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India’s streak in T20Is since the start of 2016 – 10 wins in 11 matches – and the manner of their wins means they start the World T20 as favourites, by a distinct though not overwhelming margin

Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Mar-20167:49

Manjrekar: India’s bowlers adding as much value as batsmen

Big PictureSince the start of 2016, India have played 11 T20Is. They have won ten of them, and the one loss came on a monstrous green-top in Pune. They have crushed their opponents with a sense of inevitability, and while doing so seem to have found solutions to a couple of long-standing issues that had hindered their limited-overs game.India are by no means the perfect team, but they have built up such a head of steam, and in such a timely manner, that they start the World T20 as favourites, by a distinct though not overwhelming margin.It only takes one defeat – to a dangerous New Zealand side, perhaps, in the tournament opener – to change perceptions, casting a harsh glare on hitherto unseen or underestimated weaknesses, but at this stage India have most of their bases covered for a tournament in home conditions. Partly by design and partly by accident, the components of a well-rounded bowling attack have fallen into place.No one in all of India’s cricket-consuming population could have predicted, even on New Year’s Eve, that Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah would be their first-choice new-ball pair at the World T20. But that is precisely what they are, and they are doing such a good job of it that it’s hard to see a fit-again Mohammed Shami dislodging either of them. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, are doing what R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja usually do.The batting is humming along, too. The top three are in frighteningly good form. Shikhar Dhawan, for so long a puzzling underachiever in T20s, seems to have found his feet in the format, and that is a major worry for teams that also have to come up with plans to keep Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli quiet.The big area of concern, though, is what comes after that top three. Since the start of 2014, the T20I strike rate of India’s middle order (No. 4 to No. 7) is 119.80. Nine teams do worse than India on that count, but those nine teams are Zimbabwe, Ireland, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Oman, Hong Kong, UAE, PNG and Nepal.At the helm MS Dhoni is part of that worrying middle order, and his finishing came under considerable scrutiny during the 2015-16 tour of Australia – though that was largely during the ODI leg, when he struggled to summon up the big hits while India chased down big targets. Since then, though, he has batted eight times in T20Is, and scored 78 runs at a strike rate of 229.41, while only being dismissed twice. Are those figures evidence that he is back to his best, or are they too skewed by the circumstances he has walked in at, with only a few balls remaining to top up a big total or a few runs needed to complete a comfortable chase?Whatever the answer to that question is, Dhoni remains a key figure in a campaign that is quite possibly his last ICC event. Savour while you still can the hits over long-on, that airborne slap through the covers, those lightning stumpings, and the deadpan asides caught on the stump mic.Key Stat117.33That’s Virat Kohli’s T20I average this year. He has batted eight times, scored four half centuries, remained not out four times, and done all this at a strike rate of 134.35.Ashish Nehra’s four overs of left-arm menace have come in handy for India•Associated PressLeading Men Virat Kohli
As those stats testify, Kohli has been central to India’s winning run, absorbing pressure when early wickets have fallen, scoring rapidly while deviating only minimally from the textbook, and bending chases to his will. His presence at the crease often camouflages India’s middle-order frailties.R Ashwin
At ICC events, Ashwin invariably raises his game. He has a career bowling average of 31.73 in ODIs, but averages 24.88 in World Cups and 22.62 in the Champions Trophy. In all T20Is, he averages 21.56 and has an economy rate of 6.84. In the World T20 his average is 13.68 and his economy rate 5.61. It’s hard to see the pattern changing at this World T20, given the rhythm he is in, and given the conditions he’ll probably bowl in.Ashish Nehra
At various points over the last few weeks, Ashish Nehra has provoked a feeling of regret for what he might have achieved in Test cricket had his bones and joints not been so brittle. He can certainly bowl four quality overs of left-arm menace, though. The run-up is as brisk as ever, and the new ball swerves in the air and hurries off the pitch just like it used to a decade ago. Since his comeback, Nehra has taken 13 wickets in 10 matches at 19.92. Ten of those wickets have come in the Powerplay overs.Burning QuestionAre India taking a risk by playing Yuvraj Singh?
In the final of the 2014 World T20, Yuvraj Singh made 11 off 21 balls. He struggled to find the boundaries, and he struggled to get off strike. It meant Virat Kohli couldn’t get on strike. It meant India couldn’t get their name on the trophy.Yuvraj, that day, was the victim of Twenty20’s structural cruelty: better the first-ball slog straight to a fielder than a 21-ball struggle that would show character in another format. It was hard to see him coming back from that, but he has come back from far bigger crises. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s here again, two years later, playing another World T20.But the doubts persist. In the 12 T20I innings he has played since the start of 2014, Yuvraj’s T20I strike rate is 102.38. It was 153.08 before that. His dot-ball percentage has gone from 40.39 to 52.15. When the ball is in his slot, he can still use his massive reach and bat swing to devastating effect, but can he still do it against top-quality bowling?World T20 historyAfter winning the inaugural edition in 2007 – and changing the landscape of world cricket – India went through a period of underachievement in the tournament, failing to reach the semi-finals in 2009, 2010 and 2012. They were back at their best in 2014, however, topping their Super-10 group with four wins out of four and cruising past a challenging South African total in the semi-finals before losing the title match to Sri Lanka.In their own words”I think we are running in the sixth gear – I know technology has gone into eight gears. Everything is set. I don’t think there are further gears to operate upon. How we are playing cricket and the stuff we are doing on the field is adequate for any level of game, but we have to keep our intensity up and focus should be there from ball one.”
– Aakash Chopra on India’s strengths and weaknesses

Erling Haaland thanked his fans for their support after becoming the youngest and fastest player to score 40 goals in the Champions League.

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Haaland scored his 40th Champions League goalNeeded just 35 games to reach milestoneSent message of thanks to his supportersWHAT HAPPENED?

Haaland helped inspire City to a comeback win against RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The reigning European champions were 2-0 down before the Norwegian pulled one back early in the second half and both Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez struck to secure the win. The 23-year-old needed just 35 games to score his 40 goals in the competition – making him the quickest to do so as well as the youngest.

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The striker celebrated the record with a post on social media, writing in the caption: "I've said it before. I'll say it again. Nothing happens without you all. Thank you for the endless support! We keep working."

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The European record is the second one Haaland has broken in a matter of days. The ex-Borussia Dortmund star opened the scoring as City drew 1-1 with Liverpool on Saturday. That was his 50th goal in the Premier League and he reached that milestone in just 48 matches.

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Haaland will aim to continue his goalscoring exploits this weekend when City take on Tottenham in the Premier League. The English champions will hope to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal, who are a point ahead of them.

Yunus Musah made history Monday evening, becoming the youngest-ever USMNT player to 33 caps before their 21st birthday.

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Musah breaks USMNT recordBeats Donovan, Pulisic and AltidoreYoungest player to 33 caps under 21WHAT HAPPENED?

The announcement came via U.S. Soccer on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, making it known that the young midfielder broke the record previously held by Christian Pulisic, Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore. Musah committed to the USMNT on March 15, 2021 – 980 days ago – becoming only one of 12 players to make their debut with the USMNT prior to their 18th birthday.

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Musah has become the single most-capped under-21 player in the history of the program, which is staggering. The Milan midfielder has become a mainstay in Gregg Berhalter's side, moving into a starting role to replace the injured Tyler Adams, and has now made himself indispensable to the USA boss. He represented England at different youth levels, but opted for the USMNT as a teenager.

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The most-capped player in USMNT history is Cobi Jones, who managed 164 appearances over his career.

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT & MUSAH?

The USMNT will move to 2024 now, with the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and the Copa America on the horizon. Despite their 2-1 loss Monday evening, the U.S. advanced on aggregate and qualified for the Games in Paris at the same time. Next on the agenda for Musah, meanwhile, is returning to AC Milan and preparing for the Serie A meeting with Fiorentina on November 25.

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.

Aneesh Kapil struck his maiden first-class hundred for Surrey as the final day against New Zealand A at The Oval ended in a draw.

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2014
ScorecardAneesh Kapil’s maiden first-class century defied New Zealand A•PA PhotosAneesh Kapil struck his maiden first-class hundred for Surrey as the final day against New Zealand A at The Oval ended in a draw.It was an unexpectedly frustrating finale for New Zealand A as Kapil made an unbeaten 104 to give Surrey a lead of 254 and then Surrey took the first six wickets for 81 in the evening session before B.J. Watling held out for a draw.It was a disappointing end to a successful New Zealand A tour that was disrupted badly by the weather. Four of their 13 games were washed out and three more decided by the Duckworth Lewis system. But their record was excellent nevertheless with only one defeat – against Sri Lanka in a tri-series, also involving England Lions, that they eventually won.Surrey began the morning on their overnight 72 for 3, still 38 behind, but Surrey moved into the lead with Rory Burns and Arun Harinath still together, with Harinath greeting the introduction of Todd Astle with consecutive straight sixes into the OCS stand. When Harinath was bowled, trying to work the leg spinner Todd Astle through the leg side, the partnership was worth 97.Burns was undefeated on 94, with Kapil, 33, already batting with adventure but Burns fell immediately after the interval when he was trapped lbw by Astle. Kapil hooked Hamish Bennett for six and moved to his maiden first-class fifty for Surrey from his 66th delivery.Jade Dernbach gave Kapil invaluable support with eight wickets down and Jason Roy absent hurt. But Dernbach did not just block as Kapil neared his hundred, striking Astle for a couple of enormous sixes. Finally, Kapil pulled Scott Kuggeleiijn for four to bring up his hundred from 133 balls with Dernbach dismissed soon after.The target for the tourists was 255 from a minimum of 41 overs but Dunn quickly struck twice, including bowling Hamish Rutherford without scoring. Dernbach followed up with two wickets in two balls, Tom Latham caught by Vikram Solanki at slip for 17 and a slower ball follow-up to trap Colin de Grandhomme lbw for noug to leave New Zealand A 27 for four.When the sixth wicket fell, a surprise Surrey win was in the offing, but Watling ensured a draw with a much-needed half-century.

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.

IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are being looked at as alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot14-Apr-2016IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has said that Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Kanpur are frontrunners to be alternative home venues for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants after a Bombay High Court ruling ordered matches after April 30 to be moved out of Maharashtra due to a state-wide drought. He also said Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata were in contention to host the three playoff games – the Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and final – that were scheduled to be played in Pune and Mumbai.Shukla confirmed he would meet with representatives from both franchises in Delhi on April 15 to formulate a revised arrangement, which will later be ratified by the IPL governing council. He said, however, that the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the IPL would request the Bombay High Court for permission to host the match between Supergiants and Mumbai in Pune on May 1 due to difficulties involved in shifting equipment.”Since there is a match on April 29 and May 1 in Pune – back-to-back matches – it will be almost impossible to move the equipment in 24 hours to another venue,” Shukla told reporters in Rajkot. “That’s a technical problem, so we are going to appeal tomorrow to the Bombay High Court if they can allow one more match in Pune. The other matches will be shifted. We decided yesterday that we are not going for an appeal. We will be implementing the verdict given by the court.”Kings XI Punjab were scheduled to play three home matches in Nagpur in May and Shukla said the franchise will shift those games to Mohali and Dharamsala.He also suggested that Jaipur was a prospective venue if either Mumbai or Supergiants expressed interest. “The RCA can’t host the match but the government has approached us to host the match,” Shukla said. “We will put Jaipur also as an option. Let’s see how the franchises react. We can host [matches without RCA being there]. There is a sports council of the government.”Shukla revealed Supergiants had requested the use of Eden Gardens as a home venue but said the IPL rules may not allow it.”Technically, it’s very difficult because it is the designated home ground of a franchise,” he said. “So far two matches of Gujarat Lions are slotted in Kanpur. If these franchises want Kanpur then those two matches will be played in Rajkot.”While Chennai and Ranchi were ruled out, Shukla said he was waiting to hear from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association on Indore’s availability. “The MPCA secretary is checking with the authorities because the Kumbh Mela is going on and all the security forces have been deployed there.”Shukla said the biggest logistical challenge was movement of equipment: “It is a gigantic exercise. Then all those things – the look and feel of stadium, ticketing, maintenance of ground and wickets – will have to be looked into as well.”The court’s ruling came after a Public Interest Litigation questioned the hosting of matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and the order affects 13 games in the tournament. Mumbai was scheduled to host four matches after April 30, including the tournament final on May 29. Pune will miss out on six matches, including the Eliminator and Qualifier 2, while Nagpur will not host any fixtures this season.While hearing the PIL filed by Loksatta Movement, a Hyderabad-based NGO, last week, the court sought an explanation from the BCCI and the three state associations on why water should be “wasted” on hosting games when the state faced one of its worst ever droughts. In the next hearing, the court allowed theopening match to be held as scheduled in Mumbai on April 9, but earlier this week asked the BCCI if matches could be shifted out of Pune.In its defence, the BCCI had stated that less water was used to prepare the ground for an IPL game when compared to an international fixture. The board also stated that it intended to use treated sewage water for ground preparation in Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai and Supergiants had also proposed to contribute INR 5 crore to the Maharashtra chief minister’s drought relief fund and supply 40 lakh litres of water to drought-hit areas at their own cost.

Kylian Mbappe has been mocked by Greggs after being accused of daydreaming about steak bakes, with the PSG star told he is “welcome to come 4-1”.

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World Cup winner flopped at St James' ParkSuffered humbling defeatHas become an easy target for criticsWHAT HAPPENED?

The World Cup-wining forward endured a rare off day alongside the rest of his Paris Saint-Germain colleagues as they suffered a humbling defeat to Newcastle in the Champions League. Mbappe never got going in that contest, with the 24-year-old failing to sparkle on a European stage.

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Newcastle had no complaints about that, with Eddie Howe’s side claiming a notable scalp. Their supporters have been revelling in a memorable triumph, while also poking fun at continental rivals. One Magpies fan posted on social media when reflecting on Mbappe’s performance: “I was confident about a win, as I went with a predicted 2-1. The team was just showing off last night though. This fella was just thinking about Greggs steak bakes all night. Right there, he was caught licking his lips thinking of his next one.”

DID YOU KNOW?

It did not take long for bakery chain Greggs to respond to that post, with another cheeky jibe aimed in the direction of Mbappe. They said when being made aware of the steak bake claims: “He’s welcome to come 4-1 this morning…”

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Mbappe looked stunned at times as PSG collapsed in dramatic fashion at St James’ Park, with a disasterclass from Luis Enrique’s side leaving them with work to do in order to make the Champions League last-16 as they are in the so-called ‘Group of Death’ with Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

England captain Harry Kane was denied a penalty against Malta on Friday, and was booked for diving after a challenge from goalkeeper Henry Bonello.

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Kane brought down in the boxAppealed immediately for a penaltyBooked by official, with VAR not interveningWHAT HAPPENED?

Kane interecepted a pass from goalkeeper Bonello in the Malta penalty area and appeared to be nicked on his ankle by the shot stopper's trailing arm as he dived for the ball. The referee, though, saw it differently and booked Kane for diving, much to the bemusement of the Bayern forward. VAR opted against intervening.

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Replays showed that Bonello made contact with Kane's ankle, so there should have been a VAR review at the very least, although the decision was not deemed to be a clear and obvious error. Kane and his team-mates were particularly aghast, and manager Gareth Southgate was also seen questioning the decision with the fourth official.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

England took a 1-0 lead through an own goal from Enrico Pepe and will hope to see the victory out. Given Malta's standing in the international game, one has to think that Kane will be out to boost his own goal tally.

Chris Cairns has acknowledged that his name has been linked to allegations of corruption and has said allegations against him “are a complete lie”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2014Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has acknowledged that his name has been linked to allegations of corruption and has said allegations against him “are a complete lie.”The recently reported testimonies of Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum in the ICC’s investigation of spot-fixing and match-fixing allegations have both mentioned a Player X in their statements to the anti-corruption and security unit. Cairns won a High Court libel trial in 2012 against Lalit Modi, after the latter accused him of match-fixing.Following the emergence of Vincent’s claims last week, reportedly given as part of a plea-bargain with the ICC, which revealed the scope and scale of the matches implicated, the revealed details of McCullum’s testimony where he explained how he was approached in India during the first year of the IPL and then in Worcester during New Zealand’s 2008 tour of England by the same player and asked whether he would be interested in fixing cricket matches. McCullum said that player had been a “hero” of his.”I am aware that Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum have made a range of allegations against a cricketer dubbed Player X,” Cairns said. “It is well known that the ICC/ACSU has been investigating allegations of corruption and my name has been linked by others to these allegations. I am being asked whether I am Player X.”Based on the limited information I have received during this investigation, I believe it is being alleged that I am that player. These allegations against me are a complete lie.”Cairns had, in April, confirmed that he had had a recent meeting with Scotland Yard investigators but refused to divulge the reasons for the meeting.New Zealand Cricket reacted angrily to the leak of McCullum’s testimony.”New Zealand Cricket is dismayed that Brendon McCullum’s testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media,” the board said in a statement. “We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them. NZC has 100% confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption.”McCullum’s testimony is part of the ICC’s ongoing investigation into allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing. In December last year, Vincent confirmed that he was involved in an ICC anti-corruption investigation and in February, Vincent reported that he had been approached by an illegal bookmaker during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. Vincent is also reported to have told investigators of attempted fixing in England’s Twenty20 Cup and Pro40 competitions.