Tag Futebol

Former England head coach back with county where he won 2017 Championship title

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2024

Chris Silverwood is set to return to Essex after being appointed as the club’s director of cricket. Silverwood will take up the role in mid-December, succeeding Anthony McGrath after the latter moved to Headingley as Yorkshire head coach.Silverwood’s initial tenure at Essex saw the club embark on one of the most successful periods in their history. He oversaw their promotion from Division Two in 2016, an achievement that was topped the following summer by a first County Championship title in 25 years.Although Silverwood moved on, initially as England bowling coach before taking over from Trevor Bayliss as head coach in 2019, Essex continued to land silverware under McGrath, who stepped up from assistant coach under Silverwood to guide the club to a Championship and Blast double, followed by the Bob Willis Trophy.Related

Essex appoint Dan Feist as chief executive

Silverwood resigns as Sri Lanka head coach

Silverwood returns to English cricket in Oval Invincibles role

McGrath returns to Yorkshire as head coach

“I’m absolutely delighted to return to Essex,” Silverwood said. “It’s a club that holds very special memories for me, with the success we enjoyed in 2016 and 2017, and it’s been great to see the success Anthony McGrath has had in the years in between.”There is work to be done around the squad, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead, with an emphasis on working hard to help develop our home-grown players.”Building on the work done by Mags, I’m focused on getting the squad to a point where we have strength in depth, with a strong core of our own local players. I’m excited to get straight to work to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and that the squad is in the best possible shape to compete on all fronts next summer.”Silverwood’s time in charge of England was significantly affected by the restrictions around touring caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and he left the role after a 4-0 Ashes defeat in 2021-22. He subsequently coached Sri Lanka for a two-year period, stepping down after the T20 World Cup earlier this year.Essex restructured their club hierarchy over the summer, with John Stephenson departing as chief executive and Dan Feist being appointed general manager. McGrath was promoted from head coach to director of cricket, but opted to return to his native Yorkshire at the end of the season.Jason Gallian, chair of Essex’s cricket committee, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the reappointment of Chris, who was the outstanding applicant in a comprehensive recruitment process.”We were clear throughout that we were focused on making the right decision, not just a quick one, and following this process, we firmly believe we have stuck to that and appointed the best candidate.”I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Cricket Committee, as well as Alastair Cook on the interview panel, who contributed significantly with their expertise.”Having spoken to Chris, I know how motivated he is to make his mark in the coming years, and his desire is as high as ever to take on the role of director of cricket and lead on the strategic side.”Within that, he will play a very important role with a talented men’s first XI, and he is focused on winning trophies with this club and growing the game throughout our region. Everyone welcomes Chris back, and we look forward to once again seeing him around the Cloud County Ground and hopefully leading the side to success on the field.”

India put on their best batting show and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament

S Sudarshanan09-Oct-2024On a slightly cooler evening in Dubai, with semi-final qualification hopes in the balance, India brought their A-game to the fore to thrash Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2024. They put on their best batting show – perhaps the best among all teams in the tournament so far – and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament.Batting first, India rode on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur to post 172 for 3, the highest total in this T20 World Cup. They then skittled Sri Lanka out for 90 to register an 82-run win, India’s biggest in T20 World Cups, with Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana picking up three wickets apiece. As a result of their massive win, their net run rate (NRR) jumped to 0.576, better than Pakistan’s and only behind Australia’s. This is notable as their NRR had taken a beating following the 58-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match.Shafali, Mandhana remind us what India missedBefore Wednesday, India’s opening stands against Pakistan and New Zealand were 18 and 11 respectively. In a tournament where batting first seemed to give teams an advantage, India batted second in both their matches. India got to bat first after Harmanpreet won her first toss and the openers set about their task steadily.Sri Lanka pressed their spinners into service and both Shafali Verma and Mandhana found it tough to break free. Shafali took the aerial route for India’s first four in the third over and did so again in the fourth and the fifth. She was on 24 off 20 in the fifth over; at that point Mandhana was on 6 off 10. But in a pattern different from the previous game, she was not being impatient or trying too hard.Smriti Mandhana was rapid after the first six overs•Associated PressMandhana finally got going with a smack over the left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari’s head as India ended the powerplay on 41 for 0. She also slogged another left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera for a six over wide long-on in the next year to signal the gear change. India managed to hit at least one four in each over between the third and the ninth. Chamari Athapaththu kept India guessing by giving her bowlers one-over spells till the 13th over, by then Mandhana overtook Shafali to get to a fourth T20 World Cup half-century.Harmanpreet says hello from No. 3It took a run-out to end India’s opening partnership at 98, their third-highest in T20 World Cups, when Athapaththu and Ama Kanchana – brought in for Hasini Perera – combined to catch Mandhana short on 50. On the very next ball, Athapaththu had Shafali miscuing a heave to cover. That over meant Athapaththu ended the one-spell strategy and bowled a second over in the spell – the 13th and the 15th overs.Having batted at No. 4 against Pakistan, Harmanpreet came in at No. 3 and was soon joined by Jemimah Rodrigues before she even faced a ball. Few batters in the Indian line-up are at ease against spin than Rodrigues. She used the sweep to first put Ranaweera away and then moved in her crease to pull Athapaththu to the deep square leg boundary.At the other end, Harmanpreet hit Kumari for a four and a six to ensure the openers’ platform did not go to waste. Rodrigues soon fell for 16 off 10 – she was given a life at 13 when Kavisha Dilhari dropped a dolly at deep midwicket – but played a vital role in injecting momentum after two quick wickets.By then, Harmanpreet, with a cushion of a long batting line-up to follow, cut loose. She first paddled Kanchana past short fine leg before hitting two fours to spoil Athapaththu’s figures. Ranaweera could not hang on to a powerful hit at cover when Harmanpreet was on 22. She hit Kanchana and Prabodhani for two fours each in the last two overs to bring up only her third half-century in T20Is since the 2023 T20 World Cup. That blitz – 52 not out off just 27 balls – helped India take 46 off the last four overs, the most by any team in this T20 World Cup.Renuka Singh struck twice in the powerplay to dent Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesShe had retired hurt against Pakistan due to a neck injury, and had come for the toss with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck but was termed fit for this game. However, she did not take the field in the chase, with Mandhana captaining the team.Sri Lanka slide in chaseHeading into the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka had the most wins since April last year and their win-loss ratio was better than that of India and Australia. Because they had hunted down 166 to win their maiden Asia Cup title, it would have been a tad premature to write them off in the 173-run chase in Dubai. But India were on the money from the word go, and never let them even get a sniff.An athletic effort from Radha Yadav, substitute for Harmanpreet, on the second ball of the chase set the tone. She ran back to her right from backward point and dived full length to catch a miscue from Vishmi Gunaratne. Mandhana then handed the new ball to Shreyanka Patil at the other end, ahead of Deepti Sharma. Patil responded by pushing one slightly quicker and getting it to spin away, enticing a defensive, hard-handed poke from Athapaththu to gather the edge to slip. When Renuka Singh had Harshitha Samarawickrama, the star of the Asia Cup final, feather an outside edge in the third over, the challenge was almost quelled.Legspinner Asha then joined the party in the middle overs, picking up three wickets using the sharp spin available to undo the batters. Her biggest wicket was that of Anushka Sanjeewani, who was the enforcer in the 37-run fourth-wicket with Dilhari. After floating a few up to the batter, Asha pulled the length ball to deceive the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper, with Richa Ghosh stumping her. Asha and Reddy, the Player of the Match against Pakistan, struck regularly through the middle overs. Both finished with identical figures of 3 for 19, Reddy’s efforts creditworthy after she was taken for 12 in her first over. For the third game in a row, Sri Lanka finished with a double-digit total in this competition.It was an outing that raised India’s hopes of a semi-final qualification, with their last league game against Australia on Sunday.

Celtic are striving forwards under Brendan Rodgers and another action-packed season is in store for the Bhoys, which could now lead to a significant development at Parkhead.

Celtic find themselves pursuing several arrivals

Five signings have come through the door officially this summer for Celtic to strengthen their bid for another Scottish Premiership title. However, recent reports suggest plenty more could be on the way before too long.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone is on the Bhoys’ radar and could be a big-money arrival at the £7 million mark, though any thought of him coming in at Parkhead may hinge on the future of Daizen Maeda.

Of course, Brendan Rodgers has already got one answer to his multi-faceted striker quest after confirming that Shin Yamada will join Celtic from Kawasaki Frontale after weeks of speculation hinting the Japanese forward is set for a move to Glasgow.

During the week, Celtic saw off Sporting Lisbon in expert fashion courtesy of goals from Reo Hatate and Luke McCowan. Speaking post-match, the Hoops’ Irish boss praised his side’s excellent tactical execution against a distinguished opponent.

He stated: “Performance wise it was outstanding. We made another step in our fitness and tactical idea with some of the players coming in. Overall it was a very, very good performance against a very good team. Tactically we were excellent with our pressure and pressing and some of our football was outstanding.

Celtic agree to offload £16k-p/w earner as deal agreed with Champions League club

The Bhoys are set to free up some funds…

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 17, 2025

“We maybe lacked a little bit in the final third at times just to finish off some great moves but other than that it was a very, very good workout for us.”

In spite of the Hoops’ display, Rodgers still has work to do in tailoring his side, and he will need to make sure his key players stick around for another tilt at domestic and European success.

Celtic closing in on bumper new Daizen Maeda contract

According to Football Insider, Celtic are pushing ahead with their attempts to tie down Daizen Maeda, and he is said to be willing to commit long-term with one demand – the Hoops match his ambitions.

Rodgers views the Japan international as a central part of his future plans and is willing to build his entire team around him, with talks open over a new deal amid interest from the Premier League in his services.

Daizen Maeda’s importance to Celtic

Appearances

158

Goals

62

Assists

28

Shedding some further insight, O’Rourke stated: “It makes a lot of sense for Celtic to try and keep hold of Maeda. If Celtic want to continue their dominance in Scotland, they’re going to have to keep hold of their best players, and there’s no doubt Maeda is amongst those.

“He’s under contract until 2027, so they’re looking to extend that and give him bumper new terms just to keep the player happy and ward off interest from Premier League clubs.

“There was talk that Brentford and Tottenham were interested in him.The Japan international was their top goalscorer last season, so he isn’t going to be an easy player to replace if they do end up losing him.”

With 33 goals to his name last season, Maeda became Celtic’s most reliable option whether wide left or as a centre-forward and is widely viewed as an indispensable player in Glasgow’s east end.

Only two years remain on his deal, so it would make perfect sense for the Bhoys to tie him up on an extended contract before his future becomes a main topic of conversation.

Leeds United are set for an incredibly busy summer of transfer business, after the first window opened on Sunday, as they look to recruit for a season in the Premier League.

The last six teams to have won promotion to the top-flight from the Championship have all been relegated at the first time of asking, including Burnley, Luton, Sheffield United, Leicester, Southampton, and Ipswich.

Daniel Farke, who was relegated from the Premier League with Norwich City in 2020, knows how difficult it will be for the Whites to avoid the drop, which is why the summer transfer window is so important.

Leeds have to recruit well if they want to have a shot at avoiding relegation back down to the Championship, which is what Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa did in the summer of 2020.

Orta splashed the cash to bring an exciting talent to Elland Road in the form of Raphinha ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, following the club’s promotion from the second tier, and it was a signing that helped them to avoid relegation for two seasons.

Why Raphinha was a big signing for Leeds

The Brazilian winger was a big signing for Leeds in a multitude of ways. Firstly, they reportedly paid Rennes a fee of £17m, plus add-ons, to bring him to West Yorkshire, which shows that they were willing to spend a significant sum of money on his services.

Secondly, Raphinha was a big addition for the Whites and Bielsa because he made an instant and huge impact at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League, providing quality in the final third on a regular basis to secure vital points for his side.

The Brazil international, as shown in the highlights above, was an exciting player for supporters to watch with plenty of goals, assists, and skills in his debut year in English football with the club.

Raphinha ended that first season with a return of six goals and nine assists in 30 appearances in the Premier League, which shows that he hit the ground running and did not need much time to adapt to the country and division.

As you can see in the table above, the left-footed wizard followed that up with a haul of 21 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 35 outings in the top-flight to lead them to survival under Jesse Marsch.

That form, finally, led to another reason why he was a big signing for Leeds, because it earned him a mega £55m transfer to Barcelona in the summer of 2022, which represented a huge profit on the £17m that they paid Rennes for his services two years prior.

The Whites were, of course, relegated the season after he left, illustrating how important he was to their survival, and Leeds could land their biggest and most influential signing since Raphinha by landing a reported Premier League target.

Leeds eyeing move for Premier League midfielder

Journalist Ben Jacobs has suggested that Leeds United could be eyeing up a deal to sign central £35m midfielder Yves Bissouma from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.

The Mali international just won the Europa League with Spurs, starting in the final against Manchester United, but he could be on his way out of North London in the coming weeks, with the Whites said to be a team to watch in the race for his services.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “He wants to stay in the Premier League. I’m told Leeds are another one to watch. They’re looking to add another midfielder. It will all come down to finances and wages for them too.”

As the reporter said, wages could come into play as Bissouma earns £55k-per-week, per Capology. Patrick Bamford is reportedly on £70k-per-week, per Capology, which does not suggest that the club would have to break their wage structure to bring the Spurs midfielder in.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Leeds will be able to get a deal over the line for the ex-Brighton star, but he could be their biggest signing since Raphinha if they can bring him to Elland Road.

Why Bissouma would be Leeds' biggest signing since Raphinha

As aforementioned, Raphinha was a huge addition for Leeds because the quality that he provided at the top end of the pitch played a pivotal role in the team avoiding relegation from the Premier League in both of his seasons at the club.

The Whites have not achieved top-flight survival in a season since the Brazilian star moved on from Elland Road, but Bissouma is a player who has the potential to lead them to survival in the 2025/26 campaign.

Whilst the Mali international did not have the best season with Spurs, starting just 16 of his 28 outings in the top-flight, his form for Brighton before his move to Spurs shows that the potential is there for him to be an excellent player at that level.

U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed that Bissouma was “the best DM in the Premier League” in February 2021, and that was not an outrageous claim to make between the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.

As you can see in the table above, the then-Brighton star caught the eye with 4.7 and 4.8 tackles and interceptions per game in those two seasons, which shows that he was constantly winning the ball back for his side by breaking up opposition attacks.

For context, no Leeds player managed more than 3.5 tackles and interceptions combined per game in the Championship this season, illustrating just how impressive Bissouma’s form for Brighton was from a defensive perspective.

The Spurs midfielder has shown signs of that quality during his time in London, averaging 4.2 tackles and interceptions per match in the Premier League for the club in the 2023/24 term, but he peaked with the Seagulls.

At the age of 28, Bissouma still has plenty of time to get back to his best, though, and that is why he could be a transformational signing for Leeds as a proven top-flight performer who could be the ‘best DM in the Premier League’ at his best, making him their best and biggest signing since Raphinha as no one else has kept the team in the top tier since the Brazilian left in 2022.

Way better than Aaronson: Leeds eyeing move for "infectious" EFL "standout"

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a star who would be way better than Brenden Aaronson.

By
Dan Emery

May 30, 2025

He would arrive at Elland Road with pedigree and quality and could provide a strong foundation for Farke’s side in the middle of the park with his ability to consistently break up attacks, which would be particularly vital in a relegation battle where they may have their backs against the wall at times.

Middlesbrough missed out on a Championship playoff place this campaign, but could now raid rival top six chasers Blackburn Rovers for one of their star assets if reports are to be believed.

Championship playoff battle ends in despair for Boro and Blackburn

The race for a shot at Premier League promotion is now over in terms of the regular season, and supporters of concerned clubs will now look forward to a heated battle to claim a place in the top-flight. Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City secured a chance to reach the big time and the glamour that comes with it. However, for every success story, there are always hard-luck tales to offer some balance.

Michael Carrick will be feeling a sense of frustration after Middlesbrough missed out by a four-point margin following a run of one victory in their final six fixtures. Ultimately, the club’s decision to cash in on Emmanuel Latte Lath in January may have come back to bite officials at the Riverside Stadium.

The Ivorian striker scored 11 times before moving to Atlanta United, leaving a shortage of goals present in Carrick’s line-up barring Finn Azaz and Tommy Conway.

Middlesbrough’s unfateful run of results during Championship run-in

Middlesbrough 0-1 Leeds United

Millwall 1-0 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough 0-0 Norwich City

Coventry City 2-0 Middlesbrough

Rangers midfielder Tom Lawrence could be an early arrival at Middlesbrough on a free transfer to add an offensive threat from midfield, and the Wales international is likely to be one of a number of targets under Boro’s watch over the coming weeks.

In similar fashion, Carrick’s men are now said to have another bargain deal up their sleeve that may come at the expense of rivals Blackburn.

Middlesbrough in pole position to sign Tyrhys Dolan

According to EFL Analysis, Middlesbrough could sign Tyrhys Dolan on a free transfer from Blackburn, and they are leading the race for his signature as his contract veers closer to expiring at Ewood Park.

Set to become available as a free agent, talks have taken place between his camp and Boro representatives. It has been made clear that he is primed to seek a new challenge away from the Lancashire outfit.

Related Carrick loves him: Middlesbrough keen to seal deal for "fantastic" PL ace

He’s been in solid form as of late.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Mar 26, 2025

Labelled “outstanding” by John Eustace, Dolan has registered seven goals and six assists across 47 appearances in all competitions this season, playing a major role in Rovers’ own close shave with earning a playoff place. Despite competition from a number of sides, Boro are at the front of the queue and are taking a proactive approach to atone for missing out on a shot at promotion to the top-flight.

Completing an average of 1.3 dribbles per match on Championship duty, Dolan has emerged as a rising talent and reportedly fits the bill as Middlesbrough seek depth to put the building blocks in place for a better season next time out.

Crossing paths to join another club in the same league may sour relations with his current employers, but it would also be a mark of Carrick’s ambition heading into pre-season.

The main act lasted all of 15 balls, Kohli the batter showing few signs of arresting his steady descent into the perfectly ordinary. Kohli the icon of the masses remains in much loftier territory

Rahul Bhattacharya31-Jan-2025It was a day of mourning – the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination – but the Jaitley wore a celebratory air. Entry was free, there were injuries trying to enter (a Ranji group match!) and in speculations about when queueing began, 4am turned into a consensus. On the road adjoining the medieval Kotla ruins, a municipal tempo blared Punjabi hip-hop at a festive volume, and there was a beat of hip-hop in the Delhi squad names – a Money Grewal, even if no longer a Prince Choudhary – and certainly in the jet-black Porsche Panamera Turbo (personalised number plate, obviously) that ferried Virat Kohli from his Gurugram mansion.Kohli no longer lives in Delhi, or entirely in India, basing himself out of Mumbai and London; and as further incongruous reminder of his itineracy, the faithful threw themselves into un-ironical chants of “RCB”. No longer a resident, but Virat Kohli is as Delhi as a fight. To tell a Delhiite that Kohli is not one of them is to say a reflection lies. So, no matter that he was playing a Ranji match after 12 years, and no matter that it was enforced: he was here, he is here!Here, too, was Kartik, posing for photographs. A lookalike from Chandigarh, donned in an India Test baggy, his beard groomed in perfect homage. Eight lakh followers on Insta, he tells me, from eight years of being like Kohli. I want to save his number. What came after Kartik? “You can write Kohli.” Inside the stadium a poster proclaimed: “There is no kingdom without King Kohli.”Real or fake? Fake in this case: Virat Kohli’s lookalike, Kartik•Rahul BhattacharyaThe first day Virat Kohli spent almost entirely in the field, and almost exclusively in the slips. Two Gautam Gambhirs loomed over him – the name staring down from each wing on the stand usually likened to a giant parking lot, yet also resembling a gargantuan concrete spider on its back. The Gambhir stand that held, according to one scribe, “more people in this one Ranji match than in the entire five years when Gambhir was sent back to play Ranji”. There were eleven thousand in, perhaps twelve, maybe fifteen. Nobody could remember a bigger Ranji crowd in recent times.An hour into Kohli’s first Ranji match in 12 years a man ran on to the field and touched his feet. As he fled away Kohli directed the security not to thrash the fellow, which is as Delhi a gesture as a thrashing, the line between belligerence and benevolence perennially fine, the stuff that maintains the charge between its people.A full 24 hours later, the crowd had occasion to cheer the demise of their No. 3, the rising star Yash Dhull, a former Under-19 World Cup winning captain no less, like the man about to replace him. Kohli stood up from the plastic chair at the boundary rope, gripping his bat with his customary bottom hand. As he commenced his walk to the pitch, as if choreographed, the four thousand-odd in the adjoining Bishan Singh Bedi stand each raised an arm, phone cameras trained upon their subject.Related

Meet Himanshu Sangwan, the seamer who spoiled Kohli's return

Kohli lasts 15 balls on Ranji return; Saurashtra eye bonus-point win

IPL-like scenes in Ranji Trophy as fans flock to watch Kohli play

No Indian batter before Kohli had cut quite a figure like Kohli: so shorn of body fat, borne out of so obsessive a diet, with such impressive delts and traps over so lean a torso. Accordingly, there were no curves, no rounds for his sleeveless sweater to negotiate; it fell on him as it would a mannequin. “Visionary,” was his former trainer Basu Shanker’s word when I spoke to him during the 2023 World Cup. “He started preparing himself like an Olympic athlete”. In that tournament Kohli scored 765 runs, the highest ever at a World Cup.In the long format, however, his numbers have gone from contraction to recession.Over 39 Tests in the last five years, the average has plummeted from a commanding 55, into the 46s now; his strike rate in the period has retarded into the stodgy 40s. He averages 30 in this time, while his big-four rivals, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steven Smith do 64, 54 and 45. Of batters with 20 innings or more, Kohli comes in ninth – on the Indian list, that is. In the world he is 64th. Put another way, he has been, middling, mediocre, medium, for a third of his Test career.What explains his steady descent to the perfectly ordinary? What ails this exceptional athlete?The Gautam Gambhir Stand heaved for another famous Delhi son•PTI , proposed Swami Premanand Maharaj, the guru Kohli and his family visited after the Australia tour, since karmic debt (I am translating and condensing here) within a group of people can overwhelm the excellence of one’s practice. My friend and former colleague Sidharth Monga, a proponent of luck as a measurable parameter, conjectured that Kohli enjoyed an excess of such luck in his prime and is enduring a deficit now. Karma, luck, vast forces. Perhaps it’s just his off-side play.His eighth ball Kohli was beaten outside off stump, drawn into a drive by Kunal Yadav, a fine, full ball that seamed away. The next ball, short of a length and in that channel just outside the channel, Kohli fenced at. He was lucky to miss again.Ian Chappell used to tell a story about Garfield Sobers. Mark Mascarenhas, the television mogul, asked the great man about the secret to batting during a late-night session. Nothing to it, said Sobers, in his 60s, on his feet in a trice to demonstrate: if it’s up, hit it so – pouncing forwards to drive; if it’s short, hit it so, dancing back to cut. In Vaneisa Baksh’s remarkable new biography of Frank Worrell, Sobers tells her that as a boy he would watch the great batters from the crowds on the boundary line – not their strokes, “I wasn’t interested in that. I used to watch their movements and watch the pitch of the ball and length to see what they do to that kind of ball, how they move.”Himanshu Sangwan had a day to remember, and that might be understating it•PTI It has been extraordinary to watch a great off-side player’s off-side game fray away; extraordinary to consider that he chose to simply not explore one entire half of off-side play.Three years ago, after a laudable 79 off 201 balls in Cape Town, Sanjay Manjrekar was prescient in insisting that “he’s got to look at this method of scoring runs” – the method being such a pronounced commitment to front-foot play that it turned gradually into a monomania. It is hard to think of a great batter so mute on the cut: a natural scoring shot, making fewer demands on technique or courage than other attacking shots. The Indian legacy in the stroke is rich. Vijay Merchant’s storied late cut, Gundappa Viswanath’s legendary square cut. Sachin Tendulkar cut, of course, and also punched thrillingly off the back-foot with a vertical bat. Virender Sehwag almost based a career on it: if he wasn’t cutting you to pieces it was probably because he was upper-cutting you.Fourteenth ball, Kohli hit his first boundary, a sizzling straight drive off the seamer Himanshu Sangwan, providing a moment of deliverance to the crowd.A touch of Mohammad Azharuddin about the stroke, the wrists coming into play, the right leg raised back from the knee as he completed the shot. Something of the Azhar spirit in it, too – the times he had a point to prove and nothing to lose. The next ball Kohli advanced down the track again; the ball darted in between bat and pad; he lost his shape, his grip on the bat and his off stump, which went cartwheeling, while he looked ruefully down at a spot on the pitch. As he walked back to the Virat Kohli Pavilion, again a choreography went off in the stands, this time a synchronised outward procession – an exodus.Why are the fans headed to the Railways vs Delhi Ranji Trophy match? There is only one answer in this instance•Rahul BhattacharyaIt’s difficult to embrace failure with a smile and keep going, said the guru in his short discourse to Kohli, but God gives you that ability. On the surface of it he had certainly been smiley, laughy, chatty, meeting with old friends, their children, encouraging young team-mates.Coming back to Delhi, for Delhi, had possibly tapped into something deeper. A home left is a more poignant thing than a home inhabited. In a conversation with Jatin Sapru, one of those conversations in which Kohli so articulately attends to the Kohli brand, he recalled: “I know when I used to be on a Scooty going around playing games and, you know, trying to make a mark. I don’t forget those days.” He gestured with his fingers. “I can still feel it.” Delhi doesn’t leave you the option of not feeling. You feel it all: the noxious air in your throat, the bone-chilling nip of a winter morning, the dust-laden loo that blows in the brutal summer, in which the euphemistic “hot-weather tournaments” proceed.Soon he was in training gear, yapping away. He was the lowest scorer for his side, the only one in single digits.Outside the stadium, two youngsters from Greater Noida, glumly held up their poster. “Here for King Kohli. Comeback Loading.” They were taking off now but planned to return at the end of the day to witness a felicitation ceremony for Virat Kohli.

No point in judging spinner by his statistics, but his central importance to team is clear

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Dec-2022There is no question Jack Leach is a different bowler under Ben Stokes.The left-arm spinner is a far more accomplished and braver bowler. Stokes as captain spent the summer reinforcing his confidence with praise and testing his mettle by refusing Leach’s requests for boundary-saving fielders. He took the first ten-wicket haul of his Test career in the summer at Headingley against New Zealand, within that coming his first two five-wicket hauls on home soil.The overall numbers, however, do not reflect the strides he has made this year. Under Stokes, Leach currently averages 40.17, higher than his overall of 33.75, and his 31.88 under previous skipper, Joe Root. Even after his successes in the first innings at Multan, his strike-rate under Stokes remains nine points higher than it was under Root.Test cricket is the format that judges such stats more harshly than any other, but within the current England set-up – a team with such an absolute focus on winning that its bowlers are happy for their economy rates to go up so long as the opposition’s wickets are going the same way – Leach’s make for unusually misleading numbers. Even so, on day two in Multan, he finally got a haul that worked in his favour, figures of 4 for 98 in 27 overs that helped established a crucial first-innings lead of 79.”Don’t look at my stats,” Leach said, when asked how to disconnect the thriving cricketer from the questionable statistics. “Do you know what, I’ve never felt this so much – as a team, we just want to win. And we’ll do everything we can to do that.”I really start to understand that we’re going to take a few more risks to maybe take a wicket, and that might require going for a few more runs.”There is one piece of data, however, that underlines not just what Leach is doing well under Stokes, but the perseverance that he has required to do it. No spinner has taken a wicket immediately after getting hit for a boundary as many times as Leach. His dismissals of Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan on Saturday in Multan took him to 12 overall and four under Stokes alone. Moreover, they were Test wickets 100 and 101.It might seem a little convenient to extrapolate character simply through tuning the dials on Statsguru. And it is, no doubt, though only because the real takeaway is how much thicker his skin has had to become. Leach’s story is about plugging away in the face of adversity, whether through his battles with Crohn’s disease and the assorted ailments he has picked up as a result, or the professional bumps he has experienced since his debut back in March 2018. Now, 30 caps on, that thick skin is almost a weapon in its own right, especially in the midst of England’s new era.On Friday evening, with Pakistan still trailing by 174 after closing on 107 for 2, England’s attack reflected among themselves that they had been cut too often – and Leach himself had been a particular culprit, with a drag-down from the first ball of each of his first two new-ball overs. Returning on Saturday, they reiterated a plan to bowl straighter and force the batters to hit to areas that weren’t their first choice, with men waiting in the deep, strategically placed three-quarters of the way to the fence.Leach was right in the thick of things in the moment of victory in Rawalpindi•AFP/Getty ImagesIronically, their key morning breakthrough was nothing to do with this plan. Ollie Robinson, with only his second ball of the match, ripped an inswinger through Babar Azam’s defences to take out middle and off. That was the first of eight wickets to fall for just 60 runs, with Leach building on Robinson’s momentum by taking the next three.Saud Shakeel’s loft down the ground was followed, one ball later, by a drag to midwicket that James Anderson caught brilliantly running back towards the boundary. Leach had tucked his length back a fraction to force the left-hander to reach a little more than he’d have liked. The dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan, however, was a touch of class mixed with a bit of anger, after Leach had been driven immaculately down the ground.”It felt good coming out of the hand, definitely,” Leach said of a delivery that pitched on leg and took middle. “He’d just hit me for four over the top so I maybe tried to put a little bit more on that one. And when he went back, I thought, that’s good, I might have him in a bit of trouble.” He did.Mohammad Nawaz then chipped Leach to a gleeful Stokes at a catching mid-on, taking him to 103 wickets with plenty prospects of improving that figure before the Test is out.There was plenty generosity of that type on offer from Pakistan’s batters. But even so, from the drying-up of scoring opportunities to the subsequent clatter of wickets, it took a rare level of collective confidence to take such assured control of the game. And on a red-letter day for Leach, he was not only the main exponent, but for once the main beneficiary.He is, in many ways, the surprise totem of the McCullum-Stokes era, if only because he’s not outwardly the kind of cricketer you’d expect to fit in among this group. And no, it’s not because of the glasses. For starters, being a finger-spinner is hardly the sexiest pursuit, especially in a group that rally against convention.He has been the only bowler to play in every match under McCullum and Stokes – and that includes his concussion substitution in their very first match at Lord’s, which might have been an excuse to look elsewhere, but proved to be quite the opposite. Similarly, when it looked like he might miss the first Test in Rawalpindi with illness, Stokes went and visited his room to convince him to pull through. Leach ended up taking the final wicket of a famous win and went on to thank Stokes for his insistence earlier in the week.Their bond had existed long before their date with destiny at Headingley, but that day in 2019 took it to the next level. At the end-of-season PCA dinner, Leach bid £8,000 on a portrait of Ben Stokes from that innings against Australia, with the pair hugging like loons on stage when it was successful.Related

Stats – A rare duck for Pakistan's seamers; Stokes continues dream captaincy run

'It's more than I felt I'll ever achieve' – Leach elated on reaching 100 Test wickets

Searching for the real Pakistan – from behind a security cordon

The Abrar Ahmed school of wizardry: come for the mystery, stay for the legspin

Abrar Ahmed takes seven in debut innings as Pakistan cramp England's new style

Independent of Stokes, he now commands a greater standing in the dressing-room, even if he was always a popular member of it. He’s not the most vocal, but appears to have taken Moeen Ali’s role as the king of the one-liner, breaking any tension with a wry comment here and there. After besting India comprehensively at Edgbaston, a fourth consecutive chase of the McCullum-Stokes era, Leach quipped to his skipper that “teams will be better than us, but they won’t be braver than us”. Stokes repeated the line in his post-match media engagements, with credit. It has since become a buzz phrase that the team has rolled out so often that Leach could have earned a central contract’s worth of royalties had he copyrighted it.He’s bought into the batting side of things, too. Once the proud owner of the longest, most revered single since Meatloaf, he’s expanded his horizons, with the switch hit now his weapon of choice. He was lamented by Somerset coaches for playing it in a Championship match earlier this year – it went for six – but he pulled it off again against South Africa at Emirates Old Trafford. Friday’s attempt in Multan was, frankly, an abomination, but the willing to exist outside of his comfort zone is clear.That extends to golf, an immensely popular pastime with both white- and red-ball teams – and cricketers full stop – but it’s something that Leach has little time for. Every now and again he’ll tag along, provided he can nab a free set of clubs from the course for the round. He is learning to embrace it, and is apparently eyeing up lessons in the new year.Ironically, it was because of Leach that England were able to approach their second innings with a degree of old-world sensibility. Commitment to the new brand would have meant a thrash and a declaration to be back bowling again at Pakistan before the day was out.Instead, there was a throwback to a more old-school third-innings canter: 89 for 3 after 25 overs at tea became 202 for 5 by stumps. No one struck in excess of a run a ball, Ben Duckett’s 79 off 98 was a slow-burn show of aggression by his recent standards. Harry Brook (74 from 108) and Stokes (16 off 25) will no doubt flex their wares on Sunday to bump their current lead of 281 up beyond Pakistan’s reach.The key here is, unlike Rawalpindi, England do not necessarily need the hosts to play ball. There are three full days remaining and Duckett’s dismissal – a ball from Abrar pitching back of a length and hitting as low as halfway up off stump – showed just how much the pitch has deteriorated already.The requisite ten wickets for a second victory, and a series win achieved with a match to spare, should not be too hard to come by. Not for the first time this year, Leach will be front and centre of that.

Six teams, three playoff spots. Here’s how each team can still make the final four

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-20203:31

Was Rahul right in blaming the dew?

Rajasthan Royals: Played 13, Points 12, NRR -0.377
Royals have given their qualification hopes a lift with the win on Friday, but they will still depend on other results going their way even if they win their last game, against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.Their best-case scenario will be if Kings XI lose their final game and if Sunrisers Hyderabad win no more than one. Then they will go through with 14 points, without net run rates coming into play.Even with NRR, Royals can still make it if Delhi Capitals (or Royal Challengers Bangalore) lose both their matches and stay on 14. It is then possible for Royals to sneak past them on run rate.ESPNcricinfo LtdKings XI Punjab: Played 13, Points 12, NRR -0.133
The defeat to Royals means Kings XI are also now dependent on other results to qualify. Even if they beat Chennai Super Kings in their last game on Sunday, they will not make it if Sunrisers win both games, and if the loser of the Capitals-Royal Challengers game finishes higher on the points table (either in terms of points or NRR) than Kings XI.However, if Sunrisers lose one of their last two games, then Kings XI will have an excellent chance of qualifying with 14 points.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Played 12, Points 14, NRR 0.048
Royal Challengers will qualify if they win one of their two remaining matches. Even if they lose both matches and stay on 14 they can still qualify without run-rates coming into play, but for that to happen several other results will have to go their way.However, losing both games will affect their NRR, which could result in their elimination if other teams on 14 have higher run rates.Sunrisers Hyderabad: Played 12, Points 10, NRR 0.396
Kings XI’s defeat is good news for Sunrisers, for they can now qualify for the playoffs by winning their last two matches, regardless of other results. That is because a maximum of three teams can reach 16 points, and the other teams on 14 are too far behind Sunrisers’ NRR. Even if Sunrisers win their last two matches by a run each, Kings XI – the team with the best chance of improving their run rate – will have to win their last game by around 130 runs to go past Sunrisers’ NRR.However, if Sunrisers lose either of the two matches, they will be out.Delhi Capitals: Played 12, Points 14, NRR 0.030
Like the Royal Challengers, the Capitals too need a win to seal their playoff place, but their last two games are against the top two teams on the table, and the Capitals will go into Saturday’s game against Mumbai Indians on a three-match losing streak.Capitals cannot afford another meltdown like the one they had against Sunrisers: if they lose their last two, it is entirely possible that they will be eliminated as two other teams can easily go past their NRR.Kolkata Knight Riders: Played 13, Points 12, NRR -0.467br>Knight Riders’ NRR is so poor that their only chance of qualification is if they beat Royals and finish on 14, and none of the other contenders get to that tally. That means Kings XI should lose their last game to Super Kings, while Sunrisers should win no more than one of their last two matches. In that case, Mumbai Indians, Capitals, Royal Challengers and Knight Riders will qualify for the playoffs.Mumbai Indians: Played 12, Points 16, NRR 1.186
Mumbai Indians are already through to the playoffs, and thanks to their excellent NRR, it is almost certain that they will also finish in the top two. That is because only one of the Capitals or the Royal Challengers can finish on 18, and in a battle between teams tied on 16, Mumbai are too far ahead on NRR compared to Capitals and Royal Challengers.

The Nationals beat the Marlins 2-0 on Monday afternoon. While it was a low-scoring game, there were some very early fireworks as Miami leadoff hitter Xavier Edwards disagreed with home plate umpire Brennan Miller's third call of the game and ended up getting tossed.

With a 1-1 count pitcher Andrew Alvarez threw a slider that caught the top of the strike zone. When Miller called it a strike Edwards stepped all the way out of the batter's box with attitude. He grounded out on the next pitch and then got thrown out while still complaining about the high strike in the dugout as the next at-bat started.

It appears Rafael Devers won't have the same gripes about his defensive position in San Francisco as he did with the Boston Red Sox, a disagreement that led to his ousting.

Officially introduced by the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday, Devers said he is flexible to play any position his new team requires.

"I'm here to give my 100%. … They are the men in charge," Devers said through a translator. "I am here to play wherever they want me to play."

Asked a follow-up question if he has a preference where he plays in San Francisco, Devers repeated a similar answer.

"Like I said before, I am here to play wherever they want me to do and to give my best."

That's a much different answer than Devers gave the Red Sox earlier this year. After Boston signed Alex Bregman in free agency to take Devers's place at third, he refused to move across the diamond to first base when asked by the team. Devers, 28, made all 73 appearances for the Red Sox this season at designated hitter before getting traded on Sunday.

Just like Boston, the Giants also employ a Gold Glove third baseman—five-time award winner Matt Chapman. But with the hot corner occupied in the Bay Area, Devers appears more than willing to play first base—or any other position—in a Giants uniform.