Tag Futebol

Manchester United are set to launch a fresh enquiry into signing a £100m-rated midfield star this month, according to recent reports.

Man Utd in pole position to sign La Liga star

It could be a busy month for the Red Devils, who seem destined to welcome at least one midfield reinforcement after Ruben Amorim has seen the depth of his squad tested to its limits in recent weeks.

It was another evening to forget for the Man United boss last time out as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. The Midlands club picked up just their third point of the season and even had chances of their own to secure what would have been a famous victory,

Related INEOS could sign a £61m "nightmare" who's shades of Amad for Man Utd

This attacking star can add a new dimension in the final third for United

Posts ByJoe Nuttall

United, meanwhile, were given a stark reality check that they must heed heading into the new year if they want to finally turn a corner. And if INEOS were watching, then they should act sooner rather than later in the January transfer window.

To that end, Conor Gallagher is a name to watch. According to recent reports, Man United are now in pole position to sign the Atletico Madrid man, who is seeking a return to the Premier League this month.

A deal to sign the England international would have to be permanent rather than on loan and it remains to be seen whether that deters Man United this month.

It could force them to turn towards their long-term options six months early, including Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba.

Man Utd set to launch fresh Baleba enquiry

According to TeamTalk, Man United are now set to launch a fresh enquiry to sign Baleba from Brighton this month. The Red Devils have been monitoring the midfielder alongside the likes of Liverpool and could now make their move when he returns from AFCON.

Alas, the deal won’t come cheap. Just like in the summer, Brighton reportedly value Baleba at a hefty £100m which would instantly make him the most expensive player in Man United’s history. For that price, they simply must make sure that the 21-year-old is the man to transform their midfield.

PL stats P90 25/26

Carlos Baleba

Manuel Ugarte

Minutes

896

554

Progressive Passes

2.4

5.16

Tackles Won

1

2.74

Ball Recoveries

5.1

5.16

On current form, the truth is that United should be steering clear of Baleba at £100m. The Brighton star showed what he’s capable of at his best last season, but has struggled to repeat that form in the current campaign. Whether it’s a knock-on effect of missing out on a big move in the summer is not something that United should find out.

Subscribe to the newsletter for expert United transfer insight Stay informed on Manchester United’s midfield options by subscribing to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, player comparisons (Baleba, Gallagher, Wharton, Anderson) and expert context that helps you follow the club’s recruitment decisions.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Red Devils need a midfield reinforcement and that should come in the form of either Adam Wharton or Elliot Anderson, not Baleba this year.

Watch Nathan Coulter-Nile up close and it is not hard to see why Australia’s selectors drafted him into the squad for Hobart. Tall, strong, and athletic, he can hit the ball miles and then hurl it down the wicket at speeds approaching the 145kph mark. He is also an outstanding fielder, rivalling the best of Ryan Harris for covering ground and firing in flat returns from the outfield.Yet his tendency to be injured and his lack of recent cricket have made Coulter-Nile a figure of some curiosity since his first call-up to the Test squad. Coulter-Nile had been a reserve alongside Doug Bollinger during the 2013-14 Ashes summer, but since then his ODI appearances have been sporadic, and he notably missed this year’s World Cup due to hamstring surgery.At 27, Coulter-Nile is aware that his opportunity is now, and he has no intention of simply making up the numbers either in this squad or the Australian bowling attack should he be granted a chance due to the heavy workloads being placed on the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle.”Every Test is an opportunity. I mean, you take five-for in a Test it becomes very hard to drop you,” Coulter-Nile said. “That’s why none of the boys want to give up their spot. You don’t see Sidds going, ‘Oh I’ve got a sore back I’m going to have a rest,’ because you don’t want to give the opportunity to the next bloke. I’m the same. If I get an opportunity I don’t want to just feel like a gap-filler, I want to press my case to play the next Test and the one after that.”The shock of not even being in contention for the World Cup after being around the limited-overs mark for some time had a considerable effect on Coulter-Nile, leaving him to reassess how seriously he took the game and how he prepared for it. That realisation did not prevent further injuries – a hamstring strain in England during the ODIs earlier this year and a shoulder problem that kept him out of action for the early part of the Sheffield Shield season – but it has hardened his outlook.”Not to be even in contention for selection was a tough one, it was a bit of an eye opener,” he said. “It was the time the penny dropped, I needed to sort my body out, sort myself out and I did and then I got injured again. It’s part of the game. If you want to bowl fast and put your body through that you are going to get injured it is just something you have to deal with and get on with I guess.”Adam Voges is Coulter-Nile’s state captain, and a well-placed observer of his abilities. He foresees a role similar to that played by James Pattinson, the other firebrand in the team following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and now injury to Mitchell Starc.”He can be used primarily as a strike bowler for us, I think,” Voges said. “He bowls good pace – he can touch sort of mid 140kph and get some good shape at that pace as well. In terms of whether he gets a game or not I’m not too sure but I see him and Jimmy Pattinson in a similar vein in terms of good pace and can swing the ball. It’s certainly a good asset to have.”Obviously with his hamstring troubles that we know about, he’s had some issues there. The shoulder he’s coming back from was from a freak accident in a warm up game so that was just really unfortunate but from what I saw from the back end particularly from the last Shield season where he played six games in six weeks and just got better and better the more he played. The resilience was there and I think it’s coming, he’s just been a little bit unfortunate with his injuries.”The fresh intensity Coulter-Nile brought to his playing of the game has had one unfortunate side-effect. A dissent charge after disputing an umpire’s wide call during his return from injury in the Futures League led to a suspension from the one Shield game available to him before this week, and a moment’s pause about his Test prospects. The selectors, however, kept faith with someone who has been in their plans now for several years, reasoning that he had shown enough signs of rhythm in the earlier fixture.”I was playing a 2nd XI game to get back into the shield team and I played it as hard as I could, as aggressively as I could,” Coulter-Nile said. “I stepped over the line, paid the price and I missed a Shield game, it was just very fortunate that I have got the opportunity here. That’s how I play my best cricket and I don’t see myself changing but I definitely will respect the umpire’s decision.”If you’d had it [the injury] for a long time and you haven’t bowled I guess it’s hard, but the injury I had I started bowling two weeks later, so I didn’t miss a lot of bowling. I feel pretty good in that space. I feel like I play cricket 365 days of the year so I don’t feel like I’ve missed a large portion of cricket.”I’ve been bowling a long time, it’s not like I’ve had to build back up or anything, I didn’t start up on half run and build back up, I was straight off the long run and bowling flat out, so it wasn’t really an issue there.”The question of whether Coulter-Nile can put all that ability together and perform on the Test match stage will remain open until he gets his chance, but said he will try not to think about that. “I don’t really get drawn into how I’m going to go, I just go out there and try my best,” he said. “If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn’t work this time, hopefully it works next time. I don’t get caught up in how it’s going to go, you can’t change that.”In one net session at Bellerive Oval, Coulter-Nile lost little by comparison to the rest of the bowling attack. His talent indicates that he belongs – he awaits the chance to back that up with performance.

Geoff Lawson says Shoaib’s bowling “looks pretty good” © AFP

As Geoff Lawson waits to learn whether he will be the next Pakistan coach, he has targeted a fit Shoaib Akhtar as being a crucial component in the country’s push to be a regular international force. Lawson, the former Test bowler, has returned to Australia after being interviewed to replace Bob Woolmer and he spoke with Shoaib during his visit.Shoaib has struggled with lengthy injuries and will come back from a knee problem for the tour of Scotland next month. “He’s a vital cog to them being top of the tree,” Lawson said in The Australian. “At 32, he’s still got two or three very good years left in him.”I had a good chat to him and saw him bowl a bit in a practice game. He looks pretty good. He bowled four or five overs and bowled sharply. He looks fit and by all accounts has been training hard.”Lawson was one of three people interviewed for the job this week after making the shortlist alongside Richard Done, the ICC high performance manager, and Dav Whatmore, who has guided Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He said he was impressed with the PCB’s organisation and said safety issues in the country were “blown out of proportion a little bit”.Lawson, who played 46 Tests between 1980 and 1989, has a strong bowling focus and believes Shoaib’s future hinges on his recovery from injury. “He’s had some knee surgery,” he said. “Pakistan, like everyone else in international cricket, have a pretty hectic schedule coming up. A lot will depend on how players are managed. I’m sure they would like him to be fit three-quarters of the time.”

Dinesh Mongia’s inclusion in the Indian squad has been based on performance alone, asserts Manjrekar © Getty Images

Twenty matches to go before the World Cup … This is how the Indian team would be looking at one-day cricket till March next year. And when the time comes to play that first World Cup game, India should feel that they have looked at all the options available and have picked the best 15 players for the tournament.I would like to think that the selectors are still looking and their net is spread wide to include players showing either sparks of talent or strong performances. At the end of the 20 matches, the Indian team should consist of a unit that has been formed after a genuinely exhaustive exercise that would have lasted for more than a year. The team that goes to the West Indies should be a team where each player has proved his worth, regardless of his age, his past or his experience.Based on these thoughts, I believe there should not be too much scrutiny of the team selected for the tri-series in Sri Lanka next month. Dinesh Mongia, who played in the last World Cup, is back in the Indian team after a long absence. There are various stories floating around regarding his selection, but I look at it as maturity on the part of the selectors. They have showed that although youth is an important consideration in their planning, they are not obsessed with it. This selection is on performance alone, though, quite interestingly, it is based on performances during the English county season.Suddenly, performances in county cricket have become more and more relevant for the Indian team selections, with Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan also staking their claims by playing for counties. This also means that the Indian players who do not play county cricket are somewhat disadvantaged. Mongia would clearly not have been back in this Indian team if not for his participation in county cricket.With India playing round the year and having international commitments even in June, July and August, and with our domestic season finishing much before that in April, there are no match opportunities in India for the fringe players to make a strong case for selection, unless he is influential enough to get a county contract – a situation that the BCCI could make note of.Anil Kumble’s unbelievable perseverance as a bowler has got him back in the reckoning for one-day cricket, a possibility that was almost ruled out two years back as focus had shifted to youth and energy in the field. Though he has not been picked in the team for Sri Lanka, you can quite clearly gauge that he is a strong candidate for the World Cup. By not selecting him in the team but by keeping him well informed about their long-term plans with him, the selectors have shown the virtue of communication. The importance of a dialogue between players and selectors can never be underestimated.Kumble is not in the India one-day team but he is not unhappy or hurt, for he has been motivated by the words passed on to him by the men in charge. This contact between players and selectors helps keep the harmony in the dressing room. Kumble has now reached a stage in his career where he does not need one-day match practice to excel in that form of the game.It is going to be a tough outing for India as they take on South Africa and Sri Lanka in testing weather conditions. Even after the 4-1 loss in the last one-day series in the West Indies, there is no denying the fact that India is still a very good one-day team. And unlike that series, they will be hoping that this time they return with more answers than questions.

New Zealand fans long for the safe return of Shane Bond © Getty Images

Three one-day practice matches in Namibia and Zimbabwe may not be international cricket’s most mouth-watering prospect, but when players are returning from injury and pushing for selection in the country’s only two Tests scheduled for eight months, they can be forgiven for feeling a tad nervous. Four Black Caps fit that category ahead of New Zealand’s opening match tomorrow against Namibia in Windhoek.They are big-name players, too. Jacob Oram, the premier allrounder, Daniel Vettori, the world-class spinner, Scott Styris, the regular No. 4, and, fingers crossed after a two-year absence, Shane Bond, the 150kph opening bowler. The calibre of the returning quartet means the adage “never change a winning combination” will have already received a thorough examination, even though their last Test was a convincing innings-and-38-run victory over Sri Lanka at Wellington in April.Namibia’s vast temptations, such as quad-biking the Swakopmund sand-dunes or game viewing in Etosha National Park, will be ditched with the attention squarely on the three playing days before the first Test against Zimbabwe at Harare on August 7. The victorious XI from Wellington are on the tour while the returning four men are at varying levels of fitness and form so the selection process – Vettori to replace Paul Wiseman excepted – is not simple.Most interest centres on Bond, who last played a Test in May 2003. Despite plenty of favourable comments, the wickets have hardly flowed for Bond since he returned to the first-class stage in the latter stages of last season. However, one thing in his favour is plenty of recent bowling during the New Zealand Academy’s tour of Australia.As the selectors are likely to be just as keen as the fans to see Bond terrorising international batsmen again, he will probably replace Kyle Mills. No Test appearances would give Mills even more reason to be relieved about his sponsor’s change of heart over its threat to withhold payment if he toured Zimbabwe. Oram, who would be a shoo-in for the third-seamer spot without his back injury, will challenge James Franklin and Chris Martin, but he has bowled only a handful of overs for the Academy and needs to play a full part in the warm-up matches to be considered.Franklin made useful progress last season and offers the left-arm variation while Martin is coming off a six-wicket bag against Sri Lanka, and both deserve to retain their places. However, Oram’s batting prowess is such – his Test average of 43.56 is bettered only by Hamish Marshall – that he held the No. 6 position in his last Test at Adelaide in November and should do the same against Zimbabwe.For that to happen there is a logistical nightmare. One of the incumbents, probably Lou Vincent, who scored 224 in his last innings, would be a casualty and there would be no room for Styris. The alternative would be a top-order re-shuffle with Stephen Fleming replacing either Craig Cumming or James Marshall. Fleming is as well equipped as anyone to face the new ball and had New Zealand struck anyone other than Australia after Mark Richardson’s retirement at the end of 2004, he would almost certainly still have the job.

Will Stephen Fleming go back to opening or stay at No. 4? © Getty Images

Fleming has been primarily a No. 3 for the last three seasons, but with Hamish Marshall an instant hit there last summer, the captain seems intent on staying one place further down. But there is a recent precedent for Fleming opening when John Bracewell, the coach, has wanted to field his best batsmen. Last year in England Michael Papps was left out to allow the hit-or-miss Craig McMillan to come into the middle order. This year’s case, with both Oram and Styris, is even stronger.As New Zealand are strong favourites to win irrespective of who plays, and with Zimbabwe’s return tour apparently ruled out by the New Zealand government, the decision may well come down to whether Fleming sees himself opening in the Test series in South Africa next April. However, Oram, who averages a whopping 54.60 in the Bracewell era, is a must for the top six and only when he is able to operate as a frontline bowler should slotting in an extra batsman be considered.For a man who debuted with a century from No. 8, Styris has done an excellent job at second drop since he assumed the role in India in October 2003. The incumbent until suffering an injury in February that gave Vincent his chance, Styris is in a tight race for selection and his lack of first-class runs for Middlesex – 385 at 25.46 – might prove fatal. Styris has been in top form with the ball, but with Nathan Astle effective as a back-up medium-pacer it is of lesser importance.New Zealand (probable) 1 Stephen Fleming (capt), 2 James Marshall, 3 Hamish Marshall, 4 Lou Vincent, 5 Nathan Astle, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 James Franklin, 10 Shane Bond, 11 Chris Martin.

Two hits to the toe during a practice session have endangered Justin Langer’s series© Getty Images

Justin Langer’s participation in the first Test against Sri Lanka has come under a cloud after he hurt his foot during a net session. He was to captain the Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka on Thursday, in the opening match of the tour.According to ABC Sport, Langer’s toe was hit twice, prompting a precautionary check-up at a local hospital. Observers said that Langer had a limp and that his injury appeared to be serious.This is the second injury scare that the Australians have had in recent times. Shane Warne hurt himself while batting for Hampshire against Essex. A broken bone in his left hand threatened his participation in the series, which begins on July 1, but his chances of playing have improved dramatically since.

The second part of our exclusive interview with South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith.
Click here for part oneWhat are the biggest changes to your life since you became captain?
On the material side I’ve bought a house – that’s a pretty significant change. But I’ve still got housemates. You need someone to look after the place, I’m never there. And personally the requests on my time can be daunting. My management group, Fordzone, field invites and requests for three functions a day, on average. I struggle to say no to anything so they do it for me, it would be crazy otherwise. I’m now able to focus on my cricket responsibilities because my diary is managed by professionals. I’m also aware that I have 14 other sets of emotions to be concerned about – I can’t just think about myself, there is a squad that deserves my concern. But that is something I’ve always had and I welcome it.Can a captain still have friends within his team, go out for a beer with them?
Yes – certainly. It’s a question of balance. You can’t just be an onfield captain, you learn so much about your team-mates by having a beer with them in the pub. The same goes for the opposition, too. And the players enjoy seeing the captain having a beer with them, so I definitely won’t be changing any of that. Besides, I enjoy a beer!Must a captain always be in the team, especially on tour?
The best interests of the team come first. If I wasn’t pulling my weight then it would be better to step aside. I wouldn’t avoid the issue if I was out of form, and I wouldn’t pass the buck as far as the responsibility was concerned. I wouldn’t force someone else to make the decision – I’d do it. But I’d also want to be in the front line, in the thick of it. I’d hate to duck the pressure. I wouldn’t ever do that.What’s it been like captaining Shaun Pollock?
He’s been absolutely brilliant. From what I know of Shaun he’s been a different man since we changed over. He’s far more relaxed and outgoing now, always down at dinner in the team hotel and smiling. We had a couple of long chats on tour in Bangladesh and I learned a lot from him. Before he seemed weighed down by everything.Doesn’t that concern you?
I know it can get to you, I really do. I can’t pretend I know what it’s like as national captain but I can imagine. I’m a different person to Shaun and we’ll handle things differently. Our personalities are different – we deal with stressful situations in our own ways.Are you prepared to compromise your privacy for the next ten years?
You have to – how can you not? You can’t expect to have a private life – your private life is what happens in your own home.Your phone has rung 14 times in the 35 minutes we’ve been talking. Is it always like that?
Yes [smiles]. You get used to it. You know, anyone who has ever dreamed of being a professional sportsman has also dreamed of being recognised in a restaurant and of being asked for an autograph in a nightclub. Anyone who tells you different is lying. Learning how to deal with those situations is part of the job, and the responsibility of playing for your country. Obviously you become more and more sceptical as the years go by, and I’m only 22, but I hope I still feel it’s important to recognise people in ten years’ time. I hope I never, ever ignore genuine supporters.Have you ever been made really, really cross? Really angry?
No, no. Not that I’d ever show on the outside. Oh, well, er … I’m a liar. Just once, and it happened last week. Some guy phoned me at 3.30am – I don’t know where he got my number – and gave me huge flak about the team. He attacked me, personal and abusive. Underworked and overpaid, with lots of swear words. And I responded.What did you say?
I said, “You’re probably sitting in some sweaty nightclub with a tenth beer in your left hand, a smoke in your right hand and your stomach hanging all over your belt. And you’re calling me at 3.30am to abuse me about a group of professional sportsmen?”Does the Aussie sledging ever border on the childish/unnecessary/personal?
At times, yes. But they are also very clinical with it and it can be very effective. They are very practised at it and they all know what they’re doing. They put a bit of thought into it, it’s not just verbal bombing. They are a very professional side and that is part of their game plan. But at times it pushes the limits of what’s acceptable.Is there a danger of you, or your team, becoming obsessed with the ‘dangers’ of the tabloid media in England?
Yes, that’s a possibility. Mark Boucher told me how they got stitched up the very first night they arrived in England for the ’98 tour. Apparently they got photographed with some semi-naked girl – Jacques and Lance were there, too, but only Bouch appeared in the papers the next day which caused some embarrassment … but it gave the rest of the boys something to laugh about. We must be aware of the dangers without allowing them to affect our day-to-day lives. But we definitely must not try and hide away and avoid the difficult questions.Isn’t Alec Stewart a bit old for international cricket?
Oh very funny, very funny.No seriously, he’s 40 years old.
If I say a word about him he’ll score five centuries against us in the Test series! Hmm. If he’s playing well enough then he’s young enough. I’m sure some of the young keepers in England have felt a bit frustrated over the years, but the selectors have given Foster and Read a chance and they keep going back to Alec. So maybe he really is the best. He seems very fit and strong. I don’t know him but he’s certainly not a favourite of many of our team. Maybe that’s why they’re keeping him going. The only time I’d ever bring age into a selection equation is when you have two players of equal ability and there is a large gap in their ages. You’d want to think of the future. But if you’re the best you must play.Who is under more pressure, you or Nasser Hussain?
I’m a young captain – frequently accused of being too young – with very little international experience and very little experience of England, so of course I’m under pressure. But so is Nasser, and he’s right at the other end of the experience scale. He’s under just as much pressure, retiring from one-day cricket, questions about his commitment. Captains are under pressure, full stop.Any previous experience of England?
I spent two months with Hampshire when Jimmy Cook was there, playing for the 2nd XI and seeing the country. I played at The Oval and otherwise spent lots of time driving around, sitting in traffic actually. I was 18 years old, driving a car about the same age with brakes even older. Happy days. But no, I wouldn’t say I had too much experience of England that might stand me in good stead during a series of five Test matches. But we’ll have good people around us.Why is it so difficult to win in England?
From South Africa’s point of view I think it has a lot to do with the length of the tour. Looking at the stats from 1994 and ’98 we’ve won early on and then faded as the weeks went by. There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of time spent in each others’ pockets. People become physically and mentally tired – perhaps motivation became affected. I do think mental preparation is very important for an England tour.How do you feel when people talk about South Africa’s legacy of match-fixing since 2000?
Really, really pissed off. Really angry. I can’t stand it. It irritates me. We’ll turn it around – I know we’ll turn it around. I’m so frustrated that people can call us cheats in the middle of a Test match, that people have that image of us. It doesn’t just hurt me, it hurts every single member of the current squad and they are determined to change that image, not for themselves but for every member of the public who felt embarrassed, angry or ashamed when it happened. I promise you, we want to make all South Africans proud of their cricket team. I promise you that.

The National Squad going to take on the Zimbabweans on November this year,are given a jolt by their juniors in a one sided practice match held in BUETground today. The Bangladesh-A defeated their opponents by a fair margin of88 runs in this 50-over match.Winning the toss the A-squad elected to bat first against their imposingrivals. Rafiqul Islam, the opener put on 47 runs in the first wicket standwith Mehrab at the other end. Tall fast medium Monir dispatched Mehrab (18)when he offered a catch to Akram Khan.Tushar Imran, the guy came back after a month-long training session taken inAustralia, joined Rafiqul to take the score to 98 before he got an edge towicket keeper Anwar Hossain off Shabbir Khan. Tushar played as many balls tonotch up his 21. When the board was displaying 122, Rafiqul was tempted byoffie Shabbir to play down the wicket, which he missed and was stumped byAnwar. His swashbuckling 62 included 5 spectacular boundaries.The fall of the next wicket brought a dismaying note among the crowd becausethey saw Ashraful, the hero in Colombo returning with a duck offeringShabbir Khan his third wicket. A handy 36 from Khaled Mahmood off 42 ballsthat included a six and Hasanuzzaman managing 52 off 75, gave the glimpse ofa good total at the end.Bangladesh-A, who lost their previous match against the same side, piled up239 for 9 in their stipulated overs. Shabbir Khan, the lanky off-spinnercaptured 3 wickets giving away 26 runs in his economical spells. HasibulHussain and skipper Naimur Rahman grabbed two wickets each.Javed Omar Belim, the right-handed dependable opener for the national team,was dismissed for 10 off Khaled Mahmood when Sajjad caught him at point. Atthe other end Hannan Sarkar batted with patience, as he was rather choosy inhis selection of balls. He made 38 with a solitary boundary in it.The star batsmen were departing as quickly as they could. Al-Sahariar, whoproved good in the first match returned with 6 and Habibul Bashar, theMultan hero could only managed 11 before Bikash sent him on his stride. Aline of failures came from renowned batsmen, who played their cards toopoorly (Aminul Islam 18, Akram Khan 0 & Naimur Rahman 2) to bring off theresult. They all were victims of Mohammed Rafique.The ruled out left-arm off-spinner bowled brilliantly to get a haul of fivewickets in his bag for 34 runs to make the difference. Thanks for Kowshik,Alamgir, Mahmood and Ashraful they all bowled cautiously keeping moreattention on line and length and giving no rooms for the batsmen to go forshots.The side was wrapped up for 152 all out with 58 balls still at hand. Theincessant rain had revoked the four-day match between the sides a few daysago. Both sides were disappointed about not getting enough practice matchesbefore their tours.The Bangladesh-A team will head off for India on October 13, 2001 andBangladesh National will play against Zimbabwe in November this year as thehosts.

Can he? Can’t he? Will he? Won’t he? Should he? Shouldn’t he? Does he want to? Doesn’t he want to? Does it even matter what he wants?AB de Villiers and his wicketkeeping gloves are back for another season. A quick refresher: De Villiers will keep wickets and open the batting for the T20 side from now until next year’s World T20. He will not captain the T20 side. He will not keep wickets or open the batting in the one-day side, which he will also captain. He will not keep wickets, captain nor open the batting in the Test side. Got it?About five years back, de Villiers stoically refused to keep because he wanted to be the best batsmen in the world. He then heroically accepted the gloves in shorter formats when Mark Boucher was dropped, and later also in Tests when Boucher’s career ended. De Villiers also took on the captaincy in the shorter formats, which eventually became too much to handle when coupled with the responsibility of keeping.De Villiers can do anything on a sports field, and there was a time when it was thought he could do everything as well. But those things are different. Anything can be done in isolation, everything has to be done all at once and sometimes, even some who can do anything, cannot do everything. Both de Villiers and South Africa learnt that the hard way.A chronic back issue means de Villiers cannot both keep and be the pivot of the batting line-up in all formats, so there has had to be a compromise. Besides captaining, de Villiers will do it all in the format which gives South Africa their next opportunity to win a major trophy, something they will do anything to get.”Deciding to put AB at the top was a conscious change we made leading up to the World T20,” Faf du Plessis, who will captain in the T20s explained. That makes sense because, as du Plessis said, “the best time to bat is in those first couple of overs and you want to give your most explosive, best players a crack at getting in early and scoring runs.”The decision to have de Villiers keep was unexpected, and came as a result of Quinton de Kock being dropped. It also required some convincing. “That’s the benefit of being best friends with someone – you can tweak things a little more,” du Plessis joked. “To be honest, keeping wicket is something he does’t really want to do; it’s not on his priority list and it does affect him on his back.”But having de Villiers keep “solves a lot of problems for us,” du Plessis said, because it means he can slot in to replace de Kock without South Africa changing the rest of the line-up. They can have de Villiers as the new de Kock with Amla at the top, and have made room for an extra player in the middle order. That’s the way they are going to go about this T20 series and probably, at the World T20.

“That’s something we will stick with even though the conditions may say otherwise. In Durban, with a bit more grass, your cricket brain tells you you should keep AB back because the ball will move around a little bit and there is potential for him getting out early but it’s not about this, its about the bigger picture. He needs to get used to batting in that new role,” du Plessis said. “We’ve got Hash back to slot in at the top there and I think that’s a good combination.; they complement each other really well.”Where does that leave the other opening-batsman-gloveman South Africa picked for these matches, Morne van Wyk?”Morne is our back-up keeper,” du Plessis said. Despite scoring a century the last time he played a T20 international and being a like-for-like replacement for de Kock, van Wyk will likely carry drinks in T20 cricket because it appears South Africa do not see him as a World T20 candidate. “It’s important to give AB some opportunity at the top. He is a fantastic player but he is also human and he wants to get practice in the new role. If Morne does not keep it makes it quite tough for him to make the team at the moment.”Van Wyk may get a chance to play in de Kock’s place in the ODIs next week, when de Villiers will return to the middle order and as captain.”The only format we will see AB keeping in is T20 cricket – one-day cricket is just too much for him from a captaincy point of view,” du Plessis said. “He likes being next to the bowlers and controlling the game. If he was keeping, he is too far away.”Also, his body is quite important, we need AB to play for as long as possible so in saying that, Test cricket and one-day cricket, it’s going to be tough for him to keep. It would be great if he could but to get longevity out of AB its important that he doesn’t. It’s nice because we’ve got possibilities there for the T20s and it will only be something until the World Cup, not after that.”After all that, you may think du Plessis’ main concern for his best friend would be how he will keep himself from getting confused about what he can, can’t, should or shouldn’t want to do but all du Plessis wishes is that de Villiers gets some good sleep.”He has got his baby with him on tour so now it’s just about making sure he gets some sleep – that’s quite important for us.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA stifling spell of left-arm spin by Shakti Gauchan halted a runaway start by USA to set the stage for a six-wicket win by Nepal at Stormont on Friday. A double-strike in the 13th over removed the well-set Akeem Dodson for 39 and Japen Patel for 1 to peg USA back at 86 for 6 and from there they stumbled to a meagre total of 121 which Nepal overhauled with two balls to spare.USA won the toss and elected to bat first under bright sunshine at Stormont as Fahad Babar pulled a four off Sompal Kami in the first over and hooked Karan KC for six in the second to give USA an early lift. He scored 23 of the first 27 runs before he middled a pull straight to backward square leg off Sagar Pun to end the third.Dodson picked up where Babar left off and pumped Karan for two fours and a six over mid-on in the fourth over to take USA to 41 for 1. That was the last double-digit over of the innings for USA though as Nepal captain Paras Khadka produced a series of bowling changes to put USA off balance.Shiva Vashishat fell to Kami – beaten for pace trying to flick – for 3 to make it 51 for 2 before Basant Regmi further dented USA’s middle order by getting Mrunal Patel lofting to long-off in the ninth over for 7. Regmi struck again in the 11th when Timil Patel tamely prodded back a return catch to make it 73 for 4.But Gauchan generated the biggest momentum shift by prising out Dodson, getting extra bounce to induce a thick edge to short third man and followed it up shortly after by pinning Japen on the crease. Karan Ganesh and Adil Bhatti kept the Nepalese attack at bay for four overs before Ganesh’s patience ran out as he slogged Gauchan to Pradeep Airee at deep midwicket, who claimed an excellent catch over his head just inside the rope to make it 107 for 7.Another mini-collapse followed with Ganesh’s wicket – the first of three to fall for just four runs. Captain Muhammad Ghous chipped Kami gently to Gyanendra Malla in the circle at midwicket before Bhatti finally opted to hit out before he lost any more partners and was clean bowled missing a slog sweep for 14. Jasdeep Singh and Hammad Shahid were left with 11 balls to negotiate and they lasted until the final ball when Singh was run-out going for a third.Singh gave USA hope at the start of the chase with a gem to knock back Pun’s off stump for 6 for his maiden international wicket. USA had a chance to remove both openers when Anil Mandal offered an edge on 8 to Dodson off Shahid but the keeper couldn’t hang on to a one-handed diving effort.From there, Nepal were cautious not to take any risks with the low total in mind and USA responded by staying disciplined in the field. They ended the Powerplay at 27 for 1 and 45 for 1 after nine overs with Gyanendra Malla on 18 off 20 and Mandal 19 in 29 balls. Pressure eased off in the 10th over though when Malla tucked into a meaty full toss from Adil Bhatti and deposited onto the pavilion balcony, 25 yards beyond the rope at midwicket.The six loosened up Malla as he cracked Ghous for a pair of boundaries in the 12th over and lofted legspinner Timil Patel over extra cover in the 14th for another. Karan Ganesh finally broke the 78-run stand when Mandal pulled to Singh who took a sliding catch at deep midwicket but Malla brought up his fifty off 40 balls on the next delivery with an elegant cut behind point.Singh breathed air back into his side with a yorker to trap Malla in front for 52 at the start of the 16th over. When Binod Bhandari mistimed a pull off Shahid to start the 19th over, Nepal still needed 13 off 11. The equation was trimmed to eight off the final over bowled by Bhatti but Khadka smashed the first ball over extra cover to deflate USA’s fielders and three balls later the winning run was scampered off a leg bye.Singh was USA’s standout bowler on the day with 2 for 23, but with not enough runs to defend, his efforts turned futile. Nepal comes back to Stormont on Saturday to take on Namibia while USA has a day off before they face Ireland in their next match.