Edgbaston: Gabba of the West

By lunch on the the Final day of the 3rd Investec Test between England and Pakistan,the crowd had started building up in the famed Hollies stand of this renowned stadium known as the County Ground,Edgbaston that has stood since 1902.In the morning, Moeen Ali had fired England to commanding position,his second brisk fifty accumulating 149 runs in the test.The target set 343 in 84 overs was a ground record if chased.Alistair Cook ,it seemed, had declared after making sure he couldn’t lose the game rather than giving the bait to the opposition.The visitors started hesitantly, a typical 4th inning spectacle punctuated by the shot played by the opener Mohammad Hafeez which captured everyone’s attention.In over number six, he had swivelled a semi hook shot straight down the safe paws of Chris Woakes at long leg.Indeed,Stuart Broad couldn’t have believed his luck.Nasser Hussain remarked “Another soft dismissal from Hafeez”.Mike Atherton couldn’t have been more clear “for an experienced player,thats a poor dismissal”.Jarrod Kimber had to write a whole article about it titled ” Pakistan has been full Hafeezed “.This was on the back of the fifth ball duck in the 1st innings,the way he was dismissed then being equally repulsive.

Even despite the double embarrassment,Pakistan’s second wicket stand had taken them to some safety again getting to 69/1 and an odd shout of chasing the mighty target still existed.Azhar finally came on board this tour with a 38 following up on a much needed ton in the first innings.Sami Aslam, possibly the find of the tour as like Moeen, produced a second fifty.His 152 runs in the test were highlighted by sturdy defence and playing his strokes late.A physique and display of talent that reminded some of the famous Saeed Anwar,he had played a brilliant rookie innings of 82, wearing out the new ball from all the English seamers.He was bowled by Finn for 70 in the second, who alongside obtaining Misbah’s wicket had taken his first two of the series in a span of 73 plus overs. The afternoon session saw the all too familiar “collapse”.Six wickets had fallen as the ball reversed. Moeen had initially found some rough and softened up the path getting Azhar out before four fell for one run in the space of 22 balls to have the visitors in wraps and pleading for a Tea break.The tail wagged with a 50 run final stand but Moeen finished it off at 201 as the overs diminished.England had won in Edgbaston… again.

Until that afternoon session,it had been an exciting game.Both sides played well in sessions.Each day was contested well.Pakistan dismissing the Poms for 297 was not exactly a justification of Misbah’s toss win but the fact the so called “moving” nature of the pitch made him fear of Pakistan capitulating early.They had scored 72 six years back.Sohail Khan,brought back after five years by the skipper,took a five for which was more impressive than his “press ups” routine later.Gary Ballance starred alongside Moeen but the tall quickie extracted good length balls from a pitch that had some seam on day one rather then when Pakistan batted.Pakistan’s strong reply could have been better had on the third day, they had added more than just 143 for the last seven wickets to land them on the 400 mark.They had secured a lead of 103 which evaporated in the post tea session by the openers.

Cook and Hales’ 126 for the opening stand was an enigma from English standards but on day four both went in quick succession on the same score.Root was on 25 when he was grassed in the 1st slip,who was none other than Mohammad Hafeez off Rahat Ali.The pathetic fielding has been another drawback of their tour and it took 111 balls to avenge the drop.That meant Joe Root had accumulated 62 and the highest tally for the tour at 447.The world no 1 ranking looks not far way now.At 282 for five,England had a lead of 179 before Johnny Bairstow,joined by Moeen opened up his shoulders.Another productive post tea session had the hosts push to 414 at stumps. Sohail Khan now was clearly out of gas and at 32 doesnt seem stamina is on his side.The Pak attack of just four frontline bowlers seem drained taken to 215 overs in two innings.

Pakistan have been second best in this series so far with the feeble batting and poor fielding leading to their demise.The fact that Younis Khan at No. 4 hasn’t really taken off like in 2006 has been a key factor.Misbah can’t carry the weight all the time.Asad Shafiq normally reliable grabbed a pair here.Its a long tail made longer once Wahab doesn’t play. The quicks have been less than convincing at times especially when the workload increases. Amir has just come back into the test arena after a long duration even though looks the best of the lot.Yasir when Pakistan bowls first doesn’t come into the picture much and England has read him well since Lord’s as well.The final test at Oval will serve a bigger battle for Misbah than Cookie.

England’s win at Edgbaston is their seventh in their last ten tests here. They have lost here on only 7 occasions in 114 years here.On top of that,no Asian team has won a test here. The Hollies stand continues to roar raucously.One can recall in 1987 test here on the final evening when Imran and Wasim triggered a late collapse when England were left 15 adrift with three wickets remaining in chase of the 124 in 18 overs.Both sides could have won and it eventually was drawn.All three decisions were alive by the lunch session here as well 29 years on.Until that “Cacoethes” was set loose again at the Gabba of the West.

The Red Letter Test

For 15 years, Old Trafford stands a fortress in the North for English cricket.Driving through the famous A56 Chester Road is the interesting Warwick Road that divides it into Sir Matt Busby Way on the North side which leads to the home of Manchester United whilst in the south,it takes one to Brian Statham Way,the home of Lancashire Cricket Club since 1864.

England hadn’t lost a test in 9 outings here.Seven of them had resulted in home wins.Coming into this test, the hosts were stunned by Pakistan taking a 1-0 lead in the series with a historic win at Lord’s.But in their minds would be the 2014 series at home when they lost at Lord’s only to come bouncing back and win 3 in a row against the visiting Indian team.

The toss has become a focal point around which this test series seems to revolve.Cook won the flip on this occasion and it was about to reflect.Despite an early peach of a delivery that swung late from Amir and got Alex Hales packing, the Pakistani bowlers struggled to trouble the hosts.Cook and Root produced a huge 185 run stand.If Cook’s 105 hadn’t rattled Pakistan enough , Root’s mammoth test best of 254 would have.He totally dominated Yasir Shah who looked a shadow of his previous week’s form.Fifties from Woakes and Bairstow compiled more pressure and it seemed at one point on the second evening that England would be aiming for a much higher score in the range of 600 plus.Root’s innings ended and Cook declared.The match already had a feel of resignation in the opposition camp.

Old Trafford normally takes a bit more bounce than Lord’s.This didn’t imply Pakistan couldnt have scored a big total.Hafeez had seen off Jimmy Anderson who continued like in the Gulf to antagonise Shan Masood.As is typical on the final ball before tea,Hafeez edged one to slip and England had their main breakthrough.Azhar’s return catch to the man of the moment,Chris Waokes and Ben Stokes’ having Younus caught behind put on the brakes. As if it wasn’t as hideous in Lord’s Misbah continued in the same vain of putting Rahat Ali on the night watch. It was a futile decision.He was clueless in the dark centre and Woakes got him marching.The Greenshirts had capitulated on a batting turf to 57/4.Their batting was in disarray.Even the Mancunian rains didn’t come to aid and give some respite.to the poor batting at display.

The skipper restored some pride with the lower order again. A Sarfraz cameo took the score to three figures.At 112/8, it seemed ominous,England would enforce follow on but Wahab lingered with a 39 after the skipper had accumulated 52.The Visitors reeled off 79 runs off nearly 19 overs to finish with 198.Cook’s criticism of not enforcing the follow on lasted a few rain breaks and 30 overs.England declared a second time at 173/1.Joe Root was again in excellent form dispatching every one in his quick 48 ball,71.Cook remained unbeaten at 76, getting to his fastest test fifty in 55 balls.Pakistan had no answer.

One thing that didn’t change from the win at Lord’s was the state of Pakistan’s fielding. Its as worse can be with once again drops becoming a routine, whether its Younus bobbling it or Hafeez not catching at height stooped low or the keeper sinking dollies.I guess Steve Rixon might have to re evaluate how he could make this is a stronger unit.The slip corden looks slippery in the view of a Duke ball carrying on in the humid conditions and the moist turfs of Brittania.

The Greenshirts eventually had to chase 565 which was their second highest set target. They were in no hurry though …. to stay on the wicket. Hafeez who is finding it very difficult as an opener to justify his spot top scored with 42.And if he has factors to expel him then Shan Masood isn’t far behind.Jimmy has taken him now on six occasions with that defining off stump line at the angle which he finds it hard not to fish at.Pakistan has only picked 3 openers for the entire tour and so Sami Aslam now looks certain if Shan won’t be retained.The problems don’t end there. Azhar ‘s leg stump dismissals are becoming a nuisance.Younus and his increasing need to punish Moeen Ali has landed him being dismissed twice to the off spinner. If Younus played like a “cat on a hot tin roof” then Woakes must be the “dog with two tails” because he claimed Misbah’s wicket off a bad ball whilst on 35. The Pakistani tail on the other hand wagged just a bit to last 70 overs.The winning wicket on this occasion was Amir’s by Woakes who now has series leading 18 wickets.

England kept their streak alive winning by a colossal 330 runs, the 5th largest win in terms of runs and the visitors 4th heaviest defeat in the same format.Why the turnaround ? The reasons are plenty but scoreboard pressure put up by Cook and Root stands out.They as well as the batsmen who followed curbed some of the poor shots they were offering at Lord’s.Pakistan continue their “nervous breakdown” with the chasing scenario. Psychologically when Pakistan plummet there is no coming back.Its one of the reasons follow on enforcers would have had no doubts on the third evening when the Poms led by 391.

The numbers represent a momentum swing in the series.The highs of Lord’s for the visitors have been manipulated to pretty damaging lows.England also has problems.Ben Stokes limped off with calf issues and looks suspect for the remainder of the series.Vince is not convincing at all at no 4 whilst marginally better Ballance also hangs on for now. Moeen has seven wickets but very pricy ones indeed.England continue their streak at this age old arena. The series is still poised to be a cracker but the hosts would revel their position heading into their favourite hunting ground at Edgbaston.

In His Reverence

In the Subcontinent,there was once a cricketing story told by a father to his son about a speed merchant of the North who used to roam unchallenged but when provoked act like a beast similar to an urban legend called the “cornered tiger”.Legend has it there was a tamer who contained the rage in that beast at various times especially on the cricketing field.Legend also has it that this merchant’s father,an economics professor in Islamia College,Lahore used to make him walk 5 miles and then run 5 miles for seven years straight in a well drilled regime.The speed demon in question was a lad called Fazal and his tamer was his national team skipper called Abdul Hafeez.In 1952 a fledgling nation in the North West beneath the Himalayas called Pakistan was just entering the sport formally.

On their first ever cricketing tour of India, Fazal, faced defeat in his debut test in October 1952 and was provoked by a group of home fans in Delhi such that he went on a limb saying to change his name if he wasn’t able to avenge the loss in the next test.Abdul Hafeez, reprimanded such behaviour, though fully knew Fazal’s capabilities were central to the tour and continued to contain him.Lucknow was the venue of the second test. It was first time Fazal was bowling on a jute matting wicket intended to negate swing and speed. After seven overs of his spell, he found no luck and he switched tactics and started using the seams so that some movement was generated.Thanks to those fans in Delhi,Fazal ,with his pride at stake,never looked back and produced one of the greatest overseas hauls by a Greenshirt ever witnessed in test cricket such that it stands as a national record to this date. He produced match winning figures of 12/94 on a jute matting track.Fast bowling was finally born in Pakistan.As the story unfolded, the son’s excitation increased to recognise those two as Fazal Mahmood, the 1st ever Wisden’s Cricketer of the the Year for Greenshirts in 1955 and Abdul Hafeez Kardar who went on to captain Pakistan to 23 tests in a row and is widely recognized as the Pakistan’s “Father of Cricket ”.

A cornered tiger can sometimes indulge in unfavourable behaviour like Fazal’ s rage did then.It was insightful to learn a term from a famous Pakistani novelist Kamila Shamsie now based in London on a TMS interview at the recently Lords Test about this.The term was called “ Cacoethes” and is synonymous with Pakistan cricket particularly their batting. Speaking of the test itself,one such speed demon in question being the attention of the world’s media was making his comeback.Yes,it was the speedster Mohammad Amir and his skipper Misbah ul Haq on this occasion took the role of Kardar like saviour . Misbah controlled all of his boys on cue like Kardar used to in the 1950’s.Like Kardar’s various innings when he would for the sake of team stay for long intervals in unfashionable batting stints and play risk free innings knowing fully his wicket spelled the end of a resistance,Misbah pronged into full “pressup” mode at Lords.His 154 ball crisis ton in the 1st inning came at a time when the team were 134/4.Pakistan went on to make 339 with Asad Shafiq’s technically sound 73 in support to his skipper.

Chris Woakes troubled Greenshirts continuously with both bat and ball at Lords, picking up his first 11 wicket haul as a result. England however didn’t have it their own way batting either as stand of 111 between Cook and Root ended by the leg spin of Yasir Shah.Cook was dropped twice at 22 and 55 on both Amir’s deliveries which edged the bat only to be spilled behind. It was understandably a nervous start for the quickie but he gave shades of what he can do still as he finally rattled through Cook’s defences at 81.Yasir was pure quality though with a six for ensuring the visitors took a 67 lead.Pakistan’s second innings didn’t have an orderly start as the skipper indulged into a “ Cacoethes”of his own going for a duck leaving them at 60/4.Asad,Sarfraz and Yasir all contributed to set the target at a tall 283, considering only Windies of 1984 has achieved a successful target higher that that figure in 132 years of test cricket here.

Nevertheless,England charged ahead and made a match of it.Rahat was a God send or as back home they would say “khota sikka” as he took the top 3 out.The visitors continued to assert themselves as the middle order didn’t stay long enough to occupy a platform of resistance.The two ripping leg breaks from the Nursery end rough that Yasir exploited in taking Ballance and Moeen was the writing on the wall.Bairstow and Woakes hung on and survived the thunderbolt known as Wahab Riaz who produced one of the spells of the match.With the ball reverse swinging memories of Adelaide 2015 in the World Cup were rekindled.It was a reflection of what Fazal was going through in those seven overs in Lucknow with no luck.Yasir finally broke through Johnny’s defenses with him at 48 bowling him again after a setup of wider ones before the one that went straight.The tail fumbled with England losing by 75 runs.Yasir finished with figures of 10 /141 himself, the man of the match award and now has the fastest 86 test wickets in history.Misbah stuck by his men all throughout and claimed a 21 st win,the fastest to that number by a skipper in just 43 tests.His team fought bravely for him much like Kardar’s eleven in 1952.

Misbah controlled the rage of Pakistan fuming for the last six years with his calming demeanour just like Kardar controlled Fazal’s.Lords has granted its own redemption to Amir as he took the winning wicket,a far cry from his 6/84 in 2010,but it was just the first test back.The Greenshirts celebrated on pressups akin to the skipper’s ton reaction,with the tribute of the win to Edhi sahib being equally commendable.The series is set to be a cracker.

They might not be like Imran, Sarfraz, the 2 W’s or the Great Fazal himself,but Wahab, Rahat and Amir and Yasir at Lord’s all withstood and exhibited in ability a testament to Fazal’s passion in Lucknow as did Misbah to Abdul Hafeez Kardar’s.Maybe in 30 years, this story will be told to the next generation as the Cornered Tigers’ return to Lord’s having their pride restored.Just like my father recited that of Fazal’s and Kardar’s to me.

The Djoko Slam

In 1969, Rodney George Laver completed what is known as the most recent men’s singles grand slam to date.It was his second Grand slam ,after 1962 , technically known as winning the all the four major tennis tournaments in a calendar year namely the French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open. That was the sequence Laver undertook in 1969 when the Australian open used to be the last grand slam of the year. Though the International Tennis Federation relaxed this technicality of winning all four in calendar year in 1982, Martina Navratilova by winning the French Open in 1984 was not acknowledged when she held all four together and so called non calendar grand slam took shape.

Strictly speaking, only 6 calendar grand slams have ever been achieved.In addition to Laver’s two feats others in the group include 1938 Don Budge , 1953 Maureen Connolly, 1970 Maragret Court and 1988 Steffi Graf.In total 17 ( 10 women and 7 men ) have won a career grand slam , that is having won all the four in their career.Whilst Martina and Serena Williams have achieved the non calendar slam, Laver’s feat remains as the last time a men’s singles player has held all four simultaneously.

There have been recent close calls.Roger Federer had two attempts foiled in 2006 and 2007 as did Novak Djokovic in 2012 all by Rafael Nadal at the French Open finales. Rafa’s streak a year earlier in 2011 Australian was stopped in the quarters by fellow countryman David Ferrer. Pete Sampras in 1994 French Open lost to Jim Courier in the quarters halting his run. Novak ‘s wins in last year’s Wimbledon, US Open and earlier in the year in Melbourne meant alongside a chance to complete career grand slam, he could hold all four slams at once.

Heading into Paris, for the French Open there couldn’t be anyone more nervous than Djokovic. Its the slam he has struggled to win all along. 3 times a loser in the finals in 11 attempts in Paris prompted to jog memories of Ashe , Connors, Edberg, Becker, Sampras Hingis and Davenport amongst the 12 who haven’t won it to complete a calendar grand slam.Would Novak Djokovic be the unlucky 13th to join that club ?

His anxiety showed in the inital rounds.Against Steve Darcis in the second round, he definitely didn’t look himself.The 4th round clash against Roberto Batistuta Agut was more gripping. He lost the first set and then the match was interrupted by rain which was another factor in Paris this year. He managed to claw back characteristically the following day and negotiated Thomas Berdych in quarters without dropping a set. The new kid on the block Dominic Thiem was projected to cause issues in the semis.However, Novak played some scintillating tennis of the fortnight dropping just seven games.

In the final , Andy Murray awaited. Murray himself had reached a new high reaching his first French open final. Having dispatched big serving Ivo Karlovic and John Isner, he produced a sort of a shock downing defending champion Stanislaw Wawrinka in the semis. His ardent clay court run stretched in to the final as he took the first set 6-3. But back came Novak with some vengeance. Levelling up the second at 6-1, he meant business.He never looked back. It seemed Murray had deflated and couldn’t pick any momentum.The crowd for a change was backing Novak after what happenned in the previous year’s presentation ceremony. Novak dropped just six games in the next two sets closing out a four set win and laying claim to the famous Musketeers trophy.

Novak Djokovic can now claim his legendary status in the ranks of other past greats and not to mention greats of his own era .Nadal and Federer will always be his contemporaries and he finally is able to match them . Whether he makes it 17 of beyond is early to speculate but he definitelt will enjoy slam no 12 the most when all is said and done. Paris has accepted Novak in the end .

“The Greatest Champ”

They said the ring was never big enough for him.Was this world ever gonna be? Watching “Rumble in Jungle ” or “Thrilla in Manila” just doesn’t begin to tell what his impact on sport was or even beyond it. Like Manny Pacquiao stated on his death ” We lost a giant today.Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali’s talent but not nearly as much as mankind from his humanity.” Manny’s was one of many tributes rolled out last Saturday as the world poured its heart full of emotion, something that can only be reserved for a legend like Ali.

Known as the “Louisville Lip” for his origins in the Bluegrass State of Kentucky and being quite loud mouthed in his exchanges with the press and competitors there was nothing more louder in the ring than those pair of boxing gloves he wore.Crowned an Olympic champion in Rome olympics of 1960, the lean Cassius Clay became pro not long after. In a short time he went up the pro ranks and landed up the big fight against Sonny Liston which will change him forever. The People’s champion had arrived in 1964.In the prime of his career, he was put in sporting exile after his refusal to fight the Vietnam war or that’s what we thought.

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For the record, he regained the world heavyweight crown 7 yrs after taken from him by the boxing authorities after he refused to be inducted for army service for the Vietnam War.The venue was interestingly, Kinshasa in Zaire now known as Democratic Republic of Congo and the bout labelled as ” Rumble in the Jungle”.In October 1974 , in one of the greatest bouts ever fought against then champion George Foreman, Ali took the stage again.That in itself was an achievement. But how he did was incredible.Many had feared for Ali’s life.Deemed as heavy underdog against the huge George Foreman, and shunned by many as a “has been”, Ali did what he does best.Solid footwork and waited for his time.The crowd in Kinshasa going with with every punch he landed. “Boomaye, Ali” chants which were present when he landed in Zaire let alone the ring itself couldn’t have been heard any louder. The People’s champion had won.And it wasn’t his last fight like he had advertised either.That build up in Kinshasa taught him a thing or two about the world.

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More thrills were to come.His rivalry with Smokin Joe Frazier was huge.Labelled the “Fight of the Century”, in 1971 when both were undefeated, Frazier took the fight on unanimous points decision.Ali returned the favour in non title bout in January 1974 was when neither were champs but after reclaiming the title from Foreman in Zaire, set up what many see today as the greatest fight of all time ” Thrilla in Manila”. It took place in January 1975 in the Araneta Coliseum ,Quezon City which is now the Philippines’ largest city. Jab after Jab received, Ali said afterwards he was closest to dying by round 9. By Round 13, Frazier could hardly see and his gum shield had fallen.Ali unleashed barrage of punches in the following round enough for the referee to stop the bout before a 15th round. Ali had retained his heavyweight championship.

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To have regained the heavyweight title is not a major feat in today’s era but to have done it twice in those conditions was an amazing feat. Many said he should have hung up in 1975 after the Frazier era.Ali would have struggled against a younger fellow Olympic champion by the name of Leon Spinks.Spinks beat an out of shape Ali in his only his 8th fight in 1978, the fastest to a heavyweight championship in history, but then refused to fight Ken Norton,the challenger in waiting. Instead he went for re match. In then the relatively new and huge arena called the Louisiana Superdome in October 1978, Ali fought tooth and nail after coming back in shape. He won on the unanimous point decision and became the 1st three time heavyweight champion.It was also his last professional win in his 59th pro fight.

Ali’s reign in the ring ended with a loss to Larry Holmes in 1980, but his influence outside it was just beginning. Known long before his retiring days that he’ll invest heavily in the people all around the globe, he did just that.Parkinsonism in 1984 didn’t halt his journey.He travelled all over the globe and everywhere he went,he attracted attention and became a great spokesman for human relations,peace and prosperity in addition to his charity work.He was the show stealer in the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.During the last years of Vietnam War, he had become a hero rather than a traitor.He now became a social icon after his gloves were hung.His gloves are still enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute.

He was dubbed the Best Heavyweight of the 20th century by Associated Press and finished Fighter of the year more times by Ring Magazine than any other boxer.BBC Sport awarded him “Sports Personality of the Century”. Sports illustrated likewise named ” Sportsman of the Century “.The people loved him. Sport adored him.He was after all the ” People’s Champion.”

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Words fail to describe the impact he had on generations to come.A Sportsman, a revolutionary,most importantly,a human being.The day would come when the whole world would mourn his loss.Billions did.So many tributes on so many platforms showed he touched so many lives.He changed many a generation.Regardless of age, race, creed, gender,people all over the globe felt the loss. Many continue still. There will be no one like him, ever in sport or in the larger context in humanity on this planet.Champion he was , is and he will be. He was truly like his own admission,”The Greatest”.

The European Showcase !

When Germany played France last November in a friendly in Paris , there wasn’t an expectation that this friendly game would be remembered for anything but sporting reasons.As things transpired on that Paris evening around Stade de France ,long revered as the home of France’s 1998 triumphant comeback in world football, the Euro 2016 became an afterthought.

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However as challenges bring added motivation, a spring arose after a long european winter and brought hopes.Preps for the biggest Euro to be staged in Western Europe’s largest country took an added incentive.Four new stadiums have been produced in Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux and Nice. Five other venues including Parc de Princes in Paris and the Velodrome in Marseille have been upgraded. Only Stade de France retains its original state, site of France’s greatest footballing feat in July 1998. A special mention here to the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille which has a unique shiftable field capacity in order to make a lower level seating capacity for indoor events like basketball or tennis, in addition to the 15 minute retractable roof arrangement.Its called “Boîte à Spectacles”.

A spectacle for the home crowd will be the performance of the home team as always.1998 gave us Zidane and Henry.Who will be it this time ? Coming of age, Paul Pogba carries the burden of the French nation on this occasion.He won his 4th straight league championship with Juventus earlier this year and largely been crowned as the French Poster boy for the Euro.Hugo Lloris,Dmitri Payet and N’Golo Kante have had outstanding domestic seasons and with Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial,they possess a scoring capacity as well. France last won the Euro in 2000 when they were world champions.They open the Euro in Group A vs Romania on June 10 in Paris. Switzerland and Albania are the other teams in Group A.

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The threat to France taking the Euro will always come from the usual suspects. Germany have recruited youth again to complement the world cup winning squad . Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos are all back. Marco Reus who missed the 2014 world cup is fit for this one. And as always , EPL’s assist leader Mesut Ozil , is the lynchpin of their attack.Germany are in Group C,with Ukraine,Northern Ireland and a Polish team that has someone they know very well, Robert Lewandowski.

Spain and Italy won’t have the same punches as they did when they played the final in Kiev in 2012, but in competition play,both have the knack to advance deep.A Xavi less Spain has an average forward line.Iniesta and Fabregas look past their best.David Silva didn’t star much in Epl this year.Lucas Vasquez and the much talked about Saul Niguez are still an unknown quantity.Casillas still skippers and is in goal despite De Gea s impressive form. Spain also play in the difficult Group D with Croatia, Turkey and Czech Republic.Sparks will fly.

Italy led by Chelsea bound Antonio Conte have similar predicament. Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Montolivo are ageing as is Giorgio Chiellini. The forward line with Ciro Immobile , El Shaarawy , Graziano Pelle and Lorenzo Insigne is inexperienced still. But like Spain their captain also has a wealth of experience in Gianluigi Buffon now on 156 caps.They will face an opening tough challenges in the group with youthful Belgium, who ranked no 2 in fifa rankings are led by Eden Hazard and play them on June 13 in the extravagant Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon.Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden and a resurgent Ireland also complete in Group E.

In Group F,Portugal look a safe bet behind their skipper and Champions league winner Cristiano Ronaldo.Austria led by Leicester’s championship winning fullback Christian Fuchs are joined by neighbours Hungary who have arrived in major cup since 1986 and Iceland who are the smallest european nation to qualify.

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Another recent Champions league winner is Gareth Bale who stars for Wales in Group B as it provides one of the high octane matches when Wales and England clash on June 16 at Stade Bollaert Delelis. England have plenty of forwards to pick from as Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy are coming off impressive scoring seasons in EPL alongside Marcus Rashford who has had a dream start to his senior career.Dele Alli, Kyle Walker,Danny Rose,Eric Dier have starred for Spurs heavily but the midfield is not as experienced and traditionally England have struggled in the Euro, so a lot to prove still.Russia and Slovakia provide the opposition for two british teams.Marian Hamsik of Napoli is one to watch out for in a Slovakian team captained by Liverpool Martin Skrtel.The Russian squad have bulk of their squad made up of CSKA and Zenit St Petersburg players.

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It has been a long footballing season in Europe.The majority of the leagues finished 3 weeks prior to the opening game of the tourney, with the domestic cup finale s being staged a week later.And in case of some such as La Liga in Spain and the Premeira Liga in Portugal, the championship was decided on the final day.It raises the question of how fit the squads will be,how injuries will be managed and will the best product be displayed. The prize of winning the Euro is an entry to the Confederations Cup being held in Russia next year as a tuneup for the 2018 World event.

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24 teams , 6 groups , a round of 16 making the playoff predictions a bit more complicated than before as 4 best 3rd placed teams will advance with group winners.Marseille hosting a quarter and a semi with the final at St Denis on July 10.How ironic it will be if the same two teams who played that November evening in Paris when France beat Germany 2-0 end up playing 8 months later in the Euro Finale.It promises to be a showcase event.Super Victor can’t get any more excited. Vive la France !

The Happy Slam !

One of the most anticipated spectacles in January in addition to other New year festivities Down Under is the beginning of the tennis season. It gears up in full flow quite early as the 1st grand slam of the year , The Australian Open. Not only it provides us with excellent weather conditions to watch the world ‘s best in the game early on in the year , but also caters for asia pacific to host an event and showcase some of the talent on that side of the world, away from the european and the american hubs.

Australia’s home Grand Slam singles deficit streak is another story. 1978 was the last year the host nation celebrated home singles success in the form of Christina O Neill.In 2016 , we bid farewell for one of their favourites Lleyton Hewitt,the 2001 US open & 2002 Wimbledon champion. As is customary, the world’s top men’s and women‘s players have had their 6 week end of season break and warmed up to start in style by help of practice tourneys in asia and the pacific rim region.

One of the unique aspects of this grand slam is the Plexicushion Prestige surface which plays a bit different to other hard courts. It is a blend of latex and rubber and has been installed since 2008 . The main show piece matches take place under lights when the cooler temps prevail including the men s and women singles finals. The Rod Laver Arena has retractable roof so unlike the US open, there are no delays of a 3rd Monday to get a men’s champion crowned.

Speaking of champions , Roger Federer came into Melbourne ranked world no 3 . He had successfully revitalised his career under the patronage of the legendary Stefan Edberg , another 2 time winner of this event. Roger hasn’t won a slam since Wimbledon 2012. When he lost at the second round at Wimbledon 2013 to the Ukranian Sergei Stakhovsky and then later in the summer in the fourth round to Tommy Robredo in New York , many suggested he should hang his boots up. He did just the opposite. He won six ATP events in 2015 defeating Novak Djokovic in Dubai , Cincinnati Masters finals as well as the round robin of World Tour finals. Federer is in the twilight of his career and has won everything tennis has to offer. He owns 17 singles grand slams, 4 of them in Melbourne last winning in 2010 . He is a perennial favourite across the globe with all the fans.

Rafael Nadal, once a favourite on all surfaces bowed out at the first hurdle to long time compatriot Fernando Verdasco in five sets.Verdasco produced some breathtaking shots reviving the match these two shared in 2009 quarters on the same surface.It was the year Nadal won his only Australian Open. Nadal has struggled in 2015 and whether he will recover from barrage of poor performances to have a shot at Paris this year remains to be seen.Certainly for many a time,2015 was his worst year as he went without a slam since 2005.

Amongst the potential to upset the top 3 in 2016 was Milos Raonic.The Serbian born Canadian reached the Aussie open 4th round in 2011 as a qualifier and 2015 quarters. This year he went a step better catching attention when he upset the 2014 champion Stanislaw Wawrinka, the 4th seed in the last 16.The Swiss no. 2, from Saint-Barthelme, was cruising in the three previous rounds until being stunned in the five setter.Raonic himself had beaten Roger Federer in the Brisbane tuneup two weeks earlier and came into the Open in rich form. He was rewarded with a semi against another perennial finalist, Andy Murray. Andy was a bit too much for Milos over five sets although the youngster led two sets to one at one point. An injury however to Milos meant Andy went into his 5th Aussie final.

Entering into this slam,Novak Djokovic was the running favourite.he was the reigning champion, World no 1, and having won 4 of the last 5 Aussie opens on this particular surface. He seems to electrify the Rod Laver arena and was cruising until Giles Simon pushed him to five sets and 100 unforced errors in Round 4.Novak nevertheless kept his cool, and progressed to the prized semifinal showdown with Roger. The semi with Roger was a final in itself and the hype was unmatchable . Novak blitzed through the 1st 2 sets in under fifty minutes and was looking in the form of his life.Roger found a way back, as he usually does to force a 4th set . Novak ,however was hitting sublime winners back and forth with the Swiss not as sharp as in earlier rounds and it showed, as the Serb advanced in four sets.

The final was much softer then the two semis as Novak blew away Murray . The first set went the same way as the Federer semi , with Novak winning 6-1.The next two sets the Briton competed though not to same intensity as a finalist would have plus Novak had the mental confidence to strike gold again. He won in straight sets to claim his 6th Norman Brookes Challenge cup,tying Ross Emerson’s amateur record .

Despite the one sided final, the Australian Open proved to have other highlights . A new women ‘s single’s champion was crowned. Angelique Kerber, a German won upsetting the Serena Williams defence in 3 tight sets. She became the 1st German since 1994 to win here when Steffi Graf won. That was 22 years ago.Ironically It was set up to be as Serena ‘s 22nd title, the number of singles titles Steffi has.Andy ‘s younger brother Jamie won the doubles with Bruno Soares who teamed up with Elina Vesnina to win the mixed doubles as well.Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis kept their 2015 slam winning streak with women’s doubles trophy.

What more can one ask with Grand Slam Tennis in the day and night,under closed roof or open air with attendances soaring watching some great quality viewing.Some of the greats like Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall attended the final. If the fortnight in Melbourne is taken as a prelude to what will happen in the year of 2016 in tennis , then we indeed can say that Australian Open in the words of Roger Federer himself,is indeed “The Happy Slam “.

Blue won’t be the colour for Jose !

In what has been a strange and unpredictable 1st half of the season, there could be fewer fluctuations and bizarreness in football noticed than the one at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho hailed as the supreme leader of West London had the most miserable premier league seasons ever witnessed by a defending champion team’s manager. Yet , his oustre caused quite a few upset faces amongst the many neutrals who follow the sport. Arsene Wenger certainly wasn’t one of them.

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To say Chelsea’s defence of the title anything mirrored that of a champion was a far outcry to begin with. A poor off season form meant losing the Community Shield to long time London rival Arsenal. Jose had given his loser’s medals to the Wembley crowd as a sign of his displeasure. That failure just carried into the 1st game where Swansea challenged them. The famous Eva Carniero incident sparked Jose’s woes bright and early. Hazard being carried off the pitch left him with 9 players and he voiced his expression loud and clear on the medical team. He expelled Eva from the future bench appearances and she ultimately left the post. The matter didn’t end there as Carniero pressed charges following her early departure form the club. Chelsea failed to put up a club defence on that row as well.Soon after Jose left. Roman Abramovich had more bills to pay in addition to Jose s salary deficits which he is bound to pay till the end of this season.

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A loss at Etihad stadium to their title challengers, Manchester City in week 2 followed by a home loss to Crystal palace ended August on a poor note . The defence again being shocking at times. Further losses were to come. Away losses to Everton and Southampton was a a result both teams taking the back four apart. Stoke knocked them out of the Capital One cup. Worse was to follow.At Upton Park,Jose was sent to the stand in the 2nd half following an earful to the referee at half time.That meant a ban from Britannia stadium 2 weeks later, a game they also lost which came as little surprise by then. Prior to that,Liverpool tore into Chelsea at the Bridge with a 3-1 pounding.

By mid December, the Blues had 9 defeats in 16 games.Enough was Enough. Bournemouth’s loss at home followed by the team of the season so far Leicester City meant the marching orders were in place for Jose. His failures were ominous.He had lost the dressing room who now had responded with a cry of their in sorts by performing poorly.Costa was the prime example.Hazard followed by not wanting to play having hurt himself during the Leicester match.

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If the dressing room was an appalling place, there was not much to sing about on the field. Ivanovic had played the worst half season,on the back of a huge 2014-15 campaign and was a prime candidate for the “worst player” of the squad on many an occasion. The back 4 even with Terry in it was jittery at times.Zouma struggled. Fabregas was a shadow of a player he had been last year.Hazard didn’t worry the goal scoring charts,a plain duck was all that needed. Up front Diego Costa was found fouling opposition back line more at times than doing some scoring damage. Jose’s critics say he didn’t use the youngsters as much and doesn’t give them much of an opportunity.Oscar was recurrently kept off as was the case with Hazard to warm the bench. Thibaut Courtois’s injury didn’t help and the off season purchase of a backup Asmir Begovic suffered deeply in goal.It still didn’t add up to how poor the showings were. Has the team aged that much in the off season or just self exploded ? Was it right to have 33 players on loan ?

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Jose is not new to sudden departures . He left 2007/08 season in a bit of a state when Chelsea drew to lowly Blackburn early on in week 6. His 3rd season in Inter and Real both ended with agony despite league successes. Nor does his absence is a denominator for future failures. Chelsea finished 2nd to champions Manchester United only on the last day of the season in 2008 after Jose poor start and runners up to champions league in the famous Moscow penalty shootout under Avram Grant.

Moving on, Jose’s expulsion meant a saviour had to come in. Roman depended on Guus Hiddink in 2009 following Felipe Scolari s demise to comfort the Blues to FA cup win over Everton. He lost only once then in league and so far the stretch is 7 league games without a loss. Time will only tell whether he can salvage a top six spot for them.

As for Jose, much can’t be said of his future Premier League career. He has been longed for in Madrid camps who dismissed him with disdain following a league win in 2013. Real who have employed Zidane for now as interim might have to roll the cheque book out in the summer if their woeful season continues. Manchester United might also be looking for a manager in summer and though the six page “love letter” written might impress some at Old Trafford , the lack of the attacking style and nurturing youth , plus the fraction of the OT lobby who still don’t want him anywhere close to Carrington might have a lot to say when the decision is made.

Sports psychiatry : A New Horizon

In February 1989, Frank Bruno and Mike Tyson fought in Tokyo, in what was then billed as the biggest fight on the planet. Both were champions in their own respect , Tyson was the youngest boxing champion at the time and the most brutal thing the world has ever known in the ring . Bruno who had a 32-2 record ,till that date lost that fight but went on to take the WBC heavyweight in 1995 title. Sadly for both, drugs and social circumstances became an issue and their careers ended in controversy . Both fighters ultimately were diagnosed with bipolar disorder , a mental health disorder with episodes of depression and manic states requiring clinical management .
Sports and psychiatric issues stem deep. The pressure of performances in front of huge attendances, the pre – match anxiety , glorious wins and agonising defeats all are part and parcel of sport. Mental health issues may not make the news until severe problems occur for example the recent cases of Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott which became front and back page news.
Both have since described engaging with support from mental health services .Unfortunately , some athletes aren’t so lucky and do not receive the kind of psychiatric support they probably require.

Sports psychiatry aims to address this issue and has been successful helping various individuals like snooker player Ronnie O Sullivan or teams like British Olympic cycling team, achieve success. Sports Psychiatrists employ a range of Pharmacological and Therapeutic strategies. As a pioneering example ,Dr Allan Johnston ,a Consultant Psychiatrist and UK Rugby League’s first Sports Psychiatrist currently with the Bradford Bulls describes the components of his model:
There are a number of important factors which have proven crucial to the success of the Sports Psychiatry model used at the Bradford Bulls RLFC. These can be summarised as:
1. Confidentiality
In Sports Psychiatry, confidentiality takes on an extra significance. The Sports Psychiatrist will likely work in a team of athletes, coaches, , managers and other support staff. The Sports Psychiatrist will often have a dual role of ensuring the wellbeing of the athlete and also enhancing their match day performance.. . A potential conflict of interest could arise where the athlete discloses a wellbeing issue which may impact on their individual performance, the performance of the team or their match selection. The Sports Psychiatrist should discuss in advance with the coaching team the importance of Confidentiality.
2. Clinical thresholds and Proactive engagement
The model developed by Dr Johnston at the Bradford Bulls RLFC has a proactive reach. An athletes focus is understandably on their own elite performance and they are often not well placed to assess when they need to access help with some notable exceptions such as the England Cricketer Jonathan Trott. In Dr Johnston’s Bradford Bulls model the players have open access to the wellbeing clinic which is located at the training ground alongside the players changing rooms. A weekly clinic occurs which players can self refer to in person, via telephone or SMS text message. The first hour of the clinic has an open access ‘drop in’ facility which the players often use for brief consultation. All players and staff can contact Dr Johnston in person or via Telephone, SMS message, Email or Twitter. He is present each Friday at the training ground and at every match home and away, ensuring a high level of engagement.

3. Mental Health Stigma and Normalising the Psychiatrists role
The final factor essential to the success of the Sports Psychiatry role has been the ‘normalisation’ of sports psychiatry as a routine part of the players match preparation. The Friday routine of the Bradford Bulls players involves Physiotherapy, Massage, Gym, Well being support, indoor skills and field skills. ‘Normalisation’ has been essential in de-stigmatising the role of the Sports Psychiatrist which has become just part of the Friday routine at the Bradford Bulls. Players can see Dr Johnston for well being issues, performance issues or any combination of the two. This, combined with strict confidentiality ensures that when a player requests a consultation this carries no stigma amongst his teammates and is frequently seen as a mark of professionalism in this demanding sport.

One measure of the success of this model is that 75% of all consultations with Dr Johnston have been requested by the players themselves with the remaining 25% a combination of requested by Dr Johnston, by the coaching staff or by a family member. This demonstrates the enthusiasm the players have for this key part of their match preparation both in terms of well being and elite performance.

Sports Psychiatry is a developing psychiatric field but as levels of competition increase in the world of sport, services will be required to ensure the mental well being in addition to physical health of sportsmen.. If there is any doubt about its success, we only have to look back to the most decorated swimmer in history. Michael Phelps overcame childhood Attention deficit disorder to win 22 Olympic medals, a living record.

Dr Allan Johnston is a consultant psychiatrist in Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation NHS trust who has a special interest in sports psychiatry. Special thanks for his contribution .

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