Tag Futebol

England will make a call between the pace of Olly Stone and the control of Chris Woakes as they decide on an XI for the second Test in Chennai, with Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad and Ben Foakes confirmed as replacements for Dom Bess, James Anderson and Jos Buttler.Joe Root named a 12-man squad in his press conference on Friday morning, with the decision as to which seamer comes into the side to replace the injured Jofra Archer to be made after England’s training session. Stone, who is the quickest available bowler in England’s squad, can hit speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph and is the closest like-for-like replacement for Archer, while Woakes would lengthen their batting line-up and provide greater control.With Buttler returning home as part of England’s rotation policy and Archer ruled out with an elbow injury, England were forced to make at least two changes. And Root confirmed that they would make four: Anderson has been rested ahead of the day-night Test in Ahmedabad, and Bess has been dropped after an inconsistent showing in the first Test. Stone has not played for England in any format since his Test debut against Ireland in July 2019, while Woakes is yet to make an appearance this winter after playing five out of six home Tests last summer.”There’s two different ways we can go,” Root said. “We can have the same balance [in the] side in terms of straight like-for-like swaps with Stone and Broad coming in for Archer and Anderson, or Woakes could come into things as well which adds to the batting and obviously gives us a huge amount of control with the ball.”We will make those decisions off the back of today, look at the wicket, get a bit more information a day out, and either way it looks like we have a very strong squad on this wicket.”Root admitted that he had been tempted to back Anderson to play what would have been his third Test in four weeks following his devastating spell of reverse-swing bowling on the final day of the first Test, but said that his omission was a reflection of England’s desire to keep him fit for the rest of the series.Anderson had vowed to put his “name in the hat” for selection in the second Test after his match-winning efforts in the first, but England have instead opted to continue their ploy of fielding only one of him and Broad in a single side this winter.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“”It gives him [Anderson] the best opportunity to be fit and available for those last two games,” Root said. “Everyone’s heart was in favour of him being available for this game but also you have to look at the bigger picture and ideally if he is available for two of the last three, that is a huge asset for us [with] the way he is bowling and his reputation, as well as his numbers and the way he has performed in recent games.”While it may come as a surprise to see England make four changes on the back of a dominant 227-run win in the first Test, Root said that it demonstrated their depth and their desire to be proactive rather than reactive in ensuring that their bowlers remain fresh throughout the tour.”It’s really important that we go into every game with the attack that we think is best going to exploit 20 wickets [sic] and get the best out of the surface. Whether that comes down to freshness, or making sure that over a series, guys are going to get through with the quick turnaround and the amount of workload that there is in this part of the world… you have to factor everything into it.Related

• Archer ruled out of second Test after suffering elbow injury

• Root: 'Really important we don't just stand still now'

• Root moves to No. 3 in Test batting rankings, Kohli slips to fifth

• All the things Root did right against India's spinners in Chennai

• Crawley out of first two Tests against India with wrist sprain

“We’ve seen since Covid that the number of injuries has probably gone up around world cricket, and we’re trying to stay ahead of that and look after our players, and make sure that guys can get through a Test match and keep adding [to the side], not seeing performances dip off throughout. When you’ve got guys on the sidelines like Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali coming into this game, proven performers in Test cricket, that’s an exciting place to be.”Someone like Stoney, he hasn’t played a huge amount of cricket but has so much potential and excitement about what he can bring to the fore. It’s taken a huge amount of time to build this squad up, but now we’ve got the opportunity to utilise it all and to have that freshness going into games like this. They’ve got a great chance now to show what they can do in an England shirt.”Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood both arrived back in India on Friday, having flown home to rest after the series in Sri Lanka, but Sam Curran has been given a few extra days of down-time. Root confirmed that Foakes will keep wicket in the rest of the series barring injury, and that Bairstow will be considered exclusively as a specialist batsman.Root also said that he expects Archer to be “fully fit and ready to go for the rest of the series” after missing the second Test, and predicted that Ben Stokes would have a bigger role to play with the ball in the second Test after getting through 10 overs across both innings of the first.”He can provide that aggression and it looks like he’s getting fitter and stronger the more he gets into the tour,” Root said. “We had to be quite smart about him in the last game – he looked a bit uncomfortable at times – but the more and more he bowled in each spell he looked more comfortable.”I think he will go from strength to strength as you normally see from Ben – the more he gets into a series the more you get from him. You can bet that in those big moments, he will be the one asking for the ball, trying to change things and make a real impact. It is very exciting that there is more from him to come.”

“Leave the abuse at the gate and just respect the players, respect the game”

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2021Australia’s captain Tim Paine has implored spectators at the Gabba this week to do what he says, rather than what he did on the final day at the SCG – treat the tourists with respect and refrain from the abuse that India faced in Sydney.”In terms of crowd behaviour – we don’t condone the abuse of anyone; let alone from the racial standpoint,” Paine said. “So we want people to come along to the Gabba, enjoy the game of cricket, support Australia, support India. Support the umpires if you like. But my suggestion is you leave the abuse at the gate and just respect the players, respect the game and have a good time.”Paine had put his hand up to apologise for calling R Ashwin a “d**khead” among other barbs on a heated final day of the third Test. But with the hosts having now left themselves needing to win in Brisbane to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Paine could not have been much clearer in terms of drawing a distinction several of his predecessors have failed to make.Related

Vikram Rathour: 'Only in the morning you will know which XI will take field'

Ashwin says 'nasty' behaviour in Sydney not a first

Langer: Culture talk left Australia open to criticism

While he hopes the Gabba pitch will provide enough bounce to make the Indians uncomfortable, he wishes to see no echo of the SCG crowd behaviour that had moved Mohammad Siraj to stop play in order to point out his abusers.”Yeah it [the Gabba] is right up there, no doubt about that,” he said. “It’s a hard place to come and play cricket. Even for Tasmanians and Victorians to come here, it can be challenging to adjust to the different bounce and speed of the wicket. It’s something that has been to the advantage of Australian teams for a long time.”Paine has himself resolved to do likewise this week, and his pre-match rhetoric was a long way from that before the SCG, where he intimated that the series was coming to the boil in terms of tensions between the teams. However, he proved to be the only player on either side to substantially blow his top. At 36, Paine is self-aware enough to acknowledge that he plays his best cricket – which is as a wicketkeeper-batsman near the front rank – when in a focused frame of mind. If distracted as he was in Sydney on day five, he can revert to the very ordinary.

“Look, Sunil Gavaskar is entitled to his opinion. It doesn’t affect us one iota. Anything [that it is doing is] it’s adding to the Test match which is great. So Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say but at the end of the day, it’s absolutely got nothing to do with him.”Tim Paine on Sunil Gavaskar’s calls to remove him as captain

“I just think I’ll handle it differently. I let it get under my skin, no doubt about that,” Paine said. “I’ve admitted that – but for me, it’s about rising above it and concentrating on what I’m doing and concentrating on leading my team, not worrying about what is going on with the other side. That’s the focus for us, we’ve spoken a lot this game about controlling what we can control and focusing more inwardly on ourselves. If we do that, we’ll be in a good position.”If you look throughout my whole career, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of staying relaxed for 99% of it. Again, it’s going back to how I play my best cricket [and] that’s [by] having a smile on my face, enjoying cricket for what it is – a game. And at times the other day, I certainly thought I got caught up in the moment. What I’ve been really good at is being able to step back – even just have a look around the crowd at times – and realise that at that very second, you’re captaining your country in a Test match.”It’s something I have always wanted to do, so remind yourself that way to enjoy it. Obviously, I’m going to compete very hard, that’s what I do. I want to win as much as anyone and I’m a competitive player but there’s a fine line. It’s the same with my batting – if I’m too tense and trying too hard to fight hard, then I am a pretty ordinary batter. If I look to go out, relax, have fun and look to score then I’m normally a much better player – it’s just a slight tweak in my mindset. It’s nothing new to me, it’s getting back to what I normally do.”As for the sharp criticisms of numerous in the commentariat – particularly in India and England – Paine said he had taken note. But he was careful not to respond in kind to his fellow Seven commentator Sunil Gavaskar, who let fly with a torrent of calls for Paine to be removed from the team by the national selectors after the ongoing series concluded.”I have [noted what Gavaskar said] but I’m not going into it, [and] getting into a back and forth with Sunny Gavaskar,” Paine said. “I don’t think I’m going to win that. Look, he’s entitled to his opinion. It doesn’t affect us one iota. Anything [that it is doing is] it’s adding to the Test match which is great. So Sunny can keep saying what he wants to say but at the end of the day, it’s absolutely got nothing to do with him.”The Australians lined up to defend Steven Smith this week after further aspersions were cast on his character for stump cam footage of him shadow-batting and re-marking centre during Rishabh Pant’s innings in Sydney. While Smith’s management gave a prepared statement to News Corp stating he was “shocked and disappointed”, Paine argued that several days on, these hurtful words would be melted down and remade as motivation for Australia’s No. 4.”He’s mentally very strong, very tough,” Paine said of Smith. “He knows that at times he’s going to be criticised,[and] he’s handled that pretty well. Not only this week, but since he’s come back into our side. If anything, he feeds off it. His statistics will speak for itself and we’ll see the best of Steve Smith this week.”And we set high expectations for ourselves and last week we didn’t meet them. And when you don’t do that, you leave yourself to criticism and we’ve copped that on the chin. We’re now looking forward to this Test match, [and] controlling what we can control, which has been our preparation and the way we go about this Test. So we can’t wait for tomorrow.”

If Arne Slot proves to be the perfect man to lead Liverpool into the new era with silver-laden success, then he will need more than just the effective implementation of his tactical approach to click into place.

Liverpool have not enjoyed the scattergun transfer window that certain segments of the Reds support might have hoped for, but all is in order at Anfield, with sporting director Richard Hughes revealing that the plan is to reinforce the team after Slot has ingrained his philosophy and familiarised himself with the club's existing options.

While Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip's contracts expired last month, FSG feel that the sweeping changes enforced last summer have left the first-team squad in a good position, with depth across all walks.

That said, several exciting names have been linked with a move to Merseyside, and should rumours surrounding Luis Diaz's potential summer sale sprout into something more tangible, there's a Premier League star waiting to join the club.

Liverpool transfer news

As per Football Insider, Liverpool have joined a host of top Premier League outfits in the race for Eberechi Eze, who played a starring role in Crystal Palace's 2023/24 campaign, suggesting they are 'making their move' to try and sign him.

Oliver Glasner's outfit are confident that they can retain the Eagles' services, financially secure following Bayern Munich's £50m acquisition of Michael Olise, but Eze is understood to have a £60m release clause in his contract – Liverpool have all the knowledge needed to forge ahead with an official swoop.

Of course, all of the division's biggest hitters are sniffing around, so if Slot and his transfer team are serious in their interest, concrete action must be taken swiftly.

Luis Diaz's 23/24 season in numbers

Let's forget about Eze for a moment. Should Liverpool really seek to cash in on Diaz? The Colombian is widely accepted to be one of the most talented wingers in the Premier League and started every league match for the Reds during the second half of last season.

But the 27-year-old has faced criticisms centring on his output, posting just 13 goals and five assists across 51 matches in all competitions last term. He's one of the slickest dribblers around and has a tireless energy about him that makes him a nightmare for defenders, never afforded a moment to breathe.

As per FBref, the talent ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, speaking of his technicality, creativity and eagerness to drive forward and into the danger area.

But in spite of that, he only ranks among the top 24% for progressive carries and the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90, suggesting that he doesn't wheel away with speed with the regularity that perhaps he's capable of.

Further evidencing this, during those blistering early days of Diaz's Premier League journey, during the latter half of the 2021/22 campaign (following his £39m January transfer from FC Porto) he ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the English top flight for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for forward carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90.

This regression of underlying numbers has seeped into his direct output, and if an outfit were to offer Liverpool a fee in excess of £50m for his signature this summer, allowing him to wander off to pastures new and targetting Eze might be a beneficial move for the fluency of Slot's side.

Why Eze would be an upgrade on Diaz

Silky-smooth and electrifying when capering forwards, Eze is the real deal, with the perfect goalscoring instinct to successfully partner his ball-carrying ability. It's no wonder that he's been described as a player that his opponents will "have nightmares" about by reporter Edmund Brack.

Having scored 21 goals and supplied eight assists across 51 starting appearances over the past two Premier League campaigns, Eze is proving himself to be one of Europe's foremost attacking talents, even ranking among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90 (FBref).

He's more clinical and more mobile than Diaz, and while they match up pretty well, it's clear that Eze boasts the more rounded skillset – as you will see below.

Matches played

37

27

Matches started

32

24

Goals

8

11

Assists

6

4

Pass completion

85%

84%

Big chances missed

13

5

Big chances created

5

7

Shots per game

2.5

3.1

Key passes per game

1.8

2.0

Ball recoveries per game

3.4

5.0

Dribbles per game

1.8 (54%)

2.6 (52%)

Duels won per game

4.6 (40%)

6.1 (48%)

The Palace man would thrive at a top outfit such as Liverpool, with analyst Ben Mattinson even remarking: "Eze is a superstar who’s been held back by previously having too much responsibility."

His stop-start motions have even earned him a stylistic similarity to that of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, according to FBref's model. His semblance to that of the Three Lions linchpin further suggests that he could be the perfect man to spearhead Slot's new regime from the left flank.

Saka, indeed, is a goalscoring maverick, scoring 20 times – and adding 14 assists – for the Gunners last term and proving his shooting skills and then some at Euro 2024.

The 22-year-old has averaged 2.3 dribbles and won 5.3 duels on average at the Germany-hosted tournament this summer, expounding in itself on Eze's similarities to one of the most highly-valued players in world football.

Liverpool must make their move quickly, for there are plenty of rival suitors eyeing a move themselves. Slot would not be let down, and neither would the roaring Anfield fanbase.

Liverpool could sign dream Van Dijk successor in £50m "monster"

He’d be a considerable force under Arne Slot’s management.

ByAngus Sinclair Jul 13, 2024

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke “would love” to sign a £40,000-a-week player after Joe Rodon, according to one journalist.

Gray to Tottenham, Rodon to Leeds

It has been a busy few days at Elland Road, with the Whites cashing in on academy product Archie Gray. It looked as if the 18-year-old was on course to join Brentford on Saturday before a transfer twist which saw Tottenham take full advantage.

Spurs have now won the race to sign Gray and will pay £40m for his services, whereas Leeds will re-sign centre-back Joe Rodon following a successful loan spell last season. Rodon will join on a permanent deal this time around, costing £10m, with both deals now officially announced.

The deals will help Leeds comply with PSR rules for the last financial year, and selling Gray could help the club keep the likes of star wingers Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto, who have both been linked with exits since Leeds' playoff final defeat.

One player who isn’t involved in the deal for Gray, though, is Oliver Skipp, but it looks as if Farke is keen on the midfielder’s services.

Farke “would love” Skipp at Leeds

Reliable Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold, speaking on the Gold and Guest Talk Tottenham Podcast, relayed by TBR, said that Farke “would love” to reunite with Skipp after working with him at Norwich City.

However, even if Tottenham were open to letting him go, Gold feels there would be a number of Premier League clubs keen.

“We mention Oliver Skipp. It doesn’t seem as though he’s involved in this deal in any way, although Daniel Farke would love to have him there after a terrific season with Norwich.

“I get the sense that if Spurs were to allow him to go, Oliver Skipp, there would be Premier League clubs queueing up to take him.”

Farke could land an "exciting" Piroe upgrade for Leeds

The Whites have been linked with a swoop to sign the attacking midfielder this summer.

ByDan Emery Jul 2, 2024

Gold also wrote in a story for football.london on Saturday that a loan or permanent deal for Skipp, on £40,000-a-week, could be looked at by Leeds.

“Leeds are expected to look at Skipp in terms of both a permanent or loan move – depending on their financial situation. The lure of playing for Farke again would be appealing for the young midfielder, although it's likely that a string of Premier League clubs would also enter the equation if Tottenham decide to let the player go and that's likely the level he would expect to be playing at.”

It could still be one to keep an eye on as the window progresses, even if a deal looks to be complicated with Skipp a senior homegrown player in north London.

واصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي التعثر وفقدان النقاط بتعادل محبط جديد بنتيجة 1-1 أمام إيفرتون في افتتاح الجولة الثامنة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي.

واستضاف مانشستر سيتي على ملعبه “الاتحاد” منافسه إيفرتون وسط حضور جماهيري كبير بقيادة الحكم، ستيوارت هوبر.

وافتتح برناردو سيلفا الأهداف في الدقيقة 14 من زمن الشوط الأول، قبل أن يتعادل إليمان نداي لصالح إيفرتون بالدقيقة 36، لينتهي الشوط الأول بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا يوضح مدى إمكانية ضم صفقات جديدة لـ مانشستر سيتي في يناير شاهد أهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيفرتون في الدوري الإنجليزي

حاول مانشستر سيتي تسجيل هدف في الشوط الثاني من خلال تكثيف الهجوم على مرمى إيفرتون وسنحت الفرصة لهم لذلك من ركلة جزاء لكن إيرلينج هالاند أهدرها بعد تصدي جوردان بيكفورد لها ببراعة في الدقيقة 53.

ثم تبادل مانشستر سيتي وإيفرتون الهجمات وإضاعتها حتى جاءت صافرة النهاية من حكم المباراة لتعلن عن تعثر جديد للسيتزن على أرضه ووسط جماهيره.

بهذه النتيجة، يتواجد مانشستر سيتي في المركز السادس في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 28 نقطة، وأصبح مهدد بخسارته إذا فاز أستون فيلا أو نيوكاسل خلال الجولة الحالية.

بينما يظل إيفرتون بالمركز الخامس عشر برصيد 17 نقطة بعد التعادل الثالث على التوالي.

Everton have made contact with a "humble" player about a move to the club this summer, with former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp an admirer.

Everton focusing on transfers after tough season

Reaching the end of this taxing 2023/24 season at Goodison Park almost gives reason for celebration, considering how much the club has had to tackle throughout the campaign.

Everton's Premier League status constantly felt under threat, due to a number of points deductions, but Sean Dyche and his players dealt with the situation admirably, comfortably remaining in the top flight in the end. There is also the ongoing takeover situation for supporters to endure, with no agreement in place yet to bring an end to Farhad Moshiri's time on Merseyside.

It is now time for the Blues to put plenty of focus on summer signings, as they look to avoid a fourth season in a row of being relegation-threatened. Former Tottenham centre-back Davinson Sanchez has emerged as an option for Everton, with an approach made for the Colombia international, who is now plying his trade at Galatasaray.

Meanwhile, Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis is being viewed as an ideal replacement for Amadou Onana this summer, should the Belgian move on, with the 24-year-old having a whopping £102 release clause in his current deal in Portugal. Outgoings are expected as well as incomings, and the Blues could lose Jarrad Branthwaite, with the England international wanted by both Manchester City and Manchester United, among others.

Everton want "humble" player who Klopp likes

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Everton have made contact with Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo over a summer move to the club. It is claimed that "there are English clubs" in pursuit of the Brazilian, one of which are the Blues, with West Ham also mentioned as potential suitors.

Arthur could be a signing that divides opinion, not least because the £87,000-a-week midfielder only recently played for Liverpool, admittedly making just one solitary appearance for Everton's local rivals.

Still only 27, though, he clearly possesses plenty of ability, considering he has played for Juventus and Barcelona down the years, among other clubs. Klopp even lauded him upon his exit from Anfield, saying "his professionalism and ability were clear to all who worked with him", while former Liverpool youngster Charlie Hayes-Green said of him:

"He's obviously played for Juventus, Barcelona and huge teams with huge players, being around him and how he did things was so professional. He came down, was humble, spoke to all of us and helped us in the changing room and throughout the game so it was a good experience."

Related Everton may now accept bid to sell £50m Goodison Park star in coming weeks

Everton fans may not be happy with this transfer rumour.

Posts ByJosh Barker May 26, 2024

This certainly suggests that Everton could be signing a good character in the dressing room, and if the supporters could accept his Liverpool past, he may thrive as a key player, settling down after a nomadic time of things in recent years.

Celtic have reportedly made an offer for their future Joe Hart replacement already as Brendan Rodgers looks to find a new no.1 for the 2024/25 season.

Joe Hart set to retire

After a long and glittering career, Hart announced that he would be retiring at the end of the Scottish Premiership season, and will likely end his career on a high with Celtic on the verge of clinching the SPL trophy once more.

"I wanted to get the message out as of June I am going to stop playing football", Hart explained in February. "This is something that I have thought about for a while, there's no right or wrong time is there?

"There is obviously a conversation around the goalkeeping position for next season and I think it's really important that with the blessing of the club we get the message out and it takes one thing out of what people are going to speculate over.

"I have gone down every avenue to keep myself in the best possible shape to give my all on game day and I do really think I am at that peak, but I am aware time waits for no man and I don't want my body to be retiring me. That was one of the key factors, thinking I can smash through the finish line."

Joe Hart's illustrious career (selected clubs)

Team

Appearances

Clean sheets

Manchester City

348

137

Torino

37

5

Burnley

24

6

Birmingham City

41

12

West Ham

23

6

Celtic

150

62

England

75

43

His retirement will certainly be big boots (and gloves) to fill at Celtic Park, but it seems as though Rodgers has a plan for his replacement in mind already.

Celtic make £6m+ offer for goalkeeper

That comes in the shape of Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir, who has been a long-term target for Celtic.

Celtic in talks to sell "phenomenal" star who Brendan Rodgers loves

His exit would be hard-felt by the soon-to-be Scottish Champions.

ByBen Browning May 14, 2024

He has had no shortage of admirers in the past, with Leeds United also having been linked in 2020, a potential deal which prompted Leeds Youtuber Conor McGilligan to heap praise on him.

"It is one of those things where Leeds have just got to keep pursuing, we’ve got to keep going for these deals with someone like Ugurcan, highly rated, seen as one of the top ‘keepers in Turkey, one of the top ‘keepers in Europe, it’s definitely one to keep an eye on."

It had been thought that Celtic were readying a £7.5m bid for the Turkish shot-stopper, but now a report from Turkey, relayed by Sports View claims that they have made an offer of around £6.4m for his services.

Perhaps confusingly, this equates to around €7.5m euros, which could be where the initial fee came from, or it could be that Celtic are looking for a discount with Alex McCarthy also being monitored ahead of him becoming a free agent this summer.

For his part, Cakir is "looking for fresh challenges in his career", and could jump at the prospect of playing Champions League football with Celtic next season should the two sides be able to agree a fee.

Meanwhile, Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has already accepted Cakir's departure, explaining that "We made a promise to Uğurcan. If an offer comes from Europe, we will facilitate it."

Could the 28-year-old be the man to follow Hart in goal for Celtic?

England lack nothing in their pace kit, except bags of wickets

George Dobell10-Jul-2020For years, whenever England have struggled in the field, the call has been for pace. Whether struggling for penetration at Chennai or Lord’s or Adelaide, the suggestion has always been that, with a bit more pace, England would be able to extract more life from the surface and have the ingredient their attack has been lacking.Well, here they had plenty of pace. Indeed, Mark Wood produced what is thought to be the quickest display of bowling by an England player across an innings at home in the past 15 years. And what did it earn him? One tailend wicket for 74 runs.He wasn’t alone, either. Jofra Archer, we know, can bowl as fast as anyone. And while here he tended to concentrate on control – this surface hasn’t offered a great deal of help for pace – there were still some quick deliveries across his 22 overs. He finished wicketless.It was telling that Ben Stokes, like so many England captains before him, relied on James Anderson to deliver the most overs. Anderson is 37 now and generally operates at a speed just above 80 mph. But, such is his control and skill, he remains the most dangerous bowler more often than not. And while he was not, by his high standards, quite at his best, he still delivered 11 maidens in his 25 overs. England’s three other seamers delivered 10 between them.It’s no coincidence that the most successful bowler in the match to date, Jason Holder, operates at a similar pace to Anderson. He derived his success by pitching the ball a bit fuller than the England bowlers and extracting movement – especially swing – that the hosts could not replicate.But England have longed for this pace. For years they have been on the wrong end of attacks containing quality fast bowlers. Now, at last, they have some firepower of their own and they couldn’t resist the temptation to play them. They were like the man taking his new sports car out in the snow; or desperate to use his new skis in mid-summer. They haven’t exactly picked the wrong attack. But they might have picked the wrong attack for the conditions.James Anderson appeals for the wicket of Roston Chase•Getty Images

England’s hearts probably sank when they opened their curtains on Friday morning. After batting in grim, overcast conditions, they were greeted by the sort of bright, sunny morning that suggested batting could be easier. But that is the risk you take when you choose to bat first in the gloom and England would have hoped to have an attack to cope with most conditions.As it transpired, it looked just a little ill-balanced. Another old-school England seamer – the likes of Matthew Hoggard, perhaps, or even Chris Rushworth or Alan Richardson – might have proved the perfect foil to Anderson. It’s surely too early to jump to conclusions but maybe, just as England’s football team rarely found a way to accommodate Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the same side, their cricket team might find the best use of Wood and Archer is by rotating them?There will be those who suggest Stuart Broad would have made all the difference. And it is true that Broad, at this stage of his career, with his determination to make batsmen play, might have been well-suited to this surface. But we have to be careful not to make the same mistake we have with pace: presume that quick and easy solutions would make all the difference. Broad has, no doubt, had a magnificent career. But in his most recent 28 home Tests – that’s a period going back almost five years – he has taken only one five-wicket haul.ALSO READ: Broad ‘frustrated’ and ‘angry’ at Test omissionEngland also have to be careful not to over compensate in Manchester. If conditions there look as if they may favour pace above seam – and they may well – it will probably pay to stick with these bowlers. Their fault may have been playing an attack ideally suited for Brisbane in Southampton.There are other options within the England squad, too. For all Broad’s virtues, he is another right-arm fast medium bowler. Sam Curran, with his left-arm angle and ability to swing the ball, might offer more variation. You could, at a push, even make a case for playing him in place of one of the batsmen. His Test batting average (27.34) is only about two below that of Joe Denly (29.55).But whoever plays, whatever their pace, they have to bowl with more accuracy than England managed here. It wasn’t that they were awful, by any means. But compared to the West Indies’ bowlers, they were just a little short, just a little leg side and just a little unable to build or sustain pressure.”Obviously you need control,” Anderson said. “We saw West Indies bowl well. They had a couple of bowlers who offered control in Holder and Roach and that gave the quicker guys the freedom to bowl fast. You need a balance.”In many ways, Wood’s performance was admirable. His pace hardly dropped in his 22 overs. Right to the end, he was passing 90 mph regularly. But by bowling too short, he failed to generate the movement that proved so dangerous for Holder. On a different surface – maybe the surface in Manchester; maybe even the fourth-innings surface here – Wood will be a huge asset.Archer, too, was only slightly off his game. He squandered one wicket through overstepping – an infuriating waste, really – and also strayed on to the batsmen’s legs more often than he will like. But his real issue was struggling to generate the movement that might have been expected of him.And, while England may feel they allowed West Indies to get a few above par, it probably was only a few. England’s first innings score of 204 has, not for the first time, asked a little too much of their bowlers. In both innings, a score of around 250 might be considered par.In truth, West Indies have so far batted and bowled better than England. Kraigg Brathwaite played later and straighter than England’s top order while Shane Dowrich, despite never looking comfortable against the short ball, battled hard in contributing a vital half-century. The discipline and skill with which they evaded the short ball has perhaps made England’s bowling effort seem rather less good than it was.So this was a slightly dispiriting start to life with Wood and Archer in tandem. But there will be other surfaces, many of them, when the pair are the perfect solution. But just because you’ve bought a fine new hat, it doesn’t mean you need to wear it in the shower.

The ECB have confirmed their recreational drug policy for the 2020 season, which sees players fined more strictly for their first and second offences but no changes to the policy of confidentiality that meant Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss only found out about Alex Hales’ drug use through reports in the media.Hales was deselected from England’s World Cup squad weeks before the tournament last year after a 21-day ban for his second violation of the recreational drug policy, which became public following a story in .It was anticipated that the Hales case would prompt a change in the regulations, not least after Ashley Giles’ admission that Hales would have been in England’s World Cup squad but for that story. But while the fine for a second offence has doubled ahead of this season, from 5 percent of a player’s annual salary across all of their teams to 10 percent, there has been no change in the parties informed when an offence has taken place, and the 21-day ban for a second offence has been scrapped.ALSO READ: ECB increases out-of-competition drug tests with focus on short-form cricketHales’ ban from the game – explained by Nottinghamshire at the time as a break for “personal reasons” – laid the trail for reporters to discover the real reason for his absence last summer which led to his eventual deselection from the England squad. He has not played international cricket since.The changes in the policy came about following broad consultations with those in the game, including first-class counties and the PCA, with a strong focus on player welfare. The suspicions aroused by Hales’ ban last year appeared to have led to the conclusion that any ban should be made public.Hair follicle testing for recreational drugs was initially introduced in 2013, following the death of Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, and the ECB’s policies on recreational drugs have been designed to protect the vulnerabilities of those who might be struggling with addictions.After a first violation of the policy, the ECB’s chief medical officer and various other administrative officials, plus the PCA director of development and welfare and the relevant county’s chief medical officer are all told. A player will now be given a fixed, immediate fine – 5 percent of their annual salary – at this stage, rather than a suspended £500 fine.Following the second violation, the county’s CEO, the PCA’s CEO, the ECB’s CEO and – in the case of centrally-contracted cricketers – the director of England men’s or women’s cricket are also notified, but remain bound by confidentiality arrangements.After a third offence, a player is handed a 12-month ban from the game, and details are made public by the ECB. In each case, they are required to attend a meeting with the ECB’s chief medical officer to determine an “appropriate rehabilitation programme”.The only player to have violated the policy on three occasions is Durham batsman Jack Burnham, who tested positive for cocaine for a third time in 2017 and received a 12-month ban.”We can confirm that there has been an update to the Recreational Drugs Policy for 2020,” said an ECB spokesperson. “This was part of a broad consultation involving stakeholders from the wider game including first-class counties and PCA.”The policy takes into account the important consideration of player welfare whilst ensuring there are meaningful sanctions for each violation. There was further consensus from all parties that any bans will be made public.”

Eddie Nketiah is set to miss out on a move to Marseille, where he would link up with Mason Greenwood, amid interest from Bournemouth.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Nketiah wanted by BournemouthMarseille move falls throughArsenal willing to sell NketiahWHAT HAPPENED?

Per the Evening Standard, Nketiah is wanted by Bournemouth after they sold Dominic Solanke to Tottenham for £65m ($83m), with his move to Marseille having fallen through. The French club had aimed to pair the Gunners striker with fellow summer signing Mason Greenwood, but they could not agree a fee with north London club and are instead aiming to buy Lens' Elye Wahi.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Nketiah is up for sale this summer and reports suggest that Nketiah earns £100,000-per-week, meaning there is a significant stumbling block within any negotiations. He has not started a game for the club since New Year's Eve; in 168 games for the Gunners, he has scored 38 goals.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nketiah is a once-capped England international. The 25-year-old played 17 minutes in a 1-0 friendly win over Australia in 2023 under the management of Gareth Southgate.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Bournemouth have money to spend after selling Solanke and they need to find a new striker, so their interest in Nketiah may well accelerate soon. The Gunners play Wolves in their opening Premier League game this weekend.