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In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Mar-2012In a first-of-its-kind in the IPL, Rudi Webster, the renowned sports psychologist, has been appointed by Kolkata Knight Riders as their mental skills coach for the fifth season.Webster, who has influenced minds like Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Greg Chappell, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag, felt that there is a lot of value addition he can provide to the Kolkata players, especially in a pressure-filled Twenty20 environment where players “people tend to panic”.”A lot of people panic under these conditions. Usually, under pressure like that, people who stay calm and take step by step usually do better than people who panic and take bad decisions,” Webster told ESPNcricinfo, explaining the need for someone like to him to sit on the coaching bench and an “asset” to have.According to Webster, his primary job is to assist the coach and captain to get the best out of the players, and to help the players get the best out of themselves. The Barbados-born Webster, a former Warwickshire fast bowler with 272 wickets, had worked with the Indian team as a consultant during their West Indies tour in 2006 and briefly during the Champions Trophy later that year. It was in the West Indies where Sehwag, going through a slump in form and fitness, had a three-hour long chat with Webster, post which he admitted he had never chatted so “deeply with anyone.” The transformation was immediate and Sehwag thanked Webster to clearing his mind.The idea to get Webster came from Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ CEO. Mysore, who joined the franchise last year, realised that the tight scheduling in an IPL season and a short time window was a big challenge for a team to come together. He consulted the pair of Gautam Gambhir and Trevor Bayliss, Kolktata’s captain and coach, and the team management before calling up Webster.”There is very little time for a diverse group of players to come together and get to know each other and then focusing on the common goals and align the individual objectives, which is a huge challenge,” Mysore said.There was also the possibility, at times, of a young Indian domestic player being overwhelmed in the presence of more experienced international players. “For an uncapped Indian boy to find himself in the presence of legends like Jacques Kallis or a Brett Lee in the set-up suddenly and say ‘I am good enough’ and be confident, it is always easier said than done.”

Performance is built on four pillars: fitness, technical skill, strategy and tactics and finally the mental component. The first three of those components is controlled by the fourth – how well you express the skills and how well you set your strategy is controlled by how well you use your mindRudi Webster

Hence, Mysore felt the best way to groom young players was to get a professional on board, like Webster, who had the credibility and experience to interact individually with the players and that could bring comfort to the squad. “He is someone who can relate to the players and make a difference because of his experience of having worked with so many great players,” Mysore said.Webster said the reason he took it up was because it was a “different and new challenge.” According to Webster, the performance problems remain the same across all three formats, the only difference being the pressure is condensed into a smaller time-span. “It is much quicker. There’s a lot more pressure,” he said. “The pressure is compressed into a shorter time, so in some respects it is slightly different from the longer formats.”Asked how he aimed to bring about a change, Webster pointed out that everything in sport is linked to performance. “Performance is built on four pillars: fitness, technical skill, strategy and tactics and finally the mental component. You must be strong in all four of them if you want to play well,” Webster said. And most are inter-linked. “The first three of those components is controlled by the fourth – how well you express the skills and how well you set your strategy is controlled by how well you use your mind.”According to Webster, in any form of sport – shorter or longer version – it is the mental skill that determines how well the athlete expresses his physical skill. And that is where his role, as a mental skills specialist, comes to the fore.Because of the demands on the players in a pressure-packed Twenty20 match, dealing with pressure is more important than in the other two formats. And being mentally confident becomes vital in such a scenario, but players are not so well trained in that area. “It is the pillar (mental) that has been neglected,” Webster said.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Luke Wright thumped an extraordinary 117 from 60 deliveries with eight fours and nine sixes to launch the Melbourne Stars up to third position on a very congested Big Bash League table

The Report by Alex Malcolm09-Jan-2012
ScorecardLuke Wright’s 117 was his highest score in Twenty20s•Getty ImagesLuke Wright must have felt right at home tonight. Conditions were akin to an icy, wet, January evening in the UK and the Englishman produced an innings that lit up a dull Hobart sky. In doing so, he broke nearly every Australian domestic Twenty20 batting record to help the Melbourne Stars to a crucial victory over the ladder-leading Hobart Hurricanes. Wright thumped an extraordinary 117 from 60 deliveries with eight fours and nine sixes to leave the 13,713 in attendance breathless, and launch his side up to third position on a very congested Big Bash League table.Wright and Robert Quiney (62) justified their captain’s decision to bat as they combined for the highest partnership in Australian domestic T20s. Along the way Wright set record after record of his own. He reached 50 from 23 balls, the fastest half-century in this BBL. That record was broken by Travis Birt an hour later. But Wright’s hundred from 44 balls will be a record that will take some breaking. He brought it up with a big straight six off the usually miserly Xavier Doherty.The consistency of Wright’s hitting was astonishing and he generated great power to knife several balls through the icy, gale-force wind and beyond the rope on nine occasions.Wright and Quiney were helped significantly by some jittery fielding during their 172-run stand. Hobart dropped four catches between the pair, including each player off consecutive deliveries. Eventually Birt clung on a Quiney missile on the midwicket rope. The Hurricanes dropped a fifth catch, off Matthew Wade this time, in the final over. Ironically, it probably helped rather than hindered their cause, as it meant David Hussey faced only three balls rather than four. Hussey steered two near-perfect yorkers from Ben Laughlin to the backward point rope to lift the total beyond 200.It looked a target beyond the Hurricanes’ reach when Phil Jaques miscued to mid-on second ball of the innings. Enter Birt. In the fourth over from Jackson Bird he launched a six down the ground and then flat batted another one over the point rope.The next over from Clint McKay was carnage. After copping the first ball on the thigh, Birt swatted the next two to opposing square boundaries for four. That was the entrée. For the main course he swept the fourth ball, a low full toss, over fine leg and out of the ground. The fifth and sixth were no-balls, and they both were dispatched miles over the midwicket fence to take Birt to 51 from 22 balls. Birt would not add to it though as he dragged the next ball onto his stumps. McKay’s over cost 28 runs, featured three dot balls, and claimed the crucial wicket of Birt.Owais Shah immediately picked up the slack, continuing his outstanding form in the tournament. He danced around the wicket with typical style and flourish. His 55 from 37 kept Hobart in the hunt but when he fell to James Faulkner the chase was over. The Tasmanian left-armer claimed four important wickets for the Melbourne side although they came at a cost of 46.Yet again the masterful craft of Shane Warne and the clever guile of Hussey were features of the Stars’ bowling effort. Warne claimed 2 for 23, and Hussey 2 for 28 to effectively strangle the chase, after the Hurricanes spinners had gone for more than 13 an over as a pair.

Mohammad Amir has been released from Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset after serving half of his six-month sentence

David Hopps01-Feb-2012Mohammad Amir, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been released from Portland Young Offenders Institution in Dorset after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in a spot-fixing scam.Amir is expected to spend the next few weeks in London before returning to his native Pakistan. He will meet his lawyers to draw up an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the five-year ban imposed on him by the International Cricket Council.He has a visa to stay in England until the end of March and there is no suggestion that he risks the threat of deportation.An ICC tribunal banned Amir for five years in February last year, his team-mate Mohammad Asif was given a seven-year ban, with two years suspended, and the captain, Salman Butt, was banned for ten years, five suspended. Shortly after the decision Amir announced his intent to appeal the decision to the CAS, an arbitration body set up to settle disputes relating to sport.Amir and his two team-mates were sentenced in November 2011 at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a plot was uncovered in a sting operation to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test against England in 2010. Amir and Butt lost an appeal against the sentence in November in the Court of Appeal in London.The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, ruled at Southwark Crown Court that the affair was “so serious that only imprisonment will suffice”. Butt was sentenced to two and a half years, Asif was jailed for one year, and Amir for six months. Mazhar Majeed, the players’ agent, received a sentence of two years eight months. Under the terms of UK law, all were eligible for release after serving half their sentences.Majeed had boasted to undercover reporters that he could arrange for Pakistan cricketers to rig elements of games for money. He was surreptitiously filmed accepting £150,000 in cash from a journalist.Mr Justice Cooke said: “‘It’s not cricket’ was an adage. It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it which make the offences so serious.”Amir apologised through his lawyer for his involvement in spot-fixing, stating: “I want to apologise to all in Pakistan and all others to whom cricket is important. I did the wrong thing. I was trapped, because of my stupidity. I panicked.”The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, said in the Court of Appeal that the corruption had been “carefully prepared” and the cricketers had betrayed their team, their country, their sport and the “followers of the game throughout the world”. Lord Judge accepted that Amir’s guilty plea should be counted in his favour.Amir seemed to contravene his playing ban last summer by appearing for Addington 1743 Cricket Club in the Surrey League. He insisted that he had been told it was only a friendly and that he had made an innocent mistake. It was later reported that the ICC had decided to let Amir off with a warning.

The Indian board has recommended Zaheer Khan for the Arjuna Award, Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, has said

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2011Zaheer Khan has been recommended for the Arjuna Award by the BCCI, the board’s chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty has said. If awarded, Zaheer will become the 44th Indian cricketer to be given the honour, which was instituted in 1961 by the Indian government to recognise outstanding achievement in national sport.Zaheer has been India’s go-to man in recent years, playing a big role in the side’s overseas Test wins that have helped them climb to the top of the rankings. Since re-establishing himself in the Test side in 2007, he has been Man of the Series on three occasions, and has also mentored the younger fast bowlers in the side. In ODIs since the beginning of 2010, he has picked up 41 wickets from 24 games, averaging 25.07. Twenty-one of those wickets came in India’s victorious World Cup campaign, making him the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Shahid Afridi.Several of his team-mates including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have previously received the award. The last cricketer to win the Arjuna Award was India women’s captain Jhulan Goswami in 2010.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between West Indies and India at Barbados

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran27-Jun-2011Match factsTuesday, June 28, Bridgetown
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT, 1930 IST)Adrian Barath was the most impressive of the West Indian batsmen in the first Test•AFPBig PictureHistory isn’t on India’s side going into the second Test at the Kensington Oval. India have never won two Tests in a series in the Caribbean, and they have been thrashed in seven of the eight matches they have played at this ground – including the infamous failure to chase 120 in 1997. In addition, they are missing at least four of their first-choice players. Still, they enter the match as clear favourites after the 63-run win in the first Test.West Indies had their moments in Jamaica, particularly on the first day when they had India pinned at 85 for 6, but couldn’t capitalise. In an attempt to improve a record of just one series win in seven years, West Indies have hired the services of sports psychologist Rudi Webster. That might address their temperament problems, but they also have other troubles to deal with.Chris Gayle’s stand-off with the WICB continues, leaving him watching from the stands once again, Dwayne Bravo is again not in the squad and another senior member, Brendan Nash, has been dropped. Of the other two experienced players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has had his problems with the board after the World Cup and Ramnaresh Sarwan has managed only 57 runs in six Test innings over the home summer. West Indies have had lesser to worry about on the bowling front with Ravi Rampaul striking early, Darren Sammy pulling his weight and Devendra Bishoo making a promising start to his Test career.They will be up against an Indian batting line-up filled with youngsters who don’t get too many chances in Test cricket. After the failure in Sabina Park, the openers and Virat Kohli get another opportunity to showcase their suitability for the longest format.Form guide (most recent first)India: WDWLW
West Indies: LLWDD
The spotlightBrendan Nash has been dispensed with, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is nearly 37 and unlikely to be around for more than a couple of years, which leaves Marlon Samuels an important role to play in the future. Samuels has been around for more than a decade but has only managed 30 Test appearances in that time. Widely regarded as one of the most talented batsmen in the region, he needs to live up to the expectations to ease a painful transitional period for West Indies.

A series of consistent performances has propelled Virat Kohli to a permanent spot in the Indian limited-overs sides. This series presents him his first chance to perform a similar job on the Test team. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman automatically take three middle-order slots in a full-strength team, leaving a host of contenders for the remaining place. Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath are all competing with Kohli for that place. Kohli fluffed his lines in Jamaica, and a repeat here could open the gates for Badrinath to come in for the final Test.Team newsMS Dhoni has hinted that India could go in with three quick bowlers, which means Amit Mishra is likely to be sidelined despite a reasonable show in the first Test. Abhimanyu Mithun is likely to take Mishra’s spot after Munaf Patel was ruled out due to his ongoing elbow injury. Munaf still struggles to bowl long spells due to inflammation in his elbow, and he failed to recover in time after lengthy net sessions in the lead-up to the match. That should allow Mithun, who arrived in the Caribbean five days after the rest of the squad due to visa issues, to play his fourth Test. Though Badrinath and Parthiv Patel are waiting in the wings, India will probably stick with the same batting line-up from Jamaica.

India: (probable) 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 M Vijay, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 VVS Laxman, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Abhimanyu Mithun.West Indies’ problem in the first Test was their batting, something they have tried to address by dropping their misfiring vice-captain Nash. That opens up a place for Samuels in the middle order. Another decision for West Indies is the make-up of their fast bowling, needing to pick two out of Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach and Fidel Edwards.West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Fidel Edwards / Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.Pitch and conditionsThe Barbados track is likely to have plenty of bounce, testing the technique of the batsmen. The Kensington Oval has generally been a result-oriented venue over the past decade, though the weather could play spoilsport over the next week, with showers predicted every day.Stats and trivia Harbhajan Singh is only four wickets away from becoming the third Indian bowler to reach 400 wickets This will be Chanderpaul’s 132nd Test, equalling Courtney Walsh’s West Indian record for most Test matches
Dravid’s next innings at No.3 will be his 200th at that position. Ricky Ponting is second on the list with 193. For a comprehensive stats preview, please click here.Quotes”He leads the spinning department and is doing really well. And you can expect a lot of character from him not only in the bowling department but also in the lower-order department with his contributions. He is a very good character to have. An aggressive character.”

Ashish Nehra has begun bowling in the nets after successful surgery on his injured finger, but will not be fit in time to take part in IPL 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2011Ashish Nehra has begun bowling in the nets after successful surgery on his injured finger, but will not be fully fit in time to take part in IPL 2011. Nehra had fractured the middle finger on his right hand while attempting a catch during India’s semi-final win over Pakistan in the World Cup. The injury forced him to miss out on the World Cup final.”I have just come back from Australia last week,” Nehra told . “My finger surgery went off well. My recovery has been pretty good. I was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) doing my rehabilitation work. I have also started bowling in the nets and haven’t faced any problems.”While he has had no trouble bowling, Nehra said batting and fielding is still a problem and therefore “playing in the IPL is out of the question”. Instead, he will be going back to the NCA for a two-week rehabilitation program as he wants to be completely fit before making himself available for selection for India.”The physios and the doctor will monitor my progress,” he said. “If I get a positive response from them, I will submit my fit-certificate and make myself available for selection for the West Indies tour.”Pune Warriors India, one of the two new franchises, bought Nehra for $850,000 in the January player auction, and the bowler expressed his disappointment at not being able to play a single game for them this season.”I feel bad that I haven’t been able to serve the team. But injuries are something you can’t really predict. It was painful to sit in the dressing room watching India win the World Cup. But then I was happy for my team also. I tried thinking about Praveen Kumar. He was a certainty in the squad but missed out due to injury.”

Tino Best’s career has been more miss than hit, but on the rare occasion he combines his raw pace with control, he can be close to unplayable, as Bangladesh found today

The Report by Abhishek Purohit17-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sohag Gazi took the best figures by a Bangladesh Test debutant•AFPTino Best’s career has been more miss than hit, but on the rare occasion he combines his raw pace with control, he can be close to unplayable, as Bangladesh found today. Best’s four-wicket burst either side of lunch on day five proved to be the final, decisive twist in a match that had burst open with possibilities late on day four. This morning, Sohag Gazi claimed the best figures by a Bangladesh Test debutant to leave the hosts chasing a target of 245, but Bangladesh undid all the hard work done by their batsmen in the first innings and by their bowlers in the second by chasing like a side that has now lost 64 of its 74 Tests.After Tamim Iqbal, the man best equipped to score quickly, had fallen early, the rest of the top order perished in trying to do the same. To Bangladesh’s misfortune, Best, who had been inconsistent with his direction throughout the game, suddenly found control. He already had the pace. The result was the key wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, and the impressive debutant left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul claimed the next three to nip whatever resistance Bangladesh could have come up with.A look at the session-by-session details of this Test might give you the impression that the Mirpur pitch stayed lifeless till tea on day four, and started turning square afterwards. Just 15 wickets fell in the first 11 sessions; five fell after tea on day four, six more went down till lunch on day five and the post-lunch session claimed five. But the pitch was anything but unplayable. There was slightly more bite and uneven bounce on day five, but it was the pressure of good bowling, and in Bangladesh’s case, the added one of having to go for the target of 245, that led to the batsmen’s downfall.While West Indies succumbed to spin, it was pace that jolted Bangladesh; the pitch had hardly any role to play in both collapses. Both Best and Ravi Rampaul used the short and back-of-a-length balls to telling effect. Tamim was the first to go, in the fifth over, when he tried to slash one off Rampaul that bounced extra and edged it to the wicketkeeper.Best’s was an unwavering, brute effort on a pitch that demanded it from the quicks. He had hustled Bangladesh in the first innings with speed, but had too often sprayed it around. He had been unlucky not to break through with one of his several accurate yorkers, though. In the second, he concentrated on the shortish ball, and it brought reward immediately, in his second over. Junaid Siddique tried to steer one outside off and only guided it to the keeper.Smart stats

West Indies’ win is their fifth in nine Tests against Bangladesh. Four of these wins have come in Tests played in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s total of 556 is the joint third-highest score (team first innings) in a defeat. The highest is 586 by Australia in 1894.

The target of 245 is the lowest one that Bangladesh have failed to chase. The previous lowest was 353 against Zimbabwe in 2004.

Tino Best’s 5 for 24 is his best bowling performance in Tests and his maiden five-wicket haul. His previous best was 4 for 46 against Pakistan in 2005.

Best’s 5 for 24 is the second-best bowling performance in the fourth innings by a West Indies bowler in the subcontinent, behind Vanburn Holder’s 6 for 39 in Mumbai in 1975.

The game was still even when Bangladesh went to lunch needing 200 more with eight batsmen remaining. However, Best, letting it rip with both ball and lip, came harder at Bangladesh after the break. Shahriar Nafees got a mouthful, and heaved a top-edge off the next delivery, a short one into the body, for the bowler to take the catch. Best now had even more encouragement, as if he ever needed it. Three balls later, he had taken out Shakib Al Hasan with a beauty that squared the batsman up and took the edge to the keeper as it moved away from middle.Best went off the field for a while and returned to strike with his fourth delivery. After all the back-of-a-length stuff, Mushfiqur got one that swung in full and late, and trapped him in front. Best was now even more like a runaway locomotive than usual. He jagged one into Naeem Islam’s chest, and even as the batsman grimaced in pain, asked him to “come on”. Mahmudullah was hit at least three times by short balls that he could not avoid but showed guts when he hooked Best for six over deep-square leg.Amid all the pounding from Best, Permaul removed Naeem and Nasir Hossain in the same manner Gazi had deceived West Indies earlier – with deliveries that did not turn as much as the batsmen expected them to. Gazi and Mahmudullah fought for a while, but Permaul had the former holing out to mid-off.West Indies themselves had lasted less than ten overs in the morning as Gazi claimed all four wickets to fall, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul who came in at No. 11 due to an illness, and lasted four deliveries. For most of the game, the 21-year-old offspinner Gazi belied both his debutant status and his young age. He had taken three of the four West Indies wickets to fall in the first innings, during which he sent down as many as 47 overs. His control was impressive throughout, as was his use of flight. He intelligently made use of the straighter and quicker delivery as the surface started to wear and batsmen started to play for the expected turn. Four of his six wickets came that way.There was nothing deceptive about Best, though. He ended the game by crashing one full into Mahmudullah’s middle stump. After promising so much on days three and four, Bangladesh had failed to last even two sessions with the bat on the fifth.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to slash ticket prices for the third Test between India and West Indies to try and get larger crowds at the Wankhede Stadium

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Nov-2011The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to slash ticket prices for the third Test between India and West Indies to try and draw larger crowds to the Wankhede Stadium. The decision comes after the low attendances during the recent India-England ODI series – 13,000 tickets were sold at the Wankhede Stadium, which seats 33,000.Daily tickets for the Test will be priced as low as Rs 50 and season tickets for vantage viewing points like the premium Vithal Divecha Pavilion will be on offer for Rs 600. An ODI ticket for the same stand was priced at Rs 5000 (a comparison with previous Test ticket rates is difficult because the last match played at the Wankhede was five years ago). A season ticket in the North Stand will cost Rs 500; a ticket for the ODI against England was priced at Rs 3000. The reduction is even greater for the Sunil Gavaskar Stand (Rs 4000 to Rs 500).”We are hoping that people take advantage of the season ticket because those are priced reasonably. If somebody buys a season ticket for Rs 500, he need not wait in the queue for a daily ticket that costs Rs 100,” Ratnakar Shetty, one of the MCA vice-presidents and also the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said.Shetty denied, however, that the price cuts were a direct consequence of the low turnout in the ODI series. “There is no relation between pricing and the abysmal turnout during the recent India-England one-day series,” Shetty said. “In Kolkata a Rs 25,000 ticket was being sold at Rs 500, but still there were no takers. The cost was not a reason for low attendance. There were other reasons: both countries were playing back-to-back series and it was also the holiday season.”Shetty said it was almost impossible for any Indian ground to witness a full house any more, especially for a Test. “But you have to make sure you get as large a crowd as possible through smart ticket pricing. And that is actually not so easy.”Even in the last Test match in Mumbai, at the Brabourne Stadium (between India and Sri Lanka in 2009), the tickets were moderately priced. And about 5000 free tickets were given to school and college students for the Test match. Given that system had worked well, the MCA managing committee decided to carry that forward.”Similar discounts offered to fans by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for the ongoing Test at Feroz Shah Kotla have been undermined by a complicated sales system. The cheapest daily ticket is priced at Rs 100 while a five-day ticket for the best seat in the ground, in the South Club House at the ITC End, costs Rs 4000. On the first day, though, the ticket office at the Kotla was closed without explanation and only 11,000 fans were in a stadium that has a capacity of about 45,000.Things appeared more confusing at the Kotla on Monday, the second day, with chaotic scenes at the point of sale – the branch of a nationalised bank located on a nearby road. Still, an estimated 14,000 fans turned up.

Two matches, two close defeats, crucial mistakes in the final stages of both matches. South Africa have to be hurting

Sidharth Monga in Cape Town19-Jan-2011Two matches, two close defeats, crucial mistakes in the final stages of both matches. South Africa have to be hurting. Batsmen freezing might just be the lesser of the evils. They pride themselves on their fielding, and tonight they dropped two catches they would normally take nine times out of 10. Zaheer Khan got reprieved on nought, Harbhajan Singh on 12, and the duo carried India home. Something similar happened when they were batting: after recovering well from an average start, they slumped from 198 for 4 in 44.4 overs to 220 all out.Graeme Smith chose to focus on that period – during the end of an innings – that has hurt them the most in this series. “I think 220 gave us a chance. The wicket was very difficult to bat on, had sort of plates on it, and its two-paced nature made strokes very difficult. It also had up and down bounce,” he said. “[But] we were really hoping for 240. I think 240 would have been a really good total there. JP [Duminy] and [debutant] Faff du Plessis played well together to take us to a decent total [rescuing them from 90 for 4]. Our Powerplay was poor again, we lost JP and Faff within two overs, and we only got 19 overs in our last six overs.”I really felt if we got 240 we were in with a real good chance of winning the game. We came real close, we missed two crucial chances at the back end, but I can’t fault the guys’ commitment tonight, their intensity and the effort they gave.”The commitment was of course there, in the way Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn bowled, in the way they caught, Steyn off his own bowling and Morkel at third man. Also pleasing was how – despite an expectedly nervous start – du Plessis made it easier for the selectors to pick him for the World Cup.”Terrific to see a guy like him come in,” Smith said. “He had a good domestic season, and just to carry that on here is good. He has prepared well, I have watched him in training. He will bring a lot to the squad I think. It was great to see him and play that well. Especially under pressure. We were under pressure when he came in. I think he has something special, which is good.”Smith said the key to bouncing back from such close defeats in back-to-back games was to not change what has been working for them. “I think it’s always important to keep doing the right things at training,” he said. “Keep reiterating the same point. The margins have been so small in the last two games, we could easily be 2-1 up or 3-0 up. Just got to keep training hard and keep doing the right things and hopefully the things will kick into place.”The World Cup squad comes out tonight, that will ease a lot of minds and stress on players. Hopefully free up a lot of players, and make them play with sort of freedom in the next few games.”They will need all the freedom because the opposition – an under-strength one at that – is sensing they are under pressure. “Our team is full of confidence right now,” Yusuf Pathan, Man of the Match tonight, said. “South Africa will obviously be under pressure because they have lost two matches, and we have done better in pressure situation. We made a comeback in the previous game, and here too. So the pressure will be there.”

Transfer insider Dean Jones believes there could be a shock twist on the future of Liverpool striker Divock Origi. 

The lowdown: Italy bound?

The 27-year-old, who once again endeared himself to the Anfield faithful with another Merseyside derby goal on Sunday, is widely expected to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires.

Recently, reputable journalist James Pearce admitted that an amicable departure was imminent with Serie A giants AC Milan the favourites to sign the popular Belgian frontman, with some reports even claiming an agreement will be found in Milan this week.

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However, a fresh update has emerged claiming it’s not too late for all parties to perform a major U-turn…

The latest: Jones makes claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones suggested there remains a possibility that Origi will still be plying his trade on Merseyside next season due to the ‘massive moments’ he produces.

“There’s loads of clubs that are a good potential fit for Origi, but I think it’s also going to depend on what he wants at this stage of his career.

“Whatever you say or think of him and whether he’s good enough to be in that Liverpool team, he has had some massive moments in a Liverpool shirt and he continues to have them.

“Jurgen Klopp absolutely loves him. If Klopp tells him he still has a role for him in that squad, I’d be surprised to see him leave.”

The verdict: Time has come

Seemingly on the brink of an exit for a number of transfer windows now, the prospect of keeping Origi and in turn offering the 32-cap Belgium ace a new deal is surely out of the question.

Albeit a man of multiple memorable moments, not least against the seven goals scored against cross-park rivals Everton, the striker who was hailed as ‘very unique’ by Jermaine Jenas has missed out on five Premier League match-day squads entirely in 2022 alone, suggesting he is not even a major option off the bench.

Despite a noteworthy return of nine direct goal contributions in 16 fleeting outings this season and well-established cult hero status on the Kop, the best option now for all parties would be a move away this summer.

In other news, a key Liverpool update has emerged regarding a superstar player. Read more here.