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The teenager stole the show with two goals and an assist to headline a busy weekend across MLS

It's very rare that you know who your player of the week is before 1 pm ET on a Saturday. There's a whole weekend left to play, a whole world of MLS left to explore, before making such a decision.

But this weekend, we knew. Who else could it be but Caleb Wiley?

Atlanta United's 18-year-old teenage starlet stole the show in the first game of the weekend, putting forth a performance that puts his name right there next to some of the league's elite. He contributed to all three of Atlanta's goals in a 3-0 win over Charlotte FC, showing poise, maturity and confidence well beyond his years.

This was the Weekend of Wiley, even if he wasn't the only big story of it all. From big injuries to massive wins, there were some league-changing moments throughout this third weekend of game action.

Here's a look at the winners and losers of MLS Week 3…

WINNER: Caleb Wiley

Whenever you do things that put your name next to Alphonso Davies and Miguel Almiron, you're probably doing something right.

Wiley is a long way from reaching the levels of those two, but he certainly showed what he can do over the weekend with an absolutely dazzling performance against Charlotte FC. At 18, Wiley was far and away the best player on the field, even if he was surrounded by a World Cup winner and several players signed for multi-million-dollar transfer fees.

He ultimately finished with two goals and an assist in what was clearly a Man of the Match-winning performance. With it, he joined Almiron and Yamil Asad as the three Atlanta players to have two goals and an assist in the same game. Additionally, only Davies and former USMNT star Bobby Convey have provided three goal contributions in a single half at an age younger than Wiley.

That's all to say that what Wiley did was very, very special. It was a hell of a breakout performance from a player that looks primed to, well… break out.

Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda pumped the brakes a bit postgame, pointing to his wealth of attacking options, but even he had to admit that Wiley is doing crazy things at a young age.

"I have to be conscious that he's 18, right? But, at the same time, it doesn't matter," Pineda said. "The ball doesn't know the age of the player that's kicking it. In that sense, I only see the performance."

What a performance it was and, if he can provide more like it, Atlanta will have another star on their hands.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Andre Blake

The Philadelphia Union are as deep as any team in MLS. That's what makes them title favorites, after all.

But Andre Blake, he's irreplaceable.

The Union are now facing a reality where they do have to live without the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for at least a little while, as Blake suffered a groin injury in the team's win over the Chicago Fire.

"He'll get an MRI but with a groin injury, I always fear the worst," Union boss Jim Curtin said. "Again, Andre has been a quick healer in the past.

"Don’t want to speculate too much until we get pictures, but sometimes these things take a week, sometimes they take four weeks, sometimes they take eight weeks."

Making matters a bit worse? the fact that Jamaica are set to face Mexico in two weeks in a do-or-die CONCACAF Nations League match. With a win over Mexico, Jamaica would advance to the final round in June, while with a defeat, they'll finish second behind El Tri. With Blake, beating Mexico would be tough. Without him, it's going to be almost impossible.

As for the Union, they'll likely be fine in MLS. Matt Freese is gone, traded in the offseason, but the Union have veteran Joe Bendik to steady the ship.

The Champions League, though, is another discussion. They settled for a 0-0 draw with Alianza in their opener and, should they advance, the quarterfinals begin in the first week of April. Will Blake be ready by then? Will he even be ready for the semis in late April?

We'll see, but the Union will hope so as they would love to see a quick return from their goalkeeping star.

GettyWINNER: St. Louis City SC

We'll stop putting them in here when they stop winning!

Three weeks, three times in the 'Winners' column for the league's newest team, who simply can't stop winning to start life in MLS.

This week, the team on the other end of the St. Louis machine was Portland, who, unlike their first two opponents, didn't literally hand them a goal in their loss. The Timbers scored early, but once again, St. Louis came from behind, winning 2-1 at Providence Park for another statement win.

"Did I know it was going to unfold this way? That we're going to be challenged many moments and to come out again on top? These are some things you cannot foresee," said head coach Bradley Carnell, "but all I could foresee is we played very competitive opponents in preseason.

"We've been committing to a style of play for over a year now. So, we got guys in early June, July, August, September last year, so we've had a very committed group of guys.

"And listen, this style of play is not easy. This style of play demands a lot of commitment, not just to the philosophy but to each other as a teammate and we felt every minute that the lights were not on us in MLS, these were moments for us to grow and get ready so again we just take in everything in our stride with feeling we've achieved nothing and, yeah, we have to keep it calm and excited for next time."

Is what St. Louis is doing sustainable? Almost certainly not. There are still holes, on paper, when it comes to their roster build and, eventually, expansion teams usually hit a wall.

But, at this point, who cares if it's sustainable? It certainly has been fun to watch St. Louis take down two Western Conference powerhouses… and Charlotte (who are most certainly not a powerhouse).

Only the 2009 Seattle Sounders put together a 3-0 start in MLS, and we all know where the Sounders are now. Can St. Louis build a similar culture? We'll see.

They're off to a pretty good start, though. Let's check in next week and see if they're here once again!

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LOSER: LA Galaxy

Are we worried about the Galaxy yet?

To be fair, they'll be thrilled with the result, a 0-0 draw at Sporting KC that gives them their first point of the young season. A point on the road is always good in this league. Winning your home games and drawing on the road is a good recipe for success.

What isn't a recipe for success is whatever the Galaxy did on Saturday night, when they were outshot 30-8 and completely dominated by Sporting KC. If not for Sporting KC's complete inability to put the ball anywhere near the net, the Galaxy would be looking at two straight losses in two weeks.

The Galaxy have problems all over the pitch, and none of them will be fixed by the return of Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. They're lacking chance-creators, they don't fit their formation and their defense always looks one mistake away from doing something bonkers.

And that's just on the field. Off the field, they can't sign anyone this summer due to a transfer ban, meaning they need to fix things ASAP. And, to make matters worse, their fans are set to protest their own home opener next weekend. Not good.

What is good is the emergence of Jalen Neal, who did well in his first MLS start after making his USMNT debut earlier this year. That's a building block, but the Galaxy need a whole lot of help right now.

It's still early. You can't write teams off after two weeks but, right now, the Galaxy don't look like a team that have MLS Cup aspirations.

GOAL profiles the stars from the continent who came close to winning the English competition.

The FA Cup final takes place on Saturday with Liverpool facing Chelsea and a number of African players will be involved.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita and Joel Matip are all likely to start for Liverpool while Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech could line up for Chelsea.

With one team set for the disappointment of losing, GOAL looks at six African players who reached the FA Cup final but never won it.

Getty ImagesQuinton Fortune

The former South African international, who played as a midfielder and left-back, was on Manchester United’s books for seven years (1999-2006) where he featured sparingly. While he won a Premier League title in 2003, the FA Cup eluded him in 2005 when he was an unused substitute as the Red Devils lost to Arsenal 5-4 on post-match penalties after a barren draw in regular time.

AdvertisementGetty/GOALEmmanuel Adebayor

Despite turning out for Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, the former Togo international never managed to reach the FA Cup final with the aforementioned and his only chance to get his hands on the prestigious trophy came in the 2015-16 season while playing for Crystal Palace. Adebayor was an unused substitute as Palace lost 2-1 to Manchester United in extra time, the Eagles having been 12 minutes away from victory.

Crystal Palace.Wilfried Zaha

Like Adebayor, the Ivory Coast international also lost the 2015-16 final to Manchester United, having started and completed the match as he was among manager Alan Pardew’s key men for Crystal Palace. Zaha tormented the United defence for most of the game but he could not find the target. Unlike Adebayor, Zaha still has a chance to win the trophy if Palace, or another team that he could join, reaches the final.

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Getty ImagesEric Bailly

The Ivory Coast centre-back looks set to leave Manchester United and he could do that without winning the FA Cup trophy. Bailly was an unused substitute as United lost the 2017-18 final to Chelsea who won 1-0 thanks to Eden Hazard’s strike. Bailly had been a key member of the squad prior to the final but injuries limited his appearances.

Longest-ever unbeaten streak, most consecutive wins in all competitions, managers with the longest reign – Goal rounds up other European records

On February 22, Real Madrid will celebrate a historic 1000 days of being European champions after three consecutive years of winning the Champions League.

It is hard to remember a time when Los Blancos were not Champions League winners, and could very well win a fourth trophy in a row this season.

As the Spanish giants reach a victorious millenium, Goal looks into other momentous record-breaking feats in European football…

GettyMost consecutive Champions League titles – Real Madrid & Bayern Munich (3)

After defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev, Real Madrid won their third consecutive European title in a row. It is a feat that has not been achieved since Bayern Munich in the early 1970s.

Not only did Los Blancos equal the record for most consecutive Champions League titles won by a single team, but they also extended the record of most European trophies won by a club (13).

Should they be successful once again this year, they will set a new record of being the first team in history to win four consecutive Champions League trophies (not to mention their fifth in six years).

AdvertisementGettyMost consecutive Premier League title wins – Man Utd (3)

When the Red Devils won the Premier League for a third straight season in 2009, they equalled their own record for most consecutive league titles won by a club (which they set themselves between 1998 and 2001).

In doing so, they stretched the record of most top-flight titles won by a team in England to 20. They surpassed the record set by Liverpool in 1990 of most top-flight wins when they clinched their 19th title in 2011, thus leading them to adopt The Courtneers’ hit song ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ as their anthem of celebration.

GettyLongest unbeaten league run – Steaua Bucharest (104)

The Romanian side’s 1986 European Cup victory against Barcelona marked the start of an incredible run that saw them go 104 domestic games undefeated, starting from June 1986 to September 1989, setting a world record in the process.

They went on to win consecutive Liga 1 titles during that remarkable era while they also hold the record for most Romanian top-flight titles won (26).

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Longest-serving players at one club – Paolo Maldini & Francesco Totti

True one-club men are one in a million, and the football world must have done something right to bear witness to the greatness of Paolo Maldini and Francesco Totti for AC Milan and Roma, respectively.

The Italian legends are currently the longest-serving one-club men (from the top-five European leagues), with both careers spanning a momentous 25 seasons each.

Maldini has registered more Serie A appearances (647) than Totti (619), but both are just two of a rare breed of footballers who have pledged their entire senior careers to one club.

Geraint Jones may have announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but Gloucestershire were grateful for him remaining available until September as he kept the club’s hopes of a NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final alive

ECB/PA14-Jul-2015
ScorecardGeraint Jones ensured there was no slip up from Gloucestershire•Getty ImagesGeraint Jones may have announced his intention to retire at the end of the season but Gloucestershire were grateful for him remaining available until September as he kept the club’s hopes of a NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final alive. Jones’ 40 in 30 balls, on his 39th birthday, helped steer Gloucestershire to a five-wicket win over Hampshire in a low-scoring contest at Cheltenham.Chasing only 117 to win, Gloucestershire slipped to 44 for 4 in the eighth over before Jones and Benny Howell, who made an unbeaten 31, steadied the chase with a stand of 61 in 8.4 overs. A couple of dropped catches later, the target was reached with eight balls to spare.”I have batted in that sort of situation so many times and experience definitely helps,” Jones said. “Benny Howell was really calm out there and the bit of drizzle made the ball come on a bit quicker so I could play through the line. It was our best bowling and fielding display in the competition this season and showed the potential of the team. The frustration is that we have not been consistent enough, but that is where we are as a group and there is every prospect of success over the next couple of years.”Hampshire were bowled out for just 116 after losing the toss in overcast conditions on a pitch assisting all types of bowling. James Vince top scored with 32, while Craig Miles returned 3 for 25 in an excellent bowling and fielding display. Hampshire batted from the start as if they didn’t trust the Festival pitch. A six over square leg from Michael Carberry and some sweet drives from Vince were rare shots in anger during a Powerplay that yielded only 38 runs as Miles bowled three overs for 19.Carberry was bowled by Miles in the third over, the ball after his six, and Adam Wheater was content to push singles to give the strike to Vince, the one batsman who appeared at home. The Hampshire captain had moved to 32 when caught at long-on off Howell with the score 57 in the ninth over. Wheater fell in the same over, a double wicket-maiden for Howell and at the halfway stage of their innings Hampshire were becalmed on 62 for 3. Owais Shah drove a catch to long-off to give Jack Taylor a wicket before Tom Smith claimed his 23rd victim of the competition as Sean Terry was bowled on the back foot.Will Smith provided brief acceleration with a six and four off successive balls from offspinner Taylor in the 16th over, but wickets continued to tumble and Hampshire managed only 13 off the last four overs, with last man Jackson Bird being run out off the final ball.Soon it was Gloucestershire struggling with the bat. The competition’s leading run-maker Michael Klinger went lbw to Jackson Bird for a duck in the opening over and by the end of their Powerplay the hosts were 39 for 3. Ian Cockbain was run out when sent back attempting an unnecessary third run, while Chris Dent, on 23, clipped Chris Wood straight to Joe Gatting at midwicket. It was starting to look a close contest when Peter Handscomb was bowled behind his legs by Danny Briggs for 7.But Jones soon set about steadying the ship with some confident strokes. The England Ashes winning wicketkeeper hit three fours and two sixes in his 30-ball innings before being bowled by Vince with only 12 runs needed. Howell offered excellent support in a fine individual all-round performance, following his 2 for 15 from four overs with some well-timed strokes.Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “We probably didn’t assess the pitch quickly enough. As it turned out 140 would have been a good score, but we tried for more and lost wickets. It was an advantage to bat second, but we couldn’t do that and came up short. We now have to go to Hove and if we can win there I believe qualification will still be in our own hands going into the final group match.”

Shahid Afridi has been branded an “absolutely clueless” captain in a report submitted by Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam in the wake of the team’s poor World T20 and Asia Cup campaigns

Umar Farooq01-Apr-20162:31

Chappell: Afridi very honest in interview after WT20 exit

Shahid Afridi has been branded an “absolutely clueless” captain in a report submitted by Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam in the wake of the team’s poor World T20 and Asia Cup campaigns.The document by Intikhab, which follows an equally scathing report by coach Waqar Younis, covers the back-to-back T20 tournaments where Pakistan managed just three wins out of eight matches – with one of those victories coming against UAE. They exited the World T20 at the Super 10s stage following defeats against India, New Zealand and Australia.The five-page report, a copy of which has been obtained by ESPNcricinfo, is hugely critical of Afridi’s on-field tactics and off-field leadership, the lack of skills in all departments of the squad and how they became involved in “needless controversies” during the World T20, though Intikhab said the coaching and support staff performed their duties “most diligently”.”These very same reasons continued to be Team Pakistan’s bugbear, but since this was a global tournament with the top-most competing for honours, the magnitude of the stress, and the pressure was even more pronounced,” Intikhab wrote.”The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling, and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Mohammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games.”Intikhab’s recommendations

Strict selection criteria must be formulated, with a marks scale for each (such as form, statistical record, ability to adapt and being a team player).

In order to improve fitness, the free period between now and the England tour, should be used for a training camp to improve fitness and fielding.

“To cap it all, the tournament was being held in India, where the team was under multiple scanners at the same time, pushing the stress and anxiety levels very high,” Intikhab said. “Much to our chagrin [added to the above reasons], was a captain in his farewell event after a career spanning nearly 20 years, yet absolutely clueless in terms of on-field tactics and off-field leadership.”Afridi’s captaincy was a regular topic of debate throughout the two tournaments. His decision-making came under scrutiny when Pakistan controversially dropped Wahab Riaz in favour of Anwar for the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh. Then there was the surprising move when Afridi promoted himself to No. 3 in the World T20 match against India at the expense of Mohammad Hafeez, who had made 64 off 42 balls in the previous match against Bangladesh, with Afridi subsequently scratching around for 8 off 14 deliveries.In the field, too, questions were often asked. Against India, defending 118, Pakistan had made early inroads through Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami before a 61-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket took the game away. Amir, who conceded just three runs in his first two overs, was taken off and brought back when the game was all but lost, in the 14th over.Intikhab continued: “We were also set back by two absolutely needless controversies, the first emanating from Afridi’s ‘more-loved-in-India-than-in-Pakistan’ statement in his mandatory on-arrival press conference [had he stuck to the detailed briefing given to him by the media manager and myself, this would not have occurred] and Umar Akmal again stealing the limelight in an unseemly manner by seeking Imran Khan’s intervention to fix his batting position at three, when he had done little to inspire confidence at number 4.”

It was a pretty decent one as far as pep talks go, but it was evident that Imran – not unlike many outstanding exponents of the game from his time who have not stayed abreast with it – was not too familiar with the demands and tactics employed in this condensed, post-modern format of the gameIntikhab Alam on Imran Khan’s address to the team

Pakistan won their opening game of the World T20 against Bangladesh comprehensively, and regained some confidence after a poor showing in the Asia Cup, when they posted 201 to set up a 55-run victory at Eden Gardens. However, in the high-octane atmosphere against India they fell to a six-wicket defeat and were then comfortably beaten by New Zealand and Australia.Intikhab’s report focused heavily on the game against India where he said “many factors were at play” including Pakistan’s poor record against their “arch-rivals” at ICC events and he highlighted the rain in the lead-up to the match which had a considerable impact on conditions before referring to the invite handed to Imran Khan to address the team.”On the day, the events also conspired against us. For one, the weather didn’t help. On the same square where the Pakistan batsmen gave a commanding performance against Sri Lanka [the warm-up match] and Bangladesh, the weather suddenly turned from sultry and sunny to wet and unpredictable. Intermittent rain during the night prior to the game, followed by further downpours and overcast skies, meant that the pitch and outfield remained covered for more than 24 hours, changing its character from slow in pace to a spitefully turning and gripping one.”To prop up the team’s morale, Shahid Afridi invited Imran Khan (then in India for his own media and other engagements) for a pep talk prior to the game. Imran for his part tried to lift the morale, advising the boys to stay positive till the last ball was bowled, and never allow the possibility of defeat enter their consciousness. It was a pretty decent one as far as pep talks go, but it was evident that Imran – not unlike many outstanding exponents of the game from his time who have not stayed abreast with it – was not too familiar with the demands and tactics employed in this condensed, post-modern format of the game.”I also felt if proper field placing was placed for Shoaib Malik in his initial over may have given us a breakthrough; it was very surprising to see in a low-scoring game there was no attacking field-placing. There was no slip; had he employed a slip cordon for Malik, we may have had Yuvraj as two chances from his blade went through.”Earlier our batting, too, had left much to be desired. Hafeez was not sent in at number three while Sarfraz too did not get a meaningful strike. These two were our best bets, as they were our prime exponents against spin. The Indian spin attack was not challenged at all by our batting, save Shoaib Malik near the closing stages, resulting in a total that was 20 runs short of the average on the Eden Garden turf.”To support his criticisms of the batting order, Intikhab referenced various statistics including that of all the deliveries that Pakistan faced at the World T20, Sarfraz Ahmed only played 17 of them despite having made scores of 41, 25, 58 and 38 in his four T20I innings leading into the tournament. Intikhab termed the use of Sarfraz “a critical waste of talent and form.”He was also highly critical of Umar Akmal’s returns, writing that his figures “are a damning expose on his game awareness and sense of responsibility” and said that Ahmed Shehzad, who had been recalled shortly before the tournament, was “equally poor.”In response to claims of factions forming within in the team, Intikhab said: “The news of groupings in the team only emerged after the team’s loss to New Zealand. It may have been fed from inside the team only to divert attention and shift blame from the captain’s and other boys’ failure.”In my opinion, to alleviate our situation in shorter formats of the game, we have to make a comprehensive plan at the Board level. And this includes improving our selection methods. Pick-up, drop, pick-up routine has not helped us at all, neither has bowing down to player power nor hanging on to the so-called ‘talented mavericks’ who refuse to learn, evolve and deliver.”

Eighty-six runs short of the record for most runs by a West Indian, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been left out of the first Test against Australia on June 3

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2015Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been left out of West Indies’ 14-member squad to face Australia in the first of two Tests starting June 3. He is 87 runs short of breaking the record for most Test runs by a West Indian, but has hit a trough of poor form and both chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd and coach Phil Simmons had felt he did not have a place in their best XI.Chanderpaul made only 92 runs at an average of 15.33 in the three Tests against England in April and May. He has had six single-digit scores and only one fifty in his last 10 innings.Meanwhile, the uncapped duo of Shane Dowrich, who scored twin fifties against the touring Australians, and Rajindra Chandrika find a place in the team.Changes to WI squad from the England series

In: Shane Dowrich and Rajindra Chandrika
Out:Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith and Carlos Brathwaite

Dowrich, the 23-year old wicketkeeper batsman, peaked over the last two years in first-class cricket, averaging 50.18 against his overall figure of 37.46. He struck three centuries and seven fifties in that period, including a career-best unbeaten 131. Chandrika, the 25-year old batsman, averages 25 as well in first-class cricket. But his selection into the national squad comes on the back of better recent form. Apart from the 74 he hit against the Australians, he’s struck four fifties this year in the Regional four-day tournament.Opening batsman Shai Hope, who made his debut against England, retains his spot. Spinners Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul, who played only one of the three Tests of that series, have kept their places as well. The fast bowling will be headed by Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel.West Indies squad for the first Test Denesh Ramdin (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor

Mukhtar Ahmed’s 96 and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 guided Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A to finish the three-match series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2015 ScorecardFile Photo – Mukhtar Ahmed struck 11 fours and two sixes but fell four short of his ton•AFPA 93-ball 96 from Mukhtar Ahmed and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 helped Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A in the third and final unofficial ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.Chasing 278, Israrullah was trapped leg before by Nisala Tharaka in the seventh over. Mukhtar was then involved in two 70-plus partnerships with Khurram Manzoor and captain Fawad Alam, where he struck 11 fours and two sixes before falling to Lakshan Sandakan in the 31st over.With the score at 185 for 3 after Mukhtar’s departure, Ali Waqas put on 54 with Fawad Alam before losing his wicket to Shehan Jayasuriya when Pakistan required a further 37 runs for victory.Fawad then teamed up with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan to guide Pakistan to their first win the in three-match series.Pakistan had put Sri Lanka in, who rode on fifties from openers Jayasuriya (67) and Kusal Perera (87) and a couple of 20-plus scores from their middle order to finish on 277 in 47.2 overs. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim picked up 4 for 29

Former West Indies captain and the current chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd has said it was “very difficult” to drop the pair of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the World Cup squad

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jan-201517:13

‘Bravo, Pollard haven’t had exceptional performances for West Indies’

Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and current chairman of selectors, has said that the absence of “exceptional performances” from the pair of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, coupled with the selection panel’s vision to move forward and look for young talent, were the chief reasons for omitting the two senior allrounders for the ODIs against South Africa and the World Cup.Lloyd said the decision had been a difficult one and was debated heavily. He insisted that it was not the end of the road for the discarded pair and it was up to the players to regain their spots on the back of performances.”It was a very difficult decision. I can tell you it went on for two days. We suspended it to give a chance to think about things and so on. There were a lot of discussions,” Lloyd told ESPNcricinfo in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “But then you get to a point where you say, right, this is where we want to go. It is very difficult for people to understand or to accept. But we want to move on.”I don’t think they have had any exceptional performances. Nobody (of the pair) has got exceptional performances as far as (playing for) West Indies is concerned. They have been there and thereabouts. We really and truly want to pick people on what they have done for our cricket and not for anyone else.”Despite being part of the 30 probables for the World Cup, Bravo and Pollard had already been left out of the five-match ODI series against South Africa. Considering their popularity in domestic global Twenty20 competitions, the news created furore not just in the Caribbean, but also outside.Former West Indies fast bowler and Lloyd’s former team-mate Michael Holding raised the question of why Bravo had been dropped when he was part of the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2014. Pollard and Bravo are fourth and fifth on the list of highest run-scorers for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup.Lloyd said there were already too many allrounders in the squad and that the selectors had to take a call. He also hinted that the performances of Bravo and Pollard that have registered in the fans’ minds had mostly come in the domestic T20 leagues like the IPL.Lloyd revealed that he had spoken with both players in person last week in Cape Town: “Yes, I spoke to them in Cape Town. They understand what the situation is. Don’t forget, these guys have been playing for West Indies for a while. And they will be disappointed. But they have a chance of redeeming themselves and getting back into our cricket in the future. One is 31 (Bravo) and the other is 27 or 28 (Pollard).”Lloyd also said he did not need to respond to Chris Gayle who called the selectors’ move “ridiculous”. Gayle had said that he was stunned to hear from Bravo that one reason for the pair being dropped was that the selectors wanted to rebuild the team.”He (Gayle) might think so, but the point is that he is not a selector. He is a player,” Lloyd said. “I have the greatest respect for him. But he will have to read what we are trying to do. He is part of that team that is going forward. Once he has been told what the situation is he will understand what we are doing.”Immediately after Bravo and Pollard were dropped from the South Africa ODI series but included for the T20 leg, the players’ lawyer Ralph Thorne said that “a gentle form of ruthlessness” by the WICB led to their exclusion from the World Cup squad. Thorne accused the WICB of victimisation and not honouring the word of the board president Dave Cameron who had said that the players who abandoned the tour of India last October would be treated fairly.Lloyd said he had explained the reasons, in writing, to all concerned parties, including the WICB, the West Indies Players Association, as well as the players’ lawyers. He insisted there was no discrimination by the selection panel.”No, no. That is not the way I live. I don’t believe in things in that nature at all. There is no axe to grind with these guys. There are other people that could have…You know we could have said, “What about X, what about Y?”This is the combination we came up with. And I am not one of those people who are going to direct to me what to do. I take orders from me, and nobody else. I am not into that situation where I will be worrying about what happened in India. That is past. That is gone. We are moving on.”Lloyd backed his statement by pointing out that the WICB had shortlisted Bravo as one of 12 players to be given a central contract for the 2014-15 season.”Doesn’t that tell you about something? He has been given a central contract. So that means he is not thrown out. That is what we should be talking about. We want people to feel they are still part of our cricket,” Lloyd said.

Saurabh Vesavkar’s 53-ball 52 and three wickets in the penultimate over from Matthew Elliott ensured Team Red nipped a one-run victory over Team Blue in the tribute match to Phillip Hughes, arranged by the Cricket Association of Nepal

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2015Sharad Vesawkar struck a 53-ball 52 and three wickets in the penultimate over from Matthew Elliott, the former Australia Test batsman, ensured Team Red nipped a one-run victory over Team Blue in the tribute match to Phillip Hughes, arranged by the Cricket Association of Nepal.Each team, comprised of 16 members, would get to play 31.3 overs each so that the game would last 63 overs – the score Hughes was on when he was struck down by a bouncer.Team Red were put in and were hampered by regular breakthroughs. Only Vesawkar could push past 17 as his half-century that included six fours lifted a score that was 75 for 5 in the 19th over to 163 at the end of the innings.Team Blue’s replay was similarly lopsided, with four single-figures packed amid Mahesh Chhetri’s 74-ball 58. But they had reached the 31st over on 158 for 4.Nine balls left, six runs to get with the set batsman still there. Only Elliott had Chhetri stumped off the second ball, Paras Khadka, the Nepal captain, was caught off the fifth the over ended with Dipendra Chaudhary being stumped as well. The equation became five off three, and then three needed from one. Binod Bhandari, in an effort to at least tie the game, was run out by Vesawkar while trying to sneak two byes.

Zimbabwe Cricket has created a new post, managing director, cricket, to help identify and develop talent for the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2014Zimbabwe Cricket has created a new post, managing director, cricket, to help identify and develop talent for the national team. Former Test captain Alistair Campbell is seen as a frontrunner for the position after having held talks with ZC, though the board said it wanted to interview other candidates as well. ZC also announced positions of general manager cricket operations and director of coaching. The announcements came after ZC’s board meeting last week.Campbell had been critical of Zimbabwe Cricket last month, calling for more former international players in the national coaching set-up. National coach Stephen Mangongo, who has no high-level cricketing experience, had responded to those statements by saying the lack of finances was holding back the team, not the lack of experienced internationals in the coaching set-up.Zimbabwe are coming off a disastrous tour of Bangladesh, where they lost all three Tests and five ODIs. “We have to strengthen the cricket side of it while also improving administratively,” ZC board chairman Wilson Manase said at a press conference. “That is why we have said for the position of managing director, cricket, we want somebody that has played cricket before at the highest level. On the international front, cricket is changing. We have Associate nations pushing to break into top ten and we have to up our game.”With participation in the 2019 World Cup guaranteed to only the top eight teams, Manashe said Zimbabwe needed to get its act together. “High performance is required now to stay at the top. So we are making immediate changes in order for the results to improve. We will do anything and everything to get the results and everybody will need to perform their duty, otherwise we will act accordingly.”Manashe also said results needed to improve for Zimbabwe to “win back investor confidence” and that ZC aimed to be profitable by 2019. “Our major problem is lack of adequate finance. We have sponsorship and we are grateful, but it is not enough. Even the franchises are struggling. We have set out a programme, that will see us out of the red by 2019.”