Suzie Bates picks the best performance she saw this decade
As told to Annesha Ghosh29-Dec-2019
by Suzie Bates
Grant Elliott 84 not out v South Africa, semi-final, World Cup, Auckland, 2015
When Grant Elliott hit the six off Dale Steyn to win the semi-final at Eden Park in the 2015 World Cup, that’s probably the most memorable performance I remember vividly. To hit a six off the second to last ball to take New Zealand to the final in a home World Cup was something that has stuck in my brain.I had managed to get tickets to that game – myself and my two brothers were there. There was a rain delay and I remember thinking we might go home because it was a heavy rain.Then I remember the whole crowd being on the edge of their seats; the game was just so close. The moment he hit that ball, everyone started jumping up and down.I don’t think I slept that night; it was just the adrenaline that had got the whole nation so excited, knowing we’re going to be in the final. It excites me that now, as a female cricketer, we can have this opportunity too, in the 2021 home Women’s World Cup, with live television showing the game all across the world, and [a chance to] hit that ball at the right time to get into the final. Potentially someone from the White Ferns has the opportunity to be as inspirational as Grant Elliott was.More in the decade in review, 2010-19
Parade delayed by two hours after team arrived late from Delhi and rain came down in Mumbai
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-20242:11
Scenes from India’s victorious homecoming
Thousands thronged Mumbai’s Marine Drive, and the Wankhede Stadium was at full capacity on Thursday evening, in anticipation of the Indian team’s open-top bus parade and felicitation for winning the T20 World Cup. The team’s arrival in Mumbai from Delhi was delayed, though, and their bus parade in South Mumbai was further delayed by the massive crowds, which caused logistical challenges. Eventually the parade got underway two hours behind schedule, but neither the chaos of the jam-packed roads nor the rain proved to be deterrents to the fans.”The open-bus parade, which was delayed by two hours, started from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point at 7.30pm and went till the Wankhede Stadium,” PTI reported. “The distance is covered usually in five minutes but it took more than an hour as the players savoured the evening.Indian fans congregated at Marine Drive hours ahead of the team’s open-top bus parade•AFP/Getty Images”The squad landed in the city a little after 5pm local time. As per the itinerary shared by officials, a two-hour open-bus parade [was scheduled] from 5pm to 7pm. However, it was learnt that the team could only leave New Delhi by 3.42pm.” Delhi to Mumbai is usually a 2-hour, 10-minute flight.The team had arrived in Delhi from Bridgetown, Barbados, at 6am, having flown in on a charter flight. They had had to stay put in the West Indies for longer than expected because of Hurricane Beryl, which had forced airports closed. After arriving in Delhi, the team was transferred to a hotel and later in the morning met India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breakfast.
An excellent meeting with our Champions!
Hosted the World Cup winning team at 7, LKM and had a memorable conversation on their experiences through the tournament. pic.twitter.com/roqhyQRTnn
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2024
The evening was reserved to meet and celebrate with fans, but with the thousands packing the route to the stadium, and evening showers in Mumbai adding to the logistical complications, there was a long delay before any celebrations could kick off. Eventually, the gates were closed at the Wankhede, with the stadium at capacity, and intermittent but heavy showers followed.PTI reported: “As the gates closed amid intermittent rain, extreme humidity and chaos of several thousand people arriving in the vicinity, those [who found] places inside Wankhede remained fixed to their seats even if there was scarcity of food and water.”As the fans ran in all directions … in the stands amid a heavy burst of rain, several pairs of footwear got left behind in the rush.”While the wait [went on], rain kept pelting down with breaks but it could not force the fans off their seats in the stadium.”The rain comes down on fans waiting to felicitate the Indian team at the Wankhede•AFP/Getty ImagesEventually the team arrived at the stadium around 9pm, and speeches from captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and coach Rahul Dravid followed. There was also a lap of honour.India had won their first World Cup – ODI or T20 – in 13 years when they snatched a thriller against South Africa by seven runs in Bridgetown on Saturday. Since then, Rohit, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have announced they will not play another T20I, while this World Cup was also Dravid’s last assignment with the team.
Rajiv Shukla pointed to the ground’s age and ownership structure to highlight the difficulty of redoing its outfield
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2024
There was no play possible on days two and three of the Kanpur Test•AFP/Getty Images
BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla has defended the facilities at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, which have come under fire after two days of play in the second India-Bangladesh Test were abandoned, one of them despite no rain during the scheduled hours of play.”Well, criticism is one thing which we are used to in the administration of the BCCI in cricket. But everything is being criticised,” Shukla said on Monday. “When we are not giving matches to Kanpur because [of certain reasons], then also I was being criticised. Now we are giving the match and I am still being criticised why it has been given to Kanpur. So that goes on.”You know the problem is that this ground is around 80 years old. It is our heritage ground. If you remember it used to be a permanent Test centre. The original six permanent Test centres were Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kanpur. This is a permanent centre. So the whole idea was to have Test matches here. This is the first time in 80 years that it rained so much that we were not able to host the match for two days.”There was precious little rain during the hours of play on both the second and the third days which were lost. The damage was done in the hours leading up to play on both days and the drainage system seemed unable to handle the workload it was put under.Related
Kanpur outfield earns 'unsatisfactory' rating and demerit point
Rohit Sharma and the sixes that woke up a dead game
Persistent drizzle in Kanpur washes out second day
Third day of Kanpur Test called off despite no rain
How Green Park made cricket disappear
Shukla, who was born in Kanpur and wields considerable influence in UP cricket, said there have been no matches abandoned at Green Park (a 2017 Duleep Trophy game, however, witnessed no play on three out of four days) and eventually conceded the need for upgrades.”The history suggests that no match has been abandoned here in Kanpur. There are many venues in the world where because of the rains, matches have been abandoned. So here if for two days the match couldn’t take place, I don’t think there should be too much hue and cry,” Shukla said. “When this ground was being built, and the stadium was being built, then those technologies were not available. Now technologies are available. Like in our Lucknow stadium, we have got that technology. And in Varanasi, we are building another stadium. There we have got high-tech, modern technology to take away the rainwater.”Here also we are planning. Today I had a discussion with administration about how we can develop this system by which the rainwater can immediately be [drained].”The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association [UPCA] uses the Green Park Stadium on the basis of an MoU they have signed with the UP government. The government owns the land but based on the MoU, the stadium and its upkeep are the responsibility of the UPCA.”The moment I came here, I had a long discussion with government officials because this stadium belongs to the government. We are in agreement with them,” Shukla said, “So, now for that, the ground has to be dug, new technology has to be applied and everything has to be done. So, immediately after coming here, I had a discussion with the authorities and they are also on the same page and I think we will be able to improve the conditions here shortly.”Sometimes it happens, though we all pray to [the rain god] Lord Indra, not to rain, but, you know, it happens. And it happens throughout the world. So, why unnecessarily Kanpur and Green Park is being blamed for something which is in nature’s hands?”
Surrey 103 for 5 (Evans 25, Stewart 2-24) beat Kent 81 for 3 (Khushi 35, Topley 2-27) by 5 runs DLSSouth Group leaders Surrey held their nerve in a tense finish to beat Kent Spitfires by five runs in a rain-shortened Vitality Blast contest at the Kia Oval.Surrey, put in and with an unfamiliar batting line-up, did well to reach 103 for 5 from 10 overs after play finally got underway two hours and 25 minutes late.And then more rain, arriving just as Kent were about to start their reply, left them needing 87 from eight overs under the Duckworth/Lewis calculations.Despite late hitting from Feroze Khushi, who made 35, and Sam Billings, who swept Reece Topley for six in a seventh over costing 20 and in which Khushi also bludgeoned a six over long on, Kent could only finish on 81 for 3.It was Surrey’s seventh win from ten games, but Kent have now lost seven of their first ten group games and look to be dropping out of contention for a top-four finish and a quarter-final place.There were several decisive moments in a fast and furious affair, the first a brilliant fourth over from leg-spinner Cameron Steel in which he conceded only four runs and also bowled the dangerous Tawanda Muyeye for 22.Muyeye hit Dan Worrall for a slashed four and a superb lofted six to long on in the second over, but Jordan Clark allowed only six runs from the third over, and then Steel’s fine over left Kent on 29 for two with half their innings gone.Khushi smashed Chris Jordan over long on for six and Billings hit the Surrey captain, returning alongside Topley from England’s T20 World Cup campaign, for four over mid off to keep Kent in the hunt.But Khushi’s dismissal from the final ball of the penultimate over, well held by Steel diving forward at long on, felt like a big momentum swing back to Surrey as it left Kent needing 17 from the last over.Jordan began with a no ball, from which a leg bye was scampered, but new batsman Tom Rogers could only dig out a yorker from the free hit opportunity and, although he cut Jordan away for four from the next ball, he and Billings (14 not out) could not find the boundary again as Jordan’s accuracy under pressure closed out the game.The other decisive moment in the match came right at the end of the Surrey innings when they were 94 for five with just one ball remaining to be bowled.Up to then, and despite two offside wides, Grant Stewart looked to be succeeding in keeping Surrey’s total below 100, but he then sent down a waist-high no ball full toss which Ben Geddes swung away high for six behind square.That brought an extra ball, from which a bye was scampered and, in all, 19 runs came from the over, which had started with Clark crunching an extra cover four before being caught at long off for seven.There were five other sixes in Surrey’s effort, the first two pulled by Laurie Evans off paceman Nathan Gilchrist and off spinner Marcus O’Riordan. Evans, coming in after Ryan Patel had departed in the first over, skying Stewart to keeper Billings after one lovely off-driven four, made a punchy 25 before he hit O’Riordan to long off.Dom Sibley muscled Matt Parkinson’s leg spin for six over long on in his 20, which ended to a catch at deep mid wicket off Joey Evison, while Jordan pulled the medium pacer for six and Rory Burns produced a remarkable swept maximum off Gilchrist.Jordan mishit Gilchrist high to mid off to go for 14 and Burns finished 11 not out as he and Geddes, who was unbeaten on seven, saw Surrey to a total that proved – just – to be defendable.Kent saw Daniel Bell-Drummond fall for a duck to the second ball of their reply, hitting Topley high to deep square leg where 19-year-old debutant Ollie Sykes held the catch.
With their summer spending set to exceed £200m, Chelsea are getting some smart business done before tackling a gruelling 2025-26 season
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For the last two decades, Chelsea have sought to dominate the transfer market one way or another. When Roman Abramovich rocked up at Stamford Bridge in 2003, he immediately dropped £120 million – roughly £220m in today's money with inflation taken into account – on new players, catapulting the Blues from mere top-four contenders into an elite class capable of winning the Premier League and Champions League. Even despite being banned from spending for two windows from 2019 to 2020, the west London club have still forked out upwards of £2bn since.
In the BlueCo era, Chelsea have continued to splash the cash, though on younger talent rather than proven superstars, ditching their Galactico-lite policy for one more resembling an expensive Brighton. After three years in the wilderness of transition, they have started to show signs of consistent improvement and re-established themselves as an exciting team with the potential to challenge for major honours.
After already acquiring Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Liam Delap in the first mini-window of June, Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens and versatile Brighton attacker Joao Pedro are set to be next in through the Cobham doors. Again, Chelsea's prolific spending has been questioned, but there is a little more method behind their madness this time around.
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Two gaps to fill
The eye-rolls which come with every transfer rumour involving Chelsea are, in fairness, warranted. Despite their evolution in three seasons of BlueCo's ownership, there has been a staggering amount of action and turnover in each window since their takeover in 2022. Premier League finishes of 12th, sixth and fourth represents the club's worst three-year stretch since the pre-Abramovich days.
There is, however, necessity for Chelsea to bring in more options in attack. Delap already represents at the very least an equal to Nicolas Jackson, if not an upgrade and potential long-term lock up front, while the Blues allowed Jadon Sancho to return to Manchester United after an underwhelming loan and have lost Mykhailo Mudryk indefinitely after he was charged with doping offences. It is also incredibly likely that they will move on Christopher Nkunku too, despite his heroics at the Club World Cup.
After Mudryk's suspension was extended just under a fortnight ago, head coach Enzo Maresca insisted he would have wanted another touchline winger, in this case Gittens, through the door regardless. "I think even here you see we have [Noni] Madueke and [Pedro] Neto as proper wingers. And then we try to adapt Tyrique [George], the other day he was inside for some minutes. And we try to adapt different players during the season. Christo [Nkunku] or Kieran [Dewsbury-Hall], but for sure it's something quite clear that it's a position that we need to improve."
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New dimension
There was a roughness around the edges to Mudryk's game that could never quite be smoothed out following his mega-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk two-and-a-half years ago. What he did bring, however, was unpredictability and capability to stretch defences the way none of his team-mates could.
The lack of a transition-enacting, pace-setting winger was one of a few reasons why Maresca's Chelsea became easier to nullify in the second half of 2024-25. When a game slowed down, there was no immediate way to speed it back up again. Even if Mudryk had been available, his volatility and inconsistencies as a player meant he was not a reliable option anyway.
Sancho, meanwhile, came in for criticism for his lack of cutting edge, ranking among the bottom five percentile for wingers for shots taken per 90 minutes at just 1.22, while he ranked in the bottom nine percentile for open-play expected goals (via FBRef). He ended the Premier League campaign with three goals and five assists as six of his team-mates, including defender Marc Cucurella, outscored him.
The addition of Gittens, who is able to play quickly into space, slow play down with one-on-one dribbling and gets shots away – he came in the top 18 percentile among wide-men for shots at 2.58 per 90 minutes – should give Chelsea the best of both worlds they had with Mudryk and Sancho.
Getty Images Sport
Young but experienced
The previous criticisms of Chelsea's lavish recruitment were that their purchases felt too haphazard and without strategy, while there was also concerns over the age profiles of most of their signings and whether they had overpaid for them. In addition to Delap at £30m ($41m), Pedro at slightly north of £50m ($69m) represents better value for money. Gittens at £55m ($76m) is a bit more of a risk, but still a lot more of a calculated one than some of their previous buys.
Crucially, they head to west London with plenty of minutes under their respective belts already. Pedro already has 216 senior games and three Brazil caps to his name, with Gittens at 107 but having played three seasons of Champions League football already at 20 years of age. Arriving at the club prior to pre-season, and in Pedro's case without having played at the Club World Cup, will also allow them more time for integration prior to the start of 2025-26.
In theory, these two buys should blow hot-and-cold a lot less than some of Chelsea's other new players of old. By the time the schedule becomes packed again, they should be up to speed and ready to meaningfully contribute.
AFP
Destination for top talent
Amid the chaos of the last few years, Chelsea have maintained their standing as a club with an enormous amount of pull. Of course, part of that is down to their vast resources to pay wages comparable to the top teams in Europe, but there are also other key signs to suggest the owners' aim to make Stamford Bridge an attractive home for the most promising of young talent is on track.
Chelsea, to this point, have not been backed into a corner and forced to sell a key player they didn't want to. Their best assets have not even been reliably linked with exits. A squad harmony and unity have replaced the overcrowded and disinterested feel of BlueCo's first season at the wheel.
In Cole Palmer, who has exploded into one of the faces of the Premier League, the Blues have a shining example to sell to targets of the future. The year-on-year progress is also a major plus, even more so when contrasted against the scepticism around the club's strategy.
Sri Lanka were quick to lose six in their second innings, but took their lead past 450
Mohammad Isam01-Apr-2024Asitha Fernando put Bangladesh on the backfoot with a four-wicket haul, as the hosts collapsed to 178 all out on the third day in Chattogram. Sri Lanka themselves slipped to 102 for 6 with debutant Hasan Mahmud picking up four of those wickets. But the visitors’ lead stands at a formidable 455 runs at stumps after they didn’t enforce the follow-on on Bangladesh.The Sri Lankan fast bowlers attacked in pairs and benefited greatly from captain Dhananjaya de Silva’s innovative field placings. Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Prabath Jayasuriya took two wickets each as Bangladesh slipped from 96 for 1 to be bowled out in the next 35.5 overs.It was also their fifth successive sub-200 score in Tests, as their batting crumbled on either side of the lunch break on the third day.Bangladesh started the day confidently. For the first time in the series, two home batters – Zakir Hasan and nightwatcher Taijul Islam – looked in some control. Zakir, unbeaten overnight on 28, struck two confident fours in the first two overs. He reached his fourth Test fifty with a streaky four but looked mostly in control.Sri Lanka had a few whiffs of a wicket but Zakir and Taijul kept them at bay for an hour and 19 minutes in the morning session. That changed spectacularly when Vishwa burst an inswinger through Zakir sending the leg-stump for a cartwheel. Soon after, Prabath got Najmul Hossain Shanto to chip one to short midwicket.Bangladesh lost a third wicket in three overs when the left-arm quick Vishwa got another of his fast in-duckers ripping through Taijul’s defences. The nightwatcher, sent in at No. 3 on the second evening, resisted for an impressive 61 balls.Sri Lanka continued the pressure after lunch when Asitha set up Shakib Al Hasan with a two-card trick. After bowling a series of short balls, he surprised the left-hander with a full ball that struck his front pad plumb. Shakib in his first Test innings in almost 12 months fell for 15.Three balls later, Asitha removed Litton Das. The wicketkeeper-batter, under fire for his careless shot in Sylhet last week, struck a nice cover drive before edging a straight, slightly wide delivery from Asitha. Kumara then got Shahadat Hossain to edge one to second slip.Sri Lanka dropped two catches around this time, while Mominul Haque became the fourth Bangladeshi batter to reach 4,000 Test runs. The experienced left-hander batted confidently on the ground where he has seven Test centuries. But Asitha’s yorker resulted in his lbw dismissal, for 33. Khaled Ahmed fell in Asitha’s next over, another yorker, giving the fast bowler his fourth wicket of the innings.Hasan Mahmud took four Sri Lanka wickets on the third day•AFP/Getty ImagesThe pacers’ domination continued in Chattogram when Mahmud and Khaled rocked Sri Lanka with six wickets.Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis were cleaned up by Mahmud and Khaled respectively. Mahmud then removed Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya in consecutive overs in his second spell.Madushka struck one to extra cover while Shahadat Hossain finally caught one in the slips, removing Chandimal for 9. De Silva was caught behind for 1, as Mahmud was rewarded for his off-stump channel consistency.Khaled rounded up the day with Kamindu Mendis’ wicket, edging one behind the wicket for 9. Captain Shanto took the timely review which showed the edge. Bangladesh’s fielders enjoyed the wickets; at one stage, five fielders from the slip cordon chased an edge to the boundary much to the tiny crowd’s glee. The players walked off slightly happier than earlier in the day although they have a mountain to climb in the fourth innings.
da bet nacional： O São Paulo encerrou nesta segunda-feira (24), no CT da Barra Funda, sua preparação para a partida ante o Ituano, duelo de volta da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, fora de casa, às 21h30 (de Brasília). A atividade serviu para o técnico Dorival Júnior buscar o substituto para Raí Ramos na lateral-direita, já que o jogador é desfalque certo para o confronto por já ter jogado a competição justamente pelo rival rubro-negro.
Atualmente, Dorival conta com outras três opções para a posição: Rafinha, Nathan e Orejuela. A escolha dependerá do tipo de jogo que o comandante tricolor quer implantar para a decisão. Após o empate em 0 a 0 no duelo do Morumbi, o São Paulo precisa vencer o jogo para se classificar. Nova igualdade leva a disputa da vaga para os pênaltis.
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Mais veterano entre as peças, Rafinha atende um anseio defensivo do comandante. Com o antecessor Rogério Ceni ele entrava e atuava mais fechando uma linha de três na zaga, como defensor, do que propriamente apoiando como exigirá sua posição no 4-4-2 habitual usado por Dorival.
Nathan era uma espécie de ‘xodó’ de Ceni, que chegou até mesmo a treiná-lo na zaga na mesma função de Rafinha. Entretanto, no primeiro jogo de Dorival, a vitória sobre o América-MG no último final de semana, sequer foi relacionado para ficar no banco. Posto ocupado por Orejuela.
A lateral de fato será a sina tricolor para o jogo. Isso porque na esquerda, o garoto Patryck, único nativo na posição, sentiu de novo a pressão do pouco tempo no profissional e acabou substituído e criticado pela torcida no sábado. Pode ser que a opção seja por Caio, atacante improvisado no setor.
O restante da equipe deverá ser mantido igual. O São Paulo deve jogar com Rafael; Rafinha (Orejuela ou Nathan), Arboleda, Beraldo e Patryck (Caio); Luan, Pablo Maia, Nestor e Michel Araujo; Luciano e Calleri.
O treinamento desta manhã começou com um circuito físico, comandado pelos preparadores. Na sequência, o técnico Dorival Júnior e os auxiliares Lucas Silvestre e Pedro Sotero comandaram dois trabalhos táticos. No primeiro, utilizando uma área delimitada do gramado, o grupo fez um treinamento coletivo, de 11 contra 11. Depois, já utilizando toda a extensão do campo, fez um complemento posicional. Houve ainda um aperfeiçoamento de bolas paradas.
A delegação viaja para a Itu somente no horário do jogo, saindo do Centro de Treinamento da Barra Funda direto para o estádio Dr. Novelli Júnior.
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Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to appoint a 52-year-old after he was spotted at the Spurs stadium recently, which also follows his rumoured talks with chairman Daniel Levy.
Ange Postecoglou facing sack as Tottenham make boardroom change
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s long-term future will seriously hinge on their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt next week.
Tottenham make contact with former manager as Levy hatches transfer plan
Spurs have reached out to their ex-boss.
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Fabrizio Romano is among the credible media sources to report that there is a strong possibility Postecoglou will be dismissed if Tottenham fail to mount an impressive run in Europe, so the pressure is on the 59-year-old to get it right during their return leg in Germany.
Wolves (away)
April 13th
Nottingham Forest (home)
April 21st
Liverpool (away)
April 27th
West Ham (away)
May 3rd
Crystal Palace (home)
May 10th
Tottenham have identified a few candidates to replace Postecoglou already, including Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who is seen as a top target for the Lilywhites alongside the likes of Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham boss Marco Silva (The Athletic).
All of this comes amid their fresh appointment of new CEO Vinai Venkatesham, who will officially commence his role this summer after swapping Arsenal for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arsenaltechnical directorEdu Gaspar and managing director Vinai Venkatesham
It is a hire which could have major implications on Levy’s influence and the running of the club, with Venkatesham set to oversee both on-field and off-field matters in a very senior role (Dave Hytner).
His arrival will also have a big say on whether Tottenham end up re-hiring former managing director Fabio Paratici.
After he resigned from his post in 2023, due to a worldwide ban from football, that sentence is set to end on June 30th – and Spurs have reportedly been pursuing a return for Paratici.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey and other reports in Italy, Levy has held talks with Paratici over re-joining Tottenham, and the Lilywhites chief was thought to be “working hard” to bring him back to N17.
Milan’s recent negotiations to appoint Paratici also collapsed last week, handing Spurs a potential free run.
Tottenham tipped to appoint Fabio Paratici after Daniel Levy talks
Interestingly, Paratici was spotted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, sitting in the stands as he watched Postecoglou’s side draw 1-1 with Frankfurt.
After seeing this image, following on from these alleged Levy talks, pundit John Wenham is convinced that Paratici is returning to Tottenham, and the Italian could already be working on a replacement for Postecoglou.
“If Postecoglou is sacked, I’m not sure who will come in until the end of the season,” Wenham said to Tottenham News.
Fabio Paratici attends Tottenham Hotpsur's away clash in the Premier League against Crystal Palace.
“We will have to wait and see. However, we saw that Paratici was at the stadium again on Thursday, sitting with the club legends. Therefore, it looks like he is coming back, and perhaps he is already lining up a new manager to replace Postecoglou.”
He would be a controversial hire after his footballing ban, but sections of supporters are keen for it to happen.
Paratici played a key role in their appointment of Antonio Conte, whilst also orchestrating deals for Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr, who’ve all gone on to impress since joining Spurs.
When West Bromwich Albion handed Tony Mowbray the reins for his second spell at the Baggies, another promotion, one that the impressive Carlos Corberan failed to deliver, was being dreamt of.
Indeed, Mowbray has been here before when guiding West Brom triumphantly to the Championship title back in 2008, with his task in the here and now to steer the West Midlands outfit to a playoff finish.
Part of that great side were players like Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Robert Koren and, of course, Jonas Olsson.
Perhaps Mowbray has found his next version of the big Swede in 2025.
Jonas Olsson's time at West Brom
Last time the current manager took West Brom up to the promised land of English football, Mowbray did, unfortunately send his side straight back down.
But, the dismal relegation that did occur at the end of the 2008/09 season – which ultimately cost the manager his job – didn’t mean it was all doom and gloom at the Hawthorns, with Olsson sticking out as a formidable performer even as the Premier League slipped out of his new team’s grasp.
In total, the Swedish powerhouse tallied up 261 appearances donning a Baggies strip, with this unfortunate relegation blot on his resume not deterring him from going on to amass eight goals and six assists in the Premier League from 201 clashes.
Often using his towering 6 foot 5 frame to resiliently battle and grind out important wins, there’s one player in Mowbray’s current camp who bares similarities to the modern West Brom icon by displaying equal amounts of grit.
West Brom's new version of Olsson
The second-tier promotion chasers were very proactive in the busy January market, with the likes of EFL sharpshooter Adam Armstrong joining the ranks on loan, alongside Tammer Bany joining from Scandinavia in a surprise switch.
Amazingly, this isn’t the only pursuit from this neck of the woods that West Brom have signed off on in recent times, as tough defensive battler Torbjørn Heggem joined from Swedish top-flight side IF Brommapojkarna for a modest £500k last summer.
Heggem has managed to instantly fit in – much like Olsson after his move in 2008 – with a header being powered home back in December eerily similar to the many goals the Swede scored in crucial moments.
Moreover, the ex-Brommapojkarna titan has managed to shore up Mowbray’s side like the memorable number 4 before him, seen in Heggem winning a high five duels on average per Championship clash.
Games played
39
Games started
39
Goals scored
1
Assists
2
Touches*
67.8
Accurate passes*
44.5 (88%)
Ball recoveries*
3.3
Clearances*
4.9
Total duels won*
5.0
Clean sheets
12
The “outstanding” summer recruit – as he’s been lauded by pundit Carlton Palmer for his Baggies heroics – has also managed to collect 12 clean sheets from his 39 second-tier appearances, resulting in Heggem cementing himself as a regular by missing zero Championship games this season.
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With a day off followed by rain, it is possible that on match day, Virat Kohli may have last seen the pitch 72 hours ago, but India remain circumspect in their approach and insist there is no complacency
Sidharth Monga in Pallekele11-Aug-20172:45
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India have travelled to the hills to play the final Test of the second series in a row. When they did so last, in Dharamsala against Australia, they had all sorts of questions to answer. Virat Kohli raced against time to be fit, a race he would eventually lose. The pitch was not a typical Indian track, so the selection was tricky. On the line was a series against Australia, who had shocked India by first taking the series lead, and then frustrated them by holding on to a draw in the third match.In the seemingly endless rolling green heights of Pallekele, though, things couldn’t have been more different. India have already won the series against a side whose inadequacies have been accentuated by injuries to key players. India’s first-ever overseas whitewash in a series of three Tests or longer is now a distinct possibility. There is one selection question because of the suspension of Ravindra Jadeja, but there are many takers waiting for the opportunity to get into the side.It is no big surprise then that when it rained a little on the morning before the Test, India called off their training. It is possible that on the morning of the the Test, captain Virat Kohli will have last seen the pitch about 72 hours ago. The day after their only training session in Pallekele, India went to visit a temple that originates from the mythological book Ramayana.While they were away, the groundsmen at Pallekele International Stadium unveiled a lush green pitch, one that could rival the hills around. But over the next three hours, they studiously clipped off a lot of the grass. Sri Lanka’s chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya stood there by the pitch, almost overseeing the process.This is not quite the same as Napier 2008-09, when India chose to reach the city of the Test on the afternoon before the match, but you suspect India’s preparation – rain or no rain – would have been different had Sri Lanka put up a stiffer fight in the series.At least India this time didn’t justify not looking at the pitch like MS Dhoni had done in legendary fashion in 2008-09. “The mind doesn’t know if it’s Napier or what you’re feeding. You come and say ‘this is Napier’, and it believes it’s Napier. If you see, it’s an abstract.” Famous last words. Dhoni pulled out of the Test with a bad back, and Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman had to dig deep to salvage a draw.India this time are a little more circumspect. “Not really,” Kohli said when asked if he remembered the last time he went into a Test without having had a look at the pitch a day before the toss. “I mean, it’s quite a different situation, but the management has gone to the stadium to have a look. We heard there were some changes to the pitch so they have gone to check how things look at this stage, so we will have more clarity on what we need to go in with. But I haven’t yet really gone in without looking at the wicket at least 8-10 hours before the game before this. So it’s probably a different kind of situation.”Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal inspects the pitch even as the groundstaff works on it•Associated PressAll this means India will likely travel to the ground on Saturday morning without a fixed XI in mind. The fact that India have been playing so much cricket of late means they can afford to take a day or two off when it comes to training.”You can say we are certainly better placed to be able to afford a couple of days off,” Kohli said. “Yesterday, we took an off voluntarily, and today, it just happened to rain. But the day before that, we had a good practice. Also, what you need to understand in places like Sri Lanka, it is very hot and humid. People sometimes end up doing too much at practice, and then, maybe, you don’t recover for a game. It might just be a good thing for those who needed more rest, especially the bowlers who have massive workload during Test matches.”For us, I feel it’s more of a positive thing than a hindrance that we didn’t have practice a day before the game because we are in a good zone. Everyone is playing good cricket and everyone is bowling well. So we feel absolutely comfortable going into the Test match even though we didn’t practice today.”Kohli assured there was to be no complacency when he insisted India were not going to make wholesale changes to the XI now that the series has been secured. “We have to understand that to play consistent cricket, you need to make sure that people are playing on a regular basis,” he said. “Those who are preforming and those who are doing well should continue in more games than not. To be a consistent side, I think we need to have continuity as well, unless the situations where things are not controllable arise.”So we certainly don’t want to take anything lightly. We want to play the same kind of cricket that we have, and hopefully, retain the team that played the last game as much as we can. So we are certainly not thinking of too many changes at all, especially in this format because you don’t want to start taking things for granted and lose that momentum. We certainly are not thinking of drastic chances at this stage.”Kohli said thinking of a first away whitewash was a distraction they could do well without. It is just another Test match for them, Kohli said. And, as they do with every other Test, they want to win. Yet, there is a bit of a stamp of a 2-0 lead in the preparation for it.