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India are in the middle of a fundamental change and it is partly because of Jasprit Bumrah. Ahead of his first Test series in charge, Gautam Gambhir touched on how he’s started to have an effect far beyond just his cricket.”It has not happened many times in India where we started talking about the bowler,” Gambhir said. “I think it has always been about batters, batters and batters. India at one stage was a batting-obsessed nation. And you’ve got to give credit to Bumrah, [Mohammed] Shami, [Mohammed] Siraj, [R] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja that now they are turning this intention into a bowling obsessed… not bowling obsessed nation that we started talking about the bowler.”Bumrah might only have played 36 Tests but his numbers are startling. He’s taking a five-wicket haul (ten so far) roughly once in three Tests and he’s been the driving force behind some of India’s most famous wins – Oval 2021, Melbourne 2018, Visakhapatnam 2024.Related

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“Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world in all the three formats. And it’s not just his performance, it’s just his hunger as well. The best part is that he wants to play as much Test cricket as he can.”I think what he has done in T20 format in West Indies to what he can do in red-ball cricket, what he did against England. So I feel that yes, it is actually not even a luxury. I think it’s really an honour that we’ve got someone like Bumrah playing for us and sitting in that dressing room. We can make a change, we can make a difference at any stage of the game. So yes, hopefully, we can do the same in this series and going forward as well.”

Gambhir: ‘Want India to adapt and learn quickly’

Gambhir is taking the reins of a very successful Test team and even though he hasn’t really been a coach at any level he believes the relationships that he’s built with the India players from his 12 years as an all-format opening batter will ease him into the job. He has set himself no mandate other than to win games for India.”I’ve always been a believer that the best style is the style that wins and we want to be a team that adapts and learns quickly, rather than adopting one style. Because if you start adopting one style, then there is no growth. We want guys to be playing the situation, the conditions, and then keep growing every day. And that is all that matters. You know, all this, giving a name to a certain style and playing only one way, see, ultimately sport is all about results. And the best, as I just mentioned, the best style is the style that wins.”2:37

Gambhir: It’s good we’re talking about bowlers in India

Given this is the home season for India and the Test match against Bangladesh on Thursday will be played in Chennai, a fair bit of focus will be on the spinners. Gambhir explained how he would pick them.”Obviously, first is the impact they can create on day one and on day five,” he said. “India has been very fortunate that we’ve got people like Ashwin and Jadeja. They’ve bowled really well in tandem as well, and we know how they can contribute on day one. Because for Test cricket, the most important thing is that you should have the ability to bowl defensive, and you should have the ability to bowl attacking stuff as well. So I feel that we’re going to have an attack which can take 20 wickets, and those two guys are definitely going to create a lot of impact in Indian conditions.”India have never lost a Test to Bangladesh but Gambhir has been careful not to let that affect the way they prepare for the game in Chennai on Thursday. “You don’t change your intensity by looking at the opposition,” he said. “International cricket means that, do you have that hunger for every session, every hour, every ball? Because, ultimately, when you are playing for your country, and when the other 15 players are playing for their country, they will be good and anyone can defeat anyone. So, if you think that, changing your intensity by looking at Australia or England, I think, no high-quality side does that. And, it shouldn’t be done. A champion side is the one who sets their own standards.”Bangladesh has got some really quality cricketers. Shakib [Al Hasan] has got the experience. Mushfiqur [Rahim] has got the experience. You’ve got a very good bowling attack as well. Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] is there as well. So we know that there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to be switched on from ball one. And that is what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”Gambhir is very happy with the talent pool that he has to work with. “The best thing is that, from the last seven-eight days, my first Sri Lanka tour, I have seen one thing, that all the players sitting in that dressing room, how much they like to play for India. We always say that players like to play IPL. But, there’s not much truth in this. Ultimately, when you represent your country, there’s nothing greater than that.”But switching between formats does create a challenge for them, especially in Test cricket. India, despite 17 successive series victories at home, haven’t been immune to this. Their batters are going through a little bit of a lull when it comes to making big scores.”This batting line-up has so much quality that we can play any opposition, any bowling line-up, any spin attack in any conditions,” Gambhir said. “What happens is we often judge [ability to play spin] a lot looking at T20 and one-day cricket; there’s a heaven and earth difference. In one-day cricket, you don’t get much time to defend. In Test cricket, you have time to defend and make the bowler bowl into your strengths. But, for that, the most important thing is if you want to play well in Test cricket, how tight is your defence?”We have played in T20 format on so many good wickets that sometimes, it feels like you have to develop so many shots. But the foundation is your defence. When we started, any youngster was taught to defend. If your defence is strong, you can develop everything on that defence. But, if you think that you have all kinds of shots and if you want to be a good Test cricketer, there is no guarantee for that.”

The board is taking a cautious approach after Stokes tore his hamstring during the tournament

Matt Roller16-Aug-2024

Gus Atkinson will miss the final of the men’s Hundred after being made unavailable by the ECB ahead of England’s Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Atkinson took 22 wickets in his debut series against West Indies and was named Player of the Series. He has only featured once for Oval Invincibles this year, returning figures of 0 for 28 in 10 balls against Trent Rockets on Wednesday night, and will not feature in Sunday’s final at Lord’s as he prepares for the Test series.”Gus has been withdrawn, which is quite understandable,” Sam Billings, the Invincibles’ captain, said. “It’s disappointing for him but Saqib Mahmood has been phenomenal for us all tournament and showed his class the other night. He’ll stay in the side.”The Invincibles are also missing Spencer Johnson through injury, but Tom Curran will return after he was rested on Wednesday.The ECB is taking a cautious approach to England players’ availability after Ben Stokes tore his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers, ruling him out for the rest of the summer. Chris Woakes has already been withdrawn from the tournament, though Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett (both Birmingham Phoenix) and Jordan Cox (Invincibles) are available this weekend ahead of the first Test.Related

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“Jordan will be available and I think that’s great for him,” Billings said. “I’ve been in that position before where as a young player, you get withdrawn and miss out on playing time. For anyone to play in a final at Lord’s in the leading domestic competition in the country, in front of a packed house is perfect preparation for international cricket.”Jofra Archer, who is being managed carefully after long spells on the sidelines with back and elbow issues, is expected to be available for both Saturday’s eliminator and Sunday’s final, if Southern Brave qualify. He was made unavailable for two group-stage games to manage his workload, but Brave captain James Vince is not anticipating any restrictions in the knockouts.”I’ve not heard otherwise, so I’m hoping that’s the case,” Vince said. “Obviously we’ve got tomorrow to take care of first, but as I understand it, he is available for both should we make the final. I can’t give you 100% confirmation because I don’t know that myself, to be honest. But there’s not much travel involved and it’s only 20 balls [per match] so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”In the women’s Hundred, Chamari Athapaththu is unavailable for the Invincibles in their eliminator against London Spirit on Saturday, having linked up with Sri Lanka’s squad for their ODI series in Ireland. Laura Harris has returned to the squad as cover, while Megan Schutt has also been with the squad throughout and will come into contention.

Goals, goals and more goals; if there was a thing Arsenal missed this season, it was goals.

Mikel Arteta’s side managed to secure a third successive second-placed finish in the Premier League this season, but unlike the last two campaigns, it was a truly distant second place.

Liverpool ended up finishing ten points ahead of the Gunners, and arguably worse than that, they scored a whopping 17 more goals than the North Londoners.

So, with this in mind, it’s hardly been a surprise to see Arsenal linked with a host of incredible strikers in recent weeks, including one who’s supposedly better than Erling Haaland and would be an upgrade on Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal's striker search

Given their struggles in attack this season, Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of outstanding strikers in recent weeks and months, from Sporting CPs free-scoring Viktor Gyokeres to Aston Villa’s brilliant Ollie Watkins and even Newcastle United’s likely unattainable Alexander Isak.

However, over the last week or so, a frontrunner to come in and lead the line for the Gunners next season has emerged in Sesko.

The Slovenian forward has been a target for the club since last summer, but according to reports last week, talks between his representatives and the two teams seem to be progressing well.

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Yet, another goalscorer has now entered the picture, someone who’d be an upgrade on the RB Leipzig star and who’d hold his own against Haaland: Victor Osimhen.

Yes, according to a recent report from Italian publication Tuttosport, Arsenal are one of several teams now interested in the on-loan Napoli ace.

The report claims that the Nigerian international turned down the opportunity to move to the Saudi Pro League because teams like the Gunners and Manchester United are now keen to sign him.

However, on top of dealing with the competition, the North Londoners will also have to cough up around £63m to activate the release clause in his current contract open to teams outside of Serie A.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Osimhen’s immense ability, it is one worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a big upgrade on Sesko.

How Osimhen compares to Sesko and Haaland

So, if Osimhen is currently one of the options for Arsenal this summer, it’s worth seeing how he stacks up with Sesko, who might be his biggest competition at the moment.

Yet, with the Nigerian international being described as “even better than Haaland” by Italian agent Andrea D’Amico, it’s also worth including the Manchester City star in the comparisons, as should the Napoli star move to North London, the Norwegian will be leading the line for one of his biggest title rivals.

With that said, when it comes to their pure output this season, it looks like D’Amico is correct, as it’s the Lagos-born “superhuman,” as dubbed by journalist Paolo Esposito, who comes out on top.

In 41 appearances, totalling 3236 minutes, he was able to score 37 goals and provide eight assists for Galatasaray, which comes out to an average of 1.09 goal involvements every game, or one every 71.91 minutes.

For his efforts, the City star scored 31 goals and provided four assists in 44 appearances, totalling 3786 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.25 games, or one every 108.17 minutes.

Finally, the Leipzig star was the worst of the three, scoring 21 goals and providing six assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3258 minutes, which translates to a goal involvement every 1.66 games or every 120.66 minutes.

Moreover, while the former Salzburg gem is the youngest and, therefore, might make the most sense in the long term, Arteta and Co are at a point in the project at which winning here and now has to take precedence over what might be best for a few years down the line.

Therefore, it makes sense to sign someone who massively outperformed both Sesko and Haaland this summer, which is why Arsenal should be going all in on Osimhen.

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The impressive winger would be a great addition to Arsenal’s squad.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 9, 2025

Manchester United’s forward line has been massively underwhelming throughout 2024/25, undoubtedly contributing to their lowly Premier League standing.

The Red Devils have only registered 42 goals in their 37 league outings to date, an average of just 1.1 per 90, highlighting the need for investment in such a department over the summer.

Ruben Amorim will want to make key changes to his squad during the off-season to try and right the wrongs of the current campaign and be a success at Old Trafford.

With the summer window right around the corner, work has already been done by the hierarchy to back the manager and hand him the tools he requires to change the fortunes at the club.

However, it’s crucial that the manager makes the right additions to the squad, with quality over quantity needed if they are to return to their former glory in the near future.

The latest on United’s hunt for new attackers this summer

Viktor Gyokeres has been a constant target for United over the last couple of months after Amorim’s arrival, understandably so given their time together at Sporting CP.

The Swede has registered 53 goals in 51 games throughout the current campaign, leading to rumours of a £60m switch to Old Trafford, with Arsenal also in the race for his signature.

However, the club have targeted alternatives over the last couple of weeks, leading to further links with Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap, according to journalist Laurie Whitwell.

His report states that the Red Devils are set to hold face-to-face talks with the striker over a move to the club after his impressive debut Premier League campaign, which has seen him net 12 times in 36 outings.

It also claims that Amorim’s side are leading the race for his signature and are willing to trigger the £30m release clause that has become active after the Tractor Boys’ relegation was confirmed.

Why United’s £30m target could be their next Rooney

Wayne Rooney will forever be a club icon at United, given their success he endured at the club over a sustained spell, breaking a whole host of impressive records.

The Englishman joined the Red Devils in a £30m deal from Everton back in 2004, with little to no fans expecting the forward to have the impact he did at Old Trafford.

He registered a staggering 253 goals in his 559 appearances, the most of any player in the club’s history, highlighting the impact he made during his spell in the North West.

Rooney also won 12 major honours during his spell at the club, including five league triumphs, something which now appears to be a distant memory given the recent slump at the Theatre of Dreams.

However, this summer, Amorim could land his own version of Rooney in a deal for Delap, following suit by joining for £30m from a smaller Premier League outfit.

The comparisons could also be made with their respective playstyles, with the Ipswich star having similar ball-striking abilities and a battering ram-like presence in forward areas.

His stats from this campaign are evidence of how much of an impressive addition he would be for the Red Devils, offering a cheaper alternative to a deal for Gyokeres.

Delap, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has completed 1.4 take-ons per 90, along with 1.6 carries into the final third – offering the side a needed all-round presence in attacking areas.

He’s also won 1.9 aerials per 90, along with a 45% shot-on-target accuracy, handing the side the added aerial and clinical threat they’ve been lacking throughout 2024/25.

His £30m clause could prove to be a potential bargain should Amorim sign him this summer, offering a cheaper but just as impressive option in attacking areas.

Should he get anywhere near the levels produced by Rooney at Old Trafford, it would be a sensational piece of business and one that could push the side back towards their former glory.

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Robbie Walls

May 20, 2025

With Leeds United looking to solve their biggest problem this summer, one transfer target is now reportedly ready to quit his current Premier League club in favour of a move to Elland Road.

Leeds' goalkeeper problem

After winning the Championship title and sealing automatic promotion to the Premier League, Leeds still have one major problem to address this summer. And that comes courtesy of Ilian Meslier. The shot-stopper is at the centre of Leeds’ greatest weakness and very nearly derailed his side’s promotion until Daniel Farke ruthlessly replaced him with second-choice Karl Darlow.

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However, the current No 2 is far from a permanent solution ahead of the Whites’ return to the Premier League, and the 49ers seem to be well aware of that.

Already, a number of Meslier replacements have been mentioned as the summer transfer window approaches, and Leeds will have to narrow their shortlist down if they are to finally solve their goalkeeper problem.

Two names mentioned have been Caoimhin Kelleher and Djordje Petrovic in recent reports. Both goalkeepers have endured excellent seasons, with Kelleher often called in to replace an injured Alisson Becker at Liverpool as they secured the Premier League title, and Chelsea loanee Petrovic providing some standout numbers on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.

Both would be instant upgrades on Meslier, whose mistakes came around more and more often at Leeds throughout the campaign. They were mistakes that went unpunished eventually, but mistakes that could ultimately cost the Yorkshire side their Premier League place if repeated next season.

After dropping his goalkeeper for Darlow in April, Farke told reporters: “Obviously he was involved in both [Swansea] goals in the last game, and it was a shame because after the penalty save he was on his way to being man of the match.

“So it was clear we had to make a decision. And we had to make it early in the week, because in that position the players need clarity, and Karl [Darlow] needs the time to prepare.”

Leeds receive Sam Johnstone boost

Meanwhile, if it’s not to be Petrovic or Kelleher this summer, then those at Elland Road could reportedly turn towards another Premier League option.

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Sam Johnstone is now ready to quit Wolverhampton Wanderers to join Leeds this summer.

The experienced shot-stopper has often found himself behind Jose Sa in the pecking order in the Midlands and could now leave the club just one summer after arriving. Wolves’ No 2 could quickly become Leeds’ No 1 as a result, with the 49ers already thought to be plotting a move to sign the former West Bromwich Albion man.

Previously praised for a “sensational” save by Gary Lineker, Johnstone will be desperate to regain a starting place away from Wolves this summer and replacing Meslier would hand him the chance to do exactly that.

At 32 years old, however, there may be some concerns around Elland Road over the goalkeeper’s ability to become a long-term solution to their biggest problem ahead of a vital Premier League campaign.

It was another miserable game for Tottenham Hotspur last night.

Ange Postecoglou’s side travelled to Stamford Bridge hoping to turn things around with what would have been an unlikely win, but instead of doing that, they practically handed Chelsea all three points.

It was an entirely lifeless performance from the North Londoners and one that could well seal the manager’s fate.

One of the worst displays came from James Maddison, who continues to frustrate in the middle of the park, which is something he might not be able to do for too much longer, as Hotspur Way is currently brewing the perfect replacement.

Maddison's frustrating Spurs career

When Tottenham completed the £40m signing of Maddison in the summer of 2023, there was plenty of understandable excitement from fans as he had just produced 19 goal involvements for a relegated Leicester City.

His initial form for the North Londoners justified this excitement as well as he produced eight goal involvements in his first ten league games for the club, but then he picked up an ankle injury against Chelsea, and when he returned in late January, the problems began.

Instead of being a game-changing midfielder, capable of controlling matches and tearing opposition defences to shreds, he became far more passive, lacklustre and simply ineffective, picking up just five goal involvements across his final 17 league appearances.

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This season has been just as frustrating, as while he has managed to score 11 goals and provide seven assists in just 39 games, he continues to put in incredibly inconsistent performances.

One week, he’s like the player we saw at the start of last season, and then in the next, he’s a total passenger.

We saw the latter in the game last night, as even though it was a derby between two teams and fanbases who do not like one another, he was practically anonymous in the middle of the park, coming off in the 81st minute with no goals or assists, having lost five out of five duels and with a combined expected goal and assists figure of just 0.11, which is nowhere good enough for the team’s creative hub.

It’s hard to see where Maddison goes from here, as nobody doubts his talent, but he is seemingly unable to produce consistently enough for a top side, and if he’s not careful, he could see himself replaced by one of the most exciting players currently in the academy.

The Spurs academy star who could replace Maddison

While Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have all made a mark on the first team this season, we could see an even more exciting youngster do the same next year: Lucá Williams-Barnett.

The 17-year-old phenom is undoubtedly the most promising prospect in the academy at the moment and could be battling Maddison for a place as the midfield’s chief creator sooner rather than later.

Now, that might sound like hyperbole, but we really don’t think it is, as in just 17 appearances this season, totalling 1375 minutes, the young maestro has already amassed a frankly absurd haul of 18 goals and nine assists.

Appearances

17

Starts

16

Minutes

1375′

Goals

18

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

1.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

50.92′

That means he is currently averaging 1.58 goal involvements every game, or one every 50.92 minutes, which is the sort of incredible output that could and really should see him introduced into the first team next season.

Moreover, the Luton-born gem is also incredibly versatile and has made appearances in left midfield, on both wings and even up top, leading to academy expert and pundit John Wenham to describe him as a “cheat-code.”

Ultimately, Maddison might still have one more season of being the team’s recognised ten purely down to the age of Williams-Barnett, but if he doesn’t massively improve soon, then the teenage sensation could take his spot in the coming years, and, based on his output in the academy, we wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen.

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With English cricket awaiting the outcome of the Hundred discussions, an ancient corner of the game endures for another day

Andrew Miller11-May-2024By stealth, but with increasing ubiquity, the old distinction between English cricket’s Test- and non-Test venues has been replaced this season by a more stark, faintly grasping pair of epithets: “Haves” and “have-nots”.The “haves” – as epitomised by the likes of Surrey and Lancashire – increasingly have it all. Test matches, Hundred teams. Corporate banqueting facilities and a clientele willing to splash out in them, and now, with a handful of deferred exceptions, even the prospect of Tier 1 Women’s outfits from 2025 onwards (and how quickly that untapped revenue stream has snowballed in value).The “have-nots”, by contrast, have only the power of their collective bargaining as they cling to the coat-tails of the counties that offer the promised Hundred riches, and to the fading glories of the ancien régime that they continue to represent. Not least, here at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, on the first true day of the English cricket summer.For after five desperately dank rounds in the wettest spring on record – exacerbated by the futility of the Kookaburra’s early migration – here at last was a chance to bask in county cricket as the sport’s forefathers might have intended it.Gareth Roderick’s emotionally charged century was to the fore, as Worcestershire versus Kent served up a day of 308 runs in 96 overs – which seems a brisk enough clip until you recall that, in the IPL on Wednesday, Sunrisers Hyderabad ransacked more than half that many runs (166) in barely a tenth of the deliveries (58 to 576).But this was not a day for such crassly pointed details. This was a day designed to wash over you as a background to your life choices; to exist – as might have been the case when time itself was first corralled at the height of the Industrial Revolution – only as confirmation that this is your moment of leisure, and it’s yours to tailor as you please.Watch the cricket, or don’t watch the cricket – it’ll still be there if you ever look up to check the score. Do the crossword, go for a stroll. Pat a dog, eat an ice cream. Loll on the grass banks while marvelling up at the pointlessness of the floodlights, which on a day like this seem as oblique and immutable as the Easter Island statues.Kent and Worcestershire observed a minute’s applause following the death of Josh Baker•Getty ImagesFor this is what the “Have-nots” have that the “Haves” have not. You simply cannot replicate a scene like this in the high-rise bleachers of Edgbaston or Headingley, which for all the glory that its history confers, remains a carbuncle of a ground whose once-new family stand at the Kirkstall Lane End was memorably said, at its unveiling in 2004, to possess all the charm of “a viewing gallery at a municipal swimming pool”.Nothing about that sentiment, as penned by the professionally dyspeptic former Times man Michael Henderson, has softened one iota in the intervening 20 years. Unlike the once-controversial but now gently massaged rough edges of the St Lawrence Ground, onto which modernity has intermittently dared to encroach, but where – at least when the sun shines – timelessness still manages to shine through.Take the Sainsbury’s supermarket on the ground’s northern corner which, when it first opened in March 2012, was perhaps the most symbolic sell-out in county cricket history. Twelve years later, it’s no longer an affront to the ground’s bucolic sensibilities, instead it’s mellowed to become a convenient – and borderline essential – stop-off for unprepared picnickers, as they make for the ground’s wrought-iron gates, barely five metres from the check-out.Likewise the flats overlooking the square boundary off the Old Dover Road, which were such an affront when the original plans went through a decade ago. They’ve bedded down and blended in since their completion six years ago, with their patios and matured gardens now reflecting the matured residents within, who take in the action with the same keenly ambivalent interest as the greybeards within the gates.And then there’s the replanted lime tree on the boundary’s edge at deep backward point, now 25 years old and an imposing ornament in its own right – albeit not quite as much a feature of the action as its predecessor, which blew down in a gale in January 2005 after 180 years of loitering on the outfield itself. It beggars belief that the Twenty20 Cup began a full two seasons before the death of this monument to amateurism – imagine attempting a relay catch these days, with a three-foot tree trunk waiting to brain you as you dive headlong for the rope. And yet, on this, a day of 26 boundaries in 96 overs, you’d have got reasonable odds that the failure to take on such a half-chance would not have been game-changing.The St Lawrence Ground is, by design as much as circumstance, a ground of ghosts. Everywhere you turn, from the Frank Woolley Pavilion to the Blythe Memorial to the Cowdrey and Underwood-Knott Stands, evokes an era that, once lost for good, will never come close to being recreated.Related

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And so, despite the upbeat weather (the type, dare one mention it, that the visitors need even more desperately if their own home at New Road is not to be abandoned to the sport’s rising tides) this was an elegiac day. It began with an emotional tribute to Worcestershire’s young spinner Josh Baker before the start of play, and continued through Roderick’s under-stated pat of the club badge as he reached his century midway through the evening session.Around the boundary’s edge, that sense of transcience continued – from the undercurrent of intrigue about the ECB’s plans for the Hundred, a deal for which seemed to be edging closer with every over, to the chatter in the day’s final hour as word spread of James Anderson’s impending England retirement, a toppling to rival that of even the aforementioned lime tree.It all fuels the sense of a world in retreat, but perhaps that’s simply how county cricket has always framed itself – a sigh of contentment that can’t help but sound like regret to the untrained ear. So much of the talk among the game’s other have-nots centres around the selling-off of their ancient homes and the relocation to purpose-built stadia by motorway junctions in the interests of “future-proofing”. But would it really matter if major-match cricket, whatever that may come to entail, never again sets foot on grounds such as these, just so long as the spaces themselves and the bodies moving within them are saved for the nation, performative-art style, by a deus ex machina equity windfall?Yes, it probably would, as it happens – won’t somebody think of the talent pathways, apart from anything else. But it’s hard to escape the feeling that we are already deep into the throes of this sport’s last stand.Next to the Old Dover Road Entrance, there’s a metal plaque depicting each of the 15 Kent grounds that hosted County Championship cricket between 1890 and 2017, and acknowledging a further 19 that came and went even before then.It’s another parade of ghosts, from the Mote in Maidstone to the Crabble Athletic Ground in Dover, all the way to the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, which had its most recent festival game cancelled by Covid in 2020 and seems vanishingly unlikely to make a return to the roster. The retreat has already been underway for years, but at least the sun shone. And while it did, this particular have-not seemed to have it all.

With their win in Lahore, Australia are free in the knowledge that they can stick to what they know if they get the basics right

Alex Malcolm25-Mar-2022The ghosts were there. The ghosts of Headingley, Sydney (twice), Brisbane, and Karachi. They were there sitting on the shoulders of the Australians as they tried to close out victory in Lahore.They were there when Australia dropped key catches in the fourth innings, again. When they fluffed a gifted run-out chance, again. When they burnt three reviews frivolously again, which forced them to second-guess the one when it would have yielded a key wicket.But lady luck finally shone on Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Australia, and they slayed their demons and scared off the ghosts to deliver a thoroughly deserved series victory.Related

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Lyon five-for, Pat Cummins take Australia to 1-0 series win on final day

Azhar rues batters not converting half-centuries 'into 150s and 170s'

There’s no denying Australia were the better side across the three matches and there’s an argument that they should have won 2-0, having made all the running in both Karachi and Lahore. There is no doubt they were aided by the toss in both matches, but their batting delivered in the first innings in all three games, and they bowled superbly in the first innings in Karachi and Lahore to give themselves time to take 10 fourth innings wickets, with runs to play with on both occasions.Four dropped catches and three magnificent innings from Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique denied Pakistan in Karachi, with the hosts surviving the second-most overs in the fourth innings in history.Babar threatened to do it again in Lahore. Lyon had to get him out three times, but the last was the most satisfying for both him and Steven Smith. The latter had either dropped or missed no fewer than seven chances across the series, but Smith pouched the one that mattered most, a really sharp catch low to his left after Lyon had got the second new ball to skid on and catch Babar’s outside edge.Smith and Lyon roared as Lahore fell deathly silent. You could see the weight of the world lift from both men’s shoulders.Lyon has been carrying it for some time. Since Headingley 2019 no less. Australia’s inability to close out games since that famous day has fallen on his shoulders. But his overall form since Covid-19 stopped global cricket in March 2020 has been a curiosity. Over his previous 11 Tests prior to Lahore, he had averaged 39.80 and struck at 95.20 without a five-wicket haul.It wasn’t that he was bowling badly. But there was a certain sameness and rigidity to his pace, his lines, and his lengths at times across the period that had caused some consternation both inside the camp and out.The big knock was that he wasn’t creating fourth innings chances. But in all fairness, he had had very little luck in the supposed fourth innings failures that were thrown at his feet. He had Ben Stokes missed at slip and plumb lbw at Headingley. He had Rishabh Pant dropped twice by the wicketkeeper in Sydney 2021.Steven Smith held a sharp catch to remove the key figure of Babar Azam•AFP/Getty ImagesThose ghosts threatened to consume Lyon in Lahore. Babar should have been run out early in his innings. Travis Head made a poor throw to Lyon but his fumble, although not his fault, did bring back memories of Headingley.He had Babar caught brilliantly at slip by Smith off the glove and pad but it was given not out. Australia had torched two reviews on earlier lbw shouts where the inside edges could be seen and heard in Sydney, so Cummins was reluctant to burn their last, given they weren’t 100 per cent sure it brushed Babar’s glove. The ghosts of Stokes’ lbw haunted Lyon again.Babar then tried to launch Lyon over long-on in the last over prior to tea and miscued to deep midwicket. Head misjudged the flight and failed to get hands to a catch that should have been taken. The ghosts of Stokes again would have flashed through Lyon’s mind as he slumped to his haunches.But luck evened things out for Lyon and Australia today. He was perhaps fortunate to dismal Azhar Ali with a 50-50 DRS call going Australia’s way despite the original decision being not out.Lyon also bowled Hasan Ali via his helmet and the back of the bat as he attempted to sweep out of the rough. And fellow spinner Mitchell Swepson held a spectacular catch in the deep to hand Lyon his five-for.It was a rich reward for Lyon who has bowled better than the numbers have suggested at times in this series, and deserved more luck than he has got. He was rewarded for a different line to Imam-ul-Haq, attacking the left-hander with a rare venture from over the wicket to get him caught brilliantly at silly mid-off by Marnus Labuschagne.Changes in pace, dropping below 80kph at times, was also part of what undid Babar, with some of his slower deliveries ripping out of the footmarks and eventually, causing Babar to play for more turn than was there on the one he eventually nicked.That Swepson, Lyon’s understudy for so long was unable to take a wicket in this Test and was only entrusted with five overs on the final day proves Lyon is still invaluable to Australia’s attack despite his detractors.However, it is clear that Australia’s path to 20 wickets in Asia relies heavily on Cummins, Mitchell Starc and their bevy of reserve quicks than on Lyon or any spinner he’s paired with. Cummins, Starc and Cameron Green combined for 23 of Australia’s 41 wickets for the series while the spinners took just 15. Green took the key wicket of Abdullah Shafique while Cummins was monumental again as a strike-force blowing away Fawad Alam and Rizwan with two superb deliveries to expose the tail. Although Pakistan were equally guilty of DRS blunders, as Rizwan would have been reprieved if they had used the review they were reluctant to use, having burned two of their three already.Lyon’s role as a holder in Australia’s attack even when it is spinning big, and more liberal use of Labuschagne, while the quicks attack when the moment suits, may well be the method going forward in Asia for Australia.They have been freed from the ghosts of the past. They are free in the knowledge that they can stick to what they know if they get the basics right.

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Shane Burger also joins new coaching set-up at the Utilita Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2025

Russell Domingo, the former South Africa and Bangladesh coach, has been named Hampshire men’s head coach on a two-year contract. He will be joined in the club’s new coaching set-up by another South African, Shane Burger, who previously coached Scotland before moving on to Somerset.Domingo was in charge of South Africa between 2012 and 2017, followed by a three-year stint with Bangladesh. He has been head coach of Johannesburg-based Lions since 2023, and has also worked in the PSL. ESPNcricinfo understands Domingo will continue in his Lions role, splitting his time between the UK and South Africa.He succeeds his countryman Adrian Birrell at Hampshire, with Birrell stepping down at the end of the 2025 summer after seven seasons on the south coast.Burger joins as assistant coach (bowling), while former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams will continue in his role as assistant coach (batting).Related

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“I’m thrilled to be joining Hampshire Cricket,” Domingo said. “This is a club with incredible history, outstanding facilities at Utilita Bowl, and a clear vision for success both on and off the field.”I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ambition here and the strong cultural values that underpin everything Hampshire does. The combination of developing young talent whilst competing for trophies is exactly the challenge I’m looking for, and I can’t wait to get started.”I’m looking forward to working alongside Jimmy and Shane and getting to know the players as we prepare for what promises to be an exciting season ahead.”Burger said: “I’m really excited to be joining Hampshire Cricket. The quality of young bowlers coming through here is exceptional, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and Scott Currie have already earned England recognition, and I’m looking forward to helping them continue that development.”I love the ambition and vision of the club and the future seems bright. I’m excited to be part of that journey alongside Russell and Jimmy and I can’t wait to get started.”Hampshire endured a turbulent finish to last season, losing in both the final of the Vitality T20 Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They appeared destined for relegation to Division Two of the County Championship, after suffering a points deduction for a substandard pitch, before being reprieved on the final day by Durham’s collapse against Yorkshire.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, added: “We’re delighted to announce our coaching team for next summer. Russell Domingo will serve as head coach, with Jimmy Adams and Shane Burger joining him as assistant coaches. Together, they form a strong and experienced unit that will continue to champion the cultural framework that has underpinned Hampshire cricket over the years.”We exist to win and to develop, and I’m confident this team will continue to drive that ethos as we move into an exciting future. It’s a fantastic place to be at this moment in time, and the season ahead promises great opportunities.”