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Liverpool’s massive decline from their title-winning campaign last season is a huge concern to everyone at the club, but none more so than manager Arne Slot.

The Dutchman led the Reds to Premier League glory in the 2024/25 campaign, but his men now sit fourth and are already a staggering 14 points off after the first 20 outings.

Anfield has so often been a fortress – massively helping them to title glory last year – but Slot’s side have already lost more games on Merseyside than the entirety of last campaign.

Such a drop off will also come as a huge shock, especially after the hierarchy handed the manager over £450m worth of funds to bolster his first-team squad.

However, the January window presents yet another opportunity for the board to back the manager, with numerous players already appearing as potential targets.

Liverpool want move to land top-level centre-back

With the window now in full swing, Liverpool are desperate for key reinforcements in a number of positions to help improve their top-flight standing before the end of the year.

The midfield department is one that could be bolstered, with Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton just one of the options currently being considered by the hierarchy.

It’s been reported that the Englishman would be open to a big-money transfer away from Selhurst Park, with Manchester United another side interested in his signature.

However, the centre-back department is one that needs addressing, as seen by the Reds’ move to try and land French star Jeremy Jacquet during the current window.

According to TEAMtalk, Slot’s men are just one side interested in a move for the 20-year-old who’s already made 16 appearances in Ligue 1 this campaign.

The report also states that Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal are all firmly in the race to land the youngster before the end of the winter window.

Previous reports have suggested he may well cost in the region of £35m to prise away.

Why Jacquet would be the dream Guehi alternative for Liverpool

In an attempt to land a new centre-back, Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of players in recent times, but none more so than Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi.

The England international’s potential move to Anfield dates all the way back to the summer transfer window, after the Reds agreed a fee for his signature.

However, a move failed to materialise with the 25-year-old deciding to stay put at Selhurst Park and see out the remainder of his contract, which expires in June.

A move for his signature could take place this winter, especially given the Reds’ disappointing defensive record, which has seen them concede 28 times in the first 20 matches.

If they are to land Guehi, they will now have to fend off some serious competition, with Manchester City now firmly in the race to land the defender after Josko Gvardiol’s injury.

However, it could be a blessing in disguise, especially if the club are able to secure a deal for Jacquet before the end of the winter transfer window.

When comparing his stats to those of Guehi from the ongoing campaign, the youngster has dominated in key areas – showcasing why he’d be an excellent addition.

Jacquet, who’s been described as a “monster” defender by scout Antonio Mango, has completed more of the passes he’s attempted, with more of which being defined as key passes.

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Such numbers showcase his incredible ball-playing ability, something which fits perfectly into Slot’s current philosophy, which requires his players to be comfortable in possession.

How Jacquet & Guehi compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Jacquet

Guehi

Games played

16

19

Minutes played

1423

1710

Key passes

0.9

0.4

Pass accuracy

91%

84%

% of tackles won

83%

63%

Blocks made

1.5

0.8

Take-on success

44%

40%

Aerials won

69%

64%

Stats via FBref

The Frenchman has also completed more of take-ons he’s attempted, whilst playing more forward passes per 90 – further showcasing his sensational ability with the ball at his feet.

However, out of possession, the youngster has been just as impressive throughout 2025/26, as seen by his higher tally of tackles won and blocks made per 90.

Jacquet’s aerial dominance has also made him a remarkable talent, as seen by his tally of 69% duels won – a figure that ranks him in the top 20% of all defenders in Europe.

It’s unclear how much a deal for Jacquet would cost this winter, but it’s evident that from the stats produced, he would be a phenomenal addition for Liverpool.

Missing out on Guehi would undoubtedly be a tough one to take given the length of the pursuit for his signature, but a deal for the Frenchman would certainly make more sense for the long-term.

Related Liverpool have agreed to sign new CB who could save them millions on Guehi

Liverpool have signed “one of the most exciting” young defenders in the world.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

Manchester United are now reportedly expecting negotiations to advance to hire one of their managerial candidates to replace Ruben Amorim.

Man Utd set managerial timeline

Despite his constant struggles at Old Trafford, it always seemed unlikely that Man United would rush into any decision around Amorim. He very much looked to be their man. But that’s when everything imploded between the 40-year-old and Director of Football Jason Wilcox, who asked Amorim to change his system.

This reportedly left the manager unhappy, who felt like he wasn’t being backed by the Old Trafford hierarchy and from there his exit was inevitable.

Now, the Red Devils find themselves back to square one and have already set a reported timeline for when their next manager could arrive, having appointed Darren Fletcher on an interim basis.

If INEOS do wait until the summer to make their decision, then that’s when the likes of Oliver Glasner and Kieran McKenna could become serious options.

The former is set to leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season when his contract comes to an end, unless there are any last-ditch changes, and Man United could make their move.

Related Man Utd Next Manager Odds: Top Ruben Amorim replacements (Ranked)

The bookies have had their say…

Posts ByBen Goodwin

Glasner may well go down as the best manager in Crystal Palace history by the time next summer arrives, having won the FA Cup and qualified for the Europa Conference League last season, but a big move could be waiting for him.

However, the Austrian isn’t the only option. According to reports in Spain, Man United are now expecting negotiations to advance with Xavi Hernandez.

Man Utd expecting negotiations to advance with Xavi

The Barcelona legend has been out of a job since leaving the Spanish club in 2024. Although he hasn’t been without offers, the 45-year-old has simply been waiting for the right opportunity to emerge and the Man United job could be exactly that.

Whilst his time at Barcelona ended on a difficult note, it’s worth remembering that Xavi won La Liga during a turbulent time at the Nou Camp and introduced several key academy stars, including Lamine Yamal.

Amorim, by some contrast, often took aim at academy stars and arguably halted the progress of impressive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. If anyone was to benefit from the arrival of Xavi, it would be the Carrington graduate.

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Another issue with Amorim was his system. His 3-4-2-1 system split opinion at Old Trafford, but that’s where Xavi could thrive. The Spaniard would instantly change to a 4-3-3 attacking formation and bring entertainment back to the club.

There’s no denying that it would be a bold step, of course. Alas, it would far from be Xavi’s first rodeo. The former midfielder rode the wave of chaos at Barcelona and could do the same at Man United.

ScorecardPaul Stirling cracked a half-century and Ireland put on a solid display in the field to restrict Namibia’s batsman and secure a 32-run win in their opening match. Alex Cusack, back in the side after injury, took 2 for 22 and there were two run-outs, as Namibia fell short despite an unbeaten 48 from Raymond van Schoor. Ireland had been asked to bat and their total was built on a rapid opening stand of 84 between Stirling and his captain, William Porterfield, who made 33. They were separated after 8.5 overs and the scoring dipped, with Stirling then bowled by the economical Sarel Burger for 52, but useful contributions throughout the top order put them out of Namibia’s reach.
ScorecardUAE crushed Uganda by eight wickets in their opening game of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013-14. After losing the toss, Uganda’s openers added 18 before the slide began. They lost four wickets for seven runs and then another four for 20 runs. In between those collapses, Phillimon Selowa and the captain Davis Arinaitwe made 22 each and Uganda were eventually restricted to 88 for 8 in 20 overs. UAE’s openers added 70 in 11.2 overs to all but end the contest. Shaiman Anwar blitzed 54 off 38 balls, hitting three sixes, as UAE won with 5.4 overs to spare.
ScorecardHong Kong’s Haseeb Amjad laid down an early marker for figures of the tournament as he bagged 5 for 12 to set up a convincing seven-wicket victory over Italy. Amjad’s first two wickets of Andy Northcote and captain Damian Crowley left Italy 29 for 4. There was then a recovery, although Italy had to bat with caution, between Carl Sandri (41) and Michael Raso (24) before Amjad returned to claimed three further scalps – all bowled – during which he found himself on a hat-trick. With a required rate of less than a run-a-ball, Hong Kong knew they did not required anything outlandish and their chase was led by a measured, unbeaten 51 by Waqas Barkat to ensure there were no alarms.
ScorecardA punishing, 31-ball fifty from Timroy Allen helped USA to thrilling win over Canada with one ball to spare. Reduced to 61 for 5 in pursuit of 138, Allen combined with Srini Santhanam for an unbroken 77-run stand to upset their more established north American opponents. Allen struck two sixes before Santhanam sealed victory by hitting the penultimate delivery for four. Canada had looked on course for victory, with legspinner Junaid Siddiqui taking 2 for 16, including the key wicket of Steven Taylor, despite being restricted with the bat. Jimmy Hansra hit 39 from 34 balls but Elmore Hutchinson and former West Indies Test bowler Adam Sanford each took two wickets apiece to help keep USA in the game.

Somerset are hoping to secure the services of Zander de Bruyn, the South African allrounder, as a Kolpak player. The club are waiting for the outcome of a meeting a Lord’s to discuss his registration.de Bruyn has played three Tests for South Africa, the last of which was against England at Port Elizabeth in 2004. He has had a previous stint in county cricket with Worcestershire and remains a consistent performer on the South African domestic scene.”Zander comes highly recommended by both Jimmy Cook and Neil McKenzie, who has played alongside him,” Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, told the club’s website. “He fills the role that Cameron White and Neil McKenzie filled for us last year in tha he will come in at number five, either when the second new ball is being taken or when we need somebody who can stay at the wicket.”In the 2007-08 SuperSport series de Bruyn made 712 runs at 39.55 and also managed 12 wickets at 42.Somerset have Justin Langer as their overseas player for 2008 as they aim to build on their promotion to Division One of the Championship.

‘I think Indian team definitely playing under more pressure than most teams because of the weight of expectation back in India’ © AFP

Who should take responsibility for this defeat?
I think it’s a collective responsibility. We didn’t play well enough and it is a disappointment that everyone has to share.Would you like to continue as coach?
This is not the time to talk about that.This proves Vision 2007 has failed. Is it a personal failure for you?
As I said before I think it’s a collective responsibility. We’ve come here with high expectations obviously, certainly from home, and we haven’t been able to live up to that. That’s something that everyone is well aware of in the dressing room. It’s a fairly quiet place as you can imagine at the moment. Everybody’s disappointed. As Rahul [Dravid] said some time back, we’re all in it together and we have to share in it together.The team looked flat in the middle. Have they played too much cricket?
I think coming out of Jamaica the feeling in the group was very strong and the spirit was fine and high and we were confident and we had a reasonably good break in that period in Jamaica so that we can complain about that or use that as the excuse. At the end of the day we didn’t play well enough in the group stage.Was the team under pressure?
I think Indian team definitely playing under more pressure than most teams because of the weight of expectation back in India. I think it does have an effect and I would say from my experience from the last few weeks that it definitely had its effect, playing up to the Bangladesh game I thought the boys were a bit anxious at that stage and then the pressure built from there. Today, they just didn’t play that well. I think the bowlers did a reasonable job and we didn’t really give ourselves a chance to win the match because we didn’t get any partnerships.There was a whole hype built around how this team was working towards the World Cup. What went wrong?
There is nothing more to be said other than we didn’t play well enough. The fact of the matter was that we got the team that India wanted and we didn’t perform when the time came. That’s the long and the short of it. That is my answer. I’m not sure right at this time is the moment to try and dissect it. We need to go and look at it from a distance that might give some perspective. There is no point making comments at an emotional time like this. At the end of the day, we didn’t play well enough.

When India wakes up tomorrow, they will be disappointed. They will be angry with what has happened, and it is a disappointment. I hope that people realise that it is just a game, and the guys out there did their best. It wasn’t good enough on this occasion

Are you concerned about the reactions back in India?
In the light of recent incidents, obviously you’ve got to be concerned. When India wakes up tomorrow, they will be disappointed. They will be angry with what has happened, and it is a disappointment. I hope that people realise that it is just a game, and the guys out there did their best. It wasn’t good enough on this occasion. I think there are a number of things that need to be looked at to get a clear perspective about what has happened this week but I don’t know if we’re going to get any answers right at this moment other than to say we didn’t play well.Why did the team crumble? Are they unable to handle pressure?
There are a number of factors but I’m not going to try and put labels on it. Again, it’s a very emotional time for a lot of people and any comment that is made can be misconstrued and made to sound worse than it actually is. I don’t know I can say it, but we weren’t good enough on the day.Over the last 17 matches overseas, India have only played 50 overs on four occasions. Why is that?
We haven’t played well enough.But it’s a period stretching over one and a half years…
We haven’t played well enough, that’s it.Can you pin-point the reasons why they haven’t batted well enough?
I don’t think this is the forum for me to make any comment in that regard. There is a lot of emotion, as I said. In light of this and in light of recent events I am not going to be making any comments about what’s wrong with anything or anybody.Aren’t you shirking your responsibility?
No I don’t think so. I am not employed by you people, I am employed by the BCCI. Obviously, I will have to face up to them and give them a report and give them some indications of what I think. But I don’t think this is the forum for me to say anything.Another word that has been mentioned a lot is ‘process’. What went wrong with the process?
That’s an inflammatory question and I’m not prepared to answer it.You said you are answerable to the BCCI. But aren’t you also answerable to one billion fans in India? Shouldn’t you say something to them?
We didn’t play well enough.That’s all?
I don’t know what else you want me to say? You want me to criticise somebody or a group of people? I am not prepared to do that. We didn’t play well enough. We weren’t able to play well enough under the conditions or the circumstances of the tournament. We didn’t play well enough.

‘I don’t know if we can pick on any one person and say it their lack of form or lack of performance. As a group, we didn’t play well enough © Getty Images

Why didn’t we play well enough?
Well I don’t think India has won a tournament overseas since 1985. There is a bit of history to it. There are obviously some reasons. I am not prepared to go into them at this stage.How critical was [Sachin] Tendulkar’s failure?
I don’t think we can give the blame to one individual, or a group of individuals, in this case. Everyone goes out there and tries to play well. Nobody goes out there and tries to play badly. I don’t know if we can pick on any one person and say it their lack of form or lack of performance. As a group, we didn’t play well enough.Did we pick the right team?
That’s not for me to say. I was given a team and I was happy to work with the team.How much responsibility are you willing to take?
Obviously I have to take some responsibility and I am quite happy to do that, I’m the coach. But I don’t think the coaching staff alone must be blamed for what has happened here. The coaching staff and the support staff have worked very hard, the coaching staff haven’t worked very hard. Apportioning blame is not going to change what has happened.This is still India’s worst performance in World Cup history. Is there a need for serious introspection?
I think there is a need for a serious introspection, but I don’t think it should start today.Do you think it’s time for a change of guard?
That’s an inflammatory question, and you know I can’t answer that in this forum.Are you taking anything from this World Cup?
A lot of disappointment. Again, I think if we look at this from a distance it will give better perspective than walking straight off the field on what has been a disappointing day, and one of the more disappointing days in India in cricket. I’m not sure we’re going to come up with any answers that will solve any problems or change what has happened out there today. But, as I said in the last answer, it’s time to sit down and take a serious look at what’s happening and what’s happened and see what may be done to improve things for the future.Given a chance, would you like to stay with the Indian team?
I am not prepared to answer that question today. It’s not my decision.What if you are given a chance?
I haven’t been given a chance. Given an opportunity, I will give an answer then.Was there anything wrong with the planning?
I think the planning was fine, the preparation was good, but the execution on the day wasn’t good enough. You’ve got to give some credit to Sri Lanka, they played well and they deserve their victory. We weren’t able to execute the plan as we would have liked to. It happens. It’s happened probably more often that it should have.We didn’t see the right body language after the Bangladesh match. Do you agree? Or do you think it would also be an inflammatory answer?
It would be an inflammatory answer. You are trying to put words in my mouth. They’re not my words and they wouldn’t be words I would like to use.Do you agree the fire was missing?
The team was under pressure, I absolutely agree with that. I think that pressure did have a bearing with what happened out there today.Are you going to go back with the Indian team or are you worried about your security?
I don’t think any comment about that is going to help the situation. I’m quite confident that systems are in place to look after security of the team and the individuals involved.You took over the team in July of 2005. How many points would you give yourself on a scale of 10?
Again, that’s a very difficult question to answer. I’m happy that I’ve done the best job that I could do. Eighteen months is not a long time to build a team. If you look at any sport, it takes a long time. To put a number from my point of view, I don’t think I am the right man to make that assessment. I am happy with myself. The coaching staff and the support staff did they best that they could do. It wasn’t good enough.

Hasan Raza smashed a brilliant hundred as Habib Bank cruised into the final of the Patron’s Cup National One-day Cricket Championship beating Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), at Karachi on Saturday. Sent to bat first, Habib Bank posted a respectable 285 for 5 in 50 overs and then bowled out ZTBL for 248 in 45 overs.Leading the side, Hasan made 105 off 92 balls with 11 boundaries and a six. He was dropped when on 13 by Adnan Akmal off pacer Imran Sabir, fully exploited the lapse and hammered the bowling to all parts of the ground. Aftab Khan, who made an unbeaten 44 off 42 balls with three fours, put on 104 runs for the fifth wicket with Hasan. Taufeeq Umar hit seven fours in his 44, while wicketkeeper Humayun Farhat, promoted to open the batting, hammered five boundaries and a six in his 34 off a mere 24 balls.Faisal Naved top-scored for ZTBL with 62 off 97 deliveries including five boundaries and Atif Ashraf contributed a defiant undefeated 59 off 45 balls banging six boundaries and a brace of sixes. Fahad Masood was the pick of the Habib Bank bowling attack, taking three wickets for 57 in his ten overs.Habib Bank will now take on Pakistan Customs in the final, at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex Ground at Karachi on February 20.Pacers Imran Ali and Stephen John and off-spinner Murtaza Hussain bowled Pakistan Customs into the final of the Patrons Cup National One-day Cricket Championship, when they defeated Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) by 20 runs, in an exciting low-scoring semi-final at Karachi on Saturday.Put in to bat first, Customs could manage only 171 for 9 in their 50 overs. WAPDA in response were bowled out for 151 in 47 overs. Right-arm fast-medium Imran Ali took 2 for 19, left-armer John got 2 for 31 and Murtaza claimed 2 for 22 in a tight 10-over spell. Opener Mohammad Ali Niazi made 35 while Fawad Alam scored 31 off 59 deliveries, hitting a solitary boundary. Shabbir Ahmed was the pick of the WAPDA bowling attack with three wickets for 35 runs in ten overs.Asif Hussain slammed a fighting 50 with three fours after facing 108 balls and Ahmed Said, who had earlier claimed five catches behind the stumps, got 48 in 96 balls with two fours. The pair added exactly 100 runs for the fourth wicket after WAPDA were reduced to 14 for 3 in the first three overs with Imran striking twice.Customs will meet Habib Bank in the finals on Monday.

Sri Lanka was badly hot by the tsunami, and relief efforts need every bit of help© Getty Images

Suspended cricket officials have warned that Cricket-Aid, a tsunami charity set-up up by the board to provide emergency relief and rebuild housing, is in danger of collapsing after the sports minister’s decision to appoint an interim committee to manage the cricket board.According to the officials, one welfare centre for 200 tsunami refugees in Matara is now struggling to cope because it cannot be properly managed in the current impasse. A foster parenting scheme to care for 1000 children is also apparently under threat”We are obviously concerned as we have done some wonderful things and achieved something,” Chandrishan Perera, the public relations coordinator of Cricket-Aid told the Daily Mirror. “We are now desperate to sort things out. We’ve got to stick to our promises and commitment especially for the children.”Perera also voiced concerns that donors who have already pledged or who were considering a pledge will not adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach and freeze payments while the administration crisis continues. “It is difficult to gauge their [international donors] reaction”, he said.The charity’s chairman, Thilanga Sumathipala, has hit-out at what he calls “detractors parachuting in to run cricket”. “We have given hope to these people [tsunami victims] and we don’t want to hurt them. We are in the process of talking to donors and reaching a working arrangement in the best interest of the people”, said Sumathipala.Cricket-Aid’s future is also uncertain because questions have been raised over the legality of program’s NGO status. The government is believed to be in the process of launching an investigation into the charity’s registration.Meanwhile, the suspended executive committee has been partially successful in the first round of a legal fight with the government, successfully arguing in the Court of Appeal for a temporary restraining order preventing the sports minister from making any further orders over Sri Lanka Cricket during the next two weeks.Sumathipala’s committee has also complained in a media release of a politically motivated mud-slinging campaign, warning publishers to be wary of a “spurious and scurrilous set of concocted minutes purporting to be the minutes of the ICC Executive meeting in Delhi” that is being “maliciously circulated” in Sri Lanka.The media release claimed that the ICC’s president Ehsan Mani had confirmed to Sumathipala on Friday that the draft minutes of the Delhi meeting had not been completed. During the course of the two-day meeting, board members were briefed on the ongoing ICC Code of Ethics inquiry into Sumathipala’s links with the gambling industry.

Greg Blewett ackwnowledges his half-century in South Australia’s win © Getty Images

South Australia 400 and 137 for 5 beat New South Wales 267 and 267 by five wickets
ScorecardGreg Blewett, South Australia’s captain, is confident they can retain top spot in the table after a deserved five-wicket win against New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval.Chasing 135 for victory, SA finished on 5 for 137, with Blewett hitting the winning runs to reach 65 not out. The win took them to 12 points, with two outright victories from three matches, and ahead of NSW and Tasmania, who are both on eight points.”We’re travelling beautifully,” Blewett said about his side’s progress under new coach Wayne Phillips. “We’re undefeated at this stage of the year, with two games away and one at home, and we’ve got Queensland here next week, who we’ve played pretty well against here. So we’re sitting well, and as long as we keep doing what we’re doing and not get too far ahead of ourselves, we can set ourselves up nicely for the latter half of the season.”SA started the day on 2 for 38, needing a further 97 runs to win, potentially a tricky target on a wearing last-day pitch, with Blewett and nightwatchman Jason Gillespie at the crease. But the pair put on a fifty partnership to take the score to 85 before Gillespie was caught driving at point off Stuart Clark.Gillespie’s 32 went with his 5 for 54 yesterday to complete a good allround match for him in his comeback from a side injury which had kept him out for five weeks.SA then lost Andy Flower, caught behind off Clark for two, and Mark Higgs, caught in the deep off Stuart MacGill for 23 off 20 balls, while attempting to finish the match with a six. MacGill had 1 for 28 from three overs today.Mark Cosgrove, 19, was named Man of the Match after making 118 in SA’s first innings. He was nought not out at the close, which came well before the scheduled lunch break, although he did not face a ball.Blewett said Cosgrove, who made his debut late last season, was an exceptional talent. “I remember when I first started out, I wasn’t that young, but I wouldn’t have dreamt of playing like he did,” Blewett said. “It’s very exciting for us to have a junior Boof [Darren Lehmann] in the making, hopefully.”Steve Waugh, NSW captain, also praised Cosgrove, who took a sharp catch at backward square leg to dismiss him for a golden duck in their first innings. “I think it was probably the best catch I’ve ever seen taken off myself when I’m batting, it was a freakish catch,” Waugh said. “Batting-wise, he looks an exceptional talent for 19, he hits the ball very nicely. He’s very similar to Darren Lehmann at the same age and that’s a big rap to put on a young kid.”Waugh said that SA had showed more desire to win than NSW, and had shown better concentration with the bat and sharper work in the field.

Zimbabwe were left facing an innings defeat at the Sinhalese Sports Club onSaturday after being forced to follow on 402 runs in arrears in the firstJanashakthi National Test.The tourists then suffered further damage in the second innings, asoff-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan plucked out two wickets to leave then on 64for two, still 338 runs behind with two days remaining.Zimbabwe’s second knock had started well enough, as the openers survived thefirst hour without loss. But teenage opener Hamilton Masakadza (28) then topedged a slog sweep and was well caught by Marvan Atapattu running back frommid-wicket.Minutes later his partner, Trevor Gripper (10), misread Muralitharan’sstraighter ball for the second time in the day to be given out caught behindby wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara.Night watchman Travis Friend averted further damage by somehow surviving theremaining seven overs till the close with acting-captain Stuart Carlisle (22not out), despite frequent appeals from Sri Lanka’s hawkish close fieldersand some explosive off-breaks from Muralitharan.Muralitharan picked up six wickets in the day, to pass Malcom Marshall (376)and slip into eighth position in the all-time wicket-takers list, and posedthe greatest the threat to the batsmen on a wicket that is getting slowerand lower.He will surely continue to do so when play resumes on Monday morning after arest day forced upon the cricketing authorities by a government decree thatno sport be played on full moon (Poya) holidays.Zimbabwe will be none to pleased that the pitch will spend a whole day beingbaked by sun before their resume their apparently hopeless rearguard action.As it was skipper Carlisle showed frustration afterwards following a numberof dubious umpiring decisions that largely fell in favour of the home-side,starting with early let-offs for Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu onthe first day and continuing today in the Zimbabwean first innings.Gavin Rennie (35) was given out lbw sweeping Muralitharan when the ballwould have missed off-stump, Grant Flower (0) was dubiously adjudged caughtat silly point for a duck shortly after lunch, and Travis Friend (6)received a shocking lbw decision from umpire Riazruddin.The poor decisions did not all go in Sri Lanka’s favour. Andy Flower lookedlucky to survive two leg-before shouts on 34 when pinned to his stumps byswerving indippers from Chaminda Vaas and on the second day Kumar Sangakkaralooked unlucky to have been given out by the third umpire when televisionreplays appeared inconclusive.But Zimbabwe lack the talent to survive such misfortune and on balance theyhad the right to feel aggrieved.Carlisle, speaking with emotion but also trying to abide by ICC regulationsthat prevent direct comment on umpiring decisions, said: “As a fielding andbatting side we have been very unlucky on certain things and it really hasn’t gone our way. These important factors change games and make it difficultto lift the guys.”He had not given up hope of averting defeat though: “We sure are going totry our hardest to save this game. It is a pretty good batting pitch, but30s and 40s are not going to do it. Its up to the eight batters left to getreally stuck in and get some big partnerships.”Zimbabwe also had themselves to blame for their sorry predicament after somepretty ordinary shots in the morning and early afternoon, as they failed toconstruct any meaningful partnerships.Carlisle (10), who was dropped second ball of the day despite an acrobaticeffort from Sangakkara, was the first to go, as Jayasuriya held on to asharp chance at first slip (29 for two).Gripper (30) became Muralitharan’s first wicket when he was snapped up atfirst slip and with Rennie’s lbw decision Zimbabwe were left on 100 for fourat lunch.Grant Flower lasted just four balls afterwards before Craig Wishart (21) andAndy Flower (42) added 41 for the sixth wicket, the largest stand of theinnings.But Wishart then guided a short delivery from Nuwan Zoysa into the hands ofthird slip and Andy Flower cleaned bowled next over as he two-stepped downthe wicket to off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera (146 for seven).Heath Streak (26 not out) and Friend threatened a recovery but that nevermaterialised after Friend’s controversial decision and Zimbabwe were bowledout for 184.

It would seem time has stood still for Courtney Walsh. It was around thistime five years ago that he led an assault on England’s batsmen on this veryground that enabled West Indies to wrap up that third Test match of theseries in two days and a bit.Later during that series he went on to reach the landmark of 300 Test wicketsand today, having already become the highest wicket-taker in Test history, hepassed another significant milestone of 450 wickets.At 37, by the age most fast bowlers have passed their sell-by date, Walsh’sworkload has not diminished; at least not at the highest level of the game.His captain, Jimmy Adams, having put England in to bat, chose to keep him onto bowl for the entire morning session and Walsh’s response was with figuresof 3 for 23 in 13 overs.What makes his performance all the more remarkable is that the pitch thistime was not the ‘minefield’ that helped to condemn England to an inningsdefeat five years ago. Walsh on that occasion had claimed 3 for 54 and 5 for45.Today, he bettered the figures of that last five wicket haul on this ground.His 21 overs gave him a return of 5 for 36, a product of superbly controlledfast bowling. He moved the ball away, most effectively, from the righthanders with four of them falling to catches that came off the outside edge.Three of these batsmen, Mike Atherton, Andy Flintoff and Robert Croft playeddefensively at the balls that seamed away from them without getting behindthe line and were snapped up behind the stumps and at first slip in the caseof Flintoff.Graeme Hick, who has not always been convincing against top class pacebowling, once again showed his weakness and perhaps, more worryingly forEngland, has not done any good to his confidence. He was out to a very poorshot, playing from the crease he appeared to half-heartedly dab at the ball.The dismissal tested the agility of the slip cordon with the third slipknocking the ball forward to second slip to catch.Having got one good score against Zimbabwe, in three innings, he needed to beat the crease for a fair length of time today and get runs, if only to get inthe right frame of mind against an opposition that seems to get a hold on abatsman once they are on top.Having begun the summer’s Test series reasonably well last month againstZimbabwe, England’s batsmen reverted to the old habits of careless shots thathave brought about so many batting collapses in the past.Today, having got to a start of 44 for 1, they failed to consolidate theinnings. They lost six wickets in a space of just 68 runs. It was only thelate flourish from three tail-enders that added as many as 62 runs to boostthe total a little to 179. It now calls for tight bowling and fielding fromEngland to restrict West Indies’ score. Although, on 50 for 2 , the touristshave not got off to a flying start.