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KKR’s quicks produced the big wickets and their spinners stifled the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen

Sidharth Monga11-Apr-20213:25

Steyn: Morgan’s captaincy the biggest reason for KKR’s win

The Kolkata Knight Riders managed the first successful defence in the 2021 IPL despite a blip towards the end of their innings. They managed just 42 in their last five overs, but the 145 for 1 in the first 15 proved to be good enough on a dry pitch, which their bowlers exploited.Eighty-or-nothing Nitish Rana had that eighty night on a track that didn’t support his weakness: short and fast bowling. The selfless Rahul Tripathi scored an attacking fifty despite not batting at the position suited to him, opening the batting.Defending about 20 fewer than what they looked good for, the Knight Riders’ fast bowlers produced the big wickets and their spinners stifled the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen to seal the game. After Prasidh Krishna got David Warner early, Jonny Bairstow revived the Sunrisers chase with a 40-ball 55, but Pat Cummins got him out in the 13th over to leave Manish Pandey with a tall ask of getting 86 off the last seven. Pandey couldn’t despite an Abdul Samad cameo at the end.Sunrisers err, Rana cashes in
Dry pitches are what Sunrisers have built their successful model on. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma remain accurate before Rashid Khan drives home the advantage, but on this occasion both Kumar and Sharma got off to an error-filled start. While Shubhman Gill’s struggle to bat at T20 pace continued from 2020, Rana made full use of the width provided by both the new-ball bowlers. By the time Gill was out despite seemingly having picked a Khan wrong’un, the Knight Riders still had 53 on the board in seven overs.Rahul Tripathi congratulates Nitish Rana after the latter reached his fifty•BCCI/IPLTripathi, Rana punish Sunrisers
As often, Tripathi came out oozing intent. The second ball he faced, he went against the turn to hit Mohammad Nabi for a six over long-off. While Khan kept things quiet at his end, Rana and Tripathi kept attacking the others. They batted together for eight overs; only one of them didn’t feature a boundary, and two of them went for more than one. At 145 for 1 in 15 overs, with Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan still in the shed, the Knight Riders looked set to bat the Sunrisers out of the game.Sunrisers fight back
In the 16th over, Tripathi fell trying to hit his third six of the night, but it seemed like the perfect time for Russell to walk in. He announced himself with a four first ball, but Khan got him out in his customary one over at the death. The slowness of the pitch proved difficult for the batsmen coming in, with both Rana and Morgan falling to the offspin of Nabi in the 18th over. Karthik, though, arrested the slide with a nine-ball 22 to give the Knight Riders 28 more than what Mumbai Indians came close to defending in the first match in Chennai.Prasidh dents the chase
Harbhajan Singh, playing his first IPL match since the 2019 final, almost had Warner the first ball he bowled to him but Cummins dropped him at point. However, in the next over, Krishna produced a beauty angling across Warner, getting the edge through to Karthik. With the left-hand batsman gone, the Knight Riders switched immediately to the left-arm spin of Shakib Al Hasan with immediate results, getting rid of Wriddhiman Saha first ball of the third over. The Sunrisers were 10 for 2 in the third over.Bairstow keeps Sunrisers alive
With Pandey playing more of an anchor role in the chase, it was down to Bairstow to prevent being choked out by the Knight Riders’ spinners; Singh, Shakib and Varun Chakravarthy. He brought up his 50 in 32 balls, taking the Sunrisers to 100 for 2 at the end of the 12th over. Pandey was 34 off 27 at the other end.Cummins starts the final slide
Morgan went to his strike bowler in the 13th, and while the ball to get Bairstow wasn’t flash, sometimes the short and wide ball does it just fine in T20s. Three metres either side of the man at backward point, and Bairstow would have got four more, but he found the man to perfection. The squeeze was on after that, and in Cummins, Chakravarthy, Shakib and Krishna, the Knight Riders had too much quality at the end for a suspect Sunrisers middle order.

Unnamed player was under 16 at the time of offensive social media posts

George Dobell07-Jun-2021More historic tweets of a discriminatory nature from a player involved with the England men’s squad have emerged.A day after the ECB announced the suspension of Ollie Robinson pending a disciplinary investigation, Wisden.com published tweets from another player within the current England squad which will come as an embarrassment to the ECB as they seek to rid the sport of discrimination.One tweet uses derogatory slang and graphics to describe people of Chinese origin. Another uses derogatory terminology to describe homosexuality.The player was aged less than 16 at the time. As a result, Wisden.com and ESPNcricinfo have chosen not to name him.Given that Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, has promised a “zero tolerance” attitude towards such behaviour, it seems further action is inevitable.It is likely the case will be added to the Robinson investigation and the player removed from the England squad. Their age at the time might offer some mitigation, however.Related

• Ollie Robinson suspended from all international cricket

• Ollie Robinson apologises for posting 'racist and sexist' comments on Twitter as a teenager

“It has been brought to our attention that an England player has posted historic offensive material on their social media account,” an ECB spokesperson said. “We are looking into it and will make a further comment in due course.”While the incident is likely to increase pressure on the ECB to examine the social media output of players in the England set-up, current arrangements leave such a role in the hands of the PCA (the players’ union). A spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that all current England players’ Twitter feeds and Instagram accounts are monitored. The practice is paid for by TEPP; the Team England Player Partnership.The PCA also retains a lawyer, Matt Himsworth (through his company, B5 Consultancy), who is seen as an expert in digital media. He has spoken at Rookie Camps – the training sessions provided to new professional cricketers – and is said to offer regular advice. He recently conducted sessions with the eight women’s regional centres.

The Victoria captain has hit a fine run of form in recent weeks as he merges his old and new techniques together

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-2021Peter Handscomb’s state coach at Victoria, Chris Rogers, has never seen the batsman play better than in the last couple of weeks of Sheffield Shield cricket.Handscomb has made 124 not out, 73 and 54 not out in the last three innings. The century against New South Wales is where Rogers saw everything come together and the two half-centuries came on an MCG surface where the ball dominated – he was denied a potentially match-winning hand when rain curtailed the final day against Tasmania.Handscomb previously played for Australia as a late call-up to the 2019 World Cup and the last of his 16 Tests came earlier that year against India at the SCG. He lost his central contract last year and has since said he has put thoughts of international cricket out of his mind.He has worked on some technical adjustments to his game, and it was a mixture of old and new which Rogers felt has helped bring the recent success.Related

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Handscomb's century guides Victoria to safety

Pattinson puts all his eggs into the Ashes basket

“In the second innings in Bankstown against New South Wales, Pat Cummins was coming hard at him and he almost started to merge his old style and his new style. He went back to standing more on his back foot, but still using the shape that he’s been trying to learn when he’s on the front.”He looks really balanced now. He’s figured a couple of things out and I’ve never seen him play better, some of those on-drives, pull shots and the calmness. Really hoping we see another coming of Pete Handscomb.”After his century against New South Wales, Handscomb said a mid-game chat with Rogers had helped following a first-innings lbw dismissal for 1 against Cummins.”I let him talk, he came up with all the answers,” Rogers said. “He was probably just searching for something then it played out the way it did. He probably knew he was pretty close, and we all felt he was pretty close, he’d played some good innings, but something just clicked and he’s playing really well.”It remains doubtful whether he will be joined in the Victoria side by Glenn Maxwell this season. Maxwell returned from New Zealand on Sunday night but won’t feature in this week’s Marsh Cup game and border restrictions could rule him out of the Shield match in Brisbane which starts March 15.While New South Wales and Victoria are part of a one-way travel bubble with New Zealand (excluding Auckland which is a designated hot spot), Queensland has recently fully closed its borders to the country so Maxwell’s time there may stop any talk of being included.Maxwell will head to the IPL in late March or early April – the tournament confirmed to start on April 9 – but has spoken recently about his desire to play Test cricket again. However, with a T20 World Cup during the early part of the next Australian season it could be a year before there is a window for first-class cricket.Then there is Victoria’s desire to start building for the future by giving their younger batsmen a chance to gain experience.”[Conversations] are ongoing,” Rogers said. “We are trying to balance up what we want to do as a team and how we can help Glenn as well.”A little while ago I spoke to Glenn. I know he still harbours ambitions to play Test cricket so we’ve got to think how we can support that.”Rogers said the situation with Aaron Finch, who does not have an IPL deal so in theory will be available throughout the backend of the season, is a different given he is no longer in the Test frame. “He’s probably a little realistic about where he sits and about what we are trying to do as a side and develop our players.”

da jogodeouro： Last year, Arne Slot won the sprawling Liverpool fanbase over with his incredible success in replacing the irreplaceable Jurgen Klopp and establishing a clear and compelling identity.

da cassino online： But last season’s Premier League title triumph is a far cry from this current Liverpool crop, who have been battered away from title-defending contention after a run of six losses and just one win across eight league fixtures.

So much has gone awry, but Slot’s failure to get a tune out of £125m summer signing Alexander Isak has got to be among the biggest worries.

Isak's start to life at Liverpool

Isak, 26, left Newcastle as one of the most devastating forwards in world football, instrumental in the rise of Eddie Howe’s Tyneside team over the past three years.

But there’s no question that he’s struggled to adapt so far this season, having only scored twice so far and routinely drifting on the edge of matches. After Liverpool’s recent draw to Sunderland, Slot admitted that providing the 26-year-old was among his priorities to fix.

But, for now, his impact has been nominal, failing to bring the completeness and sharpness that his predecessor, Darwin Nunez, failed over three years to sustain with consistency.

Reporter David Lynch actually claimed last month that “Isak is currently offering less than Nunez did during his final year at Anfield”, and the few games he has played since have offered little encouragement that such a bold claim is without legs.

However, this is a time for cool heads, as far as the Swedish striker’s future on Merseyside is concerned.

Isak is one of the best strikers in the world, and he will surely come good at the Anfield spearhead.

Liverpool's new version of Darwin Nunez

Liverpool have enjoyed Cody Gakpo’s services for almost three years now, purchasing PSV Eindhoven’s talisman for a fee rising to £45m in late December 2022.

The left-sided forward is well regarded as one of the most prolific wingers in European football, but his overall performances do leave something to be desired. In fact, his samey efforts down the wing have irked some Liverpool fans across the campaign, and it is for this reason that he, and not Isak, is becoming the club’s new version of Nunez.

Liverpool have been too predictable this season, and the sight of Gakpo claiming the ball on the left flank and proceeding to cut inside has become a too-regular occurrence, something opponents are clearly cottoning onto.

The Netherlands international does offer something, but he isn’t dynamic enough, and the absence of Luis Diaz’s electric threat is accentuated by his sustained starting role on the left wing.

Looking at the data could leave a few fans feeling rather incredulous. Gakpo is statistically among the most creative players in the Premier League this season, and his return of four goals and three assists from 12 top-flight starts is pretty good for an outfit so far out of sorts.

Premier League 25/26 – Most Chances Created

Player

Chances Created

Per Game

Bruno Fernandes

40

2.9

Jeremy Doku

31

3.3

Mohamed Salah

28

2.3

Yankuba Minteh

27

2.0

Cody Gakpo

26

2.2

Data via FotMob

But he has also fallen into the trap of predictability, and many are questioning why someone like Federico Chiesa is not getting a chance to show what he can do in his stead (reminder: Chiesa has not started in the Premier League or Champions League for Liverpool this year).

Nunez left Anfield a popular figure, but it was clear that Liverpool needed to level up at number nine after three terms of inconsistency from the Uruguayan.

Gakpo isn’t inconsistent, per se, but he is undoubtedly frustrating in his inswinging repetition, and this is why he is becoming a picked-on figure in the same vein as Nunez before him.

Related Huge Gakpo upgrade: £70m "superstar" now keen to join Liverpool in January

Arne Slot’s Liverpool frontline is not quite right this season.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair 7 days ago

Plans to field an All-Indigenous Prime Minister’s XI for the annual match at Manuka Oval in Canberra were dropped by Cricket Australia after the re-election of the current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019.The idea to rejuvenate the traditional concept of the PM’s XI fixture by making it an All-Indigenous team versus an overseas touring team was first raised by CA as part of the same reconciliation movement to redress Australian cricket’s poor history of racial inclusion that saw it drop any reference to “Australia Day” for Big Bash League matches to be played on January 26.It was floated prior to the 2019 federal election, widely expected to be won by the Labor Opposition led by Bill Shorten, but shelved after it is believed to have been given a less than enthusiastic response in the months after the Liberal/National Coalition was returned to government in defiance of opinion polls.Amid a gradual growth in the number of Aboriginal cricketers in Australian domestic ranks, CA’s high-performance wing is understood to have welcomed the idea on the basis that the chosen XI would be more than strong enough to hold their own against the touring Sri Lankan team.However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the pushback was couched as a new government indicating it “wasn’t quite ready” for such a move, forcing CA and ACT Cricket into a series of changes to their plans.Related

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• Justin Mohamed: Cricket Australia needs Indigenous leaders as well as cricketers

Early in the second Morrison government, the Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt gave a National Press Club address outlining a blueprint for a referendum on Aboriginal recognition in the Australian Constitution, a move that drew criticism from some of the more conservative elements of the government.Aboriginal players who had toured England in 2018, as part of a tour to commemorate the 1868 journey by the first ever team to represent Australia on foreign soil in any sport, had been informally told of the plans and even reached the stage where diary space in their summer schedules was cleared for training and playing time in Canberra.A source close to the players described their reaction as “irate” when informed of the plan being dropped, ostensibly because it was felt that the government was “already sufficiently active” in the Indigenous sphere.A compromise of sorts was reached by having the PM’s XI co-captained by the Aboriginal allrounder Dan Christian alongside Peter Siddle, and coached by Jason Gillespie, who became Australia’s first male Aboriginal Test cricketer when he made his debut in 1996, after Aunty Faith Thomas became the first Aboriginal Test cricketer in 1958.Morrison subsequently used the match as a photo opportunity, running drinks to the PM’s XI while clad in a team cap and sharing high fives with the players, while also doing a stint in the commentary box.Nevertheless, the episode underlined a difference of opinion on inclusiveness between Morrison and CA that has been further heightened by the Prime Minister’s publicly stated opposition to CA’s stance on January 26, which was reached after consultation with its Indigenous Advisory Council, co-chaired by Mel Jones and Justin Mohamed.”I think a bit more focus on cricket, and a little less focus on politics would be my message to Cricket Australia,” Morrison told radio 4R0 on Thursday. “I think that’s pretty ordinary – that’s what they’re putting on their press releases – that would be my view.”In December 2019, CA released their second Reconciliation Action Plan with the stated aim of finding more common ground between Indigenous communities and the sport. As of last season, just 69,000 of the reported 1.7 million Australians playing cricket are from Indigenous backgrounds. To help grow that number, the report included 104 areas for action, including the aim for all cricket clubs in Australia to commit to an annual reconciliation statement each year.CA has subsequently discussed plans to hold an annual match between an All-Indigenous XI and a touring team separate to the Manuka fixture, however both this idea and the PM’s XI game itself were put on hiatus for the 2020-21 season due to Covid-19.The Indigenous leader Mick Dodson, a former Australian of the year and co-author of a 2010 independent report on cricket’s Indigenous past, For The Love Of The Game, that helped drive CA’s current approach, said the governing body had already driven great change, with more to come.”They’ve taken Aboriginal participation in official cricket around the country from 8,500 [in 2013/14] to almost 70,000,” Dodson told the ABC’s PM program. “That’s over 800% increase. They’ve done a terrific job. No other sport in Australia could claim that. It’s not just Indigenous Australians, it’s people from diverse and different cultural backgrounds, they’ve done a terrific job.”Adam Cassidy [Cricket Australia’s diversity and inclusion manager] and the Cricket Australia team should be very, very proud of what they’ve achieved in such a short time. Because they’re inclusive and have an inclusive and diverse policy, you get figures like that.”A CA spokesperson said: “CA places great importance on the annual PM’s XI fixture – a tradition that has spanned successive governments and CA administrations dating back to the 1950s.”We have welcomed the Prime Minister’s support for continuing the tradition and look forward to working together on the next iteration of the fixture next summer.”The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Chelsea have already reached out for discussions with the representatives of Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz, with Enzo Maresca hatching a new tactical plan involving Cole Palmer.

The west Londoners have lost three out of their last five Premier League games and narrowly escaped with a thrilling 4-3 win away to bottom side Wolves in the Carabao Cup earlier this week.

Despite spending nearly £300 million in the summer transfer window, there is clearly still work to be done from Chelsea’s perspective, and reports suggest that Juventus are even taking an interest in Maresca ahead of next summer.

The Old Lady appointed Luciano Spalletti on an interim basis until the end of the season, but if that doesn’t work out and Maresca fails to turn the tide at Stamford Bridge, a move to Juve could be on the cards in 2026.

In the meantime, Chelsea’s manager is surely tasked with finishing in the top four at the very least, and preferably adding more silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet after their Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs earlier this year.

According to some reports, Maresca is still quite unhappy with the options he has at Chelsea right now, so January could be a key month despite heavy summer backing in the market.

The most obvious area Chelsea are short in is centre-back, with ex-midfielder John Obi-Mikel claiming that the Blues will get nowhere near a Premier League title boasting that backline.

Ahead of the winter window’s opening, reports suggest that Chelsea are prioritising a new centre-back, with Levi Colwill expected to be out until spring 2026 after rupturing his ACL in pre-season.

However, they could also land a new forward, and have been linked with Yildiz as a serious option.

Chelsea make "very exciting" Yildiz offer amid Cole Palmer plan

Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea “really like” the Turkey international who’s dazzled as Juve’s star attacker since the beginning of last season.

Yildiz racked up 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions across 2024/2025, finishing the campaign as their best-performing regular with over 10 starts, going by average match rating per 90 minutes (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old also made more key passes per 90 and completed more take-ons in the final third than any of his teammates, with Yildiz starting 25/26 in equally imperious fashion.

Juventus 2-0 Parma Calcio

8.88

Juventus 4-3 Inter Milan

8.51

Juventus 3-1 Udinese

7.55

Atalanta 1-1 Juventus

7.10

Genoa 0-1 Juventus

7.04

via WhoScored

He has seven goal contributions in 12 appearances already this term, attracting serious interest from Stamford Bridge.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea have “discreetly” reached out to Yildiz’s camp with a “very exciting” offer to join them, and Italian insiders are adamant that Maresca’s side are in pole position to land him.

This comes as Maresca hatches a plan to partner the young Turk with Palmer up front, as Chelsea see him as the “ideal” player to link up with their England superstar.

However, there are major obstacles to overcome in this would-be transfer — mainly Juve’s minimum demand of around £79 million — with Real Madrid also in the race.

Los Blancos are described as a “major threat” to Chelsea in pursuit of Yildiz, and the player is apparently very enticed by Xabi Alonso’s side as a possible destination.

There is also the matter of Juve apparently stepping up new contract talks to keep him out of rival clutches, so Chelsea could have to launch the kitchen sink if this move has any chance of happening.

Chelsea have been offered another Juventus star too

There was always something a little titillating about Broad’s best spells, a slightly guilty pleasure

Osman Samiuddin01-Aug-2023Most of us thought it would be Jimmy first, right? That made sense. Older, more miles in the legs, more grump in the soul. But the unexpectedness of Stuart Broad’s exit is a neat motif to his entire career in one sense, always not being what you thought he would be, or was becoming. And he may have emerged as teenaged prodigy but who could’ve expected Broad to build the career he has done while playing it entirely alongside the greatest fast bowler England has produced?Only a couple of days ago Ben Stokes went further and called James Anderson the greatest fast bowler to play the game. That’s a big call but when he is your weapon, it’s not a crazy call. At the least, Anderson is in those conversations. Nobody will call Broad the greatest fast bowler, though it is worth noting that in 2016, he – and not Anderson – was the first England Test fast bowler to be ranked No. 1 in the world since Steve Harmison in 2004.Anderson replaced him that year, which seemed not a correction but a bend towards a natural order. Anderson has since been back to that spot several times, most recently earlier this year; Broad has not.Related

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Which is just fine. Not all fast bowlers are – or must be – great. It’s enough for them to create a great spell or two which aren’t spells of great bowling so much as total life events, occasions you will remember forever but will never quite be able to make complete sense of (see: childbirth, weddings, funerals and the day Elon Musk took over Twitter); days when the world was a little tipsy and so life moved fast very slowly.A great spell or two, but with Broad we were spoilt. Entire mornings, afternoons and days lost entirely, unexpectedly and indisputably, to Broad, ones that he had conjured from scratch and, lucky us, let us in.There was always something a little titillating about his best spells, a slightly guilty pleasure. You knew you should be sitting stroking your chin at the cant of Anderson’s wrist and his reverse-reverse wobble, but all you wanted to do was to be an absolute lout watching Broad wreck stuff. Anderson satisfied the intellect, an arthouse spectacle scaled up for mass consumption like a Chris Nolan film. Broad, for all his evolution over the years, for all the roles he took on, for all his smarts, remained at heart, an out and out big-action banger, all breath-taking, set-piece stunts stitched together to make the movie.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhich is why, as tempting as it is to treat with due deference the sheer gargantuan nature of the headline numbers of his career – only four bowlers, one fast bowler, with more wickets, only one bowler with more Tests played – Broad’s best self will always live in his brief, sharp jags of anarchy into an otherwise perfectly civil day’s play.Like the two Test hat-tricks, the second of which he didn’t even realise he’d taken and the first of which (against India) came with bonus and massive DRS schadenfreude; his breakthrough at The Oval, four wickets in 21 balls; eight in 9.3 overs at his home ground; six in 7.3 overs in Durham; seven in 11 at Lord’s; the smallness of these numbers, the compression, speaks to the truer magnitude of his work. In them is a distinct mood: Broad, full lengths, nibbling away at an edge, nipping into a pad, smashing stumps, careening away in celebration, total upheaval in his trail.Is it sacrilege to say there was a little bit of Warne in Broad’s theatre around a delivery, enough that watching him was as compelling as the bowling itself, that a spell could be measured and experienced purely through his expressions? The arms flung in the air at repeated play-and-misses, the frowns and eyebrow shrugs and wry smiles, the wide-eyed disbelief and cupped-hand-over-mouth shock and, of course, the teapots. Broad’s last day will always be memorable for clapping Zak Crawley when he spilled a catch off his bowling, a sure sign that this was the end, of Broad, and, perhaps, of times.The most endearing was when, after beating a batter, or even being hit for a boundary, he would stop in his follow-through, fold one arm across the chest and hold his chin with the other, absorbing what had happened professorially. It was an unusual pose for the occupation, though in hindsight it works alongside a visualisation of one of his great early quotes, in a interview from 2010: “Tea just helps me fight”. Tea? For fighting?Which was your favourite Stuart Broad reaction?•ECB via Getty ImagesThere was always some game within the game, especially when there wasn’t, the bail-switching last week an absolute Broad classic. Is it the imagination or did umpires have to be the most switched-on bodies on the field when Broad was on one, turning him down, answering a hundred queries, humouring him, regularly being proved wrong by him, admonishing him. Parents will recognise and sympathise.After all of it, the walk back to the mark, with the intent, form and purpose of a self-important civil servant. Some days his knees pumped more on that walk back than in the run-up.He was not the first celebrappealer but there’s never been a better one and it captured something central in him. The sense of entitlement in dispensing with the need for the umpire’s adjudication that his critics loved to hate, but also the rakish hustle that his fans loved. Some of that manifested itself in a mid-career trait of wasting reviews while batting, prompting an irritated Mike Selvey to coin the L’Oreal referral (because he’s worth it).If there’s an absence of an appreciation so far of the nuts and bolts of his bowling, it is only because, 17 years from his international debut, what is not known about it? Once you have taken as many wickets as he has, it kind of stands as monument to the career by itself. Of course, he’s a giant, because you don’t get that many wickets otherwise.2:10

Broad: I wanted to finish playing at the very top

Some might argue he got that many because he played so many Tests, like it’s some sort of a caveat. Well one, taking 604 wickets is in no way an inevitable consequence of playing 167 Tests. No wicket comes easy in Tests. Two, he played as many as 167 Tests because he was good enough. And three, staying fit enough to play that many is a feat on its own. None of this was inevitable.The other thing is that once we’re slicing up that many wickets and Tests, of course there will be skews, to home conditions, to specific opponents, to bits of stats padding. That is inevitable. It applies to every player with a long career. All of that is what makes a career, it doesn’t take from it.And Broad’s has been as rich as it is long, sustained by a thirst for self-improvement. He was never still, forever learning, adapting, tinkering, experimenting, right up to the start of this, his final series. One of the by-products of that, and what sets him apart from Anderson perhaps, is the suspicion that, had he really wanted, he could still cut it amidst the helter skelter of white-ball cricket.The end came as a career had gone, with proof of his durability. When Alex Carey nicked behind, it was the fourth ball of Broad’s seventh over in that spell. At the end of day five. Of a five-Test series. In which he played every single game. In which he bowled nearly 26 more overs than any other bowler. During which he turned 37.That was overshadowed by the set-piece moment to sign-off, the last two wickets to seal an Ashes win, a wicket off his last ball and hugs with Jimmy at mid-off. It’s a shame there weren’t more wickets left because with two in 13 balls, one dropped catch and numerous plays and misses to balls he was shaping in and swinging away as much as ever, we all had that sense, one last time, that Stuart Broad is about to get on one and we best be there.

Manchester United star Diogo Dalot has revealed his thoughts on ‘The United Strand’, who has vowed not to cut his hair until Ruben Amorim’s side win five games in a row.

Man Utd make it two wins on the bounce with victory at Anfield

After nearly one year in charge, Amorim has finally managed to win two Premier League games on the bounce, with his side pulling off a shock 2-1 victory against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, courtesy of a late Harry Maguire header.

Having been critical of the United boss at times this season, Jamie Carragher was full of praise for the 40-year-old after the match, claiming he got his tactics “absolutely spot on”.

There is still a long way to go, but supporter Frank Ilett, who has become known as ‘The United Strand’ will have renewed confidence the Red Devils can make it five wins on the spin, having pledged not to have a haircut until Amorim’s side do so.

The story has made waves to such an extent that Dalot was even asked for his thoughts after the victory against Liverpool, and the full-back made it clear he believes five wins on the spin could be possible, sending a short message of hope to the fan.

He continued: But we have to go game by game. Obviously, we know this is a very difficult league, we have tough games.

“And, of course, we have to go after that consistency that we have lacked because we have already shown in the past that we can compete against any team in the world.

“We get to the big games, we get to have good performances. Now it’s trying to make it happen every game.”

£62m Man Utd star looks like their best player "since Fergie retired"

Manchester United might just have turned a corner under Ruben Amorim’s wing.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 20, 2025 Victory at Anfield could kickstart the Amorim era

Although Liverpool have not been in the best of form, winning at Anfield is no mean feat, with United failing to do so in nine years, and INEOS will be hoping that the result can kickstart the Amorim era.

Five wins on the bounce may be a tall order, but it is definitely possible when you look at the fixture list, given that United have won every home game so far this season, while Nottingham Forest are in the relegation zone, and Aston Villa won at Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Man United’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Brighton & Hove Albion (h)

October 25th

Nottingham Forest (a)

November 1st

Tottenham Hotspur (a)

November 8th

Either way, things are finally starting to look up for Man United, with Amorim’s side now just two points off the top four.

Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive Cy Young award on Wednesday, but his future in Detroit remains murky. While Skubal has emerged as one of the best pitchers in MLB over the last few years and a key part in Detroit making back-to-back postseason appearances, he has just one more year under the Tigers’ control and is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.

The Tigers still have time to try and extend Skubal, but recent reports have suggested that the two sides are not closely aligned on a deal, with Jon Heyman of the reporting last month that the sides were $250 million apart on an extension.

More: Top Tarik Skubal Trade Destinations

If Skubal and the Tigers cannot get any closer on a deal, Skubal will become a free agent in 2026. Alternatively, if the Tigers realize a deal won’t get done, they could try to trade him to ensure they get a return for the ace.

With trade rumors surrounding Skubal, Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg said Wednesday, “We love Tarik, obviously. It’s pretty obvious what means to this organization. He’s a fantastic pitcher, he’s a Detroit Tiger. We’re never going to talk about our players in the context of trades, but we’re lucky to have him. He’s been a huge piece to what we’ve done.”

When pressed further about whether it’s an obligation to listen to calls regarding Skubal if they don’t have him signed beyond the next season, Greenberg replied, “Again, it’s not something we’re going to discuss in this context, and I’d say that about any of our players. He’s got one year of control, that’s part of the process as it is for everybody in this system. He’s a Tiger. We’re fortunate to have him. That’s the reality right now.”

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, who is the team’s decision-maker, had a similar message last month when addressing Skubal’s future. He said in October, “I can’t comment on our players being traded, I can’t comment on free agents and I can’t comment on other teams’ players. So I’m going to respond by just not actually commenting on it. … He’s an incredible pitcher and we’re lucky to have him. That’s all I can say on that.”

Skubal himself said Wednesday, via Evan Petzold of , “Contract extension stuff is a little bit different, but trade stuff is out of my control. I've given everything I have to this organization. I want to be a Tiger for a very long time. … I love Detroit. Hopefully, I'm here. That's where I'm at with all of that."

After a sub-par 2016 and with India’s strong bench, Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI career has reached the phase where he has no choice but to perform

Arun Venugopal14-Jan-2017Shikhar Dhawan is always smiling, but there is no way to tell what’s on his mind. It is the same smile – dripping with warmth and a hint of mischief – that follows a boundary or a dropped catch or a joke shared with a team-mate. Even when he grimaces, there are faint traces of a smile. The last six months, however, are likely to have tested such a quality.Ahead of his first ODI in nearly a year, Dhawan isn’t even a certainty in the XI. It is ironical given that his ODI form has been consistently good: since 2013, he has averaged more than 50 in nine of the 16 series he has played. During the same period his average has dropped below 40 only once. Even last year, he notched up 287 runs in the five ODIs he played.And yet, his place in the ODI side is not a given. While Dhawan would lose the popular mandate – fans have bayed for his axing on social media for a while now – the selectors have voted in his favour, even if not emphatically. It won’t be a stretch to suggest that Dhawan’s ODI career is on weak footing; a failure in this series could see KL Rahul – who is swiftly rising into a reliable all-format batsman – push him down the pecking order.Ideally, Dhawan’s ODI record would earn him a longer rope, but that it is not, at least to some extent, a consequence of his meagre returns in Tests and T20s over the last year. At any rate, it isn’t entirely uncommon for players these days to be picked in one format on the basis of strong performances in another – think Yuvraj Singh.Dhawan’s average differential in Tests and ODIs has been consistently increasing in the last four years•BCCIWhile Dhawan’s Test average in 2016 was 26, he averaged 57.40 in ODIs, a difference of 31.40. Such skewed numbers aren’t a one-off occurrence, and the gap between his Test and ODI averages has continued to widen over the last four years, with 2015 being the lone exception. For instance, in 2014, when India played Test series’ in England, South Africa and Australia, the difference between his Test and ODI averages was 16.44. In his 39 Test innings, he has had three sequences of seven or more innings without a 50-plus score, but in contrast only once has he gone five consecutive innings without a fifty in ODIs.Things went downhill for Dhawan when he was dropped for the Port of Spain Test last August after a modest tally of 138 runs from four innings. He sat out the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, but was handed a lifeline in Kolkata after Rahul injured himself. But, Dhawan copped a furious onslaught from Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry, and managed only 1 and 17.A thumb fracture, courtesy Boult, made the management’s decision easier. Upon recovery, he had to audition himself in the Ranji Trophy where five innings didn’t yield a single half-century. His T20 form had been poor as well – he managed 43 runs from four innings in the World T20 – and he hasn’t been picked in the format since.After the Duleep Trophy final last year, Dhawan, who scored 29 in each innings, spoke candidly about how he channelled the disappointment of being dropped for the T20Is into becoming a better batsman. Equally pragmatic was his take on the competition for the opening slots with the emergence and success of KL Rahul: ” [One needs to give it one’s all to keep one’s place in the side].”Dhawan found some form in the first practice game against England earlier this week and went on to score 63 off 84 balls on a flat track. After starting shakily, some of his characteristic strokes – the cut, pull and the uppish drive over covers – made an appearance. The innings would have gladdened his team-mates. Nicknamed Gabbar after the iconic villain of the Hindi film , his moustache-twirling thigh-slapping celebrations are a hit with his team-mates.His captain, Virat Kohli, is as much a fan of Dhawan’s quirks as he is of his explosive potential. But how does he motivate a batsman who has lost his place in two formats and is not too far from being dropped in the third?”A player like Shikhar, everyone is aware of his ability. We try to keep someone like Shikhar in a very good head space,” Kohli said. “Because once he’s cleared his head, he can really take the game from the opposition. That’s something we try to do, give him as much space as possible, not speak too much about the game – that’s something I like to do.’We try to keep someone like Shikhar in a very good head space’ – Virat Kohli•Associated Press”Knowing the kind of player Shikhar is, and the kind of person he is, it is better to leave a guy like that to his own planning and own thinking, rather than giving your plans to him. Because he’s so instinctive, once he gets going, he just finds more options than anyone else. Once he’s in the game, he has momentum, I’ve seen guys really struggling to bowl to him when he’s in full flow.”Kohli feels Dhawan is still a good enough ODI opener, who possesses an ability to set up games for batsmen coming down the order. “He bats long as well, he can really bat till the 40-45th over once he gets going,” he said. “So, he has a lot of positives, that’s what we always back Shikhar on.””Jinx [Ajinkya Rahane] is coming back from an injury as well, he’s batted well in the one-day warm-up match. KL has been playing well for a while; he’s coming off almost a double-hundred in Chennai. Shikhar has also got runs in the warm-up game so we have to figure out, among these three, who are the two who will be likely to start. But, again, I say, I am happy that all three are in a good space now having had some runs behind them. It makes my job easier.”