Neymar: Love in the time of Coronavirus

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Neymar comes big when it mattered the most……

There is is a reason to love Neymar despite his whimsical behaviour. It is always hard to dislike a genius who is flawed, but still sits in your heart permanently and always gives you hope. You continue to hope, if any player can do it on the big stage in a crucial match like Cristiano Ronaldo then it is none other than Neymar.

Frustrations regarding those strings of injuries, absence due to sister’s birthday, antics on the field, getting mocked due to self-destructive behaviours and continuous rumours regarding the leave from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Barcelona other than the footballing activities, just don’t stop your love for Neymar because the love for a genius never vanishes, but it continues to grow each day.

The reason behind the most expensive transfer of all-time was about signing a Brazilian genius who would give Paris Saint-Germain the x-factor, which they have been lacking in the crucial stages of the Champions League. At one point, the signing seemed to be proving a total joke, but after last night’s encounter, one cannot end up thinking such. The Brazilian spread his wings and all fell in love with him, yet again – love during the time of Coronavirus.

The clash against Borussia Dortmund was contested behind closed doors to prevent Coronavirus. Like Mestalla, plenty of fans waited outside the stadium to back PSG. They were trailing by 2-1 and required a top-class show to outweigh a brilliant Dortmund side, who have gained a new dimension after the joining of Erling Haaland.

PSG have are not known to make comebacks in the second leg of a Champions League match when they are trailing. Even they bottled it many times. As a matter of fact, the expectations were low. Neymar, who entered the stadium in a care-free mood, felt no pressure at all but seemed confident of turning things around. He did it before and at Paris, he can do it. He would make Paris fall in love with him.

Neymar played in both legs of the Round of 16 for the first time ever and his impact was enormous as PSG defeated Borussia Dortmund to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. Neymar netted in the first leg in Dortmund but stepped up to score another a home.

The Brazilian set the tempo in just 28 minutes.

PSG earned a corner. Angel Di Maria curled one so sharply that it fell in the range of an unmarked Neymar who moved forward with a diving header from a point-blank range. PSG tied the score and then Juan Bernat doubled the tally.

The Brazilian talisman played a crucial role in the second goal. Neymar up the ball with his back to goal turned quickly in a tight space and picked out Angel Di Maria just outside the area, who played the ball out wide before Bernat's slight touch beat Burki.

It was just the second time that Neymar scored from a header in a Champions League match. The last time he did such was against PSG while playing for Barcelona in 2015. It was his 35th goal in Champions League.   Neymar has been directly involved in 38 goals in 28 home Champions League appearances (20 for Barcelona, 8 for PSG), scoring 26 goals and assisting 12.

PSG were without Kylian Mbappe, who was down with an illness, Thomas Tuchel relied on Neymar to deliver one of the best performances since he arrived in Paris. And Neymar did not let his coach and the team down. Injuries might have cut short the pace, but his dribbling skill and clever movements helped a lot to clear the ball and ease the pressure and his role as a center forward and dropping back in the midfield when required aided PSG to win back the possession.

Not only his skillful display was on the show, but he provoked Dortmund by mocking the celebration of Haaland and then antagonizing Emre Can to receive a red card with time running out.

It was the night of Neymar. He owned Paris and outclassed Dortmund with skill and smartness. It was the Neymar, which all wish to watch and enjoy.

The love for Neymar is a never-ending one!  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 12/03/20 Neymar: Love in the time of Coronavirus  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Tamim Iqbal needs to balance between batting performance and pressure of captaincy

"I hope Tamim fares better both as a batsman and captain, which would definitely be a tough task after the era of Mashrafe. Tamim needs to perform with the bat, which would be vital to boosting his confidence while leading the team. He must not forget how Mashrafe’s poor performance came under the scanner while leading the team in World Cup 2019"

The world is on fire – a virus named SARS-CoV-2 has not only showed up its effects but the kind of panic it has created that people all over the world is devoured by fear. It all started in China and gradually started to spread across South and East Asia, Europe, Middle East, Latin, and North America. A few days back, three Bangladeshis have been detected as a positive case of Coronavirus, but the status of the patients is stable and the concerned officials have taken necessary steps to prevent the disease.

Bangladesh have entered from Step 1 to Step 2, but it is highly unlikely that the status of Bangladesh would be like China, Iran or Italy.

Bangladesh would be safe!

Let’s get back to cricket

Amid the chaos and fear of SARS-CoV-2, sporting activities in Bangladesh have not come to a standstill like Italy, where Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has suspended Serie A matches and other sporting activities till further notice. Bangladesh cricket is still active and have not waited long to announce the new captain for the 50-over format. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided that Tamim Iqbal would be the next skipper as the think-tank thinks, he would be able to carry on the legacy of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

In fact, Tamim was the captain of Bangladesh during the Sri Lanka tour last year. Bangladesh had been gifted a whitewash and as a captain, Tamim remained below-par with the bat (0, 19 and 2 were his scores from 3 matches) while on the field, as a captain, he was uninspiring. So the first experience as the captain of Tigers remains bitter, but that does mean it would remain as such until and unless Tamim learns to balance between his batting performance and pressure of captaincy.

As a batsman, Tamim is known to be a master-blaster. He has been given the license to kill and even though he has learned to mix caution with aggression after a bad-patch in 2014, which has paid rich dividends, whether he would be able to handle the pressure of captaincy or not remains a moot question.     

Leading the cricket team is a tough task…

Your day to day performance with the bat and ball and captaincy display always comes under the microscope.

The captain has to face a lot of heat and to shut the mouth of the critics; it becomes a must-task for the captain to perform consistently even when the team is not doing well. Then, why his inspiring displays are not helping to lift the team also becomes a matter of concern not only for the team but the captain himself as well.

Again, how smartly someone exhibits his captaincy skills on the field and how calm and composed he remains when the chips are down would always be noticed and analyzed by all. Above all, the skill of man-management is very important.   

In the longer formats captaincy is all about intelligence, skill, courage, and composure under pressure. One can say Tamim is a smart person. Skillfully sound. Blessed with courage. But as a matter of fact, he lacks the calm and composure. And that is where Tamim would need to improve.

Despite having a rough history of losing his cool more often, one can expect that Tamim has learned to control his temper and became matured enough to understand the intricacies of the topsy-turvy world of international cricket.  

Tamim needs to lead from the front

Still, now, I think Mahmudullah Riyad would have been the ideal choice to lead the team in 50-over formats, but as the Board has already invested faith in Tamim, thus, it is time to hope for the best.

I hope Tamim fares better both as a batsman and captain, which would definitely be a tough task after the era of Mashrafe. Tamim needs to perform with the bat, which would be vital to boosting his confidence while leading the team. He must not forget how Mashrafe’s poor performance came under the scanner while leading the team in World Cup 2019.  

Tamim needs to lead from the front and set an example for others.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 10/03/2020 Tamim Iqbal needs to balance between batting performance and pressure of captaincy 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Right decision from Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, but who should be the next captain?

The time has come to move on and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has taken the right decision, which is well thought. But who should be the next ODI captain of Bangladesh remains a moot question…..

“I didn't think for too long. Everyone on the outside thought, it is the right time to bring a new captain keeping the 2023 World Cup in mind. I decided this morning that this is enough. Till yesterday, I hadn't taken this decision. I took a professional decision, so I would hope those who take the decision on the next captain, also take a professional decision. The new captain should be given enough time”.

 Mashrafe Bin Mortaza

You know someday an announcement such as this would come. You know very well, he would say that it’s enough. Let’s move on. But still, you start to feel that numbness in your upper and lower extremity when you come to know that one of the greatest sportsmen of your country and perhaps, the most loved and respected sportsman ever to reign in the history of Bangladesh would no longer be seen leading the Tigers.   

Automatically, you discover that your eyes are wet.

Your brain fades for a second. 

You sit down and try to recover from the temporary shock - get back in reality and accept it. 

For us, who have watched him bowl for the first time at the Dhaka National Stadium, the struggle, pain, and rise of Mashrafe had been intertwined deeply with our daily life. His fighting spirit became an inspiration for many, while his captaincy became a matter of celebration and pride.     

Before the start of the third and final one-day international against Zimbabwe, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza announced in the press conference that will quit as Bangladesh's ODI captain after the match. The way Bangladesh have fared against the visitors so far, tomorrow, the Tigers might gift Mashrafe his 50th victory as the captain. Even though Mashrafe decided to quit captaincy, but still he did not clarify, how long would he continue as a player, which still makes him available for selection as a player.

It has been a glorious journey since he took over the responsibility of leading Bangladesh for the second during a period when Bangladesh cricket was in turmoil. Along with the street-smart Chandika Hathurusingha, Mashrafe joined the pieces together and built a unit, which fared very well from 2015 to 2019 – it had been a rosy period, which would always be written in letters of gold in the history of Bangladesh cricket.

But every sportsman needs to take a decision in his life about when to stop and move on. This morning Mashrafe discovered himself in that zone where each and every sportsman has gone through – should I stop here or should I try to test my will-power a bit more?

Mashrafe chose to stop and it was the right decision. The time has come to leave the platform to the players of the next generation and a new captain, who would be the torchbearer of the fighter from Bangladesh.

Mashrafe said, “The 2023 World Cup is coming, so we have to plan for it. I think this is the right time for someone to take over. I would hope that they remain strict with their decision, that the captain announced now will be our 2023 captain. It shouldn't be like the captain gets changed less than a year before the World Cup. It has happened a lot in Bangladesh”.

He is crystal clear in his opinion and passed the advise to the think-tank of Bangladesh Cricket of what to do and how to plan things for the upcoming days. And it is expected, the boss of Bangladesh Cricket Board would organize things accordingly.

The first challenge for Nazmul Hassan would be to choose the right replacement of Mash – there are quite a few contenders around, but what Bangladesh would require is someone who would be the best performer of the team, possesses a sharp knowledge about the game, bears the courage to take risks and smarter enough to create opportunities according to the demand of the situation, can lead from the front, remains calm under pressure and is a very good man-manager.

One player who comes to mind is none other than Shakib Al Hasan. Undoubtedly he is the number 1 performer of Bangladesh for many years. He is brave and beneath those skull bones lie a brain that is enriched with a sharp knowledge about the game. But one factor, which might not favour his qualification – his whimsical nature and his inability to control his temper.

And most importantly, the one-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) might also halt BCB from choosing Shakib as the skipper.

Normally, a player, who has served such bans from ICC is not considered to lead further.

If you ask me, I would vote for Shakib as the next skipper of Bangladesh’s 50-over side.

But this is my personal and I am not a part of BCB think-tank.

Also, I need to accept the reality.

Shakib’s whims and temper might let BCB find another option and the available choices are – Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad. And, if BCB are thinking of taking a risk and plan for long term like Cricket South Africa of 2003, then Mehidy Hasan Miraz could be an option – but in a country where patience is less and emotions run high, Miraz might not be able to sustain longer.

So, other than Shakib, the choice should be either between Tamim, Mushfiq or Mahmudullah.

If you ask me, then I would cast my vote for Mahmudullah.

In my opinion, he offers a lot of composure and thinks about the game deeply. He is someone who seems confident about his moves on the field and soaks up the pressure no matter how tough the situation is. The more the pressure, the more Mahmudullah fares better and he has been proving this since he made his debut in white and colour clothes. Above all, his composure could help him to be a very good man-manger. 

With Tamim Iqbal trying to regain his lost mojo and Mushfiq enjoying his new freedom – I can’t see a better option than Mahmudullah to lead the Tigers in 50-over format only if BCB does not consider Shakib as the next option.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer on 05/03/2020 Right decision from Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, but who should be the next captain? 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

India whitewashed by New Zealand – Cricket needs the aura of invincibility and not home track bullies

While New Zealand started the series after being gunned down by the mighty Australians, India came to this series with their spirits high. Since the defeat against England away from home, Virat Kohli's landed on New Zealand soil with the aura of invincibility – strings of series victories came down under, in the Caribbean and on home soil. Undoubtedly, the number one Test side in the world was the favourites to conquer New Zealand. But in the end, it was another whitewash for the Indian team since the 4-0 drubbing against Australia in 2011-12 and under Virat’s captaincy, this has happened for the first time.

After the heavy defeat at Basin Reserve, Christchurch offered nothing new for the Indians. Their batting display remained dismal and on a greenish deck, their lack of ability to resist was surprising. 

Any of the batsmen could step up and fight back like Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman when Sachin Tendulkar fell down quickly.

As soon as Kohli was tamed – India melted like the 90s whenever they lost Tendulkar!

The average runs per wicket of Indian batters had been 18.5 in this series. India’s highest score in 4 innings had been 242. Kohli’s batting average had been 9.50 throughout this series.  The highest score by an Indian in this series was 58 scored by Mayank Agarwal.

New Zealand's eighth to tenth-wicket partnerships in this series had been 34.61.

According to ESPNcricinfo, “The six partnerships for their last three wickets yielded 205 runs from two innings, with two fifty-plus stands. 

On both occasions - of their first innings of the Tests, the lower order produced invaluable runs. In the second Test, the Kyle Jamieson-Neil Wagner stand of 51 for the eighth wicket kept the first-innings deficit to just seven runs. In the first Test, Jamieson and Colin de Grandhomme added 71 runs for the eighth wicket and then Jamieson and Trent Boult put on 38 runs for the final wicket to take the lead to 183. In contrast, India's tail-enders scored just 124 in four innings at an average of 10.33”.

The last time India's bowlers conceded a higher average to the opposition's last three wickets in a series was in the 2014-15 period in the successive series in England (average 42.92) and Australia (43.50).

You don’t expect the number 1 Test side to be such, do you?

The number one Test team should be the conqueror of the world like Clive Lloyd’s West Indies and Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting’s Australia.

What we just see these days are nothing but home-track bullies.

The state of New Zealand would be similar when they tour India – rank-turners would devour them in no time.

But cricket really needs the flavour of aura of invincibility. Those dominating sides of West Indies and Australia brought a certain charm to the game –  the charm of witnessing each and every bit of greatness, which comes once in a generation. Cricket needs Lloyd, Richards, Ponting, Marshall, Warne, Waugh, Greenidge, Gilchrist, McGrath, Holding and co to make this generation realize the warriors who possessed the qualities of Alexander the Great!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

El Clasico: Real Madrid beat Barcelona

"It was a great display by Real Madrid under pressure. The celebration of the Los Blancos after the final whistle clearly hinted what this victory meant for them. There were emotions, huge roar and music everywhere – as if the rest of the footballing world joined the Los Blancos to celebrate"

1954 days. Yes, you read it right. For 1954 days Barcelona dominated at the Santiago Bernabeu. Even the presence of the great Cristiano Ronaldo was not enough to achieve a victory against Barcelona at the home of Los Blancos. Meanwhile, in the course of time, Los Blancos entered a transition phase. The world witnessed the fall of a great kingdom, which dominated Europe and the world for a brief period. Then came that alternative smooth-sailing and rough-ride – the expectation of bringing an end to the jinx at Bernabeu remained less.

Even though Zidane started off with a 4-3-3 formation but changed according to the demand of the situation. He shifted to 4-2-4 with the ball on possession with Isco given a free role and Valverde moving on the wide right flank. But when when they were without the ball, they shifted to a 4-1-4-1 shape with Benzema playing the role of a lone striker aided by Isco behind and Vinicius on the left. Casemiro was the pivot.

Benzema and Valverde combined well – more often Benzema dropped deeper to open the space for Valverde on the flanks. While Barca defenders were focusing on Benzema, Valverde was let free to dictate the game. It was all about the experience of Benzema – if you can’t score goals then let’s drop deeper, bring on the markers closer to him and open the space for his partner. It was a great move.

Setien loves to rely on possession-based football and Zidane exploited this fully. His apply of high-press on the Barcelona midfield and forwards created a lot of problems. Barca started to build-up from the back, but the vertically positioned Benzema and Isco – facing each other hampered the passing lanes from ter Stegen to the players up front.  The only passing optio left were the midfielders who were marked by Real markers and behind them Valverde was in a free role.

The ball was passed to Arthur, but he went out of position and retured to Stegen who tried the long-ball to Arturo Vidal, but Casemiro won the aerial battle smartly. Vidal lost the ball. Casemiro won and Barcelona were out-numbered by the strict high-press.

But Barcelona attacked the flanks by putting Marcelo out of position, which let Semendo move free. Vinicius Junior had to tackle and stop a promising attack. He digested a yellow card.

The man-oritened pressing led to lose the focus on the ball at times, which led Barca to attack. One of them was Messi’s clear-cut chance, which was cut down by Marcelo.   

For almost an hour, Barcelona created chances, while Real Madrid weathered the storm with their man-oriented pressing. The Catalans nearly scored when Martin Braithwaite's shot was cleared off the line by Raphael Varane.

But after the first hour of play, Real Madrid started to gain the momentum – the return of Toni Kroos in the center of the park injected life. It was him who blazed over the crossbar from the game's first chance, shortly before Antoine Griezmann did likewise up the other end.

Kroos marshaled the midfield. Either he would break the passing lanes or run down the flanks to split-open the Braca defence. Madrid’s first goal came from a superb defence-splitting pass from Kroos to Vinicius Junior, who ran down and scored from the angle.

During the opener, Benzema played a crucial role again. With Kroos on the ball, he witnessed Benzema in front of him. But he was surrounded by three Barcelona defenders. And in behind one of defenders, Vinicius was making a blind run like Ronaldo O Fenomeno. Kroos passed the ball, Benzema did not even touch it. Vinicius picked it up and started running.

The young Brazil international broke into the penalty box, freezing Gerard Pique and bundled home a shot via a deflection from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Vinicius became the youngest person to score a goal in Spain’s most famous fixture in the 21st century, replacing Lionel Messi, who bagged a hat-trick in 2007.

Real Madrid deserved the lead for their pressure after the break, having seen Isco go close twice and then Karim Benzema volley narrowly over, while Ter Stegen made a good stop to keep Sergio Ramos at bay.

The Bernabeu came alive and witnessed the Cristiano Ronaldo celebration in an El Clasico after a long time. In fact, the legendary number 7 was present at the stadium and encourage his former club mates.

In the stoppage time, Zinedine Zidane substituted Mariano Diaz and no sooner had he entered the field, he scored. Bernabeu was in a party mood – it was a much-needed victory to uplift the mood and also, a very important in terms of defining title this season. Real leapfrogged Barca to the top he points table.

From a technical point of view, Zidane tried to deliver the best and response to the need of the hour. He maintained a watertight defence and his gamble with Marcelo instead of Ferland Mendy paid off. Maybe Zidane was looking for the attacking upside rather than worrying about the left-back's defensive deficiencies but Marcelo dished out a fantastic display.

At one moment, Lionel Messi raced past everyone and seemed well poised to score, but Macelo made one of the best tackles of his career and halted Messi from scoring. Marcelo stayed alongside Messi and helped dispossess him before celebrating wildly as if he had scored a goal. Then there was that tank Casemiro, who broke down each and every Barcelona's efforts when they were desperately trying to come back in the second half.

At the top of the diamond-shaped midfield, there was Isco, who yet again impressed everyone. His coordination with the frontline and midfield never let Real lose the momentum.

But the hero of the night would surely be Toni Kroos. Without his leadership qualities in the midfield, it would have been tough for Real o weather the storm. How badly Real Madrid need players like Kroos and Casemiro in the midfield can't easily be expressed in a few words. 

It was a great display by Real Madrid under pressure. The celebration of the Los Blancos after the final whistle clearly hinted what this victory meant for them. There were emotions, huge roar and music everywhere – as if the rest of the footballing world joined the Los Blancos to celebrate.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer  on 02/03/2020 El Clasico: Real Madrid beat Barcelona  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar