point behind Afghanistan, while Hong Kong sit in fourth. The two sides meet in Belfast from August 30.Dockrell, who was

To begin with an admission that will seem astounding to regular readers of this site: I was more stirred by the opening scene of M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, set in the Wankhede Stadium during the 2011 World Cup final, than I had been by the actual match five years earlier.The main reason for this is that my love affair with cricket ended a decade ago, occasioned partly by the ugly, fair-weather displays of nationalism-jingoism associated with the sport (one example being a crowd attacking MS Dhonis Ranchi house in 2007). As one of the very few people in the country who didnt much care when the real Dhoni hit that winning six on April 2, 2011, I was unprepared for my reaction - the adrenaline rush, the growing anticipation - when I watched Sushant Singh Rajput as Dhoni in the dressing room deciding to go in at No. 5, padding up and heading out into the deafening arena. Call it the power of a tense, tightly constructed scene that uses camerawork, space and sound effectively, or a sudden burst of nostalgia for a once-loved sport.In other words, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story begins on a rabble-rousing note. But after this World Cup scene (which Neeraj Pandeys film will, of course, return to at the end), the narrative backtracks to a quiet afternoon in July 1981 and Dhonis birth in a Ranchi hospital ward, while his father Paan Singh Dhoni (Anupam Kher), a hard-working lower-middle-class man, waits nervously outside. A series of well-constructed vignettes follows: Dhoni as a boy being coerced by a coach to give up football for cricket, and to take up wicketkeeping (though he prefers batting); the support of his friends as it becomes evident that he has special talent and drive; the misgivings of his father, who has sensibly conservative ideas about what constitutes a secure future; repeated frustrations followed by a job in the Railways and the possibility of becoming a bada aadmi (Ticket collector se badi cheez kya ho sakti hai? as Paan Singh puts it [What can be bigger than a ticket collector?]).Rajput portrayal of Dhoni starts from when he is 16, and these early scenes have a slightly off-kilter quality - as if the actors head has been digitally superimposed on a slim teen body - but that doesnt matter after a while, because this is a fine performance. Rajput captures not just Dhonis boyish exuberance and the enigmatic smile that stops just short of being cocky, but also something of the placid, Buddha-like inscrutability that emerges in moments of stress; a sense that he is calling on inner reserves only he knows about. This is a convincing portrait of a young man who can be impetuous but is also grounded enough to buy snacks for his friends as a sort of celebration after not being selected for a team - because he never wants to forget this day of failure.The films first half, with its depiction of the rhythms of small-town life, is a reminder that director Pandey has a feel for place and period (see his recreation of 1980s Delhi in the con-job film Special 26). There are many engaging little moments, such as an early encounter, in a Bihar-Punjab match, between Dhoni and future team-mate Yuvraj Singh (played here by Herri Tangri as a regal kid whose very presence leaves most people awestruck). The cricket scenes are shot with panache and wit, even when they centre on a deadpan hero. The stage also gradually shifts to show us officials in the sports higher echelons in Mumbai and Delhi pulling strings and deciding the fate of thousands of struggling youngsters around the country.In the second half, a tonal unevenness sets in, and to a degree this is understandable given the arc of Dhonis life. It seemed natural that the early scenes would have the texture of a gritty, understated small-town story about aspiration, the sort that Hindi cinema often does so well now (in another such film, Kai Po Che! (2013), Rajput played a character whose cricketing dreams dont pan out). But once Dhoni gets his chance in the Indian team, he rises to stardom fairly quickly, and as more glamorous locations take over - plush hotel rooms, advertising studios where he says cheesy lines while endorsing a range of products - the films look and pace alter as well; it becomes glossier, more languid.That in itself is not a problem, but around this time, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story also becomes looser, more random, and whimsical in its decisions about what to show and what to leave out (there isnt even a scene that shows the circumstances that led to Dhoni becoming captain) - and when this happens, one recalls that this is largely an authorised project, with the real-life Dhoni and his associates having been consulted and kept abreast of the script. There are two romantic interludes - the first involving a girl named Priyanka (Disha Patani), who dies in a car crash, then with the cricket-indifferent Sakshi (Kiara Advani), who goes on to become Dhonis wife - that feel much too generic given how the film has unfolded up to then. This section includes an exotic-location song sequence, superfluous flashback inserts, and embarrassingly forced attempts to generate pathos (wondering about their future together, Priyanka dolefully repeats the line Bahut time hai naa hamaaray paas? [We have plenty of time, dont we?] as if she were aware of her own impending fate). Briefly glimpsed in these scenes is the suggestion that a man who is assertive as batsman and captain might be defensive-passive when it comes to relationships, but the film doesnt take this idea anywhere. The two-woman trope is handled better here than in the recent, utterly lacklustre Mohammad Azharuddin biopic Azhar, but that isnt saying much. (The goofy climactic scene of that film had the wronged Azhar being vindicated when his two wives walk into the courtroom side by side to support him and provide the ultimate character certificate!)These sequences notwithstanding, the film builds unerringly towards that World Cup win, which is presented here as the culmination of a remarkable career (never mind that real-life sport doesnt usually provide such tidy or definitive endings - Dhoni did, after all, also captain India in their 2015 loss, but there isnt space here for such troughs). Ending with real footage of the post-match celebrations is a guaranteed way of having the audience out of their seats and applauding; as mentioned above, I was one of those viewers.In the final analysis, the film worked best when it did the small moment well. In one notable scene, a subdued Dhoni explains why he is so frustrated by his Railways job - not because he considers it below him (Kaam chhota nahin lagta [I dont think the work is small], he says) but because it doesnt allow him to give cricket enough time and attention. This nuanced scene comes as a refreshing counterpoint to a shoe-polish ad that the real Dhoni did a long time ago, where he turned to the camera and said, I decided not to be ordinary. I chose to shine. A good, smooth line for the product, but also one that seemed to condescendingly imply that people in some professions can be dismissed as ordinary and that real winners can simply choose to reach the top through hard work and perseverance.M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is a bumpy film, very stimulating in its good parts, oddly inert at other times, but in its better moments - like that Kaam chhota nahin lagta scene - it ducks the grand, overarching narratives and gives us a ground-level story about a young man following a calling with the knowledge that things might not work out perfectly, but that he has to at least give it a shot, he cant die wondering. Thats a compelling tale in itself, and a more inspirational one in some ways than the one hinted at in the films more triumphal scenes - the ones about a blazing star who was so good and so determined that he was destined to reach the top no matter what, and who might well have had that World Cup-winning six inscribed on his horoscope.Have you watched M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story? Share your thoughts on the movie by mailing us at fanfare@cricinfo.com. Jrue Holiday Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . 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LOS ANGELES -- One potential All-Star seeks to recover from his worst performance of the season while another looks to continue his recent offensive success when the Baltimore Orioles meet the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.Right-hander Chris Tillman, who permitted four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings Thursday night in the Orioles 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners, hopes to return to the form that enabled him to win nine successive decisions before that defeat.Tillman (10-2, 3.72 ERA) shares third place in the American League in wins, and he is on pace to exceed his career-high victory total. The 28-year-old from nearby Orange County earned 16 wins in 2013, when he made the American League All-Star team for the first time in his first full season with the Orioles.After going 29-13 in 2013 and 2014, Tillman fell to 11-11 in 2015. Last winter, Tillman tinkered with his delivery and produced an effective change-up that complements his fastball.I experimented with some new stuff, Tillman said. Last year, I wasnt able to throw my off-speed pitches for strikes. The hitters were a little more comfortable when they were aware of just one pitch. In the offseason, we did some mechanical stuff, just some minor stuff that helped in a big way.Tillman will be facing the Dodgers for the first time in his eight-year major league career.As he tries to stop the Orioles five-game losing streak by ending the Dodgers five-game winning streak, Tillman will have to defuse one of the National Leagues most potent young threats.Los Angeles shortstop Corey Seager enters Tuesday nights contest with a 17-game hitting streak, a career higgh and the National Leagues longest this year.dddddddddddd During his streak, Seager is batting .414 (29-for-70) with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and five RBI.For the season, Seager leads the Dodgers with 17 homers, 20 doubles, 100 hits, 57 runs, a .305 batting average and a .540 slugging percentage. The 22-year-old rookie also has 41 RBI to share the team lead with Justin Turner.Theres really nothing he cant do on a baseball field, and hes really continued to get better, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said of Seager. Its scary to think how much hes grown and become a very, very good major league player at this stage of his career, and hes only 22.Even with the presence of left-hander Clayton Kershaw, arguably baseballs best pitcher, Roberts paid Seager perhaps the ultimate compliment.Not to take away from anybody else on the club, Roberts said, but with what he does on the offensive and defensive side, yeah, hes our best player.Seager and his offensive teammates will look for help Tuesday from right-hander Kenta Maeda, who will face Baltimore for the first time in his rookie season.Maeda (7-5, 2.82 ERA) has not allowed more than four runs in any of his 16 starts for Los Angeles. In his past seven starts, the a 28-year-old from Japan is 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA. His last time out, Maeda held the Brewers to one run on three hits in six innings during an 8-1 win Thursday.Dodger Stadium hasnt been as kind to Maeda as road venues, as he is just 2-4 with a 3.00 ERA over eight outings in Los Angeles. ' ' '