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How to watch Grenada vs USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League from the US as well as kick-off time and team news

The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) will hope to top Group D with a win against Grenada in their CONCACAF Nations Leaguegroup stage fixture on Friday.

⚽️ Watch Grenada vs USMNT in the US today!

The game against Grenada will be Anthony Hudson's first competitive game in charge of the team this year. Christian Pulisic and co. recently lost to Serbia in the only friendly they played after the 2022 World Cup. Their journey in Qatar had ended with a defeat against the Netherlands in the Round of 16 and the then-boss Gregg Berhalter's contract wasn't resumed at the end of the year.

The upcoming fixture against Grenada will only be the fifth meeting between these two teams, and the USMNT has a 100 per cent win record. They will be looking keep that record intact as they resume their CONCACAF Nations League journey.

Jesus Ferrera scored four goals as USMNT beat Grenada 5-0 when the two teams met earlier in the group stage.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the CONCACAF Nations League fixture Grenada vs USMNT, plus team news, recent form and more.

Getty ImagesKick-off time

Date:

March 24, 2023

Kick-off time:

8.00pm EDT

Venue:

Grenada National Stadium

The game is scheduled for March 24, 2023 at the Grenada National Stadium. It will kick off at 8.00pm EDT in the US.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHow to watch Grenada vs USMNT online – TV channels & live streamsTV channels & streaming options

Country TV channel Live stream

U.S.Telemundo, TNT, UniversoSling TV, Peacock, fuboTV

In the US, the match between Grenada and United States can be streamed on Sling TV, Peacock and fuboTV.

Getty ImagesTeam news & squadsGrenada team news

The Grenada squad has no fresh injury concerns to deal with ahead of their clash against USMNT. The squad includes nine players who are playing overseas and 14 playing in domestic leagues.

Position Players

Goalkeepers:Belfon, Thomas, RichardsonDefenders:Pierre, Ettienne, James, Williams, D Pierrie, MarkMidfielders:Paterson, Reagan, Theodore, Abraham, Harrack, Jacob, CharlesForwards:Charles, Frank, Lewis, Isaac, Hippolyte, Mitchell, JulienUSMNT team news

The USMNT squad will miss the services of Tim Weah and Tyler Adams who had to be excluded from the squad concussion and injury problems respectively.

Position Players

Goalkeepers:Ethan Horvath, Zack Steffen, Matt TurnerDefenders:Sergino Dest, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Bryan Reynolds, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Auston TrustyMidfielders:Brenden Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre , Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Alan Sonora, Djordje MihailovicForwards:Taylor Booth, Daryl Dike, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Alejandro ZendejasHead-to-head record

Date Result Competition

June 11, 2022United States 5-0 GrenadaConcacaf Nations LeagueJuly 5, 2009Grenada 0-4 United StatesConcacaf Gold CupJune 21, 2004Grenada 2-3 United StatesConcacaf WC qualifiersJune 13, 2004United States 3-0 GrenadaConcacaf WC qualifiersENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesUseful links

USMNT team page

Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

How USMNT should line up vs Grenada

The Spanish defender came on as a substitute on his debut for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo…

One of the finest defenders to have ever played for Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos joined the Spanish giants from Sevilla in 2005.

He was the first Spanish player to be signed by the club during their Galacticos era and arguably one of the most successful signings from that period. Ramos made his debut for Real Madrid in the second match of their La Liga campaign against Celta Vigo on September 10, 2005.

The Spaniard came on as a substitute replacing central defender Francisco Pavon in the 46th minute of the match. Real Madrid had lost the tie 3-2 where Ronaldo (Brazil) and Julio Baptista were on target for Los Blancos.

Since 2005, Ramos made 671 appearances in a Real Madrid shirt for the next 15 years and won every trophy including five La Ligas and four Champions League titles.

As Ramos left the club in 2021 for a new venture with PSG, let us take a look at the players who played alongside the defender on his debut.

Getty Images1Sergio Ramos – Sub

Sergio Ramos served Real Madrid for 15 years since 2005 and left the club at the end of the 2020/21 season. After Iker Casillas' departure from the club, Ramos became the club captain in 2015. He is the club's fourth most-capped player of all time with 671 appearances under his belt.

After ending his association with the La Liga giants, Ramos moved to PSG in 2021.

AdvertisementGetty2Raul Gonzalez – Sub

The legendary Spanish striker is the most-capped Real Madrid player (741) of all time. After spending 16 seasons at the club since 1995, he left in 2010. Thereafter he joined Schalke and then ended his career in the MLS playing for New York Cosmos.

Upon retirement, Raul returned to Real Madrid in 2018 as the head coach of the club's U15. A year later he became the coach of Real Madrid Castilla.

Getty Images3Pablo Garcia – Sub

The Spanish midfielder was at Real Madrid for three seasons but spent two out of those three years at Celta Vigo and Murcia on loan. He retired from professional football in 2014.

In 2015 he joined Greek club PAOK FC's U19 team as an assistant coach and a year later became the team's head coach. In 2020 he was promoted as the head coach of the senior team for a brief period but he later moved back to the club's reserves side to lead them.

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Getty4Ronaldo – ST

One of the greatest strikers to have graced the game, Ronaldo played for Real Madrid for five seasons, joining them in 2002. He has also played for European giants like Inter Milan, FC Barcelona and AC Milan. He retired from professional football in 2011. With Brazil, he won two World Cups (1994 and 2002).

In 2018, the legendary striker became the majority owner of Spanish second division side Real Valladolid in September 2018, after buying 51 per cent of the club’s shares for a total amount of €30m.

The Portuguese is fighting for his future at the moment but not everybody is convinced he should go, with arguments to be considered on both sides

Barely a single word was uttered on Valencia on Monday as Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was instead left to field countless questions about his future and the demeanour of his squad ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with the Spanish outfit at Old Trafford.

Saturday's 3-1 defeat to West Ham increased the pressure on the under-fire Portuguese, with United slipping to 10th place in the Premier League table after a shambolic showing in the capital.

But while some have claimed that Zinedine Zidane has been lined up as a potential replacement, Mourinho remains in the job for now as the Red Devils look to fight their way out of a full-blown crisis.

Is now the right time to pull the trigger, or does Mourinho deserve more time? Goal runs through the reasons why United should sack him and those why he should be saved.

Getty1SAVE HIM: The costly pay-off

Even if a consensus is reached that firing Mourinho is the right thing to do given the context, the Portuguese’s exit is set to cost Manchester United a huge amount of money. With the best part of two years left on his Old Trafford deal and a club option for a further 12 months, the manager stands to gain a further £33 million during his United stay thanks to his £12m agreement.

It is believed that there is a clause in his deal though which would allow the club to pay him a £12m settlement should they decide to sack him before the end of the 2019-20 season, cutting between £9m and £21m off their total expected outlay.

But that would mean the club having to fork out £12m to pay off Mourinho even before considering the cost of taking on a new manager’s salary and signing-on bonuses, which would make it one almighty outlay for the miserly Ed Woodward to countenance.AdvertisementGetty2SAVE HIM: This is hardly a surprise to United

What exactly did United expect they were going to get when they appointed Mourinho in 2016? They sacked Louis van Gaal within 48 hours of winning the FA Cup because they wanted the closest thing they could find to guaranteed success at whatever cost.

They knew what Mourinho had got up to in the past, but they bought into it. They knew he’d demand costly changes to the squad to get them competing, but they bought into it. They knew they risked alienating those fans who want more than anything to see flowing football, but they bought into it.

Changing now would abandon yet another strategy – a third different vision in little over five years – and the need to develop a new one could be further damaging to a club which is desperately looking to pick a direction and stick to it.GETTY3SAVE HIM: Can a successor be expected to make a huge difference?

Which brings us to the replacement. United should only sack Mourinho if they are certain they can bring in an upgrade, and that is not necessarily the case right now. Of course, Zinedine Zidane’s name has been widely linked and Mourinho was even asked on Monday whether the Frenchman had called to say he was not after the United job.

But while Zidane comes with a pedigree having won three straight Champions Leagues, he took the job at Real Madrid with a squad of superstars already waiting for him. At United he would have a promising first XI but not too much else beyond that, leaving him with a far different proposition than the one which saw him achieve unprecedented success at the Santiago Bernabeu.

United were keen on Mauricio Pochettino before selecting Mourinho in 2016 and the Tottenham boss would be a fair target come next summer. But an immediate change in boss could rule out the Argentine, and the chance to make a considered appointment of a man who puts football first might be spurned as a result.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty4SAVE HIM: Mourinho is not the start and end of United's problems

While there is a clear issue with Mourinho, it is not United’s only area of concern right now… not by a long chalk. Bringing in a new manager will not do anything to resolve the fact that the Glazers’ takeover continues to cost the club around 80 per cent of its operating profit. It will also not address the fact that there is a serious lack of football-savvy decision-makers knocking around the club and executive vice-chair Ed Woodward gives the impression of a man out of his depth in the transfer arena.

And similarly a change of regime will not automatically fill the gaps in United’s anaemic squad, nor will it bring the bigger names into line without the perfect appointment being made upon Mourinho’s exit. The manager has fought for more care to be placed into the upkeep of the playing staff but the board have not been willing to do that, so why wouldn’t more of the same be in store for the next incumbent without greater support from the boardroom?

Cricket South Africa has altered the schedule for Sri Lanka’s 2016-17 tour to ensure that their international players will be able to appear in the Ram Slam T20 competition during early December

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2016Cricket South Africa has altered the schedule for Sri Lanka’s 2016-17 tour to ensure that their international players will be able to appear in the Ram Slam T20 competition during early December.The tour will still include three Tests, five ODIs and three T20s, but the most significant change to the itinerary is that the Johannesburg Test will now be held in mid-January rather than mid-December.The Wanderers had originally been due to host the opening Test of the series from December 15-19 but will now stage the third match from January 12-16, meaning the series will begin in Port Elizabeth on Boxing Day before the traditional New Year Test in Cape Town.This season the Ram Slam was held from November 1 to December 12 which coincided with the national side being in India and then the start of England’s visit. It meant that star names such as AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada did not make a single appearance in the tournament.There may still be limited time for players who are part of South Africa’s Test side to appear in the Ram Slam as South Africa tour Australia for a four-Test series during November, but the change in the schedule has now freed up much of December for the T20 competition.CSA said that research had suggested moving the Johannesburg Test would help boost attendances – often a concern for Tests in South Africa – but also pinpointed the Ram Slam as a key reason for the change and said future international itineraries would take the T20 event into consideration.Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said: “The changes resulted from market research indicating that a Test match would work a lot better in Johannesburg during January plus our desire to keep the first half of December free for the Ram Slam T20 Challenge so that all our Proteas can participate in the tournament. In future years we will design our schedules accordingly.”South Africa face a busy period when they resume international cricket following a gap after the World T20. They begin with a triangular series in West Indies in June, follow that with winter Test matches against New Zealand in August before hosting Australia for a one-day series from the end of September.Then they head to Australia before returning for the rest of the home season against Sri Lanka which is then followed by a tour of New Zealand in February 2017.There will be particular attention on what de Villiers, who is now South Africa’s permanent Test captain, decides to do having cited his workload concerns but also made clear his desire to play in various T20 leagues with the IPL and CPL already in his calendar.

Jack Burnham scored his maiden first-class hundred at the age of 19 to guide Durham’s fortunes at the Kia Oval

Andrew Miller at Kia Oval03-May-2016
ScorecardAt the age of 19 years and 106 days, it’s a bit early in his career to say that Jack Burnham has seen it all, but the confidence that he has gleaned from his eight first-class matches to date is more than enough for him to know when he’s onto a good thing.Burnham’s maiden first-class century, a resolute and barely ruffled innings of 135, with 18 fours and two sixes spread across 215 balls and nearly four-and-a-half hours of precocious application, served to neutralise Surrey’s ambitions in a contest that, barring a shocking turn of events, is now destined to be a draw.But it was the confidence with which he assessed the conditions, on his very first visit to England’s oldest Test ground, that augurs so formidably well for his future. With a dominant range of strokes that rarely over-reached themselves but always ensured that the bowlers were playing to his tune, his innings provided the bedrock for Durham’s close-of-play total of 543 for 7.With a lead of 86, and with Paul Collingwood unbeaten overnight on 75, there’s the outside prospect of a fighting finish if Surrey – who could be lacking the services of Zafar Ansari after he was sent to hospital for a scan on another worrying hand injury – run into Chris Rushworth and Graham Onions in one of their new-ball moods.Realistically, however, the story of this match has already been written by a teenage batsman with an impressive recent past and a very big future. Burnham arrived back in England in March after an outstanding performance at the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, where he racked up three centuries and 418 runs – and in so doing broke a tournament record previously held by a certain Alastair Cook.He’s since been trusted to take that form straight into Championship cricket, and with 234 runs in four innings to date, including 61 against Middlesex at Chester-le-Street last week, he’s paying back that faith with interest already.”I’m very confident at the minute,” said Burnham at the close. “The lads have so much faith in me so I go out to bat relaxed and I believe in myself, and it works. I’m taking it all step by step, I’m just hoping to do as well as I can for Durham, but my main ambition is to play for the main England side in years to come.”To judge by his career trajectory so far, it’s hard to imagine how Burnham could possibly miss that particular mark. A quick glance at his player page on ESPNcricinfo tells you all you need to know about his heritage. Listed among his major teams are Durham, Durham 2nd XI, Durham Academy, Durham Under-13s, Durham Under-14s, Durham Under-15s, Durham Under-17s, England Under-19s and Northumberland – the latter a digression into Minor Counties cricket last summer, in which he produced a century in the semi-final of the Knockout Trophy against Lincolnshire that confirmed his readiness for the big time.Two weeks later, in August, he was making a trip to Scarborough to take on the champions-elect Yorkshire and their battery of England seamers – surely one of the toughest assignments any young cricketer could be offered for his county debut. And yet, despite attracting arguably the ball of the match from Liam Plunkett to be bowled for a duck in his maiden innings, Burnham responded with pluck second-time around, digging in for a maiden fifty before being last man out in a 183-run defeat.”That was a big challenge,” he said. “I was out of my comfort zone, with fast bowlers and nothing I’d ever done before. But I think I’ve got the right mentality, and I think whatever gets thrown in front of us, I’ll give it a good go, and it worked for us in that second innings.”It gave us a lot of belief in my own ability and how I go about things,” he added. “I used to complicate it a lot with my batting but, since that day, I’ve realised I can do it and I just need to back myself.”This outing in South London, by contrast, was a gentle zephyr. As on the second day, Burnham was challenged from the outset as Tom Curran and Ansari resumed the attack with a probing pace and spin combination. It was Curran who produced Burnham’s solitary moment of genuine alarm in the morning session, when a sharp bouncer ballooned off the splice into no-man’s land in the covers.But with Scott Borthwick alongside Burnham in a third-wicket stand of 145, any prospect of Surrey bringing their scoreboard pressure to bear was soon forgotten. The introduction of Gareth Batty prompted a step-up in tempo from Burnham, who came down the track in a mature bid to unsettle a bowler whose own first-class debut, for Yorkshire against Lancashire at Headingley in April 1997, had come when Burnham himself was three months old.”It was a pretty flat wicket, and Batty’s been around and seen a lot of cricket,” he explained. “I thought if I let him bowl, he’ll bowl the same ball over and over again and I won’t score a run, so I just thought give it a go and it paid off.”Surrey kept plugging away nonetheless, and were eventually rewarded with a pair of breakthroughs either side of lunch as, first, Borthwick propped forward to Batty to be pinned lbw for 77 before Ben Stokes, who never quite got going in his brief stay of 12, misread the flight of another guileful delivery from Ansari and popped a return catch back to the bowler.However, Michael Richardson kept Burnham company through some, if not nervous, then mildly twitchy nineties as the pair added 91 to scotch any notion of a collapse. And then, in the 87th over and from his 166th delivery, a nudged single into the covers and a gleeful leap at the non-striker’s end confirmed the fulfilment of an ambition that Burnham had been harbouring ever since his first appearance in Durham colours, more than half his lifetime ago.”This is a moment that I have dreamed about for a long time – every since I first played for Durham Under 9s as a seven-year-old,” he said. “I scored 22 against Cumbria that day, but I could hardly hit the ball off the square. It’s a very proud moment for all my family.”Burnham’s first instinct after his innings was to call his mother back in their family home in Esh Winning.”My mam made a lot of sacrifices for me when I was growing up,” he said. “It was always her who had to get off work, or change jobs, so she could run me around to my cricket. Dad was always away working, so it had to be her. It was great to hear how pleased and proud she was that I had scored my first hundred.””Playing at The Oval for the first time is just great, so to score a hundred here is a big moment in my career. Hopefully I can continue to score runs and I’m very confident in my game at the minute. I’m relaxed in the dressing room and I’m just concentrating on playing every ball on its merit.”

New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay, who played one Test, 19 ODIs and two T20Is, has retired from all forms of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015Former New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay has retired from all forms of cricket. McKay played one Test for New Zealand, against India in 2010, as well as two T20Is and 19 ODIs, taking a total of of 30 wickets.McKay, 35, hinted that he had taken the decision to spend more time with his family, and according to , he will be moving on to become the clinical lead manager of a physiotherapy practice in Wellington.”You sort of live in a bubble (during festive seasons) and it feels like you’re in a separate world almost,” McKay said.”You can see all these people are on their Christmas holidays but you’re there at work. You sort of get a taste of what it’s like, but it’s a sort of bubble experience.”Mckay spent the majority of his 57-match first-class career with Wellington, who he joined in 2009. Overall, he picked up 186 wickets from 57 first-class matches at an average of 31.88, and also snared 84 scalps from 52 List-A matches.”Coming to Wellington, and I’ve told the guys that this was the best move I ever made in my career. I was 29 and just a run-of-the-mill first-class cricketer,” he said.Though he was not part of the initial squad for the World Cup in 2011, McKay was called up for the semi-final against Sri Lanka after Kyle Mills got injured. New Zealand eventually succumbed to a five-wicket defeat, but the match nonetheless remains a career highlight for McKay.”It was pretty special to play that game,” he said. “I got there two days before the game and Dan (Vettori) said ‘Andy, just be prepared to play’. I thought I was just going as cover and to have the best seat in the house to watch it.”It was down to me and Woody (Wellington team-mate Luke Woodcock) as to who was going to play. Woody had played the quarter-final and we knew they were either going to pick a seamer or a spinner and we finally found out about an hour before the toss.”

Yorkshire bowled superbly, with control and discipline, as the Division One leaders, Middlesex, were restricted to only one batting point

Jon Culley at Headingley07-Jun-2015
ScorecardJack Brooks finished with 5 for 44 to help cover for the continued absence of Ryan Sidebottom•Getty ImagesThis was more like it from Yorkshire, who had looked out of sorts as they escaped with a draw in Somerset a couple of weeks ago. They bowled superbly, with control and discipline, as the Division One leaders, Middlesex, were restricted to only one batting point after James Franklin, on winning the toss, had been content to invite Yorkshire to field.Jack Brooks, wicketless in Taunton, advertised the restorative benefits of a 10-day break by taking 5 for 44. Brooks is in his third season at Headingley after his move from Northamptonshire but he still celebrates every wicket as if it is his first, wheeling away to his left, fists pumping, crossing at least half a dozen neighbouring strips before coming to a halt.He came up with some terrific deliveries, dismissing Joe Burns, the Australian opener, with the ninth ball of his opening five-over new ball spell at the Football Stand End before returning for the final half hour of the morning at the Kirkstall Lane End, removing Sam Robson with his fifth ball, one that nipped back and beat the erstwhile England opener’s defence to clip the top of middle and off stumps.Robson was probably a key wicket, given that he was striking the ball nicely and taking his scoring chances well, better certainly than the more cautious Nick Compton, and had he survived until lunch the day might have unfolded differently. As it was, the fillip of his dismissal put a spring in Yorkshire’s step as they emerged for the afternoon session, by the end of which Middlesex were all out for 212.Yet as Middlesex reduced Yorkshire to 52 for 4 in reply, before Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leaning laid the foundations of a recovery, the value of Compton’s three-and-a-half hour 70 was emphasised. The 31-year-old, batting at No. 3, relishes the responsibility of holding his team together in difficult situations and this was a pitch on which there was always likely to be incident.During the morning session, with Brooks at the top of his game and Steve Patterson bowling his consistently testing line from the other end, Compton went 40 minutes without scoring a run, with 25 dot balls between his seventh and eighth scoring shots. “It doesn’t bother me at all to do that,” he said. “As long as I’m still in, I’ve got a chance. You want to be scoring but I’m happy to be patient. If you go searching for it on a wicket like that you’re going to give yourself a bit of trouble.”Where he feels less patient is in relation to his England career, which was so abruptly nipped in the bud on the eve of the last Ashes series and which has yet to resume. “Patience is one of my qualities as a batsman but as a person it is not my greatest asset,” he said.”I’m desperate to get back in the England side again and I feel I have the ability and the credentials to be a thorn in the side of the Australians in this Ashes if I was picked. But I have had to reset my goals a bit, concentrate on contributing for Middlesex and whatever will be, will be.”Yorkshire had to change their plans at the last minute when Ryan Sidebottom, who was to have made his comeback here after suffering a calf injury in the opening fixture, pulled up in the warm-ups, feeling all was not well. It meant Will Rhodes kept his place. Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance came back from Test duty, neatly filling the places vacated by Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett’s secondment to the England one-day squad.Yorkshire’s spin gamble paid off. It had been supposed that James Middlebrook, who took nine wickets in the match when he stood in for Rashid earlier in the season, would take that duty again but Yorkshire chanced that Glenn Maxwell, an allrounder but primarily a batsman, could fill in and how well they were rewarded.Introduced at 108 for 4 after 45 overs, Maxwell’s off-breaks claimed two key wickets in the space of three deliveries when Franklin inside-edged to short leg and John Simpson was trapped leg before, his ball keeping a touch low, at which point the Middlesex innings was collapsing at 119 for 6. Ollie Rayner went after him, hitting five of his next eight deliveries to the fence and surviving a dropped catch at short leg, but Maxwell came back with a ball that somehow squeezed through between his legs and bowled him.Compton ultimately fell to Brooks. Required to be bolder as wickets fell around him he gave Brooks his fourth wicket when he drove at one that found the edge and was taken at third slip by Leaning at the second attempt. Patterson, reliably consistent as ever, picked up his second wicket before James Harris, whose last-wicket show of defiance with Tim Murtagh at least meant Middlesex’s effort was not pointless, hooked to long leg to give Brooks his second five-wicket haul of the season.Murtagh was back in the Middlesex side for Steven Finn, called up by England, and took two wickets as Yorkshire’s day ended with something of a backs-to the-wall effort needed. Ballance, who needs some county runs more than most, struggled again, dismissed by Murtagh for 1 and Lees’ run of low scores continued when he edged the same bowler to second slip.Lyth looked in better shape, but the ball after he had hit one delicious drive past mid-off for four he followed a ball from Toby Roland-Jones that left him late and was caught, also at second slip. Andrew Gale’s dismissal left Yorkshire in difficulties and much will depend on Bairstow and Leaning staying out of trouble in the first hour on the second day.

Former South Africa Captain Graeme Smith believes Australia’s decision to include Michael Clarke in their World Cup squad despite serious injury concerns could be “disruptive”, while former India Captain Rahul Dravid called the move “very un-Australian”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2015Former South Africa Captain Graeme Smith believes Australia’s decision to include Michael Clarke in their World Cup squad despite serious injury concerns could be “disruptive”, while former India Captain Rahul Dravid called the move “very un-Australian”. Smith and Dravid were speaking on CONTENDERS, ESPNcricinfo’s special build up program ahead of next month’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.”Obviously, you want your captain to be playing now going into the tri-series because you are coming up with game-plans and formulas such as who is going to be playing, who bats where and start to get a feel of who bats where,” Smith said. “I think he’s been unsettled for a period of time, he was their top performer for the last two-three years and through injuries of late has been unsettled.”I think in his injuries we’ve seen Steven Smith come to the fore and really perform well in Michael Clarke’s role. So that’s an interesting dynamic that has been created within the Australian set up now. If Clarke plays, does Smith play? It’s almost hard to find a position for both of them.”Clarke hasn’t played since picking up a hamstring injury in the first Test against India in Adelaide in early December, and he has been given a deadline of February 21, when Australia play Bangladesh in Brisbane, by the selectors to establish his fitness. This long rope given by the usually hard-nosed Australian selectors to Clarke has come as a surprise for Dravid.”I just hope it is not an emotional decision,” he said. “You just felt they had to take this decision. It’s almost a very un-Australian decision. We’ve seen the Australian selectors take some very emotional decisions especially with Michael Clarke. Even with the decision to allow him to play in the Test match, you can understand that. That can be distracting to the rest of the rest of the squad. How they manage that environment and everything around that will be their biggest challenge in the lead up to the World Cup.”Owing to his injuries, Clarke played just six of Australia’s 18 ODIs in 2014. In his absence, Steven Smith has made his opportunities count by scoring 578 runs from 13 ODIs at an average of nearly 49. With a packed middle order, Clarke’s return could well force Steven Smith out of the playing XI, a situation that neither Dravid nor Smith feel is ideal.”Clarke has been a very good performer for them,” Dravid said. “But without him being in the squad and bring Smith into it, they don’t look a weaker side at all. In fact some people may argue they actually look a better side with Smith bringing energy to the fielding department. Smith is as good a player of spin in the middle overs as Clarke and in the best form of his life.””I think Smith has more of a power game than Clarke,” Smith said. “I also feel it’s all about personality. Going into a World Cup, it’s all about how a team is run behind the scenes, it is a high pressure environment. Michael has been an outstanding captain, but is more of an abrasive personality. It will be interesting to see now that they have been under Smith for the last few months and if Michael moves back into that space, how then that shifts the personality of the team.”

Kevin Pietersen’s involvement in the 2015 IPL hangs on a crisis meeting at Lord’s on Tuesday that will examine England’s response to a disastrous showing at the World Cup

David Hopps and George Dobell15-Mar-20153:50

Dobell: Pietersen wants to be back on the big stage

Kevin Pietersen’s involvement in the 2015 IPL hangs on a crisis meeting at Lord’s on Tuesday that will examine England’s response to a disastrous showing at the World Cup.That Pietersen might withdraw entirely from the IPL in the hope of making an England comeback would be a remarkable twist in an extraordinary career, but that probability – first intimated by ESPNcricinfo – is becoming likelier by the day as a battle for the control of English cricket takes shape.At that Lord’s meeting, Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket and the man whose first act upon assuming the job a year ago was to end Pietersen’s international career, will face further questions about the series of disasters that has bedevilled England, on and off the field, ever since the decision was made.If Pietersen receives any encouragement from the outcome of those talks that his England career might potentially be revived, his representatives will immediately step up negotiations to release him from his contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the hope of one last hurrah in Test cricket.It is also entirely possible that Downton, even if he avoided the sack, might regard his own position as untenable.Let’s try that again: Kevin Pietersen is edging closer to a dramatic England return•Getty ImagesSunrisers have made no comment on the situation but it is understood that IPL officials are already aware of the growing probability that Pietersen will want to withdraw.Although, from the point of view of England or the player himself, that Sunrisers might challenge Pietersen’s right to resume an international career might be regarded as beyond contemplation, the IPL franchise might feel that their auction strategy and subsequent marketing push demand that the player honours his contract – whatever the cost on both sides.Money is not the prime motivation for Pietersen, who is perpetually excited by the fact that he might challenge all assumptions and commit himself to England in what would instantly become the most talked-about Ashes series in England since 2005 – his debut Test summer and one in which he was a prime force in England securing the Ashes in the final Test at The Oval.It is The Oval, home of Surrey, which is strongly expected to provide the next chapter of the Pietersen story. Surrey released him at the end of last season – not only did they did not want to consider him as a Twenty20 specialist, there was the possibility of legal action over his impending autobiography to consider – but if he expresses a desire to play in all forms of the game then his return will be sanctioned.Around six English counties have been in the running to provide a home for cricket’s most controversial son, with some of them prepared to offer him a T20-only deal.It is T20 which many observers believe offers Pietersen the best possibility of an England recall, culminating in a grand return at the World T20 in India next year, but it is the chance – however slim – of another shot at the Ashes which has energised him.To achieve that, he would have to forego the glitz of the IPL and rouse himself in front of small crowds in Division Two of the County Championship, something that does not fit easily with him.It is the dream of another Ashes fling which is his prime motivation. After the personal trauma of the past 14 months, the attraction of finishing his England career on a high clearly appeals.Nevertheless, he must also have been disappointed by the outcome of the IPL auction when he failed to attract interest from the likes of Bangalore or Delhi but was picked up by Sunrisers at his base price of Rs 2 crore (£210,000).If the Lord’s meeting ended with an understanding that the Pietersen slate was wiped clean, it would point to the weakening authority not just of Downton but also of Andy Flower, the former England coach, who by the time he left the job after last winter’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia was also of the mind that Pietersen should go.The change of mood has been sparked by a new leadership team at the head of the ECB – the incoming chairman, Colin Graves, and chief executive, Tom Harrison.Both are keenly aware of how English cricket is losing the hearts of a wide cross-section of the public. Downton suggested that Pietersen was disconnected with his team-mates after that Ashes disaster, but it is the disconnect between cricket and the nation that could bring about an astonishing development.

Alastair Cook’s search for a significant ODI score goes on but his side showed impressive composure in completing a five-wicket win in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka

Alan Gardner in Pallekele11-Dec-20141:40

We deserved to win – Cook

Alastair Cook’s search for a significant ODI score goes on but his side showed impressive composure in completing a five-wicket win in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka. Joe Root’s third hundred of 2014 and a second consecutive half-century for James Taylor helped England to overhaul their target after play resumed on the reserve day, meaning they are 3-2 down in the series with two to play.Having dismissed Sri Lanka for 239 on Wednesday, with Chris Woakes taking a six-wicket haul, Taylor and Root picked up the baton for the batsmen, putting on England’s first century stand of the series. Despite a wobble at the end, with Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan both dismissed trying to get England over the line, Root finished unbeaten on 104, eclipsing Kumar Sangakkara’s 91 as the most influential batting contribution.”It’s not so much a relief. I thought, the way we played over two days, we deserved to win,” Cook said. “It seems a long time ago but the way we bowled, first of all, was fantastic. It’s great credit to Chris Woakes that he’s got two of the best three sets of figures. Then the way James Taylor, and particularly Rooty, played was just phenomenal batting today.Alastair Cook: Joe Root’s innings in the same league as Kumar Sangakkara’s•Getty Images”I thought the way Sanga played yesterday was just a masterclass in batting, and I thought Rooty hit the same level as that. So that’s a fairly big compliment. Sanga was brilliant, and when Rooty went on and was there at the end that was in the same league.”Maybe it was the lush green surroundings, or the cooler mountain air, but England seemed more at home in Pallakele. They are 2-0 up in the series outside Colombo, having won in Hambantota last week, and would draw level if they can continue that record on Saturday, before the teams return to the Premadasa for the final match.”This is a really important win,” Cook said. “Obviously, Colombo hasn’t been that kind to us, but we’ve won away from there. It would be great to get to Colombo 3-3 and have a series final. If we play anything like that, we can put pressure on Sri Lanka. But as we know, the challenge of it is ‘Can we back it up?’Although the pitch responded to England’s quicks, there had also been appreciable turn for James Tredwell and Moeen Ali, suggesting that the tourists would do well not to get tangled up in spin. In the event, Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers were not given much assistance and the hard-running, 104-run partnership between Taylor and Root wore them down.

There’s a real excitement among the group about what’s going to happen over the next three months. I know we’ve lost three games, and can’t hide from the fact we’re still down in the series, but I think we’ve made some really good strides in these conditions. When we get to the tri-series, we have to adjust to those conditions and keep working, then we have another month before the World Cup.Alastair Cook

Taylor’s innings of 68, batting at No. 3, was particularly important after Moeen and Cook had departed inside the Powerplay. Having played just two ODIs against Ireland in the preceding three years, and having to wait until the fourth match against Sri Lanka to get a chance here, his performances have been hugely encouraging.”He’s got a really good head on him,” Cook said. “He’s gone away and obviously worked incredibly hard on his game. The last couple of years his domestic record is right up there. He’s got his chance here and taken it with both hands.”He’s slightly shorter in stature and he scampers through for runs. He and Rooty, when they needed to take the pressure off themselves, found the boundary – but hitting the ball to mid-on and going straightaway, that’s a hallmark of good one-day batting.”From the reports we’ve had from Lions cricket, he’s been the ‘stand-out’ in terms of his mental approach to the game and strength. He obviously knows his game and he knows himself, which, I think, is why he is doing so well.”Cook admitted his own form remained “frustrating” – he is the only member of the current top seven yet to score a half-century in Sri Lanka – but there remains the possibility of England winning the series, which would be their first under Cook since beating New Zealand almost two years ago. Few have been moved to extol their World Cup chances in recent months but, with time running out, the team is beginning to take shape.”There’s a real excitement among the group about what’s going to happen over the next three months,” Cook said. “I know we’ve lost three games, and can’t hide from the fact we’re still down in the series, but I think we’ve made some really good strides in these conditions. When we get to the tri-series, we have to adjust to those conditions and keep working, then we have another month before the World Cup.”I’m really happy with the way it’s going. It would be great if we’re sitting here in five days with two more wins.”