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Batting higher, Brad Hodge could have easily scored 500 runs this season, but his captain will gladly take the 50 he scored under pressure from No. 7

Sidharth Monga22-May-2013There is something reliable about stocky men with low back lifts. When the pitch is slow or when the reverse swing is considerable, these are the batsmen you want to be finishing your innings with. They are the least likely to play stupid shots under pressure, a Twenty20 trademark. When they break into rock-the-baby celebrations, they easily defend it as not mocking the bowler they have just hit for a match-winning six, a bowler who has won many a heart with his celebrations and uninhibited play. “I was pointing out I have got children too.”Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid can tell reliable men when he sees them. Throughout IPL 2013 he has used Brad Hodge, the 38-year-old Australian, low in the order, where he doesn’t get many chances. Or so it seems. “He doesn’t get many opportunities to bat,” says Dravid. “If he bats 3 and 4, there is no doubt he can score 500 runs as well. But there is nobody who can finish the game better than Brad Hodge, especially against quality pace.”The strategy has been put to severe test this season, and almost seemed to backfire on the big night. Dravid’s young batsmen all seemed to fall to the pressure and the charm of Sammy even when chasing just 133. The eliminator was turning into a match to be decided by slogs and hoicks. Sammy’s catch on the midwicket boundary to dismiss Shane Watson – full stretch in the air to pluck it overhead – was sensational, but after that it was just straight length bowling that took Rajasthan Royals from 50 for 1 to 57 for 5. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stroke-play hadn’t been much better.The game was crying out for someone to pull it out of mediocrity, and out came Hodge. The asking rate – already nudging eight – was getting out of hand on a sticky surface, and Sanju Samson was to score just 10 off 21 at the other end. It was now time for a calculated assault on a tricky pitch by the last batsman who could win the game. Just the time for a stocky man with a short back lift.There were no risks taken. Hodge picked his bowlers – the hitherto successful Sunrisers legspinners – and chose to time his shots instead of slogging. There was a lesson there for the younger batsmen who had fallen before him. He read a Karan Sharma googly and sent it over long-on. Then he flicked him over square leg. Then he finally got the short ball. This wasn’t a bad over, but it went for 18. The asking rate was back to seven an over now.Hodge went after Amit Mishra too, but now the Sunrisers raised their game. Back came Dale Steyn and trapped Samson with reverse swing. Then James Faulkner played out dots. Even our stocky man with short back lift felt pressure now. He went slogging after Thisara Perera to kill the game in the 19th over. Failed to connect any. He was happy to accept he felt pressure. No false bravado.”I was probably trying to get the Chris Gayle distance instead of the Brad Hodge distance,” Hodge joked. “That’s what can happen. When you are under pressure and looking to try to take the pressure off by going for the big maximum, and you try too hard.”In the next over, though, the cool Hodge was back, and he broke the heart of the other hero on the night. Sammy had been everywhere. Scoring runs, taking catches, doing commentary, taking wickets, Sammy had all but owned the night. Then he bowled a short ball, which Hodge pulled for a six that went the Brad Hodge distance and not the Chris Gayle distance. The game was all but over, and Hodge nailed it with another six over long-off and stole what has been Sammy’s celebration this year.For a few minutes after the defeat, Sammy sat sullen in the dugout, but he will agree he lost to the better player on the day. And he has got children too.

ESPNcricinfo previews the 2011-12 domestic season in South Africa

Firdose Moonda28-Sep-2011South African cricket has experienced its longest winter break in 14 years, with the national squad out of action for almost seven months. Some players have played in the IPL, in county and club cricket in England and in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20.While little has happened on the field, there have been changes in the national setup. In June, a new coaching staff was appointed in Gary Kirsten, Allan Donald and Russell Domingo; a new limited-overs captain and vice-captain, in AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla respectively, were named; and members of the old guard, like Vincent Barnes and Corrie van Zyl, were roped in to strengthen the development structures.A few tweaks have also been made to the domestic tournaments as South Africa tries to fall further in line with the international game. The most significant move is that the one-day competition will feature 50-over games instead of 40-over matches to mirror ODI cricket.South Africa’s 11 provinces, who previously played in the amateur competition, but whose matches were still regarded as first-class, will now play in a semi-professional league. They will contest the usual three-day and one-day fixtures as well as feature in a new Twenty20 competition. The best players from that tournament will be selected to form a seventh franchise that will feature in the country’s premier domestic Twenty20 competition, which will be played in February.With the ongoing bonus scandal’s shadow starting to cast itself over the game, Cricket South Africa has not yet got sponsors for the 50-over, 20-over and semi-professional competitions. The corporate world has distanced itself from South African cricket with only Castle Lager staying on board as Test and ODI team sponsor and SuperSport continuing to back the first-class competition in accordance with their television rights deal.The SuperSport series starts on Thursday, ensuring that a sense of familiarity prevails as the season begins. Like many first-class competitions around the world, this tournament often takes place unnoticed by cricket fans. Stadiums take on a village-like atmosphere, with the number of spectators countable on two hands and free entrance for all. It is on this low-key playground that future international stars are bred, and although the competition is allowed to meander along with little care from either administrators or spectators, it remains the most important aspect of domestic cricket in South Africa.The first round this year will feature only two fixtures since the Cobras and the Warriors are contesting the Champions League in India. Both fixtures take place inland with the Lions hosting the Dolphins in Johannesburg and the Knights visiting the Titans in Centurion.LionsCaptain: Alviro PetersonCoach: Dave NosworthyHow they fared last season: A decent showing saw them finish third but they were only able to win two of the ten matches they played. The Lions shared the record for most number of draws, with seven. They scored over 400 in an innings four times and bowled the opposition out for under 200 twice. Neil McKenzie was their highest run-scorer with 771 runs, while spinner Dale Deeb was best among the bowlers with 21 scalps.Players to watch: The Lions have a clutch of low-profile players but pride themselves on the consistency they can provide in their line-up with few of their lot leaving for national duty. Stalwarts Neil McKenzie and Zander de Bruyn lead the team. This season sees the introduction of two players who impressed at Under-19 level, wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock and batsman Dominic Hendricks, and can also be used as an opportunity for the likes of Shane Burger, Jean Symes and Jonathan Vandiar, who have been in the system for years, to cement their spots. The Lions find themselves a little short in the seam bowling department, with Craig Alexander and Ethan O’Reilly the core of the attack. Pumelela Matshikwe is an emerging talent and Cliffie Deacon may have to provide some experience. They have lost Paul Harris in the spin department but Deeb and Aaron Phangiso ensure that they have that area covered.Jacques Rudloph will not be leading the Titans this season and may get a recall to the national side•Getty ImagesTitansCaptain: Martin van JaarsveldCoach: Matthew MaynardHow they fared last season: Their wins and losses were equal, with three apiece and the four draws they featured in saw them place second, 10.54 points behind the competition winners, the Cobras. A notable feature of their performances was that the results were often comprehensive and they drew only when weather intervened. Jacques Rudolph topped the run charts, overall, with 954 runs while Ethy Mbhalati’s 39 wickets saw him end as their most successful bowler.Players to watch: Rudolph has stepped down as captain, with suspicion mounting that he is line for a national recall. Martin van Jaarsveld, a veteran of the franchise, returns in the leadership role. Wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn will be closely monitored by the national selectors, especially as it appears that they will turn to him to succeed Mark Boucher behind the stumps. Bowler Cornelius de Villiers, who they acquired from the Knights two seasons ago, slipped under the radar last season but may make an impact in this one and hard-hitter Farhaan Behardien may be pushing for higher honours. Paul Harris also has an interesting season ahead of him as he looks to prove he still belongs at the international level.KnightsCaptain: Morne van WykCoach: Sarel CilliersHow they fared last season: A forgettable campaign saw them end fifth in the table, with only a solitary victory, two defeats and six draws. One of their main problems was the inability to take 20 wickets in a match, something they only managed once in ten matches. They scored over 400 runs in an innings four times, but were often guilty of batting too slowly to force a result. Their leading run-getter, Obus Pienaar, was 10th on the overall list with 593 runs, and Ryan McLaren and Dillon du Preez were joint-top of their wicket-charts with 22 scalps.Reeza Hendricks will be hoping to catch the selectors’ eye•Getty ImagesPlayers to watch: The Free State side is another low-key outfit, including many players who are not afraid of the hard grind. Rilee Rossouw, Dean Elgar and Reeza Hendricks are the standout batting trio and have been involved in meaty partnerships in the past. They are on the selectors’ radar and if more runs flow from their bats, could find themselves in the squad for matches against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Ryan McLaren falls into a similar category, having fallen out of favour but still possessing the all-round skills that South Africa treasure. Victor Mpitsang, at 31-years-old, may be entering the twilight of his career but brings invaluable experience to the bowling, which also contains Charl Pietersen and allrounder Johan van der Wath. Spinner Thandi Tshabalala has not been re-contracted but Malusi Siboto has been recruited from North West to fill that slot.DolphinsCaptain: Imraan KhanCoach: Graham FordHow they fared last season: With just over 10 points separating them from the Lions, the Dolphins ended fourth in the table with two wins, four draws and four losses. The season swung from the highs of scoring 500 for 5 declared against the Warriors to being bowled out for 99 by the Cobras. Imraan Khan, who played in one Test for South Africa, was the leading run-getter with 594 runs and Imran Tahir, who only played in five of their ten matches before getting a national call-up, topped the overall wicket-taking charts with 42 wickets.Players to watch: The spotlight will be on the Dolphins in the Twenty20 competition, for which they have contracted Australia’s Shaun Tait and West Indies’ Chris Gayle. In the longer form of the game, old favourites like Ahmed Amla and Imraan Khan will add sagely structure to the batting. They have acquired Friedel de Wet, who played two Tests for South Africa against England and has battled a series of back injuries, and Robert Frylinck from the Lions and have young talent in Saidi Mlongo and Mthokozisi Shezi who need to be looked after. Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who attended the national training camp in August, will be looking for consistency as will wicketkeeper Daryn Smit and batsman David Miller.WarriorsCaptain: Davy JacobsCoach: Piet BothaHow they fared last season: After a thrilling Champions League campaign in 2010, the Warriors began their domestic season with a bit of a hangover. As a result, they finished last, with a single win and four defeats. They had no batsmen in the top 10 with JJ Smuts coming in at 12, with 513 runs, while Andrew Birch’s 34 wickets saw him finish as fifth-highest wicket-taker overall.Players to watch: As the franchise that has produced the most number of national players in recent times, the Warriors are bursting with talent. The Smuts brothers – Jon-Jon and Kelly – have the right brand of aggression and solidity of technique to pique the interest of national selectors, as does the bustling bowling of Basheeru-Deen Walters and Lyall Meyer. This franchise is also the home of players who are right on the verge of cementing national places like Wayne Parnell, Rusty Theron and Colin Ingram and the trio will know that a series of good performances at franchise level will go a long way to securing more permanent spots at national level. With the risk of losing players to the South Africa team always looming and the issue of continuity rearing its head, it will be up to the old hands, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Arno Jacobs and Justin Kreusch to provide experience and leadership.CobrasCaptain: Justin KempCoach: Richard PybusHow they fared last season: With five victories from ten matches, four draws and not one defeat, the Cobras were the champions of last year’s first-class competition. They went through the tournament without being bowled out twice in any match and scored more than 400 runs six times. Andrew Puttick scored 678 runs to lead their run-scoring charts and Claude Henderson took 38 wickets, to end third on the overall bowling rankings.Players to watch: The Cobras are another team that often lose players to the national side, but are fortunate enough to have a steady supply of talented hopefuls waiting in the wings. Batsman Stiaan van Zyl and bowler Vernon Philander have had success in the recent past and both are in line for national call ups. They have retained a core of senior players, such as Justin Ontong, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Johann Louw and Puttick, who form the glue that holds the youngsters together. Richard Levi, Dane Vilas and Francois Plaatjies are the players in the next tier that are worth keeping an eye on. The Cobras also welcome back Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher from the Warriors, although the two are unlikely to make too many appearances for the franchise.

And so England’s series ended as it had begun, with the tail clinging on amid the lengthening shadows, waiting for the elements to give them a reprieve

Andrew Miller in Galle22-Dec-2007

And so England’s series ended as it had begun, with the tail clinging on amid the lengthening shadows, waiting for the elements to give them a reprieve. At Kandy they deserved a break and were given none; at Galle they deserved nothing of the sort and got one. Such is the way of Test cricket. It often rewards the tenacious, but it’s rare that justice isn’t done in the final analysis.That has certainly been the case with England’s outclassed cricketers. Hanging on at all costs has been the English way in Sri Lanka ever since Nasser Hussain won a street-fight of a series in 2000-01, but in consecutive tours under Michael Vaughan that approach has been shown to be flawed. Vaughan’s teams have got stuck in a rut, refused to adapt their ambitions, and recast Hussain’s brand of tenacity as negativity. For the Sri Lankans, five of whom have played in all three contests, the difference has been all too discernible.”If you want to compete, especially away from home, you have to be more positive,” Mahela Jayawardene said after the match. “You can’t go with a negative frame of mind, thinking these are not our conditions and we cannot survive.” Jayawardene credited their former coach, Tom Moody, with the change in Sri Lanka’s mindset, and pointed to two recent drawn series, in England in 2006 and New Zealand six months later, as evidence of their aggression in all conditions. England, on the other hand, have mustered a solitary win in their last 14 overseas Tests. There’s simply no comparison between the two at present.After a competitive first Test, the turning point of the series in Jayawardene’s opinion, was the opening day in Colombo. England won a good toss but ground their way to a nothing score of 258 for 5 in 87 overs, and from that moment on, the destiny of the series was confirmed. “They batted too slowly and we realised they were not actually pushing for a win, they were just trying to survive,” Jayawardene said. “We saw a lot of negativity in their game, and we thought if we could keep competing we would create more opportunities, and they would not come close to us.”

Aside from a rusty first morning in Kandy, when they were still readjusting from their roughing-up at the hands of the top dogs, Australia, Sri Lanka were magnificent. Even so, Jayawardene claimed he was surprised at the ease of their dominance. “I expected England to be more competitive,” he said. “They were, in the first game, but after
that they were competitive on certain days or sessions, but not all five days. We wanted to win this series more than they did. We batted much better in tough situations, and that was the difference between the two sides. You have to believe you have the talent to compete.”For Vaughan it has been a chastising tour. “Michael Vaughan, our most successful captain, we support you,” declared the Barmy Army in banner form, which rather underlines how far things have slipped since his first stint at the helm. He just has to hope his next vote of confidence doesn’t come from the England selectors. The Test side
hasn’t been beaten in consecutive Test series since Hussain’s men lost at home to Australia and away to India in 2001-02, and with a tricky away tour to New Zealand next, there’s no guarantee that the upturn is in sight.”We’re trying to develop a winning culture,” Vaughan said, as he inadvertently proved Jayawardene’s point. “We’ve fought very very hard to get draws, which is one of the things you require first and foremost, to make yourself difficult to beat, but now we’ve got to start winning. But we didn’t bowl as well as we could, we didn’t bat as well as we could, and we didn’t field as well as we could, and when you throw all those into a pot, they are not great ingredients for success.”England’s cricket was summed up as naïve at the very start of the series, and unfortunately for them, the experiences in Kandy and Colombo couldn’t be computed in time for success in Galle. Instead they were left to watch with wonder as Sri Lanka streaked ahead of them in all departments. “They’ve got batters who can bat time and
occupy the crease for a day-and-a-half and get big totals on the board,” Vaughan said. “They have an attack that is varied, with left-armers and a guy bowling at 140kph, and they’ve got the greatest spin bowler to play the game. In these conditions, they are a real handful.”

At least England spared themselves the indignity of going home without a single century or five-wicket haul for their efforts. Alastair Cook fronted up on the final day with England’s only landmark performance of the tour. He turns 23 on Christmas Day, and Vaughan was lavish in his praise for the efforts of a man who has now made seven Test
centuries in a little over 18 months of international cricket.”I was never in any doubt; he’s going to be a great player for England for many years,” Vaughan said. “This hundred in Galle will probably give his confidence the biggest boost of any hundred he’s ever got, because of the conditions, and because we were bowled out for 81. Going back in there showed a hell of a lot of character and skill.”And yet, for all of England’s improved effort with the bat, their final day of the tour was coloured by yet another moment of madness. Three wickets tumbled in the space of four deliveries from Muralitharan, in an over that Vaughan said summed up his team’s
experience in Sri Lanka. As souvenirs of the trip go, they’d probably prefer to pick up a nice carved wooden elephant from the boutiques in the fort.”If you switch off for any given moment, this kind of team can jump all over you,” Vaughan said. “When you’re facing the likes of Murali, if you relax for any ball, or any given period, he’ll take the opportunity.” The statement begged the question, why on earth were
England even allowing relaxation to enter their minds? “People have been doing things well in little instances, but we just couldn’t do it well enough or long enough to put Sri Lanka under pressure.” It’s been England’s story on a supremely disappointing tour.

Sussex stumble to 203 all out despite Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s fifty

ECB Reporters Network 26-Jun-2023

Glamorgan’s bowlers fought their way back into this game, dismissing Sussex for 203 as the home side finished with a lead of 85 and 10 second-innings wickets standingA first-innings lead of 39 could be crucial in a low-scoring contest. Australian leg spinner Mitch Swepson took the last two wickets in two balls to wrap things up, finishing with 3 for 52, while seamer James Harris returned figures of 3 for 38.Sussex had started the day in a strong position on 65 for 1, but lost both not-out batters before a run had been added, with Fynn Hudson-Prentice then holding the innings together in scoring only the second half century of the match.When he went for 59, the rest of the Sussex innings folded. Glamorgan openers Zain-ul-Hassan and Andrew Salter went about patiently increasing that lead, as the home side finished the day on 46 without loss.The Australian Kookaburra ball is being used for this match, with Glamorgan’s bowlers using it to good effect to stem the runs for long periods as well as taking regular wickets. Sussex scored at just over two runs an over as they struggled to evade the fielders with their few attacking shots, as the home bowlers maintained a stranglehold.It was the 30th ball of the morning before Sussex added to their overnight score, by which time Timm van der Gugten had added his second wicket of the innings by bowling Tom Alsop for 27, while Jamie McIlroy dismissed Tom Clark lbw for 32.Then it was the turn of Harris to get in on the act, getting the wicket of James Coles with his first ball and then adding that of Danial Ibrahim to leave Sussex struggling on 95 for 5.Hudson-Prentice and Oli Carter were patient in their efforts to rebuild the innings before the wicketkeeper fell caught behind off the bowling of McIlroy. Nathan McAndrew was caught and bowled by fellow Australian Swepson.Offspinner Jack Carson then provided valuable support in a partnership of 61 with Hudson-Prentice which edged their team ever closer to Glamorgan’s first-innings total of 242. Carson was given a life when dropped by Billy Root off Zain, however, the end came suddenly as Glamorgan wrapped the innings up with three wickets in four balls.First Hudson-Prentice’s watchful innings was undone when he skied a short ball from Harris, then Carson fell lbw and Aristides Karvelas caught behind by Chris Cooke, both to Swepson who will be on a hat-trick ball when he next bowls.Zain and Salter found getting runs equally difficult in the early stages of Glamorgan’s second innings, before scoring a little more freely in the last few overs of the day. They will look to build a match-winning lead, while Sussex will take confidence from the way Glamorgan were able to keep taking wickets as the Kookaburra ball got older.

The India captain also responds to rhetoric around his form after scoring his first ODI hundred in three years

Deivarayan Muthu25-Jan-20230:39

Rohit on Bumrah: ‘We don’t want to take any risks with him’

Rohit Sharma has warned India against rushing Jasprit Bumrah back into action and hopes the fast bowler will recover sufficiently from injury to be available for the last two Tests against Australia in March.Bumrah was on his way back to the ODI side for the home series against Sri Lanka earlier this month, having recovered from the back injury he suffered prior to the 2022 T20 World Cup, when he sustained a new glute injury and was withdrawn from the squad. India’s team management is being particularly cautious about Bumrah’s fitness in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India in October-November later this year.Related

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“About Bumrah, I’m not too sure at the moment, of course for the first two Test matches he’s not going to be available,” Rohit said after India swept New Zealand 3-0 in the ODI series. “I’m expecting that; not expecting but hoping he plays the next two Test matches but again we don’t want to take any risk with him. The back injuries are always critical. We have got lot of cricket coming up after that as well, we will see, and we will monitor. We are in constant touch with doctors and physios at NCA and we are constantly hearing from them.”Bumrah has been on the sidelines since September last year because of a stress reaction in his back and was rehabilitating at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He had been advised rehab for a minimum of six weeks and was making gradual progress; he resumed training on November 25 and bowling on December 16 at the NCA. But the emergence of a new injury set him back further, putting him in doubt for Border-Gavaskar series as well.Rohit shrugs off rhetoric around recent ODI form Rohit has expressed his displeasure at the rhetoric around his recent form – or the lack thereof – in ODI cricket. In the third ODI against New Zealand in Indore, Rohit scored 101 off 85 balls, his first ODI hundred since January 2020, to set India up for a 3-0 series win. When asked about the three-year gap between ODI hundreds, Rohit explained that he had played fewer ODIs in the last three years, with T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 taking top priority during that period.

Replay of the third India vs New Zealand ODI is available on ESPN Player in the UK, and on ESPN+ in the USA in both English and Hindi.

“I have played only 12 ODIs in three years,” Rohit said. “Three years sounds a lot, but in that three years I have played only 12 or 13 [17] ODIs, if am not wrong. I know it was shown on the broadcast, sometimes we need to show the right things also. Last entire year we didn’t play ODI cricket, we were focussing on T20 cricket a lot. [We should pay attention to such things, the broadcaster, too, needs to check these things].”? [I don’t understand what you mean by my return]. You are saying three years, out of which eight months we all were completely home due to Covid-19. Where were the matches happening? And in the last year we have just played T20 cricket. In T20 cricket at the moment, other than Suryakumar Yadav anyone else is batting better; he has hit two [T20I] centuries, I don’t think anyone else has scored a century. In Test cricket, I have played just two matches against Sri Lanka. Otherwise, I was injured in between. Please check all that and after that you can ask me [about my form].”Rohit Sharma has been batting more aggressively in the powerplay•BCCI

While Rohit hasn’t been scoring big hundreds of late in ODI cricket, he has gone harder and faster in the powerplay, which has allowed his partners to ease themselves in. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, who has tracked Rohit’s career from his Under-19 days, had praised about Rohit’s evolution as an ODI batter on the eve of the third ODI.”He has been a phenomenal cricketer, and I think he obviously started off as this really precocious talent,” Dravid said. “I remember seeing him for the first time when he was 17 or 18 – [he] just came out of Under-19s – and you could see that you’re looking at something slightly different here. And he has gone on to prove that. You look at a lot of kids who look different at 19 but not all of them go onto actually achieve their potential. What Rohit has done over the last 15 years I think now has actually changed his potential and he’s been a great servant for Indian cricket and has done really well.”Maybe, like you said, the turning point was when ten years ago he got the opportunity to finally open. And really his hallmark has obviously been his performances in ICC tournaments, like we said in 2019, but also his ability to score big runs when he gets going. Someone who has got three double-hundreds in this format is an absolutely phenomenal achievement.”

Como have joined Wolves and West Ham in the race for Marc Casado, after Barcelona warned the midfielder he won’t get minutes despite wanting to stay.

Barcelona told Casado he won’t see much game timeWest Ham United and Como also showing strong interestWolves tabled a €30m bidFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Barcelona have told Casado that regular minutes will be hard to come by this season, despite the midfielder wanting to stay. Wolves, West Ham and Serie A side Como are among the clubs pushing for his signature, with the Premier League outfit already lodging a €30 million (£25m/$33m) offer.

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The 21-year-old was one of Barca’s breakout players last year, impressing in midfield and even earning a call-up for Spain. But the return of Marc Bernal from his ACL injury, along with the presence of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi, has pushed him down the pecking order. The Catalan giants are now open to cashing in if the player agrees, though he has not requested a move himself.

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Cesc Fabregas’ Como have emerged as surprise contenders, willing to compete with English sides Wolves and West Ham. Barcelona’s willingness to sell stems less from Financial Fair Play issues and more from squad depth, with Casado struggling to find a pathway to minutes. The Spaniard remains determined to fight for his place, showing no signs of pushing for an exit himself. For now, Barca’s stance is that they would only sanction a move if the player decides he wants out, leaving the ball firmly in Casado’s court.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CASADO AND BARCELONA?

Casado continues training with Barcelona while awaiting further updates on his role. With two weeks left in the window, clubs across Europe are expected to step up their efforts, leaving the final decision in the player’s hands. The Catalan giants opened their La Liga campaign with a 3-0 win over Mallorca and now turn their attention to Levante this weekend.

A loss on Friday will end GT’s tournament, while CSK will be looking to boost their hopes of a playoff spot

Alagappan Muthu09-May-20244:37

Should CSK drop Rahane and open with Mitchell?

Match detailsGujarat Titans (10th; W4, L7) vs Chennai Super Kings (4th; W6, L5)
Ahmedabad, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big pictureChennai Super Kings right now are Gujarat Titans from the start of the season. They have pretty much lost their entire pace attack, which has been crucial to their challenge for a place in the playoffs. Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman and to a lesser extent Deepak Chahar had done such a good job that the CSK quicks are the ones with the best economy rate in the middle overs (8) and the second-best at the death (10.43) in IPL 2024.GT had a bowler that they relied on just as heavily. Mohammed Shami. But he’s been out, recovering from ankle injury, and then surgery. In his absence, the team has looked at various options. Azmatullah Omarzai. Spencer Johnson. Josh Little. But nothing has worked. Fast bowlers are a point of difference, especially those with slingy actions or supreme new-ball skills or hard-to-pick variations. And when they go missing, it can be difficult to cope.Related

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GT haven’t really been able to. A loss on Friday will end their tournament. CSK have to win. They are better placed to make a run at the playoffs and the final, which happens to be taking place at the very ground where someone said he wanted to end his career. Wouldn’t that be poetic?Form guideGujarat Titans LLLWL
Chennai Super Kings WLWLLPrevious meetingBack in March – seems ages ago, doesn’t it? – the re-match of the 2023 final fell CSK’s way with Shivam Dube hitting a whirlwind half-century and their fast bowlers refusing to let GT find a hero from out of nowhere like they used to do. 206 for 6 comfortably beat 143 for 8.