Category Uncategorized

He survived a few close calls before showing the mettle that had been missing in his Test-match game

Alagappan Muthu04-Feb-20241:15

Manjrekar: ‘India needed someone to score big and Gill did it’

One way to play spin is to smother it. To reach out to where the ball pitches and squeeze all the life out of it. A lot of batters try it this way. Shubman Gill is one of them.Except something strange happened to start the 21st over. The ball is full, which is usually the invitation that Gill cannot resist. He was supposed to lunge forward. It’s a very black-and-white way of dealing with spin.Shreyas Iyer does it a little differently. He keeps his options open. He doesn’t fall for the length. He accounts for trajectory. Simply by not overcommitting on either foot. There were multiple instances of this on Sunday in Visakhapatnam. It is why he had a strike rate of 56 even though he hit only three boundaries.Related

Rohit 'proud' of winning with inexperienced squad, but wants more from batters

Gill: 'Very important and satisfying to be able to score runs at No. 3'

A chance for Shubman Gill to level up against England

Sometimes it is better to let the ball spin. Because at that point, the bowler has no control over it. It’s all you.That’s why the single that took Gill from 27 to 28 seemed like a sign of growth.He was taking throwdowns after stumps on Saturday evening, a time when half the world was still hungover on Jasprit Bumrah. He hadn’t even changed out of his whites. Gill had trained himself to the ground in the lead-up to this game too. During the mandatory practice session on Wednesday, he kept going and going and going, and when he ran out of team-mates to run in and bowl to him, he turned to a couple of net bowlers who couldn’t have been more than half as tall as he is. Dude was doing everything short of offering ritual sacrifice to get back into form. Although, considering the luck he had out there…Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have contrasting methods to play spin•BCCILooking stone dead when a ball from Tom Hartley became best friends with his front pad seven balls into his innings, and needing DRS to realise that he’d actually hit it. That’s how out of form Gill has been, and if it wasn’t for a last-minute, might-as-well kind of review, with the clock running out, a score of 4 would’ve been added to a sequence of 12 innings in which he’d only once gone past 35.He was later saved by umpire’s call when James Anderson seemed to have trapped him in front. That was 4 for 2. And it could have been 21 for 3 had a dream delivery for a left-arm spinner from Hartley got the ticks across the board that it deserved. It came from wide of the crease, angling in, drawing the batter forward, but never letting him reach the pitch. Then it straightened just enough to take the edge but England had placed their first slip wide.It was around this time that Iyer was getting set at the other end and he was doing this thing where he was backing himself against the spin. He was letting balls pitch and do whatever they liked and then he was responding to them in whatever way he liked. This was possible because Visakhapatnam wasn’t turning square. It also wasn’t turning quick. So when he pressed forward, he did so lightly, giving his hands a range of motion that allowed him to milk singles both in front of and behind square. Even when he would commit and run at the bowler, he was still loose enough to not be caught off guard. Shoaib Bashir tried to sneak one down the leg side and get him stumped, but Iyer simply slowed himself down and spread himself out so he would be a bigger target, blocking the ball that threatened him with ignominy.Being loose and being mobile is crucial to being at ease against spin. Gill, though, just kept getting locked up. Until, of course, the first ball of the 21st over when he too took a smaller stride forward to a ball that was noticeably full and by virtue of that he had the room he needed to bring his hands down on top of the ball and use his wrists to decide its fate. Earlier, he was just lunging to straight-bat them, or stepping out to whack them, blocking out all other scoring opportunities.Shubman Gill celebrated his third Test century without much fanfare•Getty ImagesThe stats bear it out beautifully. His 104 off 147 balls included 29 singles and five twos against spin. The only other times he had been that successful at rotating strike were when he had the benefit of two of the flattest pitches in the universe.Of course, this little trick won’t work everywhere. On surfaces with a little more bounce and sharper turn, Gill and for that matter, all other batters will need a better solution because then the gap you leave between yourself and the ball is the difference between being caught at leg slip and staying unbeaten for another ball. Considering the amount of work he’s been putting in behind the scenes, and the way he found himself in a rough patch in the middle of an innings with considerable jeopardy only to will himself out of it, Gill has shown the mettle that was missing in his Test-match game. The challenges that await him in the future may not consume him to the extent they did throughout this series.By the end, he was even having fun, playing the kind of shots seasoned pros do. In the 41st over, he only came down the track at Rehan Ahmed after the legspinner had let the ball go, opening up his hips because that’s what you do against bowlers coming around the wicket to smack them straight down the ground for six. The next ball was a slog sweep because once again, it pitched outside leg and he went low to high because there were no fielders in the deep. Finally, he nailed an against-the-turn flick through midwicket by making sure his feet were nowhere near the swing of his bat. He was in tune with the game now. He wasn’t getting locked up. He was seeing the greys.A Shubman Gill century usually comes with a showman’s bow but all through this innings, he was very stoic. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on him. He barely acknowledged his fifty and seemed to raise his bat upon getting to a hundred only because the crowd – his father was in there watching – wouldn’t let him skate by like that once again. Gill’s smile came back yesterday when he took those four catches. The runs have come today. What does tomorrow hold?

And is Mumbai Indians’ eight consecutive losses the worst start to an IPL season by any team?

Steven Lynch26-Apr-2022Mumbai Indians just crashed to their eighth defeat out of eight this season. Is this the worst start to any IPL campaign? asked Narendra Vohra from India
Mumbai Indians’ horror start to the 2022 IPL does indeed turn out to be the worst yet: defeat to Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on Sunday meant they had lost all eight of their matches up to that point. Two other teams started an IPL season with six straight defeats – Delhi Daredevils in 2013, and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019.Apparently there was a suggestion online that Kings XI Punjab lost their first eight games in 2010, but that’s incorrect: their sequence included seven defeats and a Super Over win after a tie.There have been four cases of a streak of nine consecutive losses mid-season, by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009, Pune Warriors in 2012 and 2013, and Daredevils in 2014. The record straddling seasons is 11 straight defeats, by Pune Warriors in 2013 and 2014, and Delhi in 2015-16.There were three double-centuries in the recent County Championship game between Derbyshire and Sussex. Has any match had more? asked Robert Sponder from England
The three double-centuries in that match in Derby earlier this month came from Shan Masood, with 239 for Derbyshire, and the Sussex pair of Tom Haines (243) and Cheteshwar Pujara (201 not out). I was slightly surprised to discover that this equalled the first-class record: there had been ten previous instances of three double-hundreds in the same game, the most recent two coming in India’s Ranji Trophy in 2016-17, in the matches between Delhi and Maharashtra in Mumbai and Baroda and Punjab in Delhi.The first such instance was by Barbados and Trinidad in Bridgetown in 1943-44, and it happened again two years later in the same fixture in Port-of-Spain (Frank Worrell reached 200 in both). It’s happened twice in Tests – by Australia and West Indies in Bridgetown in 1964-65, and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2008-09.Which bowler has the worst strike rate in Test cricket? asked Michael Robertson from England
Given a minimum of 50 Test wickets, the worst strike rate belongs to the former West Indian captain Carl Hooper, whose 114 victims came at a strike rate of 121 balls per wicket – that’s more than 20 overs for each one. Next comes Australia’s miserly medium-pacer Ken “Slasher” Mackay, who went for well under two runs an over but didn’t take many wickets: his 50 came at a rate of one every 115.8 balls. The worst among those with more than 200 wickets is another West Indian captain, Garry Sobers, whose 235 came at a strike rate of 91.9.Ben Compton became the 12th opener to bat through both innings of a men’s first-class match•Andrew MillerBen Compton batted through both innings of Kent’s recent Championship match against Lancashire – has anyone else ever done this? asked Norman Davidson from England
Kent’s new opener Ben Compton carried his bat for 104 in the first innings of the recent Championship match against Lancashire in Canterbury, and was last out in the second innings for 115. This was the 12th instance of a man batting throughout both innings of a first-class match, the first since Derbyshire’s Luke Sutton (140 not out and 54) did it against Sussex in Derby in 2001.Surrey’s Harry Jupp did it twice – against Hampshire in 1866 and against Yorkshire in 1874, both at The Oval. The only instance in a Test was by Desmond Haynes, for West Indies against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1979-80; he was the last man out in both innings, after making 55 and 105.Thanks to an odd-looking lbw decision, Compton was deprived of the distinction of carrying his bat through both innings – a feat achieved just six times in first-class cricket, most recently by Andhra’s Sudhakar Reddy against Kerala in Calicut (now Kozhikode) in 1991-92, and Jimmy Cook for Somerset vs Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1989.Sunil Narine was run out without facing from the first ball of a recent IPL innings. How often has this happened? asked Josh Willmott from England
Opening with Aaron Finch for Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunil Narine was run out without facing against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai last week. He was actually the fourth batter to collect what some call a “diamond duck” in the IPL, following Karan Goel for Kings XI Punjab against Royals in Cape Town in 2009, and M Vijay for Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Daredevils in Delhi in 2012 (both from the first ball of the match), and Colin Munro for Delhi against Royals in Jaipur in 2018, which like Narine’s dismissal was from the opening delivery of the chase.In all T20 cricket there have now been 22 instances of a batter being run out without facing from the first ball of an innings – rather neatly, 11 from the first ball of the match and 11 from the opening ball of the second innings.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Clayton Kershaw is calling it a career after 18 seasons with the Dodgers. The three-time Cy Young winner announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday, and he will make his final regular season start on Friday, Sept. 19 against the Giants at home.

Kershaw held a pregame press conference on Thursday to address his fans and the media. He was understandably emotional when speaking about his future, even though he said he's "at peace" with his decision.

“I’m gonna call it. I’m gonna gonna retire. I’m at peace with it. I think it’s the right time," Kershaw said. "I’m really not sad, I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this. It’s just emotional."

The 11-time All-Star had to wipe away some tears when he was asked what his time on the Dodgers has meant to him.

"Hold on, I can answer that, just give me a minute," Kershaw said while holding back tears. "I think we all play this game for the respect of our teammates, so having these guys here is pretty special."

Kershaw's retirement isn't a total surprise as he is 37 years old and is in his 18th season. He signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers, the only club he's ever known, back in February, and it was assumed that he signed the short-term deal for a chance to retire after the season.

Kershaw's 18th season has definitely been memorable. He made history by joining the elite 3,000 strikeout club, something only 20 pitchers in total have done. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred named Kershaw a "Legend Pick" at this year's All-Star Game, too. Through 20 appearances before his final start on Friday, Kershaw posted a 3.53 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 40 earned runs on him over 102 innings pitched.

South Africa coach says, “the only context I ever intended it to be was that we wanted India to spend a lot of time in the field”

Firdose Moonda06-Dec-2025South Africa coach Shukri Conrad has clarified that he did not intend “to cause any malice,” when he said his team wanted to make India “grovel” during the Guwahati Test.Speaking to the media for the first time since he made that statement, Conrad stopped short of an apology but indicated he regretted his choice of words as South Africa worked their way to a 2-0 Test sweep.”On reflection, it was never my intention to cause any malice or not be humble about anything. I could have chosen a better word because it left it open for people to put their own context to it,” Conrad said after South Africa’s 2-1 ODI series loss in Visakhapatnam. “The only context I ever intended it to be was that we wanted India to spend a lot of time in the field and make it really tough for them. I’ve got to be careful what word I use here now because context could be attached to that as well.”Related

'Wanted them to really grovel' – SA coach Shukri Conrad on keeping India on the field

Jaiswal, Rohit, Kohli lead India to 2-1 series win

Conrad had made the comment after the fourth day’s play of the second Test, when South Africa batted deep into their second innings and set India a target of 549. When asked why they didn’t declare earlier, Conrad had said: “We wanted the Indians to spend as much time on their feet out in the field, we wanted them to really grovel, to steal a phrase, bat them completely out the game, and then say to them, ‘come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening.'”South Africa won the match on day five to hand India their heaviest home defeat and complete a first series win in India in 25 years. But Conrad’s use of the word “grovel,” which was heavily loaded because it was used by Tony Greig when referring to the West Indies team in 1976, spoilt some of South Africa’s victory. Conrad was criticised by former Indian and South African players, including Sunil Gavaskar and visiting commentator Dale Steyn.Conrad made no public comment since then but Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma twice fielded questions about the use of the word. On both occasions, Bavuma said it was an issue for Conrad to address. Meanwhile, Conrad was in communication with a “network of people that I trust, family back home, and people on our staff,” and concluded he had done some damage, which he needed to repair.”It’s really a pity. Maybe what it did do was spice up the ODI series, and especially with India winning that now, the T20 series becomes even more so,” Conrad said. “The unfortunate thing is, with all the noise that that word caused, I still think it’s a perfectly good English word, but I just left it open to too many interpretations. What it did was take away the gloss of what was a really special win for our Test team. It’s unfortunate, but there was definitely no malice intended.”In his nearly three years as Test coach and almost six months as all-format coach, Conrad has emerged as a popular, witty figure who does not mince his words. Notably, he asked his team to “show-off more” a few months ago as they put out strong performances on the world stage, but has based his philosophy on the opposite of that and expects humility from everyone including himself.”Being humble is a cornerstone of our Test team and all our teams for that matter,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that the noise and the talk became around the coach. People shouldn’t really even know who the coach is. It should be about the players. That’s the unfortunate bit, and I’d like to think that it’s going to be put to bed now.”ESPNcricinfo understands Cricket South Africa was not amused by Conrad’s use of the word “grovel,” not least because they maintain a strong relationship with Indian cricket, but left it up to him to decide if or when he wanted to address the issue. CSA has made no comment or statement about the coach’s choice of language.

يرى فاروق جعفر، لاعب الزمالك الأسبق، أن الأبيض أخطأ بالتعاقد مع يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني السابق للفريق.

وقال فاروق جعفر، عبر قناة “MBC مصر 2”: “الزمالك أخطأ في التعاقد مع فيريرا لأنه صغير السن، وكان هناك لاعبين بالملعب أكثر خبرة منه”.

طالع.. مدحت عبد الهادي: أحمد عبد الرؤوف غير مقنع.. ورمضان صبحي ليس مسؤولًا وحده

وأضاف: “عندما أفكر في التعاقد مع مدير فني أجنبي يجب أن يكون معه مدرب مصري لديه ثقافة وأفكار كثيرة وخبرات”.

وتابع: “الأهلي والزمالك وبيراميدز لا يصلح لهم مدير فني ضعيف، أحمد عبد الرؤوف ما زال صغيرًا، هو أقل من أربعين سنة، ولم يحقق النتائج التي يريدها النادي، الأهلي أو الزمالك لن يصبرا على المدرب، الكرة ليس فيها ذلك”.

واختتم: “لو نادي الزمالك فعل ذلك فسيظلم اللاعبين والجماهير، يجب أن يكون مع أحمد عبد الرؤوف مدرب كبير”.

Chelsea are beginning to reap the rewards of their ambitious spending since Todd Boehly and his private equity firm Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich in 2022.

It’s been a twisting road for the Blues over the past several years, but Enzo Maresca has advanced after a promising, trophy-winning 2024/25 campaign to establish his side as budding Premier League title contenders.

Maresca leads a young squad. A hungry group of talented players yet to reach the top of the game.

Premier League’s Youngest Starting XIs (25/26)

Club

League Position

Av. Age

Chelsea

2nd

24.0

Brentford

13th

24.7

Man City

3rd

25.0

Bournemouth

8th

25.0

Sunderland

7th

25.2

Data via Transfermarkt

There are ostensible drawbacks to employing such a strategy, but it’s bearing dividends, and the success will only grow over the coming years, with more set to follow in Estevao Willian’s footsteps.

Estevao's start to life at Chelsea

In May 2024, Chelsea finalised a deal for Brazilian youngster Estevao, an initial £29m deal which could eventually rise to £52m with performance-related add-ons.

18 years old, Estevao has enjoyed a dream start to his Chelsea career, having notched five goals from his first 17 senior outings for the Londoners.

With three goals in his past three Champions League outings, the hype is growing around his skilful and dynamic youngster, who outshone Lamine Yamal in the Blues’ romping 3-0 win over Barcelona in midweek.

So intense is the hype around Estevao’s potential that Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled the Brazil international a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, and that’s definitely not out of the equation.

Estevao has what it takes to become London’s most talented wide forward, for sure, perhaps taking that crown from Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka.

But the fact that Chelsea have landed themselves another Estevao-esque talent who could rival these cream-of-crop players is a perfect illustration of Chelsea’s burgeoning strategy.

Chelsea have a talent "just like Estevao"

Arsenal have the lead in the Premier League title race, and there’s no question that Mikel Arteta is deeper into his project than Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea are building something special, and they would welcome another poster boy to further strengthen Maresca’s system. Well, that player could have already been signed in Geovany Quenda, with a £40m deal in principle agreed at the end of last season to welcome the Portugal U21 international in 2026.

Hailed as “one of the most exciting teenage prospects in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quenda has “been on fire” for Sporting Lisbon this season, coming into his own on the right wing.

The 18-year-old’s energy, pace and skill on the ball have seen him hailed as having a mentality “just like Estevao” – as per Alex Goldberg – that will see him succeed in the Premier League, endowed with an athletic underbelly to complement his blistering pace and skill on the ball.

Geovany Quenda vs Bukayo Saka (past 12 months)

Stats (per 90)

Quenda

Saka

Goals scored

0.09

0.43

Assists

0.35

0.16

Shots taken

1.72

2.92

Shot-creating actions

4.62

4.69

Touches (att pen)

3.39

6.74

Pass completion (%)

72.9

73.8

Progressive passes

5.11

2.45

Progressive carries

3.30

4.34

Successful take-ons

1.58

1.85

Ball recoveries

4.75

3.90

Tackles + interceptions

1.54

2.05

Data via FBref

His sharp-minded approach and combativeness on the ball could indeed see him emulate Saka. Sofascore record that Bissau Guinean-born Quenda has won 52% of his ground duels in Liga Portugal this term, and for one so young, this bodes well for a future in the harsh climate of the Premier League.

Furthermore, he is developing a ball-playing game that suggests he has the natural talent on the ball to emulate someone like Saka, having also followed in the Englishman’s footsteps by shining at both full-back and wing-back, prior to cementing an attacking role on the flanks.

Whether the Portuguese talent would hit the ground running in the same way that Estevao has is uncertain, of course, but there’s no denying he has the potential to rival his soon-to-be teammate.

A big factor in a winger like Saka’s success (and Estevao’s) is that he is able to merge the many elements together, forming something complete.

Quenda is already proving that he has similar qualities in the locker, and it is for this reason that there is such excitement brewing around his signature.

Chelsea, truly, are rebuilding themselves toward superstar status.

Related Hazard 2.0: Chelsea lead race to sign "best player on the planet" for £100m

Enzo Maresca and Co could deliver Chelsea fans their next Eden Hazard by signing the international superstar.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 29, 2025

كشفت تقارير صحفية خلال الساعات الماضية، عن إرسال الأهلي لإيميل رسمي إلى نادي جوفينتود الأوروجواياني، لمعرفة شروط ضم المهاجم أجوستين رودريجيز خلال الميركاتو الشتوي المقبل في يناير 2026.

وذكرت التقارير أيضًا أن الأهلي قدم عرضًا رسميًا للتعاقد مع اللاعب، ما أثار اهتمام المتابعين وجعل الخبر مهمًا نظرًا لحاجة المارد الأحمر لمهاجم جديد.

ويبلغ أجوستين رودريجيز مهاجم جوفينتود من العمر 27 عامًا ولديه عقد حتى 31 ديسمبر 2027، وشارك في 31 مباراة وسجل 18 هدفًا مع صناعة 3 آخرين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. غيابات الأهلي أمام الجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتواصل بطولات مع وكيل اللاعب دانيال جوتيريز وقال في تصريحات خاصة: “لم يحدثني أحد من هذا النادي، وإذا كان هناك تواصل بين الأهلي وجوفينتود لأبلغني النادي الأوروجواياني”.

بجانب الوكيل، تحدثنا مع اللاعب نفسه أجوستين رودريجيز، وقال: “ليس لدي أي علم بتلك الأخبار، أخبروني بما يقُال عني في مصر وأنا لا أعرفه”.

وأتم: “وطالما الوكيل أخبركم بأنه ليس هناك أي شيء، فبالتالي ليس هناك أي دليل على أي اهتمام من جانب الأهلي”.

West Indies captain ponders where his batters go from here after being bowled out for 27

Alex Malcolm15-Jul-2025

Roston Chase was one of seven West Indies batters to be dismissed for a duck•AFP/Getty Images

West Indies captain Roston Chase has described his side’s capitulation against Australia in Jamaica as “heartbreaking” and “embarrassing”.West Indies were bowled out for the second-lowest total in Test history at Sabina Park to lose the third Test and concede the series 3-0 in the process.Chasing 204 to win on the third day, West Indies were bowled out for 27 in 14.3 overs to set a host of new and unwanted records. The total was just one run better than New Zealand’s Test-record low of 26 in 1955 but it was 20 runs short of West Indies’ previous worst total of 47. It was the first time in Test history a team recorded seven ducks in an innings and the six runs made collectively by West Indies top-six batters was the lowest in any innings in Test history.Related

Clive Lloyd: 'We have to examine all aspects of West Indies cricket'

Ten days in the Caribbean: WI batters hit new lows, questions remain around Australia's top three

CWI calls for emergency meeting with legends after 'deeply hurting' loss

Starc six-for, Boland hat-trick consign West Indies to 27 all-out and 0-3 defeat

Stats – WI post second-lowest Test total; Starc takes five in 15 balls

Mitchell Starc also took the fastest Test five-for ever, claiming the first five wickets of the innings in just 15 balls after picking up three wickets in the first over.Speaking after – at both the post-match presentation and the press conference – Chase was despondent.”It’s disappointing,” Chase said. “We’ve been putting ourselves in positions to win games, and then we just lay down and not put up a fight in the last batting innings. It’s quite heartbreaking, because I think we did it in all three Tests, and we’re not really learning from our mistakes. So that’s something we have to really look at.”Obviously being bowled out for less than 30 is quite embarrassing.”Chase thought the target of 204 was achievable and did not offer any excuses in regards to the surface, despite no batter in the match reaching 50. It was only the seventh time since 1900 and the third time since 1981 that no player had scored a half-century in a Test with at least two completed innings.”I thought it was realistic,” Chase said. “I mean, the wicket was a good wicket, still a good batting wicket. I didn’t think there was too many devils in the wicket, like the last two games where the ball was rolling or bouncing inconsistently. So yeah, we thought 204 was quite gettable. But then, obviously, with the start and stuff being [11 for 6] or something like that, it’s very difficult to really get those runs from there.”It capped off a horror series with the bat for West Indies’ new-look line-up. They posted scores of 190, 141, 253, 143, 143 and 27 across the series. Brandon King was the only West Indies batter to score a half-century, posting the highest individual score on either side with 75 in Grenada. He was also the only West Indies batter to average more than 20 for the series with 21.50, discounting Anderson Phillip making 10 and 11 not out in his only Test in the series in Grenada. Australia had four batters average more than 30, but Travis Head was the only one to score more than 200 runs and average more than 32 thanks to his twin half-centuries in Barbados. Head, Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja were the only players in the series to face more than 300 balls across six innings.Brandon King surveys the wreckage after becoming the third dismissal in Mitchell Starc’s opening over•AFP/Getty Images

Chase did note that the pitches were tough overall for the batters but he did not want to take away too much from the performance of his bowlers.”I think the pitches were very tough,” he said. “I don’t want to say they were too in favour of the bowlers, but they were very tough because, as you can see, this is probably the first series I’ve ever played [where] no batter got a hundred for each side. So that’s something that I’ve never really seen in a Test series. So that just goes to show how dominant the bowlers were.”Chase conceded that West Indies faced a huge challenge to rebuild from here. They do not play Test cricket again until October and face entirely different conditions in India when they do.”We need to really take a deep look at ourselves as batters,” Chase said. “The next series from here is quite a while. So we have time on our side. So I think that’s what we need to really do, really have a look at our batting this series and see where we can improve and how we can put 300 run totals on the board.”Obviously India is going to be different conditions, probably more spinner-friendly. So I think if you can have some batting camps around playing spin bowling and stuff like that, I think that will be ideal for us going into those conditions.”

يقترب لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، من تحقيق رقم مميز، خلال مباراة إلتشي، ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ويخوض فريق برشلونة مباراة إلتشي، مساء اليوم الأحد، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2025-2026.

ويستقبل برشلونة نظيره إلتشي، ضمن منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”، على ملعب “مونتجويك”، في تمام السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة والنصف بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

وتراجع برشلونة للمركز الثالث في ترتيب جدول الدوري الإسباني، بعد فوز فياريال مساء السبت برباعية نظيفة أمام رايو فاليكانو.

ويملك برشلونة 22 نقطة في رصيده بجدول الترتيب، خلف فياريال بفارق نقطة واحدة، ويتصدر ريال مدريد الترتيب برصيد 30 نقطة بعد الفوز أمام فالنسيا برباعية نظيفة.

اقرأ أيضًا | قد ينتقل إلى إسبانيا.. مفاجأة بشأن مستقبل هاري كين مع بايرن ميونخ

فيما يتواجد فريق إلتشي في المركز الثامن بجدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني ولديه في رصيده 14 نقطة.

ويجلس أولمو على دكة البدلاء، وفي حال مشاركة الدولي الإسباني في مباراة اليوم، ستكون هذه المباراة رقم 50 له بقميص برشلونة.

وعاد أولمو إلى قائمة برشلونة بعد غيابه عن آخر 3 مباريات بسبب الإصابة، ضد جيرونا وأولمبياكوس في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وريال مدريد في الليجا.

لعب نجم خط الوسط 33 مباراة في الدوري الإسباني، و11 مباراة في دوري أبطال أوروبا، و4 مباريات في كأس ملك إسبانيا، ومباراة واحدة في كأس السوبر الإسباني.

انتقل داني أولمو إلى برشلونة في أغسطس 2024، موقعًا عقدًا لمدة 6 سنوات حتى يونيو 2030، بشرط جزائي قدره 500 مليون يورو، وبلغت قيمة الصفقة حوالي 55 مليون يورو.

While SL are set to play three seamers in Colombo, Bangladesh are likely to go the other way and pick three spinners

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jun-2025

Mehidy Hasan Miraz will hope to be back in action after missing the Galle Test with illness•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh have a tough decision to make. If Mehidy Hasan Miraz comes back into the XI for the second Test – and according to coach Phil Simmons there is no guarantee he will – who makes way?The theory seems to be that the player who stood in for him at Galle goes out. But what if that player – offspinner Nayeem Hasan – took a vital 5 for 121 in the first innings, and a tidy 1 for 29 in the second. Nayeem was the equal-highest wicket-taker in that match, which ordinarily should ensure he plays the next match in the series.But he is an offspinner, and so is Mehidy, who is returning to the team. Taijul, by dint of experience as well as being a left-arm spinner, will likely keep his place.”You assume that [Mehidy] will be in the team for the second match,” said Simmons, implying that he still may not be ready. “But at the same time, everyone else has to do their job and we can’t worry about Mehidy coming in.Related

Dhananjaya de Silva bets on pace in second Test against Bangladesh

Milan ruled out of second Test

There is a chance, though, that three spinners can play, according to Simmons. Sri Lanka appear to be going in the opposite direction – they are considering playing three seamers at the SSC. But Bangladesh have the problem of a performing offspinner, whom they are understandably reluctant to keep out.”The first thing is that we will assess what the wicket looks like and the conditions, and then we decide which way we’re going to go – if it’s the three spinners”, Simmons said. “Nayeem had a wonderful game up in Galle. To leave him now is a little difficult. But if a decision has to be made, people understand that it’s what is good for the team.”Having dominated the back end of that Galle Test – Bangladesh were the side pushing for a victory on day five – spirits in the visitors’ camp are high, Simmons said.”They players are really good. When you play good cricket, it helps to lift you. The players’ mental strength is there, and physically they are very good.”