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Manchester United’s season begins this weekend, with Ruben Amorim’s side welcoming Arsenal to Old Trafford for a fiery curtain-raising clash in the Premier League.

So much hinges on this campaign for United, who have emerged from a disastrous year of struggle: slumping, losing Erik ten Hag, appointing Amorim, plummeting further, finishing 15th, losing the Europa League final.

But INEOS and Jason Wilcox have refashioned the frontline and remain intent on bolstering further. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been targeted, though is also in Manchester City’s sights, but it’s an all-action midfield player who Amorim feels would have the most significant impact on his side.

Man United's chase for new midfielder

Man United’s interest in Carlos Baleba has been well-documented across the past few weeks, with the Brighton & Hove Albion star viewed as the perfect long-term option to complete Amorim’s midfield.

However, Baleba remains in first-team training with the Seagulls, who are going to resist with full force the Man United advances.

With much uncertainty around the 21-year-old’s signature, a different Premier League star has been earmarked too.

Indeed, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Amorim is a big admirer of Southampton talent Mateus Fernandes, who was one of the relegated side’s standout players last season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

West Ham United are felt to have the lead in the battle, having opened talks with the south coast club, but United could surely sway the odds in their favour, should they raise their interest.

Southampton will demand in excess of £30m.

What Mateus Fernandes would bring to Man United

The 21-year-old Fernandes shone despite Saints’ woes last year, and he’s been described as having the tools to become the “ultimate Premier League midfielder” by former pro Jo Tessem.

Having joined Southampton from Sporting Lisbon for a smart £15m fee last summer, he has featured 44 times in total, starring across his outfit’s opening two matches of the current campaign, this time in England’s second tier.

Given that he is available for a portion of the price required for Baleba’s signature, Fernandes might be the perfect fallback, perhaps even a more prudent and economical signing – one which might still bloom ripe results for Amorim’s resurgence-seeking side.

Goals

0.06

0.10

Assists

0.12

0.03

Touches

54.45

57.40

Pass completion

79.9%

87.4%

Progressive passes

4.49

3.99

Shot-creating actions

2.41

2.23

Progressive carries

2.35

1.45

Successful take-ons

1.52

1.12

Ball recoveries

5.54

6.66

Tackles + interceptions

3.62

4.23

Blocks

1.33

1.59

Duels won

5.8

5.9

We are not, of course, advocating Fernandes as being a midfielder of superiority; Baleba has been valued in excess of £100m after all. However, there’s an exciting player in this Portuguese prospect, one who shares some of the Cameroonian’s tactical strengths and has plenty of room for development.

There’s a case to be made that Fernandes has a bit more completeness about his game. Given the trammels that were imposed on his skill set by a lifeless Southampton side, constantly weighted down by their opponents, he did a rather good job, protecting his backline as best he could while pushing play forward too.

With impressive strength and precision in front of goal, the rising talent truly might have the skill set to become the “perfect midfielder”, as has been noted by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Though Baleba is the talk of the town and is perhaps further down the line in his development than Fernandes, the latter man weathered a harsh storm at St. Mary’s Stadium last year and still managed to make a good impression.

His steely presence and underrated technical game suggest he could prove a shrewd signing indeed.

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Marcus Harris added 52 to his first-innings century to continue to build his case for a Test match recall but both sides bemoaned a lifeless Junction Oval surface as Victoria and Tasmania dawdled to a draw on day four in Melbourne.Harris made 52 off 70 balls in the second innings, after scoring 143 in the first, as Victoria cruised to 120 for 2 off 52 overs in their second innings on the fourth day after Tasmania had declared overnight with a 99-run lead. But given the surface had so little life in it, there was no prospect of Tasmania taking 10 wickets with time left to chase a target and the captains agreed to call the game off just before tea on the final day.Related

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Harris played with similar fluency to his first innings, striking eight boundaries in his 52 before nicking a very full delivery from Kieran Elliott to potentially cost himself a chance at twin hundreds in the match.Ash Chandrasinghe was challenged by left-arm orthodox of Matt Kuhnemann, who tried to extract something from the footmarks outside the left-hander’s off stump. Chandrasinghe made 44 from 128 before Kuhnemann finally got one to bite from the dust to bowl him through the gate.Campbell Kellaway and Peter Handscomb blunted the bowling thereafter to thwart any chance of a collapse. Jordan Silk even tried himself for an over before the game was called off.Despite the flat nature of the pitch, player of the match Harris was pleased with his return. He had a brief conversation with Australia selector Tony Dodemaide on the ground after the match and revealed he looks set to play for Australia A against India A in a few weeks time.”He asked if I wanted to bat six and bowl seam up in the Test side,” Harris joked. “He was just talking about the Aussie A stuff. I think that’ll come out the next few days.”Australia A play two four-day matches against India A in Mackay and Melbourne before the Test season. Cameron Green’s likely absence from the XI opens the door for Harris to win a place in the side through performance, especially if Steven Smith moves back to No. 4 as expected.”It probably wouldn’t hurt if you made runs in it,” Harris said. “I’ve been in the situation a few times now where I’ve played those games. It’s not like it’s going to be the first time I’ve ever played for Australia A before a Test series. There’s obviously always a bit of attention around those games. Pressure wise, I’m not going to be trying to put the same pressure on myself as I had before. It will just be a great opportunity.”Victoria coach Chris Rogers and Tasmania coach Jeff Vaughan were left frustrated that a result was not possible. Silk and Handscomb had held discussions on the third day about trying to manufacture a result but could not find common ground, which both coaches stated was understandable given it was the first game of the season.There was no blame placed on the curator at the Junction Oval given the weather in the lead-in, but Rogers did not sugarcoat the result.”That’s not great for cricket and anyone involved,” he said. “We have a bit of a history here early on in the season of just having wickets that we we try different things, but we can’t seem to get anything out of it. So it’s frustrating.”Vaughan did not have an answer as to how to avoid these early season results, particularly in the two most southern states of Victoria and Tasmania.”I’ll feel for curators in that regards, because it is darn hard at this time of year to get high-quality result wickets,” Vaughan said.

Tottenham Hotspur are now “pushing to sign” a £70m “beast” who is “very open to a move to Spurs” this summer, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed.

Richarlison and Son Heung-min's futures up in the air

Despite an impressive 2023-24 campaign, it would be fair to say that Richarlison hasn’t exactly set the world alight since making the move from Everton, and the Brazilian once again struggled to make an impact last season after struggling with injuries.

Richarlison at Spurs

PL appearances

Goals

Assists

2022-23

27

1

4

2023-24

28

11

4

2024-25

15

4

1

As such, Tottenham have now made the decision to transfer list the striker, amid interest from Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia, with talks over a potential exit being held over the course of the past month.

Consequently, one of Thomas Frank’s main tasks this summer could be to bring in a replacement, and a £32m offer has now been submitted for Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, who is also attracting attention from newly-promoted Leeds United.

There has also been speculation surrounding Son Heung-min’s future, with the captain at one stage said to have been close to an exit, and Spurs are now looking at bringing in a long-term replacement for the South Korean.

According to an update from Plettenberg on X, Tottenham are now “pushing to sign” West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus, who is “very open to a move to Spurs” this summer.

Negotiations are currently ongoing with West Ham, as Spurs “really want” to get a deal over the line, but there could be competition from clubs in the Saudi Pro League.

However, Kudus has aspirations of playing at the highest level in Europe, indicating the Lilywhites could be well-placed to win the race for his signature, with Champions League football set to be on offer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season.

"Beast" Kudus could be exciting signing for Spurs

A deal for the Ghanaian is likely to be on the expensive side, with reports suggesting the Hammers could hold out for £70m, but there are plenty of signs that he could be an exciting addition to Frank’s squad.

The 24-year-old is a particularly impressive dribbler of the ball, placing in the 97th percentile for successful take-ons over the past year, when compared to other wingers, while he has also displayed an ability to create chances and score goals.

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Indeed, the West Ham star regularly contributed with goals and assists during his first season in England, picking up 17 goal contributions in the Premier League, while finding the back of the net five times in the Europa League.

Described as a “beast” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Kudus could take his career to the next level at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but there may be some reservations about shelling out £70m, given that he didn’t manage to kick on at West Ham last season.

Liverpool are marching their way through the summer transfer window like nobody’s business, with the signings made thus far fitting additions to a Premier League-winning team.

It’s a good thing too, for the Anfield side’s domestic rivals are looking to reel in impactful additions of their own as they look to challenge for the top-flight title next term.

FSG will slow down now, though, having signed two full-backs and Florian Wirtz (for a British-record £116m fee) to boot.

And there’s more still to come. The Merseysiders have placed themselves in a strong financial position after biding their time across recent transfer windows and claiming a windfall from sealing the league title.

Where might FSG strike next?

Where Liverpool are planning to strengthen

There’s plenty of noise surrounding Liverpool’s planned signing of a centre-forward, but with Bayern Munich plotting to sign Luis Diaz, we may see a left-sided winger arrive at the club in the coming month too.

The usual rumours linking Liverpool to Anthony Gordon have resurfaced; might we see the Three Lions star playing alongside Alexander Isak, his Newcastle United teammate, at Anfield next season?

After such a fierce wave of activity, Liverpool can now afford to be opportunistic, though there is still a pressing need for a central defender as Jarell Quansah prepares to join Bayer Leverkusen for £35m and Ibrahima Konate’s contractual uncertainty rumbles on.

Liverpool had attempted to bring Dean Huijsen over from Bournemouth, but that one’s off the cards.

Huijsen might have signed for Real Madrid, but Liverpool have shown they still want to sign a centre-back, and there’s one man in particular in Richard Hughes’ sights.

Liverpool agree personal terms for Premier League star

As per journalist DaveOCKOP, Liverpool have reached an agreement on personal terms with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Guehi is out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 season and Liverpool are planning to take advantage of the market opportunity, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, with talks been the clubs slated for this week.

Liverpool and Palace are apart on their valuations, so the coming days will prove crucial. The Reds hope to strike a deal for £30m.

Why Liverpool want natural leader Marc Guehi

With so much change taking place at Liverpool this summer, it would be good to sign an experienced Premier League star, and Guehi fits the bill in that regard.

Praised by England U21 coach Lee Carsley for showing “leadership qualities on and off the field”, Guehi may even find himself in contention for the armband down the line, having captained the Eagles in each of his 44 appearances across all competitions last season, leading his side to the FA Cup title after beating Manchester City in the final.

In this regard, the England international might even become Liverpool’s next Jordan Henderson, arriving for a fairly large fee from a Premier League rival after demonstrating authority and influence to marry with the technical quality.

Guehi, it must be said, is one of the most composed and cultured ball-playing centre-halves in the Premier League, actually ranked among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe over the past year for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

His completeness and potential to guide Liverpool through a new era over the coming years speak of a certain similarity to Henderson, especially as he would play alongside a legend in Virgil van Dijk for the next few years as the Dutch captain approaches his twilight. In Henderson’s case, this was applicable to Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool signed Henderson from Sunderland for £20m back in 2011. He had already been capped by England and was considered a hugely promising midfield talent.

No one could have imagined what he would achieve. Across 492 matches for Liverpool, Henderson notched 91 goal contributions and captained Liverpool toward the Premier League, Champions League and many more.

Now, a new leader in Guehi can follow suit. He might be a little older, but the defender can emulate his compatriot, having established himself in a settled Premier League outfit, standing out.

Matches (starts)

25 (23)

34 (34)

Goals

0

3

Assists

1

2

Clean sheets

4

11

Touches*

61.6

64.9

Pass completion

87%

84%

Key passes*

0.3

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.8

4.3

Dribbles (success)*

0.3 (64%)

0.4 (86%)

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

2.6

Clearances*

3.5

4.6

Duels (won)*

3.6 (60%)

4.9 (59%)

It’s clear that this is a man of consistency and incremental, steady improvements. Regarded as a “monster in defence” by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, the stocky defender won’t just be an exciting addition, but an instrumental one.

Liverpool, having lost Trent Alexander-Arnold and with Andy Robertson potentially on the move too, must ensure that they don’t create too youthful an underbelly to Slot’s title-winning squad, and Guehi will thrive in bringing his wealth of leadership qualities to the fold.

Liverpool might have two of the most talented central defenders in the game, but the Reds need to replace Quansah with a player capable of playing a bigger part, the England U21 star only handed four top-flight starts.

Guehi is clearly an upgrade across every facet, both from a technical standpoint and in regard to his maturity.

Moreover, he’s a natural-born leader, and coming from a divisional rival having carved success for himself, perhaps Slot will see his own version of Henderson welcomed to the ranks in the coming weeks or months.

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With concerns increasing that Morgan Rogers could leave the club this summer, Aston Villa have reportedly stepped up their efforts to sign an instant replacement for their star midfielder.

Arsenal considering Morgan Rogers bid

Aston Villa find themselves in a vulnerable spot this summer. Their PSR concern is an open secret in the Premier League and their rivals know that they may need to sell at least one key man to comply with the financial rules by the end of June. And that could hand them an uphill battle to keep hold of Rogers if Arsenal come calling in the coming weeks.

There is no doubt that those in the Midlands would like to keep hold of such a talented player. After all, there’s very good reason why Rogers was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year and is a strong favourite to win the award. But they may have little choice in the matter if an offer in the region of £50m or above arrives for Rogers’ signature this month.

What has not helped ease Villa’s concerns about Rogers’ future are recent reports that Arsenal are seriously considering submitting an offer to sign the England international this summer after missing out on Nico Williams to Barcelona.

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It would undoubtedly rub salt in Aston Villa’s wounds if they not only lost one of their best players, but lost that player to a Premier League rival. Nonetheless, those in the Midlands are seemingly preparing for the worst and have already reportedly set their sights on signing a potential replacement for Rogers in the coming months.

Aston Villa step up efforts to sign Eze

In the event that Rogers leaves the club this summer, it looks as though the Villans will turn their focus towards South London. According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa are now stepping up their efforts to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and have made the midfielder their priority target.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Eberechi Eze

Morgan Rogers

Starts

31

37

Goals

8

8

Assists

8

10

Key Passes

58

51

It certainly makes sense that Aston Villa are looking towards Eze to potentially replace Rogers. The Crystal Palace star almost matched his England teammate all the way in output last season whilst making fewer Premier League appearances and took his total to 14 goals in all competitions.

Like Unai Emery, however, Oliver Glasner won’t want to lose his key man this summer. The Crystal Palace boss was full of praise for Eze last season, telling reporters back in September: “Who’s a better player than Eze? For me he’s absolutely top, if he was luckier this season he would have five or six goals.

“He’s always dangerous because he has the quality and ability at 1-1, he’s such an unbelievable finisher, in some situations he can improve, he’s a guy who can always score and he’s someone who everyone likes. This is why he’s on the pitch because he’s able to score goals.”

There is no getting away from the fact that this season has been a mostly disappointing one for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side might have made it to the club’s first Champions League semi-final since the 08/09 season, but they were out of the Premier League title race months ago and crashed out of the FA Cup in the Third Round.

However, all of that can be forgotten for the next few months, as with the summer transfer window about to open, the North Londoners have the chance to seriously improve the squad with some international superstars.

Yet, it’s not all about incomings, and there are a number of first-teamers who should be sold or let go as well, including one who’s previously been compared to Patrick Vieira.

The Arsenal stars who should go

So, while the likes of Kieran Tierney and Jorginho are already confirmed to be leaving the club, with the former going to Celtic and the latter Flamengo, there are a few others in the squad who should probably be moved on, like Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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Alongside Gabriel Jesus, the Ukranian international’s arrival from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 represented the start of the Gunners’ recent resurgence, and for most of the 22/23 campaign, he was superb.

However, as his defensive fragilities became more apparent, he began to lose his place in the team and went from playing 2411 minutes in his first campaign to 2082 last year and then just 789 minutes this season.

Another signing from the same summer who should probably be moved on is Fabio Vieira.

The Portuguese midfielder joined the club from Porto for around £34m, but after two seasons, in which he scored just three goals and provided ten assists in 49 games, he was sent back to the Portuguese giants on a season-long loan.

While it’s been a reasonably successful spell back at his old club this year, ten goal involvements in 39 games is hardly prolific, so instead of giving him yet another chance in North London, Andrea Berta and Co should be ruthless and try and get back as much money as they can for him this summer.

That same ruthlessness should see them let another player leave, a player who’s been compared to the Gunners’ far more successful Vieira.

Arsenal's Vieira 2.0 must not play for the club again

So, given the situation of the squad at the moment, it’ll probably come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is Thomas Partey.

Now, the first thing to say is that this is no slight on the midfielder’s ability, as for much of his Arsenal career, he has been brilliant, so much so that back in 2020 after signing for £45m, Roy Keane, of all people, described him as “outstanding” and even compared him to one of the Gunners’ all-time great midfielders in Vieira.

Moreover, for much of this season, he was an important part of Arteta’s starting midfield, but even so, there are several reasons why he should be allowed to leave this summer and not offered a new deal, as reports suggest he will be.

The first is that at 31 and with his horrendous injury record, which has seen him miss 81 games for club and country since he moved to N5, and while he stayed remarkably fit this season, history tells us he cannot be relied upon to remain so.

This links to the next point: the finances.

Thomas Partey’s Arsenal injury record

Season

Number of injuries

Days missed

Games missed

2020/21

3

81

21

2021/22

3

152

19

2022/23

2

29

6

2023/24

2

143

34

2024/25

1

6

1

Total

11

436

81

All Stats via Transfermarkt

If Berta and Co do end up offering the former Atlético Madrid star a deal similar to the one he is on now, then that is around £200k-per-week tied up for at least a couple more years in someone who may end up missing huge chunks of the campaign.

Finally, following Fabrizio Romano’s update that Martin Zubimendi’s transfer to the club is practically complete, it once again feels like a waste of resources to be handing out big contracts to a player who could end up just being a squad player.

Ultimately, Partey remains a talented footballer and someone who has been a real asset to Arsenal, but as the club look to make the next step this summer, it makes sense to say thanks and let him leave, not hand him another expensive deal.

Cole Palmer was sensational for Chelsea over the weekend in their 3-1 win over Liverpool.

Not only did he manage to find the back of the net to end a long goal drought, but he was a chance-creation machine, playing four key passes.

He also completed three dribbles out of three that he attempted, dazzling against the newly-crowned Premier League champions in a statement performance. At the end of the game, Roy Keane said the attacker is “one of these players you’d pay to come and watch, he’s that good”.

Enzo Maresca’s side are not short of top attacking quality, and they could add to the likes of Palmer in the summer by signing another left-footed attacking star.

Chelsea target new attacker

If recent reports are to be believed, one of the players the Blues are going to go all out to sign this summer is Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The Cameroonian attacker has been sensational this season, which has caught the eye of Chelsea.

According to a report from one Spanish news outlet, Mbeumo has ‘caught the attention of the Stamford Bridge club’s directors’.

As a result, they could now make a move to sign him this summer. It seems to be quite a concrete move, too, with his ‘next destination seems to be increasingly close’ to being Chelsea.

However, the Brentford forward won’t come cheap. The Blues are thought to be ‘preparing an offer that could convince Brentford to let him go’, this summer. The Bees could demand a fee as high as £51m if they are to sell their star attacker to their West London rivals.

Why Mbeumo would be a good signing for Chelsea

Mbeumo’s quality this season has been clear for all to see. He has played a huge role in the success of Thomas Frank’s side in 2024/25, helping them to reach ninth in the table and be within touching distance of a European spot.

Mbeumo, who was once described as a “deadly” attacker by Statman Dave, has been on fire in the Premier League. In 35 appearances, he has found the back of the net 18 times and registered a further seven assists.

One of the standout things about Mbeumo’s game is his consistency. The longest goal involvement drought the 25-year-old has had this season is three games, showing just how regularly he can contribute. Perhaps his standout performance came at home to Brighton and Hove Albion in a 4-2 win, when he scored twice and assisted another.

Although this is Mbeumo’s best season in the Premier League to date in terms of goals and assists, the Bees’ number 19 didn’t take long to adapt to the top flight of English football. In all four seasons of Premier League football so far, he has managed ten or more goal involvements.

Mbeumo record per season in Premier League

Season

Games

Minutes

Goals

Assists

Minutes per G/A

2021/22

35

2916

4

7

265

2022/23

38

2928

9

8

172

2023/24

25

1961

9

7

122

2024/25

35

3147

18

7

125

Stats from Transfermarkt

If there is one former Chelsea star Mbeumo might hope to replicate, it is legendary winger Arjen Robben.

The Dutchman played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but really made a name for himself at Stamford Bridge.

The Dutchman played 106 times for the Blues, scoring 19 goals and grabbing 23 assists in that time. His trademark skill saw him cut inside on his left foot from the right wing, drive at defenders before unleashing a wicked effort.

This is similar to Mbeumo, as his second goal against Brighton a few weeks ago highlighted. He picked the ball up just inside the penalty box, at the right-hand corner, set himself and fired a shot home. There was certainly a bit of Robben about that effort.

Should the Blues bring Mbeumo into the club, he could add consistency and a genuine goal threat off the right-hand side. He already has more goals than Robben did in the Premier League.

If he can continue on the current trajectory, perhaps the Brentford star can become even better in a Chelsea shirt than Robben was.

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The 2024 tournament has produced some exciting matches albeit on dodgy pitches

Ian Chappell15-Jun-2024Two of cricket’s greatest rivalries – India vs Pakistan and Australia vs England – were played in a 24-hour period during the 2024 T20 World Cup.While these fierce rivalries still generate great excitement, the Australia vs England bout fell short of expectations, with Australia winning the T20 match comfortably. India versus Pakistan always creates hysteria and once again this was the case even in New York as there are plenty of expats from both countries living in the USA.Going into the heavyweight bout India had only lost one World Cup contest to Pakistan and that was in the T20 format in 2021.Related

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This imbalance was partly explained years ago by a decorated Indian cricketer: “Pakistan tries to impress India,” he explained, “while we are only interested in having an impact on the West.”Pakistan cricket’s previous history may also help explain India’s stranglehold in their World Cup encounters. In early 1973 the Pakistan team were described as “Panikstan” because of the suicidal nature of their 92-run loss to Australia at the MCG. They then confirmed their newly acquired nickname by losing the third Test at the SCG by 52 runs despite only chasing a moderate target of 159.The “Panikstan” moniker was to the fore again in the 2024 World Cup as Pakistan lost a crucial contest to India in New York. After manoeuvring into a strong position where they were predicted to win, Pakistan capitulated and lost a low-scoring encounter by six runs.This was yet another typical big-brother-over-little-brother victory and that syndrome has weighed heavily on Pakistan in World Cup encounters.

There’s a highly competitive cricket rivalry still to be played in the Super Eight – India vs Australia. This has become a blockbuster contest in recent years.

Yet in Toronto in 1996 the two teams mixed amicably in a series at the suitably named Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. The five-match series was tied at two-all when one Indian player hilariously noted: “The soldiers are lined up at the border armed with rocks but they don’t know which way to throw them.”So well did India and Pakistan get on that I asked a mixed group of players, “Why do the two countries fight wars when the players socialise comfortably?”The answer was revealing and yet concerning. “We understand each other and eat similar food,” said an Indian player, “and the people generally get on well but the politicians of each country like to keep the aggro simmering.”The pitches in the USA again generated controversy, particularly the New York venue, which attracted a lot of negative publicity and proved to be difficult for batters. In many cases a score just exceeding 100 proved to be a match-winner.The USA reputation for providing dodgy pitches isn’t a recent one. In September 1999, I covered an India A vs Australia A five-match series in Los Angeles, where the respective skippers were VVS Laxman and Adam Gilchrist, both of whom went on to enjoy illustrious international careers.The pitches on that occasion could only be described as “ropey”, especially when genuine pacemen like Brett Lee operated. Dodgy pitches were accepted with a shrug of the shoulders in 1999 but, with the USA team qualifying for the Super Eight and being promoted as a viable cricket nation, this is not good enough. Mind you, USA cricket has long been wracked by organisational turmoil and this could be yet another example of the chaos that exists among their administration.While T20 pitches should never totally favour batters, there’s no excuse for surfaces that are considered dangerous.There’s a highly competitive cricket rivalry still to be played in the Super Eight – India vs Australia. This has become a blockbuster contest in recent years.Even if these two teams provide yet another exciting contest, it shouldn’t camouflage the USA problem. If cricket wants to make headway in the USA it has to vastly improve the administration and their pitches, while also convincing locally born players it’s a game worth playing.

He and Bumrah started off as tennis-ball bowlers in matches of six to eight overs in Gujarat. Friday night was not too different for them

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When the two had finished bowling, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel, born a month apart in Gujarat, started reminiscing their childhood where they started off as tennis-ball bowlers in matches of six to eight overs.Axar told Bumrah that the eight-over shootout against Australia in Nagpur reminded him of the childhood: “Full feel aaya [it felt exactly the same]. It is death overs from ball one: batters come and swing without regard for their wicket.”Add the Pandya brothers to the list, and you have four contemporary players who took the unconventional route. Sunil Gavaskar holds a theory about Gujarat cricket that the Gujarati people have an immense love for the game of cricket, but they are also practical people. For long it remained the pursuit of the royalty; the common Gujarati got into cricket only when the parents could see a professional future for their kids.Related

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And it trickled all the way down to local tournaments where the prize money would be good, and where the talented kids could be guns for hire and make decent amounts of money. Once the love and the enterprise met, the whole state of Gujarat – and not just the cities of Ahmedabad and Jamnagar – became a force to be reckoned with.At the heart of it for most Gujarati cricketers are these tennis-ball games of extremely crunched action.Not that it matters to Axar what the length of the match is. He is used to bowling in the powerplays, and the truncated match was no different for him. It could be a patronising observation from an outsider but Axar himself says his is a simple game with the ball: don’t leave the stumps, stay out of the hitting arc, and don’t get too upset if a good ball is hit for a boundary.In the eight-over shootout in Nagpur, Axar Patel’s two overs – one of them in the powerplay – went for only 13 runs•Getty ImagesIn this match, Axar started in the powerplay with long-on and midwicket back. Immediately the batters started to give themselves room, hoping to hit with the turn, but Axar bowled either arm balls or cross seam, which meant the turner would be the change-up delivery. His control of length was as good as ever.In his second and his last over, Axar even managed to bowl four straight dots at the left-hand batter Matthew Wade. Wade tried to move around, and tried both kinds of sweep, but Axar didn’t waver off his areas: flat and into the stumps.Axar’s two overs for 13 runs – one of them in the powerplay – registered just 3.42 smart runs conceded on ESPNcricinfo’s superstats. Adam Zampa trumped Axar on total impact with his one extra wicket and also because the other Australian bowlers around him got carted, but it was Axar’s spell that set the game up.Axar has come into the side because of injury to Ravindra Jadeja, but it has been apparent over the last two to three years that he is a significantly better bowler in the shortest format than Jadeja. It is Jadeja’s batting that kept Axar out; and now that he is in, Axar has a job to do with the bat too.Delhi Capitals gave him the finisher’s role this IPL, and at India he is being used as the cheap wicket to pinch-hit and also give Dinesh Karthik a more suitable entry point. Axar says he has been practicing for just that in the nets: brief and high-impact innings.As Gavaskar will tell you, if you show a cricket-loving Gujarati a payoff at the end of it, there is no telling how far they will go.