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Before the team left for Sharjah I had prayed for a triumphant start and that was exactly what the boys achieved for us. After the initial hiccup, things took a pretty smooth route. Aided by the indomitable Wasim and Waqar, the Pakistan team looked a well-knit unit. Critics could always point out that this triangular was only a two-way race but they should also keep in mind Sri Lankan power in recent desert tournaments. They had been decisive winners in the last two competitions at Sharjah, and Pakistan beat them twice, quite convincingly, in the tournament.

Mudassar Nazar Photo © CricInfo

Admittedly, Sri Lanka were seriously handicapped by the absence of Fernando and Kaluwitharana. Fernando had bowled at a furious pace in the first game and some of our batsmen had looked uneasy with his length. Kaluwitharana, as most of us know, can be devastating with the bat and is no mean achiever behind the stumps.In our first match against Sri Lanka our batting looked rusty and with Inzamam absent, were in disarray against incessant short of length deliveries. Yousuf Youhana was the only batsman who seemed at ease with these tactics.

Waqar Younis holds up trophy Photo © AFP

We introduced Naved Latif in this tournament and he did not disappoint his admirers. He loves playing square off the pitch and being an unknown quantity, took Sri Lankan bowlers by surprise. In the absence of Fernando all the Sri Lankan bowlers lacked some awareness and penetration. Instead of switching to ‘Plan B’ they limited themselves to the original plan that had worked well for them in the first game. Many a well-devised plan goes awry on the day and one must be flexible enough of change at a very short notice.Inzamam played a patient innings in the beginning and thrashed the bowlers towards the end of the game. It was a masterly knock. He also persuaded the adjudicators to nominate Naved Latif for the Man of the Match when they wanted to share it between him and his junior. I thought this was a tremendous gesture and went a long way in building up more team sprit.

Jayawardene – Man of the Series Photo © AFP

Mahela Jayawardene had scored a scintillating 92 in the first session of the match. What a graceful and intelligent player he is. This young man seems destined for greatness.Before the tournament final, a lot of expatriates had reminded us not to fall at the final hurdle. I do not think we needed a reminder. We were extremely confident after our third win on the trot while the Sri Lankans looked totally devastated after Pakistan had chased a huge total batting second. The manner in which we chased such a commanding total would have knocked the stuffing out of many sides.What’s more, we also had our ace Wasim Akram back in the side. It was a difficult choice to leave out Shoaib Malik who has bowled reasonably well and was by far the best ground fielder of the tournament. Saeed Anwar also had to miss out because of an injury to his wrist. It was a painful loss to us as his record in Sharjah is outstanding.On a hot and humid day, Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to bat. We had planned to take early wickets and cramp both the left-handed opening batsmen for room. Jayasuriya and Gunawardene can tear into you if you give them the slightest bit of freedom on the offside.Wasim and Waqar once again belied their age and were very hostile. Both were among wickets very early on, which gave us a distinct advantage.

Shoaib and Wasim Photo © AFP

Enter Jayawardene, and the whole game took on a different dimension. He treats every bowler in the world with disdain and has more time than most players I have come across in my career. If he were not an opposite number I would pray for him to bat all day for my sake!His six off Shoaib Akhtar was a delight and would have done Sir Viv Richards proud. Ironically, it was Shoaib Akhtar who had the last laugh by removing him when Jayawardene appeared to be running away with the game. This is the beauty of playing Shoaib Akhtar. He can go for runs but will always feature among wickets. Greatest way to check the run rate is by picking up wickets at regular intervals. It breaks the opposition’s rhythm and also leaves them with fewer wickets in hand for the slog overs. In fact, Shoaib Akhtar fit in the tournament and being played more consistently will get better. A fit and healthy Shoaib Akhtar is an asset for our team. On the tour he was completely focused on his game. I really am at a loss why his bowling action is under scrutiny again. If, for scientific reasons, Brett Lee and Muttiah Muralitharan are allowed to operate then why pick on our youngster? Shoaib is an emotional young man and these things affect him more than most people. I really despair for him.Wasim Akram was his lethal best in this tournament. At one stage I became concerned, as he seemed to be trying too hard. I did not want him to break down, so we rested him in one game. He vowed to win the tournament for Waqar and us. I once played in two one-day games against England in the same team as Michael Holding. Michael bowled 20 overs and picked up 6 for 48. I thought I would never see anything like that again. Wasim proved me wrong and in this tournament took 6 for 69 in 29 overs. He was my Man of the Tournament with Waqar a very close second.Waqar Younis is very much like Dennis Lillee (the greatest fast bowler of my era, if not the best ever). Both are classical, side-on bowlers. Waqar being a little shorter then Dennis, bowls to a fuller length but the game plan always is the same, attack. Like Dennis, Waqar also strives for wickets rather than conserving energy and achieving a decent economy rate. To this day, Ian Chappell maintains Dennis was a ‘captain’s dream’. Well, I wish I had played in the same team as Waqar let alone captain him. What marvellous services these two W’s have given us and any history of cricket would be incomplete without our two W’s.

Naved Latif Photo © AFP

Without a shadow of doubt, the find of the tour was Naved Latif. He came to prominence by scoring 394 runs in one innings in a first class game. When I first saw him in nets, about ten months ago, his stroke play was very catching. I was astonished when a few of my colleagues seemed to differ from my views. Despite this, we selected him for the Pakistan Academy. Much to my dismay he chose to go to England instead of joining our ranks. He was disillusioned and thought he deserved better from the cricket selectors. He likes playing square on the offside, and in his eagerness to do that, sometime he does not go back and across enough. Those who watched his dismissal in the Sharjah Final will know exactly what I am trying to put across. Had he stayed in the Academy we would have worked on his technique. Anyway, it’s better late than never.We have a month before we take on Bangladesh and the West Indies. A lot of hard work beckons all of us. Let us hope we carry the Sharjah spirit forward with us wherever and whenever we play in the future.

Manchester United will host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford this afternoon in an important clash for both teams in the race for a spot in the top four, and now Ralf Rangnick has been given a late injury boost ahead of the game.

What’s the word?

The Man United boss has given an update on Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability in his pre-match press conference, after the star was unavailable for the Manchester derby last weekend.

Rangnick told the press;

“He resumed training yesterday.

“He trained the whole training session and I expect him to train today as well. He trained well, like the rest of the group. I would’ve thought he was available tomorrow.”

Rangnick will be elated

There has been mounting speculation around the Red Devils over the last few weeks relating to Ronaldo’s future at the club, and when he was missing from the squad against Manchester City it caused a further media frenzy, with claims that the Portuguese striker wasn’t actually injured and had just decided he didn’t want to play.

With that being said, Rangnick will surely relieved that the five time Ballon D’or winner will be available and back in the dressing room to support and inject confidence into his team mates this weekend following the embarrassing 4-1 defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side and the ongoing negative speculation surrounding the club.

Not only will Ronaldo’s leadership be a huge boost for the Manchester United team, but his presence on the pitch is an inevitable threat to any team and as top goal scorer with 15 goals and three assists this season so far, there is no doubt that the striker will offer the best possible attacking opportunities in the challenging clash.

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The German coach will be hoping his team can take advantage of being back at Old Trafford, putting their most recent defeat behind them to take advantage of the opportunity to leap frog Arsenal back into the fourth spot in the league table ahead of the Gunners’ fixture on Sunday afternoon – however slipping to a consecutive loss against Spurs this afternoon could set them back further pushing them into sixth.

In other news: Manchester United interested in Robert Lewandowski

The Telstra Dome is primarily an Australian football ground but it has hosted 12 ODIs © Getty Images

The chief executive of Melbourne’s second-largest stadium wants to poach international cricket from the MCG and has not ruled out bidding for the Boxing Day Test. Ian Collins, who is in charge of the Telstra Dome at Melbourne’s Docklands, believes the ground should stage more than just the occasional limited-overs fixture.The right to host Melbourne’s international matches could be put to tender unless Cricket Victoria reaches a better commercial deal with the Melbourne Cricket Club. “The contract is up with the MCG in 2009,” Collins told the . “Hopefully, we will be talking to cricket and hopefully, they will be talking to us about some or all of it.”Telstra Dome has held 12 one-day internationals on its drop-in pitches since 2000 – including the Super Series matches – and is an attractive option in the off-season because of its retractable roof. It was also used when the MCG was unavailable due to Commonwealth Games commitments but it is primarily an Australian rules football ground and has a capacity of about 50,000 – half the size of the MCG.Collins said it would be more difficult to extend the Docklands ground’s hosting rights to Test matches but it was not out of the question. “I think it would be hard to justify playing a Test away from the MCG, especially Boxing Day, but it’s a changing market,” he said. “We are running a business and when the contract is up we would be very happy to talk to cricket for some or all.”The reported that one possibility was for the MCG to retain the Boxing Day Test while Telstra Dome would stage Melbourne’s ODIs. In 2004, Cricket New South Wales put its international games to tender but in the end gave all the rights to the SCG ahead of Telstra Stadium at Homebush.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic © AFP

Two contrasting half-centuries put Michael Hussey’s maiden one-day century in the shade as West Indies scampered to a nervy three-wicket win in the fourth match of the DLF Cup and secured a place in the final. Brian Lara’s artistry was complemented by Chris Gayle’s fury and their whirlwind partnership, rattling off 151 at a rate of close to 7.8 runs per over, set the stage for the chase, which was eventually achieved after several heart-stopping moments.The West Indian bowlers played their part as well, turning in an improved performance to reduce Australia to 104 for 5 at the halfway stage. They couldn’t finish the job off – Hussey, leading the side in Ricky Ponting’s absence, and Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper, engineered a comeback with a record sixth-wicket stand – but their batsmen, after threatening to collapse yet again, reached the finish line with close to three overs to spare. The result means West Indies are through to the final with Australia’s game against India on Friday turning into a virtual semi-final.It was by no means a walk in the park. Chasing 273 under lights is never easy and it was imperative that West Indies reprised the scorching starts they’ve got in the tournament so far. For ten overs they were patient, laboured to 30 for 1, preserved wickets and waited for the opening. Then, like a giant awakening from a slumber, they blitzed their way to 139 for 2 after 25 overs. Ramnaresh Sarwan triggered the acceleration before Gayle instigated mayhem.A Gayle innings has no set pattern – absolutely anything is possible. At the end of the 12th over, he had 13 off 31 balls with just one four. A clattered six over midwicket, in the 13th over, whet the appetite before Stuart Clark began his third over, on a day that will probably remain his most forgettable one. The first ball was swung over mid-on; ditto the second except it nearly decapitated Clark on the way to the fence; the third was steered for a double, almost a calm interlude; the fourth, a no-ball, was upper-cut for a fantastic six over third man; and the next screamed past mid-off, with the fielder having absolutely no chance. Clark’s two overs had gone for 38 and he eventually finished with none for 87 off seven overs.At the other end Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic. The gorgeous straight-drives and samurai-like whiplashes were out in full force. There was also a masterclass in ‘how to toy with spin’ as Dan Cullen, all of five ODIs old, watched some good bowling being treated as if it was tripe. It must be quite unnerving to watch a batsman stand a good foot outside leg stump – moving forward and diagonally towards midwicket – watching the ball onto his bat and steering it past the keeper to the third man fence.When Lara was beaten in the flight after waltzing down the pitch, he still managed to crash the ball into the sight-screen. The faster bowlers did all they could to keep it full and on off, but when a batsman walks across the crease and whips you through midwicket, there is nothing they can do. He was out in a curious manner – the ball ricocheting off the back of the bat as he got too early on a pull – and it was only after his dismissal that Australia had any chance. Four wickets fell for 13 runs, raising visions of another “calypso collapse”, but Dwayne Bravo held his nerve, lofted a six in the dying stages and steered them home.

Michael Hussey’s 109 in only 90 deliveries was a magnificent effort © AFP

It was a victory to savour, especially after the two Hs – Hussey and Haddin – had threatened to undo all the good work the West Indian bowlers had done in the opening stages. Hussey went about rebuilding the innings in a manner that has made him an ODI master over the last year – eliminating the dots, running the fielders ragged, picking off the odd boundary and setting them up for the slog. Amid all this were reverse-paddles, slog sweeps, short-arm jabs and crisp swats. To rip a controlled 109 in just 90 deliveries, with the team stuttering, was a magnificent effort.At the other end, there was Haddin, continuing a long tradition of Australian wicketkeeper-batsmen who’ve more often than not thwarted the opposition’s plans just when everything seems to be going their way. Merging some of Ian Healy’s combativeness with a tinge of Adam Gilchrist’s aggressiveness, Haddin drilled four fantastic sixes enroute to his highest ODI score. It was the partnership of the day until Gayle and Lara combined.

AustraliaSimon Katich run-out 22 (41 for 1)
Shane Watson c Lara b Taylor 0 (42 for 2)
Andrew Symonds c Smith b Bradshaw 8 (57 for 2)
Michael Clarke c Gayle b Bradshaw 1 (64 for 4)
Matthew Hayden c Taylor b Bravo 49 (104 for 5)
Brad Haddin c Taylor b Bravo 70 (270 for 6)
West Indies
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Haddin b Lee 0 (12 for 1)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Haddin b Bracken 25 (44 for 2)
Chris Gayle c Hussey b Watson 79 (195 for 3)
Brian Lara c Hussey b Lee 88 (242 for 4)
Wavell Hinds c Haddin b Lee 1 (249 for 5)
Marlon Samuels run out 0 (249 for 6)
Dwayne Smith b Symonds 4 (255 for 7)

Nadeem Shahid has retired from Surrey to seek a new career© Getty Images

Nadeem Shahid has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following a ten-year career with Surrey. Shahid, 35, has decided to seek a new career path after having recently had a stint as the captain of Surrey’s 2nd XI.But Shahid, who had previously given seven years’ service to Essex, remained upbeat about the role he played at Surrey, during which time he helped them to three County Championship titles. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Surrey, made some great friends and hopefully made a meaningful contribution on and off the field,” said Shahid, who may come to be better remembered as Ed Giddins’s partner in their business enterprise, Nad and Ed’s Christmas Trees.However, he did stroke nine centuries and more than 6000 runs in his career, with a top score of 150 for Surrey against Sussex in 2002.Meanwhile, Surrey’s England A batsman Scott Newman has signed a new three-year deal, following a successful first full season in 2004.Newman took just 11 matches to reach 1000 runs for Surrey last season, a club record which he shares with another left-hand opener in John Edrich. He scored 1162 runs in the County Championship last year, at an average of more than 43.”I’m thrilled to have committed my future to Surrey,” he said. “I can’t wait to repay their faith in me over the coming seasons.”

Scorecard

Jacques Kallis: scored 25 not out as the game ended in a draw© AFP

Graeme Smith played a captain’s innings of 85 not out as the South Africans secured a draw in their tour match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in Colombo. After Michael Vandort had scored 129, and Russel Arnold 83, in their total of 286 for 3 declared, Smith ensured his side didn’t make a losing start to their tour of Sri Lanka.Resuming at 123 for 1, the President’s XI made steady progress, with Vandort and Arnold taking advantage of some rusty bowling as Smith used nine bowlers in all. A total of 14 players were allowed to be played in the match, and all the South African bowlers in the squad had a chance to impress, but not with much success.Vandort, who has played two Tests for Sri Lanka, and Arnold added 187 in all before both were out caught by Andrew Puttick off Nicky Boje. In between their dismissals, Romesh Kaluwitharana punched a quickfire 54 not out to boost the total before Thilan Samaraweera declared the innings leaving the South Africans needing an academic 312 to win.Puttick completed a disappointing match when he was bowled by Asanka Welegedara for 12, and Martin van Jaarsveld was shortly out, caught and bowled by Rangana Herath and the South Africans were teetering a touch at 66 for 2. However, Smith knuckled down to spend a little over two hours at the crease and hit 12 fours to deny the attack. Jacques Kallis also got in some good batting practice with 25 not out from 42 balls.

Geoffrey Boycott has said Andrew Flintoff could be an even more effective one-day international player if he was promoted to open the innings.Writing in , Boycott said: “For me Andrew Flintoff has been a revelation and shown he is England’s most valuable player.”Personally, I feel we need to experiment to find his best battingposition. He can do so much damage so quickly that I would like to see himtried as an opener.”He continued: “Adam Gilchrist of Australia moved from Test middle-order to one-day opener with amazing results. Like Gilchrist, Flintoff could soon put the bowling side on the defensive and wondering what the hell has hit them.”England beat Pakistan 2-1 in the NatWest Challenge and defeated South Africa byseven wickets in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s last week. These were two large steps forward for a new-look side which the England selectors hope will form the nucleus of the 2007 World Cup team.Boycott added: “I think they played splendidly, fielded athletically and looked as if they were enjoying themselves.”Even more surprising than his generally wide-ranging endorsement ofEngland’s players was his praise for the selectors, whose decisions he hasoften criticised. He said: “Our selectors have done well and our team has done even better.”But any thoughts that the usually hard-hitting Boycott had gone soft were dashed with his comments about Vikram Solanki: “He gets out cheaply too often, playing extravagant shots that are not on.”This was Boycott’s first major article since he revealed last month that hewas optimistic about winning his battle against throat cancer. He aims to return to television broadcasting when given the go-ahead from his doctors.Click here to read the article in full

Anuradha Dutt, secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), received the news of New Zealand’s cancellation of their tour to India with regret. Having lost to New Zealand in the semi-final of the last CricInfo Women’s World Cup, India were keen to play the Kiwis at home and salvage some lost pride. New Zealand Cricket, the controlling body of the game in that country, has pulled the team out of the tour citing security concerns following the developments in Afghanistan.”The CEO of NZC told us earlier that he would make the decision after considering security implications. And we received a letter today informing us that they were canceling the tour. Although India was not directly related to the problems in Afghanistan, NZC felt that there was enough of a risk to players,” said Dutt.Dutt, however, did not agree completely with the views of NZC CEO Martin Snedden. “I can’t really imagine the New Zealand women being in any real danger in India. If you ask me, they’d be much safer here than in many western countries. But it’s their psychological perception that matters, and I can’t really make a decision for them.”After India’s semi-final showing in the CricInfo World Cup, interest in the game has been sufficiently piqued. “As you know, we are already preparing for the next World Cup. When we lost to New Zealand in the semi-final recently, what really handicapped us was the lack of match practice. We would have liked to get more international match experience before the next tour. This cancellation means one tour less for India and that’s obviously regrettable,” said Dutt.The WCAI has been doing its best to organise international cricket for the Indian team, and Dutt made it a point to enumerate the various tours lined up.”We have tried to line up as much international cricket as possible. That’s what keeps the players on their toes. We have England coming here in February, then we go to South Africa in March and on to England in July,” she said.Talking about the impact that the cancellation of the tour would have on the development of the game, Dutt was hopeful that something could still be salvaged from the situation.”It Is obviously a setback for the development of the game in India. We’re speaking to NZC and trying to reschedule the tour for a later date, when things settle down a bit. If we’re able to do that then it doesn’t make a difference in the larger perspective,” she said.The cancellation is also likely to put a spanner in the works when it comes to garnering sponsorship for women’s cricket. The fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not done anything to encourage the development of the game is also proving to be an obstacle.”The BCCI still hasn’t responded in the favourable manner that we would have liked. After the World Cup, there has been an increase in interest. Sponsors are now willing to invest in the game if there’s television coverage, and that is a step in the right direction,” said Dutt.Dutt is maintaining an optimistic outlook as ever, but the cancellation of the tour is a fairly serious setback to Indian women’s cricket and might even influence the English when they think about their own forthcoming tour of India.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard concluded some excellent business in the January transfer window, having bought Lucas Digne and loaned Philippe Coutinho to help steer the club away from a potential relegation battle.

However, one signing which went under the radar and has represented great value for money is Calum Chambers, who arrived on a free transfer from Arsenal after a difficult time in north London where he was once described as “an accident waiting to happen,” by pundit Tony Cascarino.

During Villa’s 4-0 home win over Southampton, he made an impressive eight clearances, as well as winning all three of his aerial duels against his former club, on his way to earning a 7.3 SofaScore match rating and clean sheet.

He also played a big part in Douglas Luiz’ goal by playing a fantastic long ball forward to Coutinho, and former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock believed not many passes will top it this year.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here, this is a centre-back passing the ball in Chambers,” Warnock said.

“This is arguably the pass of the season. We’ve seen [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Mohamed] Salah, [Jordan] Henderson, some of the passes we have seen with the outside of the foot.”This is a centre-half, it was an outrageous pass. Just look where his [Coutinho] run starts from, to see that run and execute the pass, what a ball.”And then to be unselfish and play that, that is just brilliant, all-round outstanding goal.”

Chambers on average wins over three duels per game, as well as making one tackle and just under five clearances, with him approaching his prime at 27-years-old, it could be now or never for the centre-back.

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But with Gerrard “not convinced” by Ezri Konsa, Chambers is likely to receive plenty of game time as we approach the end of the season, making him a particularly ideal addition to the squad.

In other news: “To be honest..” – Insider drops AVFC summer claim that’ll have many Villans delighted

	Charu Sharma’s association with the Bangalore Royal Challengers has been terminated in controversial circumstances © AFP

Charu Sharma, who was removed as CEO by the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Tuesday, says he did not step down from the job as the IPL franchise said, but was “summarily dismissed”. Cricinfo has learned the decision was a result of discontent at the highest level since the team’s defeat in the first match of the tournament on April 18.”I am not a quitter, especially when the chips are down,” Sharma said in a statement. “The company has every right to hire and fire personnel. For details of why I was summarily dismissed from my duties, three hours before I was to board a flight to Kolkata for the next match, please contact representatives of the company.”Sharma, whose father died soon after the IPL started, said he’d taken the briefest of breaks at the time. Only the team owners can explain why he was sacked, he said, adding that he could “understand their disappointment at the team not being the fastest off the block”.The choice of Brijesh Patel as CEO was largely motivated by the fact that he is an accomplished cricketer and understands local conditions with the depth that is required, Vijay Mallya, the franchise owner, said in a statement. He also squashed speculation over the future of Venkatesh Prasad, the coach of the side, and said he was fully supportive of his role in the side.Bangalore, currently at the bottom of the IPL table with two wins from seven games, issued a press release on Tuesday night, which said Sharma “stepped down due to personal reasons” and had been replaced by Brijesh Patel, the former India Test player and secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs the game in the franchise’s home city.Sources close to Sharma confirmed that he was asked to quit on Tuesday afternoon by a senior official from United Spirits Limited (USL), the liquor company that bought the team. USL is owned by Mallya, the Bangalore-based industrialist who also owns Force India, a Formula 1 team.However, sources in the franchise told Cricinfo that the decision to sack the chief executive was the result of growing discontent at the highest level ever since Bangalore suffered a humiliating defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural IPL match in front of a record television audience and a capacity home crowd, including top ICC and BCCI officials, Bollywood actors and corporate leaders.”Quite a few harsh words were used that night to describe the team’s performance. And ever since then, serious questions were being asked at the top level within the franchise about the team’s composition and performance. Things turned nasty as the team continued to lose and there was even talk about whether the players were under-performing, and making a laughing stock of the owner,” the sources said.”In such a scenario, the franchise wanted to send a strong message that it was in control of the situation and the CEO was the obvious target. Sacking the players would have generated a wave of negative publicity, considering their iconic status,” the sources said.Mallya bought the franchise from the IPL council with a bid of US$ 111.6 million and then faced a barrage of criticism after the players’ auction where Rahul Dravid took the lead in picking the squad – including South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and India’s Wasim Jaffer – that has since been tagged as a Test XI.On Monday night, after the team’s fifth loss, Mallya is learnt to have been extremely upset and had a “very serious chat” with Sharma, before the franchise owner was “persuaded” to give the team “a small pep talk” during a party that followed the match against Kings XI Punjab.”The team was assembled and were told by Mallya he was still backing them. But it was clear that a major decision was around the corner,” the sources said. Around 3 pm the next day, Sharma was asked to leave by the franchise.On Wednesday morning, a senior player told Cricinfo that the team was rattled by the development, which he described as “a knee-jerk reaction” to the defeats with seven matches still left in the tournament. Bangalore take on Kolkata in the eighth of their 14 league matches, at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.”My role, as I saw it, was to constantly motivate, encourage, facilitate and respect the efforts of the cricket professionals in the team. And that is what I tried to do, sincerely, day after day – win or lose – in the true spirit of sportsmanship,” Sharma said.