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Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Roma defender Roger Ibanez, as Unai Emery bids to bolster his backline this summer.

Monchi has all but confirmed his first signing in his tenure at the club, with blockbuster centre-back Pau Torres set to join his former coach by trading La Liga for the Premier League.

Another central defender could follow suit, if rumours linking Ibanez to the Midlands are to be believed, in a move that could suggest a tantalising partnership to be heralded at Villa Park next season.

As reported by Corriere dello Sport – relayed by TEAMtalk – Villa are ‘ready to present’ an offer for the Brazilian, who has also gained interest from Tottenham.

Valued by his club between the €25m-€30m (£21m-26m) mark as per the report, the Villans could grab a bargain in a defensive remastering, with Roma reportedly allowing the 24-year-old to depart after signing Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt.

How good is Roger Ibanez?

If speculation is to be believed, it’s difficult to comprehend how the Brazilian may be allowed to exit Roma so swiftly, with manager Jose Mourinho singing his praises just last season.

The ever-charismatic coach described the centre-back as being an “untouchable” figure in his side, following a string of strong performances in defence for I Giallorossi.

Praise from Mourinho is rare indeed, with his performances warranted by his numbers, averaging in the top five of Roma’s best-performing individuals in Serie A last campaign, registering an average match rating of 7.00, via Sofascore.

The Brazilian’s performances impressed beyond the walls of Rome, with FBref highlighting him as being in the top 3% of centre-backs in Europe in terms of interceptions, averaging a monstrous 2.19 per 90, to showcase his innate reading of the game.

For Villa, Emery could seal the signing of a second impressive central defender this summer, and a player that could be a perfect partner at the back for the inbound Torres.

The numbers accumulated by the duo over their respective league campaign’s tell a story that could imply that they could come together to provide Emery with the perfect concoction of defensive cover.

Lauded as being the “best defender in Serie A” last season by scout Antonio Mango, Ibanez won 63% of his total duels in the league, winning 5.7 duels per game for his side.

While Torres is an artful defender, the Spaniard excels in his progressive play, acting as one of the best in Europe in his position in terms of getting the ball out from the back, as shown through his 5.81 progressive passes per 90 in La Liga, via FBref.

Ibanez emerges as the more combative figure in central defence, with his average of 2.16 tackles and 2.19 interceptions to the Villarreal ace’s 1.27 tackles and 0.38 interceptions per 90, as per FBref comparisons.

The Spaniard, however, could add a calming fuel to Ibanez’s fire with his distribution away from danger, as suggested through his 2.24 progressive carries and 5.51 passes into the final third per 90 to the Brazilian’s 0.77 progressive carries and 2.29 final third passes.

Emery could fuse together two contrasting centre-backs in their approaches to the art of defending to create a firm partnership to protect the goal at Villa Park.

After the end of the last round of league matches in the ongoing Champions Trophy, India captain Virat Kohli and Australia quick bowler Josh Hazlewood have risen to the top of ICC ODI rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-20171:00

Josh Hazlewood – most wickets for a seamer in ODIs since January 2016

India captain Virat Kohli surpassed AB de Villiers and David Warner to reclaim the top spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, meanwhile, topped the ODI bowlers’ rankings for the first time in his career. South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada, who had gained the No.1 spot last month, dropped to fourth place.ESPNcricinfo LtdUnbeaten knocks of 81 and 76 against Pakistan and South Africa in the ongoing Champions Trophy helped Kohli overtake Warner and de Villers, who had climbed to No.1 in March this year. Kohli, who had briefly held the No. 1 ranking in January, has a one-point lead over Warner. De Villiers, who had scores of 4, 0 and 16 in the Champions Trophy, dropped two places, and trails Warner by 14 points. Joe Root and Kane Williamson were ranked fourth and fifth respectively.Hazlewood, who took nine wickets in three Champions Trophy matches, became the first Australian to top the ODI bowlers’ rankings since Mitchell Starc in October 2015. Imran Tahir and Starc retained their second and third rankings respectively. Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan gained 18 places to surge to seventh.India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who is the leading run-getter in the Champions Trophy so far, leapfrogged five of his peers to return to the top ten. Dhawan scored 271 runs in three innings during the league stage of the tournament, with two fifties and a century.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the allrounders’ list, Ben Stokes gained one place to displace Mitchell Marsh at No. 6, while Shakib Al Hasan retained his place as the top ODI allrounder. Stokes did much better on the batting rankings, gaining nine points to climb to a career-best 20th, following an unbeaten 102 against Australia.South Africa, who exited the Champions Trophy after two losses in three league matches, retained their No. 1 spot on the team rankings, leading Australia and India by two points. England gained two points to climb to fourth and have a three-point lead over New Zealand. If the final of the Champions Trophy is contested between India and England, and if India win, they will secure a slim lead over South Africa and become the No. 1 ODI team.

While Manchester United currently appear intent on signing a new goalkeeper and a new striker ahead of next season, that may not prove to be the end of the club's transfer dealings this summer.

As per Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst, manager Erik ten Hag would also like to add another forward to his ranks alongside the addition of a new number nine, with the Dutchman eyeing an asset who can 'play across the front three'.

With the likes of Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho having been linked with an exit of late – while Anthony Martial also faces an uncertain future with just 12 months left on his existing deal – it would make sense to strengthen the forward line with the signing of a versatile target

One man who could prove a dream fit to take on that fluid role at Old Trafford is Atletico Madrid sensation, Joao Felix, with reports in Spain having recently suggested that United have made contact regarding a possible move for the 23-year-old.

The 31-cap Portugal international – who spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea – is said to be 'seduced' by the prospect of remaining in the Premier League, with the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa also showing an interest at present.

The suggestion is that Atleti's £113m signing could be allowed to secure another temporary exit after falling out of favour under Diego Simeone, ensuring that the door may open for the Red Devils to sign the 5 foot 11 gem this summer.

What is the market value of Joao Felix?

Lauded as a "sensational footballer" by transfer insider Felix Johnston during his recent loan stint at Stamford Bridge, the fleet-footed magician – who was taking home around £195k-per-week in wages during his time in west London – would no doubt represent a real coup for Ten Hag and co.

Valued at around €140m (£120m) by the La Liga outfit at present, the one-time Benfica ace may have slipped down the pecking order at his parent club, although he remains a truly gifted talent, having racked up 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 games for the club to date.

The highly-rated ace has particularly impressed due to his creative talents in recent times, with that ability to unlock the door and provide quality service for his teammates showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 5% among his European peers for progressive passes.

That ability could ensure that Felix could follow in Dusan Tadic's footsteps by becoming the creative driving force in a Ten Hag side, with the ex-Southampton man having blossomed under the Dutchman's tutelage at Ajax.

A player comfortable operating all across the forward line or in a playmaking role – much like Felix – Tadic was the real heartbeat of the Eredivisie giants when Ten Hag was at the helm, racking up a staggering haul of 92 goals and 91 assists in 194 games amid the United manager's stint in charge.

The 34-year-old playmaker – who only recently announced his exit from the Amsterdam outfit – was memorably part of the Ajax side that reached the semi-final of the Champions League in 2018/19, having registered 11 goal involvements in just 12 games in the competition that season.

A player Ten Hag has used the most throughout his managerial career, Tadic is clearly a figure that the 53-year-old is fond of, hence the aim to find a youthful successor in the form of Felix.

One notable likeness that can be drawn between the pair is their dribbling prowess, with the latter man averaging an impressive 3.11 progressive carries per 90 to rank in the top 6% in Europe's top five leagues, while the veteran free agent averages 2.95 per 90 for that same metric.

Both evidently agile, creative talents who can simply glide up the pitch, it does look as if Felix could prove to be Ten Hag's next Tadic, if a deal with Atleti can be agreed this summer.

Manchester City "remain in talks" with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig over star defender Josko Gvardiol, but contrary to reports, "there is no agreement at this stage," per Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge.

Is Josko Gvardiol joining Manchester City?

It was a record-breaking, era-defining season for Pep Guardiola's relentless City side last year.

Not only did they win the Premier League at an eventual canter after battling with Arsenal for much of the year, but they also beat local rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final and Inter in the Champions League final to clinch a historic treble – the first in the club's history and only the second in English football.

Even with all that success, the Citizens show no sign of slowing down or resting on their laurels as they now look set to attack the transfer market to strengthen a squad that already looks near enough perfect.

The name that has been most heavily touted for a move to the Etihad Stadium so far this summer is Croatia international and Leipzig centre-back, Gvardiol.

The 21-year-old is coming off the back of a brilliant domestic campaign that saw him enjoy an equally brilliant World Cup halfway through, and according to the Daily Mail, City are about to break their own transfer record to sign him in a deal estimated to be worth around £90m.

However, while the interest is certainly genuine – he is the club's number-one transfer target – the reports that a fee has been agreed for the player are premature, as at this point, the clubs have only been in discussions, according to Sky Sports reporter Bridge.

Explaining the situation live on Sky Sports News, he said:

"We understand that they remain in talks. I know there are some sources and reports elsewhere that this is getting close, but our colleagues in Germany, alongside us, are saying that there is no agreement with Manchester City at this stage and an agreement is not in sight."

How good is Josko Gvardiol?

Those who don't watch RB Leipzig very often and missed Croatia's games at the World Cup might wonder just how good a player Gvardiol is. To put it bluntly, he's excellent.

According to WhoScored, the Zagreb-born "monster" averaged a rating of 6.67 across his 30 Bundesliga appearances last season and maintained a seriously impressive passing accuracy of 89.3% – the best in the team – alongside an interception rate only bettered by two of his teammates.

His underlying numbers are just as impressive and suggest that under a manager like Guardiola and a team as dominant as City, he could reach even higher levels than he already has.

According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 6 foot 1 titan sits in the top 1% for attempted passes, the top 4% for successful take-ons, the top 9% for non-penalty goals and the top 10% for non-penalty expected goals per 90.

So impressive has Gvardiol been that football scout Jacek Kulig proclaimed him – in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner – "The Haaland of Defenders."

If City can get this deal over the line, it's hard to see how anyone will be able to catch them next season.

Zimbabwe’s head coach believes his team has the goods to beat any side, but constantly losing talent has not made their job easy

Sa'adi Thawfeeq28-Jun-2017Zimbabwe’s consistent spells as the bottom-ranked team, 25 years after being granted Test status, are down to sporadic scheduling and the subsequent migration of players, said their head coach Heath Streak. Speaking to the media ahead of the first match of their Sri Lanka tour, Streak highlighted the difficulty of retaining talent with large gaps in the calendar.”It’s well-documented [that] there have been a lot of players who have left and are playing around the world who come from Zimbabwe,” he said.SL focused on moving ahead, insists Mathews

Sri Lanka have had troubles of their own, with fast bowler Lasith Malinga given a suspended ban of six months for a breach of contract, mere days after Graham Ford resigned as head coach. The captain Angelo Mathews, however, insisted the team will not be distracted by these off-field episodes.
“What happens outside the cricket field, we don’t think a lot about it. Our job is to concentrate on our cricket. As players we always look to perform well,” said Mathews.
“It’s beyond our control (Graham) Ford leaving. Our job is to go out there and perform at our very best. Fordy has been fantastic, one of the best in the business, but we’ve got to move on and look ahead towards this series.”

“It’s been tough for Zimbabwe to retain some of these players and hence we are constantly rebuilding. We’ve got a lot of young guys in our team. If you look around the world, and look at Zimbabweans internationally, we’ve got the likes of Gary Ballance, the Curran boys Sam and Tom, who just debuted for England, and Kyle Jarvis playing county cricket successfully.”We’ve got a lot of these guys out there whom we are trying to lure back. Part of their problem is the volume of cricket that Zimbabwe plays. That’s something that we can’t address, obviously. It’s a Catch 22 situation. We’ve got to play good competitive cricket for other countries to give us matches and that’s something we are really targeting [to do].”Hopefully we can get some of those players to return to Zimbabwe and complement a talented group of players that we have brought to the shores of Sri Lanka. It’s going to be a challenge because of the lack of cricket. We have these big gaps in between series and that’s probably our biggest challenge to get the guys to get used to playing at elite level.”The situation, in addition to having an impact on Zimbabwe’s performance on the field, has also been ‘a big challenge’ for Streak as head coach.”You inherit the players and your job is to try and get the best out of them. I certainly think that the team we’ve got here has got the ability to win against any side,” he said.”We had some good preparation coming into the series and I am looking forward to a lot of guys who can pull around. The future of Zimbabwe cricket is brighter if we keep doing the right things.”

Glamorgan had to survive Tom Curran’s 51 off 27 balls to secure victory which strengthened their position at the top of the South Group

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2017Tom Curran almost stole victory for Surrey•Getty ImagesAneurin Donald’s brilliant 76 off 40 balls shone out under the Kia Oval floodlights as Glamorgan strengthened their position at the top of the NatWest T20 Blast’s South Group table by squeezing past Surrey by six runs in front of a crowd of 21,256.But Tom Curran almost stole the match for Surrey at the death, his remarkable 51 not out from 27 balls making a mockery of 48 runs being required from the last three overs to overhaul Glamorgan’s 181 for 6. In the end, having hit the second ball of Michael Hogan’s final over for six to bring the equation down to nine from four balls, Curran was foxed by two slower balls from the veteran Australian seamer which he swung at and missed.A scampered two from the penultimate ball left Curran, who hit three sixes and three fours, needing seven from the last ball. He hit it into the offside, opted not to run but still walked off to an ovation for a courageous attempt to achieve the seemingly impossible with Surrey finishing on 175 for 7.Donald, still only 20, hit two sixes and 11 fours in his T20-best as he and the prolific Colin Ingram, who scored 42 from 31 balls with three sixes, swept Glamorgan towards their eventual total by adding 95 in just 8.3 overs for the second wicket after they had opted to bat first.It was Glamorgan’s fifth win of the group stage and took them to 14 points while Surrey, who have now lost four of their ten games, remain on 10 points.Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph praised Donald’s batting plus Michael Hogan’s nerve in the thrilling final over.”Tom Curran did incredibly well to get them so close, and there is so much noise out there in front of a crowd of that size that it’s difficult to communicate,” he said. “But Michael kept his cool after the second ball six and showed his experience to switch to around the wicket and bowl two vital dot balls. It was a brave decision.”Aneurin batted brilliantly up front and it was a pretty solid batting performance although we might have got 20 runs more after the start we got.”Surrey’s chase did not start well, with Jason Roy nicking the first ball of the innings, from Lukas Carey, to the keeper but Mark Stoneman joined Aaron Finch in a stand of 64 in six overs before carving to deep midwicket in Graham Wagg’s first over to go for a useful 21-ball 34.Finch, who had got off the mark by swinging Michael Hogan for six from his first ball, and who also hit Marchant de Lange for six, reached 33 from 22 balls before mishitting Ingram’s occasional legspin straight to long on in the eighth over, and Surrey’s decline continued as Moises Henriques and Sam Curran were both held in the deep.Aneurin Donald helped keep Glamorgan top of South Group•Getty ImagesFrom 84 for 3 after ten overs, Surrey slid to 101 for 6 as Rikki Clarke could only score 6 on his Surrey return before becoming one of de Lange’s three victims.Ollie Pope, caught at midwicket off de Lange, scored a sparkling 26 and Surrey’s hopes rose further when Tom Curran swung Hogan for six in an 18th over costing 16 runs and also containing fours by both Curran and Stuart Meaker.That left 32 needed from the last two overs, and Curran immediately swatted Graham Wagg’s left arm seam over wide midwicket for six. Riding his luck, with an inside-edged four to fine leg, Curran ensured that 15 came from the over – setting up the superb finish.When Glamorgan batted, Donald was quickly into his stride, pulling for six the fourth ball of the innings from Jade Dernbach – and the second ball he faced – before taking three fours from Sam Curran’s opening over with a lovely straight drive, a paddle-pull to wide long leg and then a crashing drive through extra cover.Another flipped four, off Dernbach, followed before the wicket of Jacques Rudolph slowed Glamorgan for a while. From 30 for no wicket after three overs, they could only score 46 for 1 from the initial six-over Powerplay after Roy leapt to take a brilliant catch at backward point to send back Rudolph for 4.The bowler was Clarke, who has rejoined his first county Surrey, for whom he played from 2002 to 2007. Initially, the move is on loan from Warwickshire ahead of a permanent move from next season, with Dom Sibley already going the other way in a reciprocal deal, and 35-year-old allrounder Clarke struck with his fifth ball in the fourth over. His first two overs cost only eight runs and he finished with 1 for 23.Ingram, however, still managed to hit his first ball, from Clarke, for four and he was soon pulling Tom Curran for four and launching Gareth Batty’s offspin for six in the eighth over. Another six arrived when Ingram pulled the younger Curran out of the ground beyond the Peter May Stand as the Welsh county reached the halfway mark at 87 for 1.Batty was then plundered for 22 in an over by Donald, with three leg-side fours and a smeared six being followed by a delicate lap for four by the youngster from the last ball of the 11th over.A four and straight six by Ingram off Henriques’s medium pace quickly followed but the rollicking second wicket stand ended in the 13th over when Donald skied paceman Meaker to midwicket.Ingram went six balls later, cutting Henriques to point, and three more wickets fell in the final overs as Glamorgan’s middle-order sought to add as many as they could. David Miller’s 24 from 19 balls included a last over six off a Tom Curran full toss the ball before he fell attempting to clear long-on, while Wagg also swung Clarke for six.

Aston Villa remain interested in making a move for Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres this summer, according to a new transfer update.

How old is Ferran Torres?

The Spaniard, who is still only 23 years of age, made the move to join Barca from Manchester City last summer, following an underwhelming spell in the Premier League. While he showed glimpses of his quality in a City shirt, he was still young and maturing at the time, with Pep Guardiola willing to sanction a move away.

At his current club, Torres has again struggled a little to be an absolute key man, only starting 14 La Liga games out of a possible 38 last season. Four goals and two assists came his way, but while he would have hoped to enjoy a little more influence, he still ended the campaign as a league champion.

It remains to be seen what the attacker's future holds at Barca, with competition for places extremely strong, and a move away from the Camp Nou hasn't been ruled out. In fact, Villa have been linked with snapping him up during the current transfer window, as they look for another marquee signing to join the likes of Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans at the club.

It is a rumour that still isn't going away, as the Villans look to continue what has already been a hugely exciting summer in the transfer market.

Could Aston Villa sign Ferran Torres?

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Villa are still pushing to sign Torres before the window comes to an end, but are admittedly finding it hard to match Barca's asking price for him.

Much could also depend on what happens with Ousmane Dembele at the La Liga champions, with the report explaining that him staying put would then allow Barca to sell some of their other attacking players.

Villa are reportedly willing to improve their offer for Torres, however, once again highlighting their level of ambition this summer, so they aren't going to give up without a fight.

By the sounds of it, a transfer does look unlikely, as things stand, but it is great to see such ambition on show at Villa Park, as they look to kick on after a brilliant 2022/23 season.

Granted, Torres hasn't exactly set the world alight at either City or Barca, but he remains a young player with so much potential, having been hailed as "world-class" by Xavi as recently as last year. To receive such praise from a true legend of the game says so much about his quality.

The former Valencia man has already scored 15 goals in 35 caps for Spain, too, showing what a force he has been on the international stage, and he could be an absolute superstar for Villa, coming in as a high-profile arrival and potentially thriving as the main man in attack, rather than simply being a cog in the machine.

If Torres came in, the Villans could genuinely start thinking about a top-six finish in 2023/24, if they aren't already, in what is an exciting time at the club. Former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has even called a possible move for Torres a "statement" signing.

Charlotte Edwards has announced her retirement from the professional game after leading Southern Vipers to a runners-up finish in the second Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2017Charlotte Edwards has announced her retirement from the professional game after leading Southern Vipers to a runners-up finish in the second Kia Super League.Edwards, 37, quit international cricket last year, after being removed from the England captaincy. She continued to play domestically and lifted the inaugural KSL title in 2016 but could not repeat the feat at Hove, where her side lost to Western Storm.Afterwards, Edwards confirmed she would no longer be involved in professional leagues, such as the KSL and Women’s Big Bash, which have only recently become established in the women’s game.”I think I would like to play some county cricket but in terms of this competition and playing overseas this is it, my time is done and I want to pursue other things such as coaching and perhaps some media work,” she said. “I am happy and content with what I have achieved in my career, I have loved every minute of it.”Edwards was a pioneer of women’s cricket, having begun when skirts were still the uniform and ended shortly after the introduction of professional contracts.Since hanging up her bat after a 20-year England career, in which she lifted the World Cup and World T20 as captain, Edwards has taken up commentary roles with Sky and the BBC. She was also recently engaged to do some coaching work with the USA women’s team.”I haven’t got anything final lined up in terms of coaching,” Edwards said. “I have spoken to the ECB about potentially working with their junior age groups and hopefully help a lot of the good talent we have got in England develop. I am not envious of the youngsters, I just hope they can grab the incredible opportunities there are now. It is a brilliant time to be involved in the women’s game and hopefully the game in this country will continue to grow.”Edwards scored an unbeaten 20 from eight balls in her final innings, batting down the order at No. 7, but could not prevent Western Storm from coasting to a seven-wicket win.”I just wanted to enjoy today and full credit to the Western Storm, they played brilliantly and it was a fantastic innings by Rachel Priest for them,” she said.

Liverpool are at risk of losing out on Romeo Lavia the longer the transfer saga drags on, but they may already have an alternative lined up in Fluminense midfielder Andre.

Who do Liverpool want to buy this summer?

It has already been a busy window for Jurgen Klopp's side, having spent close to £100m on bringing in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to strengthen their midfield.

Those arrivals helped offset the departures of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Klopp will almost certainly need another player in that position as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are widely expected to depart for teams in Saudi Arabia.

Lavia is top of the Reds' wishlist, but The Athletic's David Ornstein reported on Tuesday that their initial offer of £37m was rejected by Southampton, who may be looking for a sum closer to the £50m mark.

That means Liverpool could be left disappointed in their pursuit of a player they are clearly eager to sign, but supporters should fear not.

According to Football Transfers, the Merseyside outfit are one of a number of Premier League clubs to have made an initial approach for talented ace Andre, and Fluminense are open to selling the €25m-valued (£21m) midfielder at the end of the Brazilian Serie A season.

Who is Brazilian midfielder Andre?

Andre – or Andre Trindade da Costa Neto, to give him his full name – is a 22-year-old midfielder who has spent his three-year senior career to date with Fluminense.

The Ibirataia native has made 110 league appearances for the Tricolor, scoring three teams. Indeed, Andre is far more accustomed to picking up yellow cards than creating goals, having been cautioned a pretty incredible 31 times already, as per Soccerway.

That provides a strong indication of what Andre's game is all about; a player who is in the side to help break things up, rather than get forward and finish off chances himself.

There are plenty of comparisons to be made between Andre and fellow Liverpool target Lavia, who picked up nine yellow cards in 29 Premier League appearances last season.

For added context, Fabinho received 11 bookings last season – no other Liverpool player received more than five – so that destructive midfielder is very much what Klopp is seeking.

As already touched on, neither Andre nor Lavia are in the side to score goals, as reflected in their near identical returns of 0.47 and 0.49 shots every 90 minutes respectively, as per FBref.

Andre has a better pass-completion percentage than Lavia (93.2 v 86.2) and boasts a better take-on success rate (59.4% v 56%), though the quality of the two divisions must be factored in.

Described as "incredible" by Brazilian journalist Victor Canedo, 5 foot 8 Andre also outshines Lavia in key defensive metrics such as tackles won per 90 (1.72 v 1.42) and interceptions per 90 (1.56 v 1.34).

The advantage of signing Lavia is that he has Premier League experience, but if it is a cheaper alternative the Reds want in an identical mould, then Andre may just be Klopp's ideal signing.

Virat Kohli’s 92, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s new-ball swing and Yuzvendra Chahal’s middle-overs strikes were other highlights as India went 2-0 up in the ODI series

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Sep-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:27

Agarkar: Maxwell’s wicket put Australia under pressure

New-ball swing; awkward, hit-the-deck seam; a pair of wristspinners turning their stock ball in opposite directions; a hustling, bustling, bouncer-happy allrounder. Seldom has an Indian ODI attack contained this much variety. Seldom has it all come together so spectacularly.During the innings break, India may have felt they could defend 252 on an Eden Gardens pitch that had been a little two-paced through their innings. They may have expected even more help for their bowlers under lights – it was one of the reasons Virat Kohli had cited for choosing to bat first. They couldn’t have foreseen the manner in which they would rip through Australia and subject them to their tenth straight defeat in completed away ODIs.Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah moved the ball both ways, and kept asking the openers uncomfortable questions. It just happened to be a day when one of them, Bumrah, would keep beating the edges and shaving the paint off the stumps while the other, Bhuvneshwar, clattered the top of Hilton Cartwright’s off stump and kissed David Warner’s outside edge.Then came the only substantial partnership of the innings, which, while it lasted, threw a bit of a scare into India. A short spell of rain, which had interrupted India’s innings for 14 minutes, and a bit of dew had combined to liven up a dry pitch and give India’s spinners extra grip; equally, it had quickened up an already lightning outfield. With Steven Smith batting like Steven Smith and Travis Head timing the ball like a dream, the third-wicket pair added 76 at more than a run a ball.Through that partnership, Yuzvendra Chahal had commanded respect from both batsmen, troubling Head in particular with his legbreaks, cramping him for room repeatedly and having one loud lbw shout turned down. After all that, it was a full-toss that broke the partnership, Head flicking straight to short midwicket.Then, just after Glenn Maxwell had hit the other wristspinner, Kuldeep Yadav, out of the attack with two sixes in one over, Chahal struck again, drawing Maxwell out of his crease, beating him with dip, and having him stumped off his back leg. When the fifth bowler, Hardik Pandya, removed Smith with an accurate, cross-seam bouncer, Australia were 138 for 5.Three overs later, they were eight down. Chetan Sharma had done it during the 1987 World Cup, and Kapil Dev in 1991, but for 26 years no Indian bowler had taken an ODI hat-trick. Until Kuldeep ambled up to bowl the 33rd over of Australia’s innings. First, Matthew Wade dragged one on from wide outside off, caught in that awkward zone between cutting and punching. Then a loopy, dipping yorker to pin Ashton Agar in front. And then the perfect hat-trick ball: flight to bring Pat Cummins forward, dip to make him reach for the ball, and the wrong’un to catch his outside edge.Australia, at that stage, needed 105 to win, and had only two wickets in hand. They did, however, still have Marcus Stoinis at the crease. In his second ODI, at Eden Park, he had put on 54 for the last wicket with Josh Hazlewood – who made 0 off 0 – to drag Australia to the brink of an improbable win against New Zealand.Now, in a stadium with a similar name, he threatened to do it all over again. He lofted Kuldeep over the covers, launched Chahal straight down the ground, and swept both of them. When Pandya bounced out Nathan Coulter-Nile, he responded by clouting him for a straight six. Then Bumrah, seeing him shuffle across his stumps, aimed a full-toss at his pads. Stoinis flicked him for another six.From 105 off 102 after the hat-trick over, the equation now suddenly read 51 off 42. India still only needed one wicket, though. Into the attack for the first time since the 11th over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar only needed one ball: Bumrah had managed to deny Stoinis a last-ball single, and now it was Kane Richardson on strike. He looked to flick a fullish ball, missed, and even a review couldn’t save him.For the second time in the series, Kohli chose to bat first, and for the first time this year – a year of plenty against all other opponents – he made a substantial score against Australia. Taking guard on middle stump and shuffling across to off to get closer to the sixth-stump line Australia have targeted him with, he clipped, drove and sprinted his way to 92 on an extremely humid afternoon, putting India in a commanding position courtesy partnerships of 102 with Ajinkya Rahane for the second wicket and 55 with Kedar Jadhav for the fourth.At the 35-over mark, India were 185 for 3, and looking at 300. But they lost three wickets within the next five overs. Nathan Coulter-Nile, who had earlier dismissed Rohit Sharma for a rare low score at this venue, took two of them, having Jadhav caught at backward point and cramping Kohli for room to bowl him off the inside-edge. With MS Dhoni scooping Kane Richardson to short cover soon after, India were now forced to temper their ambitions.They couldn’t take too many risks, given their situation and the two-paced nature of the surface, and Australia’s seamers, varying their pace and denying the batsmen room, gave them little to work with. Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had added 33 in 51 balls when rain came down, with India 237 for 6 in 47.4 overs. Play resumed after a 14-minute delay, and the explosive finish India wanted simply didn’t materialise: the last 15 balls of the innings only produced 15 runs, for the loss of their last four wickets.