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Bruno Fernandes has a penchant for on-field histrionics, but his behaviour against Liverpool may come back to bite him as his captaincy is questioned.

The headlines have been dominated by Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes in the aftermath of their humiliating 7-0 drubbing against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

First, he was blasted by pundits for his usual arm-waving and hissy fits in the direction of his team-mates, then he appeared to be in hot water for shoving an assistant referee, and post-match it was alleged he had demanded a substitution having had his fill of the embarrassment.

The FA won't be taking any action against him for pushing the linesman, and the theory about him asking to be withdrawn has since been debunked, but that hasn't stopped his leadership credentials being called into question.

Speaking after the game, former Man Utd captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said: "I start with the captain. You don’t throw your hands up, you run back. I’ve had enough of him throwing his arms up as team-mates and not running back. It was a disgrace.”

His display of petulance has now led to reports that even his team-mates are growing tired of his histrionics, but who could manager Erik ten Hag turn to if he is forced to make a big call?

GOAL ranks the options below…

Getty8Back to Harry Maguire?

Harry Maguire is still technically club captain, but it feels unlikely that he is on the way back to wearing the armband on a regular basis.

Disregarding any decision over Fernandes, who is technically vice-captain, the England international simply does not play enough to command the leadership role or, as a result, much authority in the dressing room having fallen out of favour.

Ten Hag's tenure has been all about progress and looking forward so far, but this would be a step backwards.

It is a shame, but the centre-back has paid for his poor form at the start of the season and it now seems unlikely that he will dislodge either Raphael Varane or Lisandro Martinez from their starting roles before the end of the campaign.

AdvertisementGetty7Raphael Varane

Although he has skippered both Real Madrid and France during his illustrious career, Raphael Varane is yet to be given the responsibility at Old Trafford.

Although the reasons exactly why that is are unclear, despite being a consummate professional and extremely classy operator, Varane has long been viewed as a more reserved character who lets his football do the talking on the pitch.

Amid the cut and thrust of the Premier League, perhaps the club needs a bigger character to take on the responsibility.

Getty Images6Luke Shaw

After a rollercoaster first few years at Old Trafford, Luke Shaw has emerged as one of the Premier League's – and arguably the world's – finest left-backs and is now one of Man Utd's longest-serving players.

As well as improving on the pitch, he has developed off it too and is regularly praised for his maturity and honest answers in post-match interviews. Ten Hag has clearly noted that too, with Shaw included in a 'leadership group' behind the scenes.

However, given the other options available, Shaw probably faces an uphill battle to hold the title outright. Perhaps a good option for vice-captain, if that changes.

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Getty5Lisandro Martinez

Lisandro Martinez has defied expectation since arriving at United from Ajax in the summer, taking to the Premier League like a duck to water despite his diminutive frame.

Contrary to what you might expect of an Argentine playing in England for the first time, his English is excellent, too.

However, despite the fact he has won a World Cup in the brief time since he made the move to Old Trafford, Martinez's relative inexperience may count against him here. The 25-year-old only moved to Europe in 2019, and this is his first club in one of Europe's so called 'top five' leagues.

That being said, he is one of Ten Hag's trusted lieutenants from his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena and could be in with an outside chance.

The Italian coach is expected to leave Stamford Bridge and return to Italy after just one season in London, but who could replace him?

Maurizio Sarri is still Chelsea manager – but not for much longer.

The Italian coach was expected to be sacked earlier in the season following a disastrous 6-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City, but managed to survive in his post for the remainder of the campaign. He eventually secured a third-place league finish as well as the Europa League trophy.

He is, however, known to be leaving his post at Stamford Bridge imminently for a move back to Italy, with Juventus his likeliest destination.

Goal takes a look at his leading candidates below…

GettyGianfranco Zola

Chelsea could be tempted to follow in the footsteps of Man United and hire a club legend. 

Gianfranco Zola worked as Sarri's assistant and was the obvious choice to replace the Italian should he have been sacked prior to the end of the season. 

As well as being one of the finest players ever to represent Chelsea, Zola also has plenty of experience of managing in England, though his spells at West Ham, Watford and Birmingham City were short and not particularly sweet. 

Still, if Chelsea want to replicate the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer effect by hiring a fan favourite who also commands the respect of the dressing room, they need look no further than Zola. 

AdvertisementGettyMassimiliano Allegri

Should Sarri head to Juventus, he could be going for a straight swap with Allegri, who was most recently manager at the Old Lady since 2014. 

The Italian won five straight Serie A titles during his time in Turin and finished as Champions League runners-up twice, in 2015 and 2017. 

He doesn't have much experience managing outside of Italy, however, managing Milan and Sassuolo prior to his time at Juventus. 

GettyFrank Lampard

It would be the stuff of fairy tale for club legend Frank Lampard to return to Chelsea as manager. 

The former Blues midfielder is in charge of Derby County and made headlines earlier this season as his Championship outfit knocked a Mourinho-led Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup, as well as reaching the final of the Championship play-offs in his debut season. 

Like Zola, Lampard is a fan favourite who would be very familiar with the philosophy and inner-workings of Chelsea. 

Lampard has already long been considered a front-runner to replace Sarri, with the club to meet with the former midfielder for further talks.

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GettyErik ten Hag

Ten Hag has quietly built a solid reputation for himself around Europe as he took Dutch side Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League.  

Ajax, massively considered dark horses in the competition, managed to defy expectations and knocked out defending champions Real Madrid in the last-16 stage and eliminated favourites Juventus in the quarter-finals.

The Dutch manager has been considered for the Chelsea position, although he is cautious about signing on at Stamford Bridge due to the transfer ban that is currently in place.

Reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United and Supporters' Shield holders New York Red Bulls lead the field as Major League Soccer kicks off this week

The race for the 2019 MLS Cup will go through the Eastern Conference, and if defending champion Atlanta United has anything to say about it, through Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Tata Martino and Miguel Almiron may have moved on, but the Five Stripes remains the favorites, led by MLS goal king Josef Martinez and newly-acquired Argentine midfielder Gonzalo 'Pity' Martinez.

The New York Red Bulls fell short in their quest to finally win an MLS Cup title last year, but they bring back most of the same squad that set a new league record for points in a season, so another title challenge is a safe bet. Tyler Adams leaving will make things difficult, but the Red Bulls boast the best defense in the league and the ever-reliable Bradley Wright-Phillips.

There are some clear-cut title contenders in the West, led by Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders, two teams with balanced veteran lineups, and also with the salary cap space to make big acquisitions this summer, if not sooner. Sporting KC has what may be its deepest team ever, but the search for a big-money striker continues. The Sounders struck gold with last summer's signing of Raul Ruidiaz, but Garth Lagerwey has the resources to add another attacking weapon.

The city of Los Angeles could have a say in the MLS Cup conversation as well, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading a revamped LA Galaxy and Carlos Vela ready to build on last year's impressive debut season for Los Angeles FC.

Several teams underwent significant roster shakeups, particularly in the Western Conference, where Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids made multiple big-time acquisitions to push themselves into the playoff conversation.

Those are just two of teams who could be this year's surprise turnaround. The San Jose Earthquakes are another candidate, with new head coach Matias Almeyda leading the way. Orlando City is another team that could see a dramatic turnaround after a disappointing 2018. Toronto FC is just a year removed from being considered the best team in MLS history, so a return to the playoffs could take place, assuming TFC succeeds in finding a suitable replacement to fill the void left by Sebastian Giovinco's departure.

Here is how the 24 MLS teams stack up heading into the 2019 season:

FC Cincinnati1FC CincinnatiThe expansion team made plenty of moves this winter in an effort to put together a respectable roster, but while there is a good nucleus of veterans, it is still going to be a rough debut season for the league's newest team. Fanendo Adi is a solid striker, and Costa Rican midfielder Allen Cruz is a special talent, but head coach Alan Koch will be hard-pressed to turn FC Cincinnati into a playoff team in year one.AdvertisementJonathan Daniel2Chicago FireThe good news for Fire fans is Bastian Schweinsteiger is back and Djordje Mihailovic is poised for a breakout season. The bad news is the Fire's defense looks very suspect and a lack of depth could prove costly for a team that didn't do enough this winter to close the gap on the playoff teams in the MLS Eastern Conference.Montreal Impact3Montreal ImpactAfter falling four points short of the playoffs in 2018, the Impact picked up veteran forward Maxi Urruti to try and help Montreal close the gap. The more pressing concern is how the Impact's revamped defense will perform. Urruti should help Montreal generate more goals, but the defense must be stingy if the Impact are going to reach the posteason.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Kim Klement4Orlando CityGone is Kaka, but in steps Nani to help fill the big-name void. Now Orlando City just needs to sort out the defensive woes that plagued the Lions in 2018. The pressure is on Dom Dwyer to perform, but it will be the back-line head coach James O'Connor puts together that will make or break Orlando City's season.

Worcestershire made a big move in the LV= County Championship relegation struggle by completing an emphatic victory over Hampshire by an innings and 33 runs after 95 minutes on the fourth morning at New Road.

ECB/PA09-Jul-2015
ScorecardJack Shantry now has 44 Division One wickets this season•Getty ImagesWorcestershire made a big move in the LV= County Championship relegation struggle by completing an emphatic victory over Hampshire by an innings and 33 runs after 95 minutes on the fourth morning at New Road.Saeed Ajmal took two more wickets, giving him 8 for 100 in the match, Jack Shantry claimed five for 51 in the second innings as Worcestershire closed up on the three teams immediately above them. They are level with Sussex on 102 points and only one behind Nottinghamshire and six adrift of Somerset.The implications are grim for Hampshire, now cut off by 26 points at the foot of Division One, and, worse still, a team playing without conviction or confidence.Coach Dale Benkenstein came into the game bemoaning the loss of form by top batsmen but there was no sign of curing the problem with his side bowled out for 183 and then 262 after following on 295 behind.”I am massively concerned after our first innings really,” Benkenstein said at the end of the game. “There are has to be a bit of a discussion over the week. In four-day cricket we need to have a few discussions about where we are going from now. We have got six games left which is a lot of cricket, but it does just worry me that mentally whether we are good enough to play in this division. When we have been challenged we haven’t really stood up and been counted.”Joe Gatting showed what could be done by posting a half-century for the second consecutive match since his recall to the middle order. His sensible approach put the conditions into perspective and made sure it would not be a spiritless retreat to a third consecutive defeat for the first time since a relegation season in 2011.Although it is only Worcestershire’s second win of the season – they also beat Somerset by an innings – they have been competitive in most matches. They have taken first innings leads eight times out of 10 and have more bonus points, both for batting and bowling, than any side in the division.Benkenstein is not the first opposition coach to see the merits of an honest and uncomplicated team. A young and hungry group, they have a plan and stick to it but now they have added the x-factor with Ajmal proving that he can still take wickets.Having totally changed the action that made him the top-rated spinner in the world, he may not have all the variations of the past but he knows his own game and more importantly knows how to keep batsmen guessing.As Gareth Berg knows to his cost, it’s not always big turn that achieves the desired result. When the overnight batsman pushed forward to the third ball of the day, he simply missed a straight one that went on to hit middle stump.Hampshire, though, were not ready to give up quickly. Gatting and Danny Briggs settled into the second highest partnership of the innings but having comfortably reached 53 together in 14 overs, Gatting was lbw for 59, playing back to a quicker ball from Ajmal.Worcestershire had to take the new ball to break up more stubborn resistance. Shantry bowled Brad Wheal for 10 and finished off the match when Jackson Bird, also 10, top edged a pull, leaving Briggs unbeaten 42.

Aaron Finch, who until January this year, was Australia’s T20I captain, has said that he isn’t sure of his place in the side when Australia take on New Zealand in their opening match of the World T20 on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-20160:43

‘I’m just getting prepared to play as everyone is’ – Finch

Aaron Finch, who had been Australia’s T20 captain until January, has said that he isn’t sure of making the XI when Australia take on New Zealand in their opening match of the World T20 in Dharamsala on Friday.”I’ve got no idea, to be honest,” Finch said. “I’m just getting prepared to play as everyone is. I’m sure the selectors will make a call once they see the wicket.”Finch is vying for the second opener’s slot in the team, considering Shane Watson’s good form and all-round skills makes him a certainty as first opener. Watson struck a blistering century in the third T20I against India earlier this year and also enjoyed a decent run in the Pakistan Super League. More recently, he scored 60 in a World T20 warm-up tie against West Indies.Finch, who is the No. 1-ranked T20I batsman, faces stiff competition from Khawaja, who was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2015-16 Big Bash League. Khawaja has also done well in Indian conditions – he scored 267 runs at 66.75 in four List A matches for Australia A last year in a triangular series, also involving South Africa A.Finch, while not as consistent, has notched up a few good scores of his own, including an 18-ball 40 against South Africa in Durban. “I feel really good with my game at the moment,” he said. “I feel as though I’m hitting the ball really well, so if I get the first crack at it, I’m ready to go.”We get up there (Dharamshala) on Tuesday, train on Wednesday and Thursday, so we’ll probably have a really good chance to have a look at the wicket then and the guys (selectors) can make a decision then.”If the selectors do opt for Khawaja, it would give Australia a left-right opening combination. “It’s probably less important in the first six overs, the left hand-right hand combination,” Finch said. “From my point of view, it’s about trying to get us off to a quick start. I’m sure Shane (Watson) is thinking the same and Uzzie (Khawaja) is probably in the same boat.”If Khawaja gets his opportunity, it’s about getting us off to a flyer while the ball is new and hard and then you can afford to probably have a bit more of a look through that middle period when spin comes on and they take the pace right off the ball.”Josh Hazlewood felt similar pressure over his place in the XI despite a hat-trick against West Indies.Australia have four specialist seamers in their squad – Hazlewood, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Andrew Tye – and seam-bowling allrounders in James Faulkner, Mitchell Marsh and Watson. With an eye on the conditions, Hazlewood suggested that the think-tank may be happy with just one frontline fast bowler.”It could be as simple as that. Depending on the wicket, it could really be one quick and a bunch of allrounders who do play this format a lot of the time,” Hazlewood said. Australia may also want to accommodate Ashton Agar or Adam Zampa to take advantage of slow, spin-friendly pitches.A player forcing his way into the XI after missing out initially is an unlikely scenario according to Hazlewood, given the shorter duration of the World T20.”The one-day World Cup, it went a little bit longer – six weeks,” he said. “If you get that first opportunity and take it in this one, we’ve got four games in pretty quick time. So I don’t think there will be as much chopping and changing, but in saying that it depends on the conditions at each ground.”

Mumbai Indians, who started poorly again, run into Chennai Super Kings, the original ‘slow-starters’ of the IPL who eventually become an antithesis to that image

The Preview by Arun Venugopal18-May-2015Match factsTuesday, May 19, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)6:32

Agarkar: Mumbai’s bowlers v CSK’s batsmen

Big pictureFor the second year in a row, Mumbai Indians have started poorly – they lost their first four games in IPL 2015 – before hiking up their performances in time to make the playoffs. After winning only two of their first seven matches, they raised their game in the middle stages when forms of some other teams began to taper off.They now run into Chennai Super Kings, the original ‘slow-starters’ of the IPL who eventually become an antithesis to that image. This year they reeled off six wins in seven games before winning only half as many in the next seven.Super Kings, though, have had the wood on Mumbai in the post-league stages, with a 4-1 record, including a seven-wicket win at Brabourne Stadium last year.  However, Super Kings haven’t looked unbeatable; their patchy record in the latter half of the league phase bears testimony to it. One area they would look to remedy is their finishing with the bat; notwithstanding Pawan Negi’s clean hitting lately, it’s a gap that hasn’t been plugged entirely. They would, however, derive confidence from having performed on the big stage several times in the past.Mumbai, on the other hand, don’t have to peer into the past too much, given how their form has progressively ebbed. They might not read too much into home-advantage, though, having won only four of their seven games at the Wankhede. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma said his team approached their last league game, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, like the final. They would do well to carry on with the same mindset.Form guideChennai Super Kings WLWLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians WWLWWHead-to-HeadThey have played each other 22 times with each side securing 11 wins apiece. In IPL 2015, too, they are squared on 1-1, with neither team winning their home game. Super Kings, backed by solid efforts from Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina, chased down 185 with 20 balls remaining in the Wankhede fixture, while Mumbai pulled off a heist in Chennai through Hardik Pandya’s blitz.In the spotlightMichael Hussey has spent practically the entire season as a substitute supplying drinks and cheering his team-mates on. He hasn’t had much game time, making only one run off four deliveries in his only match, against Kings XI Punjab. In the absence of McCullum, Super Kings’ leading run-maker, Hussey will have to click pretty much immediately.Lendl Simmons was Mumbai’s highest run-scorer in IPL 2014, and is second on the list this time around, trailing his captain by six runs. His contribution to Mumbai’s batting solidity has been remarkable not just for the unobtrusive manner in which he has racked up the runs. Did we mention his gravity-defying catches?Team newsAlex Hales joined the Mumbai squad ahead of the Sunrisers game, but Mumbai might be unwilling to tinker with a settled team.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons 2 Parthiv Patel (wk) 3 Rohit Sharma (capt) 4 Ambati Rayudu 5 Kieron Pollard 6 Hardik Pandya 7 Harbhajan Singh 8 J Suchith 9 Mitchell McClenaghan 10 Vinay Kumar 11 Lasith MalingaWith McCullum leaving for England on international duty, Hussey is the obvious choice to replace him.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Dwayne Smith 2 Michael Hussey 3 Suresh Raina 4 Faf du Plessis 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk) 6 Pawan Negi  7 Dwayne Bravo 8 Ravindra Jadeja 9 R Ashwin 10 Ashish Nehra 11 Mohit Sharma/Ishwar PandeyPitch and conditionsThe Wankhede wicket has been loaded heavily in favour of the batsmen this season, with scores in excess of 170 achieved eight times. The weather is expected to be humid with no threat of rain.Stats and trivia Mumbai have lost their last two games against Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium. They had won 4 straight games before that Dwayne Bravo has taken more IPL wickets (18) against Mumbai than any other bowler. Interestingly, he has also taken five wickets for Mumbai against Super Kings, making his 23 wickets in Mumbai-Super Kings encounters the most by any bowler Four fielders have taken 50-plus catches in the IPL, two from Super Kings (Raina and Bravo) and two from Mumbai (Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma)Quotes”We have finished one tournament and enter into a fresh tournament now. If we play to our potential this is what we can do.”
“It’s different because we always scrape through to the playoffs but we have always been consistent. Now we have had an easier road in and there is a huge difference.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame a limp finish to their innings, a Duckworth-Lewis readjustment, wet outfield, dropped catches, and fumbles in the field to successfully defend 117 in 12 overs

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
4:25

Agarkar: Rain made target a lot stiffer for KKR

Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame a limp finish to their innings, a Duckworth-Lewis readjustment, wet outfield, dropped catches, and fumbles in the field to successfully defend 117 in 12 overs. For the first 8.4 overs of the chase, 80 runs came during which the game was headed towards Kolkata Knight Riders, but a back-of-the-hand slower ball from Ravi Bopara and then three exceptional and yorker-filled overs from the Kumars of the badlands of Meerut made sure Knight Riders couldn’t score 37 off the last three overs.It was all going wrong for Sunrisers: David Warner found little support to his 55-ball 91 with the rest failing to even double the score in 10 balls more, Duckworth-Lewis wasn’t exceptionally kind to them, the conditions were wet ruling the spinners out, three catches were missed in the first four overs, and Andre Russell and Manish Pandey were threatening to turn this into a stroll. Russell was 19 off 9, Pandey 20 off 14, to go with Robin Uthappa’s 34 off 21, but then Russell went for a big hit off Bopara.It was a slower ball bowled out of the back of the hand, hit the bottom of the bat, and went straight to Dale Steyn at long-on. Steyn had seen two catches go down in his first two overs, but made no mistake here. Still with seven wickets in hand, wet conditions, and 38 required off 19 you would have backed the chasing side.Not, however, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar are bowling to Indian batsmen. These two skilled but military medium quicks, who play first-class cricket for Uttar Pradesh, have got better of every batsman on the Indian circuit. For the next 15 balls they put on a workshop on how to defend when conditions are against you. They did nothing fancy, but went about executing the most difficult bowling skill in limited-overs cricket: the yorker. They erred on a few conditions, but never on the short side.Pandey and Yusuf Pathan, with due respect to their IPL records, are not the best when the bowling is of a certain quality. That certain quality was reached here. Both the batsmen were stifled and frustrated, but couldn’t do much. Bhuvneshwar bowled the 10th over. The batsmen did managed to convert a couple of yorkers into low full tosses, but they had no room to swing their arms at. One of the six balls was a yorker outside off, and it beat the outside edge of Yusuf, who was camping back. Five runs later, Bhuvneshwar handed over the baton to the wilier and more experienced Praveen.Praveen had earlier bowled an over in which he came from a six and a four off the first two balls with four yorkers that went for one run and a wicket. He continued doing that with the wet ball. There were two fumbles in the over that converted ones into twos, Praveen let that frustration show on his face but not on the ball. The first four were near perfect, they went for five, and with 27 required off eight he slipped in a slower legcutter to make it 27 off seven. A low full toss and a misfield followed, but Knight Riders still needed 25 to win off the last over.Bhuvneshwar refused to budge off the plan. Pandey hit the first ball, a low full toss, straight to deep midwicket, and Yusuf found extra cover on the full next ball. Incredibly, in the space of 14 balls, the Kumars had turned what looked like a stroll for Knight Riders into sixes required off each ball. New batsman Suryakumar Yadav could get only a single off the third ball thus ending the game, and in the end Knight Riders barely went past Warner’s 91.While the support cast chipped in with the ball, the batting was largely dominated by Warner. On a slow pitch, with the ball turning, Warner batted a level above the others. He used a switch hit, some bullying, and some crisp hitting to get the better of spinners. Shikhar Dhawan at the other end struggled to time the ball, but he provided Warner support going at a run a ball. When Warner fell, though, for 91 out of the 130 scored when he was in the middle, Sunrisers needed Dhawan to step it up from his run-a-ball innings until then.Dhawan couldn’t, nor could the other batsmen that followed, which meant only 46 came off the last 34 balls. That pales in comparison of 20 off the last three overs, which is what the Kumars reduced Knight Riders to.

The PCB has picked seamer Rahat Ali as a replacement for the injured Junaid Khan in Pakistan’s World Cup squad

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2015The PCB has picked seamer Rahat Ali as a replacement for the injured Junaid Khan in Pakistan’s World Cup squad. The ICC’s technical committee approved the switch.*The selection of Ali, who has played only one ODI in a seven-year List A career and no international game since the Sharjah Test against New Zealand in November, was approved by PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan on the recommendation of chief selector Moin Khan.Junaid was ruled out of the World Cup after failing a fitness test in Lahore earlier this week. He had already pulled out of the recently-concluded two-match ODI series against New Zealand due to a thigh injury sustained during training in Lahore in January and, despite undergoing a rigorous rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy, could not regain full fitness in time. In October he had picked up a knee injury and was ruled out of Pakistan’s entire international winter season in the UAE. He recovered from that injury to make the World Cup squad, but then he had a fall while bowling in the nets in Lahore.Ali has played 11 Tests – aside from his solitary ODI, which was way back in June 2012 against Sri Lanka – picking 31 wickets at 36.67. In this season’s domestic one-day competition, the President’s Gold Cup One Day, where he plays for Khan Research Laboratories, he has eight wickets at 32.37.*0825GMT, February 6: This article was updated after the ICC approved Rahat Ali’s inclusion.

Mitchell Johnson has said that he is pleased with the balance of Australia’s bowling attack, and backed himself to come out firing in the knockouts following a fairly underwhelming outing in the group stages

Daniel Brettig16-Mar-2015One of the casualties of Australia’s unduly disjointed World Cup schedule was Mitchell Johnson. Save for a ball that thudded into the arm of Brendon McCullum, his afternoon at Eden Park looked like the first net session of a new summer, an all-scrambled bowling radar and batting rhythm – he also made a duck.Having effectively two weeks between game one and game two was a major obstacle for Johnson, given how he has shown himself to be unusually durable either side of a six-month hiatus from the game for foot surgery and some overdue work on his technical and mental approaches to the game in 2011-12.Three games later and he is rediscovering his rhythm, also sitting happily in the slipstream of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as Australia’s designated first-change bowler. Johnson’s least convincing display since Auckland actually came against Sri Lanka when a dry pitch and the selection of Xavier Doherty meant he reverted to taking the new ball.”I think it’s worked perfectly, he’s got a lot of attention,” Johnson said, smiling, of his left-arm off-sider Starc. “He’s obviously bowling very well. He’s done a really good job upfront for us. His career in one-cricket has, so far, been outstanding. He’s always performed well for us in one-day cricket. It wasn’t a surprise that he was going to perform like this through the World Cup as well.”It’s very important to play my role in the team. I’ve really enjoyed being a first-change or second-change bowler throughout this tournament. I think it’s probably suited the team, me bowling at first change and Starcy using that new ball and swinging the ball around and Josh or Patty using it at the other end pushing into the breeze. It’s worked really well. The balance that we’ve got with our bowling attack is really good at the moment.”As for my bowling, I felt like it really clicked coming into the start of the real stuff now. I feel like I’m one of those bowlers that the more I bowl the better I feel with rhythm. We’ve had five [or more] days between games and we’ve been training, but I just feel like I’m starting to click now.””Starc has always performed well for us in one-day cricket. It wasn’t a surprise that he was going to perform like this through the World Cup as well”•Getty ImagesMcCullum and Tillakaratne Dilshan have inflicted the sorts of indignities Johnson had experienced before his time away from the game but very seldom faced in the past 18 months. Dilshan’s sextet of boundaries at the SCG made for memorable viewing, but Johnson has exhibited his recently-found maturity by being able to shrug it off.”I’m ready for whatever’s going to come at me, I’m not stressed about those things,” he said. “That over against Dilshan it wasn’t a horrific over. I probably just over-pitched at the start and then back of a length, and he got away with it. I probably bowled that one short ball I wasn’t happy with, to be honest. The rest were OK.”How I fought back from that was really good for me. To be able to come back and bowl late in the game and be able to bowl that way when the wicket didn’t change. We thought it was going to slow down a bit but it was a still a pretty good wicket. We held our nerve and won the game. Luckily we’d scored a lot of runs.”Nevertheless, it doesn’t sound like Johnson will be lobbying to keep the current ODI playing conditions in place should he ever find himself on the ICC cricket committee. “There’s a couple of overs here and there that have gone for runs,” he said, “But that’s what we expect in this day and age of this game and with the way players play the game now. Two new balls with four fielders out makes it a little bit predictable.”It is something I’ve expected throughout this tournament and with the way the game is. It will be interesting to see if there’s a bit more pressure on how guys play the game. Coming into a quarter-final we’ll see if guys are still prepared to play that type of cricket.”

David Warner has indicated that Australia will look to add to their 326-run lead on the fifth morning before declaring, with events from the Adelaide Test fresh in their mind

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne29-Dec-2014Australia will have the Adelaide Test in the back of their minds on the final day in Melbourne, where they will begin the morning with a lead of 326 and three wickets in hand. Aggressive declarations are not unknown to the Australians but they will look for further runs on the fifth day, with a draw enough for them to win the series and India having shown solid chasing form in the first Test.On a deteriorating drop-in pitch at Adelaide Oval, India were set 364 and were bowled out for 315, Virat Kohli’s century not quite enough as Nathan Lyon bowled Australia to victory. But the MCG drop-in pitches tend to hold up better and the surface should still be good for batting on day five, which is likely to discourage the Australians from setting India too achievable a target.”We saw in the Adelaide Test how well they fought there and luckily we got the breakthrough because it could have been a different story,” David Warner said of Kohli’s wicket in the Adelaide Test. “They would have gone one-nil up. We know what their batting line up is like: Kohli and Rahane put on a great partnership.”They had their luck but they went on with it and got big scores. That is in the back of our mind. We know the positive brand of cricket they are playing now and we have got to come out with the ball and either dry it up or take those ten wickets … I think we need a few more runs than what we have got on the board at the moment.”Warner made 40 on the fourth day at the MCG and his 57-run opening stand with Chris Rogers helped the Australians get away to a solid start, although Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin and Umesh Yadav bowled to their plans and made life difficult for the batsmen. Warner said the surface was still playing well for batsmen.”It’s still a very good batting wicket,” he said. “There’s not much sideways movement with the new ball but when the ball gets older and a bit softer there’s a bit of reverse swing and I think that is going to be the key when we take the field, to try to get that ball going a bit, dry up the runs and get ten opportunities.”That is the way we are going to try and win the game. Obviously the new ball is crucial and we’ve got to make the most of it. Extra zip with the new ball, I don’t think there’s going to be sideways movement at all. Depending on the weather there might be a bit of swing but I don’t think that is likely.”Ashwin said India would be positive in their approach on the final day and would play for the victory they require to get back into the series with only one match left to play.”Any score on the final day is going to be tricky,” Ashwin said. “It’s a Test match and … it’s going to test every single aspect of your game and your attitude. It’s going to be hard work, but we’re up for it – we’re here to win games of cricket. We’ll be positive and try and see where we can go.”