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Pro-Israel comments from former Under-19 captain draw CSA into choppy waters

Firdose Moonda15-Jan-2024David Teeger’s removal as South Africa’s Under-19 captain, a week before the home age-group World Cup being held here, has popped the cork on the connection between sport and politics at a high-octane moment for the country.Officially, Teeger was stood down over concerns for his and other players’ safety after he expressed views in support of the Israeli army at an awards ceremony in October last year. Complaints against him dedicating his Rising Star trophy to “the young soldiers in Israel” were lodged by the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA) and several stakeholders in South African cricket, including sponsors, clubs and concerned citizens, who demanded his removal from the national team. CSA appointed an independent advocate, Wim Trengrove, to determine whether Teeger had breached their code of conduct and it was found that he had not. But the story did not end there.Since Teeger’s comments, the South African government has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a charge of genocide, and pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations have taken place countrywide. In almost all instances, these protests have been peaceful, including at Newlands on January 3 on the first day of the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India, and a mass march on January 13, though there have been occasional instances of police involvement. Several sources confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they expect picketing at the Under-19 World Cup to be organised, non-violent and outside the stadium, with no access to the players. The PSA confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they have applied for the right to protest and expect no objections.CSA’s official reason for Teeger’s removal as captain, however, was to mitigate the risk of “conflict or even violence” during the tournament. CSA’s CEO Pholetsi Moseki told ESPNcricinfo that the decision had been taken to “lower the temperature”, even though a recently concluded Under-19 triangular series between South Africa, India and Afghanistan was played at a club ground in Johannesburg, Old Edwardians, without any obvious security concerns.Instead, it seems there is an ideological reason for Teeger’s removal, which is not so serious that he cannot be part of the squad but serious enough that he is considered not fit to lead it.When Trengrove was appointed, on November 26, it was to determine whether Teeger’s acceptance speech had breached the code of conduct of either CSA or his provincial team, Lions. His report referenced Teeger’s constitutional right to freedom of expression, and concluded that he had not participated in any unbecoming or detrimental conduct. On December 7, CSA confirmed that Trengrove’s findings had been “received, considered, and accepted” and Teeger was cleared to continue as Under-19 captain. Five weeks later, that changed.In the time since, South Africa presented their arguments to the ICJ. On the same day as their submission, CSA’s board met and, the following day, it was announced that Teeger would be removed as captain, citing the security threat. That rationale was immediately met with suspicion. “It was political” were the words used by the Afrikaans weekly on their front-page lead, while a spokesperson for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) criticised the move as “shameful”.In Teeger’s response to Trengrove, submitted in November last year, he had stated: “My personal and honestly held view is that Israel and its soldiers have not committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.” His view, he added, was “held by many people and democratic governments around the world”, and could not be construed as support for genocide, “because in my view Israel is innocent of all these allegations”.On Tuesday last week, South Africa’s sports minister Zizi Kodwa addressed the Under-19 team, handed over the national flag and in a seemingly impromptu speech said: “Whatever you do now, you are no longer yourselves. You are ambassadors for South Africa.”It’s not unthinkable that, with the knowledge of the ICJ case and Kodwa’s words, CSA was forced to consider whether Teeger would be the best captain for the national Under-19 side in the current circumstances. One could imagine a similar upshot if, say, an England captain had been stood down for making homophobic statements, given the UK’s stated advocacy for LGBTQI+ rights.It has been learnt that Teeger was asked to stand down last week and refused. He has also privately rejected requests for a retraction or an apology for his statements. At a CSA board meeting on Thursday night, it was decided to remove Teeger as captain and the message was communicated to the team on Friday morning.Where CSA messed up – not for the first time – was with their messaging and timing. Instead of communicating the debate around Teeger as captain, they issued a statement on security threats that appears to be disingenuous, and have since refused to comment further despite it leading to damaging accusations of anti-Semitism. They could and should have been honest about the reasons behind their decision, for themselves and for Teeger.Far from turning the spotlight away from Teeger, it has now been shone directly onto him. At the age of just 19, he has become – at least in some circles – the face of an issue that ought to be way beyond the remit of a national captain of any age. Ultimately, there is a duty of care that CSA has failed to discharge in allowing this row to escalate in such a fashion. Teeger is young, and hopes to forge a long career in cricket. This does not preclude his statements from scrutiny beyond the boundary, but he does not deserve to be the symbol of this situation.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is no mood to let go of any opportunity that comes his way, not even wicketkeeping

Sidharth Monga in Colombo11-Jul-2009Tillakaratne Dilshan is a man in a hurry. It’s the case for every late bloomer. Not long ago, he was just another waste of abundant natural talent. Then he found himself a permanent place at the top of the order, and he changed as a batsman. Now he is no mood to let go of any opportunity that comes his way, not even wicketkeeping.Just before the start of this series, Sri Lanka were in trouble because of injuries to two key players, the best spinner and possibly the best wicketkeeper in the world. With Muttiah Muralitharan out they needed to play an extra bowler, and with Prasanna Jayawardene also ruled out, they had an opportunity to squeeze in another bowler (Angelo Mathews) by making one of the batsmen keep wicket. Kumar Sangakkara had to bat at No. 3 and also captain, so he asked Dilshan what he thought of it. “I said yes. I am ready to do anything and everything for the team,” Dilshan told Cricinfo.It was a big gamble to get a non-regular keeper to go into a Test match. In some ways Dilshan was the perfect man for the job. He is at a stage in his career where nothing fazes him. Right now, he is an extremely confident man, and if seen from afar perhaps even overconfident. Dilshan the batsman doesn’t worry about the previous ball, if he was either comprehensively beaten or played the worst shot in the book. Dilshan the wicketkeeper is no different. He doesn’t worry about the previous miss or the number of byes against his name, he is always looking ahead.He let go 25 byes in the last match, but effected two run-outs that normal wicketkeepers might have struggled with. What he lacks in pure skill, he makes up for with superb hand-eye coordination and athleticism.Dilshan and the rest of the team will acknowledge that he is not the prettiest behind the stumps, but that doesn’t really affect him. “I am not bothered about the technique,” he said. “I took every catch and stumping that came my way. So I don’t need to think about technique.” Pretty much what you’d expect from a man who plays the most unbelievable of shots in world cricket.Dilshan will also remind you of how he started off as a wicketkeeper. “The thing is, I started my career as a wicketkeeper,” he said. “I came to the side in 1999, when Romesh Kaluwitharana was keeping, so I had to play without wicketkeeping. I took that challenge too. But my body still has some keeping left in it.”It’s worth noting that Sangakkara often keeps in the limited-overs format. “In the next couple of months, you could see me keeping in the one-dayers also,” Dilshan says. “Already I have done that in four-five one-dayers, and a Twenty20. I am trying to grab every opportunity that comes to me.”But it is as big a sacrifice as it is a risk. It should have some sort of impact on his batting, although it helps that he comes in at No. 6. “Not really,” he says. “The thing is, we are professional cricketers, we are doing proper fitness training, and everything. My fitness level is very high. I can do keeping and batting easily with my fitness level.”Every word Dilshan says is full of the kind of confidence that his coaches feel can sometimes end up bringing him down. “He is someone who needs to be kept on the edge,” Paul Farbrace, Sri Lanka’s assistant coach, told Cricinfo last month. “He has such belief in his own ability and is very strong-minded, and sometimes that’s his downfall.””I am ready to do anything in international cricket, be it keeping, batting, fielding, bowling,” Dilshan says. “I am enjoying doing whatever the captains or selectors ask. I am ready to deliver anything.”One of those can be a move up the order in Tests too. But he has to wait, for such a move cannot be possible with him having to keep wicket on a more regular basis.The move to have Dilshan keeping in Tests has to be a temporary one, because it is too big a gamble. A specialist is always the better option. Twenty five byes is way too many on a good pitch, but Sri Lanka feel what the allrounder Mathews brought in (on debut) meant more than that. A dropped catch or a missed stumping might make them change their mind, and Dilshan is hell bent on not letting that moment arrive. Still somewhere down the line, they will have to find a solution. Until such time, with the man who can do anything behind the stumps, nobody is complaining.

Glasgow Rangers are back in action this evening as they travel away from Ibrox to face fifth-placed Dundee under the light in the Scottish Premiership.

The Light Blues head into this match five points off their rivals at the top of the division and could cut down that gap if Celtic fail to pick up all three points in their game.

Philippe Clement has won both of his first two league matches in charge of the club – against Hibernian and Hearts – and the latest of those wins came at Ibrox against Steven Naismith's side on Sunday.

Lawrence Shankland scored the opening goal with a fine header after five minutes but two goals in stoppage time from James Tavernier and Danilo secured all three points.

The Brazilian striker's goal won the match for the Scottish giants and Clement must now unleash him from the start against Dundee this evening, in place of Cyriel Dessers.

Dessers' performance against Hearts in numbers

If a performance ever typified a player's season it was this one from the Nigeria international as he struggled in and out of possession throughout the first half.

Dessers played the opening 45 minutes before being hauled off by the Belgian head coach, who had seemingly seen all that he needed to from him.

The experienced marksman did not win a single duel for the team and only completed six passes in total, to go along with one 'big chance' missed from his two efforts on goal over the course of that 45 minutes.

It summed up his struggles this term as the 28-year-old flop has lost 71% of his duels and missed nine 'big chances' in ten Premiership outings so far this season, to go along with two goals.

He has, quite simply, not offered enough on or off the ball and should be ditched from the starting XI against Dundee this evening so that Danilo can be unleashed.

Danilo's performance against Hearts in numbers

The summer signing from Feyenoord replaced Dessers at half-time and produced an impressive display in the second half that was capped off with his winning goal.

He won four of his eight duels on the pitch and this shows that the talented whiz was able to put himself about and compete to win physical battles for the team, in a way that the man who started was unable to.

Danilo also created one chance for his side, from nine passes completed, and rose well to meet Tavernier's cross to head in the winner in stoppage time.

The 5 foot 9 ace, who was hailed as an “amazing instinctive finisher” by analyst and Eredivisie expert Melvin Dupper, has scored three goals in two Premiership starts and seven appearances in total for the Gers.

He has also won 41% of his duels, in comparison to Dessers' aforementioned 29%, and this suggests that the gem could provide more physicality in the number nine position.

Therefore, Clement must finally unleash Danilo, who is yet to start under the new boss, and move the Nigerian striker aside for tonight's game to give Rangers a greater goal threat at the top end of the pitch.

Pundit Frank McAvennie has U-turned over a "wonderful" West Ham United player, after originally calling his signing a "stupid" one by manager David Moyes.

West Ham fixtures and results

The east Londoners, over a mixed start to this new Premier League season, have sealed impressive results against the likes of in-form Brighton and big-spending Chelsea but appeared to fall by the wayside in their most recent domestic encounter against Aston Villa. Moyes' 4-1 defeat away to Unai Emery attracted real criticism, especially given the hapless nature of West Ham's defending at times.

Overall, West Ham have won four, lost three and drawn two in the league. However, they've only reigned victorious once in their last five games domestically. That is a record Moyes will be keen to rectify and very quickly, as he seeks to build upon the club's historic Europa Conference League triumph at the back end of last term.

That being said, there are certain members of the Hammers starting eleven which have stood out as real success stories so far. Jarrod Bowen, who recently signed a new contract at West Ham, has been absolutely excellent alongside summer signing James Ward-Prowse. The latter has been called one of the bargains of the summer, with Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards praising the "amazing" midfielder recently:

“I’ve banged on about Ward-Prowse now for so long and nobody was taking me seriously," said the Sky pundit.

"I was literally saying, he’s in a struggling team that don’t have a style of play and once he goes somewhere where he can express himself more, he’s got more than just taking free-kicks. He’s a comfortable footballer.

“When he’s played for England he’s not really took his chance so everyone sort of questions is he good enough for the highest level. But he is. He’s an amazing player."

There's also been praise for Lucas Paqueta by McAvennie, but the former West Ham striker has now moved to admit he was very wrong about one player who hasn't even started that many games for Moyes this season.

McAvennie U-turns over "wonderful" Benrahma

Irons midfielder Said Benrahma, who's made seven league appearances for West Ham, but mostly off the bench, possesses just one assist to show for his efforts so far this season. The Algeria international, signed from Brentford in 2020, has racked up over 140 appearances all competitions over his spell at the London Stadium, scoring more than 20 goals and bagging nearly as many assists.

A tricky dribbler, the ex-Brentford star can be easy on the eye when at his very best, with McAvennie praising Benrahma for his contribution overall – admitting he was wrong to call his signing "stupid".

“At the time I thought it was stupid because there was a young player everyone was raving about in the exact same position, and they sold him and brought in Benrahma and I’m thinking really," said the pundit to West Ham Zone.

“But he proved me wrong, he’s a great talent, a wonderful, wonderful talent. So it just shows you David Moyes knows what he’s doing.”

The series is lost but Ravi Shastri is not “throwing the towel in” yet, and neither are the Indian team. Shastri has singled out his batsmen for not being as mentally strong as they could have been, giving away the advantage to England in situations they should have capitalised on, but despite England holding a series-winning 3-1 lead with only the fifth Test to play, India’s coach believes his team will compete hard in the match at the Oval that starts on Friday, and rectify mistakes made in the first four Tests.The five-Test series got off to an exhilarating start after England held their nerve on the fifth morning at Edgbaston to win by 31 runs. England then obliterated India at Lord’s in a matter of a few sessions. India bounced back collectively to hurt England at Trent Bridge and keep the series alive.In Southampton India had England reeling at 86 for 6 on day one. Still, stunningly, it was India who were left bruised in the end as Sam Curran played another belligerent knock to wrest back control, just as he had done at Edgbaston in the second innings when England were stuttering at 87 for 7. India’s five-man bowling attack failed to stop Curran both times, and paid the price.On the third day, England were in trouble once again and lost quick wickets either side of the lunch break to slip to 92 for 4, but their lower order resisted admirably and hit back to raise a big lead on a worn pitch. India had no answer to Moeen Ali, who kept pitching the ball in the footmarks and getting it to turn and bounce sharply. It was something India’s lead spinner R Ashwin failed to do, which Shastri said was the difference between the sides.But Shastri was still not giving up. “The fact of the matter is that you had a chance,” Shastri said after India’s training on Wednesday. “The scoreline says 3-1 which means India have lost the series. What the scoreline doesn’t say is India could have been 3-1 or 2-2. And my team knows it. They would have hurt, and rightly so, after the last game. But this is a team that will not throw in the towel. It will compete. It will come out there to compete and not look to be on the first flight home, rest assured.”After losing the series in Southampton, India captain Virat Kohli was blunt in his appraisal, saying his team could not be satisfied just with competing, and had to learn how to cross the line. Shastri reiterated that sentiment. “We have run teams close overseas, we have competed. But now it is not about just competing. We have got to complete games from here. And the endeavour is to learn, understand where you made the mistakes, take it head on and try and correct.”Virat Kohli chats with Ravi Shastri•Getty Images

Shastri said India were on top and looking to take a sizeable lead when Cheteshwar Pujara played a ” (a Mumbai cricket term loosely equivalent to bloody-minded)” innings to notch his first century of this tour. But the rest of the batting did not show the same resolve. “It is being aware of being in a good position and then capitalising and not doing something silly to open the door for the opposition. I thought at 180 for 4 there was a definite chance of a 75-80 run lead, and that would have been crucial. So that hurts.”Shastri felt the Southampton defeat would hurt more than the one at Edgbaston because India were in charge of the fourth Test at different points. “At Edgbaston, it could have gone either way. We had our share of luck as well because at one time England were in the driver’s seat. We managed to come back. We were chasing the game there all the time. But here, this would hurt more because you were ahead of them. And there was a stage you could have been really ahead of game after the job the bowlers did on day one.”At the start of this series, Shastri had told ESPNcricinfo that Kohli’s team had the “potential” to be one of the best travelling sides. He said he was making that statement based on India’s spirited performance in the 2-1 series defeat this January in South Africa, where India won the final Test in Johannesburg and were in contention in the first two Tests too, in Cape Town and Centurion.Not everyone is convinced India are improving as a travelling unit overseas though. Speaking to , former India opener Virender Sehwag said India had learned the art of winning overseas under Sourav Ganguly. Back then, India were a stronger batting unit with bowlers who couldn’t consistently take 20 wickets, and Sehwag felt it was the other way round now, with India having a strong bowling unit but a weaker batting group. “Best travelling teams are made by performances on the ground and not by sitting in the dressing rooms and talking about it. One can talk whatever they want to talk about but unless the bat does the talking, they can never become the best travelling team,” Sehwag said.Shastri still maintained India could win overseas. He pointed out that India had won three series and nine Tests overseas since 2015. Incidentally, Anil Kumble was India’s coach for one of those series, against West Indies in 2016, which India won 2-0. Shastri was in his first stint with the team during the 2-1 win on the 2015 tour of Sri Lanka. In Shastri’s second stint, India have won one series overseas, in Sri Lanka (2017), and five Tests.”If you look at the last three years, we won nine matches overseas and three series. I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years who had that kind of run in such a short period and you have some great players in those teams.” Shastri said. “So the promise is there. It is just [about] getting tougher mentally. You have got to hurt when you lose such matches, but that is when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers to combat such situations again and get past the finishing line. One day you will, as long as you believe.”

Rohit Sharma struck an unbeaten hundred and Hardik Pandya then finished the chase, to follow 4 for 38 with the ball

The Report by Sidharth Monga08-Jul-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA long tour of England can bring contingencies, and India responded gloriously to the first of those to maintain their clean sheet in T20I bilateral series of three matches. Central to India’s win was a man who might yet have to play a big part in the rest of the summer: allrounder Hardik Pandya stepped up with India missing two of their first-choice quicks to injury and dropping Kuldeep Yadav, who had taken five wickets two matches ago, because of the small straight boundaries.Pandya bowled smartly, not giving England anything to drive and changing his pace often in his personal best analysis of 4 for 38, reducing a marauding England batting to 198 when they had looked good for 225. He was there with centurion Rohit Sharma when India needed to pull themselves out of a brief slowdown when the 15th and 16th over produced seven runs and the wicket of Virat Kohli. Pandya’s 33 off 14 took off any pressure that might have been on his Mumbai Indians’ team-mate as India chased the target down with more than an over to spare.Rohit Sharma lifts one over covers•Getty Images

Selection debateThere was consternation from certain quarters when Kuldeep was left out for debutant swing bowler Deepak Chahar. The pitch looked green, and the straight boundaries were short. India reasoned they wanted a team for the day and not based on history. A few experts said you pick your best bowlers no matter the conditions. To add to India’s woes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a stiff back. Jasprit Bumrah was already ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the tour. This is an Indian side confident of taking a punt and going along with it. Their confidence was about to be tested.England get stuck into inexperienced attackThe pace of the three right-arm quicks posed Jos Buttler and Jason Roy no challenge. The Powerplay of 73 for 0 was the best in T20Is in England, and the home side’s second-best effort anywhere. In a knock that didn’t even last half of England’s innings, Roy equalled the England record for most sixes: seven. Pandya was among those taken apart, for 22 in his first over, his most expensive over in T20Is.Two wickets fell in the next seven overs but the runs kept coming. That Yuzvendra Chahal bowled four overs for just 30 when the going rate was higher than 10 might have raised doubts in the Indian minds. They were looking at seven overs of quick bowling with no swing available and small boundaries to defend with 132 already on the board.Pandya strikes, and keeps strikingPandya, who had come back with a two-run second over, showed he had learned from his mistake early on. He wasn’t bowling as short as he had done earlier but still didn’t give England the length to drive or to slog. He rolled his fingers on the ball to good effect, too. Eoin Morgan top-edged a slog, was dropped, but repeated it next ball for MS Dhoni to take one of his world-record five catches in the innings. Alex Hales looked to late-cut him and got the top edge. Pandya came back in the 18th over to thwart another surge from England, this time taking out Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. That England fell 25 short was down entirely to these wickets.Rohit exits a slumpComing into this match, Rohit had averaged 26.08 at a strike rate of 104.1 in all T20 cricket since February 17 this year. Those were surprising numbers for a batsman of his ability in limited-overs cricket, which is probably why not many questioned his place in a line-up overflowing with batting talent. Rohit showed why by dismantling the England bowling with 11 fours and five sixes. Most of the big hitting was done down the ground because of the boundaries but when England went short, he was equal to it with his pulls. For support he had KL Rahul during a 41-run second-wicket stand and Kohli in an 81-run association for the third wicket.How ineffective the bowling, how short England were of a par score, was all evident in how all the three wickets fell to exceptional catches. the pick of the lot was the third one as Chris Jordan hung on a Kohli shot drilled back at him in his follow-through. That wicket and the consequent quiet, with Pandya promoted ahead of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, left India 44 to get in four overs.Pandya, Rohit end itJust then, though, Pandya hit the first two balls of the 17th over for fours, and India were back on track. Rohit duly reached his hundred, and Pandya provided the exclamation mark with a six off the fourth ball of the 19th over.

Arsenal have been linked with a surprising move for struggling Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk in the summer.

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Mudryk originally wanted by ArsenalSigned for Chelsea but has struggledGunners interested alongside JuventusWHAT HAPPENED?

The Ukraine international was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2022 for a staggering fee worth up to £89 million ($113m) including add-ons. Thus far Mudryk has come nowhere near living up to that price tag, with his most impressive showings arguably coming on his debut against Liverpool and during pre-season this term. Despite an underwhelming start to his Chelsea career, Arsenal are reportedly interested in bringing him to north London, according to Spanish outlet .

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The report notes that Chelsea will listen to offers for the 22-year-old winger, with a primary objective being a loan transfer to build up his development. However, the Blues could be interested in a permanent sale, where Arsenal and Serie A giants Juventus are listed as potential suitors. That said, Chelsea would look to recoup a significant portion of that £89m investment which, as the report acknowledges, would be difficult given Mudryk's recent performances.

DID YOU KNOW?

Arsenal, of course, were once seen as the primary location for Mudryk before his eventual switch to Chelsea. Mikel Arteta is thought to be a big fan from his Shakhtar playing days and only neglected to sign him after being usurped by the Blues' mammoth offer at the 11th hour. Videos had even been circling of Mudryk praising Arteta and wearing an Arsenal shirt.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MUDRYK?

Chelsea may hope their north London counterparts do them a favour as they did when signing Kai Havertz for a staggering £65m ($82m) last summer, and pay over-the-odds for another struggling forward. However, that eventuality would require Mudryk to build on his sorry tally of four goals in 26 appearances this term.

Also, Shreyas Iyer or Deepak Hooda? Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel? A look at the questions India face ahead of the T20I series

Deivarayan Muthu28-Jul-2022Will Pant continue to open with Rohit?
Pant had opened the batting along with Rohit in India’s last two T20Is, scoring 1 and 26 in Nottingham and Birmingham respectively. India’s original plan for the West Indies T20Is was to reunite Rahul with Rohit at the top, but Rahul is still recovering from Covid-19 and will miss the T20I leg of the tour as well.