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There will no doubt be those of a Manchester United persuasion wishing for the club’s AFCON stars to endure a swift exit from the competition, with Ruben Amorim’s side left looking depleted without Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad to call upon.

Unfortunately, that trio are simply too good to be part of a tournament disaster, with Amad, in particular, already leading the charge for the Ivory Coast.

Indeed, the 23-year-old has netted a goal apiece in his side’s opening two games, the second of which saw him curl home in stunning fashion in the 1-1 draw with Mbeumo’s Cameroon last time out.

That remarkable solo strike has yet again highlighted the winger’s rise from teen wonderkid to genuine world-beater, with United having reaped the rewards following their initial £19m investment in a little-known 18-year-old back in 2020.

Perhaps, if reports are to be believed, INEOS can now repeat the trick heading into 2026.

Man Utd among frontrunners to sign the next Amad

Signed initially in October 2020, before actually arriving in Manchester a few months later, Amad has had to bide his time at Old Trafford, powering through loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland, alongside having to fight his way through a peripheral role under Erik ten Hag.

Since Amorim’s appointment just over a year ago, however, the diminutive left-footer has been a man on the charge, racking up 21 goals and assists in just 43 games under Portuguese’s watch.

With the ex-Atalanta starlet a nailed-on fixture on the right flank, be it as a number ten, out-and-out winger or a wing-back, United were believed to be looking for a similar figure on the opposite side, albeit while seemingly missing out on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

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Alternatives appear to be being considered, however, with Caught Offside reporting that the Red Devils – and Arsenal – are among the clubs to have made ‘initial checks’ over Hoffenheim teenager, Bazoumana Toure.

As per the report, the two Premier League rivals are set to be at the ‘front of the queue’ for the 19-year-old’s signature, albeit with a summer move seemingly more likely than a mid-season switch.

The Bundesliga side are not looking to sanction a sale next month, although they appear to have placed a valuation of around €45m (£39m) on his head.

Why Toure could be Man Utd's next Amad

Currently part of Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad, the one-cap international could well be linking up with Amad at club level too if United are to firm up their interest, with Toure’s recent form in Germany highlighting just why he’d be worth the gamble.

Comfortable on either flank, albeit while typically operating off the left, the teenager has been hailed as “one of the most exciting young wingers in European football” by journalist Bence Bocsak, who also likened him to a “young Sadio Mane”.

Such praise is no doubt justified considering his impact in the Bundesliga in 2025, racking up ten goals and assists in just 29 games for his new club, since arriving from Hammerby earlier this year.

That includes a return of two goals and five assists already in 14 league games this season, with only five players in the division having bettered that tally of assists in Germany’s top tier, as per Transfermarkt.

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A left-footer, like Amad, the likeness to his compatriot can also be seen in his remarkable pace and relentless work ethic, all traits which have been highlighted by the Bundesliga official website:

Also an innate ball carrier, the teenager – who scored nine times in just 23 games back in Sweden – notably ranks in the top 12% of Bundesliga wingers for progressive carries (4.57 per 90), as per FBref, as well as in the top 10% for successful take-ons (1.99).

Toure vs Amad – 25/26 League stats

Stat (*per game)

Toure

Amad

Games

14

15

Starts

14

14

Goals

2

2

Assists

5

2

Big chances created

4

4

Key passes*

1.4

1.9

Pass accuracy*

76%

87%

Successful dribbles*

1.7

1.4

Balls recovered*

4.6

4.0

Stats via Sofascore

For comparison, in the Premier League, Amad has averaged 5.37 and 1.57 for those same two metrics, respectively, having proven to be such a dribbling menace in his own right under Amorim.

The beauty of Toure too is that his defensive work ensures he could also slot into a wing-back berth if required, having also ranked in the top 2% for aerial duels won per 90 this season.

The prospect of having the explosive talent on one side, with Amad on the other, is certainly a mouthwatering one for those back in Manchester, with all the signings pointing to the Hoffenheim man being worth the £39m investment.

Related Zirkzee & Sesko upgrade: Man Utd could sign "one of the best CFs in PL"

Friday’s narrow in over Newcastle showcased why another centre-forward is still needed at Manchester United.

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James Franklin’s lengthy injury layoff is about to get longer © AFP

New Zealand fast bowler James Franklin will miss the one-day series against SouthAfrica and Australia because of a knee injury which requires surgery. Franklin has missed the last six months of cricket because of the injury which flared again in a trial match for his state side Wellington, forcing him to pull out of the New Zealand squads.He will have surgery later this month, which will prevent him from taking part in the three-ODI series against South Africa which starts on November 25 and the Chappell-Hadlee series in December. A replacement for the series against South Africa will be named later this week.Franklin could miss even more international cricket, with his rehabilitation expected to take between four and six months. During that period New Zealand host Bangladesh for three one-dayers in December and then England for five ODIs in February.A more realistic target may be the return five-ODI series in England, which kicks off in June.

‘ As a group, we just haven’t played the bounce well. It has a lot to do with the fact that we’ve come here with guys who are out of form’ – Dravid © AFP

Rahul Dravid will watch from the sidelines as the Indians take on Rest ofSouth Africa in a four-day game at Potchefstroom that starts on Thursday, and he’ll haveplenty to assess from beyond the boundary as his team bids to inject somelife into a tour that has been an utter nightmare so far. Speaking to themedia ahead of the game, Dravid made no attempt to play down theimportance of the game, and expressed his disappointment at having to missout.”It’s good that it’s a four-day game,” he said. “Hopefully, there’ll betwo chances for us to bat, and the guys will get some time in the middle.The bowlers will also need to show intensity during long spells, and getinto Test-match mode.”I can’t fault the effort. As a group, we just haven’t played the bouncewell. It has a lot to do with the fact that we’ve come here with guys whoare out of form. That has accentuated the struggle.”Despite the heavy defeats in the one-day games – three drubbings by morethan 80 runs, and one nine-wicket defeat – Dravid insisted that the tourwas far from a lost cause. “We’ve got to remain positive,” he said. “Wehope this game will be the start of that. We know we can play much bettercricket than we showed in the ODIs. We won our last Test series in theWest Indies, and we’ll take some confidence from that. If the experiencedplayers get runs, we can put pressure on them and take 20 wickets.”Along with Dravid, Anil Kumble, Dinesh Karthik and Munaf Patel are restedfor the game, and the team management will choose between Gautam Gambhirand Irfan Pathan on the morning of the game. Sachin Tendulkar hasrecovered fairly well after Andre Nel caused bruising in a forearm boneduring the last ODI at Centurion, but there’s understandable concern atMunaf’s failure to recover in time from his ankle troubles.”It wasn’t progressing as well as it should,” said Dravid, when askedabout Munaf. “The surgeon in Cape Town had suggested that he might beready to play this game, but now we’ve sent him to Johannesburg foranother check-up. Anil [Kumble] has gone with him since he’s been herebefore for treatment. Hopefully, he’ll be ready for the first Test.There’s a whole week to go.”There were no worries about his own broken finger. “I’ve been knockingaround a little in the nets,” he said, “and I’m hopeful that I’ll play thefirst Test. Fielding in the slips will be a challenge, but Sachin’s beencatching beautifully there, and [VVS] Laxman will take his usual place at secondslip. I’ll start batting in the nets in a couple of days.”According to Dravid, the final composition of the XI for the tour gamewould be decided by the captain for the game, Laxman. “Wasim Jaffer and[Virender] Sehwag will open,” he said, when pressed about the opening positions. Andwhen asked where that left Gambhir, Dravid said: “If we play theextra batsman, he may play at No.3, unless Laxman wants to bat there.We’ll take a look tomorrow morning and then decide.”Dravid didn’t read too much into Sehwag being replaced as vice-captain,but talked of how he and Laxman would gel well together. “He has a goodhead on his shoulders,” he said. “We go back a long way. We can be frankwith each other, and he won’t be shy of telling me what to do.”Though the debate continues to rage on the subject, Dravid flat-batted away aquestion on the need for a bowling coach or consultant. “The batsmen wehave here have played in these conditions before. We know what lengths andlines to bowl. We’re clear about that. Zaheer [Khan] has been here before, andwe’ll tap into his experience. Anil has bowled all around the world, andwe’ll make use of his knowledge too.”India last sent an Under-19 or A team to these parts nearly five yearsago, and Dravid admitted that other international sides had stolen a marchover India in that regard. “Even if they don’t send A teams, mostcountries send players to MRF [Pace Foundation, Chennai] or to the CCI-runWorld Cricket Academy. Alastair Cook is a good example of a guy who hadplayed in India before coming out for the last Test tour. They’ve gotacclimatised to the conditions in the subcontinent, and there’s a case forlooking into such tours for young players. You can work up tie-ups withteams. Even a Ranji Trophy side could work out a reciprocal arrangementwith local associations elsewhere.”As expected, he was asked a question about Sourav Ganguly’s return to thefold. “We hope he’ll make runs for us,” said Dravid. “He has theexperience of these conditions to play match-winning innings for us.”It will take more than one man though to halt India’s slide on this tour.

Ehsan Mani launches the Under-19 World Cup © Cricinfo

Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, officially launched the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka on Monday, telling reporters said that hosting the event would demonstrate the island’s strength and resilience in the wake of last year’s tsunami.”In December 2004 Sri Lanka was devastated by a terrible tragedy, and yet 11 months later the country is preparing to welcome 15 overseas teams full of the best young cricketers in the world,” Mani said. “Sport cannot compensate for such a tragedy but the fact this tournament is set to take place in Sri Lanka sends a wonderful and very positive message to the rest of the sporting world. It shows Sri Lanka is moving forward after the massive problem that has confronted the country and this World Cup should prove the perfect stage to once again highlight all that is good about the island.”The teams are scheduled to arrive in Colombo on January 31. The opening ceremony is on February 4 and that is followed by 44 matches over 15 days at five venues in the city. The final will be held at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, February 19.Mani pointed out this was the third time Sri Lanka has hosted an ICC event in the past six years, following on from the Under-19 World Cup in 2000 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2002. “No other nation can match this feat and it is something that reflects the confidence the ICC has in Sri Lanka to host these important events,” he said. “It also reflects Sri Lanka’s continuing passion for the game of cricket and the importance of the game in the fabric of the country.”He added that the event offered glimpses of the potential stars of the future. “Sanath Jayasuriya, Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Graeme Smith and Michael Clarke are all veterans of this ICC event,” he said. “Smith and Clarke played in the tournament here six years ago, along with the Indian duo of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh, Pakistan’s Danish Kaneria and Marlon Samuels of the West Indies. And in 2004, in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka was captained by Farveez Maharoof, a player that made his Test debut just two months later.”

Smith: ‘We need to stabilise all areas from the selectors down to the coach down to the team’© Getty Images

In the aftermath of their first-Test defeat against England at Port Elizabeth, South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, has appealed to the United Cricket Board for stability, warning that the side will be unable to progress unless the upheaval surrounding selection issues was brought under control.South Africa’s squad for the second Test at Durban will be announced tomorrow, the first to have been unveiled since the appointment of the new convenor of selectors, Haroon Lorgat, who took over from Omar Henry ahead of the Port Elizabeth Test. Nicky Boje is sure to be back in the squad, and Herschelle Gibbs is also in the selectors’ thoughts once again after recovering from injury. However, Smith is adamant that South Africa need to follow England’s example, and stabilise the entire structure surrounding the national side.”We do need to know what our best team is,” said Smith. “We’re a young side, and we need to stabilise all areas from the selectors down to the coach down to the team. A new convenor of selectors means different issues. A new coach wants different things to happen in the team. We have to start working towards a goal. Every time we start again, it’s back to the beginning.”As a captain you’re starting the same processes you started six months ago,” he continued, “with new players, a new coach and a new convenor of selectors. At the moment we keep starting a goal, and then we have to start again with the next one two months later. It’s crucial that South African cricket stabilises.”The more you jump around, the worse things become. Everyone’s got different beliefs and different thought processes about what needs to happen. Within the team, you’ve got to identify key positions and key players. If the convenor of selectors changes in four months’ time, we’re going to have different views again.”I’m expecting a phone-call today,” confirmed Smith, who believed there would be some “good consultation” before the team is unveiled. The return of Gibbs, who tests his fitness in a match for Western Province on Wednesday, will be a key issue, while Jacques Kallis’s ankle injury remains a big concern.”[Jacques] bowled about 15 minutes the other night and he woke up a bit stiff the next morning,” said Smith. “The physio is working hard, but that’s one we’re not sure of. But it will be nice to have Nicky back, and if Herschelle can perform the way he did last year, I think the England team will fear him a bit. He’s the type of guy who can turn a Test match on his own and take the game away.”Gibbs would doubtless take over from AB de Villiers at the top of the order, while Zander de Bruyn also seems likely to miss out to allow the talented young batsman Hashim Amla a chance for a home debut in front of his home crowd. “He’s a talented boy,” said Smith about Amla. “If he gets his opportunity I’m sure he’ll do well, as he knows the ground well. But we are inxeperienced, and that’s a reality for us. We are a young side and we’re developing key areas of our game. We’re selecting a squad of 14, so we’ll see what the selectors decide.”

Smith gave South Africa ‘six-and-a-half out of ten, and probably lower’ after the first Test© Getty Images

Looking back on the first Test, Smith awarded his side a mark of “six-and-a-half out of ten, and probably lower” after England wrapped the match up on the fifth morning at Port Elizabeth. Though they battled hard to stay in contention throughout the match, South Africa were eventually outplayed on the decisive fourth afternoon, and slipped to defeat in less than ten overs’ play today.”We’ve got to learn to play for five days,” said Smith. “We’re very good at coming back when we get ourselves into hard situations, but it’s when we start the Test match on an even keel that we’ve got to do better. We’ve got to learn how to dominate those days.”There was a suspicion that England had not played to their full potential in this match, especially Steve Harmison, who managed a solitary wicket, but Smith didn’t think they had much more to give. “I think they played pretty well,” he said. “We don’t expect them to get too much better. Maybe some of their key performers might find a little bit more rhythm, but we expect ourselves to improve a lot.”And he insisted: “Durban offers us an opportunity. We’ve got a couple of days away, so we have to regroup pretty quickly. We’ve got to improve on one or two things in our game, especially under pressure. But we know how it feels to be 1-0 up – England came back [to level the series] against us last year. Maybe you relax and take one or two things for granted.”I think we did well to get ourselves back into contention,” added Smith. “The only thing that was a worry was the extras.” South Africa conceded a staggering 35 no-balls in the first innings, and the eventual cost to his team was more than 60 runs. “Without those, we could have had a much bigger lead. We’ve got to be harder on ourselves – in a Test match you can’t afford to give any freebies away. And if you give freebies away it ends up biting you hard towards the end of the match.”Smith remained hopeful of a return to winning ways, however, and the expected return of Boje will open up a few options in the bowling department. “It’s important to have a spinner, even if the track’s not turning. In the first innings he can hold up an end and you can attack from one end, and [Ashley] Giles did play an important role of giving his quicker bowlers rest.”[England’s] whole attack works well together, and that’s the key to a team performance. On any given day you’re not going to have everyone performing well. One or two guys have to put up their hands and take responsibility. That’s how it works. The England team played well, and they’re confident now.”Smith concluded: “Durban will be very hot and humid. It is one of our bounciest wickets, and it’s got good pace. But I’m more concentrating on where we can improve. In Test-match cricket you can’t play for one or two days, or for one or two sessions in a day. That’s just not good enough. If you have two good sessions and one bad session you’re really behind the eight-ball. So we’ve got to improve and be hard on ourselves and show a bit more presence.”

It’s D-Day for Calmore Sports in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League, Division 1 survival battle.They must beat Andover in their last 50-over match of the season at London Road tomorrow (1 o’clock) if they are to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.But, if survival is to be achieved, they need last year’s champions, Havant to beat Portsmouth at St Helen’s, Southsea."It’s what we do that counts," Calmore skipper Tom Pegler will remind his players before the start of play."We’ve got to build on last week’s top performance against Portsmouth (which Calmore won by a massive 162-run margin) and go out and win at Andover."No other result will do," he emphasised.But Pegler, who admits to being "very nervous" about tomorrow’s match, believes Calmore can do it."The lads showed last week what they can do. Andover are a useful side, but they’ve nothing to play for. We have – our future in Premier League cricket," Pegler said.Hampshire 2nd XI all-rounder James Hibberd, Paul Cass, seamer Charlie Freeston and Pegler himself will be the key players for Calmore, who have availability doubts over John Wall and left-arm spinner Mark Boston.Andover, seventh in the overall table, plan to field the side beaten by five runs by the Hampshire Academy last week.Calmore’s neighbours, BAT Sports will be formally presented with the Premier League championship trophy before the match with South Wilts at Southern Gardens.But left-hand opener Damian Shirazi will probably be on MCC Groundstaff duty at the C & G Trophy final at Lord’s.It’s a big day for his batting partner Neal Parlane, who needs another 52 runs to beat Robin Smith’s all-time Southern League 1,015 record, set in 1982.Parlane will receive his Premier League Batsman of the Year award prior to tomorrow’s match.But, even if BAT win, there’s no guarantee they will finish top of the 50-over Pennant as Bournemouth currently boast the best record after eight (of the nine) limited-over matches.Victory for Bournemouth over Liphook & Ripsley at Chapel Gate will give Richard Scott’s side the prize.Scott captains Bournemouth instead of Farnham-bound Matt Swarbrick and will have Dorset skipper Stuart Rintoul at his side.It’s a crucial day for Bournemouth, whose 2nd XI will clinch promotion to Premier Division 3 if they win – and take a decent point haul – from their final Hampshire League game with mid-table Eastleigh & Otterbourne at Wellow & Plaitford.Bashley (Rydal) must beat the Hampshire Academy at the BCG to finish third in Premier Division 1.They might have edged ahead of the county youngsters but for a 203-runs each tie against South Wilts last week.Second XI captain Graham Pardey, who has scored almost 500 Division 3 runs this summer, is set to replace Chris Sketchley.

Taking advantage of a fine first-innings batting effort, Baroda wontheir Ranji Trophy league match against Saurashtra at Rajkot by aninnings and 184 runs inside three days.Skipper Tushar Arothe’s century was superseded by a patient 164 fromNayan Mongia. Batting for 453 minutes and 281 balls, Mongia struck 15fours in his knock and was the ninth wicket to fall, with the score onexactly 500. He received good support from the lower order, with AjitBhoite making 51 and Rakesh Patel a quickfire 41.In the face of a total of 509, Saurashtra’s batting wilted in theirfirst innings. Zaheer Khan, bowling to catch the national selectors’eye again, returned figures of 20-11-25-5. Saurashtra could only make115 in their first innings, with the top score being skipper ShitanshuKotak’s 28 off 141 balls.Following on, Saurashtra did only marginally better in their secondessay, making 210. Opener Sujith Somasunder top-scored with 57, butnone of the other batsmen could even get to 50. Bhoite took 4-31 inthe second innings, and Baroda went on to collect eight points byvirtue of their comprehensive outright win.

West Zone lost an absolute humdinger to Air India in the CricInfo RaniJhansi Trophy in Chennai today. Losing by just five runs to an AirIndia side that was made to work hard for victory, West Zone settledonce more for silver in a big match. Despite a fighting 51 fromskipper Kalyani, West Zone could not make the required runs.Chasing 152, West Zone got off to a bad start, losing Amrutha Shindeearly in the innings. Arti Vaidya looked confident while she tookstrike, stroking the ball effortlessly through the off side. Coming tothe pitch of the ball, she used the angled bat to great effect,carving the ball through the gaps in the off side. However when shewas going strong on 14 she tried to force the ball through the offsideoff the bowling of mediumpacer Smita Harikrishna. The ball flew offthe face of the bat towards Manju Nadoda at slip. Sticking her righthand out in a split second, she plucked the ball out of the air justbefore it hit the ground.In walked captain Kalyani Umbrani. She started slowly, content onpushing the ball into the gaps for ones and twos. As the overs piledon, the asking rate steadily crept up towards the six an overmark. Vice captain Sunetra Parajape played steadily at the otherend. However, she perished just when things began to look solid forWest Zone.After Sunetra was dismissed, things began to look decidedly better forAir India. Sangeetha Kamat played a few good shots but could notsustain her aggression. Sulakshana Naik, drafted into the side tobolster the batting, livened up the proceedings with a pugnaciousknock. Hitting cleanly through the line, she narrowed the gap betweenballs remaining and runs required. Sweeping the off spinners, she gaveWest a glimmer of hope. When she ran herself out pushing hard for arun that was simply not on, things were all but over.Kalyani toiled bravely at the other end, but the pressure soon got toher as well. Till the end she showed enormous reserves of patience,waiting for the loose ball. When she made the fatal error ofattempting to swing medium pacer Kusumalatha across the line, AirIndia had sealed the game. Kalyani had done well, making 51, but hadnot done enough.Chandarani Kamble and Ashwini Nadkarni found the task at hand too bigto handle and could only pick ones and twos. When the last ball wasdelivered and only a single taken off it, Air India had won by aslender margin.Earlier in the day West Zone lost its fifth consecutive toss and wereasked to field. Beginning well, skipper Kalyani and Neelima Waghmaregot into rhythm immediately. Neelima has been right on the spot in thetournament so far, with returns of 2/17 from the last 20 overs she hadbowled. Today was no exception. Bowling her overs on the trot as shehas done so far in the tournament, Neelima troubled Purnima from theword go. When Purnima brought her bat down a shade late to a quickerdelivery, the ball squirted through bat and pad and dislodged thebails.Anjum Chopra, who made a flawless unbeaten 89 in her last innings,joined Anju Jain at the wicket. Anju grew more confident as the oversrolled by and chanced her arm against off spinner Sonali Chandok. Anjuwas lucky to be at the crease after three overs from the offspinner. Coming down the wicket she was totally beaten and only alapse from wicketkeeper Ashwini Nadkarni let her off. However, shecashed in on the chance and went on to hit the ball crisply throughthe line.Anju continued to strike the ball well, till she began to play acrossthe line. Attempting to hit Sonali over the onside with the spin, shecame very close to being caught at midwicket on more than oneoccasion. The ball eluded the fielder and it looked like it would beAnju’s day.Neelima finished her 10 overs for just 27 runs and captured the allimportant wicket of Air India captain Purnima Rau.Anjum Chopra too looked comfortable at the wicket. Turning the ballbehind the wicket with ease, she grafted for runs. When she hit theball to Sangeetha Kamat at mid on and took off for a quick single shewas struggling. Sangeetha, one of the better fielders of thetournament so far swooped in on the ball, picked up with one hand andlet the throw rip. The ball nailed middle stump and Anjum was wellshort of her ground.With two of the top three back in the pavilion and just 37 on theboard, Air India would have worried a bit. There was more cause forworry as Anju skied a catch to Neelima at mid off. Beaten in theflight and just a shade off the wicket, Anju could not get to thepitch of the ball and Sonali was rewarded for a good spell. Once gainSonali had shown that it was not essential to bowl flat to keep thingstight. Giving the ball a lot of air she enticed the batswomen intofalse shots on many occasions without luck. She ended with a return of1/29 from her 10 overs.After the top three were dismissed, West Zone managed to keep thingsquiet. In turn the Air India team felt the pressure, having lost quickwickets. Sangeetha Kamat was pressed into action to bowl hermediumpacers and she was steady as ever. While not tumbling, wicketsfell at regular enough intervals to stifle the scoring rate. Sangeethahelped herself to 2/22 off 9 overs.In the last few overs, Air India managed to up their scoring rate withsome crisp shots to the outfield. Air India ended on 152. DeepaliPatkar and Manju Nadguda were the two unbeaten batswomen with 15 and31 respectively.At the end of the day it was the experience of Air India skipperPurnima Rau that made the difference. It was again a case of West Zonelooking good for glory but having to settle for a pat on the back. Itwill be to their credit that they gave Air India a serious run fortheir money. However, there will be players in the West Zone camp whowill believe that they lost a match they should have won. That is notvery far from the truth.

Uganda’s women will host their counterparts from Rwanda between October 12 and 14 in a series of warm-up games at Lugogo Cricket Oval.The matches are aimed at preparing the sides for the ICC Eastern Africa Regional women’s tournament which takes place in Nairobi this December. Four countries will participate – Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.Uganda and Rwanda were due to meet this weekend but the games were postponed. “Most of the Rwandese players are doing exams and their coach Eric Mbanga has requested us to postpone the series to next weekend,” a Uganda Cricket Association official told The Monitor.Uganda are the defending champions of the ICC Eastern Africa women’s regional tournament.

‘I just want to surround myself with the fact that we’re playing good cricket, and executing the tasks we need to really well’ © Getty Images

Brian Lara suggested that he would continue to bat low down the order if the situation demanded it, when he spoke to the media in a pre-match press conference ahead of their crunch semi-final against South Africa. “Things have worked well for us in the three games we played. First we set a target that Australia couldn’t get. Then in the last game we got 272 which people might say was 15-20 runs too few,” he said. “We had two centurions in that game and so we’re quite happy with the way the guys are expressing themselves irrespective of the batting order. We don’t know what’s the settled order, we’ve been unorthodox in this tournament and I can never say we’re going to have a fixed order.”Lara’s back continues to improve, and although it has not forced him out of a game in the tournament yet, he admitted he was not totally fit. “I’m a lot better. I’ve had a couple of days rest,” he said. “I didn’t bat too long in the last two games. I feel ok. I felt ok after those games. I’mnot 100% but getting over those games has given me the confidence to go on.”Lara looked back at the previous edition of the Champions Trophy, which his team won, and underscored its significance in West Indies’ development as a team. “Winning that tournament after the losses against England in the Tests home and away seven-nil,” he said. “The guys really wanted to win. We knew every day that we could be on a flight home the next day andwere desperate for a win. Beating England in the final did us a lot of good. Unfortunately we didn’t kick on from there.”Like Graeme Smith had done earlier in the day, Lara sought to underplay the bad blood between the two sides which has manifested itself in ugly on-field confrontations. “I just want to surround myself with the fact that we’re playing good cricket, and executing the tasks we need to reallywell,” he said. “We have dissected the South African cricket team and we know exactly what we want to do against them. In terms of bad blood and all that sort of fickle stuff I think it is unnecessary. We just need to take one game at a time.”Smith had talked in some detail about the cracks and fissures in the pitch, and the fact that his fast bowlers might get something from this, but Lara’s take was a bit different. “It’s a good pitch if you get set. Teams playing here have got good starts and then folded later on,” he said. “We have to take that into consideration. It’s hard to nail down any particular preference about the pitch, the surface or the surroundings. I still feel the team that plays better on the day is going to win, whoever bats first or bowls first is of little relevance.”The West Indies come into this game knowing they emerged from a group which was thought to be the tougher of the two, comprising teams like Australia. But Lara said there wasn’t anything to take from the fact that they had beaten the World Champions earlier in the tournament. “That is dead and buried now. What’s happened has happened and we have a different tournament ahead of us,” he said. “We have two matches left and we just have to take on the opposition in front of us. It’s good to have been in a tough group, and I know that Australia and India were the favourites to come out of it. But we were quietly confident of our ability to qualify.”In the last two times these teams have faced each other in big tournaments – the World Cup and the Champions Trophy – West Indies have come out on top. But Lara did not feel this gave them an advantage. “There’s no edge. I just feel that we’re playing good cricket. Beating South Africa in the opening match of the World Cup was a big game for us,” he said. “Then we were underdogs, in the Champions Trophy in 2004 we were underdogs, and here as well. Tomorrow, South Africa being a higher ranked team will start as favourites. But we know our game so much better now than at any other time of the year and even before.”