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This week I wanted to look at England’s chances in India and give an early appraisal on their progress but being on holiday made it difficult to keep up to speed with the `goings on’ on the sub-continent. However, there is plenty time to reflect later.This has given me an appropriate time to talk a bit about our senior players at Gloucestershire CCC, the tremendous impact that they have made and why they are so invaluable to me. We often focus on the youth and the future stars and as I have mentioned in previous columns, I think we have this in abundance but for these guys to blossom and flourish, the quality of the senior structure needs to be spot on.I can enthuse about Jack Russell and Kim Barnett for ever because these two players are very special in their own right but, most importantly, they are special to me and to the ongoing progress of the club. You cannot separate Jack and Kim when it comes to playing standards. It is something we try to engender into our playing philosophy and two examples like Jack and Kim shows this off in practice. If you are cynical and are thinking that I love these guys because they make my job easier, I will forgive you because they do, but they also contribute a lot to the dynamics of the team.Jack is still `keeping’ as well as ever and when I watch international cricket, it confirms my suspicions that Jack is still rated in the top three in the world. He dominates most of our impressive fielding displays and there never is a moment that I can say `Jack is not quite with it today’. He represents the state that I want all Gloucestershire CCC players to be in and his presence on the field will help me achieve this.Equally, Kim’s presence is very reassuring. There are not many situations that Kim has not come across. His unique style works very well for him and although it might not work for other batsmen, it does encourage guys to explore and find a method that will suit them. There is nothing worse than trying to mould everyone into the same and I wholeheartedly support individual flair. I believe honed together with the right balance it will make us the most exciting team to watch. Winning is ultimately what you want to achieve but I think equally as important is entertaining. If we cannot win everything all the time, the next best thing is people walking away saying that they had a thoroughly enjoyable day.Although Jack and Kim are two glowing examples, I cannot ignore the role of Mike Smith and myself. Mike is very clinical when it comes to bowling and he leaves no stone unturned in his preparation for the season and, of course, for each match. Once again it may sound basic but a senior player showing that there are no short cuts is crucial. As for me, it is difficult for me to emphasize my role in glowing terms but my method is simply to lead from the front and being an all-rounder does help me to relate to all the disciplines required to perform at this level.Forgive me for repeating myself but we have a fantastic balance at the club with players of differing maturity coming together to form our strongest squad yet.

Hampshire born Billy Taylor “The one that got away” demolished the Hampshire batting with 7-39 to send the Second XI to an Innings defeat in the first match at the Hampshire Rose Bowl.Resuming overnight at 102-4, after rain had held up the match until mid-afternoon, Hampshire lost their last 6 wickets for a paltry 26 runs.The match watched over the four days by good crowds of 2-300, proved that Groundsman Nigel Gray’s hard efforts over four years passed the wicket test, with players umpires and officials all praising his efforts.Hampshire next test is when Hampshire 2ndXI take on their Glamorgan counterparts on 23-23 June, at the main cricket oval. Although the pavilion and cricket academy is still being built, the teams will use the nursery pavilion to change and a marquee will be set up for scorers and players.

Rangers are enjoying a fine season so far under Gio van Bronckhorst as the Ibrox club remain in contention to win three trophies between now and the end of the campaign.

The Gers are three points behind their arch-rivals at the top of the Premiership and face them in their next league outing, which means that they have the chance to draw level with them heading into the final few weeks of the campaign.

The Gers are also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, with a number of players in the squad consistently delivering across multiple competitions.

Forget Morelos

Whilst Alfredo Morelos has been banging in the goals and showing that he can find the net on a regular basis domestically and in Europe, one man has been unplayable for Van Bronckhorst – and also Steven Gerrard earlier in the 2021/22 campaign – and that is Ryan Kent.

The ex-Liverpool winger has been phenomenal and is crucial to the club’s hopes of lifting silverware this year, having proven himself to be an exceptional attacking talent.

Speaking on Sky Sports, via the Daily Record, one of the channel’s social media pundits – Specs Gonzalez – dubbed him the “Kylian Mbappe of Scottish football” as he tipped the 25-year-old to be called up by England this month.

Kent may not be on the same level as the France and PSG star in terms of quality, but their style of play is similar in the sense that they are both right-footed forwards who typically play off the left but can also be deployed down the middle whilst possessing lightning-quick pace.

Whilst he may not be scoring in World Cup finals and firing in hat-tricks at the Nou Camp like Mbappe, Kent has nonetheless been setting the pitch alight for the Gers in the Premiership and Europa League.

As shown in the graphic above, Kent has delivered superb statistics across both competitions – via SofaScore and Transfermarkt – and has been, in the recent words of Andrew Dickson, “completely unplayable” for the Gers.

The Englishman has produced three goals and a whopping 13 assists across the two competitions, averaging a direct goal contribution just over once every two matches. Kent has also averaged SofaScore ratings of 7.16 and 7.00 in the Premiership and Europa League respectively, showing that he has been consistently delivering with his overall performances.

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He is a constant threat to the opposition with his trickery on the wing, forcing defences to drop deeper in fear of him. Defenders move back five or 10 yards to give him less room in which to work, as otherwise they could be done for pace on the outside and leave him with acres of grass to get a delivery into the box, or to cut inside and shoot with either foot to score himself.

However, he has still been able to work his magic with an excellent record of assists in Europe and the Premiership, showing that he is just unplayable at his best for Van Bronckhorst’s side.

AND in other news, Wilson had a Rangers disaster on 6 foot 4 “monster” who’s “one of the best in the country”

Bermuda have announced their squad for the Under-19 World Cup which kicks off in Malaysia in February. Fifteen players will have further training in India at the end of January, while one extra, Kevon Fubler, will remain on the island on standby.Rodney Trott will captain a side which includes Malachi Jones, who played for the national team in last year’s World Cup. Jones is vice-captain. Another member of the World Cup squad, Stefan Kelly, is also in the 16 for Malaysia.Squad Rodney Trott (capt), Malachi Jones, Chris Douglas,Kyle Hodsoll, Stefan Kelly, Tamuari Tucker, Regino Smith, Jordan DeSilva,Gregory Maybury, Jr, Lamar Richardson, Deunte Darrell, Dennico Hollis,Pierre Smith, Tre Govia, Terryn Fray. Standby: Kevon Fubler.

Andy Flower during his black-armband protest in 2003 © Getty Images

Andy Flower, the former Zimbabwe captain whose black-armband protest was one of the most memorable images of the 2003 World Cup, has called on sporting authorities to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe following the brutal police attacks on members of the opposition, including their leader Morgan Tsvangirai.”People have been killed and tortured in Zimbabwe,” Flower told The Daily Telegraph. “But when you see how badly the leader of the official opposition has been beaten, it shows just how out of touch with the reality the government, the Zanu PF thugs, are. They will do anything to stay in power. Robert Mugabe has never changed since he took over in the early 1980s.”Flower, along with team-mate Henry Olonga, chose Zimbabwe’s opening match in the 2003 tournament, played in Harare, to make their own silent protest against what they described as the “death of democracy”. Both subsequently left Zimbabwe and now live in England.”The protest I made four years ago was a personal decision,” he said. “You can question whether it is appropriate for players to be representing their country in an international tournament at this time. But I can understand why they want to play international cricket and to make the best of their opportunities.”Maybe some sort of sporting sanctions or other sanctions would be a more powerful tool in bringing pressure to bear on the government rather than expecting a team of cricketers, most of them 20 to 23 years-old, to be making those sort of decisions.”

Richard Kelly disputes the decision … and picks up a fine © The Nation

Richard Kelly’s open show of disapproval to his dismissal on the second day of the first unofficial Test between West Indies A and England A has hit him in the pocket.The allrounder was fined 10% of his match fee by match referee Hudson Knight for showing dissent. The fine was imposed following a hearing on Monday morning that was also attended by West Indies A manager Derrick Nicholas, the West Indies Cricket Board’s cricket operations officer.When Kelly was given out by umpire Clancy Mack to a catch at slip off offspinner Gareth Batty, he reacted with disappointment and gave the impression the ball came from the pad.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ian Bell: a marathon, chanceless 128 not out on the first day in Colombo© CricInfo

Ian Bell dominated the opening day of England A’s unofficial two-Test seriesagainst Sri Lanka A with a chanceless 128 not out, a marathon innings thatwas characteristically workmanlike and patient on what was a baking hot day at the Colombo Cricket Club, leading his team to 272 for 4 at stumps.Bell, England A’s captain, added 116 in the first half of the day withAlastair Cook (63) and then 117 during the afternoon with Owais Shah (52),blunting a Sri Lankan bowling attack weakened by a spate of injuries duringthe last couple of weeks and frustrated by a hard, flat batting pitch.Nandika Ranjith, a 30-year-old left-armer, was the most successful bowler on a generally unsuccessful day for bowlers. He found the outside edge of Michael Powell (7) with the new ball and then returned after lunch to trap Cook lbw. But Mohamed Suraj, a young offspinner, was the most threatening bowler.Sri Lanka’s spinners, Suraj and Malinga Bandara, a legspinner that has pulledhimself back into international contention, pulled back some of England’sinitiative just before the close with two quick wickets. Shah was trappedlbw playing across a straighter ball and Rikki Clarke (4) was snapped up atforward short leg.The England A squad arrived in Colombo on the weekend after cruising to a4-0 series win against the UAE in Sharjah. They had expected a sternerexamination in Sri Lanka, but thus far they’ve continued their successfulrun.

Ricky Ponting’s magnificent double-century was remarkable not just for the sheer number of runs he scored, but also for his complete mastery over the Indian bowlers. Unlike his 242 at Adelaide, which came off a mere 352 balls, this innings was crafted over a longer period – 458 balls – but was an equally commanding performance.What stood out was his impeccable footwork: not once in the entire innings was he caught on the crease. Ponting also adapted superbly to the slowish pitch: he was circumspect on the front foot, a wise move considering the fact that some deliveries stopped on the batsmen, but was devastating whenever he rocked back. A strike-rate of 1.5 runs per over when playing forward, and 5.4 when playing back, tells the story. It wasn’t as if the Indians offered him too many short balls either: there were just 12 of them, while another 43 pitched just short of good length. However, Ponting was good enough to convert many of the 342 good-length balls he received into short ones by his excellent footwork.

Ponting’sflawless footwork
	Balls	Runs	Strikerate (Runs per over)
Front foot	249	62	1.5
Back foot	196	177	5.4
Steppedout	13	18	8.3
Minimalfootwork	0	0	0

He did offer a chance early on the third morning, but that was one of very few false strokes that he played. Of the 458 balls he faced, he was in control of 398 of them – that’s nearly 87%. The bowler who troubled him the most was Anil Kumble, against whom his in-control percent was a relatively lower 81%.In sharp contrast to Ponting’s commanding batting display was the scratchy effort by Steve Waugh, who was twice reprieved by the umpires and yet managed just 19 from 69 balls. He was troubled by Kumble as well, managing an in-control percent of 72% against him, but the bowler who had him all at sea was Sachin Tendulkar: of the 10 balls he faced, Waugh failed to read six of them, including a googly which he shouldered arms to and was rapped plumb in front.

Captain-electv Captain
	Totalin-control %	In-control% against Tendulkar
Ponting	86.9	94.7
Waugh	72.5	40

The fluctuating fortunes in the India-­England one-day series have notonly covered up for some mediocre cricket but have also brought backmemories of the limited overs contest between the two countries held onthe previous tour nine years ago. That too was a six-match series, andat the halfway mark England led 2-1. They went on to increase the leadby winning the fourth game before India fought back to win the last twogames and level the series 3-3.

The young wicketkeeper is a bundle of energy and hasalways been in the thick of action. His work behind the stumps has beenexemplary and he is always goading the bowlers and other teammatesalong. He is no rabbit with the bat too and has verily proved to be afind. He has certainly lived up to the promise he held out while keepingfor the victorious under-19 team in Sri Lanka two years ago and it is tobe hoped that the selectors will persist with him.

At the halfway mark this time, the situation is reversed with Indialeading 2-1 but if the three games have proved anything, it is thatthere is not much to choose between the teams and one cannot discount aclose series this time too.The contestants have had both moments to savour and disappointments.India have stuck to their plan of playing six batsmen and four bowlers.Actually, in the absence of a genuine all rounder, they have few otheroptions. But it is good to see Ajit Agarkar finally come good. The slimutility player from Bombay has had his critics who feel that he has hadmore than his faire share of opportunities. That he is talented, no onewill deny. But he has not done his admirable gifts much justice. He hasall the qualities to make him a genuine all rounder in one day cricket ­he certainly cannot command a place in the Test side ­ and his formparticularly with the ball but also to some extent with the bat has seento it that India stays ahead at the halfway mark in the series.Another plus point from India’s viewpoint is the encouraging showing ofAjay Ratra. The young wicketkeeper is a bundle of energy and has alwaysbeen in the thick of action. His work behind the stumps has beenexemplary and he is always goading the bowlers and other teammatesalong. He is no rabbit with the bat too and has verily proved to be afind. He has certainly lived up to the promise he held out while keepingfor the victorious under-19 team in Sri Lanka two years ago and it is tobe hoped that the selectors will persist with him. Certainly the unhappyscenario of the last couple of years when the selectors tried out half adozen stumpers should not be repeated. India has found an able youngkeeper and Ratra should be encouraged.Sourav Ganguly’s injury was a blessing in disguise. His withdrawalproved two things ­ that there is a readymade opening pair in Tendulkarand Sehwag should Ganguly the batsman be unavailable. and also thatthere is excellent leadership material in Anil Kumble should Ganguly thecaptain have to drop out for any reason. Ganguly has been woefully outof touch and even though he would have been disappointed at missing outon a vital encounter, perhaps the enforced rest will do him a world ofgood and he could even recover his form. In the meantime, Sehwag showed,not for the first time, that he can be a match for Ganguly in strokeplay and run production. And Kumble proved that he has the qualities tolead the country ­ perhaps even on a long-term basis. He has probablynot been given enough credit for Karnataka’s excellent record in theRanji Trophy under his captaincy. There was something refreshinglydifferent about his approach at Chennai on Friday.If there have been disappointments from the Indian viewpoint, it is thatthe batting and bowling lacks consistency. England has wasted no time inexploiting the chinks in the Indian armour and they may well do so againbefore the series is over. But then India can take heart from the factthat consistency has not been England’s forte too. There are certaininherent weakness in their batting and bowling and this probably costthem victory in the first game. Batting without a sense of purpose anddirection saw them lose the third match rather tamely but it was areally fine performance that saw them clinch the Cuttack tie. However,they are over dependent on two or three batsmen and a couple of bowlersand that is not the kind of situation an international team should findthemselves in.

A typically belligerent knock of 88 in as many balls from Vinod Kamblilifted Mumbai to a total of 247 on the first day of their Group ASuper League clash against Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla today. Mumbaistruck back to take three quick wickets as Delhi limped to 49/3 atstumps.After Mumbai won the toss and batted, openers Amol Rane and AmitPagnis added 47 in 18 overs before both perished in the space of threeballs. Jatin Paranjpe fell cheaply to give Amit Bhandari his secondwicket but Kambli and Amol Muzumdar launched a swift relief operationwith a 99 run stand in just 19 overs. But with the score at 154,Ashish Nehra delivered a double blow. He first induced a tickle fromMuzumdar(36) to give wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya his third catch of theinnings following which Mumbai captain Samir Dighe walked in and outfor a three ball duck.After Kambli and Sairaj Bahutule had put on 49 for the 6th wicket,Virender Shewag ended Kambli’s fireworks by trapping him legbefore. Kambli’s innings was studded with 16 fours and took his Ranjiaggregate this season to 424 runs at 70.67. The Mumbai tail wascleaned up before long with Bhandari’s 3-69 being the best bowlingfigures for Delhi.The Delhi reply began calamitously as Abey Kuruvilla and SantoshSaxena fired out three men with just 16 on the board. Saxena, who hadtaken just four wickets in his four previous matches this season,rattled the stumps of Devinder Sharma and Mithun Manhas (both forducks) in the space of three balls. Ashu Dani and Virender Shewagcarried the score to 49 without any further inroads.