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England v New Zealand: second men’s Test, day one – live | England v New Zealand 2026
Key events
31st over: New Zealand 86-3 (Ravindra 14, Mitchell 2) Josh Tongue is a real handful, he cuts Ravindra in two like Paul Daniel’s did Debbie McGee in his pomp. A shorter ball clips Ravindra’s hip and runs away for four.
30th over: New Zealand 81-3 (Ravindra 14, Mitchell 1) Fisher finds some bounce from the Vauxhall End, Mitchell fences away from his body and is fortunate to not feather behind. A drop and run into the off sees ‘The Moose’ off the mark. Ravindra’s bat sounds so good, a satisfying crunch as he shows the makers name and sees out the rest of the over.
England have bowled tight lines since lunch.
(Blowin’ through my mind) and all the while I think of you
29th over: New Zealand 80-3 (Ravindra 13, Mitchell 0) Nicholls will be disappointed with that, he was well set and looked customarily composed at the crease. Daryl Mitchell is the new batter. Tongue sends down a bouncer first up with a leg gully in place. It’s too wild though and Rew has to get his Schmeichel on to prevent four byes.
WICKET! Henry Nicholls b Tongue 24 (New Zealand 79-3)
Chopped on! Tongue finds some extra bounce and it does for Henry Nicholls. A tentative blade and feet in concrete his downfall.
28th over: New Zealand 78-2 (Nicholls 24, Ravindra 13) The Fisher King – as absolutely no one is calling Matt Fisher – continues. Nicholls tucks a single off his hip and Ravindra collects another single with a glance to leg. Steady accumulation.
27th over: New Zealand 76-2 (Nicholls 23, Ravindra 12) Tongue from the Pavilion End. Whistles through a maiden. The OBO’s own Daniel Gallan wanders over from the bleachers and tells me that the smell of braai is actually just his natural musk. With that he disappears, like a South African Keyser Soze.
26th over: New Zealand 76-2 (Nicholls 23, Ravindra 12) Erm… a ball from Fisher keeps low outside off stump and is inside edged past the stumps by Ravindra. Not again please! Just the single off the over, bit of a breeze here at the Oval and it keeps gusting the most phenomenal smell of barbecued meat past the outdoor press box seating. Someone is cooking up a storm on the Harleyford Road it seems, England are trying to cook up a wicket, here comes Josh Tongue.
Right then, the players gather on the boundary edge ready to take the field for the afternoon session. Sunny skies above, Matt Fisher has the ball for England. Nicholls and Ravindra to resume. Let’s play.
Lunchtime Reading:
Lunch – New Zealand 75-2
25th over: New Zealand 75-2 (Nicholls 23, Ravindra 11) Archer tucks up Nicholls with a short ball. The batter then misses out with a cut that he middles straight to Ben Duckett. Archer then squares up Nicholls and an edge is taken but it flies wide of the cordon and away for four. Nicholls leaves the final ball of the session and the players head off for lunch.
Even Stevens for that session I reckon, Joe Root applauds his men and the crowd give a hand too, an absorbing morning session.
24th over: New Zealand 71-2 (Nicholls 19, Ravindra 11) Ravindra has made a positive start, he picks up three with a controlled drive into the covers. Jordan Cox does some neat work on the boundary edge, the ‘cheddar’ of his resplendent ginger mullet billowing in the south London breeze.
We’ll have one more over from Jofra Archer before the delayed lunch break.
23rd over: New Zealand 66-2 (Nicholls 17, Ravindra 8) Shot! Can I confess that I hope Ravindra gets runs here… I love watching him bat. Archer angles one into the pads and is put away with aplomb to the midwicket boundary.
22nd over: New Zealand 62-2 (Nicholls 17, Ravindra 4) Fisher replaces Baker. England have their dander up with about ten minutes to go until lunch. Nicholls is watchful and blocks out a maiden.
“Crikey! Watching on TV in Taiwan while following OBO.” writes Ben Ashton.
“I said to the TV it was a shame Stokesy wasn’t playing. My Taiwanese wife walked past and asked, ‘Isn’t Stokes the bloke who’s the captain with all the tattoos, why’s he not playing?’ I said it’s because he went to a nightclub a week last Monday, she said ‘He can’t still be hungover’. Forget the cricket – hearing a Taiwanese woman use the word ‘bloke’ felt like a greater English triumph. By ‘eck, she’ll be a Yorkshire lass yet!”
21st over: New Zealand 62-2 (Nicholls 17, Ravindra 4) Rachin Ravindra arrives in the middle, he’ll be very keen to rack some up and put his stinker at Lord’s well and truly behind him. That’s a nice start, a half volley on the pads is pinged away for four through midwicket. That’s exactly what Latham was trying to do with the ball before but he was too late on the shot.
WICKET! Tom Latham c Bethell b Archer 27 (New Zealand 58-2)
Four leg byes as Archer spears one down and it clips Nicholls on the thigh pad. Another single follows off the very same. GONE! Latham tries to flick a full ball into the leg side and the leading edge is pouched by Jacob Bethell at gully.
20th over: New Zealand 53-1 (Latham 27, Nicholls 17) A second maiden from Baker, he’s settled well into Test cricket.
19th over: New Zealand 53-1 (Latham 27, Nicholls 17) It is Jofra from the Pavilion End. Nicholls gets inside a wide-ish delivery outside off stump and carves over the infield for four. Archer responds by getting a couple to jag away late. Fifty up for New Zealand, it’s been proper criggit this morning.
18th over: New Zealand 47-1 (Latham 27, Nicholls 11) Jofra is warming up for a pre-lunch spell. Baker has a short mid on in for the leading edge, he gives the middle of the pitch a good going over and it’s a maiden.
Here are the official re-arranged timings because of the early rain:
1st session: 11:30-13:30
Lunch: 13:30-14:10
2nd session: 14:10-16:10
Tea: 16:10-16:30
3rd session: 16:30-18:30
Extra 30 minutes available to bowl the overs
17th over: New Zealand 47-1 (Latham 27, Nicholls 11) Tongue blots his copybook with the final ball of his over, too short, too wide and Nicholls throws his hands at it, up and over backward point for four.
16th over: New Zealand 42-1 (Latham 26, Nicholls 7) New Zealand are accumulating nicely now, seven runs pocketed off Baker’s third. Can’t wait til he’s bowled 12 overs and I can dust off the gag to end all gags.
15th over: New Zealand 35-1 (Latham 19, Nicholls 7) Nasty. Tongue slams down a sharp bouncer at 88mph and Latham does well to sway out of the way.
“Cricket may be a religion for some of us, but we don’t officially use the term ‘canons’ as there are no clerics involved.” Writes John Starbuck. “‘Cannons’ is what you were meaning.”
I stand corrected… said the man in the orthopedic shoes.
14th over: New Zealand 31-1 (Latham 18, Nicholls 4) Latham and Nicholls pinch four runs off Sonny Baker. The sun is beating down now in South London, if New Zealand can negotiate the next hour or so then there are plenty or runs to be scored on this track.
“In light of their disciplinary troubles, have England deliberately gone for more a workman-like attack with a Baker an Archer and a Fisher?” asks Daniel Wilson.
Girds loinded for Henry Candlestick-Maker to make his debut against Pakistan in August.
13th over: New Zealand 27-1 (Latham 15, Nicholls 3) Tongue continues, he strays too straight and Latham pings off his pads for four through the leg side. Latham leaves the next and it canons into his pad, a big appeal from Tongue and the cordon but it was going over and England wisely choose not to review.
Time for our first hydration break of the Test match.
12th over: New Zealand 22-1 (Latham 10, Nicholls 3) Baker’s 90s boyband curtains bounce on his for’ead as he bounds in from the Vauxhall End. Close! That’s a beauty from the youngster, he gets one to pitch and move away late at decent pace, 86mph says the speedo. He beats Nicholls. And again! Baker settling into Test cricket much quicker than he did with the white ball last summer. There’s half an appeal for a caught and bowled off Nicholls but the ball only took thigh pad. Has Nicholls tickled the next ball down the leg side?! England think so and send it upstairs… no dice. Sonny Baker will have to wait for his first Test wicket. Eventful first over though, he can put a positive start down in his oft-mentioned notebook later on.
11th over: New Zealand 21-1 (Latham 9, Nicholls 3) Tongue goes around the wicket and is picked off for a single into the legs side by both Latham and Nicholls. Sonny Baker is going to have his first bowl in Test cricket, deep breaths son!
10th over: New Zealand 19-1 (Latham 8, Nicholls 2) Fisher has been probing and accurate so far this morning on his home ground, he’s around 84mph so quick enough. He nearly has his second with a full ball that scuds into Latham’s front pad but once again it was heading leg side with the angle. Fisher’s third maiden. Tidy.
9th over: New Zealand 19-1 (Latham 8, Nicholls 2) Tongue bustles in around the wicket, he’s back of a length and tucked away off the hip by Nicholls. Tongue is such a likeable bloke and thoroughly exciting bowler. He cranks his speed up into the 90s and has an appeal for an LBW off his final ball to Latham… but it was sliding down.
8th over: New Zealand 17-1 (Latham 8, Nicholls 0) Fisher peels off his second maiden. Josh Tongue is warming up. Remember:
“It’s Tongue as in T-U-N-G, not Tongue like T-O-N-G! What is that? TONG?”
7th over: New Zealand 17-1 (Latham 8, Nicholls 0) Archer beats Latham with a zipper that flies past the shoulder of a poked blade. A neat push into the covers brings three for the Kiwi skipper.
6th over: New Zealand 14-1 (Latham 5, Nicholls 0) Henry Nicholls joins Latham. Poor old Devon Conway, his long haul return results in an innocuous glove down the leg side and a single figure departure.
WICKET! Devon Conway c Rew b Fisher 9 (New Zealand 14-1)
Conway is strangled down the leg side. Jimmy Rew gets his gloves on an early catch and Matt Fisher has his second Test wicket.
5th over: New Zealand 9-0 (Latham 3, Conway 6) Archer reels off a maiden but Latham is happy to let plenty go outside off stump.
“Was Cicero pondering Joe Root when he wrote: ‘It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment’
Anyway – I have day 3 tickets, so what’s your prediction for the state of play by then?”
Let me consult the runes, Robert Hill.
4th over: New Zealand 12-0 (Latham 4, Conway 8) Latham and Conway tuck a too straight Fisher into the leg side. Three runs off the over. I’m sat next to the liquid tongued new host of the Wisden podcast and soon to be OBO debutant Cameron Ponsonby. He leans in coquettishly and whispers… a quite remarkable stat about Jofra Archer’s first over.
The average speed of it was 144.7kph (89.9mph) – the fastest any England bowler has bowled in the first over of a Test since records began in 2006. It’s also the fastest first over of a Test in England in that time.
Wheels.
3rd over: New Zealand 9-0 (Latham 3, Conway 6) Archer cranks his speeds into the 90s. A trumpeter toots and the crowd cheers. It is so nice to watch some cricket. Conway edges behind sketchily for two and there’s an appeal as the ball nips past the shoulder of his blade next ball. Close but no Cuban. Conway flays outside off again and gets four.
“STOP GETTING THE NATIONAL WRONG!” Emails Stephen Downing.
“Tired and blue blazered, fill yourself with… pound coins” is a lyric from Mistaken for Strangers not Apartment Story.
What can I say, I’m a stranger to myself, Steve. Sorry.
2nd over: New Zealand 3-0 (Latham 3, Conway 0) Here comes Matt Fisher from the Vauxhall End, his first bowl in Test cricket since Root’s last Test in charge four years ago in the Caribbean. He gets some immediate movement back in and finds his groove immediately, a maiden to start.
1st over: New Zealand 3-0 (Latham 3, Conway 0) Archer runs in from the Pavilion End, liquid smooth action and a back of a length ball that is clipped away neatly by Tom Latham for a couple into the leg side. New Zealand are up and running. Three slips and a gully for Archer. Penny for James Rew’s thoughts keeping to Jofra for the first time, on his Test debut.
Archer gets some zip and shape away. Latham takes a quick single to midwicket. Devon Conway on strike, he’s had some week too – he flew home to NZ to be at the birth of his new baby and then back again, he’s out there in the middle now facing nigh on 90mph. He plays and misses his first ball outside off. Well of course he does.
Peter Butler knows his Camus from his erm Cicero.
“Albert Camus also famously said, “All that I know most surely about morality and obligations I owe to football”. Which is why he never had a problem going on the piss after midnight.”
Arf.
The anthems are dusted off rousingly. Joe Root leads out England for the first time in four years. Bright sunshine here at the Oval and a bit muggy, Jofra Archer is going to start off with the ball. Let’s play!
“Hi James. Thanks for the Camus piece.” I wouldn’t call it a Camus piece per se, Peter Salmon. Don’t want to get the Philosophy crowd’s hopes up…
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” might also suit Stokes…
Root back as captain though, does feel like normal service resumed. My favourite detail of the ‘blazer in the garage’ story is that he had 30 team sheets in the pockets. I had no idea this still happens at international level. That simple joy of tearing off one of the serrated sheets at the back of the scorebook, filling it in (first initial if you can’t remember their name) and handing it to the opposite number – love that captains at this level still get to do it. Presumably they also still have to phone around on the day before the match to check everyone is still available, and to organise lifts? “Jamie’s wife’s gone into labour, but James Rew is available and has a van, so can take six…”
Love this.
Nick Wiltsher has my back. I wouldn’t mess with him…
“Dear James, I really don’t understand why people feel they need to email you to ask for this. It’s not some esoteric mystery. Here’s how to find it: go to the BBC’s live coverage page. The link is prominently displayed in the sidebar on the left.
For those who inexplicably cannot manage that simple bit of navigations, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/live/TqXhD0hxPfk
Though if they can’t do the first thing, I wonder how on earth they’ll manage clicking on a link…”
That’s you told!
The stumps are being put in place and there’s blue skies above. We’ll have some actual cricket in about ten minutes.
A follower who wishes to remain incognito “I’m following on the sly…” gets in touch. I dare say you won’t be the only one A.Nonymous.
“Hi James, looking forward to an excellent Test and following the OBO. Is this the lowest number of combined letters in the England XI surnames since the Flower XI with Bell, Root, Cook, Trott etc (No wonder Pietersen felt left out)? Surely an indication that supremacy is once again due?”
I’m going to say yes and leave it at that.
Chris Lintott is in Paris and needs furnishing…
“Looking forward to this as a Somerset fan who has enjoyed the rise of Rew (and we’ll claim the very likeable cricket badger Baker too). Unfortunately I find myself in a shared office in the suburbs of Paris. Anyone got the overseas TMS link?”
England win the toss and choose to bowl first
If the blazer fits… Joe Root tosses the coin and Tom Latham calls… incorrectly. A cheer goes up around the Oval as Root confirms he’s going to unleash his green pace attack.
“I want to make first use of this surface. I think it’s a great opportunity for our attack to get out there and carry on the great work we did last week” he says.
“It’s probably a bit tighter than it was!” he says of the blazer.
“Tired and blue blazered, fill yourself with… pound coins”
There has of course been all sorts written about ‘the situation’ in the last week. Some good, some bad and some downright ludicrous.
I tried to articulate my own thoughts here. By way of Albert Camus. I know. La-di-dah.
There’s a funny bit at the end of the 2022 Ben Stokes documentary Phoenix From The Ashes where host and self-confessed cricket obsessive Sam Mendes quotes Albert Camus to a nonplussed Stokes.
After a confusing but good-natured knockabout on some tatty astroturf on the outfield, both men stand on the balcony of Stokes’ boyhood club, Cockermouth CC, as Mendes paraphrases the Nobel Prize-winning philosopher. Pre-empting the quote by explaining to Stokes that it is one that he himself has found meaningful in the context of a life spent writing and directing film and theatre.
‘A man’s work is nothing but the slow trek to rediscover those one or two great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.’
Stokes stares at Mendes for a second, and then with perfect timing punctures the lofty atmosphere that has momentarily descended.
‘I’ve got no idea what you just said,’ he says with a small smile. ‘Cut that.’”
The sun is out now at the Oval, we’ll have the toss in ten minutes.
Just enough time to read this from Andy Bull, the piece to read on the Stokes farrago for mine.
The problem here isn’t so much that Stokes broke a curfew. It’s that to begin with, England’s management decided to set one. This Cinderella rule was brought in so they could be seen to be doing something after their own bad management during England’s winter tour, in particular their failed attempt to cover up that situation with Brook, and their decision to send the players away for four nights of rest and recuperation in Noosa, a place best known for its beach, bars, and craft beer scene. This England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) regime may be the first in history whose biggest failing seems to have been that they could organise a piss-up in a brewery.”
“Shout out to Sky” emails a B Murdoch emails John Plunkett. “Surely the first time the same player has got the most caps, most runs, most wickets and most catches in the same team. Guess three out of four on a fair few occasions, but maybe never the full house?
Also has one player ever had so many caps compared to the other 10 players?”
Remarkable isn’t it? Fancy another cortex tickler? Joe Root is the only player playing in this Test match who played in the first Test under McCullum back in 2022.
I interviewed Joe before the first Test. Pure class.
Another exciting debutant in this match is Sonny Baker. England have been comparing his speed through the air to Mark Wood, I see a certain amount of Darren Gough in him too, not least in his ebullient, almost puppyish enthusiasm for bowling.
Taha did a nice interview with him a while back:
“What does Rehan Ahmed need to do to get in this team?” ask Ian Batch. “I thought he’d be an ideal replacement for Stokes. Instead, we’re playing a specialist batsman at 7? Why pick Bashir at Lord’s but no spinner here when the Oval has been flat this year?
I get it’s been a chaotic mess since Lord’s but Baz/captain selections to me have been baffling since he took over. Anyway, here’s hoping we get 5 good days of cricket. I’ve optimistically bought a day 3 ticket, madness!”
They definitely like Rehan and I fancy we might see him later in the summer on a drier wicket. Surrey have’t been playing a spinner here at the Oval and despite the weather being set to heat up England want to bolster their batting and feel like they can get overs of spin out of Root and Bethell.
Jordan Cox is a hugely exciting talent to have coming in at seven, he’s in electric knick too.
Hard to know how to feel after the last week but despite everything that has happened there is a real buzz at the Oval, debutants always have that effect and England have three of them. They are also fielding their most inexperienced bowling attack for two decades.
Joe Root is out in the middle with his pads on chatting away to Michael Vaughan and Brendon McCullum. He spoke really well yesterday:
The slightly annoying news is that it has been mizzling here in South London and the covers were all the way across the square when I arrived half an hour ago. The tentatively better news is that it is brightening up and the groundstaff are dragging off the tarpaulins as I type. We should still get the toss in about fifteen minutes.
Scratch that, the man on the tannoy announces that the toss has been delayed until 11am.
Preamble
James Wallace
Gus Atkinson flattened… Matt Henry’s middle stump. Lord’s witnesses England’s first Test win since the crapshoot in Melbourne just after Christmas. Is this another reset? Maybe, maybe not. There’s a nagging feeling it is more a re-emphasis of the end. The following day the text comes though, Stokes and Atkinson, drinks taken, curfew broken, punches thrown. Shock, confusion, despair. Both men dropped. Investigation pending. Cricket regulator, rugby players, Rex Rooms. Stokes sacked? Stokes retired? Stokes silent. Rob Key talks, Stokes not backed, prohibition mooted. Harry Brook as captain? After Wellington? Not likely. Joe Root digs his old blazer out of the garage. It’s crumpled but still fits. Of course it is Rooty, there’ll always be Rooty, won’t there? McCullum speaks, he’s worried about Ben. We all are. Come on. We can’t lose Stokes, over this? We still might lose Stokes over this. Ollie Robinson scan, Ollie Robinson out. Injured again. Bad luck or bad conditioning. Or both? Kane Williamson retires? Not now Kane! Well played Kane. A World Cup starts. Not that one. Edgbaston, are they… singing witches? Why not. A win and a Wyatt-Hodge ton. Distraction from the distraction. Then back. Jofra back, Matthew Fisher back. Debuts for Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox. Jamie Smith swaps his gloves for nappies. Debut for James Rew. Five changes, three debutants. New captain, old captain. 1-0. Remember? The Oval. Deep breath. On we go.
Welcome to the fever dream that is English cricket.
Welcome to the Guardian’s OBO. Play begins at 11am.
Wonder what we’ll talk about until then?
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
Source link
Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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