While the opinion might be divided whether Karun Nair should be in the India XI for the first Test against England starting June 20 in Leeds, the batter strengthened his case with a stroke-filled century on the opening day of the unofficial Test between India A and England Lions in Canterbury. Cuts, upper cuts, steers, punched drives, pulls, inside-out drives and several reverse sweeps – Nair exhibited all those strokes while easing his way to his 24th first-class century, which he made big to end the day unbeaten on 186.Nair walked in early in the morning after India A opener and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was trapped plumb for 8 in the sixth over by left-arm fast bowler Josh Hull. As a cloudy and slightly nippy first hour cleared way for a picture-perfect sunny afternoon, Nair warmed up to the conditions and the bowling. It was not Nair who was in focus until Yashasvi Jaiswal played an erroneous stroke about half hour before lunch. Jaiswal, who has a penchant to make big centuries, showed all signs of having a good first day on this long England tour, before he decided to attempt a wild slog against a length delivery from Eddie Jack.Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan added 181 for the third wicket•Getty Images
Nair, who was on 26 at lunch, along with Sarfaraz Khan, snatched back any psychological edge the Lions, who had elected to field, might have momentarily gained from Jaiswal’s wicket. Both batters did not let go any scoring opportunities which came frequently as the inexperience Lions bowling – a total of six Test caps among them – showed throughout. Nair has a compact base in his stance and utilised a lot of wristwork in his batting. That allows him to score easily on both sides of the pitch, but most of his runs on Friday came in front of square on the off side.Nair especially took advantage of the vast empty pocket between point and mid-off as the Lions seamers tried to lure him to go for his strokes expecting the ball to seam away and take an edge. Sadly for Lions, Nair kept lunging forward to punch cover drives and square drives. And when the ball was short at an innocuous length, Nair swiftly got on the back foot to steer, cut and upper cut to pick easy boundaries.There was the odd lapse in concentration, too. On 62, Nair lashed hard to cut at an angled delivery from Hull, but was lucky to get away without nicking. On 89, he did nick a seaming delivery from Ajeet Singh Dale, but Emilio Gay dropped a sitter at second slip in the over before tea. Nair returned from the break rejuvenated and celebrated the landmark soon after, calmly raising his bat towards the dressing room and the healthy crowd that filled the St Lawrence Ground. With the volume of runs he has scored for Vidarbha, the team he moved to as a professional a couple of years ago, Nair had convinced the selectors and Indian think tank to include him in the 18-member Test squad for the five-Test series.Dhruv Jurel added an unconquered 177 with Karun Nair for the fourth wicket•Getty Images
Nair, 33, has played six Tests, the last of which came in 2017. In his third Test, against England in Chennai in 2016, he became only the second triple-centurion for India. It was his maiden century. With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the selectors believed Nair can lend the experience if he is picked in the XI during the England series, which is the first for India in the new World Test Championship cycle (2025-27).While India are likely to blood Tamil Nadu left-hand opener B Sai Sudharsan in the top order, Nair is understood to be looked at for the No. 6 position in case India play an extra batter alongside Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7. Nair showed he can not just play a big innings but also be compatible with his batting partners: a 181-run third-wicket partnership with Sarfaraz was followed by an unbeaten 177-run alliance with Dhruv Jurel.On first day of India’s long summer in England, Nair did himself no harm by grabbing the limelight quietly.
A former Premier League legend has urged Steven Gerrard to ignore an old football cliche after the Liverpool icon re-emerged as the favourite candidate to land the Rangers job. The club's hierarchy are in the market for a new head coach after they parted ways with Russell Martin earlier this month. Martin oversaw a nightmare start for the Gers in the 2025-26 campaign in the Scottish Premiership.
Gerrard pulled out of race to become Rangers boss after advanced talks
Rangers parted ways with Martin just a few months after the former MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton manager took charge at Ibrox. Gers got off to a nightmare start as they managed to register just one win in their first seven league matches. Martin also faced opposition from the fans, who went public with their anger during a Scottish League Cup clash, where they arrived at Ibrox with banners reading, "Russell out – worst manager in history." They also hurled balls onto the pitch, which led to a delay in the start of the game. A week before the international break, Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership. The result proved to be the last straw for the top brass, as the club announced the departure of the manager.
Following Martin's exit, the Gers began their hunt for a new coach and were reportedly in advanced talks with Reds icon Gerrard at one point, but the former England midfielder eventually withdrew his name from the race, although both parties kept the door open for future negotiations, and his name is now back in the headlines as one of the favourites to take the role.
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Gerrard told to ignore football cliche
Premier League and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has opened up on the Rangers' situation as he addressed Gerrard pulling out of contention for becoming the Scottish giants' next head coach.
Speaking to , Shearer said: "I don't know Steven's tax situation with him being back in the UK and he can only answer that. There is that 'never go back' saying but if he wants to get back to management, he knows what it's like up there, he's done it and been successful before. He's a huge name in football. I don't think Celtic are that great either. Hearts are top of the SPFL at the moment so that tells you that Celtic aren't a great team either. Steven, or whoever goes into that role may fancy their chances and say it's worth the opportunity and worth going up there to compete. Rangers are miles off it at the minute and it's no surprise that Russell lost his job. The fans were going mad up there and it's not nice to see because of the human behind it and at the end of it. That's what you have to think of but you also know the score when you go into management – if you don't win games, you'll get sacked. The Rangers job will be a brilliant one for whoever takes over."
Was Gerrard afraid of becoming a 'laughing stock'?
Former Scotland star Pat Nevin backed Gerrard's decision to pull out of the running for the coaching role as he felt it would have been difficult for the 45-year-old to manage a team that had made a disastrous start in the new season.
Speaking to , Nevin said: “Steven Gerrard's the last one that won a title and it stopped Celtic doing the ten titles in a row. So he's literally as good as anyone else and he's certainly got a tune out of that team that season. I feel sorry for the board because when you look elsewhere it's tough. It's really, really tough to get a top manager because when you come into Rangers, it's not just Russell Martin. You're behind the eight ball already. When you walk in, they're so far behind the league just now. The expectation is, if you got second this season, even from so far behind, people will still be a bit grumpy with you. I understand that, they've got high standards. But the amount of managers that have gone in there and come out and been trashed, absolutely trashed. And there's no win for it. Celtic typically have so much more money. Celtic have got a base there. Celtic can go and blow Rangers out of the water with money just now if they want, (but) they're not. They've got plenty in the bank they can use. There's all sorts of stuff that Celtic have got in place. Rangers have got this team that's been built by a whole bunch of different managers. And I go to see Celtic-Rangers games a lot and you think, so who's playing for Rangers now? And that's not what you want.“
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Man Utd coaches in contention to become new Rangers boss
Ex-Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his former assistant coach at Old Trafford, Michael Carrick, are linked with the Rangers job. Both managers are currently out of work after getting sacked by Besiktas and Middlesbrough, respectively, earlier this year. Rangers are also looking at options like Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna, although he may be difficult to prise away from the Suffolk side.
Tottenham Hotspur might not have secured all three points away to Brighton & Hove Albion, but Thomas Frank must be satisfied with the way things are taking shape.
The Spurs boss replaced Ange Postecoglou in the summer and was tasked with creating a more stable project. Tottenham won the Europa League last year, but also languished to a 17th-place finish in the top flight.
Signings have been made, and while he’s an imperfect player, Mohamed Kudus has offered much to the Lilywhites cause after signing from West Ham United for £55m in July.
Mohammed Kudus' start to life at Spurs
Kudus’ shot somewhat fortuitously found Richarlison before the break, and so the Brazilian converted and halved the deficit, scoring a crucial goal that would lead to late parity.
Richarlison for Tottenham
The Ghanaian winger still needs to bring his clinical output into focus, but there’s no denying he is a talented and effective winger, adding a dimension to Frank’s project.
According to Sofascore, Kudus won eight duels and completed six dribbles across the afternoon, causing all sorts of problems for his opponents and whipping in the ball that ricocheted off Jan Paul van Hecke.
With three assists from five Premier League appearances for Tottenham, Kudus is coming into his own, bouncing back from a difficult campaign last year with the Hammers.
However, this isn’t the biggest revival within the Spurs squad, with Destiny Udogie rising back up to the fore in a manner not dissimilar to that of Djed Spence last season.
Frank's own Djed Spence revival
When Spence was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, it was a landmark moment in the 25-year-old full-back’s development.
While Spence has revived his career over the past year, reinventing himself last year under Postecoglou’s wing, Udogie’s performance against Brighton underscored the importance of having a natural left-footer at left-back, working wonders for the side’s progression.
Awarded an 8/10 match rating by football.london, the statistics perhaps don’t tell the full story, with Udogie shackling – for the most part – the bright Yankuba Minteh and working effectively to build up patterns of offensive play down the left flank.
They also considered Udogie to have been the standout performer against the Seagulls.
Minutes played
90′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
86
Accurate passes
58/65 (89%)
Key passes
1
Possession lost
14x
Dribbles
1/3
Tackles + interceptions
2
Clearances
1
Ground duels won
3/7
Having struggled with injury and subsequent dips in form last year, the Italy international made his first start of the season here, with Frank hailing his “absolutely exceptional” performance and continuing to remark that he was “almost unstoppable going forward”.
With Udogie fit and firing on all cylinders, Tottenham’s backline will begin to look far more fluent, not just solidifying when facing the ball but opening up a more coherent build-up process too.
This is not to the discredit of Spence, who continues to go from strength to strength at the club, but instead highlights the quality of the 22-year-old, who now provides his manager with the very best kind of selection headache.
Destiny Udogie for Tottenham
Kudus might have been directly involved in both of Tottenham’s goals, but Udogie proved his worth as one of the most exciting full-backs in the Premier League, and under a new manager in Frank, this might just prove to be the start of something special.
Worth even more than Kudus: Spurs have struck gold on "sensational" talent
Tottenham Hotspur have once again shown their impressive work in the transfer market given one player’s rise.
Tim David was not playing for RCB and neither was Yuzvendra Chahal for PBKS
ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-20259:02
Moody: ‘Two in-form teams, we’re in for an absolute cracker’
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) welcomed back captain Rajat Patidar to full fitness, and Josh Hazlewood back into the XI. Patidar came out for the toss after playing the last two matches as non-captain, won the toss immediately, and opted to bowl. RCB were also the away team in Qualifier 1. They won all their seven away games in the league stage. However, they were still without Tim David, who seemed to have injured his hamstring during their penultimate league match.Punjab Kings (PBKS) were still without Yuzvendra Chahal, and they also lost Marco Jansen to the South Africa Test side. Azmatullah Omarzai came in for him. New Chandigarh was PBKS’ home ground during the league stage, but they didn’t have a great record at home. They won two, lost two, and their captain Shreyas Iyer scored just 25 runs in those four matches.This was RCB’s first top-two finish since 2016. PBKS made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Both sides were looking for their maiden title. The team losing this match was guaranteed a second shot at making the final. Both sides finished the league stage on the same number of points, with PBKS leading on net run rate.Punjab Kings 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt.), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Arshdeep Singh Impact Sub options Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier BartlettRoyal Challengers Bengaluru 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Rajat Patidar (capt.), 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Yash Dayal, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Suyash Sharma Impact Sub options Mayank Agarwal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh
Worcestershire 456 for 3 (Hose 266, Libby 137*) vs HampshireAdam Hose provided retribution to Hampshire for snubbing him as a youngster by scoring 266 – the highest ever score by a visiting player at Utilita Bowl.Top-order batter Hose played for Hampshire at Under 13 and Under 17 levels, having been born and raised on the Isle of Wight, but never progressed into the professional ranks.He returned with an epic second career Rothesay County Championship hundred during a mammoth 395-run third-wicket stand with acting captain Jake Libby.Libby scored 137 unbeaten runs of his own on a lifeless wicket with a joyless Kookaburra ball as Worcestershire ended day one on 456 for 3.Worcestershire have not had a good time batting this season. They came into the match with the fewest batting bonus points (three), had only passed 300 on three previous occasions – twice in their second innings – and only two centuries had been made by their batters.They also came into this match on the back of a shellacking by Surrey at Visit Worcestershire New Road last week.By the end of the day, they had four more batting points, two more centuries, and well over 100 runs more than they had managed in two innings against the defending champions.Libby, once again leading in place of the injured Brett D’Oliveira, couldn’t wait to bat having won the toss.Despite some morning overheads, the air was warm, the pitch looked flat, and the Kookaburra ball was expected to offer next to no assistance to the bowlers.All that proved correct – and the number of centuries would be doubled by 19:00 BST – but not until Hampshire had a little glint of optimism.New Zealander Henry Nicholls was tested outside his off-stump throughout his runless 12-ball innings, before chasing a wide James Fuller delivery to edge behind.Kashif Ali was punchy in his 44 off 38 balls, and particularly tucked into Scott Currie, before he was lbw stumbling over a straight delivery from Fuller.At 60 for 2, things felt even, but from then, and for the next five-and-a-half hours, it was anything but.The sunbathing crowd – including a gathering of past Hampshire players including Barry Richards and oldest living Hampshire cricketer Dennis Baldry – had just Libby’s stoicism and Hose’s perpetual run scoring to watch.Once Hose found his rhythm, he bypassed each one of Hampshire’s plans with gusto.A short-pitch effort, saw pulls and hooks to the boundary. A defensive idea with an umbrella field saw punchy drives down the ground. Everything Hampshire’s beleaguered bowlers tried resulted in runs for Hose.Other than an incredibly tricky short leg chance on 69, he raced through the milestones – 50 in 74 balls, 100 in 126, 150 in 178, 200 in 208 and 250 in 240.The more runs he got, the harder and further he hit the ball – one of his seven sixes causing injury to a spectator some 10 rows back at long on.Hose was eventually dismissed on 266 – scuffing the ball to gully to give debutant Dom Kelly his first Championship wicket – in the penultimate over of the day.His score surpassed the 243 scored by Phil Jaques for Yorkshire on this ground in 2004, and sat just one run behind Zak Crawley’s marathon for England and John Crawley and Michael Carberry’s triple-centuries in scores by anyone at the Bowl.Hose did play one first-team match for Hampshire, a non-first-class three-day game against Cardiff MCCU – ironically, one of his opponents in that fixture was Libby.With him on this occasion, runs flowed like a tap.Libby isn’t one for showy shots, at his best when he occupies the crease – he has the second longest County Championship innings by minutes to his name to demonstrate his stickability.He offered the Hampshire bowlers even less hope than Hose, scoring at his own pace to reach his second ton of the campaign in 219 deliveries.”It has been a great day,” Hose said. “We have had a tough couple of months from a group and batting perspective so to have a big partnership with Jake and score some runs was a satisfying feeling.”In the past, I have gone into my shell and put a higher price on my wicket as opposed to today, I just saw the ball and reacted with my natural instincts. Fortunately, today it worked.”It was my first double-hundred so it’s cool getting the runs here. It is a long time since I left this club as a teenager, so there isn’t much on that front. It is about trying to put as much pressure on with the bat as we know it could potentially be a tough couple of days with the ball.”
Nottingham Forest chiefs have made a decision on the future of under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou, with a big-name manager now the “leading contender” to potentially replace him.
Ange Postecoglou makes worst start by a Forest manager for 100 years
Postecoglou’s appointment at Forest raised a good few eyebrows, and Evangelos Marinakis’ managerial gamble really hasn’t paid off so far.
The ex-Tottenham boss’ tenure has been marred by a disastrous run of form, with the team failing to secure a single win in his first seven matches in charge. This dire streak has left Forest languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table and under intense pressure from fans and the media alike.
Arsenal 3-0 Forest
Premier League
Swansea 3-2 Forest
Carabao Cup
Burnley 1-1 Forest
Premier League
Real Betis 2-2 Forest
Europa League
Forest 0-1 Sunderland
Premier League
Forest 2-3 FC Midtjylland
Europa League
Newcastle 2-0 Forest
Premier League
A string of poor results have been compounded by a lack of cohesion on the pitch.
Postecoglou’s high-intensity, possession-based style has yet to translate into convincing performances, with Forest players thus far struggling to adapt to a very different system compared to that of his predecessor, Nuno Espirito Santo.
Defensive frailties have also been glaring, leading to frustration within the stands and growing calls for change already. The atmosphere at the City Ground is souring, with supporters chanting ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ when the Tricky Trees fell to their humbling 3-2 defeat at home to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.
As a result, speculation about his future has intensified, with reports suggesting that Marinakis is closely monitoring the situation and could make another managerial change if results do not improve swiftly (Sky Sports).
The possibility of Postecoglou becoming the shortest-reigning manager in Premier League history has also been discussed, following the 60-year-old’s worst start by any Forest boss in 100 years.
If Marinakis does make a change, there are a few candidates who are being linked with the potentially vacant Forest job.
Fulham’s Marco Silva is one target for Forest. Marinakis enjoys a good relationship with the Portuguese, having previously worked together at Olympiacos, where they won a Greek Super League title.
Like Silva, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is out of contract at the end of this season, and some reports suggest the tactician is another “prime candidate” to succeed Postecoglou if he’s dismissed (TEAMtalk).
Rafael Benitez emerging as "leading contender" for Nottingham Forest job
Now, according to journalist Wayne Veysey, former Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton manager, Rafael Benitez, has suddenly jumped up Marinakis’ shortlist.
Rafa Benitez
The 65-year-old, who’s been out of work since leaving Celta Vigo in 2024, last managed in the Premier League over three and a half years ago during his lacklustre spell at Everton.
Benitez was spotted in close proximity to Marinakis during Olympiacos’ 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in the Champions League last week, and he’s apparently open to an approach from Forest with the club considering his candidacy (GiveMeSport).
According to Veysey, in a piece for Football Insider, Benitez is “now the leading contender” to replace Postecoglou at Forest, and as the Spaniard emerges into pole position, Marinakis has also made a decision on his current boss.
Veysey also claims that Marinakis has decided not to axe Postecoglou during this international break, and will stick with him for the return of Premier League football next week.
However, he must inspire a quick turnaround of results, or face being dismissed, with Benitez there as a top option in the event Postecoglou is sacked.
Called a “world-class” tactician by his peers, Benitez has enjoyed a trophy-laden career overall.
Clubs
Tenure
Matches in charge
Titles/achievements
Real Valladolid
1995-96
25
Osasuna
1996
9
Extremadura
1997-99
92
Segunda promotion
Tenerife
2000-01
46
Segunda promotion
Valencia
2001-04
162
La Liga X2
UEFA Cup
Liverpool
2004-12
350
Champions League
FA Cup
UEFA Super Cup
Internazionale
2010
25
FIFA Club World Cup
Supercoppa Italiana
Chelsea
2012-13
48
Europa League
Napoli
2013-15
112
Coppa Italia
Supercoppa Italiana
Real Madrid
2015-16
25
Newcastle United
2016-19
146
EFL Championship
Dalian Professional
2019-21
38
Everton
2021-22
22
Celta de Vigo
2023-24
33
That being said, Benitez’s inactivity since 23/24 could spark doubt as to whether he is ready for an extremely tough job like Forest right now.
Manchester United have problems to deal with on the field, but they could now be about to announce a new signing after he was spotted at Old Trafford.
Manchester United performances called out by Wayne Rooney
Since the time that Wayne Rooney played for Manchester United, anyone connected with the Premier League will tell you that the Red Devils have struggled to replicate the consistency of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Years have gone by and trophies have been won along the way, though Ruben Amorim’s club have never got close to reclaiming the top prize, and they are in a gradual decline that INEOS haven’t been able to alter since becoming involved at Old Trafford.
After a defeat against Brentford left Manchester United sitting 14th in the table with two wins from six, Rooney has called out the Red Devils and has ‘no faith’ in Amorim to turn around a wretched run of results.
He said: “I just don’t know what’s going on. I have tried my hand in management and it didn’t work out too well, so I get it. Ruben Amorim is my age, he’s still a young manager and I’m sure he’s got a massive future, but what’s going on at Man Utd, this is not Man Utd. I honestly hope he can turn it round and he does. But…after everything I’ve seen, honestly, I’ve got no faith in it.”
Ultimately, the Portuguese boss is here to stay for now and Manchester United need to keep fighting, starting with a pivotal fixture on home soil against Sunderland this Saturday.
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Supporters will hope a victory can kickstart a turnaround, and in the meantime, fans will also be intrigued to see that their club are closing in on a seemingly imminent deal.
Manchester United target Mouhamed Dabo spotted at Old Trafford
Earlier this week, it was reported that Manchester United are closing in on Barcelona target Mouhamed Dabo, who is currently on the books of Be Sport Academy and has spent the last few weeks on trial bidding to win a deal.
Now, he has been spotted at Old Trafford and has even trained at Carrington, indicating that an official announcement may not be too far away as INEOS close in on a sought after young player.
Building for the future is a necessary step for Manchester United to breed stars of the future, with Chido Obi-Martin, Diego Leon and Sekou Kone among their most exciting hopes, and Dabo may be another to add to their talent conveyor belt as INEOS look to the long-term.
After a slow start to his Anfield career, Florian Wirtz has revealed what Liverpool manager Arne Slot has just told him to do if he wants to get back to his best.
Why Wirtz has started slow at Liverpool
Whilst it’s been far from disastrous, Wirtz hasn’t got off to the electric start that many expected from a £116m player. The former Bayer Leverkusen player arrived as a player who has the ability to change games on his own and contribute to goals, but what Liverpool have so far seen is a hard-working midfielder who has struggled to make his mark.
There have been glimpses of his best form. In the September international break, the German scored an excellent free-kick and then returned to Liverpool to enjoy his best display yet against Atletico Madrid. It’s a game that should have ended his wait for a goal or assist since the Community Shield, but there were ultimately plenty of positive signs.
There were also signs of how he can control games in a 1-0 victory against Arsenal, especially when Alexis Mac Allister was replaced and he was no longer sharing the same spaces with such a similar player. Whether those two can thrive together is the big question. Slot did, of course, drop Wirtz for the Argentine in the Merseyside derby instead of starting both.
Unlike others in the Premier League, time is on Wirtz’s side. Liverpool sit top of the Premier League by five points and are the only side with a 100% record. If there’s an environment that allows players to settle in, it is Anfield.
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That said, Slot has still spoken to the big-money star about his form and told him exactly what he must do to get back to his best.
Wirtz reveals Slot conversation about Liverpool form
Speaking to reporters, Wirtz revealed that he has held a conversation with Slot about his slow start to life at Liverpool. The German revealed that Slot suggested that his form could be down to Liverpool’s press and his struggle to adapt to that intensity whilst also playing a part in possession.
It would certainly make sense why Wirtz has struggled to keep pace at times. Alas, if that is the reason behind his underwhelming form, then logic suggests that Liverpool should see the best version of their midfielder as the season goes on and his fitness reaches the level required.
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
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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.”