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Gambhir makes it clear that he wants Test hopefuls to take domestic cricket seriously, and play the Ranji Trophy if they are not committed elsewhere

Alagappan Muthu05-Jan-2025Following India’s defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, questions loom over the futures of India’s captain Rohit Sharma, who stood himself down in the Sydney Test, and senior batter Virat Kohli, who fell for his seventh score of 20 or less in the series.Head coach Gautam Gambhir offered them support but left the big decision to the players.”I can’t talk about the future of any player,” Gambhir said at the press conference after the series. “It’s up to them as well. But yes, what I can say is that they still have the hunger. They still have the passion. They’re tough people. And hopefully they can continue to take Indian cricket forward. But ultimately, as we all know, that whatever they plan, they will plan for the best interest of Indian cricket.”Related

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Rohit has averaged 10.93 over his last eight Test matches with only one fifty-plus score. He spoke to at lunch on the second day and said that he had taken the decision to sit out the fifth Test because he thought it would have been hard for the team to win carrying so many out-of-form batters.He also clarified that he wasn’t retiring from Test cricket yet.Kohli, meanwhile, has been left frustrated by his vulnerability outside the off stump. He made an unbeaten hundred in Perth but all eight of his other trips to the crease have ended with his outside edge being snaffled up by the wicketkeeper or in the slips. In Melbourne, when that happened, he slumped over his bat. He had been playing an innings that looked, in Steven Smith’s words, like a masterclass until then. In Sydney, when it happened again, he yelled at himself and punched his leg.”First of all, every individual knows where their game and hunger is,” Gambhir, who had himself gone through a phase late in his career where he was out of form but battling to make the team. “That’s the most important thing for any sport and any profession. It’s not just about the sport.”It’s about how hungry you are, how passionate you are, and whether the team is moving forward with your contribution or not. Because ultimately, it’s neither my team, nor your team, it’s the country’s team. I believe, as I said, there are very honest players in our dressing room who know how hungry they are.”But yes, as far as my question is concerned, my biggest responsibility is that I have to be fair to everyone in that room. Not only one or two individuals. If I’m fair to only two or three individuals, and not to everyone else, then I’m being dishonest to my job. So whether it’s a player who hasn’t debuted yet, or a player who has played 100 Test matches, my simple goal in my job is that I have to be absolutely fair and equal to everyone.”India do not have another Test match to play until June 2025, when they tour England for five games. Rohit will be 38 by then and Kohli will be pushing 37.When asked about his thoughts on a long-term roadmap for the team in red-ball cricket, and whether it was time to invest in youngsters, Gambhir said, “Look, it’s too early to talk about it. The series has just got over. I think we still have five more months to plan where we want to head towards. But it’s not the right moment right now for me to talk about that. Where are we going to be after five months?”A lot of things change in sport. Forms change. People change. Attitude change. Everything changes in sport. And we all know that five months is a long time. So, let’s see before the [England] series what’s going to happen. But whatever will happen, will happen for the best interest of Indian cricket.””If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players what you want in Test cricket”•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Gambhir: ‘I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket’

India next play England in a T20I and ODI series at home in January-February before moving to the UAE for their share of fixtures in the Champions Trophy, which is being hosted by Pakistan. For the players who do not make those squads, there is the option of playing the Ranji Trophy, which resumes after a break on January 23.”I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket,” Gambhir said. “That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game. If they’re available and they have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket. As simple as it can get.”If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players what you want in Test cricket.”

It was Stars’ second defeat in two outings in BBL 2024-25

AAP18-Dec-2024Injury-hit Brisbane Heat kicked off their BBL title defence with a crushing eight-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Chasing Stars’ 162 for 6, Heat cruised to victory with 11 balls to spare as wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson (72 not out) batted for the entire innings to post his highest BBL score.Peirson combined for an unbeaten 78-run stand with Max Bryant (36 not out) to deflate Stars, who were pegged back by Xavier Bartlett.Stars looked uninspired in the field, creating few chances, with Heat appearing in charge of the chase from the outset. It leaves the Stars, perennial under-achievers, winless after their first two games in BBL 2024-25 following a defeat to the Perth Scorchers on Sunday night.Missing English recruit Tom Alsop (quad), star import Colin Munro (hamstring), as well as star quicks Spencer Johnson (toe) and Michael Neser (hamstring), Heat handed debuts to Daniel Drew and Tom Whitney.Xavier Bartlett picked up three wickets for Heat•Getty Images

Jack Wood, who played the last of his two previous BBL games in 2022, opened with Peirson, compiling an important 27. Wicketkeeper Sam Harper top-scored for the Stars with 46, but was bowled by Matt Kuhnemann when he seemed set for a big total.In his 100th game for Stars, captain Marcus Stoinis took down Paul Walter for 16 runs in one over, but then picked out Wood to be dismissed for 26 during the first ball of the power surge.Hilton Cartwright made 15 for the Stars, just three days after he was taken off Optus Stadium on a medi-cab and placed in a neck brace following an awkward dive in the field. Cartwright was released from hospital after being cleared of a serious neck injury following the incident.In better news for Stars, allrounder Glenn Maxwell has declared himself a certain starter for Friday night’s clash with Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval. Maxwell, 36, injured his hamstring playing in a T20 for Australia in November in a major blow for his ambitions of being picked for next year’s Test tour of Sri Lanka. But he had a bowl at the MCG before Stars played the Heat, later saying he would be fit to return against Strikers.Heat will be next in action on Sunday when they host Strikers at the Gabba.

Axar finished with 2 for 43, and Jaker Ali, the beneficiary of the drop, went on to score 68

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2025

Axar Patel got back-to-back wickets when he sent back Mushfiqur Rahim•ICC/Getty Images

India captain Rohit Sharma rued putting down an “easy” catch at slip to deny Axar Patel a hat-trick in his side’s win against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy.”That was an easy catch, I should have taken that,” Rohit said at the presentation. “The standard I’ve set for myself for standing in the slips… That was a little disappointing, but these things happen, I do understand that. But again, the way these guys bowled that set the game for us.”I know they were 36 [35] for 5 and then they got a big partnership and these things are bound to happen. There will be odd partnerships, credit to [Towhid] Hridoy and Jaker Ali, they played brilliantly to stitch that big partnership. And then with the bat I thought we were very clinical.”Related

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• Gill ton helps India ace tricky chase after Shami five-for

Rohit joked he would take Axar to dinner on Friday night to make it up to him. Axar had sent back Tanzid Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim on consecutive deliveries in the ninth over, and then Jaker edged his first ball behind only to see Rohit shell the chance. Rohit slapped the ground repeatedly in disappointment, while Axar turned back slowly to his mark with his hands on his head.”I was going to celebrate but then I turned around since it didn’t happen,” Axar had said during the innings break, on missing out on the hat-trick. “These things happen, it’s part of the game.”Jaker went on to score 68 in a century partnership with Hridoy, who in turn got to his maiden ODI century. The duo rescued Bangladesh from 35 for 5 to 189 for 6.Axar finished with 2 for 43 from his 10 overs.

Experienced pair add 225 for the fourth wicket to guard against prospect of defeat

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 25-Jun-2025Centuries from Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram saw Glamorgan save the draw in batting-friendly conditions in their Rothesay County Championship second division match against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground.The experienced pair put together a partnership of 225, a fourth-wicket record for Glamorgan against the Foxes. Northeast, who made 410 not out on this ground three years ago, now holds three different wicket record partnerships for Glamorgan against Leicestershire.Leicestershire remain well clear at the top of the second division after taking 16 points from the game, with Glamorgan taking 13 points and remaining third in the table, the result of the match between Gloucestershire and Derbyshire at Bristol notwithstanding.Resuming with the score on 131 for 3, Northeast and Ingram continued to bat in exactly the same manner which had seen them bat through the final session on day three, which is to say with the calm assurance that comes when from facing a softish ball on an benign pitch baked into submission by three days of hot sun and warm wind.Leicestershire’s bowlers stuck at their task, bowling straight and making the batsmen play, but struggled to flog any sort of response from the pitch, with the bat being beaten perhaps three times over the two hour period. Ingram, 37 not out overnight, went to his half-century off 121 deliveries, Northeast reaching his century off 186 deliveries, 11 of which he hit to the boundary.The new ball, eagerly – perhaps desperately – anticipated by the Leicestershire faithful – made little difference, initially at any rate, but Northeast, on 139, finally lost patience and tried to loft the left-arm spin of Trevaskis to the long-on boundary. He didn’t get all of it and Sam Wood, at 20 making his first first-class appearance of the season, sprinted back from mid-on and took an outstanding catch as the ball dropped over his shoulder.Ingram was unmoved, proceeding serenely to his century – also a second of the season – off 246 deliveries, but had a remarkable escape on 103 when he pulled a Ben Green delivery hard and high to the square leg boundary. A leaping Logan van Beek made the catch as he fell backwards over the rope, lobbing the ball back into play as he did so, but over-balanced as he tried to step back over the rope, had to knock the ball up again, and diving forward, could not hold the ball at the third attempt.Glamorgan did lose Ben Kellaway, top-edging an attempted pull at Green to give Wood a more straightward catch on the leg-side, and Ingram, then on 121, may have had another escape in the over before tea, when Leicestershire were convinced he had been caught at short leg off Trevaskis. Umpire Rob White disagreed.One more wicket was to fall, Rishi Patel seeing Chris Cooke push his leg-side delivery firmly but straight at Sol Budinger at short leg, who held on at the second attempt. It was Patel’s maiden first class wicket. At the close Ingram remained unbeaten on 133, having faced 308 deliveries, an impressive effort on the part of the 39-year-old South African. Like Northeast, he seems to enjoy batting against Leicestershire, having made his career-best 257 not out against the Foxes at Cardiff last year.

Rahul said Pant and his own dismissals on either side of lunch changed the momentum

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jul-20255:23

Rahul: ‘A bit of theatrics at the end, we wanted to bowl two over’

India were 247 for 3 as Shoaib Bashir lined up to bowl the last over before lunch on Saturday. Three balls later, Rishabh Pant ran himself out in a self-destructive fashion. In the second over post the break, KL Rahul, having become only the second Indian to put his name more than once on the Lord’s honours board, edged one to give Bashir his only wicket of the innings. India were 254 for 5 suddenly, having otherwise controlled the first session, scoring 103 in 22.3 overs until Pant’s run out.So how did India lose their firm hold over the match? Rahul raised his hand at the end of the day to admit that his desperation to reach the landmark before lunch “changed the momentum” of the Indian innings.Rahul said he had told Pant of his plan to get to the century before the break, a couple of overs before lunch. When he pushed a single to sweeper cover off the first ball of Bashir’s over just before lunch, Pant moaned about his senior partner wasting the opportunity to punish what he felt was a bad ball for a four. Two balls later, Pant, attempting a risky single, was run out by a brilliant pick-up-and-direct-hit from England captain Ben Stokes. Pant walked back disappointingly as he might have sensed a century himself until his inning was rudely cut short on 74.Related

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• Gill loses temper as England run down the clock

“Not ideal,” Rahul said at the media briefing. “There was a conversation a couple of overs before that: I told him [Pant] that I would get my hundred, if possible, before lunch. And with Bashir bowling that last over before lunch, I thought there was a good chance for me to get it, but, yeah, unfortunately, I hit straight to the fielder.”It was a ball that I could have hit for a boundary. Then he just wanted me to rotate strike and see if he could put me back on strike. But, yeah, it shouldn’t have happened: a run out at that stage really changed the momentum.”It was disappointing for both of us. Obviously, nobody wants to throw their wicket like that.”1:58

Manjrekar: Rahul hasn’t put a foot wrong

While the series is level 1-1, India have shot themselves in the foot by committing untimely errors, which has robbed them of the opportunity to dominate. Rahul agreed that India batters, including him, wasted the opportunity to convert starts into bigger scores that could have put the visitors “ahead” at Lord’s.”Of course, there’s a little bit of disappointment because till just before tea time, we were in a really good position. Obviously, me and Rishabh got that long partnership and then we both got out [in quick succession] – he got out just before lunch and I got out just after lunch. That wasn’t ideal, so you had set batters in the top five who had got off to starts, so ideally you want one of them or both to go on and get a big score and that’s how you get ahead in a Test match.”Personally, though, Rahul said he was happy to carry forward the form established in Leeds, where he scored 137 in the second innings after chasing a wide delivery in the first innings when he was closing in on a fifty. His 55 in the second innings in the second Test in Birmingham played a role in India raising a big target and winning in dominant fashion. At Lord’s, where India won a classic in 2021, Rahul was the Player of the Match for his 129 in the first innings. Those memories surely must have spurred him on to do a repeat this time, but Rahul said he has also been working on the mental side of his game since his last visit to the venue.He said that for the last two-odd years, he has also been working with a specialist who has helped him with “improving reaction times” by engaging in mental drills and games that top athletes involved in F1 and adventure sports practise. Rahul said he travelled to Salzburg in Austria, the base of the Red Bull team in F1, to work with the specialist who has also helped elite F1 drivers in being sharp and proactive.

Following rain on day one, Somerset made hay in better weather to grind relegation-threatened Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025Tom Abell’s meticulous 19th first class century put Somerset in a strong position on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One game with Yorkshire at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.The 31-year-old former club captain batted for more than five hours to score 130, off 227 balls, with 16 fours, sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 143 with Lewis Goldsworthy, who made 65, as the home side advanced their first innings score from an overnight 155 for 3 to 391 for 6 before bad light ended play 13.3 overs early.With the pitch showing signs of taking spin, Somerset look to have a challenging total. But showers are forecast throughout the final two days and a draw looks the most likely outcome.Yorkshire’s only success of the morning session came as early as the third ball, which saw James Rew edge Jack White through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow without having added to his overnight score of 54.The visiting seamers gave little away, bowling straight and full to force a watchful approach from Abell and Goldsworthy, who were initially content to defend anything on the stumps.Only 25 runs were scored off the first 15 overs, eight of them coming from two sweetly-timed cover driven boundaries from Goldsworthy in successive overs off first George Hill and then Jordan Thompson.Yorkshire skipper Bairstow elected to switch to spin, introducing Dan Moriarty from the River End. The left-armer was quickly able to extract turn from the dry surface, but that didn’t stop Abell breaking loose by hitting two boundaries in an over.Goldsworthy raised 200 by pulling a short ball from Matthew Revis to the deep square boundary. The score was 217 for four when former Somerset off-spinner Dom Bess was brought on at the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.By then Abell and Goldsworthy were well set, still taking few risks as they advanced the total to 235 for 4 at lunch, with Abell three short of a half-century and his partner unbeaten on 34. A morning session of 34 overs had produced 80 runs.
With the skies darkening after the interval, Abell went to his fifty with an edged three to third man off Moriarty. He had faced 118 balls and hit five fours, looking rock solid against spin and seam alike.Goldsworthy had a moment of fortune when top-edging a sweep off Moriarty over the head of wicketkeeper Bairstow. The following over, the 82nd of the innings, saw Yorkshire take the second new ball with the scoreboard reading 247 for 4. Abell earned a first batting point with a single to leg off Hill.White took the new ball at the other end and his first with it brought two narrow escapes for Abell, who appeared to survive a sharp chance to backward point and then what must have been a close lbw appeal. The century partnership with Goldsworthy was raised off 246 balls.The next landmark was Goldsworthy’s fifty, reached with a single off Thompson having faced 146 balls and hit six fours. The floodlights had just been turned on and the rain, which had been forecast, arrived at 2.06pm.Tea was taken before play restarted at 3.20pm with the lights on and 14 overs initially knocked off the 104 scheduled to be bowled in the day. Moriarty had bowled without luck and was left holding his head when a ball grazed Abell’s off stump having come off his glove.Moriarty was finally rewarded with the wicket of Goldsworthy, lbw attempting to sweep with the total on 298, having battled away for 185 balls. Abell earned a second batting point with a single off the same bowler and a third was secured thanks to a half-century stand with Kasey Aldridge.It remained for Abell to reach three figures, which he did with a reverse swept four off Bess, his 11th boundary in facing 202 balls. An identical shot with the same outcome took Somerset past 350 and after 110 overs Yorkshire had to settle for a single bowling point.Abell finally departed to former team-mate Bess, lofting a catch to deep mid-wicket shortly before stumps were drawn.

Bangladesh have also dropped Mohammad Naim after a string of low scores

Mohammad Isam22-Aug-2025The Bangladesh selectors have recalled wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan and allrounder Saif Hassan in the senior men’s squad for the Asia Cup next month. There was however no place for Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mohammad Naim, who were both part of the Bangladesh side that beat Pakistan 2-1 last month.The same 16-member squad will play in the three-match T20I series against the Netherlands starting on August 30. Mehidy would have missed the Netherlands matches due to personal reasons, but he also lost his place for the Asia Cup. Mehidy, the new ODI captain, returned to the T20I side after Bangladesh’s 2-1 defeat against UAE, but didn’t make a big impact. He has been named among the four standby players.Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Naim couldn’t convert his domestic T20 form into international runs. He had scores of 32*, 3 and 10 in the three T20Is against Pakistan. Naim also didn’t perform well enough for Bangladesh A side in the Top End T20s in Darwin, Australia.Nurul’s last T20I was in the World Cup in 2022, when he made just 41 runs in five innings. He gained better form during the 2024-25 season in which he scored 513 runs at a strike rate of 132.90 across the Bangladesh Premier League, National Cricket League and the Global Super League. The 31-year-old Nurul had also led Rangpur Riders to the inaugural GSL title in 2024.Both Nurul and Saif are playing the Top End T20s. Saif struck a half-century against the Pakistan Shaheens, and 45 against the Melbourne Stars Academy. Nurul got couple of thirties in the five matches.Related

• No Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

• Vikramjit back in Netherlands squad for Bangladesh T20Is

• Asia Cup: India-Pakistan set to go ahead after Indian government clarifies stance

Soumya Sarkar, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Mahmud are the others on the standby list.Bangladesh will play the three T20Is against Netherlands on August 30, and September 1 and 3. Their Asia Cup campaign starts against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on September 11.

Bangladesh squad for Asia Cup and Netherlands T20Is:

Litton Das (capt, wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad SaifuddinIN: Saif Hassan, Nurul Hasan
OUT: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Naim

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Aston Villa defender James Bree has completed a loan move to Ipswich until the end of the season having made just 21 starts since signing for the Midlands outfit in January 2017, according to BBC Sport.

The versatile defender is below Alan Hutton and Ahmed Elmohamady in the pecking order at Villa Park and will surely relish the opportunity to get some minutes under his belt – he will have his work cut out for him, though, as the Tractor Boys are rock bottom of the Championship, having taken just 18 points from 29 games.

Villa, meanwhile, are looking to push for a play-off spot and will surely be hoping that the deadline day loan signing of Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth will give them some much-needed security in defence; Dean Smith’s side have let in 46 goals this campaign, only relegation battlers Rotherham and Ipswich have conceded more.

The decision to let Bree go, then, is a brave one considering the lack of depth in the backline – the 21-year-old can play at the heart of defence, too – and the frequency at which the quality of the current right-back options is called into question.

The Villa Park faithful certainly seem to think that allowing the former Barnsley man to leave was a mistake, as they reacted on Twitter…

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Southampton take on newly-promoted Cardiff City at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday with both sides heading into the encounter looking to increase their chances of Premier League survival with a win.

The Welsh club are underdogs to avoid the drop this year, but as they proved with their 2-0 win over Bournemouth last time out, they’re capable of providing a stern test for the Saints.

On the chalkboard

Cardiff are an unashamedly physical outfit. Neil Warnock has embraced long-ball football and has built a side that are unafraid to put their bodies on the line and make life very uncomfortable for their opponents. 

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

In the past, this is exactly the kind of approach that would regularly rattle Southampton. In order to prove that things really are different under Hasenhuttl, the Austrian coach must encourage his side to meet the challenge of Cardiff head on and make sure that they don’t give their opponents an inch.

A physical approach

Hasenhuttl should deploy a pairing of Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the base of his midfield, with Stuart Armstrong stationed just ahead of them and with the license to drop back to form a midfield three when needed.

This trio ought to be able to match Cardiff physically. If they can win that battle, then their superior technical quality can give the Saints a platform from which attacking pressure can be applied to the visitors’ defence.

Further up the pitch, the likes of Nathan Redmond, Danny Ings – if fit -, Shane Long and Charlie Austin cannot allow themselves to be bullied either, and must diligently track back to aid the midfield throughout the match, to ensure that Southampton aren’t overrun in the middle of the park.

Manchester City kept the pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race with a 6-0 thrashing of rivals Chelsea.

The Citizens simply blew the Blues out of the water with Sergio Aguero netting another hat-trick as well as goals from Raheem Sterling Ilkay Gundogan. The result continues City’s excellent form of late and moves them back on top of the table though Liverpool have a game in hand. Attention will now turn to the FA Cup tie against minnows Newport County.

Regardless of who finishes at the top of the pile in May, Pep Guardiola must prioritise signing a new midfielder to replace Fernandinho in the summer. The Brazilian is approaching the twilight of his career but remains a pivotal player for the Spaniard. It has been suggested that Guardiola could transform the Brazil international into a central defender after a midfield replacement has been found.

The ideal signing would be Wolves maestro – Ruben Neves. Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old was tipped for a bright future after emerging from Porto’s youth academy. Neves captained the Portuguese side in the Champions League at the age of 18 and it was Wolves who won the race for his signature thanks to the power of super agent Jorge Mendes. Neves was a key player during their Championship win last season and has continued his excellent form in the higher division.

The Portugal international has chipped in with three goals and two assists in the Premier League from defensive midfield and is one of the first names on the team sheet at Molineux. Neves offers the defence a valuable layer of protection, averaging 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game this season (WhoScored). He is ideal for Guardiola’s system at the Etihad as Neves is known for his fantastic range of passing and overall quality on the ball.

The youngster is getting better with every game – he could prove to be a mainstay in the City engine room for the next decade.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?