Sunday's game at Anfield was there for the taking, but it was the champions who stepped up – not the pretenders to their throne

Dull games are often decided by a moment of madness or magic. At Anfield on Sunday, it was very much the latter, as Dominik Szoboszlai earned Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Arsenal with a stunning free-kick.

The odds were against the Hungarian, with the ball lying 32 yards from the Gunners' goal, but Szoboszlai's strike was sensational – and utterly unstoppable even for a goalkeeper of David Raya's quality.

But what should we take away from this clash between the top two teams in England last season? Is it too early to start worrying about Arsenal's inability to beat their main title rivals away from home? Are Liverpool still a cut above everyone else in the Premier League?

GOAL runs through all the big winners and losers from a predominantly dull match on Merseyside that was illuminated by a brilliant goal…

Getty Images SportWINNER: Dominik Szoboszlai

Liverpool were never really likely to miss Trent Alexander-Arnold from a defensive perspective. However, even those left bitterly disappointed by the Scouser's summer switch to Real Madrid freely admitted that the Reds were losing a wonderful passer of the ball and a tremendous set-piece specialist.

Maybe, though, Alexander-Arnold's acrimonious exit was a blessing in disguise.

"I should mention Trent because he was taking the free-kicks in the past," Szoboszlai said in his post-match interview with . "Finally, I could have my chance – and I took it."

It should be acknowledged that Szoboszlai didn't just score a free-kick that Alexander-Arnold would have been proud of – he also once again did an absolutely fantastic job filling in at right-back due to the unavailability of the injured Jermie Frimpong and Conor Bradley's lack of match fitness. Some players would have been miffed by being asked to slot into the defence, particularly after seeing their starting spot in midfield taken by an expensive new signing in Florian Wirtz, but Szoboszlai really is a true team player, as he proved last season with his selfless and incessant pressing.

He stepped up brilliantly to the challenge at Newcastle on Monday, and effectively created the match-winner with an outrageous dummy after being moved back into his preferred position late on, but he was even more impressive on Sunday. The winner was Trent-esque but his diligent and disciplined defensive display was anything but, with Szoboszlai completely nullifying the threat posed by Gabriel Martinelli.

As Slot said on , "Dominik shows what Liverpool is all about. If he has to play right wing, right full-back, as a 10, he gives his best. He was outstanding again today."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: William Saliba

It was not a good day to be a French centre-back at Anfield. Arsenal took a massive risk by starting William Saliba, who rolled his ankle in the warm-up, and it backfired badly, with the 24-year-old forced off less than five minutes into the game.

Saliba's compatriot, Ibrahima Konate, lasted much longer, and his premature departure was merely down to cramp, although it remains to be seen if he'll be cleared to link up with Didier Deschamps' squad during the international break.

Arteta was rightly thrilled with the way in which Cristhian Mosquera performed after his unexpectedly early introduction, but Saliba's enforced withdrawal is obviously a major cause for concern.

On the plus side, Arsenal aren't short of options, given Ricardo Calafiori can easily play at centre-back, while Piero Hincapie has just joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Gunners have seen previous title bids flounder without Saliba, so they'll be praying the former Marseille man avoids another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Getty Images SportWINNER: Liverpool's back four

Liverpool may have won their first two Premier League games of the season – but they defended terribly in both games, against Bournemouth and Newcastle. In that context, the most pleasing aspect of Sunday's win from Slot's perspective is likely to be the clean sheet – his team's first in a competitive fixture since the 1-0 win at Leicester City on April 20.

And it wasn't just down to Szoboszlai's versatility – or Virgil van Dijk being his usual unflappable self in the centre of defence. Alisson Becker was called into action just once because Milos Kerkez put a couple of very dodgy displays behind him by doing a fantastic job containing, first, Noni Madueke, and then, Max Dowman. Nobody won more duels (seven) than the former Bournemouth left-back, who will be feeling much, much better about his game going into the international break.

Konate may be in a bit more pain, after hobbling off late on at Anfield, but the Frenchman will be proud of the way in which he bounced back after a calamitous start to the season, as he more than played his part in Arsenal's star striker, Viktor Gyokeres, going missing in action on Merseyside.

But it would be remiss of us not to mention another player that never lets Liverpool down. Joe Gomez came on for Konate with just over 10 minutes remaining and was absolutely fantastic, making three crucial interventions that helped Slot's side see out the game.

The signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace before the close of the transfer window still feels essential, given Gomez's inability to stay fit for very long, and Konate's contractual situation. However, Slot will be more than a little relieved that his defence is keeping clean sheets again.

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Getty Images SportLOSER: Expensive attacking talent

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have spent colossal amounts of cash strengthening their attacks during the summer – but not one of the big-money buys made a big impact at Anfield.

Hugo Ekitike boasted a 100 percent strike rate coming into the game but, for the first time this season, the France international was starved of service and got just one touch in the opposition box. It was a similar story for Gyokeres, who, like Ekitike, didn't manage to get single shot away and struggled with the physicality of Van Dijk, Konate and Gomez.

Florian Wirtz showed some flashes of what he can do, twice picking out the terribly ineffective Mohamed Salah in dangerous positions, but the Germany international once again failed to influence a Premier League game and is clearly still struggling with the physicality and intensity of English football.

Madueke was far livelier on Arsenal's right flank, where he was deputising for Bukayo Saka, but doubts persist over his end product, given the former Chelsea man didn't actually make a telling contribution before being replaced by Dowman.

As for Eberechi Eze, he was rather surprisingly given just 20 minutes on his Arsenal debut and wasted a glorious chance to equalise by failing to keep his balance as he broke into the Liverpool box late on.

Fair to say, then, that much more will be expected of Eze & Co. when these two sides meet again at the Emirates in January.

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O Palmeiras finalizou, na manhã deste sábado (18), a preparação para o duelo contra o Ituano, válido pela semifinal do Campeonato Paulista. A partida será disputada no domingo, às 16h, no Allianz Parque.

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O técnico Abel Ferreira e seus auxiliares comandaram atividades táticas, com ênfase na construção de jogadas e no posicionamento das bolas paradas. O elenco também disputou um recreativo, com a presença do técnico português, e alguns jogadores ainda praticaram finalizações e cobranças de bola parada.

+ Veja as movimentações do mercado da bola no LANCE!

A única dúvida que Abel Ferreira possui para o duelo é Endrick ou Bruno Tabata no ataque. A joia palmeirense foi titular em grande parte da fase de grupos do Paulistão, mas está em baixa. Já Tabata foi a surpresa na escalação contra o Ituano e deu conta do recado, sendo elogiado pela torcida e treinador.

Com essa incerteza, a provável escalação do Palmeiras para a semifinal conta com: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Murillo e Piquerez; Zé Rafael, Gabriel Menino e Raphael Veiga; Bruno Tabata (Endrick), Rony e Dudu.

+ Veja como ficou a tabela e simule o mata-mata do Campeonato Paulista

Mais de 38 mil ingressos já foram vendidos de forma antecipada para o confronto no Allianz Parque. O Verdão buscase classificar para a quarta final consecutiva do Paulistão pela primeira vez desde o fim da década de 70, quando a competição passou a utilizar o sistema de mata-mata no regulamento.

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Newcastle United have sealed the signing of Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade for a reported £69 million ($93m), but the deal has already raised eyebrows. Former Germany international Dietmar Hamann has labelled the move "a trip into the unknown" and claimed the Magpies have overpaid, with the transfer also paving the way for Alexander Isak to join Liverpool.

• Newcastle pay £69m to sign Stuttgart striker Woltemade
• Hamann calls deal 'too much' and 'unknown gamble'
• Move expected to clear way for Isak’s £130m Liverpool switch

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Newcastle confirmed Woltemade’s arrival on a long-term deal after agreeing a record fee with Stuttgart. The towering 6ft 6in forward has impressed in Germany but arrives without Champions League experience. 

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• WHAT HAMANN SAID

  Speaking to , Hamann said: "Nick Woltemade is a good player but Bayern Munich bid €60 million and I thought that was too much. Now Newcastle will pay up to €90 million. He's 23. He’s had 6 months where he’s shown he's a very good player but it's far too much money. He has never played in the Champions League as he was not included in Stuttgart’s Champions League squad last season so it's a bit of a trip into the unknown."

  "Woltemade is very gifted technically and obviously with his height there's always comparisons with Peter Crouch, who was a very good footballer. He’s probably a better header than Crouchy. Maybe a little bit quicker as well. A good player but it's too much money."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Woltemade's signing also increases the likelihood of Isak departing, with Liverpool readying a £130m ($175m) offer for the Sweden striker. Hamann also believes that Newcastle will now allow Isak to leave St. James' Park: "What does it mean for Isak? I think he’ll join Liverpool. I'd be surprised if he wasn't going. There’s talk about him being brought back into the Newcastle squad, becoming reintegrated but a lot has happened. I think he’ll end up at Liverpool."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE?

  The German striker is now likely to make his Premier League debut with Newcastle when the Magpies take on Wolves on Saturday, September 13. He is expected to be the main striker for Eddie Howe for the rest of the season.

Anthony Elanga has wished Alexander Isak good luck after his move to Liverpool, insisting the Magpies are "chill" over his exit.

Isak forced through Liverpool moveElanga joined the club in the summerLifts lid on Newcastle's response Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Isak departed Newcastle on deadline day after a protracted summer saga in which he demanded to join Liverpool. The Reds finally got the deal done on the last day of the window, with the striker leaving for a British-record £125 million ($168m) fee. 

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Elanga joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer, and while he is disappointed that he will not play with his countryman for the Magpies, he has wished him all the best at Anfield, and insists the remainder of the squad at St James' Park are merely focused on the upcoming season instead of dwelling on the star's departure. 

WHAT ELANGA SAID

Elanga told Fotbollskanalen: “Isak is a Liverpool player right now. I have the chance to play with him in the national team. He had a good career at Newcastle, but right now he is a Liverpool player. Good luck to him.”

He added: “It has been chill. He had a contract with us and right now he is with Liverpool. We all think he is a very good player. We lost a good player but we also signed good players. Hopefully we can look forward and focus on this season.

“It’s his choice. He chose Liverpool. Good luck to him. He is a friend to me and a fantastic footballer. I can play with him in the national team and that is good as well.”

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

Newcastle play Wolves on September 13 after the international break, while Liverpool play Burnley. First, Sweden face Slovenia and Kosovo in World Cup qualifiers.

The Inter Miami star admitted he struggles to enjoy playing when he doesn’t feel physically at his best

• Scored twice in 3-0 win over Venezuela
• Argentina remain leaders of the qualifiers
• Did not confirm whether he’ll play at the 2026 World Cup

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lionel Messi has cast doubt over his participation in the 2026 World Cup, set to be staged across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Following Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela in Buenos Aires – his last qualifying match on home soil – e captain avoided giving a clear answer on whether he will defend the crown he lifted in Qatar 2022.

  “As I’ve said before, I don’t think I’ll play another World Cup… At my age, it’s only logical to think I might not,” Messi told after the match.

  Messi acknowledged his participation in the 2026 World Cup will come down to his fitness.

  “Day by day, I try to feel good and, above all, be honest with myself. When I feel good, I enjoy it. But when I don’t, honestly, I don’t enjoy it – and if that’s the case, I’d rather not be there. So we’ll see," he explained. "I haven’t made a decision yet about the World Cup. Match by match, I’ll finish the season, then have preseason, and in six months, I’ll see how I feel. Hopefully I can finish this MLS season strong, have a good preseason in 2026, and then make a decision.”

  Messi also reflected on the emotional farewell he experienced in Buenos Aires: 

  “To be able to finish this way here is what I always dreamed of – finishing with my people. For many years, I had Barcelona’s affection, and my dream was to have it here in my country as well," he said. "A lot was said over the years, but I’ll keep the good moments we built with a group that tried but couldn’t win it all, until it finally happened for me and a few from my generation. Everything we lived through was beautiful.”

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• AFP
  

  WHAT LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ SAID

  Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez admitted there were plenty of emotions on the pitch on Thursday.

  “It was an emotional night, one to remember, a night that will stay with us forever because of who Leo is – not just as a player, but as a person, as a leader, and for the lessons he gives us every day,” he said.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  With his brace, Messi extended his record tally to 114 goals for Argentina. 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA NATIONAL TEAM?

  , who remain leaders in the South American qualifiers with 38 points, will close out their campaign on Tuesday with an away trip to Ecuador.

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O São Paulo visita, na Argentina, o Tigre, às 21h (de Brasília) desta quinta-feira (6), em jogo válido pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana. A partida terá transmissão via canais pagos e streaming, além do tempo real no LANCE!.

O duelo marca o reencontro do Tricolor com os jogos depois da eliminação nas quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista para o Água Santa. Deste então, muita aconteceu pelos lados do Morumbi, incluindo discussão entre o meia Marcos Paulo e o técnico Rogério Ceni e o vazamento de que o plantel está com direitos de imagem vencidos.

O duelo marca também o reencontro do clube brasileiro com o Tigre, adversário batido na final da Sul-Americana de 2012, em final marcada pela confusão no intervalo, quando os jogadores argentinos alegaram terem sido agredidos por seguranças e não voltaram para atuar o segundo tempo do jogo.

TIGRE-ARG x SÃO PAULO -BRA

Data e hora: 6/4/2023 (quinta-feira), às 21h (de Brasília)
Local:Estádio José Dellagiovanna, em Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Árbitro: Esteban Ostojich (Uruguai)
Auxiliares:Nicolas Tarán e Horácio Ferreiro (Uruguai)
VAR:Ângelo Hermosilla (Uruguai)

ONDE ASSISTIR: ESPN e STAR +

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Family reunions in New Zealand help England captain find his equilibrium after turbulent month

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Nov-2024

Since Ben Stokes became Test captain in 2022, he has made a note of addressing his England squad ahead of each series.His first that summer was an array of individual chats which took place St George’s Park, England’s national football centre, where the team had gathered for medical screenings, outlining his vision. Ever since, they have taken the form of speeches to the whole group – usually a refresher on the values and ethos that have been cultivated (and challenged) over the last two years.This time, however, Stokes took a different tack. With the team congregating in Queenstown ahead of Thursday’s series opener against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, the captain stood up and, in his words, “cleared the air with the lads”.Perhaps for the first time, it was more for him than them. Stokes wanted to relay how unhappy he was with his conduct on the recent Pakistan tour. He had gone into the series still recovering from the hamstring tear that ruled him out of the Sri Lanka series at the end of the home summer. And though he was able to return to action for the second and third Tests in Multan and Rawalpindi after nine weeks out, he was not his best self, as England succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.He let his frustrations get the better of him on the field in Multan after an array of dropped catches and misfields, which he apologised for at the time. Then came a lax display of captaincy in the decisive third Test, compounded by two failures with the bat.Those around Stokes at the time noted something was off, and it soon emerged that his house had been burgled during the second Test, understandably taking his thoughts elsewhere. He wanted to return home to support his family, who were in the house at the time of the break-in, but stayed on in Pakistan at the insistence of his wife, Clare.Even with that mitigating factor, the weeks back home allowed Stokes to reflect that the image and negative energy he had projected was at odds with the leader he wants to be. The drive to regain fitness and his visible exasperations were, in his mind, selfish – counter-productive to the calm dressing-room environment he regards as a key pillar for an England side still working itself out.”It was one of my hardest trips,” said Stokes. “But also one that I’ve hugely benefited from.Related

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“I had my hamstring injury, and as soon as I could get going again, I had a focus on a date to get back. I worked incredibly hard for a very, very long period of time. And then when we got out to Pakistan, obviously pushing and pushing and pushing myself to get ready for that first Test, made a late call and then tried to get myself ready for the second Test.”I’ve been pretty honest with myself and pretty honest with Baz and the team as well, that I got so individually focused on myself over a long period of time of trying to get back from injury.”I actually I did physically drain and ruin myself, which definitely had some kind of mental impact on me. I sort of almost worked myself too hard to get back to fitness, and then all of a sudden, I was out in a Test match.”It’s made me realise that me being a captain, me being the leader of this team, I can’t take myself into that sort of area ever again – focusing on myself so much as an individual. And there’s no doubt that my frustration was showing when things weren’t quite going our way.”That definitely has an impact on, not only the players around me, but also the group and the management around you as well. Because everyone’s walking on eggshells around you, because they can sense it. But it wasn’t till I got home that I realised that then, obviously, with the robbery happening, that made more of everything for me out there.”Ben Stokes has a hongi with a Ngāi Tahu member at Hagley Oval•Getty Images

Stokes’ words in Queenstown were understood to be well received, with an encouraging sense that no such apology was necessary, but appreciated nonetheless. So much of Stokes’ captaincy is about looking out for others, whether diverting praise their way or shielding them from criticism.In a year in which England have lost as many Tests as they have won (seven), along with a destabilising injury and home invasion, falling short of those high standards is only human. Nevertheless, the drive for improvement is admirable ahead of what will be a challenging three-match series against the Blackcaps.”It was a realisation for me that, right, okay, if I ever find myself in this situation again, I need to maybe take a step back and think about what’s best for the team,” he added. “Because I feel like when you’re in a position that I’m in, you always need to be focused on that, as opposed to yourself, if that makes sense.”It was nice to get home, relax, chill out … you know, assess Pakistan, individually, which I think should hopefully help the team go forward again. I think it’s another step forward for me as a leader, as well as understanding certain things where I need to be better.”If Stokes is keen to re-ground himself, he could not have picked a better spot. He was, of course, born here in Christchurch before moving to Cumbria at the age of 12.He tends to bristle when his New Zealand roots are brought up, mostly through cynicism that his background is often used to discredit his Englishness. But Stokes remains fiercely proud of his Kiwi roots. That was particularly evident when he and Blackcaps skipper Tom Latham led their sides in the Mihi Whakatau – a traditional Māori welcoming ceremony – on the Hagley Oval outfield.England know not to expect as warm a welcome on the field, having failed to land a series win in four consecutive visits since 2008, but things are a little different for Stokes. Family connections remain strong in the South Island’s largest city, led by his mother, Deborah. And while Stokes’ motivation to drive England forward remains strong, the setting adds a unique emotional layer for England’s captain.”This is a great place to tour for the team, but obviously for myself, it’s more than that,” he said. “It’s a chance to see family, catch up with family who I don’t get to see. You know, pretty much the whole of the Stokes family is in Christchurch. They’re coming down to the Test match this week.”I came out earlier than the team did to surprise my family. Only a couple of them knew. They managed to keep it secret. So this tour, obviously, is more than just cricket for me. I try and enjoy this country as much as I possibly can. It’s a great place to tour, but, yeah, it’s great for me to be able to see people who I don’t get to see that often. And so there’s more to it for me than there is for everyone else here.”

Pieter Strydom played ten ODIs and two Tests for South Africa, and it is forever his cross to bear that his name will be associated with the fixing scandal that broke in April 2000

Sidharth Monga09-Apr-2018Pieter Strydom looks a little like Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. A Nick Mason older than in the glory days of the Floyd, when he had long, dark hair and a walrus moustache, and only slightly younger than the old man at their reunion at Live 8, who was described by Mark Blake as a “fifty-something businessman on a dress-down Friday”. Strydom has a similar upper lip, made for walrus moustaches, and a slightly elusive demeanour when he talks. It’s almost like he doesn’t like to talk about serious things, a little like Mason, who didn’t quite share the brooding seriousness of his band mates. It was Mason’s fate to be part of heavy conversations.It is Strydom’s fate to keep being reminded of his involvement in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal, though he has always maintained – and the King Commission cleared him – that he was not involved. Strydom was a player good enough to play 114 first-class matches and 139 List A ones. He was an attacking lower-middle-order batsman with a home-grown technique that featured heavy and awkward use of the bottom hand, and a left-arm spinner.”It is quite often, huh,” Strydom says when asked how often he gets reminded of Cronje. “Lots of people know me because of this. It is a long story to keep telling everyone. Now you know me, having a few beers, and now the okes want to hear the whole story. You start telling one little bit. Almost feels like you have to explain yourself. Maybe the okes aren’t as familiar with the King Commission as you are. They don’t know the whole thing. Then I am boring myself out for 45 minutes.”To those who are not familiar with the King Commission, it was an inquiry into the biggest scandal cricket had faced till then. Much loved South Africa captain Cronje was caught by the Delhi police, fixing – or at least promising to fix – matches. They taped his phone conversations with bookies during the tour of India in 2000. In one of those conversations, before the third ODI on that tour, Cronje is heard telling bookie Sanjay Chawla that Nicky Boje, Herschelle Gibbs and Strydom are in on the fix.Life has not been the same for Strydom since the day the transcripts were released. Firstly, Strydom says he wasn’t even approached during the ODIs. He was approached by Cronje twice before the first Test, in Mumbai, and he refused both times. Modern cricketers are taught to report such approaches, but back then the administrators were themselves unaware of such threats to the sport. Strydom didn’t think too much of it – until he saw 97 missed calls on his phone at the end of a golf game in East London in April 2000. The news had broken.”When I walked away from that room [where he spoke to Cronje], to me, I had forgotten about everything already,” Strydom says. “In my mind I said no, that is it. Only, the next morning when he walked into the bus: ‘Hey, how about 140 [the first offer was 70,000 rand]?’ or something. Jokingly. Even the first offer was joking. He had that sort of demeanour. But he didn’t harp on it. It was a very quick offer. And then we spoke about his degree and he spoke about his music, he spoke about all his MP3s. Not much about cricket.”Then in April, the tape with Strydom’s name played all over. In the said ODI, Strydom bowled three overs for 15 runs, batted at No. 10, and was at the wicket when the winning runs were scored by Mark Boucher, another man who, it would later emerge, was approached by Cronje. Cronje himself bowled his quota of ten overs, took a wicket and scored a half-century to seal the Man-of-the-Match award.Through the India tour and during Strydom’s debut Test – the infamous one in Centurion where Cronje forfeited the second innings for money and asked Strydom to see if he could bet R50 on a South Africa win – Strydom didn’t see anything amiss.

“The next morning when he walked into the bus: ‘Hey, how about 140?’ or something. Jokingly. Even the first offer was joking. He had that sort of demeanour. But he didn’t harp on it. It was a very quick offer”

“Not at all,” he says when asked if he felt anything was dodgy. “Not even in declaration. Not even in India either. I mean, if you go back and start thinking now, maybe this, maybe that, but never on the field. Whenever I played with Hansie, there was no way I saw him as a cricketer that he would ever, ever throw a game. If he used the game – I mean you would have seen the Mumbai [Test] pitch, no one was going to get 250, and that was the request, that South Africa must score less than 250…”That is what Cronje basically said at the King Commission, the summary of which is: he got mixed up with the wrong crowd, he took their money, and when under pressure, he sold them information and promises that didn’t need any underperforming. In between, under pressure from continuous calls from the bookies, Cronje just randomly threw out some names to get them off his back. One of those names was Strydom’s. That’s what Cronje said at the Commission, before insisting Strydom was not involved.Strydom had to fight on two fronts, he says. He says he knew he did nothing wrong in India, and all he had to do was tell his story without omissions to the King Commission. He even told them he told Cronje he would have considered the offer if he had played 80 or 90 Tests at the time; instead, it was the time for him to cement a place in the side.”I don’t know why I said that,” he says now. “I don’t know if that’s the right thing to say either. But it was my way of saying, ‘I am not doing it.'”There are other things he would have liked changed. He was out of the side by then, and he believes his second fight was against the people who should have been providing him support. In an ideal world, the United Cricket Board (UCB) would have done: charged him but also provided him support.”I didn’t get any support from South African cricket,” Strydom says. “I was on my own, you know. I used to go overseas but I stayed back because of all the court cases and King Commission. So I had to stay back for that. I thought I would stay here the whole year. Didn’t go overseas.”I was advised not to speak to Hansie. South African Cricket wanted nothing to do with him. I was also advised by my lawyers – just leave it until everything settles down, then you can go and chat. But don’t get involved with it. You tell your side of the story. You don’t know who’s going to help, who’s not going to help you.Not great, not dreadful: Strydom didn’t make waves in the ten ODIs he played•Rebecca Naden/PA Photos”South African cricket then charged me for trying to place a bet for trying to find out the odds in Centurion. I had to now protect myself against South African cricket. I felt like they were having a something at me. I paid for my own flights, my own lawyers, to protect myself against them, and yet I had done nothing wrong. Maybe in a small print it says you are not allowed to do that [seek to bet on games you are playing in]. Not that I read the small print. I just went to see if there were odds, which there weren’t.”Strydom does acknowledge calls and logistics support from Bronwyn Wilkinson, the communications officer of UCB then, “but there was no emotional support” from the board. In due course Strydom was acquitted because there was no evidence to prove he had done anything wrong. “I knew I wasn’t guilty, I just had to tell my side of the story.”Closure eluded him, though. During the course of the trial, he managed to speak to Cronje only twice – both times on the phone. Then Cronje died in a plane crash. Strydom keeps meeting others involved in the incident, he kept playing against them in domestic cricket – they don’t talk about it – but the man who could have given him answers is gone.”The thing I regret is, I was not allowed to speak to Hansie,” Strydom says. “It would have been nice to ask him, ‘Why is my name on the tape if there is a tape?’ Those are the type of questions… Why did you mention me Hansie? Why was I mentioned in the one-day series when you didn’t even approach me in the one-day series? That is something that can’t be answered.””What are they going to tell me?” Strydom says about whether he has tried to contact Cronje’s family. “What can they do? They have got bigger things to worry about. Not in my place to even go there.”Strydom’s bigger regret in a way is that he didn’t do enough on that tour of India to keep a place in the side; as it was, he was a late selection. Or that he was given caught off his arm guard in Centurion. Or that he batted too low in a strong lower-middle order in ODIs. “For me to go and play my second Test in Mumbai, 35,000 people, you had [Anil] Kumble and three men around the bat, in the 50th over,” he says. “I don’t care how good a player of spin you are. It’s not going to be easy out there. I just think maybe if I hadn’t try to hit Murali Kartik in the air…”Strydom knows he needed runs in his first couple of opportunities, even though as a bowler he did okay, going for about five an over in ODIs. He was never a prodigy, was selected when he was over 30, was more a utility player, a disposable one. He reckons he could have been a useful bits-and-pieces cricketer in modern T20 cricket, but back then he knew the selectors were not going to have patience with him.That he didn’t play for South Africa after that doesn’t have anything to do with the scandal, he says, but because he didn’t give them reasons to persist with him. He says, though, that his family and wife feel the selectors and administrators avoided him after the incident.

“My family feel let down by him. Me not so much. There is nothing you can do. I would like to have spoken to him and asked him questions, but other people – my friends, people who support me – they feel let down”

Strydom now runs the Port Elizabeth franchise of Postnet, mainly a courier service that competes directly with government postal services. He meets cricketers when they are in town but is not on regular calling terms. He hosted Ottis Gibson, a friend from when the two played for Border, when the South Africa coach was in town for the Boxing Day Test. They hardly talked cricket. Strydom is a good squash player. We meet at his squash club. He says he is happy with where he is in his life. “A good conscience is the softest pillow.”Strydom says he has forgiven Cronje but his family hasn’t. “Ja, look, the way I saw it, he was using my name as a player and getting money for it, which I didn’t get money for. Which I didn’t want. I said no to it then,” he says. “I still think he was a great cricketer. Ja, I don’t think less of Hansie. Which you might feel… I don’t think… I have never been cross with Hansie. I don’t know why. I would have liked to have known from him first before I got cross with him.”My family feel let down by him. Me not so much. There is nothing you can do. I would like to have spoken to him and asked him questions, but other people – my friends, people who support me – they feel let down. They think it is unfair. Why would he approach you? It was your first Test, second Test.”Before we part, Strydom jokes, “But you didn’t ask me anything about squash. My wife told me this [Cronje controversy] is what the interview was going to be about.”It’s sort of, it feels like it has died. But if you put Pieter Strydom in Google, it does come up. Now my son is ten, and he has sort of started to look at things like that. I have sort of spoken to him about it. It is hard to talk what I am talking to you now to him. It is hard to explain what happened. He doesn’t even know what match-fixing is. That bridge we will have to cross. I don’t think his friends will know about it. ‘Oh your dad is so and so…’ It hasn’t happened yet. They are only ten. I will have to deal with it. Everything that has happened, you just have to deal with it.”There’s always a smart oke somewhere to remind me of this. I have never been ostracised – they are just interested in it. It would be nice to get a closure to the whole thing. I don’t know if there is closure to it.”If Strydom never had anything to do with corrupt activities it must be really hard to reconcile with being known as the man Hansie propositioned, and not as a useful cricketer who made all of the limited natural ability he had.”I have got my blazer hanging there,” he says. “Like to have been more known for my cricket ability than being part of the Hansie commission. A solid cricketer.”

Australian was a part of England backroom staff for victorious tour of 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2023

David Saker, England’s bowling coach during their ascent to the No. 1 Test ranking a decade ago, has agreed to return to the role for this summer’s Ashes, after being sounded out by the Test captain, Ben Stokes.Saker, 56, is currently in Bangladesh working with England’s white-ball squad, but has agreed to link up with the red-ball team during the English summer, and reprise a role he last performed from 2010 to 2015, including two previous Ashes wins in 2010-11 and 2013. As a native Australian, he also performed the same role for his home country between 2016 and 2019.”I don’t think I’ll do much Test cricket, but I’m doing the Ashes,” Saker told reporters in Dhaka. “Ben said: ‘I’d like to get you involved in the Ashes.’ Rob Key [managing director] had already floated it a little bit, but being so busy I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to do it. Once Stokesy pushed it, it made it an easy decision. I said yes straight away because of the magnitude of the occasion. I’ve been involved in Ashes with both parties and the cricket is as exciting as it gets. It’s the biggest Test event.”Related

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With his focus on mindset over technique, Saker’s methods would appear to be a good fit for England’s current Test team, which includes two of his previous charges in James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who are set to embark on their tenth and ninth Ashes campaigns respectively.”Working with England the first time was so much fun,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to do the Ashes with this group because they are the best team in the world to watch at the moment.”Baz [Brendon McCullum] will pick a team that he thinks will win and he’ll explain what he wants from the players and then it’s my job to make sure they can deliver that,” he added.”The evolution of Jimmy and Broady, they’re so confident in what they can do and they just go out and do it. That’s what you want from your bowling group. My job is to make sure the bowlers are doing that.”It’s also creating an atmosphere in the dressing room that’s enjoyable. There’s no doubt that people are enjoying turning up to that Test team. It sounds like it’s a small thing, but the dressing-room atmosphere is a huge thing in international cricket.”The England team that won in Australia in 2010-11 before rising to the top of the Test standings the following summer was blessed with a core of outstanding fast bowlers – with Anderson and Broad at the forefront but the likes of Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan also at their peak in that period.England’s stable of quick bowlers for this summer’s Ashes could include two of the fastest in the modern game in Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, a point of difference that Saker believes could give them the edge in their bid for a first series win over Australia since 2015.”To win Ashes and big series you need a good battery of fast bowlers and that is definitely the case about England,” he said. “You can say the same about the Australians, but playing on your home patch is always an advantage for a bowling group.”It’s exciting if we can have Jofra [Archer] and [Mark] Wood available. Whether you play them together is another thing, but you need that pace against the Australians. The thing those sorts of bowlers can do, they can bowl a spell that can crack a game open.”The key is to have a group of fast bowlers ready to get selected, so it makes it tough for the selection committee to make a decision. When you get that you usually get a pretty strong team.”

Surrey and England allrounder Tom Curran has taken the decision to step away from red-ball cricket, citing his physical and mental health along with a desire to focus on limited-overs cricket.Curran, 27, has played 61 first-class matches, including two Test caps picked up during the 2017-18 Ashes series. However his appearances in the longer format since have been infrequent of late, in part because of injuries. He was ruled out of the first four months of 2022 with a stress fracture of his lower back.Curran has played just two first-class matches since the end of the 2019 season, both of which came in Surrey’s successful 2022 County Championship campaign. The first of those, against Northamptonshire, saw him register his maiden first-class century. The move to focus solely on limited-overs cricket is in keeping with Curran’s general direction of travel. Though he made the last of his 58 ODI and T20I appearances in July 2021, he is regarded globally as an accomplished franchise cricketer. As well as representing Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, he has played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and is currently with Desert Vipers in the ILT20. He is also due to experience the Pakistan Super League for the first time with Islamabad United.With opportunities opening up around the world in the winter, cutting out red-ball cricket altogether is a move he hopes will have a positive effect on mind and body.”The last couple of years have not been easy for me,” Curran said. “I have had a lot of time and this isn’t a decision that I’ve taken lightly.”Some choices in life I don’t think you will ever be 100% sure and this is definitely one of those. But where I find myself at this exact moment, I feel like it is the right decision for my body and for my mental health.”I’m definitely not ruling out playing red-ball cricket again in the future, and I feel like I have unfinished business in this format for both Surrey and England. But until I can feel 100% committed and confident in my body to be performing day in and day out for Surrey in the County Championship, I feel that putting all my time and focus into on our Vitality Blast campaign this year is the right thing to do.”I know it is not ideal news for everyone at Surrey and our fans. But I wanted to say a truly heartfelt thank you to Alec Stewart for the support and understanding of my decision. Surrey has given me everything and is my home. I love it very much and my hope is everyone else will see and understand my decision as he has done.”Surrey’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, said: “Obviously when you lose a player of Tom’s quality from your County Championship squad it is a blow, but I have spoken to him at length about his decision and understand why he has made it.”He has suffered with injuries in recent years and if this can help strengthen his body and keep him on a cricket field more regularly over the coming years, I fully support the decision.”I look forward to seeing him back in May for our own T20 season.”