Category Uncategorized

Last October I was lucky enough to visit Stamford Bridge and bask in the unfamiliar glow of football’s elite, as Chelsea cruised to a 4-1 demolition of Norwich City. These were certainly happier times for Blues fans, but that didn’t mean the team and indeed the manager were devoid of criticism.

As Grant Holt fired in the opening goal of the game, the crowd reacted as if he’d just consigned the club to relegation. A cascade of abuse broke the initial wave of silence, which was a strange response considering Chelsea had been in complete control and were surely only moments away from finding an equaliser.

Now, before I attract the same batch of insults, I remain convinced this is a familiar theme right across the Premier League, especially among fans that are accustomed to success. However, it does strike me that an overwhelming number of people demand perfection as standard and therefore place their expectations on an unattainable plinth.

It stands to good reason that once you’ve witnessed something utterly incredible, take Arsenal’s invincible season or Chelsea’s Champions League triumph, it’s almost impossible for anything else to resemble that same euphoric feeling. Of course, no one expected Arsenal’s silverware drought to last this long or Chelsea to crash out in this year’s group stages, but it’s not unusual for surreal highs to be swiftly followed by all-time lows.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/time-for-chelsea-and-liverpool-to-admit-their-mistake,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/what-is-the-priority-for-west-ham-fans,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-15-players-likely-to-be-on-the-premier-leagues-transfer-shortlist?source=widget” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

In the past, Liverpool fans have found themselves tainted with a reputation for harbouring unrealistic expectations, thanks largely to their decorated history. Gerard Houllier has even previously claimed their craving for former glories has mutated into an unrelenting obsession.

“There is too much expectation at Liverpool – they expect you to win the Champions League every year.

But the obsession is the league. Rafa finished second and I finished second once but, for all the cups we won, they wanted us to win the league.” (This Is Anfield)

Things do appear different on Merseyside these days, with fans now relaxed and composed, much like the patient build-up play installed under Brendan Rodgers. However, this also demostrates that winning on its own simply isn’t enough anymore, you have to win with style. Barcelona and indeed Spain have set standards at a worryingly high level, with scores of supporters oozing with jealousy as their own team struggles to replicate the same precision passing.

Perhaps fans are fully justified to expect more with each passing year. As ticket prices continue to soar it’s only fair to request that the enjoyment factor of watching football improves as well. It’s natural to expect world records to be smashed every four years at the Olympics, because it is advertised as the pinnacle of physical and mental strength. But if the Premier League wants to merit its title as the best in the world, surely it has to display a similar level of progression?

As a fan of Crystal Palace, I have experienced my fair share of elation and misery. We are the clichéd ‘yo-yo’ club, having been relegated a record four times after achieving promotion to the Premier League. We’ve endured administration on two separate occasions and repeatedly witnessed our most talented prospects poached by clubs with a bigger bank balance.

However, I feel eternally grateful that I get to watch my team on a weekly basis, having nearly faded from existence almost three years ago. The club may sit second in the table at the moment, but I won’t be calling for Ian Holloway’s head should the club fail to gain passage to the top flight.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

I find an increasing number of supporters take their club for granted and I almost pity the likes of Manchester United, because they are unlikely to ever experience the joy of snatching an unlikely last-minute equaliser, against a distinctly superior team. Likewise, now Manchester City have won their first title in 44 years, anything less this season – especially at the hands of Manchester United – will be considered a failure.

Many of you may argue that it’s the new breed of football owners that expect too much, unwilling to share the same tolerance levels as a lifelong supporter. However, when results go awry on the pitch, it is the reverberation of boos around the stadium that prompts the chairman to wield his axe. Unless you’re Roman Ambramovich of course, but no one appears capable of living up to his expectations.

Does the modern football fan expect too much? Leave your thoughts below.

[ad_pod id=’ipad’ align=’center’]

South African returns from Test duty with a bang to reignite Northamptonshire’s Blast hopes

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jul-2025Matt Breetzke blazed 93 off 45 balls, just one short of his highest T20 score, to reignite Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ Vitality Blast campaign by setting up a 13-win over bottom-placed Derbyshire.The victory puts the Steelbacks’ quest for qualification back on track, after they lost their previous five games, following six straight wins at the start of the tournament.Back from Test duty with South Africa, Breetzke adjusted instantly to the change of format, setting the pace with nine fours and five sixes in a partnership of 125 in 10.4 overs with skipper David Willey who made 53 off 33 deliveries (six fours, two sixes).With Saif Zaib also making an unbeaten 53 from 20 balls (three fours, four sixes), Northamptonshire finished with 237 for four, equalling their highest ever T20 score scored away against Yorkshire earlier this season.Derbyshire looked on course to chase down the target and post their highest ever T20 total. In a display of ferocious hitting, Aneurin Donald smashed 71 off just 22 balls (eight fours, six sixes) in a blistering opening stand worth 112 in just 7.4 overs with Caleb Jewell (39). But Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope made the crucial double breakthrough, removing both Donald and Jewell in his opening over. George Scrimshaw then struck twice in his second over to further arrest Derbyshire’s hopes.The match saw the highest aggregate score between these two sides in T20 cricket.Earlier, Allah Ghazanfar trapped Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw and almost picked up Breetzke but shelled a simple return catch. The South African responded by pulling Aitchison for six and taking three consecutive boundaries off Zak Chappell as Northamptonshire finished the powerplay on 51 for one.Breetzke progressed to his half-century off just 24 deliveries, pummelling Alex Thomson through extra cover before dispatching consecutive sixes.Willey got into the groove too, hitting Aitchison over his head before running a single to bring up the Steelbacks’ 100 at the end of the tenth over. Breetzke then flat-batted Ghazanfar straight for six to bring up the 100 partnership off 54 balls. Later in the over, Derbyshire incurred five penalty runs for a Level 2 disciplinary offence when Ghazanfar threw the ball in what was deemed an inappropriate or dangerous manner.Willey hit Samit Patel for consecutive straight sixes before he was caught in the deep. Such was their rate of acceleration, he and Breetzke had added 81 in the previous six overs.Zaib made a blistering start, clubbing Patel down the ground and sweeping for six. Meanwhile Breetzke paddled Aitchison round the corner for a huge six, but fell next ball, edging behind. The 200 came up courtesy of four overthrows, while Zaib continued his assault.Donald struck five boundaries off Willey’s opening over in the chase. He attacked Scrimshaw too, the former Derbyshire man leaking 24 off his opening over, Donald sending one ball sailing over fine leg for six, Derbyshire reaching 50 off just 19 balls.Jewell went after left-arm spinner Zaib too, sweeping him for six. But Northamptonshire missed a tough chance to remove Donald on 41 when keeper Lewis McManus slipped attempting a catch off a skier.Donald pulled Willey for six to close out the powerplay at 85 without loss before bludgeoning consecutive sixes off Luke Procter to reach his half-century and Derbyshire’s 100.But Pope’s double-wicket strike lifted the spirits of the home fans, as first Jewell was trapped lbw before Donald was caught behind chasing a wide one. Scrimshaw then struck twice in the 11th over, having Ross Whiteley caught at mid-on and bowling Martin Andersson.Wayne Masden (29) and Harry Came (35*) continued to attack before Masden holed out in the deep off Procter. While Northamptonshire shelled other chances, McManus made no mistake in the final over, catching Patel off a skier, off Procter’s bowling.

New Zealand had started the fourth day with hope but that soon evaporated once the offspinner got to work

Tristan Lavalette03-Mar-20242:54

How Lyon and Co made it six out of six for Australia on NZ soil

Nathan Lyon crushed New Zealand’s hopes early on day four to complete a 10-wicket match haul as Australia recorded a convincing 172-run first Test victory at the Basin Reserve.After a stirring fightback on day three, New Zealand resumed at 111 for 3 as they eyed the daunting target of 369 with a near capacity crowd hopeful of a rearguard.But after a sedate start, with the surface appearing to be playing a little easier than the opening three days, Lyon claimed the wickets of Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips in two overs to effectively end New Zealand’s resistance.Watching wickets tumble at the other end, Daryl Mitchell held firm in vain and was the last batter dismissed for 38 off 130 balls.On a surface that turned and bounced sharply, Lyon always loomed large and once again he was Australia’s match-winner to finish with 6 for 65 and match figures of 10-108. It was the first 10-wicket haul by a spinner in New Zealand since 2006.Lyon, who also top-scored in Australia’s second innings with 41, was the standout performer alongside Cameron Green, whose masterful unbeaten 174 in the first innings was remarkable on a bowler-friendly surface. It was just the fifth Test match where 13 bowlers took a wicket and the first since 1966.With just one Test victory over Australia since 1993, New Zealand’s misery continued having struggled to muster much resistance with the bat after being bowled out for under 200 runs in both innings.After starting well having sent Australia in, New Zealand rued a wayward bowling effort where they watched helplessly as Green and Josh Hazlewood combined for a record 116-run last-wicket partnership. New Zealand also were left to lament not selecting frontline spinner Mitchell Santner as the surface increasingly offered bite as the match wore on.New Zealand’s capitulation early on day four was an anti-climax after an impressive fightback gave them some belief. But New Zealand needed to rewrite the record books if they were to take the lead in this series with their highest successful fourth-innings run chase being 324 against Pakistan at Christchurch in 1994.Needing a further 258 runs, there were no alarms in the first 30 minutes for Ravindra and Mitchell, who had combined for a calm half-century partnership late on day three.Cameron Green added his name to the wicket taking•Getty Images

They defended well and looked to be proactive although it almost proved their undoing when they took off for a tight single with Mitchell relieved after Marnus Labuschagne’s shy at the stumps missed.Having played watchfully late on day three given the precarious situation, Mitchell started to show glimpses of his innate aggressiveness when on his 82nd delivery he hit his first boundary of the innings after slashing a short delivery from Mitchell Starc.After flowing to a fifty off 77 balls before the close, Ravindra was shackled and started to look anxious in his bid for runs. Australia sensed this and packed the off-side field as Lyon changed to the southern end of the ground.It did the trick with Ravindra falling for the trap as he miss-hit a cut shot to point to trigger a collapse. Later in the over, Lyon dismissed Blundell for a duck after he tentatively pressed forward and inside edged to short-leg much like his soft dismissal in the first innings.New Zealand’s hopes entirely rested on Mitchell and Phillips, who had been their star in this match with a 70-ball 71 in the first inning before claiming his first five-wicket Test haul in Australia’s second innings.But Phillips was no match for Lyon after being trapped lbw on the back foot as he reviewed unsuccessfully. It was Lyon’s first five-wicket haul in New Zealand as he joined Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralidaran as the only bowlers to have reached that feat in nine countries.After his marathon knock, Green had not bowled in the match until day four and showed off his prowess with the ball as he delivered a brute of a delivery that ballooned off the gloves of Scott Kuggeleijn to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.Green’s wicket meant seven Australian bowlers took wickets for the match, which was the most for them since 2012 against West Indies in Roseau.Fittingly, given their heroic performances, Green, Lyon and Hazlewood claimed the final wickets as Australia’s stranglehold over New Zealand continued.

Both teams will be hurting from their early exit in the tournament, with little but pride and game time to be accrued on Thursday

Shashank Kishore07-Sep-2022

Big Picture

It’s a dead game as far as the tournament goes but try telling that to India and Afghanistan – both hurting after a series of heartbreaking losses. Now, before they hop on an early flight home, there’s pride and some game time to accrue as they build towards the T20 World Cup.Surely neither side would’ve thought this game would decide who finishes last in the Super 4s. So much for the general assumption and hype surrounding India vs Pakistan and their “three-match series.”The clash will be particularly tough for Afghanistan for obvious reasons. Physically, the heat and humidity would’ve taken its toll on the players because they will have to turn up fresh less than 18 hours after their potboiler against Pakistan in Sharjah. That isn’t all. There’s also a matter of trying to lift themselves mentally and emotionally after Wednesday’s heartbreak.Related

• Rishabh Pant: calculative and effective in Tests, unorthodox and out of breath in T20s

• Shastri: 'Mohammed Shami sitting at home and cooling his heels baffles me'

• Rohit ready to take losses in stride with T20 World Cup in mind

As such, international cricket can be demanding, but their scheduling, in these oppressive conditions, has been anything but kind. But it’s likely Afghanistan, who’ve seen far worse in life and otherwise, will turn up and try to give India a run for their money.It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that victory by no means is a formality for India. They will still have to turn up and fight for every run, every wicket. It’s a reality check for them even as they grapple with selection challenges and template changes looking ahead to the World Cup. Against a world-class spin attack that can challenge the best in the world, this will be another big test.Afghanistan have twice lost games they have been in control of and will have another opportunity to fight jangling nerves to close out games. It’s just a question of trying to go a step further. Either way, expect an engaging contest with no clear favourite for this one.

Form guide

India: LLWWW (win-loss in last five games, most recent first)
Afghanistan: WLWWL

In the spotlight

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had two poor outings, especially in the death overs. He’s been tasked with the tough penultimate overs, both against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They’ve costed 19 and 14 respectively. This meant young Arshdeep Singh had six to defend off the final over in both games. Bhuvneshwar will be hoping this slight dip is momentary, for India have the returning Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, and possibly Deepak Chahar, waiting to have a crack at opponents in Australia. Among them, it’s Bhuvneshwar’s tussle with Chahar that is like-for-like, given they’re both swing bowlers. Bhuvneshwar has the backing of Rohit Sharma and the team management, but there’s nothing like a good performance under your belt to make the world better again.Mujeeb Ur Rahman seemed to have lost a bit of his sting and X-factor due to form and injury concerns, leading to his T20 stocks taking a dip. But solid performances so far in the Asia Cup have helped him return as one of Afghanistan’s premier spinners alongside Rashid Khan in their first XI. He has so far picked up seven wickets in four games at an economy of 5.12 in the tournament. He’s been so good that Afghanistan have had to keep out Qais Ahmed, because they also have a third spin option in captain Mohammad Nabi. Mujeeb and Afghanistan will hope this surge continues leading into Australia.

Pitch and conditions

Surfaces are slowly losing sheen, and it’s becoming more helpful for the bowlers, especially if they’re prepared to dig it in. However, the same surfaces seem to get just a tad quicker at night, making it easy for the chasing team despite the absence of dew. Only two of the 19 games have been won by the team batting first since January 2020 here. That’s quite a damming statistic for the team losing the toss, because captains invariably choose to bowl first. Weather-wise, it’ll continue to remain hot and muggy, although the temperatures have dipped just a touch in the evening. From early 40s, we’re down to the late 30s (Celsius) at night.

Team news

Deepak Chahar was officially drafted into the squad on the eve of the game, replacing the ill Avesh Khan. Chahar has been a regular feature at training, and bowled full-tilt prior to the start of the Sri Lanka game. They could also bring in Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel for Rishabh Pant Deepak Hooda.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 R Ashwin/Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Arshdeep SinghAfghanistan will have a tough call, depending on how the players pull up following their game against Pakistan.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Karim Janat, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Stats and trivia

Prior to Wednesday’s game, Rashid had picked up only 13 wickets in 13 T20Is played this year. However, he’s been economical, conceding 6.26 runs per over.

In the last 10 T20Is where India batted first, they have won on each of the six occasions where they’ve made 185 or more. They’ve failed to defend in three of the four games where they’ve fallen short of this score.

Indian pacers have picked up only three wickets in the powerplay overs in this Asia Cup, averaging 58.66 at an economy rate of 8.06.

Somerset concede first-innings deficit of 89 but hit back to dismiss visitors cheaply

ECB Reporters' Network01-May-2021Craig Overton and Josh Davey sparked a dramatic Somerset resurgence on the third day of the LV= County Championship match with Middlesex at the Cooper Associates County Ground.When the home side could add only 90 to their overnight score of 178 for 4, Steve Finn finishing with 5 for 77, they conceded a first-innings lead of 89 runs. But Overton, with 5 for 34, and Davey, 3 for 28, skittled Middlesex for just 117 in their second innings, leaving a victory target of 207. By the close, the hosts had posted 104 for 4, with skipper Tom Abell unbeaten on 43.Related

• Kemar Roach eight-for consigns Hampshire to heavy first defeat of season

• Chris Wright seven-for keeps Leicestershire in victory pursuit

• Mitchell, D'Oliveira, Fell marshall Worcestershire roadblock

At the start of the day, Somerset were forced to call Jack Brooks into their team as a Covid replacement for Lewis Gregory.Bartlett and Lewis Goldsworthy extended their fifth-wicket stand in Somerset’s first innings to 90 before Tom Helm had Goldsworthy caught behind for 39. Bartlett went to fifty, off 107 balls, with 10 fours, but fell to Helm on 55, nicking a drive to wicketkeeper John Simpson.Steve Davies was caught at backward point off Finn, who struck again when Davey clipped a leg-side delivery to fine leg where Helm took the catch.Overton played sensibly for his unbeaten 38, receiving good support from Jack Leach in a ninth-wicket stand of 39. But Finn forced Leach, on 16, to fend a catch to short leg and Brooks quickly fell to the second new ball, taken by Tim Murtagh.The afternoon session began with Middlesex 11 without loss. Sam Robson and Max Holden took the score to 44 before a brilliant Tom Banton catch at backward point in Davey’s first over saw Robson depart for 18. Nick Gubbins was dropped by James Hildreth at first slip in the same over. But soon it was 48 for 2 as Holden edged Overton through to Steve Davies.The Somerset wicketkeeper held another catch when Peter Handscombe feathered an Abell outswinger and notched his 600th first class victim when Gubbins chased a wide ball from Davey.The probing Davey then had Simpson taken at third slip by Abell before Martin Andersson was caught and bowled off a leading edge by Overton. When Robbie White was pinned lbw on the back foot by Overton, the visitors had lost seven wickets for 38 runs. At tea, they were 85 for 7 and led by 174.Overton struck twice more in the final session for well-deserved match figures of 8 for 94 and Somerset looked favourites.An absorbing match took another twist when Murtagh bowled Banton with the first ball of Somerset’s second innings and then trapped Tom Lammonby lbw for 9. But Abell and Hildreth prospered in the early evening sunshine, Hildreth looking in prime form until falling to Andersson for 43 after a stand of 78, before nightwatchman Leach departed to the final ball of the day.

South Africa captain expects to stay on until end of West Indies series in July

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth20-Jan-2020Faf du Plessis has admitted that the fourth Test of the series against England at the Wanderers could be his last on home soil.South Africa’s recent returns, du Plessis age and form, and the upcoming schedule present three compelling reasons for du Plessis to sign off next week.His team have lost seven of their last eight Tests, du Plessis is 35, has not scored a century in more than a year and averages 21.25 in 12 innings since October 2019.South Africa play only two Tests in the winter, against West Indies, before the T20 World Cup, which du Plessis has indicated will be a swansong. Asked if the fourth Test could be his final one at home, in the aftermath of a defeat which has made a series win impossible, du Plessis said: “Yes, most definitely, it is a possibility.”But du Plessis stressed that he remains committed to seeing out this series and guiding South Africa through their transition.”What I didn’t want to do is make a decision on emotion or where we are as a team,” he said. “It’s just about trying to be the strongest leader that I can be for the team. For now, that’s committing to this series. The worst thing a leader can do is pull the plug mid-series and say, ‘Sorry boys, I am out. I’ve had enough.’ I don’t think that’s what’s leadership is about. You have to stick through the tough times as well. After the T20 World Cup, I will reassess where I am.”There isn’t a lot of Test cricket left this year. There’s one massive Test where we need everyone to be as strong as possible to try and draw the series. After that, there is quite a big gap and there is an opportunity then to release some of the captaincy when it comes to giving guys opportunities especially in one-day cricket.”ALSO READ: One good morning can’t erase four bad onesDu Plessis is expected to relinquish the one-day captaincy as early as Tuesday, when South Africa name their squad to play England in three matches, starting on February 4. What is less clear is whether du Plessis wants to continue playing fifty-over cricket at all, after he noted that his white-ball numbers are better than his red-ball statistics.”If I am brutally honest with myself, at the moment white-ball cricket is where I am most successful. In one-day cricket, my stats are up there with the best in the world. In T20 cricket, my stats are up there, but at the moment in Test cricket, my stats are not where they need to be.”Du Plessis averages 47.47 in ODIs, compared with 40.23 in Tests. Du Plessis’ ODI average is the third-highest of any South African, eclipsed only by AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. He is also South Africa’s third-highest all-time T20 run-scorer. He considers his Test average as “not meeting the standards at the moment,” even though he recognised that his strength in the format lies in his ability to perform well under pressure.Now, South African cricket is in the midst of its most serious crisis, post-readmission. The administrative upheaval in the last few months, coupled with the team’s decline, means that South Africa are in possibly the worst shape since 1991. And that’s exactly why du Plessis wants to stay on, for now.”If you leave the team when they need you most, that’s not my style,” he said. “One thing that I’ve always shown is that I have been under pressure a lot of times as a player and I’ve come through those times. In tough circumstances, I’ve played my best innings. I think that speaks for itself.”I can’t leave the team when they need me most, as one of the leaders in the team. We are in a transition, but I can’t do it forever and it has been chipping away. For now, it’s what we need. I think it will make it worse if I say I’m out.”Du Plessis acknowledged that recent controversies – including the social media storm that has erupted over the dropping of Temba Bavuma – have taken their toll on him. “I try to block it out. As one should do. But, obviously, myself and everyone else are not robots. So it does get to you,” du Plessis said. “It’s about trying to be as mentally strong as I can and try to block out all the noise.”He also sees the value in this experience, both for himself and others around him. “It’s a character builder, you try and make sure you learn about yourself even in the toughest of times so you can be strong for someone else. You might go through it yourself but someone else might see something through you that they can learn from in the future. It’s a tough time but there is no running away from it. There’s no escape. I am the leader of the team. It comes with the job description.”With that, du Plessis reminded everyone of the task that lies ahead of him in the next week. South Africa must win at the Wanderers to ensure they don’t lose a third series in succession and fall further into the mire. On what has always been a pitch with assistance for bowlers, that means South Africa have to bat well and for that to happen, they need their senior-most players to stand up. Du Plessis knows that includes him, in a big way.”For me now it’s to be as mentally strong as possible because we need our leaders, our senior players in the team,” he said. “We need to be strong. It’s a tough time for all of us and we need to make sure we fight. Personally, from a runs point of view, I am not up to the level that I should be but I still have a huge role to play as a captain to make sure I lift these guys up to win a Test match in the next game.”

Captain’s brilliant second-innings hundred helps carry England into a position of authority on the third day

Andrew Miller16-Nov-2018Joe Root said that he had batted like a “reverse swan” – visibly frantic but internally calm – after his brilliant second-innings hundred had helped carry England into a position of authority on the third day at Pallekele.Root made 124 from 146 balls, with ten fours and two sixes, as England reached 324 for 9 before rain brought about an early finish. It was his 15th Test century, and one of his best yet, as it helped to build a lead of 278 – a priceless advantage going into the fourth innings on a spinning deck.”To start I felt a bit all over the place, a bit hectic,” Root told Sky Sports. “I was like a reverse swan – I felt quite calm underneath but the legs were flapping on the outside.”It was just about trying to get the bowlers to bowl in the areas you want to, take a few risks early, and get used to how the surface is playing.

Root disappointed by dissent charge

Joe Root believes he was harshly treated in being charged with dissent following his reaction to a not-out appeal on the second day, but accepts that the umpires have a “duty of care” towards the game.
“We talked it through afterwards,” he said. “You don’t want to take emotion completely out of the game but you have to make sure that the respect for the game is there, definitely.
“I was accused of showing dissent. I was more frustrated that things weren’t going in our favour. I understand that it’s more of how it’s perceived and how it looks.
“I made it very clear that that wasn’t the case towards the umpire. But I understand there are certain things in place. They’re trying to do a duty of care to look after Test cricket and make sure it is seen to be played in the right manner. I definitely didn’t do that and they understand that and respect that.”

“Once I’d got to about 20-odd, and got a few boundaries away, I felt I was picking the lengths in terms of sweeping. It made things a lot easier, and I was able to start working out a really good method on that surface.”Root’s methods were a continuation of England’s unconventional approach to Asian conditions – having been guilty of dying wondering on their more recent visits to the subcontinent, most notably during their 4-0 defeat in India two years ago, they have resolved on this trip to keep the runs coming instead of waiting for the unplayable ball to send them on the way.”Those are the guys’ natural games,” he said. “You’ve got to play to your advantage, and we’ve certainly done that throughout this tour with the bat.””The guys have not been shy of experimenting. They’ve been trying to develop themselves and with that it gives the team a better opportunity to score on a wide range of circumstances. Even when we lost wickets in a cluster, we still managed to score at 4.5/5 an over at times. It felt at no point were we under real big amounts of pressure, we were exerting it back on to them.”Root admitted that calculated risks had been one aspect of England’s play, but said that there had been moments when run-scoring was a obvious option that stone-walled defence.”You try to play it on the line,” he said. “a left-arm spinner bowling outside off stump, you might want to sweep. It’s free shot, it’s not going to hit the stumps or get you lbw, so it might be a better option than playing from the straight.”Similarly for the offspinners, you want to mess around with the lines and which areas are best for them to bowl at. You play little individual games, you and your partner at the other end, and the best thing about it was that we kept the board going at a really good rate, which was credit to the guys to come out and play that way.”We’re not going to get it right all the time but we’ve given ourselves a chance in this game,” he said. “And if we bowl well on this surface we’ll hopefully create at least ten chances.”Root paid particular tribute to Rory Burns, who made his first Test half-century at the top of the order, and set the tone for England’s approach in spite of the early loss of the nightwatchman, Jack Leach.”Losing Leach early, we had a bit of a deficit so there was the temptation to go into our shells, but the guys played with freedom, good courage, but with respect to some good balls out there as well.”Burns came out to bat with calmness, in control of what he’s trying to do, he was unflappable if you like. When you watch him bat, he has everything there to go on and have a really good Test career.”The overnight rain threatens to add an extra layer of intrigue to Sri Lanka’s run-chase, as and when it gets underway at the fall of England’s final wicket.”It’ll be interesting to see how the pitch plays with this amount of rain tonight,” said Root. “If it tacks it up and makes it spin a bit more, or holds it together a bit better. The most important thing is that we recognise what it’s going to be like and adapt very quickly.”We may have over-attacked with some of the fields in the first innings, we saw it spin and got a bit giddy, myself in particular, but it might just be that we have to hold a bit longer, be a bit more patient and hit the stumps more often.”

Northamptonshire ended Leicestershire’s 100 per cent record in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast with a two-run Duckworth/Lewis win at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network21-Jul-2017
Rob Keogh was influential in Northants’ win [file picture]•Getty Images

Northamptonshire ended Leicestershire’s 100 per cent record in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast with a two-run Duckworth/Lewis win at Grace Road.The Foxes, batting second, had only themselves to blame, having been ahead of the D/L calculation for much of their reply after the Steelbacks had scored 165 for 8 on a hard and true pitch.Northants were indebted to a partnership of 75 between captain Alex Wakely and Rob Keogh, who came together after Richard Levi was well caught low down at deep square-leg by Dieter Klein off Gavin Griffiths for 41, leaving the score at 68 for 4 in the 10th over.But Wakely and Keogh kept the scoreboard moving, the former hitting consecutive boundaries off Klein before 21 came from the 17th over, bowled by Mat Pillans.Both bowlers came back strongly, Pillans knocking back Wakely’s leg stump as he stepped to the offside and tried to lift the ball over short fine-leg, and then Klein picking up the wickets of Steven Crook and Rory Kleinveldt with consecutive deliveries to restrict the Foxes’ target to under 170.They were given a good start by Luke Ronchi and Cameron Delport, who added 45 for the first wicket before the New Zealander steered Ben Sanderson to backward point, where Ben Duckett took a smart two-handed catch.Off-spinner Keogh bowled Delport for 30, but Mark Cosgrove, who was particularly severe on left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, hit 41 off just 26 balls to leave the Foxes in control.Leicestershire were still ahead on D/L when the Australian was bowled swinging across the line at Kleinveldt.But neither Colin Ackermann and Mark Pettini were able to get the ball to the boundary before umpires Steve O’Shaughnessy and Ian Blackwell took the players from the field, with the home team having fallen fractionally behind the required rate.

Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were quite a few areas of concern after the team’s second defeat in a row at home

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot04-May-2016Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge has admitted there were “quite a few areas of concern” after the team’s second defeat in a row at home. According to Hodge, losing wickets in clumps in the Powerplay – they lost three wickets in eight balls and tottered at 24 for 3 after four overs – for the second successive match was a major factor behind Lions’ eight-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils. They had similarly slipped to 39 for 4 inside seven overs against Kings XI Punjab.”If you are 3 for 20 [sic], losing three of your best batters upfront, you’re going to be in trouble. Same [as] what happened the last game,” Hodge said. “In the last game against Kings, Axar [Patel] took a hat-trick. Couple of balls didn’t even turn. We lost three wickets in an over. And again [today], three wickets in seven [sic] balls with three of our best batters. Wickets in Powerplay… something that we need to look at.”Hodge was also miffed with how no-balls have cost his side crucial wickets in the tournament. When Ravindra Jadeja overstepped to reprieve Sanju Samson, who was stumped in the 16th over, it was the second such let-off in three games. Steven Smith was similarly reprieved in Pune when left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik bowled him off a no-ball for 41. Smith went on to score 60 more runs.”Unforgiveable, unforgivable,” Hodge said. “Who knows what could’ve happened if that was given out for Sanju. Next ball he gets a free hit, the ball goes for a boundary, game over. If you’re just going to let your guard down for a moment, you’re going to be found out. Hopefully, we can dust ourselves off and adjust with the differences and indifferences that we have and come again strongly. I would certainly hope that these last two games hurt very much.”Hodge backed his top order, strengthened further by Aaron Finch’s return from injury, to take the attack to the opposition, but said their shot-selection needed to be more prudent.”They are free spirited players. They are natural stroke-players and I don’t want to certainly take that away from them,” he said. “But we certainly just have to have a little watch at our shot selection and adapt to the conditions a little bit better. They are just little tweaks. I don’t want to rein in those guys when their strike rate is 170, certainly going to encourage that, but more so to adapt to conditions a little bit better.”Hodge was also critical of a pitch, which while a little slow, didn’t appear to be particularly difficult to bat on.”It was not ideal. I must say the surface exactly wasn’t what we were looking for. It is a little disappointing,” he said. “This is your home ground, you expect a little bit better. But having said that, you cannot use that as an excuse. The opportunity was there.”If we could’ve put 170-175 on the board, we could’ve won that game. Again, we were chasing only 155 the other day against Kings and we couldn’t get the job done. We can’t blame any of the surface or the practice. Our skill set was just not good enough on that day. We need to brush that off. We need to address it, step up and come again.”

Kraigg Brathwaite went ahead and brought up the only hundred of the match on a final day when everybody just went through their motions. The match was called off at 3.30pm, the earliest it could have been.

The Report by Sidharth Monga in Shimoga05-Oct-2013
ScorecardFile Photo: Kraigg Brathwaite remained unbeaten on 104•BCCI

Kraigg Brathwaite went ahead and brought up the only hundred of the match on a final day when everybody just went through their motions. The match was called off at 3.30pm, the earliest it could have been, and the teams travelled to Hubli, waiting for a more interesting contest.There wasn’t even an outside chance of a result after 20 wickets had taken three days to fall on a slow and flat pitch. The only matter of interest left was to see how Zaheer Khan would bowl. He tested the batsmen with some short-pitched bowling, but had only a wicket to show for his eight overs bowled on the final day to take his innings figures to 13-4-27-1.Zaheer began the day with a concentrated short-ball barrage at Kieran Powell. The pitch didn’t offer much bounce, but Zaheer’s accuracy meant he hit the batsman on the forearm twice, and made him fend too. Powell managed to punch him for a four, but was eventually caught on the back foot when Zaheer bowled one full and outside off. The edge was taken, Zaheer’s plan had worked, but that was the last success he got in his first first-class match of the year.One of the few players who would have come out happy for this match was West Indies A captain Kirk Edwards. Not because of his scores, but because during the match he received the news he has been picked for the Tests against India. He last represented West Indies in May 2012. Although he believed he shouldn’t have been here in order to make the comeback. Before the start of the match, when asked if this tour could help him force his way back, he said he was hoping he wouldn’t have to play the A tour to return to the national squad.Back in the side now, Edwards is “grateful”, but not content. “It feels good to be back to international cricket,” he said, “but having said that, I am in the squad and not in the XI. I am not guaranteed to play. But it is a step closer to where I want to be so I am grateful.”Edwards did go on to suggest he was not entirely happy with being out of the side. “I can’t say I was confident of making the team because I have seen worse things happen to me over the last couple of years,” he said. “I never count my chickens before they are hatched.”I was frustrated at the beginning but you have to face the reality,” he added. “Instead of thinking about things not happening for you, it is best to think about what is happening for you. You need a positive mindset. You need to be confident that whatever you set out to do, nobody can stop you from doing.”Edwards prescribed similar attitude to others who might think they have been hard done with. “Sorry, my heart is a bit cold about feeling bad for people because it is just cricket,” he said. “Sometimes the guys who really don’t have to do much and they get picked. Then there are guys who really have to work hard and get picked. I have observed that over a period of time. I have no feelings for people who – I don’t want to say I don’t have feelings for them – but whoever is hard done needs to suck it up, and go and work extra hard and get back instead of sting around and moping about the situation.”Was it hard to tell himself the same when “worse things” were happening to him? “Not very hard because that’s how I am,” Edwards said. “Just a tough life, buddy. You just have to face it. Simple.”