All posts by h716a5.icu

After several weeks of deliberation, the USA Cricket Association is going ahead with plans to prepare a team for ICC WCL Division Three in Uganda

Peter Della Penna09-Sep-2014After several weeks of deliberation, the USA Cricket Association is going ahead with plans to prepare a team for ICC WCL Division Three in Uganda. The decision was reached at a meeting of the USACA board last week despite a formal vote not being taken on the matter.”The board discussed it and we agreed that we will prepare a team and have the team ready to go,” USACA board member Krish Prasad told ESPNcricinfo. “The only way the team would not be going from that meeting was that if the concerns of security, safety and health become a major issue, then we will not jeopardise our players. That was the understanding of the board.”Prasad acknowledged the board had taken into consideration that a number of players have expressed a desire not to go on tour. ESPNcricinfo reported last week that as many as six USA players might withdraw their availability for the tour, including the definite withdrawal of three first-choice players. However, he stated the majority of players are willing to go and if the ICC is going ahead with the tournament, then USACA will follow those plans.”If something goes out of hand or we find out that the situation warrants us to not send a team, then that’s the only reason we’ll pull the plug on it,” Prasad said. “The idea is now to get a team together and for those committed to go. Quite a few people are unwilling to go travel because of security and health issues which we could understand. If they’re not ready to go, then nobody will be forced to go but from what we’ve been hearing, most of the guys are willing to go.”USACA has been in contact with the ICC, addressed their concerns with tournament organisers and has received assurances that all aspects of safety, security and health issues have been looked into. USACA was also told that the ICC was in contact with the US Embassy in Kampala. Prasad stated that the situation would have changed if there was majority opposition from USA players to not go on the tour.”If a majority of players are reading and following the news because it’s for their concern, safety and security, if we get 18 guys and 12 of them tell us they’re not going because of these facts over safety issues… Americans are always on the target list,” Prasad said. “We have to be extra careful. If something like that comes up, then obviously we have no choice but to say we can’t go. We can’t take the responsibility of sending guys there beyond their wishes or ignore safety, security or health issues.”Following the conclusion of August’s USACA T20 National Championship in Florida, USACA was expected to name a group of 24 to 28 players to be invited to a selection camp in Fort Lauderdale this month where the yet to be named new USACA selection panel would choose a final group of 14. That announcement was delayed while discussions were taking place over whether or not to stick with plans to attend WCL Division Three in Uganda.USACA is now in a time crunch to conduct a camp before the deadline to submit a final squad to the ICC by Friday September 26, 30 days before the start of the tournament in Uganda. The latest USACA would conceivably be able to hold such a camp would be the weekend of September 19-21, but it is unclear if such a camp will be arranged at such short notice.

ESPNcricinfo tracks player movements before the start of India’s 2013-14 domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2013Ramesh Powar will play for Rajasthan for the next two domestic seasons•ESPNcricinfo LtdKB Pawan moves to Tripura
Karnataka’s KB Pawan has moved to Tripura for the season. Pawan was a regular opener for Karnataka but lost his place to KL Rahul last season. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman has played 44 first-class matches for Karnataka, scoring 2642 runs at an average of 37.21.Punjab’s Bipul Sharma moves to Himachal Pradesh
Allrounder Bipul Sharma, who was with Punjab until last season, will turn up for Himachal Pradesh in 2013-14. He made his debut for Punjab in 2005, and has played 14 first-class and 52 List A matches. He has five fifties, and a highest score of 93 in first-class cricket to go with 19 wickets at 41.63. The 30-year-old has also played one game for India A against Scotland in 2010.Karnataka’s Abhishek Bhat moves to Saurashtra
Abhishek Bhat, 24, will be among Saurashtra’s ranks this season. He has played club cricket in Karnataka, appearing in the Safi Darasha Tournament, but is yet to make his debut in first-class or List A formats.Gujarat’s Avi Barot moves to Haryana
Wicketkeeper-batsman Avi Barot has transferred from Gujarat to Haryana for this season. The 21-year-old cricketer, who has also represented India Under-19, made his debut for Gujarat in 2011 and has played four first-class matches so far, scoring 118 runs at an average of 19.66. In 12 List A games, Barot has scored 296 runs at an average of 24.66 with three fifties.Rajasthan’s Rashmi Parida moves to Vidarbha
Batsman Rashmi Parida has transferred from Rajasthan to Vidarbha for the 2013-14 season. Parida, 36, played 29 Ranji games for Rajasthan, scoring 1536 runs with two centuries. He was part of the team’s title victories in 2011 and 2012. Parida started his career with his native Orissa in 1994-95 before shifting to Assam for the 2008-09 season. He spent the next four seasons with Rajasthan.Himachal’s Bhavin Thakkar, Gujarat’s Bhavik Thaker move to Jharkhand
Middle-order batsman Bhavin Thakkar will play for Jharkhand in the 2013-14 season. Thakkar, 31, last played a first-class game in 2010, for Himachal Pradesh. He has played 37 first-class games in all, scoring 1924 runs at 35.62, with five tons and 10 fifties. Before Himachal, Thakkar had played for Mumbai. He changed teams, Thakkar told the , because getting a chance to play was most important to him: “You know Mumbai cricket. There is always someone good to replace you. It’s part of the job. You’ve got to accept it. Sometimes, the selectors feel someone else is doing a better job than you. I have no regrets. I played with pride for Mumbai, but playing this game is more important to me than anything else.”Gujarat’s Bhavik Thaker also moved to Jharkhand. The batsman, who made his first-class debut in 2003, was a part of the Gujarat squad for the Ranji trophy in the 2012-13 season, but didn’t get a game. His last first-class game for Gujarat was in December 2011, while his last List A game for his home state was in February 2012. In 55 first-class games, Thaker has 3000 runs at an average of 40 with six hundreds and 19 fifties.Sanjeev Sharma replaces Dahiya as Delhi coach
Sanjeev Sharma, the former India seamer, has replaced former keeper Vijay Dahiya as Delhi’s coach. A Delhi District Cricket Association official told Dahiya was sacked because of his IPL commitments. “He wasn’t available for the whole season,” the official said. “He is associated with Kolkata Knight Riders and during the second phase when we prapare for Vijay Hazare Trophy, he will be busy with Knight Riders camps. Now we don’t want somebody who can’t devote full attention towards Delhi cricket.” Sanjeev Sharma, who played two Tests and 23 ODIs, and 89 first-class games and 61 List A games in a career spanning two decades – 1983 to 2003 – was Delhi’s assistant coach previous to this.Ashok Malhotra Bengal’s new coach
Ashok Malhotra will take over as coach of the Bengal senior team for the 2013-14 season, replacing former India batsman WV Raman, who had cut his term short in July citing family reasons. Malhotra, a middle-order batsman, had played seven Tests and 20 ODIs between 1982 and 1986. He was prolific on the domestic scene for Bengal though, at one time the record holder for the most runs in the Ranji Trophy: 7274 at 52.49 with 18 hundreds. After retiring, Malhotra had a run as a Test selector. He will have a job on his hands turning around Bengal’s fortunes, as they had a poor 2012-13 season, winning only one Ranji game in eight and losing four to finish seventh out of nine teams in Group A.Ganguly on Bengal’s coaching committee
Sourav Ganguly has been named chairman of Bengal’s cricket coaching committee. The committee’s primary job will be to organise coaching camps in Bengal to develop the cricketers in the state. Ganguly was previously head of Bengal’s cricket development committee.Powar joins Rajasthan
Ramesh Powar, one of Mumbai’s leading spinners, has moved from the domestic powerhouse to two-time champions Rajasthan for the next two seasons. Powar, who played two Tests for India, failed to find a spot in Mumbai’s playing XI on consistent basis last season. He finished the season with five first-class games and took six wickets at an average of 82.16. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder who has been leading Rajasthan for three years, approached Powar and the offspinner agreed to take up the challenge of playing as a professional for Rajasthan.Sunderam appointed as Rajasthan coach
After succumbing to the pressure of entering the Ranji Trophy as defending champions for two successive seasons and finishing second from bottom in the group stage in 2012-13, the Rajasthan Cricket Association unveiled new plans to revive its team’s fortunes. One of the key decisions is Pradeep Sunderam’s appointment as head coach. Sunderam, a former Rajasthan pace bowler, has been instrumental in shaping young talent from Mumbai for well over a decade as the under-22 coach and bowling coach of the MCA academy. In the absence of a head coach, captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar and bowling coach Meyrick Pringle worked as the strategists’ team. Sunderam’s name was recommended by former India wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit, who had to resign from the post of RCA’s director of cricket last September following his appointment as the chairman of the national junior selection panel.WV Raman to coach Tamil NaduFormer India opener WV Raman will coach Tamil Nadu for the next two seasons, following a contract with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Raman, who was coach of the TN side between 2006 and 2010, recently stepped down from a three-year stint as coach of the Bengal team. “Quite obviously, when your home state wants you to come and help them out, you tend to lean towards it,” Raman told . “You are a part of the Association, you have played for the state for a long time and you now have the opportunity of ensuring that the team is put back on track. Most of the boys who should figure in the scheme of things going forward were under me in my first stint here. Things have since gone southwards. That is probably the biggest attraction for me – to try and get them up and going again, like in my previous stint.”<!– COMMENTED OUTHarmeet to play for Vidarbha
Harmeet Singh, the young left-arm spinner from Mumbai who was in the news after being questioned in the IPL spot-fixing probe, will play for Vidarbha in the forthcoming domestic season. After drawing praise from the likes of Ian Chappell during India’s triumphant Under-19 World Cup campaign last year, Harmeet played for Rest of India during the Irani Cup match in September 2012, and also played in the Challenger Trophy. However, he was not a part of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad during the season due to a finger injury and poor form. The Vidarbha Cricket Association approached Harmeet in July and the spinner grabbed the opportunity, aiming to play his first full season of domestic cricket.END OF COMMENT –>

Rapid half-centuries by Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar helped Knights seal a bonus-point win against Dolphins in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2013
ScorecardRapid half-centuries by Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar helped Knights seal a bonus-point win against Dolphins in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. Chasing a modest target of 132, Knights lost Loots Bosman in the first over, but Rossouw and Elgar put up an unbeaten 127-run stand and overhauled the target in the 16th over. Both batsmen stayed unbeaten on 61.Dolphins chose to bat first and scored 46 for the first wicket, but economical spells by Nicky Boje and Malusi Siboto kept the scoring in check. Khayelihle Zondo and Vaughn van Jaarsveld were the only two batsmen to get past 30 as the team was restricted to 131. Johan van der Wath picked up two wickets for 29.It was Dolphins fourth loss in the competition.

A tetchy Darren Sammy said West Indies’ batsmen did not take the responsibility to chase down a rather small target – 124 – against Afghanistan

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur27-Mar-2016It was Afghanistan’s first win in the Super 10s, it was their first win in any format against a Full Member side other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and they had done rather well to beat West Indies, but the West Indies captain was in no mood to praise his opponents. An uncharacteristically tetchy Darren Sammy instead said his team should have had the match in the bag, that they should have easily chased 124, and failed to do so only because none of their batsmen took the responsibility of anchoring the chase.”[I] don’t think it was difficult,” he said, when asked about the challenge of batting against Afghanistan’s spinners on a slow, grippy pitch. “At the end of the day, we just didn’t play smart enough. We backed ourselves. The games we have won, every match somebody took responsibility to bat through. Chris [Gayle] did it in the first game, [Andre] Fletcher did it in the second game, Marlon [Samuels] did it in the third.”This time nobody did it. Nobody took responsibility, just left it for the next man to come. Like I said to the guys tonight, we just leave this game here in Nagpur. It’s a new focus now, which is the semi-final which is the first step and we just have to be ready to face whoever it is in Mumbai.”In a closely fought match decided by a six-run margin, Afghanistan ran 11 twos, while West Indies only managed five. Sammy didn’t think this had been a key difference between the two sides in the game, and repeated his belief that West Indies should have won the game comfortably.”This ground is probably one of the biggest grounds in India,” he said. “Plenty [of] twos were on display, especially when you are trying to save the boundary. Batsmen, depending on how quickly the ball is coming to you, always [have] two on offer particularly if you run the first one hard. Yeah, look, at the end of the day, we were really happy chasing 124. We should have gotten it. We lost the game, they didn’t win it.”While disappointed that West Indies had lost, Sammy was happy they had won their first three games and to be among the final four teams left standing in the World T20.”They [Afghanistan] are a side we were supposed to beat, and we just didn’t do that today. But the main objective of the Super 10 was to qualify for the semis and that we did.”Fletcher retired hurt after the sixth over of West Indies’ innings, while batting on 10. He returned to the crease in the final over, with West Indies needing 10 off the last three balls, but looked in clear discomfort, hobbling the last run of his innings. Philip Spooner, the West Indies media manager, said he had injured his right hamstring.”We will assess him tomorrow early and a decision would be made,” he said. “At this stage, as you could see, he is struggling, but a full assessment will be made tomorrow.”

The BCB has vowed to pay local players their dues from the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League before the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays

Mohammad Isam29-Jul-2013Other decisions at the BCB ad-hoc committee’s meeting

Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League will now begin on September 3, and the players’ recruitment will take place on August 25. It is the fifth such date given by the BCB.

Umpire Nadir Shah’s mercy plea will only be considered after a year of his 10-year suspension is completed.

BCB will seek councillors’ names from all districts and clubs on August 12, and give them 10 days to select the councillors (who will vote to elect BCB directors). In the meantime, they will ask the National Sports Council to set up an election commission and begin the process to elect a BCB president.

Quick bowler Abul Hasan will be sent abroad to seek treatment for his back injury, pending a medical committee’s recommendation.

The BCB has vowed to pay local players their dues from the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League before the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. The decision was taken at a BCB ad-hoc committee meeting as several franchises have not yet completed payments to the players or the board, after the board conditionally terminated the contracts of some franchises.The BPL’s schedule for the next season is still unclear, and it may even be held before the end of the year if a slot is available in the domestic calendar.”Many of the domestic and foreign players are still unpaid, because the franchises didn’t make payments after the first 25% was cleared,” BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said. “The board has decided to pay 45-50% to the domestic players before Eid-ul-Fitr. According to the tripartite agreement, the board has to pay the players if the franchises fail to make payments.”Before BPL’s second season began, it was announced that player payments would be completed in three instalments. It has now changed to four instalments: the first being before the tournament started, the second during the tournament, the third within three months after the tournament and the last of which is on August 19, six months after the 2013 edition ended.The BCB’s role as guarantor has meant that it has to make payments when the franchises default, according to the three-way agreement between the BCB, players and the franchises. The players who have been paid 25% will receive a further 25%, while those who have already been paid 50%, will have to wait for the rest of the money.Those present in the press conference however could not clarify when the next stage of payment after the Eid one will be. “We will settle what we owe, and look into the future when the time comes,” Mahbubul Anam, another member of the BCB ad-hoc committee said. “We have to clear the due first, and the last payment is at the end of August.”The board is also hopeful that it can have a window for BPL-3 as early as December if the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League is completed by October. Their hope lies in the promise made by the Dhaka Premier League clubs who have apparently assured BCB chief Nazmul Hassan that they will play the league from September and continue to do so in October without the national players.”Since the Dhaka Premier League clubs have said they are willing to play without the national players, we can hold the league in October too,” Yunus said. “In that case we can hold the BPL after the two first-class tournaments – the National Cricket League and Bangladesh Cricket League.”

Rangana Herath tripped up Pakistan’s middle order and picked up his 20th five-wicket haul to put Sri Lanka on top

The Report by Devashish Fuloria15-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan scored at brisk pace but lost wickets at key moments•Associated PressThere is a reason why the SSC pitch is notorious for its reputation as the graveyard for bowlers. In the last five years and through the course of five matches, batsmen have collected 30 scores – 14 centuries and 16 fifties – of 50 or more in the innings. The pitch that was laid for this Test, Mahela Jayawardene’s last, was no different. However, 16 wickets went down and only three batsmen were able to put up significant runs in the first two days here.Whereas the failure of the Sri Lankan batting on the first day was triggered mostly by disciplined bowling from the Pakistan seamers, Pakistan found themselves in familiar strife due to a mix of some unlucky dismissals and a few inevitable rippers from Rangana Herath.After a confident start, led by a half-century from Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan’s middle order stumbled again. The slide was briefly arrested by an enterprising 93-run sixth-wicket stand between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed. The pitch, as the two showed, was still good for batting. But by the end of the day, that stand was broken and Herath had yet another five-wicket haul – his 20th in Tests.Khurram Manzoor was caught behind off Herath in the last over before lunch for 23. Azhar Ali used his feet smartly against the spinners and was playing solidly till he mistimed an attempted drive through off to midwicket to be dismissed for 32. Shehzad, who had 20 runs to show for his outing in Galle, was caught down the leg side off Dilruwan Perera in the penultimate over before tea, after scoring an aggressive 58 that had led Pakistan past 100 at a scoring rate well over three an over.Then came the two big strikes soon after tea, the first of which was solely due to some excellent presence of mind from Kaushal Silva. Younis Khan defended Herath down on the pitch only to see the ball bounce off his boot. An alert Silva at silly point dived forward and slid his hand low, grabbed the ball one-handed, but realising he was not going to be able to control it, he parried it to the wicketkeeper for a simple chance. Younis didn’t spot it, but the third umpire did, cutting his innings short on 13.Misbah didn’t have a chance against a flighted delivery from Herath that lured him forward and turned sharply to take the outside edge. It was the bowler’s 250th Test wicket. From 110 for 1, Pakistan were down to 140 for 5. This, after the team had their best start in three innings. The openers added 47 in 8.4 overs and the second-wicket pair remained largely untroubled during their 63-run stand.Pakistan were 180 short of Sri Lanka’s total at that stage but the scoreboard pressure hardly made an impression on Sarfraz. Coming on the back of two fifties in Galle, Sarfraz was light-footed against the spinners and was always on the lookout for runs. He often employed the sweep, sometimes made room by moving towards leg stump and was comfortable playing the late cut to rotate the strike. The fifty of his stand with Shafiq took 63 balls. He remained the aggressor while Shafiq held the other end, scoring just two boundaries in his 42. Shafiq was however beaten by an arm-ball from Herath ten minutes before the close of play.The start to the innings had been positive though. Manzoor drove Dhammika Prasad for consecutive boundaries in the first over and Shehzad bettered it with a hat-trick of boundaries off Chanaka Welegedara. Herath, who came in as early as the fifth over, made the breakthrough in the last over before lunch as he found turn to kiss the outside edge of Manzoor’s bat.Shehzad, however, continued playing with positivity, frequently using the sweep to unsettle Herath, whose first spell read 8-2-32-1. He went on to complete his second Test half-century in 68 balls but continuing with the theme of the match, he was dismissed after looking set.Pakistan’s batting took the sheen off Junaid Khan’s effort that had helped them roll Sri Lanka out for 320. Junaid’s unrelenting perseverance fetched him his fifth five-wicket haul, all of which have come against Sri Lanka, but the home team would have been satisfied with their tail’s effort.The last two wickets ate up more than an hour in the morning and added 59 runs, taking Sri Lanka past 300. Herath was the last batsman to be dismissed as he edged one off Abdur Rehman to slip where Younis took his 100th catch – the first Pakistan fielder to reach the figure.

Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh has taken a potentially decisive step forward following a meeting between officials of the two boards in Dubai on Thursday

Mohammad Isam and Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jan-2014Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh has taken a potentially decisive step forward following a meeting between officials of the two boards in Dubai on Thursday. The BCB said it had been told by Sri Lanka that the tour was on and the SLC, while not explicitly confirming it would send a team, said its final decision would depend on the visit, from January 13, of a security delegation to Bangladesh.The tour had been in doubt because of security issues caused by political instability in Bangladesh and Thursday’s meeting, on the sidelines of an ICC conference in Dubai, was scheduled to smooth out differences.After the meeting, the two sides issued differing statements, though the substance of both suggested that it was a step towards the tour going ahead.”Sri Lanka Cricket president Jayantha Dharmadasa has confirmed to the BCB that the Sri Lanka tour is on,” BCB’s media committee chairman, Jalal Yunus, said. “But the SLC’s two-member security committee will arrive as per schedule on January 13.”The SLC was more guarded in its response. “We have said we are touring and we have taken the FTP [into consideration], so the assurance is there,” SLC president Jayantha Dharmadasa said. “At the present time we can’t say we’re not going, and that’s what I told them [BCB]. We have two people going to assess the situation, because it’s changing day by day.”The security committee will comprise former CEO Ajit Jayasekara – an air commodore with the Sri Lanka Air Force – and vice-president Mohan de Silva. Incumbent CEO Ashley de Silva had said the board would make its final decision on the tour by January 15, with the team set to depart to Bangladesh on January 24.It is expected that the security team will discuss details of the tour, including venues. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, one option for the BCB is to cut down on the venues, including possibly – as a last resort – offering to stage all the matches in Dhaka.The tour is scheduled to begin on January 27 with two Tests, in Mirpur and Chittagong, followed by two Twenty20s and three ODIs.

Allrounder Ramith Rambukwella has been named in Sri Lanka’s 24-man preliminary squad for the New Zealand limited-overs tour in November, after having had a good match for Sri Lanka A last week

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2013Sri Lanka preliminary squad

Angelo Mathews (ODI captain), Dinesh Chandimal (T20 captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan*, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Thisara Perera, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Seekkuge Prasanna, Chaturanga de Silva, Isuru Udana, Ramith Rambukwella, Dilruwan Perera, Milinda Siriwardene

Allrounder Ramith Rambukwella has been named in Sri Lanka’s 24-man preliminary squad for the New Zealand limited-overs tour in November, after having had a good match for Sri Lanka A last week. Opener Upul Tharanga, who had been in the Sri Lanka side for their last one-day assignment, has been left out, as has middle-order batsman Jehan Mubarak.Opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who has been a Test specialist in internationals so far, finds a place in the squad and other additions include allrounders Chaturanga de Silva and Milinda Siriwardene, and batsman Ashan Priyanjan. Seam bowler Isuru Udana, who last played for Sri Lanka in July 2012, is also in the squad.The three ODIs, which begin on November 8, will be followed by two Twenty20s. The final squads will be selected closer to the series’ start.*Tillakaratne Dilshan was added to the squad list after he had been mistakenly omitted

Phil Parkinson's side have hit a rough patch, but is there really anything to worry about?

"You try and focus on yourselves, but there’s all these apps out there now on your phone, so it is easy to look at the table and the form of all the teams. You just have to be really disciplined and focus on yourself and each game as it comes. I know that’s boring and a cliche, but it is true."

That was Wrexham midfielder Jordan Tunnicliffe's neat summation of the pulsating League Two promotion battle, provided in the wake of his side's 1-0 defeat to Gillingham on Saturday. Since Christmas, the momentum in that particular fight has shifted from team to team regularly.

Now, provided Barrow don't piece together something quite spectacular over the next few weeks, it appears that there are five runners left in the race for automatic promotion: leaders Mansfield Town, Stockport, Crewe Alexandra, Wrexham and MK Dons, with just five points separating those teams from top to bottom.

It's good news for the neutral, with League Two set for one of the tensest run-ins for years. But in truth, Phil Parkinson's side have to regard the last few weeks as a missed opportunity to properly establish themselves in pole position in the race to League One.

GettyA concerning dip in form

That's because Wrexham are currently in the midst of a concerning dip in form. Defeat in Kent this weekend means Parkinson's charges have now won just twice in their last seven league games. There's no reason to smash the panic button just yet, this run did included a fantastic – if slightly fortunate – victory over last season's rivals Notts County after all.

But this New Year's lull has also included disappointing defeats to Newport County, Salford and Bradford City – all teams marooned in the bottom half of the League Two table. Wrexham were far from convincing against struggling Sutton too, requiring an 85th-minute winner to get past the division's basement dwellers.

They aren't the only League Two promotion hopefuls who have hit a sticky patch, though. Stockport looked dead certs for promotion before Christmas, but they are now winless in four, opening the door for Crewe and Mansfield to romp up the standings.

But that shouldn't excuse Wrexham's poor form. Dig a little deeper and there are several underlying issues that will offer Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney cause for concern as the season draws to a close.

AdvertisementGettyPaul Mullin not at his best

The startling underperformance of Paul Mullin is one such red flag. Mullin has scarcely stopped finding the back of the net since arriving from Cambridge United in a blockbuster deal back in 2021. But recently, nothing has been falling for him.

Mullin has now not scored in seven games, with Parkinson even taking the shocking decision to drop him for recent matches against Sutton, MK Dons and Gillingham. The first time it happened, the Wrexham boss was diplomatic, describing it as a chance for the "special" striker to rest up following a draining few seasons.

But, explaining Mullin's absences more recently, Parkinson said: "The squad is important and we will just keep looking at that, and freshen it up if we feel we need to." Those comments came ahead of the Gillingham defeat, and the fact that Mullin only came on in the second half in that one seems to suggest that his manager is not completely satisfied with his star man's performances this season.

Getty ImagesElliot Lee struggling too

Not all the blame can be laid at Mullin's door, though. Elliot Lee has also fallen into a bit of a funk. When Mullin was out injured at the beginning of the season, Lee stepped up to the plate, emerging as Parkinson's most-important attacking performer.

He raced to 13 League Two goals before Christmas, but since then his output has dried up considerably. Indeed, he's only managed one strike since Boxing Day, despite featuring in each of his side's 11 subsequent games. It was an important goal at least: the winner in his side's victory over Sutton earlier this month.

Like Mullin, Lee found himself relegated to the bench for his side's draw with MK Dons, and the pair's dips in form coinciding almost exactly with when they were handed new, long-term contracts is particularly unfortunate. As is the fact that their attacking team-mates have been unable to fill the void left by their lack of goals.

January signing Jack Marriott is yet to make the net bulge in six appearances, Sam Dalby seems unlikely to ever be properly prolific at this level, while Ollie Palmer – a key figure last season – seems to have fallen out of favour. Steven Fletcher has at least started 2024 strongly, but he hasn't done quite enough to arrest Wrexham's underwhelming form in front of goal.

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GettyA lack of discipline

Widening the lens across the whole season, another worrying trend comes into view. Namely, Wrexham's lack of discipline. No League Two side has picked up more straight red cards than them (four) over the course of the season, with the Red Dragons seeing six players sent off in total. Only Salford and Forest Green – both faltering at the foot of the table – have a worse dismissal record overall.

Impressively, Wrexham have still managed to win three of the games in which they were reduced to 10 men, but their luck has run out since the turn of the year. Back in January, Will Boyle's early red card for a reckless challenge against Newport County left them with a mountain to climb, and their Welsh rivals went on to win the game 1-0, depriving their opponents of the chance to go top of League Two.

And then against MK Dons, Boyle again saw red, this time 13 minutes from time. It wasn't quite as damaging, with their hosts being reduced to 10 men themselves earlier in the second half, though it did take the sting out of their attack as Wrexham pushed for a winner.

In reaction to this latest dismissal, Parkinson bemoaned what he perceives as harsh treatment from referees this season, after MK Dons boss Mike Williamson suggested the media darlings are treated more leniently than their rivals. "I've been constantly this season going through clips of decisions we could have got, penalties or red cards which were harsh against us, but over the course of the season you've got to accept it and it balances itself out."

Parkinson does have a point in some ways; several of these red cards do seem harsh on second viewing. Then again, some of them been deserved, and Wrexham need to make sure they keep their heads and have 11 players on the pitch at all times during the run-in.

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is “totally” Champions League level, even at 38 years of age, says Portugal boss Roberto Martinez.

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All-time great showing no sign of slowing downHit over 50 goals for club & country in 2023Evergreen forward intends to play on into his 40sWHAT HAPPENED?

The all-time great, who has five Ballon d’Or wins to his name, has been showing no sign of slowing down since leaving elite European football for a new adventure in Saudi Arabia. He plundered over 50 goals for club and country in 2023, with the evergreen frontman still the poster boy for longevity at the very highest level.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MARTINEZ SAID ABOUT RONALDO

Martinez, who now works with Ronaldo in international football, has told when asked if CR7 – who remains the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer – could still cut it in the Champions League: “Totally. He’s incredible with his capacity to really reinvent himself. This is not the player we saw in the first spell at Manchester United, he’s not a wide player. Now he’s a finisher, someone that understands quality of movement in the box, and is an incredible threat. And experienced.”

Martinez added on what makes Ronaldo different from just about every other player on the planet: “Cristiano, first and foremost, is happy. What shocked me was how fresh he is with his approach in football: someone of 38 comes to training and wants to win every exercise, win every race and is the last one leaving.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo is also a role model to the next generation, with Martinez saying of how a player with over 200 international caps to his name is helping to ensure that stars of tomorrow follow in his illustrious footsteps: “He always tries to give young players a lot of help. Nobody can help a young player better than a team-mate that’s got more than 200 games for the national team. I think the young players are in awe of Cristiano but when they start working with him it’s respect and then it’s just very competitive. The generation of Cristiano and Pepe, 40, set the standards of how the work should be should be done for a young player. It’s gold.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Ronaldo remains tied to a contract at Al-Nassr through to 2025 – and will soon be lining up against eternal rival Lionel Messi in a glamour friendly clash with Inter Miami – while he has stated a desire to play on through to the 2026 World Cup finals and into his 40s.