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The BCCI has decided to stage all the Ranji Trophy knockout games at neutral venues in the 2014-15 season

Amol Karhadkar08-Aug-2014Ranji Trophy 2014-15 groups

Group A
Karnataka, Bengal, Mumbai, Railways, UP, Baroda, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh
Group B
Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Vidarbha, Haryana, Odisha
Group C
Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Hyderabad, Andhra, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Services

India’s 2014-15 domestic schedule

Duleep Trophy: October 15 to November 3
Zonal one-day leagues: November 7 to 14
Vijay Hazare Trophy: November 19 to 25
Deodhar Trophy: November 29 to December 3
Ranji Trophy league: December 7 to February 8
Ranji Trophy quarter-finals: February 15 to 19
Ranji Trophy semi-finals: February 25 to March 1
Ranji Trophy final: March 8 to 12
Irani Cup: March 17 to 21
Zonal Twenty20: March 25 to 28
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: April 1 to 7

The BCCI has decided to stage all the Ranji Trophy knockout games at neutral venues in the 2014-15 season. This would mean a change to current norm by which knockouts are played on a rotational home-and-away basis.The decision was recommended by the technical committee recently and was formalised during the tour, programme and fixtures committee meeting in Mumbai on Friday. The neutral venues will be shortlisted by the ground and pitches committee, based on the performance of pitches in the league stage.In the previous season, three of the four quarter-finals and a semi-final were played on the home turf of one of the competing teams due to the home-and-away policy. Earlier, in 2007-08 and 2008-09, the BCCI had implemented the concept of staging knockout games at neutral venues. However, it reverted to the home-and-away format after Sachin Tendulkar expressed that home advantage should be enjoyed in the Ranji Trophy knockouts.The tour, programme and fixtures committee meeting, which was chaired by Rajiv Shukla via videoconferencing, also finalised the domestic season schedule. As per the technical committee’s recommendation of playing the one-day tournaments before the Ranji Trophy, keeping the World Cup in mind, the inter-state and zonal one-day tournaments will be played in November and December.The domestic season will kick off with the zonal first-class tournament, the Duleep Trophy, which will be played from October 15 to November 3, while the zonal one-dayers – the Deodhar Trophy – will be played from November 7 to 14. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, the all-India one-day knockouts, will be staged from November 19 to 25.The Ranji Trophy, which used to begin in the last week of October ever since the multi-tiered system was introduced, will now start on December 7. The Ranji final will be from March 8 to 12, which will effectively clash with the 2015 World Cup.Despite the BCCI deciding to defer the Corporate Trophy and the Challenger Series, the board has not been able to space out the Ranji Trophy league matches properly. While the first five rounds of the league stage will have only three days between matches, the last three games will be played with a four-day break between them.

It was probably fitting, in a season where the age profile of their squad has caused such consternation, that Gary Keedy should come to Surrey’s rescue

George Dobell at The Oval03-Sep-2013
ScorecardGary Keedy claimed three wickets to give Surrey the edge on a closely contested day•PA PhotosIt was probably fitting, in a season where the age profile of their squad has caused such consternation, that Gary Keedy should come to Surrey’s rescue.There have been times this year when the Surrey squad has resembled the cast of . So keen were they to add experience to the team that lost its way last season, that several wise heads were recruited to their dressing room. The squad has, over the course of the season, contained six men aged 35 or over – the team for this game contains four – and there were rumours that only fear of breaching the salary cap prevented the addition of Harold Macmillan. In the end it was decided that Macmillan’s death in 1986 might render him something of a liability in the field.Until about 10.30am, Keedy had been sent to Coventry. With the club having decided to invest in the youthful promise of Zafar Ansari, 38-year-old Keedy was due to play in a 2nd XI friendly match in Coventry; a combined Surrey and Hampshire XI against Warwickshire. There was increasing speculation that Surrey might be prepared to release him from the final year of his contract in order to allow him the chance to gain 1st XI cricket elsewhere – quite possibly at Sussex – and reduce their salary bill. That remains a possibility.But then Ansari, batting in the nets before play, was struck on the thumb and ruled out of the game. Keedy was summoned back for his sixth Championship game of the season, his first since July, and produced a performance full of skill, control and experience.Keedy may lack the pace of most modern, international bowlers. But his control remains excellent, he gains pleasing flight and, on surfaces like this, enough turn to trouble the best.It may prove a highly valuable contribution. With Surrey fighting to avoid relegation, Keedy’s three wickets prompted Middlesex to stumble just as it seemed they may build an imposing position and helped Surrey enjoy just about the best of a well-contested first day.Whether helping Surrey avoid relegation justifies their selection policy is debatable. The argument against fielding so many experienced cricketers is that it blocks the progress of young players. Surrey have several young men – the likes of George Edwards, Matt Dunn (who is currently injured), Dominic Sibley, Jason Roy and Tom Curran – who might flourish if given more opportunity and, in the long-term, you could argue that their development is more important than Division One survival.If Keedy’s first wicket – that of John Simpson turning a delivery outside leg stump to square leg three deliveries after tea – owed something to fortune, the other two were classic left-arm spinners’ dismissals. Gareth Berg and Ollie Rayner were both drawn forward and defeated by fine deliveries that turned and took their outside edges.Some context is required. This is an unusually dry pitch and is already offering assistance to spin bowlers. As the match progresses, it may become something approaching a spin bowler’s dream. Batting fourth is likely to prove demanding.Middlesex may feel frustrated at their return from a day full of toil. Winning the toss at The Oval on such a surface offers a fine opportunity but, despite dominating for periods, too many Middlesex batsmen surrendered their wickets tamely to take advantage of their earlier hard work. Still, for a side that has collapsed so hideously in recent outings – against Derbyshire and twice against Somerset – this represented a step in the right direction.Perhaps the key wicket came three balls after lunch. Chris Rogers, having taken 58 deliveries over his first 18 runs, then stroked eight fours in his next 22 balls to reach a highly accomplished half-century. He appeared poised for a match-defining innings and, with the equally fluent Dawid Malan, had put together a partnership of 97. It speaks volumes for their fragility of Middlesex’s batting, that such a modest stand represents their highest third-wicket stand of the Championship season.But then Rogers was beaten by a combination of his age and some excellent cricket from Jade Dernbach. Called for a quick, but by no means unreasonable single by Malan, 36-year-old Rogers may have thought that he was running to the safe end. But Dernbach, at mid-off, quickly spotted Rogers’ stiff legs and threw to the keeper who completed a sharp run out.That Middlesex did not completely squander their position was largely due to the dedication of Neil Dexter. Playing as if his bat and pad were welded together, with hands as soft as puppies’ ears and with the concentration of a bomb disposal expert, Dexter nullified spin and seam with admirable patience and self control. In the T20 age, there was little eye-catching about his innings, but it was exactly the sort of attritional, determined effort that first-class and Test cricket used to be about. More importantly, it was exactly what his side required. He remained into day two and, if he can take the total above 320, will know that his side have a foothold in the game.Malan also batted nicely for his first Championship half-century of the season – even if he was guilty of attempting to force the delivery that dismissed him, he could console himself in the knowledge that it was a fine ball. The bowler was Tim Linley, playing ahead of the rested Chris Tremlett, and he vindicated his selection with an excellent display of seam bowling. Linley remains the highest wicket-taker of a Surrey side that contains numerous more glamorous and better remunerated players.Earlier Sam Robson, whose form has imploded since the speculation started about his future, was dismissed for a duck. Robson, who has not reached 30 in his last seven Championship innings, was caught on the crease by a fine ball from Dernbach that swung in and then left him. Coincidentally, Robson’s 21-year-old brother Angus, making his first-class debut for Leicestershire, was also dismissed without scoring.

Glamorgan will breathe a sigh of relief with the confirmation that Michael Hogan is to leave Australia to come and play in county cricket with his British passport

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2013Glamorgan will breathe a sigh of relief with the confirmation that Michael Hogan, the Western Australia bowler, is to leave Australia to come and play in county cricket with his British passport.Justin Langer, the Western Australia coach, had said he would do everything in his power to try and keep Hogan in Australia but his efforts have proved in vain and Hogan will arrive in Cardiff for the start of the new season.Hogan, 31, took 130 wickets at 27.66 in first-class cricket during his four years at WA – including 30 at 25 in the 2012-13 Sheffield Shield – a record that prompted Langer to increase his efforts to keep Hogan in Perth.”He has been an excellent servant of WA cricket over the past four years,” Langer said. “He made a positive impact during his time here, not only as an outstanding bowler but a popular team member as well.”Michael has also been an excellent role model, leader and example to all, that if you persevere and work hard, regardless of your age, then you can forge a successful career as a professional cricket player. He will be missed and we wish Michael all the best in the UK.”Glamorgan will be pleased to have secured an experience bowler to replace James Harris, the England Lions bowler who left for Middlesex at the end of last season. Hogan will join experienced left-armer Graham Wagg alongside youngsters Huw Waters, John Glover and Michael Reed in the fast-bowling ranks in Cardiff.Hogan said he was leaving WA with the side in rude health under Langer. “The signs are really good. There’s a lot of young kids who are only going to get better with more experience,” he said.”With Justin in charge he’s not going to let anyone off the hook, so the boys will be working really hard to get to that Shield final which we’ve just missed out on in the past two years. I’d love to see the boys get into one and win one.”I had a great time, the playing group in particular accepted me as an outsider from day one and I can’t thank everyone enough for that.”

The five-time champions of Europe have become synonymous with terrible transfers in recent years – Goal picks out their biggest flops

Liverpool are one of the most successful clubs in world football yet the five-time champions of Europe have not won the English title since 1990.

There are several reasons for their infamous league drought but there is no doubt that the Reds' often disastrous dealings in the transfer market have played a massive part.

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Indeed, whereas once Liverpool were renowned for shrewdly strengthening title-winning sides, now the Merseysiders are synonymous with flops and failures.

Below, Goal goes through the 15 worst signings that the Reds have ever made…

Getty ImagesPEGGUY ARPHEXAD | From Leicester | Free | 2000

The life of a reserve goalkeeper isn't easy. It's difficult to make an impact. However, even taking that into account, Pegguy Arphexad's time at Anfield was dreadfully underwhelming. Signed on a free transfer in 2000, on the back of one impressive outing against the Reds for Leicester, Arphexad managed just two Premier League appearances in three years on Merseyside.

His contribution was best summed up by Jamie Carragher's wonderfully sarcastic response to the news that his fellow pundit Gary Neville was quitting his job to take charge at Valencia.

"Gutted!" the former Reds centre-half tweeted. "This reminds me of when Pegguy Arphexad left for Coventry."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesIAGO ASPAS | From Celta | £7m | 2013

Iago Aspas reasons: "In football, you can’t live forever in the past." Unfortunately for him, though, his name has been written into Liverpool folklore for taking the worst corner in the club's history.

That shocking set-piece against Chelsea at Anfield – which saw him pass the ball straight to Willian while the Reds were pushing for a last-gasp equaliser that would have kept their Premier League title destiny in their own hands – will always be the Reds' fans abiding memory of the Spaniard.

It was his last ever touch in a Liverpool jersey, with Aspas – who failed to even net once in the Premier League – joining Sevilla on loan just months later before eventually returning to Celta.

Getty ImagesALBERTO AQUILANI | From Roma | £17m | 2009

In 2008, Rafael Benitez thought it would be a good idea to sell Xabi Alonso and replace him with Gareth Barry. It wasn't. But at least it didn't happen. However, Liverpool's horrified fans would have settled for Barry, given Alberto Aquilani turned up at Anfield the following year after Alonso had departed for Real Madrid.

The injury-prone Italian was plagued by injuries and made just 18 Premier League appearances before joining Fiorentina in 2012. "Maybe I should have stayed,” Aquilani later mused, “but I wanted to come back to Italy for family reasons."

Liverpool were happy to see him go, though, as underlined by the fact that they let him join Fiorentina for nothing.

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Getty ImagesMARIO BALOTELLI | From AC Milan | £16m | 2014

No other deal better typifies Liverpool's incompetence in the transfer market than Mario Balotelli's move to Anfield in 2015.

Having reached the end of the transfer window without having acquired a world-class striker, manager Brendan Rodgers told captain Steven Gerrard at Melwood one day: "I'm basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble… The gamble is Mario Balotelli."

The captain's reaction? "Uh-oh."

Gerrard's concern was justified, with Balotelli scoring one Premier League goal for the Reds before being loaned to AC Milan and then sold to Nice.

Alex Lees celebrated his new contract with a career-best unbeaten 171 as Yorkshire dominated the opening day at Chesterfield.

17-Jul-2013
ScorecardPhil Jaques was the second centurion of the day•Getty ImagesAlex Lees celebrated his new contract with a career-best unbeaten 171 as Yorkshire dominated the opening day at Chesterfield.Lees, 20-years-old from Halifax, scored his second Championship hundred in three games and shared a Yorkshire record second-wicket stand against Derbyshire of 311 with Phil Jaques who made 139, his first century of the season.The title contenders closed on 367 for 2 which added up to another tough day for the bottom team in Division One although 19-year-old off-spinner Peter Burgoyne impressed on his Championship debut and was unlucky not to take a wicket in his 33 overs.Yorkshire announced before the start of play that Lees had signed an extended contract until December 2015 and the young left-hander showed why he is so highly regarded with a chanceless hundred after Adam Lyth had been dismissed in the seventh over of another stiflingly hot morning.It was a good day to win the toss but Mark Footitt found some late seam movement to have Lyth caught behind for 10 with the total on 22 but the pitch was an excellent one to bat on and Lees and Jaques took full advantage. He looked a little anxious at the start of his innings but became increasingly assured and pulled Mark Turner for six before straight driving him for his sixth four to reach 50 from 68 balls.Lees had brought up his half-century in the previous over when he drove Burgoyne through the covers for his ninth four but the Burgoyne bowled few loose balls during a spell of 23 overs broken only by lunch from the Lake End that cost only 42 runs. It was an impressive effort in testing conditions and the Derbyshire attack stuck to their task without really troubling the second-wicket pair who scored 134 runs in the afternoon session.Lees was first to his century which contained 16 fours and after Jaques completed his hundred off 174 balls, he flicked Turner off his hip over backward square leg for another six.There was no respite after tea for the hosts and when Lees drove Wes Durston’s offspin for his 22nd four, it erased Yorkshire’s previous highest second-wicket stand against Derbyshire of 305 by James Rothery and David Denton at Chesterfield in 1910 from the record books.The stroke also took Lees to 150 which had come from 248 balls but the best-ever second wicket partnership at Queen’s Park ended two overs later when Jaques steered Tim Groenewald to first slip.

Ronsford Beaton’s spectacular final over gave the Guyana Amazon Warriors a seven-run win over the Barbados Tridents at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A CPL record 148-run second-wicket partnership between Dwayne Smith and Shoaib Malik was trumped by Ronsford Beaton’s spectacular final over, which gave Guyana Amazon Warriors a seven-run win over Barbados Tridents at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.The Tridents seemed certain to overhaul a target of 174 thanks to Smith’s second century in three matches. They entered the final over needing 11 to win with Smith on strike on 101, having already hit eight fours and six sixes. Beaton had conceded a last-ball six to Darren Bravo two nights earlier in a heartbreaking loss to the Red Steel, but Amazon Warriors captain Denesh Ramdin kept faith in the 21-year-old fast bowler to defend 11 runs and he did it with room to spare.Fortune appeared to be shining on Smith and the Tridents after the batsman tried to slog a yorker only for the ball to deflect off his pads and knock into leg stump without dislodging the bails. Beaton speared in three more yorkers to Smith that resulted in a two, a dot and a single to put Jonathan Carter on strike needing eight off the final two to win. Beaton fired in a wide yorker to combat Carter’s premeditated scoop shot resulting in another dot ball to effectively seal the match with one ball remaining. Another dot off the final ball served as the icing on the cake.Despite plenty of wickets in hand for the Tridents, the foundation for the tight finish was laid in the 17th over when the 148-run second-wicket partnership was broken after Malik was caught short trying to steal a single for Smith. Lendl Simmons circled around and connected with a direct hit from backward point to send Malik on his way for 50.Five balls later, Beaton struck with a full inswinger to bowl Kieron Pollard for a duck and then finished the 18th by running out Jeevan Mendis off his own bowling. Smith dug out a yorker and tried to scamper a single but Beaton charged down the pitch in his follow through and underhanded into the striker’s end stumps to leave 16 needed off 12 with six wickets in hand. Krishmar Santokie conceded five singles in the 19th before Beaton’s final over sealed it for the Amazon Warriors as the Tridents ended on 166 for 4.Earlier in the day, Simmons and Martin Guptill provided contrasting half-centuries at the top of the order, after Amazon Warriors were sent in to bat. The pair produced a record stand of their own by adding 103, the best first-wicket partnership in the CPL and sixth-best for any wicket. Simmons fell on the final ball of the 12th over for 64, caught on the boundary attempting to slog Mendis’ legspin for his fifth six. Guptill dropped anchor afterward and let his fresh partners slog away around him.Mohammad Hafeez was particularly effective, smacking two fours and three sixes to make 30 off 10 balls before he was dismissed by Pollard two balls into the 20th. Guptill wound up carrying his bat as Guyana finished on 173 for 5 with Guptill unbeaten on 55 off 51 balls and his patience was vindicated by the end of the day. The Amazon Warriors now sit on eight points alongside T&T Red Steel at the top of the CPL table while the Tridents fall back in a tie for third with Jamaica Tallawahs on six points.

Karnataka start favourites but heavy fog and the winter cold will add to the challenge against Punjab

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran17-Jan-2014Match factsJanuary 18-22, Mohali
Start time 9.30am (4.00am GMT)Manish Pandey slammed 166 when these two teams met last month•ESPNcricinfo Ltd0:00

‘Medium-pace attack is our strength’ – J Arunkumar

Big PictureWith an astonishing 38 points in the league phase, Karnataka are clearly the stand-out team of the season and favourites to win the title, especially after the early exit of defending champions Mumbai. With a clutch of youngsters such as KL Rahul, HS Sharath and Shreyas Gopal impressing in the early days of their career, and a core of experienced and proven performers in Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa, Karnataka are a well-balanced outfit which has put together six straight victories. While the batting and fast bowling is formidable, the only real question mark is over their spinners.Punjab have a man with over 400 Test wickets filling the spinner’s spot. Harbhajan Singh will complement a strong pace attack, which includes Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Manpreet Gony. Their concern will be about getting some consistency in the batting. It might be because they have played on several spicy tracks this season, but in six of the nine matches they have been bowled out for less than 200 in the first innings. They have batsmen capable of playing the big innings though: Mandeep Singh hit a game-changing century in the second innings of the quarterfinals, Jiwanjot Singh can boast of one of the innings of the season with a 147 against Delhi, Yuvraj Singh is out of form but has repeatedly shown his penchant for the big stage.Both teams will keep an eye as much on the weather as the opposition. Heavy fog has lead to most Chandigarh-bound flights being cancelled in the past few days, as is common during the coldest days of the north Indian winter. Besides fog, some play could also be lost due to rain, with mild showers predicted through the week. To make things more uncomfortable, especially for the Karnataka players, temperatures are expected to plunge as low as six degrees, about 10 degrees lesser than the minimum in Bangalore this week.Form guide Punjab WWWLD
Karnataka WWWWWWatch out forKarnataka had a settled batting unit for several seasons, till they began experimenting last year. Rahul was one of those who got an opportunity, and this season he has cemented his place at the top of the order. Scores of 158, 67, 29, 98, 29, 92, 25*, 133, 32, 0, 92* in Karnataka’s six successive wins have pitchforked him to third in the run-getters chart. A big performance in the semi-finals will only add to the buzz around him.Another youngster who has grabbed this headlines this season is Punjab’s fast bowler Sandeep Sharma. With 35 wickets at 22.60, he’s been the team’s most successful bowler, and among the top ten bowlers of the season. He’s already earned a place in a second-string India A side in 2013, but this season’s success following on the 41 wickets he captured in 2012-13 will push him closer to bigger honours.Team newsPunjab are likely to miss one of their key bowlers this season, VRV Singh, due to a fever. That should open up a spot for quick bowler Siddarth Kaul, who missed the quarterfinal clash against J&K.Punjab (squad) Harbhajan Singh (capt), Manan Vohra, Jiwanjot Singh, Mandeep Singh, Taruwar Kohli, Gurkeerat Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Rajwinder Singh, Gitansh Khera (wk), Siddarth Kaul, Manpreet Gony, Sandeep Sharma, VRV Singh, Sunny Sohal, Jaskaran Singh, Uday Kaul (wk)Karnataka are missing two players who injured themselves in the quarter-final: fast bowler Sharath hurt his shoulder while fielding and batsman R Samarth fractured his finger while attempting a catch. Their places have been taken by left-arm medium-pacer S Aravind and batsman Mayank Agarwal. Given the seamer-friendly nature of the Mohali track, Karnataka might be tempted to go in with allrounder Shreyas Gopal as their lone spinner, ahead of the ineffective specialists Abrar Kazi and KP Appanna.Karnataka (squad) Vinay Kumar (capt) , Robin Uthappa, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, CM Gautam, Shreyas Gopal, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ronit More, Abrar Kazi, KP Appanna , Ganesh Satish, Amit Verma, S AravindStatsKarnataka are one short of the Delhi’s Ranji record of seven straight wins, set in 1974-75. Mumbai managed six consecutive Ranji wins on two occasions, in 1972-73 and in 1999-00. Karnataka’s wicketkeepr CM Gautam has 33 dismissals this season, two less than the leaders Andhra’s KS Bharth and Maharashtra’s Rohit Motwani. There were five triple centuries last season; there have been none so far this season.0:00

‘Bengal, Karnataka are on a roll’ – Kartik

Trent Boult’s temperament is unlike that of a subcontinent tail-ender, as was evident from his patient knock, Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak has said

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong10-Oct-2013Abdur Razzak bowled 55 overs in his comeback Test innings, after which he was left having to defend Bangladesh’s helplessness in the face of a tenth-wicket stand that forced them to do a lot more work than New Zealand’s score of 342 for 9 had suggested was needed.Trent Boult and BJ Watling added 127 runs, holding up the home side for nearly two-and-a-half hours, the latest example of a worrying trend. Since 2001, there have been 36 fifty-plus partnerships from the seventh wicket onward against Bangladesh, including seven century-run stands.”Everyone thinks that such a last wicket partnership can be deflating,” Razzak said. “But it doesn’t really happen. Someone can play well, it is quite natural. During last year’s West Indies series, Raju [Abul Hasan] got a century at No. 10. The wait for the opening batsmen is harder. They are tired after fielding more than 150 overs and as it is, batting second is always harder in a Test match.”Watling recorded his second century in Test cricket while Boult reached a maiden half-century and became the 15th No. 11 batsman to reach the landmark in Tests. Robiul Islam, who opened the bowling for Bangladesh, bowled only 13 overs in the innings. His new-ball partner Rubel Hossain didn’t bowl a single yorker, focusing mainly on a shorter length after getting the wicket of Bruce Martin with a bouncer earlier in the day.”You always just try to get blocks of ten runs at a time, try to weigh them down and then you just keep going,” said Watling. “We played some good cricket and put them under pressure and I think we played with a lot of patience. It was great fun batting with Trent [Boult] out there. I thought he played extremely well. He waited for his ball and played some nice shots through the onside. We managed to put a good partnership together, which was pretty much needed because I think 400 is pretty much par on that wicket.”Watling handled Sohag Gazi well while Shakib Al Hasan, who bowled the most to the pair, was not at his best even against Boult, although he tried every line, angle and length.Razzak bowled 16 wicketless overs at the pair, after which part-timer Mominul Haque finally dragged Watling out of the crease to end the innings. There were times when Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque looked visibly down as they saw a No. 11 score an unbeaten half-century and their troubles only grew when both got out cheaply in Bangladesh’s first innings.Razzak praised Boult for his patience, which he said is unlike the temperament of subcontinent tail-enders. Boult has, in fact, been involved in his third 50-plus partnership this year alone but this his personal best score in first-class and Test cricket.”The last batsman [Trent Boult] didn’t try to do anything. I think his first drive was after he had got to 27. Before that he had scored most of his runs through edges and nudges as he defended the ball,” Razzak said. “The ball didn’t turn as well, so it was quite easy to play the straight deliveries. Plus Watling was a set batsman, the sort that is hard to get out on this surface. We gave it our all but it took us a long time to get the wicket.”

German media labelled Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho 'the worst' after an uninspiring display in Borussia Dortmund's defeat to Hoffenheim.

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German media slammed SanchoHas two assists since re-joining Dortmund on loanDortmund went down 3-2 against HoffenheimWHAT HAPPENED?

Sancho has failed to make a mark in Germany having returned to Dortmund on loan from United in the January transfer window. He started his second stint in the Bundesliga on a brighter note as he recorded a couple of assists in his first two appearances. But since then, the winger has not made any goal contribution and also failed to make a mark in the club's recent 3-2 defeat to Hoffenheim in a league clash.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT HAS BEEN SAID

After yet another uninspiring performance for the Black and Yellow where he spent 75 minutes on the pitch, German media wrote: "BVB was so happy when Jadon Sancho was brought back during the last winter transfer period. The prodigal son is finally back. He really sent the fans into a state of euphoria. A few weeks later there is no sign of it anymore.

"Against TSG Hoffenheim, the supporters hoped that the 23-year-old would finally score his first goal. But they were disappointed once again. The BVB star showed another poor performance against Hoffenheim and was probably the worst player on the pitch."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The England international decided to start afresh in Germany after being frozen out at United for his public fallout with manager Erik ten Hag in August 2023. The Red Devils may look to offload the player in the summer, although the German club are unlikely to sign him as they cannot afford to pay his high transfer fee.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR JADON SANCHO?

The 23-year-old needs to be much more consistent if he wants to stand any chance of being picked by Gareth Southgate for the England squad ahead of the upcoming Euro 2024. For now, he will be next seen in action on Saturday as Edin Terzic's side take on Union Berlin.

Australia’s team doctor Peter Brukner believes cricket will eventually follow Australia’s football codes and introduce a system in which players leave the field for concussion assessment after blows to the head

Brydon Coverdale in Christchurch23-Feb-2016Australia’s team doctor Peter Brukner believes cricket will eventually follow Australia’s football codes and introduce a system in which players leave the field for concussion assessment after blows to the head. The assessment process was the subject of attention on day two in Christchurch, when Steven Smith was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner.Smith fell to the ground before getting to his feet again, and Brukner and Australia’s physio David Beakley ran onto the field to assess whether he needed any treatment. After spending roughly five minutes on the field, Brukner saw no signs of concussion and decided that Smith could continue his innings, but he said further testing had been undertaken later that day and the next morning.”There are things we look for, how well orientated they are, how alert they are, and there’s standard questions that you always ask automatically,” Brukner said after day four at Hagley Oval. “We took him through those. He answered all those questions perfectly. He seemed quite alert. We kept talking to him in that five minutes and by the end of that five minutes I was comfortable that there was nothing too serious going on.”The incident occurred in the last over before tea and Brukner also spent time with Smith during the tea break, as well as using a computerised concussion test called Cogstate after stumps that day. A test of cognitive function that assesses a wide range of areas including reaction times, Cogstate was again used to assess Smith before play on the third morning.”We have baseline measures for all the players in the Australian squad. We did that again on that night, and we were able to compare that with his baseline. And there was no difference between what he did on Sunday night and the baseline. And he was feeling okay. I repeated that test on Monday morning, just because sometimes they have a delayed response and deteriorate overnight. Once again he felt okay and the test was okay.”Smith was also assessed at other breaks in play, and showed no signs of concussion. Brukner said that while there were “grey areas” in determining concussion, if he had any doubts he would not hesitate to rule a player out, as he did when Chris Rogers missed two Tests in the West Indies last year following a blow to the helmet at training, and he also took Rogers from the field following a blow during the Lord’s Test.”There are some very clear-cut concussions, they’re knocked out and talking gibberish and so on, there are others who are absolutely fine. And there’s a grey area,” Brukner said. “I accept it’s a difficult … we would love a test to say yes that’s a concussion, that’s not a concussion. But we’ve got our symptoms, we’ve got our questions, we’ve got our computer tests, that’s our package at the moment. That’s what we go on.”Unlike cricketers, AFL and NRL footballers who suffer blows to the head are taken from the field for a 20-minute period to be assessed and reduce the risk of further blows in case of a delayed concussion reaction. Brukner said he expected that cricket would eventually follow the football codes and introduce such a system.”There’s a lot of things on the table at the moment about concussion subs and all that sort of stuff,” he said. “It’s complicated. I think the football codes feel that 20 minutes is about right. It would be nice to take someone off for 20 minutes. I think ultimately something will come in on those lines. I think it’s got to, these days.”The climate is out there and cricket will do it … After that five minutes out there, if I’d had doubts, I’d have said come off – you can have a replacement, it’s not as if you can’t bat again – come off and we’ll do a more thorough assessment. There was no indication to me out there that that was required. The next stage is to take them off and fully assess them. But he seemed fine to me, so I felt comfortable to keep him out there.”