All posts by h716a5.icu

Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lodged an official protest with the IPL governing council, against the Knight Riders over the Yuvraj Singh bid

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Feb-2014Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lodged an official protest with the IPL governing council, against the Knight Riders over the Yuvraj Singh bid. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals made the opening bids for Yuvraj before Mallya raised the paddle to bid at Rs 3.5 crores (approx $583,000). The bid escalated fast and reached the 10-crore mark. However, there was some confusion as the auctioneer apparently failed to notice the paddle raised by Knight Riders.Knight Riders withdrew their bid at Rs 13.5 crores ($2.25 million) before Mallya raised another Rs 50 lakhs to close the debate.”For me the hammer went down at 10 crores for Yuvraj Singh,” Mallya told . “We have officially written to the IPL governing council for the decision to be overturned.”Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, confirmed the RCB complaint but said the final decision was that of the auctioneer. “They filed a complaint asking Yuvraj should be given to them at 10 crores and not 14, but we can’t do anything now,” Biswal said.Mallya later said that Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers’ captain, was “keen” on getting Yuvraj. Along with Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers now have one of the most star-studded and powerful batting orders in the IPL.”Virat Kohli, our captain, was very keen on him. That extra Rs 4 crores was somewhat unfortunate, but the auctioneer has the sole discretion,” Mallya said. “Everybody saw him look around the room before the hammer fell but he then chose to continue the bidding. So life must go on.”

Australia are privately fuming but biting hard on their tongues and declining to express any public anger over the reprieve of Stuart Broad

Daniel Brettig and George Dobell at Trent Bridge12-Jul-2013Australia are privately fuming but biting hard on their tongues and declining to express any public anger over the reprieve of Stuart Broad after the umpire Aleem Dar failed to detect a thick edge to slip from the bowling of Ashton Agar.In the second major umpiring controversy in successive days at Trent Bridge, England were only 232 ahead when Broad stood his ground. Australia’s players reacted with considerable dismay at the decision, which they could not refer to the third umpire after using up their DRS allocation earlier in the day.Broad was still in occupation alongside Ian Bell at the close, by which time the hosts’ lead had reached 261. While the players’ immediate response on the field was plain, and the coach Darren Lehmann made his displeasure plain on the dressing room balcony, the fast bowler Peter Siddle did his best to avoid critiques of Broad, the umpires or the current protocols for the use of technology, saying only that he had only seen a bigger edge not given out “in the backyard maybe off my brother”.”How many people have ever walked? Some. That’s right, some,” Siddle said. “At the end of day it’s the umpires’ decision. The umpires make the decision and players stick with it. We just went about it. You finish the over and go through to the next over. If you watched out there, there wasn’t a big deal made of it. We got stuck in and just kept working to get the wicket.’I don’t see bowlers asking you back’

“The review system was brought in to get rid of the howler, I don’t see why umpire Dar couldn’t have had someone is his ear saying you’ve got that one wrong let’s just overturn that quickly. This has been a terrific game but I think a lot will be talked about that incident, which is sad.” – Michael Vaughan

“DRS was brought in to correct obviously wrong decisions and that is how captains should use it. Alastair Cook does just that, he is very sparing with it, and hopefully Michael Clarke does the same after this. To me, it has to be the umpire [fault]. A player is allowed to stand his ground. If Australia had one appeal left, Broad would have walked. The fact there was no referral left, he left it up to the umpire.” – Glenn McGrath

“The rules say that it’s ‘in the opinion of the umpire’ so it’s above things like ‘The Spirit of the Game’. I don’t see bowlers asking you back when the ball is sliding down leg. There is no debate, it’s quite simple. The Australians I have played with and have watched, with the exception of Adam Gilchrist, believe in standing and it’s up to the umpire to give you out – there shouldn’t be a morale argument. They should be upset, disappointed and angered by the umpires. If they keep making poor decisions, it’s up to the ICC to do something about it.” – Geoff Boycott

“He (Dar) always gets the crucial decisions wrong & always has, that’s why he’s not a great umpire! We all make mistakes & it’s a very tough job being an umpire, but when Dar continually makes crucial mistakes why does he keep getting a gig?” – Shane Warne on Twitter

“Obviously people are going to be frustrated but it’s hard out there for players, for umpires. It’s a long day, it’s a tough day for people out there. Things are going to happen and we just have to deal with it. That’s just a part of the game and spectators have to understand that – that there are times when things like that happen. Obviously it’s a long day and it’s hard for everyone involved. We can’t be blaming anyone.”Siddle’s acceptance of Broad’s failure to walk – common practice in professional cricket for a generation and more – was in contrast to howls of outrage on social media sites and from media commentators, many of who judged Broad’s behaviour as immoral and unsporting.Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler, contended that Broad’s behaviour was comparable to that of the West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who falsely claimed a catch against Pakistan in a Champions Trophy match at The Oval in London last month. Ramdin was banned for two one-day games by the ICC match referee, who happened to be Broad’s father, Chris.”What Stuart Broad did amounts to the same thing as Ramdin,” Holding told Sky TV. “He knew he had hit the ball. The ICC fined Ramdin and suspended him for ‘actions that were contrary to the spirit of the game’. What Stuart Broad did is contrary to the spirit of the game. He played the ball and stayed there.”The day after England sought clarification from the ICC following a Hot Spot operator error that contributed to Jonathan Trott’s lbw dismissal, Dar’s howler was not referred to technology that would have picked up the mistake because Australia no longer had any recourse to do so. Umpires do have the right to refer some decisions themselves if in doubt, but for now are limited to low catches and bump balls. Dar’s refusal of Australia’s appeal was as unequivocal as it was mistaken”You can’t do anything about that,” Siddle said of the burned referrals. “You use them because you think you’re going to get a result early on and you don’t. You can’t just hold them and put them in the back pocket and say ‘I’m going to get one in the afternoon’ and save it for that. You use them when you think there’s a chance of getting a wicket and that’s what they’re there for.”For their part, England stood by the view that Broad was well within his rights to stand and wait for Dar’s decision. It is debatable whether he would have done so had Australia still been able to use a video referral, but his team-mate Kevin Pietersen did not think Broad should have taken any other action in the circumstances.”Each and every player who plays for their country, their club side, for their franchise or their county has the opportunity to wait for the decision the umpire makes and you respect the umpire’s decision,” Pietersen said. “We play hard. We play fair and each individual has the responsibility and makes the judgement if he will wait for the umpire’s decision. Aleem Dar is a fantastic umpire and he has been rated one of the best umpires in world cricket over the last few years. Wait and respect his decision.”Contrary to reports, no apology has been forthcoming from the ICC to the ECB regarding the Trott decision on the second day.

Three teams will progress to the 2014 Women’s World T20 from the Qualifiers to be staged in Dublin from July 23 after the ICC announced a revised schedule for the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2013Three teams will progress to the 2014 Women’s World Twenty20 from the Qualifiers after the ICC announced a revised schedule for the tournament, which begins in Dublin on July 23.According the previous format, only the winner of the qualifying competition would progress to the 2014 finals, but following a decision made at the ICC annual conference in London last month, the runner-up and the winner of the playoff for third place will also qualify for the tournament in Bangladesh, taking the total number of participants to ten.As a result of the changed qualification structure, the originally intended Super Four stage will be replaced with two semi-finals.The ICC said the decision to expand the qualification process was part of a continued promotion and support of women’s cricket, with the recently announced event cycle including four World T20 events and two World Cups between 2015 and 2023.The three teams from the Qualifiers will join Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies for the World T20, which begins on March 16 and will take place alongside the men’s event.Canada, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe are the eight teams participating in the Qualifiers.

A round-up of IPL-related news on April 21, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2016Governing council to discuss moving IPL 2017 outside IndiaBCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said the IPL governing council will consider moving the next edition of the tournament outside India because of the legal challenges affecting the 2016 season of the league.”The IPL governing council will be looking at the venues in India and abroad. The constant shifting is getting tough. From now, before drawing the schedule, we have to check the availability of the venues and prevailing conditions,” Thakur said in Delhi on Thursday.BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry had also tweeted on April 17: “Very soon the IPL may be played outside the country if this goes on :)! Loss to the GDP would not be insignificant.”IPL matches have been moved out of India twice before. In 2009 the entire tournament was played in South Africa and in 2014 the first 20 matches were held in the UAE. On both occasions, the reason was the general elections in India because of which enough security could not be provided for the IPL.This year, all matches scheduled after April 30 in Maharashtra had to be moved out of the drought-affected state, because of the Bombay High Court ruling on April 13. A week later, though, the high court said Pune could host the May 1 match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians, after the BCCI filed an application citing logistical difficulties due to a short turnaround time.Kings XI move Nagpur matches to DharamsalaThree of Kings XI Punjab’s home matches that were earlier scheduled in Nagpur will now be played in Dharamsala. The franchise shifted the games to Dharamsala following a Bombay High Court ruling last week that ordered all matches after April 30 to be moved out of Maharashtra due to a severe state-wide drought.Kings XI were originally scheduled to play Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Nagpur between May 7 and 15. The High Court, however, moved out matches in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur in May due to the water crisis. The ruling was in response to a Public Interest Litigation by a Hyderabad-based NGO that questioned the hosting of IPL games while Maharashtra suffered one its worst droughts.Dhawan’s form not a concern, says LaxmanVVS Laxman, the Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor, has dismissed concerns surrounding the form of Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan, who has endured a lean patch, hasn’t registered a single double-digit score, totalling just 16 runs in three innings in IPL 2016.”Shikhar’s form is not a worry for Sunrisers,” Laxman said on Wednesday. “He is a gifted player, and when he plays well, he finishes off the match. He is a match-winning player.”Sunrisers, however, have had a few positives on the bowling front, most notably Mustafizur Rahman, the Bangladesh left-arm seamer. Mustafizur had returns of 2 for 26 in four overs in Sunrisers’ opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where the hosts blasted 227 for 4, and was the only bowler with an economy rate of under seven. He took 1 for 32 against Mumbai Indians to help set up Sunrisers’ seven-wicket win, their first of the tournament.”He (Mustafizur) is a smart bowler. He is exceptionally talented, he has a plenty of variations with the new and old ball, and more important, he is very consistent,” Laxman said.Sunrisers’ batting hasn’t exactly fired in unison and David Warner has done much of the heavy lifting. Laxman commended the captain even as he called on the rest to step up. “Warner has been in fantastic form and he played many match-winning knocks, but other batsmen, particularly domestic players coming in the middle order need to contribute more with the bat,” Laxman said. “If the openers and middle order manage to click, then the team certainly enjoys a comfortable position.”Laxman also had a word of appreciation for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma and left-arm medium pacer Barinder Sran for their contributions to the win against Mumbai Indians. Laxman put the defeats in the first two matches down to improper execution of plans and exuded confidence ahead of Thursday’s clash against Gujarat Lions, who are undefeated in the competition.

A wrap of the last day of the eighth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Gujarat scored a crucial win over Group A table-toppers Punjab at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Valsad. Punjab would have backed themselves to chase 231 for victory, but were bowled out for 193 and fell short in what was shaping up to be a thrilling finish. Left-arm spinning allrounder Rakesh Dhurv picked up eight wickets in the match, including five in the second innings.Punjab were on the back foot almost from the outset, losing their openers with just 11 on the board. Mandeep Singh made 42 but was short of support and Punjab slipped to 69 for 5. Gurkeerat Singh and Amitoze Singh stretched the score to 112 during their sixth-wicket stand, but Gujarat made inroads again. Dhurv removed Gurkeerat, Siddarth Kaul and Harbhajan Singh in a space of four runs. Punjab gave Gujarat a scare, though, with the last-wicket pair of Sarabjit Ladda and Sandeep Sharma putting together 63, but Dhurv bowled Sandeep to complete his five-for and seal victory for Gujarat. Punjab still lead the table, and Gujarat are second on 21 points.
ScorecardSaurashtra began the day with intent, going after the remaining 295 runs, but they pulled the shutters after they lost their fifth wicket. Having settled for just the one point, Saurashtra are now placed fifth in Group A, but only three points behind Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh, who are joint-third.Saurashtra had promoted Shitanshu Kotak and Sheldon Jackson on the third evening, and they set up a good platform through 73 runs in 22.3 overs. Cheteshpar Pujara, though, failed to make an impact for the second time in the match, and fell for 24. Kotak followed soon, and Saurashtra were now struggling at 129 for 3.Shah counterattacked now with a 35-ball 34, but Saurashtra lost two wickets together. From 164 for 5, Kamlesh Makvana and Aarpit Vasavavda shut shop, and added 53 in 27.2 overs.
ScorecardBy setting them 321 in 70 overs, Hyderabad didn’t leave Railways much time to go for six points, which they desperately needed, but Railways made a fist of it before having to settle for a draw. The one point left Railways at 15 points, well behind the contenders, but not quite out of the tournament. With nine points from seven games, Hyderabad have no chance of progressing.Kamal Sharma and Mahesh Rawat scored quick 48s to give Hyderabad nervous moments, but Pragyan Ojha accounted for both of them to set the chase back. Nitin Bhille played the anchor role, and scored an unbeaten 65 to ensure Railways salvaged the one point.

A round-up of the Syed Mushaq Ali Trophy Super League matches played on April 12 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2014Group APrashant Gupta’s unbeaten maiden T20 hundred helped Uttar Pradesh chase down a 179-run target against Haryana, boosting their run rate and, eventually it turned out, putting them in the final against Baroda on Monday.*Prashant slammed 102 off 58 balls striking five fours and seven sixes as he guided the run chase with steady partnerships. He had good support from Eklavya Dwivedi and Akshdeep Nath as UP achieved the target with four balls to spare.Earlier, Haryana were reduced to 119 for 5 in the 14th over after their openers Avi Barot and Rahul Dewan had added 63. Late cameos from Rahul Dalal (24 from 19 balls) and Lokesh Sharma (16 off 10 balls), however, lifted the side to a competitive 178 for 8.Both Goa – one of the most dominant teams in this tournament – and Gujarat needed to win big to topple UP at the top of the points table, and seal their place in the final. Both teams fell short, Goa heartbreakingly so. Gujarat needed to win by roughly 30 runs, defending 180. Goa needed to chase it down before the completion of the 15th over. Gujarat didn’t get close, Goa fell short by roughly two balls. Needing a boundary off 14.4 to lift their net run rate over UP’s, the set Harshad Gadekar was out caught. The following delivery, the other set batsman, Rohit Asnodkar was bowled by left-arm seamer Kamlesh Thakor. Goa finished the game with a four one ball later, but it was not enough – again it was so close yet so far for them; had they managed a six off this final delivery, their net run rate would still have been marginally better than UP’s.That they were able to get so close was once again down to a solid platform set at the top – opener Swapnil Asnodkar slammed 64 off 28 deliveries.If Gujarat were in with a good chance of their own, that was also because of the solid beginning their top order game them. Priyank Panchal and Rajdeep Darbar added 86 in nine overs, before No. 3 Smit Patel hit 50 not out of 31 to take them to a very competitive 180.Goa had suffered similar heartache even in the Ranji Trophy, failing to make the knockouts by the thinnest of margins.Group BBaroda qualified for the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy despite yielding their three-match winning streak in the Super League. Kerala were joined with them on 12 points with the victory, but were 0.114 points shy in the run-rate battle. The fact that it got that close was because of an unmitigated assault from Raiphi Gomez. He razed 42 off 19 balls, with three fours and three sixes to imbue momentum to a meandering Kerala innings. Jafar Jamal held the other end during a stand of 55 runs in 30 balls as a scoreline of 81 for 5 in 14.1 was transformed to 152 for 6 in 20 overs.Aditya Waghmode kept Baroda in the hunt with a well-paced half-century. But the middle overs proved disastrous as KJ Rakesh and Rohan Prem orchestrated a collapse – five wickets for 18 runs. Waghmode was the first domino who fell after scoring 50 off 32 balls. The tail realised the futility of an equation that demanded 48 off 13 balls and ushered Baroda through to the 20 overs to salvage vital run-rate points.A fifty from Kshitiz Sharma and seven wickets shared between Javed Khan and Yogesh Nagar helped Delhi beat Rajasthan by seven runs.Kshitiz’s 57 off 42 balls had four fours and four sixes and helped lift Delhi from 36 for 3 to 121 before Sumit Narwal smacked a quick 17 off seven balls to take the score to 144 for 4.In reply, Arjit Gupta looked set to steer Rajasthan to victory, smacking a 36-ball 72 with five fours and six sixes. His dismissal in the 13th over, however, created instability within the ranks and two overs later, Ankit Lamba’s dismissal triggered a slide that saw Rajasthan lose their last seven wickets for 21 runs to fold for 137. Javed and Nagar were the architects of the collapse and finished with 4 for 18 and 3 for 13 respectively.12.45GMT, April 12: The round-up has been updated, after the completion of the Goa-Gujarat game.

A former member of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) board has labelled the organisation “amateur” and called upon the ICC to take “strong action” to revive cricket in the USA

George Dobell11-Jun-2014A former member of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) board has labelled the organisation “amateur” and called upon the ICC to take “strong action” to revive cricket in the USA.Brian Walters, who headed USACA’s Governance Review Committee, resigned from the board in March in frustration at the lack of change and in support of the former CEO, Darren Beazley, who quit amid similar frustration. By then it had become apparent that the USACA board would not embrace the recommendations of the review committee which advocated term limits for board members, independent board members and skill-based appointments.The timing of Walters’ intervention is intriguing. The ICC are expected to discuss suspending the USACA at the end of June and the critical words of a man respected as a moderate will demand the attention of those charged with deciding what can be done to exploit the vast untouched cricket market that exists within the USA. While Walters stops just short of recommending a suspension, it is hard to see how else his words can be interpreted.”The ICC has long espoused a ‘carrot’ approach instead of a ‘stick’ approach,” Walters told ESPNcricinfo. “And I would imagine that they might be contemplating that strategy right now.”If USACA continues to be the recognised governing body, there needs to be implementation of the Governance Review Committee recommendations immediately. And there needs to be elections that include as many leagues as possible within the next six months, which will allow the members to decide who they want as a leader.”USACA can only be taken seriously as a viable entity if real, tangible change takes place at the board level and at the constitutional level. It’s an amateur operation and they appear to want to keep it that way. They appear to not want professionalism, as evidenced by the fact that Darren Beazley was not granted the autonomy that is needed in that role; there needs to be a properly functioning CEO in place who is allowed to do his/her job. Darren was exactly the type of seasoned, competent professional who should have been empowered to run day-to-day operations.”But the board was actively hostile towards him and needs to go back to being an advisory board, and stay out of the functional areas of managing the sport. It needs to be a functionally operational board with emphasis on skill-based representation and term limits for all members.”While the American Cricket Federation (ACF), a rival organisation to USACA, has gained the support of around a third of the leagues around the country, Walters is reluctant to offer his support to the organisation fearing that their sometimes “confrontational” style will prove counterproductive.”Anyone who puts cricket kits in the hands of school kids in this country is doing a good thing,” Walters said. “But I don’t think that the ICC will recognise them. I am not interested at this time with being involved with the ACF.”The ACF itself has not really done much work with youth cricket, but Jamie Harrison did the work of distributing youth cricket sets in his capacity as president of the US Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) prior to taking on the role as chief executive with the ACF. He is currently serving a dual role with the ACF and the USYCA, leading to some confusion as to what he is accomplishing in an ACF capacity versus a USYCA capacity.While the deflection of that sizeable chunk of the country’s senior hard-ball leagues to the ACF could cause the USACA problems at the ICC level – under ICC rules, Associate membership is dependent upon a board proving that it is “the sole recognised governing body for cricket in the country” – Walters said he expected those leagues to return to the USACA fold should it clean up its act.”I also think it to be the case that if USACA were to get its house in order, the leagues that went to the ACF would come back to USACA,” Walters said. “But in order to gain trust in the community, the leadership of USACA needs to be different. It is not the fault of any specific board member; it is that the organisation itself is tainted. There needs to be a concerted effort to repair and rebuild confidence and goodwill with sponsors, member leagues, partners in sport and municipalities. There is serious remedial work to be done.”There is palpable frustration all over the country at the ineptness of USACA and it would take a gargantuan effort to fix that. It might be too late.”But what has to take place, in order to salvage anything, is that there simply has to be a change in leadership.”

South Africa allrounder Wayne Parnell’s participation in IPL 2013 is in no doubt, according to his franchise Pune Warriors, despite him being one of 51 “wanted” foreign nationals for allegedly testing positive for recreational drugs following a party in M

Amol Karhadkar07-Mar-2013South Africa allrounder Wayne Parnell’s participation in IPL 2013 is in no doubt, according to his franchise Pune Warriors, despite him being one of 35 “wanted” foreign nationals for allegedly testing positive for recreational drugs following a police raid on a party in Mumbai last year. Parnell’s IPL team-mate, Punjabi legspinner Rahul Sharma, who had also reportedly consumed drugs at the party, is also “supposed to join the squad as per schedule”, a franchise official told ESPNcricinfo.Parnell confirmed he will play the IPL and claimed innocence over the drugs charge. “As far as I am concerned, everything is fine,” he told ESPNcricinfo. I’ve received mail from Pune saying I have to come. I’ve got nothing to hide. The full story will come out once I get over there. They tested everyone that was at the party. I need to find my sample, because if they tested me they must have my sample and we need to match that up.”I’ve been subject to drug testing in my last five years as a professional cricketer, and I haven’t tested positive once. So I’ve got nothing to worry about. As far as I am aware, they didn’t give any specific samples and put them to names. They just said that a certain number of people tested positive. The individual samples need to be shown now.”Parnell and Sharma were among 90 people detained following the party at a hotel in the Juhu suburb of Mumbai on May 20 last year, a day after Pune Warriors’ IPL 2012 campaign ended. According to reports, drugs including cocaine, MDMA and cannabis were consumed at the party.Of the 90 people, 86 apparently tested positive – 35 foreign nationals, who have been “shown as wanted” as per a police official, and 51 Indians. These 86 people had a 1200-page charge sheet drawn up against them last month, according to .Apart from the players’ franchise, Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South Africa Cricketers’ Association, also played down the issue. “Wayne has an individual agent who will deal the matter but we, as the players’ association, will assist him in any way we can,” Irish said. “From what we know of the facts, there is little substance to them.”

Chelsea's long-standing problems reared their ugly head in the hugely disappointing defeat at West Ham, but patience is needed at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea were never going to be a quick fix, but after taking an encouraging – if tentative – step forward in securing a creditable point against Liverpool on the opening day, the Blues took two large strides backwards as they were humbled by West Ham in their second outing of the season on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino's first defeat as head coach has left more questions than answers, as whatever potential his side might have to achieve tangible success remains clouded – despite an eye-watering £346 million ($442m) spend this summer alone.

So, where do the Blues stand after just two games played, as chronic issues begin to pinch once again? GOAL assesses the situation at Stamford Bridge…

GettyLacking cohesion

It was inevitable that it would take some time for Chelsea to click at the beginning of this season amid this summer's unprecedented upheaval. There were the early signs of synergy in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, with almost everything flowing through the brilliant Enzo Fernandez.

However, as the Argentine toiled against West Ham, any semblance of cohesion between his team-mates seemed to disintegrate. While Raheem Sterling shone, there were calamitous breakdowns in communication in defence for all three goals conceded, while Nicolas Jackson was isolated up front.

Pochettino's men actually dominated the ball and passed with accuracy, but there was an element of not playing to each other's strengths and without incisiveness – with runs wasted and the ball often sent backwards.

However, time heal all wounds, and it's clear the manager is yet to settle on his strongest line-up – especially following Moises Caicedo's £115m ($146m) arrival from Brighton.

Of course, there's no guarantee that throwing money at the problem is the solution. Chelsea learned that the hard way last season, and with the squad still bloated as the transfer window ticks down – the cause of many of their problems as they completely lacked a togetherness last season – they cannot afford to repeat their mistakes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesInjury problems won't go away

"I don't think you should blame everything on luck that's for sure. I think we can have a look and see what we can do better. Obviously, I've been here a few weeks so I haven't got the answers completely. But clearly, we want to always try to improve and that's an area that we can probably improve."

Those were the words of former Chelsea manager Graham Potter in October 2022, when he was queried on the club's troubling fitness record in recent times. Fast-forward 10 months and the situation is much the same, if not worse.

Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, Marcus Bettinelli and, most recently, Carney Chukwuemeka, all find themselves on the treatment table with the 2023-24 campaign in its infancy.

Indeed, compatriots Fofana and Nkunku were ruled out with long-term knee injuries before a ball had been kicked, while James and Chukwuemeka were sidelined for a number of weeks either side of the West Ham defeat in matchweek two.

Having eight players out injured is arguably tantamount to a crisis, and Pochettino and his fitness coaches face a huge challenge in preventing avoidable injuries going forward. Chelsea clearly cannot afford to be without their best players at this early stage of their development as a team.

Getty ImagesUnable to shake the goal-shyness

Chelsea's inability to create chances and score goals became infamous in 2022-23. Indeed, the Blues ranked 15th in the Premier League for goals scored throughout 2022-23; a damning statistic. The 3-1 reverse at the London Stadium will have undoubtedly set off alarm bells for those supporters who watched Chelsea struggle in front of goal on a regular basis last term, then.

Granted, they created openings at will against an offensive-minded Liverpool side who had gaps in the midfield and a leaky defence on the opening day, although they were let down by some profligate finishing.

That creativity was nowhere to be seen against a more defensive-minded West Ham side despite them monopolising possession, in a display that was emblematic of many of their very worst performances last season. They finished the match with an xG of 2.49 from 17 shots taken, including Enzo's missed penalty, while West Ham's was just 1.8.

Speaking after the game, Pochettino said: "Teams like us, we need to get the right balance. We should have won the game with our first half. To find the space to create clear chances [is difficult] but overall it is this type of game that is difficult to explain. You had the possession, you create and maybe you were the better side, but in the end you lose."

So what is the solution? Jackson looks capable of becoming a prolific striker once he has gotten off the mark, but Chelsea's cause obviously hasn't been helped by the untimely serious injury to Nkunku – a player who contributed 70 goals and 56 assists in just 172 appearances for RB Leipzig. The Blues were relying on him.

Despite all the money spent, it's perhaps unsurprising that they're on the lookout for a creative player who can play at No.10 or out wide.

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Getty ImagesContinuing battle to get wins

In terms of the surviving members of last season's squad especially, this is not a group of players who are not used to winning games, so it's hardly a shock to see them failing to get over the line despite the raft of new faces.

To understand just how deep-rooted an issue this is when it comes to fostering a winning mentality, it's worth noting that Chelsea have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games (D5 L8), and are winless in six since a 3-1 win at Bournemouth in May (D3 L3).

Thankfully the fixture list has been kind to the Blues, with games against presumed relegation-strugglers Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth to come either side of a home Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon. Beyond that, Aston Villa will provide a stern challenge, but victories will be expected against Fulham and Burnley.

Things become much trickier in late October, but Pochettino will see the preceding weeks as absolutely crucial in building confidence, getting points on the board and drawing that winning ruthlessness out of his players.

A three-wicket haul from Tharindhu Kaushal and a run-a-ball 110 from Kusal Perera helped Sri Lanka A beat Pakistan A by seven runs and gain an unassailable 2-0 series lead

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2015Sri Lanka A 265 for 7 (Kusal 110, Tabish Khan 3-55) beat Pakistan A 213 (Khurram 69, Alam 65, Kaushal 3-44) by seven runs (D/L method) ScorecardFile Photo – Fondly called duplicate Murali by his team-mates, Tharindu Kaushal picked important wickets in the middle overs•Associated PressA three-wicket haul from Tharindu Kaushal and a run-a-ball 110 from Kusal Perera helped Sri Lanka A beat Pakistan A by seven runs in a truncated game in Hambantota. It gives them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.After being put in, Shehan Jayasuriya and Kusal put on 57 for the first wicket, which ended when Tabish Khan dismissed Jayasuriya for 21 in the 13th over. Kusal was then involved in two 50-plus partnerships – 77-run for the second wicket with Danushka Gunathilaka which took Sri Lanka past 100, and a 55-run stand with Ashan Priyanjan that took Sri Lanka past 200.But seamers Zia-ul-Haq and Tabish picked up three wickets apiece and kept Sri Lanka to 265 for 9.Pakistan were set a revised target of 220 in 40 overs and the openers Mukhtar Ahmed and Israrullah put on 49 in 5.5 overs to kick the chase off. However, Sri Lanka hit back with Dushantha Chameera dismissed both in the space of 10 balls and left Pakistan at 54 for 2.Fawad Alam and Khurram Manzoor rescued them with a 135-run third-wicket stand. But again Sri Lanka found timely wickets with Kaushal dismissing Manzoor (69), Fawad (65) and Saad Nasim as Pakistan slipped to 212 for 6 in the 39th over and finally fell seven runs short.