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England captain in “a really good space” after extensive work with batting coach Sid Lahiri

Matt Roller29-May-2024When England left India in mid-November, it was the lowest moment of Jos Buttler’s tenure as white-ball captain. His side were eliminated at the group stages of the ODI World Cup after three wins in nine matches – and only one in seven when they were still mathematically alive. His own form was non-existent.Buttler managed 138 runs across nine innings, 43 of which came in the tournament’s opening match, and looked worn down by England’s string of defeats. Innovative and impish at his best, he instead became restricted and robotic: he reverse-swept just two of the 142 balls he faced at the tournament, and played neither a sweep nor a scoop.But as England prepare for the T20 World Cup, Buttler looks ready. After missing the Cardiff washout to be with his wife Louise for the birth of couple’s third child, he is set to return as captain on Thursday night at The Oval. He does so after winning the player-of-the-match award in the only completed match in the series so far.In his first international innings of the year at Edgbaston, Buttler took Pakistan’s attack for 84 off 51 balls and seemed to have recaptured the spirit of the player that broke through as a 20-year-old. He used his feet against the seamers to create different angles for himself and destroyed Shadab Khan, looting 40 runs off the 15 balls he faced from him.Related

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It was his highest score in any international cricket since an ODI century against South Africa in February 2023, and an innings defined by its impudence. He twice reverse-swept Shadab – once for four, once for six – and scooped Haris Rauf over fine leg to bring up his half-century. He even tried a rare reverse-scoop off Rauf, though toe-ended it towards point for a single.Since he became a regular T20 opener in 2018, Buttler has evolved into a more clinical, consistent player: in T20Is, he averages 47.95 with a strike rate of 151.98 from his 50 innings as an opener. But of late, he has made a conscious decision to dip into his extensive repertoire of unorthodox shots: “What’s really important for me at this stage of my career is to always be trying to improve and get better, and add new things to my game,” Buttler said last week.”There’s certain shots that I want to add to my game more, different things that I want to try. I think that’s really exciting. That feels really motivating for me, and it’s always been a mindset of mine, but it’s more [about] connecting to that again and not being afraid to try new things, and fail in different ways.”Buttler with Sid Lahiri in the Rajasthan Royals’ nets•Rajasthan RoyalsButtler has worked closely with Siddhartha ‘Sid’ Lahiri, his batting coach at Paarl and Rajasthan Royals. “Sid’s had a huge impact for me,” Buttler said last month. When Buttler arrived at the SA20 in January, he was “not really enjoying my cricket, a bit unsure with my batting, trying to find that rhythm. Lahiri told him: “Just give me this tournament, I’m going to work with you,” Buttler recounted.Buttler “gave myself over” to Lahiri, and empowered him to run his training sessions. “He’s got some great thoughts around the game,” he said. “He’s a very positive guy, always reminding you how good you are but at the same time, giving you some honest feedback, and stuff you can do better. He’s had a great impact on my batting.””Jos didn’t have a particularly great time at the World Cup,” Lahiri told ESPNcricinfo. “What I felt was that he had slightly gone away from his usual sync. He’s not a conventional Ian Bell or Joe Root; he’s an unconventional batter whose greatest strength is his hand-eye coordination. It’s all about the time when the bat meets the ball, and his ability to sync that with the way he watches the ball.”Lahiri encouraged Buttler to move away from underarm feeds in practice, introducing “some harder spin throwdowns, where he had to play with the bat because he wasn’t wearing pads”. He also suggested that he should bat against the Royals’ seamers in the nets more often as opposed to net bowlers – another change designed to “ensure that he kept on finding his rhythm”.They also worked on his alignment early in his innings, after some bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, for example – targeted his pads with the new ball. “We didn’t tinker too much on his basics, more how he positions himself,” Lahiri said. “There were certain areas which he was not accessing, and bowlers were targeting. Now, if they target him in towards him, he’s going to hit it through midwicket for four.””i’ve worked closely with Sid… just [to get] some different ideas”•Rajasthan RoyalsButtler believes that he is sometimes “a victim of my own expectations”. Lahiri agrees: “When Jos is walking out for the Royals, his level of expectation is at its peak; the same pressure is there playing for England as captain. He can’t just think, ‘Let me go and smack a few balls’, which possibly he would love to. It’s a challenge for him.” His main aim, therefore, was simple: “To bring back the fun and the joy, and for Jos to actually enjoy batting again”.They are not major interventions but Buttler believes they have been beneficial and his statistics back that up: he averages 40.36 for the Royals’ teams this year, striking at 142.30. “I feel in a really good space,” he said last week. “I’ve worked closely with Sid… just [to get] some different ideas. He had a couple of drills that he thought would be really good for me. Change is good, change is nice.”Lahiri is an unlikely figure to be working so closely with Buttler: he is a self-described “outsider” who, unlike most IPL coaches, did not have a professional playing career. He played representative cricket in Bengal but went to the UK in his late 20s to qualify as a coach and never returned to Kolkata, instead building his career overseas.He played club cricket for Stoke d’Abernon in Surrey while working at Parkside School in Cobham, and launched his own business, the Star Cricket Academy. It was incorporated into the Rajasthan Royals Academy in 2019 and Lahiri has worked with the franchise’s professional set-up around the world since, including five seasons with their IPL team in various roles.”My coaching journey has come from the grassroots level up,” he said. “I’m very proud that I am a little bit of a trend-setter.” He admitted that he has, on occasion, found it “tough” to get buy-in from top players, but said: “The time is not that far away when people will take coaching as completely different to playing… it’s there already in football.”Lahiri has been empowered by the Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara, and is grateful to Buttler for his support: “At the Royals, we talk a lot about trust… Jos has obviously supported me in all of this, and that is why it has been able to work.”His influence on Buttler encapsulates the unlikely multi-national relationships which have been forged in the IPL era. If it helps Buttler play a decisive role at the T20 World Cup, England’s supporters will be grateful.

Instant gratification is all that matters to success-starved team, as spinners seal first win in seven

Danyal Rasool18-Oct-2024The food in Pakistani press boxes can vary, both in cuisine and quality, but as the media lined up after lunch on the first day, it was clear a dessert popularity contest would be rather one-sided. One journalist piled his plate high with , ping-pong ball-sized impossibly sweet milk and dough balls, before contentedly sitting down at the nearest table. Pakistan is the land of the sugar hit.Looking across the glass window and onto the field, Pakistan cricket had decided they wanted in on the action, too. Sticking to a long-term plan, putting themselves through pain, never quite knowing if their goals would be realised had begun to take its toll. Pakistan had lost six Test matches in a row, and the benefits of consistency in selection and a long-term plan appeared increasingly illusory. They had slipped to the bottom of the World Test Championship table, and their impassioned supporters were merely feeding off scraps. They didn’t need a lecture on caloric restriction; they wanted a session of comfort eating.And so they delivered (Pakistan’s version). They had the ingredients already in the pantry for whatever they were trying to rustle up, even if they had to recycle and reheat. The pitch had already been prepared, with four-and-a-half days of cricket under its belt. The spinners had been assumed to be past their sell-by date, but they’d had a look at the packaging, and they were just about usable. Pakistan would need to go shopping again, soon, but crucially, not today.Related

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• Pakistan drop Shaheen, Naseem alongside Babar for next two Tests

It was time to start cooking. They glanced at the time; it was already getting a bit late. No one quite knows what time the gas supply cuts out in Pakistan these days; the only surefire way to know is to turn the knob and see what happens. They flipped that coin; it landed correctly, and the stove burned up. Pakistan knew much of their work was already done.Perhaps it’s churlish to belittle the rest of the game at the expense of that moment, but even captain Shan Masood acknowledged the value of that toss. It was the moment they were handed the key to unlock a style of play they had deliberately locked away, almost because they believed it was somehow morally wrong to win a game this way. They had spent the last year looking for success in a manner they felt did justice to the legacy of their charismatic fast-bowling forebears. They invested in young quicks Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah and their perfect hairlines, while older, balding spinners sat willing to do the job at a fraction of the price.In football, such pragmatism has made devoted heroes out of Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel, whose laser focus on results override any concessions to style. Pakistan, particularly in its current, dysfunctional set-up should theoretically make the strongest case for a similar approach, if perhaps at Sam Allardyce or Sean Dyche’s level instead. Most journalists in this country have, after all, rolled their eyes as they sit through the unveiling of the latest chairman or coach as they talk about their long-term vision, and the structural long-term changes they are going to make, knowing they’ll be sitting there in a few months or years hearing the same talking points from another recycled face. None of those grand plans will come to fruition, and any progress made will be discarded as the loop repeats.The day four pitch in Multan … on day nine, if truth be told•Getty ImagesIn a brief moment of lucidity last week, this is an epiphany the PCB seems to have had. Masood had gone 0 in 6, and his job was under threat. The captain and the coach, having talked up consistency in selection, were omitted from the selection committee altogether. A new selection committee, one that took the selector count over the last three years to 26, had just been announced. Some of the players they had invested in over the Test summer weren’t that keen to play, others needed a rest for their own sake. Pakistan didn’t need a long-term plan; they needed a win.The culmination of no long-term plan is 20 wickets for two spinners who haven’t held a red-ball since January. This Test – that final innings in particular – tells us no more or less than we already knew about Masood’s captaincy. There were no bowling changes at all, and fielding changes were generally limited to switches for a left-handed batter, or the addition of an extra fielder to a close catching position. No one quite knows what Pakistan are thinking of come December when they go to South Africa; indeed Masood already understood what they’d just managed would be difficult enough to replicate as early as Rawalpindi next week.But the selectors have already arrived in Rawalpindi; the curators were there a few days earlier to work out a bespoke plan for a ground that has never traditionally taken spin. The cricket team finally appears to be on the same page as everyone within the cricket board, entirely focused on surviving the next day, and worrying about the distant future later.As the morning unfolded, it became immediately clear the 297 England needed to win was academic. Sajid and Noman romped through an opposition with a ruthlessness Pakistan had believed they were no longer unable to muster. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread around the sparsely populated ground. With every ball threatening, many in the press boxes got carried away, exclaiming “out!” every time a ball hit a pad or whizzed past an edge. When Ben Stokes danced down to Noman, losing control of his bat as it flew high behind fine leg, there were delighted cackles.When Noman got Shoaib Bashir to take his eighth and finally complete the web Pakistan had spun around England, several loudly applauded, and had to be sternly shushed by the others.Perhaps it was the.

They had beaten Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup and in a Super Over in late 2020. Zimbabwe would want to repeat it in the upcoming ODIs

Danyal Rasool23-Nov-2024Perhaps even an attempt to preview this series is a bit of false advertising, because it implies a wider context in which a three-match ODI series between Zimbabwe and Pakistan is placed. It is not. It was a series earmarked to happen in the Future Tours Programme (FTP), so a window had to be found, and the last week of November sounded just about the right time for it.There is, after all, no logical planning sequence that takes anyone directly from Hobart to Bulawayo, a journey much of this Pakistan squad has made. Just last Monday, they wrapped up the final game of a six-match white-ball tour with a T20 in Hobart, with another six matches now scheduled over the next fortnight in Zimbabwe. Unlike that tour, where each game was played in a different city, Pakistan will not leave Bulawayo at all on this tour.Zimbabwe’s calendar is much more open for obvious reasons. A romp through a T20 World Cup sub-regional Africa qualifier last month is their most recent international engagement. It caused something of a murmur on the wider cricketing stage due to a record-breaking rout Zimbabwe inflicted over Gambia, totting up the highest T20I score and the biggest win in the format’s history.Related

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A win over India in the opening game of a T20I series in July, though, is the more impressive result, even if a Test defeat at Ireland’s hands is more indicative of the true position Zimbabwe’s cricket is currently in. They all might have been different formats, but with a shallower player pool to draw from, it is safer to map Zimbabwe’s results cross-format than it is with most Full Members.It’s also necessary, because Zimbabwe have no recent ODIs to read into, anyway. Their most consequential 50-over games came in the summer of 2023, when, for the second consecutive qualifying campaign, they were among the two best teams of the tournament only for one damaging loss to keep them out of the World Cup proper. They followed that up with a pair of losses against Ireland and Sri Lanka either side of the turn of the year, their last ODIs.They do have a familiar-looking squad, though. The batting stalwarts include captain Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, with fast bowlers Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava also part of the side; all five were part of the team that beat Pakistan after a Super Over in an ODI in November 2020. Flashy top-order batter Brian Bennett has been in decent List A form in Zimbabwe of late, while Tadiwanashe Marumani has shown sparks.With no Champions Trophy involvement ahead, this series will be a big deal in itself for Zimbabwe, a chance to test themselves against a vastly superior opponent, but one they have the canny ability to spring surprises upon from time to time.Pakistan come in with new head coach Aaqib Javed, who earlier this week declared ODI was the most important format for them at the moment. The Champions Trophy is a home tournament for Pakistan, who are also defending champions, so making sure the 50-over side is perfectly fine-tuned matters more to them than most. They come fresh off the back of a commanding ODI series win in Australia, their only 50-over cricket to date since the 2023 World Cup. But this series is part of that rare bounty of ODI cricket that now tends to cluster around a big 50-over tournament; they follow it up with three such games in South Africa, followed by a home triangular series that New Zealand and South Africa will also play in.While Aaqib said Pakistan wouldn’t tinker too much with the ODI side, there are a few departures from their full-strength team. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have all been rested. With Fakhar Zaman also missing owing to a mix of disciplinary and fitness issues, it means some unfamiliarity both at the top and tail of the innings.Captain Mohammad Rizwan may have to shoulder more batting responsibility, while Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub have opportunities to make the opening slots theirs. How Pakistan balance the side is also a point of interest after they went into the Australia ODIs playing just four specialist fast bowlers, planning on simply bowling Australia out in 40 overs. It’s likely Pakistan go with a less gung-ho approach on tracks that may not offer the same zip, with spinners Abrar Ahmed and Faisal Akram getting chances to showcase their skills against perhaps less storied opposition.And that’s that, really. There’s the risk of the odd shower for much of the next week; Zimbabwe tends to get seasonal rain around this time of year. Bulawayo will offer a nice atmosphere; Zimbabwean fans always tend to make sure of that. The relationship between these sides is convivial, and for Pakistan, it’s one of very few places where they will not be thronged by local media or supporters. It’s not the highest-profile cricket tour in the world this week, but it’s a laid-back one in a country that enjoys its cricket. If that sounds like your sort of thing, that’s really all the context that matters.

The thumping heartbeat of their IPL 2024 triumph is flatlining, and the numbers don’t look pretty

Sreshth Shah25-Apr-20252:33

Cricinformed: KKR’s middle-order muddle

There’s a fine line between being inconsistent and being completely out of sync, and right now, Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) middle order is in danger of crossing it. The thumping heartbeat of KKR’s batting in IPL 2024 is flatlining this season. KKR’s inability to find any fluency through the middle overs has mirrored their broader batting slump this season. Their capitulation in Mullanpur — where they failed to chase a modest 112 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) – felt like a breaking point. A limp performance against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday only deepened the malaise.What’s most concerning is that the personnel hasn’t changed much – the output certainly has. Among all teams in IPL 2025, KKR’s middle order (positions 4 to 8) has the lowest collective average (20.00), and KKR’s average through the middle overs (7th-16th) this season (17.4) is also the worst in the league.Still, it would be unfair to pin the blame solely on the middle order. Their success last year was built on strong foundations laid by the openers. In IPL 2024, the Phil Salt-Sunil Narine combo had the third-highest aggregate among opening pairs, and averaged 46.58. Salt has moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season, and Quinton de Kock has struggled to replicate his success alongside Narine: their average opening stand this year is 18.16. KKR dropped de Kock in their last match against GT, only for his replacement Rahmanullah Gurbaz to begin his season with a first-over dismissal.It’s no surprise, then, that KKR have the worst powerplay dot-ball percentage of all teams in IPL 2025 (49.82).It’s a domino effect: the same middle order that once thrived on momentum now finds itself forced into damage control. Other teams with struggling middle orders such as Lucknow Super Giants (average of 22.24 from Nos. 4 to 8) and PBKS (25.47) have top-order runs to fall back on, which has kept them in contention for the playoffs.Following the defeat to GT, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane pointed to the need for batters to be “brave” with their intent despite the form slump. Ahead of Saturday’s home game against PBKS, Moeen Ali echoed that sentiment, but framed it differently. According to Moeen, the key lies in a shift in mindset, with the batters needing to almost trick themselves into confidence.Andre Russell has scored just 55 runs in six innings this season, at an average of 9.16•AFP/Getty Images”It’s about having the mindset where you kind of fool yourself into thinking you’re playing well and just go all out,” Moeen told reporters. “We need to go out there, express ourselves, and just have a bit more fun. Sometimes from the outside, it seems the pressure is too much on players, but it’s about taking that off and showing your skills.”Moeen remains optimistic about the line-up’s potential. “The real strength is we have guys who can go ultra-aggressive like Sunil Narine, and also classical players like Ajinkya, who’s in red-hot form. Angkrish [Raghuvanshi] is doing brilliantly, and then there’s Venky [Venkatesh Iyer], Rinku, myself, Russell. Everything is there. We genuinely have one of the stronger batting line-ups in the competition. Some players like Angkrish and Ajinkya have done well, but as a unit, we haven’t clicked. It’s just a matter of turning it around.”It won’t be easy, though. Bravo admitted, after the 39-run defeat against GT, that the KKR batters were just “out of confidence.” And KKR also have scars from their previous capitulation to 95 all out against PBKS. Three of Yuzvendra Chahal’s five best IPL performances have come against KKR, all since IPL 2022, and Venkatesh has been out three times in 18 balls against Marco Jansen.But PBKS have one weakness – powerplay bowling, with only 11 wickets in eight games – and KKR will hope to exploit it come Saturday. A strong start could fix a lot of their problems, and they only need to look at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) last season and Mumbai Indians on numerous occasions to know that comebacks are possible even when all looks lost. However, time is running out, and with KKR needing to win five of their last six games to make a strong case for the playoffs, it’s now or never for the defending champions.

From “the next Dhoni” to a 13-year-old wonderkid, here are eight exciting players set to make their IPL debuts

Shashank Kishore and Deivarayan Muthu20-Mar-2025

Robin Minz (Mumbai Indians)

A motorcycle accident denied him an opportunity to break into the IPL last year, but he’s back again, this time with Mumbai Indians who signed him for INR 65 lakh, staving off competition from Chennai Super Kings. Minz has played fewer than ten representative T20s so far, but MI are excited about his raw power, having tracked him during their development camps in the UK and the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai. Dubbed as Jharkhand’s Chris Gayle and “the next Dhoni”, Minz can generate incredible bat speed and even play the helicopter shot. Could this hard-hitting, left-handed, wicketkeeper-batter be the next gem from MI’s scouting network?Vaibhav Suryavanshi is 13 years old but is already turning heads•Associated Press

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)

At just 13, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has made waves by becoming the youngest Indian to earn an IPL contract (INR 1.1 crore with Rajasthan Royals). A left-handed top-order batter, he impressed with a record-breaking 58-ball century, the fastest by an Indian in youth Tests, against Australia U-19s. Suryavanshi also scored two half-centuries in the U-19 Asia Cup and boasts an unbeaten triple-century in an U-19 tournament in Bihar.Suryansh Shedge had a breakout Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season•Punjab Kings

Suryansh Shedge (Punjab Kings)

A key contributor to Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title, Shedge was bought by Punjab Kings for his base price of INR 30 lakh. He scored 131 runs at a strike rate of 252, the highest for anyone facing 20 or more balls.Related

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His crucial knocks included an unbeaten 12-ball 36 in the quarter-final against Vidarbha and another unbeaten 15-ball 36 in the final against Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, he took eight wickets in nine innings with his seam-ups. Although he is yet to play an IPL game, this will be Shedge’s second stint in the tournament, after having previously been a late replacement for Jaydev Unadkat at Lucknow Super Giants in 2023.Ryan Rickelton prepares for his first IPL season•Mumbai Indians

Ryan Rickelton (Mumbai Indians)

A South African wicketkeeper-batter will likely open along with Rohit Sharma for MI in the IPL. Sounds familiar? During their title-winning campaigns in 2019 and 2020, Quinton de Kock was a powerful presence at the top of the order. MI tried to get de Kock back for this IPL too, but Kolkata Knight Riders outbid them, so they picked Ryan Rickelton, a younger, taller version of de Kock.MI’s investment in Rickelton’s big hitting paid off earlier this year when he had helped deliver a maiden SA20 title for MI Cape Town. He had a chart-topping strike rate of 177.41 in the powerplay and showed that he could explosive outside of that phase of play as well. Rickelton had also clattered a 63-ball century for Seattle Orcas in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA last year. Can he crack the IPL too?Priyansh Arya at Punjab Kings’ pre-season camp ahead of IPL 2025•Punjab Kings

Priyansh Arya (Punjab Kings)

A left-handed opener, Arya gained widespread recognition for hitting six sixes in an over during a Delhi Premier League match, finishing with 120 off 50 balls. He also put on a partnership of 286 with Ayush Badoni. Arya topped the DPL run charts with 608 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 199. His impressive form continued in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 325 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 177, including a century against Uttar Pradesh just before being bought by Punjab Kings for INR 3.4 crore at the IPL mega auction.Corbin Bosch won the SA20 title with MI Cape Town•SA20

Corbin Bosch (Mumbai Indians)

Corbin Bosch’s name didn’t even come up for bidding at the mega auction in November last year, but he could well be a wildcard player for MI after being picked as a replacement for the injured Lizaad Williams. With Hardik Pandya certain to miss MI’s opening game on Sunday, against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk because of an over-rate offence from last season, Bosch could be thrown into the mix right away to provide the balance that Hardik usually does.Bosch, a South African bowling allrounder, is a bit of a late bloomer. At 30, he made his international debut and had a good SA20 season with MI Cape Town. He usually operates in the middle and death overs and hits hard lengths. While he was slotted down the order at MICT, he can also float up and hit boundaries like he demonstrated during his CPL stint with Barbados Royals in 2022.Eshan Malinga is known for bowling some pretty good yorkers•SA20

Eshan Malinga (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Eshan Malinga’s action isn’t as slingy as Lasith Malinga’s, but he operates in the death too. At the time of the auction, Eshan was one of the two uncapped overseas players to be picked along with New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs. Soon after SRH acquired him for INR 1.2 crore, Eshan made his ODI debut for Sri Lanka and SA20 debut for Paarl Royals.Eshan had first emerged on Sri Lanka’s radar in 2019 after winning a nationwide fast-bowling contest where he clocked 141kph. While Eshan doesn’t hit 140kph as consistently these days, he swings the new ball and bowls accurate yorkers at the death. He floored Mohammad Haris with an inch-perfect yorker in the Emerging Asia Cup semi-final in Al Amerat in October last year. Eshan then attended an IPL trial with Rajasthan Royals, but SRH eventually outbid them. He could be a fourth overseas option for SRH, perhaps in place of Adam Zampa, when conditions favour pace.Vipraj Nigam has played with IPL winner Rinku Singh in the UPT20 league•PTI

Vipraj Nigam (Delhi Capitals)

At 20, Vipraj Nigam has had a rapid rise in senior cricket and was picked up by Delhi Capitals in the auction. A legspinner inspired by Rashid Khan, Nigam is known for his airspeed and the bite he gets on helpful surfaces. He gained attention in the UPT20 League with Lucknow Falcons, taking 20 wickets in 11 innings at a strike rate of 11.15 and an economy of 7.45. His strong performances led to a senior debut for Uttar Pradesh in the 2024-25 season, and he also showcased his lower-order hitting, scoring an unbeaten 27 off 8 balls to help UP reach the Syed Mushtaq Ali quarter-finals.

Ahead of his final Test, Angelo Mathews looks back at a long, eventful career

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jun-2025In the first few years of your international career, it felt like you were a little bulletproof. You’d captained age-group teams, and suddenly you were the dynamic young allrounder in one of the greatest Sri Lanka teams that ever was. What do you remember of that start?I’d like to start off by thanking the Almighty, and then my parents, my wife, my kids, my siblings – everyone who has sacrificed a lot for me. Starting from school, I got every opportunity to study and excel in sports. I’m very thankful to my college, all my teachers, past presidents, rectors, my coaches from under-13 to first XI.I got those opportunities, and then I was able to excel and get myself to achieve the target of any cricketer’s dream – playing for the national team. I was suddenly called up to a team that I used to watch on TV. Those were my heroes. The next minute I’m with them, getting myself ready to play again. I was shocked. But the seniors helped me feel at home.Related

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You’re sitting here a much wiser man. How do you feel about the Angelo of that early era who was playing ridiculous amounts of cricket as an allrounder? Do you think about missed opportunities to set yourself up for a sustainable peak, or do you judge yourself with a bit more kindness?I didn’t actually think about my workload management. As I said, I’ve seen a stat where from 2010 to 2015 I have played the most number of games in the entire world. So that speaks for itself.I would say the only other regret I have in my career is that I couldn’t achieve the 10,000-run mark. But every other thing, I’ve given my best in every situation. I’ve tried to win games for my country in every situation. Giving 100% to your team in every single game is another thing, so I was wanting to play all three formats and contribute with bat, ball, and in the field, in every single game. I was absolutely going for it.Obviously, I could have done things better. It was in 2018 that I sat down with Dilshan Fonseka (men’s team trainer) and looked at the amount of injuries that I had. He told me that my body couldn’t bear it. So I changed everything – the way I eat, my lifestyle, and my training.The Headingley Test was one of the highlights of Angelo Mathews’ career•AFPWe’ll get to how you changed things up a bit later, but ahead of your final Test, I wanted to also talk to you about what most people remember as maybe your greatest Test innings – the 160 in Headingley. This was at your very peak…That was one of the standouts in my career, I would say. I remember quite a few innings where I was also surprised with how well I batted, and that is definitely one of the innings. That England tour was a very heated competition between the two teams, especially starting from the one-dayers where they were targeting me as the captain. I took that energy and I transferred it into my focus and performances and that helped me play that aggressive sort of cricket. I’m pretty happy with what we did on that tour, as a team, and for me as a cricketer and captain.The young Angelo was very cool, calm and collected. That England tour was when we saw a bit of grumpiness come in…It all started with that mankading incident in the one-dayers. I’d say we’d given them enough warnings, especially in the previous game, where they were stealing quite a few runs. Both teams were grumpy. The laws weren’t that strict [on player behaviour] back then, so we exchanged a lot of words.You were doing a lot of things for this team at the time, though. You were captaining. You were expected to finish games with the bat, but you were also playing match-saving innings. You were opening the bowling in limited-overs games, and also playing a role with the ball in Tests. And you were quite young – did it feel unfair to be loaded with so much responsibility?No, every single captain goes through this. I’ve lost a lot of hair during the tenure. Not many captains have a lot of hair left. Whether you’re captaining Sri Lanka or wherever, there’s always that added responsibility. Everyone is watching you, everyone is waiting to hear from you. So that sometimes can be a bit of a pain, but I enjoyed it. Sometimes I did feel like I wanted to give up. But then I said to myself, ‘You’ve been given this opportunity. Try and take the team to another level.’In 2018, something extremely unusual happened to you. You essentially got called fat by coach Chandika Hathurusingha, in one of the most insulting ways, and you were dropped from the team you had been asked to resume captaincy of. Does that still make you angry?No, I think you shouldn’t be holding on to things. You need to learn to let go. You don’t need to react. I’ve been brought up in a way where my parents and in my school, everyone has taught me to understand and then respect people. Later, things got a bit too ugly. Let’s say, whatever, whoever said about me, I didn’t really care because I know people have their own opinions.Angelo Mathews celebrated his Test hundred at Basin Reserve with a set of push-ups•Getty ImagesBut you did react at the time, and it was putting obvious pressure on you. When you hit a hundred at the Basin Reserve, you did push ups to almost defy the coach who was calling you unfit…Whatever the selectors and the coach decide is out of my control, so I was just trying to control what was in my control. In the heat of the moment, I did some push-ups, and I did react. But I didn’t want to react like that without performing.Another fun little moment came in that 2019 ODI World Cup match against West Indies, when you hadn’t bowled in months, even in the nets, but offered to make up the overs right at the end of the game. And you ended up taking a wicket!chuckles I hadn’t bowled in about six months, but I knew [captain] Dimuth Karunaratne was running out of options because all our top bowlers were finishing their quota of overs. And then I said to Dimuth, bowl our best bowlers for now and try and get this wicket. If in case, if they don’t get out and if you’re stuck with a couple of overs, I can still bowl you those two overs.Unfortunately the quota was finished with our best bowlers, and then I had to eventually roll my arm over. I think the experience paid off. I knew I couldn’t bowl onto Nicholas Pooran’s legs because he was so strong – he was just picking everything up from his legs and hitting it over the boundaries. So I knew that I had to go wider to him, and then I just went wide to him, and he just nicked it.

“Fitness plays a major part nowadays because of the volume of cricket that we play. I understand the value of being fit. I just want to encourage the younger generation to keep pushing.”Angelo Mathews

You’ve also spoken about reorganising your relationship with food around 2018. Is that something you wish you did earlier?I’d say yes, but then all the way until 2018, I was playing all three formats and didn’t really have the opportunity of being able to block out time for just training. You need at least six to eight weeks for that. Once I started getting injured constantly, I thought I needed to slow things down and think of what I actually needed to do rather than just playing. That’s when that meeting with Dilshan happened. I was doing a lot of static training, but needed to change to a lot of functional training. I made that change and feel absolutely brilliant.After being called fat for several years, you’re now posting shirtless mirror selfies with your abs popping in your mid to late 30s. That’s got to feel good…laughs Yes, I’m feeling good. I just want to inspire the younger generation. Fitness plays a major part nowadays because of the volume of cricket that we play. I understand the value of being fit. I just want to encourage the younger generation to keep pushing.We got some very grumpy moments from you late in your career too. I’m thinking of that heated press conference where you went all out against Bangladesh after you got timed out…I think that was one of the times that I did speak quite a lot because I was angry and I felt disappointed. I hadn’t done anything wrong. When I showed the video to the match referee and the umpires post-game, they realised it and said sorry. But that was a very crucial game for us and I felt like I was targeted. I don’t know what prompted them to appeal.I felt that the umpires should have got involved a little bit more. I certainly didn’t cross the two-minute mark when I went to the crease. It was obvious that my helmet broke at the time and not before I walked into the ground. So it was a fair reason for me to get angry.Any Sri Lankan player, and particularly someone who has captained as long as you, has many off-field battles to fight through their career as well. Any battles that stick out?There was one phase where some of the past cricketers were coming out and saying unnecessary stuff [about corruption] without evidence. That really hurt the entire team. You shouldn’t drag the players into it. I just urge them to produce evidence in front of everyone, but don’t just say things for the sake of it, because it tarnishes the team’s reputation. This was around 2018, when the big allegations were happening and the ICC had started an investigation in Sri Lanka, and they went through the entire team. It was a very disturbing thing for everyone.There will always be attempts to topple the administration, and that’s not our business. But they shouldn’t be dragging players into it.Now, there is a bill passed anyway (Sri Lanka has criminalised sports fixing), so if someone talks rubbish we can raise it according to the law. Back then we didn’t have anything.Are you glad that bill has passed?Yes, because it stops the rubbish that people say. If they want to say something and have evidence, then no problem.Moving back to your cricket, are there any parts of your record you look at now and are especially proud of?To finish third on the list of Sri Lanka’s Test run-scorers, behind two of the greatest that have ever played for Sri Lanka (Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene) – that makes me really proud. I know there is regret about 10,000, but I’m happy reaching 8000-odd. Due to injuries I couldn’t play a lot of Test cricket as well. But I’m fortunate that despite that, I was able to play 118 Tests.Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath and Angelo Mathews during a lap of honour after the series win against Australia in 2016•AFPYou had two truly outstanding Test series wins in your record as captain – 2014 series win in England, and the 3-0 home whitewash against Australia in 2016. Were those your favourites?Yeah, they’re my two top ones. Because winning against England in England is a very tough ask.Against Australia, wherever you play, it’s going to be a challenge. We all know that they are a very strong team. And then to beat them 3-0, when they were number one at the time as well, with a young set of guys, was incredible. Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva were performing, and we were able to complete a whitewash with Rangana Herath leading the bowling.I know you’re available for white-ball cricket for a little while, but you must be thinking of post-retirement life. What does that look like for you?I haven’t decided. Cricket has given me everything. I would like to give back in whatever capacity. I’ll still keep playing for a year or two in leagues and other stuff if that comes my way. I feel I can still contribute to the game.I’d also like to thank SLC for all their support from 2008 till now. I’d love to thank the support staff since 2008 as well. A special mention to all the back-room coaches at the high performance centre, and all the other stuff there – the masseurs and masseuses, and the physios – everyone. Day in day out, they have helped me personally, and they have helped the teams, without much recognition. I’d like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the back-end staff at HPC. They’ve worked extremely hard to keep us fit and keep us in good form.

How hard-hitting batter turned to another sport after injury curtailed his rugby career

Matt Roller16-Sep-2025When Ross Adair walks out to open the batting at Malahide on Wednesday he will complete a rare sporting double.The last time Adair pulled on a green Ireland shirt to face England, his opponents included the future England rugby union captain, Maro Itoje; this time, his opposite number at the top of the order will be Jos Buttler. Even if his encounter with Itoje was an Under-19s fixture, he will surely become the only man to have faced both modern English sporting greats in international competition.The prospect of playing against Buttler makes Adair grin. “I’m a 31-year-old man, and I’m trying not to be too excited about this guy – who is not much older than me – coming over to play cricket against me,” he says, sheltering from the wind on the Sport Ireland campus on the outskirts of Dublin. “To be in the presence of someone who’s done so much in the game will be pretty cool.”It is the latest landmark in a second sporting life that Adair himself admits seemed unlikely when he was recovering from the double hip surgeries that effectively ended his rugby career. “That was life’s way of telling me that I was on the wrong path,” he says. “I didn’t expect to be here, if I’m quite honest. It just sort of happened.”Adair and his younger brother, Mark, juggled both sports as teenagers, but went in different directions. “I got to a stage where there was Ulster Under-20s or the Under-19 Cricket World Cup,” he explains. “Ryan Eagleson (now Ireland’s bowling coach) was the Under-19s coach and he left me out… The cricket door closed, the rugby door was open, so away I went.”Primarily a winger, Adair struggled to break into a strong Ulster backline. “The back three when I was there was [Andrew] Trimble, [Jared] Payne and [Tommy] Bowe – effectively a Lions back three.” He made a single substitute appearance at senior level in the Pro12, scoring a try during his seven-minute cameo, before moving onto Jersey Reds in the English Championship.Ross Adair in action for Ulster’s A team during his rugby union career•Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty ImagesCricket went on the backburner. “We played one-hand, one-bounce in the changing rooms. That kept my eye in… I maybe came back and played a couple of games for Holywood, my local club – [Rory] McIlroy territory. But if I’d gone back to Jersey with a broken finger, they’ve have been like, ‘What are you doing?'”By the time a degenerative hip condition prompted two surgeries in early 2018, he had started to fall out of love with rugby. He returned to play for Ballynahinch and for Ulster’s A team, but recalls clearly when he realised it was time to quit: “The ref blew the first whistle, and I was counting 80 minutes down in my head… I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.'”Adair took a job in property development and started to play cricket again on the side – though an Ireland call-up was a long way off his radar: “It was just a bit of for me, a bit of fun.” Runs in club cricket earned him opportunities for Northern Knights in the Irish inter-provincial system – initially at No. 7 or 8 – before he blasted a century from the top of the order in 2022.His first Ireland call-up came on a tour to Zimbabwe, with senior players missing playing franchise cricket, and hitting 65 off 47 in his second cap ensured further opportunities would follow. He ran the drinks at last year’s T20 World Cup but marked his arrival at international level in September, launching nine sixes in a 57-ball hundred against South Africa.A combination of injury, bad weather and Ireland’s sparse fixture list means that he has only batted once since in T20Is, scoring 48 against West Indies in June. “I’ve had to watch the highlights of my hundred a couple of times, just to [remind myself], ‘You can still do this, you’re fine.’ Sometimes you second-guess yourself, but that’s all part of sport. It’s very normal.”By his own admission, Adair is a “raw” batter who relies more on temperament than technique. “I’m just glad I’m not one of the guys that go, ‘My head was a millimetre out of position there.’ You’d go insane… I like going with the flow. I could always strike a cricket ball, but I was just very, very raw. That helped me a lot when I came back.”He finds cricket more “mentally challenging” than rugby, particularly given the high-variance nature of his role as an attacking opener: “You could go five or six games in a row without getting any runs and you think you’re shit, but that’s not the case. There’s a score around the corner… It’s live by the sword, die by the sword. For me, it’s an amazing way to live.”Adair was inspired by England’s record-breaking hitting on Friday night, when they racked up 304 for 2 against South Africa: “That’s my kind of cricket. It always has been: see ball, hit ball.” He saw Phil Salt’s series – a first-baller, followed by an unbeaten 141 off 60 balls – as emblematic of the life of a modern T20 opener. “It’s scary… But that’s just the way it is.”When I went back to cricket, once I finished playing rugby, I could just go back and blast it. I wasn’t worried about the consequences… When it did take off a bit, I was trying to keep that mindset: don’t worry about it. If you get out, you get out. It’s fine. You could be 90 off 40, you could also be 0 off 1… That sense of freedom makes it a bit easier for me.”Related

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• Jordan Cox earns belated call-up for Ireland T20Is

• Ireland call up Calitz for England T20Is; Little, Mark Adair absent with injury

• Saqib Mahmood ruled out of T20Is as Scott Currie earns maiden call-up

He believes there are more transferable skills between cricket and rugby than might be obvious – “being in front of a crowd, blocking out the noise… and I’ve taken a lot of high balls” – and sees T20 as the “closest thing” between the two. “It’s just such a good, explosive, aggressive version of cricket… That’s maybe why I love it the best.”Adair won his first central contract last year, shelving his day job to become a professional cricketer aged 30, and has one eye on next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. “Hopefully with these games coming up, I can put my foot down for that opening role… They’re proper cricketing countries – the people there are mad for it – so it’s a very exciting time.”Facing England will be the biggest challenge of his career so far, but he will not be changing his approach. “I respect them so much because of what they do, and the cricket they play, but you have to park that sometimes… I’ll keep coming and trying to take them on, no matter who they are. I’ll park the respect once it comes to the game.”The two nations’ cricketing rivalry is not as deep as in rugby, but Adair is still “incredibly” excited ahead of Wednesday’s series opener. “I love playing England. I’ve had my experience with England before and even then, as an 18-year-old in the rugby sphere, you just want to get stuck in. It’s a bit different in cricket because it’s not as confrontational – but it still means a lot to us.”

“We have to take responsibility,” Charith Asalanka says of Dasun Shanaka and himself after they fell off back-to-back deliveries at a crucial stage of the game

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Sep-20251:39

What went wrong for Sri Lanka’s batters?

The back-to-back wickets in the eighth over of Sri Lanka’s innings swung this Asia Cup Super Four match towards Pakistan – this was how Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, who was the first of the two batters to be dismissed in that passage, saw it.Sri Lanka had been 58 for 3 after 7.1 overs, when Asalanka was caught at deep square-leg off the bowling of Hussain Talat. Next ball, Dasun Shanaka poked at a delivery in the channel and sent a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Sri Lanka were suddenly five down with more than 60% of the overs remaining. The limped to 133 for 8 in the end.”Although we didn’t get a great start from the openers, at the end of the powerplay we still had 53 runs. We’d lost three wickets, but we were still in a good place, because it’s not easy to score that many in the powerplay,” Asalanka said. “But then myself and Dasun got out off successive deliveries, and that was when the biggest damage was done.Related

• Abrarcadabra – the four-over spell that left Sri Lanka stupefied

• Talat: Middle-order batting the hardest job in T20s

• Nawaz and Talat trump Sri Lanka in nervy chase

“Neither Dasun or I were going for big shots when we got out. I was trying to put the ball into a gap, but ended up top-edging it. Dasun also played a normal shot first up. But we have to take responsibility.”That Sri Lanka managed to have something to bowl at was down to Kamindu Mendis, who hit 50 off 44 balls, with support from Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne.”We lost five wickets in the first half of our innings, and against these kinds of teams it’s really hard to come back from that,” Asalanka said. “Kamindu and the others fought hard, but Wanindu also got out at a bad time, when it had felt like we could get to 150. In the end it was not enough.”Sri Lanka are very nearly out of the tournament now, having suffered two big losses in the Super Four stage. They had strengthened their bowling for this match, dropping Kamil Mishara for Karunaratne. Asalanka identified balancing his team as perhaps the primary problem facing Sri Lanka ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.”We’ve had lots of issues with our combinations, and that’s something we have to get right ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We tried going with an extra bowler today, but we lost a specialist batsman because of that, and didn’t score the runs we needed. Other times we’ve played an extra batsman and couldn’t defend a score with the ball.”We need to figure out how to consistently score 180 to 200, and also how to use the part-time bowlers – myself, Dasun, Kamindu Mendis – better. Those are things we need to improve in the future.”

Leeds United are back in action in the Premier League this weekend for the last time before the last international break of 2025 as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The Whites were beaten 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion on their travels last time out in the top-flight, in what was the latest in a string of dismal away performances.

As you can see in the table above, Daniel Farke’s side have struggled badly on the road in the Premier League so far this season, with three points from five matches.

Their only win away from Elland Road came against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have no wins, two draws, and eight defeats in their ten matches home and away this term.

Leeds will, therefore, need to step up and improve on the majority of their performances away from home in the division if they want to pick up any points against the Tricky Trees on Sunday.

Nottingham Forest, who are currently managed by Sean Dyche, have plenty of talented players who could cause the Whites problems if they are not at their best.

The Forest players Leeds have to be wary of

The Europa League outfit have a plethora of expensive attacking players who could test Lucas Perri in the Leeds goal if they get past the likes of Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol.

Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Elliot Anderson, the list goes on. Dyche has so many talented players at his disposal.

Hutchinson cost £37.5m, Anderson cost £35m, and Ndoye cost £34m. That is just a taste of the kind of spending power that they have been able to flex in recent seasons to build an exciting squad.

As you can see in the table above, Leeds will need to be wary of Jesus and Gibbs-White, in particular, whilst former Whites centre-forward Chris Wood is currently out through injury.

Gibbs-White has provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Tricky Trees in all competitions this season, after a return of seven goals and eight assists in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.

The England international did, however, miss a penalty in Forest’s 0-0 draw with Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday night, which could knock his confidence ahead of their clash with Leeds on Sunday.

Whilst the Championship champions need to be wary of the former Wolves star, Farke could unleash his own version of Gibbs-White by dropping Ao Tanaka from the starting line-up.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Japan international started the 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out and should be dropped to allow German central midfielder Anton Stach to return to the side, to provide a threat at the top end of the pitch.

Why Leeds should drop Ao Tanaka for Anton Stach

Per Sofascore, the Japanese midfielder did not register a single shot, key pass, or ‘big chance’ created against Brighton, which shows that he did not have any positive impact in the final third.

On top of his failure to provide quality in possession, Tanaka also failed to win a single tackle and only won one duel in 61 minutes on the pitch for the Whites, as he offered little to the side as a defensive or physical presence.

The former Fortuna Düsseldorf star has no goals, no assists, and no ‘big chances’ created in eight appearances and four starts in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, which does not suggest that he is likely to cause Forest too many problems on Sunday.

Stach, on the other hand, has shown that he can provide moments of quality at the top end of the pitch that can win points for his side, when he is at his best.

In fact, the summer signing from Hoffenheim scored in the club’s only away win in the Premier League this season, with a stunning free-kick against Wolves in the Midlands.

Stach also came off the bench against Brighton and won four of his four duels and completed both of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore, in just 30 minutes on the pitch, which suggests that he may be ready to come back into the starting line-up after such a bright cameo.

The towering central midfielder may not be a diminutive style of playmaker like Gibbs-White, but their respective performances this season suggest that he can be Leeds United’s own version of the Forest star.

As you can see in the table above, the Whites star has been even more creative than Gibbs-White, with 0.5 more key passes per game, whilst scoring as many goals from less xG in the Premier League.

Stach, who was once hailed as “underrated” by writer Bence Bocsák, and Gibbs-White are both midfield players who can make an impact in the final third as scorers and creators, which is why they are difference-makers for their respective teams.

Tanaka, unfortunately, has yet to prove that he can be a difference-maker at Premier League level, with no goal contributions this season, which is why he should be the man to drop out of the XI to bring the German back into the side to face Forest this weekend.

Farke can get DCL firing by ditching Aaronson for "unstoppable" Leeds star

Daniel Farke can finally get Dominic Calvert-Lewin firing at Leeds United by unleashing this speedy winger.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 6, 2025

Hopefully, if Stach returns to the team, he can shine and outperform Gibbs-White to help the Whites to their second win on the road in the division this term.

Veteran Thomas Muller, who joined Major League Soccer outfit Vancouver Whitecaps just months ago, has given a clear indication of where his future lies, with his contract expiring at the end of this year. The legendary former Bayern Munich attacking midfielder has made a great start to life in North America and is determined to bring unprecedented success at the BC Place.

• Muller enjoying sensational start to life with Vancouver Whitecaps

  After his contract with Bayern Munich expired following their quarter-final exit at the Club World Cup, Muller decided to join Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Vancouver Whitecaps on a deal until December 31, 2025. The contract includes an option to extend for the entirety of 2026.

  Less than two months after arriving from Bavaria, Muller landed his hands on the Canadian Championship, with the Whitecaps beating local rivals Vancouver FC 4-2 in the final. In the process, he became the most decorated German footballer of all-time with 35 trophies to his name, overtaking former Bayern team-mate and Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos.

  Muller has been in pristine form as far as his individual performances are concerned; in 10 games, the 2014 World Cup winner has scored nine goals and delivered four assists.

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  Muller set to extend Vancouver Whitecaps stay

  "Yes – full attack", the German enthusiastically replied when asked him if he'd be staying in Vancouver beyond 2025.

  The Whitecaps will be facing rivals Los Angeles FC in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference semi-finals this weekend. "In the current context, it would mean a great deal; it's my here and now," Muller conceded when asked about the importance of winning more titles. "Above all, I've moved to a new league and a new country and would then have experienced an extraordinary team performance within a short period of time.

  "Consequently, I can say that I am very happy here and am having a lot of fun. But it is of course much more relaxed than in Munich or the rest of Germany."

  He also noted that he didn't join the Whitecaps for "vacation", asserting that he is not taking his stint in the MLS for granted. "It was very easy to jump in, they put me in good positions,” he said. “They won a penalty for me in every game. For sure you have to be ready for the competition but I was not coming here for vacation, I wanted to do a serious job and that was always my goal when I came here that I wanted to perform.

  “But you never know in a different country, a new league and a new team how long this process will last till you’re a real part of the team. In the end I’ve always been able to adapt to a situation really quickly, I've adjusted my playing style in tiny ways so often. It’s nothing special.”

• Bayern president wants Muller to return in operation role

  Earlier this month, Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed that he held talks with Muller regarding a potential operational role at the club in the future after his exit was finalised. "After his departure was confirmed, Thomas Muller came to my office. I advised him in a personal conversation that if he later wanted a job in sports, he should move to MLS," he told

  "He can work operationally for us. He can become a brand ambassador. He could even succeed me one day. It is the wish of the fans and the club that former players take on a leadership role at Bayern Munich."

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  Muller confident of beating LAFC in MLS Conference Semi-Finals

  This Sunday, Vancouver Whitecaps will lock horns against Son Heung-min's LAFC in the Conference semi-finals. However, Muller was quick to remind fans that Son has never been able to get the better of him.

  "The problem is Sonny was a very good player in Hamburg and Leverkusen, but the teams weren't on the same level," he jokingly explained. "It’s maybe not really fair to judge or compare the situation now. We’re in two very good teams and he’s a big player there and I’m a big player there so it’s a little bit different.

  “When he was in Hamburg, whenever we came with Bayern at that time we crushed them every time, I think we had 8-2s or 9-1s, but he was still a very good, talented young player at this time, so it’s not the right discussion to look too far back.

  “If you go into the details for sure we know how good this team can be. But if you look back at the last few weeks they’re very reliant on [Denis] Bouanga and Son so if they’re not scoring they don’t score. It’s very tough to keep these two quiet, but if we get it done we have a good chance. For me, it's just my first conference semi-final. We’re gonna beat them – that's what I think about this game."