Harry Kane does not consider his first season at Bayern Munich to have been a “failure” and has ruled out pushing for another transfer in 2024.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Durham’s dominance on the first day promised a final-game win for Paul Collingwood but life is not turning out so easily
ECB Reporters Network25-Sep-2018
Gareth Harte reaches his century•Getty Images
ScorecardMiddlesex have threatened to spoil Paul Collingwood’s swansong at the Emirates Riverside with a spirited fightback on day two of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham.The home side boasted a lead of 106 at the start of the day, and through Gareth Harte they were able to extend their advantage. He notched his second century of the campaign before Durham were dismissed for 310, leaving the visitors with plenty of work ahead of them to remain in the game.Middlesex were able to haul themselves back into the contest courtesy of a fine partnership between Nick Gubbins and Stevie Eskinazi, eradicating the hosts’ lead and handing Dawid Malan’s men an advantage of 66 runs going into the third day.Durham resumed on their overnight total of 227-5, but were pegged back when Stuart Poynter edged Ethan Bamber behind to Robbie White for 26. Harte kept Durham moving to secure their second batting point, while Mark Wood and Barry McCarthy offered support to the 25-year-old. The batsman notched the second first-class century of his career, reaching the milestone in 196 deliveries, scoring his ninth boundary to get over the line.Harte fell two short of his career best made earlier in the campaign against Derbyshire. Tim Murtagh wrapped up the final two wickets, claiming figures of 4 for 56, although Durham’s first first-innings score of over 300 at home this term handed Collingwood’s side a more than healthy lead of 189 runs.Middlesex needed to display character in their second innings. Sam Robson and Gubbins dug in the early stages to see off the threat of the new ball. Collingwood introduced himself into the attack and his arrival broke the partnership after the opening pair had passed fifty together. The Durham skipper nipped one back to clean bowl Robson for 36.Gubbins joined by Eskinazi, who managed to return to the field after being struck in the head on day one, continued to defy the home side, displaying patience at the crease. Gubbins’ composure paid off as he reached his half-century off 135 deliveries, scoring eight boundaries in the process. The duo whittled down Durham’s advantage to less than fifty as Eskinazi found a rhythm, reeling off back-to-back fours to notch his fifty.The two Middlesex batsman frustrated the home side’s bowling attack, bringing up their 100-run partnership in 178 deliveries all but eradicating the deficit. Eskinazi began to up the ante to move his way into the nineties, putting his side into the lead, although he was given a life when dropped by Cameron Steel at point. However, Eskinazi fell four short of his ton, clipping straight to Collingwood at mid-wicket, breaking the stand of 159 with Gubbins.Malan added quick runs towards the close, edging his side’s lead over the 60-run mark. Gubbins was unbeaten on 90 with Middlesex in the ascendancy heading into the third day of the contest with eight wickets remaining in their second innings.
تحدث نجم بوروسيا دورتموند، كريم أديمي، عن الشائعات التي تربطه بالرحيل عن ألمانيا، مع اهتمام ليفربول وتشيلسي ويوفنتوس بالتعاقد معه.
تم ربط أديمي بالانتقال إلى أندية ليفربول وتشيلسي ووست هام، كما أفادت تقارير الصحف الإيطالية، أن اللاعب البالغ من العمر 22 عامًا هو هدف ليوفنتوس إذا غادر فيديريكو كييزا هذا الصيف.
ونشرت صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية تصريحات أديمي لصحيفة “روهر ناخريشتن” الألمانية، وقال: “لا أستطيع أن أقول أي شيء عن ذلك”.
وأضاف: “أنا أرتدي قميص دورتموند وأنا سعيد جدًا بارتداء قميص دورتموند، لا توجد ضمانات في الحياة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | محمد صلاح يقدم أداءً استثنائيًا في “السباق القاسي” ويتفوق على لاعبي ليفربول
كما سُئل مدرب دورتموند الجديد نوري شاهين عن مستقبل أديمي وأفاد: “كريم يعرف ما أفكر فيه، لن أبدأ في التعليق على كل شائعة، أنا لا أجاري الشائعات، المهم بالنسبة لي هو ما أريده من كريم، وما قاله لي كريم مهم بالنسبة لي، كل شيء آخر لا يعنيني”.
يذكر أن كريم أديمي يرتبط بعقد مع بوروسيا دورتموند يمتد حتى 30 يونيو 2027.
Stone took two wickets after being called into England’s one-day squad and Sussex’s fightback is likely to have come too late
Paul Edwards19-Sep-20181:48
Warwickshire deal Sussex’s promotion hopes a blow
ScorecardSeptember’s cricket offered its familiar themes at Hove. They included a first England tour for a promising young fast bowler, Olly Stone, and the imminent retirement of a fine Test batsman, Jonathan Trott. And as so often in a match of moment, there were calculations as to the points one side, Warwickshire, would require to secure promotion at the expense of their opponents, Sussex. But enfolding it all was the spectators’ awareness that this had been one of the final mornings this year on which they had walked down Eaton Road and been comforted by the prospect of what they might see.By the time the mower was performing its stately gavotte on the outfield Sussex had struggled to 224 for 5 in reply to Warwickshire’s 440. That represented a considerable improvement from 87 for 5, the score when Luke Wells was judged caught down the leg side off Stone but it is plainly nothing like the platform Ben Brown’s side need if they are to have a hope of winning this game.Warwickshire and Kent look certain to bag their places in Division One next at some point in the next two days but that will not deter either Brown or David Wiese whose unbroken stand of 137 brightened the evening session and diverted the apparent flow of the contest.In the first half of the day Warwickshire tried to progress towards a colossal total but lost their last eight wickets for 108 runs and their last six for 19 in little more than ten overs of the afternoon session. It all put the application and skill of Trott and Ian Bell on the first day into their correct perspective and both batsmen received proper appreciation for their efforts. Having helped Trott set a new third-wicket record of 230 for Warwickshire against Sussex, Bell was lbw for 112 when attempting to sweep Danny Briggs, the same fate that befell Tim Ambrose shortly after lunch. By then, though, Trott had long reached his hundred off 202 balls and had also been well caught low down at short midwicket by Harry Finch for 124 when driving Wiese.As Trott walked off he was given the warmest of ovations by home supporters against whose team he had just scored a seventh century. The cynics might sneer that the applause was prompted by relief at the dismissal, but surely it was not so. Just when we thought we were girded ourselves against autumn’s poignancy proper cricket people reminded us how much we will miss this stuff.Warwickshire supporters will miss Trott’s stuff, too, a contention which appeared increasingly valid in the period immediately after lunch. Resuming on 402 for 4, the visitors lost Sam Hain for 53 when he played no shot to a ball from Ollie Robinson but the last four wickets were taken by Jofra Archer, who cruised coolly in from the Cromwell Road End and took them all in 11 balls, three of them castled, as Warwickshire’s tail gave every indication they would prefer to be bowling.This made the hour after lunch comfortably the best period of the game for Sussex. As though to celebrate his successes, Archer fielded with his sweater tied round his waist, giving him a curiously skirted appearance. The hubbub from the Boundary Club Business Network increased and the sun even made an appearance although, like Sussex’s fleeting moments of ascendancy, it had largely disappeared by the evening session.Warwickshire’s reassertion of their dominance began almost as soon as they began to bat. With Tom Haines having injured his ankle ligaments and being almost certain not to take any further part in the match, Briggs opened with Phil Salt, but both openers and Harry Finch were back in the pavilion inside seven overs. All three were lbw to Keith Barker, who bowled his left-arm seamers from around the wicket from the Sea End and angled the ball in to batsmen caught on the crease.Wells and Michael Burgess steered their side safely to tea and beyond but Stone then marked his selection for England’s one-day squad by nipping one back through the gate to bowl Burgess for 46. In his next over Stone removed Wells who looked aghast at Paul Baldwin’s decision. His wickets aside, Stone bowled at the sort of pace the England selectors admire but he also leaked plenty of boundaries and conceded 52 runs from his eight overs. Brown and Wiese profited from the attacking fields set by Jeetan Patel and both batsmen had reached their fifties by the close. They will continue this good fight on the third day and pray that their struggle somehow availeth.
Set to come out of retirement for the lone ODI against England, Preston Mommsen doesn’t figure in squads for Pakistan T20Is and tri-series
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2018Craig Wallace sweeps•Peter Della Penna
Twenty-two-year-old uncapped left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir and wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Wallace have been picked in Scotland’s squad for the two-match T20I series against Pakistan and the subsequent T20I tri-series, also involving Netherlands and Ireland.Tahir is the cousin of Majid Haq, who has played 75 internationals. His inclusion in place of batsman Michael Jones is the only other change from the ODI squad that will face England in a solitary match on Sunday.Preston Mommsen, who had returned from retirement last summer against Namibia and Zimbabwe, and was included for the ODI against England, does not find the place in the T20I squad. Two years ago Mommsen announced his retirement after being offered a property management job. At the time, he said the lack of fixtures Scotland influenced his decision to take up the opportunity.”This will be a huge occasion, not only for the playing squad, but for the Cricket Scotland organisation as a whole,” Kyle Coetzer, the Scotland captain, said. “To be hosting the two number one team’s in 50-over and 20-over formats in a few days is not something that comes around every day.”We need to make sure we are willing to soak up the special day and not be afraid to grab the game with our exciting, expressive style.”The T20 series against Pakistan begins at Grange cricket club in Edinburgh on June 12, two days after the ODI against England at the same venue. Scotland will then travel to Netherlands for the T20I tri-series.Squad: Kyle Coetzer (capt), Richie Berrington (vice-capt), Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross, Alasdair Evans, Craig Wallace (wk), Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Hamza Tahir, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Stuart Whittingham
Captain credits tough Test against Ireland for battle-hardening his team ahead of famous victory
Osman Samiuddin at Lord's27-May-20181:11
Sarfraz proud of Pakistan after Lord’s win
Five uncapped players before the tour began; four bowlers with less than ten Tests between them before the tour; 16 Tests between three of the top four before this Test and just four of the XI that won at Lord’s in 2016 took to the same field two years later; it was easy before the Test began to let these facts outweigh another hefty fact: that Pakistan had won seven of their last 10 Tests against England going in.Yet it was precisely those nuggets of inexperience that helped Pakistan win an eighth in 11 – and their fifth at Lord’s – according to the man who led them to it. Sarfraz Ahmed made clear to his players before this tour that there should be no fear of losing, and only an opportunity to learn.”We thought that even if we lose we should learn,” he said after a nine-wicket triumph that will find itself among the more memorable ones in England.”We had nothing to lose but a lot to learn. I don’t think we’ve ever had such a young team at Lord’s before. This squad had 12 [11] players who had never played at Lord’s before so the way they responded is great.”For collective contributions and sustained dominance – one afternoon session apart – it is difficult to recall a more complete away performance in recent years. Pakistan didn’t wilt in the field, not with the ball and, in conditions helpful for swing, batted with rare judgment and discipline.”No praise is enough for the boys especially the fast bowlers who set the tone on the first day, then our batsmen responded,” he said. “You name anyone [Mohammad] Abbas, [Mohammad] Amir, Hasan [Ali], Faheem [Ashraf] and Shadab [Khan, batsmen Azhar [Ali], Asad [Shafiq], Babar [Azam] and Haris [Sohail]. The way this young team has played I don’t think any young team would have done something like this at this ground.”Though it hasn’t felt the same as 2016, Pakistan were probably as well prepared coming into this Test as two years ago. They had 15 days of cricket in England alone before Lord’s, as well as the staple training camp in Lahore before the tour.And a difficult win against Ireland, where they wobbled with the bat, where they dropped catches, where they often bowled the wrong lengths, reaped no end of benefits.”We knew that even a Test against Ireland would not be easy and they gave us a really tough time,” Sarfraz said. “We weren’t up to the mark in bowling and batting so when we played the Leicestershire [two-day] game we told the bowlers to pitch the ball up. And that was the difference from Malahide. That was the perfect Test for us coming here.”Sarfraz had a better game himself than at Malahide, barring his dismissal off what became the last ball before tea on the second day. There were no dropped catches and most sessions he managed the field well around him. Not that he is a great self-analyser.”I shout and scream at my players like always, all that is in front of you guys. I got really angry with Hasan Ali because he wasn’t getting a wicket [post-tea on Saturday]. But the best thing is they listen to me and understand me.”
أعرب السويسري مارسيل كولر المدير الفني لـ الأهلي، عن سعادته بعد الفوز على الداخلية بهدفين مقابل هدف، بالمباراة التي جمعت بينهما ببطولة الدوري المصري.
والتقى الأهلي مع الداخلية على أرضية استاد السلام، ضمن مؤجلات الجولة الثانية عشر من عمر المسابقة المحلية.
وقال كولر في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي عقب المباراة: “بعد إصابة علي معلول نعطي فرصة لكريم فؤاد في هذا المركز وأنا سعيد بأدائه، لقد قدم مباريات كبيرة، نحب في نهاية المباراة أن نقوم بعمل ضغط هجومي أكثر، لذلك أشركت كوكا وكان يوجد تكتيك محدد أريد تنفيذه بوجوده”.
طالع أيضاً.. أحمد الشناوي يكشف مدى صحة ركلة جزاء الداخلية أمام الأهلي
وتابع: “شاهدت 4 مباريات لفريق الداخلية وتحدثت مع الفريق عن جودة لاعبيه، وأنهم يلعبون بشكل جيد والمباريات التي خسرها بسبب عدم توفيق وليس أداء، حذرت اللاعبين من هذا الأمر ولكن لم يتم أخذه بشكل جاد وواضح”.
وعن تدوير اللاعبين: “المفترض اللاعب الذي يشارك أن يثبت نفسه، ولابد أن يستغل الفرصة ولا يلعب بشكل سيئ، كل اللاعبين يتدربون بشكل جيد، والذي لا يشارك باستمرار يتدرب أكثر من الذي يشارك، فاللاعب عليه أن يثبت أنه أفضل عندما يحصل على فرصة”.
وأكمل: “محمد الشناوي كان مصابًا لفترة طويلة وبدأ يحصل على مباريات كثيرة متتالية مع المنتخب والأهلي، وهذا يمثل ضغطًا كبيرًا جدًا، حارس المرمى يكون عليه ضغط كبير جدًا بالأخص في الأهلي لأنه خلال الـ90 دقيقة يكون عليه ضغط ذهني ونفسي كبير جدًا”.
وأتم: “تحدثت مع محمد الشناوي وشرحت له الوضع وأنني أحتاج أن يحصل على راحة لكي يستطيع أن يتحمل ضغط المباريات الرهيب المتواجد لدينا مثل باقي اللاعبين، الظروف كانت مناسبة لمشاركة مصطفى شوبير، هو حارس مرمى جيد جدًا وأدى معنا جيدًا، الشناوي حارس كبير جدًا وتاريخي للنادي وتقبل ذلك وتفهمه بشكل كبير وسيكون متواجد معنا في المباراة المقبلة أمام الزمالك”.
Everton have tabled an offer to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga, and they’ve been given a boost in their pursuit according to the latest update on the deal.
How much does Japhet Tanganga earn?
Tanganga currently pockets £25k-per-week which he isn’t really earning considering last season he made just two starts in the Premier League and is still yet to make a single appearance this season, and the fact that he’s so low down in the pecking order suggests he could be on the move before tomorrow’s deadline.
Speaking to Last Word On Spurs, Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas recently name-checked the Toffees as one of the clubs interested in a deal for the centre-back, alongside Luton Town and Inter Milan, though since then, another team had emerged as the favourites to secure his services.
According to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, England’s former youth international was set to complete a switch to Serie A side Torino, but this has since broken down with the two clubs failing to reach an agreement, therefore meaning that the player is assessing what other options he has.
The Goodison Park outfit are believed to have wanted the 24-year-old last summer but failed to get a deal over the line at the time, though with their admiration being long-standing, the player may take that into serious consideration when choosing his next destination.
Are Everton signing Japhet Tanganga?
According to Calciomercato.it (via Sport Witness), Everton have put an offer “on the table” for Tanganga, showing that the hierarchy have “stepped up their interest” in the hope of bringing him to Merseyside.
Tottenham’s defender had put Italy and indeed the Serie A at the “top of his preferences”, but with an overseas transfer now looking highly unlikely, he’s expected to look much closer to home in a boost for the Blues.
How good is Japhet Tanganga?
Whilst Spurs haven’t given Tanganga a fair chance to prove what he’s capable of ever since last season, there’s clearly a reason as to why he’s not been able to force his way into the starting line-up, and quite simply, that’s because he’s not been good enough to make the cut.
The RDF Football client ranked as Ange Postecoglou’s side’s 18th best-performing defensive player out of 29 squad members during the previous campaign, averaging just 0.8 tackles per top-flight game, not to mention that he listed 24th overall, via WhoScored, showing how little of an impact he’s been able to make.
Read The Latest Everton Transfer News HERE…
The Hackney-born talent additionally failed to contribute anything at the top end of the pitch having recorded zero goals or assists in the Premier League for 2022/23, so he's really not been able to make an impact when handed the rare opportunity to showcase his skills.
Previously, Tanganga has even been labelled “naive” alongside his fellow defensive teammates in the capital by members of the media, so whilst Sean Dyche would like to bolster his ranks before 11pm tomorrow evening, Tottenham’s academy graduate is perhaps not a player that the boss should be pursuing.
Meticulous and clinical, the Adelaide Strikers turned a precarious position against the Sydney Thunder into a 25-run win to reach the top of the Big Bash League table
The Report by Tim Wigmore07-Jan-2018Adelaide Strikers 7 for 158 (Ingram 48, Carey 34, Fawad 3-31) beat Sydney Thunder 9 for 133 (Nesser 3-29, Siddle 2-13, Rashid 2-21) by 25 runsMeticulous and clinical, the Adelaide Strikers turned a precarious position against the Sydney Thunder into a 25-run win to reach the top of the Big Bash League table.Yet again, the Strikers’ success was underpinned by Rashid Khan, the outstanding player in the tournament so far. In five matches, he has recorded figures of 2-22, 2-22, 2-19, 2-18 and now 2-21, bowling with control and penetration that has allowed the Strikers to triumph when batting first, while their opponents favour chasing. To boot, he even heaved a couple of sixes in the final over of Adelaide’s innings.The margin of the Strikers’ victory defied their struggles for much of the night. Colin Ingram’s six-ridden 48 hauled them to 158 for 7; then, with the Thunder on 42 for no loss after five overs, Peter Siddle delivered a crucial maiden before combining with Rashid to throttle the home team. Even Ben Rohrer’s three late sixes were not enough to give the Thunder real hope of avenging their defeat at the Adelaide Oval before Christmas.Adelaide steady as she goesThe Strikers are unusual in their penchant for batting first when they win the toss – something they have done more than the other seven teams combined this BBL season. It is a reflection of how, with a strong bowling attack that includes Rashid, who is especially proficient in the second innings, they feel comfortable defending totals. Travis Head won the toss, batted first and won against the Sydney Thunder at Adelaide a fortnight ago, and aimed to do the same on Sunday evening. Perhaps the scorching heat in Sydney – it was the hottest day in the city for 80 years – played a role too, making it attractive for the Strikers to field when it was cooler later in the night. The Strikers began their innings smoothly enough, just a little slowly: after eight overs, they had only lost one wicket, yet had a run rate of under seven.Getty Images
Fawad pulls them backLegspinners have been the most successful type of bowlers in this season of the Big Bash. And for all the attention on the overseas stars – Rashid, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah – Fawad Ahmed has been almost as effective. In the ninth over of the Strikers innings, he changed the complexion of the game by snaring both set batsmen. First, Travis Head spliced a shot to long-on. Then, after striking a couple of slog-swept boundaries – the second was caught on the long-on boundary, but Kurtis Patterson was touching the rope while initially taking the catch – Alex Carey was flummoxed by a googly and clean bowled. Fawad cleaned up Jonathan Wells with a delivery that went straight on in his final over, to end with 3 for 31 and take his BBL season haul to eight wickets at 18.50 apiece, to go with an economy rate of 6.16. In all, the Thunder delivered 12 overs of spin, with Chris Green taking 1 for 22 from his allocation.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Ingram’s late dashAt 4 for 104 with one ball of the 16th over left, the Strikers weren’t going anywhere quickly. Then, Colin Ingram did as overseas batsmen are supposed to do. With beautiful timing, he creamed three sixes – a heave over long-on from Arjun Nair, a crisp strike over long-off off Green, and a pull over square leg off Gurinder Sandhu – to haul Adelaide into a position from which they could amass a working total. As Ingram walked off, slashing a full and wide delivery from Sandhu to the keeper, the suspicion remained that the total would not be quite enough. But Rashid harrumphed two sixes in the final three balls of the Strikers innings to shore them up to 7 for 158; 54 of those runs having come off the final 25 balls.Thunder’s flying startAt 32 without loss in four overs, the Thunder appeared to be cruising towards their target. Head entrusted Rashid to bowl the fifth over, but Patterson scythed two fours through the covers to leave the home team requiring only 117 from 15 overs with ten wickets still in hand. It should have been a cruise.The squeezeThe Strikers’ comeback began with that rarest of T20 commodities: the maiden. Siddle produced six deliveries of subtle variation and immaculate precision to Jos Buttler. In the following over, Rashid’s googly had Buttler clean bowled, and suddenly the Thunder were stifled. In four overs together, Siddle and Rashid conceded only 13 runs – the prelude to a stretch of 42 balls without a boundary. In the process, as if sleepwalking, the Thunder’s position of overwhelming domination first became uncertain, and then increasingly precarious. Both Patterson and Shane Watson scored at a strike-rate of well under 100.The endgameBy the time Watson was out, heaving a catch to long-on, the Thunder needed 84 from only 41 balls, though they still had seven wickets in hand. Yet, once again, Rashid proved far too good – and even caught Green at long-on to effectively seal the Strikers’ victory. Rohrer struck some admirable blows late, but it always seemed futile.
Joe Root has defended England’s coaching staff after what appeared to be some criticism from James Anderson
George Dobell in Perth13-Dec-20172:33
‘We’re so close to getting it right’ – Root
Joe Root has defended England’s coaching staff after what appeared to be some criticism from James Anderson.Anderson, writing in his column, had admitted he “bowled too short” on the first day of the Adelaide Test after Root had won the toss and inserted Australia. But while Anderson accepted England “should have bowled fuller”, he also suggested the coaches could have stepped in.”It was an oversight from the players on the field, but also from the coaches who could have had an input too, which is frustrating,” Anderson wrote.That left Root, the England captain, feeling the need to defend the coaching staff in his pre-match press conference in Perth on Wednesday.”It’s probably slightly harsh to put the blame on to the coaches,” Root said. “The relationship between coaches and players has been really good. Us guys on the field, we’re the ones responsible for what we are doing out there.”It’s easy to look back and say ‘bowl that little bit fuller’ but we all knew that was the case. I think we got it wrong on the field. We have to be smarter, react quicker. I take responsibility for that as well, as captain.”Anderson comments do seem a little odd. Not only might you think that Anderson – as a 35-year-old veteran of 135 Tests – had the experience to know how to bowl in such circumstances without the interference of anyone in the dressing room, but it seems strange that he has felt the need to make his views public. Only one ball in the first 13 overs would have hit the stumps.It also remains unclear about whom Anderson was referring. Shane Bond was the seam bowling coach in Adelaide – his interim spell in the position ended after the game – while England also have various analysts as well as the main coaching pair of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace, who could have sent messages out on to the field as required. Anderson had previously praised Bond for his input in formulating plans of attack for each of the Australia batsmen.Either way, Root’s comments meant that, for the second time in successive days, the England captain had felt the need to mildly rebuke his vice-captain. The previous day Root had answered, “Yes, maybe a little bit” when asked whether Anderson needed to set a better example. Anderson was one of the players to return to The Avenue bar – the scene of Jonny Bairstow’s now notorious greeting of Cameron Bancroft at the start of the tour – at the end of last week where, in the early hours of Friday, Ben Duckett deliberately poured a drink over him.While it would be wrong to overstate the level of conflict – these were two gentle remarks, after all – any public disagreement between such senior players on the eve of what Root has called “one of the biggest games of our lives” is not ideal. Just the previous day, Root had said: “We are all in this together and we are only going to win if we stick together.””It’s staring you in the face that the Ashes are on the line,” Root said on Wednesday. “We know what’s at stake. We have to deliver. We have to make sure we put in that rounded performance which we know we can. We know what we need to do. We just have to go out there and perform.”Meanwhile, Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, won’t return to Australia as originally planned due to a family health problem.