A triangle of sport .. another sober Manchester dispatch

It's been a mild November, rainy but not too cold. Autumn leaves cling to pavements as a creeping vine attaches to a garden wall. Manchester. I continue to be fascinated by its self-deprecating manner. I don't believe there is a place on earth that is more harmonious with a dreary November day than Manchester.

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Nevertheless, the jet lag is dissipating, and today will be a wandering day. It’s also the morning after the night before. England’s football team, the Three Lions, swept past Wales to book a place in the last 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. I dare say many fragile heads are rolling around town today. Mancunians rarely miss an opportunity to indulge.

No doubt, the star of the show last night was Marcus Rashford - you guessed it, Rashford is from Manchester. He plays for Manchester United, that’s acceptable, although my preference would be for him to wear a blue shirt. Nevertheless, he brought a listless England to life last night.

Marcus Rashford celebrates

Rashford’s pinpoint free-kick had eyes only for the top right corner. It snaked over the Wales wall eluding the grasping dive of goalkeeper Danny Ward. 1-0, the seal was broken. A frustrating first half had given way to a careering second. England added two more goals courtesy of Phil Foden (Manchester City) and, that man again, Rashford. A Manchester trifecta.

The Fletcher Moss in Didsbury was rocking.

England’s reward is a last‑16 tie against Senegal on Sunday. Instantaneously there is compounding optimism wherever you look or listen. Of course, my Manchester City friends attribute everything to the introduction of Phil Foden to the starting lineup. And the other side of Manchester is rightly lauding Marcus Rashford. Both sides can be content with their respective contributions.

Surely they can’t ‘bring it home’!

Doha is situated southeast of Manchester, approximately 5415 km. It’s not my first choice to visit. Instead, I’m happy to watch the TV coverage. Most public houses in Manchester have TVs - and beer, Smith’s crisps, salted peanuts, and possibly, pickled onions. You can keep Doha.

Switching gears - Bazball is back! Cricket the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum way!

Tomorrow’s first Test in Rawalpindi between Pakistan and England will be the first time England has played in Pakistan since 2005-06. How times have changed, bizarrely the Test might be delayed 24 hours due to illness in the England camp. Back in the day, this would have been all part of the grand plan for Pakistan.

If history repeats itself, this could be a dull series. England has toured Pakistan eight times previously. Three series ended 0-0, with four resulting in a 1-0 scoreline. Will Bazball hold up?

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What will be of interest is if England’s sporting public can balance both codes simultaneously. Bazball might have to take a back seat for the moment. All might change Sunday night.

Where did the grass go - Sarfaraz Ahmed inspects the pitch ahead of the first Test 

As is the want of new England, captain Ben Stokes named his starting XI two days out. Ironically, had the bug arrived on the morning of the match, England would have found themselves unable to field a team. It seems, no measure of self-assurance and positivity can defeat the marauding Pindi bug.

Of course, precautionary measures were undertaken by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Nothing gets past that mob! They had employed their very own chef, Omar Meziane. Meziane had previously worked with the England football team and was overseeing food preparation at the team hotel in Islamabad. Unfortunately for him and the players, Meziane didn't escape illness.

So, we will keep a close eye on proceedings in Rawalpindi. It shapes as a fascinating series, irrespective of what past results suggest.

I look forward to watching Jimmy Anderson negotiate the notoriously unresponsive Pakistan wickets. Jimmy always finds a way. Sidenote: his soulmate, Stuart Broad, misses the series due to paternity leave. Yes, that is true, your honour.

The next stop is the Republic of Western Australia (WA). Just a short hop across the Indian Ocean. Perth hosts the first Test of the three-Test series between Australia and the West Indies.

Marnus Labuschagne (154* from 270 balls) should be a name that demands attention. After all, it’s more than a handful when it comes to correct pronunciation. Instead, Labuschagne, slips noisily under the radar, preferring to live in the shadow of his batting brother - Steve Smith (59* from 107 balls). The two play well together, as all brothers should. So far, the partnership has accumulated 142 unchallenged runs. How many they add will depend on them, more than the West Indies.

Both could double their overnight scores. Their progress seems inevitable. The only interruption might come from Mark McGowan, Premier of Western Australia. After all, Cameron Green is one of his own, and McGowan will be keen on Green entering the fray sooner rather than later. Remember, McGowan has form when it comes to writing his own rules. Watch this space.

Steve Smith’s technique change is well documented. I believe age caught up with Smith. He wasn’t able to recall the 14 different trigger movements he had in place. If he did, he muddled up the order. It just got too hard. The result - go back to basics - watch and react.

Australia start day two on 2/293 - that’s a long way back for the men of the West Indies.

As always, thank you for being here.