Manchester City star Erling Haaland has already started jogging as he eyes comeback from his ankle injury.
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Plus: the father and son who carried their bats, and the most stumpings in internationals
Steven Lynch02-Feb-2016AB de Villiers bagged a pair in the final Test against England – but South Africa still won. How many times has a captain got a pair but won anyway? asked Edward Howard from England
Against England in Centurion, AB de Villiers became only the 21st man to bag a pair in a Test match in which he was captain, the second from South Africa after Louis Tancred against England at The Oval in 1912. There have been four instances by Australia and West Indies captains, three by Pakistan, two by England, New Zealand and India, and one by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Of those, de Villiers was only the fourth to end up on the winning side, after Joe Darling (Australia v England in Sheffield in 1902), Nasser Hussain (England v West Indies at The Oval in 2000) and Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2004-05).Who scored two Test centuries, completing both of them with the No. 11 at the other end? asked Marcus Porter from England
This cool-headed batsman was Peter Willey, who made two hundreds in his 26 Tests for England between 1976 and 1986. Both centuries came against West Indies, the champion team of the time. The first came at The Oval in 1980: Willey had only 24 when last man Bob Willis joined him at the crease at 92 for 9, but they more than doubled the score in adding 117 – and Ian Botham delayed his declaration until Willey reached 100, from 203 balls in nearly four hours. Eight months later, in the first Test ever played in Antigua, Willey had 69 when No. 11 Graham Dilley came in. Dilley made only 2, but survived for more than an hour, in which time Willey moved to 102 not out, his highest Test score.Does Mahendra Singh Dhoni now hold the record for the most stumpings in international cricket? asked Melissa Gomes from Denmark
When MS Dhoni stumped James Faulkner in the second T20 against Australia in Melbourne last week, it was his 140th such dismissal in all internationals (38 in Tests, 89 in ODIs and 13 in T20Is). That put him one in front of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara: Dhoni had equalled the old record with his 139th stumping, Glenn Maxwell, earlier in that same innings in Melbourne. Another Sri Lankan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, is the only other wicketkeeper with more than 100 international stumpings – he made 101. Moin Khan is next with 93, while Adam Gilchrist had 92.Mudassar Nazar followed his father in carrying his bat for a century in a Test for Pakistan•PA PhotosThere are only two instances of a team total exceeding 1000 runs in a first-class match. Is it true that Don Bradman figured in both those innings? asked Alex Nweke from Zimbabwe
The two four-figure totals in first-class cricket were both amassed by Victoria in the 1920s: they made 1059 against Tasmania in Melbourne in 1922-23, then trumped that with 1107 against New South Wales at the MCG in 1926-27.
Don Bradman didn’t actually play in either match – he didn’t make his debut for New South Wales until 1927-28 – but one man did: Bill Ponsford made 429 for Victoria in the first game, the record first-class score at the time, and added 352 in the second one. The prolific Ponsford improved his record to 437 against Queensland in Melbourne in 1927-28. That stood as the highest first-class score for two seasons, until Bradman punished the long-suffering Queenslanders for 452 not out for NSW in Sydney in 1929-30.Is Ashish Nehra the oldest Indian player to figure in a T20 international? asked Sunit Kumar from the UAE
Ashish Nehra was 36 years 267 days old when he played against Australia in Sydney last weekend – which makes him the second-oldest Indian to appear in a T20I. Nehra will have to keep going for another couple of years to take the record, which is currently held by Rahul Dravid. He was 38 years 232 days old when he made his one and only appearance in a T20I – having already announced his retirement from the format – against England at Old Trafford in 2011. Dravid is only 16th on the overall list, which is headed by the UAE’s 43-year-old captain Mohammad Tauqir, against Netherlands in Edinburgh in 2015.Is there any case of a father and son carrying their bat in Tests? asked David Ferrier from Norway
There’s only one instance of this. Playing in what was only Pakistan’s second official Test match, against India in Lucknow in 1952-53, Nazar Mohammad scored an undefeated 124 of the total of 331, to set up a decisive lead: Pakistan, who had lost the first Test badly, went on to the victory that levelled their inaugural series. Just over 30 years later, his son Mudassar Nazar carried his bat for 152 in Pakistan’s innings of 323 against India in Lahore in 1982-83.Send in your questions using our feedback form.
As they look to use the January transfer window to their advantage in the race to avoid Premier League relegation, Leicester City are reportedly plotting a move to welcome back a familiar face this month.
Leicester City transfer news
The Foxes were at least given some reprieve away from Premier League action when they squared off against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup and swept past the Championship side in a 6-2 thrashing, but there’s no doubt that they’ll be fully focused on escaping the dropzone rather than domestic glory. And with Crystal Palace up next, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side must take that goalscoring form from QPR into a crucial relegation six-pointer.
Of course, alongside a flurry of fixtures this month, Leicester also have the chance to strengthen courtesy of the January transfer window. In that regard, the Foxes have already been linked to names such as Miguel Almiron, as Newcastle United look to cash-in on their struggling winger in what could be a move to boost Leicester’s survival chances.
Before any fresh name, however, those at The King Power Stadium could welcome back a familiar face. According to The Boot Room, Leicester are now plotting a reunion with Ben Chilwell, who is desperate to leave Chelsea after becoming an outcast at Stamford Bridge under Enzo Maresca, who has admitted the player will probably go.
The left-back would certainly have to hit the ground running to get fans back on side after swapping Leicester for Chelsea in 2020 in deal worth a reported ÂŁ45m, but there’s no doubt that he still has more than enough left in the tank to drag his former side to survival.
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Potentially a full-circle moment, Chilwell should take the opportunity to complete a return with both hands if Leicester come calling this month, but he will of course have to take a significant hit to his current ÂŁ200,000-a-week wages.
Chilwell desperately needs Chelsea exit
Once a Chelsea vice-captain and Champions League winner, Chilwell now desperately needs a move away from Stamford Bridge like a number of his teammates who have been cast aside and shown the door at the London club. At just 28 years old and with a World Cup coming up next year, the Englishman has the perfect chance to return to his best and earn back his England place as Thomas Tuchel looks to make his mark.
In doing exactly that, the defender would be making up for his previous discretions at Leicester too, whose survival chances would only increase by welcoming such experience.
Speaking to reporters, Maresca revealed that Chilwell will be allowed to leave Chelsea this month, saying via TNT Sports: “Because players want to play more so there’s probably chances for them to leave.
“But Ben has been top. I have to say that, he has been top. Very professional, works hard. I feel shame because of that situation, but in terms of behaviour, he has been very good.”
Before the end of the month, Chilwell simply must move on from his recent Chelsea struggles, whether that results in a Leicester reunion or a move elsewhere in the coming weeks.
Former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce has sympathy for Andre Onana amid his woeful form for the club.
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Onana dropped at the weekendDropped two howlers against LyonBruce has sympathyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Speaking on talkSPORT, former United defender Bruce suggested that the club’s goalkeepers would always struggle given the defensive issues at Old Trafford, and has claimed that he has sympathy for the Cameroon international, who made two high-profile mistakes against Lyon last week.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Manager Ruben Amorim dropped Onana for their clash with Newcastle at the weekend. Without him, the Red Devils lost 4-1. Now, Onana is set to be restored to the starting XI for their encounter with the Ligue 1 side.
WHAT BRUCE SAID
Bruce told talkSPORT: "You would hope it's going to be a quiet night but I think we've watched United for a while now and you think 'can the lad have a quiet night'? Are they defensively good enough? Not just the goalkeeper, we're talking about them defensively now, are they good enough to go and keep a clean sheet to give yourself the platform that everybody wants to see?
"It was a big call to leave him out, obviously he's brought him back in, let's hope it's freshened him up and brought a bit of an edge to him. Undoubtedly he's a talented goalkeeper but he's like all the rest of them at the minute, they're all having a tough time, and there's nowhere more difficult to have a tough time than playing at Man United."
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Onana will hope to avoid any splashy, negative headlines with his performance against Lyon on Thursday evening.
Celtic enjoyed a strong showing domestically in Brendan Rodgers’ first season back at the club last term, as they won the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup.
However, the Hoops also finished bottom of their Champions League group and only won one of their six matches, before the revamped league phase came into play this term.
When the summer transfer rolled around, the Scottish giants lost midfielder Matt O’Riley to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent deal.
However, Rodgers was then backed by the board as they made a host of signings to bolster the squad, in an attempt to improve their success in Europe.
The Hoops swooped to sign central defender Auston Trusty from Sheffield United for a fee of ÂŁ6m and Football FanCast recently posted an article explaining why they hit the jackpot with him, as his performances in the Champions League have earned him a comparison to Arsenal star William Saliba.
Celtic also agreed a fee of up to ÂŁ9.5m for Adam Idah and reportedly paid ÂŁ3.5m to sign Paulo Bernardo, after their loan spells from Norwich and Benfica respectively during the 2023/24 campaign.
Veteran goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was brought in on a free transfer and has kept an eye-catching 11 clean sheets in 14 appearances in the league.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
The biggest signing of the window, however, was Arne Engels, who joined in a club-record ÂŁ11m transfer from German side Augsburg to bolster Rodgers’ options in midfield.
Celtic appear to have hit the jackpot with the Belgian starlet because he has had the desired impact in the Champions League for the Hoops.
As per FBref, Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has been one of the most similar players to Engels in Europe’s premier competition this season, which speaks to how impressive the Bhoys youngster has been.
As you can see in the chart above, both players are central midfielders who look to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch by generating high non-penalty xG and xAG tallies.
Bellingham, who has scored 26 goals in 59 games for Real Madrid, is valued at a whopping €180m (£149m) by Transfermarkt, which illustrates just how impressive Engels has been in Europe to earn a comparison with the England international.
|
24/25 Champions League |
Arne Engels |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Key passes |
10 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.8 |
|
Duel success rate |
56% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian record-breaker, who is the most expensive signing in the club’s history, has been directly involved in four goals in five matches in the Champions League.
Engels, who has also scored two goals and created three ‘big chances’ in 11 matches in the Premiership, has helped the Hoops to win two and draw two of their first five games in Europe.
This means, albeit in a different format, the Belgium international has played a significant role in Celtic’s much-improved record in Europe this term compared to last.
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At the age of 21, Engels also has plenty of time left to develop and improve further and, as of right now, Celtic appear to have hit gold with the Bellingham-esque star.
Since his return to Parkhead in the summer of 2023, Brendan Rodgers has been backed by the Celtic board in the transfer market in all three windows so far.
The biggest show of faith from the board so far has been the decision to break the club’s transfer record in an ÂŁ11m swoop for Augsburg star Arne Engels.
However, his signings in his first window back at the club have not been hugely successful as a collective in their first 18 months or so in Glasgow.
Paulo Bernardo, who was on loan last term before joining permanently this summer, is the only one who remains a regular fixture in the side in the present day.
Per Transfermarkt, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Luis Palma, and Odin Thiago Holm were the four most expensive signings in that transfer window, all costing ÂŁ2.5m or more.
Nawrocki, Lagerbielke, and Holm combined for just 13 starts in the Scottish Premiership during the 2023/24 campaign, and none of them have started a game in the division this season, with Lagerbielke currently on loan with FC Twente.
Palma started well at Celtic, with five goals and nine assists in his first 16 league games, but has only produced two goals and zero assists in 16 Premiership matches in 2024.
One signing that may have gone under the radar as a flop from that summer of recruits has been Australia international Marco Tilio, who was brought in for a fee of ÂŁ1.5m from Melbourne City.
Shortly before his official unveiling, Football FanCast suggested that Tilio could have been Rodgers’ own version of Manchester City star Phil Foden, as a diminutive, left-footed, attacking midfielder, who can play centrally or out wide.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig had named Foden as a “similar” type of player to the then-Melbourne star and listed dribbling, technique, and ball control among the ÂŁ1.5m signing’s strengths, after a return of ten goals and five assists in 25 A-League starts in the 2022/23 campaign.
Tilio, however, arrived with an injury and was not fit until September 2023, which meant that he was already down the pecking order by the time he was available.
The winger went on to play just 28 minutes across two games against Hibernian and Motherwell in November and December 2023, as the winger failed to break into the starting XI, with the likes of Palma, Hyun-jun Yang, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Hyeon-gyu Oh, and James Forrest ahead of him in the forward areas.
Tilio was then sent out on loan to Melbourne City for the second half of the season and scored one goal in four matches, whilst missing nine games through injury, before returning for a second loan there in the summer transfer window.
|
24/25 A-League |
Marco Tilio |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
3 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.3 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old attacker scored one goal in three matches at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, but he has been out with a hamstring injury since November and is expected to be back at the end of December.
So far, it has been ÂŁ1.5m wasted for Celtic as they have only got 28 minutes of action from him in what will have been two years by the end of his current loan with Melbourne.
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Celtic were linked with an interest in the impressive winger in the summer transfer window.
By
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Nov 19, 2024
His form in Australia, along with his continued injury issues, does not suggest that he is likely to return to Parkhead and live up to being their own version of Foden.
Tilio’s contract with Celtic does not expire until the summer of 2028, though, and there is still time for him to overcome his struggles, but it currently looks as though it was ÂŁ1.5m wasted by the Scottish side.
There have been plenty of disappointing signings completed in the Premier League in 2024, but which players make up the top 10?
Another exciting year of Premier League action is nearly over, with drama taking place at both ends of the table during the past 12 months.
We have seen some exceptional new signings made by various clubs taking their teams to another level, but not every transfer can be a success, meaning some players will have managers regretting their decision in the market.
Here are our picks for the 10 worst signings in the Premier League in 2024.
10 Raheem Sterling Chelsea to Arsenal (loan)
Having been cast aside at Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca making it clear that there was no future for him at Stamford Bridge, Raheem Sterling completed a loan switch to Arsenal in the summer.
On the face of it, it looked like a shrewd piece of business by the Gunners, but now 30, the Englishman is a fading force. He has started just twice in the Premier League, despite the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard struggling for top form.
9 Savinho Troyes to Manchester City
When Savinho made his Manchester City debut against Chelsea on the opening weekend, it looked like the champions had signed the new Riyad Mahrez.
While much focus has been on City’s struggles in defence and midfield this season, the wide players have also been a big issue, including their new signing.
Savinho is yet to score in the Premier League, despite making 13 appearances, and a lack of substance has become increasingly evident as the weeks have passed.
8 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Leicester City to Chelsea
When Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea from Leicester City, there was arguably a nagging feeling that he wasn’t at the level required for the Blues.
Granted, Maresca knew him well from their time together with the Foxes, but he has struggled to make any kind of impression this season, featuring for just 56 minutes in the Premier League in the first 16 matches.
The likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez look on a different level to him and his move has so far been a colossal waste of money.
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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024 7 James Ward-Prowse West Ham to Nottingham Forest (loan)
Not many felt that James Ward-Prowse’s loan move from West Ham United to Nottingham Forest in the summer was bad business, with the midfielder’s experience and set-piece ability having the potential to make him a good signing.
But while Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have shone in 2024/25 to date, the Englishman hasn’t, only managing sporadic outings in the league and looking like a player past his best.
A red card against Chelsea summed up a disappointing campaign thus far for Ward-Prowse.
6 Ben Brereton Diaz Villarreal to Southampton
Southampton knew the importance of signing a top striker after their promotion from the Championship, and Ben Brereton Diaz was brought in as the man to add extra firepower.
The Chile international may have done relatively well at Sheffield United last season, scoring 6 goals in 14 league appearances, but he has flopped badly for Saints, not yet netting in the competition this term.
5 Kalvin Phillips Manchester City to Ipswich Town (loan)
The manner in which Kalvin Phillips’ career has drifted in recent years has been sad to see, having become such an important player for Leeds United and England at the turn of the decade.
Ipswich Town offered the midfielder a chance to end a miserable spell at Manchester City, signing him on loan, but he has continued to be an ineffective figure.
Phillips has managed seven Premier League starts, but his influence has not been what Kieran McKenna hoped for, hence him not being a regular starter.
4 Matthijs de Ligt Bayern Munich to Manchester United
It was clear that Manchester United needed at least one new centre-back signing in the summer, and Matthijs de Ligt came in as a high-profile ÂŁ42.9m acquisition alongside youngster Leny Yoro.
The fact that Bayern Munich were willing to sell the Netherlands international acted as a potential warning sign to the Red Devils, and the defender has struggled in these opening months of the season.
In truth, De Ligt hasn’t looked like much of an upgrade on Harry Maguire, which is damning in itself, often finding himself at the scene of the crime when goals are conceded, and generally looking a long way from the prodigious talent that emerged at Ajax.
3 Joao Felix Atletico Madrid to Chelsea
A former Golden Boy winner, Joao Felix’s permanent move to Chelsea in the summer felt exciting following his previous loan spell.
While plenty of attacking players at Stamford Bridge have shone from Cole Palmer to Noni Madueke, the Portuguese has been a spectator for much of the campaign.
Felix has started only twice in the league and scored just once in nine games in the competition, and now 25 years of age, he is in danger of not reaching his vast potential.
2 Eddie Nketiah Arsenal to Crystal Palace
Eddie Nketiah’s time at Arsenal reached its natural conclusion at the end of last season, as it became abundantly clear that he was never going to be up to the level required to be a top player at the Emirates.
The English striker’s ÂŁ30m move to Crystal Palace was always going to be intriguing, and while there was hope that he could flourish in south London, he has endured a horrible season to date.
Nketiah hasn’t scored in his first 13 Premier League appearances and his confidence appears to be extremely low, as summed up by a poor one-on-one finish against Brighton.
1 Joshua Zirkzee Bologna to Manchester United
Manchester United signed Joshua Zirkzee for ÂŁ36.5m during the summer window, and while far from a vast amount in the modern game, he has still been a huge flop, failing to come close to justifying his price tag.
The Dutchman may have scored the winner on his debut at home to Fulham, but since then, he has netted in just one other game in the Premier League, as well as lacking the pace to be a dangerous threat in the final third.
While Rasmus Hojlund is raw but has clear potential, it’s hard to see Zirkzee being a success under Ruben Amorim, so it wouldn’t be a shock if he lasted no more than one season at Old Trafford.
Welsh Fire hit rock-bottom after slipping to sixth consecutive defeat
Harshini Mehta24-Aug-2022Dan Lawrence starred with bat and ball as London Spirit recorded their fifth victory out of six in their Hundred campaign, beating winless Welsh Fire by 18 runs.The England international top-scored for his side with an impressive 43 off 26 and with Adam Rossington and Ben McDermott weighing in with 32 apiece, Spirit set a challenging target of 157 despite Ish Sodhi’s tight spell on debut.Lawrence made sure that total was never seriously challenged as he decimated Fire’s top order with 4 for 20, and despite some explosive hitting from the middle order, Fire came up short.Related
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After Fire won the toss and chose to field, Spirit opener Rossington produced the early pyrotechnics with a flurry of boundaries off Dwaine Pretorius and David Payne. His partner Daniel Bell-Drummond was undone by a beauty from Jake Ball, but Rossington’s brutal striking brought the hosts to 41 for one at the end of the powerplay.Sodhi, Fire’s replacement for Adam Zampa, applied the brakes, only giving away two runs in his first five and pressure told when Rossington slog-swept the New Zealand legspinner straight down Ben Duckett’s throat in the deep. Eoin Morgan went without scoring but McDermott picked up where Rossington had left off, smashing his second six over long-on.McDermott too though fell to Sodhi’s wizardry at which point he had 2 for 6 in 14 deliveries. But Lawrence caused a dent in his bowling figures, twice planting him into the Grandstand.A third six to the long side followed as he endangered the cameras beyond the longer square boundary and with Kieron Pollard also clearing the ropes in his last appearance before making his way back to the Caribbean Premier League, Spirit posted a competitive 156.Dan Lawrence gets down to slog-sweep•ECB/Getty ImagesFire struggled for momentum from the off, taking 17 balls to find the boundary and the out-of-form Joe Clarke holed out soon afterwards off the bowling of Thompson trying to go the aerial route.Thereafter Lawrence returned to centre stage – his delivery to captain Josh Cobb caused him to skew his effort and he was comfortably caught by Bell-Drummond; two balls later, he yorked Bethell with a beauty and David Miller’s effort was seized by Pollard on the boundary edge.Pretorius and Duckett briefly raised Fire’s hopes with a partnership of 52 off 28, the latter striking two big sixes, but Lawrence returned to castle Duckett with the last ball of his spell.Leus du Plooy took up the challenge clubbing consecutive sixes and Matt Critchley blazed 21 from six balls, but Chris Wood dismissed both in the final set of five to finish with 4 for 28 as Spirit clinched victory.
Birmingham City are believed to be preparing an offer to sign a defensive beast in the January transfer window, according to a new transfer update.
Birmingham eyeing immediate Championship return under Davies
It has been a positive start to the season for the Blues, who sit top of the League One table and in pole position to seal a quickfire return to the Championship.
Birmingham have opened up a three-point between themselves and second-place Wycombe Wanderers, and perhaps most importantly, they have a four-point advantage over Wrexham, who have also played a game extra but were also fancied by many to be among the leading clubs to go up.
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At this point, it would be a surprise if Chris Davies’ side didn’t return to the Championship at the first attempt – it would arguably even be a big disappointment, given their start to the campaign – and it is an exciting time for supporters with Tom Wagner and Tom Brady heavily involved behind the scenes, giving the club something of a Hollywood feel not dissimilar to promotion rivals Wrexham.
The January transfer window will provide Birmingham with an opportunity to bring in more reinforcements and strengthen Davies’ squad, and it looks as though that may be the case, following a new claim.
Birmingham preparing new offer for defensive beast
According to Football Insider, Birmingham are readying an improved offer for Hannover 96 centre-back Phil Neumann in January, having shown an interest in him during the summer transfer window.
The report points out that the League One side “had a ÂŁ3.4million offer knocked back by the German outfit” at that point, as they held firm and ensured he remained at the club for the time being.
Neumann could be an ideal addition for Birmingham, adding more quality to the back-line for the second half of the season and hopefully being viewed as a player who could then thrive in the Championship next season and beyond.
At 27 years of age, the German now possesses a huge amount of experience, and he has a total of 168 appearances to his name in the 2.Bundesliga. He has scored four goals and registered eight assists for good measure.
Neumann has started 11 matches in the league this season, averaging an impressive number of clearances per game, and on top of that, good stats for aerial duels won per game and interceptions per match.
Appearances
11
Starts
11
Minutes played
990
Goals
0
Assists
0
Clearances per game
4.5
Aerial duel wins per game
2.5
Interceptions per game
1.9
It could feel like a statement signing if Birmingham get it done, not to mention impressive work by Wanger and Brady, further suggesting that exciting years could lie ahead. Building from a position of strength is always hugely important and that’s exactly what the Blues may well be doing if they got a deal over the line.
After serving as the catalyst for KKR’s 2014 IPL title run, Robin Uthappa’s early season struggles typified the Knight Riders’ fortunes. But Thursday’s win over Super Kings showed last year’s magic was still there just waiting to be stirred
Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata30-Apr-2015Earlier that over, Manish Pandey had pulled a long-hop straight into deep midwicket’s hands. Now Robin Uthappa skipped down the track, looking to clip Pawan Negi to long-on. He didn’t quite reach the pitch of the ball. It gripped, turned past the closed face of his bat and clanged in and out of MS Dhoni’s gloves behind the stumps.This was the ninth over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings. They were 57 for 2, chasing 166, and their required rate was approaching 10 an over.Uthappa had made 34 and 39 in his last two matches. Knight Riders’ had lost both of them, losing steam after getting off to good starts in chases. Had Dhoni completed the stumping now, Uthappa would have been out for 28.At a similar stage in Chennai Super Kings’ innings, Uthappa had been similarly iron-gloved behind the stumps, failing to catch Dwayne Bravo when he nicked a googly from Brad Hogg. He had also shown lead feet twice in the early overs, diving late and awkwardly to let through five wides and then four runs off Brendon McCullum’s gloves, both off Pat Cummins’ bowling.Uthappa is no keeper. He performs the task eagerly and he presumably works hard on it, but he doesn’t move like someone who has done it all his life. Why would he? It is a difficult job. It is a specialist job. Like Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu – who wear the big gloves on and off for Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians – Uthappa keeps wicket to give his team the option of lengthening their batting or, occasionally, to fit in an extra bowler.It is an uneasy compromise, and it is likely Knight Riders treat his occasional lapses behind the stumps as a price they are willing to pay because of what he gives them with the bat.Knight Riders won nine straight matches on their way to the 2014 title and most of those wins followed a simple formula: field first, restrict the opposition to 160 or less, and chase it down with minimal fuss. The lack of fuss was largely down to the starts Uthappa gave them. He made ten successive 40-plus scores.After a slow start to the season, Uthappa had fallen just short of 40 in successive games and Knight Riders had fallen just short of chasing down reasonable targets. Now Uthappa had another shot at taking his team home.Given the start Chennai Super Kings made racing to 64 for 2 in five overs, it was quite a feat that Knight Riders restricted them to 165. A spin-friendly pitch played its part, but part of the reason had also been Super Kings’ overly aggressive approach.Suresh Raina yet again showed a tendency to throw his wicket away after an early sequence of dot balls. Brendon McCullum rushed to 32 off 11 before falling lbw to Hogg, trying to heave the spinner’s first ball across the line. Faf du Plessis, who had spanked Piyush Chawla for three gorgeous fours through the off side in the previous over, ran down the pitch and swiped at thin air playing across the line to Hogg’s googly.Knight Riders batsmen had shown the same sort of tendency too. Pandey was out to a soft dismissal. Gautam Gambhir top-edged an attempted leg-side swipe to third man. Immediately after Uthappa’s let-off, Suryakumar Yadav fell exactly like Gambhir.All those batsmen, from both sides, were either batting fluently or new to the crease when they were dismissed. Uthappa, on the other hand, was looking scratchy. He began his innings with a beautifully timed clip off his legs against Mohit Sharma, but since then had quietened, especially against Negi’s darts which were spinning sharply and causing problems.A lot of these problems were down to Uthappa’s tendency to play around his front pad. He has worked hard on this over the last couple of years. He has remodeled his pick-up and backlift to ensure his bat comes down in a far straighter line than it used to, and after every ball he plays a shadow front-foot drive – from that half-forward trigger movement, with his wrist cocking simultaneously to bring his bat up near his right shoulder, to the checked finish with the full face showing.Against the fast bowlers, Uthappa was generally getting it right. Against Negi, who was angling the ball into him with his low, round-arm style, Uthappa’s old instincts were taking over. On a surface with less help for the spinners, he might have got away with it chanceless. Here, he only got away thanks to Dhoni’s hard hands.If Uthappa had been out, it would have been out to a mixture of a good ball and a genuine weakness. He wouldn’t have thrown his wicket away. In Twenty20, the concept of ‘throwing your wicket away’ doesn’t carry the same weight of meaning that it does in the longer formats, but in this game, in this Kolkata Knight Riders chase, Uthappa’s role was to stay in the middle. They had the batting depth to be able to pull it off around him.Therefore, Uthappa didn’t attempt anything outrageous. He continued to flounder against Negi for a while and popped one off the leading edge not too far from short cover while trying to work Negi across the line again, but in between he simply drove down the ground or clipped off his pads, and picked up a couple of smart twos into the deep-set leg-side field.At the other end, Andre Russell gave him the room to play this way, carving Negi for a big six over cover, hoicking Ravindra Jadeja through midwicket and crashing Dwayne Bravo through point.The equation had come down to 63 off 36 when Ashish Nehra came back into the attack. The first ball was nice and full, within Uthappa’s driving arc. Down came that perfectly straight bat and the ball whistled low and flat over the long-on boundary. Nehra shortened his length a touch, Uthappa waited on him and used his pace and left-arm angle to guide him for two fours to the fine third man boundary. In the expanded repertoire of Twenty20, these were old-fashioned percentage shots. Fifteen came off that over and Knight Riders could see the finish line.With Russell doing the heavy lifting at the other end, Uthappa kept playing the percentage shots – even when it came down to six off six balls. He faced three balls in the final over, drove all of them down the ground, and picked up two singles and a double. He had set out to bat just this way, from start to finish.