O Palmeiras se reapresentou nesta segunda-feira (24), na Academia de Futebol, após o empate em 2 a 2 com o Vasco, no Maracanã, no último domingo (23), pela segunda rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas já virou a chave pensando na Copa do Brasil. As principais novidades na atividade desta manhã foram as presenças de Raphael Veiga e Rony, que podem reforçar o time em breve.
> Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui
No treino, o elenco alviverde iniciou a preparação para enfrentar o Tombense-MG, nesta quarta-feira (26), às 20h, no Parque do Sabiá, em Uberlândia (MG), pelo jogo de volta da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Na ida, o Verdão venceu por 4 a 2, no Allianz Parque, e pode até empatar ou perder por até um gol de diferença, que mesmo assim estará classificado para as oitavas de final do torneio.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras tem trio de campeões do Sul-Americano pela Seleção sub-17Palmeiras24/04/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras perde o costume da ‘baliza zero’, e auxiliar de Abel elenca motivosPalmeiras23/04/2023PalmeirasANÁLISE: Palmeiras se especializa em ‘correr atrás’, mas com o risco de não chegar lá na frentePalmeiras23/04/2023
Os titulares na partida do Rio de Janeiro seguiram cronograma regenerativo na parte interna do centro de excelência, enquanto os demais fizeram duas atividades técnicas de passes, marcação e posse de bola.
Veiga e Rony, que já estão em transição físicaapós se recuperarem de uma lesão na coxa direita e uma fratura no antebraço direito, respectivamente, participaram de parte do trabalho integrados ao restante do elenco. Ambos estão fora de combate desde o jogo de ida da final do Paulistão.
>Palmeiras perde o costume da ‘baliza zero’, e auxiliar de Abel elenca motivos
Vale lembrar que o Palmeiras não libera a entrada de jornalistas para acompanharem os treinamentos. Assim, as informações são fornecidas pela assessoria de imprensa do clube.
Depois de uma vitória e um empate no Brasileirão, o Verdão ocupa a terceira posição na tabela de classificação. Depois de enfrentar o Tombense nesta quarta-feira, o time de Abel Ferreira recebe o Corinthians, no Allianz Parque, pelo clássico válido pela terceira rodada do campeonato nacional.
After being released from LSG, the India batter is prioritising a “balanced” team environment over his captaincy aspirations
Shashank Kishore12-Nov-20242:55
Rahul: Bangalore is home, will be nice to go back to RCB
KL Rahul is looking forward to playing with “freedom” in a “much more balanced” environment as he enters the mega auction ahead of the new IPL cycle. Rahul was released by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) following their seventh-place finish at IPL 2024.At the time, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka spoke of their keenness to hold on to “players who have a mindset to win” and those that “put the team before their personal goals and aspirations”. Did that in any way prompt Rahul’s keenness to enter the auction?Related
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“No, I mean, I think the decision was made already and I don’t know what the comments are, but they must have come after the announcement,” Rahul told in an interview aired on November 12. “I just felt like I wanted to start fresh, I wanted to explore my options and I wanted to go and play where I could find some freedom and the team atmosphere would be something much more balanced.”The pressure is already there in the IPL, it’s so high. You see teams like Gujarat [Titans] and CSK [Chennai Super Kings] and all of these teams, and you see when they win or lose, they seem really balanced and the dressing room is really calm. That’s something that’s very important for me as a player. I feel like if that happens, it gives all the players the best chance to perform.”We tried that at LSG with Andy Flower [head coach] and GG [Gautam Gambhir, mentor] first and then last year with [new head coach, Justin] Langer, we tried to create that in the change room. I think it was a brilliant atmosphere in the change room. I think sometimes you just need to move away and find something good for yourself.”Rahul led LSG into the playoffs in their first two seasons, in 2022 and 2023. Asked to look back on IPL 2024, Rahul suggested that external pressure may have contributed to their drop in results. After starting with a loss to Rajasthan Royals, they won three matches on the bounce before stuttering mid-season. And then, they went on a downward spiral, even as Rahul topped their charts with 520 runs at a strike rate of 136.12.1:30
Rahul: I want to play where I can find some freedom
Despite those runs, there had been considerable speculation over Rahul’s future at the franchise ever since visuals surfaced of an animated chat between him and Goenka following LSG’s defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad towards the end of the league phase.”There’s always ups and downs,” he said. “You need to be able to hold your nerves and be able to keep and you need to be able to keep putting up good performances after good performances. All the travel, all the drama outside, the pressure – all of it is there every year. But somehow this season, it felt like there was a lot more and somehow I think that affected the team and we couldn’t put in performances when it really mattered.”Looking ahead, Rahul said IPL captaincy wasn’t the most important thing for him at this stage, but playing in a “good environment” was. “I would never go and ask someone for it,” Rahul said when asked how important IPL captaincy was to him. “If you feel that my leadership skills are good enough, and you find something good in the way I play my cricket and in the way I handle myself, the way that I handle the team that I’ve captained in the last four to five years, and if you find it worthy, then of course I’m happy to do it.”But it’s not something that is a make or break for me. I just want to be part of a team that has a good environment. You feel loved, cared for and respected in that environment and everyone on that franchise has one single goal to win the idea. there then that’s a perfect fit.”Even as social media chatter of a potential reunion with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, his hometown team, gathers steam, Rahul was pragmatic about the possibility of playing anywhere. But it’s no secret which team he has a soft corner for. “I most enjoyed playing at RCB. It’s also home,” he said. “You get to spend a lot of time at home, and I know the Chinnaswamy [Stadium] really well. I’ve grown up playing on that ground. So yeah, I really enjoyed my time in RCB.”Would he love to go back to RCB?”Yeah, of course like I said, it’s kind of home and the people there know me as a local Kannada boy, and it would be nice to go back there and get an opportunity again. But yeah, it’s an auction year so you can go anywhere.”
Joe Root begins a ninth stint at the top of the Test batters’ rankings beckons with the England batter leapfrogging Kane Williamson to the top of the ICC rankings. Root rose to the summit with his match-winning 87 in the first innings of the Birmingham Test against West Indies. He was the only one of the top six to score more than 20, although England did rake in the runs down the order with Jamie Smith almost scoring a century. The rookie wicketkeeper-batter was also among the big movers in the rankings, going up 31 places to No. 64.Root’s rise is the most significant of the latest update and he ticked off an arguably bigger landmark during the Test itself when he went past Brian Lara’s Test match tally of 11,953 to become the seventh highest run-getter in the format’s history. At 12,207, Root has the most runs among active Test cricketers with Steven Smith (9685) and Virat Kohli (8848) behind him. His first time at the top of the Test batting rankings was August 2015 and he was last there in June 2023, after a fine performance in the opening match of the Ashes series.England fast bowler Mark Wood’s Player-of-the-Match performance of 7 for 92 lifted him into the top 20 of the bowling rankings for the first time in his career.In the men’s T20I Rankings, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is back at No. 4 after aggregating 80 runs at a strike rate of 178 in the three-match series against Sri Lanka which his side won 3-0.Shubman Gill moved up 16 places to a career-best 21st position. The series two highest scorers, the Sri Lankan pair of Pathum Nissanka (up 11 places to 15th) and Kusal Perera (up 40 places to joint-63rd) are the others to move up the batting rankings. India legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who has been ranked No. 1 T20I bowler in the past, is back in the top 10.For the latest ICC player rankings, across formats, click here. For team rankings, click here.
David Moyes took the reins in January and guided Everton away from certain peril. Goodison Park was sinking, but instead, the Scottish coach has made a positive impact and ensured the club parted with their historic home in a good position, set for future success.
With the 2024/25 Premier League season wrapped up, Everton finishing 13th, Moyes and The Friedkin Group have turned their attention to the summer transfer window, releasing a number of loanees as well as first-team mainstays such as Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure
Whether players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane will be playing at the Hill Dickinson Stadium remains to be seen, but The Toffees are preparing to add some genuine quality to the starting line-up.
On that note, let’s have a look at how Moyes could apply his expertise over the summer, bringing in a few fresh faces who could make a big difference for a team hoping to challenge for a place in the top half.
1 GK – Jordan Pickford
Jordan Pickford has now completed 319 matches for Everton, keeping 89 clean sheets. He’s been a pillar of strength and a source of leadership for so many years.
He’s going nowhere; what else is there to say?
2 RB – Jake O'Brien
Jake O'Brien celebrates for Everton
Joining from Lyon last summer, Jake O’Brien didn’t start a Premier League game until Moyes’ second game, filling in at right-back during the thrilling 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park.
He’s since been a regular feature in the starting line-up, hailed as an “absolute revelation” by TNT Sports commentator Adam Virgo.
3 CB – Yann Bisseck
Inter Milan's YannBisseckin action with AC Milan's Theo Hernande
While the currently injured James Tarkowski will still be on the books, Everton could move to sign a long-term heir, with Inter Milan’s Yann Bisseck being ambitiously targeted for the role.
Bissesk is a monstrous defensive star, playing a prominent role in the Serie A side’s ongoing Champions League campaign.
As per TEAMtalk, Everton have been informed they could bring him over to Bramley-Moore if they meet the £30m asking price.
4 CB – Jarrad Branthwaite
Will Jarrad Branthwaite be an Everton player come September? Only a few months ago, the powerful defender was reported to be considering his options after being overlooked by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel for the March camp.
Tuchel has opted against picking him once again. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are rumoured to be keen, but Moyes will certainly want to keep hold of his star centre-back.
5 LB – Vitalii Mykolenko
Solid and largely dependable, Vitalii Mykolenko has another gear to raise in his development, but has definitely made gains, speaking of his enjoyment in embracing a more attacking role since the managerial change in January.
Mykolenko has six goal involvements across 110 matches in the Premier League, half of which have been posted over his last 11 matches, with Moyes at the helm.
6 CM – Tomas Soucek
Tomas Soucek scores for West Ham
Moyes wants to sign Tomas Soucek this summer, having enjoyed the fruits of the Czech midfielder’s labours for over four years at West Ham United.
An industrious and physical player with a shrewd eye for goal, Soucek would dovetail right in. And according to Football Insider, he’s keen on the move.
7 CM – Idrissa Gueye
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye
TFG are fighting tooth and nail to tie 35-year-old Idrissa Gueye down to a new contract, as per TEAMtalk. He might be getting on, but the Senegalese midfielder was a tough-tackling menace in the centre of the park this season, so important for Moyes’ side.
1)
Idrissa Gueye
133
2)
Daniel Munoz
123
3)
Joao Gomes
116
4)
Noussair Mazraoui
115
5)
Moises Caicedo
114
Everton will need to retain his services. Gueye instils a calming effect while bringing the thunderous storm to his opponents, and it will be hard to replace that.
8 RW – Ben Doak
According to reports, Everton are talking internally about a jaw-dropping swoop for Liverpool talent Ben Doak, who has enjoyed a productive loan spell with Middlesbrough, scoring three goals and supplying seven assists from 24 games in the Championship.
Valued at £30m, the Scotland international wouldn’t come cheap, but he’s explosive and electric and definitely an upgrade on the outgoing Jack Harrison.
Former Tartan Army boss Craig Levein has touted him to become a “world-class player,” after all.
9 AM – Charly Alcaraz
Everton midfielder Charly Alcaraz
Everton might be parting with most of their loan contingent, but they are in talks with Flamengo to sign Charly Alcaraz on a permanent basis.
The Argentina talent is tenacious and dynamic, and will give Dwight McNeil a run for his money for the number ten berth, especially now that Doucoure has played his final game in Merseyside blue.
10 LW – Iliman Ndiaye
Iliman Ndiaye scores for Everton
What a player. Iliman Ndiaye missed a sizeable chunk of the season after Moyes replaced Sean Dyche, but who can deny he’s been a show-stopping signing?
Arriving from Marseille for a £15m fee, Ndiaye, 25, finished the campaign as the club’s top scorer, with 11 goals from 37 matches in all competitions.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have now submitted an opening bid for a defender who “never puts a foot wrong”, but there could be competition from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.
Wolves looking to kick on under Pereira
Vitor Pereira’s arrival last season marked a change in fortunes for Wolves, with the manager overseeing a major improvement in results, which meant relegation fears were quashed way before the business end of the season.
Pereira has stated he wants to “do better” next season, however, which means some new arrivals may be needed this summer, particularly with Matheus Cunha on his way to Manchester United, and there have been suggestions Nelson Semedo could follow the forward to Old Trafford.
Quite rightly, the manager may also be keen to strengthen his backline this summer, given that the Old Gold conceded the most goals of any side not to be relegated from the Premier League last season.
Club
Final position
Goals conceded
Tottenham Hotspur
17th
65
Wolves
16th
69
Manchester United
15th
54
West Ham United
14th
62
According to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), Wolves have now made an offer for Lazio defender Mario Gila, but there could be competition for his signature from their Premier League rivals, with Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion also keen.
Lazio’s failure to qualify for Europe could have a big impact on their summer transfer window, and there is now growing interest in Gila, with the Italian club looking to hold out for a fee of €50m (£42m) for his services.
However, the Old Gold only appear to be willing to fork out €35m (£29m) for the centre-back’s signature, so the two clubs remain some way apart at the moment, and he is thought to be keen on playing for a top club next season.
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ByRoss Kilvington May 25, 2025 Gila "never puts a foot wrong" in defence
Former Lazio sporting director Igli Tare was full of praise for the Spanish defender upon signing him from Real Madrid, saying: “He is fast, intelligent and never puts a foot wrong. He can become one of the top 3-4 defenders in the world and it wouldn’t surprise me if Real wanted him back.”
The Barcelona-born defender has since emerged as a key player for Lazio, making 32 Serie A appearances during the 2024/25 campaign, and CBS’ Matteo Bonetti believes he could be in line for a move to a top club due to his “unique” profile.
As such, Gila could be a real coup for Wolves, but given that European football will not be on offer next season, it would be a surprise to see him move to Molineux.
Chelsea have now made contact to ask for information about a “world-class” player, ahead of a potential summer transfer swoop, according to a report.
Blues pushing for Champions League
Despite the drab 0-0 draw against Brentford at the weekend, the Blues remain in a strong position to end their two-year hiatus from the Champions League, sitting fourth in the Premier League table with just seven games left to play.
Should Enzo Maresca achieve his aim of Champions League qualification, the campaign will probably go down as a success, but there are still issues the manager will need to address in the summer transfer window.
One problem position has been goalkeeper, with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen being used interchangeably, and there have been suggestions Maresca could bring Djordje Petrovic back into the fold next season.
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Petrovic has impressed on loan at Strasbourg, meaning he could also be given another chance at Stamford Bridge. Nonetheless, the option of bringing in a new goalkeeper from elsewhere remains on the table.
According to a report from Italy (via Chelsea Chronicle), Chelsea have now asked for information about AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, ahead of a potential summer transfer swoop.
AC Milan's MikeMaignanreacts
Aston Villa and Manchester United have also been named as potential suitors for Maignan, whose future at the San Siro remains up in the air, given that he is yet to sign a new deal to extend his stay with the Italian club.
Reports have valued the goalkeeper at £67m, but there is a feeling he could be available for half that price, should he refuse to put pen to paper on a new deal, with his contract currently set to expire in 2026.
"World-class" Maignan could be real upgrade on Sanchez
Sanchez has been extremely error-prone for the Blues this season, making five mistakes which have directly led to goals in the Premier League, the joint-highest number of any player in the top flight.
As such, it is little wonder Chelsea are thinking about signing a replacement in the summer window, and there are indications Maignan could be a real upgrade on the Spaniard, considering he has been lauded as “world-class” by members of the Italian media.
Not only that, but the Frenchman could be well-suited to Maresca’s passing style of play, given that he has expressed a willingness to get on the ball over the past year, ranking in the 80th percentile for touches, when compared to his positional peers.
It is clear that Sanchez will need to be replaced this summer, and Maignan has proven he could be a solid replacement, although it may make more financial sense to give the nod to Petrovic, who has put in some very impressive displays in Ligue 1 this season.
While the selectors named an expanded squad, barring injuries the final choice comes down to two players from three
Alex Malcolm05-Nov-20253:09
Australia’s Ashes squad: No Konstas, Labuschagne to open?
It all hinges on Green’s bowling capability
It was known from a long way out that Cameron Green and Beau Webster would be picked in the squad together. The two have played in the same XI in Australia’s last four Test matches. But Green was a specialist batter at No. 3, a spot he had only batted in once in first-class cricket prior, and was not bowling with Marnus Labuschagne opening in one of them before Sam Konstas replaced Labuschagne in the other three.Related
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Green ended up playing very well in the last two Tests on very difficult pitches in West Indies and was arguably Australia’s best batter across those matches. But now that he’s back bowling, the need for two allrounders as opposed to a better structured batting line-up comes into question.However, Green’s bowling progression from back surgery has not quite gone to plan. He has been bowling in the nets since June without interruption, but has only sent down four overs in matches so far. Some minor side soreness saw him withdrawn from bowling in the last Shield game. He instead bowled in the nets and on the centre wicket post game in order to control the intensity.It is understood he has bowled up to 8-10 overs across multiple spells in singular net sessions already. Bailey confirmed he would bowl 15-20 overs in Western Australia’s next Shield game against Queensland at the WACA ground starting on November 11, which would equate to roughly 8-10 overs per innings. How he gets through those overs and how he bowls from a skill perspective could dictate the shape of the Test XI.If he gets through unscathed and bowls well, and the selectors are confident he can deliver the same if not more in the first Test, that will spell bad news for Webster if the selectors believe the sum of Australia’s parts look better with one allrounder and three specialist top three batters. Webster has done nothing wrong in his Test career so far. He’s made four half-centuries in 12 innings on difficult pitches, averaging 34.63 at No.6. By comparison, Green has averaged 38.72 in his last 12 Test innings with all bar one coming at Nos. 3-4 including his 174 not out in Wellington and his recent scores of 52, 46, and 42 on the nightmare pitches in the Caribbean.Webster also has eight wickets at 23.25 but has benefited from those same pitches with the ball. Green’s home Test record with the ball is far superior to even Webster’s Shield record. Green has 22 Test wickets at 25.63 in Australia, striking at 52.1 including dismissing Joe Root, Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes twice each and Ollie Pope once in the 2021-22 Ashes series.Jake Weatherald’s 94 against WA was his standout innings so far this season•Getty Images
Weatherald could complement Khawaja
The selectors have been desperate to find a solution at the top of the order since David Warner retired. If Green can bowl the requisite overs, and Webster is squeezed out, then Jake Weatherald will be the sixth different opener to partner Usman Khawaja in the last 15 Test matches since Warner retired.Unlike the elevations of Steven Smith, Travis Head and Labuschagne, and the selections of Nathan McSweeney and Konstas, Weatherald is clearly the best performed domestic red-ball opener in Australia over the last 12 months. He has scored 1391 runs at 53.50 in 26 innings since the start of last summer with four centuries and seven half-centuries for Tasmania and Australia A. The fact that Matt Renshaw was so highly fancied by many to pip Weatherald for selection when Renshaw has made 653 first-class runs at 34.36 with three centuries and one fifty in the same period was odd.Beyond the runs, Bailey was extremely complimentary of Weatherald’s style. He has made his runs at a brisk strike rate of 68.65. Khawaja’s Test career rate is 48.56 while Labuschagne struck at 41.47 in his last 14 Test innings before he was dropped. There were times against India last summer where the scoreboard was not moving and it led to Konstas’ inclusion. But Bailey noted that Weatherald’s repeatable method, his first-class experience and the fact his game does not change innings to innings was a big reason for his selection ahead of Konstas.Bailey cited Weatherald’s recent match-winning innings of 94 off 99 against Western Australia in a low-scoring Shield game in Hobart as an example of what he can bring.”That innings is a good example, I think, of what Jake does really well,” Bailey said. “I thought he counter-attacked. It was a wicket that had a little bit in it. Others around him were finding it challenging, and he put pressure back onto the bowlers. And the way he did that, he drove nicely, played off the back foot nicely, he was busy. I think that’s a good example of what he looks like at his best.”Marnus Labuschagne has made five centuries in his last eight innings•Getty Images
Labuschagne opens or bats at No.3
Despite Bailey saying that no decisions have been made on the XI with 16 days to go, it is clear Labuschagne is locked in to return. It would be ridiculous to leave him out after five centuries in his last eight domestic innings for Queensland when the selectors specifically asked him to go away and find his best game after axing him in the Caribbean.But the decision on Green and Webster will dictate where Labuschagne bats. All of his runs for Queensland have come at No. 3. Australia’s selectors do not direct state teams to bat players in certain positions. Labuschagne, as Queensland captain, has batted himself at No. 3 in all those games. It is his preferred position and where he has scored all 11 of his Test centuries. However, he does have two first-class centuries opening the batting and did open in the WTC final. Bailey stopped short of guaranteeing Labuschagne would return to No. 3.”No, not necessarily,” Bailey said. “I think Marn’s got a game that could sit anywhere. It could be three. I think I’ve said a lot in the past if you can bat in the top three, you’ve probably got a skill set that’s capable of opening the batting. I think a lot of those things will be determined by what other resources you need and the makeup of those around you, and is it complementary?”People clearly have spots where they’ve batted the majority of their career and they all have different records when they do change position. But he can bat three, he could open. He’s got the skillset for both, but he’s been looking pretty good of late.”The question of players complementing each other is the biggest hint Bailey could give as to the preferred order. It is clear that the selectors would prefer Khawaja and Labuschagne don’t open together. Labuschagne’s most prolific batting partnerships in Tests have come batting with Warner, Smith, Head and Matthew Wade. He’s averaged above 50 with all four who are busy and free-flowing players at their best and has had multiple century stands with each. He’s had 48 Test partnerships with Khawaja by comparison and averaged 31.61, albeit with two century stands. There is a thought within the Australian camp that Labuschagne is a batting chameleon of sorts in the way that he can mimic his partners style. Whether that is still the case with the remodelled Labuschagne, time will tell.But if Labuschagne is back to his best, then a return of a No.3-4-5 combination of Labuschagne, Smith and Head will certainly look more challenging for England’s attack to penetrate than any alternative.
Defeats against most opposition inflicts bruises, but Australia leave tattoos, and Pakistan are now covered in them
Danyal Rasool27-Dec-20233:55
Malcolm: ‘Cummins made something happen out of nothing’
There are some things you fly from Lahore to Melbourne for at this time of year. Warm weather, perhaps. More of a Christmas vibe, possibly. A reading of the air-quality index that doesn’t give you a panic attack, quite probably.And then you’re sat at the MCG on an idle festive evening. Tea was served only recently. Maybe you helped yourself to a cuppa, and a slice of pizza or cake to go with it. Or maybe both; you may be on holiday, and you wish to indulge.You settle down happily into your seat. Pakistan are doing all right. In fact, you dare yourself to think it: Pakistan are winning this day. Second day of the Boxing Day Test, they’ve knocked off Australia’s final seven relatively cheaply within a session, even if, possibly in generous holiday spirit, they have gifted a whopping 52 extras. And now, captain Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique are neutering Australia’s pace attack with relative comfort. The partnership is 90, the score 124 for 1. Nearly 45,000 people are in to enjoy the Test cricket. You don’t get that in Pakistan.Related
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And then you see something you are sure looks familiar, something you realise, with a pang of horror, you never needed to leave Lahore at all to see. Pat Cummins pitches one up, it’s moving in, and Abdullah Shafique pushes uncertainly at it in the bowler’s general vicinity. Cummins bends low in one lithe, graceful motion, and when he emerges from a dive, he’s got the ball in his hands.”It’s just one of those ones that… off the bat, they’re pretty hard to pick up, and they either stick or they don’t,” Cummins said later. “Luckily that one stuck – in the other hand to what I thought it was going to go in.”But against Pakistan, these catches seem to find a way to nestle into Cummins’ secure hands. Twenty-one months ago, Shafique – in the second series of his career – had put on a 150-run partnership with Azhar Ali – at the other end of his career – in Lahore. He’d fallen 44 runs earlier, but his stand with Azhar had helped Pakistan into a relatively secure position after Pakistan had triggered an Australian collapse to keep them below 400. It was 214 for 2 when Azhar played a near-identical shot: the nothing push.Cummins had thrown himself to the floor to strike, and Pakistan watched as Australia laid waste to the rest of their side, the last eight wickets falling for 54 runs. Pakistan never quite recovered, and Australia sealed a series-clinching victory two days later.Babar Azam was cleaned up by a Pat Cummins in-decker•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaBack here at the MCG, you shift uncomfortably in your seat. You were there in Lahore that day, and you remember what happened immediately. It’s hard not to, because defeats against most opposition inflicts bruises, but Australia leave tattoos, and Pakistan are now covered in them.Australia have toiled all day with little to show for it until then. But like a cheetah that awaits its moment, they recognise the time to strike. Cummins needs just three more deliveries to produce the delivery of the Test match so far, one that lands outside off and moves in off the seam so sharply Babar Azam’s defensive prod only ends up going all around it. Australia sprang at the right time to knock their prey to the ground, and now it’s time to feast.Masood dances down the crease to attack Nathan Lyon – what he’s seen unfold at the other end need not impact his own approach. But there’s only so many times a bowler with 500 wickets at just over 30 will allow a batter with 1600 runs at just under 30 to punish him that way. Masood doesn’t recognise the slightly altered flight path, the length pulled a shade back, and goes through the shot anyway, losing his shape and his wicket.This is a dance the universe is all too familiar with, and each participant, unwitting and otherwise, knows the next steps by now. Josh Hazlewood and Cummins knock back the next two as Pakistan lose five wickets for 46 runs in a little over an hour. It is somehow both incredulous and yet inevitable that Pakistan would dominate the best part of two-thirds of a day against Australia, and somehow end up in a significantly worse position than they started it.Shan Masood was positive in his approach, but Nathan Lyon had the last laugh•Getty ImagesYou no longer remember the wickets Aamer Jamal took this morning, or the child-like excitement of Hasan Ali as he celebrated each dismissal. You have forgotten how hard Pakistan made it for Australia to score runs on a morning they were pushing for an advantage, or even the blinder of a catch Mohammad Rizwan took diving low to his right to trigger the collapse in the first place. You can barely recall the technical solidity of Shafique as he got Pakistan off to another bright start, or Masood’s commitment to a playing style that saw him post his highest Test score in nearly four years.Instead, you remember the extras Pakistan so blithely gave away, the cheap runs rather than the wickets, the fine margins that saw Australia survive two DRS calls. You recall Imam-ul-Haq’s dismissal off Lyon after the openers had survived another 15 overs, and you know exactly how many runs Pakistan are behind Australia with four lower-order wickets to go, each of those 124 weighing down on you.It’s a pleasant December evening in Melbourne, with the sun still out long after stumps have been called. But as you wearily trudge out of this cathedral of a stadium and walk up the Yarra, you can only see the clouds as they stealthily make their way over the city. Instead of being warmed by the sun, the southerly wind that’s suddenly picked up in intensity chills your bones. You realise you haven’t brought a jacket, and how little time it takes for a Pakistani to feel unprepared in Australia. It feels uncomfortably like a metaphor.You flew across hemispheres to the other side of the world, but this is an experience Lahore provided just as authentically as Melbourne. It has, after all, never been Australia’s style to give Pakistan a hiding place.At least you can see those Christmas lights in Federation Square, though. And the air quality is pure enough to allow you to take that familiar sigh of resignation.
This match was lost in its first half hour, irrespective of “positives” Root says can be gleaned from the wreckage
Andrew Miller11-Dec-2021Eleven Tests, ten defeats and a draw, and scarcely a whiff of an upset in any of them. Since their last series win in Australia in 2010-11, England’s record Down Under has been abysmal – so poor, in fact, that it was hard to feel especially moved by the totality of this latest loss at Brisbane.When a side has slumped to 11 for 3 inside six overs after choosing to bat first, it’s hard to muster much more than a shrug of recognition when the same outfit squanders its final eight wickets in an unseemly rush for the exits. This match was lost within half an hour of its beginning, irrespective of the “positives” that Joe Root, England’s captain, is adamant can still be gleaned from the wreckage.”We’re game-hardened now,” Root said, after England’s Covid- and rain-wrecked build-up to the first Test. “We’d not had that going into it, so we’ll be better for it. Those guys that have not experienced [the Ashes] before know what’s coming now, and sometimes that [next] game coming around quite quickly is exactly what you need, to get straight back out there and put things right.”Related
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It’s not that Root does not have a point. With the ball, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson were outstanding in contrasting yet complementary ways, while Root’s own reaction to his first-innings duck was reassuring confirmation that the world’s No.1 batter has not mislaid his touch in the four months since his last competitive outing. His partnership with Dawid Malan was in-game evidence of the strides that this team can make, while Haseeb Hameed and Ollie Pope are among a cast of players who may feel better orientated for their incomplete displays.And yet England, by dint of their glaring inadequacies in Australian conditions, have now set such low expectations that all manner of bouncing dead cats could be mistaken for signs of an impending recovery – maybe even Rory Burns’ triumph in avoiding a king pair, a feat he achieved by avoiding the first ball of the innings for only the fourth occasion out of 264 in his first-class career. Even then, he had to rely on the lottery that was the Gabba’s technology back-up to overturn an lbw verdict two balls later.No amount of marginal gains from first innings to second can disguise England’s current run of 11 Tests – and 11 years – without a victory in Australia. It is a longer run of failure than they managed even in an era commonly recalled as the team’s nadir – the ten-Test stretch from January 1987 to January 1995, which began with Mike Gatting’s Ashes-winners being spun to defeat at Sydney by an unknown debutant Peter Taylor (whom legend has it owed his call-up to a case of mistaken identity) and ended with an extraordinary win against the head at Adelaide – one of those glorious 1990s flashes-in-the-pan that somehow made all of the team’s other indignities worthwhile.In between whiles, those indignities included Graham Gooch “farting against thunder” during a supine 3-0 loss in the “Tiger Moth” tour of 1990-91 – a series in which England managed to take a first-innings lead in each of the opening two Tests, only to then lose them by ten wickets (at the Gabba, natch) and eight wickets respectively. Thereafter, Shane Warne’s supremacy opened such a baffling new dimension in Ashes combat that England could hardly be blamed for taking an entire generation to work out how to play him.Rory Burns trudges off after a second failure•Getty ImagesThere’s no such mystery about Australia’s dominance these days. They have a mighty roster of fast bowlers, and a spinner in Nathan Lyon with sufficient guile to claim 403 Test wickets and counting. And while Steve Smith is a freak of nature who had been averaging 120 in Ashes Tests over the past four years, he’s still not quite Don Bradman – on whose watch England’s record barren run in Australia was recorded: 12 Tests (punctuated by a World War) between 1937 and 1951.Some might counter that Australia’s recent record in England isn’t so flash either. They haven’t won an Ashes series there since 2001, which – on the face of it – goes to underline the suspicion that home advantage is half the battle won in modern-day Test cricket. And yet, that doesn’t square with Australia’s impressive haul of four wins and a draw in their last ten away Ashes Tests.Nor does it square with the fact that there has been just one truly close contest, home or away, since Australia launched their 5-0 whitewash at the Gabba in 2013. Ben Stokes’ miracle at Headingley in 2019 was precisely the sort of heist that encouraged the fallacy (and everyone bought into it to a greater or lesser degree) that there could yet be a twist to this latest tale, despite all reasonable Test-match precedent stating that, when a team trails by 278 runs on first innings, there’s really no hope of salvation.But it’s an addictive narrative nonetheless, and one that England were leaning on during the summer as well, when they lost two series on home soil for the first time since that aforementioned Ashes summer of 2001. And yes, we know that – technically speaking – the India series isn’t over yet. But anyone who witnessed England getting mangled at Lord’s and The Oval knows where the balance of power lay going into the fifth Test at Old Trafford.Everything about England’s Test cricket at present is focused on the individuals within fronting up and giving more to the cause – be it Stokes, only just returned from the abyss after fearing his badly mended finger might prevent him from playing ever again – or more recently Root, on whom English cricket’s every expectation is currently piled. The moment he failed to reach his elusive maiden century in Australia was the moment that the scales fell from the optimists’ eyes. This year’s monstrous haul of 1544 runs at 64.33 could grow larger still at Adelaide and Melbourne, but even Root’s lifetime best hasn’t been able to prevent England from losing seven and winning one of their last ten Tests.But miracle-working is a tenacious narrative – just ask the Bible’s publishers. For Root in this contest, and Stokes in general terms, read James Anderson’s recall under the Adelaide lights next week. While there’s individual brilliance in England’s ranks, there’s always reason to believe that the collective can surge as one. But just don’t look too closely at Anderson’s overall win-loss record in Australia. Nor, for that matter, at the England Lions’ batting card in their unofficial Test against Australia A, which is taking place just down the road. The rot, it seems, is set deep into the system, and not simply restricted to those who’ve been outgunned at the Gabba.