Mohammed Shami bowls a few really good balls, but they are interspersed with far too many loose ones, an inconsistency that is unacceptable in Test cricket

Sidharth Monga at the MCG27-Dec-20146:01

Agarkar: Don’t know whether India’s bowlers had a plan

The first morning of the Boxing Day Test. India have been a little short in the first half an hour, but it has still been one of their best starts with the ball. They have bowled three maidens at the top, for the first time since Edgbaston 2011. One of those overs got David Warner’s wicket. There hasn’t been a loose ball in the first eight overs. Ishant Sharma is taken off after four overs because he will be replacing Umesh Yadav after his first spell at the other end. The ninth over is a big moment. Australia are 1 for 22. There are two men at the wicket whose batting credentials are being questioned, or at least were being questioned before the series in Chris Rogers’ case. India can expect more wickets if they can keep the pressure on.Enter Mohammed Shami. Perhaps he hasn’t had enough time to mentally prepare because Varun Aaron – who was likely to play this Test – had to fly home for his grandfather’s funeral. The first ball Shami bowls is a half volley. The last ball of his first over is short and wide. Rogers has gone from 9 off 28 to 17 off 34. Forty minutes of pressure built has been released in four. Shami pulls things back a little in his next two overs, conceding just two runs, but then bowls two poor balls in his fourth to go for three boundaries. Even Shane Watson is off and running.Every kind of poor ball has been bowled; yet there is something about Shami. Before lunch he has Watson driving at a wide delivery, but the catch is dropped. Between that drop and the break, Shami drops another delivery short and wide and concedes another boundary.He returns with a good spell after lunch, taking a wicket with his second delivery. Rogers is cross with himself for playing at this, but it is quite a good ball. The seam is proud and upright, the ball is shaping to swing back in, but holds its line after pitching. Rogers plays for the swing, but ends up edging. This wicket, though, has come out of the blue. In his next over Shami bowls two on the pads, but gets away with a leg bye off each.It has still been a good spell, 4-3-2-1, an excellent spell actually. Shami needs to build on it, but when he returns he feeds two freebies down the leg side in his first over. Tea is minutes later, and he comes back with a gentle half volley first ball after the interval. Again he finds a wicket against the run of play, this time through a bad shot by Shaun Marsh, but there is no discipline.In the 63rd over, Shami bowls a gentle short ball into the pads, and is pulled. Three balls later he fields one in his follow through, and in some warped show of aggression he lets rip a throw at the batsman Steven Smith, who is well inside his crease. Smith has already scored 415 runs in the series. He has been sledged with no effect. Shami throws the ball back at him, and guess what, he finds the pad. Down the leg side again from 18 yards this time.Yet, after bowling the most loose balls and the fewest threatening deliveries among the Indian bowlers, Shami has the best figures. He has something going for him, but one impressive spell in a day’s Test cricket, to go with others where he has mixed bad balls with good ones is not good enough. And it has been a day when India have been lucky with R Ashwin bowling 27 tight overs to keep the quicks fresh. Yet the game is in the balance, and they need the fast bowlers to be better on day two.Shami begins day two with a short and wide first ball that goes for three. Later in the over he bowls a soft bouncer to Brad Haddin – part of India’s plan, but they want intensity and pace – and concedes four. This morning, though, is a collective unraveling. Plans, intensity, captaincy and fielding are found wanting. Shami concedes four fours in two overs and is taken off. He comes back and provides three leg-side boundaries in his first two overs. He has gone for 23 boundaries. Ishant and Yadav have conceded 19 together. If Shami has been bowling at 150kmph, he can have some leeway, but he is the slowest of the three.It is difficult to build or maintain pressure while conceding easy runs. MS Dhoni’s explanation for such bowling has always been that these bowlers are used to bowling on Indian pitches, which means they are not patient and look for wicket-taking deliveries too often. How, though, is bowling down leg side when you have slips and gullies waiting going to get you wickets? From the outside, it is not clear what plan Shami is working on.Shami knows a good line and length is necessary to build pressure in Test cricket. He says as much in press conferences. It is certainly not while looking for wickets that he keeps straying to leg or bowling short and wide. The issue has to be concentration or lack of strength and fitness.On the England tour this year, Shami strayed onto the pads 103 times in 96 overs. Ishant provided those freebies 80 times in 115 overs and Bhuvneshwar Kumar 107 times in 173 overs.After an easy debut against West Indies in India, Shami is finding out that the cost of living in Test cricket is pretty high. Take out the two West Indies Tests, and he is averaging 46 with a wicket every 12 overs.Then again, three days ago, Shami brought the house down in the nets. For half an hour on a spicy pitch India’s best batsman in Tests this year, M Vijay, couldn’t middle one ball from Shami. Stumps flew, edges were taken, and pads were hit. Shami always looks good in the nets. He always bowls a few eye-catching deliveries, but one on the pads is never far away.

Arsenal have made an approach to sign an exciting player, who their legendary former boss, Arsène Wenger, tried to tempt with a move there nearly 10 years ago.

Arsenal make transfer plans without Edu Gaspar

The departure of Edu Gaspar as sporting director is widely viewed as a real blow for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta, with the Brazilian playing an influential part in the club’s on-field transformation since his employment in 2019.

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The ex-Gunner and Invincible formed a key part of the recruitment team which saw Arsenal complete a bargain £30 million deal for club captain Martin Odegaard, as well as the likes of William Saliba, club-record signing Declan Rice, Ben White and other pivotal first teamers.

Edu also helped to appoint Arteta as the club’s manager, so this team we’re seeing right now has the 46-year-old’s fingerprints all over it. News of his exit last Monday was met with real shock, given the announcement’s very sudden nature, and there have understandably been questions about Arsenal’s transfer plans moving forward.

Nottingham Forest (home)

November 23

West Ham United (away)

November 30

Man United (home)

December 4

Fulham (away)

December 8

Everton (home)

December 14

Assistant director Jason Ayto, who worked under Edu for 12 months prior to his resignation, will take the role on an interim basis. That is according to journalist Charles Watts, who also says Ayto will be present at Arsenal’s meeting in the USA to discuss transfer plans for next year.

Ayto, Arteta, managing director Richard Garlick, director Tim Lewis and the Kroenkes will be present at this sit-down, and who knows what the topics of discussion will be in regard to potential transfer targets.

Reports in the last few months suggest that they could well bring up the possibility of moving to sign a new number nine next year.

Arsenal had an offer rejected by Benjamin Sesko in the summer, with the Slovenian instead deciding to remain in the Bundesliga for a further season or more. Edu and co opted to end their pursuit of a new striker then and there, it would seem, but media sources believe they could return to the market for a centre-forward.

Many have been linked in the last few weeks, including Sporting Lisbon sensation Viktor Gyokeres. A name less regularly-mentioned than the Swede is Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen, who is on loan at the Turkish champions from Napoli.

Arsenal make contact with Napoli over signing Osimhen

According to Turkish newspaper Sabah, Arsenal have been in contact with Napoli over signing Osimhen, which is intriguing when you take into account the break-clause in his Galatasaray deal.

This would reportedly allow clubs to move for the £160,000-per-week Nigerian in January, cutting his Galatasaray spell short, but it is unclear whether Arsenal are planning to do that or wait until next summer. The 25-year-old, who has unsurprisingly been on fire in Turkey, has long been on Arsenal’s radar – even during the Wenger years.

“I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament ended, and he wanted me to come to Arsenal,” Osimhen told the Independent in 2020, talking about the U17 World Cup in 2015 (via The Mirror). “I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest.

“Arsenal was a good option, but it wasn’t the best at the time, I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18. I wanted to go to a place where I had time to invest in my game and improve physically. Wolfsburg showed me that possibility.”

da marjack bet： Celtic moved to three points clear of the Scottish Premiership table on Saturday after they secured an emphatic 4-1 victory over Hearts away from Parkhead.

da gbg bet： The Hoops took advantage of Aberdeen’s 2-1 defeat to St Mirren to go clear at the top after being level on points with the Dons for the entire season so far, but sitting above them on goal difference.

Brendan Rodgers’ side now have a gap between them and second and will be hoping to extend that in the coming weeks to provide them with a healthy cushion to potentially rotate the squad and rest players for other competitions.

The Scottish giants struggled at times in the first half against Hearts, however, as the home side pushed to score the opening goal and tested Kasper Schmeichel with a few early efforts.

Celtic’s Danish colossus was equal to everything, though, and that allowed the Hoops to push on in the second half and secure all three points, thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn, and Adam Idah (x2).

It was a very impressive second half display and one that included a number of superb performances across the park from several players.

Celtic's top performers against Hearts

The man who opened the scoring, Kyogo, was a constant threat at the top end of the pitch with his movement in behind to create chances for himself.

He scored the first goal, rifling in after the ball dropped kindly to him, and had four shots on target in total, also missing two ‘big chances’, which shows that he was constantly testing Craig Gordon.

Cameron Carter-Vickers returned to the team at centre-back and produced a dominant display for the Hoops, as he won seven of his eight duels and made six clearances.

Kuhn, of course, was another player who excelled. As well as his thumping strike into the top corner, the German winger created one ‘big chance’ and completed all three of his attempted dribbles on the right flank, in another terrific showing in the Premiership.

Key stats – Hearts vs Celtic

Stat

Highest ranking (Celtic)

Interceptions

Auston Trusty (4)

Duels won

Cameron Carter-Vickers (7)

Pass accuracy

Kasper Schmeichel (100%)

Goals

Adam Idah (2)

Big chances created

Callum McGregor (2)

Dribbles completed

Nicolas Kuhn (3)

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, several other players also starred in various statistics, with Callum McGregor’s creativity and Auston Trusty’s defensive intelligence on show.

However, there were also some players for Celtic who struggled at times and did not showcase the best of their abilities in the win over Hearts on Saturday.

One Hoops whiz who did not give the best account of himself was central midfielder Reo Hatate, who started alongside the captain and Arne Engels.

Reo Hatate's performance against Hearts

The Japan international played the full 90 minutes of the 4-1 win and was unable to get in on the act with a goal or an assist to show for his efforts in the match.

He was involved, in part, in the third goal from Idah. It was his failed attempt to dribbled past a defender that, fortunately, allowed Paulo Bernardo to slip the Ireland international through on goal on the edge of the box.

The 27-year-old did, however, create one ‘big chance’ in that match and was not rewarded with an assist, which suggests that he was unfortunate not to record a goal involvement.

His work out of possession left a lot to be desired, though, as the central midfielder lost five of his six ground duels and both of his aerial contests, which shows that the Hearts players found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.

24/25 Premiership

Reo Hatate

Appearances

12

Goals

3

Big chances created

5

Assists

0

Duel success rate

48%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, creating high-quality opportunities for his teammates and not being rewarded with assists has become a theme for the midfielder, who has lost the majority of his duels in the division.

Hatate, despite being dominated by the Hearts players in his individual battles, was not the worst performer on the pitch for the Hoops, though, as Arne Engles was even worse in the middle of the park.

Why Rodgers must drop Arne Engels

The summer signing from Augsburg, who played twice for Belgium during the international break, has struggled for form in recent matches for the Hoops.

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Rodgers must, now, finally bin the Belgian youngster from the starting XI to take him away from the spotlight and allow him to rest and come back with the motivation to win his place in the team back.

The 21-year-old lightweight started the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock before the break and struggled in that game, with one duel won and zero chances created in 63 minutes on the pitch.

Engels needed to bounce back with an improved display against Hearts from the start and was unable to do so, as the former Bundesliga starlet failed to impress for the second match running.

Meanwhile, Paulo Bernardo came off the bench and won 100% (2/2) of his duels, created a ‘big chance’, and provided an assist against the Jam Tarts.

Vs Hearts

Arne Engels

Minutes played

67

Pass accuracy

79%

Key passes

0

Duels won

1/7

Tackles + interceptions

0

Possession lost

12x

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Engels offered very little to the team in and out of possession throughout the game, with zero chances created and zero tackles and interceptions.

He was also a lightweight in midfield, losing 86% of his duels, and these statistics show that it is time for Rodgers to drop him down to the bench for the clash with Club Brugge on Wednesday night, as he was easily beaten by defenders in battles and did little to help the team in the final third.

Hatate was, at least, able to create a ‘big chance’ for the team and was partially involved in Idah’s goal, and that is why Engels should be dropped ahead of the Japanese gem, with Bernardo given a chance to impress from the start after his strong cameo.

Related £6.3m down the drain: Celtic messed up with flop who cost more than Kyogo

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Former Premier League manager Roberto De Zerbi is ready to perform a rescue mission for a Chelsea ace he believes Enzo Maresca is wasting, and could make his move as early as January, per one report.

Chelsea stung at Anfield

Chelsea’s unbeaten run came crashing down at Anfield as they fell to a 2-1 loss to Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders. A penalty from Mo Salah and an effort from Curtis Jones meant that Nicolas Jackson’s fifth goal of the season came in vain, and left the Blues licking their wounds on the way back to west London.

The result leaves the Blues fifth in the Premier League, ending a domestic unbeaten streak that had lasted since their opening day defeat to reigning Champions Manchester City and had seen them score the most goals in the Premier League during that time.

Cole Palmer and Jackson have been key to that, with the English forward grabbing six goals, including four in one half against Brighton, to go with five assists, all of which have come for either Jackson or Noni Madueke.

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Ben Browning

Oct 21, 2024

On the other side, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho have been fighting for the final spot in Maresca’s attack, while the likes of Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku have been introduced as substitutes regularly. However, it hasn’t been ideal for everyone.

De Zerbi wants to sign winger Maresca isn't playing

Now, according to a fresh report from Spain, Former Brighton turned Marseille boss De Zerbi is keen to mount a rescue mission for Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who has endured a torrid time at Stamford Bridge. Last month, Maresca told the media that the winger needed to “do better”, refuting suggestions that his confidence was low and his performances were suffering.

“I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence. Misha is Misha”, he explained. “You have to accept the way he is. Hopefully he can get minutes and do better.”

But clearly he hasn’t improved sufficiently, with the 23-year-old not even among the substitutes for the loss to Liverpool and well down the pecking order on the left side of attack, with reports already suggesting he could be cut loose as soon as January.

And as per the report, Marseille see a move for the winger “as a unique opportunity to strengthen their squad”, while De Zerbi, who worked with the winger at Shakhtar, “knows how to use him effectively in his game plan” and “is confident that he can get the most out of his talent”, something that any Chelsea manager including Maresca is yet to do, with Mudryk having picked up more yellow cards than either goals or assists since his arrival.

One potential stumbling block could well be Mudryk’s Chelsea contract, which as it stands sees him take home £100,000 a week until 2031, while no club is likely to match the sort of fee that Chelsea paid to sign the forward.

However, a loan move could be just what he needs to get his career back on track, and in De Zerbi he would have a manager who knows how to get the best out of him.

There has been no direct apology yet to the journalist who faced Virat Kohli’s ire but, by stating that “this kind of incident should not be repeated,” an unequivocal message has been sent

Gaurav Kalra05-Mar-2015People get angry. Young. Old. Middle-aged. Anger is human. Often provoked and sometimes, as it appears to have been in Virat Kohli’s case, bubbling beneath the surface. Once it has found an outlet, there is time for reflection. Kohli surely has pondered over his actions but encouragingly, it seems, the BCCI has made a graceful – and swift – overture.In a clear departure from the method adopted by the previous regime, the new dispensation has taken a significant step towards mending a ruptured relationship with the media. There has been no direct apology yet to the journalist who faced Kohli’s ire but, by stating that “this kind of incident should not be repeated,” an unequivocal message has been sent. By asking Kohli to maintain the “dignity of the Indian team,” it has been acknowledged that he did step out of line. There is also a terse warning to “avoid any such behaviour in the future.”When the story first broke on Wednesday morning, it was apparent that the Indian management had not only misjudged its potential fallout but also made a clumsy attempt to brush it aside as a non-event. Despite having had hours to assess the situation and speak to each of the parties involved – the journalist in question, other journalists and onlookers who witnessed the incident and Kohli himself – this was the e-mail sent out to media outlets.Titled “Clarity on yesterday incident” by the media manager of the team in Australia, Dr RN Baba, the e-mail said (sic)- “There was a misunderstanding and no abusive language was used, Virat has spoken to the concerned gentlemen immediately and matter ends….”That was the complete statement. Besides needing a quick check for grammar, this so called “clarification” was strewn with inaccuracies. From all accounts, and not just that of the journalist at the receiving end, “abusive language” was indeed used. If the apology was relayed through another journalist, Kohli did not speak to the “concerned gentlemen” as Dr Baba claimed. In fact, in his official complaint to the ICC chief executive Dave Richardson, the journalist, Jasvinder Sidhu of the , said “no apology” had been tendered.Unless Sidhu and many of his colleagues on the ground were lying, it was blatantly obvious that Kohli did use abusive language. How long would it have taken the media manager to confirm with Kohli whether he had indeed used abusive language? How long would it have taken to ask Sidhu to walk up the stairs and have a brief chat with Kohli? Would it really have hurt the new Indian Test captain to say, “Sorry mate, I shouldn’t have said all that.”Instead, the management sought to “end the matter” with a churlish and inaccurate statement, a grim reminder of the aversion to the Indian media that gained ground under the regime that recently made way. As president, N Srinivasan held the media in contempt and institutionalised this disdain. Players were made off limits; information was at a premium, clarifications sought on developments were rarely forthcoming. An unhealthy mistrust was allowed, in fact encouraged, to fester.Some of this ire of course is well earned. A large section of the Indian media – and, having spent nearly a decade in news television, I have witnessed this first hand – has failed spectacularly in its functioning. Cricket has been reduced to entertainment and the players been subjected to pretty savage vitriol. Over time, an “us against them” environment has taken root. However, by painting the entire media with the same brush, the BCCI has also boxed in those who remain steadfast, devoted reporters of the game. It caused an unfortunate rupture in the relationship.The response of this newly-installed regime, led by president Jagmohan Dalmiya, a man known for a gentler dispensation than his predecessor, and secretary Anurag Thakur, known to engage positively with the media, is a welcome attempt to repair this bond.A veteran on the circuit tells me a story of a time when a cricketer walked up to him and complained bitterly about what had been written about him. “My friend,” the hack told him, “You have the choice not to read what I write, alas I have no choice other than to watch you bat.” He assures me that conversation ended with a smile on both faces. It would be nice to have those days back.

MatériaMais Notícias

da 888： A temporada 2022 ainda está longe de acabar, mas o Botafogo já tem um olho aberto para o futuro. O Alvinegro já mapeia o mercado e até tem acordos finalizados – ou perto disso – com jogadores a partir do ano que vem.

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Marlon Freitas e Lucas Perri são exemplos. O primeiro já assinou e será jogador do Alvinegro a partir do dia 1º de janeiro. O segundo está a passos largos de fechar o acordo e se tornar um atleta do Botafogo para fevereiro, já que o contrato com o São Paulo, o atual clube, termina com o janeiro.

A dupla chegará ao Glorioso sem custos. Como não haverá renovação com os atuais clubes, não há necessidade do pagamento de uma taxa de transferência para a outra instituição envolvida. O Botafogo aposta no projeto a médio/longo prazo e em valorização salarial para convencer os atletas.

E a coisa não deve parar por aí. O Botafogo tem jogadores em fim de contrato em dezembro – e que, consequentemente, já podem assinar pré-contrato – mapeados e segue observando as possibilidades. Ainda não há nenhuma situação tão avançada quanto as citadas, mas a diretoria já realizou outros contatos.

Martín Ojeda é mais um nome que pode aparecer apenas em 2023. Esse seria em um contexto diferente: ainda com contrato junto ao Godoy Cruz-ARG, o Botafogo, diante das dificuldades de comprá-lo na atual janela, cogita garanti-lo para o ano que vem. Nesse caso, claro, é uma negociação com outro clube e demandaria o pagamento de uma taxa de transferência.

A janela de transferências está rolando neste momento – e o Alvinegro, apesar de problemas em algumas negociações, tem quatro nomes contratos -, mas a próxima janela já está agitada pelos corredores do Nilton Santos antes mesmo de ser iniciada.