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South Africa will want to finish the job here, with only win one out of this and the next Test needed

Firdose Moonda28-Dec-2024A return of 6 for 52 should not be described in terms other than glowing, but even Marco Jansen will tell you that none of the four deliveries he got wickets with at SuperSport Park on day three of the first Test against Pakistan on Saturday were a true reflection of his abilities.”I’ve struggled the whole game, to be honest,” he said after the day’s play. “I feel like I’ve not been as consistent as I should be – if that makes sense – regarding line and length. Everything wasn’t clicking.”That assessment applies to parts of the bowling in all three completed innings so far. In Pakistan’s first, Kagiso Rabada was by far the most threatening of South Africa’s attack but went wicketless, while Corbin Bosch admitted some of his wickets came off balls the batters didn’t need to play at.Related

• Abbas, Shahzad give Pakistan hope of defending 147

In South Africa’s first innings, Pakistan were at times listless, and offered too many boundary balls to Aiden Markram initially, and Bosch later on. Then, in Pakistan’s second innings, Rabada and Dane Paterson struggled for rhythm initially, and Bosch was off the mark before Temba Bavuma turned to Jansen to make something happen.Jansen’s fifth ball was short and wide, and Babar Azam, who had just got to his fifty, could not resist. He slashed it to deep point, where Bavuma had positioned Bosch, and Jansen received his first post-Christmas gift. Two overs later, Mohammad Rizwan got a short ball angling down leg and followed it with a half-hearted pull to be caught behind. In the over after that, Salman Agha drove leaden-footed at a full, wide ball. There are questions to be asked about all three batters’ shot selections, but South Africa always expected them to choose those kinds of strokes.”We know most of their batters like to play a positive brand of Test cricket. So we know that if we stick to our lines and lengths, they might leave one or two [balls], but their tendencies are they’ll go at one,” Jansen said. “We always knew that we’re in the game, and we always knew that something’s going to happen.”The most comical was yet to come when Saud Shakeel, on 84, was the recipient of a full toss that struck him on the pad, as he missed an attempted flick. Shakeel was hit under the knee roll, which says something about where Jansen planned for the ball to pitch before he got it a little wrong.Toni de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs were dismissed late on Day 3•AFP/Getty Images

“I wanted to go for the yorker, but I probably missed it by a shin’s length,” Jansen said. “At the end of the day, people can say what they want. [But] he missed it, and it’s a wicket. So I’m happy for that.”There was laughter all around when Jansen said that, which is a reflection of how entertaining this Test has been, although the quality of cricket has sometimes been questionable. Because both sides have provided some underwhelming cricket, it created a contest, albeit perhaps not an elite one. That was saved for the last 40 minutes, when Pakistan’s seamers, while defending only 147, dished up spicy opening spells as the clouds gathered overhead to gawk on South Africa’s increasingly knotted nerves.Three of their top four were dismissed to the new ball being bowled on the right lengths, which was just short of a good length, even as the Pakistan quicks also took advantage of the extra bounce and nip on offer. Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs have all had their last say on this match, and South Africa could not be too unhappy with what happened to them.”The three wickets they got were three good balls, so it’s not like we threw our wickets away,” Jansen said. “That’s not to make it seem better. But as long as they get us out with good balls, there’s only so much you can do as a batter. You can only play what you see – you can’t pre-empt or pre-meditate what you want to do – because on this pitch, you’re going to get yourself in trouble.”If Jansen ends up batting in the chase, that might mean South Africa are in some trouble, although they bat deep and he has a plan.”My mental point of view is to be as disciplined as possible for as long as possible. We know that with the new ball, it moves quite sharply here – especially in the second innings of the game,” he said. “Once the ball gets older, it gets a lot easier to bat, and it’s a nice scoring ground. So with the new ball, [it is] definitely going to move sideways, and then the odd ball will shoot up and the odd ball will also keep low.”From my perspective, if the ball shoots up, just get your hands out of the way, and then if the ball keeps a bit low, just stay nice and tight in terms of your bat next to your pad. Those two are the difficult ones to keep out. The balls that move sideways, we’re used to that, so I think those are going to be the challenges for tomorrow.”Explained in those purely cricketing terms, it sounds as though South Africa have a good grasp of what is required of them. But there will be much more than just bat vs ball going on on Sunday. There is the expectation of securing this win to reach next year’s World Test Championship final, and the pressure of being South African in a chase. You may think there is also some cushioning because South Africa only need to win one out of this and the next Test. But putting themselves in a must-win situation at Newlands will come with its own set of mind games.South Africa will want to finish the job here, but for that, they will need the kind of steel that has not yet been on display at SuperSport Park. But with so much at stake, it may be time for something we’ve not seen so far.

Maharashtra’s 19-year-old allrounder scored a match-winning hundred on his List A debut

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2025Arshin Kulkarni, Maharashtra’s 19-year-old allrounder, scored a century on List A debut to lead his side to victory against Punjab and into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kulkarni top-scored with 107 off 137 balls as Maharashtra overcame a top-order wobble to post 275 for 6, which was 70 too many for Punjab.Maharashtra were reduced to 8 for 2 in the third over with Arshdeep Singh, who finished with a three-wicket haul that took him to the top of the wicket charts, accounting for the openers. Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was bowled by an away-swinger that pitched on leg stump and beat his outside edge to hit the top of off in the first over of the match. In the third, Arshdeep had left-hand batter Siddesh Veer nicking behind.Kulkarni and Ankit Bawne, the veteran batter, put on 145 for the third wicket. Bawne scored 60 before he fell to spin-bowling allrounder Naman Dhir. Rahul Tripathi then fell for 15 as Maharashtra stumbled.It wasn’t until the last five overs that they regained some momentum, with wicketkeeper batter Nikhil Naik hitting an unbeaten 29-ball 52. Maharashtra scored 63 off the last six overs to finish on 275.Left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary began Maharashtra’s defence with superb swing bowling to dismiss Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma as Punjab tried to speed away. He had a third wicket in the 10th over – his fifth in a row – when he dismissed Nehal Wadhera and left Punjab 50 for 3.When Punjab’s middle order, comprising the dangerous Ramandeep Singh and Naman Dhir, failed to fire, Maharashtra were runaway winners. From 123 for 7, Arshdeep muscled a few big blows to reduce Punjab’s margin of defeat. He made his highest List A score of 49 before being the last batter dismissed as they were all out for 205.

Both teams made 300-plus totals in their opening games, so expect another run-fest on a flat surface in Rawalpindi

Firdose Moonda24-Feb-20253:05

Australia’s batters vs SA’s bowlers – who has the upper hand?

Big picture: Expect a hard-fought contest

Australia and South Africa brushed off poor pre-tournament results to record wins in their opening matches of the Champions Trophy and they meet each other with their batters in good form. Australia may be riding slightly higher after they completed the highest successful chase in tournament history – 352 – with 15 balls to spare. South Africa’s 315 for 6 against Afghanistan resulted in victory by 107 runs and put them higher on the points table thanks to a bigger net run-rate.All that, combined with expectations of a batter-friendly pitch in Rawalpindi, means the bowling attacks can expect a tough day out after already being challenged by absences in personnel. Australia are missing more than South Africa with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all out of the tournament. But with Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee also ruled out, South Africa had to look elsewhere for express pace. Still, they have five seamers and three spinners (if you include Aiden Markram) to choose from. Australia’s squad make-up is similar, and with Marnus Labuschagne turning his arm over, they have additional options. So the real point of difference may lie in selection and how the captains allocate overs to exert pressure on each other.Related

• Inglis savours 'special' innings as Australia make winning start

• Rickelton is rocking it in all three formats, one by one

• South Africa 'bullish' about their chances – like Australia always are

Victory will not guarantee either team progression to the semi-finals but will leave the winner primed to top the group, so expect a contest that lives up to its billing, especially if the last one was anything to go by. In 2023, at the ODI World Cup semi-final, South Africa were restricted to an under-par total of 212 but had Australia seven down in the 48th when the winning runs were scored. That game had the tension of a low-scoring thriller. This one is likely to have the fireworks of a run fest.Whatever happens, given these two sides routinely bring out the most competitive streaks in each other, this will be one of the tournament’s showpiece matches in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd.

Form guide

Australia: WLLLL
South Africa: WLLLL4:16

Carey: We know South Africa are a great team

In the spotlight: Nathan Ellis and Rassie van der Dussen

In a match where 707 runs were scored in 97.3 overs, conceding less than six runs an over was simply outstanding. That’s what Nathan Ellis did for Australia against England, where his ten overs cost just 51 runs in a display of immense control and maturity in just his tenth ODI. Ellis is unusual in that at 5′ 9″ he isn’t as tall as we’d expect a fast bowler to be and relies on consistency and variety rather than pace to make an impact. While he may not be an outright attacking bowler, in a tournament where restricting batting sides in the middle overs has already proven to be important, how he performs in that phase could be decisive in Australia’s campaign.Part of a powerful and in-form batting order, Rassie van der Dussen has the third-best ODI batting average of all time for South Africa and is among their most consistent performers despite a recent dip, and he may have started to feel the pressure of competition for his place. His 46-ball 52 against Afghanistan was his first half-century in 11 innings. South Africa are choosing between Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi and van der Dussen for two of three top-order spots and also have Tristan Stubbs on the bench, so van der Dussen will want to do all he can to keep proving his worth.

Team news: Heinrich Klassen to have fitness test

Australia don’t have reason to change things and Alex Carey suggested the XI would remain as is. They may consider a switch in their attack, and swap out one of their two left-arm quicks – Spencer Johnson and Ben Dwarshuis – for Sean Abbott.Australia: (possible): 1 Matthew Short, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer JohnsonHeinrich Klaasen missed South Africa’s opener against Afghanistan because of an elbow niggle and will have a fitness test to assess his availability for this match. If Klaasen is fit, South Africa are likely to change their opening combination to make room for him in the middle order, which would mean leaving de Zorzi out after Rickelton made himself undroppable with his century against Afghanistan. South Africa seem content to play one specialist spinner and have the option of four quicks, which could leave Tabraiz Shamsi on the bench again.South Africa (possible): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi4:00

Agar: Australia’s bowlers need to control middle overs better

Pitch and conditions

Before this tournament, Rawalpindi had not hosted ODIs since April 2023, when Pakistan and New Zealand made scores of 288, 291, 336 and 337 in two matches. South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma and Carey said they expected another high-scoring encounter on what should be a flat surface. Bavuma also revealed that South Africa noted significant dew during a training session at the venue over the weekend and both he and Carey expected chasing to be easier than defending a target. The weather will be cooler than in Karachi or Lahore with a high of just 17 degrees, and there is some drizzle forecast in the afternoon which could impact the match.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s chase of 352 against England was their second-highest successful chase in ODIs.
• In that game, Josh Inglis became the fourth Australian men’s cricketer to complete a hundred in all formats, after Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner.
• Since 2016, South Africa have batted first 12 times against Australia in ODIs and lost only two of those matches. The most recent of these defeats was the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
• Travis Head has scored 62 runs off 55 balls off Kagiso Rabada in ODIs and been dismissed by him three times. Against Lungi Ngidi, however, he’s scored only 15 off 25 balls for two dismissals.
• Klaasen has scored 121 runs off 89 balls from Adam Zampa in ODIs and been dismissed twice by him.

Quotes

“We probably don’t want to chase 350 too many more times but our bowlers will learn a lot from that hit out.”
“We’re quite bullish about our chances. Even though in the [preceding] tri-series, we didn’t have all our guys, it still was an opportunity for us to get whatever intel that we can on the conditions and share that information with all the other guys who came in. Confidence is good. We’re quite optimistic about our chances and how far we can go in this competition.”

From No.9 last year, they have climbed up to fourth on the ICC’s table

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Jul-2025Yes it’s an infrequently played format these days, and sure, the rankings have never meant much. But for Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya, the ODI men’s team’s climb up the ladder from No. 9 around the middle of last year, to fourth now, is indication that they are on the rebound. And for Jayasuriya, they couldn’t have done it without the leadership of Charith Asalanka.”Charith Asalanka has played a key role alongside me,” Jayasuriya said ahead of the second ODI against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka had won the first match by 77 runs. “What we have done is to give players confidence and get the best out of them. Players worked very hard and that hard work that we put in has enabled us to move forward. There were mistakes that they fixed.”Asalanka himself has averaged 46.83 and struck at 97.23 as captain. His106 on Wednesday was a match-winning innings.Related

• Shanaka, Karunaratne, Wellalage back in SL squad for T20Is against Bangladesh

• Bangladesh aim to put collapse behind them and challenge Sri Lanka

• Bangladesh sink after 7 for 5 collapse and Asalanka century

It had been a tough few years. Sri Lanka finished ninth in the 2023 ODI World Cup, enduring a horror campaign, and as a result failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy this year, for the first time.But things have looked better since last year. They have won 10 out of 14 completed matches since August, and have defeated India, West Indies, New Zealand, and Australia in series, though those trophies were all won at home.”It was a big challenge from where we were to come up to No. 4,” Jayasuriya said. “It was a big process. We were a team that had missed out on Champions Trophy. Every opportunity we got, we planned and tried to revive the ODI team.””If we want to move further up, we need to work on other areas like fielding and batting, and build consistency.”

CWI president admits the players and fans will have several “sleepless nights” following the 3-0 defeat to Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2025Cricket West Indies (CWI) has extended invitations to three former players – Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards – to take part in an emergency meeting following West Indies’ 3-0 series loss at home to Australia. The West Indies greats will join Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Desmond Haynes and Ian Bradshaw on the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee to review the team’s “deeply disappointing” performances over the past few weeks.West Indies folded quickly in the first two Tests too, but they saved the biggest ignominy for the very last, folding for 27 in 14.3 overs in Kingston. The total was just one run better than New Zealand’s Test-record low of 26 in 1955 but it was 20 runs short of West Indies’ previous worst total of 47. It was the first time in Test history a team recorded seven ducks in an innings and the six runs made collectively by West Indies’ top-six batters was the lowest in any innings in Test history.Related

• After 27 all out, West Indies come face to face with deepening Test crisis

• Ten days in the Caribbean: WI batters hit new lows, questions remain around Australia's top three

• 'Heartbreaking' and 'embarrassing' – Chase laments West Indies batting woes

• Starc six-for, Boland hat-trick consign West Indies to 27 all-out and 0-3 defeat

• Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

Dr Kishore Shallow, the president of CWI, said that the entire West Indies cricket community will have several “sleepless nights” following the losses, but called for patience as they look to “rebuild and start investing in the next generation”.”Like every West Indian cricket fan, I felt the pain of our recent Test defeat to Australia,” he said. “There will be some sleepless nights ahead for many of us, including the players, who I know feel this loss just as heavily. But while disappointment is natural, we must not allow this moment to define our journey. We are in a rebuilding phase, steadily investing in the next generation, and reigniting the spirit that has long made West Indies cricket a force in the world.”Progress is rarely straightforward. It takes time, perseverance, and belief, especially in our most difficult moments. The road ahead will test us, but I have faith in the talent and commitment of our players when they apply themselves. We have already seen encouraging signs, particularly with the ball. Our batters are keen, but now must be even more deliberate as they work to improve.”Shallow said the involvement of Lara, Richards and Lloyd wasn’t purely “ceremonial”, and that they would be actively involved in West Indies’ “next phase of cricket development”.”These are men who helped define our golden eras, and their perspectives will be invaluable. We intend for this gathering to result in tangible, actionable recommendations.”Consistent with my message over the last weeks, this is a moment that calls for collaboration, not division. We need everyone on board: fans, players, coaches, legends, and administrators, if we are to truly move forward. There is much work to be done. But we must do it with purpose, and we must do it together.”West Indies will next take on Australia in a five-match T20I series starting July 21, before hosting Pakistan for a white-ball series in August.

“It’s hard to take, because I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to deserve not being on that plane”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2025Kate Cross has revealed that she is “struggling to get [her] head around” her “savage” omission from England’s squad for the 50-over World Cup in India.Cross, 33, has been a regular in England’s ODI side since the last World Cup and took her 100th career wicket in the format earlier this summer. But she was dropped during their series against India last month and was left out of the squad altogether on Thursday as a result of England’s decision to pick an extra spinner for subcontinent conditions.”It’s hard to take, because I don’t feel like I’ve done enough to deserve not being on that plane,” Cross said on , her podcast with Alex Hartley. “Everyone that is a current player who doesn’t get selected is going to disagree with selections and going to think that they should be there.Related

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“But what I’m really struggling to get my head around is it all feels like it’s happened so quickly that I’ve just clearly fallen out of favour with Lot [England coach Charlotte Edwards]. That’s a hard bit to get my head [around]. If I’d had 14-18 months of being pretty average at cricket and not performing in an England shirt, then I think I’d understand it a bit more.”I guess to an extent I have, because I didn’t have the best summer in an England shirt and I had a really tough winter and missed out a lot through the back injury. But I think leading into that, I definitely didn’t feel like I wouldn’t be on the plane. Being in the best XI [is] a different conversation, but [not even] being on the plane… It feels savage.”Cross was first left out by Edwards for a rain-reduced game against India at Lord’s – she is not involved in England’s T20I set-up – and did not regain her place for the series finale in Durham. “There’s so much for me to get my head around, and I haven’t processed it,” she said. “It’s still really raw.”England have only picked three frontline seamers for the World Cup in Em Arlott, Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer, with captain Nat Sciver-Brunt on track to recover from injury in time to offer another option.”It’s what you sign up for,” Cross said. “You don’t get to have those amazing highs without having these real lows, but it doesn’t make the lows any easier knowing that they’re going to be there. I probably had a good indication that I wasn’t going to be in this, or it would be tough to come back from being dropped in that last game… But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Aussie’s unbeaten 50 off 32 balls seals victory against Manchester Originals

ECB Media11-Aug-2025Reigning champions London Spirit made it three from three as they downed Manchester Originals in a nail-biter at Emirates Old Trafford, Grace Harris’s beautifully paced unbeaten 50 the stand-out performance.Brimming with confidence, Spirit won the toss and elected to bowl first, enjoying a dream start as Georgia Redmayne brilliantly caught Kathryn Bryce down the leg side before Melie Kerr was needlessly run out going for a non-existent second from a free hit.Beth Mooney counterpunched briefly and from 46 for 4 after 39 balls and Originals batted sensibly, Deandra Dottin mixing solid defence with the occasional blazing strike. She was well supported by Fi Morris and Alice Monaghan to take the home side to 122 for 6, both Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn going for under a run a ball.Mahika Gaur bowled 15 of the first 25 balls in reply, finding significant swing and ensuring Originals were still in the game before unleashing their own international class spinners. New Zealand leggie Kerr was at the heart of the action, taking catches to get rid of Kira Chathli and Redmayne and bowling Dani Gibson for a duck.But Harris was they key, the big-hitting Aussie who struck 89 not out off 42 balls in Spirit’s first-up win against Oval Invincibles, starting steadily as the run rate climbed. A four off a no-ball, followed by a free hit six, took the equation to 30 off 21, which became 16 off the last 10, at which point Harris hit a six just past Monaghan’s outstretched fingers. But Bryce then dismissed Issy Wong and Dean lbw in successive balls to leave the game in the balance.An edge for four first ball by Glenn made it five needed from the last five, and she hit another boundary off the 98th ball to seal the deal.Meerkat Match Hero Harris said: “I just thought it was a bit of a trickier wicket to start on, and then once you got in, you could try and cash in at the back end. I thought that’s what Deandra Dottin did really well in that first innings. When we got to about needing 26 runs, I thought we’re pretty good. We’d got wickets in hand; we could try and take the game on a little bit more.”Credit to our bowlers. I think we’re just really enjoying how we’re playing at the moment. I’m delighted with how I’m going. I think a lot of the principles that I’ve been working on within my game are paying off, and I just keep summing up conditions and whenever I’m injected into the game, I’m seeing what impact I can have.”

The opener exuded confidence ahead of Pakistan’s first game of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi, against Sri Lanka

Danyal Rasool22-Sep-20251:39

Chopra: Clear difference in Pakistan’s intent with the bat

Pakistan may be sitting at the bottom of the Super Four table after another fairly convincing defeat against India, but their best performer on the night felt the game showed what Pakistan were capable of. Sahibzada Farhan, who dominated the first ten overs of the contest and scored a 34-ball half-century, was confident Pakistan were well set up to put themselves on the board against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.”The way we batted today, the boys are very confident,” Farhan said, speaking after the game against India. “The wickets in Abu Dhabi are true and the ball comes onto the bat, and we’ll play to win.”Unlike Sri Lanka, who have played two of their four games in Dubai, Pakistan’s four matches at the Asia Cup have all taken place there. Without a formal training session, they will go into a game which may end up proving an eliminator for the losing side, with Sri Lanka having begun the Super Fours with defeat to Bangladesh. Farhan, though, dismissed the idea that preparation was a concern.Related

• Similar goals, similar problems: SL, Pakistan resume borderline sappy yet competitive rivalry

“We’re very well prepared. The boys are confident ahead of the Sri Lanka game because this wasn’t a one-sided game; it was one we took right to the end.”That increased optimism is largely down to Farhan himself. His start, particularly in the way he took down Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay, as well as the aggression against Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel in the four overs that followed, took Pakistan to 91 for 1 in ten overs, their highest midway total against India. Despite a post-drinks slowdown which robbed them of momentum, Pakistan posted 171, requiring India to complete the highest successful chase of the tournament for victory.”I worked a lot on my six hitting,” Farhan, who hit three sixes and is Pakistan’s highest run-scorer of the tournament, said. “When I used to score runs before, there were very few boundaries among them. If we’d won this game, it would have been very valuable to me. Performing against India is very highly rated but I just regret we didn’t win the game today.”The mistake we were making in previous matches was losing wickets early on and not utilising the powerplay. This time around our powerplay was brilliant, with 91 in 10 overs. There was a collapse in the middle and we’ll look to rectify that.”When, with a six of Axar, Farhan reached his half-century, he opted to celebrate in a manner that raised eyebrows at the time, with Farhan cocking his bat and miming the firing of a gun. It was just one of the flashpoints in an ill-tempered game between the two sides, though Farhan said there was nothing to read into it.”That celebration was just a spur of the moment. I rarely celebrate when I get to fifty,” he said. “But when I got there I suddenly got the idea of celebrating, and so I did without knowing or caring how people would interpret it. We should play aggressive cricket against any team, not just India, the way we played today.”Farhan hoped Pakistan and India aren’t done with each other yet in the Asia Cup. “We’d love to be able to meet India again in the final.”Their trip to Abu Dhabi is likely to have a huge say in determining how realistic that ambition is.

His comments come in the wake of the BCCI directive limiting families’ presence during India’s overseas assignments

Shashank Kishore15-Mar-2025Virat Kohli has advocated for the presence of families on tours, emphasising the balance he felt they bring to players who might be going through tough times on the field.”It’s very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something which is intense, which happens on the outside,” Kohli said during the RCB Innovational Lab Indian Sports Summit ahead of IPL 2025, when asked about the role his family had played on tough tours.”I don’t think people have an understanding of what value it brings to a large extent. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it’s like people who have no control over what’s going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, ‘oh, maybe they need to be kept away.'”Related

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In the aftermath of India’s recent 3-1 Test series loss in Australia, the BCCI issued a directive that limited the time players spent with their families on tours. It ruled that players’ immediate families – partner and children – can join them only after the first two weeks on tours of over 45 days, while staying for no longer than 14 days. On shorter tours, families can accompany players for up to a week.”If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? You’ll be like, yes. I don’t want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk,” Kohli said. “I want to be able to be normal. And then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility. You finish that responsibility, and you come back to life.”Like, there could be different situations happening in your life all the time. And that allows you to be absolutely normal. Not in a vague sense, but in a very real way that you finish your commitment, your responsibility, and then you come back to your house, you’re with family, and there’s absolutely normalcy in your house and normal family life goes on. So, for me, that is absolutely a day of immense pleasure. And I won’t miss any opportunities to go out and spend time with my family whenever I can.”‘I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That’s why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation’•Getty Images

How challenging is it for Kohli to strike a balance between two different personas – the family man who strives for balance on tours, and the ultra-aggressive on-field presence who can occasionally get caught up in the heat of a battle, like in Melbourne when he shoulder-charged debutant Sam Konstas?”It’s naturally kind of getting tapered down again,” Kohli said when asked about his on-field persona. “People are not happy about that either. I don’t know what to do, to be honest. Earlier, my aggression was a problem, now my calmness is a problem. It’s like, I have no idea what needs to be done, that’s why I don’t focus on it much.”The kind of person I am, the kind of personality I have, yes, I do have tendencies to kind of go overboard. And I’ve never shied away from that. But the starting point is, okay, sometimes it might not have gone out with the right intent, but more often than not, the starting point has been of care. I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That’s why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation. Because I’m like, yes, this is exactly what needs to happen. And I represent it like that.”For a lot of people, it might not have been something that they’re able to process. But for me, it always comes from the right place. While batting, of course, it puts me in a different place. Because I don’t have small, regular events to get excited about. I mean, the end goal is finishing the game. And then, yes, I can represent it the way I used to in the past. Again, things are happening naturally with me. It’s getting tapered down naturally.”My competitiveness has not gone down. So, I think for a lot of people, it’s very difficult to process how is the competitiveness going to be at the same level if the aggression is not. You can still be aggressive in your mind, but you don’t necessarily need to express it out there every now and then out of frustration, which I have – I mean, in the recent past as well, which is not a great thing, to be honest, I don’t feel great about those things myself.”

Progression has been the game for Arsenal since the departure of Arsene Wenger. Following the arrival, Unai Emery has had a number of jobs to do, and so far, he’d done them well.

First and foremost, he’s had to take Arsenal into a new era, away from the manager that had overseen one of the most successful eras in their history. That’s no mean feat on its own, yet the transition has been smoother than anyone could have expected.

He’s also had to clear out a lot of the talent that was previously performing regularly under Wenger. This, inevitably, led to a few departures, but it also led to a few arrivals. This ties into Arsenal’s biggest quest, which was to help reinvigorate the team with fresh legs and youth.

That’s been achieved by buying young players like Lucas Torreira and Mateo Guendouzi, whilst also moving players like Per Mertesacker and Lucas Perez on.

It makes you wonder, then, why Arsenal reportedly want to bring in Ivan Perisic, at least according to the Evening Standard. Arsenal are apparently keen to bring in the Croatian, who has handed in a transfer request at Inter Milan, with Emery clearly viewing him as an impressive target.

Certainly, Perisic is a good player, but he would represent a big step back for the club, at least with regards to the above criteria. At 29-years-old, he’s a player that is coming towards the end of his peak, and that’s the opposite of what Arsenal have been looking to target lately. He’s very much representative of the sort of player that Arsenal would have targeted under Wenger, and he’s exactly the sort of player that Arsenal would have avoided over the summer. They’ve got enough experience in the team now, and so Perisic would simply be a waste.

Beyond all that, though, Perisic’s recent form begs the question: is he still good enough? He’s bagged just 3 goals and 2 assists this season, which is a marked step down from the 11 goals and 9 assists tally that he managed to achieve last season. Furthermore, his overall game seems to be a level below where it was 12 months ago, and whether that’s down to tiredness or another issue; his fall has been evident.

He’s still a good player, but he’s certainly not in the tier of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the Gabonese attacker is exactly who Perisic would compete with on the flanks, given that Alexandre Lacazette largely dominates the number 9 slot.

A move for Perisic, then, would be a step back for Arsenal. Unai Emery hasn’t made many mistakes at the helm in London, yet, but bringing him in would certainly be a major one.

Thoughts?