The former Australian batsman will no longer continue as a selector after his contract ends in August because of his increasing involvement in TV commentary

Daniel Brettig14-May-2018

Five Australians who made centuries on Test debut: (From L-R) Fielding coach Greg Blewett, captain Michael Clarke, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and national selector Mark Waugh•Getty Images

Australian cricket will soon rid itself of a major conflict of interest after Mark Waugh chose to step down as a national selector in order to commentate full-time for the pay-TV provider Fox Sports.Officially Waugh is still slated to be the selector on duty when the limited-overs team travels to England in June for a series also to be broadcast on Fox, but he will have moved on by the time the next home summer begins.Waugh, who has been a selector since May 2014, will be part of Cricket Australia’s new host broadcaster, with Fox Sports (part-owned by News Corporation) having paid the lion’s share of the A$1 billion television-rights fee sought. In return for the cash, CA has hidden two of three international formats – ODIs and Twenty20s – behind a paywall for the first time in Australian history.For the past year, Waugh has been officially designated CA’s T20 selector in addition to being on the panel to choose teams across all formats, despite concurrently commentating for the Ten Network on its successful coverage of the Big Bash League (BBL). Ten’s loss of the rights to the BBL, alongside Nine’s forfeiture of the rights to international cricket for the first time in 40 years, has led to a feeding frenzy for commentary positions at Fox and also Seven, which will show Test matches and some BBL games on free-to-air television as part of a sub-licensing deal.Alongside the CA board director Mark Taylor while he was also commentating for Nine, Waugh’s has been the most obvious conflict on Australian television screens over the past four seasons, making for numerous awkward moments – not that Ten minded the recurring source of conversation starters. Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria’s operations manager, said what many were thinking after Waugh offered a thinly veiled criticism of Glenn Maxwell on one broadcast by saying of D’Arcy Short: “Haven’t seen him play a reverse sweep, have we in six games? I think some of the other batsmen around the country, take note.””I know he puts himself into a little bit of a conflict of interest by being a commentator as well, [but] I don’t think that’s the forum to discuss anything like that,” Graf told SEN Radio last summer. “Maybe ‘Junior’ should concentrate on his special comments but not maybe talk as much in relation to the selection side of things.”The Olympic hockey player and respected coach Ric Charlesworth, a state cricketer for western Australia in the 1970s and ’80s, raised the issue of Waugh’s conflict in a 2016 book. Charlesworth is a mentor to the new Australian coach Justin Langer. “Another boundary that seems to have been crossed in cricket is that of selection,” Charlesworth wrote in .”One of the Australian selectors, Mark Waugh, appears on television as an expert commentator and gives opinions on form and performance… this appears an extraordinary conflict of interest. Many of the traditional boundaries are being crossed and there is increasing pressure for coaches and players to ‘come out’ of the game during the contest and sponsors, broadcasters and producers drive this behaviour.”Given to following his instincts rather than relying overly on numbers, Waugh made a mark upon the final squad-selection he has been involved in, choosing Nic Maddinson for the T20 leg of the England tour even though the former state captain had been left out of the New South Wales contract list for next season.Waugh’s signature with Fox Sports joins those of Isa Guha, Mel Jones, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey and Michael Vaughan. Seven, meanwhile, have signed Ricky Ponting. Nine’s long-time commentator Bill Lawry has declined approaches from the two networks.

Form guide (most recent matches first)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: beat Daredevils by seven wickets, beat Royals by 11 runs, beat Kings XI by 13 runs
RCB: lost to CSK by six wickets, beat Mumbai by 14 runs, lost to KKR by six wickets

Big picture

Virat Kohli could probably sympathise with every fantasy league player. He’s not sure about who is going to perform, and there is no single player he can look at and say he’s my first pick. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s two most economical bowlers in their previous match against Mumbai Indians – Tim Southee and Yuzvendra Chahal – went for over 9.5 against Chennai Super Kings. Even the most reliable batsmen in his arsenal – himself included – were all dismissed for single-digit scores. He also cannot risk dropping many of them because of their unpredictability. What combination does he go with – a dilemma shared by many a fantasy league player.Even after only three wins in nine games, Kohli appears optimistic, perhaps because RCB overcame a bleak win-loss record in 2016 to make it to the final. He will have to sort out the bowling though. RCB have conceded 12.7 runs an over in the death, and now they have started to doze off in the other areas too. RCB were among the best fielding sides two weeks into the season. However, in their last four games, they have dropped eight of 21 attempted catches, which has caused their catch conversion rate to fall from 90% to 61%.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sunrisers, meanwhile, are comfortably perched on top of the table. They are undisputed masters of defending a total. And in their previous match against Delhi Daredevils, the Sunrisers batsmen pulled off their best chase of the season. Shikhar Dhawan seemed to be finding form, which is good news for them.

Previous meeting

This is the first time these two teams will be meeting this season.

Likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Siddarth KaulRoyal Challengers Bangalore 1 Manan Vohra/Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Brendon McCullum 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 M Ashwin, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Strategy punt

Dhawan has lost his wicket to spinners four times this IPL, and averages only 12 against them. Since 2015, he has been dismissed by legspinners six times in 18 matches, and twice in four matches this season. M Ashwin, who dismissed the in-form Ambati Rayudu and created pressure in the middle overs against CSK, could be used against Dhawan.

Stats that matter

Rashid Khan has arguably been Sunrisers biggest asset. In the seven matches they have won, he has picked up 10 wickets at a barely believable economy-rate of 5.4. He has been especially good in the middle overs, giving away only 130 runs off 120 balls, eight of which resulted in wickets.Umesh Yadav has played under seven captains, but has been reaching new heights with Virat Kohli, averaging 21.2 and striking every 15.7 balls for RCB. Even when he led the KKR bowling attack for 51 matches, he averaged only 28.4 and struck every 20 balls.

Fantasy picks

Rashid undoubtedly makes the list. Kane Williamson’s knocks have been resulting in wins, so he could be another pick. Yusuf Pathan has a particularly good record in Hyderabad – an average of 43 and a strike-rate of 141.9 – and his exploits in the previous match makes him a favourite. From the visitors’ unit, Kohli or AB de Villiers would be the safest options.

Unbeaten century seals third win in a row and cement Warwickshire’s place at the top of Division Two

ECB Reporters Network13-May-20182:11

County round-up: Red-hot Henry too much for Sussex

ScorecardWarwickshire recorded their third successive Specsavers County Championship victory by beating Northamptonshire by six wickets on the third day at Edgbaston.Facing a victory target of 179, no formality on a pitch offering some variable bounce, the home side were reduced to 44 for 3 by an excellent pre-lunch burst of 7.3-2-9-3 by Ben Sanderson.But opener Will Rhodes stayed firm to lodge his maiden first-class century against a Northamptonshire attack already missing the injured Richard Gleeson and further deprived of Steven Crook, off the field with a hamstring injury.Rhodes ended with an unbeaten 100 (165 balls, 13 fours, one six) to see his team over the line with four sessions to spare. Warwickshire’s win cemented their place at the top of Division Twp and leaves them well placed to challenge hard for promotion straight back up.Northamptonshire’s promotion ambitions have been hammered by a haul of just 15 points from their first four games. They could use some better luck on the injury front, but also need their batsmen, too many of whom perished on the offensive in this match, to give their impressive bowling attack something to work with.Trailing by nine runs on first innings, Northamptonshire resumed on the third morning on 160 for 7 and added only another 27 as Olly Stone completed a five-for against his former team-mates.Doug Bracewell left a ball too late and feathered Stone to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, Chris Wright knocked out Brett Hutton’s off stump and Rob Keogh (29, 58 balls, three fours) pulled Stone to long leg and fell to a fine catch by Henry Brookes right on the boundary.Stone finished with 5 for 49, taking his wicket haul in the last three championship innings to 15 at 12.4 runs apiece.Northamptonshire needed to strike early and did through Sanderson whose fifth ball was chipped to square leg by Dominic Sibley. Rhodes and Ian Bell added 36 in 12 overs but then Sanderson struck two big blows. Bell was pinned lbw by an excellent delivery and Trott fell in similar fashion on the stroke of lunch to send Northants into the interval scenting their first victory of the season.That scent faded as Rhodes and Sam Hain added 50 in 16 overs. Hain later edged Luke Proctor to Ben Hutton at slip but Matt Lamb (23 not out, 62 balls, three fours) provided Rhodes with staunch support in an unbroken stand of 86 in 22 overs.David Ripley, Northants coach, is left to face a season that has not remotely matched the confident predictions that the county could press for prtomotion. He said: “We won nine championship matches last year and have the same squad so we know we are a better side than the league table shows at the moment but it’s a tough division and if you don’t play well you are going to get beaten. At the moment, particularly batting, we are proving to be brittle. We only have three championship fifties and no hundreds – we have got to improve that to be competitive and stay in games for longer.”

They are 1-0 down and will be led by Suranga Lakmal in Dinesh Chandimal’s absence. West Indies, meanwhile, have won their two most recent Tests at the Kensington Oval

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Jun-2018

Big Picture

Forget the controversy for a moment. Forget the charges faced by the Sri Lanka leadership, forget the video clips, and the due process. From a purely cricket perspective, this series deserves a close finish. It hasn’t quite been an epic, but aspects of it have been a wonderful surprise.How many series have two 145kph-plus quicks at the top of the series’ wicket-takers’ list? Shannon Gabriel and Lahiru Kumara have forced one opposition batsman to retire hurt apiece. The cricket has never been more interesting than when either man is hurling deliveries at ribs and throats. On this tour both players may have had breakthrough performances. For years West Indies and Sri Lanka have searched for quick strike bowlers worthy of the title.At different times, both teams have made major gambles. Jason Holder declared at 414 for 8 on a Trinidad track that was not especially helpful to bowlers. In St. Lucia, Sri Lanka made four changes to their XI and might have won had rain and their own refusal to take the field on day three not sapped precious hours from the game. Various batsmen have shone at various points – Shane Dowrich, Kusal Mendis, Kraigg Brathwaite, Dinesh Chandimal, all playing different types of innings, all utterly committed to the team cause.The teams now move to the first-ever day-night Test in the region, played at one of the Caribbean’s most iconic venues. West Indies have not won a day-night Test in two attempts, losing to Pakistan in Dubai and England at Edgbaston. Sri Lanka have won their only day-night Test so far, last year in the UAE. These are small sample sizes, but one phenomenon that has been observed across the nine day-night Tests played so far is that the evening session tends to be especially fruitful for fast bowlers. Given the prominence of quicks so far, that is a tantalising prospect.Sri Lanka will quite likely miss the experience of Rangana Herath in this Test, however. He has been ruled out with a split webbing in his hand, sustained during fielding drills in the approach to this game.

Form guide

Sri Lanka DLWDD (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies DWLLDCWI Media

In the spotlight

Almost every time Shannon Gabriel came to the bowling crease in the second Test, the game seemed to change. Sri Lanka batsmen who had been cruising, suddenly had the ball seeking out the edges and shoulders of their bats. They found themselves struggling to contend with Gabriel’s pace. More than anything, they had to contend with balls leaping menacingly at them, Dhananjaya de Silva copping a painful blow to the wrist in the second innnings. In the end, his 13 for 121 in St. Lucia were the best figures ever in the Caribbean. If Sri Lanka can tear themselves away from other distractions to plan for this Test, it is Gabriel who will come up most in team discussions.The dropping of Kusal Mendis for the tour of India last year now seems like an outstanding call from the national selectors. Since he has returned, he has not only rediscovered limited-overs form, but has scored heavily in Tests as well. With 238 runs and an average of 59.50, he is the leading run-scorer in the series so far, and it was his second-innings 87 around which Sri Lanka built their first commendable batting effort on tour. His average took a bit of a beating in 2017, but it is on a forward march again, currently sitting at 39.00. Many feel he has the talent to be a 45-plus player.

Team news

West Indies may draft 20-year-old quick Keemo Paul into the XI in place of Miguel Cummins, who has gone wicketless in three of the four innings he has bowled in in the series. Apart from that change, they are likely to keep the same side. Holder said everyone was fit for the Test.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Kieran Powell, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon GabrielWith Chandimal out of the Test, it is difficult to predict the exact make-up of the Sri Lanka side. Suranga Lakmal is going to lead the, SLC confirmed on Saturday. Danushka Gunathilaka may replace the misfiring Kusal Perera at the top of the order, but it is possible that Perera merely moves down the order.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Mahela Udawatte, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Roshen Silva, 6 Kusal Perera, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Suranga Lakmal (capt.), 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

The weather in Barbados is expected to be cloudy but dry for the majority of the Test. Pitches at the Kensington Oval have recently favoured seam bowlers.

Stats and trivia

• Mendis’ scores in the series are 4, 102, 45 and 87. He averages 72.71 across four Tests this year.
• Gabriel’s bowling average has also been on an improve since the start of 2017. In that period he has 51 wickets at an average of 23.49. His average before that period was 38.12.
• West Indies have won the two most-recent Tests at Kensington Oval, beating Pakistan and England.

Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara both struck hundreds with ease on a Chelmsford pitch on which Somerset will hope to meet just as successfully

Dan Norcross26-Jun-20181:34

Surrey hit with five-run penalty

ScorecardTalk to any professional cricketer, past and present, and they will tell you that it is a horrible game to master. It plays devilish tricks on the mind, and even worse ones on the body. In a few fleeting moments you may enter the fabled “zone” but beware, for Mother Cricket is waiting to bite you on the arse at any, or indeed every moment.It is the cruelty of cricket that so attracts its supporters. The fine balance between bat and ball. That sense of jeopardy that accompanies every delivery in the very best of matches; a jeopardy that has led some, famously, to chew through their umbrellas or even drop down dead.While Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate, in his first game back since a two-game suspension, were compiling a fifth-wicket record partnership for Essex against Somerset of 294, cricket, however, looked the easiest game in the world, at least for the batsmen. It was a stupendous feat of concentration on another blistering day by two men with decades of experience between them.There were some elegant strokes, plenty of immaculate defence and, towards the end, when the imperative was to speed towards a declaration target, some genuinely spectacular hitting, but it was impossible to escape the impression that it was all too easy.Runs, certainly for the first two hours today, weren’t so much scored as extracted from Somerset’s bowlers; a tithe to be paid if they wanted to share the same pitch. Dominic Bess, who finished yesterday’s play covered in more grit, dust and grime than a Victorian child chimney sweep, struggled manfully on a pitch that offered him nothing.Again he kept the Essex duo in check until ten Doeschate shifted gears late in the first session, driving the increasingly battered ball with perfect precision along the ground through the covers like a European Central Bank mandarin scything through the more hopeful parts of a Greek finance minister’s budget with a pink marker pen. Bess’ reward for 49 overs of earnest, and committed toil was figures of 2 for 132.Jamie Overton, playing his first championship match of the season after injury, tried a different approach. Banging the ball in halfway down the wicket he generated decent pace, but the ball was soft, the pitch was docile and the batsmen, in particular ten Doeschate, adapted with ease. Overton’s 22 overs yielded 110 runs, but at least it broke the monotony. Instead of a modest tithe, the batsmen were now extracting Super Tax.Nearly four hours into the day, Bopara slogged at Trego and paid with his middle stump. His 118 was, astoundingly for a man who is the seventh highest run scorer in all cricket worldwide over the last decade, only his second championship century since July 2, 2014. There was time for ten Doeschate (173*) to go past his highest championship score before he declared10 overs before tea on a mere 515 for 5.Somerset were able to negotiate the short session to tea easily. All too easily. And then the game burst into life. Neil Wagner, who gave the full pitched swinging ball two or three attempts, promptly and with commendable devotion, explored the middle of the pitch, much as Overton had earlier, but at greater pace and at a nastier angle.The last eight overs of his marathon ten over spell consisted almost entirely of short balls. A couple, suddenly, shot along the ground. Most of them reared to chest and throat height. Davies glanced one to Wheater behind the stumps to depart for 41. Byrom and Bartlett channelling their inner Andrew Hilditch, pulled and hooked at pretty much every ball. They even middle the occasional one. It was baffling. Westley was stationed at back-stop for the top edged hook. You could hear Geoffrey Boycott mithering at their failure to sway and duck, and he may have had a point. It was ludicrous stuff, but, after hours of somnolent dominance by the bat, it was marvellous fun.And then it stopped again. Wagner couldn’t bowl all day. Sam Cook and Jamie Porter adopted a more orthodox approach. Byrom and Bartlett settled back into the rhythms of this match and the day dawdled to its close with the lights finally taking effect, Somerset comfortably enough placed on 140 for 2.

Jesse Lingard felt "blessed" as he played his first competitive match in over 10 months in South Korea.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• Lingard blessed to play after 10 months
• Made his debut for FC Seoul on Saturday
• Last played for Forest in the Premier League in April

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Manchester United winger made his debut in the K-League on Saturday as he came on as a substitute in FC Seoul's season opener against Gwangju. Lingard, who last played a competitive match for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League against the Red Devils on April 16, 2023, took the field for the first time in over 10 months, although his first-ever K-League match ended in a 2-0 defeat for his side.

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• WHAT JESSE LINGARD SAID

  After playing his maiden game for Seoul, Lingard took to Instagram where he shared a series of photographs from the match with the caption, "Blessed and grateful to be back on the pitch doing what I love best."

• GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former England international was welcomed with loud cheers by Korean fans present at the stadium as he replaced Kim Gyeong-min in the 77th minute. Before making his competitive debut, the player participated in pre-season friendly games and even scored a goal in his club's 11-1 win over Japanese university side Kanoya.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR JESSE LINGARD?

  The 31-year-old will be next seen in action for his club on March 11 against Incheon in the second match of their K-League campaign.

Sussex threatened to pull off victory but Ashton Agar’s three wickets derailed their chase as Australia began their post ball-tampering life

Andrew McGlashan at Hove07-Jun-2018
ScorecardThere was the occasional mention of recent controversies from a sell-out crowd of 6000 as Hove – “If you like sandpaper clap your hands,” was the tune of choice for some – but the toughest welcome for Australia as they returned to the field for the first time since leaving South Africa disgraced came in the middle as Sussex threatened to turn them over.In the end, Australia’s attack came through – with help from some poor shot selection by Sussex – to secure a 57-run victory, a margin that flattered them somewhat. Marcus Stoinis’ hundred, batting at No. 3, was the highlight for the Australians but their innings faltered badly from 167 for 1 after 30 overs while their pace attack looked thin as the lack of caps would suggest.”It’s good to start a tour like that [with a hundred], but more importantly it’s just fun to be out there with our mates,” Stoinis said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on through the middle, as we saw with Sussex, but I think you just need to absorb a bit of pressure and accept it’s a bit difficult. It’s been a bit of a pattern of something so something we’ll probably try and fix. Not feel the pressure of a few dot balls, just bat your way through it.”Their catching was off the mark as well. Phil Salt, dropped twice by D’arcy Short at square leg before he had scored, plundered 62 off 49 balls but when he was yorked by Kane Richardson the middle order couldn’t retain their composure. Ben Brown was later dropped at long leg by Andrew Tye but that did not prove costly.”These things happen,” Stoinis said of the drops. “First game back and all that, no stress, and it might have worked as a bit of a blessing in disguise as it made the bowlers work a little harder for the win and put them under pressure. So you take the good with the bad.”Ashton Agar recovered from an expensive start when he bowled inside the first 10 overs – Salt took him for consecutive sixes to his fifty – to claim three wickets, his third a nice piece of bowling to spin one past Laurie Evans’ edge for a stumping when his half-century was keeping Sussex’s hopes alive.For many reasons, this is a very different Australia side than the one involved in South Africa – bans, injuries and a change of format leaving to a revolving door of personnel. There are just three survivors from that Test series in the squad (Tim Paine, Nathan Lyon and Shaun Marsh) and only Paine was in the XI for the opening match of this tour.One thing that hasn’t changed is that Australia’s 50-over cricket needs a lot of work. That was evident when they were beaten 4-1 by England earlier this year and post-Ashes weariness notwithstanding that was a with a team that included the big guns.Having been put into bat, Australia raced out of the blocks before Short, who is in line for an ODI debut next week, was trapped lbw on the back foot by Danny Briggs. Stoinis and Aaron Finch took them to 167 for 1, but the final 20 brought just 110 runs as Sussex’s spinners – Briggs and Luke Wells – bowled their 20 overs for 86 runs.Finch, as he often does, cantered along at more than a run-a-ball early in his innings and was 45 off 33 balls before slowing up considerably. His fifty came off 54 balls and the last 33 runs of his stay took 64 deliveries before he edged a pull at Jofra Archer. Archer’s opening five-over spell was inconsistent and cost 34 runs, but he came back well to finish with 3 for 62 plus effected a sharp run out of his own bowling to remove Agar.Stoinis’ innings was a big tick for Australia. He was promoted to No. 3 for the final ODI against England in Perth and scored 87 before Tom Curran secured victory and here made 110 off 112 balls, hitting strongly down the ground with all four of his sixes coming the ‘V’ from long-off to long on. As part of Australia’s rebuilding of the one-day side, it appears Stoinis is set for a run at the No. 3 position that was Smith’s before a reshuffle during that previous series against EnglandThe rest of the batting was less impressive. Glenn Maxwell drove to mid-off, Travis Head was lbw and Tim Paine prodded a return catch and for a moment it appeared they may be bowled out. They will hope for better against Middlesex at Lord’s on Saturday.

ScorecardSurrey routed Somerset by an innings with more than four sessions to spare to replace them at the Specsavers County Championship table.Jade Dernbach and Morne Morkel shared eight wickets as Somerset, who had followed on 279 runs behind, were bowled out for 210 in 61.2 overs to hand Surrey victory by an innings and 68 runs.Only James Hildreth, who finished unbeaten on 89, offered prolonged resistance to a rampant Surrey seam attack. It is the first time since 1958 that Surrey have won three games in succession by an innings and they went on to win the Championship that season as well.The odds on a first title since 2002, which was when Surrey last won at Guildford, will have shortened after this impressive performance.They set victory by taking five wickets in the first hour as Somerset, who resumed on 18 for 0, lurched to 69 for 5.Morkel made the breakthrough with his first ball of the day, trapping Matt Renshaw lbw half forward for two. Dernbach then picked up the first of two wickets in his opening spell when George Bartlett drove loosely and was caught behind.Ed Byrom could only fend off the next delivery – a well-directed bouncer from Morkel – to short leg then Dernbach pinned Tom Abell deep in his crease.Rikki Clarke had Steve Davies held in the gully at which point Somerset had lost five wickets for 51 runs before Hildreth and Lewis Gregory dug in, either side of lunch.They added 62 runs to raise Somerset hopes of a fightback before another well-directed short ball from Morkel broke the stand as Gregory edged low to Clarke at slip.Dom Bess played down the wrong line and lost his off stump to Clarke but Josh Davey gave Hildreth good support in an eighth wicket stand of 62 although Davey rode his luck. Surrey were convinced he had been caught behind before he had got into single figures and he was dropped on 19 by Scott Borthwick at second slip.Hildreth pulled offspinner Amar Virdi, who was being watched by England’s chief selector Ed Smith, into the adjoining road for six and coped well with Morkel’s pace but he ran out of partners. Davey eventually gloved another good lifter, this time from Dernbach, to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope and Tim Groenewald played on for a second-ball duck.Morkel applied the final touch when Max Waller, batting as concussion replacement for Jack Leach, who had been struck on the helmet by the South African on the second day, edged another bumper to Pope.Hildreth hit 13 fours and faced 127 balls but lacked support against a Surrey side who look well equipped to end their long wait for the title on this evidence.

Graeme Smith, the former South Africa captain, will do away with T20 internationals if he had the power to, while focusing on improving marketability of Tests to preserve the longest format.”Maybe the ICC needs to look at six months of T20 cricket domestically and six months of international cricket,” Smith said at an event in Mumbai, according to . “I don’t think T20 cricket should be played at the international level. My opinion is to retain domestic T20 competitions and have international cricket – Test and ODIs – and have a World Cup every couple of years.”Smith, who played 117 Tests in a 12-year international career, felt one way of increasing visibility of marquee tours and “historic Test series” like the Ashes.”There needs to be investment,” he said. “Maybe spend more money marketing Test cricket. So much money is spent in marketing the T20 format. Maybe there can be money marketing the stories and histories in Test cricket.”What’s great for the game is someone like [India captain] Virat Kohli who wants to do well in Test cricket and be successful and set standard for everyone else. As long as people like him consider Test cricket valuable, it’s important for the rest of the world.”Smith called for balance in the international schedule, the only way to ease pressure on players. He cited AB de Villiers’ example in saying a cramped calendar might have had a part to play in his sudden retirement from international cricket last week.”There are not many players who have played for 14-15 years that can travel nine, 10, 11 months a year, deal with the pressures, plus the family pressures, it’s very, very difficult,” he said, according to Reuters. “The guy has played international cricket for around 15 years.”More than anything, he has the right to decide when he’s had enough. He will have his own reasons for that, you got to respect that.”

When it rains it pours for Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag's men likely still licking their wounds following the weekend's dismal 3-1 defeat at home to high-flying Brighton and Hove Albion – a result that has contributed to the club's worst-ever start to a Premier League season.

With three defeats from five so far, ahead of Wednesday's trip to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League, things on the pitch are going about as well as they are off it, with the former Ajax boss also having to deal with the banishment of both Antony and Jadon Sancho at present.

Those woes have only been heightened by the ongoing injury crisis which has engulfed the club, with the likes of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat currently sidelined – the latter man having yet to feature since his deadline day arrival.

It is in the defensive ranks, in particular, where the Red Devils currently look particularly depleted, as Ten Hag is set to be without Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia for the foreseeable future, while Raphael Varane has also been absent in recent weeks.

That dearth of options has now been compounded by the news that resurgent right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also set to be sidelined over the next two months or so, with the Englishman having sustained a hamstring injury during his brief, late substitute appearance against the Seagulls.

How good has Wan-Bissaka been this season?

After initially enjoying just four minutes of action in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign – sparking speculation that a January exit could be on the cards – it is fair to say that 2023 has been the year of 'The Spider', as he has enjoyed a remarkable return to form of late.

The former Crystal Palace man appears to be in line for a new contract extension such has been his renaissance since the World Cup break, having notably been one of the few bright sparks in the current campaign, providing one assist and averaging 83% successful dribbles per game as a marker of his improved attacking displays.

The 25-year-old was particularly impressive in the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend after teeing up Raphael Varane for the game's winning goal, having been a 'good performer' on the day, according to Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.

For such a promising beginning to the season on an individual basis to be halted by injury will be of real frustration to both the full-back and Ten Hag, with the Dutchman now needing to consider just how he can replace the stricken star moving forward.

Who can replace Wan-Bissaka at Man United?

Of course, the obvious candidate to take on that starting role is Diogo Dalot, with the Portuguese right-back having been deployed in that berth on Saturday after Wan-Bissaka was hampered due to illness.

Games

26

19

Starts

24

16

Goals/Assists

3

0

Tackles and interceptions (per game)

3.5

3.3

Total duels won

65%

55%

Key passes (per game)

1.1

0.8

Avg. match rating

7.05

6.98

While that is the former Porto man's natural role, the 24-year-old has also been forced to cover at left-back this season due to the loss of both Malacia and Shaw, with it likely that he may be asked to slot into that unorthodox role over the coming weeks, if Sergio Reguilon fails to perform.

That latter man did initially impress on debut against Roberto De Zerbi's side after producing a lively, attacking display, although as Luckhurst noted, the Spaniard was 'exploited' for the game's opening goal, while his 'rustiness was apparent in the second half'.

There may be a case to be made that Dalot could shift over to the left to provide greater defensive security, while the right-back vacancy could be taken over by a promising academy talent, despite Ten Hag's prior claim that Sofyan Amrabat can fill in at full-back.

With the Moroccan international needed to help aid United's midfield woes – with that department branded as "non-existent" during the win over Wolves by Gary Neville – Ten Hag would be better served prising Habeeb Ogunneye from the youth set-up instead.

Who is Habeeb Ogunneye?

With the Old Trafford outfit having allowed promising Spaniard and FA Youth Cup-winning defender, Marc Jurado to join Espanyol on a permanent deal this summer, it is young Ogunneye who has stepped up to replace the 20-year-old in the U21 side.

The London-born teenager – who previously made 18 appearances for the U18's, assisting three goals – has played in all four Premier League 2 games so far this term at right-back, while also starting in the EFL Trophy clash with Stockport County last month.

That outing against senior opposition showcased the full array of the 17-year-old's talents, as he made two tackles and two interceptions as a sign of his defensive prowess, while also providing one key pass as a marker of his ability in an attacking sense, as per Sofascore.

It is that threat going forward that has particularly caught the eye in recent times, with the Englishman appearing to possess the ability to simply glide past opponents when carrying the ball out from defence.

Of course, attempting to replicate such displays in the senior ranks is a difficult task, although Ogunneye can likely take inspiration from the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, two teenagers who have already forced their way firmly into Ten Hag's plans.

It may seem too hasty to already be thinking about plunging a 17-year-old into the backline, but with injuries mounting at the Theatre of Dreams, the experienced tactician may have little choice but to put his faith in the gifted and emerging superstar.

With rumours already rife that the United boss is keen to strengthen at right-back next summer – with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong one name to have been mentioned – he could potentially save the club millions by unearthing an exciting academy prospect such as Ogenneye over the coming weeks and months.