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The 24-year-old Chicago Red Stars No.9, who scored against Canada, Japan and Brazil, is arguably the best forward in the world right now.

SheBelieves Cup champions again, and there never really was any doubt.

The U.S. women's national team cruised to three consecutive victories in a tournament that proved a vital tune-up for the World Cup later this year.

On their road to glory, the U.S. took down Canada, Japan and Brazil – all good teams that could certainly make some noise this summer.

It was, overall, an impressive run as the U.S. defeated three legitimate sides to lift another trophy on home soil. They did so behind the heroics of an emerging star, Mallory Swanson, who looks all but unstoppable as the World Cup draws closer and closer.

But all is not perfect in USWNTland. Vlatko Andonovski's side wasn't completely convincing throughout this three-game set as it remains clear that this team still has some holes.

Those holes could prove their undoing against Europe's elite this summer and Andonovski will have some work to do to patch them up going forward.

Still, while there is reason to nitpick, it's safe to call this tournament a success as we now have a slightly clearer picture of how the USWNT will line up at the World Cup.

So, here's a look at the biggest winners and losers of the USWNT's SheBelieves Cup campaign…

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  WINNER: Mallory Swanson

  Can anyone stop Mallory Swanson? Well, if this tournament is anything to go by, the answer is no.

  The former Mallory Pugh has taken her game to a whole new level, combining her elite speed with a confidence and precision in front of goal that we had never quite seen.
  Throughout this run, Swanson was both efficient and absolutely ruthless, taking her total to seven goals on the year with finishes in all three games.

  In a crowded forward pool, Swanson has distanced herself from the pack. She's proving herself one of the world's best forwards, if not the world's best, and there hasn't been any team in the USWNT's path that has been able to do anything about it.

  At World Cups, superstars can change games. Even if the system fails or something goes wrong, sometimes one gifted player can make the difference.

  If you're a gambler, put your money on Swanson to be that kind of game-changer for the USWNT, because this tournament proved that she's more than capable of taking the World Cup by storm.

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  LOSER: The forward bubble

  Andonovski faces an almost impossible task in finalising his attack. There are simply too many world-class players to choose from.

  A nice selection headache to have, some would argue, but that won't make Andonovski's task any easier.

  Swanson, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Lynn Williams seem like locks. Depending on positioning, Catarina Macario may also be on this list when healthy.

  That leaves the likes of Trinity Rodman, Ashley Hatch and Midge Purce fighting for, potentially, just one spot, and that's not even looking at someone like Christen Press, who could make a late surge once she recovers from injury.

  None of those fringe players truly seized their opportunity during this tournament.

  Rodman was solid enough, but still hasn't quite taken the leap on the international level, although that could come soon. Hatch has scored boatloads in the NWSL, but didn't do much in limited minutes. And Purce only made a quick cameo in the opener.

  There's still a lot to be decided here but this camp didn't do much for those trying to secure one of those final roster spots.

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  WINNER: Naomi Girma

  Pencil Girma in for a starting role for the next decade.

  The 22-year-old defender was spectacular throughout the SheBelieves Cup as she continues to evolve into a legitimate international star.

  Girma has all the potential to be the USWNT's next great centerback, and you can argue that she already is in the here and now. She's earned plenty of praise for her play, with her own teammates taking notice of just how good she is already.

  "She is just so f*cking good," said Rapinoe. "It's tough to step into this team at this level and immediately be a no-brainer to start."

  But Girma has done just that. The USWNT has a truly special talent on their hands.

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  LOSER: The No. 6 problem

  Julie Ertz isn't walking through that door, unfortunately for the USWNT. It certainly would be great if she did, considering the team's struggles to properly replace what she offers in midfield.

  But perhaps the biggest question Andonovski faces heading towards the summer is: what do you do about the midfield? There's Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan, sure, but who's going to be his No. 6?

  He's clearly thought a lot about it, as much of the precamp discussion centered around the possibility of playing Taylor Kornieck there due to her height.

  By the end of camp, though, Kornieck was coming on as more of a target forward, perhaps showing that the experiment isn't going to work out any time soon.

  Andi Sullivan is likely the starter, but she didn't quite convince. And Kristie Mewis looked pretty good against Japan in a statement performance, but the role she played is still somewhat new.

  At times in this tournament, the USWNT midfield looked pedestrian, and they certainly would be made to look worse by some of the heavy-hitters in Europe.

  Maybe the U.S. can get away with playing a 4-2-3-1 sometimes, with Macario in midfield, and you can certainly argue the lack of a defensive presence won't hurt them against most teams.

  But, at some point, this could be a problem that comes back to bite them and, after these three games, it didn't get any closer to getting solved.

Bayern Munich's poor start to the season continues

Mergim Berisha's second-half goal was the difference between the two sides and it leaves the Bundesliga champions fourth in the table after seven matches.

There were a few silver linings in defeat for Julian Nagelsmann's side – most notably the performance of Alphonso Davies – but there was an overriding sense of disappointment yet again.

It's the fourth time Bayern have dropped points in the league already this season having won just three of their opening seven games.

Here are the winners, losers and player ratings from another poor afternoon.

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  Winner – Alphonso Davies

  The left-back did his job – and he did it very well. After a mixed year, Davies is once again a constant on the left-hand side of the defence, also because there are virtually no serious alternatives for him.

  Solid at the back and much more noticeable going forward with his pace than Mazraoui on the right – yet another winner in a disappointing 0-1 defeat.

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  Loser – Leon Goretzka

  Marcel Sabitzer has played well recently, Ryan Gravenberch is waiting on the bench for his first real chance: Leon Goretzka's prospects are not looking good after his performance in Augsburg when it comes to his regular place in the midfield alongside Joshua Kimmich.

  Goretzka has to improve significantly if he wants to continue to be in the starting XI.

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  Bayern Munich Ratings: Defence

  Manuel Neuer (6/10): Had his hands full against Augsburg early on in the game. Also busy organising his defence at set pieces. Powerless for the goal he conceded and actually almost equalised late in the game.

  Noussair Mazraoui (4/10): Did not replicate his performance from the Barca game. Got forward at times but not nearly enough. He did well to stop Ermedin Demirovic breaking the deadlock inside half an hour but was really sloppy in possession.

  Dayot Upamecano (5/10): Aggressive in duels and often intercepted Augsburg passes. However, he made a big mistake in the first half and never really recovered.

  Matthijs De Ligt (5/10): Was lucky that Florian Niederlechner didn't punish him for being careless early on. Too far from Berisha for the goal but did have the best passing accuracy of the players to have started for Bayern.

  Alphonso Davies (7/10): Much more active going forward than his counterpart on the right. He created three chances, more than any of his team-mates. He was also a threat himself and won the ball back on a number of occasions.

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  Midfield

  Joshua Kimmich (5/10): Unusually, made the wrong decision often in the first half (nine misplaced passes). Improved after the break but couldn't help to stop the goal.

  Leon Goretzka (4/10): Won some duels but lacked accuracy in his passing. His positioning was often poor which led to him being bypassed.

  Thomas Muller (5/10): Played behind the forwards and had significantly more influence than he did in the frontline last week. Provided good balls to his attacking team-mates on several occasions but, like many others, he struggled after half-time.

  Jamal Musiala (6/10): Not only skillful on the ball, but also robust in duels. Helped out a lot defensively too. Came close to opening the scoring twice, but also lost the ball a few times before half-time. He was neat but nothing more than that.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo jogou bem, a bola entrou e venceu o jogo, parece uma combinação óbvia, mas com o time de Fernando Diniz esses três fatores não têm se encaixado frequentemente nos últimos tempos. Dessa vez, contra a LDU-EQU, a história foi diferente e acabou conquistando uma vitória importantíssima para seguir firme na briga por uma vaga nas oitavas de final da Libertadores.

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> Veja classificação e simulador da Libertadores clicando aqui

Pelo placar de 3 a 0, o Tricolor atropelou os equatorianos, principalmente nos primeiros 15 minutos do primeiro tempo, quando abriu 2 a 0 e mostrou que era muito superior ao adversário. Bem parecido com outros jogos, porém concretizando as chances em bolas na rede, o que tem sido um problema constante para o ataque, que perde muitas oportunidades, como na estreia.

Na última quarta-feira, no Morumbi, foram 14 finalizações no total, ou seja, precisou de 4,7 chutes para marcar um gol. A terceira melhor média sob o comando de Fernando Diniz, pior apenas do que a vitória por 3 a 0 sobre a Chapecoense, (3,7) no Brasileirão-2019, e a goleada por 4 a 0 sobre o Oeste (3,75), no Paulistão-2020, ambos atuando fora de casa.

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Já em termos de finalizações certas, foram seis, o que resulta em uma média de dois chutes no alvo para fazer um gol. Essa estatística iguala aquelas registradas na vitória contra a Chape (2), por 3 a 0, no Brasileirão-2019 e no empate com o Ceará (2), em 1 a 1, fora de casa. Vale destacar que no duelo com a equipe cearense foram apenas duas finalizações certas nos 90 minutos.

-A simbiose que aconteceu hoje eu me sinto muito realizado, porque o jogador está jogando bem e bonito e terminando no gol. Jogar bonito e fazer o gol como aconteceu hoje. Foram quatro bolas no gol (seis segundo o Footstats) e três gols, mas tivemos muitas oportunidades – disse o treinador são-paulino.

Foi a 28ª partida de Fernando Diniz no São Paulo, em dez delas o time saiu de campo sem marcar gols. Em 2020, foram três os jogos em que o Tricolor não balançou a rede: dois clássicos (Palmeiras e Corinthians) e Botafogo-SP, em que foi escalado um time reserva, devido ao desgaste da viagem para o Peru, poucos dias antes de atuar em Ribeirão Preto, interior do estado.

O desafio agora é manter essa eficiência para que desempenho e resultado estejam sempre convergindo. Se o time continuar jogando como vem jogando e criando chances nesse volume, certamente vai estar na briga por todos os títulos que disputar na temporada. Reinaldo, Daniel Alves e Igor Gomes foram os artilheiros da vez, na próxima os outros homens de ataque precisam buscar esse caminho para ajudar na manutenção desse ritmo de vitórias.

Top 5 jogos mais eficiente de Fernando Diniz no São Paulo (finalizações)

1) Chapecoense 0 x 3 São Paulo – Brasileirão-2019 – 3,67 chutes para um gol
2) Oeste 0 x 4 São Paulo – Paulistão-2020 – 3,75 chutes para um gol
3) São Paulo 3 x 0 LDU-EQU – Libertadores-2020 – 4,67 chutes para um gol
4) Ceará 1 x 1 São Paulo – Brasileirão-2020 – 5 chutes para um gol
5) São Paulo 2 x 0 Atlético-MG – Brasileirão-2020 – 6 chutes para um gol

Top 5 jogos mais eficiente de Fernando Diniz no São Paulo (finalizações certas)

1) Chapecoense 0 x 3 São Paulo – Brasileirão-2019 – 2 chutes certos para um gol
2) São Paulo 3 x 0 LDU-EQU – Libertadores-2020 – 2 chutes certos para um gol
3) Ceará 1 x 1 São Paulo – Brasileirão-2020 – 2 chutes certos para um gol
4) Oeste 0 x 4 São Paulo – Paulistão-2020 – 2,25 chutes certos para um gol
5) CSA 1 x 2 São Paulo – Brasileirão-2020 – 2,5 chutes certos para um gol

MatériaMais Notícias

Durante a reunião com o Palmeiras, nessa quinta-feira, Jorge Sampaoli colocou Gabriel Andreata, gerente de futebol do Santos, como um dos nomes que ele deseja levar, caso aceite a oferta alviverde. O clube não fez oposição, mas a ideia é de que ele trabalhe apenas na comissão técnica, como publicou o Uol.

O Verdão entende que já está com a diretoria completa, pois conta Anderson Barros como novo diretor e Cícero Souza como gerente. Andreata foi contratado pelo Santos a pedido de Sampaoli, pois os dois trabalharam juntos entre 2004 e 2006 noCoronel Bolognesi, do Peru.

O contrato de Gabriel Andreata com o Peixe vence no fim do ano, e ele não deve permanecer. Mesmo exercendo o cargo de gerente, já foi citado como se trabalhasse por Sampaoli em negociações para sua saída do Santos, como na procura do Racing (ARG). O dirigente alvinegro nega.

Outros nomes na comissão técnica de Sampaoli são dos auxiliares Carlos Desio e Jorge Desio e os preparadores físicos Marcos Fernández e Pablo Fernández.

O Verdão aguarda a posição do técnico argentino, mas entende ter feito uma oferta “muito boa” a ele, que deixou o Santos no começo da semana. A primeira pedida de Sampaoli era de um salário mensal de R$ 2 milhões para sua equipe. A proposta alviverde é abaixo disso.

O Atlético-MG e a seleção equatoriana são os outros interessados no técnico, que é o principal candidato a substituir Mano Menezes no Palmeiras. Ele se encontrou quinta, no Rio de Janeiro, com o presidente Maurício Galiotte, o vice Alexandre Zanotta, o diretor Anderson Barros e o diretor de gestão e finançasCristiano Koeller. A comitiva alviverde já voltou e aguarda o desfecho.

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ScorecardFile photo: Paras Khadka struck seven sixes in his 103 off 94 balls•ICC/Barry Chambers

Captain Paras Khadka’s highest score for Nepal led them to a tense three-wicket victory in their WCL Championship match against Namibia on Monday.Khadka’s 103 off 94 balls, and his third-wicket partnership of 167 with Sharad Vesawkar through the middle overs became crucial to chasing a target of 240 because Namibia were excellent in the final 10. They took five quick wickets to break into the Nepal tail, but the set batsman Vesawkar remained. He took the chase to the penultimate ball, struck the winning runs, and remained unbeaten on 74 off 107 balls.Khadka and Vesawkar were brought together in the 14th over and they began to shut Namibia out. Khadka was the aggressor, striking seven sixes and five fours to maintain a strike-rate of 109.57 and Vesawkar lent excellent support, batting 165 minutes to make sure a tricky target was overcome.It could have been a lot more considering Namibia captain Stephan Baard (51) and wicketkeeper Zane Green (47) had laid a strong foundation through a 95-run opening stand. The next three batsmen, though, fell for single-figure scores. Pikky Ya France and Gerhard Erasmus were run-out and Gerrie Snyman fell lbw for a duck to Basant Regmi.Namibia lurched from 105 for 1 to 136 for 6 but Sarel Burger, at No. 7, struck an unbeaten 43 off 60 balls to lead a recovery. He rescued them with the ball too, taking three wickets across the 47th and the 49th overs to create some tension. Nepal were seven down when the final over began, and needed six runs to win. Vesawkar made sure they got it.Among Nepal’s bowlers, 15-year old legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane picked up 2 for 39 from nine overs. Left-arm spinner Shakti Gauchan, who opened the bowling, took 2 for 44 off his 10 overs and Regmi finished with 2 for 45.

Derbyshire recorded their second highest score in the T20 competition when they thrashed local rivals Nottinghamshire by 34 runs to leave one of the pre-season favourites facing likely elimination at the group stage

ECB/PA26-Jun-2015
ScorecardChesney Hughes played a leading role in Derbyshire’s second highest T20 score•Getty ImagesDerbyshire recorded their second highest score in the T20 competition when they thrashed local rivals Nottinghamshire by 34 runs in the NatWest Blast game at the 3aaa County Ground to leave one of the pre-season favourites facing increasingly likely elimination at the group stages.Add their position at the foot of the Championship and Nottinghamshire are fast descending into their biggest crisis for years.Chesney Hughes led the way with 52, including three sixes from 29 balls and although Ben Hilfenhaus took 3 for 29 from his four overs, the Falcons racked up an imposing 201 for 7.England batsman Alex Hales was bowled first ball by Nathan Rimmington who took 3 for 24 and although Riki Wessels smashed 66 from 33 balls, the Outlaws lost seven wickets in 29 balls to be bowled out for 167.The start was delayed by 30 minutes but Hamish Rutherford wasted no time in launching the third ball from Harry Gurney over the sightscreen for six and driving the fifth straight for four.Insights

It is not unusual for teams as resplendent with star-quality as Nottinghamshire to struggle in T20. While T20 is the format of the game most likely to be shaped by one individual performance it is also the format in which individual form is most contagious. While longer forms offer players, particularly batsmen, opportunities to consolidate weak positions and rebuild, T20 is less forgiving: if one or two players are struggling in key roles it unsettles the role of another key player, forcing them to play out of position. Often in such teams individuals seek moments of brilliance to solve problems when in reality more foundational, coordinated team improvement is more likely to bring consistent success.

Rutherford took two fours off the first over from Hilfenhaus but Wes Durston top edged a pull at the Australian and was caught by Fletcher running back from leg slip.Hillfenhaus struck again in the last over of the powerplay when Rutherford mistimed a pull to mid-wicket but Derbyshire had taken 59 from the first six and Hughes maintained the tempo by twice driving Samit Patel over the long on ropes.Hughes pulled Steven Mullaney for a third six to bring up the 100 and at the halfway stage, The Falcons were soaring at 110 for 2 with Hughes reaching his 50 from 27 balls.The Outlaws needed wickets and they got two in five balls when Wayne Madsen top-edged a return catch to Mullaney to end a stand of 64 from 35 balls and Hughes was caught behind cutting at Daniel Christian.Hilfenhaus returned to bowl Scott Elstone and both Shiv Thakor and Alex Hughes picked out deep mid-wicket but Tom Poynton swung Christian over long on to make sure Derbyshire passed 200.Michael Lumb started the chase by driving Wayne White high over long on for six but Nottinghamshire were rocked when Hales was bowled first ball by Rimmington.Wessels responded by pulling and driving White for sixes as 22 came from his second over and the Outlaws were well on course at the end of their powerplay on 72 for 1.Alex Hughes and Durston conceded only eight from the next two overs with the Falcons skipper having Lumb caught at long on and Patel should have been run out on one but Hughes fumbled the return.Wessels pulled Durston for six but then failed to clear deep mid-wicket and Nottinghamshire had a lot to do going into the last 10 overs with 104 needed.Hughes had cranked up the pressure by not conceding a boundary in his four over spell and although James Taylor pulled White for six, Patel drove Thakor into the hands of extra cover.With 64 needed from 30 balls, Derbyshire only had to keep their discipline to close the game out and they moved closer to victory when Christian was stranded by Chesney Hughes’s throw from cover.Greg Smith was run out going for a second and the end came quickly after Taylor swung Thakor into the hands of deep mid-wicket.

Stuart Broad has lost the England T20 captaincy to Eoin Morgan, but his limited-over ambitions remain and he retains the desire to be play in the 2019 World Cup in England

David Hopps18-May-20151:27

Stuart Broad has lost the T20 captaincy, but he is not ready to be written off just yet

Stuart Broad is concentrating on the start of an arduous Test programme involving 16 Tests in a year when New Zealand roll up for the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday – some of them presumably with flight tags still tied to their bats – but at the back of his mind will be a creeping uncertainty about his one-day future.Almost unnoticed during the official traducing of Kevin Pietersen, Broad has been replaced as England’s Twenty20 captain. That has encouraged the impression that Broad might struggle to remain a fixture in England’s one-day sides, leaving a central role in the 2019 World Cup in England a distant ambition.Strauss, England’s director of cricket, prefers to recognise the growing affinity between the 50-over and 20-over games and has therefore opted for Eoin Morgan to take charge of both formats. As for Broad, four World Cup wickets in Australia and New Zealand at 63.50 and a batting approach that has disintegrated, even extending to an admission of nightmares about being hit by a short ball, and his place is far from secure.Broad, though, has no thought of winding down and concentrating on a future – a very busy one at that – as a Test specialist. A World Cup in England matters.”I certainly want to be a part of that,” he said. “World Cups are very special, especially in your own country and I feel I have things to offer in white ball cricket still, at the age of 28. But it is such a busy year with the red ball that you can only look at that in the months to come.”It’s disappointing to lose any sort of captaincy especially an England captaincy but the way Andrew Strauss spoke to me was like how Straussy does: he was logical, he had thought out all his points and he made a lot of sense.”He potentially sees a slightly different make-up in the white ball / red ball teams and Morgs would be a good man to lead the one-day and T20 stuff forward in that, having played a lot of cricket around the world in that format.”I fully agree with him. I think Morgs, although he didn’t score the runs he would like to in the World Cup 50-over, he led the team well and he had the respect of the team in the changing room and I wish him all the best in taking that team forward.”Stuart Broad fell victim to the pantomime season on the last Ashes tour in Australia•Getty ImagesFor the next few months, though, it is a New Zealand Test series followed by the Ashes, with Broad already revelling in what he called “the pantomime stuff” as every Australian cricketer who gets near a microphone speculates about how England will be debilitated by the controversial exclusion of Kevin Pietersen and former Australian captains, Ian Chappell on these pages among them, wonder if Alastair Cook can possibly survive the summer as captain.”It’s what the Ashes is about – this hullabaloo,” said Broad, who had to withstand a fierce media assault on England’s last tour of Australia as retribution was taken for his butter-wouldn’t-melt failure to walk for a thick edge in the Trent Bridge Test. “I have grown up with the pantomime of the Ashes. It’s what fans want to hear – Glenn McGrath predicting 5-0 wins, Warne naming players he wants to get out. It’s what the Australians do. I don’t know if they think it builds their confidence or whether it takes chunks out of England’s confidence.”It’s not something we comment on, it’s not in our culture particularly, but I do enjoy the pantomime. But cricket isn’t played with words is it? It’s not played in the media, it’s played on the field and we will only find out whose tactics work when those Investec Ashes are lifted at the end of the summer.”Stuart Broad was speaking in his capacity as an Investec Test cricket ambassador

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo será representado por três jovens da base na Seleção Brasileira que disputará o Mundial sub-17, no mês de outubro, sediado no Brasil: o atacante Juan, o meio-campista Talles e o lateral Patryck estão na lista divulgada nesta sexta-feira pelo técnico brasileiro, Guilherme Dalla Déa.

Com a notícia, o trio vibrou pela oportunidade e falou da emoção de disputar o principal campeonato da categoria, vestindo a camisa da Seleção, jogando em casa. Além disso, eles agradeceram ao Tricolor por proporcionar esse momento.Nesta temporada, o sub-17 chegou à semi do Brasileiro, é líder do grupo na terceira fase do Paulista e está na decisão da Copa do Brasil Sub-17.

O atacante Juan colocou o bom trabalho da equipe sub-17 como essencial para a convocação dos três são-paulinos, entre os quais ele é o que tem menos tempo de clube, tendo chegado em outubro de 2018.

-Muito feliz por essa convocação, pois não é fácil ter a oportunidade jogar um Mundial. Não tenho dúvidas de que o ano que estamos fazendo aqui no São Paulo foi essencial para me ajudar a disputar a Copa do Mundo. Estou muito contente com a evolução do grupo nesse ano, tivemos muito momentos alegres e agora estamos na final da Copa do Brasil. O coletivo do grupo, o suporte que o clube me deu o ano todo, foi essencial para esse momento alegre – afirmou.

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Desde os 11 anos no São Paulo e com mais de 100 partidas na base do clube, o meio-campista Talles não escondeu a emoção pela chance de defender o país em um Mundial. O chamado é especial, já que o jogador acabou sendo cortado do Sul-Americano da categoria, em março, por conta de lesão.

-Estar no Mundial representa muito pra mim, pra minha família. É muita emoção porque, no começo do ano, eu poderia ter disputado o Sul-Americano, mas tive uma lesão e fui cortado. É um sonho de milhares de garotos viver esse momento, estou muito feliz em poder representar o Brasil e o São Paulo, acho que não tem nada mais importante do que isso, fazer um bom trabalho para representar bem o clube com a camisa do Brasil – celebrou Talles.

Nascido em 2003, ou seja, com apenas 16 anos, Patryck é o mais jovem dos três e faz a primeira temporada com a equipe juvenil. No ano passado, ele foi titular do time que venceu o Campeonato Paulista sub-15.

Estou vivendo um momento muito emocionante, estava na expectativa por ser convocado pelo trabalho desde ano aqui no São Paulo e também na Seleção. Tentei me dedicar muito nesse ano, ter muito foco para fazer um grande trabalho no clube, e agora quero representar muito bem o São Paulo lá na Seleção. Espero trazer o título para o Brasil – disse o lateral.

To hear Joe Root talk the day after England’s latest defeat you would have thought they had experienced one bad day. Root suggested it was “not fair” to conclude from recent results that a chasm exists between England and the best ODIs sides

George Dobell02-Mar-2015To hear Joe Root talk the day after England’s latest defeat – this time at the hands of Sri Lanka – you would have thought they had experienced one bad day.Root suggested it was “not fair” to conclude from recent results that a chasm exists between England and the best ODIs sides. He suggested it was “very harsh” to suggest England’s fielding had been substandard. He felt there were “a lot of positives” to come from the performance.But it is not so. The statistics paint a clear picture.England have lost 16 of their last 21 ODIs against Full Members. The last four of those have been thrashings. In the last five-and-a-half World Cups they have won five and lost 17 matches against Full Member nations. They have not won an ODI series for a year; when Ashley Giles was coach, Stuart Broad was captain and Michael Lumb made a century on debut. They have dropped several chances in recent games, including Aaron Finch before he had scored in Melbourne and Lahiru Thirimanne on 2 in Wellington. Both went on to make centuries. Sunday’s result was not an aberration.Root, of course, was in an impossible position.The man who, at 24, had just become England’s youngest World Cup centurion deserved a better fate than being wheeled out to explain the team’s latest calamity. The ECB might as well have thrown out a piece of meat.But their logic was simple. They no longer trust some of those in management to defuse situations – Paul Downton was originally pencilled in to take this press conference and every time Colin Graves speaks he undermines his executive team – and they hoped that, by producing one of the few men who has performed well in recent days, they might distract attention from the wretched performance of England’s most senior cricketers in the field.It was a desperate ploy. The ECB knew full well that a report leading with Joe Root’s century would be like leading a report into the sinking of Titanic by noting that the band played beautifully.And what else could Root say? While “We’re hopeless and might as well come home now” might have been honest, it would not be appropriate. Root and co. must continue to believe even when logic cries otherwise.Besides, amid the bluster, there was candour. The England camp has blamed, without equivocation, Sunday’s defeat on the bowlers. Despite some suggesting that England’s total of 309 for 6 was under par – it was the highest score (for a few hours) on the ground since December 2005 – Root was clear where the fault lay.”We weren’t disciplined enough with the ball and we leaked too many boundaries,” Root said. “We couldn’t quite create the pressure with the ball that they did.”That’s not hiding from the fact that we didn’t bowl well. We all know that in the dressing room. We all know that in the squad. The key is to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I don’t think it was a plan to bowl width and leak boundaries.”Root denied that the self-belief had drained out of the squad, but there were times when his words underlined the paucity of their ambition. For example, he suggested that England’s current standings in the Group A table – leaning rather than standing might be a better description – were distorted by the fact that three of their first four games have come against Full Member nations. Had they only faced Bangladesh and Afghanistan earlier, he suggested, things may not look so bleak.”The way our schedule is, we have these games towards the end,” he said. “If it was broken up a bit more it might look slightly different.”We want to win these two games convincingly. We don’t want to just scrape through: we want to put in some really good performances and put to bed some of the things we’ve got wrong so far.”But there is no way to do that at this stage. There is no margin of victory over Bangladesh or Afghanistan that can paper over the cracks in this England side.And Root’s analysis grew even more modest. “We know that if we get through to the quarter-final we’ll be in a position where we have nothing to lose,” he continued. “There will be sides coming up against us who could potentially be quite timid and think they should beat us and that could work in our favour. By the time you get to that stage it’s crunch time and every side is under pressure, not just us. Hopefully we can get those wins and build some momentum.”In short, England aim to slip into the last eight by defeating two Associate teams and Bangladesh – far from a foregone conclusion – and then, with that terribly modest and vaguely face-saving ambition fulfilled, trust that everything might just come together on the night.The Ashes were moved for that? England have built for four years for that? They have played six months of nothing but ODI cricket for that? Players and coaches were sacked in the hope of reaching a quarter-final? Never in the history of England cricket has the bar been set so low.

He may not have taken over the reins of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team in ideal circumstances but Aditya Tare is thrilled to have been appointed captain of the most successful domestic side

Amol Karhadkar27-Jan-2015He may not have taken over the reins of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team in ideal circumstances but Aditya Tare is thrilled to have been appointed captain of the most successful domestic side.”It’s a great responsibility and a great feeling to have been asked to lead the Mumbai team,” Tare told ESPNcricinfo after Mumbai reached Vadodara for their penultimate game of the league stage against in-form Baroda. “With the glorious past we have had, Mumbai team has a rich legacy. I along with all my teammates would try and take it forward.”Despite putting up a brave front, Tare admitted that his immediate task is “extremely challenging”. After a season that has seen them losing to Jammu & Kashmir in the first contest between the two teams and then conceding their first innings defeat in 64 years in Chennai last week, Mumbai are placed sixth in Group A standings with 11 points.”It’s an extremely challenging situation. We have two games left and we have to win them outright to qualify. The good thing is that we still have an opportunity and we will give it our best shot.”If Mumbai win both their games, they will be in with a good chance to finish in the top three and qualify for the knockouts. However, with the bottom-placed Uttar Pradesh just three points behind them, Mumbai are still in danger of being relegated to the lowest rung of the tournament if they continue their lacklustre form.Tare wasn’t even thinking about the r-word. “We know we haven’t played great cricket. And the points table speaks for itself. We just want to try and give our best. If we can do that, we know we can still make it to the knockouts.”Suryakumar Yadav, the maverick batsman who was given the charge of the team at the start of the season, has been involved in various spats with his teammates on and off the field. Since Yadav’s behaviour didn’t improve despite being issued a stern warning by the Mumbai Cricket Association in the middle of the season, the MCA management had told selectors to replace him. It resulted in Yadav relinquishing captaincy on Sunday.Tare, known as a good man-manager, said he has had a word with Yadav. “We are very good friends. We have been teammates for years now. We are matured individuals,” Tare said, adding that the team has been trying its best to keep the negative vibes out of the dressing room.”We are professional cricketers. I wouldn’t want to control what happens off the field. But I expect them to control things on the field. Obviously at the moment, we want the focus to be only on delivering in the next two games. I am sure all the players would succeed in it.”