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Chelsea have arguably had a more turbulent start to 2026 than any other Premier League side. They sacked Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day and are still on the hunt for a new manager as they look to have a strong second half of the season.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the recruitment at Stamford Bridge, although it is unclear how much say the manager gets.

Reports following the Italian’s sacking suggest that the signing of Alejandro Garnacho was simply “put to Maresca for his opinion” rather than him having much input.

It certainly seems like recruitment will continue regardless of the managerial situation, and they are reportedly eyeing up a big target.

Chelsea target big-name Premier League star

Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash under the new owners, who seem to have the majority of power when it comes to transfers.

Their midfield, for example, is made up of £107m Enzo Fernandez and £115m Moises Caicedo.

However, the Blues might not be done there when it comes to signing expensive midfielders.

According to a report from Football Insider, they are said to be ‘closely monitoring’ Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali and have a ‘firm interest’ as they search for ‘proven Premier League midfielders.’

This might be a deal that the West Londoners are more likely to do in the summer rather than this January, but they are getting their due diligence in early. As for a price, it was revealed back in October that the midfielder could cost as much as £130m.

What Tonali could bring to Chelsea's midfield

There is no doubting the ability of former AC Milan star Tonali. He has shone in the middle of the park for the Magpies, living up to the “generational” tag he earned from journalist Carlo Garganese as far back as 2020.

Fast forward to 2025 and in the words of Newcastle journalist Joel Bland, the Italian is “one of the best midfielders in Europe”.

Indeed, this season has been another impressive campaign from the 30-cap Italian international. He’s featured 25 times in all competitions, chipping in with four assists along the way, sitting at the base of midfield and dictating play from deep.

Tonali is one half of a dominant midfield duo for the North Eastern outfit, alongside Bruno Guimamares. The pair have formed a brilliant partnership, and are “one of the best in the Premier League” according to the Brazilian.

The fact that Tonali is part of such a high-class midfield might well be music to Chelsea fans’ ears. They would no doubt hope he can form a similar partnership with their own £100m midfield stars, Fernandez and Caicedo.

The importance and talent of that existing Chelsea pairing is a massive part of the furniture in West London. It is their first-choice pivot, although perhaps Fernandez is better in a more advanced role, and has operated as a number 10 this season.

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Indeed, the 2022 World Cup winner has played 25 times this season, grabbing five goals and two assists in that time, showing his natural attacking instinct. As for Caicedo, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders around, making 23 appearances this term.

If Chelsea were to secure the signing of Tonali, he could add the quality on the ball that Chelsea need to make this midfield truly unstoppable. This season, he’s averaged 16.6 forward passes per 90 minutes and done well off the ball, with 5.5 ball recoveries each game.

Tonali key stats in 25/26 PL

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Chances created

1.2

17

Long passes completed

2.6

38

Forward passes

16.6

244

Duels won

3.8

55

Ball recoveries

5.5

80

Stats from Squawka

Imagine that as a trio. The combative Caicedo sat alongside Tonali, who can help dictate play and progress things forward, with Fernandez playing higher up, operating in the final third. It really does feel like a very well-balanced midfield, with progression, a real engine and attacking threat from all three.

There is no doubt that £130m is a huge investment for the Blues. Yet, they’ve proven they are willing to spend that money, so they could complete one of the most expensive midfields in the world by signing Tonali, which can surely only be a good thing for Fernandez and Caicedo.

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Manchester City are now reportedly positioning themselves to sign a £100m star ahead of Manchester United after already beating them to Antoine Semenyo.

Man City closing in on Semenyo

The Citizens are set to make quite the statement by welcoming Semenyo in the January transfer window. Recent reports have claimed that their £65m deal to sign the Bournemouth winger could be wrapped up within 48 hours as he prepares to bid farewell to the Cherries against Chelsea this evening.

Given the interest of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and others, Semenyo’s arrival represents how quickly Man City have returned to the top of the pecking order following a mixed summer transfer window. Those at the Etihad, as ever, are set to splash the cash with great conviction.

The 25-year-old will be the final piece to Pep Guardiola’s frontline as he sets his sights on leapfrogging Arsenal in the race to win another Premier League title.

As things stand, his side are just two points behind the Gunners, who crucially square off against an Aston Villa side this evening that beat them just a few weeks ago.

Related Man City submit £70m offer for "spectacular" star with Pep personally keen

City have tabled a huge bid for a new forward

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City, meanwhile, will travel to an impressive Sunderland side on New Year’s Day and Guardiola has been full of praise for his side in the build-up – telling reporters: “It is not easy but compete in a way we do. We have to improve, absolutely, but this mindset is better.”

The Citizens have rediscovered their ruthless streak on and off the pitch and they’re not stopping after Semenyo. According to TeamTalk, Man City are now positioning themselves to sign Elliot Anderson ahead of rivals Manchester United next summer.

Man City positioning themselves to sign Anderson

The Manchester club are reportedly confident of beating United to the midfielder’s signature next summer, but it won’t come cheap. Recent rumours have suggested that Anderson could cost them as much as £100m amid what has been an excellent individual season for the England international.

It’s easy to see why Man City have set their sights on Anderson. Guardiola has always progressed with Premier League trends and the current trend of added physicality is set to force the Spaniard away from the usual elegance of his midfield and towards the engine of the Forest star.

PL stats 25/26

Elliot Anderson

Bernardo Silva

Minutes

1,620

1,232

Tackles Won

33

8

Progressive Carries

24

26

Ball Recoveries

152

64

The numbers tell the story. Bernardo Silva, as much as his icon status is well secured at the Etihad, has struggled to make his mark in the current state of the Premier League. Anderson, meanwhile, has thrived.

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The Forest star has earned deserved praise as a result, with England boss Thomas Tuchel telling reporters earlier this season: “Anderson is a key player for us at the moment. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League – that’s why he is with us and starting for us.

“He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that’s what he keeps showing me.”

Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari (302*) slammed his maiden triple-hundred and propelled his team to 584 for 5, before declaring the innings against Odisha in Vizianagaram. Resuming on 278 for 2, Vihari put on a 208-run stand with Ricky Bhui (100) and deflated Odisha, who had to wait 43.3 overs for their first wicket of the day. During the course of his 456-ball knock, Vihari smashed 29 fours and two sixes and added 159 to his overnight score. This was Vihari’s 13th first-class ton and second consecutive score of 150 or more.Bhui, meanwhile, brought up his fourth first-class hundred before Odisha captain Govinda Poddar trapped him lbw in the 134th over. In the next over, seamer Suryakant Pradhan dismissed D Ravi Teja to pick up his second wicket, but nothing was going to stop Vihari’s march. Odisha suffered an early jolt in their first innings when left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt had opener Natraj Behera lbw in the fourth over. Sandeep Pattanaik and Poddar, however, ensured there was no further damage as Odisha went to stumps at 32 for 1.B Indrajith (105*) and Washington Sundar (69) mounted a rescue effort with a fifth-wicket partnership of 157 runs to lift Tamil Nadu from 69 for 4 to 239 for 5 by stumps against Mumbai. Indrajith’s sixth first-class hundred, which included 12 fours, stood out as much for its elegance as its risk-free nature. While he mostly preferred to hit down the ground, he wasn’t averse to playing the horizontal shots on either side. Giving him useful company was Sundar, who drove and cut confidently, and responded swiftly to his partner’s calls for tight singles. Sundar, however, fell with 6.2 overs left in the day, after a half-hearted pull off Dhawal Kulkarni found deep square leg.Mumbai had hit the ground running in the morning with some quick wickets after being bowled out for 374. Seamer Akash Parkar cleaned up captain Abhinav Mukund in the fourth over before M Vijay (11) was caught behind by left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil in the 11th over. Mumbai captain Aditya Tare juggled the ball on a few occasions before snaffling it.After Kaushik Gandhi fell three overs later, Vijay Shankar, who had recovered from an injury scare to pick up his fourth wicket in the morning, looked to have settled down in the company of Indrajith. However, he gave Gohil the charge in the 25th over and was stumped. Indrajith, though, remained steady and took Tamil Nadu to safety in the company of R Ashwin.A 62-run partnership between opener Bishal Ghosh (65) and Gurinder Singh, who smashed a 55-ball 57, helped Tripura finish on 220 against Madhya Pradesh in Agartala after tottering on 88 for 6 at one stage.Tripura’s bowlers then reduced Madhya Pradesh to 200 for 7 to set up an interesting battle for the first-innings lead. Ishwar Pandey and Ankit Sharma finished with three wickets each for Madhya Pradesh. In their reply, Madhya Pradesh got off to a shaky start, as they lost opener Wasim Ahmed and Shubham Sharma inside the first 10 overs. With Naman Ojha (8) and captain Devendra Bundela (3), too, falling cheaply, it was left to opener Rajat Patidar (79) and Harpreet Singh Bhatia (70) to resuscitate the innings with a 104-run alliance for the fifth wicket.However, Gurinder trapped Patidar in front with his left-arm spin in the 52nd over before Ankit Sharma and Bhatia were dismissed in quick succession.

The inquest into the death of former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer entered its seventh week with coroner Patrick Murphy summarising the statements of five more witnesses on Monday. Murphy had been unwell last week and unable to complete his summary.The inquest in Kingston, Jamaica, heard evidence from 57 witnesses and statements from seven other persons. The 11-member jury is expected to deliver its verdict within this week. In the event of the jury failing to agree, the court would accept a majority verdict.Woolmer died hours after he was found unconscious in his Jamaica hotel room on March 18, a day after Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat to Ireland at the World Cup. Dr Ere Seshaiah, the government pathologist who conducted the post mortem, declared that Woolmer was murdered but three independent pathologists all concluded later that Woolmer died due to natural causes.

‘We are celebrating appropriately’ © Getty Images

Listen to Rahul Dravid’s press conferenceSoon after the presentation ceremony, Rahul Dravid walked towards theboundary rope and gestured towards the crowd. His wife made her way throughthe throng and handed over little Samit, who was then carried across tothe dressing room. Perhaps the celebrations were a little too much for atoddler to take and, by the time his father arrived for the press conferences,shirt soaked in spirits, Samit had gone back to a more child-friendlyenvironment.Sporting the biggest smile that he has in a long while, Dravid spokein animated tones about the celebrations following a historic 123-run victory.”Everyone’s going berserk and really enjoying it,” he said”. “It’s aspecial moment for this group and we are celebrating appropriately.”In the build-up to the game, Dravid had emphasised that it would bedangerous to write India off, though he admitted that the no-hopers taghadn’t been entirely undeserved. “I don’t blame the people for criticisingus,” he said. “South Africa were always going to be favourites headinginto this Test, but I knew there was a lot of quality in this team. Weshowed that in the last few days. We had players who stood up and werecounted.”Having been an integral part of epochal successes at Adelaide, Headingleyand Multan, Dravid was cautious when asked where this triumph rated in thegrand scheme of things. “This victory is great because this is the firsttime we have done it in South Africa in four visits over the past 14 years. Asa cricketer, your special moments are the ones that you share with theteam; the celebrations, the joy you get from winning and just being a partof the group that has stood by you for three-and-a-half days and put ineverything they’ve got to come out victorious.”The morale appeared to be too low for zero after the capitulation in theone-day series but, by the time the players returned to Johannesburg forthe Test, the spring was back in several steps. “It’s not that we haven’tdone this before,” said Dravid, when asked what had changed. “We lost theone-day series in West Indies but came back to win the Test series. Ithink it was nice to get away in Potchefstroom and hang in together.”The team was pretty hurt with the one-day defeat and we just got togetherand said whatever happens, we’ll try and put in a better performance. Wecame here with a bit of confidence having won the warm up-game. I’mglad the boys displayed a lot of fighting spirit and character.”Sreesanth’s brilliance with the ball broke the game open for India, butDravid preferred to focus on the team effort when asked to pick out thepivotal moments in the game. “The way Sourav Ganguly batted with the lowerorder to get us to 250,” he said. “His partnership with VRV Singh wascrucial too. Sreesanth and Zaheer coming out and bowling out theopposition for 84. Laxman did a great job with the tail in the secondinnings and his stand with Zaheer. Sreesanth picking up three wickets in thesecond innings, including the important wicket of Kallis. These were thecrucial moments that eventually helped us win.”The return of Ganguly added experience to the middle order, and both heand Laxman played hugely important knocks in the context of a low-scoringmatch. “It’s nice to have boys who have performed well in situations likethis before,” said Dravid. “To be honest, this Test team has been the samefor some time now, except for one or two players here and there. We hadthe same group in Pakistan, [against] England and West Indies.”When asked whether he’d discerned any change in Ganguly’s attitude andapproach to the game, Dravid said: “He’s really playing well. There’s nodoubt about that. His performances in Potchefstroom and in this Test havebeen really good. It’s great to see him batting well. He’s a proven andexperienced performer and when he bats well, it’s going to make a bigdifference to the side. I hope he keeps continuing because we’ll need goodperformances from people like him, Sachin, Laxman and myself to have theright results.”There was praise too for the coaching staff, who have copped considerablecriticism in recent months after indifferent results in the one-day game.”Unfortunately, we tend to focus a lot on individuals in success anddefeat,” said Dravid. “But at the end of the day, victories and defeatsare not about the captain or the coaches or one or two individuals. It’salways about the team. I’ve always believed that it’s the performancesthat you put in as a team that helps you win matches.”

The team was pretty hurt with the one-day defeat and we just got togetherand said whatever happens, we’ll try and put in a better performance. Wecame here with a bit of confidence having won the warm up-game. I’mglad the boys displayed a lot of fighting spirit and character

With India needing just five more wickets at the start of day four, theintensity was a little less than what it had been on the first three days.Dravid said, however, that there had been no hint of complacency. “Thesenior guys in the side were pretty keen to remind me and everyone else,saying: ‘Let’s get this done. They are a very good side, we need to beprofessional and get the job done’. It’s a good group of senior boys inthe team and the support they’ve given me is fantastic. A lot of things Idon’t even need to say, it just comes from the group and they handle a lotof things themselves.”In the past, great highs such as this have been followed by crashing lows,and Dravid said that his team needed to be wary of a South Africanbacklash. “South Africa will come back hard at us,” he said. “We have tosoak up a lot of pressure and respond adequately.”The pressure was certainly on when he walked out for the toss at theWanderers, and he asserted that the decision to bat had been his alone.”Whether we bat or bowl first, or who plays in the XI, is going to be mycall,” he said. “I do discuss things in our team meetings and with some ofmy senior players but at the end of the day, it always starts and endswith me. I felt that batting first was the way to go on this pitch.”Getting 249 on the board was quite an achievement, but what followed wasjust sensational, with the bowlers dismantling a powerful batting line-upin just 25.1 overs. “He bowled brilliantly for us,” said Dravid, whenasked specifically about Sreesanth’s man-of-the-match display. “Obviously,he’s a character, but he needs to be a bit careful. We wouldn’t want himto miss a game.”He chuckled when asked about Sreesanth’s impromptu celebrations afterwhacking Andre Nel for a straight six. “I’d rather have him do what he didwith the bat than what he did later. But I enjoyed his six. I enjoyeverything when Sreesanth bowls well. He’s a great character. A playerlike him, a character like him, needs to be celebrated and enjoyed.”And, as the storm clouds gathered over the stadium, he admitted that thehigh jinks weren’t about to end just yet. “It’s a good moment to betogether as a group and celebrate,” he said, with a big grin. “We played alittle bit of ‘Holi’. The boys need to learn to drink too, and not justspray it!”After what they have just accomplished, most Indians would forgive them that.

Brad Hodge will be with Australia at Bellerive while Victoria face Queensland in Brisbane © Getty Images

Lloyd Mash, the opener who made his first-class debut against West Indies on Friday, has replaced Brad Hodge and will play his first Pura Cup match against Queensland starting on Friday. Mash collected 44 against West Indies, hit four sixes in an over during a hastily-arranged Twenty20 match with the tourists, and is the only change to the side that sits on top of the table with New South Wales.Greg Shipperd, the Victoria coach, expected the Bulls to provide a stern test for his side after their perfect start to the domestic interstate summer. “We have had two very good away wins in Perth and Hobart and we’re confident that if we can execute our game plan we can come away from Brisbane with another good result,” he said.The fast man Shane Harwood missed the tour match with a back injury but returns to the squad and the bowling attack will be chosen from Mick Lewis, Gerard Denton and Allan Wise. Hodge is tipped to make his Test debut against West Indies in Hobart on Thursday.New South Wales will consider a Pura Cup debut for Stephen O’Keefe after he was named in the 12-man squad to play Tasmania at the SCG beginning on Friday. O’Keefe, a 20-year-old allrounder, has taken 12 wickets at 17.25 with his left-arm orthodox spin in Sydney grade games this season.Brad Haddin, who is recovering from a finger injury, faces a fitness test later this week but has also been picked in the initial squad. Simon Katich will lead the team after he was dropped from the Test side last week.Victoria squad Jason Arnberger, Michael Klinger, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Jon Moss, Adam Crosthwaite (wk), Shane Harwood, Mick Lewis, Gerard Denton, Allan Wise.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Greg Mail, Simon Katich (capt), Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely, Aaron O’Brien, Brad Haddin (wk), Grant Lambert, Stephen O’Keefe, Matthew Nicholson, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.

South Africa 337 and 99 for 2 lead England 425 (Strauss 126, Butcher 79) by 11 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Makhaya Ntini celebrates his 1-2-3© Getty Images

Three wickets from Makhaya Ntini helped South Africa fight back to end the third day at Port Elizabeth on even terms. That England got a decent first-innings lead was only down to spirited resistance from the tail after South Africa restricted England to 159 for the loss of seven wickets. In the final session, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers got South Africa’s second innings off to a confident start, and by the close they led by 11 with eight wickets remaining.England’s innings was ripped apart by four wickets in 12 balls in the early afternoon just after they had overtaken South Africa’s 337, as Ntini bagged three in four. He was denied a hat-trick by Matthew Hoggard after he had removed Mark Butcher for 79, the dangerous Andrew Flintoff for 35 and Geraint Jones for 2.Butcher’s confident innings was brought to an unconfident close when Ntini’s innocuous delivery caught him in two minds and the impressive Thami Tsolekile took the feathered edge. Flintoff added a four before he too fell to Ntini, trying to replicate an earlier hooked six off Dale Steyn. But Flintoff came up short on the longer of the two leg-side boundaries, holing out to the perfectly-positioned Jacques Rudolph.

Matthew Hoggard takes a superb tumbling caught and bowled to dismiss AB de Villiers© Getty Images

With the bit between his teeth, Ntini’s next ball surprised Geraint Jones with some steepling bounce, and an uncontrolled backfoot push was well held by a diving Boeta Dippennaar in the covers and England were reeling at 353 for 7. Next over, Andrew Hall removed Hoggard and England were facing the slenderest of first-innings leads.But they extended it to 88 runs after tea as South Africa made hard work of taking the last two wickets. Ashley Giles proved once more that he is no batting slouch, sharing a handy stand of 36 with Simon Jones before falling to Shaun Pollock for 26 (394 for 9). Steyn thought he had wrapped up the innings one run later as Steve Harmison skied one to Ntini at deep backward square leg. But Ntini dived over the ball, and England romped along in spirited style as, try as they seemingly might, they just could not give their last wicket away.The last pair were both nearly run out, while Jones edged over the slips and Harmison was caught by Tsolekile off Steyn, who was then no-balled for his troubles. To add insult, England scrambled a run as the keeper had thrown the ball away in misguided celebration. But, while Harmison and Jones provided amusement, they were adding a serious 31 runs before Steyn finally held a caught-and-bowled off Jones.Smith and de Villiers set about reversing the deficit in fine style, however, rattling up 26 from six overs before Hoggard took a superb return catch to dismiss de Villiers. Jacques Rudolph entered the fray, looking to match his sturdy 93 in the first innings. But Giles, eager to exploit the cracks after Smith had extracted turn earlier, sent him back on 28 after he edged to Marcus Trescothick at first slip. Giles’ turn had the batsmen in all sorts of trouble, particularly the lefthander Smith. But Smith remained unbeaten at the end of the day.

Graham Thorpe is bowled round his legs as Graeme Smith took his fourth Test wicket© Getty Images

In the morning, South Africa struck vital early blows before Butcher and Flintoff stabilised the innings. Andrew Strauss added just six to his overnight 120 before spanking Pollock to de Villiers in the covers (238 for 2). Michael Vaughan’s recent good form wasn’t in evidence, and Hall’s first ball on target trapped him in his crease, prodding defensively at a good-length ball which took a firm edge to Smith at first slip (249 for 3).Then Smith brought himself on against Butcher and Thorpe, and Butcher, in particular, struggled initially with the turn. The captain kept himself on, and so delayed taking the new ball: a decision vindicated when he bowled Thorpe, who was attempting an ambitious sweep, around his legs for 4.The heat was on as England slipped to 277 for 4. Butcher was in superb form and his mounting confidence was tangible as he stroked successive boundaries off Pollock. Flintoff was more subdued, giving the occasional bad ball short shrift, as England’s run rate limped to just above three an over.But then came Ntini’s spell which nipped the recovery in the bud and ensured that the fourth day began with all to play for.Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Cricinfo.

The first NatWest Challenge match at Old Trafford went right down to the wire, but Pakistan just came out on top after quite a scare. Pakistan were cruising towards their target of 205, but the middle order capsized, as so often, under pressure from resolute bowling while chasing a total.The most impressive part for Pakistan was the commitment and attitude on the field, thanks to all the charged-up youngsters in the team. Except for the odd lapse, the overall fielding was outstanding. A brilliant catch by Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Sami’s direct hit were just two of the highlights. On top of all that, Rashid Latif managed his men astutely – the decision to bring on Mohammad Hafeez so early was one of many bold decisions.Past Pakistan sides have looked lost if the opposition got off to a quick start as England did at Old Trafford, but there was none of that this time as the youngsters fought back in style. Umar Gul was particularly impressive, which made the decision to give Azhar Mahmood the new ball even harder to understand. In Shoaib Akhtar’s absence Umar should have been the automatic choice as Sami’s new-ball partner, as he can make good use of the prominent seam early on.What was pleasing for Pakistan followers was the good show put up by the allrounders. Abdul Razzaq’s axing from the original squad seems to have fired him up, and he bowled a tight spell, something that had been lacking recently. Mahmood did better in his second spell, cutting down the loose balls and sticking to the basics. It will be tough if one of them has to step down now to accommodate Akhtar, who is eligible again after his two-match ban.The early-order batting – ironically the most inexperienced part of the line-up – was the most solid. Imran Nazir and Hafeez batted well, showing the right application at the start. Imran showed his usual flamboyance: he has not fully sorted out his footwork, but his good eye and timing were evident in all his strokes.It was refreshing to watch a Pakistan opening pair post a fifty partnership at last. And then came Yasir Hameed, well organised and orthodox at the crease, although he got out to a poor stroke against Ashley Giles. Yousuf Youhana’s disappointing run continued. He showed only a glimpse of a return to form before being run out. His running has always been poor, with a terrible habit of setting off without calling. His wicket is too valuable to be thrown away, and this is definitely an area for Javed Miandad, the coach, to work on.Pakistan’s batsmen have done well post-World Cup, but they now need to start converting promising beginnings into eighties, nineties and hundreds.

* Tendulkar finds a place in Warne’s dream teamWorld’s premier leg spinner Shane Warne, who recently had a successfulAshes campaign, has named Sachin Tendulkar in his dream team. In hisjust-released autobiography ‘Shane Warne’, he has named separateAussie sides for both the versions of the game to take on the World’sBest XI, the criterion being the spin-wizard should have played withthe Aussies or against the rest of the world in a full international.Warne is the most successful spinner in Test cricket with more than400 Test wickets and he has chosen nine players of the Test side ofthe rest of world in the One-Day squad too. Tendulkar, Saeed Anwar,Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Moin Khan, Chris Cairns, Wasim Akram,Saqlain Mushtaq and Curtly Ambrose make the cut.He explains the recurrence of players thus: “There is a place forlimited-overs specialists, but from experience I think that greatplayers are great players whatever the form of the game. People ofthis quality are good enough to adapt to any situation.” While Warne,who once admitted being tormented by Tendulkar in his nightmares,justifies Tendulkar’s presence in the Test side quite at length, thereasons for picking the Indian in the One-Day squad is explainedtersely in just one sentence!* Borde welcomes Tendulkar and Kumble fitness newsThe Indian selection committee chairman Chandu Borde, has welcomed thenews of Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble’s fitness for the tour ofSouth Africa. Borde is disappointed the youngsters failed to deliverthe goods in the recently concluded tour of Sri Lankla.”The Indian team is bound to benefit from the experience of Tendulkar,Kumble and other seniors who missed the Sri Lanka tour as theyoungsters on that tour failed to grab the opportunity given to them,”he said.”It was unfortunate the youngsters got a start but failed tocapitalise on them which made the big difference to the ultimateresult of the Test series. However, the team showed its fightingqualities to rally in both the triangular and test series. They cameback into contention after losing three games in a row to win the nextthree in the Triangular one-day series but slipped in the final.””Again in the Test series they levelled 1-1, winning the Kandy Testonly to lose the third Test at Colombo,” he said.Borde and his colleagues have a tough task tomorrow as they meet inMumbai to pick the team for the One-Day triangular series in SouthAfrica. There are a good number of players who are back in thereckoning after been on the injury list for a while.* Tendulkar confident about his formWorld’s premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar said he has completelyrecovered from the toe injury, and added that the lack of matchpractice would not affect his performance in South Africa. Tendulkarhad flown down to South Africa to consult arthroscopic surgeon Dr MarkFergusson who prescribed the use of special inner soles.”I have been playing top-class cricket for more than 10 years. I don’tthink it would affect my performance on the field,” Tendulkar said inMumbai.He said the new inner soles, which he last week acquired from SouthAfrica had helped him tremendously and there was absolutely no pain onhis right big toe.”The inner soles cushion the injured toe and I feel very comfortablewhen I run. I think I have totally recovered,” said the Indian battingmainstay.Tendulkar suffered the injury in Zimbabwe during the last league matchof a triangular series against the West Indies on July 4.”In fact, every one contributed for my recovery, especially the peopleat Adidas. I wanted shoes of different sizes and styles and thesepeople provided everything I needed,” Tendulkar said.”I have started running a bit and the doctors said I can graduallyincrease the workout sessions. I should be perfectly alright in acouple of weeks,” he added.Asked about the pain in his right toe, Tendulkar said “though I am notrunning hard and just jogging for the time being, I do not feel anypain.”Now I will let the muscles get used to the new soles and thengradually start training hard. I don’t want to push hard right now.”Once you are mentally prepared you can overcome any difficulty,especially after playing 273 One-Dayers and 84 Test matches. You cango in the middle and do what you have been doing. However, a couple ofpractice matches help.”Anyway it is very important that I think positively and not worry toomuch over what happed in the past eight weeks.”I can only say I am happy to play for the country again as I reallymissed cricket when all my colleagues were playing in Sri Lanka thoughI was mentally in Sri Lanka as well.”Tendulkar is a certainty in the squad to be chosen for the SouthAfrican tour on Thursday in Mumbai.

Graeme Swann: back in the fold © Getty Images

In the end the prospect of Mark Ramprakash’s return to international cricket proved a fraction too fanciful for the England selectors, but while his name may have been absent from the 15-man squad that was announced for the tour of Sri Lanka next month, Graeme Swann’s was very much in situ. At the age of 28, and with seven-and-a-half years on the clock since his last appearance in an England Test squad, Swann’s rehabilitation as an England cricketer is more than enough to satisfy the romantics.He’s not the first to have been brought in from the cold – his county colleague, Ryan Sidebottom, spent six years on the sidelines until his recall last summer – but he is perhaps the most notable. He was just 20 years old when he was named in Duncan Fletcher’s very first squad, to South Africa in 1999-2000, and there he festered on the sidelines for three months, getting under his coach’s skin to such an extent that – after a solitary wicketless ODI – he was banished for the remainder of Fletcher’s reign.After his one-day recall last month, however, Swann didn’t remain wicketless for long. Seven key scalps in four games, and vital runs to boot, made his selection for the Test squad a no-brainer. With the hamstring tear that curtailed that trip recovering well, he is ready to resume a spin-bowling partnership with Monty Panesar that began during his Northamptonshire days.”We played together literally five or six times,” said Swann. “Monty at that time was the third spinner behind myself and Jason Brown. He won a game off his own back but he was still very raw – he’d bowl four unplayable balls [an over] and two terrible ones. Thankfully for English cricket those terrible balls have disappeared. His bowling has gone from strength to strength and it would be nice to bowl with him now.”Much the same can be said for Swann’s own bowling. Though he has never bettered the haul of 57 wickets in the 1999 season that earned him selection for Fletcher’s maiden tour, he considers himself a far superior bowler in his second coming as an international player.”I sometimes look back and wonder how [I took wickets], but people hadn’t seen me and didn’t know anything about me,” he said. “I bowled some dangerous balls but a lot of rubbish as well that picked up wickets. I think you find out the more you play and people know you, those rubbish balls go for four and six, rather than get caught at midwicket.”Panesar will begin the Test series as England’s No. 1 spin option, but Swann firmly feels he’s in with a chance of selection. But if he does have to sit on the sidelines, he has the valuable lesson of 1999-2000 to help him through the frustrations. “The main thing I’ve learned is you’ve got to be a lot more humble playing the game of cricket,” he said. “As a cocksure 19-year-old with the world at my feet, I look back now and realise I wasn’t good enough to play international cricket then. These past seven years have given me the experience and skills needed to be a success at international level.”In Swann’s own opinion, his ostracism from the England set-up was harsh but fair. “I didn’t perform well enough at county level after I got back, and if I’d been a selector I wouldn’t have picked myself either,” he said. “I like to think I’ve earned a place more than I did as a 19-year old, when I was handed it on the back of half a good season and a couple of good one-day games. Now I’ve had a couple of good seasons and performed well in all areas, which stands me in good stead.”As an offspinner, Swann’s move to the seam-friendly Trent Bridge perhaps stunted his wicket-taking impact but it has encouraged him to develop his allround game. But there is one ally at Nottinghamshire who he’ll be very glad to have on tour with him. His left-arm colleague Sidebottom, whose followthrough creates some very handy rough on an offspinner’s length. With Chaminda Vaas also set to feature highly in the series, Swann is licking his lips at the possibilities.”In the first game at Dambulla I bowled from the same end [as Sidebottom], and my first ball turned six to ten inches,” said Swann. “But you take any help you can get, you’d be daft not to. I’m more effective as a spin bowler if there’s rough on the wicket, so if Ryan and Chaminda both play, then there’ll be all sorts of mess outside the righthander’s off stump.”Come what may, Swann clearly recognises his role as an ambassador for county cricket. “I’ve been playing [in the Championship] for seven or eight years, and I’ve warranted selection,” he said. “There are some superb cricketers out there who are also good enough to play. There’ll be some people thinking: ‘How the hell’s he there?’, but there’ll also be some thinking: ‘Let’s emulate what he’s done.'””I’m going out there hoping to play,” he said. “Judging by the wickets we played on in the one-dayers, I’d like to think there’d be two spinners [involved]. I’d like to rekindle that partnership with Monty that was at a very embryonic stage at Northampton, and see where’s it’s progressed to.”