Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has stated that the club have no desire to sell Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Togolese striker has struggled to establish himself in the first-team set-up following his permanent arrival from Manchester City during the summer.
This has led to reports that the 28-year-old may leave the London club in January, but Villas-Boas insists that he will be staying and that he is also a key part of the squad:
“Certainly there is no interest in selling or loaning Adebayor.” He told SkySports.
“We brought him in this season, unfortunately for him it hasn’t been working out in terms of injuries.
“We have full belief in Adebayor, he is one of the greatest strikers in the world.
“Sooner or later he is going to be back in the squad.”
Adebayor spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane and was impressive.
However, this term he has been overlooked on multiple occasions in favour of Jermain Defoe, who has enjoyed a fine start to the campaign.
The North Londoners take on FC Maribor in the Europa League this evening in a game that the Portuguese manager insists they must win:
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“Even though a defeat against Maribor doesn’t mathematically disqualify us, it is a game we have to win. We are in this competition to win it.”
Adebayor is rumoured to be in line to start the game, as are midfield duo Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup features plenty of strong teams with a chance to take home the golden trophy from Russia, but if the first week of games have revealed anything, it’s that there’s no clear favourite.
Germany lost their opener 1-0 to Mexico, and Brazil drew with Switzerland 1-1 after a frustrating performance from Neymar. Only so much can be drawn from the first batch of games, but countries like Russia and Belgium have put themselves in prime position to advance with high goal differentials.
With that, Football FanCast was lucky enough to be joined by former England and Liverpool left winger John Barnes to discuss his thoughts on the summer of football on behalf of Just Eat. Barnes shared on his expectations on whom he expects to have a fruitful few weeks in Russia…
FootballFanCast.com: What country do you have confidence in to make its way to the final?
John Barnes: “I think Brazil will. But they didn’t play particularly well against Switzerland as they had issues with Neymar. I think Neymar was trying too hard and trying to do too much. He wants to be the star.
“Spain will be strong once again even though they lost their manager. But they’ve got lots of experienced players who are able to cope with that. And France – I think France are a very strong team with plenty of attacking players.
“An outside guess for me is Belgium because, player-for-player, they probably have the strongest team in the World Cup. They haven’t played as a team, but if you look at the individual players they have, if they can get some kind of team spirit and team passion rather than just being individuals, they could be a surprise.”
FFC: Do you think a few of the results of these early games might have potential consequences on who makes it to the knockout stage? Is there an actual chance that Germany or Brazil don’t make it?
JB: “I believe so, yes. Brazil drew the first game, but Germany losing their first game could have consequence. But they’re experienced. They can come through in the next two matches.
“What you will find is that you may have one or two upsets, but generally speaking because of the way the seeding is done, the top two seeds will normally go through to the last 16 and to the quarter-finals. And I think when the quarter-finals come, you’ll see seven of the top teams there.”
FFC: If you had to pick a lower tier nation to surprise everybody and go far into the knockout stage, who would you pick?
JB: : “Croatia. I think Croatia are very good. They’re very experienced. They’ve got good players. They’ve got a good understanding and a good coach. So, yeah, that would be my dark horse.”
FFC: You’ve said before you believe Diego Maradona to be the best footballer ever. He was on that Argentina team that beat England on their way to winning the World Cup in 1986. Do you see Messi having a chance of pulling off a similar feat for this Argentina, even though they had a lacklustre performance in game one?
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JB: Absolutely. Argentina are a decent side. He’s a fantastic player and still the best player in the world for me. Of course, Argentina are a team who, when it comes to the World Cup finals in the past, haven’t won.
“But it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for Argentina to win the World Cup. They’ve also got Sergio Aguero. They’ve got decent players, as much as they didn’t play particularly well in the first game. So, yeah, absolutely.
“But, Maradona for me is still is the best.”
Just Eat is offering hungry football fans who order on the Just Eat app between the 14th June and 15th July the chance to get their hands on limited edition 2018 Football Plates. There are four plates to collect and hundreds will be given away to celebrate the summer of football.
Things were looking a lot rosier for West Ham when they beat Huddersfield 4-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium early on in January, with fans expecting new signings to come through the door before the deadline day and with the club beginning to look up the Premier League table rather than over their shoulders towards the bottom three.
However, the rest of the month certainly didn’t go to plan for the east London outfit, as they lost in-form duo Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic to hamstring injuries in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the London Stadium.
They were subsequently beaten 2-0 by League One outfit Wigan Athletic a week later and saw midfielder Pedro Obiang stretchered off with an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season, while Arthur Masuaku was given a six-match ban after being sent off for spitting at a Latics player at the DW Stadium.
The addition of Joao Mario on loan from Inter Milan until the end of the season prior to the Wigan encounter gave fans hope that they would end January on a high, as the club continued to be linked with Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker – seen as one of the most highly-rated young defensive midfielders in European football.
The London Stadium faithful were also expecting a new striker through the door with Diafra Sakho joining Rennes and Andre Ayew returning to Swansea City, leaving Javier Hernandez and Toni Martinez as the only recognised strikers in the squad for the 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on January 30.
One thing David Moyes didn’t need at that point – when he was already missing Arnautovic and Andy Carroll through injury – was Michail Antonio to turn up to a meeting late, but that is exactly what happened and he missed out on the 18 against the Eagles.
Deadline day started with hope, and then appeared to end in desperation for the club as they failed to sign the defensive or central midfielder they desperately looked to need, while they lost out to Newcastle United for the loan signing of Leicester City striker Islam Slimani because of comments made by Karren Brady, and instead brought in Jordan Hugill from Preston North End in a late £10m deal.
The West Ham fans aren’t very fond of their owners David Gold and David Sullivan, and they had every right to be angry and frustrated after a disappointing final 24 hours of the transfer window.
The club’s injury and suspension problems meant that Pablo Zabaleta lined up in an unfamiliar central midfield role for the trip to Brighton last weekend, with a poor display seeing Moyes’ men fall to a 3-1 defeat against their fellow strugglers to leave them just three points above the relegation zone.
The away supporters chanted for the board to leave and unveiled banners with a similar message, and you can’t help but feel it could have affected the players on a day where the defence in particular had an absolute nightmare – especially for Glenn Murray’s opener.
While West Ham fans are absolutely entitled to protest against the owners and the board considering what has happened to the club during their time at the helm, they also need to think about their players on the pitch and the situation the team currently finds itself in.
Those teams below them in the table – like Brighton – are beginning to pick up results and if the Irons continue to struggle to get wins on the board, they could quickly find themselves back in the dreaded relegation zone.
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They face a huge game against Watford at the London Stadium this weekend where they can reach the 30-point mark with a victory, and the crowd must leave their protestations against the owners to either before the start of the match or after the final whistle, and get behind their boys during the 90 minutes – boy do they need it right now.
West Ham supporters are understandably desperate for their owners to go, but being in the Premier League is vital too and with David Gold and David Sullivan unlikely to go anywhere before the end of the season and saying the protests “will achieve nothing”, now is the time to focus their attentions on the players and ensure that they aren’t distracted or affected by any animosity from the sidelines.
A penalty is awarded. Save it and the goalkeeper is a hero, applauded by his fans and mobbed by his teammates. Concede? Well, the odds were never in his favour anyway.
As Tottenham’s Brad Friedel has argued, the scenario really is “a no-lose” situation for the ‘keeper with all of the pressure upon the taker “who is supposed to score.”
But this shouldn’t give goalkeepers a free pass to simply pick a direction to dive and hope for the best.
With the extensive level of statistics available in modern football, coaching staff can compile information on opposing penalty takers to provide to their ‘keepers in the event of a spot kick being awarded.
Famously at the 2006 World Cup, Jens Lehmann read the notes of his goalkeeping coach Andy Kopke in between kicks as Germany went on to defeat Argentina in the shoot out.
But even with this information, the days of goalkeepers diving before the ball is struck should be consigned to the past.
There is an infuriating number of penalties which are scored either straight down the middle or slightly off centre. By committing early as the result of coaching guidance or just guesswork, goalkeepers are guilty of allowing these weak efforts to score. And because of the scenario, they will never be subject to any criticism for it.
Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer demonstrated the approach that goalkeepers should take with his save from Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil in the recent Champions League encounter. Standing up tall, Neuer made his international colleague’s attempts to commit him to a dive look foolish and as a result, he was able to make the save from a poorly struck effort.
Premier League stars such as Eden Hazard and the recently departed Dimitar Berbatov regularly profit from the tactic which Ozil tried but failed to replicate. Displaying an impressive level of composure, they simply wait for the goalkeeper to commit to a side in the run up before simply slotting it home in the other direction.
By diving early, the goalkeepers are falsely assuming that the strike is always going to hit one of the corners. In reality, how many penalties are ever struck that perfectly?
And in the event that they are, is an early dive really going to make the save? When penalty takers such as Steven Gerrard hit the corners with such accuracy and power, there is nothing a goalkeeper can realistically do to prevent the goal.
In this event, the ‘keepers should concede that they are unlikely to make the stop. Rather than attempt to prevent the best, goalkeepers should stand tall and pick off the worst.
Of course, this tactic relies on anticipation and a good reaction speed.
But when so many penalties are struck slightly to either side or ‘dinked’ straight down the middle, goalkeepers should fancy their chances to save the weaker efforts more often than not.
As has already been mentioned, the pressure in this scenario is always upon the taker to deliver. Make him have to beat you rather than beating yourselves by committing too early.
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There are obviously other pointers that goalkeepers should observe to help them make the save. Factors such as the taker’s stance, his approach and his eyes can often reveal his intentions.
Tactics can also be employed to distract the penalty taker and affect the quality of his strike. In the 2008 Champions League Final, Manchester United’s Edwin Van Der Sar pointed to his left as Nicolas Anelka approached the area. The Frenchman subsequently went right and the penalty was saved, handing the Red Devils the trophy.
By standing tall and waiting for the kick, goalkeepers are sacrificing their already minimal chances of saving the best efforts. But in this trade off their chances of saving the weaker and less accurate strikes, of which there are more of, are enhanced massively.
The pressure in a penalty situation is never placed upon the goalkeeper. By reacting to the kick and not diving beforehand, the strain for the taker is even greater. They know that anything other than a confident strike into the corners should be saved.
Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger has indicated that he may use Theo Walcott in a central-striking position following his Capital One Cup heroics.
The England international netted a wonderful hat-trick as the Gunners came back from 4-0 down to beat Reading.
The 23-year-old grabbed the Londoners first goal, before adding the equaliser in the dying moments of normal time. He then went on to complete his triple in closing stages of extra time to help his side to their 7-5 victory.
As a result of his performance, Wenger has confessed that he may now play Walcott in his preferred central role:
“I always said he will be striker.” Wenger is quoted as saying by The Metro.
“He’s a good finisher now. He knows where to be on the rebounds.
“That is the quality of a striker you can’t give to someone, they either have it or they don’t.
Walcott’s immediate future appears to be in some doubt, with the player rumoured to be unwilling to renew his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
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After his heroics, Wenger admitted that he wants a speedy resolution to the attacker’s future:
“I want to keep him, and I think aside from the contract talks, you have to give him credit for the way he is committed to the team, and for the way he behaves.”
Unbeaten half-century from Harry Came sees hosts take charge in pursuit of rare home win
ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024Zak Chappell lifted Derbyshire’s hopes of securing an elusive County Championship victory at Derby by demolishing Glamorgan on the opening day of the Division Two match.The fast bowler took 6 for 47, his best figures for the county, as the visitors were bowled out for 168 with Timm van der Gugten top scoring with an unbeaten 46.Glamorgan were 32 for 6 before Dan Douthwaite and van der Gugten led a mini recovery but Derbyshire closed on 119 for 2 with Harry Came not out 58. It leaves them in a strong position to push for a first Championship victory at the County Ground since they beat Sussex in August 2019.On a morning more in keeping with October, Derbyshire’s decision to bowl first on a grassy pitch paid immediate dividends with three wickets falling in the first five overs.In blustery conditions, Glamorgan’s top order had no answer to Chappell’s relentless accuracy and Luis Reece’s swing as they slumped to 9 for 3. Ben Kellaway’s promotion to opener was short-lived and he followed a pair on his first-class debut last September by edging a ball from Chappell that moved away late to register another duck in his third red-ball innings.In fairness, his more experienced team-mates fared little better with Billy Root bowled by a Reece delivery that kept low before Sam Northeast pushed forward to Chappell and was caught at second slip.Kiran Carlson played across one from Chappell that appeared to be going down before Reece got some late swing to have Colin Ingram caught behind. When Chris Cooke was caught behind down the leg side off one of the few bad balls Chappell bowled, Glamorgan were in disarray and grateful for the rain which resulted in an early lunch.Chappell, who passed 50 wickets in all formats for the season, left the field with outstanding figures of 4 for 9 from 6.4 overs but after the resumption they were dented when Douthwaite hit him for three fours in an over.With van der Gutgen playing solidly, the pair added 55 from 97 balls in relative comfort before Pat Brown removed Douthwaite with a snorter that nipped away late to take off stump.Chappell celebrated his fifth wicket when Mason Crane fenced at one to give Brooke Guest his fourth catch but Fraser Sheat on his debut looked capable until he top edged a pull to midwicket.Ned Leonard marked the first match of his loan spell from Somerset by helping van der Gugten take Glamorgan past 150 and drove Jack Morley’s second ball for six before he tried again next ball and holed out to long-on.Van der Gugten matched Chappell’s discipline with a probing spell but Sheat and Leonard could not exert the same pressure. Reece and Came shared an unbroken treble-century stand against Glamorgan last season but this time they managed only 21 before Reece was defeated by a full-length ball from van der Gugten.Guest played a loose stroke, clipping Leonard to midwicket with the score on 41, and Came should have gone on 28 but Ingram at first slip dropped an edge of Leonard.Came took advantage, seizing on any width to reach an 84-ball fifty which contained 10 fours, and with Wayne Madsen motoring to an unbeaten 41, they added 78 before bad light ended play.
Haider Ali sparks for Derbyshire but hosts cruise chase for third successive win
ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2023Wayne Madsen fell six runs short of becoming the first man in T20 history to score six successive fifties as his Derbyshire side were comfortably beaten by seven wickets by a revitalised Yorkshire in today’s Vitality Blast clash at Headingley.England’s Dawid Malan then starred in the chase with a superb 81 not out off 57 balls, Yorkshire winning with 10 balls to spare.Madsen’s 44 off 26 in the Falcons 166 for 8 batting first means he remains one of seven players worldwide to have scored five fifties in a row in this format. Jos Buttler, Virender Sehwag and David Warner are on the list.Pakistan overseas opener Haider Ali’s belligerent 74 off 47 balls was the feature of Derbyshire’s innings having been inserted, and also his best score for the county in all cricket since arriving in April. But Haider and Madsen falling in quick succession meant the innings lost crucial momentum from 147 for 2 in the 17th over.That paved the way for the Vikings to win their third successive North Group fixture, backing up last week’s successes over Nottinghamshire and Lancashire.After three wickets for Ben Mike, Malan continued his excellent form with a third fifty in a row and could yet expand that aforementioned list of seven over the next week. The left-hander shared 83 inside 10 overs for the first wicket with Adam Lyth, who made 31, and continued on with almost effortless class in hitting nine fours and three sixes.Both teams came into this fixture having had identical seasons – winless in the Championship, having lost their first three games in the Blast before winning their last two last week.Yorkshire started well, with Derbyshire limited to 19 for 1 after four overs, including Mike getting Luis Reece caught scooping. But Haider counterattacked with success and ensured 40 runs came off the next four overs, playing confidently on both sides of the wicket in excellent batting conditions.Tom Wood fell to legspinner Jafer Chohan’s first ball in the ninth over – 59 for 2 – as he was brilliantly caught at a wide short third-man by a diving Will Luxton following a reverse sweep. But that strike only served to bring Madsen to the crease.Both Haider, who reached 50 off 35 balls, and Madsen struck the ball cleanly during an 88-run partnership inside nine overs, though the wind was quickly taken out of Derbyshire’s sails.Madsen drilled David Wiese into the covers to end his shot at history, leaving Derbyshire 147 for 3 in the 17th over, before Haider was smartly caught by Wiese off Mike in the next. Mike also bowled a reverse sweeping Leus du Plooy before another three wickets fell in the last eight balls to give Yorkshire the definite advantage at halfway.And it didn’t take long for the result to become obvious as Lyth and Malan were quickly into their stride. Malan pulled seamer Zak Chappell for six over square leg and dominated the powerplay as 54 came from the first six overs.Unlike Yorkshire, Derbyshire’s bowlers just couldn’t drag things back as they suffered defeat number four of the campaign.Malan pulled his second six off George Scrimshaw’s pace early in the eighth over, a vicious shot over midwicket to take him into the 40s, and by the time he reached 50 off 35 balls in the 11th over, Yorkshire were 103 for 1. Lyth had been bowled slog-sweeping at Wood’s offspin before Will Luxton fell cheaply having miscued a pull at Scrimshaw to square leg, leaving the score at 110 for 2 after 12.Yorkshire’s target was reduced to 42 off the last five overs at 125 for 2, and a couple of lusty blows from Namibia international allrounder Wiese ended Malan’s hopes of a sixth career T20 century but more importantly gave the hosts another two points.Wiese actually fell for an entertaining 30 to Chappell, but it was nothing more than a consolatory wicket at 158 for 3 in the 18th over. That allowed Mike to clinch the win with a straight six off Zaman Khan in the 19th over.
He takes over from Lance Klusener, who decided to step away from the role on mutual agreement in September 2021
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2022Stuart Law has been named interim head coach of Afghanistan men’s team for the upcoming limited-overs series against Bangladesh. The former Australia batter takes over from Lance Klusener, who decided to step away from the role on mutual agreement in September 2021.According to an official release, the ACB has launched the recruitment process for hiring a new permanent head coach.Law, who played a solitary Test in 1995, had a more productive ODI career for Australia, featuring in 54 games from 1994 to 1999, making 1237 runs. He was also a prolific batter in Australian domestic cricket and is the third all-time highest run-getter for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.He took to coaching roles at different levels following his retirement, starting with being appointed as Sri Lanka interim coach before the 2011 World Cup. He was appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh in 2011-2012 and he led the side to their first Asia Cup final.After a few stints with various domestic and Under-19 sides, he took charge as West Indies’ head coach on a two-year contract in 2017. He also served as a consultant with the Australian team in 2016. His most recent permanent role was with Middlesex in the UK, and he has recently coached Bangla Tigers and Dambulla Giants in the Abu Dhabi T10 and Lanka Premier League respectively.Law has already linked up with the Afghanistan side, who are currently undergoing a preparation and conditioning camp in Bangladesh ahead of start of the ODI series on February 23. The second and third ODIs are set to be played on February 25 and 28, while the two T20Is are scheduled for March 3 and 5.Afghanistan have made a number of changes to both their squads for the tour. Senior players Mohammad Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan and Hashmatullah Shahidi have been dropped from the T20I squad, while the likes of Sharafuddin Ashraf and Usman Ghani have been removed from the ODI squad.
Meeting, on December 24, also to discuss cricket in 2028 LA Olympics
Nagraj Gollapudi03-Dec-2020The BCCI has signalled the likely addition of two new teams to the IPL for the 2021 edition. That, along with the “discussion” on including cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, are two key items the BCCI has listed on the agenda for its forthcoming annual general meeting, scheduled in Mumbai on December 24.Ever since the conclusion of the 2020 IPL, which was held in the UAE due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been constant murmurs about the BCCI considering adding at least one, if not two, IPL teams to the lucrative T20 tournament, which was originally started as an eight-team event in 2008.It is understood that the top brass of the board comprising BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah had informal discussions on addition of new teams with board members during the IPL final. A formal proposal was meant to be discussed at the IPL Governing Council meeting, which has not yet taken place.In the AGM agenda sent to the state associations on Thursday, the BCCI noted: “Approval on inclusion of 2 (two) new teams to the Indian Premier League.”The impact of 10 teams on the formatIf the BCCI members (state associations) approve the addition of two new teams, it will not be the first time the IPL has had 10 franchises in a season. That happened for the first time in 2011, when Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers were added to the original roster of eight franchises. The home-and-away format, which would have meant a total of 94 matches, was shelved due to fear of burnout.Consequently, the IPL split the 10 teams into two loose groups with a total of 70 league matches and four playoff games. Teams, though, were ranked together in one composite league table.During the league phase, every team played the same number of league matches, which was 14. Each team played the other four in their group both home and away (eight matches), four of the teams in the other group once (four matches, either home or away), and the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away. A random draw decided the composition of the groups as well as who played whom across the groups once and twice.The last time more than eight teams played in the IPL was in 2013, when nine teams took part with a total of 76 matches conducted.Cricket at Olympics 2028?The ICC has become more optimistic in the last 18 months about cricket featuring in the 2028 summer Olympics, which are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. Although the ICC has been pushing for a long time to get cricket at the Olympics, which are usually held in the July-August period every four years, teams like India, England and Australia have been sceptic about participation hurting their bilateral calendar.However, recent events – including the BCCI agreeing last year to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) – have boosted the ICC’s push. The BCCI had resisted the move for several years, mainly concerned by the whereabouts clause listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, which NADA subscribes to.Recently, the ICC sent a questionnaire to all member countries asking them to quantify the “potential financial benefits” they could accrue from their respective governments if cricket is included in the Olympics.The BCCI now wants to seek the state associations’ viewpoints and said it wanted to have a “discussion” during the AGM on the board’s “stand on the inclusion” of cricket at Los Angeles Olympics.
Ashes results tend to define the careers of England’s captains and coaches: if Root leads England to successive series defeats, they will have to contemplate a change
George Dobell in Leeds21-Aug-2019If Joe Root required any reminder – and he almost certainly doesn’t – over the extent to which Ashes results tend to define careers in English cricket, he will have received it on Tuesday with the news of Mark Robinson’s sacking as England’s women’s coach.It did not matter that, just two years ago, Robinson oversaw his side’s World Cup success. And it did not matter that, in all likelihood, no coach in history could have led his England side to victory over that Australian side in the recently-concluded women’s Ashes series; there was simply a chasm of quality between them.What mattered was that England lost the Ashes and that they lost it by some distance. All the promise of recent times was forgotten.Root’s England side could soon be in a similar position. Put simply, having won none (and lost six) of the previous eight Tests between the sides, they have to win two and lose none of the remaining three Tests if they are to reclaim the Ashes. And if they fail to do so, it will be Root’s second successive series loss following the defeat in the Caribbean. Perhaps more importantly, it would be Root’s second successive Ashes series loss as captain and England’s first at home since 2001.It may be that Trevor Bayliss’ impending departure – his contract ends in September – buys Root some time. Bayliss could be, in effect, the sacrificial offering required should Australia retain the Ashes. But the stain on Root’s captaincy record would be lasting. As Robinson discovered, you can go from tomorrow’s man to yesterday’s in the blink of an eye.There are two significant areas for optimism for England and for Root. The first is that, in Leeds, Australia will be without Steve Smith. He is, quite clearly, the best batsman involved in the series so his absence is a serious blow for Australia and a huge opportunity for England.The second is that, in Jofra Archer, England have a special asset: a genuinely fast bowler with the skill, body, action and ambition to suggest he should have a long and successful career. Young people don’t come with guarantees, but Archer really does appear to have the world at his feet.Archer is a lottery win of a cricketer. He offers masses and changes much. But English cricket would be deluding themselves if they took much credit for him. That’s not to decry Sussex’s contribution. The club made Archer feel valued and have, no doubt, aided his development. But the fact is he arrived in the UK as an outrageously talented young man who had developed through the Barbadian cricket scene. His availability to England is an enormous slice of good fortune that should not be allowed to hide the faults – the broken fast bowlers, the absence of top-order batsmen, the paucity of spinners – in the English game.For the reality of Root’s reign as captain – 30 Tests and counting – is that England have made almost no progress. They remain dangerous, certainly, and victory in Sri Lanka was an admirable achievement. But the search for an opening batsman to replace Andrew Strauss – let along Alastair Cook – goes on; the search for a No. 3 or No. 4 to replace Jonathan Trott goes on.And while Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler have enjoyed fine moments, their scores of late hardly offer the return their promise suggests we should expect. Put simply, it seems reasonable to expect a side blessed with the likes of Root, Buttler, Anderson, Ben Stokes et al. to be placed higher than No. 4 (and it may be No. 5 if they lose this series) in the Test rankings.Jonny Bairstow is two years older than he was when Joe Root was appointed as captain – but is he really two years better?•Getty Images
Let’s be clear: this is not entirely Root’s fault. He is not responsible for the lop-sided county schedule, the embrace of all things white-ball or the absence of the basic red-ball skills – the patience, the denial, the technical ability – that used to proliferate in the county game.But he does have to take some responsibility. He is England captain. This is his team. If he is unhappy with any aspect of the preparation, selection, coaching or ethos, it is within his remit to change it. And the fact is that, on his watch, the batting order might as well be picked out of a hat and his side are persisting with an opening batsman who everyone knows would be better suited to the middle order.For while England ended their Caribbean tour with the coach insisting they had learned valuable lessons – notably that the spine of the team, from No. 4 to No. 8, was a strength that should not be tinkered with – they have done almost nothing but tinker ever since. The No. 8 has gone, the No. 4 is a No. 3, the No. 6 is a No. 5 and the No. 7 might well be at No. 6. The England management insist it’s not chaos, but it’s starting to look as if it might be.ALSO READ: Miller: England’s batting maelstrom squanders another opportunityFurthermore, Root has been one of those advocating the “positive” mindset that all too often veers into recklessness – remember him saying “you don’t win games by batting long periods of time” in the Caribbean? – and increasingly appears to be a cover for a lack of defensive technique.Most of all, Eoin Morgan’s shadow is starting to loom over Root. For while Morgan seized a failing team and, with a combination of vision, bravery, consistency and unwavering determination, moulded them into world champions, Root has taken charge of an exciting group of cricketers and allowed them to drift. They should be two years better; most of them are simply two years older.That lack of progress applies to Root as much as anyone. He hasn’t made a first-innings century as captain since August 2017 in just his fifth game at the helm. Since then, he has only made one – the second-innings century in Kandy – in a live rubber. England cannot afford such decline in the returns of their best batsman. If the evidence suggests the captaincy is compromising his run-scoring ability – and it is starting to do so – England may have to consider the possibility of a change.All of which makes this a vital game for Root’s England. He remains the natural leader of this side and a man with many positive qualities. And alternatives aren’t especially obvious. But as Robinson’s demise has reminded us, Ashes results tend to bookend the careers of captains and coaches. England really do need a victory in Leeds.