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Manchester United remain interested in River Plate midfielder Enzo Fernandez, according to the latest report from Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Hot property

A rising star of Argentine football, Fernandez has already garnered attention from Manchester City previously and looks set to be the next big talent to head to Europe from South America.

Following a successful loan spell at Defensa, the 21-year-old has become an established member of the River Plate first team, amassing 19 direct goal contributions in 45 appearances thus far.

It now appears that the red half of Manchester could also be keeping a close eye on developments as a host of European superpowers watch on…

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The latest: United keen on Fernandez

As per A Bola, translated by Sport Witness, United – along with AC Milan and Real Madrid – are following Fernandez ‘with a lot of attention’ ahead of the summer transfer window.

It is claimed that the Red Devils could ‘easily’ beat off competition from Benfica for the former Argentina under-20 starlet.

The report added that the man described as having an ‘amazing engine’ by Football Talent Scout creator Jacek Kulig has a €20m (£17m) release clause.

The verdict: Make it happen

As new United manager Erik ten Hag gets his feet under the table at Old Trafford, addressing the void left by the departures of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata from midfield must be the Dutchman’s priority.

Capable of operating as a box-to-box midfielder, and in more attacking and a deep-lying role, Fernandez boasts very strong passing abilities which would suit the way that Ten Hag wants his team to play based on his time at Ajax.

During the 2022 campaign, the young Argentine has scored eight times and provided another six assists in just 20 appearances, earning a remarkable 7.77 Sofascore rating whilst firing 1.8 shots on target, making 2.5 key passes and winning five duels per game in the Copa Libertadores.

With a market value of £13.5m and under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), United and indeed the Glazers ownership group should jump at the chance to land such an exciting talent for the mooted £17m get-out clause.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong

Wolves centre-back Romain Saiss was ‘waving goodbye’ to supporters after his team’s Premier League clash against Norwich City at the weekend, according to journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Wolves draw with Norwich

It has been a disappointing end to the season for Bruno Lage’s side, who bowed out at Molineux for another campaign with a 1-1 draw against the relegated Canaries on Sunday afternoon.

It means that Wolves’ European dream is over for another year but the players still got a nice reception from the crowd as they showed their appreciation after the final whistle.

It was a moment to gauge the body language of some, in order to see if it looked as though they were saying their farewells in the Black Country.

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The Latest: Spiers reckons Saiss was ‘waving goodbye’

That certainly appeared to be the case with Saiss, with Spiers taking to Twitter to claim that the Moroccan may have played at Molineux for the last time as he shared a clip of the Wolves players acknowledging the fans in a post-match lap of honour.

The journalist tweeted: “Saiss at the end there. Waving goodbye you’d have to say.”

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The Verdict: Great servant for Wolves

It makes sense for Saiss to move on at this point, with his contract expiring next month. At 32, it would seem that his best days are no longer in front of him.

He should be remembered as a brilliant servant for Wolves, though, with the Moroccan making 206 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals for good measure and standing out as one of their best performers this term.

It is now a case of replacing Saiss, who has been such a reliable and regular part of the defence for a number of years, to ensure that Lage’s side remain as defensively savvy next season as they were for the bulk of 2021/22.

In other news, Spiers has also lamented the decline of one Wolves player. Find out who it is here.

In the final over of the match, the Chennai Super Kings captain stormed onto the field to debate an umpiring decision

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Apr-2019What was Dhoni thinking?This season hasn’t been a great one for player-umpire relations. “‘We are playing IPL, not club cricket,” Virat Kohli fumed after the last-ball no-ball that wasn’t called in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase against Mumbai Indians. “That’s just a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open, it was a no-ball by an inch.”In today’s game, a dramatic final over from Ben Stokes also included a high full-toss to Mitchell Santner when Super Kings needed eight off three balls. Umpire Ulhas Gandhe signalled no-ball at the bowler’s end, only for his square-leg colleague Bruce Oxenford to overrule him.In the pandemonium that followed, a possibly unprecedented act (at this level, at least, notwithstanding questions over whether the IPL is or isn’t club cricket by definition) took place. MS Dhoni, who had been dismissed off the previous ball, stormed onto the field to remonstrate with the umpires.Dhoni is surely in line for official sanctions, but for what offence? The IPL’s code of conduct doesn’t seem to have foreseen acts of dissent from players entering the field from outside, and only concerns itself with dissent from batsmen given out and from the fielding team.

Article 2.1.5 includes: (a) excessive, obvious disappointment with an Umpire’s decision; (b) an obvious delay in resuming play or leaving the wicket; (c) shaking the head; (d) pointing or looking at the edge of his bat when given out lbw; (e) pointing to the pad or rubbing the shoulder when caught behind; (f) snatching the cap from the Umpire; (g) requesting a referral to the TV Umpire (other than in the context of a legitimate request for a referral that may be permitted in such match); and (h) arguing or entering into a prolonged discussion with the Umpire about his decision. It shall not be a defence to any charge brought under this Article to show that the Umpire might have, or in fact did, get any decision wrong.

2.1.6 Excessive appealing during a Match.
NOTE: For the purposes of Article 2.1.6, ‘excessive’ shall include: (a) repeated appealing of the same decision/appeal; (b) repeated appealing of different decisions/appeals when the bowler/fielder knows the batter is not out with the intention of placing the Umpire under pressure; or (c) celebrating a dismissal before the decision has been given. It is not intended to prevent loud or enthusiastic appealing. 2.1.7 Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his dismissal during a Match.

Jos Buttler cuts a ball square through the off side•BCCIButtler’s dilemmaBefore this match, Rajasthan Royals had the worst batting-first Powerplay run rate of all teams this season: 5.25. They had only batted first twice before this, but on both occasions their caution in the Powerplay may have cost them big.They were 35 for 1 after the first six overs in their away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad; they eventually posted 198 for 2, but went on to lose that game with an over to spare. Then, at home to Kolkata Knight Riders, they made 28 for 1 in their Powerplay; their opponents cruised to 65 for no loss in theirs, on their way to a punishing win.Royals perhaps realised they needed to push harder early on when Chennai Super Kings sent them in, and both Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane showed a marked urgency against the fast bowlers, often dancing down the pitch to try and upset their lengths.Buttler was more successful using this tactic, and he also benefited when the bowler overcompensated by dropping short. Deepak Chahar, who had been a major factor in Super Kings’ successes with a Powerplay economy rate of 5.61, conceded 20 in his first two overs.ESPNcricinfo LtdShardul Thakur replaced Chahar, and Buttler hit him for successive fours off his first three deliveries. But then, having made 23 off nine balls, he fell attempting an ambitious back-foot slap down the ground.Buttler’s approach is theoretically the ideal one in T20, given the ideal line-up with significant hitting depth – West Indies in the 2016 World T20, for instance.But in the Royals line-up this season, with a middle and lower order composed of batsmen struggling for form or batting away from their preferred slots, or both, it’s less clear what the ideal approach is – it’s the dilemma of the high-impact superstar in a misfiring line-up.Buttler made a cautious 34-ball 37 in his previous innings, against Knight Riders, and Royals ended up with 139 for 3. He batted with a lot more freedom today, was dismissed much earlier as a result of it, and Royals’ middle order took them to 133 for 7 by the start of the last over. They could have ended up with 139 again, but Shreyas Gopal’s final-over assault on Thakur dragged them past 150.Sixes trump athleticismIt was a close-run thing, but Super Kings’ eventual triumph came from the one ingredient that wins more T20 games than any other: sixes. On one of the bigger grounds in the IPL, they cleared the ropes eight times, including twice in the last over – a falling straight pick-up flick from Ravindra Jadeja, and a clean last-ball strike back over the bowler’s head from Mitchell Santner. Before that, the six-hitting from Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni – they hit three each – in a fifth-wicket partnership of 95 kept Super Kings within reach of their target even when they needed 10.20 per over at the halfway mark of their chase.Royals, in contrast, only hit two sixes in their entire innings.That lack of hitting was their undoing in a match that they otherwise scrapped extremely hard to stay in, particularly with their fielding. A direct hit from Jofra Archer sent Suresh Raina back early, Kedar Jadhav’s innings was cut short by an astounding flying catch from Ben Stokes, and a running catch at square leg from Shreyas Gopal broke the Dhoni-Rayudu partnership. All these efforts helped Royals come incredibly close to defending a below-par total, but a couple more big hits when they batted would have made a much bigger difference.

They’re best mates, but on three occasions AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis have been involved in run-outs in big games

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2017Faf du Plessis and Ab de Villiers have been friends since they were 15 and have grown into two of South Africa’s most prolific batsmen. They are also two of the quickest members of their team. Yet, in three crucial games in global ODI tournaments, the pair have been involved in a run-out. On all three occasions, de Villiers was the man dismissed and each time, South Africa fell apart once he was gone.AB de Villiers was run out for 35 in South Africa’s stunning loss to New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final•AFPThe loud call in the big choke
New Zealand v South Africa, quarter-final, 2011 World Cup, DhakaSouth Africa were cruising into the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup before two quick wickets reduced them to 121 for 4 in their chase of 222 against New Zealand. With de Villiers and du Plessis at the wicket, there was still no need to panic; there were more than 20 overs in which to get the 101 remaining runs. But du Plessis worked the second ball he faced to the right of short midwicket and set off for a run. De Villiers, who was batting on 35, did not begin running immediately, but du Plessis could be heard desperately calling him through for the single. Despite a dive, de Villiers could not beat Martin Guptill’s throw. South Africa never regained momentum and ended up folding for 172 in what is still considered one of their most disappointing losses in one-day cricket.AB de Villiers’ run-out against India in the 2015 World Cup sparked a collapse•Getty ImagesDe Villiers overestimates his own speed
India v South Africa, Pool B match, 2015 World Cup, MelbourneIn their second game of the 2015 World Cup, South Africa were chasing 308 against India. De Villiers and du Plessis had put on 68 and taken South Africa to 108 for 2 in 22.4 overs when de Villiers drove Ravindra Jadeja to sweeper cover and decided to take on Mohit Sharma’s arm and come back for a second run. A fast and accurate throw from Mohit found him short of the crease. There was no real misunderstanding between the batting pair in this instance. It was merely a case of de Villiers misjudging whether he could get back for the second run. After the dismissal, South Africa collapsed to 177 all out. The loss didn’t hurt them too much, however, as they made it to the knockout stage.Another failed dive for de Villiers in a crucial game•AFPIndia get de Villiers again
India v South Africa, Group B match, 2017 Champions Trophy, The OvalThis time, both de Villiers and du Plessis set off for the single as soon as the shot was played. But they were both wrong about it being on. South Africa were 140 for 2 against India in a 2017 Champions Trophy game that both sides had to win to make it to the semi-finals. South Africa started slowly, so de Villiers and du Plessis needed to infuse the innings with some urgency. But when de Villiers tapped a Ravindra Jadeja delivery to Hardik Pandya at point, there was never a single on. Neither batsmen recognised that, and an accurate throw from Pandya meant another de Villiers dive went in vain. The dismissal sparked a collapse that left South Africa 191 all out.

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2015Imrul Kayes then anchored the innings with an attacking 76 that included six fours and four sixes•AFPKayes was eventually dismissed off a full-toss from Sean Williams, leaving the score at 151 for 5 by the 32nd over•AFPNasir Hossain and Sabbir Rahman tried to give the side a strong finish but Bangladesh eventually ended at 241 for 9•Associated PressZimbabwe got off to a horror start with a top-order collapse that reduced them to 45 for 3 by the ninth over•AFPElton Chigumbura once again tried to revive Zimbabwe’s innings..•AFP..building a 73-run partnership with Sikandar Raza, after Zimbabwe lost Sean Williams and Craig Ervine•Associated PressChigumbura was dismissed for 47 in the 36th over and Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 183 in 44th over, as Bangladesh sealed their fifth successive bilateral series win with a 58-run victory•Associated Press

Stats highlights from the Trent Bridge Test, a match in which all kinds of lower-order batting feats were eclipsed

S Rajesh13-Jul-20141 – The number of draws at Trent Bridge in the last 11 Tests here. The last time a Test was drawn here was also when India played, in 2002.46.34 – The average runs per wicket in the Test, which is only the third time the average has gone past 40 in 17 Tests here since 1996. All three of those matches have involved India: the average was 49.92 in 2002, and 46.28 in 1996. In the ten Tests between 2003 and 2013 – each of which ended in a decisive result – the average runs per wicket here was 28.95.325 – The number of runs scored by Nos. 9 to 11 in the match, which is the second-highest in Test history. The only instance of more runs was at The Oval in 1966, in a Test between West Indies and England, when 329 runs were scored by the last three batsmen. England’s last three contributed 234 of those, with John Murray scoring 112, Ken Higgs 63, and John Snow 59.1 – The number of times, in the last two years, that a Test has been drawn with only three innings being played, and with no interruption from the weather. That happened in Nagpur in 2012, between the same two teams: Twenty-three wickets fell in that Test, with England batting 145.5 and 154 overs in their two innings, and India batting 143 in theirs.78 – Stuart Binny’s score in the second innings, the second-highest by any Indian batting at No. 8 or lower on debut. Only Deepak Shodhan, who made 110 in his first Test, against Pakistan in Kolkata in 1952, has scored more.2 – The number of fifties for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Test, making him only the second player – after Peter Siddle – to score fifties in each innings when batting at No. 9 or lower in a Test. Siddle scored 51 and 50 against India in Delhi in 2013.4 – The number of Indian players who’ve made two 50-plus scores and taken a five-for in a Test, like Bhuvneshwar did at Trent Bridge. The other Indians who did so before him also achieved it in overseas Tests: Rusi Surti (in 1967 in Adelaide), Polly Umrigar (in 1962 at Port of Spain), and Vinoo Mankad (at Lord’s in 1952). Overall, this feat has been achieved 14 times in Tests.229 – The number of Test wickets for James Anderson in England, which equals Fred Trueman’s record. Trueman took his wickets in 47 Tests, at an average of 20.04, while Anderson has played 54, and averages 27.30 in England.4 – The number of Man-of-the-Match awards for Anderson at Trent Bridge, out of the six he has won in his entire Test career. He was also MoM here last year, with match figures of 10 for 158 against Australia. The next best at Trent Bridge is Graham Thorpe, with two at this venue. 3 – The number of times, before this Test, that India didn’t lose the first Test of a series in England – in 1971, 1986 and 2007. On each of those occasions, they went on to win the series.

When overseas, England’s best batsman seems to be playing on a trampoline

Andy Zaltzman15-Mar-2013INTRIGUING KEVIN PIETERSEN STAT ALERT. Strap in, numbers fans.Kevin Pietersen made a carefully constructed and carelessly concluded 73 in Wellington, consolidating the outstanding first-day batting of Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott, before Matt Prior converted it into scoreboard dominance. England’s mercurial superstar thus recovered from a dismal game in Dunedin, in which an excusable first-innings golden duck to a fine Neil Wagner inswinger – bucking the team tactics for the innings by getting out to a good ball instead of planking a bad one straight to a fielder – was followed by a second-innings 12 that was pokier than an agoraphobic’s secret dungeon.England’s well-documented garbageous form in overseas first Tests, which now stands at a solitary victory over Bangladesh in 14 series since 2005, has coincided with Pietersen’s arrival in the team. Pietersen has played in all 14 of those Tests, averaged 29, and scored no centuries (albeit with a couple of very near misses). In the most recent four of those first Tests, he has scored 2 and 0, 3 and 30, 17 and 2, and 0 and 12.However, in few short days between the first and second Tests of away series, Pietersen locks himself in a special magic cocoon, before exploding out for the second Test, like a caterpillar who swallowed a Lancaster bomber, transmuted into an unstoppable force of batting devastation. In 14 second Tests overseas, Pietersen averages 80. He has hit six centuries – including two big ones in Ashes matches in Adelaide, a brilliant 151 in Galle, and his recent Mumbai masterpiece – plus three more half-centuries.Then, with the momentum of a series often turned England’s way, Pietersen once again dons his cloak of vulnerability, a garment he dons and discards with astonishing rapidity. In the third, fourth and fifth Tests of series: 18 matches, two hundreds, average 34. England, therefore, should drop him immediately before his inevitable comedown in Auckland. Or clonk him on the head with an anvil and hope that he forgets the Wellington Test, and plays the third Test as if it were the second.Brendon McCullum might have been out of his mind in suggesting that Alastair Cook is second only to Bradman in the annals of batting magnificence (or talking in some form of secret code to let his wife know that he had left the oven on at home), but he would have been on sounder footing to suggest that Pietersen is in fact better than Bradman. Albeit only in second Tests of series away from home. The Don averaged a paltry 78 in the second Tests of the four rubbers he played away from Baggy Greenland. (To be fair to the statistical Zeus that he was, Bradman outshone Pietersen in the latter stages of away series, averaging a useful 133 in third, fourth and fifth Tests combined.)Pietersen’s scoring in away series constitutes a curious pattern. Particularly when you compare it with his equivalent figures in Tests in England – he averages 56 in first Tests, 56 in second Tests, and 51 in third/fourth/fifth Tests. Reliable equilibrium at home. From low to high and back again like a demented Edmund Hillary everywhere else. If anyone can explain these figures, please alert Pietersen, the ECB, and the International Journal of Psychology.

• Some comparisons with other players in away Tests: Cook: 51 in 1st Tests; 64 in 2nd Tests; 49 in 3rd/4th/5th Tests. Strauss: 41-28-50. Trott: 47-44-44. Bell: 33-49-37. Prior 35.4-37.2-52.9 (only away 100s in 5th Tests)
  A random selection of other leading batsmen’s averages in second Tests overseas: Hobbs 67; Sobers 52; Richards 60; Tendulkar 59; Hutton 49; Kallis 60; Ponting 42; Dravid 52; Miandad 33; Crowe 53; Boycott 38; Greg Chappell 77. A very quick perusal of about 20 leading players found only one who outperformed Pietersen in away second Tests – Wally Hammond, who averaged 104, significantly aided an unbeaten triple in New Zealand.

• Pietersen is not alone in struggling in first Tests overseas. Len Hutton, arguably England’s greatest ever batsman, averaged just 27 in the opening matches of away rubbers. He seemed to warm up as series went on, however, averaging 49 in second Tests, 45 in third, 74 in fourth and 91 in fifth. This pattern was largely replicated in home Tests. Overall, his averages in each match of series ascended as follows: 36-44-58-78-85.
• The first innings in Wellington was the third time in four Tests in 2013 that four New Zealand bowlers have bowled 30 or more overs in an innings. They had done so just three times in their previous 113 Tests over 13 years.
• England’s new Balthazar of Block, Steven Finn, has now faced 304 balls and been out three times in this series. Previously in his entire first-class career, he had faced 1327 balls and been out 61 times – once every 22 balls.
• DRS rightly deprived Bryce Martin of Matt Prior’s wicket, which would have given him the first five-wicket innings haul by a New Zealand spinner in a home Test against England since Stephen Boock, in Auckland in 1977-78. Martin’s nine wickets so far in the first two Tests are already the joint second most by a Kiwi tweakman in a home series against England, behind Dipak Patel’s ten in the 1991-92 series. Daniel Vettori, in his three home series against England, has taken 7, 5 and 7 wickets.

How important are warm-up matches, especially before a tournament as long as the World Cup? How do teams and players approach these games? Nagraj Gollapudi gets the views of those who’ve been there, done that.

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Feb-2011How does the intensity of a warm-up game compare to a competitive match?
MS Dhoni: It is very difficult to prepare mentally to play in a warm-up game – especially after what we saw in the 2007 World Cup, where we had two good warm-up matches and after that I don’t know where we were. I think it’s because of the amount of games that we play because if you play 35-odd ODIs in a year and 10 Test matches and 45 days of IPL and Champions League then all of a sudden when you hear that you have a warm-up game and 15 players are playing in that game, it is a very difficult scenario to mentally prepare yourself for the game.Michael Clarke: These are exactly what they are supposed to be – practice games. It is important you try and maximise the chance to give everybody the opportunity to bat or bowl, have a run around and more importantly get used to the conditions we are going to play in throughout the tournament.John Buchanan: There is sufficient intensity in there for them to be certainly better than a net session but it is nowhere near the same level of competition because there are actually points riding on the outcome of the game in the actual matches whereas in a trial game there is no specific outcome from getting a result, win or lose. So, certainly, once you move into the competition proper there is a different feel.Hashim Amla: There is no doubt it is lovely to win, especially against a team like Australia, who are a very good team. The intensity was up there but we don’t look too deep into it.

How important is winning in a warm-up?
Buchanan: It’s different for different teams. Some might use most of the games as a means to providing competition to as many players as they possibly can. It gives an opportunity try the odd tactic or two. Obviously players returning from injuries get time to get settled in. The games also can be used to get acclimatised. Some teams will also want to see it as a means to develop some sort of confidence and momentum within the group so they may place a bit more importance on the result of the game. Some teams would like to take a degree of confidence from those games heading into the main rounds of the tournament.Clarke: It’s more about giving blokes an opportunity than the winning.Amla: It’s lovely to get some confidence, but we are playing 15 players in the warm-up matches. Winning against Australia was not about taking confidence from denying the Australia bowlers any wickets on Tuesday [in 46 overs]. We took confidence from the individual performances and the win.

Does a defeat hurt in any manner?
Ian Chappell: You don’t try to lose but a loss doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as it does when the match counts.

Is there an advantage to be gained in holding back your best to retain the element of surprise for the business end of things?
Buchanan: It depends again on whether you believe your best players have had sufficient cricket coming into the tournament; then it sometimes is useful to not play them because what works in their best interest is to spend time away from game. There is no size that fits all, as everybody is in different positions approaching the tournament.

How much is it about gauging your opposition?
Buchanan: The emphasis is totally on your own cricket really. It is all about your players being ready for the tournament. As far as studying the opposition goes, the warm-ups can be used to get a little bit of insight into one or two players you haven’t seen too much of, but overall it is just about preparing yourself in getting ready for the competition.

A stats preview ahead of Thursday’s Ashes opener at Brisbane

S Rajesh22-Nov-2006

Brett Lee: a batting average of 85, and a bowling average of 17 at the Gabba © Getty Images
When Ricky Ponting and Andrew Flintoff walk out for the toss at the Gabba on Thursday, it’ll be the 312th Test match between Australia and England. In their 311 previous clashes, Australia hold a 126-97 lead. Most of that 29-game advantage, though, has come about in the last 17 years, a period in which Australia have – till their defeat in that memorable series last year – dominated relentlessly, winning 29 of the last 48 Tests. For an England side already hit by injuries and illness, the numbers below will offer little relief. They start off their defence of the Ashes at the Gabba, a venue where Australia have been absolutely unbeatable over a decade and more: the last time they lost a Test there was in November 1988, when West Indies beat them by nine wickets. Since then, they have won 12 out of 17 matches. England, on the other hand, last won a Test at Brisbane 20 years back, in 1986. Since then, they have lost three times and drawn once. Such awesome results for Australia suggest that almost all their players relish the opportunity of playing at this venue, and a look at the numbers indicate that is exactly the case. Let’s examine the batsmen first. Matthew Hayden leads the way, with four hundreds in six Tests and an average of nearly 80; Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist aren’t too far behind, averaging 62 each, while Damien Martyn manages 46 runs per innings here. Even Shane Warne has three half-centuries and an average of nearly 35 at this ground, but what might really depress England’s supporters is this next stat: in three innings here, Brett Lee has two fifties to his credit and an average of – hold your breath – 85. It doesn’t get much better for England when the focus shifts to the Australian bowlers. Warne leads the way, with 64 wickets in ten Tests and an average of 19 (15 of those wickets have come in two Tests against England), while Lee’s bowling average here is a fifth of his batting numbers. And at a venue where the Australians have had such spectacular results, how can one forget Glenn McGrath? Fifty-eight wickets at 22.60 tell the story of just how much McGrath has enjoyed the pace and bounce which has traditionally been on offer at the Gabba. Australia’s dominance at Brisbane can be gleaned by the number of runs they score and concede per wicket. Since 1990, their average partnership with the bat is 46.93, but when the opposition come out to bat, that number is whittled down to 24.31. Contrary to popular perception, the pitch here isn’t just conducive to fast bowling; the spinners have had their say too. In all Tests since 1995, fast bowlers concede 35.63 runs per wicket, marginally worse than the spinners’ 34.78. Not surprisingly, the Australian bowlers have done much better – their fast bowlers average 25.91 and their spinners 23.28. One of the problems for England at this ground has been the lack of a solid opening partnership, and the withdrawal of Marcus Trescothick won’t help matters: in their last eight innings here, the average opening stand is only 25.25, with just one fifty-plus partnership.

Legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane is not in Nepal’s provisional 15-member squad for the Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series be played in Dubai because of travel restrictions. That situation may change as efforts are believed to be underway to secure court permission for Lamichhane to travel – a decision of that is due on Friday, which is also the last day Nepal can make changes to their squad.Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of the sexual coercion of another person, and current bail conditions restrict him from travel outside the country.Nepal’s participation in the tri-series, featuring UAE and PNG, begins on Monday when they take on the latter in Dubai. Lamichhane’s importance to the Nepal team was underlined last week, as he picked up 13 wickets in four matches of the tri-series featuring Namibia and Scotland. That performance helped Nepal win all four games, albeit all of them were ultimately close finishes. He returned three wickets in each of the first three games before picking up four in the final against Scotland.His participation in that series was met with some protest by fans as well as opponents. Scotland refused to shake hands with Lamichhane post-game, while Namibia decided to bump fists rather than shake hands after one of their games. The boards of both teams also issued statements ahead of the series, condemning gender-based violence.Left-arm spinner Surya Tamang, who was part of the 14-member squad for that tri-series at home, is not in this provisional squad, seen by ESPNcricinfo. Aarif Sheikh, Pratish GC and Shyam Dhakal – all part of reserves for the series at home – have been included for the series in Dubai where each team will play the other twice. The caravan then moves back to Nepal where the three teams play each other twice each from March 9.Nepal are placed sixth in the seven-team World Cup League 2. Lamichhane has picked up 55 wickets in the competition – the most for Nepal – and is third in the list of wicket-takers.Squad: Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Gyanendra Malla, Bhim Sharki, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Aasif Sheikh, Aarif Sheikh, Gulshan Jha, Sundeep Jora, Lalit Rajbanshi, Kushal Malla, Pratis GC, Shyam Dhakal