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Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has described the national team as a “rudderless ship” after they were whitewashed 0-3 in the ODI series and beaten convicingly in the only T20I on their ongoing tour of Bangladesh

Gaurav Kalra25-Apr-20154:25

‘Gone are the days of Pakistan’s abundant talent’ – Ramiz

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has described the national team as a “rudderless ship” after they were whitewashed 0-3 in the ODI series and beaten convicingly in the only T20I on their ongoing tour of Bangladesh. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Ramiz said he was disappointed by the “lack of direction” and the lack of “fresh ideas” from the PCB.”They have gone to the players who have put a mute button on Pakistan cricket for a long time,” Ramiz said. “There’s no freshness of ideas or direction. It’s the same old logic to keep wickets in hand and then go hard in the last 10 overs. This is a throwback to the 80’s and 90’s stuff. I was hoping that the situation would improve but there is hardly any new direction given by the new coaching staff.”Ramiz, who is currently in India as a commentator for the IPL, believes Pakistan need to urgently set up a T20 league on similar lines as that “environment will help the players understand the game better.””That (a T20 league) will really help them to concentrate on the game and play the game in the way that it should be played,” he said. “I hope the Pakistan Cricket Board works on it and somehow makes it happen. If not in Pakistan, then in the middle east. It’s not about money, it’s about the environment that Pakistan cricket so badly needs to share that experience and to learn from the greats of the game.”Describing the series in Bangladesh as “embarrassing” and the “lowest point in our international history”, Ramiz said the outcome was the culmination “of a badly thought out strategy.” According to him, Pakistan are no longer producing the same assembly line of talent as they did in the past, and even the players coming through are not being “used properly” by the team management.”I’m deeply concerned because I was hoping that some of the younger players would step up but they weren’t good enough,” Ramiz said. “Timid is the right word, boxed in mentality, which is not expanding your range in T20 or 50-overs cricket. It’s the way they’re brought up.”They have technical and mental issues. They don’t know how to construct a knock; those who know it don’t have the technical know-how. Some of them are suppressed by the environment because they are not sure whether they’ll play the next game. The overall strategy needs to improve. The coaching staff has to come to their rescue because gone are the days when Pakistan would have a well rounded and talented side.”The lone bright spark for Pakistan in the one-day series was newly appointed captain Azhar Ali, who scored a hundred and a fifty in his three innings to emerge as the team’s top-run getter. While complimenting Azhar on his solid start, Ramiz, who had advocated Wahab Riaz for the captaincy after Pakistan’s World Cup exit, believes the door should be kept open on that option.”The players have technical and mental issues. They don’t know how to construct a knock, and those who know it don’t have the technical know-how”•AFP”I believe that Pakistan cricket needs a tonic of aggression,” Ramiz insisted. “What I saw of Wahab Riaz convinced me that he has got the potential and arsenal to give Pakistan that all important positive direction. He could lead them into action because against Australia and throughout the World Cup he was the go-to guy. He would make things happen and that is the kind of individual I was hoping Pakistan would pin its hopes on. He was not even made the vice captain which is strange.”Ramiz was also not surprised by the ineffectiveness of Saeed Ajmal, who returned to the Pakistan squad after remodeling his action. Ajmal, who missed the World Cup, was able to pick up just one wicket in the first two one-dayers and went wicketless in the T20I. Ramiz believes it will be difficult for Ajmal be equally threatening as he felt his doosra has been neutralised by the new action.”Pakistan will be severely hit as both Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez were extremely good with the straighter ball which now they can’t bowl,” he said. “I fear the worst for Saeed Ajmal. He’s not pausing and firing them in. It’s not spinning for him. He is clearly a bit uneasy and uncomfortable, lacks confidence. It will be difficult for him to bowl at the level he was bowling for Pakistan a year back.”The teams now face off in a two-Test series starting on April 28 in Khulna where Misbah-ul-Haq will return as captain alongside senior batsman Younis Khan to shore up the middle order. Ramiz, however, expects Bangladesh to have a “huge advantage” going into the series as Pakistan are “hurt mentally and technically.””I think Bangladesh should be relentless as this a golden chance for them to create history,” he said. “The pressure is on Pakistan to redefine themselves and find the magic to keep Bangladesh at a distance. It’s going to be difficult as things can’t change dramatically as the coaching staff is the same; most of the players are same. Pakistan have been hit by losses and injuries and it’s going to be a real challenge.”

Even in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late

Tim Wigmore at Beckenham26-May-2015ScorecardZafar Ansari produced an impressive spell to take out Kent’s middle order•PA PhotosEven in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late. A back spasm limited Luke Fletcher to six overs in the match, the third time in four games that a Surrey bowler has been injured mid-match.With Surrey left relying upon two young pace bowlers and spin twins, a rarely spotted sight in England in May, it felt rather ominous as Kent cruised to 182 for 2 on the first afternoon. But Tom Curran and Matt Dunn, two men of whom much is expected at The Oval, shared six wickets to restrict Kent to 282 all out.Asking them to do something similar, even after Surrey had eked out a lead of ten, was to demand a lot. The wicket at Beckenham, enjoying its first Championship match since 2009, was a little slow and low, but possessed nothing of menace. Yet they dismantled Kent for a second time, Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty sharing seven wickets, to leave Surrey well place for victory.”There was not anything out of the ordinary,” was the assessment of Kent’s Joe Denly, who reckoned that only “one ball misbehaved all day” after top-scoring with 66. That was a brute from Dunn, which lifted from a good length to catch Rob Key’s bat.Still, as Kent cruised to 97 for 2, the game had a rather somnolent feel, enlivened only by Denly’s delightful straight six off Ansari. Perhaps cruising too much after reaching an effortless run-a-ball 26, Sam Northeast then edged Ansari to slip.If Surrey could just about glimpse an opening, there was no hint of the bedlam to come. Attempting an extravagant heave, Fabian Cowdrey was stumped off Ansari, a shot that had locals accustomed to the technical proficiency of Cowdreys furrowing their brows. The following over Darren Stevens was neatly snaffled at slip after a delivery gripped and bounced. And the next ball Sam Billings, who did not quite join Ansari in making his ODI debut earlier this month in Dublin, got a leading edge straight to cover.Three Ansari wickets in four balls had transformed the game. Yet he was scarcely less impressive either side of that burst, bowling with purpose and poise, daring to flight the ball and eschewing the temptation to bowl flatter when he was driven. It was no isolated success, either. Ansari is Surrey’s highest Championship wicket-taker, with 20 wickets at 32.55 apiece, elevating himself above skipper Batty as Surrey’s leading spinner.Batty might not be the sort to care but he bowled as if a man whose pride had been prickled just a little. The delivery that spun between Denly’s bat and pad prompted howls of delight: Denly had married circumspection and class in his 66.Thereafter, there was only contrasting tail-end resistance to come. Calum Haggett batted with almost exaggerated care as he took 101 balls over 24 precious runs. Matt Coles took the opposite approach, driving with ferocious strength for 29 until slapping Batty to point. While Surrey had bowled with skill and control and fielded with intensity, no one could deny Denly’s verdict on Kent’s batting performance. “Some of the dismissals were on the soft side – mine included,” he reflected.Kent did enjoy the consolation of a wicket in the 11 overs they bowled at Surrey before the close, but with Rory Burns in counter-punching mood Surrey are left with only 151 more runs to secure their second victory of the season.A few minutes after leading Surrey off after his sterling bowling effort, Ansari trudged disconsolately off after playing around a straight ball from Stevens, and was in no mood to speak to the media after play. While the development of Ansari’s bowling has been one of the noteworthy aspects of Surrey’s season so far, there is good reason why few cricketers in history have combined opening the batting with being a frontline bowler.

Worcestershire took a first-innings lead of 43 but it looked like being a much greater advantage before Alex Gidman retired hurt

David Hopps at Trent Bridge30-Jun-2015
ScorecardAlex Gidman had to retire hurt after being struck by a bouncer•Getty ImagesNobody celebrates a bouncer hitting a batsman these days. The delivery is bowled, as it must occasionally be, but if it hits its mark any fleeting sense of conquest fast gives way to concern. The bouncer is a weapon released with venom and laden with guilt.But a weapon it remains, capable of changing the course of a match in an instant by virtue of its physical threat. When Ben Hilfenhaus’ bouncer struck Alex Gidman, and forced the Worcestershire batsman to retire hurt, the disquiet among all concerned was evident, particularly so because of the delayed reaction he suffered. And the match was never quite the same again.Initially, Gidman chose to bat on before pulling out of a delivery in the next over, from Samit Patel, and dropping to his haunches on the side of the pitch before he walked off gingerly, accompanied by two physiotherapists. He was diagnosed with mild concussion, but was relaxing happily enough on the balcony by the close.”We were in a good position, then he gets one on the head and has to go off,” bemoaned Worcestershire’s director of cricket Steve Rhodes. “Our policy is always to take our players out of the firing line and check them over before slowly bringing them back into game time. It’s doubtful he will take any further part in the match but having said that strange things can happen. He is okay and smiling, sometimes he has his colour, sometimes he does not.”Worcestershire will be reluctant to let him bat again, but the situation might yet tempt them into doing just that. It is curious that there is no set ECB policy about how counties must respond to concussion.After Gidman’s departure, batting never went so swimmingly for Worcestershire again. Visions of a first-innings lead well beyond 100 that would have strengthened their chances of victory against a relegation rival gave way to the reality of a 43-run advantage. By the close, Nottinghamshire had turned that deficit into a 72-run lead with seven wickets remaining. This match could hardly be more evenly poised.Nottinghamshire will feel with good reason that they toughed the day out. On the first evening, they imagined they would be down to three fit frontline bowlers after Luke Fletcher and Andy Carter had limped out of the attack with hamstring and side injuries respectively. Fletcher was indeed an absentee but Carter, much to everyone’s surprise, woke up fit to bowl – well up to 70% pace anyway.He only managed six overs, and expensive ones at that, but it was a staunch effort. Underneath his bowling shirt, according to his director of cricket Mick Newell, he had more bandages than an Egyptian mummy. “The view was that we could strap him up into a condition where we would not make him worse,” Newell said.It was symptomatic of a fighting response by Notts, which also included a herculean bowling stint by Hilfenhaus, saw their Australian T20 signing Dan Christian forego a round of golf and volunteer for a day’s sub fielding and James Taylor bat on, without a runner, despite a pulled hamstring suffered while stealing a quick single.When Carter had the last man, Saeed Ajmal, lbw, Notts could be relieved at how things had turned out. Carter’s angular frame can find extra bounce even when his health is in doubt and he almost had Tom Fell caught in his first over, the ball just brushing the hand of the diving Michael Lumb at gully. That really would have helped Nottinghamshire’s case: Fell, 24 then, went on to make 74.With Richard Oliver extending his overnight half-century to 99, at which point Patel found an inside edge and Chris Read held the catch, it meant that Worcestershire were within 37 runs of a first-innings lead with seven wickets remaining when Gidman unsteadily left the field.With 17 overs to the new ball, Notts a bowler down and the day so warm that fielders took their drinks breaks in the shadow of a floodlight pylon, this should have been the hour that Worcestershire cashed in. But Hilfenhaus had Joe Clarke lbw and Brett Hutton, a 22-year-old Yorkshireman in only his fourth first-class match, took a wicket in three successive overs, the last of them, Fell, nicking to the keeper.James Taylor consolidated Nottinghamshire’s reply after they lost three wickets in building a lead of 26. It was the innings of a batsman desperately searching for form, but he remained unbeaten at the close and many of Nottinghamshire’s hopes will rest with him.

R Ashwin has mounted a strong defence of MS Dhoni’s leadership saying he would “die on the field” if his captain asked him to

Alagappan Muthu in Mirpur23-Jun-20153:55

‘Looks like Bangladesh own this ground’ – Ashwin

R Ashwin has mounted a strong defence of MS Dhoni’s leadership saying he would “die on the field” if his captain asked him to. A 2-0 loss to Bangladesh had sharpened the spotlight on Dhoni, who brushed aside the criticism of his captaincy but sarcastically quipped that if he was the source of everything that was wrong with Indian cricket, he would gladly step aside.When asked for his thoughts on the issue, a visibly irked Ashwin said: “He is one of the star cricketers, man, he is a legend of Indian cricket. He has done so much for the nation. We can’t really forget what he has done.”Yes I know bad results crop and all kinds of statistics crop up. With statistics you can prove whatever you want as you please. You have to give credit to the individual because he has done a lot of good things. You can’t blame him for the whole team’s performance. That’s not fair. I would say we have failed as a unit, failed as a group.’Challenge starts here for Mustafizur’ – Ashwin

Before Mustafizur Rahman, there was Ajantha Mendis. Much like Mendis did in his debut Test series in 2008, Mustafizur has made an instant impact on international cricket, and against the same team, India. When asked if there was a trend developing, R Ashwin laughed it off.
“I can answer that cheekily but I don’t want to do it. Honestly, I think they are good bowlers , Ajanta Mendis, Mustafizur, Taskin Ahmed. All these guys are good bowlers, man. You have got to give it to them. Some of them have fallen off the radar, but when these bowlers come on it’s always about a surprise element. I wouldn’t say we were shocked or caught off guard [though].
India’s plans for tackling Mustafizur have been widely sought after, and when the inevitable question popped up, Ashwin said: “If there isn’t a counter as such, I mean what can we do? Can we kidnap him? No, we have to come out there and play some good and solid cricket and try and make sure we nullify him. He does bowl a good cutter, which is something we have to watch out for.
“He is a good bowler, you cannot deny what he has done or take the respect away from him. I am also happy for him. But I think the challenge starts here for him. As an international cricketer I would know it much better than anybody else. Now, people are going to watch out for him.”

“Of course, man, if you don’t go behind your leader (now) then when will you? So as far as I am concerned it’s like an army, if you don’t go behind your leader then you are definitely going to get shot. If my captain asks me to die on the field, I’ll do it. It’s not just now, any captain you have to go behind him. If he asks you to die on the field, then you have to be prepared to do it.”Amid the scrutiny levelled on the team regarding the manner of their defeats, there has been plenty of interest in and calls for change. Ashwin tempered them by pointing out that India had done quite well across the entire season.”Everybody’s good enough. It’s not like we are looking to pick on anybody in or outside the team like people would like us to do. Really a win is what we would like to achieve. It’s the end of the season for us so if we can cap it off with a win, it would be good. We have had a good season to be honest, we have won more than 75% of the games in the last season and that’s what we are looking to continue.”That win-loss ratio, Ashwin said, has been a point of solace that has kept the atmosphere within the team reasonably stable despite being found out by Bangladesh.”We have definitely come up against a wall wherein a team really knows what they are doing. I think we should be honest in admitting the fact that we haven’t played very flamboyant cricket, and we have not come out of our shell. But as a whole, the dressing room atmosphere hasn’t been anything short of anything it has been in the past. I think we are used to the fact that we do lose a few, but we win more, which has kept us in good stead. But going into this game, we’ve really got to free the birds up and try and play as positively as we can.”Considering India have been quite generous in their praise of Bangladesh when asked to explain their own faults, there was again inspiration to be taken from the opposition.”Bangladesh weren’t winning a lot of games in the last few years, but they tried to maintain momentum, and then started getting better and winning games. So ideally losing is not the end of it,” Ashwin said. “At this point of time it’s a very hard game for us. We are trying to come back in a lost series. That’s the way things go, you can’t throw in the towel or run away from the fact that there is a game to go. That’s how it is.”We’ve had a quiet couple of days and I think everybody has reflected on what’s happened and we all know what needs to be done. The mood’s got a little better now.”On a personal note, Ashwin has had a fine tour with the ball. Besides his tenth Test five-for, he’s taken four wickets in two ODIs and has looked India’s only bowler of any threat. The fast bowlers, especially, have been toothless. But according to Ashwin, all is not quite as it seems on the surface.”It’s very easy to analyse a loss and say somebody has not done well,” he said. “Statistics do that and it can be used any which way. I won’t say we haven’t bowled well. There have been others who have bowled well, and probably the way they have bowled has enhanced my chances of taking wickets.”The bowlers have only 10 wickets to take but 10 overs to give runs and face the brunt of what the media has to say. Both bowling and batting are equally tough. As a bowler, you don’t have the numbers a batsman has. You can only pick up two or three wickets normally. The roles are very important and very definite. Somebody can bowl 10 overs for 25 runs without taking a wicket but that could be the match defining spell. But you won’t hear the media talking about it.”The ODI series has seen a certain amount of on-field hostility, with send-offs, a collision, and run-out attempts off dead balls, all tied together neatly by an incredibly boisterous Mirpur crowd. But Ashwin has played down all talk of revenge.”You don’t go into a game thinking, ‘They beat me, now we are really angry and we want to smash them.’ That’s not how it works. Its international cricket, they have done their bit. They had their own biding time and now they’re on the rise. So it’s very important to respect the opponents. You can’t go back and say that this is like an insult. It’s not. A good side has beaten us and we have to admit that.”

Steven Finn took 4 for 41 to spearhead a second-day Middlesex thrust with the ball as Somerset slipped to 185 for 8 in their Championship Division One match

ECB/PA12-Jul-2015
ScorecardSteven Finn, who will rejoin England’s squad for the second Test at Lord’s, took four wickets•Getty ImagesSteven Finn took 4 for 41 to spearhead a second-day Middlesex thrust with the ball as Somerset slipped to 185 for 8 in their Championship Division One match at Merchant Taylors’ School in Northwood.Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell had put on a battling 76 for the first wicket in reply to Middlesex’s 283, but Finn took two of four wickets to fall for 41 runs as Somerset suddenly found themselves struggling at 117 for 4. Peter Trego was then leg-before to Ollie Rayner for 15, just before heavy rain arrived to drive the players from the field at 3.33pm for an early tea.Jim Allenby, hit under the throat by a short ball from Toby Roland-Jones when 28, fought hard to score 43 before becoming Finn’s fourth victim as he edged low to Rayner at second slip.Finn is due to be replaced in this match by James Harris when he joins up with England’s squad ahead of the second Ashes Test, but he clearly wanted to make a mark before his departure. His third wicket was that of Lewis Gregory, caught at the wicket for 11 soon after a restart at 5.05pm, and he also had Michael Bates dropped on nought by James Franklin at first slip.There was another break of half an hour from 5.37pm as more rain arrived and only 20 minutes of further play was possible before bad light brought a close to proceedings with Middlesex firmly on top despite the loss of 25.3 overs in the day.Running down the slope from the Benham End, Finn first forced Abell to feather a catch behind on 26 and, after Tim Murtagh had induced a thick edge to the keeper by Johann Myburgh, on 1, the England fast bowler produced another beauty to bowl James Hildreth for 4.Trescothick’s determined three-hour 52, from 124 balls, was finally ended by Roland-Jones, who swung one into the left-hander’s pads to have him leg-before.Finn had been a handful for Somerset’s openers in the morning session, striking both Trescothick and Abell on the arm and hand respectively during a fierce new ball spell. Somerset had started their reply this morning, after taking the final Middlesex first innings wicket in the closing overs last night, and Finn hit Abell early on and Trescothick when he was on 16.The cricket was so attritional that Abell’s first boundary did not come until the last over of the morning session, the 29th, when he cut off spinner Rayner’s first ball to the third man ropes. It was the 77th ball he had faced.

A resurgent Bangladesh team set out for the World T20 to prove they belong at the top level, after strong performances against the best teams at home

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2016Big pictureTen hours after finishing an emotionally-charged Asia Cup final, Bangladesh flew off to New Delhi from Dhaka before taking a chartered flight to Dharamsala. Abu Hider even posted a selfie on Facebook with bowling coach Heath Streak to confirm their arrival. It has been their most whirlwind schedule in recent memory, especially between two major tournaments.Captain Mashrafe Mortaza said he hoped such a situation, which would involve looking out for each other, would pull the team closer. Bangladesh has certainly played as a unit since the 2015 World Cup, when they were pushed against the wall. The whole year has gone well for them in ODIs, but now they have to carry that confidence and form into the T20 format.Mortaza and coach Chandika Hathurusingha have solved the batting-order puzzle to an extent, although their thinking has occasionally gone awry. Case in point was the Asia Cup final, where Mahmudullah was left too late in a 15-over dash. However, the promotion of Sabbir Rahman to no. 3 means that their top three batsmen are all natural big-hitters.The pace-bowling unit has also worked so far. Despite Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness still a concern, he is likely to play a role in the qualifying stage in Dharamsala. Taskin Ahmed’s pace and consistency coupled with Al-Amin Hossain’s impressive starts with the ball bodes well for the side.Still, Mortaza will be required to tie up loose ends with Arafat Sunny providing another run-saving option.What Bangladesh must be worried about is the form of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, having had an under-par year. Shakib’s bowling, too, will be crucial to the balance of the team combination. Mahmudullah’s form has been heartening, especially as a late hitter, an area where Bangladesh have often struggled in T20s. Nurul Hasan could come in handy at that stage too.Bangladesh will have to use their strengths to beat Netherlands, Ireland and Oman. A slip-up could cost them T20 progress.Road to the World T20Bangladesh have won seven and lost seven in 14 completed T20Is since the 2014 World T20. Recently, they drew T20I series’ against Zimbabwe – 1-1 in November and 2-2 in January – and finished as runners-up in the Asia Cup.At the helmBangladesh’s T20 fortunes revolve around the leadership pair of the captain Mortaza and Hathurusingha. While Mortaza had a more hands-on role in ODI planning, Hathurusingha has tinkered around with their T20 make-up to find the ideal combination.Key statBangladesh’s preparatory period before the 2016 World T20 trumps those before the 2012 and 2014 competitions for one reason: beating Pakistan and Sri Lanka, two higher-ranked sides.Mahmudullah’s finishing abilities with the bat has given Bangladesh another potent weapon for the World T20•Associated PressLeading menMahmudullah has given Bangladesh a great finish with the bat in four consecutive innings in the Asia Cup.Taskin Ahmed has done the same with the ball, especially in the final, where he conceded less than five runs an over during India’s assault.Sabbir Rahman has grabbed his chances after being promoted to No 3 and has been the team’s most consistent run-getter in the nine T20Is this year.Burning questionAfter finishing as runners-up in the Asia Cup, can Bangladesh go past the first round to prove their recent progress in T20s isn’t a fluke?In their Own Words”We now have to start from scratch, even though we played in the Asia Cup final because we have to qualify for the main stage of the World T20. We have to be mentally strong.”World T20 historyBangladesh have only done well in the inaugural tournament in 2007, when they beat West Indies to move into the second round. They qualified for the main competition in 2014, but not before being shocked by a defeat against Hong Kong.

James Vince has a final battle with England’s leading wicket-taker James Anderson to surmount before England’s selectors discuss a potential Test debut at Headingley

David Hopps07-May-2016James Vince has one final task awaiting him – to withstand a going-over from England’s record Test wicket-taker – as he seeks to satisfy expectations that he is ready for a Test debut against Sri Lanka at Headingley.There is a growing sense in the higher echelons of English cricket that Vince’s time is nigh and a commanding performance for Hampshire at Old Trafford against James Anderson, 433 Test wickets to his name and no thoughts whatsoever of retirement, and the rest of Lancashire’s attack, would add the final touches to a CV that England are of a mind to accept.It has been a good early season for batsmen wishing to pronounce themselves of England quality. Pitches are flatter in the Specsavers Championship because of the new toss regulations which allow the visiting side the bat first if they wish (11 of 13 matches have been drawn), and demand an approach from batsmen and bowlers alike which have more in common with Test cricket.Now a mini-heatwave has arrived across England with the promise of more batting rewards. Batsmen are expected to bat long; bowlers know that wins will be hard earned on pitches that no longer nibble around all day.What 25-year-old would not want to grasp the opportunity which has presented itself as respected judges sing his praises?A full programme of matches, beginning on Sunday, is the final chance for England contenders to enhance their claims with all attention on the composition of an England top six that is awash with uncertainty.Alex Hales will probably be retained as opener, but Nick Compton only averaged 30.6 during his Test return in South Africa and appears vulnerable at No 3 and the sad end to James Taylor’s career because of a heart ailment leaves England with a vacancy at No 5. Vince’s admirers spend most time debating which slot he should fill.Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, returned to the country on Wednesday after a short holiday in his native Australia following World Twenty20 and he is expected to hot foot it to Manchester to draw his own conclusions about Vince’s readiness for Test cricket as well as take in Ian Bell’s form down the M6 at Edgbaston.Vince’s flawless 119 against the defending champions Yorkshire at Headingley last month has been presented as a defining innings in his first-class career. Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said afterwards: “He’s a proper player, no doubt about that.” James Whitaker, England’s national selector, was another admirer looking on.Andy Flower, coach to England Lions and the England Performance Programme, is often guarded with his assessment of up-and-coming players, but he has made little secret of his admiration for Vince. “He made a great start this season with Hampshire up at Yorkshire making a hundred in a tough situation against a good attack, one that’s used to winning,” he told the “That bodes well for him and he’s learnt a lot about himself over the last few years. I’d be surprised if he’s not pushing hard for selection for that first Test.”One of Flower’s responsibilities is to develop leadership potential among young England players and, although England’s most pressing need from Vince is for runs – whether at No 3 or No 5 with Joe Root bound to be retained at four – Flower is always predisposed to players of discipline and team ethic as Kevin Pietersen became keenly aware.Andy Flower has turned his attentions to England Lions•Getty ImagesIt is two-and-a-half years Flower was sacked as England’s team director in the wake of an acriminious Ashes whitewash and his rehabilitation as coach of the Lions has had Vince, as captain, at its heart.”Tactically he’s very astute and very calm,” Flower said. “His players like playing for him and he communicated very well with his bowlers. I think he’s really started to enjoy the responsibility of captaincy and that’s been great to see. That’s very much part of our job, to give them these experiences.”Vince’s England debut was a non-event – a rained off ODI against Ireland in Dublin when all attention surrounded Flower’s replacement as team director, Peter Moores, who learned of his sacking immediately after the match. Four Twenty20 internationals have followed, including a level-headed contribution in World T20 against Afghanistan in Delhi, in which he has integrated smoothly into the squad.Vince’s first-class average of 41 is hardly irresistible, but Michael Vaughan, the former England captain and a batsman much in the same mould, believes that he is capable of addressing the rise in quality in Test cricket better than most. That was certainly true for Vaughan, who averaged 37 in first-class cricket but 42 in Tests.”You have to try to move the team on with better players and I think Vince is the better player,” Vaughan said. “He’s played well for Hampshire for many years. He’s got the right style of game that might even go to another level when he plays Test cricket.”Vaughan would bat Vince at No 3 where Compton has done little to appease his critics since his return. He made 85 as England beat South Africa in the first Test in Durban, followed that with solid returns of 49 and 45, but as the tour progressed did not pass 26 in five innings. His form for Middlesex has also been unspectacular – he averages 24 without a half-century – and if he was omitted he might view a third coming as highly improbable.Gary Ballance’s tortuous form for Yorkshire has also stilled talk of his potential return in the middle order.Bell, by contrast, has been in bountiful form in his new role of Warwickshire captain, averaging more than 80. It remains to be seen whether the selectors will wish to back-track and return to him so soon, especially at 34, but unless they drop Alex Hales to No 3 to find a place for Sam Robson at the top of the order, they might have to.As for Vince, in a summer where Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the visitors, it seems a good time to discover in Test cricket whether he has the substance to go with his style.

After Lokomotiv Moscow revealed they could have signed Neymar in 2008 for €10 million, Goal looks at other failed bids to sign budding superstars

Getty ImagesFranco Baresi (Inter)

All Franco Baresi wanted to do was follow in his brother's footsteps. However, when he had a trial with Giuseppe's club, Inter, he was rejected for being too small.

"They said, 'Well, come back next year.' But my coach took me to Milan, and there I was accepted, although it took a couple of trials. 

"They were worried about my size, that I wouldn't grow much, or toughen up. I was only 14 at the time."

Milan nonetheless decided to sign Baresi and they were rewarded for doing so. 

He both grew up and toughened up as he developed into arguably the most ruthless and intelligent defender the game has ever seen, the cornerstone of the great Milan side of Arrigo Sacchi.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesGianluigi Buffon (AC Milan)

Just months after deciding to try his luck in goal, the 13-year-old Gianluigi Buffon was being courted by three Serie A sides: Bologna, AC Milan and Parma. 

All three invited the Carrara native for a trial. Bologna were unconvinced despite taking two separate looks at him. Milan, meanwhile, had no doubts and even sent Buffon's parents a contract to sign.

However, after visiting the Rossoneri's academy accommodation, they decided against sending their son so far away from home.

As a result, when Parma goalkeeping coach Ermes Fulgoni immediately pushed the club to sign Buffon, his parents were only too happy to allow him to move to the Tardini, where he would break into the first team at just 17.

His first opponents as a professional? Milan, of course. Buffon kept a clean sheet, denying Roberto Baggio & Co. with one spectacular save after another. A star had been born.

Getty ImagesDidier Drogba (Arsenal)

No list of missed opportunities in the transfer market would be complete without Arsene Wenger, who has claimed to have pursued nearly every top player over the past two decades.

From Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappe — the Arsenal boss had a look at them all. Wenger's biggest regret, though, is probably Didier Drogba, for three reasons. 

Firstly, the Frenchman had a clear run at the powerful Ivorian attacker. Secondly, he could have signed him for a pittance.

"We watched Drogba very carefully when he was at Le Mans and his value was just £100,000," the Gunners manager explained.

"But we felt at the time he might not be completely ready. Looking back now, of course it was a mistake."

A colossal one at that, because the third reason why Drogba ranks as Wenger's biggest regret is that the striker went on to spend a significant chunk of his time at Chelsea tormenting one Arsenal centre-half after another.

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Getty ImagesPaul Gascoigne (Manchester United)

While every other entry in our list left the club wondering about what might have been, in the case of Paul Gascoigne, it was the player who was left racked by regret.

The gifted English midfielder had agreed to leave his beloved Newcastle for Manchester United in the summer of 1988 and Alex Ferguson went off on holiday to Malta a happy manager, only for Tottenham to change everything by offering to buy his parents a house.

"What are you waiting for?!" his dad exclaimed. Then, his sister requested a sunbed before his father asked for a car to go in his new home's garage.

Spurs ceded to all of the family's demands and 'Gazza' ended up at White Hart Lane rather than Old Trafford. 

"I think it was a bad mistake," Alex Ferguson later mused, "and Paul admits it. We had a structure of players who could have helped him and it could have given him some discipline."

Instead, Gascoigne achieved a level of fame at Italia 90 which he never managed to deal with, leading to a career and life blighted by behavioural and alcohol problems.

The current England side have scored eight of their 11 World Cup goals via set-pieces, but who else have based their success around such a record?

Getty1WEST GERMANY 1986 & 1990

Under Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany had a great record for scoring at will from open play in group stages, netting 12 of their 13 first-round goals in 1986 and 1990 from free movement. However, when it came to the latter stages they became far more methodical in attempting to dissect the opposition.

Over the course of the two tournaments they scored 10 goals in knockout football, with seven of them coming via set-pieces. Their successes in the 3-2 loss to Argentina in 1986 came from Andreas Brehme corners, and it was the full-back who netted the revenge winner four years later from the penalty spot having also scored via a deflected free-kick in the semi-final against England.

AdvertisementGetty2INGOLSTADT 2015-16

After winning a first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga by clinching the second-tier title in 2014-15, Ingolstadt manager Ralph Hasenhuttl knew his side were going to have to be hard to beat and liable to take whatever chances came their way if they were to survive in the top-flight the following season. Hasenhuttl proceeded to oversee a season-long defensive masterclass, with their 42 goals against being bettered by only three teams.

But what was even more phenomenal was the fact that of their 33 goals scored – which happened to be the second-worst return in the entire division – they netted a league-best 18 from set-pieces. Hasenhuttl was promptly snapped up by RB Leipzig and Ingolstadt were relegated the in 2016-17.

Getty3TONY PULIS PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE

Having originally made his name as a more than competent lower-league manager, Tony Pulis brought his organisation-first tactics to the Premier League when achieving promotion with Stoke City in 2008.

Since then, sides managed by Pulis have scored a total of 119 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League in what amounts to around eight-and-a-half seasons of football. His five years in the top flight with Stoke garnered 68 goals from dead balls, including 18 in 2011-12. He would later match that figure with West Brom in 2016-17, his final full season at The Hawthorns.

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Getty4GEORGE GRAHAM'S ARSENAL

George Graham’s spell as Arsenal manager was notorious for his side’s uncompromising style, with many being switched off by the one-dimensional and dull approach. One thing that existed throughout his tenure, though, was an ability to make the most of set-piece chances.

Even when clinching the League title in dramatic fashion against Liverpool in 1989, Alan Smith’s often-forgotten opening goal came thanks to a well-worked free-kick. Their three finals in 1993 when completing the first-ever cup double also included set-piece goals in every game, including Andy Linighan’s 122nd-minute winner in the FA Cup final replay against Sheffield Wednesday.

Goal brings you all the latest kit releases from Europe's biggest clubs, including information about leaks and predicted looks

The 2019-20 season was paused for three months due to restrictions imposed to quell the spread of Covid-19, but kit updates for the new season stuck to their original schedule.

That means we saw many clubs lining up for a number of games this summer in outfits that were initially only intended for the 2020-21 campaign.

With clubs adopting new looks ahead of their 2020-21 campaigns, Goal brings you the fresh kits from the best clubs in the world, including information about leaks and more.

Puma/AC MilanAC Milan | Home

Puma unveiled the new AC Milan home kit for the 2020-21 season on July 28, with the strip inspired by the elegance and grandeur of the city of Milan, its magnificent structures and its iconic architecture.

Casper Stylsvig, Chief Revenue Officer of the Serie A club, said, "The AC Milan jersey is symbolic, representing the pride and belonging of millions of fans around the world.

"The new design pays homage to tradition, culture and iconic architecture which is synonymous with our beautiful city of Milan. AC Milan is built on innovation, community, integrity and inclusiveness and Puma have effectively captured these core values within this elegant new design."

AdvertisementPumaAC Milan | ThirdAC Milan's third kit for 2020-21 is teal in colour, featuring a faded Houndstooth pattern, which attempts to evoke the fashion and tailoring tradition of the city.AdidasAjax | Away

Dutch champions Ajax have gone back to the grey-white-red colourway that featured on their 2018-19 away kit for their 2020-21 number.

White adidas stripes adorn the shoulders, while the club crest and numbers are red, which pop against the light grey-dark grey shirt design.

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Arsenal/AdidasArsenal | Home

The 2020-21 Arsenal home kit by adidas features a slightly darker red, with subtle geometric patterns woven into the fabric.

Chevrons face east and west, evoking images of the cannon on the club crest, which has faced both directions in the past.

White stripes adorn the sides of the jersey, with a cannon symbol on the collar.