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NZ are better than other sides at reading conditions, and that allows them to strike faster than their opponents

Sidharth Monga04-Nov-20221:41

Moody: Finn Allen is a unique talent

Yet another World Cup where you look at them and think maybe this time they don’t have it in them to make it. But yet again, New Zealand are the first team to reach the semi-finals.Despite that bowling attack, if you put them up against Australia and England over 10 matches in these conditions, you’d expect the other two to prevail.Tournament play is different though. Especially when only two teams make it out of a group of six. Room for error is negligible. Every new venue brings new conditions and new ground dimensions. You have to read the conditions quicker and strike faster than the opposition. That’s something New Zealand have been good at, giving them their fifth straight white-ball World Cup semi-final.Related

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What they did to Australia in the first game of this tournament was somewhat similar to what they did to India in 2016. They picked three spinners to India’s two, went after the new ball, hitting two sixes in the first over and then defended 126 with the ball beginning to rag. Here, they again read the pitch in Sydney perfectly, attacked Australia early and have kept finding a way since then.Their captain Kane Williamson is proud of how well they assess and adapt to different conditions. And this is unlike Test cricket, where you get to see a pitch three days in advance and compare how it is coming along. In this World Cup, sides have had their first look of the pitch on the day of the match.”Often it’s very difficult to know exactly how a pitch is going to play until you start playing,” Williamson said. “And then trying to be really clear with your communication, whether it’s as batters or a bowling unit. Make sure you’re getting around each other to report back and either identify what a competitive total is and what options for some of your better ones to take. Then same with the ball really.”The system then is to keep in touch with the dugout. A batter who is coming in next might send a drink out and ask something. You take that moment out and report back. When you are bowling, you help the new bowler out. Not to say other teams don’t do it, but New Zealand perhaps do it better because their incoming batters or bowlers often know just what to do.Kane Williamson and Tim Southee have a chat during New Zealand’s win over Ireland•Associated Press”The two that are out there are the two that are out there, and then you might get a drink that comes out, and they might ask, ‘how’s it going?'” Williamson said. “Someone on the sideline might be curious. So you report back what you feel is happening. Then sometimes it is your team blueprint, where do we need to be? How do we get there? And doing your best to do it.”It’s one of the challenges of tournament cricket, but it certainly makes it enjoyable to do to try to make those adjustments. Therefore, the value of the contribution isn’t always what it might seem. So it’s really trying to commit to what you’re trying to do as a team and be nice and clear on how that looks. Then from there just really trying to make those adjustments as you go.”One example of making adjustments on the go was when Ireland’s batters took Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi on, taking 29 off their first overs. Immediately, Santner made the adjustment, cutting down the pace and going wide of their sweeping arc.

“Often it’s very difficult to know exactly how a pitch is going to play until you start playing. And then trying to be really clear with your communication, whether it’s as batters or a bowling unit. Make sure you’re getting around each other to report back and either identify what a competitive total is and what options for some of your better ones to take. Then same with the ball really.”Kane Williamson

“We had a little chat, absolutely,” Williamson said when asked about the adjustment. “Obviously being out in the middle and feeling that, when the spin is on the slow side and you bowled a particular line, that made it much more difficult to control. They made that adjustment quickly, which was great.”Also being put under pressure, we know how dynamic that batting line-up of Ireland is, and they’ll keep taking it on. They [the spinners] bowled beautifully to make that adjustment quickly and adjust their line and take a few Ks off their deliveries, which definitely made it a little bit more difficult.”New Zealand might feel Williamson himself getting in a big contribution might be one of the last pieces of the puzzle. Williamson scored 61 off 35, but he scored them his way. He scored 15 off the first 15 balls he faced before he started to get going. The rhythm was better than earlier, and he kept going.”You’re looking to make the contributions, and there’s a lot of thought that goes into trying to position ourselves, whether it’s my batting or someone else’s in terms of the partnership,” Williamson said. “And you’re always wanting to try and get that momentum and take those options and feel quite good about it. So it was nice to make a contribution today.”

“It’s very easy to say the BCCI should compensate players, but how,” asks Ratnakar Shetty

Shashank Kishore10-Sep-2020Jaydev Shah
Financially, it will be a massive loss for the cricketers, yes. But we’re talking about lives here. If you aren’t around, how does it matter how much money you lose? Looking at the bigger picture, if there is no cricket for one season, we should accept it. What happens if a player is injured for six to eight months? It’s a similar situation.IPL in UAE is far different to a Ranji Trophy in India. The money involved there feeds the cricket economy in India. And hence they’re going out all guns to get testing measures in place and all sorts of health and safety protocols have been put in place. Despite that, if we are seeing a few cases like we have, what is the guarantee a bubble in India won’t have any cases?Nooshin Al Khadeer

The lack of domestic cricket can be a hindrance to someone aged 18 or 22, because they lose out on a year of Under-19 or Under-23 cricket. But if a player is good enough, she will definitely play the next higher grade of cricket. Yes, a gap year isn’t ideal but we have to be resilient and get through the tough time. We have to play the waiting game. Big corporations across the world have been affected, India continues to record the highest number of Covid cases. It’s not just sportsmen who are affected, so many people have lost their jobs and livelihood, so many people had their businesses shut for many months and are slowly bouncing back, so cricket too will bounce back. For now, we can’t just think about the smaller picture.ALSO READ: ‘Really hard to imagine’ bio-bubbles in the Indian domestic circuitRobin Bist

Someone playing one Test match earns INR 15 lakh. Someone toiling away in the domestic circuit from July to March also earns INR 15 lakh. It’s difficult to plan finances as a domestic cricketer, because you’re almost always having to factor in for money that has been promised but hasn’t come in. Our payments from the central revenue is almost always late. Our match fees for the Ranji Trophy was hiked to INR 35,000 per day two seasons ago. There was talk of this amount being hiked, even doubled, last year, but we haven’t heard anything yet.Domestic cricketers too need a contract system that puts the onus on merit. Not all domestic cricketers have sports quota or private sector jobs. Some of them have a hand-to-mouth existence, because beyond cricket, you have to take care of your health, dietary requirements. Many have family commitments, home loans, car loans. When we don’t receive monthly payments, how do we plan?
We need better communication from the board as well as timely settlement of money.

Look at international cricketers, they are taken care of by their contracts, but even they are not earning match fees. Those who don’t play IPL don’t earn anything. And even in the IPL, except for 15-16 players who are crore-plus earners, most of them earn in lakhsRatnakar Shetty

Ratnakar Shetty

It’s very easy to say the BCCI should compensate players and everyone else, but how?The BCCI is also facing problems because there has been no bilateral series. The only good thing is that the IPL is happening, and we hope everything goes well. But how will the state units compensate the players? No team has been picked, so which players will you compensate? There is no association where even a practice match or a camp has taken place since March. There are no contracts.I fully sympathise, not just with the players but all the stakeholders, for everyone it is a source of livelihood. But nothing has happened since March. The clubs that own the grounds don’t have any income. It has affected everybody, from the BCCI down to the groundspersons.Look at international cricketers, they are taken care of by their contracts, but even they are not earning match fees. Those who don’t play IPL don’t earn anything. And even in the IPL, except for 15-16 players who are crore-plus earners, most of them earn in lakhs.Lonzang Tenzing

We don’t have a head coach yet because without any money coming in from the board, we can’t afford to hire a coaching set-up, so we will have to make do with local coaches for the time being. Even our professional players will just earn the match fees paid by the BCCI. We were paid INR 10 crore during the 2019-20 domestic season by the board, and we’ve had to make do with that money. We are a small association, and we have only one ground, so the cost is lower than an association with many grounds. Financially, it will be a massive challenge, but we’ll get to that when we hear something concrete (from the BCCI about the calendar).There have been a few Covid-19 cases in the Chennai Super Kings camp despite all the precautions•Twitter/Chennai Super KingsRaktim Sadhu

It is a bit of a crisis for many of us. We get paid, in a full season, around INR 3 lakh (INR 10,000 per game). If we get even half of that amount, it will be something, because otherwise people will starve. The second rung of scorers in Bengal, and umpires, depend entirely on the club-cricket circuit, and there has been nothing there so far this year. Some centres, like Mumbai and Bangalore, have a lot of club matches, but scorers in other places, say Odisha or Assam, won’t earn much because they don’t have such leagues.Two of our Bengal scorers – Suryakanta Panda and Tanay Panti – have been selected to score at the IPL (in a team of 13). So they will be fine, because everything is free for them there, and they will get paid well. But for the rest of us, it’s getting worse.Vanitha VR

With the current situation, even if we could get some cricket rather than no cricket, it will do some good for us. Otherwise, it will be absolutely devastating.

تستمر توابع تصريحات النجم المصري محمد صلاح، التي هاجم فيها ناديه ليفربول والمدرب آرني سلوت معربًا عن عدم رضاه على تواجده بديلاً لثلاث مباريات متتالية في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويحتل محمد صلاح مساحات واسعة من تقارير الصحف العالمية، والإنجليزية على وجه التحديد، والتي تواصل تحليل الموقف والتنبؤ بمستقبل المحترف المصري.

ورصدت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية تقريرًا مطولاً بعنوان: الدرس الذي يجب أن يتعلمه آرني سلوت من بيب جوارديولا ومانشستر سيتي للتعامل مع تصريحات محمد صلاح الأنانية”.

بدأت الصحيفة التقرير بالحديث عن مرور نادي ليفربول بأسبوع صعب على المستويين الفني والمعنوي، وتناولت أوضاع الفريق، وموضحة أن الوضع كان يمكن أن يكون أسوأ بكثير، بعدما كان محمد صلاح قريبًا من الرحيل مجانًا الصيف الماضي، قبل أن تنجح الإدارة في تجديد عقده في اللحظات الأخيرة.

وبحسب التقرير، فإن التحدي الحقيقي المتمثل أمام ليفربول يكمن في كيفية إدارة المدرب أرني سلوت للموقف، وإدارة التعاقدات لهذه المرحلة الحساسة.

توضح “ديلي ميل” أن بيع صلاح في يناير وتعويضه بلاعب جديد هو السيناريو الأقرب، وهو ما سيكشف مدى جاهزية النادي لإدارة الأزمات الفنية الكبرى.

ويؤكد التقرير أن تعويض صلاح أمر مستحيل حرفيًا، بالنظر إلى أرقامه التاريخية التي بلغت 363 مساهمة تهديفية خلال 8 مواسم قضاها في آنفيلد، لكن على الرغم من ذلك، الفريق أظهر قدرته على التسجيل بدونه، بعدما أحرز 7 أهداف في 8 أيام دون مشاركته أساسيًا، ما يمنح سلوت مساحة للتحرك بعيدًا عن الاعتماد المطلق على النجم المصري.

اقرأ أيضًا | جيمس: ليفربول لديه لاعب جاهز ليحل مكان محمد صلاح

وأشار التقرير إلى أن ليفربول يحتاج بشكل أساسي إلى جناح سريع خلال الفترة المقبلة، وهناك اهتمام بالفعل بأنطوان سيمينيو لاعب بورنموث، ويطرح اسمه كأحد الحلول المناسبة، إلى جانب أهداف أخرى على رادار النادي.

وجّه التقرير انتقادًا مباشرًا لقرارات سلوت، بالإشارة إلى أن هوجو إيكتيكي هو أفضل صفقات ليفربول الهجومية هذا الموسم، ويجب البدء به أساسيًا على حساب ألكسندر إيزاك، وأشارت “ديلي ميل” إلى أن إيزاك يحصل على فرصه بسبب قيمته السوقية وسمعته فقط، بينما يقدم إيكتيكي، حلولًا هجومية متنوعة، تحركات ذكية بدون كرة، وفاعلية تهديفية واضحة.

وبالتالي على سلوت الاعتماد على إيكتيكي الذي يجب أن يبدأ أساسيًا كمهاجم رقم 9، وإيزاك يتحول إلى ورقة بديلة مؤثرة.

واستندت “ديلي ميل” للحديث عن تجربة بيب جوارديولا ومانشستر سيتي، والتي تشبه وضع ليفربول الحالي، حيث غادر الفريق كل من كيفين دي بروين، إيلكاي جوندوجان، جاك جريليش، وكايل ووكر، وبدأ المدرب في تدريجيًا في بناء جيل جديد، يقوده ريان شرقي، وقد وصفت صفقة انتقاله مقابل 30 مليون إسترليني بأنها واحدة من أفضل صفقات الموسم.

كشف إبراهيم حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، موعد انطلاق معسكر الفراعنة الأخير استعدادًا لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب.

ويستعد منتخب مصر في الفترة الحالية، لخوض المعسكر الختامي قبل المشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب والمقرر أن تنطلق 21 ديسمبر الجاري.

طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر استعدادًا لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 .. موقف إمام عاشور

وقال حسن خلال تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي لاتحاد الكرة المصري: “معسكر منتخب مصر سينطلق غدًا الأربعاء 3 ديسمبر، وسيكون التدريب في الواحدة ظهرًا، بمشروع الهدف بالسادس من أكتوبر”.

وأضاف: “سنخوض مباراة ودية ضد نيجيريا يوم 14 ديسمبر، ثم السفر إلى المغرب يوم 17 ديسمبر للمشاركة في كأس أمم إفريقيا”.

وأتم: “معسكر منتخب مصر، سيكون مفتوح حتى يوم 6 ديسمبر على أن يدخل الفريق بعدها معسكر مغلق، حتي موعد السفر إلى المغرب”.

و⁠يبدأ منتخب مصر مبارياته ببطولة أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26 وأنجولا يوم 29 ديسمبر في دور المجموعات.

What in the world is going on with Juan Soto? The New York Mets outfielder is getting beat by fastballs, he is rightfully getting crushed for not hustling on at least two instances, he has lost bat speed and is in the midst of his first-ever 10-game span with no extra base hits and 12 strikeouts.

It’s a tribute to his ability to draw walks that Soto still posted a .815 OPS and 134 OPS+ in his first 48 games with the Mets. But he is not being paid $756 million over 15 years to scratch out walks. More telling of his state of mind than any of his stats is his body language. Frankly, it is awful, and it is manifesting itself in a lack of explosiveness at the plate.

Theories abound about this lesser version of Soto. When it comes to getting inside his head, leave it to his agent, Scott Boras, who speaks with him regularly, to provide a diagnosis.

“The moniker,” Boras says. Soto is the highest paid player in baseball ever. And though he changed teams twice before, to the Padres and the Yankees, both occasions were via trade. This time, with this title of Highest Paid, is way different. There is more pressure, more expectations, more scrutiny.

“It’s taking time to learn how to wear the crown,” Boras says. “I cautioned Juan about it. This 90-day period of assimilation, I’ve seen it time and time again. There’s probably another 30 days to go through. It’s going to get better and better. It’s about learning how to wear the crown.

“The hardest part that the public doesn’t anticipate is that this is the kind of situation that comes around maybe once every 10 or 15 years or so: a generational talent on a record contract. Juan’s approach with the crown is an adjustment. I told him, ‘You’re going to get your pitches to hit. Swing less. You’re not there yet.’”

Soto’s return to Yankee Stadium was particularly rough for him. Jogging out of the box on a groundball to second base in a close game was the worst of it, unless you count the regrettable language directed at him from the stands. Boras says it was the first time Soto had a chance to speak with his former teammates and that the weekend was “a catharsis” for him. The agent downplayed the idea that Soto regrets his decision to sign with the Mets.

“With free agency, any choice you make comes with regrets,” Boras says. “It’s human nature. It’s the salad that comes with the steak. It’s human nature.”

Soto’s free agency was largely viewed as a Yankees vs. Mets battle, but Boras says Toronto Blue Jays ownership made “a great proposal” that impressed Soto and that “I could have gotten more money from the Boston Red Sox. They were that into it. Juan had many choices.”

Soto chose the Mets because owner Steve Cohen mounted a personal, family-friendly campaign and because Cohen’s personal wealth and ambition provided the most assurance that Soto will always play for a title contender.

The money quote from my story with Soto in spring training came from asking him why he chose the Mets: “How many times we can be good on this team.  I know the Yankees are going to be good for the next five, six years.  We don't know after that.”

The Yankees, Soto said then, started out in his free agency as his first choice. But where Cohen stepped up at every turn, starting from an initial meeting at his house when other teams met Boras’s request to meet at a hotel, Soto said the Yankees were more passive in their pursuit. 

“But I don't know … I just feel like … It's just weird,” Soto said. “It's kind of like … How can I explain it?” Then, after a long pause, he continued, “I feel like the Yankees did a pretty good job.  But they, they keep, they couldn't get it done right. Like, I wanted to get it done, but they're still bouncing around.  instead of just get it done right away. Yeah, just get it done. Let's get a good, uh, good feeling. You know what I want. You know what I’m trying to get. They're still bouncing around. So, I feel like that was one of the things that kind of like sent me down.”

Martin O’Neill has steadied the ship as interim Celtic manager, but for how much longer will he be at the helm?

The 73-year-old has led the Hoops into the League Cup Final, ousting Rangers 3-1 at Hampden, while also enjoying back-to-back 4-0 victories in the Premiership, most recently hammering Kilmarnock 4-0 on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman returned to Glasgow 20 years after departing, having won three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and the League Cup during his first stint in charge, also leading the Hoops to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003, beaten by José Mourinho’s Porto in Seville.

When he was appointed in 2000, this was seen as a bit of a risk, considering O’Neill had little top-level experience at the time, achieving promotions with Wycombe Wanderers and Leicester City, before winning two EFL Cups in charge of the Foxes.

So, could the Celtic board return to the English Football League for their next appointment, a quarter of a century on from O’Neill’s arrival at Parkhead?

Latest on Celtic's manager search

From the moment the dust settled following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation as Celtic manager on 27 October, Kieran McKenna has been among the front-runners for the job.

A report last week suggested he had emerged as the No.1 target to fill the vacancy, with speculation suggesting that he does have an affiliation to Celtic.

However, it was also noted that getting McKenna out of Ipswich will be no easy take, considering he is under contract at Portman Road until 2028, and the Tractor Boys, currently seventh in the EFL Championship, will not allow their most prized asset to leave without a fight.

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Thus, as they search for alternatives, a report by the Daily Record claims that Celtic have held internal discussions at boardroom level about the possibility of appointing Brian Barry-Murphy – with interest in McKenna said to have ‘waned’.

The report indicates that Celtic chiefs are currently conducting interviews, with a new figure potentially in line to be in place for the Premiership clash away to St Mirren on Saturday, November 22.

As for Barry-Murphy, his father Jimmy was a Gaelic footballer and hurler, winning multiple major titles, thereby considered to be among the most legendary figures in the history of all Gaelic games.

Now, Brian is making a name for himself as a football coach across the Irish Sea, so could he soon swap South Wales for Glasgow?

What the next O'Neill would bring to Celtic

Following the Bluebirds’ relegation last season, thereby finding themselves outside England’s top two tiers for the first time since 2003, Barry-Murphy was appointed Cardiff City manager in the summer.

Well, up until very recently, Cardiff had been top of EFL League One, before back-to-back away defeats at Blackpool and Bolton have seen them sink down to fourth.

Nevertheless, they have reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, set to face Chelsea next month, and their league statistics this season are impressive.

Cardiff – League 1 stats 2025/25

Statistics

Cardiff

League rank

Points

26

4th

Goals scored

22

3rd

Goals against

14

2nd

Big chances

41

1st

Big chances missed

30

1st

Possession

62.1%

1st

Accurate passes

407.5

1st

Shots per 90

14.4

2nd

Shots on target pet 90

4.9

2nd

Clean sheets

6

2nd

Stats via FBref and SofaScore

As the table documents, Cardiff lead the division when it comes to big chances missed, suggesting they’re playing well but have not earned as many points as they may deserve.

Meantime, the Bluebirds are in the top two for goals against and shots, while ranked first in the division for possession and accurate passes, evidence of Barry-Murphy’s style of play.

Before taking the Cardiff job, the Irishman had been in charge of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, overseeing plenty of success with the Sky Blues, which is very much where he honed his craft and playing philosophy.

Now, his work in South Wales is earning rave reviews, labelled a “very talented coach”, while Benedict Ferraby of EFL World has praised his ‘impressive start’ to life in the Bluebirds’ dugout as well as his ‘exciting’ style of play.

Of course, considering he has only ever managed Rochdale, Man City’s youth teams and now Cardiff for just 22 matches, appointing Barry-Murphy would be a risk, but one reminiscent of the hiring of O’Neill, a similar age at the time, back in 2000.

With no obvious candidate for the job, and Rodgers’ resignation coming out of nowhere, the Celtic board are targeting a younger ‘project’ manager.

Well, while McKenna appears perfectly suited to this role, securing his signature may not prove ascertainable, but Barry-Murphy could well be the ideal alternative.

Related Ange 2.0: Celtic board 'very keen' to interview 48 y/o McKenna alternative

Celtic should appoint an “immensely respected” manager not Kieran McKenna because he would be able to replicate Ange Postecoglou’s success in Glasgow

Posts ByBen Gray Nov 13, 2025

He last played for India in 2017, while his previous competitive fixture was for LSG in IPL 2024

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2025India legspinner Amit Mishra has announced his retirement from cricket at the age of 42. He played all forms of international cricket from 2003 to 2017 and finishes with 22 Tests, 36 ODIs and 10 T20Is. His last competitive fixture came for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024.”I’ve played cricket for 25 years across three decades with legends like Sachin Tendulkar, under leaders like MS Dhoni, and with current stars like Rohit Sharma,” Mishra told PTI. “Now that I’m slowly stepping away, it’s emotional, of course. Cricket gave me everything – respect, identity, and purpose.”Not everyone gets a grand farewell or big press conference, and that’s okay. What matters to me is that I gave everything I had. I played with heart. I performed whenever I got the opportunity.”

Today, after 25 years, I announce my retirement from cricket — a game that has been my first love, my teacher, and my greatest source of joy.

This journey has been filled with countless emotions — moments of pride, hardship, learning, and love. I am deeply grateful to the BCCI,… pic.twitter.com/ouEzjU8cnp

— Amit Mishra (@MishiAmit) September 4, 2025