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An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their chances of landing Eric Bailly in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the print edition of The Mirror, Manchester United are attempting to offload the central defender in the coming weeks.

The report claims that PIF have been given the green light to seal a deal as they have been offered the chance to sign him from the Red Devils.

It is stated that the Premier League giants will now demand a fee in the region of £8.5m for the out-of-favour centre-back.

Eddie Howe would love it

The Toon head coach would love Bailly at St. James’ Park as it would give him the opportunity to turn the defender’s career around.

Although he has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford, the Ivorian has shown signs of promise over the years that suggest there is a talented player in there.

Howe has shown that he can revive a player’s career as he turned Joelinton from a misfiring striker into a steamroller in midfield. The Brazilian won Newcastle’s Player of the Season award for his efforts in 2021/22, after the head coach switched his position up during the first half of the campaign.

Now, we are not expecting Bailly to come in and be converted into an attacking midfielder but the Toon boss can work with him on the training pitch to help him find consistency in his performances.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously dubbed Bailly “immense” and his form in the Champions League last term offered a glimpse of what he is capable of. In two appearances in Europe, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.35 as he made five tackles, three interceptions, seven clearances and won 60% of his aerial duels.

He also showcased his quality at the African Cup of Nations as he averaged a score of 7.40 across three games in the tournament earlier this year. The defensive brute won 70% of his duels and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, illustrating the impact he can have when he is fit and firing.

Therefore, Howe will enjoy trying to get the best out of Bailly as he has shown that he has the potential to be an excellent defender when he is at the peak of his powers. He may not have been able to show that in the Premier League for Manchester United, given their willingness to sell him, but the Magpies can now test their luck with the 28-year-old.

AND in other news, NUFC can unearth their own Abraham as Ashworth plots bid for “fearless” £25m bulldozer…

A Sunderland development has emerged regarding Ross Stewart heading into the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Northern Echo, the Black Cats are set to make a contract offer to the centre-forward as they attempt to keep him at the Stadium of Light.

Middlesbrough and Rangers have been linked with a swoop for the Scotland international, and the Wearside club are now ready to ward off interest by extending his current terms.

On that note, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman hinted at potential deals for existing members of the squad as he said: “From our contractual status and planning, we have got players that are on contracts where it’s Sunderland’s decision what happens to those players to a certain degree.

“We are constantly negotiating with players. You want happy players in the club to obviously then perform but ultimately we are putting ourselves in position where we are protecting the club. We are looking after the players and therefore everyone is happy.”

Supporters will be delighted

The supporters will surely be delighted by the prospect of Stewart signing a new deal, as keeping him at the Stadium of Light would be a major boost for Alex Neil.

Sunderland will need to keep their best players to give them the best chance of being able to compete in the Championship next season, and the striker certainly falls into that category.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the Scot scored a whopping 26 goals in 49 games for the Black Cats in League One. He has proven that he can find the net on a consistent basis and is the biggest goal threat in the team by some distance.

Nathan Broadhead’s tally of 10 goals was the next highest in the squad and he has now returned to Everton following the end of his loan deal, illustrating how important Stewart’s goals will be to Sunderland next term.

It is also worth mentioning that the 25-year-old started all 46 games in the regular season and then the three play-off matches for the club. This proves that he is reliable in terms of his availability as well as his goalscoring, and this will be important in another gruelling 46-game season.

Stewart has proven that he can withstand a high volume of matches without breaking down due to injury, and Neil would be buzzing if he can keep hold of a player he can rely upon at the top end of the pitch.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wright: Neil can land “perfect” Sunderland signing with deal for “superb” brute…

The Chronicle journalist Charlie Bennett has revealed what he has now been ‘told’ from Newcastle United in relation to Dean Henderson.

The Lowdown: One to watch

With the Premier League season now completed, transfer rumours are already heating up for the summer, none more so than at St James’ Park.

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One player who has been strongly linked with a move to the northeast recently is Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson, and an update has now been given on that situation.

The Latest: Henderson deal ‘close’

Taking to Twitter, Bennett has revealed that Henderson is ‘keen’ on a move to Tyneside and would ‘prefer’ to sign permanently than on loan. The 25-year-old’s camp believe that a deal is now ‘close’ after meeting representatives of Newcastle in Northumberland last week.

Bennett tweeted: “Understand Dean Henderson is keen on a Newcastle move and has made it known he prefers a permanent transfer to a loan deal.

“Also told player’s camp believe a deal is “close” after meeting club representatives in Northumberland last week.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Given Henderson’s desire to move to the Magpies, and a seemingly positive meeting with their representatives, one would suggest that the Toon shouldn’t have to do too much more to get this deal over the line.

However, given his reputation in the top flight after keeping 13 clean sheets while on loan at Sheffield United in the 2019/20 season, and having played for England at international level, Henderson is likely to be a man in demand this summer.

Therefore, the Newcastle board need to wrap up this deal as soon as possible in order to fend off any other potential suitors.

In other news, Newcastle have now scheduled a meeting over signing this transfer target

The latter half of Angelo Mathews’ captaincy wore his batting down. As Sri Lanka prepare to face the top-ranked side in the world, they need Mathews the batsman to let the weight fall and rediscover his old freedom

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jul-2017Angelo Mathews, 30 years old, former captain, once the owner of a fearsome average, now merely a very good one, potentially a great batsman still, but man, the last 18 months have not been kind.For a player of such indisputable quality, it has been a strange decline.Remember how he had been in 2014 – that last great year of Sri Lankan cricket – when out of nowhere, he hit a harvest so golden, so irrepressible, that he bludgeoned attacks into pulp, nurdled without relent, left no advertising board unstung by his boundary hits, and even when off the field, probably coughed up, sneezed and exhaled runs.There was that monstrous 160 at Headingley, of course, when he threw his bat in anger at a team-mate’s dismissal, then set about busting England up all by himself. There had also been a sweaty 157 not out to save a tough game in Abu Dhabi, and a difficult 43 not out to set up a victory at SSC. At times, Mathews seemed to have supernatural help. Having hooked Sri Lanka towards victory late on the fifth afternoon in Galle, against Pakistan, the furious black cloud that had bore down on a packed stadium held off its torrents until he was taking the winning run. He averaged 87.80 and played the lead role in a famous series victory in England. So thoroughly did Mathews own 2014, that Kumar Sangakkara scored more international runs than has ever been made in a calendar year, and still, quite happily admitted his captain had been the better batsman – prospering on every type of surface from greentop to dustbowl, producing every kind of innings from stonewall to sprint.Now, three years between himself and his best work, Mathews finds himself surpassed. He was once the torchbearer for the next generation of great batsmen, but what’s this? Four younger men have snuck by him, mounting hundreds upon hundreds in years in which he has not averaged thirty. And while Mathews had been stuck attending Sri Lanka’s transition into transition into transition, each of Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson have taken the reins of happier, more confident sides. Mathews will be thankful for last year’s Test series against Australia, at least, when he for once got the better of one of those younger men. Otherwise, since the beginning of 2016, his would have been one long, sombre vigil.And this is perhaps the most unfortunate thing about the dip in his arc: where once leadership had unlocked the great batsman within him, the latter half of Mathews’ captaincy so clearly wore him down. Every time he fronted up after a match and declared his team’s performance to be “humiliating” or “embarrassing” or his “worst loss as captain” or “one of the lowest points” in his career, Mathews the batsman appeared a little more diminished in his next innings.Where’s the rampaging Angelo Mathews of 2014?•Getty ImagesThere were no technical failures during this leaner period. Well, not really. He does occasionally hang his bat out against the seaming ball, and that had been the source of some strife in South Africa this year. But far worse has been the lack of conviction in his strokes, pushing tentatively even after he has struck firm boundaries, handing out soft dismissals to every team that rolls up – the recent caught-and-bowled to Graeme Cremer being a prime example.For that Test – against Zimbabwe – Mathews had already handed over the reins, but there was still none of the old freedom about his game. When you are captain, you tie yourself so tightly to the team’s fate, that maybe it takes a little untangling to feel your old self again.India’s last tour of Sri Lanka in 2015 was the last the world saw of Mathews the great batsman. In that series, he had averaged 56.50 on pitches favouring bowlers, and outscored India’s best batsman – Kohli – by more than 100 runs.In 26 innings since, 735 runs at 28.26 have been his returns. This, for a man who once mopped up top-order spills better than anyone in the world, wiped nervous sweat off tail-enders’ brows and charged them to bat better in his company than they ever had before. And if all else failed, and a loss was certain, he would at least hit a few quick runs and make the scoreline more presentable.Sri Lanka have no more need for Mathews the captain. As they prepare to face the top-ranked side in the world, Mathews the batsman they could use plenty of.There is no better time to shed the despondence of the last few months. No better time to let the weight fall, and to discover the joy that once coursed through his game.This time, do it for yourself, Angelo. It could be the best thing you do for your team.

Quinton de Kock stole most of Sunday’s headlines for his rapid century, but Mohammed Shami’s successful return in his first IPL match since 2014 provided a rich subplot in Delhi Daredevils’ seven-wicket win

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore17-Apr-2016The Chinnaswamy Stadium geared up for an ensemble-driven blockbuster on Sunday night. Chants of “R-C-B, R-C-B!” were deafening an hour before the start of the hosts’ second match of the season.The chants grew louder when Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson turned up for practice. Delhi Daredevils coach Rahul Dravid, hoping for a happy homecoming, also drew a big cheer.At the pitch adjacent to the playing surface stood the comeback man Mohammed Shami with a new, flashy hairstyle. He listened intently to his captain Zaheer Khan, nodded, and delivered a short ball with extra bounce. It thudded into the gloves of Quinton de Kock. Zaheer had another chat with Shami and patted the fast bowler on his back. That turned out to be a regular scene throughout the first innings.After opting to bowl, Zaheer explained that Daredevils had picked Shami to exploit Royal Challengers Bangalore’s middle order, which does not have as much cream as the top. Shami, playing his first IPL match since May 2014 and his fifth competitive match since the 2015 World Cup, was far from his best, but changed the game by giving Daredevils the momentum de Kock needed to run away with the chase.At 16 overs, when Shami came back for his third spell, Royal Challengers were cruising at 164 for 2 with Kohli in a rarefied zone on 75 off 43 balls. By then, Watson was also set – on 27 off 17 balls – and the pair had the crowd grooving to their shots. Zaheer had been put away for two sixes and two fours in the previous over . The pressure was on Shami and to remind him the raucous crowd went: “We want sixer, we want sixer!”Shami duped Watson with a slower ball, but the batsman managed to find a six via a mis-hit. The crowd wanted more. Shami, however, muted them with a chest-high short ball, which tucked Watson up for room. He only managed to pop a catch off the gloves to short fine leg. Shami was pumped and let out a roar.Three balls later, Shami showed off his improved fitness and ran out Sarfaraz Khan off his own bowling. Shami nimbly moved to his left in his follow through, picked the ball up with his left hand, spun around and fired, all in one motion to nail the stumps and catch Sarfaraz a foot short despite a dive. Shami’s confidence was back.The crucial blow, though, came in his next over when Shami speared a full ball that Kohli could not get underneath and shovelled to long-on. Shami and Daredevils were on to something and he followed it with rising short balls that gave Kedar Jadhav and David Wiese no leeway to free their arms. He gave away only 14 runs from his last two overs and finished with 4-0-34-2.Morris’ hit-the-deck bustle complemented Shami and helped Daredevils drag Royal Challengers back to 191, which de Kock later termed a “par score.” At the post-match presentation, Zaheer said that his last over – the 16th which went for 21 and preceded Shami’s final spell – had made Daredevils re-assess their bowling plans.”My bad over helped me figure out what will work,” Zaheer said. “Just told [Shami and Morris] bowl back of a length … Tournament like IPL, momentum helps, these kinds of games matter. We ticked a box and now we have three to four days off.”That Shami hit back after a nervous start should come as a boost for Daredevils and Shami himself. His second ball was a loosener down leg, which was helped on its way. His third was a decent length ball, which was manoeuvred to the cover boundary by Kohli’s supple wrists. His sixth was a rank full toss, which was gleefully swatted into the stands beyond midwicket by de Villiers. In the tenth over, Shami lumbered to his right from long-on and fumbled, allowing two instead of one.Shami looked like he was shaken. It helped that he had Zaheer, who had the experience of mentoring several bowling groups, kept chatting with Shami and shielded him from pressure like an older brother would protect his younger one. The innings ended with a smiling Shami high-fiving Zaheer. The night ended with de Kock’s sparkling century sealing Daredevils’ first win over Royal Challengers since 2010.

Over-coached, over-analysed, overwrought and, very often, over all too soon. The enormity of the entire cricketing structure in England and Wales is the burden these young men must carry. If they succeed, it is despite of it

George Dobell28-Feb-2015England can still qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup if they lose to Sri Lanka. Such is the bloated nature of the tournament, they can even qualify if they lose by a similar overwhelming margin as they did against New Zealand.But if England are going to move into the knockout stages with any confidence, with any credibility, with any realistic hope, then they have to start winning games now. Expecting to turn up for a major game and suddenly find form is naive. And a multi-million pound organisation that has supposedly planned for this event for several years should really not be trusting to luck.If England were to produce a highlights DVD of their last five-and-a-half World Cup campaigns it would be found in the horror section of any shop.The unvarnished truth is that, since losing the World Cup final of 1992 in Melbourne, England have only won five games against teams from the top eight of the Test rankings and none against Australia, India or New Zealand. Their other 12 victories have come against the likes of Netherlands (three times), Kenya (twice), Canada, Scotland, Ireland, UAE, Namibia, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. And there have even been some defeats along the way.The usual suspects are blamed for such a record: the coaches, the players, the standard – and amount – of county cricket, the draining international schedule. Perhaps there is a grain of truth in each of them.But a detailed analysis does not support such a conclusion. In between World Cups, England have played some very good limited-overs cricket. In 2012, they topped the ICC’s ODI rankings. In 2013 they contested – and probably should have won – the Champions Trophy.They won a tri-series in Australia in 2006-07 and the four-nation Sharjah tournament in 1997. They beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 2007 and made the final of the Champions Trophy in 2004, which they probably should have won too. In 2009, they got the better of South Africa in South Africa. It is a patchy record, certainly, but it is not as hopeless as their recent World Cup record.That suggests, perhaps, a propensity to underperform on the biggest stage. Just like their counterparts in the national football side, when England’s cricketers find themselves in global events, the 2010 World T20 is an obvious exception, they seem to not so much revel in the spotlight, but become frozen in it.While players from other teams seem inspired, England seem overawed. They seem more likely to buckle and cower than flourish. Fear of failure may well be at least as big an impediment as domestic structure or any inherent lack of talent.It is not hard to see why. Put yourselves in the shoes of these young men for a moment: imagine your 24-year-old self addressing a press conference. Imagine your words being used against you. Imagine having a net while a member of the England support staff makes notes on a clipboard. While members of the media judge you.Imagine, too, the last time any of this England squad played this great game for fun. Just for fun. Many of these players were talented -spotted before they were 10 and have been hot-housed ever since.Peter Moores wakes to another destruction of his methods most mornings•Getty ImagesOh, sure, they’ve enjoyed it many times. They will have enjoyed success. But they will also have been expected to lead the way for every team they have represented. They will have been promoted beyond their age group and, at every level, felt pressure to perform and to climb to the next rung of the ladder. Most of them will not have played a game for years without their dismissal being analysed by the media, their opponents and their own coaching team.Add to that the layer of coaches and analysts and support staff – some excellent, some looking to justify their own existence, nearly all well-meaning – at every level. School, county age-group, England age-group, Academy, Lions… all with their views and their advice and their note-taking.One recent England player observed that the England dressing room during Andy Flower’s tenure was the most claustrophobic environment they had experienced. An environment where every movement was catalogued for dissection. The environment where a member of the support staff was told not to celebrate their birthday lest it create a distraction.Those of us in the media do not help. Our scrutiny, propensity to over-praise and over-criticise – neither benefits in the long term – and, most of all, the sense that we are always there: watching training, watching games, watching in press conferences and on Twitter.Former players are often the most critical. While some simply tell it as they see it – Geoff Boycott and most of the Sky team, for example – others have a clear agenda or need to produce hard-hitting comments to ensure they remain commercially popular.Peter Moores wakes to another destruction of his methods most mornings. It must be hard for him not to ignore that and not pass on his anxiety to the team.In recent days, “stories” have circulated about England players enjoying nights out and Eoin Morgan declining to sing the national anthem. Some even complained that, following the defeat to New Zealand, the coach and some players were seen smiling as they walked through the airport.None of these things is the reason England have been losing. And none of them would be much of an issue if England were winning. But, coming now, they tighten the noose a little more. They increase the sensation that every move is analysed; that the world is closing in; that they’re under pressure.Cricket, in England at least, is a serious business.And while England’s joyless methodology can still work, up to a point, in Test cricket, it is an impediment to limited-overs success. For while success in Tests can be earned by denial and discipline, in limited-overs cricket success requires other skills. It requires freedom and raw skill. It’s ever more about allowing instinct to take over. It’s ever more about allowing the joy to suppress the pressure.Ah, but players of every other country have the same issues, I hear you say. But no other team carries with it the same press pack. No other team has to stage an almost daily press conference. No other team has such a deep professional structure, meaning their players never develop without the complication of coaching. No other team is under quite the same sort of constant, unyielding, joyless pressure.And we tell them to relax and be themselves? It’s the last thing they know how to do.Over-coached, over-analysed, overwrought and, very often, over all too soon. The enormity of the entire cricketing structure in England and Wales is the burden these young men must carry. If they succeed, it is despite of it.

The plays of the day from the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in Delhi

Sidharth Monga21-Apr-2013The field
The Feroz Shah Kotla is known for its lack of bounce, but it seemed to have gone a step too far when the match began without a single slip in place, possibly for the first time this IPL. The first over from Irfan Pathan done with, Shahbaz Nadeem bowled the second with a slip. The coloured clothing aside, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a Test being played in India, circa 2013.The run-out
Before this match, Dinesh Karthik hadn’t scored fewer than 30 in this edition of the IPL. He failed to get into the double figures today, thanks to what is widely considered an unfortunate way to get out. Sachin Tendulkar drove straight, Umesh Yadav got a hand to it in his follow-through, deflected the ball on to the stumps, and Karthik was caught short having backed up too far. If you steal that backing-up advantage, you are liable to be run out too.The welcome
There has been a clamour, without reason, for Roelof van der Merwe to be played in the Delhi Daredevils XI, but the management has been teasing the clamourers with either of Johan Botha, Ben Rohrer or Jeevan Mendis ahead of van der Merwe. When he finally got his chance, van der Merwe was lofted over mid-off first ball for four.The catch
Van der Merwe made an immediate comeback, though. He refused to dart one in, and Dwayne Smith was lured into attempting another hit over mid-off. This ball was a little slower, and he didn’t get enough elevation. Enough to clear most fielders, that is, but not Umesh Yadav. He leapt full length in the air but didn’t go for the catch, deliberately parrying it up instead. He landed upright on his feet, and completed the catch.The drops
Shahbaz Nadeem has been one of Delhi Daredevils’ best fielders this season, but in this match he led the way in what was a mostly shoddy effort. There were overthrows, there were misfields, but most of all there were dropped chances from Nadeem. First he dropped a return sitter from Sachin Tendulkar, who added 17 off 17 after the reprieve. The more costly drop was that of Kieron Pollard, off the first ball of the last over, when Nadeem’s eyes somehow stopped following the ball as it approached his hands at sweeper-cover. Pollard went on to hit a six off the last ball to take the target past 160.

The Nawab of Pataudi showed spirit, courage and a touch of anger when he made 75, batting with an injured leg, at the MCG

22-Sep-2011’s list of the top 25 Indian Test innings.Pataudi batted with a cool head and brought authority and intelligence to the innings•Getty ImagesKN Prabhu Pataudi’s 75 was, as one observer termed it, “an innings played with one leg and one eye” in a thin drizzle on a dark day. To add to the handicap of his vision, he had also suffered a pulled hamstring, but he played stirringly despite these problems, in difficult batting conditions. One school of thought has it that Pataudi’s and his team’s struggles were partly of his own making, for he himself chose to bat on a pitch that was so green that I could only distinguish it from the rest of the ground because the grass had been rolled. But he did not have much by way of pace bowling, and he must have been hoping that his spinners would come into their own in the fourth innings. As it happened, his batting line-up fell around him on the first day, but he found some support from Rusi Surti, and as the day went on he proceeded to play some thrilling leg-side strokes, including several hooks. I remember Lindsay Hassett coming up to me during the game and saying, “That’s the way Bradman used to attack the bowling.”
Times of IndiaAjit Wadekar I was lucky enough to watch Pataudi’s first-day 75 from a very unusual vantage point: square leg, where I stood as his runner. We had lost the first Test in Adelaide, and the MCG wicket was supposed to be lively in the first session. But we didn’t have the fast bowlers to make use of that, and maybe that prompted Tiger to elect to bat, a decision I am sure he went on to rue as the match progressed. As expected, the ball was swinging both ways under the clouds, and the Indian batsmen ran for cover against Graham McKenzie and Co. By lunch we were six down, and even 100 looked distant. Tiger was bravely waging a lone battle in the middle. He had suffered a hamstring injury in the first tour game and had been unavailable till the Melbourne Test. He was keen, I guess, to prove that his decision to bat was correct. And in that anger he started middling the ball, lifting it over the inner circle. He was not afraid at all, and in this way he put question marks in the bowlers’ minds as to where exactly to bowl to him. With these unusual methods he pushed the team along from 47 for 6 to 162.
Jack Fingleton Pataudi was an interesting study as captain. I always felt that he batted too low in the order, mostly at No. 6, and he advanced as the reason for this his leg disability. He thought, being unable to run sharp singles, that he would rob his best batsmen of runs if he batted higher, but such was his skill, such was the authority which came into the Indian innings as soon as he appeared, that, on balance, I do think he erred in not batting at least No. 4. Melbourne was a case in point. India made a woeful beginning, 25 for 5. Pataudi entered at this crisis, and looked a tragic figure as he walked in, dragging his injured leg. But, immediately, there came into the Indian innings character, intelligence and respectability. He showed first of all that he had a cool head and was not going to toss his wicket away. Pataudi played a glorious innings, taking the Australian bowling by the scruff.
Indian Cricket 1968

Suresh Menon pays tribute to Ashok Mankad – a Ranji legend, an astute captain and an inspiration to many

Suresh Menon01-Aug-2008

In some ways Ashok Mankad was a bit of a riddle. It was difficult to decide
whether he was a limited player who overachieved or a gifted player who
underachieved. His Ranji Trophy average of nearly 77 suggests the latter
while his Test average of 25 hints at the former.At 16 he was good enough to make his first-class debut, and in his second
Test series, against Bill Lawry¹s Australia, he had scores of 74, 64, 68 and
97. At the end of that year, 1969, with Gundappa Viswanath having just made
his debut and Sunil Gavaskar yet to come, Ashok was on the verge of adding
further lustre to the Mankad name.His father, the great allrounder Vinoo, had come on to the field at the
Brabourne Stadium to greet his son as he returned to the pavilion after that
74 against Graham McKenzie, Alan Connolly, John Gleeson and Ashley Mallett.
There was an element of a generational baton-exchange about the gesture.Yet the younger Mankad never lived up to that early promise. Years later he
said that he got carried away by his early successes, and that he lacked,
for instance, the equanimity of his opening partner Gavaskar. But perhaps
Mankad should not have been opening the batting in the first place. In an
era when few Indians volunteered to go in first, Mankad was converted from a
promising middle-order batsman into a shaky opener. His 22 Tests were spread
over a decade; he had no fixed slot in the middle order. The early success
had come as an opener, and that, in the long run, may have contributed to
his inconsistent run in the team. Right results in the wrong position can be
as devastating as wrong results in the right position.Mankad – known affectionately as “Kaka”, the same nickname as his favourite
Hindi movie star Rajesh Khanna – will, however, be remembered for more than
his batsmanship. He was one of the most intelligent captains on the circuit,
and there was even a suggestion at one time that he might make a
Brearley-like figure for India, picked purely for his captaincy abilities.
He loved talking cricket, and understood the game better than most. Possibly
this intimate knowledge worked against him, as he was only too aware of the
pitfalls of batsmanship, and lacked the nonchalance of a Virender Sehwag,
for instance, who doesn’t clutter his mind with possibilities.In Mankad’s final Test in England he made 43 before a Chris Old delivery
caused him to jerk and drop his cap on the wicket. That probably summed up
his essential weakness as batsman: he couldn’t hook, and he couldn’t get
away in time. At the highest level, fast bowlers need no further
encouragement.

His real contribution to cricket, however, will be measured not so much by
what he did as by what he inspired others to do. Generations of Mumbai
players, and those who played for his team, Mafatlal, look upon him as their
guru. The India bowler Dhiraj Parsana has spoken about how he might have
been a better bowler had Mankad continued to lead him. Mankad’s handling of
Padmakar Shivalkar brought that bowler close to playing for India despite
Bishan Bedi’s presence in the side, and his nurturing of Parthasarathy
Sharma saw that player make it into India’s middle order. Raju Kulkarni,
Chandrakant Pandit – the list of India players who owe him is long.Kaka was a great character who told a tale well and loved to both laugh and
provoke laughter. He was an avid movie-goer. Gavaskar tells a story of how
Mankad stood up and cheered in the hall while watching .Mankad married former Asian tennis champion Nirupama Vasanth; their son
Harsh played Davis Cup tennis. In recent years Mankad coached, acted as
consultant for a media group, watched his son’s career grow, and played golf – lots of golf. He will be missed in each of his avatars.

The Australia keeper equalled the world record and set an Australia List A record with eight catches while Buckingham took 6 for 41

AAP14-Feb-2024Alex Carey took a world record-equalling eight catches in an innings for South Australia in their Marsh Cup win over Queensland.It was the 32-year-old Test wicketkeeper’s first 50-over game since being dropped from the Australian side at last year’s World Cup in India and he had a day to remember. Five of Carey’s catches were taken off the bowling of player of the match Jordan Buckingham, who finished with a career-best 6 for 41 in the Bulls’ total of 218 at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide on Wednesday.The Redbacks won by five wickets in the 45th over with Thomas Kelly blasting 81 off 66 deliveries and captain Nathan McSweeney making 52.Carey had earlier equalled the List A world record when he caught a skier to dismiss last man Matt Kuhnemann. Carey finished the innings equal with two previous world record holders who achieved the feat in English domestic cricket. The first to claim eight catches in an innings was Somerset wicketkeeper Derek Taylor in 1982. The feat was then achieved by Worcestershire gloveman James Pipe in 2001.Carey’s new mark is an Australian List A record on its own. Former Australia wicketkeeper Peter Nevill had eight dismissals in an innings for NSW against a Cricket Australia XI in 2017, but two of them were stumpings.Carey made the difficult look easy with his best catch a stunning diving effort down the leg side to dismiss Jack Wildermuth first ball off Buckingham.Wildermuth got a good piece of a glance that seemed certain to be going to the boundary. Carey dived full length and with his left arm on the ground somehow managed to glove the ball cleanly.He also took a well-judged running catch towards fine leg to get rid of Queensland stand-in skipper Marnus Labuschagne for 74 off 99 deliveries.Carey’s heroics came amidst an incredible spell of fast bowling by Henry Thornton. Thornton had 2 for 7 off his first six overs, beating Labuschagne at least six times with deliveries that cut both ways. Thornton dropped a tough caught and bowled chance off Labuschagne when he was yet to reach double figures.It took all of the Test No.3’s skill to negotiate a spell that Glenn McGrath in his pomp would have been proud of.The win was South Australia’s first in the competition this season, though they and the Bulls were already out of contention to play in the final.