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Barcelona were dealt a major injury blow just days before the start of their 2025-26 campaign as star striker Robert Lewandowski picked up an injury that was expected to keep him out for three weeks. However, a new report claims that Lewandowski is set to return much sooner than expected.

Big injury boost for BarcelonaLewandowski set to return from injuryUnlikely to start against LevanteFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Lewandowski will be available to take the field for Barcelona against Levante in their next La Liga clash. The striker will rejoin training at the start of next week and Barcelona's medical team will analyse his condition before giving their verdict on Friday, a day before the Levante clash. 

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The report, though, also claims that Lewandowski might not start despite being fit to be included in the Blaugrana's matchday squad. Ferran Torres, who contributed with a goal in the club's 3-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday in their La Liga season opener, is likely to start as the team's No.9 once again against Levante. 

DID YOU KNOW?

With Torres in form and Marcus Rashford in the squad, Lewandowski has work to do to win back favour in the 2025-26 campaign as Hansi Flick's squad now boasts even greater attacking depth. Lewandowski scored 42 goals across all competitions last season.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Flick's men will aim to register their second consecutive La Liga win on Saturday against Levante. Barca will then turn their attention to a trip to Rayo Vallecano on August 31.

Gavi is super confident about his team-mate Lamine Yamal ending his career with many Ballons d'Or, emphasising that he's improving every day.

• Gavi backs Yamal to win 'many' Ballons d'Or
• Not too worried if Yamal loses out on the award this year
• Noted that youngster keeps improving every day

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona midfielder Gavi has absolutely no qualms about Yamal lifting "many" Ballons d'Or in the future, asserting that the young winger will not be bogged down if he loses out on the prestigious individual accolade this year, thanks to his mentality.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Yamal had a breathtaking 2024-25 campaign and transcended into one of the best players in the world, helping the Catalans win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. He was simply unstoppable in the latter stages of the Champions League, too, although he couldn't prevent his side from losing to Inter in the semi-final. All in all, Yamal scored 21 goals and delivered 25 assists for both club and country, staking his claim as one of the favourites for this year's Ballon d'Or.

• WHAT GAVI SAID

  Speaking to , Gavi said: "I hope he wins. If he doesn't this year, he's 18 and very young. Being among the favourites is something unique. I'm happy with what he's doing with us.

  "He's an incredible player. He's getting better every day. He's amazing in training. He has to keep going like this, with that mentality, and I'm sure that if he doesn't win the Ballon d'Or this year, he'll win many in the future."

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Barcelona will play their final pre-season game of the Asia tour on August 4 against Daegu FC. Then, they will return to Spain and face Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy game, before kicking off their La Liga campaign away at Mallorca on August 16.

da esport bet： One of Europe’s biggest clubs are reportedly open to the idea of selling a “world-class” player to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

Amorim coy over Man Utd's summer business

da roleta： The Red Devils endured a pitiful 2024/25 campaign by their standards, with the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham the last nail in the coffin.

Ruben Amorim will know the importance of nailing his first summer in charge of United, both in terms of signings and training ground work, but the Portuguese has spoken cautiously about the amount of transfer business that can be done.

“You know better than me that we have rules with FFP. We can’t change that in this year. We need to do something in the summer. We have a plan and we are doing that in a while. We also have a preseason to improve the players we have.”

It looks as though United are trying to be bold in the market, with Matheus Cunha already arriving from Wolves, and the likes of Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike also among the leading targets ahead of next season. Now, another player with a big reputation has been mentioned as an option.

Man Utd boosted in efforts to sign "world-class" ace

According to Give Me Sport, Juventus are “open” to selling Douglas Luiz to Manchester United this summer, with a “cut-price” deal mooted. A loan move away from the Serie A giants is also mentioned in the report, with the Brazilian midfielder not believed to be part of their future plans, in a possible boost for Amorim.

Added quality is needed in United’s midfield this summer, with Casemiro no longer the force of old and Christian Eriksen’s time at the club now officially over. Kobbie Mainoo is a great prospect, but he is still learning his trade, while the likes of Manuel Ugarte and Mason Mount are good players, but haven’t wholly convinced at Old Trafford to date.

In Luiz, United could have a great choice to strengthen their options in the middle of the park, having been hailed as “world-class” by former Aston Villa teammate John McGinn in the past.

The Brazilian has proven that he can shine in the Premier League, making 175 appearances in the competition and chipping in with 38 goal contributions (20 goals and 18 assists).

Luiz possesses box-to-box quality, offering defensive quality but also class going forward, and at 27, he is at a good age to come in and hit the ground running from minute one.

Related He's better than Cunha: Man Utd in talks to sign £40m Ekitike alternative

Manchester United appear to be making moves to land a star who could sign ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Jun 13, 2025

A permanent deal would be better than a loan move, although the benefit of the latter is that he could be moved on easily next summer if the move simply didn’t work out.

Champions make plans for title defence amid likely England call-ups in seam department

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2024Surrey have shored up their bowling stocks in anticipation of a heavy international workload for their seamers in 2025, by signing Matthew Fisher from Yorkshire.Fisher, 27 next month, has played one Test to date, on England’s tour of the Caribbean in 2022, after which he was awarded an ECB pace bowling development contract. He confirmed his enduring qualities by claiming 18 wickets in three games last month, to help Yorkshire secure promotion to Division One of the Vitality County Championship.To date, Fisher has claimed 144 first-class wickets at 26.58, including a best of 5 for 30 against Derbyshire in 2023. He is also a useful lower-order batter, with a career-best of 88 against Leicestershire.His move comes in the wake of Conor McKerr’s recent departure to Nottinghamshire, and with Surrey having secured their third consecutive County Championship title, despite a glut of England call-ups testing the renowned depth of their squad.In 2025, Surrey can once again expect to be without Gus Atkinson for significant portions of the season, while Sam Curran, Jamie Overton and Reece Topley are likely to be absent on England white-ball duty at key periods of the campaign.What’s more, Surrey’s Australia-born seamer Dan Worrall – arguably the player of the season with 52 wickets at 16.15 – will next year be qualified to play for England, and even at the age of 33, he may come into consideration by the national selectors.”I’ve always looked to strengthen our squad straight after we’ve won the Championship,” Alec Stewart, Surrey’s outgoing director of cricket, said. “So bringing in a player of Matt’s ability and experience made perfect sense. With Conor McKerr leaving the club and the expected England call-ups next summer, it’s important we maintain a quality bowling group.”I actually first met Matt when he was 15, on a visit to his Yorkshire secondary school on behalf of a cricket sponsor and have followed his career from afar ever since. I now look forward to welcoming him to the Kia Oval and watching him perform well for Surrey CCC.”Fisher added: “I’m both excited and honoured to have signed for Surrey. I’ve watched the recent successes of the squad with huge admiration and I hope to contribute to more success in the coming years.”I’m also looking forward to working with some of the best players and coaches in the game.”

da imperador bet： Arsenal are widely believed to have all but signed Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, amid credible reports that they’ve scheduled a medical for the Spain international, but the move appears to be a bit more complex.

Arsenal reportedly set to sign Martin Zubimendi after months of talks

da apostaganha： The Mail first shared news of Arsenal’s talks for Zubimendi all the way back in January, following efforts from ex-directors Edu Gaspar and Jason Ayto to strike a pre-summer deal.

Related "True" – Fabrizio Romano backs reports as Arsenal target £126m striker

The north Londoners are in fact interested.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini May 29, 2025

Negotiations have been ongoing ever since, and trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano actually gave his famous ‘here we go’ to the deal way back on May 10.

Now, the BBC and other reliable media outlets share that Zubimendi is set for an imminent medical at Arsenal – strongly suggesting that the player will become Andrea Berta’s first signing as sporting director, bar a complete disaster.

However, Spanish media are beginning to state that his potential transfer isn’t quite so cut and dry.

News outlet Diario Vasco started by saying Zubimendi’s arrival could be delayed until July, mainly so Arsenal and Sociedad can register the transfer on their books as part of the next financial year, and not for 2024/2025.

COPE, meanwhile, claim to have contacted the midfielder’s entourage for clarity over his medical, and they apparently insist that one hasn’t been scheduled.

Zubimendi himself uploaded a photo of himself at Zurriola beach earlier this week too, which is in Spain’s Basque Country, suggesting he isn’t on a plane to London – at least for now.

Real Sociedad speaks out on Martin Zubimendi exit amid Arsenal claims

Speaking to El Desmarque, Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has now spoken out in regards to reports that Zubimendi is on the verge of joining Arsenal.

The La Liga chief heavily implied Zubimendi’s exit is by no means a done deal, and he sent a subtle message to the Spain star about remaining at his boyhood club.

“We’ve told Martin to go to the national team calmly, to think about it, and we’d like him to stay,” said Aperribay.

“We know there are several options. Something may come to fruition or not. I don’t see it happening in the short term. We don’t see it that way, so we have to wait and see.”

Given the sheer number of reliable media sources who’ve reiterated that Zubimendi appears set to become an Arsenal player, this statement from the Sociedad chief hints that Mikel Arteta’s side could still have work to do.

Zubimendi agreed to join Liverpool last summer before changing his mind at the last minute, so Gunners supporters will certainly be keeping this in mind before celebrating his capture.

Arteta will be praying that his signing does come to fruition, given Zubimendi’s glowing reputation and Arsenal’s need to replace the exit-bound Jorginho.

Aston Villa need to win both their remaining Premier League fixtures to seal a return to the Champions League next season.

This is the aim for Unai Emery, especially as a seat at the top table will allow him to sign better quality players for the club this summer.

It promises to be another exciting transfer window at Villa Park. Will there be any major sales in the coming months? And just what type of player can the manager bring to Villa?

Aston Villa looking to sign Premier League youngster

With Villa now confirmed a place in Europe for next season, perhaps they may just be able to entice Kevin De Bruyne to move to the Midlands.

Indeed, reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Villans have held internal talks over whether to make a move for the legendary Belgian. Should they not do so, then perhaps this player could be a fine alternative.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Caught Offside, Aston Villa are one of the leading top-flight clubs that are plotting a move for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott this summer.

Arne Slot may part ways with the Englishman this summer, who has made just 15 appearances in the top flight for the club this term.

He could be available for a fee of between £40m and £50m, which should be affordable for Villa following their exploits in Europe this season.

Wolves, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Bournemouth are all closely monitoring his progress ahead of the transfer window opening, indicating Villa have plenty of competition.

It would be a smart move to bring him to the Midlands, especially as Elliott has yet to hit his peak years as a player.

Why Harvey Elliott could be Jack Grealish 2.0 for Aston Villa

Grealish is arguably the finest academy talent the club have produced in their modern history. He went on to make over 200 appearances for the club before sealing a £100m move to Manchester City in the summer of 2021.

He may have won plenty of trophies at City, but Grealish’s career has certainly stagnated after an underwhelming season under Pep Guardiola.

Like Grealish was, Elliott is a prodigal young English talent who has the capability to go far in the game.

The 22-year-old is fluid across a range of positions, being able to perform well either on the right wing or in a slightly deeper role at the heart of the midfield.

As such, his output in front of goal isn’t as impressive as Grealish – who tends to operate on the left flank – but Elliott does offer a lot of qualities.

Goals

0

Assists

1

Big chances created

1

Total duels won

0.5

Successful dribbles per game

0.2

Shots per game

0.9

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, the youngster ranks in the top 1% for shot-creating actions and touches in the opposition penalty area per 90.

Furthermore, he also ranks in the top 4% for progressive passes and carries, suggesting that he loves to bring the ball forward from deep into the final third, just as Grealish did so well at his boyhood club.

It is perhaps no wonder he was dubbed “phenomenal” by journalist David Lynch last season and while things may not have gone his way during the current term, he will end up with another Premier League medal for his efforts.

A fresh start is what he requires to take the next step in his career. Emery might well be the ideal manager for the job.

Aston Villa struck gold on "unstoppable" star whose value has risen £75m

Aston Villa could soon sell on this star for way more than his original price.

1 ByKelan Sarson May 12, 2025

Manchester United are still yet to determine their fate ahead of next season, but may now have a surprise proposal to consider at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim, per reports.

Man Utd's transfer business hinges on Europa League outcome

Nerves are slowly starting to kick in as the Red Devils prepare for their two-legged Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club, a competition that remains their only viable route to Champions League qualification.

Ruben Amorim wasn’t dealt the best hand at Old Trafford after replacing Erik ten Hag and will be given an extended grace period to piece together a squad of his own making. Still, Manchester United have hardly been convincing on Premier League duty.

Ultimately, the importance of the Portuguese boss bringing Europa League silverware back to English shores cannot be understated, especially considering the finances involved.

As a reward for such an achievement, Manchester United could launch a significant bid to sign Southampton’s Tyler Dibling to offer a new dimension between midfield and attack.

However, without the £85.8 million prize pot on offer for winning the Europa League and subsequently qualifying for the Champions League, there may be limited scope for big-money deals to take place.

6 players Manchester United should sign this summer

United are in need of a revamp in the summer.

2 ByBarney Lane Feb 4, 2025

Taking PSR regulations into account, selling one or two star assets could be a scenario the Red Devils will have to consider to ensure their books remain in check.

Manchester United could sell Rasmus Hojlund to kickstart a chain of movement in both directions, though he is unlikely to be the only one at risk of being let go to breathe new life into the club.

Now, Amorim may have another proposal to consider once the summer window opens for business, per recent developments.

Andre Onana in major talks to leave Man Utd for Saudi Arabia

According to Foot Mercato, Saudi club Neom SC have started major discussions over a move for Andre Onana and the Cameroon international is open to leaving Old Trafford for a new challenge in the Gulf region.

Earning over £6 million a year at Old Trafford, the former Inter Milan stopper is said to be ‘unsettled’ in his current surroundings, which isn’t a major surprise when taking into account his patchy form this term.

Andre Onana’s patchy Man Utd form this season – Premier League (26/04/25)

Save percentage

67.7%

Goals conceded

42

Clean sheets

9

Penalty saves

1

Pass accuracy

70.2%

High claims

21

In turn, Manchester United are close to signing Freddie Woodman on a free transfer from Preston North End to populate their goalkeeping pool of talent.

Admittedly, the former England Under-21 international is likely to be brought in to strengthen their homegrown quota, but it may be a sign of changes to come between the sticks as Amorim searches for added security.

Onana is evidently a talented stopper and has enjoyed plenty of highs alongside the lows he has experienced at Old Trafford. Still, it feels like a clean break could be best for all parties.

AC Milan are close to signing Torino’s Samuele Ricci after Milan negotiated a discount by getting Torino to lower their asking price for the midfielder.

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Milan close to signing RicciTorino's dropped asking price from €33mRicci part of a midfield rebuildFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Torino initially demanded €33 million (£28m/$38m) for the midfielder, but Milan director Igli Tare has managed to negotiate a deal worth €25m (£21m/$29) including bonuses, according to

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Milan have had an agreement with Ricci since January and only needed to agree a fee with his club. Ricci’s signing could be the beginning of a midfield rebuild that coach Massimilliano Allegri and director Tare have in mind after the sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ricci was reportedly targeted by City as a possible replacement for Rodri following the Ballon d'Or winner's injury. The 23-year-old revealed his admiration for the Spanish midfielder, admitting he studies videos of him.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RICCI AND MILAN ?

With the deal at an advanced stage, Allegri will hope that he can have Ricci join the pre-season training on July 7. He will join Luka Modric who will join Milan as a free agent after his Club World Cup duties with Real Madrid. Milan will hope to complete more signings before the aforementioned date with negotiations for Granit Xhaka, Ardon Jashari and Javi Guerra in progress.

Pat Cummins vs Mitchell Starc. INR INR 20.50 crore vs INR 24.75 crore. Hardly a rivalry, even if it’s been talked up ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) game at Eden Gardens on Saturday. For Cummins, it’s only going to be “weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout”.”I will say this: hopefully I don’t have to face Starc because that means our batters have done quite well,” Cummins said at a press conference a day off from the game. “It’s funny… it’s one of the beauties of the IPL; I have been playing with Starcy for 15 years, [and] I can’t remember another game where I have played against him. Also it’s going to be weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout.”But there’s that big salary to live up to. “Yeah, being an opposition captain, seeing how we go about playing him will be an interesting part of tomorrow. But we’re both bowlers, so I am not sure we’ll cross [paths] too much.”Related

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Cummins, as has been discussed ever since he was named SRH captain for the 2024 IPL season, has never captained a T20 side at a competitive level despite being Australia’s Test and ODI captain and playing international cricket – all formats – since 2011. A fast-bowling captain at that.”Really excited, good to go,” Cummins said while acknowledging his lack of experience helming a T20 side.”It’s got its challenges,” he elaborated. “In that you play 14 games in six-seven weeks, plus finals. I’m used to playing a lot of Test cricket, so four overs isn’t as taxing on your body. But it can be mentally taxing, the travel, obviously a different country, play a new team every few days you have to prepare for… But it’s nothing new, we’ve done it before. Obviously, the game day is most important. That’s what we put most days into. No teams play the same XI for all 14 games. I am sure we’ve got to call on our squad and we’re lucky we’ve got a young, fit squad.”I think it’s been a part of the IPL, you have expectations, you have a lot of fans who demand a lot out of the team, they want results. Yeah, being captain is probably a little bit more [of responsibility]. But it’s not much different to what we’re used to as players. We’ll give it our best.”As for the players who don’t get many chances, Cummins has a simple message: “You want a bit of people rivalry, you know, a bit of rivalry when people try to break into the XI.”At SRH, Cummins will have for company Travis Head, who he leads in Tests and ODIs, but it’s going to be very different from leading Australia, who he has captained to world titles in both those formats.”The biggest difference is that you know your team-mates really well playing for Australia. There’s a lot of things doesn’t need to be said, because I have played with Joshie Hazlewood and Starc for 15 years. So there’s a real kind of trust and you just don’t really need to say much, everything kind of runs by itself,” Cummins said. “I think here, learning [about] some new players, that’s going to be the biggest difference, and just learning those different roles within the team. I know a few of the other guys, obviously, and have done a bit of homework to try and get the best out of the guys. But that’s probably going to be the biggest difference.”Washington Sundar adds depth to the SRH batting while also bowling his quota of overs•Associated Press

Are SRH light on the spin-bowling front?

There is Wanindu Hasaranga in the ranks, but that takes away an overseas slot and leaves just two, with Cummins as captain a starter. Outside of Hasaranga, SRH’s best spin options are Washington Sundar and Mayank Markande. Both solid performers at the IPL over the years, but not quite names that would strike fear in opponents.”Whilst not having any huge names that have played a lot of cricket for India, I’ve been really impressed with the guys we do have,” Cummins said. “Washington, who can bat in the top seven but also give handy overs. Markande as well, who’s had some success as well. So I feel like we’ve got that covered. We’ve also got guys like Aiden Markram and Travis Head, who can chip in if we need to as well. So feels like there’s a bit of quality there and if it’s a spinning wicket, we’ve got plenty of guys who can bowl.”Which might be the case at Eden Gardens, which Cummins knows well, having turned out for KKR in the past. His great 14-ball half-century, however, didn’t come in Kolkata, but in Pune, against Mumbai Indians, though Cummins would like to give it another heave on Saturday.”Maybe, I’d love to. It’s great fun. It’s much more fun than trying to block and hang around and cop a few on the body,” he said. “So yeah, I look forward to that, especially the IPL, I’ve got a few runs over the years… I’ve been hit for a lot of sixes in my life, so I’ll try to get a few back.”

Five fast bowlers, three explosive hitters, three striking young batsmen, a captain who can do anything: a beguiling prospect for fans, a terrifying one for a shaken South Africa

Sharda Ugra in Southampton09-Jun-2019Within the space of one match against Pakistan, West Indies have made everyone forget about how they had to scrap and qualify for the World Cup. Inside two matches, after having Australia at 79 for 5, they had a generation of cricket fans swooning, reminded of their 16-year-old selves. On the eve of their third World Cup game, at Southampton against a struggling South Africa, West Indies are to the romantic acquiring the status of a squad of superheroes, cricket’s Avengers back and ready to seize the game from the superbats – sorry, superbots – who rule the cricket world.It gets richer: when South Africa hosted its World Cup in 2003, their campaign was upended in the very first match by West Indies, who won by three runs. Between the 2015 World Cup and now, South Africa have only faced West Indies three times in ODIs, during a tri-series also involving Australia, winning once and losing twice (with AB de Villiers in the side, in case you wondered). So their encounters with the new West Indies have been minimal. The road leading up to the Hampshire Bowl is called the Marshall Drive, after the county’s two great Barbados-born Marshalls: opening batsman Roy, and a slightly more famous fast bowler who took 1065 wickets for the county across all competitions (and just, by the way, 533 for West Indies.)The two teams did face each other in a rain-affected World Cup warm-up match in Bristol, South Africa rattling along to 95 for no loss in 12.4 overs. But that was before everything – before the AB bombshell, before injuries to Ngidi and Steyn, before Amla ran into a fog. The West Indians have gone in the other direction, leaving South Africa coach Ottis Gibson reminding the world on Saturday that West Indies “are dangerous in World Cups.”The truth is that between the last World Cup and this one, West Indies didn’t win too much. They won just 19 out of 67 ODIs, didn’t win an ODI series – coming closest with a 2-2 draw at home against England in February – and lost the World Cup Qualifier final to Afghanistan. Only Sri Lanka have lost more.And yet, West Indies stride the World Cup with aura reburnished. This has come from two reasons – the first, that West Indies have been seen and heard of as winning in other formats – the 2016 World T20 in India, a home Test series against England, and making three other tournament finals in the time (even if those have spelt defeats to Australia, Afghanistan and, most recently, to Bangladesh.) In World Cups, it must be said that even though West Indies last won the title in 1979 and made the semi-finals in 1996, they’re ahead of Pakistan and Sri Lanka and South Africa in match victories, 42 out of 73.Gibson reminded the world, “West Indies teams have always been dangerous and this one is no different. They have a lot of players in there that can win matches, they have always had match-winners.” It is the manner in which they are setting up the winning that has the world sit up, “They are going to go on an all-out and they have decided with the team they have set up.” It is simple. When they bowl, it’s five fast bowlers and bam. When they bat, a trio of the game’s most explosive hitters is shuffled around three striking young batsmen and a captain who can do anything. How do you not get beguiled and hypnotised by the idea of this kind of West Indies?Shai Hope smashes one on the leg side•Getty ImagesWest Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick has seen all sides: a first-class cricketer from 1982 to 1990, half-brother to Sylvester Clarke, and now working with a team trying to respectfully set aside an enormous heritage and create their own. “We can’t keep looking back. We have to respect the past, you know. Our great bowlers of the past obviously they are very important in our history. But what we’ve got now, this group of bowlers now, they have got to find their own identity. They have got to find their own way.”It will be both daunting and inspirational for the West Indians to travel around this country during the World Cup, where the very ground has been touched by the greatness of their predecessors. The Marshall Drive will remind them of it, as will the sight of Bishop or Holding turning up for commentary, or Garner, Robers and Croft dropping by to watch.On the Monday, Estwick knows will not be about sentiment or aura or presence or history, it will be about the boring stuff. “What we must do is play the one-percenters a bit better… It’s [defeat to Australia] nothing to do with the bowlers. We are all in it together. We are not going to single out the bowlers and say the bowlers did a poor job, or the batsmen did a poor job, it is a team. If you are looking for excuses in the cricket game, you can find it wherever you look.”He refused to grumble about the umpiring in Nottingham. “It is history. We can’t do anything about it. You can’t keep looking back. If you keep looking back, you have major problems. We have now got to look forward… Not on the past because past is history. It can’t come back.” The past in West Indies cricket is hard to shake off. In this World Cup, its current team has discovered that in the aftermath of compelling performance, its looming cloud could become an updraft.Estwick took the match and the World Cup out of Southampton and Great Britain and put it across the oceans. “Every West Indian is in this,” he said, “This is big for the Caribbean people.”The team’s management has been asking the team, “to go out and put a smile on the people’s faces in the Caribbean,” Estwick said, “Economically we are struggling a little bit so we want people to wake up in the morning at 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock with a smile on their face, seeing West Indians playing good cricket. And also we want to help the people in London as well, you know, who have had so much pressure cricket-wise in the last 10, 15 years and if we can put a smile on all black people’s faces we will be very happy.”Outside of West Indies’ direct opponents in this event, the cricket world is already beaming.