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The home side showed commendable resolve to almost reach 400, but they started poorly with the ball and their hard work could easily unravel

Firdose Moonda in Harare18-Apr-2013Only once since February 2004, when they piled up 441 against their current opponents, have Zimbabwe managed a greater total than their effort in Harare over the last two days. In 2011 they made 412 on a docile Bulawayo surface against Pakistan (although still lost) and other than that had not past 370 in almost a decade.This rare substantial total was achieved through patience, application and largely, the determination of one man. Brendan Taylor’s 171 was the highest by a Zimbabwean captain and the most runs any individual has scored since 2001. It was an innings that tested his natural style as a strokemaker and required him to put into practice the things he has been discussing with batting coach Grant Flower over the last few weeks. Things like reading situations, knowing when to hold back and fostering partnerships.On seeing Taylor act those out, Flower rated the innings as one of the best he had seen by one of his countrymen. “It’s right up there. He showed amazing application and he changed his game, particularly yesterday, to the type of wicket he was playing on,” Flower said. “He left the ball really well and bided his time. That was great to see. He struggled in the West Indies but he came back got fitter and worked on a few things and it’s paid off.”While receiving more throwdowns than the number of zeroes on an old Zimbabwean banknote to get himself technically ready, Taylor also had to gain an understanding of his role. Being the captain, he shoulders a lot. Being the side’s key batsmen, too, requires him to take on even more. Being expected to lead and bat well, puts the weight on him close to tipping point.Flower can see some of his brother, Andy, in Taylor and has tried to pass on some of his sibling’s values into him. “Brendan as always been under pressure as one of the best players like Andy was,” he said. “We’ve spoken about just batting and the runs will come and sometimes just being selfish, play for yourself and you will end up playing for the team. Sometimes, especially in ODIs, Brendan ends up trying to make up for the other players like Andy used to and this time he didn’t have to that.”The latter part of Flower’s analysis is the perhaps the most important. Because Taylor shared in two century stands, with Malcolm Waller and Graeme Cremer, and had Shingi Masakadza and Keegan Meth to fight on without him, Zimbabwe benefited from more than just a solo effort.That is also because of behind the scenes work, as Zimbabwe sought to change their reputation of their batting ending at No.6. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking to the lower-order batsmen about how important their position is and how we have got a reputation of having a long tail. I made them aware of it and put a bit more emphasis on it so we can work on it,” Flower said. “We did more work in the nets, we had specialised sessions with the so-called all-rounders so we could get them ready.”The most obvious change in Zimbabwe’s lower-order was their willingness to dig in. They frustrated the Bangladesh attack with stubbornness and took Zimbabwe to 11 runs shy of their goal – a total of 400. “We got to where we wanted to,” Flower said.Bangladesh may feel the same. Their coach, Shane Jurgensen, admitted he would have been satisfied with bowling Zimbabwe out for under 300 and although his team conceded an extra 89 runs, they wiped out the excess quickly scoring with far more ease than the hosts. So much so, that it took Bangladesh 73 balls to achieve what Zimbabwe had in 174 – 50 runs on the board.While the pitch was still a testing one, Bangladesh were helped by poor bowling from Zimbabwe’s opening attack. Kyle Jarvis created chances in every over but he also gave away boundaries. Meth did the same, Masakadza was the best bowler, he beat the bat regularly, he hit good lengths but even he veered on the side of too short.Against batsmen who enjoy attacking, that was a mistake. Jahurul Islam and Shahriar Nafees both drove strongly, sending boundaries down the ground at will. The inexperience of the bowlers may have been to blame, and their eagerness to prove themselves as the batsmen did, but Flower was far from impressed.”We bowled way too full and sometimes too short and wide. Of course, it doesn’t help if you drop an early catch but our bowling was far from good enough,” he said. “There’s definitely a bit in the surface for the bowlers and it will still be there as the game goes on. We can definitely bowl a lot better than that.”Zimbabwe’s bowlers will have to emulate their batsmen and employ discipline and patience, rather than look for glory immediately. The batsmen have waited the better part of a decade to see the rewards of that kind of calculated approach. The bowlers have tasted success more recently – in 2011 against Bangladesh – when they took the side to victory on a similar surface.Bangladesh also remember that Test, when their batsmen could not do enough and their attack was at times impotent. That’s why they have come out with such a different approach this time. “We think we can win this match. We are playing positively with the bat and we think we can get them out again,” Enamul Haque Jr said. Whoever can learn from history better will ensure their words match their actions.

You felt sorry for New Zealand, you felt happy for Sri Lanka. You felt sport

Sidharth Monga in Colombo29-Mar-2011Sport can be cruel, sport can bring immense boundless joy. Sometimes it can do both at the same time. Tonight was a night when sport hurt and uplifted in equal measure.As Thilan Samaraweera’s outside edge bisected the wicketkeeper and slip to win Sri Lanka the semi-final, the whole New Zealand team sank to their knees; something just left them, the spirit that had kept them alive when they had no business being alive had now gone. For the first time on a humid, sapping day, they looked tired. For the sixth time they had lost in a World Cup semi-final. As they walked off the field, having shaken the winners’ hands, they quietly shook hands with their support staff who had come to the edge of the dressing room, and were no doubt impressed by the fight the players had put on for the last three hours. The players’ faces told a different tale, though. They wanted more than just that honourable defeat.Around them, a party had begun. In fact it had begun in earnest. Moments before those winning runs came, Samaraweera had thought he had got them through a much more convincing strike through the covers. It turned out Aleem Dar had been distracted by the fireworks outside the stadium just as the bowler passed him, and had called it a dead ball. Mahela Jayawardene, running for Angelo Mathews, couldn’t believe it. The hands went up, the shoulders were shrugged, even though a win was near-certain, with four runs required off the last three overs. The tension had surely become too much to take for him. New Zealand had put up one hell of a fight.As Samaraweera’s outside edge bisected the wicketkeeper and slip, the whole Sri Lankan team rushed onto the field. Inside the dressing room they had sat tense from the moment New Zealand started clawing their way back. A Sri Lankan flag sat over each players’ seat, which they themselves bring and place before every match. Muttiah Muralitharan was padded up to come next, ahead of his batting order, because he wanted to finish it off. This was Murali’s last match at home, and he had earlier signed off with a wicket off his last delivery. The pads could be taken off now, and his team-mates lifted him on the shoulders and carried him around the ground. Every time Murali thought the noise in the stands had gone down a notch, he raised his arms asking for more. The crowd responded every time.Kumar Sangakkara, their captain, would put the victory in context. “Cricket has healed all wounds in Sri Lanka,” he said. “Whenever cricket was played, it seemed life was normal. We carry that responsibility with us whenever we play.” It is a huge responsibility for a sport to carry, and not ideal, but that’s how it has turned out to be. The life tonight was indeed normal. The bands played, the people danced, the fireworks went off as the proud cricket team thanked them. The noise was deafening, who could blame Dar for having pulled out of that delivery?Some time before Samaraweera managed those winning runs, there was a huge appeal for a caught-behind against Mathews. He was not given out. New Zealand challenged the call. Poor technology, which is a shame for an event for this magnitude, didn’t give New Zealand a fair chance to get it overturned. Sitting with a ball in his hand on an icebox behind the fine-leg boundary, Allan Donald lost his patience.Donald, the great bowler and competitor that he was, never made it past a World Cup semi-final as a player. Tonight, as New Zealand’s bowling coach, he was almost as involved as the players out on the field. He was just as desperate as the players diving all over the field. He made sure the bowlers fielded close to him, constant chat happened, advice and ideas exchanged. When the final runs came, he finally got up, shuffled the ball from his left hand to his right, then from right to left, then from left to right, gathering himself, then under-armed it to nowhere particular on the field, and went to shake the hands of the victors and the vanquished.Unlike football, where World Cup knockouts invariably end in similar scenes, neither the victors flung their shirts over their heads, nor did the vanquished shed a tear. The joy and the disappointment ran deeper. Yet the emotion could be felt, for not every knockout game in cricket World Cups makes for such a mix. This one needed a fight from the underdogs, and the favourite’s ability to take the punches. This was a special game of cricket.Sri Lanka, through the sheer quality of their side, had strangulated the New Zealand batting, and were on their way as their top three kept things under suitable control. New Zealand, who didn’t quite have the bowlers to run through a mentally strong Sri Lankan side, kept fighting, kept refusing to die, and pounced on the first opening they got. They converted one wicket into two, two into three, three into four. Against a team much higher in quality and with varied weapons, through their sprit and their fielding, they had made it clear the road to final will go over their diving bodies, and that included Jesse Ryder’s, who has often been ridiculed for his weight and his drinking.If that was what it would take, Sri Lanka would do it. They would bring New Zealand down to their knees. The final shot summed it up. Behind Samaraweera’s raised arms was Ross Taylor with his weight on his knees and his face in his hands; a distraught Ryder from point would have seen Mathews celebrate at square leg; Daniel Vettori, playing his last match as captain, finally took his Black Cap off and went to congratulate Jayawardene. You felt sorry for New Zealand, you felt happy for Sri Lanka. You felt sport.

Sixteen-year-old Adil Raza has stepped up to the responsibility of being Pakistan’s pace spearhead at the Under-19 World Cup

George Binoy in Kuala Lumpur25-Feb-2008
Adil Raza has been the pick of the Pakistan bowlers © Getty Images
Pakistan’s lavishly talented new-ball attacks have set the Under-19 WorldCup alight in recent tournaments: Riaz Afridi finished near the top of the wickets table in 2004, and the trio of Anwar Ali, Jamshed Ahmed and Akhtar Ayub sensationally dismissed India for 71 while defending 109 to retain the trophy in 2006. Inevitably, their squad for 2008 had a potent pairing as well,formed by Mohammad Aamer and Adil Raza.However, that partnership has been on view only once in the World Cup,when Pakistan destroyed Malaysia for 75 with Raza taking 6 for 29 andAamer 3 for 12. Since then, Aamer has been hospitalised with a denguevirus and will not play any further part in the World Cup. His absence hasadded to Raza’s responsibility and, encouragingly for Pakistan, he hasstepped up and delivered. Raza is only 16 and is the thirdhighest wicket-taker in the tournament so far with 11 at 8 runsapiece. His first-over dismissals of both the Australian openers for ducksplayed a significant role in Pakistan qualifying for the semi-finals.The quarter-final against Australia was Pakistan’s first game at theKinrara Oval, and the conditions were different from those in Johor, where theyplayed their group matches. Imad Wasim, the Pakistan captain, said thatthe pitches in Johor were wet and Raza agreed that there was far moreassistance for the fast bowlers there.”There was more moisture in the pitches in Johor for about 20 overs so theball moves a lot,” Raza said. “Here there is moisture for about 5-7 overs and after that it’s a flat wicket.”My plan was to first check what the conditions are like, get an idea ofhow much the ball is swinging and bowl accordingly. If the ball was moving[off the pitch] too much then I try to make the batsmen come on the frontfoot, and if it doesn’t move much I try to keep the batsmen in thecrease.”Evidently he did not take long to understand the conditions at the Kinrara, forhe induced an edge from the left-handed Phillip Hughes with his third ball and trappedMarcus Stoinis lbw with his sixth. Both deliveries were sharp offcutters, which Raza calls his “main ball”, one that he learnt from Mohammad Asif during a three-month stint at the National Cricket Academy in Pakistan.Demonstrating his technique for the delivery, Raza says that the secret ofthe incutter is getting the wrist position right, and one can’t help butnotice the ring finger on his right hand is oddly shaped. The portionafter the DIP joint (the joint closest to the fingertip) is almost at aright-angle to the rest of the finger.”I injured my finger when I was four,” Raza said. “It got jammed in a doorbut I can grip the ball well because of this finger. It helps support theseam position.”While several U-19 cricketers in this tournament have said that theymade their first forays into the game at the ages of nine and ten, Raza,who is from Gujranwala, started relatively late. It’s been only threeyears since he began playing seriously.”When India came to Pakistan after the previous U-19 World Cup, Raza justcame for the trials and was selected because he was the best among the lot,”Mansoor Rana, the Pakistan U-19 coach, said. “He had not played anydistrict or regional cricket before that. Raza was one of the finds of theyear but he got injured and didn’t play against India.”Raza made his U-19 limited-overs debut in the last of five one-dayersagainst Australia in October 2007 and scalped 4 for 36. He remembered thathe had bowled Kumar Sarna, who opened for Australia in that match and fell to Raza intoday’s quarter-final as well. Since then he has gone on to represent Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. “I played four matches this season and took 18 wickets which included Faisal Iqbal and Wajatullah Wasti.”Ironically, Raza said that he began as a batsman and batted at No. 6 or7 in the line-up. “When I was a batsman nobody used to play me in theteam. There was a senior called Adnan Farooq who made me understand that Ibowl well and that’s when I started working on my bowling. Then peoplestarted taking an interest in me.”Several Pakistan bowlers have turned heads at the Under-19 World Cup butfew have gone on to establish themselves in the national team. Afridi, astar in 2004, made his Test debut that same year but hasn’t played since.Ali, Ahmed and Ayub from the class of 2006 are active on the first-classcircuit but haven’t taken the next step yet.”There’s a big gap,” Mansoor said. “Apart from exceptions such as WasimAkram, Javed Miandad and Salim Malik, who played right after U-19,cricketers need to play two to four years of first-class cricket to mature.” Razahas at least one more opportunity to perform in front of a world-wide televisionaudience before he slips back into the rigours of domestic cricket.

Josh Hazlewood has been called up for the game in Sydney and Spencer Johnson will join in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2024Xavier Bartlett, who starred on international debut at the MCG, will be rested for Sunday’s second ODI against West Indies but is expected to return in Canberra for the third game.Travis Head has been released from the ODI and T20I squads for the rest of the matches while Josh Hazlewood has been added for the second ODI in Sydney.The management of Bartlett, who claimed 4 for 17 in Melbourne, is understood to be part of a plan to be careful with his workloads amid three ODIs in five days after his back injury last year, and without any one-day or Shield cricket this season.Related

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• Australia, West Indies look to grow depth with eye on 2027

• Bartlett four-for, Green's all-round effort give Australia 1-0 lead

• Bartlett makes a massive impact on 'almost not real' debut

“I was injured at the start of this year and didn’t have a chance to play any domestic cricket, which was a frustrating time,” he said after his Player-of-the-Match display. “But you can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel and you’ve just got to keep trying to work hard because these days don’t happen very often in the game of cricket.”Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson will join the squad as cover for the third ODI in Canberra on Tuesday.Hazlewood was among Australia’s all-format quicks initially rested for the ODI series following the Test summer but was included for the T20Is.No replacement for Head has been named, which opens the door for Jake Fraser-McGurk to make his ODI debut at the SCG. Head fell in the first over of Australia’s chase in Melbourne when he edged Matthew Forde for 4, following his king pair in the Gabba Test. He is expected to be part of the T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand.

Roony Bardghji opens up on his relationship with fellow Barcelona summer arrival Marcus Rashford and explains how he formed a close bond with him.

• Bardghji reveals Barca team-mate he's closest to 
• Says Rashford and he lived in adjacent rooms in the hotel
• Calls the Englishman "laid back and calm"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barca summer signing Bardghji has revealed the player with whom he shares the closest bond in the dressing room. The 19-year-old said Rashford is the team-mate he developed an early friendship with and opened up on how the two got closer.    

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bardghji and Rashford are two of the three players Barcelona signed this season, along with goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The former Copenhagen sensation was signed for just €3 million on a deal until 2029. On the other hand, Rashford was signed on a season-long loan from Manchester United after the club failed in their pursuits of Nico Williams and Luiz Diaz. While the Englishman has featured in all three games for Barca this season, Bardghji is yet to make his debut for his new side.  

• WHAT ROONY BARDGHJI SAID

  Speaking to the teenage attacker was asked to confirm reports from Spain that stated that his best mates are Marc Casado and Rashford. He said: "Yes, that's true, but I'm friends with everyone. It's a fantastic group. It's like a family – something I haven't felt before in other teams – where everyone is really close to each other. Many of them have grown up and played together since youth football. It's not really a group of friends that you're with all the time, but everyone is with everyone.

  "But in the beginning there was a lot with Rashford because we were new. I had played against him before and we lived in the same hotel. We lived next door to each other in the hotel so it was automatic that you got closer to him." 

  "Well, he's nice. Very laid back and calm person. Doesn't say much."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ROONY BARDGHJI?

  The Swede will be hoping to make his debut after the international break. His registration with the first team could not be completed before the deadline, with the youngster registered with Barca Atletic, the reserve team, instead. He will still be able to receive call-ups from head coach Hansi Flick, as it is expected that he will stay involved in the first-team dynamics.  

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste sábado, no Morumbi, Palmeiras e Santos fazem clássico pelo Paulistão-2023. Marcado para começar às 18h30, o duelo traz clubes que são reverenciados pelo trabalho que fazem em suas bases, que são duas das melhores do Brasil. No entanto, quando o assunto é a política de utilização dos jovens no profissional, as semelhanças acabam. Enquanto o Verdão consegue colocar suas joias aos poucos no elenco principal, o Peixe promove suas promessas como uma necessidade.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui

Para o clássico da sexta rodada da fase de grupos do estadual, é o time da Baixada que deve contar com mais jogadores da base no time titular: João Paulo, Sandry, Ângelo e Marcos Leonardo tendem a estar entre os 11 escolhidos por Odair Hellmann. Enquanto isso, Abel Ferreira deverá ter somente Gabriel Menino e Endrick na formação de início do Alviverde, além de nomes no banco de reservas.

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Palmeiras trabalha jovens para reforçar elenco e não para serem solução de problemas

O Verdão “varreu” os títulos da base no ano de 2022 e começou 2023 levando a Copinha. O trabalho e o investimento nas categorias inferiores traz resultados esportivos e financeiros, bem como peças que foram responsáveis diretas pela conquista dos últimos títulos no profissional. Podemos citar Danilo, Patrick de Paula, Gabriel Veron, Wesley, Gabriel Menino e Endrick. O único que ainda não foi negociado é Menino, que por sua vez decidiu uma taça no último sábado, contra o Flamengo.

>Federação Paulista de Futebol declara apoio a Abel Ferreira após manifestação de entidade

Tais jovens, quando promovidos ao profissional, tiveram a missão de reforçar o elenco, ou seja, eram parte do grupo, mas sem a necessidade de cobrir buracos. Com tantos resultados e investimentos na base, nada mais justo do que introduzi-los aos poucos e dar as devidas oportunidades. Mas os talentos eram tão grandes, que eles passaram a protagonizar as conquistas, especialmente com a chegada de Abel Ferreira, depois da competente visão de Luxemburgo.

E outras gerações foram surgindo, como a de agora, capitaneada por Endrick, mas que ainda conta com Giovani, Jhon Jhon, Garcia, Vanderlan, Naves e Fabinho, todos parte do grupo principal. Vanderlan, por exemplo, é o reserva imediato da posição e ganhou o status ainda em 2022, quando era a terceira opção e superou Jorge, que acabou negociado com o Fluminense para 2023.

Neste ano, tanto o técnico Abel Ferreira quanto a presidente Leila Pereira trataram esses jovens como reforços para a temporada, somando forças aos principais jogadores que formam a espinha dorsal do time. Ou seja, sem a responsabilidade de resolverem qualquer problema, mas sim de agregar valor a um consistente grupo, que já conquistou seu primeiro troféu em 2023.

Santos segue com DNA revelador, mas situação financeira obriga a queimar etapas

Conhecida por revelar craques do futebol mundial — vide Pelé, Coutinho, Pepe, Neymar, Rodrygo e outros — a base do Santos tem sido utilizada no time profissional para ‘tapar buracos’. Com arrecadação reduzida, crise financeira no clube e punições administrativas, os Meninos da Vila preenchem lacunas em um elenco com dificuldades de ser reforçado com contratações.

>Santos tenta quebrar tabu de mais de três anos em clássico com o Palmeiras

Os exemplos mais recentes são os atacantes Marcos Leonardo (19) e Ângelo (18). Destaques na base, ambos foram lançados na equipe de cima muito jovens para suprir carências do plantel: o centroavante estreou no profissional aos 17 anos, enquanto o ponta fez sua primeira partida com apenas 15 anos.

Além de preencherem as carências do time muito cedo, o Peixe conta com a venda de jovens para compor seu orçamento. Em 2022, o Conselho Deliberativo previu um superávit de R$ 20 milhões, que só seria alcançado se o clube arrecadasse R$ 76 milhões em negociações. O Peixe se aproximou da meta, impulsionado pela saída do zagueiro Kaiky — de 19 anos e formado no Alvinegro — para o Almería (ESP), por R$ 37,5 milhões.

O Santos foi o clube brasileiro que mais lucrou com vendas de jogadores na última década, de acordo com levantamento do site Transfermarkt, e grande parte foram atletas da base. Entre os 30 integrantes do atual elenco santista, 15 são formados no clube, exatamente metade.

Lucas Paqueta endured "two years in hell" and "struggled" during his betting investigation, with the West Ham star finally in the clear.

• Charges revealed in August 2023
• Verdict delivered in spot-fixing case
• Brazilian cleared to focus on his career

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  It was revealed in August 2023 that the Brazil international was the subject of a probe regarding supposedly deliberate yellow cards that he picked up during Premier League appearances. A guilty verdict would have seen the South American banned for life.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Paqueta’s wife has described the last two years as "living a nightmare", but an eight-week trial into alleged spot-fixing has led to the 27-year-old being cleared. Any questions of his professional integrity have been removed.

• WHAT PAQUETA SAID

  Paqueta posted on social media in the wake of a verdict being delivered: "The enemy will come against us one way, but they will flee seven ways. Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations. I can’t say anything more now, but I also can’t express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.

  "To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham, to the fans who always cheered me on, to Fernando Malta and my legal team at Level (Alastair Campbell, Jonathan Hyman, Dan Lowen), Nick De Marco KC, and Kendrah Potts – thank you for everything."

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Paqueta has been found guilty on two counts of obstructing the FA’s investigation, which will likely result in a fine, but the most serious of sanctions have been avoided. A weight has been lifted from the midfielder’s shoulders.

  The reports that Paqueta put on a brave face throughout a testing period in his career, but "he was struggling to bear the burden of what sources called a taxing ordeal". It is claimed that "behind that mask, Paqueta was struggling" as he experienced "good days and bad days".

يستعد نادي برشلونة لتوديع أحد لاعبيه المخضرمين والذي قدم موسماً مميزاً الموسم الماضي وساهم في حصول النادي على الثلاثية المحلية.

وتوصل النصر السعودي لاتفاق للتعاقد مع مدافع برشلونة المخضرم إينيجو مارتينيز الذي سيرحل عن صفوف البلوجرانا مجاناً.

أقرأ أيضاً.. رغم تقديمه موسمًا مميزًا.. لاعب برشلونة يفسخ تعاقده وينتقل إلى النصر السعودي

وبحسب صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” فقد غاب إينيجو مارتينيز عن تدريبات برشلونة المسائية بعد حضوره في التدريبات الصباحية بإذن من النادي.

ويعني خروج اللاعب توفير مساحة كبيرة في سلم الرواتب واللعب المالي النظيف، حيث سيوفر حوالي 12 مليون يورو، ويستعد مارتينيز للسفر إلى السعودية خلال ساعات.

ويعود سبب رحيله المجاني رغم تبقي عام في عقده إلى اتفاق شفهي سابق بين برشلونة واللاعب، بعد أن تلقى عرضاً مغريًا من الدوري السعودي الموسم الماضي.

وقد رفض إينيجو مارتينيز عرض السعودية، حيث عبر عن قناعته بمشروع هانز فليك لكنه اتفق مع إدارة النادي إذا وصله عرض جديد في صيف 2025 وأراد الرحيل، فإنه سيمنح كامل الحرية وسيحصل اللاعب على ضعف راتبه مع برشلونة.

ويدرك إينيجو مارتينيز أنه لم يعد قادراً على خوض 50 مباراة في الموسم على أعلى مستوى، ويرى برشلونة أن اللاعب كان دائماً صادقاً ومحترماً في تعاملاته ولهذا قرر تسهيل رحيله بدون مقابل.

You thought it was a dream night out with the ball for Mitchell Santner. He picked up only his second ODI five-for to floor Netherlands, his spell of 5 for 59 along with his cameo 17-ball 36 at No. 8 earned him the Player of the Match.But in all honestly, Santner revealed he’d bowled much better against England in Ahmedabad for lesser reward. It told you why numbers can’t sometimes be a reflection of a performance. It wasn’t in Santner’s case.Related

• Mitchell Santner keeps opponents guessing with control and guile

• The New Zealand prodigy who had to wait his turn

• Back in fashion: fingerspin's resurgence in ODIs

• Ackermann: Netherlands 'need to put together all three phases'

• Five-star Santner and batters make it two in two for New Zealand

“Yeah, it was obviously nice to get the rewards,” he said after New Zealand made it two wins in two. “I don’t think I bowled as well as I did in Ahmedabad. Probably missed a little bit more, but it was nice to keep trying to be aggressive and get wickets. I guess that’s the only way we can kind of slow the batters down in the middle of the ODI innings, by taking wickets.”And I thought, as a bowling unit, we did that very well. Guys coming back, still being aggressive, trying to take wickets, and managed to chip them out along we went. And it was nice to get the win in the end.”Santner prides himself on reading situations and surfaces, and puts into practice his early assessment, even if it may be from watching the opponent bowl. On Monday, Santner took a cue from watching Aryan Dutt and Roelof van der Merwe, the Netherlands spin pair, operate in the middle overs.”Yeah, I think it was, slightly on the slower side,” he assessed. “I thought they bowled, especially their spinners, bowled extremely well. Yeah, it looked like we were kind of setting up a bigger score and they managed to pull it back and get a couple of wickets. So, I guess when I went in, it was still that kind of ‘take it as deep as we can’ and then try have a couple of big overs at the end, which luckily enough we did, to get up to 322.”Santner had a studious demeanor to him as he answered questions but allowed himself a slight chuckle when reminded of New Zealand’s next venue, Chennai, where he’s spent a few seasons at the IPL. He’s had to mostly warm the bench because the dynamics of the Chennai Super Kings haven’t always allowed him and Ravindra Jadeja to feature in the same XI. He was nonetheless excited going to his IPL home ground where New Zealand play Bangladesh on October 13.Mitchell Santner picked up his second ODI five-for•ICC/Getty Images

“We knew that going into the tournament that Chennai has that nature of being a bit spinny and it did, especially first innings the other night [India v Australia],” he said. “And they’re [Bangladesh] obviously good players of spin so it’s going to be a challenge just like every other game is going to be in this World Cup.”I think we’re going to see teams beat teams and have upsets. We’ve got to be prepared for both those next coming games. Obviously first is Bangladesh and if it is something similar to the other night, it could be spinning a little bit in the daytime and then start to skid on a little bit and get a little bit dewy second innings so we’ve got to be prepared for both.”On the topic of spinning wickets, Santner also underlined the bowling adjustments he’s had to make. From playing a holding role on grassy surfaces that leaves little bowling time back home, he is now an aggressor looking for wickets in the subcontinent.”It’s obviously nice to come over here and see some spinning wickets because they’re few and far between back in New Zealand,” he said. “I guess the role in New Zealand is slightly different to here. You want to be a little bit more aggressive. You keep your slips in for longer. I try to operate with that mid-on up most of the time, only having three back, trying to make them play big shots.”And if it is spinning, yeah, the role is kind of more aggressive. And then I think we’ll see at times throughout this tournament if it’s pretty flat, it might be that defensive role for a little bit, try to get wickets through pressure. And then if it is, like tonight, if there is a little bit of spin, it might be, all right, let’s be more aggressive. let’s throw it up, leave the slip in. And so that was nice. I think Rachin [Ravindra] bowled extremely well as well, that kind of same mentality of always trying to get wickets through the middle.”So two wins, and a couple of days off in a long tournament. They should be flying high, right?”Yes, obviously a nice start. We knew that turning up today after the highs of beating England, we couldn’t get too complacent. We know the Netherlands are a good team and they almost touched up Pakistan the other day, so it was obviously nice to get the W tonight. It’s another two points, but you got to move on pretty quickly in this tournament.”

Thomas Tuchel demanded better after the drab showing against Andorra but he didn't get it, as the African nation embarrassed the Three Lions

England suffered a dismal 3-1 loss to Senegal as Thomas Tuchel tasted defeat for the time as Three Lions boss on a truly awful night for the hosts at the home of Nottingham Forest.

After an early scare that saw Nicolas Jackson force Dean Henderson into a smart save, it was that man Harry Kane, in from the start once again, who opened the scoring in the seventh minute – the Bayern Munich striker tapping home after Anthony Gordon's low shot was saved by Edouard Mendy.

It should've been 2-0 28 minutes in but Newcastle winger Gordon somehow failed to find the target as he raced into the box to try and convert Kyle Walker's delicious cross from the right – a shocking miss that would soon be punished. With Senegal growing into the game – and having already forced Henderson into five first-half saves – they grabbed a deserved equaliser shortly before half-time as a simple ball over the top caught out the Three Lions and left an unchallenged Nicolas Jackson to square for Ismaila Sarr to convert with Walker hopelessly caught napping.

One would expect Tuchel to have delivered some choice words at half-time but whatever he said didn't seem to work. Another long ball over the top completely opened up England, with Habib Diarra taking advantage as he broke in behind Myles Lewis-Skelly and found a way through Henderson and into the net.

The hosts had their chances – first Gibbs-White and then Saka being denied by a superb Mendy save – but it wasn't to be for the Three Lions, who saw a late Jude Bellingham goal ruled out by VAR for a handball by Levi Colwill and, to make matters worse, Senegal then broke up the other end and made it three courtesy of Metz winger Cheikh Sabaly.

GOAL rates England's players after a hugely frustrating evening for Tuchel and his charges at the City Ground…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Dean Henderson (5/10):

  Made a number of decent saves to ensure England only conceded once in the first half. Might've done better to keep out Diarra's effort, that went through his legs and into the net.

  Kyle Walker (3/10):

  A nightmare evening for the right-back. Way off the pace and completely fell asleep at the far post as Sarr dashed past him to convert the equaliser. Would've had an assist to his name but for Gordon spectacularly fluffing his lines.

  Trevoh Chalobah (4/10):

  Not the England debut he would've dreamt about. Naively gave Jackson far too much time to cross for equaliser and was given a tough ride all night by his Chelsea team-mate.

  Levi Colwill (4/10):

  Loose with his passing at times and didn't seem comfortable up against the threat of Jackson. Didn't sense the danger of the long balls over the top for both goals.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly (4/10):

  A really poor night for the Arsenal full-back, who was caught out for the second goal and offered nothing going forward.

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  Midfield

  Declan Rice (4/10):

  Seemed way off the pace after a long and gruelling season with Arsenal. Was overrun, and sometimes bullied, in midfield and clearly now needs that long, post-season rest.

  Conor Gallagher (5/10):

  Had some issues dealing with the dangerous Ndiaye and Gueye as England lost the midfield battle in the first half. Hooked for Curtis Jones soon after half-time.

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  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (4/10):

  Completely anonymous until his big chance finally arrived shortly before he was replaced after 71 minutes, only for Mendy to make a miraculous save to deny him.

  Eberchi Eze (6/10):

  One of very few in an England shirt to have had a positive influence on the game. One of those bright moments saw him pinch the ball and drive forwards to help create the opening goal.

  Anthony Gordon (4/10):

  How did he miss?! Set the tone with his early pressing and it was his saved shot that led to Kane tapping in the opener but the sitter he sent wide was truly awful and ruined his night.

  Harry Kane (7/10):

  Probably scored the easiest of his 73 England goals with the early tap-in. Didn't have a sniff after that as his team-mates struggled to create any chances for him before he was taken off for Rogers.

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  Subs & Manager

  Curtis Jones (5/10):

  One of three changes made just before the hour-mark but had little impact.

  Morgan Rogers (5/10):

  Came on for Kane but couldn't change the course of the game.

  Morgan Gibbs-White (7/10):

  Injected some much-needed life and energy into the attack when he came on and was unlucky not to score. Also set-up a big chance for Saka.

  Jude Bellingham (6/10):

  On for the final 20 minutes and thought he'd found a clutch equaliser, only for VAR to rule it out.

  Noni Madueke (N/A):

  Replaced Saka and sent over the corner for the disallowed goal but brought on too late to be able to have a meaningful impact.

  Ivan Toney (N/A):

  Sent on with a couple of minutes remaining for Lewis-Skelly.

  Thomas Tuchel (4/10):

  Another hugely disappointing display from his side and, unlike against Andorra, this time they paid for it against stronger opposition. His defence completely fell apart and his second-half substitutions didn't bring about the necessary change in fortunes. Awful.