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Bangladesh’s catching has been ordinary since 2018, and has become more problematic in 2021, as the data suggests

Mohammad Isam01-Nov-2021Bangladesh’s poor catching in 2021 has literally caught up with them in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Their three dropped catches and a missed stumping cost them heavily in the three-run defeat against West Indies on Friday. It also took their dropped catches tally to nine in six matches in the tournament.After Mahedi Hasan dropped Roston Chase twice, Afif Hossain shelled a chance of Jason Holder, who hit two crucial sixes in the last over to help West Indies post 142. And Liton Das’ missed stumping allowed Nicholas Pooran to hammer his 22-ball 40. It was a repeat of how Liton’s dropped catches in the outfield cost Bangladesh against Sri Lanka too.Liton put down both top-scorers Bhanuka Rajapakse, on 14, and Charith Asalanka, on 63, allowing the pair to add 86 for the fifth wicket, which lifted Sri Lanka from 79 for 4 to a winning position while chasing 172. Five days earlier, captain Mahmudullah’s dropped skier could have been costlier had Oman’s Jatinder Singh batted for a little bit longer.Seven out of the nine dropped catches were skiers; Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Liton, Mahedi and Afif, regarded as generally safe fielders, dropped these chances.Ishita Mazumder/ESPNcricinfo LtdToo much chatter from inside and outside
Dropping so many catches is a general reflection of a collective lack of concentration among Bangladesh’s fielders. Add Bangladesh’s kryptonite in big tournaments – the fear of failure and consequences – and you have a recipe for disaster.Dark clouds have hovered over the Bangladesh camp from the start of their T20 World Cup campaign in Muscat, darkening still after almost every game. Comments from the BCB president, retaliation from senior players, former captain blaming the South African coaching staff; all the outside chatter hasn’t helped Bangladesh’s catching, powerplay batting and death bowling.The team has given mixed messages on the problem during the World Cup.”Catches get dropped,” reasoned fast bowling coach Ottis Gibson before their match against England. “In every cricket match, one or two catches go down. Obviously, when the catches play a part in the results in a game, it is highlighted more. We do a lot of catching practice. Ultimately, when the guys are out in the middle under pressure, then mistakes like catches going down happen.”Is it a concern? I wouldn’t say it’s a concern because we practice it every day. But the fact is, obviously, when it gets dropped, when catches go down, then at the end of the game, that’s the thing that gets highlighted. We work very hard on our skills, catching being one of them.”Habibul Bashar, the selector traveling with the team, acknowledged the problem, and explained that when good fielders put down catches, the focus should be on the team’s overall psychology in pressure situations.”You can have a bad day in batting or bowling, but we have to be more consistent in our fielding,” Bashar said in a video released by BCB. “It becomes more pertinent in big tournaments. Misfielding ruins the team’s tempo. We are a better fielding side, but I really want to see a lot of improvement in this area.”We do a lot of fielding during training. When we play at home or in a big tournament, it is important to handle the psychological pressure. I think we miss out on handling that pressure. Some of our best fielders dropped the catches. We have to work on how to handle pressure moments, and take important catches in these moments.”A year of drops
It is no surprise that Gibson didn’t offer a better explanation. But dropping catches isn’t an opinion. Bangladesh’s catching has been ordinary since 2018, becoming downright problematic in 2021.Including their T20 World Cup matches so far, Bangladesh’s poor catching has directly impacted at least eight matches this year. It started from the white-ball series against New Zealand in March, where they dropped 12 catches in six matches. They missed catches at crucial moments in two ODIs, and among their seven drops in the three T20Is, they shelled four chances from Finn Allen in one game in Auckland.Upon arrival in Dhaka, rookie Nasum Ahmed claimed that they were unsighted by the clear skies in New Zealand. His quote is an occasional punchline whenever Bangladesh drops catches.In the following month, they dropped Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne repeatedly in the two Tests, allowing him to score a double-hundred in the first Test, and a century and fifty in the second. Bangladesh lost the Test series 1-0. When Sri Lanka visited Bangladesh in May, they dropped captain Kusal Perera on 68, 80 and 99 on his way to a century in the third ODI. In the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in July, they dropped six catches, and a few more in the white-ball matches.The damning data of 2021
Mahmudullah and Shakib, Bangladesh’s top two catchers in international cricket currently on 148 and 99 catches in cricket, have dropped five catches each this year. Mushfiqur has dropped three as wicketkeeper, while good fielders such as Afif, Mahedi and Soumya Sarkar have also spilled three each. In total, 20 fielders and wicketkeepers have dropped at least one catch.Year-wise numbers for Bangladesh’s international matches•Ishita Mazumder/ESPNcricinfo LtdBangladesh have dropped one-third of their chances near the pitch: the bowler, keeper and slip fielders have combined to drop 16, roughly 34% of all their drops. They have also dropped 12 straight down the ground: at mid-on, mid-off, long-on and long-off. Strangely, they have dropped three sitters at short fine leg as well.Taskin Ahmed has suffered the most among the bowlers, seeing 10 catches go down off his bowling. Six catches each have been dropped off Mustafizur and Shakib while five have been dropped off Mehidy Hasan Miraz.In all international cricket this year, Bangladesh have dropped the second most number of catches (47) behind Sri Lanka (55). Among teams to have created more than 200 chances (catches taken + catches dropped), Bangladesh’s 3.87 catch-to-drop ratio and 20.52 drop percentage is the third-lowest, above Sri Lanka and India.One purpose vs many thoughts
Bangladesh’s downward trend in results in the last three years could also be correlated to their declining catching standards. Their progress from 2015 to 2017 slowly gave away to defeats at home and continued failures abroad. In at least 11 matches in 2019, dropped catches had a direct impact on results. Bangladesh lost in the World Cup against Australia, India and Pakistan after dropping David Warner, Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam, respectively, before they went on to make big scores.It is worse in this T20 World Cup when they are giving away strong positions in matches due to their poor catching. This aspect of cricket can’t just improve in training. Fielding is down to the individual level, where enthusiasm, athleticism and game awareness are as important, if not more than, technique and experience.When the fielder is under a skier, the time it takes for the ball to balloon high and then descend quickly towards the ground can be a few seconds. Many thoughts could pass through your mind at that time. The catch often goes down when these thoughts outweigh the singular purpose of catching the ball. Bangladesh seem to have a lot on their mind, except catching the ball.

The Phillies' comeback against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series fell short on Monday.

The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead in the seventh inning, but the Phillies fought back with a run in the eighth inning. After holding the Dodgers without a run over the final two innings, the Phillies added two more runs early in the ninth inning.

The Phillies were trailing by just one run when Bryson Stott came up to the plate. With no outs and Nick Castellanos on second base, Philadelphia was in good position to tie up, if not win the game with a walk-off. Phillies manager Rob Thomson decided to have Stott bunt, and though he got the ball down, the Dodgers were able to get Castellanos out at third. The Dodgers got the final two outs of the game on the next three plate appearances, and took a 4-3 win.

Thomson explained the unpopular choice to have Stott bunt after the game, saying, “Left on left, we’re trying to tie the score. I liked where our bullpen was at, compared to theirs."

"Mookie did a great job of disguising the wheel play," Thomson added. "We teach our guys if you see wheel, just pull back and slash because you're getting all kinds of room in the middle. Mookie broke so late that it was tough for [Stott] to pick it up."

The Dodgers now have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series after Philadelphia failed to win either of their first two home games. The Phillies will head to Los Angeles where they'll face elimination when they play on Wednesday.

Vincent Kompany has explained why it's a "luxury" for Bayern Munich to have Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson at their disposal. The Belgian coach is pleased with how Jackson is contributing to Bayern's assault on three trophy fronts, but has also confirmed he will be heading to the AFCON with Senegal.

• Jackson slowly adapting to new conditions

  The Senegalese striker joined the German champions on a year-long loan deal for a fee of £14.2m on the summer transfer window deadline day. Initially, Bayern fans were not pleased to see Jackson in their club colours as they were sceptical of his abilities, especially after it was revealed that the deal had a €65 million (£57m) obligation for Bayern to buy the player permanently next summer.

  However, it has now been revealed that the obligation can only be triggered if the ex-Villareal forward starts in at least 40 matches across all competitions for the Bavarian side. So far, the 24-year-old has featured in 17 matches across all competitions, out of which he has started only six and has clocked 525 minutes on the pitch, scoring five goals. 

  While Jackson is not a regular starter under Kompany due to the presence of star attackers like Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise in the club's ranks, the striker has delivered a decent level of performance whenever he has had an opportunity. 

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  'I have a very positive impression of Nicolas'

  Despite not handing him regular starts, Kompany heaped praise on Jackson as he told reporters: "I have a very positive impression of Nicolas. He’s helped us a lot – his goals-per-minute ratio is good. Of course, with Harry Kane up front, you have a bit of competition, and that’s part of the game. So, as a coach, it’s a real luxury to see how Nicolas is handling that. What many people don’t see is what Nicolas does in training and every time he comes on. Against Sporting, I was planning to sub him on, but then Lenny scored, and I had a completely different game plan. Hopefully, he’ll continue to capitalise on the chances he gets."

  Jackson, like many other African footballers from Europe, will be busy with their national team commitments later this month as AFCON 2025 is all set to kick off on December 21. Jackson has been called up by the Senegal national side and Kompany revealed when the striker will leave for Morocco.

  The Belgian coach added: "My understanding is that he will travel after the game against Mainz. We hope he goes as far as possible. Of course, I hope Congo will win the cup, but otherwise I wish him all the best. The importance of this competition for African players shouldn’t be underestimated."

• Will Jackson return to Chelsea?

  Jackson is likely to return to Chelsea next season as he still has to start in 34 matches for the obligation in his contract to get triggered. Bayern would roughly play around 30 more matches across all competitions, which means the Blues can't force the German giants to make the purchase. The only way Jackson can stick around at Bayern is if he shows exceptional form in the second half of the season and wins over Kompany and the club management's trust.  As of now, it seems Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge next summer.

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  What comes next for Jackson?

  As revealed by Kompany, Jackson's final game for Bayern in 2025 will be against Mainz in the Bundesliga on Sunday. The German champions will then play one more game on December 21 against Heidenheim, before the winter break in Germany kicks in. 

Real Madrid have now informed Liverpool about their final decision on Ibrahima Konate as 2026 approaches.

Arne Slot reveals "conversation" with Liverpool hierarchy

Arne Slot’s dream Anfield move commenced with a Premier League title in his debut season, but since then he’s endured the ultimate nightmare. The Reds are in historically bad form, losing nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, and serious questions are beginning to be asked about the Dutchman’s tenure.

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Liverpool have never been a sacking club, but recent reports have dropped names like Ange Postecoglou and Andoni Iraola as the pressure continues to grow on Slot. Whether Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes decide to pull the trigger on either of those names remains to be seen, however.

Slot’s had his say on the matter, revealing conversations with Liverpool’s hierarchy and telling his squad to “fight on” in the face of their disastrous run.

Up next, the Premier League champions travel to West Ham United in desperate need of three points. It is simply a must-win game for Slot, who will only have the backing of the club’s hierarchy for so long.

Ahead of their trip to the London Stadium, fixing their defensive issues should be Liverpool’s priority – starting with solving Konate’s form just days after he’s been informed about Real Madrid’s final transfer decision.

Real Madrid inform Liverpool about final Konate decision

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Real Madrid have now told Liverpool that they have no interest in signing Konate, despite rumours that they were set to pursue the Frenchman at the end of his contract next summer.

The Reds looked destined for a Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat, but Konate has seemingly played himself out of a move to the Bernabeu next summer – leaving the ball firmly in Liverpool’s court.

Whether both parties can now strike an agreement over a new contract is the big question. Konate’s recent form has left him in a weaker negotiating position, but there’s no doubt that he’s an important member of Slot’s backline at his best.

Dubbed “tremendous” by former Manchester City star Micah Richards last season, the Frenchman simply has to get back to his best if Liverpool are to turn their torrid run of form around.

He’s one of just two fully fit central defenders, with Joe Gomez not yet ready to step in, so has no choice but to play himself into form – especially if he’s after a pay rise up from his current £70,000-a-week deal.

"Oh my god", "Sackable" – Carragher rips into Liverpool star in behind-scenes footage

Mark Goldbridge has commented on how Arsenal look when managing the absence of a key part of their attacking line.

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Brian Brobbey scored a last-gasp equaliser as high-flying Sunderland held Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.

A stop-start first-half suddenly sparked into life when former Arsenal academy product Dan Ballard sent the hosts ahead with a thumping finish, ending the Gunners’ run of eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Bukayo Saka levelled with a low effort after the break and, with Arsenal having controlled most of the game for the second half, Leandro Trossard sent the visitors ahead with a stunning effort from outside the area.

Late drama followed as Brobbey stabbed home from Ballard’s header to earn a point for the hosts against the division’s top side.

Roefs then denied Calafiori at the death, with Ballard blocking Merino’s follow-up after the save, as the Black Cats held on for the point.

During the game, a comment was made about the Gunners going forward when they are without one of their summer additions.

Gyokeres "massively" missed by Gunners

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Goldbridge noted how much Arsenal were missing Gyokeres, who picked up an injury in their game against Burnley. The content creator said:

Signing in the 2025 summer transfer window, much has been said about Gyokeres since he arrived at Arsenal, having been signed to solve their striker problems. The Swede has not yet found a consistent string of goalscoring form, but has had a positive impact on the team in other ways.

Against Sunderland, Mikel Merino picked up an assist for Saka’s opener, having been deployed as a makeshift striker. Otherwise, however, the Spaniard, who is a natural midfielder, struggled to have much of an impact, with Arsenal facing initial struggles in breaking the Black Cats down.

Unflinching at their status as a newly-promoted team, Sunderland’s stoppage-time equaliser against the Gunners ensured a point that, based on their display, was certainly deserved. Arsenal can only hope that it does not go onto hamper their Premier League title hopes.

It is apparent, however, that the club lack a certain fluidity in attack when Gyokeres is absent from the first team, which was a contributing factor in them failing to come away from the North East with three points.

Arsenal have best finisher since van Persie for Arteta

There’s reportedly no way back for one West Ham star as Nuno Espírito Santo ultimately decides that he doesn’t want the player, and a January exit is now described as inevitable.

The pressure on Nuno’s shoulders has slightly eased following back-to-back victories against Newcastle and Burnley, which also gifted the Hammers some much-needed encouragement over surviving the relegation dog scrap.

Before their only consecutive home wins since October last year, West Ham looked nailed on for a drop to the Championship for the first time since 2011, but six points from Nuno’s last two matches have suddenly flipped the narrative on its head.

However, things don’t get any easier for West Ham from this point onward, with Nuno braced for a tough round of fixtures just after the international break.

The east Londoners take on Bournemouth and Liverpool before travelling to Man United, who are enjoying a resurgence under Ruben Amorim, with Aston Villa and Premier League title contenders Man City awaiting them over the festive period as well.

After that, the January transfer window does represent a major lifeline for West Ham, and reports suggest the club are set for a very active winter when it comes to incomings and outgoings. Sky Sports report that West Ham are targeting a new defender, midfielder and striker in January, with Nuno given assurances that David Sullivan and co have money to spend on fresh talent.

We’re also likely to see a fair few players head out the exit door, not least striker Niclas Füllkrug, who has apparently been given the green-light to leave after a lacklustre spell marred by injuries and a lack of form.

West Ham could also sell Guido Rodriguez for pure profit after signing him on a free transfer from Real Betis last year, but one player who looks the most likely to depart by far is midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

The 31-year-old was axed from West Ham’s matchday squad immediately after Nuno’s arrival, despite being vice-captain under Graham Potter and a “quiet leader” of the team.

James Ward-Prowse "almost certain" to leave West Ham after Nuno decision

For anybody wondering, there is basically no chance for Ward-Prowse to play his way back into contention, with Nuno fully deciding that he’s surplus to requirements.

That is according to journalist Dean Jones, who told TEAMtalk this week that the Englishman is “almost certain” to leave as David Moyes’ Everton take real interest.

The question for West Ham is how much money they can recuperate from Ward-Prowse’s sale, and how much could be reinvested into bolstering key areas when the January window opens for business.

Sullivan will also be keen to get the former Southampton star’s £115,000-per-week wages off the books, as he is currently the club’s fourth-highest earner behind Alphonse Areola, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen.

Four transgressions trigger points deduction that leaves club at foot of Second Division

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2025Kent’s hopes of avoiding the County Championship wooden spoon have been dealt a blow after the club was hit with an eight-point penalty in the wake of last week’s five-wicket loss to Glamorgan in Cardiff.The penalty was applied after Kent’s captain, Daniel Bell-Drummond, was adjudged caught-behind for 22 in his team’s second innings. Bell-Drummond protested the decision, and after the incident was referred to the Match Referee, Alec Swann, it was deemed to be an offence under Level 1(c) of the Professional Conduct Regulations.The fixed penalty was the fourth that Kent have accrued in the course of this campaign, following similar similar shows of dissent from Matt Parkinson, Kashif Ali and Tawanda Muyeye in consecutive Championship fixtures in May.Regulation 4.28 of the Professional Conduct Regulations states that any team that receives four or more such penalties in the same season will have committed a separate offence and be referred to the Cricket Regulator.Kent were already rock-bottom in the Second Division of the County Championship, having won just twice in ten games in the course of their campaign. As a consequence of the penalty, they are now 26 points adrift of seventh-place Northamptonshire. The club has confirmed it will not be appealing against the decision.

Former Australia captain and current Adelaide Strikers coach Tim Paine continues his rise up the coaching ranks after being appointed Australia A coach for three series in the second half of this year.Paine has been hired in a consultancy role that includes working across Australia A men’s series and supporting the Australia women’s team while balancing his Strikers coaching duties. He will lead the Australia A team in three 50-over matches and two four-day games in Darwin against Sri Lanka A in July.He is also set to lead an Australia A squad on a tour of India in September and October for white and red-ball matches and will coach in a one-off four-day game against the England Lions that is likely to take place in either late October or early November.Paine has been involved with Australia A and various development teams in recent years as an assistant coach. He worked under Adam Voges when the Western Australia and Perth Scorchers coach led Australia A in a home multi-format series against New Zealand in 2023.Paine also worked as an assistant coach under CA’s national development coach Lachlan Stevens last season when Australia A hosted India A and was head coach of the Prime Minister’s XI when they faced India in Canberra.Related

• Renshaw and Sangha to captain Australia A against Sri Lanka A

• Peake picked for Australia A after one first-class game

• Adam Griffith appointed CA national fast bowling coach

It is understood that Stevens has departed his role with CA and Paine will coach Australia A against Sri Lanka A with support from new national pace bowling coach Adam Griffith, Australian women’s team assistant coach Scott Prestwidge and Northern Territory Cricket’s Pathway and Development coach Trent Keep.Griffith has also been sent to the Caribbean to stand in as Australia’s bowling coach for the first two Tests against West Indies with Daniel Vettori set to miss the whole tour for family reasons. Griffith will return to Australia for the A series and former New Zealand left-arm seamer James Franklin will join Australia’s coaching group for the first time for the third Test and the five T20Is that follow.Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade will also join Australia’s coaching group as an assistant for the T20Is in the Caribbean after working as a consultant coach for Australia’s white-ball series against Pakistan last summer.Meanwhile, uncontracted Queensland left-arm orthodox Zanden Jeh has been plucked out of Queensland Premier cricket and called into the Australia A squad as the sole specialist spinner for the series against Sri Lanka with Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli both unavailable due to signing short-term County deals.Jeh has not played first-class cricket and has only played four second XI matches across the last three seasons for Queensland since graduating from Under-19s cricket in 2022. He has just 11 second XI wickets at 35 but took a five-wicket haul in his last match against ACT. Jeh’s presence in the Australia A squad underscores the desperation of Australia’s selectors to develop more left-arm orthodox bowlers.Jeh is also part of a 12-member Cricket Australia development squad that will attend the MRF Academy in Chennai from July 31 to August 13. Jeh is the only uncontracted domestic player in the squad which includes Australia A squad members Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Ollie Peake and Campbell Kellaway.CA’s MRF Academy squad: Joel Curtis, Harry Dixon, Zanden Jeh, Campbell Kellaway, Angus Lovell, Rafael MacMillan, Ollie Peake, Lloyd Pope, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachlan Shaw

Thomas Tuchel has done the bare minimum expected of him when he was appointed as England manager one year ago: Qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel has done it with minimal fuss, too, as the Three Lions have won all six of their competitive games to top their qualifying group with two games to spare. It has not always been pretty, but that will count for little once the tournament gets going next summer.

Tuchel's England's team has truly begun to take shape over the course of their past three matches, as they battered Serbia 5-0, swatted Wales aside with three early goals and then destroyed Latvia to clinch their place in December's group-stage draw.

Tuchel's reign will ultimately be judged on how England fare at the World Cup and it is difficult to gauge how that is likely to go until they meet top-level opponents. However, they certainly look like a team that could go deep in the United States, Mexico and Canada. 

The coach has also approached the England job through a very different lens to his predecessors, making moves that have not always been popular with the public or the media but that could make a real difference to his chances of doing what those who came immediately before him failed to do and leading the Three Lions to that long-awaited first trophy since 1966.

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  'Teams win trophies'

  Tuchel's very first squad announcement back in March raised plenty of eyebrows. He brought Jordan Henderson back from the wilderness, gave Marcus Rashford a second chance four months after being cast aside by Manchester United and handed Dan Burn a first-ever call-up at the age of 32, as well as a debut to 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly. With the benefit of hindsight, that now looks like the least controversial of his four squads.

  Star man Jude Bellingham was the most high-profile omission for October's games against Wales and Latvia, while Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were also left out despite their excellent club form. All three played at the last World Cup while two of them started the Euro 2024 final. For Tuchel, though, the most important thing was to reward the players who had been responsible for the most productive and enjoyable camp of his spell so far a month earlier, when his side destroyed Serbia in their best performance of his tenure.

  While many were aghast at the omissions of Foden, Bellingham and Grealish, as well as the the continued ignoring of Crystal Palace pass-master Adam Wharton, it was impossible to argue with Tuchel's reasoning when he declared: "We are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no one else."

  And Anthony Gordon talked up the team ethic that the German coach has built after starring in the thrashing of Latvia. "Every performance, the commitment and the vibes and the attitude, everyone's giving everything and you can see that on the pitch," the Newcastle winger said. "It's that togetherness. You see on the pitch we're fighting and giving absolutely everything for each other which can be difficult in an international environment, because lads are coming from everywhere and we don't see each other often. The manager and the staff have really honed in on creating that [togetherness] and it's paid off."

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  No talent collection

  It was suggested to Tuchel that not including England's best players was 'radical', but he offered the perfect riposte: "For this moment, we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team, because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance."

  Tuchel said he was taking cues from one of the greatest sporting dynasties in modern history, the New England Patriots, who won six Super Bowls in the space of 19 years following the turn of the century.

  But there was another parallel much closer to home for him to learn from: The failure of England's so-called 'Golden Generation' of players that included David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. And the timing could not have been better from Tuchel's point of view, as Gerrard had just confessed in a podcast with Ferdinand how miserable he found the experience of playing for England.

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  Learning from past failures

  Gerrard, who was England's captain at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as well as Euro 2012, never went beyond the quarter-finals at a major tournament, and admitted that he "hated" his experience with the national team. The Liverpool legend revealed that he spent most of his time alone in his room with nothing to do, feeling "low and down", and he conceded that he had almost no bond with the rest of the squad.

  "It was like I didn’t feel part of a team. I didn’t feel connected with my team-mates with England," he explained. "I think we were all egotistical losers. Why couldn’t we connect as England team-mates back then? And I think it was down to the culture within England. All in our rooms too much. We weren’t friendly or connected. We weren’t a team. We never at any stage became a real good strong team."

  For Tuchel, Gerrard's words were a gift, and he was delighted to expand on them in his press conference ahead of the Wales clash: "When I hear people talking about their titles in international football or their missed chances, I always hear the same song: we have been a team or we haven’t been a team. It is always the same song in international football. I also think it is the same headline in club football… If you stick together 24-7 for a nine-day period, and then as long as possible in America, you have to be a strong group."

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  Not afraid

  Sir Gareth Southgate is rightly credited for ensuring that playing for England was once more an enjoyable experience, and Gerrard said that the former coach was "underrated for how he connected with the England team". And yet by the end of his tenure, Southgate was making the same mistakes as his predecessors Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. 

  While Eriksson and Capello could not resist playing Gerrard and Lampard together despite their similarities, Southgate insisted on starting Bellingham and Foden in all seven games at Euro 2024. He also persisted with Harry Kane even though his captain clearly lacked sharpness after recently returning from a back injury. Despite making it to the final and only losing to Spain courtesy of a late goal, England rarely looked like a cohesive team on the pitch in Germany, as they rarely produced good play and repeatedly relied on individual moments of brilliance.

  Tuchel may well bring Foden or Bellingham back into the fold in time for the World Cup, especially if the Real Madrid midfielder returns to peak fitness after his spell out following shoulder surgery, and yet it matters not. The coach has already drawn a line between him and those who came before him by sending out a clear message that he is not afraid to drop anyone.

Marsh scored 67 off 37 before he was subbed out in the second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-20253:45

Moody: LSG need to bring the best out of Pant

It was too late for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) but Rishabh Pant was at his destructive best against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the last league game of IPL 2025. Batting at No. 3 on a mixed-soil pitch in Lucknow, Pant smashed 118 not out off 61 balls – a knock studded with 11 fours and eight sixes. RCB need 228 if they are to finish in the top two.After RCB opted to bowl, Nuwan Thushara shattered Matthew Breetzke’s off stump in the third over with the age-old bouncer-yorker trick. But Pant was off to a flying start. In the fourth over, he hit Yash Dayal for a six and two fours to move to 19 off just eight. This was already his third-highest score of the season.RCB’s decision not to bowl Bhuvneshwar Kumar until the fifth over of the chase was also baffling, especially after Thushara had found swing in the opening over. In the seventh over, with no swing on offer, Bhuvneshwar went short. Pant duly pulled him over deep midwicket for a six. On the next delivery, Livingstone failed to flick the ball back at deep square leg and ended up conceding a boundary. Soon, Pant brought up his fifty, off 29 balls.Mitchell Marsh, who was on 33 off 23 after ten overs, also joined in. Off his next eight balls, he smashed 20 to bring up his sixth 50-plus score of the season.Bhuvneshwar eventually broke the 152-run stand off 78 balls by having Marsh caught behind in the 16th over. But given that Marsh had started that over with two consecutive sixes and Pant ended it with a four, 20 came from it.Pant was unstoppable, though. He brought up his hundred with a Pant shot and followed it up with a Pant celebration. It was a full and wide delivery from Bhuvneshwar. Pant reached out to it and scythed it over extra cover for four. By the time he completed the shot, his front leg was in the air, beyond parallel to the ground, the toe pointing towards deep midwicket. He looked up, removed his helmet and gloves and did a frontflip to celebrate the landmark. The LSG dugout stood up to applaud, as did the home crowd.Jitesh Sharma, who once again stood in for Rajat Patidar, erred in the over distribution. Krunal Pandya, who had bowled the second over of the innings, sent down just one more and finished with 2-0-14-0, while Romario Shepherd registered 4-0-51-1.