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Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Villarreal attacker Arnaut Danjuma ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils “are still fond admirers of the Dutch winger a year after he was considered as an alternative to Jadon Sancho”.

After scoring 17 goals and delivering eight assists in 52 appearances for Bournemouth, Danjuma joined the La Liga club last August in a deal worth a reported £21.3m.

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The 25-year-old has since enjoyed an impressive debut season with Unai Emery’s side as he racked up 16 goals and four assists in 34 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League.

Having scored against the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid this season, this shows just how capable the attacker is at performing against some of the top clubs in Europe and making himself a real threat in front of goal.

Better than Rashford

While the versatile attacker was once reportedly seen as a transfer alternative to Sancho last summer, Danjuma could now be a better option for Erik ten Hag at United than another attacking figure at Old Trafford, namely Marcus Rashford.

To compare the two players from their latest individual league campaigns, the Villarreal star totalled more goals, assists, dribbles and crosses than his Red Devils counterpart. This suggests that the former Bournemouth attacker could be a better attacking option for Ten Hag than the Englishman.

It also backs up what Kevin Phillips had to say about the Dutchman when he spoke about him earlier this year, saying: “On his day he is a nightmare for defenders. He can create and score goals. He can hurt any defence with his pace and directness.”

To further highlight his attacking prowess, no other player in Villarreal’s squad could match the number of shots (59) or shots on target (25) that Danjuma racked up in La Liga this season.

With a reported price tag of £50m on the 25-year-old, the Villarreal hotshot could be just what Ten Hag needs to freshen up the United squad and add a bit of life to their attack ahead of his debut season in charge of the Red Devils.

In other news: MUFC now want £54m-rated “phenomenon” as Ten Hag’s first signing, imagine him and Timber

West Ham United’s pursuit of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins may have been given a slight boost, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye move…

The Hammers and manager David Moyes are reportedly watching Villa’s forward ahead of the 2022 summer transfer window with a new striker firmly on West Ham’s agenda.

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It is believed that the club want to add an out-and-out centre forward to Moyes’ ranks alongside the potential additions of a central defender and new midfielder (The Times).

Michail Antonio is currently the Irons’ only natural senior option in the striker role, and with an interesting 2022/2023 season around the corner, West Ham simply must add an alternative at long last.

The Latest: Brown makes Watkins claim…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Brown of The Daily Star has claimed that Watkins could have his head turned by West Ham – especially if they manage to secure a Champions League spot either through the top four or winning the Europa League.

He explained: “Would Ollie Watkins leave Villa? It depends. If West Ham were to do something special and really get in the top four or get into the Champions League, that might turn his head. But he’s kind of Villa’s crown jewel, so it would be hard for them to let him go.”

The Verdict: Promising?

You would imagine, like many of West Ham’s targets, a place in Europe’s most coveted competition would be a major pull for them.

Much could ride on their potential place in the Champions League next season but, if Moyes’ men were to seal a place, there is little doubt Watkins would upgrade the forward line.

A serious homegrown talent, the England international is pivotal for Villa, scoring more goals than anyone in Steven Gerrard’s squad – while only Philippe Coutinho has averaged more shots at goal per 90 in the Premier League (WhoScored).

Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie is certainly a fan, branding Watkins a ‘massive player’ and ‘brilliant’.

Indeed, he could be the ideal striker signing for Moyes this summer, but much will depend on Villa’s selling stance.

In other news: ‘He will…’ – West Ham source shares major Rice update from the last 48 hours, find out more here.

England played it their way … and crashed straight into a West Indies team ready for the sucker-punch

George Dobell in Antigua02-Feb-2019If you kept driving your car into a tree, you wouldn’t expect your insurance company – or the police – to be pacified by the response “but that’s the way I drive”.And if you kept setting fire to your house, you might think twice about cooking with paraffin.But England’s batsmen seem reluctant to accept change. Whatever the pitch, whatever the match situation, they appear to think that attack is the best form of defence.Antiguan roads are not especially wonderful. They contain the sort of pot-holes which can swallow a family-sized car. But you wonder if, each day, Trevor Bayliss sits upfront with the team’s bus driver urging him to go faster in a bid to reach the ground before the pot-holes can get them.In this game, England were given a perfect example of how to negate these conditions by West Indies’ batsmen. Both Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo prospered by playing straight, refusing to follow or chase the ball and being prepared to resist for long, scoreless periods during which they had to jab the bat down on the ones which kept low and tried to keep the hands below the deliveries that reared.At one stage Bravo – not so long ago a T20 specialist – went 174 balls between boundaries. His half-century – believed to be the slowest (in terms of minutes) in Test history by a West Indies batsman – was painstaking, but it also took this game beyond England. It was a masterclass in denial and selflessness for the team cause.England’s batsmen seem either unwilling or unable to replicate such an attitude. They won’t – in general – dare to be dull or bore to draw. They react to every challenge (with one or two exceptions, such as the Ben Stokes-Jos Buttler rearguard against India at Trent Bridge) by trying to hit the ball harder, further and faster. Is this really because they believe it is the best way to prosper in such circumstances? Or because they don’t trust their defensive games?Either way, this is an episode that raises more questions about the coaching standards within the England team – who has improved in this environment, after all? – and the structure of county cricket. It is hard to imagine there has been a time in the history of English cricket when there has been such a dearth of top-order batsmen and openers, in particular.When you add to that the lack of fast bowlers and quality spinners and you are left with a domestic system – squeezed into spring and autumn, as it is – that is simply not delivering enough players of Test quality. It might be noted, however, that it is delivering limited-overs players. It’s not hard to see where the ECB’s priorities have led us.Perhaps this isn’t entirely fair. Joe Root, for example, received almost impossible deliveries in both innings, while Joe Denly was out leaving a ball. England have also been outgunned in this series – just as they were in the Ashes in Australia – by tall fast bowlers who hit the pitch harder and gained more from it as a result. They bowled straighter, too, claiming nine wickets with bowled or leg-before dismissals, while England claimed just one; albeit in one fewer innings.England dropped several chances, too. It’s not all the batsmen’s fault, by any means. West Indies have, in all departments, outplayed England.But the point remains valid. Too many England players are putting too low a value on their wickets. Buttler (who was punished for playing across the line) has one century from 30 Tests; Bairstow (who missed a lavish drive) has been bowled 29 times in his Test career – that’s 29 times out of 102 dismissals; more than any Test batsman this decade – and Stokes’ Test average is now down to 32.88. Stokes (bowled off an inside edge while driving) hasn’t scored a Test century since the incident in Bristol and has averaged 24.83 in that period; it was 35.72 before.Moeen Ali, meanwhile, has seen his Test batting average drop to 30.28, Rory Burns wasted a solid-looking start to his innings by guiding a cut to the slips cordon as obligingly as if he had been asked to provide catching practice and, without being unkind, Denly was fortunate not to make a pair having been reprieved by the umpire in the first innings and a dropped chance in the second. Suffice to say, he didn’t look the most convincing answer to England’s opening problems.This cannot be dismissed as an aberration. Not once in four innings this series have England reached even 250 and not once in Sri Lanka did they make 350. Only once in seven Tests in the English summer did they reach 400.We know this England batting line-up has some talent. But talent works best when it is allied to rigour and discipline. At present, this England set-up is looking a little too cosy, a little too forgiving. That dressing room – especially that batting line-up – could do with a dose of cold reality. It isn’t quite what it thinks it is. If they are going to insist ‘this is the way we play’ then England will need to find other players with a bit more sense and sophistication.

In Chittagong the England wicketkeeper produced one of his best-ever shows with the gloves in extremely trying conditions. This, while breaking a major batting record

George Dobell26-Oct-2016Amid the drama of the tight finish, and the praise for Ben Stokes’ all-round performance, Jonny Bairstow’s achievements in Chittagong perhaps didn’t gain the plaudits they deserved.Not only did Bairstow produce arguably the most polished display of keeping in his Test career to date, but he set a new record for the most runs in a calendar year by a Test wicketkeeper.While it is true that modern schedules provide more games, and, therefore, greater opportunity to set such records, Bairstow surpassed the mark set by Andy Flower (1,045 runs in 16 innings, set in 2000) in his 18th innings. The previous highest aggregate of runs in a calendar year by an England wicketkeeper was 777 by Matt Prior in 2012. With a maximum of six more Tests to play this year, Bairstow now has Michael Vaughan’s record of the most Test runs in a calendar year (1,481 in 26 innings in 2002) by an England batsman within his sight. With 1,091, he is already the highest run-scorer in Test cricket this year, and the only man to reach 1,000.But, we have come to expect high standards of his batting. We have become accustomed to him rescuing England from poor starts, and accustomed to him scoring quickly. Only Joe Root, of the top 10 Test run-scorers this year, has scored at a faster rate than Bairstow’s 61.08 runs per 100 balls.It is his keeping that has remained the debating point.It was excellent in Chittagong. Excellent standing up to the spinners, anyway. While there were a couple of fumbles against the seamers – and one drop down the leg side – in the brutally hot and humid conditions, he put in a performance of which any keeper would be proud. Dealing with the unpredictable spin and bounce of the wicket expertly, he rated it “probably” his best Test yet with the gloves.You do not have to search far to see the source of the improvement. While England’s net session in Dhaka was winding down, with various team-mates playing football or heading for the shade, Bairstow opted for another half-hour of practise. With Steve Rhodes firing the balls at him, Bairstow continued to grow accustomed, not just to the movements required of a keeper in these conditions, but to concentrating in the heat and humidity. He confesses that, left to his own devices, he would prefer not to wear a helmet when keeping, but accepts the ECB’s insistence that he must.”It really is just a case of working hard,” he said. “I know how quickly things can change. I know how hard I have to work to keep improving.”It went well in Chittagong, but there might be two chances I put down in the next game. The challenge is heightened in the subcontinent, with the amount it can turn and how close we stand behind the stumps.Bairstow credited the time spent away from the team for helping him come back stronger•AFP”You’re in the game every single ball. Some balls turn and some balls skid on. If you’re not 100% on it and enjoying it, it’s going to get tougher and tougher.”Success tastes all the sweeter for Bairstow as he has endured plenty of tough times along the way. Being dropped after the 2013-14 Ashes clearly hurt greatly, and he admits the desire to prove his critics wrong has been a strong motivational force.”You go back, maybe two years, and there are people writing you off to never play Test cricket again,” he said. “There were a few mumbles floating around that I wasn’t good enough.”I was out of the side for about 18 months, and I’m delighted with how I’ve come back. I worked hard at Yorkshire during those months. It was kind of a good thing I went away. I learned about my keeping, worked on my batting, and I’ve come back stronger for that.”It is good to come back and prove a few people wrong with the way that I’ve been playing. It’s a pretty amazing feeling.”Having had that period out of international cricket, Bairstow is understandably keen to play every game he can. So, while he understands the talk of rest and rotation, he certainly won’t be volunteering for a break.”I want to play every game I can,” he said. “Having missed out for 18 months after the Ashes, gone away, worked on my game and earned my place back, I want to play as many games as you can for England in every single format going. It’s only natural. If I’m rested, so be it, but I’m pleased with the way I’m catching the ball and batting.”He is not complaining at the relative lack of attention given to his performance in Chittagong, either. Knowing that, all too often, keepers only attract comments when they struggle, he is wise enough to interpret the lack of coverage of his performance as a compliment.”If I’m going unnoticed and keeping well, that’s the best way forward me,” he said. “But I was very pleased to get some positive comments.”I hadn’t really thought about the record, but I’m absolutely delighted to now hold it. It’s great to be talked about in such great company.”These are early days in England’s toughest of tours. But it has been a quietly impressive start from Bairstow.

Why was it that Australia put in such a hazy performance in a match that mattered so much? Of the two teams they are the more experienced, the more used to winning and entering this week the more confident

Daniel Brettig at Edgbaston31-Jul-2015Test matches can be about big moments but also small ones. Australia’s hefty defeat at Edgbaston looked vast enough to have not really been influenced by little details, yet one pair of two-ball sequences summed up the gap between the two sides as aptly as the final margin.Shortly after tea on the second evening, Steven Finn dismissed Michael Clarke. It was a key blow for England, even if Clarke’s batting touch has all but deserted him. Adam Voges walked to the middle of Edgbaston amid a cacophony of noise and marked his guard. Finn ran in again and landed the ball on a length just outside off stump, coaxing the new batsman into an edge to Ian Bell before he had his bearings.Midway through the third day, Josh Hazlewood dismissed Adam Lyth. The second wicket down in England’s chase of 121, it was the last glimmer of any kind of hope for Australia. Hazlewood swung the ball to defeat Lyth, and the new batsman Joe Root could be vulnerable as anyone to the moving delivery. Hazlewood ran in again and hurled down a wide long hop, which sat up for Root to crack through point to the boundary.In those four balls was the game summed up – England taking every opportunity to put the tourists under pressure; Australia failing almost completely to do so. Voges had been in imperious form entering this series but has been gradually broken down by plenty of other balls like the one Finn gave him. Root has prospered mostly by being allowed latitude early in his innings when he is vulnerable.The Australians spurned opportunities to take control of this match almost from the first ball. With the exception of Chris Rogers, their batsmen showed neither enough experience in English conditions nor enough awareness to respect what such climes require. There was one brief window when Rogers and Voges looked capable of enduring, but when the latter hung his bat out at James Anderson the rest more or less ceased to exist.Adam Voges is one of Australia’s middle order under severe pressure, Shaun Marsh could replace him•Getty ImagesIt is always a dicey exercise to criticise a bowling attack when they have a mere 136 runs to defend, but it must be said that the Australian pace unit was also a noticeably lesser collective than they had been at Lord’s. On the first evening under lights they bowled the sorts of changeable lines and lengths that were seen in Cardiff, never approaching England’s level of consistency.Then on the second morning, when Mitchell Johnson’s pair of snorting short balls had accounted for Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, pressure from the other end was virtually non-existent. The two overs from Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc that followed Johnson’s double strike went for 16 runs, and England were able to wriggle free. Johnson has admitted he could have bowled more short stuff than he did, but the bleeding of runs must have come at least partly into his thinking.Even so, England were still only 54 runs ahead when their seventh wicket went down. From that point Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali enjoyed some good fortune, but there was never a sense that they were being actively corralled or goaded into dismissal. They were not to be separated until England led by 141, more than enough as it turned out.After only David Warner and the tail had propped up the second innings, Australia really had very little chance of defending their measly lead of 120. They had to do everything right in the field, sniff out every opportunity and take every chance. But it was soon abundantly clear that this team was not in the sort of robust frame of mind to do so. It was Ian Bell, so out of form before this match, who showed the way for England with batting of a very positive mindset to quickly run down the total.By contrast, Clarke and his men seemed unable to grasp even the meagre chances to stay in the match that came their way. A Bell edge to Clarke at second slip was unaccountably shelled, and the potentially destructive Johnson was not even used until England needed only another 74 runs to win. Clarke rang plenty of bowling changes from that point, but it was all far too late, as England cantered to victory.Why was it that Australia put in such a hazy performance in a match that mattered so much? Of the two teams they are the more experienced, the more used to winning and entering this week the more confident after administering a 405-run hiding to England at Lord’s. Clarke in particular had a shocking week, even if his batting struggles are discounted. Based on his own performance relative to the importance of the fixture, he cannot have had a worse match as captain.The wider issues of the team’s succession planning, touched on yesterday, have provided a disquieting undertone to the tour. But that cannot account for poor decisions made in the middle, old lessons seemingly forgotten and new ones not even close to being learned. Something is eating at this team and its players, whether it is internal issues, the march of time or the suffocating effects of an Ashes tour.At Edgbaston, Australia were a team overwhelmed to the point that they made errors a club side would not be proud of, something epitomised by Hazlewood. England, meanwhile, rose impressively to the occasion, personified by Finn. Australia talk often of winning the big moments. To get back into this series, they must find a way to clear their heads enough to pay attention to the small ones too.

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between New Zealand and India in Hamilton

Abhishek Purohit in Hamilton28-Jan-2014The partnership breaker
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor had put on their second century stand of the series and would have wanted to cash in on the batting Powerplay. But just an over before it started, Ravindra Jadeja played spoilsport. He dashed to the leg side after Williamson nudged him there, picked up the ball, turned around and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end to catch Williamson well short.The instant success
Virat Kohli was opening today, meaning he had more overs to cause damage than usual. But New Zealand got him cheaply for the second time running. Kohli was kept quiet with a tight line and fuller length. The tenth delivery Kohli faced was a Tim Southee bouncer, the first one that had been bowled to him in his innings. Kohli tried to pull, top-edged it and turned back in disappointment even before the ball came down in the hands of midwicket.The authoritative charge
Rohit Sharma edged and survived for quite a while before finally starting to middle the ball. The shot he played to get to his half-century was as emphatic a connection as many. Rohit charged James Neesham, got under the length delivery and slammed it way over the long-off boundary into the crowd on the grassbank.The authoritative charge II
Brendon McCullum had defended his way to an uncharacteristic 8 off 17 when he decided it was time to revert to type. He charged out at Bhuvneshwar Kumar and swung so hard at a length delivery that it flew flat and fast for six over the deep extra-cover boundary.The soft fall
You would not fall to Kane Williamson’s part-time offspin. And you would definitely not want to fall to him caught by the wicketkeeper down the leg side. But that is what Rohit managed to do; in fact, he neatly guided the ball almost off the face of the bat to the keeper, who could not take it on the first attempt, but did not fail the second time.The shocking miss
The pressure of the slog seemed to get to Neesham in the last over of India’s innings. Even as one dribbled off Jadeja’s pads to the keeper, MS Dhoni dashed up the pitch for the run. Jadeja responded too late, and had no chance of making it safely across. The keeper under-armed the ball to Neesham, who was close to the stumps. All the bowler had to do was to stretch and he would have been able to take the bails off. But Neesham decided to try another under-arm himself, and missed.

Ajit Agarkar, Mumbai’s new captain, on what leading a team with such a successful history means to him

Interview by Amol Karhadkar03-Nov-2012Ajit Agarkar: “You would want Wasim [Jaffer] to be around all the time. That’s a massive hole to fill. But you’ve got to lead with what you have.”•FotocorpWhat does leading Mumbai mean to you after being around for 16 seasons?
Big honour. An absolute honour. You just have to look at the names who have led Mumbai earlier and you know what it is like. And a great challenge too – to follow in their footsteps.Has it been difficult to motivate yourself to come back and slog it out on the domestic circuit after being an India regular for almost a decade?
It’s not easy, honestly. Motivation is not at all a problem. As long as you love running in with the ball in your hand, you enjoy. It’s a bit difficult to return to where it started from after not being around for almost 10 years. It’s not easy to go through the paces all over again. But if you really enjoy playing the game, all other things take a backseat. You just tend to forget everything else, enjoy yourself and try and help your team as much as you can.Last year, you were in the news for all the wrong reasons. Have all the problems been sorted out with the coach Sulakshan Kulkarni?
Life moves on. You don’t hold anything against anyone in a team sport. Anyway I led [in] the one-dayers and the Twenty20s last year, so that’s not an issue at all now.So would you say that both of you have moved on like two mature individuals?
The team comes first. That’s what we in Mumbai cricket are taught as a kid first up. And that’s why it’s such a wonderful sport. To have 11 or 15 individuals coming together and aiming towards the better of the team makes it special. So what suits the team best is what suits you as a member of it and that’s what we have done.Due to the Champions League Twenty20, you haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with youngsters in the team. Have you managed to do one-on-ones with all of them?
Not really. We’ve just practised (together) for the last four days. Since I was away playing the CLT20 and I was appointed sometime mid-October, I haven’t had sufficient time to do one-on-ones. But I know everyone else well and the last four days were focussed on preparing for the game [against Railways]. I think I am still settling into the new role. Perhaps it will take a game for me to really settle in. You tend to discuss with others while practising and so far everyone has responded very well.Players like Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, just like last season, are likely to be in and out of the side for most of this one. How do you plan for such chopping and changing during the season from a captain’s perspective?
I will find out now . You do need enough depth in batting. And it’s ideal to settle in to a consistent batting line-up as early as you can. But I think we as a team are used to players joining the Indian team mid-way through a season. And from their perspective, if you are asked to play a Ranji game rather than sitting in the dressing room when you’re not playing a game for India, you are lucky in that sense. But I am still figuring it out. I haven’t got much time to delve over it since I was appointed a little late. It’ll take a game to settle down a little bit. We will have to settle the team down. You need some time for that and I am sure that will happen.Add to that Wasim Jaffer’s absence for the initial phase of the season due to personal reasons. How much will you miss him, not just at the top of the order, but as the leader of the batsmen?
You just have to see his numbers to know what Wasim means to the Mumbai team for the last 15 years. You would want Wasim to be around all the time. That’s a massive hole to fill. But you’ve got to lead with what you have.Luckily, we have Sachin [Tendulkar] available for the first game. And we couldn’t have asked for anything better to start off the season with. The batting looks pretty solid. We’ve generally had decently settled teams. Zak [Zaheer Khan] and Sachin are available for just one game, so that will change a bit. But we just couldn’t have asked for anything better than to have these two around at the start of the season.

“It’s not that we didn’t want an outright victory. But when you have eight or nine games to go with very little gap in between, you are tempted to hold yourself back, especially the bowlers. Obviously it’s an interesting rule change and the additional point for an outright win may make not just us but all the teams more aggressive.”Ajit Agarkar

What do you think is your biggest challenge as Mumbai captain?
Firstly, we have not won a trophy in two years, which I don’t think happens too often for Mumbai cricket. So that is a big challenge. The pressures of leading are very different than leading any other domestic team because you are always expected to win the Ranji Trophy. Merely qualifying for the knockouts is never good enough. Another challenge would be to keep the balance of the team intact. Luckily in Mumbai, since there is so much of quality cricket being played all the time, there is no dearth of back-ups in case something goes wrong.Of late, Mumbai have preferred to opt for gaining the first-innings lead and relax rather than going for an outright win. Will the additional point for a victory change the team’s attitude?
It’s not that we didn’t want an outright victory. But when you have eight or nine games to go with very little gap in between, you are tempted to hold yourself back, especially the bowlers. Obviously it’s an interesting rule change and the additional point for an outright win may make not just us but all the teams more aggressive. But it’s very difficult to keep on pressing yourself as a team all the time for maximum points.Would you then say that it would be better to revert to the ’90s style when there used to be decent gap between the Ranji Trophy league and knockouts?
It’s not the gap between the phases but the time between two games that needs to be looked at. When you’re playing eight back-to-back games with three days between the games, including one day of travel, it just wears you down as a player. I don’t know what can be done but if something can be done, it should be about the gap between two games.The last four seasons, as you keep on saying, have been kind of ‘stop and start’ seasons for you due to health and fitness issues. What have you been working on during the build-up to ensure you last the whole season?
More than injuries, I had to pace myself a little bit. Playing six-seven league games and three knockout games – it’s not easy being a bowler. Sometimes you have to hold back if you want to go the distance. Being the captain, it changes drastically now and I cannot afford to not look after my body. Not that I ever have done that, but now it becomes of utmost importance to be at my best always. And I haven’t done anything specifically as much. Just been trying to keep myself as fit as I can.

West Indies haven’t had Shivnarine Chanderpaul as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they’ve had two very good imitations in Narsingh Deonarine and Brendan Nash

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA19-Dec-2009West Indies haven’t had Shivnarine Chanderpaul
as their middle-order rock at the WACA, but they’ve had two very good imitations. Cricket in the Caribbean isn’t flush with cash but Narsingh Deonarine
and Brendan Nash
have put an enormous price on their wickets, and the team could enjoy healthy dividends if their diligence continues.The long, hot Perth day eventually got to both batsmen and they departed in the final session. By then they had given their side hope in a chase of 359, although late wickets put Australia back on top. Patience and discipline are vital qualities in Test cricket and it’s no surprise that West Indies, who barring Chanderpaul haven’t always had those traits in the past decade, have won only three of their past 41 Tests.Nor is it remarkable that in a region that has produced dashing superstars like Viv Richards and Brian Lara (though they were brilliantly adaptable and could defend for their lives), a younger generation preferred to entertain. Stroke-players such as Xavier Marshall, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith have rolled through the Test line-up, providing much sparkle but little substance.Now there are batsmen coming through who are aiming to emulate Chanderpaul, and the team is better for it. Much like Chanderpaul, Deonarine and Nash are small-statured left-handers whose first priority is to not get out and if runs come along the way, then that’s good. It was precisely the attitude the team needed when they came together on the fourth day at the WACA.At that stage the visitors required 291 to win, with seven wickets in hand and time was of no consequence. It was so irrelevant to Nash that for 70 minutes he didn’t score a run, remaining on 48. It didn’t bother him. He once batted through a whole session for Queensland and scored two runs.Deonarine played in a similar fashion, although he was more willing to attack and memorably brought up his half-century with a six straight back over the head of the bowler Nathan Hauritz. He would have gone through the whole series without playing a Test but for the finger injury that Chanderpaul suffered in Adelaide.He slotted into Chanderpaul’s No. 4 position with ease, batting 100 minutes for 18 in the first innings as he aimed to shore up one end, before he lasted 202 minutes for 82 in the second innings. The similarity was even more striking as Deonarine wore anti-glare strips under his eyes – the same patches that Chanderpaul has made a trademark.Deonarine was ten years old when his Guyanese countryman Chanderpaul made his Test debut in Georgetown. Eleven years later, Deonarine made his Test debut under Chanderpaul’s captaincy. With his performances, he has given himself a chance of keeping his Test spot even when his idol returns.”Since I was a little boy growing up I was always looking at Shiv and always he was my role model,” Deonarine said. “The way he’s going about doing his business, a very determined guy. I tried to model myself in his way, going out there, be determined, spend time at the crease. He taught me a lot and advised me a lot, so in the end it’s worked out.”Today, neither Nash nor Deonarine could make it through to stumps but their 128-run stand, forged over more than three hours in 35-degree heat, gave their team a chance. Deonarine missed a straight ball and saw it crash off his pads and onto the stumps; Nash’s tired brain told him to leave the new ball that swung in to knock his off stump.But it’s worth remembering that early in his career, Chanderpaul was often criticised for getting tired and not batting long enough. Things can change.Last year in the Caribbean, he was at the crease for nearly 26 hours in the three Tests against Australia, including more than 18 hours straight without being dismissed. If Deonarine and Nash can perfect their Chanderpaul imitations and become long-term investments, breaking through the West Indies’ middle order will truly become a test.

Sarfaraz’s 66-ball innings lit up the afternoon but ended in heartbreak after he was run-out with Jadeja seeking a 100th run

Sidharth Monga15-Feb-20242:41

Manjrekar: Rohit’s mental toughness was admirable

On the first day of the third Test, India’s batting finally came together but not without an early alarm. Down at 33 for 3 on a pitch that was full of runs and with two debutants to follow, India were looking at possible trouble. But a 204-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for the fourth wicket – India’s first century stand of the series – took them to 326 for 5 at stumps. Rohit and Jadeja got centuries while Sarfaraz Khan made a sparkling debut, hitting 62 off 66, before being run-out.This was the first time since 1999 that India had three players in the top seven who had played fewer than two Tests. That in mind, Mark Wood gave England a leg-up when he got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – India’s only centurions this series before Thursday- with the new ball. Gill, in particular, got a ball that swung in and then nipped away, that took the outside edge. These two scalps doubled Wood’s tally of wickets in the first six overs of a Test innings.The early-morning moisture that had assisted Wood possibly helped Tom Hartley grip one in his ninth over, which took the front edge from Rajat Patidar. A day before the Test, Jadeja had said England were not a difficult side to beat. The team management asked him to go out and demonstrate it from No. 5 in the ninth over, the second-earliest he has walked in to bat in a Test innings, and the earliest in the first innings.Related

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A promotion to Jadeja made double sense: protect the debutant Sarfaraz and also introduce a left-hand batter. Coming back from possibly the first time he has missed a Test with a hamstring injury, and having to deal with a family dispute gone public, Jadeja would have been excused for having a lot on his mind when he joined Rohit, but he batted with the most unencumbered mind: just purely reacting to the next ball in an old-school fashion.Rohit, who had got off to a smashing start, had to do unconventional things at the start of the partnership. Wood tried to bounce him with a fine leg, a deep backward square leg and a deep forward square leg. For once, looking at the score and the situation, he decided not to hook and had to wear one in his helmet grille. He charged at James Anderson to cut down the movement, on one occasion chipping one just out of mid-on’s reach. With Hartley, he flicked in the air and against the turn. The first attempt brought four, the second an edge to slip, which Joe Root dropped.Mark Wood was the pick of the England bowlers on the opening day•BCCI

Rohit will argue this was just the luck he needed after the lack of it in the first two Tests. By then, the early movement had begun to die down. Just after that miscued chip off Anderson, Rohit went back to punch him through extra cover for four, an emphatic sign that he was in.Jadeja never looked less than in. The two took India to lunch without further bother. Just after lunch, Rohit became the 14th man in this series to hit a six. The added responsibility of being the leader of an inexperienced line-up had messed with his approach a little, but now though, we were seeing the usual Rohit. There were timely lofts, some paddle sweeps, and a lot of back-foot runs. His second six took him past MS Dhoni’s 78, with Virender Sehwag as the only Indian ahead of him.Once there was spin from both ends, Jadeja began to catch up too, hitting a six in the final over of the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series. Immediately after tea, Rohit brought up his 11th hundred with two easy couples off two short balls from Rehan Ahmed. For a long time, the team management would have hoped for the batters to not take risks and just benefit from the inevitable loose balls the inexperienced spin attack was bound to dish up. A little like how Rohit brought up his hundred.It was happening now with ease, especially for Jadeja. England had to go back to Wood’s pace. A top edge from Jadeja cleared long leg, who was 20 yards in off the fence. Rohit was getting freebies from Rehan. Fifty runs came in 11 overs after tea without having to break a sweat. Then Rohit pulled one off Wood that was probably not short enough to pull. It skidded on, got big on him, and was caught at midwicket.Sarfaraz Khan picked the lengths early against spin•AFP/Getty Images

Out came Sarfaraz with whispers already around his game against quick short-pitched bowling. That Wood began with a deep fine third, two men deep on the hook, a short leg and a catching forward square leg suggested it was not a mere whisper. Around the wicket he went and looked to bounce Sarfaraz. He ducked the first three nonchalantly. Towards the end of his spell, Wood insisted on one more over. Sarfaraz ducked again before bunting the surprise yorker down the ground.With pace out of the way, Sarfaraz displayed remarkable skill against spin, helped no doubt by Ben Stokes’ attacking fields. A series of one-twos followed: a loft over the infield followed by going deep into the crease to take a single off the seemingly inevitable shorter delivery. The feet moved perfectly according to the trajectory of the ball, the sweep was out early, and the lofts down the ground were executed perfectly. Before one realised, Sarfaraz had a fifty off 48, the joint second-quickest for an India debutant.Another byplay had begun to develop. Jadeja had got stuck in the 80s and 90s. In the time that Sarfaraz scored 50, Jadeja had got only 12. He had three hundreds, but four dismissals between 80 and 99. He almost became passive. Had Hartley reviewed his lbw shout against Jadeja, he would have got him out lbw pad-first on 93.Finally, on 99, Jadeja called Sarfaraz through for an impossible single and unsuccessfully sent him back. Looking at India still leaving the door ajar, Rohit threw his cap in disgust in the dressing room. Jadeja got to the hundred next ball, but the celebrations were subdued since Sarfaraz was gone just one delivery before. Jadeja knew there was more work to do on day two, walking back unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav by his side.

Everything you need to know about the state of play in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers, including fixtures, results, table and TV details.

The build-up to the 2026 World Cup is going in South America, with the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign ongoing. Home of legendary players such as Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele, South America is renowned as a place that produces some of the most accomplished footballers in the world.

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The qualification process will see reigning world champions Argentina collide with eternal rivals Brazil, who themselves are the record-holders for most World Cup titles. The likes of Uruguay and Colombia will also be expected to impress, with no shortage of competition among the 10 nations.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about the state of play in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers, including fixtures, results, table and TV details.

• Getty
  

  South America World Cup 2026 qualifying table standings

  Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
  1	Argentina (Q)	17	12	2	3	+22	38
  2	Brazil (Q)	17	8	7	2	+8	28
  3	Uruguay (Q)	17	7	6	4	+10	27
  4	Ecuador (Q)	17	7	8	2	+8	26
  5	Colombia (Q)	17	6	7	4	+7	25
  6	Paraguay (Q)	17	6	7	4	+3	25
  7	Venezuela	17	4	6	7	-7	18
  8	Bolivia	17	5	2	10	-19	17
  9	Peru (E)	17	2	6	9	-14	12
  10	Chile (E)	17	2	4	11	-18	10

  Last updated: September 5,

  South American World Cup qualification involves 10 teams and each team plays the other teams twice, meaning there are 18 matchdays.

  The top six teams qualify for the World Cup and the team which finishes in seventh place advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

  South American World Cup qualifying cycles last a number of years. Matchday one began on September 7, 2023, and the final matchday is scheduled for September 2025. 

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• Getty
  

  South America World Cup 2026 qualifying fixtures & results

  The fixtures and results for the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifying can be seen below. Note that not all fixtures have been finalised, so dates and venues may vary.

  Date	Match	Venue
  Sep 7, 2023	Paraguay 0-0 Peru	Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este
  Sep 7, 2023	Colombia 1-0 Venezuela	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla
  Sep 7, 2023	Argentina 1-0 Ecuador	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 8, 2023	Uruguay 3-1 Chile	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 8, 2023	Brazil 5-1 Bolivia	Mangueirao, Belem
  Sep 12, 2023	Bolivia 0-3 Argentina	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Sep 12, 2023	Ecuador 2-1 Uruguay	La Casa Blanca, Quito
  Sep 12, 2023	Venezuela 1-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Sep 12, 2023	Chile 0-0 Colombia	Estadio Monumental, Santiago
  Sep 12, 2023	Peru 0-1 Brazil	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Oct 12, 2023	Bolivia 1-2 Ecuador	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Oct 12, 2023	Colombia 2-2 Uruguay	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla
  Oct 12, 2023	Brazil 1-1 Venezuela	Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba
  Oct 12, 2023	Argentina 1-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Oct 12, 2023	Chile 2-0 Peru	Estadio Monumental, Santiago
  Oct 17, 2023	Venezuela 3-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Oct 17, 2023	Paraguay 1-0 Bolivia	Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este
  Oct 17, 2023	Ecuador 0-0 Colombia	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 17, 2023	Uruguay 2-0 Brazil	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Oct 17, 2023	Peru 0-2 Argentina	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Nov 16, 2023	Bolivia 2-0 Peru	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Nov 16, 2023	Venezuela 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Nov 16, 2023	Colombia 2-1 Brazil	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Nov 16, 2023	Argentina 0-2 Uruguay	La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
  Nov 16, 2023	Chile 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago
  Nov 21, 2023	Paraguay 0-1 Colombia	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Nov 21, 2023	Uruguay 3-0 Bolivia	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Nov 21, 2023	Ecuador 1-0 Chile	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Nov 21, 2023	Brazil 0-1 Argentina	Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
  Nov 21, 2023	Peru 1-1 Venezuela	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 5, 2024	Uruguay 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 5, 2024	Peru 1-1 Colombia	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 6, 2024	Brazil 1-0 Ecuador	Estádio Couto Pereira, Curitiba
  Sep 6, 2024	Bolivia 4-0 Venezuela	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Sep 6, 2024	Argentina 3-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 10, 2024	Colombia 2-1 Argentina	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Sep 10, 2024	Venezuela 0-0 Uruguay	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Sep 10, 2024	Paraguay 1-0 Brazil	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Sep 10, 2024	Chile 1-2 Bolivia	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Sep 10, 2024	Ecuador 1-0 Peru	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 11, 2024	Peru 1-0 Uruguay	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Oct 10, 2024	Venezuela 1-1 Argentina	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Oct 10, 2024	Bolivia 1-0 Colombia	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Oct 10, 2024	Chile 1-2 Brazil	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Oct 10, 2024	Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 15, 2024	Uruguay 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Oct 15, 2024	Colombia 4-0 Chile	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Oct 15, 2024	Brazil 4-0 Peru	Arena BRB Mané Garrincha
  Oct 15, 2024	Paraguay 2-1 Venezuela	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Oct 15, 2024	Argentina 6-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Nov 14, 2024	Venezuela 1-1 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Nov 14, 2024	Paraguay 2-1 Argentina	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion
  Nov 14, 2024	Ecuador 4-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil
  Nov 15, 2024	Uruguay 3-2 Colombia	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Nov 15, 2024	Peru 0-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Lima
  Nov 19, 2024	Colombia 0-1 Ecuador	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla
  Nov 19, 2024	Brazil 1-1 Uruguay	Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
  Nov 19, 2024	Bolivia 2-2 Paraguay	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Nov 19 2024	Argentina 1-0 Peru	La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
  Nov 19, 2024	Chile 4-2 Venezuela	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Mar 20, 2025	Paraguay 1-0 Chile	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Mar 20, 2025	Brazil 2-1 Colombia	Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília
  Mar 20, 2025	Peru 3-1 Bolivia	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Mar 21, 2025	Ecuador 2-1 Venezuela	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Mar 21, 2025	Uruguay 0-1 Argentina	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Mar 25, 2025	Bolivia 0-0 Uruguay	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Mar 25, 2025	Colombia 2-2 Paraguay	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Mar 25, 2025	Venezuela 1-0 Peru	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Mar 25, 2025	Argentina 4-1 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Mar 25, 2025	Chile 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Jun 5, 2025	Ecuador 0-0 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Guayaquil
  Jun 5, 2025	Paraguay 2-0 Uruguay	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Jun 5, 2025	Chile 0-1 Argentina	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Jun 6, 2025	Colombia 0-0 Peru	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
  Jun 6, 2025	Venezuela 2-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Venezuela
  Jun 10, 2025	Bolivia 2-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental de Maturín
  Jun 10, 2025	Uruguay 2-0 Venezuela	Centenario, Montevideo
  Jun 10, 2025	Argentina 1-1 Colombia	Estadio Mâs Monumental
  Jun 10, 2025	Brazil 1-0 Paraguay	Corinthians Arena
  Jun 10, 2025	Peru 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Nacional de Lima
  Sep 4, 2025	Uruguay 3-0 Peru	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 4, 2025	Colombia 3-0 Bolivia	Estadio Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla
  Sep 4, 2025	Brazil 3-0 Chile	Maracana, Rio de Janeiro
  Sep 4, 2025	Paraguay 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion
  Sep 4, 2025	Argentina 3-0 Venezuela	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 9, 2025	Peru vs Paraguay	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 9, 2025	Venezuela vs Colombia	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Sep 9, 2025	Bolivia vs Brazil	Estadio El Alto, El Alto
  Sep 9, 2025	Chile vs Uruguay	Estadio Julio Martinez Pradanos, Santiago
  Sep 9, 2025	Ecuador vs Argentina	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil

• How to watch South America World Cup qualifiers

  Country	Broadcaster
  United States	Vix, Telemundo, Fubo, Fanatiz, Universo
  United Kingdom	CONMEBOL TV

  United States

  In the United States, broadcast deals for CONMEBOL qualifiers are shared between Telemundo, Universo, Fubo, Vix and Fanatiz.

  Read more about how to watch CONMBEOL World Cup qualifiers here.

  You can see which soccer games are on TV in the U.S. here.

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  United Kingdom

  In the United Kingdom, a selection of games can be watched live through the pay-per-view streaming service, CONMEBOL TV.

  See here for GOAL's guide to football on TV in the UK.

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• South America World Cup 2026 qualifying top scorers

  Rank	Player	Team	Goals
  1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	8
  2	Luis Diaz	Colombia	7
  3	Miguel Terceros	Bolivia	5
  =4	Raphinha	Brazil	5
  =4	Salomon Rondon	Venezuela	5
  =4	Enner Valencia	Ecuador	5
  =4	Darwin Nunez	Uruguay	5