Category Uncategorized

Fulham have moved in with a pre-January offer to sign a Man City forward who Pep Guardiola has likened to Phil Foden, according to reports.

Marco Silva is keen to strengthen his attacking options next month and avoid a repeat of last summer’s transfer failures, with only Aston Villa ending the previous window having spent less money.

The Portuguese has also made clear his desire for fresh faces in the winter, telling Sky Sports in November that January signings are an absolute necessity.

Reports suggest that Fulham have already held talks with Raheem Sterling and his representatives ahead of January, with Silva looking to offset the major losses from AFCON.

Defender Calvin Bassey, midfielder Alex Iwobi and winger Samuel Chukwueze have all departed to represent Nigeria at the tournament in Morocco, leaving Fulham even more short of quality across multiple positions.

Silva endured considerable frustration during the summer when marquee signings Chukwueze and Kevin both arrived on deadline day, by which time Fulham had already stuttered through their opening three games without a single win.

The delayed arrivals prevented Fulham’s new players from integrating properly into the squad during pre-season preparations, and Silva openly voiced his frustration at the club’s recruitment policy.

Now, with Adama Traore heavily linked to joining West Ham next month, the need for a new forward in particular is pretty evident.

Fulham make pre-January offer for Man City forward Oscar Bobb

According to CaughtOffside, the player most likely to depart Man City next month is Norwegian international Oscar Bobb, and it could well be to Craven Cottage.

The 22-year-old represents another attacking talent to have lost prominence under Guardiola following his return from a serious leg fracture that derailed his entire 24/25 campaign.

A loan move has been heavily touted for the winger, and Fulham have apparently tested the water already.

It is believed that Bobb has an offer ‘on the table’ from Fulham ahead of January, but they face stiff competition from Crystal Palace, Borussia Dortmund and Seville, who have also made proposals.

Subscribe to our newsletter for sharper transfer insight Get deeper transfer context – subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis, player profiles and tactical insight that clarify moves like Oscar Bobb’s potential loan and illuminate club squad-building decisions.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He was expected to have even more minutes under his belt at City by now after making his senior debut over two years ago, but that crushing leg break last summer really put his development on hold.

Now, a host of sides, including Fulham, are offering him the chance to build his career elsewhere.

Despite being tipped for the exit door, Bobb is a player who Guardiola rates very highly.

Related Fulham now readying £31m bid for "incredibly prolific" Champions League striker

The Cottagers are preparing an offer for a centre-forward.

Posts ByDominic Lund

Half-centuries from Dinesh Karthik and Ganga Sridhar Raju and a five-wicket haul from fast bowler Aswin Crist helped Tamil Nadu thump Tripura by 262 runs at DRIEMS ground in Cuttack to recording their fifth win in six matches and top Group B. Chasing 338, Tripura lasted just 18.2 overs and were shot out for 75 to finish with three wins and as many losses.Sent in to bat, TN started cautiously through a 71-run opening stand between Kaushik Gandhi and Raju (77) in 14.5 overs. B Aparajith built on the platform with 41 during the course of a 99-run second-wicket stand before the dismissal of both set batsmen in the space of three balls reduced TN to 166 for 3 in the 30th over. Karthik, who had struck a century and two fifties coming into the match, got into his groove straightaway; hitting 11 fours and two sixes in his 63-ball 81 to help TN more than double their score in the last 20 overs.Vijay Shankar, M Mohammed and Washington Sundar also came up with sprightly cameos to shore up the total. Smit Patel, the wicketkeeper, was one of three Tripura batsmen to get into double digits; his 22 at the top of the order being the highest of the innings. Crist was complemented by Mohammed and R Rohit, who picked up two wickets apiece.Returning to the side after being left out earlier in the tournament, Unmukt Chand finished with two back-to-back fifties•PTI

Unmukt Chand’s 78, the highest score of the match, helped Delhi sign-off with a 112-run win over Uttar Pradesh at KIIT ground in Bhubaneswar. Delhi, who were bowled out for 220, also found a hero with the ball in Kulwant Khejroliya. Playing in just his fifth List A game, fast bowler Khejroliya took 5 for 22 to skittle UP for 108. Both sides ended their campaign with three wins and three losses.Delhi, who were tottering at 85 for 4, were rescued by Chand and Himmat Singh’s 86-run stand before losing their last six wickets for 49. Ankit Rajpoot, the fast bowler, was finished with best figures – 3 for 32 – for UP. In reply, they slumped to 16 for 5 in the seventh over, before Rinku Singh (43) and Praveen Kumar (28) swung their way through to delay the inevitable.Sanju Samson was one of three half-centurions for Kerala•BCCI

Half-centuries from Mohammed Azharuddeen (73), Vishnu Vinod (93) and Sanju Samson (51) helped Kerala end a disappointing campaign on a winning note at the Barabati Stadium they finished with one win in six matches. Kerala, who posted 297 for 9, overcame a late fightback from Himachal to squeeze a 42-run win.Fabid Ahmed, the offspinner, first sent back the well-set Ekant Sen (43), and then returned to dismiss Sumeet Verma (59) and Pankaj Jaiswal off successive deliveries to tilt the scales in Kerala’s favour. He finished with 4 for 38 off 10 overs.Himachal were bowled out for 255 in 47.1 overs to end the tournament with a solitary win. Opener Prashant Chopra, who struck 50, was one of their bright notes, finishing the tournament as the sixth-highest run-getter, with 329 runs in six matches.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Jacques Rudolph showed grace under fire as South Africa hung on at Perth © Getty Images

A back-to-the-wall classic from Jacques Rudolph, battling for more than seven hours, defied Australia through the day as South Africa, losing just three wickets on the final day, escaped with a draw in the first Test at Perth. Thwarting Shane Warne’s mesmeric wiles and countering the variations from the faster men, Rudolph constructed an all-important 102 not out and left the series wide open with two games to play.For most of the day, Rudolph was ably assisted by Justin Kemp, whose uncharacteristic obduracy ate up valuable time. The indefatigable Warne, who wheeled away for a 35-over marathon today, troubled all the batsmen with his prodigious turn but, with the pitch playing true, even he couldn’t break the brick wall that Rudolph resembled.South Africa were handicapped by the loss of Jacques Kallis before the game, but it was another Jacques, his replacement, who pulled them out of the fire. Leading the way with a rock-solid effort, adept while handling both spin and pace, and unfurling gorgeous cover-drives with a pendulum-smooth follow-through, Rudolph displayed the sort of application that has become the hallmark of his namesake, who watched from the dressing-room and beamed when the game was saved. He wasn’t lured by the wide teasers from the faster men, and he was impressive in the way he used his bat, and not pad, to nullify Warne’s guile.Resuming on 18, Rudolph was particularly impressive while handling Nathan Bracken’s swing, waiting for the last moment before committing himself to any stroke. Glenn McGrath’s yorkers were duly kept out and Brett Lee, who had a few erratic spells, was driven when the opportunity arose. By not withdrawing into a shell, and trying to score when the loose deliveries presented itself, Rudolph gave himself the best chance to bat through till the end.Support arrived in the form of Herschelle Gibbs, and both sacrificed run-scoring, while concentrating on preserving their wickets. Just 10 runs came in the first 10 overs with only the occasional hint of reverse-swing that created flutters. Lee was rewarded for his persistence, nailing a flat-footed Gibbs pushing away from his body and celebrating after Warne pulled off a smart low catch at first slip. Rudolph, though, waded through the bowling with a fine mix of attack and defence. Warne, coming on to bowl after a tidy opening spell from the faster bowlers, weaved his web and worked his way around Ashwell Prince’s pad-away policy – pushing him back and finally beating him with a big legbreak – before delivering the killer blow.From then on, though, Rudolph’s immovable presence was matched by Kemp’s resolute methods at the other end. Kemp often used his pad to smother the big turn that Warne extracted from the rough and showed that he could adapt to a situation that required him to buckle down and bat with restraint. He had his share of nervy moments – nudges eluded fielders, a run-out chance was botched and a couple of perilous lbw appeals were turned down, mainly because of Warne’s spinners pitching outside leg stump. Lee tried to set him up with a leg trap while McGrath probed in the corridor outside off. But he overcame all with a steely resolve, battling 166 balls for his maiden Test fifty, arguably his most important innings in his short career.He finally fell, inevitably to Warne, when he pushed hesitantly at a legbreak and watched Ricky Ponting complete a superb reflex catch at silly point. But all the faint hopes that the dismissal ignited were snuffed out as Mark Boucher assisted Rudolph in batting out till stumps. Rudolph brought up his fifth Test century towards the end of the piece and as Warne and Ponting congratulated him on reaching the landmark, both might have been reminded of that tense August evening at Old Trafford when another classic hundred kept Australia alive in the Ashes.How they were outHerschelle Gibbs c Warne b Lee 33 (3 for 109)
Ashwell Prince lbw b Warne 8 (4 for 138)
Justin Kemp c Ponting b Warne 55 (5 for 250)

Richard Langridge batting for Sussex against Yorkshire in the 1963 Gillette Cup© Getty Images

Richard Langridge, who played 212 matches for Sussex between 1957 and 1971, has died after a short battle against cancer. He was 65.A top-order left-hand batsman, Langridge scored 8310 runs at 22.89, including five hundreds. He was a member of the team which won the Gillette Cup in 1963 and 1964, and was on the losing side in the 1970 final.Langridge topped 1000 runs in five seasons, with his best aggregate coming in 1961 when he made 1675 at 26,58. He took a break from the game between 1967 and 1969, before returning to play two final seasons with the county.Langridge was one of the family which played such an important part in Sussex’s history, His father, James, played eight Tests for England and made almost 600 appearances for the county, and his uncle, John, was named in the touring party for the 1939-40 series against India which never took place.

The elements and a fine captain`s innings of 127* by Anthony McGrath prevented Glamorganfrom winning their fifth Championship match of the season. Chasing 381 to win in a minnimum of 77 overs on thefinal day at Colwyn Bay, Yorkshire had collapsed to 89-5 in 33 overs, and with around three hoursremaining, it seemed that the Welsh county would be victorious. But indifferent lightfor the rest of the afternoon prevented the seamers from bowling again, and despite 80 oversof spin from the wily Robert Croft and Dean Cosker, Yorkshire were able to escape with a draw.Yorkshire were indebted to their captain whose first Championship century of the season waschiseled out in four and a half hours, and together with Richard Dawson, they added 64 in 34overs for the seventh wicket as Croft was unable to use Micahel Kasprowicz, his main strike bowler,who had already struck twice early in the Yorkshire innings.The Australian claimed his first wicket with his eighth delivery, as Matthew Wood fell l.b.w, and despite a flurryof boundaries early on from McGrath, three wickets quickly fell after lunch. Cosker claimdStephen Fleming leg before, before Croft gained the same decision as Michael Lumb departed fora single. Then with the score on 78, Yuvraj Singh, playing his final game for Yorkshire, droveairily at Croft and lobbed the ball to Cosker at cover.Having made the early inroads with spin, Croft then brought back his quicker bowlers, andKasprowicz soon struck as Blakey was leg before shuffling across the crease. But with cloudsbuilding, and the odd drop of rain falling, the Australian was only able to bowl one more delivery asMcGrath and Dawson began their match-saving stand.McGrath eventually reached his first century of the season, from 202 balls, hitting 16 fours, andthe pair survived until mid-way through the final hour, when Dawson, having made a stubborn 22 becamethe fifth l.b.w. victim of the innings. Chris Silverwood then stoutly defended for 10 overs, butwith the light deteriorating further, no further play was possible in the final twenty minutes as the game ended in a draw.Earlier in the day, Glamorgan had batted on for an hour before setting the visitors their target,and during this time, the Welshmen lost two wickets, including that of Michael Powell for 85, whowas bowled by a sharply turning delivery from Dawson, leaving the Glamorgan batsman 20 runs shortof his 1,000 runs for the season. Croft was also bowled by Gough, before declaring with David Hempunbeaten on 85 – his highest score of the summer.

This morning the Honourable Mr Justice Kirk-Cohen dismissed an applicationby Hansie Cronje to have a life ban imposed by the UCB overturned. Hence, MrCronje remains banned for life from all activities of the UCB and itsaffiliates.As far as the interdicts sought by Mr Cronje are concerned, the effect ofthe order is that:* Mr Cronje was not entitled to an order restraining the UCBfrom instructing its employees not to engage in personal, private or socialcommunications with Mr Cronje. The UCB has never instructed and does notintend to instruct its employees not to engage in personal, private orsocial communication with Mr Cronje.* Mr Cronje was not entitled to an order preventing the UCBfrom taking any steps to prevent Mr Cronje from coaching, sponsoring,promoting or otherwise participating in the game of cricket where he does sowithout remuneration or for charitable purposes. The UCB has not taken stepsand does not intend taking steps to prevent Mr Cronje from doing so beyondthe activities of the UCB and its affiliates.* Mr Cronje may not coach cricket at schools which areaffiliates of the UCB or which fall under the control of UCB affiliates. Hemay, however, not be prevented from doing so at other schools, provided hehas the authority of the governing body of the schools concerned.* Mr Cronje may not be prevented from seeking employment withany person other than the UCB or its affiliates.* Mr Cronje may not be prevented from gaining access tocricket grounds under the auspices of the UCB or its affiliates as ajournalist. However, he remains banned from the press boxes/broadcastingfacilities at those grounds; he is also banned from interviewing players andofficials at these grounds.* Should Mr Cronje apply for accreditation to use the mediafacilities of the UCB or its affiliates, it is at the sole discretion of theUCB to relax the ban from these facilities – either on an ad hoc basis orgenerally.Mr Cronje has been ordered to pay half the costs incurred by the UCB inopposing his application.The UCB is disappointed that this matter had to be resolved in a court oflaw, particularly as it had clarified the issues relating to the ban priorto the court date.The UCB is hopeful that this matter has now been put behind us. We willcontinue to commit all our resources and energies towards growing the gameof cricket in a positive manner and to eradicate corruption from cricket.

Crystal Palace’s record of developing first team talent – particularly wide players – has been admirable, with Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nathaniel Clyne all making names for themselves after graduating from the Eagles’ academy.

Most recently, left-back Tyrick Mitchell has become a first team regular, while Jeserun Rak-Sakyi has become one of the most promising young players in England after his sensational performances this season at under-23 level.

However, one player who could have an excellent career but was let go too soon by Palace is Watford winger Kwadwo Baah, who has become a three-time Germany under-19 international, scoring twice.

After leaving the Eagles aged just 14, the winger moved to Rochdale, where he quickly established himself as a member of the first team despite his young age, playing in seven games during the 2019/20 season, before making five goal contributions in 30 league games in the following campaign.

After Baah first broke into the Rochdale first team, his then-manager Brian Barry-Murphy said: “His talent is exceptional and he’s someone we’re very excited about for the future.

“He’s made a huge impact on the squad already and now he’s working hard behind the scenes with the Youth Team and the Integration Squad to get fully in sync with how we do things at the Club.

“He’s a very special talent and someone who has been asked to play an extraordinary number of minutes because of the situation of our squad over Christmas and New Year.”

However, Baah has struggled this season with an ankle injury after signing for Watford from the League Two club on a free transfer last summer.

The 19-year-old is not yet nearing a return to action, having suffered another ankle injury last week in training, but the latest setback may not keep him out of action for too long.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Valued at £720k, Palace chairman Steve Parish will be frustrated that a talented young player with youth caps at international level for Germany, as well as England, was released for nothing, while the Selhurst Park faithful will have been gutted to see him go.

Baah will always remain a cult hero among Palace fans regardless of what team he represents, as he once stopped then-West Ham keeper Adrian from time-wasting in a match against the Eagles by running onto the pitch as ball boy and putting the ball on the goal-kick line himself.

In other news: Vieira facing his first Crystal Palace disaster with £16.2m-rated “Rolls Royce”

Phil Jaques captured back-to-back centuries against Sri Lanka in November © Getty Images

Phil Jaques is trying to recover from the mumps in time to play in New South Wales’ FR Cup match against South Australia in his home town of Wollongong on Sunday. Jaques is desperate to move off Australia’s injury list after being struck by the disease after scoring two centuries in the Sri Lanka series.Jaques is one of a group of players causing concern – Stuart MacGill, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have all missed domestic games – but he is regaining health. “I’m hopeful of playing but we’ll need to see where I’m at physically,” Jaques said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “My aim is to play.” New South Wales’ medical staff will continue to monitor Jaques in case he develops any complications.It now appears he will be fit for the Boxing Day Test and Matthew Hayden, Jaques’ opening partner, has also recovered from knee tendonitis. Hayden spent the past week training in preparation for the Chappell-Hadlee Series, which starts in Adelaide on December 14.Shaun Tait, who had to withdraw from the first Test of the Sri Lanka contest, is also on the comeback trail from an elbow problem, but he was outstanding in the Pura Cup match against Queensland, taking ten wickets for the game. The selectors are trying to decide the best way back for Tait, but the bowler is in no doubt about which option he would choose.”I’d rather play for Australia in any game,” he told AAP. The squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Series will be chosen on Thursday.

Kevin Pietersen has sounded a rallying call to his team-mates ahead of the third Test © Getty Images

England’s net session at the WACA today marked the start of what, in Kevin Pietersen’s estimation, is “a huge, huge week” for the team. “It’s crunch time,” he told the press in Perth, as England faced up to the prospect of a make-or-break Ashes showdown. “We’ll be coming out all guns blazing, wanting positive cricket. We mean business and we know what we need to do. I don’t want to be sitting here next week talking about being 3-0 down.”Pietersen is never a man to dwell on a difficult situation, and his pre-Test rallying cry was predictably gung-ho. “The boys have been put through their paces massively today,” he added, “and from the first ball that was bowled this afternoon, it was 90mph-plus. Our training sessions are huge for us, and we need to up it to Test intensity.”Even so, there is a feeling in the Australian camp that all this Sturm und Drang has arrived at least two Tests too late. At the exact time that England were going through their motions, a loud and celebratory function was taking place in a nearby marquee. Among the guest speakers was a certain Glenn McGrath, who announced over the microphone that he was “disappointed” how one-sided the Ashes battle had so far been.And McGrath’s sentiments were later echoed by Australia’s vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist, who spoke cryptically about his team’s wider goals and motivations before adding, damningly, that “the Ashes are not the be-all and end-all for this group.””That’s not disrespecting the title or what we’re trying to achieve or what we lost last year, but there’s other things around,” added Gilchrist. “We’re getting closer to achieving a goal that we set ourselves. That may not just be to win the Ashes, it might be something else within the group, and there’s certainly a good vibe around as we pursue that goal. There’s results, there’s trophies, there’s things where we stand up.”Gilchrist wouldn’t go far as to say that Australia were gunning for a 5-0 clean sweep (“Pigeon might say it,” he joked) but the underlying message from both players was clear. This Ashes campaign has been far, far too easy, and what is more, they no longer believe that England have the wherewithal to turn their fortunes around.

Everyone thought we’d come out here and it’d be level pegging, but if you get a champion in the corner he’ll come back at you Pietersen on the Australians

Not even Pietersen could sound quite as bullish as usual. “I don’t think people realise how good a feat it was for us to beat Australia in England,” he said. “Everyone thought we’d come out here and it’d be level pegging, but if you get a champion in the corner he’ll come back at you. These blokes are a champion team, the best Australian team they’d had, and they’ve come back doubly hard.Few have come back harder than Shane Warne, who masterminded that astounding last-day victory at Adelaide and now needs just six more wickets to become the first bowler to reach 700 in Tests. According to Gilchrist, he’s buzzing with excitement already. “He’s got a real spring in his step at the moment. He’s been quite vocal within the group, really vibrant and energising the group. It’s been really encouraging for a young guy like Adam Voges, seeing a 140-Test veteran so keen to get into the action.”He was at his brilliant best in Adelaide,” added Gilchrist. “He led us and we all followed. He knew the assistance was there from the wicket. He knew England had shut up shop and were trying to scramble, and he was like the vulture circling overhead but he couldn’t get down to have a peck. He just had to remain patient and he did, allowing the pressure to build up for the guys to get results at the other end.”There was a bit of a negative outlook on his performance in the first innings,” added Gilchrist, after Warne had managed just 1 for 167 in 53 overs, “but that was a combination of a lot of thoughts. It was the best approach to keep England, and particularly Pietersen, in check. It took them a long, long time to get those runs. Warnie did the work, took the blows to his ego, but then got a sniff in the second innings and was back to his brilliant best. The view from behind the stumps was fantastic, that’s why I play the game.”Pietersen’s wicket was the key breakthrough for Australia. After his first-innings 158, he was bowled by the first ball he received from Warne second-time around. “To be fair I missed it, but we’re all allowed to miss a ball occasionally,” he shrugged. “It was not a pre-determined shot, it was a way I was going to play Warne. I work on four areas when I bat, and when balls are in different areas I look to score first, then defend. I thought it was there in my area, and I missed it. I’m not too fussed.”

Pietersen on Flintoff: ‘He’s got that belief and he knows how good he is’ © Getty Images

Even so, he wasn’t entirely able to shrug off the incident. “I’m a really positive bloke but it was hard,” he said. “I was in my bedroom that night and it was like ‘how the heck could that have happened? Am I dreaming, is this for real?’. But at the end of the day it’s one of the little wars lost. Warne is the greatest bowler who’s ever played the game. It only takes one ball from a great man to knock you over. You can’t really win the battle as a batsman.”England now face a major test of resolve, not least because of the doubts about the form and fitness of two of their key players. Andrew Flintoff trained with heavy strapping on his troublesome left ankle, while doubts continue to persist about Steve Harmison’s mindset, after managing just one wicket for 288 in the first two Tests.”I see him daily and Freddie just seems to be fine,” insisted Pietersen. “He’s got that belief and he knows how good he is. He’s a true champion, the best allrounder in the world, so there’s not a lot that can get to him.””Steve’s just a great bloke. Very giving, very thoughtful. He’s such a nice guy you can’t really hate him. If he has a bad day you pick him up because he’s always there for everyone else. It’s what the squad’s about. We’re all good mates and keep each other going. We work for each other and work as hard as we can with each other.”It’ll take more than mateyness, however, to unsettle an Australian side in full steamroller mode.

Mark Boucher: can he walk the talk in the decider? © Getty Images

On February 26, 2000, Mark Boucher, South Africa’s wicketkeeper, walked out to bat at the Wankhede Stadium with the first Test against India in a fine balance. The spinners were zipping it off a wearing pitch and South Africa, requiring 35 runs with four in hand, needed an inspired knock. Boucher swept almost everything thrown at him and snatched the match away with daring 27 not out. Nearly six years on, and he was back to the same venue, just that this time he was addressing a pre-match press conference. His approach, though, hadn’t changed one bit as he swatted question after question with surprising confidence, and more importantly tons of cheek.The controversy surrounding the pitch at Kolkata was dismissed, the Sourav Ganguly issue was rekindled with a surprising perspective and the talk of pressure was hit straight back. “Reading the newspapers after the last game, there were comparisons to Kingsmead in Durban,” he said. “Whoever’s been to Kingsmead and compared the Eden Gardens wicket to that, doesn’t really know what they are talking about. Especially from a keepers’ point of view, I took most of the balls below my knees; at Kingsmead I take it over my head.”Boucher said that his team-mates were pleasantly surprised at the support they got at Kolkata, before going on to launch the most audacious stroke of all: “The support that we got at Eden Gardens in unbelievable,” he said. “We do understand that it’s because of the whole Sourav Ganguly issue. A couple of our players are wondering why he isn’t in the side and it’s a bit strange to us. We preferred bowling to the new batsmen than bowling to Ganguly.”He continued so quickly that it took some time for the mild chuckles to die down among the press. “We understand the pressure the Indian players are at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the youngsters come out and play. I don’t think the youngsters have been under such pressure in a home series, being 2-1 down. It’s a different story walking out to bat playing shots from the first ball, getting out and paying the consequences. From our side, not really a pressure situation but more eagerness to walk away with the series win.”Having set the tone, Boucher indulged in a bit more banter, something that appeared to be entirely psychological warfare. “I think controversy in the Indian team will be an advantage for us. Whenever a side’s losing there will be cracks that will open up and the big crack of Sourav Ganguly has opened up in the last few weeks. I think it didn’t really open up when you played Sri Lanka because not many cracks open up when a side is winning. We’ve put India under pressure, the Sourav Ganguly issue has reared its head and there are a couple of guys in their side who are skeptical about what’s actually going on. Trust me, we will try and use it to our advantage.”And did they have any plans for Sachin Tendulkar, playing on his home ground? Pat came the reply: “We got no particular plans for Tendulkar,” he said, “Polly [Shaun Pollock] has sorted his plans out to him, he’s got him three times and it will be nice if he can get him the fourth time as well. We understand that Tendulkar is a fabulous player but hopefully his big innings is not against us. Hopefully he has a bad series against us with us keeping him down. It’s going to be difficult for us because he’ll be in front of his home crowd, but he’ll also be under pressure because he hasn’t scored much in this series. We’ll try and put him under more pressure.”Boucher made sure the administrators had their share of things to think about as well. “We’ve been very surprised with the dew factor,” he continued. “We knew it was going to dew, but we didn’t know the wickets are going to change that much. Especially the second game, the wicket was very slow upfront and then greased up quite a bit which made it difficult for bowling in the second innings. Maybe playing day-night games at this time of the year isn’t the answer. I know it gets the crowds in but at the end of the day you need an even contest.”And he had absolutely no doubt which team had called the shots in this series, saying that South Africa had been the better team in all three departments. All through, there was a touch of insouciance, a slightly overly confident air and an attempt to throw in the gauntlet. The answers will probably resound louder if Boucher and his team-mates manage to walk the talk and return home with their first ODI series-triumph in India.