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The 18-year-old marked just his second Liga appearance with a goal against Atletico Madrid, and is being eyed as Karim Benzema's long-term successor

Alvaro Rodriguez was perhaps not the saviour Real Madrid expected on derby day, but when the teenager nodded in a late equaliser against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, he became an instant hero among the Santiago Bernabeu faithful.

Still, his vital goal, a wonderfully guided header in the 85th minute, was of little surprise to those who have been tracking his progress in recent years. Rodriguez has quietly become a hot commodity in Madrid's acclaimed academy system, developing from an injury-prone winger into a dominant No.9 in less than three years.

Once a Barcelona reject, the 18-year-old is now a promising striker who has the potential to replace Karim Benzema when the Madrid legend eventually moves on.

Tall, quick and devastating on the ball, Rodriguez has earned Erling Haaland comparisons from those who have coached him in the Spanish capital. And while he may not ever hit those heights for the first team, Rodriguez has bags of talent – certainly enough to be a regular for Los Blancos.

But who is Rodriguez, and what makes him so good? NXGN takes a closer look at one of Spanish football's most promising youngsters…

UFA Where it all began

The son of former Uruguay international forward Coquito, Rodriguez was born in Girona, around 60 miles from Barcelona. And having impressed for Girona's youth sides, in 2020 the giants of Spanish football came calling.

Barca were the first to make their move, with having reported that the Blaugrana's scouts were hugely impressed by the then-15-year-old. Officials at La Masia, though, could not be convinced, with his lack of 'Barca DNA' cited as a reason for rejecting him.

Madrid quickly swooped in, and once Los Blancos entered negotiations, boyhood fan Rodriguez didn't have eyes for anywhere else.

There were those at Madrid who weren't immediately sold on the teenager, though. Rodriguez had spent the majority of his youth career playing as a left winger, but his new coaches felt that his long-term future might be elsewhere on the pitch.

A series of injuries put any chance of a positional switch on hold, but once he returned, it was decided that he would be given a chance to impress as a central striker.

AdvertisementThe big break

Rodriguez began to shine in his new role for Madrid's Under-19s, leading to Real Madrid Castilla manager Raul to request some film of Rodriguez in action after a star showing against Atletico Pinto.

The former Madrid striker was sold, and immediately called Rodriguez into his side, who play in the third tier of Spanish football.

The goals came quickly, with Rodriguez finding the net for the first time as a Castilla player on January 8, 2022. He continued to develop into a more reliable centre-forward, reportedly binge-watching film of Romelu Lukaku to learn the position.

He was soon being compared to Erling Haaland for his size and pace, as well as finishing prowess. This season, he saw off competition for the central striker role in Raul's team, earning his place ahead of highly-rated former Barcelona starlet Iker Bravo.

"He’s quicker than people think and if they try not to give him space, he gets his back in, brings the ball down and distributes. In the box, he finishes any aerial ball. Down low, if he turns he can shoot with both feet,” a Real Madrid source told .

Rodriguez was called up to the Madrid first team for the first time in October 2022, but had to wait four months for his La Liga debut.

When he eventually made his bow, however, he wasted little time in making an impact, as he provided the assist for Marco Asensio to seal a 2-0 win over Osasuna in stoppage time.

GettyHow it's going

Rodriguez has been tasked with the not-so-insignificant job of backing up Karim Benzema, with Madrid crying out for a player who can provide cover for the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner.

His goal against Atletico suggested he can perform that role going forward, as he stole away from his marker to power a header past a helpless Jan Oblak to keep Madrid's slim La Liga title hopes alive.

His international performances, too, have been catching the eye, having shone for Uruguay as they finished runners-up at the U20 South American Championship in January.

Rodriguez finished the tournament with five goals, just one shy of the competition's top scorers, and looks capable of carrying on the fine recent tradition of Uruguayan frontmen thriving in Europe.

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Biggest strengths

Rodriguez has a clear gift that will work at every level: he's a deadly finisher. The youngster is terrific inside the box and good in the air.

While he isn't an unbelievable athlete in the mold of Haaland, he is physically gifted enough to turn bad crosses into good ones.

The youngster is also rather quick for his height, while his history as a winger contributes to his impressive dribbling ability, especially while on the run.

The tournament gets under way in Israel on Monday, with some of the continent's top teenage talents keen to impress and lead their countries to glory

Usually an annual tournament, the Under-17 European Championship has not taken place since 2019, making this year's edition particularly special.

The finals, which are being held in Israel, get under way on Monday, May 16, with potential stars of the future appearing in pretty much every one of the 16 squads.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Jadon Sancho, Toni Kroos, Cesc Fabregas and Mario Gotze have previously been named Player of the Tournament, meaning there is plenty of scope for the stars of the 2022 competition to reach the very top.

But who are the players to watch out for? GOAL and NXGN have picked out 17 potential stars of the future who will be on show over the next two weeks…

SoccratesIsaac Babadi (Netherlands)

The defending champions from 2019, the Netherlands will again be among the favourites in 2022, with Isaac Babadi likely to be one of their leading lights.

Not since Memphis Depay was breaking through has there been this much excitement at PSV surrounding one of their academy stars, with Babadi having dominated at U18s level in 2021-22, despite not turning 17 until early April.

The attacking midfielder who plays either off the left or centrally as a No.10, also made his debut for Jong PSV in the Dutch second tier at the start of 2022, and has already caught new PSV first-team manager Ruud van Nistelrooy's eye in Eindhoven.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTom Bischof (Germany)

Only one player scored more than Bischof's six goals in qualifying for the tournament, with the Germany midfielder a player many are tipping for a huge career.

Already the youngest player to ever debut for Hoffenheim, the 16-year-old recently signed a new contract with his boyhood club to ward off transfer interest from leading teams in both Germany and around Europe.

Julian Nagelsmann has twice tried to sign Bischof, first at RB Leipzig and most recently for Bayern Munich, but both times he has missed out on the left-footed No.10, who can also play as a box-to-box midfielder.

Getty ImagesEl Chadaille Bitshiabu (France)

Bitshiabu has stood out ever since he arrived at PSG due to his height, but the centre-back certainly has the ability to match his physical traits.

The youngest player in the history of the Ligue 1 champions after debuting in December, he will turn 17 on the opening day of the tournament in Israel.

A lack of further first-team exposure could lead Bishiabu to leave Parc des Princes this summer, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City and RB Leipzig having been credited with interest, but first expect him to be the standout defender at these U17 Euros.

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Getty ImagesIker Bravo (Spain)

Regarded as the best striker within La Masia when he left Barcelona in the summer of 2021, Bravo has already made his mark for Bayer Leverkusen in his debut campaign in Germany.

The 17-year-old broke Florian Wirtz's record as Bayer's youngest-ever debutant in October, and made his Bundesliga bow a month later, highlighting why he chose to further his career in Leverkusen rather than be forced to wait for his opportunities at Camp Nou.

He will lead the line for Spain at the U17 Euros, and will be expected to combine with his former Barcelona team-mate Dani Rodriguez in attack for La Roja.

Goal takes a look at the best classic World Cup matches of yesteryear in anticipation for this summer's tournament in Russia

GettyBelgium 3-2 Japan | 2018

It took until the 93rd minute for Belgium to claim a 3-2 victory over Japan in their last 16 fixture, staging an incredible comeback after finding themselves 2-0 down just after the break.

Belgium missed a host of chances throughout the game with Romelu Lukaku able to have a hat-trick but spurning every opportunity. Japan – outsiders to win the tie – scored twice in the span of four minutes in the second half to visibly shake Belgium, and were the superior team for large amounts of the game.

Roberto Martinez's side, however, were able to dig deep and score three goals after Japan's opening brace. Jan Vertonghen and Marouane Fellaini (the unlikely hero) netted to make it 2-2 before Nacer Chadli scored in the final minute of stoppage time to cap off a brilliant counter-attacking move by Belgium.

AdvertisementFrance 4-3 Argentina | 2018

It was the Kylian Mbappe show as the young forward slotted home twice and played an instrumental role in the build-up to the first goal to send Argentina and Lionel Messi home at the last 16 stage.

France opened the scoring through an Antoine Griezmann spot-kick but Argentina levelled through Angel Di Maria. Benjamin Pavard netted again to put Les Bleus in the lead before Gabriel Mercardo struck home to equalise – but Mbappe scored twice in the span of four minutes to put his side 4-2 up.

Sergio Aguero scored in stoppage time to make it 4-3 but it wasn't enough to force the game into extra time.

It was a thrilling encounter on all sides that fully allowed France to finally showcase their quality in Russia following underwhelming opening group stage performances.

The victory for France means that Argentina crash out disappointingly, and Les Bleus will face either Portugal or Uruguay in the quarter-final.

GettySpain 3-3 Portugal | 2018

Spain vs Portugal was always the match that would have the most build-up ahead of the 2018 World Cup, and it lived up to the hype and more. Enthralling from start to finish, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty to put Portugal up under four minutes before Diego Costa netted shortly afterwards to equalise. Spain led eventually through a fine Isco screamer and another Costa goal, but it wasn't enough to keep Ronaldo quiet.

The Real Madrid star scored an incredible free-kick just before the end of regular time, bagging a hat-trick in the process and putting his name in the history books as he has now scored in four consecutive World Cups. David de Gea's goalkeeping blunder wasn't even the talk of the match as Ronaldo proved that he remains his country's talisman and could very well lead his team far in Russia. The group game between the rival nations has already earned classic status.

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GettySpain 1-5 Netherlands | 2014

Spain had all their hopes of defending their 2010 glory by being hammered 5-1 by the Netherlands in the group stages that sent shockwaves across football. Xabi Alonso opened the scoring through a penalty won by Diego Costa, but the Netherlands retaliated thick and fast through Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Stefan de Vrij to break the hearts of the three-time, back-to-back world and European champions.

Justice AP Shah, the BCCI ombudsman, has ruled that no case of conflict of interest could be found against former India captain Sourav Ganguly under the board’s rules on the subject

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2016Justice AP Shah, the BCCI ombudsman, has ruled that no case of conflict of interest could be found against former India captain Sourav Ganguly under the board’s rules on the subject. Freelance journalist Niraj Gunde had filed a case with Shah alleging that Ganguly, who is part of the IPL governing council, was in direct conflict having failed to disclose his commercial partnership with the RP Sanjeev Goenka Group, which owns the football franchise Atletico de Kolkata as well as the company that bid successfully for the Pune IPL franchise.While Ganguly had admitted in his response to Shah that he owned a stake of about 5% in the Atletico de Kolkata franchise, he pointed out that he was not in any way related to New Rising India Pvt. Ltd, which bid for the Pune IPL franchise. Gunde insisted that by not disclosing his relationship with the promoters of the Pune franchise, Ganguly was at fault. He also pointed out to Shah that Ganguly, by being part of the IPL Governing Council, was already aware of who all had picked the bid documents and would have been aware of the bid contents.However, Shah looked at the issue differently. “The Ombudsman considered the application and the various submissions made, and found that none of the conflict of interest rules are attracted in the present instance,” Shah noted in a two-page e-mail that he sent to Ganguly, Gunde and the BCCI.Ganguly’s was the first high-profile case filed with Shah, who took over as BCCI’s inaugural ombudsman, as part of the reforms drive initiated by its president Shashank Manohar last October. Shah said he had also examined whether there could be a possible conflict of interest “beyond what is framed in the rules”, because Ganguly had attended the Governing Council meeting when the bids were opened.”In order to examine this, it is important to understand the bidding process itself. It is clear that the bidding process involved first, the submission of sealed technical and financial bids; second, the opening of technical bids; third, the scrutiny of the technical bids by lawyers; fourth, the opening of financial bids; and fifth, the selection of the lowest bidder among those who had qualified the technical round. All of these steps were taken on the same day in the presence of all the bidders,” Shah wrote in the e-mail, accessed by ESPNcricinfo. “It is clear that members of the IPL Governing Council had no role to play, more so because the final selection of the bidder was based on objective criteria, i.e., the lowest bid.”According to Shah, both he and Gunde were satisfied by Ganguly’s statement that he was returning from London to Delhi at the time the technical bids were opened and subsequently examined by the BCCI lawyers.”The question arises as to whether a member of the IPL Governing Council had any role to play in the bidding process,” Shah said. “If the person had no role to play, other than remaining present during/through the bidding process (because of the post they held), there is no reason to raise doubts about the person’s role, as is the case in the present matter.”The Ombudsman, therefore, does not view Mr Ganguly’s presence or conduct in the bidding process as violating any rules of conflict of interest. The bidding process was transparent, and due process was followed. Under the circumstances, the Ombudsman is of the view that no case of conflict of interest has been established or made out against Mr Ganguly, and therefore, the matter is accordingly disposed of.”

A few of Somerset’s off-season decisions appear a little short-term, but the arrival big names for the T20 Blast will boost chances of silverware

George Dobell05-Apr-2016Director of cricket: Matt Maynard
Captain: Chris Rogers (Champ); Jim Allenby (T20, 50)
Last season
In: Ryan Davies (Kent), Roelof van der Merwe (Dutch passport), Yasir Arafat (Hampshire; loan), Michael Leask.Out: Craig Meschede (Glamorgan, after loan in 2015), Alfonso Thomas, Adam Dibble, George Dockrell, James Regan, Michael Bates (all released), Tom Cooper (released, no longer eligible as domestic player).Overseas: Chris Rogers, Chris Gayle (T20), Mahela Jayawardene (T20)2015 in a nutshell
Disappointing. A club that had grown frustrated of just missing out on silverware sunk back into the also-rans and were not safe from relegation until the final weeks of the season. The sad retirement of Craig Kieswetter due to an eye injury especially weakened the limited-overs sides. While the performance of home-grown players was encouraging – James Hildreth was prolific, Marcus Trescothick rediscovered his form, Tom Abell emerged as one of the most promising young batsmen in the country and Craig Overton finished as the side’s highest wicket-taker in the Championship – the imports were generally far less successful. Abdur Rehman claimed 10 wickets from nine Championship matches, while Allenby, Myburgh and Cooper all averaged in the 20s with the bat.2016 prospects
There is a new look to Somerset in 2016. The ground has a new pavilion and a new name and the Championship team has a new captain. Ryan Davies, the England U-19 wicketkeeper recruited from Kent, may also be a new face behind the stumps. Some of the other recruitments, however, look short-term: four of the imports – two of which are overseas players – are in their 30s and born overseas. Both captains were born in Australia and are in their mid-30s. It suggests a management looking for quick fixes. The batting looks strong, though bowling sides out twice at Taunton remains a challenge. The number of allrounders should lead to limited-overs improvement.Key player
England recognition – and the Somerset captaincy – may well have passed James Hildreth by at this stage. But, aged 31, he remains a class act with the bat – his reputation, as something of a flat-track bully, is not entirely fair – and he scored more first-class runs than anyone in county cricket 2015. Somerset will need more of the same if they are to survive in the top division.Bright young thing
Tom Abell was named county cricket’s breakthrough player of the year in 2015. While opening the batting – which seems likely – is a big responsibility for a 22-year-old, it does underline how highly he is rated at Taunton and suggests that he could be pushing for England recognition before too long. Either of the Overtons could also have been in this category.ESPNcricinfo verdict
In some ways Somerset has never been better or stronger: a well-developed ground, strong finances and a recent history of strong performances – if few trophies – has increased expectations at the club. The presence of Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardene for the T20 Blast is formidable. There is a nice crop of home-grown talent, too, which makes the influx of journeymen cricketers on passports of convenience all the more surprising. Improvement in white-ball cricket looks probable, while a mid-table Championship finish should be within their reach.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 1: 17-1; NatWest Blast 17-2; Royal London Cup 12-1

AB de Villiers will miss South Africa’s upcoming two-Test series in Bangladesh while he takes paternity leave but will play the limited-overs matches beforehand

Firdose Moonda27-May-20151:46

Moonda: SA using Bangladesh tour for some experimentation

AB de Villiers will miss South Africa’s upcoming two-Test series in Bangladesh while he takes paternity leave but will play the limited-overs matches beforehand. As cover, South Africa have named wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Vilas, who is one of four new Test caps. Opening batsman Reeza Hendricks, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada have all earned maiden call-ups which left no room for Dane Piedt or Kyle Abbott, who were part of South Africa’s last two Test squads.South Africa’s limited-overs squad retains the core of its World Cup players with only one new cap. Legspinner Eddie Leie has been included in the T20 squad. Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander will be rested from the ODIs and T20s, from which Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir will also be given time off.Although the Bangladesh tour is South Africa’s first post the World Cup, it precedes a bumper 2015-16 season, which includes four Tests, five ODIs and three T20s in India and the same from an incoming England tour, which explains the part-experimentation on this visit.The first area of South Africa’s focus will be at the top, where they will look for an opening batsman to fill the spot left vacant by Alviro Petersen’s retirement. Stiaan van Zyl is the favourite to assume the role, despite being a regular No. 3, and was moved to open the batting for his franchise, Cape Cobras, last summer. He enjoyed success in the latter half of the season when he scored a century and a fifty in two of the last three matches.Whether van Zyl will get the opportunity to play in that position on the Bangladesh tour will depend on if South Africa’s management prefer to use him in the middle-order in de Villiers’ absence. If van Zyl is deployed lower, instead of reserve batsman Temba Bavuma or reserve wicketkeeper Vilas, Hendricks could get an opportunity to open the batting. Hendricks is a regular opener who has performed well for the South Africa A side but did not stand out last season. He was 15th on the first-class run-scorers’ charts with 540 from nine matches at an average of 31.76, 349 behind the leader Stephen Cook, who is also an opener.The South Africa attack will be overseen by a yet-to-be-named bowling coach for whom the Bangladesh tour will be the first assignment. That person, likely to be Charl Langeveldt, will work with Rabada in his first Test series. Rabada was part of the South Africa squad that won the Under-19 World Cup last year and has been fast-tracked through the franchise and national structures. He was third on the first-class wicket-takers’ list last season, with 39 from eight games at 21.12 including best match-figures of 14 for 105, a franchise record in South Africa.The only thing stopping Rabada from being handed a Test debut is where to fit him in, in an attack that includes Steyn, Morkel and Philander and could also see two specialist spinners playing, given conditions in Bangladesh. For that purpose, South Africa will take offspinner Simon Harmer, who debuted against West Indies, and left-arm spinner Phangiso, who has only played limited-overs matches to date.Phangiso’s first-class record does not stand out, with 109 wickets from 60 matches at 35.20, but he has not played as much first-class franchise cricket as he might have liked, with Lions’ attack well-equipped in that department. He was preferred ahead of Piedt, who took eight wickets on debut against Zimbabwe. He was sidelined for much of last season with a shoulder injury but has since recovered.Phangiso will also play a major role in the limited-overs matches, especially the T20s where Tahir will be rested. There could be a debut for Leie, as South Africa explore their bowling options ahead of next year’s World T20 in India. The Lions’ legspinner has had good results over the last two seasons and finished last season’s T20 competition as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 14 at an economy of 5.93, the lowest among the top 15 bowlers.The squad to Bangladesh is the last one to be picked by South Africa’s current selection panel, who will be replaced next month. Andrew Hudson has already announced that he will not be available for reappointment.South Africa Test squad: Hashim Amla (capt), Dean Elgar, Reeza Hendricks, Faf du Plessis, Stiaan van Zyl, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Aaron Phangiso, Simon Harmer, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Dane VilasODI squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla (vice-capt), Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw, JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Aaron Phangiso, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLarenT20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, David Wiese, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Aaron Phangiso, Eddie Leie, Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks

West Indies and KKR spinner Sunil Narine has been cleared to bowl once again by the BCCI’s Suspect Bowling Action Committee but he has been given a “final warning”

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2015West Indies and Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine has been cleared to bowl once again by the BCCI’s Suspect Bowling Action Committee but he has been given a “final warning”. Narine’s name has been taken off the list of bowlers with suspect actions but he was informed that another transgression would result in him being banned for this IPL season.It is understood Narine was delivering the offbreak with a flex in his elbow, which meant he was going back to the old action that had been reported during the 2014 Champions LeagueTwenty20. The review committee wanted him to be consistent with his remodelled action.”In its decision on 28 April 2015 to ban Mr. Narine from bowling off-spinners in the IPL, the BCCI Suspect Bowling Action Committee noted that the player could request a further Official Assessment by the Committee,” the BCCI said in a release. “This request was received and accordingly the player underwent a third biomechanical analysis of his action at the ICC and BCCI accredited Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Sciences Centre (SRASSC) in Chennai – this time for his remodelled action (i.e. the one that had been cleared by the Committee immediately before the IPL season).This analysis has re-confirmed the conclusion of the first Official Assessment by the Committee – namely that the remodelled action for the off-spinner does not contravene Law 24.2 (as read with Law 24.3).”The Committee, however, has drawn Mr. Narine’s attention to paragraph 4.9 of the IPL Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Policy. Any further report for a suspected illegal bowling action during the course of this season will automatically mean that Mr. Narine is banned from bowling for the rest of the season.”After the match between Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 22, the on-field officials reported a number of Narine’s deliveries as suspect. Narine underwent fresh tests immediately and was cleared to bowl all his deliveries expect the offbreak, which was deemed illegal. On April 29, Narine underwent a retest on his offbreak, which was banned by the BCCI, and was cleared on the evening of May 6.

MS Dhoni has his own issues to sort out here in Australia. The big ones right now are the fitness of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja

Sidharth Monga23-Jan-2015At the end of India’s training session at the SCG on Friday, MS Dhoni rushed back into the changing rooms. He usually stops by and engages with the fans waiting for autographs and photographs. As he just about disappeared you realised the possible reason behind his hurry. Cameras were pointed at him, and comments were sought on the Supreme Court verdict, particularly about N Srinivasan, whose dual role as a BCCI administrator and commercial gainer from an IPL team has come under fire. Dhoni of course didn’t react. Just smiled and went away.He has his own issues to sort out here in Australia. The big ones right now are the fitness of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. During Friday’s optional training session, the workload of Ishant and Jadeja seemed to assure that they are not World Cup doubts, but to balance off that bit of good news for India, Rohit was one of the three players to have given the session a miss.Ishant was India’s best bowler – not that it says much – in the Test series, providing them some control on which to base their attack. After playing three back-to-back Tests, though, Ishant missed the one in Sydney with a “knee pain”. Since then and until Friday, Ishant didn’t bowl off a full run in any of the training sessions. On Friday, though, he was close to full pelt, which will be a big good news because India’s World Cup squad has only four genuine quick bowlers. There is Stuart Binny, but it is hard to imagine him playing as one of the three main seamers.Jadeja has been Dhoni’s biggest investment between the World Cups. He has been a key No. 7 in ODIs. Arguably Dhoni’s best spinner in limited-overs cricket, Jadeja has worked on his big hits to become one of the best Nos. 7 in ODIs. Since the start of the Champions Trophy in 2013, which was when this ODI combination of India began to come together, Jadeja is the third-highest run-scorer in ODIs from No. 7, at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 93. In Jadeja’s absence, India have had to bat with extra caution in the middle overs.At every press conference Dhoni has spoken about how Jadeja’s absence is hurting India. You ask him about his circumspect batting, and he says he has to maintain the balance because Jadeja is not coming behind him. You ask him about Virat Kohli’s batting at No. 4, and he says the middle order has to be shored up in Jadeja’s absence. Jadeja, though, has gone back to India and come back after the Tests. He has had a “shoulder impingement”. Ever since coming back Jadeja has only been taking a few throwdowns, and bowling a few off a stationary position. On Friday, though, Jadeja bowled with much more intensity. He even had a hit in a proper net.The signs with those two important bowlers are looking good when it comes to World Cup even if they are not risked in the triangular series, but India will be keeping a close eye on Rohit’s recovery from a sore hamstring. Just as soon as he seemed to have settled the opening conundrum with a hundred in India’s first match of the series, he missed out on the second match with the hammie. He, Kohli and R Ashwin missed the optional training session on Friday.India will want to go easy on Rohit with the World Cup approaching, but they will also be anxious because they have selected only one reserve batsman in the 15. Even in the 17-man squad for the triangular, they have only seven batsmen. If Rohit misses out on the SCG ODI on Monday, even as Ambati Rayudu comes in as replacement, it means India can’t play around with the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan even if they want to.After the loss at the Gabba, Dhoni had suggested a break or a hit-out might help Dhawan. If Rohit doesn’t make it, Dhawan might get a chance to go for the latter on Monday. We won’t hear more on that until Sunday: India are taking Saturday off for a team recreational activity, which usually is paintball with the Indian team.

New Zealand beat Bangladesh by three wickets and ended as Pool A leaders, but their bowlers were fully challenged for the first time in this World Cup

The Report by Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:05

Bevan: Not the finish NZ would have liked

New Zealand ended the group stage with a perfect six-out-of-six record, but their bowlers were fully challenged for the first time in this World Cup as they sneaked a three-wicket win over Bangladesh. The win ended a five-year losing streak against Bangladesh, and it was was hard work all the way for the tournament favourites.Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman made New Zealand count to 288, the biggest total they have conceded in this tournament so far, before Shakib Al Hasan’s four-wicket haul nearly derailed their chase. But Martin Guptill’s sixth ODI hundred set an excellent platform, before Grant Elliott and Corey Anderson kept them going in the final ten overs. Tim Southee struck a six and a four in the penultimate over to complete the win.Guptill struck 11 fours and two sixes in his 100-ball 105, and added 131 for the third wicket with the struggling Ross Taylor, who made 56 off 97 balls. Elliott and Anderson made 39 each on the back of each other, the latter’s contribution more immediate to the final equation, hitting three sixes and three fours in his 26-ball blitz.Shakib, the stand-in captain, bowled himself and Taijul Islam at the start of New Zealand’s chase. It was the first time two left-arm spinners had opened the bowling in an ODI. It worked almost immediately, with Shakib picking up McCullum and Williamson in the fifth over, but Guptill, who survived a close leg-before shout on 19, and Taylor held the innings together. Guptill’s last ODI hundred was against India in January 2014, so it was an important innings for the opener.Having played out a maiden in Shakib’s first over, Guptill attacked his second over, launching two sixes and a four, and continued to hit boundaries through the off-side frequently, his stand-out shot a bullet off-drive off Taskin Ahmed in the 12th over. He reached the three-figure mark in the 28th over but holed out to long-on two overs later while trying to clear Shakib.Elliott hacked Shakib and Taijul for five fours and a six before falling to an uppish square drive, caught at sweeper cover by Taskin off Rubel. Taylor’s tortured stay ended when he was trapped leg-before by Nasir Hossain, and Luke Ronchi gave Shakib his fourth wicket in the 45th over.Anderson was the right man at the right time, hitting three straight and slog-swept sixes before missing one from Nasir in the 48th over. The late introduction of Nasir was a masterstroke and his offspin provided control from one end.After Bangladesh were sent in, Mahmudullah struck his second successive hundred to nullify New Zealand’s swing and seam threat. Brendon McCullum attacked right from the start, but Mahmudullah countered by putting together unremitting partnerships. He became the second Bangladesh batsman after Shahriar Nafees to score two ODI centuries in a row.For the first ten overs of the match, however, Bangladesh looked like they would become the latest bit of roadkill in New Zealand’s wake. Trent Boult and Tim Southee swung and seamed the ball at good pace as Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal struggled to score a run. Imrul lasted 5.4 overs before Boult bowled a late outswinger to the left-hander, like a yo-yo delivered at high pace. The batsman tried to play the ball, pitching on middle and off, through the on-side and it went past his edge and ripped out his off stump.Tamim survived Southee’s inswinging yorker and an edge that dropped short of the slips, and picked up the first boundary of the innings – a clip off the pads off Boult – in the eighth over. He was dismissed two overs later, though, nicking Boult to Corey Anderson at second slip.Mahmudullah offered two catches off the first three balls he faced, first brushing the diving Guptill’s fingertips at square leg and then bursting one through Anderson’s clasp at second slip. He didn’t look back from that point, particularly with Southee and Boult losing movement and eventually going out of the attackMahmudullah preferred the off side for his fours, and seven out of his 12 came in the arc between third man and extra cover. The other five came mostly through midwicket. His three sixes were wonderful strikes – a slog-sweep, a pull over square-leg off the front foot and a final flying kiss over long on.Mahmudullah allowed everyone to bat around him, but dominated the Bangladesh innings with big hits whenever they were needed. The best of the lot were three consecutive fours he hit immediately after completing his century, cutting past third man, crashing through the covers and dinking through square leg, making New Zealand look a little clueless for the first time in four weeks.Ten boundaries came off the first 28 balls of the Mahmudullah-Sarkar partnership before they eased off the pedal between the 14th and 24th overs. Soumya began with two straight hits, the first a full ball dug out through mid-off. An upper cut, a carve over point and a smash through the covers followed, and after a lull for about ten overs, he tapped Mitchell McClenaghan past midwicket after jumping across to get in line of the delivery. He reached his maiden fifty off 54 balls before hitting Daniel Vettori down long-off’s throat in the 28th over.His 90-run third-wicket stand with Mahmudullah took Bangladesh out of the quicksand and into dry land. They scored at five an over comfortably, even though they went boundary-less between the 15th and 24th overs.Mahmudullah added two more 30-plus stands with Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim before letting Sabbir Rahman have a go at the short boundaries. Sabbir struck five fours and two sixes – a forehand smash over long-on off McClenaghan and a one-kneed clout off Grant Elliott – in his 23-ball 40.Bangladesh’s 103 from the last 10 overs was only the fifth time they had scored more than 100 runs during this phase of an ODI innings. Boult, Anderson and later Elliott – brought into the attack just to bowl the 48th and 50th overs, with Mitchell McClenaghan struggling with his follow-through in his first game of the tournament – took two wickets each.

Dean Elgar’s third Test century and an unbeaten 99 from Faf du Plessis put South Africa in a dominant position at the close of day one in Port Elizabeth

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:06

Video report: West Indies pay for missed chances

Dean Elgar’s third Test century and an unbeaten 99 from Faf du Plessis put South Africa in a dominant position at the close of day one in Port Elizabeth. On a slow pitch that offered a bit of sideways movement and uneven bounce, both batsmen benefited from missed chances during the second session and powered on in the third to propel South Africa to 270 for 2 at stumps.Kenroy Peters, the debutant left-arm seamer, struck in the 75th over to have Elgar edging behind, but by then he had made his highest Test score and added 179 for the second wicket with du Plessis. At 226 for 2 with the second new ball imminent, West Indies had a small window to force their way back into the game, but du Plessis and Hashim Amla saw the day through without too much bother. They may have been aided in their cause by West Indies only taking the new ball in the 88th and final over of the day.South Africa’s run rate, under three an over through the first two sessions, shot up at the start of the final session as Elgar and du Plessis grew in confidence, and the loose balls grew in frequency. The shots that had been shelved before tea came out of the kitbag, and boundaries flowed as chants of rang out in the crowd, loud enough to be heard above the brass band. Elgar reverse-swept Sulieman Benn past slip and cut him away behind point. Du Plessis clipped Jerome Taylor through midwicket and punched him off the back foot through square cover. Elgar drove Peters through the covers and past mid-on. Six fours had come in the space of four overs, and nothing was going West Indies’ way.The pull was a productive shot for Dean Elgar•AFPIt could so easily have been so different. West Indies chose to bowl first, and their five-man attack bowled well enough for most part to justify that decision. But the fielders simply didn’t back it up. In the fourth over after lunch, du Plessis flashed at a back-of-a-length ball from Jerome Taylor and sliced it to the left of gully. Marlon Samuels only had a short way to fall to his left, and the ball was a good couple of feet above the ground, but he grabbed at it with anxious hands and couldn’t hold on.Nine overs later, du Plessis ran down the track to Benn, and was beaten by dip and turn. Going hard at the ball again, the batsman edged it. This time, it went low and a fair way to the right of Devon Smith, but again he got his hands to the ball and counted as a legitimate chance.Next ball, it was Elgar’s turn to rush out of his crease. He got too close to the pitch of the ball, and yorked himself. Elgar was stranded a long way down the pitch but Denesh Ramdin stood up too early behind the stumps – it did keep a little low, in his defence – and his gloves were nowhere near the ball, which instead thudded into his pads. Rubbing it in a little more, Elgar danced down the track and launched Benn back over his head to bring up his half-century. Benn took his cap and dragged himself away to his position at gully, and even his sunglasses couldn’t hide the wounded look on his face.Later, missed direct hits reprieved Elgar (on 73) and Amla (on 5) when they went for non-existent singles. It can be argued that these were lesser offences, but both times the batsmen were stranded halfway down the pitch and the fielders had plenty of time to aim at the stumps. Instead, they snatched at the opportunities and threw off-balance.For all the help they got, South Africa needed to show plenty of application to score as many runs as they did. Elgar, taking guard on off stump, stayed close to the line of the ball and played the rising ball with soft hands to keep the edges down short of the slips. Shortly after reaching his hundred, this method helped him survive an excellent delivery from Taylor, angling in from around the wicket and jagging away off the pitch.Elgar waited for anything he could work off his pads, and anything he could pull – even the marginally short ball. The slowness of the pitch usually allowed him to do this, but uncertain bounce always lurked around the corner, and he top-edged a hook into his helmet against a Shannon Gabriel lifter when he was on 83. Against Benn he used his feet well, and generally looked to hit down the ground.Du Plessis scratched around when he first came in, and was on 6 off 35 balls at lunch. He remained jittery after the interval, surviving those two drops and sending a leading edge off Taylor flying through the gap between point and gully. But he grew in fluency as his innings progressed, as any batsman of his quality will when given so many lives.The first session was a story of two halves. Taylor and Peters were a little loose at the start, and South Africa’s openers scored 40 in the first ten overs without really looking to score that briskly. West Indies then made a double change, and Gabriel and Jason Holder immediately settled into a rhythm, finding movement from a good-length spot just outside off stump. They bowled 11 overs in tandem, giving away only 17 runs and picking up the wicket of Alviro Petersen.The dismissal was well in keeping with how the morning had gone. It came with the score on 47 – a decent start, not a one. It came off a steeply rising half-tracker wide outside off stump that Petersen could have easily ignored. He reached for it instead and scooped it to the backtracking cover fielder.