All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Ham are now very eager to sell one surplus player at the earliest opportunity, alongside the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and James Ward-Prowse, who are both nailed on for the exit door.

Fullkrug and Ward-Prowse set to leave West Ham next month

The Hammers are bracing themselves for significant January departures, with both Fullkrug and Ward-Prowse appearing certain to leave the London Stadium when the transfer window reopens.

Fullkrug’s disastrous spell looks destined to conclude after barely 18 months, with the German international having managed just three goals across 29 appearances since his £27m arrival from Borussia Dortmund in August 2024 (GiveMeSport).

The 31-year-old striker has been given official permission to leave by West Ham, with his agency ROOF formally notified that he can seek a January move (Sky Sports Germany via Claret and Hugh).

West Ham ready to take huge loss on mainstay who's 'failed to impress Nuno'

The Hammers are willing to sell for a cut-price fee.

By
Emilio Galantini

4 days ago

Fullkrug himself is keen to leave the club for pastures new with a decision already made, and Fabrizio Romano has backed up reports that the ex-Bundesliga star is poised for his final few weeks at the club.

Ward-Prowse has suffered an equally dramatic fall from grace under Nuno Espírito Santo, having been completely frozen out since the Portuguese manager’s September appointment.

The 30-year-old England international enjoyed an excellent debut season following his £30m transfer from Southampton in 2023, registering seven goals and eleven assists under David Moyes, but his form collapsed under subsequent managers Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.

Nuno and West Ham have already instructed the midfielder and his agents to seek new clubs in January, with both Everton and Southampton reportedly expressing interest.

Former manager Moyes wants to reunite with Ward-Prowse at Everton, according to ExWHUemployee, as both the midfielder and Fullkrug prepare to pack their bags and leave Rush Green next month.

There are other candidates for the exit door too, including Guido Rodriguez.

West Ham 'determined' to sell Rodriguez 'as soon as possible'

According to reports from Spain this week, West Ham are preparing to cut their losses on Rodriguez, with three La Liga clubs expressing interest in the struggling Argentine midfielder.

Rodriguez has endured a lacklustre spell since arriving at the London Stadium following his impressive performances at Real Betis.

The 31-year-old has managed just four appearances across all competitions this season, failing to establish himself under Nuno, and his lack of playing time has made a January departure increasingly inevitable.

The Hammers are actively facilitating his exit, with West Ham ‘determined’ to offload Rodriguez ‘as soon as possible’.

The World Cup winner needs to improve his chances of featuring in Argentina’s 2026 squad for the USA tournament, making a return to familiar territory in Spain particularly attractive.

Real Sociedad have emerged as serious contenders for his signature, with Girona also monitoring the situation closely after making an inquiry.

Villarreal are the third option, with Rodriguez viewed as an ideal addition to complement existing midfielders Dani Parejo and Santi Comesana.

West Ham face announcing record £100m losses in their December accounts, so Rodriguez’s departure would be very financially beneficial considering he’d count as pure profit in the eyes of PSR.

A leaner Virender Sehwag came in at No. 4 for Delhi in their Challenger Trophy match against India Blue and produced a typically belligerent innings

Sidharth Monga26-Sep-2013A leaner Virender Sehwag emerged to play for Delhi in the Challenger Trophy, batted at No. 4, and scored only his second fifty since being dropped by India in March this year. The runs he scored – 59 off 38 balls, treating the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Vinay Kumar and Piyush Chawla with scant respect – are incidental. Sehwag made two statements: like Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh he has come back fitter, and more importantly he might have finally made his mind up to present himself as a middle-order Test candidate, something he said he wanted to do even when he was at the top of his powers as a Test opener.A big crowd built around noon at Holkar Stadium in Indore with the prospect of watching Virat Kohli and Sehwag batting. There was disappointment in store when Sehwag didn’t come out to open. Further disappointment arrived when Kohli went chasing a wide delivery in the third over, and edged it through.At 7 for 2 out came Sehwag, beginning what looks like a longish audition at No. 4. In attendance was chief selector Sandeep Patil, sporting the mo’ and rat-tail that is the trademark of Sehwag’s replacement as Test opener – Shikhar Dhawan. After this Challenger Trophy, the clean-shaven and follically less-blessed Sehwag has two first-class games against West Indies A and the start of the Ranji season before the selectors pick India’s next Test squad.Albeit against an average attack, Sehwag came out with most of his trademark strokes intact. The first three balls he faced – from Bhuvneshwar – were typical Sehwag: a driven four through cover to widish delivery, a cut to third man for two, and then a flick through midwicket. Then came Vinay for his dose: a cut for four and a loft over extra cover for six.The crowd in Indore was getting post-lunch delicacies, and it made its pleasure known through loud cheering. Sehwag pushed their vocal limits with shot after shot of authority. The run-out of Unmukt Chand didn’t slow him down, but a familiar foe soon turned up: spin. Sehwag decided Chawla and Iresh Saxena were not to fit to bowl to him, and fell to Saxena after taking 19 runs off 11 balls of spin.He was down the pitch, beaten slightly in the flight, but went ahead with the drive, and provided Saxena a return catch. It was an interesting end because he will have to face a lot of spin – at least in India – if he wishes to move down the order.Delhi lost by 18 runs with 13 balls still to go. Will Sehwag be thinking a little more discretion against spin might have won them the game? Will he be thinking a little more discretion against spin might help him in the future if he indeed wants to be an India middle-order batsman?

His search for consistency goes on but Stuart Broad’s display once more showed he has the attributes to be a special bowler

George Dobell at Lord's19-May-2013He may be inconsistent and he may be infuriating but there is no doubt that, when the mood takes him, Stuart Broad is a terrific bowler. In front of a large crowd at Lord’s, with a Test in the balance, he produced a devastating display of fast bowling that sealed his side’s first victory of the year. He later agreed it was the best spell of his career to date.Perhaps there is something of the far-from-flat-track bully about Broad. Certainly there were times in India and against South Africa last year when he seemed to go missing in action, when, with the pitch looking flat and the batsmen on top, he appeared to wither in the heat of battle. Times when James Anderson carried too heavy a burden of leading the attack. Great bowlers deliver in those circumstances. As yet, Broad does not belong in that category.But when Broad bowls like this – and here he displayed pace, persistence, control and swing – he is an irrepressible force. Maintaining an immaculate length, he looked unrecognisable from the lacklustre first-innings Broad impersonator, relishing the helpful conditions and vulnerable prey. It was a great spell.Broad’s partnership with Anderson was devastating. So tight was their control, so adept were they at moving the ball in either direction and so helpful were the conditions that it revived memories of some of England’s better fast bowling partnerships of the recent past: Botham and Willis; Caddick and Gough; Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and Jones.Some of New Zealand’s batting was tentative and flimsy, certainly, but a couple of players – notably Dean Brownlie and Hamish Rutherford – can console themselves with the knowledge that they received deliveries that were close to unplayable. Alastair Cook rated Anderson and Broad’s bowling in the first hour of the New Zealand second inning s “as good as I’ve seen in an opening spell”.Brendon McCullum agreed. “Broad’s spell of bowling was high class,” he said. “He swung the ball beautifully, he was able to get the odd ball to hold its line up the slope and his lengths were impeccable. He bowled at a reasonable pace as well. We weren’t quite able to work out a way to get through him. So there is partial blame from our point of view but also credit to Stuart for his performance.”Broad has now claimed two five-wicket hauls in his last three Tests but the search for consistency goes on. Circumstances will not often align so nicely for him as they did here and questions remain about his potency on the flattest wickets. But if that sounds a harsh analysis it is only because, with such spells, Broad shows he has all the attributes to be a special bowler. He to whom much is given much is expected. And Broad has been given plenty.Unlocking the full potential of Broad must be a key objective for England’s management team. But perhaps there was a clue to the secret in his comments following the game that he had taken confidence from his batting earlier in the day. Broad has reached 30 only once in his last 20 Test innings but, coming to the crease with England’s lead still appearing fragile, he thumped four boundaries in a run-a-ball 26 that constituted the highest individual score of the day.”Once I got to 20 I got a bit of nosebleed,” he said. “I think that gave me a bit of confidence with the ball. That can happen with guys who do both things. Hopefully I can do it a bit more consistently this summer.”What conclusions can we draw from such a statement? Perhaps that, while there is a perception from some that Broad is sometimes a little self-satisfied and lazy – a perception that owes more to the presumption of observers than any factual evidence – it may well be that he is actually lacking the reserves of self-confidence that have proved so valuable to players as varied as Shane Warne, Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen. Perhaps Broad needs to believe how good he can be to deliver more consistently on his substantial promise.It is encouraging that, aged 26, he continues to look to improve. His delivery to bowl Rutherford, the ball moving up the Lord’s slope to take the left-hander’s off stump, was a beauty and the product of recent hard work. “It’s something I worked on in New Zealand and since coming back,” he said. “With Hamish you can’t give any width. He thrives on that. So I wanted to pitch it on the stumps and run it across him; it was quite hard to run it up the hill but it nipped up there.

“I had confidence going into the day knowing, if I got the ball up there, there was enough in the wicket to help the bowlers out. I just hit my straps right away and felt in a nice rhythm”Stuart Broad on his 7 for 44

“It’s about rhythm as a bowler. I felt my stride pattern has been pretty good through the start of the summer. I didn’t get enough balls in the right area in the first innings, but I felt in decent rhythm. So I had confidence going into the day knowing, if I got the ball up there, there was enough in the wicket to help the bowlers out. I just hit my straps right away and felt in a nice rhythm. As a partnership we built pressure, we didn’t give them anything and we were rewarded with the wickets.”While it is the bowlers who will gain the plaudits, it is also worth reflecting on the contribution of a couple of England batsmen. Many players can plunder runs when the sun shines and the pitch is flat, but it is in low-scoring encounters that true class shines through. Here, Joe Root (with 111 runs in the match) and Jonathan Trott (with 95) contributed 206 runs between them and, from the moment they were parted in the second innings, 18 wickets fell for the addition of just 122 runs. Their calmness under pressure, their technique and their patience played a huge role in this success. Both can take huge pride in this result.”I don’t think I’ve experienced a game that ebbed and flowed as much,” Cook said. “There were times when we got ourselves in a strong position but New Zealand came fighting back.”While New Zealand possessed fine bowlers – Tim Southee certainly did not deserve to finish on the losing side – they lacked players such as Trott or Root. Ross Taylor thumped a pleasing, counterattacking half-century during a period on Friday when England’s bowlers dropped too short but as soon as they reverted to a fuller length New Zealand struggled. They lost their last 17 wickets in the match for only 128 runs.Certainly the result – and the fact that it was achieved with a day-and-a-half of the game unused – vindicated England’s careful approach on the first day. Such cricket may not always be to the taste of a generation familiar with T20 run rates but it bodes well for England that they have batsmen prepared to display the old-fashioned virtues of graft and determination. They are dying attributes and, in an era where drawn Tests are rare – certainly in England if rain does not intervene – there is plenty of time to display them.

It's safe to say that this has not been a rip-roaring start to the new season for Tottenham Hotspur. They may have dispatched Everton with some aplomb but they have now dropped points to Leicester City and Newcastle United.

The draw with Leicester across the opening round of fixtures was painful but the 2-1 loss at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon will no doubt sting even more.

Spurs arguably had the better chances, hitting the bar and constantly getting into promising positions courtesy of wide players Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson.

However, their defensive susceptibilities came back to bite them on a ground where, let's be honest, they've been pretty dreadful in recent years.

Remember that 6-1 defeat? Of course, you do. Things weren't quite as bad this time around obviously but it still left plenty to be desired.

Why Tottenham lost to Newcastle

A lack of end product could be blamed for Spurs' defeat on Tyneside. After all, they only found the net courtesy of an own goal from Dan Burn.

It was Johnson who was crucial to that goal and he was a big threat when he came on at half time, attempting three crosses and completing both of his two dribble attempts.

However, there wasn't much forthcoming from his fellow winger in summer signing Odobert. The Frenchman was a threat but that final pass was missing on too many occasions. He created just one key pass and missed a 'big chance' of his own,

It was ultimately their defensive performance that let them down the most. Players were caught out of position for both goals, scored in the first 45 minutes by Harvey Barnes and then in the second period by Alexander Isak, a man who has proven himself to be a constant thorn in Tottenham's backline over the years.

While standing out in moments, Cristian Romero must share some of the blame for Sunday's dropped points.

Cristian Romero's performance in numbers

Romero is one the most elusive football players going. On his day, the Argentine is a titan at the back and he pops up with pretty important moments in the final third too, scoring against Everton last week.

However, he's also rash and hot-headed, the first trait we saw for both goals conceded by Postecoglou's men.

For the first, Romero went sprinting out of the backline to press the Newcastle midfield but in the process of forcing a throw-in, Eddie Howe's side took it quickly. Where did the ball go? Exactly where the Spurs defender should have been, with the delivery sent straight into the path of Barnes who fired home.

He was arguably more at fault for the second. Once more he was caught straying out of position which left an acre of space in behind for Newcastle to capitalise on. Capitalise they did.

Jacob Murphy darted onto a ball and then slid it across the face of the goal for Isak who was handed a tap-in. That moment drew notable criticism from the Sky Sports commentary team, who stated: "Truly dreadful, you can't ball watch, you've got to drop off. Romero just seems to be watching the ball, he's got no idea where Murphy is. Udogie gets sucked in too."

Romero's performance was also aptly summed up by Football.London's Alasdair Gold. The reporter handed him a 5/10 match rating, writing that he 'defended well until the goal when he was caught out of position after pressing up the pitch. Caught flat-footed for the second goal as well.'

So, two moments where the defender lost his concentration cost his team today and Spurs will now have to stew on this one for two weeks until the Premier League returns following the international break.

Bigger talent than Cardoso: Spurs struck gold with "future £100m" player

Ange is going to turn him into a force to be reckoned with…

By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 31, 2024

Harry Kane is unlikely to become a manager, says Harry Maguire, with the prolific striker expected to play golf in the Bahamas or try his luck in NFL.

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• Record-breaking goalscorer only 31 years of age
• Does not have to think about retirement just yet
• May explore move into another sport at some stage

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  At 31 years of age, Tottenham and England’s all-time leading goalscorer still has plenty of football left in him. He has been showing no sign of slowing down at German giants Bayern Munich, with the target being found on 22 occasions through as many appearances this season.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  A day will come, though, when Kane has to call it quits. He is considered to be coaching material, given his passion for the game, but is being tipped to transfer into the American form of football or spend endless hours on the golf course when record-breaking boots are hung up for the final time.

• WHAT MAGUIRE SAID

  England team-mate Maguire has told the : "I think H would be a good manager, however, from speaking to him, I don’t think he has any interest of going into management. But he might surprise us because I think he would be a good manager because he’s a good leader.

  "He’s very knowledgeable about the game but I can see him in the Bahamas playing golf three times a day. He might go and live in America or go to America a few months a year. He loves the NFL. He was going to be a kicker, so he could be doing that."

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

  Kane has spoken in the past about potentially exploring a route into the NFL, as an avid follower of the sport and one of the cleanest ball strikers in his chosen profession, while his love of golf has never been hidden and ability with a club in hand continues to be showcased on social media.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may not be able to call upon a "warrior" in his squad for the rest of the 2024/2025 Premier League season, with a decision on the matter seemingly looming.

Arsenal prepare for Tottenham after 1-1 draw with Brighton

The north Londoners have two vital Premier League games awaiting them right after the international break, with trips to both north London neighbours Tottenham and title rivals Man City on the horizon.

Sporting director names Tottenham as potential 2025 move for £25m star

The north Londoners have a key advantage over every other suitor.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 3, 2024

Arsenal will also be looking to put their first dropped points of the season behind them, following their disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Brighton last weekend, when they also lost star midfielder Declan Rice to suspension.

Rice picked up two yellow cards during the encounter, and was perhaps harshly sent off, after his second bookable offence for kicking the ball away. The England star will therefore miss Arsenal's all-important clash against Tottenham, dealing a big blow to Arteta who must now cope without such a crucial player in his starting eleven.

As well as Rice, Arsenal will be without summer signing Mikel Merino for nearly two months, after the Spaniard fractured his shoulder in his first ever training session at London Colney – not exactly the ideal start to life in London for him.

Arteta now has to decide how they will cope without both Rice and Merino. Some reports suggest that Arsenal are planning to slot Havertz into midfield with Sterling as a false nine, and as Arteta contemplates this tactical tweak, he must also decide on his final squad for the season.

Kieran Tierney could be ineligible for the rest of Arsenal's season

The deadline for each club to submit their full and final Premier League squad is September 13, and left-back Kieran Tierney will be a point of much debate within the club in this regard.

While the former Celtic star has now been included in their Champions League squad, which was seen as a shock choice considering he hasn't played for them for a year, Arteta still has some thinking to do in regard to Tierney as a domestic choice.

As relayed by London World, Tierney may not be included in Arsenal's final Premier League squad, and that would make him ineligible for the rest of this Premier League season domestically.

While the £120,000-per-week ace could return from his hamstring injury after the international break, and could be available for Spurs, it is a point of contention whether Tierney will even be selected in Arteta's final Premier League draft.

If Arsenal opt to leave the Scotland international in Premier League limbo, they must inform him soon, so he could potentially decide to chase up a move to Greece or Turkey if he doesn't want to solely be a squad player for Europe.

The Turkish and Greek windows remain open until the end of next week, so a loan move abroad would be a solution for the 27-year-old who's suffered from a plague of fitness issues in recent years – despite some praise.

"He has been solid," Ashley Cole told Sky Sports in 2021 (via The Metro). "I think he would have liked to see more game time, he’s had a few injuries that hampered his season. When he’s in the team, they are a different team, he’s willing to defend, he’s that kind of leader and warrior they need in this team.

"He’s got those leadership qualities which are needed along with the younger players in there. When he doesn’t play they miss him on he left. for me, he can defend which is a plus."

Clubs won’t have long to lock down their recruitment strategies for the new season

Alex Malcolm22-Jun-2022The BBL will aim to get a jump on the new rival T20 leagues emerging in UAE and South Africa by hosting its first overseas player draft in August in a bid to secure leading players early as it attempts to revive the competition.The tournament announced a new overseas recruitment model on Wednesday with top-line overseas players set to earn $AUD340,000 and given the option of nominating the amount of games they want to be available for during December and January without having to commit to the whole tournament.It has been difficult for the BBL to match the riches on offer in the UAE and potentially South Africa, as well as even the BPL and the PSL, given the league is bound by a $AUD1.9 million dollar salary cap for an 18-man squad and for a competition that is significantly longer. But players will get to nominate for three price categories – Gold, Silver and Bronze – with an additional Platinum level on offer for the biggest names. Cricket Australia will contribute a significant portion to each salary bracket to sit outside the cap to help the clubs.There is no official date set for the draft but it is understood that it will likely be held in August, up to four months before the start of the BBL season. The tournament will once again be a full 14-game home and away season likely to run from mid-December to late-January, with fixtures set to be announced in July. There is a need to lift the competition ahead of the next TV rights deal, with the current deal ending in 2024, after a difficult few years compounded by Covid-19.An August draft is not ideal for clubs, who would prefer it be held closer to the season so they have greater clarity on their needs and player availability. However, BBL general manager Alistair Dobson and BBL player acquisition and cricket consultant Trent Woodhill both believe the earlier draft will give high-profile overseas stars clarity and options to lock themselves into playing in the BBL prior to the UAE and South Africa leagues getting established in what is set to be a crowded January calendar.”We are keen to be able to provide players and agents and clubs with a timeline that gives certainty and allows them to plan their year and be confident that the BBL is a place they want to come and play which we know they’re looking forward to,” Dobson told ESPNcricinfo.The BBL is confident they can secure some big names after early fruitful discussions with agents.”It’s actually been really positive,” Woodhill told ESPNcricinfo. “I feel like there’s clarity. Players want certainty. Player agents now have an opportunity to put their players up in lights and then work with the clubs to promote their players. The clubs get a choice. And I think it really suits the competition. And I’m confident they’re going to get some really good names.The league has previously left the recruitment of overseas players to the clubs to do privately. But Woodhill believes the draft will bring greater fan interest to the process with clubs’ decisions on who they select base on who is available now out in the open.”By having a draft, it’s up in lights,” he said. “It’s harder for the clubs to dismiss a high-profile player and they have an opportunity to draft them or choose somebody else in the draft.”I like the fact there is a choice. The choice for the player in what band they nominate in but also a choice for the clubs to see how they fit into their existing domestic team. And then explaining why they’ve done that. You always want to know why teams have gone for a spinner or a quick or an allrounder or maybe a frontline bat. So I’m excited to see the viewpoint of the club and the explanation from the club as to why they’ve gone for one big name over another.”The one downside that has been discussed among players is that the draft does not allow overseas names to choose where they will play, with a summer stint based in the beachside eastern suburbs of Sydney proving a popular recruiting tool for Sydney Sixers pre-Covid, for example.Clubs have also been reluctant in the past to pay big portions of the salary cap to star players for short-term deals with some clubs preferring to recruit lower-tier overseas players for specific roles over a full season. Andre Russell did a short stint last year at Melbourne Stars and they missed the finals while AB de Villiers’ six-game stint at Brisbane Heat in 2019-20 was equally unsuccessful.On the flipside, Perth Scorchers recruited lesser-known Englishman Laurie Evans last year for a very specific middle-order role. He was available to play for the entire campaign with Scorchers on less money and ended up being Player of the Match in the final fulfilling the exact role he was recruited for.There was some push and pull from the BBL and the clubs initially when the draft concept was raised with clubs still keen to do their own bespoke recruiting. However, clubs have been pleased that they were able to work with the league to come up with a draft model that allows clubs to use one retention pick, so that teams like Adelaide Strikers get to retain Rashid Khan even if another club drafts him.Clubs also won’t be forced to take a big-money Platinum player who is only available for a short stint if they would prefer to recruit a lesser name in a Silver or Bronze category for the full year. Dobson, Woodhill and the clubs have been meeting weekly over zoom to discuss the mechanics of the draft.”We’ve consulted for a long period of time with clubs and they’re excited about what the draft brings,” Dobson said. “I think there’s a bit of apprehension around the pressure and it is new territory for clubs in terms of being live on draft day or draft night and I think we’re excited to see how they handle that.”Clearly, success is the quality of the players that we get in. But trailing along not far behind that is the amount of interest and stories we can tell and speculation and debate and potentially controversy that sits around that because we think that’s all going to be a great build-up to the start of the BBL season.”Woodhill, who was formally the list manager at Melbourne Stars and has worked on auction strategy with Royal Challengers Bangalore during his time coaching in the IPL, was in no doubt about what his approach would be if he was entering the draft with a club.”You can’t underestimate star power,” Woodhill said. “Some teams look at it as a whole year approach. I’d be looking at how many wins do we need to make the top five and then I’m looking to find the best player possible in the draft to help me get to that point. If it’s seven games, then we need to get the seven games. So that’s my first target.”So it’s hard to look past an Andre Russell, a Sunil Narine or a Kieron Pollard, Faf du Plessis because they win a lot of player of the match awards. So I’d be aiming high.”

Seamer backs himself to adapt well despite batters trying to anticipate his variations

Hemant Brar16-Jun-20220:36

Harshal -‘Playing consistently on pitches like Delhi can hamper your confidence’

India seamer Harshal Patel is not worried that batters have started anticipating his variations. In the first T20I, Rassie van der Dussen had smashed Harshal for three sixes and a four in an over to turn the game around. After the match, van der Dussen had said that post the first two sixes, he knew Harshal would turn to his slower balls.”People have been trying to anticipate for the past two years,” Harshal said on the eve of the fourth T20I against South Africa. “To be very honest, with every bowler, the longer they play, the more the opposition will realise what their strengths are, what the patterns are, and try to adapt to it. But as a bowler, my job is to stay one step ahead of batters.”At the end of the day, you can have 15 different plans, but on a particular day, in a pressure situation, if you don’t go out and execute with confidence, everything doesn’t really fall in place. So my focus has always been on how to read the game better in that particular moment and how to execute the best possible delivery at that point in time.”Related

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• Anrich Nortje 'not 100% there yet' but hopes he is on the right path

Harshal is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series, with six scalps in three games. In the third T20I, the Visakhapatnam pitch was on the slower side, which suited Harshal’s style of bowling, and he duly picked up 4 for 25 in 3.1 overs.”Although there was not a lot of variable bounce or lateral movement from the pitch, it was definitely slow,” he said. “So that allowed us to bowl hard length and slower balls into the pitch. It was difficult to clear the boundary from those lengths.”I would certainly prefer playing on slower pitches because it allows you a bit of fighting chance. If you consistently keep playing on pitches like Delhi, it can hamper your confidence a little bit. We also have world-class spinners in the team, who can bowl well on any pitch, but it does bring them a little more into the game when we have slightly slower pitches and slightly bigger ground dimensions.”From head coach Rahul Dravid to stand-in captain Rishabh Pant, everyone has spoken about how the team has been building towards the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November. Harshal said while that is true, they are also focused on winning this series.”To be honest, you cannot play your cricket thinking too much about the future or past. Like everyone has said before as well, the World Cup is at the back of our minds and we are trying to work towards that goal. But at the same time, we are 2-1 behind in the series, so the focus is on how to win the next two games. After that, we are going to Ireland, so things will move towards that direction but at this point, our focus is on how to win this series.”

Plays of the Day from the second Twenty20 international between New Zealand and West Indies, in Wellington

George Binoy15-Jan-2014The wrong clothes
The batsmen hit plenty of sixes into the crowd but fans in orange t-shirts had been dropping one-handed catches in the stands all day. The prize for catching one of those balls was NZD 100,000. And then, off the last ball of the second over, Jesse Ryder launched Tino Best high and far over deep midwicket with a monstrous pull shot. A man got under it and caught it with his right hand without any fuss. He was wearing a jacket, though, and without the sponsors’ orange tee he wasn’t winning any money.The turnaround
In the first T20 in Auckland, Andre Russell’s first ball had disappeared over the long-leg boundary off Brendon McCullum’s bat, and he went on to concede 23 in his only over. Today, however, Russell was up against Colin Munro and he got the batsmen to chip the ball to point to begin his spell with a wicket. His batting had improved vastly too: he’d bagged a second-ball duck at Eden Park but was unbeaten on 10 at the Westpac Stadium.The sacrifice
Andre Fletcher and Denesh Ramdin had a busy partnership going when Fletcher drove to deep cover in the 18th over and set off for a run. He seemed content with one but Ramdin wasn’t. He returned for the second, but with Fletcher unresponsive both batsmen were at the non-striker’s end. Ramdin began to turn around but Fletcher held up his hand and walked out of the crease to sacrifice his wicket. Ramdin repaid the gesture by scoring 55 off 31 balls.The six and drop
It was the second delivery of New Zealand’s chase and the first Jesse Ryder was facing, from the tall fast bowler Jason Holder. The ball pitched on a length around off and middle stump, Ryder moved his front foot across a touch, and with tremendous hand-eye coordination flicked the ball far over the square-leg boundary. It was an incredible shot and yet he played it off his first ball. The next delivery, however, Ryder drove tamely to cover where Johnson Charles caused Holder more anguish by dropping a sitter.The missed run-out
In the fifth over, with five fielders in the circle on the off side, Ross Taylor pushed towards cover and ran. Brendon McCullum rightly sent him back, and though Taylor stopped and turned quickly, he was in danger. Walton had got to the ball quickly and collected cleanly. He had plenty of time to line up the stumps but his throw missed. Taylor had given up and was fortunate to have the opportunity to add to his score of 5.

Michael Olise has been labelled a "miserable f*cker" after he refused to sing Jingle Bells in a Bayern Munich singalong.

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• Bayern players sing Christmas songs
• Musiala, Kane & others sing Jingle Bells
• Ex-Palace star Olise remains tight-lipped

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The £50 million signing from Crystal Palace was part of a festive club event where the squad posed for holiday photos and sang the classic 'Jingle Bells'. While his team-mates, including England captain Harry Kane, enthusiastically participated, Olise stood out for his lack of engagement.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In footage shared widely on social media, Olise appeared disconnected, staring blankly at the camera as his fellow players sang with festive cheer. The moment quickly went viral, prompting mixed reactions online.

• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  An X user, @lxnchossard, wrote: "Olise is deadass corny man drop the gimmick you're not a vibe."

  An angry @DMarsti wrote: "Miserable f*cker."

  While another, @7headking, wrote: "He’s begging it now. Just smile and sing along. You’re not too cool for this. You were at Crystal Palace a few months ago."

  Meanwhile, @Kumar0Akshay, wrote: "This Olise nonchalant/disinterested gimmick is so lame."

  @tonjomes1 wrote: "Getting boring now, just like Zlatan."

  "Why's he trying to act hard lmao it's just jingle bells bro you do not have any opps," wrote @thfcm14.

  Whereas, @JoeAfc1, suggested: "Someone tell him it’s not illegal to smile."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR OLISE?

  Despite the social media drama, Olise’s performances on the pitch have been nothing short of extraordinary. Since joining Bayern Munich five months ago, the 23-year-old winger has adapted seamlessly to life in the Bundesliga. The French international has contributed nine goals and nine assists in 23 appearances across all competitions. His stellar form saw him earn the Bundesliga's 'Rookie of the Month' accolade for October, cementing his reputation as one of the league’s brightest talents. He will return to action on January 11 when Bayern faces Borussia Monchengladbach.