The sell-out crowds that packed Lord’s for the first three days of England vs. Pakistan offered no hint of the decline of test cricket in the sport’s birthplace.
The team’s performance in the middle provided plenty of evidence, however.
England’s humiliating nine-wicket loss — wrapped up 90 minutes into Day 4 — to one of the most inexperienced Pakistan teams of recent times further exposed the frailties of a side that seems to have forgotten the basics of test cricket and how apply itself to the longer form of the game.
Yet is it any surprise?
When former test captain Andrew Strauss was appointed in 2015 as the chief overseer of English cricket, he made it clear “the area that most needs attention in English cricket right now is our white-ball cricket.” Trevor Bayliss, a coach with a superb record in the limited-overs game, was hired to lead the national team.
Test cricket would not be ignored, Strauss was at pains to point out in an effort to appease the traditionalists, but it could not be seen “as being the only thing we’re interested in.”
It was, though, a pointer to the thoughts of those leading English cricket.
Fast forward three years and to Colin Graves, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who this month gave his reasons why he was setting up a 100-ball competition — a version 20 balls shorter than the Twenty20 game that has revolutionized cricket over the past decade.
“The younger generation, whether you like it or not, are just not attracted to cricket,” Graves told the BBC. “They want more excitement, they want it shorter and simpler to understand.”
Worrying words for supporters of test cricket in England.
These are worrying times, too.
England is without a win in its last eight test matches, losing the last six of them. A failure to beat Pakistan in the second and final test at Leeds starting Friday would make it three straight series losses. It is 13 away tests without a win. And under Bayliss, England has lost 20 of its 41 tests, having started its era under the Australian with a home Ashes series win and a series win in South Africa.
And where are the English in the ICC’s one-day rankings? No. 1.
Bayliss was a breath of fresh air when he came in, encouraging aggressive and attacking play from his test batsmen. It has meant the art of patience, discipline and grinding out innings has gradually disappeared, only really practiced now by opener Alastair Cook.
In the domestic county season, white-ball competitions are given the bigger platform and PR, pushing the longer-form county championship to the margins. After the Pakistan loss, Bayliss even questioned whether the current framework of the county championship was helping.
“Is playing on wickets where you’re not going to bat for too long, before you get one that does a heap, is that necessarily good in the long term for learning how to concentrate for long periods?” Bayliss asked.
Bayliss said he was “at a loss” to explain England’s current test problems, saying his recent advice to show care and patience — instead of aggression — if conditions dictated wasn’t getting through.
“In a way, you almost throw your hands up sometimes,” he said.
The Australian has said he is stepping down as England coach after next year’s home Ashes series, though the Daily Mail is reporting he could lose his job if England is defeated in Leeds.
Bayliss is under pressure. New captain Joe Root has lost eight of 15 tests and his decision-making is being scrutinized. There’s a new selector in Ed Smith.
English test cricket is in flux at a time when the powers-at-be seem to be focusing on the shorter forms of the game.
The series is there for the taking for Pakistan at Headingley.
England’s test team in turmoil amid cricket’s changing times
England’s test team in turmoil amid cricket’s changing times
Merino last-gasp goal sends Spain to Euro 2024 semis after dramatic extra-time win over Germany
- “It was the game we expected,” Merino said, “because we were facing one of the best teams in the world”
- The result ended the career of Germany’s Toni Kroos, who announced he would retire at the end of the tournament
STUTTGART, Germany: Substitute Mikel Merino headed Spain into the semifinals of the European Championship as they snatched a 2-1 win over Germany in extra time on Friday.
Florian Wirtz’s equalizer in the last minute of regulation time sent the gripping quarterfinal to extra time after Dani Olmo — who set up Merino’s winner — netted the opener early in the second half.
“It was the game we expected,” Merino said, “because we were facing one of the best teams in the world. This could have been a final, and it sure played out that way. This was a game between elite teams, a constant back and forth, and we showed that we have a great team.”
Spain defender Dani Carvajal was sent off late in extra time for a second yellow card and will be suspended from Tuesday’s semifinal against Portugal or France. Fellow defender Robin le Normand will also miss that match after picking up another booking.
The result ended the career of Germany’s Toni Kroos, who announced he would retire at the end of the tournament.
The quarterfinal pitted the teams who have played the best soccer at Euro 2024, and it didn’t disappoint.
There was a blistering pace from the start with crunching tackles and end-to-end action.
Kroos was lucky not to be booked for a mistimed challenge that upended Spain midfielder Pedri.
Another hefty challenge moments later saw Pedri leave the field injured and in tears as he was replaced by Olmo in the eighth minute, the fastest replacement in the history of the Euros.
From the resulting free kick, Lamine Yamal almost became the youngest ever goal-scorer at the tournament, but the 16-year-old’s effort flashed past the right post.
Yamal did have a hand in the opener as he cut inside from the right and rolled the ball across for Olmo to hit it first time into the bottom left corner.
It was Yamal’s third assist of the tournament, the most by a teenager at a Euros.
Substitute Nico Füllkrug hit the post in a late desperate onslaught by Germany, which was rewarded just in the nick of time.
Joshua Kimmich nodded Maximilian Mittelstädt’s cross back to Wirtz, whose effort went in off the far post.
Both teams had more chances to win in extra time before Merino leapt high to head in Olmo’s cross and send the Spanish fans behind the goal into a frenzy.
Misfiring England face on-form Switzerland for a semifinal spot
- Jude Bellingham is available after avoiding a ban for an offensive gesture
- England will play their fourth quarterfinal at a major tournament under manager Gareth Southgate
DUESSELDORF, Germany: England will play Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the European Championship on Saturday. England manager Gareth Southgate says his team looks “in a different place mentally” after struggling to an extra-time win over Slovakia.
Jude Bellingham is available after avoiding a ban for an offensive gesture.
Switzerland exceeded expectations by knocking out defending champion Italy.
The winner will play the Netherlands or Turkiye in the semifinals.
England will play their fourth quarterfinal at a major tournament under manager Gareth Southgate and have won two of the previous three. Southgate’s cautious tactics have brought hefty criticism from England fans, some of whom threw plastic cups at him in the group stage.
Bellingham’s last-minute overhead kick to send England’s last-16 game with Slovakia to extra time has been one of the most dramatic moments of Euro 2024.
Defender John Stones said that surviving that brush with elimination gave the team new confidence.
Meanwhile, Switzerland coach Murat Yakin has won a reputation for smart tactics at Euro 2024, especially by outclassing an Italy team packed with more famous names in the round of 16.
England are playing two days after a general election ended 14 years of rule by the Conservative Party. It didn’t make waves in the England camp, which Stones called a “politics-free zone.”
Bellingham is available after he avoided an immediate ban from UEFA, which investigated an allegedly crude gesture he made during the Slovakia game. He was fined 30,000 euros ($32,500) and given a one-game ban that only takes effect if he breaks the rules again during a one-year probationary period.
He has denied he was mocking Slovakia when he seemed to gesture toward his crotch.
Southgate has refused to rule out switching to a back five against Switzerland.
“We’re always considering the best way to approach a game,” he said on Friday when asked about the prospect.
Defender Marc Guéhi is suspended after picking up a second booking against Slovakia. Ezri Konsa, who came off the bench in extra time in that game, is the favorite to replace him in the center of defense alongside Stones.
The latter wore heavy strapping on his right knee in training Wednesday but said Thursday he’s fit to play.
Bellingham, forward Phil Foden and full back Kieran Trippier are among five England players who would miss the semifinals if booked against Switzerland. Captain Granit Xhaka is one of four Swiss players in the same situation.
He is fit after training individually earlier this week, Yakin said on Friday.
Southgate is marking his 100th game in charge and it could be his last. His contract expires after the tournament.
Switzerland haven’t beaten England for 43 years. Harry Kane scored the winning goal when England had a comeback 2-1 win the last time they played in a 2022 friendly.
It’s only the third time the Swiss team are playing in the quarterfinals of a major tournament. They have yet to reach a semifinal. A penalty-shootout loss to Spain in the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 was their best European Championship showing.
“Every team wants to excite, every team wants to score goals. We’ve played opponents who’ve made it very, very difficult for us. ... There’s been a lot of expectation on the team in the early part of the tournament, especially. I feel that the team, even in training now, look in a different place mentally. They look more fluid and I’m expecting us to play well tomorrow,” said Southgate.
Defender Stones said: “The other night, I thought we were going home after 60 minutes of the game. To change the mindset of us all and keep that belief and faith, it’s got a lot of power behind that for ourselves, other teams. Everyone watching at home knows that we’re there to do it right until the last minute, literally. And, I think we should take great confidence from that.”
“No matter how they played, they are in the quarterfinals, so no one is interested how they played in the group stage and in the games before that. They have a lot of quality and any time they can hurt their opponents, so we need to be prepared for that,” Switzerland defender Fabian Schär warns against underestimating England.
Brazilian defender Marlon Santos to join Emirati club Al-Ain
- 28-year-old expected to sign contract in coming days
- AFC Champions League winners ‘aim to attract best players,’ chairman says
AL-AIN: UAE’s Al-Ain on Thursday announced the signing of Brazilian defender Marlon Santos for an undisclosed sum, the Emirates News Agency reported.
The 28-year-old center back, who has played for Barcelona, Nice and Fluminense, is set to arrive in the UAE in the next few days to undergo medical checks and sign his contract with the AFC Champions League winners.
The announcement was made by the Pro League team’s club chairman, Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
He said the new signing reflected the “generous support” of Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, for the club and Argentinian coach Hernan Crespo in striving for the highest levels of success in all competitions.
“The aim is to attract the best players to strengthen the team’s formation so that the substitutes would be at the same level of the main players,” Sultan said.
“The first deal is the signing of Santos, which is an important step in strengthening the team’s defense … I trust the player’s ability to make a difference in the team’s system. Other new contracts will be announced soon.”
Winning the AFC Champions League 2023-24 title was the start of a new era for the club, he said.
“Al-Ain Club embodies the principle of applying actual professionalism, which is an approach to institutional work that will lead to a qualitative shift in sports management starting from the new season.
“Work in the company proceeds with a clear vision and confident strategic plans in preparation for the next season. Efforts are not limited to a specific aspect, but rather focus on the details related to the mechanism of the company’s system, which is indivisible and includes interest in a promising future for the club in creating football talents to strengthen the ranks and activate the concept of investment and increase resources.”
On reports that Laba Kodjo, Sofiane Rahimi and Alejandro Cacau are set to leave the team, Sultan said: “It is certain that Sofiane, Kako and Laba are the main pillars and the team’s preparation for the new season is based on them, but involving the name of the Asian champion in promoting some names at the regional level is normal due to the value of the club’s name and the great achievement it has recently achieved.
“Al-Ain FC works with a clear approach and there are technical plans and a well studied budget that has been allocated for contracts according to the team’s needs and not according to the requirements of promotion.”
Talking about the club’s fans, Sultan said they were ‘No. 1 player’ and one of the main reasons for its success.
“Working to achieve their ambitions and make them happy is the duty of the management,” he said.
Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz comes back to beat Frances Tiafoe in the third round
- Alcaraz avoided a surprising exit and got past Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2
- “It’s always a big challenge playing against Frances. As I’ve said many, many times, he’s a really talented player,” Alcaraz said
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz found himself pushed to a Grand Slam fifth set again, this time at Wimbledon, this time against good pal Frances Tiafoe. And as he usually does under such circumstances, no matter how much trouble he might have been in, Alcaraz surged to the finish.
Alcaraz avoided a surprising exit and got past Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Friday to reach Wimbledon’s fourth round in an entertaining match filled with moments of brilliance and a series of momentum swings across its 3 hours, 50 minutes.
“It’s always a big challenge playing against Frances. As I’ve said many, many times, he’s a really talented player. Really tough to face. And he showed it once again,” Alcaraz said. “It was really, really difficult for me to adapt my game, to find solutions, to try to put him in trouble. But really happy to do it at the end.”
In front of a Center Court crowd that included Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, and under a closed retractable roof that amplified the thuds of rackets-on-balls, grunts and cheers, the third-seeded Alcaraz was outplayed for stretches by No. 29 Tiafoe.
But Alcaraz was better at the business end and improved to 12-1 in his nascent career in fifth sets — including victories in the semifinals and final at the French Open after being down 2-1 in sets en route to the title there last month. Tiafoe fell to 6-13 in five-setters.
Tiafoe was unable to pull out what would have been a surprising victory for someone who arrived at Wimbledon with a sprained ligament in his right knee and a losing record this season.
Sure came close, though.
The 26-year-old American was two points away from getting the chance to serve for the win, getting to love-30 on Alcaraz’s serve at 4-all in the fourth set. But Alcaraz steadied himself and claimed the next four points, capped by an ace at 130 mph (210 kph).
He then dominated the ensuing tiebreaker, grabbing a 5-0 lead.
“I served (at) a lot of difficult moments during the fourth set. ... All I was thinking is: ‘OK, fight one more ball, one more ball.’ Thinking about the next point,” Alcaraz said. “And obviously in the tiebreak, I always tell myself that I have to go for it. If I lose it, I lose it, but I have to feel that I went for it all the time.”
The final set featured more one-way traffic. Tiafoe held in the opening game, but that was pretty much that. At 1-all, Alcaraz got the last break he would need by smacking a cross-court backhand passing shot that Tiafoe let fly by; the ball landed right at the baseline, spraying a bit of chalk.
Others into the fourth round with victories on a rainy day were reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff, French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, No. 19 Emma Navarro — the American who eliminated Naomi Osaka earlier in the week — and 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys in the women’s bracket, and No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 12 Tommy Paul in the men’s.
Gauff, who is seeded No. 2, will face Navarro in an all-American matchup for a quarterfinal berth.
Most of the attention Friday was on Alcaraz and Tiafoe, two known for providing a show. Alcaraz delivered on-the-run, back-to-the-net ‘tweeners and pointed to his ear to ask spectators for more noise; Tiafoe interacted with the fans, too, waving to them to get louder.
These two good-naturedly traded some mild trash talk when they found out they’d be facing each other, and they hugged and chatted at the net when it was over.
Tiafoe stopped playing during a match last month at the Queen’s Club event after hurting his knee, and was just 13-14 in 2024 before Wimbledon, with some of those losses coming against players he referred to as “clowns,” without naming names.
After Tiafoe, who wore a black sleeve on his right knee, slipped and went down to the ground a couple of times Friday, Alcaraz walked around the net to the other side of the court to check on him or offer a hand to help him get to his feet.
There were fewer of the sorts of lengthy, extended exchanges they engaged in at Flushing Meadows a little less than two years ago — when Alcaraz defeated Tiafoe in a five-setter in the US Open semifinals — mostly owing to the speedier grass that tends to end points quickly. Still, there was shared excellence aplenty, including a 22-stroke point that Alcaraz won to help lead 4-2 in the first set.
Tiafoe broke right back and soon owned that set. Alcaraz righted himself in the second. Then it was Tiafoe’s turn to play better in the third. And, ultimately, it was Alcaraz who emerged.
Now Alcaraz will continue to pursue a second consecutive title at the All England Club and his fourth Grand Slam trophy overall, including the recent triumph in Paris that made the 21-year-old Spaniard the youngest man to win a major championship on all three surfaces.
Berlin’s Turks stoked for Euros quarter-final ‘home game’
- “The atmosphere will be like a home game for us,” said Muhammet Ali Sevilmis
- With emotions expected to run high at the match, Berlin police have said they will deploy more officers, classifying Saturday’s quarter-final as a “high-risk game“
BERLIN: Members of Berlin’s large Turkish community have vowed to paint the town red when their team comes to the German capital to play the Netherlands in Euro 2024 on Saturday.
“The atmosphere will be like a home game for us,” said Muhammet Ali Sevilmis, 36, who runs a phone repair shop in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district.
There will be “mainly Turks in the stadium,” predicted Sevilmis, who himself forked out 500 euros ($540) for a ticket after Turkiye’s victory over Austria to reach the quarter-finals.
“For us Turks, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s 100 euros more or less. The main thing is that we’re in the stadium celebrating on the day,” he told AFP.
Sevilmis will be joined in Berlin’s Olympiastadion by Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish leader has announced his attendance amid a spiralling diplomatic row over an alleged ultra-nationalist hand sign made by Turkish defender Merih Demiral during his team’s win over Austria.
UEFA on Friday banned the player for two games over the hand gesture which it said flouted the “rules of decent conduct,” prompting fury from Ankara which blasted the decision as “unfair and biased.”
Turkiye had already been riled by Berlin’s condemnation of the hand gesture, with the Turkish foreign ministry calling it “xenophobia.”
Ambassadors of both countries were summoned in tit-for-tat moves as the episode once again laid bare the political tensions that often engulf Germany’s Turkish community.
With emotions expected to run high at the match, Berlin police have said they will deploy more officers, classifying Saturday’s quarter-final as a “high-risk game.”
But fans shrugged off the concerns, saying they are just looking forward to a nice party.
Berlin is home to the largest Turkish community outside of Turkiye, many of them the descendants of “guest workers” invited under a massive economic program in the 1960s and 70s.
Some 200,000 people with Turkish roots live in the city, or around six percent of the total population.
The Kreuzberg district in particular has become a hub for Turkish culture and restaurants serving the famous doner kebab.
Kavurma-Kofte, a small Turkish eatery with a terrace on one of the main streets running through the neighborhood, will be showing the match on a big screen on Saturday.
“It is special because many Turks live in Berlin and we will be the hosts,” said owner Kemal Salis, 64.
The restaurant is fully booked for Saturday, Salis said.
“We have not seen the Turkish team in such good form for a long time. It’s an atmosphere we have missed,” he said.
At Imren, another Turkish restaurant nearby, the excitement was tangible.
Ibrahim Filikci, 29, was still hoarse from celebrating the team’s win against Austria on Kurfuerstendamm, one of Berlin’s main shopping avenues where thousands of Turks gathered on Tuesday night.
Arrests were reported at a previous gathering on the street, but Filikci said the mood was peaceful.
“(The street) was completely blocked off. Police were there but everything was fine. No problems, no fights, everything was great,” he said.
Tahsin Yilmaz, 53, said he will be supporting both teams on Saturday, wearing half red and half orange, as his father worked in the Netherlands.
“I like the Netherlands and I want to party with them, drink with them, etc. The Dutch are very nice and friendly. You can have a nice time with them, dance and have fun,” he said.
Dutch fans have brought a lively atmosphere to the tournament, filling German cities with their bright orange shirts.
But Sevilmis believes they will be no match for the Turks in Berlin.
“We know the Oranje. It won’t be a competition. You’ll understand what I mean on the day,” he said.
Turks living in Germany have sometimes come under fire for their continued loyalty to the Turkish team, despite Germany fielding several players with Turkish roots — including captain Ilkay Gundogan.
Sevilmis, who was born in Berlin, pointed out that if all goes well for Turkiye, they could eventually face Germany in the final.
Would he still support Turkiye then?
“Of course.”
