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Barry Richards has some advice for Stiaan van Zyl.”He should bat at No. 3, where he is best.”He also has some advice for South Africa’s decision-makers.”If I was a selector, I would have selected Stephen Cook. He has had 10 years of producing some very good scores and been very consistent,” he said.Only one of the current selection panel was present to hear Richards’ thoughts at the New Year’s address after play on the third day but the message was clear. “You can’t manufacture opening batsman,” Richards said. “They either like it or they don’t like it and if you don’t like it, its very hard to be successful at it.”As an opening batsman himself, Richards would know. He would also be able to relate to why van Zyl felt compelled to try. “I can understand why Stiaan wants to bat there because there was no other place in the middle order,” Richards said. “He wanted to get into the Test side and he was asked ‘Will you open?’ and he said yes because he has got a pretty good technique. But I think it has worked against him. I would have preferred a Stephen Cook.”Cook may yet be added to South Africa’s squad, which will be announced at the conclusion of this Test match, for the next two Tests but, at 33, he would likely be a stop-gap, which has Richards worried about the country’s depth. “Long-term I think the cupboard is a little bare,” he said. “I don’t watch a lot of franchise cricket so I’m not sure who is knocking on the door but if there is a young player out there, there is an opportunity for him.”In a time of transition in South Africa’s Test squad, there have already been opportunities for bowlers – Kagiso Rabada is the most standout example but there is also Chris Morris, who made his debut at Newlands and Hardus Viljoen, who has been included in the squad. South Africa have a captain for each format and only Faf du Plessis really seems made for the job. AB de Villiers is over-burdened, sometimes with the gloves, sometimes with being the best batsman in the world – and prone to miscalculating the over rate – and Hashim Amla has been reluctant. In the last few weeks, he has been even more in the spotlight as results and his own rut got worse.After a good start to captaincy in which he won a series in Sri Lanka, a one-off Test in Zimbabwe and a series at home against West Indies, scoring a hundred and a double-hundred in his first four matches, Amla hit a slump. His next 13 innings yielded only one half-century and his last nine saw him dismissed in single-figures five times. South Africa lost four out of five matches, including three in India.Richards could sympathise with their fortunes in India and how they took their toll on Amla. “India had the best spinner on either side in Ashwin and he was always going to be the key. South Africa might not have prepared as well as they could have because I don’t think they even thought the wickets were going to be exactly like that,” he said. “Next time they go, they will be much more prepared about how you to go about it and the targets they set themselves as a team. Two hundred is a good target on wickets like that. Instead of playing the kind of cricket that Ben Stokes can play, you can’t do it on those sort of wickets, you’ve got to plan differently and set your targets lower.”With the lofty goal of winning a first series in India in 15 years and keeping their unbeaten run on the road (South Africa had gone nine years without a series defeat away from home), it appeared as though Amla’s anxieties over his ability to lead was bleeding into his batting and Richards noticed it. He also hoped for a return to better fortunes after Amla’s century – which swelled to 201 – against England in the ongoing Test.”He has to exclude what’s swirling around in the captaincy stakes while he is batting,” Richards said. “If he can do that, it’s going to be enormous for South Africa. I don’t think he is doing that at the moment. I think he worries about things that are happening from a captaincy point of view while he is batting and you can’t do that. Maybe this is the corner he has turned.”Whatever the outcome of the Newlands Test, Amla remains “on a learning curve” as a captain, according to Richards and may still need to confront the question of “whether he wants the job”.”I’m not close enough to the team to know whether he goes in afterwards and seeks people out to see where he can improve or is he saying to himself, ‘I don’t know if I want this, it’s affecting my batting’. And if we don’t know those answers, we don’t know how to plan for it. It is a decision Hashim will have to come up with himself. The most important thing for South Africa is for him to make runs, You can always get help in the field, you’ve got another ten guys around you but when you are out there batting, you’ve got to have your full focus on your batting.”

Ajit Wadekar at the start of what was to be a wretched tour © The Cricketer

The abysmal showing and the humiliating experiences of the Indianteam in England in 1974 brought back hideous memories of the 1936tour. On the field the visitors went down to heavy defeats; offthe field there were numerous seamy incidents making it arguablythe worst tour ever undertaken by an Indian team.Sunil Gavaskar put it all succinctly when he wrote in : “It was a totally disastrous series and the tour wasone of the worst I had made. There was no such thing as teamspirit. Instead there were a lot of petty squabbles that didn’tdo anybody any good. The many incidents that gave the team such abad name didn’t help. It was all extremely frustrating.”And yet when the team landed in England in April, there were noindications that the tour would end in such an unmitigateddisaster. The nucleus of the 1971 side seemed very much intact.The captain was still Ajit Wadekar, the spin quartet was at itpeak and the batting remained strong. Sure, the Indians would betouring in the wetter first half and not in the drier second halfas was the case in 1971. This was one factor reckoned to beagainst the visitors. But not even the most cynical Indiancricket follower could have bargained for what really happened.England won the first Test at Manchester by 113 runs. But the endcame in the 13th of the 20 mandatory overs so it was after a gamefight that India went down. But in the second Test at Lord’s,India touched an all time low. They conceded 629 runs, which wasthe highest England total at the game’s headquarters and thehighest by them against India. On the third day, India repliedwith 302. Following on, the Indian batting touched rock bottom.In just 77 minutes, they were bowled out for 42, their lowestever Test score and the lowest-ever total at Lord’s. The marginof defeat, an innings and 285 runs was the second biggest thatIndia have suffered. From one disaster the Indians stumbled on toanother.In the third Test at Birmingham, India went down by an inningsand 78 runs inside three days and after taking only two wickets.This was only the third time that a team was winning a Test afterlosing only two wickets, the earlier occasions being in 1924 and1958. To cricket fans who had seen their team pull off two greataway triumphs in the West Indies and England in 1971 and thenfollow it up by defeating England at home in 1972-73 it was toomuch to swallow. The batting had crumbled, the fielding hadwilted and the famed spinners had been mastered.As if the heavy defeats were not bad enough, stories of riftsbetween players and factions in the team made the rounds. Therewere also unsavoury incidents concerning the team at a partyhosted by the Indian High Commissioner in London. And around thistime, shiplifting charges were made out against Sudhir Naik.In India, the mood was predictably ugly and there were stories ofWadekar’s house being stoned and the 1971 Victory Bat, erected atIndore to commemorate the triumph three years before, beingdefaced. As it to symbolise the lack of team spirit and thefactionalism, the players came back in batches.Predictably enough, there were very few gains. Gavaskar, GundappaViswanath and Farookh Engineer did reasonably well under thecircumstances. Gavaskar’s 101 in bowler-friendly conditions atOld Trafford is considered to be among his greatest knocks.Generally, however, the batsmen came a cropper against theswinging ball, their technical limitations being exposed. EvenEknath Solkar, the eternal fighter, found it difficult to getruns, averaging less than 20 while Wadekar with 82 runs in sixinnings, was a total failure.The bowling too was a disaster with the spin quartet anything butmenacing. Compared to the 37 wickets that Bishan Bedi, BhagwatChandrasekhar and Sinivas Venkatraghavan took three years before,this time the four of them shared just 15 and at enormous cost.The tour results also showed the team in poor light. Out of 18matches, three were won, four lost and 11 drawn. The team alsolost both the one-day internationals at the end of the tourincidentally the first two such games that India played. Gavaskarlived up to his reputation by getting 993 runs at an average of41.37. Naik, Wadekar, Viswanath and Solkar all topped the 700-runmark. But for younger players like Brijesh Patel and Gopal Bose,the tour was a disaster.Bedi emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 53 but Chandra’stally fell from 50 in 1971 to 26 this time and Venkat’s declinewas even sharper 63 to 18. And all of them including Prasanna,were very expensive. Abid Ali’s all-round showing was a minorsilver lining.Against such weak-kneed opposition, England had a whale of a timein the Tests. Mike Denness got hundreds in successive Tests, JohnEdrich, Dennis Amiss, Keith Fletcher and Tony Greig also hitcenturies, David Lloyd hammered an unbeaten 214 in only hissecond Test and Geoff Arnold (4 for 19) and Chris Old (5 for 21)caused the debacle at Lord’s. The rout was total, complete andabsolute and there could not be any excuses for such a feebleshowing.

Scorecard

Flintoff showed no signs of the ankle injury which kept him out of England’s one-dayers against Sri Lanka © Getty Images

Andrew Flintoff made a lively and successful return to competitive cricket following his ankle injury, with three wickets in a brilliant spell of bowling to help Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire by seven wickets.Flintoff was cleared by the England management to play in two Twenty20 matches for Lancashire, and a Championship game on July 18 in order to regain match fitness ahead of the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford on July 27. And here today, at Old Trafford, he looked back to his fearsome best showing no signs of the ankle injury which kept him out of England’s one-day series against Sri Lanka.The greasy pitch at Manchester was tailor-made for Flintoff who, like a bulldog released from his kennel, roared into Leicestershire’s top-order who had no answer to his pace and bounce. Graeme Swann, opening the innings, feathered one which climbed disconcertingly towards his neck; Paul Franks fished without moving his feet and David Alleyne, stuck in his crease to counter the pace, trod on his stumps to give Flintoff figures of 3 for 4 from his three overs.Not to be outdone, Dominic Cork took the Man-of-the-Match award with a similarly excellent spell. Bowling into a stiff wind, he picked up 4 for 16. At one stage, Nottinghamshire were in the perilous position of 14 for 5 until David Hussey (30) and Gareth Clough rescued their innings somewhat to haul their side up to 91.It was never a total Lancashire could fear, though, and thanks to a powerful unbeaten 62 from Stuart Law, they were home by seven wickets with overs to spare.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Chaminda Vaas put in a sterling performance, topscoring with 49 and then picking up crucial wickets as West Indies struggled in the fading light © AFP

On a day dominated by the bowlers, West Indies had the upper hand for much of the first two sessions, but the Sri Lankans, spearheaded by the irrepressible Chaminda Vaas, fought back magnificently after tea to edge ahead after the second day at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Restricted to just 285 in their first innings, thanks to Sri Lanka’s effort with the second new ball, the West Indian fast bowlers hit back with a vengeance, dismissing the home team for just 227. But the onerous task of having to bat again under fading light against a marauding Vaas proved too much for West Indies’ inexperienced batsmen, and they struggled to 17 for 3, only 75 in front, before bad light mercifully ended their misery on a day in which as many as 17 wickets fell.The dominant player for Sri Lanka throughout the day was Vaas. He began West Indies’ first-innings slide early in the morning, propped up the Sri Lankan innings with an invaluable 49 – in the process ensuring that Sri Lanka’s last three wickets added 114 – and then returned to strike twice late in the evening to reduce West Indies to a shambles. In between, though, the West Indians had much the better of the exchanges.With so many of their top batsmen missing, bowling was always West Indies’ stronger suit in this game, and so it proved when Shivnarine Chanderpaul led his team out in the field about 40 minutes into the morning session. As had happened earlier this year in Guyana, when a depleted West Indian side dominated the South Africans thoroughly, the Sri Lankans quickly found that the match wasn’t quite the walk in the park many had expected it to be. All the Sri Lankan batsmen struggled to cope with the pace, bounce and movement extracted by the West Indian pace trio, especially Jermaine Lawson, who consistently clocked around 148kmph in his first spell.The slide started early, when Marvan Atapattu jammed at a well-directed yorker from Powell, but only managed to inside-edge the ball onto leg stump. Sanath Jayasuriya popped a catch to short leg, Mahela Jayawardene was all at sea before edging one to the slips, while Kumar Sangakkara, after mounting a brief counterattack, became Denesh Ramdin’s first victim (47 for 4).A 44-run stand between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thilan Samaraweera hinted at a fightback, but Banks struck for a second time, and when Samaraweera and Gayan Wijekoon fell to rank irresponsible shots, they had slid to 113 for 7, and West Indies’ total of 285 seemed a monumental one.Vaas then got to work, goading the lower order to stay with him and add vital runs. He started circumspectly, allowing Rangana Herath to do the bulk of the scoring in a 36-run eighth-wicket stand. When Herath was dismissed, West Indies could have been forgiven for thinking the end was near. Vaas had other ideas. With Muralitharan, he set about bringing a semblance of respectability to the total. Muralitharan started his innings in his usual carefree manner, but was soon playing some studied defensive strokes as Vaas coaxed runs out of him. Vaas himself played a splendidly calculated innings, striking the big hits when the fielders were in, and then settling for the ones and twos when the field was spread out. The 66-run stand reduced the deficit significantly, and it ensured that the Sri Lankans were in high spirits when they took the field.West Indies, having lost the initiative somewhat, threw it away completely in the last 30 minutes as Xavier Marshall, completely inept against the swinging ball, and Morton, both fell to Vaas’s inswingers. And when Sylvester Joseph was caught at silly point off Muralitharan, West Indies’ day had turned from promising to pear-shaped.Earlier, Vaas sparked West Indies’ collapse in the morning too, trapping Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw before he could add to his overnight 69. Removing the tail was a mere formality for Vaas and Lasith Malinga, who finished with well-deserved figures of 4 for 71. At that point, the stage was set for a Sri Lankan run-fest. As it transpired, a further 13 wickets fell before the day was done.How they were outWest Indies 1st innings
Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw b Vaas 69 (273 for 7)
Deceived by one which nipped back a shade and hit his back padDaren Powell c Jayawardene b Malinga 3 (276 for 8)
Edged an outswinger to third slipOmari Banks b Malinga 32 (281 for 9)
Defeated by a full delivery which swung late and took off stumpTino Best b Vaas 4 (285 all out)
Beaten comprehensively by an inswinging yorkerSri Lanka 1st innings
Marvan Atapattu b Powell 1 (4 for 1)
Jammed down on a yorker, but got an inside edge on to leg bailSanath Jayasuriya c Smith b Lawson 3 (7 for 2)
Got an inside edge onto pad, and the ball looped to short legMahela Jayawardene c Morton b Powell 3 (32 for 3)
Drove at a full delivery outside off and edged to second slipKumar Sangakkara c Ramdin b Banks 34 (47 for 4)
Got a thin edge while attempting a drive, giving Ramdin his first Test victimTillakaratne Dilshan c Smith b Banks 32 (91 for 5)
Prodded forward and offered a bat-pad catch to short legThilan Samaraweera c&b Lawson 11 (93 for 6)
Attempted to pull one from outside off, and top-edged a catch to the bowlerGayan Wijekoon c Joseph b Best 12 (113 for 7)
Slashed a drive off a wide ball and edged to third slipRangana Herath c Ramdin b Best 24 (149 for 8)
Edged a drive, and Ramdin brought off a spectacular catch diving in front of first slipChaminda Vaas b Smith 49 (215 for 9)
Got an inside edge while trying to driveMuttiah Muralitharan b Lawson 36 (227 all out)
Done in by a yorkerWest Indies 2nds innings
Xavier Marshall lbw b Vaas 2 (3 for 1)
Trapped in front by one which pitched on off and swung inRunako Morton lbw b Vaas 0 (3 for 2)
Another inswinging delivery, which had the batsman plumb in frontSylvester Joseph c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 2 (15 for 3)
Offered a straightforward bat-pad chance to silly point

Creagh O’Connor has been appointed as the deputy Chairman of Cricket Australia. The board had not had this position since 2001, but has recreated it to spread the strategic policy leadership load.O’Connor has held several important posts in the past, including that of director of Cricket Australia for seven years. Outside cricket, he is a director of a number of public and private companies.Speaking about the appointment, Bob Merriman, the chairman of the Australian board, said, “The directors felt it important to broaden our own team’s strategic issues leadership experience and Creagh O’Conner’s cricket administration and commercial experience stands him in good stead for this new role.”

Pace bowler Glenn McGrath is on his way back to the West Indies tore-join his Australian cricket team-mates after his cancer-stricken wifedeclared she wanted some normality back in her life.McGrath returned from Australia’s Caribbean tour after his wife Jane wasdiagnosed with secondary cancer in her hip earlier this month.The diagnosis relates to the breast cancer she fought in 1997, when sheendured six months of chemotherapy before being cleared of cancer inJune 1998.It was not originally known when or if McGrath would re-join the team inthe West Indies, with Australia taking a 1-0 lead in the four-Testseries.Australia is in a commanding position midway through the second Test asit tries to retain the Frank Worrell trophy.But McGrath’s decision to re-join the team came after a specialist saidhis wife’s condition was not as bad as first feared.She will still undergo radiation therapy but is expected to make a fullrecovery.McGrath said his wife wanted to get back to a normal routine and thatmeant her husband playing cricket.”She started treatment last week and that’s gone very well,” McGrathtold Channel Nine.”And Jane just wants a bit of normality back in her life and for her,that’s me playing cricket.”McGrath will available for selection for the third Test starting inBridgetown on May 1.

Roll the tape.A familiar rhythm, drumstick on cowbell, and then the organ riff thatinsinuated its way into many lives: Booker T and the MGs’ “Soul Limbo”.Ian Botham, Headingley 1981, driving imperiously and slashing deliveries over the slips. Cut to Bob Willis, staring, intent, focused,his right arm trailing behind him on that familiar curving run up tothe wicket, and watch as the hapless Ray Bright’s middle stumpcartwheels out of the ground, and the crowd boil over on to the pitchin jubilation.Edgbaston, two weeks later. Botham again, charging in to take thefinal wicket in an incredible spell, roaring his joy, brandishing a stump.On again to Old Trafford: a Saturday afternoon of total mayhem, as thescoreboard scurries to keep up with an onslaught from Botham asprecise, as technically perfect as the Headingley one was anything but.Then cut to Mike Brearley’s softly spoken acknowledgement of victory.Time passes.Hazier images: Kensington Oval, the West Indies visiting. The picturesare unclear, but the description is Brian Johnston’s, on a cracklingcar radio, as Phil Tufnell spins the West Indies out in the time ittakes to drive home, Richards’ stumping the catalyst for a processionback to the pavilion that had seemed unlikely not so long before.On to the Ashes, 1993. Atherton takes over for his first two Tests andthe final two of the series: again the radio tells the story as thereturning Fraser brings England victory, relayed, too, to distant,unknown names on CricInfo’s first home, the #cricket chat channel.Change the music: Sky have the coverage now, England’s story unfoldinglate at night, early in the morning, as time zones permit. The WestIndies – memories of 46 all out all too present: Tufnell wheeling awayto Chanderpaul for what seems like forever, that trademark step, skipand run, hair flopping into eyes, teasing him, coaxing him into afatal indiscretion; Alec Stewart’s centuries in a Bridgetown groundwith a crowd that sounds more like it’s The Oval; and then Caddick andTufnell bowling England to the unlikeliest of wins.Radio once more: nine wickets for Devon Malcolm in an inspiredspell to rout South Africa at the home of so many England victories,The Oval. Maybe someone should have hit him on the helmet more often.Back to the Ashes, and back to late nights in front of the TV: away inAustralia. Darren Gough warns Mark Nicholas ‘there’ll be fireworks’,and proceeds to blaze away at the Australian attack for a totallyunexpected (except maybe by Dazzler himself) half-century. Cut to BigDev, willow like a matchstick in his hands, depositing Shane Warne wayback over his head. And later in the series, Tuffers’ running catch,sheer joy, as England, Fraser, Malcolm, Caddick claim a victory,Charles Colville shouting himself hoarse for Sky TV.Sky takes us to Johannesburg. Atherton. Chanceless, resolute, thequintessential immoveable object, for a day and a half, to earn a drawthat must have tasted like defeat to the South Africans. Boycott, smugand certain on the radio, a Yorkshireman praising a Lancastrian afterhis own heart: “Tha’ll not get him out.”Dissolve now to 1997: the Ashes again. Edgbaston again, Gough andMalcolm charging in, Mark Taylor fishing and caught in the gully,Hussain and Thorpe batting on and on, and Stewart and Athertondeciding four days is plenty, and they’ll finish it tonight, thank youvery much, with overs to spare. To The Oval, where Caddick and Tufnellwipe away some of the pain of losing the Ashes on an amazing Saturday,as Graham Thorpe dives forward at mid off to cling on to the finalcatch. Cut to the Cat, fag in one hand, champagne bottle in the other,up on the balcony, absolutely drained.The memories are less hazy now, recent, bright. Stewart and Thorpetough it out on a Sabina Park wicket that keeps Wayne Morton on asemi-permanent shuttle run from dressing room to pitch, before,incredibly, Atherton is out in the middle and the game is calledoff. Butcher and Headley inch us to victory in Trinidad, nervesjangling.South Africa at home. Old Trafford. A follow-on we have to save: GusFraser, unlikely hero with the bat in an excruciatingly tense finalsession, described in words by CricInfo’s commentator. Another drawthat seems almost like a win. Onward, cutting again to TV images:Donald steaming in, an assault that Atherton responds to with thatfamilar, blank, almost insolent look back down the wicket; Donald’sfury at a dropped catch; Athers missing out on a century to make surewe win. Fast forward to Headingley: South Africa 27-5 on a sunnyafternoon, and then the roar that greets Gough and Fraser thefollowing morning: two wickets, and a home series win.Australia again: Dazzler’s joy at his hat-trick. Later in the tour,coming downstairs to breakfast in England to find, amazingly, anextended evening session in Australia that’s still going. Ramprakashpulling off a blinding catch at point, fists clenched in triumph,screaming “come ON!” at his tiring teammates. Stewart wanting to leavethe field, but Australia claiming the extra half-hour. Gough andHeadley almost out on their feet as the Aussies tumble.New music: Lou Bega, “Mambo Number 5”. And a new hero: Alex Tudor,nightwatchman, and almost-centurion, as Thorpe does his best to givehim the strike against New Zealand.Now it’s last summer, the memories and images still fresh. The huddle,after the West Indies are skittled out for next to nothing at Lord’s,Stewart emphasising every word with clenched fist. Gough playingAtherton to Cork’s Stewart on a sunny afternoon, the crowd chewingtheir nails as they inch closer and closer to victory. Up to Leeds,Caddick ripping the heart out of the West Indies with an incrediblespell, and then cut to the balcony at The Oval, champagne sprayfilling the air as Caddick, Hussain and Thorpe celelebrate with therest of the team.Change the music. The Barmy Army. “Jerusalem”.Winter, Pakistan. A run chase in the dark. Hicky and Thorpe can see itwell enough to nudge and nurdle ones and twos, and when Hick finallysuccumbs, it’s Nasser who charges down the wicket waving his bat likea madman as the winning run is scored. Jubilation in the pavilion,all except for Thorpe, alone with his thoughts.Cut again, to Sri Lanka: one down, two to play. Athers and Sangakarrahave words, fingers are pointed, and Nasser finally finds some form aswe bring the series level. On to Colombo, where Thorpe stays unbeatenin the match and shepherds England home for the third time in fourTests.Home. Lord’s. Pakistan are here for a two-Test series. Dazz has nevertaken five in an innings here, so badly wants his name on the board,cheered every time he takes his cap and makes his way down to longleg: his joy when he gets it is unconfined, greater even than thecelebrations when he gets his 200th Test wicket not so long later.These are my memories. There are others, darker. But these chase awaythose shadows.We can beat anyone. If we remember how.

With three weeks of the window left to go, Manchester United certainly aren’t finished in the transfer market just yet.

Having allegedly already agreed a fee, it’s a case of when rather than if the Red Devils get their deal over the line for Barcelona winger Pedro, as they seek to replace now-PSG star Angel Di Maria.

But the two biggest gaps in United’s squad – centre-back and centre-forward – are yet to be addressed and with every passing day it’s becoming increasingly unlikely they will.

Louis van Gaal wants the perfect centre-back; a ball-playing extraordinaire with world-class ability and the experience and leadership to orchestrate a predominantly youthful backline; but following snubs from Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels, there simply aren’t any defenders who fit that strict criteria left on the market.

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Likewise, the pool of attainable strikers befitting the standards at Old Trafford is only getting smaller and despite the sale of Robin van Persie to Fenerbahce, reports linking Man United with the world’s best – Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema or Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski, for example – haven’t exactly been forthcoming in recent weeks, as van Gaal continues to hype the netting prowess of the attacking options already at his disposal.

Without such additions, United’s Premier League title chances take a monumental hit. So to retain any hope of claiming the English crown this year, incredible, astronomical and career-defining campaigns are needed from two England internationals – Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney.

Smalling is a strong athlete and a very difficult defender to play against. His lanky, awkward and bony frame, and the manner he uses it to disrupt the flow of attackers, reminds me of Arsenal icon Martin Keown. The 25 year-old’s form is on an upward curve, following some brilliant performances against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City at the end of last season, and on Saturday he succeeded where many Premier League defences failed during the 2014/15 campaign in keeping Tottenham’s Harry Kane quiet.

But it’s not always been glowing reports for the former Fulham youngster and there are abundant limits to his game, particularly his quality on the ball and positional intelligence off it – which is why he found himself alongside the technically adept and tactically shrewd Daley Blind against Tottenham last weekend.

Whether we’re now seeing the real Smalling – the one that Sir Alex Ferguson once held under siege in the Craven Cottage car park until he agreed to sign for United – or whether he’s simply caught in a zeitgeist of good form, will come to light between now and May. On top of that, United need a leader at the back; not only through example but the ability to organise those around him; and becoming that figure will be integral to United’s title chances.

Likewise, despite Rooney’s almost unquantifiable all-round contribution to the United cause, we haven’t seen a truly world-class campaign from him since 2011/12, when the Red Devils skipper bagged 27 goals in the Premier League and 34 in all competitions. He’s spent a significant chunk of the intermittent period in midfield – at one point last season being deployed deeper than Marouane Fellaini and Ander  Herrera – and although there’s no question of his overall ability, it remains to be seen whether Rooney can turn those predatory instincts off and on at will.

And there’s a warning from history for van Gaal; those 27 goals proved insufficient as City instead claimed their first Premier League coronation that season, and the division’s summit has only become even more competitive since, with Arsenal awakening from their decade of dormancy towards the end of last season and Chelsea revitalised by the return of Jose Mourinho.

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Although firepower isn’t the be-all-and-end-all for a United side who recorded the fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League last season, the Red Devils’ goals for tally was the biggest difference between themselves and the rest of the top four; scoring nine less than Arsenal, eleven less than Chelsea and 21 less than City. Similarly, no side has claimed the English title without their top scorer netting in excess of 20 goals since 2009 – so recent history suggests Rooney will have to breach that barrier for only the third time in his career this season.

Although a twenty-goal campaign certainly isn’t beyond Rooney, it’s not guaranteed either. Likewise, Smalling must grow rather than wilt under the pressure of becoming LVG’s most consistent selection at the heart of defence. Should they rise to the challenge, United will have a better chance of winning the title than most will give them credit for come the close of the transfer window. But to actually claim it, the Red Devils will need unforgettable campaigns from both.

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShaun Marsh top scored in Australia’s chase•Getty Images

It lasted only three days, but Test cricket’s first match with a pink ball provided an electric finish. At 8.47pm on a Sunday, under floodlights, in front of 33,923 spectators, Australia squeezed out a victory over New Zealand that was far tenser than the one-sided World Cup final between the same countries, eight months ago to the day. Chasing 187, Australia eked out their last two runs through Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc, who could barely jog given the stress fracture in his foot.The three-wicket win was confirmed as Siddle punched one past point off Tim Southee, Starc hobbling through to give Australia a 2-0 win in the series. By the end, New Zealand had six slips; it was all or nothing for Brendon McCullum’s men, a five-wicket haul from Trent Boult having given them a chance. For a while Australia were doing it easier, but a couple of late wickets brought the Test back to life.Shaun Marsh steered Australia to within 11 of their goal but when he edged to slip for 49 off Boult, New Zealand had a sniff. In Boult’s next over he claimed Peter Nevill, whose inside edge was snapped up sharply by BJ Watling. Australia still needed two, and surprisingly Starc limped to the crease ahead of Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. A Siddle straight drive off Southee crashed into the stumps at the bowler’s end, adding to the tension, before the winning runs came.It was a breathless end to an experimental match, and there will certainly be more day-night Tests in future. The match crowd of 123,736 was an all-time Adelaide Oval record for a non-Ashes Test, despite the fact that the game lasted only three days. The low scores were more the result of batsmen failing to knuckle down than of the pink ball doing anything untoward; in all four innings the ball held its colour well, and there was appropriate swing and seam movement.The longest individual innings of the Test was the 117-ball effort of Shaun Marsh in Australia’s chase. He walked to the crease hoping the result of this match was in his hands, and certain that his own Test future was. At 32, on his sixth chance at Test cricket, and having been run out for 2 in the first innings, this was it. Australia’s captain and vice-captain had just departed. New Zealand had the momentum. At 3 for 66, Australia needed 121 more runs.New Zealand confidently appealed for an lbw from Marsh’s first ball but he had managed an inside edge on to his pad off Boult. His start might have been nervy but he survived. Marsh began to find a few runs here and there, helped along by a short one from Mark Craig that was cut to the boundary. His confidence grew, as did his calm. A 49-run stand with Adam Voges steadied Australia, until Boult induced an edge to slip from Voges on 28.The Marsh brothers then found themselves batting together for Australia for the first time in any format. What a time for it to happen. Mitchell Marsh survived some shaky moments and the brothers put on 46, pushing Australia to within sight of the win. For a while it looked as if they were going to be together to score the winning runs in a Test; Steve and Mark Waugh batted together 73 times in Test cricket but managed that achievement only once.However, Mitchell became overconfident after lifting Mitchell Santner for a six, and next ball holed out to mid-on for 28 trying another lusty blow. It looked like Shaun would have to get Australia home on his own, but his edge off Boult sent palpitations through both camps. In the end, New Zealand just hadn’t set Australia quite enough, despite the low-scoring nature of the match.The bowlers at least made Australia work hard for it, Boult especially asking more questions of them than a TV quiz show host. Boult led the attack outstandingly, swinging the ball in to trap Joe Burns lbw for 11 and then adding Steven Smith in a similar manner for 14. Just before Smith fell, David Warner’s streaky innings ended when he edged to slip off Doug Bracewell for 35. Australia lost their first three wickets for 66, but the rest of the order did just enough.They could thank Hazlewood for ensuring the target was gettable. His career-best 6 for 70 – and nine wickets for the Test – made him Man of the Match, and he stepped up as leader of the attack in the absence of the injured Starc. New Zealand added 92 to their overnight total for the loss of their last five wickets, three of which were claimed by Hazlewood.He started the day by having Watling caught at second slip without adding to his overnight score of 7, but Australia’s hopes of a swift end to the innings were dashed by debutant Mitchell Santner. He top scored with 45 and looked confident throughout his innings, striking five fours and one six, and compiling useful partnerships with both Craig and Bracewell.Craig managed 15 before he gave Hazlewood a five-for by edging behind and Santner looked set for a half-century when he lofted Lyon over long-on for a six that took him to 45. However, Lyon outfoxed him two deliveries later, dragging his length back to turn one past the advancing Santner, who was stumped. In spite of the rush of blood – and of a dropped catch later in the day when Smith skied one to midwicket – Santner’s debut was impressive.Southee holed out for 13 off Mitchell Marsh and Bracewell was left unbeaten on 27 when Hazlewood ended the innings by bowling Boult just before tea. It meant Australia faced a tricky chase and would have to bat in the swinging evening conditions but they were good enough – just. And a memorable end to Test cricket’s first day-nighter was set to play out.