Wrexham stars James McClean and Steven Fletcher have led the tributes for goalkeeper Mark Howard, who has penned an emotional farewell post.

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• Wrexham star announces club exit
• Thanks owners Reynolds & McElhenney
• McClean & Fletcher lead tributes

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After three years at the Red Dragons, veteran stopper Howard appears to have announced that his time with the club has ended. The 38-year-old played his part in the Welsh side rising from the National League to the Championship in three short seasons, and now he has reflected on that "incredible journey". The ex-Sheffield United man also thanked co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for everything they have done for him.

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• WHAT HOWARD SAID

  He wrote in an Instagram post: "From the moment I pulled on the Wrexham shirt, I have tried to bring professionalism, passion, and personality to the club. As I reflect on what an incredible journey it’s been, I consider myself fortunate to have shared a dressing room with the best teammates. Everyday I have left with a smile on my face wanting to come back and do it all over again. Love you boys. Being able to say I’m the only goalkeeper ever to do the 3peat. Back2Back2Back. I say tongue in cheek. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities I’ve had here. Working alongside some of the most amazing staff on and off the pitch, giving me the encouragement to do more, I cannot thank you enough. The connection with the fans was tough at times but now I feel part of the family, I would like to think you’ve all grown to love me. At this stage I still feel like I have more football in me, so it’s not retirement yet, I still want to dive around while my body lets me. Finally a huge thank you to these two amazing people. @robmcelhenney @vancityreynolds Diolch (thank you)."

• WREXHAM STARS PRAISE 'CHOMP'

  Winger McClean wrote on Howard's Instagram post: "ChompRex, it's been an absolute pleasure to share a dressing room with you mate, some man for one."

  Striker Fletcher wrote in an Instagram story: "Chompy, what a fella. Friend for life, big man," followed by a love heart and two dinosaur emojis.

  Midfielder Elliot Lee commented: "The oldest goalkeeper there ever was. I will miss you, old man."

  Forward Ollie Palmer put: "What a legend… absolute GOAT. Love you man. B2B2B2," and defender Max Cleworth added: "An absolute legend Chomper, thanks for everything mate."

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  Howard has carved a unique place in history as one of the few players who have secured three straight promotions in the English Football League. While he was mostly a backup keeper, bar in his first season in the National League, the former Bolton Wanderers man has played his part in where they are now and is a popular figure at the club – but he is not ready to retire yet.

Decision follows the independent review, conducted after West Indies’ early exit from the T20 World Cup last year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2023Following the independent review after West Indies’ first-round exit from the men’s T20 World Cup last year, CWI has decided to go the England route and appoint separate red- and white-ball coaches for the senior men’s team. The review, CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams said, “included a closer look at the roles of the current head coach position”.”We believe it is now necessary to split the role and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats,” Adams said in a statement. “The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides enough time for one individual to adequately plan, prepare and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed.”The recruitment process for both head coaches is expected to commence shortly, CWI said, adding that the red-ball coach would also be in charge of the West Indies ‘A’ team.Related

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Review panel urges CWI and players to find 'middle ground'

Adams explained that the decision to have two separate head coaches was made based on the recommendation by the review group – comprising Patrick Thompson Jr (chair), Brian Lara and Mickey Arthur – that it would help improve preparation for all the teams.”Separating the roles will also provide the head coaches with more time to oversee players’ ongoing development away from tours directly, and through increased engagement and planning with suitable high-performance programmes and coaches,” Adams said.No full-time coach since Phil Simmons leftPhil Simmons was the last full-time head coach of the West Indies men’s team, and he announced his decision to resign after what he called was the team’s “unfathomable” performance at the World Cup, though he stayed on to oversee West Indies’ Test tour of Australia soon after.In their opening match of the World Cup, West Indies were bowled out for just 118 chasing 161 against Scotland before managing to defend 153 for 7 against Zimbabwe, but Ireland easily overhauled their 146 for 5 to move into the next round.Then in Australia, they lost both Test matches, and after beating Zimbabwe away 1-0 in a two-Test series, they have gone down 2-0 in South Africa. They haven’t played white-ball internationals since the World Cup. Nicholas Pooran, their white-ball captain at the World Cup, has also since stepped down. Shai Hope and Rovman Powell have been named captains for ODIs and T20Is respectively, while Andre Coley has served as the interim head coach.

Kaka has expressed his desire to reunite with Carlo Ancelotti and join his backroom staff in the Brazil national team.

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Kaka wants to reunite with AncelottiReady to work as an assistant in Brazil national teamAncelotti to manage Madrid one last time against Real SociedadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After spending 30 years in club football, managing several clubs across Italy, France, Spain and England, Ancelotti is now all set to try his hand in international football at the twilight of his managerial career. Earlier this month the Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed that the Italian coach will join the national team formally after managing Madrid in their final La Liga game of the 2024-25 campaign.

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As Ancelotti is all set to embark on this new journey, one of his former players at AC Milan and Brazil icon Kaka has expressed his desire to reunite with the Italian manager. Kaka, who retired from professional football in 2017, is eager to work as an assistant to the outgoing Madrid boss in the Selecao setup.

WHAT KAKA SAID

Speaking to , the 43-year-old said: "If the opportunity arises, I'm ready to return to the Selecao. I'm prepared. Since 2017 I wanted to prepare myself. I took business courses in sports at Harvard, I took the coach course at CBF, I have experience in national team, World Cup."

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Ancelotti will manage Los Blancos one last time this Saturday as they take on Real Sociedad in their final La Liga match, having already surrendered the title to arch-rivals Barcelona.

Having played their first three Tests in 2018 and 2019, Ireland are set to double that tally in the span of a month in 2023

Madushka Balasuriya15-Apr-2023

Big picture: Mirpur Test has prepared Ireland for SL tourIf you’re Ireland, Test matches are quite like buses, you wait ages for one and then suddenly here come three to take you on a tour of the subcontinent. Okay, maybe that’s not the analogy, but the fact remains that having played their first three Tests in 2018 and 2019, they’re now set to double that tally in the span of a month in 2023. Having already played a one-off Test in Bangladesh earlier this year, Ireland are now set for two more against Sri Lanka in Galle.In each of their Test outings so far, Ireland have acquitted themselves rather well in periods, on several occasions showing considerable mettle when folding might have been the easier option – most recently this resolve was on display in Mirpur when they fought back from 13 for 4 to reach 292.Despite that being in an ultimately losing cause, the willingness to tough it out in unfamiliar conditions for prolonged periods of time, even when the going seems acutely unyielding, bodes well for what they’re likely to find in Galle.The challenge that will face the visitors hardly needs to be spelled out after all. In Mirpur, 13 Irish wickets fell to spin. Sri Lanka’s squad has two left-arm spinners, two that can bowl offspin, one that can bowl either, and a legspinner. To add to this, Sri Lanka is in the midst of one of its hottest periods, with temperatures expected to go beyond 30 degrees throughout the first Test.As for Sri Lanka, in a World Cup year, this series provides them with the opportunity to trial out a few new faces. While the spine of the squad comprises the old heads of Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka is likely to be given a stint at the top of the order in the absence of Pathum Nissanka, while there could also be debuts for seamer Milan Rathnayake and legspinner Dushan Hemantha.Form GuideSri Lanka: LLWLW(completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland: LLLL
The stage is set for Nishan Madushka to make a claim for a permanent role at the top of Sri Lanka’s order•SLC

In the spotlight: Nishan Madushka and Andy McBrineNishan Madushka has had a stratospheric few months. Despite Sri Lanka’s Test side not necessarily in the market for top-order batters, Madushka’s recent form – a double-century and two centuries against England Lions opening the innings – has made a Test call-up almost an inevitability. And even though the series in New Zealand was a tough baptism, particularly having been asked to bat down the order, he showed glimpses of the talent that had brought him to that stage. Against Ireland, in more familiar conditions – and Pathum Nissanka surprisingly missing out on the red-ball side for yet another series – the stage is set for Madushka to make a claim for a permanent role at the top of the order.Following a trialling tour of New Zealand, Sri Lanka might well be looking forward to more accustomed climes. But for their batters, who would have been utilising fairly separate skillsets in New Zealand’s bouncier conditions, Galle might initially take a little getting used to. Enter Andy McBrine, who picked up seven of his 10 Test scalps in Mirpur earlier this month. As of late, Sri Lanka’s batters haven’t been the most secure against visiting spinners, and so McBrine will surely be salivating at the prospect of trying out an accommodating Galle surface. He’ll certainly play a key role if the visitors have any hope of pushing for a historic first Test win.Pitch and conditionsThe weather in Galle is expected to be nice and sunny (read: hot and sweltering) with no rain expected over the coming week. And while the Galle pitch in recent times hasn’t deteriorated towards the fourth and fifth days as it might have in the past, expect it to spin nevertheless.Team newsHaving handed out seven debuts in their last outing against Bangladesh, some of whom had spent time training in subcontinental conditions, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an unchanged XI.Ireland (probable) XI: 1 Murray Commins, 2 James McCollum, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 PJ Moor, 6 Curtis Campher, 7 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 8 Mark Adair, 9 Andy McBrine, 10 Graham Hume, 11 Ben WhiteMost of the Sri Lankan side picks itself, with the only point of contention being whether legspinner Hemantha is granted a debut. Sadeera Samarawickrama will also likely see a Test return following a five-year absence.Sri Lanka (probable) XI: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kusal Mendis 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis 9 Prabath Jayasuriya 10 Dushan Hemantha/Lasith Embuldeniya 11 Asitha FernandoStats and trivia This will be Ireland’s first ever Test series comprising of more than a single match. Prabath Jayasuriya, playing his sixth Test, is 17 wickets away from reaching 50 Test wickets. Dilruwan Perera holds the current SL record, having reached the feat in 11 Tests. Dhananjaya de Silva, with 34, boasts the highest number of Test wickets between the two sides.

For an ODI with nothing riding on it, this one had a little bit of everything.Temba Bavuma struck his second successive international century, third in 2023, and notched up a career-best 144 but Shai Hope, captaining West Indies for the first time, trumped the home captain’s effort. Hope brought up his 14th ODI century and anchored West Indies to post their highest score against South Africa in the format and the second highest at Buffalo Park. It proved enough as West Indies registered a 48-run victory over South Africa, seven years after the last completed ODI between these two, in June 2016.West Indies, who have played all their World Cup Super League matches and barring Sri Lanka and South Africa being blanked by New Zealand and Netherlands respectively are certain to participate in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in June, will be pleased with the way they acquitted themselves in this match. On a slow surface, their batters adapted well and there were three half-century stands in their innings, while Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein made good use of the short, slower ball and spin respectively to sufficiently challenge South Africa. As a result, they earned their sixth win in 28 ODIs in South Africa and 16th in 64 meetings.South Africa are also in a precarious position in terms of automatic qualification for this years’ 50-over World Cup, and will reflect on this match as a test of their depth and the work still to be done. They fielded four debutants, as a result of squad rotation, injuries and illnesses, and will know there’s work to be done. Of the three new batters – Ryan Rickleton, Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs – the first two were foxed by spin and Stubbs was victim to a short ball. The bowling newbie, Gerald Coetzee, was South Africa’s most successful and joint-most economical bowler, but was run-out as he failed to slide his bat in late in the piece. That’s a harsh criticism with more attention to be put on Lungi Ngidi lack of variations, Marco Jansen’s uncertainty on his lengths and the composition of the attack, which had only five bowlers and not enough slower bowling options.West Indies cruised to 66 without loss in eight overs before left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin was introduced. At domestic level, Fortuin has made a habit of taking wickets in his opening over and he did exactly that, albeit not with his best ball. Mayers pulled a half-tracker to Rickelton at deep midwicket to spark a mini-collapse. West Indies lost three wickets in 12 balls, and found themselves on 71 for 3 in the 11th over.It was up to the current and former captains – Hope and Nicholas Pooran – to rebuild. They took on the spinners, with good use of the feet and Jansen, who continued to struggle to find the right length, and shared a stand of 86 runs off 80 balls before Pooran dragged a short, slower Coetzee ball to Rassie van der Dussen at midwicket to depart for 39 and bring T20I captain, Rovman Powell to the crease.Powell should have been out six when he drilled the ball back to Tabraiz Shamsi, who could not hold on his followthrough and went on to cost South Africa 40 runs. Powell put on 80 for the fifth wicket with Hope before he bottom-edged another Coetzee short ball onto his stumps and South Africa could apply a squeeze. They gave away just eight runs in the next 22 balls, including a scoreless over from Jansen to keep West Indies fairly quiet at a crucial stage.Kyle Mayers trapped Quinton de Kock lbw for 48•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Hope neared the 90s with sixes off Fortuin and Ngidi and put on 42 with Holder, who was dismissed on review to Shamsi. Hope also lost Hosein to an inswinging Jansen yorker and then brought up his hundred off the 104th ball he faced. West Indies scored 93 runs off the last ten overs, including 40 runs off the last three overs, and Hope hit 28 runs off the last nine balls he faced to set South Africa a steep target.They were required to complete their fourth-highest successful chase and started well. Quinton de Kock, who had not played a competitive match since his last appearance at the SA20 almost six weeks ago, showed no signs of rust. He latched onto anything overpitched – and West Indies offered plenty in the first five overs – or on the pads. South Africa brought up fifty in six overs, de Kock survived an lbw appeal from Holder, which was reviewed, and was then given out on 48 to expose an inexperienced middle order that Bavuma marshalled.He brought up his third ODI fifty with a clean strike off Mayers over extra cover that went for six, similar to the stroke that took him to a second Test century last week. West Indies used the second and last review at the end of that over, when Mayers thought he had Bavuma lbw in similar fashion to de Kock but ball tracking showed it was missing leg stump.South Africa were 123 for 1 at the first drinks’ break, when West Indies brought on their legspinner Yannic Cariah. With his first ball, he beat Rickelton’s inside edge with a quick legbreak and got the lbw decision. Rickelton reviewed, reluctantly and unsuccessfully, to bring another debutant, Tony de Zorzi, to the crease. De Zorzi almost played the second ball he faced onto his stumps but it squirted past for four. He played some sweet strokes before being bowled by a flat, quick ball from Hosein.Rassie van der Dussen never looked comfortable at the crease and survived an lbw appeal and a stumping chance before pulling a Joseph bouncer to fine leg. Tristan Stubbs, on debut, top-edged a short, slower ball from Odean Smith straight up and Hope took a simple catch to open up South Africa’s lower order.Jansen’s first runs came off an outside edge, leaving Bavuma on strike, on 99, at the start of the 31st over. He sent Hosein through extra cover for a single to bring up his fourth ODI century, and second this year. South Africa still needed 121 runs off 115 balls.West Indies would have thought the game was up when Jansen holed out to long-on and Fortuin was stumped later that over, but Bavuma took it deep. He surpassed his previous career-best score of 113 and then hit three sixes off a Cariah over and confidently rotated strike with Ngidi. Their ninth-wicket stand reached 49 before Bavuma gloved Joseph down leg to end a valiant effort. South Africa were bowled out two balls later when Shamsi nicked off and Joseph finished with three.

Barcelona transfer target Joan Garcia has expressed his openness to a move, adding that playing against Espanyol would be an exciting challenge.

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• Joan Garcia hasn't ruled out Barca move
• Goalkeeper excited at prospect of playing Espanyol
• Arsenal and Man City also interested

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia has caught the attention of several top European clubs, with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City reportedly in talks to sign the 23-year-old. In a recent interview with Catalunya Radio (h/t Reshad Rahman), Garcia has not ruled out a move away from Espanyol and admitted that it would be exciting for him to play against his current club, Barca's city rivals.

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  Camp Nou has emerged as the most likely destination for Joan Garcia in the summer. The Espanyol goalkeeper is also reportedly in discussions with Arsenal, should David Raya complete a reported move to Real Madrid. The Spaniard had kept quiet on the links with Barca out of respect for his boyhood club, Espanyol, but he has now broken his silence.

• WHAT JOAN GARCIA SAID

  Garcia said: "It wouldn't be a problem to face Espanyol. It would also be nice to play against them. These are things that can happen, but I try to look on the positive side of things, and if it happens, I would be excited. I'm very calm, really. A lot of things are coming out on a lot of teams. It doesn’t just depend on me. At the moment, I'm an Espanyol player. I don’t have a date to decide."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JOAN GARCIA?

  Garcia signed a contract extension with Espanyol in 2023, keeping him at the club until June 30, 2028. This puts the Liga side in control when it comes to negotiations, with no immediate pressure to sell to their rivals. Reports suggest that the club have included a €25 million (£21m) release clause in Garcia's contract, meanwhile, and that could ultimately force them into a sale that they don't want to make.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min's future is in doubt but Spurs are willing to let him go as long as one key condition is met.

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Son heading into final year of contractTottenham willing to let him goBut won't sanction exit on the cheapFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Son is about to enter the final year of his contact at Tottenham, meaning he could be sold this summer to avoid losing him on a free next year. According to The Independent, Tottenham are only willing to sell Son if they receive a "significant transfer fee" for the 32-year-old forward.

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Saudi Pro League clubs have been credited with interest in Son but it remains to be seen if any team will follow that up with a firm offer for the Spurs skipper. Son is not the only key Spurs figure with an uncertain future. Manager Ange Postecoglou's position remains at risk despite ending the club's long wait for a trophy last season by delivering the Europa League.

DID YOU KNOW?

Son managed 11 goals for Tottenham last season during an injury-interrupted campaign. It's his lowest tally since his first season in north London.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

An intriguing summer awaits at Spurs as the club continue to consider how to proceed after last season which brought a trophy but a disastrous Premier League campaign. Spurs are due to head to Asia for pre-season to play friendlies against Arsenal and Bayern Munich and will then face PSG in the UEFA Super Cup.

After a washed-out day and a long delay, CSK won a thriller off the final ball against Gujarat Titans to spark off celebrations in the early hours of Tuesday

Alagappan Muthu29-May-20231:57

Manjrekar: Dhoni had his eyes closed for the final ball

At 1:35am on the third day of a T20 match, Chennai Super Kings emerged as the new IPL champions, winning their fifth title to draw level with Mumbai Indians.Ravindra Jadeja pierced the silence built by tens of thousands of people when he hit the final two balls of an incredible, chaotic, unbelievable chase for boundaries. One straight in front of him. The other behind.An equation of 171 off 15 overs reduced to 13 off one. Mohit Sharma made it even tougher – 10 off two balls. CSK hadn’t hit a boundary in 13 balls. They had, however, lost two wickets. One of them was MS Dhoni, for a duck.That was looking like it might be his last act on a cricket field. He will be 42 soon. He said preparing for the IPL at his age was taking a “heavy toll”. When he came in, Ahmedabad broke the sound barrier. When he left, the crowd was bereft.But, an hour and a half later, they looked on, having suffered through the rain, braving difficult journeys to and from the ground, as their hero walked up onto the podium and picked up his fifth IPL trophy. In a rare show of emotion, once the winning runs were hit, Dhoni wrapped his arms around Jadeja and lifted him clean off the ground. That’s how much it meant to him. It even convinced him to keep playing for another year.None of this would have been possible though without the impact of Ambati Rayudu. He tweeted that this would be his final IPL match. When he walked out, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster suggested CSK only had a 35% chance of victory. He lashed Mohit for 6, 4 and 6 and with those three hits, his team became overwhelming favourites – 93%.Ravindra Jadeja finished the job for CSK with a six and a four on the last two balls•AFP/Getty ImagesThe highlightsThe IPL final began on May 28. Not a ball was bowled because of rain. Then it shifted to May 29. Two-hundred and ten balls took six hours to be bowled because of another weather intervention.B Sai Sudharsan made the final the spectacle it was. The 21-year old Chennai boy took it to his hometown franchise, scoring 96 runs off 47 balls. Mohit made it last the distance. He came back from the Rayudu assault to pick up two wickets in two balls.Later, facing some of the greatest pressure a player can be under – bowling the last over with an IPL final on his shoulders – he nailed three perfect off-stump yorkers that were simply unhittable.Super Kings had been propped up by yet another strong opening partnership from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. But once the field spread – after four overs – they found the going tougher. Especially against Noor Ahmad. The 18-year old left arm wristspinner did not concede a single boundary in a spell of 3-0-17-2. His Afghanistan team-mate though was battered around.Rashid Khan was about to finish his spell well. The first four balls of his last over went for just three runs. The rest went for 12. Shivam Dube got the tossed up balls he wanted and he smashed them both for sixes.CSK needed to go 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 between the 12th and the 13th overs just to get ahead in this game. They were trailing until that five-ball sequence. Imagine being the Titans right now. Those five balls – and then the last two – ended up deciding their fate.Ambati Rayudu joined Rohit Sharma as the only men to win six IPL titles•BCCIThey finally roar for Jadeja At the end of the league stage, Jadeja had a strike rate of 149.47 between overs 15 and 20. That is the lowest of the 14 finishers who have faced at least 75 balls in this phase. His closest competitor for a place in the Indian team in T20 cricket – Axar Patel – was up at 175.55.To make matters worse, every time he fell, he was greeted to the sound of the crowd roaring as one for the incoming batter. Dhoni. It got to the point where he rounded on the fans, in jest of course, and, in response, the next time he walked out to the middle, the Chepauk DJ played a song called , which in Tamil translates to ‘will you forgive me?’Jadeja faced only six balls in the final. He was at the crease for only 13. There were no boundaries hit for the duration of his stay … until the penultimate ball. A yorker that fell only inches short from Mohit was launched down the ground, and then the last ball, another attempted yorker that became a low full toss, was flicked to the left of short fine.Chennai would have roared as one. This time for Jadeja.The blinder from RayuduCSK needed 72 from 36. Eleven balls, two fours and a wicket later, they needed 54 from 25 and that’s what Rayudu walked into. He has played 204 matches in his IPL career, which began in 2010. This season he’s had to play a reduced role. He was CSK’s Impact Player at the start. None of his innings lasted more than 17 balls. Yet he kept telling his team-mates in the dressing room that he would win the final for them. Deepak Chahar made a point of saying that by cutting across Rayudu himself when he was doing an interview with the host broadcaster.The second six he hit was especially stunning. Off an into-the-wicket slower ball that was designed to rob the batter of his balance, Rayudu kept his, and smashed it over extra cover. As far as cameos go, this 19 off 8 will remain long in memory.B Sai Sudharsan hit six sixes in his 47-ball 96•BCCIThe forgotten heroSudharsan arrived on the back of a stumping that Dhoni pulled off in 0.1 seconds to get rid of Shubman Gill. He was 10 off 12 with no boundaries after 11 overs. He was the man that had to retire out in Qualifier 2 so Titans could get a better ball-striker in. But even that night, they let Sudharsan bat till the start of the 20th over and only then pulled him out. They trust this guy. They trust all their guys. That’s their whole thing.Sudharsan seems to understand his limitations. And that gives him his power. He can’t hit sixes like Tim David or Suryakumar Yadav. Even the ones he manages to hit look like they take a lot out of him. That bat goes as high as it can in the back-lift and comes thundering down. He holds nothing back because he knows he can’t afford to.Defensive bowling is all about protecting one side of the pitch. Usually, the leg side. That’s why most teams station more men in the deep there. It’s instinct to slog the ball in T20s.But Sudharsan is different. He is a really good off-side player. On Monday, he found six of his eight fours there. Two of them were slaps in the face of CSK’s plans. In the 17th over, with mid-off and cover up and Tushar Deshpande trying to tuck him up on middle and leg, Sudharsan made room and flat-batted two beautiful boundaries where he knew he didn’t need power. Just placement.This was part of a three-over period in which he scored all of the Titans’ boundaries – three sixes and five fours. When a batter pillages runs both sides of the wicket, the opposition unravels.No CSK bowler was spared. Not even Matheesha Pathirana. He had gone entire games – 9 of 14 – without giving away as many runs as he did on Monday to just one player. Sudharsan whacked the Sri Lankan sensation for 34 in 14 balls.

With all the outrage about the County Championship opening its doors to Australians this summer ahead of the Ashes directed at Steve Smith, perhaps Marnus Labuschagne has gone under the radar. As the 28-year-old peeled off a 170 not out at Headingley with a bit of something for everyone – close to a first victory of the season for Glamorgan; the grand return to form for the No.1-ranked Test batter – you wondered if the anger was, if not misguided, then overdue.Whether you think such outrage is confected is another matter – it is, of course it is – but there is something to be said of how Labuschagne has ingrained himself so deep into the 18-county system that he has earned honourary Welsh status. Glamorgan are where they are in this match, asking Yorkshire to either chase 492 in 96 overs or last that long in defiance because of a player not just tuning up for future, higher profile battles but revelling in his seniority at a club he has been a part of since 2019.”We speak most days so I’m sure he’ll have a debrief with me on his game and I’ll debrief him on what happens on my game,” said Labuschagne of a call to Smith later this evening to give him the breakdown of first-class century number 28 – a seventh for Glamorgan. As it happens, this is his second match at this ground. His first was in 2019 as an alternate for Smith, who had been concussed in the Lord’s Test the previous week. Labuschagne’s 74 and 80 were relegated to footnotes thanks to Ben Stokes (and Jack Leach), though reinforcing the comfort at a Ashes venue that is coming around again this July can’t hurt.Related

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Given the different phases of this knock – from the seven off 25 on Friday to the final flourish of 68 off 65 – and the range of strokes among the 25 boundaries, Smith might as well put him on speaker phone and shadow bat around his hotel room. Given Labuschagne usually has plenty to say when discussing cricket, Smith will struggle to get a word in.That being said, he did consider this a relief, which is worrying from an England perspective.”I have been a bit sort of all over,” Labuschagne said of his start to the season, having come into this match with 84 from three innings. “It hasn’t felt like it has come together until that innings. First innings (65) I felt like I batted alright: gritty, not much rhythm at all, and the wicket was a bit tacky and slow, tough to score.”I hit a few nice straight drives, a couple of nice cover drives and a nice flick through midwicket. That’s probably the most I’ve felt balanced at the crease, I felt like my head position was in a nice spot, my bat path was coming down nicely. That was probably the best time I batted. The first innings was a bit scrappy, I felt like I was squaring up a little bit but those types of wickets make you do those sorts of things. It felt like back at the end there, it really came together nicely but obviously, the situation of the game dictated that.”Those more conventional shots came in the morning session, which began with Sam Northeast new to the crease and a bumper overnight lead of 196. The pair reconnected after a stand of 83 on day one to fashion 148 from the first 34.5 overs of the day.Who knows what might have happened if Labuschagne had not been dropped on 11 midway through the 7th full over of the day? Finlay Bean reacted superbly to a full-blooded cut, diving high to his left, fully outstretched, getting two hands on the ball. It would have been one of the catches of the summer, but instead lingered ruefully as the only opportunity in the morning session.With 178 for 2 at lunch, leading by 317 and both batters in possession of half-centuries, Labuschagne called for a charge. Northeast indulged, only to slap to point when a three-figure score for himself looked nailed on. Labuschagne, however, embarked on a pretty spectacular acceleration.The shift from fifty to hundred took 38 deliveries. But it was 13 within that, taking him from 64 to 96, that confirmed the now one-sided nature of this affair. There were seven fours in that period, most off Mickey Edwards, who was banging the ball in short and getting slapped down the ground by his compatriot.It took a further 14 deliveries to move to three figures from there, though not due to any pressure beyond an impending milestone. A delay after getting whacked in the Crown Jewels by Matthew Fisher kept him on 97, but soon a guide down to third man through a gap in the cordon for a 17th boundary took him to a first hundred in the third of five matches he has with Glamorgan before joining up with the Australian Test squad ahead of the World Test Championship Final against India at the start of June.Labuschagne even unfurled a few shots he normally keeps in his white-ball bag, such as a couple of fetch-and-scoops over third man, both against Jordan Thompson. He seemed to reserve particular disdain for former England spinner Dom Bess, striking nine of the 11 boundaries conceded in a galling 10 overs for 76 runs. Every kind of sweep – reverse, paddle, orthodox and slog – was given an airing.Twice – during the 57th and 77th over – the off-spinner was taken for three boundaries in an over. Considering his introduction 48 overs into this second innings was his first bowl of the match, it was a hiding to nothing, By the time Bess was launched back over his head for Labuschagne’s only six, their battle was a microcosm of the match situation. A superfluous flexing of dominance.Glamorgan, moving to 289 for 4, had a lead of 485. Nine overs later, after Billy Root had picked apart the carcass of a bowling attack for a half-century, they called it quits on a lead of 491. The players left the field at 4:03pm, not to return again as the rains arrived five minutes later to wash out the final session.Perhaps Glamorgan were spooked that a team like Leicestershire could chase down 389 in the fourth innings here as they did in the season’s opening round. But it is clear this Headingley pitch has far more in it for the bowlers than that one. It’s worth noting Yorkshire’s lack of edge today was primarily due to a lack of Ben Coad, who did not take the field in the second innings after pulling up at the end of his 10th over on day one.There are fears he might have suffered a recurrence of the groin injury that kept him out for the first half of last summer. He will, however, bat if required. Though perhaps that should be “when” considering Glamorgan needed just 31 overs to dismiss Yorkshire in their first innings.”We would’ve liked at least 20 overs at them before the close,” said Labuschagne, frustrated. “We got caught a little bit by the rain at the end. If we came off, we couldn’t have gone back on in the rain, so we had to keep batting and we got almost 500 ahead.”It’s not ideal, we would probably have liked to have a few overs – at least 10 minimum at them today. But we are going to have 96 to get 10 wickets tomorrow.”