Category Uncategorized

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel has been named vice-captain in the squad of 15

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2019Priyam Garg will hope to join Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw, the India Under-19 World Cup-winning captains over the years, when he leads the team at the 2020 edition in South Africa in January-February. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel, Garg’s team-mate from Uttar Pradesh, has been named the vice-captain.Garg is already a first-class regular for his state team. He finished the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy as the second-highest run-scorer for Uttar Pradesh, making 814 runs at an average of 67.83, with two hundreds including a career-best 206. He also featured in the Deodhar Trophy recently, top-scoring with 77 for India C in the final. He has played 15 List A matches and 11 T20s.The 15-member squad also features 17-year-old Mumbai batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been making waves in the 50-overs format. During the Vijay Hazare Trophy in September-October, Jaiswal became the youngest player to hit a List A double-century, while also topping the run charts for Mumbai. In all, he made 564 runs at an average of 112.80 with three hundreds and a fifty.ESPNcricinfo LtdALSO READ: Yashasvi Jaiswal: From selling pani-puris to smashing List A double-tonAtharva Ankolekar, another Mumbai player who has also been making headlines, has also named in the touring party. The left-arm spinner had helped India Under-19 defend only 106 against Bangladesh Under-19 in the Asia Cup final in September with returns of 5 for 28.Karnataka’s spin-bowling allrounder Shubhang Hegde, who recently led India U-19 for three games in their 3-2 series win over Afghanistan Under-19 in Lucknow, was in the squad too. He first impressed as a 15-year-old in the Karnataka Premier League and has a solitary first-class game under his belt too.Tilak Varma, from Hyderabad, forced his way into the squad on the back of a solid Cooch Behar Trophy in 2018-19, scoring 779 runs in just six matches, including four hundreds and three half-centuries, averaging 86.56. In the one-day competition, the Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy, he followed that up with 507 runs in eight games at 84.50, with one century and four half-centuries.”We are very confident with the process and preparation we’ve set up,” Rahul Dravid said last week on the sidelines of the series against Afghanistan in Lucknow.Atharva Ankolekar celebrates a wicket with Dhruv Jurel•Sri Lanka CricketIn his role as the director of the NCA, Dravid oversees the progress of the Under-19 team and attended the junior selection committee meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Sunday as a special invitee. “We have got a good balance in the team,” he said. “Depending on the conditions in South Africa, if they aid fast bowlers, we have got a pretty good attack. We have got batting all the way down to seven-eight-nine. We have got spinners, if conditions suit.”The World Cup begins on January 17 with India slotted in Group A with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and first-time qualifiers Japan. There are four groups with 16 teams in all and the top two sides from each will qualify for the Super League stage. The final will be played in Potchefstroom on February 9. This will be the 13th edition of the Under-19 World Cup and India have won four titles so far, the most, including the last edition in 2018 in New Zealand.The junior selection committee also picked a squad of 16 that will tour South Africa just before the World Cup for a bilateral series of three one-dayers with the hosts and a quadrangular series also featuring New Zealand and Zimbabwe. The only addition to the squad for those series will be Hyderabad’s CTL Rakshan, who played three matches against Afghanistan Under-19 last week.Squad for South Africa bilateral and quadrangular series: Priyam Garg (capt), Dhruv Jurel (vice-capt & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Divyaansh Saxena, Shashwat Rawat, Divyansh Joshi, Shubhang Hegde, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Atharva Ankolekar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Sushant Mishra, Vidyadhar Patil, CTL Rakshan

Tottenham Hotspur were defeated at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League but Ange Postecoglou will be confident that his side can secure a positive finish to the campaign.

A fast start to the season shredded many pre-season predictions into tatters as Spurs soared into the title ascendancy, but progress has been punctuated by irregularity in form since Postecoglou made history by picking up three successive Premier League Manager of the Month awards across the opening months.

While recent recruitment has been on the money, after a fashion, Heung-min Son is arguably still the finest player on the books, the last of the old guard following Harry Kane's sale to Bayern Munich last summer.

Signed back in 2015, Son was part of a past wave of investment to bring Spurs to the fore, and while the club enjoyed comparative success during those days, too many signings failed to find even a portion of Son's success, with Georges-Kevin N'Koudou undoubtedly one of the worst.

When Spurs signed Georges-Kevin N'Koudou

One year before Tottenham swooped in for N'Koudou, they wrapped up the £12m signing of Clinton N'Jie from Lyon for around £12m, the dynamic forward touted for big things.

He fell by the wayside and moved on after only one campaign, replaced by N'koudou in 2016. with the winger completing an £11m move from Marseille, N'Jie heading to the French club on loan before penning a permanent transfer.

Sadly, Tottenham got it wrong on both occasions, with N'koudou, who had scored ten goals and supplied five assists in France the term before, flattering to deceive.

Georges-Kevin N'Koudou's stats at Spurs

Upon arrival, N'Koudou remarked that former Manchester United phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo and Spurs stalwart Gareth Bale were among his biggest inspirations, influencing his style of play and playing into the possibility of immense success in north London.

He said: "It's true that I watched many Premier League games when I was a child as well and I remember a few players that made me want to come here – Gareth Bale for instance, who has played here.

Club

Apps

Goals

Assists

Real Madrid

258

106

67

Tottenham Hotspur

236

71

58

Southampton

45

5

12

LA Galaxy

14

3

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

"There was also Cristiano Ronaldo when he was playing for Manchester United. They inspired me because they play the way I like to – they like to challenge defenders, to dribble."

And in fairness, N'Koudou did offer such attributes, with his fleet-footedness and explosive qualities a perfect fit for prominence at a team such as Tottenham.

However, the Cameroon international failed to live up to the hype and contributed with just one goal and two assists across 27 games in all competitions, leading podcaster Chris Miller to criticise the "awful signing", also noting that his woeful return in Tottenham colours "sapped" chairman Daniel Levy.

N'Koudou might have built his career back up now, leaving Spurs for around £5m back in 2019 after a string of unsuccessful loan spells.

This season, in the Saudi Pro League, the Damac FC star has plundered 15 goals and four assists from just 19 league appearances, finally living up to those one-time claims that he was the emulation of Bale that Tottenham so craved.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

Circumstances… differ, certainly, and Levy's promising-looking transfer business of late might have been conducted with the scars of former misfires such as this one still branded in memory.

England defender Ezri Konsa has revealed that some players' families were struck by beer cups by fans following the Three Lions' draw with Slovenia.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

England fans throw beer cups at SouthgatePlayers' families also struck by projectilesKonsa reveals incidents at RheinEnergieStadion(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

England boss Gareth Southgate was targeted by fans at the end of the Three Lions' 0-0 draw as he went over to applaud the traveling fans. While this was played down by the 53-year-old, Konsa has now revealed that even some players' families, who were sitting in those sections of the RheinEnergieStadion, were stuck by the projectiles.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesWHAT KONSA SAID

Speaking to the media, Konsa was asked about the Southgate incident, he said: "We haven't spoken about it.

"We were aware of it because I think some of our family members got hit with a few drinks. We were aware but we haven't spoken about it as players.

"We check on them. There are kids in the stands with family so we always have to check on them, reassure them and ask if they're all right.

"We know that in football stuff like that happens. We try not to think about it too much so we move on.

"My brother was hit, a few others. But we haven't spoken about it too much and there's not much we can do about it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

England came into the tournament as one of the outright favourites to win the competition, however, that has not translated onto the field so far as the Three Lions have struggled massively as they scraped past Serbia in a 1-0 win before two draws against Denmark and Slovenia. Nonetheless, they managed to reach the knockout rounds of the Euros as the top team in their group and now sit on the favourable side of the draw.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

The Three Lions will take on Slovakia on June 30 at the Veltins-Arena as they will look to regain some form and make their way to the quarter-finals of the tournament, looking to win their first major title since 1966.

Whilst Celtic are locked in a tight race with their city rivals for the Scottish Premiership title, one eye has remained on the transfer window, with a forgotten player's departure from Parkhead seemingly now imminent.

Celtic hand advantage to Rangers

For the first time in a while, the Scottish Premiership looks perfectly poised for a thrilling finish with both Celtic and Rangers in contention for the title. Not always a close race, Celtic's once healthy advantage at the summit has been cut down by recent draws with both Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

Brendan Rodgers' men are now under significant pressure to wrap up the league after being heavy favourites to lift the title and holding a significant lead over Rangers for much of the season's early proceedings. With a trip to Ibrox penciled in for the start of April, Celtic will have earmarked this fixture as an opportunity to put themselves back on the top of the tree.

Where Celtic hold the advantage over their Glasgow rivals is their absence of European football. Whilst Rangers have to juggle league and cup campaigns with the latter stages of the Europa League, Celtic can keep sole focus upon domestic competitions, potentially giving them the edge.

Celtic struck gold with this signing who's worth more than Kuhn

The impressive forward has been an excellent addition to the Hoops squad this season.

ByDan Emery Feb 18, 2024

One man who has yet to feature in all this however is Yuki Kobayashi, and he is now seeking greener pastures away from Scotland.

Yuki Kobayashi set for exit

As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Kobayashi is exploring out-of-window moves away from Parkhead. The 23-year-old looked close to leaving Celtic last week, but a move to Finnish side HJK Helsinki collapsed at the last minute. Well-placed sources within the club have told O'Rourke that Kobayashi remains free to pursue other offers and that the player is eager to secure a move away from the Glasgow giants.

In truth, it is no wonder why Kobayashi is pursuing other avenues, as the central defender has appeared in green and white on just seven occasions since his arrival from Vissel Kobe in November 2022. His last action for Celtic came in May 2023, with this season bringing about zero opportunities for the former Japan youth international.

It wasn't always like this for the 23-year-old, as a stretch of fixtures towards the backend of last season saw Kobayashi start in the heart of defence and earn praise for his performances. Speaking after a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock in April 2023, former Hoops' boss, Ange Postecoglu sang the praises of his player, telling reporters:

“I thought he was really good. It wasn’t easy to play on the surface and they were physical. It was good to get him 90 minutes but in all the games he’s played, he’s hardly put a foot wrong and he’s growing as a player."

A once promising career at Parkhead has now come crashing down with Kobayashi likely to never pull on the famous green and white stripes again. Hopefully, the opportunity to play consistent football elsewhere will see the defender putting in the performances he is capable of on a regular basis.

To put it diplomatically, Crystal Palace fans have endured some mixed results of late – including close-fought wins over Sheffield United and Brentford. However, they have also been subjected to some terrible losses, including a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Arsenal.

That said, one area the club have excelled over the last month is the transfer market, as not only have they managed to keep their most important players, but they have also added to the squad with some intelligent acquisitions in Adam Wharton and Daniel Muñoz.

The latter may have only cost £7m, but his impact could be significant, especially for a player who is already struggling to nail down a starting role in Roy Hodgson's side, Nathaniel Clyne.

The former Liverpool ace has only started 32% of the Eagles' Premier League games this season. Still, he could be about to see that number drop significantly if the Colombian international hits the ground running.

Clyne's season in numbers

The former Liverpool ace, who Dejan Lovren once described as like "a sports car – he's quick, strong and an intelligent guy", has been a Palace player since moving to the club for free in October 2020, and while he has been more than useful in his time in south London, it's clear that his importance is waning.

He is firmly behind club captain Joel Ward in the pecking order – who has started 73% of league games this term – and based on his output this season, it's not hard to see why.

The Englishman has not registered a single goal or assist in his 14 appearances, and his underlying numbers are even worse.

According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the 32-year-old ranks in the bottom 45% for full-backs for blocks, the bottom 39% for clearances, the bottom 32% for tackles, the bottom 29% for interceptions, the bottom 22% for non-penalty goals and the bottom 20% for successful take ons, all per 90.

Percentile

Top 38%

Bottom 45%

Bottom 39%

Bottom 32%

Bottom 29%

Bottom 22%

Bottom 20%

Bottom 10%

Bottom 8%

Bottom 8%

Worse yet, those are some of his best statistics, according to FBref, so it seems practically guaranteed that he will see minimal – if any – action from now until the end of the season.

Why Muñoz will usurp Clyne

Fans should definitely be excited about the arrival of Muñoz, as while he might be a relative unknown to fans of the Premier League, he has been an incredibly effective full-back for Belgian giants Genk for years.

In his 17 Jupiler Pro League starts for the side before completing his move this week, he scored five goals and provided one assist, meaning he was averaging a goal involvement once every 2.83 games.

He was just as effective the season prior, scoring seven and providing seven assists in 30 appearances, so it is easy to understand why South American football expert Tim Vickery told Sky Sports that Muñoz has "plenty of goals in him."

In sharp contrast to Clyne's underlying numbers, FBref has placed the Colombian international in the top 1% of full-backs for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals, touches in the opposition penalty area, the top 2% for progressive passes, the top 6% for passes attempted and he ranks incredibly highly for many other metrics.

Percentile

Top 1%

Top 1%

Top 1%

Top 2%

Top 4%

Top 4%

Top 6%

Top 6%

Top 7%

Top 8%

Top 11%

Granted, in his case, FBref use the next best 14 competitions instead of Europe's top five leagues for comparison, but even if Muñoz were to see those numbers half in the Premier League, then he would still be a far more useful player than Clyne.

Munoz starts alongside “complete” ace in predicted Palace lineup vs Brighton

Roy Hodgson could make four changes on Saturday afternoon.

ByTom Lever Feb 2, 2024

Ultimately, this is a transfer that will help improve the Eagles' attacking impetus and finally call an end to Clyne's time at the club.

Big Picture

Sarfaraz Ahmed must feel like he is always sitting on a hot stove. After a loss, he has people questioning his fitness. After a win the same people go ‘unpredictable Pakistan, mercurial Pakistan, cornered tigers’ and what have you. A week into the World Cup and the team has already experienced a roller coaster of sorts as they prepare to run into Sri Lanka.It says much about Sri Lanka’s position that a win against Afghanistan is looked at as an upset in several quarters. That game ended with a Lasith Malinga war cry after nailing a perfect yorker, and Malinga will know that creaking knees or not, he’ll still have to be the leader of the attack, and a leader of sorts apart from that too.New ODI captain Dimuth Karunaratne is still finding his feet as a 50-overs batsman. Angelo Mathews’ form has deserted him. Dinesh Chandimal is cooling his heels at home, and Niroshan Dickwella, seen as part of Sri Lanka’s next-gen batting is somewhat perplexingly in Belgaum, trying to prove a point by scoring runs for Sri Lanka A.Sri Lanka can draw some solace from the fact that Pakistan are also in a somewhat similar space with one close win and one heavy defeat, except their win was against favourites England. And unlike Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s batting has turned a corner – the off-day against West Indies notwithstanding – and brings with it hope that tall totals can be put up regularly, like they did against England in the lead-up to the World Cup, to allow their sometimes erratic bowlers enough leeway.The return to form of Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan spells out hope, as does Wahab Riaz’s promise of breathing fire once again.But will these protagonists get a chance to exhibit their skills? The forecast on Thursday is dire. There’s 90% chance of rain, and those planning to arrive in Bristol can take time to tick off essentials like windcheaters and raincoats.

Form guide

Pakistan WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri LankaWLWLLSLC

In the spotlight

Angelo Mathews seemingly can’t buy a run. In two games, he’s lasted all of 11 balls and has made two ducks. In the first game, he was roughed up by the pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, before falling to a gentle Colin de Grandhomme away-swinger. Against Afghanistan, he was done in by the lack of turn from Mohammad Nabi as an indecisive push resulted in a catch to the slips. He doesn’t bowl and is no more than a ‘safe fielder’, so pressure will be mounting on him with every failure.Mohammad Amir is expected to be blockbuster, even if not in the Shahid Afridi league. After the ‘will he or won’t he’ merry-go-round around his selection, he was finally included in the World Cup squad. In his first outing, he did himself no harm by picking three wickets in a shellacking. Against England, his cutter proved difficult to negotiate, the scalp of Jos Buttler turning the game around decisively. Under possibly overcast skies, Amir has the stage to bring out that famous old weapon that made the world groove to his tune: swing.

Team news

Pakistan have hinted at continuity, while Sri Lanka are likely to bring in Jeevan Mendis in place of Suranga Lakmal if it’s likely to be a full game. Avishka Fernando and Mendis could play in place of Lahiru Thirimanne and Lakmal if it’s a truncated fixture.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Hassan Ali, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Wahab RiazSri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Jeevan Mendis/Suraga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch and conditions

England made light work of a 359 chase against Pakistan just a month ago. If there’s another flat track, combined with the short boundaries, it could result in another hard day for bowlers.

Strategy punt

• Despite his two ducks, Mathews remains Sri Lanka’s best bet to stem a top order wobble. Since 2017, he’s been dismissed just 20% of the time in less than 20 deliveries. All others have been dismissed 50% of the time in the same period. Promoting Mathews could also bring about a balance to the playing XI if Sri Lanka are looking to slot in allrounder Milinda Siriwardena at No. 6, in place of the misfiring Kusal Mendis, who averages only 21.5 in ODIs since 2018.
• Sri Lanka could use Nuwan Pradeep to bounce out Mohammad Hafeez. Pradeep hits the hard lengths and has the pace to generate disconcerting bounce, a troubled area for the Pakistan batsman, who has been out seven times to fast bowlers in 2019.

• He may have conceded 83 in the previous game, but Wahab Riaz remains a potent death-bowling option, having taken four wickets off the 28 balls he has bowled in this period. He concedes only 7.3 an over in this phase. Is there a case to reserve him for the end then? He has gone for 8.3 in the first 10, in comparison. His wickets of Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes at the death against England proved game-changing.

Stats and trivia

• In 56 innings since 2017, Sri Lanka have been bowled out 32 times – more than once every alternate innings.
• In ODIs since 2017, Sri Lanka have been the quickest to lose half their side – they lose five wickets inside 29 overs on an average. Pakistan’s average for the same stands at 34.4 overs.
• Shadab Khan is one short of 50 ODI wickets, while Hafeez needs one half-century for 50 ODI fifties

Quotes

“I believe this is the best batting order we have. I’ve played a lot with Kusal Perera, I have faith in him. Thirimanne is a reliable player who can pace his innings. Middle order is okay.”
“Since we won, it took off a lot of pressure definitely, having gone through that string of defeats. Psychologically, that lifts a huge weight from their shoulders.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Na tarde desta quarta-feira (10), o São Paulo informou, por meio de suas redes sociais, que o lateral esquerdo Welington apresentou resultado positivo em seu teste para a Covid-19. O clube já havia confirmado, pela manhã, que o defensor Léo contraiu a doença.

RelacionadasVaivémSão Paulo acerta o empréstimo de goleiro ao Bahia até o fim de 2021Vaivém10/03/2021São PauloSão Paulo pode ter programação especial; desgaste do elenco preocupaSão Paulo10/03/2021São PauloSão Paulo oficializa retorno de Milton Cruz como assessor técnico do clubeSão Paulo10/03/2021

CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA DO CAMPEONATO PAULISTA DE 2021!

Seguindo o protocolo elaborado pelo departamento médico do São Paulo, os dois jogadores passarão por um período de isolamento social nos próximos dez dias.

O Tricolor foi um dos poucos times do Brasil que não passou nenhum surto de Covid-19 no elenco, tratando somente de casos isolados de jogadores e outros funcionários do clube, contornando a situação.

O treinador Hernán Crespo terá que quebrar a cabeça para montar o time, pois além de Léo e Welington, o time não contará com o zagueiro Arboleda, que está de folga e viajou ao Equador, para resolver questões familiares, retornando semana que vem.

Sem as duas opções para a lateral esquerda (Léo é lateral esquerdo de origem, mas vem sendo utilizado como zagueiro), o Tricolor não terá nenhum jogador no banco para, eventualmente, substituir Reinaldo.

Já no trio de zaga, os jovens Diego Costa e Rodrigo podem ser as opções de Crespo para as vagas de Léo e Arboleda. O volante Luan já foi zagueiro em algumas ocasiões e é outra opção.

O São Paulo volta aos gramados diante do Novorizontino, no sábado (13), no Estádio Doutor Jorge Ismael de Biasi, pela quarta rodada do Paulistão.

West Ham United and manager David Moyes have been given a possible boost in their pursuit of Wolves defender Max Kilman after a transfer claim.

West Ham eyeing Kilman as Steidten chases centre-back

According to a report by broadcast giant talkSPORT this week, West Ham could make a January move for Kilman to bolster their back line.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna has reached the twilight phase of his career and is out of contract at the end of 2023/2024, while fellow Hammers defender Nayef Aguerd has been linked with a surprising exit.

In that scenario, West Ham would have just Kurt Zouma and 2023 summer signing Konstantinos Mavropanos to select from next season as senior centre-back options.

This has potentially motivated Irons transfer chief Tim Steidten to dip into the market. West Ham are reportedly interested in Dan Axel-Zagadou of Stuttgart as a potential Aguerd replacement, while there have been some suggestions Steidten could move for Tottenham outcast Eric Dier.

“I think David Moyes is looking to strengthen that backline," said talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook this week (via West Ham Zone).

"Dier’s a fascinating situation because he was being actively touted around to Premier League clubs right at the end of the last transfer window."

While these are some interesting names, Kilman arguably stands out as West Ham's most solid and in-form option. The 26-year-old has become a mainstay under Gary O'Neil at Wolves this season, having started every single Premier League game for them as a real leader of their back line.

Max Kilman's best Premier League games for Wolves this season

Match Rating (via WhoScored)

Wolves 3-0 Everton

7.89

Luton 1-1 Wolves

7.69

Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves

7.36

Everton 0-1 Wolves

7.36

Brentford 1-4 Wolves

7.26

Now, as per Football Transfers, West Ham and Moyes may have been given a boost in their pursuit of Kilman as Moyes scours the market for more defensive options.

Wolves could be tempted to sell Kilman to West Ham

Indeed, Wolves could be tempted to sell Kilman to West Ham amid their financial woes, with Moyes being a long-term admirer of the player.

West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer's departure to Monaco on loan for the rest of the season has also freed up squad space for Kilman's possible arrival, opening the door for Steidten and co to a deal for the Englishman.

We believe he would undoubtedly be worth the effort to try and prise away from Molineux this month, though it is not year clear exactly how much he'd cost West Ham.

Kilman has been praised for his performances at Wolves over the last few years, with esteemed members of the press like commentator Jacqui Oatley even touting him for the England squad.

Having had their bowling stocks severely depleted over the past two weeks, Sri Lanka’s bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake hopes the conditions allow batsmen to take some of the pressure off the bowlers

Melinda Farrell in Canberra30-Jan-2019

Kusal Mendis loses his middle stumps•Getty Images

Having had their bowling stocks severely depleted over the past two weeks, Sri Lanka are hoping for a batting-friendly pitch in Canberra. Or at least bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake is.The visitors had arrived in Australia with their five best fast bowlers in the squad. However, three quicks have now been sent home in quick succession – Nuwan Pradeep and Lahiru Kumara with injured hamstrings, and Dushmantha Chameera with a fracture in his ankle. Replacements have arrived, in the form of left-armer Vishwa Fernando and bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne. But as developing bowlers, neither is capable of reaching the speeds of Chameera and Kumara, while, perhaps they are as-yet unable to match the seam movement Pradeep can generate either.With Chameera and Kumara both having picked up their injuries at the Gabba, Ratnayake is left hoping conditions allow the batsmen to take some of the pressure off the bowlers.”As we started we know that our bowling has got weaker because two of our main bowlers have gone out,” Ratnayake said. “Canberra has a reputation of being a good batting wicket. We hope it will be a good batting wicket too. We have told the bowlers that if we bowl in the better areas that would be the better way to move forward.”Disappointing to lose two of our better quicks. But Suranga Lakmal is in good shape. Lahiru bowled quick. But if you really analyse it, it was not the pace that got the wickets. [Mitchell] Starc bowled quick and he didn’t get wickets. Lahiru bowled quick but it was Suranga who took the wickets for us like it was [Pat] Cummins for them and not Starc. Good execution and out-thinking the batsman is what is required.”In light of Sri Lanka’s plight, Ratnayake expressed bemusement when asked about recent criticism of Starc’s form.”If the Aussies don’t want Mitch Starc we’ll have him,” Ratnayake joked. “We don’t mind having him. It’s just that Mitchell has not been not getting wickets but he has been hitting 148 and 149. But he has not been getting wickets. Not been bowling the best I have known him but you don’t know when his day going to be.”Sri Lanka go into the second Test amid growing off-field disruptions. Their coach, Chandika Hathurasingha, was removed from his role as selector-on-tour after the loss in Brisbane. Avishka Gunawaradena, the Sri Lanka A coach, has been named as their stand-in batting coach until the newly-appointed Jon Lewis (who has left the tour because of family issues) returns. This was Lewis’ first Test series with the Sri Lanka team, having replaced Thilan Samaraweera, whose assignment with the national team was cut short after the New Zealand tour.”Two batting coaches have gone now. It is not easy,” said Ratnayake. “When the chips are down, the challenges get stronger and we hope as a group that we will be strong. Before we embarked on this we knew that it was going to be tough three tours for us. Three super Test series. It is tough for any team to go to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.”It is challenging and we wanted to take up that challenge. We said what if we can win one of the Tests here that was our ambition and motive. The toughness has to be there. These challenges are good for the boys to a certain extent to get the best out of them. There’s a saying that you are at the strongest when you are down.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Ainda de ressaca após uma sequência de duas derrotas, o Corinthians se reapresentou na última sexta-feira, mas terá uma folga neste sábado, a primeira do elenco em 27 dias. Depois de um mês com cinco partidas e uma notável queda de rendimento, grupo descansa e se prepara para ajustes.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansGabriel Pereira agrada Vagner Mancini e pode ganhar espaço no CorinthiansCorinthians29/01/2021CorinthiansCássio recebe nova homenagem por seus 500 jogos pelo CorinthiansCorinthians29/01/2021CorinthiansElenco do Corinthians retorna de Salvador na madrugada e treina pela manhãCorinthians29/01/2021

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

GALERIA
>Confira os jogadores que mais vestiram a camisa do Corinthians

A última vez em que o Timão teve folga foi em 3 de janeiro, o último dos quatro dias que o clube deu aos jogadores no fim do ano passado, já que após enfrentar o Botafogo, em 27 de dezembro, o jogo seguinte seria em 13 de janeiro, ou seja, espaço enorme na agenda para promover um descanso.

Do dia 4 de janeiro, quando o elenco se reapresentou, até este sábado, foram 26 dias de trabalho ininterruptos, com treinamentos e cinco jogos. Sendo que os últimos quatro foram realizados em um intervalo de apenas dez dias, o que rendeu uma maratona para o time depois de enorme período de preparação até encarar seu primeiro desafio em 2021, diante do Fluminense.

Coincidência ou não, nessas últimas quatro partidas, em que houve pouco tempo para treinos, os resultados pioraram. Foram três derrotas significativas (Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino e Bahia) e apenas uma vitória (Sport), causando preocupação na torcida corintiana, que estava empolgada com a evolução mostrada no fim do ano passado até a goleada por 5 a 0 no Fluminense.

Quando foi enfrentar o Verdão, o Corinthians carregava uma invencibilidade de sete partidas e uma sequência de quatro vitórias. Resultados que colocaram a equipe na briga por uma vaga na Copa Libertadores, depois de se livrar definitivamente da luta contra o rebaixamento, motivo pelo qual Vagner Mancini foi contratado. No entanto, a goleada de 4 a 0 para o rival doeu.

Muitos falaram em choque de realidade, outros classificaram como um fato típico de clássicos, principalmente pela vitória diante do Sport, logo em seguida, mas as derrotas para o Bragantino e para o Bahia mostraram que a situação talvez não seja tá típica assim. Com oito gols sofridos em quatro jogos, e uma queda brusca de rendimento, Mancini acenou com ajustes no time.

-Acho que o Corinthians vinha muito bem, teve uma queda, sim, parecia que hoje (quinta-feira), no primeiro tempo, a história seria diferente, porque o time teve o domínio do jogo, controle do jogo, mas foi errando em alguns momentos. O que tínhamos há quatro jogos, nós perdemos. A equipe não estava tomando dois gols em 45 minutos, e isso aconteceu pela terceira vez, então houve uma queda de rendimento – disse o treinador antes de completar:

– É obvio que as peças acabaram sendo modificadas ao longo desse tempo, mas isso não é desculpa, não estou aqui para ficar dando desculpas, estou aqui para falar a verdade: o Corinthians tem que melhorar. Jogamos hoje mais do que o Bahia e saímos derrotados. Não podemos achar isso normal. Então, esse tipo de cobrança tem que ser feita, os ajustes acontecerão, óbvio, para que no jogo do Ceará a gente apresente um teor de jogo mais qualificado – concluiu o comandante após a derrota para o Bahia.

Para fazer os ajustes e retomar a boa fase após o descanso deste sábado, o Corinthians se reapresenta na manhã deste domingo, no CT Joaquim Grava, para iniciar a preparação para o duelo com o Ceará, que acontece na próxima quarta-feira, às 21h30, na Neo Química Arena, pela 34ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020. Atualmente, o Timão ocupa a nona posição na tabela, com 45 pontos.

continua após a publicidade