#i just hope india wins and i get to see a terrific match!!!!!!!!

[mostardently]

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[yvssanjay-blog]

A Series to Savour - Part II

And here I am again, trying to put together my euphoria of seeing Team India triumph in Australia against the oddest of odds. If you are here reading this, I assume you might have read the first part which covered the Adelaide debacle and the Melbourne revival. If not, you may read it now!

Coming back to where I left in the previous post, 2020 ended with an absolute bonkers of a turn around from India and guess what – 2021 started with 2 outstanding test matches, totally unexpected and other-worldly stuff, each of them classics in their own way. This would be long, but I hope you read on till the end - watching this series was an extraordinary experience!

Chapter 3: Grit and Survival

Alarm Time: 4:58AM. The cold January mornings cannot win against me now. Body and mind are in sync. Got to wake up and catch all the action, that is it! No two thoughts about not waking up! Series is level 1-1.

Toss: Another toss gone in favor of Australia. But the good news is, Rohit Sharma is available now to help Rahane. But wait, Umesh Yadav limped off in Melbourne. So, Saini is in too. And India have to deal with David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in SCG. Tough work ahead?

We started by sending back Warner early, rain stopped play, then resumed and the day ended with Labuschagne and Smith all set to torment us on day 2. But, almost shockingly, Labuschagne played a wrong shot and Jadeja got a wicket and that was what was required. Wickets kept falling at one end, Smith kept batting at the other end. He got to his century, and now, after 8-9 down, he started his ODI mode of batting. There is no way he is getting out, and then, a moment of magic! Out of nowhere, Jadeja swooped in from square leg, shot a bullet throw with one stump in sight, hit it and caught Smith short while attempting a 2nd run. Whoa! Mind blown! That throw there felt like an antidote to Guptill’s throw in WC2019 (if you remember!).

Alright, we have to bat now. Not an easy total to overcome, but India have started well. 50+ with no loss. A little drowsiness crept in due to lack of sleep, but Rohit didn’t allow me to doze off. He was out, and Gill was gone too! On Day 3, many impactful things happen. Rahane chops on, Hazlewood had an extraordinary fielding moment to runout Vihari, Pant was smashed on his elbow, Pujara got to his slowest 50 ever, Jadeja was smashed on his thumb – his bowling hand! Oh God! The list is never ending. That day just spelt doom for India. Pant wouldn’t keep and Jadeja wouldn’t bowl in the 3rd innings. There was no way India was going to come back into this test. Australia piled on the runs pretty quickly with Green going berserk and they declared with a 400+ target. Most importantly, India would have to bat out 132 overs.

Dream: India bat out the 132 overs. Pujara gets a fine hundred and India some how manage a draw! 

34 Overs were done with on Day 4, Gill and Rohit gave a decent start again, but both were gone before end of the day. On Day 5, Rahane was done with in the 2nd over itself. Now, 96 overs to play and 7 wickets in hand. Out strode Rishabh Pant, who did not keep all through the 3rd innings, with no protection to his hurt elbow. Now, Rishabh Pant is Rishabh Pant. I don’t know what goes in his mind. I am very clear what goes through Pujara’s though - just bat! But Pant, after a slow start, begins to target Lyon. Heart is pounding too quick to his hoicks down the ground. In between, Paine was dropping catches. But Pant would continue. The new ball is due in 2 overs. India needed close to 150 now with almost 50 overs to play. Pant in the 90s. Till then I was counting balls to bat out. But now, I started counting the runs to get. And then, all the luck Pant had, suddenly deserted him and Lyon’s ball flew off his edge and was caught in gully.

Switch modes! Count the balls again. Without Pant, India is not chasing this down. Suddenly Pujara smashes 3 4s off Cummins. Whoa! Has Pant rubbed his intent into Pujara now? No! Hazlewood cleans up Pujara. Vihari and Ashwin somehow manage things until Tea – Vihari already tore a hamstring and Ashwin had a horrible back pain. 36 overs to bat out!

Last session started with Ashwin being given out only to be overturned by DRS and Australia continued their short-ball barrage! Ashwin found it tough but hung on. Jadeja was padded up – I am not sure he can hold a bat with his left hand. I was standing close to the TV, watching every over – just the 6 balls – closely, take a walk during ad breaks, again come back to stand in front of the TV. Over by over, Vihari and Ashwin were continuing to block. 25 overs to go, 15 overs to go, 10 overs to go, 6 overs to go. God! This is nerve wracking stuff. One wicket here, and everything will cut loose. Vihari edges one off Starc, but Paine drops it again. I am dying! 1 over to go. And finally, the Aussies decide to shake hands.

Yes! India’s grit allowed them to grind it out on a Day 5 pitch in Australia against their best attack, survived 130+ overs with a one-legged no.6, a bad-back no.7 and a one-handed no.8 waiting. The most satisfying and heartwarming draw I have ever seen. I had a smile imagining the guy who was assigned the job of compiling the highlights package of that last session! We are going to Brisbane with the series level. Who would have expected that after that 36/9?

Chapter 4: Heroes & Hysteria

Alarm Time(s): Brisbane has a 5:30AM start but weather forced 5:00AM starts from Day 2 onwards. So the wake up time switched between 4:50AM and 5:20AM. Decider guys! Bring it on!!

Toss: Australia haven’t lost in Brisbane for 32 years, and they had the best start. Win the toss, and start batting. What about India? No Vihari & Jadeja (obviously!), no Ashwin (hmm, okay!), no Bumrah also (shocker!) and India play 3 debutants (yes, I’d call Thakur a debutant) and recall Agarwal.

India get Warner and Harris cheaply, but as a sweet surprise, Sundar, on his debut, gets Smith out cheaply as well. But Labuschagne bats on with Wade and he gets a 100, scores moves past 200. Looks like a routine Aussie dominated day, and again, India fight back. Natarajan, on his debut, sends back both Wade and Labuschagne. Another wicket and India would be in the driver’s seat but Paine and Green bat it out. Thakur has an excellent spell on Day 2 to get Paine and Cummins which was preceded by Sundar cleaning up Green. 4 runs and 3 wickets. Woohoo… an Australian collapse I thought. But the tail wagged. 50+ runs for the last 2 wickets. India start by losing Gill early and Rohit got out in an outrageous manner – as per Sunil Gavaskar – but he was done in by Lyon I felt. Again, it is up to Rahane and Pujara to bail us out on Day 3. Some excellent balls, some rash shots, some terrific catching and 2-point-something sessions later, India were 188/6. About 180 runs behind. The average experience of the remaining batsmen – 1.8 Tests!!

And then comes the partnership I enjoyed the most all through the series - Sundar & Thakur! Thakur pulls over square leg for a 6 to open his account, he plays some delectable drives, hardly plays a loose shot against the spinner – very controlled in his defense. Sundar on the other end was playing as if it was a net session – casually blocking, some wristy flicks and neat driving down the ground. Slowly the lead was coming down, and I was dancing inside. Is this for real? This has probably never happened before – a debutant no.7 and a 0.1-test experienced no.8 defying Australian fast bowlers in Gabba. Such assured was Thakur’s defense against Lyon, it was an extraordinary moment of triumph when he danced down the track and lofted him for 6 and he reached 50 – my hands automatically clapped, almost involuntarily. Sundar hits a no-look 6 over long on and he too reaches 50 a little later. His half-century celebration was, I felt, cute! What-a-knock young man! The score crosses 300 and India slowly cutting down the deficit. And then the Australian pace attack, in a space of 10 overs and 20-something runs, take all the 4 remaining wickets. The lead, what could’ve been 100-something is now a meagre 33. Relief!!!

Day 4, with Australia having 10 wickets, is supposedly going to be a long day for Indian bowlers. Warner and Harris are scoring briskly, 80-something for no-loss and again, India fight back! How many times are we turning it around – just WOW! In a span of 6 overs, Australia lost 4 wickets. But Smith was still there, with Green and the lead was over 200 in no time. The first instance of the pitch misbehaving – Smith gets a shooter, fends at it, Rahane grabs it. Siraj is ecstatic, so am I. An Indian fast bowler feasting at the Gabba! India in here with a chance to have a less-than 300 target. Lots of discussion about the weather – Australia is not declaring. They are batting on! Lead is now above 300. I am a little towards the rain gods now – this pitch is too much for India to bat out a draw. With 328 as target, after a magnificent 5-for from Siraj and Thakur’s 4-for, India to bat now. Just 2 overs and rain stops play, over to Day 5 now – 324 runs, 98.1 overs and 10 wickets!

Dream: India, instead of playing out for a draw, play positive cricket and conjure up a win. We win the series 2-1 and yes, India breach the Gabba Fortress. 

Surprisingly, the weather is clear. So back to counting overs now. 98 to go! Rohit goes early but Gill and Pujara (that man again!) somehow manage until lunch. Especially Pujara, is he really human? Kept taking blow after blow on his body but kept soldiering on! It didn’t feel like he was going to move, whatever is thrown at him. After lunch, Gill smashed a 6-4-4 in a Starc over and Pujara finished that over with another 4 – 20 runs in 1 over. Is India going for the win? This is really a dream chase! Lyon gets one to edge, and Gill is gone. Another batsman gone in the 90s in the 4th innings. The captain walks in! What is his plan here? Block, wait and then decide? No! Rahane was in super attacking mode – he hit a 6 of Lyon which was the peak Rahane I know. But the attacking intent costs him his wicket. India 3 down. 161 runs away. 43 overs to play. Pujara at one end! Surely India can draw this. I was really glued now. Tension!!

Out walks Rishabh Pant again, at no. 5. This is the same Pant who hit 97 in Sydney in almost similar situation. But, the same Pant who attacked Lyon at will in Sydney was very cautious and calm this time. He did try one or two big hits, one was a stumping chance missed, the other was a huge 6. But Pant did not want to get carried away. He wanted to probably take it into the last few overs. May be, turn it into a T20 chase? What composure - is he just 23? While Pant was grabbing all the attention, at the other end, Pujara got to 50 (this is now slower than his SCG 50). The new ball was taken. 22 overs remaining. 100 runs to get. India can actually win this. I can’t take it anymore! It has come to a zone where watching this game was dangerous for the weak hearted.

2nd ball with the new ball, Pujara is gone. Is that it? Is the new ball going to be the Australian ally? No! Pant reached his 50 of 100 balls with Agarwal at the other end, but Agarwal throws it away. 63 to get. 80 balls remaining. Sundar joins Pant. It is soon 50 to get of 48 balls. Sundar, out of nowhere, smashes a 6 and a 4 of Cummins. I am on my feet. I don’t know where I am. I have lost note of everything around me. I am only watching, I am just clapping, I am shouting as if the players can hear me, I can hear my heart pounding. 39 of 42. Pant cheekily sweeps one for 4, then smashes another 4, and then a ball hits the rough and runs for 4 byes. 15 of the over. 24 of 36. I am jumping. I am speechless. It is like I am in Gabba.

Another 9 run over now. And I am actually shivering (even typing these last few lines). 15 of 30 balls. Victory up for grabs! Pant on 76. In that 96th over, Sundar reverse sweeps and is bowled. What have you done boy? Why? Tension! Thakur walks in. 10 of 24. Pant pulls one for 4, I want to shout. I want to cry. Wait wait! Pant wants to hit a 6 and win it, flies of the edge, luckily in no man’s land. Heart is probably beating the fastest ever. Thakur is out. But they have crossed. Pant on strike, 3 to get. He drives, they run 2, are they coming back for 3, no the ball has run down and touched the ropes, India have won! India win!! I am out of of my mind. I was alone in the room. No one to hug. No one to share with. I wanted to run on the streets. I shot myself a selfie video with TV in the background. I have never experienced this, even after that Dhoni 6 in 2011. This is something else. My heart was swelling with pride, my mood was really high! I had patted myself on the back for putting aside every other thing and watch this incredible moment.

Wow! That was the highest high I have experienced watching the end of a test match. Few things will stay with me for a lifetime – the 20 run over which was orchestrated by Gill, the resilience of Pujara all through the series (that hit on his finger when he immediately left the bat, ouch!), that hook for 6 by Sundar off Cummins and that last punch down the ground by Pant – and along with these special moments, just trying to gather myself that India did all of this without a lot of their regulars. Take a bow Team India!! What is the life lesson learnt here – “Life will give you opportunities, you’ve got to grab them and turn them in your favor, deal with the obstacles and ultimately relish the challenge and achieve the unthinkable!”

[thisdaynews]

Cricket World Cup: India confirm semi-final place with Bangladesh win

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/cricket-world-cup-india-confirm-semi-final-place-with-bangladesh-win/

Cricket World Cup: India confirm semi-final place with Bangladesh win

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Rohit survives an early scare to rack up a match-winning 104 for India

ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Birmingham India 314-9 (50 overs):Rohit 104, Mustafizur 5-59 Bangladesh 286 (48 overs):Shakib 66, Bumrah 4-55 India won by 28 runs Scorecard; Group table; Schedule.

India finally confirmed their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a comfortable if not flawless win which eliminated spirited Bangladesh.

After Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hit the highest opening partnership of the tournament, a fine 180, India ran out of steam to post a disappointing 314.

Bangladesh needed to win their final two games to have any chance of progressing to a first semi-final.

But despite another half century from Shakib al Hasan they fell short.

An England win against New Zealand in Durham on Wednesday is likely to see both sides join India and holders Australia in next week’s semi-finals.

World Cup group table Rank Team P W L T NR RR Pts 1 Australia (Q) 8 7 1 0 0 1 14 2 India (Q) 8 6 1 0 1 0.811 13 3 New Zealand 8 5 2 0 1 0.572 11 4 England 8 5 3 0 0 1 10 5 Pakistan 8 4 3 0 1 -0.792 9 6 Sri Lanka (out) 8 3 3 0 2 -0.934 8 7 Bangladesh (out) 8 3 4 0 1 -0.195 7 8 South Africa (out) 8 2 5 0 1 -0.08 5 9 West Indies (out) 8 1 6 0 1 -0.335 3 10 Afghanistan (out) 8 0 8 0 0 -1.418 0

‘Stay in the moment’ – Morgan’s England message

The many shapes of England’s cricket grounds

All the permutations

Middle order slowing India down?

India captain Virat Kohli met supporter Charu Latta Patel at the end of the match

India returned to the top of the ODI ratings above England last week and are full of experienced, proven world-class players.

But this match again showed up some familiar shortcomings which could stand between them and a third World Cup title.

Given the platform of such an outstanding start, their middle order failed to kick on as 162-0 at halfway became 314-9 at the end.

Rohit was given a life on nine when Tamim Iqbal dropped him and the opener made Bangladesh pay, smashing five sixes as he and Rahul clocked up the seventh-best opening stand in World Cup history.

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‘India fans can’t believe it!’ – Kohli caught on boundary

He looked in terrific nick as he became just the second player to score four centuries in a single World Cup and well set to make a mammoth score.

But he slashed a catch to Liton Das to fall just a few balls later – the eighth time a batsman has lost his wicket between 100 and 110 in 24 centuries at this World Cup.

That triggered a period of nine wickets going down for 134 runs in the last 124 balls as captain Virat Kohli (26) and Rishabh Pant (48) failed to convert good starts – Kohli caught on the same boundary he complained was ‘crazily short’ just two days ago.

MS Dhoni – criticised at home for his slow going in defeat to England on Sunday – divided opinion again with his knock of 35 from 33 balls, with the veteran out in the last over of the innings as Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was rewarded for some canny death bowling with a five-for.

Good – but not good enough

India’s total felt well short of what they could have hit, and Bangladesh would have started their chase in optimistic mood – especially as they chased down 322 in barely 41 overs to beat West Indies at Taunton.

Tamim, keen to make up for his costly drop, looked in great form early on, smacking three fours in the first three overs but India had already put the brakes on by the time he chopped on in the 10th over.

Bangladesh were never able to keep up with the required run rate and lost wickets at a regular rate to ease tension among the largely India-supporting crowd.

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Soumya chips the ball straight to Kohli in the covers as India get a second

Shakib went past 50 for the sixth time in the tournament – a feat only matched by India’s own little master Sachin Tendulkar, who scored seven half centuries in the 2003 edition – but he was one of three victims for Hardik Pandya when he chipped a slower ball to Dinesh Karthik for 66.

A seventh-wicket partnership of 66 between Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin briefly raised hopes but a lack of big hitting proved decisive – Bangladesh managed just two sixes.

The lower order kept life interesting, with 36 needed from the last three overs, but Jasprit Bumrah struck with two brilliant yorkers to wrap it up.

While India have their issues lower down their batting order, their bowling attack may be their best bet of World Cup victory, with Pandya’s variations backing up the pace of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, and the returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar moving the ball both ways at the top of the innings.

‘Rohit the best around’

India captain Virat Kohli:“Bangladesh played some really good cricket and deserve credit for the fight they put up. We had to work hard for the win and we are happy to see a Q in front of our name now.

“This was a team picked specifically for this ground with a small boundary. We can’t be stubborn and play the same team every game.

“I have been watching Rohit for years now, he is the best ODI player around. He is a joy to watch and is having the tournament of his life.

“When he plays well we know we are heading for a big score. He gives everyone confidence to go out and bat.”

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza:“It was a good effort – Mustafizur bowled well – but if one of the batsmen could have got to 80 or 90, it might have been different.

“We were asking too much in the end. A bit of luck didn’t go our way either.”

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[ultrasfcb-blog]

World Cup 2018: Five reasons to be optimistic about England

World Cup 2018: Five reasons to be optimistic about England

World Cup 2018: Five reasons to be optimistic about England

Can England offer hope for the future at the World Cup with new personnel and a modern style?

When Denmark’s Christian Eriksen turned to Tottenham team-mate and England full-back Kieran Trippier after the final game of the season and said, “Good luck at the World Cup, see you in the semis,” he could have been accused of being a touch optimistic.

Reaching the last four in Russia seems a stretch for Gareth Southgate’s young squad, who average fewer than 20 caps per player and lack the star status of the fabled ‘golden generation’, which included Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

This time, England’s midfield might comprise Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier.

But while the players may lack experience and pedigree, it is also a squad which represents a new-look England, with added hope for the future.

Shorn of scars from previous tournaments, with a clear philosophy of how to play and with little expectation, Southgate has backed his players, saying he wants them to be “fearless”.

So what are the reasons behind his optimism?

1. No scars, no pressure?

In the failures since England last won a World Cup knockout match in 2006, many have suggested the manager should axe the senior players responsible and blood youngsters for the future.

Southgate appears to share that view. Only five players remain from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when England did not make it past the group stage.

Although that means no-one in the England squad has won a World Cup game, few are tainted by previous experiences.

It might also be a relief to 20-year-old Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who has been criticised by club manager Jose Mourinho but who has featured in England’s past nine fixtures under Southgate.

In interviews over the past week, the vibe coming out of the England camp has been positive. A story about players enjoying a game of cricket in the hotel corridors at St George’s Park would appear to support the sense that they are operating with a relative lack of pressure.

Few fans expect England to win in Russia, but after being beaten by Iceland at Euro 2016 and with the FA targeting the trophy in Qatar in 2022, modest success should be achievable.

FA technical director Dan Ashworth, who oversaw England’s triumph at the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups last year, says: “History will tell you we haven’t done very well in major tournaments since 1966, so there shouldn’t be a massive amount of expectation to win it.

“But the minute the tournament starts, and the moment England players pull on an England shirt, the expectation is that we play well and win.

“It is still a relatively young squad, with a slightly different emphasis on a style of play and we have some terrific players, so I’d like to think we can get to the latter stages.

“When you look in a team sport, it’s not always the ones with the best players on paper that win.

“And you’ve seen the argument for Germany winning it in 2014. Did they have the best 11 players for winning the World Cup? Maybe not. What they did have was a terrific collective and thoroughly deserved to win the tournament.”

Marcus Rashford (second right) can offer pace to England with a manager who has faith in the 20-year-old

2. Southgate’s belief in England DNA

Southgate has received praise for picking players who suit a clear vision of how he wants his team to operate – a brand of forward-thinking possession-based football, with pace at its heart.

With Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker in the squad, there is no shortage of speed. But it is not a formula which has evolved by chance.

It fits in with England’s new philosophy, or ‘England DNA’, launched in 2014 and which Southgate was a key part of.

Not only does it offer players clear guidance on how they should play – an important shortcut when the FA has them for only 55 days a year – but by adopting a similar style across all England teams players can step up an age group without feeling outside their comfort zone. That clarity has helped the players, according to Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli.

“I played with him a couple of times with the Under-21s, so I know [Southgate’s] philosophy,” he says. “He picks a lot of players where we want to play good football, attacking football, and that’s important. It’s exciting for us.”

That is why Southgate had no worries about calling up Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold who, at 19, is the most inexperienced player in the squad with no senior caps. However, the full-back has played 32 times for England’s youth teams, starting with the Under-16s.

FA head of player and coach development Matt Crocker, who helped develop Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain at Southampton and works alongside all England coaches including Southgate, says they have tried to create “an academy feel” to St George’s Park.

The consistency around England’s style of play has been helped by applying ‘England DNA’ on the training ground so every session is familiar.

“One of the principles is ‘look up, play forward’. We want to dominate the ball, but we want to be positive and dynamic with it too,” Crocker says.

“We might not see players for two or three months, but condensing ‘England DNA’ down to six principles has made it really easy to get those messages across to the players. There is a simple consistency across our teams and the players have more confidence when they step up to the seniors.

“I really think we have more connected squads than ever before.”

The making of England’s Dele Alli

3. Technically better players

Southgate might be hamstrung by the fact that he can only select from a third of Premier League players, such has been the influx of foreign talent to the most lucrative domestic league in Europe.

But it might also have had an influence on the make-up of the squad, with 15 of the 23-man group starting their careers at English Football League clubs or lower.

Whatever their route, there is no doubt England teams have benefitted from coaching hours being doubled with club youth teams through the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which began in 2012 and cost the Premier League £320m.

“The majority of players’ development takes part at the clubs, and if you double contact time, it gives you more ability to deal with and master the ball,” says Ashworth, who worked as a technical director at West Brom before taking on his role at the FA in 2012.

“Through our age groups, there has been a huge shift. I’ve been working in football for about 20 to 25 years and players are technically miles better now.”

Alli, Alexander-Arnold, Rashford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who were 16 or under in 2012, will all have profited from EPPP, although both Ashworth and Crocker admit the real gains may come in the future.

But another coach who has worked with Alli and England captain Harry Kane believes senior players are benefiting from world-class coaches in the Premier League.

Dan Micciche, who coached Alli at MK Dons from the age of 11 and was head of England’s Under-16s before he became MK Dons manager last January, told BBC Sport: “I’ve lost count of the times Kyle Walker has said that Pep Guardiola has made him a better player.”

Fifteen members of the squad are being coached by Manchester City’s Guardiola, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp or Manchester United’s Mourinho, and all played Champions League games this season.

Micciche added: “Southgate now has players who are coming through with a better game understanding, and you need that to control games at international level.”

4. Battle hardened from a young age

As much as the England squad lack experience at major tournaments, defender Gary Cahill, the most capped player, has suggested playing in big club games is an equal comparison.

He cited Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final, which featured Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson (38 caps), and Manchester City’s march to the Premier League title, in which Walker (35 caps), John Stones (25 caps), Fabien Delph (10 caps) and Raheem Sterling (38 caps) played a part.

But there is also plenty of experience within the squad at England youth-team level, where players have learned to deal with tournament knockout games, penalty shootouts and playing lots of matches in a short space of time in often difficult conditions.

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has three senior caps but has played 54 times for England, starting with the under-16s, while Chelsea’s Loftus-Cheek, 22, has 40 England youth caps.

Loftus-Cheek, who impressed on loan at Crystal Palace this season, says: “I am not one to fail under major pressure. As a youth player for England, you get used to it and you just carry it on to the bigger stages.”

Micciche says tournament experience is not limited to international level.

“Young players have told me that in Germany they will play 10 to 15 tournaments a season at club level,” he says. “We were miles behind that but the Premier League have now put on a huge number of tournaments.

“I remember an England under-15 tournament in Florida a few years ago, which featured Manchester City’s Phil Foden scoring twice against Brazil and Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon scoring the tournament winner against the Netherlands.

“You’ll ask them whether they have played against the Brazilians or the Dutch and they will say, “yeah, yeah, we’ve played them three or four times” in European Premier League tournaments, so these kids have a lot of experience already.”

England Under-17s win the World Cup in India last year, but FA technical director Dan Ashworth says the best countries do that “year on year”

5. Signs that the system is working

Crocker estimates it might take “eight to 10 years” for the England squad to be full of players who have benefited fully from ‘England’s DNA’ and the EPPP.

Even then, Ashworth says that despite youth-team success, he will not “take massive pride until we start competing regularly at the latter stages of senior tournaments”.

There are signs the system is starting to pay dividends, however, with Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion in Southgate’s squad.

Crocker says the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup wins last year have shown that England teams can “create a new history”.

He says: “When I first came in here and I was interviewing some coaches for the job, one of them said, ‘you’ll never out-possession Spain’. Obviously, we didn’t give him a job because that’s such a limiting view.

“Players through EPPP have got as good a technical ability as any players in the world. We have smashed the perceptions of what England teams are all about. I don’t think we have all the answers, but we now have a system that we fundamentally believe in.”

Micciche believes that with the investment poured into the English youth game, more success can be achieved.

He estimates that category-one academy clubs, of which there are 24, can invest as much as £10m a season.

He says: “If we have the right coaches delivering the work, then we should clean up in years to come, including the senior World Cup.”

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