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Victory in the Abu Dhabi Test may not be on the cards but Australia’s batsman have the opportunity to show that they can adapt to slow conditions by learning from Younis Khan’s innings

Brydon Coverdale in Abu Dhabi31-Oct-2014On the fourth afternoon in Dubai, when a dejected Michael Clarke fronted the media to explain his team’s failures with bat and ball, he had nothing but kind words for Younis Khan. A gentleman of the game, Clarke called him. He even said that he liked watching Younis bat, albeit not for quite so long against Australia. He saw plenty of Younis with bat in hand over the first two days in Abu Dhabi; now the time has come to see if his men have learnt from the experience.Younis has spent more than 17 hours batting in this series. Break that down and it means he’s averaged nearly a full day at the crease in each of his three innings. Pakistan have not won a Test series against Australia in 20 years and only the most optimistic Australian fan could believe, after Pakistan’s innings, that a series defeat might still be avoided. It has truly been a team effort from Pakistan, but with no member a greater contributor than Younis.By the time he lost his middle stump late on the second afternoon in Abu Dhabi, he had entered celebration mode. Dropped from the one-day side last month, Younis fell for 213 trying to deposit Peter Siddle onto the grassy hill beyond the midwicket boundary. He had earned some fun. His twin centuries put Pakistan in a winning position in Dubai, and his double-hundred did so again in Abu Dhabi.Across both Tests, Younis toiled at the crease for 422 runs, more runs than Australia’s top seven combined, albeit he has played one more innings. In Abu Dhabi he batted for 511 minutes; the last Australian to survive that long in a Test innings in Asia was Jason Gillespie during his famous double-century in Bangladesh in 2006.Australia’s batsmen have shown time and again that they struggle to adapt to slow conditions. Victory in this Test might be all but out of the equation, but there is still the chance to bat with patience and sense, and show that they can adapt. None of them will play exactly like Younis, but they can learn from his discipline. Rarely did he go away from his plans. He was patient enough to wait for his opportunities, and skilful enough to capitalise when they arrived.It was revealing that on a slow pitch where the ball did not come on to the bat, Younis sourced his runs from the fast men mostly off the back foot, and from the spinners mostly off the front foot. In his 349-ball stay at the crease, there were only four scoring shots behind square on the off side against the spinners. Instead he swept them or used his feet and hit them down the ground. If he played back, it was generally to defend with a straight bat.Of his 213 runs, only 25 came in front of the wicket against Australia’s fast bowlers, compared to 100 from the spinners. Until he had some late fun, he did not try to force pace that wasn’t there, instead waiting for the ball to come to him off the fast bowlers. Often they operated with multiple catchers in places like short cover and short mid-off; Younis saw that and did not risk it.He did not score a single run in front of square on the off side against Siddle. It is also worth noting that the fast bowlers did not encourage him to drive enough, especially given the catchers that were often in place. Too many balls were short of a length and not enough in that teasing fuller region that might have tempted him to drive on the up.It was not a chanceless innings. He should have been caught by David Warner at gully on 112 when he pushed at a Mitchell Johnson ball angled across him, and Warner also missed a stumping when he was filling in for the injured Brad Haddin behind the stumps a few overs later. But, for the most part, Younis stuck to his plan. As it did in Dubai, it worked wonderfully.Of course, Younis’ plan suits his game and will not suit all the Australians. But they can take aspects of it into their own innings. When playing back to the spinners, play straight. Use your feet to get down the pitch to them. Be careful driving on the sluggish pitch. Mostly, be patient and wait for the scoring opportunities to come in your areas of strength.It’s about willpower, and won’t-power. And Australia won’t improve in such conditions unless they show a willingness to learn from the experts.

Plays of the day from the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in Ranchi

Sidharth Monga15-May-2013The six
This one was all along the ground. In the 11th over of the chase, Yusuf Pathan bunted one into the leg side, and Ishwar Pandey had to rush in from deep midwicket to try to keep the batsmen down to two. Not only did he fail to do so, he fired in a rocket throw wide of the bowler, wide of extra cover and wide of the diving deep cover.The field
When you have taken just two wickets in more than 13 overs, on what looks like a flat pitch, you don’t quite welcome the new batsman with a slip and a gully. Gautam Gambhir did just that for Yuvraj Singh. Sunil Narine bowled with the two catching men, and bowled five dots at the unsure Yuvraj. Even when Narine came back in the 17th over, he had one slip for Yuvraj. Only towards the end of the over did Gambhir take the slip off, and on cue Yuvraj edged. The ricochet off the wicketkeeper’s glove would have made a difficult but possible catch for the slip.The run-out
When at the non-striker’s end, Yuvraj doesn’t like to run on the grass. So he stands at the closest bare pitch he can find on the square, and sometimes he can end up taking a start at midwicket. Which is what he did, and when he ran for a bye in the final over of the Pune Warriors innings, Manish Pandey didn’t see him coming and responded late, thus losing his wicket.The wides
Robin Uthappa is not a specialist wicketkeeper, and with friends like the ones in his Warriors team he might end up reconsidering the role. In the first over of the second innings, Uthappa was asked to stand up to the stumps, only to see Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowl five wides way outside off. If that was not enough, Wayne Parnell gave away another set of five down the leg side. There was a time when 12 of Kolkata Knight Riders’ first 18 runs had come in extras.The hit
People talk a lot about switching off between deliveries, but in modern cricket it can be hazardous. At one point during the chase, Yusuf Pathan completed a comfortable single and had his back to the fielder at mid-on. He hadn’t reckoned for the modern habit of throwing every ball at the stumps or the keeper, and copped one smack in the middle of his back.

Without Chris Gayle, West Indies’ top order is inexperienced and on a sluggish surface in Delhi their lack of nous was sorely exposed

S Aga09-Nov-2011Given his size and presence, it wouldn’t be wholly inaccurate to call Chris Gayle the elephant in the West Indies dressing room. As the match slipped away on the fourth morning despite a fiery spell from Fidel Edwards, the mind went back to the final session on the second day, when West Indies came out to bat 95 runs ahead. In the 14 overs available before stumps, they reached 21 for 2. Had Gayle been around, and had he survived, more questions would surely have been asked of an inexperienced attack, especially with R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha sharing the new ball.Gayle’s continued exclusion has little to do with cricket and everything to do with a clash of egos. “Disciplinary issues” crops up from time to time when he’s mentioned. Usually, that phrase is associated with a lack of performance. When it comes to Gayle that is certainly not the case.Before being ignored in 2011, he had enjoyed two of the most prolific years of his career, scoring 1569 runs in 18 Tests at an average of 58.11.Six of his 13 career hundreds came in that time, including a second triple-century, in Galle last November. What’s more, none of his hundreds came against minnows. There were two apiece against England and Australia, neither of whom were constrained by popgun attacks.For the current West Indian dispensation, however, Gayle is persona non grata. Ian Bishop, fast bowler-turned-commentator, who was in Delhi for the game, sighed wistfully when asked how much more West Indies might have pushed India with Gayle and Dwayne Bravo in the side.”Building for the future” is the constant refrain these days, but the difference in this match was the huge gulf in experience between the two sides. Shivnarine Chanderpaul aside, the specialist batsmen had just 57 caps between them, 35 of them to Marlon Samuels, whose chequered career began in Australia more than a decade ago. Kirk Edwards has two hundreds from four Tests, and big things are expected of Kieron Powell, but on a sluggish surface where the ball never came on, their lack of nous was sorely exposed.West Indies have traditionally struggled on slow and low pitches. Even 24 years ago, when Narendra Hirwani spun them to defeat at Chepauk, the batsmen didn’t know what approach would serve them best. “As long as I’ve known, spin has been our problem,” captain Darren Sammy said after the game.”Losing 15 wickets for 220 odd runs [10 in the second innings, and the last five in the first] … had we scored another hundred, knowing that India hasn’t scored more than 300 runs in their last nine innings, it could have been a different ball game. We need to find a way to score against spin and not let them get us out.”There were enough clues in the outstanding batting of Chanderpaul. His positive intent, along with that shown by Sammy, was just about the only redeeming feature of a desperately meek second-innings display, and Desmond Haynes, the batting consultant, has a task on his hands to turn things around before action recommences at Eden Gardens on Monday.”He used to play spin well,” Sammy said. “He has been working hard with us. Most of the time, we have been out lbw, playing with our pad instead of the bat.”He suggested that the mindset against spin could also change, taking a cue from the manner in which Chanderpaul refused to be tied down. “As soon as the spinners settled, we went into a shell. Maybe we could bat a bit more positively, like Shiv showed us.”Given how hard they pushed India, there will be no panic buttons pressed before Kolkata. “We still have a young batting line-up with Chanderpaul leading the pack,” Sammy said. “It’s just a matter of them going out there and applying themselves. We have two young openers who have six or so [seven] Tests between them.”A fully fit Adrian Barath will come into contention for the second Test, and West Indies will hope that he can provide some of the impetus that the openers failed to when needed in Delhi. But no matter who they pick, that Gayle-sized hole at the top will be hard to overlook.

He may not be in the side anymore but he isn’t going quietly

Interview by Khondaker Mirazur Rahman02-Apr-2008

‘I have a lot of cricket left in me’ © AFP

You were dropped for the second Test against South Africa recently and not considered for the upcoming ODIs against Pakistan. Is this the end of the road?
I don’t think so. I will be back, I am not finished yet. I have had a difficult period over the last one year. It’s a part of cricket and I have to accept it. I have a lot of cricket left in me and I will fight to get my place back in the national team. As a batsman, scoring runs is my only goal and I am quite happy with my recent form with the bat in the Dhaka Premier League.You were known as “Mr. 50” for your consistency in Test cricket, and you scored fairly consistently in ODIs in the build-up to the 2007 World Cup. What went wrong after that?

I was enjoying my cricket, both as a captain and as a batsman, but the focus was always on the team. We had a very young team and leading a young team in a big tournament like the World Cup is always difficult. We achieved our goal in the World Cup but unfortunately my bad time with the bat coincided with my good time as a captain. I always believe a captain should be judged on the basis of team performance and not on his individual batting or bowling. A captain can have a bad time; no one is infallible. I was surprised to see the level of criticism despite our success in the World Cup.I tried hard to regroup after the World Cup, but it didn’t work well. I know age is not on my side but I am feeling well, the reflexes are fine, and I am regaining my confidence. I have no plans to retire from international cricket for two years at least. I want to score as many runs as possible to earn my place back and that’s what I am doing right now.The Bangladesh team is increasingly becoming younger with time, with not many senior players around to guide them. Do you think this is an ideal scenario for an international team?
It’s far from ideal. I think we are in a crucial phase for Bangladesh cricket. Most of our domestic performers are young and we have to select from among them. But we have brought too many young players into the national team without proper grooming. You cannot expect consistency from a team with an average age of 22. We must revisit our policy in the interests of the young players and the country.You have captained Bangladesh in 69 ODIs and won 29 of them. On the other hand, under your captaincy Bangladesh managed only one win and four draws in 18 Tests. Why is there such a difference?

Tests and ODIs are two different ball games. Our youth brand of cricket suits ODIs more than Tests. The fearless attitude of our youngsters can result in an ODI win on any given day. This is how we won against Australia in Cardiff, India in Trinidad and South Africa in Guyana. On the other hand, Test cricket requires patience, application and consistent performance over five days. One or two good sessions doesn’t do it.

	We have brought too many young players into the national team without proper grooming. You cannot expect consistency from a team with an average age of 22

We have made the job more difficult by selecting a young and inexperienced team for Test cricket. We have always tried to look at the future combinations. We should have realised that the future is important but not at the cost of the present. We must learn from our mistakes. Now that we have a talented bunch of young players, we should keep the core team intact for the next few years.The main reason we failed to repeat our ODI successes in Test cricket was because we have not able to put enough runs on the board. We have failed as a batting unit on most occasions. When you don’t put enough runs on the board, the bowlers don’t get enough runs to bowl at and the captain doesn’t know what fields to set – whether to attack or defend.You were awarded the captaincy at a very difficult time for Bangladesh cricket, when the team was on a losing streak. What made the turnaround possible?
After our dismal performance in the 2003 World Cup, we needed some good performances to prove our credentials. My first success as a captain was against a full-strength Zimbabwe side in Harare in 2004, which was my first game as Bangladesh captain. I must give credit to Dav Whatmore, who worked very hard to make the turnaround possible. I enjoyed a very good relationship with Dav and we shared our thoughts to lift the spirit of the Bangladesh team. With our “team first” approach we effectively turned a losing side into a winning outfit.You worked for four years with Whatmore. How do you rate him as a coach?
Whatmore was instrumental in motivating young players. He gave optimism and discipline to a team that had not won a single match for four years. He understood our team chemistry very well and he made individual cricketers’ lives easy. He allowed us to play our natural game and appreciated even very simple achievements. I personally rate him as one of the best in the business.

Dav Whatmore ‘made individual cricketers’ lives easy’ © AFP

What’s the role of a captain in a team like Bangladesh? Did you enjoy the job?
A captain has a huge role. And in a young and inconsistent team like Bangladesh, the job is far more challenging and requires a lot of patience and man-management skills. As a captain I had to work hard to help players get through the bad times and keep their motivation up.I enjoyed every bit of my captaincy – more so because we managed to beat some noteworthy opponents. Those are happy memories.What would you rate as your biggest achievement as captain?
We have managed to earn the respect of our opponents, especially in ODIs. In our early days, every team took us for granted. That’s not a great feeling – when you are not taken seriously. A match against Bangladesh is no longer seen as a walk in the park, and that’s my biggest achievement as the captain of Bangladesh. For example, when we defeated India in the 2007 World Cup and progressed to the Super Eights, every team had a different look at us. It probably made our job difficult, but it also helped us to enjoy the game. We felt counted. We haven’t yet achieved the same in Test cricket. I hope Mohammad Ashraful will be able to take the team forward and Bangladesh will be respected as a team regardless of the format of the game.International cricket has been a bumpy ride for Bangladesh so far. What’s the way forward?
Cricket is very popular in Bangladesh. We have a very strong fan base and there is a lot of passion for the game. At the same time, we need to take a few decisions to raise the standard of our game.

	A match against Bangladesh is no longer seen as a walk in the park and that has been my biggest achievement as captain

Sporting wickets are a necessity to strengthen our domestic cricket. Currently each first-class team plays with three or four spinners on slow, low wickets, which is killing our game.The BCB can introduce a quota system for international cricketers. During our time in club cricket, we benefited enormously from the presence of players like Neil Fairbrother, Arjuna Ranatunga and Wasim Akram. A similar presence of international cricketers in domestic circuit will definitely help young cricketers to learn from their game. Our cricketers do not get enough opportunity to play county cricket in England or first-class cricket in countries like Australia and South Africa. The BCB can appoint full-time agents in those countries to help our cricketers find suitable clubs. It is very much required to raise our game to the next level.I feel that we are a much better side than our results show at the moment. We are playing much, much below our potential. It’s more a mental block than anything else. Some consistent good performances can lift the block. We will probably see a much improved Bangladesh side in near future.

Sri Lanka were indignant in the second T20I following the controversial overturning of an on-field decision, by third umpire Masudur Rahman.Early in the fourth over of Bangladesh’s chase, opener Soumya Sarkar had been given out by on-field umpire Sharfuddoula, who ruled that he had edged behind a short delivery from left-arm seamer Binura Fernando. Soumya reviewed that decision immediately, but had begun to walk off the field when the big screen showed a clear spike at around the same time the ball appeared to pass bat.Umpire Rahman, however, believed the spike to have come from a noise other than bat on ball. He said on air that there was a “clear gap” between bat and ball at the moment the spike showed up on Ultra-edge. There was a slight misalignment – the ball was one frame past the bat when the spike showed up. But in such circumstances, it is common that the batter is given out, and the misalignment put down to differences in the calibration of the technology.It was also not clear from where else a noise that had produced a pronounced spike could have arisen.When umpire Rahman conveyed to the on-field umpire that the decision would be overturned, Sri Lanka were bemused. They swarmed around Sharfuddoula questioning the decision. Their coach Chris Silverwood also walked across the sightscreen to talk to the fourth official Tanvir Ahmed.”The on-field umpire has given it out,” Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz later said at his post-match press conference. “I am sure the TV umpire usually needs to have conclusive evidence to overturn the umpire’s decision. It was clear that there was a spike. We saw it on the big screen. We might have to take it with the match referee to see what actually happened there. The footage on our screens was not enough to say anything. I am sure the TV umpire would have had evidence to overturn what the on-field umpire had given.”It would have been the first wicket. It would have given us a headstart by taking the wicket. On a track like this, any wicket is crucial.”Soumya was on 14 at the time. He would eventually fall for 26, in the seventh over.

Former West Ham boss David Moyes has set his sights on strengthening his Everton ranks in January, with reliable insider ExWHUemployee saying he could now spark a reunion.

West Ham are bracing for a significant clear-out during the January window as Nuno Espírito Santo looks to reshape his struggling squad.

With the Hammers languishing in the relegation zone, several high-profile players could be heading for the exit door.

Niclas Füllkrug tops the list of potential departures, after the German striker reportedly told West Ham he wants to leave in January. The £27 million signing from Borussia Dortmund has endured a nightmare spell plagued by persistent fitness issues, missing 28 games for club and country combined last season, and has failed to make any meaningful impact since his arrival.

His agent has even admitted that a move away would be best for both parties, though West Ham insist they won’t sanction his exit until a suitable replacement is found.

Achilles tendon

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Hamstring injury

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Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta is another player reportedly keen on securing a January departure. The Times reported recently that the 28-year-old outright wants to leave, with Fabrizio Romano also confirming in his GiveMeSport newsletter that a Paqueta exit is indeed possible.

Aston Villa came fairly close to signing Paqueta last summer after holding talks, but the move fell through, with West Ham’s star kissing the badge as a show of loyalty after scoring away to Nuno’s Nottingham Forest in August.

Nevertheless, an exit is apparently on the cards for him, as it is for out-of-favour midfielder Guido Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is actively seeking a January exit after a disappointing spell since joining on a free transfer from Real Betis in 2024, with River Plate, Espanyol, Club América and ex-club Betis all vying to sign him for a cheap fee mid-season (El Intransigente).

Young winger Luis Guilherme could also be moved on after failing to establish himself in the first team since his arrival from Palmeiras last year.

ExWHUemployee says David Moyes wants to sign James Ward-Prowse from West Ham

Finally, James Ward-Prowse appears destined to leave after being immediately axed from the squad following Nuno’s appointment.

Despite being a first-team regular and one of the captains under Graham Potter, the set-piece specialist is not in Nuno’s long-term plans and is resigned to departing in the winter.

Sharing an update on the 30-year-old’s future, ExWHUemployee has claimed that Moyes could look to sign Ward-Prowse for Everton after he initially brought him to the Hammers from Southampton during his spell in charge at the London Stadium.

Ward-Prowse actually did well under Moyes, making an impressive start and providing two assists in a 3-1 home win over Chelsea — becoming the first player to register two assists on his Premier League debut for West Ham.

His first season was rather productive. The midfielder, who Moyes called a “team player”, scored seven goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League alone, totaling 18 goal contributions across all competitions in over 50 appearances.

However, it was all downhill after Moyes left.

Ward-Prowse lost his importance under new manager Julen Lopetegui and was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest. The loan was then terminated mid-season by none other than Nuno, who was in charge of Forest at the time.

He returned to West Ham and played regularly under Graham Potter, but when Potter was dismissed and Nuno ironically became West Ham’s new manager, Ward-Prowse was immediately excluded from the squad again.

Now, Moyes is offering him yet another chance to shine at Everton, and he may well be eager to listen.

Former West Ham star Michail Antonio admitted that he was left shell-shocked after hearing about Liverpool forward Diogo Jota's death last month. The Portuguese forward, along with his brother Andre Silva, was on his way back to England to join the Reds' pre-season camp when their car crashed, killing the siblings tragically. Just months before Jota's incident, Antonio was himself involved in an accident.

• Antonio was shocked to hear about Jota's death
• Recalled his own near-death experience after car crash
• West Ham released Antonio this summer 

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Antonio recalled the moment he heard Jota's unfortunate news as the Jamaica international was working on his rehabilitation following his horrific car accident. The incident occurred in December last year, and the forward was lucky to survive.   

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• WHAT ANTONIO SAID

  Speaking to , while on punditry duty at the Community Shield this weekend, the 35-year-old said: "It shocked me to my core, to be fair. I was literally in the gym doing some strength work on my leg at the time with one of my personal physios. And he told me, he's like, 'Have you seen this?'."  

  He added: "It distracted me. I couldn't really work out. I kind of just called it a day and went home. It shocked me to my core, because it could easily have been me." 

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier this month, West Ham formally announced the departure of Antonio as they refused to offer a contract extension to the experienced forward, whose existing deal expires this summer. Antonio saw an early return to action, despite being told that he would take at least 12 months to fully recover from his injuries, as he took the field for the Jamaican national team at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.   

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONIO?

  For now, the 35-year-old has taken up TNT Sports' punditry role, but he has confirmed that he wants to extend his professional career and is looking for prospects abroad.  

Bad light and determined resistance by Lewis McManus frustrated Sussex’s bid to pull off an unlikely victory over Northamptonshire on a gripping final day at Hove.McManus batted for an hour as four partners came and went and Northants lurched to 170 for 9 before umpires Paul Baldwin and Surendiran Shanmugam decided it was too gloomy even for spin with Northants ahead by 63.The loss of more than 100 overs eventually proved decisive but Sussex will have drawn a lot of encouragement after making most of the running, especially on the last two days. They took 15 points and Northants 13.Having established a first-innings lead of 107, they reduced Northants to 57 for 4. Skipper Luke Procter (41) settled the nerves before left-arm spinner James Coles revived Sussex hopes with three of the four wickets that fell in 7.1 overs after tea that left them 152 for 8.McManus and Ben Sanderson resisted for eight overs until the light improved sufficiently to enable Sussex skipper John Simpson to bring back his quicks Jayden Seales and Ollie Robinson for two overs each.Robinson responded with an unplayable yorker to uproot Sanderson’s middle stump, a fitting way to celebrate his 400th first-class wicket. Spinners Coles and Jack Carson returned but the light didn’t improve and the players shook hands shortly after 6pm.