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Rangers travel to Armenia on Thursday afternoon to take on Alashkert in the Europa League playoff second leg, with Steven Gerrard’s side holding a 1-0 lead on aggregate after their win at Ibrox last week.

However, the Gers will be without their manager, as well as several first-team players after a covid outbreak at the club, which leaves the Teddy Bears in a very precarious position with Europa League qualification on the line.

Rangers looked back to their best from an attacking sense in the 4-2 win against Ross County last weekend but will be without the likes of Allan McGregor, Jon McLaughlin, Ryan Kent, Scott Wright, James Tavernier and Calvin Bassey due to isolation, whilst several other regular starters are either suspended or injured.

Thankfully for Gerrard, he still has a fairly experienced first squad to choose from but will be lacking in any real options from the bench in Yerevan.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Rangers to line up on Thursday, with five changes from the team that started against Ross County…

In the absence of McGregor and McLaughlin, it seems likely that Ross McCrorie will start in between the sticks against Alashkert.

Rangers still have a fairly strong defence despite Bassey and Tavernier not travelling, with Nathan Patterson and Borna Barisic, who was once described as “terrific” by former Gers man Alex Rae, the likely replacements.

Leon Balogun also drops to the bench after some shaky recent displays, with Filip Helander returning to the starting lineup to partner Conor Goldson at centre-back.

The midfield almost picks itself, with Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield all likely to start there in the absence of John Lundstram, who is suspended after being sent off in the first leg, although Juninho Bacuna could feature from the bench.

Gerrard has a real lack of options on the wing due to Wright and Kent’s isolation, Kemar Roofe’s suspension and Fashion Sakala’s injury, so it would be a surprise if Joe Aribo and Ianis Hagi weren’t the man to start out wide.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Finally, after scoring the only goal last week, Rangers fans will be hoping that European top scorer Alfredo Morelos can steer them through this tricky tie on Thursday night and earn them a spot in the group stages.

And, in other news… Gerrard could be set for huge transfer blow with Rangers star

Ashwell Prince has been left out of the first two Tests against Australia at home, after South Africa picked the 11 players who played in Australia recently, as well as left-arm swing bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Cricinfo staff11-Feb-2009
JP Duminy’s stirring performances in Australia have forced South Africa’s selectors to pick him head of Ashwell Prince © Getty Images
Ashwell Prince has been left out of the first two Tests against Australia at home, as South Africa picked the 11 who played the three Tests in Australia recently, as well as left-arm swing bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Tsotsobe is the 12th player in the squad for the Johannesburg and Durban Tests, while Prince, Robin Peterson and Monde Zondeki have been dropped.Selection convener Mike Procter said it was a “difficult decision” to leave out Prince. “We are in the fortunate position of having seven world-class batsmen competing for six positions. It is a very healthy position for South African cricket,” said Procter. “Ashwell is understandably bitterly disappointed but he appreciates that he has not had the opportunity to play much cricket since his injury.”Prince averaged 75 in the successful Test series against England last summer but missed the Test series in Australia due to a broken thumb.”Tsotsobe performed very impressively from limited opportunities in Australia and he gives us extra bowling variety and depth,” said Procter. “We are monitoring Mark Boucher’s recovery from injury and we are confident that he will be fit to play by the time the series starts.”Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, said the recent tour to Australia demonstrated the depth that the team had developed in the batting and bowling departments. “This augurs well for the Test squad going forward into another tough series against Australia. There is also the No. 1 ICC Test ranking at stake which will make the upcoming series even more special for players and supporters.”South African captain Graeme Smith, who is all set to make a comeback from injury by turning out for the Cape Cobras against the Dolphins at Newlands, said the side’s success over the past seven months gave them plenty to build on. “We are all looking forward to getting back into the five-day game and the particular challenges that it poses,” said Smith. “It will also be wonderful to be playing on our own grounds again in front of our own supporters.”The first Test starts on February 26, while the Durban match begins on March 6.South Africa Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Former professional footballer David Norris believes that if Manchester City can add both Jack Grealish and Harry Kane to their squad, it would take them to another level.

City completed the £100m signing of the former England international earlier this month, following plenty of speculation throughout the summer months.

Whilst that deal is completed, another name that City have been linked with is Tottenham striker Harry Kane, with the club’s Athletic correspondent Sam Lee suggesting that the Premier League champions are confident of sealing a deal before the transfer window closes on August 31st – it remains to be seen whether the England captain starts against the club that want him on the opening day of the season tomorrow.

If the Cityzens can follow up the Grealish deal by signing Kane, Norris believes it will take the club to another level, telling Football FanCast: “To take them two, just to add to what they have already got, you can’t see past them then. 

“With the other teams, Man United are getting better and were good, but they are still a little bit inconsistent for me. Liverpool had a bad season so it will be interesting to see how they come back but they’re going to need to bring in a few.

“It looks like it will just be Man City, they already have their way of playing, a settled group of players and they’re just topping it up with pure quality.”

After adding another Premier League title and Carabao Cup last season, City will be hoping that they can defend their titles this coming season and also mount another serious charge for the Champions League.

Carlton Palmer has backed Crystal Palace’s decision not to make Michy Batshuayi’s loan move permanent.

Batshuayi spent a season-and-a-half on loan at Selhurst Park as Palace negotiated two separate temporary deals with Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The striker’s latest spell with the Eagles came last term but he failed to make a lasting impression, scoring just two goals in 20 appearances.

That took his overall tally up to eight goals in Palace colours – a meagre return compared to 22 goals in 35 international outings for Belgium.

Following his return to Chelsea at the end of last season, the Blues put Batshuayi up for sale with the intention of recouping £10million.

But Palace, under new manager Patrick Vieira following his appointment last month, failed to return for Batshuayi and the 27-year-old is now at Turkish giants Besiktas on a season-long loan after Chelsea could not find a buyer.

Former Premier League midfielder Palmer believes Palace would have been wasting money if they had signed Batshuayi, whose Chelsea’s contract is thought to be worth £90,000-a-week.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “You can’t pursue a permanent deal when a player hasn’t performed. It’s as simple as that.

“He was disappointing, so it just makes sense that they didn’t look to sign him. He didn’t set the world on fire and would have commanded serious wages. For that, you need a player who is going to be performing so, 100 per cent, Crystal Palace were right on that.”

It could not have been a better day for India

The Wisden Bulletin by Amit Varma02-Nov-2008Close India 650 for 5 (Tendulkar 220*, Laxman 178; Gillespie 3-112) v Australia
Scorecard

Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman made life miserable for the Australians
© Getty Images

It could not have been a better day for India. Sachin Tendulkar made 220 not out, his third Test double-century and his 32nd hundred, and added 353 assured runs with VVS Laxman (178) in a partnership that ground out any chances of an Australian win. India finished the third day on 650 for 5, a total that effectively ensured that they would not lose this match, and would keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Steve Waugh, playing his last Test, looked more and more forlorn as the day went on, out of ideas on how to turn the match around, as two men who have tormented Australia so often in the past put together an exhibition of masterful batting.India seized the momentum early in the morning, as Laxman and Tendulkar smashed Brett Lee for seven fours in three overs to hit him out of the attack. Laxman hit five of these, with wristy flicks and elegant drives that evoked memories of the last time he played at Sydney, when he smashed a Stan McCabesque 167. Having got the day off to a blazing start, though, the batsmen then focussed on careful consolidation, playing the bowling on its merit.Laxman’s innings was all sense and sensuousness, with swathes of studied watchfulness punctuated by passages of dazzling brilliance. He caressed balls that pitched outside off through the leg side with the most delicate flicks of the wrist; he cut and drove on both front and back foot with flowing grace; and yet, there was no risk in his batting. His shotmaking was judicious, while his strokeplay was magisterial.At the other end, another master. Tendulkar did not destroy the bowling today as much as he allowed it to disintegrate. He played a solid compact game, clearly determined to make sure that the errors of Melbourne were not repeated, when India had frittered away a fine start. He was outscored by Laxman in the morning session – he began the day on 73 to Laxman’s 29, and reached his 100 when Laxman was in his 80s – but did not let that bother him, and in fact, walked down the pitch a couple of times when it seemed that Laxman was shifting gears, to caution him. He did put away the bad balls, and played quite a few of his staple straight-drives and back-foot punches, but he batted largely within himself, giving respect to a lot of balls he might, in his younger days, have tried to put away. Instead of going to the bowlers, he made them come at him, strain themselves for extra effort, and in the process, reveal their inadequacies.

Sachin Tendulkar: worked hard to rack up 220 not out, his highest Test score and 32nd Test century
© Getty Images

There was little the bowlers could do. Lee was off rhythm, not getting his length right in any of his spells, bowling either too short or too full. Jason Gillespie and Nathan Bracken were accurate but never hostile, while Stuart McGill generated a lot of spin off the pitch without ever looking likely to take a wicket. He bowled plenty of balls to Laxman on just the length outside off which had induced edges from him in his two innings at Melbourne, but there were no reflexive prods from Laxman, who got into line, watched the ball till the last possible moment and let it go if it was spinning away, as it usually was.India did not accelerate as the last session began, which indicated that they did not intend to declare towards the end of the day, but to bat on, just as Australia had done against England at Headingley in 1993. As Gideon Haigh recounted in a recent piece in Wisden Asia Cricket, Allan Border, then captain, had famously told Steve Waugh that he wanted to “cause further mental and physical disintegration”. Here, the Australians began to disintegrate after tea – at least MacGill did, dropping Tendulkar on 149 and Laxman on 177.The second new ball finally got Australia the long awaited breakthrough, as Laxman was bowled for 178 through the gate by an incutter from Gillespie (547 for 4). Rahul Dravid had been lbw to a similar incutter the previous day, and Gillespie had a couple of lbw shouts against Tendulkar, who shrugged off these aberrant moments and moved on fluidly towards his double-century. He timed the ball beautifully in the last session, and one shot that stood out, and that he played repeatedly, was the wristy on-drive for four between midwicket and long-on.Sourav Ganguly made an aggressive 16, off 11 balls, before being yorked by Lee (570 for 5), and then Parthiv Patel took over. Patel, astonishingly, dominated an 80-run partnership with Tendulkar, making 45 off 40 balls, including seven crisply struck boundaries. Although many of these were off MacGill and Simon Katich at the tail of the day, it showcased his potential as a batsman.Tendulkar, meanwhile, moved on to his highest Test score, concentrating hard, running harder, all the way till the last ball of the day. It was not just the quantity of his runs that made this a career highlight; it was also the import of the occasion, with India all set up for an away series win against the best side in the world. It was, of course, the farewell Test of another modern great, wearing a baggy green cap. But Steve Waugh has never been a man for sentimentality, and he, of all people, will appreciate what India have accomplished so far.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Sir Allen Stanford, who declared earlier this year that Test cricket was ‘boring’, now says he believes that the oldest form of the game can peacefully co-exist alongside the newest

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2008
Allen Stanford declared Test cricket was ‘boring’ but now he sees a future for it after all© Getty Images
Sir Allen Stanford, who declared earlier this year that Test cricket was “boring”, now says he believes that the oldest form of the game can peacefully co-exist alongside the newest. Speaking to BBC Radio ahead of the US$20 million winner-takes-all match between England and the Superstars in Antigua, Stanford also rubbished notions that he had been in complete control of the tournament negotiations with the England & Wales Cricket Board.”The foundation of the sport is Test cricket, the future of the game is Twenty20,” said Stanford. “Both can co-exist. Maybe one is more for the purist, maybe one is more for the younger, the ‘want to see it now, be entertained now’ crowd.”Like Lord’s is the foundation of cricket, it’s the beginning, it’s the holy grail of cricket,” he said. “You can no more do away with that which is Test cricket and replace it with Twenty20 than you can say that Test cricket is the only thing out there. [That] would be foolish because professional sport, unfortunately, is about money and Twenty20 is what is going to drive, commercially, the dollars in the door.”Stanford’s millions have brought about a revival of interest in cricket in the Caribbean, and have provided a counterpoint to the financial dominance that India has enjoyed since the onset of the IPL. After extensive talks with the ECB, the 20/20 for 20 format was unveiled at a glitzy ceremony at Lord’s in June, but Stanford was at pains to deny that David Collier and Giles Clarke had been “dancing to his tune” during the negotiations.”I think that is a ludicrous statement,” said Stanford. “The ECB had the best management structure in my estimation – you’ve got over two million involved in cricket in the UK all being managed under the ECB and they are not dancing to any tune I have laid out. I have a lot of respect for both Giles and David. We simply came to business terms and like most things in life it’s chemistry and how well you work with people and I have worked extremely well with them.Stanford added that Saturday’s big match represented an investment for the future. “Twenty million dollars is a lot of money but it’s not an enormous amount of money,” he said. “It is the single biggest pay day in the history of team sports but in relative terms for what we have envisioned in this multi-billion sport it is really just an investment in the future.”It’s part of the bigger plan and that plan is to get this game into a commercially viable foothold. For it will be successful and make money and allow the West Indies to regain their rightful spot as the best in the world. You have to make investments, that makes sense today and tomorrow, this puts us on the world stage. We’ll have at least 700million people watching this event globally on Saturday on live television, and the US$20million is what got us there.”

Stuart Broad has been the most consistent paceman on either side in the Ashes and in the absence of James Anderson his importance has gone up a level for England

George Dobell at Trent Bridge04-Aug-2015St Luke probably was not thinking of Stuart Broad when he wrote “he to whom much is given, much is expected” but, for much of his career, it has seemed a relevant phrase.When Broad burst into international cricket as a gangly 20-year-old, he seemed to have it all. Height, decent pace, an ability to move the ball off the seam or in the air and natural timing with the bat that suggested he could become something approaching a great player. The potential was immense.To a large extent, that promise has been fulfilled, too. Aged 29, he goes into fourth Investec Test on his home ground of Trent Bridge requiring one wicket to become the fifth England bowler to claim 300 Test victims. By any standards, that is a fine achievement.What is more, he could reach the milestone in a match attended by his parents and grandmother that secures England the Ashes. It would be the fourth time he has played a part in an Ashes-winning team. Add to that a winners’ medal from the 2010 World T20 and a CV that includes spells in teams that went to No. 1 in all formats and it has been quite a career.But the nagging sense has remained that perhaps it should have been just a little bit better. The sense has remained that Broad, while developing into a very good bowler, has never quite developed into the great cricketer we once thought he could.It would be unfair to say he delivered perfunctory spells – his passion is greater than that – but it does seem fair to suggest there were times when he weighed up his workload and his future commitments and delivered spells that kept them in mind.He probably cannot be blamed for such a judgement call. England’s schedule has been greedy and self-defeating for many years and Broad is one of very few to have remained a regular in all three formats. The only bowler to have delivered more overs in international cricket over the last five years is his new ball partner.He might develop into that great bowler yet. Certainly in this series, Broad has been the most consistent of the England bowlers and looks to have matured considerably. Maintaining a noticeably fuller length, he has not always gained the rewards he deserved, but has challenged the batsmen throughout. Only Josh Hazlewood has taken more than his 12 wickets.There was a time, not so long ago, that Broad might have gone missing in conditions such as those England encountered at Lord’s. There was a time when his spells would have been littered with short balls – balls that look decent from the boundary but do nothing to threaten the batsmen – or when his pace would have dropped and it would have become clear that he was trying to protect his figures.But not this year. On a flat, slow wicket, he continued to challenge the batsmen delivering 27 probing overs and eventually finishing with four wickets. It appeared he had developed into England’s attack leader.That is probably just as well. For at Trent Bridge, for the first time since June 2011 and only the fifth time in his entire career, Broad will not have James Anderson at his side. Not on the pitch, anyway. Anderson remains with the squad and will be on hand to offer advice on the surface on which he has claimed 53 wickets in eight Tests at an average of 19.24.But on the pitch, Broad will be expected to lead the way for a relatively young and inexperienced attack. And while he is keen not to over-think that extra responsibility, he knows it will fall to him to talk to his less experienced colleagues and instil the same lessons he has learned over the course of his long career. His communication skills may be as important as his bowling.”It is going to be a different attack obviously without Jimmy,” he said. “But it’s important not to apply too much pressure on myself.”What we do as a partnership is we talk all the time. At Edgbaston on the first morning we tried to swing it for two or three overs and then, when we realised what the conditions were, we tried to wobble it and got more success out of that.”So it will be important the bowling unit talk proactively in this game. That is what I will try and lead. We will always be talking about this wicket. That is what Jimmy and I do naturally, so I will have to be a bit more conscious of that this week.”Most of all, Broad knows England must not waste the new ball. While there was a time when he and Anderson were liable to bowl a little short and not force the batsmen to play, he has learned that it is essential to put new batsmen under pressure immediately and give them no opportunity to settle.”We have to make sure that we are right on the money for those first 20 balls,” Broad said. “Our batsmen always say to us those first 20 balls are the most dangerous time, so if you are talking about a plan make sure you get it right early on.”It remains likely that Mark Wood will be the man to replace Anderson. Wood came through training for the second day in succession on Tuesday and bowled with good pace in the nets. His ankle remains a slight concern, but it would be a surprise if he does not play.England appear, at present, to have decent strength in depth. Both Mark Footitt and Liam Plunkett looked a handful in training with Footitt bowling Ian Bell, leaving one that looked as if it were angled across him, with a beauty that swung in sharply. Plunkett, generating impressive pace, also bowled Adam Lyth with a full ball that swung and found the edge of Lyth’s bat.The pitch, at this stage, resembles the one at Edgbaston far more than it does those at Cardiff or Lord’s. After the bore draw here last year, it seems unthinkable that the club would risk another deathly slow surface. Given good weather, it seems there is a real prospect of another three or four-day game.

Everton may have to stump up some cash if they want to sign El Bilal Toure this summer, with IDEAL via Sport Witness reporting that Almeria want at least £17m upfront to do business for the player.

Who is El Bilal Toure?

The 21-year-old only joined current side Almeria at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign, but has already become a frequent member of their squad. He wasn't a regular starter, but still managed to get onto the field for 21 La Liga outings over the course of the season, with 15 starts. Even more impressive though is that the attacker managed seven goals and two assists in those appearances. It means that the Mali international had a rate of 0.64 goals or assists per 90 – the best effort of his career to date.

His goal haul is also the best of his league career. He broke onto the scene with Reims as a 17-year-old and went on to bag just nine goals and five assists during four seasons and 64 Ligue 1 outings with them, hailed as a "major talent" last summer by 90min's Graeme Bailey. In just one campaign with his new Spanish team, he has already nearly bettered that haul. In addition, his goals per 90 rate in La Liga of 0.50 actually puts him within the top ten in that statistic in the entire division.

It shows that the youngster is already proving to be prolific in front of goal and whilst his total isn't in double-digits, considering the amount of time he was on the field, it is actually a solid total.

Are Everton signing El Bilal Toure?

That has now led to interest already in signing the striker this summer. Everton have been one of the teams that have placed Toure on their transfer radar, with the Toffees now prepared to stump up the player's release clause of €40m (£34m) to get a deal over the line. However, the saga is continuing to go on this transfer window.

Now, according to a report from IDEAL via Sport Witness, Almeria are unhappy with the agreement that the Premier League side want to strike up for the Mali man. It appears that Everton want to try and pay for the striker in instalments but would also like to sign him on loan with a compulsory clause to buy him at the end of the agreement. The Spanish outfit do "not value" that approach and also would rather not sit out of the money for the 21-year-old unless there is a significant payment upfront. That fee is around the €20m (£17m) mark.

It means that if the Toffees do want to sign the youngster to an agreement this summer, then they will have to stump up more money in advance than they probably would have hoped for. Almeria want at least half of his current release clause this window to consider any potential transfer and with the English side not in the best financial position, that might not suit them.

However, if they can find the funds to get a deal done that would involve them paying the rest in instalments, they would be landing a player with potential. Toure hitting the rankings for his goal scoring in La Liga already shows that he knows where the back of the net is and some more first-team football could really allow him to start hitting double-digit totals – so a move could be one to watch.

JJ Watt hailed James Trafford and Burnley for their "unbelievable run" of clean sheets after the NFL legend won his Cincinnati Bengals retirement bet.

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Watt had an unusual bet with TraffordWas supposed to come out of retirement if Burnley didn't concede The 12-match streak was finally broken against Cardiff CityFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The NFL icon, who is a minority investor of the club, had jokingly placed a bet with Trafford that if Burnley managed to keep their clean sheet streak going for the rest of the season, he would come out of retirement and suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals. For months, Burnley’s defence held firm, with Trafford putting in one impressive performance after another. However, their run of 12 consecutive shutouts finally came to an end on Tuesday night when they faced Cardiff City in a Championship showdown.

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Heading into their clash with Cardiff, Burnley had not conceded a single goal in the Championship since December 21, when they secured a 2-1 victory over Watford. Although they continued their winning form, securing a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Josh Brownhill and Maxim Esteve, Yousef Salech managed to find the net for the home side in the first half, bringing an end to Burnley’s stunning streak of consecutive clean sheets. While the goal meant that Watt was no longer at risk of making an NFL comeback, he remained highly impressed by Burnley’s defensive resilience.

WHAT WATT SAID

After the match, Watt took to X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on Burnley’s outstanding run and the bond that had formed between Burnley fans and the Cincinnati Bengals community through his playful wager with Trafford.

He wrote: "Cincinnati, that was a fun ride. Hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit about Burnley & our squad.

"What an unbelievable run for Traff & the boys. An improbable bond formed from across the pond. Bengals fans are welcome on Turf Moor any time. As for me: A feast & a drink await."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Despite conceding against Cardiff, Burnley’s defensive numbers remain unmatched in the Championship. They have allowed just 10 goals in 35 matches, which is by far the best record in the league. Trafford, the team’s ever-present shot-stopper, has played in every game of the season, managing to keep 25 clean sheets – in what is a staggering achievement.

Sushant Modani credits coach for positive culture around squad after impressing on T20I debut

Peter Della Penna23-Dec-2021At 16 for 4 in the powerplay, the prospect of a USA victory against visiting Ireland seemed highly unlikely. Which is why the stirring comeback produced by Gajanand Singh and Sushant Modani made victory so much sweeter. Singh, who was named Player of the Match for his 65 as part of a USA record 110-run fifth-wicket partnership with Modani, described the 26-run victory as “an awesome feeling.””To always contribute to your team and especially winning a game like this, a first against a Test nation and a Full Member of the ICC, it’s a proud moment for me and everyone in this group,” Singh told ESPNcricinfo after the victory.One of the salient features of several of the early wickets lost by USA was the panicked nature of the strokes, as Ireland medium-pacer Barry McCarthy seized on dot ball pressure to strike three times. But Singh said part of the reason for his success was having a clear head unclouded by glancing at the grim-looking scoreboard.”Going out there, I took the score away from any of my thoughts,” Singh said. “I played the ball, I didn’t play the scoreboard. I think by doing that and giving myself a chance, hitting the Vs up front, hitting some balls on the ground, putting away a bad ball or two early in your innings always gives you a set of confidence to go deep in your innings. I’m fortunate to have Sushant as my partner there. We worked together and played to our strengths and I think it worked out well.”After biding his time through the 11th over, Singh started to unleash on the Ireland bowling unit, slog-sweeping Simi Singh’s offspin for the first of five sixes. That one, as well as three of the next four, all cleared the east side boundary where the wind had been gusting strongly. Singh said the success of clearing the boundary was simply down to taking well-calculated risks in the situation.”The wind was a big factor when we batted so we tried to play percentages,” Singh said. “We knew going against the wind would be risky. I don’t think we took any chances against the wind. We backed ourselves when it’s in our area. If you feel you can get under it or a good piece of it, we backed ourselves and it just worked out for us today.”Related

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Modani also impressed on his T20I debut, scoring a half-century. But Modani said much of the credit for his own success was influenced by the approach taken by Singh at the opposite end.”For this partnership, a lot of credit goes to him,” Modani said. “He soaked in a lot of pressure because he was getting those big boundaries and sixes so I didn’t really have to think a lot or do very differently. All I had to do was keep rotating the strike.”Both men fell before the final over, yet there were still more fireworks to come for USA in the form of Marty Kain. Seizing on a poor line bowled by Mark Adair, Kain utilised the wind blowing east in the same manner as Singh to score two fours and two sixes over backward square leg in a massively consequential 23-run final over to boost USA to 188. Though victory would not have been possible without the partnership between Singh and Modani, Kain’s impact on the match was no less significant in the eyes of Singh, especially since it also came on T20I debut.”Marty played a blinder there,” Singh said. “To come in at the end and play the way he’s played in his first game for the US is exceptional. It shows the confidence of him as a player and shows that he knows his skill and backs himself. I just hope he continues and goes from strength to strength and can play more innings like that for the US.”The win was also highlighted by solid fielding contributions from two teenage debutants, Yasir Mohammad and Ritwik Behera. While Behera took two key catches fielding in the deep, Mohammad also took a catch at deep square leg in the second over, teaming up with Ali Khan to help dismiss Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, before later bowling a crucial death-overs spell, bouncing back from a shaky opening over.Sushant Modani drives over cover•Peter Della Penna”I think our senior bowlers stood out today,” Singh said. “Nisarg [Patel], Ali and Saurabh [Netravalkar], all three of them put their hands up. They bowled to a plan and it worked out in the end. Sticking together, everyone knows our plans bowling to particular batsmen and these guys did their job and bowled their areas good. I must commend young Yasir also. Playing his first game after getting a few boundaries in his first over, he held his nerves pretty well to come back and bowl a pretty decent spell.”According to Modani, the calmness of the youngsters is a product of the new culture established by head coach J Arunkumar – known for always having a smile on his face. Modani said the coach’s relaxed nature helps put everyone at ease and gets them performing at their best on a consistent basis, whether it’s the veterans or those on debut like Kain, the teenage pair and Modani, who was not supposed to be in the T20I squad but was drafted as a late replacement after four players were ruled out due to a Covid outbreak.”I think a lot of credit goes to our coach and team management,” Modani said. “A lot of positivity gets instilled in the dressing room before the game, or even the talks we have. So that’s like a mental preparation for us. Even if I wasn’t in the T20 squad, I was still mentally prepared that I still have time before the ODIs that I’ll do something but in a positive frame of mind. It’s the team which fills you with that motivation.”That motivation continues to fuel USA for the rest of the tour. Singh, Modani and the rest of the squad are out to show that Wednesday’s win was no fluke. The T20I series concludes on Thursday before the three-match ODI series commences on December 26.