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Why can’t the opener replicate his IPL form at the World Cup? Trickier pitches and better bowling attacks, says Aaron Finch
Sidharth Monga in Taunton11-Jun-2019David Warner is a meme in Pakistan now. His face has been superimposed on the face of a model selling a washing powder, and issuing an open challenge to other competitors. The text explanation makes it clear that this is Warner’s battle cry against Imam-ul-Haq’s claims to be the slowest left-hand opener in the Wold Cup.At any rate, Imam is now using Warner’s slow and cautious starts to vindicate his style: 350 in a World Cup is greater than 350 in a bilateral series, Imam tells ESPNcricinfo. The pitches are slightly more difficult, he says. See, even Warner is taking his time, he points out.Indeed, among those who have played 50 balls in the Powerplay this World Cup, Warner is the slowest, going at a strike rate of a little over 50 in that phase of the innings. Against Afghanistan, he scored his slowest ODI fifty, and against India, he went ahead and relegated that Afghanistan effort to his second-slowest.
He’s still batting beautifully at the moment. He just hasn’t got off to that flow that we’re used toAARON FINCH IS BACKING HIS OPENING PARTNER TO COME GOOD
Except that, unlike with Imam, it is not a team plan because of the grand occasion. Warner is not batting with the mindset of Imam or, say, Rohit Sharma, the second-slowest man on the list. Rohit is, in fact, master of batting this way; his strike rate in the Powerplay this World Cup has been 57, and yet he has an overall strike rate of 83.64. Warner has not been able to kick on after the slow starts, striking at 71.84.Warner’s numbers haven’t gone unnoticed in the Australian team management. After the India game, Ricky Ponting said Warner wasn’t at his absolute best, and that he knows and admits that. Too many shots were hit straight to the fielders, which is the opposite of a batsman in good form.”It’s not a team plan,” Aaron Finch said on the eve of their match against Pakistan in Taunton. “I think the last couple of games, the last game in particular, India bowled really well at the start and he (Warner) hit the field a lot, which as an opening batter, as a top-order player, when the field is in that you do generally face a high percentage of top bowlers. And I suppose when the field went out he still hit them fielders, which didn’t give the innings a huge amount of flow, which I know he was disappointed about.David Warner has failed to get going at the World Cup so far•Getty Images”But at the same time, every evidence suggests he’ll be back to his dangerous best. And when you give good players an opportunity, and might be just a little mindset change with Davey… I’m not sure, I haven’t spoken to him a huge amount about his batting. I know he’s been working a bit with JL [Justin Langer, the coach] and Ricky Ponting [the assistant coach] to just make sure he’s in the right mind frame.”After the first game, Warner admitted his feet were not moving that well. Didn’t we see the same Warner smash it all over in the IPL, though? Finch says there are two differences: pitches and bowling attacks.”Totally different wickets,” Finch said. “You have to remember that Indian wickets are quite low and quite skiddy with the new ball, which allowed him to use his hands and stand really still and hit the gaps. Whereas, there’s been just enough in these wickets first up that it doesn’t allow you to just walk out and hit through the line and blast attacks all over.”And you’re talking about world-class opposition here. You’re not playing a club team where you can find one target and target them really hard. Each team is super strong. So, at times, it’s about taking calculated risks to get your innings and get your momentum in your game. He’s still batting beautifully at the moment. He just hasn’t got off to that flow that we’re used to.”There has been enough rain around to leave enough spice in the pitches to require good footwork to be able to access gaps. By all accounts, Warner hasn’t quite reached there yet, but words such as “mindset” and “calculated risk” make it interesting.Most of the times, for batsmen skilled enough to play international cricket, batting is about managing risk. If a batsman as good as Warner feels there is undue risk in trying to force the pace, the conditions must be that little bit extra challenging or bowling that good.However, on air, Kumar Sangakkara made an interesting observation. He feared this new Warner might be too worried about wanting to succeed. Might be too afraid to get out. It might have been easier for Warner to take risks earlier, he might be erring on the side of caution. That he needs to be freed of that care.Probably this is the mindset change Finch talked about. Perhaps it might be just one innings where he starts finding the gaps and everything falls back in place. And being the batsman that he is, Warner backs himself to be able to do it without taking undue risks.Amid all this, Warner’s struggle and his desperation to hang in and not leave things to chance by using his bat like a swinging door is a reminder of things we, as spoilt fans, can take for granted: how much needs to go right for what comes across as effortless batting to us?
Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh wants fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman to be given enough time to recover from his ankle injury, and not be used too much during the tri-series in Ireland next month. Walsh suggested that given Mustafizur’s habit of picking up small injuries, he should be geared towards his work for the World Cup, which begins two weeks after the Ireland tour.Speaking after the side’s first training session in Dhaka before leaving for Ireland, Walsh was concerned about the injury worries to some of his pace bowlers. Apart from Mustafizur, Rubel Hossain has a side strain while Mohammad Saifuddin is suffering from a tennis elbow. Even Abu Jayed is said to have picked up a niggle.But it is Mustafizur who has had such an impact in the Bangladesh bowling line-up after the 2015 World Cup and is the biggest concern ahead of the next big event in England.”[Mustafizur] has got a big role to play in the World Cup, once he is fit,” Walsh said. “But I don’t think we rely on any one player. Shakib [Al Hasan], Mash [Mashrafe Mortaza] and Rubel have been consistent. Fizz hasn’t been as sharp since his injury, and he keeps picking up slight niggles. A fully fit Mustafizur can win games for you but we have to have him as fit as possible. We have a bit of time on our side. My concern is that I hope we don’t over-rush him, and probably use him too much in Ireland, and he is not fresh for the World Cup.”Out of the five we have three injured – Fizz, Rubel and Saifuddin, who has the tennis elbow. We need to get them back into bowling, within the right frame of mind, and be sharp enough to do a bit of bowling in Ireland and be ready for the World Cup. We have Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed and Shafiul Islam as well [for back-up]. You can probably say that we have them just in case we need them.”Walsh said that playing the tournament in England, where the pitches are mostly expected to help the batsmen, will require the pace bowlers to not just have skills, but also know when and where to use them. “It will be a big challenge. The World Cup is going to be long tournament,” Walsh said. “There are going to be some good cricket wickets, which are batting-friendly. We have to be intelligent, and try to execute well.”We have to read the conditions and the surfaces we play. Some places the ball might swing more than others. We have to assess when we get there. Most of the wickets will be docile and flat. We have to work on our variations and execution.”Everybody studies one another these days, so they know our strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, we also know theirs. So it is about execution on the day, and try to be smart.”Walsh said that the progress shown by someone like Saifuddin, whose bowling has evidently improved in recent months, had excited him.”He has come along tremendously. He has bowled very well,” Walsh said. “He is a very excitable allrounder. His form in the domestic tournament has been very good. His confidence is quite good. He is keen to do what he is doing. If we can get him fully fit with the tennis elbow being solved, it will be a big plus for us as well.”
Virat Kohli may be on top of the wishlist of every IPL franchise if they had the wherewithal to get him, but the batsman is going to stay put with Royal Challengers Bangalore, the only team he has played for across all editions of the IPL. “To me it has been a most special experience. I don’t see myself leaving or playing for any other franchise,” Kohli said at an event to launch a new app for the franchise.But while the India and RCB captain has decided that he would be staying, his IPL team has yet to lay its hands on the trophy after 11 seasons. This despite being among the most popular teams, one that has had some of the game’s biggest starts consistently playing for it and reaching the final three times. Kohli reckoned the lack of silverware for the second-most-expensive IPL franchise has been poor decision-making at key moments.ALSO READ: No cap on India players’ IPL participation – Kohli“The failure lies where decisions aren’t made properly,” Kohli said. “If I sit here and say our luck was bad, that won’t be right. You make your own luck, and if you make poor decisions and the other team makes good ones, you will lose. When we played big matches too, our decision-making wasn’t right.”When your decision-making is spot-on and balanced, those teams win the IPL. The teams that are more relaxed, don’t take the pressure too much, and take good decisions in pressure moments – they should get the credit for winning.”Gary Kirsten, who joined RCB in 2018 as a batting consultant and mentor and has now become one of the two coaches of the franchise alongside Ashish Nehra, said the team has tried to rectify the areas they had been weak in.”I don’t think it takes rocket science to work out where our weak points were,” Kirsten said. “We’ve certainly tried to address that in our recruitment for this year. But as much as sport is about getting the right players on board, we have no clue if someone we’ve recruited is going to fire in this IPL or not. What we do know is we try to build a balance as best we can, based on learnings from past tournaments.”You’ve got to have a hard edge around your performances, you’ve got to build some momentum in the competition. And if we’re able to do that, then some players that people think are not good enough might fire. There’s a lot of teams that wouldn’t have expected someone that did really well for them to do so. And we’re no different. A lot of doing well in this tournament is around how you build that momentum and how you understand to win games in really close situations.”Gary Kirsten spends some time by himself•BCCI
RCB endured a poor 2018 season, finishing sixth on the league table and suffering from questionable choice of personnel as well as glaring deficiencies in death bowling and support batting. Their misfortunes coincided with a marketing campaign built around a Kannada chant that went (This year the cup is ours)”. Kohli acknowledged that this was perhaps not the wisest move.”We realised this last year. You shouldn’t create an atmosphere even before the tournament has started, that ‘we are going to win this year’, because there are seven other teams too. You have to be realistic. It’s not a one-team dominated tournament,” he said. “From my point of view, I can ignore it. But if you can’t take a guarantee that everyone else is going to ignore it, then it can stay in your mind.”That’s why I said it’s very important to be aligned with the team’s culture and vision, and be a part of the team and not put expectations that are far away. No one wants to win more badly than the players, that anyone will guarantee you.”What Kohli said he wanted from his players this season was for everyone to buy into the team culture while being individually responsible for themselves.”What we’ve spoken about this year is to lay down a culture, which is the most important thing for any team,” he said. “One thing that remains an essence for any team is striving for excellence and being committed to what you want to achieve. That takes commitment on a daily basis, and that is something I’m looking forward to this season. We will require absolute professionalism from all our players. We’ll give responsibility to the players to handle themselves on the field, off the field, and take good decisions, be responsible about their life and the sport as well.”We all are here taking care of that culture for now. We’re not going to be here after a few years, none of us can be here forever. But RCB will remain for a long, long time and the next lot of players that come in should feel that culture, embrace it and be proud of being part of this franchise.”
MatériaMais Notícias
Em partida válida pela 34ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, Red Bull Bragantino derrotou o Atlético-GO pelo placar de 2 a 0. Os gols foram marcados por Ytalo, no começo da segunda etapa, e Claudinho, nos acréscimos.Com a vitória, o Massa Bruta chega aos 47 pontos e sobe para a oitava colocação. A O Dragão permanece com 45 pontos e estaciona na 13ª posição.
>>>> Veja a tabela de classificação do Brasileirão
O próximo adversário do Red Bull Bragantino é o Flamengo, no estádio Nabi Abi Chedid, no domingo. Já o Atlético-GO recebe o time do Santos, no Antônio Accioly, no sábado.
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Jogo bastante intenso, poucas chances criadas e gol anulado
Até a metade do primeiro tempo, Red Bull Bragantino e Atlético-GO fizeram um jogo de muita briga pela posse da bola, disputa intensa por espaço, mas com nenhuma oportunidade de perigo criada.
A primeiro lance perigoso surgiu apenas aos 30 minutos da etapa inicial. Edimar recebeu de Claudinho e cruzou, Ytalo escorou para Helinho bater. Jean defendeu e, na sequência, Ramires ainda tentou marcar no rebote, mas o goleiro do Dragão conseguiu evitar o gol.
O Atlético-GO respondeu cinco minutos depois. Após cobrança de escanteio, Éder desviou de cabeça, Marlon Freitas aproveitou e marcou para o Dragão. Mas arbitragem viu impedimento do volante e anulou.
Após esses dois lances, o jogo voltou ao panorama inicial de muita disputa e nada de lances de perigo. Jogada de perigo, só no finalzinho do primeiro tempo. Artur desceu pelo lado direito e cruzou, Ytalo dominou dentro da área, girou em cima do zagueiro e bateu, Jean estava ligado no jogo e fez uma ótima defesa.
Início do segundo tempo intenso e gol do Massa Bruta
As duas equipes voltaram com tudo na etapa complementar. Logo aos 4 minutos, Janderson disparou em velocidade e deu um belo passe para Wellington Rato. Mas o goleiro Cleiton estava mais esperto e antecipou o meia do Atlético-GO e conseguiu fazer o corte e salvar Red Bull Bragantino.
Quando o Massa Bruta respondeu o ataque Dragão abrindo o placar. Aos 10 minutos, Claudinho recebeu passe dentro da área, mas não foi egoísta e passou para Ytalo. O atacante bateu e inaugurou o placar: 1 a 0.
Quase empate do Atlético-GO e blitz do Bragantino
Quase que em seguida ao gol Massa Bruta, o Dragão por pouco não empatou. Aos 12 minutos, cruzamento na área do Bragantino, Wellington Rato desviou, a bola passa por Cleiton, mas Edimar estava esperto e evitou o gol do Atlético-GO.
A partir começou um bombardeio do Red Bull Bragantino. Artur (três vezes) e Ricardo Ryller tiveram ótimas oportunidades para marcar, mas quando não era a pontaria que falhava, o goleiro Jean estava lá para salvar o Dragão.
Com gol de Pênalti marcado pelo VAR, Massa Bruta liquida a fatura
O Dragão bem quem tentava o empate, mas o Red Bull Bragantino era senhor do jogo. E o gol que consolidou a vitória do Massa Bruta veio nos acréscimos. Após consultar o VAR o árbitro marca pênalti para o Bragantino, Claudinho, no dia do seu jogo de número 100 com a camisa do Massa Bruta, bateu e fechou a fatura.
FICHA TÉCNICA
RED BULL BRAGANTINO 2 X 0 ATLÉTICO-GO – 34ª RODADA BRASILEIRO SÉRIE A
Estádio: Nabi Abi Chedid, em Bragança Paulista (SP)
Data: 03 de fevereiro de 2021, às 19h15
Árbitro: Paulo Roberto Alves Junior (PR)
Assistentes: Bruno Boschilia (Fifa-PR) e Sidmar dos Santos Meurer (PR)
VAR: Adriano Milczvski (PR)
Gramado: Bom
Cartões amarelos: Ramires, Helinho, Léo Ortiz (BRA) / Willian Maranhão, Wellington Rato (ATL)
GOL: Red Bull Bragantino Ytalo (10’/2ºT) e Claudinho (48’/2ºT)
RED BULL BRAGANTINO (Técnico: Maurício Barbieri)
Cleiton; Aderlan, Léo Ortiz, Ligger e Edimar (Luan Cândido, 36’/2ºT); Raul, Ramires (Ricardo Ryller, 2ºT) e Claudinho (Vitinho, 50’/2ºT); Artur (Cuello, 36’/2ºT), Ytalo e Helinho (Bruno Tubarão, 20’/2ºT).
ATLÉTICO-GO (Técnico: Marcelo Cabo)
Jean; Dudu, João Victor, Éder e Natanael; Willian Maranhão (Pereira, 24’/2ºT), Marlon Freitas (Vitor, 16’/2ºT), Janderson (Arnaldo, 37’/2ºT), Matheus Vargas (Rithely, 37’/2ºT) e Wellington Rato; Chico (Danilo Gomes, 16’/2ºT).
One source of hope for the visitors is the potential presence of Mohammad Abbas, who missed the first Test with a shoulder injury
The Preview by Liam Brickhill02-Jan-2019Big PictureBut for one mad, self-destructive session, Pakistan might have maintained their grip on the first Test, but instead they have conceded a series lead and the pressure is on to bounce back at Newlands. A similar second-innings meltdown cost them the Test match, and the series, against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi late last year, but the issues go further back than that for Pakistan and this is becoming a perennial problem.After the first Test, captain Sarfraz Ahmed pointed to the game against New Zealand in Hamilton just over two years ago, when Pakistan collapsed from 131 for 0 to 230 all out, as the start of the rot, and middle-order fragility has only become more acute since the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.Not including Babar Azam’s 71 and Shan Masood’s 65, Nos. 3 to 7 contributed 74 runs across two innings in Centurion, and there will likely be little let-up at Newlands, despite the benign appearance of the pitch. South Africa’s attack was strong enough to end the first Test inside eight sessions, and the return of Vernon Philander at a ground where he has made a habit of demolishing batting line-ups will only make things harder for the visitors.South Africa will have to figure out how to fit Philander into their starting XI. Given how heavily seam dominated in the first Test, Keshav Maharaj might at first appear to be the candidate to sit out, but spin could be important in a Test expected to go the distance. With South Africa’s middle order faring only slightly better than Pakistan’s, Temba Bavuma and Hashim Amla’s fifties notwithstanding, Philander’s batting skills could also make a useful difference at a ground where he scored a first-class century on his comeback from injury in October.Come-from-behind fightbacks aren’t as rare as they used to be in Test cricket, and South Africa’s approach to Cape Town will be anything but blase with a potential series win at stake. Pakistan may not be the happiest team at the moment, but they have been cornered and they still have the personnel to fight back – particularly now that they are picking from an (almost) fully-fit squad.Form guideSouth Africa WLLWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
Pakistan LLWLWIn the spotlightSarfraz Ahmed bagged a pair at Centurion, Faf du Plessis joining him in a bit of history as both captains went scoreless through the match. Du Plessis managed to joke about his own lapse, but Sarfraz might struggle to see the lighter side of things in the current context. Already under pressure, both his leadership and his performance will be under the microscope in Cape Town.Vernon Philander has an outstanding record at Newlands – as du Plessis put it, Philander and Newlands “go together like peanut butter and syrup”. Philander has had a difficult year injury-wise, a recurring ankle injury flaring up after the tour of Sri Lanka, with his return then being stalled by a hairline fracture in his thumb. The comfort of home-ground conditions will certainly ease Philander’s transition back into the side.A dejected Sarfraz Ahmed•AFPTeam news”Vernon picks himself at Newlands and his record speaks for itself, so he will definitely be back in the side,” du Plessis said after Centurion, and with the South African captain also confirming on the eve of the second Test that Duanne Olivier would be in the starting XI, South Africa have some reshuffling to do. They could drop their spinner or shorten the top order, but the option that might make the most sense to them is to rest one of the other quicks. Dale Steyn only took three wickets at Centurion, while Kagiso Rabada admitted ahead of the second Test that the last three months had been tiring for him, and he could possibly do with a breather. It would be very tough to leave either out with the series still alive, but South Africa have a choice to make.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Theunis de Bruyn, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander/Dale Steyn, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Duanne OlivierWhile Haris Sohail is still on the sidelines, Mohammad Abbas and Shadab Khan have recovered from injury, and Pakistan will have to decide whether to stick with the team that failed on the Highveld or ring the changes. While the bowlers didn’t do too badly in the first Test, the middle order could do with some bolstering.Pakistan (probable): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Shan Masood, 4 Azhar Ali, 5 Asad Shafiq/Mohammad Rizwan, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen Afridi/Mohammad AbbasPitch and conditionsRabada was confident in his assertion that South Africa believe they have the best bowling attack in Test cricket, but he wasn’t so sure they’d steamroll Pakistan’s batting again on a Newlands track he said looked “dull”. While the ball can nip around at Newlands, the track can also sometimes be a little slow, and the bowlers may have to toil for their wickets. The Cape’s weather can be changeable, but it should be set fair at this time of year, if a little windy.Stats and trivia Vernon Philander needs one more wicket to reach 50 wickets at Newlands, a ground where he averages 16.55 with a strike rate of 35.1. Pakistan have played three Tests at Newlands and lost each of them. The last time Pakistan played a Test here, Asad Shafiq scored a century, Vernon Philander took nine wickets in the match, Saeed Ajmal took ten, and South Africa won by four wickets.Quotes”They’re a never-say-die team. You never really know what they can throw at you on the day. They’ve got some quality bowlers, and they’ve got some batters who have shown that they can bat and they can hang around. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Sydney Sixers have not solved their top-order batting woes, but they might not need to if they can defend totals as well as they did to beat the Melbourne Renegades on a poor surface at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.Defending 7 for 132, the Renegades looked in control after the Powerplay on the back an enterprising innings from debutant Mackenzie Harvey. But the Sixers spin duo of Steve O’Keefe and first-gamer debutant Ben Manenti weaved a web around the Renegades middle order and they failed to reach 100, losing their first game of the season. Manenti was Player of the Match for his 2 for 13 while Tom Curran finished with 3 for 18 in a brilliant all-round display.Offspinner Ben Manenti had a wonderful debut•Getty Images
Earlier, the Sixers overcame their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament to muster a winning score. Jordan Silk played another important innings. His 30 off 33 balls was boundary-less but priceless for the visitors. Josh Philippe and Curran played important cameos against a Renegades attack that bowled well on difficult batting surface.Kane Richardson, Jack Wildermuth and Usman Shinwari took six wickets and bowled 34 dots in 12 overs between them.Not so Marvel-lous pitchThe Docklands (Marvel Stadium) pitch has always been the most inconsistent in the BBL. Very often teams will bat second to get a look at the surface first up. Teams batting first average 155 at the venue compared to 161 across the BBL and teams have won 17 times chasing out of 30 matches. But this season it has been a lot worse. In two games, the first innings scores have been 103 and 7 for 132 and teams have no idea what a winning score is. Traditionally spin has been a big weapon at Docklands but pace has been the most effective this year. In this match, the players made particular mention of how much moisture was under this surface, and how the ball skidded from back of a length but held up when pitched fuller. It made batting incredibly difficult for both sides.Sixers Powerplay strugglesThe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sydney Sixers kept an unchanged top order for the fourth straight game and produced their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament of 3 for 25, to beat the 3 for 39 against the Scorchers, 3 for 33 against the Thunder, and 2 for 42 against the Stars, which later became 6 for 70. Jack Edwards played all around a straight ball from Shinwari then Daniel Hughes and Joe Denly both holed out. The surface was difficult but they have struggled to find a way to manufacture scores throughout the four games. Philippe was only top six player to strike at more than 100. He scored 20 off 13 to help the Sixers accelerate in the second half of the innings. He made three fifties in six games opening the batting in the JLT Cup (50-over competition) for Western Australia, striking at 120, yet he has been sitting at No.6 for four games in this BBL.Smooth as silkSilk was left to salvage something from the innings for the third time in four games. He has had to play patiently and rotate the strike in all three of those rescue missions. He didn’t strike a single boundary in his 30 off 33 but it was an incredibly valuable innings on a difficult surface. He got great support from Philippe and Curran, who cracked two boundaries in his 23 not out from 15 balls to ensure the Renegades needed to chase more than a run-a-ball.Spin squeezeThe Renegades pacemen dominated in their bowling innings and the Sixers loaded up with pace in their bowling Powerplay, instead of using O’Keefe. They looked to have erred. Debutant Harvey struck the ball powerfully with four fours and a six as the Renegades made 2 for 38 in the Powerplay to stay ahead of the required run-rate. But O’Keefe and debutant offspinner Manenti bowled seven of the next eight overs and squeezed the life out of the Renegades chase. They lost 4 for 33 in 48 balls with only one boundary. Manenti took 2 for 13 from his four overs, including the key wicket of Harvey cleaned bowled for 30, while O’Keefe finished with 2 for 19. The Renegades needed 62 from the last six overs and fell well short. The Sixers’ catching was exceptional to back up the miserly bowling.
West Ham are reportedly set to explore a deal for a £200,000-per-week forward as manager David Moyes scours for more options.
Hammers enter striker market again
Following the departure of Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta over the summer transfer window after his underwhelming spell in east London last term, West Ham didn't end up bringing in a replacement despite their best efforts.
The Italian joins a long list of striker signings which just didn't work out at the London Stadium, with West Ham failing in a late deadline day attempt to sign Hugo Ekitike from PSG to succeed him.
West Ham among favourites to sign "beautiful" £25m star compared to Foden
The Irons are believed to be real contenders.
ByEmilio Galantini Nov 17, 2023
Michail Antonio's injury, while not as serious as first feared, also exposes the club's glaring lack of depth up front with backup Danny Ings looking really out of favour under Moyes.
The Englishman has played just over an hour in the Premier League so far this season, with Moyes turning to makeshift options like Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen instead.
It's arguably imperative for West Ham to bring in another number nine, and they've been linked with a few interesting options.
Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy is a target for Moyes, and reports suggest his contract contains a tantalising £17 million release clause. The Guinea international's already got 15 goals in just eight Bundesliga starts this campaign (WhoScored).
Meanwhile, there have also been rumours that West Ham could go back in for Ekitike in January. The Frenchman declined to join earlier this year, despite PSG accepting an offer from the Irons, but he's now surplus to requirements under Luis Enrique (Football Insider).
West Ham set to explore Werner deal
Another player mentioned at various points has been RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner.
Reports have claimed that West Ham have made contact over the German, with TEAMtalk now sharing its own update.
It is believed West Ham are set to explore a deal for Werner amid Moyes' "desperate" search for a new striker, which is most likely to come in the form of a loan.
TEAMtalk claims Werner is on around £200,000 per week at Leipzig, which may well be a sticking point for West Ham, as their highest earner, Lucas Paqueta, is on around £50,000 less, according to Spotrac.
Nevertheless, he is a real candidate to leave Leipzig and West Ham will evaluate the conditions of this potential exit before making a firm offer.
The 27-year-old couldn't quite make it in the Premier League at Chelsea after his stellar 2019/20 season at Leipzig, where he notched 28 goals in 33 Bundesliga starts (WhoScored).
West Ham may now bid for "very special" striker after accepted summer offer
The Hammers appear to want a new forward.
ByEmilio Galantini Nov 22, 2023
Signed by the Blues in 2020, the Blues let him go back to Leipzig just two years later, where he has again failed to match his 2019/20 form.
Despite this, Werner has been subject to the occasional bit of praise, with pundit Paddy Kenny calling him a "very good player" who gets into "unbelievable" positions (Football Insider).
Kenny also claimed his movement and speed are a "constant threat" to defensive lines.
So although Werner does not have the brightest of Premier League memories to look back on, he may just be tempted to redeem himself on these shores if West Ham are able to offer him a starring role.
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The Outlaws skipper made 62 from 40 balls and then took three wickets to condemn the Falcons to a 39-run defeat
ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2018
Dan Christian’s fine form continued•Getty Images
ScorecardDan Christian produced another match-winning performance as the Notts Outlaws cruised to a third consecutive T20 Vitality Blast victory in a rain affected match against Derbyshire Falcons.The Outlaws skipper made 62 from 40 balls and then took three wickets to condemn the Falcons to a 39-run defeat at Derby under Duckworth-Lewis, their third successive loss in the North Group.Tom Moores smashed 53 from 25 balls in the Outlaws 175 for 8 from 19 overs with Lockie Ferguson taking 4 for 26 but although Calum Macleod made 48, the Falcons pursuit of 179 fell well short at 139 for 9.The Falcons went into the game needing inspiration after two defeats and Ferguson delivered with four wickets in his first two overs.Will Frain was beaten for pace in the fourth over before Steven Mullaney, who had pulled Ravi Rampaul for six, was deceived by a slower ball and bowled for 20.Talking T20 Podcast
This week Dan Norcross is joined by David Hopps to debate world records feats in the Vitality Blast from Ed Pollock, Joe Denly and (nearly) Dan Christian and still finds time to discuss carrots with Isabelle Westbury.
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Moores flat batted Rampaul for another six over long-off but Ferguson struck a big blow in the seventh over when he bowled Samit Patel for three and then had Billy Root well caught at point by a diving Wayne Madsen to reduce the Outlaws to 59 for 4.But Moores and Christian counter-attacked with legspinner Matt Critchley bearing the brunt of the assault as Moores pulled him over wide long on for six before Christian drove him out of the ground.Moores completed a 24-ball 50 but then failed to clear long-on and although Christian launched Critchley for another six, Paul Coughlin and Jake Libby went cheaply before rain halted play for 45 minutes.The Outlaws added 10 from seven balls to leave the Falcons chasing a revised target and Ben Slater took 14 from Harry Gurney’s first over but then pulled Christian to deep midwicket.Christian then ran out Alex Hughes with a direct hit from mid off but the Australian all-rounder was on the receiving end when Critchley took four fours from his second over.Young Derbyshire fans find something to laugh about•Getty Images
Gurney returned to bowl Critchley for 19 and Madsen made only six from 14 balls before he was lbw reverse sweeping Patel as the Outlaws turned the screw.Gary Wilson sliced a drive to cover, Wahab Riaz failed to clear wide long-on and although MacLeod struck some defiant blows, a disciplined display in the field meant the Outlaws were never threatened.