In the end it was as simple as this. The West Indies selectors decided their team were a greater chance of beating Australia without Shiv Chanderpaul than with him.That realisation arrived in discussions following the drawn series against England, but also as a result of broader examinations of Chanderpaul’s record, which had recently begun to trend drastically down from his illustrious record.For Clive Lloyd, a fellow Guyanese, the decision to jettison a player as respected as Chanderpaul was a difficult one, but ultimately a matter of cricketing logic. In the loose collective of islands that make up the Caribbean it was bound to have created plenty of debate in circles both sporting and political, but Lloyd and the coach Phil Simmons were able to present a united and uncompromising front when explaining their choice of players to face Australia.”Over a period of time we’ve noticed a decline in form … over the last 11 innings he’s averaging 16, so we thought the time has come to look towards younger players,” Lloyd said in Barbados.”I don’t think there’s any bitterness. I think he realised that at 40 years old he’s not going to be in the same shape he was at 20. We just thought that here it is, we must make a decision. We have a lot of good young cricketers and we think it’s time we inject the youth into our cricket.”Simmons said that while they had considered the possibility of allowing Chanderpaul one final curtain call against Australia, it would not have been for reasons of sentiment. Once the selectors decided to move on, there was no thought of a farewell tour.”He’s had a long and illustrious career, and we know he’s done a lot for West Indies cricket, but at the same time we sit down to select a team against Australia,” Simmons said. “When you go through that process he didn’t fit in.”It’s not about giving someone two Tests to finish their career, it’s about picking the right team to play the next game.”There are plans in the works for an appropriate acknowledgement of Chanderpaul’s career, a journey so long that it commenced in 1994, when Simmons was still part of the Test team and West Indies were still proudly in possession of an unbeaten streak that had begun in 1980. While Chanderpaul did not play in the 1995 series that saw Australia finally end that run, he was for most of the intervening years the most stubborn defender of a team in decline.”I don’t think there’s anybody here who can have admired Shivnarine Chanderpaul more than I have,” Lloyd said. “You’re in awe of the man, he’s given yeoman service. But there comes a time.”It will be some time before Chanderpaul comes to terms with the decision. The aforementioned stubbornness was evident in his refusal to concede that his career was on the wane, leaving Lloyd and Simmons with the difficult task of talking him through their judgment.”He still thinks he’s good enough to compete,” Lloyd said. “We had a discussion, but the point is that we made up our mind about what we wanted to do.”We do have a lot of exciting young cricketers and it is an exciting time for our cricket. We are hoping that these guys come through, and show their mettle.”The training squad of 12 assembled in Barbados will be swelled to 14 following the conclusion of the tour match between the Australians and a WICB President’s XI in Antigua, in which numerous young hopefuls will attempt to prove themselves worthy of a Test berth.It also appears likely that Chanderpaul will be joined in his newfound state of spectatorship for this Test series by the West Indies’ IPL collective, as Lloyd and Simmons made it clear the Test team would be composed entirely of those players either training in Barbados or playing the Australians in Antigua.

MatériaMais Notícias

Artilheiro do país nesta temporada, Gabriel Barbosa vai escrevendo seu nome na história do clube da Gávea com os muitos gols marcados em 2019. Com o tento marcado diante do Fortaleza, na vitória por 2 a 1 no Castelão, o atacante chegou aos 19 nesta edição do Campeonato Brasileiro, igualando a marca de Adriano em 2009, ano em que o clube foi campeão brasileiro pela última vez.

Naquele Brasileirão, Adriano disputou 30 rodadas como jogador do Flamengo. Gabriel Barbosa, por sua vez, tem um desempenho bem melhor: disputou 20 rodadas até agora, marcando, em média, 0,95 gol/jogo válido pelo Brasileirão.

> Confira a tabela do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

O gol desta quarta também fez Gabigol superar uma marca pessoal: este é o Campeonato Brasileiro em que mais marcou gols. Até então, o ano de 2018 era o mais artilheiro do atacante no Brasileirão, com 18 gols. O camisa 9 ainda disputou outras edições do torneio: 2013 (1 gol), 2014 (8), 2015 (10) e 2016 (5).

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Hayley Matthews’ all-round performance led West Indies women to a nine-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Colombo, to wrap up the three-match T20 series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2015
ScorecardHayley Matthews took 4 for 10 and scored an unbeaten 32•Cricket Australia

A splendid all-round performance by Hayley Matthews helped West Indies women wrap up the three-match T20 series 2-1, after they had lost the first game. Matthews’ 4 for 10 helped restrict Sri Lanka to 74, before she scored an unbeaten 32 to ensure a nine-wicket win in the series decider in Colombo.Sri Lanka struggled from the start, losing wickets at regular intervals. Anisa Mohammed started the slide with two wickets in consecutive balls in the second over. Only Chamari Atapattu, who top-scored with 43, and Chathurani Gunawardene(10) reached double figures.In the chase, West Indies lost only one wicket as they hunted down the target of 75 with 52 balls to spare. Stafanie Taylor and Matthews put on 74 for the first wicket, before Taylor was caught for 38. Seven bowlers were used by Sri Lanka in 11.2 overs, with only Inoka Ranaweera taking a wicket.

Matthew Carter’s ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback

Andrew Miller at Taunton17-Jun-2015
ScorecardPeter Trego’s bristling innings helped take Somerset most of the way to victory•Getty ImagesAfter summoning the spirit of the Wurzels in clouting Somerset to a monumental and, potentially, season-altering run-chase at Taunton, a croaky Peter Trego admitted afterwards that he had “blown his larynx” in a lusty dressing-room rendition of the team’s victory song.”I like to add a little bit of Wurzel to the Wurzels team song,” he said. “This is why we play the game and love pulling on the shirt. Win, lose or draw, we put heart and soul into each game, and days like this are worth all the bad days.”There have been a fair few bad days flying around the west country in recent weeks, but the euphoria that greeted Somerset’s achievement on the final day at Taunton was so heartfelt it was as if that eponymous blackbird himself had been been hunted down.The triumph was sealed with five minutes of the morning session remaining as Abdur Rehman launched a volley of three fours in four balls off the 19-year-old Nottinghamshire offspinner Matthew Carter, whose ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback.”To chase down 400 on a wicket that was assisting, that’s a massive feather in the cap of our batting line-up who have been having their rough times in the season,” Trego said. “But we are coming good and hopefully this will be the catalyst for a few more good results.”It wasn’t simply the size of the chase that astonished – Somerset had themselves been on the wrong end of a 400-plus chase when Middlesex beat them by five wickets at Taunton in April, so they knew that such a feat could be achieved at the County Ground.More remarkable still was their comeback from a first-innings deficit of 210, especially having shipped 300 runs in 71 overs on the first day, with Brendan Taylor’s 152 steering Nottinghamshire towards what ought to have been an unassailable position.”We showed great character to fight back from that deficit,” Trego said. “Our ageing attack bowling the team out for 190, and two ageing middle-order players putting on a hundred partnership. That’s one thing in this game you can’t replace: experience.”Needing a further 127 for victory, but having squandered a very solid start by losing four wickets for 46 in a nervy evening session on day three, Trego launched his day’s work as if he’d come out whistling his favourite refrain. “With a girt big stick I’ll knock ‘im down. Blackbird, I’ll ‘ave ee!”The blackbird in his sights from the outset was Carter, whose 7 for 56 in the first innings had done so much to put the skids under Somerset’s hopes in this contest. But Trego swung his big stick for two whistling cover drives from his first two balls of the day to set an emphatic and aggressive tone for his team.Alongside him in a critical sixth-wicket stand of 116 was Jim Allenby, who bided his time as his team-mate set the tempo by reaching his fifty from 63 balls. Allenby took half an hour to add four runs to his overnight 32, before stepping up his tempo with a whistling pull for four off Jake Ball.The pair had whittled the victory target down to a meagre 42 before the wobble that all of Somerset had expected and feared. Allenby was trapped lbw for 62 by Samit Patel, whose natural feistiness had been exacerbated by the rap on the knuckles he had received for a run-in with umpire Benson on the third afternoon.Tim Groenewald then survived an early chance as Ben Hilfenhaus spilled a skier, running in from third man, but Carter, the unlucky bowler, then claimed an even more vital scalp three runs later, as Trego pushed too firmly outside off once too often, and Steve Mullaney at slip set up an agonising finale, with 36 still needed and three wickets standing.Groenewald ground out a vital 13 before, with the requirement now whittled down to 20, he became Patel’s second lbw victim of the morning. At the other end was the Somerset debutant Michael Bates – one of the finest wicketkeepers in the country, no doubt, but a man who had been released by Hampshire for his failure to score enough runs.But Bates showed immense composure in what could hardly have been a more taxing audition, picking off the gaps in an oddly deep-set field to make 14 not out from 31 balls, then Rehman saw his opportunity for a sprint to the finish, with two back cuts for four through third man off Carter, before a hoick to leg and a punch of the air sealed the glory.Afterwards, Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain, praised the composure of Trego and the tail in sealing a result that has earned them 20 precious points and enabled them to vault from rock bottom in the first division to the mid-table sanctuary of sixth. Suddenly it is Nottinghamshire, with one win from seven and home-and-away losses against Somerset to contemplate, who can’t help but have one anxious eye on that trapdoor.”It wasn’t just how many they got but the fashion they got them in,” he said. “It’s always good to be positive in this situation, when you are trying to bring down low totals. You need to score the runs quickly otherwise the pressure builds up and it plays a different part in the game.””Ow’s yer father?” the Wurzels might have added. “Alright!”

كشفت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الكتالونية تفاصيل موجة الغضب العارمة التي اجتاحت مدرب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، تشافي، أثناء مباراة ألميريا في الدوري الإسباني.

واستطاع برشلونة تحقيق الفوز بصعوبة أمام ألميريا في ملعب “منتجويك” مساء أمس، الأربعاء، بنتيجة 3-2 مع أداء غير جيد من اللاعبين.

ولكن بين الشوطين كان هناك حديث ساخن من قبل تشافي تجاه اللاعبين في غرفة الملابس بعد انتهاء الشوط الأول بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سيرجي روبيرتو: برشلونة كان يحتاج لـ 3 نقاط بأي طريقة.. ونعلم غضب الجمهور

وبحسب التقرير فإن تشافي كان غاضبًا للغاية، ومن خلال التسريبات من قبل أحد ضحاياه في غرفة الملابس أن المدرب لم يكن بهذه الوقاحة في انتقاد لاعبيه من قبل.

وتحدث تشافي مع اللاعبين وأن الأداء في الشوط الأول كان مخزيًا للغاية وطالبهم ببذل قصارى جهدهم وإلا فلن يفوزوا بأي شيء هذا الموسم.

كان هناك حديث موجه من قبل تشافي إلى المهاجم، روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، الذي كان هناك علامات استفهام كبيرة حول أدائه الفني في الشوط الأول.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians está nas semifinais do Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Na tarde desta quinta, o Timãozinho mediu forças com o São Paulo no Parque São Jorge e venceu, por 2 a 1, com dois gols de Léo Pereira. Como havia empatado no duelo da ida no Morumbi, em 1 a 1, o Alvinegro garantiu sua vaga na próxima fase do torneio nacional.

Como já era esperado durante toda a semana, o Majestoso começou disputado, sem grandes chances para ambos os lados. Ciente da importância da partida, o São Paulo foi reforçado pelo atacante Helinho e pelo meio-campista Gabriel Sara, ambos jogadores do elenco profissional. Mesmo com os garotos em campo, o Tricolor não conseguiu segurar o Timãozinho.

Desfalcado do técnico Dyego Coelho, suspenso pelo terceiro cartão amarelo, o Corinthians fez um primeiro tempo tímido, mas de muita entrega em campo. Na volta do intervalo, o Alvinegro encontrou os espaços na defesa do São Paulo e, em dois rápidos contra-ataques, Léo Pereira apareceu entre os zagueiros adversários para dar a vitória ao time da casa.

Sem se entregar em campo, o São Paulo buscou o empate durante toda a partida. Aos 45 minutos do segundo tempo, Maia recebeu bola na lateral do campo, carregou pelo meio, achou um espaço e, de fora da área, acertou um belo chute colocado, sem chances de defesa para Guilherme. Apesar do esforço, o Tricolor não conseguiu reverter o resultado e o Corinthians carimbou seu passaporte às semifinais.

TABELA
>Confira a classificação atualizada do Campeonato Brasileiro

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A CBF deve divulgar as informações sobre os duelos de semifinal nos próximos. Além do Corinthians, o Flamengo também está classificado. Palmeiras e Cruzeiro brigam por uma vaga, enquanto Vasco e Atlético-MG disputam o último dos quatro lugares disponíveis nesta fase da competição nacional.

Já o São Paulo, que não tem mais chances de brigar pelo título brasileiro da categoria, vai em busca da conquista do Campeonato Paulista. No próximo domingo, às 11h, o Tricolor recebe o Palmeiras pelo primeiro jogo da semifinal do estadual. O Corinthians foi eliminado da competição pelo Ituano nas quartas de final e está fora do Paulistão.

Dushmantha Chameera’s pace and Tharindu Kaushal’s turn was raw, but exciting, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said, after his team completed a seven-wicket win at the P Sara Oval

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo29-Jun-2015Dushmantha Chameera’s pace and Tharindu Kaushal’s turn was raw, but exciting, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said, after his team completed a seven-wicket victory at the P Sara Oval. Chameera – on debut – and Kaushal – in his second Test – shared nine wickets between them, each playing a central role in Pakistan’s lower-order collapses.Chameera consistently clocked the highest speeds in the match, though Wahab Riaz was out of action for most of the game, and Kaushal impressed with the turn he obtained from a first-day surface, on his way to 5 for 42. Both of them play for the same Colombo club, but while Kaushal was picked after three years of domestic excellence, Chameera made his way to the Sri Lanka side largely on promise.”Those two are players who can do a lot for Sri Lankan cricket,” Mathews said. “We have to manage them very carefully – especially Chameera. I haven’t seen a faster spell than he bowled in this Test match. He’s very quick. He clocked 149.9 kph which is extraordinary for a Sri Lankan but also for any bowler around the world.”Tharindu Kaushal turns the ball. I understand that he’s raw, but he’s got more than 200 wickets in first-class cricket and we have to be positive with him. Test cricket is completely different, but unless we give them opportunities, we won’t know what they can do. It wasn’t a gamble to select them.”Rangana Herath has only taken the wicket of Azhar Ali (twice) in the series, raising some concerns over his form, but Mathews said it was pleasing to secure victory without a major contribution from Sri Lanka’s primary match-winning bowler. Herath ordinarily excels against Pakistan, but has figures of 2 for 218 in the series so far.”What Rangana Herath usually does was shared around by all four bowlers,” Mathews said. “We didn’t expect too much from him. At some occasions Rangana does well, and on other occasions other players step up. We’re not looking to load anyone up with unfair expectations. Sometimes a bowlers doesn’t do huge service to the team, but even if he’s not getting wickets, he’s preventing batsmen from getting quick runs. He did a lot of that this Test.”Dhammika Prasad, meanwhile, has 10 wickets at 23.60, having helped shape the second Test with his bowling on the fourth day. “Dhammika bowled brilliantly throughout the Test match. He showed maturity throughout the last two years – helping us win that second Test in England, and also here. There are good signs as far as the fast bowlers are concerned.”We’ve got a set of good fast bowlers where they can change modes, they can attack or they can stick to line and length. Bowling coach Champaka Ramanayaka has been doing a great job. They’ve been showing a lot of maturity.”Mathews conceded that Sri Lanka’s first-innings batting effort was “short a few runs”, but lauded top-scorer Kaushal Silva, who made 80 from 218 balls.”Kaushal Silva goes at his own pace,” Mathews said. “We don’t want him to change his game. All the others are batting around him, which is our strategy as a team. We just want him to rotate the strike, and keep doing the things he’s been doing for many, many years. He’s played a lot of first-class games and has a lot of first-class hundreds. So he knows his game and is very well equipped. Most of the guys want to bat around him.”

Andrew Ellis smacked a fast-paced 143 in Canterbury‘s first innings to shape his side’s eight-wicket win over Northern Districts in Hamilton. Ellis also chipped in with the ball, taking five wickets in the match, including 3 for 43 in the second innings.Ellis’ 170-ball knock, which included 13 fours and eight sixes, reinforced Canterbury’s advantage after they had bowled Northern Districts out for 257 in the first innings. Northern Districts had stabilised after early wickets through a 68-run partnership between Dean Brownlie and Bharat Popli (55) but suffered a batting implosion, losing seven wickets for 69 runs. It was Daryl Mitchell’s 84 that pulled them past the 200-mark to a score of 257. For Canterbury, Todd Astle claimed 3 for 87, while Hamish Bennett and Ellis picked up two wickets apiece.Ellis’ hundred was complemented by Ken McClure’s 96 and an 81 from Cam Fletcher. McClure and Ellis were involved in a 235-run, fifth-wicket stand that hauled the side to safety from a precarious 77 for 4. Once the pair were dismissed, Fletcher led the side’s rally, guiding them to a score of 485. Legspinner Ish Sodhi was the pick of Northern Districts’ bowlers, picking up 5 for 167, backed up by Scott Kuggeleijn’s 4 for 133.Northern Districts batsmen got starts but only Popli (94) and Kuggeleijn (53) went on to make substantial scores as they were dismissed for 316. Canterbury brushed aside their target of 89 in 17 overs and climbed to second place on the points table.George Worker’s all-round efforts – a knock of 123 and a four-for – supported by centuries from Dane Cleaver and Greg Hay set up Central Districts‘ 87-run win over Wellington, their first of this season’s Plunket Shield.Put in to bat, Central Districts amassed 424 for 6 declared, riding on a 230-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Cleaver and Worker that steadied them after they were 148 for 5. Cleaver hit 20 fours and five sixes in his 208-ball 151 not out, while Worker stroked 15 fours and two sixes.In response, Stephen Murdoch (89) and Tom Blundell (92) powered Wellington to 370 for 7 dec. Kurt Richards was the pick of Central Districts’ bowlers, picking up 3 for 77.Hay then built on Central Districts’ 54-run lead with a patient 127 not out to steer them to 314 for 6 declared, setting Wellington a target of 369. Top-order fifties from Luke Woodcock and Stephen Murdoch (82) gave Wellington a good start but their chase fell away after a batting slide that saw them lose five wickets for 26 runs. Luke Ronchi waged a lone battle scoring 88 as Wellington lost eight wickets to left-arm spinners, Ajaz Patel and Worker, with Worker taking 4 for 58.Brad Wilson’s 107 and Neil Broom’s 84 helped Otago play out a draw against Auckland after they were set a target of 444 at Eden Park.Auckland managed to post a 444-run target thanks Jeet Raval’s unbeaten 202 in the second innings that included 28 fours. Rob Nicol and Colin de Grandhomme also contributed with fifties, the latter striking 52 off 43 balls with six fours and two sixes.After being inserted, Auckland were bundled out for 277 on the first day, riding on fifties from Nicol (60) and de Grandhomme (59). Tarun Nethula then led their response with the ball, taking 3 for 64 to help dismiss Otago for 265.With the draw, Auckland picked up six points to maintain their position at the top of the points table.

Steven Smith’s men persisted through New Zealand’s resistance and ended day four of the Christchurch Test a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory and the No. 1 Test ranking

The Report by Daniel Brettig22-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJackson Bird claimed a maiden Test five-for in New Zealand’s second innings•Getty ImagesNew Zealand delayed, annoyed and even frustrated Australia into some of the ugliest scenes of the summer. Yet Steven Smith’s men persisted through it all, and by day’s end were a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory in Christchurch and the No. 1 Test ranking.For all the hosts’ fighting qualities, whether it was Kane Williamson’s dogged 97, Corey Anderson’s self-denial or the common sense rearguard of BJ Watling and Matt Henry, Australia always stayed ahead of the game. For this they can thank Jackson Bird, who summoned his first five-wicket haul in Tests, and also the support of James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh.While David Warner nibbled down the leg side to complete the most underwhelming Test series of his career, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja fought through to the close against another round of short balls from Neil Wagner.At one point, slip was the only man on the off side, making Wagner’s attack obvious. But the second-wicket stand came closest to being broken when Khawaja nearly edged an attempted drive onto the stumps in Anderson’s final over of the day.Australia’s efforts in the field had been obvious, and often near the edge of exasperation. Tempers had simmered during a long stand between Williamson and Anderson, before Bird struck once with the old ball then twice with the new to take the visitors closer to a fourth-innings chase. But Watling and Henry played with good sense to add 118 and ensure New Zealand have something to defend.Pattinson and Hazlewood again bowled with pace, direction and reverse swing in the first hour and went exceptionally close to dismissing both batsmen more than once. Hazlewood’s last appeal – and Australia’s last referral – moments before lunch drew another denial and considerable frustration from Smith’s men.There was self-recrimination, too, when Marsh dropped Anderson at the gully, and the tourists went to the interval clearly angry at not being able to dislodge the overnight pair. They were more patient when faced by Watling and Henry, eventually rewarded when Pattinson had Watling caught on the leg side and Henry was bowled by Bird.Old-ball swing had been key to Australia claiming four wickets on the third evening, and it was again evident as Pattinson and Hazlewood resumed their barrage. Williamson and then Anderson were both subjects of concerted lbw appeals, but on each occasion DRS replays showed contact with the bat first.Anderson’s escape was queried by the Australians, but was quickly followed by a ball angled across and a sliced drive that burst through Marsh’s hands. By the standard set in this match, including Marsh’s own unrewarded catch off a no-ball on day one, it was a bad miss.Further close calls followed: Williamson edged Hazlewood the merest fraction short of Peter Nevill’s gloves, and right on lunch the bowler appeared to strike New Zealand’s No. 3 in front with a swinging yorker from around the wicket.The Australians appealed vehemently and reviewed instantly, but HotSpot replays picked up the faintest inside edge from Williamson before the ball struck his pad, leaving Smith’s men to angrily confront the on-field umpire and express their surprise.Through all this Williamson and Anderson remained, giving New Zealand something of a foothold in the match against increasingly feverish opponents. They remained unhappy until Bird coaxed Anderson into dragging on in the 79th over of the innings, a wicket that opened up an end for the second new ball.Williamson was on 97 when a hint of seam movement with the fresh ball resulted in an edge onto the stumps and, in the same over, Tim Southee snicked to Smith in the slips. Australia sensed they were close to sealing the match, but Watling and Henry had other ideas.Unfussy but positive, they worked the ball around with calculated moments of aggression to build the lead, not offering a chance in the process. By the interval their union was New Zealand’s best for the eighth wicket in a decade, once more leaving Smith to ponder his options.Pattinson tightened up Watling after the break and was rewarded when he flicked the lowest of catches to Joe Burns in front of square leg. Bird found a way through Henry and Trent Boult offered up a skier to give the adopted Tasmanian a Test five-for – vindication of the selectors’ decision to recall him for the first time in three years.A target of 201 was tricky, but Warner and Burns began briskly, quickly whittling down the equation and easing any nerves. Though Warner fell to Wagner, Khawaja was rapidly into his stride, while Burns batted as if to continue his first innings. New Zealand now have only the faintest hope, Australia both eyes on the Test Championship Mace.

Liam Dawson, the Hampshire slow left-armer, could make his international debut against Afghanistan on Wednesday

Andrew Miller22-Mar-2016Liam Dawson, the Hampshire slow left-armer, could make his international debut against Afghanistan on Wednesday after Eoin Morgan admitted England were considering the option of three spinners in a vital Group 1 clash in DelhiEngland would take a significant stride towards the World T20 semi-finals if they avoid an upset on Wednesday. Their frontline spin pairing, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, have demonstrated their value in the tournament so far, and Morgan said that any decision over the make-up of the team would be deferred until the management had had a good final look at the wicket.”I expected a dryer pitch,” Morgan admitted. “There’s still a lot of grass on it but I don’t know what it’s going to do. We’ll have to leave it as late as possible to select the side, and see what conditions are going to be like. If it’s another hot day like today, [the groundsman] might leave grass on it rather than take it off.”Since we’ve arrive here we’ve had one net session in the nets and they have turned a considerable amount, but I don’t think it will turn as much. We can be as open minded as we can, we can talk about it and we can use other players and our backroom staff as a sounding board.”A pump-action shotgun

Eoin Morgan likened Afghanistan’s threat to that of a “pump-action shotgun” as he braced his side for a severe test of their mettle against an Associate team, like Ireland in Morgan’s own early days of international cricket, that would not be afraid to lose.
“[Victory] will be their ultimate objective,” he said. “It’s a bit like a pump-action shotgun. You can keep loading as long as you like. If you keep missing, it’s fine. But the opportunity along the way will come. And if you have your day, you might win a game. That’s certainly the attitude when I was a part of Ireland
England lost their last World T20 outing against an Associate team, against Netherlands at Chittagong in 2014. But Morgan insisted that the circumstances could not be different two years on.
“We were already out of the tournament,” he said. “We probably came into the game with a completely wrong mindset. We were flying directly after the game, had already packed our bags to leave. In my mind I was already at home sitting on the couch.”

If Dawson did play, it would be quite a turnaround for a player who spent part of last season loaned by Hampshire to Essex to rediscover his form. He achieved that so markedly that he won a call up to the England Lions in the UAE where he impressed the coach, Andy Flower, not just for his spin bowling but his ability to hit a long ball.Dawson was nevertheless a surprise selection for England’s 15-man squad, after beating Stephen Parry to the third spinner’s role on account of his greater allround versatility. Morgan expressed absolute faith in his ability to front up on an important occasion, and stressed that Joe Root, who bowled briefly in the victory over South Africa, was not being considered as a front-line option.”Rooty can be a viable option for a third spinner, but Liam Dawson adds a lot more with the ball than Joe would, and he would come into consideration if the grass comes off the pitch,” Morgan said.”Is he ready? Yeah, absolutely. He’s trained really hard since he’s come into the side and has been great around the group. He’s really upbeat and, like everybody, he’s really keen to get involved.”England’s recent record against Associate nations at the World T20 leaves plenty to be desired, with defeats to the Netherlands in 2009 and 2014 staining their overall record. But Morgan said that England would be going into the Afghanistan game with their eyes wide open, and with their thoughts trained solely on victory.”They’re a dangerous side,” he said. “They have played a really exciting brand of cricket. Ten years ago we might not have known much about them, but now that is the nature of modern sport. We know a lot about them and that is quite comforting – the fact that there’s no stone that’s left unturned.”We watched the early stages of the tournament and they played some really good cricket. We watched both games, against Sri Lanka and South Africa in different circumstances, and it’s been nice for us to see what they’re about as a side.”Afghanistan’s reputation for maverick tendencies is best expressed in the wild batting of Mohammad Shahzad, whose 44 from 19 balls was the highlight of their run-chase against South Africa. But Morgan said that they would be wary of all of their opponents, and not merely the man at the top of the order who has captured the recent headlines.”I think he is a good batsman but I think it would be rude of me to single out any one of their players,” he said. “I think as a side they can be quite strong and destructive.”If we target one player in particular, it can give an opportunity to another player to come out and have their own day, so it is important we treat each player as we do Shahzad.”I wouldn’t say it is nervy to have a bit of unpredictability there, but I would say in any T20 game up against any team then unpredictability can be a strong point. We have lacked consistency as a T20 side in recent times and there is an element of that to our game.”With Sri Lanka looming as England’s final contest of a potentially tight group, the prospect of net run rate could yet come into play as a deciding factor in which team goes through to the knock-outs. But Morgan dismissed any such thoughts from his mind, insisting that victory was England’s sole focus, no matter how fast or slow their route.”Our priority is on winning. Tomorrow is a big game and we are certainly not taking Afghanistan for granted, so first and foremost we need to go into that game with the right mindset,” he said.”I think focusing on anything else at the moment, given that there is two group games left, would be a little bit naïve, actually stupid, so tomorrow is very important and getting a win under our belt is key.”