Category Uncategorized

At 35 and having retired from Test cricket, Brett Lee stands on the verge of becoming Australia’s leading wicket taker in one-day Internationals

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2012At 35 and having retired from Test cricket, Brett Lee stands on the verge of becoming Australia’s leading wicket taker in one-day Internationals.He insists, though, that he isn’t motivated by the prospect of breaking Glenn McGrath’s record of 381 wickets during the upcoming series against England – after closing the gap with two wickets against Ireland in Belfast – and in the latest edition of Alison’s Tea Break he explains how he is now acting as a mentor to the younger bowlers coming through.Speaking to host Alison Mitchell, Lee touches on the depth of fast bowling in Australia cricket at the moment, saying he is excited by what James Pattinson and Pat Cummins have to offer with a Test series against South Africa coming up later this year, followed by back-to-back Ashes.He warns, though, of the “blood, sweat and tears” that it takes to be a fast bowler, particularly with the amount of cricket that is played now, and says that bowlers in particular must be prepared “to do what’s best for the team” should management decide to rest and rotate players.As far as Lee’s own future is concerned, he has set no time frame as to when he might step away from the international scene. “As long as I’m doing my job and being an asset to the Australian cricket team and helping the young guys come through, and still enjoying my cricket, then I’ll keep playing for a few more games and we’ll see what happens after that. Whether that’s three months or twelve months or eighteen months, who knows.”Watch the interview here.

England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to snatch a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Feb-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJade Dernbach sinks to his knees after earning England a narrow victory•Getty Images

England produced world-class death bowling coupled with moments of brilliance in the field to snatch a five-run victory in the deciding Twenty20 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and seal the series 2-1. With Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal together, needing 35 off the last five overs, Pakistan were in control but Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach showed nerves of steel to finish the tour on a high.Broad bowled the 16th and 19th overs which cost just four runs apiece and that included a misfield by Jonny Bairstow at long-on in the penultimate over which gave away a boundary. Broad removed Akmal, who skied a catch to long-off after missing the first two balls of the 19th over, and Bairstow redeemed himself in the last with a powerful throw to Craig Kieswetter which found Shahid Afridi short of his crease.Dernbach, who bowled the 17th over for six runs, was left with 13 to play with for the last and was in control except when a slower ball looped out short to be called wide. That left Pakistan needing eight off three deliveries but Hammad Azam and Misbah could only muster two singles before a trademark slower ball from Dernbach castled Misbah and set of wild celebrations from the bowler.The series win, a notable result for Broad who is still in his infancy as a captain, will give the England squad a significant surge of confidence ahead of their title defence at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Their remaining T20s before that tournament are all at home, so success in conditions similar – if not identical – to Sri Lanka will have provided a wealth of knowledge especially for the younger players.Misbah, meanwhile, could well face further criticism after ending with 28 off 32 balls but it should have been the anchor innings to guide his side home. Only in the final four overs did the asking rate hit eight-an-over and some of Akmal’s wild heaves to leg didn’t show very clear thinking. It had been difficult to hit boundaries all evening – the match produced 15 fours and three sixes – and huge credit must go to England’s bowlers and fielders. Graeme Swann built pressure for the quicks with a guileful spell and Jos Buttler, having endured a poor series with the bat, manufactured a wicket with a flat throw that was superbly collected by Kieswetter to remove the well-set Asad Shafiq.It is a fine line batsmen tread in Twenty20. For the failure of Misbah to get his side across the line there is the success of Kevin Pietersen after his unbeaten 62, made from a sedate 52 balls, gave England a defendable total. It was clear early on that this wasn’t a 150 pitch and Pietersen judged it was better to stay until the end than aim too high. Samit Patel contributed a spritely 16 and Pietersen finished the innings with a last-ball six off Aizaz Cheema which ultimately proved the difference.What Eoin Morgan would give for some of Pietersen’s end-of-tour form. His last innings of the trip was a tortured affair, as many of the 16 before this one had also been. He chipped short of long-off against Afridi on 6 and should have been stumped on 8 as Akmal added another error to a long list. But this one didn’t prove costly although Morgan was left cursing a team-mate rather than himself. Pietersen drove firmly to cover, where Misbah fumbled, and didn’t adhere to the adage of “don’t run on a misfield”, leaving Morgan stuffed when he changed his mind again.Bairstow couldn’t repeat his showing from two days ago as he misjudged the length against Saeed Ajmal, who claimed 4 for 23, and England’s other young middle-order batsman, Buttler, had another tough innings. He scored four runs off the nine combined deliveries he faced from Ajmal and Afridi and was then given lbw against Ajmal playing a sweep that left him on his knees in the crease. This tour hasn’t launched Buttler’s international career as it appeared it could do but he can still make the World Twenty20.Crucially, however, Umar Gul had a poor day. Trying to react to Pietersen’s movement in the crease, he conceded five wides down the leg side and, in his final over, sprayed another wide outside off stump with Pietersen proceeding to hit the seventh ball to the midwicket boundary. That’s all it takes to change a tight Twenty20.

نجح فريق سبورتنج لشبونة في خطف التعادل من ضيفه ميتلاند الدنماركي، بهدف لمثله، مساء الخميس، في ذهاب دور الـ32 من بطولة الدوري الأوروبي، على ملعب خوسيه ألفالادي.

وبدأ المحترف المصري إمام عاشور المباراة من على مقاعد بدلاء ميتلاند، ودخل في الدقيقة 67، واستغل خطأ الحارس أنطونيو آدان بتمريرته الخاطئة وسدد كرة قوية بيسراه سكنت الشباك.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو| مصطفى محمد يساهم في تعادل نانت إيجابيًا مع يوفنتوس بـ الدوري الأوروبي

ونجح المدافع سباستيان كواتيس، في إدراك التعادل بالدقيقة الرابعة من الوقت بدل من الضائع برأسية قوية، لتنتهي مباراة الذهاب بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله. هدف امام عاشور الرائع امام سبورتينج لشبونة في الدوري الاوروبي

ستقام مباراة العودة الأسبوع القادم على ملعب ميتلاند في تمام الثامنة إلا ربع مساء. هدف تعادل سبورتنج لشبونة القاتل مع ميتلاند (1-1) في الدوري الاوروبي

MS Dhoni marked India’s homecoming with a brutal innings of 87 not out from 70 balls, before the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja sparked a dramatic English batting collapse, as the team that failed to win a single international fixture on their recent to

The Report by Andrew Miller14-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
MS Dhoni’s hard-hitting 87 not out was the bedrock of India’s victory•AFP

Smart stats

India’s 126-run win is their second-largest in ODIs against England, next only to their triumph by 158 runs in Rajkot in 2008. That, incidentally, was also the first ODI of a series.

India scored 161 runs in their last 16 overs, which is their fifth-highest during this period in an ODI over the last decade. Their highest is 182, in two matches – against South Africa in Gwalior, and against Bermuda in Port of Spain.

MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 87 is his fourth successive ODI half-century, and his third unbeaten one. He averages 45 against England, while his overall ODI average has crept back to more than 50.

Dhoni and Suresh Raina are only the seventh non-opening pair from India to add more than 2000 partnership runs. Their average and strike rate are the best among those seven.

Dhoni has become the first wicketkeeper-captain to take 100 catches. Kumar Sangakkara is next with 59 catches behind the stumps as captain.

MS Dhoni marked India’s homecoming with a brutal innings of 87 not out from 70 balls, before the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja sparked a dramatic English batting collapse, as the team that failed to win a single international fixture on their recent tour of England returned to form with a crushing 126-run victory at Hyderabad.Dhoni’s performance was his fourth half-century in as many international innings, but whereas the last three had been insufficient to force victory, this performance was more reminiscent of his last performance in a home international – his crushing 91 not out in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in April.After winning his first toss in six attempts against England, Dhoni chose to bat first on a slow surface, but India were struggling on 139 for 4 after 34 overs before he and Suresh Raina turned on the after-burners as a further 161 were added in the final third of the innings. As had regularly been the case in England, he started cautiously against a disciplined attack, and had reached 5 from 18 balls before belting his first boundary, from Ravi Bopara, to signal India’s late charge.In total, Dhoni belted 10 fours and one six in his innings, the latter coming from a trademark helicopter flick off Steven Finn in the penultimate over of the innings. Finn had started his day’s work with impressive pace and accuracy, and should have had a first-over wicket when Jonathan Trott dropped a sitter off Ajinkya Rahane at second slip – a moment that only the 26,000 crowd were able to witness, thanks to a TV rights dispute that caused a three-over blackout. But Finn finished with the bruised figures of 1 for 67 in nine overs, with his solitary wicket that of Raina in his seventh over, moments after he had been battered for another six over long-on.Raina, whose brutality against the full length ball was a sight to behold, crunched 61 from 55 balls, with both of his sixes coming from the final four balls of his innings. Like Dhoni, he had opted for circumspection in the early part of his stay, but the longer his 62-run stand for the fifth wicket continued, the more boisterous the Hyderabad crowd became.It had been a more muted affair in the early part of India’s innings. Parthiv Patel was run out at the non-striker’s end for 9 as Finn fingertipped a Rahane drive onto the stumps, while Rahane himself had reached 15 from 41 balls when Graeme Swann dragged him out of his crease with his third delivery of the match to give Craig Kieswetter an easy stumping.In his first match since recovering from concussion, Gautam Gambhir confirmed his fitness with a fluent 32 from 33 balls. However, Jade Dernbach’s liquorice allsorts proved hard to pick and tough to get away on the surface, and the slower ball that did for Gambhir was a beauty. It looped up above the batsman’s eyeline and dropped sharply to rap his shin in front of leg stump.At 79 for 3 after 18 overs, the game was very much in the balance. However, England’s position could, and probably should, have been even better after 25 overs, when Samit Patel repeated Finn’s trick of dropping his fingertips on a straight drive. It was Raina this time who was in peril as the bails were dislodged, but after a lengthy delay for the TV adjudication, he was given the benefit of the doubt by the third umpire, Sudhir Ashani.In the final analysis, however, it really didn’t matter. Though Alastair Cook continued his impressive form as England captain with 60 from 63 balls, his dismissal in the 23rd over of the innings precipated a dramatic collapse at the hands of Jadeja and R Ashwin. England tumbled from 111 for 2 to 134 for 7 in the space of 40 balls, and only Samit Patel (16) and the No. 10, Finn, with a run a ball 18, provided any resistance.Praveen Kumar, India’s star bowler from their ill-fated tour of England, had launched India’s defence in fine style, opening up with a maiden to Cook, and he had not conceded a run when he extracted Kieswetter with his eighth delivery, a full-length ball that jagged off the seam to take a thin edge through to Dhoni.The loss of their top-order powerhitter caused England to rejig their conventional batting order, with Kevin Pietersen emerging at No. 3 ahead of the more staid Trott. The plan looked to be paying off as Pietersen launched his innings with ominous resolve, but having struck three fours in a 28-ball 19, he attempted a quick single to mid-on where Ashwin nailed him with a direct hit.Trott then appeared at No. 4, and for 13.3 overs he and Cook steadied the innings, adding 71 for the third wicket to give England a solid platform. But then, having brought up his fifty at exactly a run a ball, Cook gave his innings away with a loose clip to deep midwicket off Ravindra Jadeja, and thwacked his pad with his bat in frustration as he left the crease.Worse was to follow for England two overs later. Trott, whose 26 from 42 balls had been a typically measured performance, attempted an ungainly smear across the line against Jadeja and lost his leg stump, and eight balls later, Ravi Bopara drove loosely at Ashwin and chipped a simple return catch to the bowler.Jadeja by now was on a roll with the crowd fully behind him, and he extended England’s collapse to four wickets in 26 balls when Jonny Bairstow, the hero of the run-chase in Cardiff, last month, also offered up a return catch. His figures after four overs were 3 for 17, and England’s unbeaten run against India in 2011 was soon all over.

The PCB committee tasked with finding the new Pakistan head coach has shortlisted five names for the position out of a list of thirty-four applicants

Umar Farooq29-Sep-2011The PCB committee tasked with finding the new Pakistan head coach has shortlisted five names for the position out of a list of thirty-seven applicants. Twelve foreign and 25 local coaches had applied for the job.The three-man committee appointed to select Waqar Younis’ successor, comprising ex-Pakistan players Zaheer Abbas, Intikhab Alam and Naushad Ali, met for the second time in Karachi to sort the list of the candidates for the role. Earlier this month the board had advertised for the job of Pakistan coach, setting a deadline of 15 days for those wishing to apply.”I can’t disclose the names but the response was encouraging,” Alam, the committee head, told the media after an extensive two hour meeting. “It was comprehensive meeting where we actually shortlisted five candidates out of the nine foreign and 25 local who sent their CV for the role.”The committee will now hand the list back to the PCB before calling the candidates for interviews. “I can’t reveal the name of the shortlisted candidates as our actual task is to make a recommendation [about the head coach] to the PCB and its PCB’s prerogative to take a final decision,” Alam said.The committee was appointed on August 29 following Younis’ announcement that he would quit after the tour of Zimbabwe for personal and health reasons. There have been divided opinions on whether Pakistan should go with a local or foreign coach, with Abbas and Raja favouring the former while Alam said a foreign coach was something Pakistan should consider, though the most qualified person should get the job. “In my own opinion, if anyone in the country is highly qualified, then he should be given a chance. But without revealing more details on the candidates, I only can confirm that the list includes both foreign and local coaches and after getting the nod from the PCB we will go on to interview the coaches.”Alam also suggested Pakistan might have to appoint an interim coach for their ‘home’ series against Sri Lanka in the UAE (Pakistan are scheduled to leave for the UAE on October 15). “I know the time is bit short but it’s up the PCB. Either they want to go with the interim coach for the Sri Lanka series as our only task is to make a recommendation about the new coach as PCB has the ultimate prerogative to name the coach.”

West Indian fans are approaching the Sabina Park Test with optimism because of its reportedly fast pitch

Sriram Veera in Kingston19-Jun-2011There’s hope in the Caribbean air. You can feel it at Sabina Park. You can hear it in the chuckle of Charles Josephs, the curator, and in conversations with ground staff. “This is Jamaica. Not Mumbai. The ball will bounce and get your men,” is its essence. A simple, age-old theory: bounce the Indians and expect them to wilt. Though we’ll have to wait to see how the pitch actually plays, and whether West Indies’ fast bowlers can unsettle India’s batsmen, it can only be a good thing that home fans are approaching the Test with optimism, considering the shenanigans beyond the boundary.There is confidence in the West Indian camp as well. Darren Sammy, the captain, expects the pitch to suit his bowlers, who will be aggressive. Even young Darren Bravo said “a few of the Indians can get intimidated.” Ian Bishop, a former West Indian fast bowler and commentator, isn’t convinced a few Indian players, Suresh Raina for instance, can handle the bounce and pace.”This is the pitch that suits our style,” Sammy said. “We managed to restrict India to 250 and the batters were very comfortable chasing it. The mindset is different, the batsmen are confident that the ball won’t spin like it did in the first three ODIs. Records speak that if you have more firepower, you have a better chance against India.”Darren Sammy says the Sabina Park pitch will suit West Indies better than it will India•Associated PressSammy’s presence in the Test side is still a thorny issue, though. Does he upset the balance? Wouldn’t Fidel Edwards or Andre Russell be a better pick? Is Sammy weakening the attack? “My role has been the same since I started playing for West Indies,” Sammy said. “I am a stock bowler. I go out and do it to the best of my ability.” If he can be a consistent performer with the bat, it wouldn’t be so bad. “I am disappointed that my Test batting hasn’t been as consistent as it should be, but I am working hard.”Sammy expects West Indies to restrict India to less than 300. “In the last two games played here, the most recent one was against England, both teams scored around 300 in first innings. The one before was against Australia. We lost by 60 runs. We restricted them to just over 250. If we restrict them [India] to under 300 or so and can get a lead …”West Indies’ batting, though, has been the discipline with the most problems in the recent past. Sammy is confident that Kingston’s conditions will help. “Our batsmen will favour their chances against Indian bowlers knowing the type of wicket we will get,” he said. “Harbhajan is very experienced and Mishra has given us some trouble. You can’t be complacent. This wicket would be suited to our batsmen. I am expecting our batsmen to give a better show.”Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo, who comprise the top order, are light on experience, but Sammy highlighted their quality. “Barath is very promising cricketer. He scored a hundred in his first Test. He is coming back from injury but we all know his mental strength. He has the mental capability to carry on with his starts. Young Darren Bravo came to form in the last ODI and Simmons is in good nick. He knows his game and executes his plans. The top order might be short of experience but they have the game to do it.”

Gerry Alexander, who kept wicket for West Indies during the tied Test, has been remembered by his opponents in that match as a pioneer of the wicketkeeper-batsman trend, and as a man who helped ensure the game was played in the right spirit

Brydon Coverdale18-Apr-2011Gerry Alexander, who kept wicket for West Indies during the tied Test, has been remembered by his opponents in that match as a pioneer of the wicketkeeper-batsman trend, and as a man who helped ensure the game was played in the right spirit. Alexander, who died on the weekend at the age of 82, made 484 runs during that famous 1960-’61 tour, which at the time was a world-record run-tally for a wicketkeeper in a Test series.”He was what you’d call a competitor, which lifted his performance enormously,” the Australia allrounder, Alan Davidson, told ESPNcricinfo. “We used to say if we knocked over Conrad Hunte and Kanhai and Sobers and Worrell and everybody, all of a sudden in comes this bloke Alexander. He could’ve batted No. 3 for them, because he was that sort of player.”He was a good wicketkeeper as well. Let’s face it, he had to take Wes Hall and then keep to Ramadhin and Valentine and Gibbs and everybody. Gerry was a great mate. We had tremendous respect for them. He was one of the real friends I made out of that tour.”During the tied Test at the Gabba, Alexander made 60 in the first innings and 5 in the second, and Davidson recalled the friendly on-field banter in what was to become the most famous Test of all, and the first match in a series that revitalised Test cricket.”I can still remember bowling to him in a couple of the Test matches,” Davidson said. “I remember in the tied Test, he played it just to the off side of the wicket and took off for a single, and of course I picked it up and from five or ten yards I’d knock the stumps down 100 out of 100 times. But just as my arm was coming through to throw it, guess who ran into my arm but Gerry Alexander, and it went for four overthrows.”I appealed to the umpire and said, ‘he knocked my arm, ump!’ But of course Gerry said ‘you were in my running line too, don’t forget!’ That’s the wonderful thing about playing in those Tests, there was always the friendship that more or less bore out. It didn’t stop your competitiveness, but there was a relationship that is lacking today.”Neil Harvey, who also played for Australia during that 1960-’61 series, described Alexander as a “fine cricketer” and a “very likable fellow”. Harvey recalled how difficult Australia found it to dislodge Alexander during that tour, when only Australia’s Norm O’Neill and West Indies’ Rohan Kanhai made more runs than Alexander, who made 108 in Sydney, scored a half-century in each of the other four Tests and averaged 60.50.

He was probably one of the pioneers of this batting wicketkeeper business. He was a fine cricketer and a good bloke to go with itNeil Harvey on Gerry Alexander

“That was one of the best series that’s ever been played. It resurrected the game of cricket in this country, and he was a big part of it,” Harvey said. “He was a thorn in our side with the bat, actually, more than with the gloves. He was probably one of the pioneers of this batting wicketkeeper business. He was a fine cricketer and a good bloke to go with it. He was one of many West Indian blokes who we got on well with during the series.”Alexander featured in the final stages of the tied Test, when he caught Richie Benaud in the last over off Wes Hall, and four balls later he whipped the bails off after collecting a long-range throw from Conrad Hunte on the boundary to run out Wally Grout. Late last year, Alexander spoke to ESPNcricinfo about the 50th anniversary of the tied Test, and he recalled with a chuckle the chaos on the field as the West Indians made their late charge in that final eight-ball over.However, there were tough times for Alexander as well, and as the captain on the 1958-’59 tour of India, he played a key role in having the fast bowler Roy Gilchrist sent home for refusing to stop bowling beamers.”He was the one who had to deal with it when Gilchrist went crazy,” Davidson said. “He pulled a knife on Gerry in Karachi, when he was captain. Gerry never had malice in his mind at any stage, with anyone. You knew you were playing against him and he was a great cricketer in his own right, but he upheld all the virtues of cricket.”And, as the last white captain of West Indies, Alexander also had to deal with a campaign to oust him in favour of Frank Worrell. However, even after Worrell took over as leader, Alexander remained a supportive member of the side and gave his all for the team.”He was a very good keeper,” batsman Joe Solomon, who played under Alexander’s captaincy in nine Tests, said. “He always encouraged the players on the field. He was a good captain and then Frank Worrell took over, but even after that he was always a good leader and would give good advice to the players.”He was a great friend of mine. He was a very likable person, the kind of man who you’d like to meet and be in his company.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Após falar que o presidente do Palmeiras, Maurício Galiotte, é “doente mental”, o atacante Sheik voltou a criar polêmica na festa do título paulista do Corinthians. Em vídeo divulgado nas redes sociais, o jogador pega o microfone e xinga o atacante Dudu e o clube alviverde.

– Dudu, vai tomar no c… – disparou Sheik, em cima de um palco ao lado de outros jogadores do Corinthians (veja o vídeo abaixo).

A comemoração do título do Corinthians aconteceu em uma casa noturna na zona sul de São Paulo. O elenco ganhou folga e só volta aos trabalhos na quarta-feira de manhã, no CT Joaquim Grava.

RelacionadasCorinthiansEm comemoração do título do Timão, Sheik ataca Galiotte: ‘Doente mental’Corinthians09/04/2018CorinthiansMudança no vestiário, preparação e festa: bastidores do título do TimãoCorinthians09/04/2018Futebol NacionalJuiz fala em ‘erro de procedimento’, mas nega ajuda externa no DérbiFutebol Nacional09/04/2018

The day before arguably India’s biggest Test of 2010, Ms Dhoni said India treats every Test the same, and is focused on taking care of the small things

Sidharth Monga in Durban25-Dec-2010Christmas is in the air in Durban. If you haven’t been to a Boxing Day Test – and this correspondent hadn’t – you might find it almost surreal. Test cricket brings its own vibe with it; an anticipation and intensity that appears to be missing, at least on the surface. There is Christmas, there are “The Holidays”, and then there is the New Year. It is a time to relax, a time to enjoy, a time to take stock, and a time to look forward.Make no mistake about it, though: in less than 24 hours India’s biggest Test of the year will start, and perhaps this particular unit’s biggest too. It has been a year of success where they have held on to their No.1 ranking for 360 days, but they will know how seriously that tag will be taken if they find themselves 2-0 down on seaming tracks in a country that has forever been their nemesis.It was only yesterday, on a hot, humid, sapping day that MS Dhoni said – while walking out of the nets – that he was reminded of Chennai. However, just one look at the pitch is enough to tell you that the difference in playing conditions in Chennai and Durban is as wide as the Indian Ocean that separates the two cities. The pitch here is lush green – Gary Kirsten said that from the change room it looked the same colour as the outfield, and the overhead conditions – forecast to be cloudy for the duration of this Test – are sure to help swing and seam. For a city full of people of Indian origin, Kingsmead is a foreign island. Forget the six sixes that Yuvraj Singh hit here in an over in the World Twenty20. In Test cricket, India don’t even average half as much per wicket as Yuvraj managed in one T20 over. In five all-out innings here, they have managed 862 runs.Even in isolation, the conditions are going to present a supreme challenge to the batsmen who lasted 38.4 overs on a damp pitch in Centurion; in the context of the series, the challenge becomes huge. That said, there is nothing to suggest they can’t pass this test. Everyone knows these are better batsmen than a score of 136 all out on a testing pitch suggests. Coach Kirsten has said they needed, and still need, to apply themselves better on these kinds of surfaces. Preparation might have suffered for the first Test because of the absence of a warm-up game, but they have worked hard for this one.Out has gone the policy of having light training sessions on the eve of the game. On Christmas day, the Indian team was the group of hardest-working people in Durban. Zaheer Khan, a huge addition to the side, was the only man to opt out of the session, and this team has – with good results – let Zaheer prepare on his own for big matches. However, as if a reminder was needed that they are up against it, Gautam Gambhir’s injured left hand has worsened and M Vijay might well have to pad up on short notice once again.On the surface, though, keeping in with the festive spirit, India are not making this sound like it is their time of reckoning. It is understandable, too, for they don’t want to put any undue pressure on themselves. “Every game is big for us,” Dhoni said on the eve of the game. “As I always say, being No.1 or when you are on course to becoming No.1, every game is important. Irrespective of where you are playing in a particular series. Whether you are playing in the subcontinent or outside. We don’t consider one Test match more important than the others. By doing that, you can put additional pressure on yourself. We believe in taking care of small things, so we respect every Test.”When Dhoni was asked to look back at the last year, he again chose to focus on the details – the tailenders contributing more runs than they used to; the part-time bowlers chipping in with wickets. It all points to an admirable fighting spirit that this team prides itself on. Saving matches after a poor first innings, coming back from behind to win Tests, coming back from behind to level series, managing without a few key players.It is that spirit that they will collectively be dialling for, but the rest of the world will also be questioning their skills to do well in all conditions. Not that they have proven otherwise in the past, but this – before the series started – seemed their best chance to do so. If they can’t summon up the spirit and the skills over the next five days, the last three weeks of the year will have more to say about the team than the first 49.

Manchester United eventually managed to secure all three points in a challenging clash with Norwich City this afternoon, with the game ending 3-2 – something which sees Ralf Rangnick’s side manage to get themselves back into the top four race.

Indeed, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur lost their Premier League fixtures today, which gave the Red Devils an opportunity to get right back into the race for Champions League qualification.

However, they almost squandered their chance, but for Cristiano Ronaldo delivering not one but three goals against the bottom of the table Canaries.

Despite the hosts having more possession (61%) and over twice as many shots on target, Man United struggled to hold off Norwich who managed to bag two goals at Old Trafford.

The game started well for the home team, with Ronaldo opening up the scoring in the fourth minute, before doubling his tally in the 32nd minute – putting Man United comfortably ahead.

However, Norwich set out to respond and were able to break down United’s defence with ease in the final moments before the half-time whistle, with Teemu Pukki scoring in first-half stoppage time.

In the second half, the Canaries continued their pursuit to make a comeback and succeeded when Pukki scored his second in the 52nd minute to level up the scoreline, however, Ronaldo would go on to find the winner and complete his hattrick in the final quarter of the game.

One player who was key to the attacking threat Manchester United imposed on Norwich this afternoon was Anthony Elanga, with the youngster having a huge influence on the game – undoubtedly being Rangnick’s biggest winner on the day.

According to SofaScore, the winger hailed a “great talent” by Zlatan Ibrahimovic only came second to Ronaldo for the highest rating in the team – 7.8 – and for good reason.

The 19-year-old dominated in his position, taking 65 touches of the ball, making three key passes and four tackles, as well as recording a 92% pass completion rate – not to mention capping his impressive performance with an assist for the first goal.

Rangnick must now capitalise on the progress they have made in the league table following their top four competitors’ losses this weekend, now being just three points behind Spurs with a great opportunity to improve their Champions League chances in the remaining games of the season.

AND in other news: Ten Hag must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £31.5m-rated Man Utd star, he won’t fit in