Arsenal remain determined to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford in January, but they will have to deal with a number of stumbling blocks to seal the deal.
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Kagiso Rabada, the South Africa fast bowler who will miss next week’s second Test at Trent Bridge, is said to be “heartbroken” to have let down his team, according to his team-mate Temba Bavuma, after he was served with an automatic suspension by the ICC for accumulating four demerit points.Rabada earned one demerit point for swearing at Ben Stokes after dismissing him for 56 in England’s first innings, on top of three he already had for a shove on Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella in an ODI in January.”KG is quite an emotional character,” said Bavuma. “The way he acted – he didn’t act like that on purpose. He was aware of the consequences. It was just in the heat of the moment. He is quite heartbroken as he feels he has let down the team.”On the thorny issue of sledging, Bavuma added: “It’s something I have had to endure from schoolboy cricket days. I see it as part and parcel of cricket.”There’s a fine balance that needs to be achieved. You don’t want it to be completely taken away but you still want the respect of the game to be there. A balance needs to be achieved.”The ICC’s code of conduct has come under scathing criticism from former South Africa captain Graeme Smith who disagreed strongly with the decision.Though Smith understood the sanction was based on collective, not isolated incidents, he did not think the expletive uttered by Rabada, which was picked up on the stump mic, should have been punished that harshly.”It’s ridiculous,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “No-one wrote about it, no-one spoke about it. It was only because it was on the stump mic that it’s become a thing.”The incident occurred on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s when Rabada dismissed Stokes and told him to “f*** off”, something Smith thought was not serious enough to earn Rabada another demerit point.”It could have been handled better. I don’t think it was aimed at Ben Stokes. I just think it was out of frustration. If it wasn’t picked up by the stump mics he wouldn’t have been done,” Smith said on .”There is obviously a line that the ICC have drawn and we need to stay on the right side of it,” said England’s James Anderson.”When I watch games, I like having the stump mic there. It’s the players’ duty to be aware that is there and they turn it up quite loud sometimes.”
Virat Kohli’s fluent half-century and Mohammed Shami’s three-wicket haul were the highlights in India’s 45-run win via D/L method at the Oval
The Report by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Oval28-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammed Shami snuffed out three of New Zealand’s top four in an opening spell of five overs•Getty Images
A handsome, unbeaten half century from Virat Kohli, and a lethal spell of fast bowling from Mohammed Shami helped India to a 45-run victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method over New Zealand in the teams’ first warm-up match. Late afternoon rain, after 26 overs in the chase, forced the players off the field, and they never returned. By then, India had made 129 for 3, well ahead of the D/L par score of 84.Regardless of the rain, India remained the favourites throughout, especially with Kohli dominating the New Zealand bowlers. His weak IPL form might have created certain doubts, but the Indian captain did not take a step back and batted with his usual positive tempo. He walked in to bat after Ajinkya Rahane had fallen into the short-ball trap set by New Zealand’s new ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.The Oval pitch was hard with a lot of pace and bounce, which both Boult and Southee utilised to dare the Indian openers. Southee constantly tested Rahane with the short ball, and the strategy proved successful in the last over before lunch. Rahane walked out of his crease, attempting to hook a Southee bouncer, which climbed too fast on him. The weak response went straight to Boult at fine leg. It might have been a recurring dream for Rahane, considering Southee had got him out in similar fashion during the ODI series late last year in India.But the break came at the opportune time. And then there was Kohli. Standing about a yard outside the crease, a strategy that he had used on his previous trip to England in 2014, Kohli punched, pulled and cut with aplomb. Having punched Adam Milne to the straight boundary, Kohli repeated the stroke against Southee and then cut him for another four to swiftly move into the 20s.Shikhar Dhawan, however, had a nervous start. Neil Broom, standing at point, dropped a straightforward catch when Dhawan had made just one run. Boult, the bowler, could not believe his ill luck when, off the final delivery in the same over, an outside edge off Dhawan’s bat fell a yard short of Martin Guptill at second slip.Dhawan batted resolutely and stitched a 68-run partnership with Kohli, before becoming the second Indian batsman to rush into a short ball and pay the price. His march to a half-century was cut short after his pull on the run went to Corey Anderson at short midwicket.Dinesh Karthik arrived nervously to the crease and remained anxious throughout. He fell after mis-hitting a short ball from outside the off stump straight to Mitchell Santner at short midwicket. Having bagged a nine-ball duck, Karthik tapped the back of his head, perhaps, realising how terribly he had batted.Shikhar Dhawan made 40 before holing out to short midwicket•Getty Images
A distracted Kohli was then lucky to get away on 45 when he drove Boult uppishly, away from his body. Santner, this time at short cover, leapt, but the force of the shot beat his outstretched hands. Eventually Kohli reached his fifty when he lunged forward and unfurled a beautiful cover drive off Colin de Grandhomme in the 24th over.Overall it was a good day at work for Kohli and India. Kane Williamson had opted to bat on a warm morning, but Shami stuck an immediate blow when Guptill failed to clear Bhuvneshwar Kumar at mid off. Luke Ronchi, the other opener, was aggressive against Hardik Pandya, who shared the new ball. The allrounder leaked 29 runs off his first three overs.Ronchi survived a scare on 26 after his push-drive against Jaspirt Bumrah went to mid-on, where R Ashwin dived to his wrong side, but in vain. He cashed in, hitting three boundaries in Shami’s fifth over, which included a powerful six – picked from outside off stump and pulled over deep midwicket.But Shami finished the over with wickets off consecutive deliveries. First Williamson erred by playing too close to body and steered the ball straight to Rahane at first slip. Shami then punched the air for the second time after one that seamed away had caught Broom’s outside edge on its way to MS Dhoni.This was the Shami’s first competitive match for India after the World Cup semi-finals in 2015. Recurrent injuries to his knee had kept him out of the reckoning, but after he had regained fitness in March, the selectors picked him in the squad. Shami, with his skiddy pace, is always an asset for Kohli with both the new ball and the old one.Also with Umesh Yadav showing a range of skills in his four-over spell during the latter half of the New Zealand innings, the team management has a welcome headache of choosing between two fast men.The bigger concern would be the form of the top order. Rahane remains the third-choice opener behind Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who had joined the squad on Saturday. Rohit is set to feature in the second warm-up match against Bangladesh on Tuesday. All three openers will be under the scanner again as India hope to zero in on the ideal combination before they head to Birmingham, where they start their tournament proper, against Pakistan next Sunday.
Newcastle United are waiting to pounce after Fulham made their left-back, Antonee Robinson, available for transfer this summer, according to recent reports.
What's the latest on Antonee Robinson to Newcastle?
That's according to the Evening Standard, which claim that the Cottages are now prepared to sell the American ace after his refusal to sign a new contract.
Marco Silva's side will conduct business for around £35m, with Newcastle joined in their pursuit by Ligue 1 outfit Marseille; Manchester City and AC Milan have also previously registered an interest.
The 25-year-old would add a fresh dimension to Eddie Howe's side after qualifying for the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish, and the Magpies are indeed determining whether to swoop.
Should Newcastle sign Antonee Robinson?
Newcastle were absolutely exceptional during the 22/23 campaign, ending a two-decade absence from the Champions League and reaching the final of the Carabao Cup, losing a hard-fought match to Manchester United.
With the ascent showing no sign of ceasing, the Tyneside giants must now make the requisite moves on the transfer front to consolidate this new position of power, and Robinson, who made 35 appearances in the Premier League last term to assist newly-promoted Fulham in securing a tenth-place finish, could be their man.
Given his progressive approach and sharp speed, the £25k-per-week ace could make Alexander Isak even better at St. James' Park, with the Swedish striker impressing during his maiden campaign in English football despite being hampered by injury.
Isak's failure to capture the full scale of his qualities when deployed on the left is perhaps partly due to Burn's skills lying outside that of the creativity of a full-back.
For all the 6 foot 6 titan's solidness, he is not one to maraud up the flank, instead serving Howe's system by providing stability and composure, indeed evidenced by the club's joint-best defensive record in the Premier League last term, alongside champions Manchester City with 33.
Robinson would open up a whole new dimension, with the USMNT star ranking among the top 13% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref – also demonstrating his defensive ability by ranking among the top 10% for interceptions per 90.
This certainly differs to Burn's skill set, who ranks among the top 2% for clearances and aerials won per 90, but also among the bottom 5% for progressive carries and the bottom 16% for successful take-ons per 90.
Isak plundered ten goals from just 17 Premier League starts last season after completing his £63m transfer from Real Sociedad but failed to score across all five of his outings on the left flank.
Given that the £120k-per-week sharpshooter ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers for touches in the attacking box, he is perhaps just searching for some creative support to play him into goalscoring opportunity, and Robinson can do just that.
Editor Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic certainly thinks so, as he said: "Antonee Robinson can BALL. He’s such a dynamic LB. His ball progression is fun to watch. He is electric in his dribble and delivery."
The increase in competition and expectation next year will warrant the inclusion of a new option from the left-back position, and Robinson could play a starring role, helping to make star man Isak all the more unplayable in the process.
Arsenal are set for an insanely busy summer.
Mikel Arteta and his hungry, inexperienced side were on the cusp of immortality when they were on course for the club’s first league title since the invincible season in 2004, but were narrowly warded off by the irrepressible Manchester City.
Ultimately, the main factor that allowed Pep Guardiola’s outfit to prevail was their vastly superior squad depth.
Despite missing out on silverware, the outlook for Arsenal is much different from previous years as they prepare to play in the Champions League and look to simply add more talent to a setup already brimming with potential.
One name who has emerged as one of the Gunners’ main targets is Kai Havertz.
What’s the latest on Kai Havertz to Arsenal?
According to the Guardian, the North London outfit are confident of securing a deal £60m deal for Havertz.
The Blues are willing to sell the 23-year-old, who has informed the club of his desire to depart Stamford Bridge this summer.
The German’s contract doesn’t expire until 2025, and he won’t sign an extension, and with Chelsea under pressure to raise funds to dodge FFP and having a policy of selling players who are unwilling to commit to long-term deals, Havertz looks set for the Emirates Stadium.
The outlet also details that Arsenal is willing to match Havertz’s current wages, which are around £220k-per-week.
Who can Kai Havertz emulate at Arsenal?
Since arriving at Chelsea in the summer of 2020, the former Bayer Leverkusen has recorded 47 goal contributions in 132 appearances in England.
However, he has endured a tricky season, assisting just once in 47 outings, and was a regular starter in a Chelsea team that ended in a miserable 12th place.
He has been misprofiled at Stamford Bridge, as the German has often been started as the solo focal point, tasked with holding up the ball with his back to play, which has shunned the 24-year-old's involvement and creative influence
Outside of goals and assists, the 36-cap international has demonstrated himself to be a valuable asset – this is showcased by the fact he ranks within the highest 19% for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.
Havertz, therefore, is at his best when he is feeding off a striker, and he can undertake a free-flowing playmaking role, similar to what Mesut Ozil performed under Arsene Wenger.
The 34-year-old notched 123 goals and assists in 254 games in England, forging a generational reputation as one of the modern era’s most intricate creators.
Ozil and Havertz possess similar builds, relatively slim magicians with a silky touch and impudent close control, who lack meaningful physicality. That's not to mention their remarkable left-footed nature with the duo two of the most easy on the eye you'll see in football.
Described as “outstanding” by Owen Hargreaves, a move across the capital could reignite Havertz’s career and if he can follow his compatriot’s footsteps in North London, then he’s destined for greatness.
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in a Premier League gem, as Unai Emery aims to bolster his side this summer.
The transfer window is set to be a busy one for the Spaniard, who has already surpassed expectations in less than a year in charge, booking Villa’s place in Europe after a scintillating recovery of their season.
News emerging this week has placed a Manchester United defender as a potential target, in a player that could be rejuvenated by Emery.
What’s the latest on Harry Maguire to Aston Villa?
As reported by Football Transfers, Aston Villa are interested in United centre-back Harry Maguire.
The Englishman will reportedly be available this summer for a fee in the region of £35m after a tough few years at Old Trafford.
The report states that Tottenham and Everton are eyeing the 30-year-old along with Villa.
What could Harry Maguire bring to Aston Villa?
The last few years have been tough for Maguire, who has been shunned multiple times for poor performances attributable to a lack of confidence.
The 30-year-old has made just eight starts this season in the Premier League, being phased out of the picture at Old Trafford due to the emergence of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
While his performances have not inspired much to be celebrated, the Englishman was not long ago one of the country’s best centre-backs, signed by United back in 2019 for £80m after displaying monstrous performances for Leicester City.
With his time in Manchester reportedly coming to an end, Villa could find themselves with an experienced England international in their ranks and a defender that can compete with the best on his day.
Hailed as “tremendous” by Premier League ace Pascal Gross via GOAL, Maguire could become an anchor in Emery’s defence, and could add a magnitude of experience playing alongside Diego Carlos.
The Brazilian who suffered a traumatic Achilles injury shortly after arriving in the Midlands, has been tipped to be in the Spaniard’s plans for the future, and as shown through the duo’s statistics, could be a force to be reckoned with alongside Maguire.
Going back to the season that inspired United to snatch the Englishman from Leicester, the Sheffield-born ace was operating as one of the league’s best, likened to Virgil Van Dijk for his numbers accumulated that term.
As per FBref, Maguire’s most impressive tool that season was his ability to play out from the back while maintaining defensive stability, averaging a huge 6.59 progressive passes and 1.84 progressive carries per 90.
The Englishman could compliment the defensive attributes of Villa’s “monster”, as lauded by Ollie Watkins, who won a dominant 62% of his total duels in La Liga last season with an average of 4.0 per game, via Sofascore.
It’s integral to have the balance between a ball-carrying centre-back and one that lavishes the nitty-gritty elements, which is what Emery could have in pairing the two giants with heaps of experience under their belts.
The main element to Maguire’s potential re-emergence is his confidence, which could be restored by the Spaniard who has worked miracles on firing Tyrone Mings to reach ultimate highs again in a Villa shirt.
With the transfer window fast approaching, only time will tell if Emery can get his man.
Referee Robert Jones and his VAR team may have made a big mistake in the recent Manchester United win as they didn't send off Aleksandar Mitrovic for a headbutt.
What's the latest on Manchester United vs Fulham?
Having already secured Champions League football, the Red Devils were looking to finish third in the Premier League as they took on Fulham.
Marco Silva's men were destined to end the season in a very responsible tenth, easily smashing their pre-season aim of avoiding relegation.
Despite having nothing beyond pride to play for, though, the away team still played well and took the lead in the 19th minute as Kenny Tete headed in Willian's corner at the near post.
However, Man United hit back before halftime as Jadon Sancho finished from close range. A second-half strike from Bruno Fernandes was then enough to seal a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
In the 79th minute, with Fulham now chasing the game, they came forward with an attack which saw Mitrovic grappling with Tyrell Malacia to get on the end of a cross.
The opportunity came to nothing as the ball bounced out of a play but that didn't mean the two players were happy to let go of one another.
Indeed, with the pair on the ground, as Mitrovic tried to get back to his feet, he appeared to flick his head forcefully in the direction of Malacia – as seen in the Match of the Day highlights (1:21:49).
Did Mitrovic deserve a red card?
The Fulham striker was ultimately booked on what was a difficult afternoon as he also had a penalty saved by David de Gea. However, it's safe to say he was lucky to avoid a red card for this headbutt on the Man United left-back.
Seeing as though Mitrovic has only just returned from an eight-match ban after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh – incidentally in another defeat at Old Trafford – he would perhaps be wise to learn how to control his anger a little better.
On this occasion, it really does feel as though he got away with one, but evidently, the VAR assistant didn't believe it was quite bad enough for them to get involved and overrule the initial decision by referee Jones.
The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell took to Twitter to comment on the situation, noting how it had been "another bad day at Old Trafford" for the striker as he was subbed immediately after "shoving his head at Malacia".
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a rare appearance from the bench in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat against Brentford on Wednesday night and failed to win over the fans with his performance, heading over from the Blues' best chance of the game.
How has Aubameyang performed at Chelsea?
The Gabon international has been completely ostracised since his £12m move from Barcelona last summer, with attitude and performance issues seeing him dropped by Graham Potter, and completely left out of the Champions League squad for the knockout stages.
However, Todd Boehly could still recoup some of his money on the former Arsenal man, as despite a record of three goals in 20 appearances for the west London outfit, Barcelona are said to be interested in bringing him back to the Nou Camp this summer.
Chelsea have struggled desperately in front of goal this season, with just 30 goals in 32 Premier League games, and while the 33-year-old was signed for his experience and goalscoring record, the blame cannot be solely put on him.
He has featured in one of the worst Chelsea sides in recent memory whereas the failed strikers of old, notably Andriy Shevchenko and Romelu Lukaku, have struggled to succeed in a time of relative success.
However, in terms of value for money, it is arguably Fernando Torres who must be considered the worst striker of the Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge.
Why did Chelsea sign Torres?
Torres was one of the biggest names in the Premier League, having performed superbly for Liverpool following his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2007.
He would go on to contribute 81 goals and 20 assists in just 142 appearances for the club, with a memorable performance in a 3-0 thrashing of Real Madrid seeing him earn "world-class" praise from teammate Steven Gerrard.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010, but it was a 'dreadful, scoreless tournament' – as per journalist Ian Ladyman – for the attacker. Sadly, his form post-South Africa wasn't great either, managing just nine goals in the first half of the 2010/11 campaign, with Jamie Redknapp less than impressed with his form at the time.
He said: "Fans will suffer to a certain extent when you give the ball away, but they won't suffer a lack of effort. Out there for 45 minutes today, he (Torres) has been terrible. He hasn't got hold of the ball, he hasn't chased, he's got frustrated, he could have been booked, he's been diabolical."
It was perhaps made it even more surprising that Chelsea were so keen to sign him in January 2011, as the Blues shelled out a British record transfer fee of £50m to sign the clinical forward, with chairman Bruce Buck, who worked alongside Roman Abramovich during his time as owner, singing the striker's praises upon his arrival.
He said: "This is a very significant day for Chelsea, capturing one of the best players in the world with his peak years ahead of him.
"We have long admired the talents of a player who is a proven goalscorer in English football and Fernando's arrival is a sign of our continuing high ambitions. I hope every Chelsea fan is as excited as I am with this news."
While £50m seems like a drop in the ocean for Boehly given the money he has spent since taking over at Chelsea, in today's money that would equate to around £70m due to inflation.
How did Torres perform at Chelsea?
Unfortunately, Torres was never able to replicate the form he showed at Liverpool and endured some awful moments in a Chelsea shirt, with his notable open-goal miss against Manchester United perhaps symbolic of the low-confidence player that he had become at Stamford Bridge.
In total, the Atletico Madrid academy graduate would manage just 45 goals in 172 appearances for Chelsea, never reaching double figures in the Premier League again.
Although he did enjoy some success with the Blues, winning the Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League, contributing the famous breakaway goal against Barcelona, he certainly wasn't able to justify his price tag or eye-watering £175k-per-week wages in his time at the club.
Eventually, Chelsea would lose faith in Torres and he was sent on loan to AC Milan, before his move there was made permanent without the Serie A side having to pay a fee in January 2015.
The Spaniard was contracted at Stamford Bridge for 205 weeks, meaning that the club paid him £35m in wages in his four-year stay, well and truly rinsing the club of around £85m, before eventually leaving for nothing.
Therefore, while Aubameyang has been the scapegoat in a poor season for Chelsea, he cannot even be compared to Torres when it comes to value for money at Stamford Bridge. His move was the very definition of a financial disaster.
Scarborough’s restorative properties have long been proclaimed by many who love nothing better than to holiday in this grand old seaside town
David Hopps at North Marine Road03-Jul-2016
ScorecardGary Ballance scored his first Championship century of the season•Getty Images
Scarborough’s restorative properties have long been proclaimed by many who love nothing better than to holiday in this grand old seaside town. Considering the state of the pound, they might soon be joined by a few more converts. Certainly there is a good case for using Gary Ballance on their advertising material after he reacquainted himself with the form that has largely eluded him since he was dropped by England.Ballance is habitually listed as those in the running to replace Nick Compton as England’s No. 3 in the first Test against Pakistan. That he is on the shortlist – albeit a little lower down at the moment – owes as much to his Test average of 48 as much as recent form, but his unbeaten 106 against a reputable Middlesex attack, his first of the season, will do him no harm.”It has been a long time coming, this century, and it was a great feeling,” Ballance said. “I have felt it good nick this season but have not been getting the big scores. It was not so much the nervous 90s as the nervous 80s where I was stuck for about half an hour and thinking about a century but I eased my nerves by getting through the 90s quickly.”I would love to get back into the England team but every cricketer will tell you that you start struggling if you start thinking about it. At the moment I am just concentrating on playing for Yorkshire and not worrying about England: the rest will happenHistorians might feel this latest Scarborough miracle was appropriate. Scarborough’s claim to be the world’s first seaside spa report goes back as far as 1626 when it was affimed that the town’s spring water possessed medicinal properties. Such optimism was badly needed at the time because in June of that year King Charles I dissolved the English parliament. These days, parliament is not dissolved, merely in chaos. You don’t know you’ve been born.Scarborough’s effect was far from instantaneous – they even use Harrogate Spa bottled water in the dressing room – and Ballance’s hundred was hard earned, more a statement of determination and desire than an immediate clicking of form.He confessed in April to undergoing a mental battle after his back-foot technique was analysed and this innings seemed to illustrate that. Like a well-done steak, his presence was forever imposing, but not easily digestible. He was rewarded for his determination, beginning with conscientious leg-side tucks, reaching a sedate half-century in the last over before tea and interspersing some more confident cuts as life became a little easier under blue skies in the final session.Two successive clipped boundaries off Tim Murtagh brought up his first Championship century since his 165 against Sussex at Hove last August – his only Championship hundred last season.Scarborough, holiday town or not, knew the importance of that. Like an annual elephant gathering at a favourite water hole, Yorkshire cricket fans are drawn to North Marine Road by faith and tradition, watching intently, whether the cricket is grim or adventurous, sitting in familiar seats, resuming conversations, warily looking around for signs of change and grateful not to find evidence of many – apart from the seaside landladies, who reputedly are far more genial these days.This is the chattiest of county crowds, social mistrust broken down by the sense that everybody is on vacation for an identical purpose. There was a stall here promoting the good work done by the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, but a brief walk along the popular banking is enough to soak up the essence of cricket throughout the county.”I’ve retired. They asked me back but my knees are knackered.””You’ve not got more than six all season? You’re kidding.””Can’t believe they called it off – it stopped raining at one o’clock.”It is a soulless cricketer who does not love the chance to play at Scarborough. Strange things can happen on this intimate patch of green. Mike Selvey, the correspondent, watching his beloved Middlesex on a ground he had not visited for many years, recalled dismissing Geoffrey Boycott first ball as the old curmudgeon charged and slogged him to mid-on. Research revealed it to be a 10-over Fenner Trophy match in 1979, but it sounded outlandish all the same.The sun beamed down at the start of play, but this has been the grouchiest of summers and nobody was about to be fooled. All season, coats have been donned as automatically as shoes. For everybody braving a t-shirt, there were half a dozen protected in three or four layers. The Championship table, at the mid-point of the season, remains sketchy and unformed: Yorkshire nine points behind Lancashire with a game in hand, Middlesex in third, a further two points behind.Yorkshire lost two wickets to attempted leave-alones in the morning, both of them bringing catches to the wicketkeeper, John Simpson. Adam Lyth fell first ball of the day to a seemingly innocent, wideish delivery from Tim Murtagh, the home-club boy out before many spectators had adjusted their cushions. Kane Williamson, who needed 36 balls for his first run, erred in similar fashion to James Franklin, although on this occasion against a ball of tighter line.Alex Lees brought up an attractive half-century with a six over long-off against Ollie Rayner which was confidently caught by a spectator with enough theatrical aplomb to win a walk-on part in a holiday show. Remarkably, it was his best score on home soil since September 2014.Batting first was not entirely automatic. A sluggish pitch possessed just enough encouragement for the Middlesex seamers and there was some swing, too, whenever the cloud thickened. Murtagh made best use of that in a probing post-lunch spell, having Lees caught at second slip for 63, and when Andrew Gale followed lbw to a fullish lbw from Toby Roland-Jones, Yorkshire were anxiously placed 131 for 4. “It’s Not Very Promising,” said one woman peering out of the Ladies Toilet, although she could have been talking about the weather. People usually are.Ballance rediscovered that promise, as did the day itself. Tim Bresnan helped him shore up the innings with a sturdy half-century in a partnership that reclaimned Yorkshire’s authority before Murtagh, the pick of Middlesex’s attack, bowled him with a decent delivery.Driving back from Scarborough across the Yorkshire Wolds on a glorious evening – and there have not been many – the landscape beyond Garrowby Hill was dazzling, and bright white clouds were interspersed so gloriously across a fresh blue sky that it was possible to imagine that no clouds of quite that form had ever been made before. “Cloud-puffball, torn tufts, tossed pillows,” as the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins had it, and many more shapes besides.It was as if the Yorkshire landscape had turned on a show to mark the end of some difficult times.Ballance’s time will come again. But perhaps not quite yet.
Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore losing their sixth game of the season, batsman KL Rahul has said the team was peaking as the 2016 IPL approached its business end
Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore12-May-20161:22
Road ahead for us is very clear – Rahul
Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore losing their sixth game of the season, and needing to win their remaining four to possibly make the playoffs, batsman KL Rahul has said the team was peaking as the 2016 IPL approached its business end. RCB were sixth in the standings after their six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians at home on Wednesday.”The plans are clear, we need to win all our games,” Rahul said. “I honestly believe that the team is peaking – the batting has come together, we’re fielding well, we’re taking some good catches, the bowling is getting better and better with each game. We need to win four out of four. We’re going to go out there and play fearless cricket.”Rahul was pushed down the order against Mumbai, in spite of enjoying success as an opener in previous games, to accommodate the returning Chris Gayle, who was out for 5. Gayle has been dismissed for less than ten in all seven innings since his century against England in the World T20, but Rahul urged support for the West Indies batsman.”Chris is dangerous up the order and we all know if he fires he can get us to 200-250 on any wicket, on any ground,” Rahul said. “You back a guy like Chris Gayle to go out there and give his best for the team. You can’t always expect him to deliver; sometimes it doesn’t happen.”The ball did not come onto the bat on Wednesday night, as it usually does at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, forcing the batsmen to manufacture shots. After Virat Kohli stabbed Mitchell McClenaghan to fly slip and Gayle toe-ended Tim Southee to mid-off, left-arm spinning allrounder Krunal Pandya suffocated RCB further with the joint-second best spell – in terms of economy (3.75) – by a spinner bowling a full quota at this venue.”After losing Virat and Chris early, we had to obviously change plans,” Rahul said. “The wicket was sticky, it was a bit damp, and it wasn’t easy to start hitting the ball right away. That’s what me and AB discussed – to take our time initially and if we batted out ten overs, then we could look at a target after that.”Rahul had come in to bat at the fall of Gayle’s wicket in the fourth over and went on to make his fourth half-century – and best score – of the season: 68 off 53 balls. He and de Villiers added 43 in 6.3 overs for the third wicket before Krunal dismissed de Villiers for 24 off 27 balls. Rahul also overcame an ankle niggle to ramp up the pace in the end overs, leading RCB to 151, which he thought was an “ideal score”.”After the loss of the first two wickets, we decided to get around 140-150, which was an ideal score,” Rahul said. “150 was what we discussed during the strategic time-out. We were happy with what we got. In the second innings it got easier to bat.”Mumbai’s chase boiled down to them needing 55 off the last five overs and then they lost Ambati Rayudu for 44 off 47 balls. Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler, however, ran down the target with eight balls to spare.The RCB captain Virat Kohli, who had been dismissed for his first single-digit score of the season, said his team had been about 20 runs short, and that he would relish the pressure of the remaining matches. “We will literally play knockouts now and I love this situation,” he said.