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He has been dropping hints of not being able to play all formats, but days like these might just give him the motivation to go on

Mohammad Isam25-May-2022Shakib Al Hasan tossed the ball up above the batter’s eyeline. Dimuth Karunaratne liked the look of it. He was unbeaten on 80. He had been at the crease for more than four hours. He was in the zone. So he pressed forward to meet it, thinking there were easy runs on offer. And then it happened.Karunaratne is not a man who is easily fooled. In Test cricket, and especially in the last couple of years, he has been one of the highest run-getters in the world. Normally, Shakib would be an even match for him. But this time the Bangladesh allrounder was coming into the series cold. He tested Covid positive a week before the Chattogram game. He ended up playing the game after testing negative two days before, and delivered a routine performance.Shakib was going to be a crucial factor in the Dhaka Test, but would he be game ready? With him, this is usually a moot point. These days he often plays fighting jet lag, having to commute between Dhaka and Wisconsin, where his family lives. He mostly plays white-ball cricket too, including a lot of T20s. For red-ball preparedness, he would have to rely heavily on his experience. Muscle memory becomes vital for such cricketers.Related

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Karunaratne had a bit of back spasm on the first evening, but the second morning was slightly cooler. Comfort wasn’t going to be the issue. He was steadily pushing Sri Lanka out of the red zone. But, in the tenth over of the day, all of Karunaratne’s hard work came undone. Shakib tossed up a gentle offbreak from around the wicket, which pitched on off and turned in to go through the gap between bat and pad.Karunaratne was deceived. Completely deceived. If you looked at a photograph of his final position, you would be left thinking that this was not Karunaratne, but a newbie who got done by Shakib’s craft.The dismissal lit up the dull morning. A Test match that had started to meander on the third day suddenly had talking points. It brought back the topic of the pitch, whether the ball was finally going to spin at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, a ground that had become famous (or infamous) for enabling fingerspin.Shakib has possessed the skill of beating the batter in the air or off the pitch•Getty ImagesThe first thought after such a dismissal is to find out whether the bowler was setting the batter up for it. Looking at the field and the deliveries leading up to the dismissal, there isn’t much evidence of that. The only sign that Shakib was in the mood to do something special was a wicket from the previous evening. He got one ball to rip back into the right-handed Kusal Mendis, trapping him lbw.He bowled 12 deliveries to Karunaratne on the third day, some from around the wicket, which was an interesting move. Shakib doesn’t use the usual left-arm spinner’s tactic of bowling at the left-hander’s leg stump to prevent scoring. Even when he was coming around the wicket, he bowled from close to the stumps, which suggests this was far from a defensive tactic. Just like that, one of the premier allrounders of his generation had rehabilitated an age-old Test-match custom.The Bangladesh bowling coach, Allan Donald, was certainly blown away. “What more can you teach a bloke like that, is my question. Like Shane Warne, the guy is so experienced. He is well traveled. He lands them on a string. I know him and Herath have been quite close whenever they need a chat or two. It is nice to hear Shakib talk about spin bowling in his own world. I have been a great admirer of Shakib. When AB [de Villiers] says it is tough to get down to Shakib, then it must be tough. He is a smart operator. He changes his pace really subtly. He showed again, chipped away. Hopefully he walks away with a five wicket haul tomorrow. It is awesome to have him in the team. His experience and leadership is priceless.”

“I have been a great admirer of Shakib. When AB [de Villiers] says it is tough to get down to Shakib, then it must be tough. He is a smart operator”Allan Donald

This was also not Shakib’s first great delivery. Think back to Jacques Kallis or to Mahela Jayawardene in 2008, to Ian Bell in 2010 or his amazing spells against England in 2016 and Australia in 2017.Notice the timeline, and the Karunaratne dismissal has context and significance in addition to its beauty. Shakib started to become irregular in Tests after the Australia series at home, especially after he returned from the ICC ban in 2021, Shakib’s Test career all but stalled. This is his fifth Test out of Bangladesh’s 13. For the fans, the Karunaratne dismissal was a pleasurable reminder of a time when Shakib used to befuddle great batters, when he used to be the only Bangladesh bowler to routinely threaten opposition line-ups.What may sound a little strange was whether the dismissal and the enjoyment he got from it would entice him into returning to Test cricket as a more regular player. Performers like Shakib sometimes need that bit of motivation to keep going. Shakib has never really said that he wants to quit Tests, but he has dropped enough hints to indicate that he won’t be able to play all three formats at this stage of his career. But maybe bowling a great delivery or playing a big innings would get his juices flowing. Bangladesh obviously need him quite badly, but Shakib, too, needs to feel that he has the love remaining for long, hot, and grinding days of Test cricket.

We dig up some numbers to see exactly how good a puller he is

Bharath Seervi24-Mar-2020Rohit Sharma is one of the finest pullers in the game. However, a recent tweet from ICC’s handle asked fans to pick the batsman with the best pull shot from a list of four that did not feature Sharma, which got a rise out of him. So how good is Sharma, really? We crunched some numbers to find out.Who has the most productive pull?•ESPNcricinfo LtdCurrently no batsman hits more sixes on the pull than Sharma. From the start of 2015, he has struck 116 sixes playing the pull shot across formats in international cricket. Overall, Sharma has played the pull shot against 570 deliveries which is about a six every fifth ball. The batsman with the second most sixes off the pull shot – Eoin Morgan with 47 – has not even hit half as many as Sharma.

Manchester United’s failings in the Premier League over the last couple of years have been there for all to see, with the fans undoubtedly growing frustrated by the lack of success.

The side have now failed to win the league in each of the last 12 campaigns, with Sir Alex Ferguson the last manager in charge to lift the league title at Old Trafford.

However, Ruben Amorim will be hoping that he can be the man to end such a drought, but it’s safe to say his time in the role to date has failed to lift off in recent months.

He was only able to secure a 15th-place finish in England’s top-flight last time around, with the hierarchy already spending over £200m on new additions since his arrival.

The manager has already made some bold calls on the future of some players at the Theatre of Dreams, including one player who massively failed to deliver in 2024/25.

The stats behind Andre Onana’s struggles in 2024/25

During the 2024/25 campaign, numerous players have failed to deliver in the Premier League – but none more so than goalkeeper Andre Onana, with the shot-stopper costing the side in key moments.

The Cameroonian joined the Red Devils in a £47.2m deal back in the summer of 2023, with such a move potentially going down as one of the worst in the club’s history.

He maintained the number one shirt for the majority of the campaign, but Amorim made the decision to offload him during the recent summer transfer window.

Onana left to join Turkish side Trabzonspor on a season-long loan after the arrival of Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp, a decision that proved to be the right one given his struggles in 2024/25.

The 29-year-old featured 50 times across all competitions last campaign, but made nine direct errors that led to goals, many of which came in key moments.

He could only muster a 67% save percentage in England’s top-flight last season, whilst also failing to impress in possession – as seen by his pass accuracy of just 68%.

However, one player within the current side has taken over from the goalkeeper in terms of failing to deliver, which could leave the manager with a huge call to make in the months ahead.

Man Utd's biggest liability since Onana

Patrick Dorgu has certainly been a player who has left fans frustrated at United over the last couple of months, especially after the excitement generated around his move 11 months ago.

The Danish international arrived in a £30m deal from Italian side Lecce, with real promise that the youngster could provide a long-term solution to their left-back issues.

However, in 2025/26 alone, he’s massively struggled with the demands of the Premier League, as seen by his tally of just seven league starts out of a possible 13.

His underlying stats in and out of possession this season showcase his struggles, with the manager taking the right call to drop him from his starting eleven in recent weeks.

Dorgu has completed just 72% of passes in 2025/26, whilst also making just 3.4 ball recoveries – with both stats ranking him in the bottom 20% of players in the division.

However, despite the Dane’s struggles, fellow full-back Diogo Dalot has also been under fire as of late and rightfully so given his poor form under Amorim for the Red Devils.

The Portuguese international, who’s usually a right-sided full-back, has often been called upon to feature in a left-wing-back role, which has no doubt affected his performances.

During his seven-year stint at Old Trafford, he’s been known to be more dominant out of possession rather than with the ball at his feet – with Amorim needing to take responsibility for his continued selection.

The recent victory over Crystal Palace may have been an impressive win for the side, but it didn’t stop Dalot from being able to fall below the standards expected of him once again.

Minutes played

90

Touches

68

Passes completed

71%

Dribbles completed

0

Crosses completed

0

Long balls completed

0

Shots on target

0

Tackles won

1

He featured for the entirety of the victory at Selhurst Park, but was unable to complete any of his attempted dribbles, whilst also failing to find a teammate with any of his crosses.

Dalot’s struggles continued in attacking areas, subsequently being unable to direct any of his two shots on target – something which he’s been unable to do all season long.

However, he also failed to deliver when trying to stop the opposition, as seen by just one tackle won and one interception made – resulting in Adam Joseph labelling him “toothless”.

It’s evident that the 26-year-old is massively unsuited to his current wing-back role, but Amorim has made no efforts to try and resolve the current situation at hand.

The first team have massively struggled for quality in wide areas since the manager’s arrival 12 months ago, with such an issue rearing its head right before the January window.

As for Dalot, he’s constantly proving to be an unreliable figure, with the defender potentially emulating Onana’s failures if no change is made in the near future.

Better than Dorgu: Man Utd plot move to sign 'the world's most coveted LB'

Manchester United look set to make yet another big-money move in the defensive department.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 2, 2025

Wasn’t that all a little inevitable? Time and again, this Manchester United side proceeds to fluff their lines, having failed to take advantage of the chance to move fifth in the Premier League following Thursday’s draw with West Ham United.

Much like a week ago in the dismal defeat to ten-man Everton, there was a real lack of energy and urgency about the hosts at Old Trafford this time around, with Ruben Amorim’s side merely letting the game drift for much of the first half.

Even after Diogo Dalot had nudged the home side ahead just before the hour mark, there was a distinct lack of a killer instinct, with Amorim’s raft of pragmatic changes ultimately backfiring in the closing stages.

Up against a team firmly in the relegation mix, the Red Devils – after failing to push for a second – were served up arguably what they deserved, with Soungouto Magassa poking home for his first goal for the Hammers to draw things level.

Despite two late attempts from skipper Bruno Fernandes, there was to be no stirring finale in front of the Stretford End, with the stop-start nature of United’s campaign showing no sign of ending.

Man Utd's worst performers vs West Ham

Two moments of quality aside in Sunday’s narrow win over Crystal Palace, it’s fair to say that it’s not been a good week for United’s captain, with Fernandes again rather erratic on Thursday evening.

He may, as usual, have been in the thick of the action with six total shots and five key passes registered, but the Portuguese notably regressed as the game progressed, squandering the ball meekly far too frequently.

Indeed, the 31-year-old lost the ball 22 times in all, as per Sofascore, while his delivery from wide areas was also unusually off the mark, having successfully completed just two of his eight attempted crosses.

The former Sporting CP star wasn’t alone in struggling on a difficult, turgid night for the hosts, however, with surprise inclusion Ayden Heaven hooked at the break, following a shaky first Premier League start of the season up against the experienced Callum Wilson.

Far more will have been expected of those operating at the opposite end of the pitch for United too, with the returning Matheus Cunha somewhat anonymous in his number ten berth, before being withdrawn late on, while Joshua Zirkzee failed to build on his weekend heroics after producing another limp showing through the middle.

Rounding off that trio was emerging talisman, Bryan Mbeumo, with the usually dynamic winger putting in arguably his worst performance for the club to date, following his £71m switch from Brentford.

Man Utd star produced his worst performance under Amorim

Right from the off, during the opening weekend defeat to Arsenal, Mbeumo has provided the spark in United’s attacking ranks, netting six times already across league and cup, including in key away performances against both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

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The Premier League’s Player of the Month for October has been riding high even amid a turbulent season for the club, although – with AFCON looming – his form appears to have stagnated, having failed to record a goal or assist in each of his last three outings.

That may be a case of a lack of service, although the Cameroonian was hardly able to create much for himself either on Thursday evening, registering just one key pass and attempting just two shots in all – albeit while forcing Alphonse Areola into a sprawling, clawing save early on.

Touches

52

48.8

Pass accuracy

78%

79%

Key passes

1

1.5

Successful crosses

0/1

1.5

Successful dribbles

1/1

0.8

Ground duels won

3/4

2.6

Aerial duels won

0/5

0.3

Possession lost

15

15.5

Sofascore rating

6.3

7.00

The 26-year-old, like many of his teammates, was particularly ineffective as the game developed, looking weary late on as he failed to make things stick after moving into a central role, following the withdrawal of both Cunha and Zirkzee.

Like Fernandes, the left-footer regularly squandered potential openings after losing the ball on 15 occasions from just 52 touches, while failing to win a single aerial duel up against a physical visiting backline.

Such has been his impact in recent months, Mbeumo has set a high bar and raised expectation levels regarding his performances, although this was certainly not him at his best.

Typically the outlet for United when the going gets tough, the one-time Troyes man appeared to go missing late on, looking leggy and lethargic as Amorim’s men allowed the visitors back into the game.

With just over a week to go until the £150k-per-week star is set to head to international duty, Amorim needs him to find his best level again.

Let’s face it, while Mbeumo may have looked distinctly off it last night, even on his worst day, he still appears United’s biggest attacking threat.

Bad news for Mainoo: INEOS readying £30m Man Utd offer to sign "monster" CM

There appears to only be one outcome in the future of Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United.

1 ByRobbie Walls Dec 4, 2025