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It often takes something special to clinch English football's most prestigious trophy – as Arsenal and Manchester City both know only too well

All eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as Premier League leaders Arsenal take on reigning champions Manchester City in a clash that could well decide the final destination of the title.

The Gunners are in danger of letting an eight-point lead slip after a run of three successive draws, but that will be forgotten if they can come out on top against Pep Guardiola's all-star City side.

The odds are stacked against Mikel Arteta's men, though. City are hunting down their fifth title in the last six seasons, and as always, have saved their best form for the finishing stretch. Arsenal want to end their dominance, but haven't been in this position for almost 20 years, and experience could end up being the difference between the sides.

At this stage of the season, players have the chance to write their names into the history books. A superb team performance or moment of individual brilliance can often tip the scales, and there have been so many to marvel at down the years.

So, as we edge towards a defining contest in Manchester, GOAL takes a look at the most memorable title-clinching occasions the Premier League has ever seen…

Getty2011-12: Aguerooooo!

Manchester United had a 13th Premier League title in the palm of their hand heading into April 2012, despite losing 6-1 to eternal rivals City at Old Trafford in an extraordinary derby clash earlier in the season.

But they managed to let an eight-point lead slip, suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat at Wigan before drawing 4-4 with Everton at home and losing to City again in the reverse fixture at the Etihad.

That sequence of results set up a final day that would change the face of English football forever.

United once again put themselves in a position to lift the trophy after winning their last outing against Sunderland 1-0, but they had to wait for full-time in City's encounter with QPR before any celebrations could begin.

When the final whistle blew at the Stadium of Light, the scoreline was 2-2 at the Etihad, with Edin Dzeko having drawn City level in the 92nd minute.

Three minutes later, Mario Balotelli picked up the ball on the edge of the box, and then managed to poke it into the direction of an on-rushing Sergio Aguero despite being off balance.

The Argentine then skipped past a QPR defender before smashing the ball into the bottom of the corner – cue absolute delirium.

Martin Tyler's iconic commentary added even more weight as he let the 'o' in Aguero roll off his tongue for what seemed like an eternity.

He added after finally drawing breath: "I swear you'll never see anything like this ever again. So watch it, drink it in.

“They've just heard the news at The Stadium of Light. Two goals in added time for Manchester City to snatch the title away from Manchester United.”

Three years later, Ferguson reflected on the moment that the balance of power in Manchester finally shifted towards the blue half.

"We were champions for 30 seconds," he told . "It was a devastating moment; it was incredible. You have to say we did throw the league away."

AdvertisementGetty1994-95: Blackburn lose at Anfield but pip Man Utd

The Premier League title has been decided on the final day nine times in total, with the first instance coming in only the third year after the competition's inception.

Manchester United had won the first two Premier League crowns, but they were two points behind Blackburn Rovers heading into their last fixture in 1994-95.

United had a superior goal difference and knew a win over West Ham would give them a third successive title if Kenny Dalglish's side slipped up against Liverpool at Anfield.

Rovers took the lead on Merseyside, but the Reds came back to steal all three points, with Jamie Redknapp crashing in a stoppage-time free-kick to hand United the initiative.

News of the final result quickly filtered through to the Boleyn Ground, where West Ham were holding Ferguson's men to a 1-1 draw.

United reacted by throwing the kitchen sink at the Hammers, but they just couldn't find that all-important winner, and Rovers were crowned champions by a single point after the referee finally blew his whistle.

Blackburn's triumph was an underdog story for the ages, and the mood was captured perfectly by a voiceover from on the most famous night in the club's history.

“For this former cotton town, which has been in decline for most of the century, the success of Blackburn Rovers means everything.”

Getty Images2015-16: Battle of the Bridge sparks a Vardy party!

"The fans, the club, the players – we don’t want Tottenham to win the Premier League."

Eden Hazard spoke for the entire Chelsea squad when asked about their motivation ahead of a meeting with Spurs at Stamford Bridge in May 2016.

Tottenham hadn't won at the Blues' home stadium since 1990, but they were favourites heading into the latest London derby match-up, with 22 points separating the two sides in the table.

Chelsea only had pride to play for after a disastrous season that had seen Guus Hiddink called back to steady the ship after Jose Mourinho's sacking, but Spurs needed a victory to stay in the hunt for their first title since 1961.

Leicester City, meanwhile, were watching on knowing that they could clinch the trophy with two games to spare if the Blues were able to stop Tottenham in their tracks.

Mauricio Pochettino's side showed no signs of nerves in a superb first-half showing that saw Harry Kane and Son Heung-min fire them into a two-goal lead.

But Gary Cahill struck early in the second period to lift Chelsea, and Hazard stepped up seven minutes from time to curl an unstoppable shot into the top corner and level proceedings, capping a game that truly had everything.

Spurs broke the record for the most yellow cards in a single match (nine), Pochettino raced off the touchline to break up an altercation between Willian and Danny Rose, and Moussa Dembele appeared to eye-gouge Diego Costa as tempers flared in west London.

When the dust finally settled, the Leicester squad were free to celebrate from the comfort of Jamie Vardy's eight-bedroom house in Melton-Mowbray.

The Foxes were 5,000-1 outsiders to lift the title at the start of the campaign, with the odds reflecting the fact that they had never previously won the league in their 132-year history.

Leicester pulled off the greatest footballing miracle ever under former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, while Tottenham were left wondering what might have been after another predictable collapse. Spursy.

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Getty Images2004-05: Lampard double inspires Mourinho's Chelsea to glory

After 50 years of hurt, Chelsea finally stood on the cusp of domestic glory when making the trip to Bolton Wanderers in April 2005.

Just two years on from Roman Abramovich's takeover at Stamford Bridge, the Blues had become the dominant force in English football, and needed only one more win to seal the title.

Led by a Jose Mourinho at the peak of his powers, Chelsea didn't disappoint.

Frank Lampard took his tally of goals for the season to 18 with a superb brace at the Reebok Stadium, giving the Blues an unassailable 14-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table.

Lampard's second goal was a thing of beauty, as he finished off a quick-fire counter-attack by rounding Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and firing into the back of the net.

The England midfielder then took the opportunity to hit back at Chelsea's critics after the celebrations got underway, telling reporters: "We’ve proved that the best team wins the league. There have been some harsh words spoken about us not being entertaining and that the best two teams in the Premier League are in the final of the FA Cup [Manchester United and Arsenal].

"But the best team wins the league and we have done that. It’s time for the others to take a look and know that we are definitely the best."

Mourinho, who 11 months earlier had introduced himself as "The Special One" following his arrival from Porto, echoed Lampard's sentiments.

"Our group is a special group, they deserve this – nobody can say we don't deserve this. We were absolutely magnificent," he said. "The players deserve this more than anybody, but I am very happy for the fans, especially those that have not seen a title win.

"We met for the first time in July and from that moment we have built something special. When we have to fight, we fight; when we have to play, we play; when we have to suffer, we suffer. And always together."

By the end of the campaign, the Blues had broken the records for the most away wins (15), most clean sheets (25), fewest goals conceded away (nine), most wins (29) and fewest goals conceded (15) in a single Premier League season.

Special indeed.

The day Dirk Kuyt wrote his name in Anfield folklore and Suarez proved he could nutmeg a mermaid

It stands as one of the rare high points of Liverpool's 2010-11 season, a campaign which started with promises of a bright new era under Roy Hodgson and finished with one of Liverpool's favourite sons back in the dugout.

Kenny Dalglish, as it happened, celebrated his 60th birthday a couple of days before his Reds side defeated Manchester United 3-1 on March 6, 2011. 

It was a game notable for Dirk Kuyt scoring the first hat-trick in the fixture since Peter Beardsley in 1990, and for a virtuoso performance from new Liverpool signing Luis Suarez, who tormented a United side which would, as tended to be the case in those days, end the season as Premier League champions.

Liverpool, by contrast, would finish sixth, 

Here, GOAL takes a look at what happened next for that 2011, United-slaying team…

Getty ImagesGK: Pepe Reina

Always a popular figure at Anfield, Reina made 394 appearances for Liverpool and his record of 177 clean sheets place him third on the club’s all-time list.

A member of the Spain squad which dominated international football between 2008 and 2012, he left for Bayern Munich in 2014 having lost his place to Simon Mignolet and therefore spent the previous year on loan at Napoli. 

He’s still playing now, joining Villarreal – the club he had initially left to sign for Liverpool in 2005 – after the expiry of his contract at Lazio. 

Oh, and he also appeared, memorably, on Spain's version of last year.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Glen Johnson

Signed by Rafa Benitez as “the missing piece” after Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in 2008-09, Johnson instead became one of the few reliable presences in a side which swiftly declined.

He eventually left Anfield for Stoke in 2015 having made exactly 200 appearances for the Reds. His career fizzled out as injuries hit him hard, and by the age of 33 he had played his last professional game.

These days, he’s a regular on the UK media circuit.

Getty ImagesCB: Martin Skrtel

Slovakian centre-back who made more than 320 appearances for Liverpool after joining from Zenit in 2008.

Skrtel eventually left Anfield in 2016, moving to Fenerbahce. He later joined Atalanta and Istanbul Basaksehir, and was still playing until the end of last season with Spartak Trnava before he announced his retirement from the game due to injury issues.

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GettyCB: Jamie Carragher

The ultimate one-club man, Carragher sits second on Liverpool’s all-time appearance list, having turned out 737 times for the Reds across a 17-year playing career.

He retired in 2013 having won nine major honours, and while most expected him to pursue a career in coaching, he has instead established himself as one of the most insightful, passionate and popular media pundits around, forming a famous and unlikely partnership with Gary Neville on in the process.

As the 2010s come to an end, Goal casts its eye back to pick out the best players in Spain's top flight over the past 10 years

GettyGK: Jan Oblak

Arriving in La Liga in 2014 as the then most expensive goalkeeper in the league, Jan Oblak was viewed as the man to replace Thibaut Courtois for Atletico Madrid. It quickly became clear, however, that he would surpass the Belgium international in the Spanish capital. 

The Slovenian shot-stopper has been named La Liga's Best Goalkeeper for the past four seasons and is the most consistent keeper in Spain's top-flight – rarely making the type of errors number ones at Real Madrid or Barcelona have become prone to. 

Oblak's best domestic campaign came in 2015-16 when he conceded just 18 times across 38 league games, with his performances enough to see him selected in our team ahead of the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Victor Valdes and Keylor Navas.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Dani Alves

While his time in La Liga came to an abrupt end with Barcelona in 2016, Dani Alves had been a key part of the Catalans' treble-winning side. 

The Brazilian's speed, technical ability and physical strength made him a massive asset for Barca down the right flank. 

While he was named in the La Liga Team of the Year just once, Alves' ability and influence was often under-rated and his recent form for Brazil is a reminder the 36-year-old was and is a special talent. 

GettyCB: Gerard Pique

From a fringe player at Manchester United to a star at Barcelona, Gerard Pique's move to La Liga has paid off handsomely. 

A rock in the Catalans' backline and a rallying figure for the club, the Spanish defender has been key to Barca's success over the past decade. 

Pique has eight La Liga titles to his name and is a man that knows how to step up when his side needs him most. 

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Getty ImagesCB: Sergio Ramos

Talking of stepping up, Sergio Ramos has become an expert at doing just that for Real Madrid. The veteran defender is not only ruthless at the back, but surprisingly clinical in attack.

Ramos' ability in front of goal has proven regularly crucial for Los Blancos over the past decade with the Spaniard chipping in with 37 league goals since the start of the 2010-11 season. 

In defence, he has become infamous for poor discipline and is the most carded player in La Liga history, but those 'dark arts' have also often proved decisive for his side.

England completed the second-highest successful chase in T20 internationals and the highest in World T20 history to keep their campaign alive

The Report by Firdose Moonda18-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:34

Chappell: Root has a good cricketing brain

England completed the second-highest successful chase in T20 internationals and the highest in World T20 history to keep their campaign alive. They held their nerve chasing 230, thanks to a blistering start from Jason Roy and a clinical innings from Joe Root that ripped South Africa’s attack apart and undid their batsmen’s efforts.Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy all scored half-centuries in a line-up that included AB de Villiers at No. 3 and South Africa would have thought they had enough. Instead, they were left to rue the three overs between 10 and 13, bowled by Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, when South Africa could not find the boundary and scored just 14 runs. Before that, they were 125 for 2; after it, 139 for 3 and it was the difference between a score under 250 and one greater than. In the end, South Africa needed the latter.On a night when no one wanted to be a bowler, the England seamers’ scattergun approach was nullified by South Africa’s overcompensation in bowling too straight, as well as some ill discipline. While England only gave away two wides, South Africa donated 20. An England line-up whose approach is built on aggression punished them for that.Given the magnitude of their task, England showed intent from the first ball. Jason Roy swung hard at Kagiso Rabada and took 21 runs of the opening over – the most Rabada has conceded in an over in this format.Alex Hales treated Dale Steyn with equal disdain. He sent the first three balls for four, all flicks on the leg side, although he should have been dismissed off the first. Kyle Abbott was at short fine leg and could not hold on. Roy had even less respect for Steyn. He finished the over with 10 runs off two balls to take England to 44 after two overs, the most runs off 12 balls in a T20. It was also Steyn’s most expensive T20I overEngland were running away with it but Abbott made up for his earlier blunder when he had Hales rapped on the pads in front of middle and leg to strike the first blow.Ben Stokes was promoted to No. 3, Roy kept going and South Africa had to turn to death bowling strategies in the Powerplay. Abbott searched for the yorker and found it but when he missed Roy ramped him for six over de Kock’s head. Roy tried to do it again but skied it and de Kock took the catch, ending his contribution at 43 from 16 balls.When Stokes hit a Rabada full toss to the deep square leg boundary, it was advantage South Africa. Although England had more runs than South Africa had after six overs – 89 to 83 – they had already lost three wickets.Imran Tahir was introduced in the seventh over and immediately quietened things down. His opening over cost seven runs without a boundary and, having seen England’s spinners have a similar impact, Faf du Plessis gambled with bringing on Duminy. It paid off as Duminy worked in tandem with Tahir and snaffled Eoin Morgan, who chopped on, to keep the advantage with South Africa at the halfway point. After 10 overs South Africa were 125 for 2; England 118 for 4.But the brakes were slammed on South Africa’s innings then when Rashid and Moeen kept du Plessis and Duminy quiet. In the same period, South Africa used Chris Morris, Duminy and Steyn and the effect was entirely the opposite. England scored 42 runs in those three overs, Morris bowled short balls to his detriment, Root and Jos Buttler finally decided to take on Duminy and Steyn could not scare England into a mistake. The advantage swung. After 13 overs, England were 160 for 4 and the required rate had been dragged down from over 11 to 10.South Africa still had Tahir and he went on to become the only bowler not to concede a boundary on the night, and to remove Buttler, but he lacked support. Morris was South Africa’s weak link and gave Root the full toss that saw him bring up fifty off 30 balls. His was the slowest half-century of the night, after de Kock’s came up off 21 balls, Amla’s off 25 and Duminy’s 26, but it was the one that mattered most.Root took England to within 11 runs of victory before he swatted Rabada to deep midwicket and left it for Moeen to finish off. England lost two more wickets before they got there, but they won’t dwell on those late nerves.They will, however, want to address their own bowling lapses and a messy fielding performance that saw them on the received end of a total in excess of 220 for the fourth time. Reece Topley offered too much width even as Morgan refused to put a fielder at point to allow de Kock to hit him through there three times. De Kock was even more severe on Willey and forced Morgan to introduce a spinner in the Powerplay.Amla had only faced three balls by the time Moeen came on but already had his eye in. Amla found two boundaries before he should have been caught at mid-off but Topley, perhaps still recovering from his own mauling, spilled the chance. Jordan and Stokes could not find control and England conceded 81 runs in the five overs after Willey’s first had gone for two.Rashid was introduced as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted but did not immediately appear a threat. De Kock used his first ball to bisect the men in the deep and bring up his first T20I fifty but did not add many more to his total. He picked out the fielder at deep midwicket to allow South Africa to unleash de Villiers on the perfect platform.The innings seemed to be playing to script when de Villiers smacked successive sixes but his show was short lived. Instead it was Amla and then Duminy who kept South Africa going. They scored 90 runs off the last seven overs but on a small field, a good pitch and against a bloody-minded England, it was not enough.

Irfan Pathan completed his first ten-wicket haul in Tests against Bangaldesh on the third day at Dhaka

Cricinfo staff17-May-2016

Irfan Pathan already has four lbws in Bangladesh’s second innings© Getty Images
On picking up 10 wickets in a match so soon after picking up his first 5-for
It’s a great feeling for me. To get first five wickets and then 10 wickets. You need one five-wicket haul to get you started. I didn’t know it is going to happen so quickly.About all those lbws
It was easy for me because I was able to bowl the inswingers, especially with the new ball. It’s difficult for any batsman to play against such a swinging ball. I don’t think they played badly, the bowling was good.How he rates this performance
Very highly. I think I bowled a lot better in the second innings than the first: in the afternoon you generally don’t get that much swing. The most satisfying was the wicket I got in the first over.What did you intend for Habibul Bashar?
We had our plans. You never know whether someone will fall into the trap. But we always have our plans to all the batsmen.Was a conscious decision to bowl from Jeremy Lloyds’ end in both innings?
It wasn’t like that. I was bowling with the wind in the first innings. In the second there was no wind so I thought I would try his end.On the conditions in Dhaka
The ball swings more here than in India. I think this wicket was the best I’ve played in Asia.

Brad Hodge hit six fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 45-ball 85 as Peshawar recovered from 69 for 4 in 11.5 overs to overhaul Karachi’s 152 for 7 with nine balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:03

‘We were winning until Hodge got hold of us’ – Bopara

Brad Hodge turned a chase that was headed nowhere into realms of possibility, and within the bat of an eyelid, blasted the ball to all corners of the Dubai Cricket Stadium. Peshawar Zalmi blew away Karachi Kings in a manic 10-minute passage to win by five wickets and move to the top of the PSL standings.Hodge hit six fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 45-ball 85 as Peshawar recovered from 69 for 4 in 11.5 overs to overhaul Karachi’s 152 for 7 with nine balls to spare. The turning point in the chase was the 16th over, bowled by legspinner Usama Mir, where Hodge smashed a four and three successive sixes to reduce the equation to 32 off the last four overs.The next over was hit for 14, and the wheels came off Karachi’s bowling unit, with Darren Sammy sealing the game with a muscular hit into the stands at deep midwicket.That Peshawar were set 153 was largely due to the efforts of Lendl Simmons, who top scored with 49 and held the innings together for a while, before it fell apart as one batsman after another was dismissed in a quest to up the ante. The second-highest scorer of the innings was Ravi Bopara, who made a 22-ball 23 to shore up the total after a middle-order meltdown.Peshawar started badly as the new ball pair of Mohammad Amir and Bilawal Bhatti removed the openers with the score at just 25 inside five overs. Jim Allenby, the Australian batsman, revived the innings with a 29-ball 31, but his dismissal followed by Shahid Afridi’s in consecutive overs meant the chase hit a roadblock at 69 for 4.But Peshwar were not to be denied as Hodge cashed in on the first sign of complacency from Karachi by mixing a bit of brute strength and fineness in his effort to turn the game in no time. Such was the quality of his knock that even the dismissal of Kamran Akmal, with Peshawar still needing 32, largely went unnoticed.Having lost the game from a position of strength, Karachi will have to hope for a Lahore Qalandars win in the second match of the night to progress.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has urged his batsmen to make sharp improvements in their shot selection, ahead of the second Test in Colombo

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jun-20150:58

‘Boys have the talent, but not experience’ – Mathews

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has urged his batsmen to make sharp improvements in their shot selection, ahead of the second Test in Colombo. Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 206 in the third innings, which led to the loss in Galle. Though Sri Lanka were ostensibly attempting to save the match at that stage, three batsmen were out stumped, while two more were caught slog-sweeping to the leg-side fence.”We don’t want to mourn about the loss too much, but we will try and rectify what went wrong this game,” Mathews said. “We identified a few areas where we need to improve – especially the shot selection. We also discussed how to handle certain situations. It’s a learning curve for all of us. We don’t have Mahela Jayawardenes and Thilan Samaraweeras in the team. We need to stay calm and give opportunities to the youngsters and have faith in them.”Sri Lanka were largely undone by spin in Galle, having lost 15 of their 20 wickets to Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar and Mohammad Hafeez. Mathews said Sri Lanka would seek to unsettle the spinners by scoring regularly against them, echoing Kaushal Silva’s views on how the slow bowlers may be countered.”We just have to be positive. We can’t be negative against Yasir and Babar. We always have to look to score runs, not get bogged down against them, and that will give our bowlers a chance. Whether its Yasir, Zulfiqar, Wahab Riaz or Junaid Khan, we always look to score runs and we have plans for them.””It’s a different wicket from Galle but it will still turn. You never have a wicket in Sri Lanka that doesn’t turn four of five days. Yasir is a very good bowler and he lands it on the spot more often than not.”There remains some confusion over Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement, with the batsman not yet having shared definitive details of his career’s last phase. It is unlikely he will play the third Test against Pakistan. Mathews, though, said this uncertainty was not a distraction.”Kumar is still having discussions with selectors,” he said. “They have not come to a final decision on that. He’s earned the right to decide when and where to go. That is not a disturbance at all to the team. He has rendered a service that no one could do over the past 15 years. I don’t think the impact of the series or how it goes will make an impact on his decision.”

Jeryl Woutersz, the former first-class cricketer and domestic match referee, has been appointed Sri Lanka’s team manager for the incoming tours of Pakistan and India

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Apr-2015Jeryl Woutersz, the former first-class cricketer and domestic match referee, has been appointed Sri Lanka’s team manager for the incoming tours of Pakistan and India.Woutersz’s appointment is the latest in a slew of changes effected by the new interim committee. In addition to having named a new selection panel for the men’s national side on Wednesday, the board has also appointed a new selection panel for the women’s team, headed by former Sri Lanka quick Vinothen John.Woutersz, whose term begins on May 1, has recently been the manager of the Sri Lanka under-19 side – a role in which he had impressed with his integrity, SLC vice-president Kushil Gunasekara said. “Jerry is a very disciplined sort of person, and someone who can earn and command respect, which was important to the committee,” he said.”We’re not trying to compare him with anyone who’s done the job previously, but as a new committee, we needed to infuse a new kind of thinking. We are called upon to make changes and bring greater productivity. We hear Jerry has done a very good job as under-19 manager, and he fits the bill.”Though at present Woutersz’s term ends after India’s August tour, the committee has appointed him with a view to keeping him in the role more permanently. “If he fares well, I’m sure he can continue,” Gunasekara said.Alongside John in the new women’s selection committee are former Sri Lanka quick Uvais Karnain, and former first-class batsman Varuna Weeragoda. Ex-women’s team captain Vanessa de Silva has also been appointed the women’s team manager.Woutersz had played in the 1982 rebel tour to South Africa under Bandula Warnapura, and had been a stalwart of the Burgher Recreation Club side of the 1980s, playing as a slow-bowling allrounder. He replaces Michael de Zoysa as the team’s manager. De Zoysa’s contract had expired after the World Cup.Sri Lanka’s next international assignment, against Pakistan, is not expected to begin until mid-June, though the schedule for that tour has not yet been announced.

Peter Moores has hinted that Jonathan Trott will retain his place in the England side for the third Test of the series against West Indies

George Dobell26-Apr-2015England coach Peter Moores has hinted that Jonathan Trott will retain his place in the side for the third Test of the series against West Indies.Trott made 59 in the first innings in Grenada as England posted their first century opening stand for more than two years. But he was out for a duck in the second innings, meaning he had failed in three of his four innings since returning to the side in a new role at the top of the order.With time running out to blood other options before the Ashes – after this Test in Barbados, England will play two against New Zealand before the Ashes begins – some critics have urged the selectors to give Adam Lyth an opportunity.But Moores suggested that Trott is gradually rediscovering the form that once made him the ICC’s world player of the year and warned that Lyth – and other members of the squad – could be destined for a frustrating tour.Peter Moores on…

Adil Rashid: “I understand Yorkshire want him back and I understand where they’re coming from. They’ve lost a lot of players and Ryan Sidebottom is injured. But the key thing is to put England first. Adil has worked hard to get his chance in the squad. I really feel that by keeping him here he’s got a chance of playing in Barbados and he’s around the international set-up and bowling at top-flight players. Anyone who looks at our spin department knows we’re not overloaded. And when he does go back to Yorkshire he will feel like he’s taken his game forward.”

Ben Stokes: “Ben is very much his own man. I wouldn’t want to change him in any way. He looks for opportunities to put people under pressure. For all players, they’re trying to find the mood or the mode that they’re best in to perform at their best. You’re always trying to find an edge. And what you’ve seen with Ben is he’s started to become more controlled and calm down in how he goes about it, but still keep that aggression. You had to smile at the incident between Ben and Marlon Samuels in some ways.”

Joe Root: “On a slow pitch Joe scored at a faster rate than anyone else in the game and the tempo he is playing at is great for the batter at the other end. He is hungry and keeps things ticking over. He is in a really good patch of form and that is to be cashed in on when you’ve got it. Just stay in the moment for as long as possible.”

“I thought Trott played really well in the first innings,” Moores said. “I think he played beautifully. In the second innings, he got out to his third or fourth ball. It happens. It can happen to anyone.”But what we saw in the first innings was Jonathan Trott playing like Jonathan Trott. I think he would admit that in Antigua he hadn’t quite got himself where he wanted to be.”I don’t think his temperament changed, for me it was more of a technical thing. He was overbalancing in Antigua so he wasn’t quite getting where he wanted to be with the ball.”He sorted that out, and I thought the partnership between him and Cook was a really good partnership. So I think he’ll come out of that Test match thinking: ‘yeah, actually I feel in good nick. I feel like I’ve got myself going’.”Moores was also keen to point out that the England team already contained several young or relatively inexperienced players making their way at Test level – the likes of Ben Stokes, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and Joe Root – and that it was important to retain an experienced spine in the side.”Bringing players in is quite a fine balance,” he said. “You want them to be playing in a winning side and they’ve got to have earned the right to play and be given a chance. We’ve looked at quite a lot of new players already and have probably got six or seven starting to emerge.”Getting in a Test team is hard and they – those players who have yet to feature in the Test team – might not play a Test in this series. They’ve got to work really hard to get in and once you get in you’ve got to work hard to take your chance.”Of course there’s development to think about and there’s a lot of Tests coming up. But often that progression is quite natural. Bowlers get injuries, get tired and others get chances. Chris Woakes has been injured and Ben Stokes has come in so it becomes quite natural.”England arrived in Barbados on Sunday in fine spirits. Buoyed by what Moores termed “a great win” – and while the opposition may be somewhat modest, the conditions were anything but – there was a sense of “euphoria” throughout the travelling party, which now includes family members and girlfriends. A well deserved break – they will next train on Wednesday – looms.”It felt like a reward for all the hard work that you’ve seen going on by the players and the coaches,” he said. “It all comes through and you can feel the euphoria of the win. It is a great release. It was fantastic, and it was great to see everybody enjoying themselves.”Central to the victory was James Anderson’s fifth-day spell with the second new ball. Anderson had been largely anonymous in the match up to that point but, with the game drifting to a draw, produced a vintage spell of bowling that cut through the cream of West Indies batting and set up the result.”It was a world-class spell of bowling,” Moores said. “The areas he bowled, the plans he delivered, the pace he bowled – I think he bowled close to 90mph – was Jimmy at his best. And on that sort of pitch you need a world-class performer to open the game up.”I’m not surprised. It was a great advocate of what playing for your country means. He found something in him that pushed him to another level. He was like a youngster again.”He needed something. Because if you look at the wickets, often it was when someone really got to the top with their pace that they did well. Stuart Broad in the first innings really clicked. It was a very tough pitch to bowl on.”England will name a fresh looking ODI side on Tuesday. James Taylor is expected to be named as captain, with Sam Billings among those likely to win a call-up, and Alex Hales and Jason Roy featuring in an aggressive batting line-up. Matt Dunn and Mark Foottitt are among the bowlers under consideration.”Honestly, our one-day cricket has been in a backwater for a while,” Moores admitted. “The rest of the world have moved on. People have talked about that, I think they’re right.”We’ve got to catch up on that side, try and run two different things. But they’re nearly two different games. You watch the last 10 overs of a one-day international now, the way people bat is different to anything else.”That’s no excuse. This winter we didn’t play well enough. We were better than how we performed, I think. But it’s great to see us get back to Test match cricket and start to play well and build on that with a lot of Test match cricket coming.”

Sri Lanka have the most experienced team at the World Cup and are driven by the desire to make up for defeats in the last two finals, but their batting is top-heavy and their bowling perhaps over-reliant on Lasith Malinga’s uncertain fitness

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Feb-2015Sri Lanka sometimes go into global tournaments underdone. Other times they have carried misfiring personnel. Occasionally key players have been injured, or, like on this occasion, poor form has pockmarked their approach to the big events. They rarely seem to have the firepower of the ‘favourites’. They are so beset by poor governance they played the last World T20 in the middle of a contracts dispute. But they won.Sri Lanka are like the kung fu movie protagonist that takes a hundred knocks to the head, but somehow makes it to the end of the film. Or the old Nokia phone that is jammed in doors and dropped in puddles, but continues to live on.Fact box

Previous World Cups
1975: Group stage
1979: Group stage
1983: Group stage
1987: Group stage
1992: Group stage
1996: Winners
1999: Group stage
2003: Semi-finalists
2007: Finalists
2011: Finalists
Squad
Angelo Mathews (capt.), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Dhammika Prasad
Fixtures
February 14 – v New Zealand, Christchurch
February 22 – v Afghanistan, Dunedin
February 26 – v Bangladesh, Melbourne
March 1 – v England, Wellington
March 8 – v Australia, Sydney
March 11 – v Scotland, Hobart

Angelo Mathews has three former captains in his side. He has already been at the helm for two standoffs with the board. But in the six major campaigns he has played in, Sri Lanka have failed to reach the semi-finals only once.It is not that Sri Lanka have consistently been the best side in these tournaments – often their early outings have been scratchy. But somewhere in each campaign metal strikes flint and a fire spreads. In the 2007 World Cup, Lasith Malinga had his four in four. In the 2009 World T20, the team rallied around Tillakaratne Dilshan’s electric starts. In the 2014 World T20, Rangana Herath turned a match Sri Lanka had no business winning, with his 5 for 3.If the four previous finals had not already put the cricket world on notice, actually winning the last big tournament has. They lost 2-4 to New Zealand in January, but if Malinga is fit and firing, Sri Lanka will be hopeful that big-tournament magic will catch them again.The batting is still top-heavy, but it is some top. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara have been mighty consistent in ODIs over the past two years, and in Mahela Jayawardene Sri Lanka have one of the best big-match players in the game. They are smuggling inexperience in that lower middle order, but Mathews has become adept at rescuing the innings, though he has been short of support in recent weeks.Sri Lanka’s fans have watched too many finals to be wowed by just another good dash to the knockout stages. They expect the team to return with the trophy. The cricketers themselves will be desperate to bag the big prize too, not least because this will be several senior players’ last chance to do so.World Cup PedigreeESPNcricinfo LtdThey have not won since 1996, but aside from the awful 1999 campaign, Sri Lanka teams have largely emerged from World Cups with credit, reaching the semi-finals in 2003 and the final in both World Cups since. The near-miss in 2011 was for many in the team the greatest disappointment in their limited-overs careers, and only a World Cup win could bring full catharsis.X-FactorSri Lanka have recently found limited overs success by stacking the XI with allrounders – particularly of the fast-bowling variety – and they built a team purposefully, to ensure Mathews will not be short of bowling options even when Sri Lanka play an XI that bats deep. Mathews himself as well as Thisara Perara and Nuwan Kulasekara have had success with both disciplines in Australia, and there is Dilshan’s canny offspin to break a big partnership or apply a squeeze. The challenge for Mathews is managing these resources intelligently, and ensuring he plays enough frontline bowlers in his XI.Players in focusAngelo MathewsMathews will almost certainly have more shots at World Cup glory, but yet the stakes are high for him at this event. The team is bracing for several high-profile retirements, and it is Mathews who has the task of putting together a new team in the wake of their exits. It is a daunting prospect, but one that will become immeasurably easier if Mathews already has a World Cup to his name, with all the confidence and public goodwill that comes with the trophy.Mahela JayawardeneThe only man with tons in a World Cup final and a semi-final, few players deserve a grand finish to their international careers as much as Jayawardene. A dip in his ODI form early in 2014 helped hasten his Test retirement, and he will hope that being active in only one format will spur a return to his best. Jayawardene has not prospered on bouncier surfaces in Tests, but he has played important ODI innings in Australia and has only grown more innovative in his later years.Lasith MalingaMalinga is not so much the leader of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs attack as he is its cornerstone. The team’s bowling plans revolve so tightly around Malinga that it is the quality of his performance that often defines games. He was delivering thunderbolts in 2014’s Asia Cup and the World T20, but had since then put on a few pounds and lost a little pace – perhaps due to the ankle injury that later required surgery. He will not have had much time at the bowling crease before the tournament begins, thanks to the lengthy recovery time. Given this may be his final shot at a World Cup as well, Malinga should need little incentive to be fit and fast at the curtain-raiser on February 14.Game StyleSri Lanka have developed a reputation as a street-smart unit with a taste for aggression, and that is the approach that has historically brought them most success. With two new balls in play, starts may not be as brisk as usual, but their batting is capable of responding to most situations, thanks to the adaptability that the likes of Sangakkara, Dilshan, Jayawardene and Mathews provide.PredictionAnything less than a semi-final place would be a disaster, and even that will not please Sri Lanka fans, who have come to expect much from their team. Adjusting to the conditions, and finding that collective intensity that has fueled past campaigns will be key to their performance.World Cup stats Sri Lanka inflicted the lowest-ever World Cup total of 36 on Canada in 2003 Of the five top wicket-takers in World Cups, two are Sri Lankans. Muttiah Muralitharan is at second place with 68 wickets, and current bowling coach Chaminda Vaas is at fourth, with 49 Sri Lanka have the most experienced squad in the World Cup by a distance. Sri Lanka’s 15 have 2017 ODI caps between them. The next-highest is Pakistan with 1314.If they were an actorAmy Adams: Fly in under the radar to get close to the big prize, but don’t often take the trophy homeTheme songSo close, yet so far – Elvis Presley