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India captain says the team had not been prevented from looking closely at the pitches at any other venue in this series

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-20252:40

Gill: Levelling series with a young squad will be a big achievement

India captain Shubman Gill has said it was “absolutely unnecessary” for Lee Fortis, the Surrey head groundsman, to prevent the visitors from having a look at The Oval pitch from close quarters during their training session on Tuesday.Tempers flared when India head coach Gautam Gambhir got into an argument with Fortis, who was concerned by the heavy footfall as well as the presence of training gear on the main square, and reportedly told the Indians that they should view the pitch standing 2.5 metres away from the strip.Gambhir was seen wagging his finger at Fortis and telling him that he was “just a groundsman”.Related

• Injured Stokes out of fifth Test, Archer and Carse rested

• England vs India: a long and hard toil for the bowlers

• Gambhir loses temper with Surrey groundsman

“What happened yesterday, I thought was just absolutely unnecessary,” Gill, who was not at the venue during the incident, said on the eve of the fifth Test at The Oval. “It’s not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket, we have been there for almost two months. A coach has every right to be able to go close quarters and have a look at the wicket and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. I actually don’t know why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket.”Gill said no curator at the four previous venues in the series – Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s and Old Trafford – had imposed restrictions on viewing the pitch or the square.”As long as I remember, we had never got any instructions. As long as you are wearing rubber spikes or [are] barefoot, you can see the wicket from near,” he said. “We have played four matches already in this series, and nobody stopped us from watching the pitch.”All of us have played so much cricket, we have gone to the pitches so many times, including the coaches and captain, I don’t know what the fuss was about.”0:35

Watch – Gambhir’s heated exchange with Surrey groundsman

With India trailing 2-1 in the series heading into the final Test, Gill was asked whether the pressure of a must-win game could have provoked Gambhir’s reaction.”Not really,” Gill said. “If a pitch curator is going to come and ask us to not look at the wicket and look at the wicket from three metres behind, that’s not something that has happened to us before. We’ve been [playing] cricket for such a long time […] That’s the job of the coach and the captain.”Despite there being several heated moments between the teams since the third Test at Lord’s, Gill said relations between England and India remained strong. He said he had “no regrets” at the way he and his team had behaved during the incidents.”The relation is fantastic, but when you are on the field, you are trying to win a game at the end of the day, and both the teams have been very competitive and sometimes when you are competitive in the heat of the moment, you do or say things that you might not do [otherwise],” he said. “But once the match is over, there is mutual respect between both teams.”

Six teams are still in contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs

S Rajesh17-May-20252:48

Cricinformed: The contrast in Capitals’ and Titans’ top-order

Royal Challengers Bangalore
After the abandoned game in Bengaluru, RCB need one more point to seal their place in the playoffs. With 17, they aren’t quite there yet as five teams can still finish on 17 or more points. That can happen if Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) but lose their last two games, to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI). If MI beat DC, then RCB, MI, GT, DC and PBKS can all finish on 17 or more points with eight wins, in which case run rates will come into play.Punjab Kings
PBKS need one more win to be certain of qualification. At the moment, 17 points won’t guarantee a place in the top four as five teams can get to 17 or more, as explained above. However, PBKS can qualify with 17 as well but could need other results – especially in matches involving DC and MI – to go their way and net run-rate may come into play.Related

• GT opt to chase, Rabada back

• No cricket, no cry – white 'Virat 18' tribute lifts the gloom at wet Chinnaswamy

• IPL 2025: which overseas players are available for the rest of the season?

• DC face consistent GT with playoffs hopes on the line

• PBKS resume push for playoffs; Samson set to return for knocked-out RR

Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans (GT) are just one win away from making the playoffs – 18 points will assure a team of a top-four finish. However, if they lose their three remaining games they could get knocked out as four teams can still finish on 17 or more points. Titans have a favourable itinerary too, with their last two games scheduled at home in Ahmedabad, where they have a formidable 4-1 record so far. Their net run rate is currently second only to Mumbai Indians (MI), which could help them with qualification or a top-two finish. If they beat DC on Sunday, then that result will confirm playoff spots for RCB, GT and PBKS, with MI, DC and LSG competing for the final spot.Gujarat Titans will play their last two games at home•BCCIMumbai Indians
Despite the loss to GT, MI are still in control of their destiny, as wins in their last two matches will ensure a place in the playoffs. For them to go through on 16 points, though, they’ll need help from other results, while defeats in their two remaining games will eliminate them. MI also have an excellent net run rate of 1.156, which could yet be crucial if qualification comes down to that.Delhi Capitals
LSG are struggling for momentum, having lost three in a row, and four of their last five. The best they can do now is win their three remaining matches, finish on 16 points, and hope that one or more of the in-form teams suffer a sudden reversal of fortunes. If they lose another match, though, they will be eliminated. Their terrible NRR of -0.469 doesn’t help their cause either.

Alexander Isak's torrid start to life on Merseyside continued, as he logged just 15 touches in 67 minutes of action in Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Swedish striker is the first player to lose his first four league starts for the club in over 100 years. Isak now shares the unwanted record with Percy Saul, who turned for the Reds all the way back in 1906.

• Isak takes unwanted Liverpool record

  This mind-bending stat was shared to BlueSky earlier today by Opta's Football Data Editor Michael Reid. It brings the £125m man's woeful form since joining from Newcastle into stark relief.  

  Isak cut a dejected figure when he was given the hook shortly after the hour in Liverpool's latest abject display. GOAL gave Isak a 2/10 grade for his showing against Forest.  

  The 26-year-old's first league start came in Liverpool's 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace back in September. That loss kicked off the Reds' capitulation after winning their first five games of the league season. Further starts against Chelsea and Manchester United resulted in two more 2-1 losses for the club. 

  Saul joined Liverpool at the start of the 1906/07 season after making 94 appearances for Plymouth Argyle. The defender's inauspicious run saw the Reds lose against Sunderland, Birmingham, Everton and Arsenal in the early stages of that First Division campaign. Liverpool would eventually finish 15th. 

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  Protracted transfer saga leaves Isak scrabbling for form and fitness

  The 26-year-old's poor form is likely a result of the protracted transfer saga that rumbled on during the summer. 

  Isak forced his former employer Newcastle into negotiating with Liverpool as he downed tools during the Magpies' pre-season preparations. Isak did not report for duty on the club's pre-season tour of Asia before announcing he would never play for the club again if they did not sanction his switch to Merseyside. 

  Newcastle's eventual capture of German striker Nick Woltemade facilitated a British record £125m deal ($164m) for the ex-Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad man.   

  A lack of fitness restricted Isak to bit part appearances for the Reds in the following weeks, while an adductor injury sustained in Liverpool's 5-1 win away at Eintracht Frankfurt in October stymied his progress further. 

  Isak has bagged one goal and one assist in nine appearances for Liverpool. His sole effort came in the club's 2-1 win over Championship outfit Southampton in the Carabao Cup. 

• Isak's personal struggles since Liverpool move

  Further to his struggles for fitness, the fallout of his move is clearly having an impact on Isak's personal well-being. 

  The fractious nature of his departure from Tyneside prompted the striker to invest £30,000 in guard dogs for his new home, as he revealed he received death threats in the aftermath of his transfer.   

  After appearing as a second-half substitute in Sweden's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Switzerland earlier this week, Isak opened up on his frustrations at his current predicament. However, he stopped short of giving himself a free pass for his performances on the pitch. 

  Isak said: "It’s always frustrating when you’re injured. Regardless of whether it’s one match or more. It’s always worse for the player himself.

  "It hasn’t been optimal. But when I’m on the field, I don’t give myself any excuses. I always want to play my game and perform. But yes, it’s hard to be away and not be able to help and contribute. Now I’m back and I’m positive. There’s not much that’s easy in football. But with experience, you learn to deal with things. That’s how it is with injuries and all that. You learn to deal with it and get back on track the right way."

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  Will Isak retain his starting spot for Liverpool?

  Isak's recruitment was supposed to be the final purchase of a summer spending spree that would deliver back-to-back Premier League titles for the Reds. However, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez all struggling with form and fitness since joining Arne Slot's side, the vaunted class of the summer window has failed to live up to the hype.  

  Only Hugo Ekitike has emerged with his reputation enhanced. The Frenchman had been moved aside to make space for Isak after his arrival. Given Isak's repeated poor showings, will Slot put his faith in the 23-year-old as the Reds look to turn their season around? 

For Oman, Kaleem and Faisal picked up three wickets each

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2025Innings By no means the perfect innings for Pakistan, but 160 should be enough on this Dubai wicket. A fiery return to form for Mohammad Haris, who scored 66 off 43 deliveries, was the primary contribution that helped Pakistan to that figure.Either side of him, Pakistan struggled. They managed just two boundaries in the first five overs, which produced just 31 runs, with Saim Ayub falling for a golden duck. Sahibzada Farhan, put down early, scratched through his innings for 29 off 29, and it was left to Haris, promoted up the order, to inject impetus into the innings.Sixteen came off the final powerplay over, and that was the start of the onslaught. Until then, Haris had 16 off 18. His next 25 balls would produce 50 as Pakistan raced up close to eight runs per over, but once again, Oman pegged them back. Aamir Kaleem, the left-arm spinner, was the pick of the bunch as he had Haris drag on, before Salman Agha lapped a full toss off his first delivery to deep midwicket.It produced another barren spell for Pakistan and the boundaries dried up again. Fakhar Zaman struggled for timing and Hasan Nawaz, so often a hammer at the death, couldn’t get himself in, and holed out off his 15th ball for nine runs. It wasn’t until Mohammad Nawaz arrived in the 17th over, his cameo ensuring Pakistan got past the 150 mark. On a slow wicket in Dubai, that might just do the job, but Oman’s bowlers have ensured their batters get a sniff.

George Wolkow is a 19-year old outfielder in the White Sox organization, playing for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. On Tuesday night he had one of the most unique hits in professional baseball history.

During the bottom of the 1st inning Wolkow came to the plate with no outs and two runners on base. Pitcher Ethan Bagwell did something that made the announcers and some others in the ballpark think a balk should be called, and that might have been why Wolkow started to step back from the plate.

When no call was made, Bagwell threw a pitch down the middle and Wolkow, with his bat only in his left hand, took a swing that you've probably only seen in a game of Wiffle Ball. Whatever motivated Wolkow to swing, he hit the ball and poked it down the right field line past the first baseman.

Wolkow ended up on first with a one-handed RBI single. The way Chicago's season has been going, this is probably the organization's highlight of the year.

Wolkow, a seventh-round draft pick by Chicago in 2023, has 11 home runs on the season. They were all hit using both hands.

The New Zealand coach is content to work out flexible agreements with casual contract players

Andrew McGlashan06-Oct-2025Kane Williamson’s availability for New Zealand’s home summer will take a little longer to lock in. However, head coach Rob Walter is content to give a player of his standing the extra time.Williamson, who is one of the group of players to hold a casual contract with NZC, made himself unavailable for the three-match T20I series against Australia, having previously missed the tour of Zimbabwe to play county cricket and the Hundred.The next part of New Zealand’s home season sees them play England in T20Is and ODIs before an all-format visit by West Indies in November.”Kane, we’re still in conversations as to what the summer is going to look like,” Walter told reporters after the Australia series. “He will play, no doubt about that. Just what and where is still in discussion.Related

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• Williamson to miss Australia series under NZC casual agreement

“I think the reality is we’re dealing with all the guys on casual contracts, actually in different positions from a playing point of view. Kane is one of those and he deserves the opportunity to sit and talk about what the rest of his year will look like. But I keep coming back to the most important thing, [which] is that he wants to play for his country, and so nutting out exactly what that looks like can take an extra week or two, but surely, he deserves that.”Walter confirmed that New Zealand would continue to be without Finn Allen (foot) and Adam Milne (ankle) for the visit of England while Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) and Glenn Phillips (groin) were unlikely to be fit.However, he was hopeful that white-ball captain Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, who was a late withdrawal from the Australia series after suffering a facial injury colliding with the boundary boards at training, will have recovered in time for the series which starts on October 18 in Christchurch.Walter was unperturbed about not being able to get his full-strength T20I side together in the build-up to next year’s World Cup.Mitchell Santner is likely to be available again•ICC via Getty Images

“I think we don’t live in an ideal world and so that’s part and parcel of it,” he said. “I’ve been part of a World Cup campaign [with South Africa] where the team assembled at its full strength three days before our first game and that team managed to make a final.”For me, it’s just the way it works. I think what’s more important is the environment and the team culture that sort of assimilates together when it needs to. We do know that by the back end of the India series [in January] prior to the World Cup, that’s when our full World Cup squad will be together.”For me, as long as the guys are playing competitive cricket, that’s important, and almost everyone has been part of the environment at some point so I would assume that they can fit seamlessly back into it.”Should all players be fit and available for the World Cup, there will be some selection squeezes, especially around the pace bowling and top-order batting. Tim Robinson took his chance after Ravindra’s injury to make an impressive hundred in the first match against Australia, while Jimmy Neesham claimed a four-wicket haul in the third game.Australia won the T20I series against New Zealand•Getty Images

“Ultimately when things are operating the way they should, everyone’s not fighting for their position, but understands that competition for places is there,” Walter said. “Ultimately you want your best crop of players in the park and in the squad.”They’re all quality players. At the end of the day, there’s going to be a quality player that’s left out, whoever that may be. As you’ve heard me say many times before, the stronger the player that’s left out, the better the system.”Reflecting on the Australia series, Walter was encouraged by the way his side fought back from 6 for 3 in the opening match and forced a collapse with the ball in the second but conceded they had areas that needed improving before facing England.”There’s little bits [of positives] here and there but, to be fair, we were a little bit off our best game and when you do that against [Australia], who’s won 25 of their last 30 T20 internationals, you’re going to find yourself on the wrong end of the result,” he said.”Some of the areas that we weren’t competitive in are actually quite easy fixes, [they] just require a little bit of extra time on our part…like any loss there’ll be some positives most of the time and then some stuff that you walk away with and understanding that you have to do better as we move forward.”With England arriving, you’ve got a team that’s going to play very similar to how Australia played in the series. So again, we get to check out if we actually have improved in the areas that we’ve identified and spoken about.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola took full blame for the club's Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen after a "first time in my life" selection gamble. City failed to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday as Guardiola paid the price for making 10 changes to his starting lineup.

• Guardiola's selection gamble backfires

  It was a special occasion for one of Europe's greatest coaches as Guardiola featured in the dugout for the 100th Champions League game of his career on Tuesday, with City squaring off against Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen at Etihad Stadium. It was not a happy occasion for Guardiola or City, though, as Leverkusen outplayed his team of second-string players.

  Key stars were left out of the starting XI, including Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ruben Dias. The gamble backfired as City lost 2-0, with Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick scoring for the visitors. 

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  'It didn't work'

  Speaking to reporters after the match, Guardiola said: "I take full responsibility. Too many changes. I always had the belief it’s a long season and everyone has to be involved but maybe it was too much. It was the first time in my life I’ve done it and it was too much. I take responsibility but I saw them and I like everyone to be involved. When you are a football player and don’t play for five, six, seven games it’s tough but maybe it was too much. Always I like to be too nice and involve everyone because I have the feeling after the international break there are games every three or four days and there is no human being who can sustain that. We were at home, in a good position in the Champions League and I thought ‘let’s try and let’s have weapons on the bench’. It didn’t work and we have to accept it."

• City needs more goalscorers

  While resting Haaland in a Champions League game certainly was a gamble that backfired for Guardiola, it is also true that City need their other attackers to score more goals. They cannot completely depend on one player for all of their goals across all competitions. 

  Guardiola acknowledged this after the Newcastle defeat at the weekend, as he said: "Yes [the chances] were clear, but we have to score more goals. Our players have the ability and quality to do it."

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  Must win game vs Leeds up next

  With back-to-back losses against the Magpies and Leverkusen, City's confidence will be extremely low. The defeat against Newcastle also extended their gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to seven points. They next face a struggling Leeds United side on Saturday at home and Guardiola will hope that his team can get back to winning ways and remain in the race for the title with the Gunners. 

Glasgow Rangers made two huge decisions on Monday as they announced that both CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been removed from their posts at Ibrox.

Chairman Andrew Cavenagh revealed to Sky Sports, in the post below, that the Gers need different people in those two leadership positions moving forward in order for the club to be successful.

The Rangers chief was careful not to throw mud at Stewart and Thelwell for their work at Ibrox, but suggested that it was down to their performance in their respective roles, as he stated that they still aligned with the overarching project.

Given that Russell Martin’s tenure lasted 17 matches and several summer signings do not look up to scratch, it is hard to disagree with the club’s decision to part ways with both of them, particularly Thelwell.

Looking at the list of summer signings in the graphic above, it is easier to pick out the players who have flopped or struggled than it is to pick out the successes from the summer transfer window.

The summer signing that Thelwell may go on to be infamous at Ibrox for is Youssef Chermiti, as he arrived from his former club Everton in a big-money deal.

Why Rangers should not have signed Youssef Chermiti

To preface this, supporters and those at the club will, of course, be hoping that the Portugal U21 international goes on to prove everyone wrong and becomes a consistent goalscorer for the Light Blues.

However, at this moment in time, it looks like a deal that the Scottish giants should not have done, particularly for the reported money that was involved in the move.

Thelwell signed Chermiti for Everton from Sporting in a deal worth up to £15m in the summer of 2023, but he did not score a single competitive goal for the Toffees in two years during his time in England.

Then, after moving to Rangers in April, the sporting director signed the centre-forward for a second time, splashing £8m to bring him to Ibrox, in the most expensive Gers deal since Tore Andre Flo joined for £12m in 2000.

It is fair for supporters to expect a player to make an immediate impact in Glasgow when signed for that kind of money, as Chermiti is the club’s most expensive player in 25 years, but that has not been the case.

The former Everton marksman has scored one goal in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, which shows that the forward has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, Chermiti has been incredibly underwhelming in the Europa League so far this season, failing to score from 1.29 xG after starting all four of his appearances in the competition.

The 21-year-old striker’s dismal form for the club so far suggests that Thelwell made a mistake when he signed the forward for £8m, because he has not made the kind of impact that Rangers should expect from such an expensive signing.

Chermiti, though, is not the only one of the summer signings you could argue that Thelwell should not have signed because of their performances in the 2025/26 campaign.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Rangers sporting director swooped to bring in Jayden Meghoma on loan from Brentford to bolster Russell Martin’s full-back options, as the ex-Gers boss had worked with the youngster during their time together at Southampton.

Why Rangers should not have signed Jayden Meghoma

During the summer window, Thelwell decided to cash in on the two senior left-back options at Ibrox, selling Jefte to Palmeiras and Ridvan Yilmaz to Besiktas.

Whilst those respective sales were not horrendous decisions in isolation, this issue is that Meghoma was the only signing brought in to replace those two senior players.

4 Lads Had A Dream covered Ally McCoist’s claim that Rangers have “downgraded” across the pitch since last season, and referenced Meghoma in comparison to Jefte as one of the areas in which the team have failed to improve.

It is not the 19-year-old defender’s fault that he has been brought in to be a first-choice option for a team that is expected to win consistently and compete on the European stage, when his experience last season was playing 12 matches on loan at Preston in the English Championship.

Meghoma, unfortunately, does not look ready to be a first-choice left-back at this level at the moment, as evidenced by his statistics in comparison to Jefte’s at Scottish Premiership level.

As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian defender’s performances in the league last season were far more impressive than what the English teenager has produced in the division this term, offensively and defensively.

These statistics back up the claim that Rangers have “downgraded” by selling Jefte to sign Meghoma on loan, which adds more fuel to the fire surrounding the criticism of Thelwell’s summer recruitment.

Like Chermiti, it seems like Meghoma has been signed to fill a role that he is not ready to fill at this point in his development. They are both young players who have time to develop and improve, but neither of them look ready to be key players for Danny Rohl in the present.

Therefore, the signing of Meghoma was one of Thelwell’s worst clangers of the summer, alongside Chermiti, because he has failed to adequately replace Jefte at left-back, and it remains to be seen if either of them will end up being good enough this season.

Thelwell signing is a bigger waste of time than Chermiti & Miovski at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers flop is a bigger waste of time this season than both Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 24, 2025

Even though India were not far from a 3-1 series loss, they dominated control, batting, and bowling metrics for the series

S Rajesh07-Aug-20252:39

Harmison: Magnificent series ‘just behind’ the 2005 Ashes

A 2-2 scoreline looks fair for an incredibly hard-fought series. All Tests save the second one at Edgbaston were close, and the India team and their fans would have felt hard done by had the series ended 3-1, given that they dominated most of the post-series stats tables: their batters averaged 39.77 to England’s 37.57, scored 12 hundreds to England’s nine, and their players occupied four of the top six spots for run-scorers and wicket-takers.Another metric that India dominated was the control percentage – a measure of how many errors the batters made. This is measured as a binary in ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball scoring system – a ball middled or left alone is marked in control, while those where the batter edged, or was beaten or dismissed is marked not in control. On this metric too, India were ahead: in control of 84.6% of the deliveries they faced, compared to 78.2% for England’s batters.