All posts by n8rngtd.top

After becoming synonymous with Brentford, Thomas Frank would have been forgiven somewhat if he had teething problems adjusting to the Tottenham Hotspur hot-seat.

Indeed, the much-loved Dane was a mainstay for the Bees for seven years. Yet, he has instantly hit the ground running as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement in North London.

So far, only one defeat has come his way from 11 games at the Spurs helm, leading to Frank guiding his new team all the way up to third spot in the early league standings, before the international break came into play.

One of Frank’s men so far has, of course, been Mohammed Kudus, who has spearheaded plenty of points so far, including the victory over Leeds prior to the break.

Why Kudus looks like one of Spurs' best players

Amazingly, Frank wasn’t the only coup Spurs managed to pull off this summer when directly stealing from some of their London neighbours.

Much to the anger of West Ham supporters, the tricky forward excited the London Stadium at West Ham for Tottenham, moving across the capital in a deal worth £55m, a price tag that made him the club’s fourth-highest transfer of all time.

While West Ham loiter towards the bottom of the division, Kudus has become an instant hit donning Spurs white near the top of the competitive league, with one goal and five assists already falling into his lap from ten contests.

Already, that £55m looks to be money well spent, with Wayne Rooney even hailing the purchase as a “real top signing” after the Ghanaian’s match-winning effort at Elland Road.

There could be bold comparisons forming, too, between Kudus and one of Frank’s favourites at Brentford in Bryan Mbeumo.

Indeed, the Scandinavian boss has now potentially unearthed another blistering output machine he can rely on as his main marksman, with the 25-year-old also capable of playing all across the forward positions, like his Manchester United counterpart.

Yet, there is be a different member of Frank’s camp slipping under the radar as his next Mbeumo-style figure.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

An Mbeumo-like figure for Frank to rely on

Mbeumo and Frank would be seen as two key elements to Brentford’s unbelievable Premier League success story when the pair were still together at the GTech Community Stadium.

Staggeringly, 242 of Mbeumo’s 297 career appearances to date fell under the Dane’s long reign at the Bees, with 70 goals and 51 assists picked up along the way, winning him the label of being Frank’s “main man” as the now Spurs manager stated in April of this year.

While Kudus has gained a lot of plaudits at Spurs to date to now be seen as Frank’s main spark, there is another glue holding the North Londoners together that could be viewed as the 52-year-old’s most reliable asset: Joao Palhinha.

Kudus does offer up a similar exciting, hard-to-contain attacking presence as Mbeumo, but in Palhinha, Frank might well have uncovered another talent that allows his side to tick, with the loan-to-buy deal of £27m that’s on the table continuing to stand out as a masterstroke in this regard.

Football London’s Alasdair Gold has even hailed the deal to bring him in as “one of the bargains of the summer”, and it’s not the wildest shout when you assess the ex-Fulham man’s standout numbers to date back in the Premier League.

Away from hammering home two goals for his new employers already, Palhinha has also more than lived up to this previous billing as a “defensive monster” which was once handed to him by analyst Marcus Bring, winning a mighty 6.7 duels per game across his seven top-flight outings.

Already, it appears that Frank has stumbled across another vital commander he can rely on in a similar vein to Mbeumo, with Palhinha hopeful of many more happy seasons under his new boss, if his excellent start to life at Spurs is anything to go by.

After all, his former manager in Marco Silva, would go as far as to herald him as a “leader” at Craven Cottage and despite not donning the armband at Brentford under Frank, that’s exactly what Mbeumo was too.

Not every star man needs to bundle in the goals like the new Man Utd signing to make themselves a hero under Frank and Palhinha has certainly found that out already. Forget Kudus, the Portuguese has been their most important player to date this term.

Move over Spence: Spurs must unleash "one of the best talents England have"

Frank manages at Tottenham some of England’s finest up-and-coming talent.

2

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 12, 2025

San Francisco Giants reporter Justice delos Santos of the in San Francisco certainly got his steps in to pay off a bet with Chicago Cubs reporter Jordan Bastian.

During Wednesday night's game, Santos told Bastian that he would run a mile for every run scored in the matchup between the Giants and the Cubs. The two teams picked a good night to score 15 combined runs in a contest the Giants won 12-3.

Here's the hilarious clip of Santos discussing the bet that he would have to pay off.

By the way, he did it.

Safe to say he might think twice before making that bet next time!

Liverpool are now seen as a genuine destination for a “phenomenal” player who will be hoping to shine at next summer’s World Cup.

Injury concerns for Liverpool before Brentford clash

The Reds may have returned to winning ways at Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, but they have to show that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan against weak opposition.

Liverpool make the trip to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday night, which has the potential to be a huge test, and the champions will have to make do without some influential players.

Alisson is still missing in goal, with his world-class presence a big loss, while Jeremie Frimpong is also definitely out after injuring his hamstring in Frankfurt.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak are also unlikely to be available for Liverpool’s trip to west London, so picking up all three points away to a Brentford team with two wins in their last three matches won’t be easy.

The Reds will continue to eye new signings, with a move for Marc Guehi expected to be on the agenda again, but he is not the only England international on the shopping list.

Liverpool a viable destination for England star

Speaking to TEAMtalk, insider Dean Jones said Liverpool are now a “possible” destination for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

“I don’t think Anderson would close the door on returning to Newcastle and there is no issue around that specifically, but the thing that makes me question how likely it is regards the other options he is going to have. At the moment Man United, Liverpool and Man City all seem possible destinations for him and when those sorts of doors open up, is he going to go back to somewhere he has already played?

“As a player you surely always want to feel a sense of progression, so Newcastle are going to have to be in a very strong position if they are to enter a battle to sign him and then win it. I have to say I don’t think the Man United move is quite as nailed on as some people seem to make out.

“While he is on their list I get the impression there are still some reservations about whether he is the ideal fit as a midfield partner for Bruno Fernandes. That’s something they continue to explore.”

The £40,000-a-week Anderson is enjoying the best spell of his career, becoming a regular starter for England at the base of the midfield alongside Declan Rice.

The 22-year-old is playing with such poise in front of the defence, but also showcasing an ability to get forward, with England teammate Reece James recently calling him a “phenomenal” player.

Liverpool have signed a Salah-type player who's got the "pace of Torres"

Liverpool are watching before their eyes the birth of a superstar.

By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 24, 2025

While Liverpool aren’t short of top-quality midfield options, Wataru Endo could depart next year and Anderson would be a strong option, especially if he continues on his current trajectory.

And so Tottenham Hotspur put the brakes on their campaign for the third time this season, having played out a frenzied draw with Manchester United in the Premier League.

And so Tottenham sit fifth in the standings, 18 points from 11 matches and eight points behind table-topping rivals Arsenal. Thomas Frank will be frustrated with the manner of this side’s dropped points last weekend, Matthijs de Ligt nodding home right before the final whistle after Richarlison had struck moments before and wheeled away in topless celebration.

How to dissect the details of Spurs’ season? Improvements have been made since Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou after that Europa League triumph last season, a strange repulsion between the continental elation and the sour taste of a 17th-place finish in the Premier League.

But Tottenham lack confidence and coherence and quality in the final third. To dare is to do. Are Tottenham doing enough? That is one of the biggest contentions of the campaign so far, and Frank simply has to find a formula to his side’s offensive struggles as the season heads into the wintry midpoint.

How Frank can fix Spurs' attacking problems

Tottenham have found a way to secure a greater number of points under Frank than they typically managed under his predecessor. However, more goals and created chances are needed if the Londoners are to hit the heights anticipated.

But this is a long-term project, and overnight success was never going to be on the cards. What Frank can do, though, is consider ditching Richarlison, even though the Brazilian scored with a deft header against United at the weekend.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge the cameo of Mathys Tel at the weekend, too. The young striker spun and scored after replacing Xavi Simons off the bench. It started the comeback that ultimately didn’t cement itself, but demonstrated the potential of a versatile forward whose talents could yet be fashioned into something special and suitable for life at the peak of the Premier League.

Dominic Solanke continues to languish in the infirmary, a frustration that has undoubtedly had an adverse effect on Frank’s start at the helm. Had the former Bournemouth striker been fit and in the form of his previous chapter across these past few months, Tottenham would have had a focal outlet from which to channel creativity.

It’s been an issue for the strikers, though, and there’s one man in particular whose campaign has been sent into a spin, even though some have acknowledged he has a bit of Jermaine Defoe about him.

Spurs' "Defoe-esque" star is becoming a big problem

Defoe was a proper Premier League striker. Something of a journeyman, he was always prolific and scored 143 goals across 363 matches in a Lilywhite shirt.

Quick feet, attacking smarts and a natural-born instinct in front of goal made him a force to be reckoned with.

And now, some feel Spurs have found a similar profile in Randal Kolo Muani. Indeed, presenter Ben Bowman hailed Kolo Muani for his “Defoe-esque” attacking play after the weekend match.

In August, Kolo Muani joined Tottenham on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but he has struggled for fitness across his opening months in England, left waiting until midway through October for his Premier League debut, and has yet to score or assist in four matches since.

Disaster has struck once again, with the 26-year-old having fractured his jaw during the draw against the Red Devils. Now he is set to see a specialist to ascertain the severity of the setback.

Given the nature of Spurs’ attacking problems, with the injuries, yet again, piling up, it’s fair to say that Kolo Muani is presenting quite the conundrum to Frank’s desk, with this being a “strong, fast and powerful” centre-forward, as said by one analyst, endowed with all he needs to succeed in the Premier League, yet one whose time in England may be short-lived and unsuccessful on the grass.

His time in the French capital was somewhat turbulent, having failed to nail down his presence after transferring from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 for a whopping £76m fee. However, a short loan spell with Juventus last season led to ten goals and three assists from only 22 appearances.

Linking this back to the aforementioned Tel, Kolo Muani’s second injury of his Spurs stint could provide the Frenchman with the chance to nail down a regular starting berth.

Couple that with Solanke’s much-anticipated return and the wonders that could work on creating a more solid and dynamic attacking spread, Kolo Muani may be a striker on borrowed time as he struggles to acclimatise before the end of the season, when he will surely close the door on his loan stay down N17 without a sharp upswing in fortunes that look unlikely to materialise at this stage.

Tottenham have some issues, to be sure, but they have also shown themselves to have what it takes to make incremental improvements this season and beyond.

With Kolo Muani now sidelined once again, however, Frank’s scope at number nine has been narrowed. How big a blow will this prove to be? Whatever the verdict, the Les Bleus star is becoming a problem for the London-based outfit.

Spurs flop who's been "swallowed in the PL" must be dropped for Odobert

Thomas Frank can unleash Wilson Odobert by ruthlessly dropping this Spurs flop.

2

By
Dan Emery

Nov 10, 2025

A T20 freelancer talks about why he embraced the opportunity to travel to Pakistan for one match

Peter Hatzoglou21-May-2025It was a Wednesday afternoon in London, and I was in the fruit section at Marks & Spencer, on the hunt for their mango fingers – which, by the way, are a seriously underrated snack. That’s when I got a voice note from my manager. The Pakistan Super League was restarting. A replacement draft was happening. And somehow, Multan Sultans were interested in me.To be honest, I barely knew the PSL was resuming, let alone that I’d be in contention. My first thought? Keep hopes low. Too many “maybes” in this career can break your heart if you let them. So I grabbed my mango fingers, walked back to the car – and then came the text.”You’re in.”I laughed. Not because it was funny but because of how unexpected it all was. Just days earlier, I’d been wrestling with doubts about where I stood in my career. Now, I was heading to one of the world’s top T20 leagues, amid one of the more tense geopolitical moments in recent memory.In the days leading up to the draft, cross-border tensions boiled over into real military escalation that halted both the IPL and PSL. Players were flown home. Airspace was closed. Some international players understandably chose not to return.Related

• Shafique powers Lahore Qalandars into Qualifier 2

• PCB to reschedule PSL games as tensions between Pakistan and India mount

• Remainder of PSL postponed indefinitely amid India-Pakistan tensions

• PSL 2025 to resume on May 17, final scheduled for May 25

• PSL 2025 FAQs – what the six teams need to do in the final stretch

So when the opportunity came, it wasn’t just about cricket. I had to weigh the reward against the risk.I did what most of us do – I reached out to people I trust. I checked in with family and spoke to leaders among the playing group, like Tom Kohler-Cadmore, a PSL veteran, and David Warner, whose standing in world cricket speaks for itself. I then checked in with Brendan Drew from the Australian Cricketers’ Association, which, along with the World Cricketers’ Association, had commissioned a third-party risk assessment for players considering a return to Pakistan.The advice? The situation was being monitored, but the league was safe to resume. It was ultimately our call, but the ACA would support it either way.Still, my decision wasn’t just about personal safety. It was also about my upbringing.I grew up at Sunshine Heights Cricket Club in Melbourne’s west – a place that welcomes migrants, celebrates diversity, and believes in cricket as a tool for inclusion.My grandparents arrived in Australia through the mid-1960s, with no cricketing background. My dad was embraced by the club and he would go on to volunteer for more than 40 years in just about every capacity, including over a decade as president. Following in his footsteps, I served as treasurer, secretary, and junior coordinator across a six-year stretch – roles that gave me a front-row seat to how sport can help people find their footing.That ethos – that cricket is more than runs and wickets – is still part of how I navigate opportunities like this. Yes, I was aware of the political climate. But cricket isn’t responsible for borders.

Playing sport in politically charged times is never just about the sport. But cricket offers something that few other experiences can: shared rituals, mutual respect, and the chance to coexist in ways that politics doesn’t always allow

At 2am on game day, I landed in Islamabad airport alongside Tymal Mills and George Munsey, where PSL officials were ready to fast-track us through immigration and security. By mid-morning, I was being fitted for a kit and introduced to the Multan Sultans set-up: owner Ali Tareen, coach Abdul Rehman, and a room of players and staff.Immediately, I was met with the hospitality foreign cricketers have become accustomed to in Pakistan. Pakistanis take real pride in their country and want guests to have the best possible experience. I genuinely felt I could ask for anything – no matter how unusual – and someone would make it happen.Then came the journey to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Like all PSL match days, roads were cleared. The team bus, reinforced and flanked by military vehicles, made its way through the city under armed escort. The heat? Thirty-seven degrees. The outcome? A final-ball thriller against table-topping Quetta Gladiators.Although the match was technically a dead rubber – Gladiators had already qualified, and we were out of contention – it still carried plenty of meaning. In some ways, these matches feel even more competitive. Why? Because the bench guys, who have been quietly grinding and waiting their turn all season, finally get their shot. And they know how small the window is. They are not just playing for points. They are playing for careers. Just like I was.We lost, but I was proud of both the team and my performance. And more than that, I was glad to reconnect with so many familiar faces. That’s the hidden joy of franchise cricket. On paper, you’re switching teams every month. But in reality, it’s a roving community. A group of freelancers – players, coaches, analysts, media staff – who keep bumping into each other in new colours and new cities.It’s a network. It’s a cultural education. It’s a circus. It’s home.The PSL resumed on May 17 after an eight-day pause•Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty ImagesThe past year has been a mixed bag for me. I was a late inclusion in the Hobart Hurricanes BBL playing XI after management signed an overseas spinner. When I did get a go, I started well – my economy was good – but I struggled to make big personal inroads, despite an exceptional team performance culminating in the title.While winning is always great, it meant I arrived late to the UAE’s ILT20, where Sharjah Warriors had pivoted to Adam Zampa. Fair enough – he’s world class. But it meant another bench stretch for me. If anything, the biggest takeaway from my time at the ILT20 was a reflective conversation with Matthew Wade on my BBL performances. He and his experience helped me rethink my lengths and field placements, which really helped.Still, I keep moving. I played in the Weston Shield, a really exciting T10 tournament hosted by European Cricket. I joined Tom Scollay’s Cricket Mentoring tour in India, played Topklasse cricket in the Netherlands, a couple of matches for the MCC in Cardiff, and had a solid outing with Radlett in the Hertfordshire Premier League. I’ve been working hard with spin coach Carl Crowe, and lately I feel like I’m getting that “pace” back off the wicket – more bowleds, more lbws.In short: I feel close. And I’m looking for that moment – the catalyst for the next phase of my cricket journey.Playing sport in politically charged times is never just about the sport. But cricket offers something that few other experiences can: shared rituals, mutual respect, and the chance to coexist in ways that politics doesn’t always allow.It’s now Tuesday, May 20. I’m sitting in a London café, writing this before I head to Manchester to see my brother, Max, who’s playing for Glossop in the Greater Manchester Cricket League. On Thursday, I play for the MCC against Loughborough University. Then I’m back at Radlett for another weekend of club cricket.Cricket moves fast. One day you’re a replacement pick in one of the world’s biggest competitions. The next, you’re back in whites on a recreation reserve, chasing rhythm.But through it all, the game stays bigger than the headlines. It offers connection. It offers hope. And right now, I’m grateful to be part of it.

SEATTLE — The most dangerous hitter in the Detroit Tigers lineup has never hit 30 homers, driven in 70 runs or made an All-Star team. Injuries and left-handed pitchers have kept Kerry Carpenter from elite statistical thresholds and acclaim. But don’t do what the Seattle Mariners did in Game 1 of the ALDS: overlook him.

Carpenter is a career .507 slugger who mashes high fastballs. This year he slugged .571 against high fastballs (at least 33 inches off the ground), the 12th best mark among hitters who saw at least 350 such heaters—ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Cal Raleigh.

“One thing about Carp,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “is he can be streaky. But no matter what, he’s looking to get off his A swing. Even if it’s two strikes, he can do damage. And that’s why he is so dangerous.”

The Mariners did not respect the danger ever present in Carpenter’s bat, and that is why they suffered a brutally painful 3–2 loss Saturday. They burned their closer for six outs and still lost, knowing they are staring at seeing the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal, two of the next four possible games, including Game 2 Sunday. Ouch.

Yes, a 73-mph, 15-hop single from Zach McKinstry plated the winning run in the 11th inning, a run set up by two egregious mistakes by Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas at such a juncture: a leadoff walk and a wild pitch.

But it was one swing by Carpenter that changed everything, a swing that should never have been permitted by the Mariners. Seattle manager Dan Wilson, running his first postseason game, held a 1–0 lead in the fifth with one on, two outs and first base open with George Kirby on the mound. Wilson had his best lefty, Gabe Speier, up in the pen with Carpenter due to bat with another lefty, Riley Greene, behind him.

Wilson sent pitching coach Pete Woodworth to the mound for a conversation with Kirby.

“Yes, in the back of my mind I thought they weren’t going to pitch to me,” Carpenter said, adding with a laugh, “Maybe my first two at-bats convinced them.”

Hinch had set a trap for Wilson by batting Greene and Carpenter back-to-back. By showing he will pitch-hit for either one with lefty masher Jahmai Jones, Hinch puts the onus on the other manager early in a game. No matter what option you choose, Hinch will have the platoon advantage.

Wilson chose to have Kirby pitch to Carpenter, even though Carpenter had four home runs in 10 at-bats against Kirby. Even though Carpenter is a high fastball hitter.

“Yeah. It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank, and he had been in a couple of tough spots earlier, but really pitched out of it well.”

Kirby, a high-fastball pitcher, has the stuff to better attack Greene, not Carpenter.

“With Carpenter,” Wilson said, “you're trying to keep it down in the zone or trying to get him to chase up in the zone.”

Said Carpenter: “I always feel like the more I face people, the more opportunity I have to have success. And so yeah, I was hoping to get another opportunity off him.”

More than six months on from Lord’s and all that, England and South Africa are set to rediscover the 50-over format

Alan Gardner03-Feb-2020Look out, the World Champions are coming!
Well, sort of. Eight members of England’s 15-man World Cup-winning squad have been included for the ODI leg in South Africa, with Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood (all rested) among the notable absentees. Trevor Bayliss, the coach, has moved on but Eoin Morgan takes up the reins again as captain – although he is not considered likely to be in charge come 2023, when he will be 36 – and the top order looks pretty familiar, with Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and Joe Root all involved. Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid are set to play their 100th ODIs, Moeen Ali will make his first England appearance since the first Ashes Test in August, and Tom Curran completes the set.So who else is missing?
Of the XI that played the World Cup final, only Liam Plunkett has been dispensed with. Plunkett missed out on a white-ball central contract late last year – and made his disappointment clear – and it looks like, at 34, his England renaissance is over. James Vince played three times during the group stage, deputising for the injured Roy, and was involved in the T20Is in New Zealand last year, but has repeatedly failed to take his chances. Liam Dawson, meanwhile, is a more curious case – brought into the World Cup squad at the last minute, as the back-up spinner in place of Joe Denly, he didn’t feature during the tournament and has slipped down the pecking order once again.Time for an injection of young blood, then…?
Yes, for the most part – although Denly (who has a white-ball contract despite being a regular Test pick for the last year) is again involved, and at almost 34 the oldest man in the squad. Three players are in line for ODI debuts, all of whom won T20I caps in New Zealand as part of England’s World Cup planning: Tom Banton, the most exciting of the lot, comes in on the back of a strong Big Bash League but may have to bat out of position in the middle order; while the Lancashire pair of Saqib Mahmood, a reverse-swing-adept seamer, and Matt Parkinson, the legspinning understudy to Rashid, will be hoping for further international exposure.Any other notable inclusions?
Dawid Malan is back in contention, having usurped Vince with his exploits in New Zealand – which included becoming only the second Englishman to score a T20I hundred. Malan’s only previous ODI came against Ireland in May but this is arguably his strongest format, with ten List A hundreds and a career average of 41.41. Chris Jordan, a T20 mainstay, could play his first ODI since 2016, and there is a chance for Sam Curran to stake his case as an all-format allrounder.South Africa, by contrast, had a dismal World Cup – so let the rebuilding begin!
That’s pretty much the ticket. This is a chance to move on after South Africa were dumped unceremoniously out of the World Cup, their five defeats in seven round-robin games condemning them to an early exit almost before anyone had a chance to mention ch**ing. Quinton de Kock has been anointed as their new ODI captain, with a view to taking the team through to 2023 in India – although Faf du Plessis has not retired from the format, and is also expected to lead the team at the T20 World Cup later this year. De Kock is set for a heavy workload, as he juggles the captaincy with opening the batting and keeping wicket.Do any of the old guard remain?
Not really. Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy retired after the World Cup – taking 487 caps’ worth of experience with them – while Dale Steyn seems to be focused only on winning an international swansong at the T20 World Cup. Kagiso Rabada has also been rested for the England series, with David Miller the most experienced member of South Africa’s 14-man squad.Who should we be looking out for?
One of the few positives for South African cricket over the last year or so has been the form of Rassie van der Dussen, who averages 73.77 after 14 ODI innings. Lungi Ngidi, 23, is also a huge talent, and fit again after missing the Test series. Of the uncapped players, JJ Smuts, Lutho Sipamla and Bjorn Fortuin have all played T20 internationals, while Janneman Malan was the second-leading run-scorer in this season’s Mzansi Super League and Kyle Verreynne, the back-up wicketkeeper, averages 50.72 in first-class cricket and has featured for South Africa A.Sounds like England are still the favourites…
Certainly as far as the bookies are concerned, although England lost 3-2 here in 2015-16 – one of only three series defeats they suffered during the last World Cup cycle. Their leading performers on that tour were Alex Hales (383 runs at 76.60) and Reece Topley (10 wickets at 21.90)… which tells you plenty about how things can change between now and England’s defence in 2023.

A look at the former captain’s plans, instincts, vision, charisma and philosophy

Mohammad Isam10-Mar-2020.Forming a core group
After Bangladesh had slipped in ODIs and T20Is in 2014, the BCB decided to split the captaincy for the first time. Mushfiqur Rahim had the Test job, while Mortaza, who had just recovered from an injury, was given white-ball duties. This was going to be a test case for the BCB, particularly because of Mortaza’s injury history which cut short his two previous captaincy stints.Very early in his third stint, Mortaza wanted to do away with Bangladesh’s culture of relying on individuals and wasn’t afraid of rebuking his team when he saw a lack of seriousness. At the same time, Mortaza slowly began to form a core group of senior cricketers from the 2015 World Cup squad, who would be the pillars around whom his team would be built.ALSO READ: ‘Nobody should forget what Mortaza has done for Bangladesh cricket’He had four senior players in the squad already – Shakib Al Hasan, Iqbal, Rahim and Mahmudullah – but two of them were low on confidence. Mahmudullah’s form had been iffy for the preceding two years, but he found some form when he was asked to bat higher up the order in a couple of matches leading up to the World Cup. Mortaza and coach Chandika Hathurusingha sensed that Mahmudullah could do with a bit of freedom for which he needed to be promoted, as he was a stroke-maker suited to playing on-the-rise shots, particularly on occasions when field restrictions were still in effect. Mahmudullah had a good tournament and his 103 from No. 4 against England in Adelaide helped Bangladesh progress to the knockouts for the first time.Mahmudullah believes that Mortaza’s fight for the cause of every cricketer in his team set him apart from all the other captains.
“You must have seen how we spend time together,” Mahmudullah told ESPNcricinfo. “We have a special bond. He fought for every individual player. I am a big example. I was in deep trouble at one point. He was right next to me. He gave me extraordinary support not only as my captain, but as my brother and friend. I will forever be thankful to him. We spent a lot of time together.”Mortaza also helped Iqbal out of a similar rut during the 2015 World Cup. It was an ordinary campaign for the batsman, who was accused by social media trolls of being in the team due to the influence his uncle Akram Khan – former Bangladesh captain, chief selector and later board director – wielded.Mortaza took Iqbal under his wing and gave him all the confidence he could. The result: Iqbal turned things around quickly, slamming two ODI hundreds and a Test double-hundred against Pakistan soon after the World Cup.Building a team
The encouraging performance from Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed in the 2015 World Cup, and the emergence of Mustafizur Rahman prompted Mortaza to ask the then BCB administration to prepare pace-friendly pitches for the ODIs against India. In the first ODI, he went in with a four-man pace attack.It was a wild idea coming from a Bangladesh captain but Mortaza sensed that the best way to counter India’s batsmen would be pace. His four-card trick reaped instant rewards, with Mustafizur leading the way as Bangladesh won the series 2-1.Iqbal said that Mortaza’s insistence that they could beat India rubbed off on the rest of the group, and the team started to believe.ALSO READ: Who will replace Mortaza as Bangladesh captain?“I think one of his greatest quality was how he kept on saying ‘we can win, we can win’, all the time,” Iqbal told ESPNcricinfo. “When he said we can beat India in the ODI series in 2015, it seemed impossible. They were the No. 1 side in the world [ranked No. 2 in ODIs at the time]. But he kept saying it, and that positivity spread around the team. Slowly we also started to believe that we can win.”Mortaza kept this belief in pace at home for much of his captaincy, but Ahmed’s form quickly declined while Rahman lost confidence in his cutters – his main weapon – after his shoulder surgery in 2016. Mortaza himself took the new ball from time to time when the other pacers struggled for form. But for five years, he fought for his belief in the idea that pace works against certain teams even at home, and tried to instill that in his team.An instinctive captain
His winning mentality spurred many progressive ideas for the Bangladesh team management, and one of them was to establish the need for four frontline bowlers. He was keen to cash in on allrounders like Shakib and Rahim (as keeper-batsman), who provided balance to the side with their dual roles. He often said that replacing Shakib meant bringing in two players, so when Shakib was around, and when Rahim kept wickets, it freed up two places for Mortaza, and more often than not, Mortaza picked bowlers.Mortaza was also an instinctive captain who didn’t shy away from deciding to take himself off in the middle of a spell. He once said: “I don’t wait for two or three overs like many captains. If I see that it isn’t happening for a bowler, I will change him after an over. It doesn’t happen with planning, sometimes you just have to make those changes.”Liton Das walks off after his dismissal•BCBA captain with a vision
Mortaza wanted a long-term vision for his team, so he was constantly looking for missing pieces of the puzzle. One of his biggest challenges was to find a suitable opening partner for Iqbal.
For example, in 2018, he publicly gave Anamul Haque the assurance to make the opening slot his own. Haque ultimately failed to do so, but more recently, Mortaza revealed that Liton Das had told him that he only wanted to play as an opener. Mortaza kept that request in mind, and towards the end of his captaincy tried to help Das settle down as an opener too.Mortaza didn’t shy away from backing erratic players either. He famously backed Hossain when his career was derailed by a criminal charge before the 2015 World Cup. Time after time, Sabbir Rahman failed to maintain discipline but Mortaza’s belief in his hitting abilities hardly wavered. Mortaza also backed players with more limited ability like Arafat Sunny, a domestic veteran who came good for a brief period at the highest level. He was also lucky to find Mohammad Saifuddin towards the latter part of his stint.His X-factor, his charisma
Mortaza’s life story, particularly his comebacks from crippling injuries, have often been enough to inspire team-mates, but on occasion, he has had to dig deep. Shane Jurgensen, the former Bangladesh coach, and Iqbal have described two separate incidents where Mortaza’s mere presence changed the mood of the entire team.Incidentally, both those moments came after a Test series drubbing, heading into an ODI series, and both against West Indies, although six years apart. In 2012, after Bangladesh went down 2-0 to West Indies at home, Mortaza took the entire team from Khulna to his hometown Narail for a day out. Jurgensen claimed that the team got into a different mood after that.A similar thing happened in the West Indies in 2018, after Bangladesh were hammered in the Test series. Mortaza wasn’t supposed to head to the West Indies as he hadn’t fully recovered from an injury. He arrived a couple of days before the first ODI, and Iqbal says that one look at him, and the dressing-room atmosphere changed.”I have played a lot of matches with Mortaza so sometimes it takes a bit of time to realise certain aspects of a particular individual,” Iqbal said. “I understood why this guy is so special during our 2018 West Indies tour. We were really down after the Test series. You can imagine the team atmosphere, but then when Mortaza arrived for the ODI series, the whole mood of the team changed. Something just clicked within the team seeing Mortaza.”On both occasions, Bangladesh went on to win the ODI series.Mortaza Mortaza rings in the changes•BCBHis philosophy, a lasting legacy
Mortaza was once asked whether an upcoming match against South Africa, with the series tied at 1-1, was going to be his greatest challenge.”Every challenge is different but there is no bigger challenge for me than to raise my son and daughter.”It wasn’t a jaw-dropping reply but the coming years would reveal that it summed up the person he was, and the philosophy he often tried inculcate. While Mortaza wanted his team to give their 100%, he never wanted them to lose sight of the fact that there was more to life than just cricket, and their careers. He spent countless hours chatting with many of his team-mates in his room, sipping cups of tea, and sharing stories.Iqbal said that Mortaza brought a very Bangladeshi quality to the team setting. “How he treated every player isn’t something common for professional sports teams. You won’t find it anywhere else in the world. But due to our culture, you needed a captain who would really take care of a player who is in poor form,” he said.Mahmudullah said that Mortaza’s focus on the small contributions really made a big difference within the team environment.”A captain is also a player. A lot of times, you need to perform. Even during his crunch time, he kept building the team. He was always worried about the team. He stood tall,” Mahmudullah said. “He always wanted us to perform for each other, enjoy another’s performance. He never overlooked small achievements and contributions. He always addressed those small things, and praised whoever had done it. I think it was a great quality.”

Plus a fourth-innings hundred from Asif Iqbal, and brisk legspin from two charismatic Pakistan allrounders

Osman Samiuddin20-Apr-2020What We’re WatchingWaqar announces himself
Thank you, Kamran Wasti, for WhatsApping me the first link. Kamran is a repository and archive in human form of all things Pakistan cricket, especially from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. He’s the guy to go to for remembering the smallest detail of a match or a player’s career. This video is bits of Waqar Younis in the 1990-91 home series against New Zealand, his official coming out as a phenomenon. With a moustache.Globally, the series is recalled for ball-tampering but Kamran passed on the link with typical myth-busting instructions: “I doubt the new-ball strikes are because of ball-tampering… there is big seam movement because of the hard, pronounced seam… outswing (inswing to left-handed).” There’s pace and bounce too, as well as – already – changes in angle at delivery and action. In short, not just old-ball reverse (though there’s plenty of that too).Pandemonium in Perth
For creepy algorithmic reasons, that link led me to the highlights of an ODI between Pakistan and West Indies in Perth, part of a quadrangular event in 1986-87. It’s creepy because why and how does YouTube know that these exact highlights are the ones I watched the most in the summer of 1987? So much that not only do I remember commentary (“I’m 6’6″, I can’t get any higher,” says Bill Lawry of Courtney Walsh) or Qasim Umar kissing his edge, or Viv’s jive-walk back after a catch, I wore the tape out.It’s a great game, and is a lesser-known entry into the of fame (geddit?). Pakistan struggle to 199, and West Indies coast to 105 for 2 before a comedy run-out, and boom, before you know it, West Indies are letting Shoaib Mohammad and Mudassar Nazar share five wickets and it’s over.The seesawing ’70s at Sabina
A decade before that, the same sides played out a lively, much-remembered but little-seen series. Forty-three minutes’ worth of footage from the last Test in Jamaica has found its way to YouTube, although, going by the difference in broadcast quality of the two games, the gap feels like a century.The series is a poster child for the era: unbuttoned shirts, fast-scoring batsmen (Asif Iqbal brings up his hundred off 119 balls; the lowest innings run rate in this Test was 3.5, the highest 4.27), faster bowlers, and lots of bouncers. As an accompaniment, it’s worth reading Simon Wilde’s , which chronicles these bouncer wars so well.Wasim Raja: he swung in the ’70s•PA PhotosAs a nerdy side note, check out Joel Garner’s slower ball around the 32-minute mark: they existed even back then. The disguise is so bad, it’s clear, even with footage of this quality, that he slows his arm down in release. Otherwise, a very Pakistan chase: losing wickets at critical moments, raising hopes, puncturing it. Consolation: Wasim Raja swag.Dashing legspinning allrounder porn, part 1
As we’re on Raja’s swag, a personal algorithm brings up this from Adelaide, 1981. This is Pakistan’s first ODI win over West Indies, after eight successive losses (many of them close, mind you). This is another bit of : West Indies 85 for 3, with Clive Lloyd going strong on 28 when he sweeps Ijaz Faqih, only for Tahir Naqqash to take an outstanding catch. It’s Faqih’s first ODI wicket and it turns the game.But we’re watching this for Raja’s legspin, and who does it remind you of? The speed, the hustle, the trajectories, the way batsmen can’t figure out something very basic about it, and even glimpses of the action, it’s all quite Shahid Afridi.Stray observation: note the development of Imran Khan’s action as a trilogy, from 1977 through 1981 to 1987.Dashing legspinning allrounder porn, part 2
Which brings us to the great man himself – Afridi, that is, not Imran. This is from his Test debut, when, not for the first time and definitely not the last, he would do exactly what you didn’t think he could do, or was picked for.Afridi was selected as an opener and ended up with a debut five-fer. All five of his wickets are here but, let’s be honest, the second one on loop would suffice. Steve Waugh, second ball, plumb to the faster ball. Legspin? As with everything about Afridi’s cricket, yes, but not as you know it.For more such curated YouTube playlists, click here.

Entire tournament to be played in Trinidad with hosts Trinbago Knight Riders looking for fourth title

Gaurav Sundararaman17-Aug-20201:24

Will be strange to play without crowds – Ross Taylor

Can TKR bounce back from last season and win their fourth CPL crown?•Getty Images Lopsided Scheduling
The fact that Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks have Indian ownership has forced not just the CPL to conduct matches to suit the Indian viewership, but the schedule also favours those two franchises.The Knight Riders and Zouks play eight and seven day matches, respectively. The lopsided nature of the schedule is evident when you compare that with Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs, who play just one and three day matches, respectively.This could affect teams in multiple ways especially with rain likely to have an impact on the tournament. For teams like Amazon Warriors, who play nine matches under lights, dew is likely to play a major factor. If it remains dry during day matches, then Knight Riders and Zouks can dominate with their spin-laden bowling attacks.Playoffs format tweaked again
The playoffs format this year will comprise just the two semi-finals and the final without any advantage for the team winning the league stage. There will be one less match compared the four games during the play-offs last year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Spin to win
Queens Park Oval in Port-of-Spain will host ten matches while the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba will stage 23 games. With pitches set to deteriorate rapidly, there is a good chance that spin could play a dominant role. Also, spin has worked well at both the venues: slower bowlers have conceded 6.90 runs per over compared to 8.38 by pace bowlers.Hence there is a good chance that teams such as Barbados Tridents and Knight Riders could field even four spinners in the XI. Get ready to watch some masterclasses by legspinners like Rashid Khan (Tridents), Imran Tahir (Amazon Warriors), Sandeep Lamichhane (Tallawahs) and Zahir Khan (Zouks). No Gayle in CPL 2020
T20′ s leading run-getter and six-hitter will not be part of 2020 season. Having decided to move to the Zouks after a bitter fallout with Tallwahs, Chris Gayle pulled out of the tournament recently, citing family reasons, taking everyone by surprise. As it happens, Gayle is the top scorer in CPL as well, with 2354 runs at an average of 39.23 and a strike rate of 133.44, including four centuries.Needless to say, in a tournament already affected by the pandemic and no crowds expected at least during the league phase, Gayle’s propensity to do the unthinkable could have provided the necessary balm.ALSO READ: Gayle pulls out of CPL 2020Who are the emerging players to watch out for?
The CPL has made it mandatory for each team to give an emerging player a minimum of five games during this season. The rule states that at least one emerging player should make five appearances or multiple players should make five combined appearances. The rule is designed to provide exposure to young, uncapped talent.So, watch out for Jayden Seales (Knight Riders) and Nayeem Young (Tridents) who shot to fame in the Under 19 World Cup earlier this year. Joshua Da Silva from St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, who recently kept wickets as a substitute during the final Test of the England series, is another young player who might have a breakthrough season along with speedster Keon Harding (Tridents).ESPNcricinfo Ltd Tell me about the favourites…

With 2410 T20 caps between them, one can’t really look past Knight Riders, who have won the CPL twice (Trinidad’s one other CPL title was as the Red Steel) and this time will be playing the entire league at home. In terms of experience, if you put together the entire squad of Tridents and Amazon Warriors even then they have fewer matches than Knight Riders whose line-up includes greats like captain Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo. They will be coached by Brendon McCullum, who is the third-highest scorer in T20 cricket.This will be McCullum’s second stint as Knight Riders’ coach in the CPL and he will want to make use of this experience before he heads to the UAE to take charge of the other Knight Riders franchise (KKR) in the IPL.Five-time finalists Warriors will miss their regular captain Shoaib Malik, but they remain firm favourites as well. Chris Green has taken over as captain and will have a point to prove after he had been pulled up for suspect action. He has got his action cleared since, but is yet to test it out in top-flight cricket. Green, who plays for Sydney Thunder in the BBL,was the most economical T20 bowler in 2019 and was even picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the most recent IPL action.As for Tallawahs, they have a power-packed middle order that could spring a surprise. Their gun allrounder Andre Russell will also have a point to prove after having said recently that this could be his last season with the team.