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Anthony Gordon was brutally criticised for his challenge on Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk which led to his sending off at the stroke of half-time, leaving Newcastle United down to ten players. In a moment madness, the English forward flew into Van Dijk's right leg from the back as the Reds defender was left with stud marks on his calf.

Gordon criticised for rough challenge on Van DijkNewcastle star shown a straight red cardLiverpool clinched a five-goal thriller against the MagpiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the rash challenge, referee Simon Hooper had initially cautioned Gordon with a yellow card, but following a pitchside view, the VAR instructed the on-field official to reverse his decision and flash a red card. Gordon will now miss the club's next three matches due to a direct red.

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Fans were left fuming after Gordon's harsh challenge on Van Dijk as they criticised the England international on social media.

An Arsenal fan handle named DJ wrote on X: "Not sure how anyone can watch that tackle and come to the conclusion that Gordon or Newcastle have been hard done by. Nasty tackle, genuinely could’ve snapped his leg in half."

Leo posted on X: "Uup, too much adrenaline, too little thought. They were just aggressive to hype the crowd, with little to nothing to it. Red card right call for Gordon."

A fan named haydon wrote: "The gordon tackle is a red but the Gravenberch tackle not going to VAR earlier on is an interesting double standard."

Calum Vine posted: "Really poor from Gordon. Thought he was unlucky not to score in the first half. Liverpool got the game in their hands now, can not see them not winning now."

Adam Brooks labelled Gordon's tackle as 'madness', as he wrote: "Newcastle are always a very physical team. Often getting away with being a little too physical. Madness from Gordon. Early bath, young man."

AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ryan Gravenberch handed the Reds the lead in the 35th minute with a stunning low-lying strike from distance, which entered the goal through the bottom-left corner. The reigning champions then utilised the man advantage and doubled their lead just minutes after the break as Hugo Ekitike netted his second Premier League goal. Bruno Guimaraes pulled one back just before the hour mark as he converted a quality header and the hosts then staged a late comeback as William Osula scored the equaliser on his debut in the 88th minute. Just when it seemed that the Reds had squandered two crucial points, youth sensation Rio Ngumoha found the winner in the 100th minute.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Arne Slot's side will be back in action on Sunday as they host Arsenal in a blockbuster Premier League clash at Anfield. 

GOAL US writers break down the transfer window, with a focus on which Americans helped their 2026 World Cup chances

So, transfer season is done – for now. Are you not entertained? The Premier League had unprecedented levels of spending. Seemingly everyone else their best players pinched. It was a weird one. Never has one league been so dominant over all of the others.

But it will certainly yield a fantastic product on the pitch, and, let's face it, that's all we care about at the end of the day. 

From an American point of view, things got a bit weird. No major USMNT star play moved to the Premier League, but there were still a few compelling transfers. Johnny Cardoso got a step up he perhaps deserved with Atletico Madrid. Malik Tillman, Yunus Musah and Tim Weah all bolted for greener pastures.

These are good things. But then there were a few confusing ones. Benjamin Cremaschi to Parma is puzzling, especially considering he was second choice to, ironically, Gio Reyna. Brenden Aaronson could definitely benefited from a move. Meanwhile, Josh Sargent decided to stick around – which seems to have divided opinion in the USMNT sphere. 

It's all compelling content, though, and, with the World Cup just nine months away, should open plenty of doors – as well as slam a few shut.

GOAL US writers break down a frenetic transfer window in the latest edition of… The Rondo.

AFPWhich team won the transfer deadline? Which team lost it?

Tom Hindle: Liverpool are the obvious pick, but it's a bit mindless to say something so reasonable. How about Arsenal, who improved in a number of key areas? Victor Gyokeres was quite the coup, while they did well elsewhere – and Eze is an elite attacking player to add to their ranks, and perhaps replace the immensely frustrating Gabriel Martinelli. The losers? Newcastle. What a nightmare.

Ryan Tolmich: Liverpool are the clear and obvious winners, and not just because they spent the most money. They spent big, sure, bringing in stars such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike to keep their title hopes alive. More importantly, though, they spent on players that will keep that window open long-term, even long after Mohammed Salah inevitably slows down. They didn't just find sidekicks for Salah, they found successors. Because of that, the Reds looked locked and loaded for the foreseeable future.

Alex Labidou: On paper, Liverpool are the obvious favorites. The Reds really went for it this summer, breaking the British transfer record not just once but twice in acquiring Isak and Wirtz. While one could nitpick about waiting until the transfer deadline to try to sign Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi – which ultimately fell through – overall Liverpool should be even better than they were last year. That’s a scary thought. On the other end, there has to be concern for Crystal Palace. There were already issues over the lack of recruitment, raised by manager Oliver Glasner, especially after Eze left for Arsenal. There was controversy with the club’s qualification to Europe following its FA Cup win, and now there are reports emerging that captain Guehi is furious at the club for letting the Liverpool bid slip through. It all sounds chaotic and very New York Jets-like – and maybe there’s no coincidence considering Woody Johnson, the Jets owner, took a major stake in Palace.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWill Josh Sargent regret not leaving Norwich?

TH: No, because he will score a lot of goals where he is. Sometimes guys need to stay – and that's totally fine.

RT: If he keeps scoring at this pace, probably not. The striker position is unique in that it is almost exclusively determined by form. Goals are good, droughts are bad. And as long as you have more of the former than the latter, you're golden. If Sargent does as well as expected in the Championship, he'll be just fine – and anything else would have been a risk. Could he have taken his chances? Sure, but there's still something smart about playing it safe, particularly in this position.

AL: If he can bring his early-season form into the September friendlies, then no. But that’s a lot of pressure – pressure that would have likely been lessened if Sargent had made the move to Wolfsburg or any other top-flight club in Europe’s big five leagues. Sargent is well aware of the narrative that he can’t score on the international level, so it's up to him to change that perception.

GettyWhich U.S. player should have moved but didn't?

TH: It would have been Yunus Musah, but he did well to finally get his move at the end of the day. Ricardo Pepi could have probably done with a transfer out of PSV, though. He's ready for a step up and hanging around feels a lot like stasis – even if he goes and scores a bunch more goals this year.

RT: You can certainly respect Brenden Aaronson's ambition and you can admire his willingness to bet on himself. The road to the World Cup will be difficult now that he's stayed at Leeds, though, as he'll have a real fight for Premier League minutes all season long. Thus far, he's played just 77 across three games and, while it's good he's playing, it's hard to find rhythm with that time. Can he earn more as the season gets going? Can he get a few goals here and there to show he can do it at the Premier League level? The answers to those questions will determine his World Cup chances.

AL: Gaga Slonina’s decision to remain at Chelsea all but ends his chances of featuring for the U.S. national team before the 2026 World Cup. The USMNT goalkeeper race is wide open – Mauricio Pochettino just called in Roman Celentano and Jonathan Klinsmann for the first time – so it’s hard to understand why Slonina didn’t at least pursue minutes in MLS or a lower-tier European league. 

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Getty Images SportWho improved their World Cup squad chances the most?

TH: Seems as though everyone is basically nailed down, move or not – which isn't necessarily a great thing, all said. The Benjamin Cremaschi one seems a good shout, though, especially because he could do with some positional continuity and the chance to test himself at a higher level. Right now, he seems to be a fringe guy, and good minutes abroad will do him the world of good.

RT: A bit further down the pecking order, but let's go with Cremaschi. Generally undervalued by Inter Miami, who used him as a gap-filler rather than a centerpiece, Cremaschi made the move to Serie A with Parma, giving him a big stage to showcase himself. If he can become a Serie A mainstay, it'll be hard to argue he shouldn't be in the squad next summer. It's something that didn't look likely in Miami and, while it's certainly not guaranteed, there's still a path there for him.

AL: Musah needed a fresh start, and he gets one with Atalanta. And he might have landed on his feet with this move. AC Milan have been a disaster since their title win in 2022 and are out of Europe this season. Atalanta are in the Champions League, have a style of play more suited for Musah – and don’t have the historically high expectations Milan do every year. And also, Cremaschi. Yes, it’s a long shot, but what if he ends up being a starter at Parma? Does that elevate him over a Luca de la Torre, for example? Every World Cup cycle there’s a player whose breakout happens at the right time. Cremaschi could be that guy.

India’s reputation as an impenetrable fortress at stake as resurgent Australia look to draw level

Alex Malcolm08-Mar-20232:23

Who is India’s best bet against Australia’s spin threat?

Big picture: Huge stadium, huge stakesThe world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad is an apt venue given the large stakes on offer for the final Test of a fascinating Border-Gavaskar series. The pomp and ceremony surrounding the arrival of the respective Prime Ministers might bolster the crowd to record levels, but the cricket should be enough of a draw. India must win not only to seal a series victory but to guarantee their place in the World Test Championship final. An Australia victory would not only open the door for Sri Lanka to steal a place in the WTC final, should they beat New Zealand 2-0 in the adjacent series in New Zealand, but it would also level the series 2-2. Should they pull that off, it could well be regarded as one of the greatest achievements by a visiting team in India in recent memory. Australia in 2004 and England in 2012 claimed series victories against India in India. But both those teams only won two Tests and neither were subjected to the types of extreme surfaces Australia have faced in this series.India suddenly look vulnerable. The ease of the victory in Delhi masked two periods in that Test where Australia had both a clear ascendency and an opportunity to put the game beyond India’s reach. Australia found themselves in a similar position in Indore but despite a staggering collapse in their first innings they managed to maintain their position of strength through the outstanding bowling of Nathan Lyon.India’s made-to-order spinning pitches backfired against their batters who are struggling against the unwavering accuracy and skill of Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara are the only specialist India batters to have made a half-century in the series, with the batting burden falling on Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and R Ashwin at various stages but none could bail India out in Indore. India coach Rahul Dravid has urged fans to be realistic about their expectations of the batters on the challenging pitches.Related

The facade is fraying – for Rohit the captain, Ahmedabad could be the pivotal test

Smith: Can't remember being unsure two days out which pitch I would be playing on

Rahul Dravid: Need to be realistic about batting in these challenging conditions

Record crowd and spinning pitch add to Australia's excitement

Australia’s top order has fared better than their counterparts in the last two matches. Usman Khawaja’s first innings 60 in Indore was arguably the difference between the two sides. Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Peter Handcomb and Cameron Green all made important contributions, with the latter’s addition clearly strengthening Australia’s batting significantly. Travis Head and Labuschagne then iced the game in the second with a nerveless display. Australia’s tail is still a huge concern though having lost 6 for 11 after the Delhi collapse of 8 for 28. If Australia can avoid another collapse in Ahmedabad they will be very hard to beat.There was some confusion around what surface will be presented after talk of a green seamer. But if another dry surface is presented then both sides are likely to shape up with similar XIs, with Smith remaining as Australia’s captain while Pat Cummins remains at home. It will be a question of which team bats the best with the toss becoming irrelevant given how much the ball has spun from day one in each of the three Tests so far.India’s reputation as an impenetrable fortress, and national pride, is at stake. Losing again at their own game in front of their Prime Minister would be a major blow.Form guideIndia LWWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia WLLDW5:23

Will Ahmedabad give the best batting pitch of the series?

In the spotlight: Smith and Kohli are dueIt was anticipated that Steven Smith could match his feats of 2017 on this tour but the surfaces, aside from the 2017 Pune pitch, have been far more difficult. Smith has looked very good at times. He batted superbly in both innings in Nagpur but was beaten on the inside in the first innings and remained not out in the second. He was unlucky to nick an unpredictable straight one from Ashwin in the first innings in Delhi but his shot in the second was by his own admission one of the worst of his career.He led the side in Indore magnificently and led with his actions and reactions with the bat. He batted very nicely for an undervalued 26 in a low-scoring game. He got an outside edge to a sharp turner from Jadeja and was happy to accept getting out that way, something he explained to his team in the aftermath as it was within his plans to accept getting beaten that way as opposed to on the inside. That acceptance of the conditions, and the team’s acceptance of what they are facing, shows incredible maturity from Smith. He is due for a score. India will fear giving him a life or even slightly more favourable batting conditions as he could cut loose.The same can be said for Virat Kohli. Like Smith, he has looked as good as any batter in these conditions at various stages throughout this series only for one mistake to bring about his downfall. Much has been made of his century drought but as Dravid noted, centuries in these conditions are near-on impossible. Half-centuries can be match-winning contributions and Kohli on current form is capable of that having gone close in Delhi. But he hasn’t made a Test half-century in his last 15 innings dating back to January 2022.For Kohli, it appears to be decision-making and a touch of luck as much as anything else. Murphy has had an impressive hold on him in this series pinning him down and not allowing him to rotate strike with drives to long on or long off or flicks off the back foot through forward square. He’s been forced to search for both shots and run aground in the process. Patience could well be the key for Kohli. The longer he stays there, the bigger threat he is. He’s had no trouble getting started on these pitches. Like Pujara and Khawaja in Indore, he perhaps just needs to camp out and wait for his opportunities to score.Team news: Mohammed Siraj surplus to requirements?Mohammed Shami was oddly rested in Indore and presuming he is fit, he should return in Ahmedabad. His replacement, Umesh Yadav, bowled a spectacular spell to bring India back into the match in Indore and also produced a batting cameo in the first innings. His wicket-taking and hitting ability with the bat makes him a more attractive asset than Mohammed Siraj at present. Shami could well replace Siraj as the only change for India. Dravid noted playing an extra batter is possible but also noted the second seamer is handy to have, especially with India’s batting depth.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 KS Bharat (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel, 1 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav/Mohammed SirajAustralia look the most settled they have been in terms of selection all series. The batting will likely be unchanged from Indore. The attack in Indore was nicely balanced. It is unlikely they will make any change to that in Ahmedabad if it’s another dry spinning pitch. The only other possibility they could consider is playing an eighth batter instead of Mitchell Starc, if they think the pitch will be another rank turner that won’t last three days. But that would seem unlikely.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Todd Murphy, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Matthew KuhnemannA groundstaff member waters the Ahmedabad pitch•Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsThere were two pitches prepared at Narendra Modi Stadium two days out. With the series still alive at 2-1, the drier pitch has been preferred after Rohit and Dravid inspected it on Tuesday. It looks likely to spin from day one again although Steven Smith said it could be the best batting surface so far, at least to start with. There were two Tests played here between India and England in 2021. The day-nighter lasted two days while the day game lasted three with spin dominating both. It is expected to be very hot in Ahmedabad as well meaning any moisture on day one will not remain for long.Stats and trivia Spin has taken 48 of the 60 wickets to fall in the last two Tests at Narendra Modi Stadium. Axar Patel has 20 wickets at 9.30 with three five-wicket hauls in four innings at the venue. Virat Kohli has gone 15 Test innings without a half-century. The next longest streak without a fifty of any specialist batter playing in Indore was Marnus Labuschagne with six innings. India’s batters from No.7-11 have contributed 403 runs at an average of 25.18 across the first three Test matches, including three half-centuries. Australia’s batters from No.7-11 have contributed just 140 runs at 6.36.Quotes”Yes, we accept that we didn’t make the right calls in the last game [Making DRS calls can be hard with] especially Jaddu . Every ball he thinks it’s out. I understand, they’re quite animated, it’s just the passion of the game, but that’s where my role comes in, to say , relax a little, it’s okay if it’s at least ending up somewhere near the stumps, but this isn’t even hitting the stumps, and some balls were even pitching outside [leg stump], so that was a silly mistake that we made but we hope to correct that in this game and we’ll have a small chat regarding this as well, and hopefully we can get it right in this game.”
“I think it’d be a huge achievement for this group, or any touring team, that comes here to India and wins two Test matches. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series and give ourselves a chance to win but to draw the series here would be a huge plus and positive.”

Uncapped Ben White has also earned a spot while Fionn Hand and Stephen Doheny miss out

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2023Ireland recalled Barry McCarthy, who last played an ODI in June 2021, and called up uncapped legspinner Ben White for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 to be played in Zimbabwe in June. McCarthy had missed Ireland’s three-game ODI series against Bangladesh in Chelmsford this month due to a knee injury.Peter Moor is also in line to make his first ODI appearance for Ireland, having played a Test for them earlier this year. Moor, whose last ODI appearance was in July 2019 for Zimbabwe against Ireland, had expressed his desire to represent Ireland in the World Cup.The return of McCarthy further strengthens the bowling attack of the Andy Balbirnie-led 15-member squad, which also has Mark Adair, Josh Little, Craig Young, Graham Hume and Curtis Campher.”With a seam attack of Adair, Little, Young, McCarthy, Hume and Campher, we feel we’re heading towards our best attack once more,” Andrew White, Ireland’s National Men’s Selector said. “PJ Moor’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility batting anywhere from Nos. 1 to 7 gives us great cover.””We’re heading into a big few months and it’s looking at what personnel we need from a tactical point of view, who are in form, and a squad composition that suits the conditions we are likely to face. In the latter stages of the tournament, for example, we are likely to be playing on used pitches, so that’s where we see the value of a Ben White coming to the fore.”Allrounder Fionn Hand and opening batter Stephen Doheny, both of whom were in the squad for the series against Bangladesh, were left out. Doheny had a sorry run of form with the bat, scoring just 33 runs in the three games in Chelmsford. He played six of his nine ODIs against Bangladesh this year and crossed 30 only once.”Stephen is a player we admire and want to continue to invest in,” White said. “But we think the time is right for him, just now, to take a step back and work on a few technical aspects of his game at the domestic level.”Ireland are part of Group B in the Qualifiers, alongside Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman, and UAE, and will begin their campaign against Scotland on June 21.Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

Manchester City were "absolutely mad" to sell Cole Palmer, says Terry Phelan, with another move from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain being ruled out.

Moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023Become a talismanic presence for the BluesExtended contract through to 2033Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Pep Guardiola reluctantly agreed to part with a product of City’s academy system in 2023 when Chelsea tabled a £40 million ($54m) bid for Palmer. Full potential is being unlocked at Stamford Bridge, with the England international claiming PFA Young Player of the Year, Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup honours in west London while inheriting the iconic No.10 shirt.

AdvertisementGetty Images / GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There is the promise of even more to come from Palmer at 23 years of age, with Chelsea continuing to invest heavily in the transfer market as more pieces of an intricate puzzle are drafted in alongside their talismanic playmaker.

WHAT PHELAN SAID

Quizzed on whether Palmer can go on to become a Ballon d’Or contender, former City and Chelsea defender Phelan – speaking in association with – told GOAL: "I think so, if he keeps developing. But he has to do it for England as well. He has got to get a chance with England.

"I think he’s a wonderful player. Manchester City must have been absolutely mad letting him go. Pep would be scratching his head wondering ‘what did I do?’ A No.10, creativity, courage, wants to go forward, wants to light up the game, acts dumb but is very clever. He wants to bring other players into the game with that wonderful left foot.

"Beautiful player and I get goose pimples watching him. Remember Tony Currie and Liam Brady back in the day, and Graham Rix and John Robertson, that’s what he reminds me of – that flair, that guile, that swagger. I think he’s absolutely brilliant."

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

There has already been talk of Palmer attracting admiring glances from afar, with big-spending PSG said to be one of his many suitors, but Phelan added on unwelcome transfer rumours: "Why would you go to PSG? You’re playing in a league that is nowhere near the Premier League. You want to play in the best league in the world. He’s only a young boy.

"Does he need the money? It’s like saying ‘go to Saudi Arabia’. No disrespect to the French league, but you want to be playing against the best players in the world at a young age. You want to be playing against the best teams.

"If you turned around and said Barcelona, then that’s different. Or Bayern Munich, yeah. No disrespect to PSG, they are the best team in Europe because they won the Champions League, but deep down in those deep roots, you want to play against top, top quality opposition and the best players. He has shown that."

Yorkshire chair tells DCMS select committee he “didn’t think it was appropriate” to phone Rafiq

Valkerie Baynes20-Feb-2024Colin Graves has still not apologised directly to Azeem Rafiq for the racism he suffered while a Yorkshire player.Graves last month returned as Yorkshire chair having held the role from 2012 to 2015, part of the period for which the club were fined £400,000 for failing to address the systemic use of racist or discriminatory language. That followed revelations by Rafiq, who spoke out about his experiences of racism while playing there.Graves, who refused to appear as a witness at the parliamentary hearings which followed Rafiq’s complaints in November 2021, appeared before the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday. There he accepted the opportunity to place on record an apology to Rafiq but, when asked if he had called Rafiq to apologise directly, Graves revealed he hadn’t.”I haven’t apologised to him personally, no,” Graves told the committee. “If I had the opportunity to talk to him then fine, I would do because he should not have experienced what he experienced.”But Graves faced further grilling by John Nicolson MP, who questioned why he had not reached out to Rafiq.”Certainly from my point of view, I didn’t feel that was appropriate at the time,” Graves said. “I’ve apologised today to Mr Rafiq and anybody else who experienced any discrimination or racism. I just had plenty things going on around not to pick up the phone to Mr Rafiq.”Pressed further by Nicolson about having “plenty of things going on” which prevented him from phoning, Graves replied: “Fine, if that’s how you see it, I don’t see it like that.”Related

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Graves issued a “personal and unreserved” apology to all victims of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club last month, after it was confirmed that his return to the board would be ratified at an emergency general meeting (EGM) at Headingley on February 2.”I’ll apologise again today,” Graves told the select committee. “Because anybody from a minority ethnic background who experienced either discrimination or racism at Yorkshire, that should never have happened. It never will be acceptable and it certainly won’t be going forward. I apologise for anybody who went through any discrimination or racism, it is not accepted.”Graves also repeated his apology over an interview last year in which he dismissed the accusations as “banter”.”I did an interview in June, July 23 where I used the word ‘banter’. At the time I didn’t realise the insensitivity of that word,” he said. “And again, since then I’ve apologised for using that word and I apologise again. I should not have used it. It was a bad judgement from my point of view.”Graves reiterated his assertion that he was never made aware of any issues of racism during his previous tenure as Yorkshire chair.”Basically the way I ran the club previously, maybe the processes weren’t thorough enough to record those kind of things, if it happened and when it’s happened, so from my point of view, I never heard anything about racism through any management meeting, any board meeting, it was never brought to my attention,” he said.When Graves’ return was mooted in January, Rafiq wrote a newspaper column urging sponsors to leave the club. Graves said that in the 11 days since he had assumed the role, no sponsors had left and a further six had expressed an interest in holding talks.Graves said his primary focus was to ensure Yorkshire returned to a stable financial footing, after which he would leave, estimating a maximum two- to three-year term.As part of his return to the club, Yorkshire were set to receive an immediate injection of £1 million, followed by further investment worth £4 million. Graves’ original involvement with the club came about in similar financial circumstances in 2002, when as the founder of the Costcutter supermarket chain, his bail-out saved them from bankruptcy. His family trust, which is managed by independent trustees, is still owed nearly £15 million by the club.Meanwhile, Cindy Butts, chairwoman of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) which produced a report last year exposing racism, sexism and class-based discrimination in the sport, appeared before the committee and accused former England allrounder Ian Botham of “untruths” surrounding the report.She told MPs that Botham had been invited to give evidence to the commission, despite his claims that he was not asked to contribute.Botham described the ICEC findings as “nonsense” and the ECB’s commissioning of the report as a “complete and utter waste of money”.Butts also expressed disappointment that the ECB “didn’t call out Lord Botham” saying they “should have had a moral backbone on this issue”.”Firstly, we did invite Lord Botham to give evidence to us,” Butts said. “He didn’t respond. The county which he chairs, Durham, contributed to our call for written evidence and we thank them for that.”He [Botham] said he didn’t know anybody who had contributed to our report when, in fact, a number of well-known named cricketers such as Heather Knight, the England women’s captain, responded and gave evidence to us. So there are a number of untruths that he spoke about the report.”But the most disappointing thing for me, I feel, is that Lord Botham is a chair of a first-class county. What confidence to those within the county who may suffer racism, sexism, class-based discrimination . . . what confidence can they have if they are subject to discrimination to come forward and be able to talk about their experiences and have confidence that something could be done about it?”Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, later told the committee he had phoned Botham after he made the comments “to question why” and “made it very clear to him I didn’t agree” with his views.On the day that Thompson, Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, and his deputy, Clare Connor, appeared before the select committee, the ECB published a progress report on its plan to make cricket more inclusive in the wake of the ICEC report, saying that 11 of its 12 programmes were on track.Earlier this month, the ECB announced that Connor, the former England women’s captain who also served as interim CEO prior to Gould’s appointment, would be stepping down from her post for personal reasons at the conclusion of the hearing.

CSK captain also admits lack of wickets in the powerplay has been an area of concern for his side this season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2024Chennai Super Kings suffered their third loss in seven games going down to Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets at the Ekana Stadium on Friday, their total of 176 not stretching the opposition. Speaking after the game, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad agreed they were short on runs – by about 10-15, he said – and put it down to their middle-overs slowdown.”I know we finished off really well – couldn’t have asked for more – but I think after the powerplay, we couldn’t just kick off from the start we got until the 14th or 15th over,” Gaikwad said. “We kept losing wickets at regular intervals. I think [we were] 10-15 runs short.”After getting to 51 for 2 in the powerplay, CSK managed only 62 runs in the ten overs after that, losing four wickets along the way. That included a period where they went 34 balls without hitting a boundary, with one in the tenth over followed by another only in the 16th. Five out of the ten middle overs were bowled by LSG’s spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya. Those went for only 29 runs, and Pandya bowled a well-set Ajinkya Rahane for 36 off 24 balls and had CSK’S Impact Sub Sameer Rizvi stumped for 1.Related

Rahul makes up his mind and goes bang bang

Rahul leads LSG's cruise past CSK despite Dhoni fireworks

LSG captain KL Rahul said that it was a pre-planned strategy from his side to use a mix of pace and spin in the middle overs to not allow the opposition batters to get set against “one type of bowling”.”It depends on the kind of wicket we are playing on, and the kind of batters there are [in the opposition],” Rahul said. “Obviously, there’s a bit of time we spend on doing homework, [and] talking about tactics and strategies against the opposition. And yeah, that was one of our strategies: to use pace, use spin, and make sure that they don’t get settled into playing one type of bowling. So [I] tried to mix it around.”And I think credit goes to the bowlers: I can do all the changing, but if they don’t execute, then all of us look stupid as a team. They executed really well. We work really hard at training, and it’s good to see that the team is sticking to the plans.”Despite MS Dhoni thumping 28 not out off only nine balls and Moeen Ali hitting 30 from 20 including three successive sixes in the 18th to raise the tempo at the death, and Ravindra Jadeja playing anchor to hit 57 not out off 40, CSK’s total of 176 was chased down with an over to spare. Gaikwad felt that the pitch was “slightly difficult” to score on in the first innings, and that the presence of the Impact Player meant teams need to have “maybe 20 runs extra”.”Even on these kind of pitches – I felt it was a sluggish one to start off with, with dew coming later [and the pitch] getting better – I still feel 180-190 would have been a good score,” he said.Gaikwad also said that CSK needed to strike more with the ball in the powerplay. Tonight, LSG’s openers Rahul and Quinton de Kock did not let them do that, putting on 134 in 15 overs. Overall this season, CSK have taken just seven wickets in the first six overs, which is the second-least by any side behind RCB. Their bowling average of 56.85 in that phase is also the second-worst.”[That] is the one area where we would like to improve going forward,” Gaikwad said. “It really puts the opposition on the back foot if we get wickets in the powerplay – especially when we are about ten runs short – and definitely that is one area we need to work on.”CSK play LSG again on Tuesday, but this time back home in Chennai.

Sachin Tendulkar’s much-awaited comeback didn’t live up to the dizzying media hype that preceded it

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan11-Oct-2005

Sachin Tendulkar: comeback post-injury is not going according to the script © AFP
Sachin Tendulkar’s much-awaited comeback didn’t live up to the dizzying media hype that preceded it and Indian cricket fans found out that anti-climaxes, like lightning, do indeed strike twice. He might get a chance to set the stage alight in the final on October 13, but his early departure in the first two games had a sense of déjà vu.In February this year, he played against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, returning after a two-month lay-off owing to tennis elbow, faced nine balls, hit one four and was bowled by Anil Kumble. Yesterday, coming back after a six-month break when he underwent elbow surgery, he faced 15 balls, survived a huge appeal for caught behind, and hit one four before edging to the wicketkeeper. Both times, nothing had changed with regard to the overwhelming hype, the media frenzy surrounding his practice sessions (even net bowlers were questioned about his batting) and the anticipation. And one cheap dismissal quickly turned into two today, when he faced two balls less, slashed airily at one, and nudged a few singles before missing an incutter that trapped him in front.None of this would have been anticlimactic if not for the preceding events and, as is often the case, Tendulkar makes as much news when he’s off the field as when on it. The six-month break from cricket was his longest lay-off both in terms of matches missed and time spent away. Since April 17 this year, when India surrendered the one-day series to Pakistan in the final game at Delhi, Tendulkar skipped 10 ODIs and two Tests and was out of action almost six months. He has overall missed 81 ODIs and seven Tests owing to injury.During this period, which he admitted was a frustrating one, his visits to MIG cricket club in Bandra in Mumbai, his interactions with physios, his net session at the Wankhede Stadium assumed considerable significance. In the intervening months `tennis elbow’ entered day-to-day jargon, speculation was rife about when he would return, and India continued to lose one-day finals.On October 1, he had a one hour sprinting, jogging, fielding and catching session with Sameer Dighe and Atul Ranade, his former Mumbai team-mates and from October 4 to 6 he had a net at the Wankhede Stadium when he batted for close to 30 minutes every day, as almost 400 hopefuls cheered him on. On the eve of the opening game of the Challenger Trophy, he batted for around 20 minutes in the nets, with a swarm of media persons jotting down his every move, and followed it up with a short fielding session. The headlines before the tournament were all Tendulkar; the headlines after the first game were mostly about his early dismissal.With such a gargantuan hype surrounding his re-entry, the probability of anything but an anticlimax was definitely miniscule. It’s almost cruel to expect so much, so fervently, so often of someone who, irrespective of his genius, has just recovered from a serious surgery. Surely being out to three good balls, of which two were delivered from Anil Kumble and Lakshmipathy Balaji, isn’t a bolt out of the blue. Maybe it’s high time that we realised the mathematical improbability of sustained match-winning performances and lowered our expectations. And yes, contrary to popular myth, scientists have proved that lightning can strike twice.

As the Champions Trophy kicks off this month in India, Cricinfo rewinds to the four previous editions of the multi-nation tournament and picks out five memorable moments

Sriram Veera04-Oct-2006

Steve Waugh’s stumps are shattered by Zaheer Khan’s yorker © Getty Images
Zaheer Khan’s yorker India v Australia, ICC Knockout 1st quarter-final, 2000
Australia needed 43 runs from eight overs. The battle-hardened Steve Waugh was still in the middle, looking good on 24. Anil Kumble had just bled 15 runs and Sourav Ganguly, in desperation, threw the ball to a young left-arm paceman playing only his second match. Zaheer Khan bounded in, leapt into his delivery stride, arched back his upper body like a catapult and hurled the ball across. Waugh backed away to the leg side to give himself room to punish any looseners first up. Instead, the ball hurtled in fast, flat, and low: a yorker. Waugh stabbed at it in desperation but the ball squeezed under his bat to disturb the furniture. India went on to win. Alongside Kapil Dev’s dismissal of Qasim Omar during the giddy summer of ’85 down under, this was one of the most memorable yorkers bowled by an Indian pacemen in one-day internationals.Philo Wallace’s first-ball six West Indies v India, semi-final, 1999
West Indies and their opener Philo Wallace had surprised everybody by beating Pakistan in the quarter-final, and now faced another favourite, India, in the semis of the inaugural Champions Trophy. Not many knew Wallace then and few will remember him now. Javagal Srinath is unlikely to forget him though. Wallace got to the pitch of his very first ball, a loose half-volley outside off-stump, put all of his huge frame and heavy bat into the shot and lofted it over long-off, the thud as it landed reverberating all around the ground. As with many significant sixes, this was also more than just the sum total of runs it produced, as much a sign of confidence as a statement of intimidation. Srinath did not recover from that blow and neither did India, who went on the lose by six wickets. Wallace scored 221 of his 701 career runs (33 matches) from three games in this tournament.

Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne celebrate a thrilling win © Getty Images
Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw’s spine-tingling rescue act West Indies v England, 2004
West Indies had not won anything for a long time. The drought seemed perennial. They needed something special, something big. Hopes rose in the 2004 tournament as they made it to the final and started off well in the pursuit of 218. They stumbled, and at 147 for 8 victory appeared a mirage until two foot soldiers – Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne – scripted an amazing come-from-behind victory. The two went about the chase with incredible sangfroid. Steve Harmison gunned for the throat, Andrew Flintoff went for the toe-crusher but the duo weren’t hustled. Even, the English weather tried to rescue the hosts. Dark clouds enveloped the arena, sighting the ball became difficult. Bad light was offered to the batsmen at 183 for 8, but they chose to carry on. Michael Vaughan, who ignored the spin of Ashley Giles throughout the match, turned to Paul Collingwood. But as Bradshaw blasted him for two fours through the offside ring, the improbable suddenly appeared possible. Vaughan finally turned to his talisman Darren Gough, looking for a miracle. No luck: a boundary apiece to each batsman, off Alex Wharf, saw West Indies snatch a spine-tingling victory with an over to spare. Bradshaw and Browne exploded in joy, breaking out in wild celebrations. It was at the same ground incidentally that George Hirst and Wilfred Rhodes came together for the last wicket in 1902 and added 15 runs to beat the Aussies. Hirst reportedly told his partner, “We’ll get them in singles,” though whether something similar was said between the two Bs is not known.Chris Cairns’ one-handed matchwinner New Zealand v India, 2000
New Zealand had lost their previous 13 ODI finals, history was calling and one man with a dodgy knee – passed fit only a day before – was all ears. Chris Cairns had played the innings of his life in the final, also going past the 3000-run mark, to steer New Zealand closer to their dream. It came down to the last over. The Kiwis needed four runs to win and Cairns needed two for a hundred. Ajit Agarkar speared one in on to his hips, Cairns shuffled inside the line, and as the bat came down, his top-hand came off the handle and the bottom-hand grip sent the ball crashing into the long-leg fence. With that the long, painful wait – NZ had played 30 ODI tournaments before this and won none – was finally over and it was time to taste the champagne. His father Lance would have been proud of his son and the shot, having been no stranger in his playing days, to hitting one-handed sixes.

Hansie Cronje lifts the trophy © Cricinfo
South Africa’s maiden triumph South Africa v West Indies, 1998
Few sights have been as stirring in cricket as those of the victorious South African side posing with the Wills International Cup on a balmy November night in 1998. After years of isolation, their tournament win was an occasion to match their re-introduction to the game in front of thousands of fans in Kolkata in 1991-92. This was their first victory in a major tournament; though they had won the first-ever cricket gold at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia two months earlier, few would doubt that this was a different level of success altogether. Every fantastic finale has a sub-text, and leading up to that lasting image of camaraderie were two more. First, the effervescence of youth captured in the figure of Jacques Kallis – his five wickets set up South Africa for victory – celebrating the dismissal of Reon King, leg-before in the 49th over, as West Indies were bowled out for 245. Arms pumped, smile stretching across his face as his team-mates embraced him, Kallis was South Africa’s hero of the tournament. The second was the choke-proof Derek Crookes cheekily sweeping Rawl Lewis’s legspin through midwicket for two to win the match and redeem South Africa, temporarily of the chokers tag, that blighted them through the nineties.

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch29-May-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Ramnaresh Sarwan is ‘the seventh player to mark his 100th one-day appearance with a century, and the third West Indian’ © AFP
Ramnaresh Sarwan scored a hundred in his 100th ODI – how many people have done this? asked almost everyone
Sarwan achieved the feat against India at Basseterre last week, in the first ODI played in St Kitts, the 158th ground to stage one. He is the seventh player to mark his 100th one-day appearance with a century, and the third West Indian. Gordon Greenidge was the first, with 102 not out against Pakistan at Sharjah in 1988-89 (the following season Greenidge completed a unique double by scoring a century in his 100th Test as well). The others are Chris Cairns, with 115 for New Zealand against India at Christchurch in 1998-99; Mohammad Yousuf (then known as Yousuf Youhana), 129 for Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 2001-02; Kumar Sangakkara, 101 for Sri Lanka v Australia in Colombo in 2003-04; Chris Gayle, 132 not out for West Indies v England at Lord’s in 2004; and Marcus Trescothick, with 100 not out for England against Bangladesh at The Oval in 2005.In last week’s Cricinfo article Offshore Interests, it is mentioned that West Indies were bowled out by Ireland for 25 in 1969. What was the result of the match? Was it a proper Windies team playing? asked Ravi Nair from India
That match was played at Sion Mills, in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, on July 2, 1969. It was an official West Indian touring side (they lost the Test series in England that season), although the captain Garry Sobers didn’t play in this match, and the tour manager Clyde Walcott, who was 43 and had retired almost a decade previously, did. On a sporty pitch, West Indies were shot out for 25 – Grayson Shillingford top-scored with 9, and Walcott made 6: Ireland’s captain Doug Goodwin had the amazing figures of 12.5-8-6-5, and Alec O’Riordan took 4 for 18. Ireland passed the West Indian score for the loss of one wicket, then kept on batting. It was officially a one-day, two-innings match – but there was an agreement that the side ahead on first innings would be declared the winners. There’s a mischievous rumour that West Indies’ spectacular collapse – they were 12 for 9 at one stage – owed much to a visit to a nearby Guinness brewery, but actually there was barely time for that: they had only finished a hard-fought Lord’s Test against England late the previous day.With the Test series about to start, has anyone made more runs in India-West Indies Tests than Sachin Tendulkar? asked Arun from Goa
Quite a few people have, actually: Tendulkar is only 12th on that particular list with 1328 runs in 16 Tests against West Indies. Well clear at the top is another little Indian master, Sunil Gavaskar, with 2749 runs, which included an amazing 13 centuries. Next comes Clive Lloyd, with 2344 runs against India. Also ahead of Tendulkar are Viv Richards (1927 runs), Garry Sobers (1920), Rohan Kanhai (1693), Gordon Greenidge (1678), Dilip Vengsarkar (1596), Everton Weekes (1495 in only 10 matches, at an eye-popping average of 106.78), Gundappa Viswanath (1455), Polly Umrigar (1372) and Carl Hooper (1357). Shivnarine Chanderpaul currently has 1280 Test runs against India. For the full list, click here.

Dennis Amiss made 100 during England’s 159 for 3 against New Zealand in 1973 © The Cricketer International
What is the lowest ODI total to include a century? asked Andy Hames from Solihull
That is one of the oldest ODI records, since it was set in only the sixth such match ever played (there have now been nearly 2400 of them). At Swansea in 1973, in the first ODI not played on a Test ground, England made 159 for 3 to overhaul New Zealand’s modest total of 158 – and Dennis Amiss made a round 100. The highest completed (all-out) innings to include a century was also against New Zealand – in 1999-2000 Australia were bowled out for 191 at Auckland, but Damien Martyn carried his bat for 116.How many people have scored a double-century on their Test debut, and what is the highest score ever made on debut? asked Tyson Jonas from Australia
Five players have now scored a double-century in their first Test, but the highest score among them remains the first one – RE “Tip” Foster’s 287 for England against Australia at Sydney in 1903-04. He was followed by Lawrence Rowe, with 214 (and 100 not out) on debut for West Indies v New Zealand at Kingston in 1971-72; Brendon Kuruppu, 201 not out for Sri Lanka v New Zealand in Colombo in 1986-87; Mathew Sinclair, 214 for New Zealand v West Indies at Wellington in 1999-2000; and Jacques Rudolph, 222 not out for South Africa v Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2002-03. For a full list of players who scored a century on Test debut, click here.I wonder if it was measured/recorded or not but I’d like to ask what is the longest distance for a direct hit resulting in a run-out? asked Okcan Basat from Turkey
It’s not generally recorded, no. The longest one I’ve ever seen – and this would be hard to beat, except perhaps from the boundary at a huge ground like Melbourne – came in the 1984 Lord’s Test against West Indies, when Eldine Baptiste, fielding at long leg, spotted that England’s Geoff Miller was sauntering to the non-striker’s end, with his back turned. Baptiste unleashed an amazing flat throw from the boundary under the Warner Stand, and detonated the middle stump out of the ground at the far end the best part of 100 yards away. The gobsmacked Miller was run out for 0.