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Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for Sven Botman this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article posted on his own website, the Italian journalist revealed that, despite AC Milan being believed to be in advanced negotiations for the signing of the LOSC Lille centre-back, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 22-year-old ahead of a potential move of their own in the summer transfer window.

In his piece, Di Marzio wrote: “Both Tottenham and Manchester United could contest – together with Newcastle – the profile of Sven Botman at Milan – [who is in] negotiations with the Rossoneri. Both clubs have a sizeable budget to get to the defender. Even the Rossoneri club, therefore, must carefully monitor the current situation.”

Forget Bastoni

While missing out on the signing of Alessandro Bastoni will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to both Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte, considering just how impressive Botman has been for Lille in recent seasons, it is easy to see why the Spurs sporting director could be targeting the Netherlands U21 international as an alternative to the Inter Milan starlet.

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Indeed, over his 25 Ligue 1 appearances in 2021/22, the £27m-rated talent was in astonishing form, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.0 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 4.5 clearances and winning 4.0 duels – at a success rate of 66% – per game.

The £18k-per-week left-footer also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and registering one assist, in addition to completing an average of 53.4 passes, 4.1 long balls and taking 0.6 shots per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Matt Spiro dubbed an “exceptional centre-back talent” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, with Botman clearly being an incredibly talented left-footed ball-playing centre-back – not to mention a cheaper option at €45m (£38m) than the £54m Bastoni – it would indeed appear as if the Dutch defender would be a fantastic alternative to the Italy international for Paratici and Conte to pursue this summer.

AND in other news: Conte could land “dream” transfer alternative as Paratici now begins £50m Spurs talks

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now set for a ‘huge’ financial boost as an off-field update has emerged.

The Lowdown: Busy summer ahead

With the likes of Connor Goldson and Allan McGregor out of contract in the summer, the Ibrox club may have a busy window on their hands in terms of replacing the departing members of the squad.

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Zak Lovelace and Vladan Kovacevic are just two names who have been mentioned as potential incomings recently, and there could well be more on the cards depending on who ends up leaving Glasgow.

The Latest: £50m windfall

Writing in his latest piece for The Scottish Daily Express, Scottish football journalist Lindsay Herron has reported that Rangers will now bring in a windfall of close to £50m for the 2021/22 season, given their exploits in the Europa League.

They got to the final of the European club competition, only to fall at the last hurdle as they were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt.

They had pulled in £15.5m in total from the tournament, which added to over £20m in overall ticket sales along with a share of the £130m TV market pool money, which should all equate to just under £50m in revenue.

The Verdict: ‘Huge’ boost for Rangers

As per Herron, the amount of money being quoted is ‘huge’ in terms of balancing the books and further investment.

The Light Blues reported losses of £23.5m last year, so that should now be wiped out by the extra earnings from the recently-concluded campaign, while they will still have a fair amount of cash spare for the summer transfer window.

Along with bringing in new faces, it could also help to secure players like Goldson on new deals, which may be pivotal for Giovanni van Bronckhorst in terms of trying to keep his squad together.

In other news, find out what Goldson has now ‘told’ Alan Hutton about his future

According to a report from French outlet RMC Sport (via Sport Witness), West Ham United are among the clubs interested in signing Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo.

The lowdown: Career so far

The 26-year-old has spent his entire professional career in France having moved to FC Metz from Generation Foot, the famed Senegalese academy that also helped produce Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane before he made the same switch in 2013.

Since arriving in Europe, Diallo has scored 87 times in 230 appearances across spells with Metz, Stade Brestois 29 and Strasbourg.

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Now, as David Moyes looks to strengthen the attacking department at the London Stadium, the player could take another page from Mane’s book and swap France for England.

The latest: Major interest

As per RMC Sport, translated by SW, West Ham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Borussia Monchengladbach are all keen on the Senegal international forward.

It’s claimed that the Hammers have ‘shown a concrete interest’ in Diallo recently and have been particularly impressed with his ‘ability to keep the ball’ in the final third.

The report states that the man who was hailed for an ‘impressive’ breakthrough top-flight campaign by former Metz boss Vincent Hognon is being ‘followed’ by numerous clubs across the continent.

The verdict: Reinforcements needed

Having failed to find the net against Arsenal recently, usually talismanic goal-getter Michail Antonio has now gone seven league games without a goal, placing huge pressure on Jarrod Bowen.

However, Moyes has little choice but to persist with the 32-year-old due to a lack of recognised senior options as an understudy.

So far this season, Diallo has scored 12 times and provided two assists in 30 appearances across league and cup competitions – all whilst earning a 7.00 Sofascore rating and winning 1.9 aerial duels on average per game in Ligue 1.

Those statistics are underpinned by strong aerial, heading and finishing ability (WhoScored), all attributes that would further endear Moyes to the capture of the 6 foot 1 frontman.

At the right price, any attempt to bring Diallo to east London would surely be a wise move from GSB, adding a similar profile to Antonio and allowing the manager to rotate more effectively next term.

In other news: ‘Something special’ – Journalist says ‘massive player’ could be tempted to join West Ham, find out more here.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2018

Stats highlights from the third day’s play of the Antigua where West Indies were asked to follow-on

Bharath Seervi24-Jul-20162006 The last time West Indies were asked to follow-on in a home Test, before this match – also by India in St Lucia. India have effected three of West Indies’ last four follow-ons. England is the only other team to ask West Indies to follow-on thrice at their own backyard.323 India’s lead at the end of the first innings, which is the fourth-highest first-innings lead in West Indies and second-highest by India. India had a lead of 373 runs when they asked the hosts to follow-on in the St Lucia Test of 2006. Overall, this is India’s fourth-highest lead in an away Test while batting first.1 Instances of two India fast bowlers taking four or more wickets in a Test innings in West Indies. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav took four wickets each in the first innings which makes it the first such instance for India in the Caribbean. Overall, this was the ninth such instance for India in Tests outside Asia.0 Number of India fast bowlers who completed 50 Test wickets in fewer matches than Mohammed Shami, who took 13 Tests to reach there. Venkatesh Prasad also took 13 Tests to do the same. Overall, seven India bowlers have reached 50 Test wickets in fewer matches than Shami – all being spinners.6 Number of dismissals effected by Wriddhiman Saha in the first innings, the most by any wicketkeeper in an innings in West Indies. For India, Syed Kirmani and MS Dhoni are the only other wicketkeepers to effect six dismissals in a Test ininngs.74 Runs scored by Kraigg Brathwaite in the first innings. It’s the first time in seven innings that a West Indies opener has scored 50 or more in a home Test. The last such score was also by Brathwaite when he made 116 against England in Grenada in 2015.29.02 West Indies’ average partnership for the seventh and eighth wicket in Tests since 2015 – the second-best among all teams. West Indies’ only 50-plus stand in the Antigua Test came for the eighth wicket (69 runs) between Shane Dowrich and Jason Holder.1983 The only time before this Test where West Indies’ No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 have veen dismissed for less than 20 runs in a Test innings against India at home. West Indies in that innings, though, had scored 550 runs as both their openers and No. 7 and 8 all made centuries.2008 The last time West Indies’ No. 7, 8 and 9 all scored 20 or more runs in a Test innings, before this – against Australia in Jamaica. In West Indies’ first innings here in Antigua, 47.73% of the runs were scored by their No. 7, 8 and 9.Mohammed Shami became the joint-quickest India fast bowler to take 50 Test wickets•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

MS Dhoni’s field placements have mostly been intuitive this IPL but a tendency to stick to a formulaic bowling strategy, devoid of surprise, revealed itself again.

Arun Venugopal in Hyderabad03-May-2015If one were to look for reasons for Chennai Super Kings’ defeat, the obvious ones stare at the face. A tall chase dented beyond repair by the dismissals of Faf du Plessis and MS Dhoni off consecutive deliveries. Super Kings’ patchy bowling after winning the toss, and David Warner’s smash-mouth batting.All the above factors undeniably had a hand in their loss. However, it’s hard to overlook how Super Kings pushed the wrong buttons when they could have tripped up, or at least, slowed down Sunrisers Hyderabad. Had MS Dhoni revisited some of his bowling plans, they might have been chasing fewer than the 193 they eventually did.Warner posed the most demanding test to Dhoni and Super Kings’ ability to absorb shock and deflect it. He truculently pulled the very first delivery, bowled by Mohit Sharma, for four, and fed off the pace hurled at him. The short balls were shorn of menace; there was enough time for Warner to step back and redirect them when he wasn’t scything the ball through the leg side or punching one past the bowler.Dhoni was , in the way he usually does. There was the familiar staccato whirring of arms, as fielders were moved to the area the previous ball went to. Cue the joke about not being able to score twice in the same region when Dhoni is the captain. But was he ? There was enough evidence to suggest he didn’t.During the Powerplay, Dhoni has hedged his bets on his seamers, especially Ashish Nehra and Mohit. This is a departure from seasons past when R Ashwin would be seen opening the bowling. So loath has Dhoni been to use spinners inside the first six overs that Ashwin’s introduction against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai was the only such instance in IPL 2014. Kolkata had zipped away to 52 for 0 in five overs on the occasion, and it was Ashwin’s strike, off his first ball, that changed the course of the match.The Hyderabad pitch had some grass on it and, according to Warner, was hard and bouncy. Which is why Dhoni had opted to bowl. But it was easy to see why Warner wasn’t complaining. The sameness in bowling style, with no variation in pace, was the springboard Warner and his top-heavy side needed.It was a ploy that had worked in earlier matches, when his seamers were doing his bidding. But now, it was reeking of tactical rigidity, and Sunrisers had galloped away to 76 in six overs. Even making allowance for R Ashwin’s absence, Dhoni had in Suresh Raina a useful option to slow things down.When Raina was eventually introduced in the seventh over, it paid off immediately. After playing his first over out quietly, Warner jumped out in the next to give deep square leg catching practice. And even though the next man, Moises Henriques, hit Raina for two sixes, his brief counter-offensive was fraught with risks all along. Soon enough, left-arm spinner Pawan Negi had him stumped in his first over.David Warner posed the most demanding test to MS Dhoni and Super Kings’ ability to absorb shock and deflect it•BCCIDhoni had delayed bringing Negi on until Warner’s dismissal. It was in tune with another maxim high up on the Dhoni manual: never bring a left-arm spinner on when two left-handers are batting. But there were still openings to be exploited. From 128 for 2 in 12 overs, Sunrisers added just four runs in the next two overs, with Shikhar Dhawan getting run-out.At the crease were Eoin Morgan, playing his first game in more than 10 days, and an out-of-form Naman Ojha. There was a real chance to put Sunrisers’ fragile middle-order under pressure. But Dhoni, for the second time in the match, allowed them to get out of jail.Mohit was handed the ball, and Ojha found the release he needed. With Ronit More engaged at the other end, the two overs yielded 24 runs. There was to be no more spin in the innings. Raina had completed his quota, giving away 29 runs. Negi had two more overs, and Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t even considered. Granted he hasn’t been having a great time lately, but surely an over wouldn’t have not hurt? More so because Morgan was struggling to score at even a run a ball initially.Mohit, instead, offered a friendlier brand of bowling to help Morgan’s innings gain some legs. While Nehra and Dwayne Bravo bowled well, there was no one to back them up at the other end.Dhoni was justified in blaming his bowlers for “not bowling to their field”, but there was a case for a niftier approach to bowling changes. Dhoni the Test captain was often criticised for letting games drift, but his limited-overs captaincy has always been about staying ahead of the curve. His field-placements have been intuitive for the most part in this year’s competition, but a tendency to stick to a formulaic bowling strategy, devoid of an element of surprise, revealed itself again on Saturday.

Plays of the day for the Champions League final between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Oct-2013The comeback
Shane Watson should have had Sachin Tendulkar out for 1 when he struck him mid-pad in front of middle and leg, but having survived that shout, Tendulkar seemed to hit form in Watson’s next over, the first two balls of which he sent to the fence. A full delivery on the pads was glanced to fine leg, before Tendulkar unfurled a commanding cover drive suggesting even more strongly that he was in good touch. Next ball though, Watson jagged one back in from outside off stump, and aiming another big drive on the off side, Tendulkar missed the ball by a distance to have his off stump removed from the ground.The innovation
Glenn Maxwell went some way to justifying his million-dollar price tag as he blasted 37 from 14 balls, and the most remarkable stroke in his innings was his four to third man off James Faulkner in the 19th over. In the age of scoops that plunder runs from yorkers and length balls on the stumps, Maxwell improvised a stroke that sent wide yorkers to the fence as well. Getting low with his arms crossed on the bat handle, Maxwell created a ramp almost two feet outside the off stump, and sent the ball over the infield.The pattern
Even in Twenty20 cricket batsmen often like to take a few balls to become accustomed to the pitch and the opposition bowlers, but four Mumbai Indians batsmen wasted little time before sending their first one into the stands. Rohit Sharma began the trend on his third ball, launching Stuart Binny’s slower one high over long-on, before Maxwell went one better, by depositing his second ball into the legside stand with a pick-up shot. Dinesh Karthik improved the pattern further, when he slogged his first ball into the deep midwicket stand, before Harbhajan Singh followed suit with his own first-ball six on the leg side, off a high full toss.The ball-watchers
Kusal Perera had been flown in from Sri Lanka as the injured Brad Hodge’s replacement just hours before the match, only to be given short shrift by his partner Ajinkya Rahane in the first over. Having hit two fours off his first three balls, Perera pushed one wide of cover and immediately called Rahane through, never taking his eyes off the ball to look at his partner. Rahane too was staring at the ball and though it was Perera’s call, he yelled “no” loudly, when his partner was about a third of the way down the pitch. Perhaps not hearing this though, and possibly pulsing with finals-adrenaline, Perera continued to sprint down the pitch, though Rahane remained stationary. It wasn’t until the bails were being removed at a vacant strikers’ end that the batsmen looked at each other, sporting expressions of anger and frustration.The battle
Shane Watson and Kieron Pollard engaged in a tussle of egos in the 13th over of Royals’ innings, and though Watson got the better of Pollard during the over, Pollard had the last laugh in the next. Pollard had run in to deliver the last ball of his over, but failed to release the ball although he went through the action. This prompted animated words from Watson, who went back to smash the next ball high into the stands behind midwicket, inciting more chatter between the players. Next over though, Watson’s slog off Harbhajan Singh flew high into the air off the top edge, and it was Pollard who advanced from long-on to take the chance.The inglorious finish
One of the most admirable careers of the modern age got the kind of ill-deserved ignominious end that only Twenty20 cricket can provide, as Rahul Dravid made his last act on a professional cricket field an awful swipe across the line. Having moved around the order to suit the team’s needs during his limited-overs, and even his Test career, Dravid demoted himself to No. 8 in his last match, and arrived at the crease at a time when plenty of boundaries were needed. He dug out a single first up, but when Nathan Coulter-Nile delivered the kind of humdrum yorker that Dravid would have patted firmly back to the bowler in all his years as ‘The Wall’, he instead aimed a slog to midwicket, and had his leg stump flattened.

The international Twenty20 game, for the sake of its own future, sorely needs to re-establish its primacy with a successful World T20

David Hopps in Colombo17-Sep-2012It is an overburdened mind that cannot spare some time for revelry and, in the next three weeks in Sri Lanka, the World Twenty20 offers the international game the chance to discover its lighter side. No form of the game can promote the attraction of cricket to a new audience so quickly, nor provides such immediate appeal.For the connoisseurs who carp that Twenty20 is a poor substitute for the intricacies of Test cricket, it is time to lighten up or look away. The two extremes of the game satisfy very different needs and it is perfectly possible to enjoy both without admitting to a personality disorder. The best players in the world have assembled for a meaningful tournament and there is fun to be had.Quite who will win the World Twenty20 is impossible to predict with any confidence, but India, South Africa, England and West Indies have the look of semi-finalists and, with no outstanding side in the tournament, India have the capacity to beat South Africa in the final and follow up their win in the inaugural event in South Africa in 2007, a win that was greeted with an open-top bus ride through Mumbai that stopped traffic for hours, ushered in the IPL to satisfy a nation’s craving for more and changed the cricketing landscape forever.That is a reminder that there are more important issues at stake beyond the winning team. The international game, for the sake of its own future, sorely needs to re-establish its primacy with a successful World Twenty20, just as it also needs the ICC to preside over a 50-over World Cup confident in structure and purpose that can once again connect to a maximum extent with the public.Failure to provide such a spectacle over the coming weeks will provide fuel for those who argue that Twenty20’s future is best removed entirely from international cricket and left to individual countries running franchise operations, led by an unfettered IPL that, for all the excitement that it has brought for millions, will be expanded beyond the level where its presence remains good for the game.Should franchise cricket, not just in India but in lesser leagues around the world, expand beyond the point of sanity, the rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer and the ability to invest wisely in the game worldwide will be severely compromised. Talk that the IPL could be expanded to 10 teams should Deccan Chargers resist attempts to exclude them is further proof that ambitions are not yet sated.Sri Lanka’s ability to deliver the show that cricket needs cannot be taken for granted especially as one of the grounds, Hambantota, stands in a sparsely-populated area a long journey from what remains a largely imaginary port city of the future – at best part a vision of the future that will not be fully realised for decades. Elephants may pull in the tourists, but for the moment cricket must make do with a white one.There would no better time for Sri Lanka Cricket to show itself capable of putting a history of mismanagement and politicking behind it and displaying good governance. The costs of building new stadiums for the 2011 World Cup left it with debts approaching $70m, players went unpaid for months and the ICC has had to provide loans and guarantees of $2.5m to enable this tournament to go ahead. It is to be hoped the October monsoon does not intervene.

Failure to provide such a spectacle over the coming weeks will provide fuel for those who argue that Twenty20’s future is best removed entirely from international cricket and left to individual countries running franchise operations

The best teams refuse to accept that the result of a Twenty20 game is largely random, and convince themselves that, more often than not, skill, instinct and ingenuity can win through. Twenty20 is no longer played half-heartedly by insecure professionals unable to suppress the belief that they were somehow demeaning themselves, but by sharp-witted cricketers awash with adventure and imagination. Twenty20, like Test cricket, is also a game of the mind – it is just a mind retuned to the need to second-guess opponents in a game where risk is not minimised but embraced.Sri Lanka’s former captain, Kumar Sangakkara, has counselled: “Be ready for a stiff breeze in Hambantota, swing and seam in Pallekele and a good batting surface at the Premadasa in Colombo. Each venue will have a different challenge and sides will have to adjust accordingly.”West Indies have not won a major tournament since the Champions Trophy in 2004 but they have not been as widely fancied for a generation – one poll on an Indian website suggested 35% of supporters tipped them to win – and their most destructive players have made an impact in the IPL and beyond.But when they lost their opening warm-up match against Sri Lanka by nine wickets with more than four overs to spare it summed up the unpredictability of the tournament, not just because of the nature of Twenty20 but because of the nature of the teams. Never have so many teams packed with so much destruction inspired so little confidence. West Indies might need to reverse that result against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in the Super Eights to reach the last four.This World Twenty20 is so well balanced that it is easier to find reasons why teams will not succeed. India will be at home in Sri Lanka, they are buoyant after the return of Yuvraj Singh and they are not quite so weighed down by expectation, certainly not after the way they succumbed to Pakistan in their warm-up match when victory seemed assured. It will take a couple of thumping wins to give them the air of victors.The worries expressed in India that Sri Lanka’s pitches might not turn as much as they would like are understandable, but they will be spared Pallekele, where the quicks might be most effective, throughout the tournament and that must be to their advantage.India’s Super Eights group is potentially daunting, likely also to comprise South Africa, Pakistan and Australia. South Africa are challengers and have tag-teamed the No. 1 ranking with England in recent weeks, but they still seem to have a stronger suit in the Test and ODI formats.There would no better time for Sri Lanka Cricket to show itself capable of putting a history of mismanagement behind it and displaying good governance•AFPThat anticipated grouping surely lessens Australia’s chance of putting behind them the embarrassment of being ranked, earlier this month, below Ireland. The Big Bash League will doubtless invigorate their Twenty20 cricket, and enable them to recover from their initial reluctance to embrace the format, but they will need huge runs from Shane Watson and David Warner at the top of the order to make a strong showing.Pakistan, for all their heroics against India in their most meaningful of pre-tournament friendlies, do not look as strong as when they won World Twenty20 in England in 2009, and have yet to settle to a pattern under a relatively new coach, Dav Whatmore.The announcement by the PCB’s chairman, Zaka Ashraf, that their director-general (cricket), Javed Miandad, has been sent to Sri Lanka “to look into some team issues” does not inspire confidence that the coach and his new captain, Mohammad Hafeez, have successfully implanted a new vision of unity and purpose. Pakistan should trust Whatmore and Hafeez for the next two years to get on with the job.England’s concern will be that they are caught cold by Afghanistan in their opening qualifying match in Colombo on Friday. They field a young top order of T20 specialists, none of them regulars in the Test side, and, assuming Afghanistan are dispensed with, their seam attack should go well in Pallekele. Their challenge will become most daunting on their return to Colombo for the semi-finals.With New Zealand, for once, not presented as dark horses – Bangladesh must fancy their chances of a minor upset in Pallekele on Friday – England, West Indies and the hosts, Sri Lanka, look likely to be in the shake-up for the two semi-final spots.Sri Lanka do not inspire confidence even though they have reached three global finals since winning the 1996 World Cup. They have played only nine Twenty20 internationals at home, all since 2009, and have won only three of them. It will take an entire kit bag of wicked Malinga yorkers to arrest a record like that.

The final nets are over, there are about 18 hours to the start of the Test. How do cricketers spend that time?

Aakash Chopra24-Sep-2009You may have wondered why Matthew Hayden sits on the pitch on the eve of a match. Does he meditate sitting there? Or why Rahul Dravid shadow-practises shots at both ends? Hasn’t he played enough in the nets? Chris Gayle also does the same thing, albeit in the middle of the pitch. What are these guys up to?All of them use an extremely important tool for preparation, visualisation. Hayden visualised everything, good and bad, that could happen in a match, so as not to be surprised during the match. All of us, knowing or unknowingly, do it.I had my formal introduction to this technique just before the first Test against Australia in Brisbane in 2003. John Bell, an Australian coach I had met in Holland, told me about its application and importance. He told me to walk out from the dressing room on the eve of the match assuming that I was walking out to bat on the first morning of the game.I had to psyche myself into seeing the packed stadium, the Australian team waiting in the middle along with the two umpires. I also had to imagine my partner, Virender Sehwag, was walking alongside me. Then I did my ritual, running a couple of mock runs, before settling in to take strike. To avoid looking completely insane, I skipped the part where I asked the imaginary umpire for a leg-stump guard. Apart from that, I did everything I would in the real match. I mentally drew a line just outside the off stump, to use as a marker for letting balls go. Anything pitched outside that line would be allowed to go through to the keeper and the rest were to be played. Then I’d stand in my stance and visualise all the Australian bowlers running in and bowling in different areas. It is a routine I’ve followed ever since.Ground reality
Every ground and track has a different feel and the earlier you get used to it the better. Batsmen identify certain shots for certain tracks. For example, on slow and low tracks you realise the need to get onto the front foot as much as possible and play with a straight bat. Similarly, on tracks with more bounce and pace, you prepare yourself to stay on the back foot and play horizontal bat shots. That’s exactly why players shadow-practise while standing in the middle. Bowlers also identify the areas they’ll be expected to bowl in, and do mock run-ups to get a feel of the approach to the stumps.Individual approach
Batting and bowling in the nets on the eve of the match is strictly according to each individual’s liking. No one tells you to bat in the nets if you aren’t comfortable, and the support staff does everything to help you get into the groove. Rohan Gavaskar wouldn’t play a single ball in the nets, while Viru likes a long hit. Similarly Gautam Gambhir needs his throw-downs before every match, while Sachin Tendulkar’s batting in the nets depends purely on how he’s feeling about his game at that point of time. While Sachin didn’t bat too often in the nets during the 2003-04 series, when he did, he made someone bowl at him from 15 yards most of the time.There was one extraordinary instance of Dravid and Viru missing the practice session and watching a movie instead. It was before the memorable Adelaide Test in 2003. Sometimes, simply unwinding is the need of the hour.

You often find cricketers sitting together till very late on the eve of a match. That’s to ensure that the moment they walk into their rooms they fall asleep. There’s also the tendency to get up a few times during the night to check if you have slept through the alarm, only to find that dawn is still a few hours away

At the end of the practice session, most batsmen take their match bats with them to the hotel. Some batsmen shadow-practise religiously in their rooms. Others just want the bat handy in case they feel like doing so.Sleepless nights
Sachin didn’t sleep well for 15 days leading up to the match against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup. He would stay awake planning how to handle each bowler. He admits that he played the entire innings in his head way before it happened on the field. Gautam couldn’t sleep the night before the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup final.You often find cricketers sitting together till very late on the eve of a match. That’s to ensure that the moment they walk into their rooms they fall asleep. The anxiety doesn’t let your mind rest, and that makes it very difficult to sleep. There’s also the tendency to get up a few times during the night to check if you have slept through the alarm, only to find that dawn is still a few hours away.A common dream for batsmen is that a wicket has fallen and you’re slated to go in next. But you haven’t put on the leg-guards and panic sets in. You try your best to get ready but something or the other always goes wrong. In reality, gearing up is a two-minute exercise that has been done a million times, but dreams seldom follow a logical pattern.The morning of the match
Every player has his own routine on the morning of a game. Some, like Dravid, wake up well in advance, read newspapers and have breakfast before boarding the bus. Others sleep till the last possible minute and rush to the bus, grabbing a muffin on the way. Then there are those who indulge in incessant chatter all the way to the ground – and often occupy the last rows of the bus. Still others, like Sachin, listen to music. These routines depend a lot on temperament: some can’t handle the anxiety and hence rush through everything, while others want everything in peace.After reaching the ground
Almost everyone rushes to the square immediately after getting to the field. Although nothing dramatic can happen, since you’ve seen the track the previous day, you need to be certain. It’s like going through your notes one last time before an exam. You want to be 100% certain that you didn’t misread the pitch.Then there’s the eternal wait for the toss. While one part of you wants it to be delayed for another couple of hours so you can hit a few more balls against throw-downs, the other part wants to be done with the suspense. Openers and fast bowlers watch the toss with great interest, and depending on the result of the toss, either prepare or relax.Instead of warming up with cricket, most teams prefer playing a different, non-contact sport, like volleyball, just before the game. It lightens the atmosphere and helps you ease into the match day. Contact sports like football and touch rugby are generally avoided because the chances of getting injured are higher.Gary Kirsten gives Sachin Tendulkar throw-downs after a net session•Getty ImagesBatting first
The environment in the dressing room becomes a lot quieter if your team is batting. Even though the bowlers slip into a relaxing mode, they avoid making unnecessary noise. Both the openers and the batsman at No. 3 are left alone. Everyone wishes the openers luck as they go through their last little routines before stepping onto the field. But there are some batsmen who don’t like to be wished before walking out to bat. One such was Sunil Gavaskar.Some batsmen will watch every single ball being bowled, as they wait their turn, either on TV or from the balcony, and then there are others who’d read newspapers and magazines (Mohammad Azharuddin) or sleep (Sir Vivian Richards) while waiting for their turn to bat. VVS Laxman likes to listen to music, while Yuvraj Singh prefers chatting.I can’t stop myself from watching. Thank god I’m an opener.Bowling first
While batsmen relax, the bowlers are required to be on the field 10 minutes before the start of the game to warm up. But bowlers have the luxury of easing into the match, as they’re not absolutely required to be at their very best right from the beginning. One mistake doesn’t mean the end of the innings for them; an advantage that gets evened out with the heavy workload they have to bear. Their planning and plotting happens more on the field and during the match.The opening batsmen start their preparation again when the opposition loses its eighth or ninth wicket. You see them standing in their stance and looking down the pitch every now and then. They also tend to go quieter in the field after the loss of the ninth wicket.My endeavour through this three-part mini-series on preparation was to tell my readers what goes into the making of a good ball, a marvellous catch, an unsparing shot, a great cricketer. I hope that from now on every time you see a batsman fail or a bowler bowl a half volley, you remember that lack of performance is not necessarily because of lack of preparation. It’s just that, in the game of cricket, like in any other walk of life, it’s only human to err.

Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are the three venues the PCB is planning to host the two-week tournament in

Osman Samiuddin01-May-2024The PCB’s schedule for the 2025 Champions Trophy could have India based in one city for the entire tournament, as the board looks for ways to accommodate a potential first visit by India to Pakistan in nearly 17 years.Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are the three venues the PCB is planning to host the two-week Champions Trophy in. ESPNcricinfo understands the draft schedule has India based in and playing all their matches in Lahore – where the final is also scheduled to take place.Basing India in one city is thought to have been proposed because it avoids what could be considerable logistical and security headaches around their travel. Additionally, by being based in Lahore, which is close to the Wagah border crossing between the two countries, it allows Indian fans a relatively easier option to visit.PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said earlier this week that the board had sent a draft schedule of the tournament, likely to be staged in mid-February next year, to the ICC. Discussions on it involving the eight participating members will take place, with the major sticking point likely to be whether the India team travels or not.

Since the return of international cricket to Pakistan in 2015, however, every single team involved in the Champions Trophy has toured and played in Pakistan, except India

No Indian team has played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. Relations between the two governments have deteriorated steadily and often sharply since, especially after the Mumbai terror attacks the same year. Those attacks ended a rare period of bounty in the rivalry, the sides having played each other in four bilateral series in the preceding four years.Last year, when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup, they were forced to deploy a hybrid model in which India played all their games – including those against Pakistan – in Sri Lanka. The final of the tournament, won by India, was held in Colombo.Though Pakistan had raised the prospect of a hybrid model for their presence in the ODI World Cup in India last year, it was never pursued seriously. They ended up playing all their games in India, across five venues, before they were eliminated in the group stages.The final decision on whether India do visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy will be in the hands of the Indian government, rather than the BCCI.The craze around India vs Pakistan games, limited as they are, is to be seen to be believed•Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty ImagesOn Tuesday evening in Karachi, Naqvi expressed the hope that “all eight teams” will come to Pakistan for the event, though he was not drawn into specifics about India’s position.The Champions Trophy is the first ICC event Pakistan will be hosting since the 1996 World Cup, when they were joint hosts with India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan was due to stage the event in 2008, but it was postponed and then relocated to South Africa because of the security situation in Pakistan at the time. Pakistan also lost out on co-hosting duties for the 2011 ODI World Cup, with the 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team meaning no international cricket in the country for the next six years.Since the return of international cricket to Pakistan in 2015, however, every single team involved in the Champions Trophy has toured and played in Pakistan, except India.Pakistan are the defending champions of the event, last held in 2017.