'He was not a matinee idol. He was overweight and mostly seen in crumpled clothes. His scruffy, unshaven look had become his identifier and he did not seem to give a damn.'
Former captain Chris Gayle's decision to give the entire home series against Pakistan a miss for the lucrative IPL has angered the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which described the opener's move as 'unacceptable and disappointing '.
The malaise at Liverpool was laid bare on Saturday when they conceded a last-minute equaliser at Stoke City to complete a miserable week for the Anfield club. After losing at home to Championship (second division) Reading in the FA Cup on Wednesday, Robert Huth's tap-in to earn Stoke a 1-1 draw prevented a welcome shot in the arm for a proud Liverpool in poor health on and off the pitch.
World Cup winners Italy and runners-up France were in danger of tumbling out of Euro 2008 at the group stage.
The Liverpool skipper was booed by sections of the home crowd in a backlash against England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 but he responded with a thunderous opening goal against Newcastle United and a big hand in the other two.