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The figures speak for themselves. Curtly Ambrose: 27 overs 7 maidens 70 runs 4 wickets. Courtney Walsh: 27 overs 14 maidens 50 runs 4 wickets. Again, the “Old Boys” were magnificent. Again, the West Indies owe a tremendous debt to these absolutely unsinkable battleships, perhaps aging, but definitely still as dangerous, especially when given just a whiff of an advantage. With Ambrose’s dismissal of English batting hero Alex Stewart with the 2nd ball of the 3rd day, for his overnight 105, that whiff was immediately present. When Walsh bowled Marcus Trescothick off of his pads, things smelled even better for the West Indies. Even without any real help from the back-up bowlers, Ambrose and Walsh saw their team through a good 3rd day.This was enhanced even more when the West Indies openers, Sherwin Campbell and Adrian Griffith, with some panache, attitude and aptitude too, managed to defy the English fast bowling, and off spinner Robert Croft, for 96 runs, the best opening partnership so far this tour. Had Campbell not received the proverbial “unplayable” delivery, from the surprisingly quick Craig White, which Campbell actually did play, somewhat unintentionally with his bat handle, to backward point for Dominic Cork to take a brilliant running cum diving catch, the West Indies might have even closed without losing a wicket. To close at 131-1, and Adrian Griffith batting all of 3 hours 20 minutes for 41 not out, showed that the West Indies can muscle up some resolve. Only in deficit to the England lead of 146 by 15, the West Indies could look back on Day 3 as the turning point of Test 3.While England did make 303, thanks to Stewart’s 105, Marcus Trescothick’s 66 and a wonderful rear-guard effort by the late order English batsmen, after the team had slumped to 210-6 from the overnight 196-3, England should have been disappointed at the final score. 400 seemed more possible.Duncan Fletcher, England’s Coach, explained Day 3:”We played very well in the first two days, while on Day 3, we probably faltered a little bit. The first ten overs on Day 3 were crucial, and if we had gotten away with losing only one wicket in that time, we probably would have been very happy with that. The West Indies have two great fast bowlers in their team who could bowl on any surface, really, and you always have to worry that if these two guys strike, then it makes life very difficult for the batters. While it was not (Courtney) Walsh this time, as it was on the 2nd day, it was (Curtly) Ambrose who got the immediate vital wickets. We lost three wickets in that early session which set us back and then the West Indians batted well. I do not blame it on luck. They simply batted well. The openers put their heads down and grafted well. Griffith showed that he went in there very determined, did not play any loose shots and Campbell played a good innings.On Day 4, we would like to bowl the rest of the batsmen out for about an additional 10 runs, then go on to win the game. Simply, now, we have to go back in there and put on the pressure and not allow them to get too many runs. We have to restrict them to not getting too many runs and then to go and get the score. Past games have struggled to get past three days, but this has been a good wicket and the batters could get down and run some decent scores. I might have expected a bit more from the England bowlers, but it does happen a lot that when a team gets a big lead, a time to defend and a time to attack sometimes causes some confusion as the bowling team would want to get in there and get as many wickets before the close as possible. As a result of that, the team would likely leave many gaps in the field placing and the batsmen took advantage of that. Yes, I have been impressed at the way the West Indies batters have come out and showed great determination, despite the lead that England had. It was nice to see, however, that we could get to 303 and especially that the West Indies struggled to knock over the tailenders. 250 would be about the maximum we would like to chase on this wicket.”After Jimmy Adams, at the end of Day 2, had suggested that the West Indies would like to restrict the English batsmen to another 70 on the 3rd day, he nearly got his wish. England only added another 107, and that was due mainly to the lower order batting well. The West Indies had responded in the way they should have, with determination and a direct plan. To the end of Day 3, things had changed for the West Indies somewhat, much more promising.Sherwin Campbell, the West Indies vice-captain, put things into proper perspective:”Having been set a deficit, our target was just to go out there and bat for a long period, with determination, but to enjoy ourselves too, being as positive as we could be. My own dismissal (in the 2nd innings from an “exploding” delivery) does not really concern me. One or two deliveries are taking off from a length. That is good for us, in a way, as we are not batting last. I was a part of the decision making team which suggested that we bat first after winning the toss. It might still turn out to be a good decision, but having said that, there are still two days to go. Things did not go our way yesterday (Day 2), but we chose to think about the next day and we came out very positively on Day 3, kept things as tight as possible and then to get some wickets too. This is a very important Test match and we do not want to go down in this game. It was very important that we had a great rest after Day 2 and come out fresh on Day 3. That is exactly what happened. We simply came out on Day 3 very positive, ready to go and things worked out in our favor. 250 would be fairly reasonable score to defend on this pitch for the team fielding last. This game still has a very long way to go before the end. This is Test cricket, and anything can happen for the rest of the game. Adrian (Griffith) played really well, hanging in there to the end. He will still come back on Day 4 and he could get a big total. Curtly (Ambrose) bowled as well on Day 3 as he has been bowling, but he had a bit more luck this time. Things just went his way. From now on, they, hopefully, will continue to go his way. Alex Stewart’s 105 was a well put together innings. He got a good explosive start and continued on. I think it was a really good innings. We had to remove him early on the 3rd day, as we knew that as long as he remained at the crease, he would score quickly and put the pressure on us. We were glad to get that wicket, especially Stewart’s, so early.”Day 3 was probably the fulcrum of this Test match. If the West Indies could continue their batting well on Day 4 and gain an ascendancy, then England could be facing 200-250 to win the game. England would be trying desperately to get early wickets on Day 4 to restrict the lead to under 200. This Test match is turning out to be a tight rope act. A slip could be very detrimental. Day 4 promises great intrigue.

Matabeleland Tuskers and Mountaineers surged to easy wins as the Stanbic Bank 20 Series got rolling in Harare.Natsai Mushangwe was the hero for Mountaineers after they chose to field against Mid West Rhinos at the Harare Sports Club. Rhinos were in a dominant position at 55 for 1 in the eighth over, with Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels on menacing 30-plus scores. Mushangwe, however, accounted for Taylor, who had struck two sixes, to spark a slide in which nine wickets fell for 60 runs. Shingi Masakadza and Prosper Utseya chipped in with two wickets apiece, while Mushangwe scalped 3 for 19.The target of 116 posed Mountaineers with few problems, after Hamilton Masakadza laid the foundation with a steady 34. Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris then controlled the chase with an unbeaten 39 to take his side home with seven balls to spare. Fast bowlers Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes – the Australian imports in the two sides – finished wicketless in their economical spells.Njabulo Ncube was Mashonaland Eagles‘ bugbear as they struggled to 120 for 8 in their 20 overs, a target that Matabeleland Tuskers hunted down with four overs to spare also at the Harare Sports Club. Keegan Meth started the damage, picking up 2 for 15 as the power-packed Eagles top order faltered. Rory Hamilton-Brown, Peter Trego and Ryan ten Doeschate were the notable casualties as they stumbled to 51 for 5 in the 10th over. A series of 20s from Forster Mutizwa, Elton Chigumbura and Andrew Hall steadied the situation, setting the Tuskers a run-a-ball chase.Tom Smith’s early dismissal gave Eagles some hope, but Chris Gayle was only warming up to the task. He did not clear the field, but struck three fours in a crisp 27, and along with Paul Horton (30) took the game away from Eagles. Charles Coventry then sealed victory in a blaze of big hits, smashing four sixes and two fours in 44 off 19 balls.

Yorkshire return to Sheffield for the first time in over a decade this week with two 2nd XI matches. The first is a one-day fixture at Sheffield United Cricket Ground on July 17 followed by a three-day Championship fixture at Abbeydale Park from July 18.Sheffield was for many years the home of Yorkshire cricket. Bramall Lane ground staged first-class Yorkshire matches for 110 years from 1863 to 1973 before the Club moved to Abbeydale Park where Championship games and one-day fixtures were played from 1974 to 1996.Sheffield City Council is delighted to see professional cricket back in the city. Councillor Tim Rippon, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Culture and Planning at Sheffield City Council said “We are really looking forward to the return of Yorkshire to Sheffield. It is a great privilege that they have chosen to return to the city and we hope that local residents go along and watch the team and visitors to Sheffield enjoy their stay.”Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, said “I am delighted to see one of our sides returning to Sheffield where Yorkshire cricket began. It’s a great event for the city and the Club and something I hope can continue for many years to come.”Yorkshire’s final senior appearance at Abbeydale Park was in May 1996, when they drew their Championship match against Derbyshire, and Yorkshire 2nd XI took their final bow a month later when they lost a three-day Championship match against Gloucestershire by five wickets.Yorkshire’s first team played 41 first class matches at Abbeydale, winning eight, losing 11 and drawing 22 with two games being abandoned because of bad weather. They played a total of 391 games at Bramall Lane, winning 163, losing 78 and drawing 150 with three matches being abandoned.

Another setback for Andrew Flintoff © Getty Images

Andrew Flintoff is in doubt for the second Test against Pakistan after feeling discomfort in his ankle during his comeback match for Lancashire, against Kent, at Canterbury.A decision on his availability for the second Test at Old Trafford will be made after he visits a specialist tomorrow.An ECB statement said: “Andrew Flintoff has made good progress with his rehabilitation from an injury to his left ankle. He has worked extremely hard and at every stage of the rehabilitation program has shown improvement.”However, bowling in a four-day County Championship match against Kent was intended as the final test of the progress that he has made. Unfortunately, he has experienced some discomfort today and he will see a specialist tomorrow to reassess the ankle and future management of the injury.”Flintoff has steadily increased his workload over the last couple weeks, starting with two Twenty20 matches for Lancashire before his Championship return. He bowled 19 overs in the first innings against Kent, taking two wickets in his first spell. However, despite opening the bowling in the second innings he sent down just four overs before feeling pain in his ankle.England drew the first Test against Pakistan, at Lord’s, and the four-man bowling attack was lightweight without Flintoff’s presence. Andrew Strauss led the side and would again stand in if Flintoff is ruled out of any further Tests.

Graham Thorpe has ended his 12-year England career © Getty Images

Graham Thorpe has announced his retirement from international cricket. It brings an end to a 12-year England career in which he won 100 caps, the last coming against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street in May.Thorpe, 35, missed out on a place in England’s squad for the first Ashes Test and had already made himself unavailable for the winter tours by signing a contract with New South Wales. He will continue to play for Surrey but wants to be able to spend more time with his family.”My partner is having a baby in the next couple of weeks and I have decided that I want to concentrate on my family life,” he said. “I have enjoyed my time with England and I have wished them every success in this Ashes series. I am proud to have been part of this successful era in English cricket.”David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, paid tribute to Thorpe. He said: “Graham was one of the leading players of his generation and that is reflected by the fact that he has collected 100 caps. You can judge what a feat that is by looking at the list of other players who have reached that number of appearances. He will be remembered as a tenacious batsman who served England with great ability and great pride.”Thorpe made 6744 runs in his career at an average of 44.66 and scored a century on debut against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993. His highest score of 200 not out came against New Zealand at Christchurch in 2002.

The tests conducted on Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action revealed that he was straightening his arm by 14 degrees while bowling the “doosra”, which is nine degrees more than is permissible for spinners under the guidelines of the International Cricket Council. has managed to get hold of the report submitted by Daryl Foster, the former Western Australia and Kent coach who was part of the team of experts which analysed Murali’s action at the University of WA recently. The Hindu has published snippets of the report, which claim that though his doosra is technically illegal, he should be allowed to bowl it “until a valid database is collected on the various spin bowling disciplines. The relatively minor level of elbow extension following remediation over the period from arm horizontal to release is not believed to give Mr Muralitharan an unfair advantage over batsmen or other bowlers.”Murali’s action came back into the spotlight after Chris Broad – the match referee when Sri Lanka played Australia – suggested all was not right with his doosra after the third Test in Colombo. Even after undergoing a period of “technique remediation” under Foster, the report says that Muralitharan still straightens his arm by 10.2 degrees (the limit previously imposed by the ICC for spinners was five degrees).The report also suggests that further research is necessary, including an analysis of the doosra as bowled by others. “Other offspin bowlers, in particular Harbhajan Singh, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Malik, all bowl the ‘doosra’ delivery, which suggests for comparison purposes that their ‘other one’ should also be analysed.”The ICC regulation which details that spinners can only bend their elbow five degrees – as opposed to ten for pace bowlers – has also come under the spotlight. “Murali, who has been tested more than any other bowler in the history of the game – 1995, 1999 and now – possesses different physical characteristics which make him a unique bowler,” says the report. “A straightening of ten degrees when he [Murali] bowls his ‘doosra’ is not excessive and that should not therefore be deemed advantageous.”We contend that because the speed of his upper-arm rotation is as fast, and in some cases quicker than, fast bowlers’, his level of acceptability for elbow extension should also be set at the ten-degree mark.”A case can certainly be made for some spin bowlers such as Muralitharan to have the same range of acceptability in elbow angle to that of fast bowlers. With no spin-bowling database to make a comparison, this would seem both a wise and prudent recommendation.”If Foster’s report does indeed come down on Murali’s side, the laws of cricket could be in line for yet another rewrite.

In two crucial World Cup games on successive days, the weather gods had the final say, knocking South Africa, England and Pakistan out of contention for the Super Six. On Monday night at Durban, the Proteas were at the receiving end, and on Tuesday morning intermittent rain forced the abandonment of Pakistan’s crucial encounter here at Queens Sports Club against Zimbabwe, which gifted the hosts two points to allow them to pip England for the third Super Six slot from Pool A.It is an irony of fate that two African teams – Kenya and Zimababwe, one from each pool – have gone to the next round, but neither is South Africa, who hoped to be the first side ever to win a World Cup at home. High levels of expectation and unrealistic optimism have again done for a home side.Pakistan’s task was steep anyway, and there was too much rancour and instability in their eleven to to achieve it. But the rain reduced the match to a farce anyway, eventually forcing its abandonment after a delayed start and two interruptions, the last coming when Pakistan were 73 for three after 14 overs, with Saeed Anwar unbeaten at 40.Though Zimbabwe were fortunate to qualify without beating a front line cricketing nation, Pakistan were left to lick their wounds. They too had a dismal failure – not beating any of their three worthwhile rivals, and managing only scrappy wins against minnows.It will remain a point of conjecture whether they would have done any better had rain not deprived them of another two points, and afforded them a late opportunity to beat England on net run-rate. But the fact is that though Anwar stuck around until the final interruption, Pakistan had lost three batsmen rather cheaply.Yousuf Youhana made just 17 and Inzamam-ul-Haq three. Inzamam, Pakistan’s premier batsmen, made the sum total of 19 runs in six innings. That was plumbing the depths, but it pretty much sums up the performance of the big guns – most of them failed to fire throughout the tournament, and never when it mattered.There will be explanations and excuses for Pakistan’s premature exit, but it was not unexpected from a fractious outfit in which everyone was for himself and none for the team.Mercifully the whole sorry business is over. A few prima donnas who held the cricketing destiny of the nation hostage in the last decade will be gone. It is a shame that they are going of their own will; many feel they should have been forced out a long time ago.And if tomorrow comes for the present set-up in the PCB (again a moot point for no Pakistani Board has survived a World Cup failure in the previous two instances – that is, post-1996 and post-1999), it will need to sit down and do a lot of soul-searching before rebuilding a strong team from scratch.

It was not only a showcase of the skills and desires of 22 teams and their players, it was also an advertisement for the sport itself.While it remains hard to believe that a month has already passed since the 2001 ICC Trophy tournament was completed, the event will, assuredly, be far more difficult to forget.There can be no denial of the fact that ill-winds have blown through cricket in recent times. But, even amid the whirl of 71 matches played at seven venues over 15 days of competition, the ICC Trophy tournament of 2001 appeared to all intents and purposes immune from the excesses which have pervaded the modern game.As an event, the ICC Trophy has always celebrated the sport’s grandest traditions and, 22 years on from its first incarnation, little has changed.Here, as the nations battled to take advantage of the World Cup pathway offered to the best three of their number, prima donnas were supplanted by pragmatists. Among them, there was no sense of misplaced jingoistic passions, no sledging, nor outrageous gamesmanship.Instead of promoting contention, this was a festival of sport which, above all, neatly wed the virtues of national pride, earnest competition and goodwill.There remains every indication that the logistical and financial difficulties associated with bringing so many teams together for the one event may invoke a streamlining of its format into the future. As such, this may have been the last competition of its particular type.Yet, as always, the tournament offered an unequivocal insight into the extent of cricket’s growth beyond its traditional borders, and the speed and strength of its overall development. No-one but the insanely optimistic would pretend, or even entertain the prospect, that the gap between the top performers at this event and those at the lower reaches of the Test playing fraternity will have narrowed noticeably over the last four years. Yet few would argue that the extent of the game’s progress in its developing nations shows any signs of slackening either.The Netherlands endured a disappointing campaign in Kuala Lumpur four years ago yet its side has probably never played better than it did in this tournament. Question marks still hang over its batting but its bowling is from the highest drawer. Any team which underestimates its attack two years from now will do so at its peril.Namibia was a surprise packet, a glamour team, and a crowd favourite all at once. It started its campaign from the depths of Division Two and ended it in the Final – a match in which it generally looked the better team until it somehow stumbled to a last-ball defeat.All power, too, to host nation Canada. Its administrators and players devoted themselves tirelessly to the twin dreams of organising a successful tournament and securing World Cup participation. And succeeded.Despite its surprise fall to fourth, Scotland has clearly made vast advances around its own World Cup appearance two years ago. The professionalism which it demonstrated in its matches was one of the most powerful indications of all of the benefits that can be derived from sustained exposure for cricket in new markets.Further down the list, such opportunities have not as yet been realised in so tangible a fashion. But the promise of teams like Uganda and Argentina can not do anything other than bode well for cricket’s prospects across a number of emerging frontiers.It might have begun amid a flurry of diplomatic activity. It might have been staged – literally and figuratively – half a world away from cricket’s traditional centres of power. It might have been a venture which simultaneously demanded administrative foresight, a sense of practicality, and the careful analysis of lessons learned from the past.Yet this 2001 ICC Trophy tournament ended having surpassed almost all of its expectations. Manifestly, there is still room for international cricketing competition which is simple, refreshing and enchanting. There are still vast possibilities for the fundamental ethic of participation to join with the power of earnest struggle between bat and ball. There still exist opportunities for the art of creative and far-sighted captaincy to co-exist with humility and decency. These are the virtues of cricket that should endure.

According to reports in the Northern Echo on June 21, Everton are keen to sign Middlesbrough centre-back Ben Gibson, but they should forget about him and make an ambitious move for Borussia Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji, rated at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, instead following his latest 2018 World Cup display for Switzerland.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Northern Echo reports that the Toffees are targeting a move for the Boro captain this summer, with new boss Marco Silva keen to strengthen his central defensive options with Ramiro Funes Mori already being sold, Ashley Williams likely to be sold and Phil Jagielka’s future surely in doubt.

The Northern Echo reports that the Merseyside outfit are willing to offer Mo Besic as part of a deal to bring the 25-year-old to Goodison Park, with the Championship club likely to be keen on signing the Bosnia and Herzegovina international following a successful loan spell last term.

If Gibson did sign for Everton, whose fans have urged to sign a 26-year-old World Cup attacker following his latest display with one describing him as “much better than Gylfi”, their he would likely be partnering Michael Keane at the heart of the defence for the upcoming season.

Why should Everton forget him and go for Akanji?

Well, while Gibson would certainly be a decent addition for the Toffees, they perhaps should be aiming a little higher than a Championship player if they want to really push on and progress next term and beyond.

One player they could make an ambitious move for is Swiss centre-back Akanji, who only signed for Dortmund during the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old has put in two solid performances against Neymar and Aleksandar Mitrovic in his nation’s opening two World Cup fixtures, and as well as impressing with his defensive traits, he has also shown that he is strong and decent on the ball, too.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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In those terms he looks to be ideally suited to the Premier League, and he could form a strong partnership with Keane that would last for many years to come.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]

	Matthew Hayden: “In any given side, there are always two or three people that look to sledge” © Getty Images

Matthew Hayden has said the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth row left him upset but is confident it was a stray incident. Hayden, the Australian opener currently playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, also said he wouldn’t use this to sledge either of them when Australia tour India later this year.”I was very upset, I just think we play this great game, in a great competition and both these guys are young men with enormous responsibilities as two fine players and prospects for the country that adores cricket and its cricketers,” Hayden told Cricinfo. “So I am sure they will feel remorseful as any player would. Because I think any player who has risen to the top of the game obviously has enormous respect and enormous discipline to get there. Honestly, I think it will be tomorrow’s headlines and life will move on. The game has always moved on.”Asked whether he thought this was just a momentary lapse of reason Hayden said, “I think so, yes. I didn’t think this was ever going to happen and I don’t think it will happen again either. Hopefully not.”Hayden had a famous run-in with Harbhajan during India’s tour of Australia, where he called the offspinner a “little obnoxious weed”. Would he use the latest incident between Sreesanth and Harbhajan as a sledging tool when Australia visit India in October? “No, I won’t be,” he says with emphasis. Is he drawing a moral line to sledging? “Yes, I think so. That is an incident between two individuals and I don’t want to comment on their relationship and where they are at and how they are going. There is no point. All that does is just create another headline and I don’t want to do that. I love the game of cricket and I have been really successful at the game of cricket, so I don’t think I need to push that barrier.”It’s the beauty of our game really; there is a gentlemanly aspect to the game and we get challenged on this. Australia has been nominated as the best sledgers and we get asked the question a lot of time but in reality its actually a mis-truth or certainly an exaggerated truth.”What the world has done following the success of Australian cricket is to try and vilify us. And that’s fair enough as the best in the world need to be taken down. So we always had to be on our guard and understand within that we need to address the issue before anyone else does.

	“You choose your targets, really. I would never say anything to Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul [Dravid] or Anil [Kumble] or anyone like that. I believe they have marked the test of time” – Hayden on sledging

Hayden also said the Australian team has discussed the image of being the bad boys of international cricket and the ways of sledging. “You tell me what are these incidents of bad boys. I don’t think we are. But yes, we senior players do sit together and work out where we want to go and how we want to play our cricket. Also, making comments can be distracting to some characters. If someone is forced to do that without it being a motivating factor then its trouble.”He believes every team has a few characters that get involved in sledging. “I think in any given side, there are always two or three people that look to sledge. For e.g. In the Indian side, it would be Sreesanth, Harbhajan and [Robin] Uthappa. You wouldn’t hear a boo out of Rahul [Dravid], MS [Dhoni] and [Anil] Kumble though they are all fiercely determined.”Hayden also spoke about the art of sledging and how he would pick certain individuals for the treatment. “You choose your targets, really. I would never say anything to Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul or Anil or anyone like that. I believe they have marked the test of time. We have been in battles together so many times and there is an enormous respect. Not that making comment is disrespect; making comment is trying to unsettle a player because you don’t know whether that guy has the skills to deal with it. And that was exactly the same when I was young coming into the game. You expect to get that.”