Category Uncategorized

The Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards has dropped a Newcastle United transfer claim on Jack Harrison.

The Lowdown: Winger wanted

The St James’ Park outfit have been linked with moves for the likes of Harrison, Moussa Diaby and Anthony Gordon this summer, which would imply that they are looking for a new winger.

They have already done some shrewd business so far, bringing in Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Matt Targett, but now it is time for them to strengthen their options in the attacking third of the pitch.

The Latest: Harrison claim

Taking to Twitter, Edwards has claimed that a move for Harrison from Leeds United to Newcastle should not be ruled out, as the 25-year-old could be seen as an alternative to Diaby and Gordon.

The journalist stated: “I honestly wouldn’t focus too much on the Gordon interest as nobody seems to think it’s going to happen. Shows what #nufc want – young players who will grow with project over the next few years. I hope they can do Diaby deal personally. Don’t rule out Harrison if they can’t.”

The Verdict: Unlikely

Given that Jesse Marsch’s side have already sold Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City, and a deal for Raphinha to Barcelona is ‘almost done’ according to journalist and Barca Times chief reporter Shay Lugassi, it seems unlikely that the Whites would let Harrison go as well.

Called an ‘amazing’ and ‘absolutely fantastic’ player by Toon legend Alan Shearer upon scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 win at West Ham United last season, the 25-year-old was Leeds’ second-highest scorer in the 2021/22 Premier League with eight goals, while he also claimed one assist and three man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

However, if the money put forward is right, the Tynesiders could still have a chance of signing the winger from Elland Road.

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to spend big this summer in an attempt to bolster Antonio Conte’s playing squad…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who delivered a very exciting claim to supporters in a recent Q&A, where he revealed that the Premier League outfit would spend the bulk of the recent investment from owners ENIC Group.

Last month, Spurs revealed that the hierarchy had put £150m into the club in preparation for the summer transfer window, and it’s believed that the Lilywhites will spend all of that before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

“The plan is to use the bulk of that £150m cash injection in this summer transfer window, plus anything that comes in through player sales,” Gold said.

Spurs nowhere near done

The north Londoners have already conducted some business early, bringing in no fewer than three players, including the free-agent additions of veteran wing-back Ivan Perisic and backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster, along with a £25m move for Brighton star Yves Bissouma.

With Gold claiming that the club will spend the majority of the £150m, that leaves around £125m left to splash out on other targets.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-much-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

You’d imagine that a left-footed centre-back is high on the agenda, with the likes of Alessandro Bastoni, Josko Gvardiol and Clement Lenglet all linked, the former two proving to be particularly expensive.

Whilst there has also been mooted interest in a new right wing-back, where Nottingham Forest’s promotion-winning loanee Djed Spence seems a likely candidate.

Further up the pitch, Harry Kane could do with some support – both to dominate the attack with him or to provide a midweek alternative. That signing, however, could prove difficult as there will not be many strikers wanting to come to N17 knowing just how safe the Englishman’s position is.

Christian Eriksen has even been linked with a sensational return to the club, having worked with Conte at Inter Milan, for whom he left Spurs in January 2020.

All in all, it’s certainly a great time to be a Lilywhites fan right now, and this latest claim from Gold will only increase expectations and excitement heading into the new season.

Spurs are by no means done in the transfer market just yet – they are only getting started.

AND in other news, Meeting set: Paratici to hold Spurs talks to land £43m “monster”, Conte will love him…

Rangers are plotting a summer bid for an English defender as Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks set to bolster his squad at Ibrox.

What’s the news?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who understands that the Light Blues are keen on a deal for Cameron Humphreys.

The 23-year-old is now a free agent following his decision to leave Belgian club Zulte Waregem, although the Gers could face a battle over his signature, with English Championship sides Sheffield United and Middlesborough, along with newly-promoted Bournemouth, all ready to make a move for the player.

Humphreys was at Premier League champions Manchester City as a youngster, making two appearances for the club in the FA Cup.

Humphreys in, Bassey out?

Van Bronckhorst has had a good start to life as Rangers manager, securing the club’s first Scottish Cup in 13 years last week and leading them into the Europa League final, their first on the continent since 2008.

He will be under no illusions that the squad needs strengthening over the summer, though, with a few first-team players uncertain of their futures.

Given Aston Villa’s strong interest in Calvin Bassey, Humphreys could be the ideal replacement for the 22-year-old, who may well be tempted by a move to the Premier League and a reunion with Steven Gerrard.

The English centre-back was previously described as a “leader” by his former coach Simon Davies, and at 23 years of age, there is plenty of time to continue his development at the Ibrox side.

Losing Bassey would be a big blow to Rangers, especially after his performances this season. The 22-year-old has slotted into the centre of defence to partner Connor Goldson with ease, whilst also deputising for Borna Barisic at left-back when required.

Although Humphreys is a right-footed centre back, this is an area in which the Gers need reinforcements, especially when the futures of Goldson and Leon Balogun at Ibrox are uncertain.

Humphreys would be a great signing, and he still has plenty of years left to get even better.

AND in other news, Huge transfer twist emerges on Rangers summer target, supporters will be gutted

Aston Villa are planning to offer forward Jesse Lingard a contract this summer with the 29-year-old set to leave Manchester United next month as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract.

What’s the story?

According to reports, via Birmingham Live, the Englishman is a summer target for Villa as Steven Gerrard looks to bolster his squad in his first summer transfer window in charge of the West Midlands club.

Lingard had enjoyed an excellent half-season on loan at West Ham United last season where he scored nine goals and registered five assists in 16 appearances and was labelled as “phenomenal” by TalkSPORT’s Adrian Durham.

However, since returning to United, the 29-year-old has been offered little game time under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, starting just twice in the Premier League.

Villa must sign Lingard

Despite a cruel end to a long Manchester United career, there is no doubt that Lingard is still a talented Premier League winger.

Villa could still finish as high as seventh and as low as 15th meaning that their final four matches will be vital in deciding what sort of a proposition they will be to players they look to sign over the summer.

What is for certain though is that Gerrard will be looking for extra quality from out wide with neither big money signings Emi Buendia (£38m) nor Leon Bailey (£25m) making the desired impact at Villa Park.

Buendia has shown glimpses of brilliance but has scored just three goals in the Premier League this term, alongside registering six assists.

As for Bailey, the Jamaican’s first season in England has been injury-hit and thus the winger has managed to start just seven league matches.

Both were brought in in the attempt to replace the goal contributions of Jack Grealish who departed for Manchester City. However, Lingard alone could potentially come close.

In his final season as a Villa player, Grealish scored seven goals and registered 12 assists in 27 appearances. That averages at a goal contribution every 1.42 matches whilst at West Ham, Lingard’s average was slightly better at 1.14.

Moreover, on a free transfer, signing the £80k-per-week ace would be a bargain given his talent and experience. It would certainly make sense for Villa to swoop for the winger.

AND in other news: Lange now plotting AVFC bid for “brilliant” £15m destroyer, could be bye-bye Sanson

They were without their best spinner, Graeme Cremer, but two debutants and a batting allrounder more than made up for his absence

Mohammad Isam08-Nov-2018Brandon Mavuta, Wellington Masakadza and Sikandar Raza came down the stairs together soon after Zimbabwe’s initial celebrations ended in their Sylhet dressing room. As the two youngsters gave interviews, Raza got himself a cup of sweet tea from Bullu . Not long after, the three got together again and joked around. It was hard to tell the age difference between them.The three of them had made for an effective spin attack, taking 12 of the 19 Bangladesh wickets that went to the bowlers. They were bowling on a slightly helpful pitch where the two quicks, Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara, had exerted early control over the Bangladesh batsmen. The Zimbabwe spinners were bowling at a batting line-up that had not put together a 200-plus score in a Test innings since February.In the second innings, after Raza removed three of the home side’s top four batsmen, Mavuta and Masakadza nipped out the remaining six wickets. What blew Bangladesh away was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just legspin and left-arm spin, a weird mix of Bangladesh’s bane and staple, from two debutants, and offspin from a batting allrounder who was considered a part-timer even three years ago.Zimbabwe were without Graeme Cremer, which for them was as big a blow as Bangladesh missing Shakib Al Hasan.Mavuta didn’t fully make up for Cremer’s absence, but he picked up 4 for 21 in the second innings, the third-best innings figures by a Zimbabwe debutant. He would have gained a lot of confidence from his display, since it came after a difficult ODI series, and particularly since it came in a historic win for his side.”I think the adjustment from South Africa to Bangladesh required a lot of hard work,” Mavuta told ESPNcricinfo. “I am happy that it came out nicely in the Test match. The length is actually different from South Africa. It is a good spinning wicket, it doesn’t really bounce. You have to be on your work. They play spin better than South Africans so that was the massive difference. It is a great feeling.”The only difficulty I faced was that I did not really know how much it is going to turn. You don’t know how much revs you have to put on the ball. You have to land in the right area and let the wicket do the rest. But it has boosted my confidence. It is a great feeling doing well on your debut.”Coach Lalchand Rajput said his message to the young spinners was to stick to what they know best. “Mavuta did exceptionally well in South Africa, but he didn’t have a good series here in the one-dayers,” he said. “I knew that as a legspinner he’s a match-winner. The only message was that he has to bowl his normal spin and not try to flight the ball too much. On a fourth-day wicket, you just have to put it in the right area.”Mavuta removed Nazmul Hossain Shanto first, with an innocuous delivery that the left-hander bunted to the cover fieldsman. His real battle was with Mushfiqur Rahim, who was happy to sweep the legspinner. But soon after lunch, he was undone by a bit of bounce and couldn’t keep the shot along the ground, giving Masakadza a low catch at deep square-leg.Mavuta had done the trick for his captain, and he would go on to add Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nazmul Islam to his wickets column. Masakadza removed Taijul Islam and then took last wicket, of Ariful Haque.In the Dhaka Test, the unlikely trio of spinners will have another opportunity to show Zimbabwe a window to their Test future. Winning abroad is a big step and while it arrived in surprising fashion in Sylhet, Zimbabwe have the opportunity to build on that performance. They don’t play a lot of Test cricket but the performances of Mavuta and Masakadza, in particular, should give them the confidence that they can keep competing.

The call-ups of Keaton Jennings and Liam Dawson represent a return to pragmatism and, as such, bear the stamp of Andy Flower, the England Lions head coach

George Dobell30-Nov-2016The series can still be drawn and England could still leave India as the No. 2 rated Test side but, as they head for Mumbai (or Dubai, in a few cases), it doesn’t feel much like it.It’s not just the tour-ending injuries to Haseeb Hameed and Zafar Ansari, or the somewhat less threatening injuries to Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad. It’s the sense that, five Tests into their Asian adventure, England still do not know their best side or even what the balance of that side should be.On the face of things, the call-up of Keaton Jennings is as a direct replacement for Hameed. But it’s more than that. It’s an acceptance of a lack of confidence in the original squad and in Ben Duckett (who has already opened in Test cricket) and Gary Ballance (who spent much of his Test career at No. 3) in particular. In retrospect, it was a mistake for England to take Ballance to India if they had decided after the Bangladesh segment of the tour not to pick him. They had the opportunity to change the squad, they failed to take it and have struggled with a lack of batting options.One of the victims of that imbalance has been Moeen Ali. While he might well have benefited from some stability – most batsmen do – he has been shunted up and down the order to the point where his role has changed almost by the match. In his 35 Tests, he has batted everywhere in the top nine; a panacea for England’s failings, but one that comes at its own cost.It’s hard to argue with the selection of Jennings, though. He scored more runs than anyone else (1,548) in Division One in 2016 and, while few of them were against spin, he did make a fourth-innings century against a Warwickshire attack including Jeetan Patel (arguably the best spinner in English domestic cricket).He is well-organised, patient and, perhaps crucially, brought up with more than a hint of the South African culture that seems so popular with key figures in English cricket; more of that later. It’s probably not ideal that he is another left-hander – England may well have four in their top six against two fine offspinners – but ‘ideal’ left this tour a while ago.The selection of Liam Dawson is more contentious. He claimed only 20 Championship wickets in 2016 and they cost 43.65 each. Nor was that an aberration: in 2015 he claimed 22 at 38.63. He is respected as a defensive spinner, a decent batsman and a good fielder, but it is unlikely his selection has plunged the India camp into a state of fear. He simply doesn’t take enough wickets and, if his main role is as a bowler, that is quite an issue.Few would claim Dawson is the best left-arm spinner in county cricket. But equally few would have made the same claim about Ansari or Samit Patel, who fulfilled the role this time last year. The truth is, England have a shallow talent pool and they aren’t after the best specialist: they are after a left-arm option who can bat, field and will be low-maintenance on and off the pitch. They have assessed Dawson as a member of the limited-overs squads and decided they like his character and range of skills.With those parameters, he may prove a useful selection. He will not buckle, even if India attack him; he will be a reliable fielder, even of England are out there for five sessions; he will not be intimidated with the bat, even if he is asked to save a match. But even if he does tie up an end with his fairly flat, fairly quick spin – and that will not be easy against this India batting line-up – it is not entirely obvious who will be attacking at the other end. Besides, for a team that talks of its positivity and aggression, it seems odd to opt for a bowler whose strength is not wicket-taking but bowling maidens.Keaton Jennings scored heavily for Durham•Getty ImagesIt’s not especially unusual to pick players on a hunch rather than on statistics, though. The selection in the Mohali Test of Jos Buttler, who had played only one first-class game in the previous 12-months, could only be justified on the basis of potential and, in the past, much the same might have been said about David Gower, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan. It sends a less than encouraging message to those involved in county cricket, but that is nothing new.You have to feel for Somerset’s Jack Leach. Having taken 65 Championship wickets at an average of 21.87 in 2016, albeit benefiting from Taunton’s spin-friendly wickets, he would be justified in feeling somewhat hard done-by as he comes to term with this latest rejection. Anyone watching county cricket last season would be hard placed to name a better left-arm spinner available to England.But it seems the selectors remain unsure how he would cope with the glare of international cricket. Chris Rogers, his Somerset captain this year, suggested Leach “emotionally had a bit of a way to go” before he was ready and it seems the experience of Simon Kerrigan, who wilted in the spotlight of the Oval Ashes Test of 2013, continues to weigh heavily on the team management’s minds. Leach is 25, though, and coped well with the expectation of a Somerset side pushing for their first Championship title on pitches where he was supposed to do the bulk of the damage. The selectors may well be doing his strength of mind a disservice.There may also be an issue here with Trevor Bayliss’ knowledge – or lack of knowledge – of county cricket. He never played it, has never coached in it and, through no fault of his own, hardly has the time to watch it. As a result, he does not know who the best players are and he has not had the opportunity to build up relationships with coaches, umpires and players in the domestic game who might have helped him. Instead, he remains heavily reliant upon Andy Flower – who is not officially a selector – who watches a lot of cricket and works with the best developing players. It is Flower who is managing the Lions team in the UAE and Flower who told Jennings of his selection.You wonder if he told Bayliss, too. For it is hard to avoid the suspicion that both these selections owe much to his influence. The tough simplicity of Jennings and the combative all-round skills of Dawson are both characteristics Flower always seemed to admire in his players; arguably more so than flair and specialist skills. None of this is necessarily a bad thing – quite the opposite, a man with Flower’s knowledge and passion can only be an asset – but it might prove slightly at odds with Bayliss’ apparently bolder, more positive approach. Nearly three years since he stepped down as head coach, Flower power is still very much alive in English cricket.

The sight of Ben Stokes marching out to bat with an injured shoulder heavily strapped summed up England’s spirit but their spin-bowling limitations are proving hard to mask with the final Test at a critical point

Andrew McGlashan in Sharjah03-Nov-20151:24

Stokes bats despite collarbone injury

The sight of Ben Stokes walking out to bat at No. 11, barely able to lift his right arm horizontal, then wearing one on the chest from Wahab Riaz summed up the spirit that England have shown for vast tranches of this series. The collective will of a side can help to make up for deficiencies, but Test matches remain largely won by skill. With two days to go England need both spirit and skill to work in harmony if they are to leave with anything tangible to show for their stresses and strains.With a player down – well, almost down – and the prospect of Yasir Shah in the final innings, with his ripping delivery to Samit Patel firmly in the memory bank of both sides, it will take a mighty effort to avoid a 2-0 scoreline. England can cling to the record of Pakistan chasing 302 on this ground against Sri Lanka in 2014, but that was a more benign surface even allowing for the fact that James Taylor said this one has become easier to bat on.You would not expect them to crumble, though, over the final two days. That has not been their style in this series, barring that one vital morning in Dubai. The way James Anderson and Stuart Broad hurled themselves to the crease in the final session, each claiming a vital wicket, has kept England in the contest. A draw appears unlikely, so it’s either 1-1 or 2-0. The latter would be hard to sugarcoat, but would be a harsh reflection on their endeavours.Still, there would be clear reasons for it if that is the outcome. This was a match where a first-innings hundred would likely have been a matchwinner. Conditions were, tough, make no mistake but not impossible as Taylor later intimated. Pakistan missed out on the first day (although that has proved the toughest period to bat) and England, while doing a lot right with the bat, had four batsmen dismissed between 40 and 49 and another, Taylor, for 76 after he added just two to his overnight score.Patel can be excused – he played superbly on his Test return, as well as any England batsman on the tour against spin – but one of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell yesterday, or Taylor and Jonny Bairstow had the chance to play the match-defining innings. Taylor, although in his third Test, looked the likeliest but could not get himself in again on the third morning (damn those third mornings, England must think) when he fiddled well outside off at Rahat Ali.Bairstow battled as he has throughout the series – he has faced 357 balls in the three Tests, the fourth most among England batsmen – but was given another searching examination of his technique, this time by Zulfiqar Babar, before being completely set-up by one which skidded on as he tried to cut. Bairstow should come out of this tour a far better player, but in the immediate reckoning it was another middling score.With one innings to go in the series, England still have just the single century – Alastair Cook’s 263 in Abu Dhabi – and cricket in Asia is rarely won with such a low conversion rate.Still, there has been enough evidence to say that England are progressing in their playing of spin bowling – although some players need more refining than others – but the same cannot be said of the bowling of spin. It was always likely to be this way given the limited hand dealt to Cook but the third day again exposed his difficult position.Once again Anderson and Broad were pinpoint with the new ball and found reverse with the old but, in the knowledge there would be no Stokes to follow, relief soon emerged for Pakistan. Allowances need to be given to all England’s spinners because of who they are facing and their rawness, but from somewhere Cook needed better control that he has had. At the close of the third day, the maidens count in the series was 98 to the England quicks and 21 to the spinners.Given the lack of international experience of Adil Rashid, and in this match Patel, the onus fell on Moeen Ali who now has more than a year of Test cricket behind him. He has taken eight wickets in this series, but as part of his evolution as a Test spinner he needs to bring his economy rate down: it has never been lower than the 3.25 after his Test debut. It won’t always matter if he goes for runs briskly in England, or South Africa later this year, but a spinner needs to provide control in Asian conditions especially after England had left out a quick and were then another quick down due to Stokes’ injury.His spell on the third day was a case in point. When he came on in the 11th over, Pakistan were 17 for 0. He did find the edge of Mohammad Hafeez second ball but it was a huge deflection for Bairstow to gather; from then on he was comfortably taken for 25 off five overs. When he was removed, Pakistan were 54 without loss and closing on England.Cook is in a dilemma with his spinners. He wants to give them sweepers, understandably so, especially in a match as potentially tight as this, but it opens up the field for plenty of singles and strike rotation. Spinners are most effective when they can target one batsman. Like Bairstow with the bat, Moeen (and Rashid) should have learnt a vast amount from this series. There is a bigger picture to this England team at the moment, but the here and now also matters.England can still level the series, and the spinners can still play the sort of role they did on the final day in Abu Dhabi, but given their resources in a discipline so central to playing in Asia it would be a remarkable performance to finish with honours even.

Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders have met three times this season, but the IPL is yet to witness a genuinely explosive meeting between its two best sides. That might well change in Sunday’s final

S Rajesh31-May-2014The overall numbersThe final of IPL 2014 will be played between the best batting team and the best bowling team of the tournament. Kings XI Punjab have scored 2788 runs, including 117 sixes and 245 fours – all of these are the highest among all teams this year. Their run rate of 9.03 per over is also by far the best – the second-highest is Chennai Super Kings’ 8.53. In terms of win-loss ratio also, Kings XI have been the top team in the competition, with 12 wins and four defeats.Their opponents, Kolkata Knight Riders, haven’t been as impressive with the bat: they’ve struck only 65 sixes and 208 fours, and their batting run rate is 8.10, the third-highest among all teams in this tournament. However, they are on an eight-match winning streak, and their bowling has been the major reason why they are in the final (though the top-order batting has picked up significantly as well). Knight Riders have taken 91 wickets – third among all teams in the tournament, after Kings XI (106) and Super Kings (98), though both have played an extra match. However, Knight Riders have an economy rate of 7.57, easily the best – the next-best have been Mumbai Indians with 8.02. Since the tournament moved to India, most bowling sides have struggled but Knight Riders have still kept their economy rate down to 7.73, while the next-best is Mumbai’s 8.26.While Knight Riders have struck only 65 sixes in the entire tournament, they have also been frugal in terms of conceding sixes – only 67 of them have been hit against their bowlers, again the least in the tournament; Kings XI have conceded 96.Subtracting the run rate from the economy rate for both teams, Kings XI are marginally ahead, 0.72 to 0.53. They are again the top two teams on that yardstick, ahead of Super Kings’ 0.19. Also, Knight Riders’ win-loss ratio is next only to that of Kings XI, so in every way it’s only fair that these two teams have made it to the final round.

How KKR and KXIP have fared in IPL 2014 so far

TeamMatchesW/ LBat aveRun rateBowl aveEcon rateKolkata Knight Riders1510/ 528.608.1024.677.57Kings XI Punjab1612/ 430.639.0324.478.31The middle-over kingsIn terms of batting numbers, Kings XI have been particularly strong in the middle overs: between 6.1 and 15, their run rate has been 8.77; the next-highest are Knight Riders at 7.97. In the middle overs, Glenn Maxwell has scored 426 runs at a strike rate of 189; next on the list is Robin Uthappa with 298 at a strike rate of 131. (In the Indian leg, though, Uthappa leads with 239 runs, followed by Mawell’s 216.)In the opening overs, too, Kings XI have scored considerably quicker than Knight Riders, but the return to form for Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa has lifted Knight Riders in the Indian leg: the team has averaged 52.44 at a rate of 7.86 since returning to India, compared to Kings XI’s 43.14 and 9.15. During this period, Uthappa has scored 558 runs from ten innings at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 144, while Maxwell has 252 from ten innings at an average of 25.20 and a strike rate of 175.However, while Kings XI have been strong at the start with the bat, they have also conceded plenty with the ball in the first six: their economy rate of 8.70 in the Powerplays is the worst among all teams; Knight Riders have an economy rate of 7.12, the best among all sides. In the last five, too, Knight Riders have by far the best economy rate – 8.39, while the next-best are Sunrisers Hyderabad at 9.14. Kings XI, meanwhile, have conceded 10.02. Knight Riders’ success is largely because of Sunil Narine, who has bowled 156 balls during the last five, and taken 14 for 156. Gambhir has kept about two of his overs for the end, and that tactic has worked superbly throughout the tournament – no other bowler has bowled as many balls during the slog overs. (Click here for the tournament batting and bowling stats for Knight Riders, and here for Kings XI.)

Batting stats at various stages of an innings

First 6 overs6.1 to 15 overs15.1 to 20 oversAverageRun rateAverageRun rateAverageRun rateKolkata Knight Riders35.167.0332.457.9720.1310.06Kings XI Punjab36.268.6833.008.7723.3310.04

Bowling stats at various stages of an innings

First 6 overs6.1 to 15 overs15.1 to 20 oversTeamAverageRun rateAverageRun rateAverageRun rateKolkata Knight Riders32.057.1231.377.4315.388.39Kings XI Punjab33.448.7024.667.1918.5110.02KKR’s spin advantageKnight Riders have the obvious advantage in terms of bowling firepower, especially in the spin department. Their spinners have taken 43 wickets at an economy rate of 6.58, compared to Kings XI’s 29 wickets at an economy rate of 7.41. Twenty of the 43 wickets belong to Narine, at an economy rate of 6.01.Kings XI’s quick bowlers have taken 69 wickets, 15 more than the seamers from any other team, but they’ve also leaked 8.58 runs per over. In the Indian leg, they’ve been even more expensive, going at 9.32 to the over.

Fast bowlers’ stats, in India and the UAE

OverallIn IndiaWicketsAverageEcon rateWicketsAverageEcon rateKolkata Knight Riders3634.388.092335.088.31Kings XI Punjab6924.758.584129.419.32

Spinner stats, in India and the UAE

OverallIn IndiaWicketsAverageEcon rateWicketsAverageEcon rateKolkata Knight Riders4321.816.582724.666.72Kings XI Punjab2928.897.412227.817.20The Narine factorAnd finally, a look at how Kings XI’s current batsmen have fared against Narine. Sehwag has gone after Narine, and done it fairly successfully, while George Bailey has been more circumspect, scoring at a run a ball. Maxwell has done well against him too, scoring 42 from 33 without being dismissed (16 from 13 in this tournament). How these batsmen – and David Miller – go against Narine in a big game could well decide the result of the final on Sunday.

Narine versus… (in all T20 matches)

RunsBallsDismissalsAverageRun rateVirender Sehwag30140-12.85George Bailey3635136.006.17Glenn Maxwell42330-7.63David Miller1511115.008.18

Narine v right- and left-handers in IPL 2014

RunsBallsWicketsAverageEcon rateRight-handers2662641320.466.04Left-handers9497713.425.81

Plays of the day from the Group D match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Pallekele

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele25-Sep-2012The reaction to a reaction
Mohammad Hafeez opened the bowling for Pakistan, and had a deep midwicket and long on for Mohammad Ashraful. Ashraful swept the fourth delivery over square for four. Hafeez reacted immediately, moving deep midwicket to deep square leg and pushing long on wider. Next ball, Ashraful swept again, this time to deep midwicket.The declaration of intent
In Saeed Ajmal’s first over, Shakib Al Hasan stepped out to a delivery on leg stump, got inside the line and lofted it over to the wide long-off boundary. Coming up against Pakistan’s best bowler, it was a statement that Bangladesh were in no mood to roll over today.The recovery
Umar Gul had a nightmare with the ball, going for 43 off three overs. He tried to make up for it on the field. In the ninth over, he dived full-length to his left at short-third man to try and stop a thick edge from Mushfiqur Rahim. He couldn’t stop it, but managed to take some pace off it. Hafeez went after it from backward point. Gul got up, sprinted hard, overtook Hafeez, slid to stop the ball and ended up saving a run.The modified celebration
Shahid Afridi’s celebration is usually an uninhibited display of happiness, with a wide smile accompanying the raised arms. But Bangladesh had rattled Pakistan today with their batting, and the release of emotion showed in the way Afridi celebrated after getting Mahmudullah. The arms were raised alright, but there was no smile. Instead, he arched back and cried out, looking towards the skies.The superman’s anguish
Apart from taking a start, stopping, and leaving Tamim Iqbal with no chance of making it back to his crease, Shakib did everything right today. His magnificent 84 willed Bangladesh on to 175, he bowled economically and should have had Imran Nazir off his first ball, but the leg-before appeal was turned down. In his second over, Nazir sliced high towards sweeper cover. Abul Hasan made a reasonable effort to go for the catch, but ultimately had to stop as it fell well in front of him. All a frustrated Shakib could do was to scream in anguish and stare at the fielder.

Rahul Dravid has struggled to score runs in 2010 and needs a good series against New Zealand

Sriram Veera in Ahmedabad02-Nov-2010It’s definitely not a shove. Perhaps it’s a gentle tap on his shoulder. Only Rahul Dravid can tell. Is Dravid feeling the pressure from the youngsters? Or is it an illusion in our minds? In the seven games he has played in 2010, Dravid averages 34.60. It’s a dip from his high standards, of course, but is it cause for concern?Cricinfo’s Numbers Game recently traced his decline since 2007. Have a look; it isn’t pretty. It felt worse when he was hit by a Shahadat Hossain bouncer and put in a Dhaka hospital in January this year. Indian fans have this thing about bouncers and their legendary batsmen. At least the older generation does.They will tell you how Sunil Gavaskar was never hit on his head by a bouncer. They gasped and saw it as the end of their world when Gavaskar had his bat knocked out of his hand by a snorter from Malcolm Marshall in 1983. So when Dravid went down in Mirpur as if he were shot, for some it would have felt like a signpost of Dravid’s decline, and not just a misjudgement of bounce.In nine innings after that knock, Dravid has made one fifty, in the first Test against Australia. He has fallen to left-arm seamers a few times, chasing deliveries well outside the off stump. He has always looked to get on to that front foot; at times he has ended up chasing deliveries that could have been left alone. Some have said that his back leg remains rooted to the same spot now and it has meant that he has been stretching and playing well away from the body. Others have rubbished that as unnecessary fussing over technique and it’s foolish to think Dravid has suddenly developed chinks. Dravid himself hasn’t said anything on the issue.Today, he was as focussed as ever in his preparation ahead of the Test. He batted against throws from Gary Kirsten and also faced both spin and pace. When the flash bulbs and television cameras swung to Sachin Tendulkar as he walked in to the nets, Dravid took a break and relaxed by talking to the umpires. But it wasn’t long before he went in for an extra session and faced Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan. A couple of deliveries leaped past his outside edge and he jabbed and pushed out a couple others before the shots started to flow and the feet started to move.His fans will hope that everything falls in place in the Tests against New Zealand and Dravid can get in a groove for the sterner test ahead in South Africa.There was another man who batted today alongside Dravid at the nets who might also feel a bit of the heat. Gautam Gambhir’s 2010 average is worse than Dravid’s – he averages 27 from 6 games. He has been afflicted with injuries and been in and out of the side. In his absence, M Vijay has performed admirably, so India is not without options. Gambhir’s greatest test will come in South Africa. There we will learn how he handles pace and bounce. It won’t hurt him if he prepares for it with a big innings or two against New Zealand. Will Dravid and Gambhir turn things around against New Zealand? We won’t have to wait long to find out.