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An increased allocation of resources in a short format allows teams to invest heavily in impact, albeit inconsistent, players that can break T20s open

Sidharth Monga20-Apr-2017Between the CPL last year and his 38-ball 77 against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot, Chris Gayle had an extended run of ordinary T20 form. Over three different franchise tournaments, in 17 innings, he scored just 329 runs at an average of 19.35 and a strike rate of 116.25. He went through a similar phase in the last World T20 in India, leading into the previous IPL. He scored 32 runs in eight matches in that period, never once reaching double figures, and still played in 13 out of 16 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore.Murmurs outside the franchise gained momentum with every Gayle failure. People wondered if Gayle was done, but there was no chance Royal Challengers weren’t retaining him despite the year he had had. It was unlikely they were going to bench him for too long this IPL either. It says something about the impact Gayle can have when he comes off – 70s in three innings in under 40 balls – but it says much more about the T20 format. With six to seven batsmen available over 20 overs, teams can simply afford a misfiring batsman who can have the kind of impact Gayle has when he comes off.It is not limited to batsmen. Bipul Sharma is a tall left-arm spinner. He was born in 1983 in Amritsar, played some cricket for Punjab, then moved to Himachal Pradesh, and is an IPL champions medal holder. Since April 18 last year, he has played 10 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad, including the last year’s final, but chances are, you would not have noticed him because he has bowled just 21 overs and batted only 39 balls.However, Bipul got the wicket of AB de Villiers in last year’s final, and was taken off immediately. He has got Brendon McCullum out twice. His batting, at No. 8, is a bonus. Out of his 10 matches, two have been against Royal Challengers, three against Gujarat Lions, and two against Kolkata Knight Riders. He has been the ultimate tactical pick. Sunrisers select him for specific match-ups against certain batsmen. They are also satisfied if those batsman get out early and Bipul ends up doing nothing. Only thrice has he bowled more than two overs in an innings despite an acceptable economy rate of 8.04 over this period.Sunrisers can afford Bipul for the same reason Royal Challengers can afford a misfiring Gayle. While you still need 11 fielders in the format, the duration of a 20-over match allows teams the luxury of carrying a player or two. It is usually batsmen, but the presence of Moises Henriques – a proper allrounder – in the Sunrisers XI opens up a bowling slot too.The IPL is filled with Gayle-like sporadic match-winners. Knight Riders invest in Yusuf Pathan and Suryakumar Yadav even though they hardly bowl and get only a few chances to bat. Even when their first-choice opener Chris Lynn is injured, they don’t all move up one spot; Knight Riders want them to be the fail-safe that provides the top order the freedom. They can afford to do so because they rarely need all their batsmen to contribute.Kieron Pollard had been struggling for form, but Mumbai’s persistence paid off when he struck a 47-ball 77 against Royal Challengers Bangalore•BCCIAt arguably the most successful IPL franchise, under the watch of arguably the most successful IPL captain, S Anirudha managed to get in 25 matches to face 153 balls and not bowl a single delivery. Chennai Super Kings won 18 of those 25 matches and lost six, a much better win-loss ratio than their overall 1.593. Unlike Bipul, Anirudha wasn’t even a tactical pick. Knowing MS Dhoni, he was probably just pushing the limits of the format. And The format allowed them to.Johnson Charles is an unadulterated slogger in T20s, who has had about nine special innings in his 98 T20s. One of those was in the semi-final of the World T20 last year, in a tournament that he didn’t do much outside that innings, apart from superb ground fielding. Yet such is the nature of the format that his selection was considered a success. Consistency is not as important in this format as impact. A team of six batsmen who come off once every six innings but score at a strike rate of 175-plus is likelier to do better than a team of six consistent batsmen, who score well every second innings but at a strike rate of close to 135. Gayle has already had more impact on this tournament than, say, Shikhar Dhawan, who has had a start in five of his six innings but has a strike rate of 120.58.Especially in a long league like the IPL, expect franchises – they can be ruthless when making selections – to give players like Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Yusuf more leeway than they would get in any other format. They are not paid big bucks for consistency but for impact. For example, a higher rate of Gayle’s half-centuries results in wins than, even, Virat Kohli’s: 68% to 62%. Three out of four Pollard fifties end up in wins. The big hitters might not succeed as often, but that doesn’t bother franchises because they don’t need to succeed as often. Their failures can be accommodated because there are only 20 overs to bat and only so many batsmen can fail in a given match.Even conservatively speaking, four batsmen, four bowlers and two allrounders are plenty for a 20-over match. If an innings comprised 40 three-ball overs or 30 four-ball overs, there would be merit in playing more bowlers, but not in this format. Currently, there is at least one surplus player in every team. For some teams that player is a batting fail-safe, for some he is a big hitter, and for others he is the floating bowler. It has resulted in longer ropes for T20 superstars such as Gayle, and careers for tactical picks such as Bipul.

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2015The pair added 42 together before Dushmantha Chameera had Guptill caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan at point for 30•AFPWilliamson, standing in for the injured Brendon McCullum, then got into his groove with three successive fours off Angelo Mathews•Getty ImagesLatham too kept the scorecard ticking until rookie legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay produced a double-strike in his second over to dismiss Latham and Ross Taylor•Associated PressWilliamson went onto make a fifty off 65 balls, but fell soon after Chameera removed Henry Nicholls as Sri Lanka pulled things back in the middle overs•Associated PressNew Zealand then saw a useful contribution of 38 from Mitchell Santner as he helped the score past 200, before he was run-out in the 42nd over. Doug Bracewell too chipped in with a score of 30 before Tim Southee struck 16 off the last three balls to push New Zealand to 276 for 8•Associated PressDanushka Gunathilaka gave Sri Lanka a blazing start in their chase of 277, smashing seven fours and four sixes in his 45-ball 65•AFPHe fell to Mitchell McClenaghan, but not before Sri Lanka had raced to 98 in 12.4 overs•Associated PressTillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne then combined to add 111 runs for the second wicket, taking Sri Lanka past 200•AFPDilshan top-scored with 91, before he was run-out in the 34th over with Sri Lanka still needing 68•AFPThirimanne then steered the visitors to the target in 46.2 overs with an unbeaten 87, as Sri Lanka picked up their first win of the tour to stay alive in the series•AFP

James Anderson and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been the leading bowlers in the series so far with similar stats, but in their head-to-head battles Bhuvneshwar is ahead

S Rajesh05-Aug-2014Over the last few days, all the talk has been about the off-the-pitch battle between James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja. In this series, though, the more relevant on-the-pitch battle has been between Anderson and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The new-ball bowlers from each team have been the two top wicket-takers in the series, and have led the attacks for their teams admirably.The overall numbers for the two are remarkably similar so far: Anderson has bowled 26 more overs and has 16 wickets to Bhuvneshwar’s 15, while their series averages are separated by a run. Against the top six batsmen, though, Anderson has done significantly better: when bowling to India’s top six (Vijay, Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli, Rahane and Rohit), Anderson has achieved figures of 10 for 221, compared to figures of 6 for 163 when bowling to the rest of the Indian batsmen.Bhuvneshwar, on the other hand, has been more successful against England’s lower order than their top six. Against Cook, Robson, Ballance, Bell, Root and Moeen, he has only managed eight wickets at 33.12; against the other England batsmen, Bhuvneshwar has been outstanding, with figures of 7 for 76.

Among India’s top order, only two batsmen – Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay – have averaged more than 40 against Anderson in this series. Rahane has been the best among them, scoring 51 off 100 balls and getting out just once – a superb caught-and-bowled effort when Rahane was batting with the tail and looking for quick runs at Lord’s. Vijay has been extremely patient against Anderson, scoring 94 off 259 balls. Both Vijay and Rahane have similar control percentages against him.Shikhar Dhawan has been Anderson’s bunny in the series, getting out to him three times in 78 balls, but surprisingly, his control percentage isn’t very different from those for Rahane and Vijay – in fact it’s marginally higher. Jadeja has scored runs at a fair clip against Anderson, but his control factor is poor – only 62%. Cheteshwar Pujara has a much higher control factor, but has been kept scoreless for long periods.However, the biggest non-contest of the series so far has been between Anderson and Virat Kohli. Coming into the series, they were the leading bowler and batsman for their respective teams, but while Anderson has lived up to that tag, Kohli has struggled. In their head-to-head battles, Kohli has scored two runs from Anderson, and been dismissed twice – in the first innings at Lord’s and Southampton. Before this series, Kohli had 23 runs off 81 balls from Anderson in Tests, and had been dismissed once; now the numbers read 3 for 25 from 102 balls – average 8.33, runs per over 1.47.In fact, the only batsman who has faced more than ten balls from Anderson without being dismissed by him in this series is Bhuvneshwar, whose numbers against England’s leading bowler are excellent – 32 runs from 61 balls, and a control factor which is the best so far by any Indian batsman.

Among England’s batsmen, Gary Ballance, Joe Root and Alastair Cook have all done pretty well against Bhuvneshwar so far, being dismissed only once each and achieving a pretty high control factor. Ian Bell and Sam Robson have been dismissed twice each, which is the highest number of times Bhuvneshwar has dismissed any England batsman in this series so far. Moeen Ali has a reasonable control factor against Bhuvneshwar, but has struggled to get him away for runs, scoring 10 off 63 balls.Anderson has done well to be dismissed only once from 42 balls against him, but Bhuvneshwar can point to the control factor to show that he has been edging their head-to-head contest. (It’s also pertinent to point out here that Bhuveshwar has a first-class batting average of 30.59, compared to Anderson’s 10.40.) The overall control factors for batsmen against Bhuvneshwar and Anderson are also very similar, indicating there’s been little to separate the two bowlers so far.

Where the runs have been scored v Anderson and BhuvneshwarWhere the runs have been scored against James Anderson and Bhuvneshwar Kumar•ESPNcricinfo LtdMuch has been said and written about the number of runs scored through the third man region in this Test series, and the wagon-wheel of runs scored against Anderson bears this out. Out of the 55 fours that have come off his bowling, 23 have been behind the wicket, either through third man or backward point; in all, 126 out of the 384 runs he has conceded have come in that region. Against Bhuvneshwar the runs scored in that region are considerably lesser, possibly because of his lesser pace. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar has been hit through the covers more often, conceding 13 fours, and 88 runs, in that region.

Five years down the line, Rohit Sharma hasn’t played a single Test, is not a permanent fixture in the ODI playing XI and is, if he is indeed picked, a floater in the batting order

Deepika Ravi25-Feb-2013During the 2007-08 ODI series in Australia, India had unearthed an exciting young player. Rohit Sharma had come good during the series. At the end of the series, he was touted by many as the heir to Sachin Tendulkar.Close to almost five years later, watching the 25-year-old play, I wonder: what went wrong? One of Australia’s best and most formidable captains, Ian Chappell had described Rohit as the next best thing to happen to Indian cricket. To begin with, here was a batsman with a really good technique. Next up, you noticed, amid the many sloggers, a man with crisp drives and solid punches. Then came his fielding: energetic, enthusiastic and near perfect. A bonus perhaps was his really useful offspin. All in all, here was the complete package.But five years down the line, Rohit Sharma hasn’t played a single Test, is not a permanent fixture in the ODI playing XI and is, if he is indeed picked, a floater in the batting order. Plenty of opportunities have come his, more often than not he has failed to cash in on them. The accusations levelled against him are being irresponsible, poor running, and throwing his wicket away in tight circumstances. If Rohit takes a reality check he will probably see himself going nowhere.I agree I’ve been a little too harsh on him, for he has had his moments of sheer brilliance. Right up from his debut during the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup through the Australia ODI series, right down to his recent century in the IPL, each and every one of those rare innings were gems, characterised by gorgeous shots. His shortcoming, however, lies in his inability to do it time and again, something the other batsman in his league (the likes of Virat Kohli) do, day in, day out. Far too many chances have been given away and in all probability they will dwindle. One of my personal favourites, an incredible talent, Rohit Sharma must do all it takes to keep himself from going off the radar.

Michael Clarke is no prima donna leader, but large chunks of the Australian cricket public still haven’t warmed to him

Peter English at the Gabba30-Jan-2011The fifth ODI was dedicated to charity but there wasn’t much given to the captain Michael Clarke. For so long the anointed leader, Clarke is out of form as well as being out of favour in large sections of Australia.Of course big parts of the country quite like him, but boos usually find a way to drown out the cheers, as Clarke discovered when he walked out to bat at the Gabba this afternoon. Jeering the leader has been a popular past-time this summer, whether it was the England fans targeting Ricky Ponting during the first four Tests, or the locals showing displeasure at Clarke’s elevation when the incumbent was injured.Pockets jangled with coins headed for the collectors’ buckets, raising money for the Queensland flood victims, but there was only sympathy for Clarke after he was welcomed with boos. After that most supporters clapped him extra hard when he hit three boundaries in his first 13 deliveries, and later brought up his first one-day half-century since the game here against Sri Lanka in November.He was also applauded loudly, with some standing in acknowledgment, as he left with 54 off 74 deliveries, an innings which became the high point of Australia’s 248. A handful of angry radio listeners texted apologies to Clarke for the behaviour of the people in the stands, especially on a day throbbing with community spirit.It probably happened to Mark Taylor in 1996-97 – although most of his most famous slump occurred overseas – and Greg Chappell can’t have been popular during his duck run in the early 1980s, but turning on the leader is a rare event in Australia. Booing the opposition is standard, as Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen re-discovered tonight, but Clarke is a victim of the displeasure in the early stages of his captaincy.”Obviously you’d like people to be cheering but I can understand why a few of them were booing,” Clarke said. “I’ve had a lot of support throughout this time, I haven’t performed as well as I’d like, so I don’t blame the public for being disappointed with my performances. It was nice to finally contribute and help the boys get a win. It was a great feeling.”All the unwanted attention is extra strange because his team is doing so well. Under Clarke the side has moved on quickly from the Ashes defeat and the 51-run success gave Australia a 4-1 lead, sealing the series with two games remaining.The best way for him to win the adoration is to score fluent runs, but that has become increasingly difficult over a summer without much love. What he has shown is his dedication to exiting his slump, even if it is not paying off yet.He has given up the associated riches of Twenty20 by retiring from the international format to focus on Tests and ODIs. This week he was so desperate for a decent bat that he suggested to the Australian hierarchy that he turn out for his Sydney club side. The request was rejected. Those two actions are not the behaviour of a prima donna leader, but a man who wants to excel for himself and his country.As a person Clarke can be generous. The day before this game he walked on to the Gabba with a group of under-9s from a Brisbane club side to spend time with them, just like he did on Friday with school children affected by the floods. Part of it was his job, but there is more to him than professional duty.Like all of his team-mates, he donated his entire match fee to the flood appeal. “It was a no-brainer for the boys,” Clarke said. “Everyone is doing that and the boys are signing a shirt as well.”It’s great to see so many people in this country be willing to put their hand in their pockets for such a wonderful cause. A lot of people have been devastated by what’s happened and the least we can do is donate a bit of our money and our time. That’s a reason why it’s even more special tonight to get a victory. It’s great we’ve won the series.”By the end of the game the tally from Cricket Australia and its supporters had reached approximately A$6million, a phenomenal amount of financial support. Over the next week, before the team leaves for the World Cup, Clarke deserves some goodwill too.

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch12-Jun-2006The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Even with Warne around, MacGill has often been the main man © AFP
Is it true that Stuart MacGill has outbowled Shane Warne in the matches they have played together? asked Aaron Thomas from Melbourne
It is true, although there isn’t an awful lot in it. The two legspinners have played together in 16 Tests – five of them at Sydney – and Stuart MacGill has taken 82 wickets at 22.11 in those matches. Shane Warne has taken 74 wickets at 29.57 in the same games. MacGill shades Warne on strike rate, too – a wicket every 41.7 balls in those matches, while Warne struck once every 56.6 balls. MacGill’s best bowling is 8 for 108 against Bangladesh at Fatullah in 2005-06, while Warne’s best return when MacGill has been on the same side is 6 for 80 against West Indies at Adelaide, also in 2005-06.Who scored two different centuries on successive days in a Test match? asked Gokul Sudhakar from Delhi
Vijay Hazare, the prolific Indian batsman, did this in the fourth Test against Australia at Adelaide in 1947-48. On the third day Hazare made 108 of his eventual 116, then, on the fourth day, moved to 108 as India followed on. He was out on the fifth day for 145. It was quite a match for Hazare – he also dismissed Don Bradman, although he had made 201 before Hazare managed to bowl him.I know that Murali holds the record for five-fors in Tests – but who holds the ODI record? asked Asela from Sri Lanka
The man with the most five-wicket hauls in one-day internationals is Pakistan’s Waqar Younis, with 13. Muttiah Muralitharan comes next with eight, ahead of Glenn McGrath (seven), Lance Klusener, Saqlain Mushtaq and Wasim Akram (all six). For a list of the leading wicket-takers in ODIs, click here. You’re right that Murali leads the way in Tests, with 53 five-wicket bags in 106 Tests – exactly one every two matches – well ahead of Richard Hadlee and Shane Warne, who have both taken five or more in an innings on 36 occasions.Who has made the highest Test score for and against Bangladesh? asked Mohammad Imran from Dhaka
The highest individual innings for Bangladesh in their 44 Tests to date is 158 not out, by Mohammad Ashraful against India at Chittagong in 2004-05. Ashraful has made three of Bangladesh’s 12 Test centuries so far, a record he shares with his captain Habibul Bashar. The highest score against them is 261 not out, by Ramnaresh Sarwan for West Indies at Kingston in June 2004.Apparently the five players who have appeared in most Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup matches have only seven Test caps between them. Who are they? asked Graham Frost from Australia
Jamie Cox of Tasmania has played in more matches in Australia’s premier domestic competition than anyone else, with 161 appearances. He went past John Inverarity’s old record of 159 Shield appearances during 2005-06. Next up at the moment come Jamie Siddons (146 matches), Stuart Law (142) and Darren Berry (139). The top five did indeed win seven Test caps between them – and Inverarity accounts for six of those. Law won the other one. Darren Lehmann has currently played 137 such matches, so is likely to move up the table during the forthcoming Australian season. For a full list, click here.Who called his autobiography Perchance to Bowl? I’m guessing it was a wicketkeeper! asked Jamie McDonald from Cardiff
You’re right, it was indeed a wicketkeeper: John Waite, the first South African to win 50 Test caps. Waite made his debut on the 1951 tour of England, and played on till 1964-65, scoring 2405 runs in addition to making 141 dismissals behind the stumps. His book was published in 1961.And there are some possible additions to last week’s item on reverse-swept sixes:
Anthony Bull writes: “I am pretty certain that Craig McMillan did it against Pakistan in New Zealand in the Test where he set the record for runs in one over. Not sure of the other details.” Gareth Kiernan, also from NZ, adds: “Craig McMillan reverse-pulled Daniel Vettori for six in the Shell Cup semi-final in 1999, having reverse-swept him for four the previous ball. He was into position so quickly for the pull shot that it went over point.” Somesh Verma from Nepal ventures: “Andy Flower, on an India tour, hit four sixes, all through reverse-sweeps, in one of the Test innings.” [These might have been fours: Flower never hit more than two sixes in a Test innings in India – SL.]Fahim Khondekhar has another Flower story: “Andy Flower was playing an ING Cup game in Australia and while in the nineties he reverse-swept the bowler for six. What was amazing was his first attempt just barely cleared the fielder at square leg, and instead of losing courage he attempted it again the very next ball. Nice way to bring up your hundred.” John van der Westhuizen writes on behalf of a fellow South African: “When West Indies toured South Africa in 1998, they lost the Test series 5-0. On his way to a second-innings century, I saw Jonty Rhodes reverse-sweep a six in the Centurion Test, the last of the series.” Shanthal Perera writes from America: “Brian McMillan reverse-swept Murali, I think for a six, in one of the group matches in the one-day tournament in Kenya in 1996-97.” Rajesh Mehta has a slightly different memory: “During the first four-nations tournament in Kenya in 1996-97, I remember Brian McMillan of South Africa reverse-sweeping Sanath Jayasuriya for a six at the Nairobi Club.” And Andrew Schwilk from Australia concludes: “I can recall Darren Gough reverse-pulling Gavin Robertson for six in a one-dayer at the MCG, which is no mean feat.”

Desire Doue was left speechless after PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, but he did pay tribute to Luis Enrique.

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• Doue sparkled in CL final
• PSG won hugely one-sided final
• Enrique wins a second treble

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Doue was in sparkling form as PSG thumped Inter 5-0 to become champions of Europe. The 19-year-old scored twice in the rout, and was left speechless in his post-match interview, although he did find the words to pay tribute to manager Luis Enrique.

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  As a result of PSG's triumph, Enrique became only the second manager in history to win two trebles, along with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, and Doue credited him as both a "great coach" and a "great human being".

• WHAT DOUE SAID

  Doue told reporters: "I have no words… it’s just incredible for me… simply incredible … I have no words, sorry, sorry! … [Luis Enrique] has been here two years … tactically, mentally he’s a really good coach … an unbelievable coach and as a human being too … it’s a pleasure to work with him … [the celebrations] are gonna be crazy!"

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  WHAT NEXT?

  PSG will now compete in the UEFA Super Cup, playing Europa League winners Tottenham on August 13.

Arsenal have reportedly entered fresh talks with FC Porto over the future of Jakub Kiwior, with the Portuguese giants pushing to secure the Poland international before the transfer deadline. The 25-year-old defender has slipped down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order following Cristhian Mosquera’s arrival and is now considering a move for more regular game time.

Porto in talks to sign Kiwior before deadlineArsenal value Poland defender at around €30mCrystal Palace also monitoring as potential rival suitorFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Porto have approached Arsenal with a proposal to sign Kiwior on loan with an obligation to buy, according to O Jogo. Arsenal value the centre-back at around €30m (£25.4m/$32.6m) and are open to letting him leave if their demands are met. Crystal Palace are also monitoring the situation, but Porto are currently leading the race.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kiwior has struggled for regular minutes at Arsenal since his arrival from Spezia and finds himself behind William Saliba, Gabriel, and Mosquera. With Arsenal and Arteta chasing domestic and European glory, Arteta needs a settled defensive unit, leaving Kiwior as a surplus option. A move to Porto could revive his career, offering him Champions League football and a starring role.

TELL ME MORE…

Reports from Portugal suggest Porto see Kiwior as a 'significant addition' who can add quality and depth to their backline. The defender was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds, underlining his peripheral role. Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed talks remain ongoing, with a fresh Porto bid expected this week.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KIWIOR?

Negotiations between Arsenal and Porto will continue in the coming days as the transfer deadline looms. If an agreement is reached, Kiwior could move initially on loan with a buy clause included. Should both Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko depart, Arsenal and Arteta may look to add another defensive reinforcement before the window closes.

The Red Devils' captain has demanded more signings before the season begins, and we've picked out some of those they should be looking to recruit

Bruno Fernandes had just picked up a trophy, but he was in no mood for celebration. Manchester United had sealed the Premier League Summer Series title after beating West Ham, Bournemouth and drawing with Everton, but the performance in Sunday's 2-2 draw with the Toffees had deflated the initial excitement that surrounded the Red Devils' pre-season tour, and Fernandes was not interested in beating around the bush.

He called out the attitude of some of his team-mates and made a call to United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to make more signings before the real action begins, despite the club splashing out £133 million ($176m) on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha while failing to make any money back on player sales. 

"Our performance wasn’t the best and we were a little bit lazy today. We want to avoid that because with laziness you can pay at any moment," the United captain told .  [The squad] is improving. But it’s not the place it needs to be. I don’t want to take a dig at anyone, but the club is doing the best they can in terms of the financial situation they talk about. 

"It was crystal clear we needed more competition for the players that were here, more quality to get everyone to step up a little more to get to the XI, and I think that is what the club are trying to do. Hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that."

Fernandes comments will probably not have gone down well with Ratcliffe and United's other directors, but the midfielder, who resisted a hugely tempting offer from Al-Hilal earlier in the summer, was speaking the truth. His team still looked vulnerable in defence, in goal and in central midfield, and with no further investment in the squad it would be difficult to see how they can gatecrash the Premier League's top four next season and qualify for the Champions League, which should be the main objective.

So here, then, are the players United should be looking to sign before the transfer window shuts on September 1, if not before they kick-off their campaign against Arsenal on August 17:

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  Benjamin Sesko

  United lined up against Everton without a recognised centre-forward, and though they produced some thrilling attacking play in transition, they lacked a focal point in the middle. It is no secret, either, that the club want to sign another striker after Rasmus Hojlund only scored four Premier League goals last season, and that Benjamin Sesko is their top target. 

  United will face fierce competition from Newcastle for the Slovenian's signature, and he is set to cost in excess of £70m ($93m). Then again, there is little point in United investing so much in their attack without having a reliable striker leading it, and RB Leipzig hitman Sesko is the highest scoring player under the age of 23 in Europe's top five leagues.

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  Gianluigi Donnarumma

  There have been a lot of questions about Andre Onana's suitability to remain United goalkeeper, even before he got injured in the first week of training and became a doubt for when the season begins. The Cameroon international is, though, still easily the best 'keeper within the squad, as Altay Bayindir looked shaky in the draw against Everton and Tom Heaton, who turns 40 next April, is unquestionably the third choice. 

  United were linked with Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez earlier in the summer, but he has been deemed to be too expensive to pursue. In the meantime, however, another renowned international goalkeeper has appeared in the shop window: Gianluigi Donnarumma is about to enter the last year of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain and has seen his status as Luis Enrique's No.1 challenged by the imminent arrival of Lucas Chevalier from Lille.

  The gigantic Italian is the type of proven, serial-winning 'keeper Amorim appears to favour, and if his price drops further in the final weeks of the window, United would be advised to pounce.

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  Morten Hjulmand

  While United have spent big on their attack, they have neglected their midfield, and the Everton match underlined how lightweight they still are in the middle of the pitch. Kobbie Mainoo is a wonderfully gifted footballer, but he lacks the physical steel of some of his counterparts, whileManuel Ugarte, who gave the ball away for the Toffees' first goal, did not really convince in his first season in the Premier League. Indeed, Amorim left him out of the team for the Europa League final against Tottenham.

  And there is a face very familiar to the coach who is shaping up as a tempting option. Morten Hjulmand was the player Amorim signed to replace Ugarte at Sporting CP in 2023 when the Uruguayan left for PSG, and Hjulmand helped the Lisbon side win back-to-back Portuguese league titles.

  The Denmark international would have no trouble fitting into the coach's system and would be available for around £40m ($53m). The only concern is that his passing statistics were far lower during Sporting's games in the Champions League and that he could struggle to adapt to the intensity of Premier League, just as Ugarte has done.

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  Carlos Baleba

  Given Amorim's preference for signing Premier League-ready players such as Mbeumo and Cunha, a move for Carlos Baleba of Brighton would present a lower risk than Hjulmand. The Cameroon international schooled Mainoo and Ugarte in the Seagulls' 3-1 win at Old Trafford last season, the same game which led Amorim to smash a television in the dressing room in anger afterwards.

  Baleba would cost in the region of £70m ($93m), but former United defender Rio Ferdinand believes it is a price worth paying, even at the expense of signing a centre-forward like Sesko.

  "Would I get a number nine I'm not sure about, who's a bit young, inexperienced, or would I get Baleba with Premier League experience and know what he can do here? I'm going Baleba, sorry," Ferdinand said on his Youtube channel. "I think he'll have a huge impact on this squad, on this team. You free up a few people in that midfield area as well to have a little less responsibility defensively because I think he's all-action. He can do it all."

PCB chairman wants the national cricketers to improve their fitness levels and training standards

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2024

Pakistan’s cricketers are set to team up with another iconic institution of the country, the Pakistan Army, from March 25 to April 8 in a ten-day training camp. The announcement was made by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday at a hotel in Islamabad while addressing several players. The camp will start roughly one week after the PSL ends, and Naqvi hopes it will help players get their fitness “up to speed.””When I was watching the matches in Lahore, I don’t think a single one of you hit a six that went into the stands,” Naqvi said. “Whenever a six like that was hit, I used to think a foreign player must have hit that. I have asked the board to make a plan that gets every player’s fitness up to speed. You’ll have to make a proper effort for that.”We have New Zealand coming up, then Ireland, England and the T20 World Cup. I wondered, ‘When will we train?’ but there was no time. However, we’ve found a window, where we’ve organised a camp in Kakul (military academy) from March 25 to April 8. The Pakistan Army will be involved in your training, and hopefully, they’ll help you out.”An intensive training camp in one of the few windows the players would otherwise have rested is likely to be unpopular, especially as it is preceded by six months of virtually non-stop cricket, and followed by several bilateral series leading up to the T20 World Cup.Moreover, the camp coincides with the second half of the holy month of Ramzan, a time when most Pakistanis culturally tend to prioritise family or religious activities over work. The effectiveness of the camp is likelier made tricky by the fact most of the squad players will be fasting, with no food or water from sunrise to sunset unconducive to a rigorous boot camp.There is, though, precedent for Pakistan cricket getting the military involved with training. Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan famously organised a training camp with the military at Kakul academy before a Test series to England.When Misbah scored a hundred in the first Test, he celebrated by doing ten push-ups, followed by a military salute. The series was drawn 2-2, with Pakistan rising to the top of the Test rankings for the only time in their history.’Make Pakistan your first priority’Naqvi also took aim at one of the thornier issues the board is grappling with, telling the players they needed to prioritise national commitments over the lure of T20 leagues. The matter was thrown into the spotlight when Haris Rauf declined to be part of Pakistan’s tour of Australia. Chief selector Wahab Riaz had publicly criticised Rauf, and two months later, the PCB terminated his central contract.To illustrate the point, Naqvi invoked his own time as caretaker chief minister of Punjab, a role he held for over a year, and briefly alongside the PCB chairmanship. He said it was a sacrifice he made because of a desire to serve Pakistan.”I’m not going to say you mustn’t earn money, or ask you to make sacrifices we are also not ready to make. But let me give you one example. One year ago, I was asked to become the chief minister of Punjab, and it caused me a financial loss in my business. I had to leave that aside and incur several extra costs. But I had a desire to represent Pakistan, and so I had to make that sacrifice.”I will support you 100%, but I’ll just ask you to make Pakistan your first priority, and T20 leagues your second priority. It’s unfortunate when money becomes first priority and the country second. If you do that, then we might have a problem. We can even look at central contracts and bolster them further if you desire, but you must be available for Pakistan first and foremost.”Pakistan are currently without a coaching set-up at the national level, and Naqvi briefly mentioned the PCB was in touch with potential options, saying no expense would be spared.”We’ll try to make the best available for you,” Naqvi said. “I have told the PCB our job is not to save money or keep it hoarded away, but to spend it on cricket, from grassroots right through to the national team. The money will be spent on your fitness, training and coaches rather than keeping it locked away.”