All posts by h716a5.icu

National selector says decision was a ‘consensus’ rather than unanimous

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2019England’s decision to leave David Willey out of the final World Cup squad was a “consensus” decision rather than a unanimous one, national selector Ed Smith has revealed.Announcing the make-up of the squad to contest the tournament starting on May 30, in which left-arm seamer Willey missed out in favour of newcomer Jofra Archer, Smith also said the decision to bring Liam Dawson in for Joe Denly was driven by concerns over a niggle suffered by spinner Adil Rashid.Willey was outspoken earlier this year in his opposition to a bowler who had helped England become the No.1 one-day side in the world possibly missing out to Archer, who only recently qualified to represent the country. Smith, who told Willey of his omission when he contacted players on Monday, said he had been “honest” and “dignified” in receiving the news.”That was a very difficult decision, I think the situation we were in as a selection panel, and in consultation with the captain, was we had more players we wanted to fit into the squad than we were allowed to, so it was a very tough call,” Smith told Sky Sports.”David Willey has been a big part of the one-day side, he has had such a good run, it was a really tough call but someone had to miss out. David was very unfortunate in missing out but he could easily have been in this World Cup squad, he deserves to be in the World Cup squad, but that’s sport. Sometimes there are more deserving people than there are places in the squad.”He’s an outstanding man. He’s very honest, very, very dignified, very clear to the conversation we had, a very impressive man. He’s a very impressive cricketer, it is extremely unfortunate.”Smith was reluctant to give detail on the selection panel’s discussions but indicated captain Eoin Morgan had an important role in the final decisions. Asked if leaving Willey out was a unanimous call, Smith said: “I wouldn’t get into that, I’d say it was a consensus decision. I would say that everyone in the room was comfortable with the squad that the selection panel has come up with.”It was very important for me as a selector, that the captain feels comfortable with the squad he takes into the World Cup, obviously. Eoin has been captain for over four years, the England one-day side has done extremely well, this is the culmination of a long campaign, a lot of planning, the culture of that team has been very strong under Eoin Morgan. He’s very comfortable with the squad, as we all are.”Smith said that ultimately, Willey fell victim to the fact that England’s pace bowling stocks are strong, and deep. And he did not expect Archer’s inclusion to cause any unrest within the squad.Meanwhile, it was Rashid’s recent worries with a slight injury that sparked the selectors’ decision to plump for a back-up spinner in Dawson rather than a back-up batsman in Denly. Dawson has taken 18 wickets for Hampshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup at 20.33 and scored 274 runs at 45.66, including a 90-ball century against Surrey last month. Denly only bowled a handful of overs as England experimented with him as a third spin option during the warm-up ODI series against Ireland and Pakistan and took one wicket – a stumping off a leg-side wide – while with the bat he managed 25 runs from two innings, plus an unbeaten 20 in a T20 against Pakistan.”The first thing to say is with that position of the spinner or reserve batter, it’s a very subtle balance issue,” Smith said. “Do you tend towards someone who’s mainly a batter who also is a very handy bowler in Joe Denly, or do you tend towards someone who’s tilted more towards the bowling side of it but also as a handy batter?”It could have gone either way. In actual fact, Liam Dawson was always in contention he was in the team in Sri Lanka and then a side injury forced him out of that, Joe Denly came in and has stayed in, limited opportunities even though he’s had.”Adil Rashid has a little niggle, hopefully he’ll be fine, and it won’t affect him having a full part in the competition. But that’s slightly tilts things towards spin bowling cover as a priority rather than one of your batting reserves.”Dawson played the last of his three ODIs against Sri Lanka last October.

Whilst Fulham are yet to complete their first move of the January transfer window, they still have a number of hours to welcome some crucial reinforcements for Marco Silva. With that said, reports suggest that the Cottagers are going all or nothing in the final stages.

Fulham transfer news

Still looking to cement their place in the Premier League's mid-table, Fulham could still add that extra bit of quality that they currently lack at times, sitting 12th and just seven points clear of the relegation zone.

It could be argued that they still haven't replaced Aleksandar Mitrovic, who left for Al-Hilal in the summer transfer window. Summer arrival Raul Jimenez has only shown glimpses of what he's capable of and there's still questions over his out-and-out goalscoring ability, having found the back of the net just five times in the Premier League so far this season.

Solving that problem could yet be Armando Broja, who will now reportedly be allowed to leave Chelsea on loan in what is a late u-turn from those at Stamford Bridge. If Fulham do sign a striker, however, they will need a creator to match. And that could yet come in the form of a Ligue 1 star. According to Ed Aarons, Fulham have opened talks to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon, who value their midfielder at £35m.

With Lyon reportedly set to sign West Ham United's Said Benrahma, they could certainly do with raising funds and there may be no better way to do so than by selling Cherki to Fulham before the deadline arrives. According to Jack Rosser of The Sun though, the Cottagers have seen their proposal of a loan with an option to buy knocked back by Lyon, leaving a deal unlikely unless they can stump up a more immediate fee.

"Unbelievable" Cherki would be instant upgrade on Pereira

Since Mitrovic's departure, Fulham have lacked star power, and that's something that Cherki can provide in abundance. Still only 20-years-old, the attacking midfielder has been unfortunate enough to be part of a struggling Lyon side in Ligue 1 this season but could rediscover his best form with a move to Craven Cottage under Silva. Cherki's stats certainly show that he'd be an upgrade on Andreas Pereira.

Progressive Carries

59

36

Progressive Passes

85

67

Take-ons Completed

43

13

Goals

0

1

Assists

3

4

Based on the numbers, Cherki's output is only likely to increase in a better-performing side, which may well turn out to be Fulham. It's no surprise that former France international Frank Leboeuf previously had nothing but good things to say about the midfielder when speaking to ESPN.

Leboeuf said: "Skill-wise, one of the best players already on earth. He’s unbelievable for a 19-year-old. The guy can do everything. But he’s young and still has to improve. He needs to learn when he has to get rid of the ball, it’s always half a second too early or half a second too late. It’s that rhythm that he needs to learn."

Gulbadin’s miscalculation and costly overs undo spin quartet’s choke as Afghanistan stumble under pressure

The Report by Varun Shetty29-Jun-2019As it happenedImad Wasim reaped the rewards for managing to scrape through a tough period of batting, hanging on till the end to feast on the nervous, generous medium pace of Gulbadin Naib as Pakistan kept their semi-final push well afloat with a three-wicket win at Headingley. Imad’s unbeaten 49 and his crucial partnerships with Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz saw Pakistan through their last 11 overs, a period where they had to contend with Afghanistan’s spinners on a turning pitch and get more than run-a-ball with just four wickets in hand.It seemed like neither team particularly made the extra push for control. Pakistan had Afghanistan 57 for 3 and resorted to defensive bowling. Afghanistan recovered only to hand the game back in two overs. And then, Pakistan replicated them in the chase until they looked down and out, staring at a shattering loss. Then they were handed 28 of the easiest runs over 10 balls from Naib, who went for 73 in 9.4 overs.This undid all the good work by their spin attack, which on the day had turned into a four-pronged one after seamer Hamid Hassan hobbled off early in the innings with an injury. Filling in for him was experienced allrounder Samiullah Shinwari, who last bowled for Afghanistan in March against Ireland.ALSO READ: Fans evicted after clash in the standsThe conditions almost exclusively helped spinners, and Shinwari benefitted, much like Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Nabi, and Rashid Khan had. His figures read a creditable 8-0-32-0. With 46 required off five overs and Imad struggling to pick the spinners, Gulbadin’s decision to bowl himself over Shinwari cost them 18 in the 46th over.Imad had his luck – he was deemed not out on an lbw call when on 1 with Afghanistan without a review, and a splice at extra cover was completely fluffed by a spinning Asghar Afghan off the second ball of the 46th over – and made use of it, picking up two more boundaries, before Wahab smote Rashid for a six and a four despite a hairline fracture on his right hand. By the time Naib returned for the last over, only six were required.Pakistan’s top order hadn’t been particularly responsible about the way they set out to chase this target. Fakhar Zaman, trapped in front by a Mujeeb carrom ball, looked fairly certain he hadn’t got an edge on the ball, but chose to review anyway. As early as the second ball of the innings, that loss of review set the tone: a little pressure, and Afghanistan could put Pakistan to the test.Nabi’s spell, arguably one of the best of the tournament, was built on this motif. As he has done notably for a while, Nabi used those old-school offbreak tools, dip and drift, to keep Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam planted in the crease and pushing with hard hands. That was until Imam could resist no longer and stepped out early to one that didn’t drift and instead floated wide of him. He had no chance to come back in even as Ikram Alikhil took his time to gather and break the stumps.If that was rash, then Babar’s dismissal in Nabi’s next was to top it. Having dragged Pakistan to a win against New Zealand in what he called his best innings, Babar was guilty of being over adventurous on Saturday. He chose to sweep a full, leg-stump ball and was, both, through it too quickly, and out of shape as Nabi bowled him around the legs.Pakistan were forced into conservation, with Mohammed Hafeez and Haris Sohail in the middle with ideal games for such a strategy. Boundaries were only sought – and successfully – off the odd short balls handed to them, and all seemed well. That was until Hafeez added to his collection of ordinary shots against spin this tournament by chopping a short ball straight to backward point. Shortly after that, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had already survived because of a dropped chance, ran himself out looking for a second run that wasn’t there. But one captain’s misdemeanour was eventually balanced out by the other’s.This was much the pattern through Afghanistan’s innings as well. They were handed a rather gentle welcome when Pakistan, with three in-form fast bowlers, opened the bowling with Imad. Naib lapped it up, getting himself in with three boundaries, until Sarfaraz brought Shaheen Afridi into the attack. The impact went both ways. Shaheen’s over went for 14, but he had Naib and Hashmatullah Shahidi caught off consecutive deliveries – off the outside edge and leading edge respectively.Afghanistan have lost at least three wickets every time they have scored at close to five an over in the opening 15 overs in this tournament, and that was the case once again. A free-flowing Asghar took on Shadab and pretty much anyone who felt a sense of discipline bowling to the patient, watchful Alikhil at the other end.It was Shadab who got him in the end, with a piece of ingenius strategy: he brought in a silly point and prompted Asghar, whose forward blocks are bottom-hand dominant, to step out and swing at him again. Only on this occasion the line was off stump, the pace was quicker than when he had hit him over midwicket, and the turn was minimal but just enough to hit off stump.In the next over, Alikhil, who had played 65 balls for 24, went against his brief and holed out to long-on. Afghanistan’s lower order, with some big hitters, was then forced to patch up the innings which was doomed to peter out into a middling 220s score. Nabi, Najibulah Zadran, and Shinwari all made it to points where they could have taken off, but then Afridi and Wahab were around to stop them every time they tried. It was perhaps the only sense of order in an otherwise chaotic display from both teams.

The Three Lions have a world-class pool of players and there should be no excuses if they do not win the Euros – but who will make the cut?

England have often gone into tournaments with inflated expectations and confidence, but this time the hype is justified. The Three Lions should be heading to Germany with one intention only: to bring the trophy home.

Gareth Southgate's side were just a couple of penalties away from ending 55 years of hurt in the last European Championship, but since that agonising final defeat to Italy at Wembley, they have only gotten stronger. They shone at the 2022 World Cup, being eliminated by the finest of margins by France, and have gotten used to going deep in tournaments, something that was unthinkable in the past.

Harry Kane is even more prolific and has been breaking all sorts of scoring records in Germany with Bayern Munich, while Jude Bellingham has conquered the most demanding fans in the world and become Real Madrid's most important player.

Meanwhile, England's Manchester City contingent have gotten used to lifting a trophy every few months, Bukayo Saka has become Arsenal's talisman and fringe players such as Ollie Watkins are having sensational seasons.

Given the embarrassment of riches at his disposal, Southgate has no excuses for his side not going all the way this summer. But who has made England's Euro 2024 squad? GOAL has all the details after Southgate announced his final 26-man roster on June 6…

GettyGOALKEEPERS

Southgate has been pretty consistent with his goalkeeper selections, sticking with the trio of Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone since June 2023. However, Johnstone will miss the tournament after suffering an elbow injury in March, and his place has gone to club-mate Dean Henderson.

Pickford has been the undisputable No.1 since Southgate first took charge in 2016, and that is unlikely to change now. He has continued to perform superbly for Everton, keeping the second-highest number of clean sheets in the Premier League despite the Toffees' struggles.

Name Club

Dean HendersonCrystal PalaceJordan PickfordEvertonAaron RamsdaleArsenalAdvertisementGetty ImagesDEFENDERS

England's defence has also been pretty consistent under Southgate, but injury problems have left the manager with something of a headache heading into the tournament. Harry Maguire has confirmed that the calf injury that curtailed his season with Manchester United will not recover in time for him to take part, while Luke Shaw – who has not played since February – is also yet to prove his fitness.

Maguire's absence opens to door for Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi to likely start alongside John Stones in Germany, while Kieran Trippier could be pressed into left-back duty should Shaw not be ready to start England's tournament opener against Serbia on June 16.

Name Club

Lewis DunkBrightonJoe GomezLiverpoolMarc GuehiCrystal PalaceEzri Konsa Aston VillaLuke ShawManchester UnitedJohn StonesManchester CityKieran TrippierNewcastleKyle WalkerManchester CityGetty ImagesMIDFIELDERS

The midfield is a curious area for England, as they have two of the best operators in the world in Declan Rice and Bellingham, and then plenty of question marks over who should play alongside them.

Conor Gallagher has been most in-form midfielder aside from Rice and Bellingham, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is also an option after Southgate brought him into midfield towards the end of 2023. Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, impressed against Brazil and Belgium in March, and is certainly in the conversation when it comes to potential starters.

Southgate has also selected Adam Wharton, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise after joining Crystal Palace from Blackburn Rovers in January.

Name Club

Trent Alexander-ArnoldLiverpoolJude BellinghamReal MadridConor GallagherChelseaKobbie MainooManchester UnitedDeclan RiceArsenalAdam WhartonCrystal PalaceENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyFORWARDS

Southgate could hardly ask for a better set of forwards to choose from, and there is a case to made that England have the highest number of quality attackers in the world.

As well as Kane, who 44 goals in his debut campaign at Bayern, Watkins is in the form of his life, and he picked up the Premier League Playmaker of the Year award for the most assists in the division this season to go with his 19 goals.

There is also no shortage of outstanding wide forwards, with Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer recently joining the fray to complement the highly-experienced yet still remarkably young Saka and Phil Foden.

Name Club

Jarrod BowenWest HamEberechi EzeCrystal PalacePhil FodenManchester CityAnthony GordonNewcastleHarry KaneBayern MunichCole PalmerEvertonBukayo SakaArsenalIvan ToneyBrentfordOllie WatkinsAston Villa

Manchester United opted not to dip into the market to strengthen their first-team squad during the recent January transfer window as they did not make a single signing.

The Red Devils have kept their power dry ahead of the summer but did decide to part ways with a number of players on loan deals last month.

Hannibal, Facundo Pellistri, Donny van de Beek, and Jadon Sancho were among those who had temporary moves sanctioned, whilst Sergio Reguilon was sent back to Tottenham Hotspur after his spell at Old Trafford during the first half of the season.

Jadon Sancho's falling out with Erik Ten Hag

Sancho's position at United appeared to become untenable after a breakdown in the relationship between him and Erik ten Hag, which led to his loan move to Borussia Dortmund ahead of the second half of the campaign.

The England international was reportedly unhappy that some players, namely Antony, were being selected ahead of him in spite of their – in his eyes – underwhelming performances.

Ten Hag claimed that it was up to Sancho whether or not he would return to the fold after a public disagreement between the two parties, and his loan exit suggests the forward decided not to work his way back into the manager's plans.

The club did not move to sign a replacement for the winger but they may have already fumbled a dream upgrade on him when they sold Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest last summer.

United decided to move the Sweden international on for a reported fee of £15m as the Tricky Trees beat off competition from Everton to secure his signature.

The 21-year-old whiz's impressive performances in the Premier League this season, in contrast with Sancho and Antony's struggles, suggest that ten Hag had a howler with that decision.

Antony's struggles this season

Some of the now-Dortmund star's concerns over the Brazilian's minutes on the pitch in comparison with his output in front of goal had some credibility.

The former Ajax gem has made 19 appearances and been selected as a starter in 11 matches in the Premier League so far this season, yet he has not provided a single goal or assist.

Antony has zero goals from 1.49 xG and this suggests he has been wasteful in front of goal. However, the left-footed flop has produced 1.48 xA, which indicates that his teammates have let him down at times.

If his fellow attackers had performed in line with the quality of chances the 23-year-old dud provided them with, then he would still only have zero goals and one assist in 19 outings.

That is not an impressive return in the final third for the £80.75m signing from Ajax, who managed four goals and two assists in 25 matches last season.

In total, Antony has produced one goal and one assist in 25 games in all competitions so far this term, and Elanga has shown far more quality for Forest.

Anthony Elanga's breakout season at Forest

The 21-year-old dynamo, who was once described as "electric" by Paul Robinson, was only handed five starts out of his 16 Premier League appearances for United last season.

He did not have regular game time to develop and find his rhythm on the pitch and it could be argued that the Red Devils missed a trick when they opted not to loan him out for the 2022/23 campaign to play week-in-week-out ahead of a return last summer.

Instead, they rarely used Elanga and then sold him to Forest, where they are now seeing him benefit and thrive from regular minutes in the top-flight.

The Swedish wizard has racked up five goals, six assists, and nine 'big chances' created in 16 Premier League starts for Forest, which is a return of one goal or assist every 1.45 starts on average.

This means that the former United starlet has 11 more goal contributions than Antony in the league this season, and nine more in all competitions.

Elanga currently ranks within the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers within the division for assists (0.35) per 90, and the top 16% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.29) per 90.

This suggests that he has been a fantastic creator for his teammates on the flank to go along with ruthless finishing in front of goal, as the young sensation has five goals from an xG of 4.0.

Overall, the former United prospect has showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals consistently this season, which suggests that he could have been a dream upgrade on Sancho.

Jadon Sancho's struggles at United

The former Manchester City prospect's struggles came on and off the pitch before his return to Dortmund on loan during the January transfer window.

Sancho started this season with zero goals and zero assists in three top-flight appearances before his falling out with ten Hag, and that came after an underwhelming 2022/23 campaign.

The 23-year-old gem, who chipped in with three goals and three assists in 29 Premier League outings during his first season at Old Trafford, failed to deliver outstanding quality in front of goal on a consistent basis.

Starts

21

16

Goals

Six

Five

Assists

Three

Six

Big chances created

Six

Nine

Duel success rate

38%

44%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Elanga's current performances for Forest are more impressive than what Sancho managed as a fairly regular starter for United last term.

In five fewer starts, the Tricky Trees magician has already produced two more goal contributions, and created three more 'big chances' than the English winger racked up in the whole of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

This suggests that Elanga, on current form, could have been a dream upgrade on Sancho for United if they had persisted with him and offered the young talent more opportunities to play regularly.

It would have been an ideal scenario for the Red Devils as it would have been a solution to their problems from within the club, and they would not have had to dip into the market, as they might have to in the summer to find upgrades on Antony and Sancho.

United supporters may now continue to watch Elanga's superb displays for Forest in the top-flight this season and wonder what could have been.

Sam Kerr has shared an update of her recovery from a ruptured ACL as the Blues striker posts video of her kicking a ball.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Kerr posts story on Instagram about recovery Kerr injured ACL earlier in the year Blues to begin Bompastor era WHAT HAPPENED?

Kerr injured her ACL in January as the Blues were undergoing training in their winter break – an injury that ruled her out for the rest of the season and the Olympics in Paris. While her team-mates have been jetting off for the Olympics or on holiday, the superstar forward has spent the summer in rehabilitation as she fights to be fit in time for the new season.

AdvertisementWHAT KERR SAID

While Kerr's team-mates will have been posting photos and videos of them relaxing in the off season, the Matildas' striker shared that she has not stopped work this summer. She captioned a photo of the gym: "Reality of having a long term injury". Before posting a video of her tentatively kicking a ball for the first time in five months, saying: "Reality of not having a shot in five months."

Instagram (samanthakerr20)DID YOU KNOW?

Kerr extended her contract at Chelsea this month and confirmed she will remain at the Blues as they enter a new era under Sonia Bompastor. Beloved manager Emma Hayes departed the club to lead the USWNT and French coach Bompastor has been tasked with emulating the success achieved by English tactician in west London.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KERR?

Kerr will continue her road to recovery this summer with the aim of being ready for the 2024/25 WSL season beginning in late September. Kerr has won four WSL titles in a row and will be dreaming of adding a fifth, and Champions League trophy to her already extensive trophy cabinet.

Didn’t see necessity of sending Sunil Narine to bat at 8 for 2, says West Indies captain

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill03-Aug-20192:03

Our shot selection needs to be addressed – Brathwaite

Most of the attention after India’s victory in the first T20I against West Indies in Lauderhill was lavished on debutant Navdeep Saini, Man of the Match for his three-wicket haul that helped restrict West Indies to 95 for 9. The hidden brilliance of that effort, however, was that it nullified an opportunity for West Indies to combat the left-arm spin threat of Krunal Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, according to Carlos Brathwaite.Speaking after his side’s four-wicket loss, the West Indies captain credited Saini and the new-ball pair of offspinner Washington Sundar and fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar for wiping out a left-handed-heavy top five in the Powerplay, thus heaping pressure on the right-handed batsmen in the West Indies middle order. With the side reeling at 33 for 5 after the Powerplay, the right-handed duo of Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard were left to grind runs with the ball spinning away from them when Krunal and Jadeja did finally arrive in the ninth over.Evin Lewis lost his stumps to a knuckle ball•Associated Press”We’re very aware that it was a possibility that they would play two left-arm spinners or a left-arm spinner and a legspinner, hence the batting order was set the way it was set,” Brathwaite said. “However, none of the left-handers got out to left-arm spinners, so the match-up eventually didn’t happen. But we were cognizant of that fact and we tried to set the team and the line-up in such a way that we can combat that in the middle overs.”Brathwaite also defended the decision to keep Sunil Narine down the order at No. 8. In the time since Narine last played for West Indies in any format – a T20I against England at Durham in September 2017 – he has transformed himself, gaining legitimate all-round credentials with explosive batting on the T20 franchise circuit. That transformation has been seen most notably with Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders, and more recently with Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 Canada, where he smacked 59 off 30 balls on July 26. Against India, Narine ended up with 2 off 4 balls, out caught on the boundary.Brathwaite, however, said the team’s plan was to bat Pollard at No. 4, and he saw no reason to change that plan, with West Indies 8 for 2 after two overs and Sundar turning the ball away from left-handers at one end.”Would you send in a pinch-hitter at 12 for 2?” Brathwaite responded when asked why Narine was not brought in sooner. “Pollard was always slated to bat at four. As we mentioned, with them having two left-arm spinners, the next top-order batsman is Hetmyer, who is also a left-hand batter and Washington Sundar was on.”So to expose all four left-hand top-order batsmen to the offspinner and then expose all three middle to lower-order right-handers to the left-arm spinners wouldn’t have been smart in our opinion, hence why we stuck with Pollard at four. I honestly don’t see the necessity of sending Narine at 12 or 10 or 8, however much it was for 2.”Washington Sundar had a successful day out•Getty ImagesBrathwaite praised Pollard and Narine as the duo made their return to maroon colours. Playing his first match for West Indies since the tour of India in November 2018, Pollard top-scored with 49, on the same ground where he scored his career-best 63 not out against New Zealand in 2012.”Today, Pollard had enough time to bat himself in and get to a well-played fifty in my opinion,” Brathwaite said. “As we can see, the top order from India, I don’t think they got to fifty between the three, four or five of them. So I think we must give Pollard credit as opposed to thinking what we could have done differently. Sometimes you just got to hold your hand up. We weren’t good enough. I don’t think we were. They bowled better on the pitch than we did and we didn’t get enough runs.”It was brilliant to have them both back and obviously you see what they bring to the team, Pollard with the bat, Sunil with the ball. That experience is invaluable. He’s [Pollard] been doing it in IPL at all numbers from four straight back down to eight, sometimes nine, and it just goes to show he was able to exude batsmanship. He rebuilt it in the Powerplay. Then once the spinners came on, he stroked the ball up and down and got some boundaries in between as well. So it was a fantastic knock by him.”If the team had supported him a bit more, we’d have gotten to a bigger total and probably he’d have been able to put in a better personal performance. But congrats to him, very very well played and then to Sunil, to come with the ball and do what he did. Obviously we must commend the pacers for setting up the Powerplay the way they did and then building the platform for Sunil to do what he did with the ball.”Brathwaite pointed to shot selection and assessment as factors behind West Indies’ defeat, but insisted the side would not give up on attacking, positive cricket.”We are going to play with positive, aggressive intent, as our instinct as West Indians allows us to play. So the message will continue to be to keep the intent,” he said. “However, we need to assess better and be a bit smarter in shot selection. So it’s not about not trying to get boundaries, but knowing that if you get a boundary early in the over on a tough pitch, you can settle for 6-7-8 an over. Get deeper (into the innings) and then our power at the back end – myself, Pollard, (Rovman) Powell coming in at the back end in the last five overs or so, we can probably get up to 150 today.”

Former USMNT captain Alexi Lalas spoke passionately about Christian Pulisic's 'relentless grind' after Copa America win over Bolivia.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Lalas summarises Pulisic's growthScored USMNT's Copa America openerPreviously a target for criticsWHAT HAPPENED?

In response to a fan on X praising Pulisic for 'living up to the hype' that has surrounded him for years, Lalas suggested the player's mental maturity has helped him to do that.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Even at the age of 25, Pulisic has arguably been the biggest name in U.S. Soccer for the past eight years. He was on course to become a global superstar after impressing at Borussia Dortmund, only for his club career to stall at Chelsea. However, Pulisic has managed to turn things around since joining AC Milan. For the USMNT, he is captain, as well as top scorer and most capped among the current squad, so to score the team's opening goal at the Copa America on home soil after just three minutes, en-route to an important win, earned him plenty of praise.

WHAT LALAS SAID

Lalas said: "Pulisic seems to have developed a relentless grind to his game. It's raw, but valuable. Enables him to plow on through resistance. In past he may have pulled back or checked out. Now he forces the issue, in a good way, and it's on his terms. Whatever it is, I wish more had it."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

DID YOU KNOW?

Pulisic scored his first international goal against Bolivia back in 2016, the fourth United States goal in a 4-0 friendly win in Kansas City. It was his third appearance for the senior team and he was just 17 years of age at the time.

Tendulkar used the duel between Archer and Smith at Lord’s last week as an example of ‘exciting’ cricket on a good pitch

PTI25-Aug-2019Test cricket can be more exciting if it is played on good pitches, former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar has said, calling the surfaces the format’s “heart” and key to its revival.Tendulkar cited the surface used for the Ashes Test at Lord’s last week as an example, especially the competitive phase of play between Steven Smith and Jofra Archer.”The heart of Test cricket is the kind of surface that you play on. If you provide good pitches, cricket cannot be boring, cricket cannot be damp, and [there will always] be those exciting moments, exciting bowling spells, great batting, and that is what people want to see,” Tendulkar said.Tendulkar felt the duel between Archer and Smith, which included a nasty bouncer from the fast bowler that struck Smith on the neck, got viewers hooked and made Test cricket thrilling to watch.”Smith got injured unfortunately, that was a big blow to him but Test cricket was exciting when Jofra Archer challenged him, it suddenly became exciting and the focus shifted to Test cricket.”At Lord’s, they lost almost a day and half, but the Test match got exciting even on the last day when England picked [up] those wickets and Australia had to survive. Test cricket suddenly became exciting and that is how it should be.”Following the World Cup, teams have turned their focus to the inaugural World Test Championship, which started with Australia taking on England in the Ashes.”People almost kind of forgot that four-five weeks ago, there was World Cup being played in England, nobody is talking about that, everyone is talking about Test cricket,” Tendulkar said.Marnus Labuschagne leaves the ball extravagantly•Getty ImagesTendulkar, who is the highest run-scorer in Tests with 15921 runs from 200 Tests, emphasised the need to prepare “interesting tracks” to revive interest in the longest format.”I think Test cricket is going to revive if we produce interesting tracks, but if the tracks are flat and dead then Test cricket is going to find its challenges. I know this World Test Championship has been announced but even to have this World Championship, you’ve got to make cricket interesting, just by having another championship, cricket is not going to get interesting.Tendulkar also stressed on the art of leaving and defending the ball while heaping praise on Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. After his defiant 59 at Lord’s coming in as Smith’s concussion substitute, he made a well-crafted 74 and 80 at Headingley, pulling Australia out of trouble on all three occasions.”I have been watching a little bit of Ashes and I thought someone like Marnus Labuschagne has left the ball brilliantly, which is something that you don’t get to see in Test cricket. Normally you tend to glide those balls to third man and pick [up] a single. But the kind of surfaces they are playing on, if you steer the ball you go to the dressing room.”You need to leave those balls or defend solidly. And the guys who have not been able to do that, they have been watching the game from the dressing room.”

Even with Sunderland announcing that Mike Dodds would be manager until the end of the season following Michael Beale's dismissal, that hasn't stopped the Black Cats rumour mill churning out possible Beale successors for the summer.

It will be a major decision for the Black Cats board to get right, with Dodds even in line for the permanent job if he excels in his temporary duties between now and the end of this campaign.

With the likes of Steve Cooper linked to the vacancy, another name that has tasted promotion success up to the Premier League is also being touted to be in the running for the Sunderland job.

Yet, unlike Cooper, this appointment might not be the best fit despite this name's impressive unbeaten record against the Black Cats when occupying the other dug-out.

Sunderland's manager search

TEAMTalk have reported that former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom will be spoken to regarding the Sunderland vacancy, the 46-year-old manager eager to dip his toes back into the cut and thrust of second-tier football despite the calamitous end to his Blades reign.

This would be a risky decision to take by those associated with the Black Cats, with Heckingbottom exiting South Yorkshire with just one Premier League win from 14 matches in charge this campaign with the Blades looking doomed to an immediate return to the Championship.

Still, with an automatic promotion up to the top flight on his resume sticking out – with football pundit Carlton Palmer describing this feat as "remarkable" at the time – the Sunderland hierarchy could deem Heckingbottom as a potentially successful successor to Beale regardless of any recent misfires.

Heckingbottom's managerial record

The 46-year-old boss is certainly one that divides opinion, with fans of Barnsley and Leeds United cold on their ex-manager after struggling at both Oakwell and Elland Road.

Winning just four matches in charge of the Whites from the 16 games he was in the dug-out for, on top of accumulating 40 losses with the Tykes, it's fair to say Heckingbottom had to rebuild his scarred managerial career somewhat at Bramall Lane.

Heckingbottom would win 51 games for Sheffield United as both a permanent manager and as a caretaker, which coincided in the South Yorkshire outfit winning automatic promotion last season comfortably before the wheels came off making the jump up.

Club

Games managed

Wins

Draws

Losses

Sheffield United (permanent/caretaker)

109

51

18

40

Hibernian

32

12

10

10

Leeds United

16

4

4

8

Barnsley

105

37

28

40

Still, it's not as if Chris Wilder – Heckingbottom's immediate replacement – has fared any better with the Blades rooted to the foot of the Premier League table on 13 points currently.

Heckingbottom's insistence on playing a 3-5-2 formation – which saw varied levels of success at Bramall Lane – could work at the Stadium of Light away from his numbers as a boss, with the likes of Trai Hume excelling potentially as a wing-back figure.

Moreover, amazingly so, Heckingbottom has never lost a game when facing off against the Wearside outfit as a manager – picking up four wins and a draw from his five encounters with Sunderland, with the last win coming just last year as the Blades won 2-1 away from home.

It would be a major risk to throw Heckingbottom into the spotlight at Sunderland, with the job having a reputation for swallowing managers whole and then spitting them back out again as was seen with Beale, but his recent promotion-winning status could sway the Black Cats hierarchy somewhat.

Regardless of who is chosen next as Beale's successor, it will no doubt be an interesting managerial saga to watch unfold with Dodds keen to impress now to stake his own claim for the permanent job.