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Like Tony Blair riding into Downing Street on wave in 1997, Steve McClaren comes into Newcastle seemingly to a backdrop of ‘things can only get better.’

OK, so the wild optimism and backslapping of the first Labour government in nearly 20 years sweeping to power is hardly mimicked on Tyneside just at the moment with the glorious arrival of the all-conquering Steve McClaren. But the doom and gloom of last season should surely lift a bit. Things really can only get better.

So who wouldn’t like to be Steve McClaren right now? No manager comes into the job thinking they’re going to fail, but to do any worse than where Newcastle ended up at the end of last season would be failure on a catastrophic scale. So there’s optimism that McClaren can lead Newcastle onwards and upwards, in the short term at least.

In fact, there’s optimism all over the Premier League. Every team should have a reason to be cheerful. The new TV rights deal has seen clubs spend money this season, transfer records are being broken left, right and centre and every team is strengthening.

Optimism reigns because there’s nothing quite like new blood. New managers and new signings excite, especially record signings. And so when a new manager comes into the club and breaks the club transfer record to sign a Dutch international midfielder then expectations rise just that little bit more.

Mike Ashley’s deep pockets looked to be rendered useless by pathogenically small arms, but the fact that the club has more money to play with may have something to do with the new signings. The problem is, every club has that money now.

Teams around where Newcastle were at the end of last season are doing business too. Aston Villa may have lost their best player, but they’re strengthened well – though they need to be careful that all of these new signings won’t make the club undergo a Spurs-like spiral of post-partum depression. Leicester broke their record transfer twice last season and Pardew and Palace have broken it too.

The good news is that Newcastle aren’t really competing with those clubs. Most fans of other teams would certainly accept that Newcastle are a mid-table side at worst – and the fact that they were anywhere near a relegation scrap at all last season was mystifying.

So back to this season. A new manager with a point to prove, exciting young players like Alexandar Mitrovic and record signing Gregorio Wijnaldum could potentially add a power and technique that Newcastle fans will love. And you can add Chancel Mbemba to those two assuming his visa is approved and he is the age Newcastle think he is!

They are three players who should take to the Premier League well, given their physical attributes. They are athletic players who shouldn’t need too long to adapt, and with Mitrovic scoring in pre-season, he can hit the ground running and find some form. He might be a player to watch over the next few months.

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So there should be optimism around Newcastle, fans should be happier than they have been in a while, but it should be a cautious optimism. The new signings and new beginnings can be seen in a positive light, but the fact that the Premier League is now in a position where even the smallest clubs can pay close to £10m on players means that everyone now has to spend big.

Perhaps that means managing expectations, but after last season it seems all the Toon Army want is a team that tries, not necessarily a team that wins trophies. Not yet. Steve McClaren is in an enviable position because whatever happens this season he can point the debacle of last season, and how things can only get better.

What does being in the Champions League final mean to you personally?

To be honest, I have never really thought about that and I also don’t think it really matters. I have had so many things to do, I haven’t even thought about it since we have reached the final. But once the moment of the final arrives, I will probably feel that it is the most extraordinary thing I have ever experienced in my whole sporting career. Michael Zorc still enthuses about the victory in 1997 and can commentate on nearly every single minute of this match. We will feel it when the moment comes, but right now I don’t have the time to think about it.

It really was an incredible season for the squad. Are you proud that your team has made it to the final?

Yes, in this Champions League tournament, but also throughout the whole of the Bundesliga season I have felt very proud of the team, because of the way they have coped with a variety of different situations. Everything we have done this year has had a positive impact on our Champions League performances. The guys have made use of what we have practiced and additionally they always performed on the pitch with all their heart. This season showed a little bit of everything, all feelings were represented. Of course there were some concerns in the match against Malaga, but also there was huge relief and many positive emotions. The 3-2 against Malaga or also the final whistle in Madrid were moments, which all of us will never forget.

Are situations like playing a final at Wembley the reason why you have become a coach and can you say afterwards ‘this is the biggest thing I can ever experience’?

To be brutally honest, I became a coach, because I am not good at anything else (laughs). But more seriously, I could be the exact same coach, but if I didn’t have such support of the club, such a great coaching team and most importantly, such incredible players in the squad, I would have never had the chance to make it to the Champions League final. I am also aware of the fact that not everybody gets these great opportunities, so this is really not the reason why I became coach. I see it more as the icing on the cake and a special moment, which we want to enjoy, but we will enjoy it our way, by playing really intensive football. There will be a moment in which we will be overwhelmed with what we have achieved, but right now it is not the time yet.

With what expectations do you travel to Wembley? What is your goal? Actually, there can only be one goal, otherwise you wouldn’t go there, right?

(laughs) Yes, it is not like the Olympic motto ‘The most important thing is not to win but to take part’. The preparations have been extremely intensive and thus there is just one reason why we participate in the final: To win it! I really hope that people will see that this is the reason why we go there. We have made it so far in the tournament whilst at the same time being the fairest team in the competition and this is also the way we want to present ourselves to the audience in the final, because we are convinced fairplay is the right way. I hope that this will also work out for us in the final. But I could also not claim we deserve it more than Bayern does. The team that wins in the end will be the team that deserves it the most. This we will have to respect and acknowledge if it isn’t us, but right now we still have some time to make sure it will be us who lifts the trophy. Until then we will do our best to maximise all our resources.

Why do you think it will be you, who lifts the trophy?

This is easy to answer: Because we have all the possibilities for it. We surprised even ourselves a few times this season. For example when we played against Manchester City, or several times against Real Madrid or against Shakhtar Donetsk. In the end we will have to adhere to the fact that we deserve to be in the final. And the one who deserves to play in the final also has the chance to win it, and this is exactly what we are focused on now.

Who has more pressure to succeed? Dortmund or Munich?

I don’t care about that, as it is not of importance. Ahead of the match both teams will feel the pressure and everyone will go there with the feeling that this might be a unique opportunity. What counts is how to shut out this pressure and to get into the match and focus on what is needed and expected. And as long you can see that bright light at the end of the tunnel, that shiny Champions League trophy, it is also easier to approach the task with a positive attitude and not get carried away with a feeling of anxiety. We will take on this challenge in a happy, joyful and free way and then we will see what happens.

Is it an advantage for you to play in the final against Bayern Munich, since you have proven various times in the past two years that you are not only equally strong, but even better than them?

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The last two years don’t really matter when it comes to this final. The past results included two close defeats, in the Supercup at the beginning of the season and also in the German Cup quarterfinal. Additionally we drew twice in the league matches. If you look at the results of Bayern Munich this season, they basically destroyed anyone in a heartbeat, anyone but us. This is what matters now. We’ve always fought back, even if we weren’t in the best shape in some matches. When we are in our best condition –and this is the only thing we really need to talk about- we can beat Bayern Munich. We know this, and so do they. But we have to make it come true now. We know we will play against probably the best team in the world at this moment in time, but we also know we are the only ones who have the weapons to be an actual threat to them. And this is exactly what we want to capitalise on.

You are very often in the center of attention, without aiming for it. Would you rather have the squad and your coaching team be in the spotlight?

Yes, of course. I am a normal person and often things feel uncomfortable when being too much in the center of attention. But in the end it serves to the purpose. When I am in the focus, for example in a more negative respect, I know I can handle it, but I don’t know if someone else could to the same extent. Thus it is sometimes even helpful to have me in the spotlight. In the end it is only important to me that the team knows I am not purposely stealing their ‘thunder’ and they feel my respect towards them. We simply accept what’s finally being reported about in the media. Sometimes it is too much attention, but as time goes on, it gets less important.

Jürgen Klopp is proud to wear PUMA on the touchline and away from the pitch, PUMA are also partners of Borussia Dortmund.

West Ham United co-owner, David Sullivan, admits the club are still carrying the financial burden of the Carlos Tevez saga which relegated Sheffield United back in 2007, according to Daily Mail reports.

Sullivan admitted West Ham still owe the Blades £10 million in compensation, as Tevez’s winner against Manchester United saved the club from relegation and effectively sent the Yorkshiremen back to the Championship, despite the Argentine being  ineligible to play.

He said: “We have an eight-figure sum still outstanding over the Tevez affair, even though we have been playing it down over the past two years.” (Daily Mail)

Manager, Sam Allardyce has been shrewd in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen and George McCartney in the summer transfer window, while Kevin Nolan proved to be an inspirational signing last year and scored the winner in Saturday’s opening day victory over Aston Villa, but Sullivan admits the debt has hindered the Hammers’ spending.

He claimed: “We’ve done some good business and brought in some real quality despite our still-limited resources.

“That amount has to be paid off over the next 12 months, which does take its toll on our transfer activity.”

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Royal Challengers will be without Harshal in the game against captain du Plessis’ former side

S Sudarshanan11-Apr-20222:35

How do RCB cope with Harshal’s absence? Who should be CSK’s overseas four?

Big Picture

One has to go way back to 2010 to find the last time Chennai Super Kings lost four IPL matches on the trot. And they’ve never lost four at the start of the season. In this ten-team tournament, they are already in a situation where another defeat could all but end their season. Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, are being led by one of their own in Faf du Plessis and are in the top half of the table with three wins in four outings.Super Kings are indeed missing the du Plessis touch at the top with the bat. A struggling Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken sheen off the quick, fiery starts Robin Uthappa has been getting off to, which has hampered the side. That head coach Stephen Fleming lamented the batting, bowling and fielding after the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad indicates that the self-belief of the four-time champions is on shaky grounds.But Gaikwad takes a liking to Mohammed Siraj’s pace, having a strike rate of 147 against the fast bowler without being dismissed. He also enjoyed playing Wanindu Hasaranga with a strike rate of 162 in three innings.Related

• Fleming admits CSK's self-belief is shaken

• Who is Anuj Rawat, and why did RCB pay big for him?

• Harshal Patel leaves RCB bubble after sister's death

Super Kings have a run rate of just over seven in the middle overs – between the seventh and the 16th overs – just a shade better than that of the low-ranked Mumbai Indians. Royal Challengers, on the other hand, have been accelerating in the same phase, as evident from their run rate of 9.13, which is the second-best.But throw in a Siraj and a Siddarth Kaul, who could make his way in for a bereaved Harshal Patel, against MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu, the picture could be a touch different. Rayudu’s strike rates against Siraj and Kaul are 158 and 174, with Dhoni’s corresponding numbers reading 182 and 172.Even though both teams haven’t picked up wickets in clusters in the powerplay – Super Kings have one while Royal Challengers have four to show – the latter have managed to keep the run-scoring under eight while the former have conceded runs at 8.62 an over. Eight sixes have been hit against the Super Kings bowlers in the first six overs, which is the joint second-most in the season so far.With Anuj Rawat also showing his six-hitting prowess in the game against Mumbai Indians, Super Kings have another top-order left-hander to contend with after Abhishek Sharma pummeled them into submission. With Dinesh Karthik striking at over 200 – the most by anybody to have batted at least in three innings – Royal Challengers seem to have their batting sorted, with all of du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Shahbaz Ahmed having contributed in one game or the other. Karthik also strikes in excess of 155 against Chris Jordan, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja.While the Super Kings have had the upper hand over their southern neighbours winning 18 off the 28 encounters, the time seems opportune for Royal Challengers to better that record.Shivam Dube muscles one over the leg side•BCCI

In the news

Royal Challengers will be without Harshal Patel, who has left the bubble due to the demise of his sister. It is not known yet when he would return. In order to re-enter the IPL bubble, he will have to undergo a three-day quarantine. Australia quick Josh Hazlewood is available for the game.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Shivam Dube 6 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Dwaine Pretorius 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Mukesh Choudhary/Tushar DeshpandeRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 David Willey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Siddarth Kaul, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Akash Deep

Strategy Punt

Out of Wanindu Hasaranga’s eight wickets thus far, seven have been against right-handers. He has an economy over nine against left-handers and Super Kings have three in Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, who can pose problems. In the two matches where Dube got a score of note – 57 versus Punjab Kings and 49 against Lucknow Super Giants – he had come in to bat in the sixth and eighth over respectively. Super Kings need to back Dube to bat more overs by having him enter around the seventh or eighth over mark. That could help them minimise the Hasaranga threat as the legspinner is not quite at home against left-handers. Moreover, Dube’s strike-rate against spin since IPL 2021 is 135 and he has been dismissed by spinners just three times in 12 innings.

Stats that matter

• Moeen has been out to Glenn Maxwell twice in four innings and averages just 5.5 against him with a strike rate of 73.
• Dhoni has scored 51 off the 28 balls he has faced against Mohammed Siraj and is yet to be dismissed by the pacer.
• Although Dinesh Karthik has a strike rate of 155 and 159 against Dwayne Bravo and Jadeja, he has been dismissed three times each by them.
• Super Kings will be the sixth team to play 200 IPL matches after Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.

Nottinghamshire, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffer only second defeat of season

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Nottinghamshire Outlaws, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffered only a second defeat of the season in the Vitality Blast as bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire Foxes won by two wickets with two balls to spare.Josh Inglis and Arron Lilley were joint top-scorers with 42 and though the Foxes suffered some jitters after needing 35 from 25 balls and six off the last over, Naveen-ul-Haq hit back-to-back fours off former Leicestershire fast bowler Zak Chappell to get them over line after Steven Mullaney had taken 3 for 33 and Calvin Harrison 2 for 21.The Foxes had dismissed Nottinghamshire for 173 in 19.2 overs, Naveen picking up 3 for 33 and Colin Ackermann 3 for 35. Joe Clarke hit 57 in 27 balls and Ben Duckett 45 off 27 but the Outlaws lost their last six wickets for 22 runs, Lilley holding four outfield catches.Ackermann claimed an early blow for the Foxes after winning the toss when Alex Hales hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket but Clarke launched Gavin Griffiths for back-to-back sixes and Naveen for three consecutive fours as the Outlaws ended the Powerplay on 62 for 1.Clarke struck two more sixes off Ben Mike as he reached fifty from 24 balls and cleared long-on for a fifth six as Ackermann returned, only to follow Hales in finding Lilley at deep midwicket. Three fours in a row by Duckett off Ackermann advanced the total to 110 for 2 at halfway.Lilley then applied the brakes with the ball, conceding only 20 in his four overs of off-spin and dismissing Mullaney as the Outlaws innings fell apart. The demise of Duckett, leg before sweeping, sparked the loss of their last six wickets for 22 in 23 deliveries, Naveen taking three wickets in seven balls.The Foxes lost Rishi Patel early but with Inglis hitting sixes off Dane Paterson, Chappell and Matt Carter and Lilley another off Samit Patel, the home side were ahead of what was needed at 75 for 1 after six.Inglis and Lilley fell in turn to Harrison, both perhaps guilty of taking liberties with the young leg-spinner, Inglis hitting straight to long-on, Lilley comfortably stumped, yet at 107 for 3 after 10 overs, the game was there to be won.Scares followed for the home crowds as Harry Swindells was caught behind off a bottom edge, Ackermann sliced to short third man, Lewis Hill ramped straight to short fine leg, Louis Kimber was caught at midwicket and Callum Parkinson at cover but Naveen picked up four off the edge before pulling Chappell for the winning boundary.

Late wickets for Trent Copeland capped a perfect day for the Blues, although Mitchell Starc was left frustrated

Alex Malcolm10-Nov-2020Centuries from Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott and two late strikes from Trent Copeland put New South Wales in position to pull off one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Sheffield Shield history.Having been bowled out for 64 on the opening day, the Blues third-lowest total in Shield history, and having trailed on the first innings by 175, a phenomenal batting display from Nick Larkin, Henriques, Abbott, and Mitchell Starc gave them a chance to declare their third innings and set Tasmania 347 to win, with 13 overs left in the third day.The declaration proved a master-stroke with Copeland removing both Tasmania openers to leave Matthew Wade and nightwatchman Peter Siddle to survive until stumps.Earlier in the day, Henriques cruised to his 12th first-class century and his partnership with Larkin, which had rescued the Blues from a perilous position on the second day, reached 250. Henriques was out shortly after, nicking Siddle to second slip.Larkin passed 150 for the second time in his Sheffield Shield career but his dismissal for 161 was a career-first. He was squared up by a peach of a delivery from Gabe Bell and held the pose of his squared up defensive stroke, but both feet were outside the popping crease. Tim Paine under-armed a throw at the stumps quickly and hit with Larkin stood still as a statue, dumbfounded and stumped. That was the last wicket Tasmania took as Abbott and Starc piled on the pain with a soul-destroying unbeaten 189-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The pair plundered 13 fours and seven sixes between them, feasting mainly on the part-time offerings of Beau Webster and Jake Doran. Drinks had to be called at one stage because one of Starc’s blows over midwicket could not be found.Abbott brought up his maiden first-class century with a delightful clip off his toes wide of mid-on and the Blues immediately declared leaving Starc 14 runs shy of his maiden hundred and less than impressed with his captain Peter Nevill. But it was the right move as Charlie Wakim edged Copeland in the third over with Abbott plucking a sensational catch low to his right at third slip.Jordan Silk, after holding NSW at bay with a fine century in the first innings, was Copeland’s second victim to leave Tasmania with a huge mountain to climb on the final day.

He was suspended following allegations of sexual harassment by a few women’s cricketers

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2020The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has lifted the suspension on Atul Bedade, the former India batsman and head coach of Baroda Women’s team, after conducting an internal inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment by a few female cricketers. The BCA, however, confirmed Bedade would not continue as the coach “considering the sensitivity of the matter”.The BCA formed a probe committee in March after issuing Bedade a suspension letter for “personal comments on physicality, comments that discourage the morale of team members, angry outbursts unbecoming of a women’s team coach, using language that is not accepted of a person in-charge, and behaviour oblivious of gender sensitivity”.The committee headed by a four-member panel – CEO Shishir Hattangadi, senior HR manager Priyanka Verma and secretaries Ajit Lele and Parag Patel – conducted a hearing with Bedade and “various stakeholders”, before making their decision public.”A preliminary inquiry was conducted by the CEO and senior manager-HR in the matter,” a BCA release stated. “During the apex committee [meeting] held on June 2, 2020, the issue was discussed and CEO and senior manager-HR were called to explain the details of investigations and their recommendations. Based on the details provided to the apex committee, it was resolved that his suspension stands withdrawn.”Bedade’s stint as Baroda Women’s coach lasted less than a year, with the one-day championship in February being his last assignment. He played 13 ODIs for India in the 1990s before getting into coaching full time.

The Australia batsman indicated that “training hard” will be a key to his return to the team’s white-ball ranks

Daniel Brettig18-Jun-2018Usman Khawaja was “extremely disappointed” there was no room for him in Australia’s limited-overs set-up despite unavailability of Steven Smith and David Warner, and has indicated that “training hard” will be a key to his return to the team’s white-ball ranks.Despite an outstanding recent record in domestic cricket and a handful of useful displays in sporadic ODI opportunities for Australia, there was no room for Khawaja in the first squad to tour under the coaching of Justin Langer. This has meant greater first-up opportunities for the likes of Shaun Marsh, D’Arcy Short and Travis Head.Khawaja was hesitant to give away too much detail about his omission – after previously being castigated by the selection chairman for his comments – but strongly indicated his disappointment at the decision. “I was extremely disappointed in all honesty,” he told RSN Radio. “I’ve had a lot of chats to the selectors and a couple to JL about it. I was a bit disappointed but some things you can’t control, so hopefully I’ll get a chance over the next year.”I scored a lot of runs in one-day cricket for the last five or six years, especially in domestic cricket, even when I’ve been away, a couple of Aussie A tours, so I’m not sure there is a lot more that I can do other than keep trying to score runs and hopefully I get a chance.”At the moment, I just assume they didn’t want me in the team because they just didn’t want me in the team. There’s not much other than that like … my record in one-day cricket is better than my red-ball record funnily enough and my Big Bash record … sometimes things just don’t align.”I’ve had some really good chats with JL, he’s been really clear about everything, and hopefully if I put my head down, keep training hard, doing all the right things that at some stage if an opportunity comes up then I’m still quite in line, talking to him and talking around. I think the door’s still there, I’ve just got to put my head down and hopefully an opportunity will present itself.”Last year Khawaja had ruffled plenty of feathers by saying that selection policy for Asian Tests, namely his omission from the batting order on the 2017 India tour, had caused “a lot of instability in the team”. He subsequently criticised the media for reporting these comments, in a radio interview with the ABC’s Jim Maxwell. In recent times Khawaja has done little other than to indicate how hard he has been working, posting Instagram videos of interval training before his departure to play county cricket for Glamorgan.Usman Khawaja plays a fine reverse sweep•Getty Images

The past Ashes summer took a considerable physical and mental toll on the Australian side, something that contributed to the environment in which Warner and Cameron Bancroft chose to tamper with the ball using a foreign object while staring at a Test match and series defeat to South Africa in Cape Town. Khawaja said the international treadmill was more draining than many realised.”I found it really draining to be honest after the Ashes, I know a few of the other guys did too,” he sad. “I was really tired. It didn’t hit me until it was all finished and I was like ‘oh boy’ it’s all caught up to me. Going over to South Africa I just knew what I had to do was give it all for another four or five weeks and I’d have a break somewhat. But the amount of cricket we played last year leading into that last series in South Africa, I think I was just pretty tired from that in general and that’s why I had two months off where I wasn’t hitting balls, working on fitness and that sort of stuff, but staying away from the game.”Langer has emphasised a higher level of fitness with the object of having physically and mentally durable players, and Khawaja highlighted some of the things that take a toll.”It’s more about the mind, you just don’t switch off. I don’t think people realise that when you’re playing cricket and away on the tour – even in the middle of a Test series, you play a five Test series and go for about two months – and you just do not switch off the whole time because you’re thinking about the next game, the next innings, what you’ve got to do to prepare. It’s one of those things where it’s sapping after a while. Four and five-day cricket is as tough as it gets.”People don’t realise that we get up early in the morning, if the game’s starting at 10, we’re up by 6.30-7, we’re at the ground about an hour and a half, two hours before the game starts, the game finishes at 5 but sometimes can go to 5.30 or 6, we’re in the changerooms until 7 o’clock, so we’re spending a lot of time at the ground. Those five days, it just feels like literally living in the ground and then it’s very hard to switch off because you’re always thinking about what to do next and how you can do better and everything that goes with it. After a big series it really is quite draining, let alone one Test match.”Despite his absence from the England ODI squad, Khawaja said he was hopeful of an opportunity, and expressed a preference for opening the batting in limited-overs formats. “In white-ball stuff I’ve always opened and I love opening, getting out there amongst it at the start, while the fielders are up I can really take on the game and I really enjoy playing that role,” he said.”In four-day and Test match cricket I prefer to be up in the top order somewhere, I’ve always preferred to bat at three. I batted four last week [for Glamorgan] and it was actually nice to sit down there and just relax and not have to worry about being next in, which was a little bit different, but I think I prefer to be in the top four, where I’ve always batted my whole life.”

A round-up of the WICB Regional 4 Day Tournament games played between December 7-10, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2017An unbeaten half-century from Denesh Ramdin helped Trinidad and Tobago salvage a draw against Jamaica at Sabina Park after the visitors had been reduced to 123 for 6 on the back of a Reynard Leveridge three-for following Jamaica’s first-innings lead of 292.Ramdin stitched together an unbroken 40-run stand for the seventh wicket with Imran Khan (17*), playing out 26.3 overs to take T&T to 163 for 6 at the close of play on the final day, even as Odean Smith, Damion Jacobs and John Campbell abetted Leveridge’s strikes with one wicket apiece.That T&T found themselves staring at defeat on the fourth day was largely down to the twin centuries from John Campbell and the Jamaica captain Paul Palmer, whose 156 and 136 respectively, contributed to the hosts’ mammoth first-innings tally of 535. The duo pinched a combined 23 fours and eight sixes, and were aided by fifties from Brandon King (63), Smith (54) and wicketkeeper Aldane Thomas, who fell one short of his maiden first-class half-century. Despite a four-for from Daniel St Clair and Khan’s 3 for 180, the 157-run third-wicket stand between King and Campbell and three other fifty stands from the Jamaica batsmen ensured the home side had taken a lead more than double the total T&T had put on the board in their first dig.Having elected to bat, T&T had could only amass 243, despite a 71-run opening stand between Amir Jangoo (39) and Jeremy Solozano (62). A four-wicket haul each from medium-pacer Derval Green and allrounder Campbell meant T&T could put only one more fifty stand – worth 73, for the third wicket – before being bowled out inside 82.5 overs on the opening day.Rahkeem Cornwall took a five-for against the Indians•AFP

Jomel Warrican’s 6 for 89 nearly snared a win for Barbados at St Kitts, but Devon Thomas’ fourth first-class century and some plucky lower-order resistance from Gavin Tonge and Jeremiah Louis ensured Leeward Islands scrambled to a draw in the closing hours of the final day.Barbados’ decision to declare on 163 for 4 – having set Leeward a target of 312 – on the final day found validation as Warrican and Kenroy Williams removed the openers inside 11 overs with only 57 on the scoreboard. Subsequent strikes from Warrican and Hayden Walsh reduced their opponents to 133 for 4, before Thomas’ 103 steered a 108-run fifth-wicket stand with Akeem Saunders (64), to put Leeward 71 runs away from victory. Saunders’ dismissal, however, led to Leewards losing 4 for 47 in the space of 11.5 overs but Tonge and Louis played out 32 balls for their unbroken eight-run stand to stave off any possibilities of a defeat.Earlier, despite having dealt the first blow through Rahkeem Cornwall in the 12th over of the match, Leeward struggled to follow up with regular strikes as Sheyne Moseley anchored a 133-run second-wicket stand with captain Shamarh Brooks (79) with his 303-ball 117. Moseley added another 52 with Jonathan Carter for the third wicket, to take his side to 221 for 2, before Barbados lost five wickets for 36. Justin Greaves’ unbeaten 79 helped lift Barbados from 257 for 7 to 394 as Cornwall completed his 13th first-class five-for 116 runs.Leeward’s response was headlined by a solitary half-century from Montcin Hodge (82) as Hayden Walsh and Kevin Stoute cleaned up the opposition line-up with a six-for and a four-wicket haul respectively. Leeward could only manage 246, with Hodge barely finding any support from the other batsmen – none of whom could notch up a score beyond 31 – and ended up conceding a 148-run first-innings lead.

The offspinner, who was left out of the India squad for the limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka and Australia, said he hasn’t done much wrong to remain on the sidelines

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-20174:17

Exclusive: Want to make a difference in 2019 World Cup – Ashwin

Since the 2015 World Cup, R Ashwin has played only 15 of India’s 47 ODIs, taking 17 wickets at an average of 40.58. During the same period, left-arm spinners Axar Patel (23) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) played more ODIs than Ashwin. More recently, when Ashwin was dropped for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka and the ongoing series at home against Australia, wristspinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal impressed and offered a fresh edge to the attack.Ashwin, however, has said he had not done much wrong to remain on the sidelines of India’s limited-overs team.”I am not desperate at all,” Ashwin, who is currently playing the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu, said .”One day, the opportunity will come knocking on my door because I haven’t done too much wrong. So when I get the opportunity and when I am put in an occasion, I will probably try and raise my game to the best of my ability.”While naming the squad for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad stressed that fitness would be a key parameter while picking the 2019 World Cup squad. Later in August, India’s coach Ravi Shastri echoed Prasad’s comments and wanted his side to have the “best fielding XI” at the World Cup.”I am a man for systems and any system put in place, I would strive my level best to try and match up to it,” Ashwin said, when asked about fitness. “Every leader has his own vision of how to bring the team about. This is the vision of the current leadership group and it’s important to respect it.”I have been in great conditioning ever since I missed the IPL. I have trained madly. You have to take the (Yo-Yo test) and decide how it goes. But I am completely in compliance with it.”Since the start of India’s 13-Test home season last year, Ashwin has bagged 99 wickets in 16 Tests, including eight five-wicket hauls at 25.38. With India set to tour South Africa at the end of this year, and later England and Australia – where pitches tend to offer less assistance to spin – Ashwin recognised the need to shift from an attacking role to a supporting role.”For me, its all about bowling well and trying to get into top rhythm,” he said. “It is about constantly revisiting my best. Maybe, I will not be the type of attacking bowler when we tour abroad. I need to do a good holding role.”