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Aston Villa targeting de Vrij

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Aston Villa are reportedly in the hunt to sign Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij this summer with manager Steven Gerrard keen to improve his defensive options.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, Villa are keeping tabs on the Dutch defender with Gerrard looking to sign an A-list centre-back this summer.

The report also states that the defender was valued at around £40m in January with the 30-year-old’s current deal at the San Siro expiring in 2023.

The West Midland club’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly interested in bringing de Vrij to England this summer with manager Antonio Conte in charge when Inter won the Serie A title last season, with the Dutchman a key contributor to their success.

In fact, the Italian coach once exclaimed that the defender was “like Bonucci.”

Aston Villa must swoop for de Vrij

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt despite having just over a year left on his contract, de Vrij certainly won’t come cheap for whoever lands the defender’s signature.

However, it’s no secret that Aston Villa have ambitious plans for the upcoming transfer window, particularly after being able to lure a player of Philippe Coutinho’s pedigree to Villa Park in January, albeit on loan.

The Villans are on course for their first top-half finish in the top-flight for 11 years which will lay decent foundations for Gerrard after the Englishman’s first season in charge of the West Midlands side, having joined from Rangers in November.

Naturally, the next step will be to consolidate that place and push for European qualification. The signing of de Vrij would undoubtedly be a serious statement of intent.

The 30-year-old defender has spent almost eight years in Italy having joined Lazio from Feyenoord in 2014, where he was dubbed a “monster” by teammate Mauricio, before making the move to Inter Milan in 2018 on a free transfer.

Although, this isn’t the first time a Premier League club has been linked with a swoop for the 55-cap Netherlands international.

As well as his impressive international experience, de Vrij boasts impressive experience at club level too, winning the Scudetto last season whilst racking up 46 appearances in European competition as well as 347 in top-flight league football across the Eredivisie and Serie A.

Compared to Aston Villa’s current centre-backs, the 30-year-old is a major step up in quality and calibre.

Although Tyrone Mings has established himself as a regular in England manager Gareth Southgate’s squads, the 29-year-old has only found regular game time in the Premier League whilst being at Villa during the past three seasons.

As for the likes of Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kourtney Hause, none are current internationals whilst Chambers’ experience of playing in Europe and winning the FA Cup and Community Shield is as experienced as any of Villa’s current defenders get.

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Moreover, according to SofaScore, De Vrij wins the majority of both his aerial and ground duels, has a 92% pass completion rate, only loses the ball 4.8 times per match whilst having 62.5 touches on average per Serie A game, also making at least one tackle and interception per game.

Contrastingly, Aston Villa’s best defender statistically, Tyrone Mings, averages 58.5 touches per league game whilst completing 80% of his passes, losing possession 10.4 times per game on average.

The Englishman does manage to make at least one interception per game but is currently averaging 0.6 tackles.

It’s clearly evident that the signing of de Vrij would seriously improve Gerrard’s squad, the main issue will be convincing the Dutchman to swap the San Siro for Villa Park.

In other news: Imagine him & Coutinho: Gerrard must now unleash Villa maestro who “can do anything”

The Preview – England look to end series on a high

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Big picture

Can Tim Southee, the 19-year-old, inspire New Zealand to a series win? © Getty Images
 

After ringing the changes for the second Test in Wellington and winning the game to square the series, England are a reinvigorated outfit and bubbling with confidence. With James Anderson (match figures of 7-130) and Stuart Broad both demonstrating the benefits of youth in Wellington, it is New Zealand who are on the back foot approaching the decider in Napier. However, unlike the Basin Reserve’s fast-and-springy pitch, Napier’s McLean Park is expected to be flat and lifeless and New Zealand will miss the relative experience of Kyle Mills, ruled out with a knee injury. Will his replacement, the Under-19 fast bowler Tim Southee, inspire New Zealand as much as Broad and Anderson roused England last week? Stephen Fleming, playing in his 111th and final Test, will dearly hope so.

Form guide – England

Last five matches: LDDLWPlayer to watch: Kevin Pietersen’s form dip has quickly become a troublesome trough. Not since his 101 against India last summer has he hit so much as a fifty. He continues to in good form but judging by the exasperated grin which spread across his face after being run out in Wellington, he is all too aware of his plight. Napier’s lifeless track and an inexperienced New Zealand attack might be the trigger he needs.

Form guide – New Zealand

Last five matches: LWWWLPlayer to watch: Stephen Fleming has, by his own admission and strictly statistically speaking, underperformed with the bat in a career that has spanned 14 years. Approaching his 111th and final Test, he still needs 113 runs to secure his long-sought goal of averaging 40 and, timing the ball as well as he ever has, don’t discount one last hurrah.

Team news

Mills has failed to recover from his injured knee, prompting a call-up for Southee, the 19-year-old swing bowler. Mills’s absence might be a blessing in disguise; Southee was named Player of the Tournament in last month’s Under-19 World Cup for his 17 wickets at 6.64 and John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has already highlighted his ability to swing. England, on the other hand, are expected to remained unchanged following their 126-run win in Wellington.New Zealand Jamie How, Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori (capt), Jeetan Patel, Tim Southee, Chris Martin.England (probable) Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan (capt), Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Tim Ambrose (wk), Stuart Broad, Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.UmpiresDaryl Harper and Rudi Koertzen

Pitch & conditions

The last time these sides met in Napier was for that thrilling tied ODI when New Zealand couldn’t overhaul England’s 340, and the Test pitch is widely expected to play much the same. Phil Stoyanoff, the head curator, confirmed it will offer plenty of pace and bounce to allow batsmen to play their shots, but the margin of error for bowlers is likely to be miniscule. A pitch for both batting sides to fill their boots.Weather: A few showers and light east to south-east winds (The New Zealand Metservice)

Stats & trivia

  • Four out of the five Tests staged in Napier have ended in a draw. Sri Lanka claimed the one win, beating New Zealand in 1995
  • New Zealand haven’t beaten England at home since 1984. England’s last series win in New Zealand was under Mike Atherton in 1996-97

Quotes

“I’m trying to be deadpan about my retirement. The emotions will creep in from the people around me, but I’m trying to be very statistically motivated in the goals that I’ve set. I’m not always that good at following them, but I’ve tried to really get into them. One of them was 7000 runs, another was ten hundreds. It’s a focus to get away from the emotions of Test cricket.”
“He’s a class bowler and the selectors have been watching him for some time. They believe he’s ready for the job.”
“The hardest part of watching was when the team were gathering on the outfield for their huddle. I could not help wondering what was being said and it felt a little strange that I was not out there.”

Mushtaq appears before evalutaion committee

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Mushtaq Ahmed believes there was no excuse for Pakistan’s performance in the World Cup © AFP

Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s assistant coach, appeared before a three-member performance evaluation committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to explain his team’s disastrous performance in the World Cup.Mushtaq, who is due to leave for England in a few days, was the first member to appear before the committee, which will also question Inzamam-ul-Haq and a few other members of the squad. Mushtaq was questioned on several matters pertaining to the team’s disappointing show in the hour-long session with former Test cricketers Ijaz Butt, Saleem Altaf and Salahuddin Ahmed.”There is no excuse for the poor performance which has really disappointed the nation and I can only apologise to public for that,” Mushtaq said while speaking to Karachi-based daily .He shrugged aside claims that the team’s preparation for the mega event was not up to the mark and played an imperative part in Pakistan not progressing to the Super Eights. He added that the team failed to deliver on the field in successive losses to West Indies and Ireland.Talking about the Bob Woolmer murder, Mushtaq criticised the lack of security measures taken for his team in the Caribbean.”The security arrangements for the foreign teams in Pakistan are a lot better than what I saw in the West Indies,” he said.He also denied rumours that Shahid Afridi was questioned for longer by the Jamaican police over the death.The performance evaluation committee, constituted last week, is expected to submit its final report on Pakistan’s campaign within a month.

Clark has 'death' wish

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Stuart Clark has taken 19 wickets since making his ODI debut in October © Getty Images

Stuart Clark hopes he can be the man to fix Australia’s end-of-innings bowling problems. The Australians have struggled to close out opposition batsmen in the final overs since the Chappell-Hadlee Series and the continued absence of Glenn McGrath means Ricky Ponting is still searching for a reliable replacement.”I’d like to be the death bowler, I am getting better at that,” Clark told AAP ahead of Friday’s Twenty20 International at Johannesburg. “If they want to give me the new ball, I’m happy to do that, or bowl first change. If they want me to bowl at the death, I’m happy to do that as well.”Clark made his debut during the Super Series last October and has played 11 ODIs and taken 19 wickets. He has become a regular fringe member of the side since he was picked as a squad replacement for McGrath in England and he will enter the five-match one-day series as part of the first-choice bowling line-up including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken. “You only get limited opportunities and you have to make the most of them while you’re out there,” Clark said.The Australians have talked about dealing with the hostile crowds predicted for the series, but Clark said the reaction was not a concern. “It doesn’t matter where you go,” he said. “When we went to New Zealand, the crowd was parochial towards New Zealanders. When South Africa come to Australia, the Australian crowd climbs on board for us.”It’s part of being an international cricketer. It’s the same in domestic cricket. Queensland don’t like NSW and Western Australia don’t like anyone.”

Pollock doubtful for second Test

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Shaun Pollock is likely to miss the second Test due to a sore ankle© Getty Images

Shaun Pollock is unlikely to participate in the second Test against Zimbabwe due to an ankle problem he sustained during the series against England. His discomfort was visible in Zimbabwe’s second innings of the first Test, where he bowled only five overs.Shane Jabaar, the South African team physiotherapist, believed the Shaun’s ankle would not recover in time for the Test, which begins on March 11. Supersport quoted him as saying, “Shaun will consult a specialist about his sore ankle on Wednesday, but I do not think he will play in the second Test.”Jabaar also spoke about the injuries afflicting Graeme Smith, Charl Langeveldt and AB de Villiers. “His ankle remains problematic and we are treating it,” Jabaar said of Smith. “However, we need time, that is something we do not have.”But he had some good news. He confirmed that AB de Villiers did not have a broken finger and that Langeveldt’s hamstring problem was recovering well. “Charl is responding well to treatment and will remain in the squad,” said Jabaar. “I cannot see his injury preventing him from playing in the second Test.”

Tamil Nadu follow-on against Bengal

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Tamil Nadu 110 for 2 and 188 (Paul 7-44) trail Bengal 400 (Haldipur 100, Sanyal 89) by 102 runs
Scorecard
Shib Sankar Paul, the Bengal medium pacer, forced Tamil Nadu to follow-on on the third day of the Elite B match at Tirunelveli. Paul, who has been Bengal’s bowling hero this season, took seven wickets as Tamil Nadu caved in for a mere 188. Without three of their main batsmen, Tamil Nadu struggled, with only S Badrinath (86) averting a complete disaster. However, they put up a better show while following on by losing only two wickets for 110, with Badrinath still unbeaten at stumps.Rajasthan 53 for 4 and 168 trail Karnataka 350 (Rowland 81, Arunkumar 58, Bharadwaj 50) and 145 by 275 runs
Scorecard
Karnataka wrested the initiative with a good batting display on the third day of the match against Rajasthan. Barrington Rowland and Vijay Bharadwaj hit fine half-centuries as Karnataka set a victory target of 328. Rowland, carrying on his rich vein of form, hit seven boundaries in his 81. Rajasthan had their backs to the wall at the end of the day when Dodda Ganesh and Venkatesh Prasad reduced them to 53 for 4 and set Karnataka up for their first victory of the season.Uttar Pradesh 22 for 1 and 205 trail Mumbai 332 (Morris 93*, Thakkar 71) by 105 runs
Scorecard
At one point Mumbai were 258 for 8 and UP had done a good job in restricting their lead. But Robin Morris hit a breezy 93, and ensured that Mumbai finished with lead of 127 runs. Morris’s 120-ball innings included five sixes and six fours, and he put on 74 runs for the last two wickets. Earlier, Bhavin Thakkar also chipped in with 71 to prop up the total. Praveen Gupta, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful bowler for UP with 4 for 79. In their second innings, UP lost the wicket of S Shukla early and will have to battle all day tomorrow if they are to deny Mumbai an outright victory.Delhi 198 for 6 (Dahiya 61) and 195 lead Railways 234 by 159 runs
Scorecard
In a low scoring game, Railways gained a small lead, but Vijay Dahiya and Pradeep Chawla played valuable innings for Delhi and set up a fascinating final day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Dahiya struck 61 and Chawla remained unbeaten on 48 as Delhi went ahead by 159 runs for the loss of six wickets. Harvinder Singh picked up three wickets and finished as the most successful bowler for Railways.Hyderabad 199 for 4 (Anirudh 68, Vinay 53) trail Assam 537 (Sathish 133*, Sukhvinder 112) by 338 runs
Scorecard
After being battered on the first two days by the Assam batsmen, Hyderabad made a sedate start to their innings, compiling 199 runs on the third day. Anirudh Singh and Vinay Kumar hit fifties, but Hyderabad lost four wickets and were still 338 runs adrift at stumps. Assam may have batted for too long to force an outright win, but first-innings points are almost assured.Punjab 323 for 8 (Dharmani 98, Sodhi 66, Mongia 60) trail Baroda 369 (Martin 149, R Parab 54) by 46 runs
Scorecard
Both teams jostled for the first-innings lead as Punjab finished the third day still 46 runs behind with only two wickets standing. Pankaj Dharmani marginally missed out on a hundred and Reetinder Singh Sodhi hit 66 as Punjab inched towards the Baroda total. Earlier Dinesh Mongia had also hit a fine 60. Rakesh Patel picked up four wickets and Baroda will look to polish off the tail and pick up first-innings honours.Plate Championship First Round
Vidarbha 52 for 2 and 287 (Gawande 60) lead Tripura 337 (Sachdev 110, Jaiswal 76, Acharya 6-65) by 2 runs
Scorecard
198 runs were scored on the third day as both teams lost wickets at regular intervals. Tripura gained a vital 49 runs first-innings lead, with Chetan Sachdev scoring a stroke-filled 110. But by the end of the day, Vidarbha erased the deficit, losing two top-order batsmen in the process. Madhusudan Acharya, the offspinner, enhanced his burgeoning reputation by adding three wickets, including Sachdev, to end with career-best figures of 6 for 65. Tripura gained the first-innings bonus points and will look to their spinners to get them an outright win tomorrow.Goa 41 for 1 and 235 (Swapnil 126, Mohanty 5-44) trail Orissa 466 (Mullick 134, Mohapatra 83, Behara 87, Jakati 5-99) by 190 runs
Scorecard
Pravanjan Mullick blasted 134 off just 163 balls and Orissa stamped their authority over Goa on the third day. Biswa Mohapatra and S Behera, the openers, hit eighties and Orissa finished their first innings at 466. Shadab Jakati was the most successful bowler ending with a five-wicket haul. Goa suffered a setback in their second innings as AA Swapnil, the first-innings centurion, was forced to retire hurt – something that may prove vital in the ultimate outcome.Jammu and Kashmir 226 for 5 and 96 (Vashisht 6-32) trail Haryana 304 (Shafiq 71, Snny 66, Ganda 57) by 21 runs
Scorecard
Jammu and Kashmir 229 for 5 and 96 (Vashisht 6-32) lead Haryana 304 by 21 runs.After dominating Jammu & Kashmir for the better part of three days, Haryana would have expected a quick finish today. But J&K improved on their first-innings total of 96 to reach 229 for 5. J&K were tottering at 159 for 5, but Dhruv Mahajan, the captain, and Manzoor Dar steadied the innings with an unbeaten 70-run partnership and were on 42 and 30 respectively at stumps. Services 79 for 2 and 233 lead Himachal Pradesh 291 (Virender Sharma 134, Fazil 5-73) by 22 runs
Scorecard
Virender Sharma led the way on the third day, as Himachal Pradesh gained a first-innings lead of 58 over Services. It took a run-out to end Sharma’s impressive 134, and with it, the Himachal innings for 291. Fazil Mohammed and Arun Sharma claimed the bowling honours to finish with 5 for 73 and 4 for 90 respectively. Services began their second innings cautiously, reaching 79 for 2 at close, with an overall lead of 22.

Nepal prepares for semi-finals with win over Scotland

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Nepal secured its semi-final berth for the ICC Under-19 Plate Championship by beating Scotland by 48 runs in Auckland today.Nepal had the benefit of a 102-run opening partnership between Kanishka Chaugai (43) and Yashwant Subedi (45) and built on that with Bardan Chalise adding 30, Sakthi Gauchan 31 and Binod Das 27 not out to see the side to 205/5 off their 50 overs.Stewart Leggat took two for 28 with his off spinners and Moneeb Iqbal two for 33.Scotland got off to a poor start and while Brendan McKerchar scored 42, Steven Gilmour 29 and Iqbal 28 but the side could only total 157, as Gauchan finished with three for 32.Nepal will now play Bangladesh in the Plate semi-final at Lincoln No 3 on Wednesday.

Bichel sends Gloucestershire crashing to defeat

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Australian all-rounder Andy Bichel claimed a career-best 6-44 asWorcestershire wrapped up ther first CricInfo County Championshp DivisionTwo success of the season with a 252-run triumph over Gloucestershire inBristol.Bichel has already provided several important contributions with the batsince his arrival at Worcestershire this season, but this was comfotably hisbest performance with the ball.The 30-year-old Queenslander bowled an excellent line and generated impressive speed at times on an easy-paced pitch.With Alamgir Sheriyar offering notable support, Worcestershire’s win wasnever in doubt as Gloucestershire, 35-3 overnight, were bowled out for 155 inpursuit of 408 for victory.The home side continue to set the pace in one-day cricket, but theirfour-day form has been poor this season.Chris Taylor and Kim Barnett were dismissed early on as they chased widedeliveries from Sheriyar and Bichel respectively to give catches towicketkeeper Steve Rhodes.The Worcestershire wicketkeeper snaffled another catch when Mark Alleyneedged Sheriyar in front of first slip and, from 76-6 in the 36th over, therewas no way back for Gloucestershire.Jeremy Snape and Reggie Williams provided resistance with a seventh wicketstand of 51, but both fell quickly after lunch.Williams departed for 28 to the third ball after the break when he wascaught at second slip by Graeme Hick off Bichel.Then it became 146-8 when Snape, having struck eight fours in his 42, waswell caught at gully by Philip Weston from Bichel’s bowling.James Averis skied a catch to Stuart Lampitt off Matthew Rawnsley’s left-armspin and victory was completed in the next over when Bichel had Jon Lewiscaught at first slip.It was the first time Lewis had been dismissed this season in nine inningsin all forms of cricket.

FSG confident over new Mohamed Salah deal

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Liverpool owners FSG are confident that Mohamed Salah will eventually reduce his demands and sign a new contract at Anfield, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future up in the air

The future of the Reds superstar Egyptian is one of football’s biggest stories currently, with the 29-year-old not yet agreeing a new deal.

Salah’s current contract runs out at the end of next season, meaning he could leave on a free transfer at that point, in what would be an enormous financial blow for Liverpool.

It is thought that the forward’s wage demands are proving to be the main stumbling block, with the Reds not willing to pay him astronomical money.

The Latest: Salah and Abbas to lower demands

There is positive news regarding the situation, however, with Football Insider claiming a source close to Liverpool has informed them that FSG believe a “huge” new deal for Salah will be agreed.

Agent Ramy Abbas Issa was not happy with the initial offer, but the club are confident he will lower his wage demands next time around due in part to the lack of options to move elsewhere.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-25/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Tense few months ahead

If true, this would be a massive boost for the Reds, with Salah arguably the world’s best player throughout this season, scoring 20 goals and registering 10 assists in the Premier League.

Losing him at the peak of his powers would be devastating, even though no player is bigger than the club, and he is unlikely to be as loved anywhere else, nor play under a better manager than Jurgen Klopp.

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It could be a nervy few months of twists and turns, though, as Salah weighs up his options amid interest from other teams, including Barcelona.

In other news, Liverpool reportedly lead the race to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

A whole new experience for Papua New Guinea

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Nobody expects Papua New Guinea to beat India, but it’s an excellent opportunity for the underdogs to test themselves against the one of the top teams © Cricinfo
 

The first day of matches in the Under-19 World Cup appear to be, on paperat least, a series of mismatches: Australia play Namibia in Penang,Malaysia face defending champions Pakistan in Johor, while England take onneighbours Ireland in Kuala Lumpur. The biggest mismatch, though, could beat the Kinrara Oval where India, who are expected to progress towards thefinal rounds, play the qualifiers from the East Asia Pacific region, PapuaNew Guinea.The difference between the two teams, and countries, couldn’t be starker.India are entertaining thoughts of a sizeable victory, keeping an eye onthe net run-rate in a group which includes South Africa and West Indies;Papua New Guinea have lost each of their 18 matches in their four previousappearances in this tournament. Millions of children play cricket in Indiawhereas only a few thousand play the game in Papua New Guinea, primarilybecause the facilities are minimal and the equipment too expensive.The Papua New Guineans realise that hardly anybody is giving them a chanceof upsetting India and the reality is that, apart from coping with theopposition, several of their cricketers will be facing additionalproblems, which are inconceivable for established teams like India.The majority of the Papua New Guinea team have never played on a turfwicket, because there isn’t a single turf facility in their country.Arua Dikana, Colin Amini, Lua Nou, Willie Gavera and Tony Ura and the onlyones who’ve had some experience on turf and that was because they went toAustralia as part of an East Asia Pacific squad. They don’t have anyacademies in Port Moresby, the capital city and the main cricketingcentre, either.Vic Williams, who is an employee of Queensland Cricket and has beenassociated with developing the sport in Papua New Guinea for the last twoyears, believes that turf wickets will pose the greatest challenge. “Thereare no turf wicket facilities in Port Moresby,” Williams said. “They playon concrete wickets with mats rolled out on the top.”The Papua New Guinea players appeared to be extremely fit and athleticduring their practice session at the Kinrara Oval. They had a high-energycatching session and were enthusiastically cheering each other on at thenets. Williams said that the players were at their best when they were”laughing and having fun”, but a huge problem area was sustaining theconcentration levels and intensity for the duration of the 100 overs.”They don’t get tested for 50 overs in the club cricket that they play.The boys can play good cricket but in short patches. So they need tostring those patches together and play good cricket over a long period oftime.”Unlike India, who won both their warm-up matches against New Zealand andEngland, Papua New Guinea lost theirs to Ireland and Malaysia because oftheir inability to sustain their performance through the course of thematch.”Our first 16 overs in the field against Malaysia were exceptional,”Williams said. “They were sliding, there were assists with flick throws,and two people were chasing every ball. But when we got to the drinksbreak, they fell apart and it went back to club stuff.”It’s about mental concentration and the ability to keep that [intensityand concentration] going over a long period of time. It’s a big learningcurve, to learn how to put together three sessions in the field and then three sessions with the bat. We should have won againstIreland. We were about 30-40 runs short with the bat because we lost ourlast six wickets for 12. Ireland got there with eight wickets down.”The problems with the Papua New Guinea batting are as simple as playingstraight when the ball is directed at the stumps. “They’re like the West Indianswhen they bat: they like to hit the ball and are a bit cavalier in theirapproach,” Williams said. “Against Malaysia, the biggest downfall was theshot selection. About six guys were out playing across the line. It’s apatience thing because they can get away with that in club cricket.”

 
 
“They’re like the West Indianswhen they bat: they like to hit the ball and are a bit cavalier in theirapproach”
 

Undoubtedly the problems are due to the lack of facilities at home. Onconcrete strips the bounce is true, so the players can hit across the line. They also get used to playing lofted shots simply because the grass on the outfields at Amini Park is often left uncut, which means batsmen don’t get value forwell-timed shots along the ground.A big positive, though, is Papua New Guinea’s bowling attack. In WillieGavera, Loa Nou and Jacob Mado, a left-arm bowler, they have threestrapping fast bowlers who hit the pitch hard at a sharp pace. ColinAmini, their captain, bowls offspin and has a doosra in his armoury.”For them it’s about learning how to wins games,” Williams said. “They’vegot self belief but they have to get across the line.” The odds of PapuaNew Guinea getting there against India might be negligible, but if they canbegin strongly and sustain themselves for the majority of the game, theymight just catch one off the tournament favourites by surprise.