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An unbeaten 92 by Varun Chopra and a whirlwind unbeaten 43 from 15 balls by Laurie Evans overwhelmed Surrey as Warwickshire brought alive their Royal London Cup campaign with victory by 111 runs

Press Association12-Aug-2014
ScorecardVarun Chopra showed his injury lay-off had not hurt his form•Getty ImagesAn unbeaten 92 by Varun Chopra and a whirlwind unbeaten 43 from 15 balls by Laurie Evans overwhelmed Surrey as Warwickshire brought alive their Royal London Cup campaign with victory by 111 runs in a rain-adjusted match at Edgbaston.After a long delay in mid-innings, Warwickshire thrashed 84 in six overs to reach a challenging 218 for 2 and Surrey folded for 153 when set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 265 from 33 overs.A fourth defeat in six games in Group B has killed off Surrey’s hopes but Warwickshire are still in contention with away fixtures to come against Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire.As a rehearsal for a further meeting in next week’s NatWest T20 Blast semi-final, this was most likely an unreliable form guide. Both teams were without a number of high-profile players and the interference by the weather inevitably raised ifs and buts.A sharp shower reduced the match to 48 overs per side and a deluge halted Warwickshire’s innings at 134 for 1 after 27 had been bowled.At this point the batting side would have been getting ready to accelerate through the gears, but after a delay of more than two-and-a-half hours, they had to embark on a mad thrash.Although Jonathan Trott quickly perished, slogging high towards long off after making 31, Evans destroyed his former county’s bowling. Opening up with successive sixes off Stuart Meaker, he dominated a partnership of 70 in 4.1 overs with Chopra.In all he hit five fours, as well as a massive third six off Meaker, and in the mayhem Surrey’s shell-shocked attack simply fell apart.Even when the game was progressing under more routine circumstances, Warwickshire always gave the impression of being in control, starting with a stand of 89 before William Porterfield was caught behind for 36 off Tim Linley’s first ball.Chopra went on to hit 10 fours and a six from 99 balls as he continued a prolific run following a 10-day break since injuring a thigh muscle when making 86 not out against Essex in the Twenty20 quarter-final. In his last eight innings in limited-overs formats, he has scored 516 runs.Only Steven Davies, with two sixes in a brisk 37, and Tillakaratne Dilshan promised anything as substantial as Surrey creaked under the pressure of a tough run chase.While Davies was bowled in Jeetan Patel’s first over, Dilshan went on to a cleverly compiled 58 from 60 balls until he was fifth out, top-edging Recordo Gordon to Trott at third man.Patel finished with the best figures of 4 for 30 and Rikki Clarke completed a good day for former Surrey players with two wickets in successive balls and two catches.Next time the teams meet, Surrey will be hoping to welcome back the likes of Kevin Pietersen, quarter-final matchwinner Jason Roy, specialist spinner Zafar Ansari and two pace bowlers, Jade Dernbach and Matthew Dunn.Warwickshire, meanwhile, expect to have their England players, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes, available ahead of the one-day internationals against India and are also hoping to get Shoaib Malik back in their side after his performances in seven group games before he left to play in the Caribbean Premier League.Dougie Brown, director of cricket at Edgbaston, is keen to have him back but added: “There are still visa and administrative barriers that need to be overcome, and we are still unsure as to whether this can be completed in such a short time.”

Jos Buttler, the England one-day wicketkeeper, is likely to leave Somerset at the end of the season after being replaced behind the stumps by Craig Kieswetter in the Friends Life t20.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2013Jos Buttler, the England one-day wicketkeeper, will give fresh consideration to leaving Somerset when his contract expires at the end of the season after being replaced behind the stumps by Craig Kieswetter in the Friends Life t20.Buttler, 22, was offered a new contract at Taunton but delayed signing new terms until it became apparent how much time he would be given with the gloves. He found himself in the outfield again against Northants on Wednesday night and is now bound to take further soundings over a potential move to secure a place as a No. 1 wicketkeeper.Dave Nosworthy accepted the difficult situation in comments to the Bristol Post “We want him to stay, we have chatted to him and he has got to make a decision,” he said. “Jos is a Somerset lad and we would hate to lose him – but he has to do what’s best for his career, and we find ourselves in an unbelievable situation.”It really is like having Gilchrist and Boucher in the same squad – what do you do? Craig is a top keeper and people tend to forget he has played for England very recently. Jos, similarly, is a top keeper and is just getting his opportunities at international level now. They are equally good fielders and they are equally good batters.”Buttler has been highly praised for his hitting ability during his 14 ODIs and 23 T20 internationals but his wicketkeeping is regarded as a work in progress and Somerset face an extremely difficult decision about how best to handle the impasse for the benefit of the club.Somerset chief executive, Guy Lavender, has stated that the club “will do everything in its power to see that Jos’ best interests are met” but Somerset now face a difficult decision about how much they can promise Buttler, who may miss large chunks of the season with England’s one-day side, without compromising their selection policy or the overall strength of their squad.”No assurances have been given to Jos that he would be keeping wicket in all one-day cricket,” Lavender said. “What we have committed to do is to make sure that Jos has good opportunities to keep in order to prepare for Team England duties. It is patently ridiculous to guarantee any player a place in the starting line-up for an entire season – that has to be based on performance and what is in the best interests of the team.”Born and raised in Taunton, Buttler is keen to stay at Somerset but his county’s decision to reinstate Kieswetter could force his hand. Buttler sought assurances that he would keep wicket in both one-day competitions this season, but found himself in the outfield for Somerset’s Friends Life t20 match against Northants in Northampton on Wednesday night.Somerset were initially spared a difficult decision by Kieswetter’s broken thumb that kept him out for two months from the end of April. On his return, Buttler was with England’s one-day squad. The pair were available together for the start of the Friends Life t20 and Buttler kept wicket against Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire.Kieswetter returned for Somerset on June 14 but to further complicate matters Alex Barrow kept wicket for the next four matches. On July 12, Buttler was told that Kieswetter would resume as wicketkeeper against Glamorgan with his thumb fully recovered.Lavender also expressed the view that Somerset had a responsibility to all the wicketkeepers on their books and described the sharing arrangement as “workable”.Buttler is certain to discuss the latest developments with England’s one-day coach, Ashley Giles, and his agent, the former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, before deciding on his future.Somerset are yet to receive a formal approach for Buttler and are keen for him to stay in the West Country, but informal approaches have a way of queuing up long before the end of a county season.

The decision to cut the funding for the 2025 women's European Championship in Switzerland has been labelled a "catastrophe".

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Federal govt cuts Euro 2025 fundsCompetition to take place in SwitzerlandDecision labelled a 'catastrophe'Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Swiss publication SRF states the country's Federal Council does not want to spend as much money on the women's Euros, where Aston Villa star Alisha Lehmann will be the face of the tournament, as originally planned. The report says 15 million Swiss Francs (£13.5m) were initially earmarked but that has fallen to 4 million Swiss Francs (£3.6m) – something that has been widely criticised.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT CRITICS HAVE SAID

GLP National Councillor Corina Gredig, who is co-president of the parliamentary group “Euro 25”, said there is outrage in parliament. “If you say now that you don’t have any money, then it will turn into a grumpy tournament," she told SRF.

Meanwhile, SP National Councilor Matthias Aebischer, president of the parliamentary sports group, said this was the wrong message for young girls looking to get into the sport.

He commented: "And now the Federal Council comes and says: We are not giving any money for the 2025 Women’s European Championship in Switzerland. This is simply a catastrophe.”

Thun local councilor Katharina Ali-Oesch added: “Pure disappointment. We were expecting something completely different than what has now come from the federal government and that poses major challenges for everyone."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 2025 tournament is taking place in eight Swiss cities: Zurich, Basel, Bern, Thun, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Sion and Geneva. The fact that funds have been significantly slashed is not a good look for promoting women's football in Switzerland and, arguably, sends a negative message about the game, too. Moreover, the less funds a tournament has, the less likely it will be will run smoothly; plus, they beat France, Poland, and a joint Scandinavian bid to stage the competition – one that others desperately wanted to host.

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WHAT NEXT?

The 14th edition of the women's Euros is scheduled to get underway on July 2, 2025, and will be made up of 16 teams. England will be looking to retain their title when the tournament comes round in just under 18 months' time.

Varun Chopra was not the batsman the selectors had come to watch but, with his first Championship century for almost a year, he may have reminded them of his qualities as a potential opening partner to Alastair Cook

George Dobell at Edgbaston26-Apr-2016
ScorecardVarun Chopra helped lead a strong response•Getty ImagesVarun Chopra was not the batsman the selectors had come to watch but, with his first Championship century for almost a year, he may have reminded them of his qualities as a potential opening partner to Alastair Cook.It will take more than one eye-catching innings for Chopra to regain lost ground. He has not represented England Lions since February 2014 and has seen the likes of Sam Robson, Adam Lyth, Nick Compton, Alex Hales and Daniel Bell-Drummond go past him in the competition for an England place.But to score a century of this class against an attack of this quality will have done him no harm. He is a wonderfully stylish player with a range of sweetly-timed drives, a gorgeous late cut and a strong pull. He has all the ingredients required to succeed at the top level and, aged 28, time enough to show it.His fault has, at times, been a tendency to fall over towards the off side and a habit of fencing at the ball off the back foot. But with greater balance and discipline, he helped his side avoid the potential pitfalls here and will have shown Mick Newell, the on-looking selector, that he is back to something approaching his best.Chopra’s career suffered for taking on the burden of captaincy at Warwickshire for two years. After being the only man at the club to record 1,000 Championship runs in each season between 2011 and 2013, he fell back in 2014 (though he was still the club’s top run-scorer in first-class cricket and led the side to one trophy and two runners-up positions) and managed only 658 at an average of 27.41 in 2015.Ian Bell’s greater availability may have been the catalyst to changing the captaincy of the club, but Chopra could see that his own England aspirations were not advancing as he had hoped and does not appear to have resisted.His previous record against Yorkshire was also poor. In nine first-class games against them, he had scored only 151 runs at an average of 8.88 without ever reaching 50. In 2015, he lasted five balls in all in suffering a pair at the hands of Ryan Sidebottom.He will, therefore, have been relieved to see Sidebottom limp out of the attack midway through his sixth over. Sidebottom, who had been gaining some dangerous swing, experienced discomfort in his left ankle as he landed earlier in the over – he let out a yelp of pain that could be heard around the ground – and it seems he is most unlikely to bowl again in this game. A Yorkshire debut for David Willey at Trent Bridge on Sunday appears probable.But Yorkshire still offered strong opposition. Jack Brooks produced a beauty to account for Ian Westwood – swinging in, it pitched and left the batsman a fraction to take the top of off stump – and hardly wasted a ball. He was well supported by Liam Plunkett, who looked slightly quicker than Chris Woakes, but offered less in terms of lateral movement, Steven Patterson and the especially impressive Adil Rashid.It was Rashid who accounted for Bell. After compiling an elegant half-century, Bell, perhaps beaten in the flight, failed to come sufficiently far forward to smother Rashid’s leg spin and edged his forward prod to first slip. Judging by the manner that Newell left before another ball was bowled, it was Bell he had come to see.What he will have learned is unclear. Bell looked in fine form, saw off a really good spell of bowling after lunch, but failed to go on to register the commanding score that would have made him hard to ignore. It may prove relevant that, for the second innings in succession, he paid for failing to get as far forward as he might have done on what remains a decent pitch.Jonathan Trott withstood the inevitable short-balls that greeted his arrival – Plunkett came round the pitch to him for a while – and continues to look in supreme form, while Chopra, on 99 at tea, scored the run he required to register his 19th first-class century from the first ball after the interval. Given a full four days, this match could have been a classic.Sadly, all has been ruined by poor weather. Play was first interrupted and then abandoned due to snow on day three with most agreeing it was the coldest day of first-class cricket they had experienced. At one stage, as the Yorkshire fielders took to wearing woolly hats, it was suggested that, instead of sending a 12th man out with drinks, a St Bernard should run out with a tot of brandy. A final day of bonus point accumulation looms.

Raza Hasan and Asad Shafiq have suffered injuries ahead of Pakistan naming their squad for the tour of India

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2012Raza Hasan, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, injured his disc in his spine and has been ruled out of the limited-overs tour of India. He suffered the injury while bowling against Quetta Bears in a Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup game at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground on Sunday.Hasan, 20, made his international debut in September this year against Australia. He’s played seven T20 internationals, picking up six wickets at 25.66. According to the preliminary report, he damaged his spine and has been advised rest for six to eight weeks.Pakistan are due to tour India later this month to play three ODIs and two T20Is. The selectors will be monitoring the ongoing Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan; with Hasan out, left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who is 34 and eager for a chance to play for Pakistan, could have an opening.Asad Shafiq, the Pakistan middle-order batsman, has sustained a finger injury and is doubtful for the India series. He injured himself while playing for Karachi Dolphins against Bahawalpur Stags at the Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore.Iqbal Qasim’s selection committee is set to announce the ODI and T20 squads for the India series this weekend. Should Shafiq be ruled out, selectors could consider a likely replacement in Harris Sohail, 23, a left-hand batsman who plays for ZTBL. He recently finished as second-highest run-getter in the President’s Trophy, the first-class tournament, scoring 673 in five matches at 134.60. He has an average of 72.83 in T20 cricket with a strike-rate of 105.55.The selectors could also be leaning towards experience for the India tour. Umar Gul and Younis Khan, who were dropped from the ODI squad, are likely to return. It won’t be surprising if Shahid Afridi is left out, on account of his form. Imran Nazir hasn’t been very productive, either, scoring 176 runs in his previous nine T20I innings.The bowling line-up may undergo change, as the focus may shift from spin to strengthening the pace department. Pakistan have been relying largely on Saeed Ajmal, but Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captains for ODIs and T20s respectively, have hinted at a change of tactics while playing in India.Allrounder Abdul Razzaq, who had criticised his captain Mohammad Hafeez for not taking him in the XI during the World Twenty20, is still in contention. He smashed 14 off 3 balls on Friday night for Lahore Lions, pulling off an unlikely victory for this team. He was deemed not fully fit but made a strong statement with that cameo.

A round-up of the latest round of the Pro50 Championship games

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2014Bradley Wadlan was all over table-toppers Southern Rocks and handed them their first defeat in the Pro50 Championship. His three wickets offered Mid West Rhinos a modest target which was shot down without a single casualty, with Wadlan himself scoring 78 of the required 146 runs. The slide began with a double-strike in the eighth over and Rocks, who were sent in, were never able to recover. The constant need for rebuilding left Rocks with little time to build momentum and Wadlan was one of the major thorns, picking up two wickets in two balls in the 26th over. Soon after, the top-scorer Roy Kaia was out for 36 and Rocks crumbled for 145. The chase wouldn’t have bothered Rhinos and the way the openers Wadlan and Vusi Sibanda (63) took to their task would have put the dressing room at considerable ease and now sit in third place with the victory.Harare was the scene of the other low-scoring encounter for the day as Mountaineers breezed past Mashonland Eagles by seven wickets. An all-round bowling effort led by Donald Tiripano (3-11) kept Eagles to a manageable 107. Opener Kevin Kazusa set the platform with a controlled 46 and Hamilton Masakadza racked up a 31-ball 41 and opener and struck the winning boundary. Tiripano and Shingi Masakadza accounted for the top-four batsmen with Eagles still searching for their fifty. Natsai M’shangwe, who had recently fought back into the national T20 XI, chipped in with two wickets as Eagles were routed well short of their allotted 50 overs.

The members of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) have filed a no-confidence motion against CAN president Tanka Angbuhang Limbu. The issue will now be discussed at a special convention, which will have to be convened within 45 days

Amol Karhadkar27-May-2014The members of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) have filed a no-confidence motion against CAN president Tanka Angbuhang Limbu. The issue will now be discussed at a special convention, which will have to be convened within 45 days.”More than 43 members of CAN’s last convention have submitted a no-confidence motion against the president,” CAN general secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal told ESPNcricinfo. “As per our constitution, a special convention will now have to be called and if the motion has to be passed, it will require two-third majority on the floor of the house.”As per the CAN rules, a no-confidence motion can be initiated against the president only if more than 25% of the members from the preceding general convention ask for a special convention to be called. Since the last general convention had 87 members, more than half of the members seem to have lost their confidence in the CAN chief.The root cause of the members revolting against their president, it is believed, has been his decision to outsource the organisation of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), a 50-over and Twenty20 domestic tournament that was recently launched, to a private firm. When the members of the NPL governing council learned that the tournament had been allotted to Zohra Sports Management, all the CAN members on its governing council resigned – just two days prior to the 50-over tournament – and announced that the NPL will not be an official CAN event.”On May 13, the president attended the inauguration ceremony and backed the event even after the members had disapproved it,” Pyakuryal said. “That appears to have been the trigger for the motion to be passed against him.”It is believed by some in the Nepal cricket fraternity that the president has some sort of a deal with Zohra Sports Management. As a result, he had apparently decided to not make it mandatory for the firm to even submit the accounts of the tournament to CAN officials.Limbu did not respond to ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to reach him for a comment.The 50-over-a-side leg of the NPL was played last week and the T20 leg is scheduled to be held next month. The turmoil in CAN had raised doubts over the T20 tournament.Pyakuryal, however, assured all the stakeholders – especially the players – that the board will not disrupt any tournament. “CAN is all for all such tournaments that give more opportunity to the players. Even though the members are demanding transparency, it has been decided to not oppose any tournament or players’ participation in it.”Nepal caught the cricketing world’s attention by qualifying for the 2014 World T20. The team’s head coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, hoped that the administrative issues are settled at the earliest, so that the game could continue to grow. “The players are quite confident that these issues won’t harm them but still, such atmosphere is never good for a developing set-up like Nepal,” Dassanayake, the former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper, said. “I just hope that these issues are addressed and resolved at the earliest since Nepal cricket finds itself at a critical juncture right now. Such issues being discussed among players is not really good for their morale.”

Pakistan laboured in pursuit of a modest target to level the series but a combination of rotten luck and determined South African bowling played its part in their struggles

The Report by Firdose Moonda21-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Misbah-ul-Haq scored his second half-century of the series, helping Pakistan recover from a poor start with a 153-run stand with Imran Farhat•AFPSmart stats

Pakistan’s win is their fourth against South Africa in matches played in South Africa since 2000. In the same period, this is their second win in Durban.

Since 2009, South Africa have lost at least two matches in seven out of nine home ODI series. The only team that failed to win two matches in a series in South Africa in the same period is Zimbabwe.

Mohammad Hafeez became only the fourth player overall and the third Pakistan batsman to be dismissed obstructing the field. Rameez Raja was the first to be out in this fashion for 99 against England in 1987.

For only the second time, South Africa lost their first two wickets for no runs. The previous time this happened (against India in Cape Town in 2006), the hosts went on to win.

The duck is only Hashim Amla’s second in ODIs. His previous one (also a first-ball duck) came against Australia in Port Elizabeth in 2011.

The 153-run stand between Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat is the third-highest partnership for Pakistan against South Africa and the second-highest fourth-wicket stand for Pakistan in ODIs against South Africa,

Among players without a single ODI century, Misbah (22 fifties) has the third-highest run-aggregate. Only Andrew Jones of New Zealand has more half-centuries (25) but no century.

AB de Villiers’ strike rate of 69.44 is his third-lowest strike rate for a fifty-plus score and his lowest ever for a fifty-plus score in South Africa.

Hold a mirror up to Pakistan’s match-winning innings at Kingsmead and you will see South Africa’s, minus one major crack. Both sides lost early wickets before being anchored by a sizeable partnership, and Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat’s 153-run stand made the ultimate difference.Misbah scored his second half-century in the series and Farhat celebrated his return to the side with a well-paced knock. Farhat fell with only nine runs to get and by then he had done enough to negate South Africa’s attack. On the whole, they were too generous in the extras department and lacked the same bite Pakistan had shown in the Powerplays.Pakistan got first use of a pitch South Africa were worried would be too dry; they ordered it to be juiced up on the eve of the match. But the surface could not be credited for the top-order collapse as much as the potency of Pakistan’s opening bowlers. Mohammed Irfan stunned South Africa with the first two deliveries of the match. He had Hashim Amla caught behind and removed Colin Ingram with a yorker.Graeme Smith joined the procession when Junaid Khan bowled him off a full toss bowling on leg stump. Junaid plucked the fourth when Farhaan Behardien inside-edged through to Kamran Akmal and South Africa were reeling at 38 for 4.In that mess, lay an opportunity for David Miller to make an impact and he almost let it go, while he was dropped on 9. Pakistan paid for that mistake as Miller taunted them with some streaky shots. He edged to third man twice and survived an lbw review off Saeed Ajmal. But, he was strong on the sweep and reverse-paddle and brought up his third half-century off 63 balls. AB De Villiers had already reached his fifty by then. He only scored one boundary in the partnership, as he focussed on strike-rotation.De Villiers, however, may have missed a trick by not taking the Powerplay while Miller was still there. He waited until it was mandatory by which time Miller was out, trapped in front by Ajmal. He reviewed it in vain and may have even cost his captain later on. De Villiers was caught behind sweeping Ajmal and he had no reviews left to question whether he had gloved the ball or not. The Powerplay, which also included the wicket of Ryan McLaren, yielded 17 runs and two wickets to put Pakistan firmly in control.Robin Peterson helped South Africa go past the 230-mark but with the knowledge that scores above 250 are rare at the ground, Pakistan would have been confident. Their start to the chase would have hurt that. Mohammed Hafeez became the first batsman in international cricket to be dismissed obstructing the field under the new laws, and Kamran Akmal was caught magnificently by Miller. Hafeez was livid with his dismissal, but it was nothing more than application of the playing conditions. When returning for a second run, he altered the line of his path slightly to be struck, but it was enough to be ruled out. De Villiers fell prey to this law in a domestic match shortly after it was introduced and knew that an appeal would likely result in a wicket.Farhat and Akmal showed some aggression but also flirted with danger. When Farhat spliced a ball back to Dale Steyn, he could have been caught in the follow-through but Steyn fell hard on his chest. Steyn bowled two more overs before leaving the field clutching his shoulder. Akmal didn’t have the same luck. When he cut to point, Miller was waiting. The fortune pendulum went back Pakistan’s way when Younis Khan was dropped by Smith at slip but that did not cost South Africa because played on in the same over.At 33 for 3, Farhat and Misbah-ul-Haq had to do what de Villiers and Miller did for South Africa. They had to employ immense patience in the face of strangulation from Peterson, who could have had Farhat for 26, had de Villiers held on to a bottom edge. The pair was content to bide time. The stand was not risk free, however. Misbah scored the fifth and sixth boundaries of the innings in the 25th and 26th over, and they were both streaky – an inside edge and a top-edge.With nerves rising, de Villiers took a gamble and brought on Ingram – who has not bowled in international cricket – for some part-time leg spin. Misbah smashed him for two sixes down the ground with a four sandwiched in between. The over cost 17 runs and was the most expensive of the innings but that was not the only reason it was notable. It brought the required-rate down to under six and took the pressure off Pakistan considerably.Another boundary was not scored for three overs but the body language had changed. South Africa were desperate, Pakistan hopeful, and Misbah sensed a century. He played a selection of stylish strokes, a majority of them in his preferred straight area. He was the favourite of the two in-batsmen to register three-figures but top-edged Peterson to Behardien at midwicket.When Shahid Afridi boomed briefly and then went bust, the path was clear for Farhat to finish the job. The shot that defined his innings was a six over Steyn’s head when he cleared his front leg and swatted the ball over the boundary. That took him into the 90s and that was when the excitement got to him.In his haste to bring up a milestone, Farhat tried to clear the in-field but was caught by Berhardien who chased it down from cover. By then, Pakistan needed runs in single-figures and even though Wahab Riaz was run out trying to get them, Ajmal and Shoaib Malik finished it off. The series will be decided on Sunday in Benoni where South Africa could find themselves without Steyn and Smith, who has an ankle problem.

The Foxes have finished in the bottom three just seven years after defying 5000-1 odds to win the title

As the half-time whistle sounded at Craven Cottage on May 8, a cacophony of boos rang out from the away end. Leicester's travelling support had just watched their team gift Fulham three goals, while scarcely venturing into the opposing penalty area themselves. This was supposed to be the turning point in a dire season. Instead, it was the moment when the campaign slipped away – with relegation finally confirmed on Sunday.

Seven years earlier, those same supporters were packed inside the King Power Stadium, waiting for Andrea Bocelli's rendition of Nessun Dorma – the perfect prelude to them getting their hands on the Premier League trophy. More recently than that, these fans had also been treated to a Champions League quarter-final, regular Europa League matches and an FA Cup final triumph at Wembley.

Now, Leicester are set to swap night outs at the Wanda Metropolitano for a brief layover at Taunton Dean services en route to Plymouth Argyle. Their downfall has been spectacular, and although expectations were not sky-high heading into the current campaign – with the long-promised summer rebuild failing to materialise – no one was expecting them to be dropping into the second tier. How has it come to this?

Getty ImagesRecruitment woes

Leicester's modern-day success was built on having the best recruitment record in Europe. Their most recognisable title-winning XI cost just under £30 million. That's astounding value for money considering it contained the likes of N'Golo Kante, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

The mastermind of this success was revered scout Steve Walsh, and there were fears that the Foxes would not be able to replicate this smart transfer policy when he left for Everton in 2016. However, even without Walsh at the helm, Leicester continued to make inspired signings. Harry Maguire was flipped for a near £70m profit in 2018, while the likes of Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira were all purchased for well under their market value.

More recently though, it is harder to identify a single transfer success. The 2021 summer window was a particular disaster. Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare, Jan Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand were among the players who arrived, and every single one has been an abject failure.

Their business this season has been equally poor. The arrivals of Wout Faes and Harry Souttar in the summer and winter windows respectively has done little to tighten up their porous defence. Meanwhile, young full-back Victor Kristiansen looks a million miles away from being Premier League ready, and the inconsistent Tete has only sparingly showed flashed of quality.

In the most competitive division in the world, you are only ever a few poor transfer windows away from sliding down the table, and this is exactly what has happened to Leicester.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFinancial problems

This recruitment farce has played out amid a backdrop of financial strife at the King Power Stadium. The reasons for their reduced spending power are numerous. For starters, they are owned by a Thailand-based duty free company, which understandably endured a challenging period when airports were closed during the pandemic.

There's also the natural inflation of their playing budget. The longer you stay in the Premier League, the harder it is to avoid handing out inflated contracts, and back-to-back fifth-placed finishes meant the squad wanted to be rewarded for their success.

Nothing has had a bigger financial toll than the club's state-of-the-art training facility, though. Reported to have set Leicester back to the tune of £100m, the club spared no expense for their new home, even including a golf course.

These factors resulted in the Foxes announcing a record £92.5m financial loss in March. Although that figure did not include Wesley Fofana's £75m transfer fee, it does still help us understand why Leicester signed just two players in the summer, despite the club long promising supporters a major revamp of the squad.

Getty ImagesToo much loyalty shown

Leicester's financial strife is partly self-inflicted, too. During Brendan Rodgers' time at the helm, mis-steps were made in the contract department, with players clearly on the decline handed extensions which would have included pay rises.

Jonny Evans was handed a two-and-a-half year deal in December 2020, and has spent more time injured than available since. Bertrand, another high earner, has given the club just 12 appearances in his two seasons too, while another transfer flop, Vestergaard, still has another year left to run on his deal.

The failure to move Tielemans on when he was at the peak of his value over the past two seasons was another mistake. His form has tailed off badly since scoring an unbelievable winner in the 2021 FA Cup final.

That should have been his cue to leave as a club legend. Instead, he stayed, breaking Leicester's long-held tradition of making one high-profile sale each summer to balance the books. He's been a fine servant to the Foxes, but at times in 2022-23 it's felt like he's been dragging his heels waiting for the summer when he can finally depart for free.

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Getty ImagesThey needed a new goalkeeper

Leicester's decision to not properly replace Kasper Schmeichel when he left for Nice in the summer always seemed like an odd one at the time. In retrospect, it was worse than that. It was completely brainless.

Watching the Foxes in the first half of the season, it was pretty clear that Danny Ward did not have control of his backline. Communication mix-ups were a common occurance and, if that was not bad enough, his shot-stopping also left a lot to be desired.

The Wales international's post-shot expected goals minus goals conceded figure – generally accepted as the most reliable metric indication of shot-stopping – stands at a measly -5.5 this season. Only four goalkeepers have registered worse, at the time of writing.

Daniel Iversen has fared a little better since being drafted in to finish the campaign, but his distribution is not of a Premier League standard. His costly error against Fulham recently, which set the tone for a dismal day in Leicester's modern history, also suggested he may not be mentally ready for regular top-flight football.

The Foxes had pretty much the entire summer transfer window to draft in Schmeichel's replacement, but they put their faith in Ward. With the slimmest of margins set to decide who stays up and who goes down this season, it could prove to be a fatal mistake.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee has taken steps to build indoor nets and a swimming pool at the R Premadasa Stadium in Khettarama, where the national side conducts much of its training

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Apr-2015Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee has taken steps to build indoor nets and a swimming pool at the R Premadasa Stadium in Khettarama, where the national side conducts much of its training. Khettarama currently has 18 practice pitches, and also houses Sri Lanka’s Max Cricket Academy, but many of these facilities are out of use during the monsoon months.”We’re thinking we would like to start work on the indoor nets and swimming pool by June,” interim chairman Sidath Wettimuny said. “At the moment we don’t have facilities for cricketers who need to train on rainy days, early in the morning or late at night, so an indoor facility is vital. Modern training methods also demand a swimming pool for rehabilitation exercises.”We also think it is essential to have indoor facilities in Pallekele, Dambulla, Hambantota, and to repair the Galle facilities as well, finance permitting. That’s a priority for us.”The interim committee will also take steps to grant pay-rises to first-class cricketers, Wettimuny said. SLC currently pays a daily wage of around 2500 rupees (approx USD $19), but the committee plans to triple this sum. “The idea is to make cricket a livelihood for these players,” Wettimuny said.The reshaping of Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket structure has also been a focus for the committee, with Mahela Jayawardene among those making recommendations to revive a provincial cricket tournament. Wettimuny said any serious restructuring of the domestic system would require significant consultation with SLC’s member clubs and associations, but was necessary for Sri Lanka to remain competitive at the international level.