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Sreesanth: “I’m grown up enough to realise how to play cricket” © AFP

Sreesanth will not reinvent himself to satisfy critics of his behaviour but has vowed to find the “exact limit between really bad and really good”. Ian Chappell suggested the Indian board should ban Sreesanth, who has had an eventful one-day series, and the Australians have also been upset by his actions, particularly in the fourth game at Chandigarh when he was 12th man.”I feel I am OK,” Sreesanth said in the Advertiser. “I feel Ian should really look at the video of the last few games. I don’t need a ban. I can learn. I’m grown up enough to realise how to play cricket.”It’s not a new Sreesanth. I am trying to find that exact limit between really bad and really good. See how far I can go.”Sreesanth has been flicking through a book on temperament during the series and said the game was “almost 90% mind”. “How you manage yourself on the field is important and even if they are playing mind games on it or off it, cricket is very funny, it always wins,” he said in the Australian. “That’s what happened in the lead-up to the Twenty20, everybody was questioning our ability but we still won the World Cup.”If we are looking now, obviously if we win the next game [in Mumbai on Wednesday] the series still belongs to Australia, so it’s a time they can say anything. It’s a time for us to keep quiet and hopefully, God willing, they defeated us at home and maybe we can defeat them at home.”

Ashley Giles: ‘At one stage I didn’t think I’d play cricket again, so it’s worked pretty well’ © Getty Images

If England’s cricketers need any counselling after a traumatic first day of the Ashes, then they should look no further than a certain member of their own camp. Ashley Giles’s career seemed dead in the water last summer, as he struggled to recover from a long-term hip injury, and when he did finally make it back into the team, a year to the day since his last outing, his selection ahead of Monty Panesar was universally panned.But it was ever thus with Gilo, and once again he took these indignities on the chin, wheeling away impassively to provide a rare semblance of control for his team. Eighteen overs for 51 plus the solitary wicket of Damien Martyn was hardly riches, but compared to some of the other returns on day one of the series, it was a comeback of Sinatra proportions.”It was fairly satisfying,” Giles demurred afterwards. “It’s been a difficult year, and I was nervous this morning. It’s almost a year to the day since I last played a Test match. But it was great to be out with the boys, and there’s no better ground or atmosphere to play in.”Giles’s selection, though widely speculated upon in the build-up to the match, still came as something of a surprise. He has not played any first-class cricket since the tour of Pakistan this time last year, and was even overlooked for England’s final warm-up match at Adelaide last week. “I take it as a huge compliment,” he said. “Monty played at Adelaide, I’ve been out of the team, and this is probably the most hyped Ashes series of all. But I was overjoyed last night to get picked for the side.”His selection was billed as negativity but, at the age of 33, Giles revealed he was still capable of learning new tricks, as he came in closer to the stumps with a remodelled action, and even ventured around the wicket on occasions. It was the second time in his career he had tinkered with his action, having deconstructed it on the tour of Bangladesh in 2003-04, with less immediate results. “I’m still in that match learning mode,” he admitted. “I was surprised my first ball bounced!”I’ve tried to get a bit closer around the wicket, be more consistent around the wicket and be more attacking but my pace is something I need to work on,” he added. “Because I’ve changed the angle of delivery I need to get my pace from other areas. I am still learning a lot about my action in matches. I hope it will develop and the action will get better and better.”Giles admitted that Panesar’s success had spurred him on in his rehabilitation. “It gives you a bit of a hurry-up,” he said. “I’ve always wanted and tried to get better, and it’s good competition. This last 12 months has given me the opportunity to work from a blank canvas. Having not bowled for such a long period I decided not so much to change things as improve things. At one stage I didn’t think I’d play cricket again, so it’s worked pretty well.”The two rival spinners hadn’t had much to say to each other before the match, however. “We haven’t spoken a lot,” said Giles. “Last night, Monty said good luck, I said hard luck, that’s all you can do. I’d back Monty all the way if he’d played ahead of me. But having been through what I’ve been through this year, I didn’t want to give up my cricket yet. I’ve got to work bloody hard.”The same could be said of the England team as a whole, but Giles was adamant they weren’t down and out just yet.”Things didn’t go as well as we’d have liked, but there’s plenty of spirit in this England camp. We’ll come out fighting and if we can get a couple of early wickets, we can get right in among them.”

Steve Waugh says Michael Clarke is going to experience some tough times © Getty Images

Steve Waugh believes Michael Clarke needs to “tighten up his technique” but does not have to overhaul his match-winning game plan. Clarke admitted during the weekend he had to score runs during the second Test at Hobart this week to avoid the same fate as Simon Katich, who was cut from the squad, and Waugh predicted the omission of Australia’s new No. 4 was inevitable.”At some stage, like most players, he’ll probably get dropped,” Waugh told the magazine . “I think in some ways it’s good because you reassess, you analyse and you work out how you can improve.”However, Waugh said Clarke had the tools for long-term Test success. “He’s learning in front of the world and it’s not an easy place to make mistakes,” Waugh said. “He’s got things he can work on. He’s got a good temperament. He’s a good listener, which is really crucial. He’s got his feet on the ground. But he’s going to go through some tough times.”Waugh understands the difficulties of growing up in the spotlight and struggled when trying to develop his best method to combat Test attacks. Dropped in 1990-91 for his brother Mark, Waugh changed from an attacking approach to a more defence-orientated style on the 1993 Ashes tour and it helped him become the world’s best batsman.While Waugh rebuilt his outlook he said Clarke’s technique was the thing that had to be tightened. “You don’t want to change him,” he said, “because he’s a match-winner and that’s the way he plays his game.””I know the reality,” Clarke said in the . “I’m not stupid, I need to score runs. That’s the way our game is. The reality is that I haven’t scored a hundred for a little while and people are trying to find out why. There are some past players and people in the public who might think my technique is terrible. I’ve got no problem with constructive criticism, but the way some people have spoken it’s like there’s some major problems and that’s a bit frustrating.”Clarke has scored two centuries in 19 Tests but has not reached three figures since his 141 against New Zealand at Brisbane last summer. In his next 14 games he has struggled to match his early brilliance and scored 526 runs at an average of 26.30.

Herschelle Gibbs breached ICC’s code of conduct© Getty Images

Herschelle Gibbs, one of South Africa’s opening batsmen, has been fined 40% of his match fee (approximately £800) for a “deliberate attempt to mislead an umpire” during the closing stages of the fourth day’s play of the second Test between South Africa and England at Durban.The umpire Darrell Hair reported Gibbs for gesturing at the top of his armand pointing towards him after facing a rising delivery that led to acaught-behind appeal from Steve Harmison. Gibbs pleaded guilty to theoffence, which breaches the ICC’s code of conduct, and the match refereeClive Lloyd handed him the fine.Gibbs was undefeated on 11 at stumps, having survived a chance off Harmison in the fourth over that Geraint Jones put down.

Nathan Astle’s strategy to cope with the conditions and the Indianbowlers was masterful. He played mostly on the front foot – 159off the 207 balls he played, showing minimal footwork on 19 ballsand stepping out four times. He played the ball late, allowing itto come to him instead of reaching for it. But when he did rockback, he made it pay; 42 off his 103 runs came off the 25 timeshe went on the back foot. His strike-rate on the back foot was168; the rest of the time, it was 35.

Astle’s footwork	Balls	Runs	Strike-Rate
Front foot	159	56	35
Minimal footwork	19	3	16
Stepping out	4	2	50
Back foot	25	42	168
Total	207	103	49.8

As the above statistic indicates, he played the bowling on itsmerit. Off the 181 occasions that he received a ball on a goodlength or just short of a good length, he made 57 runs. The 13balls that the bowlers dropped short to him went for 34 runs. Hisshot selection was immaculate.

Playing the ball on its merit	Balls	Runs	Strike-Rate
Full length (including half-volleys)	13	12	92
Good length or just short	181	57	31
Short	13	34	262

While many of Astle’s singles and twos came via sweeps and dabson the on side, most of his boundaries came from cuts off shortballs on the back foot. In terms of runs, Astle’s wagons wheelappears quite balanced: 56 runs on the off side, and 47 on theoff. But in terms of boundaries, it is decidedly different. Ofhis 14 fours, 12 came on the off side, with 10 of them in the arcbetween extra cover and backward point.

The Wagon Wheel	Runs	Runs off boundaries
Behind wicket – off side	8	8
Square of wicket – off side	26	20
Cover – off side	21	20
Front of wicket – off side	1	0
Front of wicket – on side	3	0
Midwicket – on side	22	8
Square of wicket – on side	12	0
Behind wicket – on side	10	0

New Zealand are known for planning for their opponents andconditions. Clearly, Astle had done his homework exceedinglywell.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Kerala defended a moderate total with gumption to register a 73-run win over Goa in their Ranji one-day match at Visakhapatnam on Thursday.Batting first, Kerala started disastrously, with both openers removed with the score only on 17. Wickets fell at regular intervals, and it was not until K Chandrasekhara and M Suresh Kumar put on 113 runs for the seventh wicket that Kerala’s score achieved any substance. Chandrasekhara made 60 off 92 balls, while Suresh Kumar scored 75 off 78.Set 227 for victory, Goa collapsed in a hurry. SK Cheruvathur and S Mathen took three wickets apiece to hasten the end of their rivals, breaking the middle and lower order to bowl Goa out for 153 in only 39 overs.

Overnight, it was all set up so nicely. The West Indies had led by 235 overnight on the 4th day, at 381-6, and all expected that a declaration would be forthcoming after the first hour of Day 5, with perhaps an additional 30-40 runs. In effect, the eventual West Indian declaration did not come until about 75 minutes had elapsed, before the luncheon interval, by which time Franklyn Rose had been LBW to Craig White for 10. In the meantime, Ridley Jacobs and Curtly Ambrose had bludgeoned a further 54 after the fall of Rose’s wicket before the end of the innings, at 438-6, with Jacobs getting a good 42 not out, while Ambrose got a useful 36 not out.Even before the declaration, it was very evident that the rains would make an appearance some time sooner rather than later, and that did happen. Set a whopping 293 to win in a possible 71 overs, England might have struggled even on a normal day, as that was a tough ask. As it was, the rains put paid to any plans that either team would have had, and even though Courtney Walsh did get his 472nd Test wicket, that of Mike Atherton, again, this time nibbling to the wicket-keeper Jacobs, a result was impossible. Atherton made 28, but that, as the saying goes, was that. By the time the rains came, England had made 80-1, with the impressive Marcus Trescothick managing 38 not out to add to his 66 in the 1st innings. Not a bad start for a Test career.Both captains should have been very pleased with the efforts of their players, as both teams showed great fighting spirits when situations looked marginal, while some consistency was achieved by both teams; the West Indies in batting more than bowling, with Brian Lara and the other batsmen showing some great improvement from Lords; England bowling more than batting, even with the excellence of Marcus Trescothick and Alec Stewart. In the end, it was a toss up as to whom would get the “Man of the Match” award, as there were only two real contenders, Brian Lara with his first Test century for 16 months, or Alec Stewart, with a Test century on his 100th Test. Sentiment and form, too, won out, with Stewart getting the nod.Afterwards, Jimmy Adams, the West Indies captain, Nasser Hussain, the English captain, and Alec Stewart, the M-o-M award winner, spoke:Jimmy Adams:“The weather had the final say. We lost quite a lot of time today, and there was not enough time to get a result for either team, but that has been the story of the summer so far, really. We had a bit of an idea that it would not be a good afternoon, and it turned out that way in the end. The day and the game might have become interesting without the bad weather.We had to get to a position of strength before we could think about a declaration, a position in which we could set attacking field placings. We were operating under the assumption that we would have 72 overs and we intended to attack for 72 overs. We thought our declaration total would have allowed us to do so. Unfortunately, our plans were destroyed by the weather and we could not get in 72 overs.This game saw a very good performance for the batsmen, but I must also have a special emphasis on the bowlers too. They came out on that 3rd day and bowled the West Indies back into the game on a good pitch. We are very pleased that Brian Lara has come back to some form too. I think that we can still see some better batting performances from him, but that should not take away from what he has done here. He batted brilliantly.I think that England won the 1st two days and the West Indies won the 2nd two days. The weather won the last day. Maybe it was “even-stevens.” The consistency was nice to see, but we will take it day by day, Test by Test, and at the end of the tour, we shall assess again. It is an ongoing process. It is interesting that Brian Lara, as you say, looks ominous with two Tests to go.Oh, incidentally, I have noticed that Headingley does not serve up too many draws!!”Nasser Hussain:“We were just going to play our own way to try to win this game. I had a chat with the chaps in the morning and we decided that each of us will play in his own unique way to make sure that a proper attempt could be made to win this Test. We had to make sure that our body language was correct throughout, especially in the morning, to try to bowl out the West Indies, and not just to go through the motions and depend on a declaration. I think that we achieved that.I also said that when we came to bat, then everyone would bat their own way. If anyone wanted to bat for four hours, then that was his responsibility to play that way. If anyone wanted to play a few dazzling strokes and go for broke, then they could do that too. I think that (Marcus) Trescothick and (Mike) Atherton showed that and it was a nice little session too. With all of the rain, the wicket did zip up a bit, with the covers on and off and stuff, and the West Indies bowlers could have gotten stuck in. Our batters did a good job this afternoon.I am sure that neither team will win the series 3-0 now (laugh). I just think that it (the series) would go down to the (Kennington) Oval for the 5th Test. I hope that the response and support continue to come in and that both (Headingley) Leeds and the (Kennington) Oval will be sold out. I think the support is great for cricket.What we have got to do is to keep our feet on the ground, keep working hard, and look for positive results from now to the end of the summer. We really have not done anything yet, and the next ten days of international cricket (Test 4 and Test 5) are what people would remember.”Alec Stewart:“It was a very memorable Test match for me. With both me and Athers (Mike Atherton) making our 100th Test appearance, it was a great achievement. To get a century in this game made it that bit more special. I think I played very well overall, but at the beginning, I did scratch around a bit. I thought that (Courtney) Walsh bowled exceptionally well to me initially. Afterwards, though, everything seemed to fall into place for me, head and feet being in the best positions for me to hit the ball well. I think I timed the ball as well as I could have here.To reach 100 Test matches, only achieved by only five Englishmen before me, is a great honor. Athers and I are in some great company there. Additionally, just to join (Sir) Colin Cowdrey in scoring a century in that 100th game is really special. My form has gone on from the Nat West Series in the Test series and now this Test match. I know that it will not last forever, but I have a right to enjoy it all now. Hopefully, I would still have this type of form when we get to Headingley (Leeds).We are disappointed that we could not win this game, but you must also give them some credit too. They were ably led by the batting of Brian Lara, a really brilliant innings, showing us all what a genius he really is when he has a bat in his hand, and he was very well supported by Jimmy (Adams) and the rest of the team. Having said that, though, we did stick to the task at hand, and with someone playing as well as Lara played, it was not going to be easy, but our bowlers stuck to the task and I give them great credit too. When we batted, we also showed some resolve, with (Marcus) Trescothick twice showing that he is quite capable, while (Mike) Atherton and (Nasser) Hussein hung in well.The last Test match that the West Indies played, they lost, then they had a very disappointing one day series, but we knew, and I am sure that they knew, that they were a good side, and that they would bounce back. They certainly did that in the way they bowled in the latter part of our first innings, and obviously in the way they batted, led by Brian Lara.Look, we know that Brian Lara is a genius, and that he is looking ominous, as in 1995, he started his century streak with a century at Old Trafford then too. He is not the number one or number two batsman in the world now, but he is capable of doing the same as those guys at any time. We have some good players who have to do their best to get him out too.It was like playing on an uncovered wicket with all of the rain that we had, but the pitch settled down well. It was disappointing that the rain came, as the game was well set. With all of the rain, obviously we would not have approached the target set, but it was nice to see that we only lost one wicket today. If we had played a full day, you never know what could have happened.The ball does move around a bit, seam sometimes, at Headingley (Leeds), but saying that, I am sure that Andy Foggarty, the groundsman at Headingly Leeds would be doing his best to produce a good Test cricket wicket. I know that the Yorkshire people will come out in support of us and all that we have to do is to come out and produce a good game on the field.The sides are evenly matched. We got hammered in the 1st Test at Edgbaston. We bounced back at Lords for the 2nd Test. We are evens here. It is now two to play. With two Test to go, it should be a good end to the series too.”Leeds is another matter altogether. The ball normally controls the bat there, so the bowlers would be in their element. Obviously, the team which bowls better, and the team which catches better, should come out the winner. Batsmen, watch out at Leeds!!

After arriving as one of the ‘magnificent seven’ brought in to replace Gareth Bale in 2013, Paulinho’s career at Spurs failed to really ignite.

The Brazilian came in off the back of Confederations Cup success with his country over Spain just a week before his move, and there were even suggestions that the likes of Inter and Real Madrid were interested in signing him.

The midfielder struggled to really stand out in a team trying to compete for the top four under Andre Villas-Boas, with perhaps his back-heeled winner against Cardiff his most eye-catching moment.

Aside from that, Paulinho seemed to coast by in games, and his red card for a high boot on Luis Suarez in a 5-0 home thrashing at the hands of Liverpool largely summed up a hugely disappointing Spurs career.

It was no surprise that he was eventually sold by Daniel Levy to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande for a reported fee of around £10m – a £7m loss from what the north Londoners paid to sign him for in the first place.

In a piece by The Guardian’s David Hytner following Paulinho’s departure to Guangzhou, he noted: “Paulinho was well liked within the club at Tottenham. He was a quiet and extremely religious family man and his professionalism was not questioned. His English was passable and he understood everything clearly. It was not that he failed to settle, rather that he could not make his mark.

“Yet it says much for Paulinho’s current standing in the game that many Tottenham fans have lauded their chairman, Daniel Levy, as a magician for not only removing the player’s £55,000-a-week wage from the club’s books but for receiving such a healthy fee for him. It still represents a loss on the £17m or so that Tottenham pledged to Corinthians but, frankly, nobody saw eight figures coming back for Paulinho.”

While the Brazilian’s performances in China eventually earned him a big-money move to Barcelona, he found himself quickly out of the picture with the La Liga giants after less than 50 games for them.

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Now valued at just £4.5m, and plying his trade back in his native Brazil with former club Corinthians, Paulinho may be best remembered by Spurs fans as someone who had a ‘what could have been’ career.

AND in other news – Sold in 2020, now worth £34m: Spurs suffered double disaster over 26 y/o “machine”

The Ranji Trophy quarter-final match between Jharkhand and Mumbai is likely to be shifted out of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in keeping with the BCCI’s attempts to ensure none of the World T20 venues are “fatigued” ahead of the tournament.While none of the other six World T20 venues has been allotted a Ranji Trophy knockout game, the KSCA has requested the BCCI to move the quarter-final out of Bangalore. KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel said it was done with a view to give the curators enough time to prepare the pitch ahead of the World T20.”We are going to give rest to our wickets,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. “There is also the junior team which wants to have a camp here. We don’t have enough time to prepare the wickets for the World Cup, so we have requested the board. We are waiting for the board to respond.”While the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is slated to host three Super 10 matches, none of the other venues for the Ranji knockouts – Visakhapatnam, Valsad, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium), Vadodara, Cuttack and Pune – has been allotted any World T20 games. The Chinnaswamy Stadium had also played host to ten matches in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition recently, including two quarter-finals, a semi-final and the final.A BCCI source said the board was keen to make sure the pitches didn’t suffer from the after-effects of a long cricketing season. “The World T20 begins after a whole season of cricket,” the source said. “The idea is to rest the pitches and let them recover from fatigue so that they are ready for Twenty20 cricket. The BCCI is very keen to make sure the pitches are fresh and ready when the World T20 begins. That is why centres that are not hosting the World T20 have been given the Ranji knockouts, like Pune for example.”On the nature of pitches for the World T20, the source said the BCCI was intent on preparing pitches that were “conducive for T20 cricket.” “It should allow for runs to be scored with good bounce and carry,” the source said. “That is the specific instruction from the BCCI.” It is understood that there have been elaborate discussions on the pitches and overall ground conditions, and preparations are expected to go on for the next two months.Patel, while indicating that the match between Jharkhand and Mumbai would be televised, said the KSCA hadn’t offered any suggestions of an alternative venue. The BCCI source, however said, Mysore was the likely replacement. Alur, another venue in Karnataka, hosted a number of matches in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition recently, but Mysore is considered better equipped to handle the logistical challenges involved in broadcasting a game.

Ryan Broad is a young player who will benefit from Jimmy Maher’s decision to move down the order © Getty Images

Queensland have given Shane Watson a boost in his bid to be an international top-order batsman with Jimmy Maher dropping from opener to No. 4 in the first-class arena this season. Maher is in his final campaign as the Bulls captain and has reduced his duties further to encourage the state’s emerging talent and Watson, who has signalled his desire to replace Justin Langer in the Test team.”It will be a tremendous opportunity for Shane to state a case for international honours,” Maher said of the move. “It also gives the young guys in the squad – Ryan Broad, Greg Moller, Chris Simpson etc – better opportunities.”However, Watson will have to wait for his first match of the home season as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained during the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. He is expected to be available for the games against New South Wales starting on October 24.Watson’s unavailability means Maher will open with Broad in Wednesday’s season-opening FR Cup fixture against Tasmania at the Gabba. Maher, who intends to continue as a batsman for a couple of years, wants to ensure a smooth transition when the squad’s large group of experienced players starts to stand down.”When I came into the squad I knew what was wanted of me and the Mahers and the Loves may not be around for a long time,” he said. “It’s best while we’re still here that we’re able to offer advice.” Martin Love is due to come back in November following two knee operations.One player who will benefit from Maher’s move is Broad, who impressed when posting 111 against Stuart MacGill on a final-day SCG pitch at the end of last season. Broad will play his third one-day match against the Tigers and was relieved Maher was dropping down the Pura Cup order.”I’d heard the rumours,” he said, “but it’s great that it’s official.” The Bulls will announce the side for Friday’s Pura Cup match against the Tigers on Wednesday.Tasmania’s bowling attack has been struck by injuries to Damien Wright and Luke Butterworth while Ben Hilfenhaus is on national duty. “They have stitched us up a few times in the last few years and the boys aren’t happy,” Maher said. “Now with Hilfenhaus out, let’s see how good their depth is.”Mark Divin, the allrounder, is in line to make his one-day debut two seasons after moving from the ACT. Chris Duval, who is originally from South Australia, is eyeing a first-class debut on Friday as he joins Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves and Adam Griffith in providing cover for Hilfenhaus.Queensland FR Cup squad Ryan Broad, Jimmy Maher (capt), Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, Michael Buchanan, Craig Philipson, Chris Hartley (wk), Nathan Reardon, Chris Simpson, Ashley Noffke, Grant Sullivan, Andy Bichel.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine (wk), Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Dane Anderson, Mark Divin, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith.Tasmania Pura Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine, Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Sean Clingeleffer (wk) Mark Divin, Brendan Drew, Chris Duval, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith.