Everton have told Manchester United that they would take Chris Smalling on a permanent deal if they fail to land Marcos Rojo, according to TEAMtalk.
What’s the word?
The Merseyside outfit have brought in two signings so far this summer, but they have just three days left to bring in additional talent.
Richarlison has arrived from Watford to boost options on the wing, while Lucas Digne is expected to succeed Leighton Baines at left-back.
The centre-back positions have not been strengthened yet, despite the fact that Ashley Williams has left Goodison Park to join Stoke City on loan.
Now, it has been claimed by TEAMtalk that Everton have been in discussions with United over a potential deal.
The Toffees have targeted Rojo, but according to the report, they would be happy with either Smalling or Victor Lindelof.
Is Smalling a decent choice?
The England international, who failed to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup in Russia, has had his critics over the years.
He has been ridiculed from the terraces at Old Trafford, but on the flip side, he has been a reliable figure at the back for many years.
At this moment in time, though, the 28-year-old, who is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, is not quite up to the standard that United require to challenge for titles.
For Everton, though, Smalling could end up forming a strong partnership with Michael Keane.
Depending on price, the Toffees should sniff at the chance to sign the centre-back, who has a winning mentality having picked up five major trophies in his career, including two Premier League crowns.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
England managed to get the three points that they needed on Monday night when they faced World Cup qualifying opponents Slovakia on Wembley.The 2-1 victory means that Gareth Southgate’s men need just two more points with two games left to play in order to secure a place in next summer’s finals in Russia.The main talking point from the match, however, was not related to the skill shown on the pitch.Dele Alli made headlines after TV cameras caught him raising his middle finger, with some alleging that he was aiming the gesture at referee Clement Turpin.The Tottenham Hotspur star cleared up the confusion by explaining on Twitter that it was a “joke” between himself and England teammate Kyle Walker.
If the incident was recorded in the referee’s post-match report, then Alli could face punishment from FIFA.
Walker, though, decided to make light of the situation by getting his own back on the 21-year-old via social media.
The duo played alongside one another for two years before Walker joined Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are looking to raid Italian outfit Napoli for the services of Lorenzo Insigne and Faouzi Ghoulam, with scouts in attendance at the weekend- Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb has stated, with the reports now being picked-up by The Sun.
What’s the word?
Arsene Wenger’s future at Arsenal may remain up in the air but whatever happens, it’s clear that the Gunners need to strengthen their ranks this summer- and the North London outfit have already started work towards summer signings.
Scouts were in attendance on Friday night as Napoli surprisingly lost at home to Atalanta, with forward Lorenzo Insigne and full-back Faouzi Ghoulam once again the focus- both of whom being summer targets for Arsenal.
Insigne would bolster Arsenal’s attack and shine on the left-side, potentially as a successor to Alexis Sanchez, whereas Ghoulam would excel at full-back in place of Nacho Monreal- and there’s real reason to get excited.
How much would they cost?
This is where the difficulty lies for Arsenal as Napoli are reluctant to sell either player, with the club determined to keep Insigne in particular- as the wide-man has netted nine goals and chipped-in with six assists this season.
The Stadio San Paolo outfit would consider a sale for a figure of around £44m though, which would see Arsenal set a club-record and surpass the £42.5m they paid Real Madrid for Mesut Ozil in 2013. With Insigne being 25 though, there’s plenty of years for him to prove his worth.
Arsenal’s biggest challenge in the hunt for Ghoulam, meanwhile, could come from across London as Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are also reported to be interested in the Algerian- a 26-year-old who has shone in Italian football since his arrival from St Etienne in 2014.
For the pair, Arsenal would have to spend heavily but the Gunners have shown they’re not reluctant to do exactly that, having splashed the cash to bring Granit Xhaka and Lucas Perez in next summer, amongst others.
The Armchair Fan has had a tough week. The international break is its own novel form of torture.
Luckily this week is easier to deal with than last. Last week AF was forced to go outside and make plans with real life people.
But social life is overrated. And this week AF will be back in front of the TV with some premium snacks and a couple of beers to wash them down.
There’s a small helping of international football left, before the build up to top flight football all over Europe this weekend, including club football’s greatest show and some classic Premier League fixtures to go alongside your Clásico. What a time to be alive.
Tuesday
The final day of the international break is music to all of our ears, but tonight sees actual good football return to our screens. After England’s heroics in Berlin at the weekend, the conquering heroes march triumphantly into Wembley where all of that flattery over the weekend will turn to deception as they lose disappointingly at home to the Netherlands, who didn’t even manage to qualify for the tournament. Talk about back to Earth with a bang.
Although AF wonders whether if England were to be defeated, would it be such a bad thing? Two victories over Germany and the Netherlands in friendlies at a time when all eyes are firmly focused on club football and the season run-in does not a tournament-winning team make. Maybe it’s the media, the fans and the whole country who should keep their feet firmly on solid ground.
Elsewhere, if England isn’t your thing, Scotland face Denmark where, rather than watch the football, two sets of fans can console each other over missing out on a tournament with the easiest qualification process in history. That’ll surely involve beer. And world champions Germany face Italy in another of world football’s most iconic matches.
You can watch:
England 0-2 Netherlands – 8:00pm – ITV 1
Germany 2-1 Italy – 7:45pm – BT Sport Europe
Scotland 0-0 Denmark – 7:45pm – Sky Sports 1
Wednesday
Football – England v Sweden – Women’s International Friendly – Victoria Park, Hartlepool – 3/8/14England’s Jordan Nobbs applauds the fans at the end of the gameMandatory Credit: Action Images / John CliftonEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Wednesday is where the week starts to get tough if your life revolves around football. Usually we have the Champions League or even a helping of League Cup nectar to keep us from having to make real plans with real people. This week, if you want to relax in front of the TV, maybe you should be looking to download that documentary on Maradona.
If you do decide to watch football on TV, you’ll have a choice between the Women’s Champions League quarter final between Frankfurt and Rosengard or a midtable League One clash between Southend United and Sheffield United.
Frankfurt are defending champions of the Women’s Champions League, so if you’re new to continental women’s football, then a quarter final involving the defending champions looks like a good place to start. It does, at least, seem infinitely better than watching a battle between two teams who both feel like they have a shot at the League One playoffs, but really really don’t….
You can watch…
Frankfurt 1-0 FC Rosengard – 5:00pm – British Eurosport 2
Southend United 0-1 Sheffield United – 7.45pm – Sky Sports 1
Friday
It’s back!! Top quality club football is back. Sort of. Friday night in front of the TV plans are sorted as Germany, France, and er, the Championship come to AF’s rescue. Just as we were all beginning to think that football had completely stopped holding any interest for anyone.
Friday night is a good one to ease you back into club football. Kick back, crack open a bottle of Germany’s finest wheat beer and watch the battle for Germany’s Champions League places recommence.
Admittedly, though, Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg both look like they need snookers in order to qualify for next season’s tournament – Wolfsburg especially – but the winner of this Friday night feast will gain some confidence. It’s a crucial game, though most must-not-lose more than must-win.
If Germany – or wheat beer – doesn’t interest you, then grab a bottle of the finest Merlot that creepy Persian corner shop across the road has to offer and sit down to watch Monaco shore up a Champions League place and Bordeaux nervously look over their shoulders.
You can watch…
Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Wolfsburg – 7:30pm – ESPN
Monaco 2-0 Bordeaux – 7.30pm – BT Sport 2
QPR 0-3 Middlesbrough – 7.45pm – BT Sport 1
Saturday
Here’s where it gets interesting again. It’s true that we’ll take almost anything at this point, however. Anything that doesn’t involve meaningless friendlies or disinterested lower league players fighting midtable battles, but Saturday night is a special one. Yes club football returns with a vengeance with – probably a meaningless given the table – El Classico!
First, though, Saturday kicks off with Chelsea’s last league visit to Villa Park for quite some time in a battle to find out just who the most disappointing of the season really is. Chelsea are on the up, even if all they have to play for is a push for Europa League football next season. Villa are on the down in almost every conceivable way.
The late Premier League fixture sees Tottenham travel to Liverpool in a battle of attrition between two of the most relentless teams in the league, but this time it’s a pressure game for Spurs. A win for Spurs, however, would transfer all that pressure onto Leicester before their game on Sunday.
If the Premier League isn’t your thing, however, you can get your fill of Scottish Premier League action as Celtic face Hearts in the afternoon or Borussia Dortmund take on Werder Bremen instead of the late English game.
But then it’s the big one: El Clasico, live from the Nou Camp! If you only watch one match on Saturday, make sure it’s this one. Barcelona look to have the title almost sewn up, barring a stunning collapse by one of the best teams ever assembled. But if nothing else, Real Madrid will want to knock the reigning champions down a peg. Expect needle and top quality football, something the international friendlies will simply never provide.
You can watch…
Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea – 12.45pm – BT Sport 1
Las Palmas 4-0 Gary Neville’s Valencia – 5.15pm – Sky Sports 5
Liverpool 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur – 5.30pm – Sky Sports 1
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Werder Bremen – 5.30pm – BT Sport Europe
BARCELONA 6-6 REAL MADRID – 7.30pm – Sky Sports 2
Sunday
After the excitement of a hopefully-pulsating Clasico, Sunday gets underway very early. What better way to nurse that hangover than by gearing up for your roast and extra gravy with some early continental football.
Napoli look to keep up their title charge with a trip to Friuli to face Udinese in the morning, before Leicester continue their inexorable march towards their first ever Premier League title by beating Southampton, followed by the Marouane Fellaini derby between Manchester United and Everton – a classic Premier League fixture, but one that’s probably seen better days.
But if the theatrics of the Premier League interest you, then you can get your fix of maliciousness and anger in the Rome derby between Lazio and Roma instead. Then wash that down with your choice of Champions League chasing continental teams try to keep their hopes of hearing that anthem next season alive: Lyon, Sevilla and Inter Milan are all in action on Sunday night, so choose your league, relax in front of the TV with a chicken sandwich and thank God for the return of club football.
You can watch…
Udinese 0-2 Napoli – 11.30am – BT Sport Europe
Leicester City 1-0 Southampton – 1.30pm – Sky Sports 1
From Christian Pulisic to Walker Zimmerman, here are the top-12 U.S. men's national team players in EA FC 24.
The creators of EA Sports FC 24 will be hoping the new game will take the football world by storm, when the it is released in September. The latest version of the game promises to produce new features along with the likes of Career Mode and Ultimate Team that made FIFA so beloved.
Buy EA Sports FC 24 on Amazon USPre-order nowBuy EA Sports FC 24 on Amazon UKPre-order now
From Christian Pulisic to Walker Zimmerman, USMNT fans are in for a treat as they prepare themselves to play with their favorite superstars. Soccer fans will be able to access their favorite players with several getting an upgrade in their ratings. With the game revealing the final ratings for all the players, GOAL sheds light on which USMNT players have the highest ratings in the game.
Getty
Christian Pulisic | AC Milan | 79
PAC
84
SHO
71
PAS
73
DRI
84
DEF
37
PHY
55
The newest American star in Italy comes as the highest-rated USMNT winger this year, with 84 pace and 84 dribbling.
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Getty
Folarin Balogun | Monaco | 79
PAC
80
SHO
79
PAS
62
DRI
77
DEF
23
PHY
69
Balogun joins Pulisic as a 79-rated item, highlighted by 80 pace and 79 shooting.
Getty Images
Tyler Adams | Bournemouth | 78
PAC
78
SHO
48
PAS
67
DRI
72
DEF
77
PHY
77
After joining Bournemouth in the summer, Adams sees himself earn a 78 overall card with 78 pace and 77 defending and physical.
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Getty
Gio Reyna | Borussia Dortmund | 78
PAC
77
SHO
73
PAS
74
DRI
82
DEF
37
PHY
70
Reyna has a cheeky 82 dribbling accompanied by four-star skill moves this year.
Kylian Mbappe lauded Lionel Messi as "the best in history" and insisted he "deserved" the 2023 Ballon d’Or after his World Cup heroics with Argentina.
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Mbappe backed Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or winLabelled him as "the best" in history Mutual respect evident despite competitive rivalry WHAT HAPPENED?
The Argentine superstar bagged his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or in Paris two weeks ago after guiding his nation to the 2022 World Cup podium in Qatar. There has been considerable debate over Messi bagging the prestigious individual accolade over Erling Haaland who was on a record-breaking goal-scoring spree with Manchester City and even propelled them to a historic treble. However, Mbappe threw his weight behind Messi and asserted that winning a World Cup makes the difference irrespective of Haaland's achievements with City.
AdvertisementWHAT MBAPPE SAID
Speaking to reporters, Mbappe opined, "As I said, I am not someone that is afraid. I have no problem, the ranking is what it is. Messi deserves it. When Messi wins the World Cup, Messi has to win the Ballon d'Or. He's one of the best players in history, if not the best.
"(Erling) Haaland had a great season, me too… but next to winning a World Cup, it doesn't weigh much. On the night of 18th December I knew that I had lost World Cup… and Ballon d’Or too. Leo deserved it.”
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, while Messi scored a brace, to pull back France to level terms from a 2-0 deficit against the Albiceleste. However, Emiliano Martinez's heroics in the penalty shootout broke French hearts and denied Mbappe from winning two successive global crowns.
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WHAT NEXT FOR KYLIAN MBAPPE AND LIONEL MESSI?
Mbappe's admiration for Messi goes beyond competition, revealing a deep respect for the Argentine's career. Despite being direct rivals for prestigious awards, the camaraderie developed during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain is evident.
Both the superstars are currently with their respective national teams. While Mbappe will be in action against Gibraltar on Friday in a Euro 2024 qualifier, Messi will take the pitch against bitter rivals Brazil on Tuesday in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Steven Smith’s men persisted through New Zealand’s resistance and ended day four of the Christchurch Test a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory and the No. 1 Test ranking
The Report by Daniel Brettig22-Feb-2016 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJackson Bird claimed a maiden Test five-for in New Zealand’s second innings•Getty Images
New Zealand delayed, annoyed and even frustrated Australia into some of the ugliest scenes of the summer. Yet Steven Smith’s men persisted through it all, and by day’s end were a mere 131 runs away from claiming victory in Christchurch and the No. 1 Test ranking.For all the hosts’ fighting qualities, whether it was Kane Williamson’s dogged 97, Corey Anderson’s self-denial or the common sense rearguard of BJ Watling and Matt Henry, Australia always stayed ahead of the game. For this they can thank Jackson Bird, who summoned his first five-wicket haul in Tests, and also the support of James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh.While David Warner nibbled down the leg side to complete the most underwhelming Test series of his career, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja fought through to the close against another round of short balls from Neil Wagner.At one point, slip was the only man on the off side, making Wagner’s attack obvious. But the second-wicket stand came closest to being broken when Khawaja nearly edged an attempted drive onto the stumps in Anderson’s final over of the day.Australia’s efforts in the field had been obvious, and often near the edge of exasperation. Tempers had simmered during a long stand between Williamson and Anderson, before Bird struck once with the old ball then twice with the new to take the visitors closer to a fourth-innings chase. But Watling and Henry played with good sense to add 118 and ensure New Zealand have something to defend.Pattinson and Hazlewood again bowled with pace, direction and reverse swing in the first hour and went exceptionally close to dismissing both batsmen more than once. Hazlewood’s last appeal – and Australia’s last referral – moments before lunch drew another denial and considerable frustration from Smith’s men.There was self-recrimination, too, when Marsh dropped Anderson at the gully, and the tourists went to the interval clearly angry at not being able to dislodge the overnight pair. They were more patient when faced by Watling and Henry, eventually rewarded when Pattinson had Watling caught on the leg side and Henry was bowled by Bird.Old-ball swing had been key to Australia claiming four wickets on the third evening, and it was again evident as Pattinson and Hazlewood resumed their barrage. Williamson and then Anderson were both subjects of concerted lbw appeals, but on each occasion DRS replays showed contact with the bat first.Anderson’s escape was queried by the Australians, but was quickly followed by a ball angled across and a sliced drive that burst through Marsh’s hands. By the standard set in this match, including Marsh’s own unrewarded catch off a no-ball on day one, it was a bad miss.Further close calls followed: Williamson edged Hazlewood the merest fraction short of Peter Nevill’s gloves, and right on lunch the bowler appeared to strike New Zealand’s No. 3 in front with a swinging yorker from around the wicket.The Australians appealed vehemently and reviewed instantly, but HotSpot replays picked up the faintest inside edge from Williamson before the ball struck his pad, leaving Smith’s men to angrily confront the on-field umpire and express their surprise.Through all this Williamson and Anderson remained, giving New Zealand something of a foothold in the match against increasingly feverish opponents. They remained unhappy until Bird coaxed Anderson into dragging on in the 79th over of the innings, a wicket that opened up an end for the second new ball.Williamson was on 97 when a hint of seam movement with the fresh ball resulted in an edge onto the stumps and, in the same over, Tim Southee snicked to Smith in the slips. Australia sensed they were close to sealing the match, but Watling and Henry had other ideas.Unfussy but positive, they worked the ball around with calculated moments of aggression to build the lead, not offering a chance in the process. By the interval their union was New Zealand’s best for the eighth wicket in a decade, once more leaving Smith to ponder his options.Pattinson tightened up Watling after the break and was rewarded when he flicked the lowest of catches to Joe Burns in front of square leg. Bird found a way through Henry and Trent Boult offered up a skier to give the adopted Tasmanian a Test five-for – vindication of the selectors’ decision to recall him for the first time in three years.A target of 201 was tricky, but Warner and Burns began briskly, quickly whittling down the equation and easing any nerves. Though Warner fell to Wagner, Khawaja was rapidly into his stride, while Burns batted as if to continue his first innings. New Zealand now have only the faintest hope, Australia both eyes on the Test Championship Mace.
سلطت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية الضوء على فوز الأهلي المصري ضد الاتحاد السعودي، في نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية مساء اليوم.
كان الأهلي قد فاز على اتحاد جدة، مساء اليوم، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف في إطار منافسات ربع نهائي البطولة المُقامة حاليًا في المملكة العربية السعودية.
ويخوض الأهلي مباراة نصف نهائي البطولة ضد فلومينينسي البرازيلي، مساء يوم الإثنين المقبل (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).
وكتبت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “فاز الأهلي ضد اتحاد بنزيما في كأس العالم للأندية، كان التوتر في الملعب موجودًا منذ البداية، عرف الفريقان ما يجب أن يفعلاه، وما لا يمكن أن يفشلا فيه، ولهذا السبب تألق الفريقان في البداية حيث كان اللقاء متكافئًا للغاية، لكن في النهاية تمكن الأهلي بسعادة حماسه من الحصول على تذكرة التأهل إلى نصف النهائي”.
وأضافت: “في الدقائق القليلة الأولى، كان لدى الفريقين عدة فرص للتسجيل، ولكن لم يتمكن أحد من هز الشباك، قبل أن يتم استدعاء الحكم من قِبل تقنية الفيديو في الدقيقة 21 لوجود لمسة يد ضد لاعب الاتحاد، وأخيرًا اُحتسبت ركلة الجزاء لصالح الأهلي، ونفذ علي معلول ركلة جزاء من مسافة أمتار قليلة ليتقدم فريقه”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. فلومينينسي يوجه رسالة قوية إلى الأهلي قبل صدام نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية
وواصلت: “وسعى الاتحاد للتعادل لكنه لم يتمكن من الجمع الجيد بين لاعبيه، وفي الأنفاس الأخيرة من الشوط الأول، أتيحت الفرصة لبنزيما لإدراك التعادل من ركلة جزاء، لكن الشناوي تصدى”.
وأردفت: “وخرج الفريق السعودي في بداية الشوط الثاني بكل قوة، وهو ما ظهر أمام الجميع، ولكن ذلك لم يدم إلا قليلًا، ففي الدقيقة 59 مرر كهربا كرة رائعة إلى حسين الشحات الذي وجه تسديدة قوية من على حدود المنطقة، مسجلًا هدفًا مميزًا”.
واختتمت: “وبعد دقائق قليلة، تألق كهربا مرة أخرى في لعبة مثيرة ساعدت إمام عاشور على تسجيل الهدف الثالث وحسب المباراة، خلال هذا الوقت، قام بنزيما بالمحاولة وسجل هدفًا، لكن الفرحة على أرض الملعب كانت حمراء عندما تأهل الأهلي إلى نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية 2024”.
Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, have recruited Azhar Mahmood and Johan Botha as replacements for the injured pair of James Neesham and Chris Lynn for this IPL season
Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2015Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, have recruited Azhar Mahmood and Johan Botha as replacements for the injured pair of James Neesham and Chris Lynn for this IPL season due to begin on April 8.Neesham, who failed to make New Zealand’s World Cup squad, has not regained match fitness after an unspecified injury. He had played four matches for Delhi Daredevils in 2014, was let go and later bought by Knight Riders for Rs 50 lakh during the auction in February.Lynn was ruled out for 10 weeks after a hamstring problem in the Sheffield Shield earlier this month. He equalled the record for the fastest fifty in the Big Bash League and finished ninth on the charts with 243 runs at a strike rate of 148.17. His first-class season had begun with a shoulder concern, but they were laid to rest during a double-century against Victoria in Brisbane. With form behind him, Lynn could have filled the vacancy left by Jacques Kallis, who retired from all forms of the game last year.Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders chief executive, admitted losing Lynn and Neesham was untimely, but was confident that Mahmood and Botha would excel.Mahmood’s vast experience – he has played 213 T20s – and knowledge of Indian conditions worked in his favour. He has played two seasons in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab – 2012 and 2013 – and made 382 runs at a strike-rate of 129.05. In 22 matches, he has also taken 29 wickets at an economy rate of 7.61.Botha, who played three seasons with Rajasthan Royals and then turned out for Daredevils in 2013, was picked by the coach Trevor Bayliss as cover for allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who will miss a part of the IPL due to national commitments since Bangladesh are scheduled to host Pakistan from April 15.Botha had an average BBL as a bowler, but as captain he led Adelaide Strikers into the semi-final. “He is the Shakib type of player,” Mysore said. “Whenever Shakib is unavailable Botha fits in in with similar skills.”Shakib is likely to play the first two matches at Eden Gardens – the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians on April 8 and three days later against Royal Challengers Bangalore. “He will play as many games as possible before and after the Pakistan tour,” Mysore said. “BCB has been most cooperative with us and keeping mind the Pakistan schedule he will be allowed to play to the extent possible.”
Daniel Vettori has revealed that his surprise call-up for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah came about after he was sounded out by the New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. Vettori was due to tour the UAE anyway, as part of the New Zealand A side who were playing a series of 50-over matches, and McCullum asked him if he would be ready to play a Test match if New Zealand needed a third spinner. Vettori, whose recent career has been beset by injuries, hadn’t played a Test since July 2012, and first-class cricket since December 2013.”It started with a text message from Brendon,” Vettori said, after New Zealand had wrapped up a series-levelling innings win in the third Test. “He obviously knew I was coming over with the A team to play in the one-dayers before the ODI series here, sort of talked about the wickets, and possibly the need for three spinners and sort of went from there.”The form and fitness has been going really well and I played a warm-up game against UAE and [was] drafted into the squad and very happy to be here.”Vettori said he took his time over saying yes to the team management’s call, with a longer-term aim of keeping himself fit for the 2015 World Cup in mind.”Yeah, it did [require some thinking],” Vettori said. “I would have been remiss if I hadn’t thought about the big picture around the World Cup, and the workload was always questionable.”But I spoke to [New Zealand ODI seamer] Kyle Mills about it and he said he’d do anything to play a Test match for New Zealand and I think that was the thing that tipped me over the edge and particularly knowing that my workload would be relatively small, to come into a New Zealand team that has been doing so well and led so well, it was actually exciting to come into the side.”Daniel Vettori picked up a wicket in each innings in New Zealand’s series-levelling win in Sharjah•AFP
Vettori said the injuries he had suffered over the last few years had convinced him he would never play Test cricket again, but didn’t feel the need to announce his retirement.”I’d had a lot of injuries over the last couple of years, particularly my Achilles and it hadn’t allowed me to run, really, and it affected my fitness and I hadn’t played a lot of cricket,” Vettori said. “I think in my mind there wasn’t any more Test cricket in the future, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to retire when I had been out of the team so long, and it was probably easier to just disappear, but this opportunity over the last few days has been special.”Vettori said it was unlikely he would play any more Test cricket, but felt it wasn’t the time for him to be announcing his retirement, considering the mood around international cricket following the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.”I don’t think I’ll leave the door open, but in the current environment it’s not appropriate to speak of those things,” Vettori said. “I just want to relax and enjoy this win and get ready for the one-day series.”Hughes’ death left a pall of gloom over the Test match, and both sides struggled with their emotions while they played it. Vettori said it had been particularly hard for some of the New Zealand players who had played cricket with Hughes and knew him very well.”It’s been a very hard Test match to play and we’re lucky that we’ve had Brendon and [coach] Mike Hesson and Mike Sandle, our manager, to lead us and really help the guys get through it, because a lot of guys knew Phillip very well and we felt like he was one of us, and we mourned him as a teammate.”Vettori led the New Zealand side out on the first morning of the Sharjah Test, and he said he felt proud of the moment but also a “little odd”.”I was very mindful of not hijacking the moment, because I think the fact that I had been out of Test cricket for so long and this team’s been doing so well, I mean I haven’t played a lot of cricket with some of the guys, and it felt a little odd, but the way Brendon spoke in the team meeting before the game and throughout the Test match made it feel like the right thing to do and something I’m very proud of.”Vettori came over to the UAE with no inkling that he was going to play a Test match, which meant that his beloved, battered Test cap had to make a separate journey to join him.”My wife couriered it over,” he said. “I was lucky that it made it here in time, it wouldn’t have felt quite right to play a Test match not in this cap. It’s seen a lot of games and a lot of good times and a lot of hard times, so it’s very special to me.”