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Nottingham Forest are eyeing up a swoop for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos as Steve Cooper looks to add to his attacking options ahead of the Premier League season.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Portuguese outlet Record, who claimed that Forest are keen on signing the Portuguese gem.

This was translated by journalist Jacque Talbot, who tweeted: “Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest are interested in Benfica’s 20-year-old forward Gonçalo Ramos. Club are open to selling for around €40million and Jorge Mendes is leading the negotiations.”

The Reds are duly set to battle it out with several European heavyweights in order to sign the £34m-valued (€40m) striker.

He’s a big upgrade on Taylor

With Forest approaching their first Premier League campaign in 23 years, Cooper will be looking to add some quality and depth to his playing squad to cope with the demands of top-flight football.

Ramos could well be a shrewd investment, and not only for immediate success – at 20 years of age, he is still a few years away from hitting his peak.

Having been dubbed “incredibly prolific” by football scout Jacek Kulig, his goalscoring figures are exceptional. He has notched nine goals in 15 appearances for Portugal under-19s, 14 goals in 18 matches for Portugal under-21s and 14 goals in 59 senior appearances for Benfica.

He could be a massive upgrade on Lyle Taylor, who at 32 looks set to be past his peak and was loaned out to Birmingham for the latter part of the 2021/22 campaign.

Although they had similar returns in terms of goals and assists last season, it’s Ramos who statistically comes out the better player. The 20-year-old took 3.02 shots per match last season compared to just 2.04 for Taylor, while also having more shots on target compared to the Forest striker (24 to 20).

The Benfica dynamo wasn’t afraid to shirk his defensive duties either, winning nine tackles compared to five for Taylor and making six interceptions (three for Taylor).

If Cooper manages to pull off this prospective signing, it will surely be hailed as a masterclass. It could well be an exciting time to be a Forest supporter, considering the calibre of player with whom they’re now being linked.

AND in other news, Forest eye swoop for “tremendous” £12.6m machine, he can be Cooper’s own Reece James

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Djed Spence to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a recruitment source has revealed that Fabio Paratici has now opened talks with Middlesbrough regarding a deal for the right-back, with Antonio Conte believed to have made the Nottingham Forest loanee one of his priority targets ahead of Tottenham’s 2022/23 campaign.

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However, the report goes on to state that Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal are also interested in a move for the 21-year-old, who is expected to be made available to sign for a figure of around £10m this summer.

The next Trent Alexander-Arnold

Considering just how impressive Spence has been while on loan at Forest this season, it is not difficult to understand why Conte would be interested in a deal to bring the full-back to north London this summer.

Indeed, over his 41 Championship appearances for Steve Cooper’s side this term, the £7.2m-rated talent has been a revelation in the Reds backline, scoring two goals, registering four assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.6 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per game.

The £4.4k-per-week right-back has also impressed in a defensive capacity, making an average of 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 0.2 blocks and winning 5.8 duels per fixture, in addition to boasting a pass completion rate of 75.8%.

These returns have seen the 21-year-old who Danny Green dubbed an “unreal player” and Neil Warnock claimed has “all the tools” average a quite astonishing WhoScored match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Forest’s sixth-best performer in the second tier – playing a key role in the Garibaldi’s run to the play-off final.

So impressive has Spence been that, following the Reds’ 1-0 FA Cup victory over Arsenal back in January, Ian Wright compared the England U21 international to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the 58-year-old stating:

“If we are talking about right-backs performing at an unbelievable level, we’re talking about Reece James and Trent, but I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time. I said to him, in all seriousness, ‘That level we saw there? You should be in the Premier League.’ Simple as that.”

And, while the Boro starlet may still be a little way off the €100m (£83m) 23-year-old’s output, there are clear comparisons between the two, with the England international scoring two goals, providing 12 assists and creating 18 big chances over his 32 Premier League outings this season, as well as making 2.8 key passes, completing 0.6 dribbles and having a pass completion rate of 78.1%.

As such, should Conte be able to convince Spence of a move to north London this summer, it would very much appear as if the Italian could have landed himself the next Alexander-Arnold, and, if the youngster is available for as little as £10m, the 21-year-old may well prove to be one of the bargains of the summer.

AND in other news: “In the coming days”: Fabrizio Romano drops big Spurs update that supporters will love

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Juventus ‘will buy’ Moise Kean on a permanent deal from Everton in June.

The Lowdown: Goodison flop

It just has not worked out for Kean since his £29m move from Juve back in 2019, where he has managed a mere four goals in 39 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

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He has been shipped out on loan twice, first to PSG, and then back to his old club last summer, and so it seems as if he has no future at Goodison Park.

The Latest: Romano update

Taking to Twitter, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Romano has now shared some recent comments from the Old Lady’s vice president Pavel Nedved on Kean:

“Moise Kean? We want him to score 25 goals per season, he has a huge potential.”

Romano added that Juventus ‘will buy’ Kean permanently in June.

The Verdict: Get rid

Whatever kind of fee that they can get for him, the Merseyside club just need to get rid of Kean now.

His loan spell at Juve has not been much better than his time in blue, with just six goals so far this season, and at 22 years of age, the Toffees could still demand a decent sum of money.

Nonetheless, with both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison still at the club, there is just no room for the Italian, and so it is best to get him off of the wage bill.

In other news, find out what ‘serious upgrade’ the Blues are now eyeing here!

When Kemar Roach first played Test cricket he looked a world-beater, but while the years have slowed him down he can still trouble the best

Jarrod Kimber at Headingley25-Aug-2017The delivery is 80.3 miles per hour, and Chris Woakes, England’s No. 9, pulls it like he’s facing a middle-aged England pro. It flies to the boundary. Next ball has some extra effort, it tails away late, and it takes the edge, but bounces before it reaches slip.Kemar Roach puts his hands on his hips and looks towards nowhere; it’s not the first time he’s done that this series, or over the last few years. Like an embittered office worker who is staring out the window after another workplace disappointment.There was a time when everything looked so effortless for Roach. From the moment he arrived in Tests he seemed destined for a great career. He was fast, and not inconsistently fast, not showy fast, but continually properly fast, and easy fast.His run up was like poetry; there was no jerkiness, he wasn’t trying too hard, it was just an ever increasing jog into the crease finishing with 90 miles an hour (145kph) – and beyond – deliveries. He came close to the stumps, his wrist looked great, it was a teen dream action. Big chain flapping, top speed, and also sideways movement.He looked like a 400 Test wicket player.And he bowled like he believed it. This was a man who took on Ricky Ponting with the short ball, and won. Not through a catch on the boundary, or a pull shot smashed to midwicket, Kemar Roach sent Ricky Ponting off the field, and into a hospital, after he slammed him on the arm. Ponting doesn’t do pain, to even admit that he was hurt was a huge thing, but to be retired hurt to go to a hospital, that’s massive.From the start of his career until April 20, 2014, the dreamlike Roach took 85 wickets at 27. When the West Indies could keep him on the field – not often enough – he looked like a star. He took a ten-wicket haul against Australia at home, and worried more than a few batsmen with pace or movement, usually both. He was, as you would expect of a young quick with a fragile body, a bit up and down, but the talent was stupefyingly obvious, and a bowling average in Tests of 27 with almost a 100 wickets in this era is remarkable.On the 20th of April 2014 this happened:”Roach, 25, crashed his BMW sedan after losing control due to slippery road conditions at traffic lights near Wanstead Drive, just outside Bridgetown. According to local reports, the car flipped several times before landing in the 3Ws Park, approximately half a mile from the 3Ws Oval.Two wheels of the vehicle were broken off and the airbags deployed reports stated. Roach sustained a head wound but appeared coherent as he was taken by ambulance from the scene. Roach took to Twitter a few hours later after the accident to reveal to follows that he was recovering and in good health. “Sorry To Scare My Friends, Family And Fans But I’m Straight! Thanks For The Love! #BlessUp.”.

Roach was out at cover point; bowlers only ever go that far to pick up a ball when they have a spread field or to celebrate a wicket, Roach was doing neither, he could not believe another chance had gone down, he’s staring at nothing, fuming at everything

Since the crash he’s taken 39 wickets at 36, and only one five-wicket haul.It’s not as simple to just say the crash has changed him, but the Kemar Roach before the crash is not much like the one after it.For two of his wickets this series, Roach has been comically wide of the crease, Colin Croft wide. The ball to Mark Stoneman at Edgbaston – which was so obscene it should be rated 18 – was delivered from very wide. And again today, the ball to Tom Westley was from wide on the crease, probably wider still, and it not only came in on the angle, but swung in further as well.If you look at the ball from 2009 when Roach smashing Ponting on the elbow, you’ll also see something completely different; his release was completely normal. Bowlers often play with the crease, and Roach certainly does that, he bowls from wide, or very wide. But that’s not what he was doing to Ponting, it wasn’t a surprise ball from close to the stumps, at that stage of his career he bowled close to the wicket all the time. And now he bowls wide of the crease all the time.CricViz’s data over the last few years suggests he has gradually gone 30cm wider on the crease, although that data was still in its infancy when he started. The gap between where he bowls now and where he was bowling in 2009 looks closer to 60cm than 30. Roach said after the day’s play to Sky that it was a “technical problem” he was trying to work on, and was partly brought on by all the injuries he’s had.That’s not the only change, the other one is partly from the accident, and partly from being an older bowler – Roach is no longer quick. His average speed on the opening day at Headingley was 83mph (133kph), his top speed was 85. It’s not slow, but it’s not busting-Ricky-Ponting’s-arm fast.So instead of being a 90 mile-an-hour bowler from close to the stumps who can beat you with pace or movement, he’s now an 83mph guy from wide of the wicket with the occasional magic ball.That doesn’t mean he’s finished, he was by far the best bowler at Edgbaston, and while that’s not saying much, with support from the other end he could have troubled England. Here, Roach got two of the three early West Indies wickets, and put them completely on top with a draining nine-over opening spell.Kemar Roach did not have everything go his way•Getty ImagesWhen he came back for his second spell, with Root gone, it was all about getting Ben Stokes.He started with a full, wide one that had plenty of noise as it went through to the keeper, but was ultimately called not out. Stokes may have hit it, but the West Indies didn’t review, and even if they had, the evidence to overturn was probably not there.Then Roach angled one in from around the wicket – he’s looked extraordinary coming round the wicket in this series – it moved slightly and bounced, all Stokes could do was edge it straight to second slip, who dropped it.Then Stokes hit a couple of boundaries, so Jason Holder started one over by moving third slip into covers to slow him down. This time Stokes was driving, edging and the ball went straight through the newly vacant third slip area. Holder brought the slip back in, and Stokes smashed one through the newly vacant cover gap.It was a great spell that made Stokes struggle, and it read in the scorebook 5-0-33-0.It wasn’t even the Stokes moment that bothered him the most.Roach was out at cover point; bowlers only ever go that far to pick up a ball when they have a spread field or to celebrate a wicket, Roach was doing neither, he could not believe another chance had gone down, he’s staring at nothing, fuming at everything.This one was when he was bowling to Stokes again late in the day, he’d already taken Moeen Ali just as that partnership was getting dangerous. The wicket of Stokes late in the day was never going to be as pivotal as it would have been earlier, but it could end England’s innings.Stokes had moved onto 98. But Roach keeps the pressure on him and Stokes hits the ball straight to mid-on. Shannon Gabriel couldn’t ask for a much simpler chance, and he couldn’t make a much bigger mess than this.The next over Gabriel takes the wicket of Stokes, and then another, the whole team come in excitedly as England are going to be bowled out relatively cheaply. Roach is at fine leg. He slowly jogs in, he’s in no hurry to celebrate, when he finally arrives he gives Gabriel a somewhat emotionless high five.A few balls later Woakes edges a Roach ball, it flies straight into the gloves of Shane Dowrich, and Roach stands mid-pitch pumping his fist. The release is intense and long; he now looks like a person who has received great news on a bad day.He is no longer the teen dream; he’s now the elder statesman of the side. When West Indies start to leave the field, it is Roach who goes over to each player to shake their hands, give a high five, and slap them on the back.Roach is not the exceptional talent he once was, he’s been wearied by time and life, but England are out for 258. The young man with effortless speed that sent legends to hospital no longer exists. The man who has replaced him looks exhausted, almost seems to be limping and is a bit hunched over, but he leaves the field with four wickets, and probably a few more thoughts of what could have been.

South Africa’s players should not agree to a day-night Test because Cricket Australia is asking them to. They should do it for the health of Test cricket in their own country

Daniel Brettig20-Apr-2016Ever since South Africa rejoined international cricket in 1992, their Australian counterparts have felt themselves to be in possession of a small but vital advantage.Put simply, when Australian teams are in a difficult position they attack, while South Africa’s combinations are often expected to take the conservative option. This idea has applied not only to Australian Test encounters with South Africa, but also to ICC events where the teams of AB de Villiers and company have repeatedly fallen short.With that in mind, it is not particularly surprising that South Africa’s cricketers have raised their hands in protest at the idea of playing a day-night Test as the potential decider to next summer’s series in Australia. That old obstinacy has been well represented, through the words of the players’ association chief Tony Irish, and de Villiers himself.South Africa, we are told, lack experience playing first-class cricket under lights. They have not tried the pink ball in domestic competitions, nor have the Test players given it a practice run at nocturnal training sessions. In a series where the No. 1 Test ranking may be on the line, South Africa’s players think the stakes are too high for such an experimental concept. A day-night warm-up match is not enough practice.

A willingness to try something new would run contrary to the conservatism South African cricket is known for, and which player would not leap at the chance to overturn that old stereotype?

Partly, this argument has been bolstered by the apparent ambivalence of Australian players when they discussed the concept in South Africa earlier this year during a warm-up series for the World T20. One discussion point is there are “too many unknowns” able to sully the looming contest. The Test teams of Australia and New Zealand, of course, did not consent to last year’s inaugural day-night fixture until Cricket Australia had tipped in $1 million extra cash, paid in a 60/40 split that looked suspiciously like appearance money. Having made that offer once, CA should have expected to be asked for it again.Conservative attitudes among cricketers are common and usually well-founded – another example emerged this month via Alastair Cook’s preference to keep an older and more comfortable version of his batting helmet, reasoning it is safer for him to have a fuller field of vision. Nevertheless, occasions do arise when it would be useful for the players to take the wider view, and day-night Tests are one of those.Some of Irish’s words about “commercial concerns” needing to balance with a “cricket imperative” are well-meaning, but miss the point of day-night Tests. The greatest imperative for all concerned is that Test cricket must find a way to thrive beyond the cosseted traditions of the Ashes. South Africa’s players should know this better than anyone, given the fact they play the vast majority of their home Test matches in front of pitifully small crowds and middling television audiences.As Rod Marsh argued in his Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s last year, after Australia’s 2014 tour to South Africa: “How can the Test match crowds in South Africa be so poor? They have a magnificent team with arguably the best fast bowler in the world and possibly the best batsman in the world. Yet no one goes to watch them play at home. Come on you guys, get active, there will be a time when your product isn’t that good and you’ll struggle to exist.”Australia’s 1994 Test tour of South Africa took place during an uncertain political climate, but it turned out to be a successful one and the hosts were grateful•Getty ImagesBy consenting to play a day-night Test, South Africa’s players would make a statement of openness that would be felt far beyond the context of a single match in Adelaide. They would open up the possibility of such matches being played in South Africa – concerns about the quality of lights are valid but must also be balanced with the opportunity to grow the game – in front of far larger Test crowds than the nation has ever seen. They should consider that last year’s Adelaide Test drew the biggest attendance ever for a match between Australia and New Zealand, instantly elevating the Test to a pitch of excitement usually glimpsed only at the Boxing Day or New Year’s Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.Equally, a willingness to try something new would run contrary to the conservatism South African cricket is known for, and which player would not leap at the chance to overturn that old stereotype? It might also be useful to think about the prospect of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel using a swinging pink ball under lights and the potential damage they could do to Australia; Adelaide will never be Perth, but the contest between bat and ball is likely to be far more even than the first day of the last match between the two sides at the ground.As they baulk at taking a leap into the future, it might pay South Africa’s players to take a look back into the history of cricket contests between the two countries. In 1994, Australia sent a touring team to South Africa in circumstances that were deemed risky by many. The trip coincided with the final weeks before the nation’s first ever all-race elections, and news stories of violence and potential terror threats abounded. Led by Allan Border on his final tour, the Australians made the journey in a spirit of discovery, without knowing quite what to expect.What followed was a trip memorable for the cricket and the history, helping to set up the rivalry that de Villiers and company are now so anxious about preserving. The hosts were forever grateful to then ACB chairman Alan Crompton and chief executive Graham Halbish that a successful visit was completed ahead of Nelson Mandela’s elevation to power, in a celebratory atmosphere that caused many of the earlier fears to ring hollow. An Australian decision not to tour might have been disastrous for a South African team still making its early steps back into the international fold.Given their recent refusal – on government advice – to send a team to the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, it is worth pondering whether CA in its current guise would have taken the risk Crompton and Halbish did. But in the context of 2016 and day-night Tests the roles are reversed, with CA asking its South African counterpart to make a leap of faith. While the players have every right to protect what they consider to be the integrity of their game, they would do well to consider the wider view this time around. Take the positive option, and find out what rewards may lie on the other side of night. Not just in Adelaide, but in South Africa too.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2015Solomon Mire was pushed up the order but he did not last long either, nicking one off to MS Dhoni off Mohit Sharma•AFPBrendan Taylor and Sean Williams then repaired the damage, adding 93 for the fourth wicket•AFPThe partnership ended in the 29th over when R Ashwin held onto a low, return catch•Getty ImagesTaylor, playing his final ODI, powered on, reaching his century with a six in the 39th over…•Getty Images…and becoming the first Zimbabwe player to notch up two successive hundreds in a World Cup, It was an emotional century•Associated PressThe departure of Taylor, though, triggered a collapse as Zimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 52 and were bowled out for 287•AFPThis meant that India became only the second team after South Africa to skittle their opposition for the sixth successive time in a World Cup•Getty ImagesIndia’s chase began shakily with Sikandar Raza taking a sharp catch off Tinashe Panyangara to send Rohit Sharma back for 16•AFPThree balls later, the in-form Shikhar Dhawan dragged one back onto the stumps. India were 21 for 2 in the seventh over•Getty ImagesVirat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane then got together and hauled the chase back on track through a 50-run partnership…•Getty Images…until trouble resurfaced with Sikandar Raza in the thick of action again, this time running Rahane out for 19•AFPSuresh Raina and MS Dhoni, however, diffused the crisis and mounted another recovery•AFPThe pair rebuilt the innings with accumulation before attacking the bowlers, as the equation was broken down to 91 off 60•Getty ImagesRaina was the chief aggressor in the unbroken 196-run stand, bringing up his maiden World Cup ton off 94 balls•Getty ImagesMS Dhoni then delivered the finishing blow with eight balls to spare, smiting a six over backward square leg, as India made it six wins in six this World Cup•Associated Press

Plays of the day from the second day between England and Australia at Old Trafford

George Dobell, Jarrod Kimber and Brydon Coverdale02-Aug-2013Reception of the day
When Steven Smith walked out to bat on Thursday he was booed by the entire crowd – by accident, it turned out, as they thought he was David Warner. When Smith was out on the second day, yet again the boos came. This time it was because Warner was actually walking out on to the ground. It was one of the most spontaneous and full throated of any in recent Ashes series. And quite surprising, as in Manchester, trying to hit someone from Yorkshire wouldn’t always end in boos.Review of the day
There were probably no people watching this Test that didn’t want Joe Root to bowl to Warner. Alastair Cook showed a shocking lack of humour when he kept Graeme Swann on instead. Luckily, Warner provides enough comedy value of his own these days. Warner felt he hadn’t nicked the ball to slip, via Matt Prior’s thigh, perhaps because he hit his pad at the same time. So he somehow convinced his captain to allow him to review it. It turned out that after one review, the boos turned into cacophonous laughter. Warner left the ground and Australia fans were left wondering why on earth Michael Clarke had allowed Warner to review it.No-ball of the day
Tony Hill has been under the spotlight during this Test and again he was the centre of attention when he made a very late no-ball call as James Anderson was appealing loudly for an lbw shout against Smith. But the reason for the delay in Hill’s call quickly became apparent: Anderson had not over-stepped, but flicked the stumps with his hand on his way to the crease, knocking the bails off. Under a new ICC playing condition introduced on April 30 this year, that constitutes a no-ball, and while Steven Finn was considered the bowler most likely to suffer from the change, Anderson was the man who erred on this occasion. He would have been pleased to know that replays confirmed the ball would have sailed down the leg side.Milestone of the day
It had taken Stuart Broad 326 balls (that’s 54.2 overs) to move from 199 Test wickets to 200. But when Michael Clarke’s fine innings came to an end, playing on as he attempted to guide a decent short ball to third man, Broad became the 15th England bowler to the milestone. In terms of Tests, Broad was the second slowest England bowler to reach the mark – this is his 60th Test; Andrew Flintoff took until his 69th – but it meant it was the first time since February 1982, when Sir Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Derek Underwood, playing his final Test, all played together against Sri Lanka that England have had an attack containing three men with 200 wickets each to their name. It had never happened before that trio played together.Edge of the day
England made Clarke work hard before he was able to add to his overnight score on the second day. It took 26 minutes and until the seventh over of the day for Clarke to score a run and then it was an edge off the bowling of Anderson that flew to the third man boundary between second slip and gully that helped him get under way. It could easily have gone to hand. But Clarke quickly reminded England how important it was to capitalise on such moments by driving the next delivery quite beautifully off the back foot through cover for another boundary.Drop of the day
There was a moment, with Australia on 430-7, when it seemed England may limit them to nothing more than a par score of around 450 on a fine batting surface. But, even by then, England had squandered an opportunity to wrap up the Australian innings long before it reached 500. When Brad Haddin was on 10 and Australia were 380-5, Prior put down a relatively straightforward chance offered off the bowling of Anderson. Haddin, attempting to pull, offered a thin under edge that did require Prior to change direction a little and move down the leg side but, although he made the ground quite easily, the ball to hit him on the left wrist and Haddin survived. It underlined the impression that Prior is enduring his least secure series with the gloves since his recall to the side in December 2008.

After a cagey beginning, New Zealand decided to depend on aggression rather than the pitch to make inroads, with Chris Martin leading the way. Once conditions started helping, their bowlers had South Africa in trouble

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin 07-Mar-2012The first day of a Test series between two sides that have not played each other in a while is similar to a first date. In conditions where no-one was quite sure what to expect, with the sky promising bowling rewards but the strip batting ones, the introductory dance took even longer. By the end of the day, New Zealand made up for an ordinary first session with an explosive second one to start the series on a strong note.The score is enough to justify Ross Taylor’s decision to put South Africa in to bat, one that was made with an eye above, rather than below. With clouds overhead and the world’s best bowler, Dale Steyn, as part of South Africa’s armoury, Taylor may have wanted to protect his batsmen. With four fast bowlers in his attack, he may have hoped they would be able to take advantage of the same things he was worried Steyn and Co. would exploit.Through the first period, it appeared that he was wrong. The bowlers wrestled with unhelpful conditions: they searched for non-existent swing through the cold air and any sign of pace or bounce to assist them from the placid surface. Instead, their efforts only allowed Graeme Smith time to organise himself at the crease. With a vacant leg-side field and a wayward line, they gave Smith the luxury of playing the way he is most comfortable: taking the ball from outside off and playing it to the leg side.Alviro Petersen’s dismissal was the only cause for early celebration as a lack of penetration allowed a free-flowing partnership to develop between Smith and Hashim Amla, neither of whom looked like in any danger of being dismissed in the first session. Amla described South Africa’s position at tea as “good”; considering that they were asked to bat, it was closer to very good.The break allowed time for New Zealand to remember that conditions alone do not take wickets. And since conditions were not actually bowler friendly, they were unlikely to spook a line-up that has established itself as one of the most solid in the world. What would be needed was piercing, aggressive bowling that would create uncomfortable situations for the batsmen even in fairly friendly surroundings.Chris Martin understood that best. He returned after the break knowing that it was up to him to change the course of events. “I was probably a little bit more geed up,” Martin said. “We didn’t operate all that well in the first session and sometimes it’s up to the senior guy to take the lead. So it was time to stand up and get the ball in the right areas. The way it panned out was far beyond expectation.”Martin bowled a better length post tea, a slightly fuller one, and a line that was closer to the stumps. After working Graeme Smith over with two deliveries that angled across him, and two that beat the bat, he had done enough to dismiss him with a ball that was not as challenging as the other four. “He bowled well but we also had a few soft dismissals,” Amla said. “If I look at the wickets, the one of Graeme, it wasn’t a great wicket-taking ball.”The deliveries that removed Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers were wicket-taking balls and served as an indication that conditions had changed. Under clearing skies, and in warmer air, Martin found swing and had better control over the ball. Although he sent down what Daniel Vettori called “the worst hat-trick ball ever,” short and on Jacques Rudolph’s hips, he had prised open a gap big enough to give New Zealand a glimpse of what could be achieved.Tim Southee and Trent Boult searched for similar movement but produced loose spells to allow Amla and Jacques Rudolph to score at more than five runs an over. Instead of restricting runs and continuing to create pressure their lengths wavered in every over, inviting boundaries. Again, it was up to an experienced player to step up and Daniel Vettori did it by getting a grip on the scoring and repeatedly beating Amla in the flight before dismissing him.With South Africa’s middle order exposed, Doug Bracewell had a burst at the end, bowling a collection of fast, swinging deliveries, including a selection of yorkers. Although he overstepped at a crucial time and could have had Jacques Rudolph out lbw had he not, Bracewell’s dismissal of Dale Steyn opened the doors to the tail.From searching for a way to stem a gushing run flow, New Zealand were able cut it off close to the source. Martin is aware that they are far from finished and need more of their second-session determination, rather than their first-session lethargy, to keep themselves in the driver’s seat.”The job is not really done. It’s just a little pocket of the game that we played well in so far,” Martin said, an indication that New Zealand are wary of South Africa’s lower order, which Amla hopes will come through. “We’ve had days like this before and we have come out on top,” Amla said. “Let’s see how long we can take it. Vernon [Philander] is a proper allrounder.” Then, a massive smile crept over his face. “And then, you’ve got Morne [Morkel] and Imran [Tahir].” The latter, in particular, is who New Zealand will want to be bowling at as early as possible on the second day.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Mithun Manhas made a brave decision in putting West Zone in on the Wankhede track which is reputed to be a good bat-first pitch

Sidharth Monga at the Wankhede Stadium19-Feb-2008

Putting a side in at the Wankhede – a track where you usually win the toss and bat – as North Zone did against West Zone in the Duleep Trophy final on Tuesday is a move that falls somewhere between the bold and the foolhardy.Delhi and Mumbai have experienced contrasting fortunes after winning the toss at the Wankhede this season. Mumbai chose to field against Maharashtra and Saurashtra, only to see them rack up big totals. Delhi, on the other hand, put Mumbai in in a league match, and bowled them out for 166 before the wicket flattened out. Then, in the Ranji final, they asked Uttar Pradesh to bat; this time the tactic didn’t really work, as UP scored 342, but Delhi fought back to easily chase the 230 needed to win.Mumbai drew flak for the move, criticised for overconfidence in their bowling resources, while Delhi drew laurels. Severe criticism generally is the case when a captain fields first and it backfires, as Nasser Hussain found out after the Brisbane Test in 2002.Moreover, the Wankhede track usually sports a tinge of green. So, if the decision to bowl first goes wrong, the captain (a batsman in most cases) also leaves himself open to accusations of dodging the tough conditions.”Captains do ask me to shave off the grass a day before,” says Sudhir Naik, the curator at the Wankhede Stadium. “It’s not always a brave move to bowl first here, sometimes the captains are just shielding their batsmen because there is always some grass on the wicket.”In that light, Mithun Manhas made a brave decision, drawing confidence from the two previous successes this season. Also, Manhas had learned that the wicket was watered the previous evening to leave some moisture in the morning. And Delhi, and North Zone in this case, have had at least one bowler capable of exploiting the seaming conditions well, whereas Mumbai haven’t had the services of a consistently good seamer this season.Two hours into the Duleep final, it looked like a decision gone horribly wrong for Manhas and North, with the in-form Ajinkya Rahane looking set for a big score. However, despite what the scorecard suggested, (West 130 for 2, Rahane 64 off 74 balls, VRV giving away 60 in 12 overs) Manhas and VRV kept backing themselves.”There’s always that sting in the Mumbai wicket, which keeps you interested,” Manhas said later. “It might not be exaggerated movement, but there is extra bounce and a little movement. So we were not too worried.” In that regard, a typical Wankhede wicket is an ideal wicket, always keeping both the parties interested.Also, VRV’s figures didn’t portray the way he troubled Rahane in the first session, beating him with ones that held their line instead of coming in. Just after lunch, he rid Manhas and himself of whatever anxiety there might have been. In two balls – his first deliveries after lunch – he turned the game North’s way by claiming the big wickets of Parthiv Patel and Cheteshwar Pujara. Combined with the lack of application some of the West batsmen showed, it required another short burst from VRV post-tea to vindicate Manhas’ decision. But all along it was a decision that came out of conviction and faith in his attack, as three slips and two gullies at the score of 100-odd for 1 suggested.A move that seemed a disaster has transformed into a masterstroke. However, Manhas will know he and his batsmen will need to apply themselves as they reply to West’s effort, because the “sting will be there for the entire match”.

Ricky Bhui will take over, having done the job in the past

S Sudarshanan12-Jan-2024Hanuma Vihari has stepped down as the Andhra captain for the rest of the Ranji Trophy season. Ricky Bhui will lead the team now after Vihari led them to a draw against Bengal at home in the opening round of the season. Vihari continues to be part of the XI as Andhra take on Mumbai in their Group B clash at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC, Mumbai.Bhui had scored 175, his 15th first-class hundred, in the clash against Bengal while Vihari managed 51 in the only innings for Andhra.Vihari last played for India against England in Birmingham in 2022. Last season, he captained Andhra to the knockouts, where they lost to Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final. In that match, Vihari batted left-handed for a major part of the first innings and throughout the second innings after fracturing his left forearm, courtesy an Avesh Khan bouncer. He scored 490 runs in the last season in 14 innings, at an average of 35 with two half-centuries.Related

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Later he also played the Duleep Trophy for South Zone and the Irani Cup for Rest of India against Ranji champions Saurashtra. In the Duleep Trophy he scored 0 and 43 in the semi-final before top-scoring with 63 and 42 in both innings of the final which they lost to West Zone. In the Irani Cup, he managed just 33 and 22. He was the captain in all those first-class matches.Before the start of this season, Vihari was mulling a move to MP to play under renowned domestic coach Chandrakant Pandit in order to rekindle his Test career. But Andhra managed to retain him at the last minute and he scored 229 runs at a strike rate of 149.67 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and only 109 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also did not find takers at the auction for IPL 2024 last month.Bhui, 27, has led Andhra in the past – 22 times across formats and on five occasions in the Ranji Trophy. His last game as captain was against Uttarakhand in March 2022.