Tonight brings arguably Manchester United’s most important game of the season so far as they host Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Champions League tie, and it’s all to play for after a 1-1 stalemate in Madrid.
This season has been yet another disappointment for fans with the side crashing out of both domestic competitions earlier than planned and are now in a very tight top-four race that could see the side end the season without a Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League, only heightening the desperation for progression in the European competition now.
With that being said, Ralf Rangnick must impose their best-attacking threats on their opponents to not only get an early lead in front of their home fans but to see out the game comfortably and with confidence. Therefore, the German coach must not ignore how out of form some of the players are currently and select those who have made an impact in the last few weeks.
The player who has put Manchester United in the position of power going into this decider tie is Anthony Elanga, who scored the equaliser in the final moments of the first game away at the Metropolitano Stadium, giving the team the crucial lifeline they needed ahead of their game at Old Trafford.
It’s very clear that Marcus Rashford is out of form for the Red Devils and Rangnick must realise that starting the struggling winger could be more of a hindrance than a help against the Spanish side this evening, especially since he hasn’t scored since January. Albeit more experienced in these pressured games, swapping out the 24-year-old for a young, goal-hungry Elanga would be more advantageous for the team.
The 19-year-old attacker who was hailed a “dream come true” by his manager Rangnick, has scored twice now in the last couple of weeks for Manchester United during a combined total of 38 minutes on the pitch. That is extremely impressive for the £3.6m-rated young talent and shouldn’t be overlooked by the manager when he makes his team selection today.
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Crashing out of the Champions League would be the final nail in the coffin of a disastrous season for Man United, and considering the team are playing at home in the final leg, Rangnick is under huge amounts of pressure to deliver in the decider. If he doesn’t the side could be in a sticky situation when it comes to European football next term.
In other news: Get rid: Ralf must bin £78k-p/w MUFC dud who lost the ball every 3 touches on Saturday…
Australia allrounder Cameron Green has been bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 25.20 crore ($2.8 million/AUD4.2 million approx.), making him the third-most expensive player sold at an IPL auction, and the most expensive overseas player ever.KKR also bought the second-most expensive player at the IPL 2026 auction – Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore ($1.97 million approx.).The limelight on auction day, however, was stolen by the uncapped Indian players, with 20-year-old left-arm spin allrounder Prashant Veer and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma going to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a staggering INR 14.2 crore each. Both of them broke Avesh Khan’s record in 2022 of INR 10 crore for the most expensive uncapped Indian player bought at an IPL auction. Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi also had a big payday, with Delhi Capitals buying him for INR 8.4 crore.Related
IPL 2026: How the ten teams stack up after the auction
IPL 2026 auction: Green and greenhorns strike gold in auction of contracts
Uncapped Veer and Kartik smash IPL auction records
Nortje buzzing with LSG deal and renewed rhythm by his side
KKR, who began the auction with the largest purse of INR 64.3 crore, had to stave off competition for Green from CSK, who had the second-highest purse of INR 43.4 crore. The bidding, though, began with Mumbai Indians (MI), who had to drop out of the race quickly because they had a purse of only INR 2.75 crore. Rajasthan Royals (RR), who had a purse of INR 16.05 crore, took the bid as far as INR 13.40 crore before exiting, at which point CSK joined the bidding against KKR.Green’s bid took more than ten minutes to complete, and he ranks behind Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) on the list of most expensive IPL players. The most expensive overseas players before Green were Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore) and Pat Cummins (INR 20.50 crore). Green, however, will get only INR 18 crore due to a maximum salary cap imposed by the IPL on overseas players at mini-auctions. The bid amount in excess of INR 18 crore (INR 7.2 crore) will go to the BCCI for player welfare.Green first played the IPL in 2023, when MI bought him for INR 17.5 crore. He scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28, and picked up six wickets. MI then traded him to RCB a year later for the same price; he scored 255 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 143.25, and took ten wickets. Green did not register for the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025 because he was returning from a back injury.Green was one of only two players sold from the first set of batters on Tuesday, along with South Africa batter David Miller, who went to Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of INR 2 crore. Jake-Fraser McGurk, Prithvi Shaw, Devon Conway and Sarfaraz Khan were unsold.8:45
‘KKR spent their money well’
The lukewarm bidding continued into the second set of allrounders, with only two of seven players sold. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bought Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga at his base price of INR 2 crore. Venkatesh Iyer, who had been bought by KKR for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, was sold to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 7 crore. Liam Livingstone, Rachin Ravindra, Gus Atkinson, Wiaan Mulder and Deepak Hooda were unsold in the first set of allrounders.During the accelerated rounds later in the day, when some unsold players came back for bidding, CSK bought Sarfaraz at his base price of INR 75 lakh, while SRH outbid LSG to buy Livingstone to INR 13 crore. Shaw was also bought at the very end by DC, whom he had played for from 2018 to 2024, at his base price of INR 75 lakh.There was more action in the first set of wicketkeepers, with MI buying South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, DC buying England’s Ben Duckett, and KKR buying New Zealand’s Finn Allen – all at their base prices. CSK, who began the auction with the second-largest purse, did not buy a player from the first three sets.CSK did not bid for Pathirana, who they had released at a price of INR 13 crore after IPL 2025. The demand for Pathirana began with DC and LSG, and once the bid reached INR 15.6 crore, DC dropped out considering they had a purse of INR 17.8 crore. KKR entered the bidding and priced out LSG, who had a purse of INR 20.95 crore, at INR 18 crore. Having missed out on Pathirana, LSG immediately bought South African quick Anrich Nortje at his base price of INR 2 crore.RCB’s second buy at the auction was New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy (INR 2 crore), who could slot in as back-up for Josh Hazlewood.
CSK did bid for legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, but stopped once the price reached INR 6 crore. RR and SRH then bid for Bishnoi, and he was eventually bought by RR for INR 7.2 crore. Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner, was eventually CSK’s first buy at the auction at his base price of INR 2 crore before their aggressive bidding for the uncapped Indians later in the auction.”It’s a little bit about discipline, we had earmarked those players as being key spots for us so we had to wait,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said. “And it’s very difficult because you see a lot of good players beforehand going at low prices but you have to stick to your plan and in our case we knew we probably had to spend a little bit of money at the back end.”But it’s hard; you sit and watch these good players who could come into your side and make a real difference and when others pick them up you are a little bit jealous. But there’s a discipline to it that’s really important, if you believe in the plan. Otherwise you find yourself in a real mess because it’s like an ice cream store, you’re gonna have a scoop of each and you end up a little bit fatter than what you should be.”From the first ten sets of players, only 25 out of 70 were bought, with Punjab Kings (PBKS) not yet having bid for any player. They eventually made their first bid for allrounder Aman Khan during the accelerated round but lost him to CSK, after which they outbid KKR for Australian allrounder Cooper Connolly as a possible replacement for Glenn Maxwell.There were some high-value buys during the accelerated round late in the auction: DC bought Sri Lanka batter Pathum Nissanka for INR 4 crore, GT bought West Indies allrounder Jason Holder for INR 7 crore, KKR bought Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman for INR 9.2 crore, CSK bought legspinner Rahul Chahar for INR 5.2 crore, and LSG bought Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis for INR 8.6 crore.1:11
Watch – Prashant Veer’s family soak in the moment after CSK buy him for INR 14.2 crores
Players bought at the IPL 2026 auction
KKR: Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Dahiya, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Mustafizur Rahman, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash DeepLSG: Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis DC: David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Prithvi ShawRCB: Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satwik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Luke Wood, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk ChouhanMI: Quinton de Kock, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat RR: Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep SenCSK: Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak FoulkesGT: Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Prthvi RajSRH: Shivang Kumar, Salil Arora, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack EdwardsPBKS: Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad
Like his German composer namesake, Neil Wagner does not mind a hint of the dramatic. Where New Zealand have gained a reputation for even temper and a lack of on field histrionics, Wagner’s Afrikaner blood gets up at times, as shown by an on-field posture that can look more Dale Steyn than Tim Southee.
‘Olden days’ WACA pitch in prospect
With as few as two Test matches left for the WACA Ground to host before major international cricket moves to the drop-in pitches of the nascent Burswood Stadium, the curator Matthew Page is as intent on keeping things as retro as possible. “With us being the WACA, it’s all about trying to replicate the olden days and provide a traditional WACA wicket,” Page said. “It goes back to the 70s, that sort of thing, so for us every wicket we do we’re trying to replicate those conditions.” Page replaced Cameron Sutherland only a matter of weeks before the Ashes Test two years ago, and his knowledge of the surface has grown since, including the constant historical comparisons. “They changed the clay back to what it originally was about six or seven years ago, and I guess the pace and the bounce has returned since then,” he said. “We’re always compared with the olden days. For us, it’s about trying to get it as close as we can.”
Given New Zealand’s poorly display in Brisbane, where they were bullied by an Australia side as aggressive in deed as they are infamous for being in word, Wagner’s occasionally fiery countenance may be a useful tonic for Brendon McCullum’s side as they seek to fight their way out of the hole they find themselves in.Wagner certainly likes the look of the WACA, a place at which he has never bowled but can vividly recall the exploits of many a fast bowler at the ground. Plans to shift major international matches to the Burswood Stadium and a drop-in pitch mean all pacemen are running out of chances.”I’d love to play Australia, I’d love to get that chance,” Wagner said. “I had a training session yesterday at the Melville club and they told me it was the last two Tests at the WACA or something like that because they’re talking about a different ground. That’s a bit of a shame because it’s quite a nice ground, I loved watching it growing up, a lot of history over there and I’d love to play there. It’s pretty awesome, a very special place for fast bowlers.”Just watching cricket here over the years, I think overseas teams have come here and bowled a bit too short. They get carried away with the bounce and the pace sometimes. Sometimes you’ve got to bowl a touch fuller length, sort of top of the stumps. For us I think the thing is to not get carried away with it. Hit consistent areas and ask good questions for longer periods of time and things will happen.”Even though Southee bowled soundly in the morning at nets to prove his fitness after suffering from an irritated disc in his back at the Gabba, Wagner is still a chance to play. The New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has forecast a five-man bowling attack for the WACA Ground with the spinner Mark Craig batting at No. 7, meaning the pace options for McCullum will be many and varied. New Zealand are also sustained by the knowledge they are chronically slow starters to Test series, but invariably improve as they go on.”As a bowling unit we’ve always complemented each other quite well over past times and our success over the past two years or so is we’ve bowled in partnerships and other guys have stepped up too,” Wagner said. “I think that has made Tim and Trent bowl really well in the past. It was just a little bit inconsistency and a bit of a tough start.”We have had that in the past as well, our first Test we haven’t always started that well and we’ve picked it up as the series has gone on. Lucky for us it’s a three-match series, there’s a lot more cricket left to be played and hopefully we can set it back from ball one in this next Test.”Overall the team will be better for that hit [in Brisbane], being out in the heat and humidity and bouncy wickets, just adapting to everything, it’s now for us to go out and set it right in the second Test from day one.”One man Wagner may be asked to confront should he get the nod to play, is David Warner, the dominant batting force of the Gabba Test and now one of only three batsman ever to have thrice scored a hundred in each innings of a Test match. That sort of scoring can force opposition teams to re-think their strategies, but Wagner said it was simply a matter of being tighter for longer.”I think we still stick to our guns and our plans. If we execute it better for longer periods of time, I’m sure we’ll get more rewards,” he said. “I think our attack is up there with the best in the world. When Tim, Trent and Dougy and the rest of them all get it right – they’re pretty good bowlers. If we can be more consistent for long periods of time, we’ll definitely show that. The boys are up for the task and the challenge in this Test.”Richard Wagner’s operatic Ring Cycle is a 15-hour affair. Success for Wagner and New Zealand this week will require a similarly sustained effort.
Ali Asghar Lobi, the former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a Dhaka court.”Asghar will have to serve 10 years in jail for [ illegally] amassing wealth, and another three years for concealing the information in his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission,” the state prosecutor told reporters. “The jail terms will commence one after another.”He was also ordered to pay a US$14,500 fine or face an additional six months in prison, and his wife, Khusnud, was sentenced to three years for abetting her husband.Asghar was president of the BCB between 2001 and 2006 when the BNP, of which he was a member, was in power. He was also president of the Asian Cricket Council for two years.In January, the government was overthrown by an army-backed interim government. Asghar was arrested the following month as part of a massive crackdown on corruption. In July he received an eight-year term after being found guilty of tax evasion.
England’s Ashes campaign has been given a boost with the news that Ashley Giles has been passed fit after completing his rehabilitation from hip surgery.Giles, who took 10 wickets and contributed useful runs to England’s victory in the 2005 campaign, was a non-playing member of England’s one-day squad in India for the ICC Champions Trophy.The team flew back to England yesterday, and the team physiotherapist Kirk Russell said: “Ashley has been through a tough time, but he worked extremely hard in India and the medical team is very pleased with the progress he has made.”He bowled for extended periods in the nets, completed all the drills we set him without any reaction and is now fully fit and able to take his place in the Ashes squad.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, added: “It’s excellent news that Ashley has come through the final stage of his rehabilitation programme and is available again for selection. He played an important role in helping England regain the Ashes in 2005 and I am sure that he will be keen to make an impact in Australia this winter.””It’s been a long, hard road back for me,” said Giles. “I am grateful to the staff at the National Cricket Centre who helped with my rehabilitation and to the England team management for giving me the opportunity to go to India and work with the one-day squad.”It was always my goal to be fit in time for the Ashes tour and now that the moment has arrived I am really looking forward to being part of the Test squad again.”
Six of Mashonaland’s leading clubs are on the verge of ceding from the Mashonaland Cricket Association and forming their own splinter league as the long-running dispute between clubs and board rumbles on.The increasingly erratic Mashonaland board expelled the six clubs – Harare Sports Club, Old Hararians, Old Georgians, Alexandra, Takashinga and Universals – after they scrapped their opening league matches in protest at the way the MCA was being run. They were accused of bringing the game into disrepute. The MCA immediately revised the first division fixtures: of all the sides who played in the 2004-05 competition, only Uprising where included, with the rest made up from clubs in the second tier.The situation turned nasty last weekend when Cyprian Mandenge, the MCA chairman, and Bruce Makovah, the province’s head selector, backed by local policemen, walked onto the ground during the match between Harare Sports Club and Old Hararians at Harare Sports Club and refused to allow the game to proceed. It is alleged that players were racially abused and threatened with never playing for the province again.The MCA now face a real problem. While it has expelled the clubs, the six contain almost all the province’s regional and national players. An official of one of the clubs told the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper: “We have got most of the national team players, and nothing will stop us from playing cricket. We do not need quantity cricket, we need quality cricket. If it means the six top clubs in the country playing among themselves, then it’s actually a good thing for our cricket.”Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket’s managing director, told reporters that the board would only get involved when a formal notification of events was presented to it. “What we have been hearing are just rumours and we do not work on the basis of rumours,” he said. “Mashonaland is an independent body and there has to be some level of autonomy. But it is certainly a cause for concern for us when our affiliates are squabbling.”The problem affects ZC more than those comments suggest. Mandenge, as chairman of the MCA, is on the board of ZC, and Makovah was named as a national selector, although the appointment is on hold because of procedural anomalies. If the pair, as a number of witnesses claim, did threaten and abuse players, it raises serious image issues for Zimbabwe Cricket at a time it has done much to publicly clean up its act.
England 239 for 2 (Solanki 100, Bell 53, Vaughan 54*) beat Zimbabwe 238 for 7 (Matsikenyeri 73, Ebrahim 65) by 8 wickets, and lead series 3-0 Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A blistering opening assault from Vikram Solanki and Ian Bell hurtled England towards a convincing eight-wicket victory at Bulawayo. Solanki was out for a round 100, his second one-day century, but although England finished more sedately they still won – and clinched the four-match series – with 41 balls to spare.The suspicion that Zimbabwe’s total of 238 was well below par on a good pitch was proved by England’s openers, who added 138 at breakneck speed, bewildering the inexperienced bowlers. After 15 overs, at which point Zimbabwe had pottered to 45 without loss, Solanki and Bell had piled on 119 runs.At first Solanki dealt almost entirely in boundaries. He reached 36 with nine fours, including four in a row in Elton Chigumbura’s first over. He was dismissive off his legs, but the pick of those fours was a classical cover-drive, hammered into the ground at such pace that it looped over the ring of fielders and arrowed to the rope. Later he bettered even that, by clobbering Christopher Mpofu back over his head for an effortless six.Solanki eventually slowed down, proceeding through the nineties with a succession of stately singles, but still reached his century from only 89 deliveries, with 14 fours and two sixes. He was out two balls later, lofting Stuart Matsikenyeri – the fifth bowler tried and the only one to take a wicket – to long-off. He did enjoy a little luck: when he had 38 he was dropped off successive balls from the despairing Tinashe Panyangara, by Mpofu at mid-off and then by Brendan Taylor at short midwicket. Neither chance was terribly difficult, and followed another clanger in the previous over, when Bell (17) chipped to mid-on but Prosper Utseya spilled the chance.Bell himself was no slouch with the bat. He got going with a flicked six over square leg off Panyangara, and later unrolled a textbook cover-driven four and a whipped square boundary off the bemused Mpofu. He had just passed his second half-century in three ODIs when he nicked an attempted cut through to Tatenda Taibu (138 for 1).In came Michael Vaughan, content to push the ball around and shepherd Solanki to his century. No heroics were needed, and although the run rate dipped as Matsikenyeri and Utseya bustled down their offspin, England were never in any danger – except perhaps from the weather, which was threatening all afternoon and delayed the restart for an hour.
Zimbabwe’s 238 earlier in the day was a solid effort, if well short of what was required on what turned out to be a perfect batting track. Noel Peck, the groundsman, and his staff probably deserved Solanki’s Man of the Match medal for their efforts – the track was a belter even though they weren’t able to mow it yesterday because of rain.Zimbabwe started slowly against some purposeful bowling, mindful of the need to avoid a familiar collapse. Alex Wharf – brisk and straight, with a dash of attitude – continued his impressive tour with a tight opening spell, once dumping Taylor on his backside as he tried a hook. James Anderson, although occasionally wayward wide-wise, was unlucky when Taylor’s edge flew through the untenanted slip area. But Taylor, having done the hard work while the field was up, fell to the first ball of the 16th over, feathering one Jones through to another – a maiden ODI wicket for shaven-headed Simon, who replaced Darren Gough for this match and became the latest member of England’s new-bald new-ball attack.Matsikenyeri reined in his natural aggression, only occasionally allowing himself his favourite cuts. A couple rasped through the covers early on – one, in Simon Jones’s first over, threatened to burn the grass – and shortly afterwards he leant back and larruped Jones over point for six. Impetuosity has often been Matsikenyeri’s downfall in the past – his highest score in 35 previous ODIs was 44 – but this time he stuck at it until, at 73, he top-edged a paddle-sweep off Vaughan to short backward square (143 for 2).The first over of Jones’s next spell was an eventful one, containing two run-outs which derailed the Zimbabwean innings just as they were threatening to cut loose. First Mark Vermeulen was guilty of ball-watching as Paul Collingwood scooted round from point and threw down the stumps, then a mix-up found Chigumbura stranded in mid-pitch before he’d even faced a ball (165 for 4).Matsikenyeri added 98 with Dion Ebrahim, who stuck fast at the crease, nudging and nurdling neatly, and occasionally trying to break up the field with reverse-sweeps out of the Andy Flower coaching book. He perished right at the end, but his 65 occupied 94 balls, suggesting an inability to rotate the strike.Lacking the big hitters who clattered 104 in England’s last ten overs in the previous game, Zimbabwe – for whom Taibu entered too low in the order at No. 7 – could collect only 73 in the same time to lift the total to 238. It never looked like being enough.The series concludes tomorrow, with the second of Bulawayo’s back-to-back matches.Steven Lynch is editor of Cricinfo.
A century from Nathan Astle, and some doughty resistance from Daniel Vettori late in the day, frustrated India’s endeavours to bowl New Zealand out on the third day of the Test match, and left New Zealand 282 for 8 at stumps. New Zealand are by no means out of the woods: they ended the day still 19 runs short of the 301 required to save the follow-on. The Test match is interestingly poised, and rife with possibility: New Zealand may either manage to get past 301 tomorrow, or else fall short of it, and if that happens India may either chose to bat again, as they did in a similar situation against the same team at this very ground four years ago, or else put New Zealand back in.On the day, though, it was a hard grind for India after the early inroads made by them last evening. It was Astle who held the New Zealand innings together, with partnerships of 91 for the fourth wicket with Scott Styris and, after Styris was out for 34, another 91 for the fifth wicket with Craig McMillan. These stands ensured that India could only take two wickets in the first two sessions, and had to wait till later in the day for larger rewards.Astle began the day on 13, and progressed to a half-century by lunch, and a century, his first against India, by tea. His favoured stroke was the cut, which brought him most of his fourteen boundaries. Against the spinners, he often cut so late as to take the ball virtually out of the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Astle’s cut has a distinctive fanlike motion, as his bat changes direction in backlift and he hits down on the ball; in contrast, a batsman like Virender Sehwag often cuts the ball in the air, over point and on occasion even over third man. Astle benefited from India’s strategy of leaving the point region vacant when Harbhajan Singh was bowling, and successfully took up the challenge of playing against the spin. His one lapse came just before he reached his hundred, a thick edge off Harbhajan being put down by Parthiv Patel.Craig McMillan’s half-century was the other contribution of note for New Zealand. McMillan came into this game with no form at all – his highest score in the last eight innings was 18 – but today he made merry against some indifferent bowling after lunch, and progressed rapidly to his half-century with some increasingly adventurous batting, even reverse-sweeping Harbhajan for four.
He and Astle looked so secure that Sourav Ganguly had to turn to the off-spin of Virender Sehwag. The move paid off in unexpected fashion. McMillan went down on one knee to play one of his favourite strokes, the paddle, and met the ball on the full. But Akash Chopra, who was only a few yards from the batsman, stayed low and focused and snapped up an excellent catch, inches from the ground (199 for 5). Chopra also caught Styris off Harbhajan at the same position; his close-in fielding throughout the day was of the highest standard.India could only feel as if the end was in sight when they claimed the vital wicket of Astle for 103, in the fourth over after tea. Astle had played nearly flawlessly in the company of Styris and McMillan, but seemed to feel the need to compensate for the scorelessness of Jacob Oram, who either pushed at the bowling with his pads or attempted ineffectually to counter it with a series of ugly prods and creasebound swipes. Oram’s queasiness proved infectious as Astle charged down the wicket to Harbhajan, was beaten by his straighter ball and stumped (223 for 6). Shortly after, Oram’s misery came to an end at he fenced at Kumble, and offered a simple catch to Rahul Dravid at slip. It was Kumble’s 350th Test wicket.India could take only one more wicket in the day, that of Robbie Hart lbw to L Balaji for 15. It was Balaji’s first Test wicket, and considering the nature of the pitch, he bowled a surprising number of overs in the day: 18 in all. Zaheer Khan, who bowled with such skill and hostility yesterday, failed to recapture that form, and bowled only 11 overs in the day. Nevertheless, it is that searing opening burst by him last evening that is responsible for India’s current position of strength. But 12 wickets still have to be taken, and possibly some runs made, before India can go ahead in the series.
Tamil Nadu captain Robin Singh claimed four wickets to lead his side to a seven-wicket win over Goa at the STRSA Stadium, Visakhapatnam.Goa, who won the toss, lost their captain VV Kolambakar in the fourth over of the day and they never recovered from there, being dismissed for 177 in 44.1 overs. For Tamil Nadu, medium-pacers L Balaji and MR Shrinivas also bowled well claiming two wickets each.A 84 off just 76 balls from No. 3 J Madanagopal meant that Tamil Nadu then overhauled the target with minimum off fuss in just 32 overs. The seven wicket-win that they achieved in the end was enough to guarantee them the maximum of five points.
London-This was more like it but, through no fault of their own, it stillamounted to very little.After a couple of days’ slack cricket that cost them the second Testand the opening match of the NatWest Series of One-Day Internationalsagainst Zimbabwe, the West Indies needed an uplifting performance intheir second match in the triangular against England here yesterday.They were putting the pieces back together again when they were foiledby the weather.No shoddinessMaking the obvious choice of bowling on Jimmy Adams’ call of the toss,there was none of the shoddiness that cost them dearly againstZimbabwe on Thursday.Adams changed tactics, his bowlers enforced them, and they restrictedEngland to 158 for eight from 43.5 overs before the gray skies thathad shrouded London all day eventually produced increasingly heavy andpersistent rain.The contest was abandoned at 5 p.m. as water began to settle on partsof the outfield. But the abandonment had been obvious from an hourearlier.The teams, both felled by the surprising Zimbabweans in their openingmatches, had to content themselves with a point each. It leavesZimbabwe with a useful early cushion of three points and heightens thepressure on the West Indies, in Canterbury tomorrow, and England, inOld Trafford under lights on Thursday, to win their next matchesagainst them.Each team plays the other twice to determine the finalists for Lord’son July 22.Even allowing for their all-out second innings 54 in the Test on thesame ground on a pitch not dissimilar in its encouragement of movementoff the seam and generous, if unreliable, bounce, the West Indieswould feel aggrieved at the watery outcome.England, their batting described by captain Alec Stewart as ‘thick’when bowled out for 207 by Zimbabwe at the Oval on Saturday, would berelieved.In Bristol on Thursday, Reon King and Franklyn Rose had been entrustedwith the new ball and Zimbabwe were flying at 57 for two after 10overs.Nixon McLean was used second change and bowled accordingly.Now McLean was given the new ball from the Pavilion End and wasengergised by the promotion.He sent down seven opening overs of genuine pace and hostility,setting the tone with an opening maiden in which four balls flashedpast left-hander Marcus Trescothik’s bat.By the time he gave way to Rose, he had removed Alec Stewart to afirst slip catch and Graeme Hick to Ridley Jacobs’ tumbling, low catchoff an under-edge cut, and had yielded only 18 runs.Corey Collymore, who was preferred for his first major match of thetour to King, shared the new ball with McLean. Adams gave him hisallotted 10 overs on a stretch and, while he sent down the occasionalhalf-volley and short ball, he moved his inswingers, one of which sodeceived Matthew Maynard he raised his bat and let it hit off-stump.England were then 47 for three in the 14th over and struggling.Trescothik, a tall, clean striker who was topscorer on his debutagainst Zimbabwe the previous day, restored some balance in a lefthanded partnership of 52 in 12 overs wth Graham Thorpe, but Englandwere never allowed to break free of the initial bind.Chris Gayle, dropping on a spot that challenged the batsmen to come athim, replaced Collymore from the Nursery End while Rose and thenMervyn Dillon alternated from the pavilion.Delivering his off-breaks from an ambling two paces, Gayle gave uponly 28 and not a single boundary from his nine overs. As bonuses, heaccounted for topscorer Tresccothik who popped up a gentle returntrying for a single to raise his 50 and came back later for a solitaryover during which he knocked back Mark Ealham’s off-stump.At the opposite end, Rose bowled with the control he had managed onlyin spurts previously on tour, taking three wickets from nine overs,and Dillon simply picked up where he left on Thursday with threemaidens and 13 runs from 6.5 overs when the rains set in.Trying to accelerate, as England had to, Craig White touched a catchto Jacobs attempting a steer to third man, Thorpe drove loosely intomidoff’s lap and Andy Caddick chipped to midwicket, all off Rose.By then, it was becoming obvious the exercise would be futile in termsof points but the disappointment was tempered by the necessaryboost to morale.