since the 2016 season, there has been a mandate to draft at least one North American player from an Associate country as part of the squad. That commitment to helping develop players beyond the Test world continues bearing fruit.USA’s Timroy Allen was the main beneficiary in 2016, serving as a key role player in six matches for the champion Jamaica Tallawahs. Steven Taylor had been part of Barbados Tridents squad as an ICC Americas pick for Barbados Tridents before parlaying exposure from the Regional Super50 into a handsome USD 30,000 contract in 2017 with Guyana Amazon Warriors, while Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi also fetched high-priced draft slots for Guyana and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots respectively before Afghanistan got Test status later in the year.In 2018, Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane and USA’s Khan continued the trend in spectacular style. Lamichhane was one of the standout bowlers over the first two weeks of the tournament, taking seven wickets in five matches with a sparkling 6.23 economy rate. Forget Associate status, few from any country were better than Khan for TKR this season as he finished joint-third with 16 wickets, vaulting him to the top tier of bowlers in demand for 2019.Russell stands up for JamaicaTallawahs captain, and very proud Jamaican, Andre Russell earned himself plenty of brownie points in his homeland when he stated in no uncertain terms what he thought of team ownership’s decision to shift home games from Sabina Park to the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) in Florida. Following the first of what would be three straight “home” losses in Florida, Russell went on full blast to slam the decision to play those games away from Jamaica, essentially conceding home-field advantage.Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell chats with coaches Mark O’Donnell and Ramnaresh Sarwan during training•Peter Della PennaTallawahs won two matches in front of sellout weeknight crowds of 15,000 at Sabina Park. When Russell and his charges moved to Florida later that weekend to finish off their home slate, they were greeted by hostile crowds, heavily in favour of Amazon Warriors and TKR. Their final match was played in an eerily quiet setting with just 700 fans in attendance to see Tallawahs lose in stunning fashion to Barbados Tridents, despite seven wickets in hand.It was hard to tell which was a worse atmosphere was for Tallawahs in Florida, the roar of the opposition fans in the first two games or pin-drop silence through the third. Regardless, Russell and team owners – Worldwide Sports Management Group – may have a tricky decision to make this offseason in light of WSMG’s agreement with the CBRP guaranteeing at least three major cricket events at the stadium per year. If Russell has his way, the CPL may go back to using Lauderhill as a neutral site venue, shared equally by teams as it was in 2016 and 2017, rather than a “home” away from home for Tallawahs.Sandpapergate curse continuesThe summer of franchise barnstorming for Steven Smith and David Warner has not gone as planned for either player. Smith was a headline selection in the inaugural season of the Global T20 Canada, but his Toronto Nationals side finished in last place. His presence in the Barbados Tridents side produced equally dismal results as the 2014 champions continued their streak of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year, notching just two wins to finish with the wooden spoon in CPL 2018, and Smith himself missed the end of the tournament due to injury.Warner had a horrid time with the bat playing for Winnipeg Hawks in Canada, but at least he could say that his team made the playoffs. However, in the CPL, another wretched start for St Lucia Stars doomed them to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, and Warner only managed one half-century in his nine innings. Perhaps his most significant contribution was highlighting how poor the umpiring was at times during the league phase as his glove-before-wicket dismissal provided an early catalyst for DRS to be brought in for the semi-final and final.DRS for 2019At least a dozen doozies were missed by the umpiring crews during this season. CPL administrators finally conceded that the issue had become an epidemic when the decision was made to use DRS technology for the semi-final and final. Even that was a curious call as it meant the first half of playoff matches in Guyana were without it, which cost TKR in their qualifier loss to Amazon Warriors when a pair of lbw decisions against Brendon McCullum and Denesh Ramdin inside the Powerplay stood a very high probability of being overturned.The IPL and PSL have already instituted DRS across the entire season. Bringing DRS in for the last two matches of the CPL 2018 playoffs was a positive step forward. Instituting it for the entire season in CPL 2019 will be even better.

This is the first time India are officially visiting the USA, and the excitement among their local fans is tangible – even if match tickets are stiffly priced

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill26-Aug-20162:13

Fans in the USA want to be a part of history in Florida

For the last decade, and probably longer, administrators in the United States of America have sung a familiar refrain to validate the country’s latent market potential, one that almost always traces back to every host nation’s most desirable suitor: “If India showed up and played team X here, it would be a sell-out.”This weekend is an opportunity to test that hypothesis. In a historic maiden official visit to American shores, India take on World T20 champions West Indies in two Twenty20 Internationals at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.The BCCI’s online marketing machine has been on overdrive in the build-up to the weekend. #TeamIndiaInUSA has been used to generate online buzz from several high-profile athletes. Among them are New York Mets All-Star pitcher Noah Syndergaard, Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver of Denver Broncos, the Pro-Bowl Super Bowl champion, and a host of UFC fighting superstars. The illusion is as though cricket is making a major crossover into the American mainstream.However, this isn’t necessarily the first Indian touring side to go to America.Sunil Gavaskar played exhibition matches regularly in the 1970s and ’80s with an India XI, mostly at makeshift venues. As recently as 1999, an India A side played five 50-over matches against Australia A in Los Angeles. The sides were captained by VVS Laxman and Adam Gilchrist, with the India line-up also featuring Harbhajan Singh. Television footage that survives show an uninspiring brand of cricket played out on under-prepared pitches in front of mostly empty stands.What makes this visit unique and historic is that it’s the first full-strength BCCI sponsored side sent to America, for a series that wasn’t on the cricket calendar until a month ago. The haste with which these matches have been arranged has been matched by a seemingly insatiable demand due to the scarcity of the product.Capacity for the venue was capped at 15,000, and the delay in launching ticket sales managed to make Indian fans’ appetites more ravenous. Unprecedented traffic on the official ticket-seller’s website forced a crash, only for them to restore service a day later, but that hasn’t dimmed the excitement.The tickets, however, come at some price. VIP seats have been priced at USD 250, just 25 more than the commensurate rate for the Caribbean Premier League, but basic uncovered bleacher mound tickets have been set at USD 100. Chair-back seats in the covered grandstand have been priced at USD 150, five times what that section was priced at for the CPL last month. It’s a hefty but justifiable price many fans will pay to take in the day, going by the demand.”I didn’t even think about it,” said Vishal Ghadia, an Indian expat from Ahmedabad who has been living in Fort Lauderdale for the last 16 years. “This is the first time India is coming here, first time ever. I’m going to tell my grandkids I was here when India first played in USA.”Ghadia and four of his Ahmedabad-origin friends have grandstand tickets for both days. Despite living locally, all of them booked rooms at the same hotel where the India and West Indies teams are staying, just to get a glimpse of and a selfie with the players. They readily acknowledge their passion comes at a price, and insist they would have paid up to USD 500 per day for the weekend. Whether they are the exception or the rule remains to be seen, but the mini-circus scenes that have played out with eager fans in the teams’ hotel lobby and the broader build-up to the event seem to suggest the latter.

England will be no pushovers at home – KP saga or not – but this New Zealand side is possibly the best to have represented the country

Andrew Alderson18-May-20152:17

McCullum’s spontaneity down to research

After hibernating almost five months, New Zealand’s Test game is about to reboot.The team is undefeated in six Test series, extending to the England tour two years ago when the hosts’ pace attack shredded New Zealand’s second innings at Lord’s for 68, and ten wickets from Graeme Swann, the first by a spinner in a match for 41 years at Headingley, ensured further humiliation.Lessons were learned that enabled the New Zealanders to begin transitioning into the world’s third-ranked side.Combine that Test success with the confidence gained from getting to their maiden World Cup final. That makes this New Zealand side a contender for the best team to have represented the country. Consistency, talent and ruthlessness have met at an optimum juncture.New Zealand will be under no illusion that England, regardless of the rancour surrounding Kevin Pietersen, will be a threat at home. Those who batted at Lord’s last time will be wary as Stuart Broad and James Anderson gallop in, reminded of the fourth day in 2013.That’s where coach Mike Hesson might help. Hesson has not been occupied – or distracted, depending on your perspective – by an IPL contract. During his reign he has instituted means of trawling for cricketing intelligence that would impress J Edgar Hoover. His laptop creaks open, due to being stuffed full of batting, bowling and fielding minutiae.However, there must be concerns that captain Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, arguably New Zealand’s most pivotal Test players, are underdone. Their only red-ball practice will have been whatever they could fit around IPL training.McCullum gave such preparation-based theories scant credibility in 2008. He swaggered in from the IPL and made a run-a-ball 97, but he is a rare species in the Test habitat. In contrast, Williamson, a man of meticulous method, faces an unfamiliar scenario to ensure Test readiness. He has only played two innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad, making 26 not out and 5. The last was on April 13.

The way Matt Henry handled being left out of the World Cup squad initially, his subsequent Plunket Shield form, and the benefit of being under McCullum’s eye at Chennai Super Kings point towards a possible debut

From a more encouraging perspective, Hesson and McCullum look almost certain to recall Martin Guptill. What appeared a conundrum choosing between Guptill and incumbent Hamish Rutherford at the start of the tour looks to have become clearer, when Guptill set up New Zealand’s 15-run victory over Worcestershire in the four-day warm-up match.The opener scored 150 off 210 balls, prompting Hesson to all but ink his name on the Lord’s team sheet. Guptill made 35 off 53 balls in the first innings after his return from a side strain. His donning the pads first indicated he already had the edge over Rutherford to partner Tom Latham.”His tempo over the whole innings was what you want to see from an opening batsman,” Hesson said. “He’s done exactly what you want from a player who hasn’t played the last Test. He’s fought hard to get back in the squad, put in a decisive warm-up performance today and is in strong consideration.”Guptill’s last Test was two years ago, at Headingley. He was deemed to have defensive frailties at Test level. This season he has been in form at Derbyshire, scoring 451 runs at an average of 112.75, including a first-class best of 227 against Gloucestershire.His resume also includes being the top run scorer at the World Cup. He made 547 at 68.37, with a strike rate of 104.58. His coup de grace, 237 not out in the quarter-final against West Indies in Wellington, was the highest score in 11 editions of the tournament.Rutherford also delivered runs after 37 and 11 against Somerset. He made 75 off 140 balls at New Road to anchor New Zealand’s first innings. Batting at No. 3, he entered in the third over and hit just five boundaries, a rarity for a player who loves punctuating the rope, particularly from cover point to mid-off.Hesson and McCullum must decide if doubt has been erased over whether Rutherford succumbs to temptation too often when presented with a wealth of juicy deliveries outside off stump. He drives as well as anyone, but if he’s picked, England will be sure to stack the slip cordon and pitch it up, given he took the bait in 2013.Martin Guptill is in the form of his life, and is most likely to slot in at the top•Getty ImagesElsewhere, Matt Henry shapes as a prospect to claim the third pace-bowling spot from incumbent Doug Bracewell and reliable Neil Wagner. As a right-armer, there will be a consideration that Henry balances the attack if left-armer Corey Anderson replaces injured right-arm Jimmy Neesham as the allrounder. Henry was the major victim when the 15-man World Cup squad was picked, missing out to Southee, Boult, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan and Kyle Mills. The way he handled the initial disappointment, his subsequent Plunket Shield form, and the possible benefit of being under McCullum’s eye at Chennai Super Kings point towards a possible debut.As Milne’s replacement, Henry bowled respectable spells in the World Cup semi-final and final, including taking the wickets of Australians David Warner and Michael Clarke at the MCG.However, Bracewell’s 55 wickets at an average of 35.10 in 19 Tests and Wagner’s 58 wickets at 34.48 in 16 are respectable numbers. Both delivered strong spells against Somerset and Worcestershire, as did Henry, who took the final three wickets for 58 runs off 11.2 overs in the second innings to help win the latter match.Henry might be an option to take advantage of grass on any pitch. The English Duke balls have a prouder seam than the Kookaburra brand used in New Zealand, and Henry’s skill set might suit, especially if he bowls his familiar full length to maximise swing. He took six wickets at 20.83 in the List A games on last year’s New Zealand A tour of England, and seven wickets at 15.85 in the first-class match against Surrey at The Oval, including a return of 5 for 18 in the first innings.Before his World Cup call-up, he bowled regularly at first-class level, taking 20 wickets at 28.55 in six matches for Canterbury.The onus now is on Hesson and McCullum to assess the competing parties at the first all-in team training tomorrow at the Nursery, as New Zealand pursue their second victory at Lord’s in 17 attempts. The sole success came in 1999.

Stats highlights from the second day’s play of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba

Shiva Jayaraman22-Nov-2013

• England managed to score a total of just nine runs for their fourth to eighth-wicket stands, which is their second-lowest ever for these wickets in Tests. The only occasion when they fared worse came in 1954 in the second innings against West Indies in Kingston when their fourth to eighth wicket partnerships aggregated five runs. The performance was also England’s worst-ever first-innings collapse in Tests and the second-lowest middle-order collapse in the Ashes.
• England’s score of 136 was the sixth-lowest first-innings score at the Gabba in Tests and the third-lowest ever in the first innings (out of 40) of an Ashes Test played at this venue. There have been only seven scores of less than 150 runs in the first innings at the Gabba.
• Brad Haddin’s catch off Mitchell Johnson to dismiss Jonathan Trott was his 200th dismissal in Tests, in 95 innings. Haddin is the second-fastest wicketkeeper to 200 dismissals in Tests after Adam Gilchrist, who took 92 innings. Click here for a list of wicketkeepers fastest to 200 dismissals in Tests.
• Haddin’s dismissal for 94 on the second day was only the third instance of a batsman being run-out in the nineties in the Ashes and the first since Mike Atherton was run-out on 99 at Lord’s in 1993.
• Stuart Broad’s five-wicket haul was his 11th in Tests and his fifth in the Ashes. Mitchell Johnson’s wicket on the first day was Broad’s 50th dismissal of this year. He is the first bowler to take 50 wickets in Tests this year. Broad’s tally is also the 17th instance of an England bowler taking 50 or more wickets in Tests in a year.
• The last time Johnson bowled at the Gabba, against England in 2010, he went for 170 runs from 42 overs without a wicket. He made amends this time though, taking 4 for 61 from 17 overs. Johnson has now taken 21 wickets at the Gabba – the second most successful venue for him – at an average of 24.09 and a strike rate of 42.7.
• England’s fans should, by now, be familiar with the sight of the team posting below-par scores in the first innings of the first Test of an away series. Their first innings score of 136 was the fifth consecutive time, since 2012, that the side was dismissed for 200 in the first innings of an away series.
  

  England’s scores in the first innings of an away series, since Jan 2012

  Score	Opposition	Venue	Series
  192	Pakistan	Dubai	England tour of UAE, 2011-12
  193	Sri Lanka	Galle	England tour of Sri Lanka, 2011-12
  191	India	Ahmedabad	England tour of India, 2012-13
  167	New Zealand	Dunedin	Englad tour of New Zealand, 2012-13
  136	Australia	Brisbane	England tour of Australia, 2013-14

• Since January 2012, England have been all-out for less than 200 runs eight times in 24 away-innings. Among the top-eight Test-teams, only India and New Zealand have done worse. In contrast, at home, England haven’t been dismissed for under 200 in 25 innings played during this period.
  

  Teams out for <200 in away Tests since 2012

  Team	all-out for <200	Inns	%age
  India	3	6	50%
  New Zealand	8	23	35%
  England	8	24	33%
  West Indies	4	13	31%
  Sri Lanka	2	8	25%
  Pakistan	6	26	23%
  Australia	3	24	13%
  South Africa	0	11	–

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the first day of the second Test in Colombo

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo03-Apr-2012Milestone (or not) of the day
When Sri Lanka moved to 38, with a square cut by Mahela Jayawardene, it brought up the two millionth run in Test cricket. Not everyone, though, will agree. All Test statistics, and this was a problem when the 2000th Test was celebrated at Lord’s last year, included the Australia verses World XI match at Sydney in 2005. Many feel that it should not be included in records because it wasn’t between two Full Member teams. They have a point, too.Juggle of the day
When Kumar Sangakkara edged his first ball from James Anderson towards first slip it looked a fairly regulation catch for Andrew Strauss. But it burst out of his hands and was a fraction of a millisecond away from hitting the turf to add to the pressure on Strauss’ shoulders. This wasn’t the day for the England captain to drop catches so Strauss clutched the ball at the second attempt and was mobbed by his team-mates. It was a second golden duck in three innings for Sangakkara.Review of the day
With the partnership between Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera building England were desperate for a breakthrough. Steven Finn made one climb towards Samaraweera’s ribs, no mean feat on this pitch, and it ballooned out to Alastair Cook at short leg. England appeared confident and when umpire Asad Rauf said not out they asked for the DRS. It was a lengthy process by TV umpire Rod Tucker who could hear a noise but without Hot Spot it was impossible say if glove was involved. Andy Flower wasn’t impressed and made a visit to the third umpire’s room.Blow of the day
Once the hardness had disappeared from the new ball this became a tough pitch for the fast bowlers. So it was a notable effort by Steven Finn to strike Samaraweera on the helmet with a short delivery. In truth, it was not very well played by Samaraweera who turned his head away from the ball which looped rather than leapt from the surface. He appeared a little dazed after the blow but following a few moments to compose himself was soon back behind the line.Near-miss of the day

Anderson was in the midst of a superb post-tea spell of reverse swing when he found the edge of Jayawardene’s bat with him on 79. The edge flew low to the left of Strauss who, by now, was stood at a lone wide first slip rather than the conventional position. Strauss flung his left hand out but didn’t get anything on the ball as it raced to the boundary.Double-edged sword of the day

You could understand England’s celebrations at finally removing Jayawardene late in the day but closer inspection of the dismissal suggested it was not all good news for the visitors. The delivery from round the wicket by Graeme Swann spun sharply from off stump and would have hit leg. Swann is a big spinner of the ball but this was also the pitch helping. And it was only the first day.

It was plain from the start of the ODI series that, for some reason, West Indies’ spirit of the Tests had evaporated in the interim. It reflected a general problem of attitude – the one common factor in their desperate decline of the past 15 years or so

Tony Cozier21-Feb-2010Much like his batting, Chris Gayle’s reputation has gone through several phases these past few months. He arrived in Australia in November for the series of three Tests castigated by the Australian media as a villain, a reinstated captain who had openly dissed Test cricket in favour of Twenty20 and a pivotal figure in the disruptive players’ strike that preceded the tour.By the end, he was being widely hailed as a champion, Man of the Series for leading a spirited West Indies revival with two high quality hundreds in the last two Tests and his general leadership.”Gayle has brought some muscle and pride back to West Indies cricket,” Peter Lalor, a previous doubter, wrote in the .Now, just over a month on, at the end of an ill-starred return series of ODIs, Gayle finds himself the butt of the kind of derision usually reserved for clairvoyants who prophesise the end of the world every other Friday.Never shy of expressing an opinion, he proclaimed that his team, even though hamstrung by injuries to several key players, would somehow defeat the most powerful exponents of the 50-overs game–and by 4-to-1, no less.It might just have been another of Gayle’s casual lines to wind up the media. Perhaps he felt it would have given comfort to the new players in his patched-up outfit.Surely he could not have believed his forecast for, through strained backs, damaged fingers, pulled hamstrings and wonky knees, he was without his two most experienced batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, his vice-captain and key allrounder Dwayne Bravo, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, fast bowler Jerome Taylor and the talented young opener Adrian Barath.Possibly, Gayle expected that the same unity and commitment that was obvious in the last two Tests in December would carry them through, in spite of such handicaps.Had the ODIs immediately followed, as they used to, that might have given them the necessary state of mind to be competitive, if hardly earn a 4-1 triumph.Instead, there was a gap of three weeks between the two during which the players went their separate ways.In spite of contracts with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Gayle and Bravo skipped the WICB’s own first-class tournament to remain in Australia for the Twenty20 Bash (during which both were injured).A few sought medical attention for the ailments that would prevent their return. Others went home for a couple of meaningless, sub-standard four-day matches.It was plain from the start of the ODI series that, for some inexplicable reason, the spirit of the Tests had evaporated in the interim.Even from the other side of the planet, the same ‘don’t care’ approach that prevailed during the shameful campaign in England last May was clear through the television coverage.Faces were sullen and shoulders quickly drooped. Straightforward catches were spilled, slack strokes cost wickets.Even David Williams, the always upbeat coach, was moved to say after Friday’s latest humiliation: “It is a blessing for us the ODIs are over. We played terrible in all three departments and to drop five catches in 50 overs tells a lot about our performance.”Reliable, long-standing colleagues in Australia reported that it reflected a general problem of attitude. It is nothing new. It is the one common factor in the West Indies’ desperate decline of the past 15 years or so.The reports of Gayle, Williams and manager Joel Garner, never one known to hold back, should make instructive reading for the WICB. If they correspond to the unofficial accounts out of Australia, it must act on them as it has failed to do in the past.For all Gayle’s braggadocio, no one expected the West Indies, No.8 in the ODI rankings, to win even one match against the No.1 opponents who had just thrashed Pakistan in nine successive matches (three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20).What was not expected was the pathetic capitulation. The margins were overwhelming – 113 runs, eight wickets with 141 balls remaining, 50 runs and 125 runs. In each of the last two matches, Australia amassed 324 (for seven and for five). The West Indies could not bat through 40 overs in three matches and only once raise more than 200.It was mystifying why Kieron Pollard languished down the list at No.6 and 7 until the last ODI•Getty ImagesAustralians once flocked in their hundreds of thousands to watch what was their favourite team. Now the smallest crowds on record turned up for the match.Gayle’s failure at the top (7, 0, 34 and 14), each time to his bogey-man, the strapping left-armer Doug Bollinger, was clearly a significant factor.Without Sarwan and Chanderpaul, it exposed Travis Dowlin, Runako Morton, Lendl Simmons and Narsingh Deonarine for the modest players they are at this level. None seemed interested in buckling down, as Dowlin and Deonarine had done when given the chance in the TestsIn the circumstances, it was mystifying why Kieron Pollard languished down the list at No.6 and 7 until the last match.While he has made his global reputation as Twenty20 hitter, the big Trinidadian has shown at regional level that he is more than just that. He compiled 174 against Barbados last year and averages 37 in first-class cricket, better than most of those previously preferred to him in the longer game.With his controlled batting, stiff medium-pace bowling and sharp fielding he has at least provided one bright spot from this series.Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards are already out of action with hip and spinal injuries. The sore ankle that eliminated Kemar Roach from the last three matches came as another major worry at a time when fast bowling stocks are in short supply.He is an outstanding prospect who has just started his career. A long layoff, such as both Taylor and Edwards had soon after they began, would be a setback for him personally and for the West Indies.There was apparently such a lack of confidence in Gavin Tonge, the third fast bowler in Australia, that he remained on the bench in all five matches, leaving Ravi Rampaul (another with a history of injuries) to carry the attack.That Dwayne Smith shared the new ball with his unthreatening medium-pace prompted disturbing memories of Clive Lloyd doing the same in the early 70s before the arrival of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding et al.A couple of Twenty20 matches remain in Australia until, as Williams might say, it’s a blessing it’s all over. Zimbabwe at home follow immediately. They are even further down the rankings than the West Indies but, if the attitude isn’t right for their Twenty20 and five ODIs, more embarrassment could be on the way.