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It appears that the Christian Eriksen transfer saga isn’t ceasing anytime soon as news emerges involving Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Spurs in contention?

Conflicting reports on the Dane’s future have come to light in the past few days as Spurs continue their chase for more summer signings after completing Yves Bissouma’s move from Brighton.

Sharing news at the weekend, The Athletic reporter Charlie Eccleshare claimed that Eriksen’s return to north London appeared ‘fairly likely’, but another reliable source in football.london’s Alasdair Gold then came out to distance the club from a reunion with the player.

Other reports have since suggested that Tottenham remain firmly in contention to sign the 30-year-old, with The Guardian now sharing their own update.

The Latest: Eriksen stance shared…

The news source reported that Eriksen is keen to join Spurs, with their reporter Jamie Jackson making a claim.

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Indeed, the Bees playmaker is apparently ‘favouring’ either a reunion under his former Inter boss Antonio Conte in north London or simply staying at Brentford. This comes after the Denmark international allegedly rejected a move to Manchester United.

The Verdict: Take advantage?

As this update emerges that Spurs could still have a chance to re-sign Eriksen, we believe that the Lilywhites should re-consider their alleged stance on moving for him.

Heralded as a ‘fighter’ by sports journalist Thierry Nyann for his fairytale comeback after suffering a cardiac arrest last year, the Denmark footballing legend’s elite mentality is perhaps best summed up by this tag.

Conte could certainly use players with this extraordinary determination, not to mention quality, as highlighted by Eriksen finishing 2021/22 as Brentford’s best performer by average match rating, as per WhoScored.

There is little doubt in our mind the £159k-per-week star would be a real asset for Spurs.

Liverpool are apparently willing to listen to offers for reported Aston Villa target Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

The lowdown

The Daily Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross wrote late in May that Villa are keen to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Villa are said to be on ‘red alert’ as they potentially look to pounce on a player Steven Gerrard has ‘long’ admired.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has won the Premier League and Champions League at Anfield, is out of contract in 2023.

Cross suggested that an offer in excess of £10million may be enough to tempt Liverpool.

The latest

Paul Joyce, Northern Football Correspondent for The Times, shared an update on Oxlade-Chamberlain in an article on Monday.

The Reds will allow the Englishman to depart the club this summer if they receive a suitable bid.

The verdict

Oxlade-Chamberlain will surely be open to departing. His last appearance of the 2021/22 season came in an FA Cup quarterfinal against Nottingham Forest on March 20.

This isn’t doing his hopes of adding to his 35 England caps any good whatsoever.

The 28-year-old is a highly versatile player, having been deployed in central midfield and on both flanks.

Jurgen Klopp even fielded him as a centre-forward when Aston Villa visited Anfield in December 2021.

Gerrard would potentially value this, while he’s also commended the player’s ‘power’, ‘speed’ and ‘class’ during a punditry stint at BT Sport.

Oxlade-Chamberlain even said during his time at Arsenal that he’s ‘always wanted to be Steven Gerrard’, and so he may relish the chance to work with him.

In other news, Steven Gerrard has a left-back target in mind. 

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon has revealed excitement after hearing Chris Kirchner’s public announcement of a deal to take over at Derby County, calling the American’s latest act a ‘bold move’ given the roadblocks still in place regarding the purchase of Pride Park.

The Lowdown: Kirchner announces deal

It was reported recently that Kirchner’s attempts to become the new leader of the Rams had hit a roadblock due to Mel Morris clinging on to the stadium.

Without the purchase of the famous ground, there could be no deal, but Kirchner has now rather bravely proclaimed on his own personal Twitter that this won’t be a problem.

Taking to social media, the American has decided to go public with the good news, claiming: “I will be the next owner of Derby County Football Club.”

However, the 34 year-old also confirmed that the move is still ‘conditional’ on the sale of the stadium and some other small issues.

The Latest: Nixon reacts

Reacting to Kirchner’s latest move, Nixon, who has been following the entire saga closely on Twitter, revealed his excitement at what Kirchner is doing: “I can only describe it as a bold move…”

The journalist said in a separate tweet that the news sounds ‘good’, perhaps implying a deal for the stadium must be close if Kirchner is taking to Twitter in such bold fashion.

The Verdict: Down to business

It certainly is a brash move from the potential new owner to announce his takeover before all the i’s can be dotted and t’s crossed.

He has until May 31 to sort out the finer details of the deal after the EFL gave their conditional approval, and all going well the first order of business will surely be to sort out the playing staff’s wages.

According to reports, the Rams could be hit with another point deduction to start life in League One if the players are not paid for May, so the new man in charge will have little time to soak in his surroundings and must get straight down to business.

Galatasaray are interested in making a move for Manchester United forward Anthony Martial before their transfer deadline this week.

The Lowdown: Martial out of favour

The Frenchman has had an up-and-down seven years at Old Trafford, producing moments of quality but also struggling to match the hype when he arrived in 2015.

Martial has still only featured for 45 minutes in the Premier League this season, admittedly not helped by injuries, and it appears as though he could be down the attacking pecking order under Erik ten Hag, especially after the signing of Antony from Ajax.

A new claim even suggests that his time as a United player could be coming to an end in the very near future.

The Latest: Galatasaray keen on move

According to Yeni Acik TV on Twitter, Galatasaray are keen on signing Martial before the Turkish transfer window closes on Thursday evening:

“Galatasaray is interested in Anthony Martial of Manchester United and Adama Traore of Wolves. Galatasaray wants to add one of these two players to its squad.”

The Verdict: Right time to leave?

In truth, Martial’s overall spell at United should be deemed a disappointment, given the money spent on him and the expectations that many had when he joined.

That’s not to say that the 26-year-old hasn’t shone at times, with Robin van Persie describing him as ‘world-class’ not long ago and the forward scoring 79 goals in 270 appearances.

With injury problems not going away and consistency still lacking, however, selling Martial makes sense, though perhaps they would be best placed waiting until January when Ten Hag can bring in an adequate replacement.

Aaron Finch got the man of the match award, but his contribution to the win was lower than that of Australia’s new-ball duo

ESPNcricinfo Stats Team25-Jun-2019Australia recorded their sixth win of the 2019 World Cup, defeating England by 64 runs at Lord’s to seal a semi-final spot – the first to get there. Aaron Finch got the Man of the Match award, but ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats show that he was only the third most influential player for Australia, behind Jason Behrendorff and Mitchell Starc.Finch was the first to make a major impact on the game, of course, with his century. In the England chase, Behrendorff picked up five wickets and Starc’s four finished the game. According to our Smart numbers, Behrendorff contributed 19.68% to the win, followed by Starc with 18.46%, and Finch 16.23%.ESPNcricinfo LtdSmart Stats takes into account not only the runs and wickets, but also checks the context and situation of the match in which those runs were scored or wickets taken. It also takes into account the quality of the opposition batsmen and bowlers against whom runs were scored or wickets picked.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Jason Behrendorff’s five-wicket haulBehrendorff bowled six overs at a stretch in his first spell at the start of the England innings, sending back James Vince in the first over and conceding only 26 runs. The required rate had gone to 6.23 by the end of it, after being 5.72 at the start of the innings. He changed ends to bowl his seventh over immediately and got Jonny Bairstow’s wicket. Starc did the honours at the other end, getting the key wickets of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, and England were four down within 15 overs. Starc then got the key wicket of Ben Stokes in the 37th over to tilt the game completely Australia’s way, before Behrendorff helped finish off the tail.Finch played the anchor’s role in the first innings. He went at a strike rate of 86.20, but his Smart Runs were 105 and Smart Strike Rate was 90.78.

ESPNcricinfo previews Northamptonshire’s prospects for the 2017 season

Alan Gardner01-Apr-2017Last season:

In: Nathan Buck (Lancashire), Max Holden (loan, Middlesex)
Out: Olly Stone (Warwickshire)
Overseas: Rory Kleinveldt (SA), Seekkuge Prasanna (T20)2016 in a nutshell
Northamptonshire had what some critics are calling “their most Northamptonshire season ever” in 2016. They went in with barely 15 men on the playing staff, faced continued uncertainty over their financial position (“we’re counting every loo roll,” said the chairman in May), recovered from a turgid start to finish mid-table in the Championship, lost a thrilling Royal London quarter-final by one wicket off the final ball of the match and lifted the NatWest Blast trophy for the second time in four seasons. Ben Duckett epitomised Northants’ uninhibited approach to the uncertainties around the club, plundering more than 2700 runs in all formats and walking off with the PCA Player of the Year and CWC Young Player awards. The highlight was T20 Finals Day, when their Moneyball approach (perhaps that should be “no-Moneyball”) saw them triumph against the odds once again.2017 prospects
Could well be another rollercoaster. Promising young fast bowler Olly Stone has left for Warwickshire (though he missed most of last season with injury anyway) but Nathan Buck has come in from Lancashire and may prove an inspired signing – still only 25, he was on the radar of England Lions five years ago. What Northamptonshire lack in squad numbers they will attempt to make up for in camaraderie, with continued success in white-ball cricket the primary focus, highlighted by the recruitment of former England batsman James Taylor as a consultant for the Royal London Cup. No team has managed to retain the T20 title but, if Northants can become the first, they will also draw level with Leicestershire on most wins (three). Championship success looks less likely, although they did finish 2016 impressively with four wins out of their last six.In charge
Since taking over in 2012, things have seldom been easy for David Ripley but he has achieved some extraordinary successes. An unexpected Championship promotion came the following year, as well as a first T20 title (Northants’ first trophy in 21 years) as the club began to embrace a data-driven approach to the format, led by their “statto” head coach. Alongside the shrewd captaincy of Alex Wakely, Northants seems to have found an ideal blend, encompassing modern tactics, attention to detail and old-fashioned team bonding. Along with bringing Taylor on board for 50-over cricket, former Wantage Road favourite David Sales is now helping out part-time as batting coach.Key player
Rory Kleinveldt, back for a third season as overseas player, has become symbolic of performance trumping perceptions at Northants. Kleinveldt’s brief international career is now behind him and, although his kit size looks a little closer to XL these days, he is still a vastly effective allrounder at county level. He has taken 124 wickets across all formats for the club, to go along with more than 1200 runs, and is a respected voice in the dressing room where what you can do is valued more than how you look.Bright young thing
Duckett blazed a trail from talented youngster to England international in little more than a season, while 18-year-old allrounder Saif Zaib has long been highly regarded in Northants circles. Hopeful of making a big impact will be Middlesex loanee Max Holden, a year older than Zaib but yet to make his senior debut. A left-handed opener, Holden captains England U-19s in the long format and, on their tour of India earlier this year, scored 170 as part of a record 321-run stand with Somerset’s George Bartlett. Ripley has been a fan for years, having tried to sign him for Northants’ academy in 2011.ESPNcricinfo verdict
When it gets down to brass tacks, you’ve got to credit the Steelbacks. They won’t be much fancied, as the betting suggests, but that will not bother Ripley and Wakely as they look to mastermind further success on a shoestring. The question of whether Duckett finds his groove again, after a mixed winter away with England, might determine how far they go in the white-ball formats and a lack of depth could limit their Championship chances – but for county cricket’s version of the Wimbledon “Crazy Gang”, up against it is how they like it.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship: 14-1; NatWest Blast: 12-1; Royal London Cup: 16-1

Cricket in Western Australia has gone from strength to strength since Justin Langer took over as coach. Now, Perth Scorchers have the chance for a third straight BBL title.

Tristan Lavalette21-Jan-2016Sometime before Friday’s BBL semi-final showdown with Melbourne Stars at the MCG, Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer will meet with revered Australian Rules football coach Alastair Clarkson. A get-together of two of Australia’s most hardnosed coaches is revealing, though hardly surprising. There are many parallels between the tenacious characters credited with almost single-handedly resurrecting their respective teams.As senior coach of three-time defending Australian Football League (AFL) premiers Hawthorn, Clarkson has transformed a group of misfits into a juggernaut. In 11 seasons with Clarkson at the helm, the Hawks have played in five grand finals – winning four- and stamped themselves as once again the AFL’s undisputed powerhouse after being the trendsetters in the 1970s and ’80s.You feel Langer has used Clarkson’s ascension with the Hawks as a template in his own coaching blueprint with Western Australia and the Scorchers. If they defeat the Stars, the Scorchers will compete in their fifth consecutive BBL final on Sunday.Under Langer, the Scorchers have played in three straight BBL finals, winning the last two. Western Australia have been runner-up in the Sheffield Shield the past two seasons having not previously made a final since 1999. They also won the 2014-15 Matador Cup, Australia’s domestic one-day tournament, having not placed higher than third in the previous decade.It has been a remarkable renaissance for WA cricket after such a barren period this millennium, which hit a nadir in late 2012 when the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, were axed from the Scorchers’ Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa.They were dumped after a night of partying to celebrate Mitchell’s 21st birthday; it was highly embarrassing for the brothers, putting their international prospects at the crossroads, but, more worryingly, it reinforced WA’s festering culture marked by ill-discipline. It reduced WA cricket to a punchline, as its halcyon days stretching from the 1970s throughout the 1990s had become a distant memory.Disenchanted by this, some of the state’s greatest ever cricket figures pleaded with then WACA vice-president Sam Gannon for a coaching shake-up. Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, John Inverarity and Adam Gilchrist wanted Langer, who was then Australia’s batting coach, in the coach’s hot seat in a desperate bid to arrest the decline.For Langer, taking the reins of his beloved WA was a “no-brainer” but the support he received from the top was crucial in his bid to overhaul the team’s culture. “From day one, I had overwhelming support and lots of rope to make changes,” Langer tells ESPNcricinfo. “The most important thing is we had hit rock bottom. There were lots of issues off-field and performances on-field had become mediocre. We needed to be proud to be West Aussie again, and clearly strong change was needed.”Langer had learnt greatly from his captaincy of WA in 2007, after his international career had ended, which was relatively fruitless due to an apparent resistance of his leadership style. “When I was captain in 2007, I was perceived to be too serious and setting expectation too high. It was a good experience in leadership,” Langer says.Immediately after replacing Lachlan Stevens as WA’s coach in November of 2012, Langer made it his priority to seek out Shaun Marsh, who was languishing in WA’s Second XI after having started the year playing Test cricket. Langer’s stern and frank talk with Shaun is credited as the catalyst for the talented batsman’s revival. “I talked to Shaun, his manager and his parents – who are some of my closest friends,” Langer recalls. “I looked him in the face and I said ‘I will always love you but if you step out of place, you can’t be in the organisation … you can’t afford to make one mistake’. I think he appreciated the honesty and from then Shaun has been outstanding.”There was no ranting or raving from Langer to his new players. He knew the team had talent, as evidenced by them making the inaugural BBL final, but it was clearly not being harnessed properly. Respected coaches Tom Moody and Mickey Arthur had previously tried to rejuvenate WA, leaving Langer to think the problems were deep-seated.Helping the Marsh brothers to progress has been one of Langer’s achievements•Getty ImagesOn arrival, Langer realised discipline had been preached but the message was not getting through. There were so many rules that, in effect, it had become too suffocating and confusing. “I went in with a clear message and imparted values that I had learnt from the great WA and Australian teams,” Langer says. “There had to be a buy-in to the values as we hadn’t earned the right yet. The values were based on working hard, respecting the past, looking after mates and celebrating success.”We had rules they must uphold, such as the players were never allowed to get drunk in public, they needed to be responsible with alcohol. Common sense, keeping things simple and no mobile phones at training were other key rules.”Banning mobile phones in the workplace could appear rather archaic, but Langer is unrelenting in his belief that they stymie communication. “When I was playing county cricket, players were always on their phones and it made us look so unprofessional. We are there to do a job,” Langer says. “If people are on their phones, then there is no communication. They don’t talk to each other. I saw this in the Australian dressing room, where players were texting each other in the same room. I have threatened to throw mobiles from the balcony.”Has he ever gone through with that threat?”It’s a secret,” Langer responds slyly.The collective reverence towards Langer from his players is palpable and genuine. That adoration has manifested on-field, with the team showcasing the inimitable traits that defined Langer’s indefatigable playing career.Notably, the Scorchers haven’t been particularly sleek but a healthy dose of resoluteness and pluck has made them the BBL’s trendsetter. You can never write the Scorchers off, even in the direst of situations. They generally find a way to eke out victories. No matter the result, you can’t question their intent.Smartly, the Scorchers have resisted the temptation of splurging on glossy international players, preferring to build around a local core. Continuity has been a trademark of the team and helps explain their sustained success in cricket’s most volatile format. “Cricket Australia probably wouldn’t like me saying this, but we want to build a sustainable program for WA cricket 12 months a year, not 11 months,” Langer says. “We primarily want to give players from our squad a chance and use this stability as our competitive advantage. We have a really clear strategy with overseas players, they are the cream on top. We do not build a franchise around them like some other teams do.”Langer’s overwhelming success has made him the likely successor to Australia coach Darren Lehmann. Accordingly, Langer will become Australia’s caretaker coach during their tour of the Caribbean mid-year in an effort to give Lehmann a welcome break.While a succession plan is seemingly underway, Langer is reluctant to get too ahead of himself. “Life is about timing, maybe I’ll coach Australia one day,” he says. “I look forward to the Caribbean but it is a caretaker role and is about giving Boof a few weeks off. Being an international coach sounds glamorous but you’re away from home 11 months of the year. It’s incredibly taxing.”In typical Langer fashion, he’s only focusing on the task ahead. Right now, his concentration is centred on the Scorchers’ historic bid for a hat-trick of BBL titles.”I am nervous [ahead of the semi-final]. I am always nervous before games,” Langer says. “It is all about creating great memories. Statistics don’t mean a lot when your career is over. Celebrating wins is what I remember from my playing days.”[The hat-trick of titles] is an unbelievable opportunity. We have a chance to create a great legacy.”

Also, Vijay Manjrekar’s nickname, Abid Ali’s no-ball, oldest double-centurions, and this decade’s leading players

Steven Lynch21-Oct-2014In Scotland’s World Cup warm-up game in New Zealand the other day, the last wicket fell to the final ball of the 50th over in both innings. Has this ever happened in an official one-day international? asked Gulu Ezekiel from India
That’s a good spot, as the tenth wicket in each innings of that match in Lincoln went down to the last possible ball. It was an exciting game: Scotland ended up just one short of the handy total posted by what was just about a fully representative New Zealand side. It wasn’t an official ODI, though – for a start both sides chose from 12 players. There has not yet been an official one-day international in which the last wicket in both innings fell to the last possible ball: the closest approach is the tied match in St Vincent in March 2012, when Australia scored 220 in 49.5 overs and West Indies replied with 220 in 49.4. Interestingly, the most balls bowled in an ODI in which all 20 wickets fell (excluding wides and no-balls) was 640, in the 1983 World Cup final (a 60-over match) between India and West Indies at Lord’s.Where did Vijay Manjrekar’s nickname “The Wanderer” come from? asked Dilip Varghese from India
I hadn’t heard this one, although I see it is mentioned on a couple of websites. I asked our Indian office – and got some blank looks there too. And so Sambit Bal, ESPNcricinfo’s editor, emailed Vijay’s son, Sanjay Manjrekar. Sanjay’s reply was to the point: “Never heard of that one. His nickname was Tatt.” That one came about, according to Ajit Wadekar, because Vijay fancied himself as an offspinner: Roy “Tatt” Tattersall was England’s main offie on the tour of India in 1951-52, and dismissed Manjrekar for 48 in his debut Test in Calcutta on that trip.Leicestershire finished bottom of the County Championship in 2014, and didn’t win a match for the second year running. Has any team been this bad before? asked Bob Tyrrell from England
Before this year there had been only 18 instances of any team failing to win a match during an entire County Championship season. But not only Leicestershire managed it in 2014: Northamptonshire suffered a similarly barren time on their return to the First Division. The only team other than Leicestershire in 2013 and 2014 to go winless in successive seasons is, again, Northamptonshire. They didn’t win at all in 1936, 1937 or 1938. During 1939 they looked set to go an unprecedented 100 matches without a win. However, after gliding winlessly to 99, they then won the 100th game, against Leicestershire at Wantage Road, by an innings!Apparently Abid Ali, the Indian bowler, was no-balled for throwing in a Test. His action always looked fine to me, so why was this? asked Giles Barrett from England
The Indian allrounder Abid Ali played 29 Tests, although with the ball he never improved on his figures of 6 for 55 on debut, against Australia in Adelaide in 1967-68. After the Australian leg of that tour the Indians moved on to New Zealand, where in the second Test, in Christchurch, they fell foul of the Central Districts fast bowler Gary Bartlett, who took 6 for 38 to set up a six-wicket victory. However, according to their captain, the Nawab of Pataudi, “All the Indian players, including myself, considered Bartlett’s action to be suspect.” But he wasn’t called for throwing, in that or any other match. As New Zealand moved towards their target, Abid Ali deliberately chucked one delivery in protest at Bartlett’s escape… and was promptly no-balled for throwing himself by umpire Fred Goodall.Graham Gooch scored 210 against New Zealand in 1994, when he was 40. Is he the oldest to reach 200 in a Test? asked Jeremy Lawrence from England
Graham Gooch was actually the fifth – and most recent -batsman past the age of 40 to score a Test double-century in a Test. He was a couple of months short of his 41st birthday when he made that 210 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 1994. Dudley Nourse, the old South African captain, was about three months younger when he made a famous 208, complete with broken thumb, in 1951 – also at Trent Bridge. Patsy Hendren completed his unbeaten 205 for England against West Indies in Port-of-Spain on his 41st birthday in February 1930, while his frequent team-mate Jack Hobbs scored 211 against South Africa at Lord’s in 1924 when he was 41 years 197 days old. But the oldest Test double-centurion of all was a team-mate of Nourse in that 1951 series: South Africa’s spiky opener Eric Rowan was seven days past his 42nd birthday when he made an epic 236 against England at Headingley.Which players have scored the most runs and taken the most wickets in Tests in the current decade (2010s)? asked Kishore Achuria from India
The leading Test run scorer so far in the current decade is Alastair Cook, with 4769: Kumar Sangakkara (4439) and Michael Clarke (4314) are both past 4000 too. Among batsmen who have had at least 20 innings, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (71.18) has the highest average, ahead of Sangakkara (66.25), Hashim Amla (63.80) and AB de Villiers (61.89). The leading Test wicket-taker in the 2010s so far is Jimmy Anderson, with 232, ahead of Dale Steyn (211). Graeme Swann (193) and Stuart Broad (191) come next. In one-day internationals the leaders are Virat Kohli (5395 runs) and Lasith Malinga (181 wickets); in T20s it’s Brendon McCullum (1292) and Saeed Ajmal (66).

Spin – both facing it and bowling it – has been a challenge for Australia on their previous tours to India. How well will they cope this time?

S Rajesh20-Feb-2013An Australian line-up with only four players who’ve experienced Test cricket in India before will attempt to achieve something that only three other sides have managed in 23 series since 2000. When England trumped India 2-1 in the four-Test series late last year, they became the third team – after Australia in 2004 and South Africa in 2000 – to win a Test series in India since 2000. Despite India’s Test fortunes being on a downward slide in the last 20 months, it’ll be a tough ask for Australia to replicate what England achieved: England had two high-quality spinners, and a settled and experienced batting line-up; Australia’s spin attack looks far inferior when compared to the Graeme Swann-Monty Panesar combination, while their batting line-up is still grappling with the retirements of two heavyweights, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.The India-Australia historical head-to-head shows two distinct sets of numbers, depending on the country hosting the matches. In Australia, India have struggled to notch up victories, losing five Tests for every one they’ve won. At home, though, they’ve won more than they’ve lost, and have been especially dominant in the last few years, winning ten out of 17 since the beginning of 1996.The average columns indicate that Australia tend to slip up in both aspects, the batting and the bowling, when they tour. At home against India, they average 39 with the bat and 29.49 with the ball; in tours to India since 1995, the batting average has dipped to less than 32, and the bowling one has gone up to more than 37.In these 17 Tests in India, Australian batsmen have scored more hundreds than the Indians – 16 to 15 (though their batsmen have also batted 28 more times). However, they’ve also been dismissed cheaply more often, getting out for 20 or less 178 times, compared to 151 for India.

Australia v India, in Tests

TestsAus wonInd wonDrawnBat ave-AusBat ave-IndOverall8238202335.4230.89in Australia40265939.0029.49in India4212151432.1532.42in India since 199517410331.5937.21Three teams have done significantly better than Australia when they’ve toured India, of which two are South Africa and England, teams you’d expect should also struggle to play spin. South Africa have won as many Tests as they’ve lost, and they’re the one team whose batting average is higher than the bowling one. For Australia, the bowling average is more than five runs higher than the batting average.

Overseas teams in India since 1995

TeamTestsWon/ lostRatioBat aveBowl avePakistan93/ 31.0034.0039.09South Africa125/ 51.0035.6731.58England123/ 40.7534.6035.12Australia174/ 100.4031.5937.21New Zealand130/ 50.0030.9345.79Sri lanka90/ 40.0034.2046.93West Indies60/ 40.0027.8344.03Zimbabwe40/ 30.0033.0164.08Australia’s susceptibility against spin was on display in their warm-up game against India A, and traditionally too they haven’t handled spin all that well in India. Since 1995, Indian spinners have averaged 29.05 runs per wicket against Australia in 17 Tests, their third-best against any team during this period. England and South Africa have the best stats against India’s spinners, but while England’s batsmen have performed relatively poorly against India’s seamers, South Africa have done well against them too. Australia’s stats against pace is pretty good in India, but they’ve succumbed to spin pretty regularly: 15 times India’s spinners have taken five-fors against them in 17 Tests.Almost half of those 15 five-fors have been taken by Harbhajan Singh, which explains his inclusion into the Indian squad despite not having lived up to his reputation in the domestic season. In 12 home Tests against Australia, Harbhajan has taken 81 wickets at 24.48. Anil Kumble was equally spectacular as well, with 62 wickets in ten Tests at 24.46, but in his absence, it remains to be seen if Harbhajan can be equally effective.Among the current Australian batsmen, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson are the two batsmen who’ve faced the Harbhajan threat in Tests in India. Clarke has the better stats against him, scoring 132 runs at an average of 44, while Watson averages 31. Both have pretty low scoring rates against him, with Watson scoring only 93 runs in 273 balls.Australia will also miss the experience of Ponting and Hussey, especially when it comes to handling Harbhajan. Ponting struggled against Harbhajan in 2001, but did much better thereafter, scoring 148 runs and being dismissed only twice. Hussey scored 136 off Harbhajan and was dismissed three times. In their absence much of the batting onus will be on Clarke, and though he scored a century in his first Test innings in India – which was also his debut – his overall numbers in India are disappointing: 686 runs in 19 innings at 38.11. Watson has done slightly better, averaging 40.09 in 11 innings.

India’s spinners and pace bowlers at home v each team in Tests since 1995

OppositionSpin-wktsAverage5WI/ 10WMPace-wktsAverage5WI/ 10WMWest Indies7924.027/ 06434.430/ 0New Zealand12727.148/ 25934.051/ 0Australia21029.0515/ 48236.572/ 0Zimbabwe4331.272/ 02737.291/ 0Pakistan9131.506/ 26735.165/ 1Sri Lanka7331.823/ 24836.082/ 0South Africa11832.615/ 05640.392/ 0England12034.847/ 16432.790/ 0

Clarke and Watson v Harbhajan Singh in Tests in India

BatsmanRunsBallsDismissalsAverageRun rateMichael Clarke132308344.002.57Shane Watson93273331.002.04While Australia’s batsmen have struggled against Indian spin, the visitors’ spinners haven’t made much of an impression on the Indian batsmen, either in terms of taking wickets or in terms of keeping the runs in check. The Australian spinners have conceded almost 42 runs per wicket, at an economy rate of 3.50 runs per over. Thus, the onus of taking wickets keeping a check on the runs has fallen on the fast bowlers, and they’ve done a reasonably good job of it. Among the bowlers in the current Australian squad, though, only Mitchell Johnson has played more than one Test, and his six matches have fetched him 21 wickets at 37.23.

Australia’s pace and spin in India in Tests since 1995

WicketsAverageEcon rateStrike rate5WI/ 10WMPace15733.782.8670.83/ 0Spin9041.733.5071.43/ 1Among the Indian batting lot, the pressure will be on Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, both of whom have had poor spells of late. Tendulkar scored a commanding century in the Irani Cup and has an outstanding record against Australia both home and away, while Virender Sehwag has better stats in Australia than in India. The biggest contrast in numbers, though, is for MS Dhoni, whose home average against Australia is more than twice his away average against them.

Indian batsmen v Australia, home and away since 1995

BatsmanHome TestsAverage100s/ 50sAway TestsAverage100s/ 50sSachin Tendulkar1562.655/ 81555.424/ 7Virender Sehwag1040.151/ 51047.402/ 4MS Dhoni644.120/ 4718.690/ 1Murali Vijay262.501/ 0—All four venues hosting the Tests – Chennai, Hyderabad, Mohali and Delhi – have been pretty good ones for India: collectively they’ve lost only 13 out of 73 Tests at these grounds. Since 2000 they haven’t lost at any of these venues, winning 13 out of 21 Tests, and drawing eight; they’ve won five out of six in Delhi, four out of seven in Mohali and three out of six in Chennai. Australia, on the other hand, haven’t played a Test yet in Hyderabad, but have a losing record at the other three grounds, winning only two Tests out of 14, and losing six.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the World Cup, Group A match between Pakistan and Australia at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo

Brydon Coverdale and Osman Samiuddin at the R Premadasa Stadium 19-Mar-2011Referral of the day
Pakistan haven’t been too hot in their usage of the DRS in this World Cup, their batsmen and bowlers both too eager to go upstairs to challenge decisions that, to the naked eye, have mostly looked right in the first place. But when Ricky Ponting edged Mohammad Hafeez – and it was so huge, it nearly came off the face of the bat – and Marais Erasmus turned it down, they asked for it straight away. They’d already wasted one early in the innings but as replays confirmed, the edge was so massive Kamran Akmal did remarkably well to hold on to it. Perhaps Akmal holding on to an actual edge was what Erasmus couldn’t believe? We’re not sure what Ponting
was hoping to achieve by hanging around but this is surely why the DRS exists.Scrap of the day
Bragging rights and a favourable quarter-final draw were the only incentives in a game of two sides already assured knock-out spots. It could’ve been a low-tension stroll through the Premadasa but low intensity is not something associated with these two sides. Pakistan announced their intent by not giving into emotion and keeping Shoaib Akhtar out. Through
the day there was chatter among opponents, though Umar Akmal and Brad Haddin took it to another level with their feisty tete-a-tete after the Ricky Ponting referral. Words were exchanged – not nice ones – and fingers pointed, before Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan tried to calm things down. They didn’t and the situation seemed to get worse with what appeared to be a little shove of Younis by Haddin. Ah, dead group games…Double of the day
The result was drifting towards foregone-conclusion territory with Pakistan needing 79 more runs with eight wickets in hand, when Brett Lee gave the game some spark. Lee had removed both the openers in his first spell, and as soon as he came back for his second, he struck a double blow. Younis Khan edged behind from the fourth ball of Lee’s second spell and the next
delivery Misbah-ul-Haq also nicked through to Brad Haddin. It was the lift the Australians needed, but unfortunately for Lee, his was proving to be a solo effort.Soccer of the day
Lee did some fine work with the ball in this match, but this was not his best moment. He dug the ball in to Umar Akmal, who kept it out, though not without a certain awkwardness, and in his follow-through Lee looked set to collect the ball. Instead, he decided to kick it off the ground towards the wicketkeeper – the only problem being that it skewed off the side of his boot and ran away towards fine leg for an overthrow. Or, more correctly, an overkick.