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England captain hopes to exploit Mandhana’s weakness, having seen her closely during the WBBL

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai21-Feb-20191:22

Opportunity for youngsters to step up and perform – Mithali Raj

England have more depth than India, a point captain Heather Knight touched upon ahead of the ODI series in Mumbai that counts towards the ICC Women’s Championship.They have proved it twice against India in recent times – none more famously than in the Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s in July 2017. England triumphed again, in a different format, in the semi-final of the World T20 in November.”We’ve got a lot of depth,” Knight said on the eve of the first ODI at Wankhede Stadium. “The ODI cricket we’ve played in the last couple of years, including the World Cup in England, has been very good. We have got performances from different players. We have got [some] inexperience [but also] a group that has been around for a while as well.”We’ve got quite a settled batting line-up and each of the batters in the top six or seven are match-winners. Hopefully a lot more players can step up, as they have done in the last two years.”By contrast, India are thin in the middle order, as exposed during the limited-overs series in New Zealand (India won the ODIs 2-1, but were blanked 3-0 in the T20Is). They now have a big void to fill as vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been ruled out of the series with an ankle injury. This is the first time since 2010, after 87 ODIs, that India will be without Harmanpreet in the format.1:22

Opportunity for youngsters to step up and perform – Mithali Raj

While Knight believes “any team in the world would miss” a batsman of her caliber, Mithali Raj, her counterpart, has suggested it is an opportunity for the younger players to step up.”Honestly, they should go about their business as they have been, because Jemimah [Rodrigues] and Smriti [Mandhana] gave us great starts in the last series. Our middle-order wasn’t tested much,” Raj said. “Yes, Harman’s not there in the side because of an injury, but we as a bating unit should be taking the responsibility to play that role of getting the team along.Knight knows India are no pushovers, and is gearing up for a challenge to stifle Mandhana, her WBBL team-mate and India’s most prolific run-scorer in the last 12 months.”I have obviously played With Smriti in Hobart [Hurricanes], very recently. She played in my team, so I know her very well,” she said. “I know she’s a very good player, and having seen a lot of her, obviously, it gives us the chance to look at her weaknesses as well, and try and figure out how we’re going to exploit them in the series.”England will be buoyed by the return of wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor and fast-bowling allrounder Katherine Brunt, two notable absentees from their World T20 squad. Knight, quite obviously, was delighted to have players of their ability and experience available.”The experience they bring to the side, obviously their skill level to the pitch is invaluable to us,” she said. “We’re really excited to have them back, and see how they go. They are both excited to be here as well. They bring different things to the group. They both really have a positive influence on the team, and the set-up in general.”Getty Images

Last year, Nagpur offered turning tracks when England toured for three ODIs, which they won 2-1. In Mumbai, the series will be played on two adjacent surfaces – one grassy and the other one on a belter. That said, much of England’s bowling plans will revolve around Sophie Ecclestone, their leading wicket-taker during the ODI series last year. Ecclestone has since been awarded a central contract.”I think Sophie Ecclestone bowled really well last year in India,” Knight said. “She sort of emerged on that trip, and has been the leader of our attack. She’s been outstanding, and she keeps developing all the time. So I’d really like to see how she goes.”A key player missing from England’s squad from their last tour of India is the now-retired offspinner Danielle Hazell. Knight was hopeful that Hazell’s like-for-like replacement, Laura Marsh will be able to plug that hole and, in turn, cement her place in the starting XI.”We miss Danni, but we’ve got a fitting replacement in Laura Marsh,” Knight said. “She’s been around for a long time, experienced in these conditions and how to bowl in these conditions. I’m really excited to see how she goes. She has a good opportunity to be our main offspinner.”With Danni around, Laura and her were constantly competing against each other – a one in, one out sort of thing. Laura’s now got that chance to be our only offspinner and really stamp her mark on it.”

The left-arm quick played 82 matches across formats for India between 2005 and 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2018

Exactly 13 years after making his international debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe on September 4 in Harare, former India left-arm seamer RP Singh has announced his retirement from all cricket. The 32-year old played 82 matches across formats for India between 2005 and 2011.”Today as I hang [up] my boots and call it a day I wish to remember and give thanks to each and everyone who made this journey possible,” RP Singh posted on Twitter.”Even as I write this, there are conflicting emotions inside me. No matter how much one prepares for this day, there is no easy way to bid goodbye. But somewhere inside there is a voice that tells you – it’s time. And that for me is today.”Extracting steep bounce thanks to his height, and at his best finding late swing into the right-handers, RP Singh made a handful of important contributions across his 14-Test career. He bagged the Player-of-the-Match award on his debut against Pakistan in Faisalabad in January 2006, after claiming five wickets on a flat deck in a draw. He played a key role in India’s Test series win in England in 2007, getting onto the Lord’s honours boards in the process, and picked up six wickets in their Test victory in Perth in January 2008.The highs were intermittent, though, and he was left out after the home series against South Africa in 2008. He didn’t play a single Test for the next three years, until a surprise recall, when he was holidaying in Miami, to join India’s squad for the fourth Test against England at The Oval in 2011. He toiled away for 34 wicketless overs in England’s only innings, in what turned out to be his final Test.RP Singh was the joint second-highest wicket-taker (12 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.33) in India’s run to the World T20 title in 2007. Two years later, he topped the wicket charts in the IPL (23 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 6.98) and led Deccan Chargers to the title.In first-class cricket RP Singh took 301 wickets in 94 matches at an average of 30.57, of which 209 came in the Ranji Trophy. He missed Uttar Pradesh’s triumphant Ranji Trophy season in 2005-06, but got his hands on the trophy late in his career when he was part of the Gujarat side that won the tournament in 2016-17. He took four wickets in the final against Mumbai, which turned out to be his last competitive game.

The Texas Rangers are bringing Nathan Eovaldi back after letting the right-handed pitcher test free agency.

According to Robert Murray of Fansided, Eovaldi and the Rangers are in agreement on new contract. ESPN's Jeff Passan reports the contract is a three-year pact worth $75 million. The 34-year-old will return to Texas, where he's played each of the last two years, and collect an average of $25 million per season over the life of his new deal.

Eovaldi made 29 starts last season and pitched a total of 170 2/3 innings, the most he's thrown since 2021. He registered 166 strikeouts, 42 walks and maintained a 3.80 ERA. Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion, made six starts in the postseason during the Rangers' run to a World Series title in 2023.

2024 was a disappointing season for the Rangers, who failed to reach the postseason after winning the World Series the previous year. They'll hope to get back on track in '25, and ensuring they kept Eovaldi as a key cog of their starting rotation will go a long way towards competing for a postseason spot next season.

They kept losing close games at the start of the tournament, but on Sunday they made sure they didn’t lose their way in the pressure moments

Vishal Dikshit at the Wankhede06-May-2018Mumbai Indians lost a number of close matches early in the season, largely because of their end-overs struggles while defending totals after losing the toss. Sunday evening was unfolding in similar fashion when Dinesh Karthik asked Mumbai to bat again, and the death overs played a vital role once more. This time, however, Mumbai won the clutch moments and kept their playoff hopes alive. What did they do differently?Bumrah and Hardik keep KKR quietEarlier in the tournament, Rohit Sharma had the cushion of two specialist death bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman to defend totals. Now that Mumbai have dropped Mustafizur for Ben Cutting, the onus has fallen almost solely on Bumrah.KKR needed 54 off the last four overs with Karthik and Andre Russell at the crease. Bumrah had two overs in the bank. Rohit decided to give him the 17th and 19th overs and push the equation beyond KKR by the time the final over began.Bumrah gave his captain the perfect 17th over. To Karthik, he mostly bowled wide outside off, making him reach for the ball and denying him his favourite scoop over short fine leg. Against Russell, Bumrah avoided the full length he so relishes and cramped him with his angle into the body. The first three balls produced only singles, and with the pressure mounting, Russell top-edged another short ball from Bumrah, and Krunal Pandya pouched a spectacular catch running from short fine leg towards the square leg boundary.The baton passed on to Hardik, who had figures of 2 for 13 with one over remaining. KKR needed 43 from 18 balls, and Hardik bowled a succession of slower balls and cutters to Sunil Narine and Karthik. Apart from one wide ball that Karthik cut for four, there was hardly any pace onto the bat, and Karthik kept swinging hard and failing to connect cleanly.Only six came off that over, and even a 14-run 19th over from Bumrah – compounded by a drop from JP Duminy on the leg-side boundary – wasn’t enough to swing the momentum back in KKR’s favour.The short-ball planThe Wankhede pitch has plenty of bounce in it, but you need to know how to use it. Where KKR’s fast bowlers conceded 8.40 per over while pitching short or short of a good length, Mumbai’s quicks only went at 7.75.They bowled 29 of those short or shortish balls in the Powerplay, with Mitchell McClenaghan leading the way. In the third over, he kept bowling short despite having only one fielder back on the leg side – deep backward square leg – for Chris Lynn. Lynn pulled one short ball to the midwicket boundary, and another just wide of the man at short fine leg, but McClenaghan didn’t change either his length or his field. Off the fifth ball of the over, Lynn pulled again but straight into the hands of short fine leg.When Hardik returned for his second spell in the 14th over, KKR needed a gettable 69 from 42 balls with seven wickets in hand. He kept bowling back of a length and conceded only five in the over. The third ball was banged in short at Nitish Rana, angling across the left-hander. Looking to pull from outside off stump, he failed to get on top of the bounce and skied a top-edge to deep square leg.A batting-order rejigEver since his 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai have maintained that Rohit Sharma will continue to bat at No. 4. On Sunday, though, he came out at No. 3, a position that has traditionally worked better for him. Mumbai also batted Hardik above Krunal, which hadn’t been the case early in the tournament. The opening stand had lasted nearly 10 overs, and when the second wicket fell, only 50 balls were left in the innings. When Hardik came in, Mumbai were losing some momentum, with Rohit falling for a run-a-ball 11 and a fatigued Suryakumar Yadav slowing down after a brisk start.Hardik got going quickly, lofting a one-handed six off his third ball, and failed to score off only three balls in a 20-ball innings. Even as the batsmen at the other end struggled to score quickly – JP Duminy finished on 13 off 11 – he went at a strike rate of 175, which proved crucial to Mumbai getting past 180.

Moeen Ali demonstrated that he had learned from his experience at Chittagong, but England were lucky to be let back into the game

George Dobell in Mirpur28-Oct-2016There have been many memorable comebacks in cricket. Headingley 1981, for example. Or Koltata 2001. Or the remarkable tale of Middlesex’s Harry Lee, who, at the Battle of Fromelles in 1915, was captured by the Germans after spending three days bleeding and broken in no-man’s land. He defied the doctors, and even a memorial service held by his nearest and dearest, and went on to play one Test during an injury crisis on the South Africa tour of 1930-31.By comparison, England’s comeback on day one in Dhaka seems pretty tame. But, after a wretched first three hours when it appeared they might be facing a vast first-innings score, they could feel pretty satisfied in restricting Bangladesh to a first-innings total of 220. Certainly when they were 171 for 1 and England’s bowlers were struggling to hit the cut strip, it seemed as if things would be much, much worse. To take the final nine wickets for the addition of just 49 runs did, at least, show some character.But impressive though the comeback was, encouraging though the bowling of Ben Stokes, in particular, continues to be, this was a performance that will not have left them quaking in India.If England bowl like this in India, they will be thrashed. They will not be able to afford a session as bad as the first one here and they will not be let back into the game as easily as Bangladesh allowed them back here. The India batting is too strong, too ruthless and too motivated to allow England to get away with such loose cricket.For England got away with it here. From the moment Imrul Kayes thrashed a Chris Woakes long-hop to point in the day’s third over, England benefited from loose Bangladesh batting. While Tamim Iqbal batted beautifully, the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Shuvagata Hom will reflect on their dismissals – wafting outside off stump – with little joy. Bangladesh may still have provided the defining innings of this game, but they will know they have risked letting England back into this game when they should have closed them out completely.There was some progress discernable for England. Moeen Ali, in particular, demonstrated that he had learned from his experience at Chittagong to claim the second five-wicket haul of his Test career. His Test bowling average dipped below 40 as a consequence.We already knew that, on such surfaces, he presented a terrific challenge to left-handed batsman. But none of his five victims in Chittagong was a right-hander and, given the India top-order is packed with them, that was a concern.Moeen Ali claimed the big wicket of Tamim Iqbal for 104•Associated PressHere, by bowling round the wicket, he maximised the benefit of any natural variation. He aimed at leg stump, brought the leg slip and short leg into play if the ball turned and the keeper and slip into play if it did not. And, most of all, he knew that, if the batsmen missed, he was in with a good chance of gaining an lbw decision.Moeen modestly admitted afterwards that he had not bowled an intentional arm-ball but, reasoning that if he didn’t know which ones were going to spin and which ones were going to drift away, the batsmen had even less chance. In all, he claimed the wicket of three right-handers, though the wickets of the left-handers Tamim and Mominul Haque with deliveries that skidded on were perhaps the most satisfying.”It was just natural variation,” he said. “I don’t feel I bowled great. I just tried to bowl tight, which I don’t really do normally. I said to Cooky ‘If I’m not bowling maidens, just take me off.’ It’s something I need to do better.””I did all right. I don’t really have much success as a spinner, but I think the pace I bowl helps and I’m trying to be more consistent. I’m nowhere near where I want to be as a spinner, but I’m trying to be accurate and the 30 games I’ve played have helped me a bit.”Moeen also admitted that Stokes had been England’s “main man”. And it is true that Stokes had, once again, defied the slow surface to hurry batsmen with his strength and pace and defeat them with his control of reverse swing. To have hit Mushfiqur Rahim with a bouncer on such a surface was remarkable. Both Moeen and Tamim described him as “brilliant” and he now has a Test bowling average of 16.33 since January 10. He is no batsman who bowls; he is the real thing as an allrounder. India will have taken note, but perhaps also taken note of England’s over-reliance upon him.Perhaps they will not be so reliant in India. The last time England looked as hapless in the field as they did in the first session here was the Edgbaston Test of 2012 when Stuart Broad and James Anderson were rested. It might be optimistic to expect Anderson to play much of a part in India, but Broad’s absence was felt keenly here. There is no way he would have bowled with so little control.Moeen also revealed that the coach, Trevor Bayliss, urged the team to refocus when they came in at lunch.”He just said that we’re going to have sessions like this in the winter and we’re going to have to get better at recognising it and understanding how to change it,” Moeen said. “He wasn’t really angry. He was just a bit disappointed but he never shows when he’s angry. He just made us focus a bit more on what we needed to do.”And what they needed to do was bowl maidens. Or at least apply some control. Not until the 27th over bowled by spin, did any of England’s trio manage a maiden. It is no coincidence that, with both Stokes (who conceded only 13 from 11 admirably controlled overs) and Moeen bowling with impressive control, the wickets started to fall. It won’t be so easy in India, but it did at least show the direction of travel they must take.None of that disguises the faults. It doesn’t disguise the struggles of Zafar Ansari, who might be excused on the grounds of nerves, or Adil Rashid. And, most of all, it doesn’t disguise the continuing struggles of the top order. So far this series, England’s third wicket has fallen on a score of 21, 28 and 42. They might get away with that in Bangladesh; they are most unlikely to do so in India. But, for now, it did just about keep them in this game.

Chelsea’s academy has been up there with one of the very best in the country over the last few years, helping the club win nine FA Youth Cup trophies – the most in the competition’s history.

Endless players have made the jump from Cobham into the first-team setup, having a huge impact on the club and cementing their place as a regular under various different managers.

Enzo Maresca’s current side possesses multiple academy graduates, including the likes of Reece James, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah as the trio look to fire the Blues back to Premier League success.

Numerous others have been sacrificed to raise funds for the managers to make their own stamp on the squad, including Mason Mount who moved to Manchester United for £60m last summer – a great deal considering his tally of 33 games in the last 18 months.

Such a move undoubtedly softens the blow of the big money spent by owner Todd Boehly, with the American forking out huge money to secure the services of one star back in January 2023.

Mykhailo Mudyrk’s time at Chelsea so far

After a bidding war with London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea secured a huge £88.5m move for Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk in January 2023, joining the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk.

His first appearance came as a substitute against Liverpool at Anfield, making an immediate impression with his pace and direct nature with the ball at his feet.

However, it would be an audition that sold the supporters a dream, with the 24-year-old unable to sustain such a level of performance, only registering 10 goals in his 73 appearances to date.

The winger hasn’t featured since the end of November due to a provisional suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance, with his return date or outcome of the decision yet to be announced.

His lack of form, coupled with his current absence, has seen a drastic decrease in market value, with one former first-team star massively overtaking him in value after his form away from Stamford Bridge.

The former Chelsea player now worth more than Mudryk

English attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi emerged out of the club’s academy as a teenager, looking to be the next big thing to make his mark on the first team in West London.

The now 24-year-old first showcased his talents on a consistent basis in 2018/19, making 24 appearances, scoring five times and registering five assists – looking way beyond his tender age.

Such a run of form would see interest from European giants Bayern Munich, but the Blues would stand firm, rejecting a loan with an option to buy for £70m – highlighting his importance to the club, with the hierarchy showing faith in his development.

However, an achilles injury in April 2019 would halt his progress at his boyhood side, sidelining him for an extended period and dropping him down the pecking order as a result.

Hudson-Odoi would move on loan to Bayer Leverkusen in 2022/23 to try and resurrect his promising career, before ending his spell with the Blues and joining Nottingham Forest for just £3m two years ago.

The move would allow the winger to thrive in the Premier League once again, registering eight goals and two assists in his debut campaign in the East Midlands – leading to talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbing him as “superb”.

He’s once again continued his stellar form during this campaign, scoring the only goal in the Reds’ victory against Liverpool at Anfield, remaining as the only side to defeat Arne Slot’s side in the league.

Games played

20

Goals & assists

5

Pass accuracy

90%

Chances created

34

Successful dribbles

27

Dribble success

68%

Recoveries

59

As a result of his displays, Forest have valued the forward at £40m, an increase of 1235% from the fee the Blues sold him for less than two years ago, subsequently seeing him worth more than Mudryk, who’s now valued at just £25m by Transfermarkt.

Given the re-emergence of Hudson-Odoi, the decision to allow him to leave for such a minimal fee is now one that looks to be a huge mistake, potentially offloading a player who could have played a vital role under Maresca.

Mudyrk has ultimately failed to match the expectations of his big-money transfer fee, with the hierarchy now facing a similar situation in taking the risk of offloading the Ukrainian and suffering a repeat of Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea already have their next Kante in "magnificent" 20-year-old prodigy

The new N’Golo Kante could be set to emerge at Chelsea.

ByConnor Holden Feb 10, 2025

Liverpool are believed to be ahead of the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid in the race to sign a £50m-rated international ace this summer, according to a new report.

Latest Liverpool news

The Reds reached the EFL Cup final on Thursday evening, following an emphatic 4-0 victory at home to Tottenham at Anfield, as their incredible first season under Arne Slot continues. Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk saw Liverpool book a place in next month’s final against Newcastle United at Wembley, in what promises to be a thrilling game.

In terms of transfers, it ended up being a quiet January window at Anfield, with no new signings made and the only business of note seeing youngsters such as Jayden Danns and Kaide Gordon sealing loan moves to Sunderland and Portsmouth, respectively.

Once the summer arrives, however, supporters will rightly be demanding to see a host of new additions come in, allowing Slot to further strengthen his squad, and Liverpool have now been linked with an exciting player with a big future in the game.

Liverpool in talks to sign £50m player

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are in talks to sign £50m-rated Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson this summer, with discussions underway with his representatives. Along with Arsenal and Manchester United, the Reds’ talks are said to be the “most advanced”, putting the trio ahead of City and Madrid in the race to snap him up.

At just 20 years of age, Larsson is a young player with so much potential, already proving to be an important figure in the middle of the park for club and country.

This season, he has made 15 starts in the Bundesliga for Frankfurt, scoring twice in the process, and he also has eight caps for his name for Sweden at international level. Meanwhile, Ben Mattinson has compared him to Jude Bellingham.

“When giving the eye test on Larsson he’s very similar to Bellingham stylistically and was initially my pick to replace Jude at Dortmund but he suits Frankfurt very well and they’re building a top team. Excited to see how he settles in.”

While Liverpool’s midfield is already well-stocked, the chance to sign such a talented player should not be passed up, and he could become a fulcrum of the team over time.

Forget Gakpo: Amazing 8/10 Liverpool star just proved Carragher wrong

Liverpool dismantled Tottenham to set up a Carabao Cup final tie against Newcastle United.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Feb 7, 2025

Competition for places is always healthy for the Reds, keeping top-quality figures on their toes moving forward, and given Larsson’s age, he could be viewed as a long-term replacement for others in midfield.

Manchester City star Erling Haaland has already started jogging as he eyes comeback from his ankle injury.

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• Haaland has started jogging
• Continues to recover from ankle injury
• Man City face Everton on Saturday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Haaland shared an update on his injury as he shared a video on his Instagram story where he can be seen jogging inside the Manchester City gym. At the end of the video, the striker can be heard saying, "We're getting there!"

  IG:@erling

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Norwegian goal-machine was forced off during City's FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth last weekend, with the 24-year-old later spotted in a protective boot. The club later confirmed that the player had injured his left ankle, and manager Pep Guardiola revealed that the club doctors had ruled the striker out of action for between five and seven weeks. The champions are now hoping that Haaland returns to action towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign and fully recovers before the FIFA Club World Cup in the US.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Despite the injury setback, Haaland remains the club's highest scorer this season with 30 goals to his name in 40 matches across all competitions. He has also contributed four assists.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  The Cityzens will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they take on Everton at Goodison Park.

Plus: the father and son who carried their bats, and the most stumpings in internationals

Steven Lynch02-Feb-2016AB de Villiers bagged a pair in the final Test against England – but South Africa still won. How many times has a captain got a pair but won anyway? asked Edward Howard from England

Against England in Centurion, AB de Villiers became only the 21st man to bag a pair in a Test match in which he was captain, the second from South Africa after Louis Tancred against England at The Oval in 1912. There have been four instances by Australia and West Indies captains, three by Pakistan, two by England, New Zealand and India, and one by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Of those, de Villiers was only the fourth to end up on the winning side, after Joe Darling (Australia v England in Sheffield in 1902), Nasser Hussain (England v West Indies at The Oval in 2000) and Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2004-05).Who scored two Test centuries, completing both of them with the No. 11 at the other end? asked Marcus Porter from England

This cool-headed batsman was Peter Willey, who made two hundreds in his 26 Tests for England between 1976 and 1986. Both centuries came against West Indies, the champion team of the time. The first came at The Oval in 1980: Willey had only 24 when last man Bob Willis joined him at the crease at 92 for 9, but they more than doubled the score in adding 117 – and Ian Botham delayed his declaration until Willey reached 100, from 203 balls in nearly four hours. Eight months later, in the first Test ever played in Antigua, Willey had 69 when No. 11 Graham Dilley came in. Dilley made only 2, but survived for more than an hour, in which time Willey moved to 102 not out, his highest Test score.Does Mahendra Singh Dhoni now hold the record for the most stumpings in international cricket? asked Melissa Gomes from Denmark

When MS Dhoni stumped James Faulkner in the second T20 against Australia in Melbourne last week, it was his 140th such dismissal in all internationals (38 in Tests, 89 in ODIs and 13 in T20Is). That put him one in front of Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara: Dhoni had equalled the old record with his 139th stumping, Glenn Maxwell, earlier in that same innings in Melbourne. Another Sri Lankan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, is the only other wicketkeeper with more than 100 international stumpings – he made 101. Moin Khan is next with 93, while Adam Gilchrist had 92.Mudassar Nazar followed his father in carrying his bat for a century in a Test for Pakistan•PA PhotosThere are only two instances of a team total exceeding 1000 runs in a first-class match. Is it true that Don Bradman figured in both those innings? asked Alex Nweke from Zimbabwe

The two four-figure totals in first-class cricket were both amassed by Victoria in the 1920s: they made 1059 against Tasmania in Melbourne in 1922-23, then trumped that with 1107 against New South Wales at the MCG in 1926-27.
Don Bradman didn’t actually play in either match – he didn’t make his debut for New South Wales until 1927-28 – but one man did: Bill Ponsford made 429 for Victoria in the first game, the record first-class score at the time, and added 352 in the second one. The prolific Ponsford improved his record to 437 against Queensland in Melbourne in 1927-28. That stood as the highest first-class score for two seasons, until Bradman punished the long-suffering Queenslanders for 452 not out for NSW in Sydney in 1929-30.Is Ashish Nehra the oldest Indian player to figure in a T20 international? asked Sunit Kumar from the UAE

Ashish Nehra was 36 years 267 days old when he played against Australia in Sydney last weekend – which makes him the second-oldest Indian to appear in a T20I. Nehra will have to keep going for another couple of years to take the record, which is currently held by Rahul Dravid. He was 38 years 232 days old when he made his one and only appearance in a T20I – having already announced his retirement from the format – against England at Old Trafford in 2011. Dravid is only 16th on the overall list, which is headed by the UAE’s 43-year-old captain Mohammad Tauqir, against Netherlands in Edinburgh in 2015.Is there any case of a father and son carrying their bat in Tests? asked David Ferrier from Norway

There’s only one instance of this. Playing in what was only Pakistan’s second official Test match, against India in Lucknow in 1952-53, Nazar Mohammad scored an undefeated 124 of the total of 331, to set up a decisive lead: Pakistan, who had lost the first Test badly, went on to the victory that levelled their inaugural series. Just over 30 years later, his son Mudassar Nazar carried his bat for 152 in Pakistan’s innings of 323 against India in Lahore in 1982-83.Send in your questions using our feedback form.

As they look to use the January transfer window to their advantage in the race to avoid Premier League relegation, Leicester City are reportedly plotting a move to welcome back a familiar face this month.

Leicester City transfer news

The Foxes were at least given some reprieve away from Premier League action when they squared off against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup and swept past the Championship side in a 6-2 thrashing, but there’s no doubt that they’ll be fully focused on escaping the dropzone rather than domestic glory. And with Crystal Palace up next, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side must take that goalscoring form from QPR into a crucial relegation six-pointer.

Of course, alongside a flurry of fixtures this month, Leicester also have the chance to strengthen courtesy of the January transfer window. In that regard, the Foxes have already been linked to names such as Miguel Almiron, as Newcastle United look to cash-in on their struggling winger in what could be a move to boost Leicester’s survival chances.

Before any fresh name, however, those at The King Power Stadium could welcome back a familiar face. According to The Boot Room, Leicester are now plotting a reunion with Ben Chilwell, who is desperate to leave Chelsea after becoming an outcast at Stamford Bridge under Enzo Maresca, who has admitted the player will probably go.

The left-back would certainly have to hit the ground running to get fans back on side after swapping Leicester for Chelsea in 2020 in deal worth a reported £45m, but there’s no doubt that he still has more than enough left in the tank to drag his former side to survival.

Leicester leading the race to sign "promising" 6 foot 6 defender this month

The Foxes are now willing to match his club’s asking price.

ByDominic Lund Jan 7, 2025

Potentially a full-circle moment, Chilwell should take the opportunity to complete a return with both hands if Leicester come calling this month, but he will of course have to take a significant hit to his current £200,000-a-week wages.

Chilwell desperately needs Chelsea exit

Once a Chelsea vice-captain and Champions League winner, Chilwell now desperately needs a move away from Stamford Bridge like a number of his teammates who have been cast aside and shown the door at the London club. At just 28 years old and with a World Cup coming up next year, the Englishman has the perfect chance to return to his best and earn back his England place as Thomas Tuchel looks to make his mark.

In doing exactly that, the defender would be making up for his previous discretions at Leicester too, whose survival chances would only increase by welcoming such experience.

Speaking to reporters, Maresca revealed that Chilwell will be allowed to leave Chelsea this month, saying via TNT Sports: “Because players want to play more so there’s probably chances for them to leave.

“But Ben has been top. I have to say that, he has been top. Very professional, works hard. I feel shame because of that situation, but in terms of behaviour, he has been very good.”

Before the end of the month, Chilwell simply must move on from his recent Chelsea struggles, whether that results in a Leicester reunion or a move elsewhere in the coming weeks.