ESPNcricinfo understands Manohar was once again persuaded by similarly overwhelming support from a collection of Full Members who were keen for him to finish the process of reform he has begun

Nagraj Gollapudi10-May-2017

The uncertainty over whether ICC will have a new chairman in June has been brought to an end by the man who started it in the first place. Shashank Manohar has decided to complete his elected term as ICC chairman, which is due to end in June 2018, the ICC confirmed.The decision represents a second change of heart in his tenure. In March, Manohar had opted to step down for “personal” reasons, but was persuaded quickly by a host of ICC directors – both Full Members and Associates – to continue. On the back of “overwhelming support” Manohar said he would return, but only till the annual conference this June when the new ICC constitution, comprising the governance structure and the latest finance model will be ratified.ESPNcricinfo understands Manohar was once again persuaded by similarly overwhelming support from a collection of Full Members who were keen for him to finish the process of reform he has begun. Those reforms are slowly edging closer to reality, though they are not yet a done deal. At the last two ICC Board meetings, in February and April, a majority of Full Members have voted in favour of bringing in a new constitution for the ICC, as well as considerable governance reforms. They have also voted in favour of a new model of distribution of the ICC’s expected revenues over the current cycle.But that it is not quite final yet is down to the opposition of the BCCI, once the domain of Manohar but now a hurdle to further progress. The Indian board has voted against the governance changes as well as the financial model in both meetings, calling instead for deferments, but unlike previous occasions, they have been roundly outvoted by other Full Members. In last month’s meeting, the BCCI was the lone objector to the financial model – from which it is projected to receive $293 million over eight years. That is more than any other board, but far short of the $570 million they want. On the governance model, the vote was 8-2 in favour, with only the BCCI and Sri Lanka Cricket objecting.Much of that is thought to be down to the efforts of Manohar, who has stood firm in his bid to push reforms through, reforms which undo the world created by the Big Three in 2014. Manohar was head of the five-member working group that first presented the reforms in February.That role will presumably continue to be a key one in his negotiations with the BCCI as both try to come to some middle ground, especially – but not exclusively – on the financial model. Manohar has left the door open to discussions and has offered an extra $100 million over the eight years to the Indian board to entice them.But the realisation is growing among BCCI officials that the governance structure changes, some of which fundamentally alter the way in which power will be exercised at a global level, are equally important. One, for example, foresees the induction and presence of independent directors with voting powers in the boardroom, which will significantly change the nature of decision-making at the ICC. On Sunday, for instance, the BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary said after a special general meeting (SGM): “I think all of us should be devoting ourselves to what is more important and what will have greater consequences. That is the ICC governance structure.”In that meeting, the BCCI decided that India would defend its title in the Champions Trophy next month in England – their participation had been thrown into some doubt by suggestions that the BCCI could take the option of revoking the Members Participation Agreement (MPA). That would have meant India not playing in, or hosting, any ICC tournaments in the foreseeable future.Manohar agreeing to stay on also means the end of the aspirations of Giles Clarke, the ECB president and another author of the working group’s reforms. Clarke was reportedly interested in the position when it was created over a year ago. Though he is behind the scale back, he was also a key member of the trio that pushed through the Big Three reforms in the first place.

A round-up of the DPL matches on June 6, 2017 as Gazi Group Cricketers won their first DPL title

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2017Gazi Group Cricketers were crowned Dhaka Premier League champions in 2017 despite losing to Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club in their last Super League game by six wickets at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar. With both these teams and Abahani Limited on 24 points each, the winner was decided through head-to-head matches between the three sides. Gazi Group had won three of those matches while Doleshwar had won two and Abahani one.Top performers of DPL 2017

Highest scorer: Liton Das (Abahani) – 752 runs

Highest score: Raqibul Hasan (Mohammedan) – 190 off 138 v Abahani

Highest wicket-taker: Abu Hider (Gazi Group) – 35 wickets

Best bowling figures: Tanvir Islam (Khelaghar) – 6 for 18 v Partex

This was Gazi Groups’ maiden Dhaka Premier League title while Doleshwar ended runners-up for the third consecutive season. The Gazi Group players had started celebrating their triumph on Monday after Abahani had defeated Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the adjacent BKSP-4 Ground.The Gazi-Doleshwar match had originally started on Monday but incessant rain left the outfield wet, so it was continued on Tuesday with Gazi Group on 142 for 5 in 33 overs. They were eventually bowled out for 222 in 49.1 overs with Jahurul Islam top-scoring with a run-a-ball 87 that included seven fours and two sixes. Farhad Reza took three wickets while there was two each for Delwar Hossain, Arafat Sunny and Sharifullah.Later, Puneet Bisht’s unbeaten 89 helped Doleshwar cruise to their target. He struck 11 fours in his 91-ball innings, and added 59 for the fourth wicket with Marshall Ayub and 119 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Sharifullah who made 51 off 78 balls. Bisht was later declared the Player of the Match.Prime Bank Cricket Club signed off their campaign with a six-wicket win over Mohammedan Sporting Club in Fatullah.Batting first, Mohammedan were bowled out for 215 in 49.4 overs after resuming the reserve day on 187 for 6 in 43.3 overs. Nazmul Hossain Milon struck a run-a-ball 53 with two sixes and as many fours. Al-Amin Hossain wiped out the tail and finished with 4 for 35.Prime Bank lose two early wickets in the chase, being 24 for 2, before Mehedi Maruf and Rafatullah Mohmand added 78 runs, but Maruf walked off with an injury. He scored 57 off 65 balls with four fours and three sixes. Rafatullah continued, scoring 88 off 129 balls, adding 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Asif Ahmed who finished the chase off with 37 balls to spare.

Afghanistan have withdrawn from a proposed one-day series against Ireland next month due to a clash with their domestic T20 competition.Ireland, who lost 3-2 in their last ODI encounter with Afghanistan in Greater Noida in March, had hoped to host a three-match return series in Belfast in July.However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board have informed Cricket Ireland that they’re not in a position to approve the tour, due to a clash with preparations for their domestic franchise T20 event.”Of course, our preference is to give as many opportunities as possible to our senior men to play our closest rivals on our home turf, so we are disappointed the matches won’t proceed in July,” said a Cricket Ireland spokesperson.”We have enjoyed two very competitive recent ODI series against Afghanistan in Belfast and India. Hopefully we will continue to work with the ACB to see if there are further opportunities to reschedule the matches at a later date.”Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said the series, which Ireland had proposed, had never been officially approved.”The proposal came from Cricket Ireland, to play them in three ODIs before our MCC game [on July 11],” Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. “We agreed in February or March, and the tour was approved by the ACB. Then it was kept on hold by Cricket Ireland, because they were waiting for the ICC board meeting. About two weeks ago, they approached us again to ask if we could go ahead and play this series. This time, the board didn’t give us permission because the team is busy, plus we have the T20 franchise tournament coming up.”The timing of the series proposal from Ireland was particularly inconvenient for Afghanistan, who are playing a limited-overs series in West Indies, which concludes on June 14.”The team has been playing for three months continuously,” Stanikzai said. “It makes no sense to come back from West Indies to Kabul for ten days, and then go back to Ireland. We need proper preparation for an Ireland series. We can’t have the team in Afghanistan for ten days and go straight back into competition phase. It would have been great if we could go straight from the West Indies to Ireland because then preparation would not be an issue. But since the proposed dates [from Cricket Ireland] were July 1-9, the schedule just didn’t work out for us.”Stanikzai stressed that the cancellation of the tour did not sour relations with Cricket Ireland, at least from the ACB’s point of view.”Ireland are our closest rivals, and we would like to play them more and more. We will be looking in the future for an opportunity to play Ireland. We will draw up a schedule with Ireland when we meet them at the Annual General Meeting in June to see when we can play each other again, hopefully in the latter part of this year. Our relations with Ireland are very friendly, and we want them to remain that way.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Afghanistan’s maiden fixture at Lord’s, when they take on an MCC side led by Brendon McCullum on July 11, is unaffected by this decision.

تحددت معالم المباراة الأولى في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعدما تأهل كل من باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي وبوروسيا دورتموند الألماني.

جاء تأهل باريس سان جيرمان بعد مباراة درامية أمام برشلونة، حيث فاز في الإياب على “مونتجويك” بنتيجة 4-1.

وتمكن باريس سان جيرمان من الحصول على بطاقة التأهل إلى نصف نهائي البطولة، بمجموع المباراتين، 6-4.

من جهة أخرى، قدم بوروسيا دورتموند مباراة ملحمية أمام أتلتيكو مدريد حيث فاز في الإياب بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين، معوضًا خسارته ذهابًا بنتيجة 2-1. موعد مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وبوروسيا دورتموند في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا

تُقام مباراة الذهاب يوم الأربعاء 1 مايو، على ملعب “سيجنال إيدونا بارك” في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

وتُقام مباراة الإياب يوم الثلاثاء 7 مايو، على ملعب “حديقة الأمراء” في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

Chelsea have an "interest" in signing Crystal Palace's exciting winger Michael Olise this summer, but the move might not be feasible, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Is Michael Olise joining Chelsea this summer?

As it is every year, Stamford Bridge has once again become a hub of transfer activity.

Unusually, the West Londoners have actually done more selling than buying this year, with a raft of players leaving the club one after another last month. Still, with that sorted, their attention seems to be back firmly on incomings.

So far, the only significant signings for the Blues have been striker Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal, Angelo Gabriel from Santos, and Diego Moreira from Benfica.

Christoper Nkunku has also officially joined the club, but the deal to sign him from RB Leipzig was agreed back in 2022.

Even with all of these attacking signings, the Pensioners are now keen to sign Palace's young star Olise, who was a part of the Chelsea academy system as a youth player.

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the West Londoners have submitted a €45m (£39m) bid to secure the youngster's signature, which is £4m more than his release clause.

The Daily Mail have reported that Chelsea are willing to pay more than required to ensure Manchester City don't sign him, who the publication claim are also interested.

What has Dean Jones said about Michael Olise and Chelsea?

Jones explained that the player should be incredibly familiar to the Blues as he came up through their youth set-up, but that a deal seems unlikely at the moment as he isn't sure where the opportunity to sign him will come from.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "They have interest in Olise, but what we need to gauge next is just how feasible the move is going to be.

"He's a player that came through Chelsea's youth set-up, so the player profiling and understanding of his background is all taken care of. But will the opportunity to sign him actually open up here?"

How good is Michael Olise?

Despite making 12 starts in the Premier League for Palace in the 2021/22 season, it was last year that Olise, who was labelled as "outrageous", truly established himself as a top-flight quality player and put himself on the radar of every major club in the country.

In his 31 starts for the South Londoners last season, he scored two goals, provided 11 assists, earnt himself five Man-of-the-Match awards and achieved an average match rating of 6.99, per WhoScored.

His underlying numbers are even more impressive and, considering they have come in a side that was famously goal-shy for much of last season, suggesting that he could go stratospheric if he got a regular run of games in a top-four side.

And, he even broke a record for being the youngest player to ever assist three goals from open play in a Premier League game.

According to FBref, who compare players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Hammersmith-born dynamo sits in the top 7% for assists, the top 11% for blocks, the top 14% for interceptions, the top 15% for tackles and expected assists, the top 19% for shot-creating actions, and the top 22% for attempted passes, all per 90.

Described as "sensational" by broadcaster Ade Oladipo and a "joy to watch" by former professional turned Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison if Chelsea can get this deal over the line, it would represent brilliant business.

Title-chasing Kent will require a backs-to-the-wall batting effort on Sunday if they are to protect their unbeaten Division Two status after tomorrow’s final day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Durham in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2017
ScorecardTitle-chasing Kent will require a backs-to-the-wall batting effort on Sunday if they are to protect their unbeaten Division Two status after tomorrow’s final day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Durham in Canterbury.Having been set an unlikely victory pursuit of 484 in a minimum of 90 overs, the hosts started their second innings just after 5.30pm and went in unscathed at stumps on 35 for nought – still needing 449 for an unlikely win.Openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson escaped the 30-minute examination without alarm despite a pitch that is waring and beginning to show signs of variable bounce.A Durham victory would finally take them above zero after they began the season with a 48-point penalty from the ECB.Kent had started the day hanging on grimly in their first innings with skipper Sam Northeast leading their fight to avoid the follow-on. However, Paul Collingwood’s side needed only 12 overs and 50 minutes’ play to mop up Kent’s two remaining first-inning’s wickets and secure a 212-run lead.Barry McCarthy polished the job off by having Yasir Shah caught behind by a tumbling Stuart Poynter for 48 and then, with his next delivery, snaring Mitchell Claydon lbw with the home score on 236.Debutant Shah featured in a ninth-wicket stand worth 113 in 34.2 overs with his new captain Northeast, who was left unbeaten on 109 after posting his 18th first-class hundred from 162 balls and with 13 fours.McCarthy finished with a career-best 6 for 63, while Chris Rushworth bagged 3 for 69 in a much-improved Durham bowling performance.Batting again before noon and after deciding not to enforce the follow-on, Durham suffered a near immediate blow with the loss of left-handed opener Keaton Jennings.Prodding half-forward and inside the line of Darren Stevens’ first delivery, an off-cutter, the ball thudded into the right pad forcing umpire Jeff Evans to raise his finger.Paul Collingwood has put Durham in sight of their first win•Getty Images

Stephen Cook needed a stroke of luck to survive with his score on 25. Driving loosely at one from Will Gidman he watched as Matt Coles, at second slip, dropped a tough chance diving in front of first slip.After lunch, Durham continued at a surprisingly sedate pace, adding 100 in the mid-session for the loss of Stephen Cook who, with his score on 44, fenced at one from Claydon to edge to the keeper.Kent’s short-leg fielder Dickson went off for treatment just before tea when Graham Clark’s full-blooded sweep against Yasir Shah struck him a fearful blow at the back of his neck and immediately drew blood. Thankfully, the South Africa-born player emerged after the interval to take up a fielding spot on the ropes as Durham started to increase their run rate.Cameron Steel miscued a hook against Coles to hole out to mid-wicket, then Clark, after reaching an 81-ball 50, was bowled around his legs by Shah.In the quest for quicker runs Ryan Pringle was stumped off the bowling of Joe Denly and Stuart Poynter holed out to deep square leg to gift Yasir Shah his second scalp of the innings.Paul Collingwood upped the tempo further with a 49-ball, unbeaten 50 that took his side to 271 for six before his declaration with 10 overs remaining in the day.

Everton are reportedly in the mix to sign Leeds United youngster Wilfried Gnonto in the summer transfer window, having enquired about his availability.

What does Wilfried Gnonto earn per week?

The 19-year-old, who currently earns £20,000 per week, was one of the rare bright sparks for the Whites last season in a campaign that ultimately saw them relegated from the Premier League and sent back to the Championship for the first time since 2020.

Leeds simply never got going throughout the campaign, but Gnonto did his best to make things happen in the final third. The youngster provided attacking substance by registering six goal contributions in the league (two goals and four assists), and he couldn't be blamed too much for his side's poor form.

With the Whites now preparing for life in the second tier again, they have to accept that a number of key players will move on in order to remain in the top flight. Gnonto is one of them despite his tender years, considering he is already a 12-cap Italy international.

Everton have been linked with a move for the teenage winger who once clashed with Seamus Coleman during a game, as they look to bring in some exciting attacking signings in the current window – and a fresh update has now emerged.

Could Everton sign Wilfried Gnonto?

According to Football Insider, Everton are one of numerous Premier League clubs in the race to sign Gnonto this summer, with Leeds all but accepting that he will move on:

"Leeds are expecting Wilfried Gnonto to depart from the club in this transfer window. There is a lot of interest in the winger, with Aston Villa, Everton and Crystal Palace all having made enquires for the Italian international.

"Gnonto, 19, is also attracting interest abroad as clubs in Italy and other clubs around Europe have also expressed interest in the youngster."

This is an encouraging update for Everton, suggesting that their interest in Gnonto hasn't gone away and that they are willing to battle their rivals for his signature. The Leeds ace could be a really exciting addition at Goodison Park, possessing the rare ability to get fans off their seat with his quality and fearlessness in the final third.

Indeed, Leeds coach Michael Skubala previously summed up how highly he thinks of him as a player, saying:

"He’s a great lad, he’s a special player. He’s a credit to Leeds, he’s a credit to himself and he’s a really nice player to work with."

Gnonto will surely like the idea of returning to the Premier League, even though a move back to his homeland could also appeal, and the hope is that Sean Dyche can sell him a move to Everton, talking up why it would be an ideal next destination for him.

The Blues lacked firepower in attacking areas all season long in 2022/23, with Dwight McNeil their top scorer in the league with just seven goals, but the Italian starlet could aid that situation, immediately making them more of a force from the off next year.

Arsenal are now ready to hijack Tottenham Hotspur's move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to a recent report from The Sun.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

Despite having already signed Declan Rice in a deal worth £105m, Arsenal remain in the market for a new central midfielder this summer, with a move for Southampton's Romeo Lavia still on the cards after the 19-year-old gave the green light.

Lavia was viewed as a potential replacement for Thomas Partey, although Mikel Arteta has recently indicated that the Ghanaian will remain at the Emirates Stadium this summer.

When asked whether he expects the 30-year-old to stay, Arteta said: "Yes, Thomas is a super important player for us. Every time I had a conversation with him, he says he wants to stay with us. There is nothing there at all."

Edu has personally been in talks to seal a move for Gremio midfielder Bitello this week, with the 23-year-old now emerging as a major target, and Arsenal could now be closing in on a move.

But according to a report from The Sun, the Gunners also remain interested in signing Luiz and are now ready to hijack Tottenham's move for the Aston Villa midfielder, with Ange Postecoglou currently considering him as a potential replacement for Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg.

Arsenal tried to sign the Brazilian last summer before he opted to put pen to paper on a new £75k-per-week contract at Villa Park, which is not due to expire until the summer of 2026.

Arteta and Postecoglou are now poised to tussle it out for the central midfielder, but it is as yet unclear how much Villa would be willing to sell him for. It should be noted that considering Steven Gerrard, who held onto the midfielder's services last term, is no longer in charge in the West Midlands, Unai Emery may yet be talked into a deal this year.

How good is Douglas Luiz?

The 25-year-old has been hailed as "incredible" by sports reporter Gregg Evans, while Villa boss Emery has in fact underlined just how essential he is for his current team, saying: "He’s very important and he has big potential. He can progress more.

"I’m trying every day to support him and to push him to do one more step ahead as a player. He’s doing it and he’s working very well."

The Rio de Janeiro-born maestro poses an attacking threat, having averaged 0.18 non-penalty goals per 90 in the past year, which places him in the 86th percentile compared to his positional peers, and he also ranks in the 85th percentile for assists.

Not only that, but the Aston Villa star is also competent defensively, averaging 2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, with those statistics ranking him among the highest in the squad.

Having averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.93, the midfielder was the Villans' second-best performer in the league last season. However, there are doubts over whether he is a necessary signing for Arsenal.

Given that Arteta has now claimed that Partey is likely to stay, the Gunners are well-stocked in midfield, and they have no real need to spend big on another player in that area of the pitch.

Glasgow Rangers have made a new offer to sign Feyenoord forward Danilo, according to reports in the Netherlands.

Are Rangers signing Danilo?

Michael Beale and Ibrox officials have been busy so far this summer, bringing in a number of new players ahead of the manager’s first full season in charge.

Kieran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland and Leon Balogun have all made the move to Glasgow on free transfers after leaving Norwich, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and QPR respectively, whereas Brighton forward Abdallah Sima has arrived on a season-long loan.

Money has also been spent on attackers Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers from US Cremonese and Atalanta respectively in deals worth a combined €8.5m.

However, further additions in the final third appear to be of interest to the club and Beale, with Danilo heavily linked with a move to Scotland. Reports have suggested that the forward really wants to join the Scottish Premiership giants, with Rangers making a bid for the player last month.

Unfortunately for those at Ibrox, the offer was turned down and was believed to be “miles” off of Feyenoord’s valuation, with the Eredivisie side wanting more than £5m for the striker.

A new update has now emerged from Dutch outlet 1908 regarding Rangers and Danilo. They claim that the Scottish side are still in for the player and have made a new offer this week that comes closer to Feyenoord’s asking price.

Danilo has a generous multi-year offer on the table from those at Ibrox, with Beale personally thought to be an admirer of the forward.

Who is Danilo?

Danilo is primarily a centre-forward who can also play in an attacking midfield role and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €6.5m Transfermarkt valuation.

The 24-year-old is sponsored by Adidas and actually shares the same agency as Rangers players Fashion Sakala, John Lundstram, Connor Goldson and Rabbi Matondo, so the club will already know his representatives.

The Brazilian began his career on the books with Ajax, where he was hailed by now Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who called him the “best finisher” in the side at the time.

“Danilo is the best finisher we have in the squad.”

He scored nine times in 20 senior appearances for Ajax and enjoyed a successful season on loan with FC Twente back in 2020/21, netting 17 Eredivisie goals in 33 games.

Since joining Feyenoord on a free transfer last year, Danilo has found the back of the net on 14 occasions in 48 appearances, helping the club to the Dutch topflight title in the process.

With games coming thick and fast both domestically and in Europe for Rangers next season, having plenty of attacking options could benefit Beale, especially with Alfredo Morelos leaving Glasgow this summer.

Dessers and Lammers have already been brought in, and by the looks of things, Rangers are doing everything they can to add Danilo to their squad over the coming weeks, making this one to watch ahead of the cub's first game of the new season on August 5 against Kilmarnock.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jason Holder took his maiden five-wicket haul as he led West Indies to victory•AFP

The wine is oxidising fast. Add Antigua 2017 to the list of matches MS Dhoni has failed to finish off since 2014. He scored India’s slowest half-century in 16 years as they failed to chase down 190 on a slow pitch against a spirited attack that managed to tide over a costly drop and a tactical blunder in the concluding stages. Jason Holder compensated for bowling Roston Chase in the 44th over with a maiden five-for, but it was Kesrick Williams, playing only his second ODI, who frustrated the hell out of Dhoni, conceding just 13 in four overs after the 40th and taking Dhoni out with the last ball he bowled.Four years ago, in the West Indies, Dhoni found himself in a similar situation on a similarly slow track, chasing 202, leaving himself 15 to get in the last over with the last man for company. He got it in three hits.Here, India needed 16 off the last two, but Dhoni couldn’t inflict any damage against Williams’ mix of slower deliveries and quick length ones. Perhaps it was the bigger boundaries than Queen’s park Oval’s from four years ago, perhaps he doesn’t trust himself that much anymore, but here Dhoni pulled the trigger sooner. He could have taken a single off the last ball of the 49th and left himself 13 to get in Holder’s final over, but he blinked first and drilled a length ball straight into the lap of long-on.Moments after the match, Dhoni was seen sitting dejected in the balcony, a little lost even, when a member of the India squad had to shake him physically to shake his hand. Dhoni knows this is the kind of chase he has built his reputation on. It will be harsh to talk of him when the batting around him failed more miserably, but everybody – Dhoni himself – knows these are Dhoni finishes.When Dhoni walked in, he brought a sense of calm to a faltering batting. Shikhar Dhawan departed early, not respecting the slowness of the pitch and driving Alzarri Joseph on the up. Joseph’s grandmother, operating the manual scoreboard at Sir Viv Richards Stadium, cheered on.The bigger blows were to follow. West Indies’ adherence to their bowling plans has never been more apparent than when they have bowled to Virat Kohli when he is new at the crease. They believe he doesn’t like the bowl up at his throat, and 41% of their bowling to Kohli has been in their own half. Different batsmen react differently to plans against them. Kohli hates to watch a plan succeed for a while before overcoming it. He wants to dominate. Out went his trusted weaving and ducking, and in came the hook shots. Holder’s third bouncer in the sixth over produced the top edge, and we had a game on now.Dinesh Karthik, replacing the injured Yuvraj Singh, and playing ahead of Rishabh Pant presumably because he was selected in the squad before Pant, did worse against the bouncer. After taking 13 balls to get off the mark, he top-edged one that was barely chest high.In came Dhoni to join Ajinkya Rahane, who had again looked comfortable against the new ball and had been dropped on 23. The two began to bat cautiously; the asking rate was not an issue at this point. The old maxim of “India win if they bat 50 overs” still held true even as Rahane and Dhoni laboured through their 54-run partnership.West Indies were markedly different from two nights ago when they had failed to squeeze India after taking two early wickets. Here there were no easy singles as first Williams and Devendra Bishoo, and then Ashley Nurse, dried up the runs. While Rahane did get the odd boundary, Dhoni said an absolute no to taking any risk.MS Dhoni’s 54 off 114 balls was the slowest ODI fifty for India since 2001•AFP

By the time Rahane took his last risk, sweeping Bishoo against the turn, the asking rate hovered around 4.55. It was still in Dhoni’s control. You still felt Dhoni just needed to bat through. However, Dhoni was not batting like Dhoni does. He struggled to time balls, but more worryingly failed to find gaps. Bishoo and Nurse bowled 68 balls to him for 28 runs, slower than his innings strike rate of 47.36. Dhoni was even forced to play a sweep shot, which is the ultimate last resort for him against spin.As Kedar Jadhav fell, bat-pad to Nurse with Shai Hope leaping from behind the stumps, the asking rate closed in on a run-a-ball. Hardik Pandya ramped one for four to buy some breathing space, Dhoni began to take risky singles, and in the 40th over, India needed more than six per over. Would it still be an India win if they batted through?Dhoni definitely thought so. He kept waiting for the mistake from the opposition, a principle he has built the second half of his limited-overs career on. A tenet of captaincy he has handed down to Kohli. The mistakes weren’t forthcoming, though, as Williams began to bowl the gun overs perfectly.Holder is a leader by example, but his being at the forefront had cost West Indies 65 runs in 4.5 overs at the death in the last two matches. Perhaps he wanted to do the prudent thing. Perhaps he wanted to continue with offspin after Nurse’s success. Whatever be the reason, after three conservative bowling innings, with 55 required off 42, with that painstakingly increased asking rate at stake, Holder asked Chase to bowl his offspin for the first time in the series. Chase proceeded to gift Dhoni a boundary down the leg side – his first in 103 balls, then bowled a wide and then went for a six to Pandya to bring the equation down to 39 off 36. Surely now India win if they bat through?Surely not. Holder came back immediately to make amends with a leg-stump yorker to send back Pandya. In came Ravindra Jadeja who has got a bit of a reputation of being headless under pressure in limited-overs cricket. When the singles ought to do it, he went for the big hit, sending a Holder slower ball down long-on’s throat, making it 17 off 15. Dhoni should still have it, right?It seemed so as he took a single next ball, leaving Kuldeep Yadav, batting for the first time in ODIs, two balls to face from Holder. Both were dots. Williams began the 49th with a slower ball. Dot. Then, calmly, still as if in the middle overs of an innings, Dhoni pushed a single. Nothing wrong with it. That’s how Dhoni is. Last over it shall be, one on one, me vs you.Williams, though, squeezed out two dots against Kuldeep before bringing Dhoni back on strike for the last ball. And that’s when Dhoni blinked. That’s when he did the uncharacteristic thing. After having backed himself for so long, Dhoni didn’t back himself to do it all in the last over.Holder finished the innings with a flourish, making up with his bowling for the direction and purpose they lacked with the bat. When West Indies batted, you wondered if they would choose not to bat at all if there was a provision for the two captains to just negotiate and decide a total India had to chase. They would still have brokered a better deal than the 189 that they got, joint second-lowest total for a side batting first and playing out its allocation of 50 overs since the 2015 World Cup; the lowest belonged to Zimbabwe.If the lack of direction showed in the 192 dot balls faced by West Indies – at one point, Evin Lewis, a T20I centurion against India, had faced 15 straight dots from Umesh Yadav – they managed only tame dismissals whenever they tried to push the scoring rate. However, there was another factor at play, the slowness of the pitch, which they exploited decisively in the second half of the match.