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Kings XI Punjab pacer Sandeep Sharma’s controlled, incisive spell with the new ball had threatened to make a chase of 156 insurmountable for Kolkata Knight Riders, before Andre Russell’s blunt-force innings took the defending champions to their second win

The Report by Rachna Shetty18-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSandeep Sharma had threatened to rip Knight Riders’ chase to shreds with an accurate spell up front•BCCIKings XI Punjab pacer Sandeep Sharma’s controlled, incisive spell with the new ball had threatened to make a chase of 156 insurmountable for Kolkata Knight Riders, before Andre Russell’s blunt-force innings took the defending champions to their second win of IPL 2015 after three games. Kings XI, meanwhile, have three losses from four games.The victory margin of four wickets with a little more than two overs to spare may suggest a stroll, but that was hardly how things proceeded in the first half of Knight Riders’ chase, when Sandeep had reduced them to 60 for 5.He pinned Robin Uthappa lbw for 13 in the third over. In his next over, Manish Pandey chipped a catch straight to midwicket. Thisara Perera got the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav in the seventh over, and Sandeep returned with a double-wicket maiden that accounted for Gautam Gambhir and Ryan ten Doeschate. Within six balls, Knight Riders had slipped from 60 for 2 to 60 for 5. He got movement into and away from the batsmen and stuck resolutely to lengths.There was a pattern to Knight Riders’ innings – the impressive cast of big-hitters would take guard, smash a couple of boundaries and then walk back. While the wickets left them in a bind, the boundaries meant that Russell and Yusuf Pathan never faced an overtly steep asking rate.Russell settled in with a couple of swipes, but Knight Riders’ final tilt at the target was set in motion in the 13th over, when Russell took 19 runs off Axar Patel, hacking two fours and a six off the first three balls. His brutal fluency at the crease allowed Yusuf Pathan the luxury of a slow start before he, too, managed to find boundaries. Their 95-run partnership, which lasted almost 10 overs, was broken only when the scores were tied.Kings XI were stifled right from the start of their innings, after being put in. The top order of M Vijay, Virender Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha struggled but the brisk stand between George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell provided some hope of a challenging total. The pair added 63 for the fourth wicket, with Maxwell looking promising after getting a reprieve on 13, but their chances of a massive total petered out quickly once he was dismissed.The second half of Kings XI’s innings sputtered along largely on Bailey’s efforts even as wickets fell rapidly at the other end. The Kings XI captain – by far their best batsman this season – stitched together a calm 60 off 45 before his dismissal in the last over of the innings. In a steady bowling performance, Sunil Narine had returns of 4-0-17-1, his first wicket in the IPL with a remodeled action.

Shiv Chanderpaul’s selection for the Test series against Australia is under a cloud after he was left out from West Indies’ 12-member group for a pre-series training camp in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-20153:27

Chanderpaul didn’t fit in to the best team – Simmons

Shiv Chanderpaul appears set to be dropped for the Test series against Australia after he was left out of West Indies’ 12-member group for a pre-series training camp in Barbados.Chanderpaul could still make it to the Test squad when the final team is decided on May 29, 2015 after the conclusion of the practice match between the Australians and the Board President’s XI. The chairman of selectors, Clive Lloyd, however indicated West Indies were keen on looking ahead.”This was a tough decision for the selection panel to make,” Lloyd said. “We recognise the significant contribution Chanderpaul has made to the West Indies teams over the last two decades, but we want to take this opportunity to introduce a number of young, promising players into the squad.”Chanderpaul, who has played 164 Tests and is 86 short of equalling Brian Lara’s record of highest West Indies run-scorer in Tests, was officially notified. Lloyd said that while Chanderpaul had been an outstanding servant of West Indies cricket for many years, his recent form was a concern.”Over a period of time we’ve noticed a decline in his form,” Lloyd said. “For the last 11 innings he’s averaging 16. We thought that the time has come to look towards the younger players. That’s why he was omitted.”I don’t think it’s just the last couple of games. It’s going way back, I watched the games against India, South Africa, and he hasn’t really done as well as we had expected.”We just thought that here it is, we must now make a decision. We’ve made a decision. We are looking towards the younger people that we have. We have a lot of good young cricketers and we think it’s time we now inject the youth into our cricket.”West Indies training squad Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Veerasammy Permaul, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor

New Zealand Cricket has agreed to play a day-night Test match against Australia as part of a deal that will resume regular cricket between the two countries after a gap of four years

Daniel Brettig29-Jun-20153:11

‘Uncertainty over balance of day-night Test cricket’

New Zealand Cricket has agreed to play a day-night Test against Australia as part of a deal that will resume regular cricket between the two neighbours after a gap of four years and provide a significant financial leg-up for New Zealand.The inaugural, experimental day-night Test will be played at Adelaide Oval with a pink Kookaburra ball in the third match of the series between Australia and New Zealand, between November 27 and December 1.The match will go ahead much to the delight of the CA chief executive James Sutherland, who has championed the concept for more than seven years. It will also be a source of rich dividends for the host broadcaster Channel Nine, whose chief executive David Gyngell expects television ratings and by extension advertising revenues far in excess of those offered for standard Test match days.However the views of the players can best be summed up as a combination of nervousness, apprehension and scepticism. While most agree the concept is great in theory, there is far less certainty about details such as the pink ball and its behaviour, the adjustment from day to night, and the effects the concept will have upon a format all players rate highly as the fairest and truest test of prowess with bat or ball.New Zealand’s players have been loudest of all in their worries about the concept, and their players association chief Heath Mills said an agreement had ultimately been reached because Brendon McCullum’s team could see the “bigger picture” benefits of regular cricket against Australia. The two nations have not played a Test series since November 2011, and only contested the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy for ODIs at ICC events.”It’s fair to say our players are nervous about the day-night Test. It’s uncharted territory and because of that there will be uncertainty and apprehension,” Mills said. “However, whilst the players have reservations about the concept, they can see the bigger picture in the new agreement, and the greater good it brings to all levels of the game.”Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has been a vocal supporter of the concept. Alongside former captain and now CA board member Mark Taylor, Lehmann has been an advocate for day-night Tests at the ICC cricket committee discussion table.”I’m looking forward to it to see what it brings, looking forward to seeing how both teams perform under lights, looking forward to seeing a massive crowd,” Lehmann said of a match to be played at his former home ground in Adelaide. “I think it’s going to be exceptional to see everyone turning up for the first one ever in Test match cricket, I’m excited, and I know the players are excited and looking forward to the challenge.Australia’s home Test schedule

November 5-9: Australia v New Zealand, Brisbane
November 13-17: Australia v New Zealand, Perth
November 27-December 1: Australia v New Zealand, Adelaide
December 10-14: Australia v West Indies, Hobart
December 26-30: Australia v West Indies, Melbourne
January 3-7: Australia v West Indies, Sydney

“Recommendations to the ICC committee were to make sure we are pushing the boundaries if you like and trying to get day-night Test matches, evening Test matches, to try and get people coming to watch it in different parts of the world in different countries, and versus different countries. We think it’s a really important way to go and only time will tell if it’s right or it’s wrong, end of the day we’ve got to give it a crack and I think it’s important for the game.”It’s very special for everyone involved, players, staff, everyone at CA, and New Zealand Cricket so it’s going to be a really interesting time. Looking forward to what the challenges the ball brings for example and how it reacts on the pitch. I’m sure it’s going to be okay.”For Sutherland, the push for day-night Tests has been one of the few consistent running themes of his long tenure as CA chief executive. Other ideals such as the Test Championship have fallen by the wayside, and the advent of Twenty20 has brought major new sources of revenue to the game, but he was always determined to open up Test cricket to larger attendances and stronger television ratings.”One of the global challenges with Test cricket is that most of the matches outside holiday periods are played on week days, in the middle of the day when people are at work and kids are at school,” Sutherland said. “By shifting the playing times each day’s play can go into the evening and allow people to come in after work or after school to attend the last few hours of play, but also when they get home in other parts of the world or other parts of the country, they can watch the game on TV.”The Perth Test match is a great illustration of that. It’s fanatically watched on the eastern seaboard of Australia every year because of the time difference. Our television ratings are something like 40 per cent more for the whole country.”We’re really confident with the work that’s been done over the past few years. We’ve had two successive seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket where pink balls have been trialled. We’ve worked very closely with the Australian Cricketers’ Association and Kookaburra in the development of the ball and its continued upgrade to make it ready.”We’ll make sure that the players from both teams are well prepared. We’re working really closely with New Zealand Cricket in giving them the right tour matches and preparation before the ultimate day-night Test, which is the last of the series. And similarly with our players.”It is believed that New Zealand’s players will play two tour matches under lights before the Adelaide Test, while Australian players will have one day-night Sheffield Shield round following their return home from a short tour of Bangladesh, and perhaps another between the second and third Tests.As for Gyngell, the Nine Network’s chief cannot wait to see the ratings. “Evolution is everything in elite sport and its coverage, and it’s up to us all to think outside the square and meet these challenges,” he said. “My congratulations to James Sutherland and Cricket Australia and our friends at New Zealand Cricket for having the foresight and mettle to take it on, and for the support of team captains Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum.”Let’s give it a red-hot go and see what develops.”A pink-hot go, perhaps.

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has asked Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh to refrain from politicising the staging of the India-Pakistan World T20 match in Dharamsala

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Mar-20161:47

‘We must not politicise sport’ – Thakur

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has expressed strong concerns over a reported letter written by the Himachal Pradesh chief minister to the Indian government, expressing his state government’s difficulty in providing security for the marquee World T20 match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19.It is understood that Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who heads the Congress government in the northern state, wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying the match should not be played in Dharamsala, keeping in mind prevailing local sentiment in Himachal over the recent terrorist attacks in Pathankot, which lies close to the Pakistan border, near the intersection of the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.”Many incidents have taken place in recent past, like Pathankot attack,” Singh told the media on Tuesday. “Soldiers from Himachal lost their lives in J&K. If our war veterans don’t want Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala, Himachal cricket association should accept their condition.”Dharamsala is set to host eight matches in the World T20, including two Super10 games: Australia v New Zealand on March 18 and the India-Pakistan game the next day.Singh said his objection was only limited to the March 19 match. “They are not opposing holding of matches,” the Himachal chief minister said. “They are against Pak team playing in Himachal Pradesh.”However Thakur, a member of parliament with the ruling BJP central government, said Singh was only playing mischief, and that it was inappropriate to mix sport and politics. “The venues for World Cup were finalised a year in advance. The allotment of matches for the World Cup were finalised many months ago,” Thakur told reporters in Delhi on Tuesday. “Fans and media from around the globe based on the fixtures make their bookings and we make sure we provide them with the facilities. At the eleventh hour to show your failure that we cannot provide the security, it only gives a bad name to the state and the country. I feel there should be no politics [involved].”According to a senior BCCI official who was involved in organising the 2011 World Cup co-hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the protocol has been for the board to consult and coordinate with the federal government with respect to the security of the matches across all venues. Once the matches were allotted the MHA would then co-ordinate with the respective states where the venues were based and work closely with the security machinery including the local police commissioner for the smooth conduct of matches. This official said the same procedure was followed before the venue and match allotments were finalised by the BCCI and the ICC.Thakur, the son of former Himachal chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, gave the example of the recent South Asian Games, which included Pakistan as one of the participating countries. “If Assam can host the South Asian Games, and 100-plus athletes from Pakistan can participate, then why is it not possible for Himachal government [to host the WT20 match]? I think there should not be any politics. It is a matter of pride for the country.”According to Thakur the Himachal Pradesh government’s stand was “unfortunate”, as it would only support the anti-India sentiment exisiting in certain sections in Pakistan. “Pakistan used to say that Pakistan’s team is not secure in India and if the Congress government in Himachal is supporting that statement or vindicating that then it is unfortunate.”Thakur did not waste the opportunity to play ping pong with Singh, pointing out that some of the local Himachal politicians who were now protesting against allowing Pakistan to play in Dharamsala had made no objections when Pakistan played a tour match in 2005 in the scenic tourist city. “The same people who oppose this now were, in 2005, post the Kargil war, coming forward to give bouquets to these same Pakistan players and pose for photographs with them.”Thakur said he knew of many Congress ministers in favour of the match being held in Dharamshala. “There should be no politics in sport,” he said. “You should look at sport in relation to the prestige of the country.”

Waqar Younis has resigned as Pakistan’s coach three months before his contract was going to end, and only one day after Shahid Afridi relinquished his T20 captaincy

Umar Farooq04-Apr-2016Waqar Younis has resigned as Pakistan’s coach three months before his contract was going to end, and only one day after Shahid Afridi relinquished his T20 captaincy. Waqar took the decision after meeting PCB officials in Lahore.The two resignations came after Pakistan’s disappointing performances in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and the World T20 in India. Pakistan won only three games out of the eight they played across the two tournaments and failed to make it beyond the first round. The last series Pakistan won in any format was last October, when they beat England 2-0 in a three-Test series in the UAE. After that, Pakistan lost the ODI and T20 series to England, and then traveled to New Zealand to again lose the T20 and ODI series. They won only two of the 12 limited-overs matches they played in all against England and New Zealand. Pakistan are currently ranked a respectable fourth in Tests, but eighth in ODIs and seventh in T20Is in the ICC rankings.”It’s time to go,” Waqar said. “With disappointment and pain I would like to inform that I decide to resign as the Pakistan coach. In last 19 months of my job I was completely honest and didn’t leave any stone unturned to help the team achieve the best but unfortunately we couldn’t get the results.”It was slightly unfair by the board the way the whole case had been handled as my report was leaked and none of the board officials tried to talk about all this. But in all this, I do not want all of you, including ex-cricketers, to forget my services to Pakistan cricket.”Waqar had recently presented a scathing report, after Pakistan’s exit from the World T20, in which he criticised the PCB’s decision of not giving him a say in the selection process and lambasted Afridi’s style of captaincy. The report was an overview of his two-year term as coach and was submitted to the PCB chairman Shahryar Khan and to the board’s fact-finding committee. The PCB later announced on Monday, among several other measures, that a panel comprising Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja would assist the board in finding a new coach.A day before submitting that report, Waqar had offered to step down but had said cosmetic changes would be insufficient to solve the deeper issues in Pakistan cricket.”I am stepping aside with with a heavy heart, and what can I say, the present circumstances aren’t good in PCB,” Waqar said on Monday. “They were looking to make me a scapegoat so it was important for me that I should go with respect.”It was Waqar’s second tenure as coach after he was appointed in May 2014 for a two-year contract that was due to end on June 30 before the tour of England. By stepping down at this juncture, Waqar will forgo three months’ salary; he advised the board to invest that money in domestic cricket.”I am being portrayed as the villain,” he said. “Whatever I said in past five days wasn’t a lie. I want Pakistan cricket in good shape and hence gave recommendations which are already out in public. I hope my suggestions will help the upcoming coach if they are rightly understood for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.”I had three months remaining in my contract and some Rs 50-60 lakh with PCB but I told them to invest them in domestic cricket where it is actually needed. Players there at the first-class level are being underprepared. Until you don’t invest at the right place you will not get the right players to the top level. If money isn’t invested then I am afraid after next five-six years someone else will be standing here and cursing PCB and the system.”

Warriors slumped to an innings-and-12-run defeat in the wake of Wayne Parnell’s maiden first-class century and a string of fifties from the Cape Cobras batting line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2016Warriors slumped to an innings-and-12-run defeat in the wake of Wayne Parnell’s maiden first-class century and a string of fifties from the Cape Cobras batting line-up in the Sunfoil series. Cobras offspinner Dane Piedt picked up eight wickets in the match to cap off a dominant display.Warriors had chosen to bat in Paarl, but they were put in early trouble at 94 for 5. Yaseen Vallie did his best to redress the damage with his 11th first-class ton, but the lower order was brittle too. He stitched a 58-run stand for the sixth wicket with Gihahn Cloeta, but Piedt broke that stand en route to his 4 for 75 and forced Warriors to 217 all out.Cobras pulled into the lead before their fourth wicket fell. Opener Simon Khomari struck 70, Stiaan van Zyl, batting at No. 4, made 56, Justin Ontong struck 58 and Parnell went further with 111 off 146 balls with 20 fours and a six. Warriors new-ball bowler Basheeru-Deen Walters picked up 4 for 91, but his efforts were a footnote considering Cobras put up 404 on the board.With a lead of 187, Piedt and left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks ran through the Warriors line-up. JJ Smuts at the top of the order resisted with 61 off 113 balls, but the rest could not pass 33. The last four batsmen fell for single-digits as Cobras mopped up their second win in seven matches and Warriors recorded their sixth loss in seven matches.

Half-centuries from openers M Vijay and Manan Vohra gave Kings XI Punjab their first win of the IPL season after their bowlers had kept Rising Pune Supergiants to 152 in good batting conditions

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy17-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:22

Cullinan: Miller could learn from Maxwell

Half-centuries from openers M Vijay and Manan Vohra gave Kings XI Punjab their first win of the IPL season after their bowlers had kept Rising Pune Supergiants to 152 in good batting conditions. There were a few hiccups towards the end, when the legspinner M Ashwin took three wickets in the space of eight balls, but Glenn Maxwell calmed Kings XI’s nerves with an unbeaten 14-ball 32 and took them home with eight balls remaining.In a clash between two good batting sides with suspect bowling attacks, the difference came down to small things. Kings XI’s bowlers made the batsmen work harder than their Supergiants counterparts did, with Ishant Sharma and Thisara Perera particularly prone to sending down freebies.The toss was important, though not in the way MS Dhoni might have expected when he chose to bat first. He wanted his bowlers and fielders to escape the worst of the afternoon heat, but that left his top order braving temperatures in the mid-30s.It told on Faf du Plessis, who tired visibly as his innings wore on. He began brightly, but struggled to find the boundary when the fields spread, with the Kings XI bowlers making a concerted effort to make him hit towards the long square boundary on one side of the pitch. Having hit six fours off the first 20 balls of his innings, he only hit two more off the last 33 to finish with 67 off 53 balls.Du Plessis’ innings ended in the final over of the Supergiants innings, when he miscued a Mohit Sharma slower ball, hitting it high in the air for the bowler to complete a well-judged return catch. Mohit’s slower ball had also removed Supergiants’ second-highest scorer, Steven Smith, in the 18th over. There was a bit of grip available on a Mohali surface that was drier than it looked, and bounce too, and Mohit exploited both expertly with his back-of-the-hand release, causing the two well-set batsmen to hit the ball earlier than desired, and off the high part of the bat. Mohit finished with figures of 3 for 23, and gave away only 11 runs off his two overs in the slog.Kings XI’s other seam-bowling Sharma, Sandeep, was also effective, bowling stump-to-stump and getting a bit of movement, usually into the right-hander, to finish with figures of 2 for 23.The two Sharmas were primarily responsible, in the end, for keeping Supergiants down to 152. It was at least 10 runs short of the total they may have expected when they were 76 for 2 at the halfway stage.Vijay gave Kings XI the early impetus their chase needed, stepping out of his crease to hit Ankit Sharma’s left-arm spin over the top for two fours in the second over. He did the same to Ishant Sharma in the next over, giving himself room and launching him over extra cover for the first six of the match. Supergiants’ total of 152, incidentally, was the highest among IPL innings that did not include a six.Vohra joined the boundary-hitting spree with three successive fours off Ishant in the fifth over. He would hit three successive fours off Perera too, in the 11th over, and the bulk of these six fours came off bad balls – short, wide, or both. There was only one other boundary in Vohra’s 33-ball 51.The openers put on 97 before Vohra fell, missing the sweep off a straight ball from Ankit. M Ashwin then caused a bit of a wobble, as Marsh and Miller perished to uncertain strokes against his legspin and Vijay top-edged him, trying to cut one that wasn’t short enough for the stroke.Maxwell quickly settled Kings XI’s nerves, taking 10 off successive balls from M Ashwin, and repeating the dose against R Ashwin in the next over. He had come into the match with scores of 2 and 0 in his last two innings; this was a welcome return to form.

GettyKevin De BruyneIt may seem unfair, but De Bruyne's bid for glory is hampered by his lack of goals. The dominance of the current top two has raised the bar in terms of attacking output – setting up chances for others helps, but scoring yourself for a successful side clinches the deal. At least the Belgian is at a club with lofty ambitions, as Manchester City look capable of becoming a European superpower with Pep Guardiola at the helm.AdvertisementGetty ImagesPaulo DybalaWhile Dybala is a key figure for Juventus right now, his Ballon d'Or hopes in the long run rely on the opportunity to replace Messi in the Argentina team. Still, at 24, there's no need for the forward to panic. Helping the Bianconeri reach the Champions League final last season helped raise Dybala's profile, while he started the current Serie A campaign with a blistering spell of 10 goals in six games. If he can maintain that hot streak over an extended period, voters will be forced to take notice.Getty ImagesEden Hazard

Hazard has dazzled in the Premier League with Chelsea, helping his club secure the title twice while being named in the PFA Team of the Year in four of his five seasons in England. However, for all his brilliance in a blue shirt in recent years, the Belgian is yet to crack the top six in the Ballon voting in his career. Consistently linked with Real Madrid, the 26-year-old may feel a move to one of the big two in Spain might boost his chances of claiming the honour.

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GettyNeymarViewed by many as the third best player in the world right now, Neymar is the obvious choice here. The Brazilian, who finished third in 2015 and fifth last year before returning to the top three in 2017, is no longer in the shadow of Messi at Barcelona, with his world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain allowing him to break out on his own. The forward's move outside of Spain should allow him to make a stronger case to win the trophy too, even if Ligue 1 is viewed as a step down from La Liga.

Goal takes an inside look into which football teams the likes of Kit Harington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Dempsie and more are fans of

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah meeting the Mother of Dragons – aka Emilia Clarke – was one of the highlights of the Time Magazine gala, but that isn't the only time that the world of Westeros has crossed over with the beautiful game.

With Jon Snow, otherwise known as Kit Harington, having been crowned King in the North in both Winterfell and Old Trafford, Goal dives into which football teams the Game of Thrones actors pledge their allegiances to.

GettyNikolaj Coster-Waldau | Leeds

The Danish actor is, believe it or not, a passionate supporter of the Peacocks, attributing his support to a former partner of his sister's.

"My friend Joe is to blame," the Kingslayer told in 2017.

"Joe was dating my sister when I was 17. We became friends and he took me to Elland Road, and I thought it was fantastic. They had some good years, and then it all went pear-shaped. But now it’s good. We’ve had a great start to the season."

AdvertisementGettyJoe Dempsie | Nottingham Forest

The last living bastard of Robert Baratheon is a passionate Nottingham Forest supporter, having been raised in West Bridgford despite being born in Liverpool. With his parents still living in the area, Dempsie still attends many home – and away – games, and appeared in a Men In Blazers episode in April 2019 to talk about his predictions for the title race.

He'd pegged Manchester City to become European champions, and Liverpool to win the Premier League – could he be wrong twice?

@ManUtdKit Harington | Manchester United

The King in the North (and the true heir of the Iron Throne) is a massive Man Utd fan, having been photographed with the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Paul Pogba in recent times. His sitting next to Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana at a Wimbledon game hasn't, however, changed his allegiances.

He had no hard feelings of Wayne Rooney returning to Everton from Old Trafford, saying at the time of the transfer: "He came to United and became our record goalscorer, he's been amazing for us. Now he's going back to the team he supported as a boy and I think that's a lovely full circle."

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GettySean Bean | Sheffield UnitedLord Eddard Stark of Winterfell is a loyal Sheffield United fan, having been born in the city and also serving as one of the club's board of directors.

He got to live out his boyhood dreams when he starred in the 1996 film “When Saturday Comes,” following the story of a coming from a non-league background to make history with Sheffield United.

With the 23-year-old speculated to be nearing commencement of an international career, GOAL looks at what his presence will mean to the Black Stars

After three years of unavailability, Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu is reportedly set to join Ghana’s national team for their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and the Central African Republic next month following last week’s meeting with football association president Kurt Okraku.

Rumours of his imminent international career heightened after the Black Stars beat Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they have been zoned with Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.

So just what does the 23-year-old bring to Otto Addo’s set-up? GOAL takes a look amid the public divide over his potential involvement with the four-time African champions.

Getty ImagesPhysical presence

Ghana’s current first-choice central defensive pair of Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey (1.86cm, according to Transfermarkt) and Strasbourg’s Alexander Djiku (1.82cm) are not exactly the tallest men in football terms for the centre-backs that they are.

Salisu’s 1.91cm frame, then, appears very useful for the Black Stars, at least aerially. Rated 29th on the list of the tallest central defenders in the Premier League this season, the former Real Valladolid man stands so highly above 73rd-ranked Amartey, the taller of Ghana’s current first-choice pair. With Caglar Soyuncu (62nd) and Amartey playing the most games at centre-back for Leicester this season, it is not surprising the club’s biggest defensive frailty has been arguably their aerial struggles with crosses.

Salisu does not just boast of solid areal ability but also physical presence (West Ham striker Michail Antonio knows all about that), the kind that will not allow him to be bullied as Amartey (and Djiku) were by Victor Osimhen during the World Cup play-off clash with Nigeria.

AdvertisementGettyimagesStrong ball progressing for attack build-up

Ghana’s new technical leadership have shown a likeness for ball progression from deep in building attacks. Considering neither Amartey nor Djiku has this ability among their best attributes, the Black Stars have had to rely on defensive midfielder Iddrisu Baba to drop deep and take up the role at the beginning of attacks.

The negative side of this move is that the midfield structure becomes compressed deeper as the No.8 and No.10 also have to drop slightly deeper to cover and avoid creating gaping spaces for the opposition at the centre of the park. This, thus, limits attacking ability.

Again, with his back to the game, at times, in receiving the ball, Baba could be pressed into discomfort in dangerous areas, as was the case during the game against Nigeria, where the situation led to a penalty which was later cancelled by VAR.

With Salisu, however, Ghana will not need to drop Baba into deeper areas than normally required as the Southampton man is known for his ability on the ball, and his willingness to step into midfield positions with the ball to find a man or drive a long pass.

GettyDefensive flexibility

Baba’s movement into midfield areas momentarily gives Ghana a back-three look when starting attacks. When things got tough against Nigeria in the play-off second leg, Otto Addo permanently switched his system from a two-centre-back system to a three, dropping Gideon Mensah from left-back to left-centre-back.

In Salisu, Amartey and Djiku, Ghana have a good set of men for defensive flexibility whenever they wished to switch to a back three, which many suspect will be the case when Salisu joins the Stars.

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GettyimagesCommand and leadership

Despite being the youngest among Southampton’s main central defensive options, Salisu has taken control as leader and commander of the defensive backline, marshalling his men.

Over the months, he has grown more vocal than ever when in action, a development manager Ralph Hasenhuttl highlighted as needed when the defender first transferred from Valladolid.

For a Ghanaian central defensive line struggling to hold their own against the likes of Gabon and Comoros, Salisu’s presence will be crucial if the Black Stars can stand against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Son Heung-Min’s South Korea, and Luis Suarez’s Uruguay at the World Cup.