Cricket Ireland confirmed fixtures for 2020, including visits from Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2019

Ireland are exploring the possibility of hosting their T20Is against Bangladesh next year at neutral venues in England. With the redevelopment of Clontarf, Ireland’s capacity to host international matches has been reduced and Warren Deutrom, the Cricket Ireland chief executive, said the board was looking at various temporary options.After last week’s announcement that the scheduled Test against Bangladesh would be converted into a T20I due to the “financial headwinds” being faced by Cricket Ireland, fixtures for next summer’s home schedule have now been confirmed. Bangladesh will arrive for three ODIs at Stormont in May; New Zealand’s tour will encompass three T20Is at Bready and three ODIs at Stormont; and Pakistan are due for two T20Is at Malahide in July.”There is no doubt that this will remain one of the biggest home seasons for Ireland, with the hosting of the number one T20I side in the world, and the runners-up at the most recent 50-over World Cup,” Deutrom said. “However, this has also undoubtedly been our most complex match allocation process ever, given the multiple challenges we are working through. Chief among these is the loss of access to one of our international grounds for at least 2020, with Clontarf undergoing extensive renovations.Ireland fixtures for 2020

May 14 – 1st ODI v Bangladesh, Stormont

May 16 – 2nd ODI v Bangladesh, Stormont

May 19 – 3rd ODI v Bangladesh, Stormont

June 19 – 1st T20I v New Zealand, Bready

June 21 – 2nd T20I v New Zealand, Bready

June 23 – 3rd T20I v New Zealand, Bready

June 27 – 1st ODI v New Zealand, Stormont

June 30 – 2nd ODI v New Zealand, Stormont

July 2 – 3rd ODI v New Zealand, Stormont

July 12 – 1st T20I v Pakistan, Malahide

June 27 – 2nd T20I v Pakistan, Malahide

“With this venue loss, we have been reduced to 12 pitches available across our three remaining international grounds that need to cater for 15 matches. Given the ICC’s high standards of expectation regarding pitch quality, this has influenced several of the match allocations. Also key to our deliberations has been the need to provide a high volume of white-ball cricket given the T20 World Cup in October and the start of the World Cup Super League.”The four T20Is scheduled to be played against Bangladesh in the second half of May could end up being hosted outside of Ireland, according to Deutrom.”The outstanding fixtures that remain unallocated at this stage are the T20 Internationals against Bangladesh,” he said. “We are currently investigating venue options that will fit with our limited scheduling windows and fresh pitch availability – this includes looking at an option of hosting the Bangladesh T20Is in neutral venues in England as a temporary option until our venue and pitch capacity is back at full strength.”Deutrom also confirmed that Cricket Ireland is still planning to play its part in hosting the Euro T20 Slam, which was postponed in 2019 over a lack of financing. “We stated last week that we were still hopeful of staging the inaugural season of the Euro T20 Slam and we have put plans in motion to facilitate that should our discussions with the organisers progress positively,” he said. “We shall be providing further information on that in due course.”

Chelsea have invested over £1b on new signings after the takeover by Todd Boehly back in 2022, but Mauricio Pochettino's side still look extremely poor in multiple key areas.

The signings of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández have transformed the Blues' midfield, with the duo looking worth every penny of their respective £100m+ transfer fees.

However, despite huge investment in the forward line, boss Pochettino is yet to discover a settled front three with the Argentinian often chopping and changing his attacking trio on a game-to-game basis.

Cole Palmer has been the most effective attacking player this campaign, scoring 16 times in the Premier League so far this season, with no other forward in the Chelsea squad managing to hit double figures in the league.

Despite the Blues' lack of goals, there's another area the club look poor in, with the club seriously needing reinforcements after conceding 52 goals in the league – a tally that is more than relegation-threatened Everton.

Chelsea targeting ace to solve defensive woes

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, the Blues have joined the race to sign Wolves' centre-back Max Kilman, as Pochettino looks to solve the club's defensive situation.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a successful season at Molineux, starting in every Premier League game under boss Gary O'Neil and playing every single minute of the season so far.

Kilman, who is Wolves' club-captain, has scored twice in the Premier League throughout 2023/24, scoring against Everton and Manchester United with the defender a real presence at both ends of the pitch.

However, the 26-year-old is under contract under 2028, with the Blues potentially having to fork out a hefty fee to lure the centre-back away from the West Midlands in the summer.

Despite any potential fee, the Englishman would be a huge upgrade on one current Chelsea defender – certainly improving Pochettino's defence and solving their biggest issue.

Kilman vs Badiashile in 2023/24

When comparing Kilman to the current Chelsea defender, the "unbelievable" talent, as described by former teammate Nathan Collins, comes out on top in multiple key areas that would help bolster the Blues' backline.

Benoit Badashile hasn't lived up to expectations at Stamford Bridge since his £32m move over a year ago, with the Frenchman only able to make 11 appearances in the league during 2023/24.

In the Premier League so far this campaign, Wolves' captain has won an average of 2.4 aerial duels per 90, a tally 0.2 higher than Badiashile, with Kilman able to win more battles than the current Blues player.

The Englishman – who boasts 120 top-flight appearances to his name – also triumphs the former Monaco man for clearances, with his tally of 4.7 per game clear of Badiashile's 4.2, as per FBref.

Aerials won

2.4

2.2

Clearances

4.7

4.2

Progressive carries

0.7

0.1

Successful take-ons

0.3

0

Interceptions

1

0.9

It's not just defensively that Kilman comes out on top, with the defender better on the ball than Badiashile, as reflected by his tallies of progressive carries and successful take-ons.

Given Chelsea's horrendous 2023/24 campaign, the club need to target another defender as a matter of urgency this summer, with Kilman needing to be the Blues' number-one target.

And breathe. What a game.

Chelsea looked destined for another shocking defeat in the Premier League last night as they let a two-goal lead slip to Manchester United – until Cole Palmer stepped up, that is.

Mauricio Pochettino must have a shrine to the young Englishman in his house because, at times, it feels like he's the only reason the Argentine still has a job.

That said, another Chelsea ace will be thanking their lucky stars that Manchester City sold the talented gem to the Blues last summer after their shocking performance last night.

Cole Palmer's performance vs Manchester United

He may not have opened the scoring for the Pensioners last night, but there can be no denying that it was the Palmer show once again.

The 21-year-old sensation doubled the west Londoners' lead in the 19th minute with an ice-cold penalty, restored parity with another one 81 minutes after that, and scored the winner courtesy of a Scott McTominay deflection just 60 seconds later.

It was an unreal performance from the Wythenshawe-dynamo and one fully deserving of the 10/10 the Standard's Nizaar Kinsella gave, who described his display as 'heroic.'

While his hat-trick will be the main topic of discussion – and rightly so – the rest of his game was equally impressive.

In his 103 minutes of action, he had five shots on target, won five of his eight duels, made two interceptions, created one big chance, played eight key passes, and took 74 touches.

Palmer's game vs United in numbers

Minutes

103'

Goals

3

Expected Goals

1.86

Expected Assists

0.42

Touches

74

Key Passes

8

Big Chances Created

1

Shots on Target

5

Shots Blocked

4

Duels (Won)

8 (5)

Interceptions

1

All Stats via Sofascore

In all, it was a masterful showing from the incredibly talented youngster and one that saved one of his teammates from significantly more flak.

Marc Cucurella's performance vs Manchester United

The dismally poor player in question is Marc Cucurella, who, despite looking decent at the start of the game, only further proved that he simply isn't good enough for the Blues.

The Spaniard was lively for the first 20 minutes or so, bombing up and down the byline and even winning the first penalty of the game, but as the match went on, his defensive fragilities came to the fore.

For example, in his 103 minutes of action, he lost six of his 11 duels, lost the ball 13 times, was dribbled past a whopping four times, committed one foul and managed a paltry passing accuracy of just 78%.

Cucurella's game vs United in numbers

Minutes

103'

Expected Goals

0.05

Expected Assists

0.02

Dribbled Past

4

Duels (Won)

11 (5)

Possession Lost

13

Fouls

1

Accurate Passes

35/35 (78%)

All Stats via Sofascore

Kinsella was particularly harsh on the former Brighton & Hove ace in his player ratings, writing that he was 'terrible defensively', blaming him for Alejandro Garnacho's second goal, and ultimately awarding him a 5/10, which might actually be too generous – especially for a full-back who lost out to Antony of all people.

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Ultimately, the 25-year-old was all over the place last night, and were it not for the herculean efforts of Palmer almost single-handedly winning the game for the Blues, he would have been in for an awful lot more criticism.

Football fans have reacted with shock and amazement at reports Manchester City's Julian Alvarez could join Atletico Madrid for at least £70 million.

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Alvarez linked with Man City exitAtletico close to possible £70m+ dealFootball fans shocked by moveWHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Athletic, Atletico are close to striking a deal for City forward Alvarez. The report adds the final price and payment structure are being discussed and the fee is expected to be at least five times the £14m ($17.8m) they paid River Plate for the Argentina international in January 2022. After news broke about the possible £70m exit ($89.4m) for the 24-year-old, football fans took to social media to express a vast array of different opinions on the topic.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

@TheSecretScout_ tweeted: "Didn’t he look at Aguero, he’s going the wrong way," while @TolzyBets wrote on X: "Wow. Atletico are cooking."

@DJ___129 commented: "£70m for Alvarez is one of the worst deals I’ve seen in a long time. I actually think he’ll do well at Atleti but that fee is stupid – [Eddie] Nketiah is literally there for £30m smh (shake my head)."

@garnacho_fc posted: "He has to leave for the good cause as he won't start ahead of [Erling] Haaland anyway. Good that he realized it!"

Finally, @granville_cw put: "PSG and City will be pushing hard for CFs (centre forwards) now. Things just got even more interesting," and @CallMeHabeeb added: "Atletico Madrid will turn him into a monster striker💯."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

An Alvarez exit may have been on the cards ever since the striker said it hurt he wasn't playing in City's biggest matches last season, with prolific attacker Erling Haaland often preferred up front. This prompted a blunt response from manager Pep Guardiola, leading Alvarez to defend his remarks. While Guardiola said he "counts" on the Argentine, making a huge profit on the forward may cushion the blow of a potential exit.

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GOAL AR / GettyDID YOU KNOW?

According to the report, Alvarez is keen on an Atletico move and personal terms are said to not be a problem. Since signing for Guardiola's City, he has helped them win two Premier League titles, one Champions League, and the FA Cup – but he has largely been behind Haaland in the pecking order.

Whilst it's difficult not to focus on the excellent work that the current Aston Villa squad are doing in the Premier League, the Villans have already started thinking about the future, according to reports, with an exciting new talent now on trial at the club.

Aston Villa transfer news

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Villa are on course to be in a stronger position than ever when it comes to attracting big players. And that's been reflected in the latest transfer headlines, with recent reports suggesting that the Midlands club are above all in the race to sign AS Roma star Paulo Dybala this summer. In a deal which could cost just £10m, Villa and Unai Emery could land the bargain of the summer.

Meanwhile, the Villans have also already been linked with Athletic Club's Nico Williams, who is currently one of the best young players in both Europe and La Liga. So, it's clear that the Premier League sides have set their sights high on improving Emery's immediate squad, but it's also worth handing them credit for focusing on future stars at the same time.

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According to Cristian Camilo Ortiz Hoyos, Independiente Medellin winger John Edwin Montano is currently having a trial at Aston Villa, with the Colombian side sending club official Federico Spada to Bodymoor Heath to keep abreast of the move. It is reportedly a source of pride for the club that a player of Montano's talent now has the chance to play for a club of Aston Villa's calibre.

What's more, the trial is reportedly going well for the 17-year-old, ahead of a potential deal to join Villa. X account Scouts in Attendance posted an update on the trial this week.

One for the future, Montano could quickly become a familiar face around Aston Villa's training ground, should the next week of his trial prove to be a success.

Montano an example of Aston Villa's planning

Of course, Aston Villa's potential Champions League qualification doesn't just put them in a solid position to attract Europe's current best stars, but also those for the future such as Montano.

The right-winger, who can also play as a centre-forward, has already made three senior appearances for Medellin ahead of a hopeful move to Aston Villa in the next few months.

It's at Villa that Montano will look towards competitions such as the FA Cup and Carabao Cup to impress Emery and potentially earn an eventual Premier League debut. That will be the dream for the teenager and the idea of Premier League football will no doubt be part of the reason why he's currently in the Midlands on trial.

This time next week, as the Colombian's trial ends, we may be talking about Villa's latest young talent, who will be left looking to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jacob Ramsey by graduating into the first-team.

MatériaMais Notícias

No complemento da 2ª rodada da fase de grupos do Brasileirão Série D, neste domingo, o destaque ficou para as vitórias dos recém-classificados na Copa do Brasil, ABC e Juazeirense.

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Confira abaixo os resultados:

Ypiranga-AP 2×1 Atlético-AC
Penarol-AM 0x1 Castanhal
Galvez-AC 2×1 GAS-RR
Paragominas 4×1 Tocantinópolis
Campinense 3×0 América-RN
Central 3×2 Caucaia
ABC 4×0 Sousa
Sergipe 1×0 Retrô
Juazeirense 2×0 ASA
​Goianésia 3×3 União Rondonópolis
Nova Mutum 2×0 Jaraguá-GO
Porto Velho 1×3 Brasiliense
Rio Branco VN 2×1 Boa Esporte
Caldense 0x1 Ferroviária
Santo André 0x1 Boavista
Madureira 1×1 Portuguesa
Cianorte 0x0 Inter de Limeira
Marcílio Dias 1×1 FC Cascavel
​Caxias 5×1 Rio Branco-PR

Pop star Robbie Williams revealed how he 'almost begged' Ruud van Nistelrooy for a picture as the Manchester United fan ran into the Dutch legend.

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• Robbie Williams meets Van Nistelrooy
• Tells story about naming his dog after legend
• Dutch coach currently with Man Utd

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The pop star recently met the former striker in the United States as the Red Devils continued their Stateside pre-season tour. Williams posted a photo with Van Nistelrooy and said he felt like he was "14 again".

  Instagram/robbiewilliams

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• WHAT WILLIAMS SAID

  The pop star posted the photo on Instagram and wrote in the caption: "Today for a moment I became 14. See the second slide for details. I don’t really ask anyone for photos – True story, the last person was Sue Pollard – But as I drove past Ruud van Nistelrooy whilst in a golf cart, I yelled: ‘Stop……….pls’. Sprang like a gazelle, phone in hand and almost begged for one.

  "And just like that I behaved like so many people I’ve seen behave with me. I was almost possessed…….. like ‘This MUST happen’. You see, I named my dog Ruddy after Ruud. My beautiful German Shepherd.

  "Ruud and his Man Utd team saw me through some dark periods in my life. His goals made me happy. Happy when I wasn’t. In some way that moment today was a full circle kind of deal.

  "My beautiful dog, my mental illness and this man and his goals. Ruddy is no longer with us. My mental Illness in many ways -for want of a better expression- is in remission. ll thats left is this Photo. A memory for some memories.

  As I left Ruud said: ’Thank you for your songs’ and in return I said: ’No, thank you for your goals’. Cheesy but very heartfelt. Maybe one day I’ll be able to meet him and just be a human talking to a human. But until then, witness Robbie Williams competition winner in slide 2."

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Van Nistelrooy recently rejoined United as part of Erik ten Hag's coaching staff this summer, returning to the club where he enjoyed his most successful stint. The Dutchman played 219 games for the Red Devils and had a total of 180 goal contributions in all competitions.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR VAN NISTELROOY?

  The former Old Trafford star continues travelling with the Red Devils squad as they are set to take on Liverpool in their final friendly against Liverpool this weekend.

The difference between Tottenham Hotspur this season compared to the 2022/23 campaign is absolutely crystal clear.

From the playstyle and approach of the team to the entire atmosphere surrounding the club, it’s an exciting time to be a Spurs fan.

The introduction of Ange Postecoglou is one of the main reasons for this development as a whole, utilising his entire squad to put them in the driving seat of a Champions League spot for next season.

However, the Lilywhites missed out on Europe all together last campaign, with certain individuals costing the club millions despite barely playing.

What Spurs paid for Lucas Moura

During the 2016/17 campaign, Lucas Moura was on fire for French outfit Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists in 29 starts.

With those performances fresh on the mind, Spurs selected the Brazilian as the best choice winger to cement himself as a key player for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, forking out £25m to acquire his services in January 2018.

It took the speedy ace a while to settle in the Premier League, playing only six times for Spurs in his first campaign. However, Lucas really began to show his true ability in his first full season, scoring ten times across 25 league starts.

Unfortunately, that would go on to be the versatile attacker’s best record in a Spurs shirt, despite giving the club their most memorable moment in recent years.

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Lucas Moura’s salary in his final season at Spurs

The 8th of May 2019 will be a date that both Lucas and the Spurs faithful will never forget, with the former PSG ace becoming a “superhero,” as per Pochettino, for his second-half hat-trick, which saw Spurs beat Ajax in the Champions League to send them to the final.

Lucas’ career at Tottenham well and truly peaked at this moment, and because of that match he will always be remembered as a hero at the club, but his final years at Spurs failed to match the standards set after that tie.

The “ridiculous” ace, as dubbed by journalist Josh Bunting, dealt with a few injuries over the past two seasons in particular, missing five games in the 2021/22 campaign and eight matches last term due to a calf injury.

This meant that during his final season at the club, before moving to São Paulo last year, Lucas didn’t start a single Premier League game, picking up the same number of red cards as goals, which certainly doesn’t justify being paid £90k-per-week.

Harry Kane

£200k

Heung-min Son

£190k

Ivan Perisic

£180k

Cristian Romero

£165k

Clement Lenglet

£145k

Dejan Kulusevski

£110k

Lloris, Hojbjerg

£100k

Lucas Moura

£90k

Across the campaign, Lucas earned a whopping £4.7m according to Capology, which is nowhere near the highest at the club, but it’s a rather hefty amount for a player who failed to have any positive impact on the team, especially in his final spell.

Despite that famous night in Amsterdam, it’s clear to see that Lucas cost Spurs a great deal more than they hoped for his overall output, especially during last season. Indeed, it was a rather disappointing ending for a player who provided one of Tottenham’s best moments in recent years.

وضعت رابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة، بنداً واضحًا بشأن موقف المباريات التي لم تُلعب أو تتوقف ولم تُستكمل بسبب الكهرباء، وذلك بسبب أزمة مواجهة سموحة وبيراميدز في الموسم الماضي، والتي لم يكن فيها بنود واضحة بشأن هذا الموقف.

وكانت مباراة بيراميدز وسموحة في الجولة الـ 28 من الموسم الماضي، ألغيُت بقرار من حكم اللقاء بسبب حريق نشب في إحدى غرف المدرجات الداخلية.

المباراة كانت توقفت والنتيجة بين الفريقين تشير إلى التعادل الإيجابي 1-1، مع وجود طرد لحارس سموحة الهاني سليمان. 

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ونص البند الخاص بهذا الأمر:-

1.22 في حالة قيام الحكم بتأجيل أو إلغاء مباراة من مباريات المسابقة بسبب انقطاع التيار الكهربائي بما يؤثر على الإضاءة يجب إتباع الإجراءات التالية:

1.1.22 في حالة حدوث انقطاع في الكهرباء و/ أو إضاءة الملعب قبل بدء المباراة وتعذر إعادتها خلال 45 دقيق بدءاً من الموعد المحدد لانطلاق المباراة، يجب تأجيل المباراة وإعادتها على أن يتم تحديد الملعب من قبل إدارة المسابقات.

2.1.22 في حالة انقطاع الكهرباء و / أو إضاءة الملعب أثناء المباراة وتعذر استئنافها في غضون 45 دقيقة:

1.2.1.22 إذا كانت النتيجة لصالح النادي الضيف، يجب على الحكم إنهاء المباراة بفوز النادي الضيف بنتيجة (3-0)، ما لم تكن نتيجة المباراة الفعلية أكبر من ذلك.

2.2.1.22 في حالة التعادل أو خسارة النادي الضيف، تستكمل المباراة في اليوم التالي بنفس اللاعبين والعقوبات الإدارية الخاصة بالمباراة في نفس الملعب أو أي ملعب أخر تحدده إدارة المسابقات وفي حال عدم إمكانية إقامة المباراة في اليوم التالي تقوم إدارة المسابقات بتحديد موعد جديد

للمباراة على أن تعاد المباراة بالكامل بصرف النظر عن النتيجة والوقت المتبقي على أن يتم إلغاء جميع البطاقات الصفراء والحمراء الخاصة بالمباراة، مع الإبقاء على العقوبات الصادرة عن لجنة الانضباط أو إدارة المسابقات الناتجة عن التقرير الإضافي لحكم أو مراقب المباراة بالإضافة إلى ذلك في حال غياب أي لاعب عن المباراة الملغاة أو المؤجلة بسبب الايقاف لا يتم استنفاذ عقوبة الإيقاف خلال تلك المباراة أي وكأن المباراة لم تلعب بعد).

3.2.1.22. في حالة انقطاع التيار الكهربائي مرة أخرى خلال المباراة يكون القرار النهائي في ذلك الشأن لحكم ومراقب المباراة.

2.22 دون الإخلال بالمادتين رقم (22-1-1) و (22-1-2) أعلاه، في حالة انقطاع التيار الكهربائي أثناء أي مباراة من مباريات المسابقة المقامة على إستاد محايد أو في مباراة تنظمها الرابطة أو في حال اثبات أن انقطاع التيار من الأمور الخارجة عن الإرادة بناء على التقارير الرسمية من الجهات الحكومية، ينهي الحكم المباراة وتلغي النتيجة وتطبق المادة )21( رقم

3.22 باستثناء حالات القوة القاهرة، يكون النادي المستضيف مسؤولاً عن التكاليف التي تتكبدها الرابطة والتي تنتج عن إلغاء أو تأجيل المباراة بسبب التيار الكهربائي أو عيوب الإضاءة.

Despite the discussion over reducing Test cricket from five days to four, Anil Kumble, former India captain and ICC cricket committee chairman, believes that the longest form of the game will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for lot longer than is being predicted.Kumble was talking about the demands of the T20 age and the shifting of player priorities at an event in Bengaluru to launch former India Test opener and women’s coach WV Raman’s book Talking about leadership on a panel with Raman and TVS executive vice- president P Madhavan, Kumble said he did not believe player priorities had shifted dramatically despite the success of T20 franchise cricket.”I don’t think so. I think everybody wants to play Test cricket, that’s very clear.” The generation of cricketers, Kumble said, “certainly want five-day cricket and that’s something very obvious… there is some challenge in keeping everyone focused and pushed towards playing domestic competition specially Ranji Trophy.” He commended players returning to first-class cricket to find their feet in the game again, a practice he said needed to be encouraged.A marked change in Indian cricket today he said was the palpable separation of the teams between formats, with very few being dead certainties across formats. In India, only captain Virat Kohli and in the recent past, opener Rohit Sharma and bowlers Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah have belonged to that list.”Very few players are common to formats and it’s getting lesser and lesser,” Kumble said. “But I don’t think there is any dearth of people wanting to play the longer format. I think everybody wants to, they realise that’s the biggest challenge and I’m sure that’s going to be the case for a long time.”Kumble’s advice to the Gen Z cricketer was simple: to be aware that they cannot let their guard down at any time. “You just need to be at it. There are a lot more opportunities for you to come back so that’s the one thing that is an advantage. To not look for anyone else to chart their careers out for them.”One thing I would tell any youngster is don’t look at somebody… Selectors are there to actually drop you, not pick you. Because you pick yourself. At the end of it, your performances count and then you certainly pick yourself. The selector or whoever is picking you is there to drop you not really to pick you… that I think one must be aware of.”Asked to name the single quality they look for in youngsters to judge whether they were in for the long haul, Raman said apart from talent itself, “a good indication is the pace at which a young player improves. Everything else is secondary.” To Kumble it was, “I’d like to look at how he bounces back after failure. How he comes back from a bad game, how he comes out of it.”Kumble accepted that the demand on the modern player in India was both in terms of tougher competition and more intense scrutiny. “One failure and heavens come down on you, that’s the part you need to be mature about handling. But you currently also have more opportunities to come back and show case your talent – in IPL or Ranji Trophy or any other format. It’s understanding what roles you play.” As for distractions Kumble said, while each era had its own share, dealing with it was the job of the player.”Yes there is social media now, but even when we were playing you had everyone else who was an expert- of what I should be bowling and how I should be bowling and when I should be bowling, and per se on whether India should bat first or bowl first or which bowlers should bowl at what time, those comments were always there.”Despite the 24X7 visibility of social media he said, the player’s response needed to be identical across generations, “Every generation just has to make sure that you stay away from all that and focus on all that you need to do, on that particular day and what your goal needs to be.”As for the heightened criticism from social media, Raman said players needed to adapt a “convenient memory.” The players’ job was “to try and be better than can, next time around. You don’t sulk or get absolutely overjoyed. It’s a case of having a convenient memory. Don’t moan keep going, that’s what happens in sport.”