Jamie Redknapp has called on Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson to step up and cement their roles as England’s top two central midfield players.
The Arsenal and Liverpool pair are expected to start tonight’s game against Norway in Roy Hodgson’s engine room, with the Three Lions coach short on options in the position.
With captain Steven Gerrard and experienced Manchester City ace Frank Lampard having retired and Michael Carrick and Ross Barkley missing through injury, England’s choices in the area are limited, with newbies such as Fabian Delph in the squad highlighting a lack of depth.
Redknapp believes that it’s time for Henderson and Wilshere to seize the chance and really put themselves forward at the future of the country’s midfield:
“At the moment we haven’t got a great deal of options,” he told Sky Sports.
“Jack Wilshere has taken a lot of criticism from certain quarters because we expect so much of him. When he broke into the team as a young man he looked like he was going to set the world alight.
“Things haven’t gone perhaps to plan. He has had a lot of injuries, but started the season ok and had his best game in an Arsenal shirt in a long while against Beskitas. He ran that game, dominated midfield, ran, broke, passed, played one-twos around the box and that’s exactly what we expect from him.
“Jordan Henderson, on the other hand, has been in really good form for a long while. International football is a different set-up altogether for him and I think he’s got to grow into that.
“He has tremendous energy and in the Premier League he is one of the best midfielders; I think it’s important he takes that to the international stage. I genuinely believe he can.
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“We haven’t got a lot of options apart from that. Fabian Delph is in there and is a young man and a good footballer, but we do need to be producing more central midfield players.”
England’s clash with Norway is seen as a warm-up to their EURO 2016 qualifier against Switzerland in a few days’ time.
Kevin Nolan has labelled his goal scoring return to Newcastle as the ‘perfect scenario’ following West Ham’s 1-0 win yesterday.
The midfielder joined the Hammers from the Magpies at the beginning of last season and marked his first game back on Tyneside with the winner, giving Sam Allardyce’s side their first win at St. James’ Park for 14 years and lifting them to sixth in the Premier League.
And the West Ham captain, who refused to celebrate his goal, has admitted it was an emotional return to the place he once called ‘home.’
He told West Ham’s official site: “It was the perfect scenario for me, of course.
“It was quite emotional when I did score a goal because I had a little moment just after it. I was never going to celebrate and I never will [against Newcastle].
“I am just delighted for us because we got the three points and it moves us further up the table and it keeps us in the mix.”
Nolan also paid tribute to the Newcastle fans who applauded his return before, during and after the clash on Sunday afternoon.
“I was a bit emotional because the reception they gave me was unbelievable. I had a fantastic time here,” he admitted.
“I would like to thank the Newcastle fans for the fantastic support they gave me while I was here and for the reception they gave me on Sunday.
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“Obviously I could not have asked to have gone to a better club than West Ham for the following we have got and the commitment they have shown, so I’m delighted to be at another wonderful club. Hopefully I can do as well for them as I did up here.”
Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard appear to be friends as well as teammates, having emerged through the Manchester United youth setup at the same time.
The pair both annoy the more old-school football fan to a similar degree due to their confident personas, on-pitch dancing and large social media presence with the strength of feeling exacerbated by their wages being paid by a currently underperforming club.
However, their footballing journeys to this point have been markedly different. Pogba, along with Ravel Morrison, was identified early on at United as a player with all the natural talent to make it to the top.
The Frenchman developed earlier and was more impatient, moving to Juventus aged just 19 in 2012, having demanded greater first-team opportunities.
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He was justified in deciding to leave having watched Park ji-Sung and Rafael toil in central midfield in a 3-2 home defeat to Blackburn and his career went from strength to strength in Serie A with Juventus.
Yet, in the four years was Pogba away was winning four Serie As and making the 2015 Champions League final, Lingard was toiling away at United, forced to remain hungry and patient, trusting that he would come good and step off the carousel of loans – Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby – to become a regular for club and country.
It took until 2015/16, the year before Pogba returned to United as the most expensive player in the world, for Lingard to break into the team at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal, adding pace and vigour to a pedestrian team and scoring the winner in the FA Cup final.
Soccer Football – World Cup – Group G – England vs Panama – Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – June 24, 2018 England’s Jesse Lingard scores their third goal REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Now valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, when England manager Gareth Southgate decides which key players should be rested for his side’s final Group G game against Belgium, Lingard should be viewed just as important as anyone, bar Harry Kane.
By contrast, Pogba has come into his second World Cup on the back of yet another season of constant debate over his best position and his worth to Jose Mourinho’s United side and underperformed for a disappointing France side.
A recent poll saw 73% of Les Bleus fans call for Pogba to be dropped. He has become a genuine global superstar, under intense scrutiny but he is failing to embrace that pressure on the pitch.
Lingard takes the joy he shows off the pitch onto the field as well and looks to be enjoying this World Cup as much as anyone, which could lead to further rewards upon his return to club football at United.
Pogba’s favoured position is on the left of a three-man midfield, and that is the exact role that Lingard switched to and shone in as England swept aside Panama 6-1, scoring the pick of the bunch with a curling first-half strike.
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It helps Lingard that England’s 3-1-4-2 is more flowing than United’s 4-3-3, but his mini-reinvention poses an interesting tactical dilemma for Mourinho.
Lingard is playing in Pogba’s favourite position and playing better than him in it. The Englishman could not be putting forward a stronger claim to take his good friend’s starting spot at Old Trafford.
Mourinho reportedly wants warriors, who have the personality to fight for everything, and judging Lingard and Pogba on that metric, there is only going to be one winner.
The first piece of silverware for the 2017/18 season is up for grabs this Sunday as Arsenal and Manchester City prepare for the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Pep Guardiola’s side inevitably enter the 4.30pm kickoff as the favourites having obliterated almost everything in their path this season, but the Gunners will take comfort from their impressive recent record at the home of English football, and the fact City’s seeming invulnerability took a significant hit on Monday night as third-tier Wigan eliminated them from the FA Cup.
So, can Arsenal pull off something of an upset, or will the Carabao Cup become the first trophy of Guardiola’s immaculate City project? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s heavyweight clash…
Route to the final
Manchester City managed to avoid the Premier League’s big six before encountering Arsenal on Sunday but their route to the final has been far from straight forward.
Wins over Championship side Wolves and Leicester City both required penalty shootouts, while Bristol City gave City perhaps the biggest test they’ve had at the Etihad Stadium this season and were essentially only spared a shock exit by stoppage time goals in each leg. Curiously, City are yet to win any Carabao Cup match this season by more than one goal.
Arsenal’s semi-final double-legger with Chelsea represents the biggest challenge either finalist have faced in the Carabao Cup this season. Both were edgy encounters and the semi-final was essentially settled by two scrappy Arsenal goals at the Emirates Stadium.
That being said, Arsenal have also faced the most modest challenge of either finalist – a home tie with League One’s Doncaster. Additionally, while City’s route to the final has involved three away games, the first leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge was the Gunners’ only Carabao Cup outing on the road.
Form Guide
There’s no doubt Manchester City have produced the more consistent form leading up to Sunday’s final, winning four and drawing one of their last six outings – that draw being at Turf Moor where Burnley always give their opponents a game – while scoring more goals and keeping more clean sheets than the Gunners.
However, Sean Dyche’s side represent the toughest opponents City have faced during that time, whereas Arsenal have encountered Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final and Tottenham in the Premier League.
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Likewise, for whatever doubts might linger over City after losing to Wigan, Arsenal enter the Wembley clash on equally suspect terms having narrowly avoided a shock comeback from Ostersund in the Europa League on Thursday night.
What will concern the Gunners most though, is the form of Sergio Aguero, who has netted six times in City’s last six fixtures, especially in light of the fact Arsenal have managed just one clean sheet during their last six.
Team News
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan cup-tied for Sunday’s clash, having represented Manchester United in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, Arsene Wenger will have to re-jig his attacking personnel this weekend, although we’re expecting the structure of the team to stay largely the same from the north London derby, with the Gunners deploying three in midfield and Mesut Ozil on the right-hand side.
It’s essentially a tossup between Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi for the left wing berth, but the latter appears likelier after being taken off early on Thursday night.
All in all, Arsenal look set to make seven changes from the side that lost to Ostersund, with David Ospina, Jack Wilshere, Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny and Iwobi expected to keep their places in the side despite struggling to impress against the Swiss outfit.
While most of Manchester City’s starting XI picks itself at this point in the season, particularly the midfield, there are still a few points of contention.
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For starters, it’s unclear whether Raheem Sterling has recovered from a muscular problem to start on Sunday and with Guardiola privy to a more than capable alternative in Bernado Silva, it’s likely City won’t risk the England international from the start – he may have to settle for a role from the bench.
But the real selection dilemmas for Guardiola come in defence, particularly left-back with Benjamin Mendy still injured and Fabian Delph suspended after being sent off against Wigan.
The likelihood is that he’ll opt with the experience of Danilo over Oleksandr Zinchenko’s youthful creativity, and we believe that will be a common theme throughout the backline – with Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi coming in for John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
Don Hutchinson has called on his old side Sunderland to pull out of their potential £14m move for Liverpool’s Fabio Borini.
The Italy international has been linked with a big money switch to the Stadium of Light in recent weeks after impressing while on loan there last season.
Borini was expected to have a future at Anfield with Champions League now a factor for the Reds, but Brendan Rodgers’ side have shown a willingness to offload him by accepting an offer from the North East outfit.
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However the player himself is reluctant to leave Merseyside, and Gus Poyet wants a final decision made by quickly as he plans other transfer dealings.
Although he enjoyed Borini’s performances in the red and white shirt, Hutchinson believes that it may be a blessing in disguise for Sunderland if the deal falls through:
“He’s a good player and he made a big difference for Sunderland in some really big matches last season, but I look at the valuation that Liverpool have attached to him and I’m really not sure about it,” he wrote in his column for The Journal.
“Fourteen million pounds is a lot of money to spend, and I think if the move doesn’t go through Sunderland will have dodged a bit of a bullet.
“Borini can play to the left of a striker or to the right, and he will probably go on to get you double figures next season – just. I don’t think he’s a really prolific striker who Gus Poyet can hang his hat on, and for £14M Sunderland might be asking themselves whether they can get a bit better.
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“Is Borini half of a Lukaku? I don’t know about that, but they’re both players coming through. It’s a gamble for Sunderland to go and spend that kind of money on someone like Borini.”
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A more precise game isn’t more beautiful. Mistakes keep the sport exciting, be they in a pub match or a World Cup final.
Opposing goal-line technology appears, on the face of it, to be a fool’s errand. Who doesn’t want referees to make the right decisions? Which English football supporter, remembering Frank Lampard’s wrongly disallowed goal against Germany in the last World Cup, wouldn’t dream that maybe the national team might have avoided ignominious defeat had that goal been allowed?
Football fans, however, should be careful what they wish for. The drive to GLT is not the result of a desire for fairness and accuracy. Instead the words its proponents routinely invoke when demanding its introduction are: “With so much at stake …” By which they mean, with the rewards for success and the costs of failure at top-level football so immense, human error is unacceptable.
Why so? The beauty of football is that every officially sanctioned game is the same. The pitch must be of a size conforming to the strictures of the laws of the game; the goals are the same size regardless of the teams; the officials apply the same laws, whether it’s a World Cup final or a Sunday league game between two pub teams. GLT will destroy this thread of consistency running through the game: economics dictates that cameras (and officials to study their pictures) will become too expensive only a little way down football’s pyramid. The park players on a weekend morning will be playing a different game to the professionals in the afternoon. Indeed, most of the professionals will be playing a different game to the elite few at the very top level, which is where GLT will likely find its home. And once GLT is in place, the demands will begin for further technological aids – to decide offsides, penalties and so on.
The only logical way for the referee to maintain his authority and work with technology is for technology to be applied to every element of the game. Then he can be tucked up in an office somewhere in the stadium with a load of blinking screens analysing every blade of grass, every tugged shirt and every sleight of hand. With all this information available to him, he’ll be top dog, free to interpret every subtle nuance in line with the Laws of the Game. He’d need an assistant on the pitch to actually enact his decisions, and there’d be lots of pauses to double-check possible offsides, bad tackles, handballs etc.; but so be it.
For me, and for many other fans, one of the beauties of football is its imperfection. Your favourite player might be capable of beating six opponents then calmly sidefooting the ball wide of the target. Your goalkeeper might make a wonder save then inexplicably throw the ball to the other side’s centre-forward. And it is the very same with referees and their assistants: most of the game they get everything right, but then – to the bafflement and anger of 30,000 people – they’ll make a decision so wrong it beggars belief. And you know what? I’m fine with that. It is a reminder that we are all but human, and our lives are littered with errors.
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The imperfect, in fact, is celebrated above all else in football. Players and managers cut deep with flaws are celebrated above the metronomes who do their job without incident. That’s why we still talk about Diego Maradona and Eric Cantona or Pele. It’s why one of the best-known TV clips, from the 1970 World Cup, shows Pelé missing a goal, not scoring. It’s why people watch compilations of terrible mistakes.
More to the point, though, disputes make football more exciting. Where commentators view an on-pitch fight and pompously declare “No one wants to see scenes like that”, fans see the same thing and bellow their approval. Equally, everyone who’s ever crowded into a stadium knows the up-swell of anger and adrenalin that follows a horrible call by the referee. They know the way the atmosphere picks up, the way voices rise, the way the fans exhort the team on to greater heights to compensate for the perfidy of officialdom – until 20,000 people are singing “You don’t know what you’re doing” at the referee. Those moments, when passion becomes uncontainable, are exactly what makes football great. Why on earth would anyone want to take them away from the game?
Rapid rise continues for former allrounder as he takes charge of England’s second tier
Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Sep-2024Andrew Flintoff’s rise through the coaching ranks continues after he was announced as the new England men’s Lions head coach.Flintoff, who played 79 Tests for England, will begin his new role in October, leading the Lions to South Africa before Christmas, then to Australia in January for a red-ball tour that will act as a fact-finding mission ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes. Next summer, the Lions will also host India A and Zimbabwe. Flintoff will be involved in performance planning, player development reviews with counties, team selection and player appraisals, and will combine this with his existing role as head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Men’s Hundred.The role will be Flintoff’s most demanding since returning to cricket in 2023, when he re-emerged to public life following a horrific car crash while filming an episode ofin December 2022. The 46-year-old talked openly about this challenging period of his life in the second series of his BBC documentary, , which aired its final episode on Tuesday.With the help of close friend and men’s managing director Rob Key, Flintoff has assumed several consultancy roles with the national team and went on to work as an assistant coach during the 2023 tour of the Caribbean and the T20 World Cup. He is currently on the staff for the third Test against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval and presented Josh Hull with his maiden Test cap on Friday morning.Related
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This summer, Flintoff was appointed head coach of Northern Superchargers, who narrowly missed out on a top-three finish in the men’s Hundred on Net Run Rate. The fact that he had been fast-tracked for a high-profile job that had not been publicly advertised, however, raised awkward questions about the ECB’s recruitment processes. In a statement released on Saturday regarding the Lions head coach role, which was advertised, the ECB stated: “Flintoff emerged as the standout candidate from a pool of high-calibre applicants.””I’m incredibly excited to take on this role with the England Lions,” Flintoff said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best up-and-coming talent in the country and to help shape the future of the men’s game. The Lions programme has always been a vital stepping stone for players pushing for international success, and I’m honoured to be part of that journey.”The future of the game in England is in excellent health. There is a wealth of talent emerging, and I’m looking forward to helping these players reach their full potential. Whether these players are pushing for England selection or finding their feet in Lions cricket, I have no doubt that the Lions programme will offer a real point of difference in their development. It’s an exciting time for English cricket, and I’m passionate about inspiring the next generation to take the sport forward. We’ve got a strong foundation, and I believe we can create something truly special.”ECB men’s performance director Ed Barney said: “We are thrilled to welcome Andrew Flintoff into this key role. Andrew stood out thanks to his inspirational leadership, coaching expertise, and deep understanding of the game. His vision aligns very closely with the playing style and identity that has been fostered with England Men under Brendon McCullum and this appointment contributes to a truly exciting outlook for the future of English cricket.”The England Lions programme is a cornerstone of our cricketing structure, playing a critical role in nurturing the next generation of talent. With Andrew’s guidance, the highest potential players will continue to develop, thrive and take their game to new levels. I’m confident his influence will resonate across English cricket, helping drive the game forward.”
Allrounder warns that tourists have yet to produce “complete performance” on tour
Valkerie Baynes17-Jul-2023Australia have rediscovered their mojo, but simply retaining the Ashes is not enough for a world-beating side who have been pushed to their limits by England.The hosts can make it victories in two white-ball series from two if they clinch the final ODI in Taunton on Tuesday, although the best they can do points-wise is to move to equal with Australia on eight, which will mean the overall contest is a draw and the tourists still heading home with the Ashes. Ellyse Perry, whose innings of 91 set Australia up to break a three-game losing streak in the second ODI in Southampton, said that wouldn’t do.”That last game in Taunton is really important to us because I think a few of us have been involved in campaigns where we’ve retained the Ashes, but it’s always nice to win the Ashes so it’s a good challenge for us,” Perry said on Sunday. “It’s the last game so everyone has that in their sights.Related
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“We’ve also probably been chasing a complete performance from the group and that hasn’t come yet. We’ve played patches of really good cricket and today, the way that we fought the whole way through and wrestled back momentum at different stages is one of our better outings on this trip, but I think there’s still a really great opportunity for us to play to our potential. That’s a great carrot and, as I said, to win the Ashes rather than retain them.”In a quick turnaround of just over 48 hours between matches, both sides must overcome the emotion of playing through another nerve-jangling finish after Australia won by three runs on the final ball at the Ageas Bowl, Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten century taking England to the brink of another victory that would have kept the series alive.The closeness of the contest was in keeping with the entire series, which has been hard-fought throughout, and Heather Knight, the England captain, said afterwards that victory in the final match would prove there was no longer “a gap” between the sides. Meanwhile, Alana King, the legspinner who turned the game Australia’s way with three key wickets, believes her side is still some distance ahead and keen to show it in Taunton. But Perry has a more nuanced view.”I actually have probably a slightly different look on the gap,” she said. “If you look across the last four or five years, we’ve had lots of really, really close games against different opponents, whether that’s been India or England, New Zealand at times, South Africa. But I think something that probably has been key to those last few years has been the consistency of our play and the ability to find ways to win lots of matches.”So I don’t know if there’s always been a huge gap. I think teams are certainly finding different ways of playing and improving and I think that’s no different for us, so we’ve got to keep evolving and keep improving. But, in terms of gap, I think it’s just that we’ve been really consistent and England have played some really consistent cricket this series so it’s pushed us often and I think we’ve pushed them as well. Hence why it’s been so tight.”Ellyse Perry proved the difference in a tight Southampton ODI•Getty Images
Amy Jones, the England wicketkeeper-batter, first mooted the idea that England were closing on Australia during this series after her explosive innings of 40 not out from 21 balls lifted her side to a respectable total in the first T20I at Edgbaston before the visitors managed to scrape past them by four wickets with just one ball remaining. That was a turning point for the hosts, who went on to win the next three games to claim honours in the T20 leg 2-1 and take a 1-0 lead in the ODIs, as it was the catalyst for England to play with the confidence of a side that knew their opponents were beatable.Australia, in the unfamiliar position of losing a string of close encounters, were forced to change things up and they opted for a four-pronged spin attack for the Ageas Bowl.King, who hadn’t played since Australia’s victory in the Test which opened the series, claimed 3 for 44 while offspinner Ashleigh Gardner – who bagged 12 wickets in the Test – took 3 for 54 and bowled a tight penultimate over before left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen reprised her role of ice-cool death bowler with great success for the third time in four ODIs against England. Jonassen had bowled the last over during the group stage and in the final of last year’s 50-over World Cup, with Sciver-Brunt also scoring a century in each of those games. At Bristol last Wednesday, Knight and Kate Cross managed to get one up on Jonassen as they guided England to victory with 11 balls to spare.Georgia Wareham was their other spinner in Southampton, taking 1 for 47 from her 10 overs, but it was her unbeaten 37 off 14 balls, including 26 runs off Lauren Bell in the final over of Australia’s innings that lifted the total to 282 for 7, asking England to produce their second record ODI run chase in as many matches to win.”It was really deliberate selection decision for us to have the four spinners in the team and they did an amazing job,” Perry said. “For Alana to come in and play a first white-ball game of the series and perform the way she did, Georgia’s been consistent the whole way, Ash is so dependable and then JJ closing out – I’ve just named four of the best spinners in the world there, which is amazing to have at our disposal.”I think what our spinners have done really well is just built constant pressure. I think from a pace group, and it’s something that we’ll keep working on and it presents a really awesome opportunity for us to take our game to a new level, is just to be able to build that consistent pressure. We’ve bowled well in patches at times but often let players off the hook and with England’s aggressive approach to that, especially at the start of their innings, that’s kind of got away from us at different points in time.”That’s why the spin has been so effective, the ability to maintain pressure throughout an over and a spell, and then that’s picked up wickets. As I said ,I think the pace group’s probably been off at different times, but that’s a really exciting thing because if we can get that right then I think there’s a complete game of cricket in us.”
Openers add 287 for first wicket after Will Rhodes’ surprising decision to bowl first
ECB Reporters Network12-May-2022Ricardo Vasconcelos and Will Young racked up a record opening stand after Northamptonshire were put in by Warwickshire in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.The openers stayed together until after tea to add 287 in 64.2 overs and lift their side towards a commanding 372 for two at the close of the first day.Vasconcelos, whose previous seven innings this season had yielded a combined 90 runs, stroked 156 (197 balls, 21 fours, two sixes) before falling to the second ball after tea. New Zealand batter Young scored a polished 134 (230 balls, 16 fours, two sixes), his 13th first class century and first for Northamptonshire.All that Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes could do was rotate his depleted bowling attack and rue his decision to insert. That was a surprising move, especially given that pace spearhead Liam Norwell was again ruled out by injury, so joined England seamers Chris Woakes and Olly Stone on the sidelines.Against a weakened bowling attack, on an excellent batting pitch, Northamptonshire made hay while Rhodes could only digest his ill-fortune in winning the toss.It was soon apparent that the pitch was very good for batting and, to Warwickshire’s dismay, the hazy conditions offered no swing. Olly Hannon-Dalby delivered his customary fine new ball spell (5-4-1-0) but runs then began to arrive steadily.Northamptonshire were on 119, with both batsmen on 51, at lunch, before Vasconcelos accelerated to take them to 287 at tea. The 24-year-old’s first 50 having come from 81 balls, his second took 59 and his third just 53. Young, meanwhile, advanced with quiet authority with neither batter offering a chance in the first two sessions.The breakthrough finally arrived immediately after tea when Nathan McAndrew, making his home debut, trapped Vasconcelos lbw. That ended what was comfortably Northamptonshire’s record opening stand against Warwickshire, overtaking the 176 by Brian Reynolds and Colin Milburn at Northampton in 1964.Young continue to chug along chancelessly until he departed in infuriating fashion when he tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess off Hannon-Dalby.The flurry of two wickets in 18 overs was as good as it got for Warwickshire. Emilio Gay, having spent two sessions waiting to go in next, batted solidly through the final session for 45 in company, for the last hour, with the in-form Luke Procter (17 not out).The visitors will resume tomorrow pretty confident of surpassing their previous record total against Warwickshire (507) and with half an eye on their record total against anyone (781). The Bears will just wish they could have today back again.
The alert is for a section of the Great Southern Stand on December 27 and it has led to further measures for the Sydney Test
Daniel Brettig06-Jan-2021Victorian health officials have called for an entire zone of spectators in the MCG’s Great Southern Stand come forward for testing and quarantine amid fears that a mystery case of Covid-19 may have acquired the virus on the second day of the Boxing Day Test.The case, a man in his 30s who also shopped at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs on Boxing Day, was seated in Zone 5 of the MCG under its covid-safe protocols – likely entering the ground through gates five or six – between 12.30pm and 3.30pm on December 27, before developing Covid-19 symptoms on January 5.As a result of this case, the New South Wales government has made the wearing of masks mandatory at all times for the crowd at the SCG Test except when eating and drinking although the game will continue with a crowd at 25% capacity. Anyone who attended the MCG at the date and time of the alert is banned from attending the Sydney Test. There had already been a ban on people attending from certain suburbs of Sydney based on the outbreaks in the city.”Based on the information available from the case, the man in his 30s, was not infectious while at the sites, but there is potential he acquired the virus while there,” the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. “The man developed symptoms on 30 December and the department was notified of his positive test on 5 January. Given he has not visited any high-risk Victorian exposure sites or travelled to New South Wales, a number of acquisition sources are being investigated.”The man was present at the MCG on 27 December, the second day of the Boxing Day test and is currently isolating. He was not infectious when he attended and is not linked to any other case or to the Black Rock Restaurant Outbreak. The MCG is being investigated as a potential source for the infection.Health authorities asked for anyone who had been present in the affected zone of the MCG to get tested. “We’re encouraging anyone who was in The Great Southern Stand, zone 5 of the MCG between 12.30pm and 3.30pm on 27 December, to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.”A Covid-safe event plan was in place for the match and the ticketing allocation system in place has enabled effective contact tracing. The venue also utilised the Victorian Government’s QR code system in an additional measure to support contact tracing.”The department is working with Melbourne Cricket Club to contact ticket holders in the relevant area directly and to ensure that all relevant public health actions have been undertaken.”Announcing the updated masks requirement for the SCG, NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said: “From the moment effectively you get into the transport to get there, and get into the queue at the front door of the SCG, and go to your seat, and sit in the your seat, you must wear a mask.”The only exception to that [is] if you’re eating or drinking. Obviously, Dr Chant and the public health team want people to enjoy a day at the cricket, but it’s a Covid day at the cricket and that means mask on, not mask off, unless you’re eating or drinking, in which case you can have your mask off.”Australia captain Tim Paine was asked whether he believed continuing the Sydney Test with even a reduced crowd was safe as cases of community transmission continued to be recorded in New South Wales, but he deferred to those with more knowledge of the situation.”It’s not really an area I can control or worry too much about. People who are in control of making these decisions [are] at government level,” Paine said. “There’s health experts, high level people at Cricket Australia and they’re all working as hard as they possibly can to do the best thing.”Obviously we want to get people in the gates, give people a chance to come in and watch international cricket and if they’re saying the safe number is 10,000 then I certainly can’t question that. Don’t have a medical background so we trust that the people who are in those positions are making the right decisions by us and the communities. We’ll go with whatever we’re told at this stage.”