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The Blues manager has now overseen a run of just two wins in 16 matches, and patience must surely now be wearing thin in the Stamford Bridge boardroom

Graham Potter certainly deserved the Chelsea job when he was handed the reins in September. He had been successful everywhere he had been until that point, and was the kind of progressive coach that felt the right hire to replace Thomas Tuchel.

But as we approach the six-month anniversary of his appointment at Stamford Bridge, it's fair to now ask whether he will actually reach that milestone.

Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Tottenham means the Blues have won just one of their last 11 matches in all competitions, and are all but out of the top-four race after slipping 14 points behind Spurs.

Even qualifying for the lesser European competitions now looks a tall order, and Todd Boehly and the rest of the Blues board now have a decision to make on what is the best route forward for the club – let Potter see out the season and see if improvements are made, or sack him now in a bid to salvage something from a campaign that is almost totally lost.

It's not an easy call to make, but it was clear in north London that the Blues are a team going nowhere fast as Potter fights to find the right combination of expensively-assembled players to get positive results.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

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  LOSER: Graham Potter

  Potter clearly hasn't been dealt an easy hand in trying to get the best out of Chelsea's bloated squad, but can any manager of such a big club really continue after winning just two of their last 15 matches in charge?

  The ex-Brighton boss is clearly a good coach given what he has done previously in his career, but this job – in part due to the reckless spending of the club's new owners – feels too big for Potter now.

  His decision to match up against Tottenham's 3-4-3 formation actually worked well for the first 20 minutes of the game, but once Spurs had sussed the visitors out, Chelsea lacked any kind of cutting edge in the final third.

  Potter's desperation was summed up by him throwing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a player who he has left out in the cold since the end of the January transfer window, on for the final 10 minutes to try to save the game, but the Blues never looked like getting back into it.

  Todd Boehly insists that he adopts a different attitude towards potentially sacking managers than his predecessor Roman Abramovich, but it feels like we've entered Potter's endgame now.

  Things cannot continue like this.

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  WINNER: Oliver Skipp

  There were concerns that Tottenham's campaign could fall apart after key midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago, but if Skipp carries on playing like this, then Spurs might not miss the Uruguay international as much as they thought.

  A product of the north London side's academy, Skipp has had to wait to get a run of games under his belt, but early signs are that the 22-year-old is ready to shine at the top end of the Premier League.

  A fine performance on Sunday was capped by a stunning goal to open the scoring just 20 seconds into the second half, as Skipp forced himself in front of Joao Felix to latch onto a clearance and power a shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga from 20 yards.

  It was some way for Skipp to open his account for his boyhood club, and if he can add goals to his game, then he is well on the way to becoming the complete midfielder.

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  LOSER: Thiago Silva

  Amid the burning mess that has been Chelsea's 2022-23 season, Thiago Silva has stood strong and continued to shine at the heart of the Blues' defence.

  So to see the Brazil centre-back limp off with a knee injury inside the first 20 minutes will have been particularly concerning for Potter, and his team certainly missed their stand-in captain's leadership after he left the field.

  With the crucial second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund to come in just 10 days, Chelsea really need their Player of the Season in waiting to have avoided a long-term issue.

  If he is missing for that game, then their campaign may well be all but over before the March international break.

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  WINNER: Tottenham's top-four hopes

  With Newcastle otherwise engaged on Sunday, this game presented Spurs a chance to rubber-stamp their candidacy for a top-four finish after moving above the Magpies in the table last week.

  It was an opportunity they eventually took, with their second successive 2-0 home win moving them four points clear of Eddie Howe's side in the table.

  Newcastle do, admittedly, have two games in hand on Antonio Conte's team, but if they can pick up a head of steam as they did in the second half of last season, then they could quickly move away.

  They have the perfect chance to do just that, too, with five of their next six league matches coming against sides in the bottom eight of the table before they travel to Newcastle on April 23.

The group stage for next summer's tournament is set, with hosts Australia and New Zealand getting a good draw while Jamaica face another tough one.

A rematch of the 2019 final was the stand-out result of Saturday's 2023 Women's World Cup group stage draw, as the U.S. women's national team were pooled with the Netherlands while a tasty looking 'group of death' will feature France, Brazil and Jamaica.

The event moved us one step closer to next summer's biggest ever tournament, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand and feature 32 teams for the first time.

Three of those places are still to be secured via the play-off tournament in February, with those 10 nations now knowing more about the spots they are competing for after the groups were confirmed.

So, who was the draw kind to and who was it hard on? GOAL picks out the winners and losers…

GettyWINNER: USWNT

When the Netherlands was the first opponent drawn for the U.S. women's national team in Saturday's draw, there will have been fears from fans in the States that the group could turn out to be an incredibly tough one.

However, Vlatko Andonovski's side then landed a debutante, in Vietnam, and a play-off winner to round off a relatively kind pool despite the presence of their opposition from the 2019 Women's World Cup final.

Should they win the group, they should be rewarded with a nice knockout round run, too. In the round of 16, they'd land the runner-up of Group G, in which Sweden shouldn't have too much challenge for top spot, while the quarter-finals would give them a runner-up or the winner of Group A, arguably the weakest group in the tournament.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Jamaica

After being drawn in the 'group of death' in 2019, Jamaica were once again dealt that fate for 2023. The Reggae Girlz will face Brazil again in their second World Cup campaign as well as France, semi-finalists at the Euros this past summer.

Landing what is likely to be the weakest play-off winner to complete the group was a relief, at least.

There's no doubt in the ability within Jamaica's team – led by Manchester City striker Bunny Shaw – but to finish in the top two will be tough.

That they will be one of the teams having to make a long trip west to Perth for their second game – a city some 2,000 miles from Sydney, where their first game will be played – won't help either.

Should they qualify for the knockouts, the draw doesn't get much easier, as a runner-up spot would land them Germany in the next round.

Getty ImagesWINNER: England

Had a stronger team from Pot 2 been placed into England's group on Saturday, they would've quickly become a loser from this draw rather than a winner as it would've made their pool one of the toughest of the eight.

The European champions, however, were handed China before a difficult Denmark came out of Pot 3. The Asian nation is not without talent, which was evident earlier this year when they triumphed in the Asian Cup, but they are certainly chaotic defensively.

Being the only team in Group D that won't have to make the long trip to Perth will be a plus for the Lionesses, too.

Sarina Wiegman's side will have a tricky knockout run, likely to face hosts Australia and then Germany in the quarters, but to expect an easy ride in those stages of a World Cup would be naive.

After this past summer, and the recent win over the USWNT, they'll back themselves to beat anyone, anyway.

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GettyLOSER: The Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland made history this month by reaching their first ever major tournament on the women's side and they were shown just how big reaching a World Cup is by the draw.

The debutantes find themselves in a very tricky group, with Olympic gold medallists Canada, hosts Australia and the only African nation to reach every edition of this tournament, Nigeria.

On the one hand, it's a wide open one that they could get out of. Ireland showed their qualities throughout qualification and have some fantastic players in their ranks, from Arsenal's Katie McCabe to Denise O'Sullivan, one of the most respected midfielders in the NWSL – the top league in the United States.

However, it's one that there will be no easy wins in, either. Every single match will be a huge challenge.

Should they finish in the top two, which they are capable of, England or Denmark will be the next opponent. Whatever happens, it'll be a star-studded first experience of a World Cup for the Girls in Green.

MatériaMais Notícias

O último mês de 2019 chegou. Depois de uma longa temporada, o Botafogo aparece em dezembro aliviado, por estar matematicamente livre do risco de rebaixamento no Campeonato Brasileiro. A, agora, situação tranquila na tabela deve virar um objetivo para garantir a vaga na Sul-Americana. Fora de campo, porém, o período é cercado de expectativa em cima do projeto do clube-empresa.

Antes de pensar na profissionalização do futebol, o Botafogo terá os últimos compromissos do Campeonato Brasileiro. Em cinco dias, dois jogos: na próxima quarta-feira, às 19h, o Atlético-MG, no Mineirão. No domingo, na última rodada, o Alvinegro vai ao Estádio Nilton Santos para medir forças com o Ceará, às 16h. De praxe, o calendário nacional não permite tempo para longos treinamentos e período de recomposição física.

> CONFIRA A TABELA DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Os comandados de Alberto Valentim, portanto, terão que se superar na parte física. Além da sequência cheia em dezembro, o Botafogo já vem de um calendário repleto de partidas: em 35 dias, o Botafogo entrou em campo nove vezes – duas em setembro e sete em outubro, todas pelo Brasileirão. O técnico não tem uma semana cheia para trabalhar desde o período entre os dias 11 e 17 de novembro.

Com 42 pontos e na 14ª colocação, o objetivo do Botafogo é terminar o Brasileirão na parte superior da tabela e, consequentemente, garantir uma vaga na próxima Copa Sul-Americana. A diretoria entende que é importante não deixar de jogar uma competição internacional – a última vez que isto ocorreu foi em 2016, quando o Alvinegro retornou da segunda divisão.

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Se os objetivos dentro de campo forem bem sucedidos, a tendência é que isto se repita longe das quatro linhas. No dia 12 de dezembro, o Conselho Deliberativo do Botafogo terá acesso ao projeto da profissionalização, que vai separar o departamento de futebol do núcleo social no Alvinegro, na sede de General Severiano. Com o exposto, os conselheiros votarão pela mudança no estatuto, permitindo que o plano seja, definitivamente, iniciado.

Um grupo com cerca de 15 pessoas, formado por dirigentes e cardeais, está formulando o plano de negócios da Botafogo S/A há, pelo menos, quatro meses. Da fase inicial, com o estudo sobre as finanças do clube, organizado pelos irmãos Moreira Salles em parceria com a Ersnt & Young, a aprovação dos envolvidos e a busca por possíveis investidores, a profissionalização pode ter um desfecho feliz.

Pode parecer clichê, mas dezembro de 2019 será um mês fundamental para ditar qual será o ritmo do Botafogo no ano que vem – tanto dentro quanto fora de campo.

NOVEMBRO MOSTROU EVOLUÇÃO
​Com três três vitórias, novembro foi o mês com mais triunfos desde o retorno de Alberto Valentim ao Botafogo. Mesmo que o número de derrotas ainda seja maior – quatro ao todo -, o Alvinegro evoluiu, apesar de ainda ter dificuldades com o desempenho dentro de campo, principalmente para criar chances no setor ofensivo. De qualquer forma, a equipe ficou mais competitiva.

Nessa altura da temporada, porém, mais vale vencer do que performar. Para o Botafogo, que praticamente se livrou dos riscos de rebaixamento e pagou duas folhas de salários aos jogadores – mas ainda devendo aos funcionários, novembro pôde ser considerado como um mês positivo.

“No,” was ICC chief executive Dave Richardson’s considered, one-word response, delivered with a chuckle, when asked about whether there was any indication that India would buy into the DRS in the foreseeable future. That puts to rest any imminent change of mind by the BCCI as being predicted based on the open-ended statements delivered by two senior players: MS Dhoni during the Australia tour last December and Virat Kohli after India’s one-off Test against Bangladesh earlier this month.Richardson paused, creased his eyebrows as if he was giving a considered thought before responding, but in the end he just realised it was futile. Still he remains optimistic.”But having said that, times change, players move on. The modern player is more amenable to new ideas and innovation. So who knows, in the next couple of years,” Richardson said, addressing the media in Barbados at the end of the ICC’s annual conference which concluded on Friday.Richardson has encountered the ‘Are India ready for DRS?’ question virtually at every press briefing. Every time, Richardson has had to put a straight face to give the same answer. Unfortunately for him today, N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman and former former BCCI president, who was scheduled to sit with Richardson to address the media, was absent.According to Richardson as much as the ICC would like to have a uniform DRS applied consistently across the board, India remain unconvinced. “The ICC has said it would prefer to have a consistent DRS system used wherever international series are played. However there is one Member who does not want to use it. And until we have everyone seeing form the same hymn sheet in that regard it remains upto the host board to pay for the technology that is used in a series.”So that is why in some series you have got the full works: ball tracking, Hot Spot, snicko, you name it and in others series they have to do with less,” Richardson said responding to a question about whether ICC was satisfied with the DRS and its various components.Richardson said he continues to remain hopeful of eventually getting to a state where the same technology would be applied in a consistent fashion. “We are not there yet. But to that end we trying to take the approach of making sure everyone has full faith or full belief that the technology that we use is accurate and reliable.”To take matters forward Richardson said that the pair of ICC general manager Geoff Allardice and Anil Kumble, head of ICC’s cricket committee, would be travelling to the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in Boston from Barbados. The pair are will meet with engineers from the Field Intelligence Lab and discuss the scheduled testing of performance of all technlogies being used in cricket.This plan was originally recommended at the ICC meeting in Mumbai in May where it was decided that once the results are known, the DRS protocol and procedures would be reviewed. The testing is scheduled for the second half of 2015.”Hopefully they will now put those testing processes in place, finalise those, then we can put our various technologies through the testing process, come out with a clean chit,” Richardson said. “If everyone is saying they are accurate, they are fit for purpose which will help I think convince some doubters that technology is not what it is cracked up to be.”

Alex Lees scored a century to get Yorkshire’s reply off to a solid start but his dismissal late in the day led to some self-recrimination

Paul Edwards at Trent Bridge20-Apr-2015
ScorecardAlex Lees made his third 50-plus score in as many innings•PA Photos

So great has been the praise bestowed on Yorkshire’s academy recently that one is almost surprised to discover that Plato is not in charge of the place. Not only did Headingley’s finishing school supply many of the players that secured the title last September, it often seems to be mentioned whenever England’s progress is discussed.Some White Rose Academicians are already representing England in the West Indies while a few others, so the forthright argument holds, should be doing so. On the other hand, graduates like Adil Rashid should be back in England playing for Yorkshire, although those selectors could do far worse than open with that Alex Lees.All of which brings us to a warm afternoon in early spring at Trent Bridge, the trees still seasonally skeletal in Fox Road but the views across West Bridgford to Edwalton as crystal as could be wished. More particularly, it brings us to the century scored by the 22-year-old Lees, the seventh of his first-class career, and one which provided the backbone for Yorkshire’s reply.Lees is a most distinguished former member of the academy, directed by Ian Dews, and many predict a fine future for him, particularly if his development is not rushed. And on the evidence provided by Monday’s cricket, the Yorkshire opener, while plainly a very fine young player indeed, is not yet the finished product.On the credit side one can point to the fact that Lees has passed at least fifty in each of his three County Championship innings this season. This latest effort was a monument to his concentration as he dug in for 271 minutes to help Yorkshire reach 226 for 3 at stumps, a more than solid foundation for the second half of the game.Just as valuably, one can identify Lees’ secure defensive technique and the ability to capitalise upon the bad ball. There were periods in the afternoon session of the second day’s play when he and his second-wicket partner, Cheteshwar Pujara, simply had to defend their wickets against an accurate Nottinghamshire attack which had already dismissed 20-year-old Will Rhodes, another Academy lad, who edged Harry Gurney when he had made 41 out of an opening stand of 66.For the most part Lees batted with polished ease against Chris Read’s seamers and did not lose anything in comparison to the India Test cricketer with whom he was batting. His successive fours off Gurney, a cover drive and a clip square on the leg side, were lovely example of chanceless attack and they were warmly appreciated by a crowd that knows its cricket.Indeed, at one stage of the evening session, as their assurance grew and chances were dropped, it seemed that Lees and Pujara would take their side to stumps. In nine overs, though, both were gone. First Pujara, having reached his first half-century for Yorkshire with a glorious on-drive and a crisp late cut off Patel, made to punch the slow left-armer through the leg side but only gave a catch to substitute fielder Ben Kitt at midwicket. “We needed a break,” said a low wit, “and we got a Kitt catch.”Seemingly undaunted by Pujara’s dismissal for 57 on 178, Lees added a further 37 with Andrew Gale, who was playing his first match after serving a two-game suspension. And the captain congratulated his young partner when he reached three figures with a cut for three off Patel. He would, however, have been less than pleased to see Lees play the loosest of cuts to the next ball he received and edge a catch to Read, thus giving Will Gidman his first Championship wicket for his new county. It was left to Gale and Jack Leaning, another of Dews’ boys, to see their side to the close.”With Adam Lyth not there and the other guys missing in the West Indies someone needed to stand up and although I am still relatively inexperienced, I am trying to take a bit of that pressure by being as consistent as possible,” Lees said, before conceding his culpability.”I got out to short wide ball and I thought I did half a job out there but we’re in a decent position and hopefully the other lads can carry on from the good start.”Yorkshire supporters should be encouraged both by Lees’ talent and by his disappointment. He had been dropped twice in getting to three figures and he seems a fine example of a Test cricketer in the making. At times he looks like an old pro.Certainly there could be few better places to watch young players learn their trade than Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire’s home has achieved a remarkable feat and one that may be unique among homes of English cricket: it possesses the grand facilities of a Test venue; it evinces warm local pride in the style of a county headquarters; and it has the easy informality of a club ground.To walk round the pavilion, its walls covered with photographs of Nottinghamshire cricketers and at least one of its ceilings decorated with pennants, is to experience the English game at its very best. And to watch the game from the Radcliffe Road Stand, as very many spectators were doing on the evening of the second day, is a comparably rich experience.Here’s the thing, though. A group of those spectators were schoolboys and they were watching Lees bat in four-day county cricket while they discussed the possible composition of England’s team for the Test in Grenada.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on January 23, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2015
ScorecardMurumulla Sriram’s second first-class ton drove Andhra to 301 for 6 on the penultimate day against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala. After the entire second day had been washed out due to rain, Andra rode on a 92-run stand between Sriram and AG Pradeep. Pradeep eventually fell for 50, but Sriram added a further 56 runs with Ricky Bhui (46) before being bowled out by Vikramjeet Malik. With an outright result for either team all but ruled out, Andhra will be hoping to quickly pile on more runs on day four and try bowling the hosts out to secure first-innings points.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 119 from Tarjinder Singh left Assam on the front foot going into the final day in Povorim against Goa. Starting the day at 243 for 5, Assam were powered by a sixth-wicket association between Tarjinder and Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad which yielded 119 runs. Syed Mohammad eventually fell for 69, but Tarjinder carried on, as handy knocks from Swarupam Purkayastha (30) and Arup Das down the order lifted the team to 435 for 8, after which they declared. Facing a deficit of 260 runs, Goa made 82 before stumps, with their openers Amogh Sunil Desai (42) and Swapnil Asnodkar (37) still at the crease.
ScorecardOpener Akshath Reddy’s 133 led Hyderabad’s reply to Jharkhand’s 556 for 9 declared but the visitors were still far behind in Ranchi with only three wickets remaining. No. 6 Syed Quadri made 73 and Ashish Reddy was resisting with an unbeaten 54 at No. 7 but there was little from the batsmen before them, barring Akshath. The opener faced 232 balls and hit 17 fours and a six before being bowled by Shahbaz Nadeem. Hanuma Vihari (41) and Ibrahim Khaleel (31) got starts but could not carry on. Varun Aaron was the most successful bowler for Jharkhand with 3 for 98 in 23 overs.
ScorecardAbhishek Hegde made 82 at the top of the order as Kerala took a big first-innings lead over Tripura in Agartala. Hegde’s innings and Rohan Prem’s 58 at No. 6 helped Kerala to 301 for 9 declared. Sanju Samson could add only one run to his overnight 40, and Amit Verma fell for 42 but Prem ensured Kerala moved towards 300. Rana Dutta picked up 4 for 45 for Tripura. The hosts lost Udiyan Bose for a duck in the second over of their second innings before Bishal Ghosh and Abhijit Dey (30) steadied the innings. Dey was run out off what turned out to be the last ball of the day by KS Monish.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShakib Al Hasan’s belligerence did not allow Zimbabwe’s bowlers respite•AFP

A nuggety Tamim Iqbal century was complemented by a stroke-filled one from Shakib Al Hasan as Bangladesh cashed in on the painstaking foundation they had laid in Khulna to make 433.Zimbabwe’s bowlers struggled to reprise the discipline they had shown on the opening day. The pitch had nothing for them and the onus was now on their batsmen to combat an immense amount of pressure. Hamilton Masakadza and debutant opener Brian Chari had to face variation in bounce and the odd ball turning, but were able to take their side to stumps with one batsman down.Taijul Islam, fresh from an eight-wicket haul, was handed the new ball and derived just enough turn to make the arm ball a threat. One of those sliders thudded into Sikandar Raza’s pads. It had looked marginal and the batsman had a right to opt for a review. However, the original call of umpire Billy Bowden was upheld when HawkEye revealed the ball would have tickled leg stump.Zimbabwe’s best period of play on the second day was when they strung a ten-over spell after lunch that produced only six runs and a wicket.Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara whittled down the percentage of loose balls. A tight ring of fielders on either side of the batsman limited the chances of rotating the strike. Shakib attempted to take a single, only for Raza to swoop in from cover and run Mushfiqur Rahim out. The Bangladesh captain had raced to 11 off 5 balls before lunch, but could not find a run in the next 31 balls before he was caught short of his ground.Zimbabwe would have been desperate to extend that stranglehold. Especially with Shakib looking rather anxious. He had been the primary reason for Bangladesh whisking 123 runs in the first 30 overs of the day. But stuck in the nineties, he preferred caution. Perhaps excessively so, but his last century was in 2011. He did not want that drought to stretch.An on-drive against Panyangara took him to the landmark, after which Bangladesh refused to be bogged down. The three overs after drinks in the post-lunch session were carted for 26 runs. Tired bowlers, a helpless pitch and the total ballooning towards 400 meant Shakib becoming Malcolm Waller’s maiden Test wicket barely made a dent. The tail came in with a license, which Taijul Islam used as he survived a chance and demoralised Zimbabwe further during a 43-run eighth wicket stand with Shahadat Hossain.There were barely any chances in the morning though, and when the breakthrough did come – a mistimed drive from Tamim found gully with lunch only 2.3 overs away to end a 132-run stand – Zimbabwe would have felt relieved more than anything.Their bowlers had been able to strangle Bangladesh on the first day, so much that Elton Chigumbura believed honours had been even. There had only been 18 fours yesterday, one session’s play today produced 13, and three sixes. It was almost as if Bangladesh were telling the opposition they could have upped the ante any time they wished, but had chosen not to.Brendan Taylor saw nothing in the pitch to encourage the seamers. He resorted to the part-time spinners to lull a mistake from the batsmen. Bangladesh did display a greater inclination to hit out and enjoyed success quite regularly. Shakib welcomed Waller by running at him and depositing him over long-on. He had realised a softer ball would not afford much spin and used his swift and decisive footwork to unsettle them.M’shangwe’s legbreaks finally made an appearance after 17 overs of play. He had better control of his flight later in the day and picked up the final Bangladesh wicket with a googly. But M’shangwe had begun his second over with a loopy full toss that Shakib tonked to the midwicket boundary. Two balls later, Tamim nailed a drive wide of long-on to savour his first Test century in four years and acknowledged the landmark with a broad smile while his team-mates leapt to their feet. Mushfiqur was seen pumping his fists. Those smiles are likely to have got broader at stumps.

India have shone a harsh light on England’s ODI inadequacies, and could inflict more damage in a dead rubber at Headingley

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy04-Sep-2014Match factsSeptember 5, 2014
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)Big pictureFive Indian batsmen have 50-plus averages in this ODI series. Only one England batsman has a 30-plus average. Only one Indian bowler has conceded five runs an over in this series, and that man, Dhawal Kulkarni, has an economy rate of exactly 5.00. Every England bowler barring James Tredwell has been more expensive. India have bowled England out three times in three matches. England have taken 11 wickets in three matches.Eoin Morgan’s form will need to improve for England to get out of their slump and harbour any hope of posing next to the World Cup in a more meaningful manner•Getty ImagesIf it still needs to be said, this has been a rout, and England are under all kinds of pressure to demonstrate that their one-day strategy can work, and that the personnel they have invested in can make it work. The three completed matches so far have given them precious few positives – it’s hard to think of any apart from Tredwell’s consistently tight bowling and Moeen Ali’s sparkling 67 at Edgbaston – and they have one more match to try and redeem that situation.If England were flattered by India’s surrender in the Test series, the reverse has occurred in the ODIs. India came into the series with two major issues to fix. One, their death bowling, has gone untested so far thanks to England’s batting failures. The second was their middle order. Since winning the Champions Trophy last year largely on the back of their top three, India have tried a number of combinations without finding definitive answers to the question of who will bat at four and five come the World Cup.The three players who have auditioned for those roles in this series – Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane – have all strengthened their claims, with Rahane’s century at Edgbaston suggesting he is perhaps better suited to opening the batting in this format. Considering how easy India have had it, though, and considering how subcontinental the conditions have been through this series, it seems prudent to wait a little longer before saying they have found a blueprint for the World Cup.Form guide (Completed matches, most recent first)
England LLLLL
India WWWWWWatch out forEngland’s totals in this series so far have been 161, 227 and 206. Their batting is better than that, and they will surely run India much closer if Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler fire. They have averaged 23.33 and 18.33 in this series, respectively, and their failures have left England with barely any thrust in their middle order.England’s recent struggles against India’s spinners in ODIs are best encapsulated by the fact that Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin are India’s third and fourth-highest wicket-takers against England, and the fact that they also have the best strike rates among the top ten in that list. Jadeja needs three wickets to share the top spot with Harbhajan Singh. Can he do it in one match?Team newsIan Bell is out of the match with a broken toe, and England have not called for a replacement. He didn’t play the previous game either, so it seems likely they will stick to the same top six that lined up at Edgbaston. The seam-bowling combination is harder to predict, however, since they have used five different fast bowlers over the course of this series, apart from James Anderson, and all of them have been expensive.England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Steven Finn, 10 James Anderson, 11 Harry GurneyA few players in India’s squad haven’t played a game yet, and the series is already won, but India tend not to tinker that much with their eleven even in dead rubbers. It seems unlikely, therefore, that Sanju Samson or Karn Sharma will get to make their debuts.India (likely): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Mohammed ShamiPitch and weatherThree of the last five ODIs at Headingley have been abandoned without a ball bowled. This time around, the weather in Leeds should permit a full ODI, with the Met department forecasting a less than 5% chance of rain during the day. The pitch is expected to be flat, but the seamers could find some help if there is cloud cover. Though they took place a long time ago, the last two ODIs at this venue – England chased down 295 against Pakistan in 2010, and fell well short of Sri Lanka’s 309 a year later – suggest batsmen will enjoy themselves.Stats and trivia If India don’t lose the match, it will be the third time they have gone undefeated in bilateral ODI series of four or more matches against England. The previous two instances were 5-0 wins, both at home, in 2008-09 and in 2011-12 Ajinkya Rahane will reach 1000 ODI runs if he scores 54 Quotes”We are really happy the way we played our cricket in the last three ODIs, but the approach will remain the same. We will go in with the same intensity. We are not relaxed. We are just ready for the next ODI as we were ready for the last three games.”
“We are playing for England, he’s the captain and whatever he says we do. He’s got all our backing and like any other game for England we’re trying to do our best.”

Ian Butler, the former New Zealand fast bowler, has announced his retirement from the game

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2014Ian Butler, the former New Zealand fast bowler, has announced his retirement from the game. In a career blighted by debilitating back injuries, Butler played eight Tests, 26 ODIs and 19 T20 internationals, and his last match for his country was against England at The Oval in June 2013.”It is time to accept that the body has had enough,” said Butler, still only 32. “Sad but exciting times, hopefully the next chapter in life will be more family, friends and partner friendly.”Butler made his debut against England at Christchurch in 2002 as a quick 20-year old but his career seemed to be over following a serious back injury after an ODI against Australia in 2004. He cut down on speed and attempted to reinvent himself as a batsman at Northern Districts.Improved fitness and success with a move to Otago in 2008-09 revived his international career, and he made his comeback against Australia in February 2009. He had a final, short-lived stint when he played a few T20s against England in 2013. He enjoyed a productive time at Otago, with 87 first-class and 58 List A wickets.”Ian has given fantastic service to us since coming down here in 2008,” Otago Cricket CEO Ross Dykes said. “At that point his international career was seemingly over, but the way he dealt with his debilitating injuries and his exacting preparation saw him reinvent himself as a quality allrounder and become a ‘go to’ bowler for both the Volts and the BLACKCAPS. His ability to ‘finish’ games with both bat and ball set him apart as a sought after specialist in the short forms of the game.”He was a quality cricketer and is a quality individual whose strong values and exacting standards will add much to whatever he does in the future. We wish him every success in life after cricket and thank him for an outstanding contribution to the recent successes of the Volts.”

Match facts

March 20, 2014
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)Mushfiqur Rahim hasn’t had a bat in Bangladesh’s first two qualifying games•AFP

Big picture

At the start of the qualifying round of the World T20, Hong Kong’s captain Jamie Atkinson had wanted his team to play without the pressure of expectations. In their first two matches, Hong Kong had their moments but did not take them. Against Bangladesh, they have one more chance to cause an upset, or at least show significant improvement.Atkinson and Mark Chapman will be Hong Kong’s key players. Atkinson was promising against Afghanistan but got out before he could convert the start into a defining innings. Chapman top scored for his team in that game, showing resolve despite getting hit on the grille.For Bangladesh, who are almost through to the next round, the match is an opportunity to score another crushing win and enter the main draw with confidence. They could also use it for fine-tuning: Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah need a bat so there might a shuffle in the line-up. The home side’s bowlers also need to find a way to succeed despite the heavy dew.

Form guide

(including World T20 warm-ups, most recent first)Bangladesh WWWWLHong Kong LLWWW

Watch out for

Mark Chapman started quickly against Afghanistan before Dawlat Zadran hit him with a bouncer. But young Chapman ensured Hong Kong kept a good run-rate by scoring 38 off 43 balls.Bangladesh will be delighted with the way Al-Amin Hossain fought back against Nepal, taking 2 for 17 in four overs. He was poor against Afghanistan, but applied what coach Shane Jurgensen taught him in training. He took two wickets in three balls early in Nepal’s innings, and then conceded only two runs in the final over.

Team news

There are fitness concerns for Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal but if they are able, Bangladesh are likely to field an unchanged XI. Rubel Hossain might be given a go if he recovers from fever.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Sabbir Rahman, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Farhad Reza, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza/Rubel Hossain, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Al-Amin Hossain.Ehsan Nawaz, Roy Lamsam and Kinchit Shah could be hopeful of a game because Hong Kong are already out and do not any other major events in the near future.Hong Kong (possible): 1 Irfan Ahmed, 2 Waqas Barkat, 3 Jamie Atkinson (capt & wk), 4 Babar Hayat, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Nizakat Khan, 7 Munir Dar, 8 Tanwir Afzal, 9 Haseeb Amjad, 10 Aizaz Khan, 11 Nadeem Ahmed.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch in Chittagong has some live grass that could help the seamers but the dew is likely to negate that advantage. The weather has been hot and humid during the day, and dew is likely to be a factor in the evening. There was a spell of rain on Wednesday afternoon, after a brief period of windy weather. The showers did not affect the ground conditions as the stadium has good drainage facilities.

Stats and trivia

• Mark Chapman is Hong Kong’s highest run-scorer with 51 in two innings
• Tamim Iqbal has a strike-rate of 104 in this tournament, while Shakib Al Hasan’s is 156

Quotes

“I am sure all the players will step up on the day in front of a big crowd.”