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The Red Devils are riding their star forward's revival as far as he can take them

Marcus Rashford is in the zone. Every touch he takes is golden.

He starred for England at the World Cup. He led the way last week in the Carabao Cup. In Tuesday's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, he was the driver of almost everything good for Manchester United.

Rashford spun a shot past Wayne Hennessey to open the scoring through a well-executed set piece routine before teeing up Anthony Martial three minutes later. Later, he split the Nottingham Forest defence with a long through ball that found its way to Antony for a clear-cut chance.

After enduring a lengthy slump dating back to at least Euro 2020, Rashford's latest performance pushed him to six goals and an assist since the start of November for club and country.

Behind Rashford, Casemiro was a key force for Manchester United and even registered a late assist following a dogged defensive midfield effort.

The Red Devils are now just a point behind Tottenham for fourth place with a game in hand, which is a best-case scenario for Erik ten Hag considering the club's putrid start to the season.

Getty ImagesThe Winners

Marcus Rashford:

The England forward now has more Premier League goals and assists this year than the last despite 10 fewer appearances. You can so easily see what that has done for his confidence. That pearly smile is back as he's working his way back to the 2019-20 form that vaulted him to global acclaim.

Manchester United can't afford to let this talented young man leave anytime soon.

Casemiro:

Capped perhaps his best performance in a Manchester United shirt by winning possession in a dangerous area and then assisting compatriot Fred.

Casemiro is of course much more than the stats could ever suggest, and that assist was just a feather in the cap after he had run around tirelessly all match breaking up Nottingham Forest play to keep the visitors from ever getting comfortable.

Luke Shaw:

It was a surprise to see the left-back lined up in the centre of defence, but his performance offered little hint he was playing out of his comfort zone. Erik ten Hag will keep Shaw's production in the role in the back of his head for future use whenever Raphael Varane or Lisandro Martinez are unavailable.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Losers

Jesse Lingard:

Any illusions of ruining the festive period for his former club were quickly squashed as Manchester United completely bottled up the attacker before he left due to injury.

The Red Devils ruined his career by preventing him from leaving last term after he had been so good on loan at West Ham in 2020-21. A shame.

Harry Maguire:

The Manchester United centre-back is battling illness and thus has barely trained since returning from international duty, but it will still feel frustrating to be on the bench as left-back Luke Shaw starts in central defence.

Lisandro Martinez is sure to return soon from his Argentina World Cup celebrations, which will push Maguire even further down the pecking order.

Wayne Hennessey:

Nottingham Forest's goalkeeper needed to save Anthony Martial's goal in the first half. Once that went in, his team had little chance of staging a comeback.

GettyMan Utd Ratings: Defence

David de Gea (7/10):

Made a nice reflex save in the second half.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (7/10):

With his Manchester United future in doubt, the right-back actually put in a great shift, with his much-maligned attacking abilities not as bad as advertised. Played some probing crosses and didn't do anything wrong tracking back. We'll see if it keeps him from being sold in January.

Raphael Varane (7/10):

No World Cup heartbreak hangover here.

Luke Shaw (7/10):

Out of position to fill in for Lisandro Martinez, he showed off versatility many fans didn't realise he possessed.

Tyrell Malacia (6/10):

At some fault for a disallowed first-half Nottingham Forest goal, but we're probably not allowed to assign blame for that! Otherwise solid.

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GettyMidfield

Christian Eriksen (7/10):

Assisted Rashford with a low, short corner – though Rashford was wide open, so not much skill was needed there. Completed two key passes and was over 90 per cent overall playing the ball.

Casemiro (9/10):

Made sure ex-Manchester United player Jesse Lingard couldn't pick up the ball in dangerous middle areas. Did everything he was bought to do.

Gracing the grandest stage in football should be considered the pinnacle of a playing career, but for many that global dream has become a disaster

Getty ImagesDavid Beckham

A first outing at a major international tournament for the poster boy of English football ended in red card shame following an ill-advised flick of his right foot into the legs of Diego Simeone. Redemption would be achieved by the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend in the years which followed, but only after ‘Golden Balls’ had become the subject of burning effigies and terrace taunts at just about every stadium away from Old Trafford.

AdvertisementZinedine Zidane

A hero on home soil in 1998, one of the all-time greats endured a rather chequered World Cup history from that point. Four years on from his two-goal final heroics, Zidane saw injury restrict him to just one outing in a humbling group stage exit for the holders. It was, however, in 2006 that he would endure the most galling of World Cup moments, with the sight of him headbutting Marco Materazzi one which will live long in the memory for all of the wrong reasons.

Gonzalo Higuain

Without doubt one of the most fearsome frontmen in European football, with his pedigree having been proved at the likes of Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus. Higuain does, however, have a tendency to fluff his lines when it matters most for Argentina. Missed a penalty in the 2015 Copa America final and squandered a glorious chance in a 2016 repeat with Chile. He had previous by then, with his inability to convert any of the chances which came his way in the 2014 World Cup final costing Argentina dear.

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Getty ImagesDavid Luiz

The flamboyant Brazilian has never been renowned for his defensive prowess, with the Samba flair running through his veins ensuring that he is never too far away from a rush of blood which leads to him making questionable decisions. Forced to prove that he could be relied upon to keep the back door bolted for Brazil at a home finals in 2014, Luiz was left hopelessly exposed without Thiago Silva to carry him in a 7-1 semi-final mauling by Germany.

The England midfielder helped Spurs get the better of Chelsea while Alexis orchestrated a victory over Swansea, earning their places in the latest XI

Dele Alli and Alexis Sanchez are the highlight names in this week's Premier League team of the week after helping their respective sides to important wins.

Alli was the star for Tottenham with two goals as they came from behind to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. His first, aided by his wonderful first touch to control a Eric Dier pass before beating Willy Caballero, stunned the onlooking crowd before he put the game beyond doubt to all but secure his side's place in the top four at the Blues' expense.

Alexis, meanwhile, shook off his early struggles at Manchester United to fire them to a win over Swansea City. With a goal and an assist, he gave Jose Mourinho's men a two-goal lead within 20 minutes to keep them in second place.

Check out the full team below…

GettyKasper Schmeichel | Leicester CityThe Leicester City goalkeeper has saved three of the 14 Premier League penalties he’s faced – the same number his father Peter saved during his time in the competition (21 faced).AdvertisementGettyDeAndre Yedlin | Newcastle United

As well as helping his side keep a clean sheet, Yedlin also made six crosses from open play down the right-hand side, creating two chances in the process.

GettyVictor Lindelof | Manchester United

The centre-back had the best pass accuracy of any Red Devils player in Saturday's 2-0 win, with no team-mate making more clearances or interceptions than his three of each.

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GettyJamaal Lascelles | Newcastle United

Lascelles was solid in defence in Newcastle's 1-0 win over Huddersfield – no Magpies player made more clearances than his eight or gained possession on more occasions than the 13 he did.

A second Championship win for Essex, this one by an in innings, sees them get off the bottom of Division Two. Their 23 points achieved in three days work here takes them to sixth in the table, with nine left to play.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford16-Jun-2015
ScorecardGraham Napier helped whittle out the Derbyshire lower-order•Getty ImagesA second Championship win for Essex, this one by an in innings, sees them get off the bottom of Division Two. Their 23 points achieved in three days work here takes them to sixth in the table, with nine left to play. Should they go on a run reminiscent of last season’s home-straight of six wins out of their last seven they would be, as they say, “in and amongst it”.Certainly Essex are a side that thrive of momentum – not too surprising given the players they have: an array of attackers in each discipline that thrive with time on the field and wither without it. No one typifies that more than Graham Napier who has gradually been building up to a performance like today.His 4 for 64 in 23 overs, a season best, was a triumph of the endurance he has built up through managing niggles in the middle of an unrelenting schedule. At times in four-day cricket he has switched to an abbreviated run-up, mid-spell. On the third evening, there was nothing by half as he produced a match-winning cameo of six overs, 3 for 13. As the ball approached its seventies, it started showing signs of reversing. With that, it was handed to Napier at the Hayes Close End and he used it to gut the Derbyshire middle order. It was a reminder that Napier is one of the best reverse-swing bowlers on the county circuit.Paul Grayson, Essex head coach

On day one “It was a very important toss to win on day one with those cloudy conditions, but we exploited those conditions well. Young Jamie Porter bowled outstandingly well and we probably could have bowled them out for a bit less if we took our catches.”
On Essex’s sole batting effort “It was an interesting scorecard because we didn’t get a hundred – quite rare when you get a good score like that. It was great to have Cookie back, especially when he’s in this form. Browne looked great again and it was just a great first innings performance that we’d talked about as a group. We’ve got to take control of games more.”
On results up till now “We’ve felt like we’ve played some half decent cricket but we’ve been punished from mistakes in previous games. There were signs against Northants last week where we showed character and fight to get back into that match. We got a strong side out this game and I was expecting a strong performance.”
On Napier’s 23 overs, 4 for 64 “I think Napes was outstanding today when we needed him. He’s put a massive shift in today. He looks fit at the moment, he’s signed a new contract and he’s bowling well – long may that continue.”

Essex added 24 runs to their overnight score, 21 of which came from the bat of James Foster. It was Wayne White who kept the home entertainment to a minimum by removing Aron Nijar lbw and then dismissing Foster, who guided him perfectly to Billy Godleman at third man. The wickets gave White his second consecutive six-wicket haul, after a career best 6 for 25 against Kent in the previous round of matches.Derbyshire, 325 behind, got off to the worst possible start when Ben Slater chipped Jamie Porter’s fifth ball to Napier at mid-on, who pulled off an impressive jumping catch. It looked from a distance that the ball might have stopped in the pitch; Slater seemingly checking his drive, as if reacting late to the ball not quite coming onto the bat. Soon after Billy Godleman followed him back to the pavilion when he flicked Porter straight to Ryan ten Doeschate, who had been moved to leg slip a couple of balls earlier.And so began a third wicket partnership that would take 43 overs to break. The respective shapes, mannerisms and backgrounds of Chesney Hughes and Wayne Madsen suggests more buddy-cop flick than strong-willed resistance. Hughes used his power to punish anything juicy that came his way; Madsen simply drove and guided out of habit. Against the spin of Tom Westley and Nijjar, Hughes at times looked edgy, and frenetic. As it started to look like Westley had Hughes’ number – with Hughes on 25, Westley had a big lbw shout turned down – the Derbyshire No. 3 ended a sequence of nine dot balls against the offspinner with a powerfully struck six over midwicket. Madsen on the other hand was a picture of serenity. Still, they both took it in turns to pummel the back of Ryan ten Doeschate who, at short-leg, felt the full force of their cuts and pulls on five or six occasions.Their partnership of 166 showed that the pitch rewarded patience. But when Hughes departed for 80, bowled so emphatically by Ravi Bopara that just one stump was left standing, that was the end of any real accompaniment for Madsen.By the time the Derbyshire captain had reached his hundred from his 179th ball faced – his first of the season and career-first against Essex – Wes Durston had perished to the second ball after lunch. At that point, the deficit was down to 70 and there was a chance that Essex would need to bat again. Then Napier happened. The last six wickets fell for 33, with Ryder removing Scott Elstone thanks to a brilliant catch from Foster, diving high to his right, bowling White and then having Mark Footitt caught at mid-off to finish the match.But it was Napier’s spell that allayed any fears that Essex might not convert this to a win. When Madsen nicked him to Alastair Cook at first slip, the crowd jumped to their feet – well rose slowly, carefully and surely – in appreciation that one of their experienced first team bowlers was fit and firing.Speaking at stumps, Essex coach Paul Grayson confirmed that David Masters, who missed this match with a groin strain, is likely to play back-to-back on Thursday and Friday night in the NatWest T20 Blast. Currently, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to make it through a four-day game. An assessment will be made after Friday night as to whether he will make the squad for Gloucestershire on Sunday.As for Reece Topley, who spent the day as a net-bowler for England at Trent Bridge, things are a bit different. With the back problems he has had over the last year, a specialist has advised the club that the left-arm seamer cannot play two four-day matches in a row. Having played at Northampton, he was subsequently unavailable for this game and will come back into squad for the trip to Bristol. Essex and Grayson will operate on those terms until the end of the season before reassessing Topley in the winter.

Australia legspinner Adam Zampa said the first breakthrough helped him relax as he adjusted his game for Asian conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Bangalore 21-Mar-2016Australia legspinner Adam Zampa says his first T20I wicket was a breakthrough that got “a monkey off my back” as he continues adjusting his game for Asian conditions. After bowling just one over for three runs in Australia’s loss to New Zealand last Friday in Dharamsala, the 23-year-old received a Man-of-the-Match award for his four overs with the ball on Monday which claimed his three first T20 international wickets, for 23 runs against Bangladesh, in his fourth T20I.”The wickets in Australia don’t spin as much, and hitting the wickets over there is crucial,” Zampa said after Australia’s three-wicket win in Bangalore. “My plans haven’t changed as such, but the lengths that you bowl here, the players can hit it in different areas than they do in Australia. That’s something I’m trying to get used to quickly.”The ball sticks in the wicket a bit here, as we’ve seen tonight. It’s a little bit slow off the pitch and my first wicket was a pull shot hit to deep midwicket. In Australia that ball would probably skid on to leg stump, and it’s harder to play those shots. So the length that you bowl is crucial. You use changes of pace as well over here. Generally if you change your pace in Australia, you get smacked over your head.”Prior to making a move to South Australia for the start of the 2013-14 domestic season, Zampa’s early experiences learning his craft at state level came through the New South Wales team alongside Steven Smith under the captaincy of Steve O’Keefe. Smith has prioritised batting over his legspin in recent years, but Zampa said their shared past created an understanding between the two players.”I work really well with Steven. He’s been really good for my game since I was a young guy, so to have him standing there at cover all the time is really nice. I haven’t changed anything at all. My plans are pretty simple, and to have him there in the back of my ear to reassure me is nice.”Zampa defended the loss of four middle-order wickets in quick succession during his side’s successful chase of 157. Australia had been cruising at 119 for 3 – with 38 runs needed in 35 balls – but a mild rash of jitters appeared as David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh and John Hastings all got out within 22 balls.Zampa said Australia had not spoken about running down the target quickly in order to improve their net run rate, though victory was achieved with nine balls to spare.”When you’re chasing those totals you can afford to take those risks at the end,” Zampa said. “That’s what we did, and it didn’t pay off for us tonight. The wicket was quite nice. It was holding up a little bit. We were a bit disappointed at giving away that many, but we were pretty confident with chasing it.”We still won with nine balls to spare, so it was a pretty convincing win, I think. But it’s also something that we’ve spoken about recently – the middle-overs batting. It’s something that we didn’t really do quite well against New Zealand, and we haven’t done it well tonight either. It’s something we will probably speak about.”

Kyle Jarvis delivered his best bowling performance for Lancashire, who cruised to a crushing 250-run victory over Derbyshire

Press Association22-Apr-2015
ScorecardKyle Jarvis produced his best spell for Lancashire to set them up for victory (file photo)•PA PhotosKyle Jarvis delivered his best bowling performance for Lancashire, who cruised to a crushing 250-run victory over Derbyshire on the final day of their clash in Championship Division Two.The 26-year-old Zimbabwean produced an inspired spell of swing bowling from the City End at the 3aaa County Ground to take 5 for 10 in 39 balls as Derbyshire were routed for 114 in pursuit of a distant victory target of 365. Only Martin Guptill and skipper Wayne Madsen reached double figures.Resuming the final morning on 27 for 2, any slim victory hopes Derbyshire entertained vanished when Jarvis blew away the top order to finish with the excellent figures of 5 for 13 in nine overs.Derbyshire needed a solid start to sow some seeds of doubt in Lancashire minds, but they quickly lost nightwatchman Tom Taylor who edged Tom Bailey to third slip in the third over of the day. Guptill pulled and cut Peter Siddle for boundaries and the New Zealander was shaping well until Jarvis started the spell that undermined the home side so dramatically.His first ball found the edge of Guptill’s defensive bat, and Wes Durston chipped a gentle catch to square leg to leave Derbyshire’s chances of avoiding a heavy defeat resting on Madsen.He was fortunate to survive what looked an excellent lbw appeal from Jarvis, but the bowler had the last word when Madsen was trapped half forward by another swinging delivery. Shiv Thakor had narrowly avoided being caught off his first ball but he never settled and was lbw shuffling across after Alex Hughes offered no shot.Lunch was delayed when Harvey Hosein had his off stump plucked out by Bailey but Lancashire needed only two balls to complete an impressive session’s work with Simon Kerrigan trapping Mark Footitt.It was an impressive performance by Lancashire and Jarvis, who said: “It was great to finish the game off like that and great to get our season under way in such a good fashion. It all happened pretty quickly. I got a bit too full in the first innings and I knew I had to sort it out and that’s what I concentrated on, getting my lengths right.”I have been dying to play my part for Lancs and I’m happy to have got under way now. I never got going last season and I’m just desperate to help out the team in any way.”A heavy defeat for Derbyshire was compounded by the loss of a point for a slow over rate, but elite performance director Graeme Welch was able to take encouragement from the match.”Three hundred and sixty was always going to be a difficult chase and I think we could have bowled them out for around 220 in the first innings,” Welch said. “In the second innings we got three [early] wickets and when we identify passages of play it could have been a different story. Basically, out of the 10 sessions we’ve played, we’ve lived with one of the favourites to go up this year, so there are some positives to be taken out of this and some good performances.”

Adam Voges are at opposite ends of their careers but their brace of 90s held Middlesex together against Somerset at Taunton

Alex Winter at Taunton27-Apr-2015
ScorecardGetty ImagesAdam Voges and Nick Gubbins are at opposite ends of their careers but they combined to move Middlesex back into the contest on the second day at Taunton. Both were dismissed in the 90s and both will reflect on opportunities missed for their first centuries for Middlesex. Their stand of 139 for the third wicket helped the visitors mount a steady reply but fears over the solidity of their batting line up were renewed as they lost five wickets after tea to close facing a first-innings deficit.Jamie Overton, at 21, is tipped among the next generation of England fast bowlers. He is used in short bursts and after an initial quick four-over spell in the evening session where he removed Gubbins, he returned in the last knockings of the day to clean bowl both John Simpson and Ollie Rayner to tip the balance of the match back to the hosts.For much of the day, with the weather and entertainment value of the second afternoon in stark contrast to the first, a 38-over partnership between Voges and Gubbins did justice to the work of their bowlers on the first evening. Their defiance was welcome for Middlesex, who were bowled out for just 181 in the first innings against Durham, entailing a lengthy rearguard from the lower order on the final day to rescue a draw.Voges’ plans for 2015 were dramatically altered by his call up to the Australian Test squad but he was determined to honour as much of his deal with Middlesex as was possible. It only amounts to four matches but he has began well with 75 to contribute to a battling draw against Notts and 98 here.Gubbins, the 21-year-old left-hander, impressed during four Championship matches last season with three half-centuries in his first four matches, including 95 against Somerset at Uxbridge, when he ran himself out. But after a composed innings here, was dismissed in the 90s again, having cruelly been forced to resume after a lengthy delay for rain and bad light only nine short of a century.He faced another exciting youngster in Overton who steamed in from the pavilion end for a sharp four-over spell on resumption. He put Gubbins on his backside avoiding a sharp bumper, then hit him, painfully it appeared, on the thigh before forcing an edge to second slip with a rising delivery, caught low by Marcus Trescothick. Gubbins hung his head in disappointment. He said it was the quickest spell he has encountered since facing Tymal Mills.Voges dealt more comfortably with Overton, smartly fending off a short ball past gully and cutting another boundary backward of square in the manner of James Hildreth on day one. Middlesex looked to be closing the second day in good shape to reach parity but Overton changed ends and took the second new ball to take out Simpson and Rayner.Their position would not have been as strong had either set batsman advanced their strong positions. Voges also fell narrowly short of a century, lbw to Lewis Gregory, one of his four wickets. Gregory impressed last season with 43 Championship wickets at 26.06. In the morning he also had Sam Robson caught at second slip to the second ball of the day and Nick Compton, who edged behind and looked very unhappy with the decision by Alex Wharf.Thereafter, Voges and Gubbins ticked over under heavy skies. There were few crashing boundaries of day one but Gubbins did pull two sixes into the Somerset stand off Gregory.The break for poor weather worked in the hosts favour. 17 overs were lost either side of tea which gave way to a competitive final session of 31 overs where Somerset took five wickets to raise hopes of a first innings lead. As Middlesex demonstrated on the first evening, a run of wickets is possible on a wicket offering some assistance to the bowlers. A result remains alive.

Karnataka’s seamers picked up three wickets each to bowl their side to an innings-and-30-run win over Jammu & Kashmir 20 minutes before tea on day three in Hubli

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Hubli07-Jan-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Abhimanyu Mithun picked up five wickets in the match•ESPNcricinfo LtdKarnataka’s seamers picked up three wickets each to bowl their side to an innings-and-30-run win over Jammu & Kashmir 20 minutes before tea on day three in Hubli. Aside from Ian Dev Singh’s 94, J&K offered no real resistance, and Karnataka blew their middle and lower order aside for the second time in the match. J&K, who had lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs in the first innings, didn’t do too much better in the second, losing them for 85 runs.The bonus point from this game raised Karnataka’s total to 25 points from four games. It was their 12th win in 13 matches stretching back to last season, including the Irani Cup game against Rest of India. The only game they didn’t win was the rain-affected Ranji semi-final against Punjab.Vinay Kumar squared up Aditya Singh and knocked back his off stump with the second ball of the day, but Karnataka had to wait quite a while before their next wicket. Ian Dev, who came in on the back of a century in his previous game against Uttar Pradesh and an attractive 31 in the first innings here, looked in excellent form, his front foot pressing forward a long way both in defence, and in playing drives down the ground and through the covers. Both he and Adil Reshi left the ball well, in a 64-run partnership that occupied 164 balls, until Abhimanyu Mithun finally induced a poke outside off from Reshi half an hour before lunch.As he had done in the first innings, Parvez Rasool attacked the bowling, pulling Mithun and driving Vinay through extra cover for boundaries in successive overs. In the third over after lunch, however, he went for an extravagant slash outside off and edged left-armer S Aravind to the keeper. It didn’t seem like the wisest shot to play under the circumstances, with 115 runs still needed to make Karnataka bat again.Aravind then sent back Hardeep Singh for a duck in his next over, going round the wicket and pinging his halfway-forward left pad in front of the stumps. At the other end, Ian Dev went after the legspinner Shreyas Gopal, bringing up his half-century with a straight six and picking up three more fours off him in his next two overs, with slog sweeps and lofted drives. Trying to match his partner for aggression, debutant Paras Sharma came down the track to Shreyas and missed an attempted inside-out drive.Vinay brought himself back into the attack from Shreyas’ end, and struck immediately, snaking one in off the pitch to bowl Ian Dev through the gate. That was effectively the end of the match, as the last three J&K wickets only managed to bat out a further 6.5 overs.

Jagmohan Dalmiya is set to return as the BCCI president, more than a decade after he last held that position

Amol Karhadkar in Chennai01-Mar-2015Jagmohan Dalmiya is set to return as the BCCI president, more than a decade after he last held that position, at the board’s AGM in Chennai on Monday. The former BCCI and ICC president has emerged as a consensus candidate between the two rival factions of the board, led by the sidelined incumbent N Srinivasan, and the former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar, but the real power struggle might be witnessed in the elections to the junior positions.Dalmiya, who is president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, filed his nomination papers with support from his own association, the National Cricket Club in Kolkata and the four other east zone associations. Since it is the east zone’s turn to nominate the president for the three-year term, Dalmiya wanted to ensure that a candidate from the zone – rather than an outsider parachuting in – held the post. He had been approached by Pawar’s faction to contest as a candidate from their group, while Srinivasan’s group had asked him to pick between the post of president and “chief patron”, a position that doesn’t currently exist in the BCCI.Nominations for other posts

Vice-presidents
Pawar group Ravi Savant (west), Jyotiraditya Scindia (central)
Srinivasan group G Gangaraju (south), TC Mathew (west), CK Khanna (central), Gautam Roy (east), ML Nehru (north)

BCCI elections in the past decade have been a mere formality with all nine elected officials – president, secretary, treasurer, joint secretary and five vice-presidents – unanimous choices. This year is likely to be different, with elections expected for the remaining three principal office bearers’ posts. The Pawar group has nominated Anurag Thakur for secretary, Rajiv Shukla for treasurer and Chetan Desai – secretary of the Goa Cricket Association secretary and so long allied to Srinivasan – for the post of joint secretary, while Srinivasan’s has nominated Sanjay Patel, Anirudh Chaudhry and Amitabh Chaudhary for the posts of secretary, treasurer and joint secretary, respectively.In fact the power-play could begin at the start of the AGM, over the question of who will chair the meeting. It’s a key position, especially if there are electoral contests, because the chairman of the AGM gets two votes: One as chairman and a casting vote in the case of a tie. If he already has voting rights, as the nominee of an association, that makes three votes.The BCCI rules say the president presides over the AGM but the Supreme Court has clarified that Srinivasan can be a participant at the AGM only to the extent of casting his vote, as and when required, for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. It is then up to the house to decide who presides over the meeting. It is understood that the Srinivasan camp is likely to request the meeting at the start to allow Shivlal Yadav to chair the meeting since he was appointed by the Supreme Court as the interim president for administrative affairs during Srinivasan’s exile. It will make the point that allowing anyone else to chair the meeting could invite more litigation.Depending on how the number game pans out overnight, the Pawar lobby will decide on whether to back or oppose Yadav as chairman of the meeting. It will be mindful of what happened in 2004, when Dalmiya used his casting vote in favour of his candidate for president Ranbir Singh Mahendra – against Pawar.The chairman will also have to pick the legitimate representative of two key member associations, Delhi and Districts Cricket Association and Baroda Cricket Association, which have deputed members of two warring factions for the AGM. The chair decides the legitimate representative and also has the right to bar the disputed member from the AGM.The BCA managing committee has deputed Rakesh Parikh for the AGM, while its president Samarjit Gaekwad has decided to exercise his right to attend the AGM. CK Khanna, the Srinivasan group’s vice-presidential candidate, has claimed to be the official DDCA representative. However, Sneh Bansal, the incumbent BCCI vice-president, has questioned Khanna’s nomination through a court order. Also likely to be present at the meeting are Mehmood Abdi and Amin Pathan, representatives of the warring RCA factions, who will look to present their respective cases to the men who run Indian cricket.The pre-AGM meetings are being held at the Park Sheraton in Chennai, where Srinivasan is in the thick of the action. He was involved in meetings through the day, first with the face of the opposition camp Anurag Thakur in the morning and then with all the voters. Those in the Pawar camp were also shuttling between the two wings of the hotel.Also in the hotel is Aditya Verma, the petitioner in the IPL corruption scandal court case that has effectively brought things to this pass. Srinivasan’s sidelining has come about as a result of Verma’s PIL, which has also led to the election itself being twice deferred.Once the meeting is done and dusted the new board will have to get down to business. High up on the agenda – the fate of selectors, who are appointed for a year’s term at each AGM. Saba Karim and Rajinder Hans, both of whom have been recalled midway through the World Cup, are in danger of being replaced.

Having sealed the series in Melbourne, Australia can grab the World No. 1 ODI ranking from South Africa by defeating the visitors at the SCG

The Preview by Daniel Brettig22-Nov-20140:40

South Africa target strong finish

Match factsSunday, November 23, Sydney
Start time 1420 local (0320GMT)Big PictureCricket administrators cry “context” for ODI matches almost as much as the writers of broadsheet newspaper editorials gush about “narrative” when it comes to governments. The dead rubber ODI at the SCG finds itself with about as much context as the current schedule and ICC rankings system can possibly give it – though Australia wrapped up the series at the MCG thanks to Steven Smith, they can now clasp the top spot on the ODI table by extending the margin to 4-1.Australia’s cricketers have already learned much this series – Smith must be a first choice selection across formats, Josh Hazlewood is coming nicely to the boil, George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell are both off it, and Matthew Wade has learned a thing or two since his last stint in the team. Their board has also found a few reasons for pause: attendances for the series have been poor, raising questions about international fixtures in November, Cricket Australia’s ticket pricing and the general lack of awareness about these matches, and their revolving door of players.Now both hosts and visitors will answer a few more questions before calling a truce until the World Cup in February. Just as Melbourne will be the venue for the final, Sydney will host a semi, meaning local knowledge will be useful. The likes of Bailey, Maxwell, Farhaan Behardien, Ryan McLaren, Robin Peterson and David Miller will all be hoping to make a final decent impression, as their next ODI matches in Australia will take place when their nations’ cup squads have been finalised. Sydney on a warm Sunday afternoon will also answer another question – if this game with all its “context” cannot draw a crowd, then what can, really?–>Glenn Maxwell needs to show some substance to go with the flash at the SCG•Getty ImagesForm guide (last five completed games, most recent first)
Australia WWLWW
South Africa LLWLWIn the spotlightSince his fortunate but spinal 70 in the first game, George Bailey has struggled notably for timing and impact with the bat, leaving his standing as a respected team leader and stand-in captain more or less the only thing keeping him from being dropped. With Michael Clarke’s fitness a matter for enormous conjecture, Bailey is still needed by Australian cricket, but the skyrocketing stocks of Steve Smith are placing his spot in the ODI top six in danger should the full-time captain regather his ability to run and bat. A fretful stay at the SCG leaves one more chance for Bailey to remind the selectors that his value extends beyond wise words in the change room and neat tactics on the field. His World Cup spot may depend on it.Seven boundaries were coshed from the bowling of Ryan McLaren on Friday, the most of any South African. His scores of 0 and 13 also did not engender confidence, and despite a perfectly serviceable ODI record his place is now under some threat ahead of the World Cup. South Africa must decide on their middle order/allrounder composition, and with JP Duminy to come back from a knee ailment McLaren will need to present some sort of case for his inclusion at the SCG – provided he is retained, of course.Team news Shane Watson may take a break ahead of his likely selection in Australia’s Test squad for Brisbane, while Josh Hazlewood could also be placed on ice. Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins would still provide a sturdy attack, while the in-form Smith may move back up to No. 3.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, George Bailey (capt), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Xavier DohertyHaving rested from Melbourne, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander may return to the team in place of Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell. AB de Villiers jarred a rib at the MCG and may sit out the final match of the series as a result.South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Farhaan Behardien, 5 Rilee Rossouw, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Vernon Philander, 10 Kyle Abbott, 11 Morne Morkel.Pitch and conditionsThe SCG’s first international for the season is likely to take place on a slowish pitch as the ground staff build towards a peak of pace and bounce for January’s New Year’s Test. The Matador Cup final surface was dry and sluggish, but both pitch and outfield have progressed somewhat since then.Stats and trivia South Africa won their first ODI against Australia at the SCG by a vast nine-wicket margin during the 1992 World Cup, but have won only twice since in a further nine meetings with the hosts A home victory would allow Australia to return to No. 1 in the world ODI rankingsQuotes”It adds a lot. We pride ourselves on that. We try to get to No.1 in every form of the game. To win in Sydney would be great and to take that No.1 mantle back would be outstanding.”